UFC RANKINGS and ANALYSIS

Unofficial UFC RANKINGS w/ commentary, images, and links

The "Golden Age" of MMA (read: UFC) is beginning to unfold (hyperbole anyone?) and if you want to go deeper down the rabbit hole, start here. I've spent quite a bit of time putting this together, but I think it's worth it because one can always return to this to get a refresher before watching a fight to remember who's who and what's what. I'd love to do this for MMA in general, but that would take forever.

I don't mean for this to be comprehensive or objective (or grammatically or stylistically sound), these are simply some of my thoughts about the UFC as it stands as well as a few lines, more for some and less for others, about the fighters. Things have been shaken up lately with the migration of PRIDE fighters over to the UFC, so keep that in mind as you go through this since it might seem a bit schizophrenic sometimes. Check it out:

Heavyweight Division: (206+ max 265lbs)
Champ Randy "The Natural" Couture

At 43 he's the current, active grand daddy of MMA and a formidable opponent with a deep background in wrestling. He's also the nicest guy in the sport who is quietly building himself an training empire on the side, so after he loses his belt or his contract expires, we are going to see him at the events but not as a fighter. Instead he'll continue to corner guys and share his comprehensive knowledge of the sport. He'll be fighting Gabriel Gonzaga (the guy who nearly killed Cro Cop) at UFC 74 for the title. We'll be watching that fight with or without YOU. (;


1. Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipovic (22-5)

Don't let his last fight fool you, Cro Cop takes people's heads off...or breaks their bodies down with strikes, most of the time coming via left high kick. Be prepared to see a very dangerous and angry Cro Cop the next time he steps into the octagon. He recently installed a cage under his house because it still feels alien to him having come from PRIDE which uses ropes and is smaller. "Octagon control" is a term used to describe fighters who have come up using the cage and can sense where they're at and want to be in it during the fights. As you get to know the sport better you'll see how it can be used to a fighter's advantage depending on what they're trying to do (stay on their feet or take someone down and put them in a corner to avoid having them stand up or squirm around, etc.).

2. Antonio "Big Nog" Rodrigo Nogueira (29-4)

He just came over from PRIDE. Big Nog, as opposed to "Little Nog," his younger bro, is a very seasoned fighter with some extremely impressive wins. Look for him to battle the best and potentially become a champ. He'll be fighting the cowboy jerk , who also happens to be a very good fighter, Heath Herring coming up at 73. I'll be rooting for Nog.


3. Tim "The Maine-iac" Sylvia (23-3) Everybody's favorite fighter!

Tim doesn't get much love, but despite his wonky looks, prideful demeanor, and "boring" style, he's got knockout power and some impressive wins. He also defending the belt successfully for the last year or more until losing it to Couture in what was a big upset (and a lot of fun for us who watched it together!). Many, including myself, don't see him regaining his belt or holding onto it for long if he does due to all of the new players in the heavyweight division. I think Cro Cop or another striker against Tim would be a fun fight to watch since it's bound to end in a KO or TKO. Tim's main advantage: a ferocious right straight which is very dangerous due to his pole like reach advatnage.

4. Andrei "The Pit Bull" Arlovski

I call him the wolf man, at least he shaves his back now....
After his recent, boring fight against Fabricio Werdum, he lost his immediate shot at the title which White promised. He'll probably fight someone really tough next and then, after that, they might feed him to the champ, whoever that will be. Arlovski is probably the quickest heavyweight around and, when he's on, he's ferocious yet controlled.


5. Brandon "The Truth" Vera (8-0)


"The Truth" Vera is potentially one of the best fighters in the world IMNSHO. He's got great stand up due to his background in Muy Thai and he's adept on the ground as well. He has never been beaten, but then again he's never faced "top 5 competition." After storming the heavyweight division, he started talking about how much money he is worth and how he could jump ship. Then, suddenly, a few months ago he changed his tune and cited managerial problems and he's apparently going to stick around. What's really happened is that the UFC has stolen all of the best fighters in the world and although they're not paying him as much as he'd like right now, the potential to become a champ and the endorsements that come with it have hooked him back in. I am very anxious to see his next fight.

Gabe Gonzaga (8-1)

Gonzaga introduced himself to the world by folding one of the greatest strikers in the world in half, almost breaking his ankle, with a vicious left high kick, the very weapon we all expected Cro Cop to use against him. In reality, however, the guy is 8-1 with his only loss coming from an early fight with the veritable Werdum. Look at the size of this guy and then consider who moves like a light heavy. I personally think he's got a shot at being champion eventually. Couture has stated publicly that he feels he would have done better against Cro Cop because he matches up better with strikers. A guy like Gonzaga can use his size and ground game against Couture. I predict Gonzaga in the second round via submission or ground-n-pound. I HOPE Couture wins by GnP in the second though.

Final thoughts on the HWs:
I don't know what to think of these rankings really. To me Gabriel Gonzaga could be ranked at number 3 and I think he's dominating performance over Cro Cop proves he can beat anyone depending on the day and the way the fight goes. One dominating performance over a top tier fighter, however, doesn't really indicate how well he'll do in the long run when matched up against guys as good as him on the ground, so we're all anxious to see how he fares against someone with a different style. For those of you who don't know, Brandon Vera is undefeated so it's very interesting to see how he'll do in his next fight or two. If he wins two more you can almost guarantee he'll get a title shot. I think he only fought once or twice in 2006 and hasn't fought because of contract issues. The next fight for the belt is Couture vs. Gonzaga and I won't be a bit surprised to see my favorite fighter lose to Gonzaga or as I call him, "The Gorilla" or "Uni-Brow." Look for some extremely tough match ups AND look for the potential signing of the greatest fighter in the world: FEDOR EMELIANENKO!

No one in any weight division can hold a candle to this man who is undefeated except for a loss due to a CUT (doesn't count!):

FEDOR

What? Not what you expected him to look like? Don't every let looks determine what you think someone can do in a fight.



*Light Heavyweights (205 lbs)
Champ: Quinton "RAMPAGE" Jackson

Jackson. Rampage. Whatever you call him he's a beast. His athleticism is formidable and he's not afraid to stalk his opponent. I think he'll get sloppy if he's pushed past the third round against a tough opponent. He proved one thing on Sat. night: he's got stopping power with strikes. I think he's in big trouble right now with his PRIDE buddies who just arrived and a pissed off Chuck.

1. Chuck "The Iceman" Liddell (20-4)

I predicted he'd fall this year and he did. I was hoping it would be from Rashad Evans who is everything Chuck is not. I think I come off as a hater sometimes, but I am not. Liddell is/was the face of the UFC. People love him because he knocks people out and he does so with a vicious attitude and demeanor. It'll be interesting to see what he can do from here. They'll feed him a few decent opponents and he better win if he wants to regain his belt. I think they may even match him up against Bisping (see below) since that'll definetly turn into a slugfest.

2. Rashad Evans (10-0) (young, undefeated, strong wrestler, won his last fight by high kick KO)

From wikipedia:
"

Evans was a two-time all-State wrestler at Niagara-Wheatfield High School in Sanborn, New York. He was also a two-way player on the school's football team, playing running back when on offense and safety on defense. He was a much better wrestler than football player.

After graduating from high school in 1997, Evans went on to attend Niagara County Community College, where he continued his wrestling career, winning the National Junior College championship at 165 lb. (75 kg) in 2000. He then transferred to Michigan State University, competing in the 174 lb. (79 kg) weight class. He started at Michigan State for 3 years and amassed a 48-34 record during that time. Evans was also one of only 4 people to ever defeat wrestling legend Greg Jones. Since graduating from Michigan state and earning a degree in psychology, he has remained a resident of Lansing, Michigan. In 2005 he became an assistant coach for the Michigan State wrestling program.

In 2004 under tutelage of MMA and wrestling legend Dan Severn , Evans competed in five professional mixed martial arts fights, and won all five — leading to his being selected as one of the nine heavyweights to compete in the second season of The Ultimate Fighter, a reality TV series on Spike TV."


3. Tito "The Huntington Beach Bad Boy" Ortiz (15-0) (puh-leeze)

You wanna talk about a sordid history, Tito has it all: drama with the Pres. of the UFC Dana White, check. Dating a porn star, check. Hitting rock bottom emotionally, check. On the flip side Tito once reigned supreme at the top of the light heavyweight division and but was eventually thrown off by Couture and then beaten twice by Liddell. In fact, if you just jumped on the UFC train, his last fight was a loss to Liddell and the one before was a narrow split decision over Forrest Griffin who shouldn't have come as close to beating him as he did. Although he's won the majority of his latest bouts, three of those fights were against an aging and crazy Ken Shamrock, so if beating up on senior citizens is your thang, then Ortiz is your man. When Tito is on, he's incredible though. His Ground N Pound (GnP) is deadly and he's got great cardio. In my opinion he's turned too much into a business man and with a fight against Rashad Evans coming up, he's definetly got his work cut out for him. If he loses this fight I honestly can't see him doing much in the future, especially with Dan Henderson, Liddell, Shogun, Rampage, Bisping, etc. etc.

4. Keith "The Dean of Mean" Jardine (12-3) aka: satan

Even though he looks like satan, he's actually a nice guy. We saw what just happened to him on Sat. night. There is NO WAY he's ranked 4th in the LHW division now, in fact even if he had just won his fight, he would still not be 4th thanks to the entrance of Mauricio "Shogun" Rua and Dan Henderson. Nevertheless, Jardine has proven himself in his last five fights and the one he dropped before this, to Stephan Bonnar, probably should have gone to him. He's got leg kicks, strikes, and a good defense on the ground. I don't much about his BJJ and wrestling skills, but from what I've read and seen, I think he'll be back and he'll at least provide some good competition and spectacle.



5. Ryoto Machida (10-0)

I don't know much about him but I know he's the real deal since he's undefeated and has wins over Rich Franklin, Bonnar, BJ Penn, and a few other notable fighters. His fighting style is listed as karate over at sherdog.com Hmmm...I wonder who he'll lose to first?

*Ok, this is not the most up-to-date list since Jardine just lost and two of the very best fighters in the world, namely Dan "Hendo" Henderson (22-5) and Mauricio "Shogun" Rua were just acquired from PRIDE FC.

Henderson "Shogun" Rua

These two guys could beat anyone in this weight division and in the middle weight division on any given day, then again, they could suffer a loss to an underdog like Cro Cop did, that's the unpredictability that makes this sport so fun to watch. Anyway, either of these guys might get an immediate or almost immediate shot at the title since they've proven themselves in PRIDE which has had some of the best fighters in the world. In fact, I think that they're (Dana and the boys) going to give Henderson a shot at Rampage right off the bat. Henderson, if he wins, will be marketable too because he'll then hold THREE BELTS since he's currently both the LHW and MW champ of PRIDE.

*NOTE: Henderson will get the first shot at Rampage, which I am sure he made part of his contract when he signed with the UFC. Nice.

Furthermore, a lot of people don't consider Michael "The Count" Bisping (13-0), the undefeated, high energy English fighter, ready for contention, but I personally think he could fight any of these guys and do well. The only problem with Bisping is that he shoots his wad too early (look at the Elvis fight when he nearly punched himself out of gas and got submitted) and can find himself gassed early. I also think he's untested in a true ground war.
Bisping:



There's also Forrest Griffin who is a great stand up fighter as well as Stephan Bonnar who is a good all around fighter. Although I love to watch both of these guys, I don't think they pose any real threat to the likes of Shogun, Liddell, or Hendo at this point in their careers.
Bonnar and Griffin:


Middleweight 180lbs
Maybe my favorite division to watch, although there hasn't been a lot of action in it lately.

Champ: Anderon "The Spider" Silva (18-4)

The Spider is arguably the greatest striker in the world and has destroyed his recent competition on the feet and on the ground. He's on a hot streak and will face Nathan Marquardt for the belt very soon. Go to google video or YouTube and type in his name and be prepared for violence. Despite the dances he does after fights, he's a humble, nice guy who's been doing muy thai since the age of like five or something. He also made a name for himself overseas and has only had three fights in the UFC, destroying Leben, Franklin, and home dude who didn't make weight, Lutter, who was supposed to be able to take it to him on the ground.

1. Rich "Ace" Frankin (21-2)

Ex-math teacher, brawler and perennial nice guy. He's on a comeback after having his nose broken and body mangled by The Spider's knees. He's really big for a middleweight, so his next match up against Okami won't be so bad since Okami won't be able to bully him around like he has other fighters. I'd guess that Franklin walks around at about 200lbs and then cuts 5 lbs. weeks before the fight and then dehydrates to make 185 and is back up to about 200lbs for the fight. Some claim the UFC "protects" Franklin, that's insane. I guess if protecting means putting him up against the likes of Anderson Silva and Okami, then he's well protected.

2. Nathan Marquardt (25-6)

Marquardt quietly, at least for us Westerners, made a name for himself over in Pancrase, a Japanese MMA org. He's big for a middle weight, just like Franklin, and although his stand up is good, he's a submission fighter with 14 of his wins coming from subs and a technical fighter (7 from decision). Not the most exciting fighter, but the idea is to win by sticking to one's game plan and that's what he does. He's a quiet, Christian guy btw.
3. Yushin Okami (20-3)

Ground and pound Japanese fighter Okami is another big middle weight who likes to play it safe and win rounds through attrition. He generally picks up the pace and tries to use his superior stamina to bring the pain, and the TKO, via GnP in the later rounds. Look for a war against Franklin at the very next UFC! By the way, he just beat one of my favorite fighters by decision in Mike Swick. Bummer. I like Okami, however, because he's easy going and humble.

4. Terry Martin (16-2)

Not a fan favorite but obviously a tough guy...strong/compact, fierce strikes, and the heart of a lion. We just watched him beat Ivan Salaverry, although it seemed to have been stopped a bit prematurely. We'll see how he does against top level competition.

5. Jason "The Athlete McDonald" (18-8)

Don't let his record full you, McDonald has a got some game...SOME game. I don't think he'll ever be champ because he just seems to be too one-dimensional. When he couldn't take Franklin down in his last fight, he ended up getting frustrated and then got man handled and TKOed with strikes. I think he'll do OK against other ground fighters, or against B-level guys, but I don't think he can handle the Okami's, Silva's and Franklin's of his division. We all hated this guy, and he's definetly not our favorite, but he's not as bad as I personally thought after

Other middleweights:

Mike "Quick" Swick (10-2)

Once again these rankings don't tell the whole story. First off, Henderson can drop to middleweight and if he ever takes the belt at LightHeavy, I think he'll drop down and go for the MW belt. Other middle weights to watch out for:
Kendall "Da Spyder" Grove (8-3)

This dude is LONG for a middleweight...he's 6'6! He has an easy time using his knees to hurt guys, and he's shown a knack for elbows and kicks as well. Perhaps what's most impressive is that he mates his striking skills to some crazy submissions for an all out assault on people. His losses came early on and he's currently undefeated in the UFC. I think he has a bright future in the division and could be a champ.

Other notable middleweights:
Ed Herman (14-4) Tough Son B with good all around game. Won his last fight.
Travis Lutter (Great ground game... didn't make weight for his title shot against Silva..bonehead!)
Nate Quarry (got BEAT down by Franklin in his title shot, but some people believe in him still. He's supposed to be back this year)
Evan Tanner (Ex champ, supposed to be back, I love this guy!)

WELTERWEIGHT (170lbs)
The pride of the UFC. No other organization in the world boasts WWs like the UFC has. I'd personally bet my home that the UFC's WWs would beat the WWs from any other organization in the world in a tournament. Check out the talent (by the way, it's REALLY tough to rank these guys as any one of them could tear anyone up on a given night in the right circumstances.

Current Champ: Matt "The Terror" or "Terra" Serra (15-5)

Face it, he got lucky beating St. Pierre. I said it'd never happen, but it did. He simply will NOT last long at the top of the WW heap, it's just not going to happen, and this time that's a fact. He could, by some freak chance, survive Matt Hughes, but I highly doubt that. I'll throw my 360 out of the window if he wins. He's a charming little man most of the time but I think he's somewhat immature for a guy his age and it bugs me. I'd love nothing more than to see St. Pierre pound him out...unfortunately Matt Hughes is going to get that chance. I forsee Matt Hughes winning in the 1st round when they meet up.

#1 Georges "Rush" St. Pierre (13-2)

Georges St. Pierre is widely regarded as one of the best pound for pound fighters in the world. Before the big upset to Serra, his only lost had been to Matt Hughes, the most dominant WW champ ever, and St. Pierre beat him soundly at UFC 69 for their rematch, essentially erasing that loss. Everyone, and I mean everyone (minus a few Serra fans), want St. Pierre back on top. His next fight is going to be one of his toughest ever when he takes on Josh Koscheck, the dominant wrestler who is nearly undefeated, his only loss a freak submission right before the bell against Drew Fickett (the ref stood them up and Fickett delivered a high kick which rocked Josh and allowed Fickett to sink in a rear naked choke). Anyway, St. Pierre can strike like a boxer/kickboxer and work it on the ground like a Brazilian. We'll see if he can get back on the wagon against Koscheck.
St. Pierre in action:


#2 MATT HUGHES (41-5)

The most dominant welterweight and one of the most dominant fighters PERIOD. Matt Hughes stood atop the WW division for years thanks to his incredible ability to take down fighters and beat them into submission. He has slammed people so hard it's knocked them out. More than anything else, Hughes wants to beat Serra (which should be EASY) and then welcome all of the amazing welterweight fighters into his world. YouTube, will yield some of his most dominating performances.
#3 Karo "The Heat" Parisyan (17-4)

Karo is the judo master, as we witnessed last week when he picked up a unanimous decision against the ever tough Burkman by tossing and turning him with punches and throws. Karo is a relentless fighter who has only dropped two of this last thirteen fights and they were to Hughes and Sanchez. He is up for a title shot soon, although they'll probably give him one more fight before he faces the champ.

#4 Josh Koscheck (9-1)

His distinct look and the fact that he is a "TUFFER" (ex-contestant of The Ultimate Fighter) have helped make Josh well known. More importantly than his celeb-status in the sport is the fact that he is a monster at wrestling. He gets a lot, and I mean A LOT, of heat for not being a finisher. He uses his wrestling to dominate his opponents, but often this results in decision wins which are not very exciting. This has earned him nicknames such as "the human blanket" and "dry humper." In reality, however, Josh is evolving as a fighter and has won about half of his fights by submission. He demonstrated quick, if unexciting, striking against Sanchez on his way to winning by decision and giving Diego his first loss. Koscheck will be fighting St. Pierre next and it's one of the fights I'm looking forward to the most this year. Although I want to St. Pierre to win, I'm fearful Kos will pull it off...I say I'm "afraid" because I don't like Josh so much as a person and I don't think he'd make a good champ, but that's assuming he'll dethrone the champ IF he gets by Rush.

#5 Jon Fitch (13-2)

Fitch and his fans are mad. Fitch is a dominating (he's won his last 11 fights!) fighter trying to make a name for himself in the deepest weight division in the UFC, no easy task. He's mad because despite his amazing record, the UFC has refused to televise most of his fights. Suddenly, however, things have changed drastically and we'll get to see Fitch fight a tough guy in Carneiro next week at UFN (Ultimate Fight Night). If he wins, he's gonna get a tough cookie, one of the top five guys, probably Karo, for his next fight and then he's in line for a shot at the title.
Other top Welterweights:

Diego "The Nightmare" Sanchez (17-1)

Meditation, unwaivering confidence, love for "the razza," and a penchant for Yoga. Sanchez is one of the most colorful fighters in the UFC and up until recently, he was undefeated. He could easily find himself with a title shot if he wins his next fight or two. He's got mad ground skills and, in my opinion, great stand up. When he's "on" he's deadly, often submitting or pounding out his opponents in the first few minutes of the round. Last year he pulled out a unanimous decision against Karo Parisyan that he won due to his excellent cardio. His last fight against Kos was weird and it has since surfaced that he may not have been healthy. I don't think that's the case, but either way, he's an exciting, nutty guy and I think he may end up giving the division a run for the money.

Drew Fickett (29-5)

The only fighter to have beaten Koscheck, Fickett is one tough cookie and despite his recent loss to Parisyan and somewhat spotted record, he's a legitimate contender in my opinion. He's one of those guys that the UFC likes, but has definitely challenged. We'll see what happens in the future. By the way, he's won 18 of his fights by submission, so despite what some say, I think he's primarily a submission fighter.

There plenty more fighters in the WW that are very good, but for the sake of my sanity, I don't want to go through and pull their info for now. For now these are the guys to know since they're going to provide the most exciting match ups as contenders.

LIGHTWEIGHTS (155lbs)
When I first got back into MMA, I thought "155? What's up with that?" Well, I'll tell you: lighting fast guys with way more stamina putting on some of the best shows around. The lightweight division has been dismantled due to lack of fighters and money, but it was resurrected last last year and the current champ, Sean "The Muscle Shark" Sherk stands atop a pile of eager fighters all of whom are chomping at the bit to take his belt and reign supreme over the new division.

CURRENT CHAMP:
Sean Sherk (31-2)

Sean Sherk is a huge little guy. Yeah, I know it sounds contradictory, but look at this picture. Doesn't look like a guy who weighs 155 eh? Well, he's 5'6", so that helps. He has mad wrestling skills so he's mostly looking for the decision or submission. Not the most exciting fighter, but he's good at what he does. One of his only recent losses came when he was forced to move up to 170 and fight in the welterweight division where he got killed by St. Pierre.

#1 Hermes Franca (18-5)

Having won his last eight fights in a row, including a dominant performance over one of my favorite fighters, Spencer "The King" Fisher who, previous to his knockout loss, had never been rendered unconscious in a fight before. To me, Franca's just not that impressive and I think he's going to run into trouble when he faces Sherk at UFC 73 which we're watching, yes, you're watching it or I'll put you in an arm bar!

#2 B.J. "The Prodigy" Penn (10-4)

The most overrated fighter in MMA. Hardcore MMA fans are mostly Penn nuthuggers and they're not shy about their opinion that he'll someday hold multiple belts at the same time and laugh in the face of Fedor. OK, maybe not Fedor, but you get the idea. He's got crazy ground skills and he's tough as nails. His biggest enemy: his stamina and cardio. He stormed the scene years ago and dropped only one of his first 11 fights (one was a draw too). He became champ, retired, and then came back as welterweight and lost two fights in a row to St. Pierre (split decision) and Matt Hughes (he got TKOed with strikes). He's currently the coach for the blue team (Team Penn) on the 5th season of the Ultimate Fighter. He's going to be fighting the first guy who ever defeated him in Jens "Lil" Evil Pulver. That's all going down on the 23rd. Can he come back and become a champion again or will Pulver retire him?

#3 Joe "Daddy" Stevenson (27-7)

Remember this guy? He submitted Melvin Guillard (the black dude with bright blond hair) in about 20 seconds at the UFN we watched at my pad? Well, he's the real deal and he wants a title shot. He's a TUFFER and pretty well respected in the sport due to his ground game and grounded personality. I think he's good because he looks of the subs and goes after them fast when they're there and he's got good stamina.

#4 Kenny "Ken-Flo" Florian 5-3

Yes, his record is not that impressive, but as Walter mentioned at the last UFC PPV over at Ned's, records don't mean the same thing as they do in boxing, for example. It's all about your opponents and how you win/lose. A close split decision or getting "caught" by a random punch can really be seen as flukes sometimes. Ken-Flo, however, is no fluke. He doesn't look tough but he is. He's got great stamina, tons of heart, and good submissions. He could've easily been the champ had he pulled out the win against Sherk at the end of 2006. Look for more exciting fights. (We saw him the same night as Stevenson, remember he almost got tapped by the Japanese dude Mishima he beat that night?).

#5 Roger "El Matador" Huerta (17-1)

He's won his last 14 fights (minus a no decision to Guillard) and many MMA fans think he's the future of the division. We'll see. He's got a great chin and heavy hands. I'm excited to see him fight again.

The division is deep, and here are a few stand outs that could beat any of the guys above in the right conditions:

Jens "Lil' Evil" Pulver (21-7, 18 of which are knockouts!)

Pulver is a tough cookie known primarily for his great striking, crazy hair, and for having eyes that are different colors (one is blue, the other brown...I think, either way it's disconcerting). He is currently coaching Team Pulver on the Ultimate Fighter and is slated to fight BJ Penn, the other coach, on June 23rd. Pulver gave Penn his first loss, so the rivalry is thick and only getting thicker. He once held the lightweight belt before taking off to Japan to fight. He made his comeback last year, only to be knocked out by an unknown kid named Joe Lauzon (the internet nerd or "J-Lau") who is now on TUF 5 as a fighter.

Some biographical info I found on Pulver:
"Jens was raised in what he referred to as a “daily hell.” His childhood house was one of violence, stemming mostly from his alcoholic father. Many examples of the abuse Jens faced as a youth are depicted in his autobiography, “Little Evil, One Ultimate Fighter’s Rise to the Top.” The most extreme of which include an incident where Jens' father threatened the then seven-year-old Jens and his young sibling with a loaded firearm. As described in his autobiography, the firearm was placed in Jens’ mouth, then removed when his father stated, “you aren’t worth the bullets.

Joe "J-Lau" or "The Quiet Internet Kid" OR "Dumbo" Lauzon (14-3)

Joe Lauzon caught a lucky break, although he claims hard work and intelligence were the cause, not luck. I say it's a combination. He came out at UFC 63 and was supposed to lose to Jens Pulver in order to help Jens on his comeback. As I mentioned above, Jens left the UFC after becoming the champ and as the UFC resurrected its lightweight division, both Pulver and the org decided he would be good to bring him back since he's got personality and great stand up skills. They brought him in against this kid Lauzon, who was a first timer in the UFC, and we all laughed. We called him DUMBO thanks to his huge ears. The kid is in IT for crying out loud, he's a self-proclaimed internet nerd. Anyway, one low kick and a hard left hook and Jens found himself waking up to the news he'd just been knocked out. Nice. Now Joe is one of the last four competitors left on season 5 of TUF. I think he has a very good chance of going on to win. He's got crazy ground and pound.

Sam "Hands of Stone" Stout (11-2)

Heavy handed muy-thai fighter who picked up a close split decision of Spencer Fisher. He's won most of his fights via TKO, so he's exciting if you like to watch leather fly. This Wed. the rematch is happening, so come over!