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Jan 6, 2009 - 2:27:05 PM
By: Zak Lalonde, MMATorch Contributor
Happy New Year! I hope the holiday season was fun and safe for all, and we’re ready to tackle a new year with a lot of hope.

I LOVE MMA, hands down. I watch low grade Canadian fights, I watch the late night fights, I watched the IFL, Pride, EliteXC…you name it, I’ve watched it. With that being said, I’m a UFC guy and think that’s the king of the castle (I know, I’m really going out on a ledge with that statement). When I watch the UFC I know for the most part, I’m watching a large majority of the best fighters in the world. I compare MMA to baseball; I can watch MLB or I can watch the Inter-County league – it’s really not a tough choice. Here’s my reasons why I love the UFC.

Dana White: Is there a president or commissioner that loves his sport, that is as involved in everything his sport does, than Dana? This guy is accessible to the point that many feel he’s putting himself ahead of the fighters, but at least he’s out there and he’s answering the tough questions. Try to get an interview with Bud Selig – good luck. Try to get an answer from Gary Bettman or David Stern – be prepared for sarcasm and arrogance. Good luck sitting down with Roger Goodell – you have to fight through his henchmen just to get close enough to smell him. Meanwhile, Dana is at most of the events and can be seen mingling with the crowd, taking pictures and signing autographs. He may be crude, he may curse like a drunken sailor and he may act like he’s bigger then the game itself, but you can’t argue with his product.

The Fight Cards: Quick, other then Forrest/Evans, tell me what were the other fights on UFC 92? I bet you were able to say at least one (Mir/Nogs, Rampage/Jackson, Hardonk/Wessel, Hammil/Andy…). Now here’s another question for you: Who else fought on the De La Hoya/Pacquiao fight card? Can’t do it can you? It always impresses me to see the quality of fights the UFC routinely puts on, and I’m always entertained. My best friend had never watched a UFC fight before, but he knew who was fighting on UFC 92.

The Octagon: This is like home court advantage for the Boston Celtics. When new guys come in to the Octagon, they really have to learn how to fight in there, and some guys never make that transition (that’s right Cro Cop, I’m talking about you). That’s got to be one of the most imposing, most intimidating sights to a newcomer.

The Fans: Don’t mess with the UFC because their fans will seek you out and share their "opinions" with you. There’s so much love, so much passion in the hearts of UFC fans, and that really drives the sport and makes the fighters go the extra mile. Also, look around during the next PPV and you’ll be surprised at the stars that are there. Where else can you see Kevin James, Shaq and Mandy Moore together? Tell me Mandy Moore's stock didn’t rise on the hotness scale when she started to attend on a regular basis. She was always very pretty, but seeing her attend the UFCs made her stock go through the roof!

The Competition: Look up and down the Light Heavyweight division and try to convince me that you couldn’t make a strong case that fighters 1-10 couldn’t hold that belt. Each division is stacked and deep and always puts together nice matchups (well, except for Anderson Silva – that guy just destroys everyone else in that weight class…Sorry Bisping, but with Silva there, your chances of holding that belt aren’t that great).

So how did I do? What do you love about the UFC? Let me know – zaklalonde@hotmail.com

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