Issue 1-Jorge Gurgel has to be the luckiest guy in the UFC, Why is it that he does not have to face better competition? A lot of guys only get one or two chances to prove themselves in the UFC and this guy has had over 6 times. His wins are over guys who are no longer fighting in the UFC and his losses are to guys who no longer fight in the UFC. Why does the UFC let guys like Arlovski , Lawler, and many others go and not renew their contracts but still let this guy hang around and fight guys with the least amount of talent? Its not cause he is exciting cause the guy is horrible.
-Matt Blount

I have never been impressed with Gurgel and have always wondered what he did to sell under such a lucky star. He was whipped on TUF and lost in the Octagon too many times to be still be there as you pointed out. My theory is he's just super-connected. He's best friends with Rich Franklin and knows everyone in the BJJ community. He seems pretty well spoken too, so I'm guessing Dana likes him as a friend more than a fighter, which is the real criteria for being in the UFC. You have to be a FOD (Friend of Dana) to be in the Octagon. Great question and I wish I had a better answer for it, but unfortunately I don’t know Gurgel or anyone in his camp, or I’d ask.

Issue 2-With the demise of Pro Elite, I would rather see a lot of the fighters migrate over to Strikeforce then Affliction. While the shows may be on smaller scale, I think Strikeforce shows more stability. Affliction hasn't shown me they will stick with MMA event promotions. Stirkeforce seems to be following a smarter game plan. They have earned a faithful following in Northern California and the Northwest. By all reports the Denver show they just held went off well. Even Dana White shows them some respect. What do you think?
-CactusCat23

Right now the path to longevity in MMA promotions is to know your place. And while Dana White is in power that place is to stay small and regional. I think everyone respects Strikeforce because they've kept their ambitions in check and taken a long-term, incremental approach to success. They never tried to be bigger than they are and never tried to take on the UFC, which is pure suicide at this point. Sportfight is also a respected promotion and I'm sure they're going to get better and better with all the talent up in the Northwest. The Ultimate Warrior Challenge is a young promotion in the DC area that shows a lot of promise as well. I was bummed to see King of the Cage go down with ProElite and I hope Terry Trebilcock will bring it back to life. Before they bellied up, they boasted a roster of who's-who in MMA that have come up through their ranks including Anderson Silva, Rampage, and Urijah Faber.