Fallout from UFC 74

By Gary Herman

At the conclusion of UFC 74, the news was just starting. Many of the participants had some newsworthy things to say about the future of the promotion inside and outside of the Octagon.

Couture challenges the best

After his dominating victory over Gabriel “Napao” Gonzaga, Randy Couture answered a very important question about his preferred next opponent.

“I want to fight the best guys in the world. The best guy in the world is Fedor Emelianenko. Bring him on,” said Couture.

Currently, Emelianenko is not under contract to the UFC. However, UFC President Dana White has said that he expects all the best fighters to be under one roof very soon.

“We plan on having all the best fighters here. From Mauricio “Shogun” Rua, Wanderlei Silva, and Minotauro Nogueira, they will all be here. The best fighters in the world will be in the UFC.”

The dream match to become a reality

After many years of negotiations, the long awaited superfight of Chuck “The Iceman” Liddell vs. Wanderlei “The Axe Murder Silva” may finally have a date.

The new UFC signing, Silva, verified as much during an exclusive comment to CBS Sportsline.com during the pay-per-view.

“I want to fight Chuck Liddell. I expect that fight to happen on December 29. I believe that is the fight that will take place,” Silva said.

The next big thing to enter the UFC

Former WWE champion Brock Lesnar, known to wrestling fans as “The Next Big Thing”, followed through on his promise to attend UFC 74. Lesnar said that he wanted to see the UFC heavyweight champion, Randy Couture, up close and person, but that was not the only reason Lesnar was in attendance.

Lesnar met with Dana White, who was very confident after his meeting with Lesnar.

“I am pretty much going to guarantee you right here that the UFC will get him,” said White. “Lesnar should have started with us, but we’ll be happy to have him.”

When may the former collegiate All-American start with the UFC?

“We are all booked up through 2007, but we would like to have him start after the new year.”

The future may hold a Pride-ful ending

With the rapid expansion of MMA, one of the major casualties may very well turn out to be the former number two organization in the world.

Pride Fighting Championships could be officially ended in the near future.

“We can’t get a television deal,” White said. “My feeling is they don’t want us over there. I’m trying. We bought them out with every intention of keeping them alive.”

White did not want the organization that helped to produce such UFC stars as Anderson Silva, Quinton “Rampage” Jackson and Mirko Cro Cop to come to an end.

“It is proving to be very difficult. We were supposed to run over in Japan. We kept the offices open over there. It just doesn’t look like it will happen.”

UFC makes a declaration on steroids

One of the much-debated topics in 2007 has been the issue of steroids, and the world of MMA has not been immune from the controversy. Over the past few months, many prominent fighters have tested positive for some form of steroids.

White was highly animated when asked about the controversial issue.

“I look at steroids as being insane. You can’t use steroids. Everybody knows you can’t use steroids.”

From there, White went on to compare the UFC to the NFL.

“In the NFL, if you get caught using steroids, you are suspended for four weeks – just four weeks. However, if you get caught using steroids in this sport, you cannot make a living for one year.”

Babalu wins, but may lose

With a very controversial ending, Renato “Babalu” Sobral defeated David Heath, but who won the fight was not as surprising as how viciously it happened. Sobral pounded out Heath in dominating fashion in the second round, with the fight quickly becoming a bloody one.

With Sobral clearly controlling the fight and Heath not offering much offense in return, referee Steve Mazzagatti did not stop the onslaught. What happened next may cost Sobral $25,000. Sobral tightly locked on an Anaconda choke. Heath quickly tapped, but Sobral did not release the hold. Sobral noticeably kept the chokehold on for a few extra seconds in order to ensure Heath passed out.

“I just thought that I needed to teach him respect after he showed me so much disrespect. He needed to be taught a lesson,” Sobral said.

Not everyone in attendance was in agreement with Sobral. UFC official Marc Ratner confirmed that the Nevada State Athletic Commission was very upset with what happened. Ratner also said that Sobral’s winnings might very well be much less than originally thought.

“The Nevada State Athletic Commission is withholding $25,000 from Babalu Sobral’s purse,” said Ratner.

UFC President White clearly did not appreciate what happened.

“What Babalu did was bad, very bad. He lost a lot of respect,” White said. “The commission wasn’t happy about it. I am not happy about it.”