Eye the Hi

Hyoto Sakurai
Uploaded by Panabas

Will someone please convince Mach to lay off the kalibi ribs and cut to 155? Is there any part of a complete MMA skillset this guy doesn't have? WIll Bruce Buffer say "Mahck" instead of "Maha"?

UFC More Boring Than Pride? You Decide - A Look at the Numbers

I made some calculations about how bouts end in both The UFC and the ol' Pride. I left out UFC Fight Nights and Pride Bushidos. The UFN are free so who really cares, and the Bushidos were only 2 rounds. I looked at the last 10 events for both orgs from UFC 73 to 64 and Pride 34 to 30 with Shockwave's 06 and 05, FC Absolute, Critical Countdown, and Total Elimination. I didnt include the only draw ( Tito v Rashad ) in the sum of the 180 bouts, and I included Nick Diaz's win over Gomi as a sub. Hey, it's what the fans saw, and that's all that matters really.

UFC:
Total (T)KO - 36 40.5%
Total Subs - 23 25.8%
Total Decs - 30 33.7%
Total Bouts - 89
Average Card: 3-4 KOs, 2 Subs, 3 Dec

Pride:
Total (T)KO - 36 40%
Total Subs - 35 38.9%
Total Decs - 19 21.1%
Total Bouts - 90
Average Card 3-4 KOs, 3-4 Subs, 1-2 Dec

UFC highest numbers in any one night KO/Sub/Dec:
6/3/5
Lowest:
1/1/1

Pride:
Highest:
5/5/5
Lowest:
2/1/0

Modal numbers: ( the most frequently occuring numbers )
UFC: 4/3/3
Pride : 4/4/1

Number of times the UFC had 2 or less of a certain outcome:
2/5/3
Pride:
1/2/7 ( seven out of ten cards had 2 or less dec )

Times bout ending happened zero times in a night:
UFC:
0/0/0
Pride:
0/0/2 ( Two cards had no decisions )

Times there were more or equal decisions than either of the others ( not combined ):
UFC: 4 in 10
Pride: 2 in 10

Times there were more decs than anything else ( combined ):
UFC: 1 ( 69 )
Pride: 0

UFC best of the best: UFC 65 6/1/2, UFC 66 5/3/1
Worst: UFC 69 1/2/5, UFC 73 2/3/4, UFC 67 4/1/4
Pride best of the best: 34 3/5/0, 33 4/4/1, Critical 4/4/1, or Total Elim 4/4/0
Worst: Shockwave 2005 2/5/5 ( still finished more fights than went to dec ).

The numbers are the numbers and I aint gonna spin em. Use your own heads. But at a UFC event your gonna see a whole lot more decisions, 1 in 3, than subs, 1 in 4.
At an old Pride event, you'd see more subs, 2 in 5, than decs, 1 in 5.

Yellow cards anyone?

Time to Say Goodbye

Normally I would post on here how fucking wrong I was in my picks, but not this time.

UFC 73 was such an abortion for the UFC, it's not even funny anymore. If they couldn't get that card right, they never will.

Officiating:
Does it get any worse than what we say last night? You can look at any two fights and see a complete lack of consistency in how the bouts were reffed. Big Nog should be 2-1 vs Herring if the fight was judged the way the Silva v Marquardt bout was, or vice versa. Sherk mighta been KOed by a fifth knee if he was stood up the same way Nate was after every 21 sec lull in action. Yes Sherk was active, but if the criteria is standup after 21 seconds, then we probably wouldn't have seen 23 mins on the ground. And who the fuck was checking fingernails at the door before the Tito v Rashad match?

Action:
How active was Sherk really? Franca never looked rocked in that whole match. Was Sherk really active as in trying to finish the match? Hardly.
Tito and Rashad was another match that saw a lot of hugging and kissing. Where are the warnings for stalling and lack of engaging that the Unified Rules call for? Has there ever been a clearer card begging for a yellow card system that this one? Probably, this is the UFC after all, but since it was called Stacked we chould have seen a bit more action.

Jiu Jitsu:
It really is dead. At least for UFC fighters claiming black belts in it. This card just clearly showed BJJ is useless without a wrestling pedigree to back it up. Without solid body control and a learnt understand of balance, BJJ just isnt as effective in MMA as it once was. Franca and Bocek looked like novices on the ground versus good wrestlers, Marquardt got nothing going, and Florian has become a Muay Thai striker. This domination of wrestling equating to boring action yearns for knees to a grounded opponent. Lets see Tito drop to a knee to avoid the MT then.

Goldberg and Rogan:
How bad was Goldberg last nite? I started muting my television to avoid listening to that hack speak. "And the amazing, incredible thing is that he puts his undefeated record on the line..." What the fuck does that mean? He was play by playing six seconds late all night. And I know their job is to hype, but after 2 decisions and a draw do you have to saw that it's an incredible night of fights, and that it doesnt get any better than this? I suppose I hate to be patronized, and that just insulted my intelligence.

Crowd and PPV:
Why no sellout? You could clearly see empty seats on the fly-by cam. I dont remember seeing that many empty chairs during the EliteXC/Strikeforce card just two weeks ago. Judging from the blogs, a lot of ppl who frequent the blogoshere were getting their info online and not watching at home or elsewhere. If the UFC cant sell this card to the more than casual fan, what can they sell? Better start having Chuck Liddell fight monthly.

The Future:
If the UFC lost as many casual fans after 71 as some pundits claim, then they lost another boatload last night. The card was sheer boredom with the exception of Big Nog almost getting KOed and Florian showing he really is getting better with each fight and new mental toughness we haven't seen before. Money on him moving to 145 in the near future.
As for my future, I can no longer consider myself a UFC fan. Will I watch? Sure, at a bar. They are never getting my money from me again. I'll buy the next EliteXC card and continue to watch Pancrase, Shooto, and bodog. I just can't stomach another letdown like last night.

Been busy

For the few folks who do check my blog, my wife has had some complications following here surgery, so I've been a little distracted. When she's better, I'll be back at it.

UFC 73 Predictions

Marquardt via leglock mid third
Rashad
Bocek
Big Nog
Alvin over Kenflo
Franca just cause I cant stand Sherk
Nickels is gonna shock ya.
Lytle, but this one could be a great fight.
And I hate ot say it, but Gurgel.

This is the Funniest MMA Video Ever

This video is so fucking funny, that even at the hospital on my PDA I had to figure out a way to post it. Hardest computer thing I've ever done, but worth it.




Shanno Ritch is such a tool.

My Favorite Bout of All Time

With my ongoing project surrounding Dana White going on, I just can't get over his opinion that Matt Hughes versus Frank Trigg II is the greatest MMA bout he's ever seen, I feel it necessary to post one that could actually qualify as one of the best ever. Heart, skill, technicality, determination, mental toughness, it's all here. How many knees does Newton eat?

Note on the video, the announcer says Pele is 28 in 2002. His first pro bout in Capoeira/Vale Tudo was in 1990. That means he was 16 in his first bout? No, Pele was closer to 35 in this bout. I used to get Vale Tudo VCR tapes in 1991 outta NYC when I was in Europe and most of those tapes would have 2-3 Pele bouts, all different from many different years, some dating back to the 80's. Pele is a hell of a lot older than I think even he knows.

Jose 'Pele' Landi vs. Carlos Newton
Uploaded by ganjamandu59

A highlight of the fighter who at one time was the greatest mixed martial artist alive.

Jose "Pele" Landi-Jons Highlight
Uploaded by _Luk

MoreThanUFC on Intermittent Hiatus

I'll be in and out over the course of the next week. My wife is scheduled for surgery tommorrow, but unfortunately had to be admitted three days sooner than planned. Family first my friends.

PS - Insurance companies suck ass.

Nick "THC" Diaz Feeling Lucky, He Wants Shamrock

From Graciefighter.com:
Nick Diaz, who is signed with ProElite, has requested to face Frank Shamrock as soon as possible. After a spectacular win against Takanori Gomi, Diaz seems intent on enrolling himself for higher profile fights. With both fighters fighting in the same organization this fight seems the logical next step in what would be an MMA fan's dream come true.

"I watched his last fight and no disrespect intended but I think I would whoop his ass.", stated Diaz. A formal offer of intent has been delivered to the promoters to set this fight up and now we await their response.

According to MMAonTap, Diaz has already proposed the bout to EliteXC's promoters. Obviously, Frank Shamrock has at least six months to heal from his torn ACL/MCL injury and Nick still has three months left on his pot suspension, plus three months to train, and this bout wouldn't happen until early next year.

I thought it seemed pretty certain that Frank and Cung Le were gonna do battle next in the Sacramento area. With two high profile hometown boys clashing, it seemed to fit the mold of what Shamrock wanted. But Nick is from NorCal, so maybe the powers that be could convince him this fight would sell.

Nick make a good choice at moving down to lightweight. He was always a small welterweight and was overpowered at times in his bouts with Karo Parisyan and Diego Sanchez. If he moved up to 185, Frank would easily have 20 lbs on him. Nick boxes very well, but lacks any serious KO power. Frank just showed us his hands are much better than we all thought. They are about even on the ground, so I'm not sure I see where Nick thinks this is will be a good bout for him.
I should never be surprised by anything Nick Diaz says, but this time, I am.

For the Veterans Amoung Us.

Damn, this article almost made me cry. I'm 36 now and past my prime, but I would love to be 22 again and in the jungles of Colombia. Back then we couldn't go into any cities for fear of getting kidnapped, but we did go into local towns and watch Vale Tudo style fights all the time. That was my first outlet to MMA.

Then in Japan is the late 90's shuttling back and forth to the Phillipines and other countries, I would always catch any Pancrase I could. The first fighter I remember was Bas Rutten. How could you miss a bald, white Hollander?

I ALWAYS asked myself if I could do what I saw. How tough I really was. Could I compete. Well, I never got to find out, but someone else is living my dream for me...

Read this soldiers, sailors, and marines.

Cave Canem, brother. Give em hell.

Glad I Only Play Poker -- Thoughts on the TUF Finale

Wow, after going 6-1 picking the EliteXC/Strikeforce card the other night, I thought I was on a roll. Last night was ... not so good.
As I mentioned on Luke Thomas' radio show, Any Given Saturday, I picked Jens Pulver to beat BJ Penn in round two via GnP or by submission. Did I thing Jens would submit him with a slick oomaplata? No, I was thinking more along the lines of a mounted RNC or tapout to strikes. Well, I was right in the ending, but happened to pick the wrong fighter. I spoke with a contact of mine from Miletich Fighting Systems who told me that Jens was in his best shape in years, that his cardio was good, and that the team felt they put together a good game plan for Jens to win. This isn't someone who is just feeding me the standard lines of bullshit, so I took what he said as truth. And he was on the money, Jens looked great last night. But who woulda thought BJ Penn would come in looking like he did? Wow, that is the best shaped I have ever seen BJ in. And that makes me happy. I've been dissing Penn for years because I cant stand fighters who have the world's talent and then waste it. I'm gonna have to see him like this again, but if there is a new BJ, then count me as a fan.

The Emerson vs Maynard fight was one of the craziest endings ever in MMA. Serious loss of respect for Gray for not admitting what was blatantly obvious, that he was TOTALLY knocked out after the slam. Rampage you are not kid.

Props to Cole Miller the striker for a nasty Lil' Crocop high left leg kick. Was the stoppage premature, yeah. But look who he was fighting. Wang has about as much business in a cage as Corey Hill does at this point, maybe less.

That is what a fresh and uninjured Joe Lauzon looks like. I wish he woulda fought Wiman or Gray or Garcia. That kid is on the rise. Now if Dana could pay him a decent wage, the kid could train full-time and not have to worry about his student loans.

Nate Diaz wins the TUF 5 contract. Did you see the guy in the stands over is shoulder freaking out? With all the crap between Nate and Nick we see on Youtube, you know those two are close as hell. "Do I mind being in the shadow of Nick Diaz? Why would I be? Better his shadow that Karo Parisyan's." I almost choked on my beer.
Manny's shoulder injury has been recurring for along time. It's a common injury among Judo practitioners. I did know that he hurt it fighting Lauzon in the semifinals of the show, and also knew that the Gracie team planned on attacking it in some way. I just didnt anticipate Nate letting Manny shoot so that he would dislocate it on his knee! Was it a bit of a let down? Sure, but then again it should have been Nate v Joe in the finals anyway, but injuries are a part of this sport. Manny fought through his, and Joe didn't.

Any Given Saturday Post-Fight radio show
Pre-fight show with Clay Guida

Props out to Luke Thomas. He's getting better on the radio with every show. Give a listen.