Check out this video, Dana White talking Toney vs Couture with legendary boxer ‘Iron’ Mike Tyson.
UFC & MMA blog by Duane Farr
duane@bluraymma.com
It’s time for one of those strange occurrences again, a DVD review of a pay-per-view I’ve already reviewed, and this time it’s a battle of the legends in the two disc UFC 109: Relentless.
Disc 1 begins with the preliminary bouts, and an appearance from fighting’s first family as Rolles Gracie took on Joey Beltran in the heavyweight division.
When you see a Gracie in a fight you expect a certain standard, and sadly this Gracie couldn’t live up to that standard.
He did okay early on as he scored with a take down, but he visibly tired as the first round went on and as Beltran upped his game.
Gracie looked absolutely shattered as the second round began, and there was actually one moment where referee Herb Dean asked him if he wanted to fight, so it came as no surprise when Beltran got the TKO win after some ground and pound work.
The heavyweight action continued as Tim Hague faced Chris Tuchscherer.
This was one of those fight that had it’s good and bad moments.
A good first round was followed by a lacklustre second in which both fighters were left gasping for air at times.
Hague got his second wind in the third, and as Tuchscherer continued to flounder Hague looked for the win that just wouldn’t come, bringing the judges into the equation as they gave, for some strange reason, the majority decision to Tuchscherer, a decision that left me wondering if this fight had been judged by the three blind mice.
It was down to light heavyweight for the next fight as Brian Stann took on Phil Davis.
Now this was more like it, an exciting three rounder with the debuting Davis putting on an excellent display of ground work, taking Stann down at will and controlling every aspect of the fight.
Stann tried his best but it just wasn’t enough as all three judges scored in favour of Davis, and rightfully so after this tremendous performance.
Action from the lightweight division followed as Phillip Nover went up against Rob Emerson.
The great action continued with these former Ultimate Fighter contestants. Both guys put on good performances, with Nover looking like he was going to get the submission with a guillotine.
Emerson came back well with some good ground work in the second and the third, although Nover managed another guillotine attempt.
So with the fight going the distance the judges gave their unanimous decision to Emerson.
The lightweight action continued as Melvin Guillard faced Ronys Torres.
Another good three rounder which was also a great example of the striker against the grappler. Guillard’s striking display was top notch, but on the other hand Torres’ ground work was just as good, especially his take downs. It was a pretty even fight, with Guillard taking the close judges decision.
The final preliminary saw further lightweight action between Mac Danzig and Justin Bucholz.
Yet another three rounder that proved to be a nice all round affair saw good performances from both men, both in the stand-up game and on the ground.
It was a very even fight, with Danzig closest to getting the stoppage when he took Bucholz’s back and went for a rear naked choke in the final few seconds of the fight.
Yet again the judges were called upon to render a decision, with all three scoring in favour of Danzig.
Then it was on to the main show, beginning with Matt Serra against Frank Trigg in the welterweight division.
This didn’t last long. After the obligatory feeling out period Serra caught Trigg with a big right. Trigg’s legs gave out on him, and after a brief period of ground and pound the referee wisely stepped in to give Serra the TKO win.
It was up to the middleweight division for the next fight as Demian Maia faced Dan Miller.
An interesting three round battle saw both men kind of cancel each other out for the first two rounds. There wasn’t really any ground work to speak of until the third when Maia was able to take Miller to the ground. His offence was effective, although the fans weren’t too happy. The Brazilian came out on top here as he earned the unanimous decision.
Then it was back down to welterweight as Mike Swick took on Paulo Thiago.
Thiago put on a great performance here, beginning his onslaught with the first blow of the fight, a head kick, signalling his intent. Swick was able to keep up with him in the first, but a right/left combination was the beginning of the end. A d’arce choke sent Swick into la-la land, giving Thiago the highly impressive submission win.
The co-main event featured middleweight action as Nate Marquardt went up against Chael Sonnen.
For many this was the fight that put Sonnen on the map. From the moment he scored with his first take down he dominated the majority of the action.
Marquardt had a few good moments of offence, a hard elbow to the forehead that opened Sonnen up, a couple of guillotine attempts, and some ground and pound just as the third round came to an end.
However, it just wasn’t enough, and it was Sonnen who took the unanimous decision and a title shot against Anderson Silva, and we all know how that one played out.
The main event featured the battle of the legends as Randy Couture faced Mark Coleman in the light heavyweight division, the first time that two UFC Hall of Famers had faced each other.
This was vintage stuff from the Natural. Couture imposed his will on the fight from the second it started, and while Couture looked tremendous Coleman looked sluggish and unable to compete.
The ending came in the second round. Couture took the fight to the ground, took Coleman’s back, unleashed with the ground and pound before putting his lights out with a rear naked choke. Another awesome performance from Couture, while Coleman looked like someone in need of retirement.
Disc two is where you’ll find all the usual pre and post-fight stuff.
In conclusion – another good DVD release here, and although I’m still a bit miffed that they still cut out a lot of the non-fight stuff, including the majority of Bruce Buffer’s excellent introductions, it was great to see those remarkable performances from Sonnen and Couture again, and it’s for this reason that this release gets my recommendation.
With thanks to Duane Farr at bluraymma.com for supplying a copy of this release. UFC 119: Relentless is available to buy online at www.fightdvd.co.uk.
In the words of Joe Rogan: Batista joins a bunch of savages
Now this picture is something that grabs my attention as a pro wrestling to MMA convert.
Pictured above is former WWE pro wrestling superstar Dave Batista, alongside the Caesar Gracie camp. Rumour has it muscle-bound freak Batista, who trained in BJJ and Muay Thai before leaving the sports entertainment world, is in talks with Scott Coker’s California based Strikeforce outfit.
A future possibility would be the match-up of Batista versus another former WWE heavyweight and current Strikeforce contracted fighter – Bobby Lashley. First impressions are of sceptisism, featuring 2 former WWE guys in a freak show fight. However after watching this video and seeing who he’s training with, it’s clear he’s focussed and taking the MMA switch seriously.
From Sherdog.com:
Scott Coker had stated that he would be interested to see the 41 year old matched up against former WWE star, and Army wrestler Bobby Lashley claiming that it would be a fun fight for the fans. Only time will tell how interested Batista is in competing in MMA at age 41 it is a little late to pick up the sport. It is yet to be seen if Batista will be able to handle all the hard work involved in becoming an MMA fighter.
UFC & MMA blog by Duane Farr
duane@bluraymma.com
12: one prize... 12 fighters... only one will survive...!
9 times out of 10 when asked to review a DVD, I’m not blessed with a shop retail release version. On this occasion I’ve been spoilt, having in my hands Twelve in all it’s glossy covered goodness.
Past the glossy cover, Twelve is all about grittiness. A British martial arts action flick, pitting 12 fighters of different fighting skills and backgrounds, in bouts organised by high-rollers. £500,000 is up for the taking, it’s a submission or knock-out to win each bout, other than that it’s no-holds-barred.
Having recently reviewed American made MMA-movies, the raw, rough, grittiness of this British made fight-flick is very refreshing. 12 doesn’t boast a huge line-up of UFC names, accompanied by a big budget, however the smaller budget works as an advantage, picturing a realistic rawness, leaving the required impact on the viewer.
Fight venues the 12 tournament contestants battle it out in include warehouses, nightclubs, scrap yard and even the back of a lorry, whilst being filmed on CCTV, viewed by the room of high-rollers, betting on the outcome, each backing a chosen fighter.
Brutal, blood-thirsty fantastically choreographed kick-ass scenes aplenty here, throughout the 88 minutes.
The story is told via a narrator, although we are introduced to the competitors individually, being made aware of their backgrounds and martial skills there isn’t one lead hero focussed on, unlike a traditional Kung-Fu flick with Bruce Lee or Jet Li. Twelve presents a unique style, it’s very much a 21st century post-modern British picture. What we get here is a grittier, grimey film, which feels very realistic.
Brit-MMA fans will recognise the Cage Warriors logo, when the final showdown happens in a cage. This final scene is Brit UFC competitor Ross Pearson’s favourite fight of the entire film by the way. Michael ‘The Count’ Bisping comments his favourite fight scene is The Triad vs The Soldier.
Left to right - Martial Arts Legend Joe Lewis, Chee Keong Cheung, Mark Strange. Photo copyright www.fightshop.com
Look out for some recognisable faces in Twelve, including Danny John Jules AKA The Cat in Red Dwarf, amazing record breaking female martial arts expert Zara Pythian, Gary Webster from Minder plus see Eastenders Dr Legg actor playing one of the fighter money-backers.
Director Chee Keong Cheung has done a brilliant job conjuring up a very realistic scene-scape of an underground no-holds-barred illegal fight world.
Seni 2010: Chee & Mark signing at the 12 stand. Photo copyright www.fightshop.com
The DVD comes with many special features, including biogs of the actors, a look behind the scenes plus an exclusive fight between Leon Walters vs Guy Golden from Pain & Glory kick-boxing event.
My home-town Bournemouth & local ultimate fighting gym – Bulldog is featured in a mini documentary, following Twelve actor and fighter Mark Strange prepare for a special cross-promotion bout on a Pain & Glory card. The special features round off the package brilliantly.
Twelve is out now on DVD, available from all good retailers.
Visit www.intenseproductions.co.uk and the official Twelve DVD website www.12dvd.co.uk for further information.
Keep visiting BluRayMMA.com for more reviews of brand new UFC, related combat sport and martial arts DVD releases.
DVD review by Duane Farr
duane@bluraymma.com
ESPN Classic continued their journey through the UFC’s archives this past weekend as they reached the final of the sixth series of The Ultimate Fighter: Team Hughes v Team Serra, featuring Mac Danzig against Tommy Spear in the final and Clay Guida against Roger Huerta in the main event.
It was welterweight action for the majority of the show, beginning with Dan Barrera against Ben Saunders.
This was a good three round ground battle. Barrera tried to seize the initiative by going for the take down, but each time he took the guard Saunders nullified his attack.
The third round saw Saunders on the attack throughout as he took Barrera’s back and went for a rear naked choke. He also scored with a couple of powerful kicks, but in the end he couldn’t put his man away.
The judges gave Saunders the unanimous decision, proving that you don’t have to be on top to attack effectively.
George Sotiropoulos against Billy Miles was next.
Miles began this one with all guns blazing, but it wasn’t long before the Aussie established control, taking Miles’ back, flattening him out and locking in the rear naked choke for the very impressive submission win.
Richie Hightower against Troy Mandaloniz followed.
These two were meant to be best buddies, but that didn’t show in this one. Hightower looked on top for the majority of the fight, but Mandaloniz stayed in contention with some good blows, and he ending up taking the win after one of the simplest of punches – a left jab – dropped Hightower. The referee soon stepped in, giving Mandaloniz the TKO win.
Then it was on to Jon Koppenhaver against Jared Rollins.
From a battle of best friends we went on to a fight between two guys who apparently didn’t like each other very much.
It was an outstanding balls to the wall battle, with neither man holding anything back. Both men were bloodied up at the end of the first, but that didn’t stop them, and even though both were exhausted in the third Rollins dropped Koppenhaver with a big knee. However, War Machine was able to reverse the positions, and soon he took home the win with a relentless ground and pound attack, giving him the TKO win.
The TUF welterweight final saw Mac Danzig taking on Tommy Speer.
The all-Team Hughes battle saw Speer going for the take down early on, only Danzig to take control seconds later, moving from the guard to take Speer’s back so he could synch in a rear naked choke for the great submission win.
John Kolosei against Matt Arroyo followed.
This fight between two Team Serra members proved to be a very entertaining affair, Arroyo went for a couple of arm bar attempts, but Kolosei was able to escape.
However, it was third time lucky for Arroyo as he finally managed to lock in the arm bar for the submission in the final seconds of the third round.
The main event was the only bout fought outside the welterweight division as Roger Huerta took on Clay Guida.
This was an outstanding fight with two different stories. For the first two rounds Guida was able to take Huerta down at will, and he did a great job controlling the fight on the ground and with the striking.
But things changed dramatically at the beginning of the third when Huerta rocked Guida with a knee. Moments later he took Guida’s back and synched in a rear naked choke for the submission win.
In conclusion – while I’m not really a fan of the reality show part of The Ultimate Fighter the finales always deliver, and this was the case with the sixth instalment, and the two main events, especially the Guida/Huerta battle were outstanding contests.
So overall this gets the thumbs up for me. But don’t expect any more TUF Finale retro-type reviews. I’ve already done them all from season seven onwards and it will probably be a while before ESPN Classic get back to seasons one through four again!
It was one of the most hyped fights of the year, the most controversial fighter in mixed martial arts against the brash, trash-talking challenger in the main event of UFC 117: Silva v Sonnen, shown live in the early hours of this past Sunday morning on ESPN here in Britain.
The big boys began the show as Roy Nelson faced Junior Dos Santos in the heavyweight division.
There was a part of me that wanted Nelson to win, but deep down I knew that Dos Santos would be too much for him. The Brazilian had a tremendous first round, rocking Big Country a number of times. But as the fight progressed and as Dos Santos continued to tee off he just couldn’t put Nelson away. Nelson had his moments, but they were few and far between.
No surprise with the decision here, Dos Santos all the way with a dominating performance.
It was down to the welterweight division for the next fight as Matt Hughes took on Ricardo Almeida.
The latest inductee into the Hall of Fame put on a vintage performance. After both men tested the waters Hughes sent Almeida down with a big left hook. Hughes followed him to the ground and immediately went for a guillotine. Almeida was out of it seconds later, giving Hughes and outstanding submission win, and also giving his doubters a lesson. Write him off at your peril.
The lightweights were up next as Clay Guida faced Rafael Dos Anjos.
This proved to be another enjoyable encounter. There were some nice exchanges early in the first, with both guys getting in some good shots. From there we had some good ground work in round two.
The ending came in the third round. After Guida scored with a big take down he took control of Dos Anjos’ head and arms. That was enough for the Brazilian. His jaw broken, he just couldn’t take any more and tapped out. Another great encounter, and a good performance from Guida.
The only filler material of the evening saw Stefan Struve going up against Christian Morecraft.
The proverbial back and forth affair saw Morecraft dominating in the first round with his ground and pound, to the point where the doctor considered pulling Struve out because of his cut and badly swollen bottom lip.
This just seemed to fire up the big guy as both men began the second round swinging, with a big right from Struve knocking Morecraft down, with the referee stopping the fight after a few seconds of ground and pound. A remarkable comeback from the big guy.
It was back to the welterweight division for the next fight as Jon Fitch took on Thiago Alves.
A bit of controversy before this fight even began saw Alves failing to make the weight limit by just half a pound, forfeiting twenty per cent of his purse.
A re-match four years in the making saw some good ground and pound work from Fitch as he dominated the grappling side of things. It was as if he was able to take Alves down at will. Alves managed to get in a couple of good shots in the striking game, but in the end the weight cut seemed to take too much out of him.
In the end all three judges scored in favour of Fitch, the only decision there could be really.
The main event saw Chael Sonnen challenging Anderson Silva for the Middleweight title.
Now this is what a championship fight should be about. For over four rounds Sonnen took it to Silva, and did something that nobody else has managed to do in the UFC – he made Silva look human.
But then, with just two minutes of the fight left, and with Sonnen looking like he was going to win, it turned. Silva synched in a triangle choke, and seconds later Sonnen tapped. It was all over. The greatest fight I’ve seen this year was done, and Silva was still the UFC Middleweight Champion.
In conclusion – I know I say this almost every time, but this was a great show. The five undercard fights delivered big time, while the main event, well, what more can I say?
It was an outstanding fight, with the sort of drama you only get to see in Hollywood blockbusters, and if Chael Sonnen doesn’t get a re-match with Anderson Silva after that performance then there really is no justice in this world.
UFC 117: USA vs Brazil
Although not officially marketed as USA vs Brazil, this unofficial UFC 117 poster design brilliantly highlights a great selling point for the Saturday’s pay per view fight-card.
Saturday August 7, a date MMA fans around the world have all been anticipating. Can the UFC top UFC 116? Will Dana White give UFC fans payback in the form of Chael Sonnen vs Anderson Silva?
There is no doubt about it Dana and co are spoiling fight fans with another stacked card. Defending middleweight champion Anderson ‘Spider’ Silva facing Chael Sonnen has set the internet alight with discussion.
Anderson’s last octagon outing, in Abu Dabai, UFC 112, was a controversial moment for the UFC. Silva’s antics turned many a fan to stop cheering the man given the honour of the best pound for pound fighter on the planet. Show-boating and not engaging are antics UFC President Dana White is not a fan of. White has hinted Silva will be out of the organisation if he continues in this vein.
Worthy of note Anderson’s actions have made him less respected, giving him heat – fans will now pay to see the former fan favourite beaten. Challenger Chael Sonnen is being hyped up as the man who can get the job done, but can he? Despite all the building up of Sonnen, the bookies have Anderson as odds on favourite to win.
My prediction: submission victory for Silva, bagging a win for Team Brazil.
A personal favourite Roy ‘Big Country’ Nelson returns to octagon action at UFC 117, facing Brazilian knockout artist Junior Dos Santos. The underrated chubby winner of TUF 10, is a fighter I can’t help but like. Not only a world class heavyweight, the IFL veteran is an endearing character. Hell he’s carrying some extra timber, making him an underdog, I like an underdog. This is going to be a war, unlikely to go the distance.
My prediction: Nelson by KO.
Fight card as advertised:
See UFC 117 live from 3am on subscription channel ESPN, UK, PPV North America.
UFC & MMA blog by Duane Farr
duane@bluraymma.com
The Ultimate Fighting Championship presented their latest live offering on ESPN in the early hours of this past Monday morning here in Britain with their second show on U.S. network Versus, headlined by the light heavyweight clash between Vladimir Matyushenko and Jon “Bones” Jones.
The show began with the lightweight clash between Tyson Griffin and Takanori Gomi.
The proverbial blink and you’ll miss it affair. After a brief feeling out period Gomi connected with a big right that sent Griffin crashing. The referee quickly stepped in, giving Gomi the great knockout win as Griffin suffered his first KO loss.
Then it was up to the welterweight division as John Howard faced Jake Ellenberger.
A good if unspectacular fight began with some quick exchanges before setting down into a nice ground battle. As the fight progressed a series of elbows from Ellenberger swelled Howard’s left eye to the point that the referee stopped the fight on the advice from the doctor, giving Ellenberger the TKO win.
More lightweight action followed as Darren Elkins took on Charles Oliveira.
The second blink and you’ll miss it affair saw Elkins score with the quick take down, only for Oliveira to lock on an arm bar seconds later, with Elkins tapping out just forty-one seconds into the fight. Awesome stuff from the debutant.
The middleweights were up next as Mark Munoz went up against Yushin Okami.
The only fight of the broadcast to go the distance was an interesting back and forth affair. Okami put on some great defensive work as Munoz went for a number of take downs.
But the main story centred around the striking game. Both men got in some good shots, with a big left from Munoz sending Okami to the ground.
But with neither man unable to stop the other the judges were called into action as they gave Okami the split decision.
The main event saw action from the light heavyweight division as Jon Jones went up against Vladimir Matyushenko.
Another good performance from Jones saw him get the take down after a brief feeling out period. Matyushenko controlled his left arm briefly, but it wasn’t long before Jones took side control and unleashed with a series of elbows, with the referee quickly stepping in, giving the TKO win with another impressive performance.
In conclusion – well, for a while we Brits thought that we weren’t going to see this show. I’m thankful that I did, because it was a really enjoyable event, with five good fights topped of nicely by Jones’ performance in the main event, and the appearance of legendary referee “Big” Jon McCarthy in the Munoz/Okami fight.
So in all another great show, the perfect appetiser to next weekend’s big middleweight showdown. Am I the only one who wants to see Sonnen hand Anderson his ass on a plate?
It’s time for one of those strange occurrences again, a DVD review of a pay-per-view I’ve already reviewed, and this time it’s the turn of the two disc UFC 108: Evans v Silva.
Disc one begins with the prelims, starting with Rafaello Oliveira against John Gunderson in the lightweight division.
This was a dominant performance from Oliveira. While Gunderson’s attacked seemed somewhat one dimensional, Oliveira’s performance was such that he completely overwhelmed Gunderson, going for a number of submission attempts. He would surely have got the win had it not been for Gunderson’s defensive work.
The judges decision – unanimous in favour of Oliveira, so no great surprise there.
It was up to the welterweight division for the next fight as Mike Pyle faced Jake Ellenberger.
Another fight that featured some great ground work saw Ellenberger score with a couple of impressive takedowns. However, Pyle was able to frustrate him for most of the round, although he ended it by saying he’d broken a rib.
Round two didn’t last that long. A big right dropped Pyle, and Ellenberger quickly followed him down for the ground and pound, with the referee quickly calling a halt to the proceedings and giving Ellenberger his first UFC win.
Action from the middleweight division followed as Mark Munoz went up against Ryan Jensen.
This was an impressive performance from the man from the Philippines. As soon as he took the fight to the ground Munoz was in control, and as soon as he took the dominant position he unleashed with the ground and pound. Jensen actually had to tap out twice before the referee eventually stopped the onslaught and gave Munoz the TKO win.
Then it was back down to the lightweight division with Cole Miller and Dan Lauzon.
This was a great back and forth affair. Lauzon rocked Miller early on with a left hook, but Miller was able to come back strongly with some impressive ground work, wrapping his legs around Lauzon’s head and neck and getting the submission with a kimura from a reverse triangle. A really great performance from Miller here.
Back up a division for the next fight as Martin Kampmann faced Jacob Volkmann.
Another of those back and forth affairs saw Volkman get in some good shots, but he was rather reckless in doing so because Kampmann was able to counter with strikes of his own.
The second time this happened Kampmann took control and soon got the submission win with a guillotine. An impressive comeback for Kampmann after his previous defeat.
The main show began with the big boys of the heavyweight division as Junior Dos Santos went up against Gilbert Yvel.
Dos Santos proved once again what a great striker he is. Although Yvel got in a couple of good shots Dos Santos was on top throughout, with a big left sending the Frenchman to la-la land momentarily. A few seconds of ground and pound later and Dos Santos had another great win.
A second Miller came out to play next as Cole’s brother Jim faced Duane Ludwig in the lightweight division.
Miller was just as impressive as his brother. A right hook sent Ludwig down. Miller quickly followed and went for an arm bar. Ludwig tried to fight it but tapped out a few seconds later.
Speaking of brothers, Dan Lauzon’s brother Joe followed, taking on Sam Stout in another lightweight encounter.
This was a great example of a grappler versus striker battle Lauzon controlled the early part of the first round with his takedowns, and he opened up a nasty cut above Stout’s left eye with an elbow.
But from there the majority of the fight belonged to Stout with his superior striking. He clearly out fought Lauzon, whose only other notable moment of offence came in the third when he went for a guillotine. This didn’t last long though as Stout was able to escape and get back to his feet.
No surprises with the decision here as all three judges scored in favour of Stout.
The big welterweight encounter saw Dustin Hazelett facing Paul Daley.
Semtex certainly lived up to his nickname here. After a feeling out period Daley unleashed with a left hook that sent Hazelett crashing. Two seconds of ground and pound later and Daley had the knockout win.
This was a really impressive performance from Daley. It’s just a shame the way his UFC career turned out the way it did.
The main event saw Rashad Evans taking on Thiago Silva in the light heavyweight division.
This battle of former champions was certainly worthy of it’s spot on the card. Evans controlled the first two rounds, using his boxing to set up numerous takedowns, one of which saw him barge Silva from one side of the cage to the other.
Silva came back towards the end of the third. After a bit of showboating he rocked Evans with a big right. But unfortunately he just didn’t have enough energy to finish the job, showboating even more as Evans recovered.
Once again the judges were called into action as they gave Evans the unanimous decision.
Disc two is where you’ll find all the bonus features, the interviews and other stuff.
In conclusion – well folks, this was full of great fights. There wasn’t one bad encounter on in this DVD set, and it was nice to see all of these encounters again.
But there are still down points on these DVD releases, including no introductions from Goldberg and Rogan, and no fight introductions from the legend that is Bruce Buffer until the main event.
So once again a good DVD release from the UFC. But remember, if you saw this show when it was on television be prepared for a few edits.
UFC 108: Silva v Evans is available to buy online at www.fightdvd.co.uk.
This past Friday -- July 16, I was privileged with the opportunity to report on Chuck Liddell’s first stop on the UK and Ireland whirlwind training seminar tour, just down the road from me at Rossmore Leisure Centre, Poole. This first event was in association with The Bulldog Ultimate Training Academy, based in the centre of Bournemouth.
Trainees put through their paces on the mats.
Armed with my notebook, pen, camera -- complete with a fresh set of Duracells, I hopped onto the bus in good time for the event scheduled for 6:30pm start. Unfortunately Chuck’s flight was delayed, resulting in a delay in to the start time. Making up for the delay the students in attendance were treated to the opportunity of training from The Ultimate Fighter 9 veteran and BAMMA featherweight contender Jeff Lawson, plus Phil Norman of Gladiators fame and Alex De Souza a skilled Brazilian Jiu Jitsu expert. So not only would the trainees learn from one of the very elite stand-up fighters but also pick up some awesome grappling skills, even better value for money.
Along with the MMA students anticipating Liddell’s arrival, were fans like Ryan from Wiltshire. It’s not everyday you get meet a UFC legend, Ryan had brought him a glossy photo of the ‘Iceman’ plus a digital camera to capture the all important snaps.
Chuck’s arrival to hall was greeted by applause from all in attendance at 8pm, when the seminar officially kicked off. Wow, the guy has a real aura about him, you couldn’t help but feel. He’s not a loud and bold vocal person like nemesis Tito Ortiz, but he sure is commanding in that cold and calm way.
The first thing learnt is Liddell’s arms are a length of rope with a rock attached. All the students warmed up swinging their arms, in this slingshot motion. Chuck explained how the technique is so useful in the octagon, going over the top of the opponents guard, using whole body power in one motion for the knock-out blow.
Various other stand-up techniques were demonstrated by the former UFC light-heavyweight champion, including the spinning back kick and the spinning back fist, a strike Shonie Carter has been successful with, defeating Matt Serra.
As the evening progressed Chuck taught ground defence skills. Liddell’s key strength is clearly his striking ability, it’s easy to take his wrestling for granted. What he does so well is wrestle in reverse. It’s rare to see Chuck take fighters down, instead he utilises wrestling to keep upright and get back to a vertical position when needed.
It's not everyday you meet a UFC icon.
When the training session wound up at 9:30pm, a long queue tailed around the sports hall, of all those eager to get a photograph with the man himself, clutching Chuck’s book and various pictures to be signed.
12 lucky students selected by Chuck Liddell, each received a copy of British fight-film Twelve. The makers of Twelve have teamed up Fighters Inc making it all possible.
Overall the event was a great experience, for trainee mixed martial artists, seasoned fighters improving there fight game and fans alike. The event appeared to be a sell-out, judging by the number of people.
On Facebook I noticed Alex Reid pictured alongside Chuck, presumably ‘The Reidernator’ got some training in with the ‘Iceman’ ahead of the showdown against Tom ‘Kong’ Watson, at the London venue.
Chuck hooked up with Fighters Inc at Seni 2006, since then they have worked together on one off seminars as well as Chucks legendary after parties.
Fighters Inc are working on more big MMA names to visit the UK for the super seminar series. Be sure to visit www.fightersinc.net/experience.htm and join the mailing list, keeping up on the latest regards future training seminars from icons of the fighting arts.
UFC & MMA blog by Duane Farr
duane@bluraymma.com