There's been no mention of BJJ here for a while because I've stopped training while my biceps and shoulder and ankle and neck heal up. I was just getting too beat up to keep it up. I figure my weight and my lack of flexibility had a lot to do with it, so I'm on a diet and doing yoga to lighten up and limber up physically and mentally. I just trying to prepare myself to go back to it where I can work out and not walk out feeling like I just pitched a complete game with each arm. I do miss it though. I miss it especially when I manage to catch Spike TV's Ultimate Knockouts like I did last night. What great marketing by the UFC. Play an hour long show where someone gets their ass handed to them every 5 minutes and use it as a lead in to a live event. Beautiful.
More beautiful than the UFC's marketing was watching Matt Hughes in the knockout reel. Hughes gets arm barred or triangled and then stands up to escape it and carries his opponent, Newton, across the mat to the cage and posts him against it. Newton grabs the cage for a second and then is made to let go. Hughes pauses. Then he steps back and SLAMS Newton to the canvas. Lights out. Hughes wins. The guy is a monster competitor and very very savvy in the octagon.
The other great highlight was Forrest Griffin's rear naked choke victory followed by spooning his opponent. I had to laugh my ass off when he through a leg over the guy like it was a cool Saturday November morning in bed. To Forrest's credit, he joked about it later. You need to be able to laugh at yourself.
Ah - I just remembered one other knock out. I think it was Gary Goodrich in a UFC fight from long ago (he was in a gi) where, just 45 seconds into the fight he basically got this guy in a crucifix and then started lambasting the living shit out him with elbow strikes. It was ugly though too because the ref jumped in a little late.
As for the Ultimate Fighter II - I've caught it here and there. With the exception of the last show, the fights have been dull and the team strategy stupid. Why would you want to fight the other teams best guy? There is really nothing to gain from it in the context of the show. You risk elimination and you risk injury. Even Dana White had to jump in and tell them they were being stupid but they did not listen. It is a contest after all - with the idea being to win your weight class and a contract in the UFC. And, let not forget Dana wants some good fights at the end, not some lopsided contest or two guys that really don't deserve the UFC because the best guys have already eliminated themselves.
One last thing - I have not seen Andrei Arlovski fight yet - but did I see what I think I saw in the promos? He's got fangs a la Dee Snider and the creepy goth vampire folks? Luvit.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
2 comments:
I was curious how you would compare the skill of the fighters in K-1 versus that of UCF? I don't follow things as closely as you but I catch the K-1 fights on TV now and again and usually I'm struck right away with how much more skilled and dangerous the K-1 fighers seem to be. Especially lately they've been showing them fighting a lot of the Asain fighters and they look very tough also. Any thoughts on that?
I'm not too familiar with K-1, but I think the K-1 fighters seem more skilled and dangerous to you because of the K-1 rules. K-1 is a striker’s game and in UFC striking is just one element or phase in the combat. So, in K-1 you get a lot more action and legs and arms flying. It's exciting and something that really appeals to our North American View of fighting where striking = exciting & wrestling = boring. In the UFC where you have grappling and submissions, the dynamics of the fights change. High kicks and striking freely are neutralized somewhat by the fact that a competitor can be taken down. Throw bombs and kick wildly and you are begging to be brought down with a single leg or double leg takedown. Hence there is a little less "action" in UFC but I'd say the guys there are as dangerous fighters as anyone else out there. Google some videos for Matt Hughes, Roye Gracie, Rickson Gracie, Vitor Belfort and you’ll see some great fights, knockouts and submissions. Personally, I love the submissions the most. While not as thrilling to watch as a knockout - a submission is just as effective and in my opinion a way to end a fight that rests more on skill.
I guess if you put a grappler in a K-1 fight under K-1 against a striker / kick-boxer he would likely lose and in the case of the same competitors under UFC rules the edge would have to go to the grappler. Of course, there are a lot more variables to any fight than that, but as a general rule of thumb I think it would hold true. Ultimately I think the MMA guys are more balanced fighters because of the broad scope of MMA - striking, grappling, and submissions.
Post a Comment