So, I was skeptical when the Sengoku card seemed to lack any credible matchup except one, but the return of Takanori Gomi, hopefully in the top form that seems to follow his tough losses, will make the card sweeter and worth watching for alot of long time hardcore MMA fans like myself, and particularly as some who followed Gomi and his archrival in Pride, Joachim "Hellboy" Hansen.
What will become of Hansen? I don't know, but at least Gomi's back.
Thursday, January 31, 2008
Wednesday, January 30, 2008
Sengoku: Will it Be Worth Watching?
There's always a question with Japanese shows about whether or not they will translate well to the American audience, but the upcoming Sengoku card may not translate at all, as it seems to be a return to many of the traditional Japanese formula without the high class warriors that used to populate the Pride cards, and even made their way into smaller organizations like DEEP.
While the possibility of Hidehiko Yoshida vs. Roger Gracie has been discussed openly, the reality is that this is highly unlikely, given the Gracies' history of pulling out of fights. Even as a longtime Gracie fan, I regard those fights with the same skepticism: I'll believe it when I see it.
That's not to say I wouldn't be excited if the fight were to happen. Roger Gracie has said he's considering it and he's negotiating, and the potential for a matchup is very interesting.
Roger is a great grappler, and Yoshida is an Olympic gold medalist in judo, obviously there's the potential for a great match once this fight hits the clinch.
Gracie, though, is clearly the superior grappler. Even if we forget the last name, the man is still a world champion who's been on the podium at the Mundial and Abu Dhabi consistently. He's one of the most dominant grapplers to transition into MMA, and the only exception I can think of in the heavyweight division is Jeff Monson, and even that dominance is questionable, as Roger has performed on a higher level both in gi and no-gi grappling, while Monson has only ever done the former with much success.
I'll say that Gracie will take this fight on the ground, but Yoshida's striking skills have improved to a level that I don't think Roger's have, and it will be interesting to see if Yoshida chooses to keep the fight standing or decides to go for a big upset on the ground. We might even see some groundnpound from Yoshida, who may use his background in slam and pin based fighting to beat on Gracie for a little while.
Still, it will be a technical matchup that really draws alot of appreciation in Japan, but the question has to be asked, if we are talking so seriously about a matchup between guys who aren't in contention for a title, and aren't top ten guys, is this card really going to be interesting enough to spend big money on?
While the possibility of Hidehiko Yoshida vs. Roger Gracie has been discussed openly, the reality is that this is highly unlikely, given the Gracies' history of pulling out of fights. Even as a longtime Gracie fan, I regard those fights with the same skepticism: I'll believe it when I see it.
That's not to say I wouldn't be excited if the fight were to happen. Roger Gracie has said he's considering it and he's negotiating, and the potential for a matchup is very interesting.
Roger is a great grappler, and Yoshida is an Olympic gold medalist in judo, obviously there's the potential for a great match once this fight hits the clinch.
Gracie, though, is clearly the superior grappler. Even if we forget the last name, the man is still a world champion who's been on the podium at the Mundial and Abu Dhabi consistently. He's one of the most dominant grapplers to transition into MMA, and the only exception I can think of in the heavyweight division is Jeff Monson, and even that dominance is questionable, as Roger has performed on a higher level both in gi and no-gi grappling, while Monson has only ever done the former with much success.
I'll say that Gracie will take this fight on the ground, but Yoshida's striking skills have improved to a level that I don't think Roger's have, and it will be interesting to see if Yoshida chooses to keep the fight standing or decides to go for a big upset on the ground. We might even see some groundnpound from Yoshida, who may use his background in slam and pin based fighting to beat on Gracie for a little while.
Still, it will be a technical matchup that really draws alot of appreciation in Japan, but the question has to be asked, if we are talking so seriously about a matchup between guys who aren't in contention for a title, and aren't top ten guys, is this card really going to be interesting enough to spend big money on?
UFN: Florian vs. Lauzon; I'm Optimistic, I Think
I'll be honest, I don't really know what to think about the upcoming Ultimate Fight Night card scheduled for April. It's going to come after a long drought of UFC cards in March, since UFC 82 will be on the first of the month and there won't be another fight between the two. It will also immediately preced the UFC's first venture into Montreal, a fight that I think (and this is just an idea at this point) will probably be headed up by a rematch between Canadian Georges St. Pierre and champion Matt Serra, and hold a top contenders match for St. Pierre's countryman and training partner Patrick Cote.
Still, the Florian vs. Lauzon card provides some interesting issues for me, because the Boston boys are both incredible fighters and both have a history of being very impressive and very well rounded, but at the same time I have a hard time giving this matchup the credibility that it deserves.
I'll say that I'm skeptical, because Lauzon did burst on to the scene by knocking out one of the most notable fighters in the history of his division, but Florian is 6-1 at 155 pounds, and his only loss is to Champion Sean Sherk, who was unable to finish Florian even when given 5 rounds.
Florian, like Lauzon, has a penchant for finishing fights, and he's finished all six of his wins, using his muay thai skills honed with Mark Dellagrate (probably the best American muay thai coach besides, arguably, Duke Roofus) and his Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu blackbelt.
It seems like Lauzon is seriously outclassed, and while Lauzon has never been beaten in a major octagon event and has had impressively devastating performances in his first three fights, he's still got a way to go before I see him as the top contender that Florian is. After all, Florian made it to the finals on the Ultimate Fighter, and he was fighting in a much higher weight class.
I think Lauzon will bring it in this matchup, but I'm not sure if that will be enough to handle Florian's clearly superior technical pedigree. I hope that the two guys can make this a war, but I see this fight getting finished early one way or the other, and I'm betting on Florian.
Still, the Florian vs. Lauzon card provides some interesting issues for me, because the Boston boys are both incredible fighters and both have a history of being very impressive and very well rounded, but at the same time I have a hard time giving this matchup the credibility that it deserves.
I'll say that I'm skeptical, because Lauzon did burst on to the scene by knocking out one of the most notable fighters in the history of his division, but Florian is 6-1 at 155 pounds, and his only loss is to Champion Sean Sherk, who was unable to finish Florian even when given 5 rounds.
Florian, like Lauzon, has a penchant for finishing fights, and he's finished all six of his wins, using his muay thai skills honed with Mark Dellagrate (probably the best American muay thai coach besides, arguably, Duke Roofus) and his Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu blackbelt.
It seems like Lauzon is seriously outclassed, and while Lauzon has never been beaten in a major octagon event and has had impressively devastating performances in his first three fights, he's still got a way to go before I see him as the top contender that Florian is. After all, Florian made it to the finals on the Ultimate Fighter, and he was fighting in a much higher weight class.
I think Lauzon will bring it in this matchup, but I'm not sure if that will be enough to handle Florian's clearly superior technical pedigree. I hope that the two guys can make this a war, but I see this fight getting finished early one way or the other, and I'm betting on Florian.
Monday, January 28, 2008
Calm Before The Storm: Or Just the Calm Before More Calm
Sometimes when I read Sherdog.com columns, I wonder if they're watching the same fights that I am, but I'll say this of Mike Sloan's article about last weeks televised event, he's right on all counts.
Rarely will a fighter with as large an ego as Mike Swick apologize for putting on a terrible performance. The fact that he admits the fight was bad when he came out the victor speaks for how undeniably terrible it was. The Omigawa vs. Tavares fight is the same in that sense.
I'll admit that, like Sloan, I was very impressed with the performances turned in by Patrick Cote and Nate Diaz. I didn't think that Cote would be able to finish McFedries, but he did, and deserves respect for doing something that no one else in the 185 pound division has done yet, and that's hurt the Miletich man.
As for Diaz, he finished Alvin Robinson in the impressive, aggressive submission grappling style I've come to expect of Cesar Gracie students, with and without the gi. It speaks for Diaz's skill as a grappler, and there's no problem with a solid, technical submission.
My problem with Sloan's piece has nothing to do with the first section and everything to do with his allussion to a great fight between Lesnar and Mir, because he's hoping, and not looking at the facts, and setting himself up for a letdown, especially given the rest of this card.
Everyone knows that Nogueira vs. Sylvia is going to be a hard fight to watch, bar natural disaster (and I'm praying for rain like the NBA saw this weekend to brighten up the fight). After all, both fighters are coming off of fights that can be called nothing other than unimpressive, and they don't match up in a way that promises explosiveness. That's partly because one of the fighters is Tim Sylvia (who doesn't really provide and explosive matchup with anyone short of Fedor and CroCop) and the other is Nogueira, who is most explosive off of his back, a place where we know Sylvia will never allow this fight to be.
Anyone who suggests that this sport will be entertaining because Lesnar comes from a background in "sports entertainment" doesn't understand why fans watch this sport. I won't speak for everyone, but I watch it to see two guys go at it, not to see them talk about going at it and then pull a chair out from under the ring as soon as they show the first sign of defeat.
Sloan offers us with three possibilities.
The first two seem the most probable, and while I, like Sloan, will be praying for hell and high water to show up in that cage, it's important to acknowledge the unlikelihood.
I commend Sloan for his optimism, but question his reasoning. Well, I guess that when we're faced with certain boredom, all we can do is hope for the best.
Rarely will a fighter with as large an ego as Mike Swick apologize for putting on a terrible performance. The fact that he admits the fight was bad when he came out the victor speaks for how undeniably terrible it was. The Omigawa vs. Tavares fight is the same in that sense.
I'll admit that, like Sloan, I was very impressed with the performances turned in by Patrick Cote and Nate Diaz. I didn't think that Cote would be able to finish McFedries, but he did, and deserves respect for doing something that no one else in the 185 pound division has done yet, and that's hurt the Miletich man.
As for Diaz, he finished Alvin Robinson in the impressive, aggressive submission grappling style I've come to expect of Cesar Gracie students, with and without the gi. It speaks for Diaz's skill as a grappler, and there's no problem with a solid, technical submission.
My problem with Sloan's piece has nothing to do with the first section and everything to do with his allussion to a great fight between Lesnar and Mir, because he's hoping, and not looking at the facts, and setting himself up for a letdown, especially given the rest of this card.
Everyone knows that Nogueira vs. Sylvia is going to be a hard fight to watch, bar natural disaster (and I'm praying for rain like the NBA saw this weekend to brighten up the fight). After all, both fighters are coming off of fights that can be called nothing other than unimpressive, and they don't match up in a way that promises explosiveness. That's partly because one of the fighters is Tim Sylvia (who doesn't really provide and explosive matchup with anyone short of Fedor and CroCop) and the other is Nogueira, who is most explosive off of his back, a place where we know Sylvia will never allow this fight to be.
Anyone who suggests that this sport will be entertaining because Lesnar comes from a background in "sports entertainment" doesn't understand why fans watch this sport. I won't speak for everyone, but I watch it to see two guys go at it, not to see them talk about going at it and then pull a chair out from under the ring as soon as they show the first sign of defeat.
Sloan offers us with three possibilities.
Will Mir run out of gas within 90 seconds like he usually does, thus allowing Lesnar to capitalize? Will Lesnar take Mir down and fall right into an armbar 20 seconds in? Or will Lesnar and Mir both enter the Octagon in the best conditions of their lives, resulting in one hell of a heavyweight showdown worthy of being the main event of UFC 81?
The first two seem the most probable, and while I, like Sloan, will be praying for hell and high water to show up in that cage, it's important to acknowledge the unlikelihood.
I commend Sloan for his optimism, but question his reasoning. Well, I guess that when we're faced with certain boredom, all we can do is hope for the best.
Sunday, January 27, 2008
Hard to Get Hotter: Interview with Ring Girl Michelle Wickert
So I had the opportunity to interview ring girl and model Michelle Wickert. Apart from being smokin' hot, she's going to be featured in next months issue of Ultimate Grappling.
Josh: To start things off, how did you get into being a ring girl for MMA?
Michelle: I had attended many fights. I got very upset b/c these girls were in the ring with not confidence. I happened to see an ad saying that they needed ring girls and you know the rest.
J: What do you like about the sport?
M: Everything. It takes so much for a fighter to get ready for their fight. I know this because I train!!!! I just don't fight.
J: What organizations have you worked with?
M: I have worked with so many. In fact I was just added to an organization in PA. I hope to work with UFC one day!
J: You recently did an interview with Ultimate Grappling Magazine. How'd that go?
M: That was AWESOME! I still can't believe it!
J: What are you looking to do in the future?
M: UFC or another organization very similar to that. Who ever wants me....I'll go! Plus I have many modeling gigs!
J: Do you have a crush on any fighters?
M: No crushes. But I'm a die hard Randy, Tito, and CroCop FAN! I even have the dolls that they make...sad I know!
J: What's your favorite time during a promotional or a fight?
M: I like doing both but if I had to choose I'd definitely pick the fights!
J: What's your favorite thing to do away from work?
M: Workout! If I'm not working as a ring girl or modeling you'll find me working out and helping others to achieve their fitness goals!
Thanks to Chelle for doing the interview. Sorry to all of the guys out there hoping I'd have pics up. She's got photos on her site and definitely check out her proelite account.
Josh: To start things off, how did you get into being a ring girl for MMA?
Michelle: I had attended many fights. I got very upset b/c these girls were in the ring with not confidence. I happened to see an ad saying that they needed ring girls and you know the rest.
J: What do you like about the sport?
M: Everything. It takes so much for a fighter to get ready for their fight. I know this because I train!!!! I just don't fight.
J: What organizations have you worked with?
M: I have worked with so many. In fact I was just added to an organization in PA. I hope to work with UFC one day!
J: You recently did an interview with Ultimate Grappling Magazine. How'd that go?
M: That was AWESOME! I still can't believe it!
J: What are you looking to do in the future?
M: UFC or another organization very similar to that. Who ever wants me....I'll go! Plus I have many modeling gigs!
J: Do you have a crush on any fighters?
M: No crushes. But I'm a die hard Randy, Tito, and CroCop FAN! I even have the dolls that they make...sad I know!
J: What's your favorite time during a promotional or a fight?
M: I like doing both but if I had to choose I'd definitely pick the fights!
J: What's your favorite thing to do away from work?
M: Workout! If I'm not working as a ring girl or modeling you'll find me working out and helping others to achieve their fitness goals!
Thanks to Chelle for doing the interview. Sorry to all of the guys out there hoping I'd have pics up. She's got photos on her site and definitely check out her proelite account.
Friday, January 25, 2008
Groundhog Day: Hopefully No Performance Repeats
It's no secret that former Pride Heavyweight champion Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira is a warrior, and it's well known that former UFC champ Tim Sylvia was a monster in his day, but recently, neither of them have been particularly exciting in the Octagon, and the fact that they are top contenders speaks less to their ability and more to how thin the current division is.
Nogueira took a serious knock down from Heath Herring during his last fight, which was his first in the Octagon, and many of us are wondering whether or bot he's going to adjust better to his second fight in the cage. We can only hope that he'll show some solid boxing skills and some dangerous submissions against a fighter who has some of the most impressive standup and submission defense in the heavyweight division.
Sylvia hasn't finished an opponent since 2006, when he knocked out Andrei Arlovski to reclaim his heavyweight championship. Since, he's been coasting on decisions, and didn't show that he really improved after his loss to Randy Couture when he failed to finish Brandon Vera.
There's no doubt in my mind that this fight will go to the judges, and I really, really hope that I am wrong.
Nogueira has never been stopped in his professional MMA career, and his resiliance is something that he's known for. He's been in 20 minute bouts and kept on going.
On the other hand, Sylvia has been dropped, but he's changed his game to be much more conservative and, as a result, nearly impossible to finish. Since his armbar loss to Frank Mir that required him to have pins put in his arm, his submission defense has only been overpowered when he's been stunned by a big right hand, and that's not something that Nogueira has historically been able to do.
Can Tim Sylvia follow Heath Herring's lead and put Nogueira down with a big shot?
Can Nogueira succeed where world submission grappling champion Jeff Monson failed?
It's possible, but I wouldn't put money on it. I think it's going to come down to a battle of Sylvia's kickboxing against Nogueira's boxing, and I see that one slipping in favor of Sylvia.
I have no problem with being wrong on this one, but I don't see it going any other way.
Nogueira took a serious knock down from Heath Herring during his last fight, which was his first in the Octagon, and many of us are wondering whether or bot he's going to adjust better to his second fight in the cage. We can only hope that he'll show some solid boxing skills and some dangerous submissions against a fighter who has some of the most impressive standup and submission defense in the heavyweight division.
Sylvia hasn't finished an opponent since 2006, when he knocked out Andrei Arlovski to reclaim his heavyweight championship. Since, he's been coasting on decisions, and didn't show that he really improved after his loss to Randy Couture when he failed to finish Brandon Vera.
There's no doubt in my mind that this fight will go to the judges, and I really, really hope that I am wrong.
Nogueira has never been stopped in his professional MMA career, and his resiliance is something that he's known for. He's been in 20 minute bouts and kept on going.
On the other hand, Sylvia has been dropped, but he's changed his game to be much more conservative and, as a result, nearly impossible to finish. Since his armbar loss to Frank Mir that required him to have pins put in his arm, his submission defense has only been overpowered when he's been stunned by a big right hand, and that's not something that Nogueira has historically been able to do.
Can Tim Sylvia follow Heath Herring's lead and put Nogueira down with a big shot?
Can Nogueira succeed where world submission grappling champion Jeff Monson failed?
It's possible, but I wouldn't put money on it. I think it's going to come down to a battle of Sylvia's kickboxing against Nogueira's boxing, and I see that one slipping in favor of Sylvia.
I have no problem with being wrong on this one, but I don't see it going any other way.
Thursday, January 24, 2008
Sean Sherk: Shut Up and Fight
For those of you who don't diligently follow Sherdog's Beatdown Radio program, you might or might not have heard about UFC lightweight champion Sean Sherk's recent comments about autograph signing.
In case you didn't, Sherk responded to a question about autograph signings by saying, "No, I'm not signing autographs for you, I was booed, either cheer me or no autographs."
These comments have led to Sean Sherk being compared to former UFC heavyweight champion, who has been routinely booed in his recent fights (a rash of unimpressive decisions), but, in defense of Sylvia, he doesn't bitch and moan about getting booed. Neither did Andrei Arlovski when he was booed after his lackluster decision win over Fabricio Werdum.
The following is a message to Sean Sherk:
Man, if you're going to fight, fight. You've always said that you want to be a fighter, but fighters don't just lie on top of their opponents until a group of old men with the approval of the Nevada State Athletic Commission declare them the winner. Fighters go out and fight, they try to win every second of every fight.
This isn't boxing, you aren't going to get cheered just because your hand is in the air. If you have a crappy performance, expect to be treated as such. I'm sick of calling you an upper echelon fighter when you don't even fight.
You were once touted as having one of the most explosive groundnpounds in the sport, but in the last few years you've exploded your way to three decision victories and a knockout loss to Georges St. Pierre.
You haven't finished an opponent since September of 2005. You haven't finished an opponent in the UFC since 2002. Excuse me if I'm less than impressed.
It seems like you expect people to cheer for you because you have a belt. I'll cheer for fucking Danny Abbadi if he brings his A game to an undercard fight (I don't, because that doesn't happen, but I would), but I'm not going to cheer for you just because your name is on the poster, and I'm not going to cheer for you just because you have the biggest bicepts of any 5'6 fighter in the sport.
At some point, the steroids become another redundant point in my arsenal of reasons for not liking you. It doesn't matter whether you actually took them or not.
If you didn't, then you've had three crappy performances in a row.
If you did, then you've had three crappy performances in a row and even illegal performance enhancing drugs couldn't help.
Frankly, I'm not impressed either way.
You will always be a solid athlete, but so will Mark Kerr. If you cease to impress, I will stop cheering, and so, I'm glad to say, will the rest of the fanbase.
This sport is still in its infancy, I refuse to stay silent while guys like you have shitty fights and then go and blame the fans when they make a note of it. This isn't the NBA, we're still dealing with the stigma of being a major combat sport and we're still trying to attract fans. If you continue to be a fucking diva, you are going to lose the support of the entire sport, just like you've just lost mine.
I've been a fan of this sport for a long time, and you were on the first live card I watched, so I've got some nostalgia, but if you stop treating this like a job and start treating the entire fan base like they should cater to your ego, someone is going to smash you.
Stop whining and get back in the gym. Put a performance out there that you can be proud of, and stop trying to defend wins that are clearly not worth defending.
Well, that's all I've got.
For the rest of my fellow MMA fans, whether you are still going to back Sean Sherk, I respect your loyalty, even if you're crazy. That said, I think we all like it when fighters fight, and don't waste their time and ours by Bible beating and inflating their own egos.
In case you didn't, Sherk responded to a question about autograph signings by saying, "No, I'm not signing autographs for you, I was booed, either cheer me or no autographs."
These comments have led to Sean Sherk being compared to former UFC heavyweight champion, who has been routinely booed in his recent fights (a rash of unimpressive decisions), but, in defense of Sylvia, he doesn't bitch and moan about getting booed. Neither did Andrei Arlovski when he was booed after his lackluster decision win over Fabricio Werdum.
The following is a message to Sean Sherk:
Man, if you're going to fight, fight. You've always said that you want to be a fighter, but fighters don't just lie on top of their opponents until a group of old men with the approval of the Nevada State Athletic Commission declare them the winner. Fighters go out and fight, they try to win every second of every fight.
This isn't boxing, you aren't going to get cheered just because your hand is in the air. If you have a crappy performance, expect to be treated as such. I'm sick of calling you an upper echelon fighter when you don't even fight.
You were once touted as having one of the most explosive groundnpounds in the sport, but in the last few years you've exploded your way to three decision victories and a knockout loss to Georges St. Pierre.
You haven't finished an opponent since September of 2005. You haven't finished an opponent in the UFC since 2002. Excuse me if I'm less than impressed.
It seems like you expect people to cheer for you because you have a belt. I'll cheer for fucking Danny Abbadi if he brings his A game to an undercard fight (I don't, because that doesn't happen, but I would), but I'm not going to cheer for you just because your name is on the poster, and I'm not going to cheer for you just because you have the biggest bicepts of any 5'6 fighter in the sport.
At some point, the steroids become another redundant point in my arsenal of reasons for not liking you. It doesn't matter whether you actually took them or not.
If you didn't, then you've had three crappy performances in a row.
If you did, then you've had three crappy performances in a row and even illegal performance enhancing drugs couldn't help.
Frankly, I'm not impressed either way.
You will always be a solid athlete, but so will Mark Kerr. If you cease to impress, I will stop cheering, and so, I'm glad to say, will the rest of the fanbase.
This sport is still in its infancy, I refuse to stay silent while guys like you have shitty fights and then go and blame the fans when they make a note of it. This isn't the NBA, we're still dealing with the stigma of being a major combat sport and we're still trying to attract fans. If you continue to be a fucking diva, you are going to lose the support of the entire sport, just like you've just lost mine.
I've been a fan of this sport for a long time, and you were on the first live card I watched, so I've got some nostalgia, but if you stop treating this like a job and start treating the entire fan base like they should cater to your ego, someone is going to smash you.
Stop whining and get back in the gym. Put a performance out there that you can be proud of, and stop trying to defend wins that are clearly not worth defending.
Well, that's all I've got.
For the rest of my fellow MMA fans, whether you are still going to back Sean Sherk, I respect your loyalty, even if you're crazy. That said, I think we all like it when fighters fight, and don't waste their time and ours by Bible beating and inflating their own egos.
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