Oct
01

UFC Live 6: Cruz vs. Johnson

 UFC Bantamweight Championship 

Dominick Cruz (c) vs. Demetrious Johnson

Just a few months ago Dominick Cuz  defended his Belt against Urijah Faber and showed the world that the 135 division is not only exiting but just as dangerous. Domick Cruz possess haunting speed, agility and feet work. Combined with a well rounded set of skills Dominick has remained undefeated for 3 years with 9 wins since his  only lost to his recent victim Urijah.

Demetrious Johnson is a young talent that shows massive skill development from fight to fight. As and undersized Bantamweight fighter Its hard not to cheer for him in most of his fights he is always the smaller guy and attacks opponents with a combination of speed and intensity that is hard to match. In order to Defeat The Champ Johnson will have to cut angles and get inside Cruz’s reach and implement a take down or striking war  by picking his spots, steeping in within Cruz’s reach and sliding back . This is a hard fight for Johnson and Cruz alike as each as  each fighter brings with them a particular set of skills and talent. It all depends who take control of the fight and executes a great game plan.  this is definitely one fight no MMA fan should miss.

 

Sep
24

UFC 135: Jones vs Rampage

Ever since I was a MMA fan there has been a saying ” your not a true champion until you defend your belt” many great fighters in history have been defined by this. In a division that is deep with talent Jone ‘bones’ Jones is no exception. Jones  stands at a threshold to prove to the world that he really is all he is marketed to be. Jones stand a tough test as he is going to be challenged by one of the most accomplished fighters in the 205 lb division: Quinton Jackson

The key to this match up is control; Jones has to use his reach to his advantage and stay away from Rampage’s KO power or implement a take down war where he can use his sharp elbows and devastating ground and pound. At Fist glance Jones has a advantage. He is a young fighter who is extremely talented. A devastating striker who shows moments of outstanding fighting creativity.  UFC 135 is important; this is the real proving Point for Jones. The moment he will have to prove to the world that he is a true champion and deserves all the attention. Above all that is he is going to have to show he can bring a level of consistency that can transpire to a dominating era of the 205 lb division.

looking at the weigh ins Rampage looked to be in outstanding shape. To me he appeared in the best shape of his fighting career. This is crucial for this fight because Rampage is a veteran of MMA. He has been champion in the UFC and PRIDE. He has fought the whose who of fighters and has proven himself time and time again; this is the time for Rampage to prove himself again.

For Quinton Jackson to defeat Jones he will need to be able to meet the champs youth by combining outstanding cardio with a  stellar take down defence. Rampage will need to keep active and defend against Jones’s striking and implement a plan to get in reach and land hard shots. Rampage has always been known for his KO power and all it would take is a good flush punch to decimate the champ and send him rocking to the ground. I don’t think there has been a moment when Jones has truly been tested or rocked and we don’t know if he has the ability to act critically when pressured or placed in a position where he could be finished and Rampage will have to do just that to notch out a win.

this should be a fight no fighting fan should miss i believe this is a possible “fight of the year” but… until then all we can do is wait for the fighters to meet in the ultimate proving ground: the octagon.

Sep
17

UFC Fight Night 25: Shields vs. Ellenberger

Jake Ellenberger has an impresive resume, He has won 4 of his last 5 fights with his most recent loss coming via decisision to now number 1 conteder Carlos Condit. in his last match Ellenberger faced Sean Pierson on April 30, 2011 at UFC 129, replacing an injured Brian Foster, winning in the first round via knockout with only 17 days to train for the fight. Ellenberger is quickly becoming a future contender but tonight he has the chance to show the MMA community if he has the chops to take his game to a new level. I believe that as long as he dosent get swallowed into a Jiu-Jitsu war he has all the tools and skills to make this a quick night for Jake Shields .

Coming of a devastating loss to welterweight king Georges St-Pierre this fight is in a way a chance for shields to prove himself worthy. His  Cesar Gracie Jiu-Jitsu has carried him to an impressive 15 fight winning streak that lasted when Dominated by GSP.  Among his impressive record Shields carries 10 submission victories and 13 decisions victories with only 3 by TKO.  What i am trying to point out that tonight should a night where Shields should showcase his evolution as a fighter. I am expecting to see his improvement in his striking and wrestling; We all know how super-awesome his Jiu-Jitsu now is time to improve the rest of his game;especially if he wants to fight for the belt again.

 

Sep
09

Carlos Condit IS ‘More Dangerous’

Welterweight champ Gorges St-Pierre calls new Number one contender Carlos Condit ” more dangerous” as Nick Diaz looses his tittle shot.  As most people where expecting an exiting showdown between the now undefeated StrikeForce Champ. Nick Diaz possess what i believe is the most dangerous set of stills and tools  along with his incredible stamina and cardio. He was and ideal match.

However Carlos Condit is just an dangerous i would not go to far as to say he is “more Dangerous” as i believe he has the set of attributes any great fighter has and more. He has all the potential to win this fight. Condit has become a dangerous fight with his last few wins coming in brutal fashion. He has won his last 12 of 13 fights; Carlos Condit’s Record Speaks for himself and lets hope when fighting comes he will deliver an outstanding performance and with luck on his side he will be sporting some new bling at the end.

THE RECIPE FOR DISASTER 

As we have stated we belive Condit has all the right attributes to upset GSP for good. But  what dose that all really mean? Condit has showed to be a well rounded fighter but i think the key to his success has to be his stand up in his last few fights Condot has showcased his arsenal of devastating strikes. He fights with controlled aggression and is a patient  fighter who picks and chooses his strikes . At any time Condit can unleash a calculated strike that can end the night for sure. this is where Condit should focus for his fight with GSP. Although GSP’s Stand up has improved it has not shown the type of creative striking that Condit possess  but this is just one fans view  as time passes the only way to find out is when both fighters step into the ultimate proving ground: The octagon….

Sep
09

B.J Penn vs Nick Diaz on for UFC 137

It was anounced today that “the Prodigy” B.J Penn will now face Nick Diaz who was pulled from his bout with welterweight champ Georges St-Pierre. In an all out war fans took to twitter to express their oppinions most of the time taking it out on president Dana white. Considering the consequences Nick Diaz should be greatful he is given another oportunity to not only fight in the UFC but to Fight a True Champ of the Sport and at the time maybe place himself among the ranks of if the UFC.

As for B.J Penn fan are all exited to see the Blood licking hawaian back inthe cage.I trully belived that this a big anouncement as I would of imagined If B.J were to defeat Condit he would be in line for the tittle. After  the last few days of playing hot potatoe and dealing with Nick Diaz’s antics i think Dana White is not only being generous but he is lisening to the demans of the fans that get it. So whats next? Im pretty sure most Fans of the sport would agree with me but this UFC card  by far one of the most exiting Cards i have seen in a long time check it out:

Main card

 Canada Georges St-Pierre (c) vs. United States Carlos Condit[

France Cheick Kongo vs. United States Matt Mitrione[

 United States Roy Nelson vs. Croatia Mirko Filipović

 Japan Hatsu Hioki vs. United States George Roop[1]

United States Nick Diaz vs. United States B.J. Penn

Preliminary card (televised)

 Germany Dennis Siver vs. United States Donald Cerrone

 United States Tyson Griffin vs. Poland Bart Palaszewski

Preliminary card

United States Brad Tavares vs. United States Tim Credeur

 United States Scott Jorgensen vs. United States Jeff Curran

 United States Brandon Vera vs. United States Eliot Marshall

 United States Ramsey Nijem vs. United States Danny Downes

 

Sep
07

Diaz Pulled from UFC 137: Condit Awarded Tittle Shot

 

Nick Diaz the recently Strike Force welterweight Champion has been gone for days without contact.In the meantime he has created a swirl of controversy to his whereabouts an how important his priorities were.Nick was offered a very lucrative and a once in a lifetime opportunity to fight the welterweight king GSP on October 29, But he desecrated the opportunity when he did not show up for press conferences and made no intent to contact anyone especially his boss Dana White.

“Nick Diaz has lost his opportunity at the welterweight championship, and Carlos Condit gets it,” said UFC President Dana White at a Tuesday press conference in Las Vegas, which Diaz failed to attend. When he was brought in to fight Georges, he was told he needed to do certain things mostly promote the fight and show up for pressers.

In the mean Time is was also  announced that Carlos Condit is GSP’s new challenger and his fight with the Hawaian B.J Penn had to be scrapped. On top of all this mix ups and new information the MMA world and its fans are pattiently waiting the news of Penn’s new challenger. Penn as usual has this to say on twitter.com :

you have to wonder what kind of deal this must be, considering that if Penn defeated Condit he could not be denied conteder status. An a Fan I wait patiently with the rest of you to find out who is next in line for the ” The Prodigy “

Sep
01

UFC 134: The Spider’s Web

To be honest this Fight did not go as i had expected.  In recent fights, Yushin Okami showed sparks of brilliance and moments of a controlled aggression which suggested that he would do much better against Silva.   The fight began at a great pace with Anderson testing Okami’s reflexes and it seemed for a while that “Thunder” was focused and confident but it was very clear, as the fight went on, that Silva was the better fighter.  The Brazilian’s speed was devatating and destructive catching Okami with a sharp hook that dropped him. It was then clear from his expression that the Judokan had given up as he did not even try to get up. Okami was completely frozen in fear.

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So Whats next for Anderson? I am a huge fan of “The Spider”  and he is without a doubt the, pound-for-pound, best fighter in the world.  However I truly believe his ground game is still questionable. For him to truly live up to his P4P ranking, he should not be fighting in the middleweight division anymore but rather In the LHW division. Anderson’s next match should be with a high Top 10 Fighter at LHW OR a Super fight with GSP. here are 4 fighters who should be considered if Anderson Moves to LHW:

1: Rashad Evans
2: SHogun Rua
3:lyoto Machida
4:Rampage Jackson

It is clear that Anderson is the most dominating champion and middleweight the world will ever see. Now is the time to force him to move to a weight class more suited for his skill and athleticism.   He’s simply too fast, too strong, and too smart to be seriously challenged by the current crop of fighters in the middle weight division.
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Sep
01

UFC 134: Shogun Is Back

You could tell right away as he walked in to the cage Mauricio Shogun Rua  had a different look in his eyes. His expression was cool almost quiet.He was moving around warming up but there was a calmness in his expression that really made me realise why he was going to dominate this fight.

As soon as the fight began you could see how sharp his senses are. he was moving with great footwork and you could see he was telegraphing every single move Griffin was throwing at him. All until that initial moment Shogun was dominating the fight. His reflexes much in tune with The America like a dance.

An then that moment came; The Brazilian threw a sweet right hook fallowed by a left that landed right behind the ears. Forrest changed levels trying to take Shogun down but shogun immediately countered and the fight continued now with Shogun on side control landing with devastating Hammer fists; rocking the brains of “The Ultimate Fighter” Forrest Griffin forcing the Referee to stop the fight.

Without a doubt this is the kind of performance  that has defined Shogun since his days in Pride. His cool and calm expression and His sharp striking and Controlled aggression is sure to make Shogun a favorite to rematch Jon Jones or Quinton Rampage Jackson.Whichever fight ends up materializing it is sure to be a heavy  fan favorite. until then lets hope this is the return of a injury free Shogun. A fighter who stepped into the octagon that night to make a huge statement with Forrest Griffin being the exclamation point.

 

Aug
29

Big Nog’s Big knock Out.

At the start of this fight i could not hold my Excitement for this match. I would admit i was one of those people that believed that for Big Nogueira to win it would have to be a vintage performance. Nog is one of my favorite fighters who in a way has inspired me since his battles in PRIDE. Coming into the fight Brendan Schaub had an advantage, He is young Explosive an has improved as a martial Artists and a person; to me embodies a younger Nog with his willingness to not give up. Since his lost to Roy nelson this young man has improved tremendous . His defeat of Grabiel Gonzaga and legend Mirko CroCop gave him huge momentum coming into this fight . Without a Doubt Brandon has nothing to be ashamed of he fought a great stand up fight, He exchanged with Nog and stopped take-downs and really held his own against a true legend of the sport.

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I Could not help notice that Nog’s stand up had improved compared to his later fights . He had good head movement, he was countering pretty well and had timing, speed and distance. For a Fighter that has 20 Submission victories to his name and with this win only 3 Knock out Victories This win was a real Treat to the fans in Brazil and around the world. Many people where wondering if  this may be the end for the brazilian but this comes to show you could never count out a man who has defined the odds and has the spirit of a true warrior. So whats next for this man? I believe a rematch with Frank Mir is a must have for the future.

Jul
29

Boxing’s Most Influential And The Evolution Of Striking from Boxing to MMA


 The evolution of mixed martial arts has been greatly influenced by Boxing. And in my opinion not enough. Comparing them to each other is pointless; MMA would of never developed if it wasn’t for boxing’s evolution in striking. 
Yes,it is true! if a boxer finds himself  in the octagon he would get a beating of a lifetime. But very few MMA fighters today have the skills necessary to survive a boxing match. For. I would like to think MMA has allot to benefit from the sport of boxing

In this part of My blog i would like to talk about The Greatest of all Time: Muhammad Ali. Until now everyone tries to match his skill but the truth is there will never be another one like him lets take a look at how Muhammad Ali changed the sport of boxing and how his contribution to the evolution to the striking game has it’s influence in the  Mixed Martial Art’s world.

When a fighter changes Boxing it shows up in the fighters that come after him. watching the next generation after Muhammad Ali, seeing how many of them attempt to use that style as their own. It only shows how his influence lives in the evolution of striking. 





                     lets take a look at  Muhammad Ali’s influence: 

His speed




His Dance 
His influence 
Boxing’s most influential: Nos. 1-50 – Boxing – Yahoo! Sports

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