"The psychological aspects of mixed martial arts are so huge, if you’re not right in the mind you’re not going to be right in the cage, and the worst thing a fighter can let enter his mind is doubt. There is a power within all of us, a spiritual power. There is something special in all of us and you can tap into that at any given time." – Diego Sanchez.
Luke Thomas at BloodyElbow.com offers more about a fascinating personality and a hell of a fighter. The funny thing is there are very few actually giving Diego Sanchez a chance against B.J. Penn. Sanchez has never gone five rounds. Penn is one of the all-time greats and owns the edge in striking, jiu-jitsu, takedown defense, etc. It’s also not the overmatched, undersized B.J. Penn we saw against Georges St. Pierre, rather the technician who lulled Kenny Florian into a false sense of security, thinking his gas tank was approaching ‘E’ in the championship rounds before catching him with a right cross and locking in that patented rear-naked choke.
Memo to the doubters: Diego Sanchez thrives when people are against him. His essence is a catalytic converter, taking toxic words and thoughts and filtering them into positive and kinetic energy that pumps his belief system. Many have Penn finishing Sanchez by Rounds 4 or 5, and those who give Sanchez any trace of a chance believe he must finish the Prodigy off early in their main event at UFC 107.
Whether that happens or goes the distance, win or lose, Thomas notes that “Nightmare” will exhaust every mental resource. Few fighters, Penn included, have neither emptied their inner-most reserves nor have they faced such an opponent who’s an unquestioned believer in the Peak Mind State. In his many wars of attrition, Penn has ran on fumes and found ways to win solely on talent alone. There’s always been a time, even against Florian, where Penn steps back and resets.
That’ll be the only opening Sanchez needs. Conventional analysis dictates Sanchez bull-rushing Penn like he’s done to all his opponents. Against Guida Sanchez went balls out before having to defend against the Carpenter’s prolific wrestling attack. In that bout he proved his striking improved greatly and with every fight – many in which he was the underdog – Sanchez has proven people wrong while learning something new about himself.
Like the Florian fight, Penn comes off an awesome training camp run by Marv Marinovich, one of the world’s best strength and conditioning coaches who also infamously and allegedly pushed his son Todd too hard. It looked inevitable that Penn would show signs of overtraining during the Florian fight. That didn’t happen, but what you’ll see at UFC 107 is a classic example of the power of belief, not to mention the sage teachings of a fourth-degree black belt and Royler Gracie disciple named Saulo Ribeiro.
I’m in the minority, and if I’m wrong, I’m wrong. But jeez, this isn’t picking Matt Serra over St. Pierre. Uh, wait minute, what happened in their first fight? Feel the power ... of the underdog! Sanchez split decision.
Frank Mir vs. Cheick Kongo
Kongo is playing the role of the silent but dangerous face to Mir’s loudmouth, trash-talking heel. Funny, the last fight it was the other way around with Mir’s volume turned down just a little bit. Mir hates Brock Lesner and he’s channeled it into his training, building the strength and muscle mass that will be enough to overtake a fierce striker but one who’s yet to prove he can get it down on the ground, which is Mir’s domain. Mir’s not overlooking Kongo either. He’s been through hell and back, which humbles the best of them. Mir submission Round 1.
Kenny Florian vs. Clay Guida
If there’s any night for Guida to finally break though, it’s this one. The Carpenter worked under Greg Jackson and it may have helped him to unlock some technical skills to complement his wrestling. When Ken-Flo the technician begins to chip away at Guida’s defense, Guida will be getting by on heart. Like Sanchez, Florian is an opponent with a heart to match and a skill set just a bit better. Florian unanimous decision.
Jon Fitch vs. Mike Pierce
A grind-it-out battle if there ever wants one. Pierce wants to show he’s more than the one who hugged his way to a win over Brock Larson. Fitch wants to remain relevant in the welterweight division and the one nobody wants to fight. Fitch unanimous decision.
Alan Belcher vs. Wilson Gouveia
Not only is Belcher too skilled – see how Nate Marquardt handled Gouveia - he’s angry. Already seething over a close loss to Yoshihiro Akiyama, Belcher feels dissed over being on the preliminary card. That 5-4 UFC record may have a bit to do with it, but The Talent is better than that and needs a win to justify his case, if not simply to remain in the UFC. Belcher KO Round 2.
No comments:
Post a Comment