Being a breakout star has as much to do with the future as it does with the past; they don’t just succeed, but set themselves up for even greater triumph to come. Take Jon Jone’s in his breakout year (2010) for example. It was truly impressive but it paled in comparison to his 2011 accomplishments. The UFC finds itself in a similar position. They debut on FOX but the primetime contract is crucial to the sport’s growth. They returned to Brazil and are now positioned for multiple, larger shows and a Brazilian TUF season. In 2011 a Japanese show was just a bold Dana White promise; in 2012 it will be reality. Buying Strikefrorce was big but 2012 will see most of its biggest stars under the UFC banner. Love it or hate it the future of the sport lies in the UFC’s success/failure and with 2011 being a breakout year the future is bright.
Monday, December 26, 2011
Breakout Star of the Year 2011: The UFC!
Thursday, December 22, 2011
Why You Should Watch UFC 141 - The Main Card
Jim Hettes vs Nam Phan
Nam Phan (pictured) is emerging as one of the more promising TUF alum over the past few seasons. The UFC has decided, rightfully I think, to forgo a third fight with Leonard Garcia in favor of allowing Phan to prove his worth against highly touted newcomer Jim Hettes. Hettes is a Gracie BJJ student who is 9-0 as a professional. Plenty of fighters come into the UFC with impressive records, accumulating those impressive numbers against much lesser competition but what is most striking about Hettes is the way in which he manages to win. All nine of his wins have come via submission in the first two rounds. Phan will be a big step up in competition though and should prove hard to get a hold of. If fan is to win he will need to prove he is continuing to develop his footwork and grappling prowess, both standing and on the ground. The winner stands to gain substantial footing in the 145 pound division, one that is looking for contenders to emerge into the top 10.
Alexander Gustafsson (#10 LHW) vs Vladimir Matyushenko
Showcase fight alert ladies and gentleman – showcase fight alert. Alexander Gustafsson has been one of the more impressive fighters climbing the ranks of the light-heavyweight division over the past year and a half. The MMA world is expecting big things from him moving forward and he has been given a very precarious showcase fight. In other words, Matyushenko is just the kind of fighter that Gustafsson matches up well against and should be able to find success against, but he is also the kind of fighter that can ruin your night if you take him lightly. Maty has strong wrestling and the potential to end the fight with heavy hands at any moment. Gusta will need to utilize his range well and control the pace of the fight, picking his moments to strike and strike effectively. Gusta was one of my fighters to watch for the second half of the year and he remains as such moving into 2012. If he continues to grow and develop he could emerge as a real contender in this division.
Jon Fitch (#2 WW) vs Johny Hendricks
Jon Fitch simply doesn’t lose to people not named GSP; at least that has been the case to this point. He finds himself in a strange position though, fighting an unranked opponent with very little as far as name recognition. In short, Fitch pissed off the boss yet again by refusing to fight Carlos Condit (yes, the same Carlos Condit now fighting for the interim title) because he wanted a bigger fight. Many have taken that as a sign that he didn’t want to risk fighting someone as dangerous as Condit. I don’t care much either way but I think Dana White did because Fitch is not in a an ideal spot right now. Fitch might earn himself a shot at the interim title early next year but he might also get passed over in favor of Jake Ellenberger, Martin Kampmann, Diego Sanchez, or Thiago Alevez. The point being, Jon Fitch is one of the best in the world and he has a lot to lose and little to gain in this fight. Hendricks (pictured) on the other hand is staring the golden goose in the face. He rockets up the welterweight ranks with a win in this fight. Both men are wrestlers, with Fitch probably having a grappling advantage and a slight advantage in terms of technical stand-up. On the other hand Hendricks might have a little more power in his punches and be more unpredictable. It is likely that Fitch will win in typical Fitch style (by UD) but don’t be surprised if Hendricks makes this a fight and scores a huge upset.
Donald Cerrone (#9 LW) vs. Nate Diaz
Nate Diaz has had somewhat of an identity crisis over the past few years. He couldn’t quite find his weight and figure out where he wanted to be. His dissection and disposal of Gomi in his last fight provided a ray of hope that he has found himself again at lightweight. Personally, I have been down on the younger Diaz a bit, not a fan of his inconsistency and inability to win the big fight but two things impressed me about his last win. First, his punches were precise and crisp, much like his older brother. Second, he mixed in power punches effectively in a way that kept his opponent off balance, really setting himself apart from his brother in that regard. Donald Cerrone (pictured) is on another level right, on a six fight win streak since losing to the number one contender for the lightweight title Ben Henderson and will require Diaz to step up to that level. I am sold on Cerrone as a highly talented lightweight with a potential future in championship conversations. He is well rounded, tough as nails, and can finish you anywhere the fight goes. Unfortunately I think he is reckless sometimes, a trait does not bode well against the technically precise Diaz. A win here will move up my lightweight list significantly not because I am that high on Diaz but I love consistency and I love a good win streak. Cerrone vs Diaz is going to be fast pace and gritty so strap in for this one because it is front-runner for fight of the night.
Brock Lesnar (#4 HW) vs. Alistair Overeem (#3 HW)
I have said it before but it warrants repeating, this is the scariest looking fight in MMA history. There are seriously not two fighters that look more terrifying than these two. It is a classic case if there ever was one, striker vs. grappler. Aside from being a title fight, it doesn’t get any bigger. Between them they will be bringing about 550 pounds to the cage, a title shot is up for grabs, and it will be the last stand of 2011 for major-promotion MMA. Brock Lesnar (pictured) is coming off a 14 month layoff and more medical issues, raising some well warranted concerns about his health but with his typical confidence and bravado he has be convinced that the modern day gladiator is truly back. Across the cage he meets a man who hasn’t lost since 2007. In that time Alistair Overeem has accumulated 10 wins and one no contest, laying waste to the likes of Werdum, Duffee, and Rogers with very little trouble to speak of. Lesnar must get this fight to the ground and do it quickly if he has any chance of winning. Standing with Overeem is a death sentence to most fighters in the division, Brock included. However, once this fight hits the ground, Lesnar’s advantage will be as big as Overeem’s on the feet. I really don’t see a universe where this fight goes all 5 rounds unless they both tire so early that they can’t generate enough power to finish. The winner gets to test the seemingly unstoppable Junior Dos Santos so tune in to see who gets the next shot at the biggest title in MMA.
Wednesday, December 21, 2011
Why You Should Watch UFC 141 - The Prelims
Facebook Card
UFC 141 starts off with two high-octane 145 pound fighters as Diego Nunes meets Manny Gamburyan. Most people remember Gaburyan from The Ultimate Fighter but since those days he has made quite a home in the featherweight division, even taking a crack at Jose Aldo. Nunes on the other hand was derailed before his title shot by Kenny Florian but remains one of the more dangerous fighters in the division. Both men like to push the pace with diverse strikes and fast pace scrambles, should be very rewarding for fans tuning in early. Matt Riddle is another fighter with a TUF background kicking off the card against Luis Ramos. Neither man has an exceptional record nor have they done anything recently to get excited about but both, particularly Riddle, have shown flashes in the past and possess immense potential. This is likely a pink slip fight, which means there is potential for someone to step up and give a performance to remember. At 155 pounds Efrain Escudero is back after what some thought was a premature release. He brings his wrestling and improved versatility to the cage against Jacob Volkmann who looks like a banker but fights like a monster. Volkmann is on a four-fight win streak and hasn’t lost since fighting at 170 against Martin Kampmann. Escudero has a lot to prove if he is going to stay in the UFC because Volkmann has serious momentum, serious grappling skills, and will seriously hurt you. Finally, the Facebook card ends with Dong Hyun Kim (pictured), who was at last sighting losing a number one contender’s fight to Carlos Condit, and Sean Pierson. Pierson has had an inconsistent career but he has a chance at the biggest win of it against Kim, who is extremely well rounded and excels at controlling the pace and location of the fight. I do not expect any of the Facebook fights to be particularly boring and fighters like Gamburyan, Nunes, Kim, and Volkmann have an opportunity to take a quiet step into a big fight early in 2012.
Spike TV Card
Ross Pearson has an odd popularity, or at least an odd ability to get premier spots on fight-cards. His fight against Junior Assuncao is somewhat underwhelming. It features Pearson, coming off a lose and winning just one of his last three fights, against Assuncao who despite being on a seven fight win streak hasn’t really defeated anyone of much stature. I am just being honest because the fact of the matter is that this fight will probably present an interesting style match-up that I expect to end somewhat early. Pearson throws to take heads off and would love to end it early but Assuncao can be a wizard if he gets you to the ground. Whoever controls the location early might be able to snag a quick win so don’t sleep on this just because I am honestly a bit unimpressed with it for this spot. Anthony Njokuani (pictured) vs Danny Castillo could not be more simultaneously different and similar to the previous fight if it was carefully constructed as a doppelganger to steal the show. In short, it means about as much in terms of major moves in the lightweight division, that is almost nothing immediately, but it should be a high-octane fight with no reason to suspect a quick finish. I am always generally ok with Castillo as that dude seems to love to fight. He isn’t the best in the world and I don’t expect him to emerge as such at UFC 141 but you know he is game to come throw down and entertain. Njokuani is a really dynamic athlete with great reach for the weight-class. He quite simply has not been able to hit his stride and find consistency but will be looking to build off a big win over Andre Winner. The fun thing about both the fights on this portion of the card is that they feature dynamic fighters that have a knack for putting on a show.
Monday, December 19, 2011
Arm Triangle Blog 2011 MMA Superlatives
The Justin Bieber Award: Love Him or Hate Him He’s Had a Damn Good Year
Fighter of the Year: Jon Jones
There is really no way around it. Jones has 4 wins in 2011, all four his biggest wins to date. He won the title from Shogun and defeated against two ranked opponents. Hell, Jones might have had the biggest year for any fighter in the sport’s history and may just be the future poster-boy of mixed martial arts. As Dana White and company build their product and expose it to new audiences Jon Jones must seem like a golden goose. He has it all: the skills, the charm, the looks… Jon Jones has arrived and it looks like he might be here to stay.
The AC/DC Award: Even Your Friends Who Hate Music Will Like This Show
Fight of the Year: Mauricio “Shogun” Rua vs Dan Henderson at UFC 139: Shogun vs Hendo
The year was full of instant classics, some on the big stage and some in the background. None brought together everything like Shogun vs Hendo though. Aside from being a 25-minute brawl that saw two of the sports biggest active legends batter each other with everything they had (what more could you want from a fight), this clash featured an absolutely heroic performance from Shogun, coming back from dream street to finish the fight in dominant position. To counter, an ailing Hendo willed his way to hold on and stay in the fight of his life despite appearing the brink of collapse in the final round. It was the combination of it all that brought this one to the fore: the legends, the fight, the heart, the blood, the fans. If I had to pick right now, I would say this was the greatest fight I have ever seen.
The New Kids On The Block Award: Dated but Appropriate Reference
Breakout Fighter of the Year: Mark Munoz & Ben Henderson
Mark Munoz has had his ups and downs and they have mostly been ups but 2011 saw him finally hit his stride at 185 pounds. He started the year by disposing of C.B. Dollaway in less than a minute. Following that performance he defeated Damian Maia in a very impressive unanimous decision and then capped the year with a second round corner stoppage of tough as nails Chris Leben. Those three wins led to him being lined up against number one contender Chael Sonnen at UFC on FOX 2, a premier spot for fighters breaking into the top tier. A fantastic 2011 has set Munoz to earn a title shot in 2012.
Ben Henderson can’t be ignored and he certainly hasn’t. His success in 2011 earned him a title shot against reigning champion Frankie Edgar in Japan. Hederson has three UD victories in 2011 all over game opponents and all packed full of excitement. After defeating the Mark Bocek he went on to snap the impressive 7 fight win streak of Jim Miller and then defeat perennial contender Clay Guida. Some fighters get jeered for decisions but I don’t know anyone who tires of seeing Henderson fight.
The Gallagher Brothers Award: Drama, Trash talk, and Some People Can’t Turn Away
Feud of the Year: Jon Jones vs Rampage Jackson
It resembled a WWE fight buildup. There was trash-talk. There was controversy. There was a space-age training camp. The fight didn’t live up to the hype, although it was a better fight than one might think if they listened to the likes of Joe Rogan. Rampage always builds good ethos around a fight. He more or less called Jones out for being untested, soft, and for planting spies in his camp. Jones was typical Jones: humble, sly, and a little snarky. Put on that Rampage’s high tech space age training grounds and Jones being part of the most famous camp in the sport and you got Hollywood narrative. If Anderson Silva and Chael Sonnen had continued there banter and signed a contract to fight they likely would have won the spot but Rampage and Jones went through the entirety of their feud in 4 months and capped it with a world title fight.
The Lady Gaga Award: One Phenomenon, Lots and Lots of News
Story of the Year: UFC buys Strikeforce
This resonated throughout the entirety of the sport and still does to this day. The most important piece of this move is the massive consolidation of power within the sport, placing the two most important organizations in the world under the Zuffa banner. However, the ramifications aren’t just abstract and business related. Fights like Nick Diaz vs B.J. Penn and The Legendary Dan Henderson vs Shogun Rua would not have been possible without this move. Additionally the year ends with Brock Lesnar vs Alistair Overeem in the same vain. Strikeforced looked to be on the verge of collapsing until Showtime agreed to take up the organization again and now it looks like Zuffa plans to rebuild the organization. Strikeforce’s HW tournament, its results, and the fall out will be quite telling about just what Strikeforce’s role will be in the sports future.
The Jay-Z/Kanye West Award: Didn’t Do Much But The King of What They Do
Comeback of the Year: Chael Sonnen
He only fought once but man did he make waves. After crushing Brian Stann Sonnen called out the greatest fighter in the world and demanded that the MMA world pay attention to him once again. Sonnen now gets a number one contender fight against Mark Munoz who fights like a younger version of himself. The fact of the matter is, Chael Sonnen is important to the sport. Guys like him, who don’t care to be the bad guy, who don’t care to pick on the big boys, are going to help MMA break into the mainstream and even though I will root against him almost every time I am glad he is back at it.
Friday, December 9, 2011
UFC 140: Jones vs Machida Preview
Jon Jones has taken the world by storm, the fight messiah. His ruckus caused by his dominance to this point has been impressive. Not too long ago Machida was walking through people in much the same way and now headlines read “How can Lyoto Machida Beat Dominate Champ Jon Jones.” This sentiment resonates with many fight fans, particularly new fight fans. Unfortunately, the buzz around Jones is more prescriptive to this point than descriptive. Are his wins over Shogun and Rampage impressive? Yes they are. Of course many fans and pundits are pointing to the fact that those two wins are over the only two men to best Machida. Classic MMAth at its best. My bias in this fight is well documented. I am a big Machida fan and have been accused of being a Jones hater. With that said let me tell you why this card is worth watching and why the main event is worth suspending the fervent prophecy.
Brian Ebersole vs Claude Patrick
This fight was suppose to be the facial and bodily destruction of Brian Ebersole by Rory McDonald. Unfortunately the wunderkind got hurt and was replaced by Claud Patrick. Patrick is no joke but Ebersole’s chances of hitting a three-fight win streak just got way better. I expect this one might go the distance but it should be exciting all the same. Ebersole doesn’t really know how to win pretty, clean fights. He brawls and makes it ugly – that is what gives him the best chance. I am not so sure it will be enough but expect 15 minutes out of this one all the same.
Mark Hominick (#3) vs Chan Sung Jung (Korean Zombie)
This fight was dipped in a big vat of “fight of the night” and then taken out and sprinked with “knockout of the night” and “crowd pleaser.”. Both of these guys know how to throw down and neither one of them will be interested in taking this to the ground. Hominick and Jung will likely take the middle of the cage and throw hands until one of them gets clipped and needs to keep some distance, then circle and repeat. Hominick is a much more technical striker than most of Jung’s previous opponents. If this turns into a slugfest it could be a barn burner but if Hominick plays it just a little smart he should be able to pick Jung apart. Either way, there is excitement to be seen in this one.
Little Nog vs Tito Ortiz
The light-heavyweight dream fight of 2005, Little Nog and Tito Ortiz meet 6 years too late. Both men have their backs against the wall, having recently inspired hope and experienced heartbreaking loses. Nogueira’s weakness against wrestlers is well documented and now its time for him to prove he has done something about it. If you can’t evolve the younger generation is quickly proving that your time is limited in MMA. This is likely not a pink slip fight but for either to make one last run at a title shot they will need to put on an impressive showing here. One legend will regain life and another will fall further from grace.
Big Nog vs Frank Mir (#10)
The Big Nog/Frank Mir controversy is well documented. Frank Mir shocked the world by finishing Nog after they coached The Ultimate Fighter. Later it was revealed that Nog was sick before the fight and Frank Mir didn’t take kindly to the excuse. Both heavyweights have a chance to prove themselves and could take a significant step towards a title shot. As much as I dislike listening to Mir talk and watching him fight recently, I have to admit that he has looked fairly impressive. Nog is going to have to bring his best boxing, his best head movement, and his best footwork to best Mir. The Nogueira brothers have a chance to make this a huge night for themselves and their family but it wont be easy.
UFC Light-Heavyweight Championship: Lyoto Machida (#4) vs Jon Jones (Champ - #1)
Here we are. Finally, my favorite fighter gets a shot at my least… well not my least favorite fighter but a guy that rubs me the wrong way. I have said it before and it warrants being said again. I don’t dislike Jon Jones. I think he is a great fighter. I dislike the way people talk about Jon Jones, like he is already the greatest of all time. I may not be wild about his demeanor either but it is really everyone else that has made me hate on Jones. That doesn’t detract from the fact that Jones is good, real good. Jones is really good at using his size, using his reach. Greg Jackson and company have done wonders at devising game plans that hide his weaknesses, look flashy, and score points on the judges scorecards. Some of it looks like smoke and mirrors to me though. Match-up wise Lyoto Machida might be the worst opponent Jones could ask for. I don’t think he is going to be surprised by the spinning kicks and elbows. Those are the kind of strikes he has been training with his whole life. I also don’t think Jones is going to have much luck taking the former champion down, at least not early on. Machida’s sumo game has allowed him to control the location of fights before. This fight ends up being a lot closer than people expect and I think Machida is going to keep Jones confused until he finishes him in the 3rd or 4th round. That doesn’t mean I am going to be surprised if Jones wins and he manages to dominate Machida I might just be sold on the kid.