MMASucka

When asked to describe Jon Fitch’s fighting style, one word keeps coming up – grinder. A guy that will wear you down with sheer will to get the upper hand and keep it. The skills are there, but almost overshadowed by the grit and determination that is more his calling card. The label also applies to a hockey player with similar grit, what the old-time hockey folks called “lunch bucket” players. The ones that weren’t concerned with the flashy plays, but went out there put out their best honest effort and won the battles in workmanlike fashion. “The guys in the trenches” as Don Cherry would say. Jon Fitch would have got on well with those guys.

Fitch is undefeated in his last six fights heading into his December 30^th bout against Johny Hendricks, yet continues to be overlooked in the welterweight title picture. The fight itself is somewhat being slept on in some quarters while the attention is being focused on the hype and now controversy of the heavyweight match-up between Brock Lesnar and Alistair Overeem. But Fitch is focused on the positive:

“My fans are super-excited for it. They’re pumped, they’re very vocal and very excited to see me fight again. As long as my fans are there to support me, that’s all that matters.”

While it’s clear that Fitch sees himself as deserving of a title shot, he continues to remain philosophical on why the welterweight title talk focuses on Nick Diaz and Carlos Condit, rather than himself.

“I should be [in the title mix], but if I’m not then I don’t know what’s going on. The only explanation I have is that I’ve been injured. So until I come back from injury and show I can still fight, I’m not in the talk.”

One criticism that has dogged Fitch is the lack of finishes since his loss to GSP three years ago at UFC 87. He has five wins to his credit but all of them have gone to the judges scorecards. While he maintains that no one in the UFC front office has ever said anything to him about it, we’ve all heard Dana White tell fighters a thousand times not to leave fights in the hands of the judges. White respects all fighters, but prefers the ones who have flashy knockout or submissions he can put on highlight videos. Fitch is aware that may be an issue, but remains committed to winning and winning his way.

At the end of the day this is a professional sport and professional sports are about who’s the best and fighting is about who’s the best. Records don’t lie. [A win over Hendricks] leaves me at the top where I’ve been since 2008. I don’t think much has changed, I think I’m still at the top. I think I’m the best fighter in the world. If I haven’t convinced everybody of it yet, I’m going to.

One would assume a decisive, stoppage victory over Hendricks would put Fitch’s name back in title talks, where he could be a contender for the winner of the interim title fight between Diaz and Condit. Fitch sounds ready for either one, while recognizing that his larger goal is to avenge his only UFC loss to the the division’s kingpin.

It’d be nice to have the interim belt, but the interim belt isn’t the belt. I’m still waiting for a win over GSP regardless of whether it’s title, non-title or whatever. One of my ultimate goals is to get the rematch with GSP. I’ve always wanted to be able to fight Diaz and Condit, so either of those two is something I’m looking forward to. Whichever one comes first, it doesn’t really matter. I plan on fighting both of them at some point in my career.

There might even be some leftover frostiness from UFC brass about the refusal of Fitch and his AKA teammate and fellow top welterweight Josh Koscheck to fight each other. The bond is clearly strong between the AKA crew, and Fitch shows pride in their accomplishments.

I think we are the top of the game, top of the sport, top of the food chain. I think on all levels. Our younger guys that are getting their first few pro fights are winning. At the top we had a champion in Cain [Velasquez], we had other champions in our past and a lot of champions in our future so we’re definitely at the top of the food chain.

The loyalty between all the AKA members continues to be paramount for them, and to hear Fitch tell it it’s something that takes precedence at the gym, no matter how famous any of them become.

That’s one of the things we work hard on is making sure we stay close, we stay a team and that we treat our team kind of like a marriage. There’s no divorces in our language, in this type of marriage. We make sure that if we have problems that we work them out. We check our egos at the door, we’re all there to help each other, we’re all there to make each other better.

Where Fitch’s affability wanes is when the question of steroids and other performance-enhancing drugs comes up. It’s clear just from his voice that his competitive desire is fierce, and he takes umbrage at anyone that would disrespect the sport and its athletes by cheating. He is not only prepared to condemn those that use steroids, he also offers up solutions to combat the problem.

I think it’s cowardly to use them. I don’t think it’s necessary, I think those that use them are weaker-minded. But I think [the UFC] should be doing more about it. I think they should pay a little greater expense to get better testing. I think blood tests would be much better rather than urine tests. They could do the blood test the week before when they do our blood medicals for HIV and Hep C.

Also, [there should be] stiffer fines. I think the athletic commission fining them a little bit, I don’t think it’s enough. I think UFC should make an example out of guys that get caught cheating. Take 50% reduction in their purses for the rest of their career if they get caught. Something that’s actually going to stay and stick. That takes away the excuse of ‘oh well, everyone else is doing it and I’m here to make money’. Well now if you get caught, you’re going to make 50% less money for the rest of your career. I think that would be a big [deterrent] for people that want to cheat.

Fitch is a warrior inside the cage, but a thinking man outside of it. He switched to a vegan diet after researching it carefully and determining its benefits. Researching politics led him to supporting Presidential candidate Ron Paul, who seems to be a favourite among UFC personalities, also drawing support from Joe Rogan (who went as far to endorse Paul on The Tonight Show) and Chris Lytle among others. Fitch is able to speak on the subject with a candor and forthrightness that puts the Tucker Carlsons and Sean Hannitys of the world to shame.

I started making money and having to pay the IRS and [other] taxes at the end of the year because of being an independent contractor so it’s a bigger dent in the bank account when I’m paying that debt at the end of the year then it is to the average person who makes the weekly cheque and a little bit is taken out every week. Big, huge chunks go out when I have to pay [taxes] at the end of the year. So I don’t like that.

I started researching and I see Ron Paul and he [talked about] the Federal Reserve. I started researching the Federal Reserve and realized that it’s an unconstitutional organization that the American people have no say in how they set their standards and their rules or anything. They’re just an independent, private company that takes our money and spends it however they please and prints more money and makes our money worth less. So I started supporting him because of that and I started looking into more of [Paul's] policies and I realized he’s been saying the same thing for 30 years. He’s probably the only honest politician I’ve ever seen. I’m a big supporter of his because he’s either the last honest politician or the first honest politician we’ll ever see.

A man with unyielding determination, a tireless work ethic and a respect for those who see the courage in honesty. In another era, the Indiana-raised Fitch may have been a hockey player for the WHA’s Indianapolis Racers. Part of the “lunch bucket” crew, no doubt.

Twitter:@jonfitchdotnet

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-Carlin Bardsley-

Twitter:@carlinbardsley

Former Strikeforce welterweight champion Nick Diaz faces former WEC welterweight king Carlos Condit in a battle to determine the interim 170-lb. champion! UFC 143 Presented by Bud Light – Saturday, Feb. 4 live at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas – UFC Fight Club presale starts tomorrow at 10am PT/1pm ET.

Also fighting on the card are Josh Koscheck vs. Mike Pierce, Renan Barao vs. Scott Jorgensen and Erik Koch vs. Dustin Poirier.

Rumored UFC 143 Fight Card

• Carlos Condit vs. Nick Diaz (for interim welterweight title)
• Josh Koscheck vs. Mike Pierce
• Renan Barao vs. Scott Jorgensen
• Erik Koch vs. Dustin Poirier
• Alex Caceres vs. Edwin Figueroa
• Jorge Lopez vs. Amir Sadollah
• Rafael Natal vs Michael Kuiper

UFC welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre underwent surgery today on his ACL. GSP withdrew from his match with Nick Diaz at UFC 143, due to a blown ACL while training. According to his doctor in Los Angeles, California the surgery was a “huge success.”

Georges announced via Twitter.com…

Dr. ElAttrache says my surgery (ACL patellar tendon autograft) was huge success! Ligament very strong. Tks for support!

When Dana White announced that the champ was out of his fight with Diaz, it was said that he would be out at least 10 months. There is no time frame for his return to the octagon, however with the surgery success look for him to return within that 10 month window.

Some bad news for the welterweight title picture came out this morning. Dana White went to twitter to announce to UFC fans that George St-Pierre was out of his February 4th title fight against Nick Diaz with a blown ACL.

@DanaWhite: GSP blown acl will be out for 10 mos. Now Condit vs Diaz for the interim welterweight title on Feb 4th in Las Vegas!!

Replacing Georges St-Pierre is former WEC welterweight champion Carlos Condit (27-5). Condit holds a 4-1 record in the UFC with his only loss being a split decision to Martin Kampmann in his UFC debut.  He was expected to fight Josh Koscheck at UFC 143, but will now step up to main event status to face Nick Diaz.

UFC bad boy Nick Diaz (26-7-1NC) was expected to make his UFC debut against Georges St-Pierre, but was replaced by Condit due to behavior issues on his part. He was then placed against BJ Penn in the co-main event. The main event was trashed because GSP pulled out due to injury and Diaz was once again the headliner. Diaz earned another shot at the title with his decisive victory over Penn at UFC 137.

It will be interesting to see what Nick Diaz has to say about this. Probably another conspiracy theory. Maybe we can blame the corporations and the 1%?

George St-Pierre was in Toronto promoting his Fitness DVD, which is the #1 selling Fitness DVD by a Professional Athletic of all time. The welterweight champion spoke with Showdown Joe Ferraro of UFC Central about his Rush Fit DVD and his upcoming fight with Nick Diaz. He also spoke about the decision to turn down the fight with Carlos Condit and the recent comments made by Jake Ellenberger.

Nick Diaz has become the talk of the MMA world after UFC 137. Not only for his incredible performance inside the octagon, where in a fight of the year candidate he decimated the legendary BJ Penn in a fashion that no one ever had before; but for his incendiary comments towards UFC welterweight champion Georges St. Pierre in both his immediate post-fight interview and the following post-event press conference.

His octagon performance spoke for itself. He went toe-to-toe with one of only two men two hold titles in two different weight classes and completely dominated the fight from the second round onwards. Diaz battered Penn with everything in his arsenal and the normally unflappable Hawaiian had no answer for it. Penn left the cage not only without a victory, not only with his face looking the worst it ever has after a fight, but ultimately questioning whether his career should continue. That would have been a newsworthy enough end to the night.

But Diaz was just getting warmed up. Even before the decision was announced, Diaz could be heard screaming “where you at, Georges”? As soon as Joe Rogan put a microphone in front of him, Diaz launched into a tirade directed at the champion, saying he “didn’t think Georges was hurt, [but] scared to fight everybody right now”.

After the post-fight adrenaline had worn off, Diaz showed up to the post-event press conference and appeared to be more complimentary towards GSP, calling him “a great fighter an a nice guy, a great role model”. But then Dana White made the announcement that Diaz and GSP would face off Super Bowl weekend for the welterweight title and Diaz’s Stockton mean-mugging instincts kicked right back in. He renewed his insistence that GSP was ducking fights and insisted he had to “play the bad guy” in order to get a title shot.

Diaz’s antics seem to have awoken the ire of the normally soft-spoken and affable St. Pierre. As soon as Diaz’s post-fight diatribe was complete GSP reportedly went to White immediately and demanded the fight. After White made the GSP-Diaz announcement, he added “Georges St. Pierre flipped out tonight after Nick Diaz was in the ring. You’re going to think I’m full of shit but this is the truth. He said and I quote ‘Nick Diaz is the most disrespectful human being I’ve ever met and I’m going to put the worst beating on him you’ve ever seen in the UFC’”.

Joe Ferraro added in his column on sportsnet.ca that in all his years of knowing GSP, a relationship that goes back to the fighter’s days fighting for Quebec’s TKO promotion, that he had never seen St. Pierre so incensed. Ferraro went on to say that St. Pierre’s anger exceeded the time he had previously seen GSP at his “scariest”, which was before his rematch with BJ Penn at UFC 94.

Many will remember that fight as being the last time a GSP fight ended in a stoppage. Therein lies the rub. If Penn made GSP angry enough that it made GSP elbow “The Prodigy’s” face until Penn’s corner refused to send him out for another round….what will GSP do to Diaz if he’s twice as angry?

An angry, hungry, motivated GSP could be just the thing to answer his detractors as well. The biggest knock on the champion right now is his lack of finishes and recent string of decision victories. Some of those decisions have been entertaining (such as the win over Thiago Alves and his one-sided thrashing of Josh Koscheck) while others have been described by fans and media alike as lacklustre (the Dan Hardy and Jake Shields bouts come to mind). A clear-cut stoppage victory over Diaz would silence a lot of those criticisms.

The style match-up seems to favour the champion. Diaz is known for his boxing and jiu-jitsu prowess, while his takedown defence has been called into question. St. Pierre, however, has wrestling skills that are among the best in the sport. Conventional wisdom would think that St. Pierre would avoid a boxing match with Diaz and look to put the challenger on his back as soon as possible, where he can use his stifling top control and powerful elbows to beat Diaz into submission, much the same way he did against Penn.

Diaz wanted to play “the bad guy” and anger GSP into the title shot he had missed out on previously. He got what he wanted, come Super Bowl weekend the opportunity is his. But depending on GSP’s demeanour heading into the fight, Diaz may have woken a sleeping tiger and bitten off more than he can chew.

Georges St-Pierre was not too impressed with the way Nick Diaz called him out following his victory over BJ Penn at UFC 137. In fact he was down right pissed off. It was not Nick Diaz’s doing alone though, Cesar Gracie called out from his corner “call that mother- f***er out!”

Cesar explained his reasoning behind doing this to  Mauro Ranallo on “The MMA Show“. He stated that he has to speak a different language for Nick to get through to Nick; that different language is ”209ese.”

Well what’s going on is unfortunately for me, I had a mic on and I didn’t realize that or else I wouldn’t have said that. Why did I say it? That’s the language these guys speak. Before the fight, after the weigh ins, we were told by Joe Silva ‘if you guys want it, you guys call people out. That’s how the fights get done, you call em out,” and I wanted to make sure that Nick knew that. I speak several languages. I’m speaking to you in English, so if I spoke Japanese or Portuguese or something, you wouldn’t understand what I’m saying. When I speak to Nick, I have to speak in ’209ese’ and that’s the language he understands. If I said ‘Hey Nick, would you like to explain your position and articulate how you would like to fight Mr. St. Pierre,’ he wouldn’t know what the hell I was talking about. That was directed at him (GSP), I didn’t think he was going to hear it obviously. This has nothing to do with GSP, I actually like the guy. – Transcription thanks to MMAmania.com

The question is, if Cesar hadn’t have told Nick to call Georges out, would that fight be happening? What do you Sucka’s think? Should fighters have to call each other out to get fights?

A total of ten fighters were suspended following UFC 137 this past Saturday in Las Vegas, Nevada. The suspensions were handed out by the Nevada State Athletic Commission.

The full list of suspensions thanks to HeavyMMA.com:

Danny Downes: Suspended until Nov. 29 with no contact until Nov. 20 due to lacerations.

Brandon Vera: Suspended until Dec. 14 with no contact until Nov. 29. In addition, must have torn ligament in left elbow cleared by orthopedic doctor or no contest until April 28.

Bart Palaszewski: Suspended until Dec. 14 with no contact until Nov. 29 for lacerations. Must have right hand x-rayed cleared by orthopedic doctor or no contest until April 28.

Tyson Griffin: Suspended until Dec. 14 with no contact until Nov. 29.

Dennis Siver: Suspended until Dec. 14 with no contact until Nov. 29.

George Roop: Suspended until Dec. 14 with no contact until Nov. 29 for lacerations.

Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic: Suspended until Dec. 14 with no contact until Nov. 29.

Matt Mitrione: Suspended until Dec. 14 with no contact until Nov. 29.

BJ Penn: Suspended until Dec. 29 with no contact until Nov. 14.

Nick Diaz: Suspended until Nov. 29 with no contact until Nov. 20.

UFC 137 fighter payouts for those who competed this past Saturday night in Las Vegas, Nevada, were released earlier today by the Nevada State Athletic Commission (NSAC).

Here is the complete list of UFC 137 salaries and payouts thanks to MMAmania.com

Nick Diaz: $200,000 (no win bonus)
B.J. Penn: $150,000
Diaz def. Penn via unanimous decision

Cheick Kongo: $140,000 ($70,000 to show, $70,000 to win)
Matt Mitrione: $10,000
Kongo def. Mitrione via unanimous decision

Roy Nelson: $40,000 ($20,000 to show, $20,000 to win)
Mirko Filipovic: $75,000
Nelson def. Filipovic via technical knockout

Scott Jorgensen: $33,000 ($16,500 to show, $16,500 to win)
Jeff Curran: $8,000
Jorgensen def. Curran via unanimous decision

Hatsu Hioki: $30,000 ($15,000 to show, $15,000 to win)
George Roop: $8,000
Hioki def. Roop via split decision

Donald Cerrone: $54,000 ($27,000 to show, $27,000 to win)
Dennis Siver: $27,000
Cerrone def. Siver via submission

Bart Palaszewski: $28,500 ($18,500 to show, $10,000 to win)
Tyson Griffin: $25,500
Palaszewski def. Griffin via knockout

Brandon Vera: $120,000 ($60,000 to show, $60,000 to win)
Eliot Marshall: $15,000
Vera def. Marshall via unanimous decision

Ramsey Nijem: $20,000 ($10,000 to show, $10,000 to win)
Danny Downes: $5,000
Nijem def. Downes via unanimous decision

Francis Carmont: $12,000 ($6,000 to show, $6,000 to win)
Chris Camozzi: $8,000
Carmont def. Camozzi via unanimous decision

Clifford Starks: $12,000 ($6,000 to show, $6,000 to win)
Dustin Jacoby: $6,000
Starks def. Jacoby via unanimous decision

The total disclosed payroll for the UFC 137 was $1,026,000.

Keep in mind the salaries listed above do not include fight bonuses, sponsorships, percentages and other unofficial payments. It also does not include deductions for expenses such as insurance, taxes, etc.

You would think that having two of Mixed Martial Art’s most respected fighters retire in one night is kind of a big deal.  Both Pride FC Grand Prix Champion Mirko “Crocop” Filipović and former lightweight and welterweight champion BJ Penn decided to announce their retirement this past weekend after both had been defeated at UFC 137.  On this night however, the magnitude of their decisions had been overshadowed by the excitement caused by newly crowned number one welter weight contender, Nick Diaz.  Time to break down what’s coming up next for the fighters of UFC 137.

Nick Diaz def. BJ Penn by unanimous decision (29-28,29-27,29-28)

It was a tough first round for Nick Diaz.  He was taken down and forced into a technical grappling match where BJ Penn was able to take Diaz’s back but a scramble ensued and they were able to get back to stand up.  Diaz wasn’t putting together the boxing combinations he was known for, and Penn was getting the better of the exchanges.  The second and third round however, was a different story.  Diaz was able to get into his rhythm and showed his trade mark high volume boxing, out-striking Penn more than 2 to 1 at 257 to 107 landed strikes.  Diaz looked comfortable, and smooth as he launched each combination and kept Penn guessing with his mixed bag of head and body punches.  In the end Diaz took the decision.  This was the most punished we had ever seen BJ Penn with an eye swollen shut and a black and blue face.

At the end of the fight Nick Diaz called out Georges St. Pierre who had pulled out of his bout scheduled for this same event due to injury, stating that he was faking his injury and he was scared to fight him.  With this accusation, and a solid win over one of UFC’s best in BJ Penn, Dana White decided to put the wheels in motion to producing the fight that everyone wants to see.  At the post fight press conference Dana stated that Carlos Condit has agreed to step aside and allow the Nick Diaz versus Georges St. Pierre title fight happen, most likely on Super Bowl weekend.

Like many fans, I am over joyed with this announcement.  I am a huge fan of both fighters and I believe that this fight will force George to prove he is a true champion as will not be able to coast to a positional win.  Diaz is dangerous and offensive in any position especially on the ground and his style will keep GSP from grinding from a top position on the ground.  The big question leading up to the fight is if Diaz can maintain “playing the game”.  Hopefully, Diaz has learned from his past mistakes and will be able to maintain his media obligations.  During fight week he was able to do so, so it looks like he got the message.

Also at the end of the fight, BJ Penn announced his retirement from MMA.  Do I believe him?  No, not really.  I think he may take a year off to focus on his family and live outside the strains and pains of training fight to fight.  Just like Randy Couture, he is going to see a fight and might think, “I could beat that guy who’s holding that title” and then have the itch to make one last run at it.  Plus, this December he will be turning only 33!  Some people don’t even start fighting for the UFC till they are past 33.  Even if I’m wrong, and we never see BJ Penn fight again, one thing is for sure.  He will be inducted to the UFC Hall of Fame and will always be celebrated as one of the sports greatest champions.

Cheick Kongo def. Matt Mitrione by unanimous decision (30-27,30-28,29-28)

This fight didn’t go the way most of us were hoping for.  Someone didn’t get knocked out!  Instead, we were stuck with a classic heavy weight snooze.  Both fighters decided to play the counter puncher roll, and ended up circling, circling, circling and more circling.  However it is understandable why they were both tentative, as both fighters are known to hold KO power, and did not want to rush into a ill planned exchange. There was no one who really stepped up to take the lead in this dance until Cheick Kongo decided to pull a couple take downs in the later round.

With most of the top 10 Heavy weights either signed to fights or out injured, the fight I see making sense for Kongo is Roy Nelson, who also fought on the card.  Nelson was not afraid to push the pace even against a feared striker like Mirko Crocop, so he may do the same against Kongo, and give the fans a fight that they want.

As for Matt Mitrione,  even though this was not his best performance, I hope he continues on his quest on seeking the best coaches and developing his fight acumen.  For a man who only had 6 fights ,he was still able to hang with one of the UFC’s top 10, and is still growing into a well rounded fighter.  I cannot wait for him to further develop into his potential. I would love to see him fight Travis Browne as both fighters are light on the feet and love to throw big leather.

Roy Nelson def. Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic by TKO at 1:30 of Round

I was almost sure that this fight was going to get fight of the night until the Penn vs Diaz fight happened.  Both fighters went back and forth exchanging solid blows.  In the first round Mirko hit a strong upper cut that clearly marked the cheek of Nelson.  The punch snapped Nelson’s head back violently, and if it were any other heavy weight they would have been doing the stanky leg.

At the beginning of the second round, Nelson tagged Cro Cop with a punch that wobbled him into the fence.  as Nelson came in for the kill, he received a hard punch to the chin that caused him to cover up as Cro Cop followed up with a solid combination of punches, but was not able to land anything significant. The end of the round finished with Nelson scoring a take down into his bread and butter crucifix position, but was unable to finish his opponent before the end of the round.

Finally in the third Nelson was able to secure a back mount on the ground and pounded out Cro Cop to a ref stoppage.

For Nelson, this was a great victory.  He had noticeably lost weight and increased his strength and conditioning between his last fight and this one, and his hard work had been rewarded.  Hopefully he will continue this training leading up to his next fight.  As I mentioned earlier, a fight against Cheick Kongo would make a great match up, but as mentioned in his post fight interview, Nelson does have his eyes on gaining a title shot.  As shown explicitly in the weeks leading up to this card, anything can happen!

The retirement of Mirko Cro Cop was not a surprise on Saturday night as he had alluded to his retirement during the prefight press conference on Thursday.  Although he had only gone 4-6 in the UFC, Cro Cop will be most remembered from his time in Pride FC where his kicks became legendary. His most famous quote was “Right leg, hospital; left leg, cemetery.” He had kicked the heads off of most notable stars like Wanderlei Silva, and WWE super star Alberto Del Rio ( at the time he was fighting under the name of Dos Caras Jr.).  Like BJ Penn, Cro Cop will be much deserving of the UFC Hall of Fame honor.  Up next in retirement, Mirko plans to spend the time he was dedicated to in training back to his family and raising his children.

Scott Jorgensen def. Jeff Curran by unanimous decision (30-27,29-28,29-28)

The long awaited debut of Jeff Curran to the UFC had been an unfortunate affair for veteran of 48 fights.  Scott Jorgensen was able to smother Curran’s BJJ with strong wrestling, and was able to control most of the stand up exchanges.  In the end, Jorgensen did enough to take the decision.

Jorgensen is now in a tough place as there is no easy fight to get back into title contention.  A rematch against Damitrious Johnson would be the quickest way back, but he was manhandled by Johnson who really should be fighting at fly weight.  Other than that, he would need to fight the winner of Faber versus Bowles.  If Faber does win, I could see Joe Silva making the match against Jorgensen, as it would be too soon for a trilogy match against Cruz.

For Curran, I hope he doesn’t get cut.  His performance wasn’t his strongest, and he is 4 and 6 in the last 10.  Hopefully he receives one more chance to prove himself.

Hatsu Hioki def. George Roop by split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)

The most anticipated fighter to come from Japan since Kid Yamamoto, Sengoku featherweight champion Hatsu Hioki had made his debut in the octagon at UFC 137. Unlike his Japanese counterpart, he was able to come out with a win versus a tough competitor George Roop.  Although it was a split decision, look forward to the next time Hioki makes a trip to the octagon as he should now be over the dreaded “Octagon Jitters.”

It had been said that if Hioki had an impressive first showing he may be next in line for Jose Aldo’s featherweight title, but it looks like he will probably need another opponent to impress the UFC brass.  A great test would be either Nam Phan or Leonard Garcia, both of which would push the Japanese fighter to his limits.

George Roop has now been 2 and 2 in his last four outings.  A winner leaves town match with once champion Mike Brown may be in order.