Fitch out of UFC 132; Why This Is Good for the UFC

Jon Fitch was scheduled to fight BJ Penn in a rematch on the July 2^nd UFC 132 Card.  It was announced yesterday that Jon Fitch had sustained an injury during training severe enough to have to withdraw from the fight.  Fitch and Penn recently fought at UFC 127, which ended in a draw.  The fight was close, but in my opinion the decision should have gone to Penn, Fitch did too little too late.  The announcement of an immediate rematch was announced, and was not a surprise to anyone, however I do not think it is a fight many fans want to see.

Fitch is no doubt a top contender in the welterweight division, but he does not have a fan pleasing style.  Fitch has long been known as a grinder. He does enough to win fights, but he certainly isn’t winning over fans and crowds.  One of the reasons fans aren’t cheering for Fitch is the fact that he hasn’t finished a fight since June of 2007.  He is a large welterweight with tough top control but he doesn’t advance position or land devastating ground and pound. He seems to do just enough to avoid stand ups.  These are all contributing factors to his lack of marketability.  Penn on the other hand is a fan favorite. He has a cocky attitude, brings the fight no matter where the fight takes place. He has crisp boxing, world class Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and that cocky attitude that some fans love, and others love to hate.  Hate him or Love him BJ draws fans in, and is easy to market.  With Fitch now out of the fight it gives the UFC the option to make some very entertaining, and easily marketable fights. Such fights that I personally believe will sell better than a Fitch vs. Penn rematch.

The possible match ups for BJ at Welterweight are exciting and plentiful.  Diego Sanchez has in the past mentioned how he would like another shot at BJ, and I think the fight would be entertaining, but I believe the outcome will be the same as their lightweight fight.  Last night (3/30/11) Carlos Condit also stated interest in fighting BJ Penn with a tweet stating that BJ was a legend, and that he would not hesitate to accept the fight if it was offered to him.  Beyond these fights there are plenty of other exciting match ups for Penn. Serra vs. Penn 2 would be easy to market as it keeps the rematch theme going.  Johnson is in the mix again and this could also be a very exciting match up.  The bottom line is that with Fitch out of this fight the UFC has many more marketable and profitable fights available.

While neither the UFC nor myself would ever wish injury upon a fighter this seems to be beneficial for all involved.  The UFC gets a more marketable fight, and I believe this is good for Fitch as well as Penn.  It leaves a rematch option available for a title fight in the event that Georges St. Pierre vacates the title and moves up to middleweight.  The belt being added to the picture would make this match up extremely marketable, rematch for the title works much better than immediate rematch after a controversial draw.  I fully believe BJ and Fitch will both win their next fight regardless of whom they face. They will meet again, under better conditions for the UFC.

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Farewell LHK: Homage to Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipovic

Cro Cop was once the most feared striker in the HW division, his kicks have never been matched by anyone. Over the years he has created one of the best highlight reels in all of MMA. The 2006 Open Weight Tournament showcased Cro Cop's Left High Kick as well as his overall MMA abilities with a Left High Kick victory over Wanderlei Silva, and his ability to keep the fight standing over a great wrestler, Josh Barnett. This is the Cro Cop I chose to remember.

Mirko comes from a kickboxing background and is a former K-1 star.  He started his transition to MMA in 2001 to further challenge himself and evolve as a fighter.  He entered the Pride ring and quickly became one of the most feared strikers in the world.  From 2004 to 2005 Mirko went on a 7 fight winning streak defeating legends such as Mark Coleman, Kevin Randleman, Josh Barnett and even buried the Heavy Weight champion’s younger brother Aleksander Emelianenko  This winning streak earned him a shot at then champion Fedor Emelianenko, where he lost a hard fight to a decision.  In victory and defeat Cro Cop has been in some of the biggest and most memorable MMA fights of all time. From his destruction of Heath Hearing, to his war with Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira he always showed a warrior spirit and toughness that cannot be matched by many.

In 2007 the entire MMA community buzzed about Mirko's UFC debut. Hardcore fans were excited to see him in the octagon and casual fans were exposed to the greatest LHK in MMA.  He entered the UFC as the Pride Open Weight Grand Prix champion. His debut fight was against a relatively unknown Eddie Sanchez. The fight with Sanchez was somewhat lackluster as Sanchez avoided engaging in exchanges with Cro Cop.  At the end of the first round Sanchez could not avoid Mirko's strikes anymore and lost via TKO.  Just like that Mirko had his first UFC victory!  This is when the story takes a sad turn. The head kick KO by Gabriel Gonzaga was the beginning of the end for Cro Cop.  Many have referred to this kick as the kick that stole Cro Cop's soul.  Mirko went on to win fights in both Dream and the UFC, but these victories were always against mid level fighters and Mirko seemed to have lost his killer instinct.  Mixed in these victories were disappointing losses to Cheick Kongo, JDS, Frank Mir and most recently Brendan Schaub.  After the loss to Schaub it was announced that Cro Cop was being dropped by the UFC, a sad but justified action.  It is believed by many fans and analysts that he has fought past his prime, but Mirko is a true warrior and fighter and has entered the octagon every time with all intentions of putting on a fight for the fans that will show is old form.

It is unknown if Mirko will be hanging up the gloves for good or looking for fight elsewhere, but not matter what he does he is a true MMA legend. He has never asked for any easy fight and has always strived to be the best and challenge himself.   We as fans never got to enjoy CroCop in his prime in the UFC, but it's hard to complain when he gave us so many memorable moments.  Whether he fought past his prime or the sport just evolved, Mirko is a true warrior and competitor and will always be remembered.

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Three Strikes and Your Out!!

Fighting for the UFC is most fighter’s dream, the equivalent of making it to the big leagues.  However getting there and staying there are two very different things.  The UFC has an unwritten, yet usually followed rule; three straight losses and your out, looking for fights elsewhere.  There are of course exceptions to every rule and Dan Hardy will be the next exception I believe.

Dan Hardy started his UFC career on a four-fight win streak that earned him a shot at the Welter Weight championship belt against Georges St. Pierre.  Dan proved his toughness in this fight but other than that it was a very lopsided loss.  His next two losses came to Carlos Condit, and most recently to Anthony Johnson at UFC 128.  Dan hasn't looked impressive in any of his losses but he has done one thing very right, he earned the respect of Dana White.  Dana has said before, and even after the most recent loss that he likes Dan Hardy, and it's never a bad thing to be on your bosses good side! Having Dana behind you is a great thing, but it's not the most important reason that I think Dan will stay in the UFC. He is a strong draw with the fans, especially with the fans in Europe. The UFC is constantly trying to expand, and grow to new countries worldwide, having a likable fighter from the UK will certainly help them accomplish this.  Helping the UFC grow in a new market definitely out weighs three losses in the octagon.

What's next for Dan Hardy? The UFC will put him on a main card in the UK in a very winnable fight in my opinion. The UFC and Dana want Dan to get back on the winning track, as it's good for business.  This situation proves it's good to be on Dana's good side, and even better to have fan support in a growing market! Dan Hardy will get back on the winning track and become one of the poster boys for the UK and Europe.

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Come one come all, welcome to ThatGuyJae's MMA Mind

Welcome, welcome!!  You are currently inside ThatGuyJae's MMA mind.  Here you will find thoughts about recent Mixed Martial Arts Events, predictions on upcoming events and pretty much anything that is Mixed Martial Arts or Brazilian Jiu Jitsu related!  I will be doing my very best to keep this updated with every major event in the MMA world.  I will also be trying to add in a mix of articles about random MMA topics that cross my mind.  For now this is just to get the blog started, I'm working on my first article as we speak should be up very soon! Stay Tuned!

Also I look forward to reading the comments, let me know if you agree or disagree with my fight predictions, or opinions!