After Hardy’s victory in Manchester, St. Pierre entered the Octagon to graciously acknowledge his next challenger, but also seemed bored by the prospect of fighting Hardy. St. Pierre’s last loss was at a similar peak of dominance with the prospect of defending his title versus an underwhelming challenger, “Terror” Matt Serra (9-6).  At UFC 69 in Houston in April 2007, St. Pierre was TKO’d in the first round versus Serra.

Like Serra at the time he beat St. Pierre, Hardy had a confident calm standing in the Octagon having earned a challenge versus St. Pierre.  Hardy simply said, “I’m excited,” but looked more interested in celebrating his victory over Swick with his team.

The situations aren’t analagous on many levels, most significantly in St. Pierre’s commitment to MMA.  But, would you blame St. Pierre for becoming complacent with the welterweight division?  He’s already dominated second-ranked “Pitbull” Thiago Alves (16-4), third-ranked Jon Fitch (19-3), sixth-ranked Josh Koscheck (14-4), and seventh-ranked Matt Hughes (41-7).  Fourth-ranked Paulo Thiago (8-1) couldn’t step-up versus Fitch to earn the shot, but frankly it wouldn’t have been a much more compelling matchup than St. Pierre versus Hardy.

St. Pierre’s next best challenge at 170-pounds is fifth-ranked Jake Shields (24-4-1), but Shields is contracted to Strikeforce.  Ironically, if St. Pierre dominates Hardy, perhaps it’s time for St. Pierre to follow Shields into the middleweight division for new challenges.  UFC President Dana White has said he’d let St. Pierre fight at 185-pounds when St. Pierre clears out the division.  With a win versus Hardy, can we consider the division cleared?

Fighters.com’s November Welterweight Rankings

1. “Rush” Georges St. Pierre (19-2)

2. “Pitbull” Thiago Alves (16-4)

3. Jon Fitch (19-3)

4. Paulo Thiago (8-1)

5. Jake Shields (24-4-1)

6. Josh Koscheck (14-4)

7. Matt Hughes (41-7)

8. “Zenko” Yoshiyuki Yoshida (11-4)

9. “Outlaw” Dan Hardy (23-6)

10. “Quick” Mike Swick (14-3)

Randy won a unanimous decision with scores of 29-28, 30-27, and 30-27.  This decision, along with the fight between Fighters.com and UFC Light Heavyweight Champion “Dragon” Lyoto Machida (16-0) and third-ranked “Shogun” Mauricio Rua (18-4) made me wonder just what the judges are looking for and scoring during a fight.

The criteria for judging a mixed martial arts fight, according to the Nevada State Athletic Commission is as follows: Clean Strikes, effective grappling, Octagon control, and effective aggressiveness.

What jumped out at me at first was the term “effective” Randy Couture did not have effective grappling in the fight. He used a clinch to push Vera against the cage (an argument can be made that he had Octagon control, but more on that later) but was never able to get him to the mat, whereas, in the third round, Vera managed to effectively take down Randy and pass to full mount.

How about effective aggressiveness you may ask?  This, per the NSAC, is defined as: “Who is moving forward and finding success. (scoring)  Throwing a strike moving backwards is not as effective as a strike thrown moving forward. Throwing strikes and not landing is not effective aggressiveness. Moving forward and getting struck is not effective aggressiveness. Shooting takedowns and getting countered and fended-off is not effective aggressiveness.”

So, using the proper criteria, did Randy do enough to win two, let alone all three rounds? He did move forward and clinch against the cage, but never scored much from that position. He attempted take downs, but got countered, thus giving Vera the edge in effective aggressiveness according to the strict NSAC guidelines.

The next criteria is Octagon control which is: “The fighter who is dictating the pace, place, and position of the fight. A striker who fends off a grappler’s takedown attempt to remain standing and effectively strike is Octagon control. A grappler who can take down an effective standing striker to ground fight is Octagon control. The fighter on the ground who creates submission, mount, or clean striking opportunities.”

Many believe Randy to have won this category. He did dictate where the fight took place by using the clinch against the cage. However, Brandon fended off his take down attempts, he took Randy down and went to mount. So, of the four parts that make up Octagon control, Randy owned one while Brandon was better at three of them. Thus giving Vera the edge in octagon control as well. Brandon Vera has now won three of the four criteria used in judging a fight per the NSAC.

However, we heard Cecil Peoples say he scores on who’s trying to finish a fight, not on number of strikes landed. I may have missed the part in the NSAC regulations that I have in front of me that states anything about trying to finish a fight. This is what leads me to believe scoring is arbitrary. There is a clear definition of what to look for and the order of importance with effective aggressiveness factored in last. It is the criteria of least importance. Since the definition calls for moving forward and scoring, it is imperative for the judges to look at the scoring first. Trying to finish a fight is effective aggressiveness as I have come to understand it. Landing leg kicks that essentially take away your opponents ability to strike and score effectively, as Mauricio Rua did to Lyoto Machida at UFC 104, is the essence of clean strikes. The leg kicks were both effective and efficient as per the NSAC guidelines.

After listening to Mr. Peoples and watching the two fights I have discussed, it is clear to me the judges are using their own criteria for scoring fights and not strictly following the guidelines laid out very clearly to them. In combat sports we have always had and will continue to have close decisions that people will argue about. As fans, journalists, and fighters, we need to speak loud and clear to the athletic commisions. Judges need to be held to a higher standard and someone needs to ensure they are scoring based on the correct guidelines and not based on the fact that it is Randy Couture in the cage or the fact that it is a title fight. Cecil Peoples proves by his comments that he is not scoring based on the proper criteria.

As the host of MMA Gospel Radio I did a segment called “Save MMA” where I discussed a few things we need to see in mixed martial arts to ensure a bright future for a sport instead of the dim situation we currently see in boxing. One of those ideas is to make the judges get a national certification rather than state-to-state certification. Included in this idea was that, in order to keep said certification, all judges must attend an evaluation course three times a year. The evaluation will consist of watching a fight and all judges will score the fight. The the scores will need to be defended in front of their colleagues using the guidelines they are to be following. This would help to eliminate a judge using his or her own criteria. If a judge is found to be scoring incorrect, that judge would be put on a probation period. If they continue to fights outside of the confines of the rules and regulations then their certification is revoked until they can demonstrate appropriate knowledge of the scoring system.

In the end, we can eliminate the arbitrary scoring we are currently seeing in mixed martial arts today. Then and only then can MMA step-up to take it’s place as the best sport in the world.

Reverend Turk Vangel, Gary Friedman, and Drew Hall will welcome Zack Mickelwright (9-1) to Saturday’s MMA Gospel Radio broadcast.  Listen live and join us in the chat room at www.blogtalkradio.com/mmagospel Saturday between 6:00 and 8:00 PM.

Fighters.com scored the fight 29-28 in favor of Vera.  After the decision was announced, Couture said, “You just dont know what the judges are looking at and what determines the fight.”

A dejected Vera left the cage upon hearing that he had lost and sat, head-shaking, on the steps to the cage.

Couture said, “Brandon is a great fighter and he had to dust off his wrestling skills for this one, and he did a great job.”

After Vera opened the bout exploding with a high kick and 1-2 combo, Couture took control of round one in the clinch, pressing Vera to the cage and working for takedowns.  Couture scored a trip takedown; but, Vera stood immediatley, back into Couture clinch.  The referee broke the clinch twice, but Couture controlled the round.

After the fight, Couture said, “I controlled a lot of the tempo of the fight.”

In round two, Vera dropped Cotoure with a left body kick followed by an overhand right.

“He kicked me hard,” said Couture.  “He stung me a good one.”

But, Vera pounced on Couture and only landed an elbow before the referee stood the fighters. 

“He got me again in the third round,” Couture admitted after Vera again landed a hard body kick in the final round.

But, Couture controlled much of the action again, without doing much damage.  Vera, though, turned the tables on Couture and scored a takedown in the final round.

After the win, a fresh-looking Hardy said, “Yeah, that was a tough fight. I did what I could, England.  I did what I could.  Sorry I didnt get the finish, but we got there in the end.”

With the win, Hardy earned a title shot versus Fighters.com and UFC Welterweight Champion “Rush” Georges St. Pierre (19-2).  After watching Hardy win, St. Pierre said, “He already proved that he deserve a challenge to my title.  I look forward to the fight.”

Hardy responded simply, “I’m excited.”

Hardy overwhelmed a game Swick with a striking attack on his feet and, in the third round, on the mat.  But, Swick was able to counter Hardy’s hooks with pot shots.  When Hardy landed, he landed Hardy and wobbled Swick in all three rounds and cut open Swick’s head with an elbow on the mat in round three.

“I’m absolutley over the moon,” an ecstatic Bisping told his hometown crowd.  “This is my life.  It really hurts me that people don’t give me the respect I deserve.”

At the beginning of round two, Bisping scored a single-leg takedown to put Kang on his back.  Bisping cut up Kang’s face and staggered Kang with a relentless ground’n'pound.  The exchange set-up the final moments of the round when Bisping slammed Kang and reignited his g’n'p attack.  Kang rolled into turtle position; and, Bisping added knees to his offense until referee Dan Miragliotta stepped in to grant Kang a reprieve.

Kang had wasted a first round in which he floored Bisping with a compact overhand right as Bisping lunged forward to attack.  Kang dove into Bisping’s guard and passed to side control, but Bisping regained half guard.  The pair shuffled through guards for the entire first round and Kang only landed a right hand and an elbow, nearly getting caught in an armbar.

After his win, Bisping admitted, “I’ve got a long way to go.  Bear with me guys.  I’ve got a long way to go.”

The final exchange looked like it might spell doom for Brown.  Wilks reversed a Brown standing Kimura and pulled guard, yanking Browns left arm behind his head.

“I was lucky to get out of [the Kimura],” admitted Brown after the fight.  “I don’t know how I got out.”

But, after several attempts, Brown successfully rolled free and, as the fighters stood, wrapped a guillotine choke around Wilks’s neck.  Wilks collapsed; and, Brown passed to full mount and released the choke.  Brown stung Wilks’s skull with fists and elbows before referee Leon Roberts stepped in to end the fight.

“I was neverous, a little jet lagged coming out over here,” an exhausted Brown said after winning.  “But, that’s what  champions are made of.  working my way up.”

Wilks might have won the first round with an aggressive clinch tactic that forced Brown to fight off the cage most of the round; but, Wilks wore himself out and entered round two gassed.  Wilks was saved by the bell at the end of round two when Brown wrapped a tight triangle choke around Wilks’s neck as Wilks plunged into Brown’s guard at the end of the round.

“Aaron was a tough, tough opponent for my first bouth,” said Pearson after the win.  “Everything came off perfect.”

An aggressive Pearson split Riley’s forehead just above the nose with a leaping knee as he controlled Riley in a Thai clinch.  Referee Marc Goddard stepped in as the clinch broke and waved in the cageside doctor who recommended the fight be stopped.

Pearson had overwhelmed Riley throughout the two rounds, often using the same Thai clinch that ultimately ended Riley’s night.

In round one, Pearons lined up and landed a short, straight right hand four times and put together a sweeping elbow-high-kick-elbow-high-kick combo that kept Riley backpedaling. Pearson also effectively utilized knees from the Thai clinch.

After the victory in round two, Pearson said, “I take this a lot series now.  I love training.  I love fighting. I’m just going to do this 100%.”

UFC 105 takes place at M.E.N. Arena in Manchester November 14 and features a light heavyweight main event between “The Natural” Randy Couture (16-10) and “Truth” Brandon Vera (11-3).

Fighters.com’s  ninth-ranked welterweight “Quick” Mike Swick (14-2) and tenth-ranked “Outlaw” Dan Hardy (22-6) will also matchup to determine the top UFC contender to Fighters.com and UFC Welterweight Champion “Rush” Georges St. Pierre (19-2).

Listen live and join the chat room at www.blogtalkradio.com/mmagospel.

For St. Pierre, it’ll be his first fight since injury his groin in a UD over second-ranked “Pitbull” Thiago Alves (16-4) at UFC 100 in Las Vegas July 11.

Though it’s not official, Alves is expected to fight fellow Brazilian fifth-ranked Paulo Thiago (7-1) at UFC 107 in Memphis December 12.

Third-ranked Jon Fitch (19-3) is expected to fight unranked “Cacharrao” Ricardo Almeida (11-3) at UFC 106 at Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas November 21, though again the fight hasn’t been officially announced.

Fourth-ranked Jake Shields (21-4-1) has apparently abandoned the division and will challenge “Mayhem” Jason Miller (22-5) for the vacant Strikefore middleweight title at the Sears Centre Arena in Hoffman Estates 33 miles northwest of Chicago November 7.

At UFC 103 in Dallas September 19, sixth-ranked Josh Koscheck (13-4) bounced back from his loss to Thiago at UFC 95 in London February 19 with a first-round knockout of “Twinkle Toes” Frank Trigg (19-7) then called out seventh-ranked Matt Hughes (41-7).

Hughes rebuffed Koscheck, but remains tight-lipped about his opponent when he returns to the Octagon in 2010.

Eighth-ranked “Zenko” Yoshiyuki Yoshida (10-2) will fight division prospect “Rumble” Anthony Johnson (7-2) at UFC 104

Fighters.com October Welterweight Rankings

1. “Rush” Georges St. Pierre (19-2)

2. “Pitbull” Thiago Alves (16-4)

3. Jon Fitch (19-3)

4. Jake Shields (21-4-1)

5. Paulo Thiago (7-1)

6. Josh Koscheck (13-4)

7. Matt Hughes (41-7)

8. “Zenko” Yoshiyuki Yoshida (10-2)

9. “Quick” Mike Swick (14-2)

10. “Outlaw” Dan Hardy (22-6)

Fighters.com has learned Rogers has trained at American Kickboxing Academy in San Jose for the fight, where UFC contender Cain Velasquez (6-0) and “Headhunter” Paul Buentello (27-9) train full-time.

In September, seventh-ranked “Cigano” Junior dos Santos (9-1) cemented his ranking for October when he forced once-feared “Cro Cop” Mirko Filipovic (25-8-2) to quit at 2:00 of round three at UFC 103 in Dallas.  The win wasn’t enough to push dos Santos ahead in the rankings though.  Let’s face the fact that Cro Cop is a shell of the fighter he once was.  Still, the “W” further justifies dos Santos’s place among the elite heavyweights.

The heavyweight “Cigano” forced from the top ten with a first round KO at UFC 90 in Montréal last October, “Vai Cavalo” Fabricio Werdum (11-4-1), returned to the elite list in October at the nine spot.  He tapped “MAK” Mike Kyle (11-7-1) in a guillotine in 1:24 at Strikeforce in San Jose August 15.

Second-ranked Brock Lesnar (4-1) will defend his UFC title from Shane Carwin (10-0) UFC 106 at Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas November 21.  The hype around this monster fight has been strangely muted, hasn’t it?

Former UFC champ and recent challenger, third-ranked Frank Mir (12-4) will fight Cheick Kongo (14-5-1) at UFC 107 in Memphis 12 December.

Tenth-ranked “The Natural” Randy Couture (16-10) has evidently followed through on his intimations to leave the heavyweight division and return to 205 where he’ll fight “Truth” Brandon Vera (11-3) at UFC 105 at M.E.N. Arena in Manchester November 14.

“Minotauro” Rodrigo-Nogueira”>Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira (32-5-1) and “Babyface Assassin” Josh Barnett (20-5) are waiting in limbo for potential title shots, Nog’ versus the winnner between Lesnar and Carwin and Barnett possibly versus “Junior” Antonio Silva (13-1) for a Sengoku title.

Fighters.com October Heavyweight Rankings

1. “Last Emperor” Fedor Emelianenko (30-1)

2. Brock Lesnar (4-1)

3. Frank Mir (12-4)

4. “Minotauro” Rodrigo-Nogueira”>Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira (32-5-1)

5. “Grim” Brett Rogers (10-0)

6. Shane Carwin (10-0)

7. “Cigano” Junior dos Santos (9-1)

8. “Babyface Assassin” Josh Barnett (20-5)

9. “Vai Cavalo” Fabricio Werdum (11-4-1)

10. “The Natural” Randy Couture (16-10)

As speculated Monday, the UFC welterweight contender matchup between American “Quick” Mike Swick (14-2) and Brit “Outlaw” Dan Hardy (22-6) was officially announced for Manchester.

The co-main event pits Brit “Count” Michael Bisping (17-2), returning from a highlight reel knockout loss to “Hollywood” Dan Henderson (25-7) at UFC 100 in Las Vegas in July, across the Octagon from Canadian Denis Kang (34-11-1).

The rest of the card includes:

Matt Brown (10-7) v “Lightning” James Wilks (4-2)
“Real Deal” Ross Pearson (14-5-1) v Aaron Riley (28-11-1)
Terry Etim (13-2) v Shannon Gugerty (12-3)
“Relentless” Paul Taylor (10-5-1) v. “Hitman” John Hathaway (10-0)
“Slick” Nick Osipczak (5-0) v Matthew Riddle (3-0)
Alexander Gustafsson (7-0) v Jared Hamman (2-1)
Andre Winner (10-3-1) v “Crazy Cuban” Rolando Delgado (6-4-1)

Swick had been scheduled to battle “Hitman” Martin Kampmann (15-3) for the top contender spot at UFC 103 in Dallas September 19, but bailed on the fight with a concussion suffered while training for the fight.  Kampmann was subsequently handled by “Semtex” Paul Daley (19-9-2) in 2:31.

Hardy eeked out a split decision “W” over former Swick foe “Irish Hand Grenade” Marcus Davis (16-5) in UFC 99 in Cologne last June.

White didn’t indicate where and when the contender match will take place, but UFC 105 in Manchester November 14 isn’t a bad guess.

The matchup will be contested at the light heavyweight limit of 205 pounds, or 14 stone and nine pounds…cheerio!

Couture lost a three-round UD to fourth-ranked “Minotauro” Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira (32-5-1) at UFC 102 in Portland August 29, Couture’s second consecutive loss.

Before fighting Nog’, Couture had publicly expressed interest in fighting Fighters.com’s Light Heavyweight Champion “Dragon” Ryoto Machida (15-0) and didn’t rule out returning to 205 pounds in the post-102 press conference.

But, Vera is a long way from Machida in the light heavyweight class Couture once strode as champ.

Vera won a unanimous decision over “Polish Experiment” Krzysztof Soszynski (19-9-1) at UFC 102 and has collected three wins and a loss since dropping down from heavyweight on consecutive losses to top ten competition.  Vera’s loss at 205 pounds was a split decision to then top ten “Dean of Mean” Keith Jardine (14-6-1).

It’s the kind of matchup Couture has avoided his entire career in the Octagon.  Though his record is 16-10, win or lose, Couture has never fought outside of the top ten.  A win over Vera proves MMA’s Methuselah is still competitive, but a loss could consign “The Natural” to the next season of “Dancing with the Stars” or worse…”Bully Beatdown”.