State Of The Union

Don't make plans to go camping every weekend this summer just yet. Instead of spending $4.50 a gallon to drive to the woods and get eaten alive by mosquito's, check out the line up of MMA talent that is sure to make staying home seem like a great idea. The action is really heating up this summer with a plethora of exciting events.

May 24th - UFC 84 - The return of Shawn Sherk and the dominating performance by B.J. Penn. Not to mention what was most likely the last time Tito Ortiz stepped foot in the octagon.

May 31st - Elite XC debuted on Primetime T.V. The topics have been beaten to death so I wont go there, but you cant not be excited that MMA came to live network television.

June 1st - WEC 34 - Faber vs. Pulver lived up to the bill as the two best featherweights in the game squared off in a slug fest. The WEC also showed up the debacle the night before on CBS.

June 7th - UFC 85 - This event showcased the end of an era. Most are now convinced that Matt Hughes best days are behind him.

June 14th - Elite XC - K.J. Noons vs Yves Edwards. Noons defends his lightweight belt against Edwards in a fight that many, myself included, believe should have been the main event on CBS. This should be an outstanding fight.

June 14th - Adrenaline 1 - Not much interesting on this card after wrestling beast Jeff Monson came off the card, but it will be interesting to see how their inaugural event comes off.

June 15th - Dream 4 - Fear not. Even though Cro Cop had to withdraw from his grappling match due to injury, purists will love the next round of the middleweight grand prix.

June 20th - Sportfight 23 - The Matt Lindland/Mark Cuban promotion promises to deliver some great fights from the hotbed for MMA, the Pacific Northwest.

June 21st - TUF 7 Finale - Evan Tanner vs Kendall Grove is a huge match up. The winner steps up in the title picture while the loser puts himself in a huge hole to reach the top spot.

June 27th - Strikeforce - Don't let this one pass. Lots of great fights including a light heavyweight title fight between Gilbert Melendez and Josh Thomson.

July 5th - UFC 86 - Jackson vs Griffin. The UFC has done a terrible job of promoting Jackson as the next big thing. Neither fighter has fought since last September making the build up for this fight a little slow. Trust me however, these two guys are animals and this is my pick for fight of the year.

July 19th - Affliction Banned - The one we are all waiting for, Fedor vs Silvia. Affliction has gone out and signed the top heavyweight talent in the world. Even though they seem to put all their eggs in the heavyweight basket, this card should reveal an exciting night of fights.

UPDATE: July 19th - Ultimate Fight Night - To counter promote against Affliction, the UFC has added an event. Not a lot of great fights on the card but this is a good chance for up and coming fighters to make a showing. That coupled with the fact that Anderson Silva will make his debut at light heavyweight should make this a fun one to watch.

One of the best things about this sport is that there is no season. Competition breeds a better product and all of these upstart organizations will hopefully push the big boys to continue to bring the best fights in MMA. At any rate, its an exciting time to be a fan.