UFC vs. PRIDE

The UFC is the major fighting promotion in the United States. The PRIDE Fighting Championships operate out of Japan and they feature many of the top fighters in the world. Mixed Martial Arts are more mainstream in Japan and there is more money to pay the fighters. I enjoy watching PRIDE as well as the UFC. What I want to address here is the animosity there seems to be between hardcore fans of each.

One of the top ways for fans of Mixed Martial Arts to congregate and discuss topics is to log on The Underground Forum at mma.tv. A constant theme of the messages of the message board lately seem to be arguments over what is better, UFC or PRIDE. Many people ferverently talk up one and degrade the other. It's almost like you have to make a choice of whether to appreciate one or the other. Where does this mentality come from? Can't I enjoy both and not get involved in these petty disputes. There are differences between the two but ultimate they are both very important parts of the sport I love.

I will admit that personally I enjoy watching the UFC a little more. UFC is what I watched first, so it has the nostalgia factor. Also, I will admit that I probably have slightly more interest in American fighters. And the weekly reality show has brought a familiarity with the brand name that is hard to match. But I also appreciate PRIDE. It has amazing athletes and is able to put on star-studded a Grand Prix in multiple weight classes. I order PRIDE on PPV when it has matchups that intrigue me.

Ultimately, I see no reason to be a fan of one and not the other. Both provide quality entertainment, which is what we all want.

Until next time,
Jason

Jungle Fight this weekend

This weekend, on November 26th, Jungle Fight will again return to Manus, Brazil. Jungle Fight is the largest MMA promotion in Brazil and features some well known fighters. Here is a rundown of the fight card:

Jungle Fight V: Fight to Save the Jungle
Ivan Batman vs. Fabio Tigrao
Luciano Azevedo vs. Jose Aldo
Evangelista "Cyborg" Santos vs. Michael Materla
Helio Dipp vs. Mark Sursa
Alexandre Cacareco vs. Julio Cesar Jamanta
Fredson Paixao vs. Miljan Djurasinovic
Leopoldo Montenegro vs. Miodrag Petkovich
Jose "Pele" Landi-Jons vs. Alexander Shlemenko

"Pele" is best known in the US for defeating UFC Welterweight Champion Matt Hughes. I am curious to see the results for several of these fights, including "Cyborg" Santos. I would love to see both Pele and Cyborg fight in the U.S. soon.


UPDATE:
Pele and Cyborg both won their fights at Jungle Fight. Pele scored a decision and Cyborg a 2nd Round KO. I hope these two guys will fight either in the UFC or PRIDE sometime soon.

Thoughts on Rogan vs. Snipes

There has been a buzz lately about the possibility of action movie star Wesley Snipes entering the octagon to fight UFC announcer and Fear Factor host Joe Rogan. I for one have very mixed emotions when it comes to this potential matchup.

On one hand, it has the potential to bring in lots of viewers who perhaps wouldn't ordinarily order the UFC on PPV. There is a certain appeal to seeing if one of the on screen tough guys could hold his own in a fighting sport. And Wesley Snipes, even though he is an actor, is a long time martial artist who has trained in a variety of fighting styles for many years. On the other hand, I don't know if this is the kind of attention that a fledgling sport looking for legitimacy really needs at this point in time. It amps up the "freak show" aspect a little too high for my tastes. I am one of the fans that is all for trying to push the sport into mainstream consciencenous. But I would prefer it be done with legitimate professional athletes and not by gimmicks.

The pay involved to bring in a name like Snipes would have to be considerable. Just as much or more than it would be to bring in a famous fighting name like Royce Gracie. Gracie is probably not what he once was. But at least he is a legitimate professional fighter and former multiple time champion. And is still the most recognizable name in the American fighting scene. Having Royce fight a modern day champion like Matt Hughes or even a third match with fellow legend Ken Shamrock would draw huge PPV numbers.

I order every UFC PPV so if Snipes vs. Rogan happened, I would watch it. And I would probably be entertained. So that probably makes me a hypocrite. But in a sport that despite great strides is still struggling for mainstream acceptance, I think a Snipes vs. Rogan fight would do more to cement the reputation of the UFC as sideshow than it would sport.

Until next time,
Jason

UFC Welterweight division

With the announcement of BJ Penn returning to the UFC along with the emergence over the past couple of months of several tough 170lb. fighters, the Welterweight division of the UFC is setting up to be the most exciting division the UFC has to offer. Champion Matt Hughes seems to still be learning and evolving in the sport, which he will have to do to keep pace with the up and comers in the division. Georges St. Pierre has been extrememly impressive in decisive victories over Frank Trigg and Sean Sherk. I don't think St. Pierre needed to drop to his knees and beg in order to get the rematch he wants with Hughes. It should be coming in short order.

With St. Pierre the logical choice for the next Welterweight title shot, the question becomes how does the division shake down after that? BJ Penn, the former champ who owns a submission victory over Matt Hughes, has to be high on the list. But with Hughes busy with St. Pierre at the moment, do you hold Penn back to face the winner, or do you match him up with someone in a return match. I would think Penn needs a fight to reintroduce him to the post-TUF fans and establish himself. Drew Fickett earned some respect from defeating TUF I participant Josh Koscheck. Perhaps Fickett, or Thiago Alves, or another opponent along the same level would be appropriate for a Penn return match. As talented as BJ is, it seems it would be a matter of time before he has fights against both St. Pierre and Hughes.

Next to figure out is how to handle TUF winner Diego Sanchez. Diego proved his ability to compete on a high level with his win over Nick Diaz. Now that he has competed and won with a top notch fighter, it doesn't seem like they would move him down and compete against a lower level fighter. His next opponent needs to be a "name" opponent. Perhaps if the UFC comes to terms with Frank Trigg, this would be a good fight for Diego to try to propell himself to a title shot. Or perhpas Renato Verissimo, which would be quite a test.

The UFC still wants to build up other fighters that appeared on the reality show. The rumor is Koshcheck will fight Jeremy Jackson in January. Spencer Fisher won his fight at the last UFC Fight Night and is rumored to be facing the always tough Aaron Riley in January.

Even after all those fighters, the division still has up and comers like Kenny Florian, Nick Thompson, Joe Stevenson, Luke Cummo, Melvin Guillard, Josh Burkman, and others. These guys need a chance to prove themselves in 2006 and weed out who will eventually compete for a title.

The depth and talent of this division is staggering. 2006 will be a very good year for the UFC Welterweight division and should provide some of the most exciting and highly anticipated fights of the year.

Until next time,
Jason

UFC 56 Thoughts

Wow. A night of major announcements and a few lackluster fights. But overall, an enjoyable night of action. The major happenings were the announcement of Tito Ortiz and Ken Shamrock as coaches for the upcoming third season of The Ultimate Fighter. That should make for some interesting television as the two men who can't stand each other will be forced to interact on a regular basis. Tito has signed a three fight deal with the UFC, and is rumored to be fighting Shamrock, TUF I winner Forrest Griffin, then a shot at the title if those two fights are won.

Also, Frank Mir is back, and will be fighting heavyweight champ Andre Arvlovksi. I wonder if it's wise for Mir to jump straight back into a championship fight without some sort of tune up. I love Mir's abilities but the Pitbull is just on another level from any other heavyweight in the UFC right now. I'm looking forward to it, but if they push Mir straight into the title fight in his first fight back, I don't see things going his way.

Another major announcement was the return of BJ Penn to the UFC. Penn has been gone for quite a while and many new fans may not be familiar with him. Penn is a superior grappler who defeated Matt Hughes for the welterweight title in early 2004 before being stripped of the title because of a contract dispute. Penn adds even more spice to an already loaded welterweight division. With St. Pierre's dismantling of Sean Sherk, he is obviously next in line for a rematch with Hughes. But Penn can't be far down the list.

Aside from all the announcements, there were actually fights on the PPV. Middleweight champion Rich Franklin quickly dispatched of TUF contestant Nate Quarry with an impressive knockout. Many argued that Quarry was pushed into this match too quickly. I think he was a worthy contender, but Franklin is just a monster at 185lbs. It looks like David Loiseau may be next in line for a shot at Franklin. That would be an interesting fight because Franklin has been the superior striker in his last several fights and would most likely have to switch strategies against Loiseau and take the Canadian down to the mat.

The other title fight had to be changed to a non-title match because Joe Riggs didn't make weight. Matt Hughes dispatched of Riggs with a Kimura from the half-guard and now moves on to some major challenges from Georges St. Pierre and BJ Penn.

As I mentioned earlier Georges St. Pierre defeated Sean Sherk by TKO. St. Pierre is at the top of his game right now and is a huge welterweight. He seemed to be the much larger man in the ring with Sherk. While Sherk was defeated by St. Pierre, I still think he is a player in this division. He has many good possible matchups with up and comers like Diego Sanchez, Drew Fickett, Spencer Fisher, and even Frank Trigg if the UFC brings him back.

Jeremy Horn defeated Trevor Prangley by a controversial decision. Prangley was able to take Horn down but wasn't able to do much once on the ground. He did land a few good elbow shots but the judges obviously gave more weight to Horn's active guard and his submission attempts, a couple of which came fairly close. Horn came back into the UFC with much fanfare, but he will need to score an impressive win to build a strong fan following.

Thiago Alves scored an impressive victory over Ansar Chalangov with a TKO from the mount. Chalangov came into this fight with a strong reputation, but you have to wonder if he gets another shot at the UFC after this one. Alves rebounds from a triangle choke loss to Spencer Fisher and will look to climb the ladder in a crowded welterweight division.

TUF I verteran Sam Hoger scored a victory over "The Karate Kid", Jeff Newton. It was interesting for a while with Newton's unorthodox striking style, but eventually Hoger mounted Newton and took his back for a rear naked choke victory. Afterwards Hoger called out Forrest Griffin for a rematch of their fight on The Ultimate Fighter, which Hoger has always claimed was an early stoppage for Griffin.

In a fight that was repeatedly boo'ed for lack of action, Gabriel Gonzaga defeated Kevin Jordan by TKO in the last minute of the third round. After mixing it up early, both fighters seemed to have a serious lack of conditioning that caused the majority of this fight to be a snoozefest. But in the last minute Gonzaga connected on a jumping right hand that send Jordan down to the mat and won the fight for Gonzaga. I would be surprized if we see Jordan again. Gonzaga needs some serious conditioning work, but has potential as a big, strong grappler.

In a fight not shown on the PPV broadcast, Nick Thompson scored a decision victory over Keith Wisniewski. Thompson took Wisniewksi down and pounded him out for the unanimous decision.

Overall, an entertaining night of fights, and a night that set the stage for the coming year in the UFC.

Until next time,
Jason

Welcome

Welcome to my first attempt at a blog. In this blog I am going to share my thoughts on the growing sport of Mixed Martial Arts. Some of you may know the sport as "Ultimate Fighting" or "that fighting stuff". I have been a fan for over ten years now and I feel like the sport gets a bad rap from people who get a bad first impression.

I first became a fan in 1995 as a sophomore in college. I heard some other guys in the dorm talking about it and decided to rent some videos to check it out. I was hooked right away. Some people can't get past the inherent violence of the sport but I don't see it that way at all. I see it as the ultimate test of both athleticisim and preparedness, a unique blend of strategy and physical prowess that appeals to my competitive nature on many levels.

My initial interest had mainly to do with the concept of style versus style. In early mixed martial arts contests, as the name implies, practitioners of different types of martials arts and combat sports competed and it was all about who's style was most effective. Karate versus Kung Fu. Boxing vs. Wrestling. And the style of the family who brought mixed martial arts to the mainstream. Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and it's representative, Royce Gracie. Royce(pronounced Hoyce) was about 6'1" and 170lbs. Yet he was able to defeat opponents much larger than himself using the techniques of this mysterious martial art, which was all about fighting on the ground. A concept that was foreign to me at the time. He would tackle them to the ground and then wrap them up in submission holds, for which they had no defense. Karate guys, boxers, kickboxers, and even Judo guys and wrestlers all eventually fell to the Jiu-Jitsu blackbelt. Even though he was not as good at kicking and punching as these men, he could easily neutralize their advantages and bring the fight to where he was most comfortable, which was the ground.

Modern mixed martial arts fighters have incorporated those techniques into their normal training. Modern fights are much less style versus style and much more athlete versus athlete, but you still have fighters who excell in one thing more than another. So that is where the part of the sport I love the most comes into play. Eliminating the strengths of your opponent and catering to your advantages. If I am a better fighter standing up, I come in with a gameplan to keep the fight standing. If I feel my advantage is ground fighting, I work to bring the fight to the ground. If I feel the opponent has advantages over me in both realms but I feel I am in better shape, I will push the fight and try to tire my opponent out. This game within a game battle of wills and strategy is what draws me to this sport.

I hope this has given everyone an idea of where I am coming from. The main mixed martial arts promotion in the United States is the UFC, the Ultimate Fighting Championships. This weekend, November 19th, UFC 56 takes place. The fight card includes both the Welterweight(170lbs) and Middleweight(185lbs) belts being defending. I am looking forward to ordering the Pay Per View. My next blog will be my review of this event, with a brief recap and my thoughts on the event.

Until next time,
Jason