UFC 129 Preview- Beware of the Underdog



The next few UFC pay per views have fight fans everywhere salivating, kicking off with a bumper UFC 129.

UFC 129, eminates from the 55,000 capacity, Rogers Centre in Toronto (formerly the Skydome), making UFC 129 the biggest attendance in UFC history.

The event sold out in a matter of minutes and with a card as good as this, well there's no surprise.

The main event see's Canada's Hero George "Rush" St Pierre defend his UFC Welterweight Championship against Jake Shields.

Many people see this fight already as a done deal, with Shields being just another body, and are talking about what St Pierre may do after this fight.

But Jake Shields is not just another body.

Jake Shields has been undefeated for almost six years and has won his last fifteen fights. It's been 11 years, since Shields has even been knocked down.

He is seen by many as being the best Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu exponent in the UFC.

He is a former champion in Elite XC, Rumble on the Rock and Strikeforce.

In that 15 fight win streak,he has beaten names such as Yushin Okami, Dan Henderson, Carlos Condit,Paul Daley, Robbie Lawler, Jason Miller and Martin Kampman in recent times, although some haved argued that he beat both Lawler, Miller, Henderson after they had been cut by the UFC.

Whilst Shields did look sluggish in his UFC debut at UFC 121, Shields points to the trouble he had in cutting weight to get to the Welterweight limit, opposed to the Middleweight division he was fighting  in Strikeforce.Shields considers it a learning experience, and says it wont happen this time.

Whilst many aren’t worried by Shields impressive recent efforts it’s clear that he has George St Pierre, at least a little worried.

St Pierre has gone on the most extensive camp of his career to prepare for Jake Shields.

He has travelled to London to complete training with Jiu-Jitsu master, Roger Gracie and Olympic Sprinter, Linford Christie and he has followed Boxing master, Freddie Roach, around the world to work on his striking, all this on top of his normal fight preparations in Montreal.

St Pierre has left no stone unturned for this fight; such is his view on the quality of Shields. Although many have already dismissed Shields as a credible opponent, but one not quite of St Pierre level.

St Pierre feels otherwise.

Whilst Shields may not be considered elite yet, he has something that skill cannot always account for...and that is heart.

He has been written off before. No one expected him to win Rumble on the Rock 8, were he beat Yushin Okami and Carlos Condit in the same night, nor when he defeated Hayato Sukarai on 10 days notice.

Shields knows nobody expects him to win, and he wouldn’t have it any other way.

The fight could be George St Pierre's last fight in the Welterweight division with murmurs of St Pierre moving to Middleweight, which is no surprise given Shields is seemingly the only challenger of note that he has left in the division.

Tip- George St Pierre to retain by UD

The UFC Featherweight Championship fight between Jose Aldo and Mark Hominick has the potential to steal the show.

It could be strongly argued that Jose Aldo is the most exciting fighter in the sport.

The fact is, there aren’t that many people doing back flips of the top of the cage following a victory.

Nor is there anyone that has been able to finish their opponent in just nine seconds, following two vicious knees and a couple of right hands.

Many argue that Aldo is the #1 pound for pound fighter in the sport, which is disputed by many fight fans given the fact that this will be the first time many fight fans see him fight, as he has been fighting in the WEC, then UFC owned but now amalgamated into the UFC brand.

But current Number #1 pound for pound, Anderson "The Spider" Silva has said, if Aldo ever makes it the 185 pounds..he will retire.

The move of the lighter division from the WEC to the UFC, gives the world a chance to finally set eyes on Aldo...and Mark Hominick.

Mark Hominick has some serious hands, and is one of the best strikers in all of the UFC, is technically sound and a tremendous finisher, Aldo will only have to give him a sniff to lose his title.

Hominick has a patchy record with 8 losses, but he has one some big fights, and many no one expected him to win.

One thing I can guarantee is that when the fight starts...don’t move, anything could happen.

Tip- Jose Aldo to retain by UD

No one knows for sure whether UFC 129 will be Randy Couture's final ever appearance in the UFC even though Couture has said as much.

We all know how retirements work in the fighting game, with Floyd Mayweather, Mike Tyson and even our own Danny Green and Jeff Fenech examples. But if it is the case, then Randy "The Natural" Couture has certainly not decided to take a charity fight, to ensure he goes into retirement a winner.

He has picked a dangerous opponent in Lyoto "The Dragon" Machida. Machida is coming off back to back losses against Mauricio "Shogun" Rua, where Machida lost the UFC Light-Heavyweight Title and a controversial points loss to Rampage Jackson.

Machida has said in interviews that he will look to be more aggressive, as he feels the judges perhaps do not understand his style, which most fighters find tricky, as Machida is quite elusive.

This style also means that some of his fights are not as "entertaining" as other fighters, which is a reason perhaps why UFC president, Dana White did not grant Machida an immediate rematch with Jackson, given most thought the matched "sucked".

But those that are critical should view the tape of Machida knocking the life out of Rashad Evans. It proves when he gets it right...he is deadly.

But Machida must win in order to stay relevant in a division swarming with talent.

Win Jon Jones sweeping all before him to take the Light-Heavyweight Title, Rashad Evans out for redemption, Shogun Rua and Rampage Jackson angling for another crack at the title, the winner of this fight can put themselves in calculations.

With Jon Jones injured currently and putting the bout with Rashad Evans in jeopardy, an opportunity may exist for either man.

Would a shot at the UFC Light-Heavyweight Title be enough to see Couture go around again??

With Couture 47 years old, it would make for a truly remarkable story.

He is coming off a 3 fight win streak, although in my opinion perhaps a little overstated given those 3 wins were against James Toney, Mark Coleman and Brandon Vera.

But you write Couture off at your peril, and if this is the last time we see Captain America in the ring..he aint gonna leave anything in the cage.

Tip- Randy Couture UD

What an awesome card UFC 129 is and with UFC 130 & 131 stacked also.

It's a good time to be a fight fan!!



The NRL Anzac Day game needs a facelift

Yesterday saw 90,000 fans pack into the MCG and witness a gripping encounter between two of the traditional AFL powerhouses and most supported teams in the league.

Meanwhile in Sydney, 34,976 fans filled the Sydney Football Stadium.

In Melbourne the Anzac Day clash was the hottest ticket in town. In fact on Tuesday I received an email from the AFL informing me that a limited number of standing room only seats had been made available, then an hour or so later they were gone.

On the other hand, just yesterday I had three people offering me tickets to the Dragons-Roosters game, I declined them all, for a variety of reasons.

One, I am Bulldogs supporter so I have no interest attending and two, I was parking myself on the lounge to watch the AFL (and then the NRL later).

The AFL just does the big occasions better than the NRL, and yesterday was no exception.

The fact that the NRL Anzac Day game was on pay TV, already excludes many.

That is the first thing I would change, the Anzac Day game has been a great marketing ploy for the AFL. I remember years before the NRL had their own Anzac Day fixture; many of my mates were introduced to AFL through the fixture, as it was the only thing on the box.

If you didn’t have pay TV yesterday, as a sports fan, what would you have been watching?

The AFL Anzac Day game gets neutral fans of teams not involved, who go to the match for the occasion.

This does not happen at the NRL version.

The NRL's Anzac Day game has never sold out. Whilst the AFL gets 90,000 we have never sold out a 40,000 seat stadium.

Whilst Ben Hornby yesterday called it the biggest club game of the year, I tend to disagree.

Yesterday just felt like another regular game.

There was no hype around town nor in the papers.

Last weeks, Bulldogs and Parramatta clash had a crowd of 4000 less...on a weeknight.

Therefore I think it’s time for a few changes.

Starting with the teams.

Sure the Roosters and Dragons have put a lot into the fixture and in growing it year upon year, but there is an argument that they are just not the right fit.

The Collingwood-Essendon game is built on a great rivalry between two traditional clubs.

Now whilst Roosters and Dragons are two traditional clubs, they do not bring the fans through the gates like Souths-Roosters, Bulldogs-Parramatta, Bulldogs-Dragons, Dragons-Sharks or South-Dragons.

What was so profound about the Bulldogs-Parramatta getting over 30,000 was that both sides had lost consecutive games and were in questionable form.

The thing is there is always something about those local derbies that has fans circling it on the draw every year.

It's what has made the Pies-Bombers game so great and I think it’s something the NRL need to tap into.

The second thing I'd change is the Stadium.

The SFS has been chosen given the proximity to the City and Anzac Day festivities.

It is tailor made for League and has a great atmosphere. But games are played their every week; Anzac Day needs to be different and special.

I would play the game at the SCG.It adds a bit of nostalgia to the occasion and makes it different from every other NRL round.

Now sure the Bulldogs and Dragons played their Heritage round game at the SCG, but I'd keep it exclusive for the Anzac Day game.

The Anzac Day game should be special occasions which like the AFL; it is the hottest ticket in town.Have you ever seen any advertisement for the AFL's version??....it sells itself.

Changes need to be made so that the NRL Anzac Day game does the same.

Chance for Daniel Geale to show he is indeed the Real Deal



Daniel Geale always struggles to get the limelight.

In recent years, Geale has climbed his way up the rankings, yet gone largely unnoticed as he has competed for exposure with names such as Mundine, Green, Briggs, and Darchinyan.
On the day of his fight with Roman Karmazin, all the crowd were talking about , was either Lenny Zappavinga or Lauryn Eagle......and in the weeks following his demolition of Karmazin to secure a shot at the IBF Middleweight Title, the name on everyone’s lips was Garth Wood, following his shock defeat of Anthony Mundine.

This week he held a press conference and media day, only for a meagre three journalist to attend, as another debacle involving one Todd Carney had erupted across town, meaning the media scrum had elsewhere to be.

Compare this to press conferences of Mundine and Green, whose press days are harder to get a park at than the local shopping centre at Christmas time, and you see what Geale is up against.

And yet it continues...

When Daniel Geale takes on Germany’s Sebastian Sylvester for the IBF Middleweight Title on May 8, the eyes of the fight world will be pre-occupied with another fight across the other side of the world, one involving two future hall of famers , Manny Pacquiao and “Sugar” Shane Mosley.

But though Geale may think the day when the spotlight shines only on him, may never come, with victory on May 8 in Germany, Geale can assure he is sworn in as the “future” of Australian boxing.

With rumours that Danny Green’s fight with Antonio Tarver may be his swansong, Anthony Mundine’s less than “Word class” performance against Garth Wood, and back to back losses for Michael Katsidis, Australian Boxing is looking for their next marquee man.

Whilst some want to give that mantle to Garth Wood, those people are gravely mistaken. Daniel Geale has pedigree and legitimacy.

Daniel Geale has had a distinguished Amateur career, winning more accolades than that of Danny Green and Michael Katsidis in their respective amateur sojourns.
Geale took home gold in the 2002 Commonwealth Games in Manchester, as well as represented his country at the 2004 Athens Games.

Geale’s style is a watermark of his amateur success, with Geale having arguably the best “pure boxing” technique of any of Australia’s fighters currently going around. Whilst he may not pocess the granite hands of Green, the flash of Mundine, or the wild charge of Katsidis or Darchinyan, Geale has the ability to make mince meat of the best.

In 24 fights, Geale has suffered only the one defeat, by way of a controversial split decision at the hands of Anthony “The Man” Mundine.

So controversial in fact that the International Boxing Organization demanded an immediate rematch between the pair, only for Mundine to vacate the IBO Middleweight Title he won off Geale and step down to Junior Middleweight.

If Geale is successful in defeating Sylvester for the IBF Middleweight belt, watch how quickly Mundine will bring himself back in the picture. A legitimate world title and a score to settle is box office gold, only thing is Geale will have bigger fish to fry.

But, Geale’s last performance was most telling in all the 24 fights he has won.
A brutal 12th Round TKO victory of Roman Karmazin, in an IBF Eliminator, not only secured Geale a shot of the title, but woke up those who didn’t already know of his name.

So brutal was the performance, Karmazin didn’t leave his hospital bed for five days after the fight.

Karmazin is a man who took the man Geale is challenging, Sebastian Sylvester, to a split draw only 8 months ago, so Sylvester is more than aware of what Geale can do.

Sylvester is no push over himself though, having amassed a record of 34 wins, 3 losses and a draw. He has beaten some quality names and will have home ground advantage, in a home that many refuse to go to, given the circus that the fight game in Germany can be.

Australian fight fans would be familiar with the fiasco that was the first Danny Green- Markus Beyer fight, and the fact that many agree that German fighters don’t lose a close fight in Germany.

But like the Karmazin fight , Geale has no intention of giving the judges anything to ponder.

But the reason why so many like Geale, is that he had no qualms going to Germany.

That is why Geale is so refreshing. No Trash talk, No sideshow, no handpicked fights.

Geale fights anyone and everyone, and he does it for figures nowhere near the likes of the reported $500,000 Garth Wood received for his clash with Mundine...after only 12 professional fights.

Geale has been thrown a curveball or two in his time, but you never hear him whinge, he just gets down to business and fights.

Geale is a man who in his spare time trains fighters, goes from amateur tournament to amateur tournament, and collects as many titles a trainer possibly can.

Finally on May 8 when he pulls on the gloves, he can collect the gold as a fighter.
The gold being, The IBF Middleweight Title, one of the big three, recognised in the sport.

No micky-mouse title like the IBO, that he has already held, and currently held by Green and Darchinyan , no interim belt like the many adorning the waste of Mundine and Katsidis, but a fully fledged linear title that will open more doors than any other.

On May 8, Daniel Geale finally shows the world that he is in fact the “Real Deal”.

One ego is standing in the way of the biggest MMA fight in history

A fight between Anderson “The Spider” Silva and George “Rush” St Pierre, the two best pound for pound fighters in the sport of Mixed Martial Arts, is something every fight fan dreams of one day seeing.

Unlike Combat Sports other big Super fight, the much anticipated fight between Floyd “Money” Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao, it seems the roadblocks preventing the fight from happening are decreasing, and the possibility of such a fight is growing day by day.

It seems the only thing stopping the fight from happening is the ego of UFC head honcho, Dana White.

The Super fight between Silva and St Pierre will break all box office records in MMA and could even topple the records of boxing given the rapid rise in popularity the sport is experiencing.

But when quizzed on the potential encounter in a recent interview, White labelled the fight a “fantasy fight” and a wet dream of fight fans.

White stated: “This fight is fantasy and other things need to happen before this fight can even be talked about” and that “all the stars would have to align and everything would have to be perfect” for the super fight to occur.

Dana White stated himself in the same interview that both George St Pierre and Anderson Silva have both never said “NO” to a fight he has offered them, and with the prospect of ridiculous amounts of money to be earnt in the Super fight, not to mention the chance to decide who is the best pound for pound in the sport, it seems both fighters are keen to go.

The facts are simple; both men have cleaned out their divisions and leave little options left on the table in regards to future fights.

Of Course George St Pierre is set to face, Jake Shields in a few weeks at UFC 129, and although Shields has been undefeated for almost six years and is a former Strike force champion, it has to be said that Shields has been unimpressive in his UFC forays so far.

If St Pierre overcomes Shields, which everyone believes he will, then there is simply no one left.

Silva is in the same predicament. Fresh from a brutal KO of Vitor Belfort, he is set to face Yushin Okami when the UFC make their first venture to Silva’s native Brazil. The marketing angle of a fight with Okami is that Okami was the last man to beat Silva, although way back in 2006 and via disqualification.

Again, like Shields, although having a good record, on his last few fights, no one seems to give Okami any hope.

Silva has handled everyone in the Middleweight division with relevant ease, except one Chael Sonnen who came within seconds of beating Silva, however Sonnen was made to tap and subsequently failed a doping test at the conclusion of the bout, sighting extreme levels of testosterone, often a sign of steroid use.

Rumours have circulated that the UFC may give Michael Bisping the next shot, given his recent good form, though many do not put Bisping in the elite category.

Sonnen has also been touted as a potential opponent of Silva, given the conjecture over their first encounter. But I believe a better decision would be for Bisping to meet Sonnen for the title shot, and thus allowing for the UFC to cash in twice.

But I get the impression White feels it is all too easy. He would prefer to build the sport to a point where he does not have to rely on the sports biggest two names to bring in the big dollars. White would prefer to market a fight such as Maynard v Edgar 3 or Lesnar v Velasquez 2, and have either one of those break the record, given the build-up of multiple fights and significant investment in the rivalries by fans.

The advantage that MMA has over Boxing is that the promoters hold the power. Everyone except maybe Fedor, are at the beck and call of the promoter and the sporting bodies such as the UFC on whom and where they fight.

This aspect alone is the single biggest thing currently holding boxing back, and potentially ruining the sport. The fact that the power in the negotiations for Pacquiao- Mayweather sits with both men and not a governing body or boxing authority is the chief reason why that fight is yet to happen.

With the biggest obstacle removed, St Pierre v Silva, just has to happen.

A Super fight  that would not only break every record currently in existence in relation to PPV, Buy rates, PPV Revenue and viewership etc.

But even more poignant, a super fight between St Pierre v Silva could be the knockout punch that Boxing may never rise from.

A clad iron guarantee that MMA is where the big fights happen.

As a boxing lover, I hope this not to be the case, but there is no denying boxing fans are walking away more and more these days.

Not only will this fight bring in those currently sitting on the fence and not yet made the leap to MMA, but those who have never experienced the sport will be well and truly versed in the world of the UFC when this fight comes around...

And people will have no choice but to know about it because this fight will be...everywhere!

So Dana White, loose the ego, give the people what they want and watch the tills spin.

Time to end the Circus that is Australian Boxing

To borrow a line from former Australian Prime Minister, Paul Keating....it’s the loss Australian Boxing has to have.

It's time for a new name to go up on the marquee and end the circus, that Australian Boxing has become.

If Garth Wood defeats Anthony Mundine next Wednesday night, then Australian boxing may finally be able to achieve exactly that.

The Circus has gone on too long, and it has to stop...The ringleaders, Mr Mundine & Green.

For so long they have been the bright sparks of the sport in this country, but now simply doing the sport more harm, than good.

For Mundine, it’s been a decade long charade of “wanting the best”, and yet giving the Australian public nothing but mismatch after mismatch.  Mundine calls himself a “3 Time Multi-Division World Champion”, yet he has never won anything more than an interim title.

When reigning WBA Super Middleweight Champion, he vacated the title rather than take on Mikkel Kessler, a fighter who beat Mundine comfortably in their previous encounter.

After the controversial win for Mundine over Daniel Geale, the IBO demanded a rematch between the two, only for Mundine to again vacate the title, than honour there request.

And what is not known to many is that word is Mundine allegedly also pulled out of guaranteed World Title fights against both Hassan N’Dam N’Jikam and Gennady Golovkin in the past twelve months.

 So it poses the question...what exactly does he fight for??

The simple answer is money. Team Mundine has done very well for themselves, off the Australian publics back, offering mismatches and chasing “world titles” that the general public unknowingly swallow up each time.



Whilst he may attack Team Mundine over this approach, Danny Green is no better.

Just this week he has announced he will be fighting, Antonio Tarver, for the IBO World Title in July, in Sydney.

Tarver is 42 years old and has fought once in the last three years.

It’s a common trend that seems to be emanating out of the Green Camp in recent fights.

His most recent fight was against BJ Flores, a fighter who at the time was undefeated, but also a fighter who had also been inactive for 18 months. Whilst a big step up for Green given his previous fights, Green won comfortably and filled many of the boxing public with renewed optimism, only to again this week roll out Tarver.

Before Flores, it was Manny Siaca.

A man again, who hadn’t fought for a year and who in that last fight, fought as a Middleweight.

He came up against Green, as a “Cruiserweight”, a four weight division increase.

Before Siaca, it was Paul Briggs. A fighter who had been retired for three years, and who retired for medical reasons...we all saw how that one turned out.

But the farce doesn’t end there.

Danny Green credits himself as the IBO “Cruiserweight” Champion of the world, yet he has never fought at the 200 lbs. Cruiserweight limit.

Each fight Green has had since winning the title has been contracted to be fought at an agreed catch weight under the cruiserweight limit, and closer to Green more comfortable weight near the Light-Heavyweight division.

In fact in Green’s last fight against BJ Flores, financial incentives were included in the contact for Flores to come in lighter still, than the agreed catch weight.

This is something that the “great” Manny Pacquiao does as well.

There is a simple factor that both Mundine and Green have used to make themselves very rich, and that is the naivety of the Australian public.

Boxing is all about, minimal risk for maximum return.

That’s why fights against Roy Jones and Antonio Tarver are more attractive than those against Marco Huck or Steve Cunningham.

Many, like myself, that have a keen interest in the Boxing scene, knew Roy Jones was washed up long before he came to these shores  to take on Danny Green last year ( I even wrote a Roar article about it). However Roy Jones, offered marketability. He was a name fighter, that the common man knew, and with the right sales pitch, it could do big numbers financially...and did.

The much trumpeted line given after Green’s demolition of Jones, “if you beat a legend, you become one”....is almost as farcical as me challenging Muhammad Ali to a fight today, and when defeating him, calling myself “the greatest fighter of all time”.

Green’s win over Jones gave him recognition on a global scale, but rather than chase big fights and world titles, Green decided to offer us the garbage that he has.

Again, it shows what he is fighting for...



So that is why a Garth Wood victory, next Wednesday night, may see one part of this “circus” come to an end.

It is time to usher in a new era of Australian Boxing, and highlight the next batch of superstars continually overshadowed by Green & Mundine.

What happened to the days of Jeff Fenech and Kosta Tzsyu, fighting anybody and everybody, with a desire to be seen as the best in the world.

It’s time the Australian Public, learnt the names of the next generation such as –

Michael Katsidis, who next week fights for the WBA/WBO interim lightweight world titles against Roberto Guerrero.

Daniel Geale, who next month fights for the IBF Middleweight Title against Sebastian Sylvester

Vic Darchinyan who also next month fights for the IBO Bantamweight Title against Yonhy Perez.

Other names to include on this list are Lenny Zappavinga, Billy Dib, Will Tomlinson, among others.

The Australian media don’t want to offend their “golden geese” but telling it how it is, and I have had many an article, I have written returned to me, for straying from the Green/Mundine narrative. But as a lover of the sport, I have seen this farce go on for too long.

Personally I feel, Garth Wood has his work cut out for him in defeating Anthony Mundine for a second time later this month, but a Wood victory will give the Australian Boxing landscape a massive shakeup...something that is long overdue.