While most wrestling fans have been buzzing about the Monday Night Wars for weeks, there was actually a second war that took place this week. The UFC presented a UFC Fight Night on Monday which went head-to-head with WWE RAW. There has been a lot of talk over the last several years in regards to MMA and the UFC stealing pro wrestling fans. If Monday night’s ratings are any indication, the only ones that should be charged with theft should be the World Wrestling Entertainment.

The cable ratings are in and wow, this is quite a story here. The WWE smashed the UFC right in the mouth on Monday night. WWE RAW came in at a 3.7 rating for the night, with 5.45 million people tuning in to see pro wrestling. The UFC Fight Night produced a 1.1 rating with 1.7 million people watching. Even more shocking are the numbers of adults 18-49 that watched both shows. The WWE came in with a 2.1, while the UFC came in at 0.9. I guess some adults still prefer that “phony rasslin” to the smash-mouthed “real fighting” in MMA.

This has to be a big success for the WWE, while a very disappointing number to the UFC. Granted, the UFC didn’t have any real marquee matches but the brand itself should have been able to steal some audience in theory. The WWE countered the UFC attack by booking Mike Tyson as the Guest Host. Tyson also wrestled at the end of the show, which is still something of a big deal even in 2010. Unlike the TNA vs. WWE battle last week where viewers tuned in and out, it looks like the WWE was able to sustain its audience throughout the night even when Tyson wasn’t on camera. That means even in the most boring spots on WWE RAW (and there were plenty), nobody was checking out the UFC.

There are a few other stories that come out of these numbers that are also rather interesting. Last week’s TNA Wrestling had 2.02 million viewers in the 9-11 PM time slot. So not only did the WWE beat the UFC, but TNA Wrestling also grabbed more viewers than the UFC did in the same time slot. I think that Spike TV dropped a ball here and should have done a little cross promotion last week on Impact, similar to what the UFC did when they had Hulk Hogan on its show. It is one thing to lose out to the WWE, but a whole other story when TNA Wrestling beats out a UFC event in the same time slot a week earlier.

The WWE number is also real interesting in comparison to last week. The 3.7 is actually up from 3.6 the previous Monday night. The story here is that the WWE drew a better rating with Mike Tyson than they did with Bret Hart. Bret likely has his enemies working against him in the WWE locker room. This is not good news for him and his fans. The number is also an indication that last week’s TNA vs. WWE showdown was a great thing for the pro wrestling business overall. I would presume that the increased number this week is a bit of a carryover of the fans who watched TNA last week. It is obvious at least in the short term that the battle sparked some fan interest and may have even brought back some old fans that haven’t watched wrestling on Monday nights in years.

Ever since the UFC exploded in 2005, many pundits jumped on the bandwagon and predicted the demise of pro wrestling. Personally, I never quite understood the crossover and still don’t understand why some pro wrestling news websites carry MMA news. I think the audiences are entirely different. I think most of the crossover comes from old wrestling fans that stopped following wrestling years ago and found something new to latch onto. As successful as Brock Lesnar has been in the UFC, I don’t think it has as much to do with the pro wrestling crossover as people think. If that was the case, than Bobby Lashley’s fights would be doing huge numbers, and Lesnar’s Dynamite!! USA fight would have done record ratings on Showtime. At the end of the day I think these two audiences have as much in common as football and hockey fans.

Dana White has made big claims about where he expects the Ultimate Fighting Championship’s business to be over the next ten years. White proclaimed last month, “UFC will be the biggest sport in the world by 2020.” He specifically talked about the NFL and how the UFC would blow away the NFL and everything else globally.

If he can’t even beat out two pro wrestling events on a Monday night, the UFC’s chances against the NFL are laughable.

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In looking back at the decade, I can’t think of another sport that grew so big quicker than MMA. In the United States, the UFC became a household name by the end of the decade. In Japan, MMA has dominated sports culture and shattered ratings records over the last ten years. While thousands have competed in MMA, only a handful have single handedly made an impact. Today I look back at the MMA Fighter of the Decade.

I can’t ever imagine another decade where MMA will experience the kind of growth that it experienced in the last ten years. The UFC came to pay-per-view here in the United States simply as a vehicle to promote Royce Gracie and Gracie BJJ. As we finish the decade, the “barbaric” events that created the UFC have morphed into a sport featuring Olympic and championship athletes from all over the world.

How do you come up with one MMA Fighter of the Decade? I based my decision on a variety of factors. The first factor would be success. It would be ridiculous to give this award to someone with a subpar record, no matter how big of a star he may be. Two, I look at the quality of opponents. There are some guys that step up and face the best, while there are others who do the best they can to avoid the competition. Third, I look at longevity. As impressive as Brock Lesnar is, he has had four fights in the UFC, and has only fought once in 2009. Four, I look at the impact of the fighter and how well they drew as an entertainer and box office attraction. Finally, I look at reputation and how the fighter is perceived in the world of MMA.

MMA Fighter of the Decade – Fedor Emelianenko

In doing the research for this blog, I put all of the obvious names on paper. The obvious names are Chuck Liddell, Randy Couture, Anderson Silva, Georges St. Pierre, BJ Penn, Royce Gracie, and of course Fedor. The more research I did, the more Fedor just kept blowing these guys away in all of the criteria. By the time I was finished with my research, Fedor ran away with this award. Let’s break down all of the factors and see why Fedor Emelianenko is the MMA Fighter of the Decade.

1 – Success. Fedor has only lost one match in the entire decade. As a matter of a fact, the only loss Fedor suffered came at the end of the year 2000. He hasn’t lost a match in nine years. His overall record is 31-1-1. He fights an average of just under three fights a year, which is a lot in an era where most of the UFC champions fight 1-2 times a year. He has 24 fights that ended by either submission or knockout. There is no other fighter that even comes close to Fedor’s MMA record over the last decade.

2 – Quality of Opponents. Fedor is not a guy that won 31 fights over tomato cans. When Fedor finally made the jump from Rings to Pride, he fought top-level competition right off the bat. He has wins over four former UFC heavyweight champions. He has three wins over Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira (when he was considered arguably the best fighter in the world), as well as wins over Semmy Schilt, Mark Coleman, Kevin Randleman, Ricardo Arona, Mirko Cro Cop (when he was considered unbeatable), Tim Sylvia, Andrei Arlovski, Matt Lindland, and Mark Hunt just to name a few. He fought most of those guys in their primes. There is no other UFC or MMA fighter that has the same number of quality wins overt he course of ten years that Fedor has. Not even close.

3 – Longevity. Fedor has been fighting for the entire decade. There were some years where he fought five times in one year. UFC president Dana White has criticized Fedor for not fighting frequently over the last few years. However, he has fought the same or more times than almost all of the top UFC fighters have over the last few years. In Pride, he fought 3-5 times a year. Just think for a second about how impressive it is to fight five times in one year! Randy Couture only fought more than twice a year once in 2000 and he is regareded as an MMA legend. Chuck Liddell never fought more than three times in one year. Fedor was a machine for most of the decade.

4 – MMA Impact. This is the only category where Fedor loses to anyone and that would be Chuck Liddell. Fedor was a ratings machine during most of the decade in Japan and some international markets. In the United States, Fedor has been a huge disappointment on pay-per-view and television. He had modest success with Strikeforce depending upon how you judge his CBS ratings. The chances are pretty good that Fedor could walk into a local gas station and nobody would know who he is, whereas Chuck Liddell is a mainstream celebrity. If the criteria were even all of the way for Fedor and Chuck, than Chuck would win based on the impact he had in MMA. Unfortunately, Chuck’s record and his slide over the last few years preclude that from happening. At the same time, Fedor was a megastar in Japan but those days are behind him.

As you can tell, this was really an race between Fedor and Chuck Liddell. While other fighters like Randy Couture and Tito Ortiz have had huge impacts on MMA over the decade, their records completely discount them from consideration. Couture was 23-8 and only beat one high-quality opponent in Chuck Liddell. I think Randy’s stature in the MMA world is more hype than fact. Tito hasn’t beaten anyone in years, unless you count an inexperienced Forrest Griffin three years ago as a huge win. There is no denying that Fedor has eclipsed all of the MMA heavy hitters in terms of big opponents and big matches.

I also think it wouldn’t be fair to write an article about the best MMA fighter of the decade without mentioning BJ Penn. Penn won championships in two different weight classes in the UFC. Penn has been one of the most dominant fighters in his division over the decade. It is arguable that if not for Penn himself, he may have run the table and went undefeated over the decade. Penn’s implosions kept him from reaching his potential until the end of the decade. Unfortunately those implosions came during the two biggest fights in Penn’s career. My suspicion is that if Penn could have pulled off those wins over GSP and Matt Hughes, we may be talking about BJ Penn as the Fighter of the Decade.

I don’t think there will be another fighter to dominate a decade like Fedor did. BJ Penn has a shot over the next ten years, but he has to win a  few Super Fights to be considered. Sure, there will be guys like Brock Lesnar that may fight once or twice a year but I don’t know if he will ever have the consistent level of competition that Fedor had in Pride FC. I can’t ever envision  a fighter that fights and beats high-quality opponents five times a year the way Fedor did a few times over the last decade. Dana White can make fun of Fedor all day, but nobody in the UFC has ever accomplished what Fedor has been able to do in MMA over an entire decade.

Fedor Emelianenko is truly the MMA Fighter of the Decade.

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The more UFC fights I see on The Ultimate Fighter, the more I start thinking about Roy Nelson. Nelson is 17-4, a former champion, former ADCC fighter, and yet he is competing with ex-NFL players and Kimbo Slice for a UFC deal. What is Nelson really doing there? I will tell you what he is doing there…he is a ringer!

I am less impressed with the skills of the fighters on this season’s TUF more than any other season. It becomes obvious quickly that these guys are babies when it comes to the world of MMA fighting. Roy Nelson on the other hand, is in a class all by himself on the show. The only explanation for Nelson being on the show is that Dana White sabotaged his own show to make a point.

For one thing, Roy Nelson is on the show to prove that MMA fighters are better athletes than NFL players. Even a player that looks like Roy Nelson can whip a jacked up NFL player in an MMA fight. Nelson is also there to put a street fighting hype machine like Kimbo Slice in his place. Dana White’s reaction following the Nelson-Slice fight was brilliant. It told me everything that I needed to know and confirmed for me that the fix is in!

Dana White was practically outraged after Nelson beat Slice. White made comments about Nelson’s “weak” punches and Nelson’s physique. When has Dana White ever criticized a winner on The Ultimate Fighter? I don’t ever recall White trashing a TUF fighter like that immediately after a win on the show. I suspect the outrage was purely phony and a bit of reverse psychology from the UFC president. Dana White is the best promoter in the history of MMA and is doing what he does best and that is promote his next heavyweight monster…Roy Nelson.

After White makes those remarks, what are you thinking? Maybe, in the back of your head you are thinking, “So a guy who is fat, throws weak punches, and has a weak ground game beat the monster Kimbo Slice?” The same will be said again the next time Nelson takes down one of the hyped ex-NFL players. The strategy is pure genius out of Dana White. Casual UFC fans would have laughed the second they saw Nelson in a UFC octagon. Now, they know this guy is for real and may even pay to see him fight.

There is no logical reason that Nelson should have to compete for a UFC contract. The guy is a former IFL heavyweight champion who has fought marquee matches. I could understand if the theme of the show was a comeback like past TUF seasons, but that is not what this show is about. I look at former IFL fighter, Ben Rothwell as a guy that supports my theory. Nelson beat Rothwell in the IFL, yet Rothwell is making his UFC debut in two weeks and didn’t have to enter a contest to get a UFC deal. So a guy who Nelson beat and was knocked out by Andrei Arlovski last year is good enough to get a UFC contract and the former IFL champion isn’t?

There is also huge marketing potential in Roy Nelson for the UFC. Matt Hughes has been promoted throughout his career as something of an “every-man.” Hughes’ livelihood as a farmer has made him the blue collar hero to UFC fans. Hughes is wrapping up his career and Dana doesn’t have anyone to fill that role. There is something extremely appealing and marketable about a guy that you can relate to chasing the UFC heavyweight title. There was even a moment on TUF where Rashad Evans and his team talked about Roy booking his own fights and training in his basement. It is all coming together perfectly for Dana White.

I can’t say that I blame Dana White. He has become very protective of his sport over the last few years. White has always blasted his competitors whenever he felt that they were damaging the integrity of the sport. Recently, White has been outspoken about Strikeforce’s signing of Herschel Walker. A few years ago his cause was ironically enough, Kimbo Slice. What better way to send a message than by having a fat, dumpy, fighter who looks he just left his third buffet beat Kimbo Slice and a bunch of ex-NFL players? I say it is actually pretty brilliant.

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Check out this video of Dancing with the Stars competitor and UFC fighter, Chuck Liddell having a confrontation with reporters. Chuck is extremely inebriated and is doing his best Leon Spinks impersonation as he gets into a confrontation with the paparazzi. It is hard to understand what led to the confrontation, but something set Chuck off. How ironic in one week both Chuck Liddell and Mike Tyson have scraps with the paparazzi?

In all seriousness, this is a very disturbing video. It won’t take more than one search to find several videos of a drunk Chuck Liddell on You Tube. As a matter of a fact, there are plenty of stories of Chuck being out partying the night before some of his biggest UFC fights. Plenty of UFC journalists have attributed the decline in Chuck Liddell more to his years of partying than to his years of physical abuse in MMA. While he may have given up one sport, it looks like he won’t be retiring from the nightlife anytime soon.

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It didn’t take long for Dana White to open his mouth. The blood isn’t even dry on the nose of Fedor Emelianenko, yet the UFC President has wasted no time blasting the one that got away. White still can’t get over the fact that Fedor said “no” to the kingpin. To the surprise of nobody, Dana White was not impressed with the Last Emperor’s knockout.

“The guy just got his face smashed in by Brett Rogers. Do you know what Brock or [UFC heavyweights] Frank Mir and Cain Velasquez would do to Brett Rogers?” White said. “It’s time to bring this guy [Fedor] in, to see Brock Lesnar smash his head,” said Dana White to the LA Times. Ah Dana, you are as predictable as the time of day.

I knew immediately following the fight that Dana White would take shots at Fedor for the fight. While I am not saying that Fedor would beat Brock Lesnar, I think Dana should think twice before comparing Fedor’s fight with Brett Rogers to Brock Lesnar. What Dana White failed to mention in his interview was that Brock Lesnar needed two rounds to beat a 45-year old fighter, couldn’t finish perennial journeyman fighter Heath Herring, and lost in the first round to Frank Mir! So if Dana is going to start jumping to conclusions about Fedor’s inability to put Rogers away early, he should think twice before comparing Fedor to Brock Lesnar.

As a fight fan, I do agree that going to Strikeforce over UFC was not a very brave move from Fedor. Whether it is competition or finances, Fed0r would have had the best of both worlds in UFC. There is nobody in Strikeforce now or on the horizon that is going to give Fedor any kind of a challenge. Don’t make me laugh with Fabrico Werdum, Alistair Overeem, or a rematch with Brett Rogers. Obviously the competition is in UFC and Fedor is fooling nobody by opting for a three-fight Strikeforce contract over the number one MMA promotion in the world.

At the same time, it is impossible to deduct how one fighter would do against another by simply looking at competition. Anderson Silva went five rounds with Thales Leites, yet nobody questioned Silva’s abilities following the fight. It also wasn’t as if Fedor couldn’t put Brett Rogers away. In one breath Dana White will tell you what a fraud Fedor is, yet in the other he will tell you he has a $30 million contract on the table for Fedor. If Fedor was really that much of a fraud, why would Dana White and the UFC be willing to be a fraud $30 million? Of course we know the answer to that, and so does Dana White.

The Brock-Fedor talk will never die and at some point I really do believe that the fight is going to happen. Fedor is a complete free agent in two more fights and could just as easily make a deal to come to the UFC at the end of next year as he could not. As big as Brock Lesnar is, I don’t think it is an automatic with all things being even that Lesnar beats Fedor. Fedor has 33 fights under his belt as compared to Brock Lesnar’s five fight career. Fedor has fought fighters of all sizes and has always come out on top. I don’t think it is as much of a given as people think that Brock Lesnar would win that fight.

However, it is time for Dana White to keep his mouth shut about Fedor. I am tired about hearing what a fraud Fedor is and what a farce Strikeforce is. We get it, the UFC is better but at the same time MMA fans are going to tune into Strikeforce to see one of the world’s greatest fighters. Fedor had a game plan Saturday and stuck with it. I don’t think there is anything to criticize him about. Unless Dana White is going to get the deal done, it is time to let it go and focus on who he does have in the UFC.

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Sometimes you have to wonder about the screening process of these reality TV shows. Zak Jensen on the current The Ultimate Fighter: Heavyweights has been named as a defendant in a wrongful death lawsuit. Jensen has been reportedly implicated by a family as playing a part in their son’s death on a Mexico vacation.

It is an interesting story on one particular level. To me, I find it interesting that the UFC would take a risk on putting this guy on the show. He has no criminal charges filed against him, yet it is a bit of a shady story. Zak did get chocked out in his first fight, but what if he won? How do you promote a guy like that without answering some tough questions? The sport already has a bad public perception, and this would have done MMA no favors.

The Stillwater Gazette reports – Relatives of a Stillwater Area High School graduate who died in Mexico under unclear circumstances say they are just looking for justice and details about his death by filing a lawsuit against those who saw him last.

Elizabeth Gunderson Koll filed the suit Thursday in Washington on behalf of her son, Josh Gunderson. The suit accuses Zachery Jensen, Jason Jones and Sterling Systems, which is owned by Jones, of negligence in Josh Gunderson’s death.

The report also claims that Jensen was a bodyguard for Jones on the trip.

KSTP TV reports -An autopsy ordered by the family shows Gunderson had wounds to his face, and that he ultimately choked on his own vomit. The medical examiner says that could have happened because of a struggle.

The concierge at the Sheraton Hotel told authorities Jensen said “I just defended myself. He was attacking me.” They claim he also said “he shouldn’t be with her. He was liking her and she didn’t.”

Who knows where this is go and Jensen may be perfectly innocent here. I just question why the UFC didn’t wait for the legal mess to smooth over before putting Jensen on the show. I think it is pretty obvious by looking at this season’s cast that the UFC had very slim pickings when it came to casting heavyweights this season. The only explanation I can think of is that the hopefuls were just so bad that Jensen got in by default.

For those who have been watching the show this season, this is a pretty ironic story considering who is involved. In episode five, Jensen was accused by Wes Sims of leaving some man goo behind in the shower. Since that moment, Jensen has been an outcast in the house. Jensen was subsequently submitted in the next episode.

Let’s just say that this lawsuit on top of his appearances on The Ultimate Fighter: Heavyweights probably won’t do too much to help his career as a bodyguard. Thank goodness no criminal charges were filed, because the boys may not have been as nice as Wes Sims when it comes to leaving your goo behind.

Thanks to http://www.f4wonline.com for the tip.

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