It's MMAzing Consensus Rankings for January 2013

**Note: For an explanation of how we came to these rankings, please listen to Episode 34 of It's MMAzing Radio  **

courtesy of  www.cameldog.net

Heavyweight


1. Cain Velasquez
2. Junior Dos Santos
3. Alistair Overeem
4. Daniel Cormier
5. Fabricio Werdum
6. Frank Mir
7. Roy Nelson
8. Josh Barnett
9. Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira
10. Antonio Silva

Light Heavyweight

courtesy of askmrtalbot.blogspot.com

1. Jon Jones
2. Dan Henderson
3. Rashad Evans
4. Lyoto Machida
5. Alexander Gustafsson
6. Mauricio Rua
7. Ryan Bader
8. Glover Teixeira
9. Phil Davis
10.Gegard Mousasi

It's MMAzing Radio - Episode 34

The gang starts off this super-sized episode with recaps of UFC on FOX: Johnson v. Dodson and last week's episodes of Bellator and TUF. They then have a spirited debate over their top 10 rankings. Finally, the gang breaks down the ridiculous UFC 156 main card and not so great UFC 156 preliminary card.


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UFC on FOX 6 Predictions

Undisputed UFC Flyweight Championship

Demetrious Johnson (c) v. John Dodson

Doctor Law: It’s pretty clear these guys fight at a lower weight class because there is no way a heavyweight or light heavyweight could get away with either of those nicknames (Demetrious Johnson = Mighty Mouse, John Dodson = The Magician). This fight can be summed up pretty simply for me: Can Dodson do what Benavidez couldn't and get a hold of Mighty Mouse long enough to actually do some damage? Dodson is very explosive and has shown good power. He even knocked out TJ Dillashaw to win TUF 16 at bantamweight. I’m not a big fan of how Mighty Mouse fights, but it’s awfully effective. He sticks and moves to victories in the same vain as Dominick Cruz and Frankie Edgar. I’m going to answer “no” that question above and say that Mighty Mouse pulls off the victory. Then again, what kind of nutty strategy has Greg Jackson come up with for this title fight? Mighty Mouse by clear decision.

DJ Mark with a "K": On paper I can see this fight being very tactical and thus maybe a little on the boring side. Johnson has been a decision machine and while his style of fighting has been very successful (dude’s champ after all) he hasn't really made a fan out of me yet. On the other hand Dodson has some pretty heavy hands and has been able to get some KOs/TKOs. I know it’s a super long shot but for some really strange reason I have a feeling this is going to be a fun match up and Dodson will catch Johnson late in the fight. This prediction defies logic so I’m fully prepared to be 100% wrong here. Dodson by TKO 1:24 into 4^th round.

Kid Presentable: Mighty Mouse is fast.  The Magician is fast.  Dodson oddly has KO power in such a diminutive weight class, but Mighty Mouse has only gone to decisions for the last two years.  Scrambles, clinches, chasing around the cage oh my! I don't have high expectations for this fight, but I also have a solid history of making a lot of incorrect calls in MMA.  I have been a heavy Mighty Mouse lean since this fight was announced, but after realizing what Dodson's nickname was, I decided to say bollocks to it and be bold.  Brutalitops, The MAGICIAN, by decision.

Lavender Gooms: This fight could go one of two ways.  It will either be an exciting fast paced fight between two elf-sized martial artists or it will be a boring fight where two small dudes just dance around each other and cause no damage.  That’s normally one of the problems with 125ers but I don’t think that will be the case here.  Dodson has some pop in those gloves, having two KO’s in his three UFC bouts and Mighty Mouse seems incapable of giving me a fight I’m bored with.  Both fighters have adequate to good ground games and stand up.  The tipping point in this fight will be the experience which Johnson has against top flight talent.  That will be the difference. Mighty Mouse by unanimous decision.

Picking Johnson- Gooms, Dr. Law
Picking Dodson- Kid P, DJ Mark

Hail to the Chief....And to the King

On this day that we swear in President Barack Obama for the second time we also celebrate the life of Martin Luther King Jr, a man who if not for his hard work and sacrifice, we very likely would be swearing in a different (and most  probably 100% white) guy.  While as a society we are not yet where we should be when it comes to racial relations and equality, ask any old black dude that lived in the 50s and 60s and they'll tell you we're much better off now than we were 50 years ago. But we still have much further to go.

So on this day we give thanks to Martin Luther King and so many others during the civil rights movement who sacrificed so much so that future generations could have a better chance for the American dream. Thanks to the King. And if you want to watch a funny Martin Luther King special today, watch the Boondocks MLK episode "Return of the King" on YouTube.  You won't be disappointed.

"I want young mean and young women who are not alive today to know and see that these new privileges and opportunities did not come without somebody suffering and sacrificing for them." Martin Luther King Jr.

It's MMAzing Radio - Episode 33

The gang breaks down UFC on FX: Bisping v. Belfort and try to figure out who deserves the next crack at the GOAT: Anderson Silva. They also take a look at Bellator's first foray on Spike TV and wonder if Ben Askren is going to ruin it all this week. Also...echo-free podcasting!

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It's MMAzing Radio - Episode 32

The gang talks about the results from the final Strikeforce card, including where the card's winners and losers go from here. Also, they share their favorite Strikeforce memories and preview Bellator's premiere on Spike TV and Saturday's Bisping v. Belfort card.


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Bold Predictions for 2013

Invicta FC notwithstanding, the first major card of year is the final Strikeforce card this weekend.  With that in mind, the year is still in it’s young phase and no major fights haven taken place; this is a great time to make some well thought out (and absolutely absurd) predictions for the next 12 months.

It's MMAzing Radio - Episode 31

The gang goes over UFC 155 and talks about the future matchups between JDS and Cain. Next, they review Dream 18, Glory 4 and and Invicta FC 4. Finally, the gang goes into a long discussion about the final Strikeforce event and reminisce about their favorite memories from the Bay Area-based promotion.

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It's MMAzing's Favorite Memories of 2012

Happy New Year from the It's MMAzing crew

The sun has set on yet another year and as the old is put to rest, a new year with new beginnings, new opportunities is upon us.  Although when you woke up on January 1, 2013 nothing really changed from December 31, 2012 (considering the fiscal cliff was avoided, whew!), a new year is a symbolic time to reflect on the last 12 months. To think about where you were a year ago, the happy moments along with the hardships that we all encounter at some point in our lives. But here's the thing, although you may encounter some cuts, scrapes and generally get your ass kicked in the game of life sometimes, there's always something you should remember.  Chicks dig scars and they serve as a great teacher for the future. But that's enough of Philosopher Gooms

Now that I've gotten that out of the way, we now look at back the how great a year this was in the world of MMA by giving you each ItsMMAzing staff member's top two MMA (and one non-MMA) moments of the year. Just like last year we took a look at moments we enjoyed personally from the year of events. Hope you enjoy them.