Mailbag: Lots to cover

We skipped a week in the mailbag and boy, did I hear about it! So we won't delay this week, getting to your questions and comments forthwith. I'll answer questions on numerous mixed martial arts topics and, as always, my answers are in italics.

Underpaid Torres

I'm a Miguel Torres fan. I've written you before saying how I think he's the best pound-for-pound fighter in MMA. Frank Mir echoed that on the World Extreme Cagefighting broadcast on Versus last week. So I'm seeing how much they got paid, and Torres only made $44,000? I know times are tough and people have a hard time eating, but if Brock Lesnar makes hundreds of thousands per fight, and even Kimbo Slice made hundreds of thousands, how come a top 10 fighter like Torres only gets $44,000? The WEC is owned by the same guys who pay Lesnar, Anderson Silva and Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira.

Edward Maharajh
Raleigh, N.C.

Torres is an exceptional fighter and one of the elite in the world. He's ranked sixth in the Yahoo! Sports poll. Pay, though, is a tricky thing, because Zuffa – the company that owns the UFC and the WEC – prefers to keep things secret. I know for a fact that Torres makes six figures a fight, because one of his representatives has told me so. But the athletic commissions only report what the fighters are paid immediately after an event, and that's where that $44,000 figure has come from. In general, though, fighters such as Lesnar sell more tickets and drive pay-per-view buys and thus command a higher salary. If you're a ticket seller and a pay-per-view seller, you're going to make more than someone who may be a better fighter but doesn't sell well.

Awesome Torres

I think Torres is the best fighter in the WEC right now. He has everything in his arsenal. The way he used his jab against Manny Tapia was phenomenal, but I want to see his kickboxing ability next time. Can you give me the address of his gym? I want to train with him even for a week.

Nelson
California

Torres is one of the most well-rounded fighters in the sport, which is why he's so highly ranked. He's good at every aspect of the game. You can find all the information you need about him and his gym at his personal website.

TUF coaches

I'm curious as to whether you've been watching this season of The Ultimate Fighter and, if so, what you thought of the coaching? I've always admired Nogueira's accomplishments, and the class with which he carried himself on the show only amplified my respect for him. As for Frank Mir, I must say I was very put off. First, I was very skeptical of him being chosen for this role to begin with. Mir was a UFC champion, but if you look at what he has accomplished in his career (especially recently) and compare it to what Nog has done, it's simply no contest. Mir doesn't really belong in the same room as Nog. The way Mir constantly ran his mouth the entire show, whether it was excusing his complete lack of effort during the coaches' soccer game to denigrating Nog's fighters, left me in disgust.

Joon Choi
New York

I have watched the season, Joon, and while I share your feelings about Nogueira's performance as a coach, I'm not so sure I agree with your take on Mir. My take on Mir is that he was pushing hard for his fighters and trying to motivate them with the way he spoke.

Promoting Randy

Do you believe that with the recent return of Randy Couture the UFC will begin showing his face again on their broadcasts, or are they going to keep letting him fade into history? I remember when the disputes were still going on, you could only catch a glimpse of the back of Randy's head in the corner of his fighters, and the commentators wouldn't even acknowledge his presence.

Dennis Fewell
Galveston, Texas

I believe you'll see Couture treated as the Hall of Famer that he is and given the respect he has earned. While neither side may be as warm and fuzzy-feeling toward the other as it was before, most of the really hard feelings have passed and Couture is going to be treated no differently than the other UFC stars.

Whither 'El Matador'

What happened to Roger Huerta? The last I remember, he ran his mouth about his pay and then lost to Kenny Florian at UFC 87. Is he still with the UFC? I like the guy and he may be right about the lack of pay, but saying those things publicly about your employer isn't a wise decision.

Nathan

Huerta is still with the UFC and likely will fight again around February, which means perhaps UFC 95 or UFC 96. And as for his comments that were in Fight! Magazine, I think many folks took them out of context. Huerta said after the Florian fight he's happy with the UFC.

MMA exceeds boxing

Don't you think MMA is taking away the future fan base of boxing? I think among Americans, male youth is a lot more interested in MMA than boxing. Boxing looks funny nowadays with those huge gloves. They look like clowns in the ring compared to MMA in a cage, where they use little four-ounce gloves and have more knockouts in a shorter time, plus submissions. There is more excitement, more moves and more action. MMA is where it's at. Boxing can't compete.

Mark Powers
Singapore

I love both sports, but MMA is pulling far ahead of boxing among younger fans. They're both excellent sports, but to me, the biggest difference is the way the fight cards are made. You see many fights on an MMA card worthy of a main event, but boxing doesn't seem to want to match its best against its best consistently. If you look at UFC 92, which will be Dec. 27 in Las Vegas, you'll note that a light heavyweight bout between Quinton "Rampage" Jackson and Wanderlei Silva is third on the card, though it clearly could stand alone as a main event and sell well. Compare that with the horrific undercard offering you got from Golden Boy Promotions and Top Rank on Saturday on the Manny Pacquiao-Oscar De La Hoya card, and you'll see what I mean.

Title shots

With all the talent that the UFC has, it seems that they have a lot of guys who deserve to be there to fight for the title but who will essentially never get far enough to get a shot unless they have another "Ultimate Fighter: The Comeback" show. Look at Lyoto Machida. He's a good fighter and has beaten people like Tito Ortiz and Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou, but even if he beats Thiago Silva at UFC 94, he's still far behind people like Rampage, Wanderlei and Chuck Liddell. Will guys like Chris Lytle, Marcus Davis and Chris Leben ever be good enough to be a UFC champion? Or are they bound to be just good fighters who earn a paycheck?

Darrell Sirski
Edmonton, Alb.

Darrell, one of the things that makes a title valuable is when one must beat quality fighters to earn it. That's the case in the UFC's light heavyweight division, where there are many qualified challengers for Forrest Griffin's belt. Rest assured, Machida will get an opportunity if he defeats Silva at UFC 94. I doubt Lytle, Davis and Leben will win a title, but I've been wrong before and they could surprise me. But they're each quality fighters, and that kind of depth is what makes a promotion strong.

Hyping UFC 92

First and foremost, I would like to thank you for your mailbags. Whether I agree or disagree with your thoughts, it's always nice to hear someone's opinions on a sport that my friends and I love. As for UFC 92, I'm really excited for this card (already planning the house party and everything) but it seems as if the UFC is not as excited as my friends and I are. Currently most of the UFC press promotions seem to be hyping UFC 94 and the B.J. Penn-Georges St. Pierre fight. I understand that's a huge fight, but what about Silva-Jackson at UFC 92? Am I the only person salivating about this rematch? I think this card has great storylines to promote and the fights will produce fireworks. Predictions: Rampage by split decision, Nogueira by third-round submission over Frank Mir, and Rashad Evans to win the light heavyweight title from Forrest Griffin by second-round ground and pound.

Chris Atwood
Rahway, N.J.

The UFC did a press tour for the Penn-St. Pierre fight to try to drum up interest, but it doesn't mean they're ignoring UFC 92. It's a stacked card and you'll be overdosed with information in the coming weeks. We'll also learn how good of a prognosticator you are.

Heavyweight questions

Why do Cain Velasquez and Gabriel Gonzaga get so much television time on UFC broadcasts? In my opinion, the UFC Dana to miss the boat by not showing a true heavyweight like Shane Carwin. Who wins in a fight, Carwin or UFC heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar? In my opinion, Shane wins because he has better hands with similar wrestling background and size.

Lance Manion
Jacksonville, Fla.

Velasquez is one of the UFC's rising stars and may turn out to be the most gifted heavyweight in the stable when he reaches his potential. That's why you see him so much. And clearly, Gonzaga, despite a few stumbles, has a lot of ability. That's not to denigrate Carwin, whom I've long touted. A Carwin-Lesnar fight is a toss-up, but I wouldn't be shocked to see Carwin knock him out. Carwin, by the way, is one of the few guys in MMA with larger hands than Lesnar. Lesnar wears 4X gloves, but Carwin needs 5X.