Best of the MMA

Thursday, June 23, 2011

The Bruce Lee Story: As Told by You?Episode 5

This week’s episode of The Bruce Lee Story: As Told by You–Episode 5, brought to us by Round 5 and aired on collectbrucelee.com, features current UFC fighter Matt Mitrione and The Ultimate Fighter Season 12 contestant Andy Main, speaking about Bruce Lee's affect on the future of Mixed Martial Arts and the world.

Main speaks quietly, calmly and almost solemnly about his hero and the man who has inspired the universe.

“Bruce Lee has been an icon for martial arts in general and for me personally. I believe that Bruce Lee was really the first true mixed martial artist.”

What are the first words that come to mind when you think of Bruce Lee?

To Mitrione, they are “legend, originator…just one of a kind.”

Many people, both fighters and fans alike, may not have known that Lee regularly incorporated various forms of grappling into his training regimen.

“I have his book–The Tao of Jeet Kune Do–it’s still underneath my bed and I remember reading through it.

“That was actually the first exposure to grappling that I ever had…I don’t remember if it was takedowns, but it was some forms of grappling in the book. So, it was really awesome,” remembers Main.

No matter whom you ask about what Lee means to them, you will undoubtedly receive a unique answer in reply.

“Bruce Lee has impacted me in several ways, but more than anything else it’s the consciousness of unconscious movement; letting whatever happens happen, but making sure you’re always in control of whatever the situation is,” comments Mitrione.

The creators of this series, Round 5, a Canadian Mixed Martial Arts toy company would love to hear from the readers on how Bruce Lee has affected their lives.

To watch the previous episodes 1-4 go to collectbrucelee.com’s YouTube channel by clicking here.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

Source: http://bleacherreport.com/articles/744253-the-bruce-lee-story-as-told-by-you-episode-5

Cheick Kongo Dennis Hallman Tito Ortiz Dan Hardy

UFC on Versus 4: Betting Odds and Picks for the Whole Card

Sunday, Sunday, Sunday!

I’ve always wanted to start an article like that. Just another line item to cross off the bucket list.

The betting odds are out for UFC on Versus 4—or, as it is officially known, UFC Live: Marquardt vs. Story. It’s all going down starting at 6 p.m. Eastern this Sunday, Sunday, Sunday!

And since Sunday is almost universally recognized as a day of wagering, let us take a look at the complete list of odds and see if we can’t single out a few areas where you might want to lay down a jellybean or two.*

Main card odds courtesy of BetUS and SportsInteraction. Undercard odds come from MMAValor.

*If you know what’s good for you, you’ll ignore every single one of these predictions. I’m like William H. Macy at the sportsbook.

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Source: http://bleacherreport.com/articles/744606-ufc-on-versus-4-betting-odds-and-picks-for-the-whole-card

Cheick Kongo Dennis Hallman Tito Ortiz Dan Hardy

Overeem beats Werdum at Strikeforce, but fails to impress

Alistair Overeem looked to send a strong message in Saturday night's Strikeforce heavyweight Grand Prix quarterfinals. Instead, he created plenty of questions about his much larger physique and his stamina. Overeem took a sloppy fight via unanimous decision, 30-27, 30-27 and 29-28, in the main event at Strikeforce's Dallas event.

Overeem, a huge tourney favorite, suddenly looks beatable. All three of the remaining fighters in the field are capable of taking out Overeem (35-11, one no-contest).

In the semifinals, the 256-pounder will face the massive Antonio "Big Foot" Silva. On the other side of the bracket, is a big puncher in Sergei Kharitonov and a great ground fighter, Josh Barnett.

Overeem has added 40 pounds to his frame over the last five years, but now it appears he may have gone too far. His gas tank was a real issue and his hand speed was unimpressive.

"As you know, Fabricio is one of the best grapplers in the world, so we didn't want to play with him on the ground," said Overeem, who indicated nothing Werdum landed really hurt him. "He just felt a little bit unpredictable in the standup."

For 15 minutes, Werdum (14-5-1) tried to get the fight to the ground where he could show off his excellent submission skills, but he never got Overeem into a dangerous spot.

The Brazilian worked hard throughout the opening round but was consistently thrown away by the powerful Overeem. In the second and third, both fighters were extremely tired. By pulling guard, Werdum actually got into some decent positions on his back with Overeem in his guard, but he was too tired to execute a submission. Overeem was also exhausted and often times just laid close to Werdum's body.

On the feet, Overeem landed harder, single shots. Werdum landed some decent combinations. CompuStrike actually had Werdum outlanding Overeem 69-48, but few of his shots did real damage.

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/mma/blog/cagewriter/post/Overeem-beats-Werdum-at-Strikeforce-but-fails-t?urn=mma-wp3695

Tito Ortiz Dan Hardy Carlos Condit Michael Bisping

Wednesday, June 22, 2011

UFC 132: War with Chris Leben Inevitable, Will Further Wanderlei Silva's Legacy

When we talk about mixed martial arts legends, often we measure greatness in terms of success. Living legends of this era of the sport like Georges St-Pierre or Anderson Silva have known very little more than pure success across their careers.

They found that success at the highest level of the sport and in championship form. Looking back fighters like Chuck Liddell and Randy Couture also forged their legacies in UFC gold. These men are legends without question.

But they are not alone, their success may define their legacies, but unwavering success is not the only litmus test for greatness. Take Don Frye for example. Sure he held a title or two over his career, but his fans celebrated him for his war; for what he brought into the cage with him.

It was not just his titles that captivated an entire generation of die hard “Predator” fans. It was his gentle touch, and appreciation for small talk. No, no it was not. It was his warlike, beast mode, mustached weapons of mass destruction that lured the Frye-onians.

Like Frye, there are many other fighters who may not be perennial championship contenders but they hold a very special place in the heart of MMA fans in the know. Clay Guida comes to mind but there are many more.

But no fighter on the planet is more celebrated for his fight every but as much as his recent success, than Wanderlei Silva. Show me any fight fan who can't pick Wand out of a line up and I'll show you a Tapout fashion statement who showed up when Lesnar crossed over.

The MMA community has a very “what have you done for me lately” mentality. Just ask Fedor. You can go from one of the most talked about fighters in history to old news after one triangle choke, and one doctor stoppage. Then you become just another heavyweight looking to prove you still belong.

Wanderlei has somehow circumvented the idea that winning is the only thing that matters. When it comes to his career, there is plenty of success make no mistake about it. He is no stranger to being a champion looking at his days in Pride. But checkered across his record are scattered and lately some clustered losses.

What die hard Wanderlei fans already know and will be happy to explain to anyone who may not realize is this; Even in his losses Wanderlei has found a way to make almost every fight spectacular. His most devastating failures of course reflected a superior opponent but more often than not they also reflect the results of a war he imposed.

His fight with “The Iceman” will go down in MMA history right up with Griffin vs Bonnar. His loss to Rich Franklin was razor thin in an amazing bout. What fans remember is not just the loss reflected in the right side, they remember how hard he fought for them as he lost. It is not every fighter who can lose so impressively as Wanderlei.

The fighter in this world is a rare breed. Most will fight if challenged for life or limb. Few will seek out the competition and sacrifice that can be found preparing for and participating in MMA. Among that certain brand of human being there are even more elite individuals who stand out among the crowd.

Wanderlei Silva is a gleaming beacon of light that is undeniable. His archives of outright war, competing both in and outside the comfort zone of his ideal weight class, are stunning to put it gently.

Having built his modern legacy competing with some of the sports greats, Wanderlei has proven his own greatness win, lose, or draw. Often it has been the opponent that became the catalyst for the best Wanderlei we have ever seen. For example Michael Bisping opened the door for Wanderlei to fight his fight, an aggressive and reckless format of hand to hand combat.

And once again, “The Axe Murderer” shined over a man many consider a top UFC middleweight.

With that in mind Silva's next opponent is very much the type of fighter who will leave the door wide open for him to really open up and make it a scrappy and dangerous fight. Chris Leben is one of those fighters who is not the most tactical, or the most analytical when he gets inside the cage.

Like Silva, Leben is an all out in your face type of fighter with a granite chin and hands of stone. He loves to fight, not simply to win, but to fight and his own resume reflects some amazing bouts, some wins, some losses.

See when Leben (25-7) and Silva (33-10-1-1) enter the cage together the only people in the entire arena concerned with scoring will be the cageside judges. When Dana White says “Never leave it in the hands of the judges”, these two listen.

Just for fun, how about we do some MMATH. At UFC 132 Silva and Leben bring into the Octagon with them a combined seventy seven professional MMA bouts. The experience they bring to the table alone is astonishing.

Of Silva's thirty three wins, he finished 80% of his victims, twenty three by KO, three by submission. Of Leben's twenty five wins, he finished 76% of his victims, thirteen by KO, and six by submission. Face it fight fans, the boys come to bang.

What it really amounts to is pure matchmaking genius, and a clash of styles between top middleweights that rarely happens. At the end of the day, the run Anderson Silva is on is not of this world and will long be recognized as the bar of measurement for all time greatness but few can challenge him.

Wanderlei and Leben are not the most elite fighters in the division. They are not the most hyped fighters at middleweight. But damn it they pose a challenge for one another. There is a chemistry in their styles that is guaranteed to prove volatile when they mix.

So while Anderson Silva continues to consume contenders, these two will prove the be the meat and potatoes of the division. These two will remind fight fans what it is they really love about the fight game and quite simply they love the fight.

They may enjoy taking in the undeniable greatness of an Anderson Silva, but they will not be able to stop talking about the battle of the ages that is about to take place between Wanderlei Silva and Chris Leben.

The facts are simple here fight fans. Two of the sports most notorious brawlers, both needing something different from this fight, but both looking to find one answer to everything at UFC 132. The answer is open war, it is something both men are very well acquainted with, it is something their fans have grown to expect from them. Neither man has ever been in the business of letting their fans down. So simply put, don't miss this fight.

The bad men are coming to town, and they have a few things to sort out. Things are about to get ugly.

This article originally featured at Hurtsbad MMA.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

Source: http://bleacherreport.com/articles/745280-ufc-132-war-with-chris-leben-inevitable-will-further-wanderlei-silvas-legacy

Carlos Condit Michael Bisping John Hathaway Mike Pyle

Vancouver Athletic Commission speaks on Elkins/Omigawa decision

At UFC 131, judges' decisions caused consternation in the MMA world, from the UFC president on down. The 30-27 cards in Kenny Florian and Mark Munoz's wins were confusing enough, but the decision that was truly confounding was Darren Elkins' win over Michihiro Omigawa.

Dana White responded by paying Omigawa his win bonus and treating the fight like a win for the Japanese fighter.

"We're going to pay [Omigawa] his win money," White said. "I don't care what the judge says, he won the fight. … I say he won. Overruled."

But now the Vancouver Athletic Commission is speaking out about judging in the Elkins-Omigawa bout to point out that Elkins could have reasonably taken the fight. In a statement to SB Nation, the commission's executive director explains:

"In the first round, Elkins backed Omigawa up with punches the entire round. He controlled the center of the cage. He was throwing a lot more shots, and landing more -- and in combination. If there is any controversy as to the outcome of the fight it must be because of the second round. That was a very challenging round to score. An argument can be made in favour of either fighter. Elkins landed more punches. At one point, when Omigawa came forward, he was stopped dead in his tracks by Elkins' combination punches, and at another point he was slightly buckled.� Due to Omigawa's unusual stance and balance, it was difficult to tell exactly whether he was rocked by some of these shots. However, you could see Omigawa's leg bend, and the control shift to Elkins as he landed the combo, stopping Omigawa in his tracks, taking the center of the cage, and going on the attack again. These sequences, as well as the total effective strikes landed, could reasonably warrant awarding the round to Elkins. Elkins didn't land many more than Omigawa, but he did land more. As to the blood - it represents something, but a cut can be caused by a glancing blow and some fighters just cut more readily than others.

By this description of the fight, it appears that forward movement is the most important thing in scoring a round. Punches landed are a side note. How would they score a fighter like Dominick Cruz, who constantly baits his opponents into coming forward with his non-stop movement? Chan Sung Jung, A.K.A. the Korean Zombie, should try to schedule every fight in Vancouver, as he's known to continually come forward during his bouts.

At UFC 131, the judges had monitors, a new procedure that is expected to become the norm for UFC events. In the past, judges had to rely on watching the live action in the cage -- which could be difficult when the fight hits the ground -- or look at the video boards hanging in the arena. The fact that monitors didn't quell judging controversies frustrated White.

"Something has to be done about the judging," White said. "It has to. It's so bad, and not only does it affect people's lives, it ruins everything for people that are watching. You watch it, and you're like, 'What? What ? 30-27? What are you watching?'

But monitors are a short term solution, when what is needed is more education, training and experience, but that takes time. Meanwhile, high-stakes fights still will come down to the very human judges, and the mistakes and subjectivity that comes part and parcel with their humanity.

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/mma/blog/cagewriter/post/Vancouver-Athletic-Commission-speaks-on-Elkins-O?urn=mma-wp3517

Dennis Hallman Tito Ortiz Dan Hardy Carlos Condit