The Future of Fighting Blog

It was one of the most-watched fights in the history of mixed martial arts, and luckily for EliteXC and its major network television debut on CBS, it was also one hell of a fight. “Ruthless” Robbie Lawler (Pictures) stood toe-to-toe with Scott Smith (Pictures) in what was clearly the “Fight of the Night,” a perfect precursor to the somewhat deflating main event featuring the grossly overhyped Kevin “Kimbo Slice” Ferguson (Pictures).

The fight ended in a no-contest when an errant finger from EliteXC middleweight champion Lawler poked Smith in his eye in the third round. Since Smith was deemed unfit to continue by cageside physicians, the fight ended thanks to the accidental foul. The battle’s premature ending screamed for an immediate rematch.

Thankfully for fans of straight-up, back-and-forth action, Lawler and Smith will meet again this Saturday at EliteXC: Unfinished Business in Stockton, Calif. Hopefully, the MMA world will receive a decisive victor this time. Sherdog.com sent text messages, phone calls and e-mails to dozens of professional fighters and trainers to get their take on Lawler/Smith II. Forty pros got back with predictions and analysis in advance of the bout, which will anchor EliteXC’s second CBS telecast.

Mac Danzig (Pictures): Both guys are great fighters, but I think Lawler takes this one. Offensively, they are at the same level, but I don’t think Smith has the defense to deal with Lawler’s heavy combos.

Cung Le (Pictures): Robbie by TKO.

Dan Henderson (Pictures): Probably Lawler.

Rob Kimmons (Pictures): Lawler.

Troy Mandaloniz (Pictures): Definitely an exciting one. I say Lawler [by] TKO [in] round two.

Kit Cope (Pictures): Last time, I think Robbie spent an entire round game planning and letting Smith throw himself out, and that looked bad since it was the end of fight. I don’t think Robbie was ever out of the driver’s seat in that fight. I think Robbie will look to finish earlier this time and succeed.

Travis Wiuff (Pictures): I think Lawler takes this one by KO. First fight was very competitive, but I think it’s just a matter of time before Robbie lands the big shot.

Jorge Santiago (Pictures): Lawler by TKO, second round.

Luigi Fioravanti (Pictures): Lawler seems to be the better striker. He needs to work on getting inside and work the body more. Smith does have heavy hands, so Lawler needs good head movement.

Ron Frazier: I pick Robbie Lawler (Pictures) [by] second-round KO.

Zac George (Pictures): Lawler by decision in an exciting fight.

Kevin Randleman (Pictures): My pick is Lawler. You have to beat the champ decisively.

Gina Carano (Pictures): I’m going with Robbie, but it was a great fight last time, so … who knows? Anything can happen. [I’m] looking forward to it.

David Loiseau (Pictures): Lawler in the second or third round.

Rory Markham (Pictures): Lawler [by] KO [or] TKO in round two.

Erik Paulson (Pictures): If Robbie Lawler (Pictures) doesn’t take it easy and just say, ‘Yeah I got my belt back’ and just kept on training, I think he will win the fight. I think Smith was behind last time, but I think it will be another really close fight. I hope it’ll be another exciting match, but it would be exciting if we see Smith win.

Jaime Fletcher (Pictures): Lawler had Smith hurt early in the first fight but didn’t look to finish him. I think Lawler will take care of business this time.

Rich Clementi (Pictures): I think it’s going to be a tough fight, a fan favorite to say the least. I really like both of the guys’ style, but I have to say I think Robbie’s wrestling will nullify Scott’s wrestling. Close fight, but I’m with Robbie. I think he’s a little better at handling [the] pressure of being the main event.

Trevor Prangley (Pictures): Lawler over Smith [by] stoppage.

Travis Lutter (Pictures): Lawler.

Matt Lindland (Pictures): Lawler. He was destroying him the first time but nice to see a couple guys get another pay day when stuff like [the eye poke] happens.

Cole Miller (Pictures): I have to go with Robbie Lawler (Pictures). He was clearly the sharper, crisper boxer of the two in the first bout, and I think hands will be what make the difference. My pick is Lawler by superior boxing and punching.

Skipper Kelp: Lawler [by] KO in round two.

Nathan Marquardt (Pictures): I say Lawler by KO.

Mark Coleman (Pictures): Lawler.

Mike Whitehead (Pictures): Lawler. He’s in his head already.

James Fanshier (Pictures): I think Scott’s proven that he has the heart, the skills and the conditioning he needs to win this fight. He’s proven that in his last fight and previous fights, so I’m picking Scott in this one.

Andrei Arlovski (Pictures): Robbie.

Kevin Burns: I got Lawler winning by TKO or KO [in] round three, but it will be a great fight.

Eddy Millis (Pictures): Lawler by round-two KO.

Cub Swanson (Pictures): Should be an awesome fight, but I think Lawler will get the better of the exchanges.

Jorge Gurgel (Pictures): Lawler [by] KO.

Frank Shamrock (Pictures): Lawler by KO in three.

Cesar Gracie (Pictures): Lawler by TKO in the third.

Mark Selbee: Lawler will deliver a good, old-fashioned, corn-fed, farm boy beat down in the second.

Falaniko Vitale (Pictures): I think Lawler is going to finish Smith this time around.

Shawn Tompkins (Pictures): Lawler is just too experienced and has too many tools for Smith. Lawler will finish this fight in the second round.

Pete Sell (Pictures): Smith by KO [in] round four.

John Hackleman: Lawler.

Brodie Farber (Pictures): I have to go with Lawler.

The Final Tally
Pros Picks for Lawler: 36
Pros Picks for Smith: 2

UFC light heavyweight sensation Quinton “Rampage” Jackson (Pictures) was arrested Tuesday by Costa Mesa police officers following a high-speed pursuit through the Californian suburbs from Costa Mesa to Newport Beach. Jackson was arrested on Felony Evading, Reckless Driving and Hit-and-Run charges and was processed Tuesday afternoon at the Costa Mesa Jail with bail set at $25,000.

Jackson was observed weaving his gray and green Ford pick-up truck in and out of traffic on a flat front tire while talking on his cell phone, according to a release from the Costa Mesa police department. An officer on motorcycle attempted to pull Jackson over but the fighter continued driving south on 17th St and over a center divider at Cabrillo Ave. in what became a chase with local authorities around 1:30 p.m.

Authorities said Jackson drove through red lights and onto the sidewalk on multiple occasions, “causing pedestrians to flee in terror.” Jackson collided with a vehicle at the 17th St. intersection and continued driving on an exposed tire rim. The fighter was later linked to and charged for two other collisions on the southbound 55 freeway prior to the pursuit.

Sherdog.com has learned that Jackson was en route to training partner’s residence and gave himself up to authorities outside his final destination at 18th St. and Newport Blvd.

“It was reported to me by the arresting officers that Jackson was cooperative and respectful [at the time of arrest], but upset,” said Costa Mesa watch commander Lt. Paul Dondero.

A maestro with the sound byte, former Pride Fighting Championship star Jackson (27-8) has been one of the UFC’s richer acquisitions in recent years. The extroverted 30-year-old smashed promotion favorite Chuck Liddell (Pictures) at UFC 71 to garner the light heavyweight title in May 2007. Jackson defended the crown once before a dropping a hotly contested unanimous decision to Forrest Griffin (Pictures) at UFC 86 “Jackson vs. Griffin” in Las Vegas on July 5. Jackson and Griffin had previously traded verbal barbs as rival coaches on Spike TV’s “The Ultimate Fighter 7″ before meeting in the Octagon.

Photos released by TMZ.com show the former champion face down on the street outside the house during his arrest. It appears Jackson was directed to exit his truck at gunpoint.

Multiple attempts to reach Jackson’s manager, Juanito Ibarra, were unsuccessful.

I had originally intended to begin my weekly crybaby session by chiding the UFC for its folly in scheduling an emergency Fight Night block to combat Saturday’s Affliction pay-per-view offering. Hadn’t Zuffa brass, I thought, heard of a Digital Video Recorder-capable cable box, which has made these kinds of choices obsolete?

Joke’s on me. Despite my assumption that DVRs were as pervasive in U.S. households as litter boxes, an agency buying unit with the dubious handle of Magna Global USA reported to Media Weekly that only 25 percent of homes are equipped with the tech, which would ostensibly eliminate fight fans from having to choose between two pretty compelling events.

That leaves enterprising viewers to depend on either a two-tuner DVD recorder or — pause for a communal gasp at the Luddites — a VHS deck to watch one and record the other. Either way, we still find that the vast majority of eyes will likely pick one to watch and one to comb viral video sites for highlights of later on.

For those of you techno-phobes still rocking Walkmans instead of an iPod, or still harboring a collection of laserdiscs “just in case,” here’s a handy primer to the respective attributes of each broadcast. Consider it an event-wide weigh-in.

Pound-for-Pound Showdowns

Depending on whom you talk to, both Affliction and the UFC lay claim to promoting the best “pound-for-pound” fighter on the planet Saturday night. In the UFC’s case, it’s middleweight Anderson Silva, who has made some very credible opposition look very foolish. Affliction, meanwhile, is paying out the nose for Fedor Emelianenko (Pictures), a concrete-constitution Russian with few visible seams in his armor.

Silva has done more to validate his promotion’s boasts than Emelianenko, who hasn’t truly been threatened in the ring since a late 2006 fight with Mark Hunt (Pictures). But that’s where things get interesting: While there’s undeniable intrigue in Silva moving up to 205 pounds against a dangerous James Irvin (Pictures), he’s already stated he has no intention of vying for that division’s title, which slightly deflates the point of even moving up in the first place. Emelianenko, meanwhile, is in a very relevant battle against a very formidable opponent in Tim Sylvia (Pictures), who has proven time and again to be one of the biggest hurdles to clear in the heavyweight division.

There’s real drama in whether the former Pride champion can sustain his win streak against his most substantial challenge in three years. It means something. If Silva should happen to beat Irvin, it won’t be nearly as instrumental to the battle of legacies as what’s happening across the dial.

Advantage: Affliction

Heavyweight Attractions

IFL’s Ben Rothwell (Pictures) is slated to make a significant step up in competition against former UFC heavyweight champion — one of three on the card — Andrei Arlovski (Pictures) at Affliction, and Josh Barnett (Pictures) competes in a seemingly pointless rematch against a fading Pedro Rizzo (Pictures).

The UFC will have Cain Velasquez (Pictures) taking on Jake O’Brien in a fight that isn’t likely to have too many repercussions in the promotion’s stagnant heavyweight division.

I can take or leave Barnett-Rizzo — a return engagement long past its expiration date — but Rothwell-Arlovski could set up Emelianenko’s next move, a significant bit of momentum for a fledging promotion.

Advantage: Affliction

Controversial Participants

The UFC is granting a second chance to golden shower fetishist Jesse Taylor (Pictures), who probably did more to blemish the sport’s reputation in two urine-soaked segments than Goodridge-Herrera stuck in a loop. Affliction pairs penalized Renato “Babalu” Sobral — who held on a choke too long against David Heath (Pictures) — against Mike Whitehead (Pictures).

I can’t condone either man’s behavior, but random discharge of bodily fluids is a pretty hard public relations blunder to solve.

Advantage: Affliction

Ancillary Entertainment

After unfortunate experiments with elaborate ring entrances and WWE-style ramps, the UFC settled into a pleasantly mundane telecast that has more in common with conventional sports than overblown theatrics.

Affliction is slated to ignore the cardinal rule of fight promotion — no cross-pollinating of entertainment genres — by having irrelevant rock band Megadeth perform at some point during the show. Why presume MMA fans are going to appreciate heavy metal noise pollution? I don’t own a single Iron Maiden T-shirt, and don’t feel the least bit deprived.

Advantage: UFC

Hyperbolic Figureheads

Far be it from me to challenge Dana White’s ability to swerve press and influence mass opinion. His blunt-force media misdirection is an art unto itself. (The latest, and possibly best, clipping: that this UFC Fight Night was in no way a response to the Affliction card. Uh. Huh.)

Whatever how-to-deal-with-media tutorial he read up on, I’d venture it was authored by Donald Trump, master of the bombastic pull quote. Trump’s delivery is so smooth, so polished by his decades in front of microphones, that you walk away half-believing you need a case of Trump Ice Water. Better, he can do it without coming off like Andrew “Dice” Clay’s dialect coach.

Advantage: Affliction

Announcers

Disclaimer: Bruce Buffer is a swell guy. He’s done more for the UFC’s growth behind the scenes than most realize. A rock of support. Really.

But when it comes to the ability to induce goose bumps in his ring generalship, he can’t hold a megaphone to brother Michael, possessed of a voice so commanding — so attuned to the needs of spectacle — that it brings to mind unfortunate comparisons to Frank and Sly. I appreciate the UFC’s loyalty to Buffer Light, but Affliction scores big points by slotting in his well-piped sibling.

Advantage: Affliction

Curiosity compels me to award Affliction the nod for Must-See TV on Saturday, though obviously some fans will prefer the reasonable expense of the UFC (free) to the premium placed on the pay-per-view … though I would seriously question the brain capacity of those who feel it’s not worth $39.95 to see Emelianenko in a truly competitive fight. This is, after all, a world in which more than 400,000 people paid $44.95 for a Bisping-Evans headliner last November. Set a precedent like that and Affliction should be asking $79.95 for this card.

The UFC is — perhaps inadvertently — leaving one loophole for the undecided. The Fight Night event replays immediately at 12 midnight Eastern time, precisely when Affliction’s “Banned” attraction ends. How considerate.

For comments, e-mail jrossen@sherdog.com