Sweet Enlow

So the UFC has done a stellar job at branding themselves into the only MMA organization that really matters. Honestly, if you are involved in the sport, you only want to fight in the UFC. All other organizations are lacking in cash and, arguably more important, prestige.

Yet other organizations do have one component of their show that far surpasses the UFC in entertainment value – at least for me. That one component is the logistics of the walk-out.

In the UFC, the fighter comes out, usually from a tunnel, to music you can barely hear. Moreover, he walks through the crowd and is usually engulfed by them. If it wasn’t for the camera, one could very easily lose the fighter walking out. For example.

Now, other organizations, I think, do it right. They usually have an entrance ramp elevated above the rest of the crowd. The fighter appears from nowhere to be standing high above everyone else. All the light is on him and only him. No entourage or crew walking right behind him. It is all about that particular fighter at that particular moment. For me as a fighter who one day hopes to be in a major organization, this is what I would want.

I hope you enjoy the card this weekend. It is undoubtedly going to be a good one!

A friend and training partner, Trey Houston, is fighting this coming Friday for the combined XFL championship belt (between 185 and 205 lbs).

I wanted to advertise Trey as best I could.  He is a good guy and outstanding fighter, especially for being only 21. Moreover, he is an intelligent person – something that is often hard to find within the sport of MMA.  He will be in a higher organization – the UFC or Strikeforce – in a few years time…. this I guarantee.

Check out his website

www.treyhouston.com

Additionally, I have 10 tickets for sale that is 15% off the market price.  I will be going on Friday so please let me know if you interested in joining me!

You can call me or facebook me if you desire the tickets.

I havent posted UFC picks the last couple times out of sheer laziness.  Plus, I haven’t been involved as much as I should be with the sport because I have had difficulty training lately.  However, UFC 110 in its first ever showing in Australia has got some great fights that pose some interesting questions and a definite great card.

Nogueira v Valasquez

This is one of Dana’s best matchups in a while.  Nogueira is coming off arguably his most impressive showing of his illustrious career by dominating the great Randy Couture – incredible fight by the way.  Nogueira looked fresh, his stand-up very sharp, and as always his ground game is virtually unstoppable.  He has beaten everybody (except Fedor) and is without a doubt one of the toughest pound-for-pound fighters in the community.  Now, Valasquez is simply an animal.  He has some of the most impressive victories I have ever seen, particularly his smashing of Jake O’Brien who was supposed to be a real badass and (I think) beat Valasquez.  It looked like Roy Jones fighting an amateur.  In addition, Valasquez is becoming very technically sound.  Not only is he a great wrestler (multiple time all-american wrestler), his stand-up is becoming very, very good.  I feel it has already surpassed Nogueira.

Both fighters are incredible good, but if I had to pick I am taking Nogeuira and this is why: he has fought better wrestlers (Olympian Dan Henderson, Olympian Randy Couture) and beaten them soundly.  His jiu-jitsu is so good that it takes years of training to get to a point of neutralization, not just a couple months.  His hands arent as explosive as Valasquez, but they are good enough to force Valasquez to consider other options besides making it a Muay Thai match.  Valasquez doesn’t get tired, but I wouldnt be surprised with a late-round submission of Nogueira over Valasquez.  You can only fight off a BJJ guy like for so long before you get caught.

Silva v Bisping

Both fighters prefer to stand, but their approach is very different.  I really have trouble understanding how Silva has been so successful because his style seems to consist only of power, toughness, and bar room brawling.  He is just a good enough athlete to be successful I guess. Bisping seems to represent the UK trend in that he prefers to stand and is fairly technical.  We will see what happens, but I am guessing it will either be a Silva knockout or a Bisping decision.  honestly couldn’t call this one though…

Jardine v Bader

Ryan Bader is a nasty wrestler who is extremely explosive.  I have actually been pretty impressed with his BJJ as well.  His stand-up is not proven, but Jardine’s is.  Jardine may knock him out, or even gain a decision, but if Bader takes him down, which I think he will, Jardine is in for a long night.

Other fights are not really worth commenting – either I don’t know enough or they are boring .  Let me know what you think.

This is my second post picking UFC fights.  Last time I was 100% with my picks (Stevenson v Fisher is questionable as I was leaning slightly towards Fisher).  This post, however, is only going have the top three fights of the night because I do not really know anything about most of the undercard guys and, if I do, I am only knowledgeable about one of the fighters

Couture v Vera

Brandon Vera used to be one my favorite fighters.  He was a small heavyweight with great muay thai and he was finishing everybody.  His knock out over Frank Mir was one of the best I still have ever seen.  It was very clean, technical, and violent.  However, no one can ever count Randy out, including it seems “father time.”   I think Vera’s style match-up is good for Randy and Randy will easily control the ring, something in which I call ring posture (Ring Posture is something I made up entirely.  I formed the term in order to place a broad description on who decides where the fight goes i.e. stays standing, goes to the ground etc…)  If there is a clinch, one might expect the muay thai guy (Vera) to be dangerous, but Randy’s dirty boxing  is likely the second best in the game, behind BJ Penn’s, and is highly highly effective.  However, if it goes to a clinch, which with Randy it undoubtedly will, Randy will get the take down and pound out Vera.  Vera’s only chance I feel is a big kick or great combination landed from a distance.  Randy has been knocked out a bunch now in his career so he is more susceptible.  Nevertheless,  Randy in the first or second round by TKO (ground ‘n pound). 

Bisping v Kang

This is a very interesting fight between two very good fighters.  The last time I saw Kang fight, though he lost, he was very impressive.  Bisping is good, and good at not getting taken down, so he may win, but I am predicting Kang to control the ring and determine where the fight goes.  Kang by decision

Swick v Hardy

Again, both guys are tough, but Swick is always impressive.  He trains out of a great camp and is always ready to fight.  Additionally, I just tend to like him as a guy.  Dan Hardy is tough, but I have not seen him fight enough to be entirely aware of his game.  His record is very good at 22-6, but he is from England so I imagine the competition is a little weaker.  Either way, he did edge Marcus Davis in a split decision.  No matter, I am pretty confident in Swick taking the victory.  I can not predict how, but I wouldn’t be surprised if it wasn’t by a “Swickatine.”

In my opinion, Mixed Martial Arts is the best sport in world.  What is not my opinion is that it is the fastest growing sport in world.  If the money starts getting more substanital, as in the millions consistently, I am predicting that the market will see a slow shift of elite athletes that will at least consider MMA as opposed to basketball or football – definitely boxing.  That being said, I take a serious interest in each UFC held and I find it very entertaining to pick the winners (although I can’t gamble).  I tend to be accurate in my selections with Chuck Liddell’s loss to Shogun a few months back being the biggest surprise to my picks lately.

For UFC 104 we have some interesting bouts ( I am only commenting on the fights guaranteed to be broadcast).  I listed how I felt about my predictions in parentheses.  I usually win my “strong” picks:

Lyoto “The Dragon” Machida Vs. Mauricio “Shogun” Rua (Strong)

Shogun has a great record, but he has looked like trash his last couple of fights…including his fight against Chuck.  He just happened to look a tad better than Chuck who is, unfortunately, likely in the end of his career.  Catching someone with a “big shot” and completely knocking them out does not provide a true testament of “being back” as some would like to claim with Shogun.  That being said, Machida continues to surprise me.  He probably shouldn’t suprise me, but he does.  I use to think his style was kind of annoying and a part of me still feels that way, but regardless of how I feel, its highly effective.  In addition to his diffcult style, the guy is highly explosive.  Going through Thiago Silva relatively easily and then TKO’ing Rashad Evans was incredibly impressive.  For this, I am picking Machida with a late 1st or early 2nd round TKO.

Cain Velasquez Vs. Ben Rothwell (Strong)

I have seen Rothwell fight a number of times and he is a tough guy – no doubt about it.  Lots of experience with 36 fights and I am pretty sure he was IFL champion (don’t quote me on this).  Unfortunately for Rothwell, Velasquez is nasty.  Velasquez was an All-American wrestler at Arizona State and he now trains at A.K.A. in San Jose (this is a great camp under Beunotello with the likes of Koschek and Fitch repping the gym).  In addition, Velasquez’s all-around game, particularly his stand-up has dramatically improved.  So much so that in his last fight some of my friends (who dont really watch the sport) were asking if he was a striker originally.  Rothwell may take Velasquez the distance, but I highly doubt it.  Ground and Pound TKO by Velasquez in the 2nd or 3rd.

Gleison Tibau Vs. Josh Neer (Strong) 

Without a doubt the most interesting fight of the evening.  Tibau I think may be one of the most underrated fighters in the game.  He is a great brazilian wrestler in addition to his solid jiu-jitsu.  Also, he is massive.  I heard Joe Rogan say he walks at something like 185 and cuts to 155.  However, I can never discount Neer who is also a large 55′er.  I expect this fight to be highly dynamic, but I feel Tibau is going to come out on top.  I am not 100% sure on the definite outcome, but I feel Tibau will win. Tibau by decision.

  Joe Stevenson Vs. Spencer Fisher (Moderate)

Two extremely tough 155 guys.  I don’t really like Fisher because he knocked out my guy Matt Wiman with a highlight flying knee, but he is tough.  He has beaten some real notable fighters including a much bigger Thiago Alves with a beautiful triangle.  I think his standpoint is better than Stevensons, but I am pretty sure Stevenson will dominate the ground – especially with his absurd “arm-in guillotine.”  If I had to pick, I would say Fisher by decision barring he doesn’t get taken down and pounded out.

Anthony Johnson Vs. Yoshiyuki Yoshida (Strong)

Anthony Johnson is a definite up-and-comer in the sport: Incredible athlete, highly explosive, and a decorated wrestler in college.  He poses serious problems for opponents at 170 because he is tall at 6’2 and has a long reach of 76′ inches.  He does a good job of determining the range in the stand-up and then poses maybe even more of a significant problem in his ability to wrestle.  However, though I have never seen Yoshida fight, I read a little about him and he is impressive.  Judo National Champion and member of the Olympic team.  14 fights with 11 victories.  Judo guys can give traditional fighters like Johnson some problems with funky throws.  If Yoshida can complete one of these and place Johnson on his back, he can win; however, I do not think that is going to happen.  I would not be surprised is Johnson TKO’ed Yoshida, but Japanese fighters I find are difficult to finish… maybe a cultural thing.  Johnson by decision.

I just wanted to take a quick second and ask some questions about the lack of respect the academy’s grappling/MMA is getting…

I am essentially the assistant team captain, the robin to the batman so to speak, so I feel slightly offended, but I feel I know what I am talking about within the sport so listen…

My team competed last weekend in a huge east coast tournament run by Grappler’s Quest (I wasn’t able to go bc of some unforeseen events to take place): a highly touted event with many skilled competitors no doubt.  Here are the results

16 competitors, many for the first time… 13 medals.  My fellow captain Travis spent his third tourney in a row literally wrecking the competition in the intermediate welterweight and absolute divisions taking 1^st and 2^nd respectively.  A freshman who competed in his first tourney took 3^rd at intermediate.  (Intermediate division is essentially where low level pros and highly touted amateurs compete… it is a tough division, particularly in the northeast).  These two are only but a few… I could list them all, but that’s not the point of this post…

I do not understand the lack of respect we get as a team.  1^st, we win decisively and, maybe more importantly, we win publicly.  The tournament’s administrators always go nuts over us as a team.  Their actions prove we are a great representation of our institution.  2^nd, the sport is the fastest growing sport in the world and without a doubt the best sport to recruit future soldiers.  These two factors alone should allow us to practice every day and be excused from other mandatory events, but it’s not.  This isn’t a critique of my administration, but I am just wondering why they are not acknowledging the validity of the sport. 

Either way, I wanted to publicly congratulate my team on another great showing

O, by the way, because of our restrictions, we are dominating other people/professional schools and we only practice twice a week… pretty telling of our potential