Fact: The UFC is home to the best lightweights in MMA

by Adam Lawman

Today there was a very puzzling piece posted on BloodyElbow.com by founding editor Kid Nate. He questions that if Frankie Edgar, Gray Maynard and BJ Penn are the best at 155lbs in the UFC, then they may not have the best lightweights in the world. His reasoning is that since Edgar beat Penn and in turn Maynard got the best of Edgar, that the UFC’s carousel of talent takes away from their overall success. He mentions that the UFC has 6 of the top 10 lightweights (per the rankings outlet of which they are a part of) but that the 3rd, 5th, 6th and 8th best are all outside the Zuffa owned fight organization. While I see where he is coming from, I have to disagree wholeheartedly. Sorry, Nate.

Lightning Strikes Twice: Frankie Edgar defeats BJ Penn again

by Adam Lawman

Frankie Edgar completed his masterpiece Saturday night in Boston. The artist of the octagon used jabs and kicks as his brushstrokes and painted the perfect victory over BJ Penn. If there were doubts after their first match up at UFC 112 about who was the better fighter, there surely aren’t anymore. The question was answered and a career was defined. Frankie Edgar proved to the world that he is one of the best fighters at 155lbs in mixed martial arts today.

Nick Diaz vs KJ Noons rematch set for Oct. 9th in San Jose

Strikeforce has issued a press release announcing that Nick Diaz will indeed defend his Strikeforce welterweight title in a rematch with KJ Noons at the October 9th event that will take place in San Jose, CA.

Yesterday, in the ”Strikeforce Insider” newsletter, the company accidentally listed “Diaz vs Noons” on the ticket information for the event so this isn’t a huge surprise, but many people had more desire to see Diaz and Jason Miller settle their unfinished business instead.

Diaz and Noons have some friction themselves spawning from when they squared off in Elite XC previously, but it’s been so long that most fans don’t remember or, frankly, don’t care.

Strikeforce filled with highs and lows in Houston

by Adam Lawman

Yeah….So that happened last night.

There was a lot to love about Strikeforce: Houston but there was also quite a bit to loathe. For every stunning KO and takedown there was a referee issue or something else to counter the excitement. Overall, the event was a gambler’s dream with many underdogs finding their way to the win column, including the first fight of the night (and biggest upset) which saw Chad Griggs work through 16 months of ring rust to defeat the over-hyped Bobby Lashley.

Under the Radar MMA: Josh Neer and Tim Sylvia pick up wins, Pulver loses quick

by Adam Lawman

Tonight there were a few smaller MMA promotions in action. The inaugural event for Fight Me MMA took place in St. Charles, MO and War on the Mainland went down in Irvine, CA. A few familiar names went to battle. For some it was a good step toward being picked up by a larger organization and for others it was not as great.

At Fight Me 1, Josh Neer, the former UFC lightweight, took on Jesse Finney, an undefeated up and coming fighter. Neer was in total control the entire fight, taking mount when he wanted and delivering some damage from top position. That opened an opportunity for Neer to catch a guillotine choke that ended the fight with just 15 seconds left in the first frame.