Devon Alexander V Timothy Bradley Recap

*Sigh*

What was I thinking? Back to back weeks choosing upsets? Turns out the massives were right, Bradley would outwork Devon and use his come forward attacking style to rack up the rounds.

I'm sure that everyone watching the fight last night also was so devastatingly disappointed with the fight ending before we had to watch another few rounds of a boring "action" fight.

Did you ever hear the crowd even cheer? Why didn't the HBO booth do some UFC tricks and turn up the stadium mics?

The stoppage is going to be the most intriguing topics in boxing circles. Devon seemed like he didn't want to go on because of stinging in his eye. Certainly, he is going to have critics saying that he quit and he could have continued. However, I saw something different. Throughout the fight Alexander and his corner never changed their fight plan, which was incredible to me. It didn't really feel like they HAD a fight plan coming in. Perhaps, they didn't feel as though they were ACTUALLY losing on the score cards.

Also, all the rounds were tough to score. Perhaps the corner was making a shrewd decision to see if they can get out of there with a split decision or even a draw. If the fight continued, it would be hard to see Alexander actually winning another round.

All in all. Disappointing fight. I labeled this as a great boxing match. Yet, these fights are exactly why the boxing critics from MMA scream and yell how boring our sport is.

PS. Thanks but no thanks says HBO on the rematch.

Devon Alexander V Timothy Bradley Preview

Which real boxing fan isn't excited for Alexander v Bradley? It's not often in boxing do 50/50 matches happen. It's even less often when those 50/50 matches include two fighters with 0's on their record. It's on HBO tonight at 10PMET/7PMPT.




The St. Louis Kid, Devon Alexander is coming off a subpar performance against Andriy Kotelnik a fight in Alexander won, but barely on my cards. To many it made Amir Khan's wipeout of Kotelnik look even more impressive. I think the contrary, I think it makes Devon look a lot weaker than expected. Perhaps he was overlooking Kotelnik because of Bradley lurking, but in boxing you are only as good as your last fight, and that last fight wasn't good.

Timothy Bradley. * What do you need to say about the guy? He's a professional, a good interview, and he's good. He has a nasty body game, quick, and seems to have a good chin. His last fight was against a game Luis Carlos Agregu. This Argentinean had one game plan going into the fight, knockout. He looked for it all night, giving up round after round. He came close a few times, because Bradley isn't content on winning rounds, he comes forward and will give you openings.

Unfortunately, in the end one guy has to lose. I am picking Alexander here against my better judgment. While I think if Bradley keeps his movement up, his superior boxing skill will beat Alexander. Frankly I think if Devon can't hurt Bradley, then Bradley should cruise to an easy decision. However, I just have a feeling Bradley will attack Devon's body in the early rounds and get caught by a counter left uppercut.

Alexander KO7

SW

Friday Night Fight 1/14/11 Recap

The first televised fight was Aaron Pryor Jr (15-2 11KOs) vs the undefeated Edwin Rodriguez (17-0 13KOs).  The fight was a back and forth battle of right hands.  Rodriguez coming in with looping punches but more effective with his overhand right and Aaron with his straight right hand down the pipe.  The 6’4” Aaron Pryor had a hard time establishing is jab and unable to dictate the distance let his opponent get his shots in too easily, letting the shorter fighter step in towards his chest winging shots to the body and up top.  Aaron’s jab was ineffective and his footwork wasn’t able to keep him on the outside.  Though I believe he landed the most significant punches in the fight with straight right hands, he didn’t work enough to win rounds.  With no left hook or body work to finish combinations to follow up after his right hand he let Rodriguez seize the opportunity to close the distance with big overhand rights and looping punches outworking Aaron.  Edwin Rodriguez was fighting a very tall opponent and had trouble finding the target the whole night.  Closing the distance with over hand rights and right hooks to the body he pressured Pryor the whole night backing the taller fighter up and occasionally landing.  Rodriguez told his corner he hurt his shoulder at the end of the fourth round causing his jab to be nonexistent.  His defense was penetrated multiple times by Pryor’s right straight, catching him with his hands down or in between the gloves, sometimes backing straight up.  But, by outworking and pressuring Pryor throughout each round he keeps his record undefeated with a unanimous decision upping his record to (18-0 13KOs).

Judges: all 3 for Edwin Rodriguez (96-93), (98-91), (97-92)

The main event of the night was between Peter Manfredo Jr (36-6 20KOs) vs Daniel Edouard (23-3 14Kos).  The fight started with some good in boxing, both fighters throwing combinations in a close range fight with right hand uppercuts finishing multiple combinations with left hooks to the head.  Though both men were landing Daniel Edouard seem to be the quicker fighter and also had a higher work rate than Manfredo but both were definitely trading and landing on the inside.  Momentum seem to sway towards Edouard in the early rounds as he kept the pressure on Manfredo with well put together combinations on the inside but all was stopped in the 4^th round as he was caught backing up with his hands down with a big right hook by Manfredo.  Edouard got too comfortable with the pace of the fight and thought either the referee was going to break them out of a clinch or there was a mutual agreement between the fighters to remove themselves away from the clinch and was caught by Manfredo’s right hook.  Any momentum that was gained by Edouard came to a halting stop by this knockdown.  During the rest of the fight Edouard seem slow and to tire out.  Unable to find the rhythm and juice to push and pressure Manfredo as he once did.  Manfredo’s confidence sky rocketed after this knockdown throwing combinations and right hands leads kept Edouard on his heels and against the rope multiple times while Manfredo unleashed his arsenal on Edouard.  Tire and fatigue come more and more apparent for Edouard and was uneffective with any assault he tried to put on the rest of the night.  Manfredo walks away with a unanimous decision and hopes to resurrect his career.

Judges: all 3 for Peter Manfredo Jr. (97-92), (98-91), (98-91)

Friday Night Fight 1/7/10 Recap

What a great night of free boxing. Boxing get's a bad rep for not showing enough free fights like MMA does on Spike. But if you pay attention and know what to look for there are good fights on every weekend with ESPN, Telefutura, etc.

Friday Night Fight's first episode of the year brought us a two fight televised card that I think is essential for boxing to maintain it's popularity. A fight that features a young prospect and a fight that will bring fireworks. What's interesting is that this was the night of EXPOSURE.

First we saw Demetrius Andrade add another win to his record. While he clearly dominated every round, strangely Herrera still exposed him a bit. I think Andrade's lack of good footwork and lack of punching power was on display here. He should have been able to put the clearly outmatched Herrera brother down. Yet, he was happy with not working, throwing one punch at a time and getting a victory.

In a time, when his dad is under fire by your management and the media this was not a good fight for his father. You can see that he has things to work on. Also, no longer can you say that the sky is the limit for Andrade, he probably will never be a Paul Williams. I just don't think that after 200+ amateur fights and 12 pro fights you will have this much to work on as a boxer. He just doesn't work enough, throws from the wrong places, and has no punching power. Good win though. I'm interested to see when his handlers will put in him a title shot position.

The second fight was an entertaining one. I picked Herrera winning a 12 round decision in an upset prior to the fight and I was rewarded. I saw Herrera doing exactly what I thought he would do against Ruslan. Ruslan doesn't use his jab enough to keep Herrera from landing punches and tying up. Once he learns to be first, instead of pressuring with position, then trying to counter, I think he will be able to beat better competition. He relies too much on coming forward and hoping the guy covers up and not move so that he can throw his shots. Not going to work with anyone with any foot movement, toughness, or just a overall good boxer. Keep fighting the way he does and he will be a ESPN staple, nothing more.

Good fights! Ready to see next week! Manfredo vs the Haitian Sensation!

Strikeforce Heavyweight Tournament Overview

Strikeforce puts together a crowd pleasing tournament putting every fighter at risk with danger in every bracket.

Fedor Emelianenko (32-2,) a fighter that needs no introduction, will probably be the favorite to win the tournament even with the loss to Fabricio Werdum.  Fedor has dominated the heavyweight division in Pride and has been #1 P4P on many critics' list of talented fighters.  His name has recently dropped off most lists since the submission loss to Fabricio, but he is ready to prove he still belongs in the top P4P list in this tournament.  

Antonio Silva (15-2) comes into this tournament in the first round facing the toughest opponent yet in his career.  He has a great ground game using his BJJ to solidify positioning for submission or his devastating ground and pound.  His stand up game is exceptional, recently out striking Andrei Arlovski in Strikeforce.  He's more known for his ground n pound and will try and display that in this tournament.

Alistair Overeem (34-11) moving up to heavyweight since Pride has done him well.  He is talked about to be Fedor's biggest challenge if they meet in the Semi-Finals.  With all finishes by submission or knockout in his last 9 wins and winning 2010 K-1 World Grand Prix he is thought to have the most momentum coming into this tournament.

Fabricio Werdum (14-4) is another fighter coming into this tournament with a lot of momentum.  Known for his BJJ and ground n pound and his striking is always improving.  He comes off a first round submission win over Fedor Emelianenko (maybe the biggest upset in MMA history).

Andrei Arlovski (15-8) comes in the tournament with recent significant deterioration of his career.  Entering this tournament with a 3 fight losing streak, including 2 devastating knockout losses to Fedor Emelianenko and Brett Rogers, Adrei fights to get his career back on track.  Known for his boxing and devastating hands, he was beating Fedor with his footwork and speed before making a bad decision, throwing a flying knee giving Fedor the opening to land a 1 punch knockout ending his impressive prior 5 fight win streak.

Sergei Kharitonov (17-4), makes his Strikeforce debut hoping to make his mark on American soil in this tournament.  Notable from his Pride career, Kharitonov is able finish fights with both submission and strikes.  Every one of the entrants along the way will be Kharitonov’s most toughest opponents of his career making him a major underdog of this tournament.

Josh Barnett (26-5), has been a ranked in the top 10 heavyweights throughout his career. He is coming off a 6 fight win streak.  Because of his lack of being signed with the popular UFC it is hard for him to find top competition in his weight class since his Pride days.  Entering this tournament may put him back on the map and will give any opponent problems with his striking and wrestling.

Brett Rogers (11-2) is known for his devastating knockout power made his way up the food chain quickly with impressive 10 wins by way of knockout before facing Fedor.  Briefly after being TKO’d by Overeem he comes off a win in a tune up fight hoping to get back to his winning ways.

This is a great tournament put together by Strikeforce, ensuring fans to see fireworks on either side of the tournament.  This tournament starts on Febrauary 12^th predictions coming soon!

No Klitschko VS. David Haye.. for now..

Again, David Haye(25-1 23KO) and Wladimir Klitschko(55-3 49 KO) have agreed to disagree. Bernd Boente, Klitschko's manager announced that their talks have fell apart and Wladimir will be once again fighting Derek Chisora (14-0 9KO) on April 30th.

The talks fell apart apparently because of television scheduling.

Unfortunately, this just makes boxing fans care less and less about the heavyweight division. Eventually, when these two fight there will be some excitement. Until then, who really is interested in what David Haye has to say? Who is really interested in watching Klitschko demolish another challenger?

There are only a few fighters I want to see in the heavyweight division. If Haye was really serious about not getting the public's attention he should fight Adamek. They are both smaller men for their weight division and Adamek has proven that he can fight with all the big boys. However, I think Adamek is in the same position as Haye. Why take a hard fight when you can just fight nobodies (Audley Harrison, Vinny Madalone, etc) and make a good payday in your home country?

Until we as fight fans STOP paying and watching these types of fights they simply will continue with their paths. Paths that unfortunately don't cross.

Breaking News: Strikeforce Heavyweight Tournament Announced!

Showtime has announced a heavyweight tournament! It is formally announced as the Strikeforce Heavyweight World Grand Prix.

It kicks off on February 12th with two of the first round matches taking place in the IZOD center. Ex UFC champion Andrei Arlovski (15-8) takes on Sergei Kharitonov (16-4). On the other side of the draw, Fedor Emelianenko (31-2) clashes with Antonio Silva (15-2).

There are great match ups in this tournament with perhaps the deepest heavyweight tournament in MMA history. The tournament boasts two ex-UFC champions in Josh Barnett and Arlovski, reigning Strikeforce Heavyweight Champion (as well as K-1 and Dream champion) Alistair Overeem, Fedor, and the Fedor slayer Fabricio Werdum.

This may be the only weight division that Strikeforce has a realistic chance to compete with the UFC and they are showing it in dramatic fashion.

With a closer look at the brackets, Fedor will be either fighting Overeem or have a rematch with Werdum if he gets through the first round. The Overeem Fedor match has been something that MMA fans around the world have been asking for and we will finally have a chance to see it. Personally I thought that Overeem and Fedor deserved to be on other sides of the draw.

However, this should not take away from the promise of great heavyweight MMA action for the remainder of the tournament. Props to CEO Scott Coker for putting together such an amazing tournament.

Schedule:
Feb 12 - Fedor V Silva, Overeem V Werdum
April - Barnett V Rogers, Arlovski V Kharitonov

Illegal Knee/Kick Rule Hurting Sport

Once again the issue of kneeing the head to a grounded opponent reared it’s ugly head again in UFC 125 in the Dong Hyun Kim vs Nate Diaz fight. In the 3rd round it is clear from the replays that Nate Diaz kneed Dong Hyun Kim’s head while he had three limbs on the ground. What also seems clear to me from the replays is that Dong Hyun Kim purposely placed his hand to the ground knowing it would cause him to be in a down position. This is a tactic that is used by Josh Koscheck famously and other fighters in the past as well.

While I would love to delve into the fact that Kim was in fact not hurt by the knee strike. (He looked at the referee, realized he got hit by an illegal knee, then proceeded to flop soccer style onto the mat) However, I feel as though there is a bigger issue at hand. The way in which the rule that makes knees/kicking to the head is causing a detriment to the sport by undermining and diminishing the practice of good fighting skill.

There are and will continue be arguments that the kicks to the head to a downed opponent are too detrimental to the health of the fighters and should be barred for safety reasons.
The opponents will talk about the age old adage of UFC should be as real as it gets, etc etc. I am not going to dive into that.

Instead, what bothers me is the fact that the current rules not only allow tactics like this to survive, but they reward it. However, if the issue is fairness, then there is no question that purposely touching the ground to make yourself a “grounded opponent” is acting with the intentional misuse of the rule.

MMA fighters fundamentally want to learn good position. No other sport can truly simulate how badly you don't want to be in a bad position. On the basketball court you get scored on. In the octagon, you get your face rearranged (except for this here example). In BJJ, boxing, wrestling, judo, and every aspect fighters bring into the octagon agree on one thing: good positioning is vital. Giving someone your back is detrimental to a fighter and in turn he gets punished for it, by body triangles, chokes, strikes, etc. Get side mounted or full mounted, punished by strikes and submissions.

Why is it that fighters are not punished for being in the position of being a down opponent and facing forward? Why benefit a fighter just because he is faced the wrong direction? Why enable the fighter to not be concerned about strikes that should reasonably occur under those circumstances in an “as real as it gets” cage match?

Also the question of putting the hand down in creating a down position. Would a person do that in a boxing, BJJ, or judo match? Put his hand on the ground instead of protecting his face or grabbing the opponents hand? They don’t teach you that in wrestling. They don’t teach you that in BJJ. They don’t teach you that in any good martial art school. Even more obvious is the question: would a fighter do this action in a real fight?

Also, shouldn’t the ref’s and the judges take into account the position in which the action occurs? Sure, if the guy is down and there is NO question a fighter kicked another in the skull, no problem. However, in last night’s fight’s case there was no such clear distinction. (I am happy that a point was not deducted)

However, because of the foul, and the blatant acting afterwards it saddens me that we did not get to see a real finish to a 3rd round that had the chance at some great action. I think this is a great time to use a replay. Recently, when Koscheck infamously faked being struck by a knee, the referee was able to see from the replays that there was no actual contact. This should be installed officially. A point deduction should also occur for stalling if this was ruled a fake.

It also saddens me to watch fighters purposely use the rules to put them in positions that are only good in the UFC octagon, not in anything else. Making the sport not only more watchable but more fair is fundamental.

Just like touching the ground to become a grounded opponent? Good fundamentals Dong and Josh!


SW

UFC 125 Main Card Revisited

Clay Guida vs Takanori Gomi

Thumbs Up:  Good submission

Thumbs Down:  Not as much fireworks as I expected

Thoughts on the match-up:  When they announced this fight I was excited.  First thing that popped in my mind was that this fight was going to be a possible fight of the night.  Both fighters very exciting to watch, Clay Guida not a stranger to UFC Fight of the Night, taking part in 3 fight of the nights.  The fight against Deigo Sanchez later becomes voted as fight of the year in 2009.  Known for his unrelenting pace, changing of levels, decent striking, and takedowns he is fighter that contains lesser talent filled over the top with sovereign aggression.  This makes him a dangerous fighter who is a great gatekeeper for UFC’s lightweight division and will give anyone in the lightweight division a good fight.  With his style, when he is matched up to fight, he always brings the question can his opponent handle his pace, his aggression?

This is a question Takanori Gomi wants to answer for us in this fight.  Takanori Gomi is a fighter just as exciting to watch if not more because of the determination he has to knock his opponents out.  Known for his devastating knock outs in Pride, Gomi takes on another very tough opponent since joining the UFC.  He has been put into the cage with some very tough prospects of the lightweight division.  Matched up with an always improving always dangerous Kenny Florian and a very game Tyson Griffin, both at their top of their game can give any fighter in the lightweight division problems.  Whats most notable about these fights is that they show Gomi for truly what he is.  Gomi has 1 punch knockout power displayed in the Tyson Griffin fight, but he is known to gas and can be picked apart by clean crisp boxing shown in the Kenny Florian fight, also the Nick Diaz fight.  On many occasions he commits to his punches 300% and great risk can have great rewards.  He loves the stand up and has a ground game but rather stand to throw strikes, which make him the exciting fighter he is.  Guida doesn’t show the same crisp clean punching Florian or Diaz has making this fight all the more exciting.  Gomi is willing to trade with anyone, clay is willing to take anything (but then shoots for takedowns for defensive purposes).  I am still hoping Gomi can make the same mark he did in Pride being one the most memorable lightweights of him time.

Thoughts on the fight:  First off Im surprised Guida threw so many high kicks and actually landing one to Gomi’s jaw and body, though it didn’t faze Gomi it definitely is something Guida has worked on.  I understand why he continued to try it since the first one was probably the most significant strike of the fight.  Also Guida added a lot more head movement, even more intense than he usually has, giving Gomi a different look made Gomi a little more tentative, not letting his hands fly as often.

But not surprising was Guida’s takedowns.  If anyone was to fight Gomi and putting all ego aside, taking him down would definitely be a safer move.  He has submission wins but is really a knockout artist.  Kenny Florian was picking Gomi’s stand up apart with crisp clean boxing for 3 rounds and decided to take him down right when Gomi landed a huge right hook left hand, probably the best combination landing for Gomi throughout the whole fight.  Smart move by Kenny and Guida as well.  Gomi was trying to throw bombs in the first as always unable to find Guida much with his jab.  With his low stance he stuffs multiple takedown attempts of Guida.  He starts to land a few more in the 2^nd but nothing that hurts Guida, until Gomi lands a left knee from a takedown attempt.  But followed by that takedown Guida gets half guard and sinks an arm in Guillotine Choke from the top, surprised it got Gomi to tap so fast, must have been real tight even before Guida rolled to his back to finish the choke. 

My Card:

Round 1: Guida – landing more and most significant shot

Nate Diaz vs Dong Hyun Kim

Thumbs Up:  Nate Diaz’s stand up

Thumbs Down:  Not enough stand up making the fight not as exciting, Kim’s takedown follows up with minimal ground n pound and no submission attempts didn't help the excitement eithers, Kim’s reaction to knee was too much.

Thoughts on the fight:  Another fight I was extremely excited for.  Fight was somewhat entertaining.  Hoping Diaz would establish his jab and put on a boxing clinic he put on Marcus Davis, but all my dreams were shattered when Dong Hyun Kim gets a big takedown.  Diaz says he has better bjj and better stand up, I believe he does but it’s hard to prove when you try to strike and your opponent takes you down and on the ground hes just stronger and keeps his posture.

Its hard to catch your opponent in a submission when he’s that much stronger than you and knows at least some bjj.  Take Brock Lesnar vs. Frank Mir 2 for example, Frank Mir bjj IQ is off the charts especially comparing it to Brock Lesnar’s, but as strong as Brock is, what can you do?  Or Shinya Aoki vs Gilbert Melendez, Aoki known for his A class bjj, judo, and shooto can’t tap everyone, even on the ground.  Even for top bjj guys its hard to submit a strong wrestler with good posture with bjj training.  This is the case for this fight.

Though the fight is mostly on the ground it was hard for Nate to get a submission hold to stick or even put Kim in danger of a submission.  Attempts were made and they have a few transitions but Diaz can’t seem to shoot his legs up for a triangle or get a hold of legs for a knee bar or ankle locks.  Though Kim slowly gets tired through the fight and unable to handle Diaz’s boxing, majority of the fight takes place on the ground which wasn’t enough to show the judges the difference in the stand up game.  There are people saying Diaz won, but watching MMA for so long, I know how mma judges do it.  Takedown is king.  Takedowns counts for too much, seems like if you takedown someone in a round anything the opposing fighter did before hitting the mat doesn’t count, like its forgotten.  It counts more than effective striking for a whole minute or two sometimes even more, its pretty ridiculous.  Even if the person ontop isn’t even passing, striking, or going for submission attempts judges still use that as big deciding factors in rounds and sometimes fights as a whole.  That’s the definition of lay and pray and it’s a topic mma fans bring up daily because so many fighters use it and it wins fights.  Knowing this, I knew Diaz wouldn’t win the decision.  It’s sad, in the end who would you rather be, Kim or Diaz?  In the end Diaz did more damage and for Kim congrats you won a wrestling match.

Thoughts on the knee:  The illegal knee, first there needs to be a rule change in the UFC about kneeing a down opponent.  But before getting into this, Kim’s reaction to the knee was just embarrassing.  Is that really how he was going to act if the knee was legal?  Complain and roll on the ground like it was a Wanderlei knee knocking out Rampage?  It’s hard to convince me that that knee was so devastating that Kim needed to put on a Hollywood acting clinic in the cage.  It’ll be hard to convince me that he’ll react the same, bitching and complaining, if that knee was legal.  It’s hard for me to cheer and honor a fighter who milks fouls like Koscheck or a basketball player flopping in the NBA.  There are rule changes needed in UFC to make it a better sport, but there is so much to be said it’ll be in my next blog.

My Card:

Round 1: Kim (10-9)– Takedown with some ground n pound

Round 2: Kim (10-9)– Takedown with some ground n pound

Round 3: Diaz (10-9)– Better stand up, lands more strikes, finishes the round strong

(29-28) Dong Hyun Kim

Brandon Veras vs Thiago Silva

Thumbs Up:  Good ground n pound

Thumbs Down:  Most of the fight on the ground

Thoughts on the fight:  Also another fight I wanted to see.  Both with great striking, both love to stand.  Vera with the more technical striking but Silva with power and aggression.  Some thought this was going to be a stand up war but I had no doubt in my mind this could easily go to the ground, I mean after all we are watching MMA not k-1 or boxing.

Most fights go to the ground especially when someone is losing the stand up game.  But this fight it was out of convenience which happens in a lot of fights too.  A fighter strikes or is moving forward and a clinch happens.  They either trip or body lock or both, tripping is a common take down because most fighters like to drive forward and tripping them is easier than opening up their arms to for a double.

Anyways Silva does this multiple times in this fight and remains dominate with ground and pound destroying Brandon Vera.  Didn’t turn out to be the fight most people wanted to see or expected, most fans want to see stand up, but the ground and pound Silva displayed still gave the fans a show.  The brief time they had standing up still reminds us of what Brandon Vera can do.

The question that comes up for me is, stand up fighters don’t want it to go to the ground, but if you can’t stop the other guys takedown and u find yourself in a clinch a lot why not just take him down first?  Instead of trying to defend takedowns and end up losing the fight anyways, I mean it’s like a crisp boxer who wins with only jabs and 1-2’s but find it not working in a fight, him opening with some different combinations may not be a bad idea, I mean your loosing the fight anyways.  There are times you have to fight out of your style to win a fight, but Vera didn’t go for a takedown even once in the fight letting Silva cease the opportunity.  I understand it’s hard sometimes for fighters to execute during a fight but it’s something that can be used for fighters that want to keep it standing.  To stop him from taking you down and laying and praying, take him down first and if u can find an opportunity to stand up you can, if not, you’re probably still going to win the round since you’re on top.  It’s just sad to see stand up fighters like Brandon Vera get taken down over and over and unable to do anything off their back.  Again takedown is king, which makes me sad but its part of MMA.

Thiago Silva’s ground and pound from Vera’s back at the end of the third round resulted Vera’s broken nose… Ouch!

My Card:

Round 1: Silva (10-9) – Takedown and dominates on the ground with control and ground n pound

Round 2: Silva (10-9) – Takedowns Vera and backs it up with ground n pound

Round 3: Silva (10-9) – Takedowns Vera and punishes him with ground n pound

Brian Stann vs Chris Leben

Thumbs Up: Exciting fight, a war.

Thumbs Down:  None

Thoughts on the match-up:  When I heard this fight was going to happen, I thought to myself, Chris Leben and Brian Stann? Someone is going to be knocked out.  With the willingness of both fighters down to trade and the power both fighters possess it’s a knockout of the night if not fight of the night waiting to happen.  Both their interviews before the fight talk about standing toe to toe and that’s exactly what happens.

They came out swinging for the fences, it was bad news for someone since the beginning, but Stann comes out the victor because of his crisper striking.  Leben is wilder and has more looping shots which Stann wasn’t there to receive on his end.  He landed the more effective shots putting Leben in trouble in the first round putting him away with his relentless attack in the clinch to the body and head.  No love loss for Leben as he displays his heart and crowd pleasing aggression again.  Throwing caution to the wind to land is something the fans always love and respect.  But tonight the aggression got him trouble early in the fight, taking a big chance by pushing the action.  Sometimes this can be rewarding, but the great striking from Stann keeps Leben from cashing out.  Stann kept his composure and didnt let Leben’s aggression stop his hands from throwing.  Finishing the fight quickly not giving Leben a chance to recover, this now puts a lot of eyes on Brian Stann.

Frankie Edgar vs Gray Maynard

Thumbs Up:  Great fight, won fight of the night, shows Edgars ability to recover

Thumbs Down:  Unhappy with judges

Thoughts on the match-up:  This was a highly anticipated fight.  After their first meetings at UFC Fight Night 13 they both branch out to fight different fighters both proving to be top contenders in the lightweight division.  Frankie Edgar gets the title shot first even though he lost to Maynard.  A factor may be because Edgar has the more impressive wins after their meeting.  If losing had a positive affect on a fighter this maybe one of them.  Grey wins some close split decisions while making the fight uneventful and unmemorable for the fans.  The close fights with Nate Diaz, Roger Huerta, and the unanimous decision over the very popular Kenny Florian maybe the reason angry fans give Maynard the nickname Grey “lay and pray” Maynard.

This is why I am not surprised Frankie Edgar gets a title shot before the undefeated Grey Maynard.  Fans are attracted to his style, with a solid arsenal of punches and kicks always moving in and out, side to side, head movement, speed and his tendencies to stay busy are what the fans are looking for and is also the reason he dominates some of the best in the lightweight division.  Usually the smaller fighter he still holds notable wins over Sean Sherk, Hermes Franca, Spencer Fisher, and 2 wins over B.J. Penn it proves he deserves to be where he is today.  Though most his fights are decision victories, they are convincing wins, always making sure his opponents are a step behind with his movement, footwork and creativity of combination strikes.  This keeps the fans entertained and wanting more.  Stylistically who wouldn’t want to see Frankie Edgar matched up with anyone in his weight division?  Though critics say he doesn’t have the knockout power to finish fights you can’t knock on a fighter for fighting with speed over power, in the end, speed kills.

Thoughts on the fight (round by round analysis because of the close decision):  Frankie Edgar has the faster hands and the faster footwork and he puts it to good use.  He does get rocked hard by a Maynard left hook, landing it by feinted a jab getting Frankie to react.  This gets Frankie in trouble very early in the fight.  This is the worst Frankie has ever been hurt in his MMA career and the following onslaught from Maynard doesn’t help.  I was screaming for the refree Yves Lavigne not to stop the fight so Frankie can prove himself and lucky for Frankie he doesn’t.  Frankie stays alive with takedown attempts, clinching and scrambling.  Looking real bad, with no legs, having trouble with his equilibrium Frankie somehow makes it out of the first round taking a lot of punishment but also lands a good right hand of his own.  This round is minimum a 10-8 one judge gave it 10-7 Maynard which is hard to argue against.  But really what is the official scoring system in MMA?  Its not by knockdowns like boxing so why score it like boxing with a 10 point must score system?  So I guess the judge felt it was so one sided that he should take another point away from Frankie?  Okay, so what would 10-6 be, a knockout?  It really can’t get worst for Edgar in that round unless he gets knocked out or TKO stoppage.  So the scoring is iffy.

In the 2^nd round Edgar goes back to what he does best.  Using his speed he sets up combinations of leg kicks and hands.  I was surprised how much Frankie recovered from the first round.  Throughout the whole round Frankie is the busier fighter, connecting with a few right hands and kicks.  Frankie definitely landing the most significant punch of the round with a nice jab leading the right as Maynard tries to counter with a left hook at 2:40 of the 2^nd round.  Maynard has done nothing, and landing nothing significant in this round.  Frankie secures the round even more with a big takedown with a minute left in the round.  Maynard with his wrestling pedigree gets to his feet quickly.  Repeatedly Frankie lands the right hand over the top of Maynard’s left hand at the end of the round also stuffing Maynard’s takedown.  This is a 10-9 round for Frankie Edgar easily.  It’s hard for anyone to justify this round for Gray Maynard.  Even Randy Couture in the middle of the round tells Maynard, “You gave him that round now.  You understand me?  Now it’s a round a piece.  Alright?”

In round 3 Frankie comes out with the same type of movement and footwork landing a good jab and a leg.  Frankie lands a right hand with a 3 punch combination.  Frankie continuously lands leg kicks and body kicks.  Frankie out works and out strikes Gray for at least the first 3 minutes of the round, though the minute of the and a half is closer, they both land shots.  Nothing significant enough to take the round away from Frankie Edgar, though the most significant punch of the round may have been a short right uppercut from Maynard, Frankie does land a few right hands over the top to balance that also with nice hand left hook combination near the end of the round.  At the end of the round with 40 seconds left Maynard catches Frankie’s kick giving Maynard a takedown.  The first time I was watching the round, I was joking with some friends saying that the judges are probably going to give the round to Gray because he took Edgar down at the last 40 seconds of the fight, sarcastically.  Edgar gets up momentarily as he tries to lock in a Kimura he gets dragged down again.  The last 10 seconds Edgar gets full guard slaps on a guillotine choke to end the round.  The first time watching this fight, I gave this round to Frankie Edgar with no doubt because it seemed like he dominated the stand up with his speed and footwork and Maynard just took him down with 40 seconds left and did nothing with it, not even a strike, while Frankie had two submission attempts also trying to get up.  As I watch the fight over again it was closer than I thought, but still I would give it to Frankie.  Frankie wins the stand up convincingly for the first 3 minutes of the round landing jabs kicks and right hands, Maynard lands… nothing.  Not only does he land nothing, his work rate on his feet is close to zero to none, no significant combination hardly any jabs at all.  He is probably tired from all the punches he threw in the first round to try and finish the fight (punch count says he threw 97 punches in the first round).  The stand up gets a little closer for the next minute and a half or so, with Maynard landing a left hook, body shot, right hook, and right uppercut on Edgar.  But at same time Edgar also lands a body kick, leg kick, right hand left hook of his own.  None of these seem to damage either fighter I would say this part of the round is even maybe a slight edge to Maynard because the right uppercut or right hook seem to be the most significant strike of the round but too close to call.  The takedown for Maynard at the last 40 seconds shouldn’t be worth much, but knowing judges they always count it for a lot because… I don’t know.  Maynard’s takedown goes nowhere; he throws no strikes on the ground or goes for any submission.  The busier fighter on the ground was actually Edgar off his back, threatening with Kimura and slaps on a nice Guillotine Choke in full guard to win the round.  10-9 for Frankie Edgar, if Maynard actually tried to ground and pound or do something maybe it’s arguable it was a 10-10 round but judges rarely give that.  I mean the takedown wasn’t a big slam or anything it, he just sucked Frankie’s legs in near the fence, no damage, and then when Edgar scrambles and tries to stand he drags him back down.  The most you can give Gray was a draw that round and I say MOST, which I don’t think it was.

In round 4 Gray comes out more aggressive ends up getting taken down by Edgar and Edgar slaps on a standing Guillotine attempt and throws a nice combination as Gray defends against the fence momentarily.  Frankie gets another takedown.  They scramble to their feet and again Maynard is a step behind with his stand up, unable to find Frankie as Edgar moves side to side, in and out landing leg kicks and right hands.  Maynard gets a nice combination in after Edgar stuffs his takedown but no damage to either fighter.  The right hand still is the most frequent strike that lands throughout the round also Frankie lands a knee from a failed takedown attempt from Maynard.  Frankie lands with 3 nice left hooks after driving Maynard into the cage as Maynard tries to stand.  The round ends on their feet as Edgar lands a few jabs and Maynard’s strikes are far from hitting Frankie.  Frankie Edgar dominates this round with his footwork, hand speed and takedowns.  Maynard is unable to find home with any of his striking and is nowhere near taking Edgar down this round.  Easy round for Frankie Edgar 10-9.

In the 5^th round the striking game is even in the round both peppering each other with jabs but near a minute and a half into the round he opens up with some nice combinations that land, but Maynard comes back quickly with a right hook left hook that lands flesh on Frankie.  Frankie takes it well but probably his combinations he landed earlier were forgotten by the judges because of those two punches.  But Frankie still sticks to him game plan and keeps throwing nice combinations stuffing Gray’s takedowns countering with a knee that lands softly.    Gray returns the favor after Edgar stuffs his takedown landing a knee of his own.  But Edgar again comes out with nice combinations landing on Maynard and stuffs his takedown landing a knee to the body as well.  At this point its close, but the last minute and a half Frankie stays quick and creative, coming in with combinations Maynard cant see and Edgar scores multiple times.  People say it’s a close round but the question is, that right hook left hook combination from Maynard counted more than multiple combinations landed by Edgar?  The hooks might have been more powerful but it’s not like Edgar was hurt.  Edgar throws more punches lands more and none of the fighters are really hurt at the end of the round.  I don’t see how I can give this round to Maynard.  10-9 for Edgar easily, Edgar stay more busy, lands more, out strikes Maynard for the whole round.

My Card:

Round 1: Maynard (10-8) Dominated the round, hurt Edgar multiple times badly.

Round 2: Edgar (10-9) Lands the cleaner/most significant punches, High work rate vs. Maynard which had close to none, lands more than opponent

Round 3: Edgar (10-9) Controls the stand up for more than half the round, took no damage the brief moment he was on the ground, submission attempts off his back

Round 4: Edgar (10-9) Footwork and hand speed helps Frankie control the stand up once again, takes no damage from Maynard, higher work rate than opponent, lands more

Round 5: Edgar (10-9) Frankie’s combinations land multiple times and isn’t there for Maynard to return fire, outworks Maynard again on the feet, lands more strikes

(48-46) Frankie Edgar

I was complaining about the decision after the fight because I had Edgar winning all four rounds after the devastating first round.  Re-watching the fight I scored the bout the same but I understand why one of the judges scored it (47-47) as a draw, though the rules in scoring are not clear in MMA.  The (47-47) judge gave the last 3 rounds to Edgar and the 5th round to Maynard and of course the 10-8 in the first round.  This made it a draw, I do not blame him.  But the (48-46) judge gave Maynard the third round which was clearly not the case and also the 5th round.  The third round was the most controversial round of the fight.  The last judge it had it right at (48-46) Edgar giving the last 4 rounds the to him.  At the end of the day the fans get to see a great rematch.

Friday Night Fights 1/7/11 Preview

Preview and predictions of Friday Night Fights on January 7th


As always, I am excited for the first ESPN fight card of the year on January 7th. Ruslan Provodnikov (17-0 11KO) is fighting Maricuo Herrera (15-1 7 KO). Ruslan is coming off of a win in his home country of Russia, but we last saw him stateside May of last year when he fought fan favorite Emanuel Augustus. While the record will show that he knocked Augustus down 3 times and eventually ended him in the 9th, Augustus took the fight on short notice (4 days) and still managed to win a few of the early rounds.
Herrera is coming off two wins since that controversial split decision to Mike Achondo in December of ’09. I had them at least at a draw. It will be interesting because Achondo was Herrera’s first real step up in class and he felt he got screwed. If Provodnikov starts slow again, watch out, Herrera just might pull this one out. Remember, it’s not like the Russian has had too much stiff competition either. Of course I love pressure fighters, but upset special with some good action here. Herrera D12

I’m also excited about watching Demetrius Andrade (11-0 8KO) fight as always. Easily one of the best American prospects (Paul Williams part duex). He fights another family member, Alberto Herrera (7-1-1 5KO) as the other fight on the televised card. They have an common opponent in Chris Chatman, who knocked out Herrera in the 4th of his only loss. Chatman also lost a lopsided decision against Andrade in his hometown of Rhode Island. Herrera is coming off of a loss and has likely never seen skill on the same level as Demetrius. I expect a boxing demolition with ultimately Andrade stopping him.
Andrade KO6

SW

UFC 125 Main Card Quick Recap

UFC 125 Main Card Recap

Clay Guida vs. Takanori Gomi

The first fight of the main card is here!  Gomi walks out with some Japanese music, Clay is clearly enjoying his Foo Fighters entrance. 

They begin with some close exchanges but never really exchanged within the pocket because Guida is dictating the distance.  Gomi is just stalking in the middle of the ring following Guida.   Gomi is unable to land a clean shot throughout the round.  Guida lands a huge right high kick on Gomi’s jaw in the first round but Gomi takes it well. 

A few takedown attempts are stuffed by Gomi but that’s all he can do.  Guida’s head, side to side, in and out and switching it up seems to keep Gomi guessing an unable to land anything solid throughout the first round.  Clay Guida with his signature strike and shoot technique is putting Gomi on his back at the end of the round.  Guida looks for the overhand right the whole fight but is unable to land.

In the 2^nd round Guida gets caught with a small right hook after he shoots.  Gomi is able to stop another takedown, but is unable to stop the next one as Clay is in Gomi’s half guard he locks up a Guillotine choke from the top rolling to his back he gets Gomi to tap. 

The submission ended up getting sub of the night.

Guida wins by submission 4:27 of the 2^nd round.

Nate Diaz vs. Dong Hyun Kim

Nate establishing his jab early with a nice inside leg kicks.  Nate is the busier fighter on the feet.  Kim gets the takedown the fight takes part mostly on the ground.  Diaz can’t seem to shoot his legs up for a triangle or get a hold of legs for a knee bar or ankle locks.  Kim keeps Diaz on his back until the very end of the 1^st round.  Kim is slowly tiring through the fight and unable to handle Diaz’s boxing.

In the 2^nd round Diaz tries to establish his striking with jabs.  When stand up fails most fighters goes for a takedown which Kim does after eating some nice combinations from Diaz.  More transitions, Diaz unable to pull off a submission attempt from his back. 

In the 3^rd round Diaz again tries to do more of the same with his stand up, throwing more and landing more.  Kim again shoots for a takedown but finally Diaz was able to stop it and a controversial knee lands on Kim’s head.  The referee warns Diaz about the knee and they start standing and Kim takes Diaz down again. 

After some transitions they get back to their feet and Nate knowing hes behind tries to pour it on.  Doing more in the last minute of the fight on his feet than Kim ever did on his feet the whole fight, Diaz lands shots on Kim’s body and head, while Kim was crowded trying to defend himself against the fence to the end of the round. 

Unanimous decision goes to Dong Hyun Kim all three judges (29-28)

Brandon Vera vs. Thiago Silva

The fights starts out in a clinch and some knees were exchanged but after touching the fence Silva gets the takedown.  Some transitions happen and Silva is ground and pounding Vera and eventually passing to side control.  Silva is controlling Vera and lands nice elbows from the top.  Vera helplessly tries to control Silva’s posture but Silva still gets some shots in till the end of the round.  At the end of the round Silva taunts Vera after getting up from the ground. 

I think Brandon was a little aggravated because he comes out in the 2^nd round with some nice aggression and opens up with a knee and head kick.  Silva and Vera exchange but in the end Vera moves away and exchange near the fence but in the end clinch and Silva gets the takedown again.  More of the same from round 1, ground and pound Vera unable to do much.  This happens through the whole 2^nd round and Vera seems okay but the damage is accumulating with hope slowly fading for Vera. 

Down 2 rounds to none, the 3^rd round begins with some comical relief as Vera catches Silva’s body kick throwing a shot of his own. While, Silva falling on his back Vera raises his hands to taunt Silva, getting some revenge from the end of the first round, I had to laugh at that.  They clinch again and guess what?  Silva takes Vera down… again. 

Silva gets Vera’s back and is near the fence.  Hammering Vera with punches all Vera can do is defend though punches are getting through.  Silva starts to open hand slap Vera then uses Vera’s back as a bongo and slaps Vera more also slapping Vera’s ass literally.  The round ends after Silva lands some more shots to Vera’s head.

Thiago Silva gets the unanimous decision judges scoring it (30-26, 30-27, 30-27)

Brian Stann vs Chris Leben

In the first round they come out trading, Leben with a body kick, Stann with a right.  They trade more but Leben is the one coming forward.  They clinch and throw more.  As they take a quick break in the clinch against the fence. 

Leben seems to be the one taking more punishment and ends up having to go for a takedown but ends up getting rocked with a right hand from Stann and goes to the canvas momentarily then scrambles back to his feet.  Stann feels he’s hurt and continues with right hands and drops Leben, but Leben known for his heart and chin keeps standing up for more but gets dropped again by a right hand. 

Stann goes for the finish hammering away and the ref has to step in to give Brian Stann the TKO victory in the first round at 3:37 of the first round.

Frankie Edgar vs Gray Maynard

Edgar comes out with his signature side to side movement.  Frankie is busier with the hands keeping his double jab out there for Maynard to worry about.  Frankie mixes things up with a leg kick.  Maynard catches Frankie with a huge left hook.  Frankie seems hurt bad as he goes for a takedown.  Scrambling back to his feet Frankie is caught with another right uppercut.  Frankie stumbles all over the cage trying to survive by moving and shooting for takedowns to slow the pace.

When Frankie moves on his feet he stumbles showing he is badly hurt.  He tries and slow the pace again with some clinching but Gray catches Frankie again with the right hand.  Frankie is still hurt very bad.  Gray is pushing forward with a lot of punches.  Frankie starts to get his composure back near the end of the round.

Frankie seems to be fine at the start of the 2^nd round, back to his head movement and footwork.  Mixing up his combinations and keeping Gray guessing.  Frankie is out striking Gray and staying busier.  Edgar gets a nice takedown to bring the crowd alive.

In the 3^rd round more of the same from Edgar, being the quicker fighter, mixing it up with leg kick and his hand speed.  Frankie able to stuffs Gray’s takedown.  Frankie lands nice combinations as Maynard tries to counter landing a few glancing blows with his right hand nothing affecting either fighter. 

Throughout the round Frankie has the cleaner crisper punching combination.  But Maynard is able to land a few nice right hand including right uppercuts to the chin and Edgar’s body.  At the end of the round Gray gets a takedown while Frankie threatens Gray with a Kimura then ends the round with a Guillotine Attempt. 

The 4^th round starts with a takedown attempt by Edgar and tries to finish Gray with a standing Guillotine as Frankie lets it go Edgar throws a nice combination.  Frankie backups and goes back to his style of movement and mixing it up with hands and leg kicks.  Frankie goes for another shot and pins Maynard against the fence.  Frankie lands 3 left hooks to Maynard’s chin as he keeps him pin to the fence.  The round ends with Edgar moving Maynard stalking. 

The 5th round starts with exchanging of jabs.  Frankie mixing it up and landing a leg kick.  Maynard is trying to push forward unable to find Frankie with anything significant.  They both land in the middle of the round, Maynard with a left hook and a right uppercut.  Frankie is still working his hands trying to find Maynard. 

Frankie stuffs a few shots and lands a knee once to the face another failed takedown Edgar counters with a knee.  Frankie continuously stuffs Maynard’s shots.  They end the round by trading shots both men landing. 

The bout ends in a draw the judges scoring it (47-47, 48-46, 46-48).

So it begins...

For us to begin with a quotation from a famous fighter would be too easy.  To begin with an epic saying about wars and battles fought long ago would likely be over zealous.  Instead we’ll start simple. 

Simplicity is something that hopefully all of our readers can find to solace in when coming to this blog.  They can find comfort in the fact that our blog has no direct agenda, except to throw our opinions into the fray, into the caldron of endless sports opinions.  We are simply fight fans.  We have fighting in our blood thanks to our lineage and we have passion in our hearts thanks to these fight sports.  So without further ado, thanks for reading. 

I almost forgot.  That simple saying?  Just a little gym talk that resonates through every good sparring session, every good street scuffle, every good fight.  Let the fists fly and the egos fall.