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ASK MMATORCH: Penick and Hansen answer reader questions on Jose Aldo's title, GSP, Vitor Belfort's TRT, and more
Feb 6, 2014 - 8:35:38 PM ASK MMATORCH: Penick and Hansen answer reader questions on Jose Aldo's title, GSP, Vitor Belfort's TRT, and more

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Welcome to another edition of "Ask MMATorch," where Torch Editor Jamie Penick and Torch Columnist Rich Hansen answer reader questions on the world of MMA. If you have a question you'd like addressed by either of them, make sure to send it in to askmmatorch@gmail.com. The more questions we receive, the more frequently we can run this feature!


Tanar D. Writes: Simple question: Why does Jose Aldo have to vacate the title if he wants to fight Anthony Pettis? It seems all the risk is on him (moving up a weight class, dropping his belt), so why shouldn't he have the guarantee of keeping his belt if he loses? It's a regular title fight for Pettis, but Also is undoing his entire legacy by taking the fight. So why not have him keep his belt and if he WINS, he vacates, and if he loses he goes back to being champ?

MMATorch Editor Jamie Penick Answers: This is precisely why I think the UFC can and should introduce an Interim Title at featherweight if he moves up for this fight with Pettis. He shouldn't have to just give up the belt if they have another option for keeping the division moving along.

If they introduce an Interim Title, then it accomplishes what Dana White was trying to set up with his comments on Saturday night. If Aldo moves up and defeats Pettis, he'll be a two-division Champion, but he'll have to defend one or the other. The UFC will then want him at lightweight, and the featherweights like Chad Mendes and Cub Swanson competing for an Interim belt can be made the official Champion at that time.

Now, regardless of whether he drops the title or they make an interim Championship, he'd be in a title fight at featherweight whenever he dropped back down. So it's just an issue of semantics right now and having Aldo officially be Champion coming into the Pettis fight or having him drop the belt for that bout. If he's paid the same regardless, and is guaranteed a title fight at featherweight upon coming back, then it's just a matter of what they can convince Aldo to do.


Mitch H. Writes: Are fighters in most professional organizations tested for HIV/AIDS or other diseases passed on through blood and such?

MMATorch Columnist Rich Hansen Answers: All fighters in all professional and amateur organizations that run in states with athletic commissions have to be tested before they can get licensed. That's a major reason the commissions exist. Licensing happens totally outside of the jurisdiction of the fight promotions. If you don't get a license, you don't fight. If a red flag appears on your medicals, you don't get a license, or your current license can be suspended and/or revoked.


Daniel P. Writes: Just wondering what your thoughts are on James Te Huna moving to middleweight.

MMATorch Columnist Rich Hansen Answers: To be honest, I don't really have any. I guess he's hoping to do what a lot of 30-plus fighters do after they lose two in a row - avoid the chopping block by dropping weight. And if it gives him some confidence or some other edge, then good for him. Maybe he can fight Lorenz Larkin, that would be fun. Derek Brunson might not be as fun, but it's a more winnable fight. I hope he does well, as he isn't the worst fighter in the world to watch.


Dustin S. Writes: Could the GSP-Dana beef keep GSP out of the UFC Hall of Fame? Does Vitor get more criticism because he has been so successful on TRT? How can Dana honestly think Weidman can be called pound-for-pound #1 with Jones still fighting? Both his title fights were followed with controversy and he hasn't faced the murderer's row that Jon did.

MMATorch Columnist Rich Hansen Answers: 1.) Why does anyone care about the UFC Hall of Self-Congratulatory Meaninglessness? There's no physical museum. There's no established criterion in place. There's no permanence to it as is evidenced by the fact that Tito Ortiz is no longer in it, but they don't publicize THAT aspect of it? It's simply a list of guys that Dana White wants to ego stroke, and nothing else. Please, do yourself a big favor and care about more important things than the UFC Hal of Fame. Examples of such would be the length of your fingernails, researching the product Justin Bieber uses on his hair, and trying to find the world's oldest living cricket.

2.) Vitor gets criticism not because of his success while on anabolic steroids (which is what adding synthetic testosterone to your body is). The criticism comes from (Loud ranting run-on sentence coming in 3.. 2.. 1...) him being on anabolic steroids after having previously been busted for taking 4-Hydroxytestosterone and then all of a sudden only being booked to fight in Brazil where the commission would fellate a rattlesnake before doing anything at all to challenge the character of the great Mecha-Vitor, all while the UFC is desperate to find a way to get him to still be allowed to take anabolic steroids without making themselves look complicit because they're a bunch of hypocritical asshats who are only worried about making enough money to turn Dana White's driveway into a miniature ski hill while fighters who fight clean are constantly behind the eight-ball of cheating jerks like Mecha-Vitor.

3.) Promoters promote (which is a nice way of saying liars who are chasing every last penny lie). Beating Anderson Silva twice in a row, and then beating a juiced to the gills Mecha-Vitor is very impressive, and Dana White wants the MMA world to be impressed enough to spend money to watch Chris Weidman fight. One could easily argue that the two wins over Anderson Silva are better than any two wins Jon Jones has on his resume, but I agree that the depth of Jones' resume keeps him atop the mythical yet fun pound for pound list until he loses a fight. Not that you asked, but my top five pound for pound is as follows:

Jon Jones
Jose Aldo
Demetrious Johnson
Chris Weidman
Renan Barao