Bleacher Report - Articles by M. Fugazzi

UFC LHW (Pride Style) Tournament: 2009—Why Not?

M. Fugazzi — Wed, 29 Apr 2009 02:29:40 -0400

Held over four days, grand prize $1,000,000. Each fight three 5 minute rounds. Title fight five rounds. First two days FREE on Spike. Third day PPV. Fourth Day a PPV UFC event with prelims. Round one bracket (16 fighters)

Rampage vs Franklin

Griffin vs Hammil

Machida vs Alexander

Bisping vs Cane

Evans vs Vera

A.Silva vs T.Silva

Shogun vs Henderson

GSP vs Jardine

Imagine Round One on a Thursday, Round Two matchups would be insane on a Friday night. Saturday, then the final fight for the LHW belt—Evans VS GSP? A.Silva VS Rampage? Man anything could happen with a format like this. A huge MMA event.

USA TODAY Offers Mediocre UFC Coverage

M. Fugazzi — Sat, 18 Apr 2009 12:41:58 -0400

I'm glad to see some main stream USA Todaycoverage of the UFC in a major newspaper, its a step forward (Even if its on the second to last page behind horse racing). But the quality of the article and the information in it is anemic and most of it is old news to most MMA fans.

On the eve of UFC 97 the main story should be about Anderson Silva, he's the main event and superstar of the UFC, then Liddell, then Kongo etc. etc. Chuck peaked already to most fans, nothing against him but even if he wins against RUA, so what?!

Cover Silva instead and forget about trying to attract readers to MMA through minor celebrity cachet. I don't care if Liddell was on 'MTV cribs', who gives a SH#T?

I'm not sure who the author is, one, "Beau Dure", probably a rookie writer looking to move up to baseball at the first chance. And is 'Beau' a girl or guy name. If its a girl have her cover women's MMA and let a guy cover his own damn sport.

He/she should write more about his training and the blood, sweat, and tears. How badly does he want to win and why? Does he have a chance, will it make a difference? Why exactly has he been getting his ass kicked lately (age, technique, bad luck)?

The 'devestating punch' by Evans, what kind of punch was it and how did the fight play out for Chucks future?

Anyway, I think the article is disappointing because its passe high-school level journalism and weak on everything accept celebrity nonsense. USA Todayshould get someone who knows the sport and cover it everyday of the week prior to a UFC event.

You can appeal to the mass audience and MMA fans at the same time with quality writing. I'll be watching for Mondays paper to see how they covered UFC 97 hopefully it's not more of 'Beau's lame BS.

UFC-Fight Night 15. Houston Alexander/Eric Schafer Fight: What Happened!?

M. Fugazzi — Wed, 17 Sep 2008 18:10:10 -0400

The match up. UFC Fight Night 15.

Houston Alexander (36 - 205 - 6" - 72) MMA Rec. 8-3-1

Eric Schafer (30 - 205 - 6'3 - 76) MMA Rec. 11-3-2

A good match up with both fighters coming off losses and each strong in the area the other was weak. Schafer is good at BJJ and Alexander is good at knocking people out. Heres what happened.

Round 1 (0:00-0:36)

The round begins, the fighters move forward, Schafer puts his hand out to touch gloves Houston blows him off. They size each other up for a about three seconds before Houston throws a quick left jab and immediately goes into the clinch pulling Schafers head into two devastating knees knocking him to the ground, the hometown crowd goes absolutely nuts. Why Schafer is not out cold I have no idea. Houston goes in for the kill and in desperation Schafer goes for a foot or leg lock but ends up with Houston in full-guard.

(0:36-0:56)

Houston gets out of the full-guard and stands up, with Schafer slowly getting to his feet. Houston begins again with a left jab and follows suprisingly with a low leg kick. Schafer keeps distance and Houston lands another low leg kick as the crowd cheers him on.

(0:56-1:34)

Schafer senses he's doomed and goes for a take-down pushing Houston to the cage where they lock up. He grabs Houstons ankle but catches a partial knee instead. Houston works around to separate and immediately throws a big right. Schafer deflects it and nervously works his way to the center throwing a weak knee and then going for a another take-down which Houston stuffs, showing that at least he was prepared for the attempts. Both fighters clinch and engage in some Couture style dirty boxing with Houstons back at the cage.

(1:34-2:20)

Still in the clinch exchanging knees and short punches they gradually work toward the center of the ring with Houston grabbing the wasteband of Schafers shorts and first missing a huge knee then landing a second one to Schafers body. Houston pushes him away to keep it stand-up. He throws a jab but Schafer ducks and goes for the take-down, again Houston demonstrates good defense, for a moment anyway.

(2:20-3:04)

Schafer gets Houston unbalanced and takes him to the ground like a falling tree, where he gets side mount. Houston looks winded or confused and Schafer delivers several short elbows to his head and face. Houston takes several punches to the head and quickly realizes he must escape. He twists and hooks his feet on the cage arching his back while pushing Schafer off of him. As he tries to get up Schafer immediately puts him into a guillotine choke which bulges Houstons vein on the top of his head. It looks over but Houston squeezes out only to be rolled into a full mount by Schafer who increasingly can sense victory.

(3:04-4:53)

With Houston still on his back, Schafer starts dropping more forearms and elbows while Houston tries to escape, but being on the ground is clearly his weakest point. Schafer throws punches, drops elbows, and maintains complete control. Houston is desperate and looks winded, unable to defend he just puts his hands over his face.

Dazed and confused after taking multiple punches and elbows, Houston looks to be either exhausted or hoping for the bell to ring. Schafer unable to KO him works an arm triangle choke and Houston, after a few seconds of feeble resistance....taps out. The ref brings Houston to his feet. Schafer walks away mocking Houston a little bit. Fight Over in Round One.

I think despite the loss Houston Alexander demonstrated that he has improved. He fought a patient fight, didn't just go for a quick knockout and tried to set Schafer up and keep things standup, which played to his strengths.

He showed good takedown defense and landed some hard knees that will surely leave bruises on Schafers body and face by nights end. Houston has four fights left on his contract, I doubt they will be losses.

Carlos “Ronin” Newton: Dragon-Ball Wizard Was an Early GSP

M. Fugazzi — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 10:33:38 -0400

With fighters like Anderson Silva, BJ Penn, and GSP the UFC has established itself as a premier fight venue that is going to dominate the sport for years to come.

But before these fighters came along, others had to pioneer new technical-hybrid styles of fighting that would foreshadow what was to come.

Former Welterweight Champion Carlos “Ronin” Newton was one of those fighters. If you look at his decade-long MMA career you can see flashes of GSP emerging, not just because he is from Canada but because he was a smart fighter (and college educated as well) with great ground skills.

Even though Newton finished 13-13 he exemplified the type of fighter that has come to dominate the UFC today. Smart, quick, and patient.

He won his first MMA fight at age 21 and became known for his “Dragon Ball Z Jiu-Jitsu” style. Some of his notable wins include Jose Landi-Jons (Pride19), Renzo Gracie (Pride-Bushido 1), Pat Miletich (UFC 31 Welterweight championship 01), and Pete Spratt (UFC 40).

His losses were just as notable. Dan Henderson (UFC 17) where at age 22 he pounded Hendo but couldn’t finish him and lost by decision. Sakuraba (PRIDE 3) where he tried to out-wizard his Japanese rival but fell to a knee-bar. The famous Matt Hughes fights (UFC 34/38), and an awesome fight vs. Anderson Silva (Pride 25), where Newton took Silva to the ground and dominated but...

Unfortunately, Newton was primarily a ground fighter. His major weaknesses were highlighted in his losses, particularly to Silva. By nature he was not a KO killer but a Jiu Jitsu master worth remembering as a transition fighter.

I think The MMA world has now become the land of hybrids. Single style fighters are disappearing (the Titos and Chucks) and hybrids are dominating (GSP and Silva), but "The Ronin" should not be forgotten for his DBZ-BJJ wizardry and class.

This is my favorite highlight reel (hard to find for some reason).

Why Televised Female MMA is Just A Gimmick.

M. Fugazzi — Thu, 21 Aug 2008 09:30:59 -0400

Without steroids and testosterone injections there will be no female Jordan-esque slam dunks, no 450 foot homers, no bone crunching tackles, no mind jarring cross checks, no Mike Tyson style knockouts, and no Rampage style body slams.

EliteXCs failed attempt at making female MMA popular simply highlights the lack of interest in women fighting and sports overall. I’ve got nothing against "equality" in a realistic sense, but by and large female sports will not attract the same level of viewers that male sports do because women cannot perform at a level that makes it interesting to a mass audience.

I know someday the politically correct crowd will start screaming and pushing for a TV-title-IX and try to force women sports down our throats. But abstract notions of "equality" don’t produce long-term viewers, high ratings, or ad revenue.

Recently there were complaints about women wearing bikinis during Beach Volleyball competition at the Beijing Olympics. But the women athletes said they like wearing bikinis for mobility and comfort. Additionally the bikinis create sex appeal—a major reason why the sport is so popular.

My guess is grace and beauty equals ratings. If the women in a sport are firm and attractive (Gabrielle Reece) or strong and gorgeous (Venus and Serena Williams) ratings go up. If they are steroid looking she-men ratings go down.

Gina Carano is popular not just because she is a good fighter but because she is attractive. Many female athletes are not. And no one wants to watch women in sports who look like drag queens. Televising Female MMA fighters or boxers is just a failed gimmick: No one is going to pay attention unless they strip for the weigh-ins (and for some women even that’s not a guarantee ratings boost).

Would more people watch female MMA fighters if they wore bikinis? Yes. Would it be worth paying a ticket to see? No. I think it’s boring and a gimmick.

UFC 87: Brock Lesnar More Than Another Kimbo

M. Fugazzi — Wed, 06 Aug 2008 00:45:00 -0400

There are those out there who still don't think much of MMA, especially after the not-made-for-TV Kimbo Slice fight on May 31 which many thought was a "freak show gimmick."

Nothing against Kimbo, I think he's just going with the flow and making the best of being a street brawling YouTube sensation. But he's not meant for TV unless Elite XC just wants to keep sending him up against no name fighters on their way out.

If that happens, people will simply assume EliteXC stands for Elite-excrement.

Prime Time MMA, on the other hand, is for the UFC—and Dana White knows it. It's the NFL of MMA. The fighters are competitive, well-matched, and just as professional as many other big league athletes.

Brock Lesnar is being brought into this UFC culture because win or lose this Saturday he has the potential of becoming one of the top UFC heavyweights in the history of MMA as opposed to simply a rags to riches fighter phenomenon.

When all the usual hype started prior to UFC 81 about the former WWE show dog coming to MMA, the first thing some people thought was that this was a "freak show gimmick." They also thought that the UFC was scraping for extra ticket sales in the face of increased competition from MMA wannabees like Elite XC.

But as word spread of his 100+ college wrestling wins, his speed, his size, and his overall strength many people decided to take a wait and see approach.

After all, Lesnar is only 30 years old (about a decade younger than Randy Couture and 20 years younger than Kimbo). Plus, he looks mean and tough enough to be a cross between Mike Tyson and former UFC legend Dan "The Beast" Severn.

Unlike Kimbo, Lesnar has some legit pro experience. Supposedly Lesnar's first MMA fight was to be against the giant South Korean Choi Hong-Man, but Choi backed out and Brock pounded his replacement Min Soo Kim into submission.

At UFC 81 Lesnar faced the former heavyweight champ Frank Mir. Fortunately for the UFC, despite Lesnar losing, he turned out to be everything optimists thought he would be: quick, aggressive, and intimidating.

He brought Mir to the mat immediately and at one point looked like he just might finish the fight under 60 seconds as he lowered his fists like sledge hammers upon Mir's face.

Inexplicably the ref halted the fight and made them stand up, incurring a flood of boos from the sold out Las Vegas crowd. Apparently one of Brock's punches hit the back of Mir's head which, rightly, is not allowed in the UFC.

After the fight resumed Brock and Mir went at it again with Mir perfectly baiting Lesnar to return to the ground where he seduced him into a submission (knee-bar) at 1:30 of the first round.

You can watch the fight on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ga3a3c4PLSE

Although Lesnar lost, the fight proved three things. One, Brock is a major ticket magnet. Two, Brock is a nuclear bomb waiting to explode upon the heavyweight division. And three, Brock needs more fights to develop properly.

Originally Lesnar's next fight at the upcoming UFC 87 was going to be against UFC/Pride fighting legend Mark Coleman who, no offense to Coleman, looked like an easy matchup for Lesnar.

Coleman, after all, fought in UFC 10 and was just inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame at the age of 44. Thank God for a weak knee or Achilles tendon.

From a fan's standpoint, fighters who are 40+ years old are risky for business and smack of desperation on the part of the MMA. (Couture being the exception, not the rule, I think.)

So when Coleman backed out recently and was replaced by the 30-year-old Herring (29-13-1), it looked like a smart move by Dana White.

For those who are unfamiliar with MMA, Heath "The Texas Crazy Horse" Herring fought in Japan, once had multi-colored hair, once knocked an opponent out cold before the fight started, and enters the ring to the awesome theme sound of "The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly." He has chalked up some impressive wins (Vovchanchyn, Kerr, Kongo) as well as impressive losses (Fedor and Nogueira).

And Herring has no fear, either. "Brock Lesnar is a one dimensional fighter..." stated Herring in a pre-fight video on UFC.com. "He is not going to bring anything that I have not seen, experienced, or handled in the Octagon."

As UFC 87 approaches Saturday, Aug. 9 in Lesnar's hometown of Minneapolis, Minnesota it looks to be one of the more popular UFCs this year (especially with George St. Pierre (GSP) defending his welterweight title) as Lesnar goes against Heath Herring. MMA fans should be looking forward to an awesome fight.

"I'm confident I can take any heavyweight down...I'm hungry to fight in the Octagon," stated Lesnar on UFC.com "[Herring] is a well rounded fighter...but I'm going to fight tooth and nail to win."

Anything can happen inside the Octagon but it's time for Lesnar to "Seek and Destroy" the UFC heavyweight division and show the world that he is more than just easy ticket sales for the UFC—he's a legit MMA fighter.