Is this the best pound for pound fighter on the planet?

After his winning performance and successful title defense on Saturday night, is this currently the best pound for pound fighter on the planet? Jose Aldo, the UFC featherweight (145 lbs.) champion is currently (23-1) and has not lost a fight in eight years; yet before his win on Saturday, he was listed as only fourth in the latest pound for pound rankings. It's hard to dispute those currently in front of him, but for argument sake, I will attempt to do so.

Before I discuss Aldo and my reasoning why he should be considered number one, let me start the heated internet debate by saying that Anderson Silva, currently listed as number three, should not be ahead of Aldo; (right now I know Spider Silva fans around the world are losing their minds!) However, as great as the former middleweight champion is, the truth is he lost earlier this month and he lost badly. You can try and argue that he lost only because of his own shenanigans in the ring, but then that just adds to mine.

Anyone who jeopardizes his standing as the greatest fighter in the world by acting the way Silva did and then gets knocked out cold in the process, should not be ranked number three in the world on this list. I'm not saying Anderson Silva is still not one of the pound for pound best, but not ahead of the man pictured above. That brings me to number two, the current UFC welterweight champ Georges St. Pierre.

Just as impressive, but not quite as good, GSP (24-2) is on an 11 fight win streak and has not lost in the last six years. However, of those 11 wins, eight of them were by decision, which means he was only able to finish three of his opponents. Granted he fought top flight competition, but the same can be argued for any champion at this level. I don't deny St. Pierre should not be in the top three, but at this point number three appears to be where he should be.

That brings me to number one and the man many consider the present and future of mixed martial arts, Jon 'Bones' Jones. The UFC light-heavyweight champion, Jones is currently riding a nine fight win streak. Unlike St. Pierre though, Jones has finished eight of those nine with only one fight going to decision. However, unlike St. Pierre and Aldo, his current streak is only three and a half years old. Also, while some may argue he's defeated five former champions in the process, I'd respond by saying he's also fought an over the hill "janitor," so to speak, in Vladimir Matyushenko and two legit blown up middleweights in Vitor Belfort and Chael Sonnen.

Jones's stats are impressive, to say the least, and his current choice as number one in the world is hard to dispute, but now let me speak on Aldo. Since his last (and only) loss in 2005, Jose Aldo has won 16 fights in a row; of those 16, no less than nine were finished within the time limit. However, of those nine finishes, seven have come within the first or second round; with four of those coming inside the first; including an eight second destruction of Cub Swanson, currently ranked no less than the number three featherweight in the world by most.

During that streak, Aldo not only garnered the UFC title, but he was also the featherweight champion in the WEC (World Extreme Cagefighting), which was the preeminent organization for 145 lbs. fighters, since the UFC was not carrying that weight class at the time. That means that unlike Jones and St. Pierre, Aldo was a two organization titleholder during his run.

He's defeated three former world champions in the process and one, Frankie Edgar, was the former lightweight (155 lbs.) champ. The other two he completely decimated when he smashed Mike Brown in less than two rounds and destroyed Urijah Faber, in his hometown no less, when he literally chopped him down for five rounds.

Granted, the pound for pound list is all opinionated, since none of the fighters will probably ever fight each other. However instead of dismissing the lighter weight fighter simply because he's smaller in stature, one needs to look at things objectively and question, is this the best pound for pound fighter on the planet? 

Don't believe the hype

In 1987 during the beginning of the golden era of hip-hop, Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee's 'Public Enemy' produced a rap anthem entitled 'Don't believe the hype'. In typical Chuck D fashion he lyrically explained why you can't believe everything you hear. During last night's UFC on Fox 8 post-fight press conference, UFC President Dana White, in his own typical fashion, explained the same thing.

White was clearly not happy with the performance put on by top welterweight (170 lbs.) contenders Jake Ellenberger and Rory MacDonald (pictured above) and honestly I can't blame him; which brings me to a couple of questions. Does a fighter have a responsibility to himself or the company and the consumer? My second question is how much sense of responsibility should fighters feel to deliver when moved up on a fight card; in this case the co-main event?

In the world of combat sports, whether it is boxing or mixed martial arts, one loss, especially when you're at contender status can be extremely crucial. In the UFC, there have been fighters with win streaks and were on the verge of a title shot that have lost it all due to one critical defeat. Just ask Ellenberger who was coming off a two-fight win streak and had won eight out of his previous nine before losing last night via unanimous decision. Prior to that loss, he was ranked as high as number three and no less than fourth in most welterweight polls.

A win against MacDonald, who was virtually in the same ranking position depending on which poll you looked at, would have put him in prime position for a title shot. So, why didn't he go after it as a fighter who had that much on the line? By the same token, why didn't MacDonald do the same? Sure he won, but is a lackluster win more convincing than an exciting loss?

Truth is, when fighters get to the level of top contender status, it is the way they perform under that pressure which separates the truly great fighters from the good ones. When number one welterweight contender Johny Hendricks, after a five fight win streak, was bypassed for a title shot that inexplicably went to Nick Diaz, he went out and won a convincing unanimous decision against former interim champ Carlos Condit.

Condit on the other hand although he was defeated and is in the midst of two losses in a row, has lost virtually no ground in the rankings based on his performances in those fights.  As a matter of fact, Condit is still ranked in the top five of all polls and has a pivotal fight coming up against top 10 ranked Martin Kampmann, which could cause a stir at the top with a convincing victory; especially considering the way MacDonald won against Ellenberger.

Some fighters believe that winning, above all else, is all that counts; obviously that's the way MacDonald felt jabbing his way to victory. However while that may be true in the "sport" of MMA, in the "business" of the UFC, where selling fights is just as, if not more, important; performance and not necessarily victory is what counts. Dana White as a promoter has to be able to sell a fight, to both networks that put up a lot of money for the right to televise these events and also to us the consumer who pay for entertainment when the all important pay-per-views come around.

Before a fight, combatants can talk all the smack they want against each other, as Ellenberger and MacDonald did leading up to theirs on Saturday night. They can even make it seem like its personal; no one is better at this than the great Floyd Mayweather, Jr. in boxing; but when it is time to put up, if all you do is clam up, then I reiterate what Chuck D says, "Don't believe the hype."

Photo credit is courtesy of MMAMania.com

The impact and importance of a (the) coach

When it comes to sports, it used bother me when coaches like Phil Jackson in the NBA and the late John Wooden in college basketball would garner so much credit for their team's successes; I mean let's face it, they always had the best players. Jackson's 10 championships were won with Jordan and Pippen and then later with Kobe and Shaq. As for Wooden, six of his 10 titles included two of the most dominant players college basketball has ever seen in Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (formerly Lew Alcindor at the time) and Bill Walton. How much impact did these guys really have on their team's performances?

Well, the sudden and tragic loss of MMA Trainer Shawn Tompkins nearly two years ago has made me think otherwise. Tompkins passed away suddenly in his sleep because of a heart ailment on August 14, 2011 at the way too young age of 37. At the time, he was regarded as one of the top MMA trainers in the game, assembling a stable of successful home grown fighters known simply as Team Tompkins. 

Known affectionately and throughout as 'The Coach', Tompkins worked with many fighters during his career, but it was the core of Team Tompkins at the time of his passing, Sam Stout, Mark Hominick, Chris Horodecki and Ronnie Mann that I will focus on for this column. Those fighters, all perennial contenders throughout their careers under the tutelage of 'The Coach' Tompkins have felt the impact of his loss in more ways than one. 

Just take a look at the careers of each before and since Tompkins passing and the results are obvious; either that or it is incredibly coincidental. Let's start first with Stout, Tompkins brother-in-law by marriage to Stout's sister; he has been a mainstay in the UFC's lightweight division since his first fight in the organization way back in 2006. That was when he was a mere pup at the age of 22, thus Tompkins was a major influence on his career.

Before Tompkins passing, Stout had won four of his previous five and was coming off the most electrifying win of his career, a devastating first round knockout of veteran Yves Edwards. In that streak, there were also wins over highly regarded contenders Matt Wiman and Joe Lauzon. Stout was on the cusp of making a move towards the top when his brother-in-law died two months after the Edwards KO.

Since that time, Stout has gone (2-3) in the octagon, losing his most recent fight last month to James Krause via submission. The last time Stout had lost a fight via submission was in his second fight in the UFC back in 2006 to former title challenger Kenny Florian. The loss of Tompkins has been evident in his performances, but not nearly as much as Mark Hominick's.

In April 2011, Hominick had just lost a bid for the UFC featherweight title against champion Jose Aldo. However, in the loss Hominick gave such a spirited performance losing a five round decision that you just knew it was only a couple of fights till he worked his way back to title contention. I mean prior to that loss, he had won his previous five in a row.

Less than four months later, Tompkins was gone and Hominick did not climb back into the cage till December of that year. In his first fight back without 'The Coach' in his corner, Hominick lost via knockout in only seven seconds to the 'Korean Zombie' Chan Sung Jung. Since that unremarkable loss, Hominick lost his next two fights to fringe fighters Eddie Yagin and Pablo Garza and ultimately called it a career retiring at the young age of 30. 

Before August 14, 2011, Chris Horodecki had won four of his previous five fights, including his most recent win, which came in July of that year in his first fight for Bellator Fighting Championships. It was looking as though Horodecki had found the perfect place for him to flourish in a new promotion and at the right time of his career, which was not even in his prime yet. However, just three weeks after that win everything fell apart. 

Tompkins passed away and Horodecki has had only three fights resulting in one loss via first round knockout, one draw and one no-contest. He's no longer fighting in Bellator as at this point he is relegated to fighting his way back on the regional circuit. A similar fate would befall fellow Tompkins teammate and Bellator fighter Ronnie Mann.

The British bantamweight looked on the verge of making a splash on the American MMA Scene in the summer of 2011. Fighting in Bellator, he had just come off a decision loss to current featherweight champion Pat Curran, which had been preceded by a four fight win streak and 10 wins in his previous 11 fights. The future looked bright for Mann; that was until Tompkins ill fated passing.

Since then, Mann has only had three fights going (1-2), losing two in a row and since has been released by Bellator. He's back in England unsure of where to train at this point. Sure MMA is a tough game and these instances with these four fighters could possibly have happened had Shawn Tompkins still been alive. However, considering the careers of these fighters before Tompkins passing and the reputation he was getting in MMA circles for his training; I think it's safe to say the impact and importance of a (the) coach is evident.         



R-E-S-P-E-C-T/Passing the Torch

There were two things that were evident during and after Saturday night's UFC middleweight championship fight between former champ Anderson 'Spider' Silva (far left) and new champ Chris Weidman (near right); the first was respect, or lack thereof. The second was a passing of the torch from a gracious former champion to the new kid on the block; first for the former, R-E-S-P-E-C-T.

The first lesson taught in any martial art is respect. Respect for the art, respect for your teacher and most importantly, respect towards your opponent. This trait was ingrained into me 13 years ago when I stared training in martial arts. I remember vividly getting ready to roll on the mats for the first time ever after only a month of training with none other than the my instructor Master Lee Arnold. One of the things he talked to me about was "never underestimating your opponent."

Here was a master of martial arts who had trained for over 30 years and he told me, "As I get ready to get on this mat with you, I treat you like everyone else. I have no idea what you are capable of, thus I cannot let my guard down." That was before he proceeded to wrap me up like a pretzel and pummel me for nearly an hour; however, that's a story for another day.

The moral of the story is what I'm getting to in terms of Anderson Silva's clear lack of respect towards Chris Weidman on Saturday night. Though, I don't think it was a lack of respect as much as it was Silva game planning, yet underestimating Weidman's ability. I truly believe after the first round, where Silva quickly found himself on his back after a Weidman take down, he was goading Weidman into a stand up war where he clearly had the advantage; that was until he took it too far.

Gamesmanship and even showmanship is one thing, but when you play with fire you can expect to be burned. I don't care who you are; the great Anderson Silva found this out the hard way. After continuously taunting his opponent and not taking things serious in the cage, the greatest of all-time got caught with a left hook that... well you can see the result in the photo above. The rest, as they say, is history.

Thus, after 17 straight wins and a title run that lasted nearly seven years, Anderson Silva's reign is over. On one hand it is sad because it quite possibly didn't have to end yet, though that would be me disrespecting Weidman by assuming he would not have won anyway. On the other hand though, and this is the one Silva is looking at, it is good. That is because it is a weight that has been lifted off his shoulders. I think Joe Rogan said it best after the fight when he said, "We cannot begin to imagine what the pressure must be like to have to constantly live up to being told you are the greatest of all-time."

That said, while I don't believe Anderson went into the fight trying to lose, he didn't appear to be too bothered by it. In typical Anderson Silva fashion, he was gracious in defeat, congratulating Weidman, asking fans to give him his just due as the new champion and stating, "He is the best now." That statement was also about something else.

By making that statement and then saying he will no longer fight for the title, that was Anderson Silva, the greatest of all-time, passing the torch to Chris Weidman. However, I don't think Anderson would have done this for just anyone who might have beaten him along the way. After all I said above, Silva does have respect for Weidman and it showed in his gesture towards the young champion after his post fight interview.

Silva went over to Weidman and in the middle of the cage he not only embraced him, but hugged him for an extended period while he spoke some words to him. To me it was obvious he was telling the new champ in no specific words, this is your time now; make sure you don't take it for granted and defend with respect and honor. Kind of ironic when you think about it isn't it?

To be loved; win, lose or draw

When a professional athlete embarks on a career at the highest level, they do so in hopes of some day being recognized as a champion. To be known simply as the best and at the top of their game, regardless of what it is. For a gladiator sport like mixed martial arts this is especially true.

However, in every sport there is an even greater title; one that only a certain few are ever able to attain. That is to be loved by fans of that sport unconditionally, win, lose or draw. In MMA, I'd argue there is no fighter more beloved in the sport than the legendary Wanderlei Silva.

With a nickname like 'The Axe Murderer' you would think it would just be the opposite; however, nothing can be further from the truth. I've followed Wanderlei Silva's career since I first saw him step into the cage for his seventh pro fight at UFC 17.5 in October, 1998 as a 21 year old against another future legend, the then 20 year old Vitor Belfort. We all know the outcome, a 44 second demolishing loss; his second in his first seven fights.

Yet, over the succeeding six years he would only lose only once in 25 fights before succumbing to heavyweight Mark Hunt in an open weight tournament in the now defunct Pride Fighting Championships from Japan; a split decision loss to a man who outweighed him by more than 50 pounds. Nonetheless, it was during this time in Japan at Pride that he would attain his legendary status as a champion and a warrior in the cage that would go on to fight some of the all-time greats in the sport.

Regardless of his record, which currently stands at (35-12-1, 25 KO's, 3 subs), it has been his fighting style in the cage and his demeanor outside of it that has made Silva such a popular figure in MMA. However it goes beyond popularity, this man is genuinely beloved by fans; and not just his fans, I'm talking about all MMA fans. So much so that everyone refers to him by just by one name Wanderlei; almost as though he were a personal friend of yours.

The strange thing is that is how you feel about him. When you're a Wanderlei fan, it's more than just a fight, it's personal. I'm not ashamed to admit that I was literally moved to tears when I saw him get knocked out cold nearly two years ago to the date at UFC 132 by Chris Leben. That is because not only am I a fan, at that point I was lucky enough to have met the man in person. The year before while visiting Las Vegas, my friend Brian 'Goze' Garcia of MMA Junkie Radio was kind enough to take me to his gym to meet this living legend.

When I met him, I was in awe, yet he made me feel at ease. He had just finished working out, yet he was kind enough to take a photo with me (this one below):

He also jokingly took a jab at me about my gut; but that is Wanderlei, never demeaning and always endearing. It is what makes him loved beyond his accolades as a pro fighter. He is extremely personable with his fans.

Last month while visiting Vegas, I was once again lucky enough to cross paths with this icon; this time after he conducted a radio interview at the MMA Junkie Radio studio in Mandalay Bay. After the show was over, even though there were hoards of Junkie Radio fans waiting outside the studio to take photos, he gladly took time to oblige everyone, including myself (which is the photo at the top).

It was also after that show that he openly invited all the MMA Junkies in attendance, me included, as guests to his gym next year during our annual Junkie Radio Gathering. We all roared in joy and applauded our beloved champion. You can tell he was openly moved by our genuine affection for him. It is something that not every fighter attains, but only a chosen few; to be loved by your fans, win, lose or draw.

A couple of other fighters have reached this level such as Randy Couture and BJ Penn, but for many fans, it is more mythical. I mean unless you're lucky to catch them at a UFC event, how many of us are going to cross paths with them. BJ Penn stays in Hawaii and Couture is busy with his many business ventures, including being a movie star. For the record, Couture was in the studio with Wanderlei last month, but unlike Wandy, he graciously told us fans he could not stop to take pictures. This is no slight at all towards Randy, but rather it's just another example of why I say Wanderlei is the most beloved fighter in MMA history; 'nuff said!

The age old debate continues: The Boxer or The Puncher

They say a picture speaks a thousand words; however, after Saturday nights championship fight between former WBA welterweight champion Paulie 'Magic Man' Malignaggi (pictured @ far left) and new champ Adrien 'The Problem' Broner (pictured @ near right), this photo may speak a thousand, but it still doesn't answer the question. That question being, who really won; the boxer or the puncher?

On this night, the puncher Broner ended up winning a split decision over the boxer Malignanggi, though it wasn't without controversy. In a fight that dealt with a lot of pre-fight hype from both fighters, the verbal sparring continued afterward. So much so that Malignaggi hinted that the outcome may have been fixed; though his exact comment was, "I'm not saying it was fixed, but it's just another example of the connected fighter getting the decision."

In this case the connected fighter was Broner who is managed by boxing's latest power broker Al Haymon. Yet, this is just the latest in the age old debate of who should be favored in such a fight, the boxer or the puncher. Though Malignaggi threw well over 300 more punches than Broner 843 to 524, it was Broner who landed the more telling blows; this can be witnessed in the photo above. He also landed at a better percentage as he connected on 246 of those punches while 'The Magic Man' could only make 214 "reappear."

However, though numbers supposedly don't lie, many people saw Malignaggi winning. I'll be honest, my heart said Malignaggi, but my mind said Broner; and for me that's surprising. That is because I usually am in favor of the busier and more technical fighter when scoring. Yet, while Malignaggi was easily the busier fighter, I felt as though Broner was not just the aggressor and heavier puncher, but the more technical as well. Nonetheless, that argument goes out the window whenever I discuss the greatest example of this debate.

It was 26 years ago on April 6, 1987; it was dubbed 'The Super Fight' before it ever happened and has been called that since. One of the two greatest middleweight champions of all-time Marvelous Marvin Hagler (the other being Sugar Ray Robinson) fought another 'Sugar' in all-time great Sugar Ray Leonard. On this night Hagler played Broner as he walked down Leonard for 12 straight rounds, while Leonard played Malignaggi back pedaling and out boxing Hagler; stealing rounds with flurries of punches throughout.

After the fight was over, it was Leonard who won a controversial split decision; I personally saw Leonard winning as well as I felt he landed the more effective punches. While Hagler was the aggressor throughout, unlike Broner Saturday night, I didn't feel he landed as many punches of significance. Thus in this case, I rewarded the busier and more effective fighter in my eyes, which differs in my opinion of Saturday's bout.

Yet 26 years after the fact, if you ask 100 people their opinion on 'The Super Fight', I'd be willing to bet you'd be close to, if not at 50-50 as to who won. That question has been haunting boxing for as long as it's been around; how should fights be judged, on technique or aggression? The boxer or the puncher, I don't know if it will ever be answered. In truth, it is part of what makes boxing so intriguing and one of the most debated sports. Thus, unless we go back to the days before the Marquis of Queensbury rules were adopted, where fighters fought unlimited rounds until one finally dropped, this age old debate will continue.

Photo credit: Ed Mulholland USA Today Sports

Blood, Sweat and Tears = Bond of Brotherhood

The UFC card on Fuel TV Saturday night live from Fortaleza, Brazil was an exciting and memorable one for a few reasons. The record eight submission victories in 12 fights should have been reason enough. However, after watching the card early this morning, as I DVR'd it because of a DJ commitment Saturday night, I came away with something much more.

The photo above shows UFC featherweight champion Jose Aldo hugging 'Nova Uniao' teammate Leonardo Santos after his victory earned him 'The Ultimate Fighter/Brazil 2' title. What cannot be clearly seen are the tears of joy Aldo literally had in his eyes for Santos. The story of Aldo and Santos relationship was well documented by Jon Anik and Kenny Florian live on air.

Santos, seven years older than Aldo, is not only a teammate at 'Nova Uniao', but he's like a big brother. Apparently when Aldo, who comes from very humble beginnings, was just a teenager at the gym, Santos, also from a poor background, looked out for the youngster; even to the point of sharing money with him. That relationship, coupled with the blood, sweat and tears they've shared and endured over the years, literally brought the champion to tears in the cage last night. It is a bond of brotherhood that is shared commonly by martial artists who train together day in and day out.

Note I said martial artists and not mixed martial artists. That is because this has nothing to do with the sport. I've been training in martial arts for nearly 13 years at the same school and I can tell you that when you're literally sweating on one another, creating bumps, bruises and brush burns as you roll around on a mat trying to submit each other, a respect is formed. You're there with a brother pushing each other to limits you had thought were unattainable and when you reach them, the joy is mutual for one another; it's hard to explain unless you've been there.

This is why it angers me when I hear fans of MMA along with executives like UFC  President and promoter Dana White saying they don't understand why teammates won't fight each other. Granted this is a business, but friendship and more importantly brotherhood goes way beyond that. How far beyond?

Daniel Cormier is currently undefeated and the #3 ranked heavyweight in the world. However, his teammate and training partner at 'American Kickboxing Academy' Cain Velasquez also happens to be the UFC heavyweight champion. Thus, Cormier, believing Velasquez's reign will be long instead of short, has said he will fight one more time at heavyweight and then make the drop to light-heavyweight. This sort of thing has happened at other camps as well, such as at 'Alpha Male' where a perennial contender such as Urijah Faber has dropped to bantamweight (135 lbs.), so as not to compete with the ascent of teammate Chad Mendes at featherweight (145 lbs.).

Yet, there were other examples I saw on Saturday night of the bond of brotherhood I am speaking of. When Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira came back to his corner after the first round of his fight on Saturday night, you saw Anderson Silva, the consensus number one pound for pound fighter in the world and arguably the greatest MMA fighter of all-time, carrying Nogueira's spit bucket into the cage. The champ then proceeded to hold an ice-pack on his mentor's back while wiping the sweat off his forehead and brow. This is a humility and respect that is forged only through blood, sweat and tears.

Finally, when Nogueira, a legend in the sport and master in jiu-jitsu, was submitted in the second round by fellow jiu-jitsu master Fabricio Werdum I saw another gesture of respect. Werdum, only two years Noguiera's junior, knelt down and bowed to Nogueira. While they are not teammates, they have the common bond that comes from years of training and sacrificing. Thus, through blood, sweat and tears, a bond of brotherhood was formed.