I think Fedor is too small to fight in the HW division. He's 6', 225 with plenty of extra heft all over. I think he should cut to LHW. The fact that he's been a giant-killer for so long is great, but it's not sustainable. There are some real freakshow match-ups in the division. I'd like to see it cut off at 225 so it's a 20 lb spread. But that's just me. Maybe everyone wants a freakshow.

I heard someone say Silva was around 285 on fight day, what's that, 50 over Fedor? Fedor needed to train MUCH harder with a multi-faceted monster like Silva.

I hope Fedor comes back, trains harder, has one more war and goes out on top. He's got a ton of heart and I don't want to see him go out like this.

 

Dunno bro... He went our hard core in that last fight. He was the one going for the ankle lock when the bell sounded to end the round.

He, not once gave up in that fight. He may have lost the fight, but he's won the war in that weight class. I'd love for him to keep fighting, but I could totally understand if he chose to retire. I would, in his shoes.

 

I saw that too, he's really got the heart of a warrior. Never gives up.

I'd be happy and respect him no matter what, he has accomplished so much, and been so respectful and humble in the process. I just want to see him sent off right instead of hearing the disrespectful talk that came out after this bout. He deserves an honorable exit. It doesn't matter to him perhaps what anyone says. I just want him to shut the critics up one last time.

If he does come back, I think he needs to train differently, better, harder and with strategy specific to his opponent. The world of mma has evolved. It used to be, and you know more than I, that there were few truly well-rounded fighters. Much like the world of professional poker, where the best in the business have shared their training and secrets and it spawned a sea of developing talent, I think the same has happened in mma. Training methods have been shared and high quality camps and training regimens have multiplied, such that now there are great fighters springing up in all divisions including HW. That's good for elevating the performance level in the sport, perhaps bad for those who stick to old training methods.

Silva is great, not taking away from that, he's to be taken seriously. I think people underestimate him. But even with heart and great skill Fedor has, I wonder if he was prepared for Silva. It appeared to me he was not.

In any case, my heart broke a little last night. Seeing one of my heroes held by the throat and beaten with sledgehammer fists was difficult to watch.

I hope this isn't the last we see of the Emperor.

 

YouTube - UFC 127 Rivera Interview

 

SOLID read right here guys...very neat to read about what happens behind the scenes.



UFC site coordinator Burt Watson: "I like it when it's wacky, baby. It's what we do."

"If you've ever attended a live UFC event or other pre-fight activities, you may recognize the man – but may not know his name.

He's most visible at the official weigh-ins. He's the first man on stage revving up the crowd before UFC commentator Joe Rogan grabs the microphone to introduce the UFC management, octagon girls, and shortly thereafter, the fighters.

He's Burt Watson – UFC site coordinator, part-time hype man, part-time counselor, part-time disciplinarian, jack of all trades.

Despite a laundry list of responsibilities, his main focus centers on monitoring the weight of fighters throughout any given fight week to ensure they are able to compete.

"Making weight is a part of what we do," Watson recently told MMAjunkie.com Radio (MMAjunkie.com Radio | MMAjunkie.com). "It's what these guys know they need to do. It's disrespectful if they don't. It shows me they're not trying.

"We're going to do what we need to do for them to get in that octagon because there's a lot of ass kicking in that octagon. At the same time, we're setting standards they need to go by to be the professional that they are when they make it to this level in the game."

For a Saturday night event, fighters typically arrive in town on a Monday or Tuesday. This is when Watson, who first joined the company in 2001 at UFC 31, and his team spring into action.

Fighters are picked up from the airport and transported to the hotel where they are given a schedule that lists all fight week activities, media-related responsibilities, etc.

They also know they have to weigh in for Watson immediately upon arrival. Let's just say some are more enthused than others to see him.

"These guys will come in (early in the week) a little bit heavy, a little bit overweight, and they get on the scale and the first thing they do is look at the scale," he said. "'Ain't nothing wrong with that scale, baby. Don't look at it, okay? That scale is right! That's you!'"

To keep tabs on everything, Watson carries around an extensive Rolodex of sorts with him at all times, wherever he roams. Don't bother asking to sneak a peak. It is classified information even to the fighters and their respective camps.

"What's in here is everybody's flight, everybody's room, everybody's weight when they checked in," he said. "I write their weight down, and then in the middle of the week, I'll go and put where they are in the middle of the week, and then day of the weigh-in we pre-weigh these guys also. I'm anal about that weight, man. I always keep this with me."

The day of the official weigh-ins usually is prefaced by little to no sleep and a healthy dose of anxiety for Watson.

"As MMA fighters, they have a schedule that they go by as to where they need to be at certain pounds, weights," he said. "The day of the weigh-in, they come in at a comfort level for them but not a comfort level for me. To me, it's cutting it close. To them, it's a part of the process, a part of their routine.

"If we've got 11 fights, I make weight 22 times. Every guy that gets on that scale, I'm making weight with him. That's kind of nerve-racking, baby. I'm standing on that stage, and I've got Mr. Dana White to my left, Mr. Lorenzo Fertitta, Mr. Joe Silva. I've got you guys (the media) sitting right in front of me; the commission, all of America, all of the world. If it isn't right, everybody looks at me."

That personal accountability – Watson's mission to be held accountable for everyone else – makes the UFC the king of kings when it comes to weigh-in success.

Once the weigh-ins have concluded, and if everyone makes weight, Watson finally can breathe a sigh of relief. Chances are he dodged a bullet or two in the process.

"Then I go back in the room and apologize for cursing at them (the fighters) all week," Watson said.

Overall, his track record has been pretty good considering the total number of events and fights throughout the years.

"We're going on 11 years," he said. "We've never had a fight not happen because a fighter didn't make weight. I think in 11 years, there have only been 12 or 13 guys that didn't make the weight. I don't think it's much higher than that."

For now, he's simply enjoying the ride. His face lights up when discussing what the future may hold for the No. 1 fight promotion in the world.

"They're revving up, believe me," he said. "With this transitional year, they are going to try to keep things on an even keel, and I don't always know the schedule.

"There are a lot of big things planned (for 2011 and beyond). It's going to throw that schedule back into wacky world, but I like it when it's wacky, baby. It's what we do.""

 

Feel good story...click link for VIDEO ...

http://www.myfoxny.com/dpp/news/loca...ident-20110214

NEW YORK Subway Hero Meets UFC President

Updated: Monday, 14 Feb 2011, 11:29 PM EST
Published : Monday, 14 Feb 2011, 11:29 PM EST

MYFOXNY.COM - Over the weekend, Joe Lozito came face to face with Maksim Gelman, the Brooklyn man who is accused of going on a 28-hour stabbing and carjacking spree that left four people dead.

Lozito helped subdue Gelman on a subway car and almost died for his heroism; Gelman is accused of repeatedly slashing Lozito with a knife.

Lozito said he learned the moves he used to take down Gelman by watching Ultimate Fighting Championship on television.

On Monday night, Lozito got a great surprise: A meeting with Dana White, the president of UFC.

 

I hate it that I have this painful, grudging respect for White that has really been resistant to antibiotic and bourbon. He is growing as a leader of the UFC organization.

And when he does stuff like this, as he does very frequently, and people don't hear about it; it really goes a long way towards forcing respect for the guy.

Helluva thing he did for this guy, who IS a hero. Most people would have run from that dude with the blade; not this guy. He ran to danger, not away; he deserves everything White just did for him.

 

That is pretty damned cool.

 

You said it right...

 

Dana white announced this today...