I havent written in this blog in forever, mostly because although I've been watching UFC, between the Demian Maia loss, and generally lackluster cards, I haven't really had anything to write about. I was talking to the doctor and P this weekend, and got to thinking about Kimbo's place in MMA.
I can point to a few holes in his game, and one big mental error that cost him the fight with Roy Nelson. That having been said, I like Kimbo. He seems pretty engaging, and anyone with knockout power can be fun to watch. I think the problems in his game are correctable, and he definately looks like the most marketable of the TUF competitors.
First of all, his loss to Roy Nelson (the nail in the coffin as it were), came as a result of him throwing a knee shot in the 2nd round. He actually seemed to have Nelson on his heels, and Kimbo was striking effectively. When he threw the knee shot, he off-balanced himself, became easy to take down, and once on the ground, was easy pickings for Nelson and as Rampage put it "his bellay". Now, while I disagree with a TKO due to nuggies, the best defense for that is to not be in that position in the first place. If you are facing a grappler, don't let them take you down, it's not that hard.
One fighter who has excellent takedown defense is Chuck Liddell. Most people don't know that Liddell was a very good wrestler in college. If you look at Liddell's fighting style, it would give an excellent blueprint for Kimbo to follow. Liddell rarely kicks, and I can't remember him ever throwing a head kick. I love head kicks, but unless you have really good leg flexibility and are comfortable on the ground, they should be avoided in general. Even great kickers like Mirco Cro cop dont throw kicks higher than waist level with any regularity. I'm not saying don't kick. I thought when Kimbo threw and outside leg kick, it was a solid strategy. The other part of solid takedown defense is keeping a low, wide base. Liddell has knockout power in his hands, so does Kimbo. By keeping a low, wide base, you don't lose punching power, but you make yourself much harder to take down. It's not impossible, world class wrestlers or Judoka will be able to get a takedown on just about anyone. Narrowing your base with ineffective offense just plays into their hands.
The holes in Kimbo's game (besides takedown defense) are wrestling and his ground game. Those are very fixable with work. Will he ever be able to beat Brock Lesnar? I don't think so. However, I think with work, Kimbo will be a solid midcard heavyweight, that people will like to watch fight. In effect, he is Tank Abbott.
Monday, October 5, 2009
Tuesday, August 25, 2009
The real main event: Maia vs Marquardt
I hate to say this, but who really cares about Minotauro vas Couture? Couture lost decisively to Lesnar, and although he's a great competitor, he's definately on the wrong side of 40. Nogueira lost definitively to Mir, and would most assuredly not fare any better against Lesnar. Neither man will again contend for a UFC heavyweight championship.
However, there are two men who may be fighting for the title of number one contender in their weight class: Nate Marquardt and Demian Maia. I will be the first to admit, I am a fan of Maia. Most people have Jujitsu skills that are passable. Some people have Jujitsu skills that are great. Maia's Jujitsu skills are on another level. One needs to only look at his record for evidence. Ten wins, no losses, eight wins by submission. What about his UFC record? Five wins, all by submission, four submissions of the night.
Take a minute for that to sink in. Every single fight the man has had in the UFC he has ended with a submission. I can't think of anyone else who can boast that kind of record (Roger Gracie is close but 2 for 2 as impressive as 8 for 10, plus strikeforce has lesser talent than UFC).
Marquardt is still a very strong well rounded competitor who is a BJJ blackbelt. However, as we saw in BJ Penn vs Kenny Florian, all BJJ blackbelts are not created equal. Marquardt is very strong and well conditioned for a middleweight, he will definately have the edge in pure strength and it is obvious Maia's striking leaves much to be desired. However, I can't bet against Maia's previous results in UFC. Marquardt will lose by submission. I definately see Marquardt damaging Maia with strikes and possibly even taking him down. However, Maia has the one tool that can end a fight at any time. The only comparable in Marquardt's record would be Ricardo Almeida who submitted him in 2003, however Almeida's Jujitsu is not at Maia's level.
I see Maia winning via submission in a well fought entertaining fight. The only question is whether or not it will win submission of the night.
However, there are two men who may be fighting for the title of number one contender in their weight class: Nate Marquardt and Demian Maia. I will be the first to admit, I am a fan of Maia. Most people have Jujitsu skills that are passable. Some people have Jujitsu skills that are great. Maia's Jujitsu skills are on another level. One needs to only look at his record for evidence. Ten wins, no losses, eight wins by submission. What about his UFC record? Five wins, all by submission, four submissions of the night.
Take a minute for that to sink in. Every single fight the man has had in the UFC he has ended with a submission. I can't think of anyone else who can boast that kind of record (Roger Gracie is close but 2 for 2 as impressive as 8 for 10, plus strikeforce has lesser talent than UFC).
Marquardt is still a very strong well rounded competitor who is a BJJ blackbelt. However, as we saw in BJ Penn vs Kenny Florian, all BJJ blackbelts are not created equal. Marquardt is very strong and well conditioned for a middleweight, he will definately have the edge in pure strength and it is obvious Maia's striking leaves much to be desired. However, I can't bet against Maia's previous results in UFC. Marquardt will lose by submission. I definately see Marquardt damaging Maia with strikes and possibly even taking him down. However, Maia has the one tool that can end a fight at any time. The only comparable in Marquardt's record would be Ricardo Almeida who submitted him in 2003, however Almeida's Jujitsu is not at Maia's level.
I see Maia winning via submission in a well fought entertaining fight. The only question is whether or not it will win submission of the night.
Tuesday, August 11, 2009
UFC 101 reactions. . .
I posted my thoughts on UFC 101 pre-fight, and I thought I would be horribly off base. I think looking back I was mostly right. First of all, a few reactions:
WTF was Florian thinking trying to grapple with Penn? Penn is bigger, stronger, has a better center of gravity (generally it's harder for a taller guy to throw a shorter guy at the same weight), and as we saw, his Jujitsu skills are on another level.
I still think Florian would have been more competitive had he made it a stand up striking fight.
Anderson Silva is the top pound for pound fighter in the world, period. BJ Penn showed how hard it is for an elite fighter to step up in weight class and challenge a well rounded fighter. Silva is just a freak. He's that good.
GSP would have no better luck against Silva than he would have against Lesnar, I think it's too much of a gap.
Apparently Grabbing your opponent by the back of the head and uppercutting repeatedly is a valid tactic even in the UFC.
Kendall Grove is a horrible fighter whose sole positive attribute is that he's 6'6. Apparently it's really hard to throw a guy whose feet are still on the ground when he's over your shoulder.
Watching almost every fight on the card go to decision is BORING. Even more boring when they're not trying too much.
I am very interested to see Silva vs Machida. Both are counter strikers with knockout power and solid Jujitsu.
I am also very interested to see BJ Penn vs Diego Sanchez.
I am lastly excited to see Silva vacate the middleweight belt so Demian Maia can get a shot at the middleweight belt.
WTF was Florian thinking trying to grapple with Penn? Penn is bigger, stronger, has a better center of gravity (generally it's harder for a taller guy to throw a shorter guy at the same weight), and as we saw, his Jujitsu skills are on another level.
I still think Florian would have been more competitive had he made it a stand up striking fight.
Anderson Silva is the top pound for pound fighter in the world, period. BJ Penn showed how hard it is for an elite fighter to step up in weight class and challenge a well rounded fighter. Silva is just a freak. He's that good.
GSP would have no better luck against Silva than he would have against Lesnar, I think it's too much of a gap.
Apparently Grabbing your opponent by the back of the head and uppercutting repeatedly is a valid tactic even in the UFC.
Kendall Grove is a horrible fighter whose sole positive attribute is that he's 6'6. Apparently it's really hard to throw a guy whose feet are still on the ground when he's over your shoulder.
Watching almost every fight on the card go to decision is BORING. Even more boring when they're not trying too much.
I am very interested to see Silva vs Machida. Both are counter strikers with knockout power and solid Jujitsu.
I am also very interested to see BJ Penn vs Diego Sanchez.
I am lastly excited to see Silva vacate the middleweight belt so Demian Maia can get a shot at the middleweight belt.
Friday, August 7, 2009
UFC 101
So unlike UFC 100, there's only two fights I care about on this card, but they're so good, and so unpredictable, they elevate the card to must watch.
BJ Penn vs Kenny Florian: This is a hard fight to call. I LOVE Penn's jujitsu. He is freakishly flexible on the ground and at 155 he is bullishly strong. He is difficult to take down and although his striking isnt super technical, he can land hard shots. He's almost like Dan Henderson at lightweight with ridiculous jujitsu. Florian is long and lean at 155. He will enjoy a significant reach advantage and should be able to make use of his solid Muay Thai arsenal.
Penn will win if: He gets the fight to the ground and avoids Florian's elbows. He is the better jujitsu practitioner and his conditioning should be better now that he doesn't have to add weight (he doesn't really have the frame for 170).
Florian will win if: He can generally keep the fight standing up and use his Muay Thai and maybe a few elbows on the ground. He will have a reach advantage with both punches and kicks and needs to use them. Although he generally has the edge in grappling against most other lightweights, that is not the case with Penn.
Forrest Griffin vs Anderson Silva: Another great fight. Silva isn't really a light heavyweight, and Griffin is one of the best. Both men have solid standup, but the technique edge goes to Silva. However, Silva had to add weight to get to 205 and no one trains like Griffin so the cardio edge definately goes to Griffin.
Griffin will win if: He uses his size and cardio to wear down Silva and avoids the knockout punch. He needs to mix striking and throws and keep Silva on the defensive. He also has to avoid Silva's deadly thai clinch.
Silva will win if: He can press the offense. No one doubts that Silva is a brilliant fighter, one of the UFC's best pound for pound. He still has knockout power in the heavyweight division, but his last few fights at middleweight he has looked tentative. That is not a good strategy against an ex champion at light heavyweight. Griffin has great resolve, but doesn't have the world's best chin, if Silva stays on the offensive, he can exploit it.
I have been back and forth and I genuinely like all the fighters involved so I can't pick any favorites. Maybe a slight edge to Penn and Griffin. This is one of those cards where I will just watch the fights and enjoy.
BJ Penn vs Kenny Florian: This is a hard fight to call. I LOVE Penn's jujitsu. He is freakishly flexible on the ground and at 155 he is bullishly strong. He is difficult to take down and although his striking isnt super technical, he can land hard shots. He's almost like Dan Henderson at lightweight with ridiculous jujitsu. Florian is long and lean at 155. He will enjoy a significant reach advantage and should be able to make use of his solid Muay Thai arsenal.
Penn will win if: He gets the fight to the ground and avoids Florian's elbows. He is the better jujitsu practitioner and his conditioning should be better now that he doesn't have to add weight (he doesn't really have the frame for 170).
Florian will win if: He can generally keep the fight standing up and use his Muay Thai and maybe a few elbows on the ground. He will have a reach advantage with both punches and kicks and needs to use them. Although he generally has the edge in grappling against most other lightweights, that is not the case with Penn.
Forrest Griffin vs Anderson Silva: Another great fight. Silva isn't really a light heavyweight, and Griffin is one of the best. Both men have solid standup, but the technique edge goes to Silva. However, Silva had to add weight to get to 205 and no one trains like Griffin so the cardio edge definately goes to Griffin.
Griffin will win if: He uses his size and cardio to wear down Silva and avoids the knockout punch. He needs to mix striking and throws and keep Silva on the defensive. He also has to avoid Silva's deadly thai clinch.
Silva will win if: He can press the offense. No one doubts that Silva is a brilliant fighter, one of the UFC's best pound for pound. He still has knockout power in the heavyweight division, but his last few fights at middleweight he has looked tentative. That is not a good strategy against an ex champion at light heavyweight. Griffin has great resolve, but doesn't have the world's best chin, if Silva stays on the offensive, he can exploit it.
I have been back and forth and I genuinely like all the fighters involved so I can't pick any favorites. Maybe a slight edge to Penn and Griffin. This is one of those cards where I will just watch the fights and enjoy.
Tuesday, August 4, 2009
Make them tap: Triangle Armbar from the turtle
So I have already stated in a previous blog, Sankaku Gatame or the triangle arm bar is one of my favorite submission moves. (I really like them all, but this one, when you're in position for it is tight and almost a garaunteed tap out). I can't remember where I learned this particular use for it, but I love it, it's simple and effective.
The starting position is with your opponent in what is called the "turtle". Basically they get on hands and knees, with limbs close into their body and their hands able to defend their neck and head. In Judo, we used to use this position all the time, but since Brazilian Jujitsu got popular, people are less likely to want an opponent to have their back. However, it does come up fairly frequently in MMA and no-gi where takedowns aren't as clean and people end up in a number of weird positions.
Attacking the turtle is pretty much the same no matter what finish you want to apply. You first need to lock into their back so they don't get away. For our purposes, this is your left leg in either a grapevine on their leg or a body lock (you want to end up in the body lock, but if they're trying to shake you, grapevine is tighter). When you're ready to initiate the arm bar, you put your right foot in between their head and right arm. You get a good hold on their arm, pulling it up and falling backwards. They will be flipped over into a triangle arm bar.
For as much as I love this technique, I never got a chance to use it in competition. First of all, it's very situational. Second, I never competed in a no-gi environment, so I don't recall ever facing someone in a turtle position. Lastly, although this is a solid finish, it requires a lot of patience and work to get in position, which can be hard during the heat of competition.
The starting position is with your opponent in what is called the "turtle". Basically they get on hands and knees, with limbs close into their body and their hands able to defend their neck and head. In Judo, we used to use this position all the time, but since Brazilian Jujitsu got popular, people are less likely to want an opponent to have their back. However, it does come up fairly frequently in MMA and no-gi where takedowns aren't as clean and people end up in a number of weird positions.
Attacking the turtle is pretty much the same no matter what finish you want to apply. You first need to lock into their back so they don't get away. For our purposes, this is your left leg in either a grapevine on their leg or a body lock (you want to end up in the body lock, but if they're trying to shake you, grapevine is tighter). When you're ready to initiate the arm bar, you put your right foot in between their head and right arm. You get a good hold on their arm, pulling it up and falling backwards. They will be flipped over into a triangle arm bar.
For as much as I love this technique, I never got a chance to use it in competition. First of all, it's very situational. Second, I never competed in a no-gi environment, so I don't recall ever facing someone in a turtle position. Lastly, although this is a solid finish, it requires a lot of patience and work to get in position, which can be hard during the heat of competition.
Monday, August 3, 2009
Fedor: Victim of the business or Fraudulent champion?
This is another subject I don't know where to come down on. First, the background: Fedor Emilianenko (ok, I'm referring to him as Fedor from now on, I hate trying to spell his last name), was let out of his contract with Affliction after that company folded. Dana White, president of UFC, approached him about signing with that company. Fedor instead signed with Strikeforce.
Now, I have no understanding of the business end of MMA (I work in the financial industry, I will stick to enjoyment of the fighting, thank you). Dana White has said in comments that he offered to back the proverbial truck up with money to get Fedor to sign. In the end, he didn't. Now, it is entirely possible that he made unrealistic demands because he didn't really want to sign with UFC so he had an out. If he were to fight Lesnar and lose convincingly, he would lose the mystique he enjoys currently.
From a pure fighting standpoint, there is a reason why people consider him one of the pound for pound best. His main art is the art of Sambo. I am not extremely versed in it, but my understanding is that it is very similar to Judo (the creators of Sambo looked at the way Jigoro Kano consolidated two schools of Jujitsu to create Judo). He is a world Sambo champion, well versed in all aspects of the ground game. He also has decent striking defense and offense. If I had to compare him to someone currently in the UFC, I would say he is like Frank Mir with better takedown offense.
If he was really ducking Lesnar, what will fighting in strikeforce prove? Their current heavyweight champion is a relative nobody whose signature win is against Vitor Belfort (a good fighter but come on!). He has lost to Shogun Rua twice and Antonio Rogerio Nogueira. The only intriguing fighter in strikeforce is Roger Gracie, probably the best heavyweight pure grappler in the world (think Demian Maia, but 6'5 and 220lbs, apparently he's so strong, no one can hold him in guard). If I was an aging champion people said was the pound for pound greatest fighter around, going to a lesser organization where I wouldn't have to fight quality competition would be a way to hang on.
Obviously I don't know which is really the case, but it is clearly one or the other.
Now, I have no understanding of the business end of MMA (I work in the financial industry, I will stick to enjoyment of the fighting, thank you). Dana White has said in comments that he offered to back the proverbial truck up with money to get Fedor to sign. In the end, he didn't. Now, it is entirely possible that he made unrealistic demands because he didn't really want to sign with UFC so he had an out. If he were to fight Lesnar and lose convincingly, he would lose the mystique he enjoys currently.
From a pure fighting standpoint, there is a reason why people consider him one of the pound for pound best. His main art is the art of Sambo. I am not extremely versed in it, but my understanding is that it is very similar to Judo (the creators of Sambo looked at the way Jigoro Kano consolidated two schools of Jujitsu to create Judo). He is a world Sambo champion, well versed in all aspects of the ground game. He also has decent striking defense and offense. If I had to compare him to someone currently in the UFC, I would say he is like Frank Mir with better takedown offense.
If he was really ducking Lesnar, what will fighting in strikeforce prove? Their current heavyweight champion is a relative nobody whose signature win is against Vitor Belfort (a good fighter but come on!). He has lost to Shogun Rua twice and Antonio Rogerio Nogueira. The only intriguing fighter in strikeforce is Roger Gracie, probably the best heavyweight pure grappler in the world (think Demian Maia, but 6'5 and 220lbs, apparently he's so strong, no one can hold him in guard). If I was an aging champion people said was the pound for pound greatest fighter around, going to a lesser organization where I wouldn't have to fight quality competition would be a way to hang on.
Obviously I don't know which is really the case, but it is clearly one or the other.
Thursday, July 30, 2009
Heir to the throne: Anthony "Rumble" Johnson
When title fights are announced, it legitimizes someone as a challenger to the champ. As an example, in a little over a week Kenny Florian is going to fight BJ Penn for the lightweight title (too close to call, but I would bet on Ken Flo, although his jujitsu isn't as good, he has a clear edge standing up and a pretty fair reach advantage). However, what about the guys who don't have title fights currently, but should down the road?
The first such fighter I wanted to look at was Anthony "Rumble" Johnson. Of his 7 wins, 5 are by knockout. Also, for a welterweight he is big and athletic, he could probably fight at 185. Its not just the stats that make him a title contender though.
When Johnson fights, he has well above average power in both his punches and kicks, and can throw both with speed and accuracy. Watching him fight, I can't really think of a fighter to compare him to, his punches remind me of Liddell in his prime, but with more reach, they're that good. In addition to his deadly hands, he can and has knocked people out with the head kick (ask Kevin Burns). Also, he has excellent cardio, so even in his decisions, he was relatively fresh (as fresh as someone can be after fighting for 15 mins).
His one weakness is pretty major. His lone legitimate loss (I don't count TKO from being poked in the eye) was by submission to Rich Clementi, a fighter who has no business fighting at 170. What does this tell us? Rumble is weak on the ground. Now, he could end up like Liddell and just work on not being taken down. Unfortunately, Liddell was an elite wrestler in college (go figure, wrestlers can stop takedown attempts) , I don't believe Johnson shares that pedigree (unfortunately I can't confirm that as neither wikipedia nor any other websites I could find list his background. I assume it is in kickboxing). GSP has elite wrestling ability and is a black belt in Brazilian Jujitsu, this would be a major disadvantage in any fight.
The term "puncher's chance" comes to mind when thinking about a fighter like Johnson. He has knockout power and as he has demonstrated before, it only takes one good hit. I'm not necessarily saying he could beat GSP, just he is an up and coming fighter who might make an interesting match out of it.
The first such fighter I wanted to look at was Anthony "Rumble" Johnson. Of his 7 wins, 5 are by knockout. Also, for a welterweight he is big and athletic, he could probably fight at 185. Its not just the stats that make him a title contender though.
When Johnson fights, he has well above average power in both his punches and kicks, and can throw both with speed and accuracy. Watching him fight, I can't really think of a fighter to compare him to, his punches remind me of Liddell in his prime, but with more reach, they're that good. In addition to his deadly hands, he can and has knocked people out with the head kick (ask Kevin Burns). Also, he has excellent cardio, so even in his decisions, he was relatively fresh (as fresh as someone can be after fighting for 15 mins).
His one weakness is pretty major. His lone legitimate loss (I don't count TKO from being poked in the eye) was by submission to Rich Clementi, a fighter who has no business fighting at 170. What does this tell us? Rumble is weak on the ground. Now, he could end up like Liddell and just work on not being taken down. Unfortunately, Liddell was an elite wrestler in college (go figure, wrestlers can stop takedown attempts) , I don't believe Johnson shares that pedigree (unfortunately I can't confirm that as neither wikipedia nor any other websites I could find list his background. I assume it is in kickboxing). GSP has elite wrestling ability and is a black belt in Brazilian Jujitsu, this would be a major disadvantage in any fight.
The term "puncher's chance" comes to mind when thinking about a fighter like Johnson. He has knockout power and as he has demonstrated before, it only takes one good hit. I'm not necessarily saying he could beat GSP, just he is an up and coming fighter who might make an interesting match out of it.
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