On a highly anticipated dreary winter day in Atlantic City, Planet USA at UFC 41, the largest MMA organization in North America, Zuffa, wound up with no lightweight champion. When Lorenzo Fertitta was asked at the press conference if the title would still remain empty, since Jens "Little Evil" Pulver had abandoned it many months before, he seemed a bit bewildered as to what would be done to resolve this seeming dilemma. He did indeed express the fact though, that the UFC still had no Lightweight Champion.

a highly anticipated dreary winter day in Atlantic City, Planet USA at UFC 41, the largest MMA organization in North America, Zuffa, wound up with no lightweight champion. When Lorenzo Fertitta was asked at the press conference if the title would still remain empty, since Jens "Little Evil" Pulver had abandoned it many months before, he seemed a bit bewildered as to what would be done to resolve this seeming dilemma. He did indeed express the fact though, that the UFC still had no Lightweight Champion.

Din had just lost and then won; in a fight he seemed to have won. It was a controversial judge's decision that was later reversed against master grappler Matt Serra, a Renzo Gracie jiu-jitsu fighter. This was only the first surprise, which would occur on this Twilight Zone like night, in the extremely tough 155 lbs. (70.4 kg) battleship. The indecision against Din Thomas, a great counter striker and stand up fighter, was reversed "after the fact" by the judges. It was a very tough fight, and Serra is no pushover. He had previously lost a very tight encounter against B. J. Penn in Las Vegas, but once again fell slightly short of victory. Serra was telegraphing and unable to take Din to the ground. He took some hard punches from Din, but responded by getting more aggressive towards the end of the fight. Perhaps if he was as aggressive against Din, as he had been against B. J., it might have been enough for the judges.

"I really want to thank Matt, you know, for coming out and fighting a good fight. I mean I know they said he won at first; I thought it was racial at first" Laughter! "I'm just kidding!" Thomas is not only funny and likeable, but he is one of the many talented 155lbs. fighters "sitting in limbo." Before starting to Limbo to "50 Cent," Din had been one of many promising challengers for this now elusive title. Until recently, he was only one of two fighters who had defeated Jens Pulver by submission. He also lost in a close decision to Caol Uno, but now he is back to redeem himself. This was only the beginning of a weird night, the first trauma that left us in the Land of the Lost.

The lightweight division, which has the deepest spectrum of talent in all of the MMA weight categories, is currently in chaos with no unified reigning champ.

To say that there are many talented fighters in this division; is truly an understatement. When I talked to Din Thomas after UFC 41, he welcomed the concept of a world-class tournament, to decide who is the toughest among the lightweights. Perhaps it could be called LIGHTWEIGHT MASSACRE! When I asked him whom he thought was "numero uno," without hesitation he mentioned Takanori Gomi, the current reigning undefeated 155lbs. Shooto Champion from Japan. Gomi would be a great threat in the UFC, with his "home grown Japanese ground and pound." But he has never fought in the cage, and this can be a difficult transition for many fighters who are used to the ropes. Gomi is tough, lanky, resilient and a very aggressive fighter. Perhaps, only a Gracie could stop him right now.

Caol Uno, and B. J. Penn had fought an all out war giving it everything, only to wind up in a shocking but very just draw. This was indeed poetic justice. In the eyes of the American fans and Lorenzo Fertitta, perhaps B. J. had won, but in the eyes of the experts it was unfinished business. Uno had more flash and was more entertaining, but both these warriors had the spirit of champions. "I never knew that Uno was as good as he was. Because, in actuality, me and Uno never fought before. That fight, It was not even a fight the first one. So I was very surprised at Uno's skill. Uhm! I don't even know where we go from here, where this leaves the lightweight division, so…I'm gonna wait and see what happens from here on." Penn's stoic and quiet persona might have been mistaken as arrogance, but in his own words at the press conference, this Hawaiian prodigy showed that he did indeed have class. He acknowledged Caol Uno's grace, one of his personal heroes of MMA. This living legend had to overcome a great barrier, "… fear in my heart!" in this particular fight against Penn, since he had been traumatized in a stunning 11 second KO loss to the Prodigy in their first non-title encounter.

The belt at this time had no owner, since the Miletich Camp fighter, Jens Pulver had abandoned it months before. It was a sudden and controversial end for Pulver, who had successfully defended his belt against both Uno and Penn. Both fights went five rounds and "Little Evil" won by the judge's cards. Pulver was pissed off at the lack of respect with which his title was being rewarded. It was as if the pay was by the pound, and this rock of a champ demanded more. Unfortunately, "Little Evil" had now given up the primary stage for showcasing his lightweight talent in MMA, at least here in North America. Pulver fought at a couple of events in Japan successfully, but had just lost in a shocking K.O. to Duane "Bang" Ludwig. This was a short period in this concept we call time, only four months before we wound up in this lightweight no mans land. This occurred in Canada's UCC 12: "Adrenaline" in Montreal. Pulver, a super strong wrestler with KO fists, made the mistake of standing against a Muay Thai Kick Boxer under the training of Bas Rutten. Pulver got nailed and held on, but could not quite recover when the referee stood them in the center of the ring. He got nailed and wound up under the ropes when the referee stopped it; this was a shock for everyone. One of the world's top lightweights hit the floor. Pulver suffered another devastating loss only recently to a fighter who seems to have turned his luck around and has won his last four, Jason Maxwell who is 4-3-0. To make it more complicated this guy also lost to "Bang" Ludwig, who most recently won a controversial decision against Genki Sudo when a doctor's check turned things around in the last minute and a half of the fight. This was Genki's first MMA defeat in over three years, but it could be said that the referee salted his wounds. I would like to see a rematch, and if I was a betting man, it might be in Yens instead of Dollars.

Caol Uno, who had given up his Shooto 155lbs. title a couple years earlier in order to fight in the United States, had traveled hard and uphill in his quest to be the Cages' 155lb. champion. He reminds me of Voltaire's Candide, a philosopher warrior, except Candide lost a lot of limbs… What I'm trying to say is that this Wa-Jiutsu fighter from Japan ran into a lot of bad luck when he crossed the Pacific. The end of this battle was truly a shock to all; fans, promoters, press, and most of all to the fighters themselves. Although Lorenzo Fertitta seemed very certain in his commentaries about how BJ had "imposed his will," and how "shocked" he was, the only certain thing was that the title was still uncertain.

Part 2>>