Mixed martial arts odds and ends
Some odds and ends on a Friday:
* Strikeforce won the big Dan Henderson sweepstakes, as shocking as it seems to many. And by sweepstakes, I mean they overpaid for a guy Dana White undervalues. Henderson, in my opinion, is the second-best fighter not under the UFC’s umbrella. Fedor Emelianenko is obviously the other, which is why it’s puzzling White would let him go. Maybe he was asking for big money but Henderson has a few miles left in his tank and he still had some interesting fights left in the UFC. I’ll defer to White’s business sense, but letting Henderson fall to the competition is puzzling.
That being said, there are a few fights I want to see now that he’s in Strikeforce. Gegard Mousasi is one -- that would be a fight I’d pay a considerable amount of money to see. Henderson vs. Fedor (which is somewhat feasible, considering Fedor isn’t a HUGE heavyweight) is another that could be good. After that, what’s left? Jake Shields has talked about moving up to middleweight, so he could take on Henderson at that weight class but that might be a bit of a stretch.
* The UFC cut ring girls Logan and Natasha loose. I have prepared my response with the help of a 14-year-old girl: OMG, UFC ... WTF?
* The UFC had Lorenzo Fertitta in D.C. on Wednesday to testify in front of a House Judiciary Commitee about the proliferation of illegal Web streams that steal pay-per-views. He said at least 140,000 people viewed UFC 106 illegally and for free. Translation? Fertitta hates poor people and doesn’t think they should be allowed to enjoy the UFC just because some people have fallen on hard times in this poor economy.
Because 51 percent of the people in this country don’t understand sarcasm, the above translation was a joke. People shouldn’t steal UFC events. They can always do what I used to do in college: go to the home of your future in-laws and make them buy the PPVs. Sure, I feel obligated to repay them down the line with a grandkid or two but it definitely saved me money in the meantime.
* Quinton "Rampage" Jackson is coming back to the UFC. Of course he is. Did anyone think this wouldn’t happen?
* It looks like Frank Mir and Shane Carwin will face off for the UFC’s interim heavyweight championship. I like the pairing, which could make for a really interesting fight. Would much rather see Carwin-Brock Lesnar, but with Lesnar still on the shelf, this will do.
* Strikeforce has a great show this Saturday. I can't wait for the Gilbert Melendez-Josh Thomson fight and the Scott Smith-Cung Le bout. Looks like it will be a great night of fights all around.
*The WEC also has a strong show this Saturday, with Donald Cerrone taking on Ed Ratliff in the main event. Some tough decisions to be made this weekend.
Kevin Richardson has been a fan of mixed martial arts competition ever since UFC 3, when 600-pound sumo wrestler Emmanuel Yarborough was beaten by Keith Hackney. Kevin will cover the world of MMA — in Baltimore, nationally and internationally. He plans to take readers into the locker rooms and MMA schools, where they'll hear from local fighters and trainers. If you have a news tip or suggestions for the blog, please 
Comments
Thanks for this blog... good work.. The reason White wouldn't overpay for Hando is that while he is a very good fighter, he does not draw fans. Few would watch Hando fight if he were headlining unless he was paired with another name that draws. He has a solid game that is relatively mundane, although he does get the job done. Its about attracting viewers and Hando doesn't do it!
Posted by: Paul | December 18, 2009 12:15 PM
Paul,
You're probably right on Hendo. I can understand if Dana had a number and Hendo just thought he was worth a lot more. However, unless it was just a crazy, irrational number (which I'm not ruling out), I think it sets sort of a bad precedent.
Henderson isn't a huge draw but you know what, neither is Anderson Silva. His PPV numbers, especially against Leites and Cote (admittedly, part of this is the opponent) were not great.
You know who is a big draw? Kimbo Slice and Tito Ortiz. Two fighters that aren't on Henderson's level. These are OK in spots, but no one wants a UFC full of these types.
If you're not going to reward guys that are just good, then we're going to have a lot of people end up like Frank Mir, who feel they have to hype up every fight and talk a ton of trash just to become more of an attraction.
But, like I said, this could just be a rare instance in which Henderson's number really was irrational. I will defer to Dana in this case but will keep my eye out for others like it in the future.
Posted by: Mark Chalifoux | December 18, 2009 12:25 PM
Hey Mark-most important out of all of this-is Ariani still a UFC ring girl? I didn't see her on the Penn PPV, and to me, she's the real keeper! I agree with what you're saying about Hendo, Mark. He's very solid (maybe Silva's best and only real competition), he's a good citizen that you don't have to worry about doing anything crazy and he SEEMS like a very stand-up guy. 95% of pro athletes are going to go where the money is. I think losing Hendo from the UFC is a huge loss and personally, I love him-what's not to like about that massive Bisping KO?
Posted by: Nicholas Sadaka | December 18, 2009 12:53 PM
It seems weird to let him get away after hyping him up during TUF but who knows?
And yes, Arianny is still an Octagon girl. She was off during the last PPV but she is still under their employ, so not all is lost.
Posted by: Mark Chalifoux | December 18, 2009 1:04 PM
Hey Tulip-
" They can always do what I used to do in college: go to the home of your future in-laws and make them buy the PPVs."
You actually got someone to marry you? What is his name?
Hendo will fight Mousasi as you said, probably Jake Shields, and Matt Linland. A fight with Fedor would be futile at best. Fedor would finish Hendo in the first 2 minutes likely by strikes and a rear naked choke much like Tim Sylvia.
What is your Hubbies name? You should be fortunate someone would put up with your crow magnom like face.
Posted by: Dave " The Meatball" Armistead | December 18, 2009 1:26 PM
Jake Sheilds is the middleweight champ of Strikeforce so I see that fight happening. And there was no doubt Rampage was coming back to the UFC .
Posted by: Adam | December 27, 2009 11:02 PM
Very nice MMA/UFC review - thanx for the post. I agree that Fedor Emelianenko is the best MMA fighter ever, but Henderson ? What about Brett Rogers ? Yes, he lost with Fedor but could be better than Henderson...
Posted by: MMA Judo | January 4, 2010 3:46 PM