[thakkus]

This is a nice forum. I've been watching mma for years, since the Royce three-men-in-one-night days. I also own every UFC and Pride on DVD. Some other venues too, like K-1 and Rings. Anyway, I see TUF as the pathway for potential pros to get their feet wet. First, you have to be a fighter to make it onto TUF, but you don't have to be a proven fighter, which makes for some mind-blowing fights - or nonfights - (like when Rashaad fought Whitehead). Talk about pathetic. And yet it had all mma fans talking. We like to see what happens when two men agree to step into a ring and fistfight. We just do. It's exhilarating in a way that other sports aren't.

So I'll take the crappy fighters (Whitehead) along with the real deals (Sanchez) that come out of TUF. It's drama and fighting and competition. That's why we love it.

Sure, many of the guys on TUF will never compete with real fighers (can anyone say Nate "the crock" Quarry?). But sometimes we'll see guys who really are made for fighting, like Diego Sanchez. If the Diaz fight didnt' prove this, then nothing will.

Can UFC stack up to Pride? Not even close.

Every Pride heavyweight fighter could quite easily step into the Octagon and become champ. Sergei Karatonov just "fought" Pedro Rizzo in Japan. It was a joke. Rizzo had no game for Sergei.

Pride fighters aren't martial arts students. They are full on fighters, inside and out. Vanderlei Silva was raised by his Chute Box dojo family from the time he was 12 years old. This isn't weekend Tae Kwon Do.

Anyway, my point is that UFC is trying. Their matchups are changing. Nobody can say Franklin vs Loisseau isn't a best fighter matchup. And St. Pierre vs Penn is a top card too. Also, Hughes and Gracie is a smart move on Dana's part. Especially since Hughes can't possibly beat Gracie in 15 minutes. Look at Hughes' wins. Rear naked chokes (TriggX2), arm bar (St. Pierre, lucky), slam while being choked out (Newton), kimura (Riggs). This is stuff that won't phase Royce. When the fight is over and Royce stands up, whether he is ahead on points or not, he is the big winner.

2006 is the year of the best fighter matchups. I think UFC is heading down the Pride path. There is hope.

And besides, do we really want UFC to get so big that it becomes like other pro sports? A bunch of lazy rich guys playing pick up ball? Naah. Big is good, but not too big.