UFC fighter Michael Bisping recently spoke with The Tampa Tribune, stating that mixed martial artists don’t take tune up fights, unlike some boxers do.

Here’s a highlight of the article:

“I don’t think anyone in our sport gets protected. Chuck Liddell has been on a terrific run, but he always fights quality competition. They don’t give him tune-up fights like they do in boxing. We know the better we fight, the more money we will make. We are more focused on being the best fighters out there than having nice records.”

With that said, UFC 70 is in Bisping's hometown, he's supposed to be UFC's European poster boy, he's fighting a journeyman fighter named Elvis Sinosic, who has a win-loss-tie record of
8-9-2 record.

Don't think I'm harping on Bisping as a fighter, he's a great fighter. I just can't believe he'd come up with that remark!! Sure sounds like and looks like a tune-up fight in order to ensure the poster boy gets a win in his hometown!!

UFC 68

If you venture over to UFC 68's website, ufc68.ufc.com you'll find previews and trailers of the top three fights. The fights being Couture v Sylvia, Franklin v McDonald, and Hughes v Lytle. Every one of the fighters take a turn getting inverviewed and predict victory. Everyone except poor Chris Lytle. Even Dana White and Joe Rogan get some face time, but one fighter in one of the "marquee" matches doesn't??

What gives?

A great striker like Georges St. Pierre smacked Hughes around in November. A good striker like Lytle could land a lucky punch couldn't he? Shouldn't he get some face time to pump the match?

I'm predicting Sylvia, Franklin and Hughes to win, though I'm pulling for all three to lose!!

UFC matchmaker

It would sure be fun to have Joe Silva's job. He's the UFC matchmaker. Dana White has confirmed that Chuck Liddell would like to fight Mirko Cro Cop. Hell, make it happen!!

UFC 67

Caught UFC 67 over the weekend and it was a very decent show. Not as much star power (yet) compare to UFC 66, but the fights were tremendous, especially the Griffin v. Edgar scrap.

Edgar was an unknown, but not for long. He defeated the next big thing in Tyson Griffin and in spectacular fashion. It was 15 minutes of blistering punches, kicks, subs and grappling. in other words, NOTHING like a Tim Sylvia "fight".

The main event was quite good, but it was more satisfying than good. Anderson Silva the striker submitted Travis Lutter, the Ju-Jitsu Ace as he likes to think of himself. I honestly do not know of a more cocky mid-level fighter, except for maybe Chris Lebin. Even so, Leben is just trying to promote himself. Lutter, on the other hand, believes his ground fighting is next to Godliness.

Apparently not.

Silva landed a boot to his chin from the ground and Travis fell into a triangle choke. He defended it well for about 30 seconds, but after Silva let loose his elbows, Travis quickly tapped out.

Beautiful.

I'll try not to vent too much in the next two weeks about how lame Tim Sylvia is, but I'm not making any promises.

Go Randy Go!!

Grappling

Maybe I wasn't cut out to be a fighter.
I did Tae Kwon Do for a number of years and followed that up with "Sport Ju-Jitsu" for another two years. I was in my teens to mid-twenties but found that it was too hard on my body. I just trained and grappled in class, not very many tournaments. Often I'd wake up and not be able to turn my head due to a sore neck. Needless to say, I relied heavily on my mirrors when changing lanes that day!!

Also, when I would enter Tae Kwon Do tournies, I would end up with massive welts and bruises all over my legs, and if you could walk/eat normally after a tournament, you were the king!! It's tough to imagine how these full contact fighters do it for so long, especially that freak of nature, Randy Couture.

The man is 43 years old, and still going strong. He must be on the sauce!! Just kidding. I hope he takes it to the big sloth on March 3rd.

Travis Loser. Er, Lutter.

I have not seen UFC 67 yet, but I understand during the weigh-ins Feb 1, Travis Lutter did NOT make weight. He apparently came in at 187lbs (the UFC Middleweight limit is 185lbs) and had one to two hours to lose the two pounds.

He left and came back two hours later and weighed exactly 1/2lb less.

No dice.

This guy wins the 6 week tournament, get a title shot, gets a sponsorship deal, talks tough like he's already the man...and fails to make weight. He mentioned in an interview that he does not have a coach, because, "what more can they teach me?"

Lots, apparently Travis. Like to stay away from the fridge.

Honestly, I could easily drop 2lbs if I had to in two hours, and I have less mass to lose than him. Pee, poo, spit, puke, and if you've already done all that...throw on some heavy clothes and run!!

I guess I shouldn't harp on poor Travis too much...he did show up shaved like a swimmer and had sunken cheeks. This couldn't have possibly pleased the UFC brass, as Georges St. Pierre had to pull out of his planned fight with Matt Serra due to a knee injury. That deprived this PPV of some star power, and Lutter's goof deprived this card of its only title fight.

I thought Travis had a decent (25-30%) chance to topple Anderson Silva, but not anymore. See Riggs v. Hughes in 2005. Joe Riggs failed to make weight for his title fight against then-champ Matt Hughes and was defeated the second he realized the fight wasn't for the title. He fought like a shell of a man and was quickly submitted.