So I’ve been in a bit of a funk lately. My company got bought out last August, and I’ve been waiting since then for everything to be said and done with so I can get laid off and move on with my life. Pretty much everything I enjoyed about my job went away almost overnight, and I’ve been stuck doing the few things I didn’t like about my job full time for the past year or so. Needless to say, that does not make me a happy Erock. Thankfully, my time at work is coming to a close rather soon. My only fear is that when I’m finally free the funk may decide to hang around like Saddam Hussein.

I’ve decided the only way to keep myself from becoming a reclusive video game addict during my time off is to write and record an album. It’s been quite some time since I’ve been serious about my music, but it’s really the best way to channel feeling like shit into something productive. I figured I’d write about it here to keep myself honest. Otherwise, it would be too easy to slack off. Then a few years from now I’ll be kicking myself for not taking the opportunity to make some music.

The big first step is figuring out where I want to go with this from a musical standpoint. I think the only way to do that is to start tooling around on the guitar and see what comes out. If I like where it’s going, then I’ll run with it. I’ve done some doodling around while watching TV the past few nights, but nothing was coming out. I wasn’t plugged in, and I think that’s what’s keeping me from making that first step. I need to find the right guitar tone. I have a few ideas, but I think I need to just play around until I find something I like. Hopefully once I get the sound, the riffs will start flowing like they always have.

I saw this article on wikipedia, and I felt compelled to share. Here’s a quote:

"…with this album, Jorge Ferreira becomes a legend in the United States, and in Portugal, everybody listens only him."

Apparently, everyone in Portugal is too busy listening to Jorge Ferreira to learn English…

(In case someone actually fixes this article this link will take you directly to the revision as it appeared today)

Alan Belcher vs. Kalib Starnes

I think everyone hates to see a fight end because of a cut, but in this case I don’t think that cheapens the win for Belcher. Alan opened a nasty gash over Kalib’s eye in the first round and he proceeded to keep the pressure on by staying aggressive. Belcher landed some nasty elbows to keep Starnes’s cut wide open. While I think it would have been a closer match had Starnes been able to see, I was quite impressed with Belcher’s performance, and I definitely underestimated him in this fight. Even though the UFC middleweight division has less top talent than the other weight classes, I can’t complain much about the quality of the fights.

Brandon Vera vs. Tim Sylvia

This fight held no surprises. I would have expected Tim to try to throw a bit more strikes, but otherwise this was simply a case of Tim using his size and strength to dominate a smaller opponent. It looked a lot like Sylvia vs Assuerio Silva (minus Tim crapping his pants). Get used to this UFC fans. Aside from Big Nog, I can’t think of anyone currently in the UFC who has the size and/or the skills to beat Sylvia at this game. At this point I only see maybe 5 guys who have a legitimate chance against Sylvia: Minotauro, Fedor, Randy, Barnett and Mark Hunt. What do the last 4 fighters have in common? They aren’t fighting in the UFC. Ladies and Gentlemen - welcome to the UFC Middleweight division part 2!

(Tangent - now that it’s official that M1 signed Fedor Emilianenko, and they have more fighter announcements coming, they have a wide open opportunity to put together a monster heavyweight division and give the UFC a run for their money right off the bat. Barnett and Hunt are out there still. Mike Whitehead has left the IFL and would be a nice up-and-comer to add. Jeff Monson, Mark Coleman, and Pedro Rizzo all still have some fights in them. And don’t forget that Arlovski only has one fight remaining on his UFC contract. I think it would be great for the sport if M1 took the lead here and put together a solid HW division.)

Anderson Silva vs. Rich Franklin

Another fight with no big surprises. Congrats to Rich for making it to the second round before Anderson smashed his nose in. I’m just glad none of the pins from the last surgery started poking out. I knew this was going to be another demolition as soon as I heard that Rich was planning on standing and trading with Silva. That’s like saying "I’m going to pick up this rattlesnake by the face". Not a wise move. After this fight, the middleweight division of the UFC is officially FUBAR. Silva is virtually unbeatable, but that doesn’t matter since there’s no real competition for him in the UFC. Hopefully David Terrell destroys Ed Herman at UFC 78, because Okami’s contract is up and Dan Henderson seems like he’s already getting tired of dealing with Dana White and the rest of the UFC management. This division keeps getting thinner by the day…

Yushin Okami (-245) vs. Jason MacDonald (+195)

Despite his recent loss to Rich Franklin, Yushin Okami remains one of the top 185-pounders in the world. He is incredibly strong for his size and is a true "three-tool player" (striking, wrestling and jiu-jitsu). After his loss to Okami, Mike Swick decided to drop to 170 even though he tore through everyone else he faced at 185. The only fault Okami seems to have is that he’s a slow starter. In a tight 3-round fight that can be a liability if the decision hoes to the judges.

Jason MacDonald is a well-rounded fighter in his own right. Aside from his recent loss to Franklin, he has outclassed his opponents in the UFC. My main concern in evaluating MacDonald is that since the MW division is so weak in the UFC it becomes easy to overrate someone by comparison (Terry Martin, anyone?). He has losses to both Patrick Cote and Kalib Starnes outside the UFC, who are both legitimate MW contenders in their own right. All of a sudden he looks a lot less impressive, no?

MacDonald struggled against the bigger and stronger Rich Franklin, and I see no reason the same won’t happen against Okami. Despite the fact that I see him winning handily, I think the line is getting a bit out of reach for my tastes. Okami has been as low as +205 this week, and I think he’s a solid play at that low of a line. I still may make a play at this line, but if it creeps over +250 I think I’ll lay off - mainly because the UFC judges scare me if this goes to a decision.

Brandon Vera (-155) vs. Tim Sylvia (+125)

Brandon Vera has been a machine in the UFC. He’s torn through everyone put in front of him. Prior to his contract issues earlier in the year, Vera was in line for a title match against Sylvia. Vera has excellent striking and a solid ground game. While many have pointed out that Vera hasn’t fought anyone at Sylvia’s level before, he has wins against Justin Eilers, Assuerio Silva and Frank Mir in the UFC, as well as a win over Mike Whitehead (one of the IFL’s former stars) outside of the UFC. He hasn’t exactly fought a bunch of chumps.

Tim Sylvia has faced a lot of criticism for being a boring fighter of late. He looked like he was just mailing it in against Monson and in his last fight with Arlovski; just doing enough to assure a decision win. I think a lot of people have forgotten about Tim’s impressive wins against guys like Ricco Rodriguez and Cabbage. If Sylvia is at the top of his game, his strength and his size make him one of the top heavyweights in the world.

There are a lot of question marks surrounding this match. Will Vera be rusty after his long layoff? Will Sylvia have the fire back from his early career. To me, this line looks like it’s a "popularity match" line. Everyone wants to bet for the "good guy". In actuality, I see this fight being pretty close to even, so I think Sylvia is a good play here.

Anderson Silva (-190) vs. Rich Franklin (+150)

No champion looks as dominant compared to the rest of his division the way Anderson Silva does. Arguably in the top three pound-for-pound fighters in all of MMA, Silva towers above the flailing UFC 185-pound weight class. Silva is one of the top strikers in the game, and has dominant BJJ skills if you can get past his hands, feet, elbows and knees. He has all the skills needed to dominate the middleweight division for a long time.

Rich Franklin is a top striker in his own right. He is also incredibly big and strong for a middleweight. He is a dominant fighter who likes to sit outside and throw bombs, and use his sheer strength to control things when the fight goes to the ground.

Unfortunately for Rich, his style plays right into the biggest strengths of Silva’s game. Further compounding matters is that he is planning to "walk out there and start throwing punches like I always do". I can’t see that boding well for Franklin. I think Silva is a very good play at this line.

***bonus pick!***

Alan Belcher (-115) vs. Kalib Starnes (-115)

Normally I don’t like to bet on fights if I don’t know both fighters well, but this line looks pretty tasty to me. Belcher is 2-2 in the UFC, but his last victory doesn’t tell us much since he caught Sean Salmon in a quick guillotine after he left his neck out on a takedown attempt at the start of the fight. I don’t know much about Belcher, but I haven’t beel all too impressed with what I’ve seen so far.

Starnes, on the other hand, looked great in his win over Chris Leben. He also has a win in 2005 over Jason MacDonald. I’ve been impressed with what I’ve seen out of Starnes lately. I think Starnes is a solid play at this line.

Champ: Randy Couture

Top Contenders:
Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira
Brandon Vera
Tim Sylvia
Andrei Arlovski
Gabriel Gonzaga
Cheick Kongo

A little less than a year ago, the heavyweight division made a drastic turn from being one of the weakest weight classes in the UFC to one of the most promising. Over the last 6 months or so, a lot of the most promising additions to the division have fallen short of expectations. Heath Herring has been a disaster. I’ve already covered the Cro Cop disaster in great lengths. And even Big Nog looked pretty beatable against Herring. Hell, Herring probably could have finished Minotauro if he hadn’t stood him up.

Back in March, no one gave Randy Couture a chance against Tim Sylvia. At this point, he’s the clear-cut top talent in this weight class. Based on the lackluster performance by most of the top competition in their recent fights, there are few opponents who look like they can provide a real challenge to Randy right now. With Couture healing from a broken arm, he’s not set to fight again until early 2008 (right now it looks like a card on Super Bowl weekend).

If Brandon Vera beats Tim Sylvia at UFC 77, then he is the likely frontrunner for the next title shot against Couture. Vera was actually slated to fight Sylvia for the title back in March, but he got tied up in a lenghthy contract dispute with the UFC. If he continues his aggressive, dominant ways then he probably has the best chance against Randy of all the contenders in this weight class.

If Sylvia wins against Vera, he’s not necessarily a shoe-in for an immediate title shot. His conservative approach to his last 3 fights hasn’t exactly won him any fans recently. Still, with few other options for early February, he may get a shot if he beats Vera in impressive fashion.

The main reason I don’t see Big Nog stepping right into a title shot is the recent rumor that he may be fighting Cheick Kongo at UFC 79 in late December. The winner of that fight would likely not be available for the first title defense of 2008 if it is indeed scheduled for Super Bowl weekend. Still, if this match does happen it would likely confer #1 contender status on the victor. Nogueira is arguably already the top contender, and a win against a fighter at this level should instantly jump Kongo to the top of the weight class as well.

Andrei Arlovski has only fought twice in the past year since his back-to-back losses to Tim Sylvia. His conservative approach in his victory over Fabricio Werdum in April surely did not resemble the dominant Andrei Arlovski of old, but it was a decisive victory regardless. With no recent or rumored upcoming fights for Arlovski, there is a bit of a question mark for what is next for him. Still, should Sylvia defeat Vera at UFC 77 (especially if it is a less-than-impressive decision) then Arlovski is one of the few top contenders that would be available for a title match in February and could see himself in a title match.

Despite his loss to Couture, Gabriel Gonzaga is still a major factor in this division. Cro Cop and Frank Mir are both in a rebuilding phase at this point in their careers, but either could become a factor in the HW division with a couple of decisive wins. Mir has already taken a step in that direction, with an impressive win against Antoni Hardonk at UFC 74.

At this point, the heavyweight weight class is in OK shape, but could still use an infusion of some top talent. Fedor Emilianenko is still a free agent after Zuffa’s purchase of Pride, and would be a huge boost to this division. Josh Barnett would also be an fantastic addition to this weight class. With no clear-cut heir to Couture, the UFC could stand to beef up the competition in this division.

Champ: Quinton Jackson

Top Contenders:
Forrest Griffin
Keith Jardine
Dan Henderson
Wanderlei Silva
Rashad Evans
Tito Ortiz
Chuck Liddell
Mauricio Rua
Lyoto Machida
Jason Lambert
Houston Alexander

With the recent upsets at UFC 76 and the signing of Wanderlei Silva, the light heavyweight division has become loaded with competitors that are all in the hunt for a title shot. With Rampage not set to defend again until 2008, there is still plenty of time to determine who he will fight next. There is no clear-cut #1 contender at this time, so there could be some exciting matchups in the near future.

Despite losing his last two fights to Cro Cop and Henderson, Wanderlei Silva could be moved into title contention quickly. There are really two options I see for Wanderlei’s first fight in December. Either the UFC hold the long-awated Liddell-Silva match despite their recent losses (which I doubt will happen), or Wanderlei fights either Forrest or Jardine for a title shot.

Despite his loss to Rampage, Dan Henderson is still in the mix if he chooses to remain at LHW. The big question is whether he’ll cut down to 185. That may be better for the UFC, but with the competition being so much better at 205, Henderson may prefer to stay at light heavyweight.

Prior to his draw with Tito Ortiz, Rashad Evans looked like he was on the way to a title fight. With the recent activity in the division and their extended layoff while Tito renegotiates his contract, both Ortiz and Evans have fallen a bit further back in the mix at 205. Still, if either fighter pulls off an impressive win in their rematch, he would be close to a title shot in 2008.

Chuck and Shogun both looked out of their game in their recent losses. Despite their losses, these two were at the top of the division for so long that they could easily be back in title contention with a couple of dominant performances. Chuck needs to pick apart his opponents the way he used to and get back the fire he once had. As for Shogun, he needs to bring his conditioning back to peak form if he wants to make his mark in the UFC.

Lyoto Machida has been criticized for being a boring fighter, but he looked like he was taking a step in the right direction with his win over Nakamura at UFC 76. His style would provide an interesting match for any of the strikers in the division. He may also benefit from cutting down to middleweight (he has a win over Rich Franklin outside the UFC).

Jason Lambert is someone who has fallen off of the radar screen with all the recent activity in the LHW weight class, but his upset win over Babalu back in March pushed him up the ranks of this division. He is in a position to face some top competition, and is well within reach of the top of this weight class.

Houston Alexander has taken the UFC by storm with two impressive knockout wins in his first two fights. He is an exciting striker with heavy hands, but he hasn’t faced anyone with a solid ground game in the UFC yet. If he continues his explosive ways, Alexander could move into title contention, but I think he needs a win against someone like Machida or Tito to prove he can win a fight that goes beyond trading blows and swinging for the fences.

Champ: Anderson Silva

Top Contenders:
Rich Franklin
Dan Henderson
Yushin Okami
Nate Marquardt
Mike Swick

The middleweight division is by far the thinnest weight class in the UFC as far as top competitors go. There is no clear-cut top contender for a title shot after Silva vs. Franklin at UFC 77. If you look at the top middleweights in the UFC, Okami and Marquardt are both coming off losses to Franklin and Silva, respectively. Swick is coming off a loss to Okami and has been talking about dropping to welterweight. And Henderson has been fighting at LHW, and there’s nothing other than speculation saying that he might drop down to 185.

Looking past the top five, the division continues to look thin. This is especially so after promising up-and-comer Terry Martin was knocked out by Chris Leben at Fight Night 11. Along with Martin and Leben, Jason MacDonald, Kalib Starnes and Kendall Grove have potential to move their way up the division ranks. But aside from MacDonald, all of these fighters are a year or two away from serious title contention.

Despite the dearth of talent in the middleweight division, there doesn’t seem to be many signs of this changing any time soon. Signing Paulo Filho to the WEC instead of the UFC was a questionable move on Zuffa’s part. Despite his friendship with Anderson Silva, Filho would have been a big boost to the floundering UFC MW division. There hasn’t been much other activity, to the best of our knowledge, in attempting to court other top middleweight contenders. Denis Kang, Matt Lindland and Frank Trigg would all be great free-agent acquisitions for the UFC.

Another decision that has been heavily debated is the choice to have a welterweight-only season of The Ultimate Fighter this season. The welterweight division is stacked right now, and Serra’s first title defense has to wait until the end of the year. If the UFC had gone with a middleweight season of TUF, then they could have bought themselves more time before the Silva vs. Franklin rematch while bringing in new talent. Of course, the language barrier would have been a challenge if Silva was a coach, but I think a US versus Brazil theme would work great for the show.

If Silva beats Franklin at UFC 77, then the middleweight division is stuck rebuilding with no clear-cut contenders. Short of Henderson coming down to MW, the UFC is in serious need of some talented competition for the middleweight division.

Champ: Matt Serra

Top Contenders:
Matt Hughes
Georges St. Pierre
Jon Fitch
Karo Parysian
Josh Koscheck

Much like the lightweight division, the welterweight title picture has been on hold in the UFC despite being one of the most exciting and talent-stacked weight classes. The title picture is set through early-2008 as Serra will be defending against Matt Hughes in December, and then GSP has been assured a title match against the winner of that fight. As a fan, I must say that it has been a little disappointing that a division that is so talent-heavy has only had 1 title match so far this year.

Jon Fitch has solidified his position in the top three of the WW division with another impressive win against former top-5 (and arguably top-3) contender Diego Sanchez. Fitch is on a tear right now. He has good striking and a great ground game. With the exception of possibly Matt Hughes, Fitch is probably the storngest pound-for-pound fighter in this division. If the title hadn’t been on hold for so long, I’d say he’s ready for a title fight now. Since it looks like summer of 2008 is the earliest the WW title isn’t spoken for. Looks like Fitch will have at least one more match before he’d get a shot at the title.

Karo Parysian has long been hovering at the top of the welterweight division. At one point he was in line for a title shot, but missed his opportunity due to an injury. His only losses in the UFC were to GSP and Diego Sanchez (when Diego was at the top of his game). And his only losses outside the UFC were to Sean Sherk in 2000 and 2001 (Karo was only 18 at the time). If Karo wins his fight in November, then this sets up a potential #1 contender fight against Jon Fitch in early 2008.

Josh Koscheck may not be a fan favorite, but he continues to improve his skills as a well-rounded MMA fighter. Right now many of the most dominant MMA fighters are former wrestlers who have expanded their game to add striking and jiu-jitsu. As Koscheck continues to expand his game, he should continue to climb the WW ranks. The only thing keeping him from moving into title contention is that he hasn’t had many decisive, dominant victories against tough opponents. If he can add some ground and pound to his arsenal, then he has the talent to go far.

Other fighters in contention in the welterweight division include Diego Sanchez, Marcus Davis and Mike Swick (if he cuts down to 170 as planned).

With the large number of events that were held over the past few months, I thought this would be a good time to assess each division in the UFC. I’ll start with lightweight and move my way up the weight classes.

Champ: Sean Sherk*

Top contenders:
BJ Penn
Joe Stevenson
Kenny Florian
Tyson Griffin
Roger Huerta

*Title will be stripped if CSAC appeal of his positive test for elevated levels of Nandrolone metabolite is denied.

This asterisk has put a big damper on what is, in my opinion, the UFC’s most exciting weight class. BJ Penn versus Sean Sherk is a main-event level match, and there are a few cards coming up that could use a big boost. If Sherk’s appeal is denied, then Penn versus Stevenson for the open title would still be a great addition to any card. The problem is that Sherk’s appeal isn’t until Halloween, and the LW title picture has been on hold for quite some time now.

With big wins over Guillard and Pellegrino this year, and wins over Mishima and Yves Edwards in 2006, I think Joe Stevenson is at the top of most people’s lists, behind BJ Penn, for the top contender for the lightweight belt.

Kenny Florian has rolled off three impressive victories since losing to Sherk for the vacant LW title. He’s been in phenominal shape and is fighting with a fire in his eyes. Florian is not too far from another title shot if he keeps it up.

Despite his loss to Frank Edgar early this year, Tyson Griffin has had big wins against Clay Guida and Thiago Tavarez in his last two fights (although some believe that Guida should have won their fight). Tyson has consistantly shown that he can beat tough opponents. (Little known fact - he’s the only man to defeat WEC featherweight champ Urijah Faber.) Tyson is just a win or two away from a title shot himself.

Roger Huerta has become one of the UFC’s most popular fighters (helped along by his appearance on the cover of Sports Illustrated). He’s already had four exciting wins in 2007. I think the biggest question that is still outstanding is how he will fare against a top contender. If the rumor is true, then Roger will be fighting Clay Guida on the TUF finale in December. A decisive win against a tough opponent such as Guida will surely push him up the ladder.

Aside from the top contenders above, other names at the top of the weight class are Din Thomas, Clay Guida and Spencer Fisher.

Jon Fitch vs. Diego Sanchez

In my picks for this fight, I had mentioned that I may make a small play on Jon Fitch. With this fight being so close, I decided that if I saw something at the weigh-ins that gave an edge to one fighter, then I’d make a move. I had assumed that if I saw anything it would be a lack of fire in Diego. Instead, I saw what looked to be an emaciated Jon Fitch that still needed to cut another pound. I made a small move on Diego, and I’m kicking myself for it. Just goes to show that you’re usually better off sticking with your initial feelings.

I wasn’t upset for too long, however…

Mauricio Rua vs. Forrest Griffin

This is one pick I’m obviously quite happy with. A lot of people saw Forrest as being tentative in his fight against against Hector Ramirez, but that’s not how I saw it. To me, I saw Forrest fight that whole fight on his terms, in his gameplan. I knew he had a much better chance against Shogun than he was being given credit for. I think training with Randy makes a huge difference. I see Xtreme Couture becoming the dominant team in MMA in the near future, similar to the way MFS (Miletich Fighting Systems) was a year ago.

By the way, was anyone else completely surprised to see Shogun sucking wind in the second round? That was not something I was expecting to see from him.

Chuck Liddell vs. Keith Jardine

Wow… that’s about all I can say about this one. First and foremost, props to the Dean of Mean in this one. He stood toe-to-toe with one of the best in the game, and no one can argue that Jardine was the dominant fighter in this match. Chuck definitely looked a little hesitant, especially after the shot that knocked him down. I honestly expected a lot more fire from Chuck. Hopefully he comes back with a chip on his shoulder, because I miss the Chuck that mowed down Babalu and Tito last year…