1. "Penn doesn't deserve the rematch in any way and has recently talked himself out of the good will he built up by formerly not being a poor sport about his original loss. Frankie is confident and, in my opinion, the clear fan favorite for this fight now. So much hype has been behind Penn for his entire career that people were shocked to see him lose to Edgar the first time. I wasn't shocked and I won't be shocked on Saturday when Edgar continues from his late round dominance of Penn and out points the Hawaiian demigod and puts him in his rightful place. Penn has said that Edgar will find out what it's like to be in there with the champion. I guess the last time around, Frankie didn't find that out. I guess last time it wasn't the real BJ Penn. Or maybe it was the real BJ Penn and finally when somebody wasn't intimidated by his hype machine he was found out for the over rated, flat footed, front running baby that he really is. I have news for BJ Penn; it's he that will find out what it's like to be in there with the champion. He is the challenger here, much like when he challenged St. Pierre. I don't know that Frankie will take him down and pass his guard at will like Georges did but he will dance around Penn, again, and out point Penn, even more considerably than last time, and there won't be any more excuses for the aptly named Baby Jay."
Wow, this guy clearly knows what's really going on. Hahahahahahahahaha. I have been telling fools that BJ Penn is not a great fighter for several years now. He isn't. I was 100% right about that. He is a good fighter, not a great fighter and nowhere near an all time great fighter. He is 15-7-1 guys. I don't care how you slice it, he's nothing special. He has lost more title fights than he's won, at this point in his career. I don't mind saying that I told you all so because this guy is really deserving of his fate. As for Frankie, he's magnificent. I am and was an Edgar fan anyways. That being said, I thought he'd beat Penn but beating him dominantly and resoundingly with little to no difficulty at all was a bit unseen. What a champion. Take notes people, that's what a real champion looks like for those Penn fans that are used to Penn looking like a champion only when he's fighting guys that don't have the skill set to be in there with him. Frankie Edgar is one of the top 3 fighters, pound for pound, in the entire sport of mixed martial arts. If anybody thinks he couldn't drop to 145 and spank Aldo now too, then write me your name and address please and I'll come to your home town and slap you back to reality.
2. Randy Couture proved something that has been the most considerable argument in MMA forum history, "Polar bears could totally take crocodiles." It's official, something like James Toney (the crocodile in this analogy) that has only single strike ability against someone like a Polar Bear (Randy) that can grapple means that the likely outcome will always be the animal with the more well rounded game. Outside of this ridiculous argument, Randy getting a black belt for submitting a guy that has been training MMA with a government defense training contractor that has no ground game himself, is actually one step further along the stupidity line than Mir getting a black belt for submitting Tim Sylvia. It makes me wonder just how stupid people really are.
3. Gray Maynard looked very good. I was actually quite surprised. He seems to have much much better performances against guys that are really good than he does against other guys. I actually don't even think he won the Diaz fight but he dominated Florian and Edgar in their fight. He is strong, he can wrestle, and he was full marks for beating a very tough Florian last night though, so good for him. The Lightweight division will have the fight that it should have had last night. I think Frankie will be too diverse for Gray now and will likely reverse him on the ground now but maybe not. It will be intriguing either way.
4. Demian Maia proved that he's, by far, the best grappler in the sport of MMA last night. Jacare couldn't submit and couldn't really even get near a good position against Villasenor or Kennedy, in fact he should have lost the fight to Kennedy, and Maia came out and beat another good middle weight, with no trouble at all. Let's be honest with ourselves. Jacare is famous for things in grappling that don't translate to MMA well at all. The X guard, please. He's just an athlete. He, literally, took Drysdale down at the ADCC's and lay and prayed a boring win this year because he was scared to actually trade maneuvers with him. He's not technical like Maia. He's not anywhere near the striker either. He looks much better doing it but he's far less effective. If Maia didn't freeze up and put on a poor showing against Silva, there wouldn't even be a question as to who is better, by this time. Maia's the truth, he's the best grappler in the sport.
5. Diaz totally owned Davis. I thought he would be the better fighter, and specifically the better striker. The pitter patter striking style that the Diaz brothers employ is very effective. These guys are very crude and not all that refined as people but there is no question about whether they are true fighters that come in to fight and not to dance around, and they are very game. I actually like the Diaz brothers now. They have earned my respect.
6. I have to laugh at the idea that Randy thinks he's close to a title shot at 205. He will more than likely fight Tito next, if Tito can beat Hamill, and then get thrown into a title fight with Rua, or Evans, more than likely Rua though. I actually won't complain about this. I really want to see that fight. I want to see Rua end Randy's career. I have wanted to see that for a while now. It would put a morbid grin on my face. I hate Randy. Why is he shaving his chest like a 20 something trying out for a Vampire movie role? I think he's letting his acting go to his head. He's by far the worst actor in the Expendables too and that's saying something.
I am David Vaessen and this is my point of view. 'Til next time.
Sunday, August 29, 2010
Sunday, August 22, 2010
This Week in MMA
1. Dominick Cruz and Joseph Benavidez proved some things about the bantam weight division. They proved that, although it is very exciting and the scrambles in the lower weight classes are worth the admission price, they really aren't developed yet with a talent base akin to the upper regions. The quality of striking at 135 the other night was wretched. It is kind of sad when the little guys, who are supposed to be so technical and really have a much easier time achieving a more technical base, are much less technically sound than the bigger boys. The quality of striking at 205 far exceeds anything Cruz and Benavidez brought to the table. I was still entertained and, for the record, thought the split decision was justified. Cruz won but not by much and one could actually make a legit case for Benavidez, who is actually a 120-125 lb guy if there was such a division. It was nice to watch but it wasn't something that could blow a guy away. Cruz dancing in and out and changing angles even though he neglected to actually put appropriate combinations together while doing so and was defensively poor and Benavidez stalking Cruz with loopy punches and poorly timed shots. It would have been better if they both had more of an interest in the grappling, which was actually very good and entertaining, while it happened.
2. Tim Kennedy was robbed in a decision against the over rated, and very underwhelming Ronaldo "Jacare" de Souza last night. I don't really feel sorry for the guy though. He didn't do much anyways. Of course, Jacare did significantly less, and I don't see how anyone could argue that he won more than just the first round, but it was a boring, drab, worthless 25 minutes of MMA that I am disappointed in myself for sitting through. I clambered on about the 135 lb weight division having poor striking and these guys made Cruz and Benavidez look like Mauricio Shogun and Anderson Silva in there. Kennedy is just so flat footed. He landed much more considerable strikes but he lost because he looked so awkward in doing so. He lost on the cards due to style points. A, sort of, artistic impression thing, like in figure skating. That being said, he did impress with his wrestling. He put on a clinic with his take down defense. The winner, and latest illegitimate black house champion, Jacare, looked like he always does. He is a magnificent athlete. You can train him to do anything, throw any punch or kick, and shoot any take down from any angle. The problem with that guy is he has no fighting instincts or intellect. He doesn't know when to throw that kick, punch, or to shoot for that take down. He just does stuff. When it works out, usually in the first round only because that's as far as he can script his fights in camp, he looks brilliant but when it doesn't end the fight and he has to do more stuff he looks like a tomato can and was just out classed by a sub top 15 middle weight. Jacare took another step in the wrong direction last night. Two pathetic fights in a row and now the cherry is off the over hyped sundae.
3. I must confess that I am a King Mo fan. He was beaten fairly, and actually the point needs to be made about what a tremendous stoppage that was by the best in the business (big John) by not ending it too soon but not allowing Mo to take too much. Lawal is just not big enough for light heavy weight. I thought his amazing wrestling would allow him to thrive there anyways but he was just not strong enough for a beast fighter like Feijao, who appeared to have 15-20 lbs on Lawal on fight night. Mo wrestled in the 190s (I believe) and really shouldn't have much difficulty making 185 and that's where he should be. As for Cavalcante, in spite of being a black house guy, I actually like him. He looks like he's taking the sport seriously now, and although he did lose the first two rounds, he didn't lose by much and provided himself the opportunities he needed to finish the fight and then succeeded in doing so. Full marks to a guy who looks like he's a lower end top ten 205 now. He has holes in his game, the most significant of those being his hand speed, but he's pretty well rounded and has monster power. He'll be exciting to watch going forward from here.
4. I was disturbed by the news of Shane Carwin's "alleged" steroid usage and the way most of the MMA media seem to be covering it. Most of the media seem to think that Shane is a nice person and good ambassador for the sport. I'm not saying he is or isn't but he is being let off the hook for actions because he has time for people to give interviews and because he converses with fans on line. That has no bearing on whether he is or isn't a cheating no good rat that should be black listed in the sport. The media portrayed Lesnar like he was a jerk, because he mostly wanted them to think that. I happen to know people that regularly converse with the man, in real life with no cameras and microphones, and he is certainly not a jerk. Frank Mir also has a different persona in the media than in real life. These guys use the media to make themselves look like bad guys to sell fights. Carwin uses the media to look like an orphan saving, cancer curing, door holding ogre with a heart of gold. I'm not saying he is or isn't all or any of those things but whether the media thinks he is or isn't sure as hell isn't a barometer for the truth on the matter. They pretend Lesnar and Mir are dinks when they actually aren't so it's not out of the question to assume they paint Carwin with an over exaggerated hero brush too. Either way, it has no bearing on whether he did it or not.
I agree that he most likely won't test for positive for it, unless he's really really stupid, and I agree that he won't ever be prosecuted legally. The chances of proving beyond a reasonable doubt that the guy cheated when all you have is his name on a list is ridiculously low. That being said, any disingenuous slimy wiener that tells somebody that "innocent until proven guilty" is the standard can eat a giant bag of dicks. I guess, by that standard, OJ Simpson is a wonderful hall of fame role model still then, eh? I guess we are better off to not be realistic people that can discern for ourselves when something walks like a duck, talks like a duck and beads water off of it's ass. Whether it can be proven beyond a reasonable doubt that Carwin cheated has nothing to with whether he cheated or not or whether it's completely laughably stupid to deny that he has or hasn't cheated. Shane Carwin was a nobody when his name was on this list. He was less than nothing and not even remotely in a spot light of any kind when this convicted steroid dealer happened to have him on a buyer's list. The chances that he was put there erroneously are actually less than the snow ball's chance in hell chance that somebody could convict him of it. Of course he cheated. Of course he was on the juice. There is no plausible explanation as to why he is on this list other than that he is a dirty rotten scoundrel. Anybody denying that is delusional. Anybody that can't get past their nut hugging love for the only celebrity that actually talks to them and still feels he is being wrongly accused is not somebody intelligent enough to converse with. If Carwin actually is a man, and not a selfish worthless pathetic little coward boy, he will come clean and admit guilt, explain the circumstance (possible injury etc.), tell the kids not to do it because it made him gas to Lesnar (that one's a joke) and get on with his life instead of being considered a pariah for the rest of his career. I'm David Vaessen and this is my point of view.
2. Tim Kennedy was robbed in a decision against the over rated, and very underwhelming Ronaldo "Jacare" de Souza last night. I don't really feel sorry for the guy though. He didn't do much anyways. Of course, Jacare did significantly less, and I don't see how anyone could argue that he won more than just the first round, but it was a boring, drab, worthless 25 minutes of MMA that I am disappointed in myself for sitting through. I clambered on about the 135 lb weight division having poor striking and these guys made Cruz and Benavidez look like Mauricio Shogun and Anderson Silva in there. Kennedy is just so flat footed. He landed much more considerable strikes but he lost because he looked so awkward in doing so. He lost on the cards due to style points. A, sort of, artistic impression thing, like in figure skating. That being said, he did impress with his wrestling. He put on a clinic with his take down defense. The winner, and latest illegitimate black house champion, Jacare, looked like he always does. He is a magnificent athlete. You can train him to do anything, throw any punch or kick, and shoot any take down from any angle. The problem with that guy is he has no fighting instincts or intellect. He doesn't know when to throw that kick, punch, or to shoot for that take down. He just does stuff. When it works out, usually in the first round only because that's as far as he can script his fights in camp, he looks brilliant but when it doesn't end the fight and he has to do more stuff he looks like a tomato can and was just out classed by a sub top 15 middle weight. Jacare took another step in the wrong direction last night. Two pathetic fights in a row and now the cherry is off the over hyped sundae.
3. I must confess that I am a King Mo fan. He was beaten fairly, and actually the point needs to be made about what a tremendous stoppage that was by the best in the business (big John) by not ending it too soon but not allowing Mo to take too much. Lawal is just not big enough for light heavy weight. I thought his amazing wrestling would allow him to thrive there anyways but he was just not strong enough for a beast fighter like Feijao, who appeared to have 15-20 lbs on Lawal on fight night. Mo wrestled in the 190s (I believe) and really shouldn't have much difficulty making 185 and that's where he should be. As for Cavalcante, in spite of being a black house guy, I actually like him. He looks like he's taking the sport seriously now, and although he did lose the first two rounds, he didn't lose by much and provided himself the opportunities he needed to finish the fight and then succeeded in doing so. Full marks to a guy who looks like he's a lower end top ten 205 now. He has holes in his game, the most significant of those being his hand speed, but he's pretty well rounded and has monster power. He'll be exciting to watch going forward from here.
4. I was disturbed by the news of Shane Carwin's "alleged" steroid usage and the way most of the MMA media seem to be covering it. Most of the media seem to think that Shane is a nice person and good ambassador for the sport. I'm not saying he is or isn't but he is being let off the hook for actions because he has time for people to give interviews and because he converses with fans on line. That has no bearing on whether he is or isn't a cheating no good rat that should be black listed in the sport. The media portrayed Lesnar like he was a jerk, because he mostly wanted them to think that. I happen to know people that regularly converse with the man, in real life with no cameras and microphones, and he is certainly not a jerk. Frank Mir also has a different persona in the media than in real life. These guys use the media to make themselves look like bad guys to sell fights. Carwin uses the media to look like an orphan saving, cancer curing, door holding ogre with a heart of gold. I'm not saying he is or isn't all or any of those things but whether the media thinks he is or isn't sure as hell isn't a barometer for the truth on the matter. They pretend Lesnar and Mir are dinks when they actually aren't so it's not out of the question to assume they paint Carwin with an over exaggerated hero brush too. Either way, it has no bearing on whether he did it or not.
I agree that he most likely won't test for positive for it, unless he's really really stupid, and I agree that he won't ever be prosecuted legally. The chances of proving beyond a reasonable doubt that the guy cheated when all you have is his name on a list is ridiculously low. That being said, any disingenuous slimy wiener that tells somebody that "innocent until proven guilty" is the standard can eat a giant bag of dicks. I guess, by that standard, OJ Simpson is a wonderful hall of fame role model still then, eh? I guess we are better off to not be realistic people that can discern for ourselves when something walks like a duck, talks like a duck and beads water off of it's ass. Whether it can be proven beyond a reasonable doubt that Carwin cheated has nothing to with whether he cheated or not or whether it's completely laughably stupid to deny that he has or hasn't cheated. Shane Carwin was a nobody when his name was on this list. He was less than nothing and not even remotely in a spot light of any kind when this convicted steroid dealer happened to have him on a buyer's list. The chances that he was put there erroneously are actually less than the snow ball's chance in hell chance that somebody could convict him of it. Of course he cheated. Of course he was on the juice. There is no plausible explanation as to why he is on this list other than that he is a dirty rotten scoundrel. Anybody denying that is delusional. Anybody that can't get past their nut hugging love for the only celebrity that actually talks to them and still feels he is being wrongly accused is not somebody intelligent enough to converse with. If Carwin actually is a man, and not a selfish worthless pathetic little coward boy, he will come clean and admit guilt, explain the circumstance (possible injury etc.), tell the kids not to do it because it made him gas to Lesnar (that one's a joke) and get on with his life instead of being considered a pariah for the rest of his career. I'm David Vaessen and this is my point of view.
Monday, August 16, 2010
Boxing vs. MMA
This coming Saturday after next has sparked a debate amongst fight fans as to just what level of striking MMA has evolved and whether boxing is something that translates as a striking art with smaller gloves and different spacing, not to mention the plethora of different options available for mixed martial artists to use, other than strikes. It poses itself as a battle between two multi divisional champions in either sport competing in the octagon. Nobody would question whether James Toney would destroy Randy Couture in a boxing ring with boxing rules so why is there a thought out there that the opposite is true? That Toney could possibly come into a cage and have a snowball's chance in hell. I'll try to examine that in this blog.
Most people, myself included, seem to think that all Couture needs to do is close the gap and get a hold of Toney and it's academic from there. The issue with doing so is that James is likely going to be throwing bombs at Randy while Randy tries to do so. Randy is pretty durable but we've seen him in trouble from strikes in recent fights. Brandon Vera nearly stopped him with a body kick. Antonio Rodrigo Nogueria out classed Randy with his boxing (significantly) and hurt him several times. Are we so delusional that we don't think a James Toney strike to the grill or even the body of Randy Couture won't bring about a similar result? On the contrary. There is a much better chance that Randy closes that gap without being hurt than that he has a clean punch land on him but the level of striking prowess that a world class boxer brings is certainly something that has scary potential. This is why it is possible for boxers to fight in mixed martial arts whereas it is very unlikely that a mixed martial artist could ever compete in boxing.
That would make it seem like I'm suggesting that boxing is the superior sport, which is completely false. It merely suggests that mixed martial arts is diverse enough to encompass boxing, whereas boxing is more style specific and is too technical to have guys that train other disciplines succeed in it. After all, we wouldn't expect somebody like Brock Lesnar, with his tremendous wrestling base, to be able to enter a world class submission wrestling tournament like the ADCC and do well against a guy like Fabricio Werdum, yet in MMA, Brock would likely be favored to win that fight, and even on the ground, wouldn't be completely out of his element, as he would be without the strikes, in a submission wrestling contest.
James Toney is providing an interesting case study, to say the least. He is not anywhere near the best boxer in the world anymore, nor the boxer with the style of boxing that theoretically could translate to mixed martial arts the best but he's the boxer with the biggest balls. The boxer with the self belief and intestinal fortitude to test his skills and put himself on the line. He has made a fan in me. I expect him to lose and lose in an embarrassing way but I actually hope he lands one of those bombs he's going to throw. It won't hurt MMA at all if he does. It will just gain the UFC notoriety and the sport will continue to grow from it.
Hopefully some boxing fans watch the pay per view that normally wouldn't have. When they do they will likely see the best boxing performance of the night in the real main event. BJ Penn and Frankie Edgar have levels of technical striking in MMA that are tremendous and will put on a great show, again. Penn doesn't deserve the rematch in any way and has recently talked himself out of the good will he built up by formerly not being a poor sport about his original loss. Frankie is confident and, in my opinion, the clear fan favorite for this fight now. So much hype has been behind Penn for his entire career that people were shocked to see him lose to Edgar the first time. I wasn't shocked and I won't be shocked on Saturday when Edgar continues from his late round dominance of Penn and out points the Hawaiian demigod and puts him in his rightful place. Penn has said that Edgar will find out what it's like to be in there with the champion. I guess the last time around, Frankie didn't find that out. I guess last time it wasn't the real BJ Penn. Or maybe it was the real BJ Penn and finally when somebody wasn't intimidated by his hype machine he was found out for the over rated, flat footed, front running baby that he really is. I have news for BJ Penn; it's he that will find out what it's like to be in there with the champion. He is the challenger here, much like when he challenged St. Pierre. I don't know that Frankie will take him down and pass his guard at will like Georges did but he will dance around Penn, again, and out point Penn, even more considerably than last time, and there won't be any more excuses for the aptly named Baby Jay.
I'm David Vaessen, and this is my point of view.
Most people, myself included, seem to think that all Couture needs to do is close the gap and get a hold of Toney and it's academic from there. The issue with doing so is that James is likely going to be throwing bombs at Randy while Randy tries to do so. Randy is pretty durable but we've seen him in trouble from strikes in recent fights. Brandon Vera nearly stopped him with a body kick. Antonio Rodrigo Nogueria out classed Randy with his boxing (significantly) and hurt him several times. Are we so delusional that we don't think a James Toney strike to the grill or even the body of Randy Couture won't bring about a similar result? On the contrary. There is a much better chance that Randy closes that gap without being hurt than that he has a clean punch land on him but the level of striking prowess that a world class boxer brings is certainly something that has scary potential. This is why it is possible for boxers to fight in mixed martial arts whereas it is very unlikely that a mixed martial artist could ever compete in boxing.
That would make it seem like I'm suggesting that boxing is the superior sport, which is completely false. It merely suggests that mixed martial arts is diverse enough to encompass boxing, whereas boxing is more style specific and is too technical to have guys that train other disciplines succeed in it. After all, we wouldn't expect somebody like Brock Lesnar, with his tremendous wrestling base, to be able to enter a world class submission wrestling tournament like the ADCC and do well against a guy like Fabricio Werdum, yet in MMA, Brock would likely be favored to win that fight, and even on the ground, wouldn't be completely out of his element, as he would be without the strikes, in a submission wrestling contest.
James Toney is providing an interesting case study, to say the least. He is not anywhere near the best boxer in the world anymore, nor the boxer with the style of boxing that theoretically could translate to mixed martial arts the best but he's the boxer with the biggest balls. The boxer with the self belief and intestinal fortitude to test his skills and put himself on the line. He has made a fan in me. I expect him to lose and lose in an embarrassing way but I actually hope he lands one of those bombs he's going to throw. It won't hurt MMA at all if he does. It will just gain the UFC notoriety and the sport will continue to grow from it.
Hopefully some boxing fans watch the pay per view that normally wouldn't have. When they do they will likely see the best boxing performance of the night in the real main event. BJ Penn and Frankie Edgar have levels of technical striking in MMA that are tremendous and will put on a great show, again. Penn doesn't deserve the rematch in any way and has recently talked himself out of the good will he built up by formerly not being a poor sport about his original loss. Frankie is confident and, in my opinion, the clear fan favorite for this fight now. So much hype has been behind Penn for his entire career that people were shocked to see him lose to Edgar the first time. I wasn't shocked and I won't be shocked on Saturday when Edgar continues from his late round dominance of Penn and out points the Hawaiian demigod and puts him in his rightful place. Penn has said that Edgar will find out what it's like to be in there with the champion. I guess the last time around, Frankie didn't find that out. I guess last time it wasn't the real BJ Penn. Or maybe it was the real BJ Penn and finally when somebody wasn't intimidated by his hype machine he was found out for the over rated, flat footed, front running baby that he really is. I have news for BJ Penn; it's he that will find out what it's like to be in there with the champion. He is the challenger here, much like when he challenged St. Pierre. I don't know that Frankie will take him down and pass his guard at will like Georges did but he will dance around Penn, again, and out point Penn, even more considerably than last time, and there won't be any more excuses for the aptly named Baby Jay.
I'm David Vaessen, and this is my point of view.
Monday, August 9, 2010
Why I am a fan...
There are moments in the lives of people when they choose their path and pick their sides. Sometimes it's a subtle sub conscious choice to like something or to be engaged by it. Sometimes it goes against the grain of your beliefs but you are won over by the tide of momentum behind it. For me, the sport of MMA was something that I would be naturally into. I grew up with fighting in and around me and part of my life. Seeing grown men of different and unique disciplines battle in the original UFC was something I could get behind. It faded though. It didn't take. The sport didn't hold it's place in the public eye or in my own. I had limited access to it. All I could really do was rent VHS tapes of old events and when no new events were there to rent I lost interest, with no internet at home and no real way to follow the sport anyways. What brought me back into the sport was arguments later in life with friends of mine, that actually watched it. I followed professional wrestling at the time and they followed the sport of MMA, although only the UFC brand (even though the casual viewer like myself knew that Pride was better). There was a moment in time where Randy Couture and Chuck Liddell were on a crappy reality television show, that I deemed unwatchable, and Brock Lesnar and Kurt Angle were engaged in a professional wrestling spot with each other. I commented to my friends, the UFC fans, that Lesnar and Angle were actually much tougher than Liddell and Couture, even without multiple disciplines to train in. They scoffed at the notion. I held firm on the belief and wouldn't, and still haven't, let up since. This debate threw me into following MMA more convincingly. I became an internet fight watching nerd. And so it began.
A thorough immersion into the madness and calculated insanity of the greatest sport in the world. An obsession with details brought about by years of statistical analysis of other sports. Problem being, in mixed martial arts there is no stat that can be seen to determine outcomes. There is no way of quantifying where somebody's game is and more specifically where the many elements of somebody's game are in relation to another fighter, on any given day. It requires more of a feel for it. It requires more of an overview than other sports. It required watching as more than a drunk guy gazing upon a fist fight, even though I quite thoroughly enjoy that aspect as well. It required going back and seeing what I was missing and going forward not missing any more fights. It is imprecise and ever evolving and as such it is intoxicating.
The emotional attachment a fan brings to this sport is second to none. It is modern day gladiators challenging themselves in the ultimate competition to determine who's better. There is team work in training and an infrastructure in place with readily available training in pretty much every accepted discipline. That being said, two warriors are in a cage. There are no team mates. They are in there as essentially naked competitors reliant on only themselves for determination of the victor. There's nothing to hide, no time outs and no chances for any redoes. The connection you can have with an athlete putting himself, or herself, on the line in a situation like this can't be matched. There is a tomorrow but it's months away. There aren't 82 game seasons. They have to peak on fight night, or else. Each fight is a journey, it's own story and a piece of history that will always be there. You don't start fresh and undefeated every season.
A fighter builds the good will and respect of the fans and his peers by putting themselves out there, displaying their heart and proving themselves. It's something that isn't debatable. It isn't questionable when you see it. The heart of a man, his pride and worth, are made in cages and rings. That's why when Wanderlei Silva remarks that he doesn't like Michael Bisping, the fans didn't question him. He's earned his place to not like Michael Bisping. When Michael Bisping responds that Wanderlei is a legend and that he has nothing bad to say about him, the fans were still on Silva's side. Silva is the one showing little respect for Bisping and even a self believer like Bisping knows his place enough to understand it. That respect, or lack thereof, was forged in the hearts of fans in the cage, by both men. It's not something that can be changed in a moment. Bisping knew this and, to his credit, tries to evolve his own good will now after learning that lesson.
The things that are debatable are really what drives the sport and it's hard core fan base. I can look at something and see the counter where you might look at the same exchange and see the lead. I can look at a fight and see luck and fortune, where you might see steadfastness and inevitability. We're all trying to see how square pegs will fit into round holes. Attracted to different attitudes, different styles, and different personae. Where it comes together and unites us as fans is actually where it comes together and engages itself in the sport. Where and what we see is less important as that we are seeing it. We may not agree on what we are watching and why but by watching and being fans we have a base of unity in this great sport and a fundamental interest in it's continuation and evolution. I'm David Vaessen and this is my point of view.
'Til next time
A thorough immersion into the madness and calculated insanity of the greatest sport in the world. An obsession with details brought about by years of statistical analysis of other sports. Problem being, in mixed martial arts there is no stat that can be seen to determine outcomes. There is no way of quantifying where somebody's game is and more specifically where the many elements of somebody's game are in relation to another fighter, on any given day. It requires more of a feel for it. It requires more of an overview than other sports. It required watching as more than a drunk guy gazing upon a fist fight, even though I quite thoroughly enjoy that aspect as well. It required going back and seeing what I was missing and going forward not missing any more fights. It is imprecise and ever evolving and as such it is intoxicating.
The emotional attachment a fan brings to this sport is second to none. It is modern day gladiators challenging themselves in the ultimate competition to determine who's better. There is team work in training and an infrastructure in place with readily available training in pretty much every accepted discipline. That being said, two warriors are in a cage. There are no team mates. They are in there as essentially naked competitors reliant on only themselves for determination of the victor. There's nothing to hide, no time outs and no chances for any redoes. The connection you can have with an athlete putting himself, or herself, on the line in a situation like this can't be matched. There is a tomorrow but it's months away. There aren't 82 game seasons. They have to peak on fight night, or else. Each fight is a journey, it's own story and a piece of history that will always be there. You don't start fresh and undefeated every season.
A fighter builds the good will and respect of the fans and his peers by putting themselves out there, displaying their heart and proving themselves. It's something that isn't debatable. It isn't questionable when you see it. The heart of a man, his pride and worth, are made in cages and rings. That's why when Wanderlei Silva remarks that he doesn't like Michael Bisping, the fans didn't question him. He's earned his place to not like Michael Bisping. When Michael Bisping responds that Wanderlei is a legend and that he has nothing bad to say about him, the fans were still on Silva's side. Silva is the one showing little respect for Bisping and even a self believer like Bisping knows his place enough to understand it. That respect, or lack thereof, was forged in the hearts of fans in the cage, by both men. It's not something that can be changed in a moment. Bisping knew this and, to his credit, tries to evolve his own good will now after learning that lesson.
The things that are debatable are really what drives the sport and it's hard core fan base. I can look at something and see the counter where you might look at the same exchange and see the lead. I can look at a fight and see luck and fortune, where you might see steadfastness and inevitability. We're all trying to see how square pegs will fit into round holes. Attracted to different attitudes, different styles, and different personae. Where it comes together and unites us as fans is actually where it comes together and engages itself in the sport. Where and what we see is less important as that we are seeing it. We may not agree on what we are watching and why but by watching and being fans we have a base of unity in this great sport and a fundamental interest in it's continuation and evolution. I'm David Vaessen and this is my point of view.
'Til next time
Sunday, August 8, 2010
UFC 117
1. Wow! We all just witnessed something extraordinary. The so-called best fighter on the planet was thoroughly dismantled with relative ease tonight. Then he pulled out a miracle and even though I struggle to think that Sonnen actually did tap out, Silva had his hand raised in victory and left the arena broken, embarrassed, exploited and completely found out for what he truly is as a fighter, although he does have twelve pounds of gold still with him. I won't pretend that I've ever liked Anderson Silva, although until the Cote fight I was indifferent towards him. Tonight though, the skeptics, which were few (me and a handful of others, mostly Canadians), were actually 100% unequivocally right about this guy. He can't wrestle effectively. Most of Sonnen's take downs weren't really all that spectacular and a good to moderate wrestler would have stuffed them. He isn't good on his back, let alone very good or great, or even in any way worthy of having a bjj black belt. He pulled out a submission on a tired wrestler late in a fight but was unable to advance to any decent positions for 23 minutes against a virtual white belt. He looked lazy on his back, as usual. He took a lot of damage from his back. He was unable to get up off of his back. He was reversed, the couple times he managed to have top position, with no difficulty at all. Then you have to look at his striking. I actually did think, before this fight, that he was the best technical striker in all of MMA. I was wrong. He isn't. That did just happen. He actually did get owned by Chael Sonnen in the striking department. He was dropped by a guy with no knock out power in two separate rounds. He has fluid offense but virtually zero defense as a striker. If that was Vitor Belfort in there tonight, Anderson Silva would not have survived the first round. The only thing Anderson Silva did do tonight was win, and I'm not convinced that it was even legitimate.
2. Chael Sonnen deserves to be a champion. He wasn't scared or intimidated and didn't lose before the fight began like the last several opponents Anderson Silva fought, or rather was supposed to fight but kind of didn't. I don't think Chael tapped out. I'm not sure he's been beating the drums about it though and the replay did show his hand touch Silva's leg, once. Is one tap a tap out? No. It takes repeated taps to tap out. More than one tap needs to be made to signify a submission. Either way, if he did tap, he shouldn't have. Blood chokes aren't even dangerous and the energy used to signify that you're a quitter would be better served trying to get out of the hold. There is no danger in going under to a blood choke. It doesn't make sense to tap out at that point in a fight. There is nothing to gain from it. It's not safer. It's no different for your health than going under and being woken up straight away. I actually think he was moments away from getting out of the choke. I could be wrong. For the sake of the sport's integrity I hope to be but one touch of a leg with no verbal submission is not a tap out. That I know for sure.
3. Not to harp solely on the main event tonight but this does change the pound for pound argument completely. It can no longer be argued that Anderson Silva is a better fighter in this realm than Georges St. Pierre. If you are still arguing that, you are clearly delusional at that this point. Georges has never been decimated like that, even in defeat, and not only that but judging by how Sonnen did, with half hearted take downs and mostly not even getting take downs to attain the top position, it can easily be said the best wrestler in mixed martial arts (St. Pierre) would have absolutely no difficulty doing that and even more to Silva for five rounds. Not only would Georges beat Anderson but at this point, it would be no contest. Anderson would actually be lucky to not get submitted himself, let alone have any hope of pulling off another lucky hail Mary attempt. In fact, we now know why Anderson is not fighting at 205 any more as well. Rua would have no difficulty out classing him in any way he chose to. Silva won the fight tonight but he is below Rua, St. Pierre, and Aldo in the pound for pound rankings now and if Edgar beats Penn again he'll also pull ahead of the Spider.
4. Jon Fitch is awesome. He is the best fighter in all of mixed martial arts to not be a champion, including Sonnen. The crap Joe Rogan was saying about Alves not looking right made me want to slap that idiot. Alves did not gas out at all. He looked to be in great condition and the weight didn't effect anything. Any reasonable person watching the fights would see that. Alves was explosive and powerful. Fitch just happens to be a much better grappler than Thiago and actually had the edge striking tonight as well. This fight was really no contest. Good for Fitch. He deserves this.
5. Junior Dos Santos looked kind of so-so. I like his hands and his overall athleticism and the mentality he brings to the cage. It's not enough though. Cain Velasquez or Brock Lesnar will beat him with little to no difficulty. He deserves the opportunity but I don't see him making good on it. He'll be lucky to get out of a single round with either of those two guys. Roy Nelson showed some heart tonight. He won some fans over, including myself. He's not an elite fighter though. He is a relevant fighter and he's a good guy to push on main cards and main events of fight nights and I look forward to seeing more of him now. I couldn't say that before the TUF finale so he has come a long way.
6. Hughes didn't look good. He still looks like a shell of himself actually. He won though and he did it convincingly. It's weird to say those two things in the same paragraph but it's true. I don't know how that little crappy left hook hurt Almeida but it did. The choke was academic once it was on because of the fact that Ricardo was so hurt from the little left hook. It was strange to watch. That shouldn't do anything to a guy like Almeida. I've never been so confused. I did think Almeida was going to win easily and the fact that he was so devastatingly stopped is a shocker for me. I don't know what the future holds in store for that guy. I know that even though Hughes has technically won three straight, although I still dispute the Serra decision, that his career is still essentially over. He's not the same or even close to the same guy anymore.
7. I don't really care about the rest of the card. The Struve fight was entertaining. I wish Phil Davis would have made the pay per view or his fight could have been on the Spike prelims that they didn't do. That would have been awesome. As usual, Clay Guida did his best to ruin a good night of fights. Thanks for that, Clay. If there is a more boring and dismal fighter to watch I'd like to hear about him. I have no patience for that guy. He looks like such a dud anyways. I hate his stupid hair and his fake mean guy look where he's trying to be scary but he is really coming across as laughably pathetic. He's an embarrassment. I don't see the appeal, at all. Why are people fans of this guy?
Overall, I haven't been this entertained by a fight card in quite some time. This was a wondrous night for the sport. I was riveted for nearly three hours, save for the second and third rounds in Guida's fight. The sport can only gain from night's like this. I'm David Vaessen and this is my point of view.
'Til next time
2. Chael Sonnen deserves to be a champion. He wasn't scared or intimidated and didn't lose before the fight began like the last several opponents Anderson Silva fought, or rather was supposed to fight but kind of didn't. I don't think Chael tapped out. I'm not sure he's been beating the drums about it though and the replay did show his hand touch Silva's leg, once. Is one tap a tap out? No. It takes repeated taps to tap out. More than one tap needs to be made to signify a submission. Either way, if he did tap, he shouldn't have. Blood chokes aren't even dangerous and the energy used to signify that you're a quitter would be better served trying to get out of the hold. There is no danger in going under to a blood choke. It doesn't make sense to tap out at that point in a fight. There is nothing to gain from it. It's not safer. It's no different for your health than going under and being woken up straight away. I actually think he was moments away from getting out of the choke. I could be wrong. For the sake of the sport's integrity I hope to be but one touch of a leg with no verbal submission is not a tap out. That I know for sure.
3. Not to harp solely on the main event tonight but this does change the pound for pound argument completely. It can no longer be argued that Anderson Silva is a better fighter in this realm than Georges St. Pierre. If you are still arguing that, you are clearly delusional at that this point. Georges has never been decimated like that, even in defeat, and not only that but judging by how Sonnen did, with half hearted take downs and mostly not even getting take downs to attain the top position, it can easily be said the best wrestler in mixed martial arts (St. Pierre) would have absolutely no difficulty doing that and even more to Silva for five rounds. Not only would Georges beat Anderson but at this point, it would be no contest. Anderson would actually be lucky to not get submitted himself, let alone have any hope of pulling off another lucky hail Mary attempt. In fact, we now know why Anderson is not fighting at 205 any more as well. Rua would have no difficulty out classing him in any way he chose to. Silva won the fight tonight but he is below Rua, St. Pierre, and Aldo in the pound for pound rankings now and if Edgar beats Penn again he'll also pull ahead of the Spider.
4. Jon Fitch is awesome. He is the best fighter in all of mixed martial arts to not be a champion, including Sonnen. The crap Joe Rogan was saying about Alves not looking right made me want to slap that idiot. Alves did not gas out at all. He looked to be in great condition and the weight didn't effect anything. Any reasonable person watching the fights would see that. Alves was explosive and powerful. Fitch just happens to be a much better grappler than Thiago and actually had the edge striking tonight as well. This fight was really no contest. Good for Fitch. He deserves this.
5. Junior Dos Santos looked kind of so-so. I like his hands and his overall athleticism and the mentality he brings to the cage. It's not enough though. Cain Velasquez or Brock Lesnar will beat him with little to no difficulty. He deserves the opportunity but I don't see him making good on it. He'll be lucky to get out of a single round with either of those two guys. Roy Nelson showed some heart tonight. He won some fans over, including myself. He's not an elite fighter though. He is a relevant fighter and he's a good guy to push on main cards and main events of fight nights and I look forward to seeing more of him now. I couldn't say that before the TUF finale so he has come a long way.
6. Hughes didn't look good. He still looks like a shell of himself actually. He won though and he did it convincingly. It's weird to say those two things in the same paragraph but it's true. I don't know how that little crappy left hook hurt Almeida but it did. The choke was academic once it was on because of the fact that Ricardo was so hurt from the little left hook. It was strange to watch. That shouldn't do anything to a guy like Almeida. I've never been so confused. I did think Almeida was going to win easily and the fact that he was so devastatingly stopped is a shocker for me. I don't know what the future holds in store for that guy. I know that even though Hughes has technically won three straight, although I still dispute the Serra decision, that his career is still essentially over. He's not the same or even close to the same guy anymore.
7. I don't really care about the rest of the card. The Struve fight was entertaining. I wish Phil Davis would have made the pay per view or his fight could have been on the Spike prelims that they didn't do. That would have been awesome. As usual, Clay Guida did his best to ruin a good night of fights. Thanks for that, Clay. If there is a more boring and dismal fighter to watch I'd like to hear about him. I have no patience for that guy. He looks like such a dud anyways. I hate his stupid hair and his fake mean guy look where he's trying to be scary but he is really coming across as laughably pathetic. He's an embarrassment. I don't see the appeal, at all. Why are people fans of this guy?
Overall, I haven't been this entertained by a fight card in quite some time. This was a wondrous night for the sport. I was riveted for nearly three hours, save for the second and third rounds in Guida's fight. The sport can only gain from night's like this. I'm David Vaessen and this is my point of view.
'Til next time
Monday, August 2, 2010
UFC Fight Night Live
The theme of my blog is my thoughts about happenings in and around the world of mixed martial arts. I am a long time fan of the sport and what I'm looking to provide here is an opinionated discussion about it, hopefully taking the thoughts and debate to a higher level of understanding without being condescending or exclusive. I am David Vaessen, and this is my point of view.
1. Last night Jon Jones proved something we already knew. He proved that if you match him up with another wrestler that isn't used to being put on their back, and has no offensive skills from their guard, that he can make them look like a tomato can. He very impressively disposed of Matyushenko but the fight didn't advance the discussion on the sport's most hyped prospect. It simply provided another notch in his belt. This is something that I am not opposed to though. He is only 23 and his ground skills aren't developed yet. A high level bjj black belt with good striking skills could be too much for the kid right now but the time has come to see just what he can do with somebody that is a threat to him from his guard. I would recommend Forrest Griffin. He's a name that they could build a PPV main event or co-main event off of. That and I don't like Griffin and would love to see him get beat up. Morbid curiosity has taken over for me here.
2. Yushin Okami is a contender. That's something everybody that has followed the sport for a number of years already knew. His strength, balance and use of leverage negating a national champion wrestler should not be overlooked. Munoz isn't ready for the top of the sport but losing to this guy isn't the end of the world for him. He throws power punches only. If he learned to strike properly and figured out how to come forward and shoot take downs on the end of combinations rather than after being pushed backwards pelted by the other guy he could make something of himself in this sport. Until then, he's a good test for some and because of his unique skill set he'll beat many guys that are more refined than himself but he's not well rounded enough to be there yet. I actually think Jake Rosholt is a much better fighter and prospect.
3. The commentary and refereeing in the Ellenberger Howard fight were the disgrace of the night and left a bad taste in my mouth. All Rogan could yap about was how much power Howard has and what brilliant muay thai he was displaying, apparently from his back getting his face broken by somebody that threw him around like a child. Howard was actually considerably out struck in the first round by a very nice jab Ellenberger was using. And in the second round, if not for two power strikes landed form Howard, which barely phased Ellenberger, it would have been an easy 10-8 round. Then he talks about a rematch. A rematch? Why on earth would there be a rematch with this crap? Because Howard was robbed of losing an easy 30-27 around the table decision? Give me a break. Is Joe sleeping with Howard or something? Or were his advances thwarted by Jake? Ridiculous. That brings me to Herb Dean. I'd like that nimrod to explain to somebody where it says in the unified rules that if the crowd is restless because they don't understand bjj that he should stand fighters up. Ellenberger was doing work, clearly, as he broke Howard's face in the process of his ground attack. If Howard is not good enough to improved his position and Ellenberger is clearly not just resting on top then don't stand them up. There is no excuse for that garbage. There has never been a less deserving 4-0 fighter in UFC history than Howard and now that he finally justly got his butt whooped they act like he needs another shot at it. I don't think so. Jake is a better prospect than Howard and should be moved along to a better opponent. How about Anthony Johnson?
4. I'm not going to lie, I am a massive Pride fan, from back in the day. Seeing Gomi look like the old fireball kid was something that brought a real smile to my face. That was a legit stoppage too. Griffin looked up but he didn't move a single limb and was about to be hurt very badly. Gomi has the most knock out power in the division and with his natural skill set he could be a real contender again. He has wrestling, ground game and striking. The problem is, he can be made to look bad by anybody with significant class in any of those three things. He can be technically beaten in all three of those areas. It's good to see him back though and relevant again. Maybe his training will return to form now and he'll have another run. As for Griffin, it's time to face facts. He has little arms. He looks like the world's largest midget. He has no business getting into striking wars with guys that he needs to be 16 inches away from to hit. He's good in most areas and he's a serious player but he's never going to be a contender. He's on the Joe Stevenson level.
5. The Oliviera submission win was awesome. It's said that he's a naturally gifted striker as well and so it's too bad we didn't get to see some of that in his fight too. It's nice to see another prospect though. I hope they don't rush him into things he can't deal with too early but the future is bright with this guy, Rory MacDonald, Hathaway, Jones, Duffee, and Grispi and Mendez from WEC. It stands to reason that we have a bright future of mixed martial arts to look forward to.
6. I would feel incomplete about this post if I didn't mention Mr. Sonnen's interview from last night. He has done the best job of any fighter in the sport's history of hyping a single fight. I also happen to agree with him about Anderson Silva. I hope Chael rips this guy apart. I have never been so interested in a fight between two guys that I have never cheered for in any fight in either of their careers. I have become a Sonnen fan. That doesn't mean that I think he's necessarily going to win on Saturday but I sure hope so. He has a chance. Anderson has had difficulty with wrestlers in his past and Sonnen's not just technically good as a wrestler, he's relentless and grinding. August 7 is going to be awesome and not just for that fight. What a stacked card. My excitement level for this card is higher than any card since Rua Machida 2, and that's only because I am the world's biggest Shogun fan.
'Til next time.
1. Last night Jon Jones proved something we already knew. He proved that if you match him up with another wrestler that isn't used to being put on their back, and has no offensive skills from their guard, that he can make them look like a tomato can. He very impressively disposed of Matyushenko but the fight didn't advance the discussion on the sport's most hyped prospect. It simply provided another notch in his belt. This is something that I am not opposed to though. He is only 23 and his ground skills aren't developed yet. A high level bjj black belt with good striking skills could be too much for the kid right now but the time has come to see just what he can do with somebody that is a threat to him from his guard. I would recommend Forrest Griffin. He's a name that they could build a PPV main event or co-main event off of. That and I don't like Griffin and would love to see him get beat up. Morbid curiosity has taken over for me here.
2. Yushin Okami is a contender. That's something everybody that has followed the sport for a number of years already knew. His strength, balance and use of leverage negating a national champion wrestler should not be overlooked. Munoz isn't ready for the top of the sport but losing to this guy isn't the end of the world for him. He throws power punches only. If he learned to strike properly and figured out how to come forward and shoot take downs on the end of combinations rather than after being pushed backwards pelted by the other guy he could make something of himself in this sport. Until then, he's a good test for some and because of his unique skill set he'll beat many guys that are more refined than himself but he's not well rounded enough to be there yet. I actually think Jake Rosholt is a much better fighter and prospect.
3. The commentary and refereeing in the Ellenberger Howard fight were the disgrace of the night and left a bad taste in my mouth. All Rogan could yap about was how much power Howard has and what brilliant muay thai he was displaying, apparently from his back getting his face broken by somebody that threw him around like a child. Howard was actually considerably out struck in the first round by a very nice jab Ellenberger was using. And in the second round, if not for two power strikes landed form Howard, which barely phased Ellenberger, it would have been an easy 10-8 round. Then he talks about a rematch. A rematch? Why on earth would there be a rematch with this crap? Because Howard was robbed of losing an easy 30-27 around the table decision? Give me a break. Is Joe sleeping with Howard or something? Or were his advances thwarted by Jake? Ridiculous. That brings me to Herb Dean. I'd like that nimrod to explain to somebody where it says in the unified rules that if the crowd is restless because they don't understand bjj that he should stand fighters up. Ellenberger was doing work, clearly, as he broke Howard's face in the process of his ground attack. If Howard is not good enough to improved his position and Ellenberger is clearly not just resting on top then don't stand them up. There is no excuse for that garbage. There has never been a less deserving 4-0 fighter in UFC history than Howard and now that he finally justly got his butt whooped they act like he needs another shot at it. I don't think so. Jake is a better prospect than Howard and should be moved along to a better opponent. How about Anthony Johnson?
4. I'm not going to lie, I am a massive Pride fan, from back in the day. Seeing Gomi look like the old fireball kid was something that brought a real smile to my face. That was a legit stoppage too. Griffin looked up but he didn't move a single limb and was about to be hurt very badly. Gomi has the most knock out power in the division and with his natural skill set he could be a real contender again. He has wrestling, ground game and striking. The problem is, he can be made to look bad by anybody with significant class in any of those three things. He can be technically beaten in all three of those areas. It's good to see him back though and relevant again. Maybe his training will return to form now and he'll have another run. As for Griffin, it's time to face facts. He has little arms. He looks like the world's largest midget. He has no business getting into striking wars with guys that he needs to be 16 inches away from to hit. He's good in most areas and he's a serious player but he's never going to be a contender. He's on the Joe Stevenson level.
5. The Oliviera submission win was awesome. It's said that he's a naturally gifted striker as well and so it's too bad we didn't get to see some of that in his fight too. It's nice to see another prospect though. I hope they don't rush him into things he can't deal with too early but the future is bright with this guy, Rory MacDonald, Hathaway, Jones, Duffee, and Grispi and Mendez from WEC. It stands to reason that we have a bright future of mixed martial arts to look forward to.
6. I would feel incomplete about this post if I didn't mention Mr. Sonnen's interview from last night. He has done the best job of any fighter in the sport's history of hyping a single fight. I also happen to agree with him about Anderson Silva. I hope Chael rips this guy apart. I have never been so interested in a fight between two guys that I have never cheered for in any fight in either of their careers. I have become a Sonnen fan. That doesn't mean that I think he's necessarily going to win on Saturday but I sure hope so. He has a chance. Anderson has had difficulty with wrestlers in his past and Sonnen's not just technically good as a wrestler, he's relentless and grinding. August 7 is going to be awesome and not just for that fight. What a stacked card. My excitement level for this card is higher than any card since Rua Machida 2, and that's only because I am the world's biggest Shogun fan.
'Til next time.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)