self, so hes always a dangerous opponent. But Id

Each week, ESPN.com writer Brett Okamoto provides his take on the hottest topics in the world of mixed martial arts. This week, Okamoto squares off with former UFC title contender and recently signed Bellator MMA fighter Chael Sonnen to debate the latest news and trends.?1.?Former NFL defensive end Greg Hardy has announced he will pursue a career in mixed martial arts. How much should MMA fans care about this?Sonnen:?They should absolutely care. One, its attention. We always like that. But two, when youre talking about that size of a guy, the level of athlete does matter. If a guy is big and a good athlete, he can pick this sport up fast. He couldnt do that in wrestling. He also couldnt pick up boxing. But when you throw it all together -- you know, Floyd Mayweathers comment on this was a big insult to us. Even though it was an insult and we all resisted it -- guys could do this sport quickly but cant do that with boxing because boxing is more of a science. As much as he meant it as an insult, he was still right. You can learn this really, really quick. MMA is different. Its a lot more wide open in terms of the rules. Most big guys that level -- the elite athlete -- they usually go into other sports. They go into the NFL and NBA. If you took one of those guys and he was really in it, yeah, were interested. Is he going to be a champion? No. But yeah, that interests me.Okamoto: Whether you care about it or not, its probably going to be hard to ignore it -- which is a little unjust in a lot of ways. If you look at Hardys history, this move seems, at least on the surface, to be more about a lack of opportunities in football than it does a real change in passion to MMA. Its hard not to view this as a money grab on his part. And whether that is a nice perk about MMA or a liability, money grabs can be had if youre bringing the right name value. I guess I dont like the idea of someone coming into this sport, perhaps getting a preferable matchup and getting paid well when he essentially ran himself out of the NFL. But I also agree with Chael in that, if he is serious about it, theres a halfway decent shot hell look respectable pretty quick.2.?Conor McGregor was fined $150,000 for his actions during a UFC 202 news conference in August, throwing water bottles at Nate Diaz. Is this penalty just or unjust?Sonnen: Ugh. Uggghhhhh. I think thats a little steep, man. I dont think anyone else would have gotten that fine. You look at what Conors making but thats not how thats supposed to work. The other side of it is, he might have got off easy. Here was the deal: I couldnt see where the bottles went. I could only see they were being thrown. The relevance there is, was a fan hit? I heard, and I cant confirm this, that not only was a fan hit, it was a child. I can tell you, from an entertainment standpoint, I thought it was fun. I thought it was funny. But then again, if I saw him hit a kid, Im not laughing anymore. At the time it happened it was pretty damn funny. Thats just the truth. But thats a stiff fine. Daniel Cormier and Jon Jones fought [at a news conference in 2014]. That was a spectacle and a disaster -- and their fines combined [$59,000] didnt represent $150,000.Okamoto:?Yeah, it seems a little high to me. The commission basically got to this number by taking 5 percent of McGregors purse. Back in 2014 with Cormier and Jones, the commission took 10 percent. So, simple math tells you how much bigger McGregors fight purse was for UFC 202 than what weve seen in the past. I understand the commission wanting to follow precedent. And in fact, I think its important for it to follow precedent. But in this case, common sense says that the sports disclosed pay structure has changed greatly since 2014. The precedent youre following came under vastly different circumstances. And for the record, I was at both the Jones-Cormier brawl and the water fight and I thought the brawl was worse. This seems like a lot of money for throwing a few bottles.3. Should?Dan Henderson?be upset at the scorecards after suffering a decision loss to middleweight champion?Michael Bisping?at UFC 204 in England?Sonnen:?So, I didnt see it. I would never miss a fight -- Ive only missed three UFCs ever, but I was at a wedding. I feel like Ive seen it. I read the play-by-play. Ive talked to a lot of people afterwards, some very biased who thought it was a robbery. I talked to one guy who has been with Dan since college -- theyre about as close as you get -- and I asked him, Who should have won? He said, I dont know. You could say Dan won -- Im fine with it. You could say Mike won -- Im fine with it. It was so close. It was such a great fight. I thought, coming from him, that carried a lot of weight. Im going to say no. The argument I heard is that the first round should have been a 10-8, and I can only speak historically -- those are unicorns. There are no 10-8 rounds. So, you cant count on that.Okamoto:?As I wrote about this week -- Hendo shouldnt lose any sleep on this one. For the record, I scored the fight 49-46 Bisping. That doesnt mean I didnt think the fight was close. I think you can make a case for a 10-8 first round for Henderson, and the fifth was very, very close. Ultimately, though, thats the best-case scenario I can make for him, which would be a draw. If you want to read more of my thoughts of the scoring, check out the Monday column. I also spoke to UFC welterweight and commentator Dan Hardy on scoring in general on the upcoming Five Rounds podcast.4.?Henderson announced his retirement after the loss. Do you believe that was his final fight?Sonnen: Yes, just from talking to him. I dont know how serious this retirement fight was from the jump. I dont know if he ever meant that. Thats one of those things you have to be careful about. Youre either in or youre out and sometimes you dont even know it. He might have surprised himself. A lot of people are saying he should be the middleweight champion right now, so theres no question he could keep fighting. In my own opinion, and from a little behind the scenes, if he lost that match he was going to go away. I dont know. From a financial standpoint, he doesnt need the money. From a goal-oriented standpoint, which is what got him in this in the first place, hes not getting another title shot. So, I think hes done. And I say that very sad. I dont know that I want him to be done, as a fan. Its an end of an era. I think hes done.Okamoto:?Ill agree, for the same reasons Chael mentioned. Im not sure why he would come back now. Originally, he fought out his contract at UFC 199. The improbable title shot brought him back into the UFC. Like Chael said, I dont see him getting another one of those. Losing a close fight on the scorecards might leave a bitter taste in his mouth, obviously, but as far as a way to go out, this is a good one, right? He fought the middleweight champion for five rounds at age 46. Even though its a loss, hes walking out on a high note. It never surprises me when fighters come back out of retirement, and that will hold true if Henderson returns, but if I had to guess, I think hell stay retired.5.?Chris Weidman fights Yoel Romero?on?Nov. 12 and?Luke Rockhold faces Ronaldo Jacare Souza?on?Nov. 19. As a fan, which UFC middleweight contender would you most want to see challenge Bisping next?Sonnen:?I dont know that either one is a guaranteed semifinal. I think it kind of depends on who wins. As far as the politics go, Jacare has to get a shot sooner rather than later. Its big business in Brazil. Sometimes it comes down to that. You can argue which guy is better or more deserving, and those are fair. But then you go to the next thing which is, What do people want to see? Getting a Brazilian into a title fight matters. Jacare is amazing and has had an opportunity taken away from him before. On the other side, I think if Weidman wins, theyre going to have to battle it out in the media. I dont think theyre in a hurry to get Rockhold back in there, personally. I think theres some moving parts. If I could pick from those four, I would like to see Weidman.Okamoto:?As far as who will get the shot, I think Weidman is the front-runner. As far as whom Id like to see fight Bisping -- I mean, this is a terrible answer, but I kind of dont have a preference. Theyre all deserving, really. The Rockhold angle interests me. I still feel, with all respect to Bisping, that those two could fight 100 times and Rockhold wins about 95 of them. Lighting struck for Bisping, and I shouldnt even word it that way. I dont see it as luck or chance. Hes a competitor and doesnt beat himself, so hes always a dangerous opponent. But Id be interested in a third fight. Weidman is still right there as far as considerations for best middleweight in the world. Souza, how long can we deny this man? If he beats Rockhold, I think you have to say hed be most deserving. Yeah, I dont know. Im honestly good with any of the four. Wholesale Dodgers Jerseys . Speaking Thursday on TSN 1050 Thursday, the Leafs GM also touched on the questions surrounding the teams leadership and the struggles of his big-name free-agent signing. “Its not from lack of effort from the coaching staff. Cheap Fernando Valenzuela Jersey . Its sharpness matched my mind. This was no night to go to sleep. http://www.cheapdodgersjerseys.com/?tag=cheap-mike-piazza-jersey . Giroud, who wasnt in the starting lineup for two matches after allegations about his private life and a decline in form, scored twice in the first half. Tomas Rosickys chip made it 3-0 before half time at Emirates Stadium, while defender Laurent Koscielny scored an unmarked header in the second half. Cheap Jackie Robinson Jersey .J. Jefferson has been charged with assaulting his girlfriend. Cheap Maury Wills Jersey .ca NHL Power Rankings for the second straight week, ahead of the Pittsburgh Penguins and Colorado Avalanche. PITTSBURGH -- Pittsburgh Steelers defensive end Stephon Tuitt politely shooed away reporters on Monday when they approached his locker, saying he needed to go get an MRI on his achy right knee. Tuitt then walked away without any sort of noticeable limp.He wasnt just playing tough for the cameras.Coach Mike Tomlin indicated theres a chance Tuitt could play when Baltimore visits Heinz Field next weekend after the exam revealed Tuitt only sprained his knee when his right leg twisted underneath him three plays into Pittsburghs 24-20 victory over Cincinnati on Sunday.We will watch him participate over the course of the week and see what that participation looks like, Tomlin said Tuesday. Obviously the position that he plays gives him an opportunity, probably it would be less likely so if he was a wide receiver or cornerback.Tuitt was closing in on Bengals quarterback Andy Dalton when he reached out with his left hand and snagged Daltons facemask. He let go almost immediately while at the same time pirouetting awkwardly on the Paul Brown Stadium turf. He managed to walk off without any help, though he spent the rest of the afternoon in a jacket on the sideline at the Steelers (9-5) rallied for a fifth straight victory to set up what amounts to an AFC North title game against Baltimore (8-6) on Sunday.Theres little doubt Pittsburgh is better when Tuitt is on the field, particularly with Cam Heyward already out for the season with a torn pectoral muscle. Yet what was left of the line -- Javon Hargrave, Daniel McCullers, L.T. Walton and Ricardo Mathews -- eventually found their footing. The Bengals ran it seven times for just eight yards over the final 30 minutes as the Steelers steadily recovered from an early 14-point deficit.We knew we had to play big in the second half, Hargrave said. We let them start quick, so we knew we had to respond and grind it out.Pittsburgh will need to rely on that grit if it wants to end a four-game losing streak to the Ravens and clinch its second division title in thrree years.dddddddddddd The Ravens won the first meeting 21-14 on Nov. 6 despite being limited to just 50 yards on the ground. Theyve improved steadily in recent weeks and put together a season-high 151 yards rushing in a 27-26 escape against Philadelphia last weekend while splitting carries between Terrance West and Kenneth Dixon.Part of the credit goes to an offensive line thats found some stability. The rest to Wests ability to find a hole and go. Yet Pittsburghs defense has steadily improved during its surge into first place. The Steelers are allowing just 64.6 yards rushing per game during their current winning streak, way down from the 102.6 yards per game they gave up through the seasons first nine weeks.Its a stretch thats also coincided with the rapid development of rookie safety Sean Davis, who hasnt missed a snap over the last five weeks while quickly developing into a defensive presence at the line of scrimmage and acclimating to the 16-week slog of the regular season.I had a funny interaction with (Davis) a week ago-he came to my offices and asked, `How do you prepare for somebody the second time in a season? Tomlin said. Because he had never played someone twice in a season before. And thats just whats going on, not only with him, but with all of these young people.Young people who have been a critical part of Pittsburghs charge to the cusp of a third consecutive playoff berth, something the Steelers have never done during Tomlins 10-year tenure.Game notes RB DeAngelo Williams could play for the first time since undergoing knee surgery last month. Tomlin said he made Williams inactive against the Bengals when Williams developed swelling in the knee once the team arrived in Cincinnati. ... TE Ladarius Green remains in the concussion protocol and his status is uncertain.---For more NFL coverage: http://www.pro32.ap.org and http://www.twitter.com/AP-NFL ' ' '