The online MMA community is an interesting bunch. We’re quick to deify a fighter after an exciting victory and just as quick to dismiss them after a loss. We throw terms around without knowing their meanings or origins. I’ve taken it upon myself to try and clarify some of them. This entry deals with the terms Can, Journeyman, and fighters that are "Shot" or on the tail end of their careers. I’ll try to give clear definitions and will provide examples of each term.

Disclaimer: I mean no disrespect to the fighters that I list, but the truth is the truth.

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    When describing the events of this past year’s mma calendar one is inclined to consider using a term like “tectonic shift”. In the brief history of my 5 or so years as an mma fan I don’t believe I have yet observed such a dramatic change in landscape as has taken place atop the mma food chain in this past year. To mark the occasion I thought I would share a few of my thoughts on these rapid changes in an attempt to make better sense of them and to aid my own adjustment to the sport’s very new status quo. Sadly, the most significant changes that we have observed seem to be characterized by top fighters falling short- as opposed to new talent coming to fruition- and while there are exceptions, what follows will be more in the vein of mourning than celebration. To ease the pain I will try to highlight the positive and insert as much humor as possible, but should you continue reading brace yourself for a melancholy summary of all that Mixed Martial Arts has lost in 2010.
    Let us begin with what is by far the saddest tale from this treasure trove of misery, the bewildering and anti-climactic end of BJ Penn’s career. A year ago BJ seemed resurrected. Finally having conquered his cardio and conditioning demons he was dishing out solid beatings to the likes of top contenders like Kenny Florian and it seemed as though the complete BJ Penn that we had always hoped for had arrived to lay claim to a properly prolonged reign atop the Lightweight division. The first loss to Frankie Edgar, though disappointing, was less than shocking. Edgar, one of the very best lightweights in the world (though in my opinion being a more natural Featherweight), posed a tough stylistic match-up for BJ due to his boxing skill. BJ’s take down defense has allowed him to turn his fights, essentially, into boxing matches- a game plan that he has nary veered from for years. And with his high-level boxing this plan had worked just fine until meeting Edgar. Edgar’s equally technical stand up plus a willingness to mix up strikes and actually execute a specific game plan seems to have solved the BJ Penn riddle at 155. What was most disappointing (though not surprising) was BJ’s inability to adapt in the second fight, to either utilize other aspects of his mma repertoire (remember Jiu-Jitsu BJ?) or pressure Edgar into a more confrontational stand-up war in which his superior power could take precedent. Now we have been “treated” to BJ Penn-Matt Hughes 3, though not an entirely unexciting spectacle, a clear step in the wrong direction for a man who was supposed to be busy cementing his lightweight legacy. This fight wreaks of the UFC attempting to get a marketable match or 2 out of BJ before calling it quits on the prodigy. After his destruction of Hughes and a now looming bout with Fitch, it appears the prodigy may indeed have some fine fights left in him, but can these potential match-ups ever emerge from the shadow cast by Penn’s anti-climactic exodus from 155? BJ Penn is possibly the most talented fighter in the history of the sport, but unfortunately will be equally memorable for his inability or unwillingness to make the most of these gifts. 
    Jumping up to Middleweight we have the bizarre spectacle that was Anderson Silva vs. Chael Sonnen. Silva may have walked away with a victory and displayed his perseverance in securing the late fight, come-from-behind submission, but he lost the rest of the fight so thoroughly that it is difficult to consider the bout a win. Not only did Silva get completely overwhelmed by Sonnen’s wrestling- he got rocked by Sonnen’s punches! Sonnen, though a capable wrestler, has never been considered to have dangerous stand-up and he becomes the first fighter to ever hurt Silva with strikes? This is just not right. What’s next? Is Pat Buchannan going to beat Michael Jordan in a game of one on one? As an Anderson Silva fan I found this entire fight to be disappointing on every level. By the time Silva secured the armbar that saved him from his first UFC defeat I was so nauseous that I barely noticed. Sonnen’s subsequent positive piss test has done little to reassure me, and I’m afraid I just won’t be able to look at the long-time Middleweight champ the same way again. 
    As if all this was not enough, Fedor Emelianenko suffered his first legitimate MMA loss, getting subbed byFabricio Werdum in the early stages of the first round. Of the three, this loss was the least distressing to me. Fedor has always employed an explosive and effective, yet risky style. He bobs and weaves instead of keeping is hands posted near his chin and he dives into the guards of talented submission artists. This entertaining concoction of steely psychological control and unpredictable explosiveness is part of what has made the Russian so dangerous, but it  does create opportunities for opponents and this was bound to happen eventually. I have long considered Werdum the most underrated Heavyweight in the world and he may have been just the guy to catch Fedor in this type of situation. In a rematch I see Emelianenko employing more caution, maintaining the stand-up and KO’ing the Brazilian. Part 2 appears to be a very real possibility, so the long-reigning number one heavyweight will probably get his chance to redeem himself. 
    Brock Lesnar is human...all too human. After narrowly escaping a stoppage at the freakishly oversized hands of Shane Carwin, Brock succumbed early to a mostly one-sided destruction courtesy of long-touted Heavyweight contender, and now champ, Cain Velasquez. 
Though Brock’s equally oversized personality has begun to grow on me (and even more so given his gracious post-fight humility), my heart can’t help but be warmed by the perseverance of technical skill over size and brute strength. This fight was a victory for the integrity of the sport, but perhaps a loss for the UFC’s marketing machine. Either way its another big shift at the top of a weight class. 
    Is there a light at the end of the tunnel of skepticism that is this article? Yes. And its name is Jose Aldo. 2010, along with the aforementioned agony, gave us something amazing-the full arrival of Jose Aldo as a bonafide pound for pound superstar. It had been a long time since anyone has thought of Aldo as anything but full of potential, but 2010 became the year that Aldo went from one of the hottest prospects on the planet to possibly the best pound for pound fighter alive. He appears simply unstoppable. Speed, power, precision technique, a complete and well-rounded skill set, patience, discipline and the ability and willingness to execute a game plan...and all of 24 years old. Aldo’s career is going to be one for the books and it all started roughly in the past 12 months...so thanks 2010...you bastard. 

Who is the world’s best pound for pound fighter?  What a difference a few days, one fight, and hype will do for a ranking.  George St. Pierre is without a doubt the best Canadian fighter ever.  He is arguably the most popular Canadian sports star since Wayne Gretzky, but does a decision win over Josh Koscheck put him in rarefied air as the world’s best? 

The link is to MMAOpinion where more is posted.     

This question is more of a riddle, puzzle, or brain teaser.  More of a personal preference than right or wrong question.  How can someone determine who is the best between two incredible fighters that are both future Hall of Famers, seem to be untouchable, whose styles are so different?

I think not! 

This is like asking who would you rather have at QB Peyton or Tom…There really is no wrong answer.  Peyton….

To help us determine the P4P best, we will look at their last 5 fights. 

GSP                  

1:  Josh Koscheck by Unanimous Decision (UFC 124)

2:  Dan Hardy by Unanimous Decision (UFC 111)

3:  Thiago Alves by Unanimous Decision (UFC 100)

4:  BJ Penn by TKO/ Ref Stoppage (UFC 94)

5:  John Fitch by Unanimous Decision (UFC 87)

**GSP’s last loss was to Matt Serra (UFC 69, April 2007)**

Anderson Silva

1:  Chael Sonnen by submission (UFC 117)

2:  Demian Maia by Unanimous Decision (UFC 112)

3:  Forrest Griffin by KO (UFC 101)

4:  Thales Leites by Unanimous Decision (UFC 97)

5:  Patrick Cote by Injury Stoppage (UFC 90)

**Silva’s last loss was to Yushin Okami due to illegal kicks (Rumble on the rock, January 2006)**

On paper the wins by GSP are better until you look at how the fight was finished.  The largest chink (and its really not a fault) in GSP’s armor is that he doesn’t always finish fights.  He is a very intelligent fighters that is more concerned with winning than highlights.  Similar to an old school point guard, this is a great testament to his character and what he is attempting to accomplish as a Mixed Martial Artist.

Anderson Silva could have just been THAT much better than his competition.  He rarely went to decision in this stretch and when he did it was because his challengerswere running from him!   Sure, he was in deep trouble against Sonnen, but on paper all you see is a win.  Champions find a way to win, and that is what he did.

What do you guys think?  Can we learn anything by the records or is it an apple to orange comparison?

Poll Who is the world's best P4P fighter?

• GSP
• Anderson Silva
• Fedor
• Jose Aldo

  0 votes | Results

In a few short hours, a North American record 23,000 fans will pack the Bell Centre in Montreal, Canada. And if I can make a bold prediction, just about every single one of those 23,000 Molson drinking, Poutine smashing, red and white mother Canuckers is there because of three simple words: G. S. P.

Outside of welterweight champ George St. Pierre's big homecoming in Montreal, and the months of reality TV fuelled drama that has fuelled its hype, fans don't seem to be talking about the rest of this card. As far as "questions" hovering over tonight, most fans have only one - how fast will GSP kick Josh Koscheck's ass?

That's a shame really, because this card poses some intriguing questions for the future - questions with big implications for rankings, title pictures, and the career prospects for many of the night’s fighters.

Here are the 5 biggest questions heading into St. Pierre vs. Koscheck 2. And don't worry ladies, I’ll include GSP among them for the same reason Affliction made a 12-month GSP calendar - so you'll care. Actually, the fighting pride of Montreal has a lot on the line tonight, as do many of the fighters set to take to the cage before him.

Let's break it down, shall we?

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Dong Hyun Kim interveiw about UFC 125 with Nate Diaz.

Congratulations on 4 straight wins. Tell us how you feel?

Yeah I had come off a pretty long layoff(injury). I couldn’t win by KO but I dominated the fight so im pretty happy with it.

You seem more confident against Amir than before. What was the reason?

Yeah before you knew it I had five fights n the UFC. I like the way Jon Fitch fights very relaxed almost like he’s sparring. I want to learn but its hard for me. Until after the fight I felt a lot of pressure. It was very hard for my previous 4 fights to get use to the Jetlag and difference in time in America. I hadn’t fought in a long time so I guess you can say I was itching for a fight. I think I’m getting more and more used to fighting in the octagon.

Is your injury fully healed?
I can spar and do the standup. But for ground sparring I avoid using my injured arm too much. You have to be careful after getting surgery about not pushing yourself too much. And my fingers are a bit busted(injuries from his judo days) but luckily in mma there is no Gi so its not a big deal.

So what do you think about your next opponent Nate Diaz?
I’ve seen him numerous times in the waiting room for fights but I never thought we would ever fight because he was fighting at LW. But on a personal level I love the Diaz brothers for always putting on a show and have always wanted to fight them. Even in sparring or in the UFC. Now its for real my mentality is "If I don’t kill him he will kill me", I am researching him a lot.

Diaz has average wrestling do you believe this is your advantage?
Actually the style I hate to fight the most is short guys with ko power and good takedown defense. But the lanky fighters like, Carlos Condit, and Nate Diaz have always been my bread and butter. But Diaz has amazing cardio so going one dimensional with wrestling is not a good idea. So I plan on mixing my game.

In America you are famous for your grappling mostly and most of your fellow training partners(Korean fighters) have all said your grappling is at the highest level. What do you think?
Actually I don’t care too much about my wrestling. I want to bring my dynamic game I brought in Japan where I was KO’ing everyone. I like to fight incredibly exciting and all out.

But at the moment it is a very important for me to represent Korean fighters and in the UFC winning is more important than putting on a show like in Japan. So I fight safe but trust me if I feel like im down in the card my mentality is to kill or be killed.

But so far I haven’t really felt the need with any of my opponents. But if there is opponent that can put me in that position I will fight like a madman. But at the moment winning is the most important.

Nate Diaz is a cardio machine. Are you worrying about your cardio?
I have been doing conditioning in America and a lot of cross fit but to be honest I don’t think it was working out too well. I’ve been doing another style of cardio work involving a lot of explosiveness and explosive runs. And I feel it’s working really well.
But  now that I’m older and not a young 20 year old guy its hard for me to compete pure cardio wise to younger fighters. But I’ve learned the most important with cardio is how you pace yourself in a fight.

Do you change your training to fit the opponent?

Not really the most important thing is to do everything. Striking, ground. Just because an opponent is weak at wrestling doesn’t mean you should ease off the wrestling training. I like being as well rounded as possible.

Tell us about your trainer Yang Sung Hoon?
He’s been a huge help. He has so much experience but he never rest and constantly researches the fight game. Sometimes a coach can get lazy but he works incredibly hard and always has passion. He will even personally go to other gyms to find new techniques to help his athletes. I really admire him so much. He is the type of man that has a lot of troubles and hardship but covers it up enthusiasm.

You have been starting to guest in famous Korean variety shows do you think you re becoming more popular?
Too be honest I’m pretty far from star status. But I began to become aware and how important these tv shows and things not related to fighting is important to your career.
After being in a couple of shows they began to show my fights on reruns on TV. Its pretty overwhelming seeing yourself on TV sometimes.

But I love going to these shows and representing Mixed Martial Artists. I want to show what dedicated athletes we are and that we train as hard and seriously as Olympic athletes. Just because you are decent in a couple of street fights doesn’t mean you’ll have any  success in MMA.

Is it a bit uncomfortable for a fighter to be on these variety shows?
Yeah at first I was a bit a shook but I’m pretty confident about my talking  and I’m a pretty funny guy . So I got used to it, but I cant do acting or anything like that.  


What do you what if you beat Nate Diaz?
I want a top contender. Karo was pretty tough but I want someone even higher up, I don’t think people in America really know how complete my game is so I want to truly put an impact to make the fans remember me. But most important is this fight. I will work real hard and get an impressive victory.

But who specifically would you want to fight?I don’t care I’m not greedy. But id love to fight Jon Fitch and Jake Shields. Actually Shields the most. He has good wrestling but I’m 100 percent confident that he wont be able to take me down. Yeah I’d love to fight Shields.

George Saint Pierre, Jon Fitch have great wrestling do you think your wrestling is at their level?

To be frank, yes. In wrestling/judo I have real confidence in my game. But more than wrestling I think my clinch is real good. Actually I’ve trained with American NCAA wrestling champions and they got me with double legs but it was very difficult for then to take me down.

Actually I always manage to take their back in the end. Not to be arrogant but I have a very unorthodox ground style that people who have never seen at first always get flabbergasted. If you break the key to my style the outcome could be different, but for people who grapple with me the first time they got caught off guard constantly. I also used to train with Japanese MW mma star Okami and we would always be back and forth.

Its weird but I feel you are often the underdog (betting wise) in fights in the UFC. What do you think of this?
I actually love that. There is a lot less pressure when people expect you to lose.

Your fellow Korean fighter Chan Sung Jung(Korean zombie) lost in the WEC. What do you think of this?
I have actually trained with George Roop many times. He’s tall but to be honest his weakness is his ground game and nothing else was too extraordinary. So I thought Chan Sung Jung would run through him and win in the first round. But it was obvious Roop had researched Chan Sung to a tee and used his reach to frustrate Chan. To be honest if there is a rematch there is no doubt in my mind Chan would win.

I think the pressure of having to have a crazy fight put too much weight on his shoulder. This fight proves its not always about technical skills but sometimes how the mental is the most important.

Can you say something to Chan Sung Jung?
I’m sure you have learned a lot from this. I believe that from this you will only grow stronger. You have already done great for yourself so in your next fights don’t think too much about a exciting performance and just fight to your best ability.

Your fellow Korean teammate Dong Yi Yang also lost in his UFC debut. What do you think of that?

To be honest he definitely won the fight on the scorecards but its not your home country so things like that can happen. It happened to me (talking about Karo fight) but I would say the octagon jitters, jetlag , and inexperience(he gassed in the last round) led to him not winning the fight decisively. But skill set wise I have no worries about him, he is a challenge to anyone in that division. Hard head, good striking, from a wresting background and he is seriously as strong as an ox.

Say something to the fans.
Even though Korea’s mma scene is tiny and the facilities bad I am fighting in the biggest stage as a Korea fighter and there are so many fighters in Korea at my level who don’t get the chance. So my one wish is for fans to talk and spread the word about the Korean MMA scene in Korea because there are so many elite fighters who get no recognition and no money.  I don’t want only my team to do good but all the Korean MMA teams to do good.

Actually I was getting a lot of hate mail from Koreans(for not being exciting) for a period of time. But I really wish the fans can understand how difficult it is to survive in the UFC and than you have to win fights to get tough opponents. So this is when I need your cheers the most.

To be honest sometimes I am so thankful when knowledgeable fans watch my fight. It you study the groundwork a bit more you will see that ground battle is actually very exciting.

But in the end the most important thing about fighting is the fans. I will always be thankful for you guys and I will come home with a victory. 

via cdn0.sbnation.com

Tuff Gong -Your a college graduate with a built in fall back plan. I’m curious to know how serious you really are to have MMA as a career; do you train full time now? Is your goal to be a champ in the UFC in the future, or do you just plan on seeing how your pro career goes before going all in?

Ryan - Fighting is what I love to do. I'm 100% committed to having a career in MMA. I have been training full time for quite a while now though I do keep a few hours per week working at the gym for a bit of extra income. My goal is to continue having fun and improving as a fighter and to see how far I can go in this sport.

The Greg - How has being the son of Randy Couture affected your fighting career? Do you consider it a benefit for potentially helping open doors for you, or is it a hindrance because of the added expectations being the son of a legend? Other than your father, who has been the most instrumental in your development as a mixed martial artist? Who else did you look up to and idolize before beginning your career? Niel adds- Do you feel that the attention you've been given has in any way influenced your training?

Ryan - Being Randy's kid has had a huge impact on my career. It has opened many doors for me but has also put me under much closer scrutiny than I would otherwise have been at this point. On the whole, the benefits far outweigh the added pressure. In addition to dad, I've been fortunate to be able to learn from many great fighters and trainers as a part of the team at Xtreme Couture. Having such a talented group of coaches and training partners really motivates me to work hard and improve and puts me in a great position to live up to the heightened expectations that my last name brings with it.

 

IrishKev - Training out of Xtreme Couture, what kind of coaching do you (and other amateurs just turning pro) actually get? Do you get to train with the bigger names such as the Maynards, Griffins, Dunhams (etc.) or the top coaches like your father for example? Does the relationship with your father provide better training partners for you?

Ryan - Everyone training at Xtreme Couture gets access to the same phenomenal coaching staff that the top pros use. How much one-on-one time a fighter gets with those trainers just depends on what kind of arrangement he is able to make with each individual one. The amateurs that are skilled enough also get the opportunity to participate in pro training sessions and test themselves against guys like Gray, Tyson and Evan.

Ulf Murphy - Can you give us an example of one of your training days?

Ryan - In the morning, I do some combination of strength and conditioning, mitt work and grappling technique, depending on the day. Then I rest up until it's time for the evening pro training session. There, I meet up with the rest of the team for live rounds and hard drilling. Mondays and Fridays, we focus on jits, Wednesdays we wrestle, and Tuesdays and Thursdays are sparring days. Saturday is generally a bit lighter. I do some more grappling technique and then get a few rounds in with the amateur team.

 

Freedomthrtyfve - You obviously must have an affinity to a certain gym, but as the top gym’s are so closely matched, do you think any gym has a distinct advantage over any other, and why?

Ryan - There are a lot of quality gyms out there with comparable facilities and top notch fighters. What is important is finding one where you get along well with the coaches and training partners in order to maximize what you get out of your training.

*Californication* - Ryan, You are getting into the game, professionally, rather late in comparison to most of the up and comers nowadays. Looking back, do you wish you would have started much earlier?

Ryan - It might have been nice to have gotten an earlier start on training but I'm happy with the path that led me here and wouldn't change it if I could.

Magicmike - You won your last fight by triangle choke, and as you know your father is known for his wrestling and his dirty boxing. Did you find yourself training BJJ more or relying on it more in the cage so you don’t get pigeonholed by promoters and matchmakers as fighting the same way your father does? Thorozine adds - What skill set do you feel the need to improve most on?

Ryan - Becoming a submission oriented fighter wasn't a conscious decision that I made. It just happened to be the thing that came most naturally to me. If I had the wrestling background that dad does, I would most certainly use it. My job is to win fights, not to worry about differentiating myself from my dad. As for the area where I need to improve most, I'd say it's wrestling. The ability to dictate where the fight takes place is incredibly important. With all of the former division one wrestlers in the lightweight division, I've got my work cut out for me.

Freedomthrtyfve - How bad was your staph infection? and as so many fighters suffer from them, do you see any way forward in eradicating the infection from the sport, as it must hit you in the pocket as well as physically? DetroitDrew adds – Considering you’re recent fight cancellation due to an illness related to training, what is your opinion on promotions not providing health insurance for their fighters? Do you feel there is a difference between an injury during the fight (which most promotions cover), and an injury during training which is not covered?

Ryan - My staph infection turned into cellulitis and got pretty bad. It wasn't as ugly as some that I've seen but it has certainly proven to be a nightmare to get rid of. Missing out on five weeks of training and having to pull out of my fight have been huge setbacks and the medical bills are getting pretty steep as well. Unfortunately, I don't think there's any way to completely remove that risk from the sport. Wherever there are people, there are germs and all the close contact in the gym guarantees that they will get where they don't belong sometimes. All we can do is focus on hygiene to limit our risk. As for the concept of promoters providing health insurance, I don't think it would ever work. Costs would be prohibitive and it would be an administrative nightmare with fighters switching promotions so frequently. Something more feasible might be to have a sort of fighters' union that provided that type of benefit similar to the Screen Actors Guild.

The Greg - Who would you most like to fight in the Strikeforce LW division?

Ryan - I've got to get a lot better before I start calling out the top lightweights in Strikeforce but some of my favorites to watch are Josh Thomson, Gilbert Melendez and JZ Cavalcante. It would be an honor to mix it up with any of those guys some day.

 

Thorozine - Would you consider doing UFC’s TUF Series?

Ryan - No I wouldn't. The idea of being on a reality show doesn't appeal to me at all. I'd much rather make my name in the sport the old fashioned way.

Yan117 - Have you always been participating in athletics and sports? I would guess you were quickly introduced to gyms and sporting events. If so, were you a very enthusiastic participant as a kid?

Ryan - I was always pretty active growing up. Soccer and wrestling were my two main sports but I gave baseball and basketball a try too.

Thorozine - Would you ever fight someone from Xtreme Couture, and what is your opinion on fighters not wanting to fight other fighters they train with?

Ryan - I'd prefer not to fight a teammate if at all possible but it's not something I'd refuse to do if it was the best way to advance my career.

BNF – How does it feel to know that even as a professional fighter you’re nearly 50 year old father can kick your ass? RolloTomasi adds - ...Or do you feel you can take your old man?

Ryan - I came to terms years ago with the fact that I'd never be able to whip my old man. I just take comfort in the fact that I'll always be smarter and better looking, haha.

I would like to thank Inflict Sports, It Ain't Chemo and Xtreme Couture, also, people can follow me on twitter @RyanDCouture. Thanks!

I'm sure we're all aware of the Nam Phan/Leonard Garcia match on Saturday at the TUF Season 12 Finale. Everyone and their mother has complained about this decision as Garcia was given the nod when it was clear Phan should have been the victor. Garcia recently talked to Ben Fowlkes

"I think I outscored him in the first and third rounds," said Garcia. "I think that in the third round, I was dead tired, but I kept firing and kept pressing the action, and I was able to get a takedown as well."

Re: Joe Rogan's Rant

"It does piss me off, because I have nothing to do with the decision. I have nothing to do with that. The only thing I can control is what I do in the fight. Dead tired, most people, they have that thing in their bodies that tells them, 'I'm too tired, so I'm just going to give up.' I don't have that. I go in there and I'm still trying to end the fight in the third round. So it does, it bothers me to hear him say some of that stuff he said. It's kind of a bad deal, but all it's going to do is fire me up for the next one."

"He talks about certain things that I do in the fight, but that's just my fighting style. I don't fight Joe Rogan's fighting style. I apologize to Joe Rogan, but I can't fight his style. That's not my style of fighting. What makes me who I am is my style of fighting, and people seem to enjoy it. I've won several Fight of the Night [bonuses] because of it, and I enjoy fighting that way. I think it's something the fans deserve, is to see two guys give it their all. And that's one thing I know about myself is I go out there and give it my all."

Don't let it get you down Leonard, you got the W. 

Twitter

SBN coverage of The Ultimate Fighter 12 Finale

We've all seen the same 15 knockouts get used in every single Nu Metal MMA Highlight that's uploaded on Youtube in the past 5-6 years. Well here are a few that you may not have come across. Enjoy.

1. Mark "boobie" Maynard vs. Some Dude in the Amateur Circuit.

Not much info on this one but got damn....

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For the second time in less then a year, the Ultimate Fighting Championship is set to come north of the border to the “Mecca” of Mixed Martial Arts – at least until the Octagon hits Toronto, that is.

Montreal, Quebec Canada plays host to UFC 124: St. Pierre vs. Koscheck 2, and with a hometown hero, a highly anticipated rematch and months of reality TV drama all riding into the evenings main event, the card already has Canadian fans shaking in anticipation.

Which is good, because its frickin freezing up here and any movement is good movement.

Putting on a major MMA event in fight-hungry Canada is a guaranteed sellout, and any PPV headlined by GSP is bound to get MMA fans -and their girlfriends, sisters, mothers and grandmothers – to tune in. If you’re an MMA fan, chances are you don’t have to be “sold” on this card.

But just how strong a card is it? I break down the good and the bad of the UFC’s latest Montreal offering to see what’s in store for fight fans come December 11.

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Lindland spoke to MMA Weekly about his upcoming fight with Robbie Lawler at Saturday's Strikeforce: Henderson vs Babalu event on Showtime.

"I’m looking forward to fighting Robbie," Lindland said. "He’s a young talented guy. He’s been in the sport as long as I have, so he’s got a ton of experience."

No matter the amount of respect he has for Lawler, Lindland still sees this fight as a steppingstone towards a greater good. He seeks a return to title town. Gold hardware is a must for the veteran, and his opinion of being a Top 10 fighter leads him to believe he is set on the path to becoming a champion.

"I think I’m still one of the top contenders in this sport, a Top 10 guy," he said. "Of course, I lost to the champion, ‘Jacare’ (Ronaldo Souza), and I think this is a great path back to that title contention. A win against Robbie certainly solidifies me in the Top 10."

Matt. Woogie. You've lost 2 or your last 3, 3 of your last 5.