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Coaches clash: Rashad and Rampage

FIVE USA are showing episodes 11 + 12 back to back in the usual Saturday night time slot, giving us a double of whammy of The Ultimate Fighter. The finale show is being aired the following Thursday or ESPN subscribers can see the finale live at 2am in the early hours of Sunday morning. Before then let’s take a look back at episode 10 recapping on what took place.

Is Mitrione in or not? Matt Mitrione informs his coach Rashad Evans that he has swelling of the brain but should be OK to fight. Mean while Brit James McSweeney does not trust Matt’s motives.  Street brawler turned mixed martial arts competitor Kimbo Slice prepares for kick boxer McSweeney eager to replace Mitrione.

The confirmed match-up for this episode was Brendan Schaub battling it out with John Madsen. McSweeney does a fantastic job preparing Schaub, while Rashad leaves them to it, remaining impartial.

This episode was the week of the coaches challenge, the challenge was 2 on 2 volley ball – Rashad and Mike vs Rampage and Tiki. Amazingly these sets of tough dudes did well. The win went to Rashad, gaining $10,000 for Team Rashad. As you can imagine Evans was quick to rub it in Quinton’s face.

To the amusement of the rest of the house Kimbo endures an ice bath, to help work through knee pain. There is no doubt Slice is serious about being an Ultimate Fighter.

John Madsen is fortunate to train with fellow wrestler and former UFC light-heavyweight champion Rashad. So he changed his mind about being impartial after all.

Coaches Rashad and Mike have it out with Mitrione about whether he will continue to compete or not. Following this chat Dana White addresses the remaining TUF 10 entrants about the Mitrione situation, explaining how huge an opportunity the ultimate fighter is.

Comparing Madsen and Schaub it’s NFL veteran Schaub going into the fight having more experience but Madsen comes from Matt Hughes’ camp and is a serious threat in the octagon with pure wrestling strength.

Fight time. McSweeney hypes up Brendan by slapping his face.

Round 1)

Madsen utilises his strength advantage slamming down Schaub to the deck. Madsen however doesn’t do enough on top, the referee calls for a restart back upright. Madsen wastes no time once again slamming NFL veteran Brendan but again he lays and prays, simply not doing enough despite his dominant position.

Round 2)

Corner-man McSweeney encourages Schaub at the end of round interval. Brendan defends much better come round 2. The pace of action slows down due to the energy exerted in the previous round. Out of nowhere Brendan knocks out Madsen smashing the wrestler with 2 punches. Schaub is one to look out for, he has heavy hands.

Winner Brendan Schaub advances to the semi finals. McSweeney’s seconding was of a great help in keeping the ex American football player focussed.

That leaves us with Marcus Jones vs. Darrill Schoonover and Matt Mitrione vs. James McSweeney followed by the semi finals.

The Finale show will feature Matt Hamill vs Jon Jones and 2 heavy hitters - Kimbo Slice vs Houston Alexander. Plus of course TUF 10 winner will be crowned.

Don’t forget you can watch all the Aftemath videos at UFC.com

Watch The Ultimate Fighter: Heavyweights Saturdays 11pm on FIVE USA,

in the UK on Freeview 31, Sky 174, Virgin Media 150 and Tiscali 30. Also shown on subscription channel ESPN and ESPN HD.

Wednesdays on Spike TV in the US.

UFC & MMA blog by Duane Farr

duane@bluraymma.com

The Mixed Martial Arts Handbook

This book written by John Ritschel is The Insider’s Guide to Fighting Techniques. Wether you are a spectator of the sport of mixed martial arts AKA cage fighting or a keen martial artist intending to make your octagon debut sometime in the future, this is your first stop in gaining the required knowledge on the fastest growing sport in the world today.

John Ritschel is more than qualified on the subject having an early start at age 12 in martial arts. He went on to study the styles of Karate, Taekwondo, HapKiDo, Western Boxing, KungFu, Kickboxing and Wrestling. John is a senior instructor holding various black belts and a 2nd Dan in the All Range Combat Systems, a Mixed Martial Arts style. Not only that he’s earnt a silver medal in the Open World Championship and the accolade of the ‘Fighter of the Year’ award from the International Martial Arts Hall of Fame.

In the past a book on combat sport fighting techniques would be written from the perspective of the instructor teaching one style that he believes to be the best style. That was a whole different era that MMA evolved out of, when the ultimate fighting contest was purely concerned with testing which martial art be it boxing, olympic wrestling, kickboxing or jiu jitsu would reign supreme. Now in the modern era of mixed fighting it is essential to be a well rounded fighter, not relying on one style to win the fight.

John Ritschel’s book perfectly illustrates how to be an all rounder, demonstrating how to defend and attack in many variable positions a fighter will face in MMA competition. Included are all the basic kicks, throws, punches along with how to avoid takedowns and defending off your back. It amazes me as spectator how these guys from these many uncomprimising positions are able to turn a disadvantage around to gain the upper hand.

Not only does the book cover the moves and tactics utilised within the sport, it covers the rules of the game along with a brief history of how it all began with Brazilian Vale Tudo bouts along with Japanese shoot wrestling, which led to the first ever Ultimate Fighting Championship event held in 1993.

If you haven’t got your copy yet make sure it’s on your Christmas list. The Mixed Martial Arts handbook published by A&C Black is out now in all good book shops or from online book sellers, priced £24.99.

UFC & MMA blog by Duane Farr

duane@bluraymma.com

Extreme Fighting DVD Volumes 1-4

In November 1995, while the Ultimate Fighting Championship was still in it’s infancy, a new mixed martial arts promotion held their first show. The company, known as Extreme Fighting, only held four events. With the popularity of MMA growing in the last few years, the four volumes that were previously released on VHS were later released in a one disc DVD set, at a very reasonable price. So, having had this for quite a while now, and having recently looked back at a couple of old UFC shows, I thought it would be a good idea to finally give this a look-see.

EXTREME FIGHTING VOLUME 1

The show begins with one of the many Gracie brothers, Ralph, taking on Makoto Muraoko (although there’s actually no introduction for him). This was a quick one. It quickly went to the ground, where Gracie quickly took control, taking Muraoko’s back, and synching in a rear naked choke. The Japanese fighter didn’t tap, and the referee stopped the fight when he saw that Muraoko was unconscious. Well, it’s the sort of thing you expect from the Gracies, isn’t it?

Next up was Igor Zinoviev against Harold German. Another quick fight saw Zinoviev knock German down early, going in for the kill first with a knee bar attempt, which German managed to escape from, and then with a relentless ground and pound, which German soon tapped out to. So far there’s been just eighty-six seconds of fight action.

Then it was on to Gary Myers against Tom Glanville. This one lasted longer than the first two fights combined, and saw a dominating performance from Myers. After escaping from a triangle attempt early on, Myers quickly got back on top, putting his elbow on the side of Glanville’s head. That particular move almost won him the match, but it was only when Myers rained in a few head butts that Glanville tapped out. A very good performance from Myers.

Gracie student Mario Sperry was next, facing Rudyard Moncayo. You could see that Sperry was a Gracie student from the opening bell, as he quickly used a leg trip to take Moncayo down to the mat. He immediately went for an arm lock, but it wasn’t long before Moncayo reversed positions and took Sperry’s guard – for about three seconds. Sperry was soon back on top, and after a brief flurry of punches Moncayo was tapping. Nice stuff by Perry, but I had the feeling that as soon as they said he was a Gracie student that he was going to win.

The next fight saw Conan Silveira facing Russian fighter Victor Tatarkin, also in this unknown tournament. More Brazilian domination saw Silveira take Tatarkin down early on, and from there he transitioned at will, almost getting a rear naked choke, before taking the back again and unleashing with the ground and pound, with the Russian’s corner throwing the towel in to end the onslaught. This one looked absolutely brutal.

Silveira then made a quick return, facing Gary Myers, making me think that this was actually a part of a tournament, which wasn’t actually announced on this DVD. This was the most even fight on the show so far. It soon went to the ground, and for the first time a Brazilian was on the defensive with Myers taking the guard and going to work. The fight was stopped briefly so the doctors could check on the cuts that the fighters had sustained. This gave Conan the chance he needed to recover, as he soon locked in a standing guillotine choke, with Myers quickly tapping out. We then saw an official give Silveira a title belt, so I guess this was a tournament after all.

And as it turns out, there were actually two tournaments in this show, with Igor Zinoviev and Mario Sperry returning to action in a middleweight final. The Brazilian dominance of the show ended with this fight. Sperry did well again here, and looked great in the mount, but Zinoviev did what nobody expected he would do, and escaped Sperry’s mount. The Russian was soon back on his back, but this time he went for a guillotine choke, which ultimately was unsuccessful. Sperry regained control, and once again looked like he was going to dominate again, until Zinoviev reversed the positions again. Both fighters then got to their feet, with Zinoviev holding on to the cage while Sperry tried to work. After a few moments of this, the fight went back to the ground, and a Zinoviev knee opened up a nasty cut above Sperry’s left eye. The doctor had no choice but to stop the fight, giving the fight and title to the Russian. Definitely the best fight of the first show.

EXTREME FIGHTING VOLUME 2

This one began with Jean Riviere facing future UFC star Carlos Newton. Newton was giving away a massive seventy five pound weight advantage, fighting at 205, a lot more than his title winning weight in the UFC. Newton actually did very well here, but in the end Riviere’s weight advantage was too much. While Newton showed some good jiu-jitsu moves, Riviere spent much of the time on top of Newton’s back, firing in the occasional knee. Then, about seven minutes in, Newton had had enough. Fatigue set in, and he tapped out. Good stuff here, very interesting.

Then it was on to the Heavyweight title fight, with Conan Silveira taking on Carl Franks. This one exploded into life after a minute or so, when Conan unleashed with a torrent of blows that rocked Franks, with the referee quickly stepping in and stopping the bout, much to the annoyance of Franks, although I could see why the referee stepped in. Quick stuff, and another example of how the jiu-jitsu guys were kind of dominant back then.

Next up, we skip forward to Extreme Fighting’s third show, with Eric Paulson against Matt Hume. By this time all fights were contested over three five minute rounds, or “phases” as they were called, instead of a straight fifteen minute fight. A very good and enjoyable fight. The first phase was fought mainly on the ground, with both men having opportunities to finish it via submission. The second phase saw both fighters using the stand up game, with both fighters getting in some good shots. The third phase lasted just over a minute. Paulson quickly sustained a deep cut right in the middle of his forehead, with the doctor stopping the fight. A very good fight, but a shame it had to stop in the way it did.

The next fight saw Ali Mihoubi challenging Lightweight Champion Ralph Gracie. As is the Gracie custom, this one went to the ground early. Gracie quickly went for the ground and pound, before locking in the ground and pound. Another dominating performance, and I couldn’t help but feel that Mihoubi didn’t really stand a chance.

After that quick fight, it was on to Anthony Macias against Allan Goes. Goes was unable to keep up the Brazilian tradition of instant take downs, although he was able to get past Macias’ defence soon afterwards. Goes then went for the ground and pound, and he would have probably got the win had he not gone for a head butt or a fish hook, both of which had been outlawed after the first show. Goes soon reasserted his control, taking Macias down again, but then we got a somewhat confusing ending. After Goes used another head butt, Macias verbally submitted just as the referee was about to warn Goes again. Macias thought the referee had disqualified Goes, and those in attendance weren’t exactly too happy with Goes’ conduct, and I can see why, especially as Goes and his entourage celebrated like he’d won a world title.

EXTREME FIGHTING VOLUME 3

Only three fights on this particular volume, all from their third show, beginning with John Lober challenging Igor Zinoviev for the Middleweight Championship. The first fight on the collection to go the distance saw a very good first two rounds, with both guys looking good, but as the fight went on Zinoviev showed his superior ground game, simply smothering Lober, using a tactic that would have seen the referee stand the fighters up a few years later. By the time the third round started both fighters looked exhausted, and they spent the last five minutes exchanging combinations, although they spent a great deal of time just squaring up to each other. So with no judges, the fight was declared a draw, which meant that Zinoviev retained his title. A very solid technical fight, and very enjoyable as well.

Next up, Murakami Kazunari against Bart Vale. Vale had a near thirty pound weight advantage in this one, but it didn’t count for much as Kazunari dominated for the most part. Vale’s only real offence was a straight armbar attempt, countering Kazunari’s standing rear waist lock. The Japanese fighter soon took the fight to the ground, taking Vale’s back, going for a rear naked choke, as well as getting off a few strikes. Vale was soon able to stand up though, and got off a couple of blows before Kazunari exploded with some shots of his own, knocking Vale down with a big left, and following him down for the ground and pound, and with Vale unable to defend himself, the referee stepped in. A very impressive performance from Kazunari here.

Then it was on to Maurice Smith challenging Conan Silviera for the Heavyweight Championship. Conan had had it pretty much his own way in his previous two fights, but came up against a very strong opponent in Smith here. The first round saw Conan on top on the ground, but Smith was soon able to reverse things, taking the mount and putting in some good work, although he received a warning from the referee for head butting. Smith’s kick boxing pedigree came out in the second as he out punched and out kicked Conan, although the Brazilian did manage to tie him up in a clinch against the cage a couple of times. Round three didn’t last that long. After another brief clinch against the cage, Smith rolled off a couple of leg kicks, but a high right kick hit Conan hard on the side of his head. The Brazilian staggered, and the referee quickly stepped in and stopped the fight, revealing a few seconds later that Conan was virtually unconscious. Smith was awarded the knockout win, and the Heavyweight title in a very good fight.

EXTREME FIGHTING VOLUME 4

As with Volume 3, this features just three fights, beginning with Todd Bjornthun going up against Allan Goes. The proverbial blink and you’ll miss it affair. Bjornthun went for a left jab, the fight went down to the mat, and Goes quickly locked in a triangle choke for the submission win. Definitely a lot better than Goes’ last performance, and he certainly got a better reception from the crowd here.

Next up, Paul Jones versus Erik Paulson. A very good fight between two evenly matched men, a back and forth affair. Jones began the fight strongly, using a suplex to take Paulson down, and spending the remainder of the first round in the guard. The second round was a little more even. Jones again showed some good grappling while controlling the fight on the ground, although Paulson went for a couple of submissions, and looked like he was going to succeed a couple of times as well. It was the same in the third round as it was in the second, only with the roles reversed as Paulson seemed to have the edge as far as submission attempts were concerned. But with the fight going the distance, and no judges, the fight was declared a draw. If it had been held today, then Jones may have just edged it.

The final fight of the collection saw John Lober taking on Kevin Jackson. They definitely saved the best for last here. Jackson, the former Olympic wrestler making his MMA debut, took Lober down early and dominated him throughout the round. In fact he punched Lober so hard that he damaged his right glove, so there was an even longer gap between the rounds while his corner men went back to the dressing room to get a replacement. The extra rest didn’t do Lober any good. Jackson began the second round in the way that he’d begun the first, taking Lober down to the ground, and locking in an arm choke for the submission win a minute or so later. An outstanding performance from Jackson here, and as I said this was definitely the best fight on the DVD.

In conclusion – this certainly is a very interesting release. Fight wise it really can’t be faulted. There’s some good action on this DVD, and it’s also a good way to see just how much the sport has changed in the fourteen years since Extreme Fighting had their short run.

Production wise, it’s more polished than the old UFC shows I reviewed recently. From the beginning the announcers knew what they were talking about, unlike their counterparts in UFC 1. However, some of the editing was awful. For instance, in Volume 1 there were a couple of fights where the introductions were cut completely. I actually had to look in the results section of Clyde Gentry’s No Holds Barred book to find out who some of these guys were. I also found out from his book that there actually was a four man tournament to crown the first heavyweight champion, but it was difficult to tell this, given the way that Volume 1 was edited. Also, in Volume 2, there’s an interview with a fighter whose fight isn’t even shown. Thankfully, the editing gets a lot better with Volumes 3 and 4.

So in all, if you’re willing to put up with these problems, then you may want to get a copy of this release. It’s available from most of the online stores such as Amazon and Play, and for a very reasonable price. It’s a valuable piece of MMA history from an all but forgotten promotion, and who knows, perhaps one day they’ll eventually release these shows unedited. I’d definitely be interested in getting them!

Review written by Twosheds.

In 2006 I took a course of acupuncture, the therapist recommended
I take up the Chinese art of Tai Chi. The instructor was Brendan Burnett, who I now call a good friend, not only practices Tai Chi for health but also
as a the martial art it originally was. Brendan’s journey to master the art
of Chen Style Tai Chi Chuan saw him take part in many other martial arts
plus he is fan of the UFC and Kung Fu movies.
What inspired you to start training in martial arts?

Growing up I had the influence of my dad being on the Dorset Judo team
and my step dad a British Karate champion in the 1970s. I was bullied at
school but then later took it (Kung Fu) seriously after seeing the Shaolin Temple movie starring Jet Li. Being a huge fan  the Wu Tang Clan Hip Hop
group helped as well.  I took up training in Wing Chun which I have continued to practise to present alongside Tai Chi. Taking up a martial art is good to keep you out of trouble as a youngster.

I know you as a Tai Chi instructor, what other martial arts have you trained in?

Along with Wing Chun and Tai Chi Chuan I have tried Karate, kickboxing,
Aikido, Jiu Jitsu and Pent Jak Silat. It’s good to try different styles to see what you prefer. Also it makes you rounded as a martial artist rather someone who’s just done one style.

As a traditional martial arts expert what do you think of the sport of MMA?

I enjoy watching the UFC and like MMA as it means you can do more than
one martial art. There is the difference though that with traditional
martial arts, it is about morals as opposed to the aggression focussed on
the fight you are training for. I’m sure many of the UFC guys are good role
models and do things for charity but there is a difference between
doing martial arts on a daily basis for health and fitness and fighting
in the ring or cage.

Who are your favourite fighters from the world of ultimate fighting?

Royce Gracie is one of my all time favourite UFC fighters, along with Chuck
Liddell.

Is there a difference between self defence on the street or in a bar
and the MMA sporting competition?

A street fight is different, the psychology is different, you don’t want to
fight and not want to get hurt. In MMA or boxing you can hit harder as your fists are protected from the gloves. In a real fight on the streets you
can’t choke people. You can’t get away with it (as a martial artist you need
to know the law of what is reasonable self defence). I train stand up as
it is rare for a fight to go to the ground in a real situation.
Lyoto Machida a traditional Karate practioner was crowned the new
UFC light heavyweight champion at UFC 98, what effect do you think it will
have?

Good news, Jiu Jitsu, boxing always been doing well in MMA. Fantastic,
hopefully will be a good influence. I haven’t seen much UFC recently not having the channels at home. I’ll go and watch now I know that and see him on youtube. Like anyone they’ll find a way to beat him  eventually after studying his style.
The legendary Bruce Lee -- the first Kung Fu fighter to mix the martial arts,
what are your favourite Bruce Lee movies and was he an influence on you?

He’s the god of Kung Fu. I have practised Wing Chun for 12-13 years because of Bruce Lee. Most martial artists did more than one style.

Favourite Bruce Lee films?

Enter The Dargon, Fist of Fury, Big Boss and The Dargon Story,  I love them all!
Brendan has studied Chen Tai Chi Chuan from Chinese Master Liu Yong in China and learnt street self defence from Mo Teague, a no nonsense fighting expert recently featured on Danny Dyer’s Deadliest on Bravo.

http://manliantaichisouthengland.webs.com/

http://www.youtube.com/user/badboybrendan

UFC & MMA blog by Duane Farr

duane@bluraymma.com

The monumental UFC 100 has not long passed us that took place on Saturday 11th July on The Racing channel. A bit of a strange choice of TV channel for the Ultimate Fighting Championship historic event but wasn’t it great to see the 3 hour event live without any ad break interuptions? It appears as the UFC 100 got closer a deal could not be agreed in time so something was worked
out to include the mammoth fight card on Seatanta Ireland and The Racing Channel owned by the Irish channel. Not only did we get the whole event free but on top of that the UFC treated us to a very nice bonus of several extra hours of UFC TV programming including the top 100 of UFC fights.

Post July 11th we are still left not knowing the new home for the UFC on British airwaves. With the Disney owned ESPN looking to expand in the UK by buying premiership football games available since the demise of Setanta Sports it appears the forthcoming ESPN subscription channel will be the likely UK television home for the UFC, although at this point has not been confirmed.

Since July 11th I have been fortunate to have the use of Sky + including Sky Sports and Bravo. Not many days after on Wed 15th July Cage Rage successor Ultimate Challenge aired Sky Sports 3. After seeing UFC 100 so this British MMA offering was not likely to compare but to be fair the show was pretty good including 2 UK1 kickboxing bouts, one of which featuring top name on the circuit Aldershot’s own Alex Reid. Reid is top class showman as well as one tough competitor. TUF 9 entrant totally outclassed his opponent.

Next next month on the small screen will hopefully be the return of Affliction to Bravo for their 3rd event titled Affliction M1 Global Trilogy taking place August 1st in Anaheim, Claifornia. The fight card will boast awesome heavyweight title bout main event of Fedor Emelianko taking on challenger Josh Barnett. As yet there are no adverts for the event on Bravo but fingers crossed Bravo won’t let us down.

The following week it’s UFC 101 on August 8th. Anderson Silva vs Forrest Griffin fighting at lightheavyweight is the scheduled headliner. Again though we are still presently in the dark regarding what channel, but have faith I’m Dana and co will not let us down.

Hopping back over to Bravo we have the 2nd BAMMA event airing August 16th from London.

If you are lucky you might just be able to catch another showing of the fantastic programme from The Biography Channel – How Bruce Lee Changed The World. I highly recommend viewing this 2 hour covering ways Bruce Lee was such massive influence on our modern cultural including being the Father of Mixed Martial Arts. Hear what Dana White, The RZA, Jackie Chan and many others have to say about this iconic figure of the 20th century who long after his death continues to be a huge inspiration on into the new millenium.

UFC & MMA blog by Duane Farr

duane@bluraymma.com

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Never Surrender - starring Quinton "Rampage" Jackson

Have you ever entered a competition and thought, “don’t think I’ll win but what the heck it’s worth a shot!” Well that’s happened to me twice now. I was fortunate to win tickets to see WWE Raw live in Sheffield 3 years ago courtesy of the Daily Star’s Fighting Talk weekly column  for wrestling and UFC fans. Come 3 years  later I took a chance again and to my surprise through the letter-box arrived my very own copy of the MMA DVD movie Never Surrender (looks like I ought to stop entering these competitions and hook up with these DVD and BluRay companies).

The DVD cover has a great image of the fighter tipped to play BA Baracus in the movie version of The A-Team, none other than former Light Heavyweight Quinton ‘Rampage’ Jackson. Seeing Rampage one of the most recognisable and marketable faces of the UFC has got to grab the attention of both hardcore or casual mixed martial arts fans. It makes it a shame that Rampage doesn’t feature more predominantly in this martial arts action and fight fest. Despite Rampage only having a small role in the film I’ve got to say his prescence added a certain sparkle giving us a hint of Jackson’s potential Hollywood career post action octagon action.

Aside from Rampage, Never Surrender saw several other greats from the Ultimate Fight world make their acting debut in this no holds barred action spectacular including current reigning UFC lightweight champion BJ ‘The Prodigy’ Penn, welterweight king Georges ‘Rush’ St Pierre, middleweight title holder Anderson ‘The Spider’ Silva and Pride FC heavyweight veteran Heath ‘The Texas Crazy Horse’ Herring. The movie boasts some cool fight scenes especially with GSP in action taking on thevillains. The problem I found watching the film is the lead character played by Hector Echavarria didn’t connect to the viewer as being the hero you want to get behind, well at least for the first three quarters of the film and by then it seems too late. As often is the case in superhero films such as Batman and Daredevil the villain comes across stronger than the hero, that is what we have here saving the film overall.

Looking past these flaws it still remains a fun action packed movie featuring some awesome fight scenes from some of the very best mixed martial artists competing in the cage today. Oh yes I must not forget the added bonus of some hot chicks taking part in some raunchy sex scenes featuring heavily throughout.

Never Surrender is available direct from www.itvonlineshop.com

The DVD is currently available from www.play.com priced just £9.99 according to issue 52 of Fighters Only (UFC 100 Special). The offer could be for a limited time so grab your copy ASAP to own the acting debut of Quinton ‘Rampage’ Jackon, then boast to your mates after he becomes a major Hollywood star.

By the way whilst watching the movie see how many UFC fighters appearing you can spot donning Affliction t-shirts, the clothing brand now banned from the UFC.

UFC & MMA blog by Duane Farr

duane@bluraymma.com

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Lyoto ‘The Dragon’ Machida became the new UFC Light Heavyweight Champion at UFC 98 dazzling Rashad Evans with his elusive hybrid Karate MMA style for the win. Going back to the old school of Ultimate Fighting in the pre Zuffa era the battle of the two warriors locked in the cage were seeking to prove their martial art the supreme fighting style as Jiu Jitsu expert fought Taekwon Do master and shoot wrestlers fought boxers. As time has gone on and the sport has evolved out of the human cockfighting stage to be renamed Mixed Martial Arts establishing itself fully fledged sport with rules instead of no holds barred, plus it had been developed into a complete fighting discipline combining elements of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, Wrestling, boxing and kick boxing. So to have Lyoto Machida emerge from a background as a traditional Karate practioner is very refreshing and interesting for the development of MMA.

Of course we have already had UFC fan favorite Georges St Pierre entering the octagon garbed in his Gi and Danny Larusso style head band but GSP is a fighter who incorporates huge elements of wrestling thanks to his trainer Greg Jackson. The main significance about Machida’s style is that he brings something new and fresh, a style that hasn’t been done yet up to now. Lyoto utilises a stance and foot movement enabling the light heavyweight champion to dash in and out again, hitting his target without taking punishment himself. That is what is so unique about the way he fights, he rarely gets hit. A mixed martial artist able to avoid taking punishment is a fighter likely to a have a long and successful career.

As a master of Machida Karate as taught to him by his father Lyoto adapated to the cage by learning the ground grappling necassary. Since his win over Rashad the UFC light heavyweight champion Lyoto Machida (15-0) is now confirmed his first title defense against Mauricio “Shogun” Rua (18-3). The fight will happen at UFC 104. Shogun not long ago was seen as the best lightheavyweight in the world as a competitor in former Japanese promotion PRIDE FC. Shogun was seen as THE man to topple the then UFC light heavyweight champion Chuck ‘The Iceman’ Liddell off his throne. Unfortunately for Rua since signing with the UFC the Brazilian fighter has not been on top form until recently it appears he has got his form back.

The light heavyweight title clash could be a test for Machida on the ground versus Rua but with his defence the bout may not make it to the canvas or on the other hand it could a chance to see Machida’s ground skills in action. Most are predicting a long reign at the top for Lyoto much like the present reign of Anderson Silva, let’s just hope he keeps it exciting with Dana White and Joe Silva pairing The Dragon with the right opponent. One thing is for certain as Joe Rogan said
Karate clubs all over will have booming business just like the impact the Gracies made on Jiu Jitsu.

UFC & MMA blog by Duane Farr

duane@bluraymma.com

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UFC 100 will air on UK TV but we've still got to wait a bit longer.

UFC 100 – July 11th, Mandalay Bay Centre, Las Vegas

The mammoth fight card UFC 100 is fast approaching, as I type there are under
4 days to go until the big one. UFC 100 is a monumental milestone for the
Zuffa owned Ultimate Fighting Championship organisation. This Saturday’s
pay per view event is more than just hype, once again matchmakers Dana White and Joe Silva have put together a stacked bill of highly anticipated clashes in the cage.

First of all let’s take a look at the triple threat lined up at the top of the
event for all you mixed martial arts junkies out there.

Frank Mir vs. Brock Lesnar – Heavyweight Title unification
You can easily label this one UFC the next generation as when you look back at what established the UFC originally was Royce Gracie vs Ken Shamrock,
a pro wrestler taking on a Brazilian Jiu Jitsu expert in a fight to see which
style was supreme. Now reaching the century history repeats itself as
once again a former pro wrestler battles it out with a BJJ expert.

Lesnar going in as defending champion has everything to prove. There are still many who do not feel he had earned his spot as top dog. As a former WWE wrestler The vanila Gorila has got to work harder to prove he is the real deal but ultimately getting the win is all that counts despite the opinions of others. Both fighters looked impressive in their last outings inside the octagon, but despite beating the best of the old guard – Randy Couture and Antonio Minotauro Nogueira it can be said that they were both past their best. It was clear Nog wasn’t in his best condition for their fight but Couture looked good but just did not have what was needed to beat the almost not human Brock Lesnar.

So going back to their first outing what has changed? Has Lesnar now got what it takes to avenge his loss to the interim champion? I am going to answer yes being slightly biassed as a fan of pro wrestling before getting hooked on MMA. I feel Lesnar since losing to Mir having fought and beaten both Heath Herring and the legend that is Randy ‘The Natural’ Couture now has the experience under his belt not to make the same rookie mistake getting caught in a heel hook. However there is still the possibility it could happen again. The clash of their opposing styles is the Yin and Yang principle used in traditional martial arts. You use your opponents
strengths to your advantage. That is what the power of Lesnar’s wrestling
versus Mir’s BJJ is – Yang versus Yin.

My prediction is a TKO win within the first 2 rounds for Lesnar.

Georges ‘Rush’ St Pierre vs Thiago Alves – Welterweight Title bout
GSP the welterweight champion and arguably the best pound for pound mixed martial artist in the world will face his tougest test yet in the form of
Muay Thai kickboxing specialist Thiago ‘Pitbull’ Alves. We all know St Pierre
is a well rounded fighter but he usaully enters the cage with the size
advantage, this time it is not the case. Alves a man naturally of 200lbs cuts
weight to 170lbs but come fight time he is back up there with an added 30  pounds. Both combatants are at the top of their game but the question is wether they will both be issue free. In the past GSP has lost mentally where as Alves’ had drug issues.

My prediction is GSP to win, the dude just keeps on improving and I would love to see him clash with Anderson Silva next year for a dream match.

Michael ‘The Count’ Bisping vs Dan Henderson – TUF 9 Coaches Collide 
A non title fight but like Lesnar versus Mir it’s another highly anticipated
showdown. Having built up via the recent Ultimate Fighter 9 which saw
Bisping’s Team UK beat Henderson’s Team USA by snatching both the lightweight and welterweight prizes in the Ultimate Finale. Bisping seen as the cocky Englishman by the Americans is the dynamic opposite of mild mannered Olympian Dan Henderson. Henderson a former PRIDE FC star in Japan and title holder does not have father time on his side. Bisping is younger and an ever improving fighter of the TUF generation of UFC star names.

I am hoping Bisping impresses with a TKO win elevating the Brit fighter to
title challenger status.

Time for all the talk to cease as all the questions will be answered in the
octagon on Saturday July 11th.

The rest of the card.

Jon Fitch vs Paulo Thiago

Yoshiro Akiyama vs Alan Belcher

Mark Coleman vs Stephen Bonnar

Mac Danzig vs Jim Miller

Jon Jones vs Jake O’Brien

Dong Hyun Kim vs Jonathan Goulet

CB Dollaway vs Tom Lawlor

Matt Grice vs Shannon Gugerty
Limp Bizkit will be performing on the weekend plus there is a grappling
competiton, fanfest, UFC Hall of Fame inductions including Mask the
recently passed away founder of Tapout Clothing plus much more happening.

You can read an interview with Mike Bisping on the Henderson trash talk at Mirror.co.uk
http://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/more-sport/mma-and-wrestling/2009/07/02/ufc-100-interview-exclusive-michael-bisping-s-fury-at-dan-henderson-s-trash-talk-115875-21489783/

Keep an eye the official UFC 100 website for videos and news build up.

http://100.ufc.com/

It appears to still be up in the air what channel will be airing UFC 100
in the UK but having just seen the Sky EPG fans in Ireland needn’t worry
since Setanta Ireland seems to be still on air scheduled to show the event
live at 3am despite the demise of the subscription channel back in the UK. Well I have my new Sky + installation booked ready for Saturday
with our package including Sky Sports  free for a month so all being well
I won’t have to wait to see this one.

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UFC & MMA blog by Duane Farr

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