Fact or Fiction Smith/Radach FOTY, Shamrock Retirement, Liddell/Rua Must Win,

Is Scott Smith vs. Benji Radach the best fight of 2009 so far? Does Chuck Liddell need to win more than Mauricio Rua? Should Frank Shamrock retire after a fight with Tito Ortiz? Do Carano and Santos deserve to main event on CBS? 411's Scott Kuczkowski and 5OZofPain's Brendhan Conlan discuss these topics and more in this week’s edition of 411 MMA Fact or Fiction!

Already in April we've seen Condit vs. Kampmann, Mizugaki vs. Torres, and Smith vs. Radach. And we still have Liddell vs. Rua and Silva vs. Leites this weekend.

Discussing those topics and more, we have a man who always brings The Good, never The Bad, and isn't Ugly. Welcome Scott Kuczkowski. On the opposite end is the former Fact or Fiction over looker, previously Punch, Drunk, and Hungover, now bringing The Pain at Five Ounces, Brendhan Conlan.

In the words of John McCarthy…LET'S GET IT ON!

1. Frank Shamrock should have one last fight against Tito Ortiz and then retire.

Scott Kuczkowski: FICTION. Frank should walk away now and focus on his career as a fight announcer. Tito is two years younger, 4 inches taller, and probably 20 pounds heavier than Shamrock. While Frank beat him in 1999 at UFC 22, I don't know for sure he would have the same success if the two met again. Frank walking away at this point would be the right choice for him at the right time in his career; he doesn't need to hang around and become an MMA punch line like his brother Ken. Could a rematch between Tito and Frank be hyped? Sure but I don't know if it would have the intrigue of Frank against Ken, which will probably never happen. And I think Tito against Babalu is a fight folks would rather see, which leaves Frank without an opponent anyone wants to see him face. It's time for him to call it quits.

Brendhan Conlan: FICTION. I find this statement to be false for a few reasons. First and foremost, I'm not ready to throw in the towel on Shamrock as a professional fighter just because Nick Diaz smoked him like a spliff this past Saturday night. Shamrock was coming off more than a year's layoff from action, and a few injuries, when he entered the cage against his finger-flipping foe. The rust that builds up over twelve months away from the ring would affect any Mixed Martial Artist, let alone a 36-year old writing the final few chapters to a storied career. And, while he may technically be a heavier fighter than Diaz, Shamrock's physical build is such that he was in some ways at a size disadvantage based on Nick's height and reach. He's also rumored to have entered the bout with cracked ribs. These factors aren't excuses for Frank's performance against Stockton's finest – they're observations on why he's not necessarily a washed-up fighter who needs to consider retirement.

I'm not opposed to seeing Tito Ortiz and Frank Shamrock square off, as the match-up would surely sell out a major arena in Southern California, as well as do excellent numbers on CBS due to the reputations involved and the mainstream public's general lack of knowledge when it comes to MMA. However, if/when they do mix it up in the Strikeforce cage, I don't see it being as a one-and-done affair for Shamrock. He can still be a competitive, relevant fighter when booked against the right person. I just don't think Tito Ortiz is such an individual. If Frank struggled against a taller, lighter opponent like Nick Diaz then how should he logically fare against a taller, heavier challenger like "The Huntington Beach Not-as-Bad-as-he-used-to-be Boy"? Put Shamrock up against Josh Thomson (who has wanted to fight him for a long time), Jake Shields, or a smaller middleweight and it's a different story. I think he's still hungry for competition, loves the SoCal fans, and knows he possesses the skills to walk away from the sport a winner. Those aren't the qualities of a man who is ready to hang up his five-ounce gloves just yet.

SCORE: 1 for 1. If Frank Shamrock can still go, who are we to stop him? But I don't think any fan of Shamrock or MMA wants to see him perform like he did this past Saturday.

2. Carano vs. Santos deserves to main event a CBS show.

Scott Kuczkowski: FICTION. I mentioned somewhere on this site that I couldn't picture a scenario where both women would be able to successfully make weight for a sanctioned title fight. I stand by that statement. Maybe if they both started cutting weight today they would be ready for August, but I still wouldn't put money on it. Scott Coker needs to watch UFC 67 and see what can happen to a main event when a fighter (Travis Lutter) doesn't make weight. The UFC was able to recover from that embarrassment; would CBS be as forgiving with Strikeforce if a main event became a non-title fight because one or both of the fighters couldn't make weight? I'm not sure I would risk it. I think Carano and Santos should be showcased as a co-headliner of a card, but I don't think they should be the sole main event.

Brendhan Conlan: FACT. Carano vs. Santos will unquestionably be the biggest female Mixed Martial Arts' bout in history when it occurs and should remain the crown jewel in womens' MMA for quite some time given the sport's current landscape. Carano has proven to be as big a draw to fans as any of her male counterparts. Beyond Gina's overwhelming popularity, the potential scrap is ripe enough with storylines to draw in the most skeptical fan. You have Carano's undefeated record being at stake. You have two strikers who won't be afraid to exchange blows once the ref signals its time for action. You have a traditionally attractive, voluptuous female with a smile as dangerous as her right cross taking on a grizzled, inked-up wild-woman with a body chiseled from marble. There is truly no reason "Cyborg" attempting to dethrone Carano as the top female fighter in the world shouldn't main event a major show, and assuming Scott Coker is as a progressive a thinker as he appears to be, I'm pretty sure he'll do his best to make that happen.

SCORE: 1 for 2. Just do the fight at a 205 weight limit. No way they don't make weight.

3. Smith vs. Radach has been the best fight in 09.

Scott Kuczkowski: FICTION. Smith vs. Radach was a great fight, but there have been a number of great fights this year. Chris Lytle vs. Marcus Davis at UFC 93 was a great fight; GSP vs. Penn was an epic battle despite the controversy; Lyoto Machida dismantling Thiago Silva was awesome at UFC 94; and Demian Maia vs. Chael Sonnen was great. I thought Scott Smith vs. Benji Radach would be one of the better fights on the card and I don't think I was wrong, but I'd have a hard time definitively saying it was the best fight thus far of 2009.

Brendhan Conlan: FICTION. It's difficult for me to pick any single fight as being the best of 2009 without taking the time to research every card/bout I've seen over the last four and a half months and weighing them against each other. Both men exhibited a tremendous amount of heart, each overcoming a knockdown in the first round (which is a rarity), and it seemed as though every kick, knee, and punch thrown was delivered with the intent to finish the other off. Based on this past Saturday night I'm pretty sure Scott Smith and Benji Radach could face each other ten more times and I would be on the edge of my couch-cushions for every single one. It was an incredible fight between two of MMA's classiest, likeable individuals, and while the war between Scott Smith and Benji Radach may not have necessarily been the best fight of 2009, it was definitely among the cream of the crop and a "Top 5" finalist at worst.

SCORE: 2 for 3. The only thing disappointing about Smith vs. Radach was that someone lost.

SWEEP!!!!

4. Thales Leites will not make it into the Championship rounds against Anderson Silva.

Brendhan Conlan: FACT. Frankly, Leites was lucky to make it three rounds against Nate Marquardt, so going even further against a fighter of Silva's caliber isn't very likely as far as I'm concerned. He's clearly a talented young competitor with solid stand-up and an excellent set of submission skills to pull from, but I don't think he's particularly better than "The Spider" at any one facet of Mixed Martial Arts and has little more than a puncher's chance of beating his elder Brazilian. Anderson has soundly beaten better strikers (Franklin, Marquardt) and better grapplers (Lutter).

Scott Kuczkowski: FACT. I've never seen Thales Leites do anything in a fight that made me think he would be a threat to Anderson Silva. Leites is a ground wizard, but Silva is no slouch when it comes to his ground game either. Leites has a mediocre stand-up game, which may be his downfall if chooses to stand with Anderson Silva. Leites' best shot is to shoot in and get a takedown and maybe sink in a slick submission. The problem is that Leites' takedowns aren't very dynamic and I don't foresee Silva having a problem stuffing his shots. All things considered, Anderson Silva should finish Thales Leites in the first round.

SCORE: 3 for 4. Has Anderson Silva faced a serious contender since Dan Henderson? Unfortunately no.

5. Chuck Liddell needs to win more than "Shogun" Rua.

Brendhan Conlan: FICTION. Chuck Liddell will be drawing a paycheck from Zuffa as long as Dana White is in charge based on the personal relationship between the two. On the other hand, "Shogun" doesn't have the same friendship-net to fall into if he ends up on the losing end of things this weekend. Rua's situation is similar to the one Mirko Filipovic was in – making six-figures per appearance in the Octagon based on his work in PRIDE with little to nothing to show for the investment. That's not a good position to be in where long-term job stability is concerned.

Scott Kuczkowski: FACT. Chuck is near 40 years of age and is well past his prime as a fighter. The chances of Chuck ever being a contender for the LHW title are extremely slim, and those odds get slimmer with every passing day. If Chuck at all ever hopes to be able to climb back into title contention, he needs to decisively defeat Rua in a brutal fashion. Only after that and a few more decisive wins would he be considered a threat to whomever is wearing the belt. Rua is only 27 years old, which means he could always take a few years off and work on his game before emerging again in his early 30s if he loses. Defeating Liddell would be a nice feather in Rua's cap, but he would have to win a few more too before fans started to view him as a title contender. Chuck on the other hand is probably looking at retirement if he loses this fight, which means he needs to win more than Rua.

SCORE: 3 for 5. Every fight is a must win for any fighter but Liddell is looking at retirement and easy money while retired with a loss while Rua is looking at the unemployment line with a loss.

6. UFC would have been better off financially splitting the Lesnar/Mir and GSP/Alves fights rather than putting them on the same card.

Brendhan Conlan: FACT. …as they would be splitting up any card headlined by separate championship fights involving their promotion's biggest stars. However, with it being UFC 100, the goal of the company should be to first turn a profit, then second deliver a spectacle that differentiates the PPV from any other they've done in the past because of the show's centurial significance.

Scott Kuczkowski: FICTION. Yes, the UFC could have split both of these title fights and used them as main events for separate PPVs, but these bouts are slated for UFC 100, which isn't just a normal card. The fans have built UFC 100 into something special and I don't think a single title defense would have been big enough to match the expectations. Both of these fights make sense on this card and in fact I think this card should set some PPV records with the right promotion and advertising. Like I said earlier, the UFC could have split the fights for their own separate PPVs, but I think it would have detracted from the "big show" feel they are going for with UFC 100.

SCORE: 3 for 6. Either way, UFC is going to be rolling in money come July.

Scott and Bren split things down the middle and as always, the money is in the rematch.

source:411

RVD 4:20 Number of posts : 429 Location : Arizona

Quote :: SCORE: 1 for 2. Just do the fight at a 205 weight limit. No way they don't make weight.

Tapping so hard.

stupidmonkey wrote:

Quote :: SCORE: 1 for 2. Just do the fight at a 205 weight limit. No way they don't make weight.

Tapping so hard.

lol