MMA-URLS

Ivan Menjivar has a new opponent for UFC 148.

Posted in: ufc, opponent, mike, menjivar, ivan

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In the namesake of tonight's Strikeforce: Barnett vs. Cormier event, a heavyweight collision pitting Josh Barnett vs. Daniel Cormier forms the headliner to determine the long awaited victor of the Heavyweight Grand Prix. The main card begins at 10:00 p.m. ET and is supplemented by 3 other match ups: a lightweight title fight between champion Gilbert Melendez and Josh Thomson, a light-heavyweight tilt that pairs Rafael Cavalcante vs. Mike Kyle and Nah-Shon Burrell vs. Chris Spang in a welterweight bout. The mass appeal of this Grand Prix finale is that Josh "The Warmaster" Barnett (31-5) and Daniel Cormier (9-0) are the best of the best in their respective wrestling trades. Cormier reached the pinnacle of traditional wrestling by competing on the 2004 Olympic team and it's utterly blasphemous to discuss catch-wrestling in MMA without mentioning Barnett's name. More Strikeforce: Barnett vs. Cormier Dissections Melendez vs. Thomson | Feijao vs. KyleBurrell vs. Spang | Preliminary Card Dissection Despite sharing an illustrious background in grappling and being of similar age, they've traveled distinctly different paths in MMA. Barnett is one of the last of the crusty, old-school pioneers who's competed all over the world since the Vale Tudo days of the mid-90s, while Cormier is a newer entry to top-level MMA with only a few years of experience and just 2 A-level wins under his belt: Jeff Monson (decision) and Antonio Silva (TKO). Cormier employed his wrestling in reverse against Monson and Silva and relied on his shocking hand-speed to unhinge them with blinding boxing combinations. Though it had been some time since Barnett had tangled with an upper-tier heavyweight, he went back to his roots to advance to the finals. Showing that he still has cat-like agility for a beefy 260-pounder, Barnett sliced deep into the hips of Brett Rogers and Sergei Kharitonov to topple them over with takedowns, then administered his potent submission grappling venom to elicit the tapout via arm-triangle. Analysis continued in the full entry. SBN coverage of Strikeforce: Barnett vs. Cormier Technique is obviously a critical aspect between these world-class specialists, and when it comes to scrutinizing technical grappling details, there are none better than Bloody Elbow's K.J. Gould and Michael Riordan. The following links are absolutely imperative reading material to better understand the mechanics at play in this match up. Daniel Cormier's Wrestling Style and Why It's So Uniquely Suited to MMA -- Michael Riordan Judo Chop: Josh Barnett and Unorthodox Submissions -- K.J. Gould Judo Chop: Josh Barnett's Invisible Grappling -- K.J. Gould Let's start with Riordan's specific observation of Cormier's effective use of a wrestling basic: the go-behind. Daniel Cormier happens to be the king of the go-behind. He can proficiently shoot singles and doubles, but these are not the skills that brought him close to amateur wrestling's summit. Daniel may be the best ever at stuffing opponents down and spinning behind them. In fact, he became a world medalist and Olympian based mostly on this distinct ability. Though "going behind" may sound dismissively primitive and it certainly is not the foxiest way to succeed at wrestling, its effectiveness is undeniable. In an MMA bout, Cormier's incredible go-behind skills pose a big problem for any opponent, particularly those who want to take him down. This could lead to big problems for Josh Barnett, his opponent in Saturday's Strikeforce Heavyweight Grand Prix Final this Saturday on Showtime. Before we get into specific examples of Cormier's knack with the go-behind, it's important to understand how his frame and physical attributes factor in. Cormier is quite short (5'11") and squatty (247-pounds) for a premiere heavyweight. The traits that complement his stature extremely well are his blinding quickness and agility and the powerful poise and balance from his wrestling acumen. If a casual fan were to take in a Cormier fight for the first time, they would probably take note of his amazing dexterity before detecting his extraordinary wrestling savvy. Though his shoulders are as broad as a barn, Cormier moves like a middleweight and, since his boxing has probably been his best weapon, his uncanny dexterity is his cardinal attribute. He was so good at it that he used it to take down the greatest college wrestler of all time. This is Daniel wrestling Cael Sanderson in the 2001 NCAA 184 lb. finals. (It is interesting to note that in the match immediately before this, Josh Koscheck won his NCAA title and in the match immediately after Mark Munoz earned his national championship) Wrestling does not get any simpler than this. Cormier catches Sanderson leaning forward, snaps his head down to the mat, cross-faces and rotates behind for a take down. This move can be seen repeatedly at any junior varsity wrestling tournament throughout the nation, and here Cormier uses it on folkstyle wrestling's biggest stage and against its biggest star. On many a wrestling room wall is a poster listing the 7 basic skills of wrestling: penetration, lift, back arch, back step, motion, positioning, and changing levels. This is wrestling on an ontological level. Every single wrestling movement reduces to one of these skills. A great coach once taught me that of all these 7 skills, the most important was positioning. If a wrestler can maintain perfect position, he can never be scored upon. By extension,a wrestler who continuously maintains position only needs his opponent to lose position once to win a match. This is wrestling's version of the "three yards and a cloud of dust" philosophy; he who makes fewer mistakes wins. Daniel took this philosophy to heart. He would beat extremely good wrestlers with an approach both brutal and basic: staying in position throughout a match, when an opponent lowered his head to shoot or he pulled it down by relentless pressure, he would stuff it and and go behind. Of course, in order for Barnett to impose his strength, he has to initiate a grappling match -- and taking an Olympic wrestler down is no easy task. Cormier's go-behind will be an integral facet when defending Barnett's takedowns. Overall, the head-to-head takedown battle should be controlled by Cormier. Barnett is a deceivingly adroit wrestler; his experience could factor in with subtle details like using the cage wall to prevent Cormier's escape routes and limit his tactics or timing his shots while Cormier is planted to throw strikes. However, on paper, Cormier gets the nod for control of the location of the fight (which is not the same as controlling the pace, but usually leads to it). Let's hear from K.J. Gould on the technical walk-through of Barnett's takedown tactics against Rogers. Kick-Out Slams For many this was one of the few highlights of the fight where Josh Barnett was able to partially catch a kick from Rogers and drive him into the fence before eventually picking him up and slamming him onto the mat. What you may have missed -- Barnett executes this Double-Leg pick up almost perfectly from a technical standpoint. To begin with Rogers has widened his base and turned his hips to make it a lot harder for Barnett to lift and he's also trying to pummel his arms inside to bring Barnett back up to his level. Barnett adjusts his base by rotating slightly clockwise while switching to a Single-Leg grip on Rogers right leg. Once he has the grip and hugs Rogers' leg close to his body he rotates anti-clockwise pulling Rogers into him and causing him to withdraw his arms to defend while becoming more upright. Barnett then drives Rogers back into the fence and switches back to a Double-Leg grip that's now free of Rogers' arms. Barnett locks his hands just beneath Rogers butt keeping his base narrow and square. Barnett is able to step in and penetrate Rogers' base to get his hips below and parallel to Rogers' hips. Keeping his back straight Barnett is able to lift Rogers fairly efficiently before driving him to the mat while turning his right shoulder into Rogers' body which allows him to protect his own head from impact as well as land him in side control. By problem solving the situation to attain better grip and positioning Barnett wastes less energy than if he just tried to power through with a takedown that might have landed him in Guard or Half-Guard, potentially giving him more work to do on the mat later on. In the diagram below I've highlighted in green Rogers' actions and highlighted in blue Barnett's actions. You will need to click the diagram to get it to animate in a new tab / window. I know what you're thinking -- "Cormier is no Brett Rogers," which is entirely indisputable. Barnett's experience could come into play during tie-ups or scrambles that result from takedown attempts from either competitor. Cormier has the clear edge in straight wrestling, but Barnett has an equally slanted edge in creativity. Cormier isn't as well versed in defending against a rolling kneebar off a failed takedown attempt nor an opponent willing to pull guard and/or drop back for an ankle lock. Here's my chosen pair from the many techniques within K.J. Gould's piece on Barnett's exemplary intelligence and creativity when pursuing submissions. Stepover Kneebar While the Kneebar is fairly familiar to those that watch MMA we often see it from open guard work like Frank Mir vs Brock Lesnar 1 or sometimes from rolling attacks when an opponent tries to take your back. Lesser seen because of the risk involved is the Stepover Kneebar when inside an opponent's Half-Guard. There is a risk of getting swept if you are too close to them, but in this gif we see while Barnett's opponent tries for a basic sweep early on Barnett stands high enough to swing his leg over without it getting caught up after winning the hand-fight on the ground to begin with. The safer option usually is to Back-Step kneebar so you free leg doesn't get wrapped up by the opponent's arms resulting in the same seated position before you drop back for the kneebar. Also worth noting is how Barnett falls almost on to his opponent's face. The reason for this and why it's beneficial is that it stretches out the hamstring before you extend the knee joint making it much harder for the opponent to contract and resist the extension. Sometimes when we see kneebars they're in a position where the hamstring is relaxed and while possible to finish it's easier to get a tap when working the hamstring, especially with less flexible opponents. Reverse Pillow V-Arm Lock This is a fun option from modified side control / Broken Scarfhold / Kuzure Kesagatame. Barnett is fighting a Brown belt in the advanced Heavyweight (205lbs+) class. The name of the move comes from the Japanese Catch Wrestling lineage such as Shooto and refers to the cradling of the head (to prevent a bridge) with an arm that reaches over and into the opponent's armpit in a similar way to the Stockade position. With his other arm Barnett has a Single Top Wrist Lock grip and while lifting the head Barnett rotates the arm back and away to effect the shoulder and elbow joint, making a V shape with the arm. I have seen some BJJ referees claim that it's a neck crank and therefore illegal but that's a case of the referees being ignorant over lesser seen submissions that exist outside of orthodox Jiu Jitsu. It's deffinitely the shoulder and elbow that gets the pressure while the neck gets a slight tug, less than what would be felt in a good guillotine choke. Barnett's positioning is such that he goes for the far side V-arm and not the near which is fairly unique and I'd have thought more difficult to pull off. Before we move on to the Striking Phase, my summary on the Clinch and Grappling Phase is that Cormier has to use his wrestling as an outlet to free movement. The last place he wants to be is in tight for any extended periods of time -- if he takes Josh down, he has to stay focused on keeping his posture up and/or throwing a few meaningful strikes before disengaging. If Barnett can control his posture from guard, this will limit Cormier's striking offense and the chest-to-chest position is where his catch-wrestling can start to take over. Striking-wise, Cormier's quickness and agility will be pivotal as well. Now, his boxing has looked phenomenal for a wrestling-based fighter with little MMA experience, but I'm a little surprised that he's being asserted as the striking favorite. Barnett has always had under-rated boxing, but he's far more proven against legit competition. Out-striking Monson, who's far from A-level on the feet, and Antonio Silva, a leviathan who couldn't compete with Cormier's quickness, does not convince me that Cormier deserves the edge standing. The AKA product has pieced together a solid offering the feet, replete with crisp and hefty punches (his left hook is deadly) and and excellent grasp of footwork and angles for such a green fighter. Barnett is much quicker with his hands than Silva and a much better striker than Monson, plus the looming threat of his takedowns will only maximize his striking opportunities. Barnett will also have a few inches of height (6'4" vs. 5'11") and reach (78" vs. 71") to compensate for Cormier's blinding speed in addition to his rock-solid chin (his only TKO loss was to a prime Pedro Rizzo in 2001). In other words, I think the striking match up is fairly even; or at least much closer than the majority opinion. This means that the only clear advantage for Cormier is in -- not wrestling as a whole, but -- takedowns. Realistically, a takedown transfers the fight from the standing or clinch phase to the grappling phase, where Barnett's scathing submission arsenal gives him the edge. From a scoring standpoint, judges love takedowns, so Cormier would be wise to phase-shift in order to dictate the pace and control the action. Popping in and out of the pocket while flashing his hands and alternating with takedown attempts could pay huge dividends, as long as he doesn't engage Barnett on the mat. The chess match to overtake momentum will be a deciding factor. Barnett will inevitably shoot, and whether Cormier just defends and disengages or punishes Josh with strikes and counter-throws will largely influence the tempo. If Barnett can attack freely with no adverse repercussions, he will eventually find a way to impose offense, be it through dirty boxing, digging in a hook from the standing position and latching on in the clinch, pulling guard or dropping back to wrench a leg lock. Cormier could very well prove me wrong and out-strike Barnett. I do think it will be a stiff challenge to get him down and Barnett will have to use creativity and intelligence just as much as wrestling technique to do so. Barnett can take a punch though, and even if Cormier catches him on the feet he'll be at risk if he dives into his guard to finish. The betting lines have this affair about dead-even, which is hard to dispute. My pick is based on the more proven fighter who has more options to impose his strengths. My Prediction: Josh Barnett by submission. Poll Josh Barnett vs. Daniel Cormier Barnett Cormier   9 votes | Results

Posted in: vs, opponent, roger, barnett, cormier

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When Josh Barnett finally lost the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Heavyweight Championship, he didn't do so after getting knocked out by a challenger. It wasn't after an opponent wrapped his arms around Barnett's neck, forcing the American to tap. He lost it after the lights in the arena had gone out, after the roar of the crowd had dissipated. He lost the title after a drug test he took following his victory over Randy Couture at UFC 36 came back positive for steroids. He's maintained his innocence, a position taken with a grain of salt by most fans considering positive tests both prior and after his title bout with "The Natural." One came during an exploratory test by the Nevada State Athletic Commission, the other derailed his fight with Fedor Emelianenko on the ill-fated third Affliction card. Still, Barnett remains one of the highest ranked heavyweights, more than a decade after his initial title win. With wins over Aleksander Emelianenko, Mark Hunt and "Big Nog" Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, his resume speaks for itself. He collected another skull, as Barnett himself colorfully puts it, by defeating Sergei Kharitonov in the semifinals of Strikeforce's heavyweight grand prix, pitting him against Daniel Cormier in tonight's final. Before Strikeforce: "Barnett vs. Cormier" goes down, let's take a look at the catch wrestler's impressive submission win over the stoic Russian. Let's go. Kharitonov nearly jumps to the center of the hexagonal cage, immediately pressuring Barnett against the chain-link fencing. But Barnett is a long-time veteran and has seen just about everything that can be seen. He remains calm and collected, snapping out two quick jabs which connect cleanly on his opponent's chin. Barnett, for as much as he espouses catch wrestling, is looking remarkably apt with his striking in the early going. His boxing is crisp and his movement keeps him from absorbing too much damage from the heavy-handed Russian. "The Warmaster" is again pressured towards the cage but manages to fight his way off, shooting in for a takedown but instead opting for a bodylock when the attempt is stuffed by Kharitonov. Arms wrapped firmly around his opponent, Barnett drags Kharitonov to the mat and immediately transitions into full mount. For many opponents who have tangled with Barnett in the past, this was the last position they were in before they lost the fight. Kharitonov knows this and instantly tries to buck his opponent off to no avail. Barnett is beginning to drop elbows across the Russian's skull coupled with simply grinding his forearm across Kharitonov's face. Another attempt to get the American off is met with failure after some punches land from above. Barnett continues to chip away at his opponent, landing short punches and elbows and even ramming his forearm into Kharitonov's neck. It won't submit the tough as nails Russian but it doesn't feel very good either. "The Warmaster" is slowly but surely wearing his opponent down with a constant barrage of offense. Another attempt to shrug his American opponent off fails and it seems to be Kharitonov's last grasp at turning the fight around. Barnett raises up and starts to land a flurry of ground and pound which the Russian responds to by turning onto his belly, turtling up and offering the submission expert his back. Barnett begins landing punches to the side of his opponent's skull and then short punches from underneath Kharitonov's armpit. The fight -- and I use the term loosely -- has been a one-sided beating. At this point, it becomes apparent it's only a matter of time before Barnett finishes Kharitonov. The American flattens the Russian out on the mat and begins to waylay on his skull with punches, almost daring him to try to return to his back. When Kharitonov finally does take the bait, Barnett is waiting there with an arm triangle choke. "The Warmaster" locks his arms around his opponent's head and arm, shifts his body to the side of Kharitonov's and secures the submission victory. It seemed like a remarkably easy day at the office for Barnett. He accumulated almost no damage and walked out of the cage with his babyface still intact. Will he be as lucky against Cormier tonight?

Posted in: opponent, arm, kharitonov, barnett, russian

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The odds were not in Daniel Cormier's favor. Sure, he had been wrestling since high school but he had only made his professional mixed martial arts (MMA) debut less than two years prior to his Strikeforce heavyweight grand prix semifinal bout against Antonio Silva. This is the same Silva who was coming off an absolute trouncing over potential G.O.A.T. Fedor Emelianenko. Cormier's toughest test up to this point was a fight against Jeff Monson, a veteran heavyweight whose best days are definitely behind him. The former OIympian dominated his opponent over the course of three rounds in an impressive but altogether uninspiring affair. Silva, meanwhile, was undefeated since 2007 aside from a decision loss to Fabricio Wedrum. Wins over Andrei Arlovski and Mike Kyle punctuated a three fight win streak along side the aforementioned technical knockout (TKO) over "The Last Emperor." Cormier wasn't given much of a chance. It's a far different story going into tomorrow's (May 19) Strikeforce: "Barnett vs. Cormier" event where he takes on Josh Barnett to -- finally -- crown the promotion's heavyweight grand prix winner. Despite Barnett's experience, Cormier is seen by many as the favorite. Perhaps it's because of how well he performed against "Bigfoot." Let's take a closer look at that bout. The Brazilian takes the center of the cage to start off the bout while the American is forced to stay on the outside and work his way in. Silva connects with a leg kick and catches the one Cormier throws in response. "Bigfoot" rushes his unbalanced opponent but fails to land anything solid before smothering Cormier along the cage. The Olympian immediately shoves his opponent off and makes his way back to the center of Strikeforce's hexagon. Seconds later, his right fist flies through the air as if it's done this a million times before, betraying Cormier's inexperience, and connects flush with Silva's chin. The massive Brazilian crumbles to the mat as the Cincinnati, OH crowd roars in approval. Cormier follows him to the canvas, standing over his opponent to deliver devastating ground and pound. Although staggered, "Bigfoot" recovers quickly enough to avoid more damage and the two heavyweights fight to a standstill, forcing the referee to restart the action on the feet. Silva begins throwing one-two combinations out but none connect. Meanwhile, a sneaky jab from Cormier finds its home right on the Brazilians' nose and he's momentarily -- but visibly -- rocked by the punch. Cormier dodges another punch from Silva and answers back with a fast three-punch combination, the last strike of which again staggers "Bigfoot." Before our very eyes, a heavyweight star is being born. The Brazilian eats a hook to the jaw and laughably attempts to take down the Olympic-level wrestler. Cormier easily stuffs the takedown and winds up on top of his opponent before allowing Silva back to his feet. There, Silva lands a body kick on his smaller opponent, but his leg is caught by Cormier and "Bigfoot" is then tripped, ending up on the canvas for the third time in as many minutes. He spends some time chipping away at the Brazilians's thighs until the referee once again restarts the bout. Once the two heavyweights get back to their feet, "Bigfoot" is much more aggressive than he's been so far in the bout. And it ends up costing him the fight. He pressures Cormier along the cage, throwing punch after punch, none of which land. In fact, the wrestler smiles after the barrage, either out of disbelief none of the strikes landed or out of a bit of cockiness. Perhaps a bit of both. Another body kick from Silva is caught and he throws a punch before spinning around to free his lower limb. When he is once again facing his opponent, however, Cormier is there to greet him with a combination of punches. They separate and the American lands a stiff jab and then a short hook before going inside with a vicious uppercut. Silva's knees immediately buckle and falls to the mat for the fourth and final time. Two hammerfists across his jaw are the cherries on top. The wrestler had outstruck the heavy-handed Brazilian and secured a date in the grand prix finals. Cormier surprised everyone -- except perhaps himself and his training partners -- that night. If he beats Barnett tomorrow, will it be as shocking?

Posted in: heavyweight, silva, opponent, bigfoot, cormier

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About midway through the Strikeforce Heavyweight Grand Prix semi-final between Daniel Cormier and Antonio Silva, Silva attempted something perplexing when he attempted to shoot a straight double leg on Daniel Cormier. Cormier, like any freestyle wrestling world bronze medalist possesses excellent takedown defense, but Cormier's case is special and Silva's misguided take down attempt was particularly futile. Daniel Cormier happens to be the king of the go-behind. He can proficiently shoot singles and doubles, but these are not the skills that brought him close to amateur wrestling's summit. Daniel may be the best ever at stuffing opponents down and spinning behind them, in fact. he became a world medalist and Olympian based mostly on this distinct ability. Though "going behind" may sound dismissively primitive and it certainly is not the foxiest ways to succeed at wrestling, its effectiveness is undeniable. In an MMA bout, Cormier's incredible go-behind skills pose a big problem for any opponent, particularly those who want to take him down. This could lead to big problems for Josh Barnett, his opponent in Saturday's Strikeforce Heavyweight Grand Prix Final this Saturday on Showtime. SBN coverage of Strikeforce: Barnett vs. Cormier Continue reading after the jump for a closer examination of Cormier's wrestling style and an argument as to why his brand of wrestling may be even better suited for mixed martial arts than Olympic competition. Daniel Cormier is one of the few truly elite wrestlers I have seen whose choice of a go-to move happened to be the very first move every wrestler learns. On every youngster's first day in a wrestling room, a coach will invariably explain that where a person's head goes, his body will follow. If one is to pull an opponent's head down to the mat, then his body will also drop, and if an opponent drops to shoot, the response is to sprawl and stuff the head, either allows for the first take down most wrestlers can successfully execute, the go behind. There is no takedown more rudimentary, and few, if any, were ever as good at it as Cormier. He was so good at it that he used it to take down the greatest college wrestler of all time. This is Daniel wrestling Cael Sanderson in the 2001 NCAA 184 lb. finals. (It is interesting to note that in the match immediately before this, Josh Koscheck won his NCAA title and in the match immediately after Mark Munoz earned his national championship) Wrestling does not get any simpler than this. Cormier catches Sanderson leaning forward, snaps his head down to the mat, cross-faces and rotates behind for a take down. This move can be seen repeatedly at any junior varsity wrestling tournament throughout the nation, and here Cormier uses it on folkstyle wrestling's biggest stage and against its biggest star. On many a wrestling room wall is a poster listing the 7 basic skills of wrestling: penetration, lift, back arch, back step, motion, positioning, and changing levels. This is wrestling on an ontological level. Every single wrestling movement reduces to one of these skills. A great coach once taught me that of all these 7 skills, the most important was positioning. If a wrestler can maintain perfect position, he can never be scored upon. By extension,a wrestler who continuously maintains position only needs his opponent to lose position once to win a match. This is wrestling's version of the "three yards and a cloud of dust" philosophy; he who makes fewer mistakes wins. Daniel took this philosophy to heart. He would beat extremely good wrestlers with an approach both brutal and basic: staying in position throughout a match, when an opponent lowered his head to shoot or he pulled it down by relentless pressure, he would stuff it and and go behind. I suspect that Daniel's wrestling style harkens back to his origins in Louisiana. Louisiana does not have much of a wrestling culture and those Louisianans that end up coaching wrestling most likely lack a high level of technical sophistication. Coaches can experience success without technical sophistication by teaching rigid adherence to sport's foundational principles, and I suspect that Daniel's early wrestling coaches did just this. Cormier took a bare-bones approach to wrestling, added SEC football scholarship level athleticism with an intense love of the sport and rose to wrestling's stratosphere: two Olympic berths and a world bronze medal. This is not to say that Cormier's approach was without technical merit when just the opposite is true. Though going behind a prone opponent seems like such a mundane matter, it requires technical involvement and the application of a variety of methods. Here is a small sampling of the many methods used by Cormier. This is Daniel, back in his days as Oklahoma State's 184 pounder, wrestling Iowa standout Jessman Smith. Jessman takes a shot and Cormier immediately catches him in his short offense. Cormier initiates the go behind by first pulling Smith forward onto his knees. Next Cormier places his head "in the hole", dropping the head behind the opponent's arm far enough that the back of the head is in the ribs. Placing the head on the other side of the opponents arm prevents that arm from being raised to block the go behind. Pressuring in with the back of the head actually improves the angle and shortens the distance between each wrestler's hip. Daniel finishes with his arm around Jessman's far hip. The next two go behinds feature Cormier wrestling FILA 2006 wrestler of the year, Georgi Gogshelidze (GG). Here, Daniel finds himself with a front chestlock on GG. Cormier lifts and poises to throw GG as a means of misdirection. While GG concerns himself with defending the throw, Cormier quickly steps back and spins behind. In a second go behind against GG, Daniel again has the chest lock. This time he uses his knee the same way he uses his head against Smith in the GIF above. The knee prevents GG's arm from raising to block just long enough for Cormier to secure a butt drag and pull himself around for the takedown. On the right is the finals of a U.S. Open where Cormier is wrestling Nik Fekete. I find it particularly impressive that Nik achieves a Russian control tie with both hand on Daniel's arms and Cormier manages to shuck him all the way to the mat with the arm being "controlled". This demonstrates remarkable power. Daniel Cormier bolstered his offense with good throwing and tripping ability as has already demonstrated this in his mixed martial arts career against some of his lower level Strikeforce competition. These techniques put Cormier's incredible explosiveness on display. Here are two for your enjoyment (admittedly, the second is a finish to a shot, which erodes the point of this piece a bit, but I couldn't resist inserting it). Unfortunately, the confines of Cormier's skill set are what probably prevented him from standing on top of an Olympic podium (that and some weight issues). While he dominated his weight class domestically for what seemed like forever and spent several years as one the top five wrestlers at his weight in the entire world, he ultimately came up short against his most skilled opponents, particularly those with the words "Russia" or "Iran" written on their backs. These wrestlers were good enough to score on his impressive defense and Daniel's inability to reliably convert leg attacks on the world's very best left him without the means to put the necessary points on the scoreboard. This was certainly the case against Russia's Khajimurad Gatsalov, possibly the greatest of all time in the 211 pound weight class, in the Athens Olympic semi finals. Here Gatsalov hits a superb knee-pull single off a collar tie on Cormier. Losing in the Olympic semis is not shameful, nor is losing to a wrestler of the caliber of Gatsalov, but those fans of Cormier the wrestler are left with the keenest disappointment of all, the disappointment of near success. Daniel was very close to ultimate wrestling success; he had enough talent to beat anyone in the world, and to his credit he had actualized most of it. Unfortunately, when it was all said and done, he simply lacked the pure point scoring firepower to consistently create his own offense against the world's best, and this kept him from world or Olympic gold. When Daniel Cormier walks into the cage against Josh Barnett you will see much of the same skills you saw with him on a wrestling mat, but I believe that his array of skills are even better suited for mixed martial arts than freestyle wrestling. Daniel's skillful trips and throws allow him to bring a fight to the ground without the risk of lowering a level and shooting. Without the need to shoot he will not get out of position and disrupt his world class takedown defense. Finally, Cormier, maybe as much as anyone in the entire world, possesses the ability to turn an opponent's offensive wrestling into take downs of his own. The difference, now that he is in a cage, is that now that Cormier has the offensive firepower that he always needed to consistently score big and win. This firepower packed away in his tightly clenched fists. Finally, my prediction for the Strikeforce Heavyweight Grand Prix Final: Cormier by decision Mike Riordan is a high school wrestling coach, unsuccessful division one collegiate wrestler, and student of the sport of wrestling. He contributes to Bloody Elbow on matters of collegiate and Olympic wrestling.

Posted in: opponent, head, daniel, cormier, wrestler

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The UFC announced it will reveal Urijah Faber's new UFC 148 opponent on The Ultimate Fighter Live on Friday.

Posted in: ufc, opponent, faber, urijah fabers, fabers opponent

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Junior Assuncao now has an opponent for his Legacy Fighting Championship debut.

Posted in: opponent, debut, assuncao, dalla, legacy

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It looks like you've got some extra incentive to tune in for The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) Live this Friday night (May 18, 2012). During today's Ultimate Fighter quarterfinals conference call, it was announced that UFC President Dana White will make the official announcement of Urijah Faber's next opponent, who will be stepping in for the injured UFC bantamweight champion Dominick Cruz. The announcement will be taking place during Friday's episode of The Ultimate Fighter on FX during the 10-11 p.m. ET window, likely during the live portion after both quarterfinal bouts have taken place. It's widely accepted that with Cruz's extended layoff due to a knee injury, Faber will be battling for the interim title, so this opponent selection will be very important in terms of the future of the bantamweight division and the title picture. Faber has been coaching against Cruz throughout this entire season of The Ultimate Fighter in what was expected to be a perfect build to their UFC 148 trilogy fight as both men have split the first two bouts, but the injury bug got in the way. There are plenty of potential candidates for the title shot. Youngster Michael McDonald is coming off an emphatic first round knockout of former WEC champion Miguel Torres just one month ago and is poised to take the leap to the big time. Other possible challengers include Renan Barao, who's already fighting on the UFC 148 card against Ivan Menjivar and has gone unbeaten in 29 straight fights which includes a recent dominant decision victory over former title challenger Scott Jorgensen. Fringe candidates include Brad Pickett, who took home "Fight of the Night" at the UFC on Fuel TV 2 show or even Barao's current opponent Ivan Menjivar, who's quietly gone 3-0 in the UFC at 135 pounds. Who do you think will get the shot? Got anyone else in mind?

Posted in: ufc, title, fighter, opponent, faber

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In a parallel universe, Josh Grispi might be the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Featherweight Champion. After four consecutive wins in World Extreme Cagefighting (WEC) -- all stoppages, three by submission and one via technical knockout (TKO) -- Grispi was slated to challenge Jose Also at UFC 125 for the Brazilian's strap. Fate intervened, however, when an injury forced "Scarface" out of the bout at the last minute. "The Fluke" remained on the card and was paired up against a fighter making his 145-pound debut. Everyone assumed the Massachusetts native would pick up the win and go on to face Aldo once the champion was healthy enough to fight. Everyone except Dustin Poirier. Nearly a 1.5 years removed from that bout on the first evening of 2011, "The Diamond" finds himself riding a five-fight win streak and headlining tonight's (May 15, 2012) UFC on FUEL TV 3: "Korean Zombie vs. Poirier" card against Chan Sung Jung. Poirier is on the cusp of a title shot and a win over Jung at the Patriot Center in Fairfax, Va., will push him over the edge and right in the sights of either Aldo or Erik Koch, whichever one of the two emerges victorious at UFC 149. "The Diamond" didn't get to this position by luck or happenstance. Hard work, perseverance and all the other elements that make a great fighter have afforded him this opportunity. And it all started at UFC 125. Let's take a closer look at his bout with Grispi: Grispi opens up with an inside leg kick and continues throwing kicks at his opponent with varying degrees of success. "The Diamond" answers back with several vicious leg kicks of his own. They clinch up against the cage and begin working each other over with short punches and knees to the legs and body. They separate and Poirier immediately begins to unload on his title chasing opponent with a bevy of strikes. Bullying "The Fluke" against the cage, Poirier forces the Massachusetts native to retreat while absorbing almost no damage himself. With some distance between them, the Tim Credeur-trained fighter begins to unleash more vicious leg kicks. A front kick from "The Diamond" smacks Grispi in the middle of his chest and is followed up with another inside leg kick. The same front kick connects again but this time "The Fluke" is knocked to the canvas. Poirier stands over him and is dropped to the mat when Grispi begins to look towards an ankle lock. "The Diamond" is able to avoid the submission, wind up on top and then get back to his feet, forcing the referee to make Grispi do the same. Poirier immediately pounces on his opponent, opening up with an absolute barrage of punches and knees, drawing a reaction from the crowd. Grispi takes a beating along the cage and shoots in with a weak takedown attempt. Poirier is able to nearly get his opponent's back but "The Fluke" threatens with a kimura attempt. He nearly gets it locked up but Poirier defends perfectly and escapes the danger, ending the first five minute period on top. Grispi is the aggressor early into the second round but eats a knee to the body as he shoots in for another takedown. He tries to pressure his opponent against the cage but "The Diamond" reverses position on him and lands a brutal elbow. A vicious uppercut, followed by more punches and a beautiful knee from the clinch have Grispi once again retreating. A carbon copy of the first round plays out as a wobbly Grispi dives in with a half-hearted shot, which is stuffed. They begin scrambling around on the mat and "The Fluke" is finally able to drag Poirier to the mat and nearly secure a guillotine choke but just as quickly, "The Diamond" reverses Grispi and once again ends up on top. Now bloody from the damage he's taken, Grispi is forced to return to his feet after his opponent opts to continue the fight standing. Poirier continues to brutalize his opponent against the cage, something none of Grispi's opponents have been able to do during his WEC career. But with less than a minute remaining, it looks like "The Fluke" might pull off a miraculous win when he locks up a triangle choke. Poirier lifts his opponent up and slams him down, shedding the submission off in the process. The round ends with "The Diamond" unleashing yet another barrage. 10 minutes now gone, two things are certain: Grispi is tough as nails to take as much damage as he has and Poirier is nobody's warm-up fight. The third round plays out as the previous two did albeit with a much more exhausted Grispi. He eats punches, knees in the clinch and gets stuffed on almost every single takedown attempt. Grispi manages to end the fight on top but does next to nothing with the position before the round and fight ends. UFC 125 was a coming out party for Poirier. He laid an absolute beating on someone who would have been a title contender in Grispi. With a win over Jung, "The Diamond" will become a contender himself. Can he do it?

Posted in: ufc, opponent, grispi, poirier, diamond

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UFC president Dana White made an announcement Friday night during The Ultimate Fighter: Live, but it wasn’t quite the one everyone was hoping for. White announced that Urijah Faber’s new opponent for UFC 148 would be named next week on TUF: Live, leaving those to ponder another seven days who it might be. UFC bantamweight [...]

Posted in: ufc, week, opponent, tuf, urijah

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Note: It's impossible to know whether or not Josh Koscheck is deliberately poking opponents in the eye. Mike Riordan's opinion is his own and does NOT represent the editorial opinion of Bloody Elbow or SBNation. Kid Nate Josh Koscheck's eye-poking is becoming a major story. We have seen him poke the eyes of three recent opponents and these pokes have yielded great effect. His eye poke of Johny Hendricks during UFC on Fox 3 put Johny in great jeopardy as did his pokes on Mike Pierce. Though these eye-pokes appear to be related to a striking technique, I am of the mind that Koscheck was first exposed to this variety of eye-poking as an amateur wrestler and has adapted it to mixed martial arts. One could chalk these pokes up to an innocent by-product of a range finding method. It's impossible to state with certainty if Koscheck is doing this on purpose, but the fact remains that his opponents keep getting poked in the eye with consistency. Let's look at where Koscheck could have picked up the habit. Some evidence even exists of Kos committing such an infraction as far back as his amateur wrestling days. SBN coverage of UFC on Fox 3 The Eye-pokealypse is here! Read this article to discover its origins in Koscheck's amateur wrestling background. Intentional eye-pokes pop up from time to time in amateur wrestling. Having been the recipient of various eye pokes in my day, I hold eye-pokers in the deepest of contempt. Eye-pokes are explosively painful, are rarely called by refs, and can cause the pokee to lose unjustly. Eye-pokes happen on all levels of wrestling but the more that is on the line, the greater the poking possibility. Here is Terry Brands famously getting thumbed in the eye by Cuba's Jesus Wilson in the 1993 world freestyle wrestling finals. This demonstrates both the potential pain caused by these pokes and the cynical ingenuity of the eye poker. Brands is tougher than boiled and a thumb to the eye caused him to writhe in pain on the mat. Ow! Imagine how much of a difference an eye-poke such as this could make at a crucial juncture in a fight. Eye pokers are trying to inflict as much pain as possible in the hope that it gives them a competitive advantage. The skillful pokers are clever about it as well. Wilson knows quite well that he is perfectly positioned so that the referee can not see his dastardly thumb gouge. Josh Koscheck has been cultivating quite a track record of his own for dastardly ocular assaults. He executes his eye-poke in a specific way: extending his lead hand forward in a pawing manner with the palm of his hand turned down and fingers extended forward. The beauty of this nefarious technique is that it can be performed under the premise of functioning only as a range finding device for striking and, as a bonus, it sometimes allows for opponents to poke themselves in the eye with their forward motion. For those unaware of what Josh Koscheck's eye-pokes look like, here is another fighter in a non-UFC fight with a demonstration of the approximate "technique" (the fighter in white trunks here is pawing forward like Koscheck, though not necessarily intentionally poking his opponent's eyes). I believe that Koscheck first learned a technique similar to this as an amateur wrestler, that he has incorporated it into his striking patterns and that he is indeed doing it on purpose. In freestyle or scholastic wrestling, the act of forcefully extending the arm palm forward to an opponents forhead or scalp is a common and effective maneuvre. This allows a wrestler to initiate contact and engage in a hand fight while maintaining a desirable distance. You usually see this performed by wrestlers who have offenses that rely on space and speed. This certainly describes Jordan Burroughs and here he is performing this sort of hand jab to set up a spear single in last year's world finals against Iran's Goudarzi. Wrestling technique tangent: Notice that Burroughs is primarily extending his hand over his rear leg, which is his left. This sort of "wrestling jab" is the opposite of boxing where the jab originates from the lead leg side. Extending the front leg hand in wrestling leaves one open to a quickly timed single from an opponent. Reaching with the rear leg hand has the same potential effect but the leg is farther away, increasing reaction time and thus making it a safer procedure. Wrestling is not a tickle fight and there is nothing wrong with a good stiff hand pop to the head. This becomes a dirty tactic, however, when the fingers are intentionally turned down in the hopes of making contact with the eyes. In theory the eye contact can be unintentional, but I would argue that when a skillful wrestler commits repeated "unintentional" pokes, that the act speak for itself. I do not mean to characterize amateur wrestling as some sort of free for all of dirty tactics. By and large it is not. But occasionally, to my disapprobation, some feel the need to grab the advantage through various forms of skulduggery. One of these forms is the eye-poke in question. Never have I seen this variety of eye poke performed with such flagrance as in the 2010 wrestling match at 197 pounds between Purdue's Logan Brown and Kent State's national champion Dustin Kilgore (Brown is 1-0 in his MMA career and I hope that Kilgore eventually enters the sport). In a way I am indebted to Brown as he has given me ample opportunity to provide GIF illustrations of what the Koscheck style eye-poke looks like on a wrestling mat. Based on how his opponents would react to him in competition before the instant match, I had figured that Brown was somewhat dirty, but this match takes the cake. Brown (in the black headgear) paws his fingers forward and pokes Kilgore in the eyes again.. and again... and again from his butt after a takedown (not totally relevant but I find its ridiculousness amusing) I could make eight or so more more gifs with additional pokes from Logan, and this is a seven minute match! The problem posed to a referee by this method of eye poke is its benign appearance in the context of a combat sport; the act alone does not itself prove the specific intent to poke the eyes. Koscheck has such "success" with his pokes by exploiting this problem. Referees have to make the difficult judgement over whether there is anything wrong with simply extending the fingers to touch the opponent's head. These difficulties aside, refs need to increase their level of vigilance and rigidity of enforcement. Consider that if a competitor were to spend hours in a practice room extending his hand thusly, he would develop a sense for the exact plane on which his hand needs to extend in order to rake an opponents eyes. After all, wrestling, and martial arts in general are about precision: the repetition of the same results from the same actions. Brown, above, was aware of the likely results of his finger thrusts in the above match and I think that Koscheck is also guilty of the very same thing in his recent fights. This accusation bears a little more gravity considering that Kos may have been guilty of this act during his wrestling career. Here is Kos wrestling University Of Illinois standout Matt Lackey at the 2002 US freestyle open. A bald-headed Koscheck, in blue, is seen here with some suspicious paws to the face and it is very possible that Lackey's glance at the ref is meant to inquire whether he saw the fingers near his eyes as well. I believe that it is reasonable to assume that Koscheck is every bit a knowledgeable about how to cagily poke the eyes in a wrestling environment as Brown does above and that he brought this knowledge with him into the Octagon. Josh Koscheck probably first learned the art of the eye-poke as an amateur wrestler and modified it to serve as a tool in mixed martial arts where strikes are present and the gloves leave the fingers exposed. If a high level wrestler performs a wrestling related maneuver in a way which repeatedly and predictably results in eye-pokes, it is likely that the intention behind these acts is to poke the eyes. Koscheck happens to be an incredibly skillful wrestler and the frequency at which these pokes occur prove their intent. These pokes are intentional and unacceptable. The Eye-pokealypse is happening now, now it is in the referee's hands to deal with it. Come back next time for an article on nut grabbing. (Psssst, watch Wilson's right hand) Mike Riordan is a high school wrestling coach, unsuccessful division one collegiate wrestler, and student of the sport of wrestling. He is a part time contributor to Bloody Elbow on matters of collegiate and Olympic wrestling. He is looking forward to everyone telling him about how clever his pun was in the title of this piece.

Posted in: koscheck, opponent, hand, eye, eyepoke

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There's something about Jeremy Stephens. Put him inside the Octagon with just about anyone and if his opponent is willing to stand and trade with the knockout artist, fans will have themselves one hell of a scrap. There are, of course, instances where "Lil' Heathen's" opponent would rather fight to win as in the case when Stephens took on Melvin Guillard and Anthony Pettis. Each lightweight came away with a victory over the Iowa native and more power to them. The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is a cut-throat business and only a couple of consecutive losses can find a fighter unemployed. Fortunately for fans at UFC 125, Marcus Davis isn't that kind of fighter. He's the go out on your shield kind of guy and when he and Stephens collided on the first night of 2011, they provided more than enough fireworks to ring in the new year. Stephens has a fight coming up which promises to be just as exciting. On May 15, he's set to take on World Extreme Cagefighting (WEC) veteran Donald Cerrone at UFC on FUEL TV 3: "Korean Zombie vs. Poirier." He stepped in for an injured Yves Edwards and immediately fans began wringing their hands in anticipation of what is sure to be an all-out war. Before "Lil' Heathen" steps inside the Octagon in Fairfax, VA, let's take a look at his performance against Davis, one which earned him his third Knockout of the Night bonus. Let's go! Both lightweights nearly sprint to the center of the Octagon but Stephens soon forces Davis to back up against the cage. Unable to find an opening, however, Stephens allows his opponent to regain some ground. "The Irish Hand Grenade" uses his tried and true boxing skills to keep "Lil' Heathen" at bay, utilizing a snapping jab and constant footwork to frustate Stephens. The Iowa native finally has had enough and clinches up with his opponent, looking for a takedown. In a reversal of fortune, the former welterweight shifts positions on his opponent and Stephens ends up up on his back. Davis holds him down for a minute until Stephens is able to get back up. His luck on his feet isn't any better as a perfectly placed overhand left from The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) 2 veteran wobbles him something fierce. Taking the bomb right on the temple and on rubber legs, Stephens staggers back against the cage. "The Irish Hand Grenade" pounces but instead of attempting to finish the job he started with his fists, he opts to clinch his opponent which actually allows Stephens to recover from the huge punch. It would end up being a lapse in strategy for Davis which would come back to haunt him. In the second round, Davis continues to use his boxing to outwork and outstrike his opponent. For his part, Stephens turns into a bit of a kickboxer as he attacks Davis' legs to take a little bounce out of his step. Unfortunately for "Lil' Heathen," it's just about all the offense he has accumulated midway through the round. Stephens once again clinches Davis against the cage in an effort to get the fight to the canvas but for the second time in as many attempts, Davis reverses his opponent and winds up on top. Perhaps it's what the Iowa native wanted as he immediately begins threatening with a kimura. "The Irish Hand Grenade" defends perfectly by transitioning into sidemount and despite getting pushed back to half-guard by Stephens, is able to escape the submission to end round two on top, landing ground and pound. Going into the last five minutes of the fight, Stephens knows only a stoppage will win him the fight as he's lost the previous two rounds on the scorecards. Being the heavy handed brawler he is, though, all it could take is one punch. He immediately springs into action, eating a jab from Davis but answering back with a hook. "Lil' Heathen" continues to push the pace, creating a sense of urgency which is often lacking from fighters who are down two rounds to none. Despite the pressure from Stephens, Davis is more than holding his own. In fact, he's using it against his opponent, countering extremely well off the Iowa native's huge, headhunting punches. It's enough for Stephens to shoot in with a half-hearted takedown attempt which "The Irish Hand Grenade" stuffs easily. As the seconds tick away, Davis continues to bounce around the Octagon, using constant movement to prevent Stephens are firing away at will. Another counter off a haymaker from "Lil' Heathen" draws a reaction from the crowd and Davis follows it up with a snapping straight left. As the third round reaches the midway point, Davis throws a right and ducks down into a monster of an uppercut from Stephens. "The Irish Hand Grenade" collapses back in a heap and takes a huge flying punch as he raises his head off the canvas. The one punch he needed, he found. Will he find it again against Cerrone?

Posted in: round, opponent, davi, stephen, lil

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The first two UFC on FOX main event offerings have left many viewers a bit unsatisfied. The first had a knockout so quick, it bordered on anticlimactic based upon the level of attention that led up to it. The second featured a fight that went all five rounds, though was considered somewhat lackluster.But the third? When it comes to Jim Miller and Nate Diaz, these two couldn't possibly have a boring fight, could they? Diaz brothers simply don't have "boring" in their DNA, and Nate essentially gave Miller his stamp of approval as an opponent, saying he respected his aggressive fight style."These two … if this fight sucks, I don't know what to tell you, man," UFC president Dana White said "These two are going to go in there and go at it. For one round or five rounds, they're going to go." Both are action fighters, always pushing forward, setting the pace, willing to contest the fight anywhere. On their feet, Diaz (15-7) is probably the more accomplished of the two, relying on overwhelming volume to dictate the action. At 6-feet tall and with a 76-inch reach, Diaz usually has a built-in advantage when it comes to fighting from distance. Working under boxing coach Richard Perez, he has become well-schooled in learning to make good use of the jab as well. In many ways, he is the spitting image of his brother Nick. If the fight stays standing, Diaz historically throws more volume. According to stats provider FightMetric, Diaz lands 4.24 strikes per minute while he's only hit 2.62 times per minute. The numbers for Miller (21-3) are not quite as strong, as he lands 2.23 strikes per minute while opponents connect on him at a clip of 1.89 strikes per minute. Miller, though, is usually defensively excellent at avoiding contact, as opponents swing and miss at him 67 percent of the time. However, because of the height and reach differential along with Diaz's technical skill, it might not be so easy to make him whiff this time around. If the fight stays standing, it might well be Diaz's to win. Not only will his length play a role, but he also throws early and often to the body, a tactic that could benefit him greatly by sapping Miller of energy, no small thing in a five-round fight. But both fighters are quite well versed on the ground as well, both boasting black belts in Brazilian jiu-jitsu. In fact, both have more than half of their career wins by submission (10 for Diaz, 12 for Miller). But it may well be the transitions that win or lose this fight. If you examine Diaz's career defeats, one thing stands out: he struggles with wrestlers. In all five of his octagon losses, he lost on points due to someone who worked to put him on his back. Miller has the gas tank and willingness to employ that kind of plan.To be fair, Miller is not an overwhelming MMA wrestler -- he lands just 46 percent of takedown tries -- but he's good enough to be dangerous, and his courage in chasing the position will at the least put Diaz in uncomfortable moments.Diaz only defends 45 percent of attempts against him, so chances are at some points, Miller will get the fight to the ground. Once there, he will not shy away from engaging with Diaz as some do. That should lead to some interesting ground scrambles and chain submission attempts as each works for a finish. It also should lead to some difficult-to-score rounds.That might come into play because in their 46 combined fights, the pair have only one loss that came via finish, and that was when Diaz was just 21 years old. That means a lot of exchanges, a lot of scrambles, and a lot of sequences where both men have their moments.So how does it ultimately play out? I see Diaz with a slight edge standing. For one thing, he trains with one of the best southpaw strikers in MMA, his brother Nick, every day, so he's not going to have a problem facing another lefty. We also know his conditioning will be off the charts. But things start getting hazier in the clinch and in the striking-to-wrestling transitions. Diaz's judo is usually good for a takedown or two per fight, but Miller is tenacious when he sets his mind to a takedown, and as we've seen with both Diaz brothers, they're often content to play guard and look for submissions from the bottom. Even though they are often attacking from there, if they ultimately don't get the tapout, judges tend to score it for the guy on top.Unlike other opponents, at least Miller isn't likely to lie there conservatively and take the points. He won't let the position go uncontested. If he works from the top, he'll look to inflict damage and finish. Miller does have aggressive ground and pound, which he often uses to set up submissions by creating openings. Ultimately, I don't think either man will get a finish. They're both just too tough and durable. That leaves us going five rounds, and while Diaz's stamina is without question, Miller has also never shown an issue in that regard, and given that he's more likely to score takedowns, and the fact that he'll be aggressive from the top, I'll pick Miller scraping by in a very close decision that finally satisfies the UFC on FOX viewers.

Posted in: fight, diaz, miller, opponent, i dont

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Josh Koscheck only had two mixed martial arts (MMA) bouts under his belt when he tried out and was selected for the inaugural season of The Ultimate Fighter (TUF). A standout collegiate wrestler, Koscheck used the skills he honed at Edinboro University to make his way to the semifinals of the reality show before losing out to eventual winner Diego Sanchez. Having been so early into his career when he gained the widespread recognition only the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) can offer, fans have seen Koscheck evolve and grow before their very eyes. He's gone from a takedown-heavy wrestler to a legitimate threat in the stand up department. And while he won't be winning the K-1 World Grand Prix any time soon, he's produced more than enough highlight-reel knockouts to prove he's got what it takes to put someone to sleep. He did so against Dustin Hazelett and then again when he obliterated Yoshiyuki Yoshida, who might still be unconscious somewhere after getting knocked out at the first "Fight for the Troops" event way back when. More recently, Koscheck tangled with Matt Hughes, the prototype for brutish welterweight wrestlers. Despite his success, the UFC Hall of Famer never really made the commitment to take his striking to the next level the same way the former American Kickboxing Academy pupil did. When they met inside the Octagon at UFC 135, it showed. Before Koscheck locks horns with Johny Hendricks at UFC on Fox 3: "Diaz vs. Miller" this weekend (April 5, 2012), we'll take a look at that welterweight clash that ended with yet another vicious knockout for the surprisingly heavy-handed TUF veteran. Let's do this: The two welterweights meet in the middle of the Octagon and Hughes instantly begins throwing a jab out a la 170-pound kingpin Georges St. Pierre. The French Canadian used the jab to perfect in a 25 minute rout of Koscheck in the TUF veteran's previous bout. Both men seem hesitant to engage entirely, knowing too much of a commitment to a strike could lead to a takedown from either side of the fight. Hughes established his empire with the takedown, getting opponent to the mat and elbowing their faces to smithereens. While Koscheck has been more willing to engage in stand-up affairs, his wrestling acumen also isn't one to be taken lightly. Nothing of consequence connects for either fighter two minutes into the opening round aside from a hook which rattles Hughes. The Hall of Famer answers back with one of his own but Koscheck shrugs it off and pushes forward. Hughes continues to pop off his jab, hoping to cause both physical and psychological damage. He repeatedly attacks the same eye GSP had shattered in their UFC 124 main event. One jab, then another and they're followed up with an uppercut that elicits a positive response from the decidedly pro-Hughes crowd. They exchange again and for the second time, the former welterweight champion connects with an uppercut while avoiding damage himself. Koscheck charges forwards and grabs a hold of his opponent, pinning him momentarily against the cage. Hughes shoves off and eats a couple of uppercuts from the TUF veteran before throwing a knee as they break the clinch. What can often happen with a fighter who finds success with a certain punch or combination is they became overconfident and reliant on it, allowing their opponent to adjust. This is exactly what happened that night in Denver. Hughes continues to stick with the jab while sneaking an uppercut in every once in a while and eventually Koscheck is able to catch him with a big hook. Hughes seems rocked but he begins to fire back quickly. A hook and another uppercut from the legend miss their mark and an attempt to clinch with Koscheck indicates maybe Hughes is more hurt than we originally though. The TUF veteran pushes his opponent off and cracks Hughes with a bomb across his temple. A jab connects to the former champ's chin and he again tries to clinch with Koscheck. The younger welterweight immediately begins forcing Hughes off, covering his mouth and pushing his head away while also landing a couple of uppercuts in the process. As they jockey for position, Hughes throws an ill-advised knee to his opponent's head which causes him to lose his balance and he tumbles to the mat. Two monster hammerfists from Koscheck connect and are followed up by even bigger hooks. Hughes rolls onto his stomach and right before the horn sounds off to end the round, Koscheck's fist smacks across the Hall of Famer's skull and turns the lights off. Hughes hasn't fought since and barring a last minute replacement fighter needed, it doesn't appear as if UFC President Dana White will be phoning him any time soon. Koscheck, meanwhile, hopes to make it two in a row when he battles the Oklahoma State University wrestler this weekend. Hendricks, in many ways, is what Koscheck was to Hughes: a younger version of himself. Will the UFC villain suffer the same fate as his UFC 135 opponent? Or does he still have some fight left in him?

Posted in: ufc, hughe, koscheck, opponent, jab

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In 2009, the last significant changes to the Association of Boxing Committees unified rules for mixed martial arts were made. Roughly three years later, the changes have stuck and none seem to be forthcoming in the near future. At this point, it is safe to say that the rules for MMA have coalesced into something truly stable at this point. However, "stable" does not mean "best" or even "pretty good". As the staff here at Bloody Elbow has noted before, there is much room for the improvement of the scoring/judging criteria, yet the idea of tweaking the rules delineating the parameters of the actual combat has not been discussed much. As the resident wing nut* on staff, I believe that I have come up with one rule change I would love to see implemented in MMA: allow upkicks to a downed opponent. In my mind, this solves many problems by allowing greater offense for both the fighter on his or her back and greater opportunities to pass the guard for the fighter on top. The uptick in opportunities to lash out with damaging blows and to advance position would thereby ease the difficulty of judging and vastly increase the difficulty of "lay and pray" fighters actually eking out wins with their tactics. * See my recent Staff Picks choosing Rashad Evans over Jon Jones and Thiago Silva over Alexander Gustaffson. After the jump, the case for upkicks is made with many words and several pictures/GIFs. Brian Davidson lands a glancing upkick on Jens Pulver at Titan Fighting Championship 18. Photo via Sherdog.com. The current ABC rules for MMA deem upkicks to a grounded opponent as a foul: 16. Kicking the head of a grounded opponent. A grounded opponent is any fighter who has more than just the soles of their feet on the ground. (i.e. could have one shin or one finger down to be considered a downed fighter) If the referee determines that a fighter would be a grounded fighter but is not solely because the ring ropes or cage fence has held fighter from the ground, the referee can instruct the combatants that he is treating the fighter held up solely by the cage or ropes as a grounded fighter This should not be so. A fighter who completes a takedown upon the other is already wary of elbow strikes, submissions and the squirming escape attempts of the other fighter. Adding in upkicks would not impose an unreasonable burden of caution upon the top fighter. In addition to the upkicks not being a feather upon an overladen camel's back, they would decrease the ability of the top fighter to stall out and allow the bottom fighter to use far more offensive tactics. Recall the fury with which Diego Sanchez unleashed elbows upon Clay Guida and imagine if he had upkicks to push Guida up off him or even deliver significant blows to Guida by that avenue. I believe that if a fighter like Demian Maia had the ability to threaten upkicks, triangles attempts and omoplata attempts would be far, far more common and perhaps even finished. This could make fights like the one Maia fought against Chris Weidman or the bout between Fabricio Werdum and Alistair Overeem more exciting than the dull, plodding shambles they were. A fighter who does not want to engage on the ground will back out of there much faster - and the fight stood back up much quicker - if upkicks are allowed. Gegard Mousasi throws an upkick against Jacare Souza at DREAM 6. Photo for Sherdog. While the offensive opportunities for the bottom fighter increase, the same happens for the top fighter. The close proximity to the opponent leaves the top fighter in excellent position to anticipate the upkick and even counter it by snatching the thigh and going into a leg drag pass of the guard. Furthermore, the head of the top fighter is not constrained by any canvas or mat and can freely move around while being struck. It is not necessarily a given that an upkick that connects will knock out or even faze the other fighter. Not all upkicks are the same as those delivered by Gegard Mousasi (on Ronaldo Souza) or Renzo Gracie (on Oleg Taktarov). Many of the dedicated fans may recall the famous "victory" Yushin Okami holds over Anderson Silva from their fight at Rumble On The Rock 8 in 2006. As the GIF to the left shows, Anderson actually knocked Okami silly with an upkick and was subsequently disqualified for the illegal, although mightily effective, blow. The power of upkicks is considerable, yet may be overstated if only a few spectacular examples are considered. An upkick can be recognized and even nullified by a smart opponent. Earlier in the fight, Okami actually had a great position that warded off upkicks and set him up to potentially reap the rewards of advancing position or implementing his own offense upon Anderson. Anderson Silva fends off a guard pass attempt from Yushin Okami. Photo by Jeff Sherwood for Sherdog. Look at Okami's positioning. He has placed his head out of danger of upkicks, has the posture to avoid a triangle and is threatening to advance position - and avoid further strikes - by passing the guard into side control. Okami wanted to shove the leg up towards the chest of Anderson and possibly grab the farside shoulder to increase the pressure. Anderson was able to fend Yushin off in this instance, but in the hypothetical future, many fighters should be able to implement a leg drag-style pass and threaten to take the back or establish dominant side control. This is the implementation of offense that we fight fans should be encouraging. The following video shows exactly what I envisioned Okami and other future fighters doing to a fighter who misses an upkick: The leg drag pass is one of the favorite passes for Brazilian jiu jitsu or submission grapplers on the elite level right now in and out of the gi, yet it is rarely seen in MMA despite its effectiveness and versatility. This is partly due to the "newness" of the pass and partly due to there being little incentive to work a guard pass or an open guard. As the video shows, the half guard will actually take a bit of a hit in terms of its effectiveness, if my vision is true to the consequences of this proposed reality. I have little to no problems with that as well. This is a proposed rule change and will likely start controversies about the danger or likelihood of head trauma. I reiterate that I would not support a rule change allowing soccer kicks, stomps to the head or knees to the head of an opponent on his or her back/side. The immobility of the head of the person being struck is greatly diminished in those situations, while the mobility of the head of a person being upkicked is not limited by the canvas or mat. The goal here is to make a small rule change that could have great ramifications in terms of improving fights from a technical and entertainment point of view and from a scoring and judging point of view. Am I truly an irredeemable wing nut here?

Posted in: fighter, opponent, head, rule, upkick

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In terms of consistency, Jim Miller may be the best 155-pound mixed martial arts (MMA) fighter on the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) roster. Having fought inside the Octagon since late 2008, the New Jersey native has seen victory 10 times and defeat only twice. The two men who were able to beat Miller were former number one contender Gray Maynard and current lightweight champion Ben Henderson. Not exactly a couple of guys who anyone would consider bums. Conversely, his victories include wins over Mac Danzig, Duane Ludwig and Melvin Guillard. Again, not a list of lightweights to be taken lightly. The latter two, in fact, were stopped by Miller before the midway point of the opening round. For the second time, Miller finds himself fighting for a title shot when he takes on Nate Diaz in the main event of this Saturday's (May 5, 2012) UFC on Fox 3: "Diaz vs. Miller" card. He was promised a crack at the belt had he defeated "Smooth," but the former World Extreme Cagefighting (WEC) champion came out on top and got the chance to tangle with Frankie Edgar in Japan. Miller's opponent this weekend is a Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt under Cesar Gracie, but then again, the AMA Fight Club product is no slouch on the ground, either. And he proved his advancement wasn't a mere trophy belt when he met Charles Oliveira at UFC 124 in Montreal. Let's take a look at how that fight played out: They touch gloves in the center of the Octagon and Miller pops off two quick jabs. His Brazilian opponent answers with a head kick Miller is able to block. The American pressures "Do Bronx" against the cage but Oliveira drops levels and snags onto one of his opponent's legs. While it would seem Miller is confident enough in his submission defense, willingly engaging someone with the skill set of Oliveira is playing with fire and the American isn't looking to get burned. He spins out, freeing his leg and the two reset. Another head kick from Oliveira nearly hits its mark but again is blocked. The Brazilian goes low the next time around and smacks his shin against Miller's inside thigh. Miller responds with a straight but "Do Bronx" covers up instantly and avoids damage. For an esteemed grappler, Oliveira's striking looks crisp in the opening moments of the bout. A third head kick seems to wobble the New Jersey native momentarily but he pushes through and grabs onto his opponent's legs. He grinds Oliveira against the cage and shifts all of his focus onto a single leg in hopes of taking the fight to the mat. Miller is able to but the Brazilian grabs a hold of his neck in hopes of securing a guillotine choke. The American begins to shifts to sidemount to avoid the submission but his opponent wisely hustles to keep him in either half-guard or guard where the choke has a greater likelihood of taking hold. As Miller works towards a more advantageous position, "Do Bronx" releases the choke and tries to apply a kimura but the American is able to avoid this submission as well. Now in Oliveira's full guard, Miller begins to land small punches to the head and body as his opponent starts to shift around on the mat, looking for a possible triangle choke. Oliveira nearly lands it but Miller is able to avoid getting wrapped up. As they jockey for position on the mat, Miller takes a vertical base and "Do Bronx" gets to work on the American's leg. As Oliveira's attention is focused on the lower limb of his opponent, he fails to realize his own leg is sticking right in front of Miller's face. The America grabs hold of the ankle, spins around and falls to the Octagon floor with a thud. He begins to crank Oliveira's leg back, putting extreme pressure on the knee which "Do Bronx" responds to by landing a few hard punches to Miller's ribs. One more slight crank, though, is all Miller needs to elicit a tap out from the grappling standout. Can the New Jersey native pull off an equally unlikely submission this Saturday?

Posted in: ufc, oliveira, miller, opponent, leg

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Recently the UFC added one of the finest competitors outside of the Octagon to its roster by signing reigning Bellator middleweight champ Hector Lombard. For those unfamiliar with the 34-year old Olympic judoka, Lombard holds an overall record of 31-2-1 including 24 stoppages and wins over the likes of Trevor Prangley, Joe Doerksen, Brian Ebersole, and Alexander Shlemenko. Even more impressive, Lombard hasn’t lost in more than five years while racking up 24 victories over the span. While his official UFC debut hasn’t been announced yet there are a number of good options out there that would put Lombard in position for a shot at the organization’s belt by mid-2013. Granted, his credentials might merit a crack even sooner, but between Chael Sonnen and Michael Bisping/Mark Munoz the UFC’s title-picture is already fairly focused for the next nine months. That being said, here are three possibilities for Lombard that make sense for multiple reasons: Kyle Noke: At first glance I suspect a few readers rolled their eyes. However, though Noke is far from a big name, he and Lombard have history including a Draw. It would be a good way to acclimate Lombard to the Octagon while also letting him avenge a semi-stumble by (likely) picking up a highlight-reel win. Noke is expected to return soon from injury so why not make it happen? Rousimar Palhares/Alan Belcher: Okay, this is kind of cheating since I’m listing two guys, but with them fighting each other next weekend it all works out since ultimately Lombard would face the winner. Both are interesting match-ups stylistically based on aggression plus neither is a particularly big 185er, a factor worth mentioning considering Lombard’s own diminutive size at 5’9”. Brian Stann: Stann came out of his recent win injury-free and has the name, plus success, to make for an intriguing opponent. He also likes to strike which makes for a nice stylistic showdown capped off by a probable knockout. Lombard Out to Be UFC Champion Truly, given Lombard’s skill-set and aggressive approach there aren’t many opponents who wouldn’t be fun to see him face – Bisping, Vitor Belfort, Wanderlei Silva, Cung Le, Rich Franklin…the list goes on and on. Unfortunately, the bulk of the UFC’s best middleweights are already busy, but fortunately there are a few folks who still fit the bill as mentioned above. PHOTO CREDIT – BELLATOR Tweet

Posted in: ufc, lombard, ’t, opponent, middleweight

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It looks like Hatsu Hioki won't be facing Jose Aldo anytime soon. The Japanese fighter, currently ranked at number 2 at featherweight in the USA Today/SB Nation Consensus Rankings, will instead get against a tough opponent who is undefeated in the UFC on June 22nd. FoxSports.com has the news: "Two of the top featherweights in the world, Hatsu Hioki and Ricardo Lamas, will battle it out June 22 on the UFC on FX card in Atlantic City," White told FOXSports.com. Dana also gave a good explanation for the fight in the article: "Many pegged Hioki as the next possible challenger for Jose Aldo's title, but he wants one more test before going for the belt," White said. "In his way is Lamas, who has proven to be a tough competitor for anyone to deal with, especially since moving down to featherweight and finishing both opponents at 145 pounds. Both guys have verbally agreed to the match." Hioki is 2-0 in the UFC, with a split decision win over George Roop at UFC 137 and a thorough dismantling of Bart Palaszewski at UFC 144 that ended with a second-round submission. Lamas is 2-0 in the UFC as well, with a TKO win over Matt Grice and a submission victory over Cub Swanson. Lamas had a long run at lightweight in the WEC, where he went 4-2. This leaves only one choice for Jose Aldo's next opponent - the winner of the May 15th bout between Dustin Poirier and Chan Sung Jung at UFC on Fuel 3. SBN coverage of UFC on FX 4: Maynard vs. Guida

Posted in: ufc, opponent, featherweight, hioki, lama

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The all-heavyweight main card for UFC 146 in Las Vegas on May 26th is once again complete after the removal of Alistair Overeem from the night's main event forced the shuffling of several other fights. In summary: Frank Mir will replace Overeem, while Mir's original opponent, Cain Velasquez, will now face Antonio Silva, while Silva's original opponent, Roy Nelson, will face Gabriel Gonzaga. Still following? Gonzaga's original opponent was Shane del Rosario who was the odd man out until UFC president, Dana White, announced via twitter that fellow undefeated prospect, Stipe Miocic, had gotten the call to fill in on short notice and fight del Rosario: 8-0 Stipe Miocic vs 11-0 Shane Del Rosario is on!!!! Miocic entered the UFC as a highly-touted heavyweight prospect and a product of the Strong Style Fight Team in Cleveland. With solid wrestling and boxing credentials, Miocic debuted against the durable Joey Beltran and got the win, despite going to a decision for the first time in his career. His sophomore effort was a little more decisive as he knocked out Philip De Fries in under a minute at UFC on Fuel TV 1 back in February. Del Rosario made a name for himself in Strikeforce and EliteXC before both promotions were swallowed up by the UFC. Fans began to take notice as the Team Oyama product plowed through the competition, finishing all his opponents with a combination of strong muay thai skills and a dynamic submission game. As a reserve for the Strikeforce heavyweight GP, Del Rosario was scheduled to face Daniel Cormier, but a minor car accident left him with a herniated disc and forced him out of action. Now having been on the shelf for over year, Del Rosario will finally get the chance to introduce himself to UFC fans, but Miocic certainly won't make it easy. Stipe Miocic (8-0)W Philip De Fries (KO - punch) - UFC on Fuel 1W Joey Beltran (unam. decision) - UFC 136W Bobby Brents (submission - leg kicks) - NAAFS: Fight Night in the Flats 7 Shane del Rosario (11-0)W Lavar Johnson (submission - armbar) - Strikeforce: Fedor vs. SilvaW Lolohea Mahe (TKO) - Strikeforce Challengers: del Rosario vs. MaheW Brandon Cash (submission - omoplata) - Strikeforce Challengers: Gurgel vs. Evangelista UFC 146: Dos Santos vs. Mir coverage

Posted in: ufc, opponent, miocic, rosario, del

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The shuffling of UFC 146 continues, as Gabriel Gonzaga has been named the new opponent for Roy Nelson on the all-heavyweight main card. Gonzaga was originally scheduled to face off against Shane del Rosario, who is now looking for a new opponent. UFC 146 goes down on May 26th at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. Gonzaga (13-6) returned to the UFC after a 14 month layoff, following his release after UFC 121 in October 2010. “Napao” returned to the Octagon to take on fellow Brazilian Edinaldo Oliveira. Gonzaga made quick work of him, as he defeated Oliveira via rear-naked choke in the first round. This was Gonzaga’s first win in the UFC since August 2009, when he defeated Chris Tucscherer at UFC 102 via first round TKO. He will take on Nelson, who was out of an opponent after former opponent Antonio “Bigfoot” Silva stepped in for Frank Mir to take on Cain Velasquez, as Frank Mir stepped in for Alistair Overeem to take on Junior dos Santos for the UFC heavyweight title. Shane del Rosario is expected to remain on the card, but is now without an opponent. The former Strikeforce heavyweight will be making his UFC debut at the event. For complete coverage of UFC 146, stay tuned to MMAFrenzy.com

Posted in: ufc, opponent, gonzaga, gabriel gonzaga, roy nelson

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On a recent episode of The MMA Show, and in an article here on BloodyElbow, I predicted that Rashad Evans would not be allowed to get close enough to UFC Light Heavyweight Champion, Jon Jones, to land his noted right hand. I asserted that Jones would use his front kicks to the knee, long punches, and brutal low kicks (made doubly effective by Rashad's side on stance) to pick Evans apart. All of these elements were present, but what I never saw coming (and neither did Rashad) was Jones' willingness to move into Rashad's punching range, in order to land short elbow strikes. This unique strategy on Jones' part was probably the suggestion of either Greg Jackson or Mike Winkeljohn, and has seemed to defuse one of the main areas in which it was thought Jones could be beaten. It has long been assumed that, just as in boxing, if you crowd a man who owns a freakish reach advantage, he will be unable to strike effectively. By crowding a longer man in boxing, the shorter fighter can begin to work effectively in bursts between the range where his opponents punches are at their strongest and longest, and the range where his opponent can tie him up. The traditional boxing strategy has seemed to hold true through MMA's short life, Stefan Struve vs Junior Dos Santos is an excellent example of a longer man simply having nothing when a man with a shorter reach crowds him and relentlessly throws punches. Jones' success against Rashad, often by stepping in so close that he himself could not punch, has not only highlighted a new area of Jones' personal game, but also the criminal under-use of elbows in MMA as a whole. Just a day before, however, Shinya Aoki, the Japanese grappling phenomenon whose stand up game has been steadily improving under the guidance of the elite Thai trainers at Evolve MMA, threw an incredibly ill advised lead elbow strike at Eddie Alvarez. Alvarez, a more than competent striker, moved back, allowing the short strike to miss, then jumped into range and countered through the wake of the failed elbow, dropping Aoki to his back and finishing him with a savage blitz of ground and pound. The advantages of elbow strikes are very clear: They are ungloved, and so deliver far more damage in a short area. The forearm bones and point of the elbow have little meat over them, meaning that the collision is made almost entirely with bone, which is likely to open a cut. They can be thrown quickly and at almost any angle; from above, below, spinning, slashing downward, 12 to 6 (though currently illegal, unless you are on your back, bizarrely), jumping, falling. Why then, are elbows not used more readily in MMA? For that, we shall have to examine the hazards of attempting elbow strikes, and the ways in which successful exponents of elbow strikes have alleviated these dangers. With that list of benefits, throwing elbow strikes should seem like a no brainer. Every MMA fighter and their mother should be storming out of their corner and winging elbows at their opponent. Unfortunately the dangers of throwing elbows are also manifold: They are shorter than punches, substituting in for the shortest hook one can throw with power (that is, with your elbow bent at a right angle). A simple step backwards will eliminate the danger of the elbow. When thrown with power, they require more commitment of the upper body than a punch does, and if missed they will leave you in an awkward position, such as Aoki found himself in the other night. It is difficult to get in to elbowing range without being clinched. Here, Shinya Aoki demonstrates the dangers of throwing an elbow when your opponent has room to back up. Notice how his over commitment to the motion also causes Aoki to be out of position when Alvarez throws his counter, and how Shinya would have been unlikely to land anyway because he did nothing about moving Alvarez's lead hand. These dangers can all be alleviated by setting elbows up correctly. Firstly, many great elbow strikes in Muay Thai (the home of the elbow) are landed as both competitors are stepping in. One steps in with a punch or kick, and the other steps in with a counter elbow. This simple act of stepping in when one's opponent steps in is the foundation of all good offensive counter punching, and it is especially helpful in landing elbows. Anderson Silva notably used this strategy against a low kick from Chael Sonnen, countering with a beautiful over the top elbow (which is detailed in my book: Advanced Striking). The Muay Thai fighter, Nathan Corbett is also excellent at stepping in with an uppercut or over the top elbow when his opponent steps in. In fact, a Nathan Corbett highlight is a seminar in how to land hard elbow strikes. NATHAN CARNAGE CORBETT HIGHLIGHT (via trentxr) You will notice, in this highlight, how often Corbett lands his elbow strikes. Obviously Corbett's opponents don't WANT him to hit them, but they cannot get out of the way. He assures that they cannot move away in one of three ways: Throwing the elbow as a counter to the opponent's forward motion (as already discussed) Assuring that the opponent is backed up against the ropes. Holding the opponent in a one handed clinch while he strikes them. All of these methods can be utilized in MMA, and work against the cage is more prolonged and tolerated than clinching against the ropes is in Muay Thai. Even the weak striker, Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira found success against the much larger, healthier, Frank Mir in their second match with elbows along the fence. Chuck Liddell, too, threw his first notable elbow inside the octagon against Wanderlei Silva when he had pushed the latter up against the cage, and it was responsible for the large cut on Silva's face that helped win Chuck the decision. A final method, which is not present in Corbett's highlight reel, is the act of hand fighting. I have talked in some detail before about hand fighting from a striking perspective (in my articles on Hand Trapping, and in my Ultimate Southpaw Guide) but Jon Jones performance the other night illustrated it to great effect. Throughout the fight Jones could be seen to be reaching one or both hands forward to cover Rashad's, which is discourage in boxing, where the hands are the only weapons, but is a major part of both Karate and Muay Thai sparring. In this still from the Jones - Evans title fight, one can clearly see Jones' covering both of Rashad's hands as early as the second round. A strategy which he utilized throughout the fight, this eliminated Rashad's ability to throw punches at Jones, and allowed Jones the opportunity to roll his own elbows over the top of Rashad's guard. Alistair Overeem is also well known for peforming this sort of hand trap, using it almost exclusively to land his step up knee strike or "Uberknee" against Brock Lesnar. The absence of successful elbow strikes from almost every major MMA card has more to do with a lack of understanding by many MMA fighters of the strategy involved in landing an elbow. One can stand square on to an opponent, throw combinations of punches, and do fine. But if one takes the same "throw and hope" approach with elbows, it is very easy to miss and provide holes that even semi-capable strikers can counter into. If more fighters note the importance of ensuring the opponent is either coming in or cannot back up when they attempt an elbow, and that his hands are occupied with hand fighting, we will see a great increase in the number of successful elbow strikes in MMA. I am sure that over the next couple of months we will see mediocre strikers attempt to imitate Jones' elbows as they did Anderson Silva and Lyoto Machida's front kicks. A mistimed elbow strike, unlike a front kick thrown at random, places the aggressor in a terribly precarious position, however. Just ask Shinya Aoki or Urijah Faber. Want to learn the techniques of Junior Dos Santos, Anderson Silva and Roy Jones Jr.? These and the techniques of 17 other elite strikers, are broken down in detailed photography in Jack Slack's new ebook Advanced Striking: Tactics of Kickboxing, Boxing and MMA Masters, which is out NOW! Jack Slack blogs at his website www.fightsgoneby.com and can be found on Twitter @JackSlackMMA, and on his new Facebook Account.

Posted in: jone, opponent, strike, elbow, elbow strikes

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The match-up many already believed would happen was confirmed Saturday night when UFC President Dana White announced Dan Henderson will be the next opponent for light heavyweight champion Jon Jones. Jones defended his belt in victorious fashion over Rashad Evans in the main event last night at UFC 145, giving him yet another title-win over a former champion. Previously Jones topped Quinton “Rampage” Jackson, Lyoto Machida, and Mauricio “Shogun” Rua in championship bouts. White confirmed Jones’ bout with Henderson could come sooner than expected with a summer date to being looked at. Henderson earned his shot by defeating Rua, the same person Jones took the belt from over a year ago, in addition to recently holding Strikeforce‘s equivalent championship and beating legendary heavyweight Fedor Emelianenko prior to re-joining the UFC. When asked for his take on Henderson, Jones labeled him as “a great opponent”. “He’s a winner, and he has a huge fan base, so the haters will come out. He has extreme knockout power, and I’m excited to conquer,” explained Jones of the 41-year old icon. PHOTO CREDIT – UFC

Posted in: ufc, jone, henderson, opponent, dan henderson

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Watch as UFC heavyweight champion Junior dos Santos reacts to the news his new opponent at UFC 146 will be Frank Mir, not Alistair Overeem as originally planned.

Posted in: ufc, mir, do, alistair overeem, opponent

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Post from the UG that I was thinking about: Jon Jones exposed As a fighter with an incredible frame who can generate tremendous leverage in grappling and striking, with the skill set of a b level fighter. His footwork is non existant, his kicks have no power, he under-utilizes the jab and cross instead opting for flashier and less effective techniques, his only strategy seems to be "stand in front of opponent, plant feet, and throw a hard shot or 2. He totally over reacts to everything coming his way and generally has no answer in the way of an effective counter. With that said, he does have his moments, like the one time he did a lean back and countered. Otherwise, skillwise he has a long ways to go and is nowhere near someone like Anderson Silva. If his skillset ever catches up with his physical gifts, he could be unstoppable at 205. Until then, the comparison to Ali needs to end, and while he could possibly beat A. Silva, I will not accept the argument that he is anywhere as skilled as Silva is. What Silva does in the ring is art. What Jones does is work, good work too, often great, but it's not art, and I don't buy into the hype. / To the forum members well versed in striking/grappling technique - what do you make of these statements? There's no doubt Jones is creative, talented and incredibly effective in the division he's fighting in now. But is that due to Silva/Aldo/GSP-esq skill, or more due to remarkable physical advantages over his opponents, which allow him to get away with his bag of tricks? Side kicks with the back leg to the knees. Hands in an opponents face as a simple distraction because there's not much they can do about it being there. Holding an opponents hands and delivering elbows which actually reach and connect because his arms are so damn long. These all depend on Jones significant reach and height advantage over most LHWs. Do you think Jones could fight the way he fights now, and dominate, if he grew some legs and fought HWs like Overeem, JDS, who wouldn't be at such a significant height and reach disadvantage? (crazily enough it there still would be a disadvantage, just not as dramatic) NOTE: Not hating on Jones, just looking for opinions of more experienced forum members. It is something to wonder - I mean, the guy is facing Hendo next. Hendo is a legend with bombs for hands and an iron chin and will that would give any fighter his size trouble. Incredibly skilled fighter. But against Jones, at a 13.5 inch reach disadvantage, he will be rendered powerless. Do these two really belong in the same division? submitted by red1392 [link] [29 comments]

Posted in: jone, way, silva, opponent, forum members

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With a one-sided decision win over challenger Rashad Evans, Jon Jones definitely settled the question of who the better fighter was Saturday night (April 21, 2012) in the UFC 145 main event from the Philips Arena in Atlanta, Georgia. And with a steady if unspectacular showing, "Bones" reinforced the perception that he's one of the most difficult match ups in mixed martial arts (MMA). With ever-more tools at his disposal, Jones' dizzying mix of punches, elbows and variations on technique left Evans largely in defensive mode for the five-round affair, though the challenger did connect on two occasions -- once with a solid right hand, the other with a flush kick to the head -- that seemed to get the champ's respect. But aside from those few bright spots, the bout resembled every other Jones fight since he stormed into the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) 3.5 years and 11 fights ago. It was total domination, albeit without a signature Jones finish. In the co-main, Rory MacDonald steamrolled a game, but outmatched Che Mills en route to a second-round technical knockout. And in a Heavyweight upset, a renewed Ben Rothwell dispatched the favored Brendan Schaub with a rousing rally via knockout. Here's a closer look at UFC 145 and report card for last night's competitors. Grades are given relative to prefight expectations, and how the performance affected their immediate career prospects: Rory MacDonald: AMacDonald looked like every bit explosive, well-rounded machine that generated considerable hype in 2011 with impressive wins over Nate Diaz and Mike Pyle. After an iffy start, where Mills -- clearly looking to engage -- drilled him with a couple of clean shots, MacDonald immediately adjusted and took it to the mat, where his suffocating top control and pressure wore down "Beautiful." In the second, MacDonald took down Mills again, delivering a punishing barrage of strikes en route to a lengthy beating and the stoppage. MacDonald, just 22, is a training partner and friend to champ Georges St. Pierre. When I interviewed him and trainer Firas Zahabi (who also trains GSP) last year, they both stated unequivocally that he would never fight St. Pierre. And the UFC has put MacDonald on something of a parallel track to similar rising contenders, such as Johny Hendricks and Jake Ellenberger, who got Jon Fitch and Jake Shields to test themselves against. After tonight, it's obvious that MacDonald needs someone who's a legit top ten Welterweight as his next opponent to really test him. Maybe even top five. It's crowded at 170 pounds, which might be an advantage in developing the talented Canadian, who turns a mere 23 in July. But, given St. Pierre's dominant run as champ, and MacDonald's inevitability, it's hard to see how these two won't meet in the coming year or two. MacDonald's still filling out - he was a lightweight when he turned pro - and it's impressive how he can control and smash people. He has exceptionally heavy hands given the slightest openings on a grounded opponents, and his athleticism and seamless transitions are huge assets, as well. So what's next? Out of all available opponents, Diego Sanchez would be a logical next opponent. Sanchez has never been stopped at welterweight, and gave a credible effort in losing to contender Jake Ellenberger in February. It would also be interesting to see MacDonald pitted against someone like Diego, who'd push the pace and try and take the initiative - and it would be smart matchmaking, because win or lose, Sanchez is almost always in exciting fights. Ben Rothwell: A-The journeyman heavyweight was truly on the bubble after his dreadful decision loss against Mark Hunt, which dropped him to 1-2 in the UFC. But with one left hook, "Big Ben" showed why heavyweights only need one shot, as he dropped the pouncing Schaub, who was moving in for the kill after apparently stunning Rothwell. The win was the biggest of Ben's career, and his firmed-up physique showed he clearly put in serious work in the gym, transforming his frame. Rothwell is still something of crude heavy with his limited technique and athleticism, but experience goes a long way in working out of bad situations, and tonight was a perfect example of how a guy that's more of a fighter than an athlete beats an opponent who's the opposite. Michael McDonald: AThe rising bantamweight product was brilliantly on point in a showdown against former WEC champ Miguel Torres, and showed stunning power in a nasty right uppercut that set up the wicked finish. Now 15-1, and 5-0 in the WEC and UFC, McDonald's a rising bantamweight contender in a division badly in need of fresh faces. After the Dominick Cruz-Urijah Faber rubber match, the UFC will need marketable contenders to usher in the next wave of challengers. Alongside uber-talented Renan Barao, aggressive sluggers like McDonald are the crest of that wave. Under-155ers often have bouts that resemble pillow fights, but a heavy-handed little guy is exceptionally viable in building a fan base. Mcdonald can bang and showed some real stones in standing with Torres, exploiting the opening perfectly, to boot. Eddie Yagin: B+Gritty, gutty and persistent, Yagin pulled out a split decision over former title challenger Mark Hominick in a career-defining performance. Bloodied and swollen after Hominick lit him up in a rollicking second round, Yagin finished the show by taking the third round and winning a razor-thin split duke, 29-28 on all cards. An impressive showing for Yagin, who at 135 seems undersized and a tad too hittable, but he's exciting, and he had enough tonight to score an upset win. Jon Jones: BEverybody's human, even Jones, whose 2011 was the most impressive calendar-year run in the history of the sport (just edging out Shogun Rua's tear through Pride in 2005). Somewhat restrained in his approach, Jones picked his spots and demonstrated an ever-evolving technical standup game, with added confidence in his hands, as he shot out punches, even turning jabs into punishing elbows on the largely-flummoxed Evans, who did land the occasional shot. The bout going the distance was probably the product of two things: Evans' thumping right hand which got Jones' respect midway through the bout, and Jones' never going five rounds, which is now something he's got under his belt. It will serve him the next time he has to go deep. Going against him tonight, however, was his seeming disinterest in takedowns until late in the bout, where he basically arm-blasted Evans to the mat with a big-brotheresque shove. At times, Jones seems to technically superior to opponents that you'd think he's in a sparring session trying out new things, instead of defending his title. A finish would have been feasible if he'd taken Evans down earlier and punished him, but Jones was never in serious trouble, and his evolving game only spells bad news for future light-heavyweight challengers. After Dan Henderson, there's nobody that's world-class that Jones hasn't already stomped. Mark Bocek: BThe reliable lightweight plugger scored a workmanlike decision win over John Alessio, using his quick transitions and takedowns to grind out a clear-cut victory on the cards. Bocek dominated throughout and secured his short-term future, at least, as a reliable measuring stick too good for lower-level 155ers, and a credible test for those looking to break into the top fifteen. It wasn't spectacular, but it wasn't boring, either. Rashad Evans: C+To his credit, Evans went where no one has gone since Stephan Bonnar, making Jones work to a decision, and over five rounds, to boot. He took a steady, sustained pounding, but never mailed it in and gave up. He kept firing. But the problem was that his opportunities were few and far between, which is always a hassle with fighting Jones, whose reach and range skew every tactical option hopelessly against opponents. Evans did something that few light heavies will ever do - be standing at the end of the fight against Jones - and he showed some serious pluck and heart in a fight that never really got out of third gear. It's a tough loss for "Suga," but he did so much better than most of Bones' recent challengers that in a relative sense, Evans really doesn't drop too far in the ranks. Unless you're a completely biased Alexander Gustaffson fan. Che Mills: C+Tough Brit took a terrible thumping against Rory MacDonald, but only after absorbing serious punishment in a brutal display of ground and pound from the dangerous "Ares." There aren't a lot of welterweights that can stand up to MacDonald's attack, and Mills lasted longer than most would have. However, his toughness and heart shown tonight outweigh the loss - the UFC will definitely keep him around for a while, either against midlevel competition to rebuild him or as a measuring stick against rising prospects. Mark Hominick: DSince his epic stand in a five-round brawl with champ Jose Aldo, Hominick may be showing the signs of a long career. Coming into the bout after his stunning, eight-second KO loss to Chang Sung Jung, "The Machine" looked flat tonight, sucked into a life-or-death struggle to a split decision loss against the game but limited Eddie Yagin. Hominick couldn't sustain the breakneck pace that usually makes his standup up game one of the best in the featherweight division, and the accumulated punishment he's taken seems to have added up. John Alessio: DDropping down to 155, Alessio's size and decent standup helped him give Bocek a few brief moments of trouble prior to his getting completely outworked on the ground. Alessio, who challenged Pat Miletich for the welterweight title in 2000, was a substitute for Matt Wiman and did his best, but age and the weight cut clearly left him outgunned against the quicker, wily Bocek. Miguel Torres: FSlugging it out and firing back when hurt has created some of the most exciting moments in Torres' career, and some of his worst, as well. After getting cut and then reinstated by the UFC last year for inappropriate comments on his Twitter feed, the former WEC boss had a good matchup tonight. Vexed by wrestlers at times, Torres had a standup opponent who landed first and exploited the holes in his defense for a punishing first-round stoppage. Brendan Schaub: FTonight was a disaster for Schaub, who slugged with an opponent whose sole chance to win was exactly that - a slugfest. After his crushing knockout loss against Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, the once-surging Schaub was seen as a heavyweight prospect on the cusp of being a legit contender. Two knockout losses later, it's apparent that he's got some real adjustments to make. After stunning Rothwell, Schaub moved in for the finish, only to get finished himself by a glancing left hook that turned an imminent win (and a well-matched comeback opponent, at that, in Rothwell) into sudden defeat. It was no accident that the UFC picked Rothwell, an eminently hittable guy with limited wrestling, for Schaub's much-needed comeback win. After this loss, Schaub not only is in a must-win position, he'll be fighting heavyweights with the perception that he can't take a punch, which always bolsters the other guy's confidence, no matter how badly he's losing. For complete UFC 145: "Jones vs. Evans" results and blow-by-blow coverage of the main card action click here.

Posted in: ufc, jone, opponent, macdonald, evan

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We are fast approaching one of the most anticipated UFC fights in years as Jon Jones and Rashad Evans finally meet at UFC 145. Given the history between these two friends turned enemies, it's only natural that most of the pre-fight discussion has been focused on the narrative behind their fight. And make no mistake, it's a great and compelling story. But that story is only half of what makes this such a great fight. The other half is what will take place inside the Octagon Saturday night. Because these aren't just rivals, they're also two of the finest fighters in the world. And so here, we'll focus not on the rivalry, but on the techniques. Specifically, the stand-up techniques of the champion Jon Jones. Be sure to read the excellent analysis of Rashad Evans's stand-up done earlier this week by Jack Slack to get the other side. Related: Can Rashad Evans Stand With Jon Jones? | UFC 145 Photos: Jon Jones Trains For Rashad Evans | Rashad Evans Getting Pointers From Roy Jones, Jr. Ahead Of Jon Jones Fight | The Techniques Of Jon Jones And Rashad Evans In 2011, Jones established himself as one of the pound for pound greats in MMA today - a Silva/GSP-esque undefeatable phenom. Yet there are some detractors who say that he is not as good as the hype may always indicate. And those detractors generally point to his stand-up game, which some view as using flash and reach in place of solid technique. Here then, we'll break down Jones's stand-up and see what we can learn. We'll look at the following areas: Footwork Defensive movement and positioning Offense Let's see if we can find a crack in Jones's armor that Evans can exploit Saturday night. SBN coverage of UFC 145: Jones vs. Evans Before we dive in, let me just say that I am not someone who sees MMA striking as being necessarily the exact mirror of pure boxing, Muay Thai, or K-1 striking. MMA fighters have different needs in their stand-up, so comparing their technique to the technique used by a Manny Pacquiao is not entirely fair. But there's still room for improvement in the striking of many MMA fighters, and Jon Jones is no exception. Footwork This is not an area where Jones shines. He tends to be flat-footed, which can slow down his movement. There's a plus to that as it helps him maintain cardio by keeping his legs more relaxed, but against Machida that slowness caused by keeping his feet planted allowed him to get caught a few times. Jones also tends to switch stances often, moving freely between orthodox and southpaw stance. This has good advantages as it opens up his offense and keep his opponent guessing. That ability to confuse his opponent is one of his greatest striking strengths, which we'll address more when discussing his offense. While he likes to use the southpaw stance, he doesn't always use it to his best advantage. When one fighter is standing southpaw and the other orthodox, the way to gain the dominant position is to move your lead foot to the outside of your opponent's. That gives you more options and more power in your strikes. Jones does not do this, and yields the dominant position to his opponent when in southpaw. Small, but a mistake. Along those same lines, Jones tends to overuse forward and backward movement on his feet, rather than coming in at angles. Compare him to a fighter like Frankie Edgar and you'll see a huge difference. Edgar will come in from the side and move off to the side when evading. Jones often comes straight in, and moves straight back. His significant reach advantage lets him get away with this. but it's not the best use of movement. Overall, I would characterize his footwork as passable, but in need of some improvement. He makes it work, but focus on improving it could strengthen his game. Defense Lyoto Machida gets inside and connects on Jon Jones at UFC 140. Photo by Esther Lin, MMA Fighting As mentioned above, Jones's motion tends to leave a few defensive openings. His motion straight back opens him up for a straight forward blitzing attack, which is what Machida used so effectively in round 1. Evans has shown this type of attack before, such as when he dropped Rampage, so it is something for Jones to watch for Saturday night. For defense, I would say Jones's primary tactic is maintaining range. He's superb at using his range to keep fighters from getting in too close. When they do get close, he either brings his hands up and moves away to reset, or secures the clinch and takes them down. It's rare that a fighter has been able to get inside on Jones and continue striking. However, if a fighter could achieve that position (a huge if), they could find themselves in a nice spot to inflict some damage on the champion. Jones doesn't use a lot of head or body movement to slip strikes, which leaves him a bit exposed. He also has a tendency to lower his level and bring his head down when he starts to get hit, which is a bad habit for any fighter, but particularly unfortunate for a taller fighter like Jones. By bringing his head down, he nullifies his height advantage, giving his opponent an opening. Finally, he uses a lot of hand movement from the Anderson Silva style, but that can leave his chin exposed. He also tends to not bring his hands back to their defensive position quickly after throwing a punch. Again, this keeps his chin exposed, and a well-timed counter-puncher (Machida) can capitalize on those small gaps. Defensively, as in his footwork, Jones has gotten by, but could use some tightening up. In particular, the dropping of his head and hands in defense is a concern, and whenever he does finally lose, I suspect that will be the culprit. Offense Jon Jones uses his range with a front kick on Rampage Jackson at UFC 135. Photo by Esther Lin, MMA Fighting. I've spent a lot of time pointing out some flaws in Jones's game, so here's the chance to state the obvious: despite any technical flaws in footwork and defense, Jon Jones is a very dangerous striker. And that danger comes from his offensive output. Jones has a natural gift in his reach, but it's his use of proper technique that allows him to best capitalize on that reach. He's done a great job building his game around this asset - teeps, jabs, and big head kicks are major weapons for Jones. That head kick in particular shows fantastic use of range as he really extends on it. All of these strikes push his opponent back and out of their attacking range, while allowing Jones to continue his own assault. As his career has progressed Jones has evolved from more single shots to combos. Starting with the Shogun fight, we've seen him mix strikes together much more effectively. But he is still deliberate with those shots, choosing each punch and kick carefully. He's not a fast paced, 3-4 strike combo kind of fighter, instead selecting each successive strike to follow up on the previous one and thread its way through an opponent's defense. For both his leg kicks and head kicks, Jones tends to at times sacrifice power for speed. He'll throw kicks very quickly without fully turning over his hips. This allows him to get the kick off fast, but doesn't do as much damage. In his recent fights, we've seen that his striking is more about accumulated damage rather than the single flash KO, and this style of speed over power plays to that. And of course, his strikes are incredibly varied. He has an absolutely huge arsenal of knees, kicks, elbows, punches, plus a seemingly endless capacity to bring in new strikes, all of which keeps his opponents guessing. Offensively, Jones's striking is up there among the best in the UFC. He uses his reach to perfection, and has built a great game based on slowly breaking his opponent down. Overall In the end, the good from that offense significantly outweighs the bad from the defense and footwork. I think it's fair to characterize Jones as a very skilled striker. But he's also a striker with real, tangible flaws. So far, only Lyoto Machida had any success using those flaws to his advantage, and Machida is the best technical striker in the division. And he still ended the fight unconscious. Does this mean Jones is unbeatable? No it does not. But it does mean that anyone looking to beat him will have to exploit those holes perfectly, while surviving the offensive onslaught. It's not an easy task. Is Rashad Evans up for it? I suspect not, but I look forward to finding out.

Posted in: jon, jone, fighter, opponent, evan

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ATLANTA - For obvious reasons, Stephen "Wonderboy" Thompson is not your average everyday opponent for Matt Brown. "Trying to find a high-level karate guy that can emulate the pretty amazing stuff that he does was a [expletive] headache at first, man," Brown said. But it's unusual in other ways. It's not a contest of attrition as Brown might prefer. "It's, You're going to punch me, I'm going to punch him, and we'll see who falls,'" he said.

Posted in: matt, opponent, punch, wonderboy, expletive headache

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ATLANTA -- UFC welterweight Matt Brown spoke to MMA Fighting today at the UFC 145 pre-fight open workouts about facing welterweight prospect and karateka Stephen Thompson. Brown admits Thompson's the most unique opponent he's ever faced. However, while admitting Thompson's extensive kickboxing background was impressive, Brown was ultimately unsure of what it all meant in terms of making his opponent tougher or more prepared. Brown also discussed if, as it's been suggested, he resembles someone in the MMA media.

Posted in: opponent, stephen thompson, thompson, opponent hes, welterweight prospect

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One of my biggest criticisms of Kimbo Slice's boxing "career" has been his management's insistence on having Kimbo fight smaller opponents while claiming he is going to make a splash at heavyweight. Of his opponents coming in to his last fight, Kimbo faced an opponent weighing 205, one weighing 206 and one weighing 211. With an injury to his scheduled opponent for his fourth fight, Kimbo was matched up with Brian Green, an MMA fighter who usually competes at 185 pounds. When it came time for the weigh-in and Green was announced at over 220 pounds, something seemed a bit fishy. He didn't look particularly "heavy" compared to his MMA middleweight bouts so I found it hard to believe that he had added 40 pounds. I reached out to Brian right after the weigh-ins via Facebook, seeing as how he was out of state but seemed to be updating regularly, and asked what was up with his weight but didn't hear anything back. The weigh-in situation was quickly glossed over when Kimbo appeared to be on his way to a loss on the scorecards only to score a dramatic last second KO that had many fans claiming Green took a dive (Green denies the charge, for what it's worth). I received a message out of the blue today from Green, who had missed my message until now and he had quite the bit of news to share: So, Green showed a lot of heart in wanting to make a name for himself and put on 20 pounds of ankle weights for the bout to make sure he'd have his chance. He then worked over Kimbo for most of the bout before being caught by the controversial finishing shot. Green did weigh in in shorts but it appears he kept his shoes and socks on so they may have hidden the weights. There's no clear shot of Green's ankles in the video of the weigh-in. It's also entirely possible that the (not exactly highly regarded) athletic commission in Missouri simply looked the other way. I'm not exactly buying that Kimbo, whose strongest home base to draw in would be Florida, is fighting in Oklahoma, Nebraska and Missouri. Something seems up when you're sticking to places without really strong athletic commissions despite still having something of a "name." For the curious here is the weigh-in video (Green and Kimbo are around the 12:30 mark): Latest From Our Partners Latest From Our Partners 10 Fighters With Most To Lose This Year (BR) 25 Best Finishers in MMA Today (BR) Alexander Gustafsson And 10 Fighters Who Will Earn A Title Shot (BR) 12 Most Memorable Moments In LHW History (BR) The Most Underrated Fighter In Each MMA Division (BR)

Posted in: fighter, opponent, kimbo, weighin, br

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Pictured above is the intense stare down between UFC 145 headliners, Jon Jones and Rashad Evans, during today's pre-fight press conference. Jones has been known for not looking his opponent in the eye, and the champion has explained his reasoning in the past, stating that it's to mess with his opponent: "If you look really closely at my past fights, I never actually look into the guy’s eyes. Nor do I do it at weigh-ins. At weigh-ins normally I just look off into the audience and it kind of plays a little mind game on my opponents a lot of times. They don’t really know how to react to that." "As far as when I’m in the Octagon, I’m always looking at the opponent’s body when I’m standing there. I’m big on not fighting an opponent’s name, his credentials, his past fights, his face. I fight the body and when I’m standing across and I’m looking at his body, I’m really just humanizing the guy, and looking at imperfection in his physique or… You know there’s a quote that says, ‘If a guy looks soft in the mid-section, usually he is soft in the mid-section.’ So I’m just humanizing the opponent. That’s what I’m doing. This time, he made an exception for his former teammate turned rival, as he obliged to maintain eye contact with Evans through out the face-off. Related: UFC 145 Pre-Fight Press Conference Video | UFC 145: Rashad Evans Trains With Roy Jones, Jr. Check out the video of the stare down, along with a few more photos from the presser after the jump. You can view the complete gallery from the very talented Esther Lin here.

Posted in: ufc, jone, opponent, evan, irsquom

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When we as fight fans analyze an upcoming mixed martial arts fight in an attempt to pick a winner, there are a lot of different ways to come to whatever conclusion we come to. Of course everyone knows about MMAth, in which you compare the combatants results against a mutual opponent. This method is usually derided by educated observers as wholly unreliable, and statistically it is, yet it is almost always brought up by someone during the lead up to the fight (and enthusiastically discussed in great detail by all parties). Another quick and easy method of pre-fight evaluation is to look at the two fighter's skillsets in an attempt to determine where the fight will take place. This is a much more respected methodology and it is easy to see why: Grapplers (wrestlers in particular), are almost universally able to dictate where their fights will take place, if they are going up against a striker or less talented grappler. If they want to have a stand up fight, they will use their grappling savvy to avoid going to the ground. If they want to have a ground fight, they will use their grappling savvy to bring the fight to the mat. Where you can run into some problems with this method is when the two combatants come from a different grappling base: It's not always clear in fights between a Brazilian jiu jitsu fighter and an American wrestler which fighter will have the grappling edge. Making this method even more challenging is when you have two strikers facing one another. We don't always know how good a striker is on the ground game until/unless they are forced to use it, making it nearly impossible to make an educated prediction with this method. If we want to go even more in-depth, we will discuss and evaluate what individual techniques the two fighters use. Are they combination strikers or do they go for power shots? Do they shoot power doubles or stick to single leg takedowns? This can help us in matches like Brian Stann vs Alessio Sakara, a bout that took place at last weekend's UFC on FUEL TV 2. Stann is a power puncher, and Sakara has had some trouble when he gets hit with big strikes. Sure enough, Stann connected with powerful shots early in the fight and went on to score a TKO victory.These methods are useful ways of looking at a fight but it seems to me there is one more level of evaluating a fight (and fighters), which is, essentially, how successful a fighter is at influencing his opponent to move as he sees fit. Jack Slack, one of the premier striking experts in the MMA blog-o-sphere and Mike Riordan, a new addition to the SB Nation ranks over at Bloody Elbow, specializing in wrestling, recently gave us great examples of this kind of evaluation. Fight Like Dos Santos: The Right Body Straight. (Jack Slack) A Theory On Successful Wrestling Translating To Successful MMA Wrestling (Mike Riordan) In Slack's post, he details how Junior Dos Santos used body attacks in his title fight with Cain Velasquez at the first UFC on FOX show to influence Cain to drop his hands. When he did drop his hands, Dos Santos was able to land an overhand right, sending Velasquez to the mat and giving Junior the UFC heavyweight title. Riordan takes us inside the world of wrestling set-ups, showcasing numerous examples of wrestlers taking what seems to be a stale-mate position and using it to their advantage. This ability to make your opponent do what you want them to do is, to me, what separates the greatest fighters from their peers. One of my all time favorite fighters is Bas Rutten. The main reason for this is the clarity with which he is able to describe his fighting experiences. If you've never seen this video of his fight with Jason Delucia, it's a must watch. It's special because Rutten provides a running commentary of the fight, giving us some incredible insight into how he approaches a fight and how he chooses to attack Delucia: At the highest levels of combat, the athletic abilities are often so even that they do not play a large role in the fight. Of course there are exceptions to this; Georges St. Pierre stands out as a fighter whose natural athleticism is nearly impossible to overcome. Brock Lesnar was thought to be of a similar ilk and indeed he was able to rely on his physical gifts to destroy men like Heath Herring and Frank Mir, much more technical fighters than himself. When he came up against fighters who could either offset his wrestling with their own, or had an equal amount of brute strength, he was exposed as a mediocre fighter, unable to influence his opponent in any way. On the opposite side of this coin is Anderson Silva, a fighter who is so in tune with his opponents that fans have openly wondered if he is proof that we are indeed living in some an artificially constructed reality. The diversity of the attacks with which Silva has beaten his various opponents is truly spectacular. How can one fighter use so many different methods to such a great degree of success? To put it simply, Silva knows where his opponent is going to be before they are there. This isn't to say it is a simple task; it took years and years of training for Silva to reach the level that he is at, but it is the most critical element to his success. This ability to seemingly "control" your opponent was alluded to by Rashad Evans during the first of two Fuel TV "Ultimate Insider: Counterpunch" segments that he and Jon Jones appeared on last week. During the confrontational clip, Evans and Jones discussed how they themselves saw their fight (the headlining match at this weekend's UFC 145) going and towards the end of his comments, Evans declared: When you're in there with me, I can get you to skip to my lou. And you will skip to my lou. You're gonna do exactly what I want you to do. During the extensive pre-fight trash talk that has gone on between Jones and Evans, one of the oft-repeated refrains from Evans is that he's been in the cage with Jones before, (the two sparred together for months as teammates and training partners at Jackson's MMA) and as such he knows what to do to beat him. And why shouldn't Evans feel this way? After all, he isn't really a physically dominant fighter. He's quick, to be sure, but for a light heavyweight he's rather small. He hasn't shown himself to be beastly strong for his size either, so he has been forced to earn his victories through technical superiority and that ability to influence his opponents into making the mistakes he wants them to make. Jones on the other hand, for all the physical comparisons we draw to Anderson Silva, (they do indeed have very similar body types) more closely resembles an earlier version of Georges St. Pierre, before the welterweight champion toned down his aggression on the feet: He intelligently uses his physical superiority to dominate his opponents. Silva is a master of quick strike offense. He spends much of the early part of a fight calculating his opponents timing, judging their reaction to his feints and movements. When he has figured out how best to attack, the fight usually ends soon after. Jones is much more methodical in his approach. He prefers to get an early takedown, sowing seeds of doubt in his opponents mind. He plays a patient striking game, using his kicks to wear opponents out before he opens up with a more diverse striking attack. He almost always ends up taking the fight back to the ground before he looks for the finish. He is improving his striking at a rapid pace, but for the most part the danger in his game is predicated on his ability to take the fight to the mat. I'm not blessed with enough technical know-how to be able to say this with certainty, but I believe that his wrestling prowess is more about his physical traits than his ability to influence his opponents into mistakes. When you set aside all the talk, all the fluff associated with the friends turned enemies promotion of this fight, what makes this fight between Evans and Jones so intriguing (and what would make a fight between Anderson Silva and Georges St. Pierre so intriguing) is the differing approaches that the two men bring to the cage. The former champion Evans, who has overcome for his lack of physical dominance by forcing every one of his opponents save one (Lyoto Machida) "skip to his lou". The current champion Jones, who has imposed his physical dominance so easily on every man he's ever faced. Will Evans be able to coerce Jones into making critical mistakes? If he can, will he be able to capitalize? Will Jones be able to impose his physical dominance on Evans? If he can't, will he be able to adjust? What if we see a little bit of both? Who is best equipped to deal with partial success and in turn, partial failure? I wrote last week that this fight was a super-fight. The claim was challenged by some who believed that Jones was simply too good for Evans. Despite some solid arguments supporting this idea, I still don't believe that it is the case. I believe this fight will be one of those special bouts that will be remembered long after it has been fought. I guess we'll soon see.

Posted in: fight, jone, fighter, opponent, evan

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For good reason, all of the spotlight before and after UFC on FUEL 2 centered on Alexander Gustafsson, the lanky Swede who is quickly proving himself worthy of a top 10 slot and continued advances in competition level. The 25-year-old is rangy and poised and well-versed in all aspects of the game. In other words, he's a legitimate contender. But what now do we make of his opponent, Thiago Silva? At 29, he's not exactly old, but his body has seemingly betrayed him over and over with back injuries that have robbed him of some his mobility. While light-heavyweight is not a division completely dependent on speed, it is a class heavy on wrestlers at the top. So if Silva struggles with Gustafsson's movement, you have to wonder how he'll fare with opponents who feature the takedown as a key component of their arsenal. It's hard enough to stop a Jon Jones, Rashad Evans or Ryan Bader takedown when you're healthy. When your back and body core are unstable, how do you deal with that?This is a question he must face down in his near future. If he's losing the striker vs. striker matchups, how much is left for him? Alexander GustafssonEven though Gustafsson was favored to beat Silva, the ease of his performance was probably the most striking aspect to his win. He was never in any trouble and stayed composed even when Silva charged forward. That's a great sign for his future momentum, as he'll be seeing all sorts of various attacks from the different skill-sets that reside at the top of the division. Because there are a few top fighters waiting for their next fight date, there are several opportunities available, but I think one makes the most sense.Prediction: He faces Ryan BaderThiago SilvaAfter 15 months on the sidelines, perhaps we can give Silva something of a pass on his loss, even if it was fairly one-sided. To his credit, he declined the chance to chalk up the loss to ring rust, saying he simply couldn't find the proper striking distance. But he only gets the benefit of the doubt once. If he has the same problems next time around, we have to wonder if his back condition is simply degenerative, and if we may have already seen the best of him.Prediction: Since Brandon Vera's taken, Silva faces Stephan BonnarBrian StannIt was a fight Stann was supposed to win, facing a guy who'd been off for over one year and specializes in the same style as him, though with a suspect jaw. Stann has performed well as a middleweight, with his only loss coming to No. 1 contender Chael Sonnen. He deserves a high-level opponent, but unfortunately, many of the division's best are already locked into fights in the near future. That may force him to wait a while until his next booking.Prediction: He faces the winner of May's Rousimar Palhares vs. Alan Belcher fight.Siyar BahadurzadaThe Afghan-born welterweight couldn't have asked for a more impactful debut, becoming the first man ever to finish the durable Paulo Thiago. There's an explosion of welterweight matches coming in the next two months, so there's no obvious opponent of a similar rank available for him. Then again, his win was so quick that he shouldn't be made to wait very long. Prediction: He fights John Maguire, who also won last Saturday night.Dennis SiverAfter nearly missing weight in his first time at 145 pounds, there were concerns about how Siver would perform in a fight that could go the distance, but he didn't appear the worse for wear in beating Diego Nunes by decision in a three-rounder. Prior to the fight, Siver said that he would only decide if he'd stay at featherweight after the fight, and determining how his body felt. Since he didn't appear at the post-fight press conference, no one has had the chance to ask him just yet, but I'm going to assume he'll believe the second time around will be easier, and he'll stay at 145.Prediction: He faces Yuri Alcanatara Brad PickettPickett's had an up-and-down career in Zuffa, but always seems to engage in one of the night's best scraps. At 33 years old, he still harbors title hopes (remember, he once beat bantamweight No. 1 contender Demetrious Johnson), but could be running out of time after splitting his last four fights. That means it's time to start a winning streak and make a statement.Prediction: He faces Chris Cariaso

Posted in: fight, time, silva, opponent, hell

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Yoshihiro Akiyama still has a job in the UFC, and now has his next opponent set, as well. Despite losing four straight in the octagon, Akiyama's spirited performances have ensured him at least one more go, and it will come against Thiago Alves at a July event -- most likely UFC 149 -- according to sources with knowledge of the situation. The two have both agreed to the matchup, sources told MMA Fighting. The Japanese fighter recently dropped to welterweight, where he fought Jake Shields at UFC 144. The two went all three rounds, with Shields taking a unanimous decision on all three judges' scorecards. Prior to that, Akiyama(13-5, 2 no decisions) had lost consecutive bouts to Vitor Belfort, Michael Bisping and Chris Leben. After dropping his fourth straight, there was speculation about whether or not he would be cut, and he'll face the same kind of stakes the next time around. In Alves, Akiyama will be facing an opponent hungry for a win. Alves appeared to be on the way to a victory over Martin Kampmann during March's UFC on FX event in Sydney, Australia when he went for a takedown and fell into a fight-ending guillotine choke with just 48 seconds left in the fight. With the loss, Alves fell to 19-9 overall after dropping four of his last six. The fight is likely as part of the UFC's inaugural foray into Calgary on July 21 at the Scotiabank Saddledome. In the main event of that show, Jose Aldo will attempt to defend his featherweight championship, though his opponent has yet to be named.

Posted in: ufc, event, opponent, alve, akiyama

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Welcome Mike Riordan to the Bloody Elbow grappling team. I like mixed martial arts in cages. I've heard critics dismiss the cage as a mere trinket of showmanship cooked up by the Gracies. No matter the rationale for its creation, I believe the cage is a boon to MMA, distinguishing it from any other sport and delineating it as an altogether new and unique product. Other detractors claim the cage results in a less realistic simulation of real combat, diminishing the fulfillment of MMA's central mission. I fail to understand this viewpoint as most actual fights I have seen have not taken place in empty meadows far from civilization; rather, they usually take place confined in areas in close proximity to rigid or at least semi-rigid barriers. Related Judo Chops Luke Rockhold Puts On A Cage Crawling Clinic Against Jacare Souza Luke Rockhold Jump Kick to Spin Kick The cage serves as a reasonable representation of these barriers. Not only does the cage function as a realistic environmental barrier it also possesses untapped potential to be used as a propulsion mechanism for many exciting fighting techniques. This entry looks at Ronaldo "Jacare" Souza's last fight against Bristol Marunde at Strikeforce: Tate vs. Rousey and how Souza uses the cage in exciting new ways. More SBN coverage of Strikeforce: Tate vs. Rousey Before a returning to discussing Jacare, first a little bit of foundational stuff that isn't as tangential as it may appear on first blush. Any practicioner of the grappling arts is aware of the fact that it is generally much easier to work a grounded opponent than one who is on their feet. By extension, once you ground an opponent, if you believe you can accomplish something meaningful while atop your opponent, you would prefer to keep him grounded. Therefore, when a grounded opponent seeks to stand up and escape your control, it is helpful to be able to return the opponent to the ground in a controlled manner. The discipline of American folkstyle wrestling (I prefer to call it scholastic wrestling and will do so from here on out) excels at teaching its practitioners controlled "mat-returns" when and opponent stands from bottom with his back to his opponent. In Freestyle and Greco wrestling stand-ups are comparatively rare as they leave one open to a high amplitude/exposure big point scoring move such as a suplex. In scholastic, the stress is on control rather than exposure, wrestlers receive no points for simply returning an opponent to the mat and therefore a move such as a suplex, even if it were legal in scholastic, would be less desirable as it could easily result in the loss of control. For this reason, a fighter intent on finishing a contest on the ground is best served executing a mat return which maintains control throughout. It makes sense to say that the same could be said for mat return situations in fights. Supplexes are flashy but will inflict an unpredictable amount of damage and can squander a position of control. Kevin Randleman learned this the hard way against Fedor. At higher levels of scholastic wrestling, the primary option for returning an opponent to a mat is to lock at the waist, step around the opponent, pop the hips to lift then pull him over your knee and onto his face. Two time NCAA champ Matt Valenti demonstrates below: Notice his hands are locked to the same side he steps to, this torgues the opponent away from him when he lifts and returns. Were the bottom man facing him he could potentially engage in a variety of funky shenanigans. Matt also steps around to the right side which will put him on his opponents off side. Most wrestlers are slightly worse at working from bottom when their opponent is on their right side. He also, upon landing, immediately reaches beneath the arm of his partner and grabs the wrist. The other move we are starting to see used more as a mat return on the college is this snazzy look-away whip over trip. Here demonstrated by Jordan Olliver on Illinois' B.J. Futrell. On lower level of wrestling, you most commonly see simple trips used as mat returns. Some coaches will instruct their pupils to trip their opponent backward if their weight is coming back, and to trip them forward if their "nose is in front of their toes." Here is the closest thing I could come to a gif of the latter scenario as Dustin Schlatter front trips some Kyrgystani guy after getting behind him on a nice outside step single leg. See how he pushes off his left leg while displacing his opponents right leg with his right leg. It doesn't get any simpler when bringing a guy to the mat. In Jacare Souza's last fight versus Bristol Marunde, Jacare uses a similar technique to bring his opponent to the ground, only he does so with an inventive twist. First off Jacare goes underneath Marunde's arms with a body lock. I won't call it a bear hug as I usually reserve that term for the technique that collapses the opponent's lumbar inward and sends his shoulder falling to the mat. Souza drives forward with the lock and starts to hip in. At this point Marunde really needs to be tougher with the whizzer and try increase the leverage on it by angling his right hip up and away from Jacare, as this is the only thing keeping Jacare from taking his back. Alas, Marunde isn't a strong enough wrestler to do this and his arm slips uselessly to Jacare's head. Souza now has Marunde's back, Marunde's nose is well in front of his toes, all Jacare has to do to bring him to the mat with a simple front trip, the same as shown above. However, Jacare decides to get inventive, he executes a front trip, but instead of pressuring forward with his rear leg planted on the mat, his back leg mule kicks off the cage like a swimmer in a turn. This looks really cool and it really increases the forward force as he trips Marunde. Unfortunately, it created so much force that I believe it causes Jacare to land on his left hip, far enough out of position to be unable to maintain control of Marunde's back. This occurrence of pushing off the cage would be fairly unremarkable, but it is made interesting in light of the fact that Jacare employs another cage-propulsion based grappling technique later in the fight. A control technique common to several grappling disciplines involves inserting legs underneath the legs of a grounded opponent, belly to back, while both facing the same direction. Joe Rogan calls it "putting the hooks in." I'm just a simple wrestling coach, the country rube of the martial arts world. I know nothing of this ornate and learned jiu-jitsu nomenclature. I call it throwing in legs. I always will. In scholastic wrestling, the act of throwing legs in on opponent who stands from bottom so that the bottom man supports the entirety of the top man's weight, is almost always done as a means of forcing a stalemate. When a wrestler is in top position in scholastic, the end goal of any of his actions must be to work for a pin. Anything other than this is the illegal act of stalling. Throwing legs in when a guy is on his feet leaves the top wrestler with no recourse but to simply hold on, he is merely preventing his opponent from escaping control, this is not working for a pin, it therefore is a stall. Please view the clip below. This is the Big Ten finals featuring Lance Palmer of The Ohio State and now of MMA, and Iowa great Brent Metcalf. Once Palmer is off the mat and hanging from Brent's back, there is really nothing Palmer can do t return him to the mat. He can't simply hang heavier to one side or the other, Metcalf is a world class wrestler and is too solid in the standing position. Palmer's use of this tactic can almost be described as cynical, he knows he is stalling, Metcalf knows and waves his arms out in frustration and the ref identifies it and raises his fist to call the infraction. But what if this action took place adjacent to a rigid structure like a wall or even the side of a cage? Lance Palmer could ever so cleverly push off of the cage with his free foot causing both combatants to fall to the mat while maintaining control of his opponents back. This actually happens in Jacare's match with Marunde. Portrayed in the two gifs below. Once again, Jacare gets the body lock, and once again, for reasons I do not understand, Marunde does not whizzer at all and simply obliges Souza by presenting his back. At least Marunde has the presence of mind to block Jacare's attempts to throw the leg in on the right side though Jacare looks perfectly content to simply step around and throw the leg in on the left side. Here is where Souza tries something that is almost pretty darned sweet. While Marunde is supporting his weight, Jacare reaches his leg all the way behind him, plants his foot on the cage, and kicks. Once again the result is really cool looking. Both men spiral to the mat and were Jacare to maintain back control and finish the fight from there, then we would really have witnessed something truly notable. Unfortunately, Jacare lands out of position once again and losses his position. I wonder if had Marunde been a truly dangerous opponent like, say, Melvin Guillard, would Jacare had initiated the choke immediately after throwing the leg and pulled Marunde back, ending the fight thusly? I'm pretty certain he could have and this raises the possibility that Souza had little or no regard for Marunde and was simply hot-dogging. At least hot-dogging is usually fun to watch, and in this case resulted in some meaningful innovation. Jacare's uses of the cage as a means bring his opponent to the ground from behind were probably superfluous and they definitely didn't work as well as they could have. They are still interesting. Fighters have only begun to exploit the cage as a constructive element in grappling and striking techniques, Jacare's cage use in his fight against Marunde is hopefully the harbinger of more ingenius cage based technique in the future.

Posted in: jacare, cage, opponent, leg, marunde

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Everyone is logically assuming that due to Overeem's elevated testosterone levels he won't be licensed to fight JDS at UFC 146. Dana White has publicly stated that he will not make a decision regarding an opponent for JDS until after Overeem's NSAC hearing on April 24th. Could he be optimistic that Overeem will indeed be licensed, or is this just buying time to get the new fight signed? There are several scenarios in which Overeem could still be licensed to fight: Overeem is on TRT and asks for a therapeutic use exemption - Because he is not yet licensed by the NSAC he would not necessarily have had to disclose it to them that he was taking TRT. In this scenario he would appear before the commission with his doctor, claim that the TRT is necessary, and that he was going to apply for the TUE prior to being licensed. Overeem and his lawyers have found a legal loophole that would void the test. A Bloody Elbow poster makers an interesting case for an administrative law challenge to the test results here. Edit: Sorry, the link appears to be down. Basically a lawyer argued that the NSAC is allowed to perform 'Random testing' and receives funding from the state for that, but that the tests performed on all of the athletes at the press conference weren't truly 'random'. He cited a bit of case law on drug testing to support his argument. Essentially, in order to qualify as a random test the NSAC would have to demonstrate that they have a randomized system for selecting which fighters to test (e.g., picking names out of a hat). If the testing wasn't random then the NSAC would have been acting outside of its legal authority to demand the samples, and the results from any tests should be thrown out. Overeem's B-sample test comes back negative. This is incredibly unlikely though, as it has never happened before and Overeem (to our knowledge) still hasn't asked the commission to test the B-sample. I'm skeptical that any of these could actually happen, but Dana White's silence regarding an opponent is puzzling. Presumably, he would want to name a new opponent ASAP so that 1) the UFC can start hyping the fight, and 2) so the fighters can begin to alter their training to fit their opponent. #2 could be done behind the scenes, but #1 requires an official public announcement. Waiting for the NSAC hearing on the 24th would leave only 33 days to sell a HW title fight (which are usually big PPV sellers). submitted by FackingCanuck [link] [29 comments]

Posted in: fight, overeem, opponent, test, nsac

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The last time Thiago Silva stepped inside the Octagon, he put on one-half fantastic fight and one-half impressive musical performance. His opponent was Brandon Vera, the once champion apparent of two different weight classes, and the Brazilian utterly dominated him before embarrassing the light heavyweight by playing bongos on his back. The grotesquely twisted nose "The Truth" sported post-fight didn't do much to help Vera's confidence either, I'm sure. The loss was Vera's third in a row and earned him his walking papers. The win was Silva's first in a year after suffering a back injury which put him on the shelf since his UFC 108 loss to Rashad Evans. But one dirty urine sample later and the win for Silva and the loss for "The Truth" turned into a No Contest for both. Vera got his job back and the Brazilian was handed a one year suspension and a hefty fine for trying to sneak past a drug test. In a statement, he claimed full responsibility and revealed he injured his back going into his UFC 125 bout with Vera but couldn't find it in himself to drop out of the fight. Silva finally makes his return to the Octagon next Saturday (April 14) in the main event of UFC on Fuel TV 2: Gustafsson vs. Silva against burgeoning light heavyweight prospect Alexander Gustafsson in the promotion's first foray into Sweden. Before he does, we'll familiarize ourselves with his particular brand of violence, one which Houston Alexander and Keith Jardine will never forget. The UFC rolled into New Jersey in November 2007 for UFC 78. The main event was the disappointing match-up between Evans and Michael Bisping but everyone was more excited for the display of brutality expected to take place when Silva stepped inside the cage with Alexander. The Nebraska native burst onto the scene by putting Jardine and Alessio Sakara to sleep and the promise of another knockout was enough to get even the most hardened mixed martial arts (MMA) purist slobbering like the "Just Bleed" guy. The bout begins with Alexander taking the center of the Octagon before clinching up with his opponent. They jockey around the length of the chain link before getting separated one minute into the round. "The Assassin" again takes the center of the cage, forcing Silva to circle around. The Brazilian lands a quick jab and a leg kick, all the while making sure not to stay too long in one spot. Movement is key in his gameplan, stagnation will only bring about the vicious bombs which put Alexander's previous two opponent on the canvas. Silva throws a front kick which his opponent catches. Alexander begins hurling his wrecking ball-like fists towards his opponent and Silva answers with another clinch. A man of unbelievable strength, Alexander is able to take Silva down with relative ease but the Brazilian stays calm and scrambles to his knees quickly while also latching onto one of his opponent's legs. Seconds later, it's "The Assassin" who finds himself on his back, victim of a takedown. Silva lands in sidemount while his opponent foolishly wastes time and energy on a guillotine choke. Alexander is able to push the Brazilian back into half-guard but in a matter of moments, the Brazilian jiu-jitsu (BJJ) black belt has "The Assassin" fully mounted. Alexander does all he can to avoid the inevitable but vicious ground and pound rains down and forces the referee to step in. Almost two years later at UFC 102, Silva was coming off the first loss of his career, a devastating knockout against Lyoto Machida. Looking to bounce back quickly and decisively, he was matched up against Keith Jardine, a man with a history of making great fighters look terrible. He also had a history of being wildly inconsistent. He followed up the two biggest wins of his career -- against Forrest Griffin and Chuck Liddell -- with brutal knockout losses -- against Alexander and Wanderlei Silva -- and could never string together enough wins to earn a title shot. Both men meet in the center and it's Jardine who opens up first. A punch combination is thrown and followed up by a leg kick but soon Silva begins to walks his opponent down, forcing him towards the cage. Jardine circles around to avoid being trapped but the Brazilian keeps up the pressure. Leg kicks from "The Dean of Mean" seems to be the gameplan his trainer Greg Jackson has put in place but in this instance, the "Yoda of MMA" has been out-gameplanned. It seems Silva and his American Top Team (ATT) crew expected this and Jardine's next kick is countered absolutely beautifully by Silva who swings his own leg around and trips his opponent. The goatee enthusiast drops to the canvas and the Brazilian follows him down. They jockey for position on the mat, scrambling until both end up once again on their feet. Jardine remains aggressive in his stand-up but sticks to punches rather than avoid another takedown from a countered kick. He lunges forward with a head-body combination but Silva barrels a left hook with nasty intentions towards his opponent. It catches Jardine and he drops immediately. Silva stands over the Greg Jackson product and grazes him with a right hand but the ensuing left forces Jardine limp. Another right lands before the referee is able to put a halt to the beating. Savagery is almost guaranteed when Thiago Silva steps inside the ring. Will fans get another taste when he steps inside the Octagon with Gustafsson?

Posted in: silva, opponent, jardine, brazilian, alexander

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Bas Rutten has become one of the best known personalities in MMA for his humorous and insightful color commentary, coaching and his anchor role on the popular mixed martial arts TV show, InsideMMA. Before he became a recognizable pundit, however, Rutten was the three times King of Pancrase, and the UFC heavyweight champion - becoming arguably the most successful striker in MMA up to that point. Beginning in Kyokushin Karate, then moving to Muay Thai, Rutten went undefeated in his first fourteen professional fights before being approached by Masakatsu Funaki and Minoru Suzuki to join their newly formed Pancrase organization. Pancrase, touting "hybrid wrestling" rules, sought to bolster their roster with a credible kickboxer among the many grapplers in the organization. Unfortunately for Bas Rutten, the rules of Pancrase heavily favored grapplers; knees to the head were forbidden without knee pads, knockdowns resulted in a referee's count, and ground and striking on the ground was heavily frowned upon. Further to this, no gloves were worn and hand attacks to the head were only permitted with the palms - effectively shortening the range of straight punches, the traditional weapon of a striker against grappler. Having no sprawl to speak of, Rutten quickly learned to fight from his back, and utilize a savage guillotine to submit opponents while they attempted to take him down. Further to this he developed several tactics to limit the number of exchanges and damage his opponents as much as possible in doing so. Rutten's use of his trademark "Liver Shot" has been discussed many times before and will be dealt with in the second installment of this series, but what has received little attention is Bas Rutten's handy work along the ropes. Bas Rutten was not a gifted boxer. A great puncher, certainly, but he lacked the versatile jab and footwork of the world's other premier strikers. It was Rutten's spleen burstingly strong punching salvos at close range which won him standing exchanges, particularly in Pancrase - where the insistence on palm strikes limited his range anyway. One can watch a highlight of Bas Rutten and will see a great many seemingly wild rushes of the opponent against the ropes. It is certainly true that Rutten's style was aggressive and swarming, but it did not lack science. Despite his inferior boxing game, and a reach disadvantage, Rutten was able to get the better of both Guy Mezger and Maurice Smith - much more accomplished pure kickboxers - on the feet in his Pancrase matches. Rutten landed telling power shots on both men which better known names in the kickboxing world were not able to, simply through his unique strategy of bullying men on to the ropes. A quick glance through this excellent highlight will allow you to notice just how much of Bas' offense was done against the ropes. Due to his opponent's compromised stance: They could not get power in to their strikes, meaning that Rutten was never seriously troubled by his lack of head movement. His opponent had no base to stand up to the force of Rutten's own strikes without being thrown to and fro. Rutten could often apply his excellent Thai Plumm clinch against opponents who were off balanced by his powerful strikes. Bas Rutten did much to popularize this clinch as one of the most dangerous areas in modern MMA. Rutten's success on the feet against men who were desperate to take him down and against elite strikers, using many of the same methods, stemmed from his effective kicking game. It is no secret that Bas Rutten's roundhouse kicks were some of the hardest in MMA, certainly the hardest in Pancrase - and he used this to intimidate his adversaries routinely. The disadvantage of using roundhouse kicks is that they can often be caught, even if successful, and a winded opponent can take the kicker down and lay there until he feels healthy again (this is exactly what happened in the second half of Rutten's fight with Randleman). Rutten knew this, and often used the front kick to wind his opponents, dictate where the match took place, and to place them at the mercy of his whirling palm strike dervish. It should be noted that front kicks are much harder to catch if they are successful, due to their forcing the opponent away from oneself. Even if the kick is caught, the extended leg makes it much harder to reach for the kicker's standing foot. Rutten landed a great many hard, fight changing palm strikes from a position of hopping on one leg, following such a caught kick. Rutten's front kick was not like that of Anderson Silva or Lyoto Machida - a snap front kick - but rather an extremely powerful push kick. By slamming this in to his opponents chest, he was able to throw them against the ropes. This not only bounced the opponent, professional wrestling style, off of the ropes to meet Bas' lunging straight, but collapsed their stance, nullifying their ability to throw powerful punches against him. Rutten had also had success in Muay Thai with this same strategy and it remained one of his go to offensives throughout his career. The teep on to the ropes, followed by a flurry of punches, and then in to clinch work. At the beginning of this clip, against the best kickboxer America has ever produced, Maurice Smith, Rutten fakes a low kick and throws a front kick which forces Smith along the ropes. Rutten proceeds to land the most meaningful strikes of the match and forces the K-1 veteran and kickboxing world champion to take him down. Much of Rutten's finest work was done in toe to toe flurries with the opponent's back to the ropes. This translated to his match with Tsuyoshi Kohsaka in the UFC as well. After spending much of the fight on his back against the judoka, Rutten began to pile on the pressure in the final minute of the fight, before he stopped Kohsaka with a familiar salvo againt the cage. The use of gloves had allowed Bas to show better boxing out in the open, but it was collapsing his opponent's stance against the cage which still let him do the most damage. Watch from 0:52 for Rutten to start forcing the exhausted Japanese fighter's back to the cage. Look out for Jack Slack's full length ebook, out next weekend, the details (and brand new cover) of which can be viewed HERE. This piece is from Jack Slack's blog, www.fightsgoneby.com Follow Jack on Twitter @JackSlackMMA

Posted in: opponent, ba, rutten, kick, rope

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It appears Mark Bocek has a new opponent for UFC 145.

Posted in: ufc, opponent, bocek, john alessio, mark bocek

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Josh Koscheck had lost to Thiago Alves four months prior which quickly put a damper on his title aspirations. He bounced back with an insanely brutal knockout over Yoshiyuki Yoshida and put himself back in the championship hunt two months later. With the lack of fresh title fights for welterweight kingpin Georges St. Pierre, another win for Koscheck would likely be all he needed to secure a shot at the French Canadian. But a debuting Brazilian had other plans. UFC 95 saw the Octagon debut of rising prospect Paulo Thiago. Undefeated at the time, most of his wins came by way of submission. A quick glance at his win-loss record wouldn't indicate he had the firepower in his hands to put a top 10 welterweight to sleep. The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) 1 cast member would learn the hard way how wrong that assumption would be. Thiago is set to step foot inside the Octagon at the promotion's Swedish debut, UFC on Fuel TV 2: "Gustafsson vs. Silva" on April 14. In many ways, he'll be in the same situation Koscheck was in back in 2009 when he faces off against a debuting Siyar Bahadurzada. Before he does battle with "The Great," however, let's take a look at Thiago's explosive and impressive debut. Koscheck takes the center of the Octagon while Thiago opts to circle the outside. Nearly half a minute passes before either man takes a swing and both end up doing so at the same thing with little success. The TUF veteran is still the aggressor, walking his opponent down and doubling up on a hook that catches the Brazilian on the jaw. They continue pawing at each, throwing out single punches more so to find their range it seems than with actual intentions of connecting. A solid leg kick from the Brazilian turns the previously all boxing affair into more of a mixed martial arts (MMA) contest and Koscheck answers back with another pair of doubled up hooks. More inaction from the pair and the London crowd begins to voice their displeasure. The TUF veteran throws out a snapping jab. And then another. He feints a third and comes across with a monster of an overhand right which finds a home on Thiago's jaw. The Brazilian feels it, for sure, but continues undaunted. A similar punch put Yoshida to sleep but the Octagon newcomer walks right through it. Koscheck doesn't go in for the kill and allows Thiago time to recover. They once again begin to circle around the cage and the Brazilian hits another leg kick. He attempt a front kick which is nearly countered by the American who then grazes Thiago with a second, equally heavy handed, overhand right. The two exchange jabs and once again inaction comes to the forefront. More than halfway through the opening round with only a few blips of action, a few exchanges have the English crowd growing more and more unruly. The Octagon begins to be showered in boos as the two welterweights circle and circle. A leg kick from Koscheck lands as he begins to pressure his opponent ever so slightly towards the cage. Thiago inches backwards, avoiding another haymaker and blocking a headkick. It's obvious Koscheck is looking to bully his opponent, just as he did Yoshida in order to secure a second consecutive highlight reel knockout. The Brazilian strikes back, however, keeping Koscheck at bay and affording him the room he needs to circle away from the cage and back towards the center of the Octagon. Standing toe to toe in the center of the cage, Koscheck hops in slightly with a jab which Thiago dodges. The Brazilian answers immediately with an uppercut which catches his opponent flush on the chin. His body goes limp and begins its descent to the canvas below. On the way down, a hook from Thiago connects with the top of Koscheck's head. The American's body hits the mat violently and his head bounces like a basketball off the canvas. Thiago, for a second, looks to let his guard down, thinking his opponent is out cold. Koscheck very well may have been but he soon seems to be back in something resembling fighting form. But before Thiago can continue his attack, the referee jumps in and stops the fight. It seems half the London crowd is content with the violence on display while the other half felt the stoppage came a hair too quick. Regardless, the once submission heavy Thiago earned his first UFC win that night and by knockout of all things. While future opponents would have been wise to focus on grappling, they now had to worry about the Brazilian's unexpectedly heavy hands. Thiago would go on to face -- and lose to -- Jon Fitch in his second appearance inside the Octagon. Koscheck and Fitch might very well be the most difficult two-fight combination for anyone not immediately looking for a title shot. For a debuting fighter, the difficulty is almost absurd. Going into his fight in Sweden, the Brazilian boasts a 4-3 Octagon record. Not great by any means but Thiago has been facing some of the best 170 pounders in the world. Will his experience be enough to spoil Bahadurzada's debut? Or will Thiago find himself in Koscheck's shoes the night of UFC 95 with a up and comer spoiling his evening?

Posted in: koscheck, opponent, octagon, brazilian, thiago

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It’s been several months since we’ve seen Mauricio “Shogun” Rua inside the Octagon. Rua, a former UFC light heavyweight champion, was defeated by Dan Henderson late in 2011 and has been recovering since. Rua was announced as the next opponent for Quinton “Rampage” Jackson, but Jackson is set for double-knee surgery and his return is unknown. So, where does that leave Rua? Well, he told Guilherme Cruz in an exclusive interview with Tatame. I’m waiting for a definition. I might fine in June or July, that’s when I hope to fight, but for now there’s no opponent in mind. I dream about being part of this card (when the UFC returns to Brazil later this year), even because it’s a huge event. I would really like to be part of it. Let’s wait for UFC to define something. Rua competed in Brazil last year, defeating Forrest Griffin. It was reported that UFC president Dana White wanted to set up a rematch between Rua and Henderson, but Henderson declined according to White. For now, we’ll just have to wait and see what the UFC has in store for Rua in terms of an opponent and a fight date. Photo credit: Esther Lin/MMA Fighting

Posted in: ufc, opponent, rua, ufc returns, guilherme cruz

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An opponent switch has hit streaking bantamweight Renan Barao, who will now put his 29-fight unbeaten streak on the line against Ivan Menjivar at UFC 148.

Posted in: fight, opponent, opponent switch, renan barao, ivan menjivar

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Nearly three decades ago, in war-torn Afghanistan, a baby whose parents named Siyar Bahadurzada was born. His homeland was being ripped apart by a Communist-backed government fighting off -- depending on how one looks at the situation -- either a group of rebels intent on toppling their regime or a collective of freedom fighters looking to free their fellow countrymen. For 15 years, he lived with the sword of Damocles hanging over his head but rather than a blade, it was a bullet, a missile or a car bomb that threatened Bahadurzada's life on a daily basis. Living with the knowledge he might not see another sunrise on any given day, the Afghani quickly absolved himself from the fear of death. And if the Grim Reaper wouldn't make "The Great" quake in his boots, it's unlikely another mixed martial arts (MMA) fighter would. In 1999, he and his family moved to Holland where he began his training. Three years later, he made his professional debut. Finally, in 2012 he steps inside the Octagon at UFC on Fuel TV: Gustafsson vs. Silva when he takes on Brazilian Paulo Thiago. A decade worth of punches, elbows, kicks, and submissions separates Bahadurzada between then and now. But it was a mere 13 minutes of action that left the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) with little choice but to sign the welterweight. It took that long -- over the course of seven months -- for the Afghani to defeat three opponents across Europe in a 170 pound United Glory tournament. Among his victims were a pair of Octagon veterans, both of which he defeated in less than two minutes. Before he steps into the Octagon on April 14, we'll take a closer look at those three bouts. The tournament kicked off in Amsterdam in October 2010. Bahadurzada was pencilled in against Derrick Noble, best known for getting stopped by Thiago Alves at UFC 59. Noble's no pushover, however. He's got a list of accomplishments nearly a mile long with wins over Jake Ellenberger and Pat Healy. He even scored a victory over Alves before their meeting inside the Octagon. When the two met at United Glory 12, they found their careers on opposite trajectories. Noble, nearing his 40s, had suffered back to back losses. Bahadurzada was riding a three-fight winning streak and coming into his own as he entered his mid-20s. The fight, lasting less than two minutes, consisted mostly of the Afghani finding an opening in his opponent's stand-up and blitzing Noble with unrelenting strikes. Bahadurzada would catch a kick and immediately start swinging way with cruel intentions. One such occasion saw a stiff uppercut connect to Noble's chin, dropping the American to the canvas. "The Great" pounced, opening up a flurry of ground and pound as Noble turtled up. When he gave up his back, turning onto his stomach to avoid more damage, the referee had no choice but to step in and call a halt to the bout. Five months later, Bahadurzada found himself in Belgium, facing another UFC veteran in John Alessio. Like Noble, Alessio never reached the pinnacle of the sport but was a stiff challenge and a perfectly game opponent. Also like Noble, he wouldn't last more than two minutes inside the ring with "The Killer." The opening minute of their bout saw little action as the two fighters looked to feel each other out. The Belgium audience soon began to voice their displeasure before "The Great" opened up with a blistering combination. Another combination saw Alessio getting attacked at the head and body and the American was forced to retreat, hoping to get a moment to catch his breath and collect his thoughts. The Afghani isn't known as "The Killer" without reason, however, and the instinct of the same name kicked in almost immediately. A flurry from Bahadurzada combined with a slip saw Alessio lose his footing and fall to the mat. From there, "The Great" held his opponent by the back of the neck while clobbering him with punches with the other hand. After Alessio managed to get back to his feet, the onslaught continued with more punches and even a few knees peppered in for good measure. It was one of those knees which dropped Alessio again and for the second time in as many fights, the referee was forced to intervene on behalf of Bahadurzada's opponent. The Afghani would then travel to Moscow a little over two months later to take on Tommy Depret in the finals of the United Glory tournament. By this point, his displeasure with his Strikeforce contract was well known and the Afghani was likely fighting with somewhat of a chip on his shoulder. If he wanted to prove he was a top welterweight, a win in Russia would go a long way towards that goal. Depret managed to survive into the second round, something Bahadurzada's previous two victims couldn't claim, but the Afghani didn't perform any less impressively. Picking apart his opponent from the opening bell, "The Great" showed excellent takedown defense and great ground and pound. Bahadurzada kept Depret on his back for most of the round, scoring points and more importantly causing damage. The second round was "classic" Bahadurzada. He attacked Depret in the stand-up continuously, barely allowing his opponent even a second to recover. Eventually, like Noble and Alessio before him, Depret found himself on the mat thanks to a perfectly placed punch. With less than a minute remaining in the round, "The Killer" finally finished off his opponent, winning the tournament. An injury delayed the Afghani's UFC debut but he finally steps inside the Octagon next month in Sweden. He faced a tough challenge in Paulo Thiago, a stiff test for any debuting fighter. Will "The Great" live up to his name?

Posted in: opponent, bahadurzada, minute, alessio, afghani

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There’s little question that Strikeforce’s middleweight roster could use an injection of talent. While the promotion boasts a number of talented competitors such as champion Luke Rockhold, Ronaldo Souza, and Tim Kennedy, the overall skill-level takes a severe slide after going through the first 5-6 fighters. Fortunately it appears that could change in the immediate future, at least as long as 14-4 BAMMA champion Tom Watson comes away with a victory this weekend when he faces Jack Marshman at BAMMA 9 for the divisional gold. According to Watson, he’s already discussed the possibility of heading over to Strikeforce with Zuffa officials and, though he isn’t counting his chickens before they hatch, the 29-year old Brit definitely appears to be interested in the idea. “After (my) last fight I had quite a bit of contact with Sean Shelby of Strikeforce,” explained Watson in an interview with Fightline. “Everything is about timing in this business and the best thing that I can do is go out and win this fight against Marshman on March 24. The more I win the more in demand I will be and from there I can negotiate and see what’s next.” “If the opportunity presents itself I will have to take it into consideration and see what is in the best interests of my career,” Watson continued, leaving the door open for a variety of scenarios. It also appears Watson wouldn’t mind a boost up in the level of his opponent as well after struggling to find widely-respected adversaries at his weight outside of Strikeforce/UFC. “The most difficult thing for me is if you look at the middleweight ranking the top 20-30 guys are all in the UFC. It’s very difficult to find good opponents. My last fight against Murilo “Ninja” Rua was met with a lot of criticism because people believed he wasn’t a tough enough opponent. It’s difficult to find a guy who isn’t contracted to the UFC,” Watson concluded on the subject. PHOTO CREDIT – BAMMA

Posted in: fight, strikeforce, opponent, watson, bamma

Read the full article at Five Ounces of Pain

Igor Vovchanchyn in his hey day was perhaps the most feared mixed martial artist on the planet and had unparalleled success under the one night tournament format of old school no holds barred fighting. In the first installment in this three part series I dissected Igor's pioneering use of punching while on the retreat to prevent grapplers from clinching him and to drag them out of their depth on the feet. In the second part we turned to Igor's fabled "Russian Hooks" (variously called "Corkscrew Swings" or "Casting Punches") and his fondness for landing strikes with the top of his fist rather than the front of it in order to maximize his limited reach. In this installment we will discuss another peculiarity of Vovchanchyn's striking, his use of "Bear Slaps" or palm strikes to damage opponents over short distances, and his excellent head movement. Vovchanchyn's roots were in bareknuckle, no holds barred fighting. This is important to remember because his style of striking would have been largely affected by this. Spending much of his early career with no gloves, and having few weapons to defend himself other than his ungodly punching power, the health of Igor's hands took priority. A boxer with "glass hands" will have a hard and painful career but has eight or ten ounce gloves to soften the blows. A bareknuckle fighter with recurring hand injuries loses the use of his primary weapons altogether. In efforts to protect the hands which he routinely threw like meaty bricks, Vovchanchyn would often utilize strikes with the heel of his palm or his open hand. When throwing the flurries of looping hooks which became a trademark of Vovchanchyn, Igor would often intersperse open handed swings for numerous reasons: To save his hands, which could often get damaged in the middle of exchanges by misjudging the position of an opponent and striking their skull or elbows. To feel where his opponent was in the middle of an exchange and to stop them moving their head in one direction. To maneuver the opponent's head into Igor's next punch. This gif appeared in the previous article of the series, as it illustrates brilliantly Igor's long right hook, but it also shows an effective use of his open handed slaps. Watch as Igor uses his lead hand to feel for the opponent's head and slap it in line with his powerful punch. These sort of feeling strikes use little power and were of a great help to Igor who often took his eyes off of his opponent to bob and weave. In addition to this sort of palm strike on the feet, Vovchanchyn also had enormous success striking from the bottom with his palm heel. While it was not pretty or spectacular, much of the time opponents spent in Igor's underdeveloped guard was plagued by closed fist palm strikes as Igor slapped the back of their head and ears with the inside of his wrist, palm and occasionally his "door knocking" knuckles. These strikes slipped under the radar for the most part, but following his first fight with Mark Kerr, Kerr was filmed (for the excellent documentary The Smashing Machine) telling Vovchanchyn that these strikes had opened up a cut on the side of his face while he was inside Vovchanchyn's guard. Vovchanchyn also used palm heel strikes in the brief instances that he was upright in the clinch and when Kerr was holding one of his legs off of the ground. Using the inside of the wrist and palm heel to bloody up an opponent at close range has been utilized by some fighters in recent years but has still not been adopted as readily as it should. BJ Penn is famous for uppercutting his opponents with remarkable power while he is hopping on one leg, defending a takedown. Much of this power comes from the fact that he is connecting with the ungloved inside of his palm, and not having to bend his wrist and an awkward angle to connect on an unnatural arc. Rambaa Somdet, the former Shooto champion who came to MMA late with a purely Thai boxing arsenal, also used this technique to gruesomely close the eye of Hiroyuki Abe which forced a doctor's stoppage. Junior dos Santos also throws punches which, to the boxing fan, look ugly. Connecting often with the inside of his palm or wrist, he has enormous success in short distances and throwing in combinations on covering opponents. In this rather grainy gif of his fight with the badly declining Gilbert Yvel, notice how his 3 right hands are thrown with the the palm. This sort of strike protects the fingers and connects with a hard, unpadded surface, andis an excellent way to exploit the rules of mixed martial arts. A final note to be made regarding Igor Vochanchyn's still under-evaluated striking style is on his defense and evasions. Igor Vovchanchyn came from a boxing background before making the move to kickboxing and then to MMA. Though his offensive skills seemed wild and uneducated, his defensive movement was remarkably sound from a boxing perspective. Following his initial lead (in the form of a left hook, a thrusting left uppercut, or an overhand right), Vovchanchyn would duck out to the left or right of his opponent, avoiding their return and closing the distance to continue his salvo. This skill really came to light when he closed the distance against top level strikers despite carrying a 68 inch reach (which is considered short on Thiago Alves, as a welterweight). Against Masaaki Satake and Gilbert Yvel, Vovchanchyn looked masterful, and a far more technical striker than he did against the many grapplers he had dispatched. To see Igor's excellent use of bob and weave in MMA, take a look at this short clip from his fight with Gilbert Yvel (then in his athletic prime). Throughout his entire career, few had success against Igor by trying to box with him. The only person who can claim a KO victory over Vovchancyhn was Mirko Cro Cop, who used his excellent left straight to make Vovchanchyn utilize his excellent head movement and duck right in to Mirko's high kick. Aside from Cro Cop, the only opponent (including Ernesto Hoost, Gilbert Yvel, Masaaki Satake) who found success in exploiting Igor's head movement was the unlikely Gary Goodridge. Goodridge announced before meeting Igor the second time that he had noticed Igor was vulnerable to knees when he was ducking low. Despite having announced this to the world, Goodridge went on to have success against Igor with it anyway, before being caught (as in the first meeting) with an enormous punch which sent him stumbling to a TKO loss. It is my hope that this trilogy of editorials has done something to remove Igor from the bubble in most fans minds marked "brawler", and put him in the technician camp as he deserves. A sterling record, results against top quality fighters, and an unprecedented effectiveness against grapplers should ensure that study of Igor Vovchanchyn's bag of tricks proves valuable to strikers hoping to compete in MMA for the foreseeable future. Jack Slack's first ebook - "Advanced Striking: Tactics of Kickboxing, Boxing and MMA Masters" will feature in depth breakdowns of the techniques and gameplans of 20 of the world's top fighters with demonstrative photography, and will be available around Easter. Jack Slack breaks down striking strategy and technique at his websitewww.fightsgoneby.com He can also be found on Twitter @JackSlackMMA

Posted in: opponent, strike, igor, palm, vovchanchyn

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The UFC made official its first trip to Calgary, Alberta, Canada, on Wednesday, announcing UFC 149 for the city on July 21 with featherweight champ Jose Aldo headlining against an opponent still to...

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Just a little reminder on why you should never rely on your MMA opponent being a decent human being.  

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Strikeforce’s May 19 card, currently rumored for San Jose and expected to feature the Grand Prix final between heavyweights Daniel Cormier-Josh Barnett, will apparently host a title-fight too featuring lightweight king Gilbert Melendez. While nothing official has been announced, Melendez’s trainer Cesar Gracie revealed the likelihood of the bout taking place via Twitter where he also had a few opponents in mind for “El Nino”. “Gil is fighting May 19,” wrote Gracie on the social networking outlet before adding his interest in Zuffa bringing over someone with UFC ties rather than giving Melendez an opponent currently on Strikeforce’s roster. “I hope BJ Penn or Anthony Pettis,” stated Gracie in terms of a potential opponent for his star student. Melendez Content with Strikeforce but Keeping Eye on the Octagon Penn, a former lightweight champion himself, has not fought since losing to Gracie-trained Nick Diaz at UFC 137 this past October, opting to retire from MMA after the loss. The Hawaiian has yet to back off his status as a former fighter and is unlikely to return outside of the UFC. Comparably, Pettis is coming off a February knockout over Joe Lauzon and is a former WEC title-holder. While he may be a more realistic choice based on current activity the UFC has previously stood firm in terms of avoiding any transfer of talent over to Strikeforce. If neither man surfaces as an opponent and Melendez is indeed relegated to one of his promotional peers it will likely be Josh Thomson. Thomson and Melendez have split a pair of previous fights, plus “The Punk” has won his last three bouts under the Strikeforce banner including victories over Gesias Cavalcante, Pat Healy, and most recently KJ Noons. PHOTO CREDIT – UFC Tweet

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A grudge-match has been quietly brewing over the past week featuring UFC welterweights Erick Silva and Mike Pierce. Things kicked off on Twitter when Pierce began publicly lobbying for a Brazilian opponent, insulting the country’s competitors as a whole rather than calling any opponent out directly. “WANTED: No work ethic, no cardio, terrible striking, and limited ground game. Brazilians, please send fight applications to (matchmaker) Joe Silva,” stated Pierce, after having previously written, “Are there any Brazilians at 170 our did they all bump up to 185? Looking for an easy fight.” While Pierce didn’t target any specific individual through his insults, rising star Silva apparently was less than pleased by the remarks and is hoping to shut the 31-year old’s mouth this summer when the UFC heads to Sao Paolo. Silva, who recently said he wanted to knock a wrestler out (which Pierce is by trade), confirmed this weekend that he’ll be fighting on the June card. “UFC told us that and any opponent is welcome, but those who say bad things about Brazil should pay and that’s Mike Pierce. It’s a match-up that pleases us. We’re waiting for UFC to say ‘ok’,” said Silva’s manager, Walid Ismail, in a conversation with TATAME. Pierce holds an overall record of 13-5 and is coming off a Split Decision defeat to Josh Koscheck many felt he deserved the nod in. The 13-2 Silva was last seen taking part in an equally controversial ending after what appeared to be a TKO win at UFC 142 was turned into a disqualification loss based on strikes the referee felt were to the back of opponent Carlo Prater’s head. PHOTO CREDIT – UFC

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With no major UFC or Strikeforce event on the cards for a couple of weeks, those of us uninterested in The Ultimate Fighter will have to find other ways to entertain ourselves. One of my personal favorite activities at a time like this is to dust off the videos of legendary Ukrainian mixed martial artist, Igor Vovchanchyn. Igor's power was paralyzing, his style inspired tension until the match's conclusion, and his ability to leave bigger men in crumpled heaps gave birth to fear and admiration in equal measure. One of the most fascinating features of Igor Vovchanchyn's life is that he was essentially a kickboxer when he entered mixed martial arts. Despite this being thought at the time to be a handicap, Igor went on an unparallaled winning streak against bigger, stronger, wrestlers and grapplers - becoming the single consistent exception to the "grappler beats striker" rule of early MMA. Vovchanchyn is always given the credit he deserves as a terrifying power puncher, but he is rarely celebrated, as he should be, for his technical ability. Many observes simply see the wide swings and assume that Igor was a barn-burning brawler and no more. But brawlers had never had results knocking out grapplers - striking wide was an invitation for a clinch or takedown. Limited in the number of punches or combinations he threw, Igor had means of dragging grapplers into exchanges wherein he could knock them out nonethless. In this series we shall examine a few of Vovchanchyn's slickest tricks. Back-step Punching Anderson Silva has famously said that any man alive can fight well going forwards, it is fighting while going backwards that separates the men from the boys, and this is certainly true. Chuck Liddell, Anderson Silva and even the not so hard puncher, Muhammad Ali shared the ability to drop a man to his knees while they themselves were on the retreat. Igor Vovchanchyn pioneered this technique in mixed martial arts and it has caught on with top level strikers since. In the "Mister Powerman" tournament's final round, a young, trim Igor Vovchanchyn knocked his opponent out cold with the first punch he landed by drawing him in and punching him while on the retreat. See all the details after the jump. Just as when you are walking it is natural to swing your right arm forward with your left foot, when stepping backward and punching, the right hand should punch as the right foot touches down and twists the right hip forwards. Punching while going backward is generally frowned upon as it is believed that one cannot get his weight behind his punches if he is moving away from them. The secrets of this back-step punching is manifold: One is moving away from his opponent's strikes, meaning one is unlikely to get hurt even if the strikes connect. The opponent is moving onto one's own strikes. Meaning that even a partial punch does not need weight behind it because the opponent's weight is behind it. Even experienced strikers tend to flail when they are chasing - watching Shogun Rua chasing down Lyoto Machida to witness this fault even at the highest level. Vovchanchyn navigated is way through dozens of bare-knuckle promotions with this technique scoring him free power punches, then brought it to PRIDE, where he still had great success with it. In both of his matches with the aggressive power puncher, Gary Goodridge, Igor was able to keep the larger man off of him by tagging Goodridge with punches when he surged forward. Igor was often criticized for not using straight punches often, but against Goodridge he used them in his back-step punching to keep Goodridge off of him while he scrambled to his feet. Igor's use of a ram-rod straight, followed by a looping hook while on the retreat effectively stopped wrestlers and grapplers from clinching him, while punishing them for chasing. It is worth noting that Goodridge had competed at the top level of K-1 at the time, and was rarely caught coming in by even the best strikers - often overwhelming them with his power and aggression. The smaller gloves utilized in MMA often mean that it is easier to sneak back-step punches in, and often they are felt more due to the lack of padding over the fists as they are thrust out for the opponent to run on to. Punching while on the retreat is still not common place among Mixed Martial Artists, and while the over-all level of striking in mixed martial arts continues to improve, there are still very few who use elite tactics to draw their opponent in such as Igor did. Anderson Silva effectively drew the mediocre striker, Chris Leben on to his own back-step punches, but Silva carried a reach advantage that Vovchanchyn rarely held, and was able to fire his punches almost square on to Leben without fear of retaliation. Fedor Emelianenko, who Stephen Quadros and Bas Rutten compared favorably to Vovchanchyn, utilized backstep hooks to land free punches on over-aggressive opponents, particularly in RINGS. Emelianenko dropped Chris Haseman with the first retreating punch he threw, and had great success in hurting the larger, Matt Hughes trained, Kerry Schall at the beginning of their match with retreating punches. Jack Slack's first ebook - "Advanced Striking: Tactics of Kickboxing, Boxing and MMA Masters" will feature in depth breakdowns of the techniques and gameplans of 20 of the world's top fighters with demonstrative photography, and will be available around Easter. Jack Slack breaks down striking strategy and technique at his websitewww.fightsgoneby.com He can also be found on Twitter @JackSlackMMA

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When B.J. Penn exploded onto the mixed martial arts (MMA) scene, "The Prodigy" was a quickly given and just as apt moniker. Debuting in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) rather than paying his dues on the regional circuit, the highly decorated and even more highly touted Brazilian jiu-jitsu (BJJ) specialist scored three first round stoppages to earn himself a shot at the lightweight title wrapped around Jen Pulver's waist. The fight was a classic. The two 155-pounders were the first in their weight class to headline a UFC pay-per-view (PPV) and while the lightweights didn't gain a foothold in the promotion until several years later, they are now a viable moneymaker thanks in part to Penn, Frankie Edgar and the current champion Ben Henderson. Early estimates of UFC 144's buyrate, featuring the title showdown between "The Answer" and "Smooth", clock in at nearly 400,000. Before The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) 5, the lowest the reality series dipped was 170-pounds. Welterweight fighters were featured in the second and fourth seasons and Matt Hughes acted as coach in the sophomore year. TUF 5 saw the reemergence of lightweights, both inside the Octagon and out as Pulver and Penn were tapped as coaches. They were and have been the smallest coaches in TUF history. That is, until this season when bantamweights Dominick Cruz and Urijah Faber take the reins of 16 contestants looking to be the next Ultimate Fighter. Small as they may be, the 135-pound champion and his challenger can still scrap. At the TUF 5 Finale, Penn and Pulver helped prove the old adage true: it's not the size of the dog in the fight; it's the size of fight in the dog. Let's take a look back at the lightweight rematch. They meet in the center of the Octagon and Penn throws a combination which causes his opponent to lose his balance. The Hawaiian continues to swarm, peppering Pulver with hooks and uppercuts. Unrelenting, Penn keeps up the barrage before pushing the former lightweight champion against the cage and then securing a takedown. From there, he lands more punches and elbows on the quickly looking to be overmatched opponent. Pulver manages to get to his feet but he's immediately slammed back down. In this position, Penn looks to land more ground and pound and "Lil Evil" gives up his back. Penn, the BJJ specialist, slides over for an armbar -- the submission photographed above -- but Pulver is able to escape the hold, turning into his opponent. He also turned right into a triangle choke attempt. Despite not being the vaunted grappler "The Prodigy" is, Pulver is more than experienced when it comes to avoid submissions having done so for nearly a decade at that point. This attempt is no different. He loosens himself from the position and ends up in Penn's full guard to the roar of the crowd. The Hawaiian avoids most of the offense Pulver throws his way during this time save for a big elbow that catches Penn cleanly. They're back to their feet and spend the final minute of the opening round clinching, throwing short hooks and uppercuts to the head and knees to the body before breaking and starting all over again. A wild head kick from Pulver whiffs over his opponent's head and the fight looks much different going into the second round as it did early on in the first. They're back in the center of the cage, picking away at each with single punches. An uppercut from Pulver catches Penn; the Hawaiian throws a right that rattles "Lil Evil." A big left from the former champion is caught by Penn and he uses it to secure a trip takedown, landing in half-guard. Keeping his head down to avoid punches, Penn throws his own while slowly but deliberately making his way to full mount. From there, Penn brutalizes his opponent with vicious ground and pound. Pulver -- as he did in the first -- gives up his back which leads to even more ground and pound and eventually the end of the fight. Pulver defended as well and as long as he could but with someone as talented as Penn on your back, defenses will eventually falter. Wrapping his legs around Pulver's body -- and trapping the former champ's left arm as well -- Penn sinks in a rear naked choke and forces his opponent to tap. The submission -- cranked a little longer than it probably should have -- was sweet retribution for the Hilo boy. As much of victory as it was for Penn, it was also a win for the smaller guys fighting in the UFC. The fifth season of TUF blew the doors open for 155-pounders, an act hoping to be replicated by last season's featherweight and bantamweight cast. It also helped establish "The Prodigy" as a star. Will the same be said for Cruz come July?

Posted in: fight, opponent, tuf, penn, pulver

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Strikeforce champ Luke Rockhold believes his next opponent Tim Kennedy is a very worth opponent. On the other hand he doesn't hold Derek Brunson in quite the same regard.

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Masakazu Imanari is a veteran of almost 40 fights, and he's seen as a consensus #19 ranked bantamweight in the world. He has fought some of the very best fighters in his division and the "Master of Leg Locks" will be looking to live up to his reputation when he makes his ONE FC debut on March 31. Imanari spoke with BloodyElbow.com about his upcoming fight, and when asked about his love for leg locks, the "Ashikan Judan" gave a brief and simple answer: "Because it hurts the opponent!" A total of 15 fighters have succumbed to his grappling skills, with most of them coming off these devastating, and potentially very damaging submissions. He will be gunning for a repeat of this performance against one of the region's fastest rising prospects in Kevin Belingon. The Filipino fighter is part of that Team Lakay stable that has produced several MMA champions and top fighters, and although Imanari will still be much more experienced, he isn't taking him lightly. In fact, he even has very high praise for the strong potential of his Wushu-based opponent. "He’s very dangerous opponent and can be like the Manny Pacquiao of MMA," Imanari says, as he draws comparisons to the Filipino boxing icon, "I am training very hard and I do not underestimate him. He has never lost a fight so even though he is not very famous now, if he wins more fights, one day he could be the best fighter in the world." "I want to be the first man to defeat him and to show that I am ready to become the ONE FC bantamweight champion!" he exclaimed. Much more after the jump, but don't forget to follow me on twitter -- @antontabuena. Comparisons to Pacquiao may be a bit unfair as it puts a tremendous amount of expectations that no one in combat sports can probably ever live up to, but as a statement coming from his opponent, it is definitely a huge compliment. Can Kevin Belingon avoid Imanari's devastating leg locks? -- Photo by Taro Irei for Sherdog Imanari has fought some of the best fighters from different countries, but for majority of his 12-year career, most of these fights were held into his home country. On March 31, he will be venturing outside Japan and into Singapore, and while the time zones are relatively similar, he will be competing under a different rule-set, different weather conditions, and he will be fighting in a cage, instead of a ring. These things may sound trivial to some, but for a huge number of fighters, those things can make an impact and will need a lot of time to get adjusted and acclimated to. Imanari on the other hand, just shrugs off the various changes. "I feel the same wherever I fight." Imanari continued, "This should be my third time (fighting outside Japan) but it doesn’t make too much difference to me where I fight. All I care about is my opponent and I don’t think about other things, only beating him," "This would also be my third time in a cage. I think there is a little bit of difference from fighting in a ring, but I am comfortable on both." Although there's not really much that surprises the experienced fighter in Imanari, Belingon will also be bringing his Wushu/Sanshou base that not a lot of people are used to training against. The BJJ black belt says he'll be ready and is expecting yet another stiff challenge. "I have never had an easy fight. I am not interested in fighting easy fighters. I want to challenge myself against the best fighters in the world." he said, "I would like to fight as much as I can, and of course, I eventually want to fight for the ONE FC bantamweight title"

Posted in: fight, fighter, opponent, imanari, leg locks

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The first season of The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) is credited with many things. It goes from the monumental like being the sole reason the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is still around today to the smaller like skyrocketing the careers of Forrest Griffin, Stephan Bonnar, Diego Sanchez and the like. But Chuck Liddell's massive popularity was also helped along by the inaugural season of TUF. He was already one of the most popular fighters in the company but his exposure over the 12 week season helped propel him to the next level. Soon enough, "The Iceman" became synonymous with the UFC. The first event after the TUF Finale where Forrest Griffin and Stephan Bonnar unleashed a three round war on an unsuspecting world was UFC 52 which saw Liddell's second bout with fellow TUF couch Randy Couture. They met at UFC 43 and "The Natural" scored the upset, defeating Liddell in the third round. Griffin/Bonnar whet a potential fanbase's appetite for more mixed martial arts (MMA) action. A week later, fans saw Matt Hughes' incredible comeback victory over Frank Trigg and in the main event, Liddell knock out his old rival to finally win the light heavyweight title. Those potential fans were now hooked. The 15th season of TUF begins this Friday (Mar. 9) with coaches Dominick Cruz and Urijah Faber. After tweaking with the show's formula over the past seven years, a major overhaul is in store this season. The fights will be presented live for the first time in the program's history, adding even more tension to the reality show proceedings. To commemorate the premiere, let's take a look at the bout, one of the biggest highlights in Liddell's storied career. They touched gloves and immediately Couture takes the center of the Octagon, inching forward ever so slightly while LIddell circles around the perimeter. A right from "The Iceman" misses its mark as does the counter Couture throws his opponent's way. "The Natural" had the element of surprise in their first meeting, using his stand-up to batter Liddell since he -- and everyone else -- thought the former heavyweight champion would look to take the fight to the ground as soon as possible. "The Natural" wouldn't have the luxury the second time around. Couture ducks under a left hand and looks to clinch up with his opponent. A long-time practitioner of the dirty boxing style, once "The Natural" gets his hands on an opponent, he'll soon start wearing them down. Liddell immediately backs up and circles away, sticking a jab in Couture's face the entire time. "Captain America" continues to pressure his opponent, however. Staying in the center of the cage while Liddell circles around, Couture is definitely the aggressor in the opening minute of the bout, something which will eventually led to his downfall. "The Iceman" lands an inside leg kick but can't follow up with the ensuing punch combination. Couture answers back with a jab that connects on Liddell's chin and looks to move in closer. Just like he did previously, Liddell backs up and circles out, throwing out a looping left hand to keep his opponent at bay. Liddell lands a couple of good counter punches including a jab that pops Couture right in the nose. "The Iceman" seems more comfortable in attacking off of his opponent's offense, countering anything "The Natural" throws his away. In a weird reversal, it's Liddell who is picking his shots and chipping away at Couture while "Captain America" throws huge, potentially fight ending bombs. Couture lands a grazing hook and follows it up with a leg kick. Another hook finds its mark even better than the first and the crowd lights up. Liddell retreats but the champion is in hot pursuit. He finally grabs ahold of the challenger and begins to unload with uppercuts while pulling Liddell's head down. "The Iceman" struggles to break free and finally does but an errant finger has caught Couture in the eye. Immediately, memories of his UFC 46 with Vitor Belfort come flooding into the minds of everyone watching. The Brazilian's glove caught Couture's eyelid, slicing it open and forcing an end to the bout only seconds into the main event. The fight is temporarily halted so the medical staff can take a look at the champion. The crowd erupts when the doctor leaves the Octagon. The fight is back on. The two fighters meet in the center of the cage and for the next 10 seconds, begin exchanging wildly. An overhand right from Couture gets countered and the champ takes a fistful of leather on the chin. He circles around and begins walking Liddell down, throwing lefts and rights with his chin sticking straight up. It's impossible to know what Couture was thinking at that moment. Perhaps he thought he saw a hole in his opponent's gameplan he could exploit. Perhaps the counter punch he had just taken rocked him enough to warrant leaving his comfort zone to get a takedown. What we do know is that a huge right from Liddell buries itself in Couture's jaw, dropping "The Natural" to the mat and ending the fight. It was right then, right there that Liddell became the most popular MMA fighter on the planet. Will either Cruz or Faber experience anything close to this after their stint on TUF?

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The former Strikeforce middleweight champion dominated the contest from beginning to end, submitting his opponent at 2:43 of the final round.

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With a little help, Martin Kampmann could be riding a five-fight win streak right now. That's a big "if" of course, but when you consider the fact that Kampmann out-struck both opponents in his losses, and denied them on 25 of a combined 30 takedown tries, it's clear that he's performed better than his record indicates. His UFC on FX 2 opponent Thiago Alves, on the other hand, is attempting to leave behind the worst stretch of his career, going 2-3 in his last five fights. As Alves recently told MMA Fighting, it was a period of time that shook his confidence, but a recent submission win over Papy Abedi has him feeling as if he's back on track. These aren't two fighters on parallel courses. Alves (19-8) has at least sniffed the top of the mountain. A former No. 1 welterweight contender, he acknowledged that the difficult part of the journey isn't getting to the top, it's maintaining that place as new threats come from beneath. Kampmann (18-5) is essentially playing that role here. Though the Dane does have a notable win over current interim champion Carlos Condit, it came in Condit's first UFC bout in a controversial decision. So a win over Alves would mark his most significant victory since that point.Both fighters have gained reputations as strikers first and foremost, and most expect the bout to be heavy on standup for the duration.While Alves is largely considered the more powerful striker, Kampmann is thought to be more technical and polished.In particular, Kampmann likes open space, using his strong footwork and a long jab to keep opponents at distance. Because of his confidence in moving in and out of range, he excels when the fight is in the middle of the octagon. While he's not known as a power striker, he is fairly accurate, landing 44 percent of his strikes according to FightMetric statistics.Alves earned his reputation as a wrecking ball of a striker, a violent puncher with carving kicks that often target the legs. He often uses this attack to break down his opponent's base and soften him up for clinch work later on.Unlike Kampmann, Alves isn't so worried about precision as he is about generating power. He lands at a lower percentage than Kampmann (39 percent), but he's far more capable of changing the fight with one blow.Interestingly, FightMetric shows that they land a very comparable number of strikes per minute (3.36 for Kampmann and 3.11 for Alves), so if this fight goes to the scorecards, it could be another difficult decision for the judges. Both fighters are underrated as wrestlers. Kampmann in particular has always shown himself to be quite capable in close quarters, connecting on more than 50 percent of his takedowns, and more impressively, stopping 80 percent of his opponents' tries against him. If it does go to the ground, Kampmann may have a slight edge, as four of his nine UFC wins are via tapout, and he's shown an impressive guillotine choke. Alves though, is difficult to keep on the ground for any period of time.Alves isn't a notorious takedown artist, but he's shown some proficiency in that department when necessary. With a career mark of 69 percent in takedowns, Alves often surprises opponents with his well-timed attempts. For instance, he took down Rick Story and John Howard during his matches with them, though both were believed to be better wrestlers than him. He even took down Matt Hughes back at UFC 85. And while his takedown defense number (61 percent) is far lower than Kampmann's, that number is skewed by his bouts with Georges St. Pierre and Jon Fitch, who took him down a combined 19 times.One area to watch closely is when the action moves towards the cage. As noted, Kampmann likes to fight at range. Some of his worst moments have come as he's gotten backed against the fence and taken fire. That area has been his trouble spot, as he got stopped there by Nate Marquardt and Paul Daley, and has had issues with lesser fighters there as well.Because Alves punches well from short range and also has a strong clinch, this might be the area where the fight is won or lost. If Kampmann defends it well, he can out-work Alves. If not, the Brazilian's power can make it a short night.Despite Alves' long stretch without a knockout, power doesn't fade at age 28, and Kampmman has shown the propensity to be hurt by strikes. I think Alves does most of the damage here with his heavy hands and scores a TKO finish in the third round.

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Posted in: fighter, opponent, mma fighter, iluvurkidz, john williams

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At UFC on FX 2, two of the welterweight division's premier strikers will meet in a bout which many hope will be an entertaining, back and forth match up on the feet. The welterweight division has traditionally been ruled by wrestlers; and some particularly boring ones at that (if you cheered when Jon Fitch got knocked out you cannot dispute this). The problem with these consistent, powerful wrestlers is that they alienate fans, so we have seen many attempts to push exciting strikers as the next big thing at welterweight. BJ Penn's immediate title shot at Georges St. Pierre, the Paul Daley and Dan Hardy hype trains, and Nick Diaz's five year streak in which he didn't meet a single wrestler spring to mind. Thiago Alves has also been flogged like a dead horse in attempts to put a dynamic striker at the top of the welterweight heap. He has sadly fallen short against top notch wrestlers such as the aforementioned Jon Fitch (twice), UFC welterweight demi-god Georges St. Pierre (no shame there) and Rick Story (Kampmann's last victory). Kampmann meanwhile has experienced the uniquely disappointing fate of losing razor thin decisions against big name fighters, while winning in many of the spectators' eyes - see his performance against Jake Shields and his very shady loss to Diego Sanchez. Both men have assembled one win since their last loss, but a victory over the other man might even spell title contention as the UFC tries to put together an exciting match with Carlos Condit before Georges St. Pierre returns to wreck the party. Thiago Alves Alves has drawn himself enormous attention through his frequent and effective use of the low kick. Whenever you watch a Thiago Alves fight you are bound to hear Mike Goldberg repeat that soundbite about how Alves "really turns the hips over to dig in with that shin bone, Joe". It gets repetitive for avid fans, but it rings true nonetheless - we hear it so much because he is able to low kick his opponent's legs to ribbons so often. Alves' go to strategy is to use his head movement and counter punching to make opponents weary, before throwing a half hearted jab - lead hook and following it with an enormous low kick into the opponent's lead thigh. Alves also enjoys throwing the right low kick off of his counter left hook. He stands square on to his opponents most of the time to ensure full power in this left hook. While the left hook is Alves' money punch, and he has dropped many opponents with it - he rarely punches with his full weight behind his techniques. Many of his punches are what Jack Dempsey referred to in "Championship Fighting" as 'partial punches'. Rather than pushing off of the floor and turning his hips and shoulders together into the punch, Alves often times only rotates his shoulders, relying on his enormous strength and the brilliant timing of the punch to stun opponents. This is particularly true of his counter right straight, which is pretty much an arm punch but due to timing it as a perfect counter, and Alves' great strength, it often results in spectacular knockdowns. Alves delivers a large number of his really telling blows through knee strikes - either as his opponent shoots a takedown, or in the Muay Thai Plumm (two handed neck clinch). As Kampmann is one of the taller fighters in the division, and most of his takedowns are foot sweeps from the clinch, it will be interesting to see how Alves fairs without this element of his game being so readily implementable. Alves' lack of strong technical takedown defense is unlikely to be to material in this match up, his enormous strength should be enough to allow him to keep himself upright by fighting off trips and throws with underhooks in this match. The chief weakness that seems to be exploitable in Alves' game is to make him come forward. It seems a strange thing to say about a power punching striker who has only struggled against wrestlers, but allow me to elaborate. Alves' squared up stance puts a (probably close to literal) ton of power in his left hook, and he counters strongly from the stance with blocks and head movement, but when he is walking forward he is often not ready to slip a punch. We were given a fleeting glimpse of this in his match with Georges St. Pierre. Alves was pushing forward, squared up to St. Pierre, and attempted a right low kick with no set up just as GSP rammed a short, sloppy 1 - 2 down the pipe. By drawing Alves forward with his footwork and utilizing his stiff jab, Kampmann could significantly tire the shorter, more powerful man. Breakdown of Martin Kampmann after the jump. Martin Kampmann Kampmann's striking is smooth and unspectacular, but it arguably gets better results against top competition than Alves'. Relying on a long jab, combined with excellent footwork, no-one seems to be able to get the better of Kampmann out in the centre of the octagon. This long jab, similar to the one that Yushin Okami was using against Tim Boetsch, seems fairly unremarkable but does damage. Unfortunately the cage side judges often seem to prefer Leonard Garcia style swings at air to jabs that actually connect. Where Alves uses head movement to counter with hooks, Kampmann uses his footwork to evade his shorter opponents' frustrated swings. The significant height and reach advantage he carries into most fights also means that he is rarely in range for his opponent to shoot a takedown, unless he is already midway through jabbing them in the face. Kampmann's power is very much in his right hand, and rather than throw in combinations he prefers to draw opponents on to it as a counter shot when they become frustrated with his jab. Diego Sanchez became so frustrated by the jabs of Kampmann that he began chasing and swinging wild - though that is very much his modus operandi anyway - resulting in one of Kampmann's best stand up performances. Kampmann's game is arguably more rounded than Alves, and as Alves' problems have almost always come on the ground this could be influential. Kampmann loves to mix in takedowns and strikes in the clinch, most recently demonstrated when he foot swept the much more accomplished wrestler, Rick Story, who in turn had no trouble with Alves in the clinch. Martin Kampmann's most obvious weakness is being pressured towards the fence. Kampmann fights with his hands low out in the open, his long jab acting as a perfect measure to know when he is out of his opponent's swinging range. Kampmann's defense under fire, however, when he has run out of room to retreat into has seemed woefully inadequate. Against Rick Story and Diego Sanchez, mediocre strikers at best, Kampmann looked in trouble when they had finally walked through enough of his jabs to begin swinging at him along the fence. Paul Daley even stopped Kampmann by backing him on to the fence and battering him with left hooks. If Alves can press Kampmann's back to the fence without getting tied up in a clinch or hurt on the way in, he will be able to swing freely at Kampmann - whose head movement and fight IQ is not up to the task in this area. Both men have a clear path to victory in this fight. Martin Kampmann should look to pot-shot Alves, catch him coming forward, and clinch up whenever the Brazilian gets too close. Meanwhile, Thiago Alves, should look to pressure his opponent and look to trap Kampmann between himself and the fence. While it is difficult to make a pick in this one, Kampmann's strategy requires him to show consistency throughout the fight, while Alves' only relies on him achieving bursts of activity. Whether Kampmann can avoid getting trapped on the fence against an opponent who can actually finish him where Rick Story and Diego Sanchez couldn't will be the factor that decides this fight. Look out for Jack Slack's upcoming ebook: "Tactics of Boxing, Kickboxing and MMA Masters" which will be available around Easter. Jack Slack breaks down striking strategy and technique at his websitewww.fightsgoneby.com He can also be found on Twitter @JackSlackMMA

Posted in: opponent, punch, alve, jab, kampmann

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Savvy is defined as: Shrewdness and practical knowledge, esp. in politics or business. Shrewd and knowledgeable in the realities of life. Savvy in terms of fighting - whether it be boxing, kickboxing or MMA - is the use of one's knowledge of the game to gain every possible advantage over one's opponent. The difference between a savvy fighter and an ordinary fighter is not just a bag of tricks that they use in their fights, it is an entire frame of mind. The truth is that not everyone is athletic, yet the Sean Sherks and Melvin Guillards do not dominate MMA. The prospects in boxing beat each to the point of brain damage while the 47 year old Bernard Hopkins comes out of fights with world champions unscratched and ready to take on the next up-and-comer against whom he'll be an underdog. My interest in the idea of "savviness" came when, as a child, I realised that I was not as athletic as many martial arts practitioners, but I still wanted to be able to hold my own. To this end I searched for men who had had success in combat sports without having any of the athletic benefits of youth or amazing genetics. Here are some of the savvier men I have had the pleasure of watching fight. Please note: fighting dirty is not prerequisite to being "savvy", but savvy fighters often push the envelope and take three inches wherever their opponent and the referee give them one. 1) Bernard Hopkins: "The Executioner" came to boxing 22 years ago and has been a force in the sport ever since. The secret to his career longevity is his smart style - he will use any means to get one over on the opponent. A quick glance at his recent matches with Chad Dawson and Roy Jones Jr. will reveal his Oscar worthy hamming up of an illegal blow by an opponent. "B-Hop" is also excellent at using the clinch - a secret of career longevity in any combat sport, diving in behind his right hand leads with a noticeably common "accidental clash of heads", then moving straight to a clinch fighting position. With his rematch with Dawson on the way in April, it will be interesting to see how boxing's oldest title holder in history does at the age of 47. 2) Randy Couture: Wherever you stand on the many favors he was given in match making, Randy Couture is quite simply one of the greatest MMA light heavyweight and heavyweight fighters of all time. Certainly one of the few to make his presence felt in both divisions. Couture's chin was never rock solid, but he showed a great deal more competitiveness than his younger rival Chuck Liddell did in the last few matches before their retirements. Randy Couture practically invented the practice of "dirty boxing" in Mixed Martial Arts. Couture is also responsible for the many fighters today who drop one hand to the floor when in a Thai clinch or front headlock, in order to exploit the rule about kneeing a downed opponent. Simple things like this made Randy the savviest man in the octagon. Using his oft quoted experience boxing in the army - which it is unlikely taught him all that much - Couture was able to use effective head movement and a ducking jab to dive into clinches, largely unharmed. It was from here that Randy did his best work - offbalancing his opponent at all times so that they could never get the power on their strikes that he did on his. Randy Couture is credited with being an amazing gameplanner - but it is not so much his specific gameplans against opponents as their inability to deal with his go-to techniques which made him such a force even until his mid forties. And while many doubt Couture deliberately headbutted Gabriel Gonzaga to break the latter's nose, he certainly benefited enormously from falling the way he did. 3) Jersey Joe Walcott: This man was savviness personified. A protege of the legendary boxing trainer Jack Blackburn until he was dropped for the younger, clean cut Joe Louis, Louis and Walcott's lives read like a parallel universe comedy. Louis became the greatest world champion in boxing history while Walcott was forced to work in factories to support his family in addition to boxing for small purses. Walcott was, however, called in as a sparring partner for Louis by Blackburn, wanting to help his old charge with his financial issues, Walcott was sent home after a couple of rounds in which he dropped "The Brown Bomber". They met twice in the ring and Walcott dropped Louis each time but ultimately lost both matches (the first being considered a robbery and the second by KO). Jersey Joe had little time to train and was 39 years old when he won the world heavyweight title, so he utilized every trick in the book and a great many that he made up himself to get the better of his opponents. Famed for his "cakewalk", sidesteps and shuffles, Joe switched stances in graceful dance steps but never with the bounce of Ali or Robinson - more with a dignified grace. Just a look at his second fight with Louis sums up Walcott. Clearly the inferior technical boxer, Walcott crosses his feet, almost turning his back to Louis and walks toward the ropes, before stopping in his tracks, side stepping Louis' lead and countering with a huge right hand. The sequence from 13:05 - 13:35 in this video shows how confusing it was to have Joe Walcott standing in front of you. 4) Kazushi Sakuraba This is perhaps evidence that being savvy and an intelligent fighter does not lead one to make wise career decisions as Sakuraba has been fighting on despite a host of injuries for far too long. In his prime, however, Sakuraba was the pound for pound greatest fighter on the planet, something which even Dana White has attested to lately. The phrase "every trick in the book" is overused in sports analysis and does not serve Sakuraba well because much of what he did in the ring hadn't been seen before. A stellar grappler when he chose to fight to the point, as evidenced by his submitting Brazilian Jiu Jitsu behemoth Marcus Silveira, Sakuraba's career shifted following this fight to encompass more of his professional wrestling stylings. Sakuraba is infamous for his mongolian chops and cartwheel guard passes, but more effective were his cup handed slaps to the ear of opponents who clung to him on the ground (a tactic which has been adopted by Shinya Aoki), and his willingness to give up his back to great wrestlers and BJJ practitioners in order to establish his infamous double wristlock, a position from which he could roll for kimuras and armbars. While his armbar of Kevin Randleman, Kimura of Renzo Gracie and kneebar of Carlos Newton from their having his back were phenomenal performances against elite grapplers, his defining showing of savvy came in his 90 minute match against Royce Gracie. Throughout this fight when Gracie attempted to stall, Sakuraba would begin to undo the Brazilian's gi and slide the jacket over his head. When Royce had Sakuraba's back, Sakuraba decided to stick his head through the ropes - almost to tease Royce for his demands that the match have "no rules". Finally Sakuraba showed one of the earliest effective uses of low kicks in a gameplan by destroying Gracie's legs to the point where he couldn't answer the bell for the seventh round. Sakuraba is even credited with introducing the spinning back kick to main stream MMA as he used it to brutalize Vitor Belfort, a far superior striker, when the latter circled to Sakuraba's left.

Posted in: boxing, opponent, sakuraba, louis, walcott

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Former Strikeforce middleweight champ Ronaldo Souza is on a quest to re-claim the belt he once wore around his waist. The first step on his path towards contendership comes this weekend at Strikeforce: Tate vs. Rousey where he’ll take on Bristol Marunde, a late replacement for original opponent Derek Brunson who was scratched last week for medical reasons. While Souza’s adversary may have changed his focus remains the same, making sure to avoid overlooking Marunde simply because the 12-6 competitor is not well-known by fans. “They’ve replaced my opponent but I did not change my training,” said Souza in an interview with TATAME. “I kept training Jiu-Jitsu a lot, boxing on its proper amount, and intense cardio training. Now I gotta get there and cut weight. That’s my greatest difficulty now.” That challenge will soon change from hitting 185 pounds on the scale to attempting to stop Marunde who has had his hand raised in four straight and nine of his last ten tilts. “I’ve seen his last four wins, which were good over tough guys,” explained Souza, showing respect for Marunde based on what he’s observed on tape. “You only need to look for him and you’ll see he has fought tough guys. He has beaten former UFC fighters. He is an excellent athlete. I gotta be smart about this fight. I could tell he has strong hands and that he’s a good wrestler…complete.” “Fighting is all about the game plan. I gotta know my opponent. I’m trying to get to know him so I can find a way to fight him,” the 14-3 Brazilian continued before offering up a warning to his adversary. “He said he wants to stand-up against me… He better be careful with what he wishes for because he can go down.” While Souza had hoped for a Top 10 foe to cement another crack at champion Luke Rockhold, “Jacare” still feels a victory of Marunde should do the trick as long as he receives the same consideration the current title-holder did before earning his opportunity at gold. “I guess any win will put me on the line for the title, even because I didn’t wait for Luke Rockhold to have a (good) win to fight him. I guess the event should do the same about me.” Rockhold took Souza’s strap via Unanimous Decision. He earned his title-shot by beating six straight opponents including Jesse Taylor and Paul Bradley. Souza-Marunde will fight as part of a card headlined by Strikeforce bantamweight champ Miesha Tate putting her belt on the line against unbeaten judoka Ronda Rousey. The main card starts on Showtime at 10:00 PM EST with prelims on Showtime Extreme two hours earlier. Other featured fights include Paul Daley-Kazuo Misaki and K.J. Noons-Josh Thomson. PHOTO CREDIT – STRIKEFORCE

Posted in: fight, strikeforce, opponent, souza, marunde

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Court McGee is not the best athlete in the UFC middleweight division.He’s not the best striker either. There are others in the 185-pound weight class who are better grapplers than he is as well. The same goes for wrestling. The 27-year-old Ultimate Fighter winner is brutally honest when assessing how he matches up with his fellow middleweight competitors, and the fact that he’s not at the top of the list in any of the aforementioned fundamentals is fine with him.After all, those things are out of his control.“I can’t control being the best striker or the best grappler,” said the man whose menacing stare and angry beard stand in stark contrast to the soft-spoken, intellectual man behind them. “I can improve on (those things) and just constantly get better at jiu-jitsu and wrestling and my striking.“One thing I can control though is my conditioning — getting stronger, and faster, and better, and always changing it. I’ve got a good group of guys — I’ve got Jason Mertlich, I’ve got John Hackleman, I’ve got The Pit behind me — and I’m always able to push the limit on conditioning. It’s a comfortable feeling going into a fight knowing that I can really put it on somebody and recover in a minute, and I can do that for 15 minutes.”McGee doesn’t tailor each training camp to prepare for the opponent he’s set to face. He hasn’t spent the last two months working on a game plan specific to Costa Philippou, the man he faces Friday night (technically Saturday morning) at the Allphones Arena in Sydney, Australia in the first fight of the UFC on FX 2 broadcast.He’s studied his opponent enough to know what he brings to the table, but for McGee, the fight is about finding a way to win once the cage door closes, and training camp is about giving yourself the best opportunity to do that come fight night.“He may be a better striker than me, but I’ll put together my tools, see what I have, and do the best that I can do to figure out how to beat him. I kind of know what he likes to do. He got a pretty good KO in his last fight, and I saw that, so I know he likes to strike, but you never know — he could come out and try to shoot. When the cage door closes and it’s just him and me in there, then it’s up to me to figure out how to beat him.”Instead of preparing for the opponent he’s about to face, McGee spends his time in the gym training to compete against the toughest opponent he could envision; the person whose abilities and attributes would cause him the most trouble inside the cage. In the process of working to defeat his fictitious foe inside the gym, McGee is also pushing himself to become that man for each of his real life opponents.“I think about what would be the hardest and toughest opponent for me to fight, and what comes to mind is he’s going to be difficult to submit, he’s difficult to knock out, and he’s got conditioning for days, and he pushes the pace. For me, that would be the hardest opponent, so that’s who I try to be — I try to be that person.”So far, it seems to be working.In each of his two post-TUF appearances to date, McGee turned the fights into a test of wills and a battle of attrition, and was the one who had his hand raised in the end. He submitted veteran Ryan Jensen in the third round of their UFC 121 encounter after looking lethargic in the first, and followed it up 11-months later with another performance that highlighted his unmatched ability to continue pushing forward against Dongi Yang.For McGee, it comes down to two things: what you’ve done in the gym leading up to the fight, and why you’re stepping into the cage in the first place.“I know what it takes to compete against that high level; now it’s just whether or not you’re willing to get in shape, and that to me is the hardest thing to do. Besides cutting weight, the conditioning is the hardest thing, man.“It’s hard to show up and condition three, four, five times a week, and throw a 130-pound ball around, and run sprints on an incline on a treadmill, and do this, do that, and Tabata this, and throw weight around, and kettlebell this, and sprint this, and push a thousand-pound wheelbarrow up a hill. That’s the hard stuff.“If it was up to me, going in and sparring five times a week? Shoot, man — that’d be awesome. I love the sparring. I love the fighting part of it. It’s the hard conditioning where you just borderline want to give up on life and you’ve still got another 20 or 30 second sprint to go — that’s the hard stuff.“Were you willing to take the steps necessary to get the best results? Showing up every day through the little injuries, big injuries, or the time off, having a lot of fights or not having a lot of fights, or the press or the lack thereof, or the money or not much money.“That’s another thing too as to why I think I’ve been successful,” continued the Ogden, Utah native. “The money is the payoff that I can better take care of my family with, and that’s important, but it’s not the most important. (First and foremost), I can carry the message to other people who struggle with drug addiction and things like that; to know that if I can make it out, they can make it out.”McGee, like fellow UFC on FX 2 competitor Ian McCall, battled addictions earlier in his life, and was once clinically dead as a result of a heroin overdose. He’s been clean since April 2006.“Secondly, if you get rid of all the crowd — you get rid of all the friends that are watching you— and it’s just me and Costa Philippou in there, I still have the same desire to win whether or not there is money on the line. If we’re fighting, do I have that desire to win? Do I still want to fight and will I go after it? And I do, and that’s what I love. Two, three minutes into that fight and we’re trading punches — we’re tired, you’ve been hit, and you’re hurt — that’s what I like: I like that spot. I like to be in there, and that’s a big difference.”Having come through his battles with drug addiction and endured the early lean years as a professional to be where he is today has had a significant impact on McGee, as you would expect. It’s shaped his approach to both his life and his craft, giving him a clearer picture of what’s important, and it goes way beyond wins and losses.“Growing up, I thought money was a big priority in life, and now that I’ve made a little bit, I’ve come to realize that it’s not all that important. Just as long as you can get by, pay the bills, be happy, and support (yourself and your family), you’ve got to find what you love to do.“Money comes and goes, friends come and go, but the connection with a higher power is something that I have, and the ability to do something that I love — martial arts — for a living, and the pay out that I can take better care of my family has given me the ability to appreciate the little things in my life.“I bought a home, so I’m a home owner now, and that’s really a cool thing, but I still drive the same car that I got my wife in high school — ’99 Saturn; just the base model Saturn. I’m a real simple guy. Being able to talk to other martial artists, and being able to carry a message to other people who are struggling through my martial arts, and through my fighting, I feel privileged. I really feel privileged.“I just celebrated five years of doing MMA,” continued McGee. “October 26, 2007 I quit my job as a plumber to pursue a career as a professional MMA fighter, and I struggled for a long time. It’s still a struggle, but I do it because I love it; I love to be in the fight. God’s given me the ability to compete, and train, and fight, and I’m going to keep doing it until I lose that desire - that desire to win while I’m in there.”Don’t expect that desire or McGee go away any time soon.  

Posted in: fight, mcgee, opponent, thing, ’ve

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Before getting into the fights, I'd like to apologize to our readers. I went down with the expectation that I'd be able to provide live play by play but once I got to the arena I realized there was no wifi or electrical outlet to plug my computer into. This will be the only case where this happens as I'll have made the proper preparations to cover Legacy next time far in advance. I traveled down to Houston to cover Legacy Fighting Championship 10, a card featuring Paul Audinwood, Gerald Harris, and Chidi Njokuani. There were some last minute changes to the card as several main card fighters missed weight at Thursday's weigh ins. Mike Bronzoules' opponent Eric DaVila missed the welterweight limit, coming in 14.5 pounds overweight. He declined to try and make weight in the two hours allotted to him by the Texas commission. Gerald Harris' opponent DJ Linderman also came in overweight, missing middleweight by 11 pounds. Gerald declined to allow his opponent to come in so overweight and his fight was scratched. Legacy promoter Mick Maynard did some last minute changes to save his card by getting Harris to fight Bronzoules' opponent. Bronzoulis was paid his show money plus a little bit extra because of his opponent's lack of professionalism. THE GOOD Chidi Njokuani looked very impressive in his Legacy debut. There have been questions about his ability to keep the fight standing. He answered those questions by stopping his opponent's takedowns and finish the fight with brutal knees to the body. Following the big win, he was immediately booked for Legacy 11 in May. Alex Morono overcame some early adversity to win his fight with a slick submission. Rashon Lewis landed multiple power punches to the face but Morono maintained his composure to win the fight. It's the kind of win that helps build a fighter's confidence in himself and his skill set. Pat Audinwood vs Justin Reiswerg was a very fun fight to watch at cage side. Audinwood has continued to develop as a fighter and he was able to take his corner's direction well which ultimately is what won him the fight. Where other fighters often abandon the game plan, Audinwood paid attention to what his corner was yelling to him. He may not be ready for the UFC but he definitely looked good in his victory. The prelims were very fun. Fights ending in TKO and Submission will always get a crowd amped and the booking was perfect to get the attending fans excited for the main card. The Bad and Ugly after the jump... THE BAD I understand why Gerald fought a safe fight. Against the unknown Eric Davila, he couldn't risk keeping the fight standing. That doesn't excuse his performance though. Harris was the "name" fighter on the card and he didn't fight like a top middleweight. It was a awful performance. Hopefully he'll showcase his skills better in follow up fights where everyone makes weight. Carson Beebe was supposed to be one of the top bantamweight prospects. Instead, he had difficulty passing TIm Snyder's guard and was head hunting on the ground. Had he thrown punches to the body he may have been able to complete the arm triangle that his corner was yelling for all fight. THE UGLY It was a very weird set up as media trying to remain impartial. I was seated next to the Blue Corner. When I say this I mean I was elbows to elbows with these guys. I had to listen to Eric DaVila's wife excuse his lack of professionalism the entire fight as she tried to spin his missing weight. She kept saying that he's a welterweight fighting at middleweight without context. If you're husband/fighter comes in way overweight, you shouldn't be talking about it. You should remain quiet and try and give him advice to win the fight. Justin Reiswerg rolled his ankle in his fight against Pat Audinwood because of a dead spot in the mat. The referee stopped the fight and allowed Reiswerg's corner to take up his ankle. Ignoring the fact that a referee can't stop time on an injury, allowing Reiswerg's corner to tape up his ankle once the fight has started shows gross negligent. Had Audinwood lost, he would have had a case to contest the decision because of the disregard for the rules. FINAL THOUGHTS It was a little weird being asked to walk in the cage to hold Carson Beebe's banner. And by a little weird I mean it was totally weird. I'm not upset about this but it's a weird situation to be placed in when trying to build up credibility as a writer. The set up at the Houston Arena Theater is great for attending fans but was an absolute nightmare when dealing with the Texas commission. At various points they hassled me and another writer saying that though we had credentials, we weren't allowed access to the fighters. When the commission already has a reputation of unprofessionalism, it's a bad idea to confirm those suspicions.

Posted in: fight, opponent, card, corner, audinwood

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Last night, Tim Boetsch came back from being significant outstruck by the rangey jab of the taller, bulkier Yushin Okami. Okami had been utilizing a southpaw jab all night, something which only typically only works for truly great strikers or against pretty mediocre ones. Okami occasionally ate a heavy right hook counter to his continuous jabbing efforts, but things looked grim for Boetsch as Okami started mixing in heavy body kicks. Then, once the Japanese middleweight had stunned Boetsch on the feet and was failing to land through Boetsch's covering up, Okami threw some beautiful hooks to the body. The sign of an intelligent fighter is to take all the free body shots your opponent lets you while he is covering his head (something Kid Yamamoto failed to do when he had Vaughn Lee hurt earlier in the night. Out of seemingly nowhere however, Boetsch stunned the bigger, sharper Okami and proceeded to provide a terrific finish, laying the Japanese fighter out against the fence. While for the most part Boetsch was significantly outstruck, he did show a brilliant infighting technique in finishing the fight. Okami is an amazing fighter when he turns to blanket mode - he can smother his opponents without allowing them to get anything off, and it was this ability to smother an opponent which Boetsch had to navigate his way around while he had Okami wobbling. While Okami tried - like a smart fighter should - to tie his foe up, Boetsch cross-faced Okami and utilized a technique which hasn't been seen much in boxing for many years; the infighting uppercut made famous by Jack Johnson. Jack Johnson was the first black heavyweight champion of the world and an incredibly controversial figure both inside and outside of the ring. He was known as a defensive genius and this was largely due to his ability to tie his opponents up at will and do damage there. As much a wrestler as a pure boxer, he used underhooks, headfighting and bicep control to destroy Jim Jeffries - undefeated heavyweight champion of the world and a man who enlisted Frank Gotch and Farmer Burns as wrestling sparring partners in his camps. Both Johnson and Jeffries understood the value of wrestling to a fighter. Johnson's money punch was an uppercut from infighting range while holding his opponent just as Boetsch did. Notice how Boetsch turns his hips so far that it looks as it he is going to throw it perpendicular to Okami. Now see this nicely posed photograph of Johnson demonstrating his technique for the San Francisco Call during the build up to his fight with Stanley Ketchel. The author feels that this technique, once it is fully recognized will be a powerful weapon for sprawl and brawlers. By turning the hips all the way through as if to throw the punch to someone standing on the opposite side of ones body it is possible to get an incredibly powerful uppercut in a much tighter space than if one were throwing it square on to the opponent. Mark Hunt knocked out Chris Tuchscherer with this same technique in a very short space while Chris was shooting in on him last year. Johnson was an absolute master at these short range, full body uppercuts and it is highly recommended that you watch his videos - the man was dirty boxing in an era of swingers. Johnson was so powerful in the clinch that he often literally held his opponents up when they were about to fall simply so that they didn't get away with an 8 count break from his assault. Here is a video of his destruction of Tommy Burns, Johnson really hits his stride against the Canadian at around the 1:55 mark. Brutal uppercuts from then on. Jack Johnson vs Tommy Burns (1908) (via JKDTaoist) Jack Slack breaks down striking strategy and technique at his websitewww.fightsgoneby.com He can also be found on Twitter @JackSlackMMA

Posted in: technique, johnson, opponent, boetsch, okami

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It's time to play another round of 'Guess which disappointing match-up is next for Fedor Emelianenko!' M-1 Global's Evgeni Kogan confirmed with MMA Fighting that Fedor's next fight will take place in Monaco sometime in June. As for his opponent: Kogan noted that neither a date or opponent have yet to be finalized, and that the promotion hopes to officially announce both around mid-March.Asked about reports that Emelianenko would face former UFC fighter Todd Duffee, Kogan would not confirm or deny any individual rumors."The search for the opponent is currently in process with a number of worthy candidates being considered," he said. The Todd Duffee rumors are interesting in that they actually manage to make the other rumored Fedor opponent - Bobby Lashley - almost sound good in comparison. Duffee also sounds more realistic since unlike Lashley, Duffee will fight anyone even if the offer is a week's notice and a ham sandwich.  This wouldn't be the first time Todd Duffee has picked up Bobby Lashley's leavings. DREAM was trying to set up Lashley vs Alistair Overeen for their Dynamite!! 2010 event but Lashley turned it down for financial reasons. Enter Duffee, who lasted a whopping 19 seconds against his Reemy opponent. Doesn't that memory just make you oh so excited at the prospect of him fighting Fedor? What a worthwhile endeavor that would be for everyone.

Posted in: todd, opponent, lashley, fedor, duffee

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Last summer, Fedor Emelianenko was in the midst of the worst stretch -- the only bad streak, really -- of his career. But the "Last Emperor" wasn't ready to retire, and now he's won two in a row.He's likely to attempt to add his next victory to his fight ledger in June, according to M-1's global director of operations Evgeni Kogan, who told MMA Fighting that recent rumors of a concrete date and opponent are incorrect."We're working towards securing a Fedor fight in Monaco for the summer, sometime around the time when Formula One happens," he said. "Specifically, a little while afterwards." The Formula One racing series is scheduled to make its annual stop through the principality during the period of May 24-27, and Kogan said M-1 was targeting an event "closer to the second week of June."Kogan noted that neither a date or opponent have yet to be finalized, and that the promotion hopes to officially announce both around mid-March. Asked about reports that Emelianenko would face former UFC fighter Todd Duffee, Kogan would not confirm or deny any individual rumors. "The search for the opponent is currently in process with a number of worthy candidates being considered," he said.In his most recent bout, Emelianenko (33-4, 1 no contest) knocked out former Olympic judo gold medalist Satoshi Ishii in the first round, his first stoppage win since KO'ing Brett Rogers in November 2009. Prior to defeating Ishii, he earned a unanimous decision over Jeff Monson.As for a reported thigh injury that hampered Emelianenko in the aftermath of his two fights in two months, Kogan said that the former PRIDE champ is currently in "fine health."

Posted in: opponent, fedor, emelianenko, kogan, months kogan

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Next weekend (Feb. 25, 2012), Quinton Jackson makes his return to the Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan. It was on this hollowed ground where "Rampage" first gained worldwide recognition and evolved into the champion he would one day become. Battles with Ricardo Arona and Wanderlei Silva are etched in the minds of mixed martial arts (MMA) fans across the globe with Jackson being on both sides of a beating. At UFC 144: "Edgar vs. Henderson," the Memphis native returns to Japan to take on The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) 8 winner Ryan Bader. More than 10 years since he first stepped inside a Pride Fighting Championships (Pride) ring, Jackson returns a much different fighter than he was in 2001. He is a former champion and was once recognized as the best 205-pounder on the planet, two credentials that eluded him during his tenure with Pride. The main reason for this was Wanderlei Slva who put the American to sleep twice in Japan. "Rampage" has since gotten his revenge as well. Indeed, Jackson has changed, adapted and evolved beyond the man who stepped inside the ring against Kazushi Sakuraba at Pride 15. Before his UFC 144 tilt, we'll take a closer look at that fight ... the "birth of Rampage" as it were. Let's dive in: The bell sounds and "Rampage" makes his way to the center of the cage, unloading a huge hook with deadly intentions. Sakuraba ducks under and grabs onto a leg, working toward a single-leg takedown. They circle, the Japanese fighter trying to get his opponent onto the mat while the American does all he can to avoid ending up on his back. The veteran wins out and quickly ends up in Jackson's half-guard. Even though "Rampage" is a few less years into the game than "Saku," he's not by any means green. With an amateur wrestling background and a host of fights under his belt in California, Jackson is more than ready to go toe-to-toe with Sakuraba. He uses the corner post to wall walk his way back to his feet, while also threatening with a guillotine choke. With both fighters once again vertical, they clinch up and the Japanese legend attempts to jump into Jackson's guard. The Memphis native responds the only way he knows how: He slams him. Sakuraba's body is barreled into the canvas, but he continues to work. A triangle choke is attempted, but Jackson lifts his opponent again for a second slam. They jockey for position on the mat and "The Gracie Hunter" once again attempts the triangle choke submission. A third slam. And then a fourth! But, Sakuraba doesn't relent and nearly has the submission cinched up. Jackson lifts Sakuraba up again, but instead uses his newfound leverage to wiggle out of the move rather than punish his opponent with yet another slam. Back on the mat, "Rampage" appears to be breathing heavily as lifting a 190-pound man over and over is -- even for an athlete on the level of Jackson -- an exhausting task. The Japanese fighter quickly transitions into an armbar attempt, which Jackson defends how else, but with another slam. He picks up his opponent again and nearly tosses him over the ropes and to the outside while the Saitama crowd gasps in disbelief. "Saku" is spared the tumble, while Jackson is able to avoid yet another submission. Both fighters are back on their feet and you can almost literally see the energy seeping out of Jackson's body. A weak combination is thrown with little to no power and when Sakuraba dives in for a takedown, "Rampage" offers no defense whatsoever. From half-guard, "Saku" easily slips in sidemount with Jackson offering only a few knees as offense. The Japanese fighter begins to work toward a kimura and nearly has it locked in, but Jackson offers an impressive defense by sitting up straight forcing Sakuraba to lose the leverage needs to torque his opponent's shoulder back. Jackson tries to explode out from under his opponent, but ever the savvy grappler, "Saku" scrambles and ends up taking the American's back. Jackson avoids danger and they wind up on their feet with "Rampage" having hold of one of his opponent's legs. He attempts to lift Sakuraba up but the Pride veteran is once again working towards a kimura and when they collapse to the mat, it's the Japanese fighter who ends up on top. "Saku" teases a leglock, but then quickly gets behind Jackson before just as quickly sinking in a rear naked choke, which forces "Rampage" to tap. Jackson will return to Japan six years to the day he defeated Dong-Sik Yoon in what would be the American's final appearance for Pride. When he steps inside the arena next week, he'll take on an opponent in Bader who is still smarting from the sting of two straight losses. Both of Jackson's opponents were heralded as prospects -- Yoon for accomplishments in judo competitions, Bader for collegiate wrestling credentials -- and while "Rampage" handled Yoon fairly easily, he now carries the weight of an additional six years of wear-and-tear on his shoulders. It's more so when taking into account the level of competition Jackson has faced since leaving Japan. Chuck Liddell, Dan Henderson, Rashad Evans, Lyoto Machida, Jon Jones. A murderder's row of elite light heavyweights have left the 33-year old Memphis native with a fight age much older than his actual age. Can "Rampage" put down the young lion at UFC 144? Or will "Darth" ruin Jackson's Saitama return?

Posted in: rampage, jackson, fighter, opponent, sakuraba

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2011 was a breakout year for 25 year old Eddie Ng who moved to Singapore to join Evolve MMA and fought for the first time in Asia at ONE Fighting Championship 1, defeating a Chinese opponent with a brutal one punch knock out. Since his MMA career began back in 2007 he has taken things very slowly. Fighting only one time per year he has acquired a respectable 4-1 record but his focus has been on improving as a martial artist rather than testing himself repeatedly inside the cage. One consequence of being self taught in BJJ is that he had never been awarded a belt but he showed just how well he had been able to master techniques which he started learning from mail order videos by winning gold at the 2011 BJJ Mundials as a white belt. He competed in that competition as Edward Gar Wei Ng, a name which reflects the fact that despite growing up in England his has strong Cantonese roots. Both Ng's parents are from Hong Kong and his Asian heritage and undeniable fighting ability are what made him such an attractive option for Evolve MMA, who are notoriously selective about who they invite onto their fight team. He has now become one of the faces of ONE FC and his face will be familiar to anyone in Singapore at the moment because it is plastered all over public transport and billboards as the marketing campaign ahead of the March 31st show grinds into gear. It has been an incredible 12 months for Ng, who is facing an as yet unnamed opponent on that card, and he is amazed to find himself in such a privileged position. "If you had asked me a year ago where I thought I would be in 12 months time I would have said in a small little room about 4x4 metres, training with friends and local level fighters. I would never have even fathomed possible that I would be training with the likes of Shinya Aoki, Heath Sims and Attachai Fairtex etc on a daily basis, fighting in front of 7,000 people and seeing myself on posters all over town." Ng's coaches include champions in BJJ, boxing, Muay Thai, wrestling and MMA and they are all extremely excited about his potential. Although his opponent for ONE FC's March 31st card, which will be headlined by a light heavyweight fight between Melvin Manhoef and Renato Sobral, has yet to be confirmed I have heard rumours that matchmakers feel he is ready for a big step up in competition. When I put this to Ng he is quick to point out that he has consistently faced more experienced opposition throughout his MMA career, "For my first professional fight I fought a guy that had competed against UFC fighters Dan Hardy and Paul Daley, he had a total of 19 fights when we fought, my second opponent had a total of 14 fights. This is a trend that has been consistent throughout my career so far, I am used to fighting against much more experienced opponents. Of course I would like to fight against opponents with a similar experience level to myself but if One FC offer me a more experienced fighter then I welcome the challenge with open arms. I train with the best team not just in Asia but for me, the world and I know that whoever the opponent is, they can't do anything that my instructors don't know about." Eddie Ng vs. Yuan Chun Bo (via officialsherdog) The first ONE FC event was televised by Media Corp Channel 5 , which is one of only a handful of domestic TV stations in Singapore meaning it is available to every home with an aerial. Ng says he really noticed the effect this exposure had in the aftermath of the delayed broadcast, "After the One FC broadcast, I remember being stopped quite a few times by people asking if I was the same person that was on the TV! What surprised me was that men and women of all different ages watched the broadcast, typically I thought there would be a certain market for MMA but this was not the case and highlighted the growth of MMA here in Singapore!" People in 24 Asian countries, including Hong Kong, will be watching the next ONE FC show because it will be shown on ESPN Star Sports and Ng says that having so much exposure in the country of his parent's birth is very important to him, "I have family in Hong Kong and I am very excited that they are now able to watch my fights live. The ESPN Star Sports deal is huge news for all fighters because we all dream about fighting on the big stage where millions of fans at home can watch our fights. I was back in Hong Kong at the beginning of the year to visit my parents and some family, I absolutely love the place." Ng arrived at Evolve MMA last year with a reputation as being primarily a BJJ fighter but he has been working hard on his striking. Part of this process has involved taking part in professional Muay Thai fights which he feels will help him to become a much more well rounded mixed martial artist, 'When your in an environment where you can ONLY strike, then you have no choice but to start swinging otherwise it isn't going to be a very fun experience. I would like to compete more in Muay Thai in the future to develop my confidence further but also because I found it to be a lot of fun." As well as famous mixed martial artists like Shinya Aoki he will also be rubbing shoulders with multiple BJJ world champions on a daily basis at Evolve MMA, it is all a far cry from the days when he first taught himself the submission game by studying videos he ordered from the internet, "We recently had the legendary Renzo Gracie oversee our training and one of the top MMA coaches in the world Greg Jackson stop by to share some knowledge. These guys amazing instructors and an absolute pleasure to be around. Evolve MMA also recently recruited former US Olympian Greco Roman Wrestler Heath Sims and NCAA division 1 wrestler Jake Butler who have shown myself and the rest of the Evolve Fight Team just how beautiful the art of wrestling truly is. Plus I get to work day in day out with Muay Thai and BJJ World Champion instructors like Attachai Fairtex, Muangfalek Kiatvichian, Zorobabel Moreira and Leandro Issa" After spending much of his career at welterweight Ng will be making the drop down to 155 lbs. His only loss came to the highly experienced Joakim Engberg who is now Alistair Overeem's head trainer and he also has a win over Jason Ball who is now one of the starts of leading British promotion BAMMA. With a proven track record of beating high calibre opponents on the increasingly competitive UK scene it is no surprise that ONE FC recognized Ng's potential and signed him up instantly after he had moved to Singapore. Joining a first class fight team like Evolve MMA should help to accelerate his development but Ng still favours the patient approach which has served him so well in his career to date, "I want to stay active in competition as much as possible in 2012 but ultimately I just want to keep improving every single day as a martial artist. Every time I fight I want to be a different fighter than the previous showing, I don't want to fight often but without really showing any improvement but the learning process is so much faster now that I have access to world class instruction every single day." His next chance to showcase that improvement will come on March 31st at the Singapore Indoor Stadium on the main card of ONE FC 3. Ng might be content to take things slowly but it seems inevitable that 2012 will be the first year of his career in which he fights more than once and all that patience starts to translate into serious mainstream success.

Posted in: fight, mma, opponent, fc, ng

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It may seem hard to believe but the stars of the first season of The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) are some of the Ultimate Fighting Championship's (UFC) most tenured fighters. After nearly seven years, the likes of Forrest Griffin, Kenny Florian and Josh Koscheck have just about shed their reality TV roots as they have become better known for defeating mixed martial arts (MMA) legends or winning championships. Another such fighter is Diego Sanchez who like his fellow TUF 1 middleweight finalist Kenny Florian has never quite been able to grab ahold of the brass ring and make the transition from contender to champion. Both "KenFlo" and Sanchez have been to the big dance at 155 pounds but each ran into the (nearly) immovable lightweight object known as B.J. Penn. Now more than two years removed from his UFC 107 main event, Sanchez finds himself one win away from perhaps another title shot. Possibly challenging for Carlos Condit's newly won interim welterweight title or perhaps tangling with Georges St. Pierre when the French-Canadian heals up could be in the TUF veteran's near future should he pick up the W on Wednesday (Feb. 15). Standing in his way is Jake Ellenberger who is fresh off an impressive knockout over Jake Shields. A solid wrestler with devastating knockout power, Ellenberger is hoping to lay one of his fists directly on his opponent's chin in the main event of the inaugural UFC on Fuel TV event. But Sanchez is no stranger to heavy-handed opponents. Whereas Florian left his bout with the Hawaiian relatively unscathed -- as much as one can when having stepped inside the Octagon -- "The Dream" was permanently disfigured after hooking up with "The Prodigy," the new bearer of a scar from a chasm-like gash on his forehead. It was a similar experience the Greg Jackson fighter had when he took on Martin Kampmann nearly a year ago. Let's take a look at that bout, complete with its controversial decision. Immediately Sanchez begins to press forward while Kampmann, the more accomplished striker, bides his time in search for a counter. They continue to exchange until "The Dream" shoots in for a single-leg takedown which the Dane defends perfectly. As they separate, "Hitman" nails Sanchez with a beautiful knee. "The Dream" backs up, attempting to get some space between him and his opponent. He launches a looping right hook but a lightning fast straight from Kampmann finds its mark long before the hook can connect. Sanchez drops to the mat but scrambles back up quickly as "Hitman" latches onto a front headlock. The Dane backs his opponent against the cage, delivering knee after knee to the nearly prone Sanchez. They separate off the cage and the exchanges continue until "The Dream" dives in for another takedown. It -- like the first -- is stuffed and Sanchez also eats a knee for his trouble. By now, his face is a bloody mess thanks to Kampmann's striking. At the sound of the horn, the Greg Jackson fighter returns to his corner looking like a horror movie victim. Between rounds, Sanchez's trainers implore him to attempt more takedowns; at least five is what they demand. Their fighter doesn't disappoint, going for two in the first minute alone. Unfortunately, neither is a success and "The Dream" is forced to decide the bout on his feet. Kampmann already seems more content to wait for another big counter, hoping to replicate his knockdown of the first round. Sanchez knows the opening stanza is lost to him and presses forward. A third takedown is stuffed but a small cut has opened under the Dane's eye. Sanchez bullies his opponent against the cage and opens up with a flurry of punches; a few that don't connect, a few that graze Kampmann and a few that nearly drop "Hitman" to the canvas. The once previously small cut has now opened up and blood covers nearly half of Kampmann's face. The Dane is forced to circle away from the onslaught while Sanchez gives chase. "The Dream" goes for a fourth takedown which, despite the pounding Kampmann just received, is also stuffed. Try as he might, Sanchez is unable to put his opponent on his back. The round closes with another wild slugfest that Sanchez seems to get the better of before losing his footing and slipping onto his back. Between rounds, the camera catches a shot of Kampmann's eye which appears to have a handful of small cuts surrounding it. The third and final round opens with both fighters cautiously picking their shots. Neither fighter wants to commit a fight-ending error but both hope to win the round as it would likely decide the winner of the bout. Halfway through the final round, neither man has done enough to separate themselves from their opponent. Kampmann has landed a few nice jabs and a knee to the body while Sanchez is walking "Hitman" down and connecting with a handful of strikes but almost three minutes in the round still doesn't have a clear winner. A takedown finally lands for "The Dream" but Kampmann is able to get vertical seconds later. They continue to exchange strikes, Sanchez in bunches while "Hitman" prefers to deliver one-off counter punches. Sanchez attacks the body while his opponent delivers a knee as we enter into the final minute. A cut under the Greg Jackson fighter's left eye is busted wide open by a pinpoint accurate counter from Kampmann and Sanchez immediately raises his fist to cover the wound from further damage. More primal instincts prevail however as "The Dream" spends the last 60 seconds exchanging like a madman and Kampmann is more than happy to accomodate his opponent. When the decision is read -- a 29-28 unanimous decision for Sanchez -- the reaction from the crowd is not pretty. Boos are showered until Sanchez busts out a patented Mick Foley cheap pop by saying he "loves Louisville" and cheers fill the arena when "Hitman" states he felt he won the bout. MMA judging isn't an exact science and it was evident that night in Kentucky. But Kampmann didn't end up hurting as a result of the loss. On top of a $160,000 bonus, his next bout -- a win over Rick Story -- was on the main card of UFC 139 and he's set to headline UFC on FX 2 in Australia against Thiago Alves. Sanchez, obviously, tops the bill on Wednesday and will be looking to pick up a third straight win. It's probably safe to say, though, he'd like to avoid getting his face mangled again while picking up the victory. That won't be all too easy considering his opponent. Does "The Dream" continue? Or will Ellenberger be a nightmare for Sanchez?

Posted in: fighter, dream, opponent, sanchez, kampmann

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Rising featherweight star Dustin Poirier will face the toughest test of his career both in terms of opponent and pressure, as “The Diamond” will be given a chance to shine in headlining action against apt adversary Chan Sung Jung on May 15 at UFC on Fuel 3. Both men were last seen earning event-specific bonuses in their previous performances, the second in a row for “The Korean Zombie”. Jung has been in fine form since suffering a knockout loss in September 2010, picking up victories over Leonard Garcia and Mark Hominick. Both outings were notable in nature as Garcia was tapped out with a Twister and Hominick flattened in less than ten seconds. Jung holds an overall record of 12-3 with more than half of his wins coming via submission. The 12-1 Poirier has finished ten of the opponents he’s taken out including Max Holloway last weekend at UFC 143. He is currently on five-fight winning streak including wins against the likes of Josh Grispi, Jason Young, and Pablo Garza. Poirier Trains for Every Opponent as if He is Facing Anderson Silva The Fairfax, Virginia event is also highlighted by a bout between lightweights Donald Cerrone and Yves Edwards. PHOTO CREDIT – UFC Tweet

Posted in: ufc, opponent, jung, poirier, adversary chan

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It's hard to imagine a pairing that would promise a greater combination of intensity, two-way violence and sustained action than Nick Diaz vs. Condit, which will headline the UFC 143 main event tonight (Feb. 4, 2012) at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, Nevada. Dueling for the interim championship thanks to Georges St. Pierre's knee injury, these two are far more alike than either would willingly admit. Both rely on striking, conditioning and excellent Brazilian jiu-jitsu to bail them out when modest to mediocre wrestling fails them. Both also have outstanding chins and a tendency to battle back when hurt, precisely when it looks like they're vulnerable. Diaz's smothering stand up attack has vexed even the most dangerous foes, seemingly able to find a groove in tossing leather and daring you to try and exchange. It's one of the best-executed con jobs you'll see in mixed martial arts (MMA), as opponents initially think little of Diaz's pushing, pawing attack until they're too punch drunk to resist being mugged. The Cesar Gracie-trained fighter's outstanding submission game has also made recent opponents reluctant to attempt takedown, making his stand up that more effective. Since dropping a close decision loss to Martin Kampmann in his Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) debut, Condit has steamrolled into this bout with four impressive wins. Gifted with a great knack for when to explode and shoeleather toughness, Condit utilizes his 6'2" frame to uncork anything and everything to punish foes. Whether it's pretty kickboxing combinations or textbook jiu-jitsu, he's very efficient in how he approaches opponents, backed up by a pitiless killer instinct when they're hurt. The finishing round and barrage he put on Rory MacDonald in a fight he was clearly behind in was a thing of sustained beauty, and his dismantlings of Dan Hardy and Dong Hyun Kim showed he's really coming into his own. Follow me after the jump for a complete breakdown of the UFC 143 fight between Nick Diaz vs. Carlos Condit: The Breakdown Condit may be tempted to stand and bang with Diaz, which would be his first mistake, even if he feels he's holding his own or better. Why? Because without threatening a takedown - something he's got a slight advantage in in terms of their relative abilities to score and defend against them -- he's conceding a stand up match to Diaz, who sets a fast pace when he isn't worried about having to drop his hands and deal with tie-ups and grappling. "The Natural Born Killer" should look to exploit the main hole in the Diaz stand up style, and that's attacking his lead leg with teep kicks and smashing shots to the lower limb to take away his striking base. He should also look to deliver flying knees in close, when Diaz wades forward tossing shots, as well as spin Diaz in clinches to hammer home more knees. Diaz puts combinations together and forces opponents to buy in to his game, invariably sucking them dry until they wilt. What's fascinating about this match is that both have incredible chins and yet are constantly looking to finish opponents. In Condit's 27 victories, an astonishing 26 are inside the distance, with only the super-tough Jake Ellenberger going the distance, in a bout that really could have gone either way. Diaz has only been finished once, early in his career, and has shown perhaps the best pure chin in the sport, absorbing bombs from middleweights like Scott Smith while barely flinching. On the ground, Condit's jiu-jitsu doesn't get the raves that Diaz' does, but it's every bit as good in a purely MMA sense. He has great defensive grappling, a very tough guard to pass, and physically he might be just a tad stronger than Diaz, especially if he's on top. Condit should look to force tie-ups and grappling whenever possible, especially if hitting a takedown late in a round can help sway the judges his way in what is sure to be a close, five-round war. If Diaz has one weakness standing, it might be in the Muay Thai discipline. While his striking from distance and mid-level pocket range is laser-sharp and accurate, he tends to be a bit lazy in clinches and can be nailed by a good Muay Thai stylist, which Condit is. Carlos' knees and kicks from the distance will have to be outstanding, because Diaz's hands and standing work rate are too much for just about anyone that faces him. The Pick Much of this fight will be decided by how Condit wants to engage. Part of the Diaz con job is opponents thinking they can stand with him as though to prove a point, and a couple minutes later you're getting your bell rung every few seconds and look like a man fighting underwater. If Condit uses big kicks, movement and tie-ups to keep Diaz from getting into his potent standup groove, he should follow them with takedowns and riding Diaz from the top while scoring enough to avoid a ref restart. This is a pretty good prescription to win a fight given his skills, as Diaz will have a tough time submitting him. However, there's something in Condit's makeup that makes him a pitbull-style fighter, and he's never shied away from a mutual chin-check, something Diaz will be forcing whenever they are on the feet. I think Condit gets sucked into a war here, and like Donald Cerrone learned against Nate Diaz, loses too much, too early to really recover his bearings and change the tempo of the fight. Diaz will score readily on the feet and eat some big shots from Condit, and keep pressing ahead. By the middle of the fight, the weary Condit will look to take it to the ground, but Diaz will stymie him from his back enough to get restarts when needed, or work his way back up. Both will be bloodied and battered down the stretch, but Diaz will simply prove too much with his high-output style, punishing Condit to win a spectacularly entertaining and clear-cut unanimous decision. Diaz via unanimous decision Be sure to join MMAmania.com this evening for LIVE, detailed UFC 143 results of all the "Diaz vs. Condit" pay-per-view (PPV) action. It will include blow-by-blow coverage of the Facebook video stream, FX "Prelims" bouts, and of course, the PPV broadcast. We'll start RIGHT HERE at around 7:00 p.m. ET and carry straight on through early Saturday morning. See you later! Jason Probst can be reached at twitter.com/jasonprobst or Jason@jasonprobst.com

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It was just three months ago when Renan Barao smashed Brad Pickett, finishing the Brit with a first-round submission. The win was complete in its dominance. Barao out-struck Pickett in the standup, then overwhelmed him on the ground.That victory pushed Barao's unbeaten stretch to 28 straight fights, and made him a combined 4-0 while fighting in the UFC and WEC. It also solidified his status as a bantamweight title contender, an important development in a division that is currently recycling Urijah Faber for another title shot less than a year after losing to current champ Dominick Cruz.Yet it may come as a surprise to many that Barao is fighting on Saturday, and that he has a legitimate chance to become the next bantamweight contender with a win over Scott Jorgensen. Maybe it's the cult of Nick Diaz, or the specter of Georges St-Pierre looming over UFC 143, but not much else has gotten much traction during event week. If one fighter aside from Diaz and Carlos Condit deserve it, it's Barao.He has exhibited a mature overall fight IQ, with tight yet sometimes unpredictable striking, strong wrestling and an aggressive ground game. Most noticeable of all, Barao has the killer instinct.Not only has he shown power for a bantamweight, but he hunts for the finish when he senses his opponent is in trouble. Against Pickett, he hurt him with strikes, and then expertly took his back when Pickett was trying to return to his feet. It was a very decisive, telling moment. Many fighters would have chosen to keep position there and dragged their opponent back to the ground, as a misstep while trying to jump to your opponent's back is likely to end with you on the bottom. But Barao chose to be offensive and was rewarded for his risk, soon closing the fight with a rear naked choke.The win was Barao's first against a top 10 opponent, and it moved him up to No. 7 in the USA Today/MMA Nation rankings. All of the fighters above him have already had their cracks at Cruz.Even his opponent, Jorgensen, who is ranked No. 5, has had his moment, losing by decision to Cruz in December 2010.The bantamweights are fairly new on the UFC scene, so observers can be excused for their unfamiliarity with the division's best fighters, let alone others making their way towards the top. But the UFC hasn't done much to put Barao or Jorgensen in the spotlight, either, even when the division is desperate for breakthrough talent. Neither fighter was invited to the open workout, or to the press conference.Until they do, Barao will have to gain attention the old-fashioned way in this sport: with his performance. He hasn't lost in his last 28 pro fights, so I think we're past the point of wondering whether he's a legitimate top-level fighter. But a win over Jorgensen would make for his second straight against a name opponent. Sometimes you're given the spotlight, sometimes you take it. For Barao, it will likely be the latter.If his performance against Pickett wasn't loud enough for you, maybe he'll speak a little bout louder against Jorgensen. The Diaz-St-Pierre-Condit circus is certainly worthy of plenty of headlines, but let's face it, regardless of what happens on Saturday, the welterweight division is a fun but jumbled mess. We'll have a champion, an interim champion, and many laying claim to No. 1 contender status. Meanwhile, the bantamweight division is awaiting its next star, and it would be a shame if he arrives while no one is paying attention.

Posted in: ufc, fighter, bantamweight, opponent, barao

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A lot of good stories on Nick Diaz have been written in the lead up to UFC 143, making it difficult to find an angle that hasn't been discussed. We've heard about his fitness regimen and the effects it has on his mental game. We've heard about the incredible ability of Diaz and his opponent Carlos Condit to pursue the fight despite the physical consequences. As far as his outside the cage exploits, we've had reaction to the UFC Primetime series featuring Diaz and Condit, both in the negative, in the positive (see the comments section of the aforementioned post) and in question form, (has Nick gotten to GSP?). Something I haven't seen covered is the noticable lack of fire coming out of Nick Diaz towards Condit, at least as of yesterday evening. It is the second consecutive fight that Diaz has been respectful to his opponent in the lead up; against BJ Penn he said or did nothing that could be construed as disrespectful, instead leaving it to Penn to restore the natural order of a Diaz fight by instigating a tense staredown at the weigh-ins. You see, since starting up with Strikeforce, when Nick Diaz fights a big name, the fights have followed a pretty strict pattern: 1. The fight is annouced. Diaz insinuates that he's better than his scheduled opponent and should be fighting someone better, perhaps GSP or Anderson Silva.2. Opponent responds by saying that Nick is disrespectful, not as good as he thinks he is and they are going to prove it in the fight.3. The verbal jousting continues through fight week and comes to a head during the weigh-ins. Middle fingers or perhaps physical contact between the fighters sets the tone for the start of the fight.4. Diaz's opponent charges out of the gate, looking to make him pay for his ridiculous antics.5. Diaz eats whatever punches he has to and moves forward, eventually forcing his opponent's back onto the cage6. Diaz forces his opponent to cover up and unleashes flurry after flurry on them, alternating beautifully between the body and the head.7. The opponent begins to wilt, while Diaz seems to get stronger.8. Overwhelmed and gassed, the opponent succumbs to the onslaught, or does just enough to make it to the judges scorecards, where they lose by decision. More on Nick's newer, calmer, fight week demeanor after the jump We saw this exact pattern when Nick fought against Frank Shamrock, KJ Noons, Paul Daley and BJ Penn. It happened to a smaller degree against Zaromskis and Cyborg (not as much was said pre-fight but the fights themselves very much followed the pattern). It has become something of a calling card for Nick: Rile up the opponent and get him to fight at a higher pace than they would otherwise be comfortable with. I was quite frankly shocked to see BJ get his mean mug on at the weigh-ins after avoiding the "Diaz trap", as I call it, in the month leading up to the fight. Nick has had so much success getting into his opponents head that it has lead some to theorize that it is an act. GSP called him "fake-crazy" during the second episode of Primetime. I myself have expressed my belief that his pre-fight persona is a creation, with the goal being to induce a brawl that largely favors Diaz and his excellent conditioning. Nick responded to these suggestions during his media scrum at the open workouts this week. Nick Diaz: People tell me I'm crazy, or they say I act like I'm crazy, I think it's what a lot of people are saying. I'm not trying to put on no act, I'm just going out there trying to fight my fight, and try to win the fight. I'm not happy by the time I walk out to fight, you know? What do you want from me? If this is the case and what you see is what you get from Nick Diaz, then what we are seeing and what we are getting from him this week is cause for concern, at least for those who are picking Diaz to win the fight tomorrow night. He has gone out of his way to be complimentary of Carlos Condit whenever he's been asked about him. He called Condit a more respectable martial artist than Georges St. Pierre. He told the press at the pre-fight press conference that the focus on GSP made him sick; for Condit. Nick Diaz: It makes me sick. This is Carlos' time to be here and to be a part of this main event. Half of this show is built up around me fighting Georges St. Pierre but I'm fighting Carlos Condit. And then, during the staredowns that follow each pre-fight press conference, the unthinkable happened: via img.photobucket.com After the pose-off, Condit extended his hand towards Nick, an offer to engage in a time honored display of respect: The handshake. It was the perfect chance for Nick to let everyone know that he wasn't playing. An opportunity to show that despite the niceities, he was still Nick Diaz, and Nick Diaz doesn't shake no hands before the fight. Instead, Nick Diaz looked down at the hand, hesitated briefly and then accepted Condit's invitation. Maybe this is a new Nick Diaz we are watching, one who no longer feels the need to intimidate and threaten his opponent before the fight. This will be his 34th as a professional mixed martial artist. He is no longer the disrespected (in his eyes) and disrespectful (in most everyone else's eyes) "big fish in a small pond" that he was during his run in Strikeforce. Have the years of training as a triathalete given rise to a cool confidence that was never there before? It's entirely possible that the way he has approached both the media and his opponent during this fight week is a reflection of new found maturity, brought about by the serious endurance training. Or perhaps Nick truly feels a little bad for his Condit. After all, the hype for a fight between Georges St. Pierre and Nick Diaz is over-shadowing this match. Here is a link to a media scrum that GSP did this week. I've already posted the one that Diaz participated in. I found no such video of Carlos Condit. In the biggest fight of his life, Carlos Condit has been an afterthought. It was sadly ironic that he was the only fighter at the pre-fight presser who had the class to put on a suit. So I guess I could understand if Nick felt a little bit sorry for him, especially since he fully plans on making Condit's week even worse on Saturday night. Whatever the reason for Nick Diaz's kinder persona this week, Carlos Condit is not a man to give sympathy to. No matter how many miles you've ran, or biked, or swam, no matter how many hours you've spent in the gym, fighting Carlos Condit requires you to be at your cruelest and most merciless. He is the "natural born killer" for a reason. If Nick Diaz is not on point from the moment the fight starts to the final bell, he will find himself finished in brutal fashion. Of course, the official weigh-ins are just about to get underway, so if Nick gets crazy, the concerns I've laid out here will be rendered all but moot. If he doesn't act up though, the question remains: Does Nick Diaz feel badly for Carlos Condit? And if he does, will his sympathy cost him on Saturday night?

Posted in: fight, diaz, nick, opponent, condit

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It has been quite a roller coaster ride for UFC 143‘s main event participants. After being scheduled to take on champion Georges St. Pierre – on two separate occasions each — a plethora of unfortunate circumstances led to Nick Diaz and Carlos Condit squaring off for the UFC  interim welterweight title. On the heels of an underwhelming year on PPV, St. Pierre’s injury is a major blow for Zuffa. With the retirement of Brock Lesnar, “Rush” becomes the company’s undisputed PPV king, and losing him for one of the biggest shows of the year is going to put a significant dent in its buy-rate. And yet, the popular Canadian’s injury has oddly led to a far more compelling main event; one with legitimate potential to go down as one of the most memorable tussles in MMA history. Interim Welterweight Title Fight: Nick Diaz vs. Carlos Condit If nothing else, Condit’s preparation will be rendered easier by the fact that he, along with everyone else, knows what Diaz will be looking to do in this fight. The far more complicated problem of course, is actually finding a way to counter it. As ever, Diaz will move forward, throw his trademark “peppering punches”, put together plenty of combinations, and go to the body repeatedly. This is the way the older of the Diaz brothers has always fought, and he has done remarkably well to improve upon it in recent times. While his approach and strategy remain the same, his technique has gotten significantly better. That is not to say that Diaz will ever be mistaken for a technical striker, but he has displayed glaring improvement in his boxing — namely his ability to sit on his punches and produce extra power. Many of Diaz’s opponents have found themselves helpless against the sheer volume with which he throws, and the Stockton native will look to overwhelm Condit the same way he did to many of his previous adversaries. He will try to take advantage of his reach by establishing his jab, get his lead right hook working, and follow it up with the left — most likely to the body. In fact, Diaz’s single most dangerous punch is his left hook to the liver, and if he is to have a real chance of stopping the otherwise extremely durable Condit, the left hook to the body is the shot he will bank on. However, for all of Diaz’s offensive improvements, his defense has remained typically shaky. His flat-footed stance means he is always a still target, which, coupled with his lack of head movement, makes him extremely susceptible to getting lit up by a talented counter-puncher. Additionally, while Diaz does well to utilize his reach effectively, he is often all too content to stand inside the pocket and trade. This almost cost him dearly against Paul Daley, and had it not been for his otherworldly chin and recovery, Diaz  would have likely been separated from consciousness. Nevertheless, Diaz remains MMA’s embodiment of the old adage: “the best defense is a good offense.” Despite the aforementioned defensive flaws, his offense is often too overwhelming for that to matter. Because of his iron chin and unlimited gas tank, Diaz can afford to keep moving forward, throw with abnormal volume, while simultaneously absorbing shots that would have been enough to stop most humans. Bizarrely, those defensive holes can at times work in Diaz’s favor, as upon seeing how open he is, opponents are often all too tempted to engage in ill-advised fire fights with him, and pay a dear price in the process. Diaz simply has a way of forcing opponents to fight his fight. Condit needs to avoid falling victim to that trap. “The Natural Born Killer” needs to use a lot of footwork, circle away, and crucially, stay away from being trapped with his back to the fence, where Diaz could unload on him with trademark combinations. Concurrently, Condit would be wise to throw kicks liberally. He will likely look to fight “long” by utilizing plenty of body kicks (namely push kicks) from the outside to keep his opponent at bay. Most importantly however, leg kicks should be the backbone of Condit’s offense, as Diaz’s stance and unwillingness — or inability — to check them make him particularly vulnerable to getting his legs chomped on, as witnessed in his bout with Evangelista “Cyborg” Santos. Condit will have the luxury of being the more diverse striker, as in addition to his kicks and improved boxing, he possesses some lethal knees. If he is to put Diaz away, the latter is going to be the most likely method. As such, the clinch battle could prove vital, as Diaz is sneakily good at landing short punches from close-quarters, while Condit’s knees are not something the Cesar Gracie protege wants any part of. Against Dan Hardy, Condit displayed a brand of crisp boxing on the inside that he seemed to lack prior to that. He was able to stand inside the pocket, beat “The Outlaw” to the punch, and land clean, powerful counters, the last of which being a left hook that turned the Brit’s lights out. Should he be able to replicate that sort of counter-punching against Diaz, the bout could be his for the taking. However, doing so while absorbing minimal damage will be substantial, as Condit will inevitably slow down if he is to take too many of Diaz’s shots to the body. Diaz’s historically iffy takedown defense could result in Condit taking the fight to the ground at some point. Diaz is guilty of being too comfortable off of his back, as he isn’t urgent enough in his attempts to get back to his feet and instead relies on throwing submissions from the bottom. However, Diaz does make up for it with excellent scrambling. Condit’s top game is often too aggressive, and Diaz could well use that to his advantage if he finds himself on the bottom. As such, the Team Jackson product needs to be more methodical in his attempts to pass the guard — something he is unlikely to have too much success with against a grappler of Diaz’s caliber to begin with — and perhaps be a bit more content to stay tight, and land short elbows from inside the guard. Diaz holds an edge in cardio over most fighters in the division, but Condit’s stamina has never been an issue, and he has repeatedly proven that he is more than able to go the distance, and at times get stronger as the fight progresses. That however, could change if his opponent is able to put it on him early, as Diaz’s style has a tendency to take a toll on his foes. If Diaz is to win this fight, he needs to pile up the pressure, tag Condit continuously, avoid the incoming counters, and wear him out. On the other hand, Condit needs to take Diaz’s legs away early and take over the fight from there. Which is more likely to happen is anybody’s guess, but it is just difficult to pick against Nick Diaz at the moment, least of all in a five-round fight. Official Prediction: Nick Diaz to defeat Carlos Condit by Decision PHOTO CREDIT – UFC

Posted in: fight, diaz, opponent, condit, body

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Josh Koscheck was in rare form at Wednesday's UFC 143 open workouts in Las Vegas, touching on his opponent, his obsession with flying, and a couple of Brazilian's he'd like to fight.

Posted in: koscheck, opponent, las vegas, josh, brazilians hed

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(Feb. 1, 2012) BAMMA, Europe's leading Mixed Martial Arts promotion, is excited to announce three hard-hitting preliminary fights for BAMMA 9, which takes place on Saturday 24th March at Birmingham's National Indoor Arena: Andrew Punshon vs. Matt Howard; Jason Ball vs. Colin Fletcher; and Nick Nembhard vs. Leeroy Barnes. Hailing from Spennymoor, the Durham destroyer Andrew Punshon has only ever seen one of his fourteen fights leave the first round. With a record of 10-4-0, Punshon has won most of his fights by rapid submission making him a dangerous prospect for any opponent. But, if there's any man fit for the challenge, you won't be wrong to place your bets on undefeated Rough House warrior, Matt Howard (9-0-0). The fierce Ground 'n' Pounder can also boast to have only once needed more than one round to finish an opponent. With 21 fights and 19 first round finishes between them, fans can expect fireworks from this pacey, compelling match. Not only does the bout pit skilled Jiu jitsu against explosive striking power but puts together two dangerous fighters known for demolishing opponents at break-neck speed. Don't blink during this fight. Colin 'Freakshow' Fletcher is called so for a reason. It's not just the circus clown get up nor the entertaining walk-outs that make him stick in fans minds, but also those freaky, unorthodox Jiu jitsu moves that serve to undo his opponents. Freakshow is renowned for high-voltage performances that will make your hair stand on end. One man brave enough to face Freakshow in the cage is none less than talented boxer, Jason 'Daddy Cool' Ball. With 28 fights to his name, Ball is also not the conventional MMA fighter, having trained in array of Martial Arts that include Capoeira, Escrima, Jeet Kune Do and Dog Brothers. This high velocity match promises to break boundaries. Fighting out of the legendary Wolfslair, BAMMA crowd-favourite Leeroy Barnes made a ferocious comeback at BAMMA 8, where he lost on decision to defending BAMMA-Lonsdale British Middleweight champ, Jack 'The Hammer' Marshman. Coming in as the underdog, Barnes more than proved his worth and demonstrated that he has what it takes to take on the very best. Barnes has a solid reputation as a tough fighter not afraid to face any opponent. As Barnes's game moves from strength to strength, fans can look forward to what he brings to the table for BAMMA 9 when he's faces upcoming knock-out artist, Nick Nembhard. Nembhard is well-versed in all phases of the fight with a background in both Muay Thai and BJJ. His early career losses against tough opponents have demonstrated him to also be a fighter not scared to step up to anyone; making this bout one that brings together two guys always up for a war, who give it their 100% and who never fail to entertain. Go Daddy, the world's largest provider of Web hosting, domain name registrations and new SSL Certificates, is the presenting sponsor for BAMMA 9. This is the fourth BAMMA event presented by Go Daddy. "What Go Daddy loves about mixed martial arts is the ravenous fan-following and the competitive nature of the sport," said Go Daddy Chief Marketing Officer and Senior Executive Vice President Barb Rechterman. "The battle between Andrew Punshon and Matt Howard has all the ingredients you want in a marquee match-up ... drama, competition and two hard-hitting fighters. We can't wait to see how the story unfolds." Matchmaker, Jude Samuel says, "Punshon vs. Howard is definite contender for Fight of the Night, with the winner, in my opinion, in line for claiming a shot at the British or even World Title in the near future. Both have devastating knock-out power and most predictions are placing this as possible KO of the night: Either way it's a war in the making. The current British Masters and Central Area Light-Middleweight Champion, Jason Ball, will be making his last appearance at Lightweight before dropping to Featherweight at BAMMA; while Freakshow is hungry for a challenge and a step up to big fights at the top of BAMMA's Lightweight division. Leeroy and Nick are both guys that now need a win. Leeroy wants to get back to title contention, while a win for Nick will pivotal to his MMA career." Fight Cardwith main card fights to be announced PRELIMINARIES MIDDLEWEIGHT BOUTANDREW PUNSHON VS MATT HOWARD LIGHTWEIGHT BOUTJASON BALL VS COLIN FREAKSHOW FLETCHER MIDDLEWEIGHT BOUTNICK NEMBHARD VS LEEROY BARNES UNDERCARD LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHT BOUTFRASER OPIE VS ANTHONY TAYLOR WELTERWEIGHT BOUTRUS SMITH VS TOM BREESE LIGHTWEIGHT BOUTCHRIS FISHGOLD VS DALE HARDIMAN HEAVYWEIGHT BOUTMARC GODBEER VS CATALIN ZMARANDESCU MIDDLEWEIGHT BOUTLEE JOHNSON VS SAM HOOKER LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHT BOUTROBERT TRUESDALE VS SAM MENSAH For more on BAMMA 9 click here.

Posted in: fight, vs, opponent, bamma, punshon

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If fans were dissatisfied with the UFC‘s decision to employ a one-fight card for its historic debut on FOX, they should be far more appeased the second time around, as the world’s MMA leader is staying true to its promise of delivering “PPV caliber” cards on network television, with a hat-trick of mouth-watering bouts. Both the headlining fight and the co-main event bear direct title implications, as Rashad Evans bids to cement his status as the number one contender for the light heavyweight championship for the umpteenth time, while Chael Sonnen defends his fake middleweight title against Michael Bisping for a shot at the division’s real kingpin. Meanwhile, a very tricky battle awaits Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu ace Demian Maia when he locks horns with one of the sport’s brightest prospects in Chris Weidman. Preliminary Predictions: * Chris Camozzi to defeat Dustin Jacoby by Decision * Joey Beltran to defeat Lavar Johnson by Decision * Shane Roller to defeat Michael Johnson by Decision * Charles Oliveira to defeat Eric Wisely by Submission in Round 1 * George Roop to defeat Cub Swanson by Decision * Mike Russow to defeat Jon-Olav Einemo by TKO in Round 2 * Evan Dunham to defeat Nik Lentz by Decision Main Card Predictions: Middleweight Fight: Demian Maia vs. Chris Weidman One of the most promising rising fighters in the sport, Weidman’s transition from wrestling to MMA has been as seamless as he could have hoped. Like other fellow wrestlers-turned-martial artists, Weidman has been able to pick up the grappling aspect of the game with remarkable ease. His last two bouts showed the kind of submission grappler he’s developed into, as Weidman displayed a very diverse top game. Constantly looking to improve position while simultaneously punishing his opponent with ground-and-pound, the former “All-American” is far from being single-minded in his approach from the top. His guard-passing is extremely fluid, and is rendered even easier with an onslaught of punches and elbows. Where Weidman shines the most however, is when he is able to secure front headlock control, where he possesses quite an arsenal of submissions. Interestingly, this could all prove irrelevant against Maia, whose BJJ wizardry could well negate Weidman’s grappling — that is of course, if Weidman decides to shoot on his opponent to begin with. After all, Maia’s bottom game is about as good as it gets in the middleweight division. In fact, the Brazilian is one of the few fighters in the sport who can still afford to use an open guard, as his triangles and vast arsenal of sweeps are a handful for any opponent to handle. Even if Weidman is confident in his ability to survive inside Maia’s guard, he is unlikely to find much joy in doing anything noteworthy from the top. For his part, Maia will undoubtedly look to close the distance, get the clinch and work for the takedown. For the most part, Maia’s takedowns from the clinch are extremely underrated, but putting Weidman on his back is a tall order. If he is able to do it, even for a brief moment, he could make inroads, as Maia is an expert at taking advantage of his opponent’s eagerness to regain his feet and use it to take the back, where he is incredibly difficult to shake off. When that fails however, Maia often likes to transition from single leg attempts to pulling guard in order to take the fight to his element; though just how much offense he can produce from the bottom remains to be seen. Maia’s main flaw is his blatantly unpolished striking, highlighted by some extremely wild boxing. He will often rely on throwing a sloppy left cross and leaves himself vulnerable to getting countered in the process. Conversely, Weidman’s striking is a little raw as well, but he has shown some mild — but potentially crucial — improvements. His kicks have come along nicely, and he will be content to stay on the outside and chomp and Maia’s legs. When moving forward, he’s also capable of putting together combinations and dirty box from close-quarters. It is a difficult test for the Matt Serra protege to take on such short notice, but this isn’t a match-up where he risks getting beat up. However, it is not a match-up where he is likely to look too good either, as his main strengths are negated by Maia’s. We could well be looking at a controversial decision in this one, as Weidman may enjoy some time on top, but his opponent will likely be doing most of the work. On the other hand, Maia’s takedowns from the clinch, sweeps, and scrambles  could see him through. Official Prediction: Demian Maia to defeat Chris Weidman by Decision Middleweight Fight: Chael Sonnen vs. Michael Bisping Fresh off his long awaited Octagon return where he made short work of Brian Stann, Sonnen squares off with Bisping for a shot at Anderson Silva‘s middleweight title. After initially being scheduled to take on a wrestling oriented fighter in Mark Munoz, Sonnen is actually facing an easier stylistic match-up against here. Despite his rightful reliance on his wrestling, Sonnen is much improved as an overall MMA fighter. His striking has become quite solid, highlighted by a surprisingly quick left cross. Additionally, Sonnen has always possessed a very good chin and has never been stopped with strikes, which has always allowed him to aggressively move forward, eat some shots, but get the takedown anyway. This is made even easier by Sonnen’s speed, explosiveness, and ability to cover an usual amount of distance with his shot. Even when shooting for a power double from seemingly outside of the proper range, Sonnen’s quick first step allows him to catch opponents by surprise and get the takedown. Shooting for power doubles isn’t all the Oregon loudmouth can do, as if he decides to close the distance, Sonnen is an absolute terror in the clinch, where he can rough up his opponent with dirty boxing, get underhooks, and put him on his back. For his part, Bisping will be the superior striker, despite some obvious flaws in his stand-up. He is constantly guilty of circling to his opponent’s power hand, and more worryingly as far as this bout is concerned, backpedaling right into the fence when pressed. Instead of circling out and resetting, Bisping digs himself a hole by allowing his opponent to have him pinned against the cage. Given that Sonnen will be looking to rush him at any given chance and put him on the back-foot, this could spell trouble for “The Count.” Bisping will look to get on the bicycle, land some jabs, throw plenty of body kicks, and mix them up with some combinations. He does well to set up the high kick, but he lacks the power to really use it to clobber an opponent. His right cross is his best punch, and to his credit, he rarely throws it as a single strike with little set-up. The real issue for Bisping is that he doesn’t quite possess a puncher’s chance in this one, in the sense that he was never a one-punch knockout artist, and Sonnen’s chin has historically held up very well. When the Brit has managed to put his opponent away, he did it with a barrage of strikes for up close. Against Sonnen, this is a tough proposition, as he could easily change levels and shoot or clinch up every time Bisping is within that range. The most underrated aspect of Bisping’s game is his ability to escape from the bottom. He possesses surprisingly dynamic hips, is good in the scrambles, and is especially savvy when it comes to getting back to his feet. This will be crucial, as he is almost certainly going to end up on his back in this fight, perhaps repeatedly. Sonnen however, has a suffocating top game that makes life very difficult for his foes. He is absolutely relentless, is constantly pounding to the head and body from inside the guard, and if his recent bout with Stann is any indication, is developing solid submission grappling to complement his punishing ground-and-pound. In that regard, Sonnen has definitely improved his guard-passing technique, which adds another dimension to an already authoritative top game. Of course, Sonnen’s Achilles heel has long been his submission defense. He tends to leave his next exposed when shooting in and is prone to getting caught in a guillotine, and has been submitted from the bottom on numerous occasions; mainly with triangles. However, Bisping has never been a significant submission threat, and the short notice nature of the fight means he didn’t have the necessary time to focus on working submissions from the bottom. Look for Sonnen to do what he does best (no, not trolling), and dominate Bisping on his way to a decision. Official Prediction: Chael Sonnen to defeat Michael Bisping by Decision Make sure to check back tomorrow for my breakdown of the main event between Evans and Phil Davis… PHOTO CREDIT – UFC

Posted in: opponent, bisping, sonnen, maia, weidman

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@JackSlackMMA It is no secret around here that I have a great affinity for strikers, particularly those who can make wrestlers think twice about spamming takedown attempts. There is an embarrassment of riches in terms of talented strikers now entering the sport of MMA, simply because of the declining state of kickboxing and the growing purses and exposure of Mixed Martial Arts competition. My fondness of Japanese MMA stems from my fandom in the PRIDE FC days, and my taking up wrestling and Brazilian Jiu Jitsu in Tokyo while over there training my striking, and I have made sure to keep up to date with the current crop of talent working it's way through Shooto in hopes of DREAM FC returning to the form PRIDE FC was on. For the die hard fans of JMMA this list will provide nothing new, but those who are perhaps only familiar with the major U.S. promotions, this will provide an interesting little guide to some of the more entertaining fighters Asia has to offer. Mamoru "The Fro" Yamaguchi One of the premier names in the flyweight (125 lbs) division for the last five years, a Shooto champion and one of the most dynamic fighters in Japanese MMA. Mamoru Yamaguchi fights in Thai style shorts and is responsible for more dropped or KOd opponents in Shooto's oversized (5 oz.) gloves than anyone at 125lbs.The first time I saw Yamaguchi fight I realised two things; the first was that the Japanese can grow afros - quite impressive ones at that, and the second was that in the 125 pound division, which is so little heard about due to lack of explosive finishes or big names, KOs can happen. I happened to discover Yamaguchi through his fight in Shooto with Stonnie Dennis, which Yamaguchi finished by establishing the Thai clinch on Dennis' neck, pushing him into the ropes, and knocking him out cold with a beautiful head kick. Yamaguchi's hands are as fast an furious as you'd expect from a flyweight fighter, and his kicks are heavy, but what is most interesting about Yamaguchi to die hard fans is that he, just as Anderson Silva has done, has negated the majority of his opponent's takedown attempts through mastery of the clinch from a striking perspective. Watch his destruction of Frank Baca as the latter struggles to gain underhooks on the smaller, craftier Yamaguchi. Much of Yamamoto's success from a technical perspective is not from his superior fighting at range, but rather in his ability to fight out of the clinch. The Stonnie Dennis knockout and his dropping of Frank Baca above were both initiated from clinch range. As the Dennis kick shows, Mamoru likes to catch opponent's with their hands down as they disengage from the clinch - a signature technique of Jack Dempsey, referred to in his book "Championship Fighting" as "The Sneaker". If the referee breaks a clinch, it is illegal to strike your opponent and you risk disqualification, but if your opponent disengages, or you push him away from you, it is entirely legal to strike him. In the former case, opponent's often get lazy, as demonstrated here by Kitahara: Here, in an American promotion (Yamaguchi is one of the few Japanese stars to have success on American soil in recent years), "The Fro" uses a shove from clinch range to push his opponent against the cage. The opponent's hands come down to balance himself (a technique I break down in detail here) and Mamoru demolishes him with a tight left hook. If you aren't familiar with the work of Mamoru Yamaguchi it is well worth a look. He may not always win, his grappling has cost him before, but his record is sterling, he's fought successfully on American soil and he knocks out much bigger men in a weight class known for it's sparsity of finishes. It is no exaggeration to call him the best technical striker at flyweight, having a 35 fight record and never losing via KO or even to a fighter with less that superb Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. A trawl through his fights on youtube is an excellent way to waste an afternoon. Jack Slack now blogs at his brand new website www.fightsgoneby.com He can also be found on Twitter @JackSlackMMA

Posted in: fight, opponent, yamaguchi, mamoru, american soil

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Lyoto Machida has an opponent in mind for his return.

Posted in: opponent, return, machida, mind, henderson sonnen

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CHICAGO, Ill. (January 27, 2011) - Bellator Fighting Championships returns to the Bayou State on Friday, March 16 for Bellator 61 live from Bossier City at the Horseshoe Riverdome. The night will feature the long awaited rematch between "The American Solider" Eric Prindle (@EricPrindleMMA) and "The Big Monster" Thiago Santos (@BigMonsterMMA) to determine a winner from last season's heavyweight tournament, as well a host of local talent from the Louisiana area. Tickets for the event are now on sale and can be purchased online at Riverdome.com, by phone at 888-512-SHOW (7469) or by visiting The Gift Horse at Horseshoe Bossier City Casino. Tickets are priced from $25-$75. The event will also be broadcast LIVE starting at 7 p.m. CST on MTV2 and in commercial-free HD on EPIX. Doors open at 5:30 p.m. CST, with the first fight scheduled for 6 p.m. CST. The preliminary card, featuring the area's top local talent will be streamed LIVE and FREE around the world on Spike.com starting at 6 p.m. CST. "Louisiana's been an amazing home to Bellator. Our last two Louisiana events we're spectacular sell outs, so bringing Bellator to Bossier City was an easy decision to make," said Bellator Chairman & CEO Bjorn Rebney. "This Prindle-Santos fight has war written all over it and both of these guys have taken this huge fight very personally. March 16 should be a great night." Prindle meets Santos after last season's Heavyweight Finals were declared a no contest as Santos delivered what was ruled an accidental illegal blow to the groin of Eric Prindle, which eventually halted the fight. The two will square off to determine who will earn the right to face current Bellator Heavyweight Champion Cole Konrad(@ColeKonradMMA). The night will also feature the quarterfinals of the Bellator Season 6 Middleweight Tournament. UFC veteran Maiquel "Big Rig" Falcao (@Falcaomma) will make his Bellator debut against the dominant Norman Paraisy. Falcao enters Bellator with an astonishing 23 knockouts to his record and will look to keep that trend intact at Bellator 61. In a matchup worthy of a Middleweight title fight, Brian "The Predator" Rogers (@Brogthepredator) battles Brazilian ace Vitor Vianna (@VitorVianna) for a spot in the semifinals. For Rogers, the Ohio native wants to build off last season's semifinals appearance and punch his ticket to a guaranteed title shot. Vianna put up a tremendous fight against eventual Middleweight Tournament Champion Alexander Shlemenko(@StormShlemenko) and is eager for another long tournament run. Entering Bellator on a 14-fight win streak, explosive Russian Vyacheslav "Slava" Vasilevsky (@SlavaVasilevsky) will be making his U.S. debut in a fight with Victor O' Donnell (@Victor_ODonnell). One of the most promising prospects in the world, "Slava" joins Bellator as two-time Sambo World Champion and will look to make his mark with Bellator. Giva "The Arm Collector" Santana (@GivaSantana) is back with Bellator and will be gunning for another victim when he takes on Bruno Santos. Always looking for the armbar, Santana has tapped 13 of his 17 career opponents with the hold. "A lot of fighters like to go out there and try to knock their opponents out as soon as they can, and that's the same way I am with my submissions," Santana said. "For me, to tap a guy out is the same feeling as the knockout. When a punch lands and you know you knocked your opponent out, I feel the same feeling when I lock up a submission on my opponent. I know right away that he's going to tap, and it's a great feeling." For more information, visit Bellator.com, follow Bellator on Twitter @BellatorMMA, follow Bellator Chairman & CEO Bjorn Rebney @BjornRebney and check out Bellator on Facebook at www.facebook.com/Bellator

Posted in: fight, bellator, pm, opponent, bossier city

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Could Bobby Lashley be Fedor Emelianenko’s next opponent? Well, according to Lashley, it’s a possibility. He told Fighters Only recently that he’s on M-1 Global’s list of potential opponents for Fedor and he’s definitely down if they want to book the fight. Lashley also spoke about the possibility of a fight with the legendary Fedor Emelianenko. “The guy’s got a tremendous amount of fights under his belt… I’d like to fight him.” According to Lashley, Fedor’s managers are currently looking for the Russian MMA veteran’s next opponent, and his name is on the list of potential matchups. “I’m going to throw everything at him that I can. Of course, my wrestling’s there, I don’t give a damn what he’s doing. I’d put my wrestling up there with almost anyone right now. “I think that my wrestling would trump some of the things that he has. I know he’s a great fighter, but if I fought him then of course I’m going to try and wrestle him down… If it was Dave [Bautista], I’m standing and banging with him. I’ve been doing a lot of boxing.” “I wanna fight the best, so if I have an opportunity to fight Fedor, let’s do it. If I have an opportunity to fight anyone right now let’s just damn do it.” Fedor Emelianeko vs. Bobby Lashley? Gee, can’t wait for that one. (rolls eyes) Lashley also says he has an offer on the table from Bellator, but he doesn’t know all the details yet. Nevertheless, Lashley says he would “love to fight for them.” Image via Esther Lin for Strikeforce/Showtime

Posted in: fight, opponent, lashley, fedor, emelianenko

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In an evening that featured several thrilling comebacks, veteran Josh Neer may have had the most impressive one of all against Duane Ludwig in the co-main event of the first-ever UFC on FX show last night (Jan. 20, 2012) in Nashville, Tennessee. Neer was battered and bruised badly by Ludwig, a former Muay Thai kickboxing champion who now holds the fasted knockout in UFC history. Things were starting to get ugly for the Iowan, but then he turned the tides in dramatic fashion, not just winning the fight, but emphatically putting his opponent to sleep. So how did Neer shift the momentum? And what's next for both fighters? Let's find out: From the early onset of the fight, it was obvious that Ludwig had a significant striking advantage. Neer pushed forward with both hands up but repeatedly was getting tagged by the Grudge fighter's precision punches. "Bang" even stumbled Neer early with a left hand and proceeded to blast him with knees to the body as he attempted to recover. "The Dentist" attempted a body lock to secure a takedown, but Ludwig fended him off and responded with a huge knee. Both men exchanged big blows but again, Ludwig got the better of it and then pressed forward with big knees to the body which seemed to hurt the scrappy Iowan. Neer continued to absorb some big strikes to the head and body, but he finally grabbed a single leg and turned the corner, putting "Bang" on his back. Ludwig obviously wants to get back to his feet, but in his haste, he turtled on his way up and completely left his neck exposed. Seeing the neck ripe for the picking, Neer immediately latched on a guillotine choke which was so tight that Ludwig didn't even have time to tap out, going unconscious in just five seconds. It was one of the tightest chokes you'll ever see. For Duane Ludwig, he's got to be frustrated with what happened. He was on a nice win streak and was just brutalizing Neer in the stand-up exchanges with his punches and knees. He's made strides in his wrestling and takedown defense, but once he was put on his back, it was likely only a matter of time before he was submitted. Scrambling to his feet while leaving his neck completely exposed like that was a rookie mistake on the ground. I'd think Ludwig would be the perfect opponent for Dan Hardy's comeback fight in the welterweight division as both men are entertaining strikers who likely won't want to go to the ground. Other possible opponents for "Bang" include Claude Patrick and Carlos Eduardo Rocha. For Josh Neer, he's now 2-0 in his fourth stint in the UFC. His striking showed some serious holes, but he was tough enough to absorb the damage and impose his will and then submit his opponent. Neer surprised me as I thought he would be too stubborn and would stand and trade with Ludwig for too long, but he only kept the fight standing long enough to close the distance and score a takedown. On the ground, it was his world and he latched onto that guillotine choke with excellent technique. Neer apparantely called out Brian Ebersole after his fight, so that would be an intriguing potential match-up. Other potential opponents for "The Dentist" include Seth Baczynski or potentially Mike Pyle. Whoever he faces, Neer will likely continue to put on exciting fights, which is why he keeps getting invited back to the promotion. So what did you think, Maniacs? Did Neer pull this out with superior technique, or did Ludwig blow it? Did anything happen in this fight that surprised you? Sound off! For complete UFC on FX results, including blow-by-blow, fight-by-fight coverage of the entire event as well as immediate post-fight reaction click here, here and here.

Posted in: ufc, fight, opponent, neer, ludwig

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Demian Maia is without an opponent following today's shakeup on the UFC on FOX 2 card. With top-tier opponents in short supply, many observers pointed to Rousimar Palhares as a potential opponent for Maia. But Palhares is "not a viable opponent," manager Alex Davis told MMAjunkie.com.

Posted in: opponent, palhare, rousimar palhares, todays shakeup, toptier opponents

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This is the concluding segment of a three part series. The other parts can be found below: Part 1: Footwork Part 2: From Below In the second part of this series we studied the blind angle and the advantages of attacking one's opponent through this. It is a common tactic among master strikers and there is a lot more to be said on it still (for instance it is the reason that Muhammad Ali and Anderson Silva fight with their hands low - not because they are arrogant, but because it makes their punches difficult to see). In this article, however, we are going to focus on the least used blind angle, techniques which come from above. These are far less common than techniques from below, partly because there is a very limited amount of legal techniques to throw downward onto the top of an opponent's skull (particularly with the banning of downward elbows in mainstream kickboxing and MMA), and partly because most strikers who choose to vary their attack do so by throwing uppercuts and attacking from below exclusively. Take a look at this photo of Joshua Clottey covering up against Manny Pacquiao. This was basically the story of the fight, Clottey could not compete with Pacquiao's footwork, speed or power so he chose to survive and he did so excellently - coming out of the fight largely unmarked and in much better shape than most of Pacquiao's victims. You will notice that Clottey has braced his gloves against the sides of his forehead and is keeping his chin down, elbows in, hips thrust forward so that his abdominals are tensed for body shots but his is upright enough to effectively nullify Pacquiao's uppercut. So Pacquiao set to work with his famous combinations, landing in double digit bursts, but did little damage. You will notice that the one place vulnerable in Clottey's excellent guard is the top of his head and that he has obscured most of his own vision. Boxers (and Nick Diaz) are less opposed to taking punches on the forehead as it is the hardest area of the skull, but the top of head is less dense, and less prone to taking damage. Additionally one cannot see punches to the top of the head coming, I'm sure most readers can think of time their shower or some other household item fell on their head with no warning. If even an excellent guard such as Joshua Clottey's has a hole in the top of it, it stands to reason that much lesser strikers in MMA are going to be susceptible to attack from above. The most notable example of this in MMA is Chuck Liddell's legendary overhand. A few weeks back I wrote an article on the Cross Counter, in which I belittled the modern overhand as a direct attack, asserting it was wide, predictable and one of the main reasons boxing elitists look down on striking in the sport of MMA. Liddell's overhand is genius however, for he doesn't throw a leaning hook that attempts to come around the side of an opponent's guard (which is all too often difficult to achieve) but instead brings his right hand over the top and down the middle of an opponent's guard. Here he is, in his bout with Alistair Overeem in PRIDE - through which he has been on the end of a fairly one sided striking clinic, partly due to Alistair's good defence: Notice how Alistair's hands are in a good traditional covering up position; if Liddell had thrown the usual glorified right hook that we are used to seeing in MMA, it would have been blocked on Alistai's left forearm, but instead it comes in almost vertically, bisecting Alistair's guard and putting him out on his feet. Here is Chuck explaining the same technique: Chuck Liddell Teaches His Overhand Right... (via johnniekombat) Another brilliant example of exploiting downward strikes is Andy Hug's legendary axe kick. For those unfamiliar with Andy Hug he was a Swiss Kyokushin Karateka who became so respected in Japan for his accomplishments as a relatively small heavyweight kickboxer in the early days of K-1 that he was referred to as the "Blue Eyed Samurai" (despite having brown eyes). Hug fought his last 4 fights, arguably his best streak, with undiagnosed Leukaemia which eventually took his life, but his accomplishments and phenomenal style see him fondly remembered in the kickboxing community. Here he is demonstrating one of his several signature techniques: the axe kick. The axe kick or Kakato Geri is typically demonstrated in traditional karate as a technique used to bring your heel down on the head or body of a downed opponent. Andy Hug however preferred to bring his heel down on the head or collar bone of a standing opponent. Notice how he is attempting to come down between the hands of his opponent in this photo. Hug's powerful roundhouse kicks ensured that opponents always kept their arms in this traditional form of guard, then he would attempt his axe kicks. Here is a highlight of Hug's early career with axe kicks in full form: K1 - Best Of Andy Hug - Part 1 by mart (via depeche1972) Hug's war with Mirko Cro Cop saw both participants trading axe kicks and was a real crowd pleaser. Cro Cop eventually pulled out the axe kick in his MMA career against Mark Hunt and most recently in the UFC against Pat Barry, though it lacks the venom of Andy Hug's, it is still a nice tribute and caught Barry completely off guard. Attacks from above are still pretty rare in MMA and Kickboxing, especially compared to attacks from below, but their value is certainly clear; they're tough to see, hard to train for and difficult to counter. Jon Jones has begun to land spinning elbows to the top of the head, but I most athletes in combat sports today don't consider it a valid target. While axe kicks may be difficult to pull off, it would certainly be interesting to see more fighters attempt Liddell's overhand, even if only against a stunned opponent whom they are struggling to land on. Jack Slack maintains a blog at http://fightsgoneby.blogspot.com/ where he analyses striking technique in MMA, Boxing and Kickboxing.

Posted in: mma, part, opponent, axe, hug

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Photo by Gleidson Venga, Sherdog Name: Thiago Perpetuo Nickname: Bodao Age: 24 Height: 6'0" Location: Sao Paulo, Brazil The first Brazilian to claim a spot on the 2012 World MMA Light Heavyweight Scouting Report is Sao Paulo, Brazil-native Thiago Perpetuo (8-1-1). The Furacao Fight Team member has recorded eight wins since his debut back in April of 2009, scoring seven finishes, six by way of knockout. He's currently enjoying a four-fight win streak, beating Willians Santos at Jungle Fight 26 in April and most recently knocking out Edgar Castaldelli Filho at Max Fight 9 in July. Perpetuo's stand-up game is his most effective means to beating the competition. He's methodical in his approach, boxing up adversaries with powerful combinations to the legs, ribs, and chin. By mixing it up and using a ranged attack, Perpetuo not only avoids counter attacks, but he doesn't overexert himself. That's an important key to his success as most opponents cannot keep up with his pace in the latter rounds, faltering against the pressure he produces. On the ground, Perpetuo isn't actively hunting for submissions, nor is he a proven takedown machine. He is, however, effective from top control, usually working for takedowns in the late rounds and mauling his exhausted opponents. His defense to takedowns is mediocre at best, and that's an area of concern as he moves up the ranks. To defend against ground and pound, Perpetuo administers damage control by holding down his opponent's posture, usually forcing a stand-up due to inaction. Not a great plan for the future, especially against opponents with better endurance and power. Luckily, Perpetuo is quick and elusive, slyly scrambling out from underneath opponents or reversing positions. He may get into bad positions early in fights, but it has been a certainty so far in his career that his competition can't outlast his pace. At only 24 years old, Perpetuo has enormous potential with only minor flaws. Check out video footage of Thiago Perpetuo after the jump... FlyweightBantamweightFeatherweightLightweight #1 - #2 - #3 -#4 -#5 - #6 - #7 - #8 - #9 - #10 - #1 - Rony Mariano#2 - Aljamain Sterling#3 - Chris Holdsworth#4 - Josh Hill#5 - Fabiano Fernandes#6 - Claudio Ledesma#7 - Sirwan Kakai#8 - Kyoji Horiguchi#9 - Leandro Hygo#10 - Pedro Munhoz #1 - Hacran Dias#2 - Joey Gambino#3 - Brandon Bender#4 - Lance Palmer #5 - Jim Alers#6 - Anthony Gutierrez#7 - Max Holloway#8 - John Teixeira#9 - Cody Bollinger#10 - Bubba Jenkins #1 - Fabricio Guerreiro#2 - Alessandro Ferreira#3 - Adriano Martins#4 - Justin Salas#5 - Neilson Gomes#6 - Eduard Folayang#7 - Zorobabel Moreira#8 - Anton Kuivanen#9 - Jordan Rinaldi#10 - J.P. Vainikainen WelterweightMiddleweightLight HeavyweightHeavyweight #1 - Andrey Koreshkov#2 - Dhiego Lima#3 - Brandon Thatch#4 - Nordine Taleb#5 - Hernani Perpetuo#6 - Brock Jardine#7 - Alan Jouban#8 - Mohsen Bahari#9 - Andre Santos#10 - Stephen Thompson #1 - Antonio Braga Neto#2 - Marcelo Guimaraes#3 - Claudio Silva #4 - Bojan Velickovic#5 - Ildemar Alcantara#6 - Michal Materla#7 - Elvis Mutapcic#8 - Tor Troeng#9 - Jack Hermansson#10 - Tim Ruberg #1 - #2 - #3 - #4 - #5 - #6 - #7 - #8 - Thiago Perpetuo#9 - Steve Bosse #10 - Juha Saarinen #1 - #2 - #3 - #4 - #5 - #6 - #7 - #8 - #9 - #10 - Thiago Perpetuo HL Thiago Bodão vs Edgard Castaldelli Thiago Perpetuo vs. Willians Santos

Posted in: fight, opponent, thiago, perpetuo, attack perpetuo

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Name: Juhn Saarinen Nickname: Juice Age: 28 Height: 6'3" Location: Finland Playing second fiddle to its neighbors, Finland is normally on the losing end when it comes to inter-regional clashes. In the light heavyweight division, however, the tables have turned. Beginning our countdown on the 2012 World MMA Light Heavyweight Scouting Report, 28-year-old Finn Juha Saarinen (7-1) claims his spot, proving that Sweden and Norway aren't the only countries with top notch talent. Saarinen has only recently gotten back up on the horse after years of battling injuries. He finally returned from his most recent layoff on December 2, punching out Frenchman Frederic Lefevre (6-6) at Cage: Challenger II in Riihimaki, Finland. He had dispatched of Spain's Enoc Solves Torres (10-4) at the third round leg of M-1 Selection 2010's Western Europe series eighteen months prior, submitting him via kimura in only three minutes and nine seconds. Despite having a history of run-ins with injury, Saarinen remains one of the best grappling talents in Scandinavia. His long 6'3" frame is his most effective physical attribute, helping him wrap up the opposition and threaten with savvy submission skills. On the feet, Saarinen can use his natural length to work a jab from range. Unfortunately, he isn't diverse or proficient, relying more on feints and footwork to find a means to taking his opponents down than actually boxing up opponents. He seems to be solid in tripping up opponents and landing in top control, but don't count on Saarinen to lay waste to the chins of his adversaries. Saarinen has potential if he can round out his skill-set and stay injury-free. So far, he's on track as he has a scheduled bout against M-1 veteran Mikhail Zayats (14-6) at Cage 18 on March 3. A win there will undoubtedly put him on the map with promotions like Bellator and the UFC. Check out video footage of Juha Saarinen after the jump... FlyweightBantamweightFeatherweightLightweight #1 - #2 - #3 -#4 -#5 - #6 - #7 - #8 - #9 - #10 - #1 - Rony Mariano#2 - Aljamain Sterling#3 - Chris Holdsworth#4 - Josh Hill#5 - Fabiano Fernandes#6 - Claudio Ledesma#7 - Sirwan Kakai#8 - Kyoji Horiguchi#9 - Leandro Hygo#10 - Pedro Munhoz #1 - Hacran Dias#2 - Joey Gambino#3 - Brandon Bender#4 - Lance Palmer #5 - Jim Alers#6 - Anthony Gutierrez#7 - Max Holloway#8 - John Teixeira#9 - Cody Bollinger#10 - Bubba Jenkins #1 - Fabricio Guerreiro#2 - Alessandro Ferreira#3 - Adriano Martins#4 - Justin Salas#5 - Neilson Gomes#6 - Eduard Folayang#7 - Zorobabel Moreira#8 - Anton Kuivanen#9 - Jordan Rinaldi#10 - J.P. Vainikainen WelterweightMiddleweightLight HeavyweightHeavyweight #1 - Andrey Koreshkov#2 - Dhiego Lima#3 - Brandon Thatch#4 - Nordine Taleb#5 - Hernani Perpetuo#6 - Brock Jardine#7 - Alan Jouban#8 - Mohsen Bahari#9 - Andre Santos#10 - Stephen Thompson #1 - Antonio Braga Neto#2 - Marcelo Guimaraes#3 - Claudio Silva #4 - Bojan Velickovic#5 - Ildemar Alcantara#6 - Michal Materla#7 - Elvis Mutapcic#8 - Tor Troeng#9 - Jack Hermansson#10 - Tim Ruberg #1 - #2 - #3 - #4 - #5 - #6 - #7 - #8 - #9 - #10 - Juha Saarinen #1 - #2 - #3 - #4 - #5 - #6 - #7 - #8 - #9 - #10 - Juha Saarinen vs Enoc Solves Juha Saarinen vs. Anders Hansson Joachim Christensen vs. Juha Saarinen

Posted in: heavyweight, opponent, saarinen, juha, spains enoc

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When UFC featherweight champ Jose Aldo first made a name for himself in WEC it was in large part the result of not only his dominance in the cage but the way in which he beat opponents. Six of his seven WEC appearances resulted in a strike-based stoppage with the lone exception being a decision over a badly-battered Urijah Faber. However, Aldo has gone to the judges’ scorecards both times he’s fought inside the Octagon – something the 25-year old Brazilian hopes to change tonight when he faces Chad Mendes at UFC 142. Aldo spoke some about his inability to overwhelm opponents in the UFC as he did in WEC, offering up a fairly logical reason for the change in outcome. “More publicity means more studying, more strategy, and guys come to fight avoiding my creativity,” explained in an interview with the UFC’s website. “It’s not like in the WEC times, when they were unsure of, ‘What will this guy will come out with next?’ So this is not just trying to knock their head off, but there is an elite opponent ready to capitalize on my mistakes and spoil things for me.” “I never stopped training flying knees, and my standup game is much better than it was in the WEC, but like I mentioned, we have worthy talent standing on the other side of the cage,” he continued. “WEC (did) too, but in the UFC, the opponents have more footage and they are taking advantage of this fact.” Come tonight’s bout against Mendes it could be a different story, as Aldo revealed he is understandably amped about competing in his home-country, saying, “I’m fighting in Rio de Janeiro, with the support of my fans, so I’ll push the pace and get back on the road to knockouts.” Fans can catch Aldo’s attempt to finish the unbeaten Mendes tonight on PPV when things start at 10:00 PM EST. As always Five Ounces of Pain will be covering the action from start to finish. Make sure to check back here when preliminary pairings begin at 7:00 PM EST on Facebook. PHOTO CREDIT – WEC/UFC

Posted in: ufc, opponent, wec, aldo, mende

Read the full article at Five Ounces of Pain

When the WEC merger was first announced some fifteen months ago, featherweight champion Jose Aldo was deemed to be the star acquisition. Eager to see him delight those who are oblivious to his immense talent, the UFC scheduled him for a quick Octagon debut on the year’s first fight card. Things didn’t go according to plan however, as a shoulder injury forced Aldo on the sidelines for a few months, and since his return, he hasn’t quite looked like the fighter who terrorized the WEC ranks. Despite two successful title defenses under his belt last year, Aldo has simply looked like a more tentative and less violent version of the man who shattered Cub Swanson‘s face in eight seconds. Stories of arduous weight cuts further enhanced trepidations surrounding Aldo’s future performances, and talks of a move up in weight have since emerged. For the champion to silence the hard-to-please critics, he needs to deliver in his home country in spectacular fashion, and be the first man to inflict a blemish on Chad Mendes‘ spotless record. Featherweight title fight: Jose Aldo (c) vs. Chad Mendes Despite the pressure weighing firmly on the Brazilian’s shoulder, it is Mendes who faces the more daunting task, as a shaky fifth round against Mark Hominick aside, Aldo hasn’t looked vulnerable in years. The champion’s performance against Kenny Florian may have underwhelmed, but he still managed to win the bout in relatively straightforward fashion — despite Joe Rogan‘s best attempts to convince us otherwise on commentary — and did so without ever really needing to switch gears. However, it would be disingenuous to ignore that Aldo didn’t quite look like his usual dynamic self. Despite landing typically crisp and clean shots, and displaying some great hips to stay vertical, Aldo lacked the trademark explosiveness in his attacks. Moreover, he seemed to be throwing with less volume, and wasn’t quite as willing to move forward as he usually is. And while it remains too early to speculate whether this is a direct result of the shoulder injury sustained a year ago, his upcoming bout will be telling in that regard. Aldo is a master at gauging distance. Like his compatriot Anderson Silva, he likes to dissect his opponent before picking his primary method of attack accordingly. Having one of the most diverse striking arsenals in the sport allows Aldo to choose between a boxing-oriented approach (such as the Manny Gamburyan fight) , or one that is more reliant on his devastating leg kicks (see the Urijah Faber bout). Ever since capturing the title in breathtaking fashion against Mike Brown back in 2009, Aldo has developed into a more patient striker. In fact, that tile-winning performance was the last time Aldo completely blitzed his opponent from start to finish, as he overwhelmed Brown with a barrage of kicks, knees and some terrific combinations. From that point onwards, Aldo has implemented a more measured approach, highlighted by less volume, better boxing technique, and improved counter-punching. Such versatility makes Aldo an incredibly difficult opponent to prepare for, as there is very little indication as to the specifics of what he has in store. This sort of fighting maturity is unusual at Aldo’s age, but it is what makes him such a special talent. The main issue with Mendes is that despite technically solid striking, he shows very little confidence in his stand-up. When he actually throws with conviction, his punches are quite crisp. However, he very seldom does, and his lack of belief in his striking is quite evident. His outing against Michihiro Omigawa remains perhaps the only time where Mendes exhibited real improvement in his stand-up skills, only for his striking to look curiously regressed against Rani Yahya. His performance against the former saw Mendes show a remarkable ability to get on the inside and put clean combinations together. Specifically, his right cross looked extremely sharp, and he showed a surprising ability to sit on that particular punch and land with power. Getting on the inside will be vital against Aldo, especially if the Team Alpha Male fighter is able to show the kind of sharp boxing he did against Omigawa, as it would allow him to set up takedowns properly and potentially put the champion on his back, which ultimately remains his main goal. And yet, getting on the inside against Aldo is not only a difficult task, but a risky one as well. The champion is an expert at controlling distance, and as long as he throws his leg kicks liberally, Mendes will be far too worried about them to be able to step inside, counter, and switch levels. Furthermore, Aldo is simply devastating on the inside, be it with combinations, snapping knees to the body, or some solid clinch work. The uppercut in particular could be a game-changer, as Aldo sets it up beautifully by faking a left hook, and it serves as a great counter to a constantly level-changing opponent. Should Mendes succeed in avoiding Aldo’s laser-guided punches and go for the double leg, he is certainly capable of putting him on his back. It will be vital for Mendes to secure clean takedowns away from the cage in order to make Aldo’s life more difficult in his efforts to get back to his feet. However, Aldo’s hips and overall takedown defense will make Mendes earn his keep, as it is unlikely the challenger is going to be able to effortlessly and consistently put his opponent on the bottom. Should he succeed in doing so however, Mendes needs to show a dominating top game he has yet to display. “Money” does little in terms of guard-passing or significant ground-and-pound, and instead stays tight inside the guard, occasionally landing some short elbows. While this could actually limit scrambling opportunities for the champion, it increases the chances of referee-induced stand-ups, especially when a chorus of Brazilian boos is showering the cage simultaneously. In light of his last two showings, the main worry for Aldo will be his conditioning, as he has looked somewhat faded in the closing rounds against Florian and especially, Hominick. This in turn could mean that Mendes will have less trouble taking the champion down in the final ten minutes, which, if accompanied by a solid outing in at least one of the earlier rounds, could well win him the fight. Nevertheless, banking on Aldo’s cardio to ultimately cost him the fight is — while possible — a bit far-fetched. More likely, Aldo will control the distance and eventually polish his opponent off with superior striking. Mendes could well have his moments and get the fight to the ground, but those occasions will likely be very few, and would only delay the inevitable. Official Prediction: Jose Aldo to defeat Chad Mendes by TKO in Round 2 PHOTO CREDIT – UFC

Posted in: fight, champion, opponent, aldo, mende

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Promoted to the front page by Rainer Lee. High kicks are the Holy Grail of martial arts and landing them consistently secures superstar status for a kickboxer or mixed martial artist just as well as a knockout punch does in boxing. There is something uniquely impressive about watching a head kick master such as Mirko 'Cro Cop' Filipovic send an opponent's head snapping sideways and their body crumpling to the ring canvas. As frightening in its effects upon the recipient as it is an awe inspiring feat of flexibility and explosiveness meeting perfect timing; a perfect high kick in a major promotion will be viewed millions of times on Youtube and propel the kicker into title contention in at least the fans' minds. No man has done more for the publicity of the high roundhouse kick than Mirko Cro Cop; his head kick wins over Igor Vovchancyn, Wanderlei Silva and Aleksander Emelianenko fill highlight reels all over the internet. Cro Cop's head kick is interesting because, unlike the later entries on this list, he never off balances his opponent with a push to bring their hands down (the Peter Aerts method), he simply kicks them in the head from outfighting range. Cro Cop, a southpaw, lacked the slick combinations of other strikers and would have been a simple one trick pony if he had not developed two other techniques to prime form; his left straight punch and his left body kick. Through the use of his straight left punch - which was strong enough to fracture Bob Sapp, Josh Barnett and Kazushi Sakuraba's orbital bones (the latter two from his knees on the ground) - Cro Cop was able to make his opponents forget their strict right hand position - which every opponent held rigidly in defense of the side of their head at the start of their meeting with him. Through his left body kick Cro Cop was able to mop up against the disciplined opponents who kept their hand up at all costs.Watching this extremely short fight against world class striker and MMA fighter Igor Vovchancyn, it is clear how disconcerting just a couple of Cro Cop's left straights are. Igor comes out of his corner looking disciplined, with his right hand up high and away from his head to soften Mirko's kicks, but just a minute later he is bringing it in after being stung by Mirko's straight. Mirko doesn't even need the hand completely out of the way, as he is content to kick through the less sturdy guard Igor presents. After the jump, Mirko Cro Cop vs. Mark Hunt... In Japan's premier kickboxing promotion, K1, Mirko fights New Zealand's Mark Hunt. A former Grand Prix champion who got by on his huge punch and having arguably the best chin in combat sports history, Hunt was able to take the full force of Mirko's kick and get up, but Mirko's set up was picture perfect and the clip has made an appearance in dozens of highlight reels. Hunt's defense has improved somewhat when he meets Mirko and it gives the Croat trouble throughout the fight, but Hunt's attempts to utilize better head movement to evade punches backfire when Cro Cop catches him getting into a pattern. Notice at 5:43 as Cro Cop fakes to attack with the straight, Hunt goes to fire back but pulls short when he realizes that Cro Cop is in position to defend. Mirko immediately fakes again and Hunt leans to his right to slip the straight left. Mirko's left straight and left high kick require the same step with the lead foot outside of the opponent's lead foot, meaning that by conditioning an opponent to expect a straight punch when Cro Cop steps, he can instead throw a high kick without his opponent seeing the foot being placed in position as a telegraphing of the technique. In the most effective cases he can convince the opponent to duck into the kick, just as Hunt does.

Posted in: opponent, kick, mirko, cop, cro

Read the full article at Head Kick Legend

Name: Elvis Mutapcic Nickname: The King Age: 25 Height: 6'0" Location: Des Moines, Iowa This is a guest post by Rory MacLeod. Having grown up in Sarajevo, the capital city of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Elvis Mutapcic (9-2) is no stranger to adversity. Whether it was daily life in the midst of the Bosnian War of the early 1990s or emigrating to Des Moines, Iowa as a teenager before learning how to speak English, he has adapted and overcome the challenges life hurls at him. When he was approached to fight one of the most touted prospects in the middleweight division just weeks after Elvis' most disappointing career performance, it was just one more hurdle to clear. As the reigning Midwest Cage Championships middleweight champion, Mutapcic was hardly considered a pushover opponent. But coming off a loss, few favored him against Xtreme Couture's Cezar "Mutante" Ferreira when they agreed to fight in Las Vegas, Nevada, Cezar's adopted home. With a wide 6'1" frame and an all-star coaching team including Vitor Belfort and Ray Sefo, Ferreira could intimidate lesser opponents into retreat, but his aggressive forward movement played right into the strengths of Mutapcic. "The King" had Cezar all shook up with a right elbow cross counter early, then landed a short left hook during an exchange to turn the harbor lights off at the 25 second mark of round one. As you might expect from a European-born kickboxer, Elvis is six feet of twisted steel that kicks with zeal. He's well versed with his hands as he showed against Ferreira, but his brutal roundhouse kicks may be his most debilitating technique. Mutapcic has established a familiar pattern in his pro career by blasting his opponents' legs and midsections until they're crumpled against the fence, then finishing them with ground and pound. Conditioning isn't a problem for Elvis, but he has had trouble grappling with larger opponents, as seen in his decision loss to Jackson's MMA fighter Artenas Young (7-3) in June. Mutapcic can attack with submissions, but defensively he needs to become more dynamic off his back and in transitions. Elvis is working to improve his skills daily at New Beginnings MMA in Des Moines, training with a who's who of local talent including UFC stalwart Josh Neer and MCC welterweight champion Andy Branson. Balancing two-a-day training sessions with his full time dayjob has been a grind and after seeing the bright lights of Vegas, The King is eager for an opportunity on the world stage. With an upset knockout win over a blue chip prospect under his belt, Mutapcic is closer than ever to that goal. Check out video footage of Elvis Mutapcic after the jump... FlyweightBantamweightFeatherweightLightweight #1 - #2 - #3 -#4 -#5 - #6 - #7 - #8 - #9 - #10 - #1 - Rony Mariano#2 - Aljamain Sterling#3 - Chris Holdsworth#4 - Josh Hill#5 - Fabiano Fernandes#6 - Claudio Ledesma#7 - Sirwan Kakai#8 - Kyoji Horiguchi#9 - Leandro Hygo#10 - Pedro Munhoz #1 - Hacran Dias#2 - Joey Gambino#3 - Brandon Bender#4 - Lance Palmer #5 - Jim Alers#6 - Anthony Gutierrez#7 - Max Holloway#8 - John Teixeira#9 - Cody Bollinger#10 - Bubba Jenkins #1 - Fabricio Guerreiro#2 - Alessandro Ferreira#3 - Adriano Martins#4 - Justin Salas#5 - Neilson Gomes#6 - Eduard Folayang#7 - Zorobabel Moreira#8 - Anton Kuivanen#9 - Jordan Rinaldi#10 - J.P. Vainikainen WelterweightMiddleweightLight HeavyweightHeavyweight #1 - Andrey Koreshkov#2 - Dhiego Lima#3 - Brandon Thatch#4 - Nordine Taleb#5 - Hernani Perpetuo#6 - Brock Jardine#7 - Alan Jouban#8 - Mohsen Bahari#9 - Andre Santos#10 - Stephen Thompson #1 - #2 - #3 - #4 - #5 - #6 - #7 - Elvis Mutapcic#8 - Tor Troeng#9 - Jack Hermansson#10 - Tim Ruberg #1 - #2 - #3 - #4 - #5 - #6 - #7 - #8 - #9 - #10 - #1 - #2 - #3 - #4 - #5 - #6 - #7 - #8 - #9 - #10 - Elvis Mutapcic vs. Cezar Ferreira Highlight/TUF 13 Tryout video

Posted in: opponent, mutapcic, ferreira, elvi, cezar

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Robbie Lawler was expected to face a firm test from a rising prospect last night (January 7, 2012) in the co-main event of Strikeforce: Rockhold vs. Jardine, when wily Russian striker Adlan Amagov challenged his place in the middleweight division. Instead Lawler, who apparently had been battling medical issues in some of his recent fights, showcased exactly why he's considered one of the most dangerous and powerful middleweights on the planet. Amagov was known for his trademark flashy stand-up, but he was completely unable to score with any major significant blows in the stand-up portion of the fight. So what was the key factor which allowed Lawler to do his damage? And where do both men go from here? Lawler is a fighter who typically fights more aggressive when he has less respect for his opponents. He came out guns blazing against Amagov, pushing forward and throwing with very bad intentions. To Amagov's credit, he wisely ducked a reckless Lawler haymaker and put him on his back. Everything seemed to be going well for the Russian. He was controlling Lawler, they were scrambling on the ground, working back to the feet and canvas but then he screwed up big time. While Lawler was clearly grounded, Amagov threw a knee to the top of his head which not only gave "Ruthless" a free trip back to his feet, but a brief break as well. To make matters worse, he was deducted a point. Not content to rest on being up a point, Lawler took the initiative. Despite Amagov being the fighter known for his wild and crazy striking style, it was Lawler who ducked down, then exploded forwards with a huge flying knee. The knee grazed the top of Amagov's skull and in the scramble, Lawler quickly turned and proceeded to rain down huge left and right hands from behind. When the Russian's head dropped to the canvas, the referee put a halt to the action. For Adlan Amagov, he seemed to be doing fine until the illegal knee. His ground skills were neutralizing Lawler's offense but after he had a point taken away, it seemed he lost his direction. He seemed much more hesitant and indecisive when he was standing with Lawler and that allowed his opponent to gain confidence and go on the attack again. He's still a very talented fighter, but he should get another lower level opponent next to build up his self esteem. Perhaps someone like Antwain Britt, Benji Radach or Nate James would be an appropriate next opponent for him, it all depends where the Strikeforce execs feel he stands right now. For Robbie Lawler, this was the type of performance fans had been hoping to see out of him against Tim Kennedy. He's capable of incredible violence, but against fighters who can take him down, he takes considerably less risk. Hopefully he can try something equally crazy or entertaining against someone at the top of the division. The problem with Lawler is he's already fought both Jacare and Tim Kennedy and lost. The only other guy at the very top of the division is Luke Rockhold, but that likely won't happen until he scores at least another win. Perhaps someone like Lamumba Sayers or if Strikeforce can sign a top middleweight from somewhere else. There aren't many options for him at the moment. Perhaps this will all be sorted out in due time, but for now, Lawler is left grasping at straws. So what did you think, Maniacs? Were you impressed by Lawler's killer instinct? Do you think he can earn another Strikeforce title shot in 2012? Sound off! For complete Strikeforce "Rockhold vs. Jardine" results, including blow-by-blow, fight-by-fight coverage of the entire event as well as immediate post-fight reaction click here, here and here.

Posted in: fight, strikeforce, opponent, lawler, amagov

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Filed under: StrikeforceA few months ago, Luke Rockhold was given an opportunity to fight for the Strikeforce middleweight title, a decision that many saw as a head-scratcher. Rockhold seized his chance, out-working Ronaldo Souza to capture the belt despite his major underdog status. The placement of Keith Jardine as his first challenger is a similarly puzzling choice, and one that could lead to another surprising champion. Unlike Rockhold when he got his chance, Jardine comes into the bout as a known commodity, a respected veteran who had a long UFC stint that was marked by inconsistency best illustrated by back-to-back fights in 2007. The first came at UFC 71, when he was knocked out by then little known Houston Alexander in just 48 seconds. Just four months later, he rebounded to shock Chuck Liddell in a decision win. Jardine's ability to surprise persists. Last April, he signed on short notice to face vaunted fighter Gegard Mousasi, a winner of 17 of his last 18 fights, and gamely fought him to a draw. The prevailing sentiment regarding Strikeforce: Rockhold vs. Jardine is that the challenger can cause some matchup troubles for the champ due to his unique style, but Rockhold (8-1) brings with him some inherent issues to address. For one, he is very comfortable switching stances. Against Souza, for example, he fought most of the bout as a southpaw, but one fight prior to that, he dropped Paul Bradley twice with right hooks from an orthodox stance. He also knocked down Cory Devela with the same punch, leading to the finish. That type of unpredictability adds an extra element to preparation, and gives more dimension to an already diverse attack. Though six of his eight career wins have come by submission, Rockhold's striking game has progressed well in his days at American Kickboxing Academy. One of his best attributes is his ability to mix things up. Rockhold is equally adapt at punching and kicking, and often uses kicks as a lead striking maneuver instead of setting them up with his hands, a tactic that can make an opponent wary of wading forward. Against Souza, for example, he threw almost 90 kicks in the five-round bout. Rockhold has shown an ability and willingness to trade with any of his opponents, and his chin has proven to be solid. Jacare knocked him down once, and rattled him on at least two other occasions, and Rockhold showed very good recovery skills. On the ground, he may be at his best. The jiu-jitsu brown belt usually looks to take his opponent's back and look for the rear naked choke. Defensively, he performed superbly against the world-class grappler Souza, never finding himself in real trouble despite being taken down five times. Jardine, though, is a lot more interested in looking for ground strikes than a tapout. Like his standup, his ground attack is unorthodox, featuring looping right hands that come in the same motion as a pitcher throwing a fastball. It will be interesting to see how Jardine (17-9-2) approaches Rockhold. Will he want to take him to the mat or go at him standing up? In the past, that wouldn't have been a difficult question to answer. For the vast majority of his UFC run, Jardine rarely tried to take the fight to the mat. In his last four UFC bouts, for example, he tried only three takedown attempts total. But in his most recent fight against Mousasi, he did a complete 180, trying an astounding 13 takedowns (and completing six). That relative success largely helped him salvage a draw in a fight in which he was otherwise soundly outstruck. Like Rockhold, Jardine is generous with his kicks, but he tends to go low and attack the legs instead of head-hunting. His punching tends to come from unusual angles and combinations conclude with him falling away from his opponent. Statistically, neither fighter has a big edge. According to FightMetric, Rockhold historically lands strikes at a 38 percent rate, barely better than Jardine's 37 percent. Rockhold is marginally better defensively, avoiding 67 percent of his opponent's strikes, while Jardine avoids 61 percent. Much will depend on Jardine's approach. Rockhold really doesn't care to look for takedowns -- he's tried only one in his last four fights -- so it's probably up to Jardine to push the fight in a different place. If it stays standing, I'd give Rockhold the edge due to his ability to switch stances, keep a strong pace, and take a shot. Two other things to consider are Jardine's cut to middleweight and his conditioning. After a decade of fighting, this is his first time competing at 185 pounds, a move that may or may not agree with him. He had some stamina issues against Mousasi, and though that fight was on short notice, it was at his usual weight. The extra stress in the weight cut could negatively impact him, or perhaps his power will transfer better as a middleweight. Either is possible. Anyway, it's not like Rockhold is a small middleweight. He's 6-foot-3 and sturdy, so Jardine is not going to outsize him in any meaningful way. Overall, Rockhold is a faster and more dangerous fighter than Jardine at this point of his career. In his win over Souza, he showed he can handle himself against a veteran on the ground, and his standup should have him scoring more points as the fight goes along. Jardine's always had the upset formula in his bag of tricks, but this is a fight Rockhold should win, and I'm calling a five-round decision win in his first title defense. Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Posted in: fight, rockhold, opponent, jardine, souza

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LAS VEGAS - With veteran slugger Robbie Lawler struggling through a 2-4 stretch in his past six fights - a run largely contested against grappling-first opponents - you might think he'd welcome a bout with a fellow slugger as a sort of dream matchup. Not the case. While Lawler is complimentary of his "Strikeforce: Rockhold vs. Jardine" opponent, Adlan Amagov, he said it's not an ideal booking. No, the perfect opponent would actually be a lot more defenseless.

Posted in: opponent, lawler, limbless opponent, fellow slugger, strikeforces lawler

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Dustin Poirier once again needs an opponent for UFC 143.

Posted in: ufc, opponent, ricardo, poirier, ricardo lamas

Read the full article at MMA Weekly

Filed under: UFC, MMA Fighting ExclusiveHeaded into Friday night's UFC 141 main event, the question of just how good Alistair Overeem is remains one of MMA's heated topics. His supporters point out that he's won titles in Strikeforce, DREAM and K-1. His detractors suggest he's done most of that while facing non-elite competition. In some ways, both sides have valid points. Perhaps his performance against Brock Lesnar will provide answers about his place among the heavyweight elite, but until then, it's worth a look at his recent history. Overeem shifted divisions to heavyweight for good in 2007, and since then has lost only once. On the strength of an 11-fight unbeaten stretch, most heavyweight rankings have him listed between Nos. 2-4. What's obvious about that stretch is that he's been fairly dominant. Seven of his last 10 fights have lasted less than two minutes. But less obvious is that he has seemed to benefit from great timing. His bout with Lesnar will mark the seventh time his last 11 fights he'll be facing an opponent coming off a loss, an unusually high number for someone competing at a championship level. In Lesnar's case, he's not just looking to rebound from a defeat, but from an illness and surgery that cost him more than a year of his athletic career. It's not the first time Overeem has faced down an opponent walking in with little momentum. In fact, of his last 11 opponents including Lesnar, the only one who could boast of any real momentum heading into their bout was Fabricio Werdum, who had won four of his last five and had just become the first man to defeat Fedor Emelianenko in nearly a decade. That victory propelled Werdum to the No. 3 spot on the FightMatrix.com rankings at the time, the highest ranking opponent Overeem has faced during his current stretch until Lesnar. During his last 10 fights, Overeem has faced three fighters who were ranked in the top 10 at the time, as ranked by FightMatrix's computer formula. Aside from beating Werdum in a somewhat lackluster decision, he steamrolled No. 8 Brett Rogers in May 2010 and fought to a no contest with No. 8 Mirko Filipovic in September 2008. The rest of the 10 bouts were mostly a mix of mediocrity, veterans on the way out, and unestablished prospects. Five of the 10 fighters Overeem's faced during his streak are no longer active in MMA. Three opponents -- James Thompson, Gary Goodridge and Lee Tae-Hyun -- did not even crack the top 150 at the time they fought Overeem. Thompson walked into his bout with four straight losses, Goodridge -- then 42 years old -- had lost three in a row, and Tae-Hyun, who was only in his third pro fight, lost in 36 seconds and never fought again. Tony Sylvester was ranked No. 131 when Overeem fought him. Not surprisingly, he lasted all of 83 seconds. Kaz Fujita was 39 years old and No. 102. Overeem finished him off even quicker, in 75 seconds. Mark Hunt was a fairly credible opponent. He came in 5-3 but was unranked because he hadn't fought MMA in over 18 months. Still, he tapped to a keylock in 71 seconds. Lesnar currently sits at No. 3 on the FightMatrix rankings, one spot ahead of Overeem (by comparison, MMA Fighting rankings have the two flip-flopped). Whichever you accept, it still marks his second straight time battling a top five foe. At the time of publication, Overeem was considered a slight favorite in the matchup. Even with a win over Lesnar, Overeem likely won't silence all the questions observers have raised about him. His recent record is too dotted with non-elite opponents, and some will wonder if Lesnar truly competed at full strength. Despite the skeptics who dismiss his resume because of that, there is no question Overeem has dominated the opposition he's faced and has shown elite ability in several dimensions. With most of MMA's top heavyweights under the UFC banner -- or soon to be there, given the recent Strikeforce announcement that they're discontinuing the division and sending their talent to the octagon -- Overeem has a chance to erase every last criticism of his in-cage ability. Here's a closer look at his last 10 bouts and the competition he's faced to vault up the rankings. Opponent: Fabricio Werdum Previous five fights: 4-1 Prior fight: Win Notable: First bout since beating Fedor Emelianenko FightMatrix.com ranking at time of fight: No. 3 Overeem's ranking at time of fight: No. 8 Age at time of fight: 33 Result: Decision win Current career record: 14-5-1 Opponent: Todd Duffee Previous five: 4-1 Prior fight: Loss Notable: Accepted fight on 2 week's notice FightMatrix ranking: No. 58 Overeem's ranking: No. 8 Age: 25 Result: 19-second KO Current career record: 6-2 Opponent: Brett Rogers Previous five: 4-1 Prior fight: Loss Notable: First fight since being KO'd by Fedor FightMatrix ranking: No. 8 Overeem's ranking: No. 12 Age: 29 Result: TKO, 3:40 of Rd. 1 Current career record: 11-4 Opponent: Kaz Fujita Previous five: 2-3 Prior fight: Loss Notable: Two straight defeats FightMatrix ranking: No. 102 Overeem's ranking: No. 12 Age: 39 Result: 75-second KO Current career record: 15-9 (retired) Opponent: James Thompson Previous five: 1-4 Prior fight: Loss Notable: Four straight losses FightMatrix ranking: Unranked Overeem's ranking: No. 13 Age: 31 Result: 33-second submission Current career record: 16-14, 1 no contest Opponent: Tony Sylvester Previous five: 4-1 Prior fight: Win Notable: Sylvester's only career fight vs. a top 20 opponent FightMatrix ranking: No. 131 Overeem's ranking: No. 13 Age: 31 Result: 83-second submission Current career record: 11-3 (retired) Opponent: Gary Goodridge Previous five: 2-3 Prior fight: Loss Notable: Three straight losses FightMatrix ranking: Unranked Overeem's ranking: No. 12 Age: 42 Result: Submission, 1:42 of Rd. 1 Current career record: 23-22-1 (retired) Opponent: Mirko Cro Cop Previous five: 3-2 Prior fight: Win Notable: Cro Cop had lost two of his last three prior FightMatrix ranking: No. 8 Overeem's ranking: No. 11 Age: 34 Result: No contest Current career record: 27-10-2, 1 no contest (retired) Opponent: Mark Hunt Previous five: 3-2 Prior fight: Loss Notable: Overeem took the fight on short notice FightMatrix ranking: Unranked Overeem's ranking: No. 13 Age: 34 Result: 71-second submission Current career record: 7-7 Opponent: Lee Tae-Hyun Previous five: N/A (third pro fight) Prior fight: Win Notable: Only 1-1 before Overeem fight FightMatrix ranking: Unranked Overeem's ranking: No. 13 Age: 33 Result: 36-second KO Current career record: 1-2 (retired) TOTALS Opponents in previous five: 28-19 (.596 win percentage) Average age: 33.1 Combined career record: 131-78-4 (.630 win percentage) Top 10 opponents Overeem faced: 3 Unranked opponents Overeem faced: 4 Average Time of Fight: 3:03 Overeem's record: 9-0, 1 NC  Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Posted in: fight, overeem, opponent, career, record

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In the first half of 2007, a decision was made across the Atlantic Ocean that would end up affecting heavyweights across the globe. Having spent his entire career -- minus a four-fight stint -- at light heavyweight, Alistair Overeem decided to stop cutting weight and start adding it on. After dropping three consecutive bouts to Antonio Rogerio Nogueira, Ricardo Arona and Mauricio Rua, the man who would soon become known as "Ubereem" made the full-time move to heavyweight and a monstrous legend was born. He's fought 13 times since then, losing only once. His reputation became such that he supplanted Fedor Emelianenko as the one heavyweight Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) needed to get its hand on as soon as possible. And the mixed martial arts (MMA) promotions did so in early September, removing "The Reem" from Strikeforce's grand prix and inserting him into this Friday's (Dec. 30, 2011) main event at UFC 141. Brock Lesnar will stand opposite the Dutchman that evening and should he defeat his first opponent inside the Octagon -- a tall order for any heavyweight -- it'll mark the first time he has defeated a legitimate top-ranked fighters in successive order (Fabricio Werdum being the other), a major talking point for his detractors who find his own ranking to be overstated and unearned. Undoubtedly, a win over Lesnar would bring his heavyweight career full circle. From light heavyweight washout to title contender, Overeem has been a little bit of everything to everyone since June 2007: Overhyped, undervalued, untested, dominant. Before he makes his Octagon debut, let's take a look at the fight where Overeem cast off his 205-pound shackles and committed to becoming the manbeast who walks among us today. Let's dive in: The fight -- against Michael Knaap -- actually took place on a K-1 event under its MMA banner at the time, Hero's. One of only a few MMA bouts on an event mostly filled with kickboxing bouts, Overeem was at least able to perform in front of a hometown crowd. His opponent was no one of note -- a regional level fighter in Amsterdam who lost as many as he won. Knaap was someone a fighter the caliber of a Pride Fighting Championships veteran should have been able to finish off quickly and easily. And that's exactly what he did. A closer look, if you will. Oveeem wasted no time putting his legs to use, whipping them around and connecting with Knaap's head, ribcage and legs. Knaap tried to create distance between himself and his fellow Dutch opponent with a front push kick, but Overeem was able to counter perfectly and slam a straight right into Knaap's jaw. Staggered, Knaap bounced off the ropes while "The Reem" pressed in. He immediately dived in with a flying knee before clinching up his wounded opponent and delivering rapid fire knees to the body in an effort to destroy whatever stamina Knaap may have had remaining in his depleted tank. Seconds later, Overeem was able to drop his opponent to the mat, landing in sidemount. Forced backward into half-guard, "Ubereem" began to work for a kimura, attempting to wrench Knaap's arm backward. His opponent defended well, however, and Overeem was unable to secure the submission. Knaap was unable, though, to keep his opponent from advancing back into sidemount, a decidedly more advantageous offensive position for someone with the ground and pound acumen Overeem possesses. In a sight that would become very familiar to anyone who has seen "The Reem" in action, the K-1 World Grand Prix champion bullied his opponent albeit on the mat rather than in the stand-up as has been his usual gameplan as of late. Using his size and strength advantage, Overeem was able to control his countryman on the ground all the while inflicting damage. In an attempt to escape the punishment being dished out through Overeem's fists, Knaap turned onto his side and then completely onto his stomach, freely giving his opponent his back. Already having five victories via guillotine choke to his name -- including tap outs from Vitor Belfort and Igor Vovchanchyn, among others -- "The Reem" is no stranger to this position and knew exactly how to end the fight. That end came only seconds later after his massive arm has been wrapped around Knaap's neck for a few seconds, cutting the air supply from his throat and threatening to crush his trachea. With three simple taps of a hand, a heavyweight beast was born. Does "Ubereem" have what it takes to make it in the big leagues or is "The Reem" in over his head? We will find out soon enough.

Posted in: overeem, heavyweight, opponent, reem, knaap

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Roger Huerta is a tough opponent on any night.

Posted in: night, opponent, huerta, roger, machine

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Photo by Keith Mills, Sherdog Name: Anthony Gutierrez Nickname: Sharkbait Age: 21 Height: 5'11" Location: Lee's Summit, Missouri Missouri is one of the Midwest's highest yielding areas for quality mixed martial arts talent. The University of Missouri is the primary reason, housing a nationally recognized wrestling program that has produced successes such as Tyron Woodley, Michael Chandler, and Ben Askren. There are, however, more fighters emerging from the unknown, mainly due to the quality training facilities that exist in the region. One of those talents is K2L Grindhouse team member Anthony Gutierrez (4-0). The 21-year-old submission specialist, who's been featured under the Titan Fighting Championships' banner, has been impressive in his short four-fight professional career, submitting all of his opponents inside the first round. Before making his debut with Titan Fighting Championships in January, he amassed nearly twenty fights as an amateur, recording a 16-3 record with nine wins coming by way of submission. Standing at 5'11", Gutierrez uses his lengthy frame to his advantage on the feet, effectively attacking from range with leg kicks and straight punches. His gameplans usually revolve around using those strengths, but opponents find a way inside his reach, resulting in Gutierrez fighting off his back. Unfortunately for his opposition, Gutierrez is highly-effective on the ground, as evident in his success in submitting opponents. It's only going to get worse for his adversaries. In the lead-up to his bout with Shane Hutchinson at Titan Fighting Championships 20 in September, Gutierrez began an extended training camp out in Sacramento, California with Team Alpha Male, a camp famous for housing UFC veterans Urijah Faber, Chad Mendes, and Joseph Benavidez. As one can imagine, the improvements Gutierrez could see in his wrestling game benefit him two-fold, both in his takedown defense and abilities to get fights to the ground. Gutierrez's poor strength of record and short professional career leaves much to be desired, but the skills he's shown in the cage along with the drive to improve his overall game by heading to Team Alpha Male is a good sign of things to come. At only 21, Gutierrez has plenty of time to develop into a well-balanced fighter. Check out more video footage of Anthony Gutierrez after the jump... FlyweightBantamweightFeatherweightLightweight #1 - #2 - #3 -#4 -#5 - #6 - #7 - #8 - #9 - #10 - #1 - Rony Mariano#2 - Aljamain Sterling#3 - Chris Holdsworth#4 - Josh Hill#5 - Fabiano Fernandes#6 - Claudio Ledesma#7 - Sirwan Kakai#8 - Kyoji Horiguchi#9 - Leandro Hygo#10 - Pedro Munhoz #1 - #2 - #3 - #4 - #5 - #6 - Anthony Gutierrez#7 - Max Holloway#8 - John Teixeira#9 - Cody Bollinger#10 - Bubba Jenkins #1 - #2 - #3 - #4 - #5 - #6 - #7 - #8 - #9 - #10 - WelterweightMiddleweightLight HeavyweightHeavyweight #1 - #2 - #3 -#4 -#5 - #6 - #7 - #8 - #9 - #10 - #1 - #2 - #3 - #4 - #5 - #6 - #7 - #8 - #9 - #10 - #1 - #2 - #3 - #4 - #5 - #6 - #7 - #8 - #9 - #10 - #1 - #2 - #3 - #4 - #5 - #6 - #7 - #8 - #9 - #10 - Anthony Gutierrez vs. Shane Hutchinson Anthony Gutierrez vs. Jacob Aiken - TFC 16Anthony Gutierrez vs. Shane Denton Anthony Gutierrez vs Jon Hollis Anthony Gutierrez vs. Drew Springfield Anthony Guiterrez vs. Keith Koehn Anthony Gutierrez - 7th career bout

Posted in: vs, opponent, career, anthony, gutierrez

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When you think of fighters who have earned almost as much money in bonuses as fight purses, names like Anderson Silva and Chris Lytle come to mind. But neither of those fighters -- nor heavy-handed brutes like Chris Leben, Cain Velasquez or Quinton Jackson -- have achieved what Anthony Njokuani can claim to have done. Over the course of eight months in 2009, "The Assassin" racked up three straight "Knockout of the Night" bonuses during his run in World Extreme Cagefighting (WEC), a feat that no other Zuffa fighter can match. Some have two straight and some even have scored three spread out over several fights, but Njokuani's performances remain unique. Originally slated to compete at UFC 138, an injury to Paul Taylor left the Nigerian kickboxer without a fight. Shifting over a few months, "The Assassin" found a home on the New Year's Eve card. With his original opponent Ramsey Nijem injured, Njokuani is now set to face Danny Castillo at UFC 141: Lesnar vs. Overeem. Before he steps inside the Octagon for the third time, let's take a look at the three knockouts that put him in the record books. Let's go! Looking to rebound from a loss to Ben Henderson in his WEC debut, Njokuani stepped inside the blue cage opposite Bart Palaszewski at WEC 40. The first half of the opening round went by without much fanfare -- both fighters felt the other out and attempted to find their range. Aside from a takedown attempt early on from the Polish fighter, there wasn't a whole lot of action to be had. That is until the Nigerian fighter connected with a solid right to Palaszewski's jaw that dropped "Bartimus." Njokuani swarmed in for the kill but was unable to secure the win. Allowing his opponent to get to his feet, "The Assassin" began to chip away at his opponent little by little throughout the rest of the round. A takedown with half a minute remaining was too little, too late for the Polish fighter and he assuredly went into the second round knowing he was down on the judges' scorecards. "The Assassin" didn't allow Palaszewski to dwell too long on that fact, however. Seemingly have figured out his opponent's stand-up strategy, Njokuani connected with a beautifully time and executed three-strike combination -- right hook, left body kick, right jab -- that staggered, rocked, and finally dropped "Batimus" to the mat. Hunched over against the cage, his only defense was to cover up while Njokuani unleashed a fury of ground and pound. Seconds later, the Nigerian had picked up his first WEC win. Four months later, Njokuani returned to his adopted homestate of Texas to take on Muhsin Corbbrey. In a first round that was strikingly similar to the one in his previous fight, "The Assassin" took his time to open up and engage with his opponent. When he finally did, he did so with ferociousness. He dropped Corbbrey but unlike when he did so against "Bartimus," Njokuanki's WEC 43 opponent was felled by knees. Once again the Nigerian was unable to finish his opponent off on the mat so he allowed him back to a vertical base. Going into the second round, Corrbrey amped up his aggression but it proved to be his undoing. Despite early success, he was caught by a head kick that didn't connect flush but had enough impact to daze him momentarily. As small a window as that was, Njokuani seized it and threw a straight that crumpled his opponent to the mat. A repeat performance of the same ground and pound that ended Palaszewski's night earned Njokuani his second straight Knockout of the Night bonus. "The Assassin's" next performance came only two months later at WEC 45 where the Nigerian fighter capped off what had been the best year of his then-six year career. Booked against former International Fight League (IFL) standout Chris Horodecki, Njokuani became the only Zuffa fighter to earn three consecutive bonuses for having the best knockout of the night. The size difference between the two difference was immediately noticeable and just to add emphasis on it, Njokuani threw a quick jab that snapped Horodecki's head back. The IFL veteran attempted the same but his smaller frame didn't allow him to get inside as easily. Instead, he opted to grapple with the kickboxer and muscled him against the cage for a minute or so trying to get the fight to the mat. They eventually broke off the fence and reset in the center of the cage, exchanging for a bit before Horodecki once again shot in for a takedown. This time, however, it was reversed and Njokuani nailed a beautiful hip toss before smoothly transitioning to full mount for a brief moment. The Polish fighter was able to kick his opponent off and got to his feet. It was at this moment Njokuani told me he thought, "Where does he think he going?" Horodecki, after getting to his feet, began to literally jog away from his opponent who took the opportunity to launch a jumping head kick that ended up smacking "The Polish Hammer" across the jaw. A little bit of ground and pound later and "The Assassin" was in the record books. His career since then has had its ups and downs. After losing two of his final three fights in the WEC, Njokuani made an immediate splash inside the Octagon at UFC 128 when he and Edson Barboza battled it out in a three-round war which put an extra $70,000 in his pocket. Coming up short that night, "The Assassin" got back into the win column with a dominant win over Andre Winner four months later. Can he make it two in a row -- and possibly add another highlight reel knockout to his resume -- this upcoming Friday?

Posted in: fighter, opponent, wec, njokuani, assassin

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In each and every sport there is a discussion between the effectiveness of a stampeding offense versus an impenetrable defense. The old cliché is "unstoppable force meets the immovable object." In just over a week, on Dec. 30, 2011, the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) will host a larger than life main event for UFC 141 when massive heavyweights Brock Lesnar and Alistair Overeem collide in what will be one of the most anticipated match-ups of the year. Lesnar will bring with him his NCAA Division I wrestling background. With the explosion behind his 265-pound frame it is hard to stop a man of that size with just agility and technique. Lesnar has always been attributed to having freakish athleticism and deceptive speed and versatility. With a record of 5-2, Lesnar has consistently fought top fighters but it still relatively young in the sport. His opponent, Alistair Overeem, will be making his Octagon debut under the UFC banner. At 35-11, "The Reem" is no stranger to competition as he has fought from the light heavyweight division all the way to heavyweight since he started his career as a nineteen year old in 1999. With a primarily kickboxing style, this fight has so many possibilities. For more on the breakdown follow me into the extended entry. 500+ pounds of professional fighter will occupy the Octagon in the main event of UFC 141. Not only is it one of the largest match-ups in terms of weight, but it may be one of the most important heavyweight bouts this year. Aside from the monumental title fight between now-champion Junior Dos Santos and the former, Cain Velasquez, this fight will be the most relevant to the division and sport. Overeem is one of the biggest acquisitions for the UFC in recent years. In a year that saw the signing of Jake Shields and Nick Diaz, the potential that comes with Overeem could make him their most pivotal signing. "Demolition Man" is a K-1 World Champion and has shown that he has the elite kickboxing skills to fight with success against the likes of Badr Hari, Peter Aerts, Remy Bonjasky and Tyrone Sprong. His clinch work has been amazing and his knees have been devastating. 12 of Overeem's victories have come from way of KO or TKO and especially in recent fights, he has shown how dangerous and powerful his striking is. But let's not forget that Overeem is also a very accomplished grappler. With a perfect 3-0 record for the ADCC tournament in which Overeem swept the field in 2005's European trials, he has long ago showed he was very versatile. Overeem has submitted 17 of his opponents in mixed martial arts. His "go-to" maneuver has long been a guillotine choke. He finished all three ADCC trial matches with the choke as well as eight total victories in MMA coming via the submission. The choke itself goes hand in hand when fighting a wrestler. In my breakdown of the Guillotine Choke, I detailed that sentiment: The guillotine choke has long been a death sentence for wrestlers that would shoot in on a submission specialist. It is one of the most common chokes since it's possible to grab the choke from about any position you find yourself in during a mixed martial arts fight. The guillotine is a choke favorable against wrestlers because it punishes your opponent if they shoot in for a takedown with their head down. While there are other ways to complete the choke, this is often the most common. The most basic way to describe the choke is when you reach around your opponent's neck when it is in range, grasp the choking side hand with the free hand and lift up. You can complete the choke from a number of positions including the mount, full guard, the sprawl position and even standing up. The choke itself can actually be either a blood choke or an air choke depending on how you are placed onto your opponent's neck. If your forearm pressure is putting force into the wind pipes it will be an air choke and if it is placed more on the arteries you have a blood choke. Regardless, the guillotine will usually force your opponent quickly into unconsciousness if s/he doesn't tap. Opposing the well rounded Overeem will be the wrestling based Brock Lesnar. With Lesnar being still so young to the sport it is almost inevitable to imagine that he will once again fall back to his roots and attempt to put Overeem on his back where Lesnar can attempt to get great position and unleash some ground and pound. Lesnar has been able to land 12 of 17 takedown attempts. In each of his seven professional fights he has been able to get his opponent to the ground. With an accomplished striker like Overeem staring at him from across the cage, it is a safe bet to assume Lesnar has not polished his striking game enough to abandon his bread and butter. But what happens when Lesnar shoots in for that inevitable takedown? Overeem will be able to counter Lesnar's takedowns with a sprawl and brawl mentality. Looking to keep the fight standing with a strong sprawl will do a lot for how the fight ends up in its conclusion. A sprawl in technical terms is when the fighter scoots his legs backwards and comes down heavy on the upper back and neck of the fighter shooting in for a takedown. Most often, the "sprawler" arches his back as much as possible and attempts to keep the leverage by staying on his toes. So many options come from this position that range from submissions to landing strikes to even grabbing the opponents ankle in attempt to transition to the back mount. In this scenario I believe Overeem will be looking for a choke. In a breakdown from the UFC on Versus 5, two fighters were able to secure guillotine choke victories from the sprawl position. The two victories came when the winning fighters were able to utilize a sprawl to latch under for a choke. Overeem will have a very big factor to use towards his advantage. While Lesnar is a very strong, freak athlete, when being sprawled he will lose leverage. Overeem added with the leverage is already a considerably strong fighter. His tossing of Brett Rogers and back-to-back standing guillotine choke victories visibly displays that to be true. Overeem, a 250-pound athlete, will be on top of the neck of Lesnar with a knack for finishing guillotine chokes -- and with very powerful upper body strength, the guillotine choke comes a bit more easy. As Urijah Faber displayed in his guillotine choke performances throughout his career, having the ability to torque on this submission with tremendous power makes the hold instantaneously dangerous. While Lesnar has evolved in the grappling game since his debut in the UFC, Overeem's striking may actually play a factor in a possible submission as well. We have seen Lesnar react poorly in the past to big strikes sustained on the feet and with Overeem's striking acumen it wouldn't be a shock to see punches or knees badly hurt Lesnar. While rocked, it is common for the rattled fighter to lazily shoot in for a takedown or drop to the ground with the neck exposed. The best example of this would be the Frank Mir choke on a hurt Cheick Kongo. If Overeem is able to stifle the wrestling of Lesnar and land significant damage, then Overeem will have the ability to "leave no room" for Lesnar to escape. Jiu-Jitsu is always an equalizer in this sport, regardless of the size of an opponent. What do you think Maniacs? When the evitable takedown comes from Lesnar, will a guillotine choke be a game changer?

Posted in: fight, overeem, opponent, lesnar, guillotine

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If success in mixed martial arts (MMA) was measured by the frequency and sternness of scowls, Nate Diaz would be the world's greatest fighter only behind his older brother Nick. Thankfully, in addition to being able to mean mug with the best of them, The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) 5 winner is also one hell of a fighter. He steps inside the Octagon with the same ferocity that his brother does and has earned a legion of fans because of it. He has a solid albeit unspectacular UFC record of 9-5 but two of those losses came at welterweight against men -- Dong Hyun Kim and Rory MacDonald -- whose only losses came at the hands of Carlos Condit who happens to be facing off against Nick Diaz in the main event of UFC 143. What a tangle web we weave, indeed. Fans who cheer Nate Diaz do so not only because of how he wins -- impressively and decisively -- but also how he comes up short. When he loses, he does so to some of the best and only by decision. He fought Clay Guida and Gray Maynard tooth and nail for 15 minutes and nearly pulled off the victory each time, losing to both men by split decision. He, like his brother, comes to fight. He doesn't step inside the cage for a sporting contest, he enters the Octagon much like he would a bar and fights his UFC opponents like he would a drunken patron during a brawl. His next opponent is Donald Cerrone at UFC 141: "Lesnar vs. Overeem", a fight with the potential to be a last minute Fight of the Year candidate. It's also Diaz's second fight at lightweight since returning to the division in September. At UFC 135, he dropped back down to 155 pounds and took on Diaz family foe Takanori Gomi. Let's dive right in. The two meet in the center and begin pawing their jab out in an attempt to gauge the distance and find their range. Diaz snaps forward a quick jab that grazes Gomi who already is having trouble with the reach advantage his opponent has. Gomi has dealt with this before and more often than not, his opponent lay unconscious on the mat following an exchange. A perfectly placed jab connects with Gomi's jaw as the former Pride Fighting Championships champion attempts a wild hook, dropping the Japanese fighter momentarily. He bounces right back up but has to deal with Diaz's newfound aggression. Back against the cage, Gomi is pressured relentlessly by Diaz. The Stockton fighter eats a solid punch to the body but it doesn't even seem to phase him. He continues the assault without pause, peppering Gomi with punch after punch. Another body shot lands for Gomi but it seems to be the only offense he's able to mount. Midway through the round, Diaz has already started taunting the Japanese fighter like only a Diaz knows how. Hands down by his wait, chin sticking out, mouth spouting out who knows what. It's a scene that polarizes the MMA fanbase. With a little over two minutes remaining, Diaz begins to connect with combinations rather than the single strikes he was serving up before. As the crowd begins to sound off, the TUF 5 winner throws a three-punch combo that drops Gomi before the third strike is even thrown. The Japanese fighter is able to get back up but the barrage continues and Gomi is forced to revert to the early days of his career, dropping down for a takedown. Being the owner of a Cesar Gracie jiu-jitsu brown belt and having won six of his eight fights inside the Octagon by submission, Diaz is more than happy to oblige his opponent. Seconds into the groundwork, the American takes Gomi's back and hooks his legs in. He's in there for the long haul. Realizing the danger he's in, the former champ gets back to his feet forcing Diaz to do the same. There, the momentary lapse in the stand-up affair is corrected and Diaz goes immediately back to punishing his opponent with impressive boxing skills. Gomi is then able to shove Diaz down onto the mat and drops down into the American's guard. For a brief moment, it appears as if fans might see some ground and pound from "The Fireball Kid." That thought is dashed when Diaz throws his legs up and cinches up a triangle choke before transitioning into an armbar. It was a fight that many thought Diaz would lose. Gomi gave Nick Diaz all he could handle and most agreed that the elder Diaz was the better of the two brothers. But Nate proved those people wrong by not only beating Gomi but by doing it in a much more dominant fashion than his brother did. While Nick is challenging for welterweight gold, a win for Nate next Saturday would definitely steer him in the right direction in his quest to earn his own division's title. But first he has a "Cowboy" to deal with.

Posted in: fight, diaz, fighter, opponent, gomi

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While in attendance at the Strikeforce: Melendez vs. Masvidal post-fight press conference, Women's 145-pound Champion Cris "Cyborg" Santos reflects on her 16-second KO victory over Hiroko Yamanaka and discusses what may lie ahead in her fighting future. Also present was the promotion's CEO, Scott Coker, who assures that match-maker Sean Shelby is "scouring the Earth" to find credible opponents for the "female Mike Tyson."

Posted in: opponent, mike, hiroko yamanaka, earth, ko victory

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Top Lightweight contender Jorge Masvidal, who will challenge Strikeforce champ Gilbert Melendez on Saturday, discusses his opponent, as well as his training and preparation for the bout. Masvidal says, other than his cardio, Melendez isn't "great" at any one area, and insists that the Cesar Gracie fight is "not at all" the most dangerous opponent he's faced in his career.

Posted in: opponent, masvidal, melendez, bout masvidal, opponent hes

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Gina Carano was the face of women's mixed martial arts (MMA). That is until Cristiane Santos smashed it in. "Crush" was riding high on a seven fight win streak including a bout for the Strikeforce and four under the EliteXC banner. Two of those fights for the defunct promotion were aired on CBS and seen by millions of people. Quite literally, Carano was the most recognizable women's fighter on the planet. After one round with "Cyborg," she wasn't all that recognizable ... at least for a week or two until her bruises healed up and the swelling went down. The Dallas, Texas native hasn't stepped inside the cage since -- it seems the fight was literally beaten out of her -- but Santos managed to defend her title twice more in equally brutal fashion. A bad batch of contract negotiations have kept the champ out of the cage since the middle of last year but with a new deal in hand, she is set to return this weekend (Dec. 17). At Strikeforce: "Melendez vs. Masvidal," the Brazilian will make what will likely be the last 145-pound title defense as she will be dropping 10 pounds because Strikeforce looks to shut the doors on her talent shallow weight class. Her opponent will be Hiroko Yamanaka, a veteran of the Japanese Jewels and Smackgirl promotions. Will she be up to the challenge in her stateside debut? If "Cyborg" unleashes anything like she did in her bout with Carano, it will be a long night for "Incomplete Queen." Let's take a closer look at the one round mugging. Immediately the Brazilian walks her opponent down, backing Carano against the cage and unloading with a quick two-punch combination. A leg kick smashes across the American's shin as her opponents opens up with yet another striking combination that keeps "Crush" on the defensive. Carano clinches up to avoid more damage before "Cyborg" botches a throw attempt and ends up on her own back with Carano unleashing some ground and pound from above. The Brazilian threatens with a heel hook submission but "Crush" is able to wiggle from from her grasp. During the ensuing scramble, Santos is able to latch onto Carano's back and works towards another submission attempt, this one a rear naked choke before quickly giving it up and deciding to brutalize her opponent with punches instead. We're only a half minute in at this point and just about every member of the audience is going completely out of their mind. Carano tries to get back to her feet but she's immediately dragged down to the mat by the stronger Santos. More ground and pound from the Brazilian follows until "Crush" finally gets herself vertical. She eats a combination of punches for her trouble as she is once again backed up against the fence. The two enter into an exchange but eventually the American must cover up for protection. Another clinch and another awful throw attempt from Santos leads to Carano actually getting full mount. Her opponent wiggling underneath her, the former American Gladiator opts to back up and deliver her strikes from a standing position. Unfortunately for her, it also gives Santos the opportunity to get back to her feet. Carano immediately rushes "Cyborg" as she does and grinds her up against the cage. They shove off of each other and a more polished stand up battle begins. The American actually scores well a couple of times, sticking a stiff jab right into Santos' face on more than one occasion. But a body kick attempt falls short for Carano. It's caught by the Brazilian and used to back her up against the cage, where "Cyborg" begins to dig in with short punches. Santos delivers a brutal knee to Carano's ribcage that temporarily drops the woman and it ends up being the snowball that turns into an avalanche. After getting some distance between them, Carano gasps for air as nearly all the energy has been sapped from her body. The fight tempo slows which actually benefits Santos who can now pick her strikes more carefully. The Brazilian continues to bully her opponent around the cage before ending up on top of her with less than a minute remaining in the opening round. "Crush" rolls out of a keylock submission attempt but can't stop the hammer-like punches -- almost too many to count -- that land without retribution. Perched on top of her opponent, "Cyborg" rains down blow after blow until the referee jumps in to stop the fight. The horn indicating the end of the round sounds almost simultaneously but any outrage over the stoppage comes from only the staunchest Carano supporters. Santos beat her pillar to pillar and there was no two ways around it. She proved that women's MMA doesn't need a face, it simply needs good fights. Santos hopes to replicate that performance en route to her new home at 135-pounds. Should she be able to make the cut, her addition to the weight class -- along with Ronda Rousey -- makes for some interesting match-ups for any promotion that chooses to host them. Will it be Strikeforce or the UFC?

Posted in: fight, cage, opponent, carano, cyborg

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Full disclosure: I've never had to cut weight. That being said, from what I've read and heard, it's probably the worst part of being a professional fighter. It's taxing on not only the body but the mind, seemingly draining as much resolve and will as it does water and just about every fighter hates doing it. It's so bad that some of them -- including greats like Mauricio Rua -- fight at a weight class above what would be considered ideal to avoid elongating the process. But it's a part of the job and it comes with the territory of being a fighter which is why the leniency shown to those who miss weight is baffling to me. Fighters sign a contract -- a legally binding document -- to face an opponent at an agreed upon weight and when one of them breaks that stipulation, a 20% reduction in their purse is the only punishment they receive while the grueling task of shedding those last two or three pounds is left for that other sucker who managed to successfully complete every facet of his job. Their opponent has the option of turning down the bout but one of the only times that idea was even entertained -- when Cristiane Santos came in overweight for her bout with Hitomi Akano -- Strikeforce threw enough money at the Japanese fighter to make the problem go away. Unfortunately, it's not a good look for a fighter to turn down a bout at the last minute and they're put in the awkward position of having to accept a fight against someone who now has an unfair advantage. What it boils down to is fighters who miss weight aren't fulfilling their contractual obligations. The punishments must be harsher. Forget taking just a percentage of their pay. Fight promotions should take the whole thing. And while you're at it, a giant "L" on their record would suffice too. And here's why. Dennis Hallman walked into the Octagon last night after coming in two and a half pounds over the 156 pound limit and steamrolled his opponent. When something like this happens, I can't help but wonder what led to the outcome. Was it because he was the better fighter? Did he have the perfect strategy melded with the right tools and skills to defeat John Makdessi? Or was the overweight fighter fresher because he didn't have to subject his body to the rigors of actually cutting down to the proper weight? Those last few pounds are supposed to be the hardest and some fighters might prefer to take the pay cut over subjecting their bodies to future punishment. Despite "Superman's" post-fight comments that the fight was a wash, I can't help but think that he didn't even bother to attempt a second weigh-in. I wholeheartedly believe that fighters who come in overweight should not only have their entire purse docked but the fight shouldn't even take place. They should take the loss on their record at the scale while their opponent walks away with the win. Like previously stated, cutting weight -- as awful as it may seem -- is part of the job. Being a professional fighter at the height of the sport involves -- among other things -- harsh training, a strict diet regimen, and yes, cutting weight. When someone drops the ball of any one of those aspects, it's disrespectful to their opponent and to the organization. Fighters who come in with poor cardio and gas out within minutes get lambasted for their poor training habits. Combatants who step inside the cage with some pudge get railed for not sticking to a proper diet. Where's the outrage for fighters who come in overweight? Because unlike the previous two examples, not having to go through the trouble of sucking out those last extra pounds will actually improve one's performance rather than hinder it. I can understand that there can be extenuating circumstances. Perhaps a fighter rolls their ankle and can't get in the proper cardo exercise to maintain their weight cut on schedule -- how many times have we heard that one? -- but those situations are few and far between. Besides, they could alert the UFC brass of the situation as soon as possible so that their opponent can agree sooner to a catchweight bout rather than on the spot, half naked in front of hundreds of people. I'm sick of these so-called professional athletes acting so unprofessionally but as long as the punishment is a simple slap on the wrist, there won't be any reason for them to change.

Posted in: fight, pound, fighter, opponent, weight

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Quick, what do you remember best about UFC 87: "Seek and Destroy"? Was it when -- for 25 minutes straight -- Georges St. Pierre pretended he was Jon Fitch's big brother and beat the living hell out of him for ratting out to mom and dad that "Rush" was sneaking booze out from the liquor cabinet? Or was it the equally one-sided beatdown Brock Lesnar handed to Pride FC veteran Heath Herring? That somersault the "Texas Crazy Horse" did after getting bulldozed by the cinderblock at the end of Lesnar's arm is rather memorable. Of course, your fondest memory might be when loudmouth Manny Gamburyan got shellacked by Rob Emerson in hilariously brutal fashion. I wouldn't even blame you if what you remember from the Minneapolis, Minn., event is the fact that it is -- to date -- the only time the Octagon appeared in the "North Star State." That little nugget of knowledge might earn you some cheddar poppers on trivia night. UFC 87 can be remembered for many things, but one thing -- maybe above all else -- it should be remembered for is the birth of a champion and a potential future mixed martial arts (MMA) legend. It was none other than UFC 140 headliner Jon Jones. And it almost didn't happen. It would be great if the story behind Jones' debut was that Joe Silva or even Dana White saw footage of this young phenom and saw the potential for a future champ. However, what makes for an even more interesting story if the real reason "Bones" stepped inside the Octagon against André Gusmão. He was the last minute replacement for an injured fighter. Seven days removed from his sixth professional bout, Jones stepped in for Tomasz Drwal on two weeks notice. Jones was lauded by some and questioned by others for taking on Mauricio Rua on such short notice after defeating Ryan Bader, but for him, it was old hat. On top of the insanely short turnaround time, his opponent was quite the step up in competition for the young fighter. His six previous opponents have a combined 20-16 record, each of them nothing more than high end regional talent. Gusmão had impressed in the defunct International Fight League (IFL), earning stoppages in three of his four wins. Walking into the Octagon with an equally unblemished record as the one "Bones" had, the oddsmakers had the Brazilian as the heavy favorite. But for 15 minutes Jones' power, reach and unorthodox striking felled his opponent like it would all the others. The first round started well for the IFL veteran, but you could see the energy being sapped from his body as a result of Jones' strength. Every time they clinched, the future Greg Jackson-trained champion's giant frame took its toll on Gusmão, who was forced to carry most of the weight. The flashy strikes "Bones" would become known for -- like spinning back fists and elbows -- were in full effect during the first two rounds. The third round played out as the previous two had with Jones imposing his will on his opponent. Despite the Brazilian raising his arms after the final horn sounded, everyone in the arena knew he had lost the fight. The UFC light heavyweight champion made his Octagon debut that evening and nine fights later, he finds himself opposite Lyoto Machida in tonight's main event and on the cusp of becoming the most dominant 205-pound champion since Chuck Liddell. Derailing the hype train of another seemingly equally promising prospect in Bader, "Bones" was offered the title shot former teammate Rashad Evans was too injured to cash in himself. Six weeks and 12 minutes later, the Greg Jackson product joined the ranks of legends like Randy Couture, Tito Ortiz and Frank Shamrock. He then defended his title against Quinton Jackson, a feat that hasn't been matched since "Rampage" himself did it when he bested Dan Henderson at UFC 75. Before his title tilts, Jones was dominating Vladimir Matyushenko and literally breaking Brandon Vera's face. A submission win over Jake O'Brien and a decision victory over Stephan Bonnar round his out UFC conquests. The only bump on the road on the way to championship gold was his disqualification loss to Matt Hamill for nailing the retired fighter with several illegal elbows. Losing without really losing, "Bones" shed the pressure of remaining undefeated in the easiest way possible. It's actually quite fitting for how effortlessly he's made his way to the top. And it all started at UFC 87. Some might blame the last-minute change in opponent for Gusmão's loss, but watching the fight it becomes obvious over the course of 15 minutes that the Brazilian simply didn't have the perfect combination of skill and talent to beat Jones. Then again, does anyone?

Posted in: ufc, jone, opponent, bone, minute

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“Welcome to the Machida Era”, were the words uttered by UFC color commentator Joe Rogan as Lyoto Machida turned in one of the most jaw-dropping Octagon performances to dispose of then champion Rashad Evans and capture the UFC light heavyweight title. Machida was the epitome of an unsolved riddle in MMA: a man with an unorthodox yet extremely efficient style who was making his opponents look like rookies by virtually connecting with every single strike and absorbing none. One fight into his title reign however, that all changed. After being made to look human for the first time by Mauricio “Shogun” Rua in a fight many thought “The Dragon” should have lost, Machida fell victim to his compatriot’s power in the rematch… and so ended the Machida era before it ever really began. One year later, a phenom by the name of Jon Jones made headlines with his utter destruction of Rua, the same man who put an abrupt end to Machida’s stint at the top of the division. Armed with otherworldly offense and freakish athleticism, Jones has turned into one of MMA’s legitimate can’t-miss fighters, and he has a serious claim to being the most exciting talent in the sport. This Saturday, arguably the two most talented fighters in the division square off, as Machida bids to reclaim his crown from MMA’s latest “unsolved riddle”, Jon Jones. Light Heavyweight title fight: Jon Jones (c) vs. Lyoto Machida Any attempt to analyze Jones’ skill set should be prefaced by the reality that, at such a young age and a relatively early stage in his career, he will keep improving on a fight-to-fight basis, which is quite scary. Whatever flaws Jones might have shown in his game (and there were certainly some), they could well be reduced — if not rectified entirely — come the next fight. From a technical perspective, Jones’ striking isn’t exactly textbook. At times, his footwork can be iffy. Moreover, he has yet to learn to sit on his punches in order to create maximum power (he has a tendency to overextend), and when pressed, he doesn’t offer much in terms of countering. In fact, in his fight with Quinton Jackson, there was a couple of instances where he resorted to running away. He won’t have that luxury against Machida, as unlike “Rampage”, the Brazilian will not predictably move forward, plant his feet and look to throw the same left hook-right hook combination. Machida’s ability to suddenly leap in and tag his opponents with remarkable accuracy is something Jones and his camp should no doubt have been on the lookout for in their preparation for this bout. The speed and deceptiveness of Machida’s attacks mean Jones can’t afford to implement some of the methods he did against Jackson, especially given that Machida, while at a reach disadvantage, can cover distance much better than “Rampage.” To Jones’ credit, despite the technical holes in his striking (his kicking technique could still use a lot of polishing, despite its efficiency), he has learned to make the most of his reach seemingly overnight. Against Ryan Bader, Jones’ striking looked somewhat poor. Despite his immense reach advantage, he threw unnecessary techniques that put him in compromising positions (a useless superman elbow could have cost him early). However, five weeks later, he showed a completely different approach against “Shogun” Rua. While he wasn’t exactly pumping his jab and sticking it in Rua’s face, Jones’ kicks gave Rua, as well as Jones’ next opponent, Jackson, all sorts of trouble. With his lanky frame, Jones’ kicks allow him to stay even further on the outside, and give his opponents very little opportunities to counter. This is where Machida’s mastery and impeccable timing will be put to the test. A counter-puncher at heart, Machida feeds on split second windows where his opponent is most vulnerable. With Jones’ reach however, this will be an extremely difficult task. As the champion inevitably kicks Machida’s legs and body, “The Dragon” could well endure a frustrating night with very little openings for counters. As such, the Brazilian needs to be a bit more aggressive than usual. That is not to suggest that he needs to move forward constantly, but he certainly needs to throw with more volume than we’re used to seeing from him, and occasionally be the first to engage. Volume could ultimately prove to be the deciding factor, as if Machida is simply content to sit back and wait for the right moment to counter, Jones will be peppering him with leg kicks which, at the very least, will allow him to get ahead on the judges’ scorecards. Admittedly, employing a more aggressive approach is easier said than done, in part due to quality of Jones’ offense and in part due to the fact that Machida has been used to fighting a certain way for so long, and it might be unrealistic to suddenly expect him to change. Timidity is what ultimately cost Machida his fight with Jackson, as it wasn’t until the third round that he finally decided to step in, cut “Rampage” off and counter, as opposed to simply moving away. Finding the right balance between his usual patience and aggression will be key. Ideally, Machida throws some body kicks (from distance, as he wouldn’t want to risk being taken down), throws his usual lead feints, and leap in with his trademark left cross. if Machida is to win this fight, then a pinpoint leaping left to Jones’ chin is his most likely way to victory. That being said, Jones’ offense, both on the feet and on the ground, is something Machida has never had to deal with before. In fact, Jones might just be the best offensive fighter in MMA at the moment. Think of the punishment Mauricio Rua was able to withstand from Dan Henderson, then think of what Jones was able to do to him. The equal efficiency that he possesses from distance and close-quarters is quite unique. In fact, on the inside, Jones is even more dangerous. His knees and elbows from the clinch are quite the sight, and his ability to punish his opponent’s body makes him truly stand out from the pack. Be it spinning back elbows from up close, left hooks to the liver, or some brutal knees from the clinch, Jones overwhelms his opponents like very few fighters can. More worryingly for whoever comes up against “Bones”, not only can they get roughed up in the clinch, but they can just as easily find themselves going for a ride. Jones’ unpredictable takedowns from the clinch could well be his most effective weapon. Machida is very good in the clinch, possesses an extremely solid base, and he is incredibly tough to taken down, but if there is anyone who’s capable of planting him on his back, it’s Jones. In fairness, “Rampage” Jackson did show that Jones’ takedowns aren’t impossible to defend, but he still found himself on the bottom eventually. Machida’s footwork will make it more difficult for Jones to close in on him however, and if Jones is to take him down, he will have to earn it first. Jones has displayed some versatile wrestling in the past, as he effortlessly took Bader down with a double leg from the outside. However, Machida’s speed and reflexes, coupled with his great takedown defense should make that hard to pull off. Nevertheless, it is difficult to envision Machida managing to stay upright for twenty-five minutes. At some point, Jones’ clinch work will wear on him, and he will find himself on his back. From there, it is vital for Machida to get back to his feet rather quickly. In the past, he’s proven to be difficult to hold down, but having someone like Jones on top is a different proposition altogether. Jones has the luxury of being able to stay in guard and land some cringe-inducing elbows to the head and body, or show his ever-improving grappling by advancing his position. Ever since the Vladimir Matyushenko fight, Jones has shown some terrific guard passing skills and overall submission grappling ability. This level of diversity is hard to find in MMA. Even harder is finding someone with Jones’ size and frame who can move so fluidly on top. Machida should be wary of getting overzealous in his attempts to regain his feet, as any scrambles will give Jones the opportunity to get a front headlock and transition to a guillotine (or its variations), or take the back and sink his hooks in. Worse yet, If Machida gets stuck on the bottom, his chances of winning the fight will be over, whether it’s due to the referee pulling Jones off or Bruce Buffer reading the judges’ scorecards. Crucially for Machida, he needs to stay clear of being taken down in the middle of the cage, as he will need the fence to wall-walk without giving his opponent many opportunities to get dominant positions in the scrambles. Machida has a chance in this fight, and it is bigger than that of any other light heavyweight in the world. As long as the fight is on the feet, Machida is the most equipped fighter to make Jones pay for his occasional lazy habits on the feet. Furthermore, he possesses the mixture of power and accuracy to outright end Jones’ night with a well-placed counter. However, if Machida has one path to victory, Jones has many, and it is tough to overlook the diversity and flat out brutality of his skill set. “The Dragon” will have his moments, but ultimately, Jones will prove too much as he puts on yet another dominant display on his way to a clear decision victory or late stoppage. Official Prediction: Jon Jones to defeat Lyoto Machida by Decision PHOTO CREDIT – UFC

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Filed under: UFC, MMA Fighting ExclusiveIf Jon Jones beats Lyoto Machida in UFC 140's main event on Saturday, he will have completed one of the greatest calendar years in modern MMA, having defeated Machida, Mauricio "Shogun" Rua, Quinton "Rampage" Jackson and Ryan Bader. Going into their fights with Jones, the quartet entered with a collective .851 win percentage and three of the four had been champions in the UFC. So far, Jones has manhandled Bader, Rua and Jackson, having not lost a single round en route to three stoppage wins. The last of the four fights comes less than three months after his previous win. Stringing consecutive camps together is not easy, but Jones (14-1) can draw on his experience from earlier this year, when he smashed through Rua to win the light-heavyweight championship despite just six weeks of notice and preparation. Machida (17-2) does present Jones with a new challenge, however. He is the first true southpaw Jones has faced since making his octagon debut in 2008. Machida's offensive style has been analyzed for a few years now, to the point that the once seemingly unsolvable riddle is better understood. His success starts with his footwork, which creates angles and spacing designed to benefit his counterstriking preferences. Machida is constantly working to keep his right foot outside his opponent's left foot so that when his opponent strikes, he avoid it and still have his left hand in position for a straight down the middle. His footwork also quite often sets him up for his favored foot sweep takedowns, a particularly useful tool against orthodox-style fighters. Judging from the numbers, he has a strong handle on the style, as his 58 percent connection rate on significant strikes ranks him in the top 10 in the UFC all-time by FightMetric's count. He is also a very balanced fighter, firing off punches and kicks in a fairly even ratio. His complexity of attack coupled with his bent-back karate stance never allows his opponent to truly settle in and feel comfortable. Some of his advantages can be negated by Jones' ability to switch stances. While not much has been made of the fact, Jones is essentially ambidextrous in the cage, routinely moving from southpaw to orthodox and back. Video of Jones' early fights showed that he fought as a right-hander, and his best power punch is a straight right, but he is a natural lefty. Most fighters will tell you that against top competition, it takes a bit of time to find the rhythm of the fight and their range against any given opponent. When you think about Jones' ridiculous 84.5-inch reach and then you add his ability to switch stances on top of it, it gives his opponents so much information to process, probably too much. Just when you start zeroing in on him, he switches stances and becomes a completely different fighter. As seems to be the case in every fight, Jones will have a massive advantage in reach, over 10 inches against Machida, who has a 74-inch reach. That, of course, makes Jones very hard to hit. In fact, though much is made of Machida's elusiveness, you might be surprised to find out that Jones actually avoids more strikes than Machida does. According to FightMetric, opponents trying to hit Jones whiff 67 percent of the time. By comparison, Machida's foes miss 61 percent of their strikes. One part of the fight that might prove interesting is the clinch game. Jones has showed a mastery of the position, using it to fire off knees, elbows and take his opponents down at will. But Machida has displayed excellent skills there as well, and his balance in the position may negate Jones' ability to overwhelm his foes there. Both fighters have been murderous on the ground. It's the one place Machida allows his killer instinct out with little regard for his own safety, and Jones is always an elbow or two away from ending things if he has the top position. The question is, who is going to get the top position? This is the part where we stop with the facts and numbers and I theorize what's going to actually happen. It's hard to know exactly how Jones will look. If you look at his last two fights, for example, against Rua he worked a precision striking game, going to the body quite a bit and obliterating him on the ground. Meanwhile, against Jackson, he turned into a kickboxer and attacked Jackson's lower body and legs with a seemingly endless array of kicks. That ability to offer a new look each time out shows a level of maturity that belies his age (24). Machida always lets his opponent open up the offense, so he will probably do the same on Saturday. That is never going to be a good idea against Jones. I think he will use the southpaw stance quite a bit against Machida, who hasn't faced a southpaw since beating Vernon "Tiger" White in July 2006. I think this fight will look more similar to the Jackson fight than the Machida fight. He'll hack away at Machida's legs and body. If Machida wades inside, he'll look to clinch and take him down. Around the middle of the fight, the takedowns will start coming as fatigue sets in. And once it goes to the ground, it's over against him. You may survive there, but you're not going to win there. Jones seems to scout well and prepare well, so Machida's best bet would be to do something unexpected. Offer more aggression. Look to take him down. Offer him a look he hasn't prepared for. The element of surprise is his best weapon. But Machida has always been calculated and measured, and I don't know if he has that in his constitution. If he doesn't, that's going to be what gets him against Jones. The champ is well schooled and follows his plan. Even the flashy strikes are within the context of what he's trying to accomplish. Since Machida rarely shows variance, Jones knows what's in front of him. And a knowledgeable Jones is the most dominant force in the game right now. Jones via fourth-round TKO. Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

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A popular topic to bring up whenever Michael Bisping has a fight coming up – or in this case, one just completed – is the notion that the Brit is a pillow-fisted striker who couldn’t stop a taxi with a hundred dollar bill waving in the air. This is one of those half-truths that seem to become accepted as common wisdom in MMA without much real consideration. It’s true that Bisping doesn’t possess the one-punch knockout power of someone like Dan Henderson, there’s no arguing that. At the same time however, Bisping is now 12-3 in his UFC career, with eight of those twelve wins being TKO stoppages. What gives? I thought this guy punched like my Grandmother? The point I’m making here is that having huge power isn’t the only way to stop someone with strikes in MMA, as much as some would have you believe. It is not the only stopping method worthy of praise either. Sure, you have the Dan Hendersons, Melvin Guillards, and Junior dos Santoses (or is it Junior dos Santi?!?) of the sport, who are capable of crumpling a foe with a single shot, but the majority of fighters don’t have that ability. Even looking at just the striking aspect of MMA, as I’ll be doing, there is far more than one way to skin the proverbial cat. This is by no means an exhaustive list of the different styles in which strikers in MMA finish fights, nor would I be naive enough to think that every fighter could be pigeon-holed into one of the following five categories. Some fighters can be placed in two or three of these categories, while some wouldn’t fit in any of them. Bisping Outclasses Miller En Route to TKO Win at TUF 14 Finale Here then, are some of the most-common types of finishers we see in MMA today, and a couple fighters who fit into each category to use as a frame of reference: The Johnny Flamingo One-Shot Bingo These are the guys mentioned in that previous paragraph, and those like them. If they connect, on your chin, temple, or even body, they can put you down and there’s a good chance you’re staying there. As we’re so often told on MMA broadcasts, this is the great equalizer in a fight. You don’t need to be the most technical guy in the world to make this type of power work (although some fighters show great technique to go along with it), it just works. There’s really not much else to explain here. The Technician These guys are both entertaining and befuddling to watch at times. You may look at their strikes and think that they’re not hitting all that hard, but for some reason they seem to drop their opponents on a regular basis. Anderson Silva is the epitome of this type of finisher (as Rogan and Goldberg remind us no fewer than a dozen times during each of his fights). When he hits somebody, he hits them clean and exactly where they need to be hit. There is something to be said for this type of finisher, because it likely shows the most striking skill out of all those on the list. Sometimes these fighters can end a bout with one blow (Silva vs. Vitor Belfort) and sometimes it takes more (Silva vs. Yushin Okami), but rest assured that however many it takes, they will all be on point. The Swarmer Now we’re getting into the types of fighters who really don’t have the ability to stop an opponent with one strike, and that’s not a bad thing, since many of the best in the world would fall into this category. These are the guys who have the capacity to hurt an opponent with a single shot, but never seem to be able to put them completely out with it. Former UFC champion Mauricio Rua is an example of a quintessential swarmer. When he gets an opponent hurt with a big shot, he jumps all over them. Bringing the strikes in as rapidly as possible these finishers simply never give their wounded prey a chance to breathe and mount any sort of defense. Think of the massive number of KOs and TKOs ‘Shogun’ has amassed over his career (17), now think of how many of those have been from a single punch… not so many. The Nagging Wife Whereas the swarmer has the ability to hurt his opponent with a single shot at any point, this type of finisher simply doesn’t. Still, because of their high-volume of strikes – and the accuracy that accompanies them – they are able to wear opponents down to the point that either they have no cardio left (getting punched in the face or body is tiring business), or simply don’t want to get hit any more. Think of it like a nagging wife (or mother, for those who don’t have wives), they simply take all the energy and will to continue that you possess. These guys are able to force their opponents to quit, even if they couldn’t necessarily stop a fresh version of that opponent. Say hello to Nick Diaz and Bisping (gasp!) in this category of finisher. Obviously this is MMA, and tiny gloves do wacky things, so occasionally you’ll see a guy in this category lace his opponent with a KO (Diaz vs. Robbie Lawler, for instance), but it is far from the norm. The Changeup These types of finishers are much like the swarmer, in that they can hurt with a single shot, but rather than coming down with follow-up strikes, they use the opportunity when their opponent is foggy to switch over into grappling mode. UFC light heavyweight champ Jon Jones has become quite adept at finishing in this manner, as has Donald Cerrone. I must admit that watching a fighter string together a nasty combination of strikes to daze his rival and then finishing it off with some slick grappling technique is truly sublime, and shows what MMA is all about. Every time we get a nice finish set up by strikes I enjoy watching it, but I must say that these are my personal favorites. So next time you’re breaking down a bout, forget the talk about “Heavy Hands” and “Pillow-Fisted” strikers when thinking about a potential stoppage. Instead, look at whether or not a particular fighter is a finisher or not, because they come in many different forms. Just because someone may not have that one-punch knockout power, doesn’t mean they aren’t capable of stopping the fight before the final bell, and doing so in entertaining fashion. PHOTO CREDIT – UFC Tweet

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Three years, six pounds, some major controversy, and two hellacious beatdowns by an angry Filipino wrecking ball later, it’s time for the rematch. WBA Super Light Middleweight Champion Miguel Cotto and former WBO, IBF, and WBA Welterweight Champion Antonio Margarito will step into the ring TONIGHT (Sat., Dec. 3, 2011) in Madison Square Garden in New York, N.Y., to put the controversy of their first bout behind them and prove once and for all who the superior fighter is. MMAmania will have LIVE coverage of the pay-per-view (PPV) event later this evening, which also features lightweight firebrands Brandon Rios and John Murray in addition to a rematch of one of 2011’s finest fights between Pawel Wolak and Delvin Rodriguez. Join us after the jump for a preview of the main event of the rematch between Miguel Cotto vs. Antonio Margarito, which is certain to be heated back-and-forth barnburner. In we go: Miguel Cotto (36-2, 29 KO) Puerto Rico’s Miguel Cotto was positively on fire when he stepped into the ring in Nov. 2008 to defend his WBA title against Margarito. Unbeaten, Cotto’s record included impressive beatdowns of former champions Randall Bailey, Zab Judah and Carlos Quintana. So dominant was he, in fact, that only two of his previous 12 opponents had made it the distance against him. Everything started going wrong sometime in the seventh round of that fight. After taking a beating in the early going, the Mexican bruiser roared back, relentlessly battering and pressuring Cotto in the late rounds until the unbeaten champion fell to his knees and the bout was waved off. While Cotto managed to pick up the WBO welterweight title with wins over Michael Jennings and Ghana’s Joshua Clottey, he never got a chance to regain momentum, as the tornado of violence known as Manny Pacquiao beat him down over the course of 12 rounds, securing a stoppage victory a minute into the final round. Following this defeat, Cotto moved up to welterweight, scoring less-than-stellar wins over a badly injured Yuri Foreman and a long-since-shot Ricardo Mayorga. He will need a dominant performance if he wants to prove that the overpowering monster who ruled the welterweights didn’t die that November night at the MGM Grand Garden. Antonio Margarito (38-7-0, 1 NC) Things were going pretty darn well for Antonio Margarito after stopping Cotto. Not only was he the WBA champ, but he was only once-beaten at 147 in the previous 12 years. Kermit Cintrón had twice found himself unable to resist the overwhelming force of Margarito, and Argentina’s Sergio Martinez’s sole black mark on his record was courtesy of the hard-hitting Mexican. As falls go, however, Margarito’s may be up there with the most spectacular. Just before his fight with Shane Mosley, who was thought to be long past his contender days, Mosley’s trainer noticed an odd substance on Margarito’s handwraps, which were later determined to be akin to plaster of Paris. After being forced to actually fight fair, Margarito was annihilated in nine rounds, suffering the first stoppage loss of his career. Things only got worse from there. Margarito was suspended from boxing for a year, and after defeating professional nobody Roberto Garcia, was paired up with Manny Pacquiao. Despite possessing an incredible 17-pound advantage on fight night, not to mention a ridiculous height and reach advantage, Margarito endured one of the most savagely one-sided beatings in recent memory, with Pacquiao badly damaging both his eyes and even laying off the gas in the end out of mercy. The resultant injuries, particularly the battered right eye, kept Margarito out of the game for another year and nearly for good. He has a lot of questions to answer Saturday night. Prediction: Antonio Margarito is done. There is no other word for it. The hallmark of a pressure fighter is the ability to induce despair in an opponent. Not only must he hurt the opponent, but he must force him to think, "I can’t stop this." A proper pressure fighter must be able to maintain a high punch output throughout the entire fight and shrug off all incoming damage, essentially becoming a perpetual pain machine until the opponent wilts. Margarito can no longer accomplish this. The man is incredibly slow, and prone to getting hit with every single punch in a flurry. With his eye damaged and likely fragile, I have serious doubts as to whether he can exhibit the resilience needed to induce proper despair in Cotto. That’s not to say Cotto doesn’t have questions of his own -- Mayorga was an opponent he should have disposed of with little difficulty, and Yuri Foreman lasted longer than a one-legged fighter should have against someone with the Puerto Rican’s speed and power. Not only that, but Cotto is fighting heavy ... his best weight was 147 That said, even though both fighters are nowhere near the beasts they were when they first met, Margarito has degraded further, and the controversy surrounding the Mosley fight raises questions about the legitimacy of his first victory. He hasn’t fought in a year, hasn’t beaten a credible opponent since Cotto, and is almost certainly damaged goods. The fight should mirror the first early on, with Cotto landing solid flurries, only this time Margarito won’t survive long enough to mount a comeback and won’t have building material in his glove. Look for Steve Smoger to stop this one in the third or fourth after Margarito finds himself unable to avoid or withstand his opponent’s savage combos. Be sure to check out our full breakdown of their spectacular first battle, "Cotto vs. Margarito 1 fight: Controversy mars back-and-forth 'battle' for the ages" right here. And definitely be sure to check back later this evening for for full LIVE coverage of the PPV event. See you soon! More Cotto-Margarito Coverage From SBNBad Left Hook | MMA Mania | MMA Nation | Bloody Elbow

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UFC light heavyweight champ Jon Jones is a complete MMA fighter. “Bones” spends just as much time in the gym training as he does outside of it, breaking down his opponent and finding their weakness. In Lyoto Machida, the next challenger to Jones’ reign as UFC 205-pound champion, the Greg Jackson-trained fighter feels like he is understanding what makes “The Dragon” so strong – and so weak at the same time. “I know myself. I know my weaknesses, I am not naïve to them,” Jones said in a UFC interview promoting the event. “And I am starting to understand my opponent. I am starting to understand what makes Lyoto, Lyoto. Where he’s strong, where he’s weak. I will defeat Lyoto Machida. I believe that it’s my destiny to be the UFC champion for many years.” Jones has already successfully defended his crown once this year against a former UFC title-holder, having earned a submission victory over Quinton “Rampage” Jackson. He was scheduled to meet Rashad Evans, but Evans was forced to pull out of the planned bout due to a hand injury. Instead, “Bones” gets another in the form of Machida. “I’ve always felt confident with martial arts, and I always knew that I would fight Lyoto one day,” Jones said. “Lyoto’s a great opponent, man, he’s game. I think he takes this sport seriously. I think he’s unpredictable, he’s fast. Lyoto loves distance and I love distance, but I have the longer limbs, and I believe I’m just as fast.” Machida and Jones will face off at the main event of UFC 140 on December 10 in Toronto. PHOTO CREDIT – UFC

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The Dan Severn show continues to tour across North America, featuring a 53 year old Severn beating up inexperienced noobs and journeymen way past their best before date. Hey, the fact that the old man is still fighting at all is impressive enough, so I don't give him flack for consistently fighting scrubs. I consider it an interesting way for a fighter to be put out to pasture. But not so okay is competing in fixed fights, which Severn has also been accused of. Here's Dan talking to Cagepotato about that: DAN SEVERN: I’ve certainly been approached about being involved in an MMA “work.” I also have matches that people have called “works” for a variety of reasons, that weren’t at all. Sometimes I’ve toyed with my opponents instead of just going for the kill, which has maybe looked a little suspect. I’ve been involved with promotions in which I would carry an opponent into the second round before finishing them because it would make a better show. Now those were situations I decided on my own; my opponent had no idea that was happening. I’ve also had opponents hug me at the end of a match to thank me for not killing them. Sometimes when you outclass your opponent, there is a way to win that might not fit with what the viewer expects but it saves your opponent some embarrassment and makes for a better show. So what do you think, jackals? Does that explanation pass the sniff test or is Severn full of shit? (pic via the oh so entertaining 'MMA Hipster' thread at Sherdog)

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Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt, Abu Dhabi Combat Club (ADCC) champion, four-time Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) "Submission of the Night" winner and all around submission savant. Demian Maia definitely has the credentials to be considered one of the best submission artists in the world, let alone the most talented grappler in mixed martial arts (MMA). Maia burst onto the UFC scene with five straight submission victories, collecting four "Submission of the Night" checks in the process. Maneuvering on the ground with unmatched smoothness and locking in his opponents with submissions so tight that evens the jaws of life couldn't pry them free, Maia can truly lay claim to be one of the most decorated jiu-jitsu players in the world. However, after his impressive start, Maia has failed to make any opponent tap in three years.  In fact, Maia hasn't finished an opponent in his last four wins, with his last four victories coming via decision. With his recent lack of executing submission finishes, is Maia in danger of losing his appeal? Or does it even matter as long as he gets the victory? Speaking to Tatame.com, Maia says he always looks for the submission victory when he steps inside the Octagon, but because of the high level of competition in the UFC, it's easier said than done "That's my trademark and I want to submit again. If it depended exclusively on me (laughs)... I do my best on the trainings to get it, but we can't forget on the other side of the ring there's an opponent who's always getting better and better on a high level in the UFC. Despite I always want to submit them, finish it earlier, I can't complain. I must be humble and accept that there'll always be a well-prepared person, too." Maia, who is currently without an opponent, hopes to one day fight in his native country Brazil, which will host UFC 142 at the HSBC Arena on Jan. 14, 2012: "I'm not that worried about where I'm fighting and when; however, what I wanted was to fight until February to keep my rhythm. It'd be good to fight in Rio and we're doing some negotiation, but it depends on some things about UFC, so let it be. I know I'll eventually fight in Brazil. If it's not on this one, there'll be another one in Sao Paulo, probably in the middle of the year. What, to me, would mean the most, due to the fact it'll be in my hometown. I guess there'll be three events in Brazil next year, so it'd be a natural thing for me to fight here." Maia made his UFC debut in 2007 at UFC 77 with a rear naked choke submission victory over  Ryan Jensen in the very first round. Six months later, Maia cashed in on yet another award-winning performance as he literally put Ed Herman to sleep at UFC 83 with a triangle choke (and a few blows to the head for good measure). The jiu-jitsu ace then reeled off two consecutive rear-naked choke victories over Jason McDonald and Nate Quarry in a span of three months at UFC 87 and UFC 91, respectively. Maia's last submission victory came at UFC 95 in 2009, when he locked in an air-tight triangle on Chael Sonnen that had the former number one contender tapping for air in the very first round. Submitting folks has proved to be a rather lucrative trade for Maia, as he has collected nearly a quarter-million ($215,000) total throughout his tenure with the promotion with his four "Submission of the Night" bonus checks. Maia's hot start  was cooled off by Nate Marquardt at UFC 102 on Aug. 29, 2009 when "The Great" knocked him out just 21 seconds into the first round. Since then, Maia has gone 4-2 in the UFC, which includes a unanimous decision loss to UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva at UFC 112 in Abu Dhabi. Even though Maia is currently without an opponent lined up, it would be wise for him to brush up on his jiu-jitsu skills. He appears to be focused on returning to his submission roots, and there's no better place to do it then where it all began. But, against who?

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Mike Pierce is baffled that his efforts on the UFC on Fox 1 undercard only earned him a split-decision win.His opponent Paul Bradley was by no means a...

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NCAA Division I wrestling champion Bubba Jenkins has another new opponent for his mixed martial arts debut.

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Filed under: UFCWhen you look at the tale of the tape for UFC 139's main event, the only difference that really jumps out at you is age. For Dan Henderson, it's probably going to be that way for the rest of his career. In fact, at 41 years old, he is the oldest fighter on the UFC roster. By comparison, his opponent, Mauricio "Shogun" Rua is 29. Despite being over a decade apart in age, Henderson has had a more successful recent history than Rua, winning six of his last seven overall -- four by knockout -- with his only defeat coming in a decision loss to Jake Shields. Henderson has also pulled off wins in three weight classes (middleweight, light-heavyweight and heavyweight) during that time. His return comes on the heels of one of his most dominant stretches since his PRIDE days. Not only has he KO'd three straight opponents, he also was the Strikeforce light-heavyweight champ and won a heavyweight bout against Fedor Emelianenko. More Coverage: UFC 139 Fight Card | UFC 139 Results There is nothing he really needs to accomplish before calling it quits, but Henderson would love to earn a UFC championship, a feat that would make him the only man to capture titles in Strikeforce, PRIDE and the UFC, the leading promotions of his era. For the last few years of his career, Henderson (28-8) has mostly been a striker, a vast departure from his early days as a wrestling-heavy grinder. In his last seven fights, he has just seven takedowns, and he tends to wrestle offensively in spurts. For example, against Rafael "Feijao" Cavalcante in March, he scored three takedowns, and against Rich Franklin in January 2009, he had four. In his five other fights, he had none. Most puzzling in that stretch was the one loss to Shields, where he didn't try a single attempt in a five-round fight. That can make Henderson tricky to prepare for, but because of his power, you have to focus on that as a starting point. Henderson keeps his right hand cocked by his ear, ready to fire at any opening. He is very patient in waiting for his moment, but aggressive when it comes. Unlike many elite fighters, Henderson does not blow away his opponents in statistical categories. According to FightMetric's breakdown of his last 31 fights, Henderson lands 2.46 significant strikes per minute while his opponents land 2.36 against him. He lands 49 percent of strikes while opponents land 50 percent against him. Even in the wrestling game, the former Olympian hasn't overwhelmed his opponents, as he's completed 59 percent of takedowns while opponents have put him on the mat on 41 percent of tries against him. Yet somehow when you add that all up, Henderson is elite. That's because the sum total of his skills allows him to overcome most of his issues. If you are willing to stand and trade with him, he's probably a harder striker than you. If you want to take him down, it's not going to be easy, but even if you do, he'll probably get right back up. And with most of his fights contested standing, his power is going to win out most of the time. Rua (20-5) has alternated wins and losses over his last five fights, though one of those defeats -- a decision loss to Lyoto Machida -- was controversial. In March, Rua lost the division championship, but he came back to knock out Forrest Griffin in less than two minutes in August. Rua features a very diverse striking attack that is heavy on kicks, knees and clinchwork. According to FightMetric, he out-lands opponents at a nearly 2-to-1 rate, a major gap that explains much of his success. He is an average offensive wrestler (48 percent success rate) but his defensive wrestling has been downright terrible during his UFC tenure. In his seven UFC fights, he's only stopped two of 17 takedown tries against him. That means opponents put him on the mat on 88 percent of their attempts. That could prove disastrous against Henderson if Henderson capitalizes on the advantage that's there for the taking. In this fight, Rua's footwork will be important as he must circle away from Henderson's power hand. His kicks can also keep him out of range for that overhand right. One other factor to think about is the potential for a five-round fight. Rua has exhibited conditioning issues at times, and Henderson is 41. Who will a long fight favor? Possibly Henderson, because if they fall into clinches, he can take Rua down and earn points from the top position. But as I noted previously, Henderson wrestles in spurts, and that may or may not be a part of his plan on Saturday. Rua is a slight favorite in this fight, and I understand the thinking. He has more diversity in his standup offense, and this is likely to be a standup battle. But this is no easy money fight for him. Henderson's right hand and wrestling can be difference-makers. Above it all, we know both men have shown epic chins. This fight is a coin toss, but I'm going to guess Shogun's technique overcomes Hendo's sheer power and wins an exciting decision. Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Posted in: ufc, fight, henderson, opponent, rua

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Alex Soto will still fight on Nov. 19, only against a different opponent and on a significantly larger stage than originally anticipated.

Posted in: opponent, alex, soto, unbeaten soto, bantamweight mcdonald

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Bobby Lashley has a new opponent for his headliner at Friday’s Shark Fights 21.

Posted in: fight, opponent, lashley, friday, shark

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                              There seems to be some confusion amongst fans as to how one should regard Nick Diaz’s "boxing". For many, it seems incongruent for him to be labeled the best boxer in MMA when so little of what he does in the cage can be qualified as being "good" boxing; leaning too far forward in his stance while leading with his face;  keeping his hands far out in front of him where they can’t be used to protect the head; feet planted instead of light on the toes; very little movement of his head. Needless to say, none of what you’d expect from an elite boxer. And yet, the results speak for themselves, with his most recent display of prowess coming at the expense of the previously labeled "best boxer in MMA", BJ Penn. How can Nick Diaz be the exemplifier of the "sweet science" when everything he does runs counter to what entails "good" boxing? The answer lies with the fact that everything he does is exactly what "good" boxing calls for, and the only reason we fans fail to acknowledge this is because we have narrowly focused on the sport as fought under the Marques of Queensbury rules, ignoring the lessons left to us by those who competed during the earlier reigns of London Prizefighting and Broughton’s rules. Fortunately, a few of them were thoughtful enough to write down what entailed good boxing for the "sweat science of bruising". It is most likely that you never heard of Daniel Mendoza, which is of no surprise since his last public match took place in 1820, but if ever there was a kindred spirit to Diaz it was him. A descendent of Spanish Marronos, he was the father of scientific boxing, whose success helped elevate the position of jews in 18th and 19th century English society. And much like Diaz, he seemed incapable of understanding finances while also being notoriously quick tempered with a propensity to fight whenever he felt slighted in the least, having once famously gotten into three altercations while on his way to be a spectator for a match (the three reasons being that someone’s cart had cut him off in the street, he felt cheated by a shopkeeper, and he didn’t like how a man was looking at him). Most importantly he was an amazing boxer, the best of his era, being the 16th man to hold the English (World’s) heavyweight championship (possessing the title from 1792-1795), and the only middleweight to ever accomplish that feat.   The ruleset that Mendoza fought under during his time was the one divised by Jack Broughton in 1743, the very first codified set of rules in the history of the sport, which were fittingly named Broughton’s rules. They were very simple, numbering seven in total, dealing with such things as the size of the ring, the holding of the purse, and the choosing of umpires. Of the seven, only the last had anything to do with what tactics were allowed during competition. VII. That no person is to hit his Adversary when he is down, or seize him by the ham, the breeches, or any part below the waist: a man on his knees to be reckoned down. To elaborate: the only thing banned was the hitting of a downed opponent or any wrestling below the waist. Everything else –  hair-pulling, grappling above the waist, wrestling or tripping your opponent to the ground, and, of course, striking with the bare fists – was allowed. And since no gloves nor hand wrappings were used, throwing with all one’s might or aiming blows to the head was naturally discouraged lest you break your hand.  In fact, striking ability often rated below wrestling ability with regards to importance in gaining a victory, as seen by our three examples below with the the text being from the 1855 compilation Fights for the Championship; and Celebrated Prize Battles (the full title is much, much longer) and the images from Famous Fights: Past and Present, a boxing newspaper that ran from 1901 to 1904. The Fight between Hammer Lane and Owen Swift (1834) Finally, in the 104th round, straining every fibre to the utmost, he fearlessly rushed to the climax, made one last daring attempt to turn the tide in his favour, but nature was exhausted, he was thrown heavily, and all was over.         Image from Famous Fights: Past and Present No. 52 Third Fight Between Bendigo and Caunt, for £200 a Side (1845) 5. After some sparring, Caunt, who took a dislike to Bendigo’s system of popping and shifting, went in right and left, and at once closing, seized his man as if in a vice, holding him on the ropes till nearly strangled, amidst cries of ‘shame.’ After a violent struggle by Bendigo to get away, he was at last thrown, Caunt heavily on him.         Image from Famous Fights: Past and Present No. 39   Fight Between Tom Cribb and Bob Gregson (1808) 23. Cribb, to the surprise of all, seemed strongest on setting-to, he contrived to put in two feeble hits and closed; in wrestling he had the good fortune to throw his antagonist, who fell with such uncommon force, he could not come to time.       Image from Famous Fight: Past and Present No. 53 Throws to the ground were something like the body-blows of their day, where damage would be accumulated over time with the goal being to eventually wear down your opponent from hard falls to the earth time and time again.   Another trick which has been used very successfully by some boxers when contesting under London prize ring rules is when wrestling with an opponent to make it a point to fall heavily on top of him, crushing the wind out of him as much as possible.  - BOXING AND HOW TO TRAIN, RICHARD K FOX Publishing  Co. (1913)   Since Mr. Mendoza was often much smaller than his opponents, and excelled in the technical striking department, he developed a stance that allowed him to not only attack but also assisted in negating his opponents attempt's to grapple and throw him. Here is his description of how one should stand, which he labeled his second prinicple in "MENDOZA'S TREATISE, WITH HIS SIX LESSONS" taken from "The Modern Art of Boxing" (1789).   the position of the body, which should be an inclining posture, or diagonal line, so as to place the pit of the stomach out of your adversary's reach. The upper part of your arm must stop or parry the round blow at the head; the fore-arm, the blows at the face of stomach; and the elbows, those at the ribs: both knees must be bent, the left leg advanced, and the arms directly before your throat or chin.   This illustration of Mendoza facing off against his former trainer Richard Humphries should give us a pretty good idea of what he is trying to convey in the text above.     Mendoza is on the right, in his recommended stance (although often fighters would lean further forward then shown here, as if "into the wind" ) hands far in front, knees bent.  By leaning forward and keeping his hands extended Mendoza made it very diffilcult for any opponent to get him to the ground. His legs were too far back from from his opponent to trip or kick, and if they attempted to rush in he was already braced to meet their charge, his hands extended to push back and keep them away from his body, his forward leaning posture to assist in countering their mass.   From this position he could also launch a wide variety of offensive maneuvers. He could strike with either hand (his first principle was equilibrium of the body, the ability to operate with either the right or left side) with the preferred targets being the face, stomach, and side. And if one wanted to be less than gentlemanly they could sneak in an elbow for good measure. The outstretched hands made it simple to sieze an opponent who entered into range, after which he could trip, throw, or fib (fibbing was the art of putting the opponent in a headlock and then punching away). If you click here you can see an example of initiating the clinch from standing from Ed Jame's 1878 manual "Boxing and Wrestling". And yes, this illustration is from the boxing portion of the book and not the wrestling.    Now, let us examine a gif of Nick Diaz in action against BJ Penn and lets see if we cannot find a resemblance.     While the resemblance is there, there is also one obvious difference between the two: the position of their hands. Mendoza's palms are turned inwards towards him him while his knuckles are facing his opponent, meanwhile Diaz either keeps his hands open with palms directed at Penn, or facing the ground when squeezed into a fist. The reason behind this difference is determined by one simple item: gloves. In his 1910 self defense manual "Defense dans la Rue" Jean-Joseph Renaud explained the difference gloves made when boxing: The inconvenience of punches is that in giving them, one risks injuring one’s hands. The hand is a grasping organ, made for holding and not for hitting. As a general rule, the metacarpal bones are too delicate to withstand the force that a very vigorous extension of the arm produces. Ah! If a fighting glove of 3 or 4 ounces protects the hand then it’s a different story; not only does one not injure oneself in striking, but the "knock out" becomes rather more easy to deliver! ... for example, with bare fists it’s difficult to put an opponent out of action by striking the angle of the neck, the jaw and the the ear, though with a glove one clearly fills this angle and it’s not even necessary to hit very hard. When one realizes the ease with which a fist could be broken without a glove or hand-wrappings to protect it the positioning of the hands by Mendoza and other bare-kuckle fighters begin to make a lot more sense. By striking with a straight punch with either the knuckles pointed down or the fist perpendicular to the ground, they could guarantee that their knuckles lined up with their wrist, lessoning the chances of injury. And it was easier to deliver such a punch if the fist started in that position. Protecting their hands was also why most fighters limited themselves to straights and jabs to the head, staying away from hooks and overhands that could easily shatter against a hard skull. Hooks to the body were a different matter, with many fighters preferring to strike here than to the more risky head. The luxury of gloves means Diaz's options aren't so limited (although he hasn't abandoned targeting the body either). Diaz's methods for evading his opponents attacks also mirror the advice given by Mendoza. Parry the blows of your adversary's right hand with your left, and those of his left hand with your right Since trying to cover up without the benefits of boxing mitts is a much more difilcult proposition, Mendoza suggested a strategy I'm familiar with from my days of studying Kra Maga. With hands extended,  the defender parries the blows as they come towards him, deflecting before they reach the body.  A good example of Diaz using this technique, redirecting his opponents strikes by slapping them away, was displayed in his fight against Scott Smith, starting at the 4:13 mark in the first round when he bats away a combo.   The other benefit that the outstretched arms give you is that anyone trying to strike at  you is inevitabily forced to throw from further away - beyond the defensive arms - and most of these punches end up being channelled between the arms, making it easier to follow incoming blows. This also gives you another option to defend against the incoming fist:   It is always better to avoid a blow by throwing the head and body back, at the same time covering the pit of the stomach, than to attempt to parry it.   (Click the gif below to see this demonstrated by Diaz.)   [Jean-Joseph Renaud also detailed another common technique used by bare-knuckle prizefighters which Mendoza doesn’t touch upon: One of their principle tactics consisted, instead of parrying or slipping, of receiving the blow on the bony part of the face, by which means their opponent would break his hands. It should be noted that both Penn and KJ Noons, the only two fighters to go the distance with Diaz in his last 11 fights, both broke their hands during the contest]       The other great similarity between Diaz and his 19th century prizefighting predecessors is found in his movements. Since  being thrown to the ground was of paramount concern, fighters did and could not use the same amount of bobbing, weaving, and dancing we've become accustomed to, and instead had to make sure they remain balanced, so as to not give their opponent the opportunity to put them on their backside. This desire to always remain on solid footing spilt over into how one advanced on their opponent.  Here is how Mendoza recommended a person to advance:   Advancing, Is practised by placing the right foot forward at the same distance from your left, as your left is from your right in the first attitude; you then throw your left foot forward so as to resume your original position, and thus keep gaining on your antagonist as he recedes.   What Mendoza is describing is often termed "square gating", or,  when strikes are thrown, "shift punching". The technique was one that involved shifting the rear foot forward while simultaneously delivering a punch on the same side as the advancing leg, adding the boxer's mass to his strikes. An example of shift punching is provided by Bill Lang and can be seen in the video below starting at the 45 second mark (ironically, his victim, Bob Fitzsimmons, was famed for his deadly "Fitzsimmons shift" with which he defeated Jim Corbett)      The benefits of wearing gloves is is revealed by the number of times Lang throws angled blows at Fitzsimmons head.   And here, in the midst of this gif of highlights from the Diaz vs KJ Noons II fight, we get an overhead shot showing Diaz demonstrating some text book "shift punching". In concurrence with each step he throws a punch, alternating between the left and right. The lumbering steps mask several benefits offered by the technique: it allows the Diaz to advance and attack, step for step as his opponent retreats, adding his momentum and weight to each strike, and all in a controlled manner.   But perhaps the characteristic that Diaz and Mendoza have most in common, is their killer instincts.   If he gives way, or is staggered by a severe blow, You should not be anxious to recover your guard and stand on the defensive, as this will only be giving him time to recollect himself, but take advantage of his momentary confusion and follow up the blow.   I can think of no better way Diaz exemplifies the spirit of Daniel Mendoza than in this.     Of course, I don't want to imply that Diaz's fighting is based exclusively on 19th century prizefighting techniques, nor that Nick DIaz and his coach, Richard Perez, have even intentionally set about to mine and recycle the methods used by past pugilists. But I do find it interesting, intentional or accidental, that in trying to adapt boxing to the cage, that we  find many of the same tried and true methods of the past re-emerging. It leads me to wonder what more there is to learn from these past masters of an extinct sport.     Anyone interested in reading first hand accounts of Mendoza's battles, I highly recommend the first volume of Boxiana by Pierce Egan, coiner of the phrase "the sweat science of bruising", the first volume of Pugilistica by Henry Downes Miles, or Fistiana, published by Bell's Life. And special thanks to glz500 who wrote an excellent post over at Bloody Elbow, from which I plundered most of the gifs seen here.

Posted in: diaz, boxing, opponent, hand, mendoza

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It was a battle of aging light heavyweights last night (November 5, 2011) at UFC 138 between veteran kickboxer Cyrille Diabate and Australian grappler Anthony Perosh. On paper, Diabate appeared to be a lock with his slick striking skills, his killer 81.5 inch reach and his terrific performances against the likes of Luiz Cane and Steve Cantwell already in the UFC. Instead, he found himself mounted by the Aussie and choked until he cried "Uncle." So how did Anthony Perosh pull off the biggest upset of the night? And what's next for both seasoned veterans? Diabate used his reach expertly early on in the fight. Utilizing long, straight punches, he kept Perosh at a distance to the point where he had absolutely nothing on his takedown attempts. He also threatened with left knee feints repeatedly to make the Aussie think twice about changing levels. Diabate easily stuffed Perosh's first legitimate takedown attempt, forcing his opponent to back out.  On Perosh's second effort, he actually flopped to his back after being denied and pulled guard. While "Hippo" has a respectable ground game, he had serious problems dealing with the veteran kickboxer's reach with his ground and pound. Notice how Diabate was able to drop hammer strikes on Perosh from above with near impunity because his arms are so ridiculously long. By the time Perosh finally got to his feet, his face was pretty busted up. Now even more confident, Diabate threw a heavy body kick that landed with a sickening "thwack" but undeterred, Perosh caught the leg and used it to score a takedown at the end of the round but couldn't do much with it. In round two, however, Diabate again came in way too aggressively with hooks and Perosh ducked them, taking him down this time with over four minutes to work. Gaining confidence, Perosh slid both legs over "The Snake's" open guard and gained a huge pass directly into mount. The fact that he was able to utilize this guard pass proved Diabate's weakness on the canvas. From here, Perosh began aggressively attacking, looking for strikes or submissions and constantly transitioning from mount to the back with near impunity. After defending Perosh's attack from mount and the back for nearly two minutes, Diabate began to fade and Perosh opened up an avenue of attack by dropping big ground and pound strikes. These right and left hooks from behind  allowed him to flatten out the Frenchman (Perhaps turning "The Snake" into a tapework) and eventually securing a fight-ending rear naked choke submission. For Cyrille Diabate, this bout proved that he still has a long ways to go before he's a complete mixed martial artist. His inability to get back to his feet at all clearly showed the blueprint for defeating him for the remainder of his career. He's now 2-2 in the UFC with both victories coming after being allowed to stand with his opponent and both losses coming via submission. At 38 years old, there's probably not much fight left in the veteran kickboxer but if he sticks around, perhaps an interesting opponent would be someone like Eliot Marshall or maybe Fabio Maldonado. For Anthony Perosh, sure, he's probably not going to ever be an impact player in the 205 pound weight class, but he's now won two fights in a row and has clearly earned another fight, this time against a more well-rounded opponent. Perhaps a fight against someone like Brandon Vera would make sense. There are also possibilities against the likes of Stanislav Nedkov or the upcoming winner of the Ryan Bader vs. Jason Brilz bout. So what did you think, Maniacs? Were you surprised that Diabate was upset by the grappling prowess of Perosh? Is Perosh your "feel good" story of UFC 138? Sound off! For complete UFC 138 results, including blow-by-blow, fight-by-fight coverage of the entire pay-per-view (PPV) event as well as immediate post-fight reaction click here, here and here. All gifs by Zombie Prophet via IronForgesIron.com.

Posted in: ufc, fight, opponent, perosh, diabate

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LAS VEGAS -- One of the most consistent fighters on the MMA circuit, Vancouver native John Alessio has taken on some of the toughest opponents in virtually every organization that matters.

Posted in: silva, opponent, vega, alessio, john alessio

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When he made his debut by losing in embarrassing fashion to James Thompson at PRIDE 30, who would have ever guessed that Alexandru Lungu would have ended up as a pioneer of awesome technique? And when we witness the fact that his body contains enough whale blubber to light up New York City in 1850, who would guess that it is precisely the epic fatness of his massive breasts that are the source of his great power? Lungu has now finished three of his eight wins with a move uniquely suited to his 6’0”, 360lb frame: the flabby boob smother. Here is how the move goes: Step 1: Execute a takedown and secure full mount. Step 2: Mash your gigantic tits into your opponent’s face, not allowing him access to air. Step 3: Don’t concern yourself with whether your opponent’s arm is across your head in arm triangle position or whether he believes he is not in any danger because he has an over-under grip on your arms. The goal is to make your opponent drown by sucking down a lungful of your funbags. Step 4: Wrap your arms around your opponent’s head from above the shoulders and further grind your honkers into his unfortunate face. Step 5: Profit!!! As if it wasn’t cool enough that he now walks out wearing freshly-hunted fur and carrying a giant sword, here are three videos of Lungu executing this masterful technique on victims who cannot cope with the battlefield superiority of three barrels’ worth of pork fat. Students of grappling, take heed: read more

Posted in: technique, opponent, arm, step, lungu

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LAS VEGAS – Prior to their fight at UFC 137, Bart Palaszewski issued an edict to opponent Tyson Griffin...

Posted in: ufc, opponent, palaszewski, bart, edict

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If scientists were somehow able to mate a Brazilian Muay Thai expert with an M60 battle tank, the Frankenstein-like creation would surely resemble Thiago Alves. He made his UFC debut in late 2005 but it wasn't until a year later that he really began to gain steam in the welterweight division. En route to a title shot against Georges St. Pierre at UFC 100, the Braziian rattled off seven straight wins, five of them coming within the distance and in quick, brutal fashion. One such win was against Hall of Famer and former long-time 170-pound kingpin Matt Hughes. It was a fight that signified a changing of guards from the early modern era of mixed martial arts (MMA) that Hughes represented to today's fighters who train full-time with excellent partners at world class facilities. Once seen as the future of the welterweight division, "The Pitbull" has fallen on hard times as of late, losing three of his last four. At UFC 138, he aims to get back on track towards a second title shot when he takes on Octagon debutee Papy Abedi. Before he does, we'll take a look at one of the biggest wins of his career, the UFC 85 headliner against Hughes. Alves rocketed himself to the upper echelon on the 170-pound division with that knockout, a position he eagerly hopes to return to. Without further adieu... After losing his first two professional fights in his native Brazil, Alves went on a tear, losing only once in his next nine bouts. It was enough to catch the UFC's eye and at Ultimate Fight Night 2, he -- along with opponent Spencer Fisher -- made his debut inside the Octagon. Fisher would emerge victorious that night but it wasn't long before "The Pitbull" found himself back in the win column. Two quick stoppages at UFC 56 and 59 thrilled fans and added an element of stand-up intrigue in a division that had long been dominated by wrestlers. The Brazilian then ran into a brick wall in the shape of Jon Fitch, earning himself the distinction of being the only fighter the American Kickboxing Academy product has finished inside the Octagon by strikes. Having split his first four UFC bouts, "The Pitbull" knew these kind of performances wouldn't get him any closer to the top of the mountain.  Beginning at the impromptu Ortiz vs. Shamrock 3 event, the Brazilian made it clear that no fighter would stand in his way. In the next 18 months, five fighters -- including Chris Lytle and Karo Parisyan -- would fall victim to Alves' newfound focus. The streak put him on the right track towards a title shot. Unexpectedly, a litany of injuries and fight cancellations for UFC 85 led the Dana White and company to ask Matt Hughes and Alves to step in one short notice to headline the overseas card. Both agreed knowing that a win could propel either one of them into contention.  Full speed ahead. Alves takes the center of the Octagon with Hughes circling the perimeter. The former champion shoots in half a minute in but is stuffed by the Brazilian. A second takedown is also stuffed and Alves is able to throw a knee to the chest as they clinch. Hughes keeps his opponent close and muscles him to the cage but "The Pitbull" is able to drop the American onto his back, landing some nice ground and pound before getting back to his feet. The strikes have already opened Hughes up. The Brazilian slips a hook and nearly cracks his opponent across the jaw with a counter. He does, however, connect with a another devastating knee to the body before Hughes wraps up the leg and drops Alves to the mat. Stuck in his opponent's half-guard, Hughes elbows the ribs and thighs in an effort to pass to side mount. Alves struggles to get his velcro-like opponent off of him but this isn't the former champ's first rodeo. On top of his opponent, landing elbows and punches has long been the country boy's bread and butter. But with half a minute remaining, the Brazilian is able to get back to his feet albeit being pressed up against the cage. Attached to his opponent's right leg, Hughes swings Alves around for a takedown but the young welterweight is able to keep his balance and use the momentum to escape the attempt. Hughes dives back in for a double but in an impressive showing of strength, Alves whips his opponent over and onto his back. In the closing seconds of the opening round, "The Pitbull" is able to land a handful of good punches while in his opponent's guard. The second round starts and almost immediately Hughes throws the same looping hook that Alves was able to slip in the first. And once again, the Brazilian counters forcing the former champion to shoot in. In the blink of an eye, "The Pitbull" rockets a knee towards his opponent's skull that not only rocks him but busts him open as well. The American abandons the takedown attempt and falls onto his back and it seems like Alves can sense the end is nigh. He dives in, throwing punch after punch, bloodying up his opponent even more. Hughes is able to scramble and gets back to his knees, trying to reverse position on "The Pitbull." Alves is having none of that and squirms his legs out of the attempt and then sidesteps a second, more desperate, attempt. The Brazilian backs up, allowing Hughes to get back to his feet. Once he does, the Muay Thai tank soars through the air and connects with flying knee flush on the Hall of Famer's chin. The blow forces the American to the mat and the weight of Alves dropping down on him torques his knee in a completely unnatural fashion. A follow-up punch forces the referee to stop the bout. Alves all but got on his knees for a title shot -- although he probably should have since it had worked in the past for "GSP" -- following the win and asked UFC head honcho Dana White for a bout against "Rush." A combination of Alves' failure to make weight and the eagerness to pull the trigger on a St. Pierre/B.J. Penn superfight led to "The Pitbull" being booked opposite Diego Sanchez at UFC 90. "The Nightmare" dropped out due to injury and fellow The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) alum Josh Koscheck took his place. Alves made weight and beat "Kos," all but securing an opportunity to vie for the title. He came up short against the French-Canadian at UFC's centennial event and hasn't been able to find his rhythm since. He once again missed weight at UFC 117 and subsequently lost his rematch with Fitch. He bounced back against Jon Howard four months later only to be bested by Rick Story this past May at UFC 130. Does "The Pitbull" have it in him to claw back towards the top of the welterweight ladder? Or has his time in sun past? What do you think, Maniacs?

Posted in: ufc, hughe, opponent, alve, pitbull

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Of the four losses Nick Diaz has suffered inside the Octagon, one was handed to him by a future champion and two came from emerging title contenders. And each time he came up short, not once did the fight end within the distance. During his initial stint in the UFC -- when Diaz wasn't knocking his opponents out or submitting them -- he proved impossible to finish, going toe to toe with his opponents from bell to bell. Fights with Sean Sherk, Diego Sanchez, and Joe Riggs all went to the judges as each of those opponents figured out how to earn a win against the Stockton native but couldn't solve the riddle of how to beat him. Another such bout was against vaunted judoka Karo Parisyan. "The Heat" has fallen on hard times as of late but during the mid-2000s, the Armenian was an impressive force in the promotion's welterweight division. He was even set to challenge Matt Hughes for the 170-pound title but suffered an injury in training camp. Pariysan and Diaz's bout at UFC 49 wasn't even booked for the main card but the two still managed to tear the house down and at the end of 15 minutes, Parisyan was able to score a split decision over his opponent. Over half a decade later, a Georges St. Pierre knee injury has placed Diaz in the main event of next week's (Oct. 29) UFC 137 event so in honor of his bout with B.J. Penn, we'll take a look at Diaz's 2004 classic. Don't be scared, homie. Of the four losses Nick Diaz has suffered inside the Octagon, one was handed to him by a future champion and two came from emerging title contenders. And each time he came up short, not once did the fight end within the distance. During his initial stint in the UFC -- when Diaz wasn't knocking his opponents out or submitting them -- he proved impossible to finish, going toe to toe with his opponents from bell to bell. Fights with Sean Sherk, Diego Sanchez, and Joe Riggs all went to the judges as each of those opponents figured out how to earn a win against the Stockton native but couldn't solve the riddle of how to beat him. Another such bout was against vaunted judoka Karo Parisyan. "The Heat" has fallen on hard times as of late but during the mid-2000s, the Armenian was an impressive force in the promotion's welterweight division. He was even set to challenge Matt Hughes for the 170-pound title but suffered an injury in training camp. Pariysan and Diaz's bout at UFC 49 wasn't even booked for the main card but the two still managed to tear the house down and at the end of 15 minutes, Parisyan was able to score a split decision over his opponent. Over half a decade later, a Georges St. Pierre knee injury has placed Diaz in the main event of next week's (Oct. 29) UFC 137 event so in honor of his bout with B.J. Penn, we'll take a look at Diaz's 2004 classic. Don't be scared, homie. Going into the bout, Diaz had a flawless Octagon record at two wins and no losses. The completion of his regional scene trilogy with Jeremy Jackson earned him the first victory and his amazing knockout over Robbie Lawler scored him the second. In a time before the 170-pound division was considered "GSPLand," three wins in the division could equal a title shot. On the opposite side of the cage, "The Heat" had split his first two fights in the UFC. He won his debut but lost his next tilt to a another debuting fighter, a hip hop-loving French-Canadian you may or may not have heard of. That late summer evening in Las Vegas, the Armenian was looking to get back to his winning ways while the Brazilian jiu-jitsu (BJJ) player was dead set on getting his third straight Octagon victory. Let's dive right on in. "The Heat" immediately takes the center of the cage and clinches with his opponent. Seconds later, the judoka is able to slam Diaz to the mat. No stranger to grappling himself, the Cesar Gracie product gets right back to his feet. Pressed up against the cage by his Armenian opponent, Diaz searches for a kimura which he soon finds. To defend, Parisyan straightens his arm out and drops his opponent to the mat. He keeps his composure and is able to free himself from the submission before ending up on his feet, trying to avoid upkicks from Diaz. "The Heat" wades in with ground and pound a couple of times and ends up in his opponent's half-guard. As Diaz jockeys Parisyan back to full guard, the Armenian drops elbows across the Stockton native's jaw. They get back to their feet and Diaz flips the script on Parisyan, dropping him to the mat. Like a skipping record, they once again end up on their feet but are almost immediately back to the mat courtesy of a Parisyan takedown. The judoka is able to nullify his opponent's guard for a while and lands effective ground and pound. Back to their feet, Diaz begins to take control. His boxing is crisper, more refined. He is able to score with two nice knees from a Thai clinch before the round expires. "The Heat" starts the second with a takedown but is quickly swept by the BJJ player. Diaz is able to take his opponent's back but Parisyan locks on a kimura during a scramble. The Stockton fighter drops to the mat and once again takes the judoka's back before Parisyan is able to slide him off and get to his feet, landing a solid knee in the process. We're one minute in. They clinch up against the cage with Diaz landing good punches and knees to the body. They break apart and Diaz begins to push the pace. He stalks his opponent and opens up with his hands, perhaps sensing fatigue sweeping over Parisyan. Takedown attempt after attempt are shrugged off by the Cesar Gracie fighter as he punishes the judoka with his striking, busting his nose up. To give the Armenian credit, he's busted Diaz open as well. Parisyan is finally able to get his opponent to the mat but with only seconds remaining. The final round opens up and the two begin swinging like wild men. Cooler heads -- at least on Parisyan's side -- prevail and "The Heat" secures a takedown early. Diaz nearly locks on a triangle a couple of times and even another kimura but Parisyan's submission defense combined with sweat and fatigue help the Armenian survive. The fighters are stood up as Parisyan's mouthpiece needed to be rinsed off and upon the restart, Diaz immediately finds himself once again on his back. He attempts to scramble, throw up submission, anything he can but Parisyan proves to be too much.  Two judges shared scorecards that read 29-28 although each had a different fighter coming out ahead. The third judge scored each round for "The Heat," which earned him the split decision. Since then Parisyan has slowly and painfully fallen out of relevance while Diaz has found himself nearly atop the 170-pound world. He's a polarizing figure in mixed martial arts (MMA) circles due to his actions -- inside and outside the cage -- and how others quantify what he does. He is either "the greatest man to ever live" -- as MMA Nation's Jonathan Snowden once opined -- or an over-ranked fighter with next to no takedown defense who has been fed a steady stream of mid-tier opposition. At UFC 137 -- against future Hall of Famer B.J. Penn -- we'll find out which on which side of the fence he ends up landing.

Posted in: ufc, diaz, opponent, heat, parisyan

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Two injuries have prompted some changes to the UFC's November schedule. After an injury to UFC 138 opponent John Hathaway, Matt Brown now has agreed to fight replacement Seth Baczynski at UFC 139. Additionally, Oli Thompson is injured, and his UFC 138 opponent Phil De Fries has verbally agreed to fight fellow English heavyweight Rob Broughton at the event.

Posted in: ufc, fight, opponent, injury, oli thompson

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Who doesn't like a great surprise? Whether it be something as small as finding a five-spot in an old pair of jeans or having your friends and family hide in a darkened apartment on your birthday, getting something you didn't expect is one of life's simplest joys. It puts a smile on your face as unexpected as the surprise itself. That's exactly how mixed martial arts (MMA) fans across the globe felt when they saw Nick Diaz take on Robbie Lawler at UFC 47. Diaz entered the bout as a highly-touted Brazilian jiu-jitsu (BJJ) purple belt who had won half his bouts -- including his Octagon debut -- by submission. Lawler had the reputation of being the kind of guy who would put his opponent to sleep if they were brave -- or dumb -- enough to trade with him. Diaz should have tried to take Lawler down immediately. He should have started working towards a submission as quickly as possible. He should have avoided exchanging with his headhunting opponent entirely. The problem was no one mentioned any of this to Diaz. The bad boy from Stockton steps inside the Octagon next Saturday (Oct. 29) opposite B.J. Penn in the co-main event of UFC 137. It's a fight that could determine if the former Strikeforce champ regains the welterweight title shot he lost for skipping out on a press conference when booked against Georges St. Pierre. But before he clashes with "The Prodigy," let's take a look back at Diaz's surprising victory against Lawler back in 2004. Let's go! The main event of the card was the long awaited bout between Chuck Liddell and Tito Ortiz. While that fight didn't disappoint by any means, it was the the undercard scrap between Diaz and Lawler that was the most impressive. This was the first glimpse of the fighter that Diaz would eventually grow into. On full display was the middle of the fight taunting, the trash talk, and the pitter patter boxing that seemingly doesn't inflict any damage but puts opponents on the mat time after time. Even more impressive than the performance itself is the fact that Diaz was only 20-years old when he faced off against Lawler. Let's take a closer look. Immediately, Diaz begins the verbal assault. He takes the center of the Octagon and pressures Lawler into circling around, something the young striker isn't used to. Diaz sticks his chin out and his arms up, taunting "Ruthless" and perhaps baiting him into entering an exchange Diaz knows he will win. A punch from Lawler misses and gets countered before the two begin to trade punchs. Neither fighter is landing flush, though. Diaz is hesitant to commit himself completely knowing full well the power at Lawler's disposal. Lawler seems hesitant simply because he -- along with everyone else watching -- is completely caught off-guard by Diaz's strategy. All the takedown defense training "Ruthless" did to prepare for his bout with the BJJ wiz suddenly seemed pointless. Midway through the first, Diaz attempts a half-hearted shoot that Lawler easily stuffs it and the two begin to grind against the cage. Diaz hits "Ruthless" with a few shoulder shots before breaking apart with 90 seconds remaining in the opening round. It was the first -- and only -- inkling of grappling in the bout. Again, immediately upon the break, Diaz continues the mental warfare he's been waging since the opening bell. Lawler finally makes his play and connects with a solid right hook that likely sent shockwaves through Diaz's body. A flying knee from the Miletich Fighting Systems product cracks Diaz in the sternum. Having weathered the storm, the BJJ player continues to keep the pressure up. Considering the blows he just took, it's incredible to see Diaz not backing off one bit. The second round opens up almost exactly like the first did. Diaz pushes the pace, takes the center of the cage, and verbally taunts his opponent. For a minute and a half, the Stockton-native does this, never once hinting at a takedown attempt. Then, Lawler wades in with a combination that Diaz mostly blocks. His head down but his eyes up, Diaz shoots a counter right hook that pops "Ruthless" right on the chin. He stiffens up before crashing down like a redwood Diaz's homestate are known for. Tumbling around on the mat before getting to his feet and staggering backwards, "Ruthless" was the victim of a picture perfect counter. To this day, it remains Lawler's only knockout loss. Lawler is visibly disappointed in the result while the Cesar Gracie fighter gets lifted by his corner which included a baby-faced Nate Diaz.  It was the biggest victory in the young welterweight's career up to that point and arguably remains his biggest inside the Octagon.  Will that change next Saturday?

Posted in: diaz, bout, opponent, lawler, bjj player

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Photo via UFC.com UFC 136: "Edgar vs. Maynard III" was headlined by two title fights, but it was earlier on the main card where the grappling factored into four men’s futures. With such a top-heavy card featuring Lightweight Champion Frankie Edgar and undefeated top contender Gray Maynard meeting for the third time, along with Featherweight Champion Jose Aldo looking to defend his crown against veteran and perennial contender Kenny Florian, it was a surprise that the other fights even had a chance to shine. In one bout we saw a former contender coming back from a long, drama-filled layoff to take on one of the brightest new contenders in the middleweight division. Veteran and always gritty Chael Sonnen would face off against young and explosive former WEC champion Brian Stann in what many had assumed would be to decide who would fight Anderson Silva in early 2012. In the other main card contest, the fans were treated to a match-up pitting two young fighters with loads of experience against each other. The lethal striking of Melvin Guillard stood in the middle of the Octagon with submission ace Joe Lauzon in a fight that many believed was to showcase Guillard on his way to a title shot. Submission fans throughout MMA could breathe a happy sigh of relief after the two fights. For more on that, follow me after the jump. Many analysts, fans and media alike pegged Melvin Guillard to win his fight with the heavy underdog Joe Lauzon. They were under the assumption that Lauzon, on a roller coaster ride since 2008, would succumb to the fireball that was the five-fight win streak of Guillard’s. Even though Lauzon was 4-3 in his last seven, many discounted that three of his four wins were "Submission of the Night" and three of the remaining four fights during that span were awarded "Fight of the Night" despite being losses. Lauzon would be the fighter who was looking to get the fight to the ground to avoid the heavy, lethal hands of Guillard, but not many predicted he would get it to the ground with his own striking. A big left hand rocked and wobbled Guillard and Lauzon would force the dazed fighter to the ground and into his realm of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. Before we start, let me first give a thank you to Zombie Prophet for the .gifs. Check out his site (Ironforgesiron.com) -- he has .gifs and videos of fights up faster than anyone else on the net. It all happens very quickly. Lauzon lands a solid blow as Guillard throws without any real defense to protect his chin. Guillard is rocked and Lauzon gets top position as Guillard loses his legs and drops to the mat. Lauzon wastes no time while atop Guillard in his sprawl position as he swings around and takes the back of his opponent. Melvin tries to grab onto wrist control on the left wrist of Lauzon to attempt and prevent any sort of choke. He even grabs the wrist with both hands at one point. Lauzon still moves to the back and immediately sinks in the hooks and establishes back control. Lauzon uses his legs to over throw Guillard to a much more prime position, he uses one leg to spread the one side of Guillard and with that momentum his other leg pushes off to fully gain that back control. He fishes his hands to find the choke and briefly gets into a mini-fight for hand control. Lauzon wins and sinks the choke underneath the chin and from their it was fundamental as he uses his legs/hooks to torque down on the lower half of Guillard and the choke itself to torque up on the upper body. The squeeze is tight and Guillard has two options, submit or go to sleep. Lauzon secures the tap-out victory. And just like that, Guillard possibly one fight away from a title shot, shoots down the ladder and a fighter not considered a contender gets catapulted up the rankings with a breath of new hope in what had been a mediocre few years. From my breakdown on the rear naked choke: The technique involves wrapping one arm around the opponent’s neck so that the inside of your elbow is placed against his throat. By doing this, you will have put your bicep against one side of his neck and your forearm against the other side of the neck. From there you have two options for sinking in the choke and applying the pressure needed for the submission. You can place the hand of the arm you have wrapped around the neck on the bicep of the other arm and the hand of the other arm on the back of the opponents head. From there you hug your arms together and push out with your chest. The pressure of pushing his head into the pulling of your forearm will provide the pressure. And having the hooks mentioned previously will allow you to stretch out your opponent making it even tighter and allowing less oxygen for your opponent. So to recap the simple steps of the rear naked choke are to first gain back mount. Pass your arm around the front of the neck until your opponents neck is in the crook of the point of the 90 degree angle your bent elbow makes. Bend the other arm so that it is behind the back of your opponents neck or as close as possible. In a technical aspect your forearm should be directly behind the neck to be as tight as possible. Now place the hand of the arm holding the neck through the bracing arm and wrap it around your bicep. This will not only help in pressure but give you very effective control to hold the choke in place. In another bout with title implications, the very tough and grinding Chael Sonnen would look to get back into the mix after a 14-month layoff since his 20+ minute beatdown on current Champion Anderson Silva. In what was Silva’s toughest fight to date in the UFC, Sonnen gave it all he had, landing nearly 300 punches before succumbing to the triangle choke. Stann on the flip side has been active since then, going 3-0 in all three of his middleweight bouts. Stann finished Chris Leben and Jorge Santiago with strikes making his 2011 noteworthy and knocking on the door of a title shot. Many believed the younger, more athletic and powerful Stann would be able to defeat the ring-rusted veteran. That theory went out the window almost immediately.   In less than eight minutes of fighting, Chael Sonnen would land 106 strikes on Stann while going 4-6 on takedowns. He would pass into dominant position eight times including the final time that led to the victory in the clip above. As you can see he has trapped the right arm snug to the head of Stann with his own head and his right arm is connected tightly to his left. From my fanpost on the arm triangle: The arm triangle choke is a blood choke submission that basically leaves your opponent strangled between their own shoulder and your arm. Similar to that of the traditional triangle choke which is performed by the legs. That choke is very similar to that of the arm triangle. The choke can also be a side choke. From the side of your opponent using your forearm along with your opponent's own outstretched arm and shoulder, you will cut off the air and blood flow to your opponent. You also want to squeezes a forearm into your opponent's neck to better accomplish the submission. If done effectively the choke will take just moments to take effect because of its ability to cut off the blood flow on both sides of the neck. With both sides and arteries cut off, it will be seconds before the tap out comes or your opponent falls unconscious. As you can see on the clip above, Chael has the arm and head trapped within the arm triangle but he is sitting on the wrong side of side control. To finish from there it would take a high amount of energy and unreal power. While possible, it is highly unlikely. Chael makes it look real easy when he simply hops over the torso of Stann into the opposite side control where it becomes very easy to finish the hold. The reason that this is so easy is that Stann is looking to plant his feet on the cage to explode from beneath Chael Sonnen. Bad timing and overall just bad luck to have your feet ready to escape -- only to have your opponent sink the choke tighter simultaneously. Stann tries to fight through it as Sonnen abandons cutting the angle and just uses his leverage and power to really dig deep the shoulder into the choke. Stann has his arm pinned in defense of the choke but it really is only a matter of time before the tap comes and Sonnen is once again the top contender in the middleweight division. The submissions were few from UFC 136 but they were also very crucial to the winners as they both made huge statements in their respective division. Sound off Maniacs, were you impressed with the ease Sonnen beat Stann and Lauzon upset Guillard?

Posted in: fight, opponent, arm, guillard, lauzon

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Several European fans feel that as far as the global expansion of Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is concerned, they usually get the short end of the stick. That's because fight cards across the pond have in the past lacked the big name stars like Georges St. Pierre or Brock Lesnar. And the last time a title was defended in England was at UFC 95 way back in 2009.  Next month's card in Birmingham, England, is headlined by Mark Munoz and Chris Leben, a fight that will no doubt be competitive, but lacks the same pizzaz that UFC 137: "St. Pierre vs. Condit" and UFC 139: "Shogun vs. Henderson" command. But what United Kingdom shows lack in star power, they make up for in excellent matchmaking. One such example was Tyson Griffin's tilt with Clay Guida at UFC 72: "Victory." When the Octagon rolled into Belfast, northern Ireland, for the first time ever, Griffin and "The Carpenter" gave them a show that they wouldn't soon forget. Title fights? Crossover stars? The two lightweights proved that they aren't necessary to put on a exciting performances that stand the test of time. Griffin now plies his wares in the featherweight division -- his next fight being at UFC 137 against Bart Palaszewski -- but he had some memorable fights during his stint at 155 pounds, his bout with Guida possibly being the best of them. Let's take a closer look at the action-packed bout: It took place in June 2007 when the promotion was already in full swing with its lightweight renaissance after the division was in hibernation for the better part of two years. Fighters like Griffin and Guida complemented other top 155-pound talent like Frankie Edgar and Kenny Florian. Combined with The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) 5 and its all-lightweight cast, the little guys were finally getting their due inside the Octagon. Since the reappearance of the 155-pound division at UFC 58, a fight from the weight class has either won or been in contention for "Fight of the Year" every single time ballots were cast. And with fights like the one Griffin and Guida had, it shouldn't come as any kind of surprise. Let's dive into this Northern Ireland slugfest! The two lightweights circle the center of the Octagon and the first exchange comes half a minute into the fight. "The Carpenter" shoots in and after a scramble, he is able to get a hold of one of Griffin's legs. Balancing like a 13-year old Chinese gymnast, the X-treme Couture fighter keeps himself from getting taken down. But, while Guida holds onto the leg, the two start trading punches, causing the Irish audience to erupt in applause. You'll never see Ben Rothwell doing something like that.  "The Caveman" grinds his opponent against the cage and lifts him up, but still can't get Griffin on his back. Finally, Guida is able to drop Griffin but finds himself on the business end of a guillotine choke. For nearly a minute, Griffin threatens with the submission until "The Carpenter" is able to pop his head out. Back on their feet, they begin to grapple and clinch up before Griffin takes Guida's back. Guida then grabs one of his opponent's legs and pulls it between his own, putting Griffin on his back. It's something I had never seen before or since. Less than a minute remaining in the first and the two separate and begin to exchange. Guida lands a stiff punch that catches Griffin flush. He responds in kind with an uppercut and a head kick that forces "The Carpenter" to shoot in for a takedown. Griffin opens up the second round with a flurry, but Guida wraps him up and begins to grind him against the cage. He botches a takedown, allowing Griffin to take the dominant position and then return to his feet. It's where Griffin has been find more success whereas "The Caveman" is getting the better of his opponent in the grappling portions of the fight. The two fighters clinch up and Griffin attempts a suplex, but can't get his opponent completely over. They scramble and Guida is able to secure a deep, deep kneebar. "Tap out" must be a phrase that Griffin never learned because instead of submitting to the career-threatening hold, he begins to wail away at Guida's ribcage with wide looping hooks that echo throughout the arena. The X-treme Couture fighter is able to get out of the submission, but gives up his back to his opponent. Getting to a vertical base and carrying the weight of Guida on his back, Griffin drops down and slams "The Carpenter's" face against the Octagon mat. Any normal man would have, at the very least, lost the position if not been not knocked out. But whoever accused Clay Guida of being normal? Still latched onto Griffin's back with a tight body triangle secured, he lands punches to the head and threatens a rear naked choke until the round ends. Going into the third and final round, both commentators split the first two rounds between both fighters. It's hard to argue with that belief. Both men are exchanging with nearly the same speed and power they had 10 minutes prior. Both of these men have cardio to spare, it seems. Ninety seconds in and "The Carpenter" manages to get Griffin to the mat and they end up in a pretzel. Griffin threatens with a heel hook, Guida slams his fist into his opponent's face a couple times. They scramble and eventually Guida ends up in half guard. He lands shoulder strikes and short hammer fists. Griffin, for his part, throws elbows from his back, knowing the the last minute and a half of the fight could determine who gets a win bonus and who goes home empty-handed. Less than a minute remaining and "The Carpenter" punishes his opponent with Georges St. Pierre-like knees to the body. The fight ends with Guida on top landing a flurry of ground and pound and then immediately helping his opponent to his feet. "The Carpenter" lifts his arms in the air and runs around the Octagon, while Griffin -- with a dejected look on his face -- makes his way to his corner. Imagine how shocked each fighter was when Griffin was awarded the split decision. It's a decision I can't agree with to this day, but it's very indicative of how the talent pool in the lightweight division stacks up against each other. The fights are highly competitive and depending on the day, a decision could go either way. It's amazing to think we were denied these fights in the UFC for several years. It's even more amazing that some people complain when they are featured at or near the top of fight cards, regardless of their locations across the world.

Posted in: ufc, fight, opponent, griffin, guida

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Rivalries. Perhaps the most compelling element of any sport. Whether it’s the New York Yankees and the Boston Red Sox, the Los Angeles Lakers and the Boston Celitics, Real Madrid and FC Barcelona, Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier or Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal, true sporting rivalries have a way of triggering a unique sense of passion and enthusiasm among the masses. This Saturday’s main event, which features the third chapter in the Frankie Edgar against Gray Maynard storybook, isn’t in the same league as those rivalries. In fact, in terms of interest, it isn’t in the same league as some of its MMA counterparts. However, when it is all said and done, the lightweight duo could well have ended up producing the highest quality of action out of any rivalry this sport has ever seen. Should the fight get past the ten-minute mark, Edgar and Maynard would have spent more time battling one another than any other pair in UFC history. Lightweight title fight: Frankie Edgar (c) vs. Gray Maynard Their first fight is one of the most misleading 30-27 scorecards you’re ever likely to encounter. That is not to say that it was erroneous, as Maynard could well have won every round, but the fight was far more competitive than the lopsided nature of that decision would have you believe. Little stock can be put in the events of that bout, especially given the dramatic improvements in each fighter’s overall skill sets since, particularly in their striking.. The deciding factor in their 2008 encounter was Maynard’s size and wrestling, which made a crucial difference late in the fight, as a tired Edgar struggled to cope with his opponent’s size, strength, and most importantly, his double leg takedown. What Edgar did show throughout that contest however, was his often overlooked ability to escape and get back to his feet after being taken down. Anytime a fighter comes up against an opponent whose wrestling could ostensibly pose some problems, having the ability to scramble back up is vital. The most telling aspect of their epic rematch at UFC 125 back in January, was in fact Edgar’s improvement in his wrestling, which was especially glaring given what transpired in their first fight. For the most part, and while neither fighter got particularly out-wrestled, it was Edgar who was getting the better of Maynard in the grappling aspect of the fight. The only round in which “The Bully” was able to muscle his opponent to the ground was the third, where he took Edgar down twice. The first time saw Edgar quickly pop back to his feet, while the second saw “The Answer” lock in a guillotine that coincided with the end of the round. To Maynard’s credit, he too was able to get back to his feet both times he was taken down, but he had far more takedown attempts that were outright stuffed by Edgar. That, in large part is due to the fact that despite the continuous progress in his MMA game as well as his imposing wrestling, Maynard still struggles to be unpredictable by mixing his striking with his takedowns. His shots tend to be somewhat telegraphed, and he relies on overpowering his opponent to the mat. Edgar on the other hand, excels at utilizing his boxing as well as plenty of feints before suddenly switching levels and driving a double leg through his opponent. It was that particular aspect of Edgar’s game that saw him decisively beat BJ Penn in their rematch at UFC 118, as the champion left Penn confused with constant movement, level changes, and sharp takedowns. Edgar’s ability to secure takedowns away from the cage is also noteworthy, and is another testament to the great improvement in his game. That said, where Maynard outshines Edgar in the wrestling department is when it comes to chain wrestling, as his transitions within a single takedown attempt are that of a seasoned wrestler. Maynard is especially good at transitioning from a single leg takedown to a double leg after pushing his opponent against the cage. However, Edgar’s footwork and constant movement will make it very hard for Maynard to get a firm grip on him in order to use those wrestling transitions. Footwork has been a key aspect in Edgar’s rise to the top to the lightweight division. Crucially, even when pressed, Edgar never backpedals in a straight line. Instead, he circles out and resets. That, above anything else, is what often makes him the ring general in his fights. Edgar uses that movement to throw kicks from the outside, close the distance, throw combinations, and get out before his opponent gets to counter. It was that approach that gave Penn plenty of fits in both their encounters. Edgar uses his jab and lead left hook to set the tempo of the fight, and the rest of his offense flows naturally. Moreover, he is extremely effective at using them to set up his right cross. Occasionally, Edgar will use a left hook to the body as a distraction before going over the top with his right hand. The mistake that Edgar did in the opening frame of their January bout was that he was so intent on circling away from his opponent’s power right hand, that he kept running into Maynard’s left hook, which is by far his best punch. The result was almost catastrophic for the champion, as Maynard did everything except separate him from consciousness in that first round. Maynard did a terrific job in close-quarters after having Edgar hurt, as he crushed him with brutal uppercuts that almost put him away. Ironically, the first round worked against Maynard as the fight progressed, as he became a little too trigger-happy, increasingly less composed with his boxing, and kept looking for that fight-ending shot which never came. This time around, he would be wise to stay calm at all times, and use his much-underrated jab and especially, left hook, to dictate proceedings. The five-round nature of the fight makes me lean towards Edgar, who is the more dynamic and better conditioned fighter. Maynard clearly started to fade in the final stages of their second bout, and while that was due to the tremendous effort he put in trying to end Edgar’s night in the first round, his opponent still looked the fresher of the two fighters despite the clobbering he received early on. Expect Edgar’s speed to be the difference between the two, in a competitive fight that will largely resemble the last four rounds of their classic bout in January. Official Prediction: Frankie Edgar to defeat Gray Maynard by Decision PHOTO CREDIT – UFC

Posted in: fight, round, opponent, edgar, maynard

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In studying Demetrious Johnson’s fights, Dominick Cruz noticed one mistake his opponents were making above all others.

Posted in: johnson, opponent, cruz, dominick cruz, control

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This Saturday night at UFC 136, Brian Stann enters the octagon against his toughest opponent to date, former UFC middleweight title contender Chael Sonnen. A former Marine, Stann shows no fear when he stands across from his opponent, a man who is looking to beat him into submission or stoppage. Having been put in tough situation and extreme circumstances during his time in the military, Stann describes a fight as, “a game of pick up basketball.” In his latest blog for FoxSports.com, Stann says, “I’ve never feared a fighter or a fight, and have only ever been concerned with whether I was truly good enough to get to the places I want to reach in this great sport of mixed martial arts.” Against Sonnen, “All American” will get to test his skills against the man who gave UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva the toughest fight of his UFC career, coming within two minutes of capturing belt before falling victim to a triangle choke. Undefeated in three middleweight bouts, Stann has been working a full-time job throughout his entire MMA career. That has changed while preparing for his showdown with Sonnen. “I’m no longer running out of the cage after practice to multiple conference calls and meetings. I’ve got people around me who can help me lead the charity organization that I run, Hire Heroes USA, which helps US veterans find employment after discharge, and I’ve stopped doing my corporate real estate job — and it’s been tremendous.” Now spending all of his moments focusing on MMA, Stann says, “I now have more time to watch films of my opponent, do one-on-one sessions with my coaches, recover more, train more and just immerse myself in the lifestyle of a professional fighter. Rather than try and cram a 30-hour workday into 24 hours, I now enjoy a far more manageable schedule and I can really focus on being a professional athlete, preparing the right meals and living the right life.” With his newfound time, Stann has found that spending all day in the gym might not be such a good thing for his body, saying, “My coaches get upset with me from time to time and are often trying to kick me out of the gym. I sometimes get into that dangerous cycle of getting tired and thinking it is best to train even harder, rather than allow my body to recover.” When he steps into the cage on October 8, the former WEC light heavyweight champion won’t be looking as his battle with Sonnen as a matter of “life or death.” To him, “professional fighting is just an athletic competition. It is a game.” He continued with, “What’s the worst that can happen in a fight? You might get beaten, stopped, knocked out or submitted. I’ve been through all that already.” While he promises no victory on Saturday, he does promise that, “I will fight to the absolute best of my ability — which is actually all we can control in there. “We cannot control what our opponent does, only our own actions,” said Stann. “Stepping into the Octagon with doubts or concerns about the fight or your opponent will only hold you back and prevent you from being the best fighter you can be at that moment. It really isn’t about who the best fighter is, it is about who fights best in that moment. Knowing that keeps me focused on exactly what I need to do to win my fight.” *PHOTO CREDIT – UFC*

Posted in: fight, time, opponent, sonnen, stann

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Properly hyped or not, tonight’s bantamweight title fight between Dominick Cruz and Demetrious Johnson offers both competitors the chance to make a name for themselves. Sadly, the matter of fact is, this bout would not have sold well had it headlined a PPV. As it stands, Cruz and Johnson will get to display their skills for a wider audience, which on the long run, can only be beneficial. Slowly but surely, Cruz has managed to put on quite the title run, having successfully defended his title three times, besting the likes of Joseph Benavidez, Scott Jorgensen, and Urijah Faber. Bantamweight title fight: Dominick Cruz vs. Demetrious Johnson In Johnson, Cruz faces arguably his fastest opponent to date. In fact, it is Johnson’s speed that has allowed him to compensate for the size disadvantage he suffers from in almost all of his fights. Johnson does extremely well to gauge distance for someone with his lack of reach. He uses his quickness and his sharp footwork to get in and out of his opponent’s range, and is actually surprisingly effective when he presses forward with combinations. He likes to finish most of his combinations with kicks, and will continuously look to throw single head kicks — particularly switch kicks — and use them to keep his opponent at bay. The leg kicks could be key for Johnson, as Cruz has proven that his chin is hard to find. Moreover, continuous leg kicks will allow Johnson to cut Cruz off and hamper his movement. The champion is a master at getting on the inside, landing, and emerging unscathed. As such, Johnson needs to stop him in his tracks before he gets to settle into a rhythm and start landing his combos and kicks. Kicks could come at a price for Johnson however, as he learned in his bout with Brad Pickett, where “Mighty Mouse” found himself repeatedly taken down off of kicks that his opponent was able to catch. Someone as savvy as Cruz will surely look to capitalize. Cruz has developed quite a unique and unorthodox style, which so far has proven to be tough to figure out. The irony lies in the fact that Cruz’s head movement and especially, footwork, are quite flawed as he continuously tends to tuck his head down a little too much, while also throwing before both foot are fully set on the mat. What Urijah Faber managed to do against Cruz is time a few counter right crosses after his opponent moves in within range. Moreover, Faber found some success when pressing Cruz, particularly in the striking. Johnson will surely look to do that, but his game is ultimately designed towards changing levels and securing the takedowns. Against Cruz, this has been almost impossible to achieve, as “The Dominator” has managed to shut down one wrestler after the other. Furthermore, his offensive wrestling has been instrumental in his success. He does a tremendous job at setting up his sharp kneetap with a 1-2 combo, and it always seems to catch his opponents off-guard. Johnson’s takedown defense isn’t bulletproof, but he’s extremely good at hip escaping and scrambling back to his feet. In the early going, he will likely prove very hard to hold down. However, one has to question whether Cruz’s size will eventually wear on him. And that highlights the real problem for Johnson: Not only is this a stylistically tough match-up for him as he is coming up against a better striker with great takedown defense and very good wrestling, but he is also at a significant size and reach disadvantage. Expect Cruz to do his thing: consistently land three punch combos, finish with kicks, switch levels, and put Johnson on his back. The challenger will have his moments, but it is unlikely to be enough to stop Cruz from scoring a decisive decision victory. Official prediction: Dominick Cruz to beat Demetrious Johnson by decision.

Posted in: johnson, opponent, demetrious johnson, cruz, dominick cruz

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Filed under: UFC, MMA Fighting ExclusiveFor the last four and a half years, the UFC light-heayvweight title has been a hot potato. Since that time, six different men have held it, and only two have managed to successfully defend it a single time before losing. One of those two is Saturday night's challenger, Quinton "Rampage" Jackson, who dethroned Chuck Liddell after a two-year reign at the top. At the time, Liddell was seemingly at the height of his powers. Though 37 years old then, he had finished seven straight opponents, and was installed as a massive favorite against Jackson. Of course, Jackson went on to upset him in a first-round knockout before successfully defending the belt against Dan Henderson, then lost it in a close split-decision to Forrest Griffin. At UFC 135, Jackson is back in the same role, a challenger facing long odds. The current lines have champion Jon Jones as much as a 7-to-1 favorite. That's a shocking number considering Jackson's pedigree and history of success. The belief in Jones as a lock to win stems from his dominant performances so far, the excitement that has crested during his quick rise to the top, and his perceived matchup advantages against Jackson. Chief among them is his reach. Jones will have nearly a one-foot reach advantage against Jackson, 84.5 inches to 73 inches. Given Jackson's tendencies to be a counter-fighter, he is bound to face some difficulties getting inside, where his hooks become his most dangerous weapons. Jones has the size and length to stand on the outside and batter away at Jackson's legs the same way Griffin did when he beat Jackson in 2008. Because Jackson rarely checks kicks, and seldom fires back kicks of his own (only 12.5 percent of his standing strikes are kicks, according to Compustrike), that's an area of major concern. By comparison, kicks account for 39 percent of Jones' standup strikes. Jones is also excellent at varying his areas of attack. He doesn't get caught up in head-hunting, as evidenced by his fight against Mauricio "Shogun" Rua, during which he softened up the then-champ with body shots throughout. That unpredictability is a key element of his success, but it also leaves openings. That's where Jackson hopes to make his stand. Jackson has always been a patient fighter, waiting for his opponent to commit to him before firing back. As proof, it's telling that during his UFC career, he's gone 7-2 despite the fact that his opponents have thrown 170 more combined strikes than him. That's fairly rare for a winning fighter, let alone a former champion. Being a counter-fighter causes you to pick your spots wisely, but it also leaves little room for error. Jackson is good at his style because he lands when he throws, connecting on 53 percent of standing strikes, an excellent ratio. But he's never faced anyone with Jones' reach, leaving questions about how effective his style can be here. If things aren't going well for Jackson, he might have to wade inside, where Jones has shown a strong clinch game, alternately using it to deliver punishment or score takedowns. He's manhandled most of his opponents from in tight, and Jackson has had issues there in the past, making it murky waters to navigate. All that leaves us with the same conclusion that everyone's had from the moment this fight was announced: Jackson's best chance of winning is hurting Jones with a hook. The odds suggest it is nearly impossible, but we must note that Jones has never faced anyone who fights like Jackson. Rua is the most similar opponent he's fought in terms of experience and power, but his style is quite different. Rua likes to come forward and be the aggressor, his standup is a Muay Thai blend, and he aggressively hunts the takedown. Jackson is none of those things. He's going to dare you to come to him, he values his hands above all his weapons, and he avoids the ground at all costs. Despite the fact that Jackson hasn't had a knockout in his last four fights, he's dropped three of the four with punches, so to suggest his power isn't there is misleading. If Jones comes in with his chin untucked, or if Jackson finds the money spot, he's still capable of a finish. Jones has never really been in any kind of trouble, and he's never really been hit square. That is due to his own defensive abilities, but the fact remains that we can't be certain about how he'll take a big punch. The biggest area of concern for Jackson is on the ground. Jackson has very good submission defense, but he never threatens from the bottom and struggles to return to his feet. Meanwhile, Jones has become a killer on top, utilizing his length and leverage to generate some of the most brutal elbow strikes in the game. If Jones can continually put Jackson on his back, Jackson has big trouble. Jackson doesn't have the multi-pronged offensive approach that can shake a still young fighter. Once Jones gets his timing down, as his comfort level in evading Jackson's counterpunches grows, the odds will grow longer for Jackson. To say he has virtually no shot as the current odds indicate is untrue. His punching power is still there, his hands are still relatively quick, his punches are tight, and he's got experience on his side. But a lot of what he does should play right into Jones' hands. He's going to let Jones throw first, which is bad. He might counterstrike his way into Jones' clinch, which is bad. And any attempt to get inside might lead to a clinch and/or takedown, both of which are bad. Jones has many more ways to win, and I think he wears down the challenger over time with leg kicks, body shots and ground work. Jackson has always been a durable fighter, and that will be put to the test here, because there will be plenty of stuff coming at him. Jones via fourth-round TKO. Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Posted in: ufc, jone, jackson, opponent, strike

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It's pretty rude to address a person that took the time to analyze 12,000 MMA fights as 'some guy.' His name is Vik Singh, and his official title is 'some guy that is a glutton for data mining.' In short, he took a database of 11,886 fight records and fed them into a supercomputer to identify any trends with winning and losing an MMA bout. He extracted a gargantuan amount of information, and it seems like he will use this data to make an absurd amount of money in online betting. You can check out his scientific blog right here to see what he intends to do with this data, but check out the extraordinary facts he discovered in his arm-chair mathematical experiment. [Source] Top UFC Insights Fighters older than 32 years of age will more likely lose This was validated in 173 out of 277 (62%) fights*   Fighters who have won 3x or more decisions than their opponent will more likely win This was validated in 142 out of 235 (60%) fights*   Fighters younger than their opponents by 3 or more years in age will more likely win This was validated in 165 out of 278 (59%) fights*   Fighters who haven’t fought in more than 210 days will more likely lose This was validated in 162 out of 276 (59%) fights*   Fighters taller than their opponents by 3% will more likely win This was validated in 159 out of 274 (58%) fights*   Fighters who have lost less by submission than their opponents will more likely win This was validated in 75 out of 119 (63%) fights*   Fighters who have lost 6 or more fights will more likely lose This was validated in 172 out of 291 (60%) fights*   Fighters who have lost 2 or more KOs will more likely lose This was validated in 54 out of 84 (64%) fights*   Fighters from Japan are more likely to lose This was validated in 36 out of 51 (71%) fights*   Fighters with a wrestling background vs fighters who don’t have one more likely win This was validated in 72 out of 122 (60%) fights   Top Insights over All Fights   Fighters currently on a 3 fight (or better) winning streak will more likely win This was validated in 1172 out of 1884 (62%) fights*   Fighters with 3x or more wins than their opponents will more likely win This was validated in 1395 out of 2387 (58%) fights*   Fighters who have lost 7 or more times will more likely lose This was validated in 1305 out of 2299 (57%) fights*   Fighters with no jiu jitsu in their background versus fighters who do have it more likely lose This was validated in 334 out of 568 (59%) fights*   Fighters who have lost by submission 5 or more times will more likely lose This was validated in 580 out of 986 (59%) fights*   Fighters in the Middleweight division who fought their last fight more recently will more likely win This was validated in 272 out of 446 (61%) fights*   Fighters in the Lightweight division fighting 6 foot tall fighters (or higher) will more likely win This was validated in 50 out of 83 (60%) fights

Posted in: fight, guy, fighter, opponent,   fighters

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Strikeforce light heavyweight prospect Lorenz Larkin won't lie. Getting a new opponent a week before fight...

Posted in: strikeforce, lorenz larkin, opponent, opponent switch, lorenz

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UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones isn't much of a talker. "Bones" won the title from Mauricio Rua this past March at UFC 128 and he believe his actions in the cage, where he demolished the then-champion over the course of three rounds, speak far louder than words ever could. So how would he respond when an opponent insults him or gets in his head? Viewers of UFC Fight Night 25 got a glimpse this past Saturday night when both Jones and his upcoming UFC 135 opponent, Quinton "Rampage" Jackson, were interviewed at the same time by Joe Rogan to help hype up their fight. Jackson was by far the more aggressive interviewee and looked like he was really trying to fluster the young champion. Jones explained the situation during today's UFC 135 media conference call: "Maybe because I took the backseat to the conversation. I'm very aware of why I'm here. I'm not here to show I'm better at arguing, talking or insulting. That's not my mission. If I had it my way, I'd do as very little media as possible but this stuff is mandatory. You're talking about an opponent that threatens and harasses every opponent in his history. I'll let him talk and have his fun and make me look like the scared one but I'll show him in the Octagon on the 24th." While most of Jackson's talk has been easy to ignore, Jones admits that there was one thing in particular that has him riled up. "The only thing that bothered me originally was the spygate situation. Not the accusation specifically but that the fans believed that I would actually pay someone to go to his camp and watch him and report to me. I'm aware of the character that I'm up against and it will make me better in the future. I have opponents in the future that will be big talkers as well and this will make me a better champion." "Bones" has fought 14 times professionally compared to Jackson's 40 and has fought for just over three years compared to Jackson's 12 but this isn't the first time he's had to deal with someone trying to get in his head. He vividly remembered the last time an opponent had harsh words for him before a bout 19 months prior. "The only other time was when I fought Brandon Vera. He had said "Jon Jones thinks he's the second coming of Jesus Christ." At the weigh-ins I got out of character and he got under my skin a little bit. People that anger me, it definitely make me fight better. It makes me fight better because I prepare better. I try not to insult my opponent. I just say things that I believe to be true. I don't want to make comments that could come back and bite me so I try to not speak too much when it comes to insults and just focus on training. I don't have any anger heading into this fight. I just know what I'm up against. The awareness helps me keep my composure." Vera's trash talk didn't seem to phase Jones, as he elbowed his way to victory in just over three minutes while barely getting scratched in one of his most dominant career performances. Will this time out against Jackson be any different? Do you think Jones' performance in the verbal warfare will have any impact come fight night? Or will he ignore the distractions and defend his belt? Sound off, Maniacs!

Posted in: ufc, fight, jone, jackson, opponent

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