Tomorrow is UFC 153 live from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil! It should be a pretty good card since Brazilians are in every fight and they are the best mixed martial artists. The main event of UFC Middleweight Champion and king of MMA Anderson Silva fighting at light heavyweight for the first time in three years against Stephan Bonnar in what UFC President Dana White has said is a “fun fight” should be pretty exciting, and frankly any time Silva is in action the card is worth getting. Also, Minotauro Nogueira is back in action for the first time in 10 months against Dave Herman. This is a show that was in danger thanks to injuries, but it now promises to have a fun top three fights, and a good card overall if Jon Fitch doesn’t win. Let’s check out what’s on tap.
Demian Maia (16-4) vs. Rick Story (14-5): I won’t lie to you, this fight holds no interest to me. I know I’ve seen Rick Story fight a few times but I can’t remember anything other than his stupid nickname, “The Horror.” Well hopefully the American Horror Story (see what I did there?) loses to the Brazilian Maia. This is Maia’s second fight at welterweight, a weight he hopes to have some success in since he had nothing to offer at middleweight anymore. Maia had a strange TKO victory over Dong Hyun Kim at 148 in which he took Kim down and punched him twice and Kim was done because he had a muscle spasm. Maia has eight submission wins, and unless he gets one on Story this fight is going to decision. Maia wins a decision.
Phil Davis (9-1, 1NC) vs. Wagner Prado (8-0, 1NC): This is essentially a continuation of their fight that went a minute and a half at the UFC on Fox card in August. Davis accidently poked the Brazilian Prado in the eye and it was declared a no contest when Prado couldn’t continue. Davis has some good wrestling and the UFC is high on him, hoping he’ll become a contender one day. Prado has one decision win and seven knockout victories on his record. He could be pumped up in front of the Brazilian crowd and add an eighth to that, but I don’t think so. Davis wins a decision.
Jon Fitch (26-4-1, 1NC) vs. Erick Silva (14-2, 1NC): Nap time! Jon Fitch is the most boring fighter in history. I have fallen asleep during his fights before, and I plan on doing it again. Unless of course this goes like Fitch’s last fight, in which Johny Hendricks knocked him out in 12 seconds. Silva has shown a penchant for going for the finish these last two years and is currently 2-1 in the UFC with his loss being a DQ for strikes to the back of the head. His two wins were by KO and by submission. Fitch is the king of decision wins in the UFC and a win by decision tomorrow gives him the UFC record with 10. Silva is an exciting prospect though, and Fitch got whooped by BJ Penn in the first round of their fight and then was knocked out in 12 seconds. Silva by TKO in round 2.
Glover Teixeira (18-2) vs. Fabio Maldonado (18-5): Teixeira is one of the big light heavyweight prospects right now. He will likely be an opponent for Jon Jones within the next year or so if he keeps up his winning ways. He has good boxing and jiu jitsu. Maldonado is replacing Rampage Jackson, who pulled out of this fight with an injury. Maldonado is riding a two fight losing streak, but has the fact he has never lost by knockout going for him. Sadly, Teixeira is one of those guys like Alexander Gustafsson and Phil Davis who are expected to be the next batch of contenders for that belt Jon Jones has. Teixeira by first round knockout.
Antonio Rodrigo “Minotauro” Nogueira (33-7-1, 1NC) vs. Dave Herman (21-4): Last year it seemed like Big Nog was going to reclaim his title as the greatest heavyweight fighter in the universe. He took a year off to get healthy after getting laid out by Cain Velasquez in 2010, and last year knocked out Brendan Schaub in Rio. Next up was Frank Mir, and Nog was about to knock him out until he decided that the best way to get revenge for Mir knocking him out would be to make him submit. Nogueira went for a choke and Mir managed to reverse it into a kimura and broke Nog’s arm, putting him on the shelf for these last 10 months. Nog is fighting in his home country for just the second time ever, and Herman has been knocked out twice this year. Herman’s striking could give Nog some problems if he’s got a lot of ring rust, but if not, Minotauro will rise again. Here is a guy who has beautiful boxing and the greatest jiu jitsu in the history of the sport. Nogueira by second round submission.
Anderson Silva (30-4) vs. Stephan Bonnar (17-7): This fight will only be three rounds rather than the usual five for a main event. After injuries forced the featherweight title fight from the card, Silva offered to fight at light heavyweight to give the card a main event. The last time Anderson Silva fought at light heavyweight, he humiliated Ultimate Fighter season one winner Forrest Griffin. Tomorrow he faces Griffin’s opponent from the TUF Finale, Stephan Bonnar. The UFC says Griffin-Bonnar is the greatest fight in UFC history, and I can say I was one of those people lucky enough to turn on Spike that night and catch the insane war they had seven years ago. That night Bonnar lost a close decision, and that could very well be the case when he steps in the octagon against the GOAT on Saturday. Bonnar has two TKO losses in his career, both of them because of cuts and not because of strikes.
He has never been actually finished in his career, be it by knockout or submission. Of course, Yushin Okami hadn’t been finished for eight years until he fought Silva last year, and Vitor Belfort had never been knocked clean out in his career until he fought Silva either. Bonnar is a very tough fighter and always a game opponent, but Anderson Silva has the greatest striking in MMA history. Bonnar’s best bet is to get in on Silva, but the clinch against Anderson is so dangerous. Watch Silva’s fights with Rich Franklin for a textbook case as to why you don’t want to get in the clinch. Bonnar will also want to get Silva to the ground, but Travis Lutter, Dan Henderson, and Chael Sonnen all got finished doing that. Silva’s strength may not be what it is at middleweight since Bonnar is a big guy, but he remains the most talented fighter in the history of the sport. Bonnar can give Silva a very good fight and maybe force a decision, but ultimately it is still Anderson Silva. Stephan Bonnar is on a three fight win streak and always gives his best, but it is still Anderson Silva in Brazil. Silva wins by third round TKO.
That's everything. Watch this show since Anderson Silva's career is winding down and we need to cherish each performance since you don't know when that will be it.
Showing posts with label anderson silva. Show all posts
Showing posts with label anderson silva. Show all posts
Friday, October 12, 2012
Wednesday, April 11, 2012
The Rights and Wrongs in the Sporting World 1
In the three realms we cover here on BBB, a great deal has happened as of late. As the title of this post suggests, I will be covering what out of the past few weeks is right in the universe and what is wrong. All pretty straightforward, so let’s just get to it.
The Right:
1. Stephon Marbury Gets a Statue - When Stephon Marbury left the NBA to go play for the Chinese Basketball Association, his life was a mess. He had left the Knicks in shame after threatening to blackmail Isiah Thomas and then feuding with Mike D’Antoni. He turned down a contract with the Boston Celtics so he could focus on “business” and then started broadcasting his life via webcam and did weird things like eat Vaseline and cry listening to music. Then he went to the CBA and has become a new man. He has matured and has become a superstar over there and lead the Beijing Ducks to their first CBA Championship. He averaged 33 and 6 in the Finals, and scored 41 points in the deciding Game 5, but CBA rules ban a foreign-born player from winning the MVP award. Luckily, a million CBA fans signed a petition calling for a massive bronze statue of Starbury to be made in honor of his contributions. It is great to see Marbury finally act like an adult and finally become a winner. It is even better that he is going to be immortalized with a sick statue.
2. Memphis Grizzlies - The team I said would rival the OKC Thunder for the top seed in the Western Conference has not been the truth this year. Granted Zach Randolph being hurt cost them, but he is now back and the Grizzlies have a very solid team. Marc Gasol is one of the best centers in the league, then you’ve got guys like OJ Mayo and Rudy Gay who can pile on the points and play good defense. Even Gilbert Arenas has proven to be a solid addition thus far, and it seemed like his career was at an end. Over the course of their last 10 games, the Grizzlies are 8-2 and have beaten the likes of the defending champion Dallas Mavericks, the Miami Heat, the Lakers, the Clippers, and the West-leading Thunder. They have put together a nice late-season stretch that could give them a ton of confidence come the playoffs.
3. Anderson Silva’s Revenge - It has been announced that Chael Sonnen will get another shot at Anderson Silva’s Middleweight Championship on June 23 in Silva’s native Brazil. The Brazilian fans are always rabid at the UFC shows and after all the trash talk Sonnen has dished out for two years about Silva, the Nogueira brothers, and the country of Brazil, somebody is going to want to see Sonnen get smacked up. An article on BJPenn.com asked if Sonnen’s trash talk is getting old. It was old after he got submitted by Silva in their first fight yet still talked the noise about how he was the true champion. Silva’s victory was maybe the most heroic in UFC history as he went into the fight mentally unprepared due to the loss of his grandmother and he was physically unprepared as he had busted ribs. Also, Sonnen was juiced up, but that will be touched on later in this post. It didn’t matter as Silva still made Sonnen eat his words about how a Nogueira black belt is like a Happy Meal toy. Now Silva is healthy and will be out to prove that Sonnen’s dominance over him in the first fight was just a fluke.
4. Tom Thibodeau - Thibs may be on pace to become the first back-to-back winner of the NBA Coach of the Year Award. He totally deserves it, and not just because I’m a Bulls fan. With Derrick Rose having a historic season in terms of games missed by a reigning MVP, the Bulls are still poised to win the East and maybe finish with the best record in the league. Best in the league despite being depleted by injuries all year and Carlos Boozer having to be the best player on the team. Chicago is staring down 50 wins in this brutal, lockout-shortened year even though Luol Deng has a serious wrist problem and isn’t playing as well as he could, Rip Hamilton plays a game or two then leaves because he’s hurt, and Derrick Rose has only played 35 of the 58 games this year. That’s three of the five starters down, and Chicago is just chugging along thanks to Thibodeau’s defense-first teachings.
5. The WWE and John Cena - Ten days ago was a terrific show at WrestleMania XXVIII. In a shocking turn of events in the main event, the WWE put The Rock over John Cena. Usually when they do these clashes of an icon from the past with the icon from the present, the classic guy always loses. WWE has forced Cena down everybody’s throats for years so everybody expected him to go over The Rock. In terms of storylines, it was a brilliant move to have Rock go over since this makes Cena’s character far more interesting. Had Cena won, he would have beaten literally every big star except for Undertaker. Triple H, Shawn Michaels, Chris Jericho, Kurt Angle, everybody has had to job for Cena. If Cena had won he would be unstoppable forever. But now that he loses a match he said he had to win or he would lose “everything,” he is far more interesting. Compound that with Brock Lesnar returning the next night on Raw and delivering the F5 to Cena, and Cena instantly becomes interesting for the first time in years. Even the other night on Raw Lesnar got the better of Cena. WWE never has their top guy get jobbed out repeatedly, but now that they are doing it Cena is actually entertaining. The days of Super Cena who cannot be touched by mortal men are long gone and now Cena is just another superstar. However, this leads me to the first thing I want to discuss with what is wrong in the realms these days.
The Wrong:
1. WWE - Vince McMahon is going to be stepping down soon and relinquishing control of the company to his daughter Stephanie and her husband Triple H (not his real name). Vince has been pissed as of late since aside from the rise of CM Punk as a main event star in the last year, nobody other than Cena has gotten over with the fans. Normally if you want to get people over, you put them in high profile feuds and have them win. Hell, give them a secondary title like the Intercontinental or US title and have them work matches. Dolph Ziggler should be US Champion right now after being made to look like absolute crap against CM Punk but now is getting jobbed out to the “Funkasaurus” Brodus Clay. Cody Rhodes was making the Intercontinental title mean something again by cutting good promos and working good matches, but then they jobbed him out to Big Show at Mania so his push has declined. Zack Ryder gets jobbed out and made to look like an idiot every week. Ron Killings is portraying R-Truth, a gimmick I feel is offensive since it requires him to just be the token wild black guy who says crazy stuff and break dances. Daniel Bryan, who has won Wrestling Observer’s Best Technical Wrestler award seven straight years, was jobbed out in 18 SECONDS at WrestleMania. Rather than put some of these guys in feuds with Cena and make them stars they are being made to look like clowns. Vince is pissed there are no new stars, so what did they do? Bring back The Rock, who can only work for like maybe a month then disappears to make another movie, and put him over the biggest star in the company. The next night they bring back Brock Lesnar and put him over the top star in the company. How does this solve the issue of there being no new talent? The new blood isn’t even being given a shot and stars of the past like Brock and Rock aren’t putting anybody over, they are just being pushed like they are the future.
2. Alistair Overeem Fails a Random Drug Test - The Nevada State Athletic Commission granted Alistair Overeem a conditional license to face Brock Lesnar back in December. Part of this conditional license was the provision that he would be randomly piss tested since he has put on so much muscle the last few years it is obvious he must be on steroids. His temporary license expired on December 31st, 2011 and he passed his drug test both pre and post-fight. Reem’s victory over Lesnar has put him at the front of the line for a heavyweight title fight with champion Junior dos Santos. Overeem isn’t currently licensed but at the UFC 146 press conference, the NSAC administered a random drug test on Overeem and he failed, putting what would have been a great fight in jeopardy. The legal testosterone ratio for competition in Nevada is 6:1, while Overeem’s ratio was 14:1. Now the title fight seems to be in jeopardy since Nevada can refuse to issue a license on these grounds when Reem has his hearing. UFC President Dana White is furious since Reem looked him dead in the eye and swore he was not on steroids, but this test says otherwise. Overeem could claim testosterone replacement therapy as so many fighters do (more on that in a moment), or his defense could be that he isn’t licensed so this test means nothing. He has never failed a pre or post-fight drug test, and if he tests clean right before the fight and right after why should he be punished? The fight isn’t until the end of May so who is to say he won’t have a normal ratio on fight night? While a cheap defense, it still raises a valid point. But the fact remains, Overeem swore he wasn’t juiced up and here he is with the second highest ratio for a major fighter. Who was first? Well that’s what is so interesting...
3. Chael Sonnen Gets a Second Title Shot - The highest testosterone level belongs to Chael Sonnen with 16.9 when he had his title fight against Anderson Silva back in August of 2010. Not only did Sonnen get choked out, he cheated also since he failed to ever document he underwent testosterone replacement therapy for a condition called hypergonadism. It is worth noting one of the causes of hypergonadism is steroid use. He nearly pulled off the biggest upset in MMA history and it would have been tarnished because he had testosterone levels 17 times higher than that of a normal man, which is ridiculous even if he underwent TRT since a proper procedure would not cause that as the article I just linked to explains. He is being rewarded for nearly shaming the company by getting another title shot, while Alistair Overeem’s future with the UFC is in jeopardy. The Overeem test was just a random test on an un-licensed fighter, while Sonnen was in the biggest fight of the year and failed right before and right after the fight. Everybody is calling for Overeem to be punished, but people love Sonnen’s professional wrestling-style promos that embarrass the sport and they ignore the fact he cheated badly. Reem has never failed a drug test pre or post-fight and is going to be punished, but Sonnen fails pre and post-fight and is being rewarded despite the fact that if he had won that fight with Silva the UFC would have been shamed and all the good will the sport had built up would have been done.
4. Derrick Rose - Rose has missed numerous clutch free throws this year, most notably the other night against the Knicks. People could say it is a mental thing, and I agree to an extent, but we can’t forget Rose has been in horrible shape all year. Last year he was an absolute killer and carried Chicago to unexpected heights. This year he has barely played half of the games and gets injured all the time. Turf toe, bad back, bad groin, and now a sprained ankle. Maybe he wasn’t his usual clutch self against New York because he sprained that ankle again during the game and has been injured all year. Either way, his struggles to get healthy are going to cost the Chicago Bulls come playoff time. Granted it isn’t entirely his fault since he keeps getting hurt since he hasn’t had the chance to get in game shape, but still he is doing more harm than good right now. And the fact he has missed so many fourth quarter free throws this year is even worse. While the regular season hardly matters, it is still a dire situation when Derrick Rose has been more injured and hasn’t even had as good of a season as Carlos Boozer.
5. LeBron MVP Talk Despite a Great Canadian Having a Great Year - Yeah I hate LeBron but just hear me out. He is clearly the MVP this year and all, but depending on how these last few games go we may have to consider somebody else for a three-time MVP winner. If the Phoenix Suns make the playoffs, Steve Nash totally deserves to be MVP. He is battling it out with Rajon Rondo to be league leader in assists, and is sixth in the league in field goal percentage, with a ridiculous 54.1%. He’s the only non-post player up that high, with LeBron James sitting at 10. Did I mention he is a 38-year-old 6’3” point guard averaging 13 and 11? Not the most electrifying numbers in terms of scoring, but getting the Suns into the playoffs with Marcin Gortat as your second best player and Grant Hill out for the season is unreal. Michael Redd and Channing Frye are relied on as major options. LeBron is having an amazing year and all, but the Western Conference is the still the Bestern Conference, and if Nash can lead the Suns to the playoffs being several games over .500 hopefully somebody throws him a bone here.
That’s all for now. God speed and party on.
The Right:
1. Stephon Marbury Gets a Statue - When Stephon Marbury left the NBA to go play for the Chinese Basketball Association, his life was a mess. He had left the Knicks in shame after threatening to blackmail Isiah Thomas and then feuding with Mike D’Antoni. He turned down a contract with the Boston Celtics so he could focus on “business” and then started broadcasting his life via webcam and did weird things like eat Vaseline and cry listening to music. Then he went to the CBA and has become a new man. He has matured and has become a superstar over there and lead the Beijing Ducks to their first CBA Championship. He averaged 33 and 6 in the Finals, and scored 41 points in the deciding Game 5, but CBA rules ban a foreign-born player from winning the MVP award. Luckily, a million CBA fans signed a petition calling for a massive bronze statue of Starbury to be made in honor of his contributions. It is great to see Marbury finally act like an adult and finally become a winner. It is even better that he is going to be immortalized with a sick statue.
2. Memphis Grizzlies - The team I said would rival the OKC Thunder for the top seed in the Western Conference has not been the truth this year. Granted Zach Randolph being hurt cost them, but he is now back and the Grizzlies have a very solid team. Marc Gasol is one of the best centers in the league, then you’ve got guys like OJ Mayo and Rudy Gay who can pile on the points and play good defense. Even Gilbert Arenas has proven to be a solid addition thus far, and it seemed like his career was at an end. Over the course of their last 10 games, the Grizzlies are 8-2 and have beaten the likes of the defending champion Dallas Mavericks, the Miami Heat, the Lakers, the Clippers, and the West-leading Thunder. They have put together a nice late-season stretch that could give them a ton of confidence come the playoffs.
3. Anderson Silva’s Revenge - It has been announced that Chael Sonnen will get another shot at Anderson Silva’s Middleweight Championship on June 23 in Silva’s native Brazil. The Brazilian fans are always rabid at the UFC shows and after all the trash talk Sonnen has dished out for two years about Silva, the Nogueira brothers, and the country of Brazil, somebody is going to want to see Sonnen get smacked up. An article on BJPenn.com asked if Sonnen’s trash talk is getting old. It was old after he got submitted by Silva in their first fight yet still talked the noise about how he was the true champion. Silva’s victory was maybe the most heroic in UFC history as he went into the fight mentally unprepared due to the loss of his grandmother and he was physically unprepared as he had busted ribs. Also, Sonnen was juiced up, but that will be touched on later in this post. It didn’t matter as Silva still made Sonnen eat his words about how a Nogueira black belt is like a Happy Meal toy. Now Silva is healthy and will be out to prove that Sonnen’s dominance over him in the first fight was just a fluke.
4. Tom Thibodeau - Thibs may be on pace to become the first back-to-back winner of the NBA Coach of the Year Award. He totally deserves it, and not just because I’m a Bulls fan. With Derrick Rose having a historic season in terms of games missed by a reigning MVP, the Bulls are still poised to win the East and maybe finish with the best record in the league. Best in the league despite being depleted by injuries all year and Carlos Boozer having to be the best player on the team. Chicago is staring down 50 wins in this brutal, lockout-shortened year even though Luol Deng has a serious wrist problem and isn’t playing as well as he could, Rip Hamilton plays a game or two then leaves because he’s hurt, and Derrick Rose has only played 35 of the 58 games this year. That’s three of the five starters down, and Chicago is just chugging along thanks to Thibodeau’s defense-first teachings.
5. The WWE and John Cena - Ten days ago was a terrific show at WrestleMania XXVIII. In a shocking turn of events in the main event, the WWE put The Rock over John Cena. Usually when they do these clashes of an icon from the past with the icon from the present, the classic guy always loses. WWE has forced Cena down everybody’s throats for years so everybody expected him to go over The Rock. In terms of storylines, it was a brilliant move to have Rock go over since this makes Cena’s character far more interesting. Had Cena won, he would have beaten literally every big star except for Undertaker. Triple H, Shawn Michaels, Chris Jericho, Kurt Angle, everybody has had to job for Cena. If Cena had won he would be unstoppable forever. But now that he loses a match he said he had to win or he would lose “everything,” he is far more interesting. Compound that with Brock Lesnar returning the next night on Raw and delivering the F5 to Cena, and Cena instantly becomes interesting for the first time in years. Even the other night on Raw Lesnar got the better of Cena. WWE never has their top guy get jobbed out repeatedly, but now that they are doing it Cena is actually entertaining. The days of Super Cena who cannot be touched by mortal men are long gone and now Cena is just another superstar. However, this leads me to the first thing I want to discuss with what is wrong in the realms these days.
The Wrong:
1. WWE - Vince McMahon is going to be stepping down soon and relinquishing control of the company to his daughter Stephanie and her husband Triple H (not his real name). Vince has been pissed as of late since aside from the rise of CM Punk as a main event star in the last year, nobody other than Cena has gotten over with the fans. Normally if you want to get people over, you put them in high profile feuds and have them win. Hell, give them a secondary title like the Intercontinental or US title and have them work matches. Dolph Ziggler should be US Champion right now after being made to look like absolute crap against CM Punk but now is getting jobbed out to the “Funkasaurus” Brodus Clay. Cody Rhodes was making the Intercontinental title mean something again by cutting good promos and working good matches, but then they jobbed him out to Big Show at Mania so his push has declined. Zack Ryder gets jobbed out and made to look like an idiot every week. Ron Killings is portraying R-Truth, a gimmick I feel is offensive since it requires him to just be the token wild black guy who says crazy stuff and break dances. Daniel Bryan, who has won Wrestling Observer’s Best Technical Wrestler award seven straight years, was jobbed out in 18 SECONDS at WrestleMania. Rather than put some of these guys in feuds with Cena and make them stars they are being made to look like clowns. Vince is pissed there are no new stars, so what did they do? Bring back The Rock, who can only work for like maybe a month then disappears to make another movie, and put him over the biggest star in the company. The next night they bring back Brock Lesnar and put him over the top star in the company. How does this solve the issue of there being no new talent? The new blood isn’t even being given a shot and stars of the past like Brock and Rock aren’t putting anybody over, they are just being pushed like they are the future.
2. Alistair Overeem Fails a Random Drug Test - The Nevada State Athletic Commission granted Alistair Overeem a conditional license to face Brock Lesnar back in December. Part of this conditional license was the provision that he would be randomly piss tested since he has put on so much muscle the last few years it is obvious he must be on steroids. His temporary license expired on December 31st, 2011 and he passed his drug test both pre and post-fight. Reem’s victory over Lesnar has put him at the front of the line for a heavyweight title fight with champion Junior dos Santos. Overeem isn’t currently licensed but at the UFC 146 press conference, the NSAC administered a random drug test on Overeem and he failed, putting what would have been a great fight in jeopardy. The legal testosterone ratio for competition in Nevada is 6:1, while Overeem’s ratio was 14:1. Now the title fight seems to be in jeopardy since Nevada can refuse to issue a license on these grounds when Reem has his hearing. UFC President Dana White is furious since Reem looked him dead in the eye and swore he was not on steroids, but this test says otherwise. Overeem could claim testosterone replacement therapy as so many fighters do (more on that in a moment), or his defense could be that he isn’t licensed so this test means nothing. He has never failed a pre or post-fight drug test, and if he tests clean right before the fight and right after why should he be punished? The fight isn’t until the end of May so who is to say he won’t have a normal ratio on fight night? While a cheap defense, it still raises a valid point. But the fact remains, Overeem swore he wasn’t juiced up and here he is with the second highest ratio for a major fighter. Who was first? Well that’s what is so interesting...
3. Chael Sonnen Gets a Second Title Shot - The highest testosterone level belongs to Chael Sonnen with 16.9 when he had his title fight against Anderson Silva back in August of 2010. Not only did Sonnen get choked out, he cheated also since he failed to ever document he underwent testosterone replacement therapy for a condition called hypergonadism. It is worth noting one of the causes of hypergonadism is steroid use. He nearly pulled off the biggest upset in MMA history and it would have been tarnished because he had testosterone levels 17 times higher than that of a normal man, which is ridiculous even if he underwent TRT since a proper procedure would not cause that as the article I just linked to explains. He is being rewarded for nearly shaming the company by getting another title shot, while Alistair Overeem’s future with the UFC is in jeopardy. The Overeem test was just a random test on an un-licensed fighter, while Sonnen was in the biggest fight of the year and failed right before and right after the fight. Everybody is calling for Overeem to be punished, but people love Sonnen’s professional wrestling-style promos that embarrass the sport and they ignore the fact he cheated badly. Reem has never failed a drug test pre or post-fight and is going to be punished, but Sonnen fails pre and post-fight and is being rewarded despite the fact that if he had won that fight with Silva the UFC would have been shamed and all the good will the sport had built up would have been done.
4. Derrick Rose - Rose has missed numerous clutch free throws this year, most notably the other night against the Knicks. People could say it is a mental thing, and I agree to an extent, but we can’t forget Rose has been in horrible shape all year. Last year he was an absolute killer and carried Chicago to unexpected heights. This year he has barely played half of the games and gets injured all the time. Turf toe, bad back, bad groin, and now a sprained ankle. Maybe he wasn’t his usual clutch self against New York because he sprained that ankle again during the game and has been injured all year. Either way, his struggles to get healthy are going to cost the Chicago Bulls come playoff time. Granted it isn’t entirely his fault since he keeps getting hurt since he hasn’t had the chance to get in game shape, but still he is doing more harm than good right now. And the fact he has missed so many fourth quarter free throws this year is even worse. While the regular season hardly matters, it is still a dire situation when Derrick Rose has been more injured and hasn’t even had as good of a season as Carlos Boozer.
5. LeBron MVP Talk Despite a Great Canadian Having a Great Year - Yeah I hate LeBron but just hear me out. He is clearly the MVP this year and all, but depending on how these last few games go we may have to consider somebody else for a three-time MVP winner. If the Phoenix Suns make the playoffs, Steve Nash totally deserves to be MVP. He is battling it out with Rajon Rondo to be league leader in assists, and is sixth in the league in field goal percentage, with a ridiculous 54.1%. He’s the only non-post player up that high, with LeBron James sitting at 10. Did I mention he is a 38-year-old 6’3” point guard averaging 13 and 11? Not the most electrifying numbers in terms of scoring, but getting the Suns into the playoffs with Marcin Gortat as your second best player and Grant Hill out for the season is unreal. Michael Redd and Channing Frye are relied on as major options. LeBron is having an amazing year and all, but the Western Conference is the still the Bestern Conference, and if Nash can lead the Suns to the playoffs being several games over .500 hopefully somebody throws him a bone here.
That’s all for now. God speed and party on.
Saturday, January 7, 2012
2011 Fighters of the Year
2011 has been quite an eventful year for MMA. It opened with a Fight of the Year candidate in January between Frankie Edgar and Gray Maynard and ended on December 30th with the highly anticipated Brock Lesnar-Alistair Overeem clash of the heavyweight titans. Generally speaking, the year saw some incredible performances and there were a bevy of fighters that had banner years. The men who made this list of fighters of the year have all fought at least twice and went undefeated for the year against some solid competition. Without further ado, here is the list counting down from five to one.
5.) Nick Diaz: Nick Diaz had a whirlwind of a 2011. He defended the Strikeforce Welterweight Title twice this year, dominating Evangelista Santos en route to a submission win and knocking out Paul Daley in one of the wildest one round slugfests in ages. To top it all off he ripped into the UFC like a tornado, gaining then losing then regaining a shot at UFC gold. His spectacular boxing display against BJ Penn and post-fight tirade put him back in the main event. All three of Diaz’ fights this year were memorable and he set himself up for the next year or two as a major name in the biggest MMA promotion in the world.
4.) Benson Henderson: Bendo went from losing the WEC Lightweight Title last December to main eventing UFC 144 in Japan against Frankie Edgar this February. Quite a turnaround, especially considering all the doubt cast towards the championship aspirations of the WEC lightweights. Bendo went 3-0 this year against tough competition. He beat the solid Mark Bocek in April,and followed it up by dominating the top contender Jim Miller during the summer. It was Miller’s first loss since March 2009. For an encore, he had a fight of the year candidate against Clay Guida on the UFC on Fox prelims. This fight showed off his diverse set of skills and relentless tenacity. Between his insane cardio, granite chin, and all-around skills, he poses a serious threat to Edgar when they face off.
3.) Anderson Silva: Another year passes for the Spider without a defeat, going 2-0 this year. While the win total isn’t jaw dropping, the fashion in which he won certainly is. At UFC 126, he had the knockout of the year with his front kick to the jaw of Vitor Belfort. It was possibly the only strike Silva even threw in the three minutes of the fight and it came out of nowhere to devastating effect. His second fight was at UFC Rio, where he utterly humiliated the longtime middleweight contender Yushin Okami in about a round and a half. Okami started the fight by getting Silva in the clinch, where Anderson nullified any Okami advantage. The second round saw Silva absolutely abuse Okami, dropping him twice with jabs while keeping his hands at his side. Never before had Okami been dominated like that, but it was par for the course for Silva. To boot, Silva’s wins over fellow Brazilian (and noted celeb) Belfort and Okami turned him into a megastar in his homeland. It’s now been nearly six years since Silva has lost (via illegal kick) and seven since his last real defeat to Ryo Chonan’s flying heel hook. Not too shabby.
2.) Dan Henderson: Any other year, and Hendo is likely the year’s top fighter. He started it off by winning the Strikeforce Light Heavyweight Title just months shy of his 41st birthday, knocking out Rafael Calcavante. He followed this up by fighting the greatest heavyweight of all time, Fedor Emelianenko, giving up nearly 30 pounds in the process. The result was a first round knockout, the first such loss in the Russian’s mythical career. He capped off 2011 by returning to the UFC and cementing himself as a top contender for the 205 lb. title with a decision win over Shogun Rua in one of the greatest fights of all time. It was certainly one of the top two or three fights I’ve had the privilege of seeing. With the type of year Hendo had, he certainly eradicated all the doubts about him after his loss to Jake Shields last year in his Strikeforce debut. While I and most people don’t expect him to win against the man who is ranked number 1 in this list, if there’s one thing that Hendo has shown it’s that you can’t count out his heart and that nuclear missile of a right hand.
1.) Jon Jones: I’m not a fan of Jones due to his personality and some questionable tactics during fights, but there is no denying he had the best year of any fighter in MMA in 2011. In fact, it ranks as possibly the best year in MMA history. Off the top of my head, Shogun Rua’s 2005 run is the only major competitor for best year ever. Regardless, Jones went 4-0 this year and won each fight by finish. In February he beat (at the time) fellow prospect Ryan Bader by submission, just absolutely dominating him. Six weeks later he got a title shot against Shogun Rua. While part of Rua’s poor performance was due to his rehab from knee surgery, it’s not an excuse and Jones utterly abused him into a fourth round TKO. In September, he fought Quinton “Rampage” Jackson and picked him apart from range until submitting him in the fourth round. Last week, at UFC 140 he recovered from a first round that saw him get outstruck significantly by Lyoto Machida and turned in a sick standing guillotine in the second round to win. Of all his performances, this was the most impressive due to the composure he showed after getting blasted for the first time in his young career. He became the first fighter to beat three former champions and the fact he finished all of them is even more impressive. Now, he is two to four opponents away from clearing out the entire division. Talk about bringing stability to your weight class.
2011 saw a lot of great performances in MMA. I can’t wait to see what 2012 brings. In the meantime, feel free to leave your thoughts here or on facebook.
5.) Nick Diaz: Nick Diaz had a whirlwind of a 2011. He defended the Strikeforce Welterweight Title twice this year, dominating Evangelista Santos en route to a submission win and knocking out Paul Daley in one of the wildest one round slugfests in ages. To top it all off he ripped into the UFC like a tornado, gaining then losing then regaining a shot at UFC gold. His spectacular boxing display against BJ Penn and post-fight tirade put him back in the main event. All three of Diaz’ fights this year were memorable and he set himself up for the next year or two as a major name in the biggest MMA promotion in the world.
4.) Benson Henderson: Bendo went from losing the WEC Lightweight Title last December to main eventing UFC 144 in Japan against Frankie Edgar this February. Quite a turnaround, especially considering all the doubt cast towards the championship aspirations of the WEC lightweights. Bendo went 3-0 this year against tough competition. He beat the solid Mark Bocek in April,and followed it up by dominating the top contender Jim Miller during the summer. It was Miller’s first loss since March 2009. For an encore, he had a fight of the year candidate against Clay Guida on the UFC on Fox prelims. This fight showed off his diverse set of skills and relentless tenacity. Between his insane cardio, granite chin, and all-around skills, he poses a serious threat to Edgar when they face off.
3.) Anderson Silva: Another year passes for the Spider without a defeat, going 2-0 this year. While the win total isn’t jaw dropping, the fashion in which he won certainly is. At UFC 126, he had the knockout of the year with his front kick to the jaw of Vitor Belfort. It was possibly the only strike Silva even threw in the three minutes of the fight and it came out of nowhere to devastating effect. His second fight was at UFC Rio, where he utterly humiliated the longtime middleweight contender Yushin Okami in about a round and a half. Okami started the fight by getting Silva in the clinch, where Anderson nullified any Okami advantage. The second round saw Silva absolutely abuse Okami, dropping him twice with jabs while keeping his hands at his side. Never before had Okami been dominated like that, but it was par for the course for Silva. To boot, Silva’s wins over fellow Brazilian (and noted celeb) Belfort and Okami turned him into a megastar in his homeland. It’s now been nearly six years since Silva has lost (via illegal kick) and seven since his last real defeat to Ryo Chonan’s flying heel hook. Not too shabby.
2.) Dan Henderson: Any other year, and Hendo is likely the year’s top fighter. He started it off by winning the Strikeforce Light Heavyweight Title just months shy of his 41st birthday, knocking out Rafael Calcavante. He followed this up by fighting the greatest heavyweight of all time, Fedor Emelianenko, giving up nearly 30 pounds in the process. The result was a first round knockout, the first such loss in the Russian’s mythical career. He capped off 2011 by returning to the UFC and cementing himself as a top contender for the 205 lb. title with a decision win over Shogun Rua in one of the greatest fights of all time. It was certainly one of the top two or three fights I’ve had the privilege of seeing. With the type of year Hendo had, he certainly eradicated all the doubts about him after his loss to Jake Shields last year in his Strikeforce debut. While I and most people don’t expect him to win against the man who is ranked number 1 in this list, if there’s one thing that Hendo has shown it’s that you can’t count out his heart and that nuclear missile of a right hand.
1.) Jon Jones: I’m not a fan of Jones due to his personality and some questionable tactics during fights, but there is no denying he had the best year of any fighter in MMA in 2011. In fact, it ranks as possibly the best year in MMA history. Off the top of my head, Shogun Rua’s 2005 run is the only major competitor for best year ever. Regardless, Jones went 4-0 this year and won each fight by finish. In February he beat (at the time) fellow prospect Ryan Bader by submission, just absolutely dominating him. Six weeks later he got a title shot against Shogun Rua. While part of Rua’s poor performance was due to his rehab from knee surgery, it’s not an excuse and Jones utterly abused him into a fourth round TKO. In September, he fought Quinton “Rampage” Jackson and picked him apart from range until submitting him in the fourth round. Last week, at UFC 140 he recovered from a first round that saw him get outstruck significantly by Lyoto Machida and turned in a sick standing guillotine in the second round to win. Of all his performances, this was the most impressive due to the composure he showed after getting blasted for the first time in his young career. He became the first fighter to beat three former champions and the fact he finished all of them is even more impressive. Now, he is two to four opponents away from clearing out the entire division. Talk about bringing stability to your weight class.
2011 saw a lot of great performances in MMA. I can’t wait to see what 2012 brings. In the meantime, feel free to leave your thoughts here or on facebook.
Saturday, November 19, 2011
The UFC Needs to Act Fast/Is GSP Scared of Anderson Silva?
The Biggest Fight of All-Time
Last weekend Manny Pacquiao won a decision which was described across all media outlets as “controversial” over Juan Marquez to retain his WBO Welterweight Championship. Pacquiao, boxing’s biggest star, had to win in order to keep the sport relevant. Had he lost, all hopes for a superfight with undefeated Floyd Mayweather would have been scrapped. Promoters have been trying to put that fight together for years since they are the two best boxers in the world and a fight between them is the only truly interesting thing left in the boxing world. If Marquez won, all hopes for boxing’s biggest fight would have died. Of course for the UFC the situation is nowhere near as dire since they’re going to be around for a long time, but they should take note of this and realize that time is running out for them to do the biggest fight in the history of mixed martial arts.
The consensus top two fighters in the world for the last several years, and maybe of all time, have been middleweight king Anderson Silva and welterweight king Georges St-Pierre. Both men have dominated their division and have been at the top of the UFC for years but rather than fight each other they are defending their belts next year; Silva in a rematch against Chael Sonnen and St-Pierre against Nick Diaz. After these fights there is nothing else left for these two in their respective divisions. At UFC 100 over two years ago the idea of pitting these two against each other was floated around. Earlier this year Dana White said he was going to have to do this fight since it was the biggest thing the UFC could do. He was right then, but hasn’t seemed to press the issue since. Now the UFC is in quite the pickle next year.
Sonnen nearly won a decision over Silva last year, until Silva pulled off perhaps the greatest submission in UFC history in the fights final moments to retain his championship. Regardless of Silva going into the fight with a rib injury and Sonnen being juiced, it was a close call for the middleweight champ. There’s always the chance that Sonnen’s performance wasn’t a one-time thing and there’s a chance he could beat Silva. As for St-Pierre, he is going up against a tough opponent in Nick Diaz. GSP isn’t mentally strong, as evidenced by him losing his mind when he got punched in the eye against Jake Shields or pulled his groin against Thiago Alves and needed Greg Jackson to calm him down. Ever since Matt Serra knocked him out, GSP has been afraid to go after people and finish them and instead grinds out boring decisions. Diaz talks a lot of trash and taunts, and there’s a chance that could get in GSP’s head and cost him.
If either one of them lose next year, the selling point for their fight is lost. It isn’t two champions – the two best in the world – going face to face. Another issue the UFC faces is the public cries for a match up of Silva and Light Heavyweight Champion Jon Jones. The main reason this fight shouldn’t happen is the fact Jones hasn’t cleared out the light heavyweights and cemented his spot as the top guy. With challenges in Lyoto Machida, Rashad Evans, Dan Henderson, Phil Davis, and the inevitable arrival of Muhammad Lawal, Jones still has some tests to pass. Silva and St. Pierre have been at the top of their divisions for years while Jones has only been there a few months with just one title defense under his belt.
Assuming they both win their next defenses, Silva and GSP must fight each other and it has to happen soon. Silva is getting older and is bound to lose some of the sharp skill that has kept him on top for so long, and GSP desperately needs to fight somebody who will put his back against the wall and make him bring out his best. GSP has been far from his best these last couple years since he fights to not lose rather than win. In fact, the biggest reason this fight may not happen is Georges St-Pierre.
Is GSP Afraid?
People have mused that GSP won’t take a Silva fight because he is scared of what might happen. GSP has come out and said he isn’t afraid to fight anybody but the theory is still worth picking apart. As mentioned above, GSP does get overwhelmed during fights. He panics if he’s hurt and he has fought as safe as possible ever since he regained his championship following the embarrassing loss to Matt Serra. He gets himself all worked up and tries so hard to just not lose. He grinds out boring decisions and that’s a game plan that won’t work against Anderson Silva. GSP has said he doesn’t know if he’ll take the fight because Silva is so big, but that doesn’t really hold up once you dig a little deeper.
If the two were to fight it would most likely be at a catch-weight of something like 180 pounds or maybe a little less. Silva has said he’d be willing to cut the weight, but GSP says he isn’t sure since he’s not big enough. GSP walks around at about 195 and cuts to 170, then comes into a fight around 185-190. His defense against fighting Silva is based on Silva’s walking weight between fights. GSP is training year round so he’s always in that 195 or a little more weight range. Silva lets himself go between fights and balloons up to about 230 then cuts to 185 when it is fight time. Weight cuts for Silva are nothing, as evidenced by him being at 185 nearly a week before he fought Yushin Okami this year. When he goes into a fight he doesn’t put back on much more weight and only weighs somewhere in the 190s.
If they were to do the fight at a catch-weight below 185, they would weigh nearly the same on fight night. After that the size differences aren’t that major. Silva’s reach is 77.5 to GSP’s 76. Silva is 6’2” while GSP is 5’10”. These are not alarming size disparities. Rashad Evans wants to fight Jon Jones and Jones is nearly half a foot taller than him and has almost a foot on him in terms of reach. Randy Couture fought guys like Tim Sylvia and Sylvia had five inches in reach and stood seven inches taller than him. Not to mention the fact Sylvia weighed like 40 pounds more than him. Couture fought Brock Lesnar, who used to have to cut weight to make heavyweight while Randy was undersized for the weight, so there was a nearly 60 pound weight difference between the two. GSP is not as overmatched as he makes it seem considering many fighters have taken more challenging match ups. Randy Couture was probably the greatest fighter of all time before Silva began this run and Couture never shied away from a fight because somebody would weigh a little more than him.
GSP’s coach has recently floated the idea of him dropping down to 155 but that is completely ridiculous. For one, he’d clear out the division since he’d be huge and it wouldn’t even be fun to watch. Second, he’s had two years to prepare for a Silva fight and to drop down in weight suddenly makes it seem like he might have some doubts about how a Silva fight would go. GSP and his camp fail to realize that wrestlers give Silva problems and he has the best wrestling in the history of mixed martial arts. If anybody was to come at Silva and wrestle him down and wear him out it could be GSP. But it seems unlikely we’ll ever know because Georges has his own worries.
St-Pierre isn’t receptive to the idea of a fight with Anderson Silva because he knows that mentally it would be too much for him to handle. Silva breaks opponents’ wills. Yushin Okami is one of the mentally toughest fighters in the sport and had never been knocked out, but Silva broke his spirit in a matter of moments. He put his hands at his side and dared Okami to punch him and Okami got too afraid to bother swinging since he knew Silva would just take the punch without reacting to it and counter with his own hard right. Forrest Griffin is a meticulous game planner who for years boasted that you could put him in the octagon with anybody and he’d make it an interesting fight. Silva broke his spirit in one round and Griffin hasn’t looked like he’s wanted to fight again since. Silva put his hands down, dodged strikes like he was in The Matrix, dared Forrest to hit him, then knocked him out. Griffin ran out of the cage in embarrassment.
GSP was in attendance when Silva spent the first three rounds of his fight against Demian Maia taunting and dancing, trying to psych him out. GSP panics if he’s hit hard, it wouldn’t be surprising if he’d be psyched out by watching somebody do the Jakal Dance mid-fight. Silva is a man who put on a Jabbawockeez mask and got in Vitor Belfort’s face to psych him out. He did that that Matrix-style dodging against Rich Franklin too. Silva toys with people and makes them feel foolish for stepping into the cage with him. As if submitting Chael Sonnen in the fight’s final moments wasn’t enough, Silva put on his black belt and bowed in front of Sonnen just to mess with him.
St-Pierre can say size is the biggest obstacle in the way of a fight with Anderson Silva, but fighters with less talent than GSP have fought bigger people. St-Pierre should realize immediately that he’s bigger than BJ Penn and BJ wasn’t afraid to fight. All of these boring decisions are hurting GSP’s legacy. He should realize that if he beats Silva, people will say he is the best ever and if he loses people will say that he simply lost to a fighter much bigger than him. GSP says he wants to go down as the best ever. Does it mean more for your legacy if you grind out boring decisions on fighters in a weight where you aren’t challenged, or if you step up and fight the consensus pound for pound king of the sport? The outcome is secondary, the simple fact that GSP would take the fight shows that he is ready for any challenge and isn’t afraid of anybody.
Last weekend Manny Pacquiao won a decision which was described across all media outlets as “controversial” over Juan Marquez to retain his WBO Welterweight Championship. Pacquiao, boxing’s biggest star, had to win in order to keep the sport relevant. Had he lost, all hopes for a superfight with undefeated Floyd Mayweather would have been scrapped. Promoters have been trying to put that fight together for years since they are the two best boxers in the world and a fight between them is the only truly interesting thing left in the boxing world. If Marquez won, all hopes for boxing’s biggest fight would have died. Of course for the UFC the situation is nowhere near as dire since they’re going to be around for a long time, but they should take note of this and realize that time is running out for them to do the biggest fight in the history of mixed martial arts.
The consensus top two fighters in the world for the last several years, and maybe of all time, have been middleweight king Anderson Silva and welterweight king Georges St-Pierre. Both men have dominated their division and have been at the top of the UFC for years but rather than fight each other they are defending their belts next year; Silva in a rematch against Chael Sonnen and St-Pierre against Nick Diaz. After these fights there is nothing else left for these two in their respective divisions. At UFC 100 over two years ago the idea of pitting these two against each other was floated around. Earlier this year Dana White said he was going to have to do this fight since it was the biggest thing the UFC could do. He was right then, but hasn’t seemed to press the issue since. Now the UFC is in quite the pickle next year.
Sonnen nearly won a decision over Silva last year, until Silva pulled off perhaps the greatest submission in UFC history in the fights final moments to retain his championship. Regardless of Silva going into the fight with a rib injury and Sonnen being juiced, it was a close call for the middleweight champ. There’s always the chance that Sonnen’s performance wasn’t a one-time thing and there’s a chance he could beat Silva. As for St-Pierre, he is going up against a tough opponent in Nick Diaz. GSP isn’t mentally strong, as evidenced by him losing his mind when he got punched in the eye against Jake Shields or pulled his groin against Thiago Alves and needed Greg Jackson to calm him down. Ever since Matt Serra knocked him out, GSP has been afraid to go after people and finish them and instead grinds out boring decisions. Diaz talks a lot of trash and taunts, and there’s a chance that could get in GSP’s head and cost him.
If either one of them lose next year, the selling point for their fight is lost. It isn’t two champions – the two best in the world – going face to face. Another issue the UFC faces is the public cries for a match up of Silva and Light Heavyweight Champion Jon Jones. The main reason this fight shouldn’t happen is the fact Jones hasn’t cleared out the light heavyweights and cemented his spot as the top guy. With challenges in Lyoto Machida, Rashad Evans, Dan Henderson, Phil Davis, and the inevitable arrival of Muhammad Lawal, Jones still has some tests to pass. Silva and St. Pierre have been at the top of their divisions for years while Jones has only been there a few months with just one title defense under his belt.
Assuming they both win their next defenses, Silva and GSP must fight each other and it has to happen soon. Silva is getting older and is bound to lose some of the sharp skill that has kept him on top for so long, and GSP desperately needs to fight somebody who will put his back against the wall and make him bring out his best. GSP has been far from his best these last couple years since he fights to not lose rather than win. In fact, the biggest reason this fight may not happen is Georges St-Pierre.
Is GSP Afraid?
People have mused that GSP won’t take a Silva fight because he is scared of what might happen. GSP has come out and said he isn’t afraid to fight anybody but the theory is still worth picking apart. As mentioned above, GSP does get overwhelmed during fights. He panics if he’s hurt and he has fought as safe as possible ever since he regained his championship following the embarrassing loss to Matt Serra. He gets himself all worked up and tries so hard to just not lose. He grinds out boring decisions and that’s a game plan that won’t work against Anderson Silva. GSP has said he doesn’t know if he’ll take the fight because Silva is so big, but that doesn’t really hold up once you dig a little deeper.
If the two were to fight it would most likely be at a catch-weight of something like 180 pounds or maybe a little less. Silva has said he’d be willing to cut the weight, but GSP says he isn’t sure since he’s not big enough. GSP walks around at about 195 and cuts to 170, then comes into a fight around 185-190. His defense against fighting Silva is based on Silva’s walking weight between fights. GSP is training year round so he’s always in that 195 or a little more weight range. Silva lets himself go between fights and balloons up to about 230 then cuts to 185 when it is fight time. Weight cuts for Silva are nothing, as evidenced by him being at 185 nearly a week before he fought Yushin Okami this year. When he goes into a fight he doesn’t put back on much more weight and only weighs somewhere in the 190s.
If they were to do the fight at a catch-weight below 185, they would weigh nearly the same on fight night. After that the size differences aren’t that major. Silva’s reach is 77.5 to GSP’s 76. Silva is 6’2” while GSP is 5’10”. These are not alarming size disparities. Rashad Evans wants to fight Jon Jones and Jones is nearly half a foot taller than him and has almost a foot on him in terms of reach. Randy Couture fought guys like Tim Sylvia and Sylvia had five inches in reach and stood seven inches taller than him. Not to mention the fact Sylvia weighed like 40 pounds more than him. Couture fought Brock Lesnar, who used to have to cut weight to make heavyweight while Randy was undersized for the weight, so there was a nearly 60 pound weight difference between the two. GSP is not as overmatched as he makes it seem considering many fighters have taken more challenging match ups. Randy Couture was probably the greatest fighter of all time before Silva began this run and Couture never shied away from a fight because somebody would weigh a little more than him.
GSP’s coach has recently floated the idea of him dropping down to 155 but that is completely ridiculous. For one, he’d clear out the division since he’d be huge and it wouldn’t even be fun to watch. Second, he’s had two years to prepare for a Silva fight and to drop down in weight suddenly makes it seem like he might have some doubts about how a Silva fight would go. GSP and his camp fail to realize that wrestlers give Silva problems and he has the best wrestling in the history of mixed martial arts. If anybody was to come at Silva and wrestle him down and wear him out it could be GSP. But it seems unlikely we’ll ever know because Georges has his own worries.
St-Pierre isn’t receptive to the idea of a fight with Anderson Silva because he knows that mentally it would be too much for him to handle. Silva breaks opponents’ wills. Yushin Okami is one of the mentally toughest fighters in the sport and had never been knocked out, but Silva broke his spirit in a matter of moments. He put his hands at his side and dared Okami to punch him and Okami got too afraid to bother swinging since he knew Silva would just take the punch without reacting to it and counter with his own hard right. Forrest Griffin is a meticulous game planner who for years boasted that you could put him in the octagon with anybody and he’d make it an interesting fight. Silva broke his spirit in one round and Griffin hasn’t looked like he’s wanted to fight again since. Silva put his hands down, dodged strikes like he was in The Matrix, dared Forrest to hit him, then knocked him out. Griffin ran out of the cage in embarrassment.
GSP was in attendance when Silva spent the first three rounds of his fight against Demian Maia taunting and dancing, trying to psych him out. GSP panics if he’s hit hard, it wouldn’t be surprising if he’d be psyched out by watching somebody do the Jakal Dance mid-fight. Silva is a man who put on a Jabbawockeez mask and got in Vitor Belfort’s face to psych him out. He did that that Matrix-style dodging against Rich Franklin too. Silva toys with people and makes them feel foolish for stepping into the cage with him. As if submitting Chael Sonnen in the fight’s final moments wasn’t enough, Silva put on his black belt and bowed in front of Sonnen just to mess with him.
St-Pierre can say size is the biggest obstacle in the way of a fight with Anderson Silva, but fighters with less talent than GSP have fought bigger people. St-Pierre should realize immediately that he’s bigger than BJ Penn and BJ wasn’t afraid to fight. All of these boring decisions are hurting GSP’s legacy. He should realize that if he beats Silva, people will say he is the best ever and if he loses people will say that he simply lost to a fighter much bigger than him. GSP says he wants to go down as the best ever. Does it mean more for your legacy if you grind out boring decisions on fighters in a weight where you aren’t challenged, or if you step up and fight the consensus pound for pound king of the sport? The outcome is secondary, the simple fact that GSP would take the fight shows that he is ready for any challenge and isn’t afraid of anybody.
Tuesday, October 11, 2011
Cheaters Never Prosper, Unless You Work for the UFC
For years people have complained about the UFC’s policy in dealing with fighters who fail their drug tests for steroids. In a 2007 interview with ESPN, UFC president Dana White said he would withhold fight bonuses from any fighter who failed their drug tests. They’d still get paid the amount on their contract and serve their suspension but they wouldn’t get any bonuses. People feel that is a pretty light punishment for something like cheating. Dana White disagrees with doing something more like cutting the fighter since there’d be no place else to fight and you’d be ruining somebody’s entire career for one mistake they made. The UFC’s policy on dealing with fighters failing drug tests can be debated for ages but there is one facet that should be widely agreed upon: if you fail your drug test you shouldn’t be allowed to come back and jump into the title picture.
Apparently that isn’t how the UFC operates. Chael Sonnen made his return to the UFC this past weekend in an impressive showing against middleweight rising star Brian Stann. Immediately following his second round submission win, Sonnen took to the microphone and in a moment like something out of the WWE he called out Anderson Silva in a retirement bout, much like the “Macho Man” Randy Savage and the Ultimate Warrior at WrestleMania VII. Whoever loses must leave the company. Really it makes perfect sense that this is how Chael Sonnen would celebrate winning his first fight after a 14-month hiatus since all he does is cut promos like a professional wrestler and make the sport look silly. Of course when you look at why he was on a 14-month hiatus you realize it isn’t just his promos that make mixed martial arts look like a joke.
Sonnen took on UFC Middleweight Champion Anderson Silva at UFC 117 on August 7, 2010. In a stunning display, Sonnen continually took Silva down and was bringing the fight to The Spider through the first 23 minutes of the fight until Silva caught Sonnen in a triangle choke and won by submission with just a minute and 50 seconds left. It is widely regarded as the greatest submission finish in UFC history and Dana White proclaimed the bout to be the best the company has ever had. Silva’s performance turned out to be even more heroic when it was revealed he went into the fight with a fractured rib. As if that didn’t make a submission victory in the final minutes insane enough, Sonnen failed his post-fight drug test.
It came out he also failed his drug test from the day before the fight. The California State Athletic Commission released a statement saying Sonnen had elevated testosterone levels, “which is indicative of steroid use” and he was suspended. People also dug up pictures of Sonnen’s back from weigh-ins for his last few fights and pointed out he had “bacne” before the Silva fight, which is also indicative of steroid use. Sonnen said he had hypogonadism, which causes low testosterone levels, so he had to receive injections. It should be noted that one of the causes of hypogonadism is steroid use, but Sonnen claimed it was because he didn’t hit puberty until he was an adult. Regardless, Sonnen was receiving injections and failed to get permission from the state’s athletic commission. One must wonder if this failed drug test caused Dana White to take back Sonnen’s Fight of the Night bonus he got from that fight. To make things worse, Sonnen was caught in a money laundering scandal and was facing a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison.
Had Sonnen won the Silva fight, the UFC would be the laughing stock of the sports world. A champion who had just beaten the pound-for-pound king of the sport in an unbelievable display, who was facing prison time and is a cheater, would have been a slap in the face to the entire mixed martial arts world. Luckily Silva won and preserved the integrity of the sport. Of course, a championship fighter failing their drug test is nothing new to the UFC. Former Lightweight Champion Sean “The Muscle Shark” Sherk failed his drug test after a title defense. It turns out the Muscle Shark was using steroids, though there was controversy surrounding the test. Either way, Sherk was suspended and his first fight back was for the Lightweight Championship he had forfeited.
Sonnen’s first fight back wasn’t for the title, but it was widely accepted that whoever won would immediately jump into the title picture. Despite the fact he was not only caught cheating but he was finished, Chael Sonnen is apparently the best contender the UFC could come up with. Dana White was thinking about doing Dan Henderson against Silva, but after Sonnen’s wrestling-esque promo following his win it appears White is looking to do Silva-Sonnen 2 on the Super Bowl weekend card. Keep in mind Dan Henderson has been on amazing run as of late and cemented his place as one of the top fighters ever. Chael Sonnen cheated and nearly caused one of the most embarrassing scandals the UFC could ever face, and is rewarded by stepping right back into the title picture.
What’s worse is that it wasn’t as though Sonnen lost a close decision. He tapped out. There’s no doubt about who won. Silva has finished 12 of his last 14 opponents now and essentially ended any debate over who is the best ever. While Silva knocked out Vitor Belfort in the first round and then became the first man in eight years to finish Yushin Okami, Sonnen was in exile for shaming the sport and himself. But just like professional wrestling, if you can talk trash in the UFC then you’ve won yourself a spot in the main event.
Chael Sonnen is cutting promos saying since he won the first 23 minutes of the fight he is the real “people’s champion” and is willing to but the true UFC title on the line against Silva. Because the UFC is a business and mostly about the money, Dana White has allowed Chael Sonnen to say these ridiculous things and is giving him a title shot since it will sell pay per views. On one hand it is good business, but on the other it is dishonorable and shameful to do to the sport. Silva could fight Dan Henderson again or if Michael Bisping beats Mayhem Miller he could be in line for a title fight. It is ridiculous that Sonnen tested positive for banned substances in a title fight and is essentially rewarded for it.
Jon Fitch hasn’t tested positive for anything and has been the clear cut number two welterweight for ages but has never gotten a second shot at Georges St-Pierre in the three years since their last fight. The reasoning behind that is that Fitch is boring and everybody knows how that fight would end. Well if Silva isn’t going into a Sonnen fight with a broken rib, who is to say the fight won’t end within the first three rounds? Silva nearly knocked out Sonnen to start the fourth and fifth rounds but the broken rib took all of his explosiveness. If you can deny a great fighter like Jon Fitch a title shot on such ridiculous grounds, surely somebody can point out that Sonnen was winning because of Silva’s broken rib and the fact that Sonnen was juiced up.
It is ridiculous that Dana White feels it isn’t his place to punish a fighter more after they get caught juicing. Sonnen failed two drug tests and got finished but is somehow the top contender in the division. The UFC has shown once again they will protect a cheating fighter if it means selling fights. If Dana White had any integrity he’d punish Sonnen by giving him the title fight in Brazil, a country Sonnen has badmouthed repeatedly in his WWE rants on Silva, and make him feel an unreal amount of pressure in front of a rabid crowd that would want to hurt him. For a guy who nearly ruined all the good will the UFC has built up in the last few years by getting caught cheating in what would have been one of the biggest upsets in sports history, it is the least White could do to show that not every cheater goes unpunished.
Apparently that isn’t how the UFC operates. Chael Sonnen made his return to the UFC this past weekend in an impressive showing against middleweight rising star Brian Stann. Immediately following his second round submission win, Sonnen took to the microphone and in a moment like something out of the WWE he called out Anderson Silva in a retirement bout, much like the “Macho Man” Randy Savage and the Ultimate Warrior at WrestleMania VII. Whoever loses must leave the company. Really it makes perfect sense that this is how Chael Sonnen would celebrate winning his first fight after a 14-month hiatus since all he does is cut promos like a professional wrestler and make the sport look silly. Of course when you look at why he was on a 14-month hiatus you realize it isn’t just his promos that make mixed martial arts look like a joke.
Sonnen took on UFC Middleweight Champion Anderson Silva at UFC 117 on August 7, 2010. In a stunning display, Sonnen continually took Silva down and was bringing the fight to The Spider through the first 23 minutes of the fight until Silva caught Sonnen in a triangle choke and won by submission with just a minute and 50 seconds left. It is widely regarded as the greatest submission finish in UFC history and Dana White proclaimed the bout to be the best the company has ever had. Silva’s performance turned out to be even more heroic when it was revealed he went into the fight with a fractured rib. As if that didn’t make a submission victory in the final minutes insane enough, Sonnen failed his post-fight drug test.
It came out he also failed his drug test from the day before the fight. The California State Athletic Commission released a statement saying Sonnen had elevated testosterone levels, “which is indicative of steroid use” and he was suspended. People also dug up pictures of Sonnen’s back from weigh-ins for his last few fights and pointed out he had “bacne” before the Silva fight, which is also indicative of steroid use. Sonnen said he had hypogonadism, which causes low testosterone levels, so he had to receive injections. It should be noted that one of the causes of hypogonadism is steroid use, but Sonnen claimed it was because he didn’t hit puberty until he was an adult. Regardless, Sonnen was receiving injections and failed to get permission from the state’s athletic commission. One must wonder if this failed drug test caused Dana White to take back Sonnen’s Fight of the Night bonus he got from that fight. To make things worse, Sonnen was caught in a money laundering scandal and was facing a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison.
Had Sonnen won the Silva fight, the UFC would be the laughing stock of the sports world. A champion who had just beaten the pound-for-pound king of the sport in an unbelievable display, who was facing prison time and is a cheater, would have been a slap in the face to the entire mixed martial arts world. Luckily Silva won and preserved the integrity of the sport. Of course, a championship fighter failing their drug test is nothing new to the UFC. Former Lightweight Champion Sean “The Muscle Shark” Sherk failed his drug test after a title defense. It turns out the Muscle Shark was using steroids, though there was controversy surrounding the test. Either way, Sherk was suspended and his first fight back was for the Lightweight Championship he had forfeited.
Sonnen’s first fight back wasn’t for the title, but it was widely accepted that whoever won would immediately jump into the title picture. Despite the fact he was not only caught cheating but he was finished, Chael Sonnen is apparently the best contender the UFC could come up with. Dana White was thinking about doing Dan Henderson against Silva, but after Sonnen’s wrestling-esque promo following his win it appears White is looking to do Silva-Sonnen 2 on the Super Bowl weekend card. Keep in mind Dan Henderson has been on amazing run as of late and cemented his place as one of the top fighters ever. Chael Sonnen cheated and nearly caused one of the most embarrassing scandals the UFC could ever face, and is rewarded by stepping right back into the title picture.
What’s worse is that it wasn’t as though Sonnen lost a close decision. He tapped out. There’s no doubt about who won. Silva has finished 12 of his last 14 opponents now and essentially ended any debate over who is the best ever. While Silva knocked out Vitor Belfort in the first round and then became the first man in eight years to finish Yushin Okami, Sonnen was in exile for shaming the sport and himself. But just like professional wrestling, if you can talk trash in the UFC then you’ve won yourself a spot in the main event.
Chael Sonnen is cutting promos saying since he won the first 23 minutes of the fight he is the real “people’s champion” and is willing to but the true UFC title on the line against Silva. Because the UFC is a business and mostly about the money, Dana White has allowed Chael Sonnen to say these ridiculous things and is giving him a title shot since it will sell pay per views. On one hand it is good business, but on the other it is dishonorable and shameful to do to the sport. Silva could fight Dan Henderson again or if Michael Bisping beats Mayhem Miller he could be in line for a title fight. It is ridiculous that Sonnen tested positive for banned substances in a title fight and is essentially rewarded for it.
Jon Fitch hasn’t tested positive for anything and has been the clear cut number two welterweight for ages but has never gotten a second shot at Georges St-Pierre in the three years since their last fight. The reasoning behind that is that Fitch is boring and everybody knows how that fight would end. Well if Silva isn’t going into a Sonnen fight with a broken rib, who is to say the fight won’t end within the first three rounds? Silva nearly knocked out Sonnen to start the fourth and fifth rounds but the broken rib took all of his explosiveness. If you can deny a great fighter like Jon Fitch a title shot on such ridiculous grounds, surely somebody can point out that Sonnen was winning because of Silva’s broken rib and the fact that Sonnen was juiced up.
It is ridiculous that Dana White feels it isn’t his place to punish a fighter more after they get caught juicing. Sonnen failed two drug tests and got finished but is somehow the top contender in the division. The UFC has shown once again they will protect a cheating fighter if it means selling fights. If Dana White had any integrity he’d punish Sonnen by giving him the title fight in Brazil, a country Sonnen has badmouthed repeatedly in his WWE rants on Silva, and make him feel an unreal amount of pressure in front of a rabid crowd that would want to hurt him. For a guy who nearly ruined all the good will the UFC has built up in the last few years by getting caught cheating in what would have been one of the biggest upsets in sports history, it is the least White could do to show that not every cheater goes unpunished.
Monday, September 26, 2011
The Unlikable King of Light Heavyweights
On Saturday night UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Jon “Bones” Jones cemented his place at the top of his division with a dominant win over Quinton “Rampage” Jackson. Jones fought well and controlled the fight from the start, but Joe Rogan and Mike Goldberg’s commentary made it seem as though Jones was putting on the greatest performance in the history of mixed martial arts. It wasn’t, no matter how much the UFC is going to want people to believe that Bones is the new king of the MMA world. It was insulting to hear commentary that called Jones “flawless” and constantly compared him to Anderson Silva, the greatest to ever step into the octagon. Jones was impressive and is one of the best in the world, but for some reason he still seems lacking in that quality that makes the UFC’s other champions so likable.
This quality can’t be easily explained, as it is more than just charisma and essentially falls into what professional wrestling fans would call “it.” Jones just isn’t a likable guy. Maybe it is the fact he broke four rules en route to his vicious victory over Shogun Rua (See the end of this article). He headbutted Shogun in the chest several times, elbowed him in the throat, and gouged his eyes at various points in the fight. He even cheaply attacked Shogun’s surgically repaired knee, and while not illegal it is pretty low class considering he had such a massive size and strength advantage and seemed poised to easily win the fight.
Before he won the belt, Jones was signing autographs with “UFC Light Heavyweight Champion” before his name. When he won the title he said he hates the idea of replica title belts because the fans who own them didn’t have to work like he did to earn his. And while that wasn’t bad enough, Jones was allegedly caught with a spy in Rampage Jackson’s camp leading up to their fight.
Why anybody would spy on Rampage is confusing. He’s used the same strategy for his entire career: boxing. He’s going to stand there and try to hit you, only he’s a lot slower now than he was when he first started. For Jones to spy on Rampage is completely idiotic since it would show an utter lack of knowledge of your opponent if you don’t realize he’s going to stand and bang, and it is completely low class because you can’t claim to carry yourself as a champion and be a champion as a person if you’re cheating and trying to get an unfair advantage. Jones continually comes across as a guy who is a good fighter but not somebody you can easily get behind and respect.
In interviews he comes off as arrogant or awkward. He tries to be funny and charming, but much like when LeBron James or Kobe Bryant does it, it just doesn’t seem genuine. It seems like an athlete playing the part of a funny and charming guy to help promote the company or product. This isn’t to say that he’s a terrible human being, but he just seems uncomfortable with the spotlight and seems like he’s trying to be a good company man and play ball rather than be himself. And if he is trying to be himself then he comes across as a dweeb. He isn’t funny and doesn’t have the charisma like GSP or Silva.
Georges St-Pierre is an incredible fighter but not the best talker in the business. Georges seems like a geek but he has charisma. He seems funny and he gives answers that make you respect him. Jones doing things like saying he’s already champion before he even fought Shogun make him come across as arrogant, especially since he hadn’t defeated anybody of note. Of course Michael Jordan was and probably still is a terrible person and very mean, but he was easy to love because he took over a game like nobody before or since. When Jordan came to play he gave you one of the greatest shows you’ll ever see.
With all athletes, as long as you play well people won’t care about what you do outside the ring, or off the court/field, etc. People watch sports to see something special and see somebody blow their mind with an incredible performance. Anderson Silva does that with mixed martial arts. Watching Jon Jones fight, the UFC commentary team will try to tell you Jones is doing it just as well as Silva when it isn’t even the case. That ridiculous hype is part of what makes Jones so unlikable, and it is exacerbated by the fact Jones seems to believe everything they say about him despite him not proving it all yet.
If you’re force-fed something long enough, you’re bound to get sick of it. It is why so many people grow tired of anything from music and movies when they get popular to athletes when they hear so much about them from the sporting press or commentary teams. As Jones picked apart Jackson on Saturday, Goldberg and Rogan said Jones was “Silva-esque” with his striking. That is not remotely true. Comparing somebody’s striking to that of Anderson Silva is as insulting as when Mark Jackson will say Kobe Bryant’s fadeaway is as good as Michael Jordan’s. You’re taking the greatest of all time and belittling their skills to make what’s new appear to be better or as special.
Jones displayed very good striking against Rampage, which of course was made easier by the fact Rampage’s speed is measured with a calendar rather than a stop watch. This isn’t to say that Jones would have had piss poor striking against a faster fighter as Jones has good strikes, but it is worth noting that Rampage isn’t known for his quick movements so this helped Jones look a little better. However aside from leg kicks, Jones’ stand up game wasn’t that effective as Rampage didn’t appear to take much damage until Jones finally got him to the ground. This of course didn’t stop Goldberg and Rogan from declaring Jones was putting on a performance reminiscent of Anderson Silva with such lethal strikes.
Jon Jones doesn’t even have the stand up of Georges St-Pierre, let alone Silva. Jones won by submission in the fourth round after mostly standing and banging. Anderson Silva isn’t going to stand and strike nearly the entire fight with somebody and go to the fourth round unless he feels like taking them that deep into the fight. Silva has won his last 15 fights (14 in the UFC), seven of them by first round knockout (6 UFC). Two more were second round knockouts. Silva finishes fights with deadly strikes. Jones has good strikes but they aren’t as precise and damaging as somebody like Silva. Jones has amazing ground and pound due to his vicious elbows, but to say his stand up is as great as the most dangerous striker in the history of the sport is ludicrous and annoying and makes you want to see Jones get beaten up so the UFC will stop with the hype. It is even worse because Jones buys into his own hype.
The biggest problem with Jon Jones, and this one is also tough to explain, is that when you watch him it lacks what is best summed up by being called the “holy shit” factor. Jones has such great skill, but he’s also so much bigger and stronger than every other light heavyweight so the fact he’s going to win is readily acceptable. It will be very interesting to see what happens when he moves up to heavyweight in a couple years because then he won’t have as much of a dominant physical presence. This isn’t to say that Jones being big makes him unlikable, but it just takes excitement away from the fight because he possesses an unreal level of physical tools for the weight he fights at. Of course people can’t hit him since his reach is about a foot longer than many opponents’ at light heavyweight.
Michael Jordan possessed the “holy shit” factor since he could take a team of nearly all scrubs and put them on his back to beat much more talented teams. In 1998 it seemed the Utah Jazz were destined to beat the Bulls as Scottie Pippen was injured, but Jordan willed Chicago to victory. You knew deep down he was going to do it, but that didn’t stop you from worrying that it wouldn’t happen. With Silva every fight is a worry. You know deep down he’ll still win, but it doesn’t stop you from doubting. Against Vitor Belfort there was the fear of his amazing striking power, but Silva still beat him. Chael Sonnen’s wrestling nearly took the title away from Silva, but even with broken ribs Silva still pulled off an amazing submission win.
When Silva wins a fight, you step back and have to catch your breath since he takes his opponent’s soul as well as the victory. His last fight against Yushin Okami was incredible since Okami is one of the most mentally tough fighters in the world, and Silva broke his spirit and made him afraid to even move. Forrest Griffin is another mentally tough fighter praised for his toughness, willingness to push the pace, and willingness to fight anybody no matter what. Silva embarrassed him en route to a first round knockout and Griffin hasn’t seemed like he enjoys being a fighter since. Silva wins and you’re stunned as to how he does it in such an impressive fashion, while Jones wins and you’re not really stunned.
Essentially the “holy shit” factor is overcoming insane odds like Silva with the broken rib or beating somebody in such a brutal and degrading fashion you know their career will never be the same. In the light heavyweight title fight when Randy Couture beat Tito Ortiz so bad he began to spank Tito in the fifth round, that is the ultimate “holy shit” moment. Tito was crying when the round ended because he knew he had just gotten decimated. It took Tito over three years to get another shot at the title. Nobody thought Couture had a chance at winning.
Jones wins in impressive fashion, but it lacks the excitement or the rush of adrenaline that you get from other fighters. It is like Georges St-Pierre. GSP wins every time he fights, but it isn’t something you must see. If you’ve seen GSP beat one contender you’ve seen him beat them all. That’s how it feels with Jones. He’s going to keep his distance, throw some kicks and a spinning elbow, take you down and beat you up. With Silva you never know what’s going to happen. Is he going to put his hands down and goad you into hitting him only to drop you with a jab? Is he going to run right at you as you strike only to dodge every strike like The Matrix? Is he going to get taken down only to pull a submission out of nowhere?
The comparisons to Silva are there because the UFC and a great deal of the MMA community are now hyping Jones as the golden boy when there’s so much he’s yet to accomplish. Yes he is the future of the sport and yes he will have a great career, but he is still so raw it seems like too much credit is being given to his technique when it isn’t even developed, and the fact he agrees with the hype makes him too unlikable. Cheating in his first championship bout and spying on Rampage Jackson also adds to this sense of dislike. He isn’t charismatic and acts very arrogant or awkward. It isn’t easy to like him as much as the UFC wishes everybody would because of one simple statement: Jones just doesn’t have “it.”
This quality can’t be easily explained, as it is more than just charisma and essentially falls into what professional wrestling fans would call “it.” Jones just isn’t a likable guy. Maybe it is the fact he broke four rules en route to his vicious victory over Shogun Rua (See the end of this article). He headbutted Shogun in the chest several times, elbowed him in the throat, and gouged his eyes at various points in the fight. He even cheaply attacked Shogun’s surgically repaired knee, and while not illegal it is pretty low class considering he had such a massive size and strength advantage and seemed poised to easily win the fight.
Before he won the belt, Jones was signing autographs with “UFC Light Heavyweight Champion” before his name. When he won the title he said he hates the idea of replica title belts because the fans who own them didn’t have to work like he did to earn his. And while that wasn’t bad enough, Jones was allegedly caught with a spy in Rampage Jackson’s camp leading up to their fight.
Why anybody would spy on Rampage is confusing. He’s used the same strategy for his entire career: boxing. He’s going to stand there and try to hit you, only he’s a lot slower now than he was when he first started. For Jones to spy on Rampage is completely idiotic since it would show an utter lack of knowledge of your opponent if you don’t realize he’s going to stand and bang, and it is completely low class because you can’t claim to carry yourself as a champion and be a champion as a person if you’re cheating and trying to get an unfair advantage. Jones continually comes across as a guy who is a good fighter but not somebody you can easily get behind and respect.
In interviews he comes off as arrogant or awkward. He tries to be funny and charming, but much like when LeBron James or Kobe Bryant does it, it just doesn’t seem genuine. It seems like an athlete playing the part of a funny and charming guy to help promote the company or product. This isn’t to say that he’s a terrible human being, but he just seems uncomfortable with the spotlight and seems like he’s trying to be a good company man and play ball rather than be himself. And if he is trying to be himself then he comes across as a dweeb. He isn’t funny and doesn’t have the charisma like GSP or Silva.
Georges St-Pierre is an incredible fighter but not the best talker in the business. Georges seems like a geek but he has charisma. He seems funny and he gives answers that make you respect him. Jones doing things like saying he’s already champion before he even fought Shogun make him come across as arrogant, especially since he hadn’t defeated anybody of note. Of course Michael Jordan was and probably still is a terrible person and very mean, but he was easy to love because he took over a game like nobody before or since. When Jordan came to play he gave you one of the greatest shows you’ll ever see.
With all athletes, as long as you play well people won’t care about what you do outside the ring, or off the court/field, etc. People watch sports to see something special and see somebody blow their mind with an incredible performance. Anderson Silva does that with mixed martial arts. Watching Jon Jones fight, the UFC commentary team will try to tell you Jones is doing it just as well as Silva when it isn’t even the case. That ridiculous hype is part of what makes Jones so unlikable, and it is exacerbated by the fact Jones seems to believe everything they say about him despite him not proving it all yet.
If you’re force-fed something long enough, you’re bound to get sick of it. It is why so many people grow tired of anything from music and movies when they get popular to athletes when they hear so much about them from the sporting press or commentary teams. As Jones picked apart Jackson on Saturday, Goldberg and Rogan said Jones was “Silva-esque” with his striking. That is not remotely true. Comparing somebody’s striking to that of Anderson Silva is as insulting as when Mark Jackson will say Kobe Bryant’s fadeaway is as good as Michael Jordan’s. You’re taking the greatest of all time and belittling their skills to make what’s new appear to be better or as special.
Jones displayed very good striking against Rampage, which of course was made easier by the fact Rampage’s speed is measured with a calendar rather than a stop watch. This isn’t to say that Jones would have had piss poor striking against a faster fighter as Jones has good strikes, but it is worth noting that Rampage isn’t known for his quick movements so this helped Jones look a little better. However aside from leg kicks, Jones’ stand up game wasn’t that effective as Rampage didn’t appear to take much damage until Jones finally got him to the ground. This of course didn’t stop Goldberg and Rogan from declaring Jones was putting on a performance reminiscent of Anderson Silva with such lethal strikes.
Jon Jones doesn’t even have the stand up of Georges St-Pierre, let alone Silva. Jones won by submission in the fourth round after mostly standing and banging. Anderson Silva isn’t going to stand and strike nearly the entire fight with somebody and go to the fourth round unless he feels like taking them that deep into the fight. Silva has won his last 15 fights (14 in the UFC), seven of them by first round knockout (6 UFC). Two more were second round knockouts. Silva finishes fights with deadly strikes. Jones has good strikes but they aren’t as precise and damaging as somebody like Silva. Jones has amazing ground and pound due to his vicious elbows, but to say his stand up is as great as the most dangerous striker in the history of the sport is ludicrous and annoying and makes you want to see Jones get beaten up so the UFC will stop with the hype. It is even worse because Jones buys into his own hype.
The biggest problem with Jon Jones, and this one is also tough to explain, is that when you watch him it lacks what is best summed up by being called the “holy shit” factor. Jones has such great skill, but he’s also so much bigger and stronger than every other light heavyweight so the fact he’s going to win is readily acceptable. It will be very interesting to see what happens when he moves up to heavyweight in a couple years because then he won’t have as much of a dominant physical presence. This isn’t to say that Jones being big makes him unlikable, but it just takes excitement away from the fight because he possesses an unreal level of physical tools for the weight he fights at. Of course people can’t hit him since his reach is about a foot longer than many opponents’ at light heavyweight.
Michael Jordan possessed the “holy shit” factor since he could take a team of nearly all scrubs and put them on his back to beat much more talented teams. In 1998 it seemed the Utah Jazz were destined to beat the Bulls as Scottie Pippen was injured, but Jordan willed Chicago to victory. You knew deep down he was going to do it, but that didn’t stop you from worrying that it wouldn’t happen. With Silva every fight is a worry. You know deep down he’ll still win, but it doesn’t stop you from doubting. Against Vitor Belfort there was the fear of his amazing striking power, but Silva still beat him. Chael Sonnen’s wrestling nearly took the title away from Silva, but even with broken ribs Silva still pulled off an amazing submission win.
When Silva wins a fight, you step back and have to catch your breath since he takes his opponent’s soul as well as the victory. His last fight against Yushin Okami was incredible since Okami is one of the most mentally tough fighters in the world, and Silva broke his spirit and made him afraid to even move. Forrest Griffin is another mentally tough fighter praised for his toughness, willingness to push the pace, and willingness to fight anybody no matter what. Silva embarrassed him en route to a first round knockout and Griffin hasn’t seemed like he enjoys being a fighter since. Silva wins and you’re stunned as to how he does it in such an impressive fashion, while Jones wins and you’re not really stunned.
Essentially the “holy shit” factor is overcoming insane odds like Silva with the broken rib or beating somebody in such a brutal and degrading fashion you know their career will never be the same. In the light heavyweight title fight when Randy Couture beat Tito Ortiz so bad he began to spank Tito in the fifth round, that is the ultimate “holy shit” moment. Tito was crying when the round ended because he knew he had just gotten decimated. It took Tito over three years to get another shot at the title. Nobody thought Couture had a chance at winning.
Jones wins in impressive fashion, but it lacks the excitement or the rush of adrenaline that you get from other fighters. It is like Georges St-Pierre. GSP wins every time he fights, but it isn’t something you must see. If you’ve seen GSP beat one contender you’ve seen him beat them all. That’s how it feels with Jones. He’s going to keep his distance, throw some kicks and a spinning elbow, take you down and beat you up. With Silva you never know what’s going to happen. Is he going to put his hands down and goad you into hitting him only to drop you with a jab? Is he going to run right at you as you strike only to dodge every strike like The Matrix? Is he going to get taken down only to pull a submission out of nowhere?
The comparisons to Silva are there because the UFC and a great deal of the MMA community are now hyping Jones as the golden boy when there’s so much he’s yet to accomplish. Yes he is the future of the sport and yes he will have a great career, but he is still so raw it seems like too much credit is being given to his technique when it isn’t even developed, and the fact he agrees with the hype makes him too unlikable. Cheating in his first championship bout and spying on Rampage Jackson also adds to this sense of dislike. He isn’t charismatic and acts very arrogant or awkward. It isn’t easy to like him as much as the UFC wishes everybody would because of one simple statement: Jones just doesn’t have “it.”
Monday, September 5, 2011
Chael Sonnen doesn't deserve a title shot, UFC on Fox, and Overeem!
Due to the severe lack of a basketball season, the bulk of the articles I’m writing are MMA related. I’m thinking of popping out with a pro wrestling story soon just to break the monotony of MMA articles, but we’ll see. If you are looking for something different, please feel free to peruse my other blog entitled Price Vincent, which is a constant ode to testosterone.
Speaking of testosterone, that brings me to Chael Sonnen. In the wake of Anderson Silva’s destruction of Yushin Okami, there has been a renewed call for Silva to face Sonnen, the person who has come closest to defeating him. This is a terrible idea for multiple reasons. 1.) Sonnen lost decisively by tapping out, 2.) Although he was winning the fight decisively, he ended up with more damage inflicted upon himself than upon Silva, 3.) He was dominating due to the fact that he was using testosterone illegally and Silva fought with a severe rib injury, which leads to 4.) Giving him a rematch right away or after his next fight only rewards someone who was caught cheating in the recent past. Seriously, I know there are a serious lack of challengers for Anderson Silva at this point, but Sonnen should have to win at least two fights before being given another shot at a title. And there’s only one real fight to book Silva in that matters: a catchweight bout against Georges St. Pierre. That would put the two best and most dominant fighters in the world against each other in a match most fans want to see, plus it could set up for at least one rematch depending on the fight’s outcome. If that fight isn’t possible, Dan Henderson is available and he is far more deserving of another shot at UFC gold than Sonnen, who could have created quite the PR problem last year if he had won the belt while juicing. That’s something Dana White has forgotten about when defending Chael, but I digress.
In other, more positive news the UFC announced the main event for its network TV debut on Fox November 12th: a UFC Heavyweight Title match between Cain Velasquez and the challenger Junior dos Santos. Oddly enough, this is the only fight that will be aired on the one hour program. I personally would have added a lightweight fight between Clay Guida and Ben Henderson that would 100% guaranteed been a match of the year candidate to open the show, but a title fight on free TV is a big deal. I think that the UFC went the right way in picking this as the fight to go with, as opposed to an Anderson Silva title match or the rumored Tito Ortiz-Rich Franklin fight. Silva, while absolutely brilliant, is mercurial and there is no guarantee that he’ll deliver a positive memorable opponent. Plus, there is some serious question as to how much name recognition he actually has in the US. Now Tito Ortiz has name recognition, but he is way past his prime. Same for Rich Franklin. While both are names and I would consider myself to be a fan of both men, there is a good chance that this could be a bland encounter and you don’t want to showcase two guys who are a bit over the hill in your network TV debut. A lot of people will be tuning in to see a UFC fight for the first time, and a good impression needs to be made. That is why this fight makes sense. Nothing draws people in like a heavyweight fight. Historically in boxing,heavyweights have been the most popular (Louis, Ali, Tyson, Holyfield) and a heavyweight title holds a common perception of being the accolade that shows who the biggest, baddest man is. While there is always the risk that a heavyweight scrap can be a dull, plodding affair, that most likely won’t be the case here as Velasquez-dos Santos is going to be great, great enough that it would be worth buying on a pay per view card. Velasquez is a machine, just absolutely relentless and efficient in his striking, takedowns, and ground and pound. As an added bonus, he never tires out. Junior dos Santos is the best technical striker in the heavyweight division and will test Cain’s chin like no one has yet, plus this fight could be where dos Santos is finally forced to use the jiu jitsu skills we hear he has. This really is the best fight the UFC can go with on this card and its great for fans to get a title fight without having to pay $45.00.
While on the subject of heavyweights, the UFC has been negotiating with Alistair Overeem and rumor has it the Strikeforce Heavyweight Champ could be making his debut inside the octagon as soon as the end of the year against Frank Mir or a returning Brock Lesnar. As a fan of the ‘Reem, this excites me. I’ve gushed about him far too often, but his inclusion into the UFC would greatly bolster its sagging heavyweight ranks. After Cain and dos Santos, the top of the division is pretty thin. Mir is near the top and can main event, but he has not looked impressive as of late and wouldn’t really stand a chance against either of the UFC’s top two heavyweights. Brendan Schaub was exposed as a very green prospect, Cheick Kongo would get murdered again by Cain or for the first time by Junior, and Matt Mitrione is a prospect. Shane Carwin has lost two in a row and is really out of contention, and as much as I love Minotauro Nogueira, he isn’t really a threat to capture the title again. Bringing in Overeem creates a Champion vs. Champion fight, plus Alistair is very marketable. He’s built like Thor and can beat the hell out of people. Since the rest of the Strikeforce heavyweights aren’t joining the UFC anytime soon, the addition of Overeem would be a major plus and would greatly bolster the main event scene - especially when 2011 was marked by a severe depletion of credible main eventers due to injuries and the ‘Reem is known for wanting to fight several times a year. More on this if he actually does join the UFC.
That about does it this time, hopefully I’ll put something up again soon. Feel free to comment here or on facebook.
Speaking of testosterone, that brings me to Chael Sonnen. In the wake of Anderson Silva’s destruction of Yushin Okami, there has been a renewed call for Silva to face Sonnen, the person who has come closest to defeating him. This is a terrible idea for multiple reasons. 1.) Sonnen lost decisively by tapping out, 2.) Although he was winning the fight decisively, he ended up with more damage inflicted upon himself than upon Silva, 3.) He was dominating due to the fact that he was using testosterone illegally and Silva fought with a severe rib injury, which leads to 4.) Giving him a rematch right away or after his next fight only rewards someone who was caught cheating in the recent past. Seriously, I know there are a serious lack of challengers for Anderson Silva at this point, but Sonnen should have to win at least two fights before being given another shot at a title. And there’s only one real fight to book Silva in that matters: a catchweight bout against Georges St. Pierre. That would put the two best and most dominant fighters in the world against each other in a match most fans want to see, plus it could set up for at least one rematch depending on the fight’s outcome. If that fight isn’t possible, Dan Henderson is available and he is far more deserving of another shot at UFC gold than Sonnen, who could have created quite the PR problem last year if he had won the belt while juicing. That’s something Dana White has forgotten about when defending Chael, but I digress.
In other, more positive news the UFC announced the main event for its network TV debut on Fox November 12th: a UFC Heavyweight Title match between Cain Velasquez and the challenger Junior dos Santos. Oddly enough, this is the only fight that will be aired on the one hour program. I personally would have added a lightweight fight between Clay Guida and Ben Henderson that would 100% guaranteed been a match of the year candidate to open the show, but a title fight on free TV is a big deal. I think that the UFC went the right way in picking this as the fight to go with, as opposed to an Anderson Silva title match or the rumored Tito Ortiz-Rich Franklin fight. Silva, while absolutely brilliant, is mercurial and there is no guarantee that he’ll deliver a positive memorable opponent. Plus, there is some serious question as to how much name recognition he actually has in the US. Now Tito Ortiz has name recognition, but he is way past his prime. Same for Rich Franklin. While both are names and I would consider myself to be a fan of both men, there is a good chance that this could be a bland encounter and you don’t want to showcase two guys who are a bit over the hill in your network TV debut. A lot of people will be tuning in to see a UFC fight for the first time, and a good impression needs to be made. That is why this fight makes sense. Nothing draws people in like a heavyweight fight. Historically in boxing,heavyweights have been the most popular (Louis, Ali, Tyson, Holyfield) and a heavyweight title holds a common perception of being the accolade that shows who the biggest, baddest man is. While there is always the risk that a heavyweight scrap can be a dull, plodding affair, that most likely won’t be the case here as Velasquez-dos Santos is going to be great, great enough that it would be worth buying on a pay per view card. Velasquez is a machine, just absolutely relentless and efficient in his striking, takedowns, and ground and pound. As an added bonus, he never tires out. Junior dos Santos is the best technical striker in the heavyweight division and will test Cain’s chin like no one has yet, plus this fight could be where dos Santos is finally forced to use the jiu jitsu skills we hear he has. This really is the best fight the UFC can go with on this card and its great for fans to get a title fight without having to pay $45.00.
While on the subject of heavyweights, the UFC has been negotiating with Alistair Overeem and rumor has it the Strikeforce Heavyweight Champ could be making his debut inside the octagon as soon as the end of the year against Frank Mir or a returning Brock Lesnar. As a fan of the ‘Reem, this excites me. I’ve gushed about him far too often, but his inclusion into the UFC would greatly bolster its sagging heavyweight ranks. After Cain and dos Santos, the top of the division is pretty thin. Mir is near the top and can main event, but he has not looked impressive as of late and wouldn’t really stand a chance against either of the UFC’s top two heavyweights. Brendan Schaub was exposed as a very green prospect, Cheick Kongo would get murdered again by Cain or for the first time by Junior, and Matt Mitrione is a prospect. Shane Carwin has lost two in a row and is really out of contention, and as much as I love Minotauro Nogueira, he isn’t really a threat to capture the title again. Bringing in Overeem creates a Champion vs. Champion fight, plus Alistair is very marketable. He’s built like Thor and can beat the hell out of people. Since the rest of the Strikeforce heavyweights aren’t joining the UFC anytime soon, the addition of Overeem would be a major plus and would greatly bolster the main event scene - especially when 2011 was marked by a severe depletion of credible main eventers due to injuries and the ‘Reem is known for wanting to fight several times a year. More on this if he actually does join the UFC.
That about does it this time, hopefully I’ll put something up again soon. Feel free to comment here or on facebook.
Thursday, August 25, 2011
Joe's UFC 134 Predictions
The UFC is known to hype every fight up as the most important fight of the ever. Of course that’s what any good sports company does to sell tickets, pay per views, merchandise, etc. Sometimes the hype isn’t warranted (Cro Cop vs. Mir) but other times, like this Saturday, it is an event so momentous that all who care about the sport must take notice. For the first time in 13 years, the Ultimate Fighting Championship comes to Rio for UFC 134. It promises to be an exciting card, mainly because the main event features the greatest of all time and current UFC Middleweight Champion Anderson Silva taking on the last man to defeat him, Yushin Okami. With the exception of one of the preliminary bouts, every fight features at least one Brazilian fighter. Personally I’m pretty excited for this card, and as the title of the post states, I’ve made some predictions. So here we go.
Luiz Cane (11-3, 1NC) vs. Stanislav Nedkov (11-0): Nedkov will be making his UFC debut and I feel a little bad he’s got to go up against a Brazilian in the first major UFC event the country is having. That will put a lot of pressure on him I feel. Meanwhile, I don’t remember seeing Luiz Cane since Rogerio Nogueira finished him two years ago. This is not a fight I’m pretty excited for. I predict Cane by decision.
Ross Pearson (12-4) vs. Edson Barboza (8-0): I would like Barboza a lot more if it were spelled Barbosa like the awesome former Phoenix Sun. As for Ross Pearson, my brother said it best when he said any man named Ross has to make his nickname “The Boss.” Pearson did not adhere to this rule and instead went with “The Real Deal.” Lame nickname and the fact I hate British people except for the most beautiful woman in the world Emily Blunt and the Rolling Stones makes me not want to pick him, as well as the fact British fighters scrap but never seem to win a lot. Barboza is the only man I’ve ever seen with not just one, but TWO wins by TKO due to leg kicks. I’m expecting a Barboza second round TKO.
Brendan Schaub (8-1) vs. Antonio Rodrigo “Minotauro” Nogueira (32-6-1, 1NC): Big Nog, one of the probably three greatest heavyweights to ever fight, looks to come back after taking more than a year off to fight in his native Brazil for the first time. Nogueira went from never being finished in his epic career in Japan over the course of 9 years, to coming to the UFC and getting knocked out by Frank Mir in 2008, then again by Cain Velasquez in 2009. Big Nog used to have terrific boxing and is most likely the greatest submission specialist in heavyweight history. He has more wins by submission (20) than anybody else I’ve named on this card so far has fights. However he fought sick and injured his last few fights and hasn’t looked like the man he was in Pride FC. Whereas he used to be able to take horrific beatings for 20 minutes and then slap on a submission and win, he now can hardly take a punch. Meanwhile Brendan Schaub looks to finish off the Pride legacy by knocking out Nogueira like he did with Pride legend Mirko Cro Cop just a couple months ago. Big Nog has promised a submission victory for his hometown fans, but I don’t see him having enough left in the tank to deliver. As much as it breaks my heart, I say Schaub by first round knockout.
Mauricio “Shogun” Rua (19-5) vs. Forrest Griffin (18-6): A rematch of one of the biggest upsets in UFC history. Four years ago, Shogun came to the UFC ranked as the best light heavyweight in the world. However, when he made his UFC debut against Griffin he looked completely unconditioned and Forrest caught him with a choke in the closing seconds of the fight to win. Shogun’s had knee troubles and some conditioning issues, as evidenced in his mauling at the hands of Bones Jones earlier this year, so I don’t know if he’ll be able to last much more than a round with the larger Griffin on him. If he is actually healthy and in good condition he could easily take Griffin, but with such a spotty UFC run I don’t know if Shogun is going to be the man he was in Pride. Forrest also worries me since he seems to look at fighting as work and not something he loves doing anymore so who knows what his mindset is. Forrest is coming off a win against Rich Franklin in February and hasn’t had to recover from anything like what Shogun is going through. I think Forrest will win by decision.
Main Event – UFC Middleweight Champion Anderson Silva (30-4) vs. Yushin Okami (26-5): This is one of the most important fights of Silva’s career. It was just a year ago that Chael Sonnen nearly won a decision over Silva only to be choked out in the final minutes of the fight. With people thinking Silva was now beatable, he went against Vitor Belfort and finished him with a devastating kick in the first round. Now Silva goes against the last man to defeat him. Before both men were in the UFC they faced off in a promotion called Rumble on the Rock. Okami won by disqualification when Silva threw an illegal kick. Okami was given the option to continue but instead took the DQ, which has prompted Silva to call him a coward for the last five years. Yes, that fight was 2006. Since then Silva has reeled off 14 straight wins and cemented himself as the best to ever throw on a pair of gloves.
Okami’s stand up has improved and he has good wrestling, but he also has losses to Chael Sonnen and Rich Franklin, fighters who suffered humiliating defeats at the hands of Silva. Silva played dead for four and a half rounds against Sonnen, only to come alive and submit him in the closing moments just because Sonnen had offended him in the pre-fight trash talk and Silva wanted to embarrass him. Silva’s had five years to work up any ill will he can for this fight against Okami. The Michael Jordan of MMA steps into the Octagon against the last man to defeat him and does it in front of a massive hometown crowd. Silva is 36 and slowing down, but as he showed to anybody who had their doubts in the Belfort fight he is still the king of MMA. Silva wins by second round TKO.
That’s all I got.
Luiz Cane (11-3, 1NC) vs. Stanislav Nedkov (11-0): Nedkov will be making his UFC debut and I feel a little bad he’s got to go up against a Brazilian in the first major UFC event the country is having. That will put a lot of pressure on him I feel. Meanwhile, I don’t remember seeing Luiz Cane since Rogerio Nogueira finished him two years ago. This is not a fight I’m pretty excited for. I predict Cane by decision.
Ross Pearson (12-4) vs. Edson Barboza (8-0): I would like Barboza a lot more if it were spelled Barbosa like the awesome former Phoenix Sun. As for Ross Pearson, my brother said it best when he said any man named Ross has to make his nickname “The Boss.” Pearson did not adhere to this rule and instead went with “The Real Deal.” Lame nickname and the fact I hate British people except for the most beautiful woman in the world Emily Blunt and the Rolling Stones makes me not want to pick him, as well as the fact British fighters scrap but never seem to win a lot. Barboza is the only man I’ve ever seen with not just one, but TWO wins by TKO due to leg kicks. I’m expecting a Barboza second round TKO.
Brendan Schaub (8-1) vs. Antonio Rodrigo “Minotauro” Nogueira (32-6-1, 1NC): Big Nog, one of the probably three greatest heavyweights to ever fight, looks to come back after taking more than a year off to fight in his native Brazil for the first time. Nogueira went from never being finished in his epic career in Japan over the course of 9 years, to coming to the UFC and getting knocked out by Frank Mir in 2008, then again by Cain Velasquez in 2009. Big Nog used to have terrific boxing and is most likely the greatest submission specialist in heavyweight history. He has more wins by submission (20) than anybody else I’ve named on this card so far has fights. However he fought sick and injured his last few fights and hasn’t looked like the man he was in Pride FC. Whereas he used to be able to take horrific beatings for 20 minutes and then slap on a submission and win, he now can hardly take a punch. Meanwhile Brendan Schaub looks to finish off the Pride legacy by knocking out Nogueira like he did with Pride legend Mirko Cro Cop just a couple months ago. Big Nog has promised a submission victory for his hometown fans, but I don’t see him having enough left in the tank to deliver. As much as it breaks my heart, I say Schaub by first round knockout.
Mauricio “Shogun” Rua (19-5) vs. Forrest Griffin (18-6): A rematch of one of the biggest upsets in UFC history. Four years ago, Shogun came to the UFC ranked as the best light heavyweight in the world. However, when he made his UFC debut against Griffin he looked completely unconditioned and Forrest caught him with a choke in the closing seconds of the fight to win. Shogun’s had knee troubles and some conditioning issues, as evidenced in his mauling at the hands of Bones Jones earlier this year, so I don’t know if he’ll be able to last much more than a round with the larger Griffin on him. If he is actually healthy and in good condition he could easily take Griffin, but with such a spotty UFC run I don’t know if Shogun is going to be the man he was in Pride. Forrest also worries me since he seems to look at fighting as work and not something he loves doing anymore so who knows what his mindset is. Forrest is coming off a win against Rich Franklin in February and hasn’t had to recover from anything like what Shogun is going through. I think Forrest will win by decision.
Main Event – UFC Middleweight Champion Anderson Silva (30-4) vs. Yushin Okami (26-5): This is one of the most important fights of Silva’s career. It was just a year ago that Chael Sonnen nearly won a decision over Silva only to be choked out in the final minutes of the fight. With people thinking Silva was now beatable, he went against Vitor Belfort and finished him with a devastating kick in the first round. Now Silva goes against the last man to defeat him. Before both men were in the UFC they faced off in a promotion called Rumble on the Rock. Okami won by disqualification when Silva threw an illegal kick. Okami was given the option to continue but instead took the DQ, which has prompted Silva to call him a coward for the last five years. Yes, that fight was 2006. Since then Silva has reeled off 14 straight wins and cemented himself as the best to ever throw on a pair of gloves.
Okami’s stand up has improved and he has good wrestling, but he also has losses to Chael Sonnen and Rich Franklin, fighters who suffered humiliating defeats at the hands of Silva. Silva played dead for four and a half rounds against Sonnen, only to come alive and submit him in the closing moments just because Sonnen had offended him in the pre-fight trash talk and Silva wanted to embarrass him. Silva’s had five years to work up any ill will he can for this fight against Okami. The Michael Jordan of MMA steps into the Octagon against the last man to defeat him and does it in front of a massive hometown crowd. Silva is 36 and slowing down, but as he showed to anybody who had their doubts in the Belfort fight he is still the king of MMA. Silva wins by second round TKO.
That’s all I got.
UFC 134 Predictions
This Saturday is UFC 134 and it is the first event to be held in Brazil in well over a decade. The card is stacked full with Brazilian fighters and is headlined by the UFC Middleweight Champ/greatest fighter ever Anderson Silva against Yushin Okami, the last man to beat him (albeit by a DQ in 2006) with a co-main event rematch between former UFC Light Heavweight Champs in Forrest Griffin and Mauricio “Shogun” Rua. Also, Brendan Schaub looks to further earn my ire as he takes on PRIDE legend Antonio Rodrigo “Minotauro” Nogueira. Between the card itself and the audience, which is sure to be rabid, this should be an exciting evening. Let’s get into the card and predictions.
Rousimar Palhares vs. Dan Miller: This middleweight bout pits Palhares, a submission expert, against the always tough Dan Miller. Miller is always a sympathetic pick since his life story is so depressing, but the fact remains he is 2-3 in his last five fights, while Palhares is 4-1. They both share losses to former UFC fighter Nate Marquardt, albeit both were under controversial circumstances. I’ll cheer for Miller, since Palhares fights dirty by holding on to his submissions long after people tap out and that is unacceptable. If he can keep himself from grappling with Palhares, I would say Miller by decision. But, I do think Palhares is more talented and I think that he can work some effective submission grappling. I don’t think he can submit Miller though, as he is tough to finish. We’ll say Palhares by decision.
Edson Barboza vs. Ross Pearson: Pearson is a solid striker with minimal ground skills from London who joined the UFC after competing on The Ultimate Fighter. Barboza is a rising prospect with vicious Muay Thai who finished an opponent with leg kicks in his UFC debut. This should be an exciting fight that doesn’t go to the ground. Look for Barboza to use those leg kicks to punishing effect on Pearson, who is much more of a traditional boxer. Barboza has the potential to be a contender for the lightweight belt in the next two years or so and his more dynamic skillset on offense should be too much for Pearson. Barboza by 2nd round TKO.
Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira vs. Brendan Schaub: I made my feelings on my all-time favorite heavyweight in Nogueira known a few weeks ago with a rather lengthy blog, and I believe I touched on how much I can’t stand Brendan Schaub. He knocked out some schmuck that trains with Lesnar, won a decision over Gabe Gonzaga, and knocked out the ghost of Cro Cop after three rounds of ineffective ground and pound and rabbit punching. He claims to be ready for a title shot and has said that this fight is the one that should make him a contender, one where he called out a veteran who had his best days when Schaub was still trying to hack it as a football player. To be fair, Schaub has decent power, but he really is little more than a prospect. If he had to fight someone like Cain Velasquez, Junior dos Santos, Alistair Overeem, or even Josh Barnett he would get smoked. Instead, he calls out fighters like Cro Cop and Nogueira, big names to fans that are no longer a danger to him. Cro Cop is a shell of a fighter and he almost beat Schaub before the flash KO. If I had any confidence in Nogueira’s ability to come back from his lengthy injury absence or faith in his once vaunted chin, Minotauro would finish this by submission inside of ten minutes. Unfortunately, he has deteriorated a great deal since entering the UFC and I don’t think he can make it that long. As much as I will be rooting for him to turn back time and submit Schaub, I can be realistic enough to know it won’t happen and I’ll just have even more to hate Schaub for. It’s going to be Schaub by 1st round KO, but my inner fanboy picks Nogueira by 2nd round submission (triangle choke).
Forrest Griffin vs. Mauricio “Shogun” Rua: This is a rematch of Shogun’s 2007 first fight in the UFC, where he badly gassed and was dominated en route to a submission loss to Griffin. Since then, both men’s careers have been mixed. Forrest went from this fight to winning the title against Rampage Jackson, then being finished by Rashad Evans and humiliated by Anderson Silva. He rebounded with a decision (split, although he dominated the fight) win over Tito Ortiz in 2008 and an ugly decision win against Rich Franklin back in February. Shogun had an unimpressive knockout win against Mark Coleman to start 2009, followed it up by knocking out the badly declining Chuck Liddell, and had a series of fights with Lyoto Machida that culminated in him winning the title in May 2010. After that was a lengthy layoff for another knee surgery, followed by a punishing TKO loss to Jon Jones back in March. The biggest questions in this fight are whether Forrest is in better condition than he was in against Franklin and what Shogun Rua will show up? With the exception of the Machida bouts, he has not looked particularly impressive in his UFC run. Injuries were the explanation behind both the Griffin loss and Coleman fight, as well as the Jones fight (although he won’t blame it on that). I tend to lean towards the school of thought that his knees are completely shot and that he looked impressive against Machida due to the fact that he for some reason or another matches up stylistically with him better than anyone else. Forrest should come into this fight with a pretty big size and reach advantage, as well as superior game planning. Shogun is the favorite, but I think that Forrest is a bad match-up for him due to the size mismatch, Griffin having fewer serious injuries, and Forrest’s solidity in both grappling and pace. Despite what ESPN predicts, this is Forrest’s fight to lose. Griffin by decision.
Anderson Silva vs. Yushin Okami: Silva has had a bit of a grudge towards Okami for the 2006 loss that came on an illegal upkick that Silva didn’t know was illegal. He has since claimed that Okami took the win that way, which is fair but cheap, as Silva felt that Okami could have continued the fight. That first bout only lasted two and a half minutes, with Silva outustriking Okami 16-0 and stuffing three of four takedown attempts. Okami should be a tough match for Silva, as the are both similar in size, speed, and reach. The difference is that Silva is a transcendent striker, while Okami is merely average in that department. His takedowns are good, but not Sonnen level and Silva should be able to defend against most of them. I think that this fight is going to be a bit tedious, as Okami is rather methodical (code word for boring) and Silva is not going to push the pace and run into something. It wouldn’t surprise me if Anderson tried to catch the hard to finish Okami with something early, but something tells me the fight won’t go that way, not at this stage in Anderson’s career. As an interesting note that shows the difference between the two men, they have three shared opponents: Rich Franklin, Chael Sonnen, and Nate Marquardt. Okami lost by decision to Rich, decision to Sonnen, and beat Marquardt by decision. Silva knocked out Franklin twice inside of two rounds, choked out Sonnen with a hail mary triangle in the fifth round last year, and knocked out Marquardt in the first round. While Okami is tough, I don’t think he can wrestle a decision from Silva the way Sonnen very nearly did. I imagine this fight consisting of Anderson blocking most takedowns and outstriking Okami by a large margin. As much as I am pumped to see Anderson fight again, as he really is amazing in a once in a lifetime kind of way, I don’t think this will be the most thrilling bout. Silva by 4th round TKO or decision.
That’s it for my picks. Feel free to post yours or hit me up with them on facebook.
Rousimar Palhares vs. Dan Miller: This middleweight bout pits Palhares, a submission expert, against the always tough Dan Miller. Miller is always a sympathetic pick since his life story is so depressing, but the fact remains he is 2-3 in his last five fights, while Palhares is 4-1. They both share losses to former UFC fighter Nate Marquardt, albeit both were under controversial circumstances. I’ll cheer for Miller, since Palhares fights dirty by holding on to his submissions long after people tap out and that is unacceptable. If he can keep himself from grappling with Palhares, I would say Miller by decision. But, I do think Palhares is more talented and I think that he can work some effective submission grappling. I don’t think he can submit Miller though, as he is tough to finish. We’ll say Palhares by decision.
Edson Barboza vs. Ross Pearson: Pearson is a solid striker with minimal ground skills from London who joined the UFC after competing on The Ultimate Fighter. Barboza is a rising prospect with vicious Muay Thai who finished an opponent with leg kicks in his UFC debut. This should be an exciting fight that doesn’t go to the ground. Look for Barboza to use those leg kicks to punishing effect on Pearson, who is much more of a traditional boxer. Barboza has the potential to be a contender for the lightweight belt in the next two years or so and his more dynamic skillset on offense should be too much for Pearson. Barboza by 2nd round TKO.
Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira vs. Brendan Schaub: I made my feelings on my all-time favorite heavyweight in Nogueira known a few weeks ago with a rather lengthy blog, and I believe I touched on how much I can’t stand Brendan Schaub. He knocked out some schmuck that trains with Lesnar, won a decision over Gabe Gonzaga, and knocked out the ghost of Cro Cop after three rounds of ineffective ground and pound and rabbit punching. He claims to be ready for a title shot and has said that this fight is the one that should make him a contender, one where he called out a veteran who had his best days when Schaub was still trying to hack it as a football player. To be fair, Schaub has decent power, but he really is little more than a prospect. If he had to fight someone like Cain Velasquez, Junior dos Santos, Alistair Overeem, or even Josh Barnett he would get smoked. Instead, he calls out fighters like Cro Cop and Nogueira, big names to fans that are no longer a danger to him. Cro Cop is a shell of a fighter and he almost beat Schaub before the flash KO. If I had any confidence in Nogueira’s ability to come back from his lengthy injury absence or faith in his once vaunted chin, Minotauro would finish this by submission inside of ten minutes. Unfortunately, he has deteriorated a great deal since entering the UFC and I don’t think he can make it that long. As much as I will be rooting for him to turn back time and submit Schaub, I can be realistic enough to know it won’t happen and I’ll just have even more to hate Schaub for. It’s going to be Schaub by 1st round KO, but my inner fanboy picks Nogueira by 2nd round submission (triangle choke).
Forrest Griffin vs. Mauricio “Shogun” Rua: This is a rematch of Shogun’s 2007 first fight in the UFC, where he badly gassed and was dominated en route to a submission loss to Griffin. Since then, both men’s careers have been mixed. Forrest went from this fight to winning the title against Rampage Jackson, then being finished by Rashad Evans and humiliated by Anderson Silva. He rebounded with a decision (split, although he dominated the fight) win over Tito Ortiz in 2008 and an ugly decision win against Rich Franklin back in February. Shogun had an unimpressive knockout win against Mark Coleman to start 2009, followed it up by knocking out the badly declining Chuck Liddell, and had a series of fights with Lyoto Machida that culminated in him winning the title in May 2010. After that was a lengthy layoff for another knee surgery, followed by a punishing TKO loss to Jon Jones back in March. The biggest questions in this fight are whether Forrest is in better condition than he was in against Franklin and what Shogun Rua will show up? With the exception of the Machida bouts, he has not looked particularly impressive in his UFC run. Injuries were the explanation behind both the Griffin loss and Coleman fight, as well as the Jones fight (although he won’t blame it on that). I tend to lean towards the school of thought that his knees are completely shot and that he looked impressive against Machida due to the fact that he for some reason or another matches up stylistically with him better than anyone else. Forrest should come into this fight with a pretty big size and reach advantage, as well as superior game planning. Shogun is the favorite, but I think that Forrest is a bad match-up for him due to the size mismatch, Griffin having fewer serious injuries, and Forrest’s solidity in both grappling and pace. Despite what ESPN predicts, this is Forrest’s fight to lose. Griffin by decision.
Anderson Silva vs. Yushin Okami: Silva has had a bit of a grudge towards Okami for the 2006 loss that came on an illegal upkick that Silva didn’t know was illegal. He has since claimed that Okami took the win that way, which is fair but cheap, as Silva felt that Okami could have continued the fight. That first bout only lasted two and a half minutes, with Silva outustriking Okami 16-0 and stuffing three of four takedown attempts. Okami should be a tough match for Silva, as the are both similar in size, speed, and reach. The difference is that Silva is a transcendent striker, while Okami is merely average in that department. His takedowns are good, but not Sonnen level and Silva should be able to defend against most of them. I think that this fight is going to be a bit tedious, as Okami is rather methodical (code word for boring) and Silva is not going to push the pace and run into something. It wouldn’t surprise me if Anderson tried to catch the hard to finish Okami with something early, but something tells me the fight won’t go that way, not at this stage in Anderson’s career. As an interesting note that shows the difference between the two men, they have three shared opponents: Rich Franklin, Chael Sonnen, and Nate Marquardt. Okami lost by decision to Rich, decision to Sonnen, and beat Marquardt by decision. Silva knocked out Franklin twice inside of two rounds, choked out Sonnen with a hail mary triangle in the fifth round last year, and knocked out Marquardt in the first round. While Okami is tough, I don’t think he can wrestle a decision from Silva the way Sonnen very nearly did. I imagine this fight consisting of Anderson blocking most takedowns and outstriking Okami by a large margin. As much as I am pumped to see Anderson fight again, as he really is amazing in a once in a lifetime kind of way, I don’t think this will be the most thrilling bout. Silva by 4th round TKO or decision.
That’s it for my picks. Feel free to post yours or hit me up with them on facebook.
Tuesday, April 12, 2011
Odds and Sods
Strikeforce ran their first major show since their acquisition by Zuffa a few months ago. In the main event, Nick Diaz and Paul Daley had a pretty exciting fight that ended with a Diaz TKO victory. After this, there really is no one left for Strikeforce to match their welterweight champ Diaz up against. I think its time to bring him back into the UFC and unify the two titles by matching him up with Georges St. Pierre. This especially makes sense considering that it doesn’t appear as if the GSP-Silva superfight will happen. Of course, this is all contingent on GSP beating Jake Shields this month. If Shields wins, the odds are against him fighting close friend and training partner Diaz.
The NBA regular season is drawing to a close and there is a rather contentious debate over who the MVP should be. Derrick Rose is considered the frontrunner, but stat hounds act like anything other than a victory for LeBron James or Dwight Howard would be an egregious wrong. I’ll get into this more later when I do my awards picks, but anything other than a D Rose victory is a bit absurd. He led the team to the best record in the East (and 2nd best in the NBA), doesn’t have a superstar like D Wade playing next to him and isn’t a liability in the clutch or getting suspended all the time like Howard. I know I’m partial because I would be willing to take a bullet if it meant the Bulls would win the title, but Rose deserves the award. Have you seen the Bulls try to score without Rose on the floor, or even try to dribble the ball? It isn’t pretty.
According to his mentor and trainer Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, Anderson Silva will be defending his middleweight title in August at the UFC show in Brazil against Yushin Okami. Okami was the last man to beat Silva, back in 2006 via a controversial disqualification. This would seem to point to a fight with GSP not happening at all, especially when combined with this other tidbit from Big Nog: After the Okami fight, Anderson will be moving up to 205 lbs. permanently. This would presumably set up a match between Anderson and the winner of the match between Jon Jones and Rashad Evans for early next year. That means Anderson will be doing battle with Bones Jones early next year. As a fight fan, this excites me. As a Silva fan, this terrifies me. Both men legitimately have what it takes to decisively beat the other, and with Silva being considerably older and Jones having a massive size advantage, this fight could mean either the end of Anderson’s undefeated streak or another notch in his resume as the greatest fighter of all time.
And in the occasional pro wrestling story, my brother tells me that WWE Superstar Edge has announced his retirement due to a reaggravation of the neck injury he suffered back in 2003. The internet sites are reporting that this is a legitimate retirement and not a work. If this is true, it marks the end of another Attitude era star and one of the few established names remaining on their talent roster. He had a nice run near the top of the company over the past six years as a heel. One of my favorite moments in WWE history came from Edge. In 2005, my roommate and I went to the live taping of the pay per view New Year’s Revolution. At the end of the show, after John Cena had retained the WWE title to the chagrin of the Albany fans, Edge cashed in his Money in the Bank title shot and beat John Cena for his first world title victory. The fans went nuts, Edge went nuts, my roommate and I went nuts. It was pretty wild, and preserved on DVD forever if you don’t believe me about my celebration.
In the final bit of news, it appears Strikeforce is going to air a live pay per view event this summer and its main event will apparently be Dan Henderson vs Fedor Emelianenko. Originally, the talk was that this was going to be for Henderson’s light heavyweight title, but it is looking more like it will be fought at a 220 lb. catchweight. If this is so, this fight puts Hendo at a major disadvantage. He is small for 205, as evidenced by the fact that he is also capable of fighting at 185. Fedor is a small heavyweight, coming in around 225-230 lbs and he is doughy at that weight. Only having to cut ten pounds while Hendo has to try to gain near fifteen is unfair. I think a 215 catchweight makes more sense for both men. Fedor still would have a size advantage, but I don’t think it would be as glaring at that weight, plus it better situates him for a run at light heavyweight if he wins this fight. For Henderson, he wouldn’t have to bulk up as much so he wouldn’t be in the same position as his fight against Big Nog in Pride where he gave up around thirty pounds and lost.
That does it for this installment of Odds and Sods. Check back for posts previewing the NBA Playoffs and Awards, the tribute to Pride, and predictions for this month’s UFC pay per view.
The NBA regular season is drawing to a close and there is a rather contentious debate over who the MVP should be. Derrick Rose is considered the frontrunner, but stat hounds act like anything other than a victory for LeBron James or Dwight Howard would be an egregious wrong. I’ll get into this more later when I do my awards picks, but anything other than a D Rose victory is a bit absurd. He led the team to the best record in the East (and 2nd best in the NBA), doesn’t have a superstar like D Wade playing next to him and isn’t a liability in the clutch or getting suspended all the time like Howard. I know I’m partial because I would be willing to take a bullet if it meant the Bulls would win the title, but Rose deserves the award. Have you seen the Bulls try to score without Rose on the floor, or even try to dribble the ball? It isn’t pretty.
According to his mentor and trainer Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, Anderson Silva will be defending his middleweight title in August at the UFC show in Brazil against Yushin Okami. Okami was the last man to beat Silva, back in 2006 via a controversial disqualification. This would seem to point to a fight with GSP not happening at all, especially when combined with this other tidbit from Big Nog: After the Okami fight, Anderson will be moving up to 205 lbs. permanently. This would presumably set up a match between Anderson and the winner of the match between Jon Jones and Rashad Evans for early next year. That means Anderson will be doing battle with Bones Jones early next year. As a fight fan, this excites me. As a Silva fan, this terrifies me. Both men legitimately have what it takes to decisively beat the other, and with Silva being considerably older and Jones having a massive size advantage, this fight could mean either the end of Anderson’s undefeated streak or another notch in his resume as the greatest fighter of all time.
And in the occasional pro wrestling story, my brother tells me that WWE Superstar Edge has announced his retirement due to a reaggravation of the neck injury he suffered back in 2003. The internet sites are reporting that this is a legitimate retirement and not a work. If this is true, it marks the end of another Attitude era star and one of the few established names remaining on their talent roster. He had a nice run near the top of the company over the past six years as a heel. One of my favorite moments in WWE history came from Edge. In 2005, my roommate and I went to the live taping of the pay per view New Year’s Revolution. At the end of the show, after John Cena had retained the WWE title to the chagrin of the Albany fans, Edge cashed in his Money in the Bank title shot and beat John Cena for his first world title victory. The fans went nuts, Edge went nuts, my roommate and I went nuts. It was pretty wild, and preserved on DVD forever if you don’t believe me about my celebration.
In the final bit of news, it appears Strikeforce is going to air a live pay per view event this summer and its main event will apparently be Dan Henderson vs Fedor Emelianenko. Originally, the talk was that this was going to be for Henderson’s light heavyweight title, but it is looking more like it will be fought at a 220 lb. catchweight. If this is so, this fight puts Hendo at a major disadvantage. He is small for 205, as evidenced by the fact that he is also capable of fighting at 185. Fedor is a small heavyweight, coming in around 225-230 lbs and he is doughy at that weight. Only having to cut ten pounds while Hendo has to try to gain near fifteen is unfair. I think a 215 catchweight makes more sense for both men. Fedor still would have a size advantage, but I don’t think it would be as glaring at that weight, plus it better situates him for a run at light heavyweight if he wins this fight. For Henderson, he wouldn’t have to bulk up as much so he wouldn’t be in the same position as his fight against Big Nog in Pride where he gave up around thirty pounds and lost.
That does it for this installment of Odds and Sods. Check back for posts previewing the NBA Playoffs and Awards, the tribute to Pride, and predictions for this month’s UFC pay per view.
Thursday, March 3, 2011
Top Ten MMA Fighters Of All-Time, According to iJames
The title of this is self-explanatory. It is safe to assume that the coauthor of this blog might not agree with all my selections and the order they are in, so I made sure to put in the title that this is only this humble author's opinion. Before I get into the top ten, I figured that I would throw out a few names of some people who could make the list in the next few years, depending on how their career pans out.
Potential Additions
Lyoto Machida: "The Dragon" was undefeated in his career until losing twice last year. Before that, he was one of the most technically sound and elusive fighters in MMA history. He could crack the top ten if he manages to get back on track and regain his dominance in the light heavyweight division.
Cain Velasquez: Cain recently won the UFC Heavyweight Title in October 2010 when he destroyed Brock Lesnar in the first round of their bout. He is currently 9-0, and has won every round thus far in his career. If he maintains this pace, he could go down in history as the greatest heavyweight in MMA history. Time will tell for Cain.
Jon Jones: Jon Jones is the most highly regarded prospect in MMA right now. He has an exciting and unique striking style, unstoppable takedowns and ground and pound, as well as powerful submissions. He is the future of the sport and he could make himself the present if he wins the UFC Light Heavyweight Title on March 19 against Mauricio "Shogun" Rua. If he does that and has the lengthy title reign people expect, his entry into the top ten is a no-brainer.
Mauricio "Shogun" Rua: Shogun made a name for himself in Pride by winning the 2005 Middleweight Grand Prix in a dominant fashion and prior to his UFC debut, was considered the best in the world at 205 lbs. His entry into the UFC was rough, with a loss to Forrest Griffin in his first match and a terrible win over Mark Coleman, but he has rebounded with a knockout win over Chuck Liddell and a brutal knockout of the previously undefeated Lyoto Machida. If he manages to hold onto the belt for a few defenses, his resume would make him a borderline top ten fighter.
The Top Ten
10.) Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira: (32-6-1-1) Nogueira is probably the greatest practicioner of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu in MMA history. He is the former Pride Heavyweight Champion, which he successfully defended five times. He has beaten every big name in the sport, with the exception of Fedor Emelianenko. He is a top notch boxer and a legend in the sport.
9.) Dan Henderson: (26-8) Hendo is a top notch wrestler and has a vicious right hand. He is the only man to ever hold the 205 and 185 titles at the same time, which he did in Pride. He holds a knockout win over Wanderlei Silva and his knockout win over Michael Bisping was highlight reel worthy.
8.) Wanderlei Silva: (33-10-1-1) The Axe Murderer is a legend in the sport and his reign over the Pride Middleweight division was legendary, not losing over a four year time frame. His knockouts of Rampage Jackson in Pride were brutal and unforgettable. A string of brutal knockout losses to Henderson and Mirko Cro Cop, followed by a decision loss to Chuck Liddell knocks him back a bit on the list.
7.) Chuck Liddell: (21-8) Chuck was the long reigning UFC Light Heavyweight Champion, holding it for two years. He holds two knockout wins over Randy Couture and is the only man to TKO Tito Ortiz, doing so twice. Both his knockouts of Babalu Sobral are highlight reel worthy. He also holds a knockout victory over current Strikeforce Heavyweight Champ Alistair Overeem. He was also responsible for the growth of MMA in the second half of the 2000s. He would have been higher, but he stuck around two years too long and was on the receiving end of knockouts against Rampage Jackson, Rashad Evans, Shogun Rua, and Rich Franklin.
6.) BJ Penn: (16-7-2) BJ is the most talented fighter in MMA history. He was a jiu jitsu legend by the age of 18 and has some of the best boxing skills in the sport's history. He is one of only two people in UFC history to hold titles in two different weight classes. He beat Matt Hughes by knockout at a time that no one was beating Hughes. The bigger the challenge, typically the better he fought. He has the tools to be the greatest of all-time, but motivation and lackluster training methods have stopped him from reaching his full potential as a fighter. Despite that, he is still a legend in the sport and his accomplishments are impressive.
5.) Matt Hughes: (45-8) Hughes, until Georges St. Pierre, was the most dominant UFC Welterweight Champ. His slam of Carlos Newton and his submissions of Frank Trigg are incredible. He also holds submission wins over Georges St. Pierre and BJ Penn and has the most wins in UFC history with 16.
4.) Fedor Emelianenko: (31-3-1) Fedor was the greatest heavyweight in the world for nearly a decade. He holds two victories over Nogueira and he dominated Mirko Cro Cop at the peak of his career. He has won the bulk of his fights by finishing his opponent. His streak was very impressive and the main reason he isn't higher is due to the fact that his level competition has not been particularly impressive the past four years and his mystique has gone after two straight losses and a seeming unwillingness to expand his game and shore up any deficiencies he has.
3.) Randy Couture: (19-10) Don't judge Randy by his record. His accomplishments in the sport and the fact he is so competitive as he nears 50 are no joke. He is the first man to win titles in two divisions (heavyweight and light heavyweight) and came out of retirement to win the UFC Heavyweight Championship in 2007. He was the first man in four years to defeat Chuck Liddell, as well as being the first in four years to defeat Tito Ortiz. Randy has been in some of the biggest fights in the history of MMA and is a great ambassador for the sport. The fact that he did all this while in his early 40s when fighting is a young man's game is all the more amazing.
2.) Georges St. Pierre: (21-2) GSP is the biggest star in MMA today. He has endorsement deals with Gatorade and UnderArmous, thus making him the highest profile person in the sport. He has held the UFC Welterweight title for nearly three years. He hasn't even lost a round since losing the first round against Josh Koscheck in August 2007. He has been the second most dominant fighter in the UFC over the past decade and holds wins over BJ Penn, John Fitch, Matt Hughes, and Matt Serra. The only man to be more dominant than him is the man ranked number one.
1.) Anderson Silva: (28-4) Anderson Silva is the current UFC Middleweight Champ and hasn't lost since he joined the company in 2006. If you discount his disqualification loss to Yushin Okami in 2006, he hasn't lost since December 2004. He holds the record for most consecutive wins in the UFC with 13 and the most title defenses with seven. He is the greatest striker in MMA and has shown an ability to submit people. He is a once in a generation athlete and performer, the equivalent of Michael Jordan. At some point, there will be at least one whole article on this site devoted to Anderson Silva.
Potential Additions
Lyoto Machida: "The Dragon" was undefeated in his career until losing twice last year. Before that, he was one of the most technically sound and elusive fighters in MMA history. He could crack the top ten if he manages to get back on track and regain his dominance in the light heavyweight division.
Cain Velasquez: Cain recently won the UFC Heavyweight Title in October 2010 when he destroyed Brock Lesnar in the first round of their bout. He is currently 9-0, and has won every round thus far in his career. If he maintains this pace, he could go down in history as the greatest heavyweight in MMA history. Time will tell for Cain.
Jon Jones: Jon Jones is the most highly regarded prospect in MMA right now. He has an exciting and unique striking style, unstoppable takedowns and ground and pound, as well as powerful submissions. He is the future of the sport and he could make himself the present if he wins the UFC Light Heavyweight Title on March 19 against Mauricio "Shogun" Rua. If he does that and has the lengthy title reign people expect, his entry into the top ten is a no-brainer.
Mauricio "Shogun" Rua: Shogun made a name for himself in Pride by winning the 2005 Middleweight Grand Prix in a dominant fashion and prior to his UFC debut, was considered the best in the world at 205 lbs. His entry into the UFC was rough, with a loss to Forrest Griffin in his first match and a terrible win over Mark Coleman, but he has rebounded with a knockout win over Chuck Liddell and a brutal knockout of the previously undefeated Lyoto Machida. If he manages to hold onto the belt for a few defenses, his resume would make him a borderline top ten fighter.
The Top Ten
10.) Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira: (32-6-1-1) Nogueira is probably the greatest practicioner of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu in MMA history. He is the former Pride Heavyweight Champion, which he successfully defended five times. He has beaten every big name in the sport, with the exception of Fedor Emelianenko. He is a top notch boxer and a legend in the sport.
9.) Dan Henderson: (26-8) Hendo is a top notch wrestler and has a vicious right hand. He is the only man to ever hold the 205 and 185 titles at the same time, which he did in Pride. He holds a knockout win over Wanderlei Silva and his knockout win over Michael Bisping was highlight reel worthy.
8.) Wanderlei Silva: (33-10-1-1) The Axe Murderer is a legend in the sport and his reign over the Pride Middleweight division was legendary, not losing over a four year time frame. His knockouts of Rampage Jackson in Pride were brutal and unforgettable. A string of brutal knockout losses to Henderson and Mirko Cro Cop, followed by a decision loss to Chuck Liddell knocks him back a bit on the list.
7.) Chuck Liddell: (21-8) Chuck was the long reigning UFC Light Heavyweight Champion, holding it for two years. He holds two knockout wins over Randy Couture and is the only man to TKO Tito Ortiz, doing so twice. Both his knockouts of Babalu Sobral are highlight reel worthy. He also holds a knockout victory over current Strikeforce Heavyweight Champ Alistair Overeem. He was also responsible for the growth of MMA in the second half of the 2000s. He would have been higher, but he stuck around two years too long and was on the receiving end of knockouts against Rampage Jackson, Rashad Evans, Shogun Rua, and Rich Franklin.
6.) BJ Penn: (16-7-2) BJ is the most talented fighter in MMA history. He was a jiu jitsu legend by the age of 18 and has some of the best boxing skills in the sport's history. He is one of only two people in UFC history to hold titles in two different weight classes. He beat Matt Hughes by knockout at a time that no one was beating Hughes. The bigger the challenge, typically the better he fought. He has the tools to be the greatest of all-time, but motivation and lackluster training methods have stopped him from reaching his full potential as a fighter. Despite that, he is still a legend in the sport and his accomplishments are impressive.
5.) Matt Hughes: (45-8) Hughes, until Georges St. Pierre, was the most dominant UFC Welterweight Champ. His slam of Carlos Newton and his submissions of Frank Trigg are incredible. He also holds submission wins over Georges St. Pierre and BJ Penn and has the most wins in UFC history with 16.
4.) Fedor Emelianenko: (31-3-1) Fedor was the greatest heavyweight in the world for nearly a decade. He holds two victories over Nogueira and he dominated Mirko Cro Cop at the peak of his career. He has won the bulk of his fights by finishing his opponent. His streak was very impressive and the main reason he isn't higher is due to the fact that his level competition has not been particularly impressive the past four years and his mystique has gone after two straight losses and a seeming unwillingness to expand his game and shore up any deficiencies he has.
3.) Randy Couture: (19-10) Don't judge Randy by his record. His accomplishments in the sport and the fact he is so competitive as he nears 50 are no joke. He is the first man to win titles in two divisions (heavyweight and light heavyweight) and came out of retirement to win the UFC Heavyweight Championship in 2007. He was the first man in four years to defeat Chuck Liddell, as well as being the first in four years to defeat Tito Ortiz. Randy has been in some of the biggest fights in the history of MMA and is a great ambassador for the sport. The fact that he did all this while in his early 40s when fighting is a young man's game is all the more amazing.
2.) Georges St. Pierre: (21-2) GSP is the biggest star in MMA today. He has endorsement deals with Gatorade and UnderArmous, thus making him the highest profile person in the sport. He has held the UFC Welterweight title for nearly three years. He hasn't even lost a round since losing the first round against Josh Koscheck in August 2007. He has been the second most dominant fighter in the UFC over the past decade and holds wins over BJ Penn, John Fitch, Matt Hughes, and Matt Serra. The only man to be more dominant than him is the man ranked number one.
1.) Anderson Silva: (28-4) Anderson Silva is the current UFC Middleweight Champ and hasn't lost since he joined the company in 2006. If you discount his disqualification loss to Yushin Okami in 2006, he hasn't lost since December 2004. He holds the record for most consecutive wins in the UFC with 13 and the most title defenses with seven. He is the greatest striker in MMA and has shown an ability to submit people. He is a once in a generation athlete and performer, the equivalent of Michael Jordan. At some point, there will be at least one whole article on this site devoted to Anderson Silva.
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