Mailbag: UFC afterthoughts, Strikeforce Challengers, more

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Cain Velasquez (above) knocked out Antonio Rogrigo Nogueira at UFC 110. AP

With the latest Strikeforce Challengers card hours away, many loyal SI.com readers decided to chime in with their thoughts and questions. Lets go to the mail- and Twitter-bags, shall we?

• Great article about Cain Velasquez. At 27 it is difficult for me to see him dominating the sport for "decades," however as his clearly out-classed 33-year-old opponent demonstrated in their recent fight I admire Velasquez and look forward to his having a nice 3-6 year run. As the level of athleticism rises in MMA, the opposite of what is happening in boxing's heavier divisions, I just don't see fighters -- no matter how talented -- continuing to compete in their late 30s and 40s unless they do a George Foreman joke tour.
-- George, Columbia, S.C.

I meant Velasquez is the kind of fighter, the right style of fighter, that will dominate the sport for decades to come: athletic, good wrestler, good striker, hard worker, good chin, durable.

• In your recent UFC 110 postmortem, you wrote that Wanderlei Silva "staved of defeat" in the final seconds, the implication being, of course, that Bisping was winning the fight up until that point. Absurd. Bisping was saved by the bell at the close of each round and never once hurt Silva. It's writers like you who perpetuate Bisping's overrated stature in the UFC. Long before Henderson (and now Silva) exposed Bisping for the third-rate fighter he is, Matt Hamill clearly beat him. Perhaps, Mr. Gross, you've been imbibing in the same spirits as the judges that night who gave the decision to Bisping.
-- Ben, Newport Beach, Calif.

At least public drunkenness would be a reason for some of the decisions we've seen -- better, or at least more fun, than incompetence. Anyhow, I thought Bisping won the first round, lost the second and was on his way to winning the third when Silva dropped him in the final seconds. That's staving off defeat in my book.

• I think all this [Frank] Mir comment controversy is getting way out of control. Why didn't we hear a Brock apology when he stated he was going to "murder" Mir in pre UFC 100 comments.
-- David, Austin, Texas

Yup, total empty-calorie non-story. Not surprising, then, that it was picked up by national media.

Was [Larry] Holmes serious when he said that beating [Muhammad] Ali was a cakewalk? I realize that he easily handled Ali, but does he really think that fight should be used as a barometer of Holmes's boxing skill? He fought a man who could hardly punch back and who almost certainly was in the beginning stages of Parkinson's disease, and he never dropped him, Ali's corner threw in the towel. The Ali that fought Cleveland Williams would have had little problem with Holmes, too plodding and predictable.
-- Harry Cline Jr., Brooksville, Fla.

Holmes was serious. He believes he would have done just fine against an in-his-prime Ali. But that's not the man he faced, and there's nothing he can do about that.

• Any word on DirecTV/Versus battle? Any hope for March?
-- @GracieBJJ751

DirecTV's vice president of public relations, Darris Gringeri, told me Thursday via e-mail that "we continue to have productive discussions and are hopeful of coming to a deal soon."

WEC General Manager Reed Harris also suggested negotiations could be coming to a head between DirecTV and Versus. With WEC on March 6, UFC on March 21 and the start of NHL's playoffs on Versus, a deal with DirecTV would need to happen in the next few weeks otherwise we're likely headed for a protracted impasse.

I'm going to hold onto my DirecTV subscription through March and see how this all plays out.

• What are your picks for [Strikeforce Challengers on Friday]? I think Bradley-Rockold and Amoussou-Prangley are both really close match ups.
-- @Butch_Davis

Agreed. I'm picking Luke Rockhold, who has advantages in the submission and striking departments over Paul Bradley. The Karl Amoussou-Trevor Prangley fight should be very good, as well. Prangley has a wealth of experience, but at 37, that may not be enough against someone as dangerous as the 24-year-old Frenchman. I'm also very interested to see if Sarah Kaufman can continue her unbeaten run at 135 pounds. I think she will.

• How will Strikeforce find opponents for Cyborg after Erin [Toughill]? Miss C is hungry ...
-- @Roxyfighter

Gotta love it when fighters ask questions over Twitter. So Roxanne Modafferi wonders about Cyborg. Well, it sounds like Erin Toughill is next in line. A tournament at 145 pounds later this summer should produce another contender. After that, it could be someone like Kaufman, should she continue to win, will step up in weight. As it stands now, there doesn't appear to be anyone physical enough to hand Cyborg's violence.