MMA with Brett Okamoto

MMA with Brett Okamoto
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Welcome to SportsNation! On Wednesday, ESPN.com mixed martial arts writer Brett Okamoto stops by to chat about the news from the octagon.

Okamoto joined ESPN.com in December 2010. Previously, he was the boxing/MMA writer for the Las Vegas Sun newspaper and has also worked with Sports Illustrated magazine and CNN.com.

Send your questions now and join Okamoto Wednesday at 1 p.m. ET!

Brett Okamoto
Hey guys, happy early Thanksgiving to you all. Coming off a crazy weekend of fights. Chandler/Alvarez was top notch. Rua/Henderson was probably the best fight I've ever seen, on video or in person. It was that good. What do you guys think?
Tyler (Oklahoma )
Can we finally stop calling Eddie Alvarez a top ten lightweight? And while were at it, get rid of Aoki to. These guys fight nobody!
Brett Okamoto
I wouldn't call Michael Chandler a nobody. He's young and doesn't have a ton of experience, but he's a Grade A collegiate wrestler with great cardio and fast improving hands. That said, I think the people crowning Alvarez the No. 1 lightweight in the world jumped the gun a bit...HOWEVER...I do still have Alvarez and Aoki in my top 10.
lewis (tx)
hey bret all these people are saying shogun deserved a draw but he was knocked down twice--round 1 and round 3 so where are the 10-8 scores for those rounds--goes both ways
Brett Okamoto
I see your point but first round was definitely not even close to 10-8. Rua actually knocked Henderson down in the round too, many are forgetting. That round was actually very close in my eyes. Third round you could make a case for 10-8 Henderson, but Rua recovered, got back to his feet and made a bit of a comeback late in the round as it was clear Henderson was exhausted. I scored fifth 10-8 Rua, and that was the only 10-8 I had.
Chris Fiegler (Latham,NY)
Happy Thanksgiving to you.
Brett Okamoto
I had a dream last night I ate lots of turkey and laid the points with the Ravens over San Fran and won some money. Let's hope that was prophetic.
mitch (utica ny)
Brett, just want to make sure i read this right.... Ufc 140 and 141 will be live on ESPN?
Brett Okamoto
Hmmm, I think you read it right but misinterpreted. We do live analysis for every UFC card. We live blog, which is cool because it's live and not round by round, and a chat like this. It's a fun thing to do, even if you bought the fights.
KP (ChicaGo)
Give us your best guess of the card lineup for the next UFC on Fox event, also heard its targeted for 1/28
Brett Okamoto
It is a go for Chicago on Jan. 28. As far as who is on the card, my first guess was Rampage Jackson. I heard from a source it wasn't going to be him, but now I just read this morning he's not going to be on the Japan card, so maybe that shakes it up. I also thought rebooking Phil Davis and Rashad Evans wouldn't be a bad look.
Barry (High Point, NC)
Brett,Premature to call Hendo-Shogun one of the best fights ever? Or has there been enough time since the fight to rationally discuss this?
Brett Okamoto
I think there's been rational time. I've watched hundreds of fights live and this was the best one I've ever seen, just based on how they kept going. When you watch fights repeatedly, you start to recognize when a fighter has nothing left. They both were at that point multiple times, but found third-fourth-fifth winds. It was amazing.
Matty-Ice (Detroit)
Does Munoz do anything that Chael doesn't do better?
Brett Okamoto
His ground and pound is more violent than Chael's Chael will control you and grind on you, Munoz will Donkey Kong you into unconsciousness. But that's the only thing I can peg.
Chad S (Chicago, IL)
Brett: We know that most likely Sonnen/Munoz is happening at UFC on Fox2. Is the hold up with announcing have to deal with Rampage? It seems like he wants to fight in Japan but Dana wants him on Fox?
Brett Okamoto
Yes, could be. Originally, I of course thought Sonnen would not make Fox because he was going to fight Anderson and that's a big money fight the UFC would want for PPV. Now, with Silva injured, the Munoz fight makes sense and yeah, I think Rampage is a natural fit on network TV.
Dustin (Nebraska)
Anderson will do better if him and chael fight again soon, last time he had bruised ribs and still won
Brett Okamoto
Everyone seems to have differing opinions on that. My take is this...don't put too much stock into Chael's high testosterone levels (as many do) or Silva's injury.
KP (ChicaGo)
Thoughts on Hendo's next fight? I hope it's an immediate title shot at either lhw or mw, no contender bout necessary he has nothing to prove with the 2-5 contenders at either weight
Brett Okamoto
I'd like to see him sit a bit, recover from that last fight, then fight for the title at 205. He's not the same guy at 185. That cut is hard on him at this point in his career.
Mike (Pittsburgh)
I found 139 to be one of the most anticipated cards of the year and it did not disappoint.
Brett Okamoto
It wasn't one of the most anticipated cards of the year in terms of hype or excitement leading in, but it was a phenomenal card. Glad I was there. Silva/Le was also a great fight to watch.
JT (Pittsburgh, PA)
When you heading out to Stockton, CA to spend time with Nick D? I know you ain't scared homie, but seriously, this is most excited I have ever been for a UFC fight. Am I nuts, or does Diaz have a great chance of pulling off the upset?
Brett Okamoto
Believe it or not, I would actually really like to go to Stockton. Diaz is high on my list of fighters' camps to visit. I think he's got a shot against St. Pierre, for sure. Better shot than most of the contenders we've seen him fight recently.
Flip (Minson, NJ) [via mobile]
Are we going to see Cruz and Faber on the next TUF? The added weight classes seem way too thin, do you expect this to change in the near future?
Brett Okamoto
Yes, the smaller weight classes will get more depth. All of them will. I don't necessarily see the lighter ones THAT much more thin than any of the others. I really hope we see Cruz/Faber coach TUF next. Timing makes sense. Dana said he has a plan for them.
Matty-Ice (Detroit)
Early thoughts of Miller/Guillard?
Brett Okamoto
That's a good fight. Did everyone see Guillard's reaction to the Lauzon loss on Dana's video blog? He was clearly very upset with himself. Tough, tough fight with Miller. Either Guillard finishes him early or Miller wins it.
Ken (ca.)
Mr. B., I saw Urijah's improved standup and have always liked his overall game, just thought we might see Bowles wobble him. Kudos to Urijah for a great fight, I believe Bowles will be back too.
Brett Okamoto
Bowles will be back. He's a great fighter with serious finishing skills, but he's always going to struggle against the faster guys at 135. Just doesn't have the speed to keep up. Urijah is at the top of his game. I'm looking forward to the trilogy.

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