Yahoo’s Half year awards + The REAL ones – Part IV

Earlier this week, I came across the Yahoo Half year awards, and decided, once again, Coefield had no clue, If you like, you can read the original.

http://tinyurl.com/2bksx5w

Previously, I debated the Fighter of the year, and spent WAY too much time looking at pictures of Clint Howard.

Part One: Fighter of the Half year
Part Two: Breakout Figher of the Half year.
Part Three: Disappointing fighter of the Half year

So now, I present the:

Fighters who put their career on life support

Now I have no idea what is meant by “life support” but I’m guessing it means either a) Needing to retire or b) no longer a credible fighter in a major organization.

1.  Kimbo Slice

Ok, who out there thinks any less of Kimbo now then ever? After TUF and Houston, did we really expect a long career in the UFC for him? I mean really- did the Mitrione fight really open your eyes?

2. Andrei Arlovski

Ok, lets think back to the post Brett Rogers fight. Weak chin? Check, Slowing down? Check, Don’t want to use the ground? Check, Anti-Clinch? Check, Slow to get off the cage? check. If anything, The Antonio Silva fight IMPROVED Andrei- he actually took some shots and didn’t crumble.

3. Mark Coleman

We knew Coleman was old and slow, we knew he was done as a major fighter after the second Rua fight, and the Bonner fight said more about Bonner than anything else. The only fight this year was the Couture fight, and he was clinched to death. Coleman was done as a UFC fighter after the Rua/Bonner fights in 2009, not the Randy fight in 2010.

4. Paul Buentello

No argument here, but are you thinking Paul is coming in for a title run?

5. Frank Trigg

Again, did we really learn anything here? Trigg is, to me, one of the most overrated guys in MMA, but his mouth will get him fights over others. Nothing has changed here.

So who are the REALLY critical fighters?

1. Joe Stevenson

A loss to Penn is understandable, then to Florian and Sanchez, Then two wins to Fisher and the Lil Prick seemed like he was back on the way up, then got blasted by George Sotiropoulos and down he went again. Joe is 8-5 in the UFC, and his best win might actually be Spencer Fisher? Joe Daddy is a popular fighter, but had to pull out of the Gomi fight, and who knows what might happen if he’s slow to come back? Has the game passed him by?

2. Mike Swick

End of 2009, he lost a #1 contenders shot to Dan Hardy and looked bad. Then at UFC 109- He went down hard to Paulo Thiago, looking even worse. Swick is on a 2 fight losing streak and has lost his place in a growing Welterweight division. If Swick drops another bout- he could be gone.

3. Matt Hughes

On a 2-fight winning streak? He’s in trouble? Yes. Lets look for his last dominant performance. Renzo Gracie? That was a joke and its took him 3 rounds to stop him, then boring decisions over Lytle and Serra, around 3 losses. How have to go all the way back to UFC 63 to a good fight over a quality opponent, and he’s 3-3 since then. If Hughes looks bad vs Almeida, Dana could be looking to edge him to a full-time coach.







4. Diego Sanchez

Diego was supposed to be a monster, moved down to 155 and rolled though until slamming into the brick wall of BJ Penn, next he looked as if the game passed him by with John Hathaway.

5. Robbie Lawler

Hard to see someone cut from Strikeforce, but Lawler, to me has been VASTLY overrated- but he has gone 2-2-1 his last 5, and Sobral made him look FAR away from title contender status. I’d like to see him face Luke Rockhold just to get Luke a name win and off ShoMMA.