UFC 92 last week was awesome. Every fight except on was spared a judges' decision. It was nice seeing Matt Hamill pick up a needed win. Although he looked sluggish, he showed he has a stand-up game, took out Reese Andy in two rounds and likely secured a new UFC deal. Many thanks to Matt, Duff Holmes, Mike Rich (Matt's stepfather), Ron Gross (Matt's collegiate coach) and Eben Kotsbar (writing and producing a movie based on Matt's early life and college years) for their insight. Of course, MMAJunkie.com and editor Dann Stupp deserve props. It was Dann's idea to compose a multi-part series and judging by reader reaction, we'll be doing another one in the near future.
What's next for the Hammer? His people are targeting TUF 8 winner Ryan Bader, but I would suggest that Hamill would love another shot at Rich Franklin, who fights former PRIDE welterweight and middleweight champion Dan Henderson January 17 at UFC 93 in Dublin, Ireland. Should Franklin-Hamill II come to pass, we'll find out if Hamill really learned his biggest and most painful lesson when his former sparring partner knocked him out in Round 3 of their first encounter: Check all traces of friendship at the cage.
I was 1-for-3 in the three main events. I was right about Rampage Jackson, whose left hook knocked Wanderlei Silva straight into 2010. I figured Forrest Griffin's tenacity and ability to take tremendous punishment would help him retain the light-heavyweight championship over Rashad Evans, but Sugar eliminated any doubt about his standing when his ground and pound finished Griffin in Round 2. Look for Evans and Jackson to clash for Sugar's newly-won title at some point in '09.
If Jackson's KO of Silva was the highlight of the night, the performance of the evening was Frank Mir's decimation of Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira. Rumor has it Minotauro was suffering from a staph infection, but Mir shocked everyone - including himself - and validated his comeback from a horrible motorcycle accident to become the interim heavyweight champion. Minotauro may not have been himself, but nothing can take away from what was the best fight of Mir's career.
Mir also earned a rematch with heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar. Contrary to public perception, Lesnar is a deserving champ. Before Mir's brilliant performance, Lesnar pumped life into the heavyweight division when he destroyed Heath Herring and proved his legitimacy by stopping the legendary Randy Couture. Lesnar has embraced the heel role against Mir, who will be the sentimental favorite to prove himself again, this time to show that his submission of Lesnar wasn't a product of a rookie mistake and good fortune.
Love it or loathe it, the Yankees bagged Mark Teixeira, a player who offers everything they needed in the form of a potent bat to protect Alex Rodriguez, Gold Glove capability at first base not seen since Tino Martinez eight years ago, and a professional attitude - all at the young age of 28. Yes, the Yankees needed to address their pitching, but it was easy to forget how much their offense sagged in 2008. There are concerns about CC Sabathia (durability) and A.J. Burnett (staying off the DL, coming off an opt-out season), but that duo and Teixeira all have the cojones to handle New York and Yankeeland's immense expectations. As much as I'm against giving Burnett five years, he looks like a mature 31 years old and the polar opposite of his buddy, Carl Pavano. It's eerie how their careers mirror, but I don't think it can get any lower than the American Idle.
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