Gessner's Ground and Pound: Edgar vs. Maynard III postponed, UFC and Strikeforce fighters are insured, and who is next for GSP


prowrestling.net
MEMBERSHIP INFO | LOG-IN | CONTACT US | SUBMIT NEWS | ABOUT US
Insider News • Live TV & PPV Coverage • Hitlists • Results • Blogs

HOME | WWE NEWS | TNA NEWS | MMA NEWS | ALL NEWS | TV & PPV | ARENA REPORTS | VIEWPOINTS | PRODUCT REVIEWS | AWARDS



Dot Net App
GOT AN IPHONE, IPAD, IPOD TOUCH, SAMSUNG GALAXY TAB, OR ANDROID PHONE?

THEN BE SURE TO DOWNLOAD OUR NEW FREE APP
(or SEARCH "pro wrestling" in App Store or Android Marketplace)

Dot Net Podcast
CLICK HERE TO SUBSCRIBE TO DOT NET FREE PODCAST IN ITUNES OR CLICK HERE FOR LISTING OF LATEST SHOWS

MUST-READ LISTING


Gessner's Ground and Pound: Edgar vs. Maynard III postponed, UFC and Strikeforce fighters are insured, and who is next for GSP
May 11, 2011 - 03:12 PM


By Mark Gessner

Welcome to the debut of Gessner's Ground and Pound. Check back on Wednesdays for the weekly blog chronicling all things MMA related.

Dominant Position

- UFC 130: Edgar vs. Maynard III is now UFC 130: Rampage vs. Hamill. Frankie Edgar has two bulging discs and Gray Maynard sustained a knee injury causing there fight to be postponed until the fall. This was a fight that everyone who saw what is still their fight of the year thus far at UFC 125 on New Years Day couldn't wait to see. Best wishes to both fighters and here's to hoping for a quick recovery for both.

- According to Heavy.com/MMA, the final WEC Lightweight Champion Anthony Pettis was offered a fight with Maynard at UFC 130 a few days ago when UFC was made aware of Edgar's injury. The fight was taken off the table though once Maynard got injured as well. Pettis as the final WEC Lightweight Champion was originally guaranteed a unifying championship match with the winner of Edgar vs. Maynard II at UFC 125. However, after Edgar and Maynard fought to a majority draw, Maynard was awarded a much deserved rematch. With Maynard out for UFC 130 along with Edgar, Pettis will go back to training to face Clay Guida at The Ultimate Fighter 13 Finale on June 4.

- Due to the injuries to both main event fighters, Quinton "Rampage" Jackson vs. Matt Hamill is now the main event for UFC 130 at the end of the month. Originally, it was scheduled to be Rampage vs. Thiago Silva until Silva failed his drug test prior to UFC 125. There were rumors of a UFC 114 rematch between Rampage and Rashad Evans, but Evans has denied those reports. Matt Hamill was then named as Rampage's opponent. Hamill is a The Ultimate Fighter Season Three alum who fought on Team Ortiz and was eliminated due to injury. He received a UFC contract despite not winning the show as most of the competitors in the early seasons did, and has gone on to have a 9-2 record in the UFC, with his only losses coming to Michael Bisping and Rich Franklin. In his last fight, at UFC 121, Hamill defeated his former coach Tito Ortiz via unanimous decision.

- The good news coming out of Monday when the injuries to Edgar and Maynard were announced, was that Zuffa announced that UFC and Strikeforce fighters will now be medically insured through the company. Fighters are insured for up to $50,000 annually for injuries sustained while training, along with situations such as automobile accidents and other injuries that may occur in every day life. While fighters had been insured for injuries sustained during fights, they have had to cover the medical expenses incurred from training injuries out of pocket. Obviously, as a professional fighter, attempting to get health insurance is damn near impossible so this is huge news for fighters under the Zuffa banner.

- Former IBF Super Middleweight Champion Jeff Lacy has signed a contract to box current Strikeforce Welterweight Champion Nick Diaz in this fall. Diaz has signed the contract but as not signed an official bout agreement contract. Diaz is waiting until Zuffa determines who he will fight next in MMA. Unless the UFC offers him a fight with current UFC Welterweight Champion Georges St-Pierre, Diaz's next fight will be in a boxing ring.

Diaz has been on an absolute tear, winning his last ten fights, nine of which have ended with him either knocking out or tapping out his opponent. Diaz in his latest contract with Strikeforce had a clause that he could take professional boxing fights in he chose due to him feeling that there was potentially more money for him in boxing than MMA. Zuffa is honoring all Strikeforce contracts that were in place when they bought the company so he still has that option for his future.

- UFC needs to make this fight happen. GSP has cleared out the entire welterweight division in the UFC and Nick Diaz is the only fighter at 170 pounds that he has yet to face that has a legitimate shot at beating him. GSP has one his last two fights via unanimous decision by primarily out boxing Josh Koscheck and Jake Shields. Diaz is a much better striker than his "Skrap Pack" teammate Shields and is better than Koscheck on his feet. Let's face it, he is a mixed martial artist who is good enough with his hands that he feels he can not only fight a former boxing champion, but win.

Prior to Shields and Koscheck, GSP defeated Dan Hardy and Thiago Alves via unanimous decision by taking them to the ground and out-working them on the ground. With Hardy, GSP could not score the submission victory despite two impressive armbars that appeared dislocate Hardy's elbow. He defeated Alves by scoring takedowns at will and made a case for having the best takedowns in MMA. Nick Diaz is just as dangerous on his back as he is on his feet or on top of his opponent. The Cesar Gracie Jiu Jitsu trainee can lock in a submission out of nowhere and secure a victory from anywhere on the mat. GSP only has one real contender left at 170 pounds, and his name is Nicholas Robert Diaz.

- However, if UFC stays steadfast on their "business as usual" mantra they have been taking since the acquisition of Strikeforce and will not bring over Diaz from Strikeforce to face GSP, who is next for the current UFC Welterweight Champion? He could face the winner of the Jon Fitch vs. BJ Penn rematch but he has beaten both already. You could go with a Jake Shields rematch since Shields in the first person to win a round on a judges scorecard in three round. Honestly though, Shields could not beat a one-eyed GSP in twenty minutes following the injury.

If not Diaz, then the only true competition for him is the UFC Middleweight Champion, Anderson Silva. Silva is set to face Yushin Okami at UFC 134 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil at the end of August. Assuming that Silva defeats Okami, which he has done before and should again, you are looking at December/January area for when Silva would be ready to fight again following a full training camp.

GSP has six to seven full months to put on the fifteen pounds to weigh in at 185 if not more and then cut to make weight. GSP could potentially be giving up speed that has helped him be as dominant as he has been by adding fifteen or more pounds so the jump up requires serious consideration. While GSP vs. Silva will most likely one of the highest selling shows in UFC history, St-Pierre needs to consider whether or not it is in his best interest to face Silva.

- UFC 133 in Philadelphia was scheduled to be headlined by Jon Jones defending the UFC Light Heavyweight Championship versus Rashad Evans. Jones suffered ligament damage in his hand following his fight with Shogun at UFC 128 and was pulled from the fight. Jones has been replaced by Penn State alum Phil Davis. Great call by UFC to have Davis fight in his home state and Evan will be a great test for the young, up-and-coming, and undefeated 205 pounder.

- MMAJunkie.com is reporting that Frankie Edgar, who is a New Jersey native and would have a definitive home-field advantage in Philly, versus Gray Maynard could be taking place at this event or at UFC 135 in Denver. If Edgar and/or Maynard are not fully recovered from their injuries in time for a fight at the beginning of August, the rumored main event is UFC Featherweight Champion Jose Aldo vs. Chad Mendes.

- When the first few fights for the UFC 133 card were rumored/announced as Antonio Rogerio Nogueira vs. Rich Franklin and Vitor Belfort vs. Yoshihiro Akiyama, along with Davis vs. Evans, I was tentative as to whether or not I would want to purchase tickets to this event in my hometown. If either Edgar vs. Maynard or Aldo vs. Mendes is added as the main event to this card, I will be in attendance for this show.

Striking Flurry

- Former WEC Lightweight Champion Ben Henderson who is coming off a unanimous decision victory over Mark Bocek at UFC 129 is scheduled to face Jim Miller at UFC on Versus 5 in August. Bendo is going up against his toughest competition in his MMA career in facing Miller who is on a seven fight win streak.

- Stephan Bonnar will be fighting Karlos Vemola at UFC on Versus 5. Since the WEC merger with the UFC, I was hoping to have Bonnar calling non-PPV shows as a color commentator since he is the second best in the industry behind Joe Rogan. I'll take him fighting on free TV as well.

- Despite announcer Gus Johnson signing with Fox and no longer being a broadcaster for CBS, he still has a contract with Showtime and will still be providing play-by-play for Strikeforce shows. Believe me, you are not the only person disappointed by this news.

Knockout Blow

MMA Tweet of the Week: I watch hockey and rugby. Anything that has a remote chance of breaking out into a fight. Which is exactly why I stopped watching George. - @SonnenCh (Chael Sonnen)

Thank you very much for checking out the debut of "Gessner's Ground and Pound" this week. I'll be back every Wednesday with my opinions and news in the world of MMA over the past week. If you have any thoughts, feel free to email at Kliq4Life28@gmail.com or shoot me a tweet @MarkGessner.

RECOMMEND THIS ARTICLE:


READ OUR INSIDER NEWS BEFORE ANYONE ELSE! BECOME A MEMBER FOR JUST $7.50 A MONTH (or less with a year-long sub) - GET THE FIRST LOOK AT EXCLUSIVE INSIDER DOT NET NEWS, TONS OF EXCLUSIVE AUDIO CONTENT, MEMBER MESSAGE BOARD ACCESS, START YOUR OWN BLOG, AND VIEW THE SITE WITHOUT ANY ADVERTISING: SIGN ME UP (or MORE INFO)



RELATED ARTICLES FROM MGID AFFILIATE SITES...



MEMBERSHIP INFO
Become a Dot Net Member right now for $7.50 a month or $66 a year ($5.50 a month avg.). Get exclusive audio, first-look insider news, Forum access, member blogs, more...

CLICK FOR SIGN-UP INFO


The Current Must-Read List
ACCESS PREVIOUS MUST-READ ARTICLES

Vote In Our Latest Poll


Dot Net Free Podcasts
CLICK FOR FULL LISTING OF ALL PODCASTS

Latest from Our Affiliate Site

_pwtorch.com_
CLICK HERE FOR MORE PWTORCH HEADLINES

© 2008-2012 LAST ROW MEDIA LLC • ALL RIGHTS RESERVED -- PRIVACY POLICY