Note: This event took place 10/6/09.
For the sake of my sanity and your eyesight, I'm going to go through just the last 4 matches of the card. I will however, give the results of the two tournament brackets matches that had occurred first.
Featherweight
Kazuyuki Miyata defeats Daika Hata via Decision (Reserve bout)
Bibiano Fernanddes defeats Joe Warren via Submission
Hiroyuki Takaya defeats Hideo Tokoro via TKO
Super Hulk
Ikuhisa Minowa defeats Hong Man Choi via Submission
Rameau Sokoudjou defeats Bob Sapp via TKO
Ok, down to the final four.
1. Tatsuya Kawajiri defeats Melchor Manibusan
Clearly, this was a gimme match for Kawajiri. He will most likely get the winner of Aoki/Hansen match going on later on this card.
Melchor posed no threat to "Crusher" whatsoever and frankly, this match made no sense for either fighter. The man's record was 2-3 before this match.
I love the Japanese and their "warm up" matches.
2. Kazushi Sakuraba defeats Rubin Williams via Submission
Speaking of matches that make no sense, the most beloved Japanese MMA fighter of all time beats an ex-boxer in his debut MMA match. I got the sense that both guys thought this was more a sparring match. We didn't really see any techniques besides the Kimura that ended everything. Both the strikes and takedowns were sloppy and I don't think Williams even threw any strikes.
Although, there's not many more veterans or experienced fighters that Sakuraba can face and beat, I'd rather not see him in these ridiculous lopsided matches with non-MMA fighters that are trying to transition over or just looking for a paycheck.
"The Gracie Hunter" deserves better, even in the twilight of his career.
3. Shinya Aoki defeats Joachim Hansen via Submission
Wow.
What a complete 180 from the last two matches.
This could have been a fantastical match in ADCC because of the little, inconsequential striking that took place. It had shades of Maia/McDonald and Sakuraba/Newton in terms of the levels of grappling we saw from both guys.
Although we could have went without Aoki hollywooding it for about 20 minutes when he took that nut shot, he definitely redeemed himself with the last second armbar to finish the match. He very much stuck to his game plan the whole time and didn't miss a beat. Sloppy takedowns or not, he went for them and got them. He shrewdly went for dominant positions first, before attempting any submissions and took his time doing it.
Hansen was trying to match Aoki on the ground and he was holding his own. He's as much an offensive grappler as Aoki. While a little less talented in that area, he makes up for this with having superior striking, which he did not get to utilize due to Aoki's effective game plan or Hansen's ineffectiveness in getting taken down.
Finally, that one mistake of going for the knee strike cost "Hellboy" the championship belt, but I commend him on his efforts regardless. Who's up for a 4th match between them?
4. Bibiano Fernandes defeats Hiroyuki Takaya via Decision
This was a close one and I saw it going either way.
I couldn't place my finger on it until about midway through the match, but Bibiano's fighting style is very similar to Hermes Franca's. It's a combination of the crazy, monkey-haymaker style punches and sloppy takedown and submission attempts. Another thing that reminded me of Hermes was his size. I know he doesn't train down at ATT but he must be getting pointers from someone down there because his weight cutting skills are either spectacular or he never plans on fighting in the US.
Takaya fought a good fight and connected to Fernandes' face with some rather good, hard shots. Too bad they proved ineffective and his lack of ground skills cost him the decision victory.
I'm now waiting for a rematch of champions, "KID" vs. "The Flash".
I'll try not to skip bouts that are televised next time. I'm just worried that if I try to come up with relevant and comical analogies about what strategies that Minowaman and Judo Thierry implemented in the Super Hulk tournament, it would just drain me of brain power that I plan on using for my bicep workout later today.
Later
~S
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
Monday, October 19, 2009
WEC 43 Cerrone vs. Henderson
I feel bad for people that don't get the Versus channel.
They're forced to search the internet for cards like this after people like me tell them they NEED to watch this card. Or they miss a fantastic card with fighters under 155 lbs., that would get anyone hooked on the little guys.
Note that the matches reviewed are from the replay of the event.
1. Damacio Page defeats Will Campuzano via Submission
If the Tasmanian Devil were a fighter, he would fight like Damacio.
Except I think Damacio drinks more Red Bulls before his matches. He also has less fur and better back control.
Speaking of back control, I'd like to hear what the heck Campuzano was thinking giving his back up like a tree to a koala?
2. Raphael Assuncao defeats Yves Jabouin via Decision
GSP-lite vs. the "good" Assuncao brother.
And being the best of the brothers was just enough to beat Yves.
They had some good, short bursts of exchanges in the pocket. Yves looked to be the better one on the feet with his fancy spin moves and crisp strikes, but I think both of them landed a pretty even number of clean strikes. Yves was also moving around with good angles but he also moved forward a lot when he threw any strikes. What's the point of moving at awkward angles but not using them to your advantage? Raphael threw some pretty awful, wild haymakers but it was more than enough to stifle Yves on the feet. Throw in a dash of bjj and you've got an easy decision victory for Assuncao.
3. Dave Jansen defeats Rich Crunkilton via Decision
Kudos to WEC newcomer Dave Jansen for beating a veteran in Crunkilton. "Cleat" had no answer for Dave's takedowns and constant pressure and movement.
Both could do with a trip to Thailand to work on their striking to complement their wrestling base.
4. Benson Henderson defeats Donald Cerrone
This was a classic striker vs. wrestler matchup with a twist. Both guys were equally skilled in another area that complimented their base area very well. Cerrone has excellent Muy Thai and an outstanding bottom submission game - 90% of his wins were via submission.
"Smooth" has the mirror opposite, complimentary skillset to Donald's. While only a purple belt in bjj, he's got ridiculous submission defense. So much so that in his next fight when they list his 3 main traits, one of them should be "unsubmittable". I was dumbfounded when Mir mentioned that Ben had submitted black belts in competition matches. This would explain his Mr. Miracle-like escapes and counters to Cerrone's submission attempts.
The other thing that Ben was great at was his standing offense while Cerrone was on his back. "Cowboy" did NOTHING to defend against the punches to his head and abdomen. I wasn't sure why Cerrone wasn't more active with his feet with upkicks or heel kicks and the like.
Too bad this match wasn't in a Dream event because "Cowboy" would have definitely been awarded the match. The Dream judges award the fighter the win based on the match as a whole and less on individual rounds, like boxing.
And lastly...FIND THIS CARD AND WATCH IT.
Later,
~S
They're forced to search the internet for cards like this after people like me tell them they NEED to watch this card. Or they miss a fantastic card with fighters under 155 lbs., that would get anyone hooked on the little guys.
Note that the matches reviewed are from the replay of the event.
1. Damacio Page defeats Will Campuzano via Submission
If the Tasmanian Devil were a fighter, he would fight like Damacio.
Except I think Damacio drinks more Red Bulls before his matches. He also has less fur and better back control.
Speaking of back control, I'd like to hear what the heck Campuzano was thinking giving his back up like a tree to a koala?
2. Raphael Assuncao defeats Yves Jabouin via Decision
GSP-lite vs. the "good" Assuncao brother.
And being the best of the brothers was just enough to beat Yves.
They had some good, short bursts of exchanges in the pocket. Yves looked to be the better one on the feet with his fancy spin moves and crisp strikes, but I think both of them landed a pretty even number of clean strikes. Yves was also moving around with good angles but he also moved forward a lot when he threw any strikes. What's the point of moving at awkward angles but not using them to your advantage? Raphael threw some pretty awful, wild haymakers but it was more than enough to stifle Yves on the feet. Throw in a dash of bjj and you've got an easy decision victory for Assuncao.
3. Dave Jansen defeats Rich Crunkilton via Decision
Kudos to WEC newcomer Dave Jansen for beating a veteran in Crunkilton. "Cleat" had no answer for Dave's takedowns and constant pressure and movement.
Both could do with a trip to Thailand to work on their striking to complement their wrestling base.
4. Benson Henderson defeats Donald Cerrone
This was a classic striker vs. wrestler matchup with a twist. Both guys were equally skilled in another area that complimented their base area very well. Cerrone has excellent Muy Thai and an outstanding bottom submission game - 90% of his wins were via submission.
"Smooth" has the mirror opposite, complimentary skillset to Donald's. While only a purple belt in bjj, he's got ridiculous submission defense. So much so that in his next fight when they list his 3 main traits, one of them should be "unsubmittable". I was dumbfounded when Mir mentioned that Ben had submitted black belts in competition matches. This would explain his Mr. Miracle-like escapes and counters to Cerrone's submission attempts.
The other thing that Ben was great at was his standing offense while Cerrone was on his back. "Cowboy" did NOTHING to defend against the punches to his head and abdomen. I wasn't sure why Cerrone wasn't more active with his feet with upkicks or heel kicks and the like.
Too bad this match wasn't in a Dream event because "Cowboy" would have definitely been awarded the match. The Dream judges award the fighter the win based on the match as a whole and less on individual rounds, like boxing.
And lastly...FIND THIS CARD AND WATCH IT.
Later,
~S
Saturday, October 10, 2009
Sengoku 10 - Sengoku Fight Night #39
Again with the card lacking in star power but excellent finishes.
1. Maximo Blanco defeats Tetsuya Yamada via Submission (verbal)
When was the last time you saw someone submit verbally in a match?
It was bound to happen again and who better than "Maxi" Blanco to have the first verbal sub in Sengoku. It's also not surprising given the world class, wrestler is a BEAST on the feet. This wasn't his best performance but he still got the job done in Silverback stomping fashion.
Yamada had some reasonable submission attempts but nothing Cerrone-esque (see next post). I do however, want to see more spinning leglock attempts.
2. Joe Doerkson defeats Takenori Sato via TKO
Not sure how these fellas got matched up, but this was just easy money for "El Dirte".
Sato did what he could to take this fight to the ground but he still got dropped a few times by Joe and finally made the mistake of trying to stay in the pocket and get blasted.
3. Dan Hornbuckle defeats Nick Thompson via TKO
I really want to see "The Handler" in the UFC. He really knows how to use his long limbs standing and good bjj defense to stop world class ground guys. He also had Thompson's number with his southpaw stance. "The Goat" made the mistake of circling into Dan's power side once too many times and ate some hard shots to end the match early.
4. Fabio Silva defeats Ryo Kawamura via KO
I liken Fabio to an overweight version of Wanderlei, and stuck Japan as if Pride never went down.
Kawamura just looked like canon fodder for Silva as he took a barrage of punches and knees, including a DIVING punch to the face right about when the ref had to stop the mugging. That should be on mix video somewhere.
5. Kazunori Yokota defeats Ryan Schultz via KO
Schultz is becoming the new Sean Salmon in my book with three, disturbingly bad losses since leaving IFL for Sengoku. Previously,"The Lion" was doing very well in the IFL, accruing a 6 fight win streak and defeating young, standup, wunderkind Chris Horodecki to become the first and only IFL LW champ. Currently, Lady Misfortune seems to be peeing all over Schultz's MMA career.
Yokota got the opposite treatment, with a great Hendo-like overhand right to the unlucky Schultz. I figured he'd have taken a TKO or decision give both fighter's histories.
6. Makoto Takimoto defeats Jae Sun Lee via Decision
A very uneventful match between to barely above .500 fighters. Lots of weak sauce ground striking and smothering. The high points were a nice jumping knee and hip toss by Takimoto.
7. Antonio Silva defeats Jim York via Submission
The arm triangle was a great move to pull off by "Bigfoot". It showed more variety to his game than his usual standup strategy. Plus, "Big" Jimmy had the power to shut off Silva's lights at any moment - man has shoulders like bowling balls.
Let's see if Silva's got more tricks in his bag in his next match with Fabricio Werdum.
8. Antz Nansen defeats Hiroshi Izumi via TKO
The "Notorious" one spoils Izumi's inaugural bout with various punches and kicks that left him with no answer standing.
Tried to keep this one short given the amount of matches shown but still ended up being more than I expected.
Stay tuned for a late analysis of WEC 43 tomorrow.
~S
1. Maximo Blanco defeats Tetsuya Yamada via Submission (verbal)
When was the last time you saw someone submit verbally in a match?
It was bound to happen again and who better than "Maxi" Blanco to have the first verbal sub in Sengoku. It's also not surprising given the world class, wrestler is a BEAST on the feet. This wasn't his best performance but he still got the job done in Silverback stomping fashion.
Yamada had some reasonable submission attempts but nothing Cerrone-esque (see next post). I do however, want to see more spinning leglock attempts.
2. Joe Doerkson defeats Takenori Sato via TKO
Not sure how these fellas got matched up, but this was just easy money for "El Dirte".
Sato did what he could to take this fight to the ground but he still got dropped a few times by Joe and finally made the mistake of trying to stay in the pocket and get blasted.
3. Dan Hornbuckle defeats Nick Thompson via TKO
I really want to see "The Handler" in the UFC. He really knows how to use his long limbs standing and good bjj defense to stop world class ground guys. He also had Thompson's number with his southpaw stance. "The Goat" made the mistake of circling into Dan's power side once too many times and ate some hard shots to end the match early.
4. Fabio Silva defeats Ryo Kawamura via KO
I liken Fabio to an overweight version of Wanderlei, and stuck Japan as if Pride never went down.
Kawamura just looked like canon fodder for Silva as he took a barrage of punches and knees, including a DIVING punch to the face right about when the ref had to stop the mugging. That should be on mix video somewhere.
5. Kazunori Yokota defeats Ryan Schultz via KO
Schultz is becoming the new Sean Salmon in my book with three, disturbingly bad losses since leaving IFL for Sengoku. Previously,"The Lion" was doing very well in the IFL, accruing a 6 fight win streak and defeating young, standup, wunderkind Chris Horodecki to become the first and only IFL LW champ. Currently, Lady Misfortune seems to be peeing all over Schultz's MMA career.
Yokota got the opposite treatment, with a great Hendo-like overhand right to the unlucky Schultz. I figured he'd have taken a TKO or decision give both fighter's histories.
6. Makoto Takimoto defeats Jae Sun Lee via Decision
A very uneventful match between to barely above .500 fighters. Lots of weak sauce ground striking and smothering. The high points were a nice jumping knee and hip toss by Takimoto.
7. Antonio Silva defeats Jim York via Submission
The arm triangle was a great move to pull off by "Bigfoot". It showed more variety to his game than his usual standup strategy. Plus, "Big" Jimmy had the power to shut off Silva's lights at any moment - man has shoulders like bowling balls.
Let's see if Silva's got more tricks in his bag in his next match with Fabricio Werdum.
8. Antz Nansen defeats Hiroshi Izumi via TKO
The "Notorious" one spoils Izumi's inaugural bout with various punches and kicks that left him with no answer standing.
Tried to keep this one short given the amount of matches shown but still ended up being more than I expected.
Stay tuned for a late analysis of WEC 43 tomorrow.
~S
List Time - Tito Ortiz should NOT Rematch against Forrest Griffin...
Here's my list of opponents, top to bottom, of who'd I think would be most logical for Tito, in his return to the UFC:
1. Keith Jardine
2. Stephan Bonnar
3. Rich Franklin
4. Dan Henderson
5. James Irvin
6. Vladimir Matyushenko
Criteria for selecting opponents (loosely in order, most to least important):
1. Opponents are currently not scheduled to fight
2. Advancement of either fighter's career
3. Combined drawing power of matchup
4. Potential competitiveness of the match
5. Prior history, connection or continuity of the matchup
Finally, my breakdown and reasoning:
1. "The Dean of Mean"
After yet another quick starching by a powerful striker, the "Mean 1" needs an opponent who isn't going to obliterate him in the 1st round, but also will give him a spirited challenge in the Octagon. I really like this matchup because it has the potential for some entertaining action and great techniques from each fighter, based on their respective skill sets. And, it won't end in the first 3 minutes, potentially creating a disappointing main event.
Jardine is the perennial underdog in his high profile matches. Usually, it's been his opponent recruiting the high attendance numbers, but I'd still consider him a decent draw. He always tries to take it to his opponents and has that chance of pulling off the upset, specifically his wins against Liddell and Forrest. A win against Tito would also catapult him back into the top 5 as a LHW, mainly because Tito is a VERY big draw to UFC fans. He also has the means and resources to make this a good fight, with his fighting style and training partner, who nearly defeated Tito, Rashad Evans.
2. Stephan Bonnar
Another popular TUF contestant on the downswing in his UFC career that could use the boost from beating the "Huntington Beach Bad Boy". He's definitely got some drawing power and proposes a good standup game against Ortiz.
A good match up for Tito because Bonnar's standup is good, but doesn't rival Thiago Silva or Houston Alexander, in terms of power, which I see as a mental and physical roadblock for him. In this match, Tito would have the opportunity to showcase his standup and wrestling skills to remind fans of why he was once the UFC LHW Champ.
The "American Pyscho" had his wrestling defense thoroughly exploited by Mark Coleman in his last match and would need to definitely rethink his current strategy when going into matches.
3. Rich Franklin
This would be the biggest draw of all my picks. Two ultra popular, ex-UFC champs squaring off for the first time, having fought common opponents, and both being coaches on TUF, on different seasons.
Almost a "What If?" style match up, since they were both in the LHW division and could have potentially fought had Franklin not dropped down to MW and capture the title.
Franklin poses some interesting challenges for Tito and vice versa. We haven't really seen how Franklin would fair against a wrestler willing to constantly use his takedown and GNP skills to the fullest or Tito go up against a great game-planing, strong, southpaw striker.
4. Dan Henderson
Hendo would be the stiffest challenge because he's a great Greco wrestler who's also willing to sacrifice his body to take your head off with his berserker rage style standup. Tito has exhibited his reluctance to stand and trade if you have previously shown one punch, Ralph-like power. Another reason this matchup isn't exactly favorable to Tito is because his bullying style and wrestling skills usually only work against non-wrestlers and not dudes that have wrestled in the OLYMPICS.
But, in the slim chance that Tito manages to defeat "Hollywood", I don't see how Dana or Joe Silva not take him to the #1 or 2 contender spot in the LWH division.
5. James Irvin
This is the quick and easy route to "put over" Tito. Irvin has the aforementioned power that Tito is afraid of, but Tito is certainly not dumb enough to bang with a one-hitter, quitter, who clearly has doesn't have the ground game to fend him off. This should be a simple snatch and grab, ground and pound win for Tito.
Game over, round 1.
Sorry, James, but at least you get to fight another big name.
6. Vladimir Matyushenko
Lastly, who the hell is this guy?!
I'm throwing in the "Janitor" because nobody ever gives him any love and he's someone that can spoil the current LHW party in the UFC. Here's a bit of history regarding, Vlady:
- One and only IFL LHW Champ
- Beaten some tough opponents: Pedro Rizzo, 'lil Nog, Yuki Kondo
- Very few losses and to tough opponents: 'lil Nog and Andrei Arlovski
- Previously fought Tito in 2001 and took him to a decision
I'm not a big fan of rematches (one of the reasons for this entry) but I think this one makes the most sense out of any for Tito because, a) it's been 8 years since they fought, b) Vlady could easily put Tito over if he lost and c) this would be a very good test for someone who's straddled the line of top 20 LHW's for a while, but never given a strong opportunity to make a name for himself. Every dog has it's day and if you've given one to a gigantic headed Mexi-American, why not to a dude with a nickname based on someone that cleans up garbage for a living?
I'm sure I missed some guys that no doubt should be on this list but keep in mind, I was also looking for favorable matches for Tito, just as much as someone that would stomp him. I am not a fan of Tito, the next UFC LWH champ, but I AM a fan of Tito, the bring more mainstream attention to the UFC, with his cockiness and shameless promoting antics.
Don't forget, WEC tonight!
~S
1. Keith Jardine
2. Stephan Bonnar
3. Rich Franklin
4. Dan Henderson
5. James Irvin
6. Vladimir Matyushenko
Criteria for selecting opponents (loosely in order, most to least important):
1. Opponents are currently not scheduled to fight
2. Advancement of either fighter's career
3. Combined drawing power of matchup
4. Potential competitiveness of the match
5. Prior history, connection or continuity of the matchup
Finally, my breakdown and reasoning:
1. "The Dean of Mean"
After yet another quick starching by a powerful striker, the "Mean 1" needs an opponent who isn't going to obliterate him in the 1st round, but also will give him a spirited challenge in the Octagon. I really like this matchup because it has the potential for some entertaining action and great techniques from each fighter, based on their respective skill sets. And, it won't end in the first 3 minutes, potentially creating a disappointing main event.
Jardine is the perennial underdog in his high profile matches. Usually, it's been his opponent recruiting the high attendance numbers, but I'd still consider him a decent draw. He always tries to take it to his opponents and has that chance of pulling off the upset, specifically his wins against Liddell and Forrest. A win against Tito would also catapult him back into the top 5 as a LHW, mainly because Tito is a VERY big draw to UFC fans. He also has the means and resources to make this a good fight, with his fighting style and training partner, who nearly defeated Tito, Rashad Evans.
2. Stephan Bonnar
Another popular TUF contestant on the downswing in his UFC career that could use the boost from beating the "Huntington Beach Bad Boy". He's definitely got some drawing power and proposes a good standup game against Ortiz.
A good match up for Tito because Bonnar's standup is good, but doesn't rival Thiago Silva or Houston Alexander, in terms of power, which I see as a mental and physical roadblock for him. In this match, Tito would have the opportunity to showcase his standup and wrestling skills to remind fans of why he was once the UFC LHW Champ.
The "American Pyscho" had his wrestling defense thoroughly exploited by Mark Coleman in his last match and would need to definitely rethink his current strategy when going into matches.
3. Rich Franklin
This would be the biggest draw of all my picks. Two ultra popular, ex-UFC champs squaring off for the first time, having fought common opponents, and both being coaches on TUF, on different seasons.
Almost a "What If?" style match up, since they were both in the LHW division and could have potentially fought had Franklin not dropped down to MW and capture the title.
Franklin poses some interesting challenges for Tito and vice versa. We haven't really seen how Franklin would fair against a wrestler willing to constantly use his takedown and GNP skills to the fullest or Tito go up against a great game-planing, strong, southpaw striker.
4. Dan Henderson
Hendo would be the stiffest challenge because he's a great Greco wrestler who's also willing to sacrifice his body to take your head off with his berserker rage style standup. Tito has exhibited his reluctance to stand and trade if you have previously shown one punch, Ralph-like power. Another reason this matchup isn't exactly favorable to Tito is because his bullying style and wrestling skills usually only work against non-wrestlers and not dudes that have wrestled in the OLYMPICS.
But, in the slim chance that Tito manages to defeat "Hollywood", I don't see how Dana or Joe Silva not take him to the #1 or 2 contender spot in the LWH division.
5. James Irvin
This is the quick and easy route to "put over" Tito. Irvin has the aforementioned power that Tito is afraid of, but Tito is certainly not dumb enough to bang with a one-hitter, quitter, who clearly has doesn't have the ground game to fend him off. This should be a simple snatch and grab, ground and pound win for Tito.
Game over, round 1.
Sorry, James, but at least you get to fight another big name.
6. Vladimir Matyushenko
Lastly, who the hell is this guy?!
I'm throwing in the "Janitor" because nobody ever gives him any love and he's someone that can spoil the current LHW party in the UFC. Here's a bit of history regarding, Vlady:
- One and only IFL LHW Champ
- Beaten some tough opponents: Pedro Rizzo, 'lil Nog, Yuki Kondo
- Very few losses and to tough opponents: 'lil Nog and Andrei Arlovski
- Previously fought Tito in 2001 and took him to a decision
I'm not a big fan of rematches (one of the reasons for this entry) but I think this one makes the most sense out of any for Tito because, a) it's been 8 years since they fought, b) Vlady could easily put Tito over if he lost and c) this would be a very good test for someone who's straddled the line of top 20 LHW's for a while, but never given a strong opportunity to make a name for himself. Every dog has it's day and if you've given one to a gigantic headed Mexi-American, why not to a dude with a nickname based on someone that cleans up garbage for a living?
I'm sure I missed some guys that no doubt should be on this list but keep in mind, I was also looking for favorable matches for Tito, just as much as someone that would stomp him. I am not a fan of Tito, the next UFC LWH champ, but I AM a fan of Tito, the bring more mainstream attention to the UFC, with his cockiness and shameless promoting antics.
Don't forget, WEC tonight!
~S
Thursday, October 8, 2009
San Francisco Fights 1 - Mayhem on Muni
This will be my first entry on female MMA.
Probably not what you would expect, but with no recent Jewel, Hook 'N Shoot or Shooto female matches, this seemed like a good place to start. Let's name the competitors first - Purple and Glasses.
Match starts off with a lot of feeling out, unusually in the pocket. After about a minute or so, they start exchanging blows but Purple is definitely more accurate, landing some clean back-of-the-head shots. She also pulls off a spectacular jumping front kick, keeping her balance with the upright vertical rails. This was a smart maneuver to pull off as it keeps your opponent at a distance and correctly uses your surroundings to your advantage.
Finally the ref steps in and calls it, forcing the loser, Glasses, to vacate the arena.
Next time, Glasses should pick her opponents more wisely. Chinese women have great reaction time and advanced-level tactics and strategy when in a confrontational situations.
(If you couldn't tell, I'm American born Chinese)
Female aggression at its best!
~S
Wednesday, October 7, 2009
UFC 103 - Franklin vs. Belfort
This card feels like a continuation of UFN 19.
I'm not sure if that's a good thing or bad thing. On the one hand, Fight Night was really exciting and competitive. On the other, there weren't any big draws to entice fans into actually purchasing the event.
If you didn't watch it, you missed out on some surprises.
1. Tyson Griffin defeats Hermes Franca via TKO
Why did Hermes even show up? He hasn't looked great in previous showings, but I'm trying to figure out if he even tried to make weight this time around. I'm not surprised the UFC cut him recently. Besides throwing Mortal Kombat-esque uppercuts and hooks that did nothing to really slow down Tyson, he might as well have stayed back in Florida.
Griffin looked sharp as usual with a plethora of crisp, offensive strikes, quick counter strikes and good smothering, top pressure to end the match in the 2nd. I wouldn't be surprised if his next fight was the winner of Guida vs. Florian and then a title shot if he can keep a decent win streak alive.
2. Josh Koscheck defeats Frank Trigg via TKO
Boy, could this have been a really technical fight. You've got two guys with excellent wrestling pedigrees and what do they do? They stand like it's the K-1 WGP. And of course, the first guy to slip up gets the short end of the stick. Frankly, I'm glad the rumors of "Twinkle Toes" getting cut after this match weren't true because he could really make an impact in the WW division. He's got the skills and experience to beat most prelim guys but he'll struggle with the mid to top 15'ers, mainly because of a decline in athleticism and lack of speed.
Koscheck could just as easily fall in this same trap for different reasons. He clearly outmatched Trigg in both those areas above, but he clearly prefers to stand and strike rather than GNP. This got him in trouble in his last outting against Paulo Thaigo and coincidentally, a similar situation arose with this fight. Trigg was caught by a wrist/forearm shot to the back of head and was taken to the cleaners. While I understood that Trigg's plan was to stay in the pocket and trade, knowing that Koscheck's standup is quite suspect for a top 5 WW, he looked a little too anxious when he thought Koscheck was in danger. But that's also the mark of a good fighter: to be able to smell blood and go in for the kill. Luckily for Trigg, he'll get one more shot before he gets the boot and then its back to Trigonomics.
3. Paul Daley defeats Martin Kampmann via TKO
What could have been an opportunity of a lifetime for "The Hitman" became a coming out party for "Semtex".
Man that's a cool nickname - he literally blew up any chance of Kampmann getting a title shot for at least the next year or so.
We also found out Daley has a mean left hook or that Kampmann never learned to properly set up a good takedown attempt. Kampmann did land some nice knees in a thai clinch but it was too little, too late.
4. Rafael Dos Anjos defeats Rob Emerson via Decision
This match was all about adapting to the circumstances and improving upon his gameplan before the other guy. Clearly Dos Anjos is a faster thinker on his feet because he wasn't limping as he left the Octagon with a ridiculous bruise on his inner thigh.
Emerson started off well, correctly avoiding takedowns and staying in the pocket to trade with the bjj specialist. What he probably didn't factor in was that Dos Anjos had more power and speed in his left leg kicks because he was a southpaw. This gave him the obvious advantage in keeping Emerson at bay when he tried to throw any type of straight punches. After he noticed he couldn't take Rob down, he just went straight for the same spot on his inner thigh every time. The craziest part was that Emerson did NOTHING to prevent his leg from being blasted. It was almost as if he forgot that he had been hit in that same spot 10 seconds ago and proceeded to throw weak punches because he could no longer use his lead leg.
Let's keep them both on the prelims and see if either of them makes any more progress winning or losing via leg kicks.
5. Junior Dos Santos defeats Mirko CroCop via Submission
This match was the most irrelevant, relevant fight on the card. Longtime CroCop fans were hoping he'd be back in form against a young, hungry up-and-comer. Instead, it was a battered and tired CroCop against a sloppy Cigano. Mirko actually landed some nice, clean left straights but he was taking way too long to set them up and attack. Conversely, Junior was constantly moving forward and not setting up anything cleanly. This could have been his entire strategy all along, but had he taken more time to pull off some nicer and cleaner combinations, he'd have looked much more impressive to the fans and UFC management. He'll still probably get a top 15 guy in his next outting.
It was very clear Mirko didn't want to be there and his loss was inevitable. There was too much clinching and hesitation on his part for him to really put up any strong offense. And when you boil him down, that's what he's all about. Yes, his counter punches have accuracy, but he's the scariest when his head or body kicks are launched out of nowhere. He's always been most comfortable fighting in Japan and I think that's where he should end his career - maybe a rematch with "The Beast" on the next Dynamite card?
You'll always have your anti-terrorism task force day job, Mr. CroCop.
6. Vitor Belfort defeats Rich Franklin via TKO
We have a new champ of the imaginary UFC 195 lb. title.
"Ace" recently defeating "The Axe Murderer" and "The Phenom" obliterating "The Law" (dang, those just sound like they came out of a cartoon or comic book).
This fight was the least entertaining of the 3 mentioned above. There was a good deal of feeling out for nearly half the round, until they both started inching closer into the "Pocket o' TKO's". Franklin just got a little too close and got Trigg'd and it was all over.
Yes, I just made up Trigg'd right now. And yes, I purposely left out an "e".
This was just the type of win Belfort needed to skyrocket him to a title fight. It's too bad the odds aren't in his favor and he'll probably lose via highlight reel KO.
I'm not sure what tools he's going to use against the most dominant MW champ ever, given he hasn't shown many in his last 3 fights.
7. Nik Lentz defeats Rafaello Oliveira via Decision
Now this was a battle.
The first round was very competitive and a good mixture of standing and ground attacks. Both weren't afraid to stand and trade or take it to the ground. Both applied takedowns and good aggression to make it a pretty close 1st round.
2nd and 3rd rounds were all Lentz, as he stayed REAL busy the whole time. His guard was very active and he pressed the action in almost every position. Notice the body shots he was unloading on Rafaello as he was standing over him. Those can suck the gas out of you if you don't defend against them. I also like his guillotines because he wasn't just using them to finish the match. You'll notice he'd apply some good technique but let go after he was able to get his bearings and advance his position. He knew that in most of those spots he wasn't going to sub him but he could at least get out of a bad position while Oliveira was distracted by the guillotine.
For his fantastic performance, I wouldn't be surprised if they gave Nik a big step up in competition, preferably, a Jim Miller or Melvin Guillard.
8 . Rick Story defeats Brian Foster via Submission
Speaking of good performances, I wouldn't be surprised if Story jumped up to the main card against a decent opponent in his next match. He got caught with a couple good uppercuts but rallied back in the 2nd to pull off a Submission of the year contender arm triangle from top position, in GUARD. That was just straight brute strength that caused Foster to tap. Foster had the correct defense going but Story was like a pitbull that had its jaw set. I hope both of them come back against some really game opponents, that are on an upswing.
Definitely a good card all the way around, minus high profile fighters. I recommend newcomers just starting to gain interest in the sport to check it out. It's perfect since you won't neccessarily care who anyone is or what they are known for. Just really great matches with back-and-forth, awesome finishes and solid techniques.
~S
I'm not sure if that's a good thing or bad thing. On the one hand, Fight Night was really exciting and competitive. On the other, there weren't any big draws to entice fans into actually purchasing the event.
If you didn't watch it, you missed out on some surprises.
1. Tyson Griffin defeats Hermes Franca via TKO
Why did Hermes even show up? He hasn't looked great in previous showings, but I'm trying to figure out if he even tried to make weight this time around. I'm not surprised the UFC cut him recently. Besides throwing Mortal Kombat-esque uppercuts and hooks that did nothing to really slow down Tyson, he might as well have stayed back in Florida.
Griffin looked sharp as usual with a plethora of crisp, offensive strikes, quick counter strikes and good smothering, top pressure to end the match in the 2nd. I wouldn't be surprised if his next fight was the winner of Guida vs. Florian and then a title shot if he can keep a decent win streak alive.
2. Josh Koscheck defeats Frank Trigg via TKO
Boy, could this have been a really technical fight. You've got two guys with excellent wrestling pedigrees and what do they do? They stand like it's the K-1 WGP. And of course, the first guy to slip up gets the short end of the stick. Frankly, I'm glad the rumors of "Twinkle Toes" getting cut after this match weren't true because he could really make an impact in the WW division. He's got the skills and experience to beat most prelim guys but he'll struggle with the mid to top 15'ers, mainly because of a decline in athleticism and lack of speed.
Koscheck could just as easily fall in this same trap for different reasons. He clearly outmatched Trigg in both those areas above, but he clearly prefers to stand and strike rather than GNP. This got him in trouble in his last outting against Paulo Thaigo and coincidentally, a similar situation arose with this fight. Trigg was caught by a wrist/forearm shot to the back of head and was taken to the cleaners. While I understood that Trigg's plan was to stay in the pocket and trade, knowing that Koscheck's standup is quite suspect for a top 5 WW, he looked a little too anxious when he thought Koscheck was in danger. But that's also the mark of a good fighter: to be able to smell blood and go in for the kill. Luckily for Trigg, he'll get one more shot before he gets the boot and then its back to Trigonomics.
3. Paul Daley defeats Martin Kampmann via TKO
What could have been an opportunity of a lifetime for "The Hitman" became a coming out party for "Semtex".
Man that's a cool nickname - he literally blew up any chance of Kampmann getting a title shot for at least the next year or so.
We also found out Daley has a mean left hook or that Kampmann never learned to properly set up a good takedown attempt. Kampmann did land some nice knees in a thai clinch but it was too little, too late.
4. Rafael Dos Anjos defeats Rob Emerson via Decision
This match was all about adapting to the circumstances and improving upon his gameplan before the other guy. Clearly Dos Anjos is a faster thinker on his feet because he wasn't limping as he left the Octagon with a ridiculous bruise on his inner thigh.
Emerson started off well, correctly avoiding takedowns and staying in the pocket to trade with the bjj specialist. What he probably didn't factor in was that Dos Anjos had more power and speed in his left leg kicks because he was a southpaw. This gave him the obvious advantage in keeping Emerson at bay when he tried to throw any type of straight punches. After he noticed he couldn't take Rob down, he just went straight for the same spot on his inner thigh every time. The craziest part was that Emerson did NOTHING to prevent his leg from being blasted. It was almost as if he forgot that he had been hit in that same spot 10 seconds ago and proceeded to throw weak punches because he could no longer use his lead leg.
Let's keep them both on the prelims and see if either of them makes any more progress winning or losing via leg kicks.
5. Junior Dos Santos defeats Mirko CroCop via Submission
This match was the most irrelevant, relevant fight on the card. Longtime CroCop fans were hoping he'd be back in form against a young, hungry up-and-comer. Instead, it was a battered and tired CroCop against a sloppy Cigano. Mirko actually landed some nice, clean left straights but he was taking way too long to set them up and attack. Conversely, Junior was constantly moving forward and not setting up anything cleanly. This could have been his entire strategy all along, but had he taken more time to pull off some nicer and cleaner combinations, he'd have looked much more impressive to the fans and UFC management. He'll still probably get a top 15 guy in his next outting.
It was very clear Mirko didn't want to be there and his loss was inevitable. There was too much clinching and hesitation on his part for him to really put up any strong offense. And when you boil him down, that's what he's all about. Yes, his counter punches have accuracy, but he's the scariest when his head or body kicks are launched out of nowhere. He's always been most comfortable fighting in Japan and I think that's where he should end his career - maybe a rematch with "The Beast" on the next Dynamite card?
You'll always have your anti-terrorism task force day job, Mr. CroCop.
6. Vitor Belfort defeats Rich Franklin via TKO
We have a new champ of the imaginary UFC 195 lb. title.
"Ace" recently defeating "The Axe Murderer" and "The Phenom" obliterating "The Law" (dang, those just sound like they came out of a cartoon or comic book).
This fight was the least entertaining of the 3 mentioned above. There was a good deal of feeling out for nearly half the round, until they both started inching closer into the "Pocket o' TKO's". Franklin just got a little too close and got Trigg'd and it was all over.
Yes, I just made up Trigg'd right now. And yes, I purposely left out an "e".
This was just the type of win Belfort needed to skyrocket him to a title fight. It's too bad the odds aren't in his favor and he'll probably lose via highlight reel KO.
I'm not sure what tools he's going to use against the most dominant MW champ ever, given he hasn't shown many in his last 3 fights.
7. Nik Lentz defeats Rafaello Oliveira via Decision
Now this was a battle.
The first round was very competitive and a good mixture of standing and ground attacks. Both weren't afraid to stand and trade or take it to the ground. Both applied takedowns and good aggression to make it a pretty close 1st round.
2nd and 3rd rounds were all Lentz, as he stayed REAL busy the whole time. His guard was very active and he pressed the action in almost every position. Notice the body shots he was unloading on Rafaello as he was standing over him. Those can suck the gas out of you if you don't defend against them. I also like his guillotines because he wasn't just using them to finish the match. You'll notice he'd apply some good technique but let go after he was able to get his bearings and advance his position. He knew that in most of those spots he wasn't going to sub him but he could at least get out of a bad position while Oliveira was distracted by the guillotine.
For his fantastic performance, I wouldn't be surprised if they gave Nik a big step up in competition, preferably, a Jim Miller or Melvin Guillard.
8 . Rick Story defeats Brian Foster via Submission
Speaking of good performances, I wouldn't be surprised if Story jumped up to the main card against a decent opponent in his next match. He got caught with a couple good uppercuts but rallied back in the 2nd to pull off a Submission of the year contender arm triangle from top position, in GUARD. That was just straight brute strength that caused Foster to tap. Foster had the correct defense going but Story was like a pitbull that had its jaw set. I hope both of them come back against some really game opponents, that are on an upswing.
Definitely a good card all the way around, minus high profile fighters. I recommend newcomers just starting to gain interest in the sport to check it out. It's perfect since you won't neccessarily care who anyone is or what they are known for. Just really great matches with back-and-forth, awesome finishes and solid techniques.
~S
Tuesday, October 6, 2009
Kimbo vs. Big Country - My Top Questions and Answers
I know I said this entry would be about UFC 103 but since I'm behind on events anyway, I thought I'd do a quick analysis on the fight of the last TUF episode, Q & A style.
Q. How did Nelson not win in the 1st round? He landed over 20 unanswered, punches to Kimbo's head.
Simply put, he didn't finish Kimbo.
His strikes were weak and the only thing that Kimbo was in danger of was getting mat burn on his forehead. Dana was spot on with his post-fight comments. Roy should have showed a tad bit more "enthusiasm" after he had the crucifix in place.
Q. OK fine, then why did Herb Dean stop it in the 2nd when it was the same scenario?
It was a similar scenario, but not the exact same. The round wasn't even half over when Kimbo was again helpless and could not defend himself.
Q. Why didn't Roy try "harder" to finish the fight?
Big Country is not the typical TUF noob entrant. He may have the most well-rounded accolades in the history of TUF. He's the ex-IFL champ, fought top 10 contenders and has all the skills to back up his big mouth and belly. He's the front runner to win this season - and I'm sure he's thinking the same thing. The only thing that can legitimately beat him is an injury. By not turning up the speed, flair or intensity in his matches, he leaves less chance of misfortune rearing its ugly head.
Q. Did Kimbo ever stand a chance against the ex-IFL champ?
I 100% believe Kimbo could have won.
No doubt in my mind.
Q. Explain how he would have overcome Roy's bjj skillz.
The opposite of the ground game is standup. Forget bjj defense or even the clinch game.
KEEP IT STANDING
Do NOT attempt knees, kicks, spinning backfists, jumping windmill kicks, spinning hook kicks, or the legendary “Triple Lindy".
Just do what you do best:
Pretend you're in a boatyard, light him up like a Christmas tree and introduce Roy to your Certification of the Streets.
Done and done.
Q. How did Nelson not win in the 1st round? He landed over 20 unanswered, punches to Kimbo's head.
Simply put, he didn't finish Kimbo.
His strikes were weak and the only thing that Kimbo was in danger of was getting mat burn on his forehead. Dana was spot on with his post-fight comments. Roy should have showed a tad bit more "enthusiasm" after he had the crucifix in place.
Q. OK fine, then why did Herb Dean stop it in the 2nd when it was the same scenario?
It was a similar scenario, but not the exact same. The round wasn't even half over when Kimbo was again helpless and could not defend himself.
Q. Why didn't Roy try "harder" to finish the fight?
Big Country is not the typical TUF noob entrant. He may have the most well-rounded accolades in the history of TUF. He's the ex-IFL champ, fought top 10 contenders and has all the skills to back up his big mouth and belly. He's the front runner to win this season - and I'm sure he's thinking the same thing. The only thing that can legitimately beat him is an injury. By not turning up the speed, flair or intensity in his matches, he leaves less chance of misfortune rearing its ugly head.
Q. Did Kimbo ever stand a chance against the ex-IFL champ?
I 100% believe Kimbo could have won.
No doubt in my mind.
Q. Explain how he would have overcome Roy's bjj skillz.
The opposite of the ground game is standup. Forget bjj defense or even the clinch game.
KEEP IT STANDING
Do NOT attempt knees, kicks, spinning backfists, jumping windmill kicks, spinning hook kicks, or the legendary “Triple Lindy".
Just do what you do best:
Pretend you're in a boatyard, light him up like a Christmas tree and introduce Roy to your Certification of the Streets.
Done and done.
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