Here Comes the Pain... Again? Brock Rumour Analysis

When I first heard that Alistair Overeem had tested positive for high testosterone levels and would be suspended, one of the first things that came to my mind was how would this have played out if Alistair was caught before the Lesnar fight? How would history have changed? Would Brock have never left the UFC? Would we be talking about JDS vs. Brock instead of Mir?

But looking back at that Overeem/Brock fight, I think history would have stayed the same. Whoever faced him that night would have been victorious. Brock seemed like he didn't want to be there. His heart wasn't in the fighting biz anymore.

I can't question the severity of those body kicks and knees, as they must have hurt coming from a beast like Overeem.  But the lack of effort, going for only one half-assed single leg takedown when that was his best chance of winning, made me question him and his motives.

Since this was his first fight after winning his battle with diverticulitis, I thought he would have brought back his intensity and all or nothing style. But that sure didn't happen. He just sat back throwing little feeling out punches here and there, seemingly waiting for Alistair to put him out of his misery.

Maybe I am extra bitter because I picked him to win that fight and expected him to take Overeem down and maul him. Where was that Brock? The Brock that came out punched Heath Herring in the face and then dove at him Kamikaze style? Or the one who came out and rushed Cain Velazquez and gave it everything he had even though he didn't end up winning.

I suspect that his mind was somewhere trying to catch all the dollars that Vince McMahon was throwing at him to return to the WWE. Since leaving the UFC and returning to the WWE, apparently Brock has come to realize that the grass isn't always greener on the other side. After his brief cameo in the audience at UFC 146, rumours are running rampant that we may see a return to the octagon of the 'Next Big Thing' Brock Lesnar.

I must say, that I am definitely less enthused about his return to the octagon than I was for his debut. And I am definitely more pessimistic about his potential success in the octagon than I was for his first run in the organization. With the injection of talent that the UFC got from Strikeforce, there will be no need to fast track him to a title shot this time around. Which means he should have to go through a few good opponents before even sniffing a title shot. And if his last fight in the octagon was any indication, he has an extremely tough road ahead before getting in smelling distance.

I have to address one more thing about Brock that I first thought was a joke but seems to be catching steam.
People are suggesting that Brock's initial stint in the UFC is worthy of Hall of Fame consideration. In the infamous words of Stone Cold Steve Austin my initial reaction when hearing this was... "WHAT!?!?"

 This is crazy talk. There is a difference between having a good run in the UFC and having a hall of fame career. I understand why people would confuse the two when Brock is mentioned...

1. He's one of the biggest draws in UFC history.
2. He won the title in only 3 fights.
3. Has big wins over quality opponents

These are great accomplishments and I hate to diminish them but I think we have to put them in perspective. Some people were so amazed that a guy coming from the world of professional wrestling could have such success so quickly. Some of these same people are superficially boosting his status in MMA history.

What truly is his legacy? The people that are currently in the hall of fame are either pioneers of the sport or have established a legacy that will live on forever in the UFC. Royce Gracie brought us BJJ, Randy Couture brought us dirty boxing, Chuck Liddel brought us sprawl and brawl, Tito Ortiz revolutionized ground and pound. But what has Brock brought us to establish his legacy? A couple of big fights? Weird chest tattoos? Insulting sponsors (I thought that moment was hilarious, and he was in the right too)?


His performance inside of the octagon, albeit great for someone just crossing over with very little experience, leaves alot to be desired when considering it for being in the hall of fame. The guy only has a 4-3 record in the UFC. His two final losses before leaving the organization were absolutely one-sided ass whuppings. Plus, he still has an unfinished rivalry with Frank Mir that could go either way.

To me putting Brock Lesnar in the UFC Hall of Fame would be like putting a Terrell Davis in the NFL's, Eric Lindros' in the NHL's, Vince Carter in the NBA's, or any other athlete who had immense initial popularity and success but due to injuries, health problems, or just plain sucking (Yes, Vince, I'm looking at you) didn't produce what it takes to warrant hall of fame consideration.

He just doesn't deserve it.

What do you think? Should Brock be in Hall of Fame? Please leave comments below or hit me up on the Twitter @VexedMMA

Invicta Arrives!!!

      This past weekend, I was really pumped to see the first event for the Invicta Fighting Championships, the brand new all women MMA promotion. So as I browsed through one of my favourite MMA communities, /r/MMA on Reddit.com, which I frequently do just to see what fellow keyboard warriors are saying, I came across a post that listed all of the fighters in their respective fights. As I scrolled down to read the comments, one of them jumped out at me. It read,

"You forgot to tell us which ones are hot"

     I never wanted to jump into my computer and cyber punch someone more than I did after reading that comment. 

MMA fans who only take an interest into Women's MMA when there are two ladies who can also double as two Cover Girl models just makes me sick. I can appreciate the beauty of women as thoroughly as the next guy, but can't we all just judge our female mma fighters on what really matters? Talent, technique, and heart? The action in Women's MMA is  fast and furious, there's much less stalling, more scrambling, they engage much quicker, and the women fight with everything they have all the time.  And I love them for it. I can honestly say that women have more exciting fights on a consistent basis than men do.

Invicta didn't disappoint at all. For free on their website,  they gave us a full night of great fights with some talented women fighting with all they had. One of those fights, Kaitlin Young vs. Leslie Smith,  was an instant classic that could hopefully do for Invicta what Bonnar vs. Griffin did for the UFC. 

Although there were a few technical difficulties at the beginning of the night, the event was overall fantastic and I will definitely want to reserve a Saturday for the next event when it is officially announced.

Having said all of that, there are a couple things I noticed that make me wonder if they will be a common aspect of Invicta FC and women's MMA in general...

 1. Four Fighters not making Weight

          Yikes. That's a high number of fighters not to make weight. Fighting not on weight is such a huge advantage that it totally taints a victory. Who knows what the outcome would be if the fighter was forced to lose those extra pounds. Four fights going through this scenario should make making weight priority number one for President Shannon Knapp. I know that weight loss is more difficult for women than it is for men in general. I just wish that all fighters, regardless of gender, would fight at the weight they are most comfortable in and not have to go to extreme measures just for that advantage. I don't have an answer for it other than personal responsibility, but I do hope it doesn't become something that's common for Invicta which could tarnish the results.

2. No Knockouts

           Some great finishes were sprinkled throughout the night with a couple of slick submissions and a couple of vicious ground and pound drubbings, one of them courtesy Randi Miller who had a hard fought debut victory. But there were no clear one punch knock outs. As a matter of fact, I don't recall anybody getting rocked either. This is not necessarily a bad thing but just something that I wonder how common it will be to have knockout-less fight nights in Invicta. Especially since Invicta will be attracting the best female talent, it will be even harder to knock out more skilled opponents.

             
  One thing that I do believe will happen in Women's MMA much faster than Men's is that we will see elite female boxers make the transition over to MMA quicker. This may help any potential knock out droughts in the future. I think the paydays will reach on par with female boxing, if they haven't all ready, much quicker. This will convince those elite boxers to make the plunge. As a striking enthusiasts, I would love that. Seeing a few knockouts like this in an Invicta Octagon would make me jump out of my seat like a mad man.

3. Ring Girls?... Really?

Invicta NEVER marketed itself as some ultra feminist, fight the power type alternative to the male dominated MMA industry. But I was still surprised to see ring girls for an all female card ran by a female President. I guess it was silly of me, but I was half expecting to see a ring boy for the first time.  All this indicates to me in hindsight is President Shannon Knapp is aware of her target market or she just likes to stick to tradition.   Nothing wrong with that.

So let me know what you think about the Invicta FC and it's first event. Any critiques you may have? What will you be looking for next time?  I would love to hear from you.

Overeem and the Tale of Two Injections

     Alright, alright alright, I'll admit it. I was a sucker that tried to defend Overeem all of these years. So you can imagine my disappointment to hear that after the commission finally got their hands on him for a random drug test at a UFC 146 press conference, he failed and failed hard. The guy totally ruined one of the most anticipated fights of the year, but more than that, he destroyed his legacy.

     Everything he has accomplished is a complete sham. The K1 championship, Strikeforce championship, all of those wins in Japan and his status as one of the top heavyweights in the world can all be thrown out of the window. You and I know that this guy has been roiding for his entire heavyweight career.

      Can I confirm this with actual facts and drug tests from the past? Absolutely not, so I may not technically know for sure, and it may also be wrong to accuse him of such. But as the saying goes, "where there's smoke, there's fire",  and we have some epic levels of zero visibility type smoke with this guy.

    With that being said it was with great interest that I listened to his hearing with the Nevada Athletic Commission. I really wanted to know just what he could possibly say to defend himself. And let's just say I wasn't disappointed. I never knew one of these hearings could be full of such comedic gems. Here are some of my favourite quotes. Part one of the hearing is linked closer to the end of this post. The approximate times that the quotes were spoken are at the end of each quote.

Overeem's Licensing  Hearing - Greatest Hits

     Here's Keith Kizer (Nevada State Athletic Commission (NSAC) Executive Director) talking about what he saw Overeem do as Keith was getting ready to administer the random drug test to the fighters who just finished the press conference.

“Mr . Overeem speeded out of the building jumped into a car and took off” 2:14.

     If this was my hearing and I was the dude leading this thing (Skip Avansino Chairman of NSAC), I would have slammed the gavel down (I don't think he had one but I sure would), right then and there after hearing that. Then I would have yelled "you're guilty", gotten up and made it back home just in time to watch midday Price is Right reruns.

    Why in the world would this guy try to skip out of the press conference like that if he wasn't guilty? I have exclusive footage of Overeem fleeing the press conference below. You tell me if he looks guilty or not.

    I have to give a shout out to the commission for giving a guy who looked so obviously guilty a fair chance to represent himself and tell his side of the story.  And his side of the story also provided some comic relief. But to give us assurance that what they were going to say was all going to be true, Overeem's lawyer said this gem...

"As an attorney for over thirty years, the one thing you do is you either tell the truth or you keep your mouth shut”5:35

     Thanks for that reassurance buddy. It doesn't take a body language expert to figure out that this guy would be lying like a... like a.... like a... well... attorney throughout this process. All you need is some decent poker skills and you can see the obvious tell that he gave away just before he says the above quote (There's also another tell at around 6:46. See if you can catch that one too and let me know what you think).

     So, I guess you can blame it on my days watching World Poker Tour but I immediately don't trust anything coming out of his mouth. Nevertheless, Overeem does have an official excuse for trying to dip out of the press conference in a car that goes zero to sixty, swiftly (RIP B.I.G). Here it is below.

“They had heard reports that Process servers were going to attempt to disrupt the press conference by making a public spectacle of serving our client, Alistair"6:56

    So apparently, the scary people at Golden Glory (Alistair's former management who he is in a legal dispute with) were hunting Alistair down and were going to serve him some papers and that's why Overeem had to high-tail it out of there. Sounds a little convenient to me.

    And there are so many things that sounded so silly in this hearing that this article would be far too long for me to analyze all of the eye roll inducing moments (you need to listen to the stuff about the vial). Everything I've mentioned just takes place in part one. There are FOUR other parts (thanks to the fine folks at MMAFightCorner.com for posting it on youtube in its entirety).


Part 2 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aBijP3Ljp30
Part 3 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DNgnIDTryPo
Part 4 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M63rEJ8rlzk
Part 5 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ez0CNpGfUJM

Eventually, Overeem admits to "unknowingly" getting injected twice with "anti-inflammatory" medication that just happened to also contain testosterone which ultimately caused the failed test. And in full disclosure, they brought the little vial that Overeem used to inject himself with the banned substance. It was pretty tiny, small enough to be held between your thumb and index finger. But I wouldn't be surprised if the real container he had at his home looked more like this...

So they suspended Overeem for nine months. Do you agree with the decision? Should it be more or less? Let me know in the comments or on twitter @VexedMMA.

The Last Hope for The Light-heavyweight Division...

With Jon Jones making it look easy at UFC 145 against his toughest opponent to date, Rashad Evans, the light-heavyweight division has something that it hasn't had for years, a champion, with virtually no one on the horizon that can touch him.

I am a fan of medieval fantasy (shout out to all of my Game of Throne peeps out there). I've also dabbled in a bit of writing in that genre too (***shameless plug alert*** my book Ruby Rogue will be self published later this year). The upcoming fight between Dan Henderson and Jon Jones has all of the makings of an epic medieval fantasy to me. So check out how I breakdown their recently announced match-up... medieval style.

Read the below in a super cool movie trailer voice to get the true effect, like this guy's (RIP Homie).

      The UFC's light-heavyweight division... a land where the man who sat on the throne changed as often as the wind's direction, crowned a new king on March 19th, 2011 named Jon Jones. His quest to the throne was cheered on by the adoring public, excited by his rapid rise to stardom. He possessed talents never seen by any warrior before.

       However, on the dark night where Jon Jones violently snatched the crown from the fading hands of Mauricio Shogun Rua as he begged for mercy, painfully tapping on the mat, the people saw their new king in a different light.

       The power of the crown seemed to change the once humble warrior, into a brash, brazen, arrogant ruler. The people pleaded with some of their favourite warriors of the past to save them from King Jon's wrath. But King Jon destroyed all who challenged him with ease. He toyed with former allies, taunting them before humiliating them with elbows they never seen coming. He choked out warriors that had never been choked out before, tossing their lifeless bodies to the side like rag dolls.

     Soon it seemed like there were no worthy challengers to end his reign. He would be able to rule the land of the light-heavyweights indefinitely. However, there's one man left, one man with the power to stop the reign that could seemingly go on forever. That man's name is...Dan Henderson.


    After losing favour with the gods of the UFC, Dan was exiled and banished to Strikeforce where he defeated such foe as Renato Sobral, Rafael Cavalcante and the false deity Fedor Emelianenko.

   With this impressive string of victories, Dan regained favour with the gods of the UFC and joined the other warriors vying for the crown of the light-heavyweight division. Upon his return, he engaged Shogun Rua in one of the most epic battles the land has ever seen. He left the arena, battered, broken, exhausted, bloodied,  and... victorious. With this victory, the Gods of the UFC and it's loyal disciples have deemed him the last worthy warrior capable of taking the crown from Jon Jones.

    Does he have the weapons necessary to vanquish the reigning king?...No, he does not. He is the smaller, much older fighter, with a wrestling base that has proven not to phase the king. He tends to tire much easier than other elite warriors leaving him vulnerable to attacks in later rounds. In every tangible category imaginable, King Jon is his superior.

  But he does have ONE weapon that may make all of the above short comings meaningless. This weapon is mightier than any weapon that Jon Jones has faced before. And it is one that only Dan Henderson possesses. It is the mighty H-Bomb. Yessss. Dan Henderson's right hand has vanquished many a foe. Just look at what it did to poor Michael "the Count" Bisping.

This is the awesome power of the H-Bomb. It instantly sends his enemies to their doom or at least begins the process. However, there is only one problem. It is far from a secret weapon. From the moment that King Jon learned his next challenger would be Dan Henderson, he began busily preparing to avoid this majestic weapon and develop his own counter attack.

So as we wait for their battle, where the fate of the entire light-heavyweight division hangs in the balance, there is but one question to be answered... will the H-bomb hit it's target? Only time will tell.

Where's the Love for Jon Jones?

      Just a couple more days out until the Rashad vs Jon Jones fight and I must say I am pretty excited, (ok maybe I am borderline giddy for this fight, I will admit it). I love the hype for this fight, it's been great. The Primetime special, the commercials, all of the interviews, especially this one where you can feel the tension between them, all add up to providing an extra layer to the fight that makes it exponentially more interesting than any normal fight.

 
  But one of the most interesting things I 've noticed leading up to the fight is that, although most people are predicting that Jones will win convincingly, is that increasingly more people are actually ROOTING for Rashad.  And it's just not because of the fantastic article I wrote last week (which you can check out if you haven't already). Remember it was very recently that Rashad Evans could arguably be considered the most hated man in the UFC. Just check out the audiences reaction to him here.



   But I am going to go out on a limb and say that UFC 145 will be the first time in a VERY loooooong time that the cheers will drown out the boos when Rashad Evans' music hits. And it's not because of the underdog syndrome, where people just want to see him win because the odds are stacked against him. It's because some people have a serious dislike for Jon Jones.

    And I am fascinated by this. Where did all of this dislike come from? This kid has finished most of his fights in dominant fashion, has stayed out of trouble outside of the octagon, has been an accessible, fan-friendly pro athlete, and has stayed humble all the way through.

   From what I can understand, here are some of most common adjectives I hear from people who dislike
Jon Jones when describing him...

Cocky
Arrogant
Full of himself
Fake(You can thank Rashad for that one).

   After watching Jon Jones for as long as I have and seeing him grow from a greco roman wrestler/youtube trained kid in his first fight in the UFC, to becoming one of the most dangerous, entertaining, yet polarizing Light-Heavyweight champions of all time... I can't agree with any of those descriptions of him at all. I see a young guy who is dedicated to his craft, and confident in his skills with the results to back it up. Plus he is an all around good guy.

   Wasn't there a time when everybody loved Jon Jones? When did the Jon Jones haters jump off the band wagon and onto the hater train? Although I don't have any official evidence, here is my theory. I think most people were excited to see Jon Jones get the title shot against Shogun when Rashad got injured. He was the most deserving guy at the time and everyone knew it would be a good fight. So that to me is the height of the lovefest for Jon Jones.

   If I had to pinpoint exactly where Jon Jones popularity started to become more polarized, let's call it Ground Zero of the Jon Jones Hater Virus (JJHV) I believe it had to start during the lead up to the Shogun fight with this comment.

"It's funny, I've been doing some autograph signings and I've been signing lately 'Jon Jones Champion 2011,' almost as if I've spoken it into existence. I just think it's crazy". MMA Mania


   This was far too arrogant for some people's taste. Especially Shogun. Here's his reaction to the comments at around the 3:50 mark. Then closer to the end, Shogun's translator also sounds peeved off at Jones' excessive twittering. 





On top of this, after the fight at the post fight press conference, the virus spread even more. Jones had a little superhero moment, where he stopped a robber from getting away with some stolen property. To some I am sure this was an amazing story and a random act of heroism, but to those afflicted with JJHV, it caused excessive eye rolling, and spontaneous clicking of the mute button.



After this event JJHV just continued to spread like polio. It seemed like everything Jones did, people would twist into some kind of evil plot that revealed Jon was a fake and as heartless as the rest of us. Here are a few instances that I think were blown WAY out of proportion because of JJHV

- Jon Jones not looking into Rampages eyes during staredowns.
- Putting Machida to sleep and then dropping him
- Being sponsored by the UFC

It's reached epidemic levels now.

So here's how I look at it. ***Pro Wrestling Analogy Alert*** Jon Jones is the UFC's version of Bret Hart in the attitude era. Here's a little background for people who don't know or don't remember what I am talking about. Bret Hart was WWE's poster boy after the Hulk Hogan era. He had honour, prided him self on playing within the rules and worked hard so he could perfect his craft. People loved him, and the kids looked up to him, (I still know how to put someone in a sharpshooter). After his Iron man match with Shawn Michaels where he lost the championship, he took some time off from the WWE.

However, when he came back, the landscape of the WWE had change. Stone Cold Steve Austin was starting his meteoric rise to the top of the WWE world. Stone Cold was the anti hero, brash, didn't care about authority, he had that WGAF type of attitude. The reaction that Bret got just wasn't what it use to be. To the point where Bret at his comeback match against Stone Cold, was booed for probably the first time in a long time at the end of their match. For those of you who want to relive that amazing match, here it is below. Skip to the 25:00 minute mark for the exciting conclusion.




My point is that Jon Jones is a do gooder, responsible  guy at a time when the people love those anti hero types. Jon Jones is too squeaky clean right now. He is too perfect. People afflicted with JJHV can't relate to him. And his attempts at positive messages seem more annoying and condescending, then uplifting. ***Pro Wrestling Analogy Alert is OVER***

Luckily for me, I am immune to JJHV and I can enjoy Jon Jones with out any of those hater tendencies.
So that's my theory. I want to hear from you guys. What was the moment that you knew you caught JJHV? Or do you have your own theory about when and where ground zero is? How can it be cured. I would love to hear from you. Leave a comment, Subscribe and/or hit me up on the twitters @VexedMMA.

Come back soon.

Team Rashad or Team Jon Jones... I Choose. You Vote.

What do you do when two of your favourite fighters face each other? Who do you cheer for? This is my dilemma for this Jon Jones vs. Rashad fight. I love these guys. I've had Rashad's back ever since Matt Hughes whined about his showboating and tried to target him as the weak link on the 2nd season of the Ultimate Fighter. And I've been riding on the Jon Jones bandwagon ever since I seen him do this to Stephan Bonnar....DAMNNNN!!!

So who to choose? Well, when it comes to their drama they have going on from their Greg Jackson Team days, I initially thought Rashad was being a bit too petty. But after watching the Primetime episode this week, it made me realize something... THEY SCREWED RASHAD.


I can understand that feeling of betrayal that Rashad feels. He helped take that Greg Jackson gym when it was nothing and turn it into one of the most highly successful teams in MMA. Then the new kid comes along. Rashad is reluctant to bring him in because he doesn't want to train with some one he will have to face down the road (understandable). Greg Jackson reassures him that everything will be fine and he has his back no matter what. Rashad then gives it the green light and they become a big happy family. I could see them tra-la-la-ing up and down the hill of tears in New Mexico.

But then Jon Jones had to go and mess it up. He totally caved to the pressure of public opinion and Ariel Helwani and opened up the door to a possible fight with Rashad. On the other hand Rashad kept the pact intact when ever he faced that question. Look at how he handles that "will you ever fight Jon Jones?" question  here at the 3:22 mark.



So I get what Rashad went through in feeling betrayed. It probably didn't help that he was dealing with the fallout from his divorce either. Although I don't hate Jon Jones for how he handled the situation at all, I do hope he realizes that you don't have to take a fight or do anything just because Dana White says so. It's Jon's world too and it's important that he looks out for what's in his best interest sometimes.


But having said all of that, as you could probably guess, I'm rolling with Rashad on this one. Rashad being a massive underdog in this fight makes me want to root for him even more. The thing is, if his run on the  ultimate fighter, his rise to becoming a world champion, or battling all of these injuries to work his way up to the get  the title shot again are any indication, Rashad seems to do quite nicely for himself when he is the underdog.


So what team are you rolling with on April the 21st? Vote below. Thanks for checking out the blog and be sure to come back often for more MMA goodness. 

Which team are you on for this fight. Team Rashad or Team Jones
	Team Rashad
	Team Jon Jones
pollcode.com free polls

Pound 4 Pound

Hello MMA universe. Welcome to Vexed MMA, the world of MMA according to me, Seth Gumbs. Instead of going through that typical introduction that people go through when ever they meet someone new ("How are you? What do you do? Where you from?) blah blah blah, I think a great way to get to know a fellow hardcore MMA fan is to hear their Pound for Pound top 10 list.

Now, I know many people think the P4P list is useless, because it's 100% subjective and we'll never have an official P4P champion. But the fact of the matter is it is the most important list of all. Because determining who is the best and best fighter on the planet is what this sport should be about.

Having said all of that, here is my list. I will love to hear what you think and find out what your P4P list. Also you may notice some cool art throughout this article. Just click on the names of the talented artists below each title if you want to find some more. They have some great stuff.

1. Anderson Silva

By Paulo Eugenio 

       This should be the consensus number 1 P4P fighter among anybody who knows anything about MMA. We can all agree on the sheer dominant brilliance that this man has shown throughout his reign as UFC middleweight champion. There's really nothing more that needs to be said about Anderson Silva. This highlight reel says it all.

2. Jon Jones

By  dize13579

    Picks 2-4 can really be any combination of the next 3 fighters. I put Jon Jones at #2 because he has made his run with the UFC's most prestigious title look so easy against fierce competition. Only Rashad Evans has the tools and a legitimate shot at derailing him (I guess you can argue that Dan Henderson is 1 H-bomb away from beating him but I wouldn't make that a realistic argument). If Jon Jones runs through Rashad, then there is no one on the horizon that can stop him. The only thing that would be abe to derail him would be boredom.

3. Jose Aldo

By ~G00NEYT00NS

      Deciding between GSP and Jose was difficult for the #3 spot. I go with Jose because he made that win against Chad Mendes, his most dangerous wrestling threat to date look so easy. He stuffed those takedowns effortlessly, as if he was just testing himself for personal enjoyment. If Jose cannot be taken down and kept down by the UFCs best, then how is he going to be beat? I also think if he moved up to the Lightweight division, he would have no trouble winning there either.

 4. GSP

by ~King-Arsalan-Monawa

GSP has been a consensus # 2 P4P fighter for a long time. But his last performance against Jake Shields, someone who, at least on paper, he should have smashed, left a lot to be desired from someone who is ranked so high. Granted, he got injured that fight and had to play it safe to squeak out that win, but Jose and Jon have been too awesome lately to deny them the ability to leap frog his spot. Having said that, GSP is the type of fighter who seems to comeback stronger after adversity. I expect this time to be no different and his dominance over the Welterweight division to continue.

5. Junior Dos Santos

by ~XxEXODUSxX77

                                               
     Now here is where I think my list will start to differ from others. Junior Dos Santos has established himself as the best striker in the Heavyweight (HW) division, that's not saying much because HW isn't really a striking rich division. But what impresses me the most about JDS is his ability to stuff takedowns and get back to his feet on the rare occasion he is taken down. It must be a scary thought for every fighter to know that they will HAVE to stand with JDS. They will get hurt that night without a doubt.

6. Rashad Evans

by ~Swpp

      Rashad has had flashes of being an amazing wrestler in MMA. He's also had a stretch where he showed that he could be a powerful striker in MMA. But it wasn't until the Tito fight where he masterfully put the two together to become one of the most dangerous fighters on the planet and the last line of defense to an indefinitely long Jon 'Bones' Jones reign at the top of the division. If he continues to mix his skills up, he could rise even higher on this list.


7. Dominick Cruz

by ~Coley-sXe

      The Bantamweight Champion with arguably the most unique style in the UFC, had two competitors coming very close to figuring it out in Demetrious Johnson (their fight was much closer to me than the scorecards would tell), and his arch nemesis Urijah Faber. But until someone does figure it out, he will have a place in the P4P top ten. But until he starts finishing people more consistently, he probably won't move up much further either.

8. Ben Henderson

by ~ShomanArt

      The new lightweight champion had a monster year last year beating everybody put in front of him not named Anthony Pettis. He just happens to be in the most shark infested, talent rich division in the UFC. So how does he stack up? With his grappling skills, aggressive style and inhuman pain threshold, he is going to be hard to beat. I don't think Frankie is going to be the one to do it in their rematch.

9. Cain Velazquez

by ~X9J 

       Cain wants to get back into the title picture to redeem himself. I believe he still has the skill to warrant a top ten mention (I don't think getting blasted by Junior Dos Santos took all of that away). Cain has a ridiculous amount of cardio for a heavyweight fighter, and is arguably the most complete fighter in the division. He'll have to have a dominant win in his next fight to prove that he deserves this spot and earn a shot at Junior again to get his title back.

10. Anthony Pettis

       In what I feel may be my most controversial pick on the list, the lightweight division's most dynamic striker is someone that has a bright future ahead of him. Some may say it is too soon to even think of putting him here and that his competition doesn't add up. Here's how I look at it. First off, he beat the champ recently. Secondly, I think he would beat Frankie Edgar. He has worked on his wrestling enough to at least get back to his feet against an elite wrestler, a lesson he learned the hard way against Clay Guida. That Clay Guida fight was extremely close, and with a different strategy from his lesson learned, I believe he would win a rematch. And in a potential match with Frankie Edgar, I believe he would use his superior striking and beat him in convincing fashion. I'm confident in his next fight he will give more evidence that he is deserving of this spot much like he did to Joe Lauzon.

And there you have it. So please give me all the feedback you can. I would love to hear from you and maybe turn Vexed MMA into a thriving MMA community. Check back here often as I will be constantly updating the blog with my random rants, things I find funny or interesting, and maybe some in depth articles too and much more as we grow.

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