GSP, The Oilers, and UFC 100: Disapointment

This is Georges St-Pierre or GSP, and he is the UFC Welterweight Champion of the World. He is also quite possibly the best fighter currently in the UFC, he also happens to be an Oiler fan.

Well, that's where I am going to leave both GSP (for the moment) and the Oilers. I just want to talk about what I have (affectionately) called UFC 100: Disappointment.

To be honest and fair, I haven't watched the undercard bouts, and I liked 3/4 of the maincard fights, but the "Main" Event Lesnar v. Mir 2 was a MASSIVE let-down.

I want to talk about the first 3 fights on the card first:

Yoshihiro Akiyama v. Alan Belcher

I don't really have much to say about this fight. Belcher caught Akiyama with a really brutal groin kick, so kudos to Akiyama for still dominating the fight. I also don't understand how this was a split decision and not unanimous in favour of Akiyama, I felt he really dominated the fight.

Michael Bisping v. Dan Henderson

There was a lot of bad blood going into this fight for Dan Henderson. Bisping had been doing a good job of bad mouthing and getting press for the match, at the expense of Henderson and the Americans (who lost TUF 9). I have to admit to being a Bisping fan, and I actually was liking the way the fight was going for him. With the exception of a poor start (and a VERY good one for Henderson) I felt Bisping did a good job of controlling the fight. However, Bisping made one small mistake andwalked right into Henderson's wheel house, and took a right hook to the side of the head so hard he was out before he hit the mat. The only thing I have that's bad to say about this fight is the TOTALLY unnecessary "Falcon Punch" Henderson delivered to Bisping after he had obviously KO'd him. Now in the heat of the fight, I can understand following a guy to the ground, but that was overkill, and it isn't good for the UFC's image. I wasn't a fan of the UFC for a long time, mostly because I thought it was too brutal, but after watching a lot of MMA (and becoming obsessed with it) I can understand following a fighter to the ground, I mean you have to make sure you finish the fight, right? But for the (new) fans watching the UFC for the first time, that punch only served to validate the "Human Cock-Fighting" argument. I definitely place some blame on the Ref for not stopping Henderson from delivering his flying elbow.

Georges St-Pierre (GSP) v. Thiago Alves

To me, maybe because I am such a huge GSP fan, any fight with GSP in it always has the making of a great fight, and this one didn't let me down. GSP totally dominated Alves (who never had a chance anyways) and won it by decision. The fact that GSP pulled his groin in the third round and still beat the hell out of Alves only puts the exclamation mark on the match. However, probably most importantly GSP acted like the fighter the UFC needs more of, humble, appreciative, and gentle. While this kind of fighter will not bring in the money, like say a guy such as Brock Lesnar, GSP is the image the UFC wants and needs.

Frank Mir v. Brock Lesnar 2

This was the one fight that I didn't like, and it was truly god awful. If there is any fighter I like more than GSP it's Frank Mir, however, while I was upset that Mir didn't win, it didn't factor that much in this decision. This was the most hyped fight I have ever seen, Mir v. Lesnar 2 posters were every where. You couldn't watch/listen/read an article on MMA that didn't mention it. The fight started off ok, there was a little awkward stand up, and it seemed to confuse Mir, then most of the rest of the fight was spent with Lesnar laying on Mir punching him in the face. To Mir's credit he almost dropped Lesnar with a vicious knee in the second round but to no avail, the first round repeated itself. Now this was a disappointing fight for a hardcore fan, I can only imagine how disappointed first time viewers might have been. Mir v. Lesnar was supposed to carry the UFC into the future with a new wave of fandom, and I doubt that's what will happen now. On top of the boring/brutal fight, all the crap Lesnar said at the end of the fight like "who knows, maybe I'll get on top of the wife too" and insulting the sponsors. This fight was just plain horrible for the UFC. Instead maybe the UFC should focus on the sportsmanship displayed by Mir throughout this whole thing. He promoted the fight without being arrogant or abrasive, he offered to touch gloves before the fight, he was gracious in defeat, and stood there while Lesnar put on his show. Last night Mir and GSP were the ultimate display of what a UFC fighter should be.

I guess all I can say in conclusion is I can't wait for Mir v. Lesnar 3 (which is probably inevitable) and hope Mir (or anyone else, but mostly I hope Mir) can give Lesnar a good ole piece of Humble Pie.

Magnum PS

This is Magnus Paajarvi-Svensson, here-by known as MPS or Magnum PS, was the 10th overall choice in the 2009 entry draft. I wanted to learn more about him, and I figured you guys might want to as well. According to his Wiki page MPS made his Elitserien debut on September 24 at age sixteen, five months, and twelve days, becoming the fourth youngest player in Elitserien's history. Which if you ask me is impressive, and puts him among some elite company.

While MPS' totals in the SEL have not been the most impressive (nor are his Desjardins conversions) but looking at his numbers in international tournaments, and playing against kids his own age MPS looks incredible, scoring at around a PPG pace.

I like MPS' flash and size, but for me the jury is still out on whether or not he will be a great player. I would like to see MPS play one season in the SEL, so we can gauge his performance against men, then play in the CHL for a year. That seems like a better option then 2 years in the CHL and one in the AHL if you ask me....

The Heatley Saga

A long time ago, in a land far, far away.... Enough of the Star Wars references I want to give my take on the Dany Heatley crisis. My take is pretty simple: I want Dany Heatley. I like Cogliano, Smid, and sometimes it seems like I am the only Penner fan out there (then I go read Willis) but these guys can't bring to the table what a player the calibre of Heatley can. It basically works that the Triple H line will go out, maybe player checkers, maybe gets the PvP assignment, and Heatley works his magic, which is basically outscoring any level of toughs he's put out on the ice against. Cogs, Smid can't/don't outscore opponents, and while Penner has shown some ability to be able to out produce opposition at 5v5 in a PvP role he'll never do it at a Heatley rate. That being said, I would not exactly be upset if the deal doesn't go down. Keeping the guys involved in the trade means the Oilers keep some depth. As an added bonus for me, I feel that there is a lot of untapped potential in a guy like Penner that we didn't seen under MacT. Now I don't have insiders and all my information is 3rd hand, so I don't want to comment on any of the more shady sides of Dany's character. It's pretty simple for me: we need a guy that can pot goals, and wont waste Hemmer's contract.