Quote:1) Who's driving the Phil Davis bandwagon?
Chalk up another exciting contender to world's light-heavyweight ranks.It's always dangerous to draw conclusions from one fight, but the former Division I wrestling champion completely dominated a very good fighter in Brian Stann.
Not surprisingly, Davis is quite dependent on his takedowns, but he's only two years removed from his collegiate wrestling days, so that's to be expected. But he's spent time training with top strikers like Brandon Vera and the staff at American Kickboxing Academy. From the size of his legs, he looks like he can generate a ton of power as his technique improves (the kinetic chain of a punch starts from the legs).
If his standup gets anywhere close to the level of his wrestling, look out world.
2) Paulo Thiago is no fluke
When Thiago beat Josh Koscheck at UFC 95 with a seldom seen in MMA uppercut knockout, many people thought it was a lucky punch. You would think some of the doubters would have been silenced when he went the distance with the ever-tough Jon Fitch at UFC 100, but now there should be no question about it.Thiago hurt Mike Swick and then finished him in the blink of an eye. He showed great finishing instinct, and after beating his second top 10 opponent, don't be surprised to see Thiago crack the welterweight top 10 rankings himself.
3) Chael Sonnen backs up his words
Two years ago, Sonnen was more on his way to journeyman than champion, but yet here he is now one win away from having UFC gold strapped around his waist.Who knows where this recent surge came from? Sonnen was always a solid fighter, but in his first run in the UFC in 2005-'06, he was 0-2, and he'd never before had a winning streak longer than five fights in his career.
His transformation seemed to come with his new outspoken attitude. Much of what Sonnen says can probably be taken with a grain of salt, but at the same time, he's put a lot more pressure on himself to come through in the cage after drawing so much attention. He's talked the talk, but he's walked the walk, too. His effort against Nate Marquardt was downright inspired. Well done.
4) You can't please everybody
Though Mark Coleman is beloved for his longevity, he hasn't always won fans over with his grinding style (most MMA watchers prefer standup over grappling). Against Randy Couture, Coleman basically abandoned his usual wrestling attack in favor of a standup fight.It eventually backfired as Couture got the better of the striking, and eventually he dragged Coleman down to the mat and choked him out. People questioned his strategy, but I understand it.
It's quite possible he realized that any wrestling battle would end in a stalemate, and given his stamina problems in the past, all the effort would leave him with negative returns. He did have a power advantage against Couture, and possibly felt the chances of knocking him down were better than the chances of taking him down. He did rock Couture once in the fight, so he might have had the right idea but simply couldn't execute it. At 45, don't blame him for going for broke.
5) Melvin Guillard might have turned the corner
In the past, we've seen Guillard look lost on the ground. Most of his losses have come via submission, and before the fight, I thought Ronnys Torres had a very good chance of adding another tapout to his ledger.But this time, Guillard looked like a different fighter on the ground. Though he found himself in a few dangerous positions against the black belt, he never came close to being submitted.
Guillard recently switched camps to train with the vaunted Greg Jackson team, and maybe it would be making too much to credit Jackson with the sudden improvement, but sometimes things just click for a fighter, and maybe Guillard (who is still only 26), has figured things out.
Monday, February 8, 2010
• View topic - Five Things We Learned From UFC 109
Saturday, February 6, 2010
• View topic - UFC 112: headed to PPV in U.S. event airs live at 1 p.m. ET
"UFC 112: Invincible" headed to pay-per-view in U.S.; event airs live at 1 p.m. ET
Quote:With just three fights officially announced for the UFC's first-ever trip to the United Arab Emirates, "UFC 112: Invincible" already has the makings of one of the highest-profile cards in the history of the promotion.But with Anderson Silva prepared to defend his title against Vitor Belfort and lightweight champ B.J. Penn locking up with Frankie Edgar at the April 10 event, many U.S.-based fans wondered exactly how they were going to be able to see the UFC's first-ever open-air event.
Unsurprisingly, the answer is on pay-per-view.
The UFC today announced that "UFC 112: Invincible," which takes place in Abu Dhabi, will air in the U.S. on pay-per-view. But unlike some events that take place outside of North America, fans will have the option of watching the event live.
UFC 112 will air on pay-per-view at 1 p.m. ET (10 a.m. PT). A replay of the card will also broadcast in the UFC's normal timeslot of 10 p.m. ET (7 p.m. PT).
In addition to the two title fights on the card, the UFC has also announced that MMA legend Renzo Gracie will face one of the most dominant champions in UFC history, Matt Hughes.
UFC 112 also marks the UFC's first attempt at an outdoor show. The event takes place at Concert Arena at the Ferrari World theme park on Yas Island.
The UFC 112 full card is currently expected to feature:
* Champ Anderson Silva vs. Vitor Belfort (for middleweight title)
* Champ B.J. Penn vs. Frankie Edgar (for lightweight title)
* Matt Hughes vs. Renzo Gracie
* Kendall Grove vs. Mark Munoz*
* Nick Osipczak vs. Rick Story*
* Rafael dos Anjos vs. Terry Etim*
* John Gunderson vs. Paul Taylor*
* Paul Kelly vs. Matt Veach*
* DaMarques Johnson vs. TBA** - Not officially announced
Friday, February 5, 2010
• View topic - UFC 116 targeted for July 3 in Las Vegas, Brock Lesnar
UFC 116 targeted for July 3 in Las Vegas, Brock Lesnar could headline
Quote:LAS VEGAS – The return of Brock Lesnar could come a day shy of Independence Day.A well-placed UFC source told MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) that the promotion is targeting July 3 for an event date in Las Vegas. A venue for the show, which will likely be UFC 116, has not been determined, and the UFC has not yet reserved the date with the Nevada State Athletic Commission.
In three of the past four Fourth of July weekends, the UFC has hosted cards in Las Vegas, and UFC president Dana White recently said he hopes to keep it a tradition much like the organization's Super Bowl weekend and end-of-year shows.
The summer event would be sandwiched between UFC 115 (Vancouver on June 12), The Ultimate Fighter 11 Finale (Las Vegas on June 19) and the promotion's first trip to Boston (possibly UFC 117), which is expected for Aug. 28.
White said the outcome of two upcoming heavyweight fights – Frank Mir vs. Shane Carwin at UFC 111 (for the interim heavyweight title) and Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira vs. Cain Velasquez at UFC 110 – will factor into determining Lesnar's next opponent, though he didn't specify which winning fighter will get the opportunity.
"We've got to find out what's going to happen with the next two fights, the heavyweight fights, and then we'll figure out what we're going to do," White said Thursday to a gathering of reporters. "If those guys come out of that fight healthy, we'll do that fight."
In a perfect world, White said, Lesnar will return in June or July.
Lesnar is currently on the mend in Minnesota after suffering a severe case of diverticulosis that threatened to end his MMA career. He and White announced his planned return two weeks ago on ESPN's "Sportscenter" and during a subsequent and impromptu media teleconference.
The massive champion said he has already re-gained 20 pounds of muscle after dropping 40 pounds to the intestinal infection. (He normally walks around at 280-plus pounds.)
"I know one thing," Lesnar said of the UFC heavyweight division during the teleconference. "All them guys are [expletive] in their pants right now."
• View topic - Rolles Gracie Interview.
Quote:Gracie family, responsible for the creation of UFC, saw only one of his representatives to fight on the octagon. Although, years after Royce to win 11 fights on the tournament, will be Rolles Gracie’s turn, son of the legend Rolls, to debut on Ultimate. With scheduled fight to February 6, against Mustapha Al Turk, the black belt talked to TATAME about the expectation for the fight, the trains on United States, analyzed the category and bets on “Jiu-Jitsu’s easy going” to beat Brock Lesnar.How’s the expectation to debut on UFC?
I’m really excited. The train is very good, better impossible. I’m satisfied with my student’s support here, fans are sending messages on my website, twitter, facebook... I’m excited with everyone’s care and support.
How’s the training with Renzo and the preparation for this fight?
I’m with a great team of trainers. Greg Jackson, guys are nice, and Renzo, with all his experience... He has a scheduled fight too, I’m here in New York training with him, I have a phenomenal Boxe trainer, the same of Ricardo “Cachorrão” (Almeida), he changed the boxing around here... Greg Jackson is phenomenal too, I like to go to New Mexico to test myself, make sparring with the guys there. Greg is a nice guy too, receive me well, he knows MMA game a lot. The guys I train there have a game like the guys I’ll fight with.
Greg Jackson commands other MMA names, as St Pierre, Rashad Evans, Nate Marquardt... Have you ever trained with those guys?
There’s Shane Carwin, who I trained with in Beverly Hills, there’s (Keith) Jardine, who’s from New Mexico, there’s Brian Stann, who fought a month ago and is in the same card as I am, and some people not so much known. Here in New York there’s some guys from IFL, André Gusmão, Ricardo Cachorrão’s students...
What do you know about your opponent, Mustapha Al Turk, who’s coming from defeat on that controversy fight against Cro Cop. What did you study about his game?
I can’t say that he’s an easy opponent because he lost to Cro Cop, because was a bad match to his game. He’s complete, has a good boxing, good drops, he was champion of the ADCC in 2003 and he’s coming for all or nothing, because he’s coming from two defeats on UFC and he can be cut. Because of that he can be a dangerous opponent. I’m focused on this fight to don’t disappoint my fans.
• View topic - Couture, Coleman, Machida, and Rua: The Fantastic Four
Riddle me this, fight fans…
What do Randy “The Natural” Couture and Mark “The Hammer” Coleman have in common with Lyoto “The Dragon” Machida and Mauricio “Shogun” Rua?
Each pairing is scheduled to face each other, but win or lose, they absolutely would love to fight the winner/loser of the other scheduled match-up—with or without the championship belt on the line.
No matter the outcomes of the next few pay-per-view’s, Couture and Machida have both expressed a great deal of interest in wanting to fight each other (probably more-so with Couture), and absolutely without question, the rubber match between Rua and Coleman must happen, both for the sake of the fans, as well as, for the personal and professional fulfilments of these two fighters.
But on the flip-side of that scenario, I see absolutely no reason at all why Couture would not want to take on Rua if given the opportunity. Above all else, Couture is totally and completely committed to fighting all of the best that the light-heavyweight division has to offer.
Plus, I’m sure that Coleman would love a crack at Machida.
And why wouldn’t he?
After all, Coleman is a Hall of Fame fighter and former champion who hardly strikes me as the kind of individual who would ever be intimidated by anyone…including the Karate Kid.
After all, it’s about fighting the best in the world isn’t it? Both past and present?
Personally, they could potentially schedule any combination of these four fighters at any one event in, let’s say, Antarctica, and I would be there to watch it. It would certainly take a heck of a lot more than global-warming and a bunch of killer leopard seals to stop me.
With that being said, let’s take a quick look at the benefits of these match-ups from the perspectives of both the fighters, and the fans:
Couture vs ColemanFighters: This is going to be a great fight for both Hall of Famers. Despite being legends in the sport, these two men have never had the occasion to fight each other inside of the Octagon, and beating the other into submission would be an obvious feather in the cap for the winner. Plus, a victory would almost certainly guarantee a title shot for either of these men.
Hey…when you’re Randy Couture or Mark Coleman—you don’t have to wait in line very long (if at all) for a shot at the title. That’s the benefit of experience and being a Hall of Fame athlete in MMA. Just enjoy watching these guys while you can—don’t worry, they’ll retire soon enough and when they do, you’ll become nostalgic very quickly for the good ‘ol days.
Fans: The fans can complain all they want about not wanting to see these two aging “dinosaurs” fight each other. These two guys match up perfectly for an explosive, ground-and-pound war. If you love a good fight, then shut up and enjoy what will certainly be, without a doubt, one of the best and most exciting fights ever in the history of the UFC.
I can’t wait!
Machida vs RuaFighters: This fight is the much anticipated rematch from one of the most controversial fights in the history of MMA. Both of these men learned a great deal from their initial experience (such as the importance of actually finishing a fight and not leaving decisions up to the judges). Expect fireworks and a definitive champion at the end of this one.
Fans: Fans love knock-outs, but that doesn’t always suit the game plan of a fighter who’s trying to work his way up the divisional ladder. Perhaps fighters should be rewarded more on performance and less on outcome. Both of these men lost (and in some cases gained) fans and respect from their first outing, which should tell you that there’s more on the line here than a shiny belt to wear around their wastes.
Can you say, “Fireworks?”
Rest of article - http://bit.ly/bQVWvm
Thursday, February 4, 2010
• View topic - Mike Swick ready to put past behind
Mike Swick wrote:UFC welterweight contender Mike Swick (14-3 MMA, 9-2 UFC) has been here before.After suffering a disappointing loss in his most recent appearance, the Houston native knows what it takes to dust himself off, put the past behind, and leave it all in the cage while looking to start another impressive win streak.
And as Swick recently told MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) for The Dallas Morning News, his UFC 109 main-card bout with Paulo Thiago (12-1 MMA, 2-1 UFC) this Saturday in Las Vegas is the perfect time to prove his character to the world.
"Losses are really hard to deal with for me because I'm very competitive," Swick said. "It usually brings the best out of me, which is good, and that's what I think it's going to do this time.
"After every loss I've ever had so far in my career, I've come back on a big winning streak. I think that's what is important to my fans – how I pick myself up. Fans don't necessarily look at your win-loss record. I don't get many emails from fans that say they are my fans because, 'Wow, you have a good win-loss record.' It's always because of how I've overcome stuff and how I've dealt with hurdles and negative impacts in my life and how I've kept my head positive and pushed forward. I think that's something you can take inspiration from in any field, whether it's fighting or not."
• View topic - Mark Coleman hasn't changed his style in 13 years
Randy Couture wrote:Mark’s fighting style hasn’t changed in the thirteen years we’ve been doing this. He has got a great double leg, he is a big physical guy. He is going throw nice heavy, strong punches early on and try to set up that double leg, try to get you on your back. He has got a great wrestler’s base so once he gets on top of you he is hard to get out from underneath. He is going to pick away at you, chip away at you and hope to steal rounds. I am working a lot of inside stuff against the cage, against the fence. I want to make him work under those conditions. I feel like I have an advantage there with my Greco-roman background compared to his freestyle background. [Cardio] is always a tool in my tool belt, is that I have a tendency to always be in great shape and make it hard work for my opponents. I like to work hard and make them work harder than they like to go
