The winner of the fight between Rory McDonald and Tarec Saffiedine might get a title shot.

Rory McDonald is the #2 welterweight, so this is almost the biggest fight anyone can get in the division.   On the other hand, Tarec Saffiedine has fought only one time this year and one time last year.  He didn’t beat anyone significant (Nate Marquardt has been unimpressive at welterweight) and his last 7 fights went to decision, which proves he is not the most exciting of fighters.

Dana White is generally very vocal about how he wants fighters to be exciting (Jon Fitch, Jake Shields) and active (Fabricio Werdum was forced to take a fight though he wanted to wait for the title shot).

And now another such fight was announced: Hector Lombard, who just beat Jake Shields and might very well deserve a title shot himself, against Josh Burkman, who just returns to the UFC after losing a fight outside of it (to Steve Carl).

Wouldn’t it make more sense to pit Hector Lombard against Rory McDonald, a fight I think everybody would like to see and let those upcoming guys prove they deserve those high-profile fights instead of booking fights which seem pretty one-sided?

There have undoubtedly been thousands and thousands of articles and posts on the Internet regarding the 10-point must system and how it should be abolished from combat sports, MMA in particular.  Partly, because it has produced so many questionable decisions, perhaps mostly because it was developed with the sport of boxing in mind — most MMA fans like to distance themselves from the cousin sport.

However, introducing a more complicated scoring system for judges who can’t seem to utilize the 10-point must system properly would most definitely produce more variability and more chance for corruption.

Take the typical 3-round UFC fight for example, where there are no “obvious” 10-8 rounds, no even rounds and no point deductions.  Without caring about the round-by-round particulars, each card can be scored 4 different ways (30-27,27-30,29-28,28-29).  Looking at that and other popular proposed scenarios.

* Above results only consider the “typical” fight.

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There seem to be a consensus that Jon Jones should fight Alexander Gustafsson next, as they had a very close fight and it was the first and only time Jon Jones was in some danger. That’s why there is such a strong reaction to Jon’s’ reluctance to take on this fight.

I don’t share this enthusiasm for this fight.  As a rule, I watch MMA to see different guys fight.  It’s always interesting to see how different fighters will do against each other, who is better,  and what will happen.  And this is especially true for the champion.  I want to see him fight as many fighters as possible, see how he deals with all of them and what they can bring against him. We’ve seen Jones vs. Gustafsson already, and it was a great fight.  Nobody won that fight and there is a good chance that nobody would win their next fight too.  Of course it would be fun to see them match up again, but there is a good chance we would just see a repeat of the first fight.

And besides, should Gustafsson really be the champion? Let’s say that they fight and the judges give him 3 rounds. Does he really deserve to be the champion? Whom has he beat in the Top 10?  He went to close decisions with Rua and Jones, while Jones finished almost everybody he faced through TKOs and submissions.   Of course it would exciting and it would shake up the LHW division but that’s true for any loss of Jones, and personally I think this time Jones would come prepared and win more decisively.

So it would either end in a close decision for Jones which just be a repeat of last time, a decisive victory for Jones, which would just leave us with the feeling this fight was expendable, or a close decision for Gustafsson which would give him an undeserving title (no way Gustafsson finishes Jones, IMO).

I’d much rather see Jones face someone he hasn’t faced, and there is someone who would make a very interesting opponent:  Daniel Cormier, who looks amazing again and again.  If, for some reason, Jones would never fight again after his next fight, I would be very sorry to have missed Jones vs. Cormier, while I wouldn’t feel I’ve missed Jones vs. Gustafsson.

Some rematches are definitely a must: when Cain Velasquez lost to Junior Dos Santos one minute into the fight it felt like it was a lucky punch, and he should be given another chance. When Anderson Silva got knocked out by Chris Weidman, it felt like he could do a lot better if he wouldn’t play around as much. But this is not the same situation.  We saw the fight; it was good, but it doesn’t mean we have to see an immediate rematch.  There are other worthy opponents for Jones.  Gustafsson can get his rematch later, maybe after beating (and finishing) a Top 10 guy or two.

Having said that, this is just my personal opinion, and the reality is that there is quite a demand among fans to see this rematch (at least that’s the feeling I’m getting).  By trying to avoid it, Jones does make it look like he is afraid. I don’t think he is, but that’s not the issue.  If there is really such a demand for that fight (which is a good question – is there really?) then he should accept it, and beat Gustaffson decisively like I think he would.

A video of young boys wrestling a bear surfaced in December.  One of the boys was rumored to be the undefeated UFC lightweight contender Khabib Nurmagomedov.  Recently, Khabib confirmed that he is the boy in the video:

http://www.bloodyelbow.com/2014/4/18/5627866/ufc-khabib-nurmagomedov-secret-video-bear-fight-mma-news

This is just awesome.  Confirms my feelings that Nurmagomedov is the next lightweight champion.

Here’s a hilarious review of his bear-wrestling technique (before it was confirmed to be Khabib):  My Outrage Over Video of Young Boy Wrestling Bear

It’s become customary for MMA news sites to report fighter payouts after major events.  Unfortunately, only a handful of US state athletic commissions publish the salary info.  For international events, or in US states which do not report fighter payouts, the salary info is not available.   This doesn’t stop folks from still reporting fighter payouts – except since they lack the actual info for the event, they report the last known payout for each fighter.

This can be fairly accurate in some cases, and extremely outdated in others.  While the websites that publish this info typically include a disclaimer stating that the payouts are estimated (see http://mma-manifesto.com/root/ufc-fighter-salary-database-root/tuf-nations-finale-bisping-vs-kennedy-fighter-purses-attendance-gate.html), what they do not mention is how recent the last reported salary info is for each fighter.

This of course is an important factor – a UFC fighter whose last payout was officially reported two years and several fights ago is not likely to be still on the same salary.  For example, MMA-Manifesto is reporting a payout of $8,000 for Kyle Noke.  This is based on his last reported payout at TUF 11 Finale – almost 4 years ago!  The base salary of 8K to show, 8K to win has been the standard for entry level TUF contestants in their first UFC fight;  however Noke has amassed a record of 4-2 in the Octagon prior to fighting Cote.   UFC contracts are typically structured so that fighter pay goes up with wins, and Noke almost certainly received a new – and more lucrative – contract when he was picked to be a coach on TUF Nations.  So it’s very likely that his actual purse for this fight was far above 8K.

For other fighters, it’s impossible to find any official payout info.  Take Ryan Jimmo: with a 2-2 record in the UFC, all four of his previous fights took place in jurisdictions which do not report salary info.  Again, it’s highly unlikely that he is still at the 8K base pay level, four fights and two wins into his contract.

Keeping this in mind, I thought it would be interesting to compile a list of payouts for the TUF Nations Finale card, while including the source of last officially reported payout for each fighter:

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A while ago I wrote about the uselessness of accusing the fighters of not fighting in an exciting way or not trying to finish fights. I said that the rules encourage safe fighting and that as long as the rules would not change safe fighting will continue to be a significant part of the sport.

The UFC wants to be sanctioned and that’s why they accept the Unified Rules of MMA, with their 10-point must system. I believe the UFC are now big enough and strong enough to be able to influence these rules if they wanted to, but that’s another matter.   The important thing now is that they are bound by these rules and must follow them.

The problem that they now face is how to avoid the slow but steady decline of fighters to point-fighting while adhering to the same set of rules and without influencing the judges.   The way Dana White has chosen to do this is by cutting any fighter who seems to be fighting safely, even when they are considered among the best in the world.

It started with the surprising release of Jon Fitch, followed by that of Yushin Okami, the lack of interest in signing Ben Askren, and now the release of Jake Shields.

The UFC cannot affect the rules but they can control the fighters, and they try to make them fight excitingly by keeping only those who bring the action, and threatening to cut those who don’t.

There is a lot of criticism surrounding this strategy.   It is said that MMA is a sport, while the UFC is becoming a spectacle.   Instead of trying to find who the best fighters in the world are, they are just trying to put on crowd-pleasing fights and make money.

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Gegard Mousasi, born in Tehran to an Armenian family, grew up in the Netherlands from the age of 4.  He began his professional MMA career at 2003 at the age of 17, and fought in various organizations including M-1, Rings and DEEP at middleweight before debuting in Pride in 2006 at 20 years old.

After a win and a loss (the second one of his career at that point, both by armbars) he was matched with then #78 ranked Middleweight Hector Lombard, and showed superior grappling, controlling Lombard’s back for most of the fight.

In 2008 he beat then #68 LHW Evangelina Santos in a middleweight match to reach #23 ranking, but his jump into the spotlight was  his debut in Dream against #14 Dennis Kang, on whom he was able to slap a triangle, catapulting him to #8 in the world.  He then continued in the Dream tournament beating #20 Melvin Manhoef and #25 Ronaldo Souza on the night of September 23, 2008.   Both fights were short.  Gegard had no problem controlling Manhoef on the ground for another triangle submission win, while he got lucky against Souza sending a precise head kick just as Souza was diving in for some ground control.   It was an exciting finish but it’s not one that proved Mousasi’s superiority, so a rematch between the two today would be a very viable and interesting option.

Winning the Dream Middleweight title has made Mousasi one of the best middleweight in the world, as he rose to #3 in the Middleweight rankings.  Mousasi has shown himself to be a very well-rounded fighter, with world-championship level kickboxing and an excellent ground game which awarded him his most impressive wins to that point.

On 2009 He took on the massive challenge of Mark Hunt, who didn’t look good at the time, ranking at #31 Heavyweight after 4 fight losing streak. Mousasi controlled him on the ground, leading to an easy armbar.

He then signed a deal with StrikeForce which allowed him to continue fighting in Dream at the same time.   He beat Renato ‘Babalu’ Sobral, who was the StrikeForce LHW champion and ranked #10 LHW, in less than a minute with his signature lightning fast ground & pound, reaching the pinnacle of his career by becoming the StrikeForce LHW champion and ranking at #4 at LHW.

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UFC 169 was branded “10-decision, record-breaking catastrophe”, and the usual slamming of boring fighters, safe game planning soon followed.

Every time too many fights on a card drag too long, reach a decision or overall feel like the fighters are not making enough of an effort to try and finish, accusations are directed at them for not having the required ‘killer instinct’, not caring enough about the fans, or just being too calculated and careful in their fighting style.  This is especially true regarding high profile fights, like championship bouts and main events.

I think what I’m about to say is quite obvious and is really known to everybody, but somehow I just don’t hear it enough, so I feel the need to state it out clearly:

THIS IS NOT THE FIGHTERS’ FAULTS!

You can’t blame anyone who is playing any kind of game or competing in any kind of competition for trying their best to win, and to keep on winning.  You can’t blame a basketball player for trying to score hoops, you can’t blame a football player for trying to score touchdowns, and you can’ t blame an MMA fighter for trying to win rounds, because this is the way to win fights.

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Please excuse our recent technical difficulties – we’re in process of moving FightMatrix.com to a new home and there are a few hiccups along the way.

Boxing betting is one of the most widespread and followed in all of sports betting. Whether you are playing in a new live casinos or online casinos, you would often hear people talking about how they won a fortune with a gamble on their favorite boxer.

Before entering the boxing betting arena,here are the basic rules and tips that might help you survive among the crowd of seasoned gamblers.

Basic Boxing Betting Rules:

1. For a boxing bout to be categorized as “action”, the fight must take place within the window period. Most casinos would list the date and give it one week. Online casinos give a larger window of up to a month. Otherwise, it will be graded as “no action”.
2. Venue shifts within the country will not affect any wagers. However, if the boxing match is changed to an overseas location, “no action” on all pending wagers will be called.
3. In case of “no contest” or “no decision”, all bets will be refunded. This can happen when changes on the details of the fight are made when betting has officially started. However, a change in title to a non-title match will not affect the betting game.
4.  The result of betting will be depending only on the outcome on the date of the fight. Any disqualification or sanctions due to testing positive on prohibited drugs, incorrect scoring or granted appeals, will have no bearing on wagers.
5. All bets will also be returned in case of a draw, when this result is not a betting option. Otherwise, all bets lose.
6. If you bet on a TKO win, result of the fight should be any of the following: Technical Knockout, Knockout or Disqualification. The latter was considered a TKO for wagering or betting purposes.
7. If you bet on number of rounds, the halfway mark is reached when clock ticks at 1:30 for men and 1:00 for women boxing matches
8. If you bet on a fighter to win, the bet is also a winner if the fighter ends up winning by either a premature ending of the match or a decision following a full-scheduled bout.
9. When the bell rings to signal the first round, the boxing match is deemed official for betting purposes.

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Today when people go and see wrestling matches, they find time to make side bets on their favorite wrestlers. This may look like gambling but people just do it for fun. There are also pubs and places of entertainment that offer betting offices for those who want to watch the final or the championship while drinking with friends. This set up is very popular among yuppies or the young professionals who find relaxation during a popular boxing match.

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Be it boxing or Muai Thai, fighting is loved around the world as a way for compete as well as a way for people to let out their aggression in a controlled environment. There have been professional fighters for thousands of years with evidence in every civilisation such as the Roman gladiators. In our modern times there are now televised fights that millions of people watch all around the world. Another aspect of competitive fighting is people placing bets on the fights, this has not changed either apart from how easy it is to place a bet from home while watching the fight. With the Internet you can now find reviews of games and find the best online casino at GamingClub.com, online betting sites are now rated as well and have become more and more popular because of all the information they provide as well as up to date odds on bets.

A type of competitive fighting that has grown more and more mainstream in the same way that wrestling did in the 90’s is MMA or mixed martial arts. This allows people from many different fighting styles such as karate, judo, jiu-jitsu, boxing, kickboxing, wrestling and other techniques to fight against each other. This is a great way to see how many of these ancient martial arts hold up to real fighting as most people who practice them never really have to use them in real life. It is also great for people who just enjoy fighting as a sport as each fight is different from the last. This can make placing a bet on who will come out on top much harder however as there are many more variables to think about. But if you can’t quite pick then you could always put money on how you think the fight  will end, for example with a knock out. Either way the fights will always be entertaining to watch and enjoy.

In Episode 12, the semi-finals took place. With the score tied between teams at 6 wins each, Team Sonnen took both wins, sending two teammates to face off in the finale as Kevin Gastelum choked out Josh Samman in the first round, and Uriah Hall stopped Dylan Andrews with ground-and-pound in the second.

Final win tally is Team Sonnen 8, Team Jones 6.

A recap of all the season’s fights after the break.
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Check out the latest episode of Uncut Sports Show: TUF Episode 8 Recap; Don Frye accuses UFC of fixing some of Brock Lesnar’s fights.