I never thought...

Before teaching kindergarten in Korea I never thought I would…

… break up fights over crayons on a weekly basis.

… walk down a hallway leading children in a parade of monkey imitations.

… have to say “its not called a peanut and don’t talk about that to me anyway.”

… day dream from time to time about punching a child. (Look, if you have ever worked with children or been around them for any significant amount of time and you say you have NOT thought about how good it would feel to hit a kid as hard as you can from time to time you are a dirty liar.)

… eat so much squid jerky.

… have to have serious conversations with other adults about stickers, laminated flip-cards, and rejecting gifts from children.

… have to work so hard and lie so much on reviews to spare the feelings of supposed adults who can apparently not take any (not just severe, but ANY) criticism of their children.

… receive teaching suggestions from parents who have never been in my classroom or have any experience in education.

… enjoy rice wine so much.

… read so many nonsense slogans on t-shirts, store signs, and advertisements.

… spend so much time looking for public trashcans. (Seriously there are lik12 in this whole country.)

… make up so many ridiculous lies like: my grandfather is Santa Clause, you will have to make lunch with the lunch ladies if you aren’t good in class, or I am friends with Spider Man.

… wait in so many lines for the bus just too seem people crowd around the door when it is time to board.

There are many more of these to come. I will try to jot down notes when I think of them.

The "Fall" of Fedor

I closed my last blog with what now seems like a prophecy delivered with an ironic tongue. The lose of Fedor deserves a great deal of attention in the MMA universe, attention it has certainly inspired. In my little corner of that universe I would like to keep it short and to the point.

Fedor has laid down a legacy that may not be touched in our lifetime. His lose does little or nothing to damage that legacy as all of the greats fall if they are truly pushing themselves. Werdum is a very game Heavyweight and there is no shame in losing to him. However, to be honest, the fight itself is small when compared with the backdrop to which it is set. With all due respect to the top-level performance from Werdum and his history making win that night, his career will likely be remembered for his role in Fedor’s story. Many people claim that this exposes Fedor and to that I agree. This exposed Fedor as a man that makes mistakes, something we once believe he was probably not really capable of.

When the dust settled on Fedor’s defeat I was sad, sad because the myth of Fedor had changed directions. It is no longer that of some mysterious God, but that of a great man. I am not sure which is better for the sport but the change brought about sadness all the same. Many have taken this as a prime opportunity to take shots at the man and his legacy but it is to that legacy that every MMA fan owes a debt of gratitude. That legacy has helped build and maintain the sport internationally. That legacy has fueled hype, debate, and endless speculation for a booming sport in its fastest growing period. Fedor means more to MMA than his record. Here s to hoping MMA remembers that as he proves himself a mortal man.

The New Breed

MMA as a sport is still relatively young, like baby young if you really think about it. It is still a sport that can be infiltrated and conquered to some degree by a college wrestler who has spent the majority of his professional life as a pro wrestler. That is not to say that pro wrestlers are not legitimate athletes or that Brock Lesnar is not a solid Mixed Martial Artists. In fact my opinion on both matters is quite to the contrary. My point is this; Lesnar wasn’t able to break into the NFL, not even on the lowest levels of a practice squad. His wrestling translates better to MMA but as a sport, no one should be able to train the intricacies of what is suppose to be a somewhat complex system of fighting and become the champion of the biggest organization in just 4 years. I am not here to bash Brock though. Quite the opposite, Brock Lesnar is an amazing athlete that is bringing something new to MMA; he is changing the game. However as the sport develops and evolves thanks to additions such as Lesnar, a more refined fighter is going to emerge as the standard.

What will the future of Mixed Martial Arts look like. It will probably be as diverse as the present, but the overall dynamic will be different. Rory MacDonald seems to be one fighter coming to the fore that could give us some insight into the future. At only 20 years old, MacDonald is showing a well-rounded arsenal of skills and top-level athleticism to boot. He sports an 11-1 record and has already made his way onto UFC main cards. At his age, he has been brought up on MMA like few of his peers in the UFC. By the time he is 27 he could have 7 years of big fight experience behind him, training at the top camps at the top levels. Hell, he already trains with GSP from time to time. Now imagine how things are going to look in another 5 years, another 10 years. Imagine what it will look like when dads have been raising their sons or daughters since they could walk to be mixed martial artists. Of course there is a terrible way we could all imagine that going horribly wrong but that is not my intention to go in that direction. What is going to happen when MMA is no longer a sport for fighters of different backgrounds to integrate other style into theirs and see who becomes the victor, but a sport of fighters who have trained virtually everything from a young age, who’s natural inclinations toward one area or physical gifts in one art dictate specialties but all areas are areas of proficiency? Well-rounded super athletes like GSP might be prototypes that get blown out of the water. Blue Chips like MacDonald might be considered pioneers of a new epoch. Former outsiders like Lesnar may never get a chance to break in.

Yes, MMA is still young. We are still building our myths and our legends. We are still trying to figure out our judging system and our weight classes. MMA is still trying to decide what a “real” MMA fighter looks like. It is my belief that as the sport continues to grow and be legitimized in mainstream sports culture more well rounded, naturally gifted athletes will emerge that would have otherwise started dedicating themselves to football or basketball. As natural athletic gifts get molded into fight tools from an early age (ideally though highly structured practice in a number of different martial arts by trained professionals) the overall quality of the fighter pool will increase. As that overall quality increases so will the quality of the top mixed martial artists in the world. Today we see some of the greatest fighters to ever walk the earth but it is my belief that they are early stages in the evolution of professional fighters. In a sport that has enjoyed unparalleled growth over the last 5-7 years there is no doubt that the best our sport has to offer could just be right around the corner.

Strikeforce Fedor vs Werdum Preview

The time is upon us again! Get out the red carpet, put on your city clothes, and do your hair up like the movie stars. Fedor Emelianenko is back in the cage and this is no circus fight. The Last Eporer will continue his streak of fighting legitimate heavyweights as he takes on former UFC fast riser Fabricio Werdum. As Strikeforce continues to set up the collision course between Overeem and Emelianenko they also feature the first Women’s Champion in American MMA and try a do over for Cung Le vs Scott Smith.

First thing’s first though, Josh Thomson is back in a Strikeforce cage and looking to make his way back to a title fight. Across the cage stands the epitome of a journeyman sporting a mediocre record in MMA. Pat Healy has a ton of experience in the sport but his selection for this fight is clearly based on the fact that he will likely provide Thomson a rebound. I expect Healy to be game as I have come to usually expect when someone is set up for defeat but Thomson should be on his way to a rubber match with the Strikeforce LW Champion using his superior athleticism and technique.

Thomson and Melendez might not be the only rubber match set up on June 26. Strikeforce is going to try their plan of having Cung Le notch a flashy win over Scott Smith one more time as they give Le the immediate rematch with the man who ruined his return party. Fort anyone who missed Schott Smith v Chung Le the first time around, it is a must watch. Smith’s come from behind KO of Le is one for the record books shocking, casual fans to pundits and youtube watchers to attendees. Obviously SF was looking for Le to get the win in their initial match and in turn it should be no surprise that they have set up the rematch. In fairness the first bout was such that a second go makes sense; one man dominated and the other man won. Even if Smith loses this one, fans should demand a rubber match. If you are going to make Smith fight a man he already beat let him get as much acclaim and big match press for it as possible, even in defeat. Turn this into a trilogy lets see if they can make it epic. That all said, Le should have better luck this time around and will likely have learned his conditioning lesson. He can’t teach his chin to take a Schott Smith punch though and that is why Smith is always in this fight.

Cristiane “Cyborg” Santos is in all seriousness one of the top pound for pound fighters in the world today. Her dominance of the 145 pound women’s division thus far has been as impressive as anyone at this point and there is no end in sight. Sure she lacks the competition that male divisions have at this point in their maturation, but that doesn’t account for the fact that she looks to be about 3 or 4 levels above her closest peers. Strikeforce seems to be grasping at straws to find her challengers as they bring in Jan Finney, and 8-7 fighter that often fights a weight class lower than the dominant champion. Finney is on a four fight win streak, her most recent coming against previously 17-3 fighter Adrienna Jenkins. Unfortunately two of her other opponents only have one fight on their pro record (against Finney) and the third has a sub .500 resume. Cyborg should not take the veteran lightly but I tend to expect more of the same brutality we have seen from the champion in the past. Santos is just too fast and too sharp for her peers. MMA might be witnessing the development of a legendary champion. Each fight will either build her legacy or prove a monumental upset.

Speaking of the development of a legacy, Fedor has gone well beyond that and I constructing a full blown mythology around himself. Every fight with Fedor is either another brick in his monument or the emperor finally falling. Each opponent of Fedor since he returned to serious Heavyweight competition against Tim Sylvia has presented unique challenges and each was dealt with accordingly. At the risk of sounding like a broken record I have to maintain that this challenge is quite serious and quite dangerous. Werdum is well rounded and threatening both on his feet and on the ground. While he faltered against fast rising Junior Dos Santos, he has otherwise shown crisp boxing with a propensity to finish and very slick ground-work, particularly with regards to sweeps and control. If Fedor underestimates Werdum for one second he could find himself in a world of trouble. Werdum is not flashy, he is not the big name nor doe he have the look of a killer; however, I tend to count this a more serious threat than Sylvia, Arlovski, or Rogers for Fedor at this point. I do however expect Fedor to use his scary power on the feet to keep Werdum honest. Emelianenko is a master of timing and he can put Werdum down at any moment. On the ground Fedor is harder than your average HW to keep down. His hip work is second to none and once on top his ground and pound is brutal. I would be a bit surprised if he were able to catch Werdum in a submission but he should be able to sweep him into good positions. I don’t expect to be writing about the fall of an emperor on Sunday but anything is possible in this crazy sport. Hype aside, I never pass up the opportunity to watch The Last Emperor fight.

Changing The Game... Again: Wrestling in MMA

MMA has become a conglomerate of Martial Arts forms that can in many ways be considered a form unto itself. If you want success in MMA you need to be familiar with Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, wrestling, Mui Tai, Kickboxing, and Boxing in the least. Most fighters also demonstrate a familiarity with other forms such as Judo, Tae Kwon Do, Karate, Sambo or any number of others. More often than not it is difficult to tell where one traditional style ends and the other begins in a fighter’s repertoire. The days of determining which style is superior are long over. We no longer see pure Jiu-Jitsu practitioners versus pure kickboxers. When one fighter brings a style to the fore it begins to seep into the collective of MMA fight conscious, varying its influence between fighter types, weight classes, and organizations. The most recent example is of course the rising influence of Karate as a result of Lyoto Machida’s meteoric rise in the UFC. It is still how Karate will position itself in the larger MMA landscape but it influence seems an almost certainty in the years to come as more Karate schools are opening up and Karate teachers are in higher demand.

One style is currently changing the game more than any other, but not as a generally new addition to the MMA fighting lexicon. There is something of a second wrestling revolution going on in MMA, new fighters bringing a new level of wrestling that the MMA world is just going to have to adjust to. This new push is coming at virtually every level in the game. The first and most visible manifestation is headed up by the two men who will meet at UFC 116 for the heavyweight title, Brock Lesnar and Shane Carwin. Lesnar and Carwin have pushed the division around as of late, making it look easy to hold a guy in place and punch his face off. The brute size and strength at this level of wrestler is giving fits to the UFC’s big boys and is going to force the division to figure out new ways of dealing with this kind of wrestling. Georges St. Pierre brings a different wrestling to the table, one predicated upon speed and world class athleticism. GSP was not raised a high level wrestler but many would argue that he has the best wrestling in the sport today, forcing anyone thinking of competing against the WW division to address thi part of GSP’s game if they want to be the best. Then we come to Rashad Evans, wrestling’s prodigal son. Rashad Evans likened himself a striker until he lost his belt in somewhat spectacular fashion. His road back to the title has featured his wrestling pedigree in a whole new way. The jury is very much out on weather the new Rashad will win any new fans but there is no doubt that wrestling suits Mr. Evans very very well, yielding him one sided victories against Thiago Silva and Rampage Jackson. His victories are not unlike what we saw from Strikeforce champion King Mo as he took the title from then top 5 LHW Gegard Mousasi. King Mo and Suga’ are showing their division just how dangerous big athletic wrestlers can be. Finally, lest we forget, the west coast dynamic duo of Jake Shields and Gilbert Melendez, who recently outwrestled two of MMA’s all time greats in Dan Henderson and Shinya Aoki respectively. Melendez further demonstrated what relentless athletic wrestlers can do in the current MMA and landscape while Shields followed GSP’s lead in incorporating wrestling into his style heavily influenced by other martial arts and his superior athleticism.

It is easy to miss the forest for the trees though. Each case can be easily isolated or countered in light of some case of a top-level striker changing the game. No aspect of MMA is stagnant; everything is always evolving and moving. The point is more about how wrestlers are in a position to make people adjust to them. Every aforementioned fighter is either a champion or in line for a title shot. Wrestlers or fighters heavily influenced by wrestling hold 6 of the 10 major belts in the UFC and Strikeforce, 7 if you count Carwin’s interim title. This represents a full-blown surge in the sport. Fighters must reckon with a new kind of wrestler, one with a better pedigree, who is more athletic, and utilize wrestling in light of other styles effectively. Expect takedown defense to improve over the next few years. Expect new striking techniques that punish shots quickly to creep into MMA as fighters get more creative with how they solve with tpuzzle of wrestling. Personally I expect styles like Sumo, Sambo, and Judo to become more influential as fighters determine how to best use leverage in the clinch and on the ground to deal with some of the problems this new surge of wrestling has been causing. No matter how you cut it, the sport evolves. What it means to be an MMA fighter evolves right along with it. Wrestling is pushing that evolution again and as fighters and coaches deal with the ramifications we can expect a more finely tuned elite sport to emerge out the other end.

UFC 115 The Aftermath

The 115^th UFC namesake event was one of those great cases in MMA that shined much brighter in practice than on paper. Recall in my last blog when I said that virtually every main card fight could be a show stealing fight of the night. As it turns out I was just about spot on.

Lets all get reacquainted with Martin Kampmann and fast. For a kick boxer, this guy has some serious ground skills. He was able to nullify Paulo Thiago and scrap out a convincing win. I have said before that my biggest concern with this young man is his consistency. In this fight we saw that he could fight his fight against a well-rounded, highly skilled fighter for three full rounds. That deserves a nod up the ranks if you ask me. The big boys of Yvel and Rothwell gave us three full rounds as well. Some fans are blowing this match off as two out of shape fighters flailing at and laying on each other. I thought it was two big boys who were scrapping it out and giving it hell. Sure Rothwell could have possibly been more aggressive going for the kill but I am not a fighter so I digress. Hats off to matchmaking for putting two evenly matched fighters in the cage.

You can’t ask for much more from a fight than three full rounds of action and a last second, legitimized stop. Rory MacDonald and Carlos Condit brought their A games to open the show. MacDonald seemed to be living up to the hype until round three when Condit again showed he is 250 pounds of resilience in a 170 pound bag. Condit finally looked like he might live up to his nickname in the closing seconds of the fight, throwing everything he had into finishing his blue-chip opponent. However Rory MacDonald wasn’t the only rising star to fall in the final seconds of a fight. Mirko Cro Cop came out looking like a new man, finishing the impressive Pat Berry before the bell. I am not saying Cro Cop is back, but this is infinitely more impressive than virtually anything we have seen from the kick boxer since arriving in the UFC. I say that because I believe in the skills of Berry and therefore must believe in the performance of Cro Cop. Without getting ones hopes too high, lets cross our fingers that this is a sign of things to come from a man once the most feared striker in MMA.

Despite the busy under card one story rightfully emerged from UFC 115 as the most significant, the story of the main event. It might have been the shortest fight of the main card but it was full of storylines and interest. Rich Franklin put an exclamation point on his announcement that he has entered the ranks of light-heavyweight, not only beating the legendary Chuck Liddell but putting him out convincingly while suffering a broken arm. Just as emphatic as Franklin enters the division, Liddell bows out, now dropping 5 of his last 6 fights, 4 by KO. Liddell has left a legacy that will never be forgotten but I think it is safe to say that now is the time step away from the game gracefully. One last throw-down with Tito Ortiz will be dreadfully tempting for the Iceman and could be the perfect send off, but Liddell and his fans should ponder if it is worth the chance that Ortiz could get bragging rights for the rest of his days. Liddell looked sharp in the round with Franklin, leading some to whole-heartedly endorse his return, but his best days are behind him. The new, healthy lifestyle Liddell can be a priceless ambassador for the sport. Better that than test how many KOs it takes to tarnish a legacy.

UFC 115 Preview

MMA has no off-season. More often than not these days the gaps between major events just feature a less impressive card than normal, thus is the current existence of the sport. At the risk of making an overdone statement here, this is one of those brief times, times where even though the UFC is putting up a PPV with big name headliners we can almost take a breath and let ourselves absorbed what has recently come top pass. Cards like UFC 115 don’t get loyal MMA fans as excited as some other billings but they are necessary. There is an art to this kind of card and the UFC has perfected it.

The most intriguing thing about these shows, the ones that don’t feature title bouts or top contenders, is that they try to bring something to the table for everyone. MMA loyalists tend to balk at the shows a bit but find themselves more than a little taken by some of the fights. Casual MMA fan are usually drawn by a few names, regardless of their recent success or lack there of. Diehard MMA fans will find great interest in this card through Carlos Condits continued struggle to gain momentum in the UFC against huge prospect Rory MacDonald, Rothwell vs Yvel, Kampmann v Thiago, and Pat Barry’s stiffest striking test to date. The less dedicated fans will see the names Chuck Liddell, Rich Franklin and Mirko Cro Cop, perking up a bit for the amount of name recognition the card features.

Big things were expected of Carlos Condit upon his move from the WEC to UFC but Condit has been a bit slow getting off the ground. Unbeaten Rory MacDonald should not provide the clear skies and runway he might be looking for either. Condit is an extremely well-rounded fighter many have seen him come of age a bit since his earliest days in the WEC, but some have crowned MacDonald as the next big thing. Both men will be looking to scrap this out and impress, I expect nothing short of a fight of the night candidate here with lots of work on the feet and the ground. Speaking of the ground, don’t expect Ben Rothwell and Gilbert Yvel make it down there. These two big men are in desperate need of a win in the UFC as both saw their UFC debuts come against rising superstars of the division. This could be anything from a heavyweight slugfest if both guys come prepared and motivated to a quick and much needed finish for one fighter. Martin Kampmann and Paulo Thiago may not be looking for a win in quite the same way but both fighters are very much looking to move in the direction of some UFC gold. Unfortunately both men have found it hard to string together wins in the right way. As a Kampmann fan and a recent convert to a Thiago believer I am confident that this fight could deliver in a big way come UFC 115.

Mirko Cro Cop is one of the most recognizable international faces in the sport of MMA today. He built his legacy around stunning knockouts and a stoic demeanor. Few heavyweights have inspired so much fear in their opponents over the years. Unfortunately it has been quite some time since we have seen that Cro Cop. Like with all fighters who have found themselves in a slump, the party line involves a refreshed, focused, and injury free comeback, but I will wait for June 12^th before I start penciling Cro Cop in as a top contender. If he doesn’t come prepared for this fight he might end up getting put down. Patrick Barry is a very game striker and this is his big chance, time to shine. A win here puts him in competition with the top names in the division. Neither man will need to worry much about submissions so both should be able to let it fly. This is another fight that could turn into a crowd pleaser.

This main event is likely what should have always been on the books. I didn’t know too many people, no matter their level of interest in the sport, that were really eager to see Chuck Liddell and Tito Ortiz fight for a third time, considering the outcome of their first two fights. TUF 11 had done a fair job of hyping the fight and stirring up some interest, but it didn’t really convince anyone that the result would be dramatically different. Rich Franklin filling in for the injured Ortiz however changes the game completely. Franklin has been stuck between divisions and playing gate-keeper for far too long. Franklin deserves a chance to break into the LHW division and a headlining bout against the hall of famer does just that. “Ace” could cause Liddell a lot of problems both fighters continue their recent form, save Franklin’s performance against Belfort. He has looked sharp and disciplined with his game-plans while Liddell has looked a bit exposed and slower. This fight is important not because it will make an immediate impact on the title picture but because it brings two great fighters together in what at one time could have been an all time dream match-up. UFC 115 has a lot to offer and virtually every fight on the main card has the potential to be an exciting show-stealer and that includes the main event. It is time to see where Franklin stands at 205 and see how much the legendary Iceman has in the tank. One of these two men will be going home highly disappointed and the other will breathe new life into their career. If that isn’t something to tune in for, I don’t know what is.

UFC 114 The Aftermath

As the curtain fell on UFC 114 MMA fans seemed conflicted. Rashad Evans’ fans couldn’t get the grin off their faces. Rampage diehards couldn’t shake the scowl. Many were angry that the fight went the distance and lacked the fireworks that the buildup featured. Some people criticized Jackson for not having his heart in it and others criticized Rashad for adopting a boring style for the fight. No matter what lens you look through, the fight Rashad Evans has come out the victor and likely next contender for the Light-Heavyweight Title.

The accusation that Rampage came in out of shape or undedicated does deserve a second look though. I saw a different problem with Jackson, confidence. Rampage believes in himself like no one else in front of the camera, but the idea of losing angers and scares Jackson so much that it debilitates him in fights. Jackson lacked aggression, the willingness to engage and risk the takedown or the big hook against Evans. Rashad for the most part was not able to take Jackson down but he was able to control him and stay close, putting the pressure on Jackson to go out and win the fight, something he seemed unwilling to do. The only sign of ring-rust I saw was a slight lack of quickness in his hands, a sharpness issues more than anything else and something attributable to time off or apprehension to engage more than a lack of dedication. There is only one person who really knows if Rampage was not 100% and that is the man that is ultimately in control of fixing the problem. Like most main events, everyone had their two cents to throw in but as the tides of MMA flow these issues too will pass, but all eyes will be on Rampage Jackson’s move and he has a lot to prove if MMA is going to continue to be part of his life.

What often gets lost after a large MMA card has finished is the under-card. This blog featured a discussion of UFC 114’s emphasis on big opportunities for favorites and underdogs alike. The focus of this card should be these opportunities and how they were capitalized upon, as few cards have features so many underdogs making an impact on their night to shine. Jason Brilz looked like a top tier LHW as he outworked Little Nog for 15 minutes. The razor thin decision went the other way but Brilz sure looked like a winner and a class act to boot once the fight was complete. Todd Duffee may have looked impressive for the better part of three rounds but it only took Mike Russow one punch to prove you can’t sleep on him. Duffee thought he was invincible by the end of that fight and he got knocked right back down to earth in dazzling fashion. John Hathaway made a cut and dry statement that he had arrived in the Welterweight division, soundly defeating an undersized Diego Sanchez. Sanchez needs to drop right back down to 155 and take a little time to regain his swagger and Hathaway is ready to make a push in a crowded division. Dong Hyun Kim was always the favorite in my eyes (and I was a bit confused by his underdog status to some) but he make good on my prediction by controlling his fight with Amir Sadollah, perhaps earning him move up the ladder. Finally, Cyrille Diabate taught the world that maybe Luiz Cane wasn’t quite where many, myself included, thought he was. Cyrille used his golden opportunity well and will now take a crack at making himself a player at 205 lbs.

No matter how you cut it, the feud is over and probably for good. UFC was a big night for a lot of fighters. It could have come off a boring predictable night but enough underdogs brought their best and made their statements, a relief on a night that didn’t deliver with dramatic headliners.