bring him in, maybe he can fight rampage and get highlighted again…no but seriously, he’s a serious dude, i like the way he fights, he would provide some more really nice match ups…

No doubt! Arona is my #3 favorite fighter. If he just had a little more standup, he could be so much more.

This guy is going to be a great addition to the LHW division. I’d like to see him fight Wanderlei again.

Sweet.

awesome addition to a already stacked division. maybe he will drop to middleweight. anyways the match ups are getting better. i wonder when he would debut for the ufc dec maybe??

Great news was wondering where he would land….Only watched his destruction of Saku in the 2005 gp the other day again so be good to see him bounceback after the Soku loss.

Be even better if Dana can land Soku as well.

Ah Ricardo is sick, Rampage did slam the shit out of him once. Good fighter, sick tats.

For some reason, I am not excited about this.
The UFC is stacking an already stacked division.

Where are the 185 pound signings?

Come on Dana.

Ricardo in the UFC?! I’d like to see a rematch against Rampage and also fight against Iceman Liddel, Houston Alexander, and Wanderlei Silva, those match ups would be great.

Sweet! I didn’t think he was going to get signed, mostly because of his fighting style. LHW gets even deeper.

Can you say “power bomb”?
The LHW division is going to explode!
Arona fits nicely.
He needs to redeem…
I’ll be there if he does.
Good luck, Arona.

bring him in, maybe he can fight rampage and get highlighted again…no but seriously, he’s a serious dude, i like the way he fights, he would provide some more really nice match ups…

Arona should have won that fight Rampage was out, no matter what anyone says Rampage was out. Then recovered and then beat his ass. Rampage is a good fighter for coming back from that and slamming him, I just think Arona got screwed. It’s really Arona’s fault that he lost, he should have kept hitting him until the fight was stoppped but I still think he should have won.

Anyone who hasn’t seent his guy fight before, you are in for a blast. arona is not only good but he’s an exciting fighter. he fights with guts and skill and it would be a fantastic signing. man 205 is loaded.

Great addition. I just wish some of the lighter division fighters from Pride would get some love. The only ones I can think of off the top of my head are Aurelio and Chonan as far as fighters below light heavy. Sakarai is rumored to fight some time, but I haven’t seen talk of anything lined up.

Maybe it is just the desire for larger fighters in the US, while Japan favors smaller fighters. The majority of successful Japanese fighters have come from smaller weight classes, so perhaps they can get a better deal in Heroes. Either way it sucks, cause the lightweight division is the most fun division to watch imo. Just look at how many fight of the night winners have been lightweights this year.

PS: Sign Hansen, Aoki, and Sakarai

Has anyone here actually watched the whole fight of Jackson vs. Arona. Rampage gets kicked a couple times in the neck then hit in the head a couple times and hes out. Arona is then stupid enough to stop hitting him and tells the ref that Rampage is out which gave Rampage time to recover. Then a couple mintues go by and Arona get slammed and its over. Even though I hate Arona, I still think he got screwed.

Huge news…love the way this guy throws down. Wow! excited to see him in the mix

Aronas style is tailor made for the cage…take em down pin em up against the cage…like a huge ass matt hughes or even a younger couture….

if jackson was out he should have used his bjj skills to finish never expect the ref to do what you think he should

He is really good, would DEF stir things up in the division, man this division is becoming insane.

bring him in, maybe he can fight rampage and get highlighted again…no but seriously, he’s a serious dude, i like the way he fights, he would provide some more really nice match ups…

very exciting, with all these fighters I hope 08’ be a busy year!

This guy is good. Check out the fight between him and Fedor…

For some reason, I am not excited about this.
The UFC is stacking an already stacked division.

Where are the 185 pound signings?

Come on Dana.

Haha, well heaven forbid the UFC from adding even more talent to their roster.

As far as MW goes, I’m not sure how much talent they are actually lacking. I blame Anderson Silva for the perceived dearth in talent. When you have a guy that dominant, it just makes everyone else look bad in comparison. They still have guys like Marquardt, Okami, Franklin, Kampmann, Leites, Martin, Chonan, and some up-and-comers like Cote, Grove, McDonald, McFedries, and Bisping(?). Henderson and Filho may eventually join the UFC MW division as well. Apart from Kang, Lindland, and the two guys under contract with EliteXC who just fought, they’ve got all the big names.

It’s got lots of talent, it’s just that none of them look like they’re a match for the likes of Anderson. The LHW division had that same problem not too long ago with Liddell, and now it’s arguably the most exciting division in the history of the sport. A few surrise wins and a couple additions can work miracles.

The only prob for prides lws is the fact that the ufc is 155 not the 160/163 class not sure exactly which ….that means theyd either have to step up in weight or drop weight and if they try and step up in weight well…st pierre hughes sanchez koscheck …all take em down and gnp em….the strength….. But i think the fact is the ufc is curious about the hw division cus its never been particularly world class and now that the ufc bought pride its exploded…stilll not seeing some of the marquee match ups i was hoping for…arlovski vs crocop….arlovski vs the younger emelianenko ….kharitonov against any ufc hw fighter….

gomi vs sherk id like to see….aoki vs florian would be nice too.

[quote comment=“151141”][quote comment=“151061”].

As far as MW goes, I’m not sure how much talent they are actually lacking. I blame Anderson Silva for the perceived dearth in talent. When you have a guy that dominant, it just makes everyone else look bad in comparison. They still have guys like Marquardt, Okami, Franklin, Kampmann, Leites, Martin, Chonan, and some up-and-comers like Cote, Grove, McDonald, McFedries, and Bisping(?). Henderson and Filho may eventually join the UFC MW division as well. Apart from Kang, Lindland, and the two guys under contract with EliteXC who just fought, they’ve got all the big names.

quote]

I can’t see Lawler or Ninja doing much to Anderson either, come to think of it.

i thinks he could be a beast using the cage

Ryo Chonaan can beat Anderson Silva.

Arona kicks ass…have you all seen this guy’s record…DAMN!! All I have ever gotten to see of him was when he beat up sakuraba and when he lost to Rampage. This fool has wins over Hendo Wandy Lister Horn (2times) ninja and overeem. He has gone 1-1 with some of those guys but that W counts for sure!! He should be real nice to see…I am stoked!

As far as MW goes, I’m not sure how much talent they are actually lacking. I blame Anderson Silva for the perceived dearth in talent . . . It’s got lots of talent, it’s just that none of them look like they’re a match for the likes of Anderson.

Agreed. I thought Marquardt was a stud who could beat Silva, not easily, but it’s all academic now. Hendo won’t drop to MW, so there’s really not much the UFC can do. Ninja, Lawler and Mayhem probably wouldn’t last a round. Lindland, Filho and maybe Kang have a chance against Silva, but the more I see The Spider, the worse the competition looks. I don’t know if Arona could cut the weight, but if he can, he may make for an entertaining loss to Silva.

any top fighter will be a plus in the ufc.I will pay the ppv for any great match up.Please keep it out of the hands of the judges,that is all.

2 words…POWER BOMB

Arona..in that slam by Page..had Page’s leg hooked with his arm..that would of prevented the slam..but once he let go the hook..he was airborne..and made Page’s highlight reel..I wonder if in the seminar he’ll show how not to get slammed when applying a Tri-choke.

Has anyone here actually watched the whole fight of Jackson vs. Arona. Rampage gets kicked a couple times in the neck then hit in the head a couple times and hes out. Arona is then stupid enough to stop hitting him and tells the ref that Rampage is out which gave Rampage time to recover. Then a couple mintues go by and Arona get slammed and its over. Even though I hate Arona, I still think he got screwed.

He didn’t get screwed. Jackson was hurt by those kicks but its hard to say how bad since he still had the dominant position on top. Arona should have kept hitting, if Jackson had been out he would have shown it after a few more shots. Instead Arona looks to the ref and Rampage got his head together. If Arona was screwed he screwed himself.

For some reason, I am not excited about this.
The UFC is stacking an already stacked division.

Where are the 185 pound signings?

Come on Dana.

I was thinking the same thing… Lets now start to stack up the other less exciting devisions… Middle weight needs help. Silva is destrying everyone. Welter weight in my opionion could also use a lil help. . . . .

The question is, who is going to come into the MW division other than Hendo and challenge Silva?

Arona should have won that fight Rampage was out, no matter what anyone says Rampage was out. Then recovered and then beat his ass. Rampage is a good fighter for coming back from that and slamming him, I just think Arona got screwed. It’s really Arona’s fault that he lost, he should have kept hitting him until the fight was stoppped but I still think he should have won.

Rampage was stunned, but he wasn’t knocked out. If Arona had continued dropping hammerfists on him, it’s possible that the ref could’ve stopped it. Good thing this didn’t happen though, b/c we would’ve missed out on the greatest slam in MMA history (Randleplex is a close second).
And while I like the idea of UFC beefing up it’s ranks w/ more Pride fighters, I don’t know if his style is going to catch on w/ US fans. A lot of people have called him boring over the years.
BTW, like another poster said, where’s the 185 pounders from other orgs Dana? Kang went to K1 , but there are still some more. What’s the deal?

Pretty good addition, but nothing for me to get excited about. I may have if he wasn’t 1-3 in the last 2 years. To his defense, it was against top opponents, but if you can’t beat the best, how do you expect to be the best. I’d group him with Tito Ortiz and consider them the gatekeepers to the UFC Top 10. He’d be a perfect match up for a TUF winner to fight in his 2nd match, unless they have him on the Bisping-program.

I was thinking the same thing… Lets now start to stack up the other less exciting devisions… Middle weight needs help. Silva is destrying everyone. Welter weight in my opionion could also use a lil help. .

WW will be getting the help you are seeking with this season of TUF.

im lovin’ the LHW division. can any of these pride guys comin over fight at 185??

Arona really needs to get rid of the Liddell-BeerGut, huh?

Liddell and Jason Lambert should fight each other so that the loser can be declared the LHW fighter in the worst shape!

My first sentence was sarcasm!

Great addition. I just wish some of the lighter division fighters from Pride would get some love. The only ones I can think of off the top of my head are Aurelio and Chonan as far as fighters below light heavy. Sakarai is rumored to fight some time, but I haven’t seen talk of anything lined up.

Maybe it is just the desire for larger fighters in the US, while Japan favors smaller fighters. The majority of successful Japanese fighters have come from smaller weight classes, so perhaps they can get a better deal in Heroes. Either way it sucks, cause the lightweight division is the most fun division to watch imo. Just look at how many fight of the night winners have been lightweights this year.

PS: Sign Hansen, Aoki, and Sakarai

I would love to c Shinya Akoi fight in the UFC, but I read an interview in which he said that he doesnt wanna leave Japan, and he still thinks that PRIDE is gonna make a comeback

WW will be getting the help you are seeking with this season of TUF.

Yeh but with Dana’s record of babying his TUF winners, no matter how good the winner of the new TUF season is, it will be a while b4 Dana lets him fight anyone good enough to impact the WW division.

I really like the addition of Arona, I hope the deal gets done soon. Arona has been in some serious Wars in the past couple of years. I wouldnt mind seeing a rubber match between Arona and Wanderlei, since they each hold a win over the other.

I would like to c Arona fight tito in his Octagon Debut. Arona is a phenomenal wrestle with great Brazilian ju Jitsu game.

If they get a deal done with Arona, the LHW division will be only missing Sokoudjou and Rogerio Noguerra. It has to be the most complete division in the UFC.

Yeh but with Dana’s record of babying his TUF winners, no matter how good the winner of the new TUF season is, it will be a while b4 Dana lets him fight anyone good enough to impact the WW division.

Exactly John. I was going to elaborate on this in my post, but I opted for simply saying “He’d be a perfect match up for a TUF winner to fight in his 2nd match, unless they have him on the Bisping-program.”

I was going to say that it will be at LEAST a year and a half after the completion of this season of TUF, before any of them will be considered near the top of the WW division, with the lone exception of Mac Danzig who has the experience to skip the TUF show, and just fight in the UFC.

Ricardo Arona a natural 200 pounder would be a get addition to 185 division or the 205 division, after seeing his fight with Fedor. I think he’ll make a good match againist Rampage or Anderson Silva. Ricardo to me is a heavier kos cause he has unstoppable take downs.Ufc needs the bests fights and he is 1 of the best

I love Ricardo, and for those who say he dose not have a good stand-up match, that is totally not right, and his match against Rampage is the biggest proof, his hands are too heavy specially in straight punches, he just not that kind of a lucky fighter, alot of fights against the big guys should ended with wins but he gets screwed up for some reason, damn it. Anyway I wish to see him back again because he is a great fighter!

Whats going on hear is he doing to sign with a organization or what ? And what about Antonio Rogerio “Minotoro” Nogueira where the Hell is he going to sign any news out there on him ? Bolth fighters need to get back into action soon !!!!