I posted a while back about the Monday night game in New England. I'm going, as a Jets fan, with two friends. I fully expect to be ridiculed, have stuff thrown at me, and feel unsafe the entire game. None of us realized this would be SUCH an important game when we bought the tickets. I've never been to a football game as a visiting fan. I look forward to the excitement.

We'd like to get there early and tailgate. Wondering if anyone else is planning on attending and if they'd like to join us in the parking lot. To sweeten the deal, the head tailgater in our crew is a graduate of the French Culinary Institute here in Manhattan.

Maybe we can film some of it and post it on the website later that week.

Continue reading this post »

Ever been to Foxboro? After I talked a bunch of smack about wanting to go to the Jets/Pats Monday night game in Foxboro....and about how I wasn't afraid of Pats fans, my brother stepped up and bought me a few tix for my birthday. Haha. I'm psyched at the opportunity, of course. 

That being said....I was at an Eagles/Giants game in Philly about 3 years ago and witnessed a dude in a Jeremy Shockey Giants jersey get smacked in the head with a beer bottle in the parking lot.

Should I bring my own bottles.....or should I just bring my Mangold jersey and a smile?

GAME OF THE WEEK

Continue reading this post »

I am a longtime NJ Nets fan, and newcomer to this site. It's been a tough year and I've been looking forward to free agency reigniting my interest in this team.

Continue reading this post »

Does anyone know if the confidentiality agreements that were signed regarding the Ultimate Fighter had the UFC bound to the rules of Spike TV? I haven't read anything about that.

Maybe the UFC, legally, had to keep their mouths shut. Granted, they didn't have to make up rumors.....but just wondering about their obligations. I know TUF is filmed by the UFC and promoted by the UFC, but they obviously have obligations to Spike TV.

If a website broke a story about who won a season of Survivor, could the independent production company responsible for filming the show comment on the validity of the story...without being sued by CBS?

I wanted to post this in the comments section of the Dana White / Vince McMahon article but was afraid it would get lost in the shuffle. A lot of angry people seem to be posting over there.

"WAIT A MINUTE, WAIT A MINUTE. DOC, ARE YOU TELLING ME THAT YOU BUILT A TIME MACHINE...OUT OF A FLORIAN?"
The response that was uttered by Takanori Gomi during his contract meetings with the UFC brass. Dana White, during negotiations, assured Gomi that the key to proving to the world that he could still fight like a lightweight Pride poster boy...was a win against UFC Superstar Kenny Florian. Excited with the opportunity to recapture the fame he enjoyed about ten years ago, Gomi eagerly signed a UFC contract.

"Just making shit even more exciting...Get ready; Gomi's back," a chipper Dana informed the masses on his video blog for UFC 108.

WHAT'S THE STORY, TAKANORI?
"Knockout in the first round," A prideful Gomi explained to Japanese MMA Magazine Kamipro.com yesterday morning when asked how he plans to end Florian's evening after a long training camp.

EBBS AND KEN-FLOWS
When the fight began, Ken Florian had no trouble proving to the viewing public that moving back and forth with a lightning quick jab is a great tool to use against a shorter, slower opponent who, despite the potential and the pre-fight hype, seems like all the rumors are true-- the "Fireball Kid," the only lightweight in the world who knows how to punch like a heavyweight....is only a shell of his former self.

"GOMI WHERE THE PAMPERS IS"
The response that was uttered by a defeated Takanori Gomi after he noticed the smirk on the cage-side faces of the Fertittas and Dana White-- who were satisfied that another home grown UFC superstar humiliated a former #1 ranked Pride opponent. This win by Florian, coupled with Forest's win against Shogun, however, did little to ease the sting of being hustled out of $70 million dollars for an archive of MMA video tape. (Video tape, I might add, that lacks a Fedor loss.)

Continue reading this post »

The following rumors are completely unsubstantiated. They are not based on any tangible proof. Please do not ask me to source this material....because I don't have any sources.

1. When a member of his team starts complaining during practice that the house is filled with dirty dishes, Chuck Liddell decides to do the team a favor. Late one night, Chuck stuffs Antonio Banuelos into a gym bag and leaves him on the front step of the house. He posts a note on top of the bag that reads, "A Gift for my Team. Antonio will clean up after you. He will cook you dinner. If you are really nice to him, he will paint your toenails. But be warned! Do not shoot a naked Reebok Zigtec work-out video without him because it will really hurt his feelings."
   
   
2. Tito Ortiz enlists the help of comedian Carlos Mencia to help explain the value of self-promotion to his fighters. Mencia offers the following words of advice, "It doesn't matter if what you say is true. What matters is, if you say something ridiculous enough times, people won't always believe you, but believe me, they will talk about you!"
   
   When Carlos finished his speech, Tito offered the following response, "Thanks Carlos. You are the greatest comedian in the world. And I am the greatest fighter in the world. Actually, I'm in the best shape of my life. My knee is at full strength, my back is fully healed, my skull is intact, and my neck is the strongest it's ever been. In fact, my neck is like steel rebar."
   
   
3. Tito Ortiz, after episode three, seriously hurts his neck and has to leave the show. He is replaced by Rich Franklin.
   
   When a member of his team starts complaining during practice that the house has been trashed, Rich Franklin decides to do the team a favor. Late one night, Franklin stuffs Jorge Gurgel into a gym bag and leaves him on the front step of the house. He posts a note on top of the bag that reads, "A Gift for my Team. Jorge will clean up after you. He will sing your praises. If you are really nice to him, he will show you how to shave those cool lines into your eyebrows. But be warned! Do not challenge him to a jiu-jitsu match because he will refuse to engage and will punch you in your face."

FROZE LIKE FRANK MIR IN THE HEADLIGHTS: A complete lack of action when smothered against the cage by a stronger, tougher opponent...coupled with a look of impending doom in your eyes, that says, "Maybe, during training, I should've focused more on my current opponent...."

CARWIN'S THEORY OF EVOLUTION: Proof that 40 pounds of added weight room muscle does little to stop the same amount of functional muscle that has been amassed by a lifetime of wrestling and football.

BROCK-A-DOODLE-DO: When you realize that your future opponent, who comes and greets you in the cage after your stellar performance, is taller, wider, stronger, and more intimidating than you ever imagined. You wish you had realized this before you spent the better part of a year calling him names on Twitter.

More after the jump.

Continue reading this post »

Before I begin, I would like to applaud Ben Saunders for jumping into the fire against Jon Fitch following Thiago Alves's removal. (And here's wishing Thiago, one of the best in the game, a quick return to health.) Believe it or not, Saunders actually called up Dana White and requested this fight. (Granted, I am not a professional fighter, but requesting a fight against #2 ranked fighter in the world Jon Fitch sounds like something out of Silence of the Lambs.) Ben Saunders has the balls (or heart) of a lion and I would like to wish him the best of luck.

Because he will certainly need it.

Alves and Saunders both train at ATT under Ricardio Liborio and were both preparing for fights at UFC 111. I would imagine that Saunders had knowledge of whatever game plan ATT had prepared for Alves and vice versa. That being said, although Saunders and Alves do not share the same physical or technical attributes (to put it mildly), Saunders might be more prepared than the average UFC fighter for Jon Fitch.

But is that enough? How does someone prepare for a fighter like Jon Fitch? Jon Fitch is a black belt in jiu jitsu, a former DI college wrestler, and, to put it lightly, a tough, tough, tough son of a bitch. He is known as a fighter who has an extraterrestrial ability to remain conscious when his opponents sink submissions. He was able to remain calm when black belt Paulo Thiago wrapped him up in a first round guillotine during their fight at UFC 100, and he was able to remain calm (and even offered the crowd a "thumbs-up") when Diego Sanchez did the same during the third round of their fight at UFC 76. 

Like many wrestlers, John Fitch is primarily a positional fighter. His game plan is pretty much the same for every opponent. He out-cardios and out-points his opponents by taking them down, grinding them with knuckles and elbows, avoids getting submitted, and looks for submissions from the top position. Position fighting and earning points is really his strong suit-- his ground and pound game is hardly brutal and he has not finished an opponent since 2007 (his first fight with Thiago Alves, ironically). He's excellent at breaking his opponent's spirit, destroying their motivation, and making them look like the lesser fighter. He is a grinder and a winner, but he is not flashy.

Ben Saunders is a young TUF alum who lost to UFC cast-off Tommy Speer during the show's semi-finals. Viewers probably remember him consistently sleeping late and complaining that no one woke him up. He also had a memorable scrap with Dan Barrera.

Unlike Fitch, Saunders comes from a striking background, learning Bruce Lee's Jeet Kune Do concepts at an early age. He is a brown belt in BJJ under Ricardo Liborio and has finished 7 out of his 11 opponents with a combination of both submissions and strikes. His most memorable fights were his last two victories (against Kyle Bradley and Marcus Davis), where he did his best Anderson Silva imitation and battered his opponents with blunt knees and adhesive clinch work.

Muay Thai suits Saunders' lengthy frame very well. He is a very large welter weight (6'3" compared to the also large 6'1" Fitch), and can move laterally with great speed and ability. The problem he is likely to encounter against Fitch, and most fighters, is wrestling ability. Fitch's core strength and ability to change levels will not allow him to get battered so easily in the clinch. Likewise, his positional strength will enable him to move freely inside of Saunders' guard. All in all, it looks to be a very long night for Saunders.

GSP was able to defeat Fitch (and he was the only fighter to do so) because, truthfully, he has a superior skill set. He was able to use his better striking to keep Fitch off balance. GSP then took him to the floor with his better take downs, where he could beat the hell out of him with his better ground and pound. Saunders, however, is not GSP (in case anyone was confused), and will not have those luxuries.

Saunders' best bet is to keep Fitch at a distance with his front kicks and his jab, which is much easier said than done. He's not going to be able to take Fitch down, submit him, or out muscle him in the clinch. To avoid being Fitch-Slapped inside the guard, he will have to out-slick the more physical, positional wrestler.

All in all, I just don't see how it is possible, but I respect his heart. 

Anyone have any ideas?

On the undercard this weekend at UFC 111, UFC newcomer Greg Soto steps into the octagon to trade punches with TUF 7 alum Matthew Riddle. I know what you're asking yourself.

Who cares?

Well, that's a good question. The fight is on the undercard. No one, save for the 5,000 or so live viewers in attendance for the prelims, will even watch this fight. So why would the casual (or the hardcore) viewer find this fight interesting?

Viewers should find this fight interesting because the UFC seems to have taken a liking to Matthew Riddle. Despite his softball UFC resume, Matthew Riddle seems to have a unique opportunity in the world of MMA-- the opportunity to stick around for a long time.

So who is Matthew Riddle?

Riddle is primarily known to UFC fans as the goofy youngster with the toothy grin from the Ultimate Fighter 7. During the run of the show, he brutally smashed a fighter's jaw in two places (scary), proudly revealed that he lives at home and relies on his mother for rides (different kind of scary), lost a fight to Tim Credeur via armbar, and (after the show) moved to Arizona to become training partners with bff and in-house egomaniac CB Dolloway.

Riddle, or "Chipper," as Coach Rampage called him because of his constant smile, seemed to be a fan favorite despite losing very early in the season. He is 24 years old, has an enormous personality, and kind of looks like an abercrombie model (no homo). On top of that, he is a former NY state high school wrestling champ (a very big deal) and a jiu-jitsu purple belt. The UFC views Riddle as a big prospect, big enough that they have rewarded him with his fifth fight.

His opponent, Greg Soto, is an undefeated NJ local boy who was picked as a replacement for Ricardo Funch. This is his first appearance in the Octagon. He is a brown belt in jiu jitsu under Jersey Shore product Kurt Pelligrino. Soto is rumored to have pretty slick submissions. I have posted a clip of one of his 7 smaller-promotion victories.

In this above video against Shawn Foreman (Round 1, ROC 23), Soto immediately shoots a double leg and leaves his neck out. This is a rookie mistake. And, as a result, he is threatened with a guillotine. Then, while working from his guard, he uses an omoplata to sweep his opponent to his back and reverse positions. This is a slick jiu jitsu sweep, but will probably prove ineffective against a much bigger, technical wrestler like Matthew Riddle. It's a safe bet that Riddle's wrestling ability can defeat whatever Goto can offer.

Dana White once said that wrestling is the most important "base" that an MMA fighter can have. And it seems like the UFC brass sticks to this proverb when promoting new fighters. Nobody trains for success or detests failure like an elite wrestler. And, truth be told, it usually works. (But I'll save that theory for another post.) And that's how Riddle will probably win this fight. Wrestling. Either grinding Soto with elbows and punches on the ground or using his sprawl to keep the fight standing and use his very heavy hands to knock Soto back to the Jersey Shore. Riddle is too big and too physical to lose to Greg Soto.

Riddle has been working with an elite MMA gym for about two years. Before that, he was sparring in his friend's parents' backyard gazebo and learning jiu jitsu from the book "MMA for Dummies." 

Giving Matthew Riddle cage experience can only benefit both parties. Riddle has looked young in his decision victories against Dan Kramer and Steve Bruno, and lost his last his last fight to Nick Osipczak via brutal TKO. His clinch skills are very good, his takedown defense is also good, and his hands/punches are very heavy. If he continues to work on his standup game and his dirty boxing, the future is very bright for this kid.

And the UFC is banking on that bright future.

originally published on: octagonbeatdown.com