SB Nation User Blog: Kid Nate

Is Michael Bisping Championship Material?

Kid Nate — Wed, 15 Oct 2008 12:47:55 -0000

"Mat" at Setanta Sports asks the question:

The question is: Does Michael have what it takes to beat "The Spider" if he gets past Henderson?
I have to say I think not. Silva is by far the best fighter in The UFC at the moment.
...
I do believe though that if anyone can do it, it is Michael. Why? Because his work rate since he dropped down to 185 is fantastic. He does not stop. This guy could outrun a Duracell bunny!

I think Michael Bisping will have to temporarily settle for becoming the best of the rest. I’m not sure many people will be able to beat Michael but I just can’t see him getting past The Spider. I can’t see anyone getting past The Spider!
The good news for Bisping is…if Silva continues fighting the way he is I can’t see him staying at 185.
...
So to address my original question: WILL MICHAEL BISPING EVER BE MIDDLEWEIGHT CHAMPION? The answer? Yes, but not while Anderson Silva holds the title.

I'm tempted to cut the guy some slack since he's working for the British cable company that broadcasts the UFC in the UK.

But let's just say I'm far from convinced Bisping has the skill set and power to get past Chris "Gatekeeper" Leben. Much less Dan Henderson. Much less Nate Marquardt. Much less Demian Maia. Much less Paulo Filho. Much less Rich Franklin.

Quote of the Day: Tyson Griffin Talks Nick and Nate Diaz

Kid Nate — Tue, 14 Oct 2008 20:38:55 -0000

I don’t have any feelings or at least any hard feelings towards Nick Diaz. But I decided to make the move out here (and) it was David Terrell who decided to bring me out here in the first place so I can’t really say I jumped to anything because I tried to have a relationship with both gyms and Dave wasn’t for it and that’s not my problem. I want to be the best fighter that I can be and this is where I can be the best fighter.

Sam Caplan: Nick Diaz fights for EliteXC so that’s a fight that can’t happen. Nate Diaz just recently improved his UFC record to 5-0. Is that a fight that interests you at all?

Tyson Griffin: Not at all. If our careers collide, our careers collide but I don’t take anything personal. I’m not a big s— talker; I talk with my hands. If our careers collide, then so be it.

Tyson Griffin talking to Five Ounces of Pain

UFC 89 Preview: Sokoudjou vs Luis Cane, When Hype Trains Collide

Kid Nate — Tue, 14 Oct 2008 17:55:30 -0000

Of all the fights on the card this Saturday at UFC 89, none promises more brutal action than the match-up of former PRIDE wunderkind Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou and Brazilian star-in-the-making Luis Arthur Cane.

UFC.com is hyping up the bout:

The now 24-year-old Sokoudjou has redeemed himself a little bit with a first round win against fellow judoka Kazuhiro Nakamura at UFC 84 in Las Vegas, his first in the UFC. In that fight Sokoudjou appeared very focused and—maybe more telling of an evolved psychological approach—far looser.

...Sokoudjou leaped at the chance to square off with the hard-socking Cane, who destroyed Jason Lambert in a couple of minutes at UFC 85 in London with strikes. Like Machida, Cane isn’t a one-trick pony and won’t rattle easily.

"I think he’s going to try and come in and beat the crap out me," Sokoudjou says in his very relaxed manner. "He’s a good striker, and he’s good on the ground. I’m going to respect his power. I know he can knock people out, so I’ll go in there knowing he has the potential to hurt me. But I’ve got a game plan, and I need to stick to it."

Cane hasn't really made an impression on the casual fans yet, but he's had the hardcores buzzing for a while.

And having just re-watched Sokoudjou's WEC loss to Glover Teixeira, I have to say I like Cane's chances. Sokoudjou rocketed to prominence with flash KOs of Antonio Rogerio Nogueira and Ricardo Arona. But neither of those guys (for all Little Nog's boxing skill) is much of a kick-boxer. Cane is.

Cane expects a tough fight, via Fighters Only:

“I’m not expecting an easy fight. I’m going for a war but I’m pretty confident,” he added. “I know I can get there and knock him out, or submit him if the fight goes to the ground too.”

I expect Cane to use his reach to pick Sokoudjou apart at a distance before moving in for the kill. But I also wouldn't be shocked to see Sokoudjou's judo come into play when Cane tries to clinch and putting the Brazilian on his ass.

We'll see on Saturday, either way, it seems logical to expect fireworks and the winner could very well emerge as a rising contender in the UFC's stacked Light Heavyweight divsion.

Bloody Elbow Book Review: Karo Parisyan Judo for Mixed Martial Arts

Kid Nate — Mon, 13 Oct 2008 18:11:12 -0000

Another fine production from the Victory Belt crew. Karo Parisyan's Judo for Mixed Martial Arts (with Erich Krauss and Glen Cordoza) is quite possibly the one with the most novel take on mma.

Like B.J. Penn's MMA Book of Knowledge and Randy Couture's Wrestling for Fighting, Judo for MMA is very well done -- great pictures, excellent organization, and very clear step-by-step instructions for executing each throw, strike, takedown or submission.

Krass and Cordoza have their forumula down and Karo's the perfect addition to their series. He's a unique stylist who's managed to build a top-notch MMA game almost purely from Judo, an underheralded martial art in MMA.

The Victory Belt books aren't just a great way to improve your own MMA game (or understanding of the game if you're an armchair warrior like myself), they're also a great way to understand a particular fighter's strategies. In Karo's case, the structure of the book is very telling -- about 10 pages on standing control positions and transitions, 20 pages on stand-up striking (primarily as a means of getting to the clinch or a takedown), 75 pages on throws (!), 25 pages on throw defense, 60 pages on the five ground control positions, 11 pages on leg locks, 35 pages on the guard and 10 pages on ground and pound.

The throws are obviously the draw of the book and there's a LOT to chew on here. From techniques that Karo has used repeatedly in the octagon -- Seoi-nage, osoto-gari, o-goshi, and various hip tosses and throws from the whizzer -- to more exotic throws that I hope to see in the future (from Karo or an apt pupil) -- tani-otoshi, sukui-nage, kata-garuma and many others.

Many of the submissions are fairly novel as well -- cobra choke, near-side armbar, step over triangle, ude garame from north-south, etc. Karo definitely has a world of submission skills that he's only put to limited use in the Octagon.

The moves aren't explained in a vacuum either, at least 1/3 of the sequences describe transitions and set-ups -- either from one take-down attempt to a second or to a submission.

Karo's introduction goes a long way towards explaining why we haven't seen Karo finishing fights in the Octagon. His MMA story is rife with instances of undertraining for fights and underestimating opponents -- therefore he didn't have the gas in the tank to risk going for submissions in tough fights.

As much as I love Karo and enjoy his wild fighting style (I'm a sucker for a dramatic throw), its maddening to read confirmation of what I've long suspected. Karo just hasn't put 100% into preparing for fights and its now reached a point where the competition is just too steep to coast anymore. Here's hoping Karo can get his head on straight, get his hamstring surgically repaired and live up to his potential.

In the mean-time, his book is a must read for anyone looking to improve their takedown skills. As Nate Diaz and others have shown, adding some judo to your repertoire is a great way to control where the fight takes place even if you're a jiu jitsu guy going up against a wrestler.

The book's also a fun read if you're a couch bound geek like me and you just want to better understand what Karo's (or Yoshida or Miura or Nakamura etc) doing before he launches his opponents into the air.

I'm really looking forward to getting more of the Victory Belt series, maybe Fedor's will be my next pick up.

Bloody Elbow Ringside Report: UWC: Confrontation

Kid Nate — Sun, 12 Oct 2008 03:58:23 -0000

I just got home from a very enjoyable night of fights -- the UWC Confrontation event at the Patriot Center at George Mason University in Fairfax Virgina.

There were 9 fights on the card and thanks to the very on the ball promo and media relations team at UWC (shoutout to Mike Schaffer), I got to enjoy the fights ringside, right next to one of the judges and close enough to the blue corner that I could hear Mario Yamasaki's whispered instructions to the fighters. Hell yeah!

Only two fights on the card went to decision -- one a three round war between Kyle Baker and James "Binky" Jones and the other a strategic duel between Team Lloyd Irvin's Mike Easton and Greg Jackson Submission Fighting's John Dodson.

Man I have to tell you, there's nothing comparable to seeing live MMA, especially if you're lucky enough to have great seats. I got verklimt after the first fight -- pitting two guys making their pro debuts -- when the loser, Joey Kirwin, after suffering a quick slam and RNC submission was fighting to hold back tears as Kris McCray's hand was raised.

Watching Nate Marquardt student Cody "Donnybrook" Donovan punish his opponent, Wade Drake, made me fear for Drake's life briefly. Drake caught Donovan with a hard right to open the frame but paid quickly when Donovan answered with a brutal barrage.

Local wrestling legend Johnny Curtis suffered his second pro loss to Colorado heavyweight Brendan Schaub. I doubt we'll see the former NCAA wrestling All-American (Curtis) return to MMA. He's 36 and didn't seem to enjoy getting punched in the face. Plus his knee appeared to blow out on the final fall. I could see it swelling as the ref held up Schaub's hand in triumph.

Fight of the night definitely went to Kyle Baker, a product of Virginia's MMA Institute. He won a lop-sided decision over Baltimore's Binky Jones. It looked like Jones might dominate as he landed leg kicks early and secured the thai plum, but Baker answered with a barrage of brutal right hooks to the ribs that sucked the life out of Jones. Baker showed some real technique -- almost securing an arm bar and a kimura in the first and landing a series of tasty kicks. Baker dropped Jones a couple of times with huge shots, including in the final seconds of the third round. I'm looking forward to seeing Baker fight again.

Team Lloyd Irvin had a good night as Ron Stallings dispatched American Top Team rep Tony Sousa in 2 rounds and Mike Easton got a controversial decision win over Jackson's John Dodson. From my vantage point, the smaller and quicker Dodson's hit and run strategy flummoxed Easton. And when they did exchange, all too seldom, Dodson was landing the cleaner shots. Plus he floored Easton repeatedly by catching kicks and using leg sweeps to take the fight to the ground. But the two of the home town refs scored it for Easton -- not approving of Dodson's evasive tactics I suppose.

I was rooting for Easton as he's the local favorite and a really nice guy with huge potential. My heart sank as the third round closed and he never managed to find an answer for the smaller, quicker Dodson. But the judges gave him the win, a bittersweet prize as I'd be surprised if Easton moves immediately to the WEC as had been hoped.

After the event when I asked Lloyd Irvin what he expected next weekend when he meets Greg Jackson again as their students Brandon Vera and Keith Jardine tangle in the UK. Irvin told me he expects Jardine to run from Vera, but that Vera won't chase him. "We'll make Jardine fight next week." We'll see. From my vantage point it appeared the Greg Jackson fighter had the better game plan tonight, even if it wasn't judge-proof.

And TUF fighter Antwain Britt absolutely dominated in the headliner, KO'ing Terry Cohens in less than 30 seconds. Britt is a light heavyweight to watch. Too bad he didn't get to stay on TUF for a full season.

All in all it was a blast and I can't encourage you enough to go out and see regional MMA if it comes to your area. There's no substitute for the up-close drama of local MMA.

[UPDATE] by Luke Thomas: Official attendance last night was 5,520 and that's without papering. All things considered, very respectable turnout.

Happy Belated Birthday Gene LeBell

Kid Nate — Fri, 10 Oct 2008 21:29:07 -0000

Carrying on with what I started with Helio Gracie, here's another tribute to a living legend. Yesterday was the 76th birthday of a man who may not be the grandfather of modern MMA but is certainly a great-uncle at least: Judo Gene LeBell.

Gene didn't just carry the torch for one fighting art, he carried two -- being one of the leading representatives of Judo in North America AND one of the few men to keep the tradition of "real" American catch wrestling alive during the second half of the 20th century.

Gene is also a Hollywood legend as a stunt-man and stand-in for stars from Bruce Lee to Burt Reynolds.

He still keeps his hand in the sport and if you've seen Karo Parisyan or Manny Gamburyan you've seen Gene's students in the cage applying the judo they learned at his feet.

He even did a little proto-mixed martial arts fighting of his own back in the day. In 1964 he took on boxer Milo Savage in a challenge match precipitated by a magazine article called "The Judo Bums" which asserted that any boxer could beat any judoka. As retold on Gene's web site:

...a contract was prepared by the author which set forth the following specific rules: the fight is scheduled for five rounds, three minutes per round. The boxer will wear a judo-gi top (Judo robe) and a belt. He can also wear boxing trunks, boxing shoes, and to his great advantage ï¿½use unweighed speed bag gloves which completely cover his hands. He can apply any legitimate punch and hit in any circumstance. He will not be curtailed by NBA rules. Gene, the judoka, will wear his judo-gi, no shoes, and no gloves. He can apply any recognized judo or karate technique except the karate kick. A winner will be declared under the following conditions: when his opponent is disabled or is counted out for ten seconds. A referee will be the sole judge.

Beck selected Milo Savage, a high ranking middleweight. Savage had been fighting professionally since 1945. He had beaten such fighters as Holly Mims, Moses Ward, and Bobby Boyd. He lost two close decisions to former champion Gene Fullmer. He won his last eight fights, six by knockouts and was negotiating to meet champion Dick Tiger. Savage therefore seemed to be a true representative for boxing.

Gene ended up winning the fight, despite allegations that Savage had covered himself in grease AND had brass knuckles in his gloves. I've put a video excerpt of the bout in the full entry.

Gene also cross-trained with Bruce Lee and is considered one of the people who turned Bruce on to grappling. Here's Gene talking about training with Bruce Lee:

"Bruce loved to learn grappling, he ate it up! He said that people would never go for it in movies or TV because the fights are over too fast and most of the good stuff was hidden from view. He said they wanted to see fancy kicking, acrobatics, and weapons -- he was a savvy showman who knew how to give 'em exactly what they wanted. I wish he could be around now to see how well grappling is doing these days. I remember one time he kicked me really hard. I remember thinking it was a good thing he only wore a size 6 shoe instead of a 14 like me, otherwise that kick would have sent me to China! He was strong for his size, lemme tell ya.

Gene hasn't just carried on the judo tradition either. He learned the old-time "hooking" style of pro-wrestling from Ed "the Strangler" Lewis -- the lost art of real grappling and submission holds that dominated pro-wrestling back before the outcomes became pre-determined. Here's a great bit about Gene and how he brought his grappling background into Judo in his teens:

Ed "Strangler" Lewis, started Gene off in the world of grappling (not wrestling, wrestling has different rules). Ed explained that with grappling you could do just about anything to your opponent. You could hit the guy, do heel locks, ankle locks, armbars, back locks, neck locks, tweak the nose or choke him out. Needless to say, when Gene entered his first out of school judo tournament at the age of 14, the officials were horrified to see Gene performing illegal grappling moves on his opponents - tossing them into the air and jumping on them, dropping elbows on them, and simply terrorizing his competitors.

Gene has documented many of these finishing holds in Gene LeBell's Grappling World, The Encyclopedia of Finishing Holds. A totally fun book that's a worthwhile reference, although its criticized as it doesn't go into the set-ups needed to apply the holds. My view is that its much more valuable for Gene to document his knowledge while he's alive so that the holds are recorded somewhere. And besides, it doesn't take long to figure out which holds are solid and which are totally impractical.

I'll close with a couple of classic quotes from Gene:

"I don't count disqualifications as losses. If you've never been disqualified, you've never been afraid of your opponent."

On becoming a stunt man:

"People saying you're the toughest guy around is great, but it still doesn't add up to one car payment. Now I get beat up by every wimp in Hollywood and make thousands of dollars. You tell me which is better."

Gene LeBell vs Milo Savage, Boxing vs Judo 1964

Bloody Elbow Judo Chop: Uppercut to Left Hook Combination

Kid Nate — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 23:25:33 -0000

I wasn't really surprised when the EliteXC Heat card failed to produce any action I considered "Judo Chop" worthy. But I was pleasantly surprised when TUF coach Ken Hahn's MMA Junkie column gave a great technical description of an uppercut to hook combination.

When you train a southpaw fighter (right-hand lead) like Shane for a fight against an orthodox fighter (left-hand lead) like Efrain, you must pay special attention to the fundamental differences in each fighter's stance.

On offense, the opposite stance provides your power punch a direct path to your opponent, but on defense you stand directly in the line of fire of his power hand.

To combat the risk of his orthodox opponent's power hand, Shane must constantly work to keep his right-lead foot on the outside of Efrain's left-lead foot. Shane will "circle to the outside," which will keep him out of danger of Efrain's right power hand.

Shane should stay aware of Efrain's right uppercut, left hook combination. That is one of the best offensive methods involving the hands that Efrain can use against Shane's southpaw stance.

Between fighters with opposite stances, the rear-uppercut, front-hook combo is an excellent technique because if the defensive fighter tries to avoid the rear uppercut by slipping toward the punch, he will likely get hit by it. If he steps to the outside like most fighters are trained to do, he will have trouble seeing the front hook that is heading his way.

Even better, the only gif I could come up with to illustrate the technique was Kimbo Slice using it against James Thompson (note: I'm aware that both fighters are right handed so its not exactly what Hahn's describing but its as close as I could find.)

Seeing good boxing technique make its way into MMA over the past few years has been very enjoyable and I look forward to seeing even more in the future.

Gary Shaw Contradicts Jared "$kala" Shaw and Jeremy Lappen

Kid Nate — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 13:26:24 -0000

The major media is covering the "StandGate" scandal now and the L.A. Times gets former EliteXC headman Gary Shaw to make a very damning statement that directly contradicts the claims of current bossman Jeremy Lappan and Shaw's son Jared.

Elite XC consultant Gary Shaw said he wouldn't hesitate to "go to a fighter and say, 'We're looking for a stand-up fight.' You're not asking him to throw a fight. You're talking about a fan-friendly fight, not about protecting Kimbo."

Shaw said he has urged MMA fighters in the past to maximize the action, to avoid an abundance of yawn-inspiring wrestling.

"Do I think that's unethical? No," Shaw said. "Because in MMA, you get bonus money for a knockout. I don't see it as unethical . . . asking him to be TV and fan friendly."

That's a signed confession from the man who more than anyone built the EliteXC organization. Its an admission that he hates and misunderstands the sport of MIXED martial arts.

And the whole scandal is an indication that the Shaws have brought sleaze and corruption from the boxing world into MMA.

Here's Zach Arnold on what it all means:

Yesterday, I said that the media should have covered the PRIDE yakuza scandal more seriously than they did (coverage barely existed in the States). That scandal negatively impacted the business in a big way. Hopefully, everyone in the media, in the MMA industry, and those who work at state athletic commissions starts investigating the ’stand-up’ fighting scandal.

Make no mistake about it — if Dana White wants to use his clout to push this story further in American media circles, he can. Would UFC benefit from this? Yes. However, so would the industry as a whole. Everyone has a vested interest in keeping as much corruption out of this business as possible. If you don’t think UFC management has a vested interest in seeing things stay as clean as possible, then you don’t understand what’s at stake here.

This is the kind of corrupt bullshit that can kill our sport in the cradle. We MUST stand up and demand a full investigation and if there's proof that EliteXC has been paying fighters to alter their tactics and game plans, everyone involved should be drummed from the sport.

Lee Murray's Accomplices on Trial in England

Kid Nate — Tue, 07 Oct 2008 21:13:49 -0000

Oh boy, news on Lee Murray a man who went the distance with Anderson Silva and threw it all away to pull off the biggest cash robbery in UK history. I'd much rather be watching Lee fight than posting about his criminal misadventures but it is what it is.

Lee's still in jail in Morocco (where he may or may not be watching his old fight videos on YouTube), but his pals are on trial. Here's an update from the BBC:

Paul Allen and Lee Murray, 29, were at the heart of the raid in Tonbridge in February 2006, the Old Bailey heard.

Mr Allen, 30, of Chatham, was extradited to the UK while Mr Murray remains in a Moroccan jail.

Mr Allen is on trial along with Michael Demetris, 32, of Bromley Common, south London. Both deny conspiracy to rob, to kidnap, and to possess a firearm.

Mr Allen and Mr Demetris, a hairdresser, are accused of conspiring with five other men who were jailed in January after being found guilty of kidnap, robbery and firearms charges in connection with Britain's biggest cash raid.

I've reposted ESPN's excellent two part series on Murray in the full entry.

The Lee Murray Story from ESPN 360 Part 1

Lift the Ban Watch: New York Edition Update, When Unions Attack

Kid Nate — Tue, 07 Oct 2008 18:44:22 -0000

When last we posted about the UFC's efforts to get MMA legalized and regulated in New York state one thing didn't quite add up. From published accounts it appeared that the UFC had a well funded lobbying operation and everything was lined up for the bill to pass when one brave legislator stood up for right and decency and killed the bill.

That didn't sound like the New York politics I know.

And sure enough there was a well-financed entity on the other side, a union of all things.

Robert Joyner on MMA Payout breaks the story:

Many in the MMA community interpreted the result as another example of ignorance about the sport. However, in actuality the result had little to do with MMA and everything to do with a battle that has been raging in Las Vegas outside of the octagon.

According to WCBS, the sole correspondence received by the Committee was from UNITE HERE, the hotel and restaurant workers’ union. The letter cited the American Medical Association’s opposition to the sport as well as the alleged concerns of policeman about teenagers emulating the sport on the streets. The union urged the committee to “fully explore” the “social cost” of sanctioning MMA in New York.

UNITE HERE is a powerful force in the state with 90,000 members in New York. Last year the union spent $100,000 lobbying the Albany legislature and made more than $130,000 in political contributions to the Democratic and Working Families parties. That financial commitment dwarfs the UFC’s reported $40,000 in donations to New York Democrats.

The union’s opposition to sanctioning is the result of its failed efforts to unionize the Fertitta’s Station Casinos in Las Vegas. The Culinary Union Local 226, the Las Vegas local of UNITE HERE, is the largest local of the union in the United States and it’s most politically potent. However, it has failed to crack into the locals casino market in the city, one dominated by Station Casinos which is the last major non-union company in Las Vegas.

The family owned Station Casinos has long been staunchly open shop, but its relations with UNITE HERE took a turn for the worse with the company’s purchase of a union casino in 2000. Station fired 1,000 union workers and required them to reapply for their jobs. Only 150 were rehired according to union officials.

So there we have it. The Fertitta's union busting antics in Las Vegas are coming back to haunt them in New York, the 2nd biggest fight market in the country. This won't be the last instance of the Fertitta's other business activities coming back to haunt the UFC and MMA as a whole I'm afraid.