I haven't been following Mixed Martial Arts as much as I used to, and I'm not sure why. Perhaps it was watching the Last Emperor's defeat. Perhaps it was watching Jake Shields leave StrikeForce for the UFC and perform less well than I'd hoped.
I still appreciate the fights, just don't feel the enthusiasm I used to. Perhaps I just need to find a fighter I can get behind. I like watching Gegard Mousasi.
This morning I am watching StrikeForce Henderson vs Sobral II, which I recorded last night. The fact I recorded it and am watching it while I write this is an indication of my lack of attention. The one fight I look forward to is Scott Smith, who I enjoy watching fight. Hands of Steel is a man's fighter, with a chin to match. He's up now, so I log off.
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Showing posts with label MMA. Show all posts
Showing posts with label MMA. Show all posts
Sunday, December 5, 2010
Thursday, June 17, 2010
June is a very busy month for me, MMA, and World Cup Soccer!
Been very busy, but nowhere near busy enough to warrant the lack of production in writing I have had the last few weeks. It seems that summer is a slow time for the creative juices.
The new bike is growing on me as I break it in. Got the fly screen yesterday, making this morning's ride in much more comfortable.
Watching the Swiss hold the Spanish off and win was a heart-rending experience. Having lived (and loved living) in both countries, I was on the fence for the most part. My love of the underdog kept me rooting for the Swiss more than Spain, but God, what a match!
I watched the Strikeforce fights last night, and while the card was short, it contained some very good fights:
KJ Noons has been overbilled, I think. He is a great boxer, but Heun, who took the fight on less than two week's notice, took his shots and kept coming, showing a better mix of MMA skills than Noons. Heun kept coming, pressing Noons the entire fight, controlling the cage, he had one effective takedown, the only one of the fight. He took a beating, his face looking like hamburger by the end. The judges decision went for Noons, which I felt had more to do with the promotion's hopes for Noons than how well he did in the cage.
Cyborg destroyed Zaromskis. Full stop. A few great exchanges and it was over quick.
Tim Kennedy handily won his match, submitting Prangley a lengthy set of scrambles on the ground. He's now training full time, and may become a serious force to be reckoned with.
In the main event, Bobalu Sobral fought very well last night, edging out Lawler, who seemed to have no plan. Sobral also took a beating, while Lawler looked like he could have fought another opponent.
The new bike is growing on me as I break it in. Got the fly screen yesterday, making this morning's ride in much more comfortable.
Watching the Swiss hold the Spanish off and win was a heart-rending experience. Having lived (and loved living) in both countries, I was on the fence for the most part. My love of the underdog kept me rooting for the Swiss more than Spain, but God, what a match!
I watched the Strikeforce fights last night, and while the card was short, it contained some very good fights:
KJ Noons has been overbilled, I think. He is a great boxer, but Heun, who took the fight on less than two week's notice, took his shots and kept coming, showing a better mix of MMA skills than Noons. Heun kept coming, pressing Noons the entire fight, controlling the cage, he had one effective takedown, the only one of the fight. He took a beating, his face looking like hamburger by the end. The judges decision went for Noons, which I felt had more to do with the promotion's hopes for Noons than how well he did in the cage.
Cyborg destroyed Zaromskis. Full stop. A few great exchanges and it was over quick.
Tim Kennedy handily won his match, submitting Prangley a lengthy set of scrambles on the ground. He's now training full time, and may become a serious force to be reckoned with.
In the main event, Bobalu Sobral fought very well last night, edging out Lawler, who seemed to have no plan. Sobral also took a beating, while Lawler looked like he could have fought another opponent.
Monday, May 31, 2010
UFC 114 Fights
Watched UFC 114 fights today. I managed to remain ignorant of the results, planning to watch it today. It was the first time I bought a pay-per-view fight. I did so because of all the shit-talking that went on around the Main event, Rashad Evans vs. Quinton "Rampage" Jackson. I have watched quite a few other promotions, failing to watch UFC because I felt it too expensive. It is, a bit, but this match provided a high value for dollar. In future I might buy more, or at least link up with others and watch in order to defray costs.
Anyway, here is my take on the fights of the televised card:
Diego Sanchez vs. John Hathaway
Hathaway could have knocked his opponent out if he had developed a better combination in training. He had a two-punch combo that started the opponent reeling, but if he had a knee to add, would have put the American down.
Todd Duffee vs. Mike Russow
Like all one-dimensional lumps of muscle, Duffee was gassed after thumping Russow for most of the fight. He actually turned red after the first minutes of throwing punches, those muscles building lactic acid at an enormous rate.
Russow kept getting clipped as he tried for single-leg takedowns, but kept coming despite a pretty good beating. Duffee was so strong, he would yank his leg straight out of Russow's grip. He beleived his own hype though, and waded right into a stiff right that landed behind his ear.
He got knocked way the fuck out, asking the ref, "What happened?" from his back.
Russow was upset with himself, repeatedly saying in the post-fight interview with Joe Rogan, "That was a horrible fight! I didn't at all fight the fight I wanted to."
To which Rogan said, "I can't believe, after pulling off the best comeback in the history of MMA that you call your performance bad."
Michael Bisping vs. Dan Miller
Despite a lot of shit-talking before, Bisping was all class after the fight. He just worked Miller over throughout the actual fight. Miller was game, though, and kept coming. Decision for Bisping.
Antonio Rogerio Nogueira vs. Jason Brilz
Brilz should have won. Period. Throughout the fight he seemed genuinely happy to be there, fighting little Nog. The entire fight. His kind of pluck and genuine love of fighting is the reason I got into watching MMA in the first place. Nog just wasn't able to get over on the thick-necked and wide-backed happy wrestler. Brilz won the first two rounds hands down, but was robbed by the judges. He was still smiling, and had the grace to say that it was his fault, leaving it up to the judges. He made a fan of me, that's sure.
Rashad Evans vs. Quinton "Rampage" Jackson
Evans is incredibly fast on his feet for a big man, but I couldn't get the image of movie monkey-style kung-fu with his incredibly low posture and bouncing in and out. After landing a savage jaw-cracker on Rampage that sent the taller fighter sideways into the cage in the first few seconds, Evans settled in to work Rampage from the outside. He would dart in and pop-pop Rampage, who would try and land a hook. If he got grabbed, Evans pushed Rampage to the cage and started working thighs with his knees and hammerfists.
Rampage did not capitalize on a third-round, brutal rocking of Evans. Had he done so, and I don't know why he didn't, he would have won. He let Evans recover for a full two minutes before trying to close with him again. Rampage didn't seem that gassed, and his lack of attack mystified me. I mean, his name is 'Rampage', ain't it? I suppose movies are career-enders for MMA fighters, or at least major hiccups. Decision, Evans.
Anyway, here is my take on the fights of the televised card:
Diego Sanchez vs. John Hathaway
Hathaway could have knocked his opponent out if he had developed a better combination in training. He had a two-punch combo that started the opponent reeling, but if he had a knee to add, would have put the American down.
Todd Duffee vs. Mike Russow
Like all one-dimensional lumps of muscle, Duffee was gassed after thumping Russow for most of the fight. He actually turned red after the first minutes of throwing punches, those muscles building lactic acid at an enormous rate.
Russow kept getting clipped as he tried for single-leg takedowns, but kept coming despite a pretty good beating. Duffee was so strong, he would yank his leg straight out of Russow's grip. He beleived his own hype though, and waded right into a stiff right that landed behind his ear.
He got knocked way the fuck out, asking the ref, "What happened?" from his back.
Russow was upset with himself, repeatedly saying in the post-fight interview with Joe Rogan, "That was a horrible fight! I didn't at all fight the fight I wanted to."
To which Rogan said, "I can't believe, after pulling off the best comeback in the history of MMA that you call your performance bad."
Michael Bisping vs. Dan Miller
Despite a lot of shit-talking before, Bisping was all class after the fight. He just worked Miller over throughout the actual fight. Miller was game, though, and kept coming. Decision for Bisping.
Antonio Rogerio Nogueira vs. Jason Brilz
Brilz should have won. Period. Throughout the fight he seemed genuinely happy to be there, fighting little Nog. The entire fight. His kind of pluck and genuine love of fighting is the reason I got into watching MMA in the first place. Nog just wasn't able to get over on the thick-necked and wide-backed happy wrestler. Brilz won the first two rounds hands down, but was robbed by the judges. He was still smiling, and had the grace to say that it was his fault, leaving it up to the judges. He made a fan of me, that's sure.
Rashad Evans vs. Quinton "Rampage" Jackson
Evans is incredibly fast on his feet for a big man, but I couldn't get the image of movie monkey-style kung-fu with his incredibly low posture and bouncing in and out. After landing a savage jaw-cracker on Rampage that sent the taller fighter sideways into the cage in the first few seconds, Evans settled in to work Rampage from the outside. He would dart in and pop-pop Rampage, who would try and land a hook. If he got grabbed, Evans pushed Rampage to the cage and started working thighs with his knees and hammerfists.
Rampage did not capitalize on a third-round, brutal rocking of Evans. Had he done so, and I don't know why he didn't, he would have won. He let Evans recover for a full two minutes before trying to close with him again. Rampage didn't seem that gassed, and his lack of attack mystified me. I mean, his name is 'Rampage', ain't it? I suppose movies are career-enders for MMA fighters, or at least major hiccups. Decision, Evans.
Saturday, December 19, 2009
Strikeforce Fight Night December 19 Calls
Taking a page from Mark's Journal, I am calling a few fights of my own.
He's a big UFC fan, and while I don't watch UFC (mainly because I just can't justify pay per view), I do follow anything on HDNet Fights and Strikeforce pretty religiously. Here are my calls for this fight night.
Le Vs Smith:
I would call this for Le, thinking that barring a lucky shot, he should own Smith. Then I considered that while Le hasn't been away from fighting long at all, he has been away from fighting for longer than he has _ever_ been away from the discipline, and it seems to me there are some shenanigans going on with all the title crap. So I give it to Smith by a surprise knockout or a TKO. If it goes to a decision, Le. He has the home crowd advantage, after all.
Thomson vs. Melendez:
Both can kick ass, but Melendez just can't be easily hurt. He can just take so much punishment. I think it'll be a long, very good fight ending with Melendez winning either a decision or submission. This will be the fight of the night, with good skill exhibition by both fighters.
Souza vs. Lindland:
Souza for sure, he has to prove he's worth the money Strikeforce paid to get him signed. Quick submission or submission over time, it's still Souza's to lose.
Lawal vs. Whitehead:
Lawal for an artless win. That said, I think there will be lots of pounding, so a lucky strike by either could end it quick.
He's a big UFC fan, and while I don't watch UFC (mainly because I just can't justify pay per view), I do follow anything on HDNet Fights and Strikeforce pretty religiously. Here are my calls for this fight night.
Le Vs Smith:
I would call this for Le, thinking that barring a lucky shot, he should own Smith. Then I considered that while Le hasn't been away from fighting long at all, he has been away from fighting for longer than he has _ever_ been away from the discipline, and it seems to me there are some shenanigans going on with all the title crap. So I give it to Smith by a surprise knockout or a TKO. If it goes to a decision, Le. He has the home crowd advantage, after all.
Thomson vs. Melendez:
Both can kick ass, but Melendez just can't be easily hurt. He can just take so much punishment. I think it'll be a long, very good fight ending with Melendez winning either a decision or submission. This will be the fight of the night, with good skill exhibition by both fighters.
Souza vs. Lindland:
Souza for sure, he has to prove he's worth the money Strikeforce paid to get him signed. Quick submission or submission over time, it's still Souza's to lose.
Lawal vs. Whitehead:
Lawal for an artless win. That said, I think there will be lots of pounding, so a lucky strike by either could end it quick.
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