UFC 107: Penn versus Sanchez

Prodigious Ego Versus Nightmarish Attitude

BJ Penn once believed he was the world’s MMA pound-for-pound best fighter, the reason he went on a rather unsuccessful rampage taking on heavier fighters like current Ultimate Fighting Championship light-heavyweight king Lyoto Machida. Diego Sanchez once believed he was God’s gift to MMA after racking up a 12-0 win-loss record including his TKO win over Kenny Florian in the Ultimate Fighter 1 Middleweight final in 2005.

Ego is no problem with both Penn and Sanchez. Ironically, ego is also their huge problem. A puffed-up opinion of oneself can help someone overachieve, it could also teach one a very valuable albeit costly lesson – you get your ass kicked. It applies to both MMA and real life.

On Sunday, the world (the MMA world, at least) will get to see self-image and self-worth take a beating as Penn and Sanchez take on each other in five rounds for the UFC lightweight belt. Penn will be defending the title

After another embarrassing foray into the higher ranks with his total domination by UFC welterweight champ Georges St. Pierre, Penn gets back to the division where he is most comfortable to try to retain the lightweight title for the fourth time in almost two years.

Sanchez also had his humdrum days, losing twice in a row after a very impressive 17-0 W-L start. Penn is seeking validation and redemption, Sanchez is burdened with only one: validation.

Many don’t see this fight going the full five-round route. Both fiery fighters are fond of early stoppages, but if the first two rounds won’t go either fighter’s way, this could become a war of attrition that will favor Penn’s Brazilian Jiujitsu expertise and experience.

Sanchez has developed a reputation for impatience and great cardio, but don’t let Penn’s pudginess mislead you. The defending champ can go 10 rounds if needed, and he has somehow acquired a passion for training and discipline. He has the edge skills-wise and in athleticism, but Sanchez has a bit of youth on his side.

Betting odds have it -300 for Penn and +220 for Sanchez.

Penn many have a 5 on his L list, Sanchez just a 2. Sanchez, who is younger than Penn, actually has five more fights than Penn, but Penn has fought better fighters in his career, some he has beaten: Matt Hughes, Caol Uno, Takanori Gomi, Renzo Gracie, Jens Pulver, Sean Sherk, the latest being the late-blooming Kenny Florian.

Sanchez has had less distinguished foes, Nick Diaz, Karo Parisyan, Joe Stevenson, and Clay Guida, all who Sanchez defeated only by decision.

Knockout and submission wins are far more impressive than mere decisions. Both Penn and Sanchez may have earned reputations for fierceness (especially Sanchez who brings in a mean look into the Octagon, “a rental,” UFC color commentator Joe Rogan once said) but it is Penn who is more accomplished. Sanchez will need all his attitude and his renowned cardio plus physical skills, of course, to put up a good fight. Penn has been steamrolling the opposition in the lightweight division since his recent reign – his last four victories were either by submission or strikes. One could say that Sanchez is hungrier than Penn, having won no significant title except for the welterweight belt in King of the Cage five years ago.

To risk embarrassment, allow me a fearless forecast: Penn will win by either submission or knockout in less than five rounds, maybe the third. The only way Sanchez can triumph over Penn is to KO the latter early on or stay away from the Hawaiian for five rounds while sniping from outside with jabs and kicks. But it will be out of character for the Hispanic fighter to get on his bicycle. He has parlayed a well-nurtured reputation for aggression into a well-paying MMA career. Too late to stop now.

This is Penn’s fight to lose. On all avenues, Penn has the edge or matches close with Sanchez. Penn is one of the best pound-for-pound fighters (MMA or otherwise) in the last 10 years. He has somehow learned discipline and has gotten serious in his training and set his sights higher. He did go up in weight to take on another pound-for-pound luminary in St. Pierre.

No result is for certain in MMA, more so than in boxing or kickboxing. Penn looks to win, but watch out for Sanchez to pull a surprise.

UFC 104: The Dragon’s Soft Underbelly

Machida retains light-heavyweight title in controversial decision over Rua

Lyoto “The Dragon” Machida keeps his light-heavyweight belt against Mauricio “Shogun” Rua but barely. In five rounds that can either be seen as too close to call so the decision goes to the defending champion, or Dana White has set his mind to make Machida the next rock star of the UFC after Tito Ortiz and Chuck Liddell, so unless Rua knocks Machida out – let the slick Japanese-Brazilian keep his belt.

Lyoto “The Dragon” Machida according to hype (parts of which are true) is “very elusive” and virtually “invincible” that for many MMA observers, it has to take a heavyweight like Brock Lesnar or an RPG to beat him.

As it turned out, all it took was Shogun. And even that was not enough.

“Everybody was expecting him to destroy Shogun like he destroyed Rashad Evans, and he didn’t destroy him,” said Cecil Peoples, one of the three who judged the Machida-Rua fight last Sunday. “It was a close fight. So people think: (Rua) did good. If he did that good, he must have won the fight.”

Machida retained his title with a highly-controversial unanimous decision win over Rua. MMA writers and the Internet fan sites are still smoking over arguments as to whether Rua should have been declared the winner. Those who think so are armed with a plethora of arguments and a colored photo of Machida with split upper lip, cuts on the bridge of his nose, blood sprinkled on his mouth and cheeks, and redness on his left torso.

MMA forensic experts are eager to show video and photographic evidence of Machida’s supposed defeat. There’s only one problem: the cageside judges don’t agree. It’s their opinion that really matters. Fans can howl until Christmas that Rua got robbed and may even drop their contributions in the kitty to help keep Rua solvent until he gets a rematch. The rematch is justified. It was a close match, there were no knockdowns (a knockout of either fighter would have saved us of all this strife) and UFC president Dana White is of the opinion that Rua rightfully should have been declared the winner and more importantly he announced an immediate rematch.

Rua’s loss is not a complete waste. He has made a minor note in MMA history. He is the first losing fighter to move up in the rankings of a pound-for-pound-best list, tying for No.7 in Yahoo! Sports with Miguel Angel Torres, the former WEC Bantamweight champion, himself the loser in his last fight – and he got coldcocked by Brian Bowles, a notch higher above him in the same rankings.

Machida-Rua II should be a doozy. Rua has already found the antidote to the poison of Machida’s MMA-flavored karate. Likewise, Machida has realized that he is not untouchable in the cage. Rua could stick to his fruitful if unsuccessful formula, and Machida will surely tweak his strategy.

Rua did very well attacking Machida’s legs and staying away from Machida’s vaunted left straight punch and Thai-plum-knee combo. Rua was less successful in defending against Machida’s high kicks and multiple punches to the head, but Shogun more than made up for it with his aggression throughout the fight and accurate striking.

It is said that to judge a fight fairly on TV, one must turn off the audio to avoid being prejudiced by the commentators’ commentary. Joe Rogan’s shouts of “oh!” every time Shogun landed a blow on Machida, albeit not that damaging, helped sway TV viewers that Rua was really doing well. Even Mike Goldberg’s “You can just see Shogun looks in better condition, Joe,” helped make the case that Rua performed better than he really did.

Judges Peoples and Marcos Rosales gave rounds one, two and three to Machida, while Nelson “Doc” Hamilton had given rounds two, three and four to Machida. The disparity makes naysayers insist that the judges got it wrong for being unable to agree. Albeit they all gave the fight to Machida on similar scores of 48-47.

Those who disagree with the UFC 104 judges’ decision are not judges themselves. The judges were specifically chosen for their expertise, for their thorough knowledge of the Unified Rules of Mixed Martial Arts. The UFC is big and rich enough to afford professional judges to go along with professional fighters. They all do this for a living. The fighters hurt each other, while the judges see who gets the edge hurt-wise in the exchanges. The judges don’t get hurt that much unless most everybody disagree with them and accuse them of being in the hip pocket of UFC demi-god Dana White. This is not the first time that UFC judges or judges from other organizations have been accused of being manipulated by executives in rigging matches. As long as there will be fights like Machida-Rua I, the voices will not be stilled. Even then, there is no guarantee that a rematch will settle this issue once and for all, even if a knockout will show who the best light-heavyweight MMA fighter in the world is.

UFC 104: The Dragon versus Shogun

Machida’s karate against Rua’s Chute Boxe; this is war

Lyoto Machida had to fight a fellow Brazilian tough guy to prove he is not a boring fighter. Machida totally dominated and knocked out Thiago Silva in the very first round of UFC 94 with punches. Both Machida and Silva were undefeated at the time. It was Machida who gave Silva his first loss in 15 fights. It was Machida’s 14th straight victory.

Tomorrow, Machida will defend his UFC light-heavyweight title for the first time. Machida took the title from another unbeaten fighter, Rashad Evans. It was Machida’s most impressive win in his MMA career. It was a display of aggressive striking against one of the hardest punchers in MMA. Evans didn’t fall without a fight. At least he tried to make a fight of it, standing longer than he had any business staying on his feet while Machida was making his head a speedball.

Another Brazilian is matched up against Machida: Mauricio “Shogun” Rua, who has been inconsistent since jumping from Pride FC to the UFC after the buyout. Rua was once one of the most feared strikers in Pride, winning over such bangers as Quinton “Rampage” Jackson, Alistair Overeem, and Ricardo Arona via knockout. Rua is not a bad grappler himself, submitting compatriot Renato “Babalu” Sobral by rear-naked choke, and the freakishly-strong Kevin Randleman by kneebar.

Rua can fight standing up or on the ground. But then, Machida is just as versatile, maybe even more so. Machida surprised many after he escaped from Tito Ortiz’s clamped-on triangle choke in the final round of their classic UFC 84 match, winning by unanimous decision.

Machida has been on a roll. Rua is just finding his feet. Machida is under pressure to keep his streak alive, while Rua needs to prove that he is still a force to reckon with in the 205-pound division’s top ranks. Rua also has the added pressure of proving that his win over Chuck Liddell in UFC 97 was no fluke, that he simply won over a veteran fighter who was too old and past his prime.

“It is funny and surprising to hear people say I beat an old man to get my title shot because these same people, before that fight, were saying I was going to get killed,” Rua said.

It is funny to think that Rua claims he is not under any pressure at all. “I think maybe that’s because I fight better when I am not under the pressure, and now all the pressure is off of me and on the champion,” he said.

The champion is always under some degree of pressure, but you can never say that the challenger is under less pressure. These are two warriors who make their living hurting other people in an arena. They know they can get hurt seriously or even die. Pressure is always there, no matter how cool they look or claim to be.

I wish I could say that the odds are even in this match-up. They are not. Sportsbook has it -500 for Machida and for +300 Rua. That is a rather accurate reading of this fight.

Speed:
Machida is one of the fastest strikers in MMA in any weight division. That is not to mention his strength. The good thing about Machida’s velocity is that it is not wasted on random quick strikes hoping he gets lucky. He is quick with his hands and with his feet. He only strikes with either punches or kicks when he sees an opening. While Rua is not as quick as Machida. Coming from a muay Thai background, being a Chute Boxe alumnus, Rua is more of an aggressive striker who will rush in with strong strikes with either hands or feet seeking to overwhelm his opponent. That works well with fighters who stand in front of Rua. With a smart opponent like Machida who uses a lot of feet movements for defense and attacks, Rua will have a hard time tagging him.
Advantage: Machida

Power:
You could say both are equally strong. In 15 fights, Machida has had only five knockout wins. In contrast, Rua, has a record of 15 KO wins in 21 bouts. But statistics can be deceptive. Rua’s aggression and reliance on power has earned him such a high knockout rate. Machida is a much more cautious striker. He sticks to his strategy of waiting before pouncing. But his knockout record is enviable. Of the five who suffered KO losses to Machida include such stellar names as Stephan Bonnar, Rich Franklin, Silva, and Evans, Machida’s power has been evident against such formidable opposition.
Advantage: Even

Stamina:
Machida has gone the distance eight times in 15 occasions, reaching the three-round limit nine times overall. He is no stranger to winning by decision. His relative youth, general good health, and splendid training would have allowed him to go two more rounds if needed be. Rua’s staying power, on the other hand, is suspect. Especially in the Mark Coleman fight, he was on the verge of gassing out against a much-older opponent, winning by KO with barely 24 seconds to go in the third and last round. That was a win for Rua, but then again, it was against another of the UFC’s legends, a veteran who had seen better days in the Octagon. Respect for Rua was still not quite unanimous.
Advantage: Machida

Guile:
Hands down, the edge goes to Machida. He is the least-hit fighter in UFC history if not all of MMA. His hybrid karate style, with lots of sidesteps, forward and backward motions that depend on an opponent’s movements have proven so confusing that his foes get frustrated, throwing caution to the wind, abandon their strategy and rush him just to land a blow or try to take him down. But Machida’s arsenal includes a black belt in Brazilian Jiujitsu, a background in both sumo and muay Thai. He is an extremely well-rounded martial artist. But that hasn’t made him overconfident. He will stick to his strategy of waiting out opponents, only committing to strike if he sees a reason to, decreasing the risk of being countered. You try to take down Machida and he will quickly step back, step to the side, or slide in to evade or throw a straight punch, a kick to the head or body, or even a knee (remember the strike to the abdomen that felled Ortiz?). Avoiding being hit while hitting one’s foe in the cage or ring is a very safe (some say boring) methodology. Machida has mastered this technique. You could say that Rua is the almost complete opposite. From Pride to UFC, Rua has fundamentally maintained an attacking style per the Chute Boxe school of fighting. Rua earned the nasty reputation of savaging downed opponents with stomps and diving punches. His foe might lie on the ground on his back, defending with up-kicks and kicks to the legs, but Rua will simply allow his foe to commit and miss then get back at him with a kick of his own or a strike with his fists or elbows. It is highly improbable that Rua will get Machida in this position.
Advantage: Machida

If the last two KO wins by Machida are a measure of how he will fight Rua, UFC 104’s light-heavyweight bout will not last five rounds. Or Machida will revert to his usual ways and stay safe from a distance, sniping at Rua, stretching the match to its full period, and try to eke out a decision. But is seems The Dragon has tasted blood and he likes the taste of copper on tongue. Fight fans hope that Shogun will accommodate The Dragon and it will be a fight to the death – so to speak. May the best man win, and may they still have their complete faculties after the fight is done.

Let’s get it on, indeed.

Quinton goes on a rampage…quits

Jackson leaves MMA for the movies

Quinton “Rampage” Jackson is not the first UFC fighter who smacked down on the organization. Years ago, Jens “Little Evil” Pulver slammed the UFC for not taking into account his loyalty to the organization despite fighting for it exclusively even though he had offers from other MMA groups. Pulver claimed that the highest amount he ever got paid by the UFC was $60,000; and to think that he was once the lightweight champion. In today’s UFC, that amount is a mere bonus for Fight of the Night.

The UFC could justifiably claim to be the savior of mixed martial arts. If Dana White had not convinced the Fertitta brothers to sink millions into buying out the UFC from SEG and developing the organization by taking it to Las Vegas and producing The Ultimate Fighter reality show, MMA would have stayed at best a fringe sport.

MMA fans and investors recognize White and the Fertitta brothers’ role in putting MMA on the international sports map, but the hubris that White has maintained – unfairly criticizing competitors and talking his butt off like he’s the god of the sport – has gained him as much vitriol as credit.

Jackson’s diatribical statement in his official website has blown the lid off White’s hairless pate. Not many have dared talk back to the great White trash talker.

Roger Huerta, another UFC contracted fighter who decided to give the movies a stab, is another victim of White’s machinations. After refusing to extend his contract with the UFC, it is widely believed that Huerta was set up to fight the formidable Gray Maynard. The fact that Huerta lost to Maynard is all the proof some suspicious minds need to confirm their theory that the UFC simply needed to send Huerta out of the organization on a losing note. A risky strategy but if it worked out it would be brilliant. Incidentally, Huerta has also branched out into the movies. He is said to play Matador in the movie version of the video game Tekken.

The loss of Jackson will impact not just the big daddy of MMA federations, but the sport as a whole. Despite or because of his loquacious ways, Jackson was one of the sports best envoys. His amusing patter even though sprinkled with plenty of profanity, was and still makes for good PR. It didn’t harm that Jackson was as strong as two welterweights put together and had the courage of Royce Gracie on steroids. Oops! Bad example. Strength and courage are Jackson’s strong suits.

So, it was ridiculous for White to order the Big Black Rampage to feign intimidation of Machida. The great Brazilian karate expert might be too fast and crafty for Rampage, but you never know what will happen once Jackson has Machida in his grasp. The fight against Evans would have been explosive. Like two silverbacks vying for the amorous attention of a simian supermodel, Jackson and Evans would have torn each other into shreds in the Octagon like two King Kongs in the African jungle. They hated each other, and still do.

White responded to Jackson’s move in atypical manner – he wishes him happy trails instead of mocking him. “He’s acting like a baby,” White said. “He’s acting like a baby right now but he’s a grown man. He wants to be in the movie business? Rampage, good luck to you, man. I hope you make it big — and I’m not being sarcastic because Rampage Jackson is a guy that I do like. But Rampage Jackson is a guy that doesn’t always make the best decisions.”

That doesn’t sound so bad does it? By saying this and if he stands by it without adding anything to put his foot in his big mouth, White will come out smelling like freshly-washed jockstraps.

Jackson does not deny the good things the UFC has done to his MMA career. “The UFC has done a lot for me, but I think I have done more for them,” Jackson admitted. But if he is really leaving MMA for the movies for whatever reason (Rampage as B.A. Baracus in the The A-Team movie is good casting), it’s his decision. If he later on changes his mind, finding Hollywood or independent cinema just as troublesome and painful as MMA, he should find a promoter willing to take him in and arrange for him to fight again.

Randy Couture versus Father Time

If you care for Randy Couture as a person more than as a fighter, you would probably want him to retire from fighting – from mixed martial arts, from wrestling, from boxing, from mere training for a pro fight. Not many 46-year-olds of the earth’s six billion-plus people can do what Couture can (and make hundreds of thousands in the process). But in today’s three-round tussle against ex-Pride heavyweight king and UFC interim champ Antonio Rodrigo “Minotauro,” Couture showed more proof (after the KO loss to Brock Lesnar) that he should just be content to watch UFC bouts ringside instead of being the one watched inside the cage.

The people usually get it right when predicting the outcome of matches, with 77% picking Couture over Nogueira in an online poll. But Nog had other plans, like taking the fight into the ground whenever he could to go for a submission.

Entering the ring with, appropriately enough, the Rolling Stones’ chestnut Gimme Shelter, Nog with his posse in tow including his twin brother Antonio Rogerio “Minotoro” and middleweight king Anderson Silva (making the sign of the cross while Nog was being frisked standing on the Harley Davidson logo before entering the Octagon), Minotauro looks relaxed and ready to rumble.

Couture, wearing an Everlast baseball cap, walks towards the Octagon with his entrance music (a rather obscure tune, since I didn’t recognize it). It would have been perfect if Couture, as opposed to Nog’s Stones song, would have made his entrance to the music of the Beatles' Helter Skelter or Revolution 1 (Couture did revolutionize MMA fighting to a certain degree).

Eleven pounds lighter, an inch shorter, and with four inches of shorter reach, Couture looks smaller than Nog, but he has been here before facing bigger opponents.

Round 1

They keep the fight on their feet in the first minute and 10 seconds, going to the ground only briefly as Couture stands right back up. Nogueira knocks down Couture in 3:01 with punches. Nog goes for an arm-triangle choke, holding it for at least 10 secs, but Captain America amazingly escapes. Couture lands a left uppercut and a right straight. With less than a minute left in the round, they tangle as Couture gets Nog’s back to the fence and they stay there practically doing nothing until the horn sounds to end the round.

In Free-For-All’s card it’s Nogueira 10, Couture 9.

Round 2

At 4:30, Nog catches Couture in a guillotine but Couture struggles loose. Couture takes down Nogueira and finds himself in Nog’s guard. In a wonderfully-executed move, Nog rolls and reverses as Couture defends with a half-guard. Nog gets Couture in a left arm triangle, pulls his left leg for full mount, and punches Couture on the head and ribs. This time, it’s Couture’s turn to perform a great escape as he slips out of the triangle. Couture gets back on his feet as they throw punches at each other, Nog being more accurate. Couture lands two left hooks,
Nog retaliates with a right leg kick before the horn sounds.

Nogueira 10, Couture 9

Round 3

Nog lands good shots on Couture’s head. At 4:25, Nog knocks down Couture again (this time with a beautiful right semi-uppercut) and rains down blows while in Couture’s half-guard. Nogueira pushes Couture to the fence, controlling The Natural with his right arm while striking with his left hand. The referee lets them stay there for some time. At 2:28, Couture gets his right leg on Nog’s shoulder and tries to pull out, but Nog gets Couture’s back and looks to hook
in a choke. Couture tries to pull out from under Nog who is on his back too high unable to do a choke. Couture eventually escapes and reverses, is now on the full guard of Nogueira with a little over a minute left. Nog holds on tight to the back of Couture’s neck. In the last two seconds Nog reverses and mounts Couture but the horn sounds to end the match.

Nogueira 10, Couture 9.

Couture applauds. He could be expressing his approval to both Nog’s performance and his own. They both do deserve to be commend for duking it out unreservedly, going out to win instead of not losing. Nogueira just was too good for Couture today. But lest he entertains notions of challenging Brock Lesnar for the belt, he should not. Couture and Mir tried but were proved wanting. Lesnar needs a challenger who is striker who hits as hard as him and is just as physically imposing. Grapplers are just not good enough to beat Brock.

Surprisingly, one judge scored it 29-28 for Couture, while two had it 30-27 for Nogueira.

UFC 102: Mirror Mirror On The Mat

People get older faster in mixed martial arts than in golf. Even if you have 46-year-old Randy Couture, a former two-division champion, and Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, 33, a former Pride FC heavyweight champ duking it out on Sunday, these two with their 79 years put together are mere tots compared to the geezers in golf’s Seniors tours.

“Captain America” Couture is not only still healthy, he is ageless, immortal. He will be around for Christ’s Second Coming, if he has his way. The comicbook Captain America may be dead but this Captain America can still stop attacks on his person without the aid of an
adamantium-vibranium shield. Nogueira, on the other hand, is almost as indestructible. Run over by a truck at age 11 in Brazil, he spent 11 months in the hospital for an operation and convalescence and ultimately became one of the toughest light-heavyweight/heavyweight MMA warriors on the planet.

Sunday’s UFC 102 main event of Couture versus Nogueira is a sort of battle of the ages, with the Octagon smelling of liniment and smelling salts. There is little concern that any or both will undergo cardiac arrest. What every MMA fan is looking forward to is slam-bang technical action from these two veterans. Couture (16-9) is a great wrestler who has developed decent standup striking (“dirty boxing”) skills, while Nogueira (31-5-1) is a splendid Brazilian Jiujitsuka with fantastic submission moves coupled by just as decent striking abilities. They are almost mirror images of themselves stylistically and physically. Couture at 6-feet-2 inches and Nogueira at 6-3 are giants of the MMA game. Aging giants but still imposing. Their three-round tussle should be a doozy.

Let’s see how they match up.

Speed:
Neither Couture nor Nogueira is Speedy Gonzalez. None of them will overwhelm their opponents or each other by being seen as blurs. They are more of the wear-you-down types. Couture with his excellent wrestling and dirty boxing, Nogueira with his out-of-this-world jiujitsu and decent boxing. In a sense, they are mirror selves, reflecting on each other their speed or lack of it.
Advantage: Even

Power:
One would think that Couture with his bulkier look would be stronger. He had no problems taking down the likes of Tito Ortiz, Chuck Liddell, and Tim Sylvia. If he gets his paws on Nogueira, Minotauro will go down. But then, that’s exactly where Nog wants Couture to be – in his world. A BJJ black belt of Nog’s caliber should have in his arsenal a strong takedown or slam. Likewise, if Nog gets the edge position-wise, he should be able to take Couture down to the ground quickly.
Advantage: Even

Stamina:
Couture’s work ethic and conditioning are legendary. He wouldn’t have made it this far in time and stay competitive if he didn’t keep himself constantly in fighting trim. You could probably give him a week’s notice to fight any of the top 10 heavyweights in the world and he wouldn’t bat an eye agreeing. Nog, on the other hand, looks road-torn and weather-beaten more than Couture. They have both been in battles to cripple lesser fighters. It is a testament to their strong stock and discipline that they are still around fighting. But let is give the edge to Couture in this category, just a little.
Advantage: Couture

Smarts:
Couture was a world-class Greco-Roman wrestler before he made the switch to the much more demanding MMA field. He transformed himself from a man used to taking the fight to the ground to being able to stay on his feet striking with his fists. He is not exactly a well-rounded fighter (did you ever see Couture knock out an opponent with a kick?) but his three quarters of warrior skills is better than most fighters’ all-around game. Like Madonna, Couture reinvented himself and still surprises many. And he is not known as "The Natural" for nothing. While Nogueira, being a native Brazilian, trained himself (at least by being aware mentally) to fight in all categories. He focused on judo as a child, and added boxing to his repertoire, before concentrating in Brazilian Jiujitsu. He eventually earned black belts in judo and BJJ at 23. Nog knew how to fight and knew how to fight in many modes. This widened his martial horizons early on. Couture didn’t see the necessity to train in other avenues of fighting until his 30s. But considering the results for both fighters, Couture has overachieved – hence smarter.
Advantage: Couture

Winning two out of four categories on paper, Couture is set to win their fight. But as we don’t tire of saying: in MMA, on paper is not worth the spit it is written on.

Other bouts of note, for Filipino fans at least, are the Brandon Vera-
Krzysztof Soszynski light-heavy and Mark Muñoz-Nick Catone middleweight match-ups. Vera and Muñoz are both Filipino-Americans, both are trying to pick up speed after experiencing road bumps. Should they lose tomorrow, the UFC won’t have much reason to look beyond their present contracts. It is drop-your-opponents or your contract gets dropped.

In Soszynski, Vera will have not only a heavy-handed striker but also a ground fighter adept at submissions. Vera is a wrestler with modest skills and outstanding kickboxing talent. He will have to avoid being grabbed or taken to the ground. A clinch will be like a kiss of death to Vera. Keeping the fight a stand-up tussle will be to Vera’s advantage despite Soszynski’s power. Vera is quicker and more mobile. He can pick Soszynski apart as long as he doesn’t get tagged early on by one of the latter’s KO punches. Vera will have a very dangerous time figuring out Soszynski.

Muñoz (5-1) is a former NCAA Division I national champion wrestler. Catone (7-1) is not as accomplished as Muñoz in his college wrestling career, but he had achieved in the national level. Muñoz, with the moniker “The Philippine Wrecking Machine,” is a strong puncher – if he hits his foe. In his UFC 96, Muñoz earned his title in a reverse manner, by being wrecked by Matt Hamill with a head kick in the first round for a KO loss – the first of his pro MMA career. Muñoz dropped down 20 pounds for tomorrow’s fight. We will find out if it’s the right thing to do. Muñoz has three TKO victories, same as Catone, in keeping with the doppelganger theme of UFC 102. But Catone has more balanced skills judging by his three submission wins. On this we can conjecture that the only way for Muñoz to win is by making sure that he stays on his feet.

UFC 100: A Centennial of Striking, Grappling, and Grounding and Pounding

Dan Henderson over Michael Bisping, Georges St. Pierre over Thiago Alves, and Frank Mir over Brock Lesnar.

It’s a wish list not prophecy.

Only the divinely-inspired are infallible but that won’t stop anyone from predicting the outcome of anything. The hype leading to the Ultimate Fighting Championship has been as relentless as Wanderlei Silva stalking Kazushi Sakuraba and as Dana White insisting that Anderson Silva is the world’s pound-for-pound best MMA fighter. There have been press conferences, a weigh-in, a top 100 UFC fights series, match-up predictions – lots of MMA on the buffet table – that you just get the urge to come up with your own crystal-ball gazing.

Free-For-All’s 10 cents’ worth comes from a fan’s perspective more than from a fight analyst’s point of view.

I am biased towards Henderson for his pug and pit-bull approach to fighting. He will try to knock you out as quickly as he can. If he has to use his formidable wrestling skills to do it, he will. But Henderson relies more on his striking than his wrestling, no doubt about that.

I also like St. Pierre’s workmanlike attitude and careful strategic preparation for a fight. He will study his opponent and set a plan on how to devastate his foe. His athletic abilities would not matter if his mental approach to the fight game were not at par.

I am a sucker for underdog. Mir is smaller and less powerful than Lesnar. More people believe Mir will lose to Lesnar. Mir was gone from MMA for about a year and a half after breaking his knee in a motorcycle accident. He fought again but lost two of his first three comeback fights. He did not quit and won all of his next three fights including a kneebar submission victory over Lesnar and a stunning win by strikes over legendary Brazilian jiujitsu black belt Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira.

Mir’s rise from the ashes of his terrible accident and discouraging early comeback defeats is inspirational. He was known for his world-class grappling and submissions but has added a standup game to his arsenal.

After the bells and whistles, Free-For-All’s look into the future less than 12 hours from now:
Henderson will win via knockout in Round 2; GSP by submission in three; and Mir by submission in two.

Don’t bet on it.

UFC 98: Enter The Dragon Machida

Lyoto Machida overwhelms Rashad Evans

In one of the most stunning and exciting outcomes in UFC history, the light-heavyweight belt changed hands in just two rounds of a masterful display by the challenger. It wasn’t exactly unexpected as the online voting had something like 63% of the fans of the opinion that Machida would win it against 37% for Evans.

Round 1 seemed to confirm people’s belief as in the last minute Machida kicked Evans to the right side of the body and followed up with a straight left punch to the face, knocking down the defending champion. Evans did get up and survived the first round.

Besides Machida’s left kick to the body of Evans at 2:00, practically nothing happened in the first three minutes, as both fighters were still probing, waiting for each other to make the first significant attack and counter – which is a big part of both fighters’ styles.

At 3:03, Machida struck with a left roundhouse kick to the head of Evans, then Evans came back but missed with left overhand right.
At 1:21, Machida let go of a quick left straight punch and right straight that didn’t do any damage.

Round 1 obviously went Machida’s way.

In Round 2, both fighters again took some time to warm up. In 3:30, there was an exchange of punches but not many landed. At 2:22, Machida missed with a right frontal kick to the body. At 2:13, a left roundhouse kick to the body by Evans missed. But then, with 1:28 left in the fateful round, a hook to the jaw of Evans started it all. Evans crumpled. Machida got side mount and let go of several right straights to the head of Evans. Evans struggled to get back on his feet and got as far as the Octagon fence where Machida kept abusing him with punches to the head. A right hook to the jaw and a left to the other side knocked Evans senseless, falling on his back like a limp rag doll.

If Evans had not fallen properly, there would have been a repeat of the terrible accident that broke Mirko Filipovic’s ankle in UFC 70 when he fell after receiving a right roundhouse kick to the head by Gabriel Gonzaga.

The Lyoto Machida legend has been cemented. He had earned the reputation of being the most elusive fighter ever in mixed martial arts. Translation: Hard to hit. Very hard to hit. He has a knack of dealing so much pain while remaining unscathed. Ironically, that also earned him a lot of skeptics and naysayers had a field day sniping at him. They accused him of being afraid to engage in an offensive attack. Until yesterday, that is.

Well, Machida’s destruction of Thiago Silva (in one round) and Evans (in two) in succession should cancel out that criticism. Elusiveness equals good defense. And it makes a lot of sense. Why should you get hit in the process of hitting someone? MMA is not Christian charity. It is a black eye for a black eye, a broken tooth for a broken tooth. But if you can avoid getting hurt while beating up on someone, why not take that blessing?

Machida is a very quick and powerful striker. His martial-art base being karate, he is a natural striker. Add to his arsenal a black belt in Brazilian jiujitsu, sumo and muay Thai training, and maybe also in other arts, make him one well-rounded mugger.

Indeed, and if he stays elusive as an eel with the sting of a stingray, it will be sometime before he gives up the UFC lightheavyweight championship belt.