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David Loiseau, will the crow fly again?
Written by Raymond Li   
Wednesday, 11 March 2009 21:11
david-loiseau-2-sm-1Nothing saddens an MMA fan more than seeing their favourite fighter fall from grace.  I have long been a fan of David “The Crow” Loiseau, and it pained me to see him perform poorly against Swick and then get released by the UFC.  I have since then, kept an eye on his activity outside the Octagon in hopes that he would redeem himself and one day return. Well, the Crow has his chance at UFC 97 against Ed “Shortfuse” Herman.

Why am I excited about his return? Watch all of his fights in the UFC (except the Swick fight) and you will know. David is a dynamic and exciting striker with finishing power. I remember at his former prime, his elbows were known as the most dangerous elbows in MMA. Many fighters respected those weapons and David not only has great striking on his feet but he has good ground and pound as well. In addition to great striking, David also has incredible heart as well. Everyone who’s an MMA fan will remember his 5 round war with Rich Franklin for the middleweight belt. I remember watching the fight and hoping that the referee would stop it because David’s face was so battered. But like a true fighter, he soldiered forward. Despite losing the decision, he left no questions about his heart as a fighter.


After that, David fell into a slump. In his highly anticipated fight against Mike Swick, he didn’t appear like the predator he usually is. He was gun shy and only started opening up during the third round. But it wasn’t enough and he lost the fight and was dropped by the UFC. He then went 1-2 in his next 3 fights and I was beginning to lose hope that he would return. But now, finally, riding a 3 win streak outside the Octagon, Loiseau finally gets another shot in the UFC.

At UFC 97, he and his opponent, Ed Herman will be looking to make a come back in the event that is suitably called “Redemption.” I think David has a great chance to win. Herman is on a two fight losing skid while David has 3 wins and has the momentum moving forward. In terms of training, Loiseau also trains with GSP and that has to be a plus for any fighter. In addition, David is a better striker and I think he will be stronger than Herman physically. However, Herman will have the better wrestling and submissions. So on the surface, it looks like a classic match up of styles with Loiseau trying to keep it on the feet and Herman wanting to take it to the ground.

There is no doubt that David really wants this fight and I think he would be a great addition back into the middleweight division. Despite the emergence of Marquardt and Maia as contenders, I think the division still needs more exciting fighters. If we see the old David, I believe he could make some noise in the division that has been lacking for so long.

There is no doubt that he has the physical tools to be great, but the biggest question is whether David is back in the right frame of mind. Rumour has it that he is finally back where he needs to be mentally. Perhaps he has been working with the same therapist that GSP worked with. As a long time fan of David, I really hope so because if he really does come to hunt, he is a very exciting fighter.  Even more so, I hope that he finishes Herman and that we get to see the undercard bout aired. That would truly make my night, seeing the crow fly once again.