Showdown Joe on UFC 137: Lessons learned

The history books will simply show the results from UFC 137: Penn vs. Diaz, but the story lines that have emanated from The Mandalay Bay Events Centre in Las Vegas, Nevada may never be duplicated.

The post-fight press conference was something else — twists, turns, drama and more. I can’t recall ever experiencing a presser with so many changes in direction as that which I witnessed on Saturday night. From Dana White leaving to take a phone call, to the UFC president debating the merits of his promotion and its business model with Nick Diaz’s trainer, Cesar Gracie.

The Fire Starter

For his part, Diaz was the star of the show. Once he showed up, sparks started flying. I bided my time to ask two questions. One to Diaz, to expand on his claim that GSP was faking his injury. The second, to White, to see if Nick had done enough to bypass Carlos Condit, and earn a title shot against GSP. Cue the fireworks.

First off, Diaz was actually somewhat complimentary of St-Pierre, but one could tell that his disdain for the Canadian was surfacing. It didn’t resonate until afterwards, when White then answered my question. Diaz did in fact do enough to leapfrog over Condit and will face Georges on Super Bowl weekend in Vegas. Dana went on to say that GSP was disgusted and livid with Diaz, and stated he will punish him like no one else has ever been punished in the octagon before.

I can tell you this — having known Georges since 2002 — I’ve never seen anyone affect him in this manner. Not BJ Penn, not Josh Koscheck, not even Matt Serra or Dan Hardy. The Canadian is on a mission and when he meets Diaz inside the octagon, I firmly believe he will be far more focused than the one time I vividly recall, where he was at his scariest. That was just before his rematch with BJ Penn, when he told me, “the only reason there is a referee inside the octagon is that we don’t kill each other.”

He followed that up with one quote I will never forget. I asked him if there was a sense of fear heading into the rematch, as many believed Penn was going to destroy the Canadian, and there was no way he was going to be able to survive and defend what BJ was going to administer to him. Georges looked me dead in the eyes, adjusted his seated position on the medicine ball on the TriStar gym mats, leaned over and said “I do not go there to survive, I go there to hunt.” I remember everyone who was there, from our camera man to my producer, to Firas Zahabi and the students at the gym, paused for a moment of silence. This was the scariest GSP yet, and I believe it will pale in comparison to the new version that is brewing — the one that is zeroing in on Nick Diaz. The Other Side

Expect the temperature to rise once Dana White responds to Malki Kawa, Carlos Condit’s manger. Kawa recently stated that his client did not simply step aside, and that they were more upset with GSP than with the UFC. He also recently hinted that Josh Koscheck may be Condit’s next opponent. Kos stated that Carlos had a better chance at winning if he would have originally taken a fight with Kos on short notice at UFC 137, because now, he claims “The Natural Born Killer” has no chance at all.

Penn retiring, err, returning to Lightweight

When a dejected BJ Penn told Joe Rogan that he was done and that he could no longer compete at the elite level, a shockwave was sent through the MMA industry. I for one was stunned, but then again, I didn’t buy it. My bias comes from the fact I am halfway through his book “Why I fight,” so my mind was skewed to the author, who boldly describes what makes his fighting spirit tick. Shortly thereafter, Penn released a statement, stating “I want to thank all the fans for their love and support. I have decided to take some time off to enjoy life, train and teach. I will keep you guys posted with what’s next.”

What’s next will be a return to lightweight — perhaps against Gray Maynard?

Where’s the Beef?

Heading into his bout with Cheick Kongo, I felt it may have been too much of a step for Matt (Meathead) Mitrione to ascend to. I feel I was wrong, even though Kongo was victorious. I was unable to catch up with Matt after the bout, but he just did not seem like the same fighter I had seen in the past, nor did he implement the game plan he hinted at. He’s still young, fairly green, and unlike his bashers, I believe he will live and learn from this and come back with a vengeance. As for Cheick, good on him. He said the bout wasn’t exciting, but he did prove he’s still a contender in the division. Lest we forget, he’s the only fighter to have ever taken UFC heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez the distance.

Slim Country up to the task

En route to the physique many believe he should strive for, Roy Nelson proved why he is one of the most underrated, under appreciated fighters in the game today. His victory over Mirko Cro Cop was easily predicted by many of the longer serving pundits in the game. Hopefully he continues on this newfound path, one I hope leads him to a date in the octagon, opposite the aforementioned Cheick Kongo.

Cro Cop hangs up his gloves

The following paragraph is truly a disservice to the legend that is Mirko (Cro Cop) Filipovic, for far more is required to describe my gratitude towards the Croatian. I am thankful for his five year run in Pride, where he went 19-4-2. His legacy will always be described as “Right kick – hospital, left kick – cemetery.” But, for yours truly, my highlight was the anticipation leading up to, and the actual bout with Fedor Emelianenko in August of 2005. It was by far, the biggest, and arguably to this day, the most anticipated heavyweight bout in MMA history.

More than just a Bull Rider

The Professional Bull Riding World Championships were also taking place in Vegas, as UFC 137 shared the same hotel as the many cowboys and cowgirls roaming the casino. The one thing they shared in common was Donald Cerrone, who attended both events: one as a fan, the other as a competitor. As seen on Rogers Sportsnet, Cerrone dismantled the highly touted Denis Siver and did so with relative ease. I’ve long preached (think back to his WEC bout against Rob McCullough) how good this guy could be and will be. Stay tuned. Cerrone could be two wins away from a title shot, but first, he must get past Nate Diaz. The two lightweight warriors will square off as part of the co-main event at UFC 141 on Dec. 30.

Final Thoughts

Hatsu Hioki defeated George Roop via split decision, but the winner on my scorecards was Roop. Unfortunate luck for the American. On a side note, pit Hioki against Antonio Carvalho next. I’m sure he wants to rematch The Canadian after losing to him in the same manner. Scott Jorgensen vs. Jeff Curran was a great tilt live. Not sure how it translated on TV, but kudos to “The Big Frog”. I thought Scott would be too fast for him. I’m happy I was incorrect. What to make of lightweight Tyson Griffin (who lost) and light heavyweight Brandon Vera (who won)? Taking nothing away from Bart Palaszewski, who destroyed Tyson, but something tells me there is more to the story. Griffin missing weight by three pounds was a foreshadowing of things to come. As for Vera, was it octagon rust or is he a shadow of his former self? Or both? Props to Ramsey Nijem, who all but owned Danny Downes, as well as Francis Carmont, whose octagon debut vs. Chris Camozzi was fantastic. And props to Clifford Starks (super intense guy when I met him after the weigh-ins) on defeating Dustin Jacoby, after taking the fight on what seemed like a minutes notice.