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Saturday, November 6, 2010

State of the UFC Featherweights

by Michael David SmithNovember is a month without any title fights, which makes it a good time to take a long view of the future title picture in each weight class. Today we look at the featherweight division.

The best fighter making the transition from World Extreme Cagefighting into the UFC will be Jose Aldo, the featherweight champion who belongs in the debate about the best pound-for-pound fighters in the world. Getting Aldo bigger in front of a bigger audience will be a big step forward for American MMA.

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Source: http://www.mmafighting.com/2010/11/06/state-of-the-ufc-featherweights/

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Brock Lesnar doesn't like getting hit; How does he fix that?

Maybe Tim Sylvia needs to be a fortune teller on a boardwalk somewhere. The former UFC champ is turning out to be an MMA Nostradamus of sorts. This makes it two straight fights where Lesnar reacted horribly to getting hit. Frankly, no fighter likes to get nailed in the grill but 99 percent deal with it, either firing back and getting into a good defensive position. Lesnar has turned his back or literally ran away from his opponent on two occasions. Sylvia described this sort of thing happening back in 2007:

"I don’t think he’s going to have a future in MMA. I think Frank Mir is going to beat him," Sylvia told meon FoxSportsRadio1460 before UFC 81. "He’s a baby. Don’t kick him, he doesn’t want to get hurt. He’s a helluva wrestler and he’s strong. But he can’t punch and doesn’t know how to kick. He can only go straight forward. He can’t survive as just a takedown guy."

Some Lesnar's first experience in MMA was working with Sylvia at Pat Miletich's gym in Iowa. According to Dana White, it doesn't look like much has changed.

"People were saying to me, 'he's got to work on his striking.' His striking is fine when he's the one doing the punching. It's when he's getting hit is when his striking falls apart," White told ESPN's MMA Live. "And that's something he needs to work on. It takes time. This guy came from wrestling. These guys are used to getting punched in the face."

Lesnar may have to allow himself to get bullied on a regular basis in the gym.

"He needs to work on sparring. It's more about getting into the gym and working with guys who are really good."

Can Lesnar close this major hole in his game? It's kind of tough to be a fighter if you can't accept being hit. Is this a learned trait or innate?

Tip on Sylvia quote courtesy MMAMania

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/mma/blog/cagewriter/post/Brock-Lesnar-doesn-t-like-getting-hit-How-does-?urn=mma-279650

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First bouldering at Stanage Plantation, Derbyshire, UK

Location: Stanage Plantation
Date: Sunday 27 July
Sunday shone this weekend. A planned trip to the gym was quickly canned and instead we made a trip out to a new bouldering spot. After a recommendation that Stanage plantation had some good climbing (thanks Jonny!) we checked my bouldering guide book and set out.
If you’re reading this wondering [...]

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/rock-climbing-blog/~3/PAQVWyt9-Yc/philsheard

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Matt Hamill takes UFC 121 decision from old coach Tito Ortiz

Matt Hamill pulled out a big win with a unanimous decision over former UFC champ Tito Ortiz. Hamill won 29-28, 29-28 and 30-27 on the judges' cards at UFC 121 in Anaheim on Saturday.

In the first round, Hamill was able to take Ortiz down briefly, but could not do anything on the ground. The stand-up part of the round was filled with high leg kicks from both fighters and Ortiz moving forward throughout the round. Though the stand-up battle was close, Ortiz suffered more damage, sustaining a large cut on the side of his head and a mouse underneath his eye.

Hamill was able to inflict more damage in the second round. After getting a takedown, Hamill punished Ortiz with elbows from the top. Ortiz tried to answer with a submission attempts, but Hamill just took advantage of him and threw more short elbows.

After slow stand-up in the third and final round, Hamill tried to return to the takedown, but Ortiz stuffed it the first time, but easily took Ortiz to the ground on the second attempt. Hamill used side control to wear down Ortiz and land big hammer fists on Ortiz's hard-to-miss head.

Hamill was emotional after the fight, thanking his old coach and saying that he was honored to even fight Ortiz. Ortiz was Hamill's coach on "The Ultimate Fighter," and Hamill used Ortiz's style to beat his old mentor. The ground and pound strategy worked well for Hamill, who has now won five fights in a row.

Ortiz's next steps are not clear, as he has not won a fight since he beat Ken Shamrock in 2006. The one-time dominant champ is on a bad losing streak, and missed his chance to right the ship with this bout.

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/mma/blog/cagewriter/post/Matt-Hamill-takes-UFC-121-decision-from-old-coac?urn=mma-279366

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WSVT Halloween Fundraiser Jam

This is the last of the Halloween footage ... we promise. WSVT tried their luck at the whole Halloween jam thing and first try worked out pretty well. Product was raffled off from the sponsors and we raised some coin for the park. Also had a few people roll around. We have HD and DV for you to choose from. Enjoy the weekend.

Source: http://theskateboardmag.com/blogs/austin-mayer/2010/11/04/wsvt-halloween-fundraiser-jam/

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Lawlor shows fighting maturity, getting easy win at UFC 121

Tom Lawlor is a very good grappler but between his poor execution in the cage and too much partying outside it, he was facing a winless 2010. Before his fight against Patrick Cote, Lawlor cleaned up his life and joined a more professional training camp in New England. The moves worked wonders as Lawlor took Cote down anytime he wanted. He breaks a two-fight losing streak with a unanimous decision victory, 30-27 on all cards, in the opening preliminary bout on Spike.

It was a perfect matchup for Lawlor. But only if he played to his strength. His two losses this year came because he tried to slug it out too often with Aaron Simpson and Joe Doerksen. Lawlor got tired in those bouts.

Making sure this one hit the deck was the plan. Lawlor (7-3-1, 3-2 UFC) scored a takedown 1:03 into the first and then two more in the second. It was more the same in the third when it took just seven seconds to get Cote on his back.

Cote's a good example of what used to work in the UFC in 2006 and 2007. Elite fighters could survive as one-dimensional fighter. The slugger from Montreal simply hasn't improved his game-planning or takedown defense. Now he's facing termination with the promotion after losing his second straight. Cote may get a reprieve because this was just his second fight in the last 25 months. Cote (13-7, 4-4 UFC) has struggled to comeback from the effect of several major knee injuries.

UFC 121 undercard results (Courtesy MMAjunkie):

Jon Madsen def. Gilbert Yvel via TKO (punches) - Round 1, 1:48.
Chris Camozzi def. Dongi Yang via split decision (28-29, 29-28, 29-28).
Sam Stout def. Paul Taylor via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 30-27).
Daniel Roberts def. Mike Guymon via submission (anaconda choke) - Round 1, 1:13

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/mma/blog/cagewriter/post/Lawlor-shows-fighting-maturity-getting-easy-win?urn=mma-279360

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