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Please understand, there is a significant difference between being crazy and being stupid. Quinton Jackson has shown elements of being somewhat crazy in the past, but he always seemed to back that up with some intelligence. That was up until now. Rampage is both certifiably insane and uncharacteristically stupid to agree to a fight with Lyoto Machida. Styles make fights, and stylistically, this is a really, really bad match-up for Quinton.
MMAth aside, nothing about this fight makes sense for Jackson. Their one common recent opponent is Rashad Evans. Lyoto completely destroyed him, while Rampage lost an ugly, boring decision, one in which he never mounted the slightest bit of offense, except for a little GnP late in the fight after Rashad slipped and ended up on his back. Speed was the determining factor in that fight and speed will be the determining factor in the fight with Machida. In case you didn't know, SPEED KILLS! Comparing Lyoto's speed to Quinton's is like comparing a Corvette to a Hummer. Lyoto whips by without you even seeing him. Rampage slowly passes you by, smilin' and wavin' in the process, eagerly hoping you notice him. Quinton will look like he's in quicksand compared to Lyoto looking like he's ice skating. Rashad is fast, Machida is faster. Again, let me remind you, SPEED KILLS!
Rampage has slowly but surely morphed from a brawler/wrestler, who used to use dynamic slams, into basically a one dimensional boxer competing in a sport he hasn't evolved with. We can blame Juanito Ibarra for some of that, but the trainers at Wolfslair have done absolutely nothing to change that reality. In fact, I think they've taken what Juanito has ingrained in Quinton and accentuated the worst aspects of it. Q used to throw combinations, now he just seems to throw 1-2's, and ocassionally a 3, hoping that something lands. That might work against "sit-in-the-pocket" type strikers like Chuck and Wanderlei, but against a fighter with the speed and footwork of Machida, its just not going to be effective. I still can't quite understand why Quinton started training with Wolfslair in the first place. They offer nothing as far as helping him become a more well rounded fighter. And its a 6000 mile trek from his home! Whatever, that's his choice of a team to train with and represent. The results are what they are, non-existant! He's the same as he ever was, just not as dynamic.
The one area of the fight game that most people would assume Rampage has an edge in is wrestling. I don't see that. Lyoto has very underrated wrestling skills as well as deceptive strength. His time spent training sumo seems to have paid huge dividends. His hip strength and understanding of leverage are off the charts. The guy is almost impossible to take down. In contrast, when he wants the fight to go to the mat, it almost always does, as evidenced by how easily he's taken down Tito, Thiago, Soko, Rashad and Shogun. If this fight goes to the mat it will be because Lyoto wanted it to, not the other way around.
One of Rampage's biggest problems as of late has been dealing with low kicks. We've all seen how well Wolfslair has addressed and fixed that problem (wink-wink)! Lyoto will work Quinton's legs early in the fight, taking away the little bit of explosiveness he entered the cage with. After that, Machida will basically use and abuse Page like an old, worn out heavy bag. Q will basically be an immobile target out there for Lyoto to tag at will with whatever the hell he wants. This could get real ugly for Quinton. Once his legs are gone, so will his already suspect cardio. The pace Machida will set from the opening bell will be way too quick for Page to hang with. If he was in "the best shape of his life" when fighting Rashad, as he said he was, he better figure out how to top that, and quickly.
Rampage is a very solid, proven MMA fighter with an impressive 30-8 record. He's fought some of the best fighters in the world, has a tough chin and the heart of a lion. He deserves serious props just for taking this very dangerous fight. Deep down, he's got to know this is a horrible match-up for him. Word on the street is he's already turned down a fight with Machida in the past. I wonder why? What has changed since then? By the way, Page is far from the only fighter to "avoid" fighting Lyoto. Most recently, Rashad did everything possible to avoid a second beatdown from the Dragon. Quinton will be getting a highly motivated Machida, who is coming off the first loss of his career. Maybe he thinks that's to his advantage. Sorry, Q, it will be just the opposite. Machida is going to be on the warpath, looking to prove himself and get back in contention for that strap that he briefly held. Interestingly, both Jackson's and Machida's contracts were acquired by Zuffa when they purchased the World Fighting Alliance. Here it is, four years later and they are finally meeting in the Octagon.
The question still remains; has the game passed Rampage by? His mix of wrestling, boxing and brawling has mostly served him well, but its the year 2010, not 2005. The best fighters have complete games, and are ready for any situation. That doesn't seem to be the case with Quinton anymore. At 32 years of age, he should realistically have at least 6 or more years of fighting left. IF he really WANTS to. Given the lack of evolution in his game, that might not be the case. Lyoto might very well extinguish what little bit of fire for fighting he has left in his belly. Speaking of his belly, it seems to be expanding more and more between fights. We'll have to see if Rampage wants to do what is required to continue to compete with the top fighters in the world. He's lost 2 of his last 4 fights. Losing 3 of his last 5 would be a first for him and most likely a career changing moment. All indications point to him leaning towards an easier day gig. This fight might be the one that shows Rampage that he just doesn't have "it" anymore. "It" isn't something that can be taught. Either you have "it" or you don't.
Does Rampage still have "it"?!?
Right off the bat, big Brock undoubtedly deserves some credit for his performance and win over Shane Carwin at UFC 116. Of most significance is his return from dealing with a severe case of diverticulitis. Of less significance is his return to the Octagon after an 11 month layoff. Cage rust is real, but diverticulitis is VERY real. Props to the big man for what seems to be a full and complete recovery!
Brock showed tremendous heart in surviving the 1st round ass whooping that Shane laid on him, but let's be realistic about what happened in that fight. As Brock himself immediately pointed out in his post-fight interview, Shane slowly but surely melted under the hot lights and pressure of such a big fight. In short, he GASSED, and gassed hard. Whether its a lack of cardio or just an immense adrenaline dump remains to be seen. Shane has since said it wasn't his cardio, rather his entire body just "locked up". Whatever that means is a matter of interpretation. What is readily apparent though is that before Saturday night we've never seen him outside the 1st round, and now we have. Unfortunately, what we saw was pretty damn ugly. By the end of the 1st and into the 2nd round, Carwin was taking huge, deep breaths, had no pop in his punches, couldn't even remotely defend a so-so shot and had the rigidity of a warm rubber band. That arm triangle that he got caught in was as obvious as Mike Goldberg's new found obsession with fighter's glove size! My brother, who has never trained BJJ a day in his life, was screaming about that sub LONG before it happened. If Shane wasn't so physically and mentally shot at that point, maybe he would have seen it coming too. It was like watching the "R" train coming down the tracks from 1000 yards away. You see it coming forever, you're just waiting for it to pull into the station. Shane does train with one of the best teams and coaching staffs in the world, doesn't he? They have to shoulder some of the blame here. To say the least, it was very, very disappointing to watch unfold!
Specifically, here's why Brock is VERY beatable:
-His stand-up game is worse than bad, but slightly better than pathetic. He looks and moves very uncomfortably during any striking sequences and his striking defense has more holes in it than a whore house.
-He is seemingly TERRIFIED of being hit, which is not a good thing for someone competing in combat sports at any level, much less the top level. I can't be the only person who saw him cower, crumble and turtle up from that one punch he took on his feet, can I?
-Brock has NOTHING off his back. Repeat it with me, NOTHING! The word begins with an "N" and ends in a "G". In other words, NO GOOD! He showed absolutely no understanding of position, transition or hip movement on the bottom. His version of defense on his back was to use his huge arms to cover his face from being pummeled into chopped meat. According to the unified rules, he wasn't even close to "intelligently defending himself". That fight could have easily been stopped, but that's another debate altogether.
-The so-called evidence of Brock's new found BJJ skills was in the form of a rudimentary choke that I've seen white belts easily use. An arm triangle choke is far from a technical submission. And as I already stated, from what we saw of his skills off his back, his jits level is borderline pathetic.
Here's a short list of who I KNOW can, and depending on organizational politics, will beat Brock:
-The obvious first fighter on this list is Fedor! Aside from wrestling, Fedor is light years ahead of Brock in everything else. I'd be shocked if Fedor doesn't straight up KO Brock considering his highly suspect defense. Once he catches him, which will happen, if he isn't out cold, Fedor will finish him with either some efficient GnP or one of the many submissions in his arsenal. You are sadly mistaken and very misinformed if you think for a second that Fedor will wilt like a willow tree the way Shane did. And if you think Brock will do anything to him off his back like Werdum did, you are more deluded than a kid doing his first magic mushroom.
-Speaking of Werdum, he can also beat Brock. Fabricio is not quite Brock's size but is a big, athletic dude in his own right. His stand-up is MUCH better than Brock's and to even speak about their respective jits skills in the same sentence is sacrilege. Yes, Brock can put Werdum on his back, but guess what happens then? He gets tapped out, or ends up either sleeping or with a broken limb! And quickly! That's truth right there! Who's Werdum's most significant UFC loss to? Yup, JDS!
-Junior Dos Santos, otherwise known as JDS, can and WILL beat Brock. Mark my words on that! Cigano has the power of Carwin but with actual technical striking skill to back it up. Highly technical. And he has a fully loaded gas tank to back up all that skill and technique! That fight is a high-lite reel KO waiting to happen. Again, Brock will have the obvious size, strength and wrestling advantage, but JDS is the kind of fighter who has the skill and athleticism to overcome that. Junior has the speed and hip strength to stuff any TD attempts and that's only if Brock lasts long enough to even try them. From how much Brock hates getting hit, he will absolutely HATE fighting Cigano. I don't see this fight lasting 2 minutes!
-Say what you want about Alistair Overeem and his possible juice use, the same can be said about Brock. I have to question your sanity if you don't think Brock has juiced. He comes from the WWE, an organization that has more intravenous drug use than a Bushwick heroin den. To try and compare Reem's striking to Brock's is like comparing Biggie's rhyme skills to MC Hammer's. Ridiculous! Yet again, Brock has the obvious wrestling advantage, but in this case he won't enjoy the size and strength advantage. Did you see how Reem rag-dolled the 280 pound Brett Rogers like he weighed a buck fifty? Alistair has fought on every stage across the globe, been in every situation, and against every type of fighter there is. He has a wealth of experience that makes Brock look like EXACTLY what he is; a 6 fight virtual novice to the sport. I see nasty leg kicks by Alistair being the telling factor in this fight. He will take away Brock's explosiveness, and what's left after that?
-Yes, Josh Barnett has had his issues with pissin' dirty, but none of that has anything to do with his immense talent and skill. Josh has forgot more about MMA than Brock will ever know. He's a big, athletic, experienced, extremely smart fighter. He has very solid striking and his submissions and catch wrestling are off the charts. There's a reason Zuffa won't even consider bringing Josh to the UFC. They know he will wreak havoc on the division and for whatever reasons don't want that to happen.
-Bigfoot!!!!!! Yup, I said it, Bigfoot can beat Brock! Antonio Silva is literally a giant. If Brock stands with Bigfoot, he's getting hurt badly. Dude will be scarred for life. Bigfoot also has very underrated jits skills that will be ready and at his disposal if necessary. Brock might have size 4XL gloves but he punches like they're SM's. SM is short for "smedium", the size between small and medium. Thanks to Goldie, we all know what size gloves Brock and Shane wear. For a 280 pound HW, Brock punches like he weighs a buck eighty and has been absent from most of his mandatory boxing and kickboxing classes. All arms, absolutely NO hips. Bigfoot all day, every day against Brock.
-One fighter that many pundits think will beat Brock is Cain Velasquez. I don't see that happening. Their wrestling is basically a wash but Brock has an edge there because of his distinct size and strength advantage. Cain is technically a better striker than Brock (who isn't?), but he's far from being world class like Overeem is. Since this fight looks to be happening, Cain should look to attack Brock's legs. If he doesn't do that quickly and efficiently, he will be in trouble. Brock is just too big and strong and Cain doesn't have the jits or experience to deal with Brock on top.
-Then of course there's Big Country. Don't sleep on all the skill, knowledge and athleticism that is hiding under all that fat. Roy Nelson is a serious fighter and can give any HW trouble. Those wild overhand rights can easily penetrate Brock's non-existent standing defense and his wrestling and jits skills are much better than most realize.
True, this is all speculation, but its speculation based on what should be obvious to anyone knowledgeable in the sport of MMA. Let's be realistic about what Brock brings to the table. He's had a total of 6 fights, with his most notable wins being against Shane Carwin, Frank Mir and a nearly 50 year old Randy Couture who he outweighed by at least 60 pounds. As Joe Rogan so aptly stated, "it looks like there's 3 weight classes between Randy and Brock".
Had Shane not gassed as surprisingly and dramatically as he did, I wouldn't even be writing this. Skillwise, Brock is one thing, and one thing only. He's a humongous, athletic dude with very respectable wrestling skills. Beyond that, what is there?!? To say he is even a decent striker or submission grappler is laughable. If you think and believe that he is, we have a completely different outlook as to what a mixed martial artist is.
If Barack Obama can write a book called, "The Audacity of Hope", the unauthorized biography of the Ultimate Fighting Championship should be called, "The Audacity of Hype"! They have built a humongous business around that philosophy. The brass at Zuffa won't admit that that's what they've done, but that's exactly what they've done and what they continue to do! And they do it extremely well!
UFC 114 epitomized that philosophy, or in this case, business practice. Right from the outset of the show, Mike Goldberg started bombarding the viewing audience with drivel about the main event between Rampage Jackson and Rashad Evans being the BIGGEST, most anticipated fight in UFC history. Really, Mike, to who? From the amount of action the fight received on MMA forums, it wasn't even close to living up to those words. I understand that Goldie is a company man, and his job is to say outlandish things like that, but its insulting to any educated fan to have to listen to that nonsense. There wasn't even a title on the line!
The hype machine has been on overload for the entire career of Diego Sanchez, one of the combatants on the UFC 114 card. Diego is a very good fighter but far from a "nightmare" for any top echelon fighter, as his nickname would mislead people to believe. And that's regardless of any weight class he wakes up in the morning and decides to fight in. Obviously, from the one-sided beating he took from relative newcomer John Hathaway, the move back up to 170 doesn't look like a smart decision. No disrespect to Hathaway but Joe Silva gave Diego that fight as a gift to facilitate an easy transition back to WW. In that division Diego will be at a serious size and strength disadvantage. Hathaway dwarfed him, and physically manhandled him. Imagine what guys like Alves, Rumble, Kos, Hardy and Fitch would do to him? No need to even mention GSP. While Diego did hold his own against Fitch and Kos, those fights would be very different a second time around. Diego has to realize that he is primarily a grappler. His striking is nowhere near the level of the top guys and he's never shown to have even a semblance of power in his hands. He also needs to vastly improve his slow, flat, plodding footwork. If he smartens up and fully commits to fighting a more grappling based style, he'll have a much better chance to fullfill the hype that's been surrounding him for years. If he continues to try to win fights with his relatively weak kickboxing game, his chances at success are thinner than Corey Hill.
Another UFC 114 fighter with apparantly undeserved super-hype is Todd Duffee. And I do mean super-hype. Duffee himself has said he was uncomfortable with all the hype he's been getting, especially with his limited resume. Duffee appeared to be the "real thing" while dominating Mike Russow for 2 and a half rounds, only to be shockingly KTFO cold by a punch from a fighter who can't really punch well. That said, fighters get caught. Its part of the game. Given Todd's age and physical gifts, he can still work his way into becoming a Top 10 HW, but the point is, the hype came WAY too early. The big difference between Duffee and Sanchez is those aforementioned physical gifts to build off of. Diego isn't especially explosive, strong or athletic. Duffee undoubtedly is. While Diego appears to have peaked, Duffee is just in the embryonic stage of his career and skill development. With the proper training and smart career management, Duffee can still live up to the super-hype. He epitomizes Joe Rogan's description of the new breed of heavyweight fighters, being "giant, powerful and athletic." I just hope for his sake that his chin is compliant with the grand plan.
To be fair, aside from ridiculously hyping the Jackson/Evans fight as one of the biggest fights in UFC history, Zuffa isn't only to blame for hyping fighters. The entire MMA community is. We all like to jump on a fighter's bandwagon early to look prophetic. I've never stepped foot on Diego's bandwagon, and never will, but I'll still reserve a seat on Duffee's. This kid just might turn into a beast! After Diego's last showing and his quest to find the right weight class, I'm pretty sure his bandwagon has run out of gas and is sitting in the shop awaiting repairs that will probably never come. Duffee's, on the other hand, just needs a few minor adjustments and will be back on the road, motor revving LOUDLY.
Now if you want to see hype come to fruition, look no further than Junior Dos Santos! JDS is a superstar in the making. There's no doubt in my mind that he is a future champion. He's got the whole package as far as skill, talent, desire, proper attitude and physical gifts. Beyond that, he is training with arguably the best team in the world and also has top level management. JDS is as real as it gets! In a division living off of unrealized hype, he's in a perfect position to separate himself from the pack. Lesnar, Velasquez and Carwin, all recipients of tons of hype, are in for some surprises when they get to throw down with Junior.
There's no disputing that hype is a HUGE part of the fight game, always has been, always will be. Decades of boxing has shown us that, and now its also an important element of the MMA promotion game. But as knowledgeable fans of the sport, its our job to weed out the bullshit. And from what we've seen as of late, there's more bullshit going on than a Dana White press conference.
How dare they?!?
http://www.budo-mma-nyc.com/
When you closely look at the top 3 fighters in the UFC heavyweight division you undoubtedly see lots of potential, but more importantly you see lots of question marks. At least I do! The top 3 in the class are Brock Lesnar, Shane Carwin and Cain Velasquez. Are they really as good as most say they are?
Lesnar is the seated champion, having beaten a very old, much smaller Randy Couture to earn the strap. He is ranked the #2 HW in the world by most. The question is, WHY? What has he done to be ranked as the second best HW fighter in the world? Let's look at his accomplishments as a professional mixed martial artist. His record is 4-1, for a total of 5 pro fights. He has fought as a pro for a TOTAL of 33 minutes. Thirty-three minutes! Remove his 15 minute snoozefest decision win over Heath Herring and he's fought a total of 18 minutes. In most peoples eyes, that makes him a virtual novice. Can a novice of the sport, with such limited experience and accomplishments be considered the second best fighter in his weight class in the world? I emphatically say HELL NO! Let's look at his 4 wins. Did you comprehend that last sentence? Yes, he has a total of 4 wins. I already mentioned his decision victory over Herring. Brock controlled that fight but couldn't finish a fighter he had hurt from a big punch early in the first round. Other than that one punch, it was a rather uneventful affair with Lesnar just using his superior size and strength to lay 'n' pray his way to a boring decision. Where is Herring now? Where was he ranked at the time? Lesnar's first pro win was over Min Soo Kim in that pathetic K-1 show at LA Coliseum in June of '07. You mean you never heard of Kim? Don't worry, no one has! Brock also beat Frank Mir in their rematch, having lost to him in their first fight. Mir exposed how green Lesnar was by easily submitting him with a kneebar, a minute and a half into their first encounter. Brock bullied Mir in the rematch, again, using his much superior size and strength. Anyone with a younger brother, has done the same thing a million times. It wasn't as much a display of superior technique as it was a display of the laws of physics. Then there's the fight that won Brock the belt. He beat Randy Couture in a little over a round and a half. Let's keep in mind that Randy was closer to 50 years old at the time, than he was to 40, and weighed 60 pounds less than Brock did. Randy beat an injured Tim Sylvia to get the belt. Without Zuffa's preferential treatment of Couture he wouldn't and shouldn't have been near a title shot against Sylvia in the first place. We've all seen where Big Tim's career has gone since. Lesnar undoubtedly has a very accomplished collegiate wrestling pedigree and is a huge, athletic man, but what has he done as a pro fighter to warrant all the praise he gets or his ranking? Ranking should be based on accomplishments, not potential. Moving forward, Brock's difficult bout with severe diverticulitis and his lengthy layoff due to that are even bigger question marks as to just how good he is and how good he will end up being. Given all that, can Brock Lesnar realistically be considered the best or second best HW in the world? If you have even half a brain, you realize the answer is NO!
Shane Carwin is getting the next crack at Lesnar's belt in early July. Shane is another behemoth of a man, with a strong wrestling base and heavy hands. He has a very impressive 12-0 record with none of his fights getting out of the first round, winning 7 of them by KO or TKO. Unbelievably, Carwin has less than 17 minutes of total professional fighting experience. Is it that Shane is that good or is it that he has fought a bunch of scrubs? That remains to be seen. His biggest win was over Frank Mir in his last fight at UFC 111. Aside from that, the only fighter he's ever beaten that was ever a Top 10 ranked HW was Gabriel Gonzaga. Of his other 10 victims, not one name will pop out as a fighter that will ever do anything significant in the sport. That said, credit has to be given to Shane for virtually destroying everyone that's been put in front of him. His real tests as a fighter are ahead of him but the title is his for the taking. He couldn't get Brock at a better time, coming off a serious illness and a long layoff. And again, Brock only has 5 fights under his belt. I think Shane is a more skilled fighter than Lesnar and should win the fight. Their size, strength and wrestling will negate each other. Shane's heavy hands will be the difference. But in all honesty, you can't look at Shane Carwin as a world class striker. Against a fighter like Lesnar he might end up looking like one, but we have yet to see him fight a seriously skilled stand-up striker. Again, many, many question marks.
The last of the big 3 in the UFC HW division is Cain Velasquez. Like Carwin, Cain is undefeated and he sports an impressive 8-0 record. Also like Carwin, his list of opponents is far from impressive. His biggest win was his KO victory over Big Nog. While it was definitely Cain's best performance, there is a strong argument to be made about Nog being well past his prime and having a cracked chin. Much like Chuck Liddell, Nog never got knocked out until late in his career and now seems very susceptible to being KO'd. It happens. Fighters can only take so much punishment over many years of fighting and it all catches up to them. Other than beating Nog, Cain got a gift win with a bad ref stoppage over Big Ben Rothwell. He was winning the fight at the time the ref stepped in but Ben was not finished, not even close. He also beat Cheik Kongo, but so has Carmelo Marrera. More importantly, Cheik dropped Cain three times in the fight from questionable punches. There's no doubt that Cain showed excellent recovery skills, but his chin has to be in question after seeing that fight. Again, lots of potential, but limited experience and many question marks.
Brock, Shane and Cain have a combined 25 fights between them, against relatively weak competition. Is that enough to consider them three of the best heavyweights in the world? Until they beat some better, more proven fighters, I have to say no. At least some things will be cleared up when Shane and Brock fight. Or will they? I can hear the excuses already if Shane wins. Keyboard warriors across the globe will say how Shane beat a fighter who has only had 6 fights and is coming off a major illness and a very long layoff. Would they be wrong to say that? That's the truth, isn't it? Given Brock's troublesome last year or so, him winning this fight would seem to be the bigger achievement of the two and the much bigger story. Besides his recovery from being sick, ring rust is a real thing and hard to overcome. So ultimately, regardless of the outcome, the questions will still remain.
As far as other heavyweight fighters outside of the UFC, you have the likes of Fedor Emelianenko, his brother Aleks, Alistair Overeem, Bigfoot Sylva, Josh Barnett and Fabricio Werdum, all of whom have more fights and against tougher competition than the UFC's big 3. Until we see these fighters actually fight one another, saying who is better is purely subjective. That's why MMAth and rankings are virtually useless, but it seems to be the only language most MMA enthusiasts speak these days. Sign language might work a little better as the signs are all there for everyone to see. Until further notice, the hype surrounding Brock Lesnar, Shane Carwin and Cain Velasquez is as overblown as Brock's formerly 'roided muscles.
No doubt, the potential is there with all 3 of these fighters. You would have to be a fool not to see that. But let's not give anyone legendary status before they truly deserve it. The UFC might be the biggest MMA promotion on the planet, but it doesn't mean they have all the best talent.
It's all about smoke 'n' mirrors!
http://www.budo-mma-nyc.com/
What can you say other than Shogun Rua is the best LHW fighter on the planet! Its been a long time coming, but he finally climbed the last bit of that mountain when he defeated Lyoto Machida at UFC 113. He must feel like Rocky Balboa did when he finally made it up those stairs at the Liberty Bell in Philly, arms raised in victory and jubilation!
As far as I'm concerned, and I can't be alone in thinking this, not only is Shogun the best 205 pound fighter alive, he is very near the top of the best P4P list. His achievements speak for themselves. Aside from his injury related slump after first coming to the UFC, Shogun has been close to flawless in his fighting career. His work in the now defunct Pride was, in a word, amazing! Shogun has been involved in some of the most memorable and exciting MMA fights you will ever see with wins over the likes of Lyoto Machida, Rampage Jackson, Alistair Overeem (twice), Akihiro Gono, Kazuhiro Nakamura, Chuck Liddell, Ricardo Arona, Kevin Randleman and Lil' Nog, amongst others. That's an insanely impressive list of victims!
Shogun's style of fighting is as well rounded, vicious and exciting as it gets. His striking is off the charts and he has a ridiculous submission game with some of the sickest and slickest leg locks in the business. If there is one slight weakness in Mauricio's game, its his takedown defense. But in his case, it almost doesn't matter because he has an uncanny ability to work his way back to his feet once the fight hits the mat. In 23 fights, Rua has won 16 of those fights by KO or TKO. That's an unprecedented 85% T(KO) rate.
If any fighter deserves to be a champion, in the biggest MMA organization in the world, its Shogun. He's worked his way through so much in the past 3 years, including multiple knee surgeries. As recently as 7 weeks ago, he had an appendectomy. There's tough fighters, and then there's Mauricio Rua.
After his loss to Forrest Griffin and his rather unimpressive win over a very old, very slow, totally gassed Mark Coleman, a large portion of the MMA community, media and fans alike, wrote him off as being done as an elite fighter. Given what we all saw, it was mostly justified. He didn't look remotely close to the dynamic Shogun we all worshipped in Japan. None of that mattered to Mauricio. While his surgically repaired knees continued to heal, he worked on improving his fitness, knowing full well that he was far from a done fighter at the tender age of 27. His next fight was against Chuck Liddell, a match-up MMA fans have been salivating for years to see. Even though it wasn't Chuck in his prime, Shogun won the fight by KO and showed glimpses of returning to form. He proved he was fully back with his next fight, a title shot against the unbeaten Lyoto Machida. While he lost a very controversial decision, in a fight that is an all-time classic, he won the hearts of MMA fans worldwide. Given the questionable decision and the highly competitve nature of the fight, Shogun was awarded a very justified rematch. The MMA world waited 6 long months for that fight to finally happen. Shogun seized the opportunity with a first round KO win over Machida, giving the Dragon his first loss and marking the first time he'd been knocked out. His efforts earned him an extra 65K bonus for KOTN. Prior to fighting Shogun, Machida never lost a round in the UFC and was barely ever hit in 7 fights. Shogun proved to be Lyoto's kryptonite.
So what's next for Shogun? It looks like he'll be defending his belt against the winner of the long overdue Rampage Jackson/Rashad Evans fight. Either fighter is formidable, but nothing Shogun can't handle. Recently, Rua has stated that he would also like to fight Randy Couture. I hope that's just in an effort to increase his exposure because it can't be for the personal challenge. I don't even see that fight being competitive. Shogun will put a quick, decisive beating on the old man.
You can't not root for Shogun Rua. He's been at the top of his profession, fell back near the bottom and is now standing on the top of the proverbial mountain again, hands raised in victory. He's defied the medical odds and proved all the doubters wrong. He's like a real life Rocky Balboa, making his bones on pure heart. His monumental talent, determination and perseverance didn't hurt either.
War Shogun Balboa!
You gotta love this guy!
http://www.budo-mma-nyc.com/
"What doesn't kill you only makes you stronger!"
Truth be told, in sports or any type of competition, there is more to learn from losing than there is from winning. Losing his first fight and consequently his belt might be the best thing that could have happened to Lyoto Machida. In a sense, it will take some of the pressure off of him to stay undefeated. He no longer has to worry about being perfect any more. That pressure seemed to be there as of late, particularly in the last fight. Lyoto appeared to be a bit stressed and distracted. Now that he has that "L" on his record, he can get back to being himself; loose, relaxed and solely focused on the task at hand, which is training and fighting.
"What doesn't kill you only makes you stronger!"
Lyoto will come back from this loss better than ever. With the help of his family and his inner circle of friends and teammates, Machida will get right back to work the minute he is medically able to. He will need a little time to heal up, both physically and mentality, and then its back to the blood, sweat and tears of the martial arts lifestyle that's been the blueprint of his entire existence. For those of you that think Lyoto is going to fold like a cheap accordion, and just disappear from the position he's held as one of the world's best fighters, you are sadly mistaken. All he knows is fighting. He's been groomed by his father since he's a young boy to do this. If you think one loss is going to change that, you obviously don't understand the budo mentality that is the essence of what makes rare fighters like Lyoto tick. Training and fighting is like breathing to him. Its something that's ingrained in his mind, body and soul. This guy literally eats, shits and sleeps martial arts, always has, always will.
"What doesn't kill you only makes you stronger!"
Lyoto's father, Yoshizo, immediately began the mental healing process in the locker room right after the fight, telling his son, 'You're a samurai – on to the next. That's in the past now. You lost; oh well. You went out there, and you fought. You tried to do what you could do, and it didn't work out this time. Go back to the drawing board, come up with a better strategy, and life moves on." Unlike most fighters, Lyoto doesn't just fight for himself and to challenge himself. He fights to please his father, who is also his sensei, and to make him proud. That's a whole different type of motivation.
As far as the fight itself, Machida was more than holding his own up until getting caught with that punch to the temple. Not to take anything away from Shogun's performance, because it was fantastic, but anyone who has ever trained in any combat sport, or been around martial arts, knows that a shot directly to the temple is next to impossible to recover from. The punch that dropped Lyoto wasn't even that hard, but it directly hit 'the spot". This is the fight game, it happens. Up to that point, Machida was landing some heavy knees and was completely controlling the clinches, taking Shogun down at will. That said, Shogun landed the punch that put Lyoto on queer street and finished him off on the ground. He won the fight in emphatic fashion and is the deserved champion. For the time being, Lyoto has to be content with being the second best LHW on the planet. Most people would be OK with that, but something tells me that Lyoto will not sit still until he gets that belt back. It wasn't that long ago that something similar happened to Georges St-Pierre when he lost his belt to Matt Serra. He took a punch to the temple, never recovered and Serra finished him off to take his belt from him. We've all seen how GSP has rebounded from that loss. I expect the same if not more from Lyoto.
"What doesn't kill you only makes you stronger!"
True, Lyoto Machida lost a fight.
True, Lyoto Machida got knocked out for the first time.
True, Lyoto Machida is alive and well
True, Lyoto Machida will be back better than ever!.
Trust on that!
Kimbo who?!?
Let's hope that's the reaction when the name "Kimbo Slice" comes up in conversation in the near future! Kevin Ferguson's 15 minutes of fame are all but over! Thank God, Buddah, Allah, Satan or whoever you personally worship for that. Speaking of Satan, I'm still quite surprised that Dana White pulled the plug so quickly on the Kimbo experiment. Just kidding, I don't think Kimbo is Satan!
All jokes aside, there was probably still some money to be made off of Kimbo, so major props have to be given to Dana and the Zuffa brass for giving Slice his walking papers. As Dana said regarding the decision, the UFC is about the best fighters in the world and Kimbo just didn't cut it. Fair enough, but that's been blatantly obvious since Kimbo first reared his hilariously bearded, bald head. In defense of Slice though, he's far from the only fighter on the UFC roster who doesn't deserve to be there.
None of this has anything to do with Kevin Ferguson, the person. Its all about "Kimbo Slice", the character. And what a meticulously crafted character he is. The Kimbo persona is taylor made for a cartoon or a comic book. He reminds me of Snoop Dogg in that way, but without talent. That's the important distinction here. Snoop is an immensely talented dude while Kimbo is devoid of any. At least in relation to the talent that is required to be a professional MMA fighter at the UFC level.
Yes, Kimbo has made some improvements as a fighter since turning pro in 2007, following his bum beating days down in Florida. He should be commended for that. Unfortunately for him, just not enough improvement. At this point, he is 4-2 as a pro, which isn't horrible, until you look at who he has fought. He has wins over Bo Cantrell, Tank Abbott, James Thompson and Houston Alexander, who have a combined record of 45-43. Ouch, do the math on that winning percentage. Look up the word "can" in any MMA dictionary and pictures of all these guys will immediately pop up. He lost to a much smaller journeyman in Seth Petruzelli, where he got KTFO in 14 seconds. Yes, you read that right, 14 seconds, and by a very weak punch to boot. Please remember, Seth took that fight on one day notice. His other loss is to Matt "Meathead" Mitrione, who beat him in only his 2nd pro fight. Meathead didn't just beat him, he crushed him. Kimbo made Meathead look like a world class mixed martial artist. Just so you know, he isn't. It was this last exposure of Slice as a virtual no-talent that basically forced Zuffa's hand with his dismissal. Aside from an early takedown, Kimbo looked like a complete novice out there. He showed no signs of his supposed punching skills, couldn't check low kicks, was nearly submitted on multiple occasions, had ZERO cardio and showed ZERO understanding of fighting off his back. By the second round, he was an immobile target out there, just waiting to be abused in any way Mitrione chose. He also got completely manhandled and outclassed by Roy "Big Country" Nelson in his one fight on season 10 of TUF, a show specifically put together by Zuffa to showcase "the internet sensation".
Several things were always working against Slice in his attempts to make it as a pro MMA fighter. His biggest obstacle was the age in which he began his pro career. Very few people can begin fighting professionally at the age of 33 (a publicized age I still question) and make it work. Especially fighters without years of real training under their belts. Kimbo's backyard beatings of untrained bums is not training that is conducive to a smooth, successful transition to pro MMA fighting. Then there's his size issues. He's a small HW who can't make LHW. All the behemoths at HW dwarf him and he carries too much muscle and not enough discipline to make the weight cut to fight at 205. Not that fighting at 205 would work out any better for him. His lack of speed would be exposed down there very quickly! Another glaring problem was Kimbo's own admission to smoking. I'm not sure exactly what he smokes, but whatever it was obviously didn't help his already very suspect cardio. He himself said on camera, on the Countdown to UFC 113 show, that he had to stop smoking while training for his fight with Meathead. Wrong Kimbo! If you are serious about being a professional athlete you don't smoke at all, PERIOD. That in an of itself shows his lack of true dedication to competing in the sport at the top level. Or maybe he was smoking something that "deluded" his view of reality regarding his skill level. Finally, did Kimbo ever show any real skills at all to build from? Even his supposed punching skills never shined when it mattered. Knocking out a scared shitless Bo Cantrell, or a very out of shape, very old Tank Abbott doesn't say much. Getting obliterated in 14 seconds by a much smaller Seth Petruzelli says much more about Kimbo's phantom striking prowess.
As far as getting dropped by Zuffa, they really had no other choice in the matter, regardless of the cow still having a few drops of milk left to exploit. Realistically, what other scrub was left on the roster for them to match him up with, hoping he could pull out a win? The answer is, no one. Any wrestling based fighter annihilates him, taking him down at will and pounding his bald dome in. Any jiu-jitsu based fighter would submit him with relative ease. And any striking based fighter would just beat the crap out of him. A fighter who combines skills in all those disciplines, of which there are many, doesn't even break a sweat in handing him another "L" on his record. Bottom line, the skill, nor the true desire and commitment to fight at the top level was never there for Slice. It takes much more than just showing up to the gym. Kimbo fights for the money, and he definitely made some, so he deserves credit for that. He's made more money than most MMA fighters, fighters with actual talent, skill, desire and dedication, who deserve to make real money in this sport.
So what's the lesson to be learned from the "Kimbo Slice" experiment? The only one I can come up with is that a funny beard, funny chest hair, a muscular physique and an ice grill can sometimes carry you a long way. Take those things away from "Kimbo Slice" and what's left? Certainly not fighting talent, but who really cares about that anymore?!? Surprisingly, Zuffa does!
http://www.budo-mma-nyc.com/
Maybe its just me, but its less than a week away and I don't feel like this VERY important rematch is getting the hype, press, publicity or coverage that it warrants and so justly deserves. I honestly think the Machida/Rua rematch is one of the most important MMA fights to come along in a LONG time!
Here's the reasons why this fight is so important:
•From a technical standpoint, this fight is the quintessential example of what mixed martial arts is all about. Both Lyoto Machida and Shogun Rua are extremely well rounded martial artists. Rarely, if ever, will you see two MMA fighters competing against each other where both combatants are as skilled as these two are in all aspects of fighting. Both are equally adept in the striking, wrestling and submission games. Arguments can be made to support either fighter as being superior in certain disciplines, but the gaps are so minimal that its not even worth the effort. Without a doubt, Lyoto and Shogun are two of the most feared strikers in the LHW division. Actually, they're two of the most feared strikers in the entire sport, the entire world for that matter. While striking is where they have shown most of their dominance over the years, either fighter can just as easily take you down and submit you, or ground and pound your dome in. And quickly, I might add! These guys are "equal-opportunity" fighting machines who can seamlessly adjust to any situation. We're talking serious, serious talent here. As Joe Rogan would say, "top of the food chain" skillsets. Even that sentence might be an understatement. These guys are THAT good! Aside from the difference in their base disciplines, the parallels between them are abundant.
•From a philosophical standpoint, what motivates these two fighters is also very similar. Shogun and Lyoto didn't get into the fight game to hurt their opponents, or to beat people up. They probably didn't even think they could make a living being a pro MMA fighter when they initially started out. They started fighting for the love of competition and for the love of the essence of martial arts. That mentality continues to this day. While hurting your opponent is an unfortunate byproduct of MMA, or any combat sport for that matter, that isn't what drives fighters like Machida and Rua. Their motivation is all about competing, winning and testing themselves. Its those base desires that drive all the best sportsmen that have ever lived. That's not to say they don't have 'killer" instincts, because their careers have more than proven that they do. The difference is, they can display that instinct in a respectful way, riding that fine line between the ultra-violent and the unbridled love of martial arts competition. You will never hear Lyoto or Shogun hype a fight by saying how they are going to "kill" or "destroy" their opponent. They both would rather just speak of winning and showing who has the superior skills. They are a different breed. In a nutshell, they are TRUE martial artists, through and through.
•Most MMA match-ups pit fighters who are both good at the same aspect of fighting, or fighters who have polar opposite skillsets. This match-up is about 2 of the most well rounded fighters on the planet, settling an unfinished score. From how incredibly close and competitive their first fight was, its obvious how evenly matched these guys are. This fight can go in any and all directions. It epitomizes true mixed martial arts and should really be looked at as a showcase fight for the sport. If you were ever trying to turn someone on to the sport, who has never seen an MMA fight before, this is undoubtedly the fight to make them watch. This match-up is guaranteed to represent the sport of MMA in its best possible light, both technically and philosophically.
•This fight is also important in regards to how MMA fights are judged. As most of you know, the judging in the first fight received widespread criticism. I personally had Machida winning the fight, by the slimmest of margins, but I was definitely in the minority there. Detailed specifics of how MMA fights should be judged, and potential changes that could/should be made, requires much more than this paragraph can elaborate on. That topic really needs to be its own discussion. That said, the first fight was as close as a fight can be. While Machida got the nod, a draw might have been the proper decision. It was THAT close of a fight! Hence the immediate and justified rematch. The reason I leaned towards Machida in the first fight is because, points aside, Shogun never had Lyoto in any danger and never hurt him. In contrast, Lyoto did hurt Shogun on a few occasions, most significantly at the end of the third round. Had the bell not sounded, I believe Machida would have finished the fight shortly thereafter. That doesn't really matter now, or then, but it does say something about who was closest to potentially finishing the fight. Shogun was never remotely close to ending that fight. A strong argument can be made for judging fights as a whole, like they did in the now defunct Pride, as opposed to the round by round, "10 point must" system currently being used. That system comes from boxing and obviously doesn't work. We've seen way too many horrible decisions over the years using that system of judging. Mixed martial arts is NOT boxing. True, they are both combat sports, but they couldn't be more different, especially from a judging perspective. While I am a big proponent of leg kicks, and Shogun definitely landed many in the first fight, he never had Lyoto reeling from them. They might have slowed him down a bit, but there is a HUGE difference between what Shogun's low kicks did to Lyoto and what Jose Aldo's did to Urijah Faber at WEC 48. For more on the history of leg kicks in MMA, go HERE.
•Believe it or not, there is an effective style of striking in MMA besides muay thai. As Machida has so aptly shown over the course of his career, that style is karate. While karate was been the base striking art for a number of MMA fighters over the years, no one has shown that as emphatically as Machida has. And no one has flown the flag of karate more proudly than Machida. While he is also a student of multiple other arts including Brazilian jiu-jitsu, judo, sumo and the aforementioned muay thai, Machida is undoubtedly primarily a karateka (a student of karate). The Machida family is to karate as the Gracie family is to Brazilian jiu-jitsu. Its not a question of which art is better between karate and muay thai, its more just a statement that there are highly effective stand-up fighting styles outside of muay thai. There's no disputing that muay thai is a fantastic, proven striking art, but it isn't the ONLY style that can excel in the confines of mixed martial arts combat. Shogun proudly represents muay thai at its optimum level and its an absolute pleasure to watch him display his art. While this fight isn't a "karate vs muay thai" battle, we will get to see two very different styles of striking, going head to head and bone to bone, literally.
•Machida and his family have put TMA (traditional martial arts) back in MMA. Its important for fans of the sport, especially young fans, to see that traditional martial arts has a place in the MMA spectrum. Along with Machida, both Anderson Silva and Georges St-Pierre have exhibited actions showcasing their traditional martial arts backgrounds. It could be as simple as bowing to your opponent or bowing to the "four corners of the place of the way", but it says a lot. GSP proudly wears his karate gi and blackbelt to and from the cage in every fight. Machida does the same. It shows the world that the sport isn't just a bunch of thugged out, knucklehead punks who have no respect for each other. Anderson, GSP and Lyoto are in the Top 5 on most P4P lists and they are also proud traditional martial artists, as well as being immensely talented and successful mixed martial artists. While Shogun doesn't outwardly show his TMA background like the aforementioned fighters, he is also a very respectful, traditionally trained fighter who deserves to be in the same class as they are. This is important for the longevity and further mainstream acceptance of the sport!
•There are great stories in either fighter winning this rematch. If Lyoto wins, his same story continues. He will remain the undefeated karateka; the living, breathing, modern day version of the original dragon, Bruce Lee. He'll still be the mysterious, unorthodox fighter who excels in the sport by relying on the tried and true, centuries old teachings of his father. If Shogun wins, it will represent a complete return from the knee problems that have plagued him in his post-Pride career. His loss to Forrest Griffin and his lackluster performance against an over the hill Mark Coleman were never fights that in any way represented the real Shogun Rua. In my eyes, he has always been one of the very best fighters on the planet. Those two fights were like watching an impostor in the cage. Its a shame that that was the first time many MMA and UFC fans ever saw Shogun fight. They didn't see the real Shogun, the healthy Shogun; the Shogun that fought in Pride, and the fighter that took Machida to his absolute limits back in October of last year.
Regardless of the outcome of this very important fight, as fans of the sport of MMA, we are getting a special opportunity to see the sport on display at its absolute best. And we are getting to see two of the greatest ambassadors of the sport compete in the primes of their respective, impressive careers. Aside from the GSP/BJ Penn fights, you would be hard pressed to name any other fights that brought such a high level of talent and integrity into the cage at one time.
Barring another close, controversial decision, the world of MMA will be in a very special place on the evening of May 8th, 2010.
http://www.budo-mma-nyc.com/
I know, I know, the whole MMA community knows! Josh Barnett failed a few drug tests over his 13 year career! Big effin' deal! If we are all going to be honest here, Josh is far from the only mixed martial artist who has juiced at points in their career. To believe that he is the only one is total ignorance and an outright denial of reality. A better reason to hate him is because he's dumb; dumb enough to get caught, unlike a lot of other fighters, some of whom are your favorites. Yes, the truth hurts sometimes!
The other overwhelming gripe against Josh, and the main reason that seems to fuel the hatred towards him, is that his last batch of dirty piss caused the demise of the Affliction promotion. How anyone can believe that for a second is beyond me! I guess the ungodly, astronomic, undeserved salaries they were paying fighters had nothing to do with them pulling the gates down? Paying Tim Sylvia 750K for a fight had nothing to do with their demise, right? With the way Tom Atencio and Affliction were hemorrhaging cash at the time, I would venture to say they were ecstatic about the turn of events that led to them shutting down. I wouldn't be surprised if Atencio sent Barnett a big, fat thank you letter. Ultimately, in the long run, Josh ended up saving Tom and Affliction a whole bunch of dough! They were looking for an exit from promoting fights, and "the Baby Faced Assassin" gave them the perfect excuse to shut it down. Affliction's business model was horrendous. They could never have maintained operations spending money the way they were. That company was doomed from the get go. Josh was far from the reason for their failure. I will have to admit though, that I am still pissed at Barnett for killing the dream fight with Fedor that I was waiting forever to see. Maybe one day? We can wish, can't we?
If you objectively look at Barnett's career, you can't not be very impressed. He currently has a 25-5 record over the span of 13 years. He has to be on the short list of pioneers of the sport who are still active. And he's ONLY 33 years old. Not many people can boast of having wins over the likes of Big Nog, Randy Couture, Mark Hunt, Aleksander Emelianenko, Hidehiko Yoshida, Semmy Schilt (twice), Pedro Rizzo, Dan Severn, Jeff Monson, Gilbert Yvel and Mighty Mo, amongst others. That's a virtual who's who of the international MMA heavyweight landscape over the last 10 plus years. His 2 Pride fights with Big Nog are legendary. Three of his losses were to Mirko Cro Cop, when Mirko was at his absolute best. One of those was the result of a shoulder injury incurred during the fight. Of his other 2 losses, one was a decision loss to Big Nog, during his prime, and the other was to Pedro Rizzo, who was also in his prime at the time. Pedro is the only person to ever knock Josh out and that was way back in early 2001 at UFC 30. He returned the favor to Rizzo by KOing him in their rematch in 2008. Let's recap; in 30 fights Barnett has only lost 5 times (1 KO, 2 subs, 2 decisions) and to only 3 fighters, over the course of 13 years. If that doesn't positively impress you, I don't know what would!
There's no denying Josh's skillset. He is very capable in all facets of MMA. His stand-up game is very solid, his wrestling is excellent and his submission game is off the charts by heavyweight standards. His inclusion of the rarely used system of catch wrestling makes him a very formidable and dangerous opponent for ANY heavyweight on the planet. On top of that, he is a very athletic 250 pounder. Unless you forgot, it wasn't that long ago that Barnett was a top 5 HW on almost all rankings, and was sitting comfortably at the #2 spot for quite a while. Now we have fighters like Brock Lesnar and Cain Velasquez, who have a combined 13 fights between them, suddenly sitting at or near the top of these same rankings. I can guarantee you, neither of those guys would be at all happy about having to fight Josh. Trust me on that!
Just announced today, Josh will be getting back in action. He is signed to fight in July, in Australia, at the inaugural event for new promotion, Impact MMA. His opponent is Brazilian Geronimo “Mondragon” dos Santos. The highly touted Mondragon was on the verge of being signed by the UFC before a lackluster performance at a recent Jungle Fight event changed their mind. He was on an 8 fight winning streak prior to that fight which included a 1st round TKO over UFC veteran Assuerio Silva. Josh spoke about Mondragon saying, “He is experienced and very good on the ground. I’ll try to keep this fight standing. I’ll go for the knockout, I’m going to win this fight!” I believe him.
I seem to be in the minority of MMA geeks who is and always will be a fan of Barnett. I would love to see him sign to Strikeforce and fight again on a regular basis, on American soil. Sure, Josh might be a bit cocky and come across arrogant at times, but so do a lot of other fighters. Its almost part of the DNA of any successful sportsman. There's nothing wrong with being confident. You will never hear Josh badmouth any other fighters and he always shows his fellow competitors the utmost respect. He is a true student and historian of the sport. You'd be hard pressed to find another fighter as knowledgeable on MMA as Josh is.
So, why all the hate?!? Josh Barnett is a good dude, and a very talented mixed martial artist. He is good for the sport regardless of a few dirty piss tests. Talent like his doesn't come around very often. As fans of MMA, he deserves our respect and support!
http://www.budo-mma-nyc.com/
Jose Aldo's methodical dismantling of Urijah Faber at WEC 48 was the latest example of just how devastatingly effective leg kicks can be.
The theory behind leg kicks is very simple. Pummel your opponent's thigh until they can no longer put weight on that leg. Once a fighter takes too many kicks to their lead leg, they usually switch stances in an attempt to protect it. This causes the fighter to completely change their style and approach to initiating offense, as well as virtually eliminating full use of their power side.
The most obvious reason why leg kicks work so well is that even just a few solidly landed kicks will immediately affect the recipient's mobility. After eating too many low kicks, a fighter can't punch, kick or shoot with nearly the same explosiveness as they could have on two good legs. As damaging as leg kicks have proven to be, its surprising that they are somewhat under used. While low kicks are primarily considered a muay thai technique, they have long been used in karate and other striking arts.
Let's look at some of my favorite fights from the short history of MMA, showing the beauty of properly delivered leg kicks:
•Marco Ruas/Paul Varelins
UFC 7-The Brawl in Buffalo
September 8th, 1995
This was the first MMA fight I saw that proved how devastating low kicks can be. It was Marco Ruas' third fight in the UFC, and actually his third fight of the night. Those were the good old days of same night tournaments. Ruas fully lived up to his nickname, the "King of the Streets". I still remember the short video the UFC showed of Marco throwing punches. His speed and the variation of the angles he threw them at completely blew me away. Ironically, it was his kicks that won him the final fight of the tournament. His last fight was against Paul Varelins, the Polar Bear. Varelins is a huge man, standing 6' 8" and weighing 300 pounds. Paul easily won his 2 prior fights that night and was the fresher fighter having spent only a little over 2 minutes in the cage. Ruas needed 16 minutes of cage time to win his 2 fights, one of which was against the very accomplished judoka, Remco Pardoel. In what was an epic 13 minute battle, Ruas systematically destroyed the Polar Bear's lead left leg, literally chopping down the human tree. It is still one of my all-time favorite moments in MMA.
•Mo Smith/Tank Abbott
UFC 15-Collision Course
October 17th, 1997
In an 8 minute throwdown, Mo Smith broke Tank's spirit with repeated, deep low kicks. The writing was on the wall for Tank. He just ate low kick after low kick, crushing his will in the process and forcing him to quit. The ultra-tough streetfighter wasn't tough enough to withstand the beating Mo put on his leg. Instead of "coming straight from the bar stool to the cage", Tank should have hit the gym and learned how to check kicks.
•Pedro Rizzo/Randy Couture
UFC 31 Locked & Loaded
May 4th, 2001
This classic fight has to be one of Randy Couture's toughest title defenses, and one of the worst physical beatings he's ever taken in the Octagon. In a 25 minute war, Randy earned a unanimous decision victory, one that I completely disagreed with. He was clearly the more beaten fighter. When it was all said and done, Rizzo pounded his leg over the course of the 5 rounds leaving Randy bruised, battered and barely able to walk. I can't recall ever seeing such bad bruising to a fighter's leg. By Randy's own admission, it took him 2 weeks to be able to walk somewhat normally after that fight.
•Mirko Cro Cop/Hidehiko Yoshida
Pride-Critical Countdown
July 1st, 2006
While Mirko is known for his high left kick, a technique he has used for multiple highlight reel knockouts, it was his vicious low kicks that punished the very game Olympic judoka, Hidehiko Yoshida. It was one of those fights that caused me to wince while watching, as if I was actually in the ring taking that beating to the legs. Each consecutive kick looked and sounded worse than the one before it. It was hard to watch. Yoshida was obviously in severe pain. At the 7 and a half minute mark, Hidehiko was a broken man, unable to continue. Ever since that fight, I have always wondered why Mirko hasn't used low kicks more consistently.
•Jose Aldo/Urijah Faber
WEC 48
April 24th, 2010
Jose Aldo completely proved his dominance at 145 pounds with a master performance in his win over Urijah Faber. It was a methodical, strategic destruction of Faber. Although the fight went the full 25 minute distance, there was no question in anyone's mind who won the fight. Aldo rendered Urijah virtually immobile with a barrage of savage low kicks. Faber claims to have trained specifically to defend those kicks, but none of that was evident during the fight. You know things are really bad when one of your cornermen carries you to your stool so you don't have to take the 5 steps to get there yourself. That's BAD! Major props have to be given to Urijah for showing the heart he did in that fight. He was a badly beaten man but never quit.
Honorable mentions go to:
•Bas Rutten/Ruben Villareal-WFA: King of the Streets
•Pat Barry/Dan Evensen-UFC 92
•Brandon Vera/Michael Patt-UFC 96
•Mirko Cro Cop/Hong Man Choi-K-1 Dynamite 2008
•Forrest Griffen/Rampage Jackson-UFC 86
•Pedro Rizzo/Tank Abbott-UFC Ultimate Brazil
•Kazushi Sakuraba/Royce Gracie-Pride Grand Prix 2000
Leg kicks, beautiful yet devastating!!!!!!!
http://www.budo-mma-nyc.com/
