Our latest MMA Twitter mailbag delves into a rumored UFC 107 battle between Frank Mir and Cheick Kongo, and then goes into my own personal MMA dream interview.Your questions and my answers for our MMA mailbag are below.
MMAUSA: What do you think about the rumors of Cheick Kongo vs. Frank Mir at UFC 107?
I love that fight, and I think it's great matchmaking. Kongo and Mir are two of the 10 best heavyweights in the UFC, both coming off fights in which they were beaten badly by bigger, stronger wrestlers, and both looking for the kind of bounce-back win that could steer them back toward title contention.
I also love that fight for the contrast of styles: Kongo loves to stand up and trade punches with his opponents. Mir loves to get guys down and submit them. The fight will be won by whoever is able to control the pace and set the tone.
Kongo vs. Mir hasn't been officially announced, and in fact UFC 107 hasn't even been officially announced. But it's apparently set for the December 12 at the FedEx Forum, with Rampage Jackson vs. Rashad Evans in the main event. Kongo vs. Mir is very worthy as the co-main, and I think that's going to be a great card.
beewsee: If you were granted an exclusive interview with any MMA star, who would it be and what would you ask?
I started to answer your question by listing the people you'd expect me to list: Fedor Emelianenko, Georges St Pierre, Anderson Silva, Lyoto Machida, Miguel Torres, and so on. I want interviews with the best fighters. But then something occurred to me: I've done one-on-one interviews with all those guys. And that's one of the great things about covering MMA: The fighters are almost always accessible and open, and they'll answer your questions.
So now I'm going to completely switch gears and tell you that if I could get an exclusive with any MMA fighter, it would have to be Lee Murray, who has had the most interesting life outside the Octagon of any UFC fighter I can think of -- and who would be the hardest interview to get.
Murray, for those who don't know, is a suspect in the largest cash heist in British history. He's currently in jail in Morocco, which is refusing to extradite him to the UK. I'd love to interview him about what went down that night, whether he ever expects to taste freedom, and what he would have done with the $15 million or so in cash that would have been his take of the loot. I also wouldn't mind asking him about his fight with Anderson Silva.
Want to be part of our next UFC Twitter mailbag? Post a question or comment on Twitter.com, and be sure to start it with @MichaelDavSmith.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
7-27-2009 @ 5:19PM
mike said...
The UFC's heavyweight division is incredibly strong right now. couture-Nogueira, Cro Cop-dos Santos, Carwin-Velasquez and Mir-Kongo are all huge fights I'm excited about, and none of them even featuers the champion. There are a ton of good guys for Lesnar to fight in the UFC.
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7-27-2009 @ 6:28PM
Chimpaman said...
Here is the problem with Lesnar: No one in the UFC could give him a fight right now--no one. We saw how easily he beat Mir and I was very impressed with Mir in his last two fights, especially against Nog. Carwin is the only other guy (other than Lesnar) with hands big enough to warrant a special glove made for him; however, I don't see Carwin moving fast enough to avoid Lesnar's strikes or take-downs. I really think that Fedor would be able to get into Brock's head and into his guard and pull an arm-bar or Kamora and hurt Brock--make him tap. I really did not like the way that Lesnar beat up on Mir and then pointed his finger at him; and then his middle fingers to us. I think he is an enormous talent and the only man right now with the mind and skills to beat him seems to be Fedor. Fedor would have his work cut out for him, but his fighting mind is quicker and sharper than Brock's and that is how he will be beat. Fedor will beat Lesnar before the match is brought on. Fedor beats him in the second round by arm-bar. They both are thinking of it if we are.
Just my humble opinion.
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7-27-2009 @ 11:56PM
johnnynumber5 said...
The thing about this sport is that every fight is it's own individual story between contrasting styles. Even if a guy has a strong wrestling pedigree it doesn't always mean they are going to use that in the fight.
Carwin vs Velasquez - I think Carwin wins this fight pretty easily and knocks him out in the first or second round. I think the Kongo fight showed that Velasquez has a suspect chin ... but, Carwin got rocked in his last fight as well against Gonzaga but not the same way Velasquez got rocked against Kongo. Then we saw the equalizer - Carwin's right hand. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=py2UxWHMcWg
Couture vs Nogueira - This is kind of a tough one for me to call. I think both of these guys are iconic legends but both are in the twilight of their careers. If I had to pick a guy at this point I would lean towards Couture just going off how bad he looked against Mir. Not much logic in this one just a hunch.
Cro-Cop vs Dos Santos - I'm not sure what to think of Junior Dos Santos. The guy has been knocking everyone out in a few minutes and convincingly. Cro-Cop hasn't looked good in a long time but you can't count a striker of his caliber out. One thing is for sure and it's that this one won't go to a decision. At this point I'll go with Dos Santos by knockout. I think this guy has a bright future in the UFC. The only thing I even know about Dos Santos is that he knocks people out ... quickly.
http://v.youku.com/v_show/id_XNDk0NTEyODA=.html
Mir vs Kongo - Contrasting styles for sure. I just think with Mir coming off that loss he won't have his head into this fight. I see Kongo beating him pretty good but in the end I think Mir pulls a submission out of nowhere ala Noguiera.
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