My favorite Bob Dylan song goes something like this:
Come gather 'round people where ever you roam
And admit that the waters around you have grown
You' d better start swimming or you'll sink like a stone
For the times, they are a-changing.
Last Saturday night we slapped down our hard earned $49.95 to watch the latest installment of "you punch me, and ill kick you, and when one of us gets tired and falls the other guy will jump on top and elbow him in the head and finish the fight."
Yes, if you are wondering what the hell Stoker is talking about now—it's the UFC 92 title fight between Rashad Evans and Forrest Griffin.
This latest UFC was a striking fan's dream event and Nogueira fan's nightmare. I was on my feet for the duration of the three-hour event. I'm separated and live alone, but I have a female cat that couldn't make up her mind whether she wanted to eat, or chase Toms.
So I decided for her, and threw her outdoors.
During Round Three, I needed to use the washroom, but decided I'd rather let my bladder burst than to miss "Sugar" Rashad Evans beating the crap out of Griffin. There's nothing I enjoy more than to see ex-police officers get flattened legally.
Its interesting that the last six events or so have showcased the newly acquired boxing/striking skills of top-level mixed martial artists. Last time out—when Rashad Evans put "Iceman" in the cooler—I started to feel confident that the next 205-lb. champion may have just been crowned.
In my mind there was never any doubt. I even wrote an article detailing how quickly and quietly Rashad had swept up the UFC light-heavyweight ladder. The 205-lb. title was like the Lindbergh baby, and Rashad stole it right out from under everyone's nose.
Rashad's boxing was the soup du jour, and his jab was the key ingredient. A good stiff jab is the foundation in boxing. What good is a nice house without a strong foundation beneath it?
In most hand-to-hand combat affairs, a good jab is a necessity. My old trainer used to say to me, "Never go in without your stick." Chuck Liddell thought he could go in without his twice—once against Rampage Jackson, and again in a fight that he was winning against Rashad Evans. The result was a pair of showstopping knockouts—with Liddell being the receiver.
Kimbo Slice has KO power in his right hand, but he needed the left jab to set it up, failing to recognize the effectiveness of this simple tool can cost a lot of fighters an unplanned trip to dreamland.
Frank Mir is no dummy, but it wouldn't have taken a rocket scientist to figure out that utilizing great boxing skills in a stand-up battle was the only game plan that would nullify the legendary jujitsu of the great Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira.
Frank simply executed a perfect game plan to the letter.
So hats off to Rashad Evans and Frank Mir for showing the world that in today's MMA world, fighters need to be very well rounded. If you want to get in the octagon with either one of these bangers, you'd better bring more than world-class ju jitsu—you also better sharpen up your boxing skills.
I don't understand why people would want to get rid of pigeons. They don't bother no one.
Mike Tyson
5 comments Last one added 6 months ago — Leave a Comment
Dorothy Willis 6 months ago
Ugh! Pigeons! Rats with wings . . . phooey! Whats birds got to do with boxing, if I may ask? What I remember about pigeons is that they are messy pests, if you are a car owner--get my drift?
I bet you were in your glory on Dec. 27, and I thought of you frequently that night. Were you standing and boxing along with the fighters? My oldest son does. My youngest son and I were content to watch and cheer our favorites. Mir was exceptional, just as you predicted he would be. I never have appreciated boxing as much as I did on the 27th; it was quite a night.
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Stoker Mac 6 months ago
awww Mike Tyson loves pigeons he has a coop and TALKS TO THEM AND TREATS THEM LIKE HIS BABIES..STRANGE EH??..LOL..
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Stoker Mac 6 months ago
lol you can learn some boxing history from me Dee...I've studied all the old fighters..I'm a perpetual student where boxing is concerned..THANKS DEE.
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Peter Anderson 6 months ago
Good one GQ. We're on the same page where boxing is concerned.
Check out Arlovski turning to boxing. September '09. He's Training with Freddie Roach
Irish Pete
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Stoker Mac 6 months ago
"IRISH" PETE ANDERSON..NICE TOO SEE YOU BUDDY!!
MY OLD SPARRING PARTNER..lol
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jason hughes 6 months ago
i dont think hagler was thinking about pigeons or angels or anything else when that he ended that that short but epic fight against hearns. The hit man was a true example of concentration and execution in one of my favorite sanctioed fights of all times, plus duran, and leonard maybe the best single, class of fighters at one time in any sanctionred fighting division,camacho could have moved up and engaged but didnt but thats ok they all had to do each other in the end.
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