Bleacher Report - Articles by Tyson Harris

UFC 104: I Thought Rua Won, But After Watching Three Times I'm With The Judges!

Tyson Harris — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 21:26:19 -0400

I am a Lyoto Machida fan, and a Shogun Rua fan. At first, at the end of the fight, I was upset not seeing Rua win because I was convinced he had it. I was thinking "cool now Anderson Silva can challenge for the title and potentially be the first fighter in UFC history to hold titles in two weight classes". Then after reading through a few of my favorite MMA sites, I read an article with a quote from Lyoto saying watch the fight without the audio, and something about bias commentating. So I did just that, only I took it a step further and scored the fight myself. Now because the judging system is not really set, I set up a system of my own, and I provided a legend to show how I scored the fight.

Scoring legend

Kicks: (head) 10pts (body) 5pts (leg) 2pts [scored kicks by likeliness to land]

Punches: (strong) 10pts (weak) 5pts [scored punches by strength]

Knee: (powerful) 10pts (average) 5pts [Knees always hurts but there is a difference]

Elbow: 10pts [major commitment move, risky, and they all hurt so scored elbows as 10]

Grappling: (initial control, or clinch) 2pts (successful take down) 10pts [Inserts "striking in clinch, or while grappling" scored the same as stated above]

Defense: (practical) 2pts (defense of takedown) 5pts [Practical defense covers blocks, avoiding attack without blocking]

Ground game: (Submission attempt) 5pts (submission defense) 2pts [did not get used]

Over all Round aggressor: 10pts [bonus to the most aggressive by end of each round]

I watched the fight three times first time during the pay per view, and the second time without audio, which is when I scored, and the third time with audio double checking my scoring and taking into consideration what the commentators were saying, and I must say that commentators were definitely making it seemed worse than it was. I noticed a lot of attempts that were blocked by Machida they were commentating on negatively, which I gave him points for defense, they were definitely a little biased, but not over biased.

I gave Round One to Machida with a score of 157 to 94.

Round Two went to Rua with a score of 106 to 91.

Round Three went to Machida with a score of 114 to 65.

Round Four went to Machida with a score of 65 to 48.

And the final round went to Rua 82 to 40.

In my opinion after watching the fight three times and scoring it myself, I give the decision to Machida three rounds to two, outscoring Rua with a point total of 467 to 395.

It was a very close fight. I will admit that there were a lot of times I paused, and then re-watched to see if kicks and punches were landing, or if kicks and punches were blocked, but in the end that’s what I came out with.

Lyoto definitely got his behind kicked, and had there been another round, or two, Rua probably would have finished him because he still looked fresh at the end of the fight.

In the end, when the decision is up to the judges and the fight comes down to points, I can now see why the judges scored the fight the way they did. Machida may not have done the most damage, but he scored the most points defensively, and offensively.

I still think Rua deserves an instant rematch because the decision is so debatable; this is why athletic commissions need to come up with a clear cut way to score MMA fights that everyone is aware of.

Hats off to “Cro Cop”

Tyson Harris — Mon, 21 Sep 2009 06:25:01 -0400

This is in response to this article.

Mirko put up a great fight against a young and huge Junior Dos Santos; he was fearless and gave it his all.

I don’t think age or stage of his career has anything to do with it. It’s more his size and skill evolution.

Perhaps it’s time for Mirko to concentrate training the right kick to be efficient, spend less time with the left, and when training the near-perfect left kick, work to minimize the telegraph, the swing motion, and clean up the small flaws that are noticeable on the tapes!

In my opinion, the main thing that’s not helping the situation is at 6’1”-6’2”, he should be fighting at 205 or even 185 pounds if he can cut the weight. It may be time to start being more realistic—the UFC is very competitive and has a stacked roster. As much as I believe size doesn’t matter, the UFC has been proving that train of thought wrong as of lately.

With heavyweights like Brock Lesnar, Shane Carwin, and Bobby Lashley on the horizon, Mirko Cro Cop has no business fighting heavyweight anymore and neither do a list of other fighters currently fighting at heavyweight. Maybe there is need of a division that's 206–230 pounds, a medium-heavyweight division.

Nevertheless, there are more and more big boys on the horizon that may be knocking on the doors of the UFC soon; the Debut of the TUF 10 season showed this.

The UFC also has a few other potential studs for pay per view on the horizon with names like Brett Rogers, a massive 6’5” 265-pound Strikeforce fighter who is booked to fight Fedor.

Mariusz Pudzianowski, five-time World's Strongest Man who holds a fourth kyu green belt in Kyokushin kaikan Karate and has been a competitive boxer for seven years, is planning to make his MMA debut in the near future.

Former IBF, IBO, and WBC heavyweight boxing champion Hasim Shariff Rahman also expressed interest in crossing over to MMA in an interview dated Feb. 26, 2009 with DreamFighters.com

All in all, hats off Cro Cop. Hang in there, man. After losing a fight to a huge, tough, young man like that and showing the heart you did, you proved that there is plenty of fight left in you. In my opinion, you just may need to go back to the drawing board and make some slight career adjustments!

Links to some big heavyweight names peeping in the windows of the UFC:

Would Smaller Gloves, Help Boxing?

Tyson Harris — Sat, 19 Sep 2009 06:56:07 -0400

Same rules, same fighters, smaller gloves?

Boxing can be the most entertaining 12 rounds of television a person could ever watch, but more often than not, it’s most boring. Would a seven or eight ounce glove help boxing? Boxers would really feel the big shots, and have less time to see it.

It would sharpen the skill by making the boxers cut angles more and actually rely on moving rather than sitting in front of a shot and covering. Attacks and combinations would show a more realistic result, and basically would make for a more entertaining sport.

I think this would take a lot of the wasted time out of the sport, there would be more knock outs, and an all around faster fight; at the same time giving you a better idea of whom actually has some sort of a chin.

No matter what, unless maybe they took the gloves right off, boxing could never be as hardcore and real fight wise as MMA.

Mayweather Bashes MMA Calling It A "Sideshow Act!"

Tyson Harris — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 08:45:30 -0400

Floyd Mayweather Jr. is at it once again, as he recently bashed MMA as a “sideshow act.”

While I agree that boxing does pay better, I think Floyd is yet again making himself sound uneducated by claiming that the best all around fighters in the world are boxers; because the last time I checked, boxing isn’t a real fight.

Now if Floyd is trying to say that boxing is all that is needed to best a complete fighter, I think he should put his mouth where the money isn’t and prove it.

I'm a fan of Floyd; I think he is a great boxer, but sometimes, I think he talks smack and makes excuses so he can keep hiding behind the 10 & 12 ounce gloves. Anyone who isn’t a complete moron can see that MMA or UFC (for those who don’t know what MMA is) is the closest thing there is to a real fight.

Nobody is going to put a 10 or 12 ounce glove on and give you a 10 count every time you fall down. They are going to throw a punch with nothing to cushion the impact; if you get hit and happen to fall down, you might get your face kicked in let alone punched in.

Now let’s thank the Dana White and UFC for giving us the closest thing to a real fight.

Here is a fact; there has never been a boxing match (Amateur or professional) where the fighters’ chins have been properly tested. If you think about it from a realistic point, boxing is like checkers and MMA is chess. How can you say you are the best fighter in the world, when there are thousands of styles of fighting and you are doing a style that has the most limitations?

The only way you can determine who the best fighter in the world is, is to have a sport that incorporates every style of fighting and sets decent rules that make the sport safe and non-brutal like street fighting. This is what MMA (UFC) gives you.

Honestly Floyd, everyone is tired of hearing your bull; take the pay cut and prove you’re a real fighter; prove you really have a chin; don’t hide behind limitation and 12 ounce gloves; put your boxing skills to the ultimate test.

What do you have to lose?

You are rich already and the best boxer on earth. Now prove that you are the best fighter in the world. Heck, it may be the death of me, but I would be willing to scrap you in a MMA bout as a warm up fight. I would take the beating for running my mouth just to get you to make the transition!

I guess I am a little out of my mind, but if it means being able to see a great fight, count me in.

Holy Wing Chun Brett Rodgers! Move Over Machida Karate

Tyson Harris — Sun, 07 Jun 2009 00:46:23 -0400

He talked about it in a past interview, and I think the world just witnessed a small dose of it.

Only Weeks after the explosion of Machida Karate into the world of MMA at UFC 98,
is it possible that kung fu also leaked though the cracks?

Brett Rodgers just broke through in devastating fashion with the destruction of Andrei Arlovski.

The explosive take no prisoner approach and execution with very little telegraph, without a doubt looked like Wing Chun chain punching. It wasn't the cleanest technique but lets be realistic, a Strikeforce Event isn't exactly the time and the place to work on perfect chain punching form.

If this is what Brett Rodgers was talking about I can honestly tell him I noticed and I applaud the quick and decisive win against a still dangerous top 10 heavy weight fighter like Andrei Arlovski.

I was very excited to see this and can not wait to see more. I am excited to see how Brett blends Wing Chun in to MMA in the future this may help open doors for traditional martial arts even more.

(Brett Rodgers talking about Wing Chun training)
http://www.mmanews.com/other/Brett-Rogers-Vs.-Abongo-Humphrey-Round-Out-April-11th-Strikeforce-Card.html

(Chain Punching)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lsLqXDyIy3k

(The Fight)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B9d1KfX3nIs

Now that I watch again the punches it looks very sloppy, but I am still excited to see future fights

UFC 98: Rashad Evans vs Lyoto Machida — A Record False Advertised?

Tyson Harris — Fri, 24 Apr 2009 02:42:16 -0400

On our way into UFC98 I have noticed what seems to be an error in the advertising of the main event. Both UFC.com and the television advertisement have the light heavyweight champion Rashad Evans record as 18-0-1.

At first I didn’t think anything of it when I seen this posted on the website after Quinton Jackson decided to pass up the title shot. Then while doing research before making my picks on www.mmaplayground.com as to who is going to win the fight, I discovered that a few reliable sources say that Rashad Evans is only 13-0-1.

I first noticed this on wikipedia.org but I then checked out sherdog.com and mixedmartialarts.com because many people say Wikipedia is not reliable due to the fact that anyone can change things on the website or something along that line.

I now ask this question, was this a mistake made first by UFC.com and then followed up by accidental on the event advertisement, does Rashad really have five more professional fights that nobody seems to have footage of or know about or is the UFC trying to beef up their Champions record to make him more appealing to the fans?

All I know is I messaged UFC.com a few weeks ago and haven’t heard anything back, also nothing has been changed on the website.

UFC.com Link (http://www.ufc.com/rashadevans)

http://www.ufc.com/index.cfm?fa=eventDetail.fightCard&eid=2001

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OgftCUL1abI (Advertisement)

Links to my Rashad Evans Research

http://www.mixedmartialarts.com/mma.cfm?go=stats.fighterDetail&pid=AC416280BA0D1F24

http://www.sherdog.com/fighter/Rashad-Evans-10200

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rashad_Evans

Thales “The Underestimated” Leites

Tyson Harris — Mon, 20 Apr 2009 01:03:49 -0400

People are not giving Thales Leites the respect he deserves after a decision loss to Anderson Silva at UFC 97.

People instead are saying that it is a lack of performance on the Anderson Side.

Why is it that most MMA fans seem to be underestimating Thales? Do people forget that he is a technical master of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu? Anderson Silva didn’t and he kept that fact in mind the whole five round fight. Both fighters were aware of the other’s strengths in the fight, but Thales seemed to be gassed by the end of third round, which can be expected because you can never really simulate an actual five round title fight in training.

Early in the fight Thales demonstrated his dominance on the ground, but Anderson quickly regained his composure and control. Anderson then had the referee make Thales stand when he would fall to the ground as a result to either defense to Anderson's dominate striking or a failed attempt at an attack or offensive gain in position of his own, making a rather boring fight for some.

The fight came down to Anderson being extremely careful not to get taken to the ground when closing the distance in his attacks and Thales being extra shy or careful on his feet not being afraid to get forced to the ground in defense for a chance to catch his breath.

The only arguable thing that was wrong with the fight was the fighters both over respected each other’s primary disciple and the slow pace of the fight seemingly due to Thales inexperience in five round championship fights. Other than that Anderson displayed just how talented he is at stand up keeping his hand at his side showboating a bit for the crowed, kind of clowning Thales for the lack of skill in his stand up.

In the end both fighters fought smart. Anderson was the more aggressive scoring more points and showing some savage technique not seen often in the UFC these days so Anderson gained the decision. Anybody unsatisfied by the fight enough to criticize either of the fighters should really check out back yard fighting or the tough man contests where people are under trained enough to give you a bloody scrap with a lot of action and no skill or talent.

Why Anderson Silva Is Still the Pound-for-Pound Best in MMA

Tyson Harris — Sat, 14 Feb 2009 01:53:46 -0500

Nate Marquardt: Georges St. Pierre is the pound-for-pound best, not Anderson Silva (Full Article Here)

Sorry, Nate, but you are wrong, in my opinion, and here is why...

My top 10 pound-for-pound rankings and reasons why Anderson Silva is No. 1.

1 Anderson Silva

2 Fedor Emelianenko

3 Georges St. Pierre

4 Norifumi Yamamoto

5 Miguel Torres

6 Rashad Evans

7 Urijah Faber

8 Lyoto machida

9 Paulo Filho

10 BJ Penn

Anderson Silva is a fighter that you cannot even find words that begin to describe him. A lot of people talk about the losses on his record saying the losses are the reason he is not the pound for pound best. Personally, I say that is exactly the reason why he is the pound for pound best in the world.

Silva’s last two losses were fluke losses the most recent being Yushin Okami by Disqualification (Illegal Kick); Silvaknocked out Okami from off his own back from the guard with a kick. If you get knocked out when you have the top position by a kick, you have to ask yourself how did that happen; because there is no way it should have.

Silva's next most recent loss is to Ryo Chonan by Submission (Flying Scissor Heel Hook); Silva was destroying Chonan and Chonan pulled this submission out of his…let's just say he pulled it out of thin air; I am willing to bet Chonan didn't even think he was going to land that move.

Since then, Silva has earned a black belt in Jujitsu; Now he is a top notch striker with added skill of submission and I am sure he has the needed submission defense needed to avoid the Chonan outcome again. Just to note the black belt was earned under the Nogueiras.

Silvas loss against Takase Daiju by triangle was purely because he got out grappled at a time where he did not have the skills level needed to avoid the outcome and defend him self properly. Daiju was purely the underdog, the big thing is he had a game plan and he stuck to it, he didn’t try to fight hand to hand and executed the game plan to a tee. This also would not happen these days, at least it is very unlikely.

Anderson's only other loss was his very first fight against Azeredo, it is common that a fighter loses his first pro fight. Silva has came along way since that fight, also in my opinion Silva should have won the fight because all Azeredo did was lay on him; that fight should have been stood up a few times, and every time they were standing Silva overwhelmed Azeredo.

So in my opinion Silva only has one legit loss and it is against Daiju Takase who executed a perfect game plan at a time when Silva was not as well rounded of a fighter as he is today.

Personally I think Silva would walk through the light heavy weight division and would dominate a good number of heavy weight fighters, if not all of them. Silva has more tools then most and ties these tools together and make them flow better than anyone.

Silva walks around close to 230lbs, he cuts a lot of weight for 185 and even 205lbs fights.

A lot of people say Fedor is No. 1 pound-for-pound. Personally, I think Fedor is good but I think his recorded is padded with a bunch of bums to hype him up. Fedor hasn’t fought any top contenders, only UFC wash ups.

The best guy Fedor fought was Nogueira and he never finished him in any of their fights, Fedor couldn’t even finish Crocop and look what happen to Crocop when he fought in the UFC. I say Fedor is good, but I think Silva could beat him at a 215-220 catch weight, and I say put that super fight together to see who the true pound for pound champ is.

As for GSP, he is great; he could walk through the middle weight division, if Anderson Silva, Rich Franklin and Dan Henderson retired or fought light heavy permanently.

I think if GSP fought Silva, GSP would get mashed all around in every aspect except maybe take downs—which he wouldn’t be able to do anything to Silva after he took him down if he was even able to score a take down with out getting took out.

Everyone and their brother has seen that GSP has a suspect chin so, I don't know what Nate Marquardt is talking about. I think Anderson Silva would punch GSP jaw off in to the tenth row of the venue.

Should Mats Sundin Make the Move to the Vancouver Canucks?

Tyson Harris — Thu, 11 Dec 2008 05:32:51 -0500

The Vancouver Canucks seem to be the best place for Mats these days.

One of the front runners in the Sundin race, Vancouver would benefit large landing a player like Mats.

Needing a good replacement for Trevor Linden, Mats is arguably a better player and a lot better to fit in a roster with four other Swedes. Alongside of the Sedin brothers, Mats could help the Canucks' top line dominate in the league, if he decided he wants less responsibility and is willing to drop to right winger.

Mats playing alongside of the Sedins would allow Mats to slow his way back into shape, not having to take such a huge role immediately. The line could really mess up the opposition using their native tongue. Adding the two Swedish defensemen could possibly make up a monster power play.

Another reason Mats would fit in Vancouver well is even if he takes the number-two center role, Mats could mesh with fellow former Leaf Kyle Wellwood, whom he was already previously linemates with.

Sundin in Vancouver seem to be the best option overall. Not only does Vancouver have the cap space for Mats, but they have the goaltending needed to win Cups—and that is exactly what Mats wants to do to seal his legacy in NHL history.

The Pound-for-Pound King of MMA Is?: UFC in Need of Open Weight Division

Tyson Harris — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 19:28:46 -0400

Can speed and agility overcome power and endurance? Can wit or strategy overcome size or weight? Can a guy who weighs 155 pounds be as powerful as a 200-plus-pounder?

Is it possible to beat a powerful fighter if you are nowhere near as strong as him? Does Urijah Faber have a major disadvantage against a guy like Kimbo Slice? Does BJ Penn stand a chance against Brock Lesnar? Should there be a "Super Fight" between Anderson Silva and Fedor Emelianenko to see who is the pound-for-pound best, and, if so, could Silva beat Fedor without fighting at his natural weight? Should there be an MMA division where a fighter has the choice to fight at whatever weight he or she is comfortable?

Can you really establish the pound-for-pound best fighter in the world without an open weight division?

These are questions that come to mind when I wonder who the pound-for-pound best fighter in the world is. I, for one, consider all these questions when I think of who really is the best fighter out there.

Some say size doesn't matter—most think size does—why is it that the little guy always seem to be underestimated? I believe it is a fact that some people's bodies can not gain huge amounts of weight without it taking a toll on their speed, mobility, flexibility, and technique.

There are smaller people out there that have bigtime power. There are Olympic power-lifters at 123 pounds that lift up to 672 pounds; these men are packing power and could probably knock out someone 200 pounds or more with ease if they had the proper attributes and training to complement that strength.

Some people say Bruce Lee had the power of a man three times his size; I am not going to get into if he would last in the UFC or not, that is an un-answerable question that holds room for speculation (although it is a shame we can not find out for sure how he would do, but that is also something that brings this topic to mind).

I, for one, have witnessed many small-statured men destroy huge men in street fights, and I have also seen skilled light fighters beat skilled heavy fighters. I ask can you really determine who the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world is with out an open weight division, and should fighters have the option to fight in a division that allows you to fight at what ever weight you are most comfortable considering the risks or stereotypes?

Do fighters deserve the choice to fight open weight? Also, a question of equal importance: Do we the fans deserve a clear answer to who really is the pound-for-pound best fighter in the world instead of so-called "expert" or analysts' opinions?

We can all continue to listen to analysts tell us who is what, but, let's face it, even the experts are wrong sometimes when speculating.

WWE vs. MMA: Cities Allow Brutal Illusion, but Not UFC?

Tyson Harris — Thu, 14 Aug 2008 13:14:44 -0400

First of all, this is my first article and I hope everyone enjoys reading, responding, and debating the topic.

Now, I was inspired to write this article because I think that certain cities have their priorities mixed up. I am referring to this article in the Vancouver Sun.

I find it stupid that wrestling (WWE) is welcomed with open arms into Vancouver almost yearly, but MMA will not even be taken seriously by city officials.

In wrestling we have a bunch of guys running around in underwear or tights, dropping each other on their heads, jumping off huge cages, and potentially putting their lives at risk in every act. This gives the false impression that hitting someone with a baseball bat wrapped with barbwire, or hitting someone with a metal chair, as well as many different types of weaponry is okay.

Another false image they show is that kids' favourite stars always come back the next week, sometimes without even a scratch, after having been brutally assaulted. These performers seem almost to be superhuman.

I can remember being a small child thinking that wrestling was real. My buddies and I used to love the dramatic violence and attempted to act it out in the schoolyard.

So not only is wrestling teaching kids that you will not get seriously hurt if you get hit or hit someone else with a ball bat, but it also teaches them that it is okay to fight with weapons like a coward would.

As I got older I came to find out that wrestling was fake; it was all a scripted act. This screwed me up a little, kind of broke my heart.

Now if you compare the two, there is just as much blood in WWE as MMA. Actually, I believe I have seen more in the WWE.

Also I believe more people have been killed or seriously hurt in Professional Wrestling. There have been multiple cases of substance abuse, a few deaths, and one murderous rampage that I know of, which stemmed from the "'roid abuse."

I have never heard of any kids killing their best buddy practicing an armbar or triangle choke, but I have heard of deaths and paralysis due to pile drivers, DDTs, and power bombs.

Wrestling also teaches kids not to listen to authority figures or officials.

On the WWE shows, how many times have you seen a wrestler punch out the ref in order to give his stable/teammate a chance to take a chair to their opponent?

How many times have you seen a wrestler ignore the order given by the official to quit stomping or choking their opponent in a corner of the ring? The ref has to give them a 10 count before the wrestler will finally stop.

Such behavior, overlooked by the WWE, would not fly in an MMA match. MMA fighters have to listen to the official or they will have a point deduction which, if repeated, can lead to a disqualification.

Wrestling has so much negativity and it seems to get worse and worse, with shows selling sex more and more frequently.

I think that any city that allows WWE or any other wrestling show to take place, but slams the door in the face of MMA is retarded and the people in charge of those cities need to get their heads checked.

As for myself. I personally would not allow my kids to watch something as negative as WWE, but would actually encourage them to get involved in martial arts. As well as being a negative influence on children, WWE is a disgrace and a fake as far as sports go.

Martial arts not only teach you how to defend yourself, they teach discipline, honour, self-respect, and respect for others while bringing together different cultures from all around the world.

To me martial arts are a thing of beauty, especially after a bout where you have two guys that just had a battle shake hands like men or even hug each other. MMA fighters take the loss or win and strive to be better, no matter which way the fight ends.

In WWE, if a guy loses he runs out to the ring the next week and assaults the guy he lost to the week before with a chair or a sledge hammer.

Why is WWE allowed in Vancouver while MMA is not?

It is beyond me, but I think certain city officials need to educate themselves and really think about what they do allow and which is actually worse.