Sports has always had booing for as long as it has been around. It seems to go hand in hand with the competition. Does this make it right or any less abrasive? No it does not but as you will see, it can be viewed as the right of the fan or just a means to vent frustration.

MMA is a young sport so we will look at another sport and use it as an example. The NFL has been around much longer and booing seems to be common place at games around the country. The same goes for college football and it’s fans. Can you imagine going to an Ohio State versus Michigan game and not hearing one side or the other boo for the opposing team? This is a way for fans to show dislike for the other team. Passion in college football runs deep amongst the fans and that is not limited to the passion for their favorite team. No, that passion also is seen in the hatred they have for their biggest rivals come game day. I have been to a few college games and never once heard another a player or coach from my favorite school tell the fans to not boo our rivals. The opposite seems to hold true in college football. The coaches and players want a raucous crowd to be loud, crazy and boo the team as they come out of the tunnel.

This can’t be said of MMA fighters, coaches and managers. While attending UFC 77 in Cincinnati, Ohio I saw former UFC champion “Ace” Rich Franklin (26-5) try and turn the boos around into applause as his opponent, UFC champion and Fighters.com top-ranked middleweight “The Spider” Anderson Silva (25-4) entered the cage. Remember that this is in Rich’s hometown and yet here he stands making sure the crowd cheers for Silva and not boo him. This is due to the mutual respect we see in combat sports. Sure, there is pre-fight trash talking and the occasional true bad blood but for the most part all fighters have respect for anyone that trains and is willing to put it all on the line by stepping inside the cage. They show this respect by touching gloves before the fight starts and by usually saying something good about their opponent in the post-fight interview. So as fans of a sport or a particular fighter, is it ok to boo their opponent?

Some say no, it is not ok and that we should respect all fighters. I am one of those people. I have never booed a fighter nor will I. I do understand how someone could do it and feel that is ok though. If you are a fan of fighter A and his biggest rival is fighter B, does it not seem right to boo fighter B anytime you get the chance? Sure it does but does it make it right?

As we have seen in football, it is not just fans booing for the opposing team. There are times when fans will boo their own team in order to show frustration for the play calling, for coaches decisions and for awful plays by players or the team in general. This is a way to vent these frustrations and make your voice heard in a sport that is generally not as interactive as MMA tends to be today. Very seldom due fans get easy access to players and coaches like we have come accustomed to getting with fighters, trainers and others involved in the sport of mixed martial arts.

There are many who believe that it is ok to boo a fight that for one reason or another they feel is boring. As I have said, I despise the booing of fights as I feel both men deserve respect just for stepping in there and willing to go to battle. I understand some fights can be boring at times. When you end up with a guy who does the lay and pray and the guy on the bottom can’t seem to get up, it is not exciting. However I have heard people boo as soon as the fight hits the mat and also when one guy is passing from half guard to side mount. This could be attributed to drunken fans or maybe just those that don’t understand the jiu jitsu side of the sport. Either way it is uncalled for in my opinion but I see their side of it as well.

They are paying to get into an event and many times they pay big money to be there. It can be said that they have the right to show their dissatisfaction when a fight becomes boring or when a guy refuses to engage and instead runs around the cage in what can only be described as a reaction to fear. This reaction to the fight by the fans lets the promoter and the match maker know that they are unhappy with what is taking place. It is a means to an end I suppose but I much prefer the Japanese fans. Never do you hear them boo. While they are quiet most of the time and I find that odd, they have a more focused knowledge of the sport and will cheer for something as simple as a pass from full guard to half guard.

As you can see, there is an argument to be made for both sides of this equation. So now I throw the question to you, the MMA fan. Do you think it is ok to boo fighters and/or a fight and why?

No, UFC 1 created the most prominent forum ever for martial arts styles to mix, but the philosophical underpinnings of MMA began in the San Francisco Bay area in 1965 by an ingenious martial arts pioneer: Bruce Lee, known in his native China as Jun Fan.

Lee’s daughter, Shannon, spoke exclusively about her father’s contribution to mixed martial arts and her efforts to assert his legacy within the sport.

Mrs. Lee recounted the story that lead Bruce to the epiphany on which modern MMA is founded.  The story is now legendary, but rarely told in context of the history of mixed martial arts.

Lee was already challenging traditional notions by 1965.  He was a practitioner of Wing Chung kung fu under Master Yip Man in Hong Kong and had been teaching the art since 1959 after expatriating to the United States.  Lee was calling his style Jun Fan Gung Fu, but it was essentially his approach to Wing Chun.  After opening his school in Oakland, his teaching of non-Chinese began to cause controversy among other Chinese martial artists in the San Francisco Bay area.  Lee defended his spreading of Wing Chun and a duel was arranged between Lee and a fighter fielded to defend the art’s tradition of Chinese exclusivity.

The fight was to be no holds barred.  If Lee won, he could continue to teach Jun Fan Gung Fu to anyone he desired.  If he lost, he’d close his school and quit teaching to non-Chinese.

The duel wasn’t televised on pay per view and no documentation exists but a few first-hand accounts, including Lee’s own, his wife Linda’s, and his opponent Wong Jack Man’s (which, notably, differs dramatically from Bruce and Linda’s).

Shannon Lee told Fighters.com the version told by her parents.  The fight lasted three minutes and, after absorbing strikes from Lee during the first minute, Man began to literally run from Lee.  But, Lee desired a conclusive victory and chased Man, beating him into verbal submission.

But, Lee felt the fight should’ve ended quicker. He was disappointed with his physical conditioning and the limitations of his traditional Wing Chun martial art.  This was a key turning point in the history of mixed martial arts, a philosophical evolution from traditional to modern, the way fighters think and train today.

After the fight, Lee had an image created of a burial mound with a tombstone to symbolize his death as a traditional martial artist and his rebirth as the first modern mixed martial artist, though of course the term “mixed martial artist” would’ve been unknown to Lee.

Lee went on to inspire generations of Westerners to train martial arts through his cinematic work and even developed an entirely original fighting style based on his epiphany he called Jeet Kune Do.  It was his writing and research in cross-training traditional styles with a focus on practicality and emphasis on physical conditioning leading him to create Jeet Kune Do that is truely the foundation of MMA as we know it today.

Shannon Lee doesn’t consider Jeet Kune Do a linear precursor to MMA, but a style all it’s own.  However, she does encourage Fighters.com’s tenth-ranked welterweight “Killa B” Ben Saunders (8-1-2) to talk about his foundation in Jeet Kune Do and it’s influence on him as a professional mixed martial artist.  Through her LeeWay Media Group she produced “How Bruce Lee Changed the World” for the History Channel last year, which included commentary by Saunders, Fighters.com and UFC middleweight champion “Spider” Anderson Silva (25-4), tenth-ranked heavyweight “Natural” Randy Couture (18-10), and UFC President Dana White.  The documentary is available to rent on NetFlix.

Mrs. Lee also told Fighters.com that she plans to make her father’s place in MMA history more apparent over the next year through her production company, licensing company, and the non-profit Bruce Lee Foundation.

Shannon said she’s had talks with the major MMA apparel companies over the years to license Bruce Lee’s image and market it to MMA fans, but that nothing substantial or, she thought, worthy of her father’s legacy had come about until recently. In the next year she told Fighters.com that MMA fans will have to opportunity to honor Bruce Lee’s connection to the sport with apparel that’ll be designed and marketed for them.

And, this is at an opportune time for the sport and Bruce Lee’s legacy.  Mrs. Lee told Fighters.com that the People’s Republic of China has been promoting Bruce Lee as a model Chinese, including commissioning a 50-part documentary on Lee for CCTV produced by Mrs. Lee’s production company.  There are also talks of converting Bruce Lee’s childhood home in Hong Kong – now a by-the-hour hotel, Shannon laughed – into a Bruce Lee Museum.  This is all while in-roads are being made for MMA in China.  The Beijing-based Art of War FC has been staging MMA events in China since 2005.  And, the UFC recently signed an agreement with Sohu.com to stream UFC events live to its 2 billion Chinese users.  Associating PRC-condoned Bruce Lee with MMA in China can only grow both the sport and the legacy of Bruce Lee.

And, as far as Fighters.com is concerned, it’s about time Bruce Lee be given his proper place in the history of modern mixed martial arts.  He was thirty years ahead of his time in the way he thought about reality fighting, but also his passion, charm, and grace is a model for the sport.

Vitor injured his shoulder training for the fight and when the news hit the social media sites were on fire trying to pick the next opponent for Silva. Twitter lit up with many thinking the only viable solution was for Silva to move to the light heavyweight division. The problem with that was that many of the top guys in the division were booked with other fights or injured.

That led us back to the middleweight division. The current number one contender is now Chael Sonnen (24-10-1) after his dominant win over fourth-ranked “The Great” Nate Marquardt (29-9-2). Sonnen however is currently under a medical suspension after his fight at UFC 109. So what was the UFC to do in order to keep Silva on the card?

They stunned the MMA world by announcing today that sixth-ranked Demian Maia (11-1), who was also on the UFC 109 pay-per-view, will now get his shot at the title. Maia is a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt that may just have the best set-ups and submissions in all of mixed martial arts. He was on track to get a title shot until his plan was derailed by Nate Marquardt at UFC 102 by brutal first round knock out.

He rebounded at UFC 109 by beating hardcore fan favorite Dan Miller (11-3) by unanimous decision using a new found stand up game. That striking game will not work so well against Silva who has pin point accuracy with his Muay Thai based striking.

Demian Maia now has the chance of a lifetime and it is up to him to make the best of it against a man some are calling unbeatable.

Maybe the term hiding is a bit harsh and slightly inaccurate but we will get into that later.

Sonnen was last seen inside the Octagon at UFC 109 where he shocked many in the mixed martial arts (MMA) world by putting on a very dominate performance in route to a win over fourth-ranked “The Great” Nate Marquardt (29-9-2). Nate was in line to get a shot at current Fighters.com and UFC middleweight champion “Spider” Anderson Silva (25-4) if he were to defeat eighth-ranked “Phenom” Vitor Belfort (18-8). Although according to reports from Tatame today, Vitor has injured his shoulder and looks to be out of the fight with Silva at UFC 112. As I write this Dana has just confirmed this fact.

Chael Sonnen derailed Nate’s title run and has now positioned himself as the top contender for the title. He is also a contender for the State Representative in House District 37.

Today’s major media still looks at mixed martial artists as thugs and neanderthals, bar brawlers if you will. This is always fought with mentioning fighters such as “Ace” Rich Franklin (26-5) who at one time was the UFC middleweight champion and has a masters degree and was a high school math teacher before becoming a full time fighter. Imagine the 180 the press would have to do, and men like Bob Arum, if Chael does what his training partner and friend came up just short of doing.

“The Law” Matt Lindland (21-7)recently ran in the last cycle and finished in second. Now we see another Team Quest fighter making a stand for Oregon.My problem is his lack of information on his site about his real carreer.

Sonnen is not offering up the information on his website devoted to his political career. While searching through www.votesonnen.com I found no mention of him as a fighter until the recently added video from “Fox and Friends” and this concerns me. Chael needs to find a way to incorporate his career in the UFC into his political aspirations. I know some will say he needs to separate them a bit so that he does not turn away potential voters who may feel MMA is barbaric but I think this is a way to show them that he is not a Gladiator in the Coliseum but a professional athlete who trains hard and is on the same level as any NBA or NFL star.

Chael Sonnen gaining a shot at the title only helps his political aspirations in my opinion and he could go a long way in helping to legitimize our sport in the eyes of the uninitiated.

“I thank Anderson for all the time we spent working together. He’s a champion, a born striker, but we won’t continue working together in this partnership due to lack of tune in some moments. I decided to let the way open or him to work his Muay Thai with anyone he decides,” Woirin told Tatame.

Woirin had worked with Silva in his last four victories, through his utter destruction of former UFC light heavyweight champ and sixth-ranked Forrest Griffin (17-6).

Randy Couture is a fighter that I admire and have a hard time picking against but he is not near the top of the division. How can a fight against Coleman, a man not in the top ten of the light heavyweight division, suddenly put Randy in the top five? If Mark had beaten a top tier fighter in his last fight then I might be able to see an argument for it but his win was over Stephan Bonnar (11-6) whose last win inside the Octagon was in October of 2007.

The light heavyweight division is not a weak division. If it was not so stacked with guys ready to make title runs then putting Randy in their makes sense.

Currently you have guys like “Little Nog” Antonio Rogerio Nogueira (17-3) and “Bones” Jon Jones (9-1) making a splash in the division and the top spots held by Fighters.com and UFC light heavyweight champion “Dragon” Lyoto Machida (16-0) and “Shogun” Mauricio Rua (18-4). Rounding out the top five is “Sugar” Rashad Evans (14-1-1) in my opinion. This leaves Randy on the outside of the top 5 at the very least. That does not include the fact that Fighters.com and UFC middleweight champion “Spider” Anderson Silva (25-4) has fought a few fights in that division and has to be considered a contender.

I can easily put Randy in the top ten of the division but that would be it for now. He has slowed a bit with age and doesn’t get his punches off as fast nor are his take downs as explosive. The only way to see exactly where he fits in the rankings is to put him in a fight with someone like “Bones” Jones, “Little Nog” or even Anderson Silva.

Silva has a fight coming up against “The Phenom” Vitor Belfort (18-8) and with Randy fighting as often as he has been this fight would be to far out for it to be the next fight for Randy. It is a fight that would bring in massive pay-per-view numbers though. The man many feel is the pound-for-pound best in the world versus Captain America is an easy sell.

Who should Randy fight next in order to keep moving toward a title shot in the future? Would Jones be to much for him? Maybe a fight with Thiago Silva (15-2) who is coming off a loss to Evans at UFC 108 would be smart.

No matter who Dana White and Joe Silva find for Randy to fight, I am sure many will say it is a fight Randy can’t win but history shows it is never smart to count out Randy Couture.

Today’s UFC 109 presser gave us this news and according to Dana, he has always considered a co-main event a number one contender’s bout. “We always had it in mind,” White said. “These are two of the top five [middleweights] in the world depending on what you look at.”  I don’t think anyone can argue that Nate is deserving of a shot.

White told those at the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino’s Mizuya Lounge in Las Vegas his thoughts on Nate. “Nate’s been deserving it for a while,” This is an assessment I can agree with as Nate is 4-1 since he lost to Fighters.com and UFC middleweight champion “The Spider” Anderson Silva (25-4). His lone loss since that time was a split decision loss to Thales Leites (15-3) that many feel should have gone to Nate.

What I don’t understand is the Sonnen getting a shot with a win. I know many will say that if he can beat Nate then he deserves a shot at Silva but let’s look at what he has done since his second arrival in the UFC shall we?

After coming over from the WEC he was matched against submission wizard Demian Maia (10-1) at UFC 95: Sanchez versus Stevens. Chael found himself on the losing end of a triangle choke in the first round. His next two fights, while both wins, were hardly performances befitting of a title shot. He ground out decision victories over hardcore fan favorite Dan Miller (11-2) as well as Yushin Okami (23-5).

Okami was on a three fight win streak until the Sonnen fight but those three wins were not against what I would call quality opponents. Dan Miller was on a four fight win streak until being derailed by Chael. Looking at the fact that he killed the win streaks of two fighters might lead one to believe he is worthy of a shot. The only thing that would make him worthy would be a very convincing win over Nate.

If he were to grind out a decision win over Nate is that spectacular enough to put him in the Octagon with Silva? Does it matter how you win as long as you win? The latter is a tough question as many believe you need to finish fights or at the very least dominate them in order to gain a title shot. I have long been of the opinion that a win is a win and racking up a string of victories should be enough to get you a fight for the title. Chael Sonnen in a title fight with Anderson Silva just does not scream pay-per-view main event to me.

Before I go any further I should say that I feel the likely-hood of Sonnen winning this fight is slim to none. Having said that, I find it hard to believe anyone other than Sonnen actually believes he could beat Anderson Silva. This would be a fight that did nothing but add another highlight reel knock out to the already long list the UFC has thanks to the champion.

What was once a stacked division has become a division of one with all others not being on quite the same level. I do believe that we will see Silva lose in a years time but I can tell you it will not be at the hands of Chael Sonnen.

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The first fight ended in a controversial decision for Machida.  The rematch should crown a definitive champion at 205 pounds.

If Rua wins, we could even see a mouthwatering matchup versus top contender “Spider” Anderson Silva (25-4), who also reigns as Fighters.com and UFC Middleweight Champion.  Silva has indicated his unwillingness to fight training partner Machida, but Silva and Rua have a war of words between them and a title fight would be a grudge match as well.

Fourth-ranked “Sugar” Rashad Evans (14-1-1) won a workmanlike unanimous decision over fifth-ranked Thiago Silva (15-2) at UFC 108 in Las Vegas January 2 with a return to his wrestling base.  Next for Evans is seventh-ranked “Rampage” Quinton Jackson (28-7) at UFC 114 in Las Vegas May 29.

Silva should get a second crack at a top ten opponent in his next fight.

Sixth-ranked Forrest Griffin (17-6) and eighth-ranked “Minotoro” Antonio Rogerio Nogueira (17-3) are likely to matchup at UFC 113, though the fight isn’t yet official.

Ninth-ranked Strikeforce champ “Dreamcatcher” Gegard Mousasi (24-2-1) expects he’ll fight rising star “King Mo” Muhammed Lawal (4-0) at Strikeforce in April on CBS.

Tenth-ranked “Axe Murderer” Wanderlei Silva (33-10-1) has been preparing to return after facial surgery, but into the middleweight division.

Fighters.com’s January Light Heavyweight Top Ten

1. “Dragon” Lyoto Machida (16-0)

2. “Spider” Anderson Silva (25-4)

3. “Shogun” Mauricio Rua (18-4)

4. “Sugar” Rashad Evans (14-1-1)

5. Thiago Silva (15-2)

6. Forrest Griffin (17-6)

7. “Rampage” Quinton Jackson (28-7)

8. “Minotoro” Antonio Rogerio Nogueira (17-3)

9. “Dreamcatcher” Gegard Mousasi (24-2-1)

10. “Axe Murderer” Wanderlei Silva (33-10-1)

Fighters.com seventh-ranked welterweight Matt Hughes (43-7) and PRIDE veteran Renzo Gracie (13-6-1) will also matchup on the undercard.

Zuffa, LLC, parent company of the UFC and WEC, has sold a 10% stake to Abu Dhabi government-owned Flash Entertainment, Zuffa earlier this month.

The event will be the UFC’s first outdoors.

Also announced, the UFC will collaborate with Sohu.com to stream UFC pay-per-views live to China beginning at UFC 109 in Las Vegas February 6.

Anderson Silva has been virtually untouchable since his arrival in the UFC stringing together ten straight wins and capturing the UFC middleweight title. There are those that believe he is unbeatable but as we all know he has 4 losses on his record and this is mixed martial arts (MMA). MMA is a sport where fighter A can be dominating fighter B but fighter B lands just one clean shot or locks on to a limb for a win no one saw coming. This is the reason you have to fight to the very end and never let up. One slip is all it takes to end your night.

GSP has had a fantastic run in the UFC as well although he has seen some bumps in the road along the way. GSP saw first hand what happens when you slip as he lost his title to “”The Terror” Matt Serra (9-6) at UFC 69. He was rocked by a punch and never quite recovered, relinquishing his title to the massive underdog Serra. However if this fight between Silva and GSP actually takes place I believe it will be what GSP has learned from his losses inside the Octagon that will make all the difference.

One of St. Pierre’s strongest assets is his wrestling and ground control. He made the mistake of trying to stand with Serra in that fight even though Matt is not known as a striker. He is a black belt in Gracie jiu jitsu but we have seen little in the way of submissions attempted from him in the Octagon. I felt GSP would have been better off taking the fight to the ground, getting to half-guard or side control and pounding him senseless. He learned from that and sicne then we have seen him use his striking to set up the take downs. Always mixing it up to keep his opponent guessing.

Silva is a very dynamic striker that throws punches and kicks from every angle imaginable which makes it difficult for his opponent to find his rhythm and get comfortable. Silva is also a black belt in jiu jitsu and many fear going to the ground with him due to his long legs and the stamina sapping body triangle he uses so well off his back. We saw him use this against Travis Lutter (10-5) at UFC 67 when Lutter got the fight on the ground, the one place many thought it needed to go in order for Lutter to win the fight. I would like to note that Lutter missed weight in that fight and was obviously gassed which makes me wonder how well he would have done had he been in better shape. Watching Lutter work on the ground and see some success even though he was gassed led many to believe that was the way to beat Silva. The other guy that has been able to have success was “Hollywood” Dan Henderson (25-7) in their fight at UFC 82, a fight which I attended. Dan had a good first round where he took Silva down and dominated the position game. Granted he did not do much damage but Silva was unable to control him like he did Lutter off his back.This is the key to victory against Silva.

GSP is much more explosive than Hendo and due to that fact I see him being able to take Silva to mat at will. Once on the mat he will look to punish Silva with punches and elbows while trying to steer clear of the body triangle. If he can get the fight to the ground I think he is strong enough and skilled enough to avoid being swept by Silva and can grind out a victory. That is if he can avoid the striking of Silva.

GSP is not the best striker and is prone to taking some damage on his feet. His game against Silva will have to consist of great footwork and improved head movement. He will only need to strike enough to shoot for the take down but those few exchanges are the dangerous ones when fighting a striker like Anderson Silva.

In the end St. Pierre’s explosive wrestling would be enough to take Silva out of his game and GSP will show everyone Silva’s weak spot, ultimately leading to the demise of Anderson Silva in the pound for pound best rankings and in the UFC.