UFC 153 - A Fan's Reaction

     If you were fortunate enough to watch tonight’s UFC 153 event held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil I am almost certain you would agree the card delivered. Once in a while the MMA Gods bless us with a UFC pay-per-view that reminds us exactly why we love this sport, and UFC 153 qualifies as one those events.

     Although I do believe the television preliminaries alone delivered, my rant below focuses solely on the six fights which beautifully composed the main card.

 

MAIA vs. STORY

     Although Demian Maia is commonly credited as one of the best Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu practitioners in the UFC, he has not won via submission since 2009. After a successful welterweight debut against Dong Hyun Kim, Maia looked to further solidify a spot in the welterweight rankings, which is exactly what he did tonight. Story, a skilled wrestler with credible stand-up, was unable to stop Maia from putting him on his back, allowing Maia to gift us with a first-round rear-naked choke submission. The Brazilian’s first submission win after years in front of his home crowd served as a beautiful start to the main card.

DAVIS vs. PRADO

     Although their first meeting ended in a no-contest after an unintentional eye poke suffered by Prado, Davis made certain their second meeting was entirely different. Davis, a NCAA Division I national champion, finished the bout with a beautifully executed anaconda choke in the second round. As someone who favours the anaconda choke in the realm of submissions, have to say I loved this finish.

 

SILVA vs. FITCH  

     As always, boring Fitch jokes were going strong on Twitter prior to this bout. Since 2007 Jon Fitch has been in nine bouts which have ended via decision. This changed at UFC 141, when Fitch succumbed to a knockout punch thrown by Johny Hendricks, giving him his most recent loss.  Tonight Fitch looked to prove he is still among the top contenders in the welterweight division in a bout against Brazilian prodigy Erick Silva. Silva, who had a lot of hype surrounding him coming into this bout, is widely regarded as a future top contender in the welterweight division. This bout was either going to add fuel to the fast rising Brazilian’s hype-train, or allow Fitch to make a statement, tonight the latter happened. Although this fight ended in a unanimous decision, it was undoubtedly an exciting bout. Fitch once again displayed his credible submission defense, landed good strikes, and also utilized his always notable octagon control. Congratulations to Fitch, and I look forward to seeing Erick Silva back in the octagon. 

 

 TEIXEIRA vs. MALDONADO

     When speaking of recent hype trains it is hard not to think of Glover Teixeira, and by the looks of it, this hype train is not slowing down anytime soon. In one of the most one-sided bouts I have ever seen, Teixeira consistently landed vicious strikes, most notably a few minutes of damaging ground and pound in the first round prior to a failed arm triangle attempt. Battered Maldonado was able to land a few notable strikes and even rock Glover late in the first round. The bout eventually ended with a doctor stoppage in round two. Although I agree with the stoppage, I must give credit to Maldonado for surviving the extensive punishment as long as he did and even landing notable strikes in the midst of it. What did I learn from this bout? 1) Glover is well-deserving of his hype-train and is a credible threat at light heavyweight & 2) Maldonado is one tough warrior if I’ve ever seen one.

HERMAN vs. NOGUEIRA

     A meeting between Dave Herman and Antonio Rodrigo “Minotauro” Nogueira (I love saying that) served as the co-main event. Herman, leading up to this bout, was very expressive about his doubts in Jiu-Jitsu stating that “Jiu-Jitsu doesn’t work”. Nogueira, among the most skilled Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu practitioners in the UFC, proved Herman wrong. Reminding us of the danger posed by a credible BJJ skill-set, Nogueira won via armbar in the second round. With wins over Brendan Schaub and Dave Herman, Nogueira has proven to still be a threat in the heavyweight division.

 

SILVA vs. BONNAR

     Alright, let’s admit it, when this fight was announced a lot of UFC fans were either confused or disappointed. Silva, undefeated in the UFC, agreed to move up to 205 to salvage an otherwise injury ridden event, with a bout against “The American Psycho”, Stephan Bonnar. While this fight wasn’t the most appealing on paper, Silva reminded fight fans exactly why he is regarded as the greatest of all time. In the early minutes of the first round Silva toyed with Bonnar by purposely staying close to the fence, often with his hands down inviting Bonnar to hit him while remaining undamaged, dodging hits and impressively maintaining control when he had to. Late in the first Silva landed a damaging knee sending Bonnar to the ground, followed by punches calling for a referee stoppage ending the fight with 20 seconds left in the first round. Silva again displayed his always exciting to watch dominance with preciseness, power, and all-around control consequently becoming 16-0 in the UFC.

     If this fight did anything it’s strengthen our wishes that a fight between Jon Jones and Anderson Silva was in the foreseeable future. 

      After Silva’s hand was raised the camera’s focused on an emotional hug between Anderson and the also victorious Nogueira, which was a great closing image to this amazing Brazil event.

     What did you think of the event? What are some matches you’d like to see given these results? Feel free to comment below! (P.s: If you read this far, or read at all, I appreciate it.)

 

 

UFC 151: Jones Refuses to Fight Sonnen - A Fan's Rant

Following a feverish night of tweets igniting the rumor that UFC light-heavyweight Dan Henderson was injured and would be forced to withdraw from his upcoming title bout, UFC president Dana White assured fans this morning that this is in fact true. Set to face light-heavyweight champion Jon Jones on September 1st at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, Henderson was forced to withdraw following a knee injury.

With Henderson out, former middleweight contender Chael Sonnen was offered the bout and agreed to step in. Bones, however, refused.

Upon Jones' refusal to fight Sonnen, White announced that UFC 151 would be cancelled. Yes, that's right cancelled. This marks the first event cancellation in UFC history.

So, what's my take on this UFC 151 chaos ?

Let me start by saying I don't pay much attention to any fighter's persona. I make every effort to base my judgement of a fighter primarily on their performances. I say this because both Jon Jones and Chael Sonnen seem to possess a persona one can only love or hate. Jones often projecting too much of an ego, and Sonnen parallel to a WWE superstar.

With that said, do I think Sonnen "deserves" a title shot ? No. Moving to the 205 division following a second loss against middleweight champion Anderson Silva in no way warrants a title shot.

Do I give a shit that Sonnen doesn't deserve a title shot? No.

Sonnen stepping in would've salvaged an otherwise destroyed card, allowing other fighters featured in the event to earn their paychecks and bring reward to their months spent training.  It would've allowed the fans who eagerly sat at their computers to purchase tickets, arrange flights, and book hotel rooms to still attend a damn event. Above all it would've reiterated the fact that although injuries are an inevitable aspect of MMA, the UFC is an organization which will consistently make every effort to repair injury-altered cards.

Upon refusing to fight, Jones stated he would not fight Sonnen on 8 days notice. For lack of better phrasing: Why the fuck not ?!


Perhaps I'd be more empathetic towards Jones' reasoning if he was training for a total different fighter stylistically. However, common to both Henderson and Sonnen is a strong wrestling-based skill-set. Furthermore, Dan Henderson has more recently stopped a fight via his hands than Sonnen, so in the striking department Sonnen appears to be an even easier opponent. What skill is it of Sonnen's that Bones would be ill-prepared for ? His Brazilian jiu-jitsu... ?

 Well, I think you get my point.

UFC 149 - Faber vs. Barão Breakdown

UFC 149 has undoubtedly reiterated the fact unexpected injuries are an inevitable aspect of Mixed Martial Arts. 

 

The upcoming Calgary, Alberta event will be headlined by an interim bantamweight bout between Urijah “The Calfornia Kid” Faber (26-5-0) and Renan Barão (28-1-0, 1NC). Following his submission win over Brian Bowles at UFC 139, Faber was scheduled to fight fellow Ultimate Fighter Coach Dominick Cruz (19-1-0) in a rubber match. Unfortunately the bantamweight champion was bit by the recently active UFC injury bug, and tore his ACL, consequently forcing him to drop out of the scheduled bout. 

 

As always the UFC made efforts to repair the card, this time by introducing Brazilian Renan Barão into the main event mix, and in my opinion, rightfully so. Although Barão is new to the spotlight, there’s no doubt he is dangerous. Riding a 28-fight win streak, including victories over the likes of Cole Escovedo, Brad Pickett, and most recently, Scott Jorgensen, there’s no doubt Barão will look to solidify his spot as a top contender in the UFC’s bantamweight division. With a sole loss coming from his professional debut in 2005, Renan remains a mystery that has long-gone unsolved. As a member of Brazil’s Nova União, Barão has trained alongside fellow teammate UFC featherweight champion José Aldo. Aldo, who earned a unanimous decision victory over Faber at WEC 48, has played a critical role in preparing Barão for this bout as his mentor. 

 

Come July 21st at the Scotiabank Saddledome “The California Kid” will look to solve the mystery and bring Barão’s win streak to a halt. Faber, a former WEC featherweight champion who successfully defended his title five times, is no stranger to main event pressure. Unsuccessful in his last four title bouts, Faber will aim to prove he is still a credible force in the bantamweight division worthy of a trilogy match against current champion Dominick Cruz. 

 

With the match set and the interim title on the line, let’s break it down. 

 

Striking

Faber possesses good boxing skills, lightning-fast strikes, and has displayed progressive improvement in the striking department. In his UFC 132 match against Cruz, Faber consistently put Cruz on his back with counter strikes. 

 

With a Muay Thai kickboxing approach, Barão’s striking is far more unorthodox and versatile. Often incorporating explosive knees and kicks into his stand up game Barão has proven to be a credible striker. As seen in Faber’s fight against José Aldo, Barão’s leg kicks can easily become a deciding factor in this bout. 

 

With a longer reach and well-rounded striking I’d give the advantage to Barão. 

 

Wrestling

I think Faber is one of the best wrestlers in the bantamweight division and in the UFC. Wrestling since the eighth grade, Faber, a collegiate-level wrestler, undoubtedly has the advantage in this aspect of the fight. I wouldn’t be surprised if Faber aims to neutralize Barão’s striking advantage with takedowns followed by ground control. Barão’s takedown defence will be a crucial element in deciding how advantageous Faber’s wrestling skill-set will be for him.

Ground Game

Both fighters have proven to be among the top submission artists in the bantamweight division. Barão holds 13 professional wins via varying submissions, while Faber holds 14 submission victories predominantly via guillotine and rear naked choke.

Despite a close number in submission victories I’d give the advantage to Barão. While Faber holds a brown belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Barão’s training is extensive in comparison. Barão received his black belt in BJJ from Nova União co-founder and head coach, André Pederneiras. Pederneiras, a black belt in BJJ under the late grandmaster Carlson Gracie, has also trained the likes of José Aldo and BJ Penn. 

 

Although Faber holds a brown belt in BJJ and has experience facing BJJ black belts I’d give the advantage to Barão. Faber should utilize his counter wrestling to avoid giving Barão control on the ground, or it could cost him the fight.

 

My Pick 

 

Tough call... It’s hard to predict whether or not Barão will succumb to main event pressure, a state Urijah Faber is all the more used to. With that said, I still believe Barão possesses a skill-set which can overcome Faber earning him the interim title.

 

Renan Barão 

 

Come this Saturday two very skillful fighters will look to prove they are worthy of a chance to capture the gold. This is a bout you don’t want to miss.

UFC 148 - Did It Live Up to the Hype ?

 

It’s no secret that UFC 148 headlined by a rematch between middleweight champion Anderson Silva and challenger Chael Sonnen was one of the most highly anticipated events in MMA/UFC history. With Silva showing uncharacteristic signs of lost composure made obvious by his shoulder shot to the neck/chin of Sonnen at the weigh-ins, it seemed the American Gangster's words had finally secured him a spot under the champion’s skin. With an increased outward showing of animosity between the two fighters, many die-hards and casual fans alike were intrigued by this rivalry and how it would settle come July 7^th at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. 

 

Featured on the card as the co-main event was a rubber match between newly-inducted Hall of Famer Tito Ortiz and Forrest Griffin. This trilogy match was made especially meaningful after Ortiz announced this match-up would be the last of his 15-year career.

 

The remainder of the card featured the following four match-ups:

Cung Le vs. Patrick Côté

Demian Maia vs. Dong Hyun Kim

Chad Mendes vs. Cody McKenzie

Mike Easton vs. Ivan Menjivar

 

We are now left with the question: 

 

Did UFC 148 live up to the hype?

 

If you’re not bored enough to read below, I’ll cut to the chase right here and answer with a No. If you want to know why just keep on reading (keep in mind I am well aware not everyone will agree with my opinion). 

 

I don’t want to focus too much on the first four bouts, but I will say that of the four, the most memorable finish came from Chad Mendes in his bout against Ultimate Fighter alum Cody McKenzie. After just 31 seconds into the bout Mendes was able to capitalize on a damaging body shot and earn a TKO victory. To me however, this outcome really means nothing.  As soon as I heard of this match-up I couldn’t help but wonder if everyone saw it the way I did, an obvious mismatch. I mean no disrespect to McKenzie but where is the logic in matching Mendes, a top-contender who most recently faced sole-reigning featherweight champion Jose Aldo, with McKenzie, who in my opinion, has hardly proved to be among the elite of his division.  I wish I could have a conversation with Joe Silva about that one, but moving on...

 

The remaining three bouts leading up to the co-main event went as follows:

Mike Easton def Ivan Menjivar via UD

Demian Maia def Dong Hyun Kim via TKO (injury)

Cung Le def Patrick Côté via UD

 

In my opinion the match-ups leading up to the co-main event were fairly mediocre. I'm not saying that only PPV events comprised of match-ups between top contenders are worth the buy, in fact some of the most exciting bouts I've seen have come from fighters who are not considered "big names" on the UFC's roster. I just think with UFC 148 undoubtedly being an event which drew in many views these fights did not meet a standard which would encourage casual fans to follow the UFC roster more closely. This of course would not be much of a hindrance so long as the main event delivered, I'll speak on that later though.

 

Following Cung Le’s win it was now time for Tito Ortiz to fight in the octagon for the last time. I don’t want to go into too much detail about the fight itself, I think whether or not you agree with the judges’ decision in awarding Griffin a unanimous decision is a matter of how you score fights (e.g doing damage vs. scoring points). While it wasn’t the most exciting fight and in some ways representative of old-age, I will say Ortiz showed a lot of heart and deserves to leave the UFC with his head held high.

 

The fight, however, is not really what I want to discuss. If you watched the fight you know exactly what I'm talking about: 

 

“Run, Forrest, Run!”

 

Following the bout Griffin decided it would be a great time to take a stroll outside of the octagon. The camera proceeded to follow Griffin as he walked away from the octagon, while Dana White instructed him (I’m sure with a few F-bombs) to get back inside. Griffin has said he had every intention to come back in, he was just feeling emotional. As if that wasn’t bad enough, Griffin continued with his antics ruining an otherwise historic UFC moment. He proceeded in grabbing commentator Joe Rogan’s mic and conducting his own post-fight interview with Ortiz. Ortiz appeared rightfully perturbed. Griffin has since publicly apologized to Ortiz on Twitter.

 

In my opinion even if you are not a die-hard Ortiz fan, you can agree that he deserved a lot more respect than he was given. I think Griffin’s behaviour could have easily been perceived as inappropriate following a bout against any fighter. The fact it was Ortiz’s last fight however, made the behaviour much more appalling. I think being the last opponent of an iconic fighter should’ve instilled some respect and a sense of honour into Griffin. For him to say he acted on his emotions sounds ridiculous considering the fact Ortiz must’ve been feeling emotionally overwhelmed in comparison: his last fight and he lost. 

 

With all that said I wish Tito the best of luck with his future endeavours and hopefully Joe Rogan can have him on his podcast for a real interview. 

 

It was now time for the moment we had all been waiting for, a rematch between long-reigning middleweight champion Anderson Silva and the self-proclaimed undefeated people’s champion Chael Sonnen.

 

After a first round reminiscent of Chael’s dominant rounds the first match, it seemed Sonnen had an, although not very exciting, effective strategy. Successfully executed takedowns, top control, and minimally damaging ground-and-pound scored the first in his favour. 

 

Following the first round of action the cameras focused on Silva and his cornermen. A translator repeated words in English as said by a man in Silva's corner which went as follows:

 

"Breath now you're warmed up. Let's start the fight now. Now we're starting the fight. Pay attention he hasn't done anything. Pay attention now. He has no chance of winning."

 

As if these words had instilled a new confidence into Silva, like he hadn't just been dominated for an entire round, a much different Silva showed up in round two.

 

After stuffing multiple takedown attempts, it was a poorly executed spinning backfist which landed Sonnen on the floor, that enabled Silva to land a devastating knee to Sonnen's chest eventually leading to a TKO victory. 

 

Sonnen acted as if he had been watching too many Jon Jones highlight reels, and it cost him the fight. 

 

The belt was once again tied around Silva's waste, Sonnen was invited to a barbeque, and Silva left the octagon with mentor Steven Seagal by his side. Everything was back to normal.

 

What I Liked

 

Let me start by talking about what I did like about the fight, just so I don't seem like a complete pessimist:

 

I like that it ended fast. Had we been dragged through multiple rounds of Sonnen lying on top of Silva, doing no serious damage, only to lose in the fifth round or earn a decision I would have fewer good things to say about this bout.

 

I like that Sonnen lost in a way which is a threat to his character. Following his initial loss to Silva, Sonnen maintained his character despite submitting to a triangle armbar. He did this primarily by speaking negatively of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu associating the sport with homo-sexuality and weakness. This time Sonnen will have no opportunity to do so. I am eager to see how Sonnen attempts to maintain his character following his second loss. 

 

Why I Feel It Did Not Live Up to the Hype

 

As a Silva fan I can't say I did not enjoy the fight. The range of emotion had me on the edge of my sofa seat, especially with Sonnen's domination in the first round. Emotion however, to me is not a good indicator of whether or not an event delivered. 

 

Rather than focusing on my emotional subjective experience of this fight, I'd like to adopt a more objective perspective. I think objectivity is crucial in reviewing this bout, as many casual UFC fans who may not be emotionally connected to either fighter, were watching solely for the fight itself. 

 

The UFC prides itself on having a roster full of the best MMA fighters in the world. I think showcasing this point is crucial for the UFC to be successful in further expanding the sport. After a rather uneventful first round and a poorly executed spinning backfist which eventually lead to a win, I don't feel Silva vs. Sonnen II showcased this point or lived up to the hype.

 

(P.S If you read this all you deserve a prize).

 

 

 

UFC 148 Sketch - Team Anderson Silva