We're just a day away from UFC 101, a great MMA card that will feature two UFC champions taking on two tough opponents. And yet as I went through the questions for today's UFC Twitter mailbag, I got hardly anything about UFC 101, and a whole lot of frustration from MMA fans that we're probably never going to see Fedor Emelianenko fight Brock Lesnar.Your questions and my answers for our UFC Twitter mailbag are below.
dangerdogg93 Why wouldnt Fedor fight in the UFC, come on he beat 2 former UFC heavyweight champions, i dont understand.
Actually, Fedor has beaten more than two former UFC heavyweight champions. Here's the full list of his fights against opponents who at some point held the UFC belt:
1. March 16, 2003: Unanimous decision win over Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira (UFC interim heavyweight champion 2008)
2. April 25, 2004: First-round submission (arm bar) win over Mark Coleman (UFC heavyweight champion 1997)
3. June 20, 2004: First-round submission (kimura) win over Kevin Randleman (UFC heavyweight champion 1999-2000)
4. August 15, 2004: No contest (accidental cut) vs. Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira
5. December 31, 2004: Unanimous decision win over Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira
6. October 21, 2006: Second-round submission (arm bar) win over Mark Coleman
7. July 19, 2008: First-round submission (rear-naked choke) win over Tim Sylvia (UFC heavyweight champion 2003, 2006-07)
8. January 24, 2009: First-round knockout (punch) win over Andrei Arlovski (UFC heavyweight champion 2005-2006)
So Fedor is 7-0 with a no contest against former or future UFC heavyweight champs. But the answer to your question, why wouldn't Fedor fight in the UFC, isn't about the competition. It's about the contract. He doesn't like the UFC's contract terms, the UFC won't co-promote with Fedor's company, M-1, and that means we won't see Fedor in the Octagon.
John_S_Adams: LOL, "has beens" is the better term. Those guys were and are on the downward slide if you look at their recent fights.
It's certainly true that Fedor's fights against former UFC champs haven't come when those champs were in their primes. That's why it's so disappointing we won't see Fedor fight Lesnar, who is in his prime.
hirakawa: It's good. UFC monopoly is not good for MMA.
Whether one dominant organization is good for MMA is a source of much debate. On the one hand, we'd see more of the match-ups we want to see -- like Fedor vs. Lesnar -- if everyone were under one umbrella. On the other hand, a challenger to the UFC will force the UFC to continue giving fans a great product. Overall I think Strikeforce is good for MMA. I sure do wish we'd see Fedor vs. Lesnar, though.
AjayAlexander: So would Silva relinquish MW title to stay at 205, since he has limited # of fights left on contract?
Finally, a question about UFC 101, with talk that UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva could stay at light heavyweight permanently, and give up the 185-pound belt. Dana White suggested that Silva staying at 205 pounds permanently was at least a possibility, but I don't think Silva wants to vacate the middleweight title. I think that after he fights Forrest Griffin Saturday night, his next fight will be a title defense against Dan Henderson.
Gronith: Life on Mars is fantastic, the new Ashes to Ashes spin off hasn't got me hooked yet but its still cool.
I tweeted that I'm loving the BBC's Life on Mars, and I heard from a lot of people who agreed with me. We mostly talk about MMA around here, but feel free to hit me up with DVD recommendations.
PJHarrison: Just listened to you on 610. Nice job.
Thanks. I was on the air with Adam Wexler on Sports Radio 610 in Houston Wednesday night talking all things MMA with one of the sports radio guys who really gets the sport. You can listen to my appearance here.
Want to be part of our next UFC Twitter mailbag? Post a question or comment on Twitter.com, and be sure to start it with @MichaelDavSmith.
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