Monday, December 31, 2007

Happy New Year: A Little Taste of Last Year

Sorry I haven't been as active over the break. I will say that I enjoyed UFC 79, despite some of my favorite fighters from the good old days underperforming (damn you, Soa Palelei). I also enjoyed the M-1 Global event, though I wish JZ might have been able to offer us the fight of the year with Aoki.

I have a collection of moments in a year that has been a roller coaster ride for many fans of the greatest sport in the world, but before I get to that, which I'll try to get out tomorrow, I want to give you guys something fun to celebrate the New Year.

A friend of mine linked me this post I made before thanksgiving and I realized I hadn't put it up on the blog for you guys.

To put it in context, this is a bit I did after Jeff Lacy came out with his outburst against MMA. I enjoyed writing this alot, and I hope you guys like it as much as I did. Happy New Year.

Are you f*cking kidding me? Jeff Lacy is a credible source on boxing?

First, the guy's an idiot. Second, all of his comments are only aggravating an argument that could be made so much better.

Any boxer that wants to bring up Maywether vs. De La Hoya as an example of why MMA is an inferior sport is an idiot. I watched the fight, and usually I can appreciate boxers for their hands and head movement, but both of them proved to be complete p*ssies in that fight. Great competition comes from having two guys who want to win, who want to finish and who want to really show how great they are, not who want to line their pockets.

Boxing is a better sport because there's more money in it? No!

The international boxing market has fallen apart, while international MMA continues to grow at a speed no other sport in the world can keep up with. Boxing continues to be a waste of time and talent because guys with lots of potential would rather make money than actually fight.

Then there are all of these ridiculous boxing contracts. De La Hoya gets to pick the color of Floyd Maywether's shorts and gloves? That's a disgrace not just to the sport of boxing, but to anyone who associates themself with being a "fight fan."

Then you have guys like Valuev who continue to put on raucous displays against opponents that are hand selected by Don f*cking King. At least for Hong Man Choi to get a title, he's got to fight real opponents (and I'm not just talking about Fedor, I'm also talking about Jerome LeBanner, Semmy Schilt and some of the other great guys he fought in K-1).

Honestly, I wish I could say boxing was dead, so that I could ignore it, but instead it's just flopping around like a fish out of water, gasping for air. It can't die quickly enough. It makes me sad to say that some of the great eastern European fighters I grew up watching, like the Klitchko's, are part of a sport that is falling apart, and I have as must respect for the guys that realy fight in boxing as I do for the guys in K-1, but the vast majority of boxers are killing this sport. It can't even just be blamed on the promoters and shady managers any more.

I've done enough talking about boxers as inferior athletes, because they are. They don't condition themselves to perform as wide a variety of tasks or endure as much punishment as an MMA fighter. If you want to see what I have to say about that, here's a quote from one of my old posts:

"Obviously, your new, so I'll be gentle.

None of the guys you have seen in MMA punch for sh*t? What about:

Fedor Emelianenko
Mirko "CroCop" Filipovic
Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira
Mark Hunt
Andrei Arlovski
Tim Sylvia (in his younger days)
Aleks Emelianenko
Sergei Kharitonov
Igor Vovchanchyn
Randy Couture
Chuck Liddell
Mauricio "Shogun" Rua
Wanderlei Silva
Quinton "Rampage" Jackson
Rich Franklin
Anderson Silva
Denis Kang
Georges St. Pierre
BJ Penn
Takanori Gomi
Joachim Hansen
Hayato Sakurai

That's just off the top of my head. A handful of those guys are, or were, professional boxers. If you don't think they can punch, you obviously have no idea what a punch looks like.

You see, the difference between these guys and boxers is that they can do other things. Bas Rutten even proved that a boxing stance was useless in MMA (and, thus, a streetfight) when he had Duane Ludwig pound on Jens Pulver's more traditional boxing style.

Boxers have come over, but they rarely make it up the top ranks. If you want to know what I mean watch PRIDE's Butterbean v Ikuhisa Minowa. You have to know submissions and wrestling, and that's not just something you can pick up over night. It's much easier for a wrestler (who can control the pace of the fight and where it goes) to transition to MMA than a boxer, because a wrestler has much more applicable skills in MMA.

Even if you're a boxer in MMA, you can't win a fight with just boxing. There's more than just hands in boxing. You have to deal with the added dimensions of leg-kicks and clinches that your opponent can hit you in, in addition to the constant threat of being taken down.

I've been saying this for a long time:

Show me a boxer who can take leg-kicks from Mirko CroCop...

Show me a boxer who can hurt Mark Hunt standing up...

Show me a boxer who can avoid a takedown from Mark Coleman...

Show me a boxer who can defend a submission from Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira...

Show me a boxer who can get off of his back with Fedor Emelianenko pounding his face in...

... and that guy'll be great in MMA. He, however, has not shown up and does not, in the real world, exist.
Simply put, Jeff Lacy is a dumbass, as so is anyone who doesn't give MMA fighters the respect they deserve as athletes and as warriors."

To finish, I'd like to add:

F*ck boxers... I'm going to eat some Turkey.

Happy Thanksgiving.


See you all in January.

Monday, December 10, 2007

TUF Finale: Hot and Cold

The overall tone of the fight wasn't set by the main events, as it usually is. The two main bouts between top lightweight contenders Clay Guida and Roger Huerta and Ultimate Fighter finalists Mac Danzig and Tommy Speer were interesting fights, but the rest of the card was, for the most part, not.

While I will say that I expected more from Tommy Speer than was displayed, I knew how the fight was going to end (though I hadn't anticipated it being so short). Danzig, the more experienced and more agile fighter, choked Speer out in about two minutes.

The fight between Huerta and Guida was the best fight on the card, and the two fighters went to war. Huerta eventually won with a choke in the third round.

While the card was full of exiting submissions, most were like the one in the Danzig fight, coming early and not really giving us the chance to see a war. Here are the results from the other fights:

Jonathan Goulet chokes out Paul Gorgieff in the first.
Roman Mitchyan finished Dorian Price with an ankle lock submission in the first.
Matt Arroyo submitted John Kolosci with an armbar in the first.
Troy Mandoloniz KO'd Ritchie Hightower in the first round.
Ben Saunders beat Dan Barerra unanimously on the judges scorecards.
Goerge Sotiropolous choked out Billy Miles in the first.
Jon Koppenhaver TKO'd Jared Rollins the third round.

Tuesday, December 4, 2007

WEC's Next Big Event: WEC 31

The WEC is starting to look suspicious. After all, the UFC has had a handful of cards that have not had a single title fight, and barely a high profile matchup. Now, UFC fans are considering themselves lucky if they are getting a single title shot.

So where does the WEC get off putting three title fights on their upcoming card. It is, really, about putting together a high quality product for the fans, but also doing their best to get some serious attention while promoting some of their less famous fighters.

The biggest matchup on the card is the first title defense of undefeated Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu machine Paulo Filho (15-0-0). Some fans rank Filho as the number one fighter in the world at 185 pounds, and nobody has him ranked outside of the top three. He's set to fight UFC veteran Chael Sonnen (19-8-1) who, as a wrestler, provides nothing that Filho hasn't seen before in an opponent, but really offers Filho the opportunity to show his strengths as a grappler while also facing an opponent who can't simply be written off as a nobody. Really, the matchup is to further introduce American fans to the style of fighting they can expect from the WEC, display the dominance of Filho and give the main even on the card some notoriety.

The most interesting fight on the card is the match between current WEC featherweight champion and resident organization animal Urijah "The California Kid" Faber (19-1-0) and Jiu-Jitsu legend Jeff "Big Frog" Curran (28-8-1). Curran is a long time veteran of the sport and his Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu chops and experience will prove an interesting test for Faber, who has been no less than devastating in his three fights in the WEC, where he has yet to hear the bell ending the first round.

Both of those fights will provide most of the draw, but the great unknown champion of the infant WEC organization is the lightheavyweight champion working lower in the card: Doug "The Rhino" Marshall. While little is known about Marshall (6-2-0) as a fighter, because he has only had 8 fights, all have been in the WEC, so he is established in the organization and may become the first big star brought up in the organization. The WEC certainly has a good deal riding on Marshall, but his opponent, Cuban Ariel Gandulla (4-0-0) isn't considered a serious threat to his title, because he only won his title shot by a split decision.

Still, the lighter weight classes for which the WEC is fast become noticed, are set to provide an interesting backing for the quickly expanding lightheavyweight division, and the installation of Filho as champion of the middleweight division shows that the WEC is serious about expanding it's ranks of champions from the bottom up. So expect the announcement of some heavyweight contracts in the next six to ten months, and the emmergence of a belt in about eighteen.

The WEC is going to really put some pressure on and may put together a show that makes MMA fans drawn in by the publicity behemoth that is the UFC start turning to smaller options and the quality of fights they are seeing in the UFC start diminshing.

It's almost as though WEC is offering a challenge to its big brother cagefighting organization:
If you're not going to give people title fights, we will.

And I'm excited to see what will happen

Friday, November 30, 2007

Inside Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou vs. Lyoto Machida

Even with the drop of Matt Serra on the UFC's upcoming UFC 79 card, there are still some promising matchups. Of all of these matches, it seems like the one with the least history might be the most entertaining.

On a card that includes the third installment of Georges St. Pierre vs. Matt Hughes and the promising war between striking legends Wanderlei Silva and Chuck Liddell, the most promising looks to be the fight between "The African Assassin" Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou (4-1-0) and Lyoto Machida (11-0-0).

Machida is an undefeated, promising fighter who has already worked himself into title contention by beating Sam Hoger, David Heath and Kazuhiro Nakamura by decision. His shotokan karate backround is something unconventional in the sport, and presents alot of problems for the very technical strikers in the division.

Sokoudjou, though, is not a conventional striker. He exploded on to the scene in a way that no one expected him to, being signed by Pride Fighting Championships as a stepping stone opponent for the return of Antonio Rogerio Nogueira. In that fight, Sokoudjou did the unthinkable, and became the first man ever to stop either of the Nogueira brothers, knocking Rogerio out in 23 seconds.

In his second fight, he fought another Pride veteran in Ricardo Arona, who was another ground fighter expected to give Sokoudjou's judo backround a test, but the fight never got that far. Sokoudjou put Arona to sleep at the two minute mark in their fight.

Of all of the matchups on this card (including the dynamic matchup of Hughes v St. Pierre and the much anticipated matchup of Silva v Liddell) Sokoudjou and Machida is going to be the most interesting.

For starters, it is Sokoudjou's first fight in the UFC, and the "Octagon shock" fact has been pretty tough on some of his fellow Pride veterans who have come to the organization. There's the question of whether Machida will be able to capitalize on his surroundings and control Sokoudjou.

Then there is the issue of Machida being the first real standup opponent Sokoudjou has faced on a major event card. After all, Arona and Nogueira were both Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu fighters.

It should be an interesting matchup, I'm personally taking Sokoudjou on his ability to finish fights (something that we haven't see from Machida in his last 3 matches), but it will definitely be a war and Machida's karate always makes for an exciting fight.

Thursday, November 29, 2007

Tito Ortiz: Sometimes Bad is Good



Of all the fighters in the sport of mixed martial arts, by far the most controversial and most polarized is Tito "The Huntington Beach Bad Boy" Ortiz, and he seems to get attention inside and outside of the cage, regardless of who his opponent is. He's been in open conflict with the Lion's Den, single handedly smashing the upper echelon of the gym and gaining fame and fortune (and a porn-star girlfriend) in the meantime.

At the beginning of his career, Ortiz seemed to be simply a shadow of mixed martial arts heavyweight legends like Mark Coleman and Kevin Randleman, trying to use the groundnpound style of fighting that the men had perfected. Ortiz made his debut at UFC 13 in the tournament style that was popular during the period.

While Ortiz TKO'd his opening opponent, Wes Albritton, with the explosive groundnpound for which he would become famous later in his career, he dropped his second fight to Guy Mezger when he got caught in a guillotine choke by the more experienced Mezger. (On top of two UFC's matches at UFC's 4 and 5, Mezger had competed in almost twenty matches in Japan's Pancrase organization) The fight would be a lead up to the long standing conflict between Tito and the Lion's Den gym that Mezger represented.

Ortiz took a break after losing to Mezger, partly to recooperate from the mental damage of a loss and partly to really hone his groundnpound and learn to defend submissions like the one that Mezger had caught him in.

Ortiz returned to the sport more than a year later, in December of 1998, to fight Jeremy Screenton in West Coast No Holds Barred. Ortiz TKO'd screenton in 16 seconds, and would quickly be resigned by the UFC.

At this point, Ortiz really began to exploit his charisma, which many credit with helping the expansion of the sport more than anything else. He began to hype his fight with Jerry Bohlander, a teammate of Guy Mezger's, making it an issue of revenge for his loss and verbally attacking Lion's Den coach Ken Shamrock. While the Lion's Den fighters did not take him too seriously, when Ortiz TKO'd Bohlander after fourteen and a half minutes, they started to get a little upset. While Shamrock had yet to become vocal, Mezger took some open offense to Ortiz's comments and requested a fight with Tito.

In Tito's second UFC fight since his return, he hyped up his fight with the Lion's Den even more, and the UFC put together one of the earliest high-profile grudgematches in the sport: the rematch between Tito Ortiz and Guy Mezger. While the hype on paper did little for long time hardcore fans, the new fans that Ortiz managed to bring in with his charisma and open disrespect for much more seasoned fighters left many long term fans hoping Mezger would put him in his place for the second time, and many new fans wondering if this kid from LA was really as tough as he said he was.

The fight with Bohlander was also the debut of what would be one of Tito's many calling cards in later year. His gravedigger finish had already become noticed by some fans, but the addition of the victory t-shirts that would become the subject of alot of arguments among hardcore fans and fans who loved the flare came after Bohlander, when he donned a shirt that said: "I just fucked your ass."

Ortiz finished Mezger even quicker than he had finished Bohlander, cutting near 15 minutes down to around 10 and picking up another TKO on his record.

The t-shirt after this fight read: "Gay Mezger is my bitch." and it pissed Ken Shamrock off enough that he began to address the conflict himself.

In his next fight he would get the opportunity for a really, really dangerous opponent, as he was matched up with UFC middleweight (a title that, at that time, was 205 pounds) champion Frank Shamrock, the blood-brother of Lion's Den leader.

Frank had already become a legend in the Pancrase organization that had really brought his blood-brother into the spotlight and it was a fight that Tito hyped up like it was Muhammad Ali vs. Sonny Liston, saying that it was time for the young up-and-comer to bring the sport into the new age.

The fight, though, didn't go like Ali vs. Liston at all. Shamrock stopped Ortiz with strikes in 4:42 of the fourth round of their title fight.

In what some would call the lone show of respect in Ortiz's career, he put on a Frank Shamrock t-shirt after the fight.

Shamrock left the UFC due to a contract dispute shortly after, vacating his title. Ortiz (the only fighter to last more than one round in the Octagon with Shamrock) was named an immediate contender. His opponent was to be Japanese MMA legend Wanderlei "The Axe-Murderer" Silva, who had started to make a name for himself in the Japanese upstart at the time, the Pride Fighting Championships." Silva had also already had a few fights in the UFC.

Tito beat Silva in what would be the first decision win of Ortiz's career, staying on top of Silva and pounding him with elbows for five rounds.

His next fight would be the beginning of his major tear in the UFC, as he finished Yuki Kondo two mintues into the first with a vicious neck crank.

The t-shirt has become one of the most notable sayings, not just from Ortiz, but in all of MMA: "RESPECT: I don't earn it; I just fucking take it."

Ortiz would continue to dismantle all of the fighters put in front of him as he slammed future 185 pound champion Evan Tanner for a 32 second win and stopped Australian Elvis Sinosic with a cut from his elbows at 3:32 in the first.


Above: Highlight reel of Ortiz in his prime as the lightheavyweight champion.

After Ortiz fought Russian warrior Vladimir Matyushenko, winning against by decision, a match was lined up with Lion's Den head Ken Shamrock. Some of the newer Ortiz fans, who had drawn in with his charisma and explosiveness, didn't know of the old rivalry between the two fighters, but Ortiz made sure to let them know.

Now Tito was the champion and Shamrock was the challenger, but many saw the future UFC Hall-of-Famer Shamrock as a god of mixed martial arts, and some referenced the fight Tito had had with Ken's brother as what would probably end up happening in this fight.

Ortiz would beat Shamrock when his corner threw in the towel at the end of the third round, but it would be Ortiz's last fight in the Octagon for a year.

Severe personal problems forced Ortiz to leave the UFC, and some of the stories are more myth than fact (some involve him wrapping a car around a tree, some involve overdoses and drunk bar fights).

Ortiz returned to the UFC after almost an entire year off in September of 2003 to fight interim champion Randy Couture. Couture was a former heavyweight champion (and currently holds the heavyweight strap) who came down to 205 for different challenges.

Couture would outclass Ortiz in a matchup of a Division I national champion and a Junior college warrior. It was clear that Ortiz was not the same fighter, or at least that the sport had gotten away from him a little bit.

Ortiz would then drop his next fight to another DI wrestler (though not national champion) in Chuck Liddell, when he was stopped for the first time since his fight with Frank Shamrock almost five years before.

His next fight was more of a stepping stone fight then anything else, when Ortiz beat Canadian Patrick "The Predator" Cote.

The UFC then set up a matchup of former champions, matching Ortiz against Brazilian warrior and UFC legend Vitor "The Phenom" Belfort. Belfort made a war of the fight, taking Ortiz the judges scorecards, but two of the judges overruled the third and gave the fight to Ortiz.

After being declared the winner, Ortiz would make the first political statement of his career; his t-shirt didn't insult Belfort (a fighter who had been one of the most dominant in the sport for the prime of his career), instead it read "Bring Home Our Troops!"

Ortiz's next fight would also end in a split decision, when he beat Forrest Griffin in what would prove the most controversial win of Ortiz's career, a decision that is still questioned today.

With the clear impossibility of passing Ortiz off as a serious title contender, regardless of his charisma, the UFC management set up another match with Shamrock. Ortiz won easily.

Though there was some minor controversy that might have been overlooked, Ortiz took another fight with Shamrock, and the third fight resembled the second in an order of deja vu with extra elbows.

While Ortiz's recent career has included a tough second loss to then 205 pound champion Chuck Liddell in his title shot and a draw with Rashad Evans that Ortiz might have won without a point deduction, Ortiz remains one of the greatest champions in the sports history and a definite candidate for the hall-of-fame.

Wednesday, November 28, 2007

M-1 Announces First Matches For It's New Year's Eve Card

Russian based M-1 Global organization has announced the first two bouts on what looks to be the best card of New Year's Eve, now that the UFC no longer has a title fight occurring on their upcoming card.

The first two bouts were set up when M-1 and K-1 Heroes agreed to cooperate to put together the best card possible, and they have announced that the venue for the fight will be the world class Saitama Super Arena, the home of many Pride Fighting Championship cards over the years. The move is, without a doubt, a move to show the Japanese fans how serious they are about offering a quality product.

The first bout announced was for two time K-1 Lightweight tournament champion Gesias "JZ" Calvancante to take on legendary lightweight and master of the triangle choke Shinya Aoki. While this is a fight between two athletes that most American fight fans don't understand the value of, Calvancante and Aoki are both in good position to move to the top oof the world lightweight rankings, with the liquidation of Pride, the recent loss of former #1 man Takanori Gomi and the steroid scandal surrounding UFC Champion Sean Sherk. It will be a fight that puts even more on the line than just a W or an L, it's also about who is the best 155 pound fighter in this new M-1 organization and, while there is no belt on the line yet, there is alot of value on this fight.

Calvancante is coming off of his second consecutive win of the K-1 Heroes tournament, where he defeated Vitor "Shaolin" Ribiero to take the title. Calvancante is currently sitting at the top of the mountain of K-1's lightweight MMA division.

Aoki has been inactive since his fight with Pride back in April, immediately before the organization was bought out by the UFC. He has, though, fought in DEEP in a grappling match, where he showed the dominance of his Tobukan Judo.

This is more than just a classic grappler/striker matchup, as JZ brings a very interesting style of striking and groundnpound along with some versatility in submissions, and Aoki has shown some improved striking along with one of the two best submission games at 155 pounds. (the other comparable fighter is UFC top contender BJ Penn)

The other fight is Japanese organization DEEP's contribution to the card, of their champion Hidehiko Hasegawa, who will fight MMA staple and veteran of every major organization, Hayato "Mach" Sakurai. Sakurai is a warrior who's history in the sport intersects with every major organization, and Hasegawa is a fighter who has a great deal of fame in Japan. While Hasegawa's name isn't one American fans hear to often, it's one that is well known in Japanese MMA circles, where DEEP is one of the most established organizations (basically the Japanese equivalent of King of the Cage, or World Extreme Cagefighting).

If the Sakurai v Hasegawa matchup is setting the tone for the undercard of the fight, it is clear that M-1 is serious about rounding up as many top tier fighters as they can from smaller Japanese shows, especially one's like DEEP and K-1, which already have long histories and strong rosters. These could all make for a very solid event, and make it worth throwing a party to watch live MMA in the afternoon so we can catch the New Years Eve card.

Tuesday, November 27, 2007

Stylized Striking: The Difference Between Muay Thai, Boxing and Brawling

The best part of MMA is it's diversity as a sport, even in it's individual elements there are distinct classes of fighters. Standing up, there are dozens of classifications of strikers, from the old school karate fighters like UFC 1 competitor and runner-up Gerard Gordeau to San Shou masters like Strike Force middleweight Cung Le. Over the years, these fighters have been streamlined to fit a few standard profiles (though some, like Le, are exceptions). Those molds are the Muay Thai striker, the boxer and the brawler. While these can be broken up into even smaller sub-divisions (clinch fighters, counter-punchers, stalkers, etc.) these three basic molds make a pretty solid umbrella for the modern striker.

Some fighters, like Brazilians Wanderlei Silva and Mauricio "Shogun" Rua, are viceral Muay Thai strikers, who work well in open range, where they use leg kicks and straight punches to wear opponents down, or in the clinch, where they use knees to their opponents body and head to end fights.




Muay Thai is actually a more recent development than boxing and brawling, coming in when top quality fight coaches like Marco Ruas started using Vale Tudo fighting as a way of employing classic Muay Thai striking techniques, like the thai clinch, knees to the body and shin kicks. Over time Muay Thai and the Vale Tudo (or "anything goes") philosophy has expanded to include stomp kicks to downed opponents and it's current fighter base includes UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva.



Boxers started off slow in MMA, being thoroughly dominated as the result of a lack of ground skills, but it was quickly coupled with submission fighting and solid wrestling fundamentals to provide what is really a more street fight realistic style of employing the hands. While it still stays true to many of the technical philosophies of boxing, true boxing has sort of fallen out in MMA with the slowing careers of it's most well known employers, including former UFC lightweight champion Jens Pulver.



Since the decline in it's use, it has still become an important fact in MMA, especially for ground based fighters who want to improve their head movement and hand skills. While they employ a more open bodied stance to help them deal with leg kicks and stay ready for the takedown, they use many traditional training points and basic drills. Current notable boxing-based strikers in the sport include Pride heavyweight champion Fedor Emelianenko and top UFC heavyweight contender Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira.



Brawling has always been a popular style, ever since the rugged earlier days of the sport when it was popularized by one punch warriors like Tank Abbott. While the practical aspect of brawling is questionable, fighters with the ability to take a punch and utilize their heavy hands have always been successful brawlers. It has fallen off the major event cards, because the sport has become more technical, but it is still a staple of smaller shows.



Great brawlers throughout history are easy to find, from the Tank himself to Mike Bourke and Bobby Hoffman, to even lighter weight fighters like Joe "Diesel" Riggs.



The sport will continue to develop and the smaller styles, like the Croatian and Dutch kickboxers, will always have their representatives, but for know the sport's standup seems to be pretty heavily dominated by these three breeds of fighters.

Monday, November 26, 2007

Great Fedor Highlight Reel

For those still questioning what Fedor Emelianenko is about in MMA, I figured that show might be better than tell. This highlight reel does a pretty good job of summing up his fighting style and providing an overview of some of his best moves, though some are left out.



Thanks to Roberto Bardini for putting the video together.

Decisions: The Difference Between Finishing In America and Japan

There are alot of differences between the MMA scene in Western countries (U.S., U.K., Canada...) and in Japan, but beyond the stomp kicks, elbows and crazy entrances, there is a major difference in the way that Japanese fans look at a fight record, particularly a single element of the record: decisions.

In Japan, there is a serious emphasis on finishing opponents, that goes way beyond the $5,000 you see Dana White offer Ultimate Fighter contestants for a finish. In Japan, there is a stigma on fighters who don't finish, and they rarely get any attention, any sponsorships or a title shot.

It's the reason why Mirko "CroCop" Filipovic took off quickly in the Japanese scene (first in K-1, then in Pride), while it took some fighters a little longer to establish themselves. The explosive KO or submission is something that Japanese fans see as absolutely necessary, not just bringing home the W, and a fighter who puts on an exciting fight and loses with a big finish at the end is more likely to be called back than a fighter who postpones defeat with a decision. This is one of the reasons for cult followings developing around fighters with lower records, like Yosuke Nishijima.

Losing by decision is considered more like a draw than an actual loss, and it is one of the reasons why fighters like Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, who have never been finished, are so revered.

American MMA puts the focus on winning, at whatever cost. A champion has to be very unimpressive to be regarded as a pariah, where as in Japan, a champion who goes to decision once will instantly have his credibility questioned. If Tim Sylvia had been a champion in Pride when he fought Assuerio Silva to get back in line for a title shot after losing his title to Arlovski, the decision would have kept him out of contention and he would have had to take at least one more fight before getting another opportunity to prove himself.

If Sylvia had been unable to finish as a champion, like he was when he won back his title, a Japanese organization might have held a Grand Prix to determine whether he was suited to be a champion, putting him in a situation where he has a very high chance of failure.

It is also the theory behind the "freak matchups" that are more common in Japan. A fighter like Zuluzinho fighting Fedor is normal, because a finish is almost guarunteed. It is expected that a smaller, skilled fighter will either use his agility and skills to finish an opponent quickly, his larger opponent will crush him, or as the fight goes on one of the fighters will fatigue (either the smaller from being worn on by a heavier opponent, or the larger for lack of cardiovascular conditioning). This is where matchups like Butterbean and Minowa or Sapp and Nogueira come from, it isn't the bizarre nature of seeing someone three hundred pounds fight someone way smaller, but, rather, because the fans are hungry to see a finish.

There are exceptions to this rule, but it is a very common part of Japanese and American sport psychology and I don't see it going away any time soon.

Friday, November 23, 2007

Matt Serra Pulls Out Of Fight With Hughes

Current UFC Welterweight champion Matt "The Terra" Serra pulled out of fight with former two time champion Matt Hughes due to a herniated disk in his back. The injury will postpone a fight that got alot of hype from the Ultimate Fighter Reality series, that Hughes and Serra both coached.

Serra is a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu blackbelt under Renzo Gracie and took the UFC title as a serious underdog going into his fight with Georges St. Pierre.

To get the title shot, Serra won the Ultimate Fighter 4, and his ability to capitalize on it has made him a cult icon, a figure of speech and a reference point for any fighter going in as a serious underdog.

Matt Hughes will still fight on the card, though who he will fight is unclear. Jon Fitch has announced that he will not be fighting Hughes, as he will be in Vietnam. The possibility of Hughes fighting Thiago Alves has been brought up, but Alves fought only a few weeks ago at UFC 78, which will make it very difficult for him to get cleared by the gaming commission to fight. Still, it is possible.

The other possibility that has been brought up is that of a third match between St. Pierre and Hughes. It would be a final match, and many were hoping that, like the first two, the final match would in some way involve an undisputed title, not just the possibility of an interim crown.

The UFC 79 card thus far seems to be pretty good, with lightheavyweight main card bouts including the long anticipated fight between Chuck "The Iceman" Liddell and Wanderlei "The Axe Murderer" Silva along with the anticipated debut of phenomenon Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou, when he will fight undefeated Lyoto Machida.

As far as the card right now, a title bout would make it a very interesting card. The possibility of a heavyweight title fight is unlikely this late in the game, but it is a possibility, given how long it has been since champion Randy Couture and contender Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira have fought. Still, that bout looks like it's pending for the spring.

Even without Serra, the card will maintain some dignity with the 205 pound matchups and the possibility of Hughes fighting anyway.

Hopefully Serra will recover quickly so that we can see the fight in the spring.

Roger Gracie: Is He The Next Phenomenon?

There has been alot of talk recently about Roger Gracie, grandson of the late Carlos Gracie Sr. and Gracie Jiu-Jitsu blackbelt. Perhaps the serious rarity is that his lineage actually comes through a Gracie woman (his mother is Reyla Gracie, and Roger took his mother's maiden name to honor the Gracie Jiu-jitsu lineage), but his jiu-jitsu seems unaffected.

At 6'4 and 220 pounds, Roger is also of a strange build for the Gracies, he's big. The Gracies have always been known for being a small, crafty clan and even the thicker, more muscular members of the family, like the legendary Rickson Gracie, have only been around 185 pounds.

While Roger isn't think, being 6'4 puts him four inches taller than his uncle Royce, one of the taller, lankier Gracies. In the modern age of MMA, with the establishment of weight classes, the Gracies' impact on the heavyweight division has been minimal, and their overall impact on the sport has suffered as a result. Roger Gracie and his cousins Ralek and Ryron are going to try and change all of that, by reintroducing the importance of Gracie Jiu-Jitsu.

While everyone in the sport studies Gracie Jiu-Jitsu in order to develop their submission game, the Gracies still feel that the experience and higher level of training and focus that they put into their submission game should give them the opportunity to overwhelm their opponents.

For the most part, this has worked in submission grappling, and Roger has been very successful, though he has fallen flat in a few of his finals matches in the open weight category.

Roger made him MMA debut last December against Ron Waterman, and though he gave up 50 pounds and a huge amount of experience to the UFC and Pride veteran, Gracie submitted him with an armbar three and a half minutes through the first round.

While Roger took a hiaitus to prepare of competition in the Abu Dhabi Combat Club and the Mundial (world championships for Gracie Jiu-Jitsu), he has expressed some desire in coming back to fight in MMA. While whether he will is questionable, it will be interesting to see how much success he can bring to his family in the years following the Gracie regime in the sport.

Wednesday, November 21, 2007

IFL: Mario Sperry and Ian Freeman to be Added to the Pantheon of Coaches

The International Fight League has been in negotiation with MMA legend, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu blackbelt and former BTT fighter and coach Mario "The Zen Machine" Sperry about the possibility of coaching a team. Sperry has seemed very excited about coaching, and said

"As a coach, I can fight in this organization. The IFL's president himself told me he would like to see me against another coach."

Sperry's jiu-jitsu would prove interesting, and I think it'd make an interesting matchup with the already jiu-jitsu based Pitbulls, coached by Renzo Gracie.

As far as Sperry's personal fighting goes, he could make an interesting matchup with any of the larger coaches, which seem to be divided into the smaller fighters (Gracie, Pat Miletich and Carlos Newton) and the heavier fighters (Ken Shamrock, Frank Shamrock and Ken Yasuda).

Sperry would probably join the heavier coaches, which could give some intersting matchups. While he'd probably be dominated by Frank Shamrock, the possibility of a matchup with Yasuda (who has yet to fight in the IFL) or Ken Shamrock might be intersting.

There is also the possibility of him fighting the coaches more in the middle as far as weight, namely Matt Lindland and Igor Zinoviev.

The other coach recently announced is Ian "The Machine" Freeman. Freeman is a legend in British MMA and will spread around the international base, hopefully bringing the British audience into the IFL.

Freeman was announced a while ago, but his team was put on hold for the season when

"I had one light heavyweight rejected by the IFL on account of his fight record and his age. They weren’t too excited by the fact that he was forty years old and only had two fights, which I can understand. What they didn’t take into account was his boxing career, but that’s by the bye. Now I found the perfect light heavyweight, so I have my full team."

Freeman has expressed some desire to fight as well, and would join the heavier ranks of the division (he would be, physically, one of the largest coaches), and I would personally like to see him fight Ken Shamrock or even commentator Bas Rutten. His history in the sport and the way he has legitimized British MMA, both as a coach and a fighter, is something that I'm sure the IFL will be looking to capitalize on.

Hopefully, Sperry and Freeman will be able to bring new dimensions to the league, both as coaches and as fighters.

M-1 Makes a Move, Brings in Serious Management

M-1 Global has made it's first major move since announcing signing Josh Barnett and Fedor Emelianenko. This move, though, wasn't a single fighter signing, it was an entire staff and concept change.

While many were curious as to whether M-1 was going to adopt the old Pride style of competition or the newer style that the UFC is using, which focuses less on tournaments. It seems linke they will be taking the Pride route.

M-1 announced the instalation of the M-1 executive commitee, which includes Pride heavyweight champion Fedor Emelianenko, Emelianenko's manager Vadim Finklestein, along with the head honchos at Pride FC: President Nobuhiko Takada, Pride PR man Keiichi Sasahara and Pride matchmaker Shigeru Saeki.

The commitee announced that Fedor's first fight will be against Korean kickboxer and giant Hong Man Choi. While many will call this a freak matchup, as it is certainly below Fedor's caliber, it isn't like there's been much quality coming out of the other top organizations.

The commitee has also announced a who's who of international MMA fighters including Shinya Aoki, Hayato "Mach" Sakurai, Joachim "Hellboy" Hansen and Kazuo "The Grabaka Hitman" Mizaki. The names of former Pride superstars Aleks Emelianenko and Roman Zentsov have also been mentioned.

Friday, November 16, 2007

Noguiera Is The UFC's Only Sure Deal



I'm a huge Antonio Rodrigo Noguiera fan. As someone who spends alot of time trying to perfect the fundamentals of my own fighting game, I have to recognize that Big Nog is one of the guys who has come closest to doing that.

Nogueira was never a big heavyweight, walking around at a little over 230 pounds, but his skills on the great and standing up are some of the best in the heavyweight division.

Nogueira recently disclosed in an interview that he will be fighting for the UFC heavyweight title. His opponent will either be current title holder, Hall-of-Famer and MMA legend Randy Couture, who is having some contract disputes with Zuffa, or former two time champion Tim "The Maine-iac" Sylvia.

Either way, Nogueira will be a favorite going into the fight, even if he is the challenger against Couture.

Nogueira's blackbelt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu is one of the most misunderstood ranks in MMA. Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu champions have come into the Octagon and not done as well as Nogueira, but Nogueira's brand of fast, spontanious, fundamentally sound jiu-jitsu combined with his personal toughness is what makes him dangerous. While many guys who come over from BJJ competition or combat grappling find that they cannot execute moves while being punched in the face, Nogueira seems to almost perform better.

What's more, Nogueira's boxing, which he has trained with the Cuban national boxing team, is fundamentally sound. While he might struggle with a tough, lanky standup fighter like Sylvia, Nogueira's head movement, counterpunching and distance control is very underrated. While he probably won't try and stand with Sylvia or Couture, he is no slouch on his feet.

Nogueira looks to reclaim the glory that he once had as the Pride Fighting Championship's heavyweight king. While he lost the title to Fedor Emelianenko, who is still considered the greatest fighter in the world, Nogueira is a formidable opponent, ranked #2 in the world by most current polls.

While there is some question about how Nogueira will fare in the Octagon, he is a warrior and has been in some serious battles with some of the best fighters in the sport. He has also fought all three of the sports top five(though recent rankings differ alot on the ranking of CroCop), with Emelianenko (#1), Josh Barnett (#3) and Mirko "CroCop" Filipovic (#5).

His other notable wins include former UFC heavyweight champions Mark Coleman, Barnett and Ricco Rodriguez, along with K-1 champion Semmy Schilt. (Schilt is a similar fighter to Sylvia as a kickboxer, and actually stands between three and four inches taller than the former UFC champion)

Hopefully, Nogueira's shot at the UFC hardware will come soon, but in the meantime, we can only hope that the UFC will decide on either Sylvia or Couture for his opponent.

Thursday, November 15, 2007

A Look At UFC 78: Validation

Many have heard me complain about the UFC's inability to give us a really high quality fight card, with multiple title fights, interesting matchups and serious contenders, I have to admit that UFC 78 isn't the worst card they could have put together.

While I hate to be the guy who says "It could be worse," I will admit that UFC 78 is not the worst card that they have put together of late. Though it lacks a title fight, or even a really interesting main card matchup, it has some interesting undercards and will show us some of the possibilities for the future, with good displays of the UFC's latest free agent aqcuisitions.

While the main card event of Rashad Evans vs Michael Bisping should end with an easy win for Evans, Rashad's ability to finish will show us whether he learned anything from his recent draw with Tito Ortiz. We can only hope so, otherwise, the fight will be a complete snooze fest.

Thiago Silva vs. Houston Alexander should be interesting, as Alexander has been on fire and Silva has the most substantial standup of any opponent Alexander has fought yet. While the fight may go half way through the first, I don't think that Silva, realistically, has the experience and counter striking ability to cope with Alexander's aggression. I'm predicting a first round win for Alexander.

Joe Doerksen vs. Ed Herman will be an interesting grappling matchup, but Herman has not been in top form recently and while Doerksen is coming off of a tough KO loss and is taking this fight on short notice, I think his submission skills and all around grappling game should deal with Herman and he should finish with either a solid decision or a submission late in the fight.

The much anticipated debut of Ryo Chonan, the last man to beat current UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva, should be interesting, but his opponent, Karo Parisyan, presents alot of serious problem, and while both are unorthodox fighters, I think that Karo's understanding of the fundamentals and his ability to use takedowns, ground and pound and submission skills will give this fight to Parisyan.

Frank Edgar vs. Spencer Fisher should be a war, but I don't think that Fisher will have an answer to Edgar's explosive, much like he couldn't cope with the wild and powerful hands of Hermes Franca. I see Edgar continuing his trend of stopping opponents early.

Chris Lytle vs. Thiago Alves isn't too promising, but it could be a war. I think it will go to a decision in favor of Alves, but this fight is probably one of the closest on the card and Lytle's experience could give him an edge in this fight.

The remaining three bouts on this card look interesting also.

Joe Lauzon should make quick work of Jason Reinhardt, and after losing on The Ultimate Fighter reality show, Joe has made it clear that he has something to prove.

Luke Claudillo and Marcus Aurelio should make for an interesting matchup on the ground, though I think that Aurelio will take this one on the scorecards by maintain top position throughout the fight.

Japanese sensation Akihiro Gono will make his debut at the bottom of the card and, while Gono's entrace should be interesting, his fight with Tamden McCrory should be also. I think Gono will take this one, but it will really depend on how he adapts to fighting in the Octagon.

Hope you enjoy this event, some one has to.

Wednesday, November 14, 2007

Frank Shamrock: The Legend At 205 Pounds



While people continue to dispute the ranking of former UFC lightheavyweight (then middleweight) champion Frank Shamrock, his legacy as a fighter and champion is really only tarnished as a result of contract disputes.

Foster brother of the man many consider the pioneer of mixed martial arts, Ken Shamrock, Frank began his career in Japan before Ken became a sensation stateside. While Ken started competing first, Frank also came up quickly in the Pancrase organization.

While Ken was a thick, well muscled submission fighter who gained quick fame for his conditioning and leg locks, Frank was a leaner fighter, who showed more finesse. While Ken had already fought at UFCs 1 and 2 when Frank made his debut in Pancrase, his talent quickly became clear, and even though he went 2-2 in his first four fights (though the competition went on to become legends in their own right) he quickly became a staple of the overseas scene.

While there were no weightclasses in the sport, Frank chalked up wins over some of the top heavyweights in the world and was a top contender in the sport until 1996.

In '96, Frank's carreer hit a three fight skid as he first started to change his style to use more standup and not the standard of submission fighting that his blood brother had developed.



He quickly found a niche and at UFC Japan, he made his debut in the organization that his brother had been a spokesman for. Because of his last name and raw talent, Shamrock become a major point for the UFC's first major weight class.

His first fight was against Kevin Jackson (then one of the UFC's most notable fighters, with an undefeated 3-0 record) and the reason why Japanese fans, who had come out to support Shamrock at the event, became clear. It was the first title fight for the belt that is now the UFC lightheavyweight title, and many considered Jackson a favorite because they thought that Shamrock's submission fighting was archaic. Shamrock sunk in an armbar at 16 seconds of the first round. It was the kind of fast paced, intelligent and skillful submission fighting that no one had seen since the Gracies had started receding away from the spotlight.

In his first fight with the UFC stateside, Shamrock was set to fight Russia Igor Zinoviev. While Zinoviev wasn't a well known fighter in the states and didn't have a reputation in MMA, or a serious record to speak of, he was, and is, a legend in the Russian Combat Sambo scene (Igor is also currently an IFL coach as head of the Chicago Red Bears), and many of the hardcore fans of the sport thought that it would be a war for Shamrock.

It would be Igor's final MMA fight, and it would end with a slam in 22 seconds that left the Russian unconscious, but it solidified Shamrock as a force to be tested in the division.

In the context of modern MMA, remember that Houston Alexander has spent more than 3 times as much time in Octagon as Shamrock did in his first two fights. As impressive as Alexander is, Shamrock was even more mindblowing for fans at the time, and his combination of conditioning, technique and physical power was something that hadn't really been seen in any fighter.

Shamrock then went on to destroy Jeremy Horn, John Lober and future champion Tito Ortiz.

Shamrock would announce his retirement after defeating Ortiz, and is the only fighter to retire with a title, not be stripped of it as result of a contract dispute or because of steroids.

While Ortiz would carry the belt for the UFC, Shamrock would return in December of 2000 to fight in K-1, when he defeated Elvis Sinosic.

Since his return, Shamrock has been a mercenary headliner, fighting in World Xtreme Cagefighting, Strike Force and Elite XC. While he has taken many hiatus-es to deal with coaching and his personal health, he has been dominant in his fights, his only loss coming by disqualification when he delivered knees to the head of Renzo Gracie, a move reminiscent of his Pancrase days.

While Shamrock probably won't be inducted into the UFC hall-of-fame for political reasons (mostly a major personal grudge with UFC president Dana White), Shamrock remains a legend of the sport, perhaps even more so than the already inducted Dan Severn.

With his coaching in the Internation Fight League, he'll continue to be an important force in the MMA game for years to come.

Sunday, November 11, 2007

Elite XC: Results and Fallout

Last night, Elite Xtreme Cagefighting put on a show that, while it was made up mostly of low profile fights, proved interesting and showed why, exactly, these smaller shows can be so much fun to watch.

To continue the year of upsets, Nick Diaz (15-7-0), considered one of the best fighters in the world at 155 pounds, lost when the doctor stopped his fight due to two nasty cuts he recieved from tough up-and-comer KJ Noons (6-2-0). The upset was impressive, especially given the recent upset Diaz pulled off over the divisions #1 ranked fighter Takanori "The Fireball Kid" Gomi (27-3-0). While the fight was ruled a no contest after Diaz's tests came back positive for marijuana, the gogoplata that Diaz used to finish Gomi was one of the most impressive submissions we've seen in a while.

In the other main event fight, Kevin "Kimbo Slice" Ferguson (brother of grappling and conditioning legend Rhadi Ferguson) knocked out Bo Cantrell (10-11-0) in 19 seconds. While there has been alot of speculation about Ferguson as a gimmick internet fighter, it is well understood that beating a fighter like Cantrell won't make it all disappear. After all, Cantrell is not in even the third tier of the heavyweight division. Both look like gimmick fighters at this point, and not even really solid gimmick fighters like Hong Man Choi. While I would like to see Kimbo make something of himself, I'm not sure if that will happen, given his age and the fact that he problem has a few more Bo Cantrell-like fights lined up.

Jake Shields (20-4-1) continued his rampage through the 170 pound division, and the Cesar Gracie Jiu-Jitsu student choked out Mike Pyle (14-5-1) less than 4 minutes into their fight.

Also on the list of first round, rear nake choke victories that littered the card:

Yves Edwards (30-13-1) sunk his in on Nick Gonzalez (13-6-0) at 3:05 in their fight.

Antonio Silva (9-1-0) used his to finish Jonathan Wiezorek (11-2-0) at 3:10.

Geoff Bumstead (1-1-0) picked up the quickest choke out, catching Robert Ruiz (1-2-0) at 1:30.

Jae Suk Lim (8-2-0) rounded out the night with a 2:42 choke out of Daniel Pineda (0-1-0).

There was only one decision on the card, and the judges hand Matt Lucas (8-0-0) the unanimous nod over Jon Kirk (10-2-0).

Brett Rogers (5-0-0) TKO'd Ralph Kelly (2-3-0) at 1:43 in their fight and Kyle Noke (14-3-1) got a doctor stoppage win over Seth Kleinbeck (8-4-0) in the final minute of the second round.

Overall, it was a pretty good doing night, with the judges doing what they should, for the most part: nothing.

Elite XC's most recent even wasn't the most intersting, and the absent of top fighters like Robbie Lawler kept me seated on my couch, instead of jumping up constantly. Still, the fights were pretty impressive and I was satisfied with the quality of the smaller name fighters that Elite XC has been picking up. I hope that the UFC event coming up is at least this good, with the amount they are charging.

Thursday, November 8, 2007

The Smashing Machine



For some fight fans, he was the greatest fighter of all times, and his monoquer stood true as he mangled fighters across continents and rule sets. Mark Kerr was the first great fighter to transition from a cage to a ring and, though his career has been rocky lately, his story remains one of the greatest in the history of the sport.

Kerr was a National champion in collegiate wrestling, representing Syracuse University. He was impressive not only for his physical strength, but also his technical ability, which allowed him to control any opponent.

He would make his professional MMA debut in January of 1997, fighting in the World Vale Tudo championship, held in Brazil. In the tournament format that Kerr was so familiar with from collegiate wrestling, he would defeat three opponents in one night. While Kerr's first two matches lasted under five minutes, his third fight was a half and hour, and was the first match to really expose the major flaw in his armor: Kerr had no cardiovascular conditioning. While Kerr managed to control his opponent, it would be a small showing of a problem that would haunt him for the rest of his professional career.

After winning the WVC tournament, Kerr moved to the Ultimate Fighting Championship, still in it's early days and without a champion. Kerr fought again in the tournament format that he seemed to understand, and was very popular during the early days of the UFC. He fought twice at that event, UFC 14, defeating Moti Horenstein (a fighter who, while his record doesn't show it, had in with numerous occassions and stepped in with very tough opponents) and Dan Bobish, a very well known brawler. Both fights ended in under 3 minutes, and Kerr proved that even against men his own size, his superior strength, ruthless attack and technical ability was unmatched.

Kerr's monoquer was quickly coming together, and he was being called everything from "The Titan" to "The Smashing Machine." While the latter stuck with him throughout his career, it wasn't just his name that was intimidating. Kerr was a thick wrestler, with a big torso and limbs, and the sheer intimidation of a fighter like Kerr, even in a time when fighters were more like street brawlers and less like professional athletes, gave him an edge, and when coupled with the athleticism of his wrestling career, he became a force in the sport.

Kerr would fight at the UFC's next event, UFC 15, and again take the tournament format with two wins. He defeated Greg "The Ranger" Stott (a long time street fighter who was hurt so badly by Kerr's knee to the head that he gave up the professional circuit) and Dwayne Cason (who would also never fight again, but the reason for that is unknown).

After UFC 15, Mark took his career over seas to fight in Pride FC, which was starting to take off. Kerr would become a major vessel of that success and a dominant force in the ring.

Kerr would begin his career in the single fight format in Pride, fighting at Pride events 2-7, missing only 5. He would beat kickboxing legend Branko "The Croatian Tiger" Cikatic (who was the front runner in the tradition that would spawn fighters like Mirko "CroCop" Filipovic) at Pride 2, Pedro Otavio at Pride 3, Hugo Duarte at Pride 4 (both Duarte and Otavio were very well known wrestlers and charismatic individuals) and Nobuhiko Takada at Pride 6 (Takada would go on to found the Takada dojo, which to this day produces some of the best fighters in Japan and the world). The only fight in Kerr's career, so far, that had gone to a second round was his fight with Duarte, which took him to three, and gave Kerr a chance to show a little bit of cardiovascular ability.

Kerr would draw with "Ice Cold" Igor Vovchanchyn at Pride 7, but the fight would display a serious flaw in Kerr's abilities. Kerr had always been the attacker and always gotten on top of his opponents quickly and dominated them from there. Vovchanchyn maintained his distance and hit Kerr with precision stiking, being careful not to get taken down.

While Kerr's career has struggled lately, his recent fight with Steve Gavin showed some signs of a Kerr we once knew. While he is still a shadow of his former self, the success of his recent documentary, "The Smashing Machine," left us with a better understanding of the troubled, though wildly successful, warrior that he was.

For those still interested in him, or those interested in the beginning of the sport at large, check out the movie, but for all MMA fans, watch his fights. They are statements in physical power and displays by one of the greatest wrestlers to ever step in an octagon.

Wednesday, November 7, 2007

The Complete UFC 78 Card (and a few thoughts on a mediocre product)



Honestly, the UFC monopoly of the MMA world seems to be making Joe Silva a little lazy. While I generally respect the dude and love what he has done for the sport, the UFC matchmaker (along with Dana White, the Fertittas and other UFC brass) have been handing us a lesser product than what I think we deserve, because they no longer have the Pride Fighting Championships to compete with.



While Rashad Evans is expected to be the savior of the card, as he headlines it in a fight with Michael "The Count" Bisping, it's not a title fight, and the winner of this matchup isn't even in line for them. After all, Evans is getting back on track after his first non-win (a draw with Tito Ortiz at UFC 73) and Bisping is coming off a lackluster win (that most people think should have been a loss) against Matt Hamill. Even if they are both undefeated, they are not at the height of an up-swing.

Here's the card so far:

Rashad Evans (10-0-1) vs. Michael Bisping (14-0-0)

Houston Alexander (8-1-0) vs. Thiago Silva (11-0-0)

Joe Doerksen (39-10-0) vs. Ed Herman (15-4-0)

Ryo Chonan (14-7-0) vs. Karo "The Heat" Parisyan (25-4-0)

Frankie "The Answer" Edgar (7-0-0) vs. Spencer "The King" Fisher (21-3-0)

Chris Lytle (34-14-4) vs. Thiago Alves (18-4-0)

Jason Reinhardt (18-0-0) vs. Joe Lauzon (14-3-0)

Luke Claudillo (15-8-0) vs. Marcus Aurelio (14-5-0)

Akihiro Gono (27-12-7) vs. Tamden McCrory (10-0-0)

The best fight on this card, by far, is Houston Alexander vs. Thiago Silva, both of whom have been on fire recently. Alexander has had some high profile knockouts of Keith Jardine and Alessio Sakara, and he's only spent about 2 minutes in the octagon the entire time. Silva's been in a little longer, but has showcased some patience and some technical muay thai skills. This fight will be a war, hopefully with some back and forth, and somebody is getting knocked out. My only hope is that Alexander doesn't end this one as quickly as the last 2, so that we actually get to see Silva throw a punch.

Besides Doerksen vs. Herman, which is a sad replacement for the return of the legendary middleweight Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu phenomenon of David "The Soul Assassin" Terrell (who was originally scheduled to fight Herman), I'm a little bit interested in seeing Ryo Chonan enter the UFC, as he holds a big win over current middleweight champion Anderson Silva.

The the second most explosive bout, behind Alexander and Silva, will probably be between Jason Reindhart and Joe Lauzon, who are both very good, very experienced fighters who should make for an interesting war, as Reindhart is making his debut with an 18-0 record (higher than anyone to make their debut in a long time) and Lauzon has looked very dangerous and very aggressive in his last few fights.

While those two bouts have potential and a few interesting and high profile names appear on the card, it's not the product that the UFC used to give us. I'll be watching, but I won't be paying $40 to watch it at my place. I may need a drink and some friends to help deal with the sting of a mediocre card.

That's all for now, more on this event and predictions as it draws near.

Tuesday, November 6, 2007

BJ Penn vs Joe Stevenson

The return of the most controversial title is set for UFC 80, when Cobra Kai fighter Joe "Daddy" Stevenson (28-7-0) will take on Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu legend BJ "The Prodigy" Penn (11-4-1).

While the UFC 155 pound title has yet to see an actual passing of the torch, the fight between Penn, who has long been considered one of the best lightweights in the world and recently defeated the first champion Jens "Little Evil" Pulver. (Pulver left the UFC and vacated his title after a contract dispute.

Penn has held the UFC 170 pound title, which he (in a similar fashion to Pulver) vacated when he signed with K-1. Penn is a heavy favorite in this fight and his phenomenal combination of striking skills and prodigal Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu ability is the main reason for that, though he also has alot of experience with top fighters in the UFC welterweight division, having gone to war with two of the 170 divisions former champions, in addition to holding the title.

While it's no secret Penn knows how to fight at the top ranks of the UFC, Joe Stevenson may pull out a phenomenal, quick finish like he has been doing for a while now, particularly in his last fight when he stopped the explosive striker and wrestler Melvin Guillard with a guillotine choke in the first round.

The lightweight title, which was stripped from champion Sean Sherk after he tested positive for steroids, is a serious matter, as it's a title that hasn't really had a long standing or legitimate champion. As I said before, no one has held the title long enough to lose it (as the only defense ended in Sherk testing positive).

Penn and Stevenson have a lot of pressure going into this fight, but Penn has to be coming in with the competitive edge. After all, it's not his first title fight, and he just beat the man who once held it.

As far as the actual matchup of skill sets between Penn and Stevenson, it looks almost too good to be true for BJ. Joe Stevenson is a strong wrestler with good submission skills, but BJ is one of the best submission fighters in the 155 pound division, perhaps second only to Shinya Aoki.

Still, this will be an interesting fight. Stevenson may try to stay on top and use his wrestling ability to edge out a decision, which means we will get to see BJ's jiu-jitsu, and that's always fun to watch. Still, as good a wrestler as Stevenson is, the question remains: will he be able to keep the Prodigy from sinking in that submission?

Big News in the UFC

There have been two major announcements made in the last 24 hours. First, the UFC announced the first bout for former NCAA champion, WWE superstar and professional football player, Brock Lesnar. His opponent at UFC 81 will be former UFC heavyweight champion Frank Mir, one of the top submission fighters in the UFC heavyweight division.

The second is the announcement of the return of the UFC's most contreversial title: the UFC lightweight title, when B.J. Penn will face Joe Stevenson at UFC 80 to determine the title holder. The UFC title has yet to be passed through the defeat of a champion, as the first champion, Jens Pulver, left due to a contract dispute, and the latest champion, Sean Sherk, was stripped of his title after testing positive for steroids.

Both of these matchups bring up an important factor in fights, it called "outs." Outs are the way in which a fighter can win a fight, and make looking at odds alot easier.

Lets look at the outs for the Lesnar vs. Mir matchup on groundhog day:

Mir (10-3-0) is a well known submission fighter. He has alot of experience in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and has beaten larger fighters, like Tim Sylvia, by submission. Mir is expected to look for his chokes and joint locks. If Mir finishes, chance are it will be on the ground.

Lesnar (1-0-0) is a wrestler, trained in folkstyle and very athletic. He has two major outs. Lesnar will get into top position against Mir, that's pretty much certain. The question is whether Lesnar will be able to finish and win by groudnpound TKO, or whether he will maintain top position for three rounds and win a decision.

So Mir has one out, Lesnar has two. Having more ways to win is the best way to set yourself up for one.

There are always four major outs: TKO on the ground, KO standing up, submission or decision. Looking at things in terms of those outs, there's one that's missing. Who wins standing up.

Purely on the basis of Lesnar's recent transition and Mir's experience, I'd have to give Mir the edge, but only slightly.

So, with Lesnar's two outs, I'd give him the fight. Personally, I'll be rooting for Mir, as he's been injured recently and had a great first round kimura finish of Anthony Hardonk. Still, Lesnar's athleticism and matchup superiority, I think that Lesnar has an edge in this fight.

I'll go into the B.J. Penn vs. Stevenson matchup later, but that's just an outline of the concept of outs and a look at the outs for the Lesnar/Mir fight.

Friday, November 2, 2007

Josh Barnett Signs with M-1

Well, it's official, Russian organization M-1 has solidifed it's courting of top 5 heavyweight fighter Josh "The Baby-Faced Assassin" Barnett. With the signing of #1 heavyweight Fedor Emelianenko, the Barnett signing shows that M-1 is serious about being more than a one-fighter organization.

Barnett was the only top heavyweight fighter in Pride who never fought the champion Emelianenko, and this signing promises on of the greatest matches that the heavyweight division, and the sport at large, has to offer.

As a matchup, this fight is unequalled. Fedor is famous for a powerful ground-and-pound attack, that he usually delivers standing in his opponents guard, and his boxing skills, as well as the submission skills he has developed in sambo are very solid. His combination of quick hands, both on the ground and standing, aggressive attack, precision head movement and a handful of very effective submissions (namely the armbar and the kimura) have made him a force that hasn't been pushed to the breaking point ever in a fight.

Barnett has submission skills unlike any other fighter in the sport. While he lacks for the technical Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu backround of Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, his violent and versatile game (which contains a larger arsenal of attacks than Nogueira's) is quick and aggressive. His raw strength and Roman-Greco wrestling has made him a challenge for anyone trying to land on top of him to attack, and if Fedor goes that route he may find that Barnett's experience is wrestling is too much.

The dimensions of this fight are very interesting and promising.

Fedor has the better standup, as he's traded with top tier heavyweight strikers like Mirko "CroCop" Filipovic, but chances are this fight will end up on the ground, either with Fedor going for a clinch and one of his crafty takedowns that come from his hybrid Judo/Sambo backround. Whether he'll surprise Barnett, who has fought top Judoka in MMA before pretty successfully, is doubtful, but even so he may be able to get to a top position against Barnett.

If Fedor dominates the standup, we may see Barnett initiate the clinch and go for a takedown. Barnett's wrestling backround is not something that Fedor has ever dealt with. While he's fought tough folkstyle wrestlers like Mark Coleman, Kevin Randleman and Matt Lindland, Barnett's folkstyle wrestling is a different deal. It's much less traditional and Barnett is really fairly unique, incorporating techniques that we really only see in professional wrestling entertainment as a way of displaying his strength.

Once the fight hits the ground, we will see someone in their element. Both fighters thrive on the top and love to attack, but both are very solid off of their backs. Barnett has leglocks that have proven very effective in his wrestling and he got to display them in his fight against Pawel Nastula not to long ago. We could see him do what no one else has really tried and attempt a leglock on Fedor from under Fedor's ground-and-pound. If Fedor ends up on his back, it will be interesting to see how Barnett handles Fedor's incredibly fundamental submission skills with his less conventional backround.

It's a matchup of the technically perfect versus the unconventionally saavy. Fedor is a total cyborg in the ring, his focus is all on victory, and he can attain it from anywhere. Barnett is a monster and he's always looking to attack, always trying finish.

Thanks for M-1 for putting this matchup together and I'm hoping for the best in their talks with Mark Hunt, Aleksander Emelianenko, Sergei Kharitonov and the other guys who are hanging in the balance with the Pride buyout.

Wednesday, October 31, 2007

More on the Randy Couture Conflict

Dana White has openly refused to talk about the terms of Heavyweight champion Randy Couture's contract, which, as I understand it, has everything to do with why Couture will not fight while he is still only two fights in to a five fight contract.

White has openly stated, though, that he will do whatever he has to in order to ensure that Couture fights again. While many expected White and the other big names at Zuffa to just lest this go, and let Randy return to retirement, it's clear that it's not that simple. After all, nobody likes to lose money, regardless of how nice a guy Randy Couture might be.

Personally, I'd love to see Randy fight Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira. It's a war because Randy could be the first man to finish Noguiera, especially after Nogueira's sloppy debut in the Octagon, but it has all of the makings for a really exciting matchup.

Personally, I hope that we get to see Randy fighting in the cage under circumstances that really make him want to fight. He's a great fighter and he deserves a contract that reflects that, so as someone who believes in someone making the money they deserve, I'd like to see Couture get what he wants from the UFC, but the fan in my would also like to see him fight in the Octagon again.

There are reports about a clause that gives Zuffa the rights to extend the contract of a fighter who becomes UFC champion, though it doesn't make any sense that Couture would agree to that clause, given that he was given a title shot in his first fight. Still, if that is the case (and some people have argued that it was a major sticking point when the UFC was negotiating with Pride Fight Championship heavyweight king Fedor Emelianenko) I can understand Couture being upset and wanting out. It also makes sense that a clause might exist after fighters like B.J. Penn and Jens Pulver left the UFC without losing their belts.

Since all of the news isn't out yet, I'm just trying to keep everyone up to speed on what we know and are speculating about. Just keep hoping to see the greatest champion in the history of the UFC back in action.

Tuesday, October 30, 2007

Josh "The Baby-Faced Assassin" Barnett


While he's inactive, I thought it only fair that we take a look at the career of one of the sport's greatest heavyweights thus far. On a personal note, the first UFC event I saw was UFC 36 where Barnett defeated Randy Couture, though Barnett was later stripped of his title after testing positive for anabolic steriods. But I shouldn't get ahead of myself, I should start at the beginning.

Josh Barnett made his mixed martial-arts debut after coming over from New Japan Professional Wrestling. He brought incredible strength, a strong catch wrestling backround (which is a style of submission fighting based in leglocks) and charisma otherwise unmatched in the heavyweight division.

His first fight was in the United Full Contact Federation on January 11th, 1997, where he fought Chris Charnos and chalked up his first win with a choke. UFCF only did one round fights, in the traditional Vale Tudo style that the UFC had been using as well, and would continue to use until it started becoming heavily politicized.

After he defeated Bob Gilstrap in his second MMA fight, Barnett would leave UFCF for new opposition, moving to Superbrawl, where he would win four straight fights, three of the four by submission. Of his short, though impressive, Superbrawl career, Barnett would fight John Marsh (a 7-6 lifetime fighter, but who stepped in the ring with great fighters like Ricco Rodriguez, Vladimir Matyushenko and Jeremy Horn), underground legend Bobby "The Bad Seed" Hoffman (36-10-1) and future UFC Hall of Famer Dan "The Beast" Severn (79-15-7).

Barnett was quickly snatched up by the UFC after he submitted the former heavyweight champion Severn with an armbar. He was noted for his ability to use very effective, very technical submissions, though he was a large, very strong fighter. He made his debut against giant Gan McGee, who stood 6'10 and was a perfect 7-0 up to his fight with Barnett. McGee was also making his debut.

Barnett wasn't a favorite going into his fight, as no one really knew anything about either fighter, except that they were both undefeated and coming out of smaller shows. The two went to war at UFC 28 High Stakes and 4:34 into the second round, Barnett TKO'd McGee.

Barnett would fight a very tough up-and-comer Pedro "The Rock Rizzo, who would go on to become a staple of the UFC heavyweight division. It would be Barnett's first loss, and at 4:31 in the second Rizzo hit Barnett with a stiff punch that put him out of the fight.

Barnett went on a short, three fight tear, destroying 7 foot Dutchman Semmy Schilt, Bobby Hoffman and then, in his title shot against champion Randy Couture, he decimated Couture.

Barnett didn't hold the hardware for long, and it was taken away after he tested positive for anabolic steroids.

Barnett returned to New Japan Pro Wrestling for an MMA fight and destroyed Jimmy Ambriz. He then fought in Pancrase and defeated Yuki Kondo. The jumping around wasn't complete, and he fought and beat Semmy Schilt and Renee Rooze in Inoki Bom-Ba-Ye and K-1.

Barnett was then picked up by Pride and set to fight Mirko "CroCop" Filipovic, a kickboxer coming in from K-1 with a reputation for brutal left-leg kicks. Barnett would drop back to back fights to CroCop, the first one by submission after taking a barrage of kicks from CroCop's left leg and the second by unanimous decision.

Barnett's career in PRIDE would be a continued success and he would destroy Kazuhiro Nakamura, Russian giant Aleksander Emelianenko and K-1 champion Mark Hunt all by submission.

The vitories over Emelianenko and Hunt would be his first two fights in the PRIDE open weight Grand Prix, and the finale in Japan would prove to be a war for Barnett. After winning a close split decision to former heavyweight champion Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, Barnett face his archrival CroCop and lost when a kick to his ribs left him unable to continue.

At the PRIDE debut in Las Vegas, he would defeat Judoka Pawel Nastula with a toe hold submission.

While Barnett lost his rematch to Nogueira at the New Year's Eve event called PRIDE Shockwave, the biggest shadow has been cast by controversy over where he will go, and his inability to sign with an organization has left him out of a ring or cage since December 31st, 06.

No one knows where he will go from here, his talent, strength and charisma are definitel a large part of the MMA heavyweight top ten, and we can only hope to see them again soon.