SBNation.com User Blog: The American Ronin

Off Topic - What MMA Fighter or Pro Athlete Would You Want to Room With for a Few Weeks

The American Ronin — Thu, 11 Aug 2011 18:25:10 -0000

New England Patriot Chad Ochocinco's (nee Johnson's) announcement that he wanted to stay at a fan's house for a few weeks prompted some interesting conversations and led into an on-air survey by local ESPN radio host Carl Dukes who asked "what famous athlete would you want to live with for a few weeks" .

There were the predictable Danica Patrick and Hope Solo type suggestions at first, until Dukes reminded everyone that not only would you not be having any fun with them, but their friends would likely be a no-go as well. So perhaps think back to some of the crazy living arrangements you may had in college, while traveling or whatever and use that as a guide to decide which MMA fighter and/or pro athlete in general you would want to live with for a few weeks.

Overeem / Duffee Questions for the Striking Experts...

The American Ronin — Wed, 29 Dec 2010 17:13:16 -0000

While striking is far from my area of expertise (strength and conditioning; wrestling/grappling to a lesser degree), it seems to me that there are many of you guys around BE who have considerable expertise in it, as well as a considerably larger group who may not consider themselves experts, but who still know more about it than I do. These questions are directed at you guys...

I realize that, on paper, this is a "safe" fight for Reem to take without a full MMA camp to prepare, given that Duffee is primarily a stand-up guy, but how much of a potential problem do you guys see striking defense being for Overeem considering that almost all of his training the last several months has been for K-1 with their larger gloves?

In other words, do you think some of his instinctive defensive covering up that he uses so well in K-1 might provide an opening for a good striker to exploit due to the smaller sized gloves used in MMA?

If he does recognize this as a potential flaw, do you think this is something Overeem is likely to be able to correct over such a short period of time?

He seems like a very cerebral, high fight IQ kind of guy these days, so what is his best move if this is a valid concern? Attempt to overwhelm Duffee early perhaps?

If this is a potential flaw in Reem's defense, do you think Duffee's skillset is one that can take advantage of said flaws, or are there basic changes he is likely to be able to make to exploit it?

Any and all input is appreciated, aside from merely pointing out what an idiotic line of questioning you think this is…

If he does recognize this as a potential flaw, do you think this is something Overeem is likely to be able to correct over such a short period of time?

He seems like a very cerebral, high fight IQ kind of guy these days, so what is his best move if this is a valid concern? Attempt to overwhelm Duffee early perhaps?

If this is a potential flaw in Reem's defense, do you think Duffee's skillset is one that can take advantage of said flaws, or are there basic changes he is likely to be able to make to exploit it?

Any and all input is appreciated, aside from merely pointing out what an idiotic line of questioning you think this is…

Rampage as "Gatekeeper" - Not Just Yet...

The American Ronin — Mon, 22 Nov 2010 09:10:54 -0000

My dislike of what Rampage had become goes without saying for the most part around here, and I have to say that I didn't think Rampage had it in him to fight this sort of fight - I really thought he was at a point where he was content to just get by and cash his checks until the next movie deal or whatever came along.

Say what you will about the scoring, but under the existing rules, Rampage won the fight and there is really no compelling reason whatsoever for a rematch. Yes, there are huge scoring issues in MMA than need addressing, but this was not among the more glaring examples of why judging criteria needs to be changed or clarified. He won two rounds, Lyoto won one round – nothing more and nothing less. By the standards of today, round three was not a 10-8 round IMO.

Having said all of that, I stand impressed by Rampage’s ability to finally evolve - to adapt the tactics of the modern new school fighters – to break down and analyze tape, to train for a specific opponent, to create and (largely) follow a gameplan specifically tailored to one's opponent, and even to use the media in what I believe was a (skillfully executed) disinformation campaign to try to lull your opponent into a false sense of complacency about your approach and mindset.

As a result, and considering what a draw he is, I think Rampage's next fight should absolutely be a title shot. However, since that is so far away (time wise), I think he should fight Forrest next and try to avenge that loss first, with a title shot for the winner. Considering the all-around history between the combination of Rampage, Forrest, Rashad and Shogun, combined with the huge name value each carries, it is a no-brainer and a series of compelling matches. Rich can fight Randy or Thiago or whoever next instead, with the winner of that facing the winner of Jones-Bader for the next title shot.