After another of Cris Cyborg's victories I asked rhetorically over Twitter who's next. Well after I went to bed, Strikeforce president Scott Coker said Erin Toughill is likely next for the seemingly invincible women's champion.
Junkie's man in Miami, Dann Stupp, has the story. Figure on the fight happening late spring-early summer since it's too early for April's CBS show. I did notice a lack of a buzz during Cyborg's third-round TKO over Marloes Coenen, but that's because Coenen isn't Gina Carano. Neither Coenen nor Toughill is a media darling, but both are tough and relentless, with the latter providing the ideal size and strength challenge Cyborg needs.
As for Coenen, she will be back. Another two wins or so and I see her getting a rematch. There's nothing she did to lose that fight. Cyborg - again - did everything to win a fight.
Sunday, January 31, 2010
What we learned from Strikeforce: Miami
EA Sports' tech capabilities needs work. Those not in Miami were denied Jay Hieron-Joe Riggs. Hieron took the decision, but from what I read didn't establish himself as a top contender.
Wes Sims could have walked to the cage without the spare tire and Bobby Lashley still would have wiped him out. Next for Lashley needs to be another up-and-coming heavyweight in the 6-0, 7-0 range. Next for Sims is Tim Sylvia in March. Whoa boy.
Yogi Berra would love MMA. Fights are never over 'till they're over. Ask Melvin Manhoef. Just as I was planning an entry on "No Mercy" being a breakout star in the United States did Robbie Lawler resurrect his career with a Hail Mary overhand right. Lawler won't be able to walk for days, but he's back in the hunt at 185. I'd love to see him tangle with Scott Smith one last time, unless Strikeforce presents Smith a rematch with an angry and embarrassed Cung Le, another who can verify Yogi's most famous -ism.
Herschel Walker can fight into his 50s. God Bless him. Realistically I don't see him becoming heavyweight champion, but so what?
Cris Cyborg is a destruction device. Like I projected Marloes Coenen put up a great effort and gave Cyborg perhaps her toughest test. Cyborg won because she's too quick, too strong and has one hell of a chin. I asked Twitterville who's next for her and the name Erin Toughill was tossed around. MMA Worldwide EIC RJ Clifford thought out of the box and suggested Tara Larosa. There's simply a lack of challengers to Cyborg at the moment and that's something Strikeforce must address in 2010. Get Toughill back in the cage, sign Larosa, leave the door open for Hollywood Gina Carano and perhaps consider Coenen for a rematch after she earns a couple of wins.
Nick Diaz showed why he's one of the best welterweights out there by smashing international superstar Marius Zaromskis. He's found a home at 170 and needs to stay there.
Alright, time for bed. Thanks to Jack Frost turning Long Island into Alaska I'm fighting a sore throat. Next Saturday it's UFC 109. I'll be watching from my local Hooters or Buffalo Wild Wings, so I won't be Twittering, but will have plenty of preview material in this space and at FightMagazine.com starting Monday.
Wes Sims could have walked to the cage without the spare tire and Bobby Lashley still would have wiped him out. Next for Lashley needs to be another up-and-coming heavyweight in the 6-0, 7-0 range. Next for Sims is Tim Sylvia in March. Whoa boy.
Yogi Berra would love MMA. Fights are never over 'till they're over. Ask Melvin Manhoef. Just as I was planning an entry on "No Mercy" being a breakout star in the United States did Robbie Lawler resurrect his career with a Hail Mary overhand right. Lawler won't be able to walk for days, but he's back in the hunt at 185. I'd love to see him tangle with Scott Smith one last time, unless Strikeforce presents Smith a rematch with an angry and embarrassed Cung Le, another who can verify Yogi's most famous -ism.
Herschel Walker can fight into his 50s. God Bless him. Realistically I don't see him becoming heavyweight champion, but so what?
Cris Cyborg is a destruction device. Like I projected Marloes Coenen put up a great effort and gave Cyborg perhaps her toughest test. Cyborg won because she's too quick, too strong and has one hell of a chin. I asked Twitterville who's next for her and the name Erin Toughill was tossed around. MMA Worldwide EIC RJ Clifford thought out of the box and suggested Tara Larosa. There's simply a lack of challengers to Cyborg at the moment and that's something Strikeforce must address in 2010. Get Toughill back in the cage, sign Larosa, leave the door open for Hollywood Gina Carano and perhaps consider Coenen for a rematch after she earns a couple of wins.
Nick Diaz showed why he's one of the best welterweights out there by smashing international superstar Marius Zaromskis. He's found a home at 170 and needs to stay there.
Alright, time for bed. Thanks to Jack Frost turning Long Island into Alaska I'm fighting a sore throat. Next Saturday it's UFC 109. I'll be watching from my local Hooters or Buffalo Wild Wings, so I won't be Twittering, but will have plenty of preview material in this space and at FightMagazine.com starting Monday.
Friday, January 29, 2010
Strikeforce worth watching
I hate winter. Snow and ice is bad enough, but Jack Frost’s weekend gift to the New York metropolitan area – and much of the country, for that matter – is temperatures in the mid to upper 20s with a lovely wind chill to smack you in the face and tense your muscles to where they can’t move.
For that reason I’m hunkering down with the family, save for Saturday morning errands and my weekly Sunday Gymboree trip that helps my two-year-old unleash his energy on something other than household items. It’s also why a small part of me wishes I was in Miami, where natives and transplanted northeasterners enjoy beach weather year ‘round. Miami is the place to be these next two weeks. A strong Strikeforce show followed by the NFL Pro Bowl headlines this weekend. Then South Beach braces for the Super Bowl invasion, and a week of hype and parties leading up to next Sunday’s big game between the Colts and Saints. I was in New Orleans for Super Bowl 24. Even for us commoners it was an amazing time.
The week that was in Yankeeland saw the Johnny Damon saga reach an apparent conclusion. Damon is a goner, though he said on Friday his heart is in New York and is hoping for an eventual return through the back door (you can thank his agent, the commission-hungry Scott Boras, for putting his client in a position where he’s out of work and Jim Edmonds is reporting to Brewers camp on a Minor League contract). Another thing we know: Randy Winn will be a Yankee after he passes his physical. I can only hope he’s employed as the fourth outfielder instead of the everyday left-fielder. Brett Gardner’s best baseball is still inside him. Time to let it out.
That’s for next Saturday and Super Bowl Eve. MMA’s focus will be Saturday in Miami and a card so good even UFC cult loyalists need to pay attention. Long Island’s Jay Hieron faces former Zuffa standout Joe Riggs in an undercard bout in such heavy demand it’ll be broadcast on EASportsMMA.com. Herschel Walker and Bobby Lashley make their heralded MMA debuts against Greg Nagy and Wes Sims (hookers not included). Robbie Lawler looks to get back on track against Melvin Manhoef, himself returning to the United States. Cris Cyborg makes her first title defense against Marloes Coenen. And in the main event it’s Nick Diaz and Marius Zaromskis vying for the vacant welterweight title.
My editor at MMA Worldwide, RJ Clifford, offers predictions in his first “Contenders and Pretenders” column. I’ll leave it to RJ to provide the analysis. From a storyline perspective it’s a proving ground for both Walker, a Heisman Trophy winner and MMA rookie at age 47 (not a typo) and Lashley, the latest pro wrestler to make the transition to this sport. I’m intrigued to see how Walker, his whole life an incredible athlete, fares against Nagy, who I believe will put up a credible fight. Sims, well, not so much. He’s an entertaining character, but being fed to a lion like Lashley.
To be clear, I have Cyborg winning her fight, but she won’t annihilate Coenen like some have predicted. Like Gina Carano, Coenen has the tools to compete with Cyborg, but Carano gave into fear during Cyborg’s destruction of the female face of MMA. There’s something about Coenen that tells me she’ll survive the battle of wills, but not the skills. Cyborg has that aura of invincibility that will remain uncracked. Still, I see it being a better fight than most think.
Zaromskis made his name on the international circuit, but faces a major challenge on Diaz’ turf. For whatever reason it didn’t work out for Diaz in the UFC. He has a chance to become a lynchpin in Strikeforce and he’ll get it done by finding a way to use his superior wrestling to take the feared striker to the mat.
If half of these fights live up to the hype – you know Cyborg-Coenen will – it’s another feather in Strikeforce’s cap in its mission to not compete with the UFC (yet), but become a major player in MMA. Fedor Emelianenko-Fabricio Werdum and Dan Henderson-Jake Shields are on tap for CBS in April. The momentum of a strong Miami show and Strikeforce’s marketing machine will get its chance to take it to another gear.
Sunday, January 24, 2010
Greenland
The week that was, was colored green, as in Jets green and white. Reminiscent of the Giants' march to the Super Bowl two years ago, the Jets have taken New York City by storm and are providing the perfect distraction to the impatient Spring Training countdown. Left for dead at 4-6, and by their coach following a hideous loss to the Falcons, Gang Green has filled the post-Yankees void in this city. The Knicks have played better, but the jury's still out on them even in a week Eastern Conference. The Rangers? One night they score eight goals and are shut out their next two games, the last Saturday's 6-0 whitewash in Montreal - which incidentally was their second 6-0 loss in three weeks.
On Tuesday I wrote why I truly believe the Jets are headed to Super Bowl 44. Their run is different from the Giants' in 2007 in the sense that more people are giving them a legitimate chance on the road against an NFL power. Yet this is similar in that it was unexpected. Enjoy this, Jets fans. As a loyal Giant fan I loved my journey two years ago. And it's cool if you're a Giants fan to pull for Gang Green. Last I checked they share the same venue, do not play the Giants six times a year and don't compete in the NFC East.
Brock Lesnar's recovery and return to MMA training, combined with New York Gov. David Patterson introducing a bill to legalize the sport, created an opportunity for me to publicize Lesnar and MMA through my YESNetwork.com blog. Lesnar reminds me of what Jens Pulver did for the UFC's little guys. In this case, Lesnar's brute skill and marketability is helping MMA earn more mainstream cred. The priority was seeing the man get 100 percent healthy. After that it was great to learn that he'll be defending his heavyweight title as early as Memorial Day weekend. His opponent will be the winner of Frank Mir vs. Shane Carwin - by the way taking place in late March in Newark, N.J.
Lesnar's return also set the course of other heavyweight contenders. Prior to the announcement, FightMagazine.com published my breakdown of the UFC's top contenders in 2010. It's truly going to be a fun year. What will make it better is Strikeforce eventually stepping up it's marketing campaign to remind fans that there's life in MMA outside of Zuffa. If not for Herschel Walker's presence on this Saturday's event in Miami and the media blitz that hit New York last week, who would know to tune into Showtime to see Walker, Bobby Lashley-Wes Sims, Cris Cyborg-Marloes Coenen and Nick Diaz vs. Marius Zaromskis or vacant welterweight title? Here's a novel concept: Work out a deal with Showtime, or maybe CBS, to do a UFC Countdown-type preview show for your April card that will feature Fedor Emelianenko-Fabricio Werdum and Dan Henderson-Jake Shields. Hardcore MMA fans will get excited and watch, but the mainstream audience remains a lot bigger and must be stroked and educated.
Following watching my son play at my local Gymboree, it'll be off to my local Buffalo Wild Wings to watch the Jets. In between, Johnny Damon and the Yankees will continue their waiting game of you can come back, but on our terms. Brian Cashman loves to fly stealth, so expected the unexpected, but he's not stretching the team's outfielder budget, nor trading Joba Chamberlain, for Carl Crawford. That's for 2011 ....
On Tuesday I wrote why I truly believe the Jets are headed to Super Bowl 44. Their run is different from the Giants' in 2007 in the sense that more people are giving them a legitimate chance on the road against an NFL power. Yet this is similar in that it was unexpected. Enjoy this, Jets fans. As a loyal Giant fan I loved my journey two years ago. And it's cool if you're a Giants fan to pull for Gang Green. Last I checked they share the same venue, do not play the Giants six times a year and don't compete in the NFC East.
Brock Lesnar's recovery and return to MMA training, combined with New York Gov. David Patterson introducing a bill to legalize the sport, created an opportunity for me to publicize Lesnar and MMA through my YESNetwork.com blog. Lesnar reminds me of what Jens Pulver did for the UFC's little guys. In this case, Lesnar's brute skill and marketability is helping MMA earn more mainstream cred. The priority was seeing the man get 100 percent healthy. After that it was great to learn that he'll be defending his heavyweight title as early as Memorial Day weekend. His opponent will be the winner of Frank Mir vs. Shane Carwin - by the way taking place in late March in Newark, N.J.
Lesnar's return also set the course of other heavyweight contenders. Prior to the announcement, FightMagazine.com published my breakdown of the UFC's top contenders in 2010. It's truly going to be a fun year. What will make it better is Strikeforce eventually stepping up it's marketing campaign to remind fans that there's life in MMA outside of Zuffa. If not for Herschel Walker's presence on this Saturday's event in Miami and the media blitz that hit New York last week, who would know to tune into Showtime to see Walker, Bobby Lashley-Wes Sims, Cris Cyborg-Marloes Coenen and Nick Diaz vs. Marius Zaromskis or vacant welterweight title? Here's a novel concept: Work out a deal with Showtime, or maybe CBS, to do a UFC Countdown-type preview show for your April card that will feature Fedor Emelianenko-Fabricio Werdum and Dan Henderson-Jake Shields. Hardcore MMA fans will get excited and watch, but the mainstream audience remains a lot bigger and must be stroked and educated.
Following watching my son play at my local Gymboree, it'll be off to my local Buffalo Wild Wings to watch the Jets. In between, Johnny Damon and the Yankees will continue their waiting game of you can come back, but on our terms. Brian Cashman loves to fly stealth, so expected the unexpected, but he's not stretching the team's outfielder budget, nor trading Joba Chamberlain, for Carl Crawford. That's for 2011 ....
Friday, January 15, 2010
RIP Bob Shamrock, '10's top contenders, Almeida feeling great
Another week nearly in the books and it's actually been (kind of) light in the MMA world. There's actually a break between shows that started after Monday's UFC Fight Night and will end January 30 with Strikeforce Miami. Nick Diaz vs. Marius Zaromskis for the vacant welterweight title, and Cris Cyborg vs. Marloes Coenen in Cyborg's first defense of the women's crown headline a show that also features the Strikeforce debut of Bobby Lashley and the MMA premiere of Herschel Walker. Appearing on the preliminary card is fellow Long Islander Jay Hieron (Freeport) against veteran Joe Riggs.
Sad news hit the MMA world late yesterday with the passing of Bob Shamrock, the adopted father of MMA legends Frank and Ken Shamrock, at the age of 68 due following a long-term battle with various health complications due to diabetes. Bob's impact on the brothers was amazing. He kept the boys out of trouble by turning them to sports and resort to fist fight - provided he supervised it - to settle their differences. Frank & Ken grew up to be fighting champions, and are forever legendary and among the best we'll ever see.
I penned a piece for FightMagazine.com that went up today, which looks ahead at the top contenders in each of the UFC's weight classes in 2010. Lots changed since I filed the original draft earlier in the week. Frankie Edgar is next for B.J. Penn, while Nate Marquardt will secure his middleweight title shot against the winner of champion Anderson Silva vs. Victor Belfort - if Nate the Great gets past Chael Sonnen at UFC 109 in a few weeks.
That night I'm looking forward to also watching two of my favorite fighters and people in the game, Matt Serra and Frank Trigg, oppose one another. Then there's the main even featuring two active legends, Randy Couture and Mark Coleman. The Natural struggled in defeating Brandon Vera, but put together a classic with Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira back in August. When two old, great warriors collide, you usually see something special, and that's what I'm expecting from Couture and Coleman. Heck if Couture wins he may get one last shot becoming a two-time UFC light-heavyweight champion.
Get psyched, Jersey. The UFC's return to the Garden State (UFC 111 in Newark on March 27) is loaded. The top three bouts are Georges St. Pierre-Dan Hardy, Shane Carwin-Frank Mir and Thiago Alves-Jon Fitch. It's also loaded with Jersey boys Ricardo Almeida, Jim Miller and Kurt Pellegrino. I spoke with one of Almeida's coaches this week. He told me Big Dog, 3-1 since returning to the UFC (and that defeat was to Patrick Cote via split decision), is "feeling great" and in awesome shape having worked his way back from a knee injury that prevented him from competing at UFC 106. MMA becoming legalized in New York State is looking inevitable with Gov. David Patterson publicly endorsing the sport. This card is a hell of a way to seal the deal, or if it's done by then allow lawmakers with open minds to tell themselves, "I made the right decision."
Joe Lauzon, off a crushing loss to Sam Stout earlier this month, said in a release that he hopes his next fight will be in his backyard when the UFC makes its Boston debut this August. Lauzon had Stout in trouble early, but failed to finish him and was pummeled by the Canadien in dropping a unanimous decision, but that was his first fight in 10 months after having knee surgery to repair his ACL. Lauzon gutting out the best performance of Stout's career to date earned them Fight of the Night honors.
“I’m obviously disappointed in the result,” Lauzon said. “It was an entertaining fight, but that’s not what I want to be known for. I focused on the health of my knee and it held up. I didn’t concentrate on my overall condition and I was a little rusty. I trained like a maniac six days of the week, twice a day, and then I couldn’t do too much for six months.”
Thanks to everyone for reading and following me on Twitter. I'm still penning my takes on the Yankees and Rangers, and have a story on the boxing/MMA relationship out in this month's edition of TapouT magazine (Issue 34). Though we're still months away, I'm gearing up for working UFC 111 on site at the Prudential Center. Expect a lot more stuff happening until then.
Sad news hit the MMA world late yesterday with the passing of Bob Shamrock, the adopted father of MMA legends Frank and Ken Shamrock, at the age of 68 due following a long-term battle with various health complications due to diabetes. Bob's impact on the brothers was amazing. He kept the boys out of trouble by turning them to sports and resort to fist fight - provided he supervised it - to settle their differences. Frank & Ken grew up to be fighting champions, and are forever legendary and among the best we'll ever see.
I penned a piece for FightMagazine.com that went up today, which looks ahead at the top contenders in each of the UFC's weight classes in 2010. Lots changed since I filed the original draft earlier in the week. Frankie Edgar is next for B.J. Penn, while Nate Marquardt will secure his middleweight title shot against the winner of champion Anderson Silva vs. Victor Belfort - if Nate the Great gets past Chael Sonnen at UFC 109 in a few weeks.
That night I'm looking forward to also watching two of my favorite fighters and people in the game, Matt Serra and Frank Trigg, oppose one another. Then there's the main even featuring two active legends, Randy Couture and Mark Coleman. The Natural struggled in defeating Brandon Vera, but put together a classic with Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira back in August. When two old, great warriors collide, you usually see something special, and that's what I'm expecting from Couture and Coleman. Heck if Couture wins he may get one last shot becoming a two-time UFC light-heavyweight champion.
Get psyched, Jersey. The UFC's return to the Garden State (UFC 111 in Newark on March 27) is loaded. The top three bouts are Georges St. Pierre-Dan Hardy, Shane Carwin-Frank Mir and Thiago Alves-Jon Fitch. It's also loaded with Jersey boys Ricardo Almeida, Jim Miller and Kurt Pellegrino. I spoke with one of Almeida's coaches this week. He told me Big Dog, 3-1 since returning to the UFC (and that defeat was to Patrick Cote via split decision), is "feeling great" and in awesome shape having worked his way back from a knee injury that prevented him from competing at UFC 106. MMA becoming legalized in New York State is looking inevitable with Gov. David Patterson publicly endorsing the sport. This card is a hell of a way to seal the deal, or if it's done by then allow lawmakers with open minds to tell themselves, "I made the right decision."
Joe Lauzon, off a crushing loss to Sam Stout earlier this month, said in a release that he hopes his next fight will be in his backyard when the UFC makes its Boston debut this August. Lauzon had Stout in trouble early, but failed to finish him and was pummeled by the Canadien in dropping a unanimous decision, but that was his first fight in 10 months after having knee surgery to repair his ACL. Lauzon gutting out the best performance of Stout's career to date earned them Fight of the Night honors.
“I’m obviously disappointed in the result,” Lauzon said. “It was an entertaining fight, but that’s not what I want to be known for. I focused on the health of my knee and it held up. I didn’t concentrate on my overall condition and I was a little rusty. I trained like a maniac six days of the week, twice a day, and then I couldn’t do too much for six months.”
Thanks to everyone for reading and following me on Twitter. I'm still penning my takes on the Yankees and Rangers, and have a story on the boxing/MMA relationship out in this month's edition of TapouT magazine (Issue 34). Though we're still months away, I'm gearing up for working UFC 111 on site at the Prudential Center. Expect a lot more stuff happening until then.
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
Call answered: Edgar gets his shot at Penn
It's not 100 percent official yet, but when Dana White says something's going to happen, prepare for it. As first reported by ESPN.com's Franklin McNeil, Frankie Edgar has been named the No. 1 contender to B.J. Penn's lightweight championship. Penn recently stated on his Web site that he expected to fight at UFC 112 in Abu Dhabi, whereas it was Edgar's hope that his next bout would be before his hometown fans in Newark at UFC 111 in March.
That's probably not going to happen, UFC 111 already has two title bouts, and I for one am sure Edgar will be more than happy to accept the deal whether it's in Abu Dhabi or the Sahara Desert. Besides enjoying a three-fight winning streak, his latest a second-round submission of Matt Veach at The Ultimate Fighter 10 Finale in December which earned "Fight of the Night" honors, Gray Maynard, presumed to be the next in line for Penn by virtue of him owning a victory over Edgar, looked lackluster in defeating Nate Diaz Monday night, leading to White claiming he wasn't "100 percent ready" for the Prodigy.
Maynard is a good fighter who trains under an outstanding camp led by Randy Couture, so his time will come. Right now there's no doubt it's Edgar's time. He's 11-1 (6-1 in the UFC) with a resume that includes wins over Sean Sherk, Hermes Franca, Spencer Fisher and Tyson Griffin. During an exclusive interview that was published in the last edition of MMA Worldwide magazine, Edgar told me he's never been one to seek publicity and proudly billed himself as “the same dude from Toms River, N.J.,” who hangs with the people he befriended in high school. He’s always quick to counter that through hard work and faith your just rewards will be realized.
“If you win and perform well, all that stuff and recognition is going to catch up to you,” Edgar said. “People are going to notice.” Then when asked for a reaction to White’s praise that came after the Sherk win, he looked at it as a happy boss telling him job well done – until he slipped: “And it was good to finally get some recognition.”
Edgar's in the limelight now, but will be facing heavy odds. During yesterday's "Sirius Fight Club," host Randy Gordon and his crew agreed that Penn is on another level and will walk through Edgar. That will be the popular line of thinking. Penn destroyed Diego Sanchez, who I honestly believed stood the best chance of dethroning him, and nobody in the lightweight division can touch him now, if not ever. I'm interested to hear from Edgar how he plans on dealing with the Rocky-like odds that will be stacked against him.
That's probably not going to happen, UFC 111 already has two title bouts, and I for one am sure Edgar will be more than happy to accept the deal whether it's in Abu Dhabi or the Sahara Desert. Besides enjoying a three-fight winning streak, his latest a second-round submission of Matt Veach at The Ultimate Fighter 10 Finale in December which earned "Fight of the Night" honors, Gray Maynard, presumed to be the next in line for Penn by virtue of him owning a victory over Edgar, looked lackluster in defeating Nate Diaz Monday night, leading to White claiming he wasn't "100 percent ready" for the Prodigy.
Maynard is a good fighter who trains under an outstanding camp led by Randy Couture, so his time will come. Right now there's no doubt it's Edgar's time. He's 11-1 (6-1 in the UFC) with a resume that includes wins over Sean Sherk, Hermes Franca, Spencer Fisher and Tyson Griffin. During an exclusive interview that was published in the last edition of MMA Worldwide magazine, Edgar told me he's never been one to seek publicity and proudly billed himself as “the same dude from Toms River, N.J.,” who hangs with the people he befriended in high school. He’s always quick to counter that through hard work and faith your just rewards will be realized.
“If you win and perform well, all that stuff and recognition is going to catch up to you,” Edgar said. “People are going to notice.” Then when asked for a reaction to White’s praise that came after the Sherk win, he looked at it as a happy boss telling him job well done – until he slipped: “And it was good to finally get some recognition.”
Edgar's in the limelight now, but will be facing heavy odds. During yesterday's "Sirius Fight Club," host Randy Gordon and his crew agreed that Penn is on another level and will walk through Edgar. That will be the popular line of thinking. Penn destroyed Diego Sanchez, who I honestly believed stood the best chance of dethroning him, and nobody in the lightweight division can touch him now, if not ever. I'm interested to hear from Edgar how he plans on dealing with the Rocky-like odds that will be stacked against him.
Tuesday, January 12, 2010
Final answer for Edgar?
Shameless plug alert: Friends or enemies? Issue No. 34 of TapouT Magazine has a feature I wrote on the working relationship between MMA and boxing, and is available on news stands. Also, for hockey fans, I've returned to penning a Rangers column for SNY.tv. Yesterday I posed a question on whether the Rangers are legit contenders (buyers) or destined to flame out (sellers).
On to a few thoughts on a two-day stretch of MMA shows featuring the WEC and UFC.
Gray Maynard needed a win over Nate Diaz Monday night at UFC Fight Night 20 to secure a likely shot at B.J. Penn in April in Abu Dhabi. He eked out a split decision, but there was much more required to winning the fight. Maynard had to look good, had to put on a show, dazzle the audience and the UFC championship committee, and put a bug in Penn’s head (if that’s even possible). Instead he let Diaz’s trash-talking and mind games get the best of him and take him completely off his game.
“Gray learned a valuable lesson in this fight, and it's that you can't let someone get in your head,” said his trainer, Hall-of-Famer Randy Couture. “He can disrespect you with all the verbal crap that goes on in or outside the cage, but you can't allow that to distract you from your goal, your job, what you trained to do.
“I think Gray verbalized that and realizes that's what happened, and that he got caught up in Diaz's attitude.”
Afterwards a contrite Maynard expressed some doubt that his phone will ring with an offer to fight Penn for the lightweight championship.
“The game plan and technique went out the window,” Maynard said. “I'm sorry about that. You won't see that again.”
The reason why Maynard was ranked ahead of Frankie Edgar was because he’s the only man to have defeated “The Answer.” Diaz lost the fight, but it appears as if he took away something from his opponent more valuable than the win at this stage of his career. Edgar looked awesome in December defeating Matt Veach. His dream is to represent New Jersey in March. It looks like the reality could turn out greater than the dream. Early Tuesday morning a source told ESPN MMA insider Franklin McNeil that the UFC has offered Edgar a title shot.
Admittedly I didn’t see most of UFC Fight Night 20 in its entirety; the King of the Castle, age two, decided to take over. But reading the results I’m able to draw an obvious conclusion: You do everything in your power to prevent the fight from getting beyond your control and into the subjective opinions of the judges. Tom Lawlor put on the finest performance of his career against Aaron Simpson. Alas, Simpson barely survived the first round and escaped with a split decision to the vociferous displeasure of the crowd at the Patriot Center ... Chris Leben held on to his UFC spot with a sorely-needed victory over Jay Silva. The bigger story is the hope that The Crippler finally has his life together for good ... Efrain Escudero tasted defeat for the first time when he tapped to Evan Dunham in Round 3. Fellow fighters and mentors are lining up to tell the TUF Season 8 winner the loss will be the best thing to ever happen to him ... TUF 7 winner Amir Sadollah looked even better than his last fight, a gritty, razor-sharp unanimous decision win over veteran Phil Baroni, this time going the distance to defeat Brad Blackburn. It’s amazing that Sadollah entered the TUF house without a professional record. His striking and Muay Thai are excellently executed and it’s now time for him to swim in deeper waters.
I did get to watch WEC 46. The great thing about World Extreme Cagefighting is that you’re guaranteed at least one great fight and/or great performance. Mike Brown, Kamal Shalorus, Urijah Faber and Ben Henderson were fabulous, with Smooth wrapping up Jamie Varner like a tarantula to unify the lightweight title. A rematch between Henderson and Donald Cerrone is a given, while WEC president Reed Harris is talking up a showdown with Faber and featherweight champ Jose Aldo to headline the organization’s premiere pay-per-view event. Look for Brown to compete against a top contender with an impressive victory to assure him a chance at regaining the title he dropped to Aldo in November.
On to a few thoughts on a two-day stretch of MMA shows featuring the WEC and UFC.
Gray Maynard needed a win over Nate Diaz Monday night at UFC Fight Night 20 to secure a likely shot at B.J. Penn in April in Abu Dhabi. He eked out a split decision, but there was much more required to winning the fight. Maynard had to look good, had to put on a show, dazzle the audience and the UFC championship committee, and put a bug in Penn’s head (if that’s even possible). Instead he let Diaz’s trash-talking and mind games get the best of him and take him completely off his game.
“Gray learned a valuable lesson in this fight, and it's that you can't let someone get in your head,” said his trainer, Hall-of-Famer Randy Couture. “He can disrespect you with all the verbal crap that goes on in or outside the cage, but you can't allow that to distract you from your goal, your job, what you trained to do.
“I think Gray verbalized that and realizes that's what happened, and that he got caught up in Diaz's attitude.”
Afterwards a contrite Maynard expressed some doubt that his phone will ring with an offer to fight Penn for the lightweight championship.
“The game plan and technique went out the window,” Maynard said. “I'm sorry about that. You won't see that again.”
The reason why Maynard was ranked ahead of Frankie Edgar was because he’s the only man to have defeated “The Answer.” Diaz lost the fight, but it appears as if he took away something from his opponent more valuable than the win at this stage of his career. Edgar looked awesome in December defeating Matt Veach. His dream is to represent New Jersey in March. It looks like the reality could turn out greater than the dream. Early Tuesday morning a source told ESPN MMA insider Franklin McNeil that the UFC has offered Edgar a title shot.
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Admittedly I didn’t see most of UFC Fight Night 20 in its entirety; the King of the Castle, age two, decided to take over. But reading the results I’m able to draw an obvious conclusion: You do everything in your power to prevent the fight from getting beyond your control and into the subjective opinions of the judges. Tom Lawlor put on the finest performance of his career against Aaron Simpson. Alas, Simpson barely survived the first round and escaped with a split decision to the vociferous displeasure of the crowd at the Patriot Center ... Chris Leben held on to his UFC spot with a sorely-needed victory over Jay Silva. The bigger story is the hope that The Crippler finally has his life together for good ... Efrain Escudero tasted defeat for the first time when he tapped to Evan Dunham in Round 3. Fellow fighters and mentors are lining up to tell the TUF Season 8 winner the loss will be the best thing to ever happen to him ... TUF 7 winner Amir Sadollah looked even better than his last fight, a gritty, razor-sharp unanimous decision win over veteran Phil Baroni, this time going the distance to defeat Brad Blackburn. It’s amazing that Sadollah entered the TUF house without a professional record. His striking and Muay Thai are excellently executed and it’s now time for him to swim in deeper waters.
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I did get to watch WEC 46. The great thing about World Extreme Cagefighting is that you’re guaranteed at least one great fight and/or great performance. Mike Brown, Kamal Shalorus, Urijah Faber and Ben Henderson were fabulous, with Smooth wrapping up Jamie Varner like a tarantula to unify the lightweight title. A rematch between Henderson and Donald Cerrone is a given, while WEC president Reed Harris is talking up a showdown with Faber and featherweight champ Jose Aldo to headline the organization’s premiere pay-per-view event. Look for Brown to compete against a top contender with an impressive victory to assure him a chance at regaining the title he dropped to Aldo in November.
Sunday, January 3, 2010
Strikers, new names reign at 108
The next issue of TapouT (No. 34) has a feature I wrote on the budding working relationship between MMA and boxing and how more fighters have implemented the time-honored techniques of "The Sweet Science" into their training regimens. Boxing in the cold gyms of Portland, Maine, built the foundation for Mike Thomas Brown's career. An opportunity to train with Miguel Cotto helped recalibrate Miguel Torres coming off a shocking loss of his WEC Bantamweight title.
The great Howard Davis Jr. is a boxing coach at the renowned American Top Team and works with Brown, Thiago Alves, Kimbo Slice and many others including Chuck Liddell trained with Davis to add new wrinkles to their game. The best wrestlers can neutralize anybody's game like Rashad Evans did in his win over ATT product Thiago Sliva Saturday night at UFC 108, but if one's striking isn't beyond par, chances are it's curtains before it gets that far. (Ask Damien Maia if he remembers what hit him in his ill-fated contest with Nate Marquardt.)
“I always say 85 percent on the ground, but when the bell rings you’re 100 percent up,” Davis told me for the story. “If you don’t have your skills in the first 30 seconds to a minute, you’re going to have problems.”
Joe Lauzon is razor-sharp on the ground, but Sam Stout combined takedown defense with precision striking and Muay Thai that diced J-Lau for three rounds, by far the finest performance of the Canadian's career. Especially impressive was how Stout was popped and bloodied early in the fight and nearly tapped out to a kimura. Once the bout was back on the feet, Stout took a game Lauzon apart to win 30-27 on all three scorecards.
Dustin Hazelett, a Brazilian Jiu Jitsu black belt, was a late replacement for Carlos Condit and matched with striker Paul Daley. Adhering to Davis' words, Hazelett began the fight standing with the powerful Brit and held his own until a vicious left hook put McLovin to sleep at 2:24 of Round 1. I'd love to see if Daley can keep a Josh Koscheck at a vertical base. Daley's takedown defense needs work and if he can't prevent Koscheck from taking him to the ground, the former NCAA Division I wrestling champion will provide the same education he gave Anthony Johnson.
UFC 108 was maligned for the 'injury curse' that robbed it of its star power. Brock Lesnar-Shane Carwin, Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira-Cain Velazquez and Anderson Silva-Victor Belfort were all pulled from the event, along with Gabriel Gonzaga, Condit, Tyson Griffin and Rory Markham, for reasons beyond anyone's control. In adversity there's often strength and adversity also opens doors for new names to break down walls. Stout, Daley, Junior dos Santos, Jim and Cole Miller, and Mark Munoz were provided opportunities to shine and they all did. The lower the expectations, the greater the chance that one is surprised and UFC 108 certainly delivered an exciting event.
This is my first blog of 2010 and I'd be remiss if I didn't extend my heartfelt congratulations to MMAJunkie.com (best MMA media source) and lead reporter John Morgan (best MMA journalist) for taking home hardware at the MMA Awards. Lead site editor Dann Stupp gave me the first opportunity to cover MMA and has made me a part of the team, a great team that produces great work. Don't expect us to slow down. Between John racking up world traveler miles and the evolution of George Garcia's entertaining MMA Junkie Radio program, 2010 will be our finest year yet.
The great Howard Davis Jr. is a boxing coach at the renowned American Top Team and works with Brown, Thiago Alves, Kimbo Slice and many others including Chuck Liddell trained with Davis to add new wrinkles to their game. The best wrestlers can neutralize anybody's game like Rashad Evans did in his win over ATT product Thiago Sliva Saturday night at UFC 108, but if one's striking isn't beyond par, chances are it's curtains before it gets that far. (Ask Damien Maia if he remembers what hit him in his ill-fated contest with Nate Marquardt.)
“I always say 85 percent on the ground, but when the bell rings you’re 100 percent up,” Davis told me for the story. “If you don’t have your skills in the first 30 seconds to a minute, you’re going to have problems.”
Joe Lauzon is razor-sharp on the ground, but Sam Stout combined takedown defense with precision striking and Muay Thai that diced J-Lau for three rounds, by far the finest performance of the Canadian's career. Especially impressive was how Stout was popped and bloodied early in the fight and nearly tapped out to a kimura. Once the bout was back on the feet, Stout took a game Lauzon apart to win 30-27 on all three scorecards.
Dustin Hazelett, a Brazilian Jiu Jitsu black belt, was a late replacement for Carlos Condit and matched with striker Paul Daley. Adhering to Davis' words, Hazelett began the fight standing with the powerful Brit and held his own until a vicious left hook put McLovin to sleep at 2:24 of Round 1. I'd love to see if Daley can keep a Josh Koscheck at a vertical base. Daley's takedown defense needs work and if he can't prevent Koscheck from taking him to the ground, the former NCAA Division I wrestling champion will provide the same education he gave Anthony Johnson.
UFC 108 was maligned for the 'injury curse' that robbed it of its star power. Brock Lesnar-Shane Carwin, Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira-Cain Velazquez and Anderson Silva-Victor Belfort were all pulled from the event, along with Gabriel Gonzaga, Condit, Tyson Griffin and Rory Markham, for reasons beyond anyone's control. In adversity there's often strength and adversity also opens doors for new names to break down walls. Stout, Daley, Junior dos Santos, Jim and Cole Miller, and Mark Munoz were provided opportunities to shine and they all did. The lower the expectations, the greater the chance that one is surprised and UFC 108 certainly delivered an exciting event.
This is my first blog of 2010 and I'd be remiss if I didn't extend my heartfelt congratulations to MMAJunkie.com (best MMA media source) and lead reporter John Morgan (best MMA journalist) for taking home hardware at the MMA Awards. Lead site editor Dann Stupp gave me the first opportunity to cover MMA and has made me a part of the team, a great team that produces great work. Don't expect us to slow down. Between John racking up world traveler miles and the evolution of George Garcia's entertaining MMA Junkie Radio program, 2010 will be our finest year yet.
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