Sorry everyone for not updating my blog sooner but the real world tends to make it hard sometimes... Anyways, I have some very sad news to report about a loss that everyone in the MMA community is taking pretty hard right now. As some of you may already know Ryan Bennett passed away last wednesday in a tragic car accident. Ryan Bennett was one of the sport's best ambassadors, this guy loved MMA with all of his heart and soul. He ran one of the webs best sites called MMAWeekly.com and even hosted a radio show every morning for us hardcore fans. All I can say is that the MMA community will miss this guy, I'm still in shock that he's gone. His family needs our help and a family fund has been established for his two kids and wife. Please take the time to give a little bit I know they need our support right now. Bennett Family Fund

Well another UFC has come and past and in the next few days I'll be breaking down the fights and giving you my thoughts about what happened this weekend and what to look forward to in the near future. This UFC was pretty crazy, and my initial thoughts are that it was a very satisfying weekend. We only had one decision the whole night which was pretty crazy, all the other fights ended by TKO/KO in either round one or two. I'll be back later today.

Dean Lister vs. Alessio Sakara Light Heavyweight Fight I wrote earlier that UFC 60 has some very interesting match ups, this fight is one of them. Match ups makes fights, and this one has me drooling. Dean Lister is probably most familiar to people from the current season of the Ultimate Fighter. He is the submission coach on Team Punishment. He is also one of the biggest names in the submission game today. Lister is a two-time National Sambo champion, as well as the ADCC Absolute Division Champion. On Saturday he is making his long awaited UFC 60 debut. While his submission skills are top notch, they have exactly led to sucess in the world of MMA. He faces Alessio Sakara who is coming off a brutal beatdown of Elvis Sinosic. That fight may have ended in a decision, only because Sakara broke his hand punching Sinosic so many times. As a former boxer Sakara has heavy heavy hands and he knows how to use them. Sakara may not be a Jiu-Jitsu star like Lister, but he has skills. He trains with some famous Jiu-Jitsu fighters out of the Brazilian Top Team and can hold his own on the ground. Lister on the other hand doesn't really have a very good stand up game. Lister's bread and butter is grappling, especially foot and leg locks. If Sakara can keep Lister at bay on the ground, look for him to punish Dean standing up leaving him a bloody mess. Lister is a good fighter but facing Sakara in his UFC debut is going to be too much. Sakara by decision. Joe Riggs vs. Mike Swick Middleweight Fight Oh man, this is going to be a great fight and I doubt it will go all three rounds. Both fighters love to bang and they will come out swinging. This is Swick's first real test in the Octagon and he better be prepared because Riggs is one tough competitor. Riggs another fighter to come out of the Miletich camp. Though most of his work lately has been under the training of Horn and Billy Rush. Riggs is a very balanced fighter with strong wrestling and striking skills. Like I said, both are agressive and will look to bang. Look for both to land to land early, where Riggs will slip inside and start bullying Swick around. Riggs is going to be too strong for Mike, and his wrestling base will allow him to throw Swick around easily. On the ground look for Riggs to let his brutal ground and pound game to bust up Mike pretty good. If Swick can't estabilsh his striking through his superior speed and reach early he is going to be in a lot of trouble. This one could go either way because each can knock the other out. But if Riggs keeps his hands up and stays agressive he has the advantage. Regardless, don't blink cause this one is going to be fun. Riggs by tko in round 2. Diego Sanchez vs. John Alessio Welterweight Fight This fight was originially going to happen back at UFC 58 untill Diego Sanchez got sick and had to drop out. If you are a fan of the UFC, Diego Sanchez really doesn't need an introduction. Winner of season one of TUF, his combination of Jiu-Jitsu and wrestling have taken him far. He's also one of the wierdest people in MMA today. Or should I say eccentric? His win over Nick Diaz proved to everyone that he was for real. In that fight, he kept Diaz off balance for the entire three rounds using his great wrestling takedowns to get the decision win. The only knock on Diego are his stand up skills. And that's exactly where Alessio's strength lies. Most people remember John Alessio, if they remember him at all was his fight against former champion Pat Miletich. It was a pretty easy fight for Pat, Alessio was way over his head that night and got armbarred rather easily. He had no business being inside the Octagon, just way too inexperienced for a fighter like Pat Miletich. Well times have changed and the rookie is now the seasoned vet. Forget about what you remember about Alessio cause he a totally different fight now. He has a very well rounded game now, with stand up being his speciality. He has ko power. And has the ability to ko Diego given the chance. Look for Alessio to sprawl and brawl. Deflecting Diego's takedowns so he can keep it standing. If he can do this Alessio can win. The problem is Diego is a very good takedown artist, his ability to change levels is amazing. I think this fight will look a lot like Diego fight with Diaz, with Alessio fighting off of his back for the most part. But like I said, Alessio has the stand up so don't be too surprised if Alessio takes Diego out on Saturday. This fight is a lot closer than most people think. Sanchez by decision. Brandon Vera vs. Assuerio Silva Heavyweight Fight Now this is a heavyweight fight I'm looking forward to. Vera has quickly become a favorite in the heavywieght ranks with his ko victories in the Octagon. He's got some great Muay Thai stand up with knees and kicks to put people to sleep. Silva is an underrated fighter with his lone Octagon loss against current champ Tim Sylvia. Tim was just too big for Silva. Vera on the other hand is not. Look for Silva to come out and ground and pound Vera. If Silva can keep Vera down, stay agressive and bully Vera he'll get the decision. Problem is Vera is way too fast and mobile for Silva. He may take him down but he won't keep him there. Vera has a solid Jiu-Jitsu foundation and he will get back up eventually. Once standing Vera's length will keep Silva on the outside looking in. If Brandon can keep his distance and pepper Silva with jabs and kicks in the begining he can eventually set Silva up for a big knee to the face. Vera by tko in round 3. Matt Hughes vs. Royce Gracie Welterweight Fight Well this is it, the fight we've all been waiting for. The Legend versus The Champ. I hate to say it, but I think Matt's going to run right over Royce. I'm not going to call it a lock, anything can happen in a fight so Royce always has a shot at winning. But in the end Hughes is just too strong for Royce. I think Hughes is out to send a message and he's going to win this fight with strikes. Matt will look to stand up every time it goes to the ground. Royce may try to stand with him up after eating a couple of shots he start dropping to the ground trying to get Hughes to enter his guard. Matt's too smart to play with Royce at his own game and will dictate how the fight goes. Hughes by decision.

The second part of my UFC breakdown, I'll be taking a closer look at the fights that will happen on Saturday night. First off, here's the latest list of televised fights and the dark matches. And from what I understand, the Horn/Sonnen fight will be the swing bout of the evening. So if there is time left on the broadcast, you'll get to view that fight on PPV as well. Main Card (PPV bouts): -Matt Hughes vs. Royce Gracie -Dean Lister vs. Alessio Sakara -Brandon Vera vs. Assuerio Silva -Joe Riggs vs. Mike Swick -Diego Sanchez vs. John Alessio Prelim Card (Non-televised bouts): -Jeremy Horn vs. Chael Sonnen -Spencer Fisher vs. Matt Wiman -Melvin Guillard vs. Rick Davis -Gabriel Gonzaga vs. Fabiano Scherner This UFC is different from earlier UFC shows that have been put on and if you've been reading any of my earlier pieces you know why. Everything is built up on one fight and one fight alone. Previous UFC's have always had championship fights to head their cards along with a number of strong undercard fights with big name fighters. We really don't have that here. It's as if Dana White and Zuffa decided to put all their eggs in one nest. Zuffa has been hyping Hughes vs. Gracie as the greatest fight in the history of the UFC. Sorry to tell you Dana, it's not even close. But still you did bring back Royce Gracie and that is pretty damn awesome. The undercaris questionable, it has the possibility of having some really entertaining fights. But like wrote earlier there are some stinkers here as well. Also, don't forget the judges and referrees play a huge part in it as well. The wrong ref or judge and you could be looking at a very frustrating night of fights. Here are JOAT's thoughts and predictions of for UFC 60 starting with the prelims first: Melvin Guillard vs Rick Davis Lightweight Fight I'm going into this fight with little or no expectations. I'm hoping to be pleasantly surprised, but won't be shocked if I forget this fight as soon as it's over. Quite honestly there's really nothing at stake here. Make no mistake folks, this fight is simply on the card so Guillard can get on the card. Guillard is dropping down to the lightweight division. His wrestling and natural athletic ability should make a contender at that weight class. And this fight looks to be Zuffa attempting to build one of their fighters up. His oppenent is Rick Davis. Who? Exactly... Davis has a grand total of four pro fights with his last fight taking place in 2004. Davis' ring rust, lack of experience, plus those first time jitters in the Octagon all lead up to an easy victory for Guillard. Plus I don't see Davis stopping Guillard's takedowns or ground and pound. Guillard by tko in round 1. Gabriel Gonzaga vs Fabiano Scherner Heavyweight Fight This is the one fight that I fear could turn out to be really boring. Now on paper this looks like it could be an entertaining fight. Both fighters are black belts in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, as well as ADCC veterans. They both have been crowned Brazilian National Champion in Jiu-Jitsu numerous times. Gonzaga is a part of the legendary Brazilian fight team Chute Boxe, while Scherner is from American Top Team. Gonzaga's first fight in the UFC was probably one of the worst debuts in recent memory. Neither Gonzaga or his opponent Kevin Jordan had any kind of cardio and that became apparent early in round one. Gonzaga managed to ko Jordan in round three, but not before boring everyone in the audience to sleep. Scherne's UFC debut wasn't that hot either, he got ko'd by Brandon Vera in round one. Here's why this fight could really suck: when you pit two very good grapplers together in an MMA fight it usally ends up being a very boring match. Since they both are very well versed in submission, neither one of them will catch the other guy in a sub. What you end up with is just a lot of holding and positioning going on for three rounds. I hope I'm wrong for the sake of the paying audience. The good thing is Gonzaga does have ko power and Scherner has little to no stand up ability. I don't see Scherner doing anything but turning this into a submission match. It's his only chance for a win. If Gonzaga is smart and keeps this standing he could put Scherner to sleep. But if Gonzaga comes in with the same horrible cardio he had in his first UFC fight, there's just going to be a lot of laying and praying. Gonzaga wins in a decision. Spencer Fisher vs. Matt Wiman Lightweight Fight Spencer Fisher could possibily be the next champion out of the Miletich fighting camp. He his stand up is excellent. And with Pat Miletich as your coach, training partners like Tim Sylivia and Matt Hughes you're only going to get better in all areas of your game. His oppenent is actually a last minute replacement named Matt Wiman. Fisher's original opponent, Leonard Garcia was injured during training and Wiman took the fight on short notice. From what I understand Wiman plans on standing with Fisher, so don't blink this fight could be over in a flash. Fisher by tko in round 1. Jeremy Horn vs. Chael Sonnen Middleweight Fight Horn and Sonnen have met twice before with Jeremy getting the best of Chael both times. A lot of people have written off this fight because of the previous record but make no mistake this will not be an easy fight for Horn. Jeremy Horn who sports a 76 - 14 - 5 record, is one of the most experienced MMA fighters in the business. He is easily one of the most well rounded fighters you will ever see. Horn can do it all, being equally versed with submission as well as stand up. His first fight in the UFC with then champ Frank Shamrock is a classic match with Shamrock pulling off a leg lock to win it in the last round. Horn is experienced no doubt, but lately his performacnces in the Octagon were uninspired and somewhat predicitable. His rematch with Chuck Liddell left him battered, bruised and bloodied. Liddell's striking put Horn out of his gameplan early and he was never able to get into rhythm. But after that fight, he made the drop to Middleweight where I thought he would really shine. Instead he managed to squeak out a win again Trevor Prangley. Personally I felt Prangley won that fight. So This is Horn's last fight under his current UFC contract. And quite frankly I wonder if Horn really wants to fight any more. He's fighting in a division where his good friend Rich Franklin is champ. Horn has already stated he has no plans on fight Rich for the belt. Which makes me wonder if Horn is ready to retire. I think he's a lot more comfortable being a trainer than a fighter now a days. And he's going to need to be on his top game with an opponent like Sonnen. Chael Sonnen is probably one of the most underrated fighters to ever step foot in the Octagon. People forget that he was a founding member of Team Quest. He also was an All American wrestler in college and an alternate on the Olympic wrestling team. Horn may have won their last fight, but ask anyone who saw that fight and they'll all say Chael was in control for the majority of the time and on his way to a win. Unfortunately, Chael got caught in a submission and the rest is history. Will Sonnen make the same mistake again? I don't think so. Chael is a world class wrestler and trust me he will have no problems on taking Horn down at will. Horn has never had a very good takedown defense. He's more apt to give up the takedown and work from the guard. With UFC rules and how much they favor takedowns this can only help Sonnen. Plus Horn has developed the nasty habit of fighting his oppoents fight instead of dictating his own pace as of late. Part of the reason is that Horn is very well rounded, so he just as comfortable fighting on his feet as well as the ground. He waits for an opening instead of actively going out and asserting his will over his opponent. Sonnen is a worker and stays busy in his oppents guard that bad news for a fighter like Horn. If he stays sharp, and doesn't get over agressive Chael can win this fight. It's going to be a close one but Chael goes home with the "W". Sonnen by split decision. Next up the main card in part III.

JOAT's Pre-UFC 60 rants and concerns... You know as UFC 60 grows closer and closer, your old buddy JOAT here can't help but get a little nostalgic. In many ways, this next UFC feels a little like a high school reunion. A time where people gather together and talk about the good old days, reminisce and catch up. To say the UFC has changed since the last time Royce Gracie graced the Octagon is most definitely an understatement. Let's face it the early UFC's had a certain circus freak show element to them. Partly to due to the fact it was something so new, so different, the viewer really had no idea what was going on. All I knew was that something really special was going on in there, and of course a style of Martial Arts called Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu had it's coming out party. Fast forward to UFC 60 and we are witnessing MMA on the verge of becoming a mainstream sport. Now if we view UFC 60 and its place in MMA history, it could go down as one of Zuffa's brightest moments, but on the other hand it could go down as one its biggest mistakes. This UFC reminds me a lot of the fiasco that was UFC 33. You may or may not remember, UFC 33 was supposed to be Zuffa's coming out party. That UFC was supposed to be special in the sense it was Zuffa's first real big event. Hell, they even named it "Victory in Vegas" how ironic would that title be. It was the first UFC to take place in Las Vegas, it was also the first UFC to be carried on cable after a lengthy ban. Nothing could go wrong, right? That UFC had a stellar card, highlighted with a fight everyone wanted to see: Tito Ortiz versus Vitor Belfort for the championship belt. But then the roof started to cave in. First off, Vitor got hurt and Vladimir Matushenko filled in as a last minute replacement. Then out of the eight fights, only two ended in something other than a decision. And those decisions, boy were they stinkers, some of the most forgettable fights to ever take place in the Octagon. What should have been a great night for the UFC and the sport of MMA, was anything but glorious. I think that's where the UFC finds itself once again. It's a high wire balancing act dependent on so many variables but mostly it depends on the strength of one fight. The fight that every hardcore MMA fan has been waiting for to take place in the Octagon: a fight with Royce Gracie. The day that Royce Gracie, the man who started it all, would come back to the house he helped build. For Hardcore fans like JOAT, this is the only fight that really matters on the UFC 60 card. Trust me it really wouldn't matter who was on the other end, though I think many of us secretly wished it was Ken Shamrock. Trust me, even though Matt Hughes may be one of the most dominant fighters to ever step foot into the Octagon, it's all about Royce. Well, at least for fans like me who have been following the UFC before the Spike TV show. Sorry "Tuffies." Along with Hughes versus Gracie, Dana White and Joel Silva managed to put together an interesting card. Interesting in the sense, it really is a crap shoot if it's going to be any good to watch. I won't lie to you dear reader, there are some real stinkers on this card. But there are also some very good fighters matched up together too, and if the stars come into alignment we could be treated to some great action. Like I said, if the stars come together... And those stars I speak of? Well the first two are your judges and referees. Or more specifically, who are chosen as your referees and judges that night. Will the California Athletic Commission make the same mistake of allowing boxing judges and referees to work in the UFC again? I hope, no pray, they are not stupid enough to make the same mistake twice. Simply put, it costs fighters and it ruins the sport. I'm still amazed how boxing referees and judges are allowed to work in MMA events in the first place. I've seen it happen way too many times, a fight is stopped too early because the referee doesn't understand what he seeing. Or some boxing judge who is allowed to score a fight not understanding the basics of groundwork, takedowns, or submissions. Boxing is not the same thing as MMA. Sounds obvious right? You would be surprised. To the fighters, their importance is obvious as they can make the difference in whether you go home with a win or a loss. Do you really want to give that much power to someone who has no idea as to what they are witnessing? UFC 59, is a great example of how a perfectly good MMA fight is ruined when you let some ignorant twit into the sport. UFC 59 was marked by two really huge problems, two problems that could have been easily prevented. And by problems, I mean people. Specifically, two people who really had no business being at UFC 59. The first person was Judge ABE BELLARDO and the second was referee MARCO LOPEZ. Both of these guys have no business working in MMA, they simply do not have a clue about MMA. You say you don't remember Judge Abe Bellardo? Well let me remind you, Abe Bellardo was the idiot who scored the Ortiz/Griffin fight 30-27 in favor of Ortiz. According to this judge, Tito Ortiz won every single round of that fight. Now Ortiz/Griffin could have gone either way as to who won, but there is no way in hell it was a 30-27. He did the same thing in an earlier fight that night giving Jeff Monson a score of 30-27. I echo the sentiments of UFC President Dana White and hope Abe Bellardo is never allowed to judge a MMA fight again. As for referee Marco Lopez, this is someone who literally did not belong in the Octagon. I do not know why he was working that night the UFC has a number of highly skilled and highly experienced referees who were available. Yet the California Athletic Commission decided to have Marco Lopez referee that night for some unknown reason. And trust me whatever it was, it wasn't good enough to have him working an event such as the UFC. Marco Lopez is a boxing referee who had no experience with MMA, and this lack of experience or should I say ignorance, ended up costing a fighter not only money but a possible win. That fighter was Scott Smith. Marco Lopez decided for some unknown reason to call for a break in the middle of Scott Smith's fight with David Terrell. Both fighters were in the middle of a clinch and Smith upon hearing the referee's orders relaxed and eased up. This allowed David Terrell to promptly take David down and sink in a rear naked choke. The problem was not Scott Smith who was obeying the referee's order, nor was it David Terrell's as it his job is to fight. The problem was with Marco Lopez who ordered the fighters to break and yet for some mysterious reason did not separate the two or stop Terrell from sinking in the choke. Luckily for Marco Lopez, the California Athletic Commission and Zuffa, that fight was a prelim and thus the PPV audience didn't see it. Yet what about Scott Smith? In part II of UFC 60 Breakdown I'll be talking the fights...