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.