The Future Of The UFC

Although we have a set title fight in our sights (Hughes vs. Serra), a slightly deeper look into the ranks of the UFC will give us a more accurate picture of how the sport should shape up over the next six months. While feuds and rivalries culminate in once-a-month events, the sport is built between those events as every member of the roster fights, bargains, and even pleads for a title shot. The following is a look at each division and who is fighting for the title.

Heavyweights: With Andrei Arlovski missing his new contract, Cro Cop dropping fights like he was bought off, and Couture temporarily out of the fight game, the whole division is really up for grabs. It’s unlikely that White would simply award the belt to the winner of an upcoming fight as it wouldn’t make sense for Kongo or Nogueira to receive a title with very little UFC experience under their belts. He could justify giving it to Sylvia as he was the last guy to hold the belt and is fresh off a win, but I doubt he’d give the title to the least marketable guy this side of O.J. Simpson. What is likely is that we’ll see Sylvia take on the Kongo/Nogueira winner in a mini grand prix of sorts. While the best match up for the sport would have been Vera and Kongo, it was spoiled by Sylvia’s yawn-inducing win last month (not that Vera helped to make it exciting, either…). I’d expect to see Nogueira and Sylvia, but the way the UFC’s cookies have been crumbling lately, I’d probably be better off just flipping a coin.

Light Heavyweights: This is obviously the toughest one to call, with the four big names (Liddell, Henderson, Shogun, Wanderlei) being more than one win from a title shot. That leaves us with three guys who can stake a legitimate claim to Rampage’s belt. They are: Keith Jardine, Lyoto Machida, and Forrest Griffin. It probably won’t be Jardine, because although he’s knocked out Griffin and beat Liddell, he suffered a brutal KO at the hands of Houston Alexander at UFC 71. And while Machida’s been impressive in his UFC fights (3 for 3), two weren’t on the main telecast and he doesn’t have quite enough name recognition or ability to speak English to warrant being one good punch away from a title. He’ll have to win one or two more before getting any serious consideration. The honor, I would bet, will go to Forrest, who the UFC considers the heir apparent to the holy trinity of ratings that is about to retire (Couture, Liddell, Hughes). He fits in with the tough, common man image that has gained the UFC so much popularity and it looks as though he won’t get that fight against Wanderlei due to an injury he’s harbored for quite some time. With Wanderlei looking to fight sooner and Forrest out until early 2008, I don’t think we’ll see Rampage Jackson in action for another 8 months (see: Matt Serra) at which point he and Griffin should meet for an all out war.

Middleweights: Dana White has suggested that the winner of the Okami/MacDonald could potentially get an automatic title shot, but that seems counterintuitive due to what is logical “MMAth.” With Silva’s dominant second win over Franklin, and Franklin’s win over Okami, who in their right mind would want to see Silva run down the food chain to take on a man who will almost surely beat? I’m aware that Okami technically beat Silva via DQ, but that was nearly two years ago and before Silva rattled off six straight wins against some of the toughest competition around. White is clearly having trouble booking anyone against Silva and until he can sign Filho or Kang, he’s going to have to convince Henderson to drop to 185 and take on Silva. Initially against the idea of dropping weight, Henderson has since warmed up to the idea, but would probably take a warm up before tackling The Spider.

Welterweights: Finally, a simple division. GSP will get an automatic title shot at whoever wins the Hughes-Serra fight. And when Matt Hughes destroys Serra, it’ll set up just the third trilogy in UFC history. Is there much else to say? When the dust settles, however, it is more likely that Karo Parisyan would get the title shot instead of Koscheck or Sanchez, who have spent the last year losing and turning in lackluster performances. The St. Pierre-Parisyan feud is one that we could be seeing for the next five years.

Lightweights: This division isn’t as tough as it is downright bizarre. With the title not stripped from Sherk, who is now out of action for a full year, White has wisely decided to move on and book one their biggest moneymakers, BJ Penn, against Joe Stevenson. This is smart booking as Penn and Stevenson have separated themselves from the rest of the pack of Lightweight fighters. Beyond those two, there’s just a ton of really athletic guys who haven’t made that big of a splash. No outrageous personalities, no huge upsets, just about five guys who are all on the same level. The UFC tried to give a few of them title shots (Franca, Florian), but nothing came of it and buys were weak. This is the smartest play considering the situation of the current champion. If the UFC is going to sign anyone now, I’d say that they need to be looking for Lightweights even before Middleweights. If I were Dana White, I’d be throwing a huge contract at Urijah Faber, the Featherweight champion in the UFC-owned WEC. He’d add some star power and charisma to a division which is garnering less and less interest with each passing day..

With more contract disputes, injuries, and signings than ever before, it’s tough to call the future of a sport as dynamic as Mixed Martial Arts, but this guide should serve as a decent start.

IWF EXCLUSIVE: DAN HENDERSON INTERVIEW

Irish Whip Fighting sat down with the one and only PRIDE FC Middleweight and Welterweight Champion, Dan "Hollywood" Henderson. We got his thoughts on PRIDE vs. UFC, Wanderlei Silva, his upcoming title fight with Rampage Jackson, if he plans to move down to Middleweight, and much more! An Interview By Ben Zeidler

Ben Zeidler: You've mentioned that you felt Wanderlei Silva was disrespectful towards you in interviews? Recently knocking out Wanderlei Silva, do you still have any negative feelings towards him?
Dan Henderson: I never really had negative feelings for him at all. I don't think he was that disrespectful, it was just…I always felt that we had mutual respect, especially after we fought the first time.

BZ: Do you have any plans to capture the UFC MW belt or do you prefer to fight at 205lbs now?
DH: Uh, I think it's up to me. The thing that I'm focused on right now is winning this fight, nothing else, whatever happens after that you know, happens.

BZ: Who in the UFC would you like to fight now that most of the talent pool is consolidated?
DH: I mean it doesn't matter to me, I mean, I'm just concerned about winning this fight and being the champ there and whoever is the, you know, the next guy in line for that title shot, I guess I'll be fighting him. Really, at this point it isn't up to me.

BZ: What made you test yourself in MMA after your wrestling career?
DH: Uh, well I started fighting while I was still wrestling. I wrestled for another three years when I started fighting. I was only fighting to get some money to keep wrestling. I had no desires to fight for that long but, once I started fighting full time, I started thinking that I was going to do it for much longer than I had anticipated.

BZ: What type of thoughts or feelings are running through your head knowing that you have the chance of being the first in history to hold three different title belts?
DH: It's amazing, I think that it is a great opportunity that I have in front of me and I want to make sure that I don't waste that opportunity and make sure I'm definitely as prepared as I can be for this fight, mentally and physically, on that night to win.

BZ: Are you planning to change anything in training to prepare yourself for Rampage Jackson?
DH: Yeah, I'm obviously going to switch it up and do more elbows to the face and head. I brushed up on my wrestling and my standup so, it's pretty much business as usual with some specifics in mind.

BZ: Do you have a prediction for us?
DH: Haha, well I definitely want to be the winner for that one, more likely in the later rounds if not a decision, depends on what condition he comes in at.

BZ: Do you have any knowledge as to what organization fellow Team Quest fighter, Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou has his eyes set upon?
DH: Well I manage him, so I do know, but nothing is set in stone. I'd rather not comment until then, when things are confirmed.

BZ: Fighting the majority of your career in Japan, how welcoming are fans here in the U.S.?
DH: Uh well, they're a little bit more rowdy, a little drunker, and they boo a little bit more but, you know, the excitement is there, the energy is there. Its very comparable energy wise, they're just different, I like them both.

BZ: Having fought in UFC 17, do you prefer fighting in a cage or a ring?
DH: I prefer the ring; I prefer to watch the fights through the ring too.

BZ: So far, how was UFC's treatment towards you differing from that of PRIDE's?
DH: You know it's fair to this point, still in the feeling out period. They haven't completely come to me with open arms, so I'm a little apprehensive. But, I'll be in the UFC for a long time and I plan to finish my career in the UFC. We're just starting out the relationship.

BZ: Okay Dan, I think that's it. Thanks so much for taking the time to talk to us today. We really appreciate it.
DH: No problem, let me know if you need anything else. Just give me a call anytime. Have a good one guys.

Irish Whip Fighting Exclusive: Top MMA Cities

As MMA mania sweeps across the United States like a swarm of hungry locusts, you would be hard pressed to identify one city or geographical region as contributing more than another. Taking into account the relatively young history of the sport here in the states, I have attempted to do just that. Knowing that the majority of MMA fans share the same deep rooted passion for the sport as I do, I can already see the hate mail piling up. After consulting many of my contacts around the country, I have ranked the top ten MMA cities in terms of general interest of the population, number of MMA gyms per capita, and reputation for producing (or hosting) great champions. I encourage anyone who reads this to provide their own feedback. (Note that I have only highlighted numbers 1-5.) by Doug MacEwan

Honorable mention: Hollywood, CA; Chicago, IL; Atlantic City, NJ; San Jose, CA

10. Cincinnati, Ohio
9. Houston, Texas
8. Anaheim, CA
7. Albuquerque, New Mexico
6. Sacramento, CA

5. West Palm Beach/Ft. Lauderdale, Florida- For those of you who have been hiding in a cave the last few years, you may not know that the W Palm Beach/Ft. Lauderdale area has become one of the hot spots for American MMA. Host to one of the worlds top MMA gyms, American Top Team, you can catch fighters like JZ Cavalcante, Din Thomas, Marcus Aurelio, Cole Miller, Thiago Alves, Denis Kang, Jeff Monson, Jorge Santiago, Dustin Denes, Wilson Gouveia, Mike Brown, Antonio Silva, Glaison Tibau, Benji Radach, Luigi Fioravanti, Charles McCarthy, Rory Singer, and Jorge Masvidal walking the streets of this beautiful city.

4. Hilo, Hawaii- It was nearly impossible for me to identify one city in Hawaii as the heart of their MMA culture so I took the easy route and chose the location of their most acclaimed gym, BJ Penn Academy, home to one of the greatest fighters in the history of MMA. Many people who have never had a chance to visit Hawaii have no idea how popular the sport has become on every island, and if it weren’t for the lack of more champions (and the spread of popularity over many cities) I would have put Hilo even higher. Many of today’s biggest MMA stars flock to Hilo to train with the great BJ Penn and you could argue that he has done more for his city in terms of lifting the popularity of the sport than any other fighter not named Pat Miletich. With so many MMA gyms and a host of top notch organizations like ICON Sport expect their ranking to climb in the coming years as they develop some of their young talent into tomorrow’s superstars.

3. Davenport, Iowa- I am sure it is no surprise that Davenport is on this list, but it may surprise some that it isn’t higher up. What separates Davenport from the two cities ranked higher is its lack of any big name events or shows. I hear that they are having difficulties getting MMA even sanctioned in Iowa which is unfortunate due to the wealth of talent they have there. I know that I don’t need remind all of you how much Pat Miletich has done for MMA or how much talent comes out of Miletich Fighting Systems but let me just give an abbreviated list of the many accomplished fighters and champions. Matt Hughes, Tim Sylvia, Jens Pulver, Jeremy Horn, Spencer Fisher, Robbie Lawler, Jason Black, Tony Fryklund, Drew McFedries, Josh Neer, Ben Rothwell, Bart Palazewski, Rory Markham, Ryan McGivern, Sam Hoger, Mike Ciesnolevicz, Laverne Clark. It’s hard to imagine MMA without these great athletes and although I find myself rooting against them more often than not, I have to give credit where credit is due.

2. Portland/Gresham, Oregon- This really should be a tie between Davenport and Portland, but with Portland hosting the IFL and countless Sportfight events, I gave them the nod for number two. Much like Davenport, it is hard to picture MMA without the contributions made by what is statistically the greatest fight camp in the world, Team Quest (go to sherdog to check the validity of this claim if you like). I know that Randy has recently moved from TQ and Portland to Las Vegas, and Dan Henderson has started up Team Quest Temecula, but both of these great champions spent the majority of their careers in their Gresham facility (a suburb of Portland). With names like Matt Lindland, Ed Herman, Matt Horwich, Josh Burkman, Chael Sonnen, Josh Haynes, Art Santore, Chris Wilson, Ryan Schultz, Heath Sims, and formerly Chris Leben and Nate Quarry all making names for themselves in the world of MMA, I can’t even say Portland without thinking MMA. With more MMA gyms there than you can count, I see Portland continuing their strong presence in the world on MMA and my sources tell me Portland will finally host a UFC event in 2008.

1. Las Vegas, Nevada- I’m not sure I need to justify this pick, but without Las Vegas sanctioning the sport in its infancy despite the pressure from politicians like John McCain, there would be no UFC and no MMA here in the states. Las Vegas not only hosts the biggest and baddest events year after year but many fighters like Randy Couture and Forrest Griffin have flocked there to train and I expect this trend to continue….oh, how I love Las Vegas.

Coming Soon…top MMA cities in the world!

Combat Sports 101: The Styles Behind MMA

Many argue that the world of combat sports has evolved far beyond the boxing and its glory days. People crave more than two men only utilizing their two hands, battering each other for twelve dreary rounds. These days, people yearn for more action and with more action, there comes more technique.

The answer to this craving is the future of combat sports. It is mixed martial arts.

Mixed martial arts is a combat sport is composed of a wide assortment of fighting technique, techniques which range from striking to grappling.

In this little educational piece, I will run through the primary styles of mixed martial arts used today (note the word primary; it may not include every single art out there).

Striking

I. Muay-Thai Kickboxing

Muay Thai, also known as Thai Boxing or The Art of the Eight Limbs, is Thailand’s national sport. Techniques of Muay Thai usually include the feet, shinbones, fists, elbows, the clinch and knees.

Muay Thai’s worldwide popularity blossomed around the 1990s, being extremely effective in mixed martial arts fights. Muay Thai remains as one of the most popular styles of striking amongst MMA fighters today.

Muay Thai has showed great effectiveness in mixed martial arts today. Fighters who have found much success with Muay Thai include current UFC middleweight champion Anderson “The Spider” Silva, former PRIDE middleweight champion Wanderlei “The Axe Murderer” Silva, Mauricio “Shogun” Rua and the majority of the Brazilian-based Chute Boxe Academy. Although these fighters’ styles revolve greatly around the art of Muay Thai, they have incorporated elements of grappling, wrestling, and submission wrestling in order to compete in MMA.

II. Kickboxing

The art of kickboxing differs from that of Muay Thai kickboxing. Kickboxing focuses mainly on utilizing just punches and kicks opposed to standing elbow strikes and the clinch as in Muay Thai.

The term “kickboxing” alone is usually independent of “Muay Thai” and often refers to American and Japanese derivatives of the sport.

Kickboxing of course has proven to be quite effective as well. Most notable fighters whose primary arsenal relies on kickboxing are Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic and Mark Hunt, both of whom fought in the K-1 organization before transitioning into MMA.

III. Boxing

Boxing in my opinion is one of the greatest styles a fighter can learn to develop their standup skills in MMA. Boxing is essentially the style of the hands, so I believe there is not a style out there that can top it as far as punching goes.

The main components of boxing include one of the most under used strikes in MMA today, the jab to set up combos, the cross, the hook, and the uppercuts. Defense includes slipping, bobbing, and footwork.

Boxing is used in MMA today by high profile fighters such as PRIDE’s lightweight champion Takanori “The Fireball Kid” Gomi, Nick Diaz, and UFC’s former lightweight champion Jens “Little Evil” Pulver.

Grappling

I. Jiu-Jitsu

There is no question that more than 50% of the ground skills involved in MMA is contributed to by Jiu-Jitsu. Jiu-Jitsu focuses on grappling and in particular ground fighting using joint-locks and chokeholds to force an opponent into submission and ultimately tap out!

Jiu-Jitsu was said to include many “dirty” techniques and was then adopted by the Gracie family and turned into a “cleaner” combat system.

The Jiu-Jitsu used in MMA is mainly Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ), which came about when the Gracies went to the United States to spread their art. The Gracie family continued to develop their system throughout the 20th century and has refined its techniques, which are seen in much of the MMA matches today.

There is no doubt that BJJ is extremely effective in today’s MMA matches. Gracie Jiu-Jitsu (or BJJ) became most popular when UFC Hall of Famer Royce Gracie won UFC 1, UFC 2 and UFC 4 with his superior ground game. Royce’s opponents were usually much larger and practiced other styles, including boxing, shoot-fighting, karate, judo, and wrestling.

However, today some of the greatest BJJ MMA practitioners include: former PRIDE heavyweight champion Antonio “Minotauro” Nogueira, BJ “The Prodigy” Penn, Shinya Aoki, and a wealth of other fighters.

II. Wrestling

Wrestling is an essential skill in mixed martial arts today. A fighter can have a good background in Jiu-Jitsu, but have poor wrestling skills.

Wrestling, the oldest form of martial arts, includes a variety of techniques which include: clinching, holding, locking, leverage and one of the most important techniques in MMA, the sprawl.

Wrestling consists of numerous styles, such as: Greco-Roman wrestling, freestyle wrestling, catch wrestling, and others.

Many successful MMA champions and fighters have extensive wrestling credentials before entering a career in MMA. The most notable of fighters whom come off a wrestling background are: former UFC welterweight champion Matt Hughes, former UFC light heavyweight champion Chuck “The Iceman” Liddell, and current UFC heavyweight champion Randy “The Natural” Couture.

However, many wrestlers in MMA have been criticized and said to “Lay-and-pray.” Lay-and-pray is a term used to describe when wrestlers take an opponent down and lay on top of them without attempts to finish the fight with “ground-and-pound” or submissions. Lay-and-prayers only seek to maintain control of positioning and smother any offense by the opponent, imposing little or no offense themselves, hoping for a decision victory.

III. Sambo/Judo

Sambo and Judo are not the most popular styles utilized in mixed martial arts but have certainly proven to be highly successful when utilized. Sambo is combat sport and self-defense system developed in the former Soviet Union, and recognized as an official sport by the USSR All-Union Sports Committee in 1938, presented by Anatoly Kharlampiev. While Judo is a combat, originating in Japan, that involves hip throws, tosses, joint locks, as well as punches and kicks. Sambo heavily resembles Judo.

Many of today’s top fighters utilize either Sambo or Judo. Fedor Emelianenko, PRIDE Fighting Championships's current heavyweight champion and consistently ranked the world's best heavyweight mixed martial arts fighter has a background in judo and is an avid practitioner of Sambo. Other fighters with backgrounds in Judo in MMA include: Hidehiko Yoshida, Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou, Pawel Nastula and UFC’s Karo “The Heat” Parisyan.

Judo and Sambo not only has proven to be successful amongst MMA matches but is certainly exciting to watch.

So there you have it, the primary martial arts inside of mixed martial arts. I hope you learned a thing or two from this article and if you have any questions simply post a comment below!

The Lianger

Upcoming UFC Events Analysis

With a reasonable degree of certainty, we are now able to discuss main events through the end of 2007. Some suggest that Dana White and his at-times overzealous promoting machine are a drain on the sport, but knowing main events in advance allows us to speculate way too early and have a great deal of fun doing so.

UFC 74: Unfortunately, the 74th installment of UFC events (this is a lie, see UFC 37.5) seems be falling just as the 73rd and 72nd did. That is, they feature a number of events which are "good match ups" and could potentially feature upsets, but will most likely leave us saying "I knew that was going to happen." Despite Gabriel Gonzaga's early betting lead over Randy Couture, it is doubtful that the Brazilian will be able to capture the American's title. I watched UFC 56 today, and was put to sleep by Gonzaga's lack of stamina and aggression. To be fair, he did land a knockout blow 13 minutes into the fight (which was 12 minutes too late for the crowd, which had begun to chant "Go Home!" minutes earlier). Additionally, St. Pierre should destroy Josh Koscheck. Of course, I said this about Rush's UFC 69 fight against Matt Serra, but I just don't see how St. Pierre loses two fights in a row. This is certainly one to bet on. Couture and GSP provide the event with marketable and exciting figures, but they aren't fighting worthy competitors. I predict another dud.

UFC 75: After what will have been three months of total crap, UFC will finally come through with an awesome event (even if it does feature PRIDE fighters rather than home-grown UFC talent). Jackson and Henderson should provide an absolute war which will be scheduled to end at any time, as both possess incredible knockout power. On another level, the idea of having Champion vs. Champion is something that's never been done before and brings us closer to Dana White's dream of an MMA Superbowl. On the under card are a few solid fights including the return of Cro Cop and Bisping-Hamill. This is definitely one to buy and will probably be the most hyped card since UFC 71 as well as the most enjoyable card since UFC 68.

UFC 76: I don't even want to talk about this piece of shit card. I plan on spending this fight night watching UFC 52 instead. Liddell vs. Jardine is a waste of time for both fighters and their fans. If Jardine wins, it just sets Liddell further back from a title shot. Meanwhile, it's not as if Jardine is getting a shot at Rampage or Hendo anytime soon. The best scenario is that Liddell destroys him and legitimizes his claim for a title shot. Even so, we would still have to wait another 5 months for this to happen. The fight of the night should be Shogun vs. Machida. We all know what Shogun can do (just one loss in PRIDE with wins over Rampage, Little Nog, and Arona) and despite Machida's fights getting bumped off his last two cards, he still holds wins over B.J. Penn AND Rich Franklin. I wouldn't be surprised if the winner of this fight meets the winner of Evans-Ortiz II, as Liddell inevitably gets lost in the Light heavyweight shuffle.

UFC 77: This should be a fun one, and it's encouraging that they've sandwiched this and 75 on either side of the evolving disaster that will be UFC 76. Rich Franklin will get his rematch against Anderson Silva and the WORST thing that happens is that Franklin gets his face knocked in from a Muay Thai clinch for two rounds. The best case scenario (in my book, at least) is that the Miletich-trained fighter takes this fight, setting the stage for Franklin-Silva III. That would be awesome. Meanwhile, Tito and Rashad will meet again, and both should be looking to make an impact. Neither fighter was pleased with the outcome at 73, and both want to prove that they are the better competitor. Look for an all-out war.

UFC 78: While this card won't be quite as strong as 77, it will still top the UFC 76 card. It looks to feature Sherk-Penn for the Lightweight title, or as I like to call it, the fight of second-tier Welterweights. Both hold losses to St. Pierre and Matt Hughes and have since decided to cut weight and try their hand at a different class. This should be a spectacular fight, with both men being expert technicians and wizards on the ground. Both can strike, Sherk has the best take downs in the game, but Penn might have the best defense. Anything can happen in this fight, and that's what makes it so exciting. Maybe they'll add a little Arlovski-Sylvia IV to this card and really make it a show stopper. Big Nog would be ready to fight at this point as well, and Cro Cop has been guaranteed a date with Rodrigo -- if he can get past Kongo at 76. Just a thought...

UFC 79: I doubt that the Hughes-Serra fight will the greatest bout in the history of MMA, but it could be good. For all intents and purposes, Hughes is expected to win his title back (he's a current -400 favorite) without having to go through GSP. The most exciting part of this bout is that it should set up Hughes-St. Pierre III, which will reach Liddell-Couture trilogy status. It's way too early to guess what else will be on this card, but as we all know too well, the other main card fights (not the main event) often make or break the entire event. It could be as good as 75 or as terrible as 76; it all just depends on how they schedule it.

End of Summer Preview

What direction will the WWE be taking from now until Summerslam? How will the major returns affect the end of the summer? I'll give you some analysis on the rumors and facts of the end of the summer in WWE. Also, I'll give you my opinion on ppv predictions, but I want your take too.

Alright folks, let's look ahead shall we? The end of this summer COULD be one of the greatest in WWE history...COULD be. WWE has to start basically from scratch, and this will allow them to develop creative storylines and build up superstars a great deal.

This huge summer could happen because of 4 reasons:

1. Almost everyone on the WWE roster will be intact (so it seems) With the exception of Helms HBK and maybe Taker...I think that everyone will be intact by the end of summer...which is a result of the next reason...

2. Huge returns. Think of the amount of hype that they can build for the returns of Rey Mysterio, Triple H, and possibly The Undertaker. If you didn't see Smackdown last night, they are already doing return promos for Rey Rey. WWE needs to maximize the excitement of these returns and give the fans some great return feuds.

3. Media Coverage. They got huge mainstream media coverage for the McMahon storyline and the Benoit tragedy. This got the attention of many people and got them interested (or disgusted) in/with WWE. They can continue this great media coverage by becoming even more controversial (Attitude Era anyone?) and utilizing their special guests (Steve-o, Knoxville, and the crew) to give the non-regular viewers people to relate to and give them reasons to watch.

4. Summerslam. This ppv sounds HUGE. Combining the stars of the hit show "Jackass", the returns of Triple H and Rey Rey, and the rumored huge match that Mick Foley has been training for for some time now creates an unstoppable ratings machine attracting WWE fans and MTV fans alike.

As I said before, the end of this summer might be the greatest ever. Starting from scratch can be a very good thing, because the creative team can (hopefully) give the WWE viewers classic feuds and matches that wouldn't have existed if the injury plague didn't happen. So basically I am looking at all of these major injuries as a good thing...because although we lost major superstars for many months, we get to start over and get fresh feuds.

Now we get to the fun part...predicting!

I'll write what I think the cards for the next two ppvs will be:

The Great American Bash:

Edge (c) vs. Kane (World Heavyweight Championship)...locked
John Cena (c) vs. Bobby Lashley (WWE Championship)...locked
Johnny Nitro (c) vs. CM Punk (ECW Championship)...locked
Batista vs. The Great Khali...locked
Dusty Rhodes vs. Randy Orton
Chavo Guerrero (c) vs. Jimmy Wang Yang (Cruiserweight Championship)
Rey Mysterio vs. Mark Henry

Alright, I'll start out by saying that there is a rumor that Mick Foley is training for a huge match at Summerslam (...what I think is a last hurrah). Who will he fight?...There are many superstars that it could be (remember all of this is just a rumor for now, but it is still fun to think about). It could be John Cena, Triple H, Mr. Kennedy, etc. But I am going to go with Randy Orton. Mick Foley=Legend...Randy Orton=Legend Killer. Foley has put superstars over all of his life, and I think he will put Randy Orton over in a Hell In A Cell match.


Summerslam:

Mick Foley vs. Randy Orton (Hell In A Cell)
Umaga vs. The Jackass Crew (Some weird stipulation).
John Cena (c) vs. Bobby Lashley (WWE Championship)
Burke vs. Cor Von vs. Punk (c) vs. Nitro (Hardcore ECW Championship Match) okay...maybe not...
Triple H vs. Mr. Kennedy
Rey Mysterio vs. Edge (c) (World Heavyweight Championship)
Matt Hardy vs. MVP (c) (United States Championship)
Batista vs. The Great Khali
Melina vs. Mickie James (Women's Championship)

Although Summerslam is about a month and a half away, that was actually really fun. I would love to hear your opinions on the card for Summerslam and the Great American Bash.

-An article by Jared Gerrard

Top Submission Artists In MMA

5. Jeff “The Snowman” Monson

Jeff “The Snowman” Monson doesn’t really look like your everyday jiu-jitsu specialist. Monson is an American born out of Olympia, Washington and a full-blown Anarchist. Monson can almost pass as a power lifter and looks the type to chuck his opponents across the cage and pummel them into a bloody pulp. Well, that’s not the case, usually.

Monson actually trains with American Top Team in Coconut Creek, FL and is a world class submission wrestler and an ADCC Submission Wrestling World Champion. Monson received the nickname “Snowman” at the 1999 ADCC World Championship. The Brazilian participants gave him the nickname after he came in as an unknown and swept through four Brazilians in a row to win his 88-98 kg weight class. Through the tournament Monson was described as a snowman because he seemed to only get better and better as he ran through his opponents, resembling a rolling snowball increasing in size. Strange metaphor but sure why not, I’m sure as hell not going to say anything to Monson about it.

Monson also holds three boxing bouts, consisting of two wins and one draw. Surprisingly enough, Monson has a Bachelor’s degree and Master’s degree in psychology.

Of Monson’s 23 wins, a whopping 14 are due to submissions. Monson’s most exciting win was his most recent one against Kazuyuki Fujita at PRIDE 34:Kamikaze. Monson was dominant throughout the fight and concluded it with a beautifully sunk rear naked choke.

4. Shinya Aoki

Shinya Aoki is not well-known amongst the casual MMA fan or TUF newbies out there, however, this doesn’t count him out as a top notch submission artist and MMA fighter. Aoki holds a black belt in both Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and Judo. Aoki’s unique blend of superior jiu-jitsu and judo surely makes him stand out in the crowd of submission wrestlers. Aoki also stands out with his rainbow colored and/or neon tights in his fights, which is pretty damn awesome if you ask me.

Shinya Aoki has made most of his MMA career in the Shooto organization along with PRIDE FC and is the current Shooto middleweight champion.

In a way, Aoki reminds me of a Japanese version of BJ Penn. Aoki is best known for his remarkable flexibility and fluidity in his movements, usually gaining him the edge over his opponents on the ground. Nicknamed “Tobikan Judan,” meaning “Tenth degree black belt in jumping locks,” Aoki often surprises his opponents with his flexibility and exceptional submissions.

From what I hear, Aoki is a strong fighter, despite his lanky appearance. Aoki’s craziest wins would have to be against Clay French at Bushido 13 and against Joachim “Hellboy” Hansen at PRIDE Shockwave 2006. I was in absolute awe when watching Aoki’s win over French, he won via FLYING triangle choke, YES, FLYING! What looked like an everyday match was turned into a mind-blowing win as Aoki slapped a flying triangle choke on Clay French and turned French into what looked like a human pretzel. I kid you not. Aoki’s win over Joachim Hansen was equally impressive as he took the victory via gogoplata, an extremely rare submission in MMA.

Aoki truly proves that a submission victory can be equally if not more entertaining than a knockout victory. With his gravity defying submissions, Aoki is surely one of the top submission artists out in MMA today.

Here is a highlight video of Aoki I posted a while ago.

3. BJ “The Prodigy” Penn

Fighters don’t earn the nickname “The Prodigy” for nothing. If there is one fighter out there to be deemed the prodigy, Penn is certainly the one. He's best known for his spectacular dexterity, flexibility, remarkable balance, as well as his “heavy hands.”

Penn began training Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu at the age of seventeen and was awarded a black belt in 2000. Penn was the first non-Brazilian to win a gold medal in the black belt division of the Mundial World Championships held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Penn also destroyed a well accomplished black belt in Judo as a white belt.

Penn established his mixed martial arts career with three consecutive knockout wins in the UFC over Joey Gilbert, Din Thomas and Caol Uno before running into a majority decision loss against Jens Pulver at UFC 35.

Penn’s foremost achievement would have to be when he moved up from his normal lightweight division to the welterweight division, and defeated the heavily favored champion Matt Hughes. In Penn-Hughes I, Penn dominated the entire beginning first round on his feet and continued his onslaught on the ground. Penn sealed the deal with a beautiful rear naked choke forcing Hughes to tap. Penn also holds a win over current Japanese superstar and PRIDE FC lightweight champion Takanori Gomi.

Penn was also a coach for The Ultimate Fighter 5, which aired on April 5, 2007. Penn lead a team of eight lightweight fighters, and fought a rematch against Jens Pulver at the finale of the TV series on June 23, 2007. Penn took it to Pulver the entire match and won with a rear naked choke in the second round. Penn was able to trap the left arm of Pulver with his leg to sink in the choke. Penn’s future plans once again lie in the welterweight division where he hopes for a possible rematch against Georges St. Pierre and to fight Matt Hughes for the third time.

2. Fedor "The Last Emperor" Emelianenko

It must hurt to not see Fedor at the number one spot on any list. However, because the list is based on submissions alone, I hope you guys can forgive me. Fedor “The Last Emperor” Emelianenko is of course the current PRIDE FC World Heavyweight Champion and has been since March 16, 2003. Emeliananeko has been considered the best heavyweight fighter in the world for the last four years by many major MMA publications.

Emelianenko’s worldwide assault in MMA began in the art of Judo and Sambo. In 1997, Emelianenko earned the official certification of a “Master of Sports” in Sambo and Judo and soon became part of the Russian national team. In 2000, Fedor decided to compete in combat sambo and mixed martial arts because he was “poor.” Thank god for poverty!

Fedor’s best fights are well, all of them. I mean there isn’t one fight that Fedor has out there that doesn’t have me on the edge of my seat. Emelianenko is an absolute animal in the ring, from his lightning fast strikes to his smooth transitions and submissions on the ground. Fedor seems to be able to tangle his opponents from any position and slap on whatever submission at will. He just makes it look all too easy!

What catches my eye the most about Fedor though has to be his composure inside the ring. There has been many times where he has been caught in what seems to be a threatening situation, but shows no sign of panic whatsoever. For instance, in his fight with Mark Hunt, Fedor seemed to be caught in a tightly locked kimura and instead of panicking he patiently worked out of it.

Fedor “The Last Emperor” Emelianeko will go down as one of the greatest MMA fighters in history. No doubt about it!

1. Antonio Rodrigo "Minotauro" Nogueira

We are down to the crème of the crop ladies and gentlemen. My number one rated submission artist in MMA today. And no, it is not Rickson Gracie, sorry. It is Antonio Rodrigo “Minotauro” Nogueira. From a jaw dropping 29 wins, 18 by way of submission, Minotauro is known for his technical mastery of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ).

Nogueira began training in judo at a tender age of five and moved on to BJJ at fourteen. In 1999 he was awarded a black belt in both judo and BJJ. He now trains with Brazilian Top Team and trains annually with the Cuban National Boxing team.

Nogueira is ranked #2 in most MMA heavyweight rankings around in the Internet. The majority of his career has been completed in PRIDE but, he was recently signed into the UFC, where I think he will do BIG things.

Nogueira made his way to the top of the heavyweight ranks around the world and has competed against some of the biggest names in MMA. From Fedor Emelianenko, Mirko Cro Cop, Heath Herring, Ricco Rodriguez, Dan Henderson, Fabricio Werdum, Sergei Kharitonov and even Bob Sapp, who outweighs Nogueira by a good 100 lbs.

If you’re not impressed with Nog’s more than stellar record, or his striking abilities or even his ground game, you must be blown away by this man’s fighting spirit and heart. Nogueira will NEVER give up in a fight, no matter what the situation or who the opponent. He is as tough as nails and is always respectable to all his opponents. Cro Cop, who Nogueira defeated via armbar, mentioned an interesting fact about Nogueira in a post interview. Cro Cop stated that he’d never experienced a grip as strong as Nogueira’s and it was as if his wrists were going to break every time he’d grab a hold of them.

Nogueira’s fight against Bob Sapp and Semmy Schilt are worth watching only because of the ludicrous size disadvantage he had coming in. In his bout against Sapp, he seemed to be getting dominated by Sapp’s overwhelming power and weight but managed to flip things around and win via armbar. With Schilt, Nogueira was forced to face a 6’11 giant with top notch striking credentials. Nogueira, being the “submission magician” he is, was able take the win with a triangle choke.

I am ecstatic with Nogueira’s signing to the UFC and hope to see him take the HW belt in the future!

Here are my picks for Top 5 Strikers of MMA Today just in case you missed that one.

-The Lianger

Superstar Categories

When Ben proposed this post to me, I was very excited. If you have ever played NBA Live 2007, all of the players are in categories (dunker, long range shooter, inside scorer, etc…). This post categorizes the top 5 stars in each brand and then 5 legends into the categories of crafty, powerhouse, legend, experienced, future star, athletic, great heart, exciting, and creative. Of course superstars can and will be in multiple categories.

Rey Mysterio, Triple H, and The Undertaker have been omitted due to their injuries.

Smackdown’s Top 5

1. Edge: The current top Smackdown superstar is not yet a legend, but he is definitely experienced. He has won the WWE championship 2 times, the World Heavyweight Championship 1 time, the Intercontinental Championship 5 times, he is a 12 time tag-team champion, and claimed the title of “Mr. Money In the Bank” twice. He has been in some famous feuds (Matt Hardy, John Cena) and has been in a few memorable stables (The Ministry of Darkness, Rated RKO). He has a great heart as well; he makes all of his matches fun to watch, because he never gives up (see the hardcore match against Mick Foley). Edge is also very exciting (watch him in the MITB Ladder Matches) and he provides a side to wrestling that we sadly rarely see anymore. You could also consider Edge a future star (he’s actually two days younger than MVP). He has many more bright years with the company.

2. Batista: The first thing that you think of when you see Batista, is that he is a powerhouse. I would definitely NOT call him experienced, seeing how he has only been wrestling with WWE since 2002. I would also not call him the future, seeing how he is 38. And although he may not be the best wrestler in the company, he sure is exciting. His spinebuster is extremely fun to watch, and it gets me pretty amped.

3. MVP: Let me start out by saying he is one of the big three stars that I consider “future stars”. I will also definitely call him exciting, because for a while, his feud with Chris Benoit was the only thing that kept me watching Smackdown. MVP is definitely athletic too. His gimmick is even a cocky athletic guy.

4. Ric Flair: Flair falls into many categories. He is definitely a legend. He won the NWA World Heavyweight Championship for the first time in 1981 by beating Dusty Rhodes. He is an 11 time world champion, and has won countless awards. He is also definitely experienced...being in the wrestling business since the 1970s, and being in countless classic feuds (Lex Luger, Terry Funk) and stables (Evolution, The Four Horsemen). He was also extremely exciting in his prime (and he still has his moments now...like vs. the Big Show on ECW). Flair also has a reputation of being extremely crafty to win at any cost. You know someone is crafty when the low blow is part of their regular moveset.

5. Kane: The Big Red Machine is definitely experienced (being in wrestling since the mid-to late 90s). He is a 10-time Tag-Team champion, a two-time Intercontinental champion, a one-time Hardcore champion, and a one-time WWF champion. He is also a powerhouse (7 feet tall, 326 pounds). Kane is extremely exciting too…when his entrance music hits I get extremely pumped up.


RAW’s Top 5:

1. John Cena: Cena debuted in 2000 (I wouldn’t normally call someone experienced who has only been in the business for 7 years…) however he is experienced. He has won the United States Championship three times, and has won the WWE Championship three times. He has been in numerous matches with great superstars…yes he has been in some great matches (vs. Edge at Unforgiven, vs. Michaels on Monday Night RAW). Also, he is a definite powerhouse. Before wrestling he was pursuing a career as a bodybuilder. Also, at Wrestlemania XX he managed to lift the 507 pound 7-foot monster over his head twice. Cena (or Cena’s gimmick) never gives up in matches. He come out on top in singles matches with Umaga, The Great Khali, Shawn Michaels, The Big Show, Kurt Angle, JBL, Chris Jericho, Edge, RVD, Booker T, etc…This shows his great heart.

2. Bobby Lashley: Nobody is more of a powerhouse than Bobby Lashley. All you have to do is look at this man to find out what I’m talking about. He is extremely exciting too. His spear is not near the excitement level of Bill Goldberg’s, but his regular power moves are fantastic. Also, in his match vs. the late Chris Benoit at the first 3-hour RAW, he showed us a side of him that we rarely see, the amateur wrestling side of him. Benoit and Lashley put on a very enjoyable match. And yes ladies and gentlemen, he is a future star. He is only 30 years old, and he has already been built up to the main event slot.

3. Randy Orton: I’ll start out by saying he is extremely exciting. He is doing this thing that I love now. He waits on the ground with his opponent while stalking them like a wounded animal. This sinuously smooth precursor to the RKO is very snake-like and very intimidating. It reminds me of The Rock getting ready to deliver the Rock Bottom. He (in my opinion) is probably tied with Mr. Kennedy for the biggest future star. He is only 27 years old (younger than MVP, CM Punk, Mr. Kennedy, and Lashley) and he is already a Triple Crown Champion (won the World Heavyweight Championship, Intercontinental Championship, and Tag-Team Championship). His moveset is very creative. I love his DDT that he does off of the ropes and his huge dropkick.

4. Mr. Kennedy: Ken Kennedy will be the Stone Cold or The Rock of the future. This man is above and beyond what we refer to as a future star. You can’t call this man boring. He is extremely exciting and creative. His creative side kicks in with his ring entrance. I can’t think of another ring entrance that I like better than his (please comment if you think of one). And excitement basically radiates from this man’s body. I decided not to keep this one very long, because you can just read any of our other posts to get the point.

5. Jeff Hardy: Jeff Hardy is hands down the most exciting superstar (now that RVD has left) in the WWE. The Swanton Bomb is probably one of the tightest moves in wrestling, and the whisper in the wind gets the crowd going just as much. Also, how can you talk about Jeff Hardy and not say he’s an athlete? The man did a front flip (Swanton Bomb) off of a ladder through a table with Bubba Ray Dudley on it. He can also be a future star (he is only 29)…but I am not sure since all of his stunts may take a pretty hard toll on his body after awhile.


ECW’s Top 5:

1. CM Punk: CM Punk (along with Mr. Kennedy) IS the future. He has the title of “future star” written all over him. He made his WWE wrestling debut on June 24, 2006…and he has already fought for the ECW title twice (elimination chamber and Vengeance). He also has his upcoming title shot against Johnny Nitro…I pray to God that he wins. He and his finishing moves are extremely creative (G.T.S., Anaconda Vise, and my personal favorite…the Pepsi Plunge). I would say his matches are exciting, but the ECW crowd doesn’t usually get into it…which is a topic for a later date.

2. Johnny Nitro: I would first like to ask…why is this man the ECW champion? His second match as an ECW superstar (first being a squash against Nunzio) is a title match that he wins. BAD IDEA (but again, another topic for another time). He is without a doubt a future star being only 27 years old and being in the main event slot for ECW in his 3rd year with the company. You could also consider him athletic…if you were searching for another thing to say about him.

3. Elijah Burke: Yet another future star in ECW. Only 29 years old, and he has had a huge part in ECW. Although his team with Sylvester Terkay was the most boring thing on Friday night, he excels greatly as a singles wrestler. The Elijah Express and the Elijah Experience are cool, but they don’t get him into the category of exciting. However, they will help him get into the creative category.

4. Marcus Cor Von: Here is the powerhouse of ECW. Monty Brown…I mean…Marcus Cor Von is HUGE. His bicep is probably larger then my head. He definitely falls into the category of exciting. The Pounce is my favorite finisher by a big dude. Although the Alpha Male is 37, he has a few great years ahead of him (but not enough years to call him the future).

5. The Boogeyman: Here’s a fun fact that I found interesting: he is 42 years old! I never would have thought that he would be that old. Well, now that I got that out of the way…he is definitely exciting, and definitely creative. Name another superstar that eats worms. Also, it is occasionally fun to see him pop up out of nowhere and scare the pants off of people.

Legends Top 5: (in no order)

1. Bret Hart: Well…he is under the “legends top 5”…so I guess it’s pretty obvious that he’s a legend. In WCW he won the US Title 4 times, the World Heavyweight Championship 2 times, and the World Tag-Team Championship 1 time. And in the WWF/WWE he won the WWF Championship 5 times, the Intercontinental Championship 2 times, the World Tag-Team Championship 2 times, and he was recently inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame. He was definitely exciting in the ring as well. When he locked in the sharpshooter the crowd went wild. He also had a great heart. He lasted over an hour in his famous match against Shawn Michaels, and he had many other great matches (see our Top WWE Matches section).

2. The Rock: There is nothing about this man that is boring. He has the most unnecessarily elaborate finishing move of all time (the people’s elbow) and has created almost all of the famous wrestling catchphrases in our time (know your role, and shut your mouth). This man is the epitome of exciting in and out of the ring. Again, he is in the legends category…therefore he is a definite legend. He won the WWF/E Championship 7 times, the Intercontinental Championship 2 times, and the Tag-Team Championship 5 times. He also has a great heart. His match at Wrestlemania against Steve Austin was a classic display of his heart. His heart is also shown in ANY of his matches against Mick Foley. Also, he is EXTREMELY creative. Who would think to themselves “today…I’m going to create a 30 second prelude to an elbow…”

3. Steve Austin: Again, there is nothing about this man that is boring. You never know what to expect from him on any given night. He could bring a beer truck through the entrance ramp, or he could plan his own beer bash even. This man, along with The Rock, IS exciting. Also he is a legend. He is a 6-time WWF Champion, a 2-time Intercontinental Champion, a 4-time Tag-Team Champion, and the winner of 3 Royal Rumbles.

4. Hulk Hogan: Just like Stone Cold and The Rock created the word exciting, Hulk Hogan created the word legend. He is the ultimate WWF/E/WCW that absolutely everyone knows. He is a 6-time WCW World Heavyweight Champion, a 6-time WWF/E World Heavyweight Champion, a 1-time Tag-Team Champion, a 2-time Royal Rumble Winner, and a WWE Hall of Famer. He also has a great heart (see vs. Andre the Giant or any other match where he “Hulks Up”). He is not as exciting as The Rock…but he is nonetheless very exciting. I’ve never really been into his finisher (the Hogan leg drop), because it’s basically like doing a “clothesline from hell” or “the big boot”, but it was cool in the 80s.

5. Shawn Michaels: Already, he is a legend. He is a 3-time WWF Champion, a 1-time European Champion, a 3-time Intercontinental Champion, a 4-time Tag-Team Champion, a 1-time World Heavyweight Champion, and a 2-time Royal Rumble Winner. He shows his great heart in his classic iron-man match against Bret Hart. His Superkick comes out of nowhere, and that is what makes him one of the most exciting superstars in wrestling today.


If you didn’t notice, the powerhouses (Cena, Lashley, Batista) are moving up in the world of wrestling, when it should be the exciting and athletic superstars (Jeff Hardy, Edge, Kennedy) in the limelight. WWE needs to keep a nice balance of these superstars to maximize their success. WWE also needs to keep good relations with their legends, so their legends will come back and have instant-classic feuds.

That’s all for me folks. As always…post comments.

-Jared Gerrard

The Pride Top Twenty

Earlier this week, I went through every single UFC event (88 of them) while I tracked every win and loss for every UFC fighter (529 of them). After a little bit of pressure from Masson, but mostly due to my own obsessive-compulsive nature, I've now been through every single PRIDE FC event card, tracking wins, losses, and draws once again. After 69 total events and 307 fighters, I now present to you the Top Twenty Of Pride. Am I more out of my mind than before? You bet.

Anyway, here is the spreadsheet on which I worked for so long to create. When you find a mistake, email me so I can change it. Remember, it's ONLY PRIDE bouts.

As before, there was a minimum of nine fights needed to be considered for the rankings.

1. Fedor Emelianenko (14-0) 1.000
2. Mauricio Rua (12-1) .923
3. Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira (16-2) .889
4. Takanori Gomi (13-2) .867
5. Wanderlei Silva (22-4) .846
6. Mirko Filipovic (18-4) .818
7. Antonio Rogerio Nogueira (8-2) .800
8. Sergei Kharitonov (8-3) .727
8. Hayato Sakurai (8-3) .727
10. Dan Henderson (13-5) .722
11. Quinton Jackson (12-5) .706
11. Heath Herring (12-5) .706
13. Kazushi Sakuraba (19-8) .703
14. Igor Vovchanchyn (17-8) .680
15. Ricardo Arona (8-4) .667
16. Mark Coleman (9-5) .643
16. Kazuhiro Nakamura (9-5) .643
18. Kazuyuki Fujita (7-4) .636
19. Mark Kerr (6-4) .600
20. Josh Barnett (5-4) .556

The Ultimate Top Twenty

As you may or may not know, I'm really into statistics (which usually turn into rankings). It's one of the only objective methods we have when determining whether one fighter deserves more praise than another. And so, over the past two nights, I've gone through every single UFC event card, tracking wins, losses, and draws. I scoured each PPV (72 of them), Fight Night (10), The Ultimate Fighter finale (5), and Ortiz-Shamrock beatdown specials (1) as I dutifully recorded wins and losses, one by one, for 529 fighters. Am I out of my mind? You bet.

Anyway, here is the spreadsheet on which I worked for so long to create. When you find a mistake, email me so I can change it. Remember, it's ONLY UFC bouts.

Now, to make some sense of the numbers. I originally decided on a ten fight minimum to be included on the list of the top twenty highest winning percentages, but soon realized that this would leave out both Georges St. Pierre and Karo Parisyan (each 7-2). And so, the minimum of nine fights was born. Of course, there's no way to really take into account strength of opponent or things like that, but this is the best we can do. I think you'll be surprised by some of the results.

1. Rich Franklin (9-1) .900
1. Don Frye (9-1) .900
3. Royce Gracie (11-2) .846
4. Matt Hughes (15-3) .833
4. Chuck Liddell (15-3) .833
6. Pat Miletich (8-2) .800
7. Georges St. Pierre (7-2) .778
7. Karo Parisyan (7-2) .778
9. Matt Lindland (9-3) .750
10. Tito Ortiz (14-5) .737
11. Vitor Belfort (8-3) .727
12. Randy Couture (12-5) .705
13. B.J. Penn (7-3) .700
13. Frank Mir (7-3) .700
13. Mark Coleman (7-3) .700
16. Dan Severn (9-4) .692
16. Andrei Arlovski (9-4) .692
18. Evan Tanner (10-5) .667
19. Pedro Rizzo (9-5) .643
20. Tim Sylvia (7-4) .636

The only notable omission and current Hall-Of-Famer not on the list is, of course, Ken Shamrock. With his recent rash of losses, Shamrock stands at a meager 7-6 (.538), unfortunately not good enough to make the cut.

Additionally, there were a handful of fighters at 6-4 (.600) who could easily break into the top twenty with a win or two. They are, alphabetically: Nick Diaz, Yves Edwards, Jeremy Horn, and Matt Serra.

There you have it, Irish Whip fans. Let us know who is too high, who is too low, and who is just right on the comment board below.

Top 5 Wrestlers Of The 1990s: Revisited

Originally posted on April 5th of this year, my widely-acclaimed article on the Top 5 Wrestlers of the 90s once again gained relevance when I stumbled upon this, which appears to be a link sent from God with a COMPLETE win-loss record for every WWE singles wrestler during the 1990s. Go to records, then scroll to the bottom and click on DDT Digest link to read this awesome piece of wrestling history, compiled by the one and only Nicolas Seafort.

I decided to scour the list and compare the statistical top ten to my top 5 and see just how close I was. To narrow down the list, I only included wrestlers that had at least 150 appearances. Here we go:

1. Ultimate Warrior (138-17) .890
2. Ahmed Johnson (167-32) .839
3. Bret Hart (490-113-8) .819
4. The Undertaker (609-196) .757
5. Stone Cold Steve Austin (252-82-1) .756
6. Shawn Michaels (300-113-6) .734
7. Lex Luger (148-55-1) .732
8. Razor Ramon (267-105-1) .719
9. Ken Shamrock (193-78) .712
10. Bradshaw (150-66) .694

Well, no big surprises here. 4 out of my top 5 appeared on the list (numbers 3-6...not bad if you ask me), with The Rock being the only exception (184-138-1, .573). Although perhaps Ahmed Johnson and Bradshaw don't deserve their listings, this top ten will be notorious (at first glance) for missing wrestlers, not including them. Triple H, for instance, seems like a lock for any top ten list. However, the numbers show that The Game really came into his own after 1999, holding a rather unimpressive record of 262-289 (.482) during the 90s. Similarly, Mankind batted a dismal .478 during the 90s with 180 wins and 199 losses. Yokozuna had a record of 150-161 (.489) during the stretch, constituting another underachieving champion.

Other wrestlers had records which would have put them in the top ten, but did not participate in enough contests to qualify. Kurt Angle, at 34-1 (.971), competed well enough to be number 1 on the list. Hulk Hogan's career in the WWE wound down in the early 90s and then picked up again after the turn of the millennium, leaving him with a 90s record of 76-17 (.817), not good enough to pick up the #4 spot he would've earned here.

There's not too much to be said about this list as it is purely numbers, but I do find it interesting that many of the early 90s wrestlers (Ultimate Warrior) easily make the list but are often overlooked while more popular late 90s wrestlers (The Rock) are usually put on lists like these but don't deserve the honor. Even I made the questionable pick of The Rock in my original top 5, but I did include the disclaimer that I based my picks on the overall quality of the wrestler and his ability to engage fans. Unfortunately, this general and consistent trend of snubbing older wrestlers does suggest that fans have a somewhat limited memory, favoring the more recent over the more distant. Few fans would choose Bruno Sammartino over Stone Cold Steve Austin, but Bruno would be the sagacious pick, by a mile.

Arguments like "Stone Cold did more for the sport" could be made, but since we weren't around in the time of Sammartino, it's hard for us to say. By learning more about the legends, we could be better equipped to make such decisions. Statistical rankings help us to effectively do just that.

Editor's Note: The picture of the Montreal Screwjob was selected because it features two of the statistical top ten as well as what is arguably the most iconic photograph of wrestling during the 1990s.

I plan to follow this article with another which will average my rankings, the statistical rankings, and PWI's Top 500, for which I'll devise an intricate formula to come up with a comprehensive set of rankings instead of studying Spanish or doing anything productive with my time.