Mixed Martial Musings

• Jake Shields leaving Strikeforce for the UFC would be great for Strikeforce.  Shields draws zero ratings, and the only time his bouts are exciting is when he’s losing (getting rocked by Dan Henderson, almost getting choked by Mayhem).  Also, nothing says “pure awesomeness” like an eight-man middleweight tournament – which is what Strikeforce will do to crown a new champ if Shields bolts.
• Everyone knows UFC champ Frankie Edgar had his first fight ever in the Underground Combat League, but did you know that ROC champ Ryan LaFlare had his first fight there too?  And guess where Anthony Leone – who is making his WEC debut on Sunday – popped his MMA cherry?  If you said the UCL, then buy yourself a 40oz of Olde English 800, drink it from a paper bag and pass out on the corner.
• The M-1 Global “Selection” show in Atlantic City is next weekend and they’ve purposely kept their fight card hush-hush lest some rival promotion poach their fighters.  I know Tom Gallicchio is fighting, and maybe Josh Key, but that’s it.  Oh the drama!
• When MMA came along, Tiger Schulmann’s was a school that specialized in a karate that was heavy on boxing and kickboxing.  What’s remarkable about that is that their latest rising star, ROC bantamweight champ Nick Pace, has won ten of his eleven fights (both pro and amateur combined) with superior grappling.  That’s some serious evolution right there.
• The fact that the New York State Senate passed a bill to legalize MMA this week made for some nice headlines, but all that optimism needs to be tempered with a dose of reality.  For it to become law, a legalization bill has to pass through two more committees in the Assembly before it can get a general vote, and with no committee meetings scheduled and the legislative session supposed to end on Monday… well, lets just say it would be a bit premature to start camping outside Madison Square Garden for UFC tickets right now.
• MMA Mayhem is this Saturday at Six Flags Great Adventure in New Jersey, and the majority of the proceeds will be going to the Jackson Township PBA to combat some threatened layoffs of police officers.  MMA Journalist will be there liveblogging the event, and I’ll be wearing my vintage NWA and the Posse “F**K Da Police” t-shirt.  Just kidding. 

June 2010 Women's Independent World MMA Rankings

The June 2010 Women's Independent World MMA Rankings have been released. These rankings are independent of any single MMA media outlet or sanctioning body, and are published on multiple web sites, as well as http://www.independentworldmmarankings.com/.

The members of the voting panel for the Women's Independent World MMA Rankings are, in alphabetical order: Nicholas Bailey (MMA Ratings); Jim Genia (Full Contact Fighter, MMA Memories, and MMA Journalist Blog); Yael Grauer (MMA HQ); Jesse Holland (MMA Mania); Robert Joyner (Freelance); Zac Robinson (Sports by the Numbers MMA); Leland Roling (Bloody Elbow); Michael David Smith (AOL Fanhouse); Joshua Stein (MMA Opinion); and Ivan Trembow (Freelance).

June 2010 Women's Independent World MMA Rankings
Ballots collected on June 15, 2010

Featherweight Rankings (136 to 145 lbs.)
1. Cristiane "Cyborg" Santos (9-1)
2. Marloes Coenen (17-4)
3. Gina Carano (7-1)
4. Yuko "Hiroko" Yamanaka (9-1-1)
5. Cindy Dandois (4-0)
6. Shana Olsen (4-0)
7. Amanda Nunes (5-1)
8. Jamie Seaton (2-1)
9. Emily Thompson (3-2)
10. Hitomi Akano (15-7)

Bantamweight Rankings (126 to 135 lbs.)
1. Sarah Kaufman (11-0)
2. Roxanne Modafferi (15-5)
3. Tara LaRosa (18-2)
4. Hitomi Akano (15-7)
5. Shayna Baszler (12-6)
6. Takayo Hashi (12-2)
7. Miesha Tate (9-2)
8. Julie Kedzie (14-8)
9. Vanessa Porto (10-4)
10. Jennifer Tate (6-1)

Flyweight Rankings (116 to 125 lbs.)
1. Rosi Sexton (10-1)
2. Tara LaRosa (18-2)
3. Aisling Daly (9-0)
4. Rin Nakai (6-0)
5. Sally Krumdiack (8-3)
6. Lena Ovchynnikova (6-0)
7. Megumi Fujii (20-0)
8. Monica Lovato (5-1)
9. Jeri Sitzes (3-1)
10. Mutsumi Kasai (4-1)

Junior Flyweight Rankings (106 to 115 lbs.)
1. Megumi Fujii (20-0)
2. Yuka Tsuji (22-2)
3. Lisa Ward (12-5)
4. Mei "V Hajime" Yamaguchi (6-2)
5. Jessica Pene (7-0)
6. Jessica Aguilar (8-3)
7. Kyoko Takabayashi (11-4)
8. Angela Magana (8-4)
9. Saori Ishioka (8-4)
10. Emi Fujino (8-4)

The Women's Independent World MMA Rankings are tabulated and published
on a monthly basis, with fighters receiving ten points for a
first-place vote, nine points for a second-place vote, and so on.

The rankings are based purely on the votes of the members of the
voting panel, with nobody's vote counting more than anybody else's
vote, and no computerized voting.

The voters are instructed to vote primarily based on fighters' actual
accomplishments in the cage/ring (the quality of opposition that
they've actually beaten), not based on a broad, subjective perception
of which fighters would theoretically win hypothetical match-ups.

Inactivity: Fighters who have not fought in the past 12 months are not
eligible to be ranked, and will regain their eligibility the next time
they fight.

Disciplinary Suspensions: Fighters who are currently serving
disciplinary suspensions, or who have been denied a license for drug
test or disciplinary reasons, are not eligible to be ranked.

Changing Weight Classes: When a fighter announces that she is leaving
one weight class in order to fight in another weight class, the
fighter is not eligible to be ranked in the new weight class until her
first fight in the new weight class has taken place.

Catch Weight Fights: When fights are contested at weights that are in
between the limits of the various weight classes, they are considered
to be in the higher weight class. The weight limits for each weight
class are listed at the top of the rankings for each weight class.

Special thanks to Eric Kamander, Joshua Stein and Yael Grauer for their invaluable help with this project, and special thanks to Garrett Bailey for designing our logo.