Van Zant vs Chambers

She's a good-looking girl, cute in a girl-next-door sort of way, which comes up constantly whenever her name is mentioned. What I like about Paige Van Zant, however, is how she pushes the pace, she's incredibly aggressive and always comes forward. In this fight she showcased that relentless work ethic in addition to a mean Muay Thai clinch, though she did get tagged with punches while in it. That's something that she'll have to correct if she wants to hang with the polish champion, Joanna Jedrzejczyk, who's a beast in the striking department. She did show a complete arsenal, with knees to the body, that took out Chambers' gas tank, punches to the head, a judo hip throw and securing the win via armbar in a lightning quick submission. She's only getting better at 21 years old though I think she still needs more experience before taking on someone like strawweight champ Joanna Jedrzejczyk. 

Ronda Rousey is the scariest fighter!

She was already quite fearsome as a marauding armbar-finisher, capable of securing the submission from any position and against any opponent regardless of their preparation in training. With her judo background the grappling aspect was pretty much taken care, you can see what she did against a grappler like Meisha Tate, rag-dolling her in both outings against Rousey. The lingering question was what would she do against a top-quality striker, someone like Holly Holm with her world champion boxing skills or Cat Zingano's formidable attack or the hulkish strength of a Cyborg.

The answer, her striking has caught up to the rest of her already outstanding abilities. We saw it in her latest fight, beating Bethe Correia at her own game with strikes! I don't think there are enough hyperboles for this woman, it's for damn sure that they've all been used up and for go reason, she's that good. Jon Jones is a scary man too and been just as dominant but the thing about Rousey is I'd say she's a more complete fighter than Jones, in all aspects she's heads and shoulders above her peers. Jones proved fallible against Gustafsson (and the specter of drug use) but Rousey is doing it all with gusto, she doesn't spurn the spotlights, the magazine covers, the interviews, the movie roles and still manages to finish fights in spectacular fashion. We're witnessing our MMA GOAT and most won't want to admit it either because she's a woman or because of the so-called inferior quality of opposition in her division but let's face it, she's the best around and no one's gonna ever keep her down.

Max Holloway vs Cub Swanson

At UFC on FOX 15 the real story was the complete performance by Max Holloway. The Hawaiian put on display his full arsenal, utilizing a long jab and reach, kicks, knees and great footwork to evade the power of Swanson and finish him. Swanson, though possessing one-punch knockout power, was predictable throughout, waiting to find the counter but each time he thought he had an opportunity Holloway was gone. Using his reach and output he reminded me of Nick or Nate Diaz but what you don't see from those fighters is the full scope of MMA weapons, knees and leg kicks. It was this key element that kept Cub not only guessing but also hurting, several knees found their mark to the midsection and many leg kicks to the head also had him on the back foot. All those stand-up strikes set up his submission, showing that wherever he saw an opportunity, he took it.

He reminds me of the featherweight version of Carlos Condit, a man that's not known for his power but for being an incredibly well-rounded fighter, something that's key to being successful, I feel. I liken it to Barcelona's success in soccer this year, they used to be a predictable foe using total football to maintain possession but now that they've added the counter their opponents have to plan for multiple forms of attack. This was Max Holloway in this fight and I can see this kid not only competing for the belt but holding it the one day, he has a very bright future.

Thoughts on Silva vs GSP

A year ago, no one could stop talking about the fight potential between Anderson "The Spider" Silva and George "Rush" St. Pierre (GSP). Silva hasn't been beaten while fighting in the UFC octagon and GSP just won his seventh straight title defense against Carlos Condit. GSP has two losses in his storied UFC career to Matt Hughes and Matt Serra, both legends in their own right and former champions. GSP took those losses and elevated himself to another level, pushing himself into another stratosphere with his wrestling and strength & conditioning training. Now he's even brought in Freddie Roach to fine tune his boxing, to shore up a perceived weakness of himself. For a long time now, these two have decimated contenders in their weight classes. BJ Penn saw similar success at lightweight, no one thought anyone could knock him off his pedestal with his phenomenal prowess in BJJ and crisp boxing. He tried moving up to fight GSP and got taken out by the larger opponent, which is what everyone expects to happen to GSP against Silva.

Silva is a big middleweight, in fact, he walks around upwards of 205, easily, which is why he's accepted fights at light heavyweight (205 lbs). His scalps are numerous and there are many notables as well, early on he defeated Sakurai, Jeremy Horn and Tony Fryklund; Sakurai was known as the "Gracie-killer", a highly esteemed moniker, Jeremy Horn is an old pro who's learned under Pat Miletich, Fryklund has as well. He also suffered four losses, one was a disqualification (DQ) that truly rankled him well into his UFC career, Silva managed to avenge his loss with a battering of Yushin Okami later on, however. Once in the UFC, it was a highlight reel of wins, Chris Leben welcomed him into the UFC by providing him a moving punching bag to wail on. Leben was known for being really tough, having an iron chin and had knockout power in his right hand. That didn't matter once Silva put him in his thai plum, relentless shooting knee kicks at his head until Leben's head was a swollen, bulbous mess. He took Rich Franklin out with a similar approach, savaging Franklin's ribs and abdomen with accurate knees until Franklin could take no more and left his head undefended. After taking the belt and beating Franklin even more decisively in the rematch, Silva went on to beat Nate Marquardt, Dan Henderson, James Irvin, Patrick Cote, Forrest Griffin and Demian Maia. Oh, and let's not forget, Chael Sonnen. Twice. Of those mentioned, the only ones he didn't finish were Cote and Maia; Cote hurt his knee and couldn't complete the third round and Maia, well, that fight was a travesty. Revitalized after the Sonnen victories and his thorough dissection of Stephan Bonnar, Silva seems poised to add to his own mystique and take on GSP.

Where Silva can be one of the most dynamic strikers and finishers in not only UFC history but of all time, this guy would put a grin on Bruce Lee's face, GSP is a dominant figure in his bouts, imposing his will and game plan on opponents, employing his incredible wrestling to dictate the fight. The crazy part, he wasn't a wrestler growing up, he did karate. Wrestling was something that he added to his regimen after fights with Hughes in which he was regularly taken down by the former champ, subsequently he began training with the Canadian Olympic Wrestling team. Imagine, as a professional he's picked it up and now there aren't many that can beat him in that respect, even former NCAA champs like Josh Koscheck and Jon Fitch. That speaks volumes about his dedication and intelligence, to be able to pick something up and run with it. You can see his stand-up improve as well, you saw it in the Koscheck fight where he left him with orbital fracture from just his jab! (Albeit a Lot of jabs.) The thing with GSP, though, is he hasn't finished a fight in a long while, it almost seems as if he's content with getting the decision, content with implementing a low-risk strategy. His last five fights have all been decided by the judges, triumphs, though ones marred in mediocrity if compared to a record such as Silva's.

With dominance in one's weight class, complacency can make an appearance. Comfort can be a killer lying in wait, you saw it in Silva's fight against Leites and Maia. When Silva's aggressive, when he figures out his opponent, reads his timing and goes in for the kill, he can be frightening in his focus. The bout with Sonnen awoke the Spider in him, the irony abounding, taking a pounding for four and a half rounds before sneaking in the triangle choke. GSP breezed to a victory over Koscheck, maintaining his distance, using the jab effectively and utilizing his take-down defense against a brutalized Josh. Condit, wanton with his usage of kicks, used a jumping roundhouse to lump up GSP's head halfway through the third round just last week, injuring Rush badly, the worst we've seen him since becoming a champ this second time around. The fight seemed to ignite something in GSP in the lead up to it, though the ardor had turned to embers by the time the post-fight news conference rolled around. It's been rumored that GSP came close to walking away from the octagon, perhaps this latest pummeling left him with second doubts about the match up Silva. Condit was a tough test but Silva is on another level and has 30 pounds on him at any given point, just about.

Most mma pundits seem to agree that a loss for GSP wouldn't tarnish his legacy, while a loss for the Spider, who is the bigger, stronger man, would take him down a notch. I say do it, weight classes are great but I remember a time when dudes would take on all comers. Hell, BJ Penn took on Lyoto Machida in Pride, that's a welterweight (170 lbs) at best versus a light heavyweight (upwards of 205, closer to 225, roughly, when not making weight), I think GSP will be fine, if he can use his speed, his agility and wrestle to the ground, hurting him while not giving away potential submissions. If he can't, the Spider might just pick him apart from range. Whatever the outcome, it will be a great fight and a fine aperitif for Anderson Silva vs Jon "Bones" Jones.

"Mayhem"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_1tIRM160Tc&feature=g-hist

When I saw him fight Michael Bisping, I chalked up the ass whooping to ring rust, perhaps a loss of nerve. By the third round he looked like he'd had one too many, staggering around the octagon  getting beaten on the feet. Then came news of the drama that unfolded backstage, how he'd wanted to come out with a paper bag over his head, having it out with the Center Director for the UFC. Throw in his untimely departure from the UFC, his nude adventure, being woken in a church and now this lovely interview with Ariel Helwani and it makes you wonder, what the hell is he on?!

This is the same dude that beat Sakurai, Gracie-killer, with a submission. A brilliant dude with the jiu jitsu, he seemed to be climbing up the ranks, going from local promotions to Strikeforce, Dream and eventually, I'm sure with help from his Bully Beatdown fans, onto the UFC. If you watch his old videos, interviews, yeah, he's "eccentric", though it comes from an intelligent place. You could see the glint of wit, which was absent in this last interview. It seemed like he was trying to the Andy Kaufman/ Sasha Baron Cohen shtick, remaining in character while being interviewed by Helwani. Helwani, to his credit, tried to keep it professional and perhaps was a bit too pushy in trying to get the real Mayhem to come out, he was clearly not in the right place to make a rational decision. That kind of understanding comes from dealing with drug addicts and mentally unstable, however, and so I would chalk that up to reporter naivete, homeboy was just not looking to open up about his current troubles. He's a warrior, though, it's my hope he finds the strength to cope with whatever he's struggling with and get on with his career, too many stars ascend high only plummet into obscurity.

Thoughts on UFC 146

Cain Velasquez sent a clear message with his demolition of Bigfoot. It must've helped that Daniel Cormier, who trains with Cain's camp, American Kickboxing Academy, fought Silva in Strikeforce in order to move on to win the Grand Prix Final and could have provided helpful insights into how to defeat the larger, stronger opponent. He immediately took down Silva, catching a kick while simultaneously pushing him back, knocking him to the ground. It may be that Cain didn't want to risk getting knocked out by Silva or perhaps Cain felt opportunistic, whatever the case may be, he spent the next 3 minutes turning Silva's face into mush, roughing him up with short elbows from the guard which opened up a gash that released a geyser of crimson. Could he employ a similar strategy on JDS, someone that hasn't spent more than a minute on his back while fighting in the UFC? He would be wise to, though getting Junior to the ground would be incredibly difficult, as Frank Mir learned.

Frank Mir wasted no time in trying to take down Junior Dos Santos (JDS). Within the first ten seconds of the bout Mir attempted to grapple JDS, desperately trying to hold on to a hip, a leg, a heel. Demoralized, Mir was beaten to the punch again and again, JDS' boxing was quicker than Mir's Muay Thai offense or defense, the jab and 1-2 slipping through consistently. JDS was quicker and his movement kept him out of the range of Mir's roundhouses and knee strikes. With his game plan imposed, Mir was eventually knocked down, a final hammer strike ending the fight and his aspirations in becoming a three-time UFC Heavyweight Champion.

Mir was too slow, JDS was too crisp and the fact remains that all fights start standing. Although Mir's ground game is the most lethal of the heavyweight division (two broken arms, to say the least), he lacks offensive wrestling or judo takedowns, which could place his opponent where he wants, in his web of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu (BJJ). Will he ever be able to challenge for the belt again? It's not unheard of, Couture fought well into his forties, Hendo (Dan Henderson) is challenging Jon "Bones" Jones for the UFC Light Heavyweight strap and Mark Coleman had a late run as well (is there a Frank Mir 4.0?). If Cain can avoid JDS' pinpoint strikes and take him to the ground, the fight may be his, though we've yet to see the champ's chops on the mat.

The all-heavyweight main card was certainly entertaining. Roy Nelson did not disappoint, knocking out Dave "Pee Wee" Herman with an overhand right that put him into a sitting position. Nelson says his fists might contain "dynamite or small rocks", a plausible reason given the explosiveness of his strike and given Herman's iron chin. Herman tried to employ a long-range approach a la Jon Jones, however, Nelson still managed to catapult a boulder to the temple of Pee Wee. It's been reported that Nelson has been training with Mayweather's uncle, perhaps this has given him a new confidence in his hands and insight in seeing openings. Shane Del Rosario and Stipe Miocic had an incredible first round, with Del Rosario getting the better of the stand-up. Del Rosario's Muay Thai was clinical though his stamina seemed to ebb in the second, leaving an opening for Miocic who took down Del Rosario, finishing him off with ground & pound. Miocic battled through a barrage to TKO Del Rosario in the second, though both fighters looked impressive in the fight. Stefan "Skyscraper" Struve found a home for his arm bar submission in his bout with Lavar Johnson, cinching it up a minute into the fight. He's been on the losing end of power punchers so this fight has him in contention once again.

The undercard was no undercard, with Jamie Varner halting the Edson Barboza locomotive. It was his boxing that made the difference, Varner ate leg kick after leg kick but kept on pushing through to deliver critical strikes to Barboza's head to end the fight. This is Varner's first fight back in the UFC and most were counting him out against such a dynamic striker like Barboza, who has enough knockout highlight reels to make thousands of Youtube montage videos. Varner makes an emphatic statement that he belongs in the UFC among the Lightweight division's elite, a stacked division by most critic's accounts.

I didn't manage to watch Mayhem's fight, though his loss, dismissal and subsequent retiring from the sport were all well-documented occurrences. I like Mayhem, he may be a polarizing figure, he may be a big personality, but at least he's an intelligent fighter that knows how to play the game (as far as publicity). I think Dana White had it in for him, though personal feelings didn't stop him from bringing Mayhem to the UFC, that's good business. The only reason he brought him over from Strikeforce was, aside from his fight credentials, because of his broad fan base, built from MTV's "Bully Beatdown". Mayhem ginormous persona couldn't keep up with his UFC ambitions and, after that awful ass whooping he took at the hands of Michael Bisping, his days were numbered as an elite cage fighter with the UFC.

All in all, UFC 146 delivered, thanks in large part to the big men.

Countdown to UFC 129

First off, let's talk about the main event, George St. Pierre versus Jake Shields. Jake Shields is a strong wrestler and an even better BJJ practitioner. His striking leaves much to be desired, however, and he's even said in interviews "I'm a grappler first, a striker second". Let's not forget that unlike BJJ tournaments, MMA starts on the feet, you have to get past the striking to grapple and even then, take down one of the most formidable opponents at 170 lbs. We're talking about GSP, the man has grappled with Matt Hughes, a solid leprechaun of man, Jon Fitch and Josh Koscheck, all fighters with pedigrees in wrestling. GSP trains with the Canadian Olympic Wrestling team and has been doing so for a while now, so taking him down is no easy feat. He's training with Freddie frickin' Roach, who trains Manny Pacquiao and Amir Khan. He also trains in Muay Thai with Firas Zahabi, a beast of a trainer. As far as game plan/general training, he's with Greg Jackson's camp, who have in their stable Jon Jones, Shane Carwin, Clay Guida, Melvin Guillard, Keith Jardine, Nate Marquardt and, until recently, Rashad Evans, too name a few, there are many more notables. Though Shields is a formidable foe, he has not faced the sort of competition GSP has, nor on as big a stage. His training camp, though stacked with mid-level fighters, in my opinion, is just not stacking up. Granted, Nate & Nick Diaz and Gilbert Melendez are no slouches but, aside from Nate, they're not fighting in the UFC, the promotion with the best fighters in the world in any weight class. I think Jake Shields is just gonna be another notch on GSP's belt.

Couture versus Machida. Granted, we haven't seen Machida fight at his full potential since knocking out Rashad Evans at UFC 98 or since the his run-up to it. Couture, the man is a machine, at 47, he truly is Captain America. A talented boxer with a penchant for dirty maneuvers and potential stand-in for the US Olympic Greco-Roman Wrestling team, he comes with some definitive strengths, not to mention cardio for days. Machida, on the other hand, is VERY unorthodox, his base discipline being Karate, from there he incorporates Muay Thai, Sumo (for a while i wasn't sure why he's got a belly, now it makes sense) and BJJ into a package that is very difficult to read. Couture seems to think he's got what it takes, that he's got him figured out but, in my opinion, I give it resoundingly to Machida. He's crafty and elusive, he can bridge the gap quickly, he's got knockout power and he's great at lateral movement, if he can apply his strategy, this one's a slam dunk. The one caveat is that Machida needs a win here, if he can't beat an aging legend, then it may be time for White to say Payce!

Aldo versus Hominick. Hominick's got some skills, that was on display in his latest bout against George Roop, where he just flattened the much taller opponent. He claims, though not boastfully, that Aldo's never faced "an elite striker" like him, but has Hominick ever faced an elite striker like Aldo? If you've watched him against Cub Swanson (double flying knee kick to the head KO in just 8 seconds!) or his pummeling of Urijah Faber, you know this guy's a beast. He comes from humble beginnings in Manaus, Brazil, and you can see that this cat's hungry, he kind of reminds me of Pacquiao in that respect. When he was a rising star, he was training on one meal a day, sleeping at the gym, when you've got that sort of determination, and that sort of talent, it's scary, man. I would NOT want to fight this guy, ever, I'm 145 but this dude's made out of granite and moves like a panther. Hominick may put up a fight, but I see Aldo dominating him, teeing off with leg kicks and combos.

So those are my predictions, GSP, Machida and Aldo, perhaps you may think that I'm siding with the favorites but you have to remember, they're favorites for a reason. These guys are the cream of the crop in their respective divisions, I don't see any upsets here.