tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-78382276973666040352023-11-15T23:44:36.784-08:00jiMMA: Making sense of MMAPreviews and recaps of big fights, smaller shows and other bits and bobs.jiMMAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04506393383532511261noreply@blogger.comBlogger66125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7838227697366604035.post-57158324827736622402012-07-01T04:04:00.001-07:002012-07-01T04:13:06.064-07:00Verbal Violence: Quarterfinals<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<br />
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
This
tournament consists of eight of the greatest verbal heavyweights in
our sport engaging in verbal violence, a competition that only really
exists and makes sense in my head. Bouts will be judged on such
things as the ability to use puns effectively, swearing, and actually
pointing out things that are interesting in a fight. Points may be
deducted for unwarranted hyperbole, useless information and ignoring
the fighters to talk about people in the crowd, Randy Couture's new
movie, etc. </div>
<br />
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<b>Mike Goldberg (UFC)
vs Micheal Schiavello (HDnet)</b></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
The first quarter final
sees the UFC's Mike Goldberg take on the well travelled Australian
Micheal Schiavello. While Goldberg has been tried and tested on the
biggest stage, Schiavello has valuable international experience,
having said “Goodnight Irene” very loudly all over the world.</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<b>Round 1: </b>
</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
The
round begins with both fighters tentatively but dutifully describing
the action, in spite of the action consisting mostly of feints and
leg kicks. Goldie hands Schiavello an easy opening saying “Anderson
Silva like in his use of the clinch is Fabricio Werdum, Joe”, but
Schiavello fails to capitalise by pointing out that no, he isn't.
</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
</div>
<a name='more'></a><br />
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
As
the fighters engage in a clinch battle against the fence, Schiavello
continues to talk about the fight while Goldberg mentions some of the
people one of the fighters brought in to his camp. Schiavello tries
to bring things back to the fight but Goldberg ignores him, droning
on about the troubles at home that one of those fighters has faced.
Schiavello interrupts Goldberg to report a shocking low blow by
saying “He'll be wearing his balls as earrings after that, try
taking THAT back to Tiffany's”. Goldberg is rocked as the bell
signals the end of the round.</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<b>Round 2: </b>
</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
The second round starts
Goldberg reminding us that Harley Davidson is the only motorcycle
worthy of being in the Octagon (which explains why Victory are only
allowed to sponsor the clock). Schiavello sees an opening in the
fight for a solid pun. Goldberg is still talking about Harleys,
apparently one of the fighters owns one and... boom, “He's taken
more hits than Nick Diaz's bong”. Schiavello lands a clean joke and
Goldie is left asking what happened as the referee steps in to call
it a night.</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<b>Micheal Schiavello
via unanswered pun, rd 2. </b>
</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<b>Joe Rogan (UFC) vs
Sean Wheelock (Bellator)</b></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
After
a shaky start where Rogan shouts “Oh!” at an annoyingly loud
volume for little reason quite consistently, Wheelock tells us that a
punch after 1:31 of round 1 was the best punch either man has thrown
all night and is disqualified for unwarranted hyperbole.</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<b>Joe Rogan by DQ rd
1.</b></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<b>Jon Anik (UFC) vs
Mauro Renallo (Strikeforce/Invicta/Pride)</b></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
Anik
is given repeated warnings for timidity before being disqualified in
an easy win for Mauro.</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<b>Mauro Renallo by DQ
rd 2</b></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<b>Kenny Florian (UFC)
vs Jimmy Smith (Bellator)</b></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
Two
evenly matched competitors go the distance, with Florian given the
nod by the judges given his superior experience and authority.</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<b>Kenny Florian by
decision.</b><br />
<b><br /></b><br />
It should be noted that I think we're really lucky to have some weird and wonderful personalities calling the shots in MMA and this I'm aiming to playfully poke fun at these guys to celebrate that, rather than out right taking the piss out of them.
</div>
</div>jiMMAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04506393383532511261noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7838227697366604035.post-50629960862445060122012-06-07T07:03:00.003-07:002012-06-07T07:12:16.931-07:00Cage Warriors' (Somehow Overlooked) Female 125lb Tournament<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://encrypted-tbn1.google.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTh6him7ZeS1osdIWMJZ4qd2Y6K6zEmYCl6ZlnA0S7JbZBLmaRl" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://encrypted-tbn1.google.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTh6him7ZeS1osdIWMJZ4qd2Y6K6zEmYCl6ZlnA0S7JbZBLmaRl" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sexton vs Daly was epic. <br />
Photo via <a href="http://cagequeen.co.uk/">cagequeen.co.uk</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Cage Warriors Fighting Championship is currently putting on some great shows in the UK, Europe and the Middle East. In its female flyweight tournament, they have featured three of the top ten fighters in the world, with very little fanfare from the MMA community. I had <a href="http://jim-ma.blogspot.co.uk/">a very brief moan</a> about Rosi Sexton's exciting victory over Aisling Daly being somewhat overlooked by the MMA media over the weekend. Now I'd like to give and over view of the Cage Warriors women's flyweight tournament so far and give a little preview of the final which should come later this year.<br />
<br />
Fight videos and commentary after the jump.<br />
<br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
<br />
<b>Sheila Gaff vs Jennifer Maia</b><br />
<b><br /></b><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/gY3EaLP2E-o?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
<b><br /></b><br />
Before this bout took place, little was made of this being the start of a tournament featuring the top talent in the weight class.<br />
<br />
For her part, Gaff is a beast with great power and aggression who had knocked out Aisling Daly in the first round of her previous fight. Her record was a little misleading since she lost three fights in quick succession, fighting much bigger women. Unfortunately, Maia seemed to be out of her depth in this fight and so it proved<br />
<br />
After the fight went down the media had plenty to say as Sheila Gaff was <a href="http://jim-ma.blogspot.co.uk/2012/03/sheila-gaff-knocks-out-jennifer-maia.html">accused of sucker punching</a> Maia while the Brazilian was expecting a friendly touch of gloves.<br />
<br />
<b>Rosi Sexton vs Aisling Daly</b><br />
<b><br /></b><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/b0LTv0eRuI4?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
<b><br /></b><br />
While Gaff is an exciting fighter and looked suitably scary, Sexton vs Daly was a much anticipated match up for fans of women's MMA, with both fighters having big followings.<br />
<br />
Sexton was long seen as the top 125lb fighter in the world, but after more than a year on the shelf and at the age of 34, many wondered if she was still up to the challenge. While Sexton was sitting out, Daly had a great 2011 defeating Jessica Eye and winning the NAAFS title in the US, defending the belt once.<br />
<br />
For Rosi Sexton fans, the fight was exciting and occasionally infuriating as Sexton looked dominant in the wrestling and standup, but continued to put herself in dangerous positions in the Daly's guard. As Sexton told journalists after the event, she needs to develop better submission defense than just not tapping.<br />
<br />
<b>Rosi Sexton vs Sheila Gaff</b><br />
<b><br /></b><br />
So the final sees Sheila Gaff take on Rosi Sexton. The Cage Warriors belt might not be the most illustrious in MMA as it stands, but at 125lbs, no other organisation has organised a tournament with fighters of this quality and the winner can justifiably consider themselves a world champion.<br />
<br />
Sexton will probably be considered the favourite for the diversity of her skill set and her vast experience in the sport. Gaff though is strong and explosive and has the power to knock Sexton out, especially since Rosi has a habit of getting hit.<br />
<br />
Bjorn Rebney has suggested that Bellator may well set up a 125lb tournament in early 2013, possibly featuring Zoila Gurgel and Jessica Aguilar. For now, the Cage Warriors belt is the most legitimate belt in the weight class and this tournament final is one to look out for.<br />
<br /></div>jiMMAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04506393383532511261noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7838227697366604035.post-83256872239921698932012-06-03T06:36:00.002-07:002012-06-07T07:20:25.190-07:00Where's the love for Sexton vs Daly?<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://encrypted-tbn0.google.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTlRP3THvN2YBqDVDLP351d1HHA1fARGStDWPyBowM6fFVucIBO" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://encrypted-tbn0.google.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTlRP3THvN2YBqDVDLP351d1HHA1fARGStDWPyBowM6fFVucIBO" /></a></div>
Last night was an all round confusing one for me. Cage Warriors Fighting Championship put on a stellar show of fights, streamed free at MMA Junkie, headlined by a heavyweight title bout between Mike Hayes and DJ Linderman. The first perplexing part was to see two relatively pedestrian heavyweights flop around at the top of a card that featured two fighters (Rosie Sexton and Aisling Daly) right at the top of their division. The other strange part of the night was that in a night of great fights put on by arguably the biggest promotion in Europe, most of my favourite internet haunts were keeping quiet about it.<br />
<br />
In hindsight, I understand that the two fights above the women's flyweight tournament semifinal were title fights and that promoters want those title fights to headline. However, perhaps the Sexton vs Daly fight should not have been on this card at all.<br />
<br />
As for the lack of coverage, I can attribute that to this bout being held in Europe and there being a general lack of attention for European MMA. When you add that to the lack of attention women's MMA tends to get, you would expect even a massive fight like this one to get overlooked. That we can expect the MMA media to miss a fight between two top ten fights in a weight class is a pretty sad state of affairs.</div>jiMMAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04506393383532511261noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7838227697366604035.post-45238091149437333892012-05-18T12:32:00.000-07:002012-05-18T12:32:10.356-07:00MMA Writers Should Strive to be Professional<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
In the last month, there have been a few incidents which have led to a fair amount of criticism for certain big name fighters. Nick Diaz has been criticized for his inability to produce his medical marijuana card and for his World Ju Jutsu Expo no show. Alaistair Overeem has been lambasted for his recent suspension for having an abnormal testosterone to epitestosterone ratio.<br />
<br />
Two other fighters have caught my eye with comments recently, reflecting on the way the media treat fighters when allegations arise. Chael Sonnen has been pretty critical of the media's judgmental reaction to Alaistair Overeem's suspension. Sonnen believes that since no banned substance was found in Overeem's system, media members who criticized him for cheating did so without knowing the full facts. Josh Thomson has recently voiced his own reaction to the way the MMA media talks about fighters in an <a href="http://www.bloodyelbow.com/2012/5/16/3023678/strikeforces-josh-thomson-voices-frustration-with-mma-media">interview with TapouT Radio</a> (and quoted at Bloody Elbow). He was reacting to rumours being circulated that he had sustained serious injury while training for his upcoming fight with Gilbert Melendez. Thomson was worried that irresponsible people were writing things without thinking through the consequences for the fighters, in this case giving Melendez a heads up to a potential weakness.<br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
<br />
Chael Sonnen made a valid point in a recent <a href="http://www.mmafighting.com/2012/5/8/3006000/the-mma-hour-episode-130-chael-sonnen">MMA Hour interview</a> in saying that while fans have every right to say whatever they like about a fighter, journalists have a responsibility to be even handed. I agree with Sonnen that until a fighter is a proven cheat, it is unfair to label him as such. It is an interesting feature of MMA that its media coverage exists primarily online, mostly in the form of blogs. The line between journalists and fans is significantly blurred, so that many of those who write about the sport are fans who were skilled enough at writing to gain a following or secure work at a popular blog site. Which leads neatly into Josh Thomson's beef with the MMA media. He is worried that given their lack of professional training, these writers display a lack of professionalism.<br />
<br />
I think this is a genuine worry. <a href="http://www.bloodyelbow.com/2012/5/14/3018514/nick-diaz-braulio-estima-superfight-no-show-mma-media">Ben Thapa did a good job</a> of going through some of the ways that MMA journalist's failed to act in a professional way to Nick Diaz's no show at the World Ju Jitsu Expo. Thapa highlights similar issues to Thomson, including the fact that a lot of people writing about MMA are not rigorous in checking their facts. (It should be noted that, also at Bloody Elbow, <a href="http://www.bloodyelbow.com/2012/5/17/3026473/manny-pacquiao-same-sex-marriage-gay-put-to-death-media">Brent Brookhouse has written</a> about how mainstream media has been just as shoddy in dealing with a recent controversy in boxing.)<br />
<br />
When Nick Diaz failed to show up to grapple with Braulio Estima earlier this month, there was a general outcry from a lot of writers, which informed the opinions of the fans. There were few voices urging us to wait and see what Diaz or Cesar Gracie might have to say about the situation. This led to a slur on Diaz's character, before he had a chance to offer his side of the story. Obviously, Cesar Gracie has now <a href="http://graciefighter.com/2012/05/world-jiu-jitsu-expo-and-nick-diaz/">given a defense what happened at the event</a> and people may or may not feel Diaz is vindicated. But that decision is one we can only fairly come to after we have heard from both sides.
<br />
<br />
Sonnen's worry about journalists and analysts that don't qualify their judgments and Thomson's worries about the professionalism of the MMA media are important. The MMA media is something of a fan/professional hybrid and so we cannot expect all writers to be professionally trained journalists. However, the things they say and do have an impact on the lives and careers of fighters.<br />
<br />
I think it's great that MMA has a community where genuine fans are getting the opportunity to cover the sport and in general I think a lot of sites do a great job. I think it's brilliant that there is endless reading, with opinionated so and so's the world over sticking their noses in to MMA's business just so we have something to read. I also think that all writers ought to consider the consequences their words have, especially if they are writers with the clout and following to influence people.</div>jiMMAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04506393383532511261noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7838227697366604035.post-77610731318325406522012-04-28T04:43:00.002-07:002012-05-18T10:16:25.450-07:00jiMMA is back!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<br />jiMMA has been on hiatus for a few weeks, while I have been trying out staff writing over at a Fansided blog called DocOctagon. Staff writing was fun, but I'm coming back to writing two or three times a week until I get the chance to write for a bigger blog.<br />
<br />
<br /></div>jiMMAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04506393383532511261noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7838227697366604035.post-23740195867366489452012-04-27T09:01:00.000-07:002012-04-27T09:01:16.993-07:00Jessica Penne vs Lisa Ellis-Ward Preview<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<b>Recent History</b><br />
<b><br /></b><br />
While Lisa Ellis-Ward has lost her last two fights, those losses were to two of the biggest names in the lower weight classes, Megumi Fujii and Jessica Aguilar. For this fight, Ellis-Ward drops down to 105 lbs. Jessica Penne is fighting for the first time since the end of 2010, for which <a href="http://www.fighthype.com/news/article12271.html">she blames</a> the trickiness of finding appropriate opponents in her weight class. That fight was a submission victory over Amy Davis.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://encrypted-tbn2.google.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQafZ0tP4L2Q7wUZAgbIiM4qJ0gf5AcCtI2lqv_mLv7wag1zCgrOA" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://encrypted-tbn2.google.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQafZ0tP4L2Q7wUZAgbIiM4qJ0gf5AcCtI2lqv_mLv7wag1zCgrOA" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">via <a href="http://www.google.co.uk/imgres?um=1&hl=en&authuser=0&biw=1241&bih=606&tbm=isch&tbnid=bqKSw7A9aKUl-M:&imgrefurl=http://www.womentalksports.com/items/read/652/1230928&docid=c1icq6oq5_ujIM&imgurl=http://i1.squidoocdn.com/resize/squidoo_images/250/draft_lens13493671module120270461photo_1294423062Lisa_Ward.jpg&w=250&h=250&ei=esKaT5e2OMLr8QOSoqWUDw&zoom=1&iact=hc&vpx=221&vpy=141&dur=105&hovh=200&hovw=200&tx=120&ty=91&sig=102776933915843108461&page=1&tbnh=125&tbnw=132&start=0&ndsp=24&ved=1t:429,r:1,s:0,i:67">womentalksports</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<b></b><br />
<a name='more'></a><b>Head to Head</b><br />
<b><br /></b><br />
Ellis-Ward is an accomplished grappler with a decent record of 10 submissions from 14 victories. She is well rounded and experienced, but will use her solid wrestling to control the fight if she is losing a stand up battle. She was strong at 115lb and depending on how well she has handled the weight cut, she could come into this fight an absolute beast or seriously depleted. Below is a video of her demolition of Stephanie Frausto which highlights her strength, aggression and submission acumen.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/nZAC1dVFoJg?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
<br />
<br />
Jessica Penne is relatively unknown although she has fought a few times in Bellator and has a notable win over Sally Krumdiack. She is a very well rounded fighter; her record boasts 5 submission wins in 9 fights and she recently won a kickboxing bout against top Japanese fighter Rena (video below).<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/4N7zTRCoLBg?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
<br />
<br />
With both fighters dropping down in weight for this fight, the outcome might have a lot to do with who handles the weight cut the best. Ellis-Ward certainly has the experience edge and has been in the cage with some of the best in the sport. I see the fight being a hectic affair that spans striking, wrestling and ground fighting, with Ellis-Ward's experience and superior strength and wrestling helping her dictate where she wants the fight to be.<br />
<br />
<b>Prediction</b><br />
<b><br /></b><br />
It will be back and forth, but Ellis-Ward by unanimous decision.</div>jiMMAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04506393383532511261noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7838227697366604035.post-91225191928596429852012-04-26T09:58:00.001-07:002012-04-27T09:02:21.516-07:00Invicta FC One: Coenen vs Ruyssen Preview<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Women's MMA is in the spotlight this weekend as all female promotion Invicta Fighting Championships hosts its first ever event. The event takes place in Kansas and is streamed live through the <a href="http://www.invictafc.com/">Invicta FC website</a>. When you combine a really strong first card with the fact that there is no Bellator or UFC card happening this weekend, the MMA community should really keep their eyes on Invicta this weekend.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://encrypted-tbn2.google.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcT3phBa8rDPSSZNtNegcrRnurLbKYN7pYUtSWNmajRDj5eIx-Kedg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://encrypted-tbn2.google.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcT3phBa8rDPSSZNtNegcrRnurLbKYN7pYUtSWNmajRDj5eIx-Kedg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">via <a href="http://www.google.com/imgres?hl=en&safe=off&gbv=2&biw=1138&bih=555&tbm=isch&tbnid=OpxmSJC9N2H6CM:&imgrefurl=http://www.kampfkunst-board.info/forum/f74/28-april-invicta-fc-01-all-female-card-kostenloser-livestream-144522/&docid=JzBi_03u6fvg2M&imgurl=http://i.ytimg.com/vi/tBXxtWFzG5w/0.jpg&w=480&h=360&ei=MH6ZT8flCoyA8gOBz53rBQ&zoom=1&iact=hc&vpx=504&vpy=253&dur=334&hovh=194&hovw=259&tx=107&ty=126&sig=101321227480623949647&page=2&tbnh=153&tbnw=216&start=25&ndsp=16&ved=1t:429,r:7,s:25,i:152">kampfkunst</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<u><b></b></u><br />
<a name='more'></a><u><b>145lb - Marloes Coenen (19-5)</b></u><u><b> vs Romy Ruyssen (5-1)</b></u><br />
<u><b><br /></b></u><br />
<b>Recent History</b><br />
<b><br /></b><br />
Marloes Coenen last fought nine months ago, losing her Strikeforce bantamweight title to Miesha Tate via submission. Due to contractual bits and pieces, she has left Strikeforce for now and is the biggest name currently signed to Invicta. Her opponent, having lost to Coenen in 2008, has since gone on a four fight win streak, all by first round submission.<br />
<br />
<b>Head to Head</b><br />
<b><br /></b><br />
Marloes Coenen is a proficient submission grappler, with most of her wins coming by submission. While wrestling is not her strongest attribute (see her <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m_RMIteyRoo&feature=relmfu">Miesha Tate loss</a>), she is not afraid to be on her back and will pull guard to get the fight to the ground when necessary. She showed her aggressive guard in her first Strikeforce title defense, against Liz Carmouche (1st video). Coenen has tight kick boxing and decent power. In the second video below you can see her power take Roxanne Modaferri by surprise. In fact, in this video, she settles down with Modaferri in her guard, despite the fact that she just knocked her opponent down punch, demonstrating just how comfortable she is in that position. <br />
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The first fight between these two (video below) played out with Ruyssen effortlessly staying on top of Coenen, without doing any damage, while Coenen continuously looked for submission. She found won towards the end of round 2. This was another example of how calm and confident Coenen is off of her back, she feels she is the one in the ascendancy, even on the bottom.<br />
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That was way back in 2008 though and Romy Ruyssen is very young at just 22. She has improved dramatically since that fight and will almost certainly pose a greater threat this time around. Ruyssen is a competent wrestler and a dangerous submission artist. With her last four fights finishing in the first round by submission, her stand up remains a bit of an unknown entity. However, in her fight with the heavy handed Sheila Gaff she was able to show can take punishment and maintain her composure (video below).<br />
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With two similar fighters with similar grappling heavy styles, this promises to be an interesting fight. As in their last fight, I expect most of the ground battle to take place with Ruyssen on top, but for Coenen to be quite content to fish for submissions from the bottom. While Ruyssen has shown the ability to take a punch, it is the stand up where Coenen's skills far outstrip Ruyssen's. The smart move for Coenen might be to pick Ruyssen apart with her crisper striking and solid power, rather than risking engaging on the floor where the fighters are more evenly matched.<br />
<br />
<b>Prediction</b><br />
<b><br /></b><br />
Marloes Coenen has the experience edge and probably has more ways she can win this fight. I am by no means ruling out a Ruyssen win, but Marloes Coenen by submission in round 2.<br />
<b><u><br /></u></b><br />
<br />
Some other big names are fighting on the card, including "Girl Rilla" iz Carmouche, Lisa Ellis-Ward, Sally Krumdiack and Jessica Penne. Also look out for American olympic wrestler Randi Miller making her MMA debut at 145 lbs.<br />
<b><br /></b><br />
<b>More On Invicta at jiMMA:</b><br />
<b><br /></b><br />
<a href="http://jim-ma.blogspot.co.uk/2012/04/can-invicta-fc-flourish.html">Can Invicta Flourish?</a><br />
<a href="http://jim-ma.blogspot.co.uk/2012/04/jessica-penne-vs-lisa-ellis-ward.html">Jessica Penne vs Lisa Ellis-Ward Preview</a><br />
<b><br /></b><br />
<br />
<br /></div>jiMMAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04506393383532511261noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7838227697366604035.post-67481395836047897442012-04-23T10:37:00.003-07:002012-04-23T10:51:30.024-07:00Can Invicta FC Flourish?<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<br />
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
This weekend,
all-female promotion Invicta Fighting Championships will put on their
first event in Kansas. With a weekend free of UFC and Bellator
events, a really strong card and the event being streamed for free on
the Invicta website, chances are that this event will garner some
attention. With women's MMA seemingly on the rise just now, I would
like discuss whether a newly started organisation like Invicta has a
chance of succeeding and whether such an organisation is preferable
to a Zuffa run female MMA organisation.</div>
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<br /></div>
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<b>Bellator Can Give
Invicta Hope</b></div>
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<br /></div>
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While
many MMA organisations have come with some fanfare and (gone with
considerably less) over the years, there is one shining example of an
organisation that seems to be successful and here to stay. Bellator
put on their first event in 2009, promoting a unique tournament
format. While they are certainly not challenging the UFC for MMA
supremacy, they provide a refreshing alternative that many fans are
grateful for.
</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
Bellator's
success can be attributed to two things. They have been sensible in
signing talent, only singing people they can afford and otherwise
building prospects up using their tournament format. Secondly, they
have focussed very clearly on what makes them different, their
tournaments.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
For
now Invicta will not be making too many marquee signings, especially
since there aren't yet too many marquee names in WMMA. Headlined by Marloes Coenen and Romy Ruyssen and featuring a great mix of relevant fighters and prospects their first event shows that Invicta has made a solid start at putting together a roster. They are
unique in that they are the only all female promotion in the US to be
putting on such strong events. MMA fans have shown themselves to be
interested in other organisations if they offer something different
or interesting and Invicta will.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<b>Sustained Divisions
Will Maintain Interest</b></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
One
of the major problems in women's MMA has been that the best
competitors are scattered all around the world. This means that the
best do not get to fight the best and it adds to the perception that
there is a lack of depth. The lady behind the organisation, Shannon
Knapp, <a href="http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1109663-ready-for-an-all-girl-fight-card-knapp-coenen-and-carmouche-on-invicta-fc">has
made it clear</a> that she wants to use Invicta to build clear,
sustainable divisions.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
These
divisions do not just create depth, they add interest. With sustained
pools of fighters it is much easier to build up contenders for your
champions and to make fights relevant to fans. It also gives fans a
bit more insight into the abilities of the fighters as they see each
athlete compete against plenty of different opponents.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<b>Is Zuffa a Good Fit
For WMMA?</b></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
Zuffa
has given us a few reasons to believe that they are not the right
organisation to take WMMA forward. This might well change, especially
with <a href="http://bjpenn.com/mmanews/2012/03/28/after-tate-vs-rousey-dana-white-a-fan-17945.html">Dana White admitting</a> there might be something in women's MMA and
<a href="http://www.bloodyelbow.com/2012/3/15/2873551/lorenzo-fertitta-is-a-believer-in-womens-mma">Lorenzo Fertita</a> an admitted fan. However, White has been pretty
disparaging over the years about the depth of the women's divisions
and seems to be more interested in promoting female super-fights than
building divisions.
</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
When
promoting the massive Rousey versus Tate fight earlier this year,
Strikeforce seemed much more interested in showing the fighters
looking pretty than showing them fighting. Aside from the fact that
this shows an irritatingly chauvinistic towards women fighting, I
also do not feel it is reallt sustainable promotion. If people are
going to be genuinely interested in what happens in female fights and
female divisions, they will need to be interested in the girls as
fighters and athletes.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
That
being said, Zuffa is the organisation with a great track record for
building divisions. With the there four tiers of shows (FX, Fuel,
Fox and pay-per-view) they generally do a good job of giving new
divisions and new prospects a slot that will help build them up.
With the Ultimate Fighter reality show they also have a great vehicle
for injecting new talent into a division.</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
If
Zuffa can market female fighting sensibly and really make sustainable
divisions and keep the girls busy, they would be a great fit. That's
just a big “if”.</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
I
am a big fan of all MMA I can get my hands on and I'm generally
frustrated by the fact that female MMA is always in such disarray.
An all female promotion seems like a good way of going about building
up the women's divisions but that's not to say that in the future
those divisions should not feature along side men's divisions in the
UFC.</div>
</div>jiMMAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04506393383532511261noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7838227697366604035.post-9399369919333047702012-04-22T11:19:00.001-07:002012-04-22T11:19:46.778-07:00Jon Jones defeats Rashad Evans, Highlights Video and discussion.<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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At UFC 145, Jon Jones
defeated Rashad Evans to retain his light heavyweight title for the
third time. He did so by dominating the next best fighter in the
division without getting into any serious trouble. The post fight
discussion though, has seen people call the fight disappointing for
one of two reasons; it was not exciting enough or Jon Jones did not
look great in his win. I think Jones looked fantastic and I was on
the edge of my seat all the way through the fight.</div>
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The first part of that
is pretty subjective, you either liked the fight or you didn't. I
suppose there is something of a divide amongst MMA fans over what
they are looking for in an exciting fight, this divide was exposed
after the Diaz vs Condit fight earlier this year. Some people really
loved to see Condit find a way to deal with Nick Diaz's forward
pressure and hit him without being hit too much. Others really love
fights where opponents stand toe to toe. In the Jones vs Evans
fight, I was just excited to see someone dominate a fighter of Rashad
Evans credentials for five rounds. Add in to that the fact that I
like Jones a lot and that I felt Rashad posed a real threat and the
tension and admiration added up to some serious enjoyment.</div>
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<br />
</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
To say that the
performance was not that great though, that seems a bit unfair. Jones
battered Rashad Evans, a fighter who had only lost once and had
looked really dominant himself in his last fight against Phil Davis.
Jones did so not by smothering Evans or by being conservative, but by
constantly innovating and looking for a way to finish the fight.
While Jones complained that a few things he threw were a little
sloppy because he was intimidated, the impressive thing is that he
nevertheless looked far superior to the opponent he has faced to
date.</div>
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<br />
</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
I guess Jon Jones
doesn't exactly need someone to sing his praises, but it has
surprised me a little to read that the main event was a little
underwhelming and that Jones' performance was a little off par. I
thought it was awesome.</div>
</div>jiMMAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04506393383532511261noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7838227697366604035.post-64018043337538747742012-04-19T06:19:00.000-07:002012-04-19T06:38:04.944-07:00UFC 145 - Looking For Upsets<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
You may have heard that Jon Jones <a href="http://jim-ma.blogspot.co.uk/2012/04/ufc-145-jones-vs-evans-love-lost.html">will defend his light heavyweight title</a> at UFC 145 against former training partner Rashad Evans, or you might have been living in a cave. Anyway, it just so happens that this is just the headlining fight of a really interesting card. It seems like the UFC has decided that since the main event is a sure fire pay-per-view seller, they can fill up the under card with lesser known fighters. Well that's just fine because as unknown as some of the fighters may be, some intriguing fights are in the offing. On paper, it seems like a night of fights with pretty clear favourites, so let's have a look where the possible upsets lie.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">via <a href="http://www.google.com/imgres?hl=en&safe=off&gbv=2&biw=1138&bih=555&tbm=isch&tbnid=k6fklZe9s4FSDM:&imgrefurl=http://www.sportsnet.ca/mma/2012/04/17/jones_evans_timeline_ufc145/&docid=l3gox6q6BxYTEM&imgurl=http://www.sportsnet.ca/mma/2012/04/17/jones_evans640_640.jpg&w=640&h=360&ei=1w6QT-nyLpOA0AWp2KXZAQ&zoom=1&iact=hc&vpx=713&vpy=148&dur=14&hovh=168&hovw=300&tx=150&ty=100&sig=101321227480623949647&page=1&tbnh=80&tbnw=143&start=0&ndsp=19&ved=1t:429,r:4,s:0,i:77">sportsnet.ca</a></td></tr>
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<br />
<u><b>Jones vs Evans</b></u><br />
<br />
<br />
Aside from the ex-teammate feud, this is a massive fight between the two best fighters in the division. Jon Jones brings incredible length and athleticism. He may not be a great striker or grappler, but he has an innate ability to knit together his skills better than anyone else in MMA. He lands unorthodox strikes, takes people down with ease and does not get taken down. He has faced three ex UFC champions in his last three fights and battered them. Rashad Evans is clever, experienced and a great wrestler for MMA. His boxing is powerful and his hands are really quick. He had no trouble dominating a physically imposing Phil Davis. He comes in as a 5-1 or 6-1 underdog in this fight. The odds are long for a reason though. Although Rashad claims to have Jones' number from training, it is hard to believe that Evans has the tools to deal with Jones' physical advantages. His only chance of winning is take Jones down or to knock him out with a big punch. I doubt he will be able to get comfortably close to Jones to set up a big right hand I do not see him keeping Jones down for five whole rounds.<br />
<br />
Upsettability: 1/5<br />
<br />
<b>MacDonald vs Mills </b><br />
<b><br /></b><br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://encrypted-tbn3.google.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRTxHqY_xlS2xP_VdnQfKM8VeAh4yTr-wgUi8jOHGEtaYTKtTQI9Q" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="136" src="https://encrypted-tbn3.google.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRTxHqY_xlS2xP_VdnQfKM8VeAh4yTr-wgUi8jOHGEtaYTKtTQI9Q" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">via <a href="http://www.google.com/imgres?hl=en&safe=off&gbv=2&biw=1138&bih=555&tbm=isch&tbnid=yLa3kpYxhAVsEM:&imgrefurl=http://www.cagepotato.com/rory-macdonald-vs-che-mills-penciled-in-for-ufc-145-in-march-in-montreal/&docid=fWP4RN5pr871gM&imgurl=http://cdn2.cagepotato.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/RORYCHE.jpg&w=500&h=340&ei=fw-QT4WhH4TB0QWF_5jvAQ&zoom=1&iact=hc&vpx=554&vpy=209&dur=245&hovh=185&hovw=272&tx=73&ty=66&sig=101321227480623949647&page=1&tbnh=161&tbnw=192&start=0&ndsp=11&ved=1t:429,r:3,s:0,i:77">cagepotato</a></td></tr>
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MMA fans should be suspicious of anyone described as the next big thing. That person could turn out to be Jone Jones or Todd Duffee. That being said, Rory MacDonald has been making serious waves already at a tender age and most people believed it was time for him to get a top contender. Instead he drew Che Mills, an Englishman with only one UFC fight. That UFC saw Mills destroy his opponent Chris Cope in under a minute thought. MacDonald is a ridiculously powerful and athletic wrestler with knockout power to boot. When he heard he was fighting Mills, he apparently needed to Google him to find out who he was. It would be a mistake to count him out though. Mills has a decent record and a lot of experience, not to mention killer instinct and power. I do not expect Mills to be fazed by his opponent and I do not expect this to be a one sided beat down. Having said that, MacDonald is certainly the favourite to win, given the calibre of opponents he has already beaten.<br />
<br />
Upsettability: 2/5<br />
<br />
<b>Rothewell vs Schaub</b><br />
<b><br /></b><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://encrypted-tbn2.google.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSoSMkkjHmeWSxfS7U7qxKFUhh0ZcTpC2AsIf8vexyEt1b95pkg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="142" src="https://encrypted-tbn2.google.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSoSMkkjHmeWSxfS7U7qxKFUhh0ZcTpC2AsIf8vexyEt1b95pkg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">via <a href="http://www.google.com/imgres?hl=en&safe=off&gbv=2&biw=1138&bih=555&tbm=isch&tbnid=UeLW0aVbJgoFYM:&imgrefurl=http://www.mmashareforum.com/serious-mma-discussion-f1/rothwell-vs-schaub-ufc-145-mcgee-vs-philippou-ufc--t50448.html&docid=lpRdmHwbCqy8uM&imgurl=http://img4.imageshack.us/img4/3161/91873824.png&w=502&h=358&ei=5g-QT4KqNsHU0QWS8YXxAQ&zoom=1&iact=hc&vpx=714&vpy=135&dur=309&hovh=190&hovw=266&tx=141&ty=80&sig=101321227480623949647&page=1&tbnh=104&tbnw=144&start=0&ndsp=19&ved=1t:429,r:4,s:0,i:77">mmashareforum</a></td></tr>
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If you were to pick this fight based on physique, Brendan Schaub would be the pick without any doubt. However if you factor in skill sets... Schaub would be the pick without any doubt. Schaub has superior boxing as well as the advantage in strength and athleticism. So long as Schaub does not get stuck underneath Ben Rothwell, he should be able to pick him apart. Even if Big Ben does get on top of him, he will not be able to last long and a gassed out Rothwell will be no match for Brendan Schaub.<br />
<br />
Upsettability: 0/5<br />
<br />
<b>Hominick vs Yagin</b><br />
<b><br /></b><br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://encrypted-tbn1.google.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTsATc0rdMbiKkVI7N7Sz3xq_Q95_QIdg5iIu0pwgVbfwna4nhDCA" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="155" src="https://encrypted-tbn1.google.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTsATc0rdMbiKkVI7N7Sz3xq_Q95_QIdg5iIu0pwgVbfwna4nhDCA" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">via <a href="http://www.google.com/imgres?hl=en&safe=off&gbv=2&biw=1138&bih=555&tbm=isch&tbnid=rZe5IkZK3SyO0M:&imgrefurl=http://prommanow.com/index.php/2012/04/17/ufc-145-preview-mark-hominick-looks-to-end-losing-skid-against-eddie-yagin/&docid=4IPE1vLyCfHeVM&imgurl=http://2.prommanow.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/Hominick-Yagin.jpg&w=380&h=295&ei=JRCQT5nLOImk0QX60uzTAQ&zoom=1&iact=hc&vpx=730&vpy=134&dur=78&hovh=198&hovw=255&tx=119&ty=94&sig=101321227480623949647&page=1&tbnh=108&tbnw=140&start=0&ndsp=21&ved=1t:429,r:5,s:0,i:78">prommanow</a></td></tr>
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Mark Hominick is an overwhelming favourite in this fight, having fought for the title just two fights ago, he has the ability to win with knockouts and submissions. In his fight with Jose Aldo he showed an ability to score grinding take downs too. He fights Eddie Yagin who is yet to score a win in the UFC. The only thing that points to an upset here is that in Hominick's last outing he was knocked out in seven seconds. That was as a result of coming in horrendously careless against Chan Sung Jung and I doubt he would make that mistake again. Yagin is no match for the Canadian on the feet and should not be able to take him down. There is always the chance of a big punch getting through or a submission opportunity being taken, but I doubt it will happen.<br />
<br />
Upsettability: 1/5<br />
<br />
<b>Bocek vs Alessio</b><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">via <a href="http://www.google.com/imgres?hl=en&safe=off&gbv=2&biw=1138&bih=555&tbm=isch&tbnid=M2L2wH6wyUdzVM:&imgrefurl=http://www.mmamania.com/2012/4/16/2953157/ufc-145-fight-card-john-alessio-vs-mark-bocek-preview&docid=8DqqzJGOBbDPyM&imgurl=http://cdn0.sbnation.com/entry_photo_images/3727569/alessio-bocek_large.jpg&w=450&h=289&ei=bhCQT_DCIKjX0QXBsPTuAQ&zoom=1&iact=hc&vpx=195&vpy=139&dur=424&hovh=180&hovw=280&tx=173&ty=84&sig=101321227480623949647&page=1&tbnh=84&tbnw=131&start=0&ndsp=21&ved=1t:429,r:1,s:0,i:71">mmamania</a></td></tr>
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Mark Bocek is the big favourite in this contest at around 4-1. The Brazilian Ju Jutsu black belt has been in the UFC for ages and fought against some of its toughest fighters. John Alessio has been there too, having fought in the UFC and WEC between 2006 and 2008. Four years later, he has won 10 of his last 11 fights and finally gets the call to return to the UFC, as a replacement for the injured Matt Wiman. I suppose the odds are stacked in Bocek's favour because he has been fighting tougher opponents in recent years and has the ability to control where the fight happens. That being said, Alessio is a dangerous fighter both standing and on the mat and it is by no means a stretch that he might snatch a submission or a knockout. Bocek's the favourite, but there's plenty of chance of an upset here.<br />
<br />
Upsettability: 3/5<br />
<b><br /></b><br />
MacDonald vs Torres is a pretty even fight so I don't think either guy winning would be considered an upset. For what it's worth though, I would back Torres given his experience and all round skill set.<br />
<br />
Of the prelims, I would say that Matt Brown has probably the strongest likelihood of getting a surprise win. Stephen Thompson is 4-1 to win, but we have not yet seen how he deals with someone with decent take downs.<br />
<br />
Anything I have missed? Hit the comments section and let me know!</div>jiMMAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04506393383532511261noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7838227697366604035.post-39123360188809765922012-04-18T06:25:00.000-07:002012-04-18T06:26:19.849-07:00Support jiMMA's other bits and pieces!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
As well as writing jiMMA, I am also writing articles for MMA magazines and more mainstream news outlets. Here are a few links to some bits and bobs I have been doing recently.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/jimmy-lazenby/ufc-145-jones-vs-evans-lo_b_1431692.html">Huffington Post Blog on UFC 145</a><br />
<a href="http://www.thelocal.se/40226/20120412/">The Local article on UFC: Sweden</a><br />
<a href="http://mmaplus.co.uk/">Contributions at MMAPlus Magazine</a><br />
<br />
Take a look and show plently of love to MMA Plus, it promises to be an awesome, interactive digital publication!</div>jiMMAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04506393383532511261noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7838227697366604035.post-77537533194330916342012-04-17T09:27:00.002-07:002012-04-19T06:23:23.032-07:00UFC 145 Jones vs Evans: Love Lost<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
One of the most
anticipated bouts in the UFC's history finally takes place this
Saturday as former friends and training partners Jon “Bones”
Jones and “Sugar” Rashad Evans fight for the UFC light
heavyweight title.
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In 2005, a young mixed
martial artist with a background in wrestling named Rashad Evans
joined Greg Jackson's fight camp in Alburquerque, New Mexico. On the
road to winning the light heavyweight belt, he helped build Jackson's
gym into one of the most successful and famous in the sport. By
2009, a new young fighter was making waves in the division and
Jackson asked Evans how he would feel about inviting Jon Jones into
the camp. Evans was excited by the youngster's potential and took
him under his wing. The two developed a brotherly relationship and
vowed never to fight one another.</div>
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Later that year, Evans
lost his title but determinedly set out to reclaim it, beating
Rampage Jackson to earn a title shot against Mauricio Rua. By early
2011, Jon Jones was riding an unstoppable wave of momentum. He had
won twelve of his thirteen fights, with his only loss a
disqualification. When Rashad Evans was injured in preparation for
his title fight with Rua, Jon Jones stepped in. Jones demolished the
champion and won the belt. Finally, Jones admitted he would fight
Rashad if he had to.</div>
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In the thirteen months
that have followed his title win, Jones has gone on to finish former
champions Lyoto Machida and Rampage Jackson as well. Injuries and
circumstances have kept the two apart. Evans has left Jackson's and
set up his own fight camp, The Blackzilians in Florida. Greg
Jackson, trainer and friend to both fighters, has been forced to pick
a side and will corner Jones for the fight.</div>
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Rashad Evans comes into
this fight feeling wronged. He feels like his young friend went back
on their agreement not to fight each other. His former friend and
mentor seems to have picked his opposition. Add to that his recent
split from his wife and living far from his children at his new camp
in Florida and Evans cuts a lonely figure. But this loneliness and
sense of betrayal seems to be fuelling a fire in the ex champion.
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Jones is considered a
massive favourite, he has dispatched three former UFC champions in
his last three fights. He is young, athletic, creative and has an
incredible reach advantage. In his last three fights, he has gone
from exciting prospect to unstoppable champion. However, Rashad
Evans should not be counted out. He has looked supreme since his
come back from injury and he has also defeated a who's who of the
light heavyweight division. Not to mention the fact that he has
trained extensively with the champ and claims to have his number.</div>
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This Saturday is more
than just about who will win a title. It is a contest between two
best friends turned bitter enemies. For Rashad Evans, it is a chance
to show that his old team backed the wrong horse. For Jones, it is
another former champion to add to his list of victims.</div>
</div>jiMMAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04506393383532511261noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7838227697366604035.post-2491835633606718532012-04-16T16:57:00.001-07:002012-04-16T17:01:44.518-07:00Another Week, Another Awesome Bellator Card.<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Around a month ago, I wrote a <a href="http://jim-ma.blogspot.co.uk/2012/03/bellator-is-back.html">quick piece</a> about how excited I was that Bellator was back. In spite of the postponed and then cancelled heavy weight tournament final catastrophe, Bellator has continued to put on solid cards that repeatedly deliver, to the extent that I wonder why more people aren't watching. This Friday sees an awesome card, headlined by Eddie Alvarez's long awaited rematch with Shinya Aoki, but also features three tournament semi finals.<br />
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<b>Alvarez (22-3) vs Aoki (30-5-2)</b><br />
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While Bellator is always exciting, it is quite rare that they put on fights between two fighters with such established profiles as Eddie Alvarez and Shinya Aoki. While Alvarez may have lost some of his shine since his loss to Micheal Chandler, he remains one of the most formidable lightweights outside of the UFC/Strikeforce. His opponent is the other long time pretender to the title of best non-Zuffa lightweight. A win for Aoki would represent his first significant success on foreign soil and a win for Alvarez would shoot him straight back up the rankings and in a strong bargaining position with his Bellator contract coming to an end.<br />
<br />
<b>Recent History</b><br />
<br />
<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li>Alvarez had a seven fight win streak snapped at Bellator 58 by young upstart Micheal Chandler, losing his Bellator title in the process.</li>
<li>Aoki has won seven fights in a row, all but one coming in Japan and five of those wins coming from submission. </li>
<li>He won his last fight in the US, a Strikeforce bout against Lyle Beerbohm.</li>
</ul>
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<b>Head to Head</b></div>
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Despite a background in wrestling, a well rounded game and a sprinkling of submission wins on his record, Eddie Alvarez fights with a predominantly boxing attack. There is clearly no secret to where Aoki likes to fight and unusually for modern MMA, he will pull guard very early in a fight to take it to the ground. There ought to be no question of Alvarezengaging in a ground battle with Aoki. Aoki's wrestling is not great, but it is the sneakier submissions, like the heel hook he tapped to back in 2008, that Alvarez will need to look out for.</div>
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<div>
Shinya Aoki won the first encounter pretty quickly, in typically opportunistic fashion. I feel that going in to this bout, Alvarez will be extremely wary of getting into any kind of scramble situation. Should he stick to a decent game plan of boxing from the outside and refraining from chasing a butt-scooting Aoki around the cage, he should be able to dominate the fight.</div>
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<b>Prediction</b></div>
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Alvarez should have the sense and wrestling defense to keep the fight where he wants it, although I do not see him getting a knock out. Alvarez by decision.</div>
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<div>
<b>Middleweight Tournament Semis</b></div>
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<div>
After Bruno Santos was ruled out of the middleweight tournament with a shoulder injury, Bellator have put Andreas Spang in his place. The former kickboxer faces fearsome special education teacher Brian Rogers, who produced an incredible flying knee knockout in his quarter final fight. Rogers is a powerful fighter with a ton of confidence and I expect him to progress to the finals.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
In the other semi final, Vyacheslav Vasilevsky faces Maiquel Falcao, with both men having looked impressive in their quarter final decision wins. Vasilevsky has an incredibly impressive record, having won his last fifteen fights. He uses a good sambo pedigree and technical boxing to control fights. His opponent is a knockout artist who enjoyed a contraversial one fight tenure with the UFC. Vasilevsky has all the tools to control this fight and pick Falcao apart in any area he chooses, so long as he avoids a brawl.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<b>Lightweight Tournament Semis</b></div>
<div>
<b><br /></b></div>
<div>
Both Woodard and Hawn looked incredible in their opening fights of this lightweight tournament. This match up, between two powerful lightweights is my pick for fight of the night. Rick Hawn uses his elite judo background to ensure he can keep the fight standing, to better make use of his incredibly powerful hands. Woodard has a gnarly wrestling and submission style and similar stand up. He has had great success though, only previously being beaten by current lightweight champion Micheal Chandler. Woodard seems the most likely winner since he seems the most suited to the scrap this fight will undoubtedly turn into.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Thiago Michel Silva made it to the semi finals with a controversial split decision victory over Rene Nazere. That was his first win not to come by way of knock out I find it unlikely that he will score a KO over gritty veteran Brent Weedman. Weedman has had an up and down career but as a fighter who performs well in all aspects of MMA, the American has more ways to win than the Brazilian.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
That's it then. Bellator ploughs on with yet another great card of fights. We will be left knowing the finalists of two tournaments and one man will be able to claim he is the best non-Zuffa lightweight in MMA. I really do wonder why more people aren't watching Bellator.</div>
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<br /></div>jiMMAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04506393383532511261noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7838227697366604035.post-73149117047211219212012-03-19T14:24:00.001-07:002012-03-19T14:43:30.771-07:00Sheila Gaff Knocks Out Jennifer Maia - Controversial?<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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On Saturday night, Sheila "The German Tank" Gaff ran over Jennifer Maia at Cage Warriors Fight Night 4 in Dubai in just ten seconds. With the win, she advances to the final of a four woman 125lb tournament and faces the winner of Aisling Daly and Rosi Sexton later this year.</div>
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For Gaff, that was her sixth knockout and tenth career finish out of ten career wins. The knock out has been surrounded by controversy though as people worry that she took advantage of Maia's lowered guard, when she was looking to touch gloves and knocked her out with a sucker punch.</div>
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Now, I would argue that Gaff did nothing wrong. It goes without saying that she did not break the rules, but I also do not think she did anything cheap. They touched gloves at the start of the fight and Gaff seems to walk across the cage looking ready to do business, with her guard up. Any study of Gaff would surely have led Maia to realise that it is worth keeping your guard up right from the bell because the German always starts quickly.<br />
<br />
The second part of Gaff's defense, is that the punch she lands is not the one that does any damage. Maia does not seem rocked at all by it and looks to clinch with Gaff. Rather than this being the defensive maneuver of a bewildered or shocked opponent, Maia clearly attempts to pull Gaff's head down to land knees. This is when Gaff lands the knockout blow.<br />
<br />
I do not think it is that controversial, but plenty of people seem unhappy about it. What do you think? Hit the comments section below with your thoughts.</div>jiMMAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04506393383532511261noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7838227697366604035.post-40671024356686644162012-03-19T07:43:00.000-07:002012-03-19T07:44:37.765-07:00Women's Bantamweight (135lb) Division - Who's Who?<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<i>I am going to sort you all out with a veritable who's who of women's MMA. I will take <a href="http://www.fightmatrix.com/mma-ranks/women-all/">Fightmatrix's </a>rankings and give you a run down of who these women are. This will lead up to a piece about the depth, potential and future of women's MMA.</i><br />
<br />
<b>1 - Ronda Rousey (5-0)</b><br />
<b><br /></b><br />
Even if you are not a fan of women's MMA, you should probably have heard of Ronda Rousey by now. She is an elite judo player, having won a bronze Olympic medal and has used that base to run through her first five professional opponents, winning every fight by armbar in the first round. Coming into her most recent fight against Miesha Tate, there was some discussion about whether she could win as easily as she had previously against a much lower level of opposition. In the end she dispatched Tate towardsn the end of the first round.<br />
<br />
Although Rousey dealt with some striking aggression from Tate in that fight, she has yet to face an opponent who attacks from the outside, refusing to clinch. With only one and a half years as an MMA fighter, it remains to be seen where Ronda's stand up game is as yet. That being said, she has not needed it so far. <a href="http://jim-ma.blogspot.co.uk/2012/03/whats-next-for-ronda-rousey.html">Rousey's next test</a> comes against Sarah Kaufman (#2), although no date has been set for that bout yet.<br />
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<b>2 - Sarah Kaufman (15-1)</b><br />
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Sarah Kaufman was originally in line for a shot at previous 135lb Miesha Tate, before <a href="http://jim-ma.blogspot.co.uk/2012/02/tate-vs-rousey-and-kaufman-vs-davis.html">Rousey jumped the queue</a>. She has won against many of the top fighters in the division, including Tate and her only loss was at the hands of Marloes Coenen.<br />
<br />
She is a well rounded fighter with decent wrestling and good striking. With ten knock outs out of fifteen wins, she has proven she has the power in her hands to do damage. While she had been letting her hands go and getting involved in some grueling brawls (see her fight with Alexis Davis), Kaufman also has the ability to stifle an opponent with clinches against the cage.<br />
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Kaufman's next fight ought to be against Ronda Rousey for the Strikeforce 135lb title.<br />
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<b>3 - Miesha Tate (12-3)</b><br />
<b><br /></b><br />
Before losing to Ronda Rousey on March 3rd, Miesha Tate was the number one ranked 135lb fighterwith six wins in a row, against the likes of Zoila Gurgel and Marloes Coenen. Despite looking foolhardy rushing into clinching range with an experienced judoka in her last fight, Tate has proven over her career to be a much more skilled and smart fighter than that.<br />
<br />
Tate has good kickboxing, although she tends to use it more to close distance and set up a more wrestling based attack than to do damage. There are no plans announced yet for her next fight and how soon she returns will depend largely on how much of a push Strikeforce is looking to give the women's divisions.<br />
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<b><br /></b><br />
<b>4 - Marloes Coenen (19-5)</b><br />
<b><br /></b><br />
Marloes Coenen is another former Strikeforce champion. While her native Holland is famed for kick boxing, Coenen has excelled at grappling. What she lacks in pure wrestling ability, she makes up for with the ability to submit opponents from her back. <br />
<br />
A member of the Golden Glory team, Coenen left Strikeforce last year after deals with most of that group's fighters fell apart. She is now signed with all female promotion Invicta and faces Romy Ruyssen, although that fight will be at 145lb. Should Strikeforce put some promotional muscle behind the 135lb division, it would stand to reason to bring Coenen back at that weight.<br />
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<b><br /></b><br />
<b>5 - Alexis Davis (11-5)</b><br />
<b><br /></b><br />
Alexis Davis had decent skills in all areas of a fight, maybe weighted more towards grappling than striking. Her biggest asset though, is her tenacity as she showed in her TKO win over Amanda Nunes (video below). In her recent fight with Sarah Kaufman, that tenacity was perhaps her downfall as she opted to stand and trade with the superior striker rather than grind out a result by neutralising her opponents offence.<br />
<br />
Despite losing her last fight, Davis remains a major player in Strikeforce's bantamweight division and some people have suggested a fight with Miesha Tate might be best for her next,<br />
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<b>6 - Sara McMann</b><br />
<b><br /></b><br />
Sara McMann is an Olympic level wrestler who has been fighting professionally for around a year. In that year she has defeated all comers. She is an incredibly powerful athlete and her take downs are absolutely brutal. She has finished three out of her five wins but as always with prospects, it remains to be seen how well she will adapt other aspects of the fight game to her aresnal.<br />
<br />
Much is made of Ronda Rousey's Olympic judo credentials and it is clear that soon the same things will be said about Sara McMann's Olympic silver medal in wrestling. She has so far opted to steer clear of Strikeforce, but there is no doubt that when a deal can be done, she will be a force to reckoned with in their division.<br />
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<b>7 - Rin Nakai (11-0-1)</b><br />
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Rin Nakai is one of only two Japanese fighters to make it into this top ten. Her low ranking in the list is more due to the majority of her fights having come at 145lbs. <br />
<br />
Nakai has a strong judo background, which she uses to control fights. Having trained all aspects of MMA for a good few years, she is very comfortable striking as well as grappling, possessing power in her hands coupled with fierce aggression.<br />
<b><br /></b><br />
Should she make the move down to 135lbs permanent (and she should because it is definitely where her 5ft 1in frame is best suited), Nakai would surely be a welcome addition to either a blossoming Strikeforce women's scene or as part of Invicta's growing roster of talent. As always with the women's divisions, it is not always a case of a lack of depth, but rather that the best fighters are too spread out.<br />
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<b>8 - Hitomi Akano (18-9)</b><br />
<b><br /></b><br />
Akano is a veteran of 27 pro fights and at 37 years old, might be reaching the end of her relevance, especially as this division seems to be moving forward with an influx of strong prospects.<br />
<br />
14 of her 18 wins have come via submission, with most fights where she did not submit an opponent going to a a decision. Akano has the ability to take fights to the ground against most opponents, but has struggled against opponents who possess a high level of grappling. On the ground, there are few people more dangerous and wily at 135lbs.<br />
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Having lost her last fight to Sara McMann earlier this year, we can expect Akano to finish out her career fighting in Jewels in Japan.<br />
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<b>9 - Elaina Maxwell (6-4)</b><br />
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Elaina Maxwell is a Sanshou fighter trained by Cung Le. As you would expect, she has a great stand up game with the ability to finish fights. She is another fighter who straddles two weight classes, often fighting at 145lb and catchweights, as it is sometimes tricky to find fights with the best female fighters diluted across many countries and organisations.<br />
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Since leaving Strikeforce after losing to Miesha some four years ago, Maxwell has won four of her five fights and could feature as a decent addition to any future Zuffa female roster.<br />
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<b>10 - Amanda Nunes (6-2)</b><br />
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Amanda Nunes came int Strikeforce as a very well thought of prospect. She delivered in her debut with an incredibly quick demolition of Julia Budd but was derailed when she lost by TKO to Alexis Davis.<br />
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She has a background in Brazilian Ju Jitsu but her fighting style is based around power and aggression, with her six wins all coming by knockout.<br />
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At 23 years old she is one of the more exciting prospects in the division with a lot of time to develop.<br />
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There you have it then, a who's who of the female bantamweight division. At the moment, Strikeforce is very much the place to be, but it remains to be seen how Invicta will take off. Either way, the time is right and the depth is there for one organisation to try and corner market in 135lb female fighters and put together a strong, consistent roster.<br />
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There are plenty of good fighters missing from the list, do not hesitate to add some names in the comments section of who you think I have missed that might make some waves.<br />
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<a href="http://jim-ma.blogspot.co.uk/2012/02/womens-super-flyweight-125lb-division.html">Women's Super Flyweight (125lb) Division - Who's Who?</a><br />
<a href="http://jim-ma.blogspot.co.uk/2012/01/womens-flyweight-115lb-division-whos.html">Women's Flyweight (115lb) Division - Who's Who?</a></div>jiMMAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04506393383532511261noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7838227697366604035.post-19510585642161126842012-03-18T05:24:00.001-07:002012-03-18T16:13:33.802-07:00Tear Up 8 - In photos<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
On Saturday 18th March, Tear Up 8 went down at the City Academy in Bristol. In a massive hall, a 24ft caged platform was erected, surrounded by 50 VIP tables and hundreds of standard seats. The roominess of the venue, with waited tables, martial arts demonstrations, food and bar lent the event a special air of comfort rarely seen at an MMA event. Modern MMA events are certainly rarely bloody slugfests held in pub car parks, but Tear Up 8 was a perfect example of how the production of a live show can highlight all the best things about MMA and its community.<br />
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I reviewed the event over at <a href="http://mmaplus.co.uk/content-details.php?nID=326&title=tear-up-8-recap-%C3%A2%C2%80%C2%93-%C3%A2%C2%80%C2%9Cthe-immortal%C3%A2%C2%80%C2%9D-submits-sam-boo&type=ukmma">MMAplus</a>, but here are some of the photos that my friend Philip Aldridge shot throughout the evening. I'd be grateful if anyone can put names to some of these faces, then I can caption a few more of the photos, just hit the comment section.<br />
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<b><u>Wes "The Immortal" Murch Celebrates Submission Victory</u></b></div>
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<b><u>Kate Jackson Knocks Out Paula Ralph</u></b></div>
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<b><u>Entertainment Between Fights</u></b><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Superior Soul</td></tr>
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<b><u>Preliminary Card</u></b></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPIl0WhTy71oZlVLEfRDIJabnoIF6krrQldrxepTeHhokcpgrKg4VZ9o-qaV1lGxeJE3P3618fD6Xgp07M6L5BgR-kYBuMTw-F7jH2vlbyp5nY4K6USXssEbrkOi_qOgggmKI-t5RBWdQQ/s1600/IMG_5535.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPIl0WhTy71oZlVLEfRDIJabnoIF6krrQldrxepTeHhokcpgrKg4VZ9o-qaV1lGxeJE3P3618fD6Xgp07M6L5BgR-kYBuMTw-F7jH2vlbyp5nY4K6USXssEbrkOi_qOgggmKI-t5RBWdQQ/s320/IMG_5535.JPG" width="292" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Gary Wardle rocks Luke Burchill</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCUPIpyWvmI3MKuFk1mKw3B69rHNTvNkF_68xpqii3Pr26oE21vg8u-n9HOBXFagXfAk8-FkY9CHTGV7augR3g6IGNdiGmiiPj76yo8Zwv9LGhnv58j3NyJGgryavZTAVrD0Mzf5o5bPWD/s1600/IMG_5551.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="183" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCUPIpyWvmI3MKuFk1mKw3B69rHNTvNkF_68xpqii3Pr26oE21vg8u-n9HOBXFagXfAk8-FkY9CHTGV7augR3g6IGNdiGmiiPj76yo8Zwv9LGhnv58j3NyJGgryavZTAVrD0Mzf5o5bPWD/s320/IMG_5551.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">But unlucky to lose by triangle.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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</div>jiMMAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04506393383532511261noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7838227697366604035.post-75800191621779975362012-03-07T10:23:00.001-08:002012-03-07T10:23:38.724-08:00Bellator is Back!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Bellator is back with season 6, including tournaments in five weight classes. Most MMA promotions, big and small, are lovable for their own reasons. I love the UFC because it has most of the best fighters and I love the over top American-ness of it. I love to watch any event that HDnet covers so I can hear some Schiavello commentary and local promotions all have charms of their own. Bellator sets itself aside though because its tournament format works for so many reasons. I have previewed Bellator 60 over at <a href="http://www.mmaplus.co.uk/content-details.php?nID=302">MMAplus</a>, but below are some of the reasons this promotion is great.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://encrypted-tbn1.google.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTWgBfitJJnw988_x1AiLM_4FYiMyvdAy5A0XrxSAZJYEet57gl" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://encrypted-tbn1.google.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTWgBfitJJnw988_x1AiLM_4FYiMyvdAy5A0XrxSAZJYEet57gl" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">via <a href="http://www.google.co.uk/imgres?um=1&hl=en&biw=1241&bih=606&tbm=isch&tbnid=T9kxhmzA0QbCmM:&imgrefurl=http://mmavalor.com/2011/04/15/bellator-41-eight-fight-card-and-predictions/&docid=PDaJ76EyPvcrHM&imgurl=http://mmavalor.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/09/bellator-fighting31.jpg&w=460&h=307&ei=l6ZXT-3TM4et8gOixqSGDw&zoom=1">mmavalor</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<a name='more'></a><br />
<b>Title Shots Are Earned</b><br />
In Bellator, there is no MMA politics. A fighter cannot do what Chael Sonnen and Ronda Rousey have recently managed to do in the other top American promotions and talk themselves into title shots. To get a title shot in Bellator, you need to win three tournament fights. While this means that popular fighters like Ben Saunders might not get the biggest fights in their division, you can be sure that there is sporting justification for all the match-ups (during tournaments).<br />
<br />
<b>Everyone Knows Where They Stand</b><br />
In Bellator, every fighter and fans knows what is at stake in more or less every match. If it is not a tournament match up, then you are fighting to justify yourself a tournament spot. In the tournament, those who win progress and no one should end up with a title shot without at least a three fight win streak. From a sporting perspective, that is about as fair as it gets.<br />
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<b>Tournaments and Seasons Are Exciting</b><br />
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<b><u><br /></u></b><br />
I do get a little bit upset when Bellator is not on during the winter but in reality, I think the seasonal format is great. It means that no only does everyone know what to expect in terms of match ups, we shouldn't be left waiting while fighters and managers wrangle over who to fight or wait for the fight they like. Fights happen when they should (except for the occassional title fight). While the tournaments take away a little of the fighters' security, the all or nothing format makes it incredibly exciting and makes for great performances.<br />
<br />
<b>It's not owned by Zuffa</b><br />
I have nothing against the UFC or Strikeforce, although obviously all organisations have problems. It is great though to watch a show which is refreshingly different in format and production and it gives a little bit of hope that the world of mixed martial arts will not some day be owned and run by the same few people.<br />
<br />
That's it then, I love Bellator and I have unashamedly told you why. Sure, I have some gripes about the lack of action for the champions, the weirdness of having a champion of a weight class defeated in that weight class but remaining the champion (Christian M'Pumbu) and fighters would be better placed to teach us submissions than the Bellator girls, but all in all, I am glad Bellator is back.<br />
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<br class="Apple-interchange-newline" />What do you think? Did I miss something off the list or have ignored some obvious flaws? Hit the comments section below and let me know.
</div>jiMMAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04506393383532511261noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7838227697366604035.post-19594661725164571052012-03-04T04:04:00.001-08:002012-03-04T04:04:28.311-08:00What's Next for Ronda Rousey?<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Ronda Rousey is the new Strikeforce women's bantamweight champion, having broken Miesha Tate's arm in the fifth minute of the first round of their title fight. Having won her first four professional bouts by armbar within the first minute, there was some debate over whether Rousey would be able to do the same to the accomplished and experienced Tate.<br />
<br />
I was very surprised that Ronda Rousey was able to do to Miesha Tate what she was able to do all her other opponents so far. The only sign that Miesha Tate was the highest caliber opponent she had faced so far was that it took four and a half minutes rather than one and two attempts to lock in a devestating armbar. Strikeforce now have a star for their 135lb champion and the opportunity to really drive forward the division.<br />
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<a name='more'></a><br />
<b>The Immediate Future</b><br />
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Next, Ronda Rousey must face Sarah Kaufman. Kaufman was the number one contender to fight Miesha Tate and Ronda Rousey stole her place with some Sonnen-esque noise. Kaufman took a page out of Rousey's book and was vocal about her desire for a title fight next, having beaten Alexis Davis. A fight against Kaufman, who has paid her dues and been in place as the number one contender in the division for some time would send the message that this is a division with structure and a long term future.<br />
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<br />
<b>Long Term</b><br />
<br />
Ronda Rousey is a star. I may not like the way she went about it, but she sold this fight almost single handedly (with just a little help from Bryan Caraway. She will certainly be a draw no matter who she fights. Previous Strikeforce champions have suffered from a lack of opponents. Sctt Coker needs to make sure that Rousey is as busy as possible, fighting regularly around three times a year. This will keep eyes on the division not only for the title fights, but also garnering interest for fights between contenders vying for the top place in the division.<br />
<br />
<b>The Division</b><br />
<br />
It is time for Strikeforce to start taking women's fighting seriously. It might be wisest to concentrate on this one division, since they have a good few established fighters there. The organisation needs to secure as many of the top fighters in the weight class as possible and get them fighting regularly, since at the moment women are scattered all over the place finding it tricky to get top level fights.<br />
<br />
It is imperative that good fighters like Marloes Coenen are brought back and kept busy at Strikeforce and it will make all the difference if Cybrog Santos can make it down to 135lbs when her suspension is over. With Sarah McMann also making waves outside of Strikeforce, it is time to get her in and slowly build her up towards title contention.<br />
<br />
It might have been a shot in the arm to women's MMA to give Rousey this title shot but it is not a sustainable model for developing the division. Given all the attention on the 135lb division now, it must not be squandered. Zuffa have shown that they have the ability to grow divisions by gathering all the best talent exclusively into one organisation for coherent, competitive division where title shots are more often than not earned. Let's hope they will have some influence in making Strikeforce take this approach.<br />
<br />
What do you think should be next for Ronda Rousey and the women's bantamweights? Hit the comments section below with who and what should be next.</div>jiMMAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04506393383532511261noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7838227697366604035.post-15784956720543585882012-03-02T09:26:00.000-08:002012-03-02T09:44:06.761-08:00Kaufman vs Davis Preview<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
As Ronda Rousey finds herself fighting for a title in a weight class she has never fought in, the number two fighter in the division <a href="http://jim-ma.blogspot.com/2012/02/tate-vs-rousey-and-kaufman-vs-davis.html">finds herself buried </a>on the preliminary card. This might well be the fight that determines who challenger for the title next and exposure on the main card would certainly have helped build the next title fight in the division.<br />
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Kaufman must put her disappointment to one side though as she faces an opponent in Alexis Davis, who is well capable of upsetting the apple cart.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://encrypted-tbn1.google.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSOFAcag6QSqPl7UmsHTLGnj8nFX2s7apTLcW-1lLxA-ULFH3oJdw" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://encrypted-tbn1.google.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSOFAcag6QSqPl7UmsHTLGnj8nFX2s7apTLcW-1lLxA-ULFH3oJdw" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">via <a href="http://www.google.co.uk/imgres?um=1&hl=en&biw=1241&bih=606&noj=1&tbm=isch&tbnid=F8Ll2VP0fiXeyM:&imgrefurl=http://www.womentalksports.com/items/read/652/1295644&docid=JleKz4TRG9wylM&imgurl=http://wombatsports.files.wordpress.com/2012/03/459624_400427969972436_140137232668179_1848772_958596532_o.jpg&w=1024&h=950&ei=EwFRT4P-EKOP0AWUoP35Cw&zoom=1">womentalksports</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<b></b><br />
<a name='more'></a><b>Recent History</b><br />
<br />
<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li>Since losing her title to Marloes Coenen in her sole career loss, Kaufman has won twice, once by TKO and once by decision.</li>
<li>Alexis Davis is on three fight win streak including a great performance against Amanda Nunes.</li>
</ul>
<br />
<b>Styles</b><br />
<br />
In recent times Sarah Kaufman has been looking to let her hands go as much as possible and employs a dynamic kick boxing attack. She has strong wrestling and clinch work though and when things do not go her way standing, Kaufman very much has the ability to clinch up and dominate an opponent against the fence. On the ground, she has the power and dominance necessary to pound opponents out, not to mention this slam of Roxanne Modafferi:<br />
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<br />
<br />
Against Amanda Nunes, Davis showed her ability to weather a storm and persevere through adversity. After eating a few heavy punches from Nunes and being dominated for most of the first round, Davis managed to neutralise Nunes' striking by tying her opponent up. Davis is a good all round fighter with decent wrestling and submissions if she ends up on top.<br />
<br />
<b>Head to Head</b><br />
<b><br /></b><br />
Alexis Davis does not have the power or speed to hang with Sarah Kaufman on the feet. She will need to try and smother Kaufman and, if possible take her to the ground. Kaufman though is a good wrestler and I do not see her being taken down. Should Davis find herself on top, Kaufman will be difficult to pin down and difficult to finish.<br />
<br />
Sarah Kaufman's game plan is simple. Overwhelm Davis with powerful strikes and break her will by repeatedly stuffing take down attempts and either disengaging or dominating the clinches. I do not think Davis will be able to withstand a barrage of Kaufman punches to the face and I do not think she will be able control her as well as she did Nunes.<br />
<b><br /></b><br />
<b>Prediction</b><br />
<b><br /></b><br />
Sarah Kaufman by TKO, round 2.</div>jiMMAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04506393383532511261noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7838227697366604035.post-86174047038797949352012-03-02T08:02:00.000-08:002012-03-02T08:02:10.561-08:00Rousey vs Tate Preview<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Since Zuffa, the UFC's parent company, bought Strikforce last year, there has been a lot of speculation over what will happen to the female divisions. In the past, UFC President Dana White has been adamant that women will never fight in the UFC. White has been known to change his mind and this Saturday Tate and Rousey have the chance to give him food for thought in one of the most high profile and eagerly awaited female fights for years. I broke down the card over at <a href="http://www.mmaplus.co.uk/content-details.php?nID=278">MMAplus</a>, but here is the slightly more opinionated <a href="http://jim-ma.blogspot.com/">jiMMA </a>version.</div>
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<a href="http://jim-ma.blogspot.com/2012/02/tate-vs-rousey-round-table-reaction.html">I may not have enjoyed the manner</a> of the fights promotion, but there is no doubt that this fight has garnered more interest than any female MMA bout in a long time. On Saturday night, women's mixed martial arts may well take a giant leap towards the spotlight.</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://encrypted-tbn1.google.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRUcAjAJzovhZk7xcF6ryFSz0dGrU1t_FqQui6vhTwaqRijcPIX" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://encrypted-tbn1.google.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRUcAjAJzovhZk7xcF6ryFSz0dGrU1t_FqQui6vhTwaqRijcPIX" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">via <a href="http://www.google.com/imgres?hl=en&safe=off&gbv=2&biw=1138&bih=555&tbm=isch&tbnid=zeK9QtRchskjNM:&imgrefurl=http://www.5thround.com/107686/strikeforce-tate-vs-rousey-official-event-poster/&docid=kkimJjRxYfBg7M&imgurl=http://www.5thround.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/StrikeforcePosterTateRousey.jpg&w=450&h=643&ei=lu5QT634EcqR0AXZuo3wCw&zoom=1">5thround</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<a name='more'></a><br />
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<b>Recent History</b></div>
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</div>
<ul>
<li>Miesha Tate is on a six fight win streak, including wins over Hitomi Akano, Soilla Gurgel and Marloes Coenen.</li>
<li>This will be Tate's first title defense since winning the strap.</li>
<li>Ronda Rousey has finished the first four fights of her career by armbar, all within the first minute.</li>
</ul>
<br />
<div align="LEFT" class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<b>Styles</b></div>
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<b><br /></b></div>
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</div>
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Miesha Tate is a well rounded fighter with a strong wrestling base, decent striking and good submissions, mostly using these strikes to close distance and set up take downs. Tate has great ability to pressure opponents against the fence and tends to work grueling persistant take downs, rather than explosive ones.</div>
<br class="Apple-interchange-newline" /><br />
<div align="LEFT" class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
Due to Rousey's early finishes, we have not yet seen her stand up game. She has seemed to flinch when hit but then she has had the composure to find a throw and a submission. She has taken opponents down with ease so far which should come as little surprise as she is an Olympic bronze medalist judoka. Like all fighters with a non-striking background Ronda tells us she has been working on her striking and it is coming along brilliantly.</div>
<div align="LEFT" class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
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<b>Head to
Head</b></div>
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<br /></div>
<div align="LEFT" class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
For Rousey, it is safe to assume that her gameplan remains the same. Her undeniable strength is her judo and she will look to take Miesha down and finish her on the mat. Should Tate decide to and be able to keep things standing, it will be intriguing to see how Rousey's striking has really been coming along. It will also be interesting to see how the weight cut treats her.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div align="LEFT" class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
Tate has said going in to this fight that wrestling beats Judo every
time but Rousey would beg to differ. Tate might wiser not to clinch with
a fighter with hips as strong as Rousey's and with such skillful
throws. That being said, submitting Tate would no doubt prove a lot tougher than her previous opponents. She may need to leave her comfort zone, refrain from
wrestling and look to pick Rousey apart from distance. </div>
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<br /></div>
<div align="LEFT" class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
I am surprised at the bookmakers and many pundits siding heavily with Ronda Rousey. While her Olympic background and impressive debut year in the sport show that she should not be ruled out, backing her to win is also a strange decision. She has no experience in an MMA contest against top competition and has never competed at this weight class. Tate on the other hand has defeated some of the best fighters in her division and has been training all aspects of the game together for much longer than Rousey.</div>
<div align="LEFT" class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div align="LEFT" class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
I expect Tate to keep enough distance to worry Rousey from the outside and, as the challenger wears down though the fight, begin get the better of clinch exchanges.</div>
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<b>Predicition</b></div>
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Miesha Tate by unanimous decision.</div>
</div>jiMMAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04506393383532511261noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7838227697366604035.post-35307279885572365822012-02-28T07:41:00.000-08:002012-02-28T07:41:22.519-08:00Top Five: MMA Comebacks of all time.<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
When Tim Boetsch came back from a mauling at the hands of Yushin Okami at UFC 144, Joe Rogan quite understandably lost control and callled it the greatest comeback in MMA history. Now Joe was quick to backtrack on that as he regained his senses, but just which are the best comebacks in MMA history?<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://t2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQtaeDhp4q7KQO9d2zr2_znFnywXapgNsHXERzZCbCNAiY3bd7R" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://t2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQtaeDhp4q7KQO9d2zr2_znFnywXapgNsHXERzZCbCNAiY3bd7R" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tim Boetsch comes back to beat Yushin Okami via <a href="http://www.google.co.uk/imgres?q=tim+boetsch+okami&um=1&hl=en&sa=N&biw=1241&bih=606&tbm=isch&tbnid=YT6qXRrM0VYB-M:&imgrefurl=http://espn.go.com/mma/story/_/id/7615990/benson-henderson-wrests-title-frankie-edgar&docid=fpJJYJ9QSLDhEM&imgurl=http://a.espncdn.com/photo/2012/0225/mma_e_boetsch11_576.jpg&w=576&h=324&ei=__FMT-TsLsrN8QPaiKTdAg&zoom=1">espn</a></td></tr>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">Frankie Edgar vs Gray Maynard III</span></b></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://t3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTpjGsz47J7jFehX5RmgDkOGN-SUAcxdDc8a21CJ6aXs0J6t5EqCA" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://t3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTpjGsz47J7jFehX5RmgDkOGN-SUAcxdDc8a21CJ6aXs0J6t5EqCA" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">via <a href="http://www.google.co.uk/imgres?q=edgar+maynard+knockout&um=1&hl=en&biw=1241&bih=606&tbm=isch&tbnid=iD3TcLK3ocpJMM:&imgrefurl=http://lowkick.blitzcorner.com/UFC/UFC-136-Recap-Frankie-Edgar-comes-back-to-TKO-Gray-Maynard-14050&docid=sjDfkW_VL6ws2M&imgurl=http://l.yimg.com/a/p/sp/editorial_image/3d/3d2b7a93a0ebd9affd71f5c8bc22d3ce/lightweight_champ_edgar_survives_firstround_beatdown_scores_ko_victory.jpg&w=600&h=400&ei=g_JMT8bmO8Oh8gP-_-DRAg&zoom=1">lowkick</a></td></tr>
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At UFC 136, Gray Maynard had his second shot at Frankie Edgar's lightweight title, having previously beaten Edgar before he was champion and drawn with him in their second fight. Edgar took extreme punishment in the first round, looking continuously rocked for most of the five minutes. In the second round, Edgar had miraculously recovered and was full of his trademark pep and movement. By round 4 he was completely dominating the stand up and knocked Maynard out with a great right hand. What makes this comeback extra special is that this was a carbon copy of their earlier draw, but this time Edgar got the finish.<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">Anderson Silva vs Chael Sonnen</span></b></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://t2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRO8DekU5iSuu7Z-JwCuM5EB6S8-eGIVOsXIkcPieTxCAymX_pi" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://t2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRO8DekU5iSuu7Z-JwCuM5EB6S8-eGIVOsXIkcPieTxCAymX_pi" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">via <a href="http://www.google.co.uk/imgres?q=silva+sonnen+triangle&um=1&hl=en&sa=N&biw=1241&bih=606&tbm=isch&tbnid=7d2eZjS7gVDHUM:&imgrefurl=http://www.realwomenandmensmma.com/2010/12/real-mma-awards-best-submission.html&docid=H8387h94_mwDNM&imgurl=https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-FUT_p1dsyNVtIxz-Bvg0cbHXqLhvcaaxNRYirrWKMsUfHs31WRf3xwDtDjEeEhun-1UTzBmfDnwugsvbYhXd0svjE1sV4GSBplP7zclpWLldFea2spAnZPAzxn8H48fuNOuMaWgRL90/s1600/anderson-silva-vs-chael-sonnen-submit%2525255B1%2525255D.jpg&w=712&h=526&ei=l_NMT9iaB9Pb8gP3_LDmAg&zoom=1">realwomenandmensmma</a></td></tr>
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This comeback was epic because of what was on the line. Anderson Silva is the best pound for pound fighter in the world, middleweight champion and at the time of this fight had a winning streak of 12 fights. Chael Sonnen, the upstart challenger provided Silva with one of the toughest tests of his UFC career, rocking the champ with a punch and consistently taking him to the ground. Half way through round 5, on his back and with Sonnen surely dominating the scorecards, Silva locked on a tight triangle choke and submitted Sonnen. The champion survived, his legacy intact.<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">Pat Barry vs Cheick Kongo</span></b></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNjVY_-26ff5ToVGdKr3SbmI2DdKkkVWTU2fBcLkkfpuO-jn8hcyw5CXcbaWRArw-scQUzxV2aby9eDH88A6SVnYLtH30Zx_BQkG-tLDo2_HqNXuGZA-7azrHWak5vhbdJyLei3NvRe9Gt/s1600/5.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNjVY_-26ff5ToVGdKr3SbmI2DdKkkVWTU2fBcLkkfpuO-jn8hcyw5CXcbaWRArw-scQUzxV2aby9eDH88A6SVnYLtH30Zx_BQkG-tLDo2_HqNXuGZA-7azrHWak5vhbdJyLei3NvRe9Gt/s1600/5.gif" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">via<a href="http://www.hov-mma.com/2011/06/kongo-vs-barry-comeback-ko-gif.html"> hov-mma</a></td></tr>
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When Cheick Kongo had been rocked and pounced on by Pat Barry at UFC on Versus 4, the referee would have been forgiven for stopping the fight. As it is, he let it continue a while longer. Kongo staggered around for a while, shot a wobbly double leg attempt and somehow summoned two right hooks to knock Barry out. There was not so much riding on this comeback, but the fact that Kongo was still standing on roller skates when he threw the punches makes it pretty special.<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">Antonio Rodrigo Noguiera vs Bob Sapp</span></b></div>
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OK, so Bob Sapp is not exactly an elite opponent but he was around 100 pounds heavier than Noguiera, in a different, crazier MMA era. The big American through Noguiera around the cage, dropping him on his head at one point. The Brazilian hung in there as only he can, absorbing shocking amounts of punishment until towards the end of the fight he took advantage of Sapp's dubious gas tank and found an awesome armbar. Noguiera has made a career of these comebacks, but the Sapp fight is my pick.<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">Hughes vs Trigg II</span></b></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://cdn.bleacherreport.net/images_root/slides/photos/001/271/088/ufc451_display_image.jpg?1315372327" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://cdn.bleacherreport.net/images_root/slides/photos/001/271/088/ufc451_display_image.jpg?1315372327" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">via <a href="http://www.google.co.uk/imgres?q=trigg+hughes+2&um=1&hl=en&biw=1241&bih=606&tbm=isch&tbnid=VmtFOV9nC5pGrM:&imgrefurl=http://bleacherreport.com/articles/837640-ranking-the-5-best-submissions-of-matt-hughes-career&docid=KAAZapOYmjU5xM&imgurl=http://cdn.bleacherreport.net/images_root/slides/photos/001/271/088/ufc451_display_image.jpg%253F1315372327&w=350&h=234&ei=pvRMT8GIDYXr8QOG1JnfAg&zoom=1&iact=hc&vpx=810&vpy=288&dur=4879&hovh=183&hovw=275&tx=121&ty=59&sig=102776933915843108461&page=1&tbnh=129&tbnw=172&start=0&ndsp=21&ved=1t:429,r:12,s:0">bleacherreport</a></td></tr>
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This was Trigg's second title shot at the invincible Matt Hughes after a fight where he had been well and truly humbled by the champion. Trigg landed a low knee that doubled Hughes over. The referee did not see it and Trigg capitalised by taking Hughes' back. The champ's run appeared to be at an end but, like something out of pro wrestling he made his way out of the position. He the proceeded to boduly carry Trigg across the cage and slam him brutally before ground and pounding and finally choking out the challenger.<br />
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Comebacks are truly some of the most exciting events in MMA as we see which fighters have the heart to dig deep and pull something out of nowhere. If I have missed out one of your favourites, hit the comment section below.</div>jiMMAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04506393383532511261noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7838227697366604035.post-22752995812237170342012-02-26T15:28:00.000-08:002012-02-26T15:54:42.860-08:005 Questions for... Roxanne Modafferi<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.mmarising.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/roxanne-modafferi-takayo-hashi-set-for-jewels-18th-ring-150x150.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://www.mmarising.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/roxanne-modafferi-takayo-hashi-set-for-jewels-18th-ring-150x150.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span style="text-align: -webkit-auto;">via </span><a href="http://www.mmarising.com/news/2012/02/10/roxanne-modafferi-vs-takayo-hashi-set-for-jewels-18th-ring/" style="text-align: -webkit-auto;">mmarising</a></span>
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This weekend the US MMA scene is pretty busy with Ronda Rousey vs Miesha Tate and Martin Kampman vs Thiago Alves headlining Strikeforce and UFC card respectively. Elsewhere though, former training partners and leading 125 pound fighters Roxanne Modafferi and Takayo Hashi fight at in Japan's premier women's MMA organisation at Jewels 18.</div>
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<i>Preparing for a fight she really must win, Roxanne Modafferi was kind enough to spare a bit of time to answer five questions from jiMMA.</i></div>
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<b>What was your route into MMA?</b><br />
<br />
-I started Tae Kwon do as a kind for fun and because it looked cool, and got bored, so I wanted to try different styles. I wanted the more challenging full contact, so I tried Judo. I was always very competative in sports. I did team sports in school. After Judo, I did BJJ and kickboxing and wanted to try MMA when my Judo friends introduced me to the UFC.<br />
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<b>What is your favourite strike or submission to use in a fight?</b><br />
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I prefer submissions, and like straight arm-bars or triangle chokes.<br />
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<b>What does it mean to you to be a fighter?</b><br />
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I want to get stronger mentally and physically. It's always been about how much I can force my body to do. I get injured a lot, so the physical aspect is always a struggle.<br />
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<b>What separates you from other fighters at 125lb?</b><br />
<br />
The fact that I haven't won in this weight division yet? (joke) I've always fought at 135 and the two times I dropped to 125, I wasn't successful. I felt weak and over-powered. I'm not sure how else to answer this question.<br />
<b><br />If you could fight anyone in the world who would it be?</b><br />
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I want rematches against Rosi Sexton, Barb Honchak, and Hitomi Akano.</div>jiMMAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04506393383532511261noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7838227697366604035.post-16747110892758707652012-02-22T08:53:00.000-08:002012-02-22T08:53:37.152-08:00UFC 144: Yoshihiro Akiyama vs Jake Shields Preview<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
For both these fighters, UFC 144 represents a chance for redemption but also the chance of losing their job. Before being brought in to the UFC to fight Georges Saint Pierre in Spring last year, Jake Shields was unbeaten in six years. Similarly, Yoshihiro Akiyama was unbeaten in five years before his current three fight skid started with a loss to Chris Leben in 2010. The heavy hands and crafty submissions of Akiyama face off against the American Ju Jutsu of the former Strikeforce champion.<br />
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<object width="320" height="266" class="BLOGGER-youtube-video" classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=6,0,40,0" data-thumbnail-src="http://2.gvt0.com/vi/fAmd0ug_D6o/0.jpg"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/fAmd0ug_D6o&fs=1&source=uds" />
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<b>Recent History</b><br />
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<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li>Jake Shields is on a two fight losing streak, having previously been a dominant champion over in Strikeforce.</li>
<li>His most recent loss was a shock early knockout at the hands of Jake Ellenberger.</li>
<li>Akiyama has lost three in a row, albeit against stiff competition in Chris Leben, Micheal Bisping and Vitor Belfort.</li>
</ul>
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<b>Styles</b><br />
<b><br /></b><br />
Jake Shields makes no secret of his style. He is well and truly a ju jutsu specialist with with a distinguished wrestling background. Until his fight with Ellenberger, it was always assumed he had an unshakable chin too. As well as skills and chin, Shields has indomitable spirit and heart which has helped him push through adversity inside and out of the cage. Shields tends to stay far away from possible from a striking battle and when he is engaged, uses that durability to find a way to a take down.<br />
<br />
Yoshihiro Akiyama also has a great chin, albeit recently exposed by Vitor Belfort. He came to the UFC a real fan favorite, with slick submission skills allied to big punches. In the UFC he has failed to shine so far, looking a little cumbersome trying to land big punches against skilled opponents.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://encrypted-tbn1.google.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQRbn9z2k-NkLtBt1BEwF3NaSmjjggM5U8XnuMM2U-0y_XGjhapIw" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://encrypted-tbn1.google.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQRbn9z2k-NkLtBt1BEwF3NaSmjjggM5U8XnuMM2U-0y_XGjhapIw" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">via <a href="http://www.google.com/imgres?hl=en&safe=off&gbv=2&biw=1138&bih=555&tbm=isch&tbnid=pN6VUzZlUthUMM:&imgrefurl=http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1075781-ufc-144-edgar-vs-henderson-and-other-fights-with-championship-type-appeal&docid=2UHQuG3kJJRBiM&imgurl=http://cdn.bleacherreport.net/images_root/slides/photos/001/948/895/shields-akiyama-staredown_display_image_display_image.jpg%253F1329904204&w=350&h=233&ei=ghxFT53tCPGZ0QWhotDpAw&zoom=1">bleacher report</a></td></tr>
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<b>Head to Head</b><br />
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The key to this match up is whether Shields can avoid or survive Akiyama's big right hand. Akiyama has a great Judo background but I still expect Shields to have the advantage in the wrestling and clinch. Shields will want the fight to go to the ground, where he is certainly stronger. That being said, submitting a battle hardened foe like Akiyama will be tricky and we may see some fun scrambles as Shields locks on submissions and Akiyama escapes.<br />
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<b>Prediction</b><br />
<b><br /></b><br />
Jake Shields decision.<br />
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More on UFC 144 at <a href="http://jim-ma.blogspot.com/">jiMMA</a>:<br />
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<br />
<a href="http://jim-ma.blogspot.com/2012/02/ufc-144-rampage-jackson-vs-ryan-bader.html">UFC 144: Rampage vs Bader Preview</a><br />
<a href="http://jim-ma.blogspot.com/2012/02/ufc-144-anthony-pettis-vs-joe-lauzon.html">UFC 144: Lauzon vs Pettis Preview</a><br />
<a href="http://jim-ma.blogspot.com/2012/02/ufc-144-henderson-vs-edgar-preview.html">UFC 144: Edgar vs Henderson Preview</a><br />
</div>jiMMAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04506393383532511261noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7838227697366604035.post-32791421504098785412012-02-20T07:43:00.000-08:002012-02-22T08:53:55.576-08:00UFC 144: Anthony Pettis vs Joe Lauzon Preview<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Anthony Pettis is well known for one of the most spectacular kicks in MMA history. In late 2010 he defeated Ben Henderson for the WEC Lightweight Title and while Henderson fights for the UFC strap this Saturday, Pettis is looking to squeeze his way into contention with a fight against Joe Lauzon. For his part, Lauzon recently submitted then challenger Melvin Guillard to gain momentum of his own.<br />
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<b>Recent History</b><br />
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<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li>Since losing to Clay Guida in his UFC debut, Pettis struggled past Jeremy Stephens by split decision.</li>
<li>Lauzon has won three of his last four fights, all by submission.</li>
<li>His most recent outing was an impressive upset win over Melvin Guillard.</li>
</ul>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://encrypted-tbn1.google.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQZIz5tmd6tFArAUF8uzhNs8mNDGJ4QREBvKzK7EQ11auzqjccJ" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://encrypted-tbn1.google.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQZIz5tmd6tFArAUF8uzhNs8mNDGJ4QREBvKzK7EQ11auzqjccJ" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">via <a href="http://www.google.com/imgres?num=10&hl=en&safe=off&gbv=2&biw=1138&bih=555&tbm=isch&tbnid=7E6x62cjK4AQBM:&imgrefurl=http://bestofbjj.com/content/page/52/&docid=ObADGqmleALqDM&imgurl=http://bestofbjj.com/content/wp-content/themes/londoncreative/scripts/timthumb.php%253Fsrc%253Dhttp://bestofbjj.com/content/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/lauzon-pettis_large1.jpg%2526w%253D560%2526zc%253D1%2526h%253D330&w=560&h=330&ei=2mlCT7j1IoWD8gOc7sSICA&zoom=1">bestofbjj</a></td></tr>
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<b>Styles</b><br />
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It is fair to say that so far Anthony Pettis' showings in the UFC have been disappointing. In the WEC, Pettis was an incredibly entertaining, dynamic fighter with a propensity for finishes. He has submissions, kicks and energy to burn. Against Clay Guida, Pettis showed a slight lack of fight intelligence as struggled to attack from underneath the wrestler, going on to lose a decision. Against Jeremy Stephens, he failed to find his rhythm. On his day, Pettis has wonderfully diverse striking and a good range of submissions.<br />
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Joe Lauzon has matured into a very good fighter. He has decent stand up skills, but his real advantage lies in his ability to take advantage of his opponents' mistakes on the ground. If he can continue to minimize his own mistakes, he can certainly make a ase for a title shot in the near future.<br />
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<b>Head to Head</b><br />
<b><br /></b><br />
A lot in this fight depends on which Pettis shows up. It would be foolish to believe that the Pettis we saw in the WEC is no longer there, or that the fighters he is fighting now are so much better than those he fought before. If he can regain some of the confidence and fluidity in his striking and game plan effectively, he should be able to pick Joe Lauzon apart. Lauzon will be looking to keep the distance at a minimum and shut down Pettis' kicks and movement in an effort to get the fight to the ground. There, he will look to work submissions. He will need to be careful though, as Pettis has plenty of ability on the mat himself.<br />
<br />
<b>Prediction</b><br />
<b><br /></b><br />
Pettis by decision. I do not think the Pettis of the WEC days will be entirely back, but he will approach this fight with a clear strategy for winning and Lauzon has less ways to win.<br />
<br />
<br />
More on UFC 144 at <a href="http://jim-ma.blogspot.com/">jiMMA</a>:<br />
<br />
<br />
<a href="http://jim-ma.blogspot.com/2012/02/ufc-144-rampage-jackson-vs-ryan-bader.html">UFC 144: Rampage vs Bader Preview</a><br />
<a href="http://jim-ma.blogspot.com/2012/02/ufc-144-yoshihiro-akiyama-vs-jake.html">UFC 144: Shields vs Akiyama Preview</a><br />
<a href="http://jim-ma.blogspot.com/2012/02/ufc-144-henderson-vs-edgar-preview.html">UFC 144: Edgar vs Henderson Preview</a><br />
<br />
</div>jiMMAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04506393383532511261noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7838227697366604035.post-9903598577220154092012-02-19T08:15:00.000-08:002012-02-20T08:01:51.619-08:00UFC 144: Henderson vs Edgar Preview<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;">Article first published as <a href="http://technorati.com/sports/article/ufc-144-edgar-vs-henderson-preview/">UFC 144: Edgar vs Henderson Preview</a> on Technorati</span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></div>
Japan holds a special place in the hearts of many fighters and fans
as it was the home to some of the best fighters in the sport in the
early part of the century. Zuffa (the UFC's parent company) bought
Pride in 2007 and the organization was shut down shortly after. The UFC
has far surpassed Pride's popularity and heads back to Japan with a
great card that blends old Japanese favorites and some of the new faces
of MMA.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a name='more'></a><br />
While Japanese fans may be most looking forward to the <a href="http://jim-ma.blogspot.com/2012/02/ufc-144-rampage-jackson-vs-ryan-bader.html" mce_href="http://jim-ma.blogspot.com/2012/02/ufc-144-rampage-jackson-vs-ryan-bader.html">return of Rampage Jackson</a> to their shores, The headlining bout is an incredible lightweight title between Frankie Edgar and Benson Henderson.<br />
<a href="http://www.google.co.uk/imgres?q=ufc+japan&num=10&um=1&hl=en&biw=1366&bih=624&tbm=isch&tbnid=v4LMNcc11BNhkM:&imgrefurl=http://purerock96.com/96RockVideoStored/UFCJapan/tabid/2204/Default.aspx&docid=HyLi23-H1ZBW7M&imgurl=http://purerock96.com/Portals/0/UFC144%252520Japan.jpg&w=500&h=662&ei=E-c_T-3PNsSt8QODqvy4CA&zoom=1" mce_href="http://www.google.co.uk/imgres?q=ufc+japan&num=10&um=1&hl=en&biw=1366&bih=624&tbm=isch&tbnid=v4LMNcc11BNhkM:&imgrefurl=http://purerock96.com/96RockVideoStored/UFCJapan/tabid/2204/Default.aspx&docid=HyLi23-H1ZBW7M&imgurl=http://purerock96.com/Portals/0/UFC144%252520Japan.jpg&w=500&h=662&ei=E-c_T-3PNsSt8QODqvy4CA&zoom=1"><img align="right" alt="UFC Japan" height="258" hspace="10" mce_src="http://scm-l3.technorati.com/12/02/18/64473/ufcjapan.jpg?t=20120218100046" src="http://scm-l3.technorati.com/12/02/18/64473/ufcjapan.jpg?t=20120218100046" title="UFC Japan" vspace="10" width="195" /></a><br />
<b>Recent History</b> <br />
<ul>
<li> Since
crossing over to the UFC from he WEC, Ben Henderson has gone 3-0 a run
that includes his most recent, incredible fight against Clay Guida.</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>Frankie Edgar has just come off a peculiar run of fighting the same fighter back to back, twice.</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>He beat BJ Penn twice in a row and drew with and subsequently knocked out Gray Maynard.</li>
</ul>
<b>Styles</b><br />
<b><br /></b><br />
Ben Henderson is an incredibly well rounded fighter. He possesses unrivaled pace and energy as he showed in his<a href="http://jim-ma.blogspot.com/2011/11/ufc-on-fox-did-it-deliver.html" mce_href="http://jim-ma.blogspot.com/2011/11/ufc-on-fox-did-it-deliver.html"> incredible fight against Clay Guida</a>
at the inaugural UFC on Fox event. He has brilliant powerful wrestling
and diverse striking. Even when he goes to decision it is not for lack
of trying to finish his fights, he is always exciting.<br />
Edgar is
one of the best offensive boxers in MMA, although his defense has been
found wanting on occasion (see his two incredible fights with Gray
Maynard). He can be wobbled by big punches but he has the heart and
fighting instinct to still be dangerous even when fuzzy headed. For one
of the smallest lightweights in the division, Edgar has great power by
dint of perfect punching technique and great timing. <br />
<br />
<b>Head to Head</b><br />
<b><br /></b><br />
I
expect Henderson to do everything he can to take this fight to the
ground. In Edgar, he is facing an opponent with a clear advantage on
the feet and the ground is the safest place for him. This will be
easier said than done as Edgar has a wrestling pedigree himself. Before
now, few people have been able to withstand Ben Henderson's wrestling
though and I expect him to have some success. The big question is
whether he can do enough damage to the champ when he gets him down.<br />
Edgar's
game plan should be to embroil Henderson into a technical boxing
match. The challenger is a competent striker but Edgar has shown
himself to be indomitable on his feet against some of the most skilled
strikers in the division. <br />
<b><br /></b><br />
<b>Prediction</b> <br />
<b><br /></b><br />
This is controversial but I believe Henderson is the real deal. Henderson by unanimous decision.<br />
<br />
<b>Other UFC 144 Coverage on jiMMA</b><br />
<b><br /></b><br />
<a href="http://jim-ma.blogspot.com/2012/02/ufc-144-rampage-jackson-vs-ryan-bader.html">UFC 144: Rampage vs Bader Preview</a><br />
<a href="http://jim-ma.blogspot.com/2012/02/ufc-144-anthony-pettis-vs-joe-lauzon.html">UFC 144: Lauzon vs Pettis Preview</a><br />
<br /></div>jiMMAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04506393383532511261noreply@blogger.com0