Analyzing The UFC's Light Heavyweight Division

While most consider the UFC’s lightweight division as the deepest division in the organization, the light heavyweight division easily has the most star power, and blockbuster fight possibilities. The last major fight to take place in the division was over four months ago when Chuck Liddell defeated Wanderlei Silva in a three round war. Things are about to get rolling again with a handful of big fights scheduled to take place during the next few events. Here’s a breakdown of the top fighters in the division, along with some possible fight scenarios for the future.

Quinton ‘Rampage’ Jackson: Rampage has been at the top of the light heavyweight division for almost a year now. After his stunning knockout win over then champ Chuck Liddell, he went on to beat Dan Henderson by unanimous decision. The fight against Henderson was way back in September, and he hasn’t fought since largely due to a hand injury, and because of his role as a coach on The Ultimate Fighter reality show. Jackson will fight Forrest Griffin at UFC 86 in July. If he can get past Griffin, there will be no shortage of challengers for the charismatic champion. Rampage has loses to avenge to both Wanderlei Silva, and Mauricio ‘Shogun’ Rua. However, Chuck Liddell will probably get another crack at the title, assuming he wins his next fight. A re-match with Liddell has the possibility to be one of the biggest fights ever, and it’s highly probable that the UFC will make it happen.

Forrest Griffin: Griffin earned the coveted number one contenders spot by tapping out the man who many believed was the best fighter in the world, Shogun. Forrest is largely popular with fans due to his bizarre personality and all or nothing fighting style, but will enter his match with Rampage as an underdog. Whether he gets by Rampage or not, we’ll probably see Griffin take on Keith Jardine sometime in the near future. With a loss, he’ll probably be matched up with the likes of Rashad Evans or possibly even the 11-0 Thiago Silva.

Chuck Liddell: The writing is clearly on the wall that with a victory in his next match, the Iceman will most likely earn another shot at the title. It appeared as if a number one contender’s bout was to take place between Liddell and Shogun in June, until both went down with injuries. It’s possible that the fight will be re-scheduled for September, as MMA fans were foaming at the mouth to see this epic match up. Other fight possibilities for Liddell include a rematch with Keith Jardine, who beat Liddell in a lackluster fight in the fall, and I’m sure no one would complain to see another fight with Wanderlei Silva. If Liddell manages to get another shot at Rampage, and is defeated, expect him to move up a weight class, or possibly even retire. Liddell’s next fight could dictate the rest of his career.

Keith Jardine: The Dean of Mean is perhaps the most overlooked fighter in the division. He holds wins over Griffin and Liddell. If he can manage to get by Wanderlei Silva at UFC 84, it’ll be hard to argue that he doesn’t deserve a title shot. With a loss, he’ll be right back in the middle of the pack.

Wanderlei Silva: The ‘Axe Murderer’ is easily one of the best strikers in MMA, as well as one of the most exciting fighters. Silva is currently riding a three fight loss streak, but could be right back in the mix with a victory over Keith Jardine. In his UFC debut in December, Silva looked relatively small compared to Chuck Liddell. The size comparison has many speculating of a possible drop to the middleweight division. With a loss to Jardine, dropping a weight class may be a good idea, but with a win he’ll put himself in contention for a title shot. He does have two knockout wins over Rampage, so another fight between the two would be intriguing. A drop to middleweight could set up a fight with current champ Anderson Silva. As long as he keeps fighting how he does, the fight possibilities are endless.

Mauricio ‘Shogun’ Rua: Shogun was regarded as the top light heavyweight in the world when he entered the UFC, but after a loss to Forrest Griffin and some unfortunate injuries, he’s been inactive and unable to prove his top notch abilities. Shogun was to face Chuck Liddell before rupturing his ACL. Word has it that he’ll be ready to fight again in September, and with a win a title shot will not be out of the question. The 26 year old holds a devastating knockout win over Rampage Jackson, and 13 of his 16 wins were by knockout.

Tito Ortiz: Tito’s UFC career is all but over; as he’s announced many times that he’ll leave the promotion following his fight later this month against Lyoto Machida. Ortiz has been beefing with the UFC brass because he wants more money. It appears as if he’ll end up signing with another promotion where he won’t have a chance to fight top tier talent anymore, he probably won’t receive as much exposure, he’ll be looked at as selfish, but he’ll get more money. It would be nice to see Tito stick around, as there’s still plenty of interesting fights left for him in the UFC, but with his best years behind him, he’s not worth as much as he thinks he is.

Lyoto Machida: Machida is largely unknown by casual MMA fans, but he’ll step into the spotlight when he fights Tito Ortiz at UFC 83. Some consider Machida to be a boring fighter, but he holds notable wins over B.J. Penn, Rich Franklin, and Sokoudjou. With a win over Ortiz, the 12-0 fighter will be somewhere close to the front of the line for a title shot.

Rashad Evans: ‘Sugar’ Rashad is 16-0-1, but is yet to take down any major contenders. He was supposed to fight Chuck Liddell, but Liddell got injured, so he’ll get the middle of the pack James Irvin instead. Evans is one the smaller side of 205, so a drop to middleweight could be in his future. As long as he continues to win, he’ll stay where he’s at. Evans is a top tier talent, but won’t be considered for a title shot until he beats some stiffer competition.

So who else matters in this weight class? Thiago Silva, Sokoudjou, Matt Hamill, and James Irvin are all fighters who could rise in the rankings if they can get on a roll. As for fan favorite Houston Alexander, he’ll probably get one more shot in the UFC, but it’s highly unlikely that he’ll get too far. There are also rumors that Rich Franklin would consider moving up to this weight class, which would set up some very appealing fights. Dan Henderson is also another fighter who could play a major role in the division, but it appears that he'll remain at middleweight.

The UFC has done an excellent job in bringing in all the top light heavyweights in the world. No other division has so many fighters who are in the prime of their career. Over the next three events the landscape of the weight class will change completely, as they’ll be new contenders and possibly even a new champion. The one thing that’s for sure with this division is that the amount of thrilling matches is limitless.

~Joe Osborne

Got a Few Minutes For a Good Laugh?

The Best of Mike Tyson

Why doesn't this guy have his own reality show yet?

Got a few more minutes for another laugh? Here's something hilarious from last week's Saturday Night Live that's completely unrelated to sports.

Eastern Conference Finals Preview

The Eastern Conference final features a favorite in the Pittsburgh Penguins, along with a dark horse in the sixth ranked Philadelphia Flyers. This match up is extremely tough to call and could easily go seven games. We all know that regular season results don’t translate into similar results in the playoffs, so I’ll avoid any regular season comparisons. Let’s take a look at how the teams have done thus far throughout the playoffs and how they match up.

Dubbed the ‘Battle of Pensylvania’, this series features an intense rivalry between inter state teams, each of whom is stacked with big time players and colorful personalities. Lots of fans are focusing on the toughness of the Flyers, and how they will put the heat on the Pens, but Pittsburgh are no slouches when it comes to the rough stuff, so one thing we can expect is a very physical series. The Flyers had success in their first round series against the Capitals due to paying extra attention to Alexander Ovechkin. Unfortunately for the Flyers, trying to focus on just one Penguin won’t work as Pittsburgh has way too much fire power. Putting extra effort into stopping Crosby or Malkin will just open up the ice for the other Penguins superstars.

For all the talk of the high scoring, wheeling and dealing Pens, the Flyers are actually averaging more goals a game. Line one to four for the Flyers is solid, and their offense is somewhat of a poor man’s Penguins offense (which isn’t a bad thing at all). Marc-Andre Fleury has been extremely sharp throughout the first two rounds, only allowing 1.89 goals per game. The Flyers best shot will be to put lots of shots on net, and try to agitate the Pens into taking stupid penalties.

As for the Penguins superstars, they’re all pretty much on fire. Sydney Crosby is playing how a captain should in the playoffs, and unfortunately for the Flyers he has more points against them than any other team. Marian Hossa has silenced his critics with five goals and five assists including an overtime winner. Evgeni Malkin has been a serious threat an incredible playmaker, with 14 points, and 46 shots in nine games. Throw Petr Sykora and offensive defensemen Sergei Gonchar into the mix, and yes, the Penguins offense is very scary.

If someone said that Flyers forward R.J. Umberger would lead the playoffs in goals after two rounds, they’d either be deported or possibly even executed. Well, maybe not they’d just be laughed at, but Umberger has been tearing it up with his playoff leading nine goals. The rest of the Flyers usual suspects are chipping in too, as Daniel Brier, Mike Richards and Vaclav Prospal all have 11 points or more.

Both teams hope their goaltenders will be able to shut the door, and both have been doing a great job so far. Marc-Andre Fleury has been the playoffs best goaltender with a save percentage of .938, and two shut outs. Martin Biron has surprised many by leading the Flyers this far. He’s been solid, but out of the four remaining goaltenders in the playoffs he’s been the worst, as he’s the only one with a goals against average over two (2.78), and the lowest save percentage (.914).

Verdict: Penguins is six. The Flyers are a good team, and will challenge the Pens better than the Senators and Rangers, but like those teams, they will struggle to deal with the Pens high scoring attack. Expect a good, hard hitting series as the battle of Pennsylvania grows more and more intense with each game.

And oh yeah, Detroit in seven. Enjoy the Conference Finals!
-Joe Osborne

Interview With LaDainian Tomlinson

After a rough end to his season last year, LT seems pumped up and focused going into the 2008-09 NFL season.

49 Games in 18 Nights: Observations of the NBA Playoffs

Here’s what I’m thinking so far through this years playoffs:

-Why do some second round series begin before some first round series end? While Detroit vs. Orlando and New Orleans vs. San Antonio kicked off their second round series on Saturday, the Celtics and Hawks still had a game to finish in their first round series on Sunday. Confusing isn’t it? No other major professional sports does this, and for good reason. The NBA playoff format has some serious issues, including the fact that teams aren’t re-seeded in each round. It wasn’t a problem this season because all the higher seeds won, but the NBA should seriously consider making a few fan friendly changes.

-The Hornets are for real. First they made the Mavs look like an NBADL team, now they’ve got off to a 2-0 lead over the Spurs. They’ve pretty much been unstoppable, but will things be different when the series shifts to San Antonio? Probably not. The Spurs have never come back from a 0-2 deficit in the history of their franchise. The Hornets are off the charts, and with a nucleus of Chris Paul, Davis West, and Tyson Chandler, they should be a top contender for a long time.

-Is it just me, or are the Lakers kinda flying under the radar? They’re 5-0 thus far, and have been playing phenomenal. They should continue playing great, but things won’t be so easy against the Jazz. The Lakers are still the favorite to win the conference, but the road through the Western Conference is anything but easy.

-What’s up with the Celtics? There’s no way the Hawks should have taken them to the seventh game. According to the Celts, they’re not used to playing with each other in the playoffs, which I think is a pretty lousy excuse. They had the whole regular season to prepare for the playoffs, and shouldn’t make pathetic excuses when they get out played by a lesser team. The Hornets don’t have experience playing with each other in the playoffs either and look what they’re doing. Either way, it should be a great series against the Cavs.

-How can a team that has Allen Iverson, Carmelo Anthony, Marcus Camby, Kenyon Martin, J.R. Smith, and George Karl as its coach get swept in the first round of the playoffs? Oh yeah, they completely forgot how to play defense. The Nuggets need a new system.

-Has the window officially closed on the Phoenix Suns? I’d say so. The Suns were very hard to watch in the first round, and were even annoying to watch at times. They blew countless opportunities against the Spurs and their big players didn’t step up when needed. Was Grant Hill playing during the series? He was practically invisible. The Suns are a team that basketball fans root for because of their exciting style of play, and likeable personalities. It’s simply a case of a good team that couldn’t become a great team. The front office got too fancy with roster moves over the years and it came back to haunt them. Expect some changes in Phoenix.

-If the Toronto Raptors ever hope to compete, they’re gonna have to add another scorer. Having Anthony Parker and Carlos Delfino as your primary wing men just won’t get it done. The team took a serious step back this season, and Bryan Colangelo will have to earn his money this off-season by improving their average roster. Everyone knows either T.J. Ford or Jose Calderon will be trade bait, but beyond that the Raptors don’t have much to offer. Their best bet is to throw some money at a free agent. Luring a big name to Toronto may not be easy, so Colangelo will have to work his magic.

(By the way, here’s a list of this summers big name restricted and unrestricted free agents: Josh Smith, Emeka Okafor, Ben Gordon, J.R. Smith, Allen Iverson, Baron Davis, Jermaine O’Neal, Elton Brand, Corey Maggette, Ricky Davis, Shawn Marion, Stephon Marbury, Andre Iguodala, Ron Artest, Jose Calderon, Gilbert Arenas, and Antawn Jamison. Obviously not all of these players will change uniforms, but if could make for a very interesting summer.)

So the second round is in full swing, and here’s what I expect to happen: Lakers in six, Hornets in six, Pistons in five, and the Celtics in seven. Hopefully round two will have a little bit more fireworks than round one.

Enjoy the rest of round two,
~Joe Osborne

The Blue Jays Need Barry Bonds

As soon as the Toronto Blue Jays released Frank Thomas rumors began to fly that they would be interested in bringing in the most controversial player in the history of the game, Barry Bonds. Talk of Bonds in a Jays uniform has silenced over the past few days, but if the Jays hope to contend this season they should seriously consider bringing in baseball’s home run king.

Here’s why they need his bat. Adam Lind was called up from the minors to get Thomas’s at-bats. Lind was a highly coveted prospect who hasn’t lived up to the hype. In 89 games last year Lind hit .238 with a measly .278 on base percentage. Since being called up he’s hitless with one walk. That’s not gonna cut it.

Yes, it’s fair to say that Bonds is old. However, while playing in 126 games last season he did manage to hit .276, with 26 homers and a very impressive on-base percentage of .444. With Bonds as their DH, he’d be able to get on base almost half the time, and give them the opportunity to score more runs, which they desperately need. The Jays rank 23rd in the league in runs scored, which is also last overall in their division. They’re also 25th overall in team RBI’s, and 22nd in home runs with only 19. Plugging Bonds into the middle of the line-up would generate automatic offense. No pitcher would want to face Alex Rios, Vernon Wells, Scott Rolen, and Barry Bonds in a row. We all know what Bonds can do offensively, so there’s no need to elaborate.

Here’s why the Jays need Barry Bonds, the person. When was the last time this team has done anything exciting, or made any type of splash? Well, besides John Gibbons getting in wrestling matches with his players. While the Yankees and Red Sox provide their fans with exciting moments and aggressive roster moves, the Jays seem to sit still and be satisfied with finishing third in the AL East year after year. Sure, they have a few good players, but Jays fans are screaming for some type of excitement to be brought to the team. The Jays have become quite boring over the last few years, and J.P. Riccardi has done a miserable job as GM, over paying for players, and not making good trades.

The Jays need Bonds to ignite their offense, and Jays fans need him as a reason to be interested again. Sure, Bonds isn’t the best teammate, but no one can question his production. Offensively, the Jays can’t get much worse. By adding Bonds the team would improve in the standings, see enhanced coverage, and increase their attendance. Signing Bonds is one risk that would surely be worth the reward.

Breaking Down The Penguins vs. Rangers Second Round Series

The most appealing series of the NHL’s second round kicks off Friday night when the fifth seeded New York Rangers take on the second seeded Pittsburgh Penguins. The series holds many storylines including: The high powered Pens offense versus one of the leagues top goalies; how will the Pens respond to Sean Avery’s antics; and how will Marc-Andre Fleury perform under the bright lights of a second round series.

The two teams met a total of eight times during the regular season with the Rangers winning five. During those eight games the Rangers outscored the Pens 19-17, and each team had one shutout, so obviously things were pretty close. But we all know that what happens in the regular season doesn’t necessarily translate to the same results during the playoffs.

During the first round against the Senators, the Pens pretty much scored at will, and manhandled the overmatched team from Ottawa. Unfortunately for Pittsburgh, the Rangers are a much different team than Ottawa. They have stability in net, grit, and unquestionable leadership. The Rangers were viewed as a bit of a dark horse to make a run in this years playoffs, but it’s not gonna be easy against the well balanced Penguins.

All four lines on the Pens can score, as can several of their offensive minded defensemen. In their series against Ottawa they only allowed one power play goal, and had only 13 minor penalties. In net Fleury was about as solid as a brick wall. In the four games he allowed seven goals on 112 shots.

As for the Rangers, they had a bit of a harder time than the Pens is round one. It took them five games to send the higher seeded Devils golfing. During those five games the Rangers scored an impressive 20 goals against Martin Brodeur. The Rangers also have something no other team has: Sean Avery. The ‘Super Pest’ rattled Brodeur and the Devils, and had a huge impact on that series. People complain about Avery, but every team would want a player like him. It should be interesting to see what he has up his sleeve for the Pens. It will also be interesting to see if the Pens play into his mind games.

PREDICTION: Penguins in six. It’ll be tough for the Rangers to keep up with the Penguins high scoring attack. Pittsburgh is a very well disciplined team, and Marc Andre Fleury has never looked better. Both teams are capable of going all the way, but the Rangers will have to wait until next year to get another chance.

Other series predictions: Dallas in six, Detroit in six, and my upset special is Philly beating Montreal seven games, and we’ll have an all-Pensylvania Eastern Conference Final.

Enjoy the Second Round!
-Joe Osborne