News and notes from around the MMA world …

- Both lightweight champion Sean Sherk and contender Hermes Franca tested positive for steroids after their fight at UFC 73 according to UFCMania.com. Franca sent an apology to MMA Weekly.com to explain his positive test.

- Sherdog.com’s Josh Gross has a story about a drug violations report released by the California State Athletic Commission.

- Zach Arnold of FightOpinion.com provides his take on the situation.

- Dave Meltzer reported yesterday that Mauricio Shogun Rua will face Forrest Griffin on the under card of UFC’s September card in Anaheim. The main event is Chuck Liddell vs. Keith Jardine.

Talking Points

Dana White doesn’t want a dirty sport. That much is obvious. At every step, he and Marc Ratner have talked about regulation as a positive thing. One way to halt UFC’s mainstream push is for many of their fighters to fail steroid tests. Sean Sherk is a workout madman. The fact that he failed a steroid test doesn’t really surprise many in the MMA world, just based on how he looks. But to the common fan who watched his UFC All Access show and watched how hard he trained, I’m not so sure they have the same unsurprised opinion. Most regular sports fans don’t understand steroids and don’t want to understand steroids. To them, a baseball player can steal signs to his benefit, but if he puts something in his body that helps him hit a home run, he’s a cheater. It’s all about the level playing field. And it’s very much black and white.

As UFC grows, they will be under closer examination for failing anything. One way the boxing industry can counter argue MMA and UFC is if more UFC fighters test dirty than boxers. I think Dana White and the people at UFC are smart enough to see this as a problem that could eventually hurt them and will do what they need to do to make sure it doesn’t become a huge issue. But having your lightweight champion test positive for steroids is a big enough deal to raise some eyebrows.

After wondering why Chuck Liddell wasn’t facing Forrest Griffin rather than Keith Jardine, my final thought was that they were protecting Griffin. Well, that thought is out the window. He’s now facing Shogun Rua, who is arguably the best 205 pound guy in the world. He doesn’t have the notoriety of a Chuck Liddell or Rampage Jackson in the US, but many consider him the best based on his career in Pride FC. To me, Liddell vs. Griffin is the biggest match they could’ve created with the situation at hand. Some might say that putting Griffin with Shogun gives the fight some mainstream eyes because Griffin is still the more well known fighter in the US. I buy that somewhat. But if the idea is to make the most money off of two fights, there is no doubt in my mind that Liddell and Griffin would do much more business than any other combination of the four fighters. Yes, that includes putting Shogun in the ring with Chuck, which is a dream fight for any MMA fan. The fact is that Griffin is simply better known and far more popular with the UFC audience. If Griffin loses to Rua, maybe Rua earns instant credibility in the eyes of the US fight fan, but where does that leave Griffin? If he loses to Liddell, he just lost to the UFC’s biggest star. And let’s say that Griffin were to upset either guy. Who does he gain most in beating? Well, that’s an easy one as well.

Match maker Joe Silva and Dana White understand what they are doing. I’m not doing to discredit either man. Both men have forgotten more than I currently know about UFC and their marketplace. The thought simply might be that Rua needs a win over Griffin to immediately become a star in the US. And if that’s the thought, I’m ok with it. Maybe secretly I just want to see Liddell vs. Griffin.

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