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Mailbag: Hamilton's DVDs are must-see

Yahoo Sports

The growth in mixed martial arts over the past several years hasn't been matched by a corresponding growth in the officiating pool, which is an ominous sign for a sport on the verge of the mainstream.

With MMA moving onto network television and exploding into the public consciousness, the need for quality officials has never been greater. But the same faces – Herb Dean, Steve Mazzagatti, Yves Lavigne, Dan Miragliotta and Mario Yamasaki – do so many of the fights that they're on television almost as frequently as David Letterman.

Veteran judge and referee Nelson "Doc" Hamilton, who has been involved in martial arts for more than 30 years, has produced a pair of DVDs that attempt to tackle the problem. He's made one DVD on refereeing MMA fights and another on judging them that can be used to help train new officials in the sport.

Hamilton, who has refereed in the UFC and PRIDE, among many other promotions, has spent much of the past eight years gathering the material for the DVDs. The result has been a brilliant and fascinating work that is a major contribution to the sport he loves. Hamilton, who played a key role in fashioning the unified rules that are in use today, said he got the idea to produce the DVDs after being asked to give seminars by state athletic commissions who would constantly plead poverty.

"I just decided if I could do these DVDs, that it would help the sport in some way and it could be kind of a reference tool," said Hamilton, who said the DVDs are available on his website at mmarefs.com. Hamilton said he is fearful of a serious injury occurring because of a new and untrained official working in a fight.

"There are a lot of new promoters who have some money who are putting on mismatches and the referee, who is supposed to be the last line of defense, more and more is a new guy who hasn't had the proper training and doesn't know what to do," Hamilton said. "If that continues, it's not if something occurs, it's when."

Hamilton's DVD on refereeing is also a good primer for new fans of MMA, as it explains submissions in great detail and could help making a fight more enjoyable for a newcomer to watch.

Having said that, let's get on to this Gina Carano-dominated reader mailbag. My answers, as always, are in italics after the questions.

DON'T FORGET WEIGHT

Why did you not mention in your column Gina Carano's continued struggles, or lack of effort, in trying to make weight for her fights? I find her continuing to come in well overweight as showing a huge disrespect to her promoters, and more importantly, her opponent.

Sydney Diggers
Toronto

I did ask her about it, but it didn't fit into the story. Here is her answer: "It was very discouraging, but that can happen. This time, I've been more cautious. I have hired a nutritionist and I'm doing the right things and my confidence level is up that I'll make it. I need to make it. That's the first battle. That will kind of be my first victory. I'm working my butt off to get down. It's hard, but I'm doing things right and I believe I will do it. It was embarrassing and no one wants to miss weight and I don't believe I will again." The contract weight for the fight is 140 pounds, give or take one. So Carano must make at least 141.

JUST LIKE DANIKA

Gina is in the same situation that Danica Patrick faces in Indy car racing. They both entered a sport largely dominated by males. Not to discredit either one of their abilities, however the fact that they are both beautiful, and that sex appeal sells, will continue to create an uphill battle for each of them in getting noticed for their abilities alone.

Juju
El Paso, Texas

I think the comparison with Danica is a valid one. There's no doubt that Gina is making more money because of her looks and is getting more opportunities because of them, but it's also causing her much more scrutiny and skepticism.

FEDOR-KIMBO A JOKE

What's this I'm hearing about Kimbo Slice possibly fighting Fedor Emelianenko? Are you hearing this one, too, Kevin? Are you kidding me? This is the biggest crock I've ever heard. If this fight were to happen, it would be a train wreck with Kimbo splattered all over the ring.

Dave
Denver

It was simply speculation on a blog by Steve Sievert at MMA Junkie. It's not going to happen, nor should it. Kimbo would have as much chance in a fight against Fedor as I would running the 100 meters against Usain Bolt.

FABER TO UFC?

Urijah Faber is one of the best pound-for-pound fighters in MMA today. After he beats Mike Brown at WEC 36, do you think he will move up in weight class so he can fight in the UFC? Have a fight with Sean Sherk and if Faber wins, he would then fight B.J. Penn after B.J. fights St. Pierre. With Chuck Liddell fading, they need a face for the UFC like "The California Kid" to fill his void, and I think Dana White is look for someone like Urijah Faber to do so.

Stephen Wright
San Diego, Calif.

It's no slam dunk that Faber beats Brown, though I think he will do so. He's talked about fighting B.J. Penn in a one-off fight at 155 pounds in the UFC, but he's not big enough to consistently fight at 155. He said he'd fight at 155 once because a bout with B.J. would mean huge money. I was talking with Faber before UFC 88 in Atlanta and he was saying he could make 135 with no problems. That could lead to a pair of super fights: One against WEC bantamweight champion Miguel Torres, one which may occur in the next 12-18 months, as well as a long shot against Japanese star Kid Yamamoto. Those may be two of the five best fights that can be made in the sport.

SHOULD SPIDER RETIRE?

Do you really think UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva should retire now, when he's at the peak of his career? He's the best pound-for-pound fighter in the sport and has cleaned out the UFC's middleweight division. He recently had a successful light heavyweight debut. He's one of the most gifted fighters this sport has ever seen, but retiring this early means only one thing: He knows he won't be able to dominate in the light heavyweight division. I bet he wouldn't be able to beat Dan Henderson if they had a rematch at 205 pounds.

Jake Singh
Philippines

He is not going to retire, nor should he. His manager, Ed Soares, said he plans to fulfill the remainder of his contract, which has six fights left. I think he'd do just fine at light heavyweight, though I wouldn't argue that Henderson would beat him in a rematch. Henderson showed in the first round of their first fight he's good enough to hang with Silva. Silva is very good, but he's not unbeatable.

PLANS FOR THE ICEMAN

I'm a huge fan of Chuck Liddell's and I was wondering if he ever will fight again. If so, when? Honestly, I do believe he can get that belt he lost to Rampage Jackson. I think he will have to mix up a bit instead of relying on his big punch. He's a much better fight than what we all saw on UFC 88. It would be great if he gets that belt back.

Kisho
Dubai, United Arab Emirates

I doubt that Chuck will get the belt back, though I expect him to fight again, perhaps as soon as UFC 93. I think he can be a force at 205 pounds again if he mixes his game up, as I wrote in this column after his loss to Rashad Evans at UFC 88. But there are a lot of guys ahead of him in line for a title shot, so I don't see that happening. But given Chuck's popularity with the fans and the affinity Dana White has for him, it isn't out of the question if he reels off two or three wins in a row.

DEAL BREAKER

What is the deal breaker between Fedor and the UFC? Fedor has said that he wants to fight Randy Couture, so why is it that they can't reach a deal? Also, what was it about Affliction's deal that was so much better than whatever the UFC was offering? I could understand if it was over money, because the upstart Affliction brand would be more willing to dish out the money in order to secure a fighter with major drawing potential, but wouldn't a deal with the UFC be more fruitful in the long run? Or perhaps, could it be as simple as Fedor prefers to fight in a ring rather than an octagon cage?

Ed M.
Honolulu, Hawaii

The UFC made Fedor an offer that would have made him the highest-paid fighter in the history of the sport and he declined. I don't think it was him so much, though, as his management team. In addition to the contract, they were asking for all sorts of other things, like the UFC to sign other members of the Red Devil fight team, to co-promote shows in Russia with M-1 Global and more. Fedor doesn't have a problem fighting anywhere. He does what his management tells him and his management has decided thus far to keep him away from the UFC. Perhaps they believe it will ultimately drive up his value. The deal with Affliction is for his U.S. rights only; a contract with the UFC would be for his worldwide rights. M-1 wants to remain a promotional partner and the UFC has no interest in that.