Putting a DUMB argument to rest..YES MMA should have a cruiserweight Division!

You wouldnt want guys our size competing in MMA? Are you Crazy!!!

Happy Daylight Savings Time Yall!

Its been a while since Ive had the time to set the record straight and inform people on whats factual and important in the world of MMA. I am DaGenius afterall :). Anyhow, theres a lot of focus on Shogun v Jones and thats fair. Should be the MMA fight of the year. Instead of that, I am going to FINALLY put to rest one of the dumbest and silliest things MMA fans say (yes, disrespect intended).."MMA doesnt need a division between Light and Heavyweight" . Are you F****g Crazy?!?! MMA would be EVEN BETTER with this division. Read on!

For the sake of this discussion i will call this weight class "Cruiser Weight" (although I think a better name can be found) and the limit will be 230lbs which is 25 above light heavyweight and 35 below heavyweight. Sound interesting? Yup.

I believe the LHW is the absolute best division in MMA. Its the most glamorous, the most exciting and is the division that keeps fans on the edge of its collective seat. The overall reason is because LHW is the best combination of technique, size and cardio we see in MMA. You get guys who are strong and in great shape but also have excellent skills in their grappling and striking disciplines of choice. When you get guys that big, you also have the fear factor working for them. When you see a 205lb MMA fighter around town, you know he could whoop your ass! (unless you happen to be a HW). Dont get me wrong, i dont hate the significantly lighter weight classes (125-145) but I would take any LHW match over an equal stature match in those very light classes. They obviously dont have the same level of fear factor involved either. Ive been to fight after parties and believe me, its a different feeling when Dominick Cruz walks into the club as opposed to Rampage hitting the party. Cruz is an excellent and skillful fighter and has had some exciting fights but frankly I like my chances in a street or mma fight against Dom. Against Rampage....ehhhh..not so much. For me that adds to the mystique of a fighter. Fedors mystique was so large, in part, because he didnt have a ripped frame but you sure wouldnt run up on him talking trash. Of all the reasons you might like the LHW division, those same reasons would be present at the "Cruiser" Division and then some.

At 230lbs you would have the cardio to fight 5 hard rounds, unlike the heavyweights. Imagine the type of athletes that would be climbing into the cage at that weight. Not that he would give up his career in the lockout halted NFL, but why wouldnt you want to see more athletes the size of Clay Matthews (6-3, 237) compete in MMA? Size, strength, quickness, technique, the constant spectre of a one strike knockout punch. Heavyweights are awesome, but they just cant go hard for a full 3 rounds at 265lbs, let alone 5. Instead of a 240lb guy having to give up weight or cut a tremendous amount of weight, he could fight another athlete close to his size to see who is the best at that weight. Nothing wrong with that. It wont dilute MMA like some fans say which is another point i dont get. Not long ago 155 was the lightest weight in "big time" mma. Now there are many more belts in the lighter classes and has that hurt MMA? Not at all. It gives athletes a chance to compete. One more belt at 230 would do NOTHING to hurt mma. It would only help add another glamorous division to the ultimate combat sport.

Hey MMA fans, you all screamed for more light divisions so that we could watch two little guys fight it out. Now its time to scream so that we can get two full sized studs fighting in the cage to see who is the better fighter. And if youre reading Dana (cause I know you do) I would DEFINITELY plunk down $49.99 to see the UFC crown a 230lb MMA champion!

Unintelligent Predictions: UFC 128 Style

Considering I'm the only one still writing over here, I figured I'd take the time to go ahead and give the predictions for this particular showdown. Couple of things first:

1. Yes, I do plan on trying to provide this place with some more content, mostly because the only other place I write MMA stuff for is a newspaper.

2. Since I'm given free reign here, I'm going to embarass someone. You've probably noticed a dipshit named ColdHardPhilly posting here quite a bit, calling me names like a ten year old on a playground. Ignore him. He's just someone I banned from Blistered Thumbs for using homophobic slurs because I didn't mention Brazil in my review of EA Sports MMA. No, chuckles, I'm not removing the IP ban.

So, let's get started, shall we?

Heavyweight Bout: Mirko Cro Cop vs Brendan Schaub

I love Cro Cop. What self respecting fan of the Pride days doesn't? However, we're going through the same motions this time as we did last time. Cro Cop is saying he's in the same form as when he destroyed Barnett for the third time. We're gonna see a finish. He's just a rookie, I'm gonna finish him. Blah blah blah. We've heard it all before, and I honestly can't see this ending well for Mirko. I would love to see the old Cemetary Kick, just so it gives Seanbaby another excuse to talk about it, but it's not going to happen. I expect Schaub to unload on him with the hands, and finish Cro Cop via TKO.

Schaub by TKO, Round 2

Middleweight Bout: Dan Miller vs Nate Marquardt

Dan Miller is thankfully stepping in for Yoshihiro Akiyama on short notice for this bout. To be quite honest with you, I think that this is a much more entertaining fight. When I saw Nate matched up against Yoshihiro, I figured that Dana had given up on the Akiyama investment and planned on putting him away rather than building him up. I think that Dan Miller is a much tougher fight. Now, though Miller isn't as talented as his brother, he's a tough guy that doesn't have an ounce of quit in him. I expect Dan to make this a tough one for Marquardt, but I see Nate as being a little too strong, and a little too technical here.

Marquardt by Decision

Lightweight Bout: Kamal Shalorus vs Jim Miller

I.....don't know what to really say about this bout. Shalorus is a legit fighter, but Jim Miller is a guy who is right outside of the title picture. In all honesty, I think that he should probably be fighting someone higher up the ladder than Shalorus. Then again, Kamal has the grappling skills to potentially make this a tough fight for Miller. Still, I expect Jim to come out with the same fire that he had against Oliviera. Fact of the matter is that Jim feels like he's got to prove beyond a shadow of a doubt that he deserves a shot at the 155lb title. So, I'm seeing a choke in Kamal's future.

Miller via Rear Naked Choke, Round 3

Bantamweight Bout: Urijah Faber vs Eddie Wineland

I don't want to count Wineland out. I really, really don't want to, but the fact of the matter is that I think he's outmatched here. Eddie Wineland is a guy with concrete for knuckles, and he has a lot of drive, but he's fighting someone who beat the Bantamweight champion. What it boils down to is that Faber has the experience in fighting in main events, fighting tougher competition, and have a much more well rounded skillset. Though the potential of Wineland KOing Faber is there (considering I wouldn't say that Urijah's chin is iron), I just don't see it happening. What I see is Urijah taking this fight down, and controlling it without ease. Hopefully we'll see him and Cruz coach the next season of TUF.

Faber via Decision

Light Heavyweight Championship: Mauricio "Shogun" Rua vs Jon "Bones" Jones

I hate this fight. I really do. First and foremost, I hate the fact that everyone is counting Shogun out. We're counting the guy who just flattened Lyoto Machida not however long ago out. You know, Machida? The guy who everyone thought was going to have a Liddell style run? Second thing that I hate is that everyone is focusing more on Shogun's layoff rather than Jones' lack of time to prepare for Shogun. As for the actual prediction, I think it's fairly even. Jones is riding quite the wave at the moment, but almost all of his wins have been over wrestleboxers. Frankly, he's never faced someone like Shogun. Then again, Shogun's faced guys with long reaches (Overeem, Diabate) and he's got more experience, but Jones is a one of a kind athlete. Well, whatever. I can't really pick a favorite here, mostly because I'm biased due to Shogun being my favorite fighter ever.

Toss Up

Well, that's all I've got to say about this one. It should be an exciting card, but you never know with MMA. That's both the best and worst things about the sport.

Just remember, kids: Following someone from site to site makes you a stalker.

-Micah C