Thursday, September 27, 2007

UFC 77: Big Wars in Hostile Territory

While Dana White may hope to give former middleweight champion Rich Franklin an edge by allowing him to take his rematch against current champion Anderson Silva in Cincinatti, Silva vs. Franklin (the only title fight on the card) doesn't look to be the most promising fight.

There are two matchups that I'm going to be watching a little bit more closely, as they seem more exciting and will have a huge impact in their divisions.

The first is the heavyweight matchup between undefeated up-and-comer Brandon "The Truth" Vera, who will be taking on former heavyweight champion Tim "The Maine-iac" Sylvia. Sylvia is coming off of surgery and a hard loss of his title to Randy Couture. Though it will be the giant from Maine's first fight since losing his belt to Couture, we can only hope that he will turn in a top notch performance.

When Tim Sylvia was coming up in the sport, he destroyed everyone laid in front of him, and we can only hope that his return will re-ignite the hard training Miletich Fighting Systems has to offer. If it does, he will give Vera a very tough fight, but if he doesn't, Vera is looking to put on a devastating display of his world class muay Thai.

The second is the 185 pound matchup between Yushin Okami and Jason "The Athlete" MacDonald. Both are coming off of hard losses to Rich Franklin, and though they lost in different ways (Okami took the fight the distance while MacDonald was TKO'd) the matchup between the two is interesting.

Okami is a groundnpounder, typical, but exciting. His wrestling is solid and I expect him to put MacDonald on his back right away, but that may not be bad news for MacDonald, who has one of the most exotic submissions, as he displayed in his fight with Ed Herman.

Even with Okami in what looks like a ominant position, MacDonald has the power to finish the fight, and it should be exciting from a technical point, as well as provide either a cool submission from MacDonald or a brutal TKO from Okami.

The rest of the card is pretty much barren, but the UFC's big battle in the midwest will be a big draw, with the heavy fanbase of Rich Franklin cheering him on and those interested in the next display of Anderson Silva tuning in to watch.

However the main fight goes, the main card will provide some solid entertainment and it should be an alright show.

Stay tuned for follow up announcements on UFC 77 and the upcoming bit on UFC 78, with the return of UFC 185 pounder David "The Soul Assassin" Terrell, the debuts of Akihiro Gono and Ryo Chonan and the rematch between Tito Ortiz and Rashad Evans.

Sunday, September 23, 2007

UFC 76: The Dean Reigns Supreme



It was a hard night for some fans to watch. Long time MMA supporters know names like Mauricio "Shogun" Rua and Kazuhiro Nakamura, and watching long time staples of the sport lose was not easy.

Still, the night turned in some impressive performances.

On the main card, Forrest Griffin choked out Pride 205 pound legend Mauricio "Shogun" Rua in the third round, proving that many Pride fighters are not dominant without dependence on the rules and the ring.

Jon Fitch won a close decision over Diego Sanchez, but certainly proved that he deserves to be in title contetion. With 7 straight UFC wins, Fitch holds the largest streak in the UFC's 170 pound division. It's beyond doubt that we will see him fighting a top name opponent very soon.

Lyoto Machida defeated Kazuhiro Nakamura with a decision. Machida is certainly appearing to be in the picture for the UFC title shot. Still, he has yet to finish a UFC opponent, so I don't expect him to get a title shot right away.

Also, Tyson Griffin beat out Thiago Tavares, to hand Tavares his first career loss. Griffin is showing good form in his last few fights and even with his loss to Frankie Edgar, may be considered in the top tier at 155.

Rich Clementi choked out Anthony Johnson, who didn't turn in the explosive kind of performance he had displayed against Chad Reiner in his debut (Johnson knocked out Reiner in 13 seconds).

Jeremy Stephens and Matt Wiman won decisions over Diego Saraiva and Michihiro Omigawa, respectively. Christian Wellisch submitted newcomer Scott Junk with a heel hook in the first round.

To finish the card, Keith "The Dean of Mean" Jardine went to war with former UFC -lightheavyweight champion Chuck "The Iceman" Liddell. The fight was close and went to the judges scorecards, but two of the three judges scored the fight for Jardine.

Jardine will certainly be considered a contender now, but if anyone is happy about this win it is Houston "the Assassin" Alexander, who defeated Jardine in his UFC debut back in April, when he defeated the Dean with strikes in 48 seconds.

While beating a former champion will work wonders for his career, Alexander can probably feel his stock rising when he's not even in the cage.

Still, a good night of exciting fights. Up next: UFC 77.

Sunday, September 16, 2007

Mark Coleman: The Hammer That Built MMA



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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Elite XC: Results and Fallout

I will say that, because EXC is a smaller show, the overall affect it has on the sport isn't quite as extreme as some of the UFC cards, but that didn't make the card any less exciting last night.

Robbie Lawler finished Murilo "Ninja" Rua with strikes at 2:04 in the third round. It was another strong showing by Lawler, who finished ICON Sport Middleweight champion Frank Trigg to take the title. Lawler had faded a little from the limelight, but with two very strong showings against very good fighters, Lawler is back on the radar and the man that everyone used to fear at 185 is returning to form.

Jake Sheilds defeated Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu stylist Renato Verissimo with strikes at 4:00 in the first round. While Charuto's jiu-jitsu skills couldn't save him from Sheilds, who is proving himself as one of the top 170 pounders in the smaller circuit, I am sure that we will see Verissimo around. His recent sponsorship by TapouT and his affiliation with "The Prodigy" BJ Penn make him an interesting fighter to watch, even when his one dimensional-ness is taken into account.

Nick Diaz returned from his hiaitus after testing positive for marijuana (his last win over PRIDE lightweight champion Takanori Gomi was stripped after the drug test), but he looked like he was stoned. Many, myself included, expected Diaz to roll through Mike Aina, but he barely squeaked out a split decision. Frankly, he should have smoked some weed.

Gina "Conviction" Carano put on another incredible display, defeating Tonya Evinger by submission due to a rear naked choke at 2:53 in the first round. Carano is already considered the face of women's MMA, but her ability to dominate impressively against is what makes her really incredible, and it was one of the best fights on the card.

Joey Villasenor beat Riki Fukuda by a narrow split decision.

Brandon Wolff and Tyson Nam won unanimous decisions over Chad Klingsmith and Albert Manners, respectively.

Mark Kurano rear naked choked out Jose Diaz at 1:13 in the first, and Mark Oshiro turned in an almost identical box-score, putting away Nui Wheeler at 1:19.

Kala Kolohe Hose got the fastest finish of the night, TKOing Jeff Cox in 20 seconds. Elias Delos Reyes was runner up, submitting Chico Cantiberos with an armbar in 52 seconds.

Justin Buchholz TKO'd Ikaika Choy-Fu at 1:35 to round out the card.

Overall, it was an exciting night. A few close decisions, a few very quick finishes and some very impressive performances turned in by the big names. Definitely a good show, and an organization that I'll be looking forward to seeing more of in the future.

Tuesday, September 11, 2007

The Big Day Came and Went

Alot of people complained about the UFC 75 card, and I never understood why. I thought that, while the undercard was mediocre, the main card fights like Bisping vs. Hamill and Kongo vs. CroCop were interesting, and I expected the title fight between Henderson and Rampage Jackson to be exciting.

The undercard met its expectations. Marcus Davis put on the most exciting show of the night, and the only submission, when he caught Paul Taylor in an armbar just past the 4 minutes mark in the first round. Taylor made it a war and proved that he is definitely a deserving fighter with solid standup, though his groundgame still needs work.

Houston Alexander, the rising star of the UFC's ever-improving lightheavyweight division, stopped Italian Alessio Sakara with strikes at 1:01 in the first round. While there are still doubts about Alexander's gas tank, there are none about his power and will. Alexander will be an exciting opponent, whoever he fights next.

Brit Terry Etim dropped a decision and though the rest of the undercard finished their fights, it was nothing to write home about.

Michael Bisping vs. Matt Hamill was much closer than anticipated, with Hamill displaying powerful wrestling and heavy striking, but losing a controversial split decision. While many of my fellow Americans are upset that Hamill's power and ability to take top position didn't win the fight, I was happy that his lay-and-pray tactics weren't rewarded by the judges.

In the biggest upset of the night, Cheick Kongo won a decision over Mirko "CroCop" Filipovic, breaking Filipovic's ribs with a body kick at the beginning of the fight. Despite the debilitating injury and painful slowness on the part of CroCop, the bigger, stronger Kongo was unable to finish the veteran and had to resort to winning on the judges scorecards.

Despite a passable performance standing up from Kongo, the night wasn't a bad showing for him. He displayed some groundnpound, an aspect of his game that we haven't ever seen before, probably because it was the focus of his training with Jaunito Ibarra. (it was a weakness that has been exploited in past bouts) Kongo is a standup phenomenon, and his ability to beat CroCop on his feet puts him in my list of top 5 strikers in the heavyweight division, running close with CroCop, Mark Hunt, Andrei Arlovski and Tim Sylvia. He's in good company and good standing in the UFC heavyweight division and I think he's poised to get the winner of the upcoming matchup between Brandon Vera and former heavyweight champion Tim Sylvia at UFC 77, which, if he wins, will put him in title contention.

The biggest fight of the night was a matchup between Quinton "Rampage" Jackson and "Dangerous" Dan Henderson, the UFC and Pride 205 pound champions, respectively. While Henderson dominated the fight early on, he didn't overwhelm Jackson with his Roman Greco ability and Rampage eventually recovered to win unanimous on the judges scorecards.

Quinton is the first fighter to unify a UFC and Pride belt. His next matchup is unknown, but it could very well be against Mauricio "Shogun" Rua, who beat Jackson badly when they met in Pride. If it is, Jackson will, once again be the underdog, as Shogun is considered by many the #1 lightheavyweight in the world.

The event was an interesting segueway and, despite a mediocre undercard and some main card contreversy, it was a history making night, as the UFC unified the 205 pound title.

Now, I'm looking forward to upcoming events like the next Ultimate Fight Night, taking place on September 19, and UFC 76, which will follow that Saturday. Both of those events look promising.

Thursday, September 6, 2007

WEC 30 Results

The event was awesome. Great fights and great fighters are making World Extreme Cagefighting fun to watch, and the fact that it didn't cost me any money to watch was even better.

Here are the results from last nights fight:

Ian McCall defeated Coty Wheeler via TKO at 4:34 in the 3rd Round.

Blas Avena defeated Joe Benoit via submission due to a guillotine choke at 29 seconds in the 1st Round.

Donald Cerrone defeated Kenneth Alexander via submission due to a twisted triangle choke at 56 seconds in the 1st Round.

Bryan Baker defeated UFC veteran Jesse Forbes via TKO at 4:15 in the 1st Round.

Marcus "The Wrecking Ball" Hicks defeated Scott McAfee with a guillotine choke at 2:15 in the very first round.

UFC veteran John "The Natural" Alessio defeated Marcelo Brito via unanimous decision.

Bantamweight warrior Miguel Torres defeated previously undefeated Joe Bedard with a triangle choke at 2:30 in the 1st round.

Brian Stann continued his string of first round TKO's by beating Jeremiah Billington at 3:07 in the first. Stann still has yet to see the end of a round in his 5-0-0 career.

Chase Beebe held onto his belt, defeating Rani Yahya with a 5 round unanimous decision.

"Razor" Rob McCullough retained his belt as well, destroying Rich Crunkilton in 1:29 of the 1st round.

Overall, a great fight. I am fast becoming a fan of the WEC and some of the fighters, especially Torres (who I have been following since his days in the small Chicago scene), Bryan Baker (who outwrestled a very accomplished wrestler), Bryan Stann (who seems to destroy everything in his path) and "Razor" Rob (the 155 pound champion who stopped 8 or his last 9 opponents, and has never been stopped in his career).

The WEC may not have the payroll or the celebrity of the UFC, but the style of the fighters and their wilingness to leave it in the cage has made for some really exciting fights and I'm looking forward to seeing more in the future.

Wednesday, September 5, 2007

Gina Carano: Kicking Ass and Taking Names



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

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

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

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

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

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

Tuesday, September 4, 2007

UFC 75: A Quick Preview

I'll give my major preview to the upcoming event later this week, but I though it would be worth starting off on early, since it's going to be a big event. It's the first title fight outside of the United States in a long time, and it's going to be the first title fight broadcast Free on Spike TV.

I should probably say first that Quinton Jackson vs Dan Henderson was a momentous matchup anyway. It was the first fight (hopefully the first of many) to unify a UFC belt and a PRIDE belt.

Henderson, who holds the PRIDE 205 pound and 185 pound titles, has been fighting overseas for a long time. When he signed with the UFC it was called into question whether he would get a title shot straight away. After Quinton Jackson, a former competitor in the PRIDE division that Henderson champions, defeated Chuck Liddell to take the UFC 205 pound title, it made sense that Henderson should get a title shot.

While many people think that over seas stars should get a warm up fight in the Octagon, it doesn't make sense for a guy with a belt. There are too many logistical problems.

Does the fight become a title fight?

Does his opponent have to earn the right to be a contender for his belt?

How does someone earn the right to fight for a belt in a division they don't belong to?

There are just too many issues (and if the incoming fighter loses his debut the consquences are really problematic).

Jackson v Henderson is a matchup that is interesting, because Jackson was dominated thoroughly by two of the top PRIDE 205ers, Wanderlei Silva and Mauricio "Shogun" Rua (both have signed contracts with the UFC). Henderson defeated Silva for the title very recently, and this will be his first title coming into a fight as the PRIDE champion at 205 pounds.

There is definitely some extra pressure on Henderson, as he is the only fighter in the world to hold 2 belts in a major organization, and alot of people are wondering what will happen if he defeats Jackson to become the unified champion at 205. He could fight a challenger at 205 or he could drop down to 185 to unify the UFC and PRIDE titles in that weight class. Either way, there are going to be people who disagree with the move, but either way, it's going to make for an exciting matchup.

If Jackson wins, he will move up a spot in the lightheavyweight rankings where he is currently hanging between number 3 and 4, close to tied with former PRIDE 205 pound champion Silva (Silva is returning to the UFC after two very tough losses to heavyweight Mirko "CroCop" Filipovic and Henderson).

Jackson currently tails Shogun and Henderson in most rankings, so defeating Henderson will move him into the undisputed #2 spot and give him the chance to fight Rua soon, as Rua may be considered a #1 contender once he has made his UFC debut at UFC 76.

Both fighters have a belt to lose and a belt to gain, and they know that they are a week away from making MMA history. The best part is that I'm not going to have to pay to watch it.

Sunday, September 2, 2007

Power Politics: A Dangerous Game



Josh "The Baby-Faced Assassin" Barnett is one of the top 4 heavyweights in the world, but that didn't stop Dana White from offending him.

Following UFC 74, Dana White declared his belief that Randy Couture is the greatest heavyweight in the world. Personally, I think Dana's more of a hype machine than an MMA scholar, but Barnett took offense to one of the most powerful men in the sport doubting the currently widely accepted rankings that put Couture in the #5 spot. (Personally, I have Couture in the 6 spot)

Barnett voiced his disapproval, saying that if Dana White made him a real offer, he'd come back to the UFC and take a rematch against Couture.

Barnett defeated Couture when they met at UFC 36 to win the UFC heavyweight title, but was stripped of the belt after testing positive for anabolic steroids. Since then, he has gone on to become one of the most established and dangerous heavyweights in the world, finishing second in the PRIDE Open Weight Grand Prix (he was defeated by Mirko "CroCop" Filipovic in the finals).

Simply put, Barnett believes he's better than Couture. He has a phenomenal freestyle wrestling backround and is the greatest freestyle grappler in the world.

At 6'3, 250, Barnett would have a size advantage and a definitive power advantage. The matchup with a much bigger opponent who is at least as well versed as Couture in takedowns is not one that looks good for Couture.

However, when Barnett made his announcement calling out Dana White and Randy Couture, he also said that the UFC needed to make him a serious contract offer. Barnett became a free agent after the UFC's parent company, Zuffa, bought out and liquidated PRIDE Fighting Championships, where he was a top contender.

Barnett has certainly had the option of competing in any organization he damn well pleases, but he'd like to be in the big show. He has a special motivation to fight Couture (to prove that he doesn't need steroids to beat the current UFC heavyweight champion) and he is definitely one of the most deserving fighters in the sport.

Barnett's attack on White will definitely have it's consequences in the negotiating room, but it reminded us that Barnett is still very much a player in this heavyweight division, and he's pissed that people are forgetting. It's more than just a look at me, because he's telling the truth, and if Dana doesn't man up and sign him, Barnett is going to look like the better man.