SB Nation User Blog: E. Spencer Kyte

A 46-Year-Old Rookie

E. Spencer Kyte — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 20:03:59 -0000

Strikeforce: Evolution takes the stage on Saturday, but in my latest effort from Heavy.com, it's the January show tentatively scheduled for Miami that has my interest. Specifically, the debut of 46-year-old former football star Herschel Walker.

There is no denying that the former Heisman Trophy winner, Pro Bowler and two-time Superstars champion (remember Superstars on ABC?) was and still is a tremendous athlete, but one question I can't get out of my head is this:

I just wonder if people would be as quick to accept a 46-year-old Tae Kwon Do black belt with zero experience stepping into the cage if his name wasn’t Herschel Walker.

There is a lot more to it than that - obviously - and I think just about every angle is covered, from his training program with Bob Cook at American Kickboxing Academy to being the same age as Randy Couture.

Herschel Walker is coming to Mixed Martial Arts.

How it turns out is still to be determined.

Herschel Walker: The 46-Year-Old Rookie

E. Spencer Kyte — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 19:49:00 -0000

I just wonder if people would be as quick to accept a 46-year-old Tae Kwon Do black belt with zero experience stepping into the cage if his name wasn’t Herschel Walker.

Herschel Walker is coming to Mixed Martial Arts.

How it will all turn out is still up for debate.

My Christmas Wishlist - The MMA Edition

E. Spencer Kyte — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 17:38:17 -0000

Since today is my wife's birthday (Happy Birthday Sarah!), it means we have just ten days left until Christmas.

While I've circulated my list of desired presents to the people who need it, I'm sharing my MMA Wishlist with everyone at heavy.com. Instead of asking for a bunch of things that benefit me directly, I've gone with a more universal list this year, getting an early jump on my New Year's Resolution to be less selfish.

For instance:

1. A Healthy Return for Georges St-Pierre, Anderson Silva and Brock Lesnar

Three of the five UFC champions are currently dealing with varying degrees of illness and injury, and a healthy return for this trio of talents is vital for the organization and the sport.

There really is a silver lining to every cloud.

While we’ve been faced with somewhat lacklustre cards and uninspiring main events lately and in the next couple of months, we’ve forged ahead since August without any of these three champions. Eventually, they will return and those star-studded cards with championship main events we’ve grown accustomed to will come back with them.

Get well soon – these and all the injured fighters out there.

In addition to checking out the rest of my wishlist, we want to know what you're wishing for from the world of Mixed Martial Arts this holiday season.

Better judging?

An Alistair Overeem title defense?

UFC on Network TV?

Let us know... and happy holidays!

2010: A Year Without A Title Change?

E. Spencer Kyte — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 19:14:18 -0000

After watching BJ Penn dominate another "toughest challenge yet" on Saturday night, it became undeniable that "The Prodigy" is without equal in the UFC Lightweight division, and that doesn't look as if it will change any time soon.

Penn's position at 155 pounds is similar to those of arch enemy Georges St-Pierre at welterweight and Anderson Silva at middleweight, where the champions sit atop divisions they have effectively cleaned out of contenders.

With 60% of the UFC titles in the hands of truly dominant forces, my latest article at heavy.com follows the course of the titular question above from the perspective of both the UFC and the fans.

For the UFC:

Despite the hard sell the UFC consistently and understandably delivers with each instalment of the UFC Countdown series, they are starting to feel a little disingenuous and there is little the company can do to remedy things.

Though there is always the possibility of a Matt Serra-type upset, the hype and praise heaped onto Sanchez felt forced before hand, and looks worse in the wake of Saturday’s destruction at the hands of BJ Penn.

For the Fans:

As fans, the situation is a Catch-22: while we’re getting to watch some of the best fighters in the history of the sport dominate their respective divisions, the title fights we normally turn to for suspense and intrigue are becoming foregone conclusions.

Ultimately, the real question that needs answering may not be whether or not a title will change hands in 2010, but how fight fans would feel about such a situation?

Could 2010 Be A Year Without A Title Change?

E. Spencer Kyte — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 19:04:33 -0000

With 60% of the UFC titles in the hands of truly dominant forces, my latest article at heavy.com follows the course of the titular question above from the perspective of both the UFC and the fans.

For the UFC:

Despite the hard sell the UFC consistently and understandably delivers with each instalment of the UFC Countdown series, they are starting to feel a little disingenuous and there is little the company can do to remedy things.

Though there is always the possibility of a Matt Serra-type upset, the hype and praise heaped onto Sanchez felt forced before hand, and looks worse in the wake of Saturday’s destruction at the hands of BJ Penn.

For the Fans:

As fans, the situation is a Catch-22: while we’re getting to watch some of the best fighters in the history of the sport dominate their respective divisions, the title fights we normally turn to for suspense and intrigue are becoming foregone conclusions.

Ultimately, the real question that needs answering may not be whether or not a title will change hands in 2010, but how fight fans would feel about such a situation?

UFC 107 Preview: BJ Penn vs. Diego Sanchez

E. Spencer Kyte — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 17:39:27 -0000

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UFC Lightweight Champion "The Prodigy" BJ Penn (14-5-1, 10-4-1 UFC) vs. Diego "Nightmare" Sanchez (23-2-0, 10-2-0)

The Story So Far

After just two wins in the UFC Lightweight Division, "The Other Original Ultimate Fighter" Diego Sanchez gets an express trip to a title shot against BJ Penn.

All the standard promotional lines and angles that apply each time BJ Penn defends his title are being rolled out for this fight as well.

Sanchez will push the pace, test his cardio, and is the most serious threat to take Penn's belt that he's faced thus far, just as Kenny Florian and Sean Sherk were before him.

Conventional Wisdom

Everything being said about Diego Sanchez leading up to this fight is true.

He has outstanding cardio and belief in his abilities, a great wrestling base and ever-improving jiu jitsu under Saulo Ribeiro. Fighting at lightweight is probably a better fit for him than competing at welterweight and he's looked great in his two outings at 155.

While the torch always has to be passed at some point, BJ Penn doesn't seem very interested in making any hand-offs just yet.

For all the knocks on his conditioning over his career, Penn has never had a problem when fighting at his natural weight. He looked as fresh in the fourth round against Kenny Florian as he did when they met in the center of the cage to begin the fight, and has brought his new conditioning guru Marv Marinovich with him to Hilo in preparation for this fight.

WKR Analysis

Diego Sanchez hails from somewhere a little south of normal. All the confirmation you need can be found by watching "The Yes Cartwheel."

But if it feels like we've heard all the reasons Sanchez will be a very difficult challenge for the reigning and defending lightweight champion, it's because we have.

Kenny Florian was supposed to push the pace and wear Penn down, but just the opposite happened. It was Florian who rank out of stem, while Penn looked just a fresh finishing him off in Round 4 as he did when they stood eyeball-to-eyeball and didn't touch gloves.

As relentless as Sanchez certainly is, he failed to put away Clay Guida in their epic brawl earlier this year and went to the cards with Joe Stevenson in his lightweight debut. Finishing Guida is no easy task, but while Sanchez couldn't put away Stevenson in their boxing match at UFC 95, Penn left him a bloody and beaten mess en route to claiming the title he defends for a third time Saturday.

Additionally, Sanchez' toughest tests to date are losses to Jon Fitch and Josh Koscheck, as well as wins at 170 over Nick Diaz, Karo "Painkiller" Parisyan (too soon?) and Joe Riggs.

BJ Penn has held titles in two divisions, fought the likes of Matt Hughes, Georges St-Pierre and Lyoto Machida, and has beaten everyone who has ever stood across from him at 155 pounds.

Fun Facts

These two should actually have a close bond thanks to Georges St-Pierre.

Clearly Penn's arch enemy, the Canadian welterweight champion is also the reason Sanchez ended up parting company with former training Greg Jackson, leaving his hometown camp for San Diego when it became apparent that GSP was the welterweight in Albuquerque who was getting the stronger push.

Poll

Who Will Win?

UFC 107 Preview: Paul Buentello vs. Stefan Struve

E. Spencer Kyte — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 17:07:04 -0000

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Paul "The Headhunter" Buentello (24-10-0, 3-1 UFC) vs. "The Skyscraper" Stefan Struve (18-3-0, 2-1 UFC)

The Story So Far

Re-signed by the UFC when Affliction closed their doors, Buentello was originally slated to meet mammoth prospect Todd Duffee, but an injury forced the knockout record holder to withdraw.

Fresh off a second consecutive submission win, the young and improving Struve stepped in right away and takes a serious step up in talent.

An interesting wrinkle developed earlier in the week when it became known that Buentello had been suspended from training at American Kickboxing Academy for going outside the AKA ranks for representation. Though I can't be certain, something tells me that getting barred from your long-time gym in the week before your fight isn't very helpful.

Conventional Wisdom

This fight offers one of the classic pairings in sport - the veteran versus the up-and-comer.

Buentello has been around the block a time or two, once challenging Andrei Arlovski for the UFC Heavyweight title (UFC 55), though he didn't last very long. He was also the man who lost to Alistair Overeem when the Dutchmen claimed the Strikeforce Heavyweight belt he has yet to defend.

Across the cage will be a 21-year-old prospect who has shown some promise since being led to the slaughter in his debut against Junior "Cigano" dos Santos at UFC 95. Struve battled through a nasty cut to choke out Denis Stojnic at UFC 99 in Germany and disposed of Chase Gormley inside the fight round en route to earning Submission of the Night honors at UFC 104.

In addition to being a veteran versus upstart battle, this fight looks like it comes down to who dictates where the fight takes place, as Buentello will look to keep it on the feet, while the long and lanky Struve will work to bring the fight to the floor.

WKR Analysis

As bad a matchup as I thought Todd Duffee was for the returning Buentello, this one might actually be worse.

With Duffee, chances are it would have stayed standing, giving "The Headhunter" ample opportunity to do just that while trying to stay out of Duffee's considerable wheelhouse. As well, losing to a guy many quickly (and certainly unnecessarily) thrust future greatness upon after his impressive debut wouldn't be so bad.

But now he faces a kid who has received far less hype and presents an even more uncomfortable pairing, as we've seen the fluidity Struve possesses on the ground with his submission game. And let's not forget the massive nine inch height advantage that will certainly help keep Buentello at bay.

The key for Struve will be establishing his range early. In his fight with dos Santos, the young Dutch fighter was overwhelmed by his Brazilian opponent, as "Cigano" bullied his way inside before unleashing a barrage of punches that ended Struve's night quickly.

If he can keep Buentello outside and bring the fight to the ground, Struve could have a a third straight win on his resume.

Fun Fact

Despite being relatively well-known, Paul Buentello has never beaten anyone of consequence. Seriously. His three best wins are "Mini Fedor" Kiril Sidelnikov, Tank Abbott and Justin Eilers. How unimpressive is that?

Poll

Who Will Win?

Where Do You Rank BJ Penn Amongst the Best Ever?

E. Spencer Kyte — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 01:26:26 -0000

Over at Heavy.com, E. Spencer Kyte tosses BJ Penn's name into the discussion of the best ever in advance of his UFC 107 title defense against Diego Sanchez.

As much as it pains me to say this, B.J. Penn might be the best ever.

Before my fellow Canadians begin cursing me en francais and demanding I be deported, and MMA fans the world over start shouting about their favorite fighter and some of the legends of days gone by, hear me out.

And remember, I said might be...

Love him or hate him, Penn's accomplishments in the sport are numerous, and they are well-detailed in the piece. Kyte offers up a great deal of respect for "The Prodigy's" numerous fights outside of his 155-pound comfort zone, while leaving the ultimate decision a personal one:

While the results haven’t always been favourable, few fighters have even shown the willingness to risk a loss for the sake of a challenge and that is part of what makes BJ Penn so special.

Whether that makes him the best ever is for you to decide.

Let the debating begin...

Poll

Where Does BJ Penn Rank All-Time?

Numero Uno

42 votes

Top 3

122 votes

Top 5

162 votes

Top 10

92 votes

Top 20

26 votes

444 votes | Poll has closed

Even the most ardent BJ Penn detractors out there (and there are plenty) can admit that the man...

E. Spencer Kyte — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 01:22:23 -0000

Even the most ardent BJ Penn detractors out there (and there are plenty) can admit that the man known as "The Prodigy" is the best lightweight on the planet and one of the pound-for-pound greats in the sport.

But where does he rank in the list of all-time greats?

As much as it pains me to say this, B.J. Penn might be the best ever.

WKR's E. Spencer Kyte's latest offering focuses on BJ Penn's place in the history books.

Stephen Quadros Wants GSP - Tyron Woodley in One Year

E. Spencer Kyte — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 23:26:45 -0000

Earlier this week, Heavy.com & Watch Kalib Run's E. Spencer Kyte sat down with former Pride and current Strikeforce broadcaster Stephen Quadros.

In addition to confirming that "87.123666 % of Chuck Norris Facts are undisputed and true, [while] the others are also true under the right lighting," the man commonly known as "The Fight Professor" offered up an interesting series of answers to Kyte's patented matchmaker question:

Heavy.com: If you could play matchmaker for one day, regardless of organizational ties or anything like that, what three fights would you make and why?

Stephen Quadros: Anderson Silva vs. Gegard Mousasi, BJ Penn vs. Jose Aldo, Georges St. Pierre vs. Tyron Woodley one year from now.

Quadros is the first person not to say Anderson Silva vs. Georges St-Pierre, and while the matchups for both Silva and BJ Penn are interesting, the most intriguing answer is the high praise earned by Qaudros' selection as the best prospect in the game, Tyron Woodley.

Now that we've got you interested, feel free to surf on over to Heavy.com to check out the rest of the interview.