While rankings tend to be severely subjective and in may cases altogether without merit, there are also instances that the rank of a fighter is justified. Unfortunately, it all comes back to opinion when determining who the top 10 fighters in the world are and how they line up sequentially. And we all know the old saying when it comes to opinions, just like assholes, everyone has one.
Well, here's this asshole's opinion on who ranks where, when, and how. Flame away my friends....
Heavyweight:
1. Fedor Emelianenko
2. Brock Lesnar
3. Frank Mir
4. Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira
5. Josh Barnett
6. Brett Rogers
7. Andre Arlovski
8. Cain Velasquez
9. Junior Dos Santos
10. Shane Carwin
Light Heavyweight
1. Lyoto Machida
2. Rashad Evans
3. Quentin Jackson
4. Forrest Griffin
5. Mauricio Rua
6. Thiago Silva
7. Antonio Rogerio Nogueira
8. Luis Arthur Cane
09. Kieth Jardine
10. Rich Franklin
Middleweight
1. Anderson Silva
2. Dan Henderson
3. Nate Marquardt
4. Vitor Belfort
5. Demian Maia
6. Chael Sonnen
7. Jake Shields
8. Yoshiro Akiyama
9. Yushin Okami
10. Ronaldo Jacare Souza
Welterweight
1. George St Pierre
2. Jon Fitch
3. Thiago Alves
4. Paulo Thiago
5. Josh Koscheck
6. Dan Hardy
7. Matt Hughes
8. Mike Swick
9. Carlos Condit
10. Jay Hieron
Lightweight
1. BJ Penn
2. Shinya Aoki
3. Eddie Alvarez
4. Kenny Florian
5. Tatsuya Kawajiri
i6. Gray Maynard
7. Frankie Edgar
8. Sean Sherk
9. Gilbert Melendez
10. Joachim Hansen
Featherweight
1. Jose Aldo
2. Mike Brown
3. Urijah Faber
4. Raphael Assuncao
5. Bibiano Fernandez
6. Hatsu Hioki
7. Michihiro Omigawa
8. Mackens Semerzier
9. Wagney Fabiano
10. Manny Gamburyan
Bantamweight
1. Brian Bowles
2. Miguel Torres
3. Masakatsu Ueda
4. Dominick Cruz
5. Joseph Benavidez
6. Akitoshi Tamura
7. Antonio Banuelos
8. Scott Jorgenson
9. Takeya Mizugaki
10. Damacio Page
Wednesday, December 23, 2009
Friday, December 18, 2009
Divisional Dilemma
With BJ Penn's facial reconstruction of Diego Sanchez this passed Saturday, It appears that Dana White's comment on BJ being one fight away from clearing out the division is an understatement, as it appears to me that the division is thoroughly cleared of credible challengers as of Saturday. Gray Maynard aside, the fighters in the UFC's lightweight division are either not anywhere near ready for the nightmare that is BJ Penn, or have not really strung together a consistent run of wins that make them a clear cut contender.
For example, Sean Sherk just lost to Frankie Edgar, so no dice. Tyson Griffin is a quality fighter and just had a very impressive win against Hermes Franca, but he just dropped a decision to Sherk 2 fights ago. Even Frankie Edgar, who is Maynard's closest rival in contendership, just dropped a fight to Maynard himself 3 fights ago. This leaves Gray as the only lightweight that has put together some semblance of a contendership run towards a title shot with a 6 fight streak inside the confines of the octagon. It can be more than assumed then that should Maynard "bully" has way passed Nate Diaz in their upcoming fight, Maynard will be the man to face off with the Prodigy. The caveat being that Diaz has actually already defeated Maynard, given that it was on the TUF show, but he was defeated and finished in that fight by submission.
While a 7th octagon win against Nate Diaz will more than give Maynard a proper resume for a title shot, the fight certainly does not have the appeal of the Florian or Sanchez fights promotionally. Not to mention that stylistcally, it is not a great match up for Gray, as Penn' ability to stuff take downs like pizza crust and his marked striking and grappling advantage make this fight appear to be a severely one sided affair.
Unfortunately, this problem does not get any better the higher up you go in weight. Looking at the welterweight and middleweight divisions is like looking at a mirror of 155. Lots of rematches and pseudo-contenders that really are not ready for the kind of terror that awaits them at the top of the mountain. George St Pierre is possibly the most well rounded fighter in the world. He has a fight scheduled against Dan Hardy, who, while a good fighter in his own right, matches up to GSP about as well as Maynard to Penn. As in not very. Then we come to the consensus number 1 fighter in the world in Anderson Silva. Silva has shown the kind of dominance that legends are made of. No fighter in the world would be a betting favorite against him save heavyweights that outweigh him by anywhere from 20 to 60 pounds.
All things considered, things could be worse for the UFC than having champions who are supremely dominant (UFC 108 would one of those problems, yeesh!). The solution to this issue has more or less presented itself in the form of these champions moving up in weight and challenging themselves at a higher weight class. BJ fought St Pierre earlier this year, and Silva has made 2 treks up to 205 to test the waters. BJ still regularly talks about his desire to move back up to welterweight and make a run at St Pierre. Should he dispose of Maynard or whoever the next title challenger is at 155 lbs, a run at welterweight would be an interesting proposition. However, Penn must concede that he needs to put on some quality mass and keep his conditioing program at full bore to really make an impact. Carb loading and hoarking down spam moco is not going to get him passed the welterweight elite, much less GSP.
For St Pierre, after Hardy and a possible match up against Josh Koscheck, The Anderson Silva superfight cannot be that far off, as he'll have then beaten the majority of deserving contenders. On the Silva tip, Anderson's manager Ed Soares has already spoken to Dana White about possibly having the Spider vacate the middleweight title and make his way to 205 permanently. I would personally advocate for this as a fight with Vitor Belfort and a rematch against Nate Marquardt are less than appetizing at this point.
-R
For example, Sean Sherk just lost to Frankie Edgar, so no dice. Tyson Griffin is a quality fighter and just had a very impressive win against Hermes Franca, but he just dropped a decision to Sherk 2 fights ago. Even Frankie Edgar, who is Maynard's closest rival in contendership, just dropped a fight to Maynard himself 3 fights ago. This leaves Gray as the only lightweight that has put together some semblance of a contendership run towards a title shot with a 6 fight streak inside the confines of the octagon. It can be more than assumed then that should Maynard "bully" has way passed Nate Diaz in their upcoming fight, Maynard will be the man to face off with the Prodigy. The caveat being that Diaz has actually already defeated Maynard, given that it was on the TUF show, but he was defeated and finished in that fight by submission.
While a 7th octagon win against Nate Diaz will more than give Maynard a proper resume for a title shot, the fight certainly does not have the appeal of the Florian or Sanchez fights promotionally. Not to mention that stylistcally, it is not a great match up for Gray, as Penn' ability to stuff take downs like pizza crust and his marked striking and grappling advantage make this fight appear to be a severely one sided affair.
Unfortunately, this problem does not get any better the higher up you go in weight. Looking at the welterweight and middleweight divisions is like looking at a mirror of 155. Lots of rematches and pseudo-contenders that really are not ready for the kind of terror that awaits them at the top of the mountain. George St Pierre is possibly the most well rounded fighter in the world. He has a fight scheduled against Dan Hardy, who, while a good fighter in his own right, matches up to GSP about as well as Maynard to Penn. As in not very. Then we come to the consensus number 1 fighter in the world in Anderson Silva. Silva has shown the kind of dominance that legends are made of. No fighter in the world would be a betting favorite against him save heavyweights that outweigh him by anywhere from 20 to 60 pounds.
All things considered, things could be worse for the UFC than having champions who are supremely dominant (UFC 108 would one of those problems, yeesh!). The solution to this issue has more or less presented itself in the form of these champions moving up in weight and challenging themselves at a higher weight class. BJ fought St Pierre earlier this year, and Silva has made 2 treks up to 205 to test the waters. BJ still regularly talks about his desire to move back up to welterweight and make a run at St Pierre. Should he dispose of Maynard or whoever the next title challenger is at 155 lbs, a run at welterweight would be an interesting proposition. However, Penn must concede that he needs to put on some quality mass and keep his conditioing program at full bore to really make an impact. Carb loading and hoarking down spam moco is not going to get him passed the welterweight elite, much less GSP.
For St Pierre, after Hardy and a possible match up against Josh Koscheck, The Anderson Silva superfight cannot be that far off, as he'll have then beaten the majority of deserving contenders. On the Silva tip, Anderson's manager Ed Soares has already spoken to Dana White about possibly having the Spider vacate the middleweight title and make his way to 205 permanently. I would personally advocate for this as a fight with Vitor Belfort and a rematch against Nate Marquardt are less than appetizing at this point.
-R
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
The Lyoto Conundrum
Watching the fallout on the internet from the Lyoto Machida vs Shogun Rua fight was a bit difficult for me as I fall into the minority that agreed with the decision. Watching the fight again immediately after it was over with the sound muted, showed me that despite the crowd and the incessant shouting from Joe Rogan, Machida outstruck Shogun through the first 3 rounds. Machida's strikes landed cleaner and more often. You can argue that Shogun hit harder with his leg kicks and body kicks, but he wiffed several of those kick attempts and his takedowns were about as effective as the Obama stimulus package.
Let's see how the rematch goes.
Let's see how the rematch goes.
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
Aoki Calls Out the Prodigy.....'Kay.
Shinya Aoki is now the newly minted Dream lightweight champion. After he defeated Joachim Hansen for the title, he once again called out the consensus #1 lightweight in the world, BJ Penn. My only comment can be, what?!
Never mind the fact that Aoki does not like fighting outside of the land of the rising sun and he has no interest in going to the UFC, but his chances against BJ Penn are about as likely as North Korea disarming themselves of nuclear weapons. As in not likely.
On the feet, Penn can be argued as the best boxer in the division. His ability to get in and out and slip and strike is unparalleled. Mix in his uncanny power and Aoki has about as good a chance staying upright of his own free will as the aformention nuclear disarmament. The stand up is not a friend to our resident Japanese human pretzel maker.
The wrestling is also a contest that favors Penn. While he isn't Kurt Angle, Penn is a severely underrated wrestler. His ability to avoid the takedown and put the fight where he wants is exceptional. See the Kenny Florian fight for how the takedown battle would play out against Aoki.
And finally, the jiu jitsu. The most evenly matched portion of the fight, and mostly a wash as either guy would likely cancel out the other. Although Aoki's defense on the ground is not spectacular, so there is a chance Penn would just pound him out on the ground. Overall, not a great night for the newly crowned Dream champion.
Any argument for Dream's light weight division being better than the UFC's is a farce. As good as guys like Calvancante, Hansen, Ishida and Aoki are, none of these men would beat a Sean Sherk, Frank Edgar, Kenny Florian or a BJ Penn. Natch.
Never mind the fact that Aoki does not like fighting outside of the land of the rising sun and he has no interest in going to the UFC, but his chances against BJ Penn are about as likely as North Korea disarming themselves of nuclear weapons. As in not likely.
On the feet, Penn can be argued as the best boxer in the division. His ability to get in and out and slip and strike is unparalleled. Mix in his uncanny power and Aoki has about as good a chance staying upright of his own free will as the aformention nuclear disarmament. The stand up is not a friend to our resident Japanese human pretzel maker.
The wrestling is also a contest that favors Penn. While he isn't Kurt Angle, Penn is a severely underrated wrestler. His ability to avoid the takedown and put the fight where he wants is exceptional. See the Kenny Florian fight for how the takedown battle would play out against Aoki.
And finally, the jiu jitsu. The most evenly matched portion of the fight, and mostly a wash as either guy would likely cancel out the other. Although Aoki's defense on the ground is not spectacular, so there is a chance Penn would just pound him out on the ground. Overall, not a great night for the newly crowned Dream champion.
Any argument for Dream's light weight division being better than the UFC's is a farce. As good as guys like Calvancante, Hansen, Ishida and Aoki are, none of these men would beat a Sean Sherk, Frank Edgar, Kenny Florian or a BJ Penn. Natch.
Friday, October 9, 2009
TUF Week of 10/07/09
Kudos to Rashad Evans for being there for Demico Rogers after he lost on TUF. A fighter needs to know that his team supports him and helps pick him up off the ground after a loss. Rampage showed that all he cares about is himself and no one else. The show is supposed to be about the fighters and their goal of making it as a fighter in the greatest fight organization in the world. Not about some egomaniac who cares more about how he looks on tv than the guys around him.
I know Quentin claims that he was strong armed into being on the show, but all he really needed to say was "no" to being on the show. No one put a gun to his head. Rampage needs to pull his head out of his ass and forget about acting as he cannot act his way out of a paper bag.
I supported Jackson after his loss to Forrest as I thought he took it well and accepted it like a man. I stood behind him after his unhinged "rampage" through the streets of L.A. I thought he deserved a title shot after the Jardine fight even though he looked less than impressive. For him to pull this crap now, I think I've lost my patience for his bullshit.
I know Quentin claims that he was strong armed into being on the show, but all he really needed to say was "no" to being on the show. No one put a gun to his head. Rampage needs to pull his head out of his ass and forget about acting as he cannot act his way out of a paper bag.
I supported Jackson after his loss to Forrest as I thought he took it well and accepted it like a man. I stood behind him after his unhinged "rampage" through the streets of L.A. I thought he deserved a title shot after the Jardine fight even though he looked less than impressive. For him to pull this crap now, I think I've lost my patience for his bullshit.
Friday, September 25, 2009
WEC....No More? Let's Hope
It is difficult to argue that any organization, including the UFC, puts on more exciting fights than the WEC. Yes, I understand they are both Zuffa owned brands, however, the WEC consistently offers better fights if not more meaningful ones. The recent talk of Zuffa transitioning the remaining WEC divisions into the UFC and dissolving the WEC brand has been a hot button topic within MMA over the last few weeks. And I for one am all for it as I feel that it can only bolster the UFC brand and offer the smaller weight divisions more notoriety that they clearly deserve.
My argument begins with the clear fact that Zuffa does not have enough headliners to drive all their cards. Adding 2 or 3 additional divisions with strong champions can only help bolster pay per views as you have more champions to headline shows. We can already see the turmoil the lack of headliners has caused for the UFC over the next few months. Especially UFC 105, which sticks out like a tourist at Rocky Point. The headliner of that show is Randy Couture v Brandon Vera. I dare you to find a more random fight. Then with the dissolution of the Rampage Jackson/UFC relationship, the Tennessee card is left without it's main draw. These kind of things would and could be avoided by having a stronger roster with more exciting fighters and additional headlining draws such as Urijah Faber, Mike Brown, and Miguel Torres.
Another reason for the permeation of WEC into the UFC, WEC does not really make a whole lot of money. Which in turn does not make the fighters much money. Guys on the undercard of a UFC will often times make 2 to 3 times more than some WEC main eventers. Guys like Torres, Brown and Faber should be making the kind of money they deserve, as they draw eyeballs much better than many UFC fighters who make much more.
Dana White has stated that the WEC will stay intact for the near future, but an integration is inevitable. For this blogger, that moment cannot come soon enough.
My argument begins with the clear fact that Zuffa does not have enough headliners to drive all their cards. Adding 2 or 3 additional divisions with strong champions can only help bolster pay per views as you have more champions to headline shows. We can already see the turmoil the lack of headliners has caused for the UFC over the next few months. Especially UFC 105, which sticks out like a tourist at Rocky Point. The headliner of that show is Randy Couture v Brandon Vera. I dare you to find a more random fight. Then with the dissolution of the Rampage Jackson/UFC relationship, the Tennessee card is left without it's main draw. These kind of things would and could be avoided by having a stronger roster with more exciting fighters and additional headlining draws such as Urijah Faber, Mike Brown, and Miguel Torres.
Another reason for the permeation of WEC into the UFC, WEC does not really make a whole lot of money. Which in turn does not make the fighters much money. Guys on the undercard of a UFC will often times make 2 to 3 times more than some WEC main eventers. Guys like Torres, Brown and Faber should be making the kind of money they deserve, as they draw eyeballs much better than many UFC fighters who make much more.
Dana White has stated that the WEC will stay intact for the near future, but an integration is inevitable. For this blogger, that moment cannot come soon enough.
Sunday, September 20, 2009
Long Live the New Vitor! (We did it Mama!)
The clamoring for the "old" Vitor Belfort has been going on for the better part of this decade. Well, it looks like the "old Vitor" is gone......and good riddance. What people seem to fail to realize is that the old Vitor Belfort was not as good as the current Vitor Belfort. The older, wiser, more mature Vitor Belfort. Beating up 2 fat guys with a punchers chance in Scott Ferozzo and David "Tank" Abott is not the same as knocking out Terry Martin, Matt Lindland, and Rich Franklin. Tonight's win against Franklin has proven, to this blogger at least, that the Vitor of 2009 is the one that is going to make a legit title run in the UFC.
Belfort TKO'd a game Rich Franklin tonight at UFC 103 in Dallas, TX. In doing so, he showed a vastly more mature style and mentality than he has ever shown in the past. The first 3 minutes of the fight were fairly lackluster, eliciting obvious fan annoyance. Belfort did not care. Employing patience and elusive footwork, Belfort let Franklin make the first move and deftly countered a body kick with a grazing left hand that put "Ace" on his knees. From there, 4 more punches ensued prior to Yves Levine calling the bout and declaring Belfort the winner.
What was most impressive to me was not the physicality that "The Phenom" showed, as we have always known what Belfort is capable of. What was most impressive and intriguing to see was the mental game finally coming together for Vitor Belfort. The patience he showed when the fans got restless was a testament to his new found mental fitness. If this was the Vitor that had been fighting over the last 10 years, who knows where he might be now?
Belfort TKO'd a game Rich Franklin tonight at UFC 103 in Dallas, TX. In doing so, he showed a vastly more mature style and mentality than he has ever shown in the past. The first 3 minutes of the fight were fairly lackluster, eliciting obvious fan annoyance. Belfort did not care. Employing patience and elusive footwork, Belfort let Franklin make the first move and deftly countered a body kick with a grazing left hand that put "Ace" on his knees. From there, 4 more punches ensued prior to Yves Levine calling the bout and declaring Belfort the winner.
What was most impressive to me was not the physicality that "The Phenom" showed, as we have always known what Belfort is capable of. What was most impressive and intriguing to see was the mental game finally coming together for Vitor Belfort. The patience he showed when the fans got restless was a testament to his new found mental fitness. If this was the Vitor that had been fighting over the last 10 years, who knows where he might be now?
Thursday, September 17, 2009
Rankings
While rankings tend to be severely subjective and in may cases altogether without merit, there are also instances that the rank of a fighter is justified. Unfortunately, it all comes back to opinion when determining who the top 10 fighters in the world are and how they line up sequentially. And we all know the old saying when it comes to opinions, just like assholes, everyone has one.
Well, here's this asshole's opinion on who ranks where, when, and how. Flame away my friends....
Heavyweight:
1. Fedor Emelianenko
2. Josh Barnett
3. Brock Lesnar
4. Frank Mir
5. Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira
6. Brett Rogers
7. Andre Arlovski
8. Randy Couture
9. Shane Carwin
10. Junior Dos Santos
Light Heavyweight
1. Lyoto Machida
2. Rashad Evans
3. Quentin Jackson
4. Forrest Griffin
5. Mauricio Rua
6. Thiago Silva
7. Luis Arthur Cane
8. Antonio Rogerio Nogueira
9. Kieth Jardine
10. Rich Franklin
Middleweight
1. Anderson Silva
2. Yushin Okami
3. Dan Henderson
4. Nate Marquardt
5. Jorge Santiago
6. Demian Maia
7. Vitor Belfort
8. Robbie Lawler
9. Yoshiro Akiyama
10. Chael Sonnen
Welterweight
1. George St Pierre
2. Jon Fitch
3. Thiago Alves
4. Paulo Thiago
5. Josh Koscheck
6. Mike Swick
7. Matt Hughes
8. Carlos Condit
9. Dan Hardy
10. Jay Hieron
Lightweight
1. BJ Penn
2. Shinya Aoki
3. Eddie Alvarez
4. Kenny Florian
5. Tatsuya Kawajiri
6. Gray Maynard
7. Frankie Edgar
8. Sean Sherk
9. Gilbert Melendez
10. Diego Sanchez
Featherweight
1. Mike Thomas Brown
2. Urijah Faber
3. Wagney Fabiano
4. Hatsu Hioki
5. Jose Aldo
6. Leonard Garcia
7. Takeshi Inoue
8. Raphael Assuncao
9. Masanori Kanehara
10. Bibiano Fernandez
Bantamweight
1. Brian Bowles
2. Miguel Torres
3. Masakatsu Ueda
4. Takeya Mizugaki
5. Dominick Cruz
6. Joseph Benavidez
7. Akitoshi Tamura
8. Manny Tapia
9. Damacio Page
10. Rani Yahya
Well, here's this asshole's opinion on who ranks where, when, and how. Flame away my friends....
Heavyweight:
1. Fedor Emelianenko
2. Josh Barnett
3. Brock Lesnar
4. Frank Mir
5. Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira
6. Brett Rogers
7. Andre Arlovski
8. Randy Couture
9. Shane Carwin
10. Junior Dos Santos
Light Heavyweight
1. Lyoto Machida
2. Rashad Evans
3. Quentin Jackson
4. Forrest Griffin
5. Mauricio Rua
6. Thiago Silva
7. Luis Arthur Cane
8. Antonio Rogerio Nogueira
9. Kieth Jardine
10. Rich Franklin
Middleweight
1. Anderson Silva
2. Yushin Okami
3. Dan Henderson
4. Nate Marquardt
5. Jorge Santiago
6. Demian Maia
7. Vitor Belfort
8. Robbie Lawler
9. Yoshiro Akiyama
10. Chael Sonnen
Welterweight
1. George St Pierre
2. Jon Fitch
3. Thiago Alves
4. Paulo Thiago
5. Josh Koscheck
6. Mike Swick
7. Matt Hughes
8. Carlos Condit
9. Dan Hardy
10. Jay Hieron
Lightweight
1. BJ Penn
2. Shinya Aoki
3. Eddie Alvarez
4. Kenny Florian
5. Tatsuya Kawajiri
6. Gray Maynard
7. Frankie Edgar
8. Sean Sherk
9. Gilbert Melendez
10. Diego Sanchez
Featherweight
1. Mike Thomas Brown
2. Urijah Faber
3. Wagney Fabiano
4. Hatsu Hioki
5. Jose Aldo
6. Leonard Garcia
7. Takeshi Inoue
8. Raphael Assuncao
9. Masanori Kanehara
10. Bibiano Fernandez
Bantamweight
1. Brian Bowles
2. Miguel Torres
3. Masakatsu Ueda
4. Takeya Mizugaki
5. Dominick Cruz
6. Joseph Benavidez
7. Akitoshi Tamura
8. Manny Tapia
9. Damacio Page
10. Rani Yahya
Fight Night Fallout: Guillard vs Diaz
In what appeared to be a less than stellar night of fights, the participants in tonight's UFC offering exceeded expectations. From the opening bell of the first bout contested between Tim Credeur and Nate Quarry, we saw a back and forth brawl that saw the "Rock" win a tough unanimous decision. With the win, it looks like Nate moves toward the next up and comer as the resident gatekeeper for the UFC middleweight division, and Credeur goes back to the drawing board.
In a fight most thought would be a convincing win for the former WEC champ Condit, Jake Ellenberger decided to contest that thought by corking The Natural Born Killer with a couple of steaming right hands. Fortunately for Condit, Ellenberger was not on the same level when the fight hit the floor. Condit recovered his wits to end the first round and scored with several sub attempts and ground and pound through rounds 2 and 3 to manage a split decision win to nab his first win in the Octagon. Condit showed he has the gusto to keep on trucking in the UFC welterweight division, while Ellenberger remains a developing prospect.
In farewell match for Roger Huerta, The Bully Gray Maynard managed to utilize improved boxing and his bread and butter wrestling to manage a hard fought if not uber exciting win. Maynard started the first by catching Huerta with a couple of glancing shots, then got rocked by a flurried combination by El Matador. Maynard managed to recover, but without much else occurring in the round, Huerta stole the first by a score of 10-9. Round 2 found a faster paced exchange, with Maynard earning the round with more accurate punching and a jab induce knock down. The final stanza saw Maynard finally use his D1 wrestling ability and take Huerta down. Once the fight hit the ground, it was only a matter of time as Huerta showed his inability to get off the ground and his lack of a submission game. Maynard managed a nasty kimura that saw Huerta's shoulder get twisted like a Rob Zombie film. The round ended with both fighters standing in a weak clinch as the buzzer sounded. Maynard takes the fight by split decision, moving himself one step closer to a title fight, while Roger "El Model" Huerta moves on to greener pastures.
The make-no-sense main event of the evening saw Smokey the Bandits 'lil brother Nate Diaz face off against controversial lightweight, Melvin Guillard. Guillard managed a knock down in the opening seconds of the first round, landing a ginormic right hand on Diaz. Diaz managed to recover, but ended up losing the remainder of the first round to the elusive Young Assassin. The end came just after 2 minutes in round 2 when Guillard decided to get lazy and stick his neck out giraffe style on a takedown, thusly getting put in a modified guillotine that ended the fight. With the expected win, Diaz gets to keep his job. Guillard experiences his first loss in 2 years, and shows some maturity as a fighter in a loss that will likely land him in the vicinity of Dana White's cut list.
In a fight most thought would be a convincing win for the former WEC champ Condit, Jake Ellenberger decided to contest that thought by corking The Natural Born Killer with a couple of steaming right hands. Fortunately for Condit, Ellenberger was not on the same level when the fight hit the floor. Condit recovered his wits to end the first round and scored with several sub attempts and ground and pound through rounds 2 and 3 to manage a split decision win to nab his first win in the Octagon. Condit showed he has the gusto to keep on trucking in the UFC welterweight division, while Ellenberger remains a developing prospect.
In farewell match for Roger Huerta, The Bully Gray Maynard managed to utilize improved boxing and his bread and butter wrestling to manage a hard fought if not uber exciting win. Maynard started the first by catching Huerta with a couple of glancing shots, then got rocked by a flurried combination by El Matador. Maynard managed to recover, but without much else occurring in the round, Huerta stole the first by a score of 10-9. Round 2 found a faster paced exchange, with Maynard earning the round with more accurate punching and a jab induce knock down. The final stanza saw Maynard finally use his D1 wrestling ability and take Huerta down. Once the fight hit the ground, it was only a matter of time as Huerta showed his inability to get off the ground and his lack of a submission game. Maynard managed a nasty kimura that saw Huerta's shoulder get twisted like a Rob Zombie film. The round ended with both fighters standing in a weak clinch as the buzzer sounded. Maynard takes the fight by split decision, moving himself one step closer to a title fight, while Roger "El Model" Huerta moves on to greener pastures.
The make-no-sense main event of the evening saw Smokey the Bandits 'lil brother Nate Diaz face off against controversial lightweight, Melvin Guillard. Guillard managed a knock down in the opening seconds of the first round, landing a ginormic right hand on Diaz. Diaz managed to recover, but ended up losing the remainder of the first round to the elusive Young Assassin. The end came just after 2 minutes in round 2 when Guillard decided to get lazy and stick his neck out giraffe style on a takedown, thusly getting put in a modified guillotine that ended the fight. With the expected win, Diaz gets to keep his job. Guillard experiences his first loss in 2 years, and shows some maturity as a fighter in a loss that will likely land him in the vicinity of Dana White's cut list.
Monday, September 14, 2009
Rankings: P4P
While rankings tend to be severely subjective and in may cases altogether without merit, there are also instances that the rank of a fighter is justified. Unfortunately, it all comes back to opinion when determining who the top 10 fighters in the world are and how they line up sequentially. And we all know the old saying when it comes to opinions, just like assholes, everyone has one.
Well, here's this asshole's opinion on who ranks where, when, and how. Flame away my friends....
P4P:
1. George St Pierre
While most pundits have chosen one Anderson Silva as the p4p king of our sport, I must go with the UFC's resident French Canadian phenom. His record speaks for it self. His last 10 wins have been top 10 wins. No one else can boast that kind of record against that kind of competition. If not for the Serra loss, this would not even be a conversation. Silva's dominance comes very close, but I feel that GSP has more than redeemed himself of the Matt Serra loss.
2. Anderson Silva
His utter destruction of former light heavyweight champion Forrest Griffin was like watching a cartoon. Silva's ability to finish guys and make them look like 1-1 fighters is unparalleled. The only reason he is not #1 is the lackluster performances against Leites and Cote and the fact that, though not his fault, his competition has not been to the level of George St Pierre's.
3. Fedor Emelianenko
Despite his sheer dominance over the last 7 years, outside of Mirko Cro Cop and Nogueira, Fedor's Pride run has been filled with opponents that were beneath him, or not relevant at the heavyweight class. Yes, yes, some will argue that guys like Heath Herring and Semmy Schilt were relevant, but those fights were 7 years ago, not to mention that those oppopnents no longer matter now. The Arlovski and Sylvia fights were quality wins, but at this point it seems that those fights were more of an indictment on the 2 former UFC heavyweight champs than kudos for the Last Emperor. Regardless, until he's beaten or goes back to fighting guys like Zulu or a featherweight, he will remain a top 10 mainstay.
4. Lyoto Machida
Undefeated, 3 top 10 wins in his last 5 fights, 2 top 15 wins in his last 5 fights, current reigning UFC light heavyweight champion. Machida's record speaks for itself. But what is more notable about him is his fighting style. His use of Shotokan Karate as a base for his fight style sets him apart from his contemporaries. Most critics and pundits alike feel that he is at least 2 years ahead of the rest of the division if not the rest of the MMA world. His new found aggression and ability to finish opponents only adds to the most unlikely UFC draw. Should he keep his current pace, Machida may surpass Chuck Liddell as the most dominant light heavyweight champion the UFC has ever seen. Since Liddell, no light heavyweight champion has defended the title more than once. Machida's march to greatness begins with Shogun Rua in October.
5. BJ Penn
One of the most charismatic and polarizing figures in all of MMA. He is either considered by most to be either the most talented fighter in the world or the most overrated. Regardless, Penn's endless quest to test himself has availed him a spot here on the top 10 P4P rankings. Beginning with his improbable win over then P4P king Matt Hughes, to his domination of Takanori Gomi, Penn has made a habit of defeating fighters he wasn't supposed to, and losing fights he should perhaps have taken easily. Regardless, the run Penn has put together in the lightweight division has been impressive. It looks like BJ Penn may finally live up to the potential that so many thought he had.
6. Mike Thomas Brown
MTB goes from quality lightweight to the best in the world at featherweight. Proving that when skill and ability are fairly equal, size matters. Brown fought for years as a healthy sized lightweight fighter and had great success doing so, earning quality wins over fighters like Mark Hominick and Yves Edwards. Fast forward a few years and move down a weight class and you get the #6 best fighter in the world. Brown's run at 145 lbs has run through Jeff Curran, Leonard Garcia, and a former pound for pound stalwart Urijah Faber, twice. Thusly showing that MTB is the RFD (Real Fucking Deal).
7. Jon Fitch
While I wouldn't put the boring label on Fitch, he is the MMA equivalent to Tim Duncan. Calling him the Big Fundamental would certainly not be a stretch as he is well rounded in all facets of the game. With a shiny 10-1 record inside the UFC, Fitch has cemented himself as the perrenial 2nd best welterweight fighter in the world as he is unfortunately the Scottie Pippen to George St Pierre's Michael Jordan. Regardless, Fitch has dominated the competiton he has faced outside of GSP, putting him in the upper echelon of the MMA world.
8. Quentin Jackson
5 top 10 fights at 205 with 4 wins out of those 5 puts Mr Jackson at the numero 8 spot on our rankings. While controversy still swirls around Jackson's 2008 road rage rampage, it cannot be denied that he has racked up the neccesary wins to keep himself in the mix in the pound for pound rankings. Jackson is receiveing some flack for taking on a movie role instead of participating in his scrapped match with Rashad Evans in December, however, a return in early 2010 against Evans is tenatively planned. Should he win that fight, Jackson can only climb higher on this list.
9. Miguel Torres
A stinging defeat by TKO at the hands of relative new comer Brian Bowles drops Torres to near the bottom of the list. However, Torres'record prior to the loss was as impressive as they come. Torres needs to win his next fight to stay relevant in the pound for pound conversation, but his ability and talent cannot be denied.
10. Rashad Evans
"Sugar" was on the run of his life before he hit the wall in the form of Lyoto Machida. Undefeated in 13 fights, Rashad saw his streak crumble as Lyoto put a punctuation on his win against the Greg Jackson trained fighter by knocking him out cold. Regardless, a KO of Chuck Liddell and a TKO of Forrest Griffin land Evans in the last spot on this list.
Well, here's this asshole's opinion on who ranks where, when, and how. Flame away my friends....
P4P:
1. George St Pierre
While most pundits have chosen one Anderson Silva as the p4p king of our sport, I must go with the UFC's resident French Canadian phenom. His record speaks for it self. His last 10 wins have been top 10 wins. No one else can boast that kind of record against that kind of competition. If not for the Serra loss, this would not even be a conversation. Silva's dominance comes very close, but I feel that GSP has more than redeemed himself of the Matt Serra loss.
2. Anderson Silva
His utter destruction of former light heavyweight champion Forrest Griffin was like watching a cartoon. Silva's ability to finish guys and make them look like 1-1 fighters is unparalleled. The only reason he is not #1 is the lackluster performances against Leites and Cote and the fact that, though not his fault, his competition has not been to the level of George St Pierre's.
3. Fedor Emelianenko
Despite his sheer dominance over the last 7 years, outside of Mirko Cro Cop and Nogueira, Fedor's Pride run has been filled with opponents that were beneath him, or not relevant at the heavyweight class. Yes, yes, some will argue that guys like Heath Herring and Semmy Schilt were relevant, but those fights were 7 years ago, not to mention that those oppopnents no longer matter now. The Arlovski and Sylvia fights were quality wins, but at this point it seems that those fights were more of an indictment on the 2 former UFC heavyweight champs than kudos for the Last Emperor. Regardless, until he's beaten or goes back to fighting guys like Zulu or a featherweight, he will remain a top 10 mainstay.
4. Lyoto Machida
Undefeated, 3 top 10 wins in his last 5 fights, 2 top 15 wins in his last 5 fights, current reigning UFC light heavyweight champion. Machida's record speaks for itself. But what is more notable about him is his fighting style. His use of Shotokan Karate as a base for his fight style sets him apart from his contemporaries. Most critics and pundits alike feel that he is at least 2 years ahead of the rest of the division if not the rest of the MMA world. His new found aggression and ability to finish opponents only adds to the most unlikely UFC draw. Should he keep his current pace, Machida may surpass Chuck Liddell as the most dominant light heavyweight champion the UFC has ever seen. Since Liddell, no light heavyweight champion has defended the title more than once. Machida's march to greatness begins with Shogun Rua in October.
5. BJ Penn
One of the most charismatic and polarizing figures in all of MMA. He is either considered by most to be either the most talented fighter in the world or the most overrated. Regardless, Penn's endless quest to test himself has availed him a spot here on the top 10 P4P rankings. Beginning with his improbable win over then P4P king Matt Hughes, to his domination of Takanori Gomi, Penn has made a habit of defeating fighters he wasn't supposed to, and losing fights he should perhaps have taken easily. Regardless, the run Penn has put together in the lightweight division has been impressive. It looks like BJ Penn may finally live up to the potential that so many thought he had.
6. Mike Thomas Brown
MTB goes from quality lightweight to the best in the world at featherweight. Proving that when skill and ability are fairly equal, size matters. Brown fought for years as a healthy sized lightweight fighter and had great success doing so, earning quality wins over fighters like Mark Hominick and Yves Edwards. Fast forward a few years and move down a weight class and you get the #6 best fighter in the world. Brown's run at 145 lbs has run through Jeff Curran, Leonard Garcia, and a former pound for pound stalwart Urijah Faber, twice. Thusly showing that MTB is the RFD (Real Fucking Deal).
7. Jon Fitch
While I wouldn't put the boring label on Fitch, he is the MMA equivalent to Tim Duncan. Calling him the Big Fundamental would certainly not be a stretch as he is well rounded in all facets of the game. With a shiny 10-1 record inside the UFC, Fitch has cemented himself as the perrenial 2nd best welterweight fighter in the world as he is unfortunately the Scottie Pippen to George St Pierre's Michael Jordan. Regardless, Fitch has dominated the competiton he has faced outside of GSP, putting him in the upper echelon of the MMA world.
8. Quentin Jackson
5 top 10 fights at 205 with 4 wins out of those 5 puts Mr Jackson at the numero 8 spot on our rankings. While controversy still swirls around Jackson's 2008 road rage rampage, it cannot be denied that he has racked up the neccesary wins to keep himself in the mix in the pound for pound rankings. Jackson is receiveing some flack for taking on a movie role instead of participating in his scrapped match with Rashad Evans in December, however, a return in early 2010 against Evans is tenatively planned. Should he win that fight, Jackson can only climb higher on this list.
9. Miguel Torres
A stinging defeat by TKO at the hands of relative new comer Brian Bowles drops Torres to near the bottom of the list. However, Torres'record prior to the loss was as impressive as they come. Torres needs to win his next fight to stay relevant in the pound for pound conversation, but his ability and talent cannot be denied.
10. Rashad Evans
"Sugar" was on the run of his life before he hit the wall in the form of Lyoto Machida. Undefeated in 13 fights, Rashad saw his streak crumble as Lyoto put a punctuation on his win against the Greg Jackson trained fighter by knocking him out cold. Regardless, a KO of Chuck Liddell and a TKO of Forrest Griffin land Evans in the last spot on this list.
Sunday, September 6, 2009
Rampage......I pity the fool!
Another season of TUF wasted with news that Rampage Jackson will be taking on the role of BA Barackus in the A-Team remake coming next year. Filming for the movie begins this month, meaning Rampage will not be able to train for his fight against Rashad Evans as planned in December. While I understand fighters need to have a back up career once they are done in the fight biz, being a fighter means fighting comes first. The Evans fight was as big a fight as there was coming this year as it pits 2 top 10 fighters against each other in the hopes of lining up the next possible title contender. With Rampage going Cung Le on us, it looks like we will have to wait for not only the Evans fight to materialize, but we also now have a stall out for the next genuine contender for Lyoto Machida's title. As is, Shogun should not be contending for the belt, now who knows who is next for the Dragon?
Wednesday, August 5, 2009
Size Difference?!
BJ Penn has spoken ad nauseum about going up and down in weight to fight champions in every weight class because he feels that size is not an issue when it comes to fighting. Well, sorry BJ, but size matters. Especially if 2 fighters have the same level of skill, as we saw with the BJ/GSP fight, the smaller guy probably won't win when the difference maker is sheer bulk. What spurred this thought was seeing a video of BJ meeting up with Anderson Silva, Silva was the Hulk to BJ's Bruce Banner. See it here:
http://mmabay.co.uk/bj%20and%20anderson.html
http://mmabay.co.uk/bj%20and%20anderson.html
Tuesday, August 4, 2009
.....To The Rescue!!!
With Affliction folding like origami, the talk coming from fans and media have been mostly about where Fedor will end up (Strikeforce) and what will happen to Affliction. What has not been getting as much attention is where the fighters who were supposed to fight on that card would end up. Big ups to the UFC and Strikeforce for pulling in a lot of these fighters who were left floating in limbo. Nice to see Coker and the big D (Dana) stepping in to help out the guys who would otherwisw be left in the cold.
Saturday, July 25, 2009
Beware my white belt level jiu jitsu......
*Started BJJ classes, going to keep updates of my experience with it here on ye ole MMA blog, enjoy!
Had my first official BJJ class today, I am outta f%$#@&* shape! Warm ups killed my ass so fast it wasn't even.....well, I suppose it was actually pretty funny. Just worked on basic guard passes, arm bars, triangles, side mount, full mount and hip escapes. Very fun, very energy consuming. How guys can gas out after training like that on a daily basis is beyond me, I am wiped! Looking forward to the next class, not looking forward to the exhaustion. And so we go.....
The Steroid-Faced Assassin
The title is a little harsh, but not by much. If you're a hardcore and have not heard the story, you've been living under Mark Hunt's dirty underwear over the last week. Josh Barnett, former UFC heavyweight champion, has tested positive yet again for a banned substance 11 days prior to his showdown with the toughest chubby guy alive, Fedor Emelianenko.
I don't even really know what to say. We were finally going to be given a fight that fans and pundits alike have actually been clamoring for for years, and in less than 2 weeks out from the battle of his life, Barnett gets popped with a positive test by the CSAC. Given I don't know the whole story, and Barnett may have a good, or at least plausible, explanation for the positive, but where there is smoke, there is fire, and where there is fire, there is an ass LYING THROUGH HIS TEETH! (Excuse me, that was uncalled for.)
In any case, the worst of this situation may not even be that we lost a fantastic and relevant heavyweight tilt, but that we have most likely lost another major promotion that was attempting to compete with the Zuffa regime. Fresh off the heels of the Barnett sitch, Affliction announced that they are canceling Trilogy all together and the UFC has brought them back into the fold as a sponsor. What this says to me is that like Kimbo Slice, Josh Barnett has single handedly sunk a major fight promotion. Booooooo!
I respect Josh Barnett tremendously as a fighter. He's a guy that is capable of beating any heavyweight fighter on the planet on any given night, including Fedor. Problem being is that he seems to make bad choices at inopportune times that cost the fans great fights and costs MMA in general some legitimacy. I am no one to judge a professional MMA fighter, but from my POV, Barnett and professional do not go hand in hand. Just my opinion........
-R
Friday, July 17, 2009
10 - 10 Rounds, Yay or Nay?
To say judging in MMA is sub par would be like saying getting hit in the head with a bat "kinda hurts." Understatement personified. In any case, there is an ongoing argument by MMA pundits in regard to the use of scoring close rounds in MMA a 10 - 10 rather the standard 10 - 9. I can get on board with this scoring methodology as long as it is used accurately.
Too many times in fights we will have ultra close rounds that could be decided by a punch or a takedown be called a 10 - 9, when a more prudent and justified score of 10 - 10 would be much more accurate, but for the sake of trying to declare a winner, a 10 - 9 will be handed out. It would be much more prudent and fair to use the 10 - 10 rounds if rounds are that close.
In my fanboy opinion, this would produce less boring rounds as fighters would be pushed to actually win rounds and fight more aggressively to that end. Of course there are no guarantees, we'll always have our Jake O'Briens and Antonio McKee's of the MMA world, but if it were me and I wanted to win a fight, the thought of getting a draw would make me work that much harder.
Too many times in fights we will have ultra close rounds that could be decided by a punch or a takedown be called a 10 - 9, when a more prudent and justified score of 10 - 10 would be much more accurate, but for the sake of trying to declare a winner, a 10 - 9 will be handed out. It would be much more prudent and fair to use the 10 - 10 rounds if rounds are that close.
In my fanboy opinion, this would produce less boring rounds as fighters would be pushed to actually win rounds and fight more aggressively to that end. Of course there are no guarantees, we'll always have our Jake O'Briens and Antonio McKee's of the MMA world, but if it were me and I wanted to win a fight, the thought of getting a draw would make me work that much harder.
Wednesday, July 15, 2009
UFC 103 Main Event =........
Chuck's taking a year off to heal his infamous mo-hawked dome, leaving UFC 103 without a main event as of now. His opponent was supposed to be Rich Franklin, who seems to be the de facto go to guy when they cannot pull a title fight onto a card. While not the most digestible of main eventers in the UFC's arsenal, using "Ace" in the top spot certainly does not hurt the UFC as Franklin is actually a bigger PPV draw than their middleweight champ and p4p juggernaut, Anderson Silva. If they are dead set on putting Franklin back into the top slot for 103, here are some ideas that could be intriguing if not meaningful within the light heavyweight ranks.
vs Keith Jardine:
A Jardine vs Franklin scrap would certainly be a fight that would have rankings ramifications and would help flesh out a possible contender. Jardine's jittery "I'm having a seizure" style against Franklin's loopy punch stand up would be, if nothing else, an interesting visual. While it's a close fight and either professional ass kicker could pull out a win, I would pick the perennially black eyed Franklin to win this fight. Franklin does not have the same oomph in his punches as Jardine, but Jardine has been known to be more inconsistent and way more chinny than the former middleweight champeen of dah worl'. Franklin has better footwork that would allow him to stay away from Jardine and seems to have a better ground game, not that we've seen Jardine on the ground, but the hyperbole the Jackson camp spits about how good he is on the ground is just that until he proves it. In either case, a win for either guy would help push a new contender forward in a division suddenly put on hold for another season of TUF.
***Note: (Just realized Jardine will be fighting Thiago Silva at 102, but I'm keeping the analysis because it's the UFC, who knows?)
vs Luis Cane
While not exactly a marquee fight if it happens, pitting "Banha" against Rich Franklin would definitely have rankings implications and would no doubt be an entertaining fight. Not a fight the UFC would necessarily be pushing real hard for, but if they need a main event for 103, they could certainly do worse than a fight between two top ten fighters in Cane and Franklin. If Franlkin can keep away from Cane's power and use his foot work to work his jab and kicks, I can see Franklin working towards a decision. I cannot see Franklin cracking Cane's nut though as both Sokodjou and Steve Cantwell landed flush and could not put him away. Franklin has a well rounded enough game to win an entertaining decision. However, if Rich gets clipped by one of "Banha's" power shots, it could be a short night for "Ace." Not a main event level fight, not really worth 45 bucks, but a very good fight regardless.
vs Wanderlei Silva
If push comes to shove and shove comes to sucker punch in the grill, I wouldn't put it pass Zuffa to put on an immediate rematch between these two for the sake of a main event. Obviously they would market it as the first fight being "hotly" contested and Wanderlei thought he won the fight. Okay by me as I am one in the few that had the school of thought that the first fight was fun to watch and fairly entertaining. As long as it was not a catch weight bout I'd be okay with this fight going down again. Would I rather see something else, sure. Would I jump Dana's sh$%# for letting Franklin/Silva 2 go down? No, not really. This fight would most likely go down the same way as the first one, unless Wanderlei went head hunting the entire fight. If that happened, I would put money on a finish one way or the other. As it stands though, Franklin by decision.
vs Keith Jardine:
A Jardine vs Franklin scrap would certainly be a fight that would have rankings ramifications and would help flesh out a possible contender. Jardine's jittery "I'm having a seizure" style against Franklin's loopy punch stand up would be, if nothing else, an interesting visual. While it's a close fight and either professional ass kicker could pull out a win, I would pick the perennially black eyed Franklin to win this fight. Franklin does not have the same oomph in his punches as Jardine, but Jardine has been known to be more inconsistent and way more chinny than the former middleweight champeen of dah worl'. Franklin has better footwork that would allow him to stay away from Jardine and seems to have a better ground game, not that we've seen Jardine on the ground, but the hyperbole the Jackson camp spits about how good he is on the ground is just that until he proves it. In either case, a win for either guy would help push a new contender forward in a division suddenly put on hold for another season of TUF.
***Note: (Just realized Jardine will be fighting Thiago Silva at 102, but I'm keeping the analysis because it's the UFC, who knows?)
vs Luis Cane
While not exactly a marquee fight if it happens, pitting "Banha" against Rich Franklin would definitely have rankings implications and would no doubt be an entertaining fight. Not a fight the UFC would necessarily be pushing real hard for, but if they need a main event for 103, they could certainly do worse than a fight between two top ten fighters in Cane and Franklin. If Franlkin can keep away from Cane's power and use his foot work to work his jab and kicks, I can see Franklin working towards a decision. I cannot see Franklin cracking Cane's nut though as both Sokodjou and Steve Cantwell landed flush and could not put him away. Franklin has a well rounded enough game to win an entertaining decision. However, if Rich gets clipped by one of "Banha's" power shots, it could be a short night for "Ace." Not a main event level fight, not really worth 45 bucks, but a very good fight regardless.
vs Wanderlei Silva
If push comes to shove and shove comes to sucker punch in the grill, I wouldn't put it pass Zuffa to put on an immediate rematch between these two for the sake of a main event. Obviously they would market it as the first fight being "hotly" contested and Wanderlei thought he won the fight. Okay by me as I am one in the few that had the school of thought that the first fight was fun to watch and fairly entertaining. As long as it was not a catch weight bout I'd be okay with this fight going down again. Would I rather see something else, sure. Would I jump Dana's sh$%# for letting Franklin/Silva 2 go down? No, not really. This fight would most likely go down the same way as the first one, unless Wanderlei went head hunting the entire fight. If that happened, I would put money on a finish one way or the other. As it stands though, Franklin by decision.
Friday, July 10, 2009
Alves vs St Pierre: The Breakdown
Short and sweet, Georges St Pierre will dominate Thiago Alves.
Georges is just too good at this point to go down to a fighter like Alves. And that is not an indictment on Thiago Alves as much as it is a credit to how good GSP has become. Throw in the Greg Jackson game planning and I can say with a certain amount of confidence that Georges will not be beaten for some time. Many fans and pundits alike still hold the Matt Serra loss against him, but in my opinion, the streak he has gone on since has more than absolved him of any doubts. He absolutely overwhelmed his closest competion in Jon Fitch, and laid an "ultimate" beatdown on a guy that was widely considered by fans, "experts," and other fighters to be the best fighter in the world in BJ Penn. Anderson Silva stated as much prior to the Penn/St Pierre fight.
In terms of styles, I just don't see how Alves can beat St Pierre outside of landing a Matt Serra-like shot. Alves' most effective offense, the leg kick, will turn into the bane of his existence in this fight as St Pierre will use it to take him down. On the feet, there will not be as big of a striking disparity as many think there will be, and in my oh so not quite humble opinion, Thiago has a suspect chin. As good as Alves is at getting back to his feet and defending the takedown, St Pierre is just on another level in terms of takedown ability and top control. If GSP gets in top position, it may be a long night, or short for that matter, for Thiago Alves. Georges is just too fast, explosive, and most importantly, skilled, to get merked by anything Alves has to offer. The prediction........St Pierre, 2nd round TKO!
-R
Georges is just too good at this point to go down to a fighter like Alves. And that is not an indictment on Thiago Alves as much as it is a credit to how good GSP has become. Throw in the Greg Jackson game planning and I can say with a certain amount of confidence that Georges will not be beaten for some time. Many fans and pundits alike still hold the Matt Serra loss against him, but in my opinion, the streak he has gone on since has more than absolved him of any doubts. He absolutely overwhelmed his closest competion in Jon Fitch, and laid an "ultimate" beatdown on a guy that was widely considered by fans, "experts," and other fighters to be the best fighter in the world in BJ Penn. Anderson Silva stated as much prior to the Penn/St Pierre fight.
In terms of styles, I just don't see how Alves can beat St Pierre outside of landing a Matt Serra-like shot. Alves' most effective offense, the leg kick, will turn into the bane of his existence in this fight as St Pierre will use it to take him down. On the feet, there will not be as big of a striking disparity as many think there will be, and in my oh so not quite humble opinion, Thiago has a suspect chin. As good as Alves is at getting back to his feet and defending the takedown, St Pierre is just on another level in terms of takedown ability and top control. If GSP gets in top position, it may be a long night, or short for that matter, for Thiago Alves. Georges is just too fast, explosive, and most importantly, skilled, to get merked by anything Alves has to offer. The prediction........St Pierre, 2nd round TKO!
-R
Friday, June 19, 2009
Bellator
As up and coming promotions go, Bellator has been one of the better ones going. If not for star power, at least for redonkulous finishes to their fights. Between inverted arial triangle submissions and spinning backfist ko's, this new fight org is putting on some of the best quality fights in MMA by my guess-timation.
I am definitely looking forward to actually being able to watch the fights on tv as well, as the rumour of Bellator coming to ESPN 2 or possibly a basic cable network is looming. As of now, you can only view Bellator on either the Espanol version of ESPN, ESPN Deportes, or the interwebs. I don't get putting it on Deportes as MMA is not exactly a huge draw with the Hispanic community, but whatever. I get trying to market to the traditional boxing fans which latinos are a ginormic part of, but if you're launching a brand new promotion, why would you not aim it at the larger MMA market, the English speaking community. But I digress.....
I'm calling the upset of the month, Toby Imada will pull out the victory over Eddie Alvarez. I am not absolutely sure that this will happen, but to be interesting and bold, I am going with Imada. While Eddie is an overall better fighter, I can't shake that "feeling" that Imada has some more magic in him. If I'm wrong, wouldn't be the first time, sure as eff won't be the last. I'll also take Lombard over Hess by facial merking.
Here's hoping there will be some more "Holy Sh%$" moments tonight.
-R
I am definitely looking forward to actually being able to watch the fights on tv as well, as the rumour of Bellator coming to ESPN 2 or possibly a basic cable network is looming. As of now, you can only view Bellator on either the Espanol version of ESPN, ESPN Deportes, or the interwebs. I don't get putting it on Deportes as MMA is not exactly a huge draw with the Hispanic community, but whatever. I get trying to market to the traditional boxing fans which latinos are a ginormic part of, but if you're launching a brand new promotion, why would you not aim it at the larger MMA market, the English speaking community. But I digress.....
I'm calling the upset of the month, Toby Imada will pull out the victory over Eddie Alvarez. I am not absolutely sure that this will happen, but to be interesting and bold, I am going with Imada. While Eddie is an overall better fighter, I can't shake that "feeling" that Imada has some more magic in him. If I'm wrong, wouldn't be the first time, sure as eff won't be the last. I'll also take Lombard over Hess by facial merking.
Here's hoping there will be some more "Holy Sh%$" moments tonight.
-R
Wednesday, June 3, 2009
*****NEWS*****
At UFC 98, it took Lyoto Machida less than two full rounds at UF C 98 to claim the UFC light heavyweight title from former champion, Rashad Evans. Machida won in convincing fashion with a dehabiliating left hook that floored Evans and put his lights out. With that win, Machida has cemented himself as the top 205 lber in the world.
Friday, May 1, 2009
Next Generation MMA Fighters You Can Bank On
As this generations top fighters begin to either deteriorate or stop evolving, there are new young fighters beginning to emerge that will take the stage as being the top fighters in their respective weight classes. Chuck Liddell is no longer the light heavyweight boogeyman, Matt Hughes' once indisputable dominance at welterweight ended with a Canadian head kick and a Brazilian knee, and the list goes on. Once mighty top ten stalwarts such as Mirko "Cro Cop"Filipovic or Wanderlei Silva have begun their descent into that much respected, yet double en tendered state of "Legendary" status. Becoming a legend is something to strive for, but when you are still fighting and people refer to you as a "legend," it is more than likely that you are no longer relevant in modern MMA. Unfortunate, yet inevitable.
So now we have our new crop of top stars that are fulfilling their once ballyhooed potential. Heavyweight has Brock Lesnar and Shane Carwin. 2 grizzly bears posing as men. The light heavyweight division offers a crop of fighters like no other with the likes of Rashad Evans, Forrest Griffin, Lyoto Machida, and Rampage Jackson just to touch on a few. Middleweight, the once bastard stepchild of the light heavyweight division, contains, albeit barely, the p4p top fighter in the world, Anderson Silva. Welterweight and lightweight have a bevy of fighters that could lay claim to being the top fighters in their division, if not for the excellent Georges St Pierre and the incomparable BJ Penn, respectively. Fedor Emelianko may truly be the last emperor of his generation of top fighters.
That being said, who are tomorrow's top MMA fighters? Who will stand tall as the best MMA has to offer 3, 4, 5 years from now? Below you'll find my OPINION on a few guys that I think will be tomorrow's top stars. I could be completely off my rocking horse, but based on what these fighters have shown this early in their careers, I can safely guess that these guys will produce in spades.
Cain Velasquez
This American Kickboxin Academy fighter has the goods to become the next big force at the plus 205 weight class. A spectacular wrestling pedigree coupled with a heavy hand striking style make Velasquez a top contender in the heavyweight class already. If his improvement continues in all aspects of the game as it appears it has been, Fedor WILL have some competition as the undisputed top dog of this weight class.
Jon Jones
Maybe the greenest of the fighters on this list, Jones has shown that he has what it takes to be the next big thing at light heavyweight, or MMA in general for that matter. His beatdown of Andre Gusmao was impressive, but his thrashing of the uber tough Stephen Bonnar drew eye balls to this man child. Jones unorthodox fighting style makes him an exciting fighter to watch, even better, his style is successful in the octagon. His ability to throw guys around like rag dolls and his frenetic striking style make for someone that fans will want to watch. If the UFC brings him along and makes the right matches for him to develop properly, the sky's the limit for the "Martian Man Hunter."
Anthony "Rumble" Johnson
I have serious doubts that anyone outside of Thiago Alves at welterweight hits as hard as Anthony Johnson. Even then I might go with Johnson. The guy has obvious physical gifts that have allowed him to be successful in the octagon against tough competition. While he may not be the most complete fighter yet, he has potential flying out his ears. Working with Cung Le and Josh Thomson does not hurt either in terms of his development. Johnson reminds me of a young Quentin Jackson. Jackson was very similar to Johnson in his early career, a gifted athlete with very good wrestling and powerful striking ability. If Quentin Jackson is any indicator, Johnson can only go up. As long as Johnson continues to develop his overall game, not only will he be successful at welterweight, but at 6'2 and built like a tank, he could be successful at 170 lbs and up.
-R
So now we have our new crop of top stars that are fulfilling their once ballyhooed potential. Heavyweight has Brock Lesnar and Shane Carwin. 2 grizzly bears posing as men. The light heavyweight division offers a crop of fighters like no other with the likes of Rashad Evans, Forrest Griffin, Lyoto Machida, and Rampage Jackson just to touch on a few. Middleweight, the once bastard stepchild of the light heavyweight division, contains, albeit barely, the p4p top fighter in the world, Anderson Silva. Welterweight and lightweight have a bevy of fighters that could lay claim to being the top fighters in their division, if not for the excellent Georges St Pierre and the incomparable BJ Penn, respectively. Fedor Emelianko may truly be the last emperor of his generation of top fighters.
That being said, who are tomorrow's top MMA fighters? Who will stand tall as the best MMA has to offer 3, 4, 5 years from now? Below you'll find my OPINION on a few guys that I think will be tomorrow's top stars. I could be completely off my rocking horse, but based on what these fighters have shown this early in their careers, I can safely guess that these guys will produce in spades.
Cain Velasquez
This American Kickboxin Academy fighter has the goods to become the next big force at the plus 205 weight class. A spectacular wrestling pedigree coupled with a heavy hand striking style make Velasquez a top contender in the heavyweight class already. If his improvement continues in all aspects of the game as it appears it has been, Fedor WILL have some competition as the undisputed top dog of this weight class.
Jon Jones
Maybe the greenest of the fighters on this list, Jones has shown that he has what it takes to be the next big thing at light heavyweight, or MMA in general for that matter. His beatdown of Andre Gusmao was impressive, but his thrashing of the uber tough Stephen Bonnar drew eye balls to this man child. Jones unorthodox fighting style makes him an exciting fighter to watch, even better, his style is successful in the octagon. His ability to throw guys around like rag dolls and his frenetic striking style make for someone that fans will want to watch. If the UFC brings him along and makes the right matches for him to develop properly, the sky's the limit for the "Martian Man Hunter."
Anthony "Rumble" Johnson
I have serious doubts that anyone outside of Thiago Alves at welterweight hits as hard as Anthony Johnson. Even then I might go with Johnson. The guy has obvious physical gifts that have allowed him to be successful in the octagon against tough competition. While he may not be the most complete fighter yet, he has potential flying out his ears. Working with Cung Le and Josh Thomson does not hurt either in terms of his development. Johnson reminds me of a young Quentin Jackson. Jackson was very similar to Johnson in his early career, a gifted athlete with very good wrestling and powerful striking ability. If Quentin Jackson is any indicator, Johnson can only go up. As long as Johnson continues to develop his overall game, not only will he be successful at welterweight, but at 6'2 and built like a tank, he could be successful at 170 lbs and up.
-R
Friday, February 20, 2009
Grease-Gate, Final Thoughts
By now, every fan of MMA has heard, and is probably sick to death of, the whole grease-gate scandal involving BJ Penn and his fight against defending welterweight champion, Georges St Pierre. The whole situation came off as highly accidental, though after 4 or 5 of St Pierre's prior opponents have stated in the past that he felt really slippery and greasy, it leads me to believe that George is a chronic greaser. That sounds worse than it is as far as a judgment. So he greased himself prior to fights, so what? Many fighters do. It is a way to gain an advantage over your opponent, so a lot of fighters do it.Doesn't make it right, but it does not mean it is not done. It is only now being brought out as a highly questionable act because St Pierre's corner men did it blatantly in front of UFC brass, the commission, fans, and other fighters. So now we have a spotlight on the grease thing. Now every time George comes out to fight, at least for his next couple fights, people are going to be wondering if he is all greased up.
While it doesn't necessarily put a black eye on the fight, it will still be a pretty big foot note and/or asterisk next to this fight. However, people need to chill out about it already. BJ has done his due diligence to get an understanding of the situation by asking for an investigation into the incident, and he admits he got his ass handed to him. Despite the grease, GSP would have taken that fight regardless. If you don't believe that then you are either living on Mars or in Hawaii. Ultimately, should BJ stay focused, he will dominate the lightweight division against all comers. As of now, who is really going to push him?
-R
While it doesn't necessarily put a black eye on the fight, it will still be a pretty big foot note and/or asterisk next to this fight. However, people need to chill out about it already. BJ has done his due diligence to get an understanding of the situation by asking for an investigation into the incident, and he admits he got his ass handed to him. Despite the grease, GSP would have taken that fight regardless. If you don't believe that then you are either living on Mars or in Hawaii. Ultimately, should BJ stay focused, he will dominate the lightweight division against all comers. As of now, who is really going to push him?
-R
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