Hello

This is what I do when I want to write about MMA but have no other outlet it seems.

Available for freelance or otherwise.

Thanks,
John

P.S. I just read through some older posts.  Things really have changed, but the more I think about it, its only some of the fighters, everything else is all the same.

Home Again

It took a while, but I'm finally back at my old stomping grounds: MMA on Tap.

Where it all started pretty much. We're already hard at work with new posts and everything. That's where I'll be for the near future and beyond. My twitter is staying the same, nothing new there.

I'm sure I'll have some random stuff up on here every once and a while, but for an everyday sort of thing, check us out at over at the new (old) joint.

My 2010 MMA Awards

This is a bit late but I figured I might as well get mine out there just like everyone else. 2010 was an interesting year for MMA. The three previous years had been reserved for change and growth, but 2010's theme was different as the rise of the sport's new blood was ever prevalent.

Without further delay...

Fighter of the Year: Cain Velasquez. His first-round destruction of Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira at UFC 110 was shocking. No one expected that, and no one expected Velasquez to improve upon that performance, mauling Brock Lesnar in less than five minutes eight months later.
Honorable Mention: Dominick Cruz, Frankie Edgar, Georges St. Pierre

Story of the Year: Questionable judging in MMA. It seems that there were more highly questionable decisions this year than during any other. Nam Phan getting robbed against Leonard Garcia, Sean Sherk's questionable decision over Evan Dunham and Nik Lentz receiving a gift against Tyson Griffin were only some examples of what is quickly becoming a serious problem for the sport.
Honorable Mention: UFC/WEC Merger, Chael Sonnen, Fedor loses

My November 2010 Rankings

Here are my rankings for the month of November.

Notable movement took place at the top of the light heavyweight and middleweight divisions, where Quinton "Rampage" Jackson and Yushin Okami each scored crucial wins.

A note on B.J. Penn: Even though his last and next fights are contested at welterweight, I've decided to keep him ranked at 155 lbs until his future becomes a little bit clearer.

Fitch Gets the Shaft Again

After being promised another UFC welterweight title shot, Jon Fitch has had the opportunity taken away from him. It isn't the first time.

Instead of biding his time and waiting for a second chance at Georges St. Pierre, and or Josh Koscheck, Fitch has, reluctantly I'm sure, agreed to face Jake Ellenberger at UFC 126 in February. Jake Shields, who was less than impressive in a split decision over Martin Kampmann recently, will assume the top contender spot.

I don't have any gripes with Shields receiving a title shot. None. He's been the top welterweight outside of the UFC for a number of years now and his record speaks for itself. He's as worthy a contender as there has ever been to be quite honest.

Assuming St. Pierre dispatches of Koscheck this December, the truth of the matter is that time is running out for Fitch to receive another crack at the Canadian. A win over Shields will mean that St. Pierre has "cleaned out" the UFC's 170 lb. division. TWICE.

My October 2010 MMA Rankings

Here are my rankings for the month of October. The most interesting thing for me was the shakeup at heavyweight and how others are going to view the top half.

This month's new additions include Michael Bisping, who earned a unanimous decision over Yoshihiro Akiyama and Jake Shields, who officially moved back to the welterweight division with his split decision win over Martin Kampmann at UFC 121 this past weekend.

The full set of rankings are after the jump.

Neither Shamrock Nor White Are Telling the Truth

The never-ending war of words between UFC President Dana White and the company's former embattled middleweight champion Frank Shamrock has found new life once again.

Long a fixture in the San Jose community, Shamrock has opted to put up shop in Manhattan this coming February in hopes of speeding along the quest to legalize MMA in the state of New York, a venture that has been met with much apprehension among state officials who still believe the sport to be barbaric.

Surprisingly, despite being one of the most active supporters of the cause, Shamrock believes that White is actually the biggest reason why politicians have opposed the process thus far.

"The face of our sport is Dana White and out here in conservative New York, the way people think, bald-headed, tattoo'd, swearing people are just not a good representative of our brand and unfortunately people think that Dana White speaks for MMA, and they're confused," Shamrock told MMA Fanhouse's Ariel Helwani on a recent edition of "The MMA Hour". "They don't know he speaks for the UFC. They think he speaks for the entire sport and [they think] the entire sport is made up of Dana Whites.

Michael Bisping Thinks He's One Win Away From a Title Shot... I Think Not

Forgive Michael Bisping. Fresh off a unanimous decision win over a struggling Yoshihiro Akiyama at UFC 120 yesterday, Bisping believes that he's only a win away from a title shot against reigning middleweight king Anderson Silva. I'm being serious:

"I want to fight the top guys. Whoever it is, I want to fight the best out there. I think one more win against a real credible opponent, I think that should get me a title fight. ... Ultimately, that's up to the UFC, but I feel I'm growing as a fighter. I said it leading up to the fight. I feel like I'm really maturing now, and everything is coming together in my skillset."

The middleweight division is currently lacking some new contenders, but Bisping's body of work pales in comparison to that of Nate Marquardt and Chael Sonnen, and even Yushin Okami if you wanted to stretch things a bit. All three bouts would be rematches for Silva that make more sense right now than giving a Bisping a shot.

I honestly don't know what is causing me to be so upset about the potential of Bisping as a title challenger more: The fact that he wants to be given a shot after a three wins over Akiyama, Dan Miller and a guy like Demian Maia or that I'm completely underwhelmed by his UFC tenure thus far. Don't get me wrong, Bisping is one of the best fighters to come out of the "TUF" program, but his loss to Rashad Evans at 205 lbs aside, he was left for dead against Dan Henderson and dropped a clear-cut decision to an aging Wanderlei Silva, a fight that he continues to complain about to this day while his case for a rematch continues to dwindle down. His resume at middleweight just doesn't impress me.

With that said, I'm all for Bisping receiving a title shot if he works his way up. However, he's not one fight away and I'm pretty sure the UFC brass is aware of that. Three more wins against the cream of the crop at 185 should do the trick. He's essentially in the same position as Chris Leben and Alan Belcher at the moment.. It's time to separate himself from the pack if he wants to prove his worth. We'll see what happens.

Why Should Strikeforce Sign Dave Bautista?

The debate concerning whether or not Strikeforce should sign former WWE superstar Dave Bautista continues to rage on. The answer to the question is simple in my mind: he'll bring in viewers, if only for the single event he competes on.

Geno Mrosko says that inking Bautista to a deal would essentially be a giant waste of time (HT: Bloody Elbow):

I don't understand why so many people think signing Bautista would be such a big deal for Strikeforce. Being a pro wrestling blog, we here at Cageside know better than anyone what Bautista brings to the table athletically and it's not much. He's an old man, from a sporting perspective, and he gets injured more often than he doesn't. What exactly is he going to bring to the table? He's never going to reach the upper echelon of the heavyweight division and unless he has a huge impact in terms of ratings, the amount of money he wants them to pay him would represent a huge loss.

 I don't think anyone expects Bautista to do much of anything in the sport, so bringing that up as a talking point about why Strikeforce shouldn't sign him is unnecessary. The hype train followed Brock Lesnar because of his collegiate wrestling background. The same can be said somewhat for Bobby Lashley.

Whether or not Strikeforce will take a loss in promoting Bautista won't be known until after it actually takes place, but I'd tend to lean towards the notion that they wouldn't. The promotion's income comes primarily from ticket sales and their partners at Showtime. With the right fighters on a card, Strikeforce can pull in a decent gate just about anywhere. And even though the exact numbers will never be known, it is also common knowledge that monetary support from Showtime likely comes from the number of eyes that flip the channel on for an event. Last weekend's rematch between Nick Diaz and K.J. Noons pulled in approximately 500,000 or so viewers. Pure interest in seeing Bautista step into the cage could easily double that, bringing in more money and new fans for Strikeforce. A win-win situation in my opinion.

UFC 118: Preview and Predictions

We are three days away from seeing whether or not B.J. Penn can goad Frankie Edgar into a "fight" in order to get his belt back and if James Toney has more than a puncher's chance of defeating Randy Couture. Barring any last-minute injuries or problems, the fight card for UFC 118 is set in stone.

Here's a little preview and some predictions:

Frankie Edgar vs. B.J. Penn (UFC Lightweight Title)

Will Edgar be able to pull off yet another upset? I find it hard to think so. While I believe the fight will be close at the start, a refocused and healthy Penn should be able to overwhelm Edgar in the later rounds just as he did to Sean Sherk and Kenny Florian. I'm expecting Penn to mix up his offense a bit more and Edgar to employ a similar gameplan to his original one save a more aggressive approach to brief takedowns. Penn via submission in round three.

Randy Couture vs. James Toney

It still baffles me that some are surprisingly giving Toney more than a puncher's chance in this one, claiming that Couture's increasing age has done a number on his reflexes and timing. In all honesty, a 50-something Couture years removed from the sport would probably beat Toney with ease as well. I'm giving this fight a minute and a half at the most before it's over. Couture will do exactly as he says he will: throw an overhand right, take Toney down and pound him out before sinking in a fight-ending rear-naked choke.