The Doggy Bag: Readers Write, We Respond

I usually don’t contact writers like this, but there is one more thing [the UFC] really needs to fix, and that is the selection process on The Ultimate Fighter. Two terrible guys fight, one wins and gets in, two skilled guys fight and one wins and gets in. Mir even said how he'd like to pick some of the fight losers over some of the winners. The current selection process is bad for the UFC.

The TUF selection process should have guys graded by current UFC fighters in a different weight class. So welterweight fighters would grade each potential heavyweight on striking and grappling, and then Dana [White] and Joe Silva would have the best fight the rest, which would largely eliminate the aforementioned problem.

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I think it might even make sense to give each coach one wildcard pick out of the guys that lost, or make it so the wildcard fought one of the winners later that day or the day after.

What are your thoughts on the selection process?
--Greg

Tomas Rios, columnist: There are definitely problems with the UFC’s opening round selection process on “The Ultimate Fighter” and the seemingly random nature of the draw is perhaps the biggest one.

Instituting a grading process, while sound on paper, would probably create more problems than it’s worth as we saw many fighters do far better than anticipated on the early seasons of “TUF.” However, a wildcard system is something that could certainly go a long way towards making sure the best fighters get into the house.

Ideally, there would be 28 fighters invited to the house. 14 per division -- assuming a two division setup -- and the first round of fights would go on as usual. After that stage, the coaches would get together and determine a wildcard entry in each division which would be added to pool of fighters up for grabs during the team selections.

Another quick fix would be a mental health check for anyone invited onto the show. As much as I enjoy watching Junie “The Anarchist Leprechaun” Browning wreak havoc, it’s a matter of time before the UFC pushes their luck too far and ends up with a major controversy over an in-house assault or worse.

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How do you see UFC 90’s Thiago Alves-Diego Sanchez bout playing out? I see Sanchez getting an early takedown and finishing in the first round. What are your thoughts?
-- Jevon Parmore

Jordan Breen; radio host, columnist: Official predictions aside, a first-round stoppage for Sanchez is about as unlikely as you can get in this fight.

Sanchez's technically improved stand-up is a major asset against arguably the most potent striker in the welterweight division. However, Sanchez still struggles closing the distance on opponents who back up and circle away, and despite being a generally sterling grappler, he does not have an explosive shot. When Sanchez gets takedowns, he is forced to take volleys of strikes, and often several blown attempts before finally getting it on rugged stick-to-itiveness rather than explosive efficiency. Alves won't fight from the perimeter in the fashion that John Alessio frustrated Sanchez with, but he can strike from the pocket while pancaking the shot and is superb at catching underhooks on would-be wrestlers while shucking them off.

Odds are that Sanchez will get on top at some point. However, he will face a continually improving grappler with great defensive instincts on the ground. His bout with Matt Hughes revealed that Alves has developed superb defensive grappling, as he used an overhook and open-guard variations to maintain defensive control on a crushing top-position fighter. More importantly, his ability to use the butterfly-guard and sit up from the bottom allowed him the ability to deftly scramble back to his feet when Hughes looked to be more hostile. Against a hyper-aggressive and less physically imposing Sanchez, Alves' defensive grappling has to be appreciated -- especially the ability to initiate scrambles.

“The Nightmare” certainly shouldn't be counted out. However, five minutes certainly isn't enough time for an attrition-oriented athlete like Sanchez to stop Alves.

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