UFC 129: Random Thoughts and Future Suggestions

Georges St-Pierre is an unstoppable force in the welterweight division. He has systematically dispatched every challenger to his belt with little problems. In the process of building his empire he gathered millions of fans but his once proud war wagon seems to be losing steam and passengers while he continues to defend his throne in dominating fashion. GSP may be the greatest welterweight to have ever put on the 4 ounce gloves but his dominance is starting to get a little boring to many MMA followers.

GSP once again proved to be head and shoulders above the nearest contender Saturday night against Jake Shields. Shields came in riding a win streak that dwarfed GSP’s not only in amount of victories but also in years held. It was thought that if Jake Shields pushed the pace and put St-Pierre on his back that we would finally see GSP put into a little trouble for the first time since 2007. Shields has done exactly that to men of a larger frame and wrestling pedigree than GSP. As a long time fan of GSP, this fight made me more nervous than any of his previous challengers. After one round, I realized that there was no need for worry.

Shields was quickly put on his heels with what has become GSP’s main source of offense in his lighting fast jab. Shields seemed hesitant from the start to go for the takedown in which many thought would be his only chance at winning the belt. When Shields did attempt to take down GSP he was ultimately unsuccessful. GSP countered Jake’s stiff standup attack with the aforementioned jab as well as an awkward Dan Henderson/Chuck Liddell like overhand right and spinning back kick. GSP was not in a hurry to take down Shields so the result was a one sided striking match for the first 2 rounds.

Sometime in the second round Shields did manage to injure GSP with an eye poke which quickly changed the direction of the fight. Jake Shield’s standup was still not good enough to beat up the one-eyed champion but it did seem to derail the dominance that GSP shown in the first 2 rounds. The following 3 rounds were a little more competitive but I still think GSP won 4 of the 5 rounds easily. The decision went to GSP but he did manage to lose a couple of rounds on the score cards for the first time since 2007.

GSP has been harshly criticized for his lack of finishing fights and this fight will obviously not calm the criticism. Shields has only been finished once in his career so I don’t know exactly what people were expecting, but I will admit that this was a somewhat boring fight. I will buy any ppv regardless of who is fighting on it because I’m a sucker for the sport but there is denying that GSP’s ppv numbers are likely to start declining seeing how many people have found his last 4 fights to be snorefests. Some people have blamed his fear of losing while others have placed blame on Greg Jackson’s training as the reason why GSP has become less exciting as his championship reign keeps on rolling. I don’t know who’s fault it is but it’s well known that there are few fights of interest left in the welterweight division for GSP.

Going into Saturday night, Jose Aldo was thought to be untouchable at his weight class. Mark Hominick was thought to be nothing but a small speed bump to most observers who was given the title shot because he was on a modest win streak, would provide an interesting style to showcase Aldo’s skill set, and to give the Canadian fans a home town fighter to root for. Jose Aldo may have won the fight but it was Mark Hominick that took home the respect and admiration of hordes of new fans.

Aldo started out the fight looking every bit the juggernaut that he was advertised to be. With pinpoint accuracy, Aldo landed a couple of quick combinations and devastating leg kicks. Aldo completed a few takedowns near the end of the round and scored some points with some elbows and forearms from inside Hominick’s guard. At the end of the of round 1, it seemed it was only a matter of time before Aldo ended the fight.

In the second round, Hominick seemed to start finding his range and landing some shots but Aldo still won the round by keeping the standup about even and also landing a few takedowns.

Going into the third round Aldo looked to be slowing down but he still managed to deliver the most power shots and almost finished the fight with a straight right followed by some brief ground and pound.

The fourth round saw Hominick catch an elbow to the forehead from his guard that caused the biggest hematoma I’ve ever seen in an MMA fight. It looked like Hominick’s head was growing another head. Mark was landing a decent amount of punches but Aldo was landing shots that were causing serious damage despite fighting at what seems to be half speed compared to normal.

The fifth round was all Hominick. Aldo looked completely exhausted and spent almost the entire round taking shots while keeping Hominick inside his guard. Aldo survived the round and won the decision but questions will surely arise about his conditioning and ability to get up from off his back. Hominick showed amazing heart and perseverance in a fight that will certainly be remembered for awhile.

Randy Couture ended is career in spectacular fashion but it wasn’t for anything that he did. Lyoto Machida landed a crane kick straight out of the Karate Kid movie to knock Couture’s front teeth out and end the legend’s career. The fight looked like a mismatch from the beginning with Machida dashing about the ring to avoid Randy’s attempts to tie Lyoto up in the clinch. Machida was landing crisp counter shots while Randy missed on most of his strikes. Couture is a legend in the sport but I question why he ever thought he had a chance of beating Machida at this point in his career.

Vladimir Matyushenko used his old man strength to knock Jason Brilz out in 20 seconds. I don’t know what this really says about either fighter but it certainly wasn’t expected.

Ben Henderson made his UFC debut by defeating Mark Bocek with a decisive decision. Nothing spectacular about this fight but still a solid debut for the exciting Henderson. Expect Henderson to make waves in the lightweight division and then preach the good word after his fights.

Nate Diaz should reconsider his move to welterweight after being manhandled in his second straight fight. At the same time, Rory Macdonald proved to be a solid contender with a huge upside at such a young age. If GSP ever decides to move up in weight, Macdonald could be the future in the division.

Jake Ellenberger is another solid contender at welterweight and showed why once again with a knockout over Sean Pierson. I’m hoping to see a step up in competition for the fighter that many have labeled Jon Fitch 2.0.

Fights That I Would Make:

Georges St-Pierre vs. Nick Diaz - This is the only fight that really makes sense for GSP at this point. With Zuffa owning Strikeforce and Dana not wanting Diaz to get his ass kicked by a professional boxer, this fight should happen sooner than later. Diaz would provide a good marketing angle considering most people aren’t going to be interested in GSP fighting the same guys again. Diaz would push the pace and force GSP to react which is something few guys do to him. The problem with this fight is Diaz has never been great at beating dominating wrestlers and no one is more dominating in that department than GSP. Diaz would most likely get the best of GSP while standing so I doubt GSP would wait very long to take him to the ground. Nick Diaz may be easy to take down but he is also very dangerous from his back and probably more so than any other fighter that GSP has fought up to this point. If nothing else we get to see Nick Diaz act like a mad man in the interviews leading up to the fight.

Jake Shields vs. Jon Fitch - This is basically a fight to see who would be UFC champion if GSP happened to be ate by a bear. Fitch probably has the better standup while Shields has the better bjj. Overall, I think this is a pretty even fight that needs to happen at some point.

Jose Aldo vs. Chad Mendes - Aldo showed a few holes in his game against Mark Hominick and I think Mendes has the skills to exploit them. If Aldo doesn’t work on his conditioning then this could be his last fight as champion. Mendes is a relentless wrestler who will look to put Aldo on his back and test his ability to get back up.

Mark Hominick vs. Kenny Florian - After his gutsy performance against Aldo, I don’t want to see Hominick take to far of a step back in competition. Florian and Hominick would surely provide fireworks in a standup war.

Lyoto Machida vs. Gegard Mousasi - I know Mousasi is a Strikeforce fighter but this would be one hell of a matchup. I think Lyoto could win on his feet but would probably end up taking Mousasi down seeing how Mousasi can’t seem to stop a takedown to save his life.

Randy Couture vs. No one - Randy will finally stick to retirement this time around. I’d like to see Couture join the commentary booth with Rogan and Goldberg. A rotation between the Natural, Pat Miletich, and Bas Rutten would be the best thing the UFC has done in a long time. This would allow Joe Rogan someone to talk to in between rounds that would actually be able to provide some insight. Randy would also be a great spokesperson for MMA in general. At the moment, the UFC has been using Chuck Liddell in that role but it’s painfully obvious that the Iceman may have punched in the head a little too often. Randy would be much better in that position.

Ben Henderson vs. George Sotiropoulos - Ben Henderson is said to be submission proof. G-Sot would be the perfect person to test this theory out. A win for Henderson would help propel him up the lightweight ladder. G-Sot may have lost his last fight but is still a very viable challenger for any lightweight fighter.

Nate Diaz vs. Evan Dunham - Nate Diaz needs to go back to fighting in the lightweight division. Evan Dunham would be an interesting welcome for the Ceasar Gracie brown belt.

Jake Ellenberger vs. Martin Kampmann - Kampmann would be a step up in competition for Ellenberger. A win over Kampmann may set Ellenberger up for a title eliminator fight in the future. The WW division is pretty short on challengers that haven’t already lost to the champion and this may actually benefit Ellenburger. Kampmann is coming off a competitive loss to Jake Shields and would probably be the favorite in this fight.

Rory Macdonald vs. Mike Pyle - Both fighters are just on the outside of the top 10. Mike Pyle is on an impressive 3 fight win streak and would provide another interesting challenge for the up and coming Macdonald.

Strikeforce: Diaz vs Daley - Random Thoughts and Future Suggestions

Nick Diaz is one of the most polarizing figures in Mixed Martial Arts. It seems like everyone either loves him or hates him. One thing that I know for sure about Nick Diaz is that he doesn’t give a shit what you think about him either way.

If it was up to Nick Diaz, he would be competing in triathlons instead of spending all of his time getting punched in the head. Unfortunately for Diaz, triathlons don’t attract millions of fans to yell at the tv and watch him bike, swim, and run.

Diaz has never been shy about the fact that he fights for the money, which could be not enough or too much depending on what time of the day you ask him. He thinks that he should be making the same money as GSP, Lesnar, and the other top draws in MMA. If you have ever watched him fight then you may even agree with him. His fights are certainly some of the most action packed, exciting fights that MMA has to offer.

The problem with Nick Diaz is that he refuses to play the game the way that an athlete needs to in order to make the money that they desire. Sure Brock Lesnar freaked out after his fight with Frank Mir but he was apologizing 20 minutes later after the adrenaline left his veins. Nick Diaz won’t apologize for shit. It’s this reason that I love his personality but it’s also what is costing him what could be millions of dollars.

Regardless of what you think of Nick Diaz, Saturday night proved once again that he is one of the best fighters in the world today. Some will point to his past in the UFC where he lost to Diego Sanchez, Joe Riggs, and Karo Parisyan as a way to devalue his recent accomplishments. I’ll agree that he isn’t facing top ten competition on a regular basis in Strikeforce but that doesn’t mean that what he has done isn’t still extremely impressive. Let us also not forget that Nick was still very young when fighting in the UFC and his stand up game wasn’t anywhere near what it is today. You can say what you want about his crackhead boxing style but you can’t say that it isn’t effective.

Most people thought that if Nick was to come into his fight with Paul Daley with the intentions of kick boxing him that he would be knocked out. Diaz didn’t give a shit about your opinion because thats how he rolls. He also happened to be right. From the opening bell Diaz was calling the hot-headed Brit everything he could think of to get under his skin and draw him into a brawl. His shit talking worked as Daley quickly abandoned his game plan in an attempt to shut Diaz up. Despite almost getting knocked out by one of Daley’s Tyson like hooks, Diaz out struck the striker to win with another exciting performance.

I think the fight should have been allowed to go to a second round but I’ll admit thats probably because of my own masochistic indulgences. Daley was on skates after taking a combination from Diaz and although he was never out, it took two guys to pull him up onto his stool after the fight was called. Diaz celebrated by rubbing it into Daley’s face and then gave one of the most paranoid, weird interviews ever after the fight.

Nick Diaz’s training partner, Gilbert Melendez, also successfully defended his lightweight belt Saturday night. In what was Gilbert’s most dominate, impressive victory to date, Melendez proved that he has what it takes to compete in the shark pool that is the UFC’s lightweight division. I don’t know exactly how long it will be before he gets that opportunity but that shouldn’t stop him from being considered at least top 3 in the division. I think he may have the best chance out of all the Strikeforce champions at beating the current UFC champion at his weight.

Gegard Mousasi was absolutely robbed in his fight with Keith Jardine. After 3 rounds of completely beating the piss out of Jardine, the judges declared it a draw. Even with the point taken away in the first round for an illegal upkick, Mousasi should have easily won that fight. Jardine is a warrior and gave it his all despite not having a sufficient training camp leading up to the fight due to taking the fight on short notice but there is no way that fight should have been declared a draw. Jardine did land a few takedowns but he never did anything with them. When the fight was standing it was all Mousasi. This fight is yet another example of why MMA needs a new judging standard.

The opening fight featured two men known for their hideous choice of pants but it will be remembered for one of its combatants coming in with the worst game plan ever. Everyone with a brain knows that you must keep the fight standing if you want to beat Shinya Aoki. Apparently, Lyle Beerbohm never got the memo. Quickly after taking down what is probably the lightweight divisions best submission fighter, Beerbohm was being choked to death by the popular Japanese fighter. Aoki didn’t really answer any questions with the win but it will garner him more opportunities in America while the Japanese fighting scene continues to die off.

Fights That I Would Make:

Nick Diaz vs Diego Sanchez - Strikeforce has little to offer Nick Diaz in the welterweight division. Tyron Woodley will probably get the next title shot and his wrestling will make it interesting seeing how Diaz hasn’t fought a talented wrestler in quite awhile but I think it’s too soon to give Woodley a title shot. Diego Sanchez is a marketable name that has already beaten Diaz once. Sanchez will probably never be able to work his way up to a title shot in the welterweight division and may not even fight GSP if he was given the chance since they both fight for Greg Jackson. The first fight was absolutely thrilling and I think the second fight would be great also but with different results. Diaz has seemed to improve much more over that time period and I would put money on him winning this fight.

Paul Daley vs Tyron Woodley - This could possibly kill two stones for Zuffa. Daley is still on their shit list and Woodley could probably out-wrestle Daley to give him his second loss in a row. This would be a good stylistic matchup for Woodley and could give him a nice career boost with a win over a name opponent. Daley would have a punchers chance at winning this fight but I would predict that it would go a lot like his fight with Koscheck. If Zuffa would like to continue working with Daley and maybe hype up a future rematch with Diaz on the premise of an early stoppage then they should give him Cyborg next in what would be a slugfest that would probably go in Daley’s favor.

Gegard Mousasi vs Ronaldo Souza - Mousasi should be fighting at middleweight where he beat Souza earlier in his career. Like a lot of european fighters, Mousasi doesn’t particularly care for dropping weight and is not fighting in the division that he would do best in. Gegard could still hold his own in a lot of light heavyweight fights but he will not be able to beat the high level wrestlers in that division on a regular basis. Souza would probably be motivated to revenge his loss and may have a chance with his improving standup.

Keith Jardine vs Tim Kennedy - Jardine deserves another shot after taking that fight on such short notice and surviving it. He also has recently made it known that he plans on dropping to middleweight for his next fight. Kennedy would be a great gauge as to whether Jardine still has enough in him at this point in his career to make another run.

Gilbert Melendez vs Jim Miller - Gilbert doesn’t have a legit challenger left in Strikeforce. Jim Miller has already lost to the top 2 guys in the UFC and is behind Pettis for the next shot at the belt. It would make sense to let Miller challenge for the Strikeforce belt in the mean time. The lightweight division is probably the deepest in the UFC thus probably will be the first division that we see castoff’s to challenge for Strikeforce gold. Miller would be Gilbert’s toughest challenge to date and would validate his future wish to unify the belts.

Shinya Aoki vs Josh Thompson - Both fighters would like another shot at Melendez so why not make them fight each other. Shinya Aoki still has a lot to prove to most American fans and a fight with Thompson could either make or break his chances at a rematch with Melendez. The Strikeforce lightweight division is pretty shallow so I don’t see another fight to make unless they decide to put one of the two against an up and comer.

UFC 128: Random Thoughts and Future Suggestions

My personality conflicts with that of Jon Jones.

He is a bible humper who finds a way to squeeze his love for Jesus into every interview.

I’m an atheist who finds that shit incredibly annoying.

Jon Jones stopped a lady from being mugged in a park only a few hours before the biggest fight of his life. He ran down the mugger and took him out with a leg kick from behind before putting him into a leg lock until the police arrived.

I would have just laughed about seeing a lady mugged and went on with my day.

He bragged about narcing out people smoking weed in college.

Almost every friend I have is high as giraffe pussy at this very moment and I could care less.

His interviews are somewhat boring and lined consistently with cliched cookie cutter answers that are about as entertaining as checking my dog’s shit for worms.

Everything I say is completely awesome and highly entertaining because I could give a shit about what anyone thinks about me.

He comes off extremely cocky while giving you the feeling that he thinks his shit smells like daisies and his piss could solve world hunger.

Ok, I guess we have that in common.

All of the above would suggest that I would absolutely despise Jones but that couldn’t be further from the truth. I want to hate this man but his ability in the octagon makes those ill feelings seemingly impossible.

Jones may be the best fighter on the planet right now. He made one of the greatest fighters of all time look like he’d be lucky to make it past the first round in a Bellator tournament. Shogun was supposed to be able to outclass Jones on their feet. Jones landed at will and didn’t take a significant shot from Shogun the whole fight. When the fight was on the ground, Jones landed serious shots from inside Shogun’s guard while completely stifling Shogun’s highly regarded BJJ.

I believe Jon Jones will dominate the light heavyweight division for at least the next year or so. The only people I could see giving him problems in the future are Lyoto Machida and Phil Davis. You never know who Machida’s style may confuse and frustrate. His ability to stay on the outside and dart in with punches may be a good stylistic matchup to deal with the freakish reach advantage Jon Jones has in almost any fight. Phil Davis may be able to put Jones on his back and hold him there after a few more years of development. I would still pick Jones in both of those fights as of right now.

Urijah Faber came to the UFC with high expectations and the full support of the UFC hype machine. Faber was the true star of the WEC and even garnered some mainstream attention by landing a commercial deal with Kenny Powers despite fighting in a lesser known organization. He recently dropped down to 135 pounds after the realization that he doesn’t stand a chance against Jose Aldo at 145 pounds. The UFC’s bantamweight division could really use a popular star to make the casual fan give a shit about the little guys. Urijah Faber is being counted on to be that star.

Eddie Wineland didn’t give a shit about any of that and spent the first round proving that he belongs in the UFC. Urijah Faber turned the fight around in the second by catching a kick and taking Wineland down. Eddie was treated to an all expense paid beat down for the next three and a half minutes. The third round saw Faber use his speed to land solid punches before landing a takedown later in the round to seal the decision victory. It may have not been the exciting debut that Faber was looking for but it probably set him up for title shot against Dominick Cruz.

Jim Miller absolutely dominated Kamal Shalorus. Shalorus apparently has forgotten that he is a world class wrestler and instead decides to pretend like he is Lennox Lewis every time he steps in the cage. Miller’s only two losses have come at the hands of Frankie Edgar and Gray Maynard. I don’t know if I would take Miller to beat either of those guys if they were to fight again but I do think he is the number 3 lightweight fighter in the UFC.

Nate Marquardt won his fight over Dan Miller but didn’t look as impressive as he should have in the process. It was widely thought that Nate was going to be on another level than Dan Miller and dominate the fight rather handily. That didn’t happen as the always gritty Miller put up a decent fight but still lost a unanimous decision on the scorecards.

Mirko Crocop fought and lost what will probably be his last fight. The UFC has cut him a day after his loss to rising prospect, Brendan Schaub. Crocop hurt his legacy by sticking around past his prime to get knocked out by mid level fighters. Legacy doesn’t pay the bills so I guess I can’t blame him. Schaub will move up in competition but I don’t like his chances against the top level of the heavyweight division.

Fights that I would make:

• Anderson Silva/Jon Jones - The recent comments made my GSP leads me to think that he really doesn’t want to move up to fight Anderson Silva. He seems to think that the size advantage may be to much to overcome. I think GSP stands a solid chance at beating Anderson Silva but I can’t blame the guy for not wanting to take a chance at ruining a dominate run by fighting in a weight class that he is too small for. Silva’s frame is much better suited to move up in weight and fight the best in the lhw division if he gets bored of beating up people in his middle weight division. From a business stand point, it makes more sense to have Silva fight Jon Jones. GSP is a proven ppv draw and fan favorite. If he was to lose to Silva it may hurt his popularity while at the same time not helping Silva out because he would have just beaten a fighter much smaller than him. Jon Jones has a chance to be the Michael Jordan of MMA and a win against Silva would allow the UFC to successfully market him as the greatest fighter in the world. They promote Silva as being that man at the moment but Anderson has never really became a fan favorite largely due to the fact that he doesn’t speak english. I think Jones wins a fight against Anderson Silva by exploiting his lack of wrestling. Sonnen showed us the blue print to beating Anderson Silva but didn’t have the ability to finish Silva. Jon Jones doesn’t have a problem with finishing people. Silva may present problems from his back with a very active guard in which he is pretty damn good at slapping on triangle chokes with his long legs. Jon Jones has long arms that he tends to extend quite often while throwing punches which may allow Anderson to grab wrist control and slap on the triangle but Jones also may be strong enough to power out of anything that Silva has to offer. I would give Silva the edge in almost any standup fight but Jones only has to stand with Silva if he wants to. As soon as Jon Jones wants a fight on the ground, it will be there.

• Urijah Faber vs. Dominick Cruz - This fight is already set up and it makes sense. Dominic is the current champion and his only loss comes at the hands of Urijah Faber. I would expect these two to be the next coaches of The Ultimate Fighter reality series to build up the hype for a rematch. Faber will probably be the favorite based off of his previous win over Cruz but that was four years ago. Cruz has improved immensely since that fight and I think the rematch will be very intriguing.

• Jim Miller vs. Gilbert Melendez - After the purchase of Strikeforce, Dana White mentioned that some fighters from the UFC could end up fighting in Strikeforce to fill out their divisions. With previous losses coming to the top fighters in the UFC’s lightweight division and with little competition for Melendez in Strikeforce’s lw roster, moving Jim Miller to Strikeforce would make perfect sense. This would be a great test for both fighters.

• Nate Marquardt vs. Michael Bisping - Dana White has recently ruled out a fight between Bisping and Sonnen because of Chael’s current legal situation. This leaves Bisping without an upcoming fight and Marquardt would seem to make perfect sense. It would be a step up to top ten competition for Bisping who seeks an eventual title shot. Nate has recently made it known that he dislikes Bisping so it would give the fight an angle to work with when it comes time to market the fight. I think Nate would win this fight and there are few things more enjoyable to me than watching Michael Bisping lose a fight.

• Brendan Schaub vs. the winner of Mir/Nelson - I think Schaub deserves a step up in competition but I also think that he loses to either one of these fighters.

• Shogun vs. Forrest Griffin - A lot of people said that Shogun would have won his fight against Griffin if he would have came into the fight healthy. A rematch would make sense for both of them at the moment. I expect to see Rampage get the next title shot after the Jon Jones/Rashad Evans fight if he can beat Matt Hamill in the meantime. Shogun took a hell of a beating and is going to have to impress people in his next few fights if he expects to ever get a second shot at Jones. Another option for Shogun is to move down to middleweight if it’s a possibility and challenge Silva for the belt.

Zuffa LLC: The Expansion of an Empire.

History was made yesterday when Zuffa LLC, the parent company to the UFC, bought out their biggest competitor in Strikeforce. This buyout puts practically all the world’s greatest fighters in the same organization. MMA is the world’s fastest growing sport and the UFC is now unquestionably the NFL of mixed martial arts.

Dana White, the president of the UFC and owner of 9% of the Zuffa empire, has went on record to say that the two organizations will continue to operate as two separate entities for the time being. Zuffa has past experience running two different MMA leagues at once when they bought out WEC a few years back. Eventually Zuffa folded the WEC and brought their fighters into the UFC and I would expect the same future outcome for Strikeforce once their current contracts run out. There is simply no point in continuing on with two organizations when Zuffa could bring in greater profits by holding all events under the popular UFC banner.

Many hardcore fans and Dana White haters are belly aching over this whole ordeal and arguing that this will be bad for MMA in the long run. Others, such as myself, see this as a good thing because it will lead to all the sharks being in the same tank. The truth probably lie in the middle somewhere in that there are definably pros and cons to this deal.

Competition breeds better pay days for many fighters. Look at Dan Henderson for example. Hendo is one of the greatest fighters of all time and was on a winning streak in the UFC when his contract ran out. The UFC and Henderson didn’t agree on what he should be paid so he left the UFC and signed a better contract with Strikeforce. His Strikeforce contract is up after his next fight though. This means that Henderson will be forced to either take what Zuffa wants to pay him or move on to another MMA league in which the options are very slim if he is looking to get paid. Henderson may have earned himself a little negotiating room with his recent win for the Strikefore light heavyweight belt but he also ruffled Dana White’s ass hairs when deciding to leave the UFC.

Dana White said in an interview yesterday that business will go on as usual with both organizations and that Strikeforce would still be ran by Scott Coker. I imagine this may be true when it comes to certain things but Scott Coker is now working with Zuffa’s money when it comes to renegotiating contracts so I have a hard time seeing Dana having to no say when the contracts are on the table.

Dan Henderson is such a well known commodity to the MMA world that it would be hard to imagine Dana not coming to an agreement to keep him around. Fighters such as Paul Daley and Josh Barnett will probably not reap the same rewards though. Fighters who have ongoing feuds with Dana White will probably not get their contracts renewed once their current contracts come to an end. I understand both sides of the argument but as a fan, I wish that personal conflicts wouldn’t influence professional decisions and that we could see the best fight the best regardless of their personalities outside the cage.

Most fans could care less what fighters are making and are more worried about seeing quality fight cards. The purchase of Strikeforce could lead way to seeing the fights that hardcore fans have clamored to be put on for awhile now. Diaz vs GSP anyone? How about Cain vs Overreem? Jacare vs Maia? Melendez vs Edgar? The possibilities are mind blowing for a true MMA fan.

As of right now, Dana White says those fights are off the table and that the organizations will continue to run as separate entities. Again, I don’t think this edict will last for too long. Dana White has always said that boxing failed because it didn’t give the fans the fights that they want to see. How can Dana keep a straight face as he claims that he basically plans on doing the same thing that he has deemed disastrous for boxing? Zuffa has become who they are by doing what is best for their own pockets and nothing will line their pockets quite like super fights between the two organization’s champions. There is too much money being left on the table for them to continue sticking to this initial flawed way of thinking. As soon as the Showtime contract ends we will get to see the dream fights that we are waiting for. In the mean time, I’d expect Zuffa to use their superior promotional power to build up the Strikeforce champions and challengers so by the time they make it to the UFC every fan will be sitting knee deep in their own slobber and anticipation waiting for the unification bouts to take place.

The purchase of Strikeforce also has a big impact on the amount of fight cards one could expect to see put on in the future. It is not inconceivable to imagine a fight card happening every week in the future. Zuffa has always had goals of making MMA the biggest worldwide sport and expanding into other markets is more realistic now that the UFC has increased the amount of fighters on its payroll. A major television network will eventually give Zuffa the contract and control over their own product that they are seeking thus putting the best MMA organization on network television on a regular basis.

Not many fans can afford 3 or 4 pay per views per month and Zuffa isn’t stupid enough to even float that idea. They know that they will eventually need the help of a major network to make this sport completely mainstream but they seem to be in no rush to do so at the moment. They are smartly holding out to receive an offer that will give them the complete control of their product. The last thing Dana White and company want is CBS forcing such atrocities as Gus Johnson on their broadcasts. Spike TV and Versus are a good start but they don’t reach the same number of household as NBC, CBS, Fox, or ABC so in my opinion its only a matter of time before the UFC calls one of those stations home.

This is an exciting time for fight fans so instead of dwelling on the things that could go wrong with this deal, let’s stay optimistic about what this means to our favorite sport. Zuffa has been responsible for making MMA what it is today and will hopefully continue to pave the road for success for MMA as a whole. No other organization has invested the time and money into making this sport as mainstream as possible as Zuffa has. Its time to stop worrying about the politics and business of MMA and concentrate on what is the most important aspect of MMA which is the fights themselves. Let’s get it on!

UFC 127: Random Thoughts and Future Suggestions

Australia may be my favorite host city to watch a UFC take place in. The crowd is intense and you can practically feel the energy through the TV. The UFC tends to fill overseas cards up with mostly European and Australian fighters. Sometimes the cards lack star power and are almost considered afterthoughts to a lot of mainstream casual US fans. When I saw that Fitch would headline and Bisping would co-headline, I have to admit I wasn’t that excited for UFC 127. I’m not a big fan of either fighter and unfortunately I also figured both of them would win. I was right to pick both fighters to win but I was wrong about the overall entertainment value of this event. It ended up being a pretty damn good card.

The BJ/Fitch fight started out with Penn out-Fitching Fitch. This was the last thing that Fitch thought was going to happen and I think it surprised him so much that it actually worked. BJ even secured a takedown and worked his way into a backmount but to no avail as Fitch reversed position and worked a little ground and pound towards the end of the round. I had Penn winning this round easily. 10-9 Penn

Round 2 was a much more even round as each had their moments. I thought the most impressive strikes of the round were Penn’s short elbows that busted Fitch’s nose open. The grappling was pretty much even with both securing a take down but neither of them getting that much done afterwards. I gave round 2 to Penn but I wouldn’t have argued to much with anyone that gave the round to Fitch. 10-9 Penn

The third round Jon Fitch remembered that he was Jon Fitch and did what Jon Fitch usually does. He took Penn down early in the round and beat him up for 5 minutes. Fitch never gave Bj a chance to do anything but get punched in the face. As a Penn fan it was sort of depressing and hard to watch. I gave Fitch this round by utter domination. 10 - 8 Fitch

The judges agreed with me and the decision was a majority draw. If this fight was judged as a whole instead of round by round then Fitch would have won. The last round was so dominate that I’m pretty sure even Bj would admit that although the match resulted in a tie, he lost the fight. Considering I would usually rather watch flies fuck that watch a Jon Fitch fight, I thought this ended up being a hell of a war.

Michael Bisping and Jorge Rivera hated each before their fight and I’m pretty sure nothing has changed afterwards. Bisping used his wrestling to score points in the first round as the stand up was basically a wash. Rivera landed one good shot in the first but for the most part it was all Bisping including a vicious illegal knee that will be used as an excuse for Rivera’s loss. Although it was clearly illegal and I’m sure it hurt like a motherfucker, Rivera agreed to continue the fight when he didn’t have to. I’ve never been kneed in the face by a professional fighter so I will reserve judgement as to if it effected him later in the fight but Rivera should have called the fight if he thought it would impair his ability. Bisping survived a scare early in the second round and responded by beating the shit out of Rivera until the ref stopped it. The always classy Bisping celebrated by spitting on Rivera’s corner men and talking some shit to Rivera himself.

George Sotiropoulos may have been heavily favored and supported by his home country but it became painfully obvious early that he was fucked if he couldn’t get his fight with Denis Siver to the ground. Siver must have spent the last few months doing nothing but practicing his take down defense and it paid off with one of the biggest wins of his career. G-Sot has improved his standup greatly in the last few years but its still not at the level of Siver who won this fight rather handily. MMA is a game of matchups and I still think Sotiropoulus could possibly beat either Maynard or Edgar but that won’t matter for awhile because he won’t have that chance. Siver and his improved take down defense is a nightmare for fighters such as G-Sot who lack wrestling and rely heavily on their bjj skills to win fights.

Ebersole surprised everyone but himself and looked like he was having fun as he beat Chris Lytle. I don’t know how Lytle even survived after a savage knee in the second round sent him falling to the canvas. Eversole clearly won rounds 2 and 3 in an exciting fight.

Kyle Noke won the most impressive victory ever by a fighter coming out to a Men at Work song. He deserves a step up in competition after winning 5 in a row and 9 of the last 10.

Chris Tuchscherer reminds me of a fat Rick Flair and he did his best nature boy impersonation by bleeding all over the place. The uppercut knockout by Mark Hunt was a thing of beauty as he walked away immediately after landing the shot. The best line of the night was heard during this fight. Tuchscherer told the ref, “theres something hanging in front of my eye.” The ref responds, “that’s your eyelid.”

Fights that I would make:

• GSP is going to beat Jake Shields and probably vacate his belt to move up and challenge Silva at middleweight. GSP has said all along that once he moves up that he plans on staying at that weight regardless of the results of that fight. That means that the welterweight belt will need a new home so why not stage a tournament to decide who the next champion will be. Since both Fitch and Penn were promised a title fight with a win and neither of them won then why not let them both have first round byes in a 6 man tournament. I would match up Josh Koscheck and Carlos Condit with the winner taking on BJ Penn. I would then match up Jake Ellenberg and Thiago Alves with the winner taking on Jon Fitch. Everyone loves a good tournament and I think this would be a great way to hype up the eventual champion.
  
  
• Michael Bisping vs. Chael Sonnen - This would be a great first fight back for Sonnen and it would have an epic shit talking buildup. Put this fight in England and watch Sonnen receive the loudest negative reaction of all time. I think promising the winner a title shot after Okami would kill two birds with one stone. It would set up an eventual Silva/Sonnen rematch as well as remind Bisping that he isn’t a top 5 fighter.
  
  
• George Sotiropoulus vs. Donald Cerrone - I think this fight would tell us a lot about each fighter. Cerrone probably has better standup but wouldn’t be as hard for G-Sot to get to the ground as Siver was. Both fighters have very exciting ground games once it hits the floor.
  
  
• Denis Siver vs. Melvin Guillard - Siver deserves a step up in competition after his win over G-Sot and a Guillard fight would be dynamite. Under the guidance of Greg Jackson, Melvin could decide to fight smart and take Siver to the ground but chances are that he'd want to stand and bang.
  
  
• Mark Hunt vs Pat Barry - Pat Barry isn’t going to win a title anytime soon so why not put him in fights that fans would love to watch. This would be one hell of a kick boxing fight with 4 oz gloves.
  
  
• Chris Lytle vs. Dan Hardy - Both fighters will be hungry coming off a loss and would be looking to bring it.
  
  
• Brian Ebersole vs Brian Foster - In a battle of the Brians we will find out which Brian will continue to climb the ranks.

Charlie Sheen: The Happenings of a Gnarly Gnarlington

Hollywood is full of pretty boys who all talk, act, and try to play the same game. They hide behind a blanket of bullshit with cookie cutter answers to the same boring questions that 99 percent of reporters throw at them. Their agents and publicists work tirelessly around the clock to protect their star’s image so that the money will keep rolling in. Every so often the truth peaks out from behind the curtain and the public is horrified at the real person that has been hiding behind the facade. The public’s simple minds can’t believe that Mel Gibson is actually a jew hating misogynist and Lindsey Lohan is a lesbian coke whore. The careers of such stars are shattered before they even have the time to come up with a half assed excuse. The majority of famous people would curl up and disappear until the shit storm passes in hopes of reviving their careers somewhere down the line. Most stars would do almost anything to avoid the public knowing who they really are but every so often you find a man that doesn’t give a shit. Every so often you will come across a man who is so comfortable with their own awesomeness that they have no problem telling the whole world to lick their taint. Cincinnati Red's fan, Charlie Sheen, is that man.

Charlie Sheen may just be my hero. Here is a man who is worth more money than most third world countries and yet still goes balls to the wall every night of his life despite the fact that he makes most of his money on a family sitcom. Charlie Sheen doesn’t give a fuck about your family. You know what he cares about? Crack and whores. Lets take a look at a time line of his badass behavior:

1990 – Charlie Sheen checks himself into rehab for the first time. Later that year, Charlie broke up with then fiance, Kelly Preston, after accidentally shooting her in the arm.

1995 – Sheen testifies at Hollywood madam Heidi Fleiss’ trial that he’s spent more than $50,000 on at least 27 different call girls. He admits that he has a penchant for hookers dressing up like cheerleaders.

1996 – Sheen was charged with attacking a girlfriend, pleaded no contest and was put on two-years probation.

1998 - His father, actor Martin Sheen, turned him in for violating parole after an alleged cocaine overdose sent him to the hospital. He was then ordered to undergo rehab. In related news, Martin Sheen turns out to be a pussy

2006 - Sheen splits from Denise Richards after 4 years of marriage. Richards files for divorce and claims that Sheen physically and verbally abused her and threatened to kill her. She files a restraining order against him after the divorce.

December 25, 2009 - Sheen threatened to kill his wife, Brooke Mueller, with a knife after she wanted a divorce in Aspen, Colo. After being arrested for the altercation, he told police he didn’t threaten to kill her, but was upset by the divorce threat. How can you really blame the guy?

August 2010 - Sheen pleads guilty in Aspen, Colo., to misdemeanor third-degree assault. He was sentenced to 30 days in rehab, 30 days of probation and 36 hours of anger management.

May 18 – After taking a short leave of absence from Two and a Half Men, things started looking up when Sheen signed an agreement for a two-year extension on Two and a Half Men, earning $1.25 mil per episode. Do you know how many hookers you can get with 1.25 million dollars a week? Charlie’s dick spends the next couple months celebrating

Oct. 26, 2010 – Despite being on vacation with his family, and ex-wife Denise Richards, Sheen reportedly attended a wild dinner with porn stars. Later, Sheen was removed from his Plaza Hotel suite in New York City around 2 a.m., after causing a disturbance when he allegedly lost a valuable watch. There was $7,000 of damage to the room, and a porn star keeping Sheen company reportedly locked herself in the bathroom. When the police arrive, Sheen is running around the hotel room naked yelling the word “nigger.” Sheen’s publicist tells reporters that he had an adverse reaction to medication. Apparently Charlie was prescribed cocaine and hookers to treat a sinus infection.

Jan. 14, 2011 – Sheen has a bender in Las Vegas, complete with a wild weekend reportedly spent with porn stars Bree Olsen, Bombshell McGee and Lindsay Sinai in his penthouse suite. After CBS failed to be able to reach him for his Two and a Half Men call time, he finally returned to his show late in the morning via private jet from Vegas. Anyone who follows Bree Olsen’s twitter feed knows that Charlie made a good decision this time around.

Jan. 27, 2011 - After spending the weekend partying and being generally badass, Charlie admits himself in the hospital for tummy aches.

Feb. 24, 2011 - Charlie goes on fellow nut job, Alex Jones’, radio show and gives us the privilege of hearing one of the greatest rants of all time which includes talking shit about everyone from the producer of his hit tv show to Thomas Jefferson.

As you can see, Charlie has been a very busy man the last 20 years. After the July 27th incident, one of Charlie’s sluts, Kasey Jordan, decided to be a yappy cunt and tell Howard Stern of Sheen’s master plan. Charlie is in the process of building the Noah’s Arc of porn palaces. He wants a black, blonde, brunette, asian, indian, etc. He has offered each one of them a Bentley, as well as, anything else their heart desires in order to stay at his house and fuck him whenever he has an inkling for pussy. As he explains his master plan to Kasey, she claims that he free bases a chunk of cocaine every 5 minutes or so. It turns out that smoking massive amounts of cocaine on a daily basis made Charlie look like this:

Kasey also claims in her interview that Charlie has the biggest porn collection that she has ever seen. Thats pretty impressive coming from a porn star. She said that they sat in his home theatre and watched porn together while he critiqued such things as camera angles. When Kasey started to fall asleep from the massive amounts of alcohol that was being consumed, Charlie romantically blew smoke in her face from his crack pipe. After some sloppy sex and a nice long shower, Kacey was out the door with a 30 thousand dollar check for her time.

Now that the true debauchery of Charlie’s life was made completely public, Sheen checked into rehab for a whole day. If that isn’t an honest commitment to sobriety then I don’t know what is. Now that Charlie was supposedly clean and sober, Two and a Half Men was scheduled to start taping again next week. That was before he made what could be the coolest phone call into a radio station of all time.

Yesterday, Charlie made a phone call to his friend and conspiracy theorist/radio host, Alex Jones. Not only did we learn that Charlie hangs out with fellow 1980’s mullet enthusiast, Lenny “Nails” Dykstra, but we also found out what Charlie thinks about various subjects.

To start off the interview, Charlie did his best to let the world know just how fucking sweet he is:

"I think it was Nails that said, and I was really flattered that he got it right, he might be Nails, but I'm bayonets. I'm battle tested bayonets... I'm so tired of pretending like my life isn't just perfect and just winning every second, and I'm not just perfect and bitching and just delivering the goods at every frickin' turn. Look what I'm dealing with, man. I'm dealing with fools and trolls. I'm dealing with soft targets, and it's just strafing runs in my underwear before my first cup of coffee … they lay down with their ugly wives and their ugly children and just look at their loser lives and then they look at me and say, 'I can't process it.' Well, no, and you never will! Stop trying! Just sit back and enjoy the show."

I tend to agree with everything that he had to say so far. He does seem to deliver the goods and I do enjoy sitting back and watching the show. Not his sitcom but his fucked up life.

Charlie then waxes poetically about his bitches:

"Let me say this about the Goddesses, I don't think the term is good enough, but when you're bound by these terrestrial descriptions, you must use the best term available. So if you think about it dude, I'm 0-for-3 in marriage, but like in baseball, the scoreboard doesn't lie. Never has. So what we all have is a marriage of the hearts. And to sully, contaminate, or radically disrespect this unit with a shameful contract is something I'll leave to the amateurs and bible grippers."

Again, he has a point. He obviously wasn’t that good at marriage so why not just fuck anything that accepts a check.

So how is sobriety going for you Charlie?

"I have cleansed myself. I closed my eyes and in a nanosecond, I cured myself... It's the work of sissies. The only thing I'm addicted to is winning. This bootleg cult, arrogantly referred to as Alcoholics Anonymous, reports a 5 percent success rate. My success rate is 100 percent. Do the math … another one of their mottoes is 'Don't be special, be one of us.' Newsflash: I am special, and I will never be one of you! I have a disease? Bullshit! I cured it with my brain, with my mind. I cured it, I'm done … you don't look like you're having a lot of fun. I'm gonna hang out with these two smoking hotties and fly privately around the world. It might be lonely up here but I sure like the view, Alex!"

Now thats how you own it bitches! AA is for pussies. Charlie isn’t a pussy and he won’t take your shit.

"I'm sorry, man, but I've got magic. I've got poetry in my fingertips. Most of the time — and this includes naps — I'm an F-18, bro. And I will destroy you in the air. I will deploy my ordinance to the ground."

Did you hear that? He will destroy you in the air. He will deploy his ordinance to the ground. Smoking cocaine must be fucking awesome!

He then rambled on about vatican assassins and working for the pope to kill people. I won’t even try to figure out what he is talking about there but I’m sure its very important and over your head. He also finds time to call the creator of Two and a Half Men, Chuck Lorre, a turd and tell us how he embarrassed Lorre in front of his children by healing himself at a pace that Lorre’s unevolved mind couldn’t process. He later gets offended when Alex Jones compares him to Thomas Jefferson and informs us that Jefferson was a pussy and that he dares anyone to debate him. I don’t know about you, but I don’t plan on debating Sheen anytime soon.

Later last night after CBS decided to shut down the taping of Charlie’s hit sitcom, Sheen released a letter to TMZ that reads:

What does this say about Haim Levine [Chuck Lorre] after he tried to use his words to judge and attempt to degrade me. I gracefully ignored this folly for 177 shows ... I fire back once and this contaminated little maggot can't handle my power and can't handle the truth. I wish him nothing but pain in his silly travels especially if they wind up in my octagon. Clearly I have defeated this earthworm with my words -- imagine what I would have done with my fire breathing fists. I urge all my beautiful and loyal fans who embraced this show for almost a decade to walk with me side-by-side as we march up the steps of justice to right this unconscionable wrong.
 
Remember these are my people ... not yours...we will continue on together...
 
Charlie Sheen

Please explain to me how Charlie Sheen isn’t the best thing to happen to Hollywood since...well....ever. You can’t. Charlie Sheen is the fucking man. He shouldn’t even go by the name Charlie Sheen anymore. I think he should go back to his original last name and be called Chucky Estevez. Now lets just hope that Chucky Estevez survives long enough to deliver us what is destined to be a cinematic classic in Hot Shots 3. Long live Chucky Estevez!

The Cincinnati Bengals: An Offseason to Forget and a Future to Consider

The Cincinnati Bengal’s 2011 offseason has gone exactly how a long time Bengals fan should expect their favorite team’s offseason to go. They kept a coach that would have been fired years ago in most cities. The franchise quarterback has threatened retirement if he isn’t traded. Their star receiver has challenged the coach to a cagefight. Despite their poor season, Mike Brown is threatening to sue a city that is already burdened with a large budget deficit if they don’t give him money to do such important stadium updates as put new carpet in the grounds crew office and replacing the draft beer system. If there is one thing that the Bengals are great at it is the ability to make their fans question their own rationale and intelligence for sticking with a team that continues to shit all over their hope and expectations year after year. With that being said, I can’t wait until next season!

I am the hopeful wife and the Bengals are my abusive husband. I am the friendly fat kid and the Bengals are that girl that fucks all my friends and never gives me a chance. I am the sexually pent up office manager and the Bengals are the dominatrix who I pay to shit on my face once a week just to feel alive. They could sign Screech to be the quarterback next year and I’d still probably pay 30 bucks to freeze my balls off and get drunk in a parking lot before paying another 70 dollars to go inside and stuff my face with 6 dollar hotdogs while pretending that Cincinnati actually has a professional football team. In other words, I may be slightly mentally retarded.

Now that I got the well deserved bitterness and pessimism out of the way, lets take a look at what the Bengals have going into next season and what I would do to improve their chances if given the power to do so.

Coaches:

I wouldn’t have gave Marvin Lewis a new contract. His game management decisions are borderline humorous, he seems to lack the ability to install discipline, and his media relations skills are nonexistent. This team could have really used a coach that wouldn’t take shit from the players but could also win back the fans with an encouraging attitude.

Getting rid of Bob Bratkowski was probably the only good thing the Bengals have done this offseason but they even handled that like an epileptic surgeon. They waited until all the top choices were gone and then decided to make a move even though it would have made sense to have the new coach installed before the Senior Bowl so he could have recruited players to fit into his offense. That would have been a good decision but we all know that Mike Brown avoids good decisions as much as I avoid anal rape.

Its hard for me to really evaluate Jay Gruden so I’ll give him a break until he actually calls an NFL game. We know he has the DNA to be a good coach but so did Dave Shula. Lets just hope he isn’t the Fredo of the family. I’ve heard that he plans on running a west coast offense which could be exciting but I don’t know if it will work in the NFC North.

Quarterback:

I’m not really sold on any of the QBs coming out in the draft this year. If Andrew Luck would have declared eligible for the draft then I would have had no problem letting Palmer go. I think the Bengals are stuck with Palmer for at least one more year but they better grab a backup quarterback in free agency just in case he actually retires. Seneca Wallace and Matt Hassleback would both be serviceable backups in case of emergencies. Don’t expect either to guide us to a playoff birth but either of them would be a serious upgrade from what we have now. I would also take a look at Kevin Kolb or Kyle Orton if a reasonable trade is available.

Running Back:

Cedric Benson gave the Bengals two good years and I think its time to say goodbye. I would take a shot at La’Ron McClain or Ricky Williams. Both are hard nosed runners who would pair well with Bernard Scott and cost a lot less money than Benson. Brian Leonard should be brought back after his miracle third and forth down efforts. I would also take a look at running back anywhere after the first round if there is good value when the Bengals pick comes up.

Wide Receiver/Tight End:

Goodbye Chad Johnson. The Bengals have managed to mess up damn near everything this offseason but if Chad is still your number one receiver when the season starts then that will be their biggest mistake. His mouth is getting bigger while his skills are starting to diminish. Caldwell and Simpson were very impressive at the end of the season when they were given their chance and I think they deserve more looks next season. Jordan Shipley looks like he will be a dependable third down/possession receiver for years to come. I would use the first round pick to take AJ Green. I think if Chad is gone and Carson has Green as a replacement that he will reconsider his retirement thoughts. I also think that Carson will be a much better quarterback without the TOcho show going on in the huddle between plays. I think we finally found our tight end in Jermaine Gresham. I’d like to see a little more out of Chase Coffman in what could be his last season as a Bengal if he doesn’t show something.

Offensive Line:

The Bengals line is a serious weakness. With the exception of Whitworth, I’d look to upgrade any position if the opportunity presents itself. This will be a make or break season for Andre Smith and I’m not to hopeful as far as that goes. I like Bobby Williams but he is getting old and this is probably his last year as a Bengal. I would use almost every round after the first to help build the line as well as take a serious look at available free agents. If you’re going to spend big money in free agency, the offensive line is a good place to start.

Defensive Line:

I’m pretty excited to watch the defensive line next year. Michael Johnson and Carlos Dunlap are my starting ends going into next year. Geathers becomes an overpaid backup. Peko holds down one of the defensive tackle positions with Simms and Atkins rotating at the other tackle position. I’m confident with this starting lineup and expect to see the sack numbers increase this year.

Linebackers:

Rey Maualuga would be my starting middle lineback next season. I think he improves the defense by playing his natural position. I like Dhani Jones and wouldn’t be opposed to bringing him back if he is available at the right price and is willing to be demoted to second string. Keith Rivers will keep his job even though I don’t think he will ever live up to expectations but the Bengals don’t really have much of a choice at the moment. Brandon Johnson should be brought back to play the other OLB position. I would take a look at Rocky McIntosh in free agency if the price is right.

Cornerbacks:

The Bengals need to do everything possible to bring back Jonathan Joseph. The Bengals have a good trio of cornerbacks with Joseph, Leon Hall, and Pacman Jones but the depth thins out pretty quickly after that. I’ll just cross my fingers and hope they sign Joseph and everyone stays healthy.

Safeties:

This may be the Bengals weakest position. Unfortunately there isn’t a top 5 safety in this year’s draft so the they will have to scramble to upgrade this position. Reggie Nelson was fun to watch but I don’t think he is a starter. Roy Williams is old and never healthy. Ndukewe probably shouldn’t be a starter in this league either but the Bengals may just bring him back because he is familiar with the defense. I would scour free agency and the draft for possible starters. I would consider trading down if possible in the first round for more picks if AJ Green isn’t available at 4.

Punter/Kicker:

I’m am comfortable with Kevin Huber as my punter for years to come. Cincinnati needs to find a consistent field goal kicker going into next season but there is no reason to break the bank in free agency on a kicker. If Mike Nugent can return from his knee surgery then the Bengals should be set.

Obviously, the Cincinnati Bengals have plenty of holes to fill and its not reasonable to expect them to fill all of their holes over the course of one off-season. They will have a relatively easy schedule next season so don’t be surprised to see them to have a substantially better record in 2011. Unfortunately Mike Brown is still the owner of this team, so with good reason, the pessimism will remain strong in Bengal’s country.