UFC releases Larson

Brock Larson has been released by the Ultimate Fighting championship less than a week after he suffered a TKO loss to Brian Foster at UFC 106. My full story with some big help from MMAJunkie.com editor Dann Stupp, is here.

Once considered a rising star in the WEC and the UFC's welterweight division, Larson has dropped his last two MMA bouts after winning 14 out of his last 15. Twelve of those wins came in the first round and Larson was pegged for stardom after his triangle-choke submission of Mike Pyle just 3:08 into their UFC 98 bout in May. However, newcomer Mike Pierce was pegged as a late preliminary card opponent at UFC Fight Night 19. Larson lost via unanimous decision before he was matched with Foster in the latter's second UFC appearance. That night, Larson's game collapsed. He had two points deducted in the first round for an illegal kick and an illegal knee, and was battered and beaten to where he was tapping right after the bout was stopped.

Larson's biggest difficulty was not his opponents, neither of whom he took lightly, but the challenge of getting motivated dropping down in competition - and card status - instead of stepping up.

"It's probably a good thing," Larson (26-4 in MMA) told me via text message. "I was having a hard time getting motivated for my last two fights. I needed a change. The undercards just didn't do it for me."

We spoke briefly off the cuff a short time after. He's a great guy who's taking it well and has options in Japan and Strikeforce. He knows he's better than what he showed against Pierce and Foster and will be re-energized by the new challenges that await elsewhere. And the UFC's door isn't closed permanently. If Larson can rebuild his game overseas, he'll get his second chance.

Koscheck not No. 1, but GSP's top challenger

Josh Koscheck is not the No. 1 contender to Georges St. Pierre’s welterweight title – that’s Dan Hardy, and it looks like he’ll get his shot February in Australia – but for my money he’s right now the best challenger in the division, one that GSP has cleaned out the past two years.

Koscheck took his game to new heights by submitting Anthony Johnson at UFC 106 before calling out Hardy and demanding why he is the No. 1 contender. That drew some boos which isn’t surprising. Koscheck is one of the UFC’s polarizing figures you either love or hate. He’s brash and obnoxious with a big mouth, but also entertaining. My brother yesterday came up with a good analogy: Koscheck is the UFC’s Ric Flair. He’s not afraid to call anyone out and boast that he’s the best, and in his last two bouts he’s backed it up.

Hardy defeated Mike Swick to move to 4-0 in the UFC and Dana White honored his promise of granting the winner of that fight a shot at GSP. However, Hardy should have finished Swick long before the bout went to the judges. Three of his four UFC wins have come via decision and he barely squeaked by Marcus Davis at UFC 99. For a hard puncher and a dynamic personality, Hardy’s lack of a killer instinct is troubling. My lasting impression of Swick vs. Hardy was that St. Pierre would tear either of them apart in less than five minutes.

Koscheck fought GSP once before, losing by a unanimous decision at UFC 74, another reason why technically Hardy is next in line. But when reviewing Koscheck’s remarks after he defeated Johnson –“He ain't fought nobody like me," he said. "Guaranteed, I'm the No. 1 freaking contender in the division." – he’s right. He’s much better than when he met St. Pierre in 2007 – and in that fight he became the last fighter to win a round from the welterweight king (at that time not the champion). He’s one of only two to hold a win over Diego Sanchez (fighting B.J. Penn for the lightweight crown next month) and recovered from a first-round KO loss to Paulo Thiago in February (also his third fight in four months) with impressive victories over Frank Trigg and “Rumble” Johnson.

Figure on Koscheck fighting capable competition in early 2010 before getting the winner of St. Pierre vs. Hardy – perhaps at the show that could end up at Fenway Park this summer.

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I went 4-4 in my UFC 106 predictions, correctly picking Koscheck, Forrest Griffin, Amir Sadollah and Paulo Thiago, but whiffing on Luiz Cane, Marcus Davis, Jake Rosholt and Brock Larson. Sadollah and Ben Saunders gave clinics in Mauy Thai, Kendall Grove and Little Nog looked tremendous and Larson's days as a top welterweight are over after Brian Foster - showing shades of his teacher Matt Hughes - took him apart in two rounds. Larson's a great guy enduring a bad slump. Here's hoping he recovers sometime in 2010.

The show must go on

UFC 106 was originally headlined by Brock Lesnar's defense of the heavyweight championship against Shane Carwin, and supported by a rematch of the classic Tito Ortiz-Forrest Griffin war, a dynamic battle between Josh Koscheck and Anthony Johnson, and the intriguing matchup between Karo Parisyan and Dustin Hazelett.

First Lesnar got very sick – and hope remains that it’s not career threatening – and then Parisyan suddenly backed out before the weigh-ins. The latter news I found very shocking. Not even a week ago Parisyan provided me an exclusive interview for FightMagazine.com during which he sounded very confident and motivated to prove skeptics wrong, while also admitting his career had been on a downward spiral.

Suddenly, Dana White blasted Parisyan over Twitter and announced his UFC days were over for good. Then the rumors started, notably one that suggested he had not kicked his pain killer addiction and was afraid he would fail the post fight drug test. Parisyan and I traded text messages earlier today, starting when he said, “I will prove myself in time,” and standing by his story that his ongoing issues with panic attacks – not an addiction to painkillers – is to blame for the about face.

“I’ve talked to my doctors and it’s getting all better soon,” Parisyan said. “All the support I got from everyone, thank you so much.”

The bottom line is that Parisyan has a ton of personal issues to solve once and for all before he thinks about returning to Mixed Martial Arts. He’s also a real down-to-earth person who is keeping the faith. Whether it’s in Japan, with Strikeforce, or if he and White reconcile – not unprecedented if you check White’s history with Ortiz and Randy Couture – he’ll be back and competing sometime in 2010.

Hazelett, incidentally, took the disappointing news very well and was paid the winner’s share of the fight purse. One of his representatives met UFC matchmaker Joe Silva after the fight was canceled. Both agreed it was the bout that was the most intriguing on the bill, and Silva vowed to not just get Hazelett back in the cage – he’s been inactive for a year due to a knee injury – but pair him with the ideal opponent, one which I bet is of similar caliber to Parisyan when the latter’s on his game.

On to UFC 106 as it stands. Ortiz-Griffin II is not a main event match, but still pretty good as a contingency plan. The first fight could have gone either way. The fact that Ortiz held on fighting with a degenerating back figures to give him the edge here now that he's 100 percent healthy. He also hasn't fought in a year-and-a-half. Griffin was embarrassed in his last bout, but that had everything to do with Anderson Silva being the best pound-for-pound mixed martial artist in the world. As long as Griffin can avoid Ortiz’s legendary takedowns and ground-and-pound, his heart will take care of the rest. Griffin by unanimous decision.

Koscheck-Johnson
My pick for “Fight of the Night” honors, which pits two of the most exciting strikers in the business. “Rumble” finally steps into the limelight with an 8-2 record. He’s yet to swim with the sharks. Koscheck has. His world-class wrestling makes the difference and gets people thinking about a rematch with Georges St. Pierre if the former gets by Dan Hardy next year. Koscheck TKO 3.

Phil Baroni vs. Amir Sadollah
The “New York Bad Ass” returns to the UFC to face The Ultimate Fighter Season 7 winner. This is an important bout for Sadollah coming off a controversial loss to Johny Hendricks while Baroni is on a 3-7 in his last seven fights, but in my view is being dismissed too quickly as big-name fodder for Sadollah. A tough one to call between veteran and neophyte. I’ll take the fighter with the greater upside. Sadollah by unanimous decision.

Other bouts
Antonio Rogerio Nogueira’s UFC debut will be a rude awakening when Luiz Cane fells him in Round 2 … Marcus Davis, still steaming over his June loss to Hardy, takes it out on Ben Saunders (submission, Round 2) … Paulo Thiago, owner of a KO win over Koscheck in his UFC debut, spoils that of Jacob Volkmann (TKO 1) … Jake Rosholt looked awesome defeating Chris Leben. He’ll submit Kendall Grove in war ending in Round 3 … And in a bout airing neither on pay-per-view nor Spike, but one that deserved TV time in my view, Brock Larson recovers from his loss to Mike Pierce by choking out up-and-coming Brian Foster in Round 2.

Memo to NY: End the MMA ban

Randy Gordon was 16 years ago the chairman of the New York State Athletic Commission who led the charge to ban Mixed Martial Arts in the state. He succeeded, but ironically today, he's front and center of the movement to legislate the sport and approve it for competition. Gordon, also the host of "The Sirius Fight Club" (Tuesdays and Fridays 5-7 p.m.) and a good friend, opined about the topic in today's New York Daily News.

I've written about this before: MMA in New York City - Madison Square Garden - is a perfect marriage. Gordon wrote about the impact it had on Philadelphia, tourism and media coverage. It'll do the same for the Big Apple. Of course, if it's too logical and makes too much sense it usually never gets done. It's time for the boneheads in Albany to actually grasp the concept of pumping life into a sour economy. Why everyone outside of Albany sees that is beyond reason.

Epic in the Bronx?

Manny Pacquiao proved why he's currently the best fighter in the world (in my view) by pulverizing a game Miguel Cotto in 12 rounds Saturday night. A showdown between Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather is inevitable. Everybody wants it - fans, media, cable outlets, DirecTV, sports bars. All that has to happen is the fighters agreeing, and from there business people and promoters biting their tongues when it comes down to the zillions, billions and trillions they'll be making.

If this happens, the Yankees have reportedly expressed interest in hosting it at Yankee Stadium next spring. This has to happen. Boxing is enjoying a second wind in terms of publicity and the two best fighters need New York's stage to showcase that a buzz not felt since the Mike Tyson era is back. (Breaking the law and biting ears are no longer required either.)

Spike TV countered Pacquiao-Cotto with a free airing of UFC 105 (though it was well over an hour before the card ended when the bell for the boxing match rang for Round 1). The disturbing trend of controversy surrounding the judges at ringside continued with Randy Couture's paper-thin victory over Brandon Vera. I normally have little to no tolerance for horrible, inferior officiating, umpiring and judges, but I too felt Couture won the fight - barely, only because he was able to neutralize Vera's offense when he needed to. Of course, Vera was pissed at the verdict, but if there's any lingering doubt about him being a top-tier light-heavyweight, The Truth put that to bed. Vera has proven he's changed course and career is no longer at a crossroads.

Dan Hardy will get the next shot at Georges St. Pierre's welterweight title, though I wasn't impressed with his win over Mike Swick. The lack of a killer instinct against an opponent clearly not on his 'A' game bothered me. Hardy's simply not at GSP's level. Then again, who is at the moment?

Very excited about WEC 44 Wednesday night (which means the DVR will be set to "The Ultimate Fighter"). Mike Brown vs. Jose Aldo headlines a solid show that includes Manny Gamburyan (Karo Parisyan's cousin)-Leonard Garcia. Karen Darabedyan-Rob McCullough and Danny Castillo-Shane Roller. This bout won't be aired unless there's down time, but Cub Swanson has an extremely important fight against John Franchi on the preliminary card. The last time we saw Swanson, Aldo blasted him in eight seconds. There are big questions about Swanson's ability to perform in major fights; Jens Pulver made him tap 35 seconds into their WEC 31 showing. Still, he's an exciting fighter who trained with Greg Jackson for Franchi. We'll see if that excitement can finally be harnessed properly.

WEC co-founder and general manager Reed Harris angrily dismissed a report of a merger between it and parent company UFC. Good for him. Why take the spotlight away from some of the sport's most breathtaking talent? The morons at the defunct World Championship Wrestling frequently bragged about how it recruited talent from around the world to compete in its cruiserweight division. Then the brainiacs buried them under the old and slow 'big names.' When you have something as unique as the talent in WEC, you maximize its exposure and showcase it as your niche product.

To be clear, Zuffa markets young and hot new starts virtually every day. What you don't want is to see too many good fighters get lost in the shuffle. Keeping WEC as a separate entity under one umbrella gives Brown, Urijah Faber, Brian Bowles, Miguel Torres and others their deserved time in the sun.

UFC 106 is Saturday on pay-per-view. I'll have more on the Tito Ortiz-Forrest Griffin rematch along with takes on the returning New York Badass Phil Baroni, and crossroad bouts for Parisyan & Brock Larson.

UFC 105 predictions, Brown ready for Aldo

Since 2003 it's been a challenge to find new and creative ways to keep busy during baseball's offseason. Of course there's all that Hot Stove chatter and "sources familiar with the situation" scattered across the four corners of the earth, plus my inevitable presence at a press conference announcing the Yankees' next A-list acquisition (Roy Halladay? John Lackey?)

Covering Mixed Martial Arts for MMAJunkie.com, FightMagazine.com and TapouT/MMA Worldwide magazine has more than helped fill the void. In fact it's been a blast. The next issue of MMA Worldwide has my debut feature on Frankie Edgar, who on December 5 at the Ultimate Finale will take on Matt Veach (an injury replacement for Kurt Pellegrino), on newsstands real soon. Karo Parysian, fighting Dustin Hazelett at UFC 106, provided me a very candid, enlightening and forthcoming interview that will run on Fight next week.

Before I get to tomorrow and UFC 105, Mike Thomas Brown will make his third defense of the WEC Featherweight title Wednesday against the electric Jose Aldo at WEC 44. I haven't seen the odds yet, but my guess is there are those who still refuse to believe Brown is for real. Even Brown himself didn't consider himself a legit champion until he blasted Leonard Garcia in Round 1 of his first defense. His defeat of Urijah Faber in their rematch was enough to eliminate any trace of doubt from where I sit.

At 18-1, Aldo is an amazing talent who in his last fight destroyed Cub Swanson in eight seconds prior to Brown-Faber 2. He's also a guy whose aggressiveness may end up hurting him against Brown, a veteran who knows how to turn an opponent's strength into his downfall.

“Aldo is probably more technical, throws more punches and combinations, better knees and better kicks," Brown told me during an interview for another TapouT/MMA Worldwide feature. "But Leonard is probably a harder puncher; he swings hard and tries to kill you with every shot.

“Aldo is a little more finesse, but the game plan is similar – try and swing and crack him, put him down. If I hurt him I hurt him. If I don’t, I don’t. If that doesn’t work, take him down and try to submit him.”

Brown's best quality is his modesty and integrity. The way he continues to live his life - answering the phone at his home base of American Top Team, driving the same beat-up old car, and how he conducts himself with the highest amount of integrity - makes him a champion win or lose. Sometimes, in fact, Brown needs to be reminded that he's a recognized world champ.

“Sometimes fighters get to a high place and they forget all the hard work – and they forget that they deserve it,” said Howard Davis Jr., a 1976 Olympic Gold medalist who helps Brown with his striking game at ATT. “There’s a little guilt in them. I remind him every day he’s champ and that he deserves it.

“Mike hasn’t changed himself one bit. I asked him, 'Did you know you’re the WEC Featherweight champion? That put a huge smile on his face. [He told me] 'You know something you’re right coach. I am champion of the world.'”

As for UFC 105, I've picked against Vera twice and been wrong twice. The third time will be a charm: Couture takes a bout that goes the distance. Mike Swick proves he's ready for a shot at Georges St. Pierre by taking out Dan Hardy (TKO-2). Michael Bisping-Denis Kang is a tough call. This will depends if Bisping is physically and emotionally recovered from Dan Henderson's one-punch knockout at UFC 100. Emotion plays a big part in MMA, and Bisping will draw off the support of his home country by taking a decision.

There's the Yankees and, well ....

The afterglow of the Yankees' 27th World Championship will last awhile. That's good for Yankees fans - and newspapers, who will now feast on the misery that's the rest of New York sports.

The Devils and Rangers are exceptions, and though they're an afterthought at the moment, the Islanders have been surprisingly competitive - and they have John Tavares; the hyped first-overall pick is tied for the team lead in scoring.

Tops on the tabloids' radar, however, are the following teams, each in currently in a state ranging from sad to pathetic.

Giants: Losers of four straight after a 5-0 start and currently outside of the playoff bubble. As a fan watching them give away a game to the Chargers was the first in a long time I've been so disgusted with them.

Jets: 4-4 after a 3-0 start. Their 1-3 slide includes two galling losses to the Dolphins and an inexcusable setback to the Bills. Rex Ryan's bravado is refreshing, but if it's not backed up he's left to look like a fool.

Knicks & Nets: Whoa boy. The Nets are 0-7 and the teams are a combined 1-14. Everyone knew this would be a transition season at Madison Square Garden and the Swamp, but these teams' performances have been hideous. Nobody, not LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh, will want to play for bad teams that barely compete. That's the vibe on both sides at the moment. It's been like shrugging their shoulders and saying we'll get 'em next year.

Unless the Giants and Jets get it together, and the Rangers can weather their current injury storm, brace for a long winter. Here's hoping native and fellow Long Islander Phil Baroni can make a triumphant return to the UFC against Amir Sadollah at UFC 106.

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Junkie published my feature on Miguel Torres and how training with Miguel Cotto is helping him recover from his shocking loss to Brian Bowles. More and more MMA fighters are learning from boxers and their training techniques, and the relationship is getting stronger. Howard Davis Jr. works with Mike Brown, Thiago Alves, Thiago Silva and Kimbo Slice (the best move for Kimbo right now) at American Top Team. Famous boxing trainer Freddie Roach has worked with a ton of them, including a session where Michael Moorer watched Frankie Edgar's footwork. I have more about that story in the new TapouT/MMA Worldwide magazine coming out later this month.

Champions

I was afforded the unique and memorable privilege of covering the night the Yankees captured World Championship No. 27. Next to making a positive difference for people like the late George Murray, nights like Game 6 at Yankee Stadium is why I got into the business.

Let's be fair: The Yankes were baseball's best team. They won 115 games, many in dramatic fashion. And it was extra special seeing Hideki Matsui put on a show. I'm sure it reminded many older fans of what Reggie Jackson did in 1977 - also in Game 6. Reggie belted three homers that night. Matsui drove in six runs (tying Bobby Richardson's World Series record). Both took over the city, and in Matsui's case he also took over Tokyo.

The 2009 season and postseason was one of serious redemption for Alex Rodriguez. You can like him or not like him, and his wounds were self-inflicted, but A-Rod worked his way out of hell to slug 30 homers and drive in 100 runs for the 13th time in his career (12th straight season) - and he was sidelined until May 8 while rehabbing from hip surgery. On some levels, this may have been Rodriguez's finest campaign.

A.J. Burnett drove Yankees fans crazy at times, but you know what? The Yankees may not have won the World Series if he didn't shut down the Phillies in Game 2 to even the Fall Classic at 1-1. There will always be "Good A.J." and "Bad A.J." but when he's on there's nobody better, and you can never question his mental strength in big games. I spoke with Burnett during the clubhouse celebration about what he learned from his first season in the Bronx.

Because baseball never slows down, expect more observations, analysis and the inevitable coverage of the Yankees' big-ticket free signee this winter. Because business always picks up in MMA, expect MMAJunkie.com and other outlets to keep me busy. An alumni event has me missing tomorrow's big Strikeforce show in Chicago, but I'll be DVRing CBS' broadcast. I have Fedor beating Rogers, showing why he's the sport's best heavyweight, and in the fight of the night, Jake Shields doing enough to get by Jason "Mayhem" Miller.

Close the deal

Tonight is Game 6 of the World Series at Yankee Stadium, another chance for the Yankees to win World Championship No. 27, this time in front of their fans for the first time since 1999.

What's been said has been written. What's been documented has been digested. The Yankees now have to get the job done, defeat a tough, and gallant Philadelphia Phillies team that just so happens to be the defending champions.

As a journalist I am obligated to tell it like it is whether the Yankees win or lose 10-0. As fans we cannot control the outcome. As fans you can control the environment. Phillies fans are among the best and they went crazy showing support for their team. Tonight it's Yankees fans' turn.

Whether you root for the Yankees or Phillies, here's something to pump you up. Diego "Nightmare" Sanchez has one of the more dramatic entrances in the UFC. Only he knows how he'll enter the Octagon before his shot at B.J. Penn's lightweight title December 12 in Memphis. Count on some more Tony Robbins influence.

One win, 27 outs to go

Amazing how people are fretting about the Yankees and using hindsight to bash Joe Girardi for having the gall to live or die with one of his top-tier pitchers. A.J. Burnett started Game 5 on three days' rest. He lost because the Phillies have heart and remain the reigning World Champions, not because Burnett was on short rest. If Chad Gaudin would have started his first game in a month and gotten bombed, people would moan over that too.

Memo to the worry-warts: The Yankees lead the World Series three games to two. They need to win one of two games at Yankee Stadium to win their 27th World Championship after taking two of three in Philadelphia. The job isn't done, but that's pretty good, right?

Those ready to jump off a cliff need an image of Alfred E. Newman.

Like the rest of the postseason, I've been covering the home games for YESNetwork.com, while blogging away on the YES Blog, and will be at Game 6 and (if necessary) Game 7. CC Sabathia met his match in Game 1 and Burnett was awesome in Game 2. In Game 6, Andy Pettitte - also on three days' rest - attempts to win his Major League record sixth clinching game.

I'm still covering MMA and looking forward to doing a lot more once baseball is finally over. My debut feature for TapouT/MMA Worldwide magazine, a profile of Frankie Edgar, hits newsstands the middle of this month. Today, MMAJunkie.com published a feature on Brock Larson, a good fighter and great guy out for redemption when he battles Brian Foster at UFC 106.

Future projects include a piece on Miguel Torres and the budding relationship between MMA and boxing training techniques. I'm also looking forward to chatting with Karo Parisyan for FightMagazine.com.

First thing's first: Back to the Bronx tomorrow night.