Big Frigger MMA

Ideally, something like Frank Shamrock's Shootbox platform where it's just a big ass giant mat. However, the reality of things is that we can't just have our prizefighters competing on some infinite, ever-expanding mat surface. So, I'll take a huge ass cage. Round, octagonal, dodecagonal, triacontagonal, I really don't care. The ring and cage will always have their drawbacks, but I don't know if there's anything more enraging than watching a fighter try to finish a prone foe, and have the guy laying on a ring apron, avoiding his punches, and then take a timeout to reposition them. Repositioning in itself is idiotic, so the cage allows for a more flowing and synthetic fight in that way.

I don't really root for fighters, just not the way I am. I find it hard to understand how someone can throw their livelihood behind whether Vitor Belfort wins or loses. All that said... Danny Lafever.

Pound-for-pound, MMA I think is in a weird area. The most naturally talented fighters I've ever seen in this sport are KID Yamamoto and BJ Penn, but I wouldn't hold either as a great pound-for-pound fighter right now because they haven't done a ton with that talent. Hopefully that changes. For now, I'd regard Anderson Silva and Quinton Jackson at the top of the heap for pound-for-pounders, really the only two guys who are kicking ass, taking names and cleaning out their division, which is the truest measuring stick of pound-for-pound greatness.

All time? Tough to say. MMA really didn't hit the modern era till around 1999 or 2000 or so, and anyone before that was more of a pioneering spirit than a truly accomplished great fighter. Because guys before that didn't exactly have well-developed competition to fight, it's a hard question to assess. I think there are far fewer guys who have had sustained, successful careers against top competition. If I had to single out a few guys, Fedor Emelianenko, Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, Chuck Liddell, Wanderlei Silva, Anderson Silva, Matt Hughes, Takanori Gomi and Hayato Sakurai. But there are a ton of guys who have the potential to join that list, from Rampage to GSP to Penn to even Henderson if he grabs a few big ones in the near future.

The unified rules are pretty damn good, but the obvious glaring weakness is the lack of knees to the head on the ground. I don't think I need to explain myself, everybody knows they belong in the sport.

I know a lot of people hate elbows. And you know what? I hate people who hate elbows. Seriously. People always cry about elbows causing cuts, probably because their favorite fighter laid flat on his back and got his face axed open. If you actually look at how many times an elbow strike has created an unceremonious, and undesirable end to an otherwise good fight, it's virtually non-existant. In 2008, not believing in elbows is like not believing in evolution. It's an instant signifier that you're retarded and your opinion doesn't matter.

Also, this isn't a rule per se, but still a piece of the same puzzle, and that's 10-10 rounds. The North American and even European ideology that "draws are bad" is too prevalent I think. The ten-point must system has some warts, but it works for MMA if you use it properly, and if there's a dead even round, there's no need to just pull a name out of your ass and give him a 10-9 round. Of course, this can lead to more draws in fights and whatnot, but that's something I myself can accept if it cuts down on guys winning 29-28 decisions where they "win" two toss-up rounds, and get their ass kicked in another round. And by that same measure, more 10-8 rounds, too, where appropriate. These measures, if used be competent judges, I think can offer a lot to MMA.

In terms of fight cards, Zuffa are doing a great job. Naturally, there are gonna be some cars weaker than others but the overall product on the whole is fantastic. Five years ago, you could never dream of a world like this. Seeing fans get excited about undercard fighters and following their progress over months and years is what prizefighting is about, and it's something fans were denied in the past with a scant number of cards.

Of course, it's easy to say "Oh, I would've signed Fedor" or "I would've got Gomi." I think that's a little presumptuous. If I were Dana White, of course I'm going to try to ensure the best talent is always in the UFC, but you can't slam dunk every deal.

Payment is fine. The myth of the starving fighter is grossly overblown, and if anything, Zuffa are overgenerous. After taking enormous financial losses last year to run their European operation, they're dropping 50K+ bonuses for undercarders who can pull off a nice submission. That's more than fair. Are some guys underpaid given their talent? No doubt. But the system on the whole is fair.

If there was something regarding UFC policy I would change, it would be the fanatical control Zuffa refuse to give up on their production rights. It's what killed the HBO deal and hurts their bargaining with networks. "Face the Pain", Gladiator Man, and Mike Goldberg are non-essential parts of the UFC, no matter what Zuffa tell you, and for them to sacrifice a well-polished aesthetic and a greater presence on television over making sure they control who says what on air is ridiculous.

I think the European MMA scene on the whole is fantastic, really. Germany is behind a little bit, and I know there's some political opposition to the sport, but given what a vibrant and successful boxing locale Germany has become, I really think there is potential for MMA to grow considerably. If Germany could get a flagship MMA show, maybe on the scale of KSW in Poland, I think the results could be fantastic.

The best German fighter out there right now is Daniel Weichel, and by a good margin. There are other guys out there with a lot of potential though. Dennis Siver still has lots of room to improve. Martin Zawada has enormous natural physical skills. I also recently saw Andi Asangarani, and he looked like a killer.

The problem is - and this goes for almost all of Europe, really - guys just don't have the access to top training in Europe right now. I'm of the belief that when a guy like Weichel or Zawada starts breaking out and showing his potential, he's got to bite the bullet, and go stateside for training. A lot of European guys are getting the idea, you see more guys like Dan Hardy going to Legends MMA or Per Eklund and Mikko Rupponen going to TQ Temecula. More guys need to follow suit, because the resources just don't exist yet to convert potential into success in Europe.

In terms of who I like to work with, I've done shows with everyone on the radio staff, and I enjoy them all. I love doing the roundtables and having everyone on at once. But in terms of partnering up, working with TJ is always fun, and he makes the job very easy since he's a radio pro. Also, believe it or not, the two times I've filled in for TJ on Beatdown and done radio with Josh Gross, I really enjoyed myself there, as well.

Most professional, I had to give love to TJ because most people don't really recognize how hard his job is, what he puts up with on a daily basis, and stuff like that. Everybody figures MMA radio is easy, you just plug in your microphone and talk about MMA. That's not quite the case, and TJ does a pretty damn good job all things considered.

The funniest, believe it or not, is Josh Gross. Behind the scenes, Gross is a killer on the comedy tip.

The most competent regarding MMA? Not Greg Savage.

8. Favourites:

I don't think I could ever pick an all-time favorite band, book, movie or show. Musically, all depends on what I'm feeling from day to day, week to week. I've got Chromatics' "Night Drive" in my Car Right now. Book, is tough. Just in the realm of novels, I think the novel I've read the most in my life is "The Stranger" by Albert Camus. I don't know if it is my "favorite", but I could pick it up and read it cover to cover at any time. Cinematically, I could list tons of favorites, but the last movie I saw that really grabbed me was No Country for Old Men, which was fantastic. TV show, I recently bought the sixth and seventh seasons of Tales from the Crypt on DVD, so for right now, I'll make that my answer.

My favorite sport? MMA and boxing, obviously. And kickboxing, MT, sub grappling. But I like most sports, really. Depends on what time of year it is. A couple weeks ago, I'd have said tennis when the Aussie Open was happening. With football season done, and hockey season not quite heating up, I'd say basketball right now. But the Super 14 starts in a week or so, so maybe rugby.

Pro wrestler I think I'd go with Bret Hart and Ric Flair. I don't really care about pro wrestling anymore, but guys like Hart and Flair, if I'm ever feelign nostalgic, I know I could choose any of their old fights, and be satisfied with my trip down memory lane.