SB Nation User Blog: mma_dude

"Defend Yourself at All Times": The Best Advice a Fighter Can Get

mma_dude — Tue, 24 Feb 2009 02:29:24 -0000

In past fan posts we have argued about many different rule changes, and how they would adversely effect the sport or otherwise. Often times I have been on the side of liberalizing the rules in favor of more action, more technique, and more avenues to victory. But for the first time, I am actually frightened by what appears to be a radical new view on when a referee should stop a fight. Furthermore, this radical new view seems to be mainstream, it may even be the consensus: 'fighters should not have to defend themselves at all times'.

Some, rather non-contaversial enthusiasts, have even suggested that a fighter should even be allowed to sustain more damage after a knock out, just to see if they are still unconscious or not. For me, this is very concerning, bordering on absolutely crazy.

I know that this is not really crazy, I know exactly where the idea is coming from: 'we don't know if the fighter can continue or not, he may still even be able to win'. But should every knock out victory be followed up with hammer fists to the face of an unconcious dude? I don't think so. I know Rampage hated Silva -- but Silva got pummeled after Rampage had already won. Should that be the norm?

Now we have a case where Thiago knew he had won. He knew that Kos was out, and he acted like a compasionate human -- he gave the ref time to stop the fight before he proceeded to rape his unwilling opponent. Should this be frowned upon. Does this mean that Paulo is a pussy?

Also, what about the ref? When the referee sees that one of the fighters is unconcious, shouldn't he immediately stop the fight to prevent unnecessary damage or should he let it go on, just to be sure? If the ref yells, "ITS OVER", and then sees that the fighter recovered quickly, should he then yell, "NEVER MIND"?

Here's where I draw the line: If the referee sees that a fighter can no longer defend himself, he should stop the fight, verbally and otherwise. That stoppage should be mandatory, and final. Whether or not, the knocked out fighter's opponent is compassionate or blood thirsty, should have no bearing on the referees decision. A fighter who is unable to defend himself, is just that, and the fight should be stopped.

The fact that this post is at all controversial (and I know it is), is scary. Being able to defend yourself at all times is the only rule I absolutely agree with.

UFC 93: Surprisingly Interesting

mma_dude — Tue, 20 Jan 2009 01:59:02 -0000

Well, here it is Monday and I finally got around to watching UFC 93. I just couldn't get too excited about this one. The card, on paper, was uninspired, and I have no particular loyalty or even fanaticism for any of the fighters featured on this card. After watching it, however, I have to admit that I was wrong -- this was a pretty interesting card, as it turns out.

Chris Lytle vs. Marcus Davis

After all the talk about not going to the ground, there was this tremendous buzz about how the fight amounted to some sort of collusion. What was perceived as collusion was really just hype. This fight was unlikely to go to the ground from the outset -- partly the reason it was always the most compelling fight on the card. What I was expecting to see (collusion or no) was exactly what I got to see: A very interesting stylistic contrast in the stand-up. Lytle going for the knock out, and Davis willing to simply pick him apart. Lytle came very close to achieving his goal, but Davis's style proved to be more robust. DEFINITELY, FOTN!

Alan Belcher vs. Denis Kang

Alan Belcher, despite having a bizarre game plan, proved that he is legit. I remember the last time he fought, I was thinking that he would get killed against someone who could take it to the ground -- he proved me wrong. Belcher has gotten rounded in a hurry. I hope he finds a new camp because his stand-up looked like it had gotten worse even if his BJJ has gotten good. That's right, his BJJ was better than Kang's, and that's impressive. Keep your eyes on this kid, 'cause he's only gonna get better.

Jeremy Horn vs. Rousimar Palhares

Is the UFC trying to tarnish Palhares? Are they afraid of this fighter because he's "not exciting," or because he has the best chance in the division of beating Anderson Silva? Why on earth did they pair him with Gumby? If they don't like Palhares and they want to burry him, then they did a good job in paring him with someone that was just gonna turtle for 3 rounds. I wonder if the UFC gave Horn a "Survival Bonus," cause that's what Horn was fighting for. IMO, Toquinho has the best chance of beating The Spider.

Thomas Egan vs. John Hathaway

Obviously a fight for the british crowd. Neither fighter is a real contender in the division.

Mark Coleman vs. Mauricio Rua

This fight was actually alright for 1.5 rounds. I have a hard time saying that one fighter is much better than the other, considering that they BOTH gassed after the first round. Coleman's wrestling was adequate, and Shogun's stand-up was adequate as well. This could have easily been traded for an undercard fight (I wanted to see Kampmann) but I guess there was a Coleman draw that pulled it up to the main card.

Dan Henderson vs. Rich Franklin

I really liked this fight because it provides another example of how wrestlers get favoritism in the UFC. The bottom line is that Hendo won because of the takedowns. He was unable to do damage on the ground, and was bested in the stand-up. Minus the head butt and eye poke, he did far less damage than Franklin overall (presumably the illegal strikes aren't counted by the judges). Why did he win? Cause of the takedowns. For christ sake, this isn't a wrestling match, this is the UFC. I feel like ranting, but I won't.

The funny thing is that I'm starting to become brain washed by the UFC scoring system. I kept telling myself that Franklin was in trouble every time he got taken down -- even though he was doing just fine off his back. The scoring system has to change -- a takedown shouldn't be worth anything if it doesn't lead to damage!!

Over all this was an adequate card. No worse than UFC 89 or 90. It may not have had any big names, but it had some interesting outcomes.

Why all the hate?

Why Forrest lost!

mma_dude — Tue, 30 Dec 2008 00:59:38 -0000

There were two fights in UFC 92 that I was supremely confident in predicting: Jackson vs. Silva and Forrest vs. Evans. After watching the fights, however, I was wrong on one account -- Forrest, actually, should have won that fight: Rashad was performing to the most of his potential and Griffin was not.

The fight, stylistically speaking, went down almost exactly as I had imagined. Forrest would use his length to keep Evans at bay. Evans would use his speed to slip inside and deliver some power. This is exactly what happened, except for how effective Griffin was. Every time Evans went in, he had to wade through some serious offense, and when he was on the outside, he had to be continuously wary of that long jab and vicious leg kick. I wasn't expecting Griffin to be able to put up that much of a fight.

So, why did Griffin lose? HE GASSED! I'm not close to Forrest, so I can't make this claim with any immediate certainty, but Forrest is a pretty emotional guy. Rashad is dancing around doing nipple tweaks, grabbing his nuts and smiling while Griffin is taking deep breathes and looking rather somber, and frankly, a little tired. The Adrenaline Dump is something that has been talked about before. It is something that we, as fans, have all seen before -- one fighter comes in bouncing around the octagon, and by the second round looks like he's been hit with a tranquilizer dart. This is exactly what happened to Forrest. We saw, in the Rampage fight, forrest go to the ground and immediately display a vicious guard. With Evans we saw the laziest, sleepiest, most tired display of jiu jitsu I've ever seen from Griffin. And the signs were being displayed well before the fight went to the ground. At one point, Forrest had dazed Evans with a straight punch, he tried to pour it on but it looked tired, slow motion, like his muscles had nothing left to give. Evans made note of it by laughing and grabbing his crotch. That's when the fight was really over. Forrest was spent.

He actually looked a little lazy while walking to the Octagon. Now, more than ever, I believe that if Forrest could get his head straight, he would be the best 205er, by far!

Styles Make Fights

mma_dude — Wed, 17 Dec 2008 01:30:31 -0000

First of all let me just say that I am a fight fan. I started watching boxing years ago -- back when tuesday night fights was one of the coolest things on tv. Once the first few UFC's came out, it became clear in a way it never could have been made clear before: Styles Make Fights! After watching the first 4 UFC's I was able to view professional fighting in a way I was never able to before. A way that few trainers truly understand. This knowledge can be applied to both boxing, MMA, and many other combat sports (I Imagine). However, this knowledge still appears to be something that few people really grasp.

Take the last real big boxing match: Pacquiao vs. De La Hoya. Does everybody understand that De La Hoya was the favorite in that fight?! I mean, how could that be? The most common train of thought was that De La Hoya was just BIGGER. I was surprised to see that when it came to fight time, Pacquiao was bigger, but I was not at all surprised in the result. As an MMA fan, how can you not be accustomed to the tremendous amount of weight cutting that takes place. Pacquiao, clearly, has been doing it fairly well for quite some time. But the point is that Pacquiao is a bad stylistic match-up for a guy like De La Hoya, or Diaz. He's quick, he's strong, he has reach, and a good corner. Let me just say that I was comfortable with my bet.

The reason I'm writing this semi-rant, and the reason I even slightly care, is because I would like to see the level of fight discourse be elevated, especially on a site like BE. Bloody Elbow IS the best place for fight discussions, but it still has some room to grow. The spark that prompted this post occured last week in a discussion about Mike Swick fighting Thiago Alves. Many people, including an editor of the site, gave Mike Swick next to no chance in that fight. This, of course, is rediculous, but what is more rediculous is the fact that no stylistic data was used in backing up this assertion (no data what so ever, actually). Once the BE bloggers got involved, we all got a refresher course in Alves's resume, but still no stylistic comments. One blogger was so infuriated by the support of Alves (and lack of stylistic discussion), he actually used the word "douche bag" while at the same time making a stylistic statement supporting Swick. The stylistic statement was ignored but the gratuitous use of the word "douche bag" prompted a threat from the afore mentioned editor, but still no stylistic response to the heinous allegation that Swick has little chance.

All I ask, and I'm sure I will not receive, is that we all think, just a little bit, about what would actually happen in a fight before we all start commenting on the fight. If everybody was able to do this we could all learn from, and enjoy fights a little bit more.

What would happen if Swick fought Alves:

Swick would use his fast hands and reach to pummel Alves who relies on getting inside to use his strength. Alves is not quick enough to get into range on Swick and Swick is powerful enough to hurt Alves on the outside. Although Alves is an excellent fighter, Swick is a very bad match-up for him. Swick would have to make a mistake for Alves to win. My money goes on Swick.

A New Weight Class Part 2: The Heavyweights

mma_dude — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 01:27:37 -0000

Enough about the Super Heavyweights, there just aren't enough of them yet to really make a Super HW division viable. I think the misnomer here is that just because you weigh more than 225, you'd be fighting in the 225+ weightclass -- that is far from true. There are quite a few HW fighters who tip the scales at 230, 240, 250, or even 260, but that doesn't mean they should be fighting at that weight. Brock Lesnar, to my knowledge is one of a handful (under 5) of people who CUT WEIGHT to reach 265. That is to say, he really weighs around 280, IN SHAPE. I'm sure, several months from a fight, he can be scaled in at 295. But the important point here is that the rest of the division isn't cutting weight, in fact a good percentage of them look down right dopey at 250 pounds.

This is more than just a testament to Brock's huge stature, this is a testament to something that he displays and that few other Heavyweights display: the mental fortitude it takes to cut weight, and all the unpleasantries that go along with it. This, to me, is one of the great unforeseen benefits of a new weight class. It forces all the fat-asses to get into shape as they make their cut to 225. Also, this is the main reason I believe that 225 is a better cut-off point than 235, as others have suggested.

Why did Brandon "the truth" Vera think he was gonna be HW champion first, and then move his way down to become Light HW champion? Why did Randy Couture move up to HW after he gave up hope on Light HW? Why are there so many heavy weights who could easily fight at light heavy weight, but don't? Because it is a weight class without discipline! Finally, we see a heavy weight fighter with discipline and we are astounded. I mean there is a reason the HW division was languishing in the UFC: because all the really good fighters work hard and make the cut to 205. Anderson Silva cuts all the way down to middle weight for christ sake -- and so could Vera! Would you rather fight a 230 pounder who is overweight and kinda lazy, or a 205 pounder who is cut and hungry? Both Vera and Couture said the former.

One of the big eye openers for me came during the MMA Live broadcast from the UFC 91 weigh-ins. Stephen Bonnar offered a tremendous amount of insight, as well as a transparent dislike for the weight cutting process, and even Franklin McNeil had something to say that was enlightening (of course it was something that Florian had told him), and then it was Mir's turn. And it was more than just that arrogant smirk that I have become so accustomed to, it was a sense of getting away with something he shouldn't. He really had nothing to offer other than the fact that that was a major inconvenience that he didn't have to deal with (and he gave some bull shit explanation for why that wasn't a problem for him). But the truth is that weight cutting is not necessary for him, and in fact, getting lean isn't important for him either. This is not unique to Mir, many heavy weights are much heavier than is ideal for them as fighters. And there's really no motivation for an average heavy weight to get into shape. If you're a hungry fighter, then you move to 205, and if you're not a hungry fighter then you get beat by Randy Couture and you say, "Well it was Randy, what was I suppose to do against the greatest", and you use your skill to beat a lesser opponent (tank abbot for example) and earn your keep.

Would Mir, Gonzaga, Werdum, etc. benefit from a forced weight cut? I say hell ya. Look at Ganzaga in his last fight, I mean that was a can if I ever saw one. The UFC can't afford to get rid of all the fat asses. I mean they made an example out of Werdum, but I don't think that was enough to straighten out the division. In my book, Dos Santos is the best thing in the division right now: a big, agile, brazilian, with heavy hands. Lets see some of those other fat asses get KO'd by the young and hungry Dos Santos. Lesnar is a different beast than Dos Santos. When Lesnar beats your fat ass down, you always have the excuse that, "hey, it was Lesnar, he's just too damn big, what was I suppose to do?"

Hey, maybe if Mir had to get fit, and had to cut to 225, he wouldn't have got the shit kicked out of him by a guy who could cut to 185 if he wanted (Brandon Vera). I say, force these guys to get into shape, no more excuses.

A New Weightclass: Super Heavy Weight

mma_dude — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 01:30:24 -0000

After watching UFC 91 I remember thinking how much I admired Randy Couture. How he deserves to be in the Hall of Fame, and how much I appreciate his style. I also was filled with a sense of loss. The notion that Randy Couture was extinct, that I would never be able to witness his greatness again. I don't see him fighting anymore. And if he does fight again it won't be the same. What made Captain America so great was The Quest. The quest for the light heavyweight championship, then heavyweight championship, and then the quest to fight Fedor. This fight against Lesnar was, in my opinion, the continuation in his quest to fight Fedor. But now, the quest has to be over. I don't believe there could be mass interest to see that fight now. I mean, Randy will no longer be considered the #1 or #2 heavyweight. Could Randy beat fedor, could he beat Nogueira, is he in the top two for heavyweights? I believe the answer is yes -- but these questions are irrelevant. All we as fans care about now, is Brock Lesnar. How could this tragedy happen? How could a relative new comer beat the Champion?

Couture looked great in his fight with Lesnar. All of the things that made him so great in the past, were displayed in his fight with Lesnar, except one thing. Instead of implementing that classic DIRTY BOXING, Couture had to devote everything he had into pinning Lesnar against the fence -- Lesnar was just too damn big. Lesnar is very big, he is very good at using that size, and he seems to actually be learning how to fight. For these reasons, I think he would have to be a significant favorite in any fight I can think of right now. A guy like Noguiera, or Mir, or someone with exceptional Jiu-Jitsu, definitely has the best chance at beating Lesnar. But he seems to be learning so quickly, and his wrestling is so good, that I don't see Nog winning that fight (Brock doesn't need to learn Jiu Jitsu, he just needs to learn how to defend against it).

The thought that Lesnar is gonna be champion for quite some time doesn't particularly bother me. I could care less about who the champion is in any weight class. I enjoy stylistic match-ups that produce great technical fights, and because Lesnar is champion, I'm afraid that I will be seeing less of these in the upcoming future. Why would I be seeing less interesting stylistic match-ups in the HW division? For two reasons:

1) Lesnar is not just an aberation, an anomaly, a once in a lifetime occurence! He is the future of the Heavy Weight Division. Let me sum up this arguement philosophically, rather than factually: the best fighter in every weight class, cuts weight before a fight. They do this because it gives them the highest level of strength possible in that division. Why should the heavyweight division be any different? Brock has shown us that it isn't different -- being the strongest guy in the octagon, is a huge advantage. My prediction, not based on any data, is that we will see big wrestlers start making their way into MMA. As the UFC becomes more mainstream, more popular, and more lucrative, why wouldn't we see this transition of big athletes into the sport?

2) All of the guys who would currently make for good match-ups are kind of irrelevant now. If you can't beat Lesnar no one is gonna take interest. I wanna see Couture fight Fedor, or see Nog defend his HW title, or see how the WEC guys stack up in the division. Now all I'm gonna be presented, is a serious of Brock-style ass whoopings -- not that interested.

So what about all the awesome fighters that CAN'T cut to 205 and DON'T cut to 265. I have a solution: THE SUPER HEAVYWEIGHT DIVISION! This is not a new idea. The SHOOTO promotion currently has a heavyweight cut off at 225 and the Association of Boxing Commissions has proposed, as early as July of this year, a Heavyweight division that cuts off at 225.

Of course I'm not suggesting that we do this immediately. The UFC still has plenty of money to be made off Lesnar -- I wouldn't suggest that we prevent that. Brock has plenty of people left to crush before the UFC can definitively declare that they have the absolute, best heavyweight in the world. But the day will come, when every ex-collegiate super heavyweight wrestler makes his way to the UFC. And, if that day doesn't come, lets draw the line at 225 anyway. Won't we all be sick of watching Lesnar win by then?

UFC 91: WOW!

mma_dude — Sun, 16 Nov 2008 05:46:13 -0000

I'm gonna go out on a limb here and say that UFC 91 will be the best fight card of 2008. Half way through I thought I was gonna get charged more money -- and I would have paid.

Thomas vs. Brown

My pick for Fight of the Night. Looked like Brown was on his way to a tough loss and then, BAMM!

McLovin' vs. McCrory

McCrory had what looked like slightly better stand-up and then it went to the ground. Highlight Reel Shit! (my pick: submission of the night)

Maia vs. Quarry

Was there ever any doubt? Textbook shit.

Stephens vs. Dos Anjos

What can you say, all these fights were freakin' amazing. Dos Anjos just couldn't keep his own pace and Stephens capitalized. KO! (my pick: knock-out of the night)

Florian vs. Stephenson

How kind was that, to just choke him out in the first round -- no bloody drip, drip. Even the biggest BJ nut-huggers want to see it happen now. After he loses to GSP, he'll lose to Ken Flo -- you heard it here first!

Lesnar vs. Couture

"That's just a big son of a bitch, that's all there is to it!" -Randy 'the natural' Couture. Now, more than ever, I want some new weight classes. There are too many good match-ups we're going to miss because of this glaring error. Couture looked like dynamite and he still lost.

Riley vs. Gurgel

Gurgel might be a decent fighter, if he could just pull his head out of his ass and listen to his corner.

Robinson vs. Bocek?

That can't be right -- why is Alvin Robinson still fighting in the UFC? Oh... because he beat Gurgel once.

If these fights didn't do it for you, nothing will. This is as good or better than anything DREAM or WEC have done this year. I suspect we will have to wait a long time before we see another card like this one.

GSP lacks the mental fortitude to beat Penn

mma_dude — Mon, 10 Nov 2008 02:31:27 -0000

This fight is an interesting stylistic match-up. Both fighters are at the top of their game and both fighters represent what it is to be a world champion. Their is certainly potential for this fight to end in a variety of different ways, and the winner of this fight is far from certain. That being said, let me launch into my shpeel:

THIS FIGHT IS GEORGE SAINT PIERRE'S TO LOSE!

I've heard it said on many occasions that BJ is tougher mentally, and that that is his fundamental edge. I'm not so sure if BJ is all that tough mentally, but I am sure that GSP has shown in the past that he is weak in this area. He wants to please, he wants to be exciting, and most importantly he believes he is the best, to the point where it is detremental. These assertions are heavily supported by his losses to Hughes & Sera & his aspiring hip hop career. How, specifically, can this lack of mental fortitude result in a GSP loss?

This fight is being billed as a barn burner. There is so mutch history, and so much expected, that it would be hard not to get caught up in it. The problem for GSP is that Penn can feed off this excitement, it actually helps Penn's game plan. He wants a toe to toe war. Penn has huge power in both of his hands and he showed it the first time they fought. GSP, on the other hand, needs to be very cautious, he can not afford to get caught up in the moment. He can not afford to please the fans. He certainly can not affort to exchange with Penn the way Penn, and the fans, would like.

I've heard over the past few months people, including myself, debate the pros & cons of each fighter's style and skill set. I've heard some people say that BJ is a better boxer (seems to be the consensus), and I've heard myself say that GSP is a better boxer. I think that both these statements are half true. Watch how BJ implements his stand up game in his fight with Sherk and even his last fight with GSP. It reminds me of a Roger Huerta, a Rampage, Thiago Alvez: he inches forward, making sure that his feet are planted as much as possible so that when the opportunity comes, he can use his legs to generate tremendous power. When he does this he is able to put together some beautiful & powerful combinations. This is good boxing. Watch GSP in his last few fights. Up on his toes, moving in and out, side to side with fluidity. Stops for a moment to plant his feet and then back to the bobbing and weaving. This style allows him to be highly mobile and extremely effective with less powerful combinations. Kind of reminds me of Rashad Evans, Lyoto Machida, Forrest in his fight with Rampage. This is good boxing. Less exciteing, but equally good. Neither guy has what it takes to go pro, but effective in their own regard. Watch Pacman fight -- he puts both these skill sets together in beautiful fashion.

OK... so the stand up is somewhat of a push. But Penn certainly has the grappling advantage. IF PENN GETS GSP ON HIS BACK, then GSP is in some trouble. Problem is: PENN CAN'T PUT GSP ON HIS BACK. Rush is just to good a wrestler. At the same time, I don't see him doing much damage to BJ if he gets BJ on his back. For me, it's the ground game that's the biggest push. Their respective skill sets neutralize each other on the ground. But as we all know as MMA fans in America, the wrestler is more easily able to acquire points in a grappling exchange. This may very well be the deciding factor if this fight goes the distance. George should definitely look for the takedown even though he is only doing it for the points.

Given all this, what's the game plan:

St. Pierre needs to use leg kicks, jabs, and footwork to score points and set up a clinch situation. From here he needs to attempt a takedown for points and then retreat. He's skilled enough that he doesn't need to be overly concerned about Penn's guard, but at the same time, Penn is skilled enough to neutralize any GnP. It's best for him to be counting points and to be dragging this fight to the deeper waters. BTW, this is exactly what he did in his first fight with BJ after the first round -- and it worked. George cannot get overly aggressive, he can not get emotional, and he can not deviate from this gameplan. A boring fight is a good fight for GSP.

Baby J needs to do what he's been doing. He needs to capitalize with power any time George is in range. He should be cautious of leg kicks, as this is a 5 rounder, and he has to conserve energy. This is pretty much what he did in the last fight, and he lost, so he needs to do somethings a little different. He needs to be more aggressive in the clinch -- try to do some damage with knees and elbows. If George overcommits on a take down, Penn needs to punch him hard in the face. Further more, and perhaps more importantly, Penn needs to get the crowd on his side. He's the one fighting the exciting style and the crowd is gonna see it like they saw it last time. If GSP gets frustrated, he's gonna make a mistake -- and that's exactly what Penn needs to win this fight.

UFC 91: Pre-fight Thoughts

mma_dude — Sun, 09 Nov 2008 00:42:56 -0000

Pretty damn good card with championship ramifications, and several excellently conceived stylistic match-ups.

Hazelett vs. McCrory

This falls under the category of interesting stylistic match-up. McCrory is hella scrappy and fairly well rounded. Although McCrory has shown a vulnerability to submissions, he definetely has what it takes to survive a war with Hazelett. But it's his vulnerability to submissions that makes this fight interesting -- I would love to see another submission victory from McLovin'. If Dustin was fighting for DREAM he would be a huge star. The promoters would throw cans at him and he would submit them in overly fantastic fashion. The Aoki of the U.S.A.

Quarry vs. Maia

This is the classic match-up between striker & grappler -- my favorite kind! The question is: Can Nate Quarry keep this fight standing? I don't think so! Enough said.

Gonzaga vs. Hendricks

Are we finally gonna see Gonzaga's BJJ get tested? I hope so. I don't know a lot about Hendricks, but he is suppose to have excellent BJJ, and when you couple that with a wrestling back ground, Gonzaga might be in trouble. An all out HW BJJ clinic would be something exciting (something we are not likely to see in the Mir/Nog fight).

Sadollah vs. Catone

These TUF guys are pretty F'ing impressive. They come into it with little experience. They basically learn how to fight in front of the cameras, and then, less than a year later, they are taking on the best -- almost always looking much better then we could have possibly imagined. I expect more of the same in this fight. Catone is no joke, he is far from a can, and at the same time I can't believe that Zuffa would make this match unless they believed that Sadollah had the edge. I can't wait!

Florian vs. Stevenson

So much could be said about this match-up. I just wonder: After Florian dismantles Stevenson, are the 'so called' MMA fans still gonna give him next to no chance against BJ? Probably!

Couture vs. Lesnar

I'm not sure what I can say that has not already been said. I'm sure every MMA fan has given this fight at least as much thought as I have. I believe that this is the most important MMA bout in recent history for a variety of reasons. But I'll just give you a prediction: Lesnar by complete and total annihilation. This is nothing against Cptn. America (my favorite fighter). Lesnar as champion will ultimately lead to the development of another weight class.

This is one of the best cards of the year and is head and shoulders above the upcoming UFC 92. Although UFC 92 has two title bouts -- UFC 91 actually has more interest in terms of title ramifications: Lesnar/Couture, Florian, Maia, Hazelett/McCrory -- all could be fighting for a title in the near future.

What's all the fuss about: UFC 90

mma_dude — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 02:54:17 -0000

I actually watched UFC 90 late, and had already read and heard many critical comments about how disappointing a show it was. Naturally, after I had watched it, I was surprised to see that UFC 90 was just like any other UFC I had watched recently. In fact, it was actually more entertaining than many recent shows in the sense that the match ups were all fairly interesting across the board:

Sherk vs. Griffin

I've always said that when you put two PURE wrestlers in the cage together, the fight is usually pretty good. This fight showed that. I find 'baby glove boxing' to be extremely entertaining and that is exactly what this fight was. I will admit, however, that this is not MMA and I really would rather not see an entire fight card with these kind of bouts. By this I simply mean that neither of these guys have what it takes to FINISH a fight. And to finish a fight is what MMA is really all about. They don't have the power to KO nor the skill to submit -- an entertaining fight none the less.

Dos Santos vs. Werdum

Dos Santos is BETTER than Werdum. It is as simple as that. Werdum had his chance to take it to the ground and Dos Santos shook Werdum off like the fat, lazy, slob he looked. 9 out of 10 times Dos Santos wins that fight.

Clementi vs. Maynard

I hate these kinds of fights. I feel the same way about this one that I felt about Danzig/Guida. I have no interest in seeing Maynard fight again. I would like to see Clementi fight Danzig -- that would be an interesting fight. Maynard vs. Guida might not be a bad one either.

Alvez vs. Koschek

This was the most interesting fight of the night. Kos is such a smart fighter and it was a shame to see him go into this fight with the wrong game plan -- and by the time he made the correct adjustments, it was too late. Koschek should have went into this fight the same way he went into the Sanchez fight: keep your distance, use your speed, avoid damage. Instead he went into this fight like he fought Lyttle: shoot in, take him down, do damage, repeat. You can't fight like that against an enormous beast in Thiago. I really would like to see Thiago fight Sanchez. Sanchez is much better in close than Kos is. Sanchez would be a tougher fight for Alvez. Neither are ready for GSP so we might as well watch them fight first.

Cote vs. Silva

I really don't understand all the criticism of either Cote or Silva. And I was actually impressed with Cote. Does he have any chance of beating Silva -- No! But he did frustrate Silva and he has one hell of a chin. It was the chin that was most frustrating for Silva, in my opinion. I mean, we have always seen Silva measure up his opponent before going in for the kill. Because Cote was fighting so defensively, it took a while for Silva to find the opening, and then when he finally found it, Cote's chin proved strong. I really want to see Silva fight a grappler -- Silva is the best striker in the 185 and 205 divisions. The most telling part of Silva/Cote was in the second round when Cote desperately tried to take it to the ground.

This was a standard UFC card, and we actually learned quite a bit about some of the UFC fighters. I knew very little about Alves, and now I feel I know a lot. I still wonder how his BJJ is -- Sanchez will be able to show us that. We learned that Werdum is overrated and that Dos Santos is hungry. We were able to confirm our belief that wresters with no submissions should only be allowed to fight other wrestler. This wasn't a bad card!

Until next month.