Sunday, February 13, 2011

Three Truths Revealed by Strikeforce!

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The opening round of the Strikeforce HW tourney was not only a phenomenal night of fights, it also revealed and confirmed three very important truths regarding the MMA world. All three of these truths revolve around the main event between Fedor Emelianenko and Antonio "Bigfoot" Silva.
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Let's start with the winner of the fight, Bigfoot Silva, also known as "Pezao". After his dominating win over Fedor last night and his steady, continual improvement and progress as a fighter, Bigfoot has to be recognized and respected as one of the top heavyweight fighters on the planet. Not only is he very talented, he is also a massive human being with serious athleticism to back up his size. We're talking about a man who is 6'4" and cuts weight to make the limit of 265 pounds. Then he shows up on fight night the next day, a lean, mean, rehydrated 285 pound fighting machine. There's a reason he sports the very impressive record of 16-2, with 11 of those wins coming by way of (T)KO. His first loss was a fluke KO, in my opinion, to Eric Pele, several years back in the short-lived Bodog promotion. What has Pele done since? Exactly! His other loss was by decision to the very talented Fabricio Werdum, who also has a recent win over Fedor. Beating Fedor immediately catapults a fighter into the Top 10 rankings, which is exactly where Pezao and Werdum rightfully sit. With the size, skill, athleticism and heart possessed by Bigfoot, he's a tough out for ANY fighter in the world. I've been saying for years that he would end up being one of the best heavyweights in the game. It's great to see that happen and to also see Bigfoot finally getting the recognition he has long deserved. The world is now officially on notice!
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The second truth revealed on Saturday night is in regards to MMA living legend, Fedor Emelianenko. A loss, or in his case, two losses in a row, does not define a fighter's career. Fedor has been the most dominant fighter in the history of the sport, bar none. No one really even comes close, although Anderson Silva and Georges St. Pierre are in the process of building cases to dispute that. "The Last Emperor" went on an unprecedented 10 year streak without losing a fight. You can talk shit all you want about the level of his competition at points in his career but he beat whoever was put in front of him. Prior to his last two fights he went on an unfathomable 28 fight unbeaten streak. That is absolutely INSANE! Regardless of his last two fights, Fedor Emelianenko is and always will be one of the greatest, most humble, most talented and most dominating fighters our great sport will ever see. That is an absolute fact and to argue that is just utter stupidity! Recognize the greatness that is the Last Emperor, Fedor Emelianenko! At almost 35 years of age and after 35 fights and 11 years in the game, it's a hell of a lot to ask of Fedor to beat a talented fighter like Bigfoot, who enjoys a 55 pound weight advantage. 
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That leads us to the third truth revealed by Strikeforce on Saturday night, that being the need for an additional weight class. In the heavyweight division you have fighters cutting weight to make 265 that can end up competing against a fighter as light as 207 pounds. Realistically, that's not the case, but it's not unheard of to see fighters entering the cage weighing 280-285 pounds, the day after making weight, fighting smaller heavyweights who come in at 225-230. We're talking about a 50-60 pound weight difference. Regardless of skill, that's just way too much to ask of any fighter. And when all things are equal, the bigger man will almost always win, especially when he has a 50 plus pound weight advantage. There really needs to be a cruiserweight division added to MMA for fighters between 205 and 235-240. Heavyweights would fight at weights above that. The biggest gap in classes is currently 20 pounds with the rest being 15 pounds or less. To have a gap of 60 pounds in one weight class is ridiculous when you really look at it. Spare me the bodyweight percentage argument, that's still nonsense at these weights. We're not talking about 400 pound sumo wrestlers here. Fighters like Fedor shouldn't be expected to beat talented dudes entering the cage at a lean 280 pounds. Also, fighters who walk around at 235-240 pounds wouldn't have to cut to 205 to be able to compete. There can and should be a division that they can comfortably fight in. I really think a cruiserweight division could end up being the most exciting and competitive in the sport. This is no longer the "dark days" of the sport when there weren't any weight classes so we should at least get this fair and right, shouldn't we? With all the fighters currently on the bubble as far as their weight, this division would thrive. Let the behemoths compete with each other at heavyweight and let the slightly smaller fighters do the same at cruiserweight. What's fair is fair, and what's right is right. Logically thinking, this has to happen SOON!!!

Wednesday, February 9, 2011

MMA Day in NYC!

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From this point forward, February 8th should be a holiday in New York known as MMA Day. It was on this day that the first ever rally was held in New York City in the push to get Mixed Martial Arts sanctioned and legalized in the state. While the turnout could have been better, the cold winter air was warmed with the hope that our goal will be achieved.
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Much props have to be given to Stephen Koepfer, who heads up the Coalition to Legalize Mixed Martial Arts in New York, for organizing the rally and for spearheading the grassroots effort to get the sport sanctioned. Along with Stephen, speeches were given by local combat sports guru, Eddie Goldman, MMA fighter, Tara LaRosa (pictured below) and MMA pioneer, Frank Shamrock (pictured above). Frank said he is moving to New York just so he can focus on helping to get the sport legalized here. Say what you want about Frank, but this proves how much he cares about the sport. Overall, the rally was a solid first step in the right direction.
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MMA Day continued with an excellent event at the legendary Roseland Ballroom in midtown Manhattan. Strikeforce served as the host and brought all 8 of the participants in their upcoming HW tournament for a meet and greet.
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Fedor Emilianenko, Alistair Overeem, Josh Barnett, Sergei Kharitonov, Fabricio Werdum, Bigfoot Silva, Andre Arlovski and Brett Rogers were all in the building. Frank Shamrock was also there as well and the event was MC'd by gravel voiced Scott Ferrall. We were also treated to the skills of Queens native, DJ Clue, on the wheels of steel. The place was packed with very enthusiastic MMA fans. The rally downtown needed that kind of turnout. Someone dropped the ball by not somehow combining the two events. All the fighters were introduced on stage and most were interviewed. Rogers and Werdum also showed some of their skills onstage with technique demonstrations. Werdum was the surprise star of the event by revealing his comedic side, throwing out some very funny lines about Overeem, who he will be meeting in the first round of the tourney.
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It was very apropos that Rockstar energy drink co-promoted the afternoon's festivities because these guys acted like and were treated like rockstars. The crowd was really giving them a lot of love. This was a very well run event and everyone there seemed to really enjoy it. Let's hope Strikeforce can continue to build off of this and keep pushing their brand forward. This heavyweight tournament is pure genius and should do wonders for the advancement of the promotion.
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All in all it was an excellent day for New York MMA fans! If this in any indication of how excited and enthusiastic the New York MMA fan-base is, imagine how hype we'll be once we  are actually able to attend fights. It still might take some time but Albany has to sanction the sport at some point. Every individual style of fighting that makes up the sport of MMA (karate, jiu-jitsu, judo, wrestling, muay thai and boxing) are all completely legal on their own, it's just when they are "mixed" together that they become illegal. It's absolutely ridiculous when you think about it in those terms. We'll see if Governor Cuomo can get this done already. If we keep our heads up and our voices loud, they won't be able to deny us!

Wednesday, February 2, 2011

Will MMA Ever Be Legal in NYC?!?

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WTF, can't us MMA loving New Yawkers catch a break already?!? Apparently, new New York Governor Andrew Cuomo doesn't give a shit about sanctioning MMA in New York or it's measly $23 million dollars in "economic impact". With a $10 BILLION dollar state deficit, I can see why that would be the case. That's like trying to close a gunshot wound to the head with a band-aid!
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Regardless of the economic factors of this situation, it makes absolutely no sense for MMA to still be ILLEGAL in New York state and city. Think about the reality of that last sentence. It is against the law to stage a Mixed Martial Arts event inside the state's borders. That is as hard to digest as what Joe Rogan would make those morons on Fear Factor eat. Seriously, it's mind boggling that one of the most progressive states in the union could be failing so ridiculously in regards to this simple issue. What makes this even worse is the fact that former Governor Patterson completely backed sanctioning. In a personal conversation I had with Patterson, he said he pushed the bill forward and was 100% behind passing it. As he stated to me, "it just didn't make it through". He was very knowledgeable on the sport, saying he was very happy with how it had been "cleaned up" and also even mentioned how CBS and Showtime have backed up Strikeforce and aired their shows on their networks. With Cuomo, we don't really know what we're dealing with. It's hard to tell if he has a political agenda, doesn't know about the sport or just doesn't really give a damn about it at this point. Given the fact that he is the brand new head of the state, I can see why sanctioning MMA would be far from a priority. One thing that is of real concern though is that the Governor's Executive Budget proposes eliminating the salary for the Chair of the State Athletic Commission. Anyway you look at it, it's all bad. In a best case scenario, attending an MMA show at Madison Square Garden looks to still be a long way off. 
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In the meantime, New Jersey continues to capitalize on Albany dragging their proverbial feet. The UFC has and will continue to hold big shows right across the river, their next one being UFC 128  on March 19th at the Prudential Center in Newark. That card will feature the long overdue LHW title fight between Shogun Rua and Rashad Evans. Strikeforce isnt idly sitting by either. On February 12th they are holding one of their biggest shows to date at the Izod Center in the Meadowlands. It is both literally and figuratively their biggest show since it features ALL heavyweights and is being headlined by MMA living legend, Fedor Emelianenko. We all know that if it was legal, these shows would be happening within New York state's borders. Zuffa put on a nice little dog and pony shown with their press conference at Madison Square Garden last month. What they really did was put the cart before the horse. Pumping over $74K into Cuomo's campaign coffers didn't seem to have the "economic impact" they had hoped it would either. Sometimes money isn't always the deciding factor, just ask the Yankees GM, Brian Ca$hman, and Cliff Lee about that. Zuffa needs to realize this.
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It really annoys the shit out of me that every time I walk or take a cab through Times Square I have to see that humongous UFC billboard (pictured below) promoting events I can't go see live in my own city. It's a constant reminder of the virtual insanity of this situation. If you ask any longtime fan of MMA what they think the next milestone of the sport will be, the chances are their response will be to FINALLY have a show at Madison Square Garden. We NEED to have the world's greatest sport in the world's greatest arena in the world's greatest city!
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It only makes sense, but apparently sense doesn't seem to matter here. We can only hope that Cuomo wises up and does the right thing!