Coleman faced off against Couture this past weekend in a match that was 12 years in the making before eventually succumbing to the submission applied by Couture.  Through out the bout Coleman appeared shaky and stiff standing, with his offense frequently stifled by the strong jab of Randy Couture.  Following the unimpressive defeat, Dana White openly stated it would likely be the last time we see Mark Coleman in the UFC octagon.  It was confirmed as of today that Mark Coleman would no longer fight underneath the UFC banner.  Although the “Godfather of Ground ‘n Pound” is gone from the UFC he has yet to announce any plans of retirement.  After posting a 1-3 record across his last four fights, as well as weighing-in at the age of 45, one can only begin to imagine how much longer it will be before Mark “The Hammer” Coleman decides it’s time to hang ‘em up and walk away from the cage.

Randy Couture: $250,000 (no win bonus)
def. Mark Coleman: $60,000
-Suspended until March 9th for precautionary reasons

Chael Sonnen: $64,000 ($32,000 win bonus)
-Suspended until March 24th due to forehead and nasal-bridge lacerations
def. Nate Marquardt: $45,000
-Suspended until March 9th for precautionary reasons

Paulo Thiago: $30,000 ($15,000 win bonus)
def. Mike Swick: $43,000
-Suspended until August 6th due to possible left elbow injury, can be cleared earlier by orthopedic doctor; still suspended until March 24th at the earliest

Demian Maia: $62,000 ($31,000 win bonus)
-Suspended until August 6th due to left vertical upper eye lid laceration, can be cleared earlier by ophthalmologist or ocular-plastics doctor
def. Dan Miller: $15,000
-Suspended until March 9th for precautionary reasons

Matt Serra: $150,000 ($75,000 win bonus)
def. Frank Trigg: $30,000
-Suspended until March 24th for precautionary reasons

Mac Danzig: $40,000 ($20,000 win bonus)
-Suspended until August 6th due to possible left knee sprain, can be cleared earlier by orthopedic doctor
def. Justin Buchholz: $8,000
-Suspended until March 9th due to precautionary reasons

Melvin Guillard: $28,000 ($14,000 win bonus)
-Must have a ophthalmological exam by March 26th or face suspension indefinitely
def. Ronnys Torres: $4,000

Rob Emerson: $24,000 ($12,000 win bonus)
def. Phillipe Nover: $10,000

Phil Davis: $10,000 ($5,000 win bonus)
def. Brian Stann: $17,000

Chris Tuchscherer: $20,000 ($10,000 win bonus)
def. Tim Hague: $7000

Joey Beltran: $12,000 ($6,000 win bonus)
def. Rolles Gracie: $15,000
-Suspended until March 9th due to precautionary reasons

Photo by Brandon Wofford of FightPros.com

Fightpros.com: Wow, Joey, the UFC!  Tell me, how does that grab you?

Beltran: (laughs) It’s time!  Man, I see it as the next thing.  I have been working hard for five years toward this.  I have fought a lot of people.  I have spent years working on my wrestling, and now years working on my MMA training and fighting,  All I got to say is I’m here, and I think people are gonna like what they see in me and what I have to offer.  After my win over Houston I was watching Rolles, and I thought, “Man, I’m going to fight him.”  Even before the fight was offered to me I knew I was gonna fight him.

Fightpros.com: What are people gonna see?  What do you have to offer?

Beltran: I have a coming at you style.  My wrestling is strong enough to stop, and stuff any takedown attempts made against me.  My stand up technique is good. I can hang with people if they want to throw punches or take it to the ground.

Fightpros.com: Awesome.  Well let me be amongst the first to congratulate you on your recent win over Houston Alexander.  Houston is a tough guy.  What was that like standing across from him?

Beltran: It felt good.  It was kinda cool.  It was the first time that I was like, “Man this isn’t a video game!”  But the entire time that I was standing across from him, it was like I was looking through him or past him. I mean I was there to fight him, he is real good, I give him no disrespect, but the entire time I had my eye on the greater picture.  I needed to make a statement out of Houston, not just a win but a statement, so that I could go ahead with my career… which I believe I did.

Fightpros.com:  How do you feel about having a Gracie standing across from you?

Beltran: It’s not 1996 anymore.  I have nothing but respect for Rolles, but everybody knows what jujitsu is now.  I mean, I don’t want to take it to the ground, but I will be fine if that is where it goes.

Fightpros.com:  If Rolles was here right now what would you say to him?

Beltran: Good luck.  I’m coming to win.  I have nothing against him so no smack talk to him.  But I am just coming to win and he is in front of me.

Fightpros.com: Is your wrestling a match for Gracie jujitsu?

Beltran:  I use Greco Roman wrestling.  I am very confident in my ability to grapple and to move on the mat.  I honestly don’t think that he is gonna try a double leg takedown on me, but if he does he is gonna eat my jab.  Something I like about Rolles is that he is not afraid to stand and throw, which is fine by me.  Honestly though, I think I am going to win.  I don’t think Rolles heart is in it.  I think he is good and all, and again I don’t mean disrespect, but I feel like his heart isn’t in it.  Like he inherited the fight scene, but that its not really him.  This is me though and I am in it to win.

Fightpros.com: So what do you want to accomplish with this fight?

Beltran:  I am gonna say it all in the cage.  I am here to win.  When this fight is over people are gonna say, “who is this guy?”  They are gonna ask, “Who is this guy that just knocked out the Gracie prodigy?

In the time that I was able to spend with Beltran, I found a very sincere athlete in the “Mexicutioner.”  Many fighters will say, “I mean no disrespect,” but in reality they mean all the disrespect in the world.  However, I sensed no insincerity from Beltran at all.  Rather I found an excited athlete ready to go take on the world with a smile on his face.

I sincerely look forward to following this fighters career more closely, and I look forward to seeing him square off with the ‘Gracie prodigy’ this weekend.  Again, UFC 109 is shaping up to be a night of true combat.

As always, what say you?

Pastor Bob

Follow Pastor Bob on twitter at @pastorbobmma

This information, gleaned form an anonymous source, supports recent developments in the MMA community.  On January 30th joeybeltran.com stated,

“I JUST SIGNED A 4 FIGHT DEAL WITH THE U.F.C.!!! this has been what i (sic) have been working towards for the last 5 years of my life, so it feels good. i can’t say who i’ll be fighting but i’ll say i will be in vegas very soon!!!”  This development flies in the face of other recent developments in the MMA community.  Especially the report from aroundtheoctagon.com concerning season 10  TUF veteran  Jon Madsen that, “ATO just confirmed with a source at the HIT squad that Madsen has accepted the fight and will face undefeated Rolles Gracie next weekend.”

Should Joey Beltran face Rolles Gracie, the Mexicutioner will bring excitement, energy, and a 10-3-0 record.  Joey recently fought and beat Houston Alexander.  The event that took place on January 16th, showcased the Mexicutioner dominating Houston Alexander through his strong wrestling skils and ground and pound for a stoppage by official at 3:39 of the second round.

The statistics for the Gracie Vs. Beltran fight would be as follows.  Both fighters weigh 230lbs.  Beltran offers a 10-3-0 MMA record against Rolles 3-0-0, with Beltran’s losses coming from decisions (2) and submission (1).  Beltrans 10 win are through TKO’s (9) and 1 submission, with all of Rolles wins coming by way of submission.

This matchup could be just what Gracie fans are looking for in a last minute replacement of Al Turk.  Beltran is at the top of his game, having just fought Houston within the last two weeks, and is undoubtedly training hard for his first UFC battle.  Beltran also offers strong wrestling skills to counteract Gracie’s Jujitsu, with perhaps superior striking ability to Gracie.  Though Beltran does not yet offer the brand recognition of Mustapha Al Turk, this may quickly change after a battle with Rolles Gracie.  UFC 109 is quickly shaping up to be a memorable evening.

As always, what say you?

~Pastor Bob

Follow Pastor Bob on twitter @pastorbobmma

Such may be the case with the newest and largest Gracie to enter the octagon.  At UFC 109, scheduled mere days from now, Rolles Gracie is scheduled to take on Al Turk in what could be an electrifying introduction for the young Gracie.  Gracie, packing the name and undoubtable skill of the Gracie clan is walking into the ring with the whole world looking at him.  Being that Gracie is aware all eyes are on him, he will undoubtedly fight like a tiger.  Al Turk, an awesome fighter in his own right, is entering the octagon hanging by the 0 & 2 noose.  With two losses under his belt Al Turk is aware that he needs to deliver.

Now for the surprise upset!  Al Turk is having issues with his visa and it would appear may not be able to fight as scheduled.  As one source put it,

“Rolles Gracie is still set to make his UFC debut on Feb. 6, but it may be against a new opponent. Mostapha Al-Turk has run into visa issues that could prevent the British fighter from making the trip to Las Vegas for the upcoming fight.  Al-Turk was set to make his third appearance in the Octagon, and was shooting for a better result than his first two times in the UFC. Suffering back-to-back losses to Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic and Cheick Kongo put Al-Turk in a must win situation when he was scheduled to face Gracie at UFC 109(MMA Weekly).”

As of yet no timetable has been given as to how long Al Turk has to fix the issues with his visa, nor has there been any word offered as to who would step into the ring against the young Gracie.  The mind boggles in an attempt to think of who could step in on such a short notice, to stand against someone as formidable as one of the Gracies.  With only a few days to go, would we want the fight to still take place?  Do we want to see an out of shape fighter pulled from his down season, with no training camp, suddenly standing toe to toe with a Gracie?  Surely the Gracie name and family deserve better, and surely those purchasing the fight deserve better.

With Renzo looking to fight Matt Hughes at UFC 112, and Rolles scheduled for 109, these are the months that Gracie fans everywhere have been longing for.  One can only hope that Al Turk can get his visa issues in order, and that the reintroduction of the Gracies to the UFC will happen in a professional manner.

Heres looking forward to a long run for the Gracies in the premier MMA event.

As always, what say you?

~Pastor Bob

Follow Pastor Bob on Twitter at @pastorbobmma

“Hey Deb…Mark Coleman is fighting at UFC 109”
She didn’t even look my direction “That’s nice…wait…I thought he retired”
“No not yet” I said, “…but he needs to” I thought to myself.
I kept on “There’s a new Gracie fighter debuting that night”
No reply from Deb. It looked like the Housewives were at the horse track….wow, nice hats.
Committed to irritating her, I continued “Says here he is 6’4” and weighs 250 lbs”
Finally. My perseverance paid off. She turned to me…

My wife will never admit to being an MMA fan. In our twenty two years together she has never once watched me kickbox, and although she has been to my fifteen year old daughter’s Tae Kwon Do tournaments, she has yet to watch her train MMA at the local club. That being said, I can state with complete confidence that my wife, through osmosis, has absorbed a large amount of MMA knowledge. She is after all, married to an MMA addict. Oh, and I forced her to watch the Royce Gracie fights “back in the day”. She remembers the Gracie name well.

“A Gracie that big is gonna be dangerous” she said smiling. She was proud of herself. Good for you Deb – I taught you well. With that she was back to watching the Orange County women.

February 6th 2010 at UFC 109, Rolles Gracie will make his debut on the main stage. Undefeated after three fights in smaller organizations (he has never been past the 1st round) he will test himself against the tough Mostapha Al Turk. Al Turk, who never really made an impact in the UFC, will be fighting for relevance in the UFC’s ever increasing heavyweight talent pool. Gracie is a young, hungry fighter with a well known pedigree. He is the Head Instructor at the Renzo Gracie Academy in New Jersey and trains with Greg Jackson in New Mexico.

To quote an MMA cliché, Al Turk has a “punchers chance” and, more importantly, this isn’t his first rodeo. He has been on the big stage before. Many a fighter has talked about the first time you put your foot in the octagon – nerves can do crazy things to game plans and cardio. Whether Al Turk’s experience can help him get a much needed W remains to be seen. One thing is certain though. A Gracie that big is gonna be dangerous.

Scottie Farrow – FightPros.com contributor