Final answer for Edgar?

Shameless plug alert: Friends or enemies? Issue No. 34 of TapouT Magazine has a feature I wrote on the working relationship between MMA and boxing, and is available on news stands. Also, for hockey fans, I've returned to penning a Rangers column for SNY.tv. Yesterday I posed a question on whether the Rangers are legit contenders (buyers) or destined to flame out (sellers).

On to a few thoughts on a two-day stretch of MMA shows featuring the WEC and UFC.

Gray Maynard needed a win over Nate Diaz Monday night at UFC Fight Night 20 to secure a likely shot at B.J. Penn in April in Abu Dhabi. He eked out a split decision, but there was much more required to winning the fight. Maynard had to look good, had to put on a show, dazzle the audience and the UFC championship committee, and put a bug in Penn’s head (if that’s even possible). Instead he let Diaz’s trash-talking and mind games get the best of him and take him completely off his game.

“Gray learned a valuable lesson in this fight, and it's that you can't let someone get in your head,” said his trainer, Hall-of-Famer Randy Couture. “He can disrespect you with all the verbal crap that goes on in or outside the cage, but you can't allow that to distract you from your goal, your job, what you trained to do.

“I think Gray verbalized that and realizes that's what happened, and that he got caught up in Diaz's attitude.”

Afterwards a contrite Maynard expressed some doubt that his phone will ring with an offer to fight Penn for the lightweight championship.

“The game plan and technique went out the window,” Maynard said. “I'm sorry about that. You won't see that again.”

The reason why Maynard was ranked ahead of Frankie Edgar was because he’s the only man to have defeated “The Answer.” Diaz lost the fight, but it appears as if he took away something from his opponent more valuable than the win at this stage of his career. Edgar looked awesome in December defeating Matt Veach. His dream is to represent New Jersey in March. It looks like the reality could turn out greater than the dream. Early Tuesday morning a source told ESPN MMA insider Franklin McNeil that the UFC has offered Edgar a title shot.

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Admittedly I didn’t see most of UFC Fight Night 20 in its entirety; the King of the Castle, age two, decided to take over. But reading the results I’m able to draw an obvious conclusion: You do everything in your power to prevent the fight from getting beyond your control and into the subjective opinions of the judges. Tom Lawlor put on the finest performance of his career against Aaron Simpson. Alas, Simpson barely survived the first round and escaped with a split decision to the vociferous displeasure of the crowd at the Patriot Center ... Chris Leben held on to his UFC spot with a sorely-needed victory over Jay Silva. The bigger story is the hope that The Crippler finally has his life together for good ... Efrain Escudero tasted defeat for the first time when he tapped to Evan Dunham in Round 3. Fellow fighters and mentors are lining up to tell the TUF Season 8 winner the loss will be the best thing to ever happen to him ... TUF 7 winner Amir Sadollah looked even better than his last fight, a gritty, razor-sharp unanimous decision win over veteran Phil Baroni, this time going the distance to defeat Brad Blackburn. It’s amazing that Sadollah entered the TUF house without a professional record. His striking and Muay Thai are excellently executed and it’s now time for him to swim in deeper waters.

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I did get to watch WEC 46. The great thing about World Extreme Cagefighting is that you’re guaranteed at least one great fight and/or great performance. Mike Brown, Kamal Shalorus, Urijah Faber and Ben Henderson were fabulous, with Smooth wrapping up Jamie Varner like a tarantula to unify the lightweight title. A rematch between Henderson and Donald Cerrone is a given, while WEC president Reed Harris is talking up a showdown with Faber and featherweight champ Jose Aldo to headline the organization’s premiere pay-per-view event. Look for Brown to compete against a top contender with an impressive victory to assure him a chance at regaining the title he dropped to Aldo in November.

Holiday Hustle

It wasn't last-minute shopping, but that didn't stop me from running around the past few days to gear up for Christmas. Major League Baseball is closed for business until next year, though that won't stop general managers from tapping away at their blackberries. And like last year, the Yankees made a big deal within the five days before Christmas. No, it didn't shake baseball's foundation like the signing of Mark Teixeira, but the trade that brought Javier Vazquez back to the Bronx was another example about how the champs aren't resting on their laurels.

The rich getting richer? Complain if that's your thing, but the Red Sox also re-loaded with John Lackey and may yet end up with Jason Bay back in green, red and white. And the last I looked, no laws were broken.

Vazquez's first stint in New York was anything but idyllic. After a strong first half, a bout with pink eye combined with a tired shoulder he refused to reveal to the Yankees' medical staff led to a 6.29 second-half ERA. His lasting impression was the two Game 7 home runs he surrendered to Johnny Damon (one a grand slam, the other a two-run bomb) that sealed the Yankees' epic ALCS collapse.

Now Vazquez has a second chance to write a new story. He returns a better and wiser pitcher, having finished fourth in NL Cy Young voting. Yes he's back in the hitter-friendly American League, but Vazquez put up some decent numbers while with the White Sox and has pitched at least 190 innings every season since 2000.

Also, in 2004 he was considered a front-line starter riding shotgun with Kevin Brown and Carl Pavano, two wonderful influences. In '09, he pitches behind CC Sabathia, A.J. Burnett and Andy Pettitte, a true ace, a fully-matured veteran and one of the best big-game pitchers in franchise history. Even if his homers-allowed and ERA rises, Vazquez's projected numbers will be those that teams will kill for out of their fourth starter.

This means either Phil Hughes or Joba Chamberlain will open the season in the bullpen. Chamberlain denies it, but his mojo is in the 'pen. Yet Hughes will work under an innings limit - the Hughes Rules - and Chamberlain will not. The fifth-starter competition will be a chief storyline during Spring Training with Sergio Mitre (another year removed from Tommy John surgery will make a big difference), Chad Gaudin and Alfredo Aceves also in the mix. That's a nice luxury to have.

Big projects are in store for my MMA coverage and especially the sport. I'm arranging an interview with Jon Jones for a meaty feature to run on FightMagazine.com before Bones' showdown with Brandon Vera, the headliner of the UFC's debut on Versus. Last week I had a great chat with Trevor Wittman, Rashad Evans' assistant coach during The Ultimate Fighter: Heavyweights, about Matt Mitrione. Despite "Meathead's" portrayal on the show, Wittman has great respect for him as a person. As a fighter, Mitrione must improve his ground game - and he knows it. The mental side to his craft, according to Wittman, will make or break him. Lots of interesting ground to cover there.

Huge props to WEC and Strikeforce for tremendous shows last Saturday night. The WEC continues to showcase exciting and compelling talent, while Strikeforce showed there's a lot more to the MMA world. Scott Smith provided dramatic and amazing theater of the unexpected while Gilbert Melendez and Josh Thompson tore it up in what was unquestionably a top-five Fight of the Year for 2009.

I wish you a very Merry Christmas. I'll check in again before the new year. Today and tomorrow are days to cherish with loved ones even more than usual.

Thanks for reading,



Jon

Winter's wrath

It's 32 degrees and plummeting in my corner of the world. By mid-afternoon the first flake of what's expected to be at least a foot of snow is expected to hit the ground straight through Sunday morning. Those of you living in South Florida or Southern California, go ahead, brag. From where I sit it's an excuse to hunker down and enjoy a fine TV day and night. The Rangers are in Philly to take on the Flyers at 1 p.m. And tonight a big Cowboys-Saints game is an appetizer for two MMA shows airing at 10: WEC 45 on Versus and Strikeforce: Evolution on Showtime. I understand the importance of competition, but also wish these great shows didn't air simultaneously.

I did a great interview with Matt Mitrione this week for a FightMagazine.com feature running early next month. The crux of it: "Meathead"says The Ultimate Fighter behind him. His UFC contract was extended and he hopes to prove that there's a lot more to the devious person that was portrayed on the show. That said, if you choose to hate him, he won't care. He'll tell his story in the Octagon. Here's how he summed up his win over Marcus Jones at the TUF Finale on December 5:

“As soon as he took me down the first time and couldn’t do anything with me, I was saying to myself, ‘Oh he’s [screwed],’” Mitrione said. “You’ve got nothing for me, guy.”

Lay off the haterade: First, there's no argument that the UFC is tops in the MMA world and the best is still yet to come as long as it continues to build and market its new stars. But why knock your competition? Strikeforce to date is not making Ted Turner's and Eric Bischoff's mistakes nor is it jumping in deep, shark-invested waters. Let it build and grow, and from there up the ante. It's in the best interest of MMA's market and fans.

Yet more haterade, this time in baseball: Why are many hating on the Yankees' decision to sign Nick Johnson? Is he Hideki Matsui or Johnny Damon? No. Is he a good player (when healthy)? Sure is. Johnson, pending he passes a physical, returns to his original team with career numbers of .279-.477.-413. Damon and the Yankees are at an impasse (thank you Scott Boras), so the Yankees turned to a player who fits in perfectly as a No. 2 hitter who along with Nick Swisher can spell Mark Teixeira at first base. Johnson will primarily DH, but that slot will remain a pit stop for the older veterans with a ton of mileage on their legs.

I'm sad to see Matsui go. He represented class, dignity and was clutch during his seven seasons. Unfortunately, the grind of all those games in Japan and the U.S. took a toll on his knees. He'll put up nice numbers in Anaheim in 2010, but the Yankees were not going to play him in the field at any cost. With Matsui gone, here's hoping Damon can somehow find his way back in pinstripes. He's another one of the great guys in the sport who still has plenty of game. Boras' demands just don't match with his market value at this stage of his career, which is why interest remains minimal from strictly a baseball perspective.