Machida

Here's some scoops for those nursing a post-President's Day hangover.

--- We've covered what we think would be dumb-ass fights for Kimbo Slice's next war and what we think would be decent match-ups. Now the compass needle in the MMA universe seems to be pointing to Paul Buentello. The ex-UFC heavy - known as "The Headhunter" - has re-upped his challenge to Kimbo, as dictated to MMA Weekly.

"People want to see it. I think everybody wants to see it. Me and Kimbo should lace up the gloves. Everybody wants to see it and I think it’s time. He’s fighting all the guys I’ve already knocked out and I’ve already exposed. He needs to get off that buffet line I put out there and come over to my Paul Buentello taco shop and see if we can get to work."

Buentello's metaphors need some work, but it could be a fight worth parking your ass on the futon to see.

--- Pro Elite is reporting that Muhsin Corbbrey has signed to fight Nick Diaz in an EliteXC match on April 26th in Honolulu. No confirmation on Diaz's signing the agreement. Corbbrey is 6-2 and trains with Din Thomas and John Blanken. If this happens, it will be Exploding Eye Nick's first battle since his TKO loss to K.J. Noons last November. That fight was also notable for Nick giving the crowd the finger after he was declared the loser.

--- Not that we're calling Babalu a liar or anything, but Lyoto Machida's manger, Ed Soares, has confirmed that the UFC light heavy fight between Lyoto and "Celebrity Apprentice" contestant Tito Ortiz will in fact happen on May 24th at UFC 84. The news comes via "The Lights Out Show" on TAGG - via MMA Junkie. Remember that Tito is saying that this is for sure his last fight with the ethically-challenged UFC.

Chris Leben, who was on the first TUF, has announced via his myspace fan club that he has inked a two-year extension with the UFC. This new deal pushes aside Leben's old one which is used for TUF cast members. The new contract will pay Leben $25k to show and the same as a win bonus for each fight. That's a $15k increase for both categories from his previous contract.

Leben is 17-4 and has gone 7-3 since starting up for the UFC. The Crippler has proven a great TV personality and draw for the UFC and he is next slated to bring his brand of controversy to UFC 82 on March 1st. Leben's opponent will be Alessio Sakara, someone that Leben has said he respects, but:

"Honestly, as much respect as possible to him, but I really don’t think he deserves to be in the UFC. I haven’t seen him win the fights or do what he has to do to prove himself at this level. You know, we’re going to pressure him and test him and I’ll tell you what , he has a pretty good opportunity to prove himself if that’s what he wants to do."

Leben made the above statement during the myspace fan club interview and his comments aren't completely unfounded. Sakara is 3-3 with one NC since arriving on the UFC scene. Beating guys like Elvis Sinosic, Victor Valimaki and James Lee won't even get you to the front of the line at The Sizzler. Sakara does have a lot to prove against Leben who, love or hate him, is a dynamic fighter who looks to be back on track after a stretch that saw him drop 3 of 4 fights, including one to Anderson Silva - which is hard to fault him for.

As we roll towards UFC 80, the hype machine is already revving for UFC 81. I, however, still have the burr of Sokoudjou's hype rammed up my ass and am going to proceed with caution. My particular focus is on the building hype surrounding Brock Lesnar, the former college wrestling champ, WWE champ, NFL shit-causer, Japan pro wrestling star and now undefeated MMA fighter (1-0). It was announced at UFC 77 that Lesnar had signed with the UFC, so we knew it was just a matter of time before we started hearing the hype drums in the distance. He faces off against Frank Mir on February 2nd in Las Vegas.

Lesnar's story might be an interesting one, but only because he's earned a reputation for pissing in the face of success. I'm not convinced he's going to be a force in the UFC, but if he does pull his shit together and starts making waves, I wouldn't be surprised if he bolted like he always does. However, if he does become a huge UFC force, I will erase this post and replace it with one where I predict Lesnar will be the next UFC king. That's how I roll.

Let's glance at our most recent hype example. The bad taste of The African Assassin's loss has been particularly rank for bettors. Some of the lines had Sokoudjou and Machida almost even at UFC 79 with some giving the edge to Machida. Yet most sites like this one still suggested betting Sokoudjou. Message boards around the MMA world threw more fuel on the hype fire and by the afternoon of the 28th, it was being reported by BloodyElbow that wages were being placed overwhelmingly on Sokoudjou. Not that the Assassin didn't have a shot. He had impressive KO's in PRIDE, is a ball of muscle and those dreds look badass. But this is the UFC and Machida has been winning in Dana World already. He's a counter strike specialist and his ground game is one of the best (notice BloodyElbow saw past the Sokoudjou bullshit).

Did we - and bettors - pay attention to this? We'd like to say yes, but the hype monster is too fucking strong sometimes and we don't realize it until we see the guy we bet (Sokoudjou) on his back for most of the fight looking like a turtle flipped on his shell. I don't blame us. We just want to be there when the next dominating fighter bursts on the scene — is that so wrong? So when you feel the urge to throw down your life's savings on Brock Lesnar just because something inside is telling you to, that's not intuition. It's Dana White's hype machine.Note: We should mention that one of Lesnar's nicknames is "The Next Big Thing". Subtle.