When I remember UFC 134, I'll remember this: Anderson Silva stands still, both hands at his waist, daring Yushin Okami to strike him in the face, and Okami lacks the courage to do it.
Sure, it was a trap. Silva probably had a response all planned if Okami took the shot. But it was also an opportunity, one Okami was too cautious to take. Which is how Okami fought the whole time -- too cautiously -- and it cost him the fight. Silva was quicker, with a longer reach. Because Okami fought so defensively, Silva was able to stay on the outside and throw strikes without fear of being hit. And eventually, those strikes landed and Okami got knocked out.
That never would have happened if Silva had been fighting either Ross Pearson or Rodrigo "Minotauro" Nogueira. Both of those men put on a clinic in how to fight quicker, longer opponents. You have to be aggressive, constantly moving inside and attacking. When you're close enough to hit him or grapple him, then you've negated his reach advantage. And by taking the offensive, you force him to respond to you, negating the speed advantage. But pursuing that strategy takes heart, because coming inside gives your opponent more opportunities to hit or grapple you too. Both Pearson and Nogueria showed that heart.
Yes, Pearson lost. But he went the distance against the heavily favored Edson Barboza and he just barely lost, via split decision. Two judges picked Barboza as the winner, but one judge picked Pearson, and I know from listening to the mmajunkie.com podcast that a lot of people think Pearson should have been given the decision, not Barboza.
And Nogueria did win. He knocked out rising heavyweight contender Brendan Schaub. That was such an interesting fight. Schaub fought like a modern mixed martial artist: lots of movement, lots of different techniques. Nogueria just walked forward and punched Schaub in the head. And Nogueria's strategy worked. KISS, as my grandfather, Pop Pop Joe, used to say: keep it simple, stupid. And he was right: what Nogueria did wasn't fancy, but it was smart. It negated Schaub's youth, speed, and size and gave Nogueria an opportunity to win. He kept coming inside, and yes, he took his licks to do so, but as a result he was able to land a knockout blow and win.
A quick word about the Mauricio Rua -- Forrest Griffin fight. As soon as I saw Griffin walk out, I knew he would lose. He was so stiff. His back never moved. I think he was having back problems. I say that as someone who has had back problems myself. You can't perform at your best with a bad back. And he didn't. And he lost.
The other memorable moment of the night was the way in which Erick Silva knocked out Luis Ramos. It had been a good fight, a classic welterweight matchup between two quick little guys without a lot of power, full of sound and fury signifying nothing, as Faulkner would have said. And then . . . suddenly, Silva morphed into the second coming of Bruce Lee, throwing a straight lead, the foundational jete kune do technique: a long, lunging punch with some power. It stunned Ramos for a split second and then immediately on its heels came the overhand right, with a lot of power, and Ramos was knocked out. It was a beautiful combination by Silva.
The Little Dragon would have been proud.
Wednesday, August 31, 2011
Sunday, August 21, 2011
Konrad v. Buentello: THE WORST FIGHT I'VE EVER SEEN
Have you ever watched two half-naked fat guys posture for 15 minutes, circling, sweating, jiggling, always jiggling, but never actually fighting? If you had the misfortune, as I did, of watching the Bellator heavyweight "super" fight between Cole Konrad and Paul Buentello last night, then yes, yes you have, and you'll never get those minutes back.
I like Bellator. I like that they are challenging the market dominance of the UFC. I like that they have an intelligent strategy -- tournaments -- and a television partner -- MTV2 -- that enables them to air their fights on free TV. And their lighter weight divisions are great, filled with talented mixed martial artists who actually, you know, fight.
But, good God, that heavyweight fight last night was the worst fight I've ever seen, bar none. The "combatants" were so out of shape, so unskilled, so afraid ...
Words fail me. Except one.
Jiggle.
I like Bellator. I like that they are challenging the market dominance of the UFC. I like that they have an intelligent strategy -- tournaments -- and a television partner -- MTV2 -- that enables them to air their fights on free TV. And their lighter weight divisions are great, filled with talented mixed martial artists who actually, you know, fight.
But, good God, that heavyweight fight last night was the worst fight I've ever seen, bar none. The "combatants" were so out of shape, so unskilled, so afraid ...
Words fail me. Except one.
Jiggle.
Wednesday, June 29, 2011
UFC in Pittsburgh: Judge's Horror Story
Poor Rick Story. He travels across the country from Vancouver, Washington to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania to fight Nate Marquardt. But Marquardt flunks his physical for undisclosed reasons and gets banned from the UFC (Banned! For flunking a physical! That doesn't happen lightly. No way to know for sure, but I'm guessing recreational, illegal drugs were found in his system. Dana White seems like the kind of guy who wouldn't tolerate a heroin addiction.) and Story ends up having to fight a local boy, Pennsylvania's own Charlie Brenneman.
Obviously, that's a home court advantage for Brenneman, and it showed up in the judging. Yes, Brenneman was the more athletic fighter. (And he definitely had the more impressive beard and hair -- guy had like a lion's mane thing going on.) He was quicker and he took Story to the mat time and again with double-legged take downs. But once they were on the ground, Story always dominated with his jiu-jitsu. Brenneman did no damage, throwing weak punches while barely evading -- and I mean just barely -- submission attempts by Story. Numerous times, Story nearly finished the fight on guillotine chokes and triangles. All Brenneman did was survive. Yet, somehow, Brenneman won a decision.
The fix was in.
Obviously, that's a home court advantage for Brenneman, and it showed up in the judging. Yes, Brenneman was the more athletic fighter. (And he definitely had the more impressive beard and hair -- guy had like a lion's mane thing going on.) He was quicker and he took Story to the mat time and again with double-legged take downs. But once they were on the ground, Story always dominated with his jiu-jitsu. Brenneman did no damage, throwing weak punches while barely evading -- and I mean just barely -- submission attempts by Story. Numerous times, Story nearly finished the fight on guillotine chokes and triangles. All Brenneman did was survive. Yet, somehow, Brenneman won a decision.
The fix was in.
Saturday, June 11, 2011
UFC 131
9:05 Ok, noted douchebag Joe Rogan was shown wearing a do-rag in the promo. Just when you think he can't get any douchier . . .
9:06 Drinking a Flying Fish Farmhouse Summer Ale. Flying Fish is Jersey's finest brewery. Competition is not keen.
9:11 Vagner Rocha enters the ring for his UFC debut. I've never seen a fighter so excited. He's like a kid in a _____ ______.
He's fighting Donald Cerrone, who looks ripped. And calm. Can you be a bigtime martial artist if your name is Donald? We're about to find out. I'm pulling for Donald.
9:17 This first fight seems evenly matched.
9:19 Nice leg catch by Cerrone on a kick by Rocha. Dumped Rocha on his butt.
9:20 Cerrone won the first round.
9:25 Cerrone landing the more powerful kicks. Crazy takedown attempt from the botton by Rocha. He jumped on Cerrone's chest and fell backwards. He got him down but couldn't do anything with it. Again, Cerrone wins the round.
9:32 Cerrone tried hard for the knockout in the final round, but Rocha managed to survive to the end. At which point he immediately sat down, evidence that he's in pain from all those vicious kicks to the leg.
9:34 Cerrone wins by decision. But why does he have to wear that goofy looking cowboy hat?
9:43 Next fight: Indiana's own Dave Herman versus some much-hyped Viking dude.
9:59 Ok, the knees to the head won that fight for our boy Dave. So much for the Viking.
10:04 Mark Munoz, the rare Hispanic born in Japan who went on to win an NCAA Division 1 wrestling title, versus Demian Maia, a Brazilian. This should be a great wrestling versus jiu jitsu bout.
10:08 Oh look, it's ring announcer Bruce Buffer looking debauched in a gold tie.
And much time passes while I Skype with my girlfriend in Atlanta. She's horrified to hear that I'm writing about MMA. She doesn't really get the joy of fighting. What can I say? I'm a man, baby ...
11:02 The main event begins. Shane Carwin gets hammered brutally. Blow after blow to the face. Junior Dos Santos can't believe that the ref isn't stopping the fight. He's looking at the ref even as he continues to punch Carwin. But no, the fight continues. Carwin struggles back to his feet. His nose is broken. He's covered in blood. He's 36 years old, fighting a man ten years younger. He's going to lose.
And he does. But he goes the distance. And we learned something. Carwin has heart. And an iron chin. But Dos Santos is the better athlete and the better fighter, able to beat a champion wrestler with heavy hands. Dos Santos stuffed just about every take down attempt by Carwin.
Dos Santos looked fantastic in this fight. Which means the coming title fight against Cain Velasquez should be fantastic as well.
9:06 Drinking a Flying Fish Farmhouse Summer Ale. Flying Fish is Jersey's finest brewery. Competition is not keen.
9:11 Vagner Rocha enters the ring for his UFC debut. I've never seen a fighter so excited. He's like a kid in a _____ ______.
He's fighting Donald Cerrone, who looks ripped. And calm. Can you be a bigtime martial artist if your name is Donald? We're about to find out. I'm pulling for Donald.
9:17 This first fight seems evenly matched.
9:19 Nice leg catch by Cerrone on a kick by Rocha. Dumped Rocha on his butt.
9:20 Cerrone won the first round.
9:25 Cerrone landing the more powerful kicks. Crazy takedown attempt from the botton by Rocha. He jumped on Cerrone's chest and fell backwards. He got him down but couldn't do anything with it. Again, Cerrone wins the round.
9:32 Cerrone tried hard for the knockout in the final round, but Rocha managed to survive to the end. At which point he immediately sat down, evidence that he's in pain from all those vicious kicks to the leg.
9:34 Cerrone wins by decision. But why does he have to wear that goofy looking cowboy hat?
9:43 Next fight: Indiana's own Dave Herman versus some much-hyped Viking dude.
9:59 Ok, the knees to the head won that fight for our boy Dave. So much for the Viking.
10:04 Mark Munoz, the rare Hispanic born in Japan who went on to win an NCAA Division 1 wrestling title, versus Demian Maia, a Brazilian. This should be a great wrestling versus jiu jitsu bout.
10:08 Oh look, it's ring announcer Bruce Buffer looking debauched in a gold tie.
And much time passes while I Skype with my girlfriend in Atlanta. She's horrified to hear that I'm writing about MMA. She doesn't really get the joy of fighting. What can I say? I'm a man, baby ...
11:02 The main event begins. Shane Carwin gets hammered brutally. Blow after blow to the face. Junior Dos Santos can't believe that the ref isn't stopping the fight. He's looking at the ref even as he continues to punch Carwin. But no, the fight continues. Carwin struggles back to his feet. His nose is broken. He's covered in blood. He's 36 years old, fighting a man ten years younger. He's going to lose.
And he does. But he goes the distance. And we learned something. Carwin has heart. And an iron chin. But Dos Santos is the better athlete and the better fighter, able to beat a champion wrestler with heavy hands. Dos Santos stuffed just about every take down attempt by Carwin.
Dos Santos looked fantastic in this fight. Which means the coming title fight against Cain Velasquez should be fantastic as well.
Friday, July 31, 2009
Dana White
So, I listened to Dana White today on the Adam Carolla podcast. I was impressed with White. I think he gets a bum rap from the mainstream media. They make him out to be a hot-headed thug, a guy who just got lucky and was in the right place at the right time, but doesn't deserve to be the commissioner of a major sport. Well, they're idiots. White is bright. He just comes from a blue collar background and so these white collar guys don't get him. I do, because I come from blue collar as well. He's direct and doesn't pussyfoot around using euphemisms and being afraid to offend people. Those are blue collar values -- good values, and ones that I share.
I've always been a fan of the UFC. Today I became a fan of Dana White.
I've always been a fan of the UFC. Today I became a fan of Dana White.
Saturday, July 11, 2009
UFC 100
Alright, we're live in the Big Chair at my house for UFC 100.
So far, we've seen two fights. Yoshihiro Akiyama v. Alan Belcher, and Michael Bishping v. Dan Henderson. Akiyama is apparently a big star in Japan, and you could see why. Heavy hands, smart, and a judo champion. Had a lot of confidence. Not intimidated, even though this was his first fight in the US. But Belcher, a brown belt in jiu-jitsu, fought very well. Escaped an ippon from the judo master. Knocked Akiyama down briefly with a hook. It was a very good, close fight. Both guys went all out. Belcher did kick Akiyama in the balls, after which they stopped the fight for a minute. The ref gave Akiyama five minutes, but to his credit the Japanese dude didn't take half that time. But it just shows you how far the UFC has come from its origins. I mean, it's not self-defense if you can't kick someone in the balls. And if you can't even protect your balls, how good of a martial artist are you? Anyway, the fight continued, it was a good fight, and in the end, the judges gave the split decision to Akiyama. Big surprise: the undefeated dude with the big following in the relatively untapped by the UFC Asian market got the close decision. Even Joe Rogan said Belcher got robbed.
The Bishping-Henderson fight was a disappointment. Bishping, a favorite of mine from the Ultimate Fighter, let me down. I remember Bishping as a smart, skilled fighter with a chip on his shoulder. He showed some smarts tonight, by staying the hell away from Henderson, circling, circling, moving his head, keeping his hands up to defend. That got him through the first round. But Henderson was much bigger -- thicker, more muscular. Basically, I think Henderson was on the juice, whereas Bishping, though taller, just looked skinny and weak. He never threatened Henderson, and was threatened by Henderson the whole fight. And, in the second round, Henderson caught Bishping with a perfect hook. Bishping was circling to his left, and he circled directly into Henderson's right hook. "The Count" was unconscious before he hit the canvas, but Henderson showed the killer instinct, gleefully jumping on the prone Bishping and landing another hard shot to the chin before the ref could pull him off.
Now, we've got Thiago Alves v. Georges St. Pierre. GSP is the current golden boy of MMA, the pound-for-pound champ. I haven't watched him in a while. I remember him looking, well, not tough, not physically tough, in losing to Matt Hughes. How does he look now?
Awesomely quick and skilled. Alves is very quick, but he St. Pierre is a beat quicker. GSP gets takedowns at will. Controls the fight. At one point, Alves, a muay thai star, throws a fast, skilled kick to the body. GSP still caught it and used the leg to take Alves down.
I'm looking forward to the main event. Frank Mir v. Brock Lesnar. Lesnar is freakishly huge. Looks like an action figure. I remember when he tried out for the Vikings a few years back. Apparently, he didn't have the skill to play D-line at the pro level, having not played college football. But he had the skill to knock out Randy Couture in his last fight. So, we'll see. Mir, I first heard of when I went to Vegas for my buddy Jay's bachelor party a few years ago. Harris Brumer, former Florida high school wrestling champ and still the toughest guy I personally have ever known, told me that Mir had been a great fighter back in the day and was making a comeback. I don't think Mir won that night's fight -- if I remember correctly -- Brumer went to the watch the fight live and text-messaged the rest of us at the steakhouse with the results of each fight.
St. Pierre still dominating, by the way. Nearly knocked Alves out there. (By the way, the amount of blood-stains on the floor of the Octagon is amazing. It's everywhere. These guys -- the blood of their predecessors is literally under their feet.) Then he nearly submits Alves.
In the end, Alves gets the moral victory of surviving all five rounds. But St. Pierre takes a really, really unanimous decision.
The real surprise is Joe Rogan. Shows some knowledge of martial arts. And asks a good question. Will St. Pierre move up to middleweight to fight Anderson Silva? The crowd roars. St. Pierre gives an embarrased smile. Says he is already the champion, but he might do it for the challenge. Bad idea. St. Pierre is small. He was smaller than Alves. To fight at the next weight class up? Tough. Bigger guys have more power. And they can take harder shots. So, St. Pierre's blows won't hurt as much, and the blows he takes will hurt more.
Ok, we're on to Lesnar-Mir. I'm gonna take Lesnar, only because I know little of Mir. That said, Lesnar looks a little chubby. Huge, but with a layer of blubber. A whale of a man. And the sword tatto down his chest looks weird.
Fight starts. Lesnar ends up on top in a scramble. Bad place for Mir. Lesnar pounds away with short, powerful blows to the head. Mir is bleeding. Round one to Lesnar. But the crowd boos. Technical fight so far, on the ground the whole time. The mob prefers stand-up.
Second round. Mir has a moment, when he throws some quick punches and a flying knee during some close quarters standup. But then it goes to the ground again. The Whale on top. More of those short, extremely powerful blows to the head. They take their toll. The Whale smells blood. Lands a flurry of blows to Mir's head. Mir is defenseless, and the ref stops the fight.
The crowd continues to boo. The Whale gives them the finger! He gives the fans the finger! The he beckons them to keep booing, and says he loves it. Yeah, you can tell this guy used to be a pro wrestler. He's still playing the villain.
His post-fight interview is a joke. Talking about pulling a horseshoe out of Mir's ass. Howling into the mike. Saying he's going to go home and get on top of his wife. That's fine -- hell, I'd get on top of my wife in that situation too, but I wouldn't announce it to an audience of millions of strangers.
I think I've become a Lesnar hater. Bring on Fedor Emilianko!
So far, we've seen two fights. Yoshihiro Akiyama v. Alan Belcher, and Michael Bishping v. Dan Henderson. Akiyama is apparently a big star in Japan, and you could see why. Heavy hands, smart, and a judo champion. Had a lot of confidence. Not intimidated, even though this was his first fight in the US. But Belcher, a brown belt in jiu-jitsu, fought very well. Escaped an ippon from the judo master. Knocked Akiyama down briefly with a hook. It was a very good, close fight. Both guys went all out. Belcher did kick Akiyama in the balls, after which they stopped the fight for a minute. The ref gave Akiyama five minutes, but to his credit the Japanese dude didn't take half that time. But it just shows you how far the UFC has come from its origins. I mean, it's not self-defense if you can't kick someone in the balls. And if you can't even protect your balls, how good of a martial artist are you? Anyway, the fight continued, it was a good fight, and in the end, the judges gave the split decision to Akiyama. Big surprise: the undefeated dude with the big following in the relatively untapped by the UFC Asian market got the close decision. Even Joe Rogan said Belcher got robbed.
The Bishping-Henderson fight was a disappointment. Bishping, a favorite of mine from the Ultimate Fighter, let me down. I remember Bishping as a smart, skilled fighter with a chip on his shoulder. He showed some smarts tonight, by staying the hell away from Henderson, circling, circling, moving his head, keeping his hands up to defend. That got him through the first round. But Henderson was much bigger -- thicker, more muscular. Basically, I think Henderson was on the juice, whereas Bishping, though taller, just looked skinny and weak. He never threatened Henderson, and was threatened by Henderson the whole fight. And, in the second round, Henderson caught Bishping with a perfect hook. Bishping was circling to his left, and he circled directly into Henderson's right hook. "The Count" was unconscious before he hit the canvas, but Henderson showed the killer instinct, gleefully jumping on the prone Bishping and landing another hard shot to the chin before the ref could pull him off.
Now, we've got Thiago Alves v. Georges St. Pierre. GSP is the current golden boy of MMA, the pound-for-pound champ. I haven't watched him in a while. I remember him looking, well, not tough, not physically tough, in losing to Matt Hughes. How does he look now?
Awesomely quick and skilled. Alves is very quick, but he St. Pierre is a beat quicker. GSP gets takedowns at will. Controls the fight. At one point, Alves, a muay thai star, throws a fast, skilled kick to the body. GSP still caught it and used the leg to take Alves down.
I'm looking forward to the main event. Frank Mir v. Brock Lesnar. Lesnar is freakishly huge. Looks like an action figure. I remember when he tried out for the Vikings a few years back. Apparently, he didn't have the skill to play D-line at the pro level, having not played college football. But he had the skill to knock out Randy Couture in his last fight. So, we'll see. Mir, I first heard of when I went to Vegas for my buddy Jay's bachelor party a few years ago. Harris Brumer, former Florida high school wrestling champ and still the toughest guy I personally have ever known, told me that Mir had been a great fighter back in the day and was making a comeback. I don't think Mir won that night's fight -- if I remember correctly -- Brumer went to the watch the fight live and text-messaged the rest of us at the steakhouse with the results of each fight.
St. Pierre still dominating, by the way. Nearly knocked Alves out there. (By the way, the amount of blood-stains on the floor of the Octagon is amazing. It's everywhere. These guys -- the blood of their predecessors is literally under their feet.) Then he nearly submits Alves.
In the end, Alves gets the moral victory of surviving all five rounds. But St. Pierre takes a really, really unanimous decision.
The real surprise is Joe Rogan. Shows some knowledge of martial arts. And asks a good question. Will St. Pierre move up to middleweight to fight Anderson Silva? The crowd roars. St. Pierre gives an embarrased smile. Says he is already the champion, but he might do it for the challenge. Bad idea. St. Pierre is small. He was smaller than Alves. To fight at the next weight class up? Tough. Bigger guys have more power. And they can take harder shots. So, St. Pierre's blows won't hurt as much, and the blows he takes will hurt more.
Ok, we're on to Lesnar-Mir. I'm gonna take Lesnar, only because I know little of Mir. That said, Lesnar looks a little chubby. Huge, but with a layer of blubber. A whale of a man. And the sword tatto down his chest looks weird.
Fight starts. Lesnar ends up on top in a scramble. Bad place for Mir. Lesnar pounds away with short, powerful blows to the head. Mir is bleeding. Round one to Lesnar. But the crowd boos. Technical fight so far, on the ground the whole time. The mob prefers stand-up.
Second round. Mir has a moment, when he throws some quick punches and a flying knee during some close quarters standup. But then it goes to the ground again. The Whale on top. More of those short, extremely powerful blows to the head. They take their toll. The Whale smells blood. Lands a flurry of blows to Mir's head. Mir is defenseless, and the ref stops the fight.
The crowd continues to boo. The Whale gives them the finger! He gives the fans the finger! The he beckons them to keep booing, and says he loves it. Yeah, you can tell this guy used to be a pro wrestler. He's still playing the villain.
His post-fight interview is a joke. Talking about pulling a horseshoe out of Mir's ass. Howling into the mike. Saying he's going to go home and get on top of his wife. That's fine -- hell, I'd get on top of my wife in that situation too, but I wouldn't announce it to an audience of millions of strangers.
I think I've become a Lesnar hater. Bring on Fedor Emilianko!
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