Heading into Bellator 39 this Saturday, Eddie Alvarez stands alone in the 155 lb. ranks for the promotion. Since dropping to 155 after is loss to Nick Thompson at BodogFight : Clash of Nations in 2007, The Philadelphia native has indeed been on a tear, winning 11 of 12 fights (The lone loss coming to Shinya Aoki for the WAMMA lightweight title at Dynamite!! in 2008).
So much so, that he's earned high praise from Bellator founder and CEO Bjorn Rebney, who has on numerous occasions dubbed Alvarez the best 155'er in the world. Dana White refuted those comments, saying if he was he'd have to come to the UFC to prove it.
So, who's right? Is Alvarez the best Lightweight in the world?
Right now, with the 155 lb. landscape ever evolving with longtime kingpin BJ Penn out (moving up to Welterweight again) and a plethora of fights that were available to Alvarez just months ago now gone (UFC buying Strikeforce and the disaster in Japan) it would only make sense that he would no doubt have to make that choice in the coming future.
With fighters like Anthony Pettis, Clay Guida, Gray Maynard and Frankie Edgar in the 155 lb. division in the UFC, (plus lightweight champion Gilbert Milendez in Strikeforce) it might only be a matter of when, not if Alvarez decides to jump ship and leave Bellator in the dust. Mind you, there are a few intriguing matchups left for the American in Bellator (Patricio "Pitbull" and the man he's fighting on Saturday, Pat Curran, plus veteran Toby Imada, just to name 3) but the casual fan doesn't stay home to watch an event like Bellator (150,000 viewers last week off a peak of almost a quarter million 2 weeks ago). Plus, we all know Dana White's philosophy on co-promotion....There is none.
And if you're looking for something out of the "Fedor" factor (i.e. the media hyping it up), it will be hard pressing for Alvarez to find opponents after all is said and done with the UFC folding in Strikeforce. Plus, I believe unlike Emelianenko, Alvarez won't stay loyal to Rebney as "The Last Emperor" did to M-1 and Vadim Finklestein (Why that is is anybody's guess).
So while Alvarez stays in Bellator, His status as the best lightweight is under question. He might be, however, the best lightweight you've never heard of.
-In other news, First episode of "Ultimate Fighter" season 13 debuted last night amidst much hype surrounding Brock Lesnar's coaching gig. Didn't start out well for the former UFC heavyweight champion as his fighter lost to Dos Santos' #1 pick. Fortunately for him, his fighter was the last pick he chose.
- Thiago "The Beast" Silva (you know what? that's a great nickname for him. I think I'll call him "The beast" because that's what he is, both literally and figuratively), has admitted to switching a fake urine sample, as reported by MMAJunkie. He says he will accept whatever punishment the Nevada State Athletic Commission is willing to give him. Why the hell he decided to cheat against Brandon Vera, of all people is anybody's guess. I mean, I might have understood against Lyoto Machida, but....Brandon Vera? I'm sure you don't need to cheat against a guy who was 3-5 in his last 8 fights going into the fight.
-Bjorn Rebney has also said in an interview via MMAJunkie he's not concerned about the drop in ratings for his brand. He's said that last week's Richard Hale "Toby Imada" impression has gone on to generate 140,000+ hits on Youtube, and goes on to describe the next month or so of fights as "Blistering". Of course, he fails to mention the fact the NCAA Basketball tournament has been on the last 2 weekends, as well as the UFC streaming fights live on Facebook for Ultimate Fight Night 24.
Until next time, fight fans.
Thursday, March 31, 2011
Tuesday, March 29, 2011
Tales from the Jungle : What's in the water in Brazil?
In full contact sports, its a term of endearment when you see somebody who puts for their best effort and never gives up and excites you, that that person is "A Beast".
Thiago Silva is one such example. When he dropped Houston Alexander with punches back at UFC 78, I was impressed with how one sided his dominance was with the Ground and Pound. The same thing happened in his fight with Antonio Mendes at UFC 84, securing him a co-main event slot against Lyoto Machida at UFC 94. He would get floored by the future UFC Light Heavyweight Champion, but would follow it up in fights with Keith Jardine and Brandon Vera, with a loss to Rashad Evans sandwiched in the middle (he still showed some lethal strikes in having Evans wobbly though).
Following his one sided dismantling of Vera, it would have been safe to say that Silva was, for all intents and purposes, a "Beast".
How much of a "Beast" Silva is however, both literally and figuratively, is currently under speculation. Following the win over Vera (and "The truth"s subsequent release), came a fight pitting the Brazilian against Rampage Jackson. However, a disputed drug test put the brakes on that fight, with Matt Hammill stepping in to replace him.
Now, comes a report from MMAJunkie today, that the disputed "A" sample is quoted by the Nevada State Athletic Commission as one that is "inconsistent with human urine". Yes folks, you are reading the absolute truth ripped from the headlines...its not the pee you drop in the toilet every day. Silva is suspended pending an April 7th appeal hearing. Up until then, Silva is temporarily suspended until the matter is resolved.
This almost seems something out of the National Enquirer. Comments on the Junkie message board have ranged from it being Dog Urine to The NSAC head Keith Kizer admitting they might have to take "drastic measures" to ensure deception amongst fighters doesn't happen again. Kizer also reported that this hasn't been the first time they've been deceived : in 2006, Kevin Randleman submitted a fake urine test at Pride 32 where he fought "Shogun" Rua, and when confronted with it at his appeal in 2007, admitted to using a fake sample to ensure he wouldn't be caught using illegal painkillers he claims were used to cure a lung infection.
So it happens twice in 4 years, and NOW they decide to do something? The first time somebody got caught, you should have come up in arms and made an example out of Randleman. He too, in his day was a "Beast". Now he's just some cheater who got caught.
It would said that the same could be said of Silva. How much of a "Beast" he is now, I suppose we'll have to wait to find out.
- In other news, Bellator ratings dropped again. From a high of 230,000 2 weeks ago for Bellator 36 comes a season low of just 150,000 for this past Saturday's Bellator 38. This was after Richard Hale's inverted triangle victory, a la Toby Imada/Jorge Masvidal (which has become a Youtube sensation upon itself).
Note to fans : Bellator provides exciting action. Get with it.
Until next time, Fight Fans.
Thiago Silva is one such example. When he dropped Houston Alexander with punches back at UFC 78, I was impressed with how one sided his dominance was with the Ground and Pound. The same thing happened in his fight with Antonio Mendes at UFC 84, securing him a co-main event slot against Lyoto Machida at UFC 94. He would get floored by the future UFC Light Heavyweight Champion, but would follow it up in fights with Keith Jardine and Brandon Vera, with a loss to Rashad Evans sandwiched in the middle (he still showed some lethal strikes in having Evans wobbly though).
Following his one sided dismantling of Vera, it would have been safe to say that Silva was, for all intents and purposes, a "Beast".
How much of a "Beast" Silva is however, both literally and figuratively, is currently under speculation. Following the win over Vera (and "The truth"s subsequent release), came a fight pitting the Brazilian against Rampage Jackson. However, a disputed drug test put the brakes on that fight, with Matt Hammill stepping in to replace him.
Now, comes a report from MMAJunkie today, that the disputed "A" sample is quoted by the Nevada State Athletic Commission as one that is "inconsistent with human urine". Yes folks, you are reading the absolute truth ripped from the headlines...its not the pee you drop in the toilet every day. Silva is suspended pending an April 7th appeal hearing. Up until then, Silva is temporarily suspended until the matter is resolved.
This almost seems something out of the National Enquirer. Comments on the Junkie message board have ranged from it being Dog Urine to The NSAC head Keith Kizer admitting they might have to take "drastic measures" to ensure deception amongst fighters doesn't happen again. Kizer also reported that this hasn't been the first time they've been deceived : in 2006, Kevin Randleman submitted a fake urine test at Pride 32 where he fought "Shogun" Rua, and when confronted with it at his appeal in 2007, admitted to using a fake sample to ensure he wouldn't be caught using illegal painkillers he claims were used to cure a lung infection.
So it happens twice in 4 years, and NOW they decide to do something? The first time somebody got caught, you should have come up in arms and made an example out of Randleman. He too, in his day was a "Beast". Now he's just some cheater who got caught.
It would said that the same could be said of Silva. How much of a "Beast" he is now, I suppose we'll have to wait to find out.
- In other news, Bellator ratings dropped again. From a high of 230,000 2 weeks ago for Bellator 36 comes a season low of just 150,000 for this past Saturday's Bellator 38. This was after Richard Hale's inverted triangle victory, a la Toby Imada/Jorge Masvidal (which has become a Youtube sensation upon itself).
Note to fans : Bellator provides exciting action. Get with it.
Until next time, Fight Fans.
Ad lib : What's the real deal behind the Shields/GSP promo?
If you guys haven't already seen it, The promo video for UFC 129's main event with Jake Shields and George St. Pierre is already out. It can be found on Youtube as well as numerous other video sharing sites.
Its got the look and feel of a classic UFC promo that most of us have seen : Great Music (Fort Minor's "Remember the Name"), Joe Rogan's nonsensical banter regarding what he sees in the underdog (In this case Shields) and the ever present "Sold Out" banner across the top of the page at the end of the commercial.
In the promo, We see Jake Shields sitting around his trophy wall, with Jiu-Jitsu medals galore and various newspaper clippings proclaiming his various wins over notable fighters such as Dan Henderson, Robbie Lawler and Carlos Condit. Shields is sitting in there with a clipping coming from his latest win against Martin Kampmann. We see Shields train, get up from his spot in the crowd from another GSP win to walk to the back and past St. Pierre with numerous reporters and his entourage to the exit.
Yet, there's something definitely eerie about it. And it just might be the first 10-15 seconds of the clip : The welterweight titles Shields won in the now defunct promotions EliteXC and Rumble On The Rock.
We all know that EliteXC was run by ProElite Inc., a company now known far and wide for its corrupt policies, alleged match fixing and banking their future on a street fighting phenom (Kimbo Slice). With Shields being billed as a "5 time World Champion", and with UFC now owning Strikeforce (after out bidding the aforementioned ProElite), is this mere coincidence, or is this a ploy by Zuffa brass to actively promote their product, while writing off the credentials of Shields in former organizations as merely nothing?
The UFC owns Strikeforce. If they wanted to truly promote Shields as a contender to the title, why not post the 2 Strikeforce belts he owned during his time in that organization instead? It would give a guy who's being "looked past" by most people more credibility. It would also not look so tasteless, as to say "We're the UFC. We're #1. Who gives a fuck what you've done in the past because you didn't do it here!".
Either way, I sure hope St. Pierre didn't take these commercials to heart as he's got a long road ahead of him come April 29th. Shields is not a slouch (15 consecutive wins is 15 wins regardless of organization), and given his BJJ background might have a surprise or 2 for the Canadian.
Until next time, Fight Fans.
Its got the look and feel of a classic UFC promo that most of us have seen : Great Music (Fort Minor's "Remember the Name"), Joe Rogan's nonsensical banter regarding what he sees in the underdog (In this case Shields) and the ever present "Sold Out" banner across the top of the page at the end of the commercial.
In the promo, We see Jake Shields sitting around his trophy wall, with Jiu-Jitsu medals galore and various newspaper clippings proclaiming his various wins over notable fighters such as Dan Henderson, Robbie Lawler and Carlos Condit. Shields is sitting in there with a clipping coming from his latest win against Martin Kampmann. We see Shields train, get up from his spot in the crowd from another GSP win to walk to the back and past St. Pierre with numerous reporters and his entourage to the exit.
Yet, there's something definitely eerie about it. And it just might be the first 10-15 seconds of the clip : The welterweight titles Shields won in the now defunct promotions EliteXC and Rumble On The Rock.
We all know that EliteXC was run by ProElite Inc., a company now known far and wide for its corrupt policies, alleged match fixing and banking their future on a street fighting phenom (Kimbo Slice). With Shields being billed as a "5 time World Champion", and with UFC now owning Strikeforce (after out bidding the aforementioned ProElite), is this mere coincidence, or is this a ploy by Zuffa brass to actively promote their product, while writing off the credentials of Shields in former organizations as merely nothing?
The UFC owns Strikeforce. If they wanted to truly promote Shields as a contender to the title, why not post the 2 Strikeforce belts he owned during his time in that organization instead? It would give a guy who's being "looked past" by most people more credibility. It would also not look so tasteless, as to say "We're the UFC. We're #1. Who gives a fuck what you've done in the past because you didn't do it here!".
Either way, I sure hope St. Pierre didn't take these commercials to heart as he's got a long road ahead of him come April 29th. Shields is not a slouch (15 consecutive wins is 15 wins regardless of organization), and given his BJJ background might have a surprise or 2 for the Canadian.
Until next time, Fight Fans.
Monday, March 28, 2011
Coach Lesnar : How good will he be?
This Wednesday marks the beginning of season number 13 (ever notice how in North America, show's are classified as "seasons", but over in the UK they classify them as "series", even though the show has been on 4 or 5 years. Don't understand? me either) of UFC's runaway reality show hit, "The Ultimate Fighter". The weight class of choice for this season are welterweights, with several names going for tryouts, including James Toney (NO! not the boxer that got beat up by Randy Couture, but a white fellow by the name of Jamie "The Ghost" Toney) and Gina Carano's former squeeze, kickboxer Kit Cope.
In the end though, it wouldn't matter who did make the show, because everybody is more or less focused on the coaches for this season : Heavyweight mainstays Junior Dos Santos and former kingpin of the division, Brock Lesnar. The 2 will face off in a #1 contender match to determine who Cain Velasquez will make his first defense against in Vancouver at UFC 131 on June 11th.
Looking at Lesnar, there's no doubt the only reason he was tagged as a coach for this season was for one reason : A ratings windfall. The highest rated season was the "Heavyweight" season coached by "Rampage" Jackson and Rashad Evans. The reason being was street fighting phenom Kimbo Slice, who fans either wanted to see get the contract or fall flat on his face (if you haven't watched the season....well, just look where Kimbo's career ended up).
All in all though, it appears that while Lesnar doesn't have as much experience as other coaches, he was smart enough to bring in guys that knew what they were doing : By bringing in names such as Marty Morgan, Erik Paulson, Rodrigo "Comprido" Medeiros, Greg Nelson and Luke Richardson, all guys that helped the former WWE star make the transition to MMA. It was also reported by MMAJunkie that Lesnar "bonded" with a his team, as he said that 5 and a half weeks wasn't too long of a period to get to know anybody, but due to the time together with his fighters he tried to influence them as best he could. How they were there for the "opportunity" he received from UFC president Dana White to go and fight.
All in all, well spoken for a guy who's biggest claim to fame in MMA circles is fingering the crowd and lipping off sponsors of the UFC, including Bud Light following his title win over Frank Mir. He said the coaching gig also gave him the opportunity to get even with Cain Velasquez for taking his title.
Well, technically Brock, The UFC gave you that opportunity...they just want you to get them a ratings spike so they get renewed for a couple more seasons and see if you can get a title shot in the process.
In all honesty, I'm not sure how Lesnar will actually fare as a coach not being a people person (he hid out in the woods following his title loss) , But having him as a coach will make for some over the top, smash mouth, must see TV.
-In other news, MMAJunkie is reporting that Mr. Ja....sorry, CHAEL Sonnen's sentencing date has been re-scheduled. Originally slated to take place yesterday, March 28th, it will now take place on April 8th in Portland, Oregon.
-The Fighter Payroll came out for last weekend's Ultimate Fight Night 24 from Seattle. the $537,000 US payroll was topped by the main event's loser, Antonio Rogerio Noguiera at $90,000. Phil Davis earned a mere $34,000 with 17k from that coming from a win bonus. The big bonuses were from Jonny Hendricks (who earned $55,000 for KO of the night), "The Korean Zombie" Chan Sung Jung ($55k for Sub of the night, as well as a jump in those T-shirt sales), and Michael McDonald and Eduardo Figuroa (for Fight of the Night).
-M-1 Global had a card on Friday, broadcast live on Showtime. None of the MMA sites I cruise had any mention of it, but it was their loss. 4 action packed fights, with a couple of fighters (Magomed Sultanakhmedov and Alexander Sarnavskiy) definitely showing their potential. Even the refereeing wasn't subpar. They knew exactly when to stop a fight, and pointed to the judges before fights started. Its a shame that with the MMA landscape the way it is now, that they won't get a sniff of the bright lights and big time atmosphere of the UFC.
get a hold of me anytime at mmarmaggeddon@gmail.com
Until next time, fight fans.
In the end though, it wouldn't matter who did make the show, because everybody is more or less focused on the coaches for this season : Heavyweight mainstays Junior Dos Santos and former kingpin of the division, Brock Lesnar. The 2 will face off in a #1 contender match to determine who Cain Velasquez will make his first defense against in Vancouver at UFC 131 on June 11th.
Looking at Lesnar, there's no doubt the only reason he was tagged as a coach for this season was for one reason : A ratings windfall. The highest rated season was the "Heavyweight" season coached by "Rampage" Jackson and Rashad Evans. The reason being was street fighting phenom Kimbo Slice, who fans either wanted to see get the contract or fall flat on his face (if you haven't watched the season....well, just look where Kimbo's career ended up).
All in all though, it appears that while Lesnar doesn't have as much experience as other coaches, he was smart enough to bring in guys that knew what they were doing : By bringing in names such as Marty Morgan, Erik Paulson, Rodrigo "Comprido" Medeiros, Greg Nelson and Luke Richardson, all guys that helped the former WWE star make the transition to MMA. It was also reported by MMAJunkie that Lesnar "bonded" with a his team, as he said that 5 and a half weeks wasn't too long of a period to get to know anybody, but due to the time together with his fighters he tried to influence them as best he could. How they were there for the "opportunity" he received from UFC president Dana White to go and fight.
All in all, well spoken for a guy who's biggest claim to fame in MMA circles is fingering the crowd and lipping off sponsors of the UFC, including Bud Light following his title win over Frank Mir. He said the coaching gig also gave him the opportunity to get even with Cain Velasquez for taking his title.
Well, technically Brock, The UFC gave you that opportunity...they just want you to get them a ratings spike so they get renewed for a couple more seasons and see if you can get a title shot in the process.
In all honesty, I'm not sure how Lesnar will actually fare as a coach not being a people person (he hid out in the woods following his title loss) , But having him as a coach will make for some over the top, smash mouth, must see TV.
-In other news, MMAJunkie is reporting that Mr. Ja....sorry, CHAEL Sonnen's sentencing date has been re-scheduled. Originally slated to take place yesterday, March 28th, it will now take place on April 8th in Portland, Oregon.
-The Fighter Payroll came out for last weekend's Ultimate Fight Night 24 from Seattle. the $537,000 US payroll was topped by the main event's loser, Antonio Rogerio Noguiera at $90,000. Phil Davis earned a mere $34,000 with 17k from that coming from a win bonus. The big bonuses were from Jonny Hendricks (who earned $55,000 for KO of the night), "The Korean Zombie" Chan Sung Jung ($55k for Sub of the night, as well as a jump in those T-shirt sales), and Michael McDonald and Eduardo Figuroa (for Fight of the Night).
-M-1 Global had a card on Friday, broadcast live on Showtime. None of the MMA sites I cruise had any mention of it, but it was their loss. 4 action packed fights, with a couple of fighters (Magomed Sultanakhmedov and Alexander Sarnavskiy) definitely showing their potential. Even the refereeing wasn't subpar. They knew exactly when to stop a fight, and pointed to the judges before fights started. Its a shame that with the MMA landscape the way it is now, that they won't get a sniff of the bright lights and big time atmosphere of the UFC.
get a hold of me anytime at mmarmaggeddon@gmail.com
Until next time, fight fans.
Sunday, March 27, 2011
Bellator 38 recap.
This probably sounds a little too cliche, but another week....and another Bellator moment.
Coming to us from Harrah's in Tunica, Mississippi we got our first look at the participants in the promotions inaugural 205 lb. tournament. In it, we were treated to 4 great fights, 3 finishes and a finish reminiscent of a certain lightweight fight from the promotions first season.
The main event, had Tim Carpenter defeating Daniel Gracie by a 3 round decision. The fight was back and forth, but Carpenters numerous submission attempts and controlling standup gave him the edge, and he was able to get the victory via split decision, with 2 judges giving him the fight by a 29-28 margin.
Other winners included DJ Linderman defeating Raphael Davis by 3rd round TKO, and Christian M'Pumbu winning his fight by 3rd round TKO after being dominated for the first 2 rounds.
That however, was nothing compared to the tilt between Rick Hale and former division 1 wrestler and Xtreme Couture Las Vegas wrestling coach, Nik Fekete. After going for a takedown, the man known as "Rare Breed" certainly earned his nickname by securing triangle position on Fekete. From there, Fekete did his best to scramble, only to stand up and be locked in a inverted triangle choke, reminiscent of Toby Imada vs Jorge Masvidal in Season 1. Fekete could no longer carry the former boxer Hale, and dropped to the mat, forcing referee Josh Herzog to stop the contest at just 1:55 of round 1.
Honorable Mention : Herzog might have been the referee in charge of the majority of the main card fights, but the fight between Linderman and Davis should have been stopped sooner. Davis took 3-5 more shots than he needed too, and he was so gassed after a early 3rd round low blow that Herzog gave him more time. This was right after the first fight of the night, where Herzog pointed out that Chris Davis took a huge shot from the Frenchman M'Pumbu that left him stiff. In one night, he went from being Herb Dean to Steve Mazzagatti in the span of 3 fights.
Numbers from last weeks Bellator came in & they were significantly down from the season's second week : just 174,000 compared to 230,000 the week before.
Note to Bjorn Rebney : UFC is king. Going head to head kills your product. Get with it.
Tune in next week for the first half of the Welterweight semi-finals with Lyman Good, as well as the World Lightweight title fight between kingpin Eddie Alvarez and season 2 tournament winner Pat Curran.
Until next time, fight fans.
Coming to us from Harrah's in Tunica, Mississippi we got our first look at the participants in the promotions inaugural 205 lb. tournament. In it, we were treated to 4 great fights, 3 finishes and a finish reminiscent of a certain lightweight fight from the promotions first season.
The main event, had Tim Carpenter defeating Daniel Gracie by a 3 round decision. The fight was back and forth, but Carpenters numerous submission attempts and controlling standup gave him the edge, and he was able to get the victory via split decision, with 2 judges giving him the fight by a 29-28 margin.
Other winners included DJ Linderman defeating Raphael Davis by 3rd round TKO, and Christian M'Pumbu winning his fight by 3rd round TKO after being dominated for the first 2 rounds.
That however, was nothing compared to the tilt between Rick Hale and former division 1 wrestler and Xtreme Couture Las Vegas wrestling coach, Nik Fekete. After going for a takedown, the man known as "Rare Breed" certainly earned his nickname by securing triangle position on Fekete. From there, Fekete did his best to scramble, only to stand up and be locked in a inverted triangle choke, reminiscent of Toby Imada vs Jorge Masvidal in Season 1. Fekete could no longer carry the former boxer Hale, and dropped to the mat, forcing referee Josh Herzog to stop the contest at just 1:55 of round 1.
Honorable Mention : Herzog might have been the referee in charge of the majority of the main card fights, but the fight between Linderman and Davis should have been stopped sooner. Davis took 3-5 more shots than he needed too, and he was so gassed after a early 3rd round low blow that Herzog gave him more time. This was right after the first fight of the night, where Herzog pointed out that Chris Davis took a huge shot from the Frenchman M'Pumbu that left him stiff. In one night, he went from being Herb Dean to Steve Mazzagatti in the span of 3 fights.
Numbers from last weeks Bellator came in & they were significantly down from the season's second week : just 174,000 compared to 230,000 the week before.
Note to Bjorn Rebney : UFC is king. Going head to head kills your product. Get with it.
Tune in next week for the first half of the Welterweight semi-finals with Lyman Good, as well as the World Lightweight title fight between kingpin Eddie Alvarez and season 2 tournament winner Pat Curran.
Until next time, fight fans.
UFC Fight Night 24 : Noguiera vs Davis re-hash : Mr Wonderful reigns.
For the second week in a row, We got a main event featuring a young up and coming American, and a Brazilian legend. Also for the second consecutive week, we saw the legend fall.
And although it wasn't as dominant as what Jon Jones did to Shogun Rua just a week prior, Phil Davis will take it.
On Saturday Night, the man known as "Mr. Wonderful" used his superior wrestling technique and uncompromising ground and pound to gut out a victory over Antonio Rogerio Noguiera. While he initially struggled taking Noguiera down, after he switched from single to double legged takedowns it came much easier. Although I had Noguiera's defense of those takedowns giving him the first round, the 3 judges disagreed and Davis won unanimously on all scorecards by a 30-27 margin.
Next for Davis : The "trilogy" that's no doubt awaiting him with Jon Jones will happen. But he's still a win or 2 off from that title shot. I'd say a fight with the winner of Ryan Bader-Tito Ortiz would be an interesting one.
Next for Noguiera : He did enough to hold off on a full-time coaching career. Still sluggish, a fight with Forrest Griffin might be one that captivates people's attention.
The co-main event, we saw Anthony "Rumble" Johnson return to the ranks of welterweight to take a unanimous decision victory over former #1 contender Dan Hardy. Hardy appeared to be working on his Jiu-Jitsu, having a kimura locked in on Johnson quite a few times, but the wrestling and strength of the American proved to be too much. With the loss, Hardy has dropped 3 in a row.
Next for Johnson : Still a win or 2 from being back in the mix. Perhaps a fight with the reeling Martin Kampmann.
Next for Hardy : UFC president Dana White said that Hardy wasn't "done" following the loss. If Paulo Thiago isn't up to anything, why not?
Amir Sabdollah used his status as a constantly evolving "student" of the game to earn a submission victory over DeMarques Johnson. Johnson used his wrestling and striking to win the first round, But once Sabdollah got on top, the writing was on the wall. Trapping Johnson's arm across his face, he subsequently rained down punches at just over 3 minute mark of round 2. With no other options, Johnson was forced to tap at 3:27 of the middle stanza.
Next for Sabdollah : He needs a step up in opponent. How about trying Yoshihiro Akiyama following his return?
Next for Johnson : Jorge Rivera.
The "Fight of the Decade" rematch didn't have the fireworks the first match had, but Chan Sung Jung did provide a highlight in his victory over Leonard Garcia. The first round was more or less a technical matchup, with Garcia getting tagged by a high kick by "The Korean Zombie" although he couldn't finish. After round one, we got some flashes of the wild flurries from their first encounter in the second, with Jung securing the takedown. From there, he was able to grab top position and in a first for me, secured a "Twister", described by Joe Rogan as a "terrible submission" securing Garcia's head and squeezing on his temple. With just a second left in the 2nd, Garcia tapped, earning Jung the victory.
Next for Jung : Manny Gamburyan.
Next for Garcia : That rematch with Nam Phan.
Honorable Mention : Alex "Bruce LeRoy" Caceres' UFC career is no doubt over after he was dominated and tapped out by Mackens Semerzier at just 3:18 of the first round of his debut. I know Dana White was "rooting" for him on TUF, and the Shaolin outfit he was rocking last night was kind of cool...but his "over the top" style is something that is best suited for WWE.
Overall, 3-1 on the night for my picks. Brings me to a 14-13-1 record for the year. But what's odd is this : I'm just 6-9-1 on PPVs, but I'm 8-4 on free fights.
Bizarre huh?
Get back to me : e-mail me at mmarmaggeddon@gmail.com
Until next time, Fight fans!
And although it wasn't as dominant as what Jon Jones did to Shogun Rua just a week prior, Phil Davis will take it.
On Saturday Night, the man known as "Mr. Wonderful" used his superior wrestling technique and uncompromising ground and pound to gut out a victory over Antonio Rogerio Noguiera. While he initially struggled taking Noguiera down, after he switched from single to double legged takedowns it came much easier. Although I had Noguiera's defense of those takedowns giving him the first round, the 3 judges disagreed and Davis won unanimously on all scorecards by a 30-27 margin.
Next for Davis : The "trilogy" that's no doubt awaiting him with Jon Jones will happen. But he's still a win or 2 off from that title shot. I'd say a fight with the winner of Ryan Bader-Tito Ortiz would be an interesting one.
Next for Noguiera : He did enough to hold off on a full-time coaching career. Still sluggish, a fight with Forrest Griffin might be one that captivates people's attention.
The co-main event, we saw Anthony "Rumble" Johnson return to the ranks of welterweight to take a unanimous decision victory over former #1 contender Dan Hardy. Hardy appeared to be working on his Jiu-Jitsu, having a kimura locked in on Johnson quite a few times, but the wrestling and strength of the American proved to be too much. With the loss, Hardy has dropped 3 in a row.
Next for Johnson : Still a win or 2 from being back in the mix. Perhaps a fight with the reeling Martin Kampmann.
Next for Hardy : UFC president Dana White said that Hardy wasn't "done" following the loss. If Paulo Thiago isn't up to anything, why not?
Amir Sabdollah used his status as a constantly evolving "student" of the game to earn a submission victory over DeMarques Johnson. Johnson used his wrestling and striking to win the first round, But once Sabdollah got on top, the writing was on the wall. Trapping Johnson's arm across his face, he subsequently rained down punches at just over 3 minute mark of round 2. With no other options, Johnson was forced to tap at 3:27 of the middle stanza.
Next for Sabdollah : He needs a step up in opponent. How about trying Yoshihiro Akiyama following his return?
Next for Johnson : Jorge Rivera.
The "Fight of the Decade" rematch didn't have the fireworks the first match had, but Chan Sung Jung did provide a highlight in his victory over Leonard Garcia. The first round was more or less a technical matchup, with Garcia getting tagged by a high kick by "The Korean Zombie" although he couldn't finish. After round one, we got some flashes of the wild flurries from their first encounter in the second, with Jung securing the takedown. From there, he was able to grab top position and in a first for me, secured a "Twister", described by Joe Rogan as a "terrible submission" securing Garcia's head and squeezing on his temple. With just a second left in the 2nd, Garcia tapped, earning Jung the victory.
Next for Jung : Manny Gamburyan.
Next for Garcia : That rematch with Nam Phan.
Honorable Mention : Alex "Bruce LeRoy" Caceres' UFC career is no doubt over after he was dominated and tapped out by Mackens Semerzier at just 3:18 of the first round of his debut. I know Dana White was "rooting" for him on TUF, and the Shaolin outfit he was rocking last night was kind of cool...but his "over the top" style is something that is best suited for WWE.
Overall, 3-1 on the night for my picks. Brings me to a 14-13-1 record for the year. But what's odd is this : I'm just 6-9-1 on PPVs, but I'm 8-4 on free fights.
Bizarre huh?
Get back to me : e-mail me at mmarmaggeddon@gmail.com
Until next time, Fight fans!
Friday, March 25, 2011
Welcome to the 21st Century : West Virginia legalizes MMA
Well, it took a while, but we finally have the 45th state to sanction Mixed Martial Arts. West Virginia's congress passed legislation to sanction the sport, with the vote passing by a margin of 71-26, as reported by ESPN.com.
This only leaves 3 states who have athletic commissions -- Connecticut, Vermont, and of course, New York -- as the states who have yet to pass it. With Jon Jones' title victory, and him being a New York native, the push to pass it will no doubt generate more steam. Its about time they got in the 21st century. It would be quite the thrill to check out a UFC from the "Mecca of Sports" Madison Square Garden, at least once in my lifetime.
- Kampmann still believes he beat Sanchez.
Its been almost a month since the 3 round war on "UFC on Versus 3" between welterweights Martin Kampmann and Diego Sanchez. The fights outcome left many fans arguing what justifies points in the cage to what exactly is scored, as both CompuStrike and FightMetric thought Kampmann was the victor. Regardless, the judges gave it a decision for the American. I even argued Kampmann couldn't buy a break in an earlier article, written the day after.
In a new article on ESPN.com.uk , The Dane sits down for his first interview since that night. The argument he makes about "useful aggression" is valid, as a lot of Sanchez's punches did not land. But he crosses the line when he says that "even a 5 year old" could see he beat the man now known as "The Dream".
He lost because he made the judges decide. His refusal for a rematch is even more ridiculous. He didn't whine this much when he truly got robbed against Jake Shields. If he wants to prove that he won the first fight, do what Shogun did to Machida -- go in there, hurt him early and finish the fight Martin. Otherwise, talking about it does nothing.
Until next time, fight fans.
This only leaves 3 states who have athletic commissions -- Connecticut, Vermont, and of course, New York -- as the states who have yet to pass it. With Jon Jones' title victory, and him being a New York native, the push to pass it will no doubt generate more steam. Its about time they got in the 21st century. It would be quite the thrill to check out a UFC from the "Mecca of Sports" Madison Square Garden, at least once in my lifetime.
- Kampmann still believes he beat Sanchez.
Its been almost a month since the 3 round war on "UFC on Versus 3" between welterweights Martin Kampmann and Diego Sanchez. The fights outcome left many fans arguing what justifies points in the cage to what exactly is scored, as both CompuStrike and FightMetric thought Kampmann was the victor. Regardless, the judges gave it a decision for the American. I even argued Kampmann couldn't buy a break in an earlier article, written the day after.
In a new article on ESPN.com.uk , The Dane sits down for his first interview since that night. The argument he makes about "useful aggression" is valid, as a lot of Sanchez's punches did not land. But he crosses the line when he says that "even a 5 year old" could see he beat the man now known as "The Dream".
He lost because he made the judges decide. His refusal for a rematch is even more ridiculous. He didn't whine this much when he truly got robbed against Jake Shields. If he wants to prove that he won the first fight, do what Shogun did to Machida -- go in there, hurt him early and finish the fight Martin. Otherwise, talking about it does nothing.
Until next time, fight fans.
UFC Fight Night 24 : Noguiera vs Davis Preview.
Saturday night marks the Ultimate Fighting Championship's first foray into the pacific northwest as Seattle plays host to Ultimate Fight Night 24, at the former home of the team currently known as the Oklahoma City Thunder (back when they were called the SuperSonics) Key Arena. The main card will be shown on Spike TV, as preliminary fights will be streamed via Facebook starting at 9 pm. After a 2-2 performance at UFC 128, I'm hoping to turn my fortunes as I've been a disappointing 11-12-1 on the year when it comes to picks. Let's see :
The Main event features Antonio Rogerio "Lil Nog" Noguiera taking on blue chip prospect "Mr. Wonderful" Phil Davis. This is Noguiera's first fight since Ryan Bader stopped his 7 fight win streak back at UFC 119, while Davis, whom was scheduled to fight Matt Hammil in Toronto (before several switches to that original fight), slips into this main event to replace Tito Ortiz, who was originally scheduled to face the Brazilian before suffering a cut during training that required stitches.
Davis isn't an "freak" athlete in the vein of new 205. lb Kingpin Jon "Bones" Jones, but his athleticism and wrestling skill give him a distinct advantage over the Brazilian. Noguiera, despite his win streak, has looked every bit of his 34 years (and more) lately, looking stiff in fights against Luiz Cane and Jason Brilz before that fight vs Bader. Though Noguiera has a ton of experience, its hard for me to look past the youth and talent of the American. The Pick : Davis by decision.
The co-main event features welterweight mainstays Dan "The Outlaw" Hardy and Anthony "Rumble" Johnson. This is Johnson's first fight since 2009, when he lost out to Josh Koscheck via rear naked choke (after Koscheck faked an eye poke and subsequently got 2 ring girls released), while the Brit steps into the cage for the first time since he was walloped by Carlos Condit at UFC 120 last October. The main issue surrounding this fight has been as much both men's distaste at being just the co-feature as well as Johnson's weight issues, as the American has a history of not making it, though Hardy says he'll fight either way. There will be a lot of fisticuffs in this contest. Expect the leather to fly, with Hardy being on the receiving end of another KO. The Pick : Johnson by knockout.
TUF graduates Amir Sabdollah and DaMarques Johnson get it on in the 2nd fight on the main card. Johnson is coming off a win vs. Mike Guymon in the last Spike televised Fight Night in January, while Sabdollah is looking to improve his MMA record to 5-2 having last fought on UFC 122 last November. Expect the TUF 7 winner to overwhelm Johnson in the early going, though the "US vs UK" veteran will weather the storm and ultimately grind it out.
The pick : Johnson by decision.
In what was fight of the year on many people's lists in 2010, Leonard Garcia will fight Chan Jung Sung, who saw a spike when it cames to selling his "Korean Zombie" t-shirts from that first encounter. Sung is a late replacement for Nam Pham, who was expected to fight Garcia before an injury suffered in training. Sung is also fighting for the first time since getting floored by George Roop at WEC 51 last September (which, oddly enough, killed that spike in his t-shirt sales!).
I see this fight going a lot similar to their first encounter, with wild punches being thrown and technique being thrown out the window. I also expect it to finish with the same outcome.
The pick : Sung by decision.
-In other news, Jon "Bones" Jones made an appearance on the Tonight Show with Jay Leno last night. Wonder if he tried to slap a figure 4 on the talk show host?
-Strikeforce, Showtime and UFC executives all held a meeting together for the first time since Zuffa purchased the California based promotion just 2 weeks ago. Scott Coker said the meeting was "productive" according to MMAJunkie.com. Did you expect him to say anything else?
- Coker was also quick to point out that "Daley vs. Diaz" tickets sales jumped due to the advertising on UFC 128 PPV broadcast. Again, what did he honestly expect? People would eat dog food if it were advertised by Dana White.
- Fedor Emelianenko is set to star in the film "The Salamander Key" opposite veteran actors Michael Madsen and Rutger Hauer, which debuted in Russia last night, March 24th according to MMAjunkie. I don't even think the fact that I am such a huge fan of the Russian could save it. MMA fighters should NOT try to act! I don't care if you're Randy Couture or Rampage Jackson, you earn your money in the cage. If a guy is following you around with a camera documenting your life, that's one thing...but to try to do make believe? that's a whole different thing.
Questions? Comments? Want to get back to me? email me at mmarmaggeddon@gmail.com
Until next time, Fight fans!
The Main event features Antonio Rogerio "Lil Nog" Noguiera taking on blue chip prospect "Mr. Wonderful" Phil Davis. This is Noguiera's first fight since Ryan Bader stopped his 7 fight win streak back at UFC 119, while Davis, whom was scheduled to fight Matt Hammil in Toronto (before several switches to that original fight), slips into this main event to replace Tito Ortiz, who was originally scheduled to face the Brazilian before suffering a cut during training that required stitches.
Davis isn't an "freak" athlete in the vein of new 205. lb Kingpin Jon "Bones" Jones, but his athleticism and wrestling skill give him a distinct advantage over the Brazilian. Noguiera, despite his win streak, has looked every bit of his 34 years (and more) lately, looking stiff in fights against Luiz Cane and Jason Brilz before that fight vs Bader. Though Noguiera has a ton of experience, its hard for me to look past the youth and talent of the American. The Pick : Davis by decision.
The co-main event features welterweight mainstays Dan "The Outlaw" Hardy and Anthony "Rumble" Johnson. This is Johnson's first fight since 2009, when he lost out to Josh Koscheck via rear naked choke (after Koscheck faked an eye poke and subsequently got 2 ring girls released), while the Brit steps into the cage for the first time since he was walloped by Carlos Condit at UFC 120 last October. The main issue surrounding this fight has been as much both men's distaste at being just the co-feature as well as Johnson's weight issues, as the American has a history of not making it, though Hardy says he'll fight either way. There will be a lot of fisticuffs in this contest. Expect the leather to fly, with Hardy being on the receiving end of another KO. The Pick : Johnson by knockout.
TUF graduates Amir Sabdollah and DaMarques Johnson get it on in the 2nd fight on the main card. Johnson is coming off a win vs. Mike Guymon in the last Spike televised Fight Night in January, while Sabdollah is looking to improve his MMA record to 5-2 having last fought on UFC 122 last November. Expect the TUF 7 winner to overwhelm Johnson in the early going, though the "US vs UK" veteran will weather the storm and ultimately grind it out.
The pick : Johnson by decision.
In what was fight of the year on many people's lists in 2010, Leonard Garcia will fight Chan Jung Sung, who saw a spike when it cames to selling his "Korean Zombie" t-shirts from that first encounter. Sung is a late replacement for Nam Pham, who was expected to fight Garcia before an injury suffered in training. Sung is also fighting for the first time since getting floored by George Roop at WEC 51 last September (which, oddly enough, killed that spike in his t-shirt sales!).
I see this fight going a lot similar to their first encounter, with wild punches being thrown and technique being thrown out the window. I also expect it to finish with the same outcome.
The pick : Sung by decision.
-In other news, Jon "Bones" Jones made an appearance on the Tonight Show with Jay Leno last night. Wonder if he tried to slap a figure 4 on the talk show host?
-Strikeforce, Showtime and UFC executives all held a meeting together for the first time since Zuffa purchased the California based promotion just 2 weeks ago. Scott Coker said the meeting was "productive" according to MMAJunkie.com. Did you expect him to say anything else?
- Coker was also quick to point out that "Daley vs. Diaz" tickets sales jumped due to the advertising on UFC 128 PPV broadcast. Again, what did he honestly expect? People would eat dog food if it were advertised by Dana White.
- Fedor Emelianenko is set to star in the film "The Salamander Key" opposite veteran actors Michael Madsen and Rutger Hauer, which debuted in Russia last night, March 24th according to MMAjunkie. I don't even think the fact that I am such a huge fan of the Russian could save it. MMA fighters should NOT try to act! I don't care if you're Randy Couture or Rampage Jackson, you earn your money in the cage. If a guy is following you around with a camera documenting your life, that's one thing...but to try to do make believe? that's a whole different thing.
Questions? Comments? Want to get back to me? email me at mmarmaggeddon@gmail.com
Until next time, Fight fans!
Monday, March 21, 2011
Action Comics #8000 : Bones Jones, superhero.
Jon Jones is every bit as mild mannered as Clark Kent. He is the son of a preacher and has the biblical psalm "Philippians 4:13" tattooed across the left side of his chest. He has a daughter, a "soon to be fiance" and says that a committed relationship is the reason why he's so able to focus on his training.
He is able to come across in interviews as being somebody that's grounded, that's down to earth. Somebody that despite throwing harsh criticisms around in interviews when discussing opponents, doesn't really look like he believes what's coming out of his mouth half the time.
Yet when he walks in that Cage every fight night, and that cage door closes, Another person takes over. Call it a "dual identity". This person dispatches limbs and screams like a wolf for kicks. He'll throw you in a figure 4 leglock if he catches you stealing anything. He'll hit you with his long reach with spinning elbows and leave you in a bloody heap. His name is Bones Jones.
Its very difficult to cipher as to when Jon Jones ends, and Bones Jones begins. The way he is inside of the cage and out of it makes you wonder as if you're living in a comic book, and Jon Jones is some sort of hero. Whether you were cheering for him or not Saturday night or any other night for that matter, you can't help but admit when you see Jones in action, you are witnessing something very special. From his sheer athleticism to his long reach, to his unquestionable strength to his overwhelming wrestling, It is no surprise that he has been able to hit the end of his learning curve and ascended to the top of the MMA landscape, in 3 relatively short years.
Looking at message boards after last Saturday night's title victory, from people proclaiming he's the real fight for Middleweight kingpin Anderson Silva, to calls for him to cure cancer at some point of his life, its clear people think he has that kind of profound impact on this sport. I've read articles saying he's a "breakthrough star", to somebody declaring he can have the "LeBron effect" on MMA and finally allow the sport sanctioning in New York. This is all before his first title defense (which we all know will come against Rashad Evans).
My only hope is that all of this does not overwhelm the young man. That he keeps his life on the straight and narrow, does what he's always done and keep focused. That his body doesn't fail him and he's not derailed by nagging injuries. That he's not consumed by fortune and turns to addiction. We've seen what happens to people when popularity and fame consume them (remember what happened with Tiger Woods) . Let's hope for better fortunes for Jon Jones.
Until next time, Fight fans.
He is able to come across in interviews as being somebody that's grounded, that's down to earth. Somebody that despite throwing harsh criticisms around in interviews when discussing opponents, doesn't really look like he believes what's coming out of his mouth half the time.
Yet when he walks in that Cage every fight night, and that cage door closes, Another person takes over. Call it a "dual identity". This person dispatches limbs and screams like a wolf for kicks. He'll throw you in a figure 4 leglock if he catches you stealing anything. He'll hit you with his long reach with spinning elbows and leave you in a bloody heap. His name is Bones Jones.
Its very difficult to cipher as to when Jon Jones ends, and Bones Jones begins. The way he is inside of the cage and out of it makes you wonder as if you're living in a comic book, and Jon Jones is some sort of hero. Whether you were cheering for him or not Saturday night or any other night for that matter, you can't help but admit when you see Jones in action, you are witnessing something very special. From his sheer athleticism to his long reach, to his unquestionable strength to his overwhelming wrestling, It is no surprise that he has been able to hit the end of his learning curve and ascended to the top of the MMA landscape, in 3 relatively short years.
Looking at message boards after last Saturday night's title victory, from people proclaiming he's the real fight for Middleweight kingpin Anderson Silva, to calls for him to cure cancer at some point of his life, its clear people think he has that kind of profound impact on this sport. I've read articles saying he's a "breakthrough star", to somebody declaring he can have the "LeBron effect" on MMA and finally allow the sport sanctioning in New York. This is all before his first title defense (which we all know will come against Rashad Evans).
My only hope is that all of this does not overwhelm the young man. That he keeps his life on the straight and narrow, does what he's always done and keep focused. That his body doesn't fail him and he's not derailed by nagging injuries. That he's not consumed by fortune and turns to addiction. We've seen what happens to people when popularity and fame consume them (remember what happened with Tiger Woods) . Let's hope for better fortunes for Jon Jones.
Until next time, Fight fans.
The Sun slowly sets : The downfall of Shogun.
Long before he stepped into the cage at UFC 128, People had been dubbing Mauricio "Shogun" Rua as the stuff of greatness. After his win in the 2005 Pride Light Heavyweight Grand Prix, which he bested for of the world's best at the time (Noguiera, Arona, Overeem and Rampage), people were calling for his statue being erected in his hometown of Curitiba. There were people suggesting he move up to heavyweight, with former teammate and friend Wanderlei Silva saying that he might be the only fighter truly worthy of beating then Pride Heavyweight Champion Fedor Emelianenko (this was before, I'm presuming, Wanderlei had heard of Fabricio Werdum or Antonio Silva).
He came into the UFC following Pride's purchase in 2007 and was immediately expected to contend in the 205 lb. ranks. A upset loss to Forrest Griffin (by rear naked choke no less) clearly put the brakes on that. In that fight, Shogun looked sloppy and clearly out of shape; We were soon to find out why, as Shogun spent the next 18 months rehabbing what were torn knee ligaments in both knees. When he returned at the beginning of 2009 at UFC 93 against Mark Coleman, he still looked sloppy but you saw the pieces starting to come together. At UFC 97 that April, his knockout victory over Chuck Liddell cemented the progress.
Next was a title shot against Lyoto Machida, and although many people thought that was a "freebie" given out by the UFC brass and that Rua hadn't "done enough" to justify the chance, those same fans booed when the scorecards were read, all 3 judges declaring the winner to be Machida, though Rua clearly landed the better strikes and was the aggressor the whole fight. He got his rematch, and made the most of it, TKO'ing "The Dragon" and finally earning, what people had thought was his for a long time coming : Being the best 205 lb. fighter in the world.
Winning the championship was not without its consequences, as Rua blew a knee out for a second time and spent the next year or so recovering. All the while, a young contender named Jon "Bones" Jones quickly rose up the ranks, culminating in his surprise title shot last Saturday night in New Jersey. Like Rua, Jones made the most of his opportunity, quickly dispatching Rua with a combination of punches, takedowns, leg locks and spinning elbows.
With the loss of his world title, the question on many people's minds is : What does Shogun do now? At only 29 years of age, his career is far from over. Him not being 100% will gain a lot of attention from many die hard supporters, but the fact remains is that Shogun even had he been at 100% would have probably still gotten beaten. Many good fights still remain in the UFC for the Brazilian (including fights with notables such as Rashad Evans, Ryan Bader, plus a 2nd fight with Rampage Jackson and a possible 3rd tilt with nemesis Machida).
If Shogun can stay healthy and garner a victory or 2 more when his medical suspension does clear, He might be able to secure another title shot. The fact remains however, is that from 23 to 29 years old, without the injuries to his knees that made him spend so much time on the sidelines, Fans will always wonder how good Mauricio Rua was, How good he is, Or how good could he have been?
Until next time, fight fans.
He came into the UFC following Pride's purchase in 2007 and was immediately expected to contend in the 205 lb. ranks. A upset loss to Forrest Griffin (by rear naked choke no less) clearly put the brakes on that. In that fight, Shogun looked sloppy and clearly out of shape; We were soon to find out why, as Shogun spent the next 18 months rehabbing what were torn knee ligaments in both knees. When he returned at the beginning of 2009 at UFC 93 against Mark Coleman, he still looked sloppy but you saw the pieces starting to come together. At UFC 97 that April, his knockout victory over Chuck Liddell cemented the progress.
Next was a title shot against Lyoto Machida, and although many people thought that was a "freebie" given out by the UFC brass and that Rua hadn't "done enough" to justify the chance, those same fans booed when the scorecards were read, all 3 judges declaring the winner to be Machida, though Rua clearly landed the better strikes and was the aggressor the whole fight. He got his rematch, and made the most of it, TKO'ing "The Dragon" and finally earning, what people had thought was his for a long time coming : Being the best 205 lb. fighter in the world.
Winning the championship was not without its consequences, as Rua blew a knee out for a second time and spent the next year or so recovering. All the while, a young contender named Jon "Bones" Jones quickly rose up the ranks, culminating in his surprise title shot last Saturday night in New Jersey. Like Rua, Jones made the most of his opportunity, quickly dispatching Rua with a combination of punches, takedowns, leg locks and spinning elbows.
With the loss of his world title, the question on many people's minds is : What does Shogun do now? At only 29 years of age, his career is far from over. Him not being 100% will gain a lot of attention from many die hard supporters, but the fact remains is that Shogun even had he been at 100% would have probably still gotten beaten. Many good fights still remain in the UFC for the Brazilian (including fights with notables such as Rashad Evans, Ryan Bader, plus a 2nd fight with Rampage Jackson and a possible 3rd tilt with nemesis Machida).
If Shogun can stay healthy and garner a victory or 2 more when his medical suspension does clear, He might be able to secure another title shot. The fact remains however, is that from 23 to 29 years old, without the injuries to his knees that made him spend so much time on the sidelines, Fans will always wonder how good Mauricio Rua was, How good he is, Or how good could he have been?
Until next time, fight fans.
Bellator 37 recap.
In the first of many visits to the state of Oklahoma this year, Bellator kicked off its 145 lb. tournament with 4 Quarterfinals Saturday night. Patricio "Pitbull" Friere (brother of welterweight Patricky "Pitbull") secured his ticket to the semi-finals with a 3rd round TKO victory over Armenian Georgi Karakhanyan. Taking in the main event with commentators Sean Wheelock and Jimmy Smith was the man whom defeated Friere in the finals of the season 2 featherweight tournament, current champ Joe Warren.
Friere improves to 15-1 with the stoppage, the only loss coming at the hands of the aformentioned Bellator featherweight kingpin.
Other winners include 2 time Wilson Reis defeating Zac George by rear naked choke at just over 2 minutes of round 1, as well as Kenny Foster handing Eric Larkin his first career loss in the opening bout of the night, due to a 1st round guillotine choke.
However, the fight of the night (very well might be the round of the night as well) featured 14-2 prospect Daniel Straus and Argentinian Nazareno Malegarie, who was bringing in the best record in MMA and current longest undefeated streak (19-0) at the time. In an entertaining back and forth contest, we saw 3 rounds of 2 guys never backing down, with Straus slamming Malegarie into the mat almost as many times as we saw heel hook attempts by the Argentine. After the 15 minute affair, the judges handed the fight to the American on all 3 score cards 29-28, Handing Malegarie the first loss of his career.
Tune in next week for the 1st round of the promotions inaugural 205 lb. tournament, on the Score in Canada at 9 pm Saturday night.
Until next time, fight fans.
Friere improves to 15-1 with the stoppage, the only loss coming at the hands of the aformentioned Bellator featherweight kingpin.
Other winners include 2 time Wilson Reis defeating Zac George by rear naked choke at just over 2 minutes of round 1, as well as Kenny Foster handing Eric Larkin his first career loss in the opening bout of the night, due to a 1st round guillotine choke.
However, the fight of the night (very well might be the round of the night as well) featured 14-2 prospect Daniel Straus and Argentinian Nazareno Malegarie, who was bringing in the best record in MMA and current longest undefeated streak (19-0) at the time. In an entertaining back and forth contest, we saw 3 rounds of 2 guys never backing down, with Straus slamming Malegarie into the mat almost as many times as we saw heel hook attempts by the Argentine. After the 15 minute affair, the judges handed the fight to the American on all 3 score cards 29-28, Handing Malegarie the first loss of his career.
Tune in next week for the 1st round of the promotions inaugural 205 lb. tournament, on the Score in Canada at 9 pm Saturday night.
Until next time, fight fans.
Saturday, March 19, 2011
The Cold War : Is Fedor/Couture still relevant?
It was the summer of 2008. Spain was on their way to their first European Cup, the song "Lollipop" by Lil Wayne was stuck in everybody's heads, and the Olympics in Beijing were about to kick off in full swing...
Meanwhile, Randy Couture was in MMA limbo, in a war of words with UFC president Dana White over his contract. Desperate to get out of it, The UFC heavyweight champion at the time went to court to secure his release.
The reason? He desperately wanted a fight with the consensus #1 heavyweight fighter in the world, Fedor Emelianenko.
The way things are, Couture wasn't able to wrangle himself out of that mess. He would ultimately return to the Octagon, losing his title at the hands of Brock Lesnar. Fedor, after his dismantling of Tim Sylvia, fought Andrei Arlovski and ended up in Strikeforce instead. He proceeded to knockout Brett Rogers.
Its 2011 now. 3 years have passed, with Randy Couture fighting everybody from gatekeepers (Brandon Vera) to freak shows (James Toney), securing a fight with Lyoto Machida next month in Toronto at UFC 129. Fedor, meanwhile, has gone from being #1 in everybody's books to looking quite human in back to back losses to Fabricio Werdum and Antonio "Bigfoot" Silva. At 34 years old, things are not as nice as they once were for the Russian.
With the UFC taking over Strikeforce last week, Dana White said that UFC fighters could no doubt slide across brands to Strikeforce, taking on their best. While he said "Superfights" between the 2 promotions are out of the question, is it too much to doubt that regardless of how Couture fairs against Machida, that a fight against "The Last Emperor" is out of the question?
Its not the fight it would have been in 2008. But let's face it : When Chuck Liddell fought Wanderlei Silva at the end of 2007, it wasn't the fight we wanted. Liddell had come off back to back losses against Rampage Jackson and Keith Jardine, and was on his way down. Wanderlei had recently lost his title to Dan Henderson, and had also lost to Ricardo Arona and Mirko Cro Cop previously. When the 2 fighters stepped in there, it was all about brand representation : UFC vs. Pride. The 3 round war we were treated to that night will be forever etched in our minds, 2 warriors throwing wild punches never backing down. The fans gave it a standing ovation and it received numerous awards for "Fight of the year".
Fedor and Couture are 2 of the legends of the sport, the best heavyweights in an era where TV time wasn't consistent, Spike was in their relative MMA infancy and Pride was to the average fan, a relative unknown. With both fighters winding down from their respective careers, is it too late to put them up against one another, where we could see who the best heavyweight of the previous era was?
Its an open question. With the UFC now holding complete domination of Mixed Martial Arts, I say it wouldn't be out of the ordinary to set this fight up. But I guess we'll have to wait and see.
Questions? Comments? Want to get back to me? leave a comment at the bottom or feel free to email me MMArmaggeddon@gmail.com
Until next time, fight fans.
Meanwhile, Randy Couture was in MMA limbo, in a war of words with UFC president Dana White over his contract. Desperate to get out of it, The UFC heavyweight champion at the time went to court to secure his release.
The reason? He desperately wanted a fight with the consensus #1 heavyweight fighter in the world, Fedor Emelianenko.
The way things are, Couture wasn't able to wrangle himself out of that mess. He would ultimately return to the Octagon, losing his title at the hands of Brock Lesnar. Fedor, after his dismantling of Tim Sylvia, fought Andrei Arlovski and ended up in Strikeforce instead. He proceeded to knockout Brett Rogers.
Its 2011 now. 3 years have passed, with Randy Couture fighting everybody from gatekeepers (Brandon Vera) to freak shows (James Toney), securing a fight with Lyoto Machida next month in Toronto at UFC 129. Fedor, meanwhile, has gone from being #1 in everybody's books to looking quite human in back to back losses to Fabricio Werdum and Antonio "Bigfoot" Silva. At 34 years old, things are not as nice as they once were for the Russian.
With the UFC taking over Strikeforce last week, Dana White said that UFC fighters could no doubt slide across brands to Strikeforce, taking on their best. While he said "Superfights" between the 2 promotions are out of the question, is it too much to doubt that regardless of how Couture fairs against Machida, that a fight against "The Last Emperor" is out of the question?
Its not the fight it would have been in 2008. But let's face it : When Chuck Liddell fought Wanderlei Silva at the end of 2007, it wasn't the fight we wanted. Liddell had come off back to back losses against Rampage Jackson and Keith Jardine, and was on his way down. Wanderlei had recently lost his title to Dan Henderson, and had also lost to Ricardo Arona and Mirko Cro Cop previously. When the 2 fighters stepped in there, it was all about brand representation : UFC vs. Pride. The 3 round war we were treated to that night will be forever etched in our minds, 2 warriors throwing wild punches never backing down. The fans gave it a standing ovation and it received numerous awards for "Fight of the year".
Fedor and Couture are 2 of the legends of the sport, the best heavyweights in an era where TV time wasn't consistent, Spike was in their relative MMA infancy and Pride was to the average fan, a relative unknown. With both fighters winding down from their respective careers, is it too late to put them up against one another, where we could see who the best heavyweight of the previous era was?
Its an open question. With the UFC now holding complete domination of Mixed Martial Arts, I say it wouldn't be out of the ordinary to set this fight up. But I guess we'll have to wait and see.
Questions? Comments? Want to get back to me? leave a comment at the bottom or feel free to email me MMArmaggeddon@gmail.com
Until next time, fight fans.
UFC 128 : Shogun vs Jones re-hash.
It seems not even a criminal can de-rail the hype train surrounding Jon "Bones" Jones.
Hours before his UFC 128 main event, the light heavyweight stopped a would-be thief by chasing him down, putting him in a figure 4 leglock long enough before police to arrive.
He then stepped into the Octagon -- and laid a sound beating on one of the most athletic fighters the sport has ever seen, Mauricio "Shogun" Rua.
From dominating the clinch to throwing knees, to a spinning elbow with holding his opponent against the cage, Jones did it all Saturday night. In doing so, the 23 year old is now the youngest champion in UFC history.
Afterward he said ""It means a lot to me, but now I know I have a huge target on my back. And when you guys come and strike at me, I'll be ready to strike right back."
Next for Jones : Joe Rogan was quick to announce that Rashad Evans will be the new champions first defense. After hearing the argument that Rua was a "step up" in opponents for Jones, and with the one sided domination he showed, It will no doubt be a sight to see if Jones is as dominant as he was over Rua.
Next for Shogun : Ring Rust and not being 100% will get plenty of overkill. I say throw him in there with the winner of Rampage-Hammill or the winner of Machida-Couture.
In the co-main event, Urijah Faber showed that he's ready to step in with the 135 lb. champion Dominick Cruz in an impressive 3 round performance against Eddie Wineland. Faber was a little hesitant in the first round, being out grappled and out clinched. But from the second round on, he was able to utilize his wrestling, scoring takedowns and dominant positions over Wineland. The 3rd round showed much of the shame, and Faber was able to gut out a unanimous decision victory.
Next for Faber : Perhaps a slot on the 14th season of "Ultimate Fighter" coaching against Dominick Cruz and a featherweight title shot.
Next for Wineland : Perhaps another victory or 2 away from being thrown into the title mix. Either Mike Brown or Damacio Page.
Nate Marquardt got out of a few guillotine attempts and secured a unanimous 30-27 on all 3 judges scorecards against Jim Miller, who was replacing Yoshihiro Akiyama on short notice. After a close first round, Marquardt was able to use his superior wrestling and grind it out.
Next for Marquardt : I say Michael Bisping is a good matchup.
Next for Miller : Perhaps Yushin Okami.
Dan Miller took on WEC standout Kamal Shalrous and handed him his first loss as a professional, securing a 3rd round TKO victory. Shalrous, who up until this point had been advertised as having a head of rock, looked rather ordinary and turtled up after Miller hit him with heavy uppercut, promptly stopped by Herb Dean.
Next for Miller : a fight with the Winner of Ben Henderson - Mark Bocek.
Next for Shalrous : Learning how to box and defend. Throwing wild hooks got you plenty of looks in the WEC, but if you're going to continue to fight like Fedor Emelianenko in his best days, you'll get beat to the punch every time.
Honorable Mention : Did anybody else see rapper Ice-T and his wife taking pictures of her breasts while Jon Jones was getting in the cage? Also, Miller may have floored Shalrous with that uppercut, but Shalrous took a heavy head kick up on his face in the 1st round and walked through it. Maybe he's not used to getting a punch?
Mirko Cro Cop going into the cage for perhaps the last time, and for all intents and purposes was winning his fight against Brandon Schaub -- before a punch and a faulty knee failed him and he falled flat on his face.
2-2 for the night, which leaves me a disappointing 11-12-1 on the year. I'll hope to do better on the next card, which is UFC Fight Night 24, live from Seattle next Saturday.
Until next time, fight fans!
Hours before his UFC 128 main event, the light heavyweight stopped a would-be thief by chasing him down, putting him in a figure 4 leglock long enough before police to arrive.
He then stepped into the Octagon -- and laid a sound beating on one of the most athletic fighters the sport has ever seen, Mauricio "Shogun" Rua.
From dominating the clinch to throwing knees, to a spinning elbow with holding his opponent against the cage, Jones did it all Saturday night. In doing so, the 23 year old is now the youngest champion in UFC history.
Afterward he said ""It means a lot to me, but now I know I have a huge target on my back. And when you guys come and strike at me, I'll be ready to strike right back."
Next for Jones : Joe Rogan was quick to announce that Rashad Evans will be the new champions first defense. After hearing the argument that Rua was a "step up" in opponents for Jones, and with the one sided domination he showed, It will no doubt be a sight to see if Jones is as dominant as he was over Rua.
Next for Shogun : Ring Rust and not being 100% will get plenty of overkill. I say throw him in there with the winner of Rampage-Hammill or the winner of Machida-Couture.
In the co-main event, Urijah Faber showed that he's ready to step in with the 135 lb. champion Dominick Cruz in an impressive 3 round performance against Eddie Wineland. Faber was a little hesitant in the first round, being out grappled and out clinched. But from the second round on, he was able to utilize his wrestling, scoring takedowns and dominant positions over Wineland. The 3rd round showed much of the shame, and Faber was able to gut out a unanimous decision victory.
Next for Faber : Perhaps a slot on the 14th season of "Ultimate Fighter" coaching against Dominick Cruz and a featherweight title shot.
Next for Wineland : Perhaps another victory or 2 away from being thrown into the title mix. Either Mike Brown or Damacio Page.
Nate Marquardt got out of a few guillotine attempts and secured a unanimous 30-27 on all 3 judges scorecards against Jim Miller, who was replacing Yoshihiro Akiyama on short notice. After a close first round, Marquardt was able to use his superior wrestling and grind it out.
Next for Marquardt : I say Michael Bisping is a good matchup.
Next for Miller : Perhaps Yushin Okami.
Dan Miller took on WEC standout Kamal Shalrous and handed him his first loss as a professional, securing a 3rd round TKO victory. Shalrous, who up until this point had been advertised as having a head of rock, looked rather ordinary and turtled up after Miller hit him with heavy uppercut, promptly stopped by Herb Dean.
Next for Miller : a fight with the Winner of Ben Henderson - Mark Bocek.
Next for Shalrous : Learning how to box and defend. Throwing wild hooks got you plenty of looks in the WEC, but if you're going to continue to fight like Fedor Emelianenko in his best days, you'll get beat to the punch every time.
Honorable Mention : Did anybody else see rapper Ice-T and his wife taking pictures of her breasts while Jon Jones was getting in the cage? Also, Miller may have floored Shalrous with that uppercut, but Shalrous took a heavy head kick up on his face in the 1st round and walked through it. Maybe he's not used to getting a punch?
Mirko Cro Cop going into the cage for perhaps the last time, and for all intents and purposes was winning his fight against Brandon Schaub -- before a punch and a faulty knee failed him and he falled flat on his face.
2-2 for the night, which leaves me a disappointing 11-12-1 on the year. I'll hope to do better on the next card, which is UFC Fight Night 24, live from Seattle next Saturday.
Until next time, fight fans!
Friday, March 18, 2011
UFC 128 : Shogun vs Jones preview.
In some ways, it could be argued that Mauricio "Shogun" Rua was the Jon "Bones" Jones of his day. After all, in 2005, Rua, possessing raw athleticism, great muay thai and overall toughness, came from virtual MMA obscurity to defeat 4 top Light Heavyweights (including current Strikeforce Heavyweight Champion Alistair Overeem and former UFC 205 lb. kingpin Quinton "Rampage" Jackson) and secure the Pride Grand Prix that year. At just 23 years old, great things were expected from him, and more often than not people were comparing him to another high octane, athletic tough brawler (his former teammate and friend Wanderlei Silva).
6 years and a few knee operations later, Shogun finds himself at the top of the 205 lb. landscape...and a blue chip prospect in his cross heirs. Jon Jones has gone from virtual MMA obscurity (remember he took up the sport just 3 years ago, and Rua won the Grand Prix while Jones was still in High School) to rack up an 12-1 record and secure a title shot against the champion Saturday night. At just 23 years old, great things are expected of Jones, as the UFC is no doubt banking on Jones' Lebron-esque qualities to secure sanctioning in the state of New York.
Many, many people have debated over who'll win this fight. Oddsmakers have Jones as a 2 to 1 favourite, though despite what he's said in interviews He's maintained a low key profile. Rua has taken the high road and says he's "motivated" at the thought of being the underdog, and neither his knee or ring rust will be a factor. So torn people are about this fight that "Showdown" Joe Ferraro of SportsNet resorted to a coin flip to register his prediction.
I won't be that much of a wuss. Look, the fact is that while Shogun doesn't possess the athleticism or youth that he once did (or that Jones possesses) the truth is that his "game" experience will come into play. Jones has gone through his opponents with little to no opposition, but that list includes 2 overrated gatekeepers (Brandon Vera and Stephan Bonnar) and a Wendel Clark lookalike (Vladimir Matyushenko). Ryan Bader was the credible opponent he took on, and he went through that with little difficulty. Jones has never been tested, which I'm sure Shogun will no doubt do. It will be an exciting, entertaining affair, and it will leave the fans what they want. But i see it going a little more like the first Matt Hughes-Georges St. Pierre encounter. Consider it a learning experience for Mr. Jones
The Pick : Shogun by (close) unanimous decision.
In the co-main event, a #1 contender slot as well as a possible coaching gig on the next season of "TUF" opposite bantamweight champion Dominick Cruz are on the line as former WEC standouts Eddie Wineland and Urijah Faber (who was the face of the sister promotion) make their UFC debuts. While Wineland is game and would no doubt like to face off against Cruz, I expect the "California Kid"'s athletic ability and wrestling to be the difference in this fight, and I expect a Cruz/Faber title fight later in the year.
The Pick : Faber by submission.
On the main card, Jim Miller fresh off derailing the hype machine behind BJJ prospect Charles Oliveria in his last fight, takes on tough as nails lightweight and WEC graduate Kamal Shalrous, who's coming off a victory in his last fight against Bart Palaszewski last December. Miller's only 2 losses come against really good wrestlers (Gray Maynard and Frankie Edgar), and while I think he may get a submission attempt or 2 on the Iranian, the man I call "Baby Fedor" will ultimately walk away with the victory.
The Pick : Shalrous by decision.
The second fight from the bottom features Nate Marquardt taking on Jim Miller's brother, Dan who's replacing Yoshihiro "Sexyama" Akiyama due to the current situation in Akiyama's home country. Miller hasn't been left with much time to prepare, but I do expect him full well to give the Greg Jackson product Marquardt all he can handle, only to fall short.
The pick : Marquardt by decision.
I was going to pick the Brandon Schaub - Cro Cop fight, but hasn't Cro Cop suffered enough?
-In other news, It appears Bobby Lashley has now signed on to fight John Ott for Titan Fighting Championships next week Friday, who's replacing James Jack (who's apparently gone MIA). You see people, this is why promotions like the UFC rarely work. If Dana White had Brock Lesnar main eventing a fight and he went MIA, Dana would cut him from the organization. Wait a minute, he's fighting Junior Dos Santos in June. It might not be too late.....
-Nate Marquardt told MMAJunkie earlier this morning that British fighter Michael Bisping is an "ass" and a "total punk (with) no respect. I don't like those people." He went onto say that the spitting incident between him and Jorge Rivera's corner was "disrespectful. That's not what a martial artist does and not what a sportsman does."
I said in my re-hash following that fight Bisping was another win away from calling for a title shot (even though I acknowledged like most, he'd get outclassed by Anderson Silva). Although I don't think of Marquardt as much of a contender, would it be too quick to assume that he'll get the next crack at the Brit?
Questions? comments? get back to me mmarmaggeddon@gmail.com
until next time, fight fans!
6 years and a few knee operations later, Shogun finds himself at the top of the 205 lb. landscape...and a blue chip prospect in his cross heirs. Jon Jones has gone from virtual MMA obscurity (remember he took up the sport just 3 years ago, and Rua won the Grand Prix while Jones was still in High School) to rack up an 12-1 record and secure a title shot against the champion Saturday night. At just 23 years old, great things are expected of Jones, as the UFC is no doubt banking on Jones' Lebron-esque qualities to secure sanctioning in the state of New York.
Many, many people have debated over who'll win this fight. Oddsmakers have Jones as a 2 to 1 favourite, though despite what he's said in interviews He's maintained a low key profile. Rua has taken the high road and says he's "motivated" at the thought of being the underdog, and neither his knee or ring rust will be a factor. So torn people are about this fight that "Showdown" Joe Ferraro of SportsNet resorted to a coin flip to register his prediction.
I won't be that much of a wuss. Look, the fact is that while Shogun doesn't possess the athleticism or youth that he once did (or that Jones possesses) the truth is that his "game" experience will come into play. Jones has gone through his opponents with little to no opposition, but that list includes 2 overrated gatekeepers (Brandon Vera and Stephan Bonnar) and a Wendel Clark lookalike (Vladimir Matyushenko). Ryan Bader was the credible opponent he took on, and he went through that with little difficulty. Jones has never been tested, which I'm sure Shogun will no doubt do. It will be an exciting, entertaining affair, and it will leave the fans what they want. But i see it going a little more like the first Matt Hughes-Georges St. Pierre encounter. Consider it a learning experience for Mr. Jones
The Pick : Shogun by (close) unanimous decision.
In the co-main event, a #1 contender slot as well as a possible coaching gig on the next season of "TUF" opposite bantamweight champion Dominick Cruz are on the line as former WEC standouts Eddie Wineland and Urijah Faber (who was the face of the sister promotion) make their UFC debuts. While Wineland is game and would no doubt like to face off against Cruz, I expect the "California Kid"'s athletic ability and wrestling to be the difference in this fight, and I expect a Cruz/Faber title fight later in the year.
The Pick : Faber by submission.
On the main card, Jim Miller fresh off derailing the hype machine behind BJJ prospect Charles Oliveria in his last fight, takes on tough as nails lightweight and WEC graduate Kamal Shalrous, who's coming off a victory in his last fight against Bart Palaszewski last December. Miller's only 2 losses come against really good wrestlers (Gray Maynard and Frankie Edgar), and while I think he may get a submission attempt or 2 on the Iranian, the man I call "Baby Fedor" will ultimately walk away with the victory.
The Pick : Shalrous by decision.
The second fight from the bottom features Nate Marquardt taking on Jim Miller's brother, Dan who's replacing Yoshihiro "Sexyama" Akiyama due to the current situation in Akiyama's home country. Miller hasn't been left with much time to prepare, but I do expect him full well to give the Greg Jackson product Marquardt all he can handle, only to fall short.
The pick : Marquardt by decision.
I was going to pick the Brandon Schaub - Cro Cop fight, but hasn't Cro Cop suffered enough?
-In other news, It appears Bobby Lashley has now signed on to fight John Ott for Titan Fighting Championships next week Friday, who's replacing James Jack (who's apparently gone MIA). You see people, this is why promotions like the UFC rarely work. If Dana White had Brock Lesnar main eventing a fight and he went MIA, Dana would cut him from the organization. Wait a minute, he's fighting Junior Dos Santos in June. It might not be too late.....
-Nate Marquardt told MMAJunkie earlier this morning that British fighter Michael Bisping is an "ass" and a "total punk (with) no respect. I don't like those people." He went onto say that the spitting incident between him and Jorge Rivera's corner was "disrespectful. That's not what a martial artist does and not what a sportsman does."
I said in my re-hash following that fight Bisping was another win away from calling for a title shot (even though I acknowledged like most, he'd get outclassed by Anderson Silva). Although I don't think of Marquardt as much of a contender, would it be too quick to assume that he'll get the next crack at the Brit?
Questions? comments? get back to me mmarmaggeddon@gmail.com
until next time, fight fans!
Wednesday, March 16, 2011
Blame it on Rio : Royce Gracie's retirement party?
Sorry Folks, I've been hiding for the last few days. Honestly I am still in shock over the bomb dropped this past weekend (UFC completely dominating the MMA landscape by their purchase of Strikeforce). After making announcements and reading articles on MMAJunkie, MMAWeekly and Five Ounces of Pain the last few days (which included Zuffa's brass making the announcement that elbow strikes will now be allowed, as well as the PPV debut of Strikeforce that may include the Grand Prix), I have decided to come out from under the smoke.
Now, leads me to my next topic : Various MMA outlets have reported the UFC is in discussions to bring back the prodigal son of MMA, Royce Gracie, back in the fold for the announced UFC card scheduled to take place in Rio De Janeiro this August 27th.
I can't see how this move doesn't make sense. After all, while the UFC organization is American, the roots of the sport rest in the streets and dojos of Brazil. It was the Gracie family who brought Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu to these shores, and without it we'd still think WWE was exciting!
Only question however, is if this is a retirement bout (which i bet it is) who would be a decent matchup to pit against a 44 year old Gracie?
A list of names that comes to mind would include Paulo Thiago, Demian Maia and Martin Kampmann. Kampmann has great boxing and a lot to prove, coming off back to back decision defeats. Thiago and Maia can provide a good stand up base as well as both have exceptional jiu-jitsu, and it would be interesting to see how well Royce could do against a "new generation" Grappler.
That being the case, why not Jake Shields? Although Shields would have bigger fish to fry on his plate, if he were able to beat St. Pierre in Toronto for the 170 lb. title.
Questions? Comments? get back to me at mmarmaggeddon@gmail.com
Now, leads me to my next topic : Various MMA outlets have reported the UFC is in discussions to bring back the prodigal son of MMA, Royce Gracie, back in the fold for the announced UFC card scheduled to take place in Rio De Janeiro this August 27th.
I can't see how this move doesn't make sense. After all, while the UFC organization is American, the roots of the sport rest in the streets and dojos of Brazil. It was the Gracie family who brought Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu to these shores, and without it we'd still think WWE was exciting!
Only question however, is if this is a retirement bout (which i bet it is) who would be a decent matchup to pit against a 44 year old Gracie?
A list of names that comes to mind would include Paulo Thiago, Demian Maia and Martin Kampmann. Kampmann has great boxing and a lot to prove, coming off back to back decision defeats. Thiago and Maia can provide a good stand up base as well as both have exceptional jiu-jitsu, and it would be interesting to see how well Royce could do against a "new generation" Grappler.
That being the case, why not Jake Shields? Although Shields would have bigger fish to fry on his plate, if he were able to beat St. Pierre in Toronto for the 170 lb. title.
Questions? Comments? get back to me at mmarmaggeddon@gmail.com
Sunday, March 13, 2011
The ColossCirclon : The Coloseum's Cage.
Dear Mr. Pavelich :
You don't know me. My name is Da_HoodedRat, I've been watching MMA for a number of years now. I always loved watching MMA fights in the ring. From the first days of Pancrase in Japan to the end of PRIDE and into DREAM. I first want to applaud you for holding your fights in a Ring the first few years in your promotion in Edmonton, Alberta, The Maximum Fighting Championship.
But, The Ring is no longer the "Universe" as PRIDE described it. The game has merely evolved now, and MMA Fighters are no longer just athletes. They've become a part of Pop Culture, immersing themselves in with the rest of the world, one might say mainstream. But the sport has roots, deeply immersed from the "Gladiator" days as one might say.
Read a article on Sportsnet the other day and it says "You're ready to comply" to the cage and how the ring was "disadvantageous" to the fans watching. Hmm, I'm impressed. I've always thought that, but you surrendered to the age old theory of "Can't beat 'em, join 'em".
Eventually, maybe one day, we'll go back to the Ring, but not now. But now I read you're holding a "Name the Cage" contest for your next card, in Windsor, Ontario in 25 days. April 9th.
Add to that : its title is Conquer at the Colosseum.
So, you're going to be a Caesar's? in Windsor? A Colosseum?
and the Cage is a ring. a Circle if you will....
The only thing I can think of is ColossCirclon. MMA fighters are "Gladiators" and the cage is a throwback to it. You're going to be in Caesar's, might as well adhere to the Cage compliance and "When in Rome, Do As..." . Yes, make it so, ColossCirclon.
And as a matter of fact, when I win this contest, you can get me a couple of girls to go with the box seats. The ones that feed you grapes from an arbour? No? Oh well.
I'd much rather go see you guys than that fight in Toronto anyway.
Sincerely,
DA_HoodedRat,
mmarmaggeddon@gmail.com
Thanks.
You don't know me. My name is Da_HoodedRat, I've been watching MMA for a number of years now. I always loved watching MMA fights in the ring. From the first days of Pancrase in Japan to the end of PRIDE and into DREAM. I first want to applaud you for holding your fights in a Ring the first few years in your promotion in Edmonton, Alberta, The Maximum Fighting Championship.
But, The Ring is no longer the "Universe" as PRIDE described it. The game has merely evolved now, and MMA Fighters are no longer just athletes. They've become a part of Pop Culture, immersing themselves in with the rest of the world, one might say mainstream. But the sport has roots, deeply immersed from the "Gladiator" days as one might say.
Read a article on Sportsnet the other day and it says "You're ready to comply" to the cage and how the ring was "disadvantageous" to the fans watching. Hmm, I'm impressed. I've always thought that, but you surrendered to the age old theory of "Can't beat 'em, join 'em".
Eventually, maybe one day, we'll go back to the Ring, but not now. But now I read you're holding a "Name the Cage" contest for your next card, in Windsor, Ontario in 25 days. April 9th.
Add to that : its title is Conquer at the Colosseum.
So, you're going to be a Caesar's? in Windsor? A Colosseum?
and the Cage is a ring. a Circle if you will....
The only thing I can think of is ColossCirclon. MMA fighters are "Gladiators" and the cage is a throwback to it. You're going to be in Caesar's, might as well adhere to the Cage compliance and "When in Rome, Do As..." . Yes, make it so, ColossCirclon.
And as a matter of fact, when I win this contest, you can get me a couple of girls to go with the box seats. The ones that feed you grapes from an arbour? No? Oh well.
I'd much rather go see you guys than that fight in Toronto anyway.
Sincerely,
DA_HoodedRat,
mmarmaggeddon@gmail.com
Thanks.
4 Questions regarding : Zuffa's purchase of Strikeforce.
MMA Fans, unless you've been hiding under a rock or something for the past day, have seen the biggest announcement in the sport since....the purchase of Pride. With the news yesterday that UFC's parent company, Zuffa, has bought its biggest competitor, Strikeforce on Saturday. With UFC President Dana White saying it will be "business as usual" for the California based promotion, and the nix on "superfights" for the time being, It leaves me to wonder a few questions for the new conglomerate.
4) How many ego's can Dana White exactly handle? - Nobody is disputing that this guy is (amongst being a lot of negatives) a leader. He took the UFC out of its "dark age" doldrums and with a little help from his friends, into the promised land. He can talk the death out of a microphone and he can promote a sheep fighting a hyena. But with people like Cung Le, Gina Carano and of course Alistair Overeem and Fedor amongst his newly acquired talent, all guys that not only fight in MMA but on their time and each with their own agendas, can White somehow show these guys that there's nothing more important than fighting? We'll see.
3) Will there be modifications to the cage? - When they purchased the WEC, Zuffa scrapped the "hexagon" cage for a mini-octagon and concentrated on the lighter classes from (135-155). With this purchase, Strikeforce has much larger fighters with their own hexagon cage. I'm not saying it will be another mini octagon, but expect them to experiment with the 6 sided cage, given Zuffa's creativity.
2) Is Showtime now the home for all things Mixed Martial Arts? - We've seen Zuffa make various deals with Spike and Versus. Those deals are really hampered due to the "creative control" clause which might have allowed Zuffa to keep a grip on things production wise, but seriously hindered the amount of airtime they get. Showtime is a premium cable channel, where creative control is not only a right but a privilege (shows like "Sons of Anarchy" & "Dexter" would never be able to air on NBC). With not only Strikeforce and the UFC, M-1 Global is also airing a card on the channel March 25th. The late 80s and early 90s had HBO dominate combat sports coverage with their boxing. MMA is now the combat sport of choice, and Showtime is taking clear steps to dominate that programming.
1) Will we finally get to see Randy vs. Fedor? - Okay, its not exactly the match we would have wanted in 2008, where "the best heavyweight in the world" title would have clearly been crowned. But, White has said guys from the UFC could leave and end up in Strikeforce in his interview regarding the purchase yesterday, and its no secret that the former UFC heavyweight kingpin and Hall of Famer has wanted this fight for years (remember, he left the promotion in 2007 and was gone for a year just to get an opportunity for it). Fedor has wanted this fight as well, and its also no secret this guy is still a draw (his fight with Bigfoot Silva peaked with 1.1 million viewers on Showtime, a record for the channel. In comparison, the last UFC on Versus only drew 650,000 viewers). Before people gasp at the question, remember this : Randy was at "Henderson vs. Feijao" earlier this month, and according to various sources was "shocked" at Fedor's loss to Bigfoot. Also remember, the last 2 times we got a former Pride Champion vs a former UFC champion in the cage, we were treated to 2 classics : Chuck Liddell vs Wanderlei Silva (2007 fight of the year) and Couture vs Noguiera.
Until next time, fight fans.
4) How many ego's can Dana White exactly handle? - Nobody is disputing that this guy is (amongst being a lot of negatives) a leader. He took the UFC out of its "dark age" doldrums and with a little help from his friends, into the promised land. He can talk the death out of a microphone and he can promote a sheep fighting a hyena. But with people like Cung Le, Gina Carano and of course Alistair Overeem and Fedor amongst his newly acquired talent, all guys that not only fight in MMA but on their time and each with their own agendas, can White somehow show these guys that there's nothing more important than fighting? We'll see.
3) Will there be modifications to the cage? - When they purchased the WEC, Zuffa scrapped the "hexagon" cage for a mini-octagon and concentrated on the lighter classes from (135-155). With this purchase, Strikeforce has much larger fighters with their own hexagon cage. I'm not saying it will be another mini octagon, but expect them to experiment with the 6 sided cage, given Zuffa's creativity.
2) Is Showtime now the home for all things Mixed Martial Arts? - We've seen Zuffa make various deals with Spike and Versus. Those deals are really hampered due to the "creative control" clause which might have allowed Zuffa to keep a grip on things production wise, but seriously hindered the amount of airtime they get. Showtime is a premium cable channel, where creative control is not only a right but a privilege (shows like "Sons of Anarchy" & "Dexter" would never be able to air on NBC). With not only Strikeforce and the UFC, M-1 Global is also airing a card on the channel March 25th. The late 80s and early 90s had HBO dominate combat sports coverage with their boxing. MMA is now the combat sport of choice, and Showtime is taking clear steps to dominate that programming.
1) Will we finally get to see Randy vs. Fedor? - Okay, its not exactly the match we would have wanted in 2008, where "the best heavyweight in the world" title would have clearly been crowned. But, White has said guys from the UFC could leave and end up in Strikeforce in his interview regarding the purchase yesterday, and its no secret that the former UFC heavyweight kingpin and Hall of Famer has wanted this fight for years (remember, he left the promotion in 2007 and was gone for a year just to get an opportunity for it). Fedor has wanted this fight as well, and its also no secret this guy is still a draw (his fight with Bigfoot Silva peaked with 1.1 million viewers on Showtime, a record for the channel. In comparison, the last UFC on Versus only drew 650,000 viewers). Before people gasp at the question, remember this : Randy was at "Henderson vs. Feijao" earlier this month, and according to various sources was "shocked" at Fedor's loss to Bigfoot. Also remember, the last 2 times we got a former Pride Champion vs a former UFC champion in the cage, we were treated to 2 classics : Chuck Liddell vs Wanderlei Silva (2007 fight of the year) and Couture vs Noguiera.
Until next time, fight fans.
Saturday, March 12, 2011
Bellator 36 recap.
Bellator came to us from the former home of the CFL's Pirates, Shreveport, Louisiana from its Municipal Auditorium Saturday night and while it might be too entirely too early, We could have seen our first "Bellator Moment" of Season 4.
In the main event, Patricky "Pitbull" Friere went in with a heavy heart due to the sudden death of his manager, Ivan Canello, This week in the days leading up, and he used every bit of emotion in the back and forth battle with opponent "Razor" Rob McCullough. After escaping the Friere's rear naked choke attempt in the end of the 1st, McCullough took control in the 2nd with his superior striking, out boxing Friere and leaving the Brazilian scrambling. The 3rd saw more of the same, with McCullough getting effective leg kicks and forcing the Brazilian to try to reply with punches of his own. At just after the 3 minute point of round 3, The man known as Pitbull landed a leg kick and overhand right. After being on the receiving end, McCullough did his best impression of the Rashad Evans "Stanky Leg" being flashed knocked out and Friere finished up with mop up punches.
Afterward, Pitbull paid tribute to his manager, saying "I was very sad at Canello's death, but I know with my victory, he is very proud," through his translator.
In the 3rd Quarterfinal , Toby Imada advanced to the semis due to a technical submission victory over late replacement Josh Shockley. Imada survived an early storm, and while Shockley was able to score a takedown, He was ultimately left open to an Imada Jiu-Jitsu treat with an armbar, and after attempting to slam Imada to the mat, ultimately screamed from what was thought to be an arm snapping, and the referee had no choice but to stop the contest at just 1:19 of the opening round.
The other 2 fights saw undefeated Lloyd "Cupcake" Woodward show he's no Pillsbury turnover with a 2nd round TKO stoppage against Cary Varnier, and that Marcin Held is not a prodigy on par with BJ Penn as he was stopped by an arm triangle against former NCAA Division I wrestler Michael Chandler at just under 4 minutes of round 1.
Honorable Mention (this one's a tie) : Chandler's victory came only after he survived a serious knee lock attempt by the "Polish Prodigy". Though he says he was fine, and he was going to win, judging from Held's other victims, he better get an X-Ray tomorrow because that ankle was wrapped around more than a towel around a wet head.
Put it this way : Held once fought Chute Boxe mainstay Jean Silva, Silva gave up because when he rolled out of it and stood up, he couldn't put any weight on it.
As well, Bellator showed a fight between Waachim Spiritwolf and Jamie Jara from last week's 35 that had some Griffin-Bonnar or Frye-Takayama overtones as both men were absolutely bloody and left it all in the ring, with Spiritwolf taking a split decision. 2 things that can be concluded from this :
a) I must apologize to MTV2. They didn't water it down, in fact they glorified it by showing it right after that main event. Maybe they're easing up on the whole "combat sport" thing.
b) I feel sorry for whomever had to clean that ring up in time for this week's event.
Questions? comments? want to get back to me? hit me up at mmarmaggeddon@gmail.com
In the main event, Patricky "Pitbull" Friere went in with a heavy heart due to the sudden death of his manager, Ivan Canello, This week in the days leading up, and he used every bit of emotion in the back and forth battle with opponent "Razor" Rob McCullough. After escaping the Friere's rear naked choke attempt in the end of the 1st, McCullough took control in the 2nd with his superior striking, out boxing Friere and leaving the Brazilian scrambling. The 3rd saw more of the same, with McCullough getting effective leg kicks and forcing the Brazilian to try to reply with punches of his own. At just after the 3 minute point of round 3, The man known as Pitbull landed a leg kick and overhand right. After being on the receiving end, McCullough did his best impression of the Rashad Evans "Stanky Leg" being flashed knocked out and Friere finished up with mop up punches.
Afterward, Pitbull paid tribute to his manager, saying "I was very sad at Canello's death, but I know with my victory, he is very proud," through his translator.
In the 3rd Quarterfinal , Toby Imada advanced to the semis due to a technical submission victory over late replacement Josh Shockley. Imada survived an early storm, and while Shockley was able to score a takedown, He was ultimately left open to an Imada Jiu-Jitsu treat with an armbar, and after attempting to slam Imada to the mat, ultimately screamed from what was thought to be an arm snapping, and the referee had no choice but to stop the contest at just 1:19 of the opening round.
The other 2 fights saw undefeated Lloyd "Cupcake" Woodward show he's no Pillsbury turnover with a 2nd round TKO stoppage against Cary Varnier, and that Marcin Held is not a prodigy on par with BJ Penn as he was stopped by an arm triangle against former NCAA Division I wrestler Michael Chandler at just under 4 minutes of round 1.
Honorable Mention (this one's a tie) : Chandler's victory came only after he survived a serious knee lock attempt by the "Polish Prodigy". Though he says he was fine, and he was going to win, judging from Held's other victims, he better get an X-Ray tomorrow because that ankle was wrapped around more than a towel around a wet head.
Put it this way : Held once fought Chute Boxe mainstay Jean Silva, Silva gave up because when he rolled out of it and stood up, he couldn't put any weight on it.
As well, Bellator showed a fight between Waachim Spiritwolf and Jamie Jara from last week's 35 that had some Griffin-Bonnar or Frye-Takayama overtones as both men were absolutely bloody and left it all in the ring, with Spiritwolf taking a split decision. 2 things that can be concluded from this :
a) I must apologize to MTV2. They didn't water it down, in fact they glorified it by showing it right after that main event. Maybe they're easing up on the whole "combat sport" thing.
b) I feel sorry for whomever had to clean that ring up in time for this week's event.
Questions? comments? want to get back to me? hit me up at mmarmaggeddon@gmail.com
Monopoly : Dana White edition
Today, in an interview with Ariel Helwani of MMA Fanhouse, Zuffa and UFC president Dana White confirmed what would be considered a huge bombshell : He has bought his largest competitor, Strikeforce.
This is a huge move that comes on the heels of Japanese promotions withering and dying. According to the interview, White has extolled the virtues of the California based promotion and said that the numbers they've done for US Premium cable channel, Showtime, cannot be ignored. He also confirmed that despite the purchase, Strikeforce will conduct business as usual.
"Strikeforce is going to continue to run business as usual," White told Helwani. "There are contracts in place. These guys are on Showtime. Strikeforce pulls good ratings for Showtime. I think Showtime is happy with them. All those contracts will be honored. These guys are going to remain Strikeforce fighters.
He also added ""Could guys from the UFC leave and end up over in Strikeforce? Yeah."
I can't help but wonder what this purchase holds for the future of the sport of Mixed Martial Arts. On one hand, it brings greater consolidation to the sport (thought White was also quick to refute the possibility of "superfights" featuring fighters from both promotions). On the other, it greatly gives the UFC a further grip and a wild card to some might say, "water down" the product. Scott Coker is going to keep his job as a General Manager of the promotion, not unlike Reed Harris did when Zuffa purchased the WEC.
It also leaves us to wonder : What does this mean for guys like Josh Barnett, Paul Daley, and of course, Fedor Emelianenko? Barnett and Daley have been publicly blackballed by White for various actions that got them tossed out of the UFC, and Emelianenko's disputes with Zuffa and his management team, M-1 Global, are well documented. Though White said this isn't a transaction that would bring "superfights", I can't help but wonder by the statement that UFC fighters could cross over that we might see Randy Couture jump ship to take on "The Last Emperor", regardless of how he does in his fight in Toronto against Lyoto Machida.
Until next time, fight fans.
This is a huge move that comes on the heels of Japanese promotions withering and dying. According to the interview, White has extolled the virtues of the California based promotion and said that the numbers they've done for US Premium cable channel, Showtime, cannot be ignored. He also confirmed that despite the purchase, Strikeforce will conduct business as usual.
"Strikeforce is going to continue to run business as usual," White told Helwani. "There are contracts in place. These guys are on Showtime. Strikeforce pulls good ratings for Showtime. I think Showtime is happy with them. All those contracts will be honored. These guys are going to remain Strikeforce fighters.
He also added ""Could guys from the UFC leave and end up over in Strikeforce? Yeah."
I can't help but wonder what this purchase holds for the future of the sport of Mixed Martial Arts. On one hand, it brings greater consolidation to the sport (thought White was also quick to refute the possibility of "superfights" featuring fighters from both promotions). On the other, it greatly gives the UFC a further grip and a wild card to some might say, "water down" the product. Scott Coker is going to keep his job as a General Manager of the promotion, not unlike Reed Harris did when Zuffa purchased the WEC.
It also leaves us to wonder : What does this mean for guys like Josh Barnett, Paul Daley, and of course, Fedor Emelianenko? Barnett and Daley have been publicly blackballed by White for various actions that got them tossed out of the UFC, and Emelianenko's disputes with Zuffa and his management team, M-1 Global, are well documented. Though White said this isn't a transaction that would bring "superfights", I can't help but wonder by the statement that UFC fighters could cross over that we might see Randy Couture jump ship to take on "The Last Emperor", regardless of how he does in his fight in Toronto against Lyoto Machida.
Until next time, fight fans.
Friday, March 11, 2011
The final nail in the coffin
(Please Note : I am not comparing or making light of the current situation that happened in Japan. This is a blog entry solely for literary purposes. My thoughts and prayers are with the families and individuals affected.)
This morning, a massive earthquake hit Japan, with the death toll not being confirmed but definitely in the thousands, and hundreds more displaced due to the massive tsunami that hit the coast just a few hours later....
Over here, however, while I sat in my seat and turned my computer this morning, my attention was solely focused on another story to come out of Japan : Promotion World Victory Road has announced their main sponsor, Don Quiotes Inc., has pulled out of their deal with WVR, effectively putting the Sengoku Raiden Championship on thin ice, according to MMAJunkie.
This comes on the heels of a story published on MMA Fanhouse in January, where rival Japanese promotion DREAM's parent company, Fighting and Entertainment Group (FEG) 's President, Sadaharu Tanikawa stated that "the current course" of his company is that it would "die", after having said a 3 month hiatus was necessary in December following their "Dynamite!" card last New year's eve.
Having read that news, It finally hit me : Japanese MMA, as we know it, is dead.
In some ways, it has been dead since the UFC bought out the old PRIDE Fighting Championship in 2007. When that happened it effectively gave the Japanese an uphill climb : trying to establish new stars, maintain a fan base and put on top notch events -- all the while, when Zuffa effectively stripped them of their talent.
That event, and that alone, effectively crippled to what had been up until that point, the mecca of Mixed Martial Arts (MMA). Everywhere has a starting point : For Hockey, its the cold ponds of North America. For Soccer (or Football), the pitches of England. MMA may be based on the Ancient Greek sport of "Pankration"... but its Japan where it grew from its infancy into a phenomenon.
It all started with the Universal Wrestling Federation (UWF-i), where pro wrestling went from "physical theatre" to legitimate sport. Granted, these were still staged matches, but from there we got Pancrase, where the fights were the first Pro Wrestling matches in close to 100 years to not be staged, starting in 1993, the same year the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) was founded.
Throughout the mid to late 90s and early part of this century, UFC, while it had recovered from its down days, was still only the #2 promotion in the world. The #1 was still in Japan, in the form of PRIDE. Most MMA fans these days, whether they came from the first "Ultimate Fighter" or when Brock Lesnar joined the fray, won't remember.
They won't remember one of the greatest comebacks in the history of the sport, when Mark Coleman emerged from a 3 year retirement to win the Pride Open Weight Grand Prix in 2000. They'll remember Coleman as a 44 year old man who outstayed his welcome. Nor will they remember Wanderlei Silva as the top Light Heavyweight in the world; They'll remember him as a gatekeeper who had to cut to 185 to keep relevant. They know Quinton Jackson as a former UFC champion, but they probably don't know he actually got knocked out by Silva on 2 occasions. They know Anderson Silva due to his 14 fight win streak and subsequent Pound for Pound status; but they probably don't remember his most embarrassing defeat, at the hands of a Ryo Chonnan flying heel hook.
Sadly, I'll never get that chance. Japanese MMA will still be around, but with the subsequent economic downturn of 2008 that left it on life support, minor promotions like Pancrase and Shooto are even struggling. And they will never reach the heights that Pride reached. It is sad, really.
So farewell, to the spectacle. The freak shows. The limitless action and the splendor. I almost feel like a member of my family has passed.
Until Next time, fight fans.
This morning, a massive earthquake hit Japan, with the death toll not being confirmed but definitely in the thousands, and hundreds more displaced due to the massive tsunami that hit the coast just a few hours later....
Over here, however, while I sat in my seat and turned my computer this morning, my attention was solely focused on another story to come out of Japan : Promotion World Victory Road has announced their main sponsor, Don Quiotes Inc., has pulled out of their deal with WVR, effectively putting the Sengoku Raiden Championship on thin ice, according to MMAJunkie.
This comes on the heels of a story published on MMA Fanhouse in January, where rival Japanese promotion DREAM's parent company, Fighting and Entertainment Group (FEG) 's President, Sadaharu Tanikawa stated that "the current course" of his company is that it would "die", after having said a 3 month hiatus was necessary in December following their "Dynamite!" card last New year's eve.
Having read that news, It finally hit me : Japanese MMA, as we know it, is dead.
In some ways, it has been dead since the UFC bought out the old PRIDE Fighting Championship in 2007. When that happened it effectively gave the Japanese an uphill climb : trying to establish new stars, maintain a fan base and put on top notch events -- all the while, when Zuffa effectively stripped them of their talent.
That event, and that alone, effectively crippled to what had been up until that point, the mecca of Mixed Martial Arts (MMA). Everywhere has a starting point : For Hockey, its the cold ponds of North America. For Soccer (or Football), the pitches of England. MMA may be based on the Ancient Greek sport of "Pankration"... but its Japan where it grew from its infancy into a phenomenon.
It all started with the Universal Wrestling Federation (UWF-i), where pro wrestling went from "physical theatre" to legitimate sport. Granted, these were still staged matches, but from there we got Pancrase, where the fights were the first Pro Wrestling matches in close to 100 years to not be staged, starting in 1993, the same year the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) was founded.
Throughout the mid to late 90s and early part of this century, UFC, while it had recovered from its down days, was still only the #2 promotion in the world. The #1 was still in Japan, in the form of PRIDE. Most MMA fans these days, whether they came from the first "Ultimate Fighter" or when Brock Lesnar joined the fray, won't remember.
They won't remember one of the greatest comebacks in the history of the sport, when Mark Coleman emerged from a 3 year retirement to win the Pride Open Weight Grand Prix in 2000. They'll remember Coleman as a 44 year old man who outstayed his welcome. Nor will they remember Wanderlei Silva as the top Light Heavyweight in the world; They'll remember him as a gatekeeper who had to cut to 185 to keep relevant. They know Quinton Jackson as a former UFC champion, but they probably don't know he actually got knocked out by Silva on 2 occasions. They know Anderson Silva due to his 14 fight win streak and subsequent Pound for Pound status; but they probably don't remember his most embarrassing defeat, at the hands of a Ryo Chonnan flying heel hook.
It wasn't just the fighters. There was always something different about Japanese cards; From that crazy woman screaming fighters names at the top of her lungs to the guys wearing sumo thongs beating giant drums, you always got something that made it stand out. Guys like Bob Sapp and Giant Silva, who otherwise would be irrelevant low-tier fighters who would never get a sniff of the big time, became cult icons. Don Frye and Yoshihiro Takayama probably staged what made Stephan Bonnar and Forrest Griffin's showdown on the "Ultimate Finale" look like a little school girl fight, when they waged an 8 minute war at "Pride 21" in 2002, that left the crowd on their feet, screaming for more. From the first card to the last of the year, every card had the intensity of a Super Bowl. It had action. comedy. drama. and a hell of a lot of fisticuffs. I yearned for the day I'd get the chance to fly to Japan one New Year's Eve, to take it all in.
Sadly, I'll never get that chance. Japanese MMA will still be around, but with the subsequent economic downturn of 2008 that left it on life support, minor promotions like Pancrase and Shooto are even struggling. And they will never reach the heights that Pride reached. It is sad, really.
So farewell, to the spectacle. The freak shows. The limitless action and the splendor. I almost feel like a member of my family has passed.
Until Next time, fight fans.
Thursday, March 10, 2011
Epic : Will we ever look back at an MMA Superfight?
On this week in 1971, 2 of the greatest heavyweight boxers of all time fought a 15 round contest in Madison Square Garden in New York City. The fight between Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier is still revered and accounted by many to be a historical moment in sports, with a member of the panel of a popular sports radio show in Toronto to account it as a "single significant event" to have happened in the past 50 years, overlooking things such as 9/11, The Miracle on Ice and the Lockerbie Bombing.
The people that formed the panel on that same radio show were reminiscing as to what that moment felt like (One can only assume they were all alive and old enough to remember it) being around to see Frazier floor Ali in the 15th round and get the decision.
It got me thinking : In another 40 years, is there any one fight in Mixed Martial Arts that the general public will look back on and remember it like it was yesterday? Where they were for that single moment, etched forever in time?
In April, the UFC will hold its first show in the city of Toronto, and by industry standards easily the promotions biggest. Expected to hold upwards of 50,000 in the Rogers Centre, Georges St. Pierre will look to win against incumbent challenger Jake Shields. Many people have St. Pierre going up to 185 lbs. to challenge title holder Anderson Silva should he successfully defend his title against the grappler Shields, himself a winner of 15 straight fights and not losing since 2004. St. Pierre is the heavy favourite in this fight, due to his complete dominance of every challenger in his path, as Shields was busy winning titles in every promotion outside the UFC.
Is it too ambitious to think of Shields as the Ali in this fight to St. Pierre's Frazier? During pre-fight preparations St. Pierre has been his calm cool self, saying its "foolish" for him to look past his challenger and that the fight with Anderson Silva is only guaranteed should he beat Shields, while the American has been readily boasting that while St. Pierre is a "tough fight" and that he's the Pound for Pound King, that he'd easily win it by submission, that he doesn't get the respect he deserves due to his wins happening in outside promotions. If Shields wins, do we look at it as a monumental upset? and as the sport grows to bigger and bigger heights, will we look at this fight as large as people have Ali and Frazier?
Ali and Frazier fought 3 times, with Ali winning two of those encounters. Yet, we still remember their first encounter with great admiration, because it happened in what at the time, was the "mecca of sports" (MSG), and the impact that those 2 had on the sport of Boxing. Will we look at GSP and Shields, or even GSP and Silva with the same nostalgia circa 2051?
I suppose only time will tell.
-In other news, it appears that those guys from Team Quest just can't stay out of trouble. On the heels of Chael Sonnen's dirty laundry being aired (due to a real estate transaction gone wrong), comes the news of Matt Lindland. Sherdog.com is reporting that the former US Olympian is being sued for the theft of 6 medicinal marijuana plants, according to a report in an Oregon newspaper.
The Williamette week wrote on Monday that a tenant on Lindland's property, Gonzalo Aldana Gamboa, has legal permission to grow marijuana and was allowed to do so on lindland's property in October with his permission. However, Lindland would not allow Gamboa to get the plants in question when he returned to grab them last November.
He is reportedly seeking US$122,880, the apparent value of the plants.
All i'm going to say is, Lindland looked really dazed in his last fight against Robbie Lawler. I just thought it was ring rust :P
- On March 9th, MMAJunkie was reporting TUF 1 finalist (I mean, we still call him a finalist. He hasn't won a belt yet!) Stephan Bonnar was eyeing a return to the cage in either June or July, with the "American Psycho" having a laundry list of names he'd be interested in. Reportedly, those names include former Middleweight kingpin Rich Franklin, Bonnar's old buddy Forrest Griffin, Ryan Bader, and Tito Ortiz.
Note to Dana White : Throw Tito a bone. He could sure use it.
Got an opinion you want to leave me? just want to get in touch? hit me up at mmarmaggeddon@gmail.com
Until next time, fight fans!
The people that formed the panel on that same radio show were reminiscing as to what that moment felt like (One can only assume they were all alive and old enough to remember it) being around to see Frazier floor Ali in the 15th round and get the decision.
It got me thinking : In another 40 years, is there any one fight in Mixed Martial Arts that the general public will look back on and remember it like it was yesterday? Where they were for that single moment, etched forever in time?
In April, the UFC will hold its first show in the city of Toronto, and by industry standards easily the promotions biggest. Expected to hold upwards of 50,000 in the Rogers Centre, Georges St. Pierre will look to win against incumbent challenger Jake Shields. Many people have St. Pierre going up to 185 lbs. to challenge title holder Anderson Silva should he successfully defend his title against the grappler Shields, himself a winner of 15 straight fights and not losing since 2004. St. Pierre is the heavy favourite in this fight, due to his complete dominance of every challenger in his path, as Shields was busy winning titles in every promotion outside the UFC.
Is it too ambitious to think of Shields as the Ali in this fight to St. Pierre's Frazier? During pre-fight preparations St. Pierre has been his calm cool self, saying its "foolish" for him to look past his challenger and that the fight with Anderson Silva is only guaranteed should he beat Shields, while the American has been readily boasting that while St. Pierre is a "tough fight" and that he's the Pound for Pound King, that he'd easily win it by submission, that he doesn't get the respect he deserves due to his wins happening in outside promotions. If Shields wins, do we look at it as a monumental upset? and as the sport grows to bigger and bigger heights, will we look at this fight as large as people have Ali and Frazier?
Ali and Frazier fought 3 times, with Ali winning two of those encounters. Yet, we still remember their first encounter with great admiration, because it happened in what at the time, was the "mecca of sports" (MSG), and the impact that those 2 had on the sport of Boxing. Will we look at GSP and Shields, or even GSP and Silva with the same nostalgia circa 2051?
I suppose only time will tell.
-In other news, it appears that those guys from Team Quest just can't stay out of trouble. On the heels of Chael Sonnen's dirty laundry being aired (due to a real estate transaction gone wrong), comes the news of Matt Lindland. Sherdog.com is reporting that the former US Olympian is being sued for the theft of 6 medicinal marijuana plants, according to a report in an Oregon newspaper.
The Williamette week wrote on Monday that a tenant on Lindland's property, Gonzalo Aldana Gamboa, has legal permission to grow marijuana and was allowed to do so on lindland's property in October with his permission. However, Lindland would not allow Gamboa to get the plants in question when he returned to grab them last November.
He is reportedly seeking US$122,880, the apparent value of the plants.
All i'm going to say is, Lindland looked really dazed in his last fight against Robbie Lawler. I just thought it was ring rust :P
- On March 9th, MMAJunkie was reporting TUF 1 finalist (I mean, we still call him a finalist. He hasn't won a belt yet!) Stephan Bonnar was eyeing a return to the cage in either June or July, with the "American Psycho" having a laundry list of names he'd be interested in. Reportedly, those names include former Middleweight kingpin Rich Franklin, Bonnar's old buddy Forrest Griffin, Ryan Bader, and Tito Ortiz.
Note to Dana White : Throw Tito a bone. He could sure use it.
Got an opinion you want to leave me? just want to get in touch? hit me up at mmarmaggeddon@gmail.com
Until next time, fight fans!
Tuesday, March 8, 2011
Going the distance : Is "Sudden Victory" necessary?
In the past 5 months, we've seen several controversial decisions in fights with major title implications. Not only was there the unanimous decision concerning the main event on UFC on Versus 3 (message board were riddled with either it being a draw, or Kampmann winning and a small minority maintaining Sanchez's victory. The Sunday Junkie winner this week clearly alluded to Sanchez's aggression simply not being enough), but there have been 2 draws in 3 PPV cards (Maynard-Edgar and Fitch-Penn) with most people being angry, upset or debating the outcome of the judges scorecards, everybody maintaining that above it all there has to be a "better way".
Now, according to an article published last week on MMAJunkie, there has been the suggestion that going to "sudden victory" is an idea being tossed around by UFC brass.
Fighters like Frankie Edgar, who was being interviewed on HDNet's "Inside MMA" show, supports the idea, saying "I think another five-minute round would be perfect. You go into a fight, you prepare, and you want a decisive outcome. To have to wait another three months and possibly another fight is kind of annoying. I would say another round would be great. You get to figure out who's the winner right then and there. Two guys fighting for a title, they're trained, prepared. Why not just get it over with right then and there?"
He wasn't the only one. Co-Host of the show (and MMA legend) Bas Rutten said its a positive. Also Eddie Alvarez, the Bellator champ is on the bandwagon.
But seriously, haven't we tried this before?
When the UFC first started out with rules, one of them was implementing a pair of 3 minute "overtime" rounds after 18 minutes (the first example of this I can remember was the heavyweight showdown between Rutten and Kevin Randleman for the UFC heavyweight title in 1999 at UFC 20) if there was no clear cut winner. As the sport evolved and the time drastically dropped to 5 minute rounds, the overtimes became irrelevant. So why now with a dearth of bad judging and disagreeable decisions, would we consider going back to it?
I understand that "sudden victory" is necessary in certain cases. Pointing to the "Ultimate Fighter" reality show, Where time is limited and one fighter must advance, you have no choice if you're only going to fight 2 rounds. What we're doing is abandoning everything we've done to legitimize the sport in the public eye and are going back to the same rules that identified the sport as "barbaric". Plus, plenty of sports that involve intense physical training over the course of time end in ties regularly (the longest football game ever played was a triple overtime thriller in the old USFL in a playoff game). So, why the need for a change here?
Can't something else -- like say, adding 5 minutes to an opening round in a title fight (similar to the rules in the old Pride Fighting Championships) be used instead? You would not only get a lot more action and give more incentive to the fighters to finish it early, but you would do away with all this "overtime" round talk. I'm a man who likes to give people what they want, but to go back to the dark ages with "overtime" talk is ridiculous. We might as well go back to eye gouging, hair pulling and headbutting as well.
-In other news, UFC president Dana White announced that starting with Toronto's UFC 129, we'll not have to worry about drunks on the road. Actually, MMAJunkie reported that the card will be the first to have the start times pulled back an hour, with the main card starting at approximately 9 PM eastern, instead of its current spot of 10 PM. I must admit, i'm liking the fact i might be able to get another hour of sleep.
-Strikeforce & Bellator reported the numbers for their cards this past Saturday, March 5th, with the "Feiajao vs Henderson" event pulling in an average of 410,000 viewers. The Bellator season premiere, from the Tachi Palace Casino in Lenmoore California, turned in a respectable 200,000 for its first night on its new home, MTV2.
-Speaking of the new Strikeforce Light Heavyweight Champion Dan Henderson, MMA Junkie reports that he's comfortable with the prospect of fighting the man that was generally considered the best heavyweight in the world for nearly a decade, Fedor Emelianenko as his first defense. Of course, most people believe it will more than likely be the winner of Mike Kyle and Gegard Mousasi in April. I personally would rather see Fedor retire than cut to 205 lbs., but if he goes in there with land masses like Bigfoot Silva, he might get slaughtered.
-Popped onto ESPN.com to see Chad "Ochocinco" Johnson said what he might want to do in the event of an NFL lockout : Challenge UFC middleweight kingpin Anderson Silva for his title. He says that he believes he's faster and if need be he'd "run around the cage for 3 rounds". Somehow, I can see the Bengals trying to negotiate with Dana White at the 11th hour for him to be used in a similar "non physical" role like Pacman Jones was in TNA.
Well, agree or disagree? want to get back to me? hit me up at mmarmaggeddon@gmail.com
Until next time, fight fans!
Now, according to an article published last week on MMAJunkie, there has been the suggestion that going to "sudden victory" is an idea being tossed around by UFC brass.
Fighters like Frankie Edgar, who was being interviewed on HDNet's "Inside MMA" show, supports the idea, saying "I think another five-minute round would be perfect. You go into a fight, you prepare, and you want a decisive outcome. To have to wait another three months and possibly another fight is kind of annoying. I would say another round would be great. You get to figure out who's the winner right then and there. Two guys fighting for a title, they're trained, prepared. Why not just get it over with right then and there?"
He wasn't the only one. Co-Host of the show (and MMA legend) Bas Rutten said its a positive. Also Eddie Alvarez, the Bellator champ is on the bandwagon.
But seriously, haven't we tried this before?
When the UFC first started out with rules, one of them was implementing a pair of 3 minute "overtime" rounds after 18 minutes (the first example of this I can remember was the heavyweight showdown between Rutten and Kevin Randleman for the UFC heavyweight title in 1999 at UFC 20) if there was no clear cut winner. As the sport evolved and the time drastically dropped to 5 minute rounds, the overtimes became irrelevant. So why now with a dearth of bad judging and disagreeable decisions, would we consider going back to it?
I understand that "sudden victory" is necessary in certain cases. Pointing to the "Ultimate Fighter" reality show, Where time is limited and one fighter must advance, you have no choice if you're only going to fight 2 rounds. What we're doing is abandoning everything we've done to legitimize the sport in the public eye and are going back to the same rules that identified the sport as "barbaric". Plus, plenty of sports that involve intense physical training over the course of time end in ties regularly (the longest football game ever played was a triple overtime thriller in the old USFL in a playoff game). So, why the need for a change here?
Can't something else -- like say, adding 5 minutes to an opening round in a title fight (similar to the rules in the old Pride Fighting Championships) be used instead? You would not only get a lot more action and give more incentive to the fighters to finish it early, but you would do away with all this "overtime" round talk. I'm a man who likes to give people what they want, but to go back to the dark ages with "overtime" talk is ridiculous. We might as well go back to eye gouging, hair pulling and headbutting as well.
-In other news, UFC president Dana White announced that starting with Toronto's UFC 129, we'll not have to worry about drunks on the road. Actually, MMAJunkie reported that the card will be the first to have the start times pulled back an hour, with the main card starting at approximately 9 PM eastern, instead of its current spot of 10 PM. I must admit, i'm liking the fact i might be able to get another hour of sleep.
-Strikeforce & Bellator reported the numbers for their cards this past Saturday, March 5th, with the "Feiajao vs Henderson" event pulling in an average of 410,000 viewers. The Bellator season premiere, from the Tachi Palace Casino in Lenmoore California, turned in a respectable 200,000 for its first night on its new home, MTV2.
-Speaking of the new Strikeforce Light Heavyweight Champion Dan Henderson, MMA Junkie reports that he's comfortable with the prospect of fighting the man that was generally considered the best heavyweight in the world for nearly a decade, Fedor Emelianenko as his first defense. Of course, most people believe it will more than likely be the winner of Mike Kyle and Gegard Mousasi in April. I personally would rather see Fedor retire than cut to 205 lbs., but if he goes in there with land masses like Bigfoot Silva, he might get slaughtered.
-Popped onto ESPN.com to see Chad "Ochocinco" Johnson said what he might want to do in the event of an NFL lockout : Challenge UFC middleweight kingpin Anderson Silva for his title. He says that he believes he's faster and if need be he'd "run around the cage for 3 rounds". Somehow, I can see the Bengals trying to negotiate with Dana White at the 11th hour for him to be used in a similar "non physical" role like Pacman Jones was in TNA.
Well, agree or disagree? want to get back to me? hit me up at mmarmaggeddon@gmail.com
Until next time, fight fans!
Celebrity Deathmatch part 2 : 5 celebrity fights I'd love to see.
Yes, so we see Steven Seagal walk Anderson Silva out to the cage for his defense against Vitor Belfort...we see Arnold pub Strikeforce on Showtime last weekend. We see Shaq claim he wants a piece of Hong Man Choi & Joe Rogan tweet in regards to a fight with Herschel Walker : That dude would F-----g KILL ME!. But as this sport of MMA becomes more "Pop Culture", you know you're going to have guys that well, want to try it. Here's 5 Celeb fights i'd pay to see :
1) Sylvester Stallone vs Arnold Schwarzenegger - Ok, I know what you guys are thinking. 2 old guys that are like 60+ going into that cage? Am I nuts? Hold on a sec. Now I'm talking Prime Schwarzenegger (Predator, Commando days) vs Prime Stallone (back when he was making relevant action films, not extensions of earlier work like "Rambo" and "Rocky. Like say "Cobra" Stallone). Obviously, Schwarzenegger's strength would be a huge factor in that tilt, but I think Stallone will overwhelm him with cardio.
2) Dolph Lundgren vs Wesley Snipes - Wesley would probably pepper Dolph with leg kicks, circle around his power, but one punch from Ivan Drago and BOOOM! its lights out for Passenger 57.
3) Jessica Alba vs Gina Carano - I'd give the star of "Dark Angel" a fair chance against the woman once thought of as "The Face of Women's MMA", especially after she seems to hang out quite a bit on the film sets nowadays.
4) Kevin James vs David Spade - Somehow, i have the feeling this would go like emmanuel yarborough's first MMA victory by "smother" in Japan for James. Either that, or Spade would make like Keith Hackney.
5) Shaquille O'Neal vs. Jose Canseco - Ok, i'm going to quote Jake Rossen from ESPN.com/Sherdog on this one "You'd watch this. You'd hate yourself for it. But you'd watch".
Well, what you guys think? Any Celebrity fight YOU'D like to see? Opinions? email me at mmarmaggeddon@gmail.com
Until next time, fight fans
1) Sylvester Stallone vs Arnold Schwarzenegger - Ok, I know what you guys are thinking. 2 old guys that are like 60+ going into that cage? Am I nuts? Hold on a sec. Now I'm talking Prime Schwarzenegger (Predator, Commando days) vs Prime Stallone (back when he was making relevant action films, not extensions of earlier work like "Rambo" and "Rocky. Like say "Cobra" Stallone). Obviously, Schwarzenegger's strength would be a huge factor in that tilt, but I think Stallone will overwhelm him with cardio.
2) Dolph Lundgren vs Wesley Snipes - Wesley would probably pepper Dolph with leg kicks, circle around his power, but one punch from Ivan Drago and BOOOM! its lights out for Passenger 57.
3) Jessica Alba vs Gina Carano - I'd give the star of "Dark Angel" a fair chance against the woman once thought of as "The Face of Women's MMA", especially after she seems to hang out quite a bit on the film sets nowadays.
4) Kevin James vs David Spade - Somehow, i have the feeling this would go like emmanuel yarborough's first MMA victory by "smother" in Japan for James. Either that, or Spade would make like Keith Hackney.
5) Shaquille O'Neal vs. Jose Canseco - Ok, i'm going to quote Jake Rossen from ESPN.com/Sherdog on this one "You'd watch this. You'd hate yourself for it. But you'd watch".
Well, what you guys think? Any Celebrity fight YOU'D like to see? Opinions? email me at mmarmaggeddon@gmail.com
Until next time, fight fans
Monday, March 7, 2011
Celebrity Deathmatch : MMA goes Hollywood.
Years ago, I had a friend who was a huge fan of the Ultimate Fighting Championship.
Not the Zuffa owned Ultimate Fighting Championship, but the original Sephamore Entertainment Group (SEG) owned one. The one that featured discipline against discipline, 3 minutes for 2 matches and 3 rules : no biting, no eye gouging and no groin shots. As the sport progressed, he seemed to evolve with it, watching new favourites like Randy Couture, Chuck Liddell and Andrei Arlovski. Then one day, after the second season of the Ultimate Fighter, it all stopped.
I asked him a little while later "Why did you stop watching MMA?"
his response : "Its too Hollywood now".
I wasn't sure if I understood the answer. I mean, sure I wasn't such a huge fan of the early UFCs that featured endless ground non-activity (The first one was UFC 7, the brawl in buffalo, where i thought 2 fighters were playing footsies. This is before i could truly appreciate MMA friends). But I thought that with the rules, weight classes, and equipment would lead to easier sanctioning which would lead to greater appreciation of the sport.
I was right, wasn't I?
Over time, we would see celebrities in the crowd for MMA cards (Shaquille O'Neal, Kevin James and David Spade were early frequent visitors. I even remember Mandy Moore being a few rows in front of me when I went to UFC 83 in Montreal). We would also see fighters cross over onto the silver screen (Couture, Cung Le were the pioneers of that. At some points Rampage, Georges St. Pierre and even Don Frye were acting). So much that the sport had changed that just a few years ago, it was a disgusting thought for an MMA fan to have a known wrestling champion become a title holder in a legitimate sport, yet in 2008 Brock Lesnar changed that. Gina Carano went from being in a title headline fight to acting in a big budget picture directed by Stephen Soderbergh (The dude who directed the 2000 classic "Traffic").
Now, most recently, Steven Seagal has come out with Anderson Silva (and claimed he taught the UFC middleweight champ his "front kick" the finished off Vitor Belfort with in his last fight), and Arnold Schwarzenegger showing up at the Strikeforce : Columbus show last weekend, talking in an interview with Showtime about his love for MMA. Describing it as "Sports and Show Business", you could tell that the former "Governator" was just as confused as the interviewer when it came to the topic. Granted, the card, headlined by a Light Heavyweight title contest between then champ Rafael "Feijao" Calavante and Dan Henderson, was made to coincide with the "Arnold Classic", a fitness and health expo that has been originating in Ohio for years (from long before the time the former bodybuilder decided to run for office). So for the action film star to show up, take pictures with the Strikeforce girls and hang with Strikeforce Lightweight Nick Thompson, wasn't all that shocking.
So, where is MMA going? Does all this exposure mean it is now firmly entrenched in the minds and bodies of the average civilian, becoming a part of what we all know as "Pop Culture"? How many celebrity athletes will follow in the path of Jose Canseco, who decided he wanted to try his hand (only to get smashed and cower like a little girl against Hong Man Choi)? Will we get Sylvester Stallone in the Octagon to face Randy Couture? or realistically, will Wesley Snipes step in the cage to fight Joe Rogan (a fight that had been talked about for years before Snipes' recent incarceration).
On the other hand, Isn't MMA now legal in just about every State outside of New York? Aren't Fighters paid more? Aren't they now looked at as regular athletes, and not "human cockfighters" or "barbarians", who went in there just to rip each other's heads off? Did the UFC not just sell out 50,000 seats at the Rogers Centre for UFC 129 on April 30th?
Looking back all those years ago, that conversation between my friend and I. He said he had no interest in MMA then because it was "Too Hollywood". I thought the exposure was movement in the right direction. It turns out, He was right.
MMA has gone too Hollywood.
But I was right, too. From the savage beginnings it has come, to what it is now, Life is indeed good for all things MMA. I wouldn't have it any other way.
Not the Zuffa owned Ultimate Fighting Championship, but the original Sephamore Entertainment Group (SEG) owned one. The one that featured discipline against discipline, 3 minutes for 2 matches and 3 rules : no biting, no eye gouging and no groin shots. As the sport progressed, he seemed to evolve with it, watching new favourites like Randy Couture, Chuck Liddell and Andrei Arlovski. Then one day, after the second season of the Ultimate Fighter, it all stopped.
I asked him a little while later "Why did you stop watching MMA?"
his response : "Its too Hollywood now".
I wasn't sure if I understood the answer. I mean, sure I wasn't such a huge fan of the early UFCs that featured endless ground non-activity (The first one was UFC 7, the brawl in buffalo, where i thought 2 fighters were playing footsies. This is before i could truly appreciate MMA friends). But I thought that with the rules, weight classes, and equipment would lead to easier sanctioning which would lead to greater appreciation of the sport.
I was right, wasn't I?
Over time, we would see celebrities in the crowd for MMA cards (Shaquille O'Neal, Kevin James and David Spade were early frequent visitors. I even remember Mandy Moore being a few rows in front of me when I went to UFC 83 in Montreal). We would also see fighters cross over onto the silver screen (Couture, Cung Le were the pioneers of that. At some points Rampage, Georges St. Pierre and even Don Frye were acting). So much that the sport had changed that just a few years ago, it was a disgusting thought for an MMA fan to have a known wrestling champion become a title holder in a legitimate sport, yet in 2008 Brock Lesnar changed that. Gina Carano went from being in a title headline fight to acting in a big budget picture directed by Stephen Soderbergh (The dude who directed the 2000 classic "Traffic").
Now, most recently, Steven Seagal has come out with Anderson Silva (and claimed he taught the UFC middleweight champ his "front kick" the finished off Vitor Belfort with in his last fight), and Arnold Schwarzenegger showing up at the Strikeforce : Columbus show last weekend, talking in an interview with Showtime about his love for MMA. Describing it as "Sports and Show Business", you could tell that the former "Governator" was just as confused as the interviewer when it came to the topic. Granted, the card, headlined by a Light Heavyweight title contest between then champ Rafael "Feijao" Calavante and Dan Henderson, was made to coincide with the "Arnold Classic", a fitness and health expo that has been originating in Ohio for years (from long before the time the former bodybuilder decided to run for office). So for the action film star to show up, take pictures with the Strikeforce girls and hang with Strikeforce Lightweight Nick Thompson, wasn't all that shocking.
So, where is MMA going? Does all this exposure mean it is now firmly entrenched in the minds and bodies of the average civilian, becoming a part of what we all know as "Pop Culture"? How many celebrity athletes will follow in the path of Jose Canseco, who decided he wanted to try his hand (only to get smashed and cower like a little girl against Hong Man Choi)? Will we get Sylvester Stallone in the Octagon to face Randy Couture? or realistically, will Wesley Snipes step in the cage to fight Joe Rogan (a fight that had been talked about for years before Snipes' recent incarceration).
On the other hand, Isn't MMA now legal in just about every State outside of New York? Aren't Fighters paid more? Aren't they now looked at as regular athletes, and not "human cockfighters" or "barbarians", who went in there just to rip each other's heads off? Did the UFC not just sell out 50,000 seats at the Rogers Centre for UFC 129 on April 30th?
Looking back all those years ago, that conversation between my friend and I. He said he had no interest in MMA then because it was "Too Hollywood". I thought the exposure was movement in the right direction. It turns out, He was right.
MMA has gone too Hollywood.
But I was right, too. From the savage beginnings it has come, to what it is now, Life is indeed good for all things MMA. I wouldn't have it any other way.
Sunday, March 6, 2011
Bellator 35 recap.
Originating from the Tachi Palace Casino in Lenmore, California, Bellator kicked its 4th season off with opening round matches from the welterweight tournament.
In the main event, former champion Lymon "Cyborg" Good started the quest to regain his title by a dominating unanimous decision victory over Chris Lozanzo in the main event. Good dominated positions left and right, though while not being able to put the previously undefeated Lozanzo away, did enough to win by 30-27 (on 2 scorecards) and 29-28.
Following the victory, Good told cage interviewer Jimmy Smith the victory was good for his confidence
"This is me redeeming myself from a loss, so I felt like I had lot more to prove to myself than I did anybody watching," Good said.
In the other tournament fights, Jay Hieron defeated Anthony Lapsley by technical submission -- though it wasn't without some controversy. After dominating Lapsley and leaving him on the defensive with submission attempt after submission attempt, The man known as "The Recipe" finally gave Hieron his back and Hieron was able to get in the rear naked choke. Despite not giving up or tapping, referee Josh Rosenthal grabbed Lapsley's arm and didn't receive resistance, resulting in the victory for Hieron.
Afterward, Rosenthal explained "His base slipped out from underneath him. I checked his wrist. He had no resistance, which is basically telling me he's out."
In the other fights, Rick Hawn outlasted "Judo" Jim Wallhead via unanimous decision, and we saw the first upset in the tournament as Bellator mainstay Dan Hornbuckle lost to Brent Weedman via unanimous decision, though that was met with a chorus of boos from fans. On the prelims, women's champ (and now Mrs. Jorge Gurgel) Zoila Frausto won via unanimous decision over Karina Hallman.
Tune into MTV2 in the United States (and The Score in Canada) next week, for the opening round of the Bellator season 4 lightweight tourney.
Until next time, Fight fans.
In the main event, former champion Lymon "Cyborg" Good started the quest to regain his title by a dominating unanimous decision victory over Chris Lozanzo in the main event. Good dominated positions left and right, though while not being able to put the previously undefeated Lozanzo away, did enough to win by 30-27 (on 2 scorecards) and 29-28.
Following the victory, Good told cage interviewer Jimmy Smith the victory was good for his confidence
"This is me redeeming myself from a loss, so I felt like I had lot more to prove to myself than I did anybody watching," Good said.
In the other tournament fights, Jay Hieron defeated Anthony Lapsley by technical submission -- though it wasn't without some controversy. After dominating Lapsley and leaving him on the defensive with submission attempt after submission attempt, The man known as "The Recipe" finally gave Hieron his back and Hieron was able to get in the rear naked choke. Despite not giving up or tapping, referee Josh Rosenthal grabbed Lapsley's arm and didn't receive resistance, resulting in the victory for Hieron.
Afterward, Rosenthal explained "His base slipped out from underneath him. I checked his wrist. He had no resistance, which is basically telling me he's out."
In the other fights, Rick Hawn outlasted "Judo" Jim Wallhead via unanimous decision, and we saw the first upset in the tournament as Bellator mainstay Dan Hornbuckle lost to Brent Weedman via unanimous decision, though that was met with a chorus of boos from fans. On the prelims, women's champ (and now Mrs. Jorge Gurgel) Zoila Frausto won via unanimous decision over Karina Hallman.
Tune into MTV2 in the United States (and The Score in Canada) next week, for the opening round of the Bellator season 4 lightweight tourney.
Until next time, Fight fans.
Strikeforce : Henderson vs Feijao re-hash : "H-Bomb" delivers.
Even at the age of 40, Dan Henderson's overhand right still gives people nightmares.
For Black House product "Feijao" Calavante, those nightmares will come early and often, as he is now the 5th consecutive Strikeforce 205 lb. kingpin to lose his title in his first defense, following the path forged by him by Mohammed "King Mo" Lawal and Gegard Mousasi.
Feijao had his moments to hold onto his title though, as early in round 1 dropped a devastating right hand of his own that had Henderson on Dream Street, though the 2 time (1992 and '98) US Olympian pulled him into his guard and kept him there. Then there was the moment in the second round where Feijao reversed Henderson's takedown and had a dominant position.
Both times, however, Henderson kept his cool. And just under a minute into Round 3, Henderson unleashed his signature punch, knocking Feijao halfway across the cage, then finished him off with a flurry of punches, enough for referee Dan Margilotta to stop the contest.
It's a punch that I kind of like to do – inside leg kick, overhand right," Henderson told cage interviewer Mauro Ranallo "It's one that I work on all the time. I threw it, landed it and jumped on top. He started to recover, then I landed a couple good punches on top."
Next for Henderson : Be the first 205 lb. champ in Strikeforce to hold onto the title (he mentioned having to break the curse during the post fight interview). Perhaps a fight with the winner of Mike Kyle and Gegard Mousasi?
Next for Feijao : More tutoring from Anderson Silva and the Noguieras. He showed some fight and did manage to steal a round (perhaps 2) from Henderson. He'll be back.
In the other title fight, Women's 135 lb. champ Maroles Coenen did her best Anderson Silva impression to late replacement Liz Carmouche's Chael Sonnen. After a competitive opening 5 minutes standing, Carmouche (who was replacing Miesa Tate, who injured her knee during training), took the Dutch product down and proceeded to dominate top position on her late in the second, never being able to put her away. The third round saw much of the same, with Carmouche holding her ground and Coenen trying her best "queen spider" attempt with her legs. About a minute into the 4th though, "The Golden Girl from Golden Glory" got her chance. Trapping Carmouche's arm from bottom position following another successful takedown by the American, Coenen secured a triangle choke forcing Carmouche to tap at 1:29 of round 4.
"I just wish I would have finished right away," Carmouche said after the bout. "I have room to improve, and I'm going to do that."
Coenen agreed with those overtones by saying Carmouche "will be a champion someday".
Next for Coenen : She wants a shot at Miesha Tate. I say give it to her. But not before she signs a contract stating her next training will take place in the cage. She was lost in there from underneath.
Next for Carmouche : Showed a lot of grit and determination despite being a late replacement. Perhaps a fight with the returning Gina Carano?
Honorable mention : Was it just me, or did anybody else notice that Mike Kyle looks a hell of a lot like "Panthro" from the old "Thundercats" cartoon? I mean, he's got the pointy ears and everything! I wondered where the "Thundertank" was while he was being interviewed.
So, 1 for 2 on my picks. brings me to a disappointing 9-10-1 on the year. But the big week is coming! I know it!
Get back to me, mmarmaggeddon@gmail.com
Until next time, Fight fans.
For Black House product "Feijao" Calavante, those nightmares will come early and often, as he is now the 5th consecutive Strikeforce 205 lb. kingpin to lose his title in his first defense, following the path forged by him by Mohammed "King Mo" Lawal and Gegard Mousasi.
Feijao had his moments to hold onto his title though, as early in round 1 dropped a devastating right hand of his own that had Henderson on Dream Street, though the 2 time (1992 and '98) US Olympian pulled him into his guard and kept him there. Then there was the moment in the second round where Feijao reversed Henderson's takedown and had a dominant position.
Both times, however, Henderson kept his cool. And just under a minute into Round 3, Henderson unleashed his signature punch, knocking Feijao halfway across the cage, then finished him off with a flurry of punches, enough for referee Dan Margilotta to stop the contest.
It's a punch that I kind of like to do – inside leg kick, overhand right," Henderson told cage interviewer Mauro Ranallo "It's one that I work on all the time. I threw it, landed it and jumped on top. He started to recover, then I landed a couple good punches on top."
Next for Henderson : Be the first 205 lb. champ in Strikeforce to hold onto the title (he mentioned having to break the curse during the post fight interview). Perhaps a fight with the winner of Mike Kyle and Gegard Mousasi?
Next for Feijao : More tutoring from Anderson Silva and the Noguieras. He showed some fight and did manage to steal a round (perhaps 2) from Henderson. He'll be back.
In the other title fight, Women's 135 lb. champ Maroles Coenen did her best Anderson Silva impression to late replacement Liz Carmouche's Chael Sonnen. After a competitive opening 5 minutes standing, Carmouche (who was replacing Miesa Tate, who injured her knee during training), took the Dutch product down and proceeded to dominate top position on her late in the second, never being able to put her away. The third round saw much of the same, with Carmouche holding her ground and Coenen trying her best "queen spider" attempt with her legs. About a minute into the 4th though, "The Golden Girl from Golden Glory" got her chance. Trapping Carmouche's arm from bottom position following another successful takedown by the American, Coenen secured a triangle choke forcing Carmouche to tap at 1:29 of round 4.
"I just wish I would have finished right away," Carmouche said after the bout. "I have room to improve, and I'm going to do that."
Coenen agreed with those overtones by saying Carmouche "will be a champion someday".
Next for Coenen : She wants a shot at Miesha Tate. I say give it to her. But not before she signs a contract stating her next training will take place in the cage. She was lost in there from underneath.
Next for Carmouche : Showed a lot of grit and determination despite being a late replacement. Perhaps a fight with the returning Gina Carano?
Honorable mention : Was it just me, or did anybody else notice that Mike Kyle looks a hell of a lot like "Panthro" from the old "Thundercats" cartoon? I mean, he's got the pointy ears and everything! I wondered where the "Thundertank" was while he was being interviewed.
So, 1 for 2 on my picks. brings me to a disappointing 9-10-1 on the year. But the big week is coming! I know it!
Get back to me, mmarmaggeddon@gmail.com
Until next time, Fight fans.
Friday, March 4, 2011
Strikeforce : Henderson vs Feijao preview.
Since the UFC has decided to bypass a card in upstate Ohio this year, on comes the promotions competition, Strikeforce, like an ugly stepsister and upstage their rival with a card in Columbus on Saturday, airing on Showtime in the United States (and Super Channel in Canada). Not much on the whole scale of things card wise, so we'll just pick the main event fights :
Rafael "Feijao" Cavalante vs. Dan Henderson - The main event features Brazilian product "Feijao" as he takes on UFCer and former 2 class division Pride champion Dan Henderson. This will be Feijao's first fight since dethroning King Mo Lawal for the Strikeforce 205 lb. World Championship last August. Henderson earned his title shot with a 1st round dismantling of fellow former UFCer Renato "Babalu" Sobral in December.
I expect Henderson to throw heavy hands early on and often. Look for him to try to press Calavante against the cage and try to use his wrestling to force a takedown. However, Calavante has trained with the likes of Anderson Silva, and I expect him to able to stuff takedowns left and right much like he did with Lawal, before punishing Henderson with elbows and hammerfist that will send Henderson to the ground. Expect it to finish in a very similar position that the UFC champion, Silva, finished Henderson off in their encounter back in 2008.
The Pick : Feijao by submission.
The other title shot features Marloes Coenen defend her newly won 135 lb. women's title taking on American Liz Carmouche. Coenen won her title by defeating Canadian Sarah Kaufmann on the same "Babalu vs. Henderson" card last December, where Carmouche is a late replacement for Miesha Tate, who pulled out with an injury during training.
I don't expect this fight to last long, but I expect it to end with an armbar.
The Pick : Coenen by submission.
- In other Strikeforce news, Scott Coker announced that the second stage of the opening round of the Grand Prix, originally slated to be April 9th in Japan, has been moved to June at the American Airlines Arena in Dallas, Texas. MMAJunkie also reported that the April card will now feature Nick Diaz defend his 170 lb. title against Paul "The Semtex" Daley, who earned his shot with a victory in the BAMMA 5 card from England last weekend, as well as Gilbert Melendez defending his 155 lb. title against Japanese fighter Tatsuya Kawajiri.
Hopefully, he puts up more of a fight than Shinya Aoki.
Well, agree or disagree? Want to get back to me? feel free to leave a comment at the bottom or email me at mmarmaggeddon@gmail.com
Until next time, fight fans!
Rafael "Feijao" Cavalante vs. Dan Henderson - The main event features Brazilian product "Feijao" as he takes on UFCer and former 2 class division Pride champion Dan Henderson. This will be Feijao's first fight since dethroning King Mo Lawal for the Strikeforce 205 lb. World Championship last August. Henderson earned his title shot with a 1st round dismantling of fellow former UFCer Renato "Babalu" Sobral in December.
I expect Henderson to throw heavy hands early on and often. Look for him to try to press Calavante against the cage and try to use his wrestling to force a takedown. However, Calavante has trained with the likes of Anderson Silva, and I expect him to able to stuff takedowns left and right much like he did with Lawal, before punishing Henderson with elbows and hammerfist that will send Henderson to the ground. Expect it to finish in a very similar position that the UFC champion, Silva, finished Henderson off in their encounter back in 2008.
The Pick : Feijao by submission.
The other title shot features Marloes Coenen defend her newly won 135 lb. women's title taking on American Liz Carmouche. Coenen won her title by defeating Canadian Sarah Kaufmann on the same "Babalu vs. Henderson" card last December, where Carmouche is a late replacement for Miesha Tate, who pulled out with an injury during training.
I don't expect this fight to last long, but I expect it to end with an armbar.
The Pick : Coenen by submission.
- In other Strikeforce news, Scott Coker announced that the second stage of the opening round of the Grand Prix, originally slated to be April 9th in Japan, has been moved to June at the American Airlines Arena in Dallas, Texas. MMAJunkie also reported that the April card will now feature Nick Diaz defend his 170 lb. title against Paul "The Semtex" Daley, who earned his shot with a victory in the BAMMA 5 card from England last weekend, as well as Gilbert Melendez defending his 155 lb. title against Japanese fighter Tatsuya Kawajiri.
Hopefully, he puts up more of a fight than Shinya Aoki.
Well, agree or disagree? Want to get back to me? feel free to leave a comment at the bottom or email me at mmarmaggeddon@gmail.com
Until next time, fight fans!
Dane-nation : Why can't Kampmann buy a break?
When the decision of a unanimous 29-28 decision came for Diego "The Dream" Sanchez at last night's UFC on Versus 3 card in the main event against Martin Kampmann, it was a familiar chorus for Kampmann : Boos. The announced crowd of just over 8,000 cheered when Kampmann said deservedly so, that he won the fight.
Sitting in front of a TV many miles away in Toronto, I thought his disappointment was justified. After all, Kampmann controlled most of Sanchez's Takedowns and left Sanchez's face a bloody heap that resembled the cover of the Pig in the classic book "Lord of the Flies".
Nearly 24 hours later, after reading the numerous opinions on various message boards, from The Score to MMAJunkie, I watched the fight again with the sound off. Still my opinion isn't changed.
The exchanges I saw, Sanchez was throwing wildly. While he did land a couple of shots to stagger the Dane, the end of the second round saw Kampmann drop Sanchez with a right. Was that not taken into account? Secondly, Sanchez went a reported 1 for 15 in takedown attempts (the one being with 2 and a half minutes in the 3rd), that was taken into side control...only for Kampmann to slide out from underneath Sanchez and finished with a Muay Thai knee, and backpeddled away.
The managment was clearly satisfied with the judges outcome, with UFC President Dana White saying "Diego won that fight for sure!!!!! wow" via Twitter. Lorenzo Fertitta tweeted with "I love these guys. What a War! great night for ufc".
Fighters however, disagreed. From Ben Henderson to Kenny Florian to UFC legend Randy Couture, I was only able to find one fighter (Joe Lauzon) that scored the fight for Sanchez. Florian went so far as to say he agreed with Kampmann winning 30-27 (all 3 rounds).
MMA is above other things, a brawl. There is nothing tactical about being in a fight and throwing down to a decision victory. However, last night, Compustrike registered Kampmann outscoring Sanchez in the striking category by a significant margin (97 total to Sanchez's 45). Add to all this, Kampmann broke his hand during the fight and still finished going for the jugular.
People may argue that Jon Fitch got robbed, but I still believe that draw was justifiable. For Kampmann however, to be so close to the Welterweight title of the world and now to lose it so unfairly, and not to lose a fight that he should have clearly won. If you want to talk robbery, look no further than Martin Kampmann.
Sitting in front of a TV many miles away in Toronto, I thought his disappointment was justified. After all, Kampmann controlled most of Sanchez's Takedowns and left Sanchez's face a bloody heap that resembled the cover of the Pig in the classic book "Lord of the Flies".
Nearly 24 hours later, after reading the numerous opinions on various message boards, from The Score to MMAJunkie, I watched the fight again with the sound off. Still my opinion isn't changed.
The exchanges I saw, Sanchez was throwing wildly. While he did land a couple of shots to stagger the Dane, the end of the second round saw Kampmann drop Sanchez with a right. Was that not taken into account? Secondly, Sanchez went a reported 1 for 15 in takedown attempts (the one being with 2 and a half minutes in the 3rd), that was taken into side control...only for Kampmann to slide out from underneath Sanchez and finished with a Muay Thai knee, and backpeddled away.
The managment was clearly satisfied with the judges outcome, with UFC President Dana White saying "Diego won that fight for sure!!!!! wow" via Twitter. Lorenzo Fertitta tweeted with "I love these guys. What a War! great night for ufc".
Fighters however, disagreed. From Ben Henderson to Kenny Florian to UFC legend Randy Couture, I was only able to find one fighter (Joe Lauzon) that scored the fight for Sanchez. Florian went so far as to say he agreed with Kampmann winning 30-27 (all 3 rounds).
MMA is above other things, a brawl. There is nothing tactical about being in a fight and throwing down to a decision victory. However, last night, Compustrike registered Kampmann outscoring Sanchez in the striking category by a significant margin (97 total to Sanchez's 45). Add to all this, Kampmann broke his hand during the fight and still finished going for the jugular.
People may argue that Jon Fitch got robbed, but I still believe that draw was justifiable. For Kampmann however, to be so close to the Welterweight title of the world and now to lose it so unfairly, and not to lose a fight that he should have clearly won. If you want to talk robbery, look no further than Martin Kampmann.
UFC on Versus 3 re-hash : Sanchez awarded decision; Kampmann scathed by judges again.
Dana White's philosophy is for every fight to be finished, to "never leave" the balance in the hands of the judges.
Its a philosophy that Martin Kampmann should heed well, as regardless of where the venue or whom the judges are, he simply can't buy a break.
Last October, his fight against UFC newcomer and welterweight number one contender ended with a decision for Jake Shields and a chorus of boos. On Thursday night, his fight with Diego Sanchez, now calling himself "The Dream" ended with the same thing, despite Kampmann making hamburger meat of Sanchez's face with precise striking and takedown defense.
"I thought I won the fight," Kampmann told cage interviewer Joe Rogan. "I think I won all three rounds.
"He was throwing a lot of flurries, but most of it wasn’t landing. I feel I was landing way more and cleaner shots. I'm very disappointed."
He should be. Against Shields, the argument could be made that he lost by simply being controlled with a takedown. Against Sanchez, he worked on that facade of his game, being taken down one time the whole fight (that being early on in the 3rd), and scrambling right back up. Its difficult to fathom if finishing a fight would give him a new lease on his UFC life, but for the first time in his career he's lost back to back fights.
For Sanchez, however his victory is tainted. Despite keeping the pressure on, he simply didn't do enough of a job to justify the damage done to his face and his takedowns were controlled.
Next for Sanchez : Really difficult to determine what could be accomplished from another fight with Kampmann, but I'm calling for a rematch. If that rematch isn't available, how about the winner of the Hardy-Johnson fight later this month.
Next for Kampmann : This guy should go to boxing, as his shots don't count for much with MMA judges. Perhaps a fight with Carlos Condit.
In the co-main event, Mark Munoz put away CB Dolloway with a first round TKO. Catching Dolloway with a big shot early on, Dolloway fell back and Munoz did clean up duty. Dolloway got up and protested the stoppage, but there was no doubt on anybody's mind he had been out, as much of a "flash" knockout as it was.
Next for Munoz : he should call out a aging, past his prime Tito Ortiz. When Tito gets healthy.
Next for Dolloway : he could call out aging, past his Prime Brandon Vera. Presuming his not still a "free agent" and back in the fold.
Brian Bowles earned a victory in his promotional debut with a first round submission victory over Damacio Page. So confident in his submission that once Bowles had him in the guillotine choke, he turned to the referee after about 15 seconds and told him that Page was out.
Next for Bowles : Still think he's one fight away from being back in the title hunt. Perhaps a fight against nemesis Miguel Torres?
Next for Page : The loser of Eddie Wineland and Urijah Faber.
On the streamed fights on Facebook, Danny Castillo earned a unanimous decision victory over former TUF competitor Joe Stevenson. "Daddy" never seemed in the fight as Castillo kept beating him to the punch and used effective takedowns to cruise to victory in his UFC debut.
Next for Castillo : Perhaps Mac Danzig.
Next for Stevenson : If he doesn't get released, the UFC will convince him to drop to 145. If that happens, a fight with former WEC title holder Mike Brown?
All things considered, 2-2 on my 4 picks and 8-9-1 for the year. But I'm knowing that big card will come through!
Until next time, Fight fans.
Its a philosophy that Martin Kampmann should heed well, as regardless of where the venue or whom the judges are, he simply can't buy a break.
Last October, his fight against UFC newcomer and welterweight number one contender ended with a decision for Jake Shields and a chorus of boos. On Thursday night, his fight with Diego Sanchez, now calling himself "The Dream" ended with the same thing, despite Kampmann making hamburger meat of Sanchez's face with precise striking and takedown defense.
"I thought I won the fight," Kampmann told cage interviewer Joe Rogan. "I think I won all three rounds.
"He was throwing a lot of flurries, but most of it wasn’t landing. I feel I was landing way more and cleaner shots. I'm very disappointed."
He should be. Against Shields, the argument could be made that he lost by simply being controlled with a takedown. Against Sanchez, he worked on that facade of his game, being taken down one time the whole fight (that being early on in the 3rd), and scrambling right back up. Its difficult to fathom if finishing a fight would give him a new lease on his UFC life, but for the first time in his career he's lost back to back fights.
For Sanchez, however his victory is tainted. Despite keeping the pressure on, he simply didn't do enough of a job to justify the damage done to his face and his takedowns were controlled.
Next for Sanchez : Really difficult to determine what could be accomplished from another fight with Kampmann, but I'm calling for a rematch. If that rematch isn't available, how about the winner of the Hardy-Johnson fight later this month.
Next for Kampmann : This guy should go to boxing, as his shots don't count for much with MMA judges. Perhaps a fight with Carlos Condit.
In the co-main event, Mark Munoz put away CB Dolloway with a first round TKO. Catching Dolloway with a big shot early on, Dolloway fell back and Munoz did clean up duty. Dolloway got up and protested the stoppage, but there was no doubt on anybody's mind he had been out, as much of a "flash" knockout as it was.
Next for Munoz : he should call out a aging, past his prime Tito Ortiz. When Tito gets healthy.
Next for Dolloway : he could call out aging, past his Prime Brandon Vera. Presuming his not still a "free agent" and back in the fold.
Brian Bowles earned a victory in his promotional debut with a first round submission victory over Damacio Page. So confident in his submission that once Bowles had him in the guillotine choke, he turned to the referee after about 15 seconds and told him that Page was out.
Next for Bowles : Still think he's one fight away from being back in the title hunt. Perhaps a fight against nemesis Miguel Torres?
Next for Page : The loser of Eddie Wineland and Urijah Faber.
On the streamed fights on Facebook, Danny Castillo earned a unanimous decision victory over former TUF competitor Joe Stevenson. "Daddy" never seemed in the fight as Castillo kept beating him to the punch and used effective takedowns to cruise to victory in his UFC debut.
Next for Castillo : Perhaps Mac Danzig.
Next for Stevenson : If he doesn't get released, the UFC will convince him to drop to 145. If that happens, a fight with former WEC title holder Mike Brown?
All things considered, 2-2 on my 4 picks and 8-9-1 for the year. But I'm knowing that big card will come through!
Until next time, Fight fans.
Wednesday, March 2, 2011
UFC on Versus 3 : Sanchez vs Kampmann preview
After going 0-3-1 in my four picks this past weekend (first time all year i didn't get one right!) I'm left with a disappointing 6-7-1 record in picks this year. The UFC's first visit to Kentucky at the state of the art YUM! Brands Center in Louisville gives me the perfect outlet to regain my form following last weekend's debacle. Now, let's get to it :
Diego Sanchez vs Martin Kampmann - The main event features 2 welterweights with redemption on their mind, Diego Sanchez vs Martin Kampmann. Sanchez rebounded from a poor showing against John Hathaway last summer to dominate Paulo Thiago in his second fight since returning from a stint at 155 last October at UFC 121, while Kampmann is looking to rebound following his decision loss to the debuting Jake Shields on the same card (even though, like many others, I felt Kampmann did enough to win).
Sanchez's biggest strength is his ability to bounce back from adversity which he did against Thiago, while he's never one to shy away from throwing heavy hands. Kampmann is a pure bred out and out kickboxer, who while dominating Thiago at UFC 115, got a little carried away and thought he could outgrapple Shields. It didn't work. Expect the fists to fly hard in this contest, with Kampmann coming away the victor.
The pick : Kampmann by 2nd round TKO.
The co-main event features CB Dolloway, a BJJ master (and to this day the only dude I've ever seen been able to pull off a Peruvian necktie) taking on Team Black House mainstay Mark Munoz. This will be a tactical battle on the ground, and while I expect to see Dolloway pull off more than one submission attempt, I think Munoz's training with guys like Noguiera, Anderson Silva and Jose Aldo be the difference in this one.
The pick : Munoz by split decision.
Former WEC 135 lb. kingpin Brian Bowles will make his promotional debut on the main card, taking on Damacio Page, who's also making his debut. He'll also be trying to avenge his loss to Bowles that happened at WEC 35 in 2008. Page is a submission master, with 6 of his 15 wins coming by that discipline. Though he won't get caught by a guillotine like he did against Bowles in their last fight, his over aggressive style will let a mistake slip and I see Bowles coming out on top again.
The Pick : Bowles by submission.
The preliminary card being streamed via Facebook has 2 guys with a lot on the line. One being Danny Castillo, trying to make a name for himself after being promoted to the WEC roster, while his opponent, Joe Stevenson, is trying to stay relevant in the lightweight picture after 2 consecutive defeats to George Sotiropoulos and Mac Danzig, by decision and KO, respectively. If he should lose, will it lead to his ultimate release or will the persuade him to drop to 145? While "Daddy" does put on an exciting fight, his strength and size will be the factor in this fight.
The Pick : Stevenson by decision.
Well, what do you guys think? agree or disagree? want to get back to me? leave a comment at the bottom of the page, or as always email me at mmarmaggeddon@gmail.com
Until next time, fight fans!
Diego Sanchez vs Martin Kampmann - The main event features 2 welterweights with redemption on their mind, Diego Sanchez vs Martin Kampmann. Sanchez rebounded from a poor showing against John Hathaway last summer to dominate Paulo Thiago in his second fight since returning from a stint at 155 last October at UFC 121, while Kampmann is looking to rebound following his decision loss to the debuting Jake Shields on the same card (even though, like many others, I felt Kampmann did enough to win).
Sanchez's biggest strength is his ability to bounce back from adversity which he did against Thiago, while he's never one to shy away from throwing heavy hands. Kampmann is a pure bred out and out kickboxer, who while dominating Thiago at UFC 115, got a little carried away and thought he could outgrapple Shields. It didn't work. Expect the fists to fly hard in this contest, with Kampmann coming away the victor.
The pick : Kampmann by 2nd round TKO.
The co-main event features CB Dolloway, a BJJ master (and to this day the only dude I've ever seen been able to pull off a Peruvian necktie) taking on Team Black House mainstay Mark Munoz. This will be a tactical battle on the ground, and while I expect to see Dolloway pull off more than one submission attempt, I think Munoz's training with guys like Noguiera, Anderson Silva and Jose Aldo be the difference in this one.
The pick : Munoz by split decision.
Former WEC 135 lb. kingpin Brian Bowles will make his promotional debut on the main card, taking on Damacio Page, who's also making his debut. He'll also be trying to avenge his loss to Bowles that happened at WEC 35 in 2008. Page is a submission master, with 6 of his 15 wins coming by that discipline. Though he won't get caught by a guillotine like he did against Bowles in their last fight, his over aggressive style will let a mistake slip and I see Bowles coming out on top again.
The Pick : Bowles by submission.
The preliminary card being streamed via Facebook has 2 guys with a lot on the line. One being Danny Castillo, trying to make a name for himself after being promoted to the WEC roster, while his opponent, Joe Stevenson, is trying to stay relevant in the lightweight picture after 2 consecutive defeats to George Sotiropoulos and Mac Danzig, by decision and KO, respectively. If he should lose, will it lead to his ultimate release or will the persuade him to drop to 145? While "Daddy" does put on an exciting fight, his strength and size will be the factor in this fight.
The Pick : Stevenson by decision.
Well, what do you guys think? agree or disagree? want to get back to me? leave a comment at the bottom of the page, or as always email me at mmarmaggeddon@gmail.com
Until next time, fight fans!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)