According to Dictionary.com, the word “semtex” can be defined as: a noun, a plastic explosive that is easily tractable and almost odorless, used esp. by terrorists.

Seasoned welterweight Paul “Semtex” Daley looks to rein his brand of terror on the UFC’s 170-pound division with a win against Dustin Hazelett at UFC 108.

With a record of (22-8-2, 1-0 UFC), Daley brings a wealth of experience to the octagon. However, with the mileage he’s put on in his career, the British mixed martial artist still seeks the level of respect that comes with being a top tier welterweight (insert Rodney Dangerfield joke here).

The one and only win Daley has collected in the octagon came by way of TKO against highly regarded veteran Martin Kampman at UFC 103. The W etched another step towards legitimacy in the world’s most popular MMA organization, but there are still many obstacles for Daley to overcome in order to be considered in the same conversation as GSP, Josh Koscheck and Thiago Alves.

The lack of a quality ground game is Daley’s biggest hurdle. Five of his eight losses have come by way of submission, which gives an indication that, even after six years of professional fighting, Daley has yet to consistently prevent himself from getting into trouble on the canvas.

Against an opponent the quality of Hazelett, Daley finds himself in a difficult position since Hazelett’s forte is a remarkable jiu-jitsu arsenal.

This won’t be the first time “Semtex” has taken on a dangerous ground expert. Strikeforce middleweight champ Jake Shields has locked horns with Daley before. The outcome was not in the best of highlight reels for Daley.

The 2008 bout ended with Daley succumbing to an armbar from ground specialist Shields. Not to take away from Jake’s ability, but if Paul Daley is to make some noise in a division headed by Georges St. Pierre , then he has to make sure his wrestling and jiu-jitsu is up to par or better than that of Shields.

Leaving himself exposed to fighters like Shields tells a tale of not being prepared for the world’s best ground experts. For Daley, upper echelon residency will require a great deal of work on his jiu-jitsu. Being dominated on the ground with little or no hope of winning a grappling battle does not bold well for contendership in the UFC ranks.

The one thing working regularly for Daley is his aggressive stand up.

As previously mentioned, Martin Kampman learned first hand (and foot) what a devastating striker Paul Daley can be. Picked as a replacement for Mike Swick, Daley came out against the Xtreme Couture trained fighter and picked him apart like he said something less than charming about his mum.

For Daley, the key to gaining the respect from Hazelett is preventing the fight from going to the ground. Hazelett will be in a perfect setting if he finds himself grappling with the Muay Thai specialist.

Hazelett, not known for the power in his punch, can lose this fight fast and easy if Daley prevents any and all takedown attempts.

Preventing a ground battle could be easier than expected for Daley. At 170 pounds, Daley is incredibly strong and can manhandle a great deal of fighters in the weight class. As simple as it is, he will have to out muscle Hazelett if the two are ever in close quarters. Two and three strikes later, Daley can walk out of Vegas with a UFC win bonus.

Looking beyond Hazelett, a win for Daley can spell a potential title shot in 2010.

One more win over a quality opponent the likes of a Josh Koscheck or Paulo Thiago can put him in line, not only to take to the cage with GSP, but also garner the respect of his counterparts in the UFC’s welterweight roster.

The Melvin Manhoef-esque explosiveness that Daley carries in his stand up sells to a lot of casual MMA fans.

Watching him unload on an unwilling Dustin Hazelett will surely put a stamp on him as an assassin at 170. It would become two in a row for Daley and the beginning of notice from UFC brass. Things will start to take shape for the British striker and every round he has put in up to this point will be well worth it.

Explosive hands lead to cage-wide devastation, so “best respects the semtex.” Look to see Paul Daley attempt to make his point heard as a contender when he steps into the octagon this Saturday, Jan. 2 at UFC 108.

Something is bound to explode.

For MMA fans, 2009 offered a number of outlets to watch great mixed martial arts competition.

Although Strikeforce made incredible leaps and bounds during the year, the UFC has to remain the top promotion in the sport.

Whatever the general public thinks of Dana White does not really matter anymore. The outspoken UFC president has taken the Zuffa owned promotion and put the personal work into it making sure, not only the die-hard fans, but everyone knows what the UFC is and how entertaining it can be.

The sport is where it is at now thanks to the UFC, it’s talented roster of fighters and the people behind the scenes.

It’s difficult to argue against the MMA juggernaut when they were able to put on their 100th show and break over five million in pay-per-view buys in the process. This kind of longevity is not seen everyday in the business. Just look at what happened to Affliction. What Dana White labeled “the t-shirt guys” tried to put on shows the quality of the UFC and did so, however, bankruptcy ultimately consumed whatever money they made off of just two events.

Stirkeforce is nibbling at the toes of their promotional counterpart in the sense that they have gone from local show to national giant in the matter of months and are close behind. The San Jose-based organization may have some great things planned for 2010, but in 2009 they could not produce the combination of content and quality that the UFC has been able to put together.

Fights like BJ Penn vs. Georges St. Pierre II have the epic impact going into fight night where it overshadows any other MMA news coming off the wire. Only the UFC has the ability to put two of the top pound for pound fighters in the same cage. Although they acquired, arguably, the best Heavyweight ever in Fedor Emelianenko, Strikeforce struggles to put their champion, Alistair Overeem, in the same cage as the Russian.

Two champions in one fight versus one champion refusing to compete? Edge: UFC.

Let’s not consider fighters for a moment. Let’s take a look at the year as a whole.

The UFC has managed to put together fifteen UFC numbered events, three UFC Fight Nights and two Ultimate Fighter finales. This consistency is remarkable beyond just MMA. In a time where the economy is at it’s worst in years, the UFC continues to grow and prosper without a hint of let up.

In other sports, entire teams are filing for bankruptcy. The Phoenix Coyotes filed Chapter 11 in May due to a lack of income from their product. That being said, who puts a hockey team in the desert?! Come on, really?!

With so many events put together in a twelve-month span, the UFC solidifies itself as a pinnacle of business success. Strikeforce will, perhaps one day, produce several quality shows in the span of a year, but it was the UFC that opened every opportunity for spectatorship in ‘09.

Monthly consistency versus here and there enjoyment? Advantage: UFC

Last, and most certainly not least, the fighters themselves have put in the most physical effort to ensure the UFC stays the top promotion in all of MMA.

As simple as can be, the UFC roster is the most talented in the world. BJ Penn, Georges St. Pierre, Anderson Silva and a host of others lead the way to mainstream success for the Las Vegas-based promotion. Anytime these names come up as ones headlining a UFC card, a frenzy begins. Others, like Lyoto Machida and Shogun Rua, make headlines after a controversial fight in Los Angeles only to make way for one of the most anticipated rematches in the sport’s history.

When you talk of, pound for pound, best in the world, each of the UFC’s five divisions offer at least one candidate.

Not only are all five divisions strong, but the light heavyweight division stands out as beacon weight class in mixed martial arts. As 2009 has shown us, the light heavyweight title can change hands in the matter of one fight. Three champions in one year and it is not because the previous champion was a joke. Forrest Griffin, Rashad Evans then Lyoto Machida; all quality 205-pounders who gained the title and have been beaten up defending it due to the Mariana Trench like depth of the division...The Mariana Trench is the deepest on the planet, for those who don’t know.

I mention Lyoto Machida as one who has been beaten up, but never lost the title. His clash with Shogun was a fight that was etched in all of our minds and we continue to talk about it to this date, two months post fight.

The recent signing of Dan Henderson added some additional weight to the Strikeforce roster, but it does not put them over the top. The potential for Strikeforce to make tremendous things happen has not been around since the Fertita brothers purchased the UFC in 2002, but they have yet to carry the division-by-division mojo that the UFC did this year and years prior.

Stacked against each other, division for division, the UFC out-weighs Strikeforce. Look to see Scott Coker and co. gain a few pounds of power and muscle in 2010.

The UFC is still the upper echelon of mixed martial arts organizations. Bottom to top, the promotion stands firm as the leader in revenue, fighters, shows and mainstream success. This, however, will not slow down the meteoric rise of Strikeforce. As long as the people behind the scenes are smart with the money and the fighters continue to perform at the rate they have been on, Strikeforce may soon be considered the top dog.

2009 was the beginning of a great rivalry between the UFC and Strikeforce, but Dana and the Fertitas remain on the peak of the MMA promotional mountain.

During the UFC 108 conference call today, both Rashad Evans and Thiago Silva shared one point and made it very clear-learn from your mistakes.

The pending bout between the two light heavyweights is building momentum, despite fan and media dislike of a UFC 108 card that has fell victim to injuries and fight shuffling.

Regardless of the hype, Rashad Evans is out to put on a good show. Feeling that fans will appreciate the performances he and his opponent will put on, Evans is always out to fight the good fight and is positive there will be no disappointment after the winner’s hand is raised.

An eagerness to compete is apparent in Rashad’s voice as he talks about being away from a UFC card since his loss to Machida; a loss that he says, “humbles” him. A chance to finally get in the octagon will be long overdue, especially since his “verbal intercourse” exchanges with Rampage Jackson on the heavyweight season of The Ultimate Fighter.

Now, a sense of focus remains in the mind of the former UFC light heavyweight champion. No longer will he let the overwhelming feeling of pressure stray him away from a pending victory.

Though he listens to some, Rashad Evans now attempts to fend away people trying to get in his ear about what he should do and how he should approach a fight. He feels that once you get to the top, everyone has an opinion on how to maintain the position. Rashad feels that he has successfully blocked these voices and can now continue on his fight path.

Distractions are no longer an issue for Evans. This has been one of the biggest changes in his camp and it has allowed him to focus on his next opponent. So focused is Evans, not even the obvious return of Rampage Jackson is letting him look past Thiago Silva.

Through a Portuguese interpreter, Thiago Silva was short and to the point.

Finishing in the first round is looked at as a bonus for the 205-pound Brazilian. He comes out the same in every fight and explains he is, “prepared for whatever happens”. Anywhere the fight goes, Silva is confident that he can mold to the situation and defeat whoever is put in front of him.

The speculation is that he is prepared for Rashad Evans in all aspects of the fight game.

Like his UFC 108 opponent, Silva is committed to preventing the mistakes he made in 2009 to roll over into 2010. The patience to let a fight develop is now a characteristic of Silva’s strategy. Best example, according to Evans, is Silva’s fight with Jackson teammate, Keith Jardine.

Instead of a headhunter’s approach, Silva let the fight develop through waiting for the right moment to strike. Obviously, this was the best game plan for Silva as he ended up knocking out Jardine in the first round of their contest.

Revenge does not seem to be on the mind of Rashad Evens. Although, watching his teammate lose to Silva in such horrific fashion was difficult, Evans is approaching this fight much like he does all his others.

This time around, Evans will “tighten up” and “not be so sloppy”. This thought process will, hopefully, ensure a victory.

For Silva, he says it is “a dream” to beat the top two fighters out of the Jackson camp. If he can get passed Evans, Thiago Silva expressed that he would welcome an another offer from the UFC to fight Lyoto Machida. As do most fighters, Silva wants to fight the best in the sport and become a champion. Although, a fight with Machida stays on the mind of the American Top Team fighter, Silva’s focus remains squarely on Rashad Evans and their pending fight on Saturday, Jan. 2, 2010.

There is no bad blood between these two top light heavyweights. The bout is looked at as a job that has to be done and both of them are driven to perform at their highest caliber. They will get their chance to prove who sits higher on the UFC’s light heavyweight food chain at UFC 108.

The event will take place at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, NV.

On a lighter note, Thiago Silva wishes you all a “happy holiday”!

In an era where names like UFC and Strikeforce rain supreme in the world of MMA, one tends to forget about smaller promotions showcasing their talent.

Arenas like the MGM Grand and Staples Center aren’t on the list of venues for the local promoter. This, however, does not take away any firepower capable of blowing up in the cage/ring. There is so much untapped, wandering talent in mixed martial arts and so much of it lurks in the gully, waiting to catch their big break.

One promoter out on their grind is Ed Holmes and his promotion All Star Boxing.

Last Saturday, All Star Boxing presented Conquest in the Cage VI and hosted a number of great MMA fights at the Westin Bonaventure in Los Angeles, CA.

After showcasing some local amateur talent, the first professional fight of the night was a bout between middleweights Mike Robles and Daniel Hernandez.

Hernandez seemed to control Robles for the majority of the first round. Robles came out strong in the second round, securing a few takedowns and utilizing some ground and pound. This proved to be costly, however, as in the third Robles appeared gassed, giving an opportunity to Hernandez who took his back and secured a rear naked choke for the submission win.

Second fight of the night was a featherweight clash between Giovanni Vasquez and Max Cinecero.

Making his professional debut, Vasquez dominated his opponent from the opening horn, never letting up. Cinecero tried to fight back put just got bloodied up in the process. Eventually, Vasquez put his opponent on the ground, secured control of his back and slipped in the choke for the first round submission.

Giovanni Vasquez looked very good for making his pro debut. MMA fans should all keep their ears open for what he does in the future.

Next fight was the evening’s only heavyweight showdown between Ralph Aau and Joe “Blood Money” Bryant.

Aau, like Giovanni Vasquez before him, was also making his pro debut this evening. Taking another page out of Vasquez’s book, Aau made quick work of Joe Bryant.

After securing a takedown, Bryant looked as if he had injured some part of his left arm, maybe his wrist. Sitting close enough to the cage, you could hear Aau telling the ref, “he’s tapping, he’s tapping!”. The fight was quickly stopped thereafter.

I mention the arm injury as pure opinion as when the winner was announced, the official finish was called a submission by guillotine choke. I, however, did not see a guillotine applied. In any case, Ralph Aau walked out of the cage with the W to the applause and overwhelming support from friends, family and fans.

Lightweights took to the cage next when David Jalbert looked gloves with Dominic Gutierrez.

In the first round, Gutierrez had Jalbert playing defense to a very aggressive opponent. Despite a few submission attempts from Jalbert, Gutierrez controlled the pace of the fight on the ground, winning the first round.

Second round of this affair was a polar opposite of the first, as Jalbert controlled Gutierrez for a majority of the round. It appeared as thought Gutierrez had spent too much energy aggresivley attacking his opponent and escaping submissions. Jalbert applied a choke midway through the round and ended this fight on the ground via submission.

The following fight was one of the quickest light heavyweight match ups MMA fans could ever witness. Charlie West and Jose “Pollo” Hernandez took to the cage with West being a late replacement for Joey Alvarado.

It took all of five seconds for “Pollo” to knockout his opponent when he unloaded a vicious right hand that connected with West’s head. The ref stepped in just in time and prevented any further annihilation.

Welterweights David Gomez and Miahi Valeriu tangled in a high octane bout. These 170 pound fighters seemed to never run low on energy as the pace of the fight was fast for all three rounds.

Valeriu’s stand up game, although impressive, was countered and neutralized by Gomez’s strong takedowns. When the fight went to the mat, Gomez was all over his opponent, staying active and applying strikes wherever possible.

An eye poke by Valeriu angered an aggressive Gomez when the referee called a timeout to have doctors look at his bleeding eye. This fueled Gomez for the remainder of the fight and led to unanimous decision win for him.

The main event of the night was in the middleweight division as Kenny McCorkell fought Vince Ala’alatola.

These two fighters put everything on the table and fought their hearts out.

The first round was close but the edge went to Ala’alatola for effective striking on my card. Second round was more of the same as both fighters clinched and found opportunities to strike anytime the opposite left a spot exposed. Second round, however, Ala’alatola still had the edge on strikes and control.

McCorkell seemed to stop listening to his corner late in the fight. The third round had him attempting to pull guard on an aggressive Ala’alatola when his corner was screaming for him to throw more strikes. McCorkell’s corner knew that he was behind on points and any chance of winning this fight would have to be done with a KO.

After being controlled by Ala’alatola, McCorkell was taken down and was overwhelmed with strikes for the rest of the round. Vince Ala’alatola ended up winning the night’s main event by unanimous decision.

A great night of fights presented by All Star Boxing. The card was stacked with young fighters who have the potential to make big names for themselves in the future. Big promotions like the UFC are the more popular, but events like Conquest in the Cage VI really let one appreciate the sport, giving it some real substance.

Good form Ed Holmes, good form.

For a full layout of images from the night of fights, go the Nahm MMA fan page on Facebook.

For former UFC fighter Jake Rosholt, the time has come to consider the next move in his fighting career. Having been released by the world’s leading MMA promotion a few weeks ago, Rosholt is currently a free agent and waiting for his next opportunity.