Today's lunch special is a plate of Bones and a side order of Kool-Aid! This shit is selling like crack! Damn, people, slow your roll!
Styles make fights, this is a fact. If you logically look at the top fighters in the LHW division, Lyoto Machida has the perfect style and skillset to beat Bones Jones. No one Bones has fought so far has the type of skills and style that Lyoto brings to the cage. No other potential contenders do either, that's just the way it is!
Let's break down the specifics:
Lyoto has by far the best movement in the division. He is ALWAYS a moving target. His use of footwork to create angles of attacks is second to none. Not only is his movement top notch, he couples that with serious speed. His speed is in both his footwork and his attacks. Techniques just fly out of nowhere, whether it's a kick, a punch or a knee. When you add his timing and rhythm into the mix, you're talking about a whole bunch of problems for Bones to contend with and completely unlike anything he has dealt with before. Clearly, Lyoto has a definitive advantage in speed and overall movement. One thing is for shit sure, Lyoto will not be an immobile target like Shogun was against Bones. Shogun was like a soft, lumpy heavy bag out there. In fact, a swinging heavy bag moves more than Shogun did that night. I am still having a hard time processing just how bad Shogun looked in that fight. Most would say that Bones has the wrestling advantage. That is probably true as far as straight up wrestling goes, but Lyoto has an extensive sumo and judo background. Those two arts are perfect foils for Bones' Greco takedowns, all three being upper body grappling/throwing arts. These two dudes are the best in the division at this, maybe the entire sport. Neither fighter shoots for single and/or double leg takedowns much, if at all. It's really a wash here as far as I'm concerned and a very intriguing part of this potential match-up. Where I see Lyoto having an advantage is with sweeps from the standing position. He's damn good at disguising and executing them. At a minimum, he can use them to create an imbalance which can set up something else. Lyoto also excels at trips from the clinch. It will be interesting to see how Bones deals with those. As far as takedown defense, Lyoto has some of the best in the game. His understanding and use of leverage and balance are at a ridiculously high level. Again, a lot of that has to be credited to his sumo training. Bones will have a VERY hard time getting Lyoto's back on the mat, which is where he will want this fight to be. Once they clinch, he will have trouble finishing the takedown, but getting the clinch in the first place will be his first obstacle. He's going to have to be very creative and exhibit a whole lot of speed to get the clinch unless Lyoto decides he wants the fight to go there, which might very well be the case. If the fight does end up on the mat, Lyoto could be in some serious trouble. Bones has proven to have some insane ground & pound. Those elbows he throws are NASTY! All it takes is one to land in the right spot and the fight is over. Brandon Vera's broken face is testament to that reality. I doubt anyone would argue that Lyoto has the considerably better jits skills, but the question is, can technique overcome the length, leverage and ferocity that Bones brings with his vicious GnP. I'm inclined to think that Lyoto can nullify his ground attack, but that's a BIG maybe, at best. Bones is just that devastating when he's in top position. The interesting thing would be to see the opposite. We haven't seen Bones on his back yet and if anyone can get him there, it's Lyoto. I'm really curious to see what Bones has as far as a guard and sub attempts from his back. He certainly has the perfect frame to do well there. His outrageously long arms and legs can create distance and can also be used offensively to attack with some sub attempts. I've never seen Bones on his back or practicing jiu-jitsu in any of the training footage I've seen of him. There's some serious question marks in regards to that aspect of his game. Does he even train BJJ? I know he has to, you just never see it or even hear him talk about it in any interviews. Hmmm? Bones' most clear advantage is obviously his size, particularly his otherworldly length. It's freaky to see how much reach this dude has with his hands and feet. He doesn't have what I'd consider true power in his striking but he can definitely hurt people with cumulative strikes. He's a bit like Nick Diaz in that regard. You don't have to worry so much about getting caught with one big blow, but he can quickly hurt you with repeated clean shots that add up very quickly. The key for Lyoto will be to do what he always does and excels at. He has to use his speed and footwork, along with his uncanny ability to implement his unique, karate version of sticking and moving. This fight will come down to whichever fighter can control the range of the fight. Lyoto has excellent defense as far as blocking and evasion, so I don't think Bones can pick him apart. Bones' stand-up defense will play a critical role as well. If he can avoid getting hit by Lyoto's blitzing/stinging attacks, it will be a long night for both of them, a 25 minute, exhausting grind to a decision. I have said it before and I will say it again, anyone who fights Bones has to attack his legs. By his own admission, Bones has skinny chicken legs. They're bony, pun intended. You would have to think that they aren't all that durable. Lyoto is very good at using lead leg attacks to his opponents lead leg, both inside and outside. If he can effectively land that little shuffle lead leg attack that he likes to use, and also a low round kick, it would go a long way toward slowing Bones down and taking away some of his explosiveness. We haven't seen Bones take much, if any punishment to his legs. Actually, we haven't seen Bones take much punishment at all. The same was said about Lyoto a few fights back. Things can change very quickly in this game.
That leads us to some question marks about Bones:
~How is his chin? ~How will he handle serious in-fight adversary? ~How is his gas tank? ~How will he handle all that comes with being a champion? ~How are his skills off his back?
Styles make fights and Lyoto has the style that can bring this fight to the point where some of these questions will be answered. For me, this is undoubtedly the most compelling match-up in the division. This fight is most likely a while away from happening as both fighters have other fights booked already. It might not even happen as a title fight, depending on how things shake out. Bones has to defend against Rashad and Lyoto has to get past old man Randy. I see both of those things happening, so after that, this amazing match-up could come to fruition. Fighting is all about timing and so is matchmaking. That's proven by Bones' current situation. His champion status was all about timing and taking advantage of opportunities afforded him through other fighters' injuries, both Rashad's and Shogun's. He capitalized, big time! If all the chips fall in the right places, this fight could and should happen. I can guarantee this, Lyoto is the last guy that Bones and Greg Jackson want to have to face. He's very difficult to prepare for since no one moves like he does or as fast as he does. The same can be said about Lyoto not wanting to fight Bones. He's also very hard to prepare for and emulate in training. No sparring partners will have Bones' size and skillset. None! That said, both of these dudes are game warriors who will welcome the challenge of facing each other.
This fight would be INSANE! It NEEDS to happen SOON!
~Was he kidnapped? ~Was that his brother Ninja in the cage fighting Bones? ~Did Greg Jackson secretly drug the real Shogun to ensure that Rashad would finally get out of his non-existent hair and leave his team?
I'm not really sure where Shogun was last night, but I know damn well that he wasn't in the cage fighting Bones Jones. I doubt he was even in the tri-state area. Dude was probably chillin' back in Brazil, relaxing with a nice cold beer. While we definitely witnessed a very impressive performance from Jonny "Bones" Jones, the new UFC light heavyweight champion, the real story to me was how un-Shogun like that guy in the cage looked last night. As bad as Shogun looked against Forrest Griffen, also a fight after another one of his major knee surgeries and long layoffs, this was 10x's worse. He looked and fought like a robot that was horribly mis-programmed. It was like whoever put the "brains" in this robot, never finished the job. Or maybe he/she was drunk and spilt beer all over the processors. Whatever it was, wasn't good in any way! It was a very strange fight and actually disturbing to watch. To see a fighter like Shogun do NOTHING he normally would, and EVERYTHING he normally wouldn't, was, for lack of a better word(s), fucked up! He was an absolutely immobile target out there; no footwork, no head movement, no speed, no normally aggressive attacking and no displays of his normally present tigerblood and Adonis DNA. Bones repeatedly landed some Anderson Silva-ish low side kicks to the front of his thighs. Shogun didn't once defend them or make any sort of adjustment to deal with them. This is a guy who has been fighting for a very long time and has made many a mid-fight adjustment on the fly. Again, it was very disturbing to have to watch.
I've also never seen Shogun just slowly walk forward into whatever strikes his opponent was throwing at him. And I do mean slowly. He looked like a zombie out there. It was like watching a horror flick. I'm sure Bones was shocked at how easy it was to hit him. He had to be! Anybody could have hit Shogun the way he was moving last night. It wasn't even a close facsimile of his normal movement or style of fighting. Once Bones started landing shots, it was a complete downward spiral. He looked like shit in the first minute of the fight, by the third minute, the fight was over in my eyes. He went on to survive well beyond that, but the fight was obviously over then. There was no way he was going to turn the tides of that fight with the way he was fighting. Shogun is a notoriously vicious kicker. You'd never know that if you saw him fight for the first time last night. He barely threw any kicks at all, which in and of itself, was also very strange. His whole career has been built on speed and explosiveness, neither of which was at all present in this fight. In fact, he was the exact opposite; slow, plodding, predictable, non-threatening and uninspired. These words would NEVER be used to describe the REAL Shogun, yet they're the only words you can use to describe his performance last night.
For those that don't know, Shogun has had repeated major knee surgeries, coupled with long rehabs and layoffs. None of that is good for any professional athlete, especially a mixed martial artist. And more specifically, one that has to compete at the highest levels. In other sports, an athlete can slowly work their way back to competing at the top level. At the top of the MMA game, that's almost impossible and it's absolutely impossible when you are the champ, which was the case here. I initially thought Eduardo Alonso, Shogun's manager, was doing the right thing by keeping him away from fighting for as long as possible so he could fully rehab his knee and get his fitness back. It was really his only option. That turned out to backfire in a big way. The longer Shogun stayed out of the cage, the rustier he got. Sparring in the gym is all well and good, but there is no replacement for actually fighting. Bones Jones fought 6 weeks before last night, 4 times in the last year and 7 times in a little over 2 years. Before last night, Shogun hadn't fought in 10 months and only 4 times in the last 2 years. Throw the surgeries and layoffs into that mix and you aren't getting the genuine article, not even close.
As a fan of Shogun's, it was hard to see him show up and perform like that. Injuries and how you come back from them are a big part of all sports. Each situation is different, some handle that well, some don't. Some injuries are worse than others. Unfortunately, some athletes are snake bitten. It seems like Shogun has a lot of venom running through his system. That's bad news for his fans and for all fans of the sport of Mixed Martial Arts. Shogun is relatively unknown to the newer, American "ultimate fighting" fans. They never really witnessed Shogun in his prime and at his absolute best. That Shogun was a rarity in this game, a true warrior with an amazing array of skills. The Shogun we all saw last night wasn't that dude. In fact he wasn't even half of that dude! While the story of the fight is what I just laid out, that doesn't take away from the fact that Bones Jones is the real deal, there's no doubt about that. He's got serious skills and ridiculous size and length for the weight class. His performance last night was very impressive, he definitely deserves his props and deserves to be the champion. He's a baby to this game and has already climbed to the top of the mountain, albeit, a much easier climb than most, if not all prior champions have had to make. All that said, his championship is undoubtedly the product of perfect timing and, to beat a dead horse, injuries. He only got the title shot because his teammate, Rashad Evans, got injured, and the guy he beat last night has been overwhelmed with multiple injuries over the last few years. While those factors are very real and played a huge role in his ascent, Bones seized the golden opportunity afforded to him and did so in spectacular fashion. That can't be taken away from him. He looks to be an absolute beast and a tough out for anyone in the world. The overwhelming praise he's getting right now is all well and good, but a bit premature. He's only been the champion for less than 24 hours! He hasn't ever defended the strap that has historically been like a hot potato for years now. His first title defense is against his now former friend and teammate, the aforementioned Rashad Evans. There is definitely some seriously bad blood between them now. Actually, more like rancid blood. Rashad has been forced to leave their trainer Greg Jackson's camp, a place where he had been training long before Bones ever showed up. This rift has very quickly became wide and nasty. That alone makes this fight compelling. Couple that with the fact that they've trained together extensively and know each other's styles and tendencies very well and we have a huge fight in the making. Let's see how Bones handles being the strap holder and all that comes with that. Its going to add a million different distractions to his life. It's no longer just eating, training and fighting. The simplicity of that regimen is long gone. He's seems like a smart, disciplined kid, who should be OK, but until you do it, you never did it. And what he's also never done yet is defend his title. That's hurdle #1. If he gets past that, we can all start making bigger predictions about his future in the sport. Until then, the bullseye is now officially on Bones' back and that dramatically changes everything.
The UFC invaded NYC on Wednesday for a press conference for UFC 128 at the legendary and world renowned Radio City Music Hall in the heart of midtown. Here's the day in photos and videos. Please excuse the photo quality, not my best work.
The marquee! Lots of balding MMA fans!
The 3 eventual winners on Saturday! The Boss with Nate the Great, Urijah & the Champ, Shogun!
Ninja Rua, Eduardo Alonso/Shogun's manager and the Champ!
The current and future Champion gettin' love!
Brendan Schaub lookin' VERY ready for the legendary CroCop!
Below are links to some "man on the street" interviews I did with some fans outside Radio City. They were all spur of the moment and completely on the fly, just kind of happened.
Seriously, people, Shogun is the underdog in the upcoming title fight with Bones Jones?!? Talk about insanity!
You do realize we are talking about Shogun Rua, right?!? The picture above says all there needs to be said. Shogun is exactly what his name says, he's an assassin, a general and a leader. Up until this photo, he hid his Adonis DNA well, but it's obvious he couldn't any longer. The smiling, silent warrior couldn't mask how he feels about Bones Jones or this fight, he's out for blood! I'm sure he wants to send a message and prove a point as well. No relative novice to the sport, with the level of competition Bones has faced, is going to threaten his strap, plain and simple! The MMA world is often a strange place, but this is Charlie Sheen levels of strangeness now! Strange really isn't the right word, outlandish is more like it. We're talking about Shogun Rua here, not Vladimir Matyuschenko! I get it, Bones Jones has looked very formidable thus far in his short career, but you have to look into who that was against. Beating Vladdy, Vera and Bader is all well and good, but they are FAR from the fighter that Shogun is. Please don't mention Matt Hamill either because he doesn't even belong in this conversation. Bones is definitely a gifted mixed martial artist, especially in regards to his wrestling skill, but there are holes all over his game. Shogun has no holes, ZERO! He's as complete a fighter as there is in the history of the sport. You can't say anything remotely close to that about Bones. Dude is just a baby in this game, Shogun is like his slightly older cousin who toyingly beats the shit out of him at family get togethers just for the fun of it.
You do realize we are talking about Shogun Rua, right?!? In regards to technical skill, Bones is a solid fighter, but he is also a fairly limited fighter. His stand-up game leaves much to be desired outside of the occasional unorthodox spinning elbow. As far as straight up striking goes, Shogun is leagues beyond where Bones is at. It's really not even at all close. Bones has no power to speak of with his hands and feet, certainly nothing that will have Shogun shook. Bones will enjoy a healthy reach advantage but Shogun has faced that before with much better and more dangerous strikers than Bones is. What Bones is good at, Shogun has answers for. The opposite can't be said. Bones has excellent throws and solid ground and pound, but he has to tread dangerous waters to get to the positions he needs to utilize those skills. The fight starts exactly where Shogun needs it to be. If Bones is able to secure a takedown, Shogun can and will get back up. He's done it a million times before. We're not talking about fighters like Hamill, Vladdy and Bader who are lost when their backs touch the mat. You do realize we are talking about Shogun Rua, right?!?
Also of extreme importance is toughness. We don't know if Bones is tough since he hasn't really been in a tough fight. He might very well be, but it's still an unknown at this point. As far as his personality, he doesn't come across as being tough. He's a nice, soft spoken kid, who is very talented and enjoys the competition. That doesn't make him tough. He's never been beaten up, hurt, or in any dangerous situations yet in his career. Shogun will make sure that that changes in this fight. He is going to hurt this kid and test his heart, his will and his chin, trust me on that! We will find out if Bones is a fighter, or just an athlete. Shogun is as pure a fighter as there is on this planet, that's a fact! Can Bones tread water, or will he drown once he's swimming in the deep end of a bloody pool with a hungry, vicious shark?!? We will soon find out, trust me on that too and trust Shogun's expression in the cage when he shot that look at Bones. This dude is serious while Bones comes across as a smiling kid, just shocked and happy as a pig in shit to even be getting this pretty much undeserved opportunity. There's a huge difference in the mentalities and mindsets of these two dudes.
You do realize we are talking about Shogun Rua, right?!? Again, let me reiterate, I see and fully understand the potential that Bones Jones has shown. But it's still just potential at this point. I respect his faith in God and in himself, but praying isnt going to help him on Saturday night. I'm sorry, but beating Ryan Bader doesn't mean shit to me. Neither does beating Vladdy and Vera. Look at what has happened to Vera. He lost 6 of his last 9 fights, with 2 of those 3 wins being over Reese Andy and Michael Patt. Who? Exactly, nobody of importance on the MMA landscape. Vladdy ia an old, worn out fighter who is small for the weight class, no surprise that Bones crushed him. Shogun is a proven, battle tested and hardened, bona fide champion who has fought all over the world. Bones is just starting to wet his feet against top competition. He couldn't even finish Stephan Bonnar, how the hell is he going to finish Shogun Rua? The flip side of the coin is the viciousness that is Shogun, an ultra-experienced dude who has put many a fighter to bed, in a variety of ways. Deep down, Bones must know he is in too deep, but he has to at least take his best shot, and I trust that he will do just that. Unfortunately for him, the reality is, his best shot will not be good enough. Not even close! He's just not as good as most think he is, and isn't battle tested enough to deal with a virtual killing machine like Shogun. You do realize we are talking about Shogun Rua, right?!?
Truth be told, Bones doesn't deserve this title shot. With Zuffa, that doesn't matter much, but seriously speaking, what has he done to deserve this fight? Look at who his last 4 opponents have been. Look at some of the other LHWs that he hasn't fought. It's crazy to me that he is getting this fight and even more crazy that he is the favorite. The only possible reason I can see for this being the case is that the oddsmakers might have concerns about Shogun coming back from another knee injury. Even with that being the case, it's both ludicrous and disrespectful for Shogun Rua to be the underdog against this dude. Bones is in for an eye opening experience come Saturday night, and more than likely, a wound opening one as well. We're going to see Shogun Rua at his most focused, intense and vicious as he's ever been inside the Octagon!
The dude entering the cage with the strap will be the dude leaving the cage with the strap!
Zuffa delivered a serious "holy shit" moment when they announced the recent and extremely well guarded secret regarding their purchase of Strikeforce, their closest rival MMA promotion. These negotiations were better hidden than what actually happened on 9/11! No one, and I mean absolutely no one, in the MMA insiders circle, peeped even as much as a syllable about this going down. Given how small a community it is and how much everyone loves to drop a true scoop, it's amazing that this truly caught everyone off guard. At least that appears to be the case.
Now, on to what's important. What's important to the consumer and employee of any business industry is competition. It now seems that there won't be any of that "competition nonsense" in the North American MMA promotion business. Zuffa has now officially taken over the MMA business here in the States and Canada and seems hell bent on spreading their reign globally. You can't not be impressed with their aggressive approach to global MMA domination. That said, is it a good thing? I'd have to say no to that for a lot of reasons! Comparisons to the 4 major sports is completely irrelevant and non-applicable in this case because in those sports the athletes are part of a union, have a CBA (collective bargaining agreement), and each team is owned and managed by different ownerships. With Zuffa, we're talking about a single owner controlling a huge bulk of a sport. The two aren't analogous in any way. Zuffa is a total dictatorship! No one has any say in anything except for the few people at the top of theIr hierarchy. That's just the way it is and will remain for the unforseeable future.
Before you go worrying about yourself, the fan, and thinking how great all the potential match-ups will be, think of the fighters for a second. If a fighter falls out of grace with Zuffa, they have NOWHERE else to go to make a decent living. Bellator is still afloat but not near the level of the UFC and Strikeforce. And who knows, Bellator might be next on Zuffa's shopping list? Not only that, the rear naked choke hold Zuffa will now have over fighters salaries will be taken to a whole new level. They can pay any fighter whatever they want because they have nowhere else to go. On a serious note, once his current contract is up, they can tell GSP that they will only pay him 10K a fight. What's his alternative? Japan? There's a tsunami right here in America and it's name is Zuffa. I'm not saying that Zuffa will do that, but it's well within their capabilities to operate that way. They have complete control!
Think of the sponsors as well. Zuffa strictly controls what companies are allowed to sponsor fighters as it is. That side of the business will get tighter than a Fabricio Werdum triangle choke. Companies that rely heavily on the business they do inside the UFC and Strikeforce cages can potentially be shut out just because Zuffa feels like it. Just like GSP, TapouT seems to be in a great position. Everything might remain status quo, but Zuffa can decide they don't like TapouT's new ownership and tell them it's time to bounce. Most fighters make a large percentage of their income from sponsors, without that they can't be full time fighters. Without a solid #2 promotion, these companies and the fighters they sponsor have seriously limited opportunities.
What about the future of woman's MMA? It looks dead in the water to me. Zuffa has long taken an anti-woman's MMA stance, I don't see that changing any time soon. Then again, if it proves to be profitable, they might change their minds. There has to be a hell of a lot of nervous female MMA fighters out there right now.
Dana White (pictured above) can say all he wants about Strikeforce continuing on as a separate entity and conducting business as usual, we all know that's nothing but bullshit! The dude is the king of bullshit, always has been. He said the same thing about the now defunct and legendary Pride. The separation of church and state will last as long as it takes for any deals in place to run out. Once that happens, all bets are off. Strikeforce will merge into the UFC or becomes a feeder organization for Zuffa to groom and develop fighters. The days of seeing top level talent in Strikeforce are numbered. The writing is on the wall as clear as a tag from a New York City graffiti artist. Visible, plain as day!
If you know anything about business and economics, monopolies are not a good thing. There's reasons why there is legislation against it and it is also closely regulated. The definition below sums it up and basically describes Zuffa at this point in time.
Definition: A monopoly is when a business, usually a large corporation, is the only provider of a good or service. Monopolies are usually bad for an economy because they restrict free trade, which allows the market itself to set prices.
Since monopolies are the only provider, they can set pretty much any price they choose, regardless of demand, because they know the consumer has no choice. They can also supply inferior products. They are also bad for an economy because the manufacturer has no incentive to innovate, and provide "new and improved" products.
Monopolies were made illegal in 1890 by the Sherman Anti-Trust Act. It was called Anti-Trust because that was the form that monopolies held in those days. A group of companies formed a trust to fix prices low enough to drive competitors out of business. Once they had a monopoly on the market, these trusts would raise prices to regain their profit.
The MMA landscape has forever changed, there's no doubt about that. Is it for the better? I say hell no! You decide for yourself!
Have you ever been in a fight, took a few lumps, and the next day, after someone sees your battle wounds, asks, "did you win"? The common response is, "you should see what the other guy looks like!" There's a lot of truth to that scenario. As I always say, he who looks worse, LOST!
As any fan of Mixed Martial Arts knows, judging has become a humongous problem in the sport. Martin "The Hitman" Kampmann's demolition of, yet loss to Diego Sanchez is just the latest example of this ongoing issue that truly threatens the overall health of the sport as it attempts to continue to foster further growth.
We can go and break down the fight, minute by excruciating minute, and debate on end about who deserved the decision. That's been done ad nauseum already. That's not what I care to do anymore. The only issue I want to bring up related to this, one that any human being with decent vision can easily see, is physical damage. Shouldn't physical damage be a determining factor in who won a fight? Obviously, a score has to be given at the end of each round since we are using the 10-9 must scoring system. That's the same ridiculous, outdated, and inapplicable scoring system that we unfortunately 'borrowed' from another sport completely. That nonsense is a whole other debate. Back on topic, the extent of physical damage done to a fighter is visual proof of how effective the fighter who administered the beating was. I'm not saying that a fighter who gets cut badly, by one technique, immediately should be considered the loser of a fight. I'm talking about when a fighter looks like he just got run over by a truck, it's blatantly obvious that the other dude got the job done. Especially when he looks relatively unscathed in comparison to the dude whose face he just turned into chopped meat. That insane amount of physical damage is visible proof of who was the more effective fighter. That was the case on Thursday night. "The Dream" lived through an absolute nightmare and the HITMAN should forever change his nickname to "The Dream$masher"! It was that bad! I haven't seen someone look as physically abused from a beating in a mixed martial arts fight since Enson Inoue got basically facially disfigured by Igor Vovchanchyn in the good ol' Pride days.
The ever so eloquent, Charlie Sheen, has made the term "winning" the new, hot word of the moment. The definition means many things, the most obvious being, victor. Charlie would never use "winning" to describe that nightmare The Dream lived through Thursday night. Give Diego credit for surviving, but he did not win that fight in any way, shape or form!
As they say, a picture is worth a thou$and words. Do any of these pictures look like the face of someone who is "winning"?!?
Bottom line, dude got worked and worked BAD! There's no disputing that reality. He was still leakin' blood 20 minutes after the fight was over while on his way to the hospital. This was a beating of astronomical proportions!
In the words of the great Charlie Sheen, "it was EPIC!"
