Current commentator and former fighter Dennis Hallman made headlines in recent weeks with his defense of steroid use for medical treatment among MMA athletes.  Hallman reasons “if you have a headache, you take an aspirin; if you have a serious injury you take steroids to heal you, that’s the smart thing to do.”  To be clear, he does not support the use of steroids to gain a competitive edge, as he continued, “If you’re taking steroids to make yourself a better fighter because you don’t have the skill level or something like that, then it’s a problem.”

While Hallman’s comments provide some intriguing food for thought, in addition to his assertion that north of 50% of all fighters are already using banned substances, his argument isn’t thoroughly thought out.  Sure, you take Tylenol if you have a headache, but Tylenol is an FDA approved drug, with side effects that have been closely monitored and given the green light by medical professionals.  The world of steroids, due in most part to their illegality, is a shady one, even among substances used primarily for healing purposes.  Furthermore, steroids are currently banned in MMA competition, just like all other professional sports, looking out for both fair competition and the potential long term health concerns of individual athletes.  Were large scale deregulation to be seriously considered, would it even be possible to discern competitors with legitimate medical needs from those simply trying to get the upper hand?  Now that many leagues are finally getting a grasp on the rampant steroid use that has plagued professional sports since the late 80s, any perceived step backwards in steroid scrutiny could have major implications and irreversible reprocussions.

Highlights:

Rich Franklin – As a replacement for Tito Ortiz, who withdrew from his matchup with Chuck Liddell after undergoing neck surgery, Franklin put on an impressive performance, knocking out Liddell as the first round wound down.  Proving more than man enough to trade blows with one of the sport’s most revered fighters, Franklin fought through a broken arm on his way to a gritty victory.

Carlos Condit & Rory MacDonald – Both fighters in the northern border dispute between Condit (USA) and MacDonald (Canada) should walk away with their heads held high.  Going almost to the close of the third and final round, this hotly contested battle was clearly the fight of the night.  Condit got down early with MacDonald asserting his dominance over the first two rounds.  To his credit, Condit did not get discouraged or let up, putting the Canadian on the mat before overpowering him with ground strikes.  Though he took the defeat, MacDonald showed a lot of promise for a young fighter still early in his career.

Lowlights:

Chuck Liddell – “The Iceman” may be towards the tail end of his career as this knockout notched the 4^th time he’s been KO’d in his last 6 bouts.  In the days leading up to his main event matchup with Franklin, Liddell sounded confident with plenty of banter and feather ruffling, but ultimately he could not deliver.  Though he did not fight particularly poorly, a first round knockout was hardly the expected result.  Fans and peers alike would have liked to see the legend at least go a little deeper into the contest.

Two days after these accusations, Koscheck issued an apology for pointing his finger. He claimed he was not directly accusing GSP of being a steroid user, and did not intend for it to come across that way.  He emphasized that his comments were in no way factual and the rumors were part of his hype for TUF. The two are scheduled to fight after the TUF 12 in December and Koscheck does not want his slip of tongue to invalidate GSP’s hard work or talent.  He claims he was simply passing on what he’d heard from other sources.

GSP rebutted by saying he would be in favor of Olympic style drug testing (a method more thorough than typical urine tests—they can detect a wider range of performance-enhancing drugs). It should be stated that GSP has never tested positive for steroids of any kind. It will be interesting to see if the governing athletic commission decides to enforce a stricter drug testing procedure for this fight.

While he hasn’t embarrassed himself in UFC competition by any means, the cult like following that amassed around Kimbo Slice prior to his going pro in the fight game has dwindled down a result of his struggles.  Still, with such a recognizable face and personality, Slice would seem to be a logical choice for ventures outside of the octagon.  Already, he has parlayed his celebrity to secure some smaller endorsement deals, including a comical “Kimbo vs. Caterpillar” bit for an internet anti-virus software company.  Though the UFC might not have been the right fit for Slice, it would be a tragedy to see him exit from the fighting world on such a low note.  Keep in mind, he is 36 years old, around the time many professional athletes transition to the other side of the camera.  Whether he would have the on-air talent to serve as a commentator or color man remains to be seen, but he should strike while he is still relevant and the iron’s still hot before Slice, as Mike Tyson would say, “fades into Bolivian.”

In pure physical stature, Lesnar is almost unmatched standing 6’5’’ and weighing 265 lbs., looming large even next to Emelianenko, who is 6 foot and 232 lbs. in his own right.  With only a year separating the two men in age, Emelianenko has a much more extensive MMA resume, with a decisive 33-1 record, the sole loss a result of a cut inflicted by an illegal Tsuyoshi Kohsaka elbow.  Lesnar on the other hand is still a relative rook on the circuit by comparison, at only 4-1, but was the reigning UFC title holder when illness forced him into a hiatus.  The vast improvement shown since the loss to Frank Mir early in his career, particularly his one-sided beat down of Mir in 2009 to defend the UFC belt, has many believing the Lesnar, if anyone, is the only man who’s man enough to give Fedor Emelianenko a run for his money.

With the NBA playoffs consuming the airwaves for the better portion of the past month, Dwight Howard fill’s up the television screen like few before him.  Nicknamed “Manchild,” the guy is a pure physical specimen, with shoulder’s the size of bowling balls.  Sure he’d have to put on a little bulk to compliment his 7 foot frame, but despite his good-natured demeanor one wouldn’t want to be on the other side of an argument with him.  Staying in the NBA, Ron Artest also comes to mind.  Cut from the Dennis Rodman mold of any attention is good attention, Artest has actively seeked the limelight outside of the basketball world, through his bizarre hairstyles and failed rap career.  He’s no stranger to confrontation as well, after famously throwing punches at Piston’s fans in the Palace melee.  Finally, I’d like to see what Lawrence Taylor has to offer.  Coming off his most recent scandal, the man could use some positive publicity.  His hall of fame worthy mean streak while roaming the hash-marks for Giants struck fear into the hearts of opposing position players for more than a decade.  There’s no telling what kind of shape he’s maintained over the years, but he’s still only three years older than fellow gridiron star turned MMA competitor Herschel Walker.

While Jackson may have spent less time purely dedicated to his mixed martial arts career, no one is disputing the fact that Jackson looks to be in peak physical form for the movie.  It’s obvious he didn’t spend all his days out in Hollywood just hobnobbing with celebrities and fattening up on those catered movie set lunches.  But there is a distinct difference between maintaining your physical form and staying in fighting shape.  Brad Pitt may be able to flex his muscles while wearing makeup and drop kicking Trojan soldiers on the beach, but would you really take a glamour guy go the full duration in a test of grits and guts like you find in the octagon.  This doesn’t even take into consideration the idea of Jackson losing his mental edge.   Sure movie filming has been wrapped for a while now but scheduling a fight just a week and a half before you’re first big movie premiere could easily become a distraction, even for a seasoned vet like Rampage.

To his credit, Jackson lasted all 3 rounds to the final 5 minute mark in his contest against Evans, but in the end Evans proved victorious in a unanimous decision.   Jackson’s camp is already positioning for a rematch, citing the movie as a regrettable distraction.

Highlights:

Rashad Evans – Whether Jackson was at the top of his game or not, give credit to Evans for not buying into all the media hoopla and sticking to his plan.  His combination of savvy wrestling technique and quick lateral movement to avoid Jackson’s devastating hook, liable to strike in one quick blow at any point in the match, wore a less sharp Jackson down and earned him a unanimous decision.

Jon Hathaway – While Paul Revere was noticeably absent to announce his arrival in America, the young chap from the mother country impressed yet again improving to 4-0 in UFC competition.

Lowlights:

Dan Miller – Taking his 3^rd consecutive loss in UFC bouts, Miller looked almost lethargic in his movement as he took the defeat to Michael Bisping.  Neither fighter dazzled the crowd through three ultimately underwhelming rounds, culminating in a unanimous decision.

Rogerio Noguiera – Sure he won the fight but Noguiera came out flat and uninspired in what was supposed to be a sure fire victory.  Jason Brilz, booked as a fill in opponent after Forrest Griffin went down with the injury Bug, showed some guts grinding his way to the losing end of a split decision.  Perhaps Noguiera underestimated Brilz, or maybe he doesn’t have the make-up of the title contending caliber fighter he’s been billed to be.

Mike Russow – Another fighter who walked away with a hardly earned victory.  After an embarrassingly erratic first two rounds, Russow was bailed out by a KO in the third that saved him from what would’ve surely been a decisive victory for Todd Duffee.