MMA Weekend Update

Another busy, busy week behind the scenes in the world of MMA. If I may be so bold as to borrow a little device from SNL, I'd like to take the time to review the week that was with my own take on "Weekend Update."

Another Great Light Heavyweight... who won't fight Machida. During the UFC 102 Conference Call, Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira announced that his twin brother is UFC-bound. I guess it was only a matter of time before Antonio Rogerio Nogueira found a high-profile home following the Affliction fallout. Great addition to an already deep light heavyweight roster; can't say I'm too surprised considering his brother is a main eventer there, and his other Black House brethren are high profile title holders. It'll be interesting to see who he gets paired up against first. Loser of Rashad vs. Rampage, perhaps?

Boy, Ishida's Gonna Be Pissed he Missed the Boat on This One. The Nevada State Athletic Commission instituted the "BJ Penn Rule," which prohibits the use of foreign substances on a fighters body. Such substances have been added to a list of "fouls" in the Nevada Administrative Code. The timing is somewhat ironic given that Mitsuhiro Ishida's camp is claiming Gilbert Melendez greased in their fight last Saturday. Hopefully this rule prevents me from ever having to hear the term "Greasegate" again.

Leave the titles... take the money. The payouts for Strikeforce: Carano vs. Cyborg were announced, and to no one's surprise, Gina Carano led the pack, followed by Renato Sobral. I guess this shows where Strikeforce's concentration is in terms of marketing and compensation... Cris Cyborg brought in a paltry $25,000. That includes a $5,000 win bonus. However, she and Gegard Mousasi can't complain too much given their wins. Cyborg even said Carano can keep the title of "The Face of Women's MMA," since the only title that matters is the one around her waist. Well-put.

Thank you for not giving the Barnett Spiel. Following WEC 42, Province Coletested positive for illegal substances. While he claims he didn't know what he was taking, a line we've been fed way too many times in baseball, at least he took responsibility for his actions and admitted he should have been more careful. I respect him for his words as opposed to a 3-time loser like Josh Barnett who has maintained his Affliction-killing test failure is erroneous despite the B-tests being positive. A little earnestness goes a long way.

Guess we'll have to wait for the GSP Dream Fight... Anderson Silva reinforced that he will not challenge Lyoto Machida for the light heavyweight title. This may be frustrating for some fans, but given how similar both guys are as counter fighters, I can't say this would be the most exciting fight. I think the hype would be deflated in the first round by a restless crowd. That said, I admire Silva for sticking to his guns and being loyal to his friends. He's long stated that he felt the light heavyweight crown was Lyoto's for the taking. I'm kinda interested to see what Machida has to say in all this... Meanwhile, Jake Rossen at Sherdog reports that Silva is considering making a jump up even higher to heavyweight. This is questionable, and I'll be surprised if it sticks. I agree with Rossen in that Silva could probably take on smaller heavyweights like Couture or Brandon Vera. But up against a monster like Brock Lesnar, that's a lofty goal for a guy who walks around at 215 only to cut to 185 and began his career at 167.

While we're on the topic of heavyweights... Major shifts are abound in the coming months for UFC's heavyweight division. The announced Cain Velasquez/Shane Carwin fight has fallen apart so Carwin can fight Lesnar at UFC 106, which leaves Velasquez taking on Ben Rothwell at UFC 104. I love this shift, because for Brock, it'll be the first time he's gone up against someone roughly his size with strong punching power. Even against the quality heavyweights he's faced, his chin hasn't been tested. Considering Carwin hasn't seen much more than two minutes of an entire fight, expect this one to draw a lot of attention. As for Velasquez, he needs some time to simmer before being elevated much higher. Ben Rothwell is an experienced heavyweight with experience in IFL, Affliction and the tutelage of Pat Militech in his favor. It should be a great, great challenge. The heavyweight roster is starting to show some real depth.

Red November. Strikeforce has pushed up Fedor Emelienenko's debut to November against an opponent to be named. Great. Now I have to hear an additional month's worth of hype about how many UFC guys he's beaten.

Would Mickey tell him to give it up? Former UFC welterweight champion and world's biggest Rocky IV fan Matt Serra stated he's not done and wants a rematch with that other Matt. Personally, I'm all for it. I thought Serra should have won that fight, and I don't think it's asking much for a second go-round. Hell, if they were ready for Franklin-Henderson II, why not?

In fact, I think both Matts would request this provision. In addition to the BJ Penn rule, the NSAC also approved non-title five round fights and instant replay. It'll be interesting to see how often UFC will apply these new options if at all. Personally, I'd love to see it for contender fights... Imagine Sanchez vs. Guida II for a full five. As for instant replay, I'm not sure how much it'll be used. There's an issue with refereeing in MMA, but that's mostly due to Steve Mazzagatti breathing.

Even Axe Murderers need a break. Wanderlei Silva will be out for the rest of 2009 due to facial reconstructive surgery. This leaves Michael Bisping to instead fight Dennis Kang at UFC 105. Meanwhile, I'm guessing there are medical reasons for this surgery since Wandy doesn't look much prettier than before.

Dude, you retired for this?! And, of course, the real news this week: Chuck Liddell will be on the next season of "Dancing with the Stars." I'll watch if he knocks out Tom DeLay.