Okami's Razor

Occam's Razor states that "the simplest explanation/solution is usually the correct one".

In the case of the Middleweight title picture mess recently caused by Chael Sonnen's proclivity towards PED's (allegedly), the UFC chose the simplest fix and that was to have Vitor Belfort leap frog to the top of the contenders list. Meanwhile Yushin Okami is left without his elusive title shot instead getting to tangle with fellow perennial contender Nate Marquardt.

Both Yushin and Marquardt have been beaten down by Silva before so it is of no surprise that the exciting KO puncher Vitor Belfort gets the next crack at Anderson. Although Okami holds a victory over Silva due to an illegal strike on the ground that knocked out Japan's number one Middleweight Mixed Martial Artist. At the other end of the contenders spectrum, both Okami and Marquardt have both been thoroughly handled by the infamous Wrestler/Politician/Realtor/Fighter. Now that Sonnen has come through with a failed drug test those victories have lost some of their luster even if Sonnen was clean at the time.

In the contest between Okami and Marquardt, the strategy should follow Occam's Razor in that Okami should stick to the simplest solution to the tough veteran that is "Nate The Great". The simplest solution you ask? Wrestling, control, and ground and pound. A blueprint laid out by Chael Sonnen in his victory against Nate, less the steroids of course. Okami has been able to out-muscle many a Middleweight in his stint as a UFC contender and he should use that to take Nate to his weakest point: fighting from his back.

Occam's Okami's Razor may be to choose the simplest path to victory and a possible shot at Anderson which has eluded him for so long, but if Okami's luck has anything to do with it Murphy's Law will be in full effect.

UFC Fight Night 22 Results: Things Get Slippery For Palhares

Miller Rocks and Submits Ross Pearson

Ross Pearson looked to be the better striker in this match-up, but that didn't stop Miller from landing a straight right hand that rocked the Brit and bring upon the finish. After Pearson was rocked Miller smelled blood and went for the kill. He put Pearson against the cage and dropped him with a left hook then jumped on his back to get the tap with a RNC.
After the fight Miller says what is on every fan and fighters mind, the trend of point fighting and avoiding any and all risk to run out the clock and win on points. Miller is a fan's fighter and goes for the finish, and whether he is winning or losing, he puts on exciting contests every time out.

Jim Miller Tops Gleison Tibau

Both Miller and Tibau had there moments in the first round of their lightweight tilt, but it was Miller that landed the harder shots in the opening stanza. In the second Miller rocked Tibau in the opening minute and immediately went for his back to grab the submission, but Tibau was back to his feet in no time and left Miller hunting for a takedown that never came. That left time for Tibau time to recover and get off a couple of good takedowns of his own. The third was a bit of a stalemate with neither fighter making a decisive case for the round. It was a close fight, but I gave it to Miller based on the effectiveness of his strikes. The judges see it the same and Jim gets the unanimous decision.

Efrain Escudero and Charles Oliveira

Escudero came into this bout a hefty four pounds over the 155lb limit and looking the part as well. In the first round Oliveira tagged Effy repeatedly with a flying knee, punches, and kicks while Escudero seemed content to hold Charles against the cage until he loosened up a bit in his striking. Later in the round Oliveira worked for a takedown unsuccessfully until he finally pulled guard. In the second, Oliveira worked hard for a takedown and ate shots for his troubles until getting Efrain down, but Escudero didn't stay there long as he bounced back to the feet. In the third Oliveira continued his assault on Efrain's lead leg and afterward traded nut shots with Efrain. After the break from the nut shot Oliveira comes out with purpose and gets the slam/takedown and takes Efrain's back while Escudero is standing to get the tap via rear naked choke. This kid Oliveira is an exciting prospect and will give lots of fighters problems with his sick jiu jitsu and nasty leg kicks.

Palhares Marquart Ends in Controversy

Enter the new grease-gate conspiracy. Rousimar Palhares had landed a takedown after a lackluster couple of minutes in the opening round. When Nate tried to scramble he wound up with Rousimar on top and Palhares went for the leg-lock as he always does. Here is the slippery part, Nate Slipped out easily and pounded out Rousimar. Palhares immediately complained that Nate was greased before the stoppage and basically gave up and got TKO'd. The doctor and referee both inspected the legs of Marquardt and found nothing. Nate explained that he warmed very much before the fight so he could get a sweat going to thwart the submission attempts of Palhares. It is suspicious that there was no post-fight interview with Palhares however, but hey if Rogan says there is no controversy it must be true.

Full Results:

MAIN CARD

* Nate Marquardt def. Rousimar Palhares via TKO (strikes) - Round 1, 3:28
* Charles Oliveira def. Efrain Escudero via submission (rear-naked choke) - Round 1, 2:25
* Jim Miller def. Gleison Tibau via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
* Cole Miller def. Ross Pearson via submission (rear-naked choke) - Round 2, 1:49

PRELIMINARY CARD

* Yves Edwards def. John Gunderson via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
* Kyle Kingsbury def. Jared Hamman via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
* Dave Branch def. Tomasz Drwal via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
* Rich Attonito def. Rafael Natal via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-27)
* Anthony "T.J." Waldburger def. David Mitchell via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
* Brian Foster def. Forrest Petz via TKO (punches) - Round 1, 1:07

UFC 109 Results: Sonnen Pulls the Upset, Coleman Looks Old!

(The battle of the old men wasn't much of a contest at all) 

Chael Sonnen has a lot of people eating their words after this weekend's Super-Saturday card. I predicted, as many others did, that Nate Marquardt would annihilate Sonnen with ease but I was wrong. Chael came out determined to top the fight and stayed true to his words that once he put his mouthpiece in he would find a way to win. It was a classic Team Quest-esque  grind out wrestling victory where he controlled from top position and banged on Nate for three rounds despite a nasty cut that opened up on his forehead from a Marquardt elbow. If Dana White stays true to his word, Sonnen should be next up in line for a shot at Middleweight gold and that will open the flood gates for some serious Sonnen trash talk in the lead up to the fight.
In other 109 news, Randy Couture had no problem reaching the target on Mark Coleman as Mark chose to block punches with his head as he so often does. Couture was in a league above Coleman who looked old and out of place in the main event of the evening. Randy landed at will and took Coleman down, and choked him out to get the win over the fellow HOF inductee. At the post-fight presser Dana White stated that it was likely the last time we would see "The Hammer" in the Octagon. The always class-less Tito Ortiz found a way to get his name on the microphone as he taunted the fallen Coleman as he was talking to Rogan. Coleman responeded with "F#%K You Tito" and "Anytime Douch-Bag" well said Champ, well said.

RESULTS
Randy Couture def. Mark Coleman via technical submission (rear-naked choke) - Round 2, 1:09
Chael Sonnen def. Nate Marquardt via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Paulo Thiago def. Mike Swick via technical submission (D'arce choke) - Round 2, 1:54
Demian Maia def. Dan Miller via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)
Matt Serra def. Frank Trigg via knockout (punches) - Round 1, 2:23

PRELIMINARY CARD RESULTS
Mac Danzig def. Justin Buchholz via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Melvin Guillard def. Ronys Torres via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Robert Emerson def. Phillipe Nover via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Phil Davis def. Brian Stann via unanimous decision (30-26, 30-26, 30-27)
Chris Tuchscherer def. Tim Hague via majority decision (29-28, 29-28, 28-28)
Joey Beltran def. Rolles Gracie via TKO (punches) - Round 2, 1:31

Why Anderson Silva has earned the right to choose

Dan Henderson claims that Silva is ducking him for his next title defense, and Nate Marquart has stated his intentions as being the next in line. They both have valid arguments and are definitely at the top of the heap of 185ers. However, Silva beat both of these guys convincingly and states that he wants Nate and Hendo to fight to determine the next challenger to the belt which I believe is the most logical solution. Sure it's not Silva's call, but everyone seems to be forgetting that Yushin Okami is right up there in the mix, and I believe the next logical opponent for Anderson. Okami has a DQ win over Silva, he has only one loss in his UFC career, and will present some different problems for the Champion. The one thing that really gets to me about MMA rankings is that there is no universal system that should have to be followed to determine these types issues. WAMMA is a joke because the UFC wont play nice with anyone who doesn't exist solely under their umbrella. The fans and pundits shouldn't choose challengers based on drawing power and flashy styles, they should be determined by consistently working your way up the rankings.