Here are two fighters who are always exciting to watch, Rampage Jackson and Wanderlei Silva. Both are great fighters, but in the past, Wanderlei has dominated Jackson each time they have fought. There is something about the way Silva throws his knees that makes them land square on Jackson’s face. In their first match up, Jackson seemed dazed for a long time as Silva kept pounding him with knees in the muay thai clinch. In the second match up, the fight seemed closer, but Silva still landed cleaner shots and then a knee that just flattened Rampage. Check out this cool clip that shows the highlights of both of these fights and prepare to see these two give it another go round at UFC 92.
Andrei Arlovski will soon be facing Fedor Emelianenko on January 24th 2009. This is set to be one of the most exciting matches in MMA history. Many consider Fedor to be the best fighter in the world pound for pound, but Andreil Arlovski is a guy who can definitely give Fedor a run for his money. While I personally don’t feel that he will be the winner, it only takes one shot to win a fight. Arlovski has what it takes to deliver that shot if he is in the right place at the right time. Here is a good highlight video of Arlovski breaking off some opponents.
Tank Abbott is one of the pioneers of modern day MMA. While he did not invent the sport and wasn’t even close to being one of the first pit fighters out there, he was one of the most popular fighters. He played a huge role in bringing cage fighting to the fore front of todays society. His popularity among fans helped bring visibility to MMA. He and many of the other big names such as Kimbo Slice, Ken Shamrock, Royce Gracie and even Brock Lesnar, are responsible for the huge growth of the sport of MMA. Here is a little highlight video on good old Tank Abbott.
Fedor is plain and simply a dangerous man. Maybe the most dangerous man in the world. The punches, the knees the throws, the ground and pound and the submissions. Fedor has the full package. If we could only get him in the ring with Brock Lesnar. Here is a quick clip of the brutal beat down Fedor put on opponent Gary Goodridge.
Here is some terrible news. A very promising and exciting fighter, John Fitch had been let go from the UFC and will no longer be fighting at UFC 94. According to sources, Fitch refused to sign an agreement providing exclusive lifetime rights to his name and likeness for a UFC video game. Shortly after Fitch refused to sign the paper, the UFC provided him with his dismissal notice. Fitch’s management said that there was no negotiataion and that it was an all or nothing proposition.
John Fitch has long been the #1 contender in the 170 pound weight class. He is a former Purdue Wrestling Captain and is currently tied with Royce Gracie in the UFC for most consecutive wins. He recently faced a devastating loss against Georges St. Pierre but was expected to rebound quickly and earn another shot at the title.
Also dismissed with John Fitch was Christian Wellisch, and it may not stop there There are other fighters such as Cain Valasquez and Josh Koscheck who have been been asked to sign over their rights and may also be dismissed if they do not agree. This could get ugly.
The UFC has been know for their hard core tactics and tough contracts with fighters. It is hard to say who is right and who is wrong here. Business is business. John Fitch is a star, but the UFC also made him a star, so there are two sides to every story. They have helped each other no doubt. Lets just hope that more of our favorite fighters aren’t sent on their way.
Here is a great video to give you some insight from both Dana White and John Fitch’s perspective. I apologize for the foul language.
Strikeforce’s Cung Le, a guy many say is today’s Bruce Lee, has demonstrated an amazing amount of athletic ability. How does someone like Cung Le maintain such a fit body? Ask Men.com got a chance to interview him and find out. Here it is:
Strength conditioning
When training for an upcoming fight, what do you do for strength conditioning?
For strength conditioning I do a lot of high repetitions in weights. Instead of just doing one machine, I do supersets or giant sets on multiple machines, and I try and get my whole upper body done. The following day I will do my lower body. I always try to do cardio at least five times a week and the weight training four times a week. I’ll do two upper-body days and two lower-body days.
Do you take an opponents weight into consideration when training for an upcoming fight?
No, when I weight lift and when I do my conditioning, its strictly for muscle conditioning. When I wrestle is when I lift another person the same weight as myself, a little bit heavier or a little bit lighter, depending on my partner, to get that feel of picking up someone who weighs the same as me.
What other fighting styles do you train with when going into a fight?
Well, I incorporate everything in my training. I train in boxing, kickboxing, Sanshou, wrestling, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, and then I incorporate all my strength and conditioning along with all the arts that I practice in order to find that balance during the week to get everything in without burning my body out.
What exercises do you do in order to work out your legs?
There’s a lot that I do to get my legs in shape — a lot of sprints, hill climbs or hill charges. I also do a lot of stretch kicks, which is swinging my legs straight up. My kicking techniques also include front kicks and roundhouse kicks. In-between lifting leg weights, like leg extensions, and as soon as I’ve done about 25-30 repetitions, I get off and do some stretch kicks. When I do squats, I stop to do side kicks — I do things like that to try and confuse the muscle, and I get my best results that way.
Training and bulking up
How would someone go about adding more bulk to their frame?
The best way to get bigger and put on that extra mass is to lift a little heavier and try to confuse the muscle as much as you can, especially when your body does not respond to the workout that you do on a regular basis. If you’re used to a routine and after five or six weeks you feel like you plateau in your workout, then you change up your sets or change your routine to confuse the muscle. You also need to have the right diet, the right nutrition and the right amount of calories to add on the weight.
How many hours do you normally train in a day?
It all depends on how my body feels; I try to listen to my body. If I’m feeling good then my workout can be two to two-and-a-half hours in the morning and then two hours at night. If I’m feeling a little sluggish, then I make sure my workout is quality instead of quantity. In the morning I get done within an hour to an hour and a half. If I feel OK at night, I will do another hour, and if I don’t feel good at night then I’ll take the night off. I always listen to my body to get the best results and, of course, getting the proper amount of rest and sleep to ensure a good
Ballator Fighting Championships is largely unheard of in MMA, but they are taking big steps forward, recently signing a deal with ESPN Deportes. This fight promotion is looking for the best fighters in the world and are backing a tournament style ladder to the top. How high a fighter goes is determined by his wins, not fan popularity. This is a great addition to the MMA world. Here is the story by MMA Payout:
“Los Angeles, Calif. – November 19, 2008 – Bellator Fighting Championships, a first of its kind Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) promotion, officially launched operations today from offices in Los Angeles and Chicago. Three years in development, Bellator has an exclusive television agreement with ESPN Deportes. Bellator season #1 premieres on ESPN Deportes in April, 2009.
Bellator (Latin for warrior), marks a step forward in the evolution of professional Mixed Martial Arts with a business model unique in the fight industry, yet followed in every other major sport. At Bellator, a fighter’s wins or losses control his future. Bjorn Rebney, Bellator founder & CEO states, “We are implementing a tournament structure to determine champions and #1 challengers so that world-class fighters can control their destiny based on their performance.” Bellator events will showcase highly competitive fights between top competitors with each tournament bout winner earning substantially larger purses and moving closer to a championship fight. “Simply put, at Bellator, fighters fight their way to the title,” Rebney adds.”
When I saw this, I about fell on the ground laughing. It is a K1 Fight between Min Soo kim and Kyun suk kim. This fight reminds me of my big brother and I squabbling when we were kids. What’s funny is that these guys aren’t kids, but are grown men in what is supposed to be a professional fight. Watch and try not to die laughing.
The fight between BJ Penn and Georges St. Pierre on January 31st, is expected to be one of the most exciting bouts of our time. Both fighters are currently holding belts and are making their way to be UFC hall of famers. GSP is thought to be by many, the most athletic fighter in the industry. BJ Penn is thought to be one of the most technical and talented fighters in the industry. This could be a classic tale of Technique vs Athleticism. During a recent press conference in Torronto, Penn and GSP got a chance to voice their thoughts on the up coming fight. Here are some quotes from them.
GSP:
“I think I’m going to come out with a better game plan than he will and I truly believe I’m a better athlete. And overall skill, I think I’m better as well. But there is only one way to find out and that’s why we’re going to fight each other.”
Penn:
“After watching the Fitch fight, Georges is good at everything. It’s safe to say that. But I feel honestly, when you’re such a good athlete and you’re so athletic, no matter how hard you try, you can only be so technical because you’re such an athletic specimen. And I feel that’s where I come in. I’m not that athletic specimen. I’m strong and fast but I’m not that athletic specimen. It’s more natural to me to be technical because I cannot get out of a position … where in the other case Georges can get out with that athleticism. So with that, that’s the great contrast, that’s the great matchup we have here today. The athletic machine versus the mind that’s going to sit here and think, How can I get around this guy, he’s so great at all these things?”‘
BJ Penn also expressed that he wants to fight Matt Hughes next. When someone asked why, he said
“Did anyone ever kick your ass before and you got pissed off about it?
It sounds like GSP believes he has the whole package and BJ Penn believes his technical ability will help to over come a GSP which he believes is more athletic than technical. All in all, both fighters seem to have a respect for on another and will be sure to bring their A games to UFC 94
They say, when you get knocked off the horse, the best thing to do is to get up, dust yourself off and climb back up in to the saddle. The longer you wait to get back on, the harder it is. This is the same for MMA. If you suffer a loss, the best thing to do is get another fight and get a win. It is all about keeping your confidence level up.
Kim Couture knows this and on November 21st , at Strikeforce Destruction, Kim Çouture got back in the cage and ended up with her first professional MMA win. After a grueling start to her MMA career a few months ago, resulting in a broken jaw, Kim has shown that she belongs in the cage and will likely have many more fights to come. Kim came out on fire with guns blazing in her match up against Lina Kvokova. When asked how she came back so strong from such a tough first loss Kim said
“Randy is always telling me you have to train as intense as you would be in a fight, so to take that intensity level up every day while you’re in there,” she said. “I don’t think I would be as far along if I didn’t have that loss.”
For the majority of the fight, Kim chased Linda around the ring, throwing punches and knees. Kim told reporters
“I was just trying to get a clean shot. I felt that I could knock her out if I could get in there,” she said. “It’s a lot harder when someone’s turning they’re head away from you. I just wasn’t expecting that.”
None the less, Kim Couture kept pouting it on and emerged victorious via TKO in the first round. Now that’s the way to get back in the saddle!
Here are the results of the rest of Strikeforce Destruction:
1. Zak Bucia def. Adam Steel via submission (guillotine choke) - R1 (0:35)
2. Alvin Cacdac def. Jose Palacios via submission (RNC) - R2 (3:10)
3. Darren Uyenoyama def. Brad Royster via unanimous decision
4. Luke Rockhold def. Nik Theotikos via submission (RNC) - R1 (3:06)
5. Joe Riggs def. Luke Stewart via TKO (strikes) - R2 (2:05)
6. Kim Couture def. Lina Kvokov via TKO (strikes) - R1 (1:44)
7. Duane “Bang” Ludwig def. Yves Edwards via unanimous decision
8. Renato “Babalu” Sobral def. Bobby Southworth via TKO (cut) - R1 (5:00)
9. Scott Smith def. Terry Martin via KO - R1 (0:24)
10. Brian Schwartz def. Lemont Davis via TKO (punch) - R3 (2:22)
11. Kurt Osiander def. Josh Neal vai TKO (strikes) - R1 (2:16)
12. Eric Lawson def. Tony Johnson via submission (RNC) - R1 (1:28)
13. Bobby Stack def. Cyrillo Padilha via unanimous decision
