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.

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.

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.

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.

Anderson Silva: The Spiderman

Anderson Silva is the most recent phenomenon in the world of mixed martial arts. He has yet to have a match in the cage go to the judges, in fact, he has yet to go to the end of the second round.

Most UFC fans know Anderson as the guy who is dominating the middleweight division, but don't know much else about his history, so I thought this would be a good chance to profile the Spider, look at his accompishments and some of the struggles over the years.

As an up and comer, Silva was regarded as a very good Muay Thai striker with underrated power. His long arms and legs allowed him to keep his opponents at range and his very good clinch games allowed him to dominate anyone who got inside of his range, this is still his perferred method of attack, and his skills have improved even more since then.

Anderson made his debut in Brazil on the Meca Vale Tudo card, a very well established event. Though he lost the fight to a much smaller fighter in Luis Azredo by Decision, he would go on to fight in Meca many more times during his early career, going back and forth between the Brazilian show and the Japanese based Shooto organization. Anderson would win every fight following in both of these organizations, including putting on solid showings against good opposition in Hayato Sakurai and future UFC fighter Roan Carniero.

With a record of 6-1, 4 finishes, Anderson was signed by the Pride Fighting Championships and fought Alexander Otsuka at Pride 22. Anderson beat Otsuka by unanimous decision, and the fight as impressive enough to earn him another fight, where he took on Carlos Newton, a well known welterweight who moved up to 185 pounds to fight in Pride.

Silva made quick work of Newton, KOing him with some impressive Muay Thai skills 6:27 of the opening round. Beating a well established fighter was enough to really get Anderson some attention, and his next fight was against one of Pride's many Japanese gatekeeper fighters, Daiju Takase.

Pride executives wanted to see if Anderson had a submission game, and putting him against a solid groundfighter like Takase, who was sure to make the fight go there for a little bit was important for letting Anderson rise in the ranks. Anderson's ground game was not up to par, and he was submitted with a triangle.

While Anderson says openly that he has been studying Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu for as long as he has doing Muay Thai, but he only really started honing his Jiu-Jitsu skills for MMA use after losing to Takase, and picked a good training camp when he started training under the Nogueira brothers. Anderson would later get his blackbelt under the brothers Nogueira.

Anderson left Pride for a little while after his loss and fought in smaller shows in Brazil and America. He was dominant in those fights and was soon called back to Pride to fight another submission fighter and gatekeeper to the upper echelon in Ryo Chonan.

Many people thought that Anderson's striking and reach was sure to overwhelm the smaller Chonan, but Chonan proved to be a warrior and went toe-to-toe with Anderson in one of the best standup wars in the history of the Pride division, but most people just know the fight for its ending.

At about 3:05 in the third round Chonan threw his body at one of Anderson's legs for an incredible takedown into a heelhook submission. To this day, it is considered one of the most incredible submissions ever and is worth watching for any MMA fan.

Anderson fought a few more times in Cage Rage, beating two opponents until he fought Yushin Okami at Rumble on the Rock, where Anderson was disqualified for an illegal kick.

After beating Tony Frykland in Cage Rage Anderson was signed by the UFC and brought in as an opponent for Chris Leben. No one really knew if this was supposed to be a stepping stone match for Leben, who had smashed his previous opponents, or if it was a genuine attempt by the UFC to give us an impressive war on free TV. Whichever of those it was, Anderson put on the best show of his career, stopping Leben in 49 seconds with a dozen perfectly placed punches.

Leben was considered a top contender, and the speculation is that the match was put on free TV to get Leben some attention before the UFC offered him a shot at Middleweight champion Rich Franklin. Whatever the intent, Anderson was now the wrecking ball of the 185 pound division, and demanded attention.



The UFC gave Silva a title shot against Rich Franklin partly due to a lack of other competition for the title and partly because Anderson was such an interesting fighter to talk about. No one in the UFC had really seen anything of him except his domination of Leben, which was probably the most played piece in the promos leading up to the event.

Silva met Rich Franklin at UFC 64 and destroyed him. The fight lasted a little longer than his match with Leben, going all the way to the three minute mark, but even in that short time, Anderson put Rich in need of reconstructive facial surgery with a thai clinch and repeated knees to the face.



The Ultimate Fighter 4 was designed to give a definite top contender in the UFC middleweight division (as well as one for the barren welterweight division), and brought in Travis Lutter, a well know submission fighter with the monoquer of "the serial killer." Though Lutter was a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu instructor, seemingly destined to confront Anderson with a predicament he hadn't really dealt with since his fight Takase, the newly crowned champion made Lutter look like a school boy, locking down a technically perfect triangle choke and finishing Lutter with a combination of the submission hold and elbows to the top of the head. Anderson's dominance on the ground was cemented in the promos.



Lutter became the first opponent to take Silva past the first round, but Anderson made sure it wouldn't happen again, decimating Nathan Marquardt with strikes at 4:50 in the first round.

Most recently, Anderson took a rematch against Rich Franklin in Franklin's native Ohio. While the fight lasted twice as long, going all the way to 1:00 in the second, it looked the same, and Anderson dominated Franklin at range and in the clinch, finally finishing him with knees.

No one knows who will be tapped to fight Anderson next, but whoever it is, they are in for trouble, as Anderson has yet to make any sort of technical mistake in the Octagon. He's definitely a tall order for anyone at 185.

Mark Coleman: The Hammer That Built MMA

At 6'1 and 245 pounds, Mark Coleman is a physically intimidating man, but even his raw strength and physical power, what is more impressive is his technical ability, and it was brought the American wrestler into the sport of mixed martial arts.

Some people credit Randy Couture with being the first great wrestler in mixed martial arts, but before the Natural ever stepped foot in the Octagon, there was Mark Coleman.

Mark Coleman won an NCAA wrestling title at Ohio State University, and after he graduated, he turned his sights on the new world of MMA.

Coleman made his MMA debut at UFC 10, a tournament format event, where Coleman defeated Moti Horensen, kickboxer Gary Goodridge and the hard headed Don Frye.

UFC 10 was the first look at what became known as the "ground and pound," a style of fighting that grapplers have used, where the goal is to control the top position and throw strikes until the opponent is no longer able to defend himself or gives up an easy submission.

While Coleman had no submission grappling backround, his incredible power and the low quality of his opponents ground game allowed him to dominate his opponents, smearing them across the mat with a combination of raw power, athleticism and sophisticated wrestling, which he used for ground control and establishing position while he pounded his opponents into a bloody mess.

Coleman then won the tournament at UFC 11 when both opponents gave up, one due to strikes and the other to a choke.

In his next fight, Coleman took on Dan "The Beast" Severn. While Severn is a UFC Hall-of-Famer, Coleman defeated the Beast, true to his dominant form, with a choke at 2:47. This matchup made him the first UFC heavyweight champion in history.

Coleman's next matchup against Maurice Smith would be a turning point in his career. The sport had begun to evolve around Coleman and his wrestling ability and power would no longer be enough to control fights. Smith beat Coleman standing up and took the UFC heavyweight title with a unanimous decision.

Coleman returned to the UFC at UFC 17, where he was KO'd by Pete Williams, and then fought again at UFC 18, where he lost a decision to then up-and-comer Pedro "The Rock" Rizzo.

After losing in the UFC, he took his wrestling skills to Japan, where he would be considered exotic and act as a representative to the Japanese MMA scene.

While Coleman lost his first fight in the Pride Fighting championships, he would dominate his next six opponents and win the 2000 Pride Open weight grand Prix. Among those fights is his neck crank win over Masaaki Satake, one of the most incredible dominations in the sport's history.

Coleman's next fight would be his first real encounter with the fighting style known as Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, and it would be disasterous for Coleman. Heavyweight legend and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu artist Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira let Coleman take the fight to the ground and then, while Coleman gained his confidence on the top, Nogueira sunk in the sukata (or triangle choke/armbar combination) that he would become famouse for throughout his career.

Coleman's major flaw on the ground became clear, but the Hammer kept laying it on the way he always had. After beating Don Frye by unanimous decision, he fought the man who was becoming recognized as the greatest fight in the world, current Pride Heavyweight champion Fedor Emelianenko. Fedor did the same thing that Nogueira did, isolating Coleman's arm and finishing him with an armbar.

Coleman's next fight would end the way none of his fights had since fighting Pete Williams, with Coleman unconscious, as Croatian Mirko "CroCop" Filipovic knocked Coleman out at 3:40 in the first round.

The next two matches would end in other a minute, but the contreversy in his second, when opponent Mauricio "Shogun" Rua fell and broke his arm, would make Coleman feel as though he was no longer the fighter he once was.

In order to prove himself, Coleman took a fight against the heayweight king, Fedor. Fedor was coming off of a broken hand, and there were some doubts about his conditioning, but many saw Coleman as a stepping stone opponent, being used to get Fedor back to form, and that is certainly how the fight looked.

Emelianenko put Coleman in the same armlock he had used in their last fight at 1:15 in the second round, but later admitted he let the fight last longer than it did because he wanted to shake off his ring-rust.

While Coleman's return after his fight with Emelianenko is questionable, one thing is for sure, he gave the sport groundnpound, and was the first UFC heavyweight champion, and so he will always be a legend.

Gina Carano: Kicking Ass and Taking Names

It's hard to call someone an icon in MMA when they started training about 3 years ago and only have 4 professional fights, but if anyone fits the profile of an icon, it's Gina Carano.

She's already made a name for herself as the most well known female fighter in the sport and is a main card attraction on the up and coming pay-per-view Elite XC organization.

My introduction to Gina "Conviction" Carano was watching her fight with Julie Kedzie in the Elite XC divsion that she still runs, which inspired the TV series fight girls and has made womens MMA more than just a cult like the WNBA in comparison to the MMA community.

While MMA is still becoming a part of the mainstream, it has been running into alot of confrontation with medical associations (Most recently the BMA) and self-righteous conservatives (the representatives at the BMA). I'm not exactly shy about how much I dislike anyone who tells anyone else what to do or what not to do without being asked, but even the hardships men's MMA has, it's even harder for the women.

Dana White, the figurehead at the front of the mixed-martial-arts behemoth that is the Ultimate Fighting Championship has acknowledged Carano specifically as a talent, but has said that he doesn't believe the world is ready for watching women beat the hell out of each other.

Carano is a great fighter, so when I watch her I could give less of a crap what her gender is, and I suggest that everyone watch her and the other fighters on the upcoming Elite XC card.

The Axe Murderer

It's probably the most intimidating nickname in the sport, and it's as unique as it is appropriate for the man who carries it.

Wanderlei Silva is one of the most feared fighters in the world at 205 pounds. He holds a 31-7-1 record in mixed martial arts which, against the level of competition he has faced, is impressive. But it's not as impressive as actually watching Wanderlei fight.

Chute Boxe is considered the best camp in Brazil in terms of Muay Thai, and standup in general, and it has been for years. Wanderlei Silva is the reson why.

To say that Wanderlei is aggressive during his fights would be like saying that Fedor Emelianenko has a good ground and pound. It's a gross understatement. Wanderlei Silva comes to a fight looking to put his opponent's nose through the back of his head. His knees are one of the most devisating weapons at any weight and his raw energy, whether utilizing his legendary knees from the Thai clinch or attacking his opponent with punches and kicks in open space, is what makes him one of the most entertaining fighters (whether winning or losing) in the world.

Wanderlei recently signed a contract with the Ultimate Fighting Championship, and it will be his first fight in the organization since he lost a 5 round decision to Tito Ortiz in April of 2000.

When Silva lost to Ortiz he left the UFC and did something incredible: he went 16-0-1 over the next four and a half years. While a fight with Mark Hunt (who is a world class kickboxer, has the greatest chin in the sport and holds a 45 pound weight advantage over Silva) ended that streak with a close decision, it is still one of the great rolls in the history of the sport.

During that run, Silva beat 14 of his opponents without the help of the judges, all by KO or TKO. Notches on his belt during that period include current PRIDE 205 and 185 pound champion Dan Henderson (unanimous decision), current UFC 205 pound champion Quinton "Rampage" Jackson (TKO), Kazushi "The Gracie Hunter" Sakuraba (TKO, three times), Olympic Gold Medalist Hidehiko Yoshida (Decision) and Japanese legend Yuki Kondo (TKO).

Silva is a legend, but the one matchup that the world has been waiting to see is that of Wanderlei "The Axe Murderer" Silva vs former UFC lightheavyweight champion Chuck "The Iceman" Liddell.

Now that Wanderlei has signed with the UFC, we may finally get to see that fight. We may also be treated to the rubber match between Silva and Dan Henderson (their third fight, Silva won the first by decision and Henderson won the second by KO) as well as a rematch for "Rampage" Jackson (Silva KO'd Jackson in 6:28 seconds of their first meeting).

It's a big deal for the UFC because, though Silva lost his PRIDE belt to Henderson, Silva is a legend and to see that legend in the Octagon again is a big deal for long time MMA fans, and gives new fans a chance to see the history of the sport.

Ken "The World's Most Dangerous Man" Shamrock

To alot of new fans to the sport, they know Ken Shamrock as the fighter that Tito Ortiz kept beating up, but Ken Shamrock is a pioneer in the sport, he's one of the few guys that I can honestly say is responsible for the sport being where it is today.

Of all of the spokesmen for the sport over the 13 years since the UFC was founded, Ken Shamrock has been there. Ken was at UFC 1, where he beat Patrick Smith before losing to Royce Gracie.

Shamrock fought in the Pancrase organization before the founding of the UFC, but as soon as he was given the opportunity to fight at UFC 1 he dove in, fighting at UFC's 1, 3, 5, 6, 7, 8 and 9 before returning to Japan to fight in the PRIDE organization.

Over the course of the first 9 UFC events, the sport began to evolve and when Ken Shamrock fought Royce Gracie at UFC 5, the torch was officially passed from the Gracie Jiu-Jitsu fighter who won the first 2 UFC events to the self-proclaimed "World's Most Dangerous Man."

Ken Shamrock was a submission fighter who specialized in leglocks, but his athleticism and strength, as well as his understanding of the sport made him dangerous whether the fight was standing or on the ground.

Shamrock became the first Superfight champion after UFC 6, when he defeated Dan Severn. He would defend the Superfight belt at UFCs 7 and 8, but would lose it to Severn at UFC 9 before he left the UFC until his return at UFC 40.

While Shamrock's career as a fighter was not the most impressive of his generation, his charisma and his ability to articulate the purpose and artistry of the sport made him a spokesman for MMA in America.

Shamrock openly debated with Senator John McCain on Larry King Live. He questioned the logic in McCain's opposing MMA but allowing boxing (a sport with a considerable higher mortality rate than MMA, which has managed to maintain a rate of 0).

Ken would return to the UFC as an icon because of his candidness about his support for the sport and his ability to speak up and articulate the feeling the the MMA community.

When Ken returned to the UFC, he would be plagued by an inability to beat, really, anybody of merit. He lost to Tito Ortiz in his return to the Octagon at UFC 40, followed by a win over the aging Hawaiian fighter Kimo Leopoldo. Shamrock would then lose to Rich Franklin, proving that his age might be too severe a handicap for him to compete with the younger generation of fighters.

After losing to Franklin, Shamrock returned to PRIDE where he lost to Kazushi "The Gracie Hunter" Sakuraba. He would then return to the UFC and lose two more times to Tito Ortiz.

While the end of Shamrock's career seems uncertain, it isn't certainly not as glorified as it should be, given his contributions to the sport as a champion and a political advocate.

Shamrock brought fighters to the helm of the movement to legalize MMA and, though the movement would be solidified later by UFC President Dana White, Shamrock made it possible by not allowing politicians to label the fighters as heathens.

Shamrock is one of 4 UFC Hall-of-Famers, along with Royce Gracie, Dan Severn and current UFC Heavyweight Champion Randy Couture.

While Shamrock's fighting career may prove his mortality, his contributions to the sport as a figurehead and an icon are indisputable.

Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira

On 7/7/07, the day of UFC 73: Stacked, the Ultimate Fighting Championship will be welcoming a PRIDE legend into their heavyweight division. His name is Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira.

Nogueira is one of the most dangerous heavyweights in the world and most rankings have him listed in the top 3 heavyweights.

Nogueira is a legend in the sport of Mixed Martial Arts for a handful of reasons. His world class boxing skills and his legendary Brazillian Jiu-Jitsu abilities are among them, but what sets him apart is something even more incredible.

Nogueira, affectionately known as Big Nog to man MMA fans, started his professional MMA career in June of 1999, submitting his way to prestige and gaining entrance to the RINGS organization, which also birthed many other stars that would later become famous in the PRIDE organization.

Nogueira's first loss came at the hands of Dan "Hollywood" Henderson, who would later go on to become the first fighter in history to hold belts in two different weight classes at the same time. Henderson is the only fighter to do so and currently holds the PRIDE 205 and 185 pound titles. While Nogueira did lose on the judges scorecards, the fight was close and he beat the Olympic silver medalist on one scorecard.

Nogueira then went 13-0-1, finishing 10 of his opponents with the Brazillian Jiu-Jitsu he quickly became known for. Among the opponents he beat were former UFC Heavyweight Champion Mark Coleman (submission), Gary Goodridge (submission), Heath Herring (Unanimous Decision), Bob Sapp (submission), Semmy Schilt (submission) and a cleansing of his only loss by beating Dan Henderson (submission).

After the displays of his groundgame, Nogueira was considered one of the most dangerous fighters in the world, but his next fight would be a challenge that many would never forget.

Nogueira stepped in the ring with Fedor Emelianenko at the PRIDE 25: Body Blow event in 2003 and though the fight would prove to be the most grueling of Nogueira's career and establish a hold on the PRIDE heavyweight division that Emelianenko would never let go of, Nogueira showed the world what he was really about.

For 20 minutes the fight between Emelianenko and Nogueira went on, and Emelianenko's standing ground and pound attack would overwhelm Nogueira and keep him from getting any of the leverage that he needed to pull of a submission victory, Nogueira hung tough and though he took punch after punch from Emelianenko.

The future PRIDE champion was unable to finish Nogueira and though he won on the judges scorecard, Nogueira became famous for his ability to take punishment and not give up.

Nogueira has only lost to one other fighter besides Emelianenko since then, a split decision loss to Josh "The Baby-Faced Assassin" Barnett which he avenged on New Year's Eve, December 31, 2006.

While Nogueira has accumulated another loss to Fedor, he has still never been finished, a feat that is very impressive, given the level of competition he has fought.

Nogueira is ranked by many the #3 heavyweight in the world and will be making his UFC debut on the UFC 73: Stacked card against Heath Herring for the third time. It promises to be a new chapter for the UFC heavyweight and gives the UFC two of the sports top 3 heavyweights under contract.

Fedor Emelianenko

So, I had an idea today that will, hopefully, lead to a recurring segment in the blog. I'm going to be running profiles of great fighters, both known and unknown and look at their up-coming events and where they stand in their weight classes.

It seems only fair, if I'm going to run a profile on great fighters, that I start with the best there is.



Fedor Emelianenko stands an unimposing six feet tall and looks, to use the words of PRIDE commentator Jay Glazer, "like a slimmed down version of the Pillsbury Doh-boy." While Fedor and his pot-belly weigh in at around 235 pounds, his unimposing, some might say "doughy", physique still seem intimidating, and it isn't obvious. When he competes, his face is expressionless and his undefined jaw and receeding hairline don't offer looks like Brad Pitt. Some would tell you, however, that this uncharismatic Russian heavyweight fights at a level that only haunts most fighters nightmares, because they all know that they can never be that good.

Fedor is widely considered the #1 heavyweight in the world by hardcore MMA fans. He has wins over top heavyweights like former K-1 kickboxers Mirko "CroCop" Filipovic (Unanimous Decision) and Mark Hunt (Submission - Kimura), as well as ground wizards like Brazillian Jiu-Jitsu fighter Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira and NCAA wrestling legend Kevin "The Monster" Randleman.

While Fedor was a relative unknown when he made his debut in PRIDE fighting championships, many of the scouts thought that the up-and-comer from the Russian RINGS organization would be an interesting fighter to watch, because of his well known Sambo skills.

Fedor made his debut in the PRIDE Fighting Championships against the giant Semmy Schilt and, though Fedor had wins over well known fighters like lightheavyweights Renato "Babalu" Sobral (Unanimous Decision) and Ricardo Arona (Unanimous decision), no one expected him to manhandle the 6'11 Dutch Kickboxing champion the way that he did.

Fedor defeated Schilt with a decision and, while he kept the fight on the ground the way he intended to, he had not yet shown off the brutal standing punches that he would use to dominate grounded opponents.

In Fedor's second fight he was set up against a very dangerous opponent, the "Texas Crazy Horse" Heath Herring. At the time, Herring was one of the most well respected of the PRIDE veterans, who had become only the second man to smash NCAA champion and MMA legend Mark "The Smashing Machine" Kerr and had managed to take the submission wizard Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira all the way to a decision.

Many fans of the sport from out side of Russia still did not know who Fedor was. All they knew was that he had beaten Schilt in his debut. No one thought that his ground skills would be on par with Nogueira, and so they weren't sure that Herring was over matched.

Fedor destroyed Herring and the doctors called a stop to the fight after Fedor delivered a cut that left the Texan unable to continue. Despite initial thoughts about whether or not this twenty something Russian showing signs of early onset balding would be able to hang with a veteran like Herring were removed when Fedor threw Herring to the ground like a rag doll throughout the first round and began to apply the ground and pound tactics for which he would become famous.

Fedor's next matchup was against the legendary Nogueira, widely considered PRIDE's most dangerous ground fighter. Nogueira's only loss was over a controversial split decision and, though Fedor and Nogueira had both fought in RINGS, Nogueira was considered more experience, because he also held wins of Schilt and Herring, but he had also beaten Dan Henderson (the fighter who had given him his only loss) and American fighters Mark Coleman and Gary Goodridge.

Going into the fight, many wondered if Fedor could do what the former NCAA champion Coleman could not, and ground and pound Nogueira without being submitted.

Fedor shocked the world, dominating Nogueira for 20 minutes and taking over the position as the most dangerous man on the ground.

Fedor returned to RINGS for one fight, which he won by submission and then went on a tear:

Smashed hard skulled Kazuyuki Fujita (Submission - Rear Nake Choke)



TKO'd Gary Goodridge and Yuji Nagata

Submitted NCAA champions, former UFC Heavyweight Champions and training partners Mark Coleman and Kevin Randleman in back-to-back armlocks.

Submitted Naoya Ogawa

Beat Nogueira decisively again

TKO'd the only man to beat him, Tsuyoshi Kohsaka (Kohsaka won a loss over a cut not obtained by a legal strike, and so the win was controversial and widely disputed anyway)

Defeated the #1 striker in MMA Mirko "CroCop" Filipovic, avoiding the majority of CroCop's powerful striking and, impressively, hanging with the Croatian on his feet.

And then Fedor did something that no one had ever seen before. He knocked down a 400 pound fighter with one punch, beating "Zuluzinho" Wagner De Conceicao Martins in 26 seconds.

After his victory over Zuluzinho, Fedor was forced to have reconstructive on his hand and spent 10 months in recovery, until August of 2006.

In his return to PRIDE he defended his title against Mark Coleman, defeating the original UFC heavyweight champion by submission with an armbar in the second round. Fedor admitted that he let the fight last so that he could shake off the ringrust.

Fedor then defended his title again, two months later on New Year's Eve, defeating kickboxing legend Mark Hunt with a kimura armlock.

After defeating Hunt, Fedor submitted the worlds #1 middleweight, Matt "The Law" Lindland in the first round of their fight in Bodog, a fight that drew controversy because Fedor was under contract with PRIDE. Fedor's PRIDE contract allowed him to fight on any card in Russia, but it is a clause that has been attacked by UFC President Dana White.

It has been rumored that Fedor may follow in suit of fellow PRIDE veteran's Mirko Filipovic and Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira and fight in the UFC, who recently bought out the PRIDE Fighting Championships. There are rumors of negotiations between the two and there have been announces of verbal agreements, but nothing with extraordinary merit.

When Fedor does come to the UFC, bringing his PRIDE heavyweight title and the most impressive record in the sport, he will, undoubtably, be the heavy favorite in every one of his bouts, as he has been for some time.