SB Nation User Blog: Luke Thomas

Your's truly gets interviewed by the SBN President (and Athletics blogger) about various topics. On...

Luke Thomas — Sun, 05 Jul 2009 15:00:10 -0000

Your's truly gets interviewed by the SBN President (and Athletics blogger) about various topics. On the issue of this site, I had this to say:

Blez: What's it like to have the Bloody Elbow/USA Today MMA Rankings?

Thomas: Unequivocally, that’s the finest reward of anything I’ve experienced since I started blogging. To be recognized by the second largest media on the planet written in the English language is an honor in and of itself. But we’ve actually contributed something to the sport as well. Our rankings demonstrate a step up and commitment to a higher, more sophisticated level of reporting in the mainstream press. Rather than one off articles about fighters that are essentially nothing more than human interest stories, our rankings remind folks MMA is a sport with athletes jockeying for position and hierarchy in hotly contested battles all over the world. That’s all together new for MMA in terms of mainstream media exposure and I am very honored Bloody Elbow helped bring that about.

Blez: What's your hope for Bloody Elbow?

Thomas: I have no formal vision. My only hope is that we can maintain the high standard of quality as we expand our format and grow our output. I’ve found that if I focus on delivering a consistently good product, the rest of the details often sort themselves out. The only major priority I have is quality. Again, with a sport like MMA that’s still grappling with sensitive image issues, I’ve found producing thought-provoking, measured writing can affect opinion more. The more mainstream sports fan and sporting world expect MMA to be followed by the dregs of society. Having writing and analysis beyond the third grade level can actually do wonders for MMA’s acceptance levels, to say nothing of how concerned we are with producing high quality work as a matter of professional responsibility. But yeah, I say openly I write concerned about how the mainstream perceives the MMA community. Someone’s got to write on a level they respect. Might as well be us.

Today on MMA Nation on 106.7 WJFK: Jon Fitch, Alan Belcher and Chad Dukes

Luke Thomas — Sat, 04 Jul 2009 16:20:44 -0000

Today on "MMA Nation" we'll be joined by UFC 100 competitor and UFC welterweight contender Jon Fitch. We'll talk to Fitch about his fight with Paul Thiago, the UFC video game, Cain Velasquez vs. Shane Carwin and more.

We'll also talk to UFC 100 competitor and UFC middleweight contender Alan Belcher. We'll ask Belcher about his upcoming fight with Yoshihiro Akiyama, training with Duke Roufus, wanting to have a breakout performance and more.

Last, but certainly not least, we'll talk to WJFK midday host (also the host of Red Ring of Death Radio) Chad Dukes. We'll have Dukes in studio to talk the rumor that the UFC will ban any fighter not currently under Zuffa contract if they sign likeness rights away to EA Sports.

And, of course, the latest and greatest in MMA news will be discussed as well.

"MMA Nation" airs every Saturday 7:00pm EST to 9:00pm EST on 106.7 WJFK. To listen live over the Internet, go to WJFK's website and click "Listen Live".

I'm also now on Twitter: @mmanation.

"MMA Nation" is also available by podcast on iTunes.

Number to call: 800-636-1067

Email here.

Talk to you then.

UFC 100 coverage

Gina Carano Is Popular, But So Are a Number of Human Interest Stories

Luke Thomas — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 01:53:15 -0000

I'm not suggesting the fronting won't work, but Strikeforce is fronting here:

According to a release circulated by Strikeforce and highlighted by Fanhouse, the promotion is set to dangle some mainstream media bait by hosting a press conference for the Aug. 15 Gina Carano/Cristiane Santos fight at Madison Square Garden’s WaMu Theater on July 14.

Considering that it wouldn’t take roping off a city block to house MMA media, it’s clear Strikeforce is counting on a surplus of mass press attention for what has easily become the highest-profile women’s MMA bout to date. Securing the WaMu Theater lobby may not be practically necessary, but it is an interesting bit of status posturing, particularly for an industry that doesn’t see a lot of PR stunt work outside of the UFC. (Both Carano and Santos will have a public demo/workout on 8th Avenue and 33rd Street, which is likely going to crane a lot of necks passing by in walkthrough traffic.)

Look, I certainly hope this fight meets the expectations of those who suggest Carano can single-handidly outdraw the entire UFC 100 event in terms of PR or attention. Her success as well as that of her promoter would be good for their goose and MMA's gander. But let's also keep in mind what's driving the popularity of Carano - and this fight in particular - is a compelling human interest component that has dubious utility for MMA's or Carano's long term viability as a draw. While the attention being paid toward Carano for her stark challenge of gender roles can sway attitudes of skeptics or the concerned to the point that MMA is more palatable than they once assumed, we also must examine the motivations for the media coverage.

It is well documented both traditional and new media alike are prone to exploring the issue of females who not only challenge gender roles with ability or aplomb, but also simultaneously support or maintain those traditional gender constructs as they turn conventional wisdom on its head. I do not fault Strikeforce nor Carano for this reality nor for using it to their advantage. I also, again, do not see this as something harmful for the sport, but I also don't think this is a watershed moment for the larger sport of women's MMA. I have some suspicion about how long Strikeforce can milk this to keep the Carano hype train moving. For now, it's an asset and should be welcomed as a means of maximizing the amount of media coverage available. But to borrow from Ayn Rand (not an endorsement of her views, mind you), we also need to check the premises of what's going on here in the press. A significant portion of the hype behind Carano and this fight has little to do with MMA at all (yes, MMA as something male dominated or only for men is a machine for Carano to rage against, but that demonstrates little about MMA's intrinsic value here). If converts can be created in the process, so be it. But how long the engine of human interest can be used to promote what is ultimately a static person over the long run is quite another.

Today on MMA Nation on 106.7 WJFK: Bruce Buffer, Why UFC Magazine Is No Better Than Oprah's Magazine, TUF 9 Recap and Lashley vs. Sapp

Luke Thomas — Sat, 27 Jun 2009 17:57:35 -0000

Today on "MMA Nation" we'll be joined by "the veteran voice of the Octagon" Bruce Buffer. We'll talk to Buffer about his new Internet radio show on Sherdog.com, his alleged fight with Frank Trigg in an elevator, UFC 100 and more.

We'll also talk the Bobby Lashley vs. Bob Sapp "Ultimate Chaos" event, the new UFC magazine, a recap of last weekend's TUF 9 Finale, this terribly tragic news and more.

"MMA Nation" airs every Saturday 7:00pm EST to 9:00pm EST on 106.7 WJFK. To listen live over the Internet, go to WJFK's website and click "Listen Live".

I'm also now on Twitter: @mmanation.

"MMA Nation" is also available by podcast on iTunes.

Number to call: 800-636-1067

Email here.

Talk to you then.

Ultimate Chaos: Lashley vs. Sapp coverage

UFC 100 coverage

The Ultimate Fighter 9 Finale coverage

Mixed Martial Arts Still Not the Major Leagues: Part 2

Luke Thomas — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 14:42:02 -0000

Sherdog.com's Jake Rossen replies to/follows up on my post about MMA and the UFC being compared to baseball (in terms of business health and attendance metrics) by suggesting the comparison is unhelpful and virtually meaningless:

Perspective is a seriously scarce commodity in this business, and Thomas’ zoom lens into the facts is appropriately responsible. But to take it a few clicks further: In measuring MMA to instituted sporting events in this country, you’re essentially stacking a cultural hobo against a high-society mascot in a three-piece suit. Baseball has been around for over 100 years, romanticized by millions of mitt-oiling fathers, appeared beautifully lit in movies and pounded into the public consciousness with regularity; MMA is, relatively speaking, still dripping snot from its nose.

That the two can be equitable on any level, no matter how much of MMA’s relative success may be circumstantial, is -- to my mind -- utterly beyond comprehension. We’re talking about two people hemorrhaging blood in a cage. Even stacked against a Washington Nationals game, that’s a tough sell. For a sport that’s been around for 15 years and socially tolerated for less than five, it’s a radical position to be in.

Truth is, I don't generally disagree. I wasn't the one who made the original comparison between the two. It's reasonable to suggest the differences between the size, age and cultural significance of the two sports makes most comparisons curious at best and meaningless at worst.

However, I don't think the act of comparing - provided it's done carefully - is necessarily out bounds in all circumstances. Even in metrics where baseball crushes what MMA can and does accomplish (say, merchandise sales), it's still a helpful reminder about MMA's position within the broader sporting community, where we are and what we need to do to advance. My initial issue with what Sievert wrote was that we often find members of the community - fans, pundits, and others - trying to cherry pick data that gives the appearance MMA's growth and development can be interpreted as having closed the popularity gap on other traditional mainstream sports. The reality is we have not. To quasi-gerrymander data and in the process give a false impression is disingenuous and unhelpful.

Better to know where we are to know where we need to go.

USAT/SBN June MMA Consensus Rankings: Bantamweight

Luke Thomas — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 18:30:23 -0000

Rank	Fighter	%	Promotion	Last Rank
1	Miguel Torres	100	WEC	1
2	Brian Bowles	94	WEC	2
3	Masakatsu Ueda	91	Shooto	3
4	Takeya Mizugaki	88	WEC	4
5	Joseph Benavidez	72	WEC	5
6	Akitoshi Tamura	69	WEC	7
7	Will Ribeiro	64	WEC	6
8	Damacio Page	62	WEC	8
9	Rani Yahya	55	WEC	10
10	Manny Tapia	50	WEC	9
11	Dominic Cruz	36	WEC	12
12	Marcos Galvao	34	N/A	11
13	Koetsu Okazaki	34	Shooto	13
14	Eduardo Dantas	27	Shooto	16
15	Masakazu Imanari	26	DREAM	17
16	Atsushi Yamamoto	25	DREAM	14
17	Antonio Banuelos	24	WEC	15
18	Charlie Valencia	24	WEC	27
19	Daiki Hata	23	DREAM	21
20	Chase Beebe	22	DREAM	20
21	Yoshiro Maeda	22	DREAM	23
22	Jeff Curran	21	WEC	19
23	Jared McMahan	20	Corral Combat	38
24	Mike Easton	20	UWC	36
25	Brandon Garner	19	Carolina Fight	NR

Rankings compiled by Richard Wade.

The March of the mullet continues. Miguel Torres' reign as bantamweight king continues and is only solidified after a hard fought victory over surprising challenger in #4 Takeya Mizugaki. Torres defends his belt against number one contender and #2 ranked Athens, Georgia product Brian Bowles. Bowles has looked extremely impressive in his WEC run, most recently choking out #8 Damacio Page en route to his title shot.

Shooto and wrestling standout Masakatsu Ueda holds strong at #3 after taking So Tazawa to a decision at Shooto Tradition 6 in March. He’ll defend his Featherweight Shooto title against #14 Eduardo Dantas on July 19th.

Takeya Mizugaki may have come up short against Torres, but he has a chance to redeem himself at WEC 42 when he takes on the troubled #22 Jeff Curran. Curran has not won a fight since 2007 and even after dropping to bantamweight from featherweight needs a win to stay relevant within MMA and the bantamweight division.

Also at WEC 42 will be #5 Joseph Benavidez (who recently bested Curran at Big Frog's bantamweight debut) where he is set to battle #11 Dominic Cruz. Ever improving his game, Cruz has a legitimate shot to break into the top 10 with a win over the Team Alpha Male member.

The “Ironman” in Akitoshi Tamura rings in at #6, fresh off of a win over former title contender #10 Manny Tapia at WEC 40. No word yet on his next opponent.

Sadly, the state of #7 Will Ribeiro remains uncertain. While his health has allegedly improved, doctors indicate his chances of survival are still up in the air. The chances of him making a return to athletic competition appear bleak.

Greg Jackson firebrand #8 Damacio Page holds steady at that position. After losing to Brian Bowles by guillotine choke, Page rebounded in dramatic fashion knocking out #12 Marcos Galvao at WEC 39.

Amazing BJJ player with a lopsided skillset, #9 Rani Yahya moves up a notch in the rankings. After two impressive submissions victories over #21 Yoshiro Maeda at WEC 36 and Eddie Wineland at WEC 40, Yahya looks to get another shot at the title when he takes on Kenji Osawa at WEC 42.

Rounding out the top 10 is former contender Manny Tapia. “The Mangler” has dropped two straight in the WEC, first to Miguel Torres at WEC 37 and most recently to #6 Akitoshi Tamura. Tapia faces a must-win scenario to remain in the top 10 of the division.

Much like with the USAT/SBN featherweight rankings, it’s clear just how much the WEC has progressed in terms of being a home for top talent in the bantamweight division.

Note from Richard: I really don't get Okazaki's high ranking. He hasn't fought since last March and he hasn't won since May of 2007. 0-1 over the last two years is apparently good enough for 13th in the world. Go figure. MMA Ratings has him 6th. Total MMA has him 5th and WAMMA has him 7th. I think Fight Matrix has him ranked in the 50's.

USAT/SBN June MMA Consensus Rankings: Featherweight

Luke Thomas — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 18:29:33 -0000

Rank	Fighter	%	Promotion	Last Rank
1	Mike Brown	100	WEC	1
2	Urijah Faber	96	WEC	2
3	Wagnney Fabiano	90	WEC	3
4	Jose Aldo	85	WEC	6
5	Hatsu Hioki	83	WVR	4
6	Takeshi Inoue	70	Shooto	7
7	Leonard Garcia	66	WEC	5
8	Marlon Sandro	52	WVR	10
9	Dokonjonosuke Mishima	51	DEEP	8
10	Rafael Assuncao	46	WEC	9
11	Norifumi Yamamoto	34	DREAM	25
12	Bibiano Fernandes	29	DREAM	13
13	Josh Grispi	28	WEC	17
14	Yuji Hoshino	24	GCM	11
15	Joe Warren	22	DREAM	15
16	Michihiro Omigawa	20	WVR	16
17	Mark Hominick	19	Affliction	23
18	Masakazu Imanari	19	DREAM	12
19	Cub Swanson	18	WEC	14
20	Hiroyuki Takaya	17	DREAM	18
21	Joe Soto	15	Bellator	44
22	Dominic Cruz	14	WEC	26
23	Joseph Benavidez	14	WEC	28
24	Antonio Carvalho	13	GCM	19
25	Masanori Kanehara	13	WVR	27

Rankings compiled by Richard Wade.

We've been keeping track of the movers and shakers in the feather and bantamweight divisions, so why not rank them as well? Don't expect these divisional rankings to appear in the print edition of USA Today just yet, but these are officially part of the USAT/SBN Consensus MMA Rankings.

So how does the division stack up? #1 ranked Mike Brown holds steady at the top of the heap after his epic rematch with #2 Urijah Faber. Faber's out for the foreseeable future with the broken hand injury, but its being rumored than #4 Jose Aldo could be next in line for a title shot.

But that complicates matters for #3 featherweight Wagnney Fabiano - Aldo's teammate. Another scenario that could play out is Aldo dropping to bantamweight to potentially contend for a title there. No one knows for sure though and a Brown vs. Aldo fight would not only be compelling, but a deserved challenge from the top contender in the division.

#5 Hatsu Hioki just recently finished training with Kenny Florian in the United States as Florian prepares for BJ Penn at UFC 101 and Hioki moves onto the semifinals of the Sengoku Featherweight Grand Prix where he'll lock horns with #25 Masanori Kanehara.

Takeshi Inoue holds steady at #6 after two solid performances against Hideki Kadowaki and Rumina Sato in Shooto. Leonard Garcia hangs on to the #7 spot after the dismantling he took at the hands of Mike Brown. Garcia looks to rebound at WEC 42 when he takes on Jameel Massouh.

Dokonjonosuke Mishima may not be the most active since leaving the UFC, but he is at least winning fights. He holds the #8 spot after two solid victories over leg lock expert #18 Masakazu Imanari and Toshiaki Kitada in DEEP. It should be noted, however, he has not competed in 2009.

Rafael Assuncao sits at the #9 perch after defeating Jameel Massouh back at WEC 40 in April. Last, but certainly not least, King of Pancrase at Featherweight, Marlon Sandro, rounds out the top 10. Sandro has looked impressive in the Sengoku Featherweight Grand Prix, stopping both Nick Denis and Matt Jaggers in dominating fashion. He heads into that tournament's semi-finals where he'll take on #16 Michihiro Omigawa.

"It is nothing to do with my grappling skills," Aoki replied. "Anybody who has experience of...

Luke Thomas — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 16:30:51 -0000

"It is nothing to do with my grappling skills," Aoki replied. "Anybody who has experience of grappling should know about this. This questions seems for non professional."

- Shinya Aoki talking to Michael David Smith of AOL FanHouse regarding whether or not Aoki's pants aid his grappling efforts.

Mixed Martial Arts and the UFC Doing Well, Still Not in Major Leagues

Luke Thomas — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 15:02:36 -0000

The echo chamber in the hardcore community is a powerful banshee, but some mainstream wax for your ears will do your perspective some good. Steve Sievert makes an important point: the UFC's business is improving in a time when larger, traditional sports are seeing some of their business decline. To wit:

The crowd of 21,451 that turned out for UFC 97 in April not only set a North American attendance record for MMA, it also topped this year's average home attendance of four Major League Baseball teams.

The Washington Nationals, Florida Marlins, Pittsburgh Pirates and Oakland Athletics are each averaging less than 21,400 fans for their home games through this past Saturday.

Welcome to the new normal in sports, where MLB is struggling to draw fans amid the worst economic downturn since the Great Depression, yet the UFC is playing to large, raucous crowds wherever it travels. As recently as earlier this decade, no one in sports would have fathomed the possibility that an MMA event could draw a crowd larger than the average home attendance of one big-league baseball team, let alone four.

The development speaks to the continued popularity of the UFC and its status as a recession-proof draw. Overall, MLB attendance is down 10 percent this year. The UFC, on the other hand, hasn't missed a beat. The promotion is consistently selling 12,000 to 13,000 tickets for its pay-per-view events and occasionally hosts breakout shows with even larger crowds, such as UFC 97 in Montreal and next month's UFC 100 in Las Vegas.

With its UFC Fight Night franchise, the UFC has been winning the TV ratings battle in some key demographics with baseball for the past few years, and 2009 numbers at the turnstiles show that the UFC is holding up much better than some baseball teams in these difficult economic times.

Well, yes and no.

There's no denying the UFC's filling the venues it uses, that PPV purchases are up and that in a few circumstances, they've been able to set attendance records related to MMA. And I've been watching the television numbers of how ratings look in key male demos across all sports including MMA. The results are encouraging (of course, the other sports do a much better job capturing other audiences). But what does that mean exactly? Well, it means relative to the financial returns of some traditional sports this past year, the UFC is doing well. However, because the UFC and MMA are significantly smaller operations and therefore the potential growth curve so much higher, mainstream traditional sports are still far, far larger enterprises even if they cannot boast similar financial success.

The UFC may be able to occasionally put together an event large enough to match what mainstream sports can routinely offer, but those are few and far between and as articulated in the quoted piece, the average crowd for UFC events is far lower than 20,000. That's notable. The baseball teams mentioned in the article aren't exactly hot tickets in baseball. Not one of those teams is above .500 and the Nationals are the butt of every non-Wizards sports joke in town. That the UFC's larger, one-off events can sometimes be in the vicinity of baseball teams who perform less than mediocre that also play roughly half of their games in the exact same venue over the course of roughly six months in a period where the UFC is an a growth upswing should give all the "MMA is on par with traditional sports" talk some serious pause. Admittedly, that was not a point made by Sievert explicitly, but the attendance record information is misleading if you're trying to suggest there's parity.

Fightlinker has more, but the message is clear: all of the growth MMA has experienced and will continue to have is laudable. And there will be major events above and beyond the typical Saturday night fight that will inject the UFC into the larger sporting community's conversation. But MMA fans and pundits should not attempt to go head to head with other traditional mainstream sports when talking about how numbers stack up just yet. That's not a fight we can reliably win.

Bloody Elbow Judo Chop: Terry Etim's Slick Set-up for the Brabo Choke

Luke Thomas — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 20:49:39 -0000

UFC 99 has come and gone, but there was one notable submission that's worth paying a little more attention to, namely, the brabo choke (a clean and simple demonstration of which can be found here) Terry Etim used on Justin Buchholz. Before we get into the details of Etim's excellent finish, let me address the "brabo vs. D'Arce" choke situation. Folks often ask me what the difference is between a brabo and a D'Arce choke. In short: nothing. They are essentially the same choke, but each time a grappler creates his own set-ups (and it should be noted the brabo choke has a huge variety of set-ups that grapplers and fighters use) the choke can often get a new name. The D'Arce got it's name from Joe D'Arce (and it's properly pronounced Dee-arr-see), who showed his set-up and entry attacks to others (like Marc Laimon) who then began using D'Arce's last name to identify the choke to others. From there the rest is history. I've heard others say the D'Arce choke is different in that you don't use the figure four bicep grip to finish, instead opting for a gable grip that cranks the opposition's spine, but the reality is in the grappling world there isn't any consensus about it.

With that out of the way, on to Etim.

What's really fun about this brabo choke is that there isn't anything fancy about it. Etim didn't use some wild knee on belly set-up or some estoric grappling positioning to open Justin Buchholz up. Rather, he used a very fluid (and clearly rehearsed) transition ability to sink the choke before Buchholz knew what hit him.

For starters, by the time the choke was cinched Buchholz had already been badly hurt by Etim, although Etim had suffered a severe beating in the first round by Buchholz. This is only to say that Etim's choke was excellent, but was aided by an opponent who had been beaten to the point where he was a little softer for the choke.

Complete breakdown plus animated gifs in the full entry.

You'll notice the two fighters are standing clinched with Buchholz's back against the cage. Etim has both forearms pressed against Buchholz's clavicles and is using the Thai plum to score knees to the body and head. You'll also notice Buchholz is trying to use a clinch re-pummel technique, but doesn't finish it so his left arm is acting like a separator rather than his right arm snaking through the open space to establish his own clinch. Now Etim is pulling down on Buchholz's neck and head where he throws a left knee to the jaw of Buchholz. Buchholz grabs the left leg of Etim and tries both dump Etim over his right side or run the pipe (he does neither). Instead, Etim manages to sprawl his legs and hips out.

Now here's where it gets interesting. As he sprawls, you'll notice Etim gets both of his hands and arms directly behind Buchholz's armpits. This is a good way to not only control your opposition's upper body, but to keep them confused. Remember, you need one arm and the head for the brabo choke, so by starting out with both arms behind the armpits, Buchholz (already hurt and confused) technically doesn't know which side the choke is coming from. Realizing his window to make the choke work is very narrow, Etim quickly shoots right arm under Buchholz's left arm pit while he brings his own left hand out from behind Buchholz's right arm pit to connect the figure four (Etim's right hand to his own left bicep). Etim then rotates his lower body over counter clockwise just a few degrees as he'll need this perpendicular angle to drive Buchholz's onto his hip.

Buchholz is officially in deep trouble at this point. To finish the choke (and putting pressure on the back of Buchholz's head with Etim's right hand and left elbow is critical to making this work as it shortens the angle and allows for a tighter squeeze), Etim forces Buchholz to his right hip and sits his hips down while walking his lower body out. He ultimately adds the final pinch by leaning to left side. This not only cuts off both sides of Buchholz's throat (with Etim's right arm and Buchholz's own arm), but it adds a really nice and exceptionally uncomfortable crank to the whole endeavor. You see Buchholz try to escape by rolling belly down (he doesn't want to be laying stationary on his right hip), but Etim forces Buchholz back onto his side to get the maximum squeeze. Honestly, going belly down or back down won't really help you as the brabo choke is exceedingly hard to escape from and can be adapted based on how opposition are moving to escape, but in MMA when fighters are hurt and tired any kind of resistance or flailing can be the difference between getting the choke and getting nothing at all.

I like Etim's choke here not because it's a tremendous display of world-class jiu-jitsu, but because it's a suitable example of how a modern fighter can seamlessly use the different fighting disciplines in one smooth effort to great effect. Etim goes from using a muay Thai clinch to a wrestling sprawl to a brabo choke all in the span of seconds. That's modern MMA for you and it's a ton of fun to watch.

UFC 99: The Comeback coverage