Alright, we’re finally there. It’s top 5 time. Before we get to the best five fights – by my humble determination – let’s go back and recap the previous 20 (well, 21 if you’ve been paying attention). If you want a little bit more in-depth on each fight, check out Part 1 which covers numbers 25-16 as well as what this list is all about, and Part 2 which counts down 15-6. I’ll also be doing a follow up to this list which will look at the notable exceptions from these 26 fights. If there’s a fight you’d like to see addressed, make sure you make yourself heard on twitter head over to FightLockdown.com and let me know. Don’t worry, I won’t be offended.
Let’s not get ahead of ourselves though. Fights 26-6 were all pretty good in their own right, and deserve some repartee of their own. Consider it an appetizer before the main course. Read more
Working our way up the list, it’s now time to break into the top 10 of my ‘Top 25 Pre-TUF Fights’. If you’re looking for some background on this list, the time period it involves, or numbers 25-16 on the list, check out Part 1.
15. Matt Hughes vs. Carlos Newton – UFC 34
Sometimes MMA fans like to think that their sport is immune to politics. Not really the case. Matt Hughes even being in this fight against Carlos Newton was an effort by Zuffa to attempt to keep Pat Miletich away from the belt, as Miletich’s style wasn’t seen as entertaining enough to help carry the organization. In retrospect, the decision couldn’t have turned out any better for the UFC, as Hughes went on to become one of the greatest champions the organization has ever seen. His run started with a huge slam knockout over Carlos Newton after an entertaining round. There was a slight bit of controversy surrounding the fight, as Hughes appeared to be choked out by the triangle that Newton had him in as the fight-ending slam occurred. The record was set straight 8 months later, as Hughes dominated Newton en route to a fourth round TKO in the rematch. Read more
I love MMA history. Can’t get enough of it. There are times when upcoming fights don’t necessarily excite me, but I’m always able to throw on some older fights and be thoroughly entertained. Some people can’t do this. I feel bad for them. I suppose knowing the result of a fight takes away some of the intrigue, but at the same time you can watch without having to worry about if you made the right pick, bet, or who is going to think you’re an idiot when this fighter you hyped gets clowned. You get to appreciate the fighters and what they did on that particular night.
This is why I go back and I make lists like these. If you gave my ‘Top 25 UFC Fights of the Pre-Zuffa Era‘ a read, you’ll know that I focus less on the significance of the fight or the names involved, and more on the fight itself. Because when all is said and done, when years have passed and the hype has died down, you’re left with only the fight itself to judge how great it really was. Read more
Everyone is talking about the earth shattering encounter between Dan Henderson and “Shogun” Rua from UFC 139. From the fight itself, to the judging, to a rematch, and just about everything in between. However, one thing I haven’t seen any mention of, despite their being discussion about what a hellacious beating both fighters took, is the physiological toll particularly on the Brazilian. I think Dan Chiappetta wrote about how he doesn’t want to see a rematch, and listed the particularly savage nature of the fight as one of the reasons, however he’s missing a deeper point.
This past Saturday featured two Fight of the Year contenders, and was possibly the greatest single night in the history of MMA as far as action goes. While it ended up being overshadowed by the classic Dan Henderson/Mauricio Rua bout, Michael Chandler and Eddie Alvarez put on their own classic encounter for the Bellator Lightweight Title at Bellator 58. With a new champion in place, and Alvarez’s spot in Bellator now potentially in peril due to Zuffa snatching up as many fighters as they can, this may create a void in this organization’s 155lb division. One man who hopes to fill that void is Dave Jansen. The WEC veteran may have punched his entry ticket to Bellator’s next Lightweight Tournament with a 2nd Round Rear-Naked Choke victory over Ashkan Morvari at Bellator 57. I had the pleasure of chatting with Dave following that fight, and we discussed a myriad of topics, including: some recent changes to his training, how he matches up with both new champion Chandler and former champ Alvarez, and his history in both MMA and Wrestling. Keep reading for some excellent insight, and a very open interview with Dave. Read more
This weekend kick starts a huge run in MMA which will see 4 UFC events, 2 Strikeforce shows, 4 Bellator cards and 1 DREAM offering over the next month. That’s not even taking into account the numerous cards being put on by the likes of BAMMA, Shark Fights, Maximum Fighting Championships, and Titan Fighting Championships among others.
With everything that is going on this weekend alone, I found it difficult to single out a particular fighter (nevermind a specific fight) to showcase for you this week. In the end, it came down to three of MMA’s brightest prospects. Douglas Lima has shown a fantastic MMA-adapted submission game, as well as developing striking arsenal. He will be making his Bellator debut against Steve Carl tomorrow night. Yoel Romero breaks so many of my rules about MMA that it’s ridiculous. Romero isn’t your typical MMA neophyte though. An Olympic freestyle silver medalist and world champion, Romero brings a pedigree matched by few in the sport. He also brings the perfect style of wrestling to translate to MMA, as he is both athletic and explosive (or is it explosively athletic?). Added to that, Romero’s brother is a former world champion boxer, and he has been boxing nearly his entire life to boot. The only thing that gives me paused about Romero is that he is already 34 years old, and defected to Germany, where the caliber of MMA gyms is hardly what he could find in North America.Read more
When it comes to fights, a seasoned fan can often appreciate the subtle techniques in each aspect of MMA, and find interest in a bout which a more casual onlooker may see as downright boring. However, every once in a while there comes a fight that everyone can agree is thoroughly enjoyable, and often those fights would fall under the category of a “Sloppy Slugfest”. While some in the MMA community dismiss these fights due to their lack of technique, they are merely soulless pessimists and need to learn how to enjoy some brainless fun every once in a while.
The epitome of the Sloppy Slugfest is the legendary Don Frye/Yoshihiro Takayama throwdown that made men, women and children weep. The men wept out of joy, while the women and children wept due to what the Hawtness’ mug looked like post fight. In honour of the untouchable nature of this slugfest, all others are judged on the patented 5-Fryama scale. 5 Fryama’s is Frye/Takayama itself, while anything less denotes a fight which ultimately falls short of the classic – which, inevitably, is every other slugfest in history.
As with the rest of the MMA world, the action picks up this weekend north of the border. The Canadian cards this weekend aren’t anything that will light the world on fire, but there are a couple of intriguing points to note.
Canadian Cards
The most interesting happening on a Canadian card this week takes place at Canadian Fighting Championship 7, and is the debut fight for Sergio Pettis, who at some point may stop being known as “Anthony Pettis’ Little Brother” if he lives up to the sizable hype that’s been heaped upon him. While it’s not uncommon in MMA for training partners, friends and family to overstate a young fighter’s skills, Sergio has already experienced some success in various combative venues. He accumulated a 4-0 record on the amateur circuit, and has experience as a professional kickboxer as well – most recently winning a Unanimous Decision last month in what was termed his warm up bout for his MMA debut. His opponent will be Kyle Vivian, who has been unsuccessful in each of his first three MMA bouts, losing all three via triangle. Clearly, this is a bout meant to showcase Pettis, but it will be interesting to see what aspects of his game he shows off.
The only other fighter worthy of much notice on this card is Eric Perez, a 6-2 Bantamweight out of Winnipeg who is currently riding a 5-fight win streak.
The other notable Canadian card on Saturday comes from Sudbury, Ontario. Freedom Fight was to feature a main event with Chris Horodecki, but due to the recent passing of Shawn Tompkins he has pulled out of his fight. His intended opponent, Brad Cardinal, now takes on longtime KOTC veteran Tony Hervey, who is best known for his 5-round 2009 war with Takanori Gomi:
Moving down the card, MFC veteran Ali Mokdad looks to get back on track after picking up his first loss against Javier Torres of TUF “fame” in July. The rest of the card features even more mid-level Canadian talent (if I were a top fighter in Canada I’d probably hold out for a better location than Sudbury too), and doesn’t look to relevant even to the national scene.
Canadian Fighters
Jordan Mein makes his big stage debut in MMA, as he will be featured on the Strikeforce Grand Prix undercard (being shown on HDNet). He faces no easy task in Evangelina Santos, although the ultra aggressive style of “Cyborg” plays right into Mein’s solid counter-striking game. With victories over Joe Riggs, Josh Burkman and Marius Zaromskis in 2011, Mein could go from prospect to legitimate Welterweight contender by adding another solid name to his list of conquests in this one.
Canada’s second best female MMA fighter, Alexis Davis also takes part in the Strikeforce card against the very dangerous Amanda Nunes. Davis has the submission advantage in this fight, and will need to get it to the ground quickly as Nunes has the ability to end any fight swiftly, as evidenced by her last outing against Julia Budd.
This weekend marks the beginning of a huge string of MMA events, and while only the Canadian content was featured here, be sure to catch the events from Strikeforce, Bellator, BAMMA and Shark Fights taking place as well. One of the fighters on those cards could be featured in this Friday’s Fight Bodega, so be sure to check back here to kick off your weekend with whatever exciting, semi-relevant fight I’m able to track down.
This weekend will serve as the calm before the storm that is the fall slate of MMA we are soon to bear witness to. The next five weekends will all feature at least two cards that fall under either a Zuffa banner, or those of Bellator and DREAM. If that doesn’t make the MMA portion of your brain a little bit giddy, I recommend you see a specialist.
Before we get too far ahead of ourselves, let’s just run down what’s going on this weekend, one always serving as the last remnant of Summer. Read more
This week’s Bodega focuses on what is probably the third most publicised event of the weekend. Obviously the big event on everyone’s mind (for good reason) is the UFC making its return to Brazil. Pro Elite’s MMA return is the next event on the MMA totem pole. However, for those who like their MMA free and in high definition, the announcement that HDNet would be airing Shooto Brazil’s Fight For BOPE event came with some of the greatest joy of any MMA happening this weekend. Whether the partnership carries over to Shooto cards in Japan as well is still to be seen – and lobbied for by fans. But at least for this weekend the historic organization can be viewed live rather than scouring the web for videos weeks later.
If you’ve never followed a Shooto Brazil card before, it is vastly different from the traditional cards run by the organization. First, the cards are organized primarily by Andre Pederneiras. As such, they are constructed in a way that features and promotes Nova Uniao talent. Looking at the Fight For BOPE card you can see the influence from Pederneiras’ team, with Ronys Torres, Rodolfo Marquez Diniz and Hacran Dias all representing Nova Uniao. Diniz and Dias are two of the best prospects coming out of Nova Uniao right now. Read more
Alright, we’re finally there. It’s top 5 time. Before we get to the best five fights – by my humble determination – let’s go back and recap the previous 20 (well, 21 if you’ve been paying attention). If you want a little bit more in-depth on each fight, check out Part 1 which covers numbers 25-16 as well as what this list is all about, and Part 2 which counts down 15-6. I’ll also be doing a follow up to this list which will look at the notable exceptions from these 26 fights. If there’s a fight you’d like to see addressed, make sure you make yourself heard on twitter head over to FightLockdown.com and let me know. Don’t worry, I won’t be offended.
Does “Shogun” Run The Risk Of Following In His Brother’s Footsteps?
Photo Courtesy UFC.com
Everyone is talking about the earth shattering encounter between Dan Henderson and “Shogun” Rua from UFC 139. From the fight itself, to the judging, to a rematch, and just about everything in between. However, one thing I haven’t seen any mention of, despite their being discussion about what a hellacious beating both fighters took, is the physiological toll particularly on the Brazilian. I think Dan Chiappetta wrote about how he doesn’t want to see a rematch, and listed the particularly savage nature of the fight as one of the reasons, however he’s missing a deeper point.
Read more
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