The UFC has finally absorbed PRIDE and a goodly portion of the rest of the world of MMA. The results really aren't shocking to long time students of the game, but allow me to sum up the conventional thinking, the bumps in the road, and how we've reached a strange status quo in the world of mixed martial arts.

It had always been said by pundits of mixed martial arts that when worlds collide, PRIDE is going to own the upper weight classes, and the UFC will own the lower. It was simply a matter of talent pool. I myself made the prediction (on the alt.ufc newsgroup) that PRIDE fighters would hold half the belts in the UFC, with Nog taking the Heavyweight title for the third and final belt. That wasn't some strange feat of precognition, folks. The statistics said it would happen. If you become a student of the game, and a student of the stats, you can see the avalanche before it starts to roll downhill.

Simply put, PRIDE fighters had a lot more talent in the heavier weight classes. Champions in the HW and LHW divisions of PRIDE, between 2001 and 2005 were the real deal. They were the best in the world. I say 'were' because since 2006, PRIDE belts have been a joke. The 'champions' fought placeholder fights and freakshows for the last 2 years, fighting twice a year max.

Don't believe me? Fedor fights Martins, Old Man Coleman, and Hunt who was coming off a loss. Henderson was never asked to defend, and in fact Kazuo Misaki (who Henderson beat for the belt) beat HIM later that year at PRIDE 12 Bushido - non title! Gomi gets the belt and loses his next match... non title. He doesn't have to defend the title until PRIDE Bushido 13, against Marcus Aurelio who was coming off of a LOSS to Ishida! He never defended it again. So to those of you who ask why I think PRIDE/UFC Unification bouts are a joke, there you go.

At any rate, top of the foodchain PRIDE fighters who stuck around through the mid 2000's and continued to improve their game were destined to take HW and LHW gold in the UFC. Anderson Silva was, I admit, somewhat of a shocker for the Middleweight division, but his skills have grown by leaps and bounds, and he wears it well. I would have sworn to you that it would have been Paulo Filho or Okami, but fate can be funny that way, folks!

So what happened with the bottom half of the weight classes? Exactly what should have happened: UFC dominance. Nobody breeds 155 pounders stronger than the West. For every talented, fast BJJ guy from the East there are 2 or 3 brutal wrestlers with well rounded skills like Edgar and Griffin and Sherk and Huerta! And you get the same in 170 with the likes of Hughes and Fitch, but they would also have to contend with the likes of the sick technical fighters like GSP and Parisyan. The reality is, lower weight classes is where UFC has their deep talent pool.

So here we are, stuck exactly where we thought we would be. This is the status quo. Guys like me have been waiting for this moment in MMA history, where the best in the world are really facing off, and we're seeing real results.

Now what?

What is going to shake up the sport? How are we going to push into the next generation of mixed martial arts, at least within the context of the UFC?

I think we saw a hint of what is to come with the recent Tim Boetsch battle against Heath. I must admit, I've watched this fight 10 times. When someone adapts their traditional martial arts (TMA) to the MMA arena THAT well, and piles a well rounded game on top of it, we might be looking at the fracturing of the old school BJJ VS Wrestling VS Striker (or some combination of the three) matchups. Judo made an impact with the likes of Parisyan... but Jeet Kune Do?! TMA's have found a couple of strong concepts that allow them to adapt: Conditioning and cross training. As more martial artists find ways to adjust to the octagon, with solid defense and balanced attacks that include a lot of body work, the old triangle of styles is going to open up to a myriad of completely new matchups.

The second thing that will disrupt the status quo is the addition of new weight classes. I think 145 pounds is just around the corner. I predict that the 145 division is going to be wide open. With vast featherweight talent in Shooto and the WEC, and with some UFC lightweights willing to drop down to a more natural weight class, 145 pounds will see a lot of fireworks from all around the globe!

This is what I see for 2008 and early 2009, and these are factors that will keep MMA interesting in the seasons to come.

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