Month: January 2009 (Page 23 of 61)

      Top 10 Pound for Pound MMA Fighters in the World 1/20

      January 20, 2009 /

      Who is the best in the world in the ultra popular world of Mixed Martial Arts? With leagues in Brazil, Canada, Japan, Russia, and the U.S., fighters have the freedom and choice of where and who they want to fight, which many times earns them fame and fortune.

      Many monthly lists come out giving a top 10-grade to fighters in each individual weight class and don’t venture to call out a single “best of the best.” This is a great way to keep up with MMA, but for those interested in reading about the best fighters worldwide and not just in the mainstream UFC, it’s rather conventional.

      Below is our ranking of the best pound-for-pound fighters in the world, regardless of weight class.

      1. Anderson Silva – 185/205 (UFC)
      Silva is the best technical striker in MMA. He picks his opponents apart methodically and has lifted himself to a higher level than anyone else at 185 and some feel 205, as well. He brings a great Muay Thai clinch, has solid Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and can finish off black belts on the ground. There’s not much else you can say about Silva; just feel sorry for his next victim.

      2. Georges St. Pierre – 170 (UFC/UCC)
      St. Pierre has dangerous knockout power in his hands and kicks, coupled with great wrestling and jiu jitsu styles. He has taken down the best in the world at 170 including Olympic Judo black belts, American college wrestlers, and dominant kick boxers. His nickname of “Rush” is well earned as he usually pushes the pace and is quick to finish his opponent. If he stops BJ Penn again and moves up in weight class, he’d be considered the best overall.

      3. Fedor Emelianenko – Heavyweight (Affliction/Pride)
      Emelianeko has never been stopped by an opponent in a fight (he suffered one loss due to a doctor stoppage) and has the largest list of victims in MMA. Why not the top spot? If he beats Arlovski at “Afflictions Day of Reckoning”, then only the excitement of Pierre and Silva would keep him out. Emelianenko is still the best heavyweight in the world with heavy hands, world championship Sambo and ground and pound. Many US fans don’t know much about Fedor because he fought for some time in Japan and Russia, but after squaring off with Tim Silvia and Arlovski, he will cement his place in MMA history.

      4. BJ Penn – 155/170 (UFC/K1)
      Penn has all the tools to be the best. He has amazing dexterity and flexibility for his jiu jitsu game, as well as knockout boxing skills. He has fought at many different weight classes and has been successful in most. Perhaps his only downside is his mental game. Despite this, he has dominated the 155 lightweight class and has been successful at 170 in the UFC. He could become the only person to hold two titles at one time in the UFC.

      5. Rashad Evans – 205 (UFC)
      Evans is an undefeated 18-0-1 Michigan State wrestler who has knockout power in hands and feet, and gave the most brutal knockout Chuck Liddell has ever endured. He is the new UFC light heavyweight champ and has shown improvement in his stand up boxing and cardio, which was once a weakness. If another big name fight goes his way, he could move up the list.

      6. Miguel Torres- 135 (WEC)
      No one else in the WEC has beaten down their opponents like Torres has. He is a tough kid from a rough neighborhood who happens to have a black belt in Gracie Jiu Jitsu, his own training center, and the WEC bantamweight title. So far, no one has come close to taking his belt and in most cases they receive a beating inside the cage.

      7. Thiago Alves – 170 (UFC)
      Thiago is another UFC welterweight who has knocked off big names in a hurry. Huge wins over Matt Hughes and Josh Koscheck have given him number one contender rankings in the UFC. Brutal Muay Thai striking and powerful knockout punching power will keep him high on most MMA lists of 170-pound fighters. At such a young age and with the fortune of having a great team at his disposal, he should only continue his rise to the top.

      8. Quinton Jackson – 205 (UFC/Pride/WFA)
      A long time unknown in the U.S. fighting in Pride, Jackson’s boxing skills have sky rocketed his ability in the octagon. Rampage brings it all to the table – wrestling, huge slams, and great hands. A great showing against Wanderlei Silva has put him back into title contention and as long as his legal issues stay out of the way, he may be back in the mix for a belt.

      9. Urijah Faber – 145 (WEC)
      Exciting, energetic, and “natural” are all used to describe the California Kid. One of the more wild and thrilling fighters with solid striking and submissions, Faber doesn’t normally disappoint. Though he lost his title to Mike Brown, he is still 21-2 and will most likely get his rematch for the featherweight belt with another victory over Jens Pulver.

      10. Andrei Arlovski – Heavyweight (Affliction/UFC)
      The “Pitbull”, Arlovski is a former UFC heavyweight champion, a pro boxer, and Sambo champion. He has the tools to be the best heavyweight in MMA, but the biggest question regarding him is which fighter will enter the ring: the ultra-aggressive striker, which earned him his belt, or the calmer methodical version, which has cost him his title? With his upcoming fight with Fedor looming, the result will place him among the best or place him as just another good heavyweight. He has shown knockout power and good submission skills against top contenders in the UFC.

      –Written By TSR Contributor John Duke

      Mixed Martial Arts

      T.O. fiasco just warming up in Dallas

      January 20, 2009 /

      It appears that Terrell Owens will be the front and center of news this NFL offseason. In Jennifer Floyd Engel’s latest column for the Dallas Star-Telegram, Keyshawn Johnson and Cowboys’ offensive coordinator Jason Garrett sound off on the “poison pill” that is T.O.

      Johnson also noted that current Cardinals and former Cowboys’ offensive coordinator Todd Haley could turn the culture at Valley Ranch.

      “You know, Jen, why aren’t you touting Todd Haley for the job?” he asked. “He was the only one with the [guts] to tell Jerry ‘I really want this job but I can’t coach this team with this guy on it. And I don’t think you are going to win anything of any consequence with this guy on it.’ ”

      This guy, of course, was Terrell Owens. And he and Haley were not exactly BFFs in their one and only season together as Cowboys under Big Bill.

      T.O. vowed to “find the rats” with Haley being his prime suspect and blamed him for failing to use his considerable talent. Haley, a Big Bill disciple in every way, refused to cower and snapped right back which only further enraged perpetually touchy T.O.

      Owner Jones did interview Haley, along with almost everybody else, when Bill Parcells left. Of course, Haley did not have a chance, bucking convention and saying what Jerry did not want to hear which is T.O. is the rat.

      Now, Haley is the offensive coordinator of a team going to the Super Bowl and T.O. is whining about locker room rats again and how the offensive coordinator is to blame. And a few misguided souls actually believe this self-plagiarized rant with Haley being replaced by Jason Witten and Jason Garrett.
      “What is obvious is you can’t keep Jason Garrett, T.O. and the coach,” Johnson said.

      And almost as an exclamation point, The Red-headed Genius chimed in from the Senior Bowl where he answered a question about T.O. with a very read-between-the-line-ish “I certainly have a lot of respect for him as a player. And we’ll just leave it at that.”

      My guess is JG thinks T.O. is going to be waived. No way his normally cautious self says what he said otherwise. Or else he figured out what Haley did two years ago which is you are not going to win anything of any consequence with this guy on your team. So better to jump from that doomed-to-fail ship.

      The key to this entire situation is Jerry Jones. If he feels T.O. really is the cog holding the Cowboys back, then Owens will be jettisoned before next season. But Jones can’t part with Owens’ talent and that’s why everyone around T.O. (Parcells, Haley, etc.) are now elsewhere (and winning might I add).

      It seems that Jones takes pride in gathering all of these dysfunctional characters, putting them all under one roof and trying to make it work. But eventually he’s going to have to realize that chemistry trumps talent in most cases and he might have to go more conventional route to build a winner.

      NFL

      Gasol, Bynum key Laker win

      January 20, 2009 /

      It was a wild day of NBA action. The first six games were decided by four points or less, and there were a couple of buzzer beaters.

      Unfortunately, the best matchup of the night didn’t live up to its billing. The Cavs went through an offensive drought in the third quarter (helped by some solid defense from the Lakers) to give L.A. a lead that was pushed to 18 points in the middle of the final period. The Cavs made a late surge, but ultimately fell, 105-88.

      The Lakers won this game in the paint, with good games from Pau Gasol (22 points) and Andrew Bynum (14 points), who shot a combined 17-of-23 from the field. Defensively, the Lakers did a nice job on LeBron, who hit just 9-of-28 from the field and was held to 23 points. Kobe didn’t have a great night scoring the ball (20 points on 9-of-22 shooting), but he might have been bothered by his ring finger, which he dislocated early in the game. He did share the ball well, posting 12 assists in the win.

      The Cavs still have trouble scoring if LeBron doesn’t have a great game. They brought Mo Williams in to relieve some of the pressure, but he had five turnovers and shot 6-of-16 from the field. As a team, the Cavs shot 43% from the field while allowing the Lakers to shoot better than 52%. You aren’t going to win too many games with that big of a disparity.

      On a side note, I like the look of J.J. Hickson (11 points, 4 rebounds). At 20 years old, he has a bright future ahead of him and I wouldn’t be surprised if he’s the Cavs starting power forward in a year or two. He’s athletic and has some good moves both facing the basket and posting up. He also made several nice defensive plays in the paint. He looks like a keeper.

      NBA

      Five Intriguing Super Bowl Storylines

      January 19, 2009 /

      If anything, the 2008 NFL Season was far from dull. While the Cardinals and Steelers each won their respective divisions to secure playoff berths, neither team was a slum dunk to make it to Tampa at the start of the postseason.

      Let’s recap, shall we?

      The Steelers entered the playoffs with huge question marks to be answered, most surrounding their offense. In their last regular season game of the year, quarterback Ben Roethlisberger was taken off the field strapped to a stretcher after the back of his helmet slammed against the turf following a hit between two defenders. Along with his health, Pittsburgh’s offensive line, although starting to gel in the final month of the season, seemed to be a weakness that defenses like the Titans and Ravens could exploit if they had the opportunity to face the Steelers in the postseason.

      So while they ranked first in total defense entering the playoffs, the Steelers had major issues. Yet they steam rolled an overmatched Chargers team in the divisional round, then turned Joe Flacco’s inexperience against him in the AFC Championship Game and now they’re one win away from winning their second Super Bowl title in three years.

      Conversely, the Cardinals had a little steeper hill to climb. Although their offense was explosive throughout the season, they played poorly down the stretch and many believed that if they had to go on the road in the playoffs, they would never survive. Not only that, but many pundits also didn’t believe ‘Zona would get past a good running team like the Falcons, who were sure to ride Michael Turner to victory in the opening round.

      Thanks to three Atlanta turnovers and a soundly executed game plan to shut down Turner, the Cards beat the Falcons to set up a regular season rematch with the Panthers in the second round. Six Jake Delhomme turnovers later and Arizona was heading to the NFC Championship Game despite everyone and their mother suggesting that they would never be able to win on the road. Then despite the Eagles’ best efforts at a second half comeback, Arizona was able to hang on Sunday to secure a trip to the Super Bowl, which seemed like an improbable task at the start of the playoffs.

      Now that the matchup has been set, what do we have to look forward to? Plenty, actually. Below are five storylines that should wet your appetite for the next two weeks before kickoff on February 1.

      Anquan Boldin1. Anquan Boldin vs. Todd Haley.
      Perhaps the most intriguing storyline heading into Super Bowl XLIII is what the relationship will be like between Cards’ wideout Anquan Boldin and offensive coordinator Todd Haley. The two could be seen having a heated discussion on Arizona’s sideline during the NFC Championship Game Sunday and Haley mouthing, “Don’t call me that” several times during the exchange. According to several reports, Boldin was so upset after the game that he refused to talk to the media and left the locker room abruptly without celebrating with his teammates. Haley claims the receiver was upset with being replaced by Steve Breaston in one of the formations during Arizona’s pivotal game-winning scoring drive, but nothing has been confirmed. So what happens now? More than likely, the situation will get brushed under the rug because the last thing any team needs is to head into the Super Bowl with its star receiver and offensive coordinator at odds. But one has to wonder if Boldin (who publicly stated that he wanted the Cardinals to trade him in the offseason) will put aside his personal feelings in order to help his team win a Lombardi Trophy. He better, because if he thinks that Arizona (or any team for that matter) will spend millions of dollars on a player that put himself above his team’s push to win a Super Bowl, than he has another thing coming.

      2. Kurt Warner vs. the Steelers defense.
      The Pittsburgh-Arizona matchup reminds me of the 2002 Super Bowl between the Buccaneers and Raiders. Like Pittsburgh this season, Tampa Bay led the league in total defense that year. Oakland had the best passing offense in the league and was led by long-time veteran quarterback Rich Gannon. Arizona doesn’t have the best passing offense in the league (they were second to New Orleans), but they are led by trusty 11-year vet Kurt Warner at quarterback. In Super Bowl XXXVII, Gannon threw a record five interceptions, three of which were returned for defensive touchdowns as the Bucs routed the Raiders 48-21. Granted, this isn’t Warner’s first Super Bowl (it will be his third), but his situation is eerily similar to Gannon’s. The Steelers’ defense excels at making quarterbacks (young and old) look silly when they drop back to pass. And while he hasn’t shown signs of it yet this postseason, Warner can get awfully turnover prone if he feels too much pressure. The Eagles were able to get to Warner in the third quarter of the NFC Championship Game and the Cardinals’ offense wilted. But they couldn’t do it on a consistent basis (neither could the Falcons or Panthers), and Warner picked them apart with the help of Larry Fitzgerald. Can the Arizona offensive line protect Warner long enough for him to find open receivers? Or will Warner suffer a similar demise as the one Gannon did?

      Ben Roethlisberger3. The injury status of Ben Roethlisberger and Hines Ward.
      Unlike the Ravens in the AFC Championship Game, the Steelers don’t have to worry about injuries on the defensive side of the ball come February 1. But the same can’t be said for their offense, which will likely dress a less than 100% Ben Roethlisberger and Hines Ward. Big Ben is dealing with a multitude of nagging injuries ranging from bruised ribs to a spinal cord concussion he suffered in Week 17. Ward caught three passes for 55 yards before exciting the championship game with a right knee injury. The team is calling the injury a “slightly sprained MCL,” but he’s expected to play in the Super Bowl. Both of these players will embrace the two weeks off they have between now and kickoff, but one has to wonder whether or not the injuries will come up again any point during the game. Backup quarterback Byron Leftwich has looked good in spot duty this season, but he’s highly immobile and will turn the ball over from time to time. At receiver, the Steelers can get by with Santonio Holmes and Nate Washington, but Limas Sweed has dropped two potential touchdown catches the past two weeks and it isn’t easy replacing Ward’s instincts and leadership on the field. Pittsburgh needs both players to be healthy because while the Cardinals’ defense doesn’t look good on paper, they’re one of the most underrated units in the NFL and are playing extremely well right now.

      4. Does Ken Whisenhunt hold an inside edge?
      Mike Tomlin and Ken Whisenhunt were hired eight days apart in 2007. Some believed that when Bill Cowher decided to retire, that Whisenhunt (the Steelers’ offensive coordinator at the time) would take over as head coach. But Whisenhunt eventually decided to head west and take over the seemingly impossible rebuilding plan in Arizona. Tomlin was then plucked from his defensive coordinator position in Minnesota to coach the Steelers, and now two years later the two will meet in the Super Bowl. The question becomes: Will Whisenhunt have inside knowledge of how the Steelers run their offense since he was their offensive line coach when they beat the Seahawks in the 2006 Super Bowl? Of course not, but that doesn’t mean he doesn’t know ways to help Arizona defensive coordinator Clancy Pendergast defend Ben Roethlisberger (who Whisenhunt coached for two seasons in Pittsburgh) or find ways to exploit the few weaknesses the Steelers have defensively. Remember, Jon Gruden helped Monte Kiffin scheme against Rich Gannon (his former quarterback in Oakland) in Super Bowl XXXVII and the Bucs wound up intercepting the Raider QB five times. It would be unwise to overlook Whisenhunt’s knowledge of the Steelers when breaking down this matchup.

      Mike Tomlin5. Steelers open as 7-point favorites.
      This isn’t a huge storyline by any means, but the general media loves to shy away from the gambling aspects of the big game, so it’s fun to talk about. Don’t expect the Steelers to remain 7-point favorites for very long. Pittsburgh fans will likely push the spread up to –8 or –9 by kickoff, making the Cardinals an intriguing pick in my opinion. Pittsburgh’s average margin of victory this year (including the postseason) was right around 10 points and that includes a 31-0 ass kicking of the Browns in Week 17. So as good as the Steeler defense is, they haven’t necessarily blown opponents out this season. Point is, if the spread jumps up closer to 10, there’s a good chance the Cards will keep the game close and produce a cover. If the line drops, then it’s hard not to love what the Pittsburgh defense could potential do to Kurt Warner and the Steelers might be an easy choice. So basically, let the public make your decision for you and if the line stays put, then maybe partaking in some Super Bowl squares or the total (which opened at 47) is the better way to go.

      NFL, Super Bowl

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