"The fight in the bar scene is probably the most realistic I'd seen, up until that point. Chuck Norris kicked butt for about 30-seconds, when a bunch of bad guys worked as a team. They tackled him, held him, then beat him to near death. The rest of the film is typical, but that scene stands out. Also Chuck works out in the gym and looks pretty sharp!"
Best quote? "When I want your opinion, I'll beat it out of you." That was Norris' character Eddie Cusack.
Got a favorite? Let me know here or at the Convocation of Combat Arts thread! Not a CoCA member yet? Join today and feel good about yourself again!
Welcome back to another edition of the MMA Weekly Wrap Up, where we bring you all of the latest Combat Sports news, events and happening found on the Internet.
MMAs Newest Female Fighter Set to Begin Training Soon!
First, the biggest news story of the week... at least from my perspective. This past Saturday, my wife gave birth to out second child.
Anika "The Livewire" Fryer weighed in at an impressive 8lbs - 1oz and stands 21 inches tall. She has a great ground-game and a ferocious thai-kick (I figure she'll be entering the ring in about 18 years as a middleweight).
Look out Gina Carano, there's a new fighter in town. She's here to poop diapers and kick butt... and she's all out of Pampers!
Injury Updates from Last Week
Okay, last week the whole world had fun making fun of Kalib Starnes' "duck-n-run" performance against Nate Quarry at UFC 83. However, in his first interview since the match, at TheFightNetwork.com, Kalib puts his critics to rest and settles the misunderstanding by explaining that he injured his foot early in the match at was unable to press the fight.
Starnes lashes back at UFC President, Dana White, who dropped his contract, by stating;
"Right now, I have a broken foot [that] I sustained with the first kick I threw in the fight,” Starnes said. “My leg is purple and black from my knee up, I have a black eye, a sprained jaw, and he’s questioning my desire to fight? If that isn’t enough to satisfy him and the crowd, I can show them the medical report. I can barely walk. [Quarry] totally destroyed my thigh with those kicks. I’m sure a lot of people would rather see me suffer a traumatic brain injury and be rendered unconscious. That’s too bad. If that’s what they want, they’re paying the wrong guy $10,000 to get his brain smashed in."
Okay, first of all Kalib on behalf of the entire world, I'd like to apologize for unfair treatment you've received. We all rushed to judgement against you and we were wrong. (No, you don't have to show us the 'medical report'; we believe you. Also, nobody wants you to "suffer a traumatic brain injury" for our personal entertainment either.)
I do have one question though; While I have never actually 'broken' my foot, I have badly sprained my ankle and even suffered a 'stress fracture' to my leg, and in neither of the situations did I feel like skipping around a ring... backwards... If you were too injured to fight, why is it that you were still able to successfully backpedal for three rounds?
Seriously, for all young fighters out there; if you ever find yourself seriously injured in a competition, you should know that there is no shame in 'taking a knee' and having the Referee wave you out.
Attempting to fight while seriously injured is dangerous and could lead to traumatic brain injury... While dancing around and later whining about a hurt foot just makes you look like a boob.
Speaking of injuries, former UFC Light Heavyweight Champ, Chuck Liddell has suffered a confirmed injury to his right hamstring which will prevent him from facing TUF winner, Rashad Evans at UFC 85. Tough Break.
With all of the publicity of the EliteXC Fights coming to CBS May 31st, there has been a lot of criticism about Kimbo Slice (aka Kevin Ferguson). Most recently, Kimbo and Chuck Liddell have been trading pot-shots and calling each other 'out.'
In a very funny post, CagePotato.com has been poking fun at their feud and Liddell's quip that Kimbo became famous by beating up guys at "Taco Bell."
But before any of this gets out of hand, (any angry K. Slice, offered to fight for free at Liddell's camp last week) Kimbo's trainer, Bas Rutten, took some time while hosting Inside MMA at HDnet.com to talk about the way fights are really set up.
Proving once again that there's some brains behind that brawn and that he's not just another pretty face (...definitely not another pretty face), here's a quick video clip of Bas defending his most popular fighter.
Female MMA Star Proves That She Can Be Just as Stupid as Any Guy
Alright folks, hold on tight 'cause this next story is just as sorted as anything you'll ever hear on the Jerry Springer show.
According to my favorite MMA news site, Cagepotato.com, the female MMA/boxing star and recent addition to NBC's American Gladiators Season 2, Erin Toughill has been accused of beating her husband, Clark Bevans (also a MMA fighter) on their Honymoon.
According to CagePotato, Toughill beat her husband on "several occasions" including their honeymoon. The report goes on to indicate that Bevans accuses Toughill of taking the painkiller Norco (a medication similar to Oxycontin), tapping his cell phone records to stalk and harass women that she believed he was sleeping with, assaulting and threatening women that Bevans works with, accusing Bevans of homosexual activities, prank-calling him by playing 'sad country music' over the phone until he hung up, and... the final kicker... throwing a rock through the front windshield of his motorhome. (You just knew there had to be motorhome involved somehow!)
Divorces are messy affairs; things get said, allegations get made - only this time it's the woman being accused of taking some pills and abusing her spouse while in a drunken fit of jealous rage. I wonder how the fact that she's an MMA fighter will fit into the way the media decides to portray her.
The truly sad thing is that Toughill is really a good fighter and one of the few females who have really started to make a name for themselves in the world of combat sports.
If pills really are a problem, then I hope she finds a way to drop the habit and get back in the ring again soon. If a bitter ex-husband telling lies is the issue then I also hope she is able to rise above it all. (Of course, I can't imagine why a guy would lie about getting beat up by his wife on their honeymoon, but anyway.)
Here's a quick video that pays tribute to many of the highlights in Toughill's carreer.
Well, that's going to do it for this week. Check back again soon to find all the latest buzz in Combat Sports.
This is a post I've been wanting to make for a long time - a prescription for someone to defeat Anderson Silva. Will it work? Probably not. But, from my vantage point, where Silva excels is in the clinch. Too many MMA fighters fall prey to knees after being tied up in the Thai clinch, so I am doing my part to help preserve the looks and brains of the past and future victims of Silva's knee! Watch his match with Rich Franklin:
Then watch the aftermath in this video (language warning) which details some of the damage that Franklin took by his inability to handle that clinch.
What defeated him? The inability to handle the Thai clinch and knee. All of the other openings were created by the Thai clinch inside position that Silva took, then the subsequent knees to the face that set up his defeat.
For help, check out this post at some site called TDA Training (never heard of it, but this post is OK):
The new method analyzes antibodies. Each person has a unique antibody bar code that can be gleaned from blood, saliva or other bodily fluids. Antibodies are proteins used by the body to fend off viruses or perform routine physiological housekeeping.
"DNA is a physical code that describes you ... and in many ways so are your antibodies," said Dr. Vicki Thompson, a chemical engineer at the Idaho National Laboratory who's been working with other researchers to perfect the test for the past 10 years.
The scientists say an antibody profile can yield results faster and more cheaply and be performed in the field with minimal training. National lab administrators have licensed the technology exclusively to Identity Sciences LLC in Alpharetta, Ga.
The Georgia start-up plans to begin rolling out test kits and training to law enforcement, the military and forensic and medical labs around the globe by fall of 2009. Ken Haas, vice president of marketing, says the test is not intended to supplant DNA testing, the recognized gold standard in human identification.
But Haas says the value of antibody profiling is as a screening tool to help make sense of a crime scene, sort out the blood trails or spatter from multiple victims or more quickly identify body parts on a battlefield or at the scene of a disaster like the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks.
It may also reduce the number of DNA tests required in an investigation, potentially saving time and money and easing the growing backlog, he said. Results from tests on blood serum or dried blood can be ready in two hours, a fraction of the time it takes to run similar tests for DNA matches.
However, a major drawback for now is the lack of a national antibody database. That's one of the reasons antibody testing is not likely to be used at the outset of an investigation to link suspects to crimes or establish probable cause to justify issuing an arrest warrant.
Amazing how many martial artists, whether civilian, military, or public safety don't have a clue as to how to recognize the onset of a stroke or heart attack. Here's how (from the American Heart Association):
Heart Attack Warning Signs Some heart attacks are sudden and intense — the "movie heart attack," where no one doubts what's happening. But most heart attacks start slowly, with mild pain or discomfort. Often people affected aren't sure what's wrong and wait too long before getting help. Here are signs that can mean a heart attack is happening:
Chest discomfort. Most heart attacks involve discomfort in the center of the chest that lasts more than a few minutes, or that goes away and comes back. It can feel like uncomfortable pressure, squeezing, fullness or pain.
Discomfort in other areas of the upper body. Symptoms can include pain or discomfort in one or both arms, the back, neck, jaw or stomach.
Shortness of breath with or without chest discomfort.
Other signs may include breaking out in a cold sweat, nausea or lightheadedness
As with men, women's most common heart attack symptom is chest pain or discomfort. But women are somewhat more likely than men to experience some of the other common symptoms, particularly shortness of breath, nausea/vomiting, and back or jaw pain.
And how about a stroke?
Stroke Warning Signs The American Stroke Association says these are the warning signs of stroke:
Sudden numbness or weakness of the face, arm or leg, especially on one side of the body
Sudden confusion, trouble speaking or understanding
Sudden trouble seeing in one or both eyes
Sudden trouble walking, dizziness, loss of balance or coordination
Sudden, severe headache with no known cause
In every case, the AHA recommends, call 9-1-1!
If you or someone with you has one or more of these signs, don't delay! Immediately call 9-1-1 or the emergency medical services (EMS) number so an ambulance (ideally with advanced life support) can be sent for you.
For more information, please head over to the AHA site.
Our recent post with footage of Tak Kubota (Takayuki Kubota in control) prompted Marks to request anything with Mr. Kubota demonstrating his creation, the Kubotan. Well, at TDA Training, we are all about customer service!
A little cheesy, but a nice demo. Dojo Rat has another clip featuring the uses of this handy tool.
"I was talking to my 6 year old the other day, Ashlyn, and she asked me “do you know what a black belt is?” I asked if she knew, and she said “Yes, a black belt is a white belt that never quits [emphasis mine- NT]”. I was amazed at how simple she made it sound, and how she, on her own, related a black belt with commitment on that level. Anyone can achieve black belt, but only if they are committed to do so. And it doesn’t mean you have to commit your whole life, every hour of every day. It means that you commit a few hours a week to begin with, and understand that nothing else can interfere with that time."
As you may be able to tell, I'm trying to get caught up and stay on a more regular posting schedule. I'm going to try to get this Blitz post of interesting and informative links to you every Friday. Also, Rick has agreed to collaborate on this, giving you plenty of links to catch up on over the weekend.
Let the Blitz commence!
Turns out that Jason Couch of Martial History Magazineis a daddy! He snuck it into this post, but can't hide from our crack researchers. Or is that researchers on crack? Never mind! Go over and congratulate him.
I've added the My Self-Defense Blog to our links. Focused on self-defense with a good amount of success stories and tips, it's worth a good look.
Marks Chat has morphed into MarksTraining.com. Update your feed and links!
Charles James post, Those Yellow Footprints takes the USMC Drill Instructor Pledge and, appropriately applies it to the humble and lofty Sensei. "Drill Instructor Pledge--"These recruits are entrusted to my care. I will train them to the best of my ability. I will develop them into smartly disciplined, physically fit, basically trained Marines, thoroughly indoctrinated in love of Corps and country. I will demand of them, and demonstrate by my own example, the highest standards of personal conduct, morality, and professional skill."" Read it all - it's beautiful and profound.
John at Black Belt at 50 is a real martial artist - he actually enjoys training! "Many people seem to respect the fact that I've earned a black belt. But the fact is, I know the truth. The running, the sparing, the intense four-classes-per-week run-up to earning the belt, and all those pushups.....was fun."
Charles Goodin imparts "A Karate Student Should Not..." -try harder in the dojo than he does at work or school. -show more respect to his Sensei than he does to his parents. -clean the dojo but neglect his own home. -travel the world for training but not take his wife anywhere. -forget all the people who helped him to attain skill in Karate. -forget that Karate is practiced in daily life. And more... Read the whole post.
Stephan Kesting of GrappleArts.com has a new DVD, High Percentage Leglocks. From what I can see, anything he produces is probably worthwhile, so check out the previews on this page.
[Ed. I have removed the political element/rant from this quote, and focused on the points of advice/discussion here]
Tell your kids that if they are at school and hear gunfire or anything like what we are discussing they are to run and get out of the school. If they can't run, to go hide somewhere. Their well-meaning, but tactically-inept, teachers will only be herding them into lockdown so hadji doesn't have to hunt for them. Lockdown is a stupid answer for teachers that don't want to lose control of the classroom. Tough Crap! Tell your kids to disobey. Tell them to violate the rules. Tell them to RUN OR HIDE.
Tell them to draw you a map of the school...according to their perspective. Name the rooms and likely hiding places. Get (or steal) a map of the school at the next PTA meeting. Memorize the layout as well as where you might enter the grounds unseen. Plan your infil and exfil routes accordingly. The traditional response will probably be to contain the place and talk to the terrorists. Rubbish. While the negotiator is jabbering at them to surrender they will be cutting off ears while they pray.
Give the kids a cell phone...keep it charged. School doesn't allow it. Tough crap. Rules are meant to be broken. Teach them that as well! Tell them that if something bad happens they need to call you. Tell them that you WILL come and get them.
The call they place to you (heaven forbid) should include in this order: 1). What happened 2). Where they are hiding...or better where they went once they left the school 3). Possible number of bad guys
If your little darlings can't be taught to do that, drill them until they get it right. This is a world at war now and there is no room for weak kids. Teach strength.
Your plan. Get to the school. Infiltrate and move to the hiding place. Go through anyone that wants to stop you. Grab your kid and exfiltrate the way you came. Did I mention to Kill anyone who wants to stop you on the way out.
Your kit should include enough ammo to overwhelm the terrorist and still have enough to keep up a good fight. This ain't the time for the one magazine, liability-averse, legal eagle CCW stuff. This is aggressive attacking with gunfire. Pistols will still be in order but several high capacity magazines will be mandatory.
If your state disallows hi-caps, travel to a free state and buy them there. Things in your kit should include ammo....lots of ammo. Clothing suitable for infiltration of such a place...perhaps an FBI raid jacket or something like that, and a trauma kit....and bacon for the dead terrorists.
If I worked at a school, I would carry my gun with me. Conceal it well. It is a risk, but I'll bet there are plenty who will be doing just that now. Obeying rules will not help you when they are herding you into the gym for beheading practice.
Do you disagree? Why? What's the alternative? Comments welcomed.
UPDATE: I am in NO WAY advocating going Rambo and trying to take down a school shooter yourself. It's not likely that you'd get there in time anyway, but some of the other ideas may have merit, and are worth consideration. Please take a minute and read the comments left by Dojo Rat and me. Also, you can go to the Compliance with a school shooter thread at the Convocation of Combat Arts and discuss it there.
[UPDATE 2008/05/01, 22:14 Eastern] Please check out another post, What can you do about school shootings?, and the CoCA thread - it's a VERY good discussion, including a couple of posters who are in the education field.
I've avoided politics on this blog for over four years, as a matter of policy, but I have to agree with all of these points by Victor Davis Hanson (abridged):
What we want to hear.
The budget: "...we need a candidate not only to outline a balanced budget, but one of surplus that will pay down the debt as well, and by spending cuts rather than tax increases."
Immigration: "For now simply reduce the number of illegal arrivals to zero—through border fencing, more patrolling and manpower, employer sanctions, and stern negotiations with Mexico. Then as we squabble and fight, the number of foreign nationals or those not assimilated will begin to shrink in a variety of ways—once it is not growing. "
Iraq: "Explain Iraq in blunt terms—that the first war against Saddam was won, but the second, more important one against radical Islam is still being won in the heart of the caliphate. ...A viable prosperous free Iraq is the worst nightmare of al Qaeda—but why and how needs to articulated daily."
Race: "No more “conversations on race” but simply an end to identity politics. Americans are worn out with racial tribalism."
Taxes: "Some simplification of the tax code. Americans can’t figure out their taxes. When in their 50s some of them finally make good money, more than 50% go to taxes while they are demonized as “the wealthy”—even as the mega-wealthy either pay on “income” as capital gains at 20%, or are so embedded in corporations that their expenses are taken care of as business deductions."
Fuel: "We don’t need to be “energy independent”—as opposed to cutting our appetite for imported oil by 5-6 million barrels per day. Would it help if someone said, “Ok, either drill in Anwar, or cut sales of SUVs by 10% per year,” or “Drill off the coast and build nuclear power plants, or have gas at over $5 a gallon—your choice”?"
Colleges: "How universities have been able to up their tuitions consistently above the rate of inflation, while exploiting part-time, poorly paid contractual faculty, and masquerading all the while as liberal institutions are among the great mysteries of the modern age."
Health Care: "Simply mandate, as in the case of car insurance, that everyone buy catastrophic health care plans, and use health saving accounts for everything else."
Infrastructure: "The objections to government spending revolve around redistribution, not construction. We need a slash in entitlements and more investment in bigger, better, and more roads, rails, and airports."
National Security: Talk honesty about terror and national security. Why can’t a candidate say—“We will monitor what we think are terrorist calls routed through the US. So do you think this is right, or an abject violation of your privacy?” And instead of “Close Down Gitmo!”, one might say, “We prefer to have about 400 Padilla-like trials instead”. Or we could say, “No water boarding and we will take our chances that what damage a terrorist might do is overshadowed by the damage we will do to our reputation.” I don’t think Americans quite know what they want, but they are very tired of being told the question is black/white, win/lose rather than a mess where each answer poses another question. Treat us like adults, and let the public back a candidate who apprises them of the costs and benefits and risks, instead of either mouthing “police state!” or “a nuke will go off!”
A nice demonstration of the options available in Arnis. I'm not familiar with the master instructing here, but his skill and knowledge are evident. Enjoy.
I am sitting at home waiting for the Dell on-site tech to bring me a new motherboard, so I'm trying to catch up when I can on the wife's PC (thanks Wife!). Couple of news items:
I have about 15 posts in the pipeline that I'll get done as time permits. Don't despair! This will also include some instructional posts and video. I am going to try out a new video host (VideoJug) to see how easy it is to upload and so forth, and will also try YouTube. I'll post the links and/or embed so you can check them out. BTW, instructional mean anything with step-by-step instruction on a technique or tactic that you can apply, with still or moving pics (also called video). I have thousands of hours of footage (literally), and will make use of it to benefit you, our loyal readers.
More importantly, Rick is going to be a daddy again, probably by this weekend. His lovely wife is carrying a daughter. Join me in prayers and wishes for a safe delivery and healthy mom and child. Way to go, Rick!
I am planning a roundtable for martial arts bloggers via a group chat sometime this month. If you are interested in participating, let me know via email. More details at CoCA.
The Welterweight Drama Continues Even After the Bell
Well it happened. As predicted by most critics in MMA circles, George St. Pierre successfully defended his welterweight title against the former champ, Matt Serra at this weekend's UFC 83 in Montreal, Canada.
St. Pierre dominated Serra with kicks and punches, he dominated on the ground, he dominated the takedowns, he dominated every aspect of the fight... and yet, unbelievably, Serra still has cause to claim that he was 'robbed'.
Near the end the second round, St. Pierre had Serra trapped on all fours as he unleashed several vicious knees into his ribs. Serra was unable to block the kicks or fight back, however, he did not appear to be injured or hurt. With 15 seconds left in the round, the referee surprisingly jumped in and stopped the fight, giving St. Pierre the win by TKO (knee kicks).
Now let's be clear here. Nobody is saying that St. Pierre wasn't winning. He was clearly ahead in the match, hitting Serra with powerful strikes and consistently gaining superior positions; however, the referee's decision to call the fight at the end of the second round seemed a bit odd.
Serra appeared to be handling St. Pierre's assault well and certainly able to hold on long enough to make it to round three. With the title on the line of this much anticipated fight, it was rather strange to see it called against a healthy fighter who seemed more than willing to continue.
Prior to the match, most fight fans figured that the night would end with a knock out, a choke, or at least a submission. Few would have suspected that it would be decided by referee interference.
All of this, of course, only serves to add to the drama of the UFC welterweight division. Even after this match, fans will still line up to watch a Serra vs Hughes fight later on this year. Also, the Serra/St. Pierre series is still officially 1 to 1 (with an arguably bad call in St. Pierre's favor) so there will almost certainly be a Serra vs St. Pierre III sometime down the road.
Will the drama never end? I hope not!
In other UFC 83 news, middleweight Rich Franklin won an important TKO victory against Travis Lutter, proving that he is still one of the best.
Franklin is now like one of the villains in a video game that you have to get past before you get to fight the main guy. In this case, you have to get past Franklin before you've earned the right to face Anderson Silva. (That should be in Silva's contract... MUST BEAT RICH FRANKLIN BEFORE POSSIBLE FIGHT WILL BE CONSIDERED. - In order to get yet another rematch, Franklin will have to beat himself!)
Finally, there is the totally bizarre fight between the Canadian, Kalib Starnes and Nate Quarry. For some reason, Starnes thought it would be a good idea to spend the entire fight running away from his opponent. He ducked, dodged, and often just plain ran from Quarry for 3 rounds.
Frustrated by his opponent's lack of fight, Quarry began making fun of him, highstepping in the ring and making 'grade school' fight gestures.
During the post fight interview, however, Quarry returned to good spirits. When asked about fighting in Canada, he did his best Rocky IV impersonation, saying "When I first came into the camp, I heard some boos and I didn't know how to feel... I was like yo... but then as the fight went on, I figured if you can change... and I can change... then anybody can change!"
CagePotato.com reports that Starnes threw his fight in an attempt to protest low fighter salaries and failure to pay medical expenses. A rather strange way to stage a protest, but then again it's Canada. What else can we say?
Either way, the UFC has officially canceled his contract. (Maybe this is what Randy Couture should have done.)
Here's some highlights (err... lowlights) from the Starnes/Quarry fight, courtesy of CagePotato.com
The Changing Landscape of Combat Sports As we reported a couple of weeks ago, The Bodog organization is close to financial collapse.
Now, it appears that the IFL is also having money problems. Cagepotato.com tells us that since 2006, the organization has lost $31 million dollars. Their annual revenues are not enough to cover the $15.9 million that was spent on events, while only generating $498,000 from sponsors. The future does not look good for the UFC's closest competitor. (And therefore does not look good for many of the athletes such as Randy Couture, Pat Militich, Bas Rutten, etc. who dropped their contracts with the UFC to compete in the IFL)
No word on how Bob Meyrowitz's YAMMA organization is doing, but if their April 11th Event in New Jersey is any indication, the group seems to lack sustainability.
So with all of these sport combat organizations in trouble, who seems to be surviving?
Well, of course the UFC. Unfortunately, many feel that this company does not share it's good fortune with its fighters and holds them to unfairly exclusive contracts. -Randy Couture is currently in a legal battle with Zuffa (UFC's parent company) while other fighters, like Kalib Starnes, prefer to demonstrate their displeasure by dancing around the Octagon.
One promoter for MMA fights that appears to be doing pretty good is BET's Iron Ring. Although I recently called the show "amateur hour" in a previous post, it's actually started to grow on me.
Part of its charm is the fact that it isn't glamorous or flashy. Even if the fighters aren't very technical or experienced, they still put up a good fight. All in all, a very entertaining show.
The show is produced by David Isaacs and Campbell McLaren, who worked for the original UFC owner UFC owner, Bob Meyrowitz. While the show strives to be more entertainment than sport, it has done a surprisingly good job of attracting new fans to mma competition.
According to Dave Meltzer of Yahoo! Sports, the show draws ratings in the 0.76 to 0.87 range and averages about 900,000 viewers. He goes on to say that, "The numbers aren’t that much lower than many episodes of the sixth season of Ultimate Fighter, and there are more viewers than any other MMA programming has had to date."
Not bad for a bunch of amateurs.
Another group that is doing well is Strikeforce on NBC. Showing on Saturday nights at the way late time of 2:00am ET/PT, Strikeforce is slowly positioning it's way into mainstream media.
Sure you have to stay up real late to watch, but look what happened to another NBC late night experiment - SNL.
NBC has begun posting MMA related videos on their sports page website. Here's a short clip of an interview with Nate Quarry after his UFC 83 "fight."
Chuck Liddell Taken Off UFC 85 Card
FiveOuncesofPain.com reports that the former UFC Light Heavyweight Champ, Chuck Liddell has been removed from the UFC 85 Event which was to take place in London, England on June 7th. Liddell was scheduled to fight TUF winner Rashad Evans. It is expected that Evans will also be removed from the card so that their fight can be rescheduled for later this summer.
It is assumed that Liddell suffered a training injury, but no further information is available at this time.
Let's hope that "Iceman" gets better soon. In the meantime, here's a classic Punk'd starring everybody's favorite Mohawk.
Before we go, there's someone else besides Evans that would like to fight Liddell.
Apparently, Kimbo Slice (Kevin Fergusson) has heard that Liddell doesn't think much about his fighting ability and has decided to call him out. I'd like to post the interview, but Kimbo's colorful language doesn't quite fit into the TDA Training PG-13 guidelines, so you'll have to check it out at YouTube.com. (You've been warned.)
Anyway, that's going to do it for this week. Check back again for the "Best of the Web" in MMA.
My laptop has a fried motherboard, not nearly as tasty as fried chicken, fried rice, fried shrimp.. You get the idea. No posting until about Thursday. I have about 14 posts drafted on said laptop, but can't get to them. Bummer!
That's why the geeks (me) always say, back up, back up, back up your data!
Look for more soon. Rick's MMA Wrap-Up should be posted as usual (Monday).
Unfortunately, this clip is short, and you may have to watch it a couple of times because there's no slo-mo option. It actually illustrates a couple of things:
Using the 1-2 to set up the hook (3). The 1-2 closed up the guard of the fighter with the black headgear, and brought his hands up...
The hands being brought up set up a body hook.
As was stated in this short post on building combinations: use the high-low, and inside-outside to develop your openings with combinations. If I use 1-2 (inside, straight punches) high a couple of times, my opponent will guard against it when he next sees it coming. Then, a low, outside punch (body hook) will probably succeed. The key is to throw the opening moves with conviction so that they elicit a mandatory defense. Also, this could easily be reversed, for example, I like to use a close-in body shot (hook) to set up a straight right against someone who retreats straight back when hit. If you want to learn to set up combinations, just hit someone and see what they do [Author: not to be construed as recommending the reader hit just anyone - only sparring partners with whom one has a previous relationship and history of such violence.]
While it's on my mind (see Joe Lewis - learn from the legend), I located Here's some nice footage of Mr. Lewis. According to the caption, Bill "Superfoot" Wallace and Lewis are "in preparation for the 1974 PKA World Championships."
Another featuring earlier footage of Lewis in Karate tournament action. Versus Louis Delgado, Chuck Norris, and others.
More PKA (Full Contact Karate) action and tournament footage.
I've been looking at some old posts as I contemplate a site redesign (or just some organizational enhancements), I've notice a few nuggets I want to expand on. With over 1000 posts now, it's getting harder to do that without getting them organized! One that I noticed was just a picture and small caption, TDA Training: Creating a positional opening :
Creating a positional opening: The movement around the opponent (to the left) creates an opening by moving your opponent out of position. Notice Sam's right foot is in the back, not front. He cannot defend when stance is out of position.
What I was getting at there is a tactic in stand-up striking to create openings via footwork. This is characteristic of Savate, stylistically, and is a hallmark of most masters of Western boxing, too. Here are the steps (heh!):
Use constant lateral and circular movement, usually away from the strong side of an opponent (or the rear hand/leg), and your opponent will begin to follow you.
When ready, suddenly switch direction and your opponent will take a moment to "catch up" to your movement, and that creates a positional opening where you've gotten to the outside or inside of the opponent's guard, or you may even end up behind the opponent.
Strike while the iron is hot, so to speak. Don't try to use this tactic repeatedly, but at intermittent periods otherwise you'll become predictable and create a counter opportunity for your opponent.
All of us have probably dropped something on our foot, tripped and fallen, or hit the send button a moment too soon and wanted that email back, so all of you can probably relate to this tip: Don't rush!
In a self-defense context:
Attacking without leading properly (you will get hit on the way in - trust me)
Assuming the ability of your opponent based on physique, demeanor, or style of dress (in other words, underestimating or taking for granted that your opponent isn't concealing a weapon)
Fighting when it's not necessary. Can you talk, walk, or run your way out of a situation? It can mean the difference between life,death, or injury.
In a martial arts training context:
Skipping through conditioning and warmups - can lead to injury
Sparring without a plan, or just sparring to spar, not learn
Failing to wait until you gauge the skill, ability, and habits of your sparring partner
Failing to take notes of the lessons you've learned from your training - have you gotten critiqued by your instructor? If you've gotten advice and not committed it to memory, you've wasted your time and that of your instructor.
Failure to enjoy training. One of the great joys of martial arts training, for me, has been that gradual improvement that comes from consistent training and teaching, and the intermittent "a-ha!" moments that come as a result. Another has just been the sheer joy of training itself, the camaraderie of pitting one's wits and skill against yourself with others. Don't miss it!
John Zimmer of My Self-Defense Blog dropped me a line mentioning a couple of upcoming seminars featuring the legendary Joe Lewis, and MMA/BJJ fighter Dean Lister. Unless I'm going to attend, I usually won't plug a seminar or event, but I decided to do so this time.
I consider Joe Lewis to be a living treasure, a modern master of martial arts concepts as well as technique. His understanding of sparring and fighting tactics and psychology may be unparalleled.
Lewis was known as the most dominant point fighter during the early years of open competition, then became the first heavyweight world champion of American Full-Contact Karate, an experiment pitting Karate fighters against one another with full contact allowed. Joe Lewis was the equivalent of an early Mike Tyson in that era, so intimidating that many of his opponents were already defeated before the start of a match. After dominating the point and full contact competitive arena, Lewis moved on to television and film acting, appearing in several films as an actor and stuntman. The IMDB, in fact, lists Vietnam vet (USMC) Lewis as an uncredited stuntman in John Wayne's The Green Berets (I didn't know that one)!
Lewis traded punches and kicks with the best his era had to offer, and was voted "the greatest karate fighter of all time" by his peers. His rocky relationship with Bruce Lee is the stuff of lore today. Lee apparently wanted to train with the best champion at the time, and Lewis accepted the offer. At some point, both men earned the respect of the other. I don't really know who learned more from the other, but, having attended a couple of seminars of Mr. Lewis in the 80s and 90s, I quickly grew to respect both his ability and his deep knowledge of the principles and concepts of unarmed fighting.
Check out this link to learn more about the upcoming Lewis and Lister seminars, or the Karate College 2008 to be held in June at Radford University in Virginia (I may be attending).
The bottom line is, that if you want to learn from one of the best authorities in historical and innovative martial arts knowledge, attend a Joe Lewis seminar while he still deigns to teach them to us lesser mortals.
Welcome to yet another edition of the MMA Weekly Wrap Up, where we bring you all the latest Combat Sport news, events, and information found on the Internet.
SERRA VS. GSP II @ UFC 83 - BRING ON THE DRAMA! The UFC Welterweight saga continues this Saturday in Montreal, Canada where former Champ, Matt "the Terror" Serra takes on the the current champ by default, Georges St. Pierre.
For anyone who hasn't been keeping up with this soap opera, let's quickly bring you up to date.
Last year, underdog, Matt Serra shocked the MMA world by knocking out Georges St. Pierre to become the UFC Welterweight Champion. He then returned to Spike TV'sTUF Season #6 to coach against MMA legend Matt Hughes.
The Season was supposed to end with a climatic fight between the two coaches. Both Hughes and Serra seemed to genuinely dislike one another and a lot of trash talking took place. However, Serra injured his back during training and was unable to compete.
With Serra unable to defend his belt, St. Pierre was brought in to face Hughes for the the title during UFC 79. St. Pierre won easily over Hughes with an arm bar submission and officially regained the belt. However, he still had the embarrassing loss to Serra hanging over his head.
Now the two will face each other again. St. Pierre looks stronger and wiser, but Serra is hungry to take back his title.
Most fight critics are picking St. Pierre to win this match, but remember, the question isn't whether or not Serra can win; but rather - whether or not he will win again!
And no matter who takes the belt on Saturday, there's still the unanswered question of Serra vs. Hughes. Will the suspense ever end?
As noted in the clip, Rich Franklin will also be facing Travis "The Serial Killer" Lutter to see who will take the cherished #2 spot in the Middleweight division. (Seeing as how nobody stands a chance of even coming close to beating the Middleweight Champ, Anderson Silva - we'll have to settle for the 'runner up' competitions.)
Also fighting this weekend is the most famous vegan in all of Combat Sports... Matt Danzig! For more on UFC 83's fight predictions, we bring you the beautiful, talented, and extremely witty MMA Girl, Joanne:
MMA GOES PRIMETIME ON BROADCAST TV
Mixed Martial Arts will finally get some respect on May 31st as CBS will broadcast EliteXC Saturday Night Fights live on network television. The first event promises a middleweight Championship fight between Robbie Lawler vs Scott "Hands of Steel" Smith; a match up between American Gladiator, Gina Carano vs Katlin Young; and also a fight featuring YouTube/EliteXC fight sensation, Kevin "Kimbo Slice" Fergusen.
Network exposure is important for MMA competition so that it may outgrow it's 'spectacle' image and find acceptance as a legitimate sport. CBS seems to be taking no chances. In an attempt to fend off critics who see all Combat Sport as barbaric, the network has released the following clip where head referee, Herb Dean explains the rules and safety measures enforced inside the ring.
Of course, regardless of the rules, the safety record of MMA Events, or the general conditioning and training of it's athletes, there will always be critics. Check out Fox TV's Bill O'reily whining about the violence being brought to prime-time television. (Apparently Bill has never watched a football game before... or his own so-called news program which typically shows violent video clips - like those Florida teens beating a girl on YouTube - over and over again.
Okay, this fight took place a couple of weeks ago, but HDnetTV has finally provided us with a little bit of video. In her first actual MMA competition, Kim Couture (the Wife of the 6 time UFC Champ, Randy Couture) takes on Jessica "Crazy" Cruz.
Kim wins nicely with a 3rd round, ground-n-pound stoppage by the ref for a TKO.
Sure, Kim isn't the best fighter yet, but it's really cool to see her progress through the ranks of competition. And who knows, with Randy in her corner, it probably won't be long before we see a husband and wife team holding titles in both Men's and Women's divisions.
One of the oddest parts of this video is watching the ring girls congratulate Kim. (First of all, What were those girls wearing??? Definitely not the usual 'Octagon type' costumes!)
It's always awkward to see ring girls next to female fighters. You gotta wonder what the female fighters think of ring girls. Do they see them as a bunch of wimpy tramps, or do they actually get along and exchange make-up tips in the locker room after the fights? It's all very confusing.
Maybe the promoters should get some Chip-n-Dale dancer dudes to hold up ring cards for the girls... Wait, never mind... I don't want to see that!
Anyway, that's going to do it for this edition of the MMA Weekly Wrap Up. Check back again soon for our coverage and opinions of UFC 83. It should be exciting.
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Charlton Heston's recent passing made me reflect on the passing of stardom in Hollywood, replaced by "celebrity." Heston, along with his peers such as John Wayne, James Cagney, Lee Marvin, James Coburn, and Charles Bronson, represented a stature in male (and female stars) that we just don't see anymore. Perhaps it's the constant stream of paparazzo and tabloid coverage of our actors and actresses nowadays, but there's something missing. It may also be the type of actor that Heston represented so well - strong, principled, determined, and tough.
My fondest memories of Heston's roles include his Moses in "The Ten Commandments," Taylor in "Planet of the Apes," the captain in "Midway," and his iconic portrayal of Ben-Hur in the film of the same name. Another of my favorites was his Robert Neville in 1971's "The Omega Man," which has been redone as Will Smith's "I Am Legend." My brother and I were fascinated with the solitary and post-apocalyptic story of a man trying to stay alive in the midst of a world filled with maddened mutants. And how about his hoarse cry, "Soylent Green is people!"
Think what you will about Heston, he was uncompromising in his roles onscreen and off. His support of gun rights seemed to fit his persona, as unpopular as it may have been among his Tinseltown neighbors. I understand many of them apologized during the rioting a decade ago, as they begged for protection from the rioting and rampaging citizens of LA. He stuck to his guns (sorry), and remains one of my only heroes in the Hollywood that's passing away.
Instead of the usual get-to-know-the-fighters-and-coaches fluff usually found in opening episodes; This week, 32 fighters arrived and were coupled together into matches to see which ones would continue on to the house.
This was a much better way to begin the season and gave fans what they really want to see; Fights.
Unfortunately, the producers still decided to keep another standby for the opening episode, the traditional, profanity laden rant by UFC President Dana White. When is somebody going to wake up and get this guy away from the cameras?
He adds absolutely nothing to the show and sounds more like guest on the Jerry Springer show than the President of a legitimate sports league.
Although White has some boxing experience, he's never competed in MMA. Hearing him sound off to the fighters and try to talk about 'heart', reminds me of the team owners on Iron Ring who do the same thing.
Unless your actually willing to get in there and fight yourself, you have nothing to say. You don't know what the fighters are going through; You don't know what it takes; And you don't know what your talking about; so shut up.
The only thing I care to watch on TUF is the training and the fights. I don't care about what happens in the house and I don't care about Dana White.
I'd like to see more on the fighter's training routines. What conditioning exercises do the coaches recommend to get them in shape? Do they use weights, body weight exercises, yoga, wrestling drills, or special equipment?
What kind of ring (octagon) strategy to the coaches teach? How does Q. Jackson show them to position themselves for a ground-n-pound? What does Forrest Griffin recommend to reverse a side-mount? -Stuff like that.
This weeks episode will show more fights as the competitors try to make it into the house. Until then, here's a recent interview from HDnet's, Inside MMA show.
SHAMROCK/LE FIGHT FALLOUT
After one of the most exciting fights in recent history, both fighters are giving their side of the story. First up, is the new Strikeforce Middleweight Champion, Cung Le. (Check out the ice pack on Cung's leg... apparently breaking some one's arm with your roundhouse kick can take a toll on your shin.)
Next up is Frank Shamrock. After a lot of trash talk before the fight, Shamrock decides to show some class in this next interview.
One thing is certain, both fighters showed great 'heart' in that fight. (They must of both been coached by Dana White)
'KIMBO SLICE' TO MAKE NETWORK TV PREMIER
MMA sensation, Kevin "Kimbo Slice" Ferguson will headline the May 31st, CBS-EliteXC Saturday Night Fights show in Newark, New Jersey. He's scheduled to take on —James 'The Colossus' Thompson (14-8).
Thomson is a big dude at 6'5 and 260lbs, but CagePotato.com claims that he's known to have a "Glass Jaw." Looks like CBS is setting up an easy KO against a giant for Kimbo's premier in hopes of higher ratings.
Another ratings guaranty is the beautiful and talented, American Gladiators star, Gina Carano, who will be fighting against Kaitlin Young, (4-1) from Minnesota.
Cagepotato.com further reports that Young won an eight-woman 'HooknShoot' tournament in November, by knocking out three opponents in one night. All three were KO'd within the first minute of the first round. Not exactly a cake-walk for Carano.
Other fights rounding out the card include:
Robbie Lawler vs. Scott Smith (for the Middleweight Championship) Phil Baroni vs. Murilo “Ninja” Rua and Brett Rogers vs. John Murphy
BODOG DOWN FOR THE COUNT?
According to MMAPayout.com, Bodog Fight promotions lost $38 million last year. Recently, most of it's employees have been 'let go', no big events are planned, and no television deal has been reached.
It's sad to see the smaller fight venues close up. We need an open market to keep the big companies like UFC and EliteXC honest. Without the option to fight elsewhere, fighters are forced to take whatever these companies are willing to pay them.
The big companies are also forced to provide high quality events with big names, once they know fans are a capable of watching other promotions. Let's hope Bodog is able to hang in there. I really liked their programs.
FOX'S SEAN HANNITY TAKES ON YOUTH MMA
Last week we mentioned that the Early Show did a piece on children, as young as seven, practicing and competing in Mixed Martial Arts events. Of course, Fox television's Sean Hannity had to get into the act and throw his two cents in.
(I like the way he reminds us that Presidential candidate, John McCain once called MMA "Human Cockfighting," even though McCain later 'flip-flopped' and said that it's improved it's rules/safety; but now he must be against it because kids are practicing the sport.)
If Hannity is against Youth MMA competition, then it's probably time for me to re-evaluate my earlier judgement. It's probably not such a bad thing after all.
For a more intelligent discussion of Youth MMA, check out The Convocation of Combat Arts Forum, where several martial artists have posted their opinions.
Nathan makes an excellent point there by pointing out that "A trainer in mixed martial arts who is trying to organize a national youth league warned that bans will just drive an increasingly popular sport underground."
At first, I was totally against youth competition (under age 13); and while I'm still not on board for semi-contact competition, I do believe that it's important to give young people proper instruction and supervision in order to prevent them from holding back-yard fights and possibly hurting one another.
(Don't believe that it's happening? Check out the following YouTube.com videos; but be warned they're pretty violent and have some profanity. Backyard Fight 1 or Backyard Fight 2)
Anyway, on that note of controversy, it's time to wrap up this week's Wrap-Up. Join us again soon as we continue to bring you the 'Best of the Web' in Combat Sport competition.
get this Blitz post of interesting and informative links to you every Friday. Also, Rick has agreed to collaborate on this, giving you plenty of links to catch up on over the weekend. 
Heston, along with his peers such as John Wayne, James Cagney, Lee Marvin, James Coburn, and Charles Bronson, represented a stature in male (and female stars) that we just don't see anymore. Perhaps it's the constant stream of paparazzo and tabloid coverage of our actors and actresses nowadays, but there's something missing. It may also be the type of actor that Heston represented so well - strong, principled, determined, and tough.
