Sam Caplan, who covers MMA for CBS Sportsline, has an “exclusive” statement today on his personal MMA Site from Mike Swick.
In an exclusive statement to FiveOuncesOfPain.com, Mike Swick responded to a question we submitted to him about comments made by Joe Rogan during the UFC 70 telecast about Swick possibly being a better fit in the welterweight division (170 lbs.).
Here’s Swick’s response to us:
“I plan to fight my next fight at 170. I came in lighter than ever for this one and I think it’s best to drop.”
Speculation has been high since Swick’s defeat at UFC 69 against Yushin Okami about the option of moving from middleweight to welterweight. Swick was easily out-sized and out-muscled in at UFC 69 and you could hear him express his frustration between rounds as he stated “he’s just so strong” (referring to Okami). Swick will now drop to the 170 lbs weight class and join and already packed, star-studded group of fighters in what might be the UFC’s deepest division as far as talent. The question also arises of Swicks fellow American Kickboxing Academy teammates Josh Koscheck and Jon Fitch who also fight at welterweight. Will any of these AKA teammates fight each other? It appears they may now have to.
Loading ...
Caesar Gracie
John
Yael Grauer
Dale
Tyler Johnson
felo
Mike
Tony
Shawn
Ben Cartlidge
THIS IS A GOOD MOVE FOR SWICK
Good move for Swick, but I do think it will lead to a division in his camp with his friends/training partners having to part ways.
I think BJ Penn should go Lightweight and fight Sherk, the Welterweight division is getting pretty full and in my opinion, it’s not a lack of talent, but a lack of fight opportunity that is keeping Penn out of the contention picture in the near future. The Lightweight division with Gomi, Penn, Sherk, ect. could be come the next great weight division in the UFC, (pending Gomi’s move) and it could make PPV’s much more exciting than having a bunch of the same weight class infighting for a title shot. I personally think a fighter like Cro Cop or Arlovski could go down to 205 and be very successful, I also think that Wand could go to 185 and be a Champion again.. just some random thoughts while we are talking division changes for Swick..
@ Anyone
Where is Dennis, RJ, Richard lately? No comments at all about UFC70 recently.
@MMAKansas,
I think Dennis is still in Germany for business, and RJ and Richard usually show up later during the day.
KANSAS I
I KNOW DENNIS IS GONNA BE GONE TILL THE 25TH OR 26TH FOR HIS JOB….. I DONT KNOW ABOUT RJ OR RICHARD
Crap, I have been teaching MMA in the evenings so I don’t get online much after 5pm … like tonight I am teaching and tomorrow.. oh well
KANSAS
I DO AGREE I THINK THAT THE WELTERWEIGHT DIVISION IS GETTING A LIL TOO STACKED …WHAT IF WE SAW GSP DROP DOWN TO LIGHTWEIGHT CUZ OF HIS LOSS …. THAT WOULD BE VERY INTERESTING??
hmm, never thought of that… wow, that would be something. Do you think the paydays would be as good at light vs welter?
OH YEA PENDING ON WHO THE FIGHTER IS… U KNOW I PERSONALLY THINK THE MORE POPULAR THE FIGHTER THE MORE THEY GET PAID..
I don’t think GSP would drop down. I could see Penn doing it again, I could see Matt Hughes later in his career around the age of 35 doing it, and I could see Matt Serra doing it after he loses the title in the next year or so. The only reason I don’t see GSP doing it right now, not that it wouldn’t be cool, is because he is young, he has had major success at Welterweight, and at his height and fat to muscle ration, he would have to drop a lot of ‘MUSCLE’ to go down, no fat. So it wouldn’t be beneficial to him to do so, he still has the best chance of anyone in the Welterweight division of getting the title back other than Hughes who we know GSP can beat.
I AGREE WITH U KANSAS
WHAT U STATING ABOUT CRO COP OR THE PITBUL GOING TO LIGHT HEAVY WEIGHT I THINK THAT WOULD BE COOL
@ DrJ
Hey good doctor, what do you think is next for “the prodigy”?
@MMAKansas,
Well, of course, next up for BJ is Jens Pulver at the end of the TUF 5 season. I hope BJ decides to stay at Lightweight, but I’m sure he will keep bouncing back and forth between lightweight and welterweight. I think if BJ can take the title at lightweight he’ll try to jump back to Welterweight and grab that belt too.
@PATRICK,
There is absolutely NO WAY that GSP could make weight at 155. He is already just a big 170lbs fighter that I think it would be physically close to impossible for him to make 155.
OK WELL MAYBE 185
LOL!
I am trying to picture GSP at 155 .. lol that is a funny picture!
@DRJ,
I know BJ is fighting Jens, what I am saying, pending his win, and I do think he will win decisively, what do you think about afterward, and of course you answered with your hope that he stays at 155.
So I suppose you think he is good enought to beat the “Shark”?
KANSAS
MY PERSONAL OPINION IS THAT I DONT HINK PENN WOULD HAVE ENOUGH POWER TO HANDLE THE SHARK
I agree Patrick that the Shark has a lot of power, but, BJ has leverage, and if he tightened up a bit, he would have a reach advantage.. and nobody in the UFC is better than the Prodigy on the ground.
So if he has the reach advantage, and the height advantage for striking and keeping Shawn a bay, and he is superior on the ground skill and leverage wise, what would Sherk do to win? Just curious how this plays out in your mind or anyone else who would care to speculate.
I DONT KNOW… I KNOW THAT SEAN IS ALOT STRONGER RIGHT?
KANSAS
WHAT DO YOU THINK IS NEXT FOR CRO COP AND THE PITBUL
@MMAK,
I definitely think that BJ Penn CAN beat Sean Sherk or anyone else in the lightweight division. The thing with BJ has also been motivation and which BJ Penn actually shows up to fight. BJ can easily, EASILY beat anyone on the ground, but we’ve seen him come to fight and not be physically prepared before.
Sherk definitely has the size and muscle advantage over BJ, but Penn is such a tricky and skilled fighter that he should be able to pick Sherk apart on the feet and the ground.
@Pat
Well, Shawn is 5ft 6in .. and BJ is 5ft 9in so .. yeah Shawn has a ton more muscle packed in that little package, but it would be hard as heck to beat BJ on the ground, and standing up, well he is so short and his reach is so short I think BJ would pick him apart little by little..
@Doc
Think we are on the same wavelength regarding BJ.. He is just lazy.. wish he was more active in his conditioning because he is like my second favorite fighter..
I TAKE IT DOC U WOULD GO FOR BJ THEN HUH?
@Patrick
It’s hard to say the direction of MMA fighters at this point with all of these unexpected upsets. I think Arlovski should be fighting Brandon Vera, it would be good, but I dont know that it will happen.
Cro Cop has 4 fights left in his contract, much like Wanderlei Silva, he has gone home to figure out what he did wrong and fix it, whether it was training or an attitued issue, he will come back and probably fight either Arlovski or Vera, with the winner challenging Gonzaga, I see him beating Couture if he comes into that fight like he did Saturday’s. – - ALL OF THIS IS SPECULATION PURELY>.
Yeah, I would for sure pick BJ in that fight, but I wouldn’t put any money on it. The thing with BJ has always been his motivation and drive. It just seems like sometimes he doesn’t really care about what he is doing when he is fighting and that he doesn’t devote enough time in preparing for specific opponents.
@Doc
Your opinion on the next steps for Arlovski and Cro Cop o zen master doc?
KANSAS DOC
ARE WE THE ONLY PEOPLE OUT HERE TODAY?
I REALLY DONT FIND THAT TO FAIR KANSAS…. IF CRO COP GETS ONE FIGHT AND IF HE WINS HE GETS GONZAGA… ID SAY 2 FIGHTS… AND IF HE WINS THE SECOND ONE HE SHOULD GET THE CHAMP THEN…..I THINK ARLOVSKI SHOULD GET VERA FIRST… THEN THE WINNER GETS GONZAGA
@Pat
I do believe Arlovski will fight Vera first, it’s what I said… Cro Cop is simply ranked #2 in the world, and Arlovski is #7, so who has to fight back to the top more? Arlovski of course. I think that Cro Cop will fight the winner of Arlovski vs. ? ..
For Arlovski, I’m really up in the air about him. I honestly don’t think at this point that he will ever regain the heavyweight title. Arlovski was dominant for a while in an anemic UFC Heavyweight division, and now with the current influx of fighters at Heavyweight I really don’t think he can compete anymore. Supposedly if he beat Werdum he was supposed to get another title shot, but I dont see how you can justify giving him a title shot after his performance with Werdum.
I think it depends on what the UFC decides to do with Nogueria. I personally would like to see Nogueria vs. Brandon Vera, but after the Arlovski-Werdum fight, I think I’d be more intersted in seeing Vera vs Arlovksi. Then again, I personally think Vera should drop to 205 instead of heavyweight, so who really knows. Realistically, even though everyone seems to want it, I don’t think we’ll see a Cro Cop vs Arlovski matchup next. I think we’ll be more likely to see Cro Cop come back against someone like Jake O’Brien, Fabricio Werdum or even Tim Syliva. I think Arlovski will matchup with either Brandon Vera or even Nogueria.
But then again, I haven’t been right on much lately so take that for what its worth…
@DrJ
I think you are right on target. If Sylvia’s 3rd cort. shot goes well it could line up like you said, if he has to go into surgery, I don’t think he will fight again in 2007. But yeah, good points, I think that your matchup specs are looking good.
As far as Arlovski goes, well, he got knocked out by Tim and hasn’t looked the same since… He is taking a lot of shots now, and is not half as agressive as previously…
THATS ANOTHER THING ABOUT THE PITBUL I NOTICED HIS CHIN HAS GOT ALOT BETTER?
guys im here no work today so the pitbull doesnt have a great chin thats why i think hes cautious now cro crop if he didnt seriously hurt his leg probablly come back and kick some azzz maybe against sylvia vera needs to fight more but the second he loses in heavy weight or feels the power of a cro crop or arlovski hell move to down weight
YEA I CANT STAND VERA’S *** HES SUCH A ***
I HOPE WHOEVER HE FIGHTS HE GETS HIS AZZ KNOCKED THE FOOK OUT
@Pat
lol, I hear you… so .. tell us how you REALLY feel about Vera.. lol
I WANT TO SEE THE PITBULL KNOCK HIM OUT THEN WHEN HES KNOCKED OUT I WANT THE PITBULL TO LEAN OVER AND TAKE A HUGE DUMP ON HIM… HOWS THAT?
i like vera hes a great fighter with a big head who hasnt got his azzz handed to him yet plus hes kinda sexxxxxy
Holy s@&%! .. a little more than I cared to know guys, I was joking! lol!
VERY IS ONE UGLY DUDE RICHARD LOL
the night of ufc 70 i got a keg there was a lot of guys here watching the ufc so after the arlovski fight we all decided to get a stripper my homie knows a couple so like in thiry minutes we had two fine azzz ******* shaking what there momma gave em but my girlfriend told me before she left to the casino no strippers but she usually doesnt come home till 3 or 4 in the mornin so it was like 12 so i thought we had time boy was i wrong as the second girl started to grind on my homie next to me my girl walked in tell u the truth everyone scattered and ive been sleeping at my moms im on my way to kiss some azzz right now but i dont think i should my arguement is i was drunk and i dont even remember strippers going to the house THINK ITS GONNA WORK
@Richard
lol, you better hope she doesn’t get online and check your online history and see your post.
With a phone number to your mom, I could look you, and everyone connected to you up. You financial matters, ect. I could call your girl and set her straight on getting around with guys like you…
I AM MESSING WITH YOU! But seriously, I could do all of that, so you guys get to guess what I do for a living.
KANSAS
UR A DIIK U KNOW A PRIVATE EYE OR COP OR SPY…
AND RICHARD UR A TARD BRO WOMEN WILL SET U UP LIKE THAT ALL THE TIME JUST KISS AZZ DUDE
a pastor or a lawer is my guess
i just lucky that it was my homie with snatch in his face when she walked in not me
I AGREE RICHARD
i think im going to say to her i cant believe u dont trust me why did u come back and check on me im going to try to flip the script then if that doesnt work im going to my bread and butter “I WAS DRUNK”
KANSAS
DID U SEE FABBY WAS KINDA BEIN A COCKY ****
Yeah, I saw Werdum, he was being cocky, he is Brazilian, what do you expect, they all have that “Brazilian Pride”. My wife is Brazilian, and she was embarrassed, said he was making himself look like an idiot especially when he didn’t put on that great a show…
KANSAS u got a brazilian wife lucky u mexican,puerto rican,brazilian women in my opinion finest on earth