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MMA vs. Boxing .....again

After Randy Couture dismantled James Toney in a mixed martial arts fight, it's now being reported that Strikeforce welterweight champion Nick Diaz will take on Jeff Lacy in a boxing match. In an interview with MMA Fight Corner, presented by fiveknuckles.com, Eddie Alvarez claimed to have the best hands in the lightweight division but admitted that he doesn't think he'd do well against pro boxers in their arena.

Which mma fighter, of any division, would have the best chance at being competitive in a ring with boxing rules?

Training Injuries ......again

Injuries to Frankie Edgar and Gray Maynard have postponed one of the most anticipated fights of 2011 and has virtually left the UFC 130 card without what people see as a legitimate main event. Rashad Evans was injured while training for a title fight against then-champ Shogun Rua. Evans' training partner and friend Jon Jones was given the shot, won the title, then said he'd be willing to defend his title by fighting Evans. This has angered Evans and caused a war of words between the two. Training camp injuries play a major role in the scope and schedule of the sport. There's an opinion among some people involved in the sport that fighters need to do their contact training between fights then just work their conditioning and do low-risk bag work during actual camps leading up to fights.

Do fighters need to start doing things differently in their camps to help cut down on some of the injuries or are last minute card changes forever a part of the sport?

MMA Moonlighting

With Nick Diaz reportedly accepting that boxing match and Gilbert Melendez in search of fights outside of Strikeforce, the issue of exclusive contracts once again comes to light. As mentioned, fighters are having a difficult time staying healthy in their own training camps. If you add sanctioned fights outside of the promotion to the already risky regiments that fighters go through, the percentage of card-changing injuries is likely to increase or at a minimum, fighters will fight less often under the banners of their primary employers.

Should fighters be allowed to accept fights outside of the main promotions that they fight for?

Under the Influence of Zuffa

When Zuffa purchased Strikeforce, president Dana White repeatedly used the phrase "business as usual" which implied everything would stay the same for the time being. He did, however, say something to the effect that Zuffa would possibly have some input when it comes to a few tweaks in the production of Strikeforce events.

What kinds of tweaks do you see Zuffa making in Strikeforce productions and what kinds of tweaks would you like to see?

The Crystal Ball

As the sport continues to grow at this torrid pace, what the future holds is anyone's guess at this point. We could see Saturday Night Fights on ESPN or some big network on a weekly basis, with TV money in the realm of what NASCAR or the NBA receives, making...