Now on to EliteXC.
On Saturday night, MMA makes its debut on major network television. But will this be good for the sport?
There are a few concerns I have with EliteXC.
1. The main event pits Kimbo Slice and James Thompson. I don't think either should be featured in a main event yet. Not taking anything away from Kimbo because from all I have seen, he is dedicated and taking his training seriously and is a natural athlete and fighter. He has also been training with one of the best MMA fighters in the history of the sport in Bas Rutten. So with some time, he may be a real contender.
But he has made a name for himself on internet bare-knuckle boxing matches. With MMA under constant scrutiny, solely marketing Kimbo as an internet sensation detracts from the sport as a whole and Kimbo as an athlete. Kimbo's past has made him who he is, but if Elite XC wants to thrive like the UFC, showing these guys as barbarians is not the way to do it.
Also, Thompson fights one way. He comes out in a flurry, often times being KO'd. I don't think this fight will last very long, which ever way it ends up.
2. The lineup is not a very diverse group of fighters. From the looks of the card, EliteXC wants knockouts. The highlight reel finish is what keeps many casual fans coming back to MMA, But part of the legitimization of the sport is how many different disciplines and skills are involved in a fight. For someone not familiar with the sport, turning on the TV and watching two guys swing for the fences may turn a lot of people off. It won't show how skilled many of these combatants are. I'll still watch this because I will watch about any fight sport, but I don't expect to be wowed by any slick submissions or grappling.
3. Having Busta Rhymes perform live. I have nothing against rap music and listen to a little, but how is having him perform going to improve the quality of the show at all. There can be a fine line sometimes between sport and spectacle.
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]]>BJ Penn (13-4-1) vs. Sean Sherk (35-2-1)
This should be a good fight depending on how long it lasts. And that comes down to
Penn's conditioning. All signs from Penn, including his last fight against Joe Stevenson, shows a fighter with a new and improved attitude.
Penn has the advantage on the feet and is considered one of the most talented Jiu Jitsu practitioners in the world.
Sean Sherk is a relentless wrestler with incredible speed and strength. But it seems at times that he isn't able to mount much of an offense on the ground.
My pick: BJ Penn will stop this in one of the early rounds. He will have to because if the fight goes into the later rounds, it means that Sherk is having his way with his grinding ground-and-pound.
Penn should be able to neutralize Sherk's wrestling with his Jiu Jitsu, get superior position, soften Sherk up with punches, and eventually tap him out. He could very well TKO Sherk if Sherk isn't able to get this to the ground. Penn have heavy hands and potent knees.
Tito Ortiz (16-5-1) vs. Lyoto Machida (12-0)
In maybe the most anticipated fight of the night, we will probably witness Ortiz's last fight in the UFC, especially after wearing a T-Shirt saying "Dana is my (expletive)".
This fight has been focused more on Ortiz's antics and the inability of the UFC and Dana White and Tito to get along.
This should be a great fight despite the sideshow. Machida is undefeated with an unorthodox Karate-style. He is a slick and powerful striker with impeccable timing which often times, as we saw in his last fight with Rameau Sokoudjou, lulls an opponent into a comfort zone. He is able to KO anyone with his hands or feet and has recently reached black-belt status under Alexi Cruz.
Tito is a great wrestler with good takedowns and ground-and-pound. But he is sorely outmatched in striking and Jiu Jitsu. A big mistake for Tito would be to turn this into a kickboxing match. And will he be able to handle the emotions for this fight and be able to focus on the sport instead of going out with a bang for the media?
My pick: Machida should take this one. Tito's only chance is to get the takedown and stay on top and grind it out. Every other situation goes to Machida. Tito has shown a lack of offense on the bottom and Machida has a great guard and sweeps. Tito should get flustered if he is unable to get this to the ground and Machida will pick him apart. Tito is a , but I think the emotions and stakes on this fight could weigh heavily on him. Also, Machida has learned that to be marketable, long, drawn-out chess match fights don't market well in the states.
Wanderlei Silva (31-8-1) vs. Keith Jardine (13-4-1)
As one of my favorite fighters and a former member of one of my favorite camps, Chute Box, Wanderlei Siva will be taking on another striker.
Silva is a vicious striker with elbows and knees being a big part of his offense. The Muy Thai plum (also known as the clinch) is a favorite tool of Silva.
Jardine is coming off a victory and one of the biggest upsets in UFC history, his defeat of Chuck Liddell by split-decision. He showed a smart game plan and stuck with it against Liddell. Firing overhand punches and leg kicks from the outside and he even dropped Liddell in the second round. He kept his distance and didn't make the mistake of stalking Liddell, only to walk into a big punch or kick.
My pick: In Jardine's fight with Houston Alexander, Jardine did get caught with some devastating punches and possibly an illegal knee to the head while his knees were on the ground. He looked trapped when Alexander got his hands on him.
Silva has one of the best clinches in the history of the sport, including two KO's over current light-heavyweight champ Quinton Jackson. I am going with Silva by KO. and I cannot fathom seeing him lose his fourth match in a row. Unlike against Liddell, I feel he will be able to tie up Jardine and let the knees and elbows fly.
Thiago Silva (11-0) vs. Antonio Mendes (14-2)
Thiago Silva is a quickly rising star. He currently trains with American Top Team in Florida and formerly trained with Chute Box . He's well grounded in Jiu Jitsu (holding a black belt) and muay Thai. He is a vicious striker to put it mildly, coming from the school that has produced, Wanderlei, Pele, Shogun, Ninja and Anderson Silva.
Mendes is a relatively unknown fighter with a well-rounded game. He is making his Octagon debut which alone buckles many fighters.
Although the betting odds have Silva as a huge favorite, Mendes won't go out quietly. I feel this fight could have a lot of fireworks.
My pick: Silva by TKO, and violently. I think this could turn into a slugfest with a flash KO.
Wilson Gouveia (10-4) vs. Goran Reljic (7-0)
Wilson Gouveia trains with American Top Team and is a pretty good fighter, rattling off four straight wins after losing his UFC debut to Jardine.
Reljic a BJJ specialist, training at Gracie Barra in the UK. Five of his victories have come by way of submission, with one TKO and one unanimous decision.
My pick: Gouveia by decision. This could be a Jiu Jitsu chess match with not much excitement. But then again, it isn't over till it's over.
]]>
Ortiz's career has been filled with some great fights and some boring ones, but there is no denying that he was a major part of the UFC, and even in some of its dark times, the posterboy of the octagon.
He has a big fan base and is entertaining when on camera. I admit I thought he could be a little over-the-top at times, but gained a whole new level of respect for him after seeing him as a coach The Ultimate Fighter reality show and the behind-the-scenes shows that have shown what a dedicated athlete he is. He trains hard and has helped a lot of fighters with their training and advancement in the sport.
He became a clothing entrepeneur for his line of Punishment Athetics and has consistently been a top lightheavyweight contender and as even the champ for some time.
In a recent interview with mmaweekly.com, Tito Ortiz has touched on maybe the most touchy subject in professional sports, money.
It has long been said in the UFC that if you perfom and pack people in the arena seats and in front of televisions, the UFC rewards you handily.
But newer fighters and combatants that don't have the appeal whether it is their fighting style and/or personality, their pay reflects that.
Ortiz has long been at odds with the UFC execs over money and for a couple years, had reasons why not to fight Chuck Liddell. Whether the reason are valid or not, only he truly knows and the fans, media and MMA insiders will have their own opinions.
Ortiz has been good for the sport overall but I feel he went somewhat over the line in the recent interview, stating that "I think Randy Couture and Chuck Liddell should be thanking me from three years ago when I spoke out and they started getting paid more money, and I started making more money. That's what it's really about, focusing on fighters of the future, not just being paid low sums like some of the undercard guys are getting."
There is no doubt that he is true to MMA and martial arts, but three of his five losses are against those two fighters (2 KO's vs. Liddell, five-round decision loss to Couture). And there has been a fights of his that have been just boring. Liddell and Couture have much better resumes that Ortiz, they were gonna be fine.
I love MMA and will watch about any form of combat sport, but one thing I hate is stalling during fights. Or lay-and-pray is another term used for wrestlers that take fights down and basically control their opponents body for the match.
The level of competition over the last few years has increased drastically, and it has almost seemed like Tito hasn't. He is still a great athlete, fighter and coach, but for a while now with the exception of his target practice on Ken Shamrock's face, his ring appeal has diminished.
And with the UFC becoming more popular by the day, only the best fighters (That can work out deals with the UFC Fedor Emelianenko, Joachim Hansen, Gilbert Melendez, Takanori Gomi....................) will remain on their roster. It has recently been reported that they will cut 25 percent of people under contract, and many cuts have already been made.
So this seems sort of like a battle of attrition and that the Ortiz era is coming to an end with his last fight coming up against Lyoto Machida (more to come).
So from an MMA fan, good luck Tito and we hope to see your vicious ground-and-pound and takedowns return to form if not in the octagon, somewhere else.
]]>This is one of the more anticipated fight in recent memory. After dominating wrestling from the prep level through college and even in the WWE, Lesnar will be trying his hand at MMA at the highest level. He is 1-0 with his only MMA win coming against a sub-par opponent that he dominated.
He is big, fast and incredibly strong. He has desire and is training in Minnesota with the same camp as former UFC lightweight champ Sean Sherk. He has an impeccable amateur wrestling background. He was even the early betting favorite.
But is that enough?
Frank Mir was once considered a rising star and one of the best heavyweights in the world. He has knockout power combined with world-class Jiu-itsu.
He is 10-3 with impressive wins over some quality opponents. But he is 2-2 in his last four matches.
But what if Lesnar wins?
If he wins impressively or not and with his marketability, he puts himself on the fast-track to a title shot. His next fights would only become harder as he sheds his persona as a WWE wrestler and becomes a legitimate contender.
If Mir loses or does not win impressively, he takes on the burden of being the guy that lost to a professional wrestler. He might go back to fighting on untelevised matches.
In Japan, many athletes compete in professional wrestling and combat sports. But as we have seen recently, athletes that have tried their hand at MMA without much experience or training have been dealt with quickly.
So for Mir’s sake, end this fight quickly and decisively.
So for Lesnar’s sake. Pull off this victory and the sky is the limit.
My pick. Frank Mir by submission. Lesnar will be able to get the fight to the ground. But amateur wrestling and MMA grappling are different. Frank Mir is incredibly dangerous from his back and his Jiu-Jitsu will shine through.
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casey.meinberg@news-jrnl.com
Keep me posted on any locals competing in MMA and any combat sport. Also check out the Armory of Daytona for professional-style training run by MMA veteran Rich Crunkilton Jr. And the Code 3 Fight Club for training and MMA news.
]]>And although this is a matchup that would have best served the sport if it would have happened a few years ago, this is a prime example of "better late than never."
This fight was close to taking place in 2003, when Liddell was sent to Japan as the UFC representative to fight in a tournament in the now UFC-owned Pride Fighting Championship.
They each won their first fight in style with first round knock outs in August of that year. Liddell made quick work of kickboxer Alistair Overeem and Silva flattened Kazushi Sakuraba to advance to the semifinals of the competition set for November.
But it was not meant to be, as Liddell was TKO’d by Quinton Jackson. Silva was able to defeat Judo-expert Hidehiko Yoshida by a unanimous decision and then TKO’d Jackson for his second victory of the night and the tournament title.
Again a couple years later rumors of the fight began to swirl and they even had a staredown in the Octagon after a UFC promotion, only to have the deal squelched, this time on paper.
The reasons for the fight not taking place varied depending on which fighter or organization the story was told from. The main thing was that the match seemed to be lost.
But after years of speculation and failed negotiations, in the words of UFC ring announcer Bruce Buffer, “It’s time.”
There are more reasons than not that this battle should still take place.
Liddell and Silva are two of the most-explosive strikers in the history of MMA and have compiled very impressive wins, many of them devastating knock outs, over some of the most-talented fighters to ever grace the sport.
Both prefer to keep their fights standing, but have very contrasting styles.
Liddell is a counter-puncher and usually capitalizes on opponents chasing him, only to be put down with KO power that can come from any limb. He doesn’t waste a lot of energy or movement setting up shots or wearing down opponents. Liddell’s strikes are thrown with vengeance and meant to destroy.
Silva comes from the famed camp in Brazil known as Chute Box. For anyone that has never seen a fighter from this camp fight, it is truly a treat and has produced some of the best fighters in the sport.
Some past and present fighters include current UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva, Thiago Silva, Mauricio “Shogun” Rua and brother Murilo “Ninja” Rua.
It is quick and violent. These fighters go straight at an opponent, often times risking themselves with some wild and relentless striking. At times it can even look somewhat sloppy.
Both Silva and Liddell are also coming off back-to-back losses and with each losing a title during that run.
Jackson TKO’d Liddell in May to win the UFC light heavyweight title. Liddell was then upset by Keith Jardine in December by split decision.
Silva’s two losses came at the hands of Mirko “CroCop” Filipovic and Dan Henderson in Pride.
Filipovic KO’d Silva with one of his patented head kicks and Henderson won the Pride middleweight belt by KO’ing him with punches.
And if each fighter wanting to redeem himself after two consecutive losses and losing a belt isn’t enough to promise a war, a genuine dislike for each other and cementing their place in history as arguably the premier striker in this generation of fighters should get your blood pumping for this war.
So at UFC 79 on December 29, it will finally be settled.
Again a couple years later rumors of the fight began to swirl and they even had a staredown in the Octagon after a UFC promotion, only to have the deal squelched, this time on paper.
The reasons for the fight not taking place varied depending on which fighter or organization the story was told from. The main thing was that the match seemed to be lost.
But after years of speculation and failed negotiations, in the words of UFC ring announcer Bruce Buffer, “It’s time.”
There are more reasons than not that this battle should still take place.
Liddell and Silva are two of the most-explosive strikers in the history of MMA and have compiled very impressive wins, many of them devastating knock outs, over some of the most-talented fighters to ever grace the sport.
Both prefer to keep their fights standing, but have very contrasting styles.
Liddell is a counter-puncher and usually capitalizes on opponents chasing him, only to be put down with KO power that can come from any limb. He doesn’t waste a lot of energy or movement setting up shots or wearing down opponents. Liddell’s strikes are thrown with vengeance and meant to destroy.
Silva comes from the famed camp in Brazil known as Chute Box. For anyone that has never seen a fighter from this camp fight, it is truly a treat and has produced some of the best fighters in the sport.
Some past and present fighters include current UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva, Thiago Silva, Mauricio “Shogun” Rua and brother Murilo “Ninja” Rua.
It is quick and violent. These fighters go straight at an opponent, often times risking themselves with some wild and relentless striking. At times it can even look somewhat sloppy.
Both Silva and Liddell are also coming off back-to-back losses and with each losing a title during that run.
Jackson TKO’d Liddell in May to win the UFC light heavyweight title. Liddell was then upset by Keith Jardine in December by split decision.
Silva’s two losses came at the hands of Mirko “CroCop” Filipovic and Dan Henderson in Pride.
Filipovic KO’d Silva with one of his patented head kicks and Henderson won the Pride middleweight belt by KO’ing him with punches.
And if each fighter wanting to redeem himself after two consecutive losses and losing a belt isn’t enough to promise a war, a genuine dislike for each other and cementing their place in history as arguably the premier striker in this generation of fighters should get your blood pumping for this war.
So at UFC 79 on December 29, it will finally be settled.
casey.meinberg@news-jrnl.com
Also for other mixed martial arts news, opinions and podcasts, visit http://www.myspace.com/code3fightclub
]]>LITTLE GIANTS
At UFC’s Fight Night 10 alone, multiple fighters stood out as possible lightweight title contenders and the main event is already being talked about as the potential fight of the year. Lightweights Thiago Tavares, Gleison Tibau, and Fisher all made cases for themselves to take on current lightweight champion Sean Sherk, who will be defending his title against Hermes Franca at UFC 73 in July. And they are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to small talent.
The talent of lightweights is not relegated to just the UFC. The WEC’s (World Extreme Cagefighting, a company owned by the UFC) is home to one of the top pound-for-pound fighters in the world in Urijah Faber. The now in-limbo Pride Fighting Championships (Purchased by the UFC) cast of lightweights including Takanori Gomi, Joachim Hansen and Gilbert Melendez, who are all consistently ranked in the top ten.
Heck, even in our own community we have a lightweight title contender. New Smyrna Beach graduate Rich Crunkilton was set to fight Rob McCullough for the WEC’s lightweight title recently before McCullough pulled out with an injury.
So when you want to quench your MMA thirst, don’t overlook the little guys. These fighters are capable of the same highlight-reel knockouts and submissions as the big boys, but at a much faster pace.
Old sayings such as “Don’t judge a book by its cover” and “Good things come in small packages” are quite true when it comes to the world of MMA