Bleacher Report - Articles by brandon mcclinton

Maturation of the Heavyweight Champ: Lesnar-Mir at UFC 100

brandon mcclinton — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 16:27:20 -0400

With the dominance of the Klitchsko brothers in the Russian Near East and Fyodorovich Emelianenko's lukewarm stand-off against White, Silva, and the Fertitta Brothers, an extra-sensory void is left in the historical body of American Combat Sports.

The average fight fan likes to watch "the little dudes" scrap and can hop behind a hometown favorite in an instant, but the fights that get jaws jabbing are the heavyweights: The biggest, strongest fighters in the world competing to build their legacies in the minds of athletes and viewers everywhere.

Weighing in at 265 pounds and standing 6'2", Brock Lesnar is the Achilles of UFC's heavyweight division, with dominant performances over Heath Herring and Randy Couture, and what some consider an upset loss to Frank Mir.

He's big, he's fast, and he claims he hasn't lost a fight since he was five years old.

Barring his exaggerated fight record, Lesnar's claims are true.

For his size he's incredibly fast, recording a 4.7 second 40 yard dash during his try-out with the Minnesota Vikings. It's also rumored that he cut his weight to 265 and is naturally in the 300-pound vicinity.

In his fights against Couture, Herring, and Mir, his right inside straight put them on their backs and caused a scramble where Lesnar posted his domineering frame in their half-guards and reigned with hammerpunches. Never before had any of these fighters been so easily dominated, except maybe Frank Mir.

Unlike Lesnar, who posted a 33-0-0 winning record his senior year of High School, Mir lost his first seven wrestling matches, but rebounded to become the 1998 Nevada State Wrestling Champion.

Soon after securing his wrestling accolades, Mir trained in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu under Roberto Pires, earning his black belt in five years, then submitted Roberto Travern, the 1999 Abu Dhabi Combat Club Open Weight Tournament Champion, in his UFC debut.

He subbed Travern via armbar in 1:05 seconds.

Few mixed martial artists bear the laurels Mir attained.

While Lesnar was arranged as the WWE champion at 25, Mir fought to be UFC Heavyweight Champion at 25, with one referee stoppage loss to Ian Freeman.

Both fighters have achieved considerable success in their respective careers, and although there's an inordinate reliance on Lesnar's athletic ability in the eyes of most spectators, it would be downright foolish to discredit Mir's knee-bar victory over Lesnar.

Both fighters tinge with borderline arrogance, Mir paying the price in conditioning and Lesnar paying the price by never humbling himself enough to know all the ins and outs of his game.

But what factors will make the difference at UFC 100 on July 11?

The key difference between Mir and Lesnar is fight intelligence.

As Lesnar grew up itching to fight and wanting to solidify his place at the top of any food chain, Mir grew up fighting, being trained in Kenpo Karate and pushed into wrestling by his father, training in Muay Thai Kickboxing, and attaining unparalleled submission success through his Jiu-Jitsu training.

In his early career, commentators described him as a "cerebral fighter," a strategic submission artist who could change a muddled mess on the ground into a statuesque arm-bar, shoulder crank, or kimura.

Furthermore, his striking has improved as a result of improved conditioning. Mir has long had the tools to knockout opponents, but has consistently lacked the lungs.

His second match against Wes Sims is nothing but a clobber-fest that ends with four clean strikes (two knees to the head, right hook, left straight) courtesy of Frank Mir.

Four years later in his match against Nogueria, Mir successfully refined his striking ability by comfortably finding his striking range.

Calm on his feet, calm on the ground; always a sure sign of winning ways for any fighter.

Unlike Mir, Lesnar is all brute, physical strength behind the brain of a bull.

In an interview with ESPN, Lesnar admits during his time at Minnesota Viking's training camp, he'd resort to fighting on the line when he couldn't execute a play.

His bull-in-a-china-shop mentality is reminiscent of Tank Abbott, who had no ground game and chose to rely on his heavy hands and steel jaw to win fights.

But where Abbot had no ground game, Lesnar does.

Lesnar's wrestling is proven given his ability to frustrate the balance of his opponents and his tendency to post up against fighters in the half-guard. What is most disconcerting is his defense.

Would Lesnar know the traditional method to escape an arm-bar (which he's certainly strong enough to do)? Will he know how to defend a knee-bar this time around, or will he pull a Frank Trigg and lose the same way twice in a row?

Not only is the knee-bar one of the easiest submissions to escape (only amateurs really tap to knee-bars), but it was also a submission Mir gained with little effort and applied with maximum force.

Imagine what Mir could do to one of Brock's arms if he had the opportunity.

Lesnar has been an underdog to fans from the start—mostly because of his days with WWE-- but he's turning heads faster than any other Mixed Martial Artist in America.

It definitely has something to do with his size, as well as his athleticism. But he's not reached the point of turning heads the way heavyweight greats do. He's not a Muhammad Ali; he's a Mike Tyson: Underdeveloped technical skills, a brash, bully mentality, and too much ambition.

When he won the UFC Heavyweight title, there was immediate speculation for a bout between Lesnar and Emelianenko. Most fans sided with Emelianenko, for no other reason than Fedor's comparable athleticism, his ground game, resiliency, and most importantly his ring experience and fight intelligence.

It's been a year and five months since Lesnar and Mir last met, plenty of time for Lesnar to develop a decent ground game defense. But defending one submission should be his first concern, not his last.

Mir's fluidity on the ground puts him league with the Nogueria brothers, B.J. Penn, and Shinya Aoki, four fighters feared for their submissions.

It wouldn't be surprising to see a sweep aptly defended by Lesnar turn into back control from Mir, nor would it be surprising to see a kimura attempt transition to a triangle choke and then to an arm-bar.

Mir has perfected those skills.

A UFC Champion at 25, stripped of the title due to non-competitive status, a shaky start to renew his career, and now leading a three-fight winning streak into his next bout against a loudly touted Brock Lesnar, Frank Mir stands as an underdog.

Should Lesnar win convincingly, UFC will have its seemingly indomitable heavyweight champion. Should Mir win, the prodigal son will have reclaimed what he lost due to disaster.

As Lesnar is an Achilles tearing through Heavyweight Champions and hopefuls alike, fighting more for glory than for sport, so is Mir a Hektor, defending his title built on six victories and one loss. Though Lesnar has more to gain materially and by credentials, Mir has more to gain personally.

Now it's all left to execution.

Prediction: I don't really like predictions, but since I'm behind Mir all the way and am willing to eat it if he loses, I think he'll win by counter-stikes and capitalize on a simple error. Lesnar taps again.

Lyoto Machida-Rashad Evans: A New Breed of Fighting in the UFC

brandon mcclinton — Fri, 22 May 2009 16:41:24 -0400

There's been no lack of opinions concerning the Lyoto Machida-Rashad Evans UFC 98 main event.

It's the MMA equivalent to Kobe Bryant vs. LeBron James, Floyd Mayweather, Jr. vs. Manny Pacquiao, Peyton Manning vs. Brett Favre, Sir Alex Ferguson vs. Rafael Benitez.

It's going to shape the way fighters train and fight from May 23 forward.

But why? How could two fighters who flew well under the radar alter the way fighters approach fighting?

In one corner, there's Rashad Evans, who is (for all intents and purposes) the best career fluke in MMA history. The last choice to win The Ultimate Fighter 2 Tournament, the underdog in every match since then, and an underdog today, Evans didn't begin turning heads until he knocked out Chuck Liddell.

A grinding fighter with a decision-heavy record, Evans lacked the glaze that UFC light heavyweight champions traditionally have.

Ortiz has unmatched ground-and-pound. Couture has dirty boxing and indomitable wrestling. Liddell has punishing right and left hooks shot from the hip. Jackson has raw power. Griffin has work-ethic, intelligence, and a solid chin.

So what special trait does Evans bring to the title?

Adaptability in the face of adversity.

If anything, Evans should be known for his ring awareness and adjustments. Against fighters with readily exploitable weaknesses, Evans pounces.

Although Jackson was the first in a long list of challengers to exploit Liddell's long-winded yet devastating hook, Evans capitalized on the same error, smashing his right hand into Liddell's jaw with a left ready to follow.

Prior to his match with Liddell, Evans's kick to Sean Salmon's unsuspecting cranium displayed his fighting tact. After going one-dimensional and boxing for the majority of a round, Evans lands a KO kick reeking of premeditation.

It's a fact that Evans' ability to adapt led to a majority of his wins. His style of fighting coupled with Greg Jackson's ideals in fighting has made fighters and fight fans aware of the importance, and benefits, of adapting properly to adversity.

The wave of the brawler is ebbing.

But the question on analysts' and writers' minds is how will Evans adapt to Machida, an evasive, calculating fighter who consistently stays one step ahead of his opponent?

Could it be a fact that Machida, cut-and-dry, is a more advanced fighter than Evans?

Shifting focus to the opposite corner, there's Lyoto Machida with a pristine record supported by enviable stats (highest strikes-landed percentage in UFC; shares prestige with Fedor Emelianenko for least amount of time spent on his back).

Although most writers, fans, and fighters like to emphasize Machida's effective application of karate techniques to MMA and his "elusive style," the most amazing and dangerous aspect of Machida is his mentality.

The fight-to-win mentality, by which Machida abides, was exemplified best by Anderson Silva. A lethal, precise striker who tends to smother his opponents with attacks (barring his latest performance), Silva changed the stand-up game in UFC overnight.

Silva introduced his high caliber of striking skills to the MMA world via UFC, but Lyoto Machida improved that skill-set through his economy of motion.

By setting up strikes, manipulating his opponent's strengths, and captalizing on his opponent's defensive weaknesses, Machida frustrates fighters into making mistakes and looking for one punch to end the night.

Though both fighters differ greatly in their martial heritage, both fighters bring a fight game based on intelligence and inspired by physical prowess. But what separates them from other fighters is the single-minded focus they share to fight their fight and not conform to popular opinion.

I've been critical of Rashad Evans because he didn't seem to have a champion's appeal; he didn't seem untouchable. I've always preferred Machida because he's a technician working in a sport dominated by brutish egos.

But I've come to see after reading several articles about Rashad Evans and Lyoto Machida that these fighters could change (will change?) MMA because they're becoming focused, dedicated fighters who use their well-rounded talents, intellectually and physically, to present UFC and MMA fans with a brand of fighting that brings it all home to its deserving moniker: the Sweet Science.

As for Saturday, I wouldn't expect Evans or Machida to irk out a KO. I wouldn't expect Evans or Machida to lose their cool. Expect five rounds of controlled punishment, a decision victory to one or the other, and the continuation of two astounding careers.

Even though one man will leave the octagon with a dent in his statuesque record, I wouldn't be surprised if there's a rematch to officially seal the deal.

The UFC: Just What the Fireball Kid Needs

brandon mcclinton — Wed, 20 May 2009 18:16:26 -0400

After his recent win at Shooto Tradition Final over Takashi Nakakura, Takanori Gomi sparked MMA fan interest by humbly soliciting Dana White and UFC for a chance to enter the Lightweight division.

Despite his victory over Nakakura and his brief salutation to Dana White, promoters would have to hit the books to determine whether the "Fireball Kid" has re-ignited his career.

Prior to his Shooto win, Gomi upset fans and promoters alike with three dismal performances: an ugly decision win over Seung Hwan Bang; a loss to middling Russian fighter Sergey Golaev; and a devastating submission loss to Satoru Kitaoka via heel-hook.

In a manner akin to Liddel's narrowing career options, each fighter who bested Gomi made an appearance on Lightweight Ranking lists as Gomi made a speedy descent.

With Lightweight stand-outs Eddie Alvarez and Shinya Aoki punishing their competition with respective clobbering hands and technical submissions, and B.J. Penn's push to hold both UFC Lightweight and Welterweight titles, Gomi fell to the wayside like a changeling in swaddling clothes.

Going from a heavily favored No. 2 Lightweight Ranking to no rank at all bears the ominous signs of early retirement.

Indeed, interviews with Gomi suggested the premiere fighter had lost all motivation to fight and that fans shouldn't be surprised to see their once heavy-handed, fiery Japanese All-Star give mediocre performances.

In an interview with MMA Fighting after his loss to Satoru Kitaoka, Gomi ceded his top-tier position with little prodding.

"I haven't proven myself the last few fights," he explained, chalking those feeble perfromances up to competing coaching responsibilities and an inability to "feel any energy in the ring."

Since his loss to Kitaoka in January, Gomi has hinted at fighting in UFC for its stiffer competition.

Behind Gomi's hint lays a big-fish-in-a-big-pond mentality. Given that Gomi has dominated Japanese Lightweight/Welterweight divisions in Pride and Shooto until recently, it's only fitting that he foster a mentality to move where the best, or most popular, fights occur: UFC.

But could he compete with younger, hungrier fighters like Gray Maynard, Kenny Florian, and Diego Sanchez—three fighters grooming themselves to dethrone B.J. Penn?

Would he stand a chance against Nate Diaz's submissions or the astounding development that Efrain Escudero and Phillipe Nover exhibited during Ultimate Fighter?

Bottom line, does Takanori Gomi (granite chin, heavy hands, good takedown defense) have the gumption to compete?

Sherdog.com writer Leland Roling highlights Gomi's strengths in his May 12 article, noting his four-time All Japan Combat Wrestling Championships victories, especially his 2007 win over Katsuhiko Nagata, Japan's Olympic Silver Medalist.

Similar to Rumina Sato, Shinya Aoki, and Genki Sudo, Gomi's submission accolades in Japan are on par with Georges St. Pierre's rabid man-handling of B.J. Penn.

Most spectators wouldn't know it from watching Gomi's MMA fights (certainly not in his fight against Penn), but a quick Youtube review of Gomi's Combat Wrestling days will turn heads concerning his ability on the ground.

On the down-side, Roling notes what every fan of Gomi has noticed.

"Gomi strikes me as being a little depressed about what has transpired over the last six months...his interviews have talked about him being past his prime, past being what he once was..."

Gomi's tumble into a slump began February 24, 2007 when he lost to Nick Diaz by gogoplata, or, more fittingly, by gassing out. After pummelling Diaz for 11 minutes, Gomi fell into a gogoplata and simply failed to escape.

Since then, the enigma of escaping quelled Gomi's ascendancy.

"My time is running out," Gomi explains to Roling.

An electric toe-to-toe fighter, yet a humble and cerebral person, Gomi seems to have hit a personal crossroad. Similar to Penn's over-reliance on talent, Gomi's reliance on emotional motivation seems to have temporarily halted his career.

Perhaps there's no question regarding whether or not Gomi could compete in UFC or reach his former No. 2 position on Lightweight Rankings lists, because he's looking for a place to finish his career.

Or, what's more likely, Gomi is looking for realchallenges in an arena where he can re-focus his talent. Like Quinton Jackson, who relied on his fighting spirit, natural ability, and strength to win fights, Gomi may be realizing he needs to take his career more seriously.

Although UFC touts its horn as the best MMA organization in the world, anywhere from 8 to 6 of the best Lightweights in the world fight in Japan. With the recent signing of Yoshihiro Akiyama and Shinya Aoki's petitioning of Dana White, Gomi may have a chance to cross the Pacific.

White has given no indication of shopping earnestly for fighters in Japan (Japanese or otherwise) but a buzz is building in Nippon. White's farm-style raising of fighters makes or breaks those who come to the UFC stable, and though Japanese organizations collectively hold the world's best lightweights, UFC keeps the hungriest.

There are two kinds of fighters in UFC: young guns and those looking to reach thoroughbred status again. The Lightweight division has its fair share of both.

White's recent signing of Caol Uno (whose last fight was a loss to Aoki) and Sean Sherk's rally after his loss to B.J. Penn with a victory over Tyson Griffin are two of several examples of seasoned Lightweights knocking knuckles with fresh faces.

As for the fresh faces, White keeps a stable of young guns in Cole Miller, Nate Diaz, and the aforementioned Escudero and Nover.

And then there are the standouts: Kenny Florian, Gray Maynard, Diego Sanchez, and B.J. Penn.

Having a reputation as one of the most ferocious Lightweights in the world, Gomi could rediscover his rhythm amongst the technically sound and volatile Lightweights of UFC. Besides, Gomi's style screams UFC.

A wild yet intelligent striker who forces his opponents to fight heels up, Gomi would match well with any Lightweight gatekeeper (Melvin Guillard, Paul Kelly, Josh Neer) but needs to refine innate strategies and tap into a new motivation as so many other writers have noted.

As for stamina, Gomi has a naturally strong work ethic; he just needs to focus his attention on fighting. The visible difference in Gomi's early fights and his fights post-Nick Diaz is his tenacity.

From a powerhouse fighter who hunts his opponents and pounces with relentless intelligence to a timid striker who can't establish his rhythm or impose his will, Gomi loses the fearless edge that sets him apart.

As a fighter, he's lost his reflex response, a unnecessary skill for a trainer who observes, calculates, and strategizes. What Gomi needs are some hard days in the gym recreating the pitbull tenacity that made him a dominant force in Japan.

Seeing Takanori Gomi fight in UFC isn't unbelievable. White likes to take popular foreign fighters and throw them into the mix to see what will happen. He's already signed 12-1 Yoshihiro Akiyama and rumors were flying that 17-1 Norifumi "Kid" Yamamoto may make the jump overseas.

So why not pick up a former champion looking for one more shot at glory? Why not sign the fighter with whom B.J. Penn wouldn't stand and trade? He's eager, asking for the shot, and seems to have found his way back to the real victory road with his recent win.

Best Fights For Gomi in UFC

Nate Diaz: The combination of Nate's mouth and Gomi's tapping to Nate's older brother Nick Diaz should be enough fuel for the Fireball Kid. Gomi needs a grappling challenge, and Nate's wily boxing skills could put him in unimagined precarious situations.

Gomi could repeat a loss to a Diaz, but if he's found his winning ways, tapping out would be unlikely.

Clay Guida: Guida is known for stamina and wrestling. Gomi is known for stamina, wrestling, and strong striking ability. It's doubtful Guida could trade with Gomi, seeing as how he barely stood a chance against Nate Diaz when it came to boxing.

So, the fight could go to the ground, most likely placing Gomi on his back, a position from which he rarely ever works. It would be a close match; a good test for Guida's chin and ground-and-pound and a good test for Gomi's takedown and ground defense.

Cole Miller: Brutal and intelligent, his three-dimensional fighting style would shock Gomi out of his stalwart reliance on his hands. I can't imagine Gomi getting knocked out, but I could easily envision Miller winning by points for effective striking. Gomi's wrestling background would be his best bet, but he'd most likely stand and trade.

Joe Stevenson: Another wrestling powerhouse who likes to trade, this fight would be one for the books. A sheer test in stamina, endurance, and intelligent fighting, Gomi Vs Stevenson could end anywhere at any time.

Kenny Florian: Outmatched in the strength department, Florian would have to rely on jiu-jitsu tactics and intelligent striking. This fight would be a good test of Gomi's reflex response.

If he overwhelmed Florian with strikes, Gomi would certainly win; however, he'd have to be wary of Floraian's ability to use submissions to escape from dire positions or to end fights.

B.J. Penn: It'd just be nice to see a rematch.

Shinya Aoki's Dream 7 Victory Stirs Lightweight Rankings

brandon mcclinton — Tue, 10 Mar 2009 12:32:26 -0400

At Dream 7, American MMA soup can David Gardner discovered how the Japanese reply to a mid-bout salutation courtesy of top-tier Lightweight and WAMMA Champion Shinya Aoki: They choke you.

Sherdog.com journalist Tony Loiseleur recounted the 5:58 second match, citing that "[Gardner] made the mistake of waving to the crowd and yelling 'Hi, Japan,' instead of defending against the choke." Clearly, Gardner failed to read up on his distinguished opponent.

Aoki dominates as Japan's premiere submission specialist with 12 of his 20 wins coming as such. Two of his 12 submission victories came by Gogoplata, his first against Joachim Hansen considered the first successful Gogoplata in MMA bout history.

The buzz began for Aoki when he defeated Keith Wisniewski by flying armbar at a Jan. 29 Shooto event, a feat that popularized his nickname "Tobikan Judan," or "master of flying submissions" and was matched in scale only by Rumina Sato.

Standing 5'11" and weighing between 155 and 167 pounds, Aoki's victory this weekend brings his record to 20-3, securing his position as the No. 1 Lightweight MMA fighter in the world.

It may come as a surprise that the lithe grappler and part founder of Nippon Top Team warrants such praise, considering the monolithic shadow that UFC contenders cast across the globe, but don't even begin to think Aoki is a paper tiger.

With wins over Eddie Alvarez, Gesias "JZ" Cavalcante, and Joachim Hansen, all ranked as Top-Ten Lightweights, Aoki figures as the new face of MMA in Japan, replacing Gomi who has seemed inept in his latest performances.

Gomi's rapid and unfortunate descent from his tenured No. 2 Lightweight spot opened the door for Aoki to gain recognition for his technical and imaginative grappling precision.

After losing to Sergey Golyaev, Gomi ceded his No. 2 spot to Aoki who secured his position with a stunning first round submission victory over Alvarez at K-1 Dynamite! Power of Courage.

Aoki, seemingly cemented his No. 1 spot when B.J. Penn lost to Georges St. Pierre at UFC 94.

Winning his upcoming contests in the Dream 8 Welterweight Tournament will definitely solidify his No. 1 status, given that Penn loses his next bout, which will supposedly be against Kenny Florian.

However, Aoki's success in weight malleability has already subverted Penn's trials with his series of wins and his status as reigning Middleweight Champion of the Shooto organization.

Aoki's ascent has also re-opened the door for the latent variety of Japanese MMA fighters—the grapplers.

There has been no lack of famed Japanese brawlers in MMA, with the likes of Gomi, Norifumi "Kid" Yamamoto, and Hayato Sakurai trading on their feet or flooring their opponents for ferocious ground-and-pound.

But not since Kazushi Sakuraba has there been a preeminent grappler displaying Aoki's brand of aggression and technical prowess in MMA.

In fact, Aoki has allied himself with two other premiere grapplers of Japan in Masakazu Imanari and Satoru Kitaoka—both champions in their own right—and has founded Nippon Top Team.

Aoki's newly established fight team may have an opportunity to further their successes on American soil, given Aoki's desire to fight in UFC. In a 2006 interview with Sherdog.com, the grappling specialist expressed interests in fighting Georges St. Pierre, Nick Diaz, Diego Sanchez, and Karo Parisyan.

Certainly, his UFC prospects have changed.

Finding Penn to be "very strong," Aoki may want to reconsider a matchup against GSP, who has re-defined his fighting style since 2006 and become a superior wrestler who maintains a relentless pace coupled with Promethean strategy.

Diaz has his eye on Frank Shamrock in the next Strikeforce event and a possible rematch against Robbie Lawler. But the younger Nate Diaz could provide an equitable challenge for Aoki, given their lean frames, comparable height, and Judo/Jiu-Jitsu skills.

Sanchez would also be a good opponent for Aoki, especially since his drop from Welterweight to Lightweight.

Parisyan would be an odd match-up for Aoki, because of Parisyan's natural largeness. However, Aoki doesn't find fighting at +167 pounds daunting.

These matchups are pending a contract offer to Aoki from UFC and several other unforeseeable events.

It's also worth considering White's unapologetic stance against WAMMA, of which Aoki is the Lightweight Champion.

Imagining the slanders White would throw at Aoki would be more readily available than imagining a proposed fight between Aoki and Penn or any other UFC Lightweight.

A more immediate threat awaits Aoki in the Dream 8 Welterweight Tournament where he faces a possible rematch against Hayato "Mach" Sakurai, to whom he lost a controversial one point decision four years ago at Shooto: Alive Road.

Expect to hear more success stories from Shinya Aoki, who has capitalized on Gardner's arrogant placation by using "Hello, Japan!" as his new catch phrase. Surely, if this 25-year-old grappling wizard continues winning, "Konichiwa!" may be the new American crowd response.

The Top Five Candidates To Fight Brock Lesnar Outside the UFC

brandon mcclinton — Wed, 28 Jan 2009 16:00:39 -0500

Brock Lesnar has summitted UFC's premiere Heavyweight hopefuls with his domineering size and quick hammerfist punches. Fans await his second bout with Frank Mir, a proven submission genius, who defeated Lesnar in February of 2008 with a knee-bar submission. Though he's polishing up his submission defense, most rankings list put Lesnar in the bottom five. Given that Mir is Lesnar's next best, which 5 opponents outside of the UFC pose a threat to Brock Lesnar?

Begin Slideshow

Could It Be Too Soon For The Kirill? Buentello-Sidelnikov at "Day Of Reckoning"

brandon mcclinton — Fri, 16 Jan 2009 17:29:09 -0500

In eight days, American MMA fans will have an opportunity to witness Fedor Emelianenko's upstart protege Kirill Sidelnikov (pictured) step into the ring against seasoned MMA and UFC veteran Paul Buentello(26-10-0) at Affliction's Day of Reckoning.

Nicknamed "Baby Fedor," Sidelnikov(5-2) offers to shed his baby image, toeing the line with one of MMA's most lethal and technical strikers in Paul Buentello.

For 12 years Buentello has swapped leather with the best, his most recent and notable losses coming from his UFC 55 challenge for the Heavyweight title against Andrei Arlovski, and to Alistair Overeem in Strikeforce's Four Men Enter, One Man Survives.

With the exception of his losses to Arlvoski and Overeem, both ranked as Top Ten Heavyweights, Buentello has led a six year fight campaign with 11 solid victories, more than half of which came in the first round.

Unable to get over the Top Ten hump, Buentello has become a stalwart gate-keeper in recent years, and will be the first test Sidelnikov has faced outside of Eurasia and within America where spectators' affections are difficult to earn.

Unfortunate for Sidelnikov, he already has three critical strikes working against him.

First strike: his seven previous fights were scheduled as two five-minute rounds with a 90 second rest between rounds.

In amateur fights, the M-1 Challenge round stipulations are acceptable. But American fight fans will inherently be skeptical of Sidelnikov's conditioning.

To put the woes to rest, Sidelnikov trains with the Red Devil Fighting Team, a squad harboring Aleksander Emelianenko, Amar Suloev, and former team members Sergei Kharitonov, and Fedor Emelianenko, all fighters who are known for their stamina, long-term agility, and endurance.

Sidelnikov gassing in this fight would be as certain to happen as snow in the Sahara.

Second strike: he's known as "Baby Fedor."

Aside from the homoerotic and pseudo-incestuous overtones, it puts Sidelnikov in the shadow of Fedor. It may be complimentary and serve to condense long-winded descriptions of his potential MMA dominance, but at some point a new moniker must be created.

Also, Sidelnikov's progression may make the impeccable gleam of Fedor's record pale in future events.

The third strike working against Sidelnikov is his close affiliation with M-1/Affliction.

For the time being, UFC dominates American MMA. The intensity of UFC's dominance reaches from the corporate table to actual fighters with McMahonesque control.

In Biography Channel's biopic of Randy Couture, Randy depicted UFC as an organization unwilling to support their two-time Heavyweight Champion because of his age.

The same favoritism could be read into the upcoming Penn-GSP match given that

1. White granted Penn an unprecedented opportunity to challenge St. Pierre for the Welterweight title after Penn refused to take no for an answer,

2. St. Pierre hasn't been granted a rubber match to compete to regain his belt should he lose,

and

3. Since Penn's Lightweight belt isn't at risk, it's apparent that either Penn is favored to win the match, or St. Pierre didn't bring all his ammo to the contractual negotiations.

That said, it's no mystery that UFC's opinion of fighters weighs heavily on the conscience of new fans. And White's opinion of Sidelnikov could effect his advancement in American MMA shows.

Because UFC is waging a war of attrition with M-1/Affliction, it would come as no suprise if White spurned Sidelnikov's potential fame, keeping him from competing against other young UFC Heavyweights like Gabriel Gonzaga.

If viewers tune in to HDNet's broadcast of the undercard fights, they'll get to see the hybrid Emelianenko fighting style Sidelnikov presents and draw their own conclusions about the 21-year-old, 220 lb, 5'11" phenom.

But if you don't get to tune in, here's what I think you'll miss:

His boxing movement is light and precise, most like Aleksander's. His Sambo, takedown defense, and explosiveness has Fedor's fingerprints all over it. Kirill Sidelnikov has the true potential to be the next Fedor or Anderson Silva.

A victory for Kirill Sidelnikov is sure to make waves in the MMA world, and expect his next Affliction bout to make the main card. But a loss means it's back to the gym for the hard lessons, and Dana White has one less Russian to worry about...at least for a little while.

Prediction: Sidelnikov TKO or Submission of Buentello early in the second round

Strangelove of MMA: M-1 and UFC As the Dominant MMA Promotions

brandon mcclinton — Mon, 12 Jan 2009 16:15:23 -0500

M-1 Global or UFC?

The fans know the history of contractual disputes between M-1 and UFC signing a fight deal for Fedor Emelianenko. They can tell you that Dana White thinks Fedor's an over-rated champ who hasn't fought anyone of merit since...Well, maybe never.

White has managed to discredit all of Fedor's fights, including his bout against Tim Sylvia stating,

"Tim Sylvia!? Everybody knocked down Tim Sylvia in the first round," including Randy Couture, who failed to take Sylvia's back and finish the fight as Fedor did.

The fans can tell you that the dispute was about control of two important aspects of Fedor's career:

1. The contract would prohibit Fedor from competing in Sambo

and

2. If he became UFC Heavyweight Champion, he couldn't vacate the belt or compete in other organizations.

The fans can also explain that Fedor not competing in Sambo would be like telling Anderson Silva he couldn't play soccer or dance in Samba competitions, both famous national past-times of Brazilians. Sambo is an essential part of Fedor's cultural and national heritage.

As for being immediately ineligible to vacate the belt, fans know to thank B.J. Penn for that stipulation, the BJJ prodigy who vacated both the Lightweight and Welterweight titles only to return and beg for the opportunity to compete and possibly hold both titles.

But...wait...does anybody else sense a double-standard in this?

It's possible that Dana White learned from past mistakes, one being Penn's champion-vagabond past, and has decided to lower the boom on UFC fighters, making them contractual stable mates instead of freelance athletes looking for the best paycheck or the best fight.

Granted, his perceived tyrannical reign over UFC fighters has made the MMA business world leap with controversy, from his three-day dispute with John Fitch to his year-long legal battle with Randy Couture, but it mostly comes down to White seeking to protect a major investment. Mostly.

In an interview with fiveouncesofpain.com, Fedor was asked if his status as the No. 1 Heavyweight fighter in the world would be scrutinized by White if he were fighting in UFC. In his typical light-hearted but heavy-handed way, Fedor responded with a laugh:

"I think if I fought for the UFC, he would try to sell me as the greatest MMA fighter that ever lived."

Much like his hammer fists that cut through the best full-guards MMA contenders have to offer, Fedor got to the essential issue in the conflict between White’s UFC and Finkelstein's M-1 Global: sensationalism.

Perhaps it's totally coincidental that the UFC's counterpoint is a Russian organization seeking to globalize Mixed Martial Arts and plain ironic that the standoff between UFC and M-1 has been aptly compared to the Cold War.

Both companies are becoming recognizable promotional entities in the global arena: Affliction's upcoming "Day of Reckoning," co-promoted with M-1, is headlining international superstars Gilbert Yvel, Andrei Arlovski, Josh Barnett, Renato Sobral, and Chris Horodecki, all of which are stellar fighters, and is backed financially by Trump and Golden Boy Productions.

UFC's last two cards showed competitive Pay Per View numbers, revealing an exponential rise in MMA viewers in America versus those who watch boxing. And for a sport that has existed on the fringes, it's important to note ESPN appearances by Brock Lesnar and Dana White that were taken seriously by the hosts.

And with talk of UFC expanding to the United Kingdom, there’s a real possibility that Dana White and the Fertitta brothers may be pursuing an overseas market.

In comparison to the actual Cold War, there is no gross, malicious violence propagated by either camp. However, economics and word-play has begun to play a major role in the future of both organizations, which, if you know your history, played a major role in who "won" the Cold War.

Several people, from the odd fan to the infatuated critic, have speculated that Affliction will fold within the next year. Dana White certainly sides with that speculation, but it's yet to be resolved. If Affliction were to fold, it won’t mean M-1 will fall behind an iron curtain.

Unlike the now defunct Pride Fighting Championship, UFC's knockout of the decade, and unlike UFC, M-1 Global is a flea-flicker organization seeking to co-operate with other organizations to promote MMA everywhere.

Finkelstien and Jerry Millen have stated that they will work with any organization seeking to promote good fights for the appropriate pay in any country. They've established a global tournament, the M-1 Challenge, which has put the spotlight on young fighters from Europe, Eastern Europe, the Highland Nations, and Asia.

They've taken a page out of HBO's 24/7, airing Fedor's training regimen on the Internet. They've even gone so far as to propose an open challenge for Fedor, Millen explaining that any fighter in the world can challenge to beat Fedor, a marketing ploy reminiscent of Bruce Lee’s blanket challenge of anyone in the world to affirm Jeet Kune Do as a legitimate martial art.

But most importantly, they've stuck to a philosophy that helped the UFC become what it is today: parlaying for viewers to show them the fights they want to see.

Relative to the Cold War, it's part of the strategy that helped America win. We went to developing nations, told them we could give them the life they wanted for little in return, and we climbed to the top of the food-chain. I don't think anyone, certainly not many Americans, will want to argue with that.

Where America went to nations like South Korea, Japan, Madagascar, Venezuela, Nicaragua, and Saudi Arabia to arrange international trade agreements that favored both nations (at least temporarily), M-1 seeks to showcase the best of nations’ young competitors, most notably through the M-1 challenge, which features fight teams from Russia, France, Holland, Japan, Spain, Korea, Finland, and USA.

In essence, Finkelstein has managed to take White’s Ultimate Fighter and place it in a global arena.

Not until the past year and a half has UFC been interesting and highly marketable. The UFC Fight Night programs and Ultimate Fighter are enjoyable, but the spark and enthusiasm that other tournaments offer is missing.

Why is the enthusiasm missing?

The fighters become cookie cut-outs. There’s only so many times fights can be prefaced with “guns-a-blazin” and “he’s not gonna know what hit him,” followed by lack-luster performances before UFC becomes sensational hype and more bark than bite.

That said, fight interviews tend to err on the side of predictability. Fighters tend to sell themselves with their mouths instead of their fists, with a few exceptions like Josh Koscheck, Yushin Okami, and Lyoto Machida.

Like Russia during the Cold War, a sense of isolationism and standardization has swept through UFC, for no other apparent reason than to protect the UFC brand.

The presentation of Mixed Martial Arts in America is different from any other country. Instead of arriving on the wave of athletic competition, American MMA was spit from a whirlpool of the spectacle, soaked in controversy and sensational marketing that gave the sport undue one-dimensional appeal.

Only in America would spectators boo Andrei Arlovski for knocking out Paul Buentello in the first minute of the first round. Only in America would fans of one combat sport prefer another because it’s more violent. Only here would calls for blood drown out calls for intelligent action.

And it’s not Dana White’s fault.

White’s efforts to make MMA a legitimate sport in the eyes of the American public are more than commendable. He should be exonerated for his efforts.

MMA fighters can look forward to six-figure contracts, a pay-out that was mythical 10 years ago. Fighters have a promoter willing to say ‘no,’ as he did when B.J. Penn suggested fighting at 205 lbs, explaining that Penn’s frame can’t hold that much mass.

UFC fighters have Mother Dana White, quick with the tongue but even more resolute to allow fighters a second chance— or third, or fourth chance in the case of Junie Browning.

But like a Mother—more specifically, like Mother Russia—Dana White is reluctant to open the doors for his fighters.

Some claim it’s about control.

Fair enough: White’s history of disputes with fighters leaves little room for the opposite opinion. And given his dismantling of Pride FC, his stalwart stance against EliteXC, his defensive position against Mark Cuban’s HDNet, Affliction, M-1, and Trump-Goldenboy Productions, one can see some monopolizing control on the horizon.

Other reasons for White’s actions stem from marketing and opinions. True, no one can dispute Anderson Silva’s dominance, and it’s my opinion that the Pound-for-Pound internet feud between Fedor, Silva, and Georges St. Pierre is ridiculous; the disparity in weight-classes only allows Silva to legitimately compete for the Pound-for-Pound title, given that Fedor has no Super-Heavyweights to fight, and that there is no widely regarded Featherweight class for GSP to compete in.

The arguable points White allows, and the line in the sand that divides him from M-1, lies in his stance regarding MMA. Dana White has a quality product. For the time being, it’s uncorrupted. It hasn’t been Don Kinged or Vince McMahoned.

He told Rolling Stone in a June 12, 2008 interview, “this thing we have [MMA] is still really pure. It’s not all f****** dirty like boxing. I know that day is coming, and when it does, I’m gone.”

It explains comments like “those crazy Russians,” whom he believes will milk UFC dry.

In the eyes of Dana White, he’s provided Americans with a new sport and new athletes; however, the general lack of standardized regulation, which isn't the case with NBA, NFL, NHL, MLS, and every other professional sport, has helped and hindered his progress.

The lack of standardization has helped with sponsors. UFC gets to determine its sponsors and broker its deals on its terms. It’s also made UFC the standard by which other American promotions compare.

However, the same lack of standardization has made White’s fighters seem like products, similar to the rasslers Vince McMahon packages, juices, abuses, and tosses with reckless abandon. The last thing White needs is to share any likeness to the WWE sports pariah.

If there’s one thing White could learn from the Russian sportsmen, it’s an unerring devotion to sports. Money lies at the root of all things American; a service rendered deserves equitable payment. But “those crazy Russians” don’t seem to think in those terms.

In an interview detailing his young adult life and fighting career, Aleksander Emelianenko describes the sportsman, how he or she received little or nothing for their successes, pointing out that “they shake your hand, they congratulate you and the next day they forget about it.”

But where most American athletes would walk away or stumble into a distraction, Aleksander describes curling up between two mats for the night, finding camaraderie with Russian basketball players, eating, drinking, and sweating athletic greatness. Surely Dana White can see that it’s not all about the greenbacks.

What White wants, a sport that “is still really pure,” and what Finkelstein wants, a global recognition of the athletes who compete in MMA and for MMA to take its place among other combat sports, are essentially the same.

White believes he’s “the bad guy,” that he’s the promoter and will always be “the f****** bad guy.” He believes that if he’s left an event with one penny more than his fighters, he’s slighted them.

Not true. He’s built a company with rivals, proof of his success, and has an opportunity to partner with a promotion agency that could bring talent from all over the globe to compete in the octagon.

Finkelstein has remained poised and resilient in his stand-off with White, and Fedor has all but written it off.

The broiling tension between M-1 and UFC is a competition of dominance, where one party is seeking co-operation (M-1) and the other peers over its shoulder in rigid skepticism of others (UFC).

So, M-1 or UFC? I don’t think we really have a choice. As long as they’re the focal point of the fight, we’re missing the real strikers and the real goal: to get this sport noticed for all that it's worth.

Musangwe!!! A South African Fight Tradition

brandon mcclinton — Wed, 10 Dec 2008 04:04:44 -0500

In 1999, David Fincher brought to cinematic life Chuck Palahniuk's popular and seminal novel Fight Club, a disturbing tribute to the breakdown of Puritanical-Capitalist American values led by Tyler Durden (Brad Pitt), Tyler Durden (Edward Norton), and the members of Project Mayhem.

Not surprisingly, Fincher's film launched a fight club fad in the States, and it wasn't hard to find young men meeting in their versions of Lou's basement to box their way to enlightenment.

Enlightenment was lacking, but a few fans translated the film experience to MMA.

The rise in popularity of MMA owes a bit of its success to Palahniuk's novel and Fincher's film, even though MMA existed long before either artist had an inkling of the Fight Club idea.

In America, we call an event like this a cultural phenomenon; In the Venda village region of Limpopo, South Africa, it's as natural as the World Series.

In October 2007, Odd Looking Tree Productions released South Africa-Musangwe-Fight Club, a documentary detailing a 300-year-old annual meeting between northern and southern Vanda tribes at the Tshifudi cattle dip where men, young and old, meet to knock knuckles.

Forget about the dingy, moldy basements packed with disenfranchised young Americans.

Forget about the frat houses and party houses emptied of furniture to make room for friendly throw-downs.

And never mind the fighters tagged in sponsors' slogans and the random celebrity spectator.

Think about 4,000 people crowded around a dust patch near a watering hole, scrambling to get a better view of the local favorite wrap his knuckles in gauze or tape. Think about men presenting their fist to other men as a gambit.

At first glance, it's taken the way MMA was taken in its early days: a vicious sport with no substance or tact involved. However, there are actually more rules in Musangwe than there are in Vale Tudo or sanctioned MMA; they're just not written in stone.

There are several articles about Musangwe, most of them starting with off-beat quotes of Tyler Durden's Fight Club speech: "The first rule is that there are no rules."

But that's a silly westward eye doing a disservice to the people of South Africa, especially the participants in the sporting event.

There are rules in Musangwe, at least one of them being that a downed opponent cannot be hit.

There isn't an official to dictate this rule, but there are 4,000-odd spectators and a handful of promoters armed with whipping sticks to let it be known that enough is enough.

The second rule regards challenges.

Be wary of giving dap to congratulate a competitor at the Musangwe event; he may think you're challenging him.

One fighter can challenge any other fighter by presenting his fist to his potential opponent. This makes for an electric atmosphere, somewhat schoolyard brawl with a heavy dose of adult male testosterone controlled by a couple of promoters armed with long, thin branches.

To the unguided eye, the spectacle looks riotous, but the narrator of South Africa-Musangwe-Fight Club is careful to indicate that the 300-year-old tradition is always under control.

There are also policemen nearby to ensure the safety of spectators.

And, like MMA, there's only been one death in Musangwe. To prove it was an accident local law enforcement asked the suspect to punch an donkey.

The fighter knocked the animal out cold.

Like MMA, the fights are exciting and unpredictable. There's a constant mix of seasoned veterans looking to popularize their masculinity, fighters seeking to put on a show, and instead of nipple-tweaking, fighters use muti.

In addition to training, fighters use healers to give them muti, a necessary element for victory. There is no western equivalent of muti, a unique prayer specifically sent to dictate the outcome of a fight.

One healer states that "everybody uses muti," and one of the few ways to get around it is by smearing your urine on your face.

Odd Looking Tree Productions's documentary reminded me why fighting is at once entertaining and enlightening.

It's entertaining because of the constant buzz (which is somewhat diffused by our media circuits) and the 300-year-old history that fighters bring to Tshifudi cattle dip.

It's enlightening because it brings together fighters looking to gain status in their communities and seeking to create their own legends.

With constant controversy concerning fighter contracts, promotion buyouts, and promotion flops, the community feel of MMA has lost its warmth and favors a cold, discriminate hand.

But South Africa-Musangwe-Fight Club brought back the community spirit that made fighters more than men earning a buck the most difficult way. It brought back the spirit in an uncontrived, un-mass marketed way whose sincerity should be deeply envied by mixed martial artists all over the world.

Andrei Arlovski's Paramount Moment Is Affliction's Day of Reckoning

brandon mcclinton — Thu, 04 Dec 2008 07:51:16 -0500

From November 22, 2002 to April 15, 2006 former UFC Heavyweight Champion Andrei Arlovski made history by becoming one of the most upsetting fighters in UFC.

During that time he defeated notable favorites Ian Freeman, Vladimir Matyushenko, Wesley Correira, Tim Sylvia, Justin Eilers, and Paul Buentello with devastating hand speed, boxing technique, and sixth-sense submission skills on par to no one in UFC at the time.

He was an underdog, a passionate, Belarusian champion the crowd had to learn to respect. He was the first UFC Heavyweight champ to be booed after knocking out his opponent, Buentello, 15 seconds into the fight.

Across the Pacific Ocean in Japan's UFC equivalent, Pride Fighting Championships, a fellow citizen of the Eastern Bloc created a tsunami, taking nearly twice as many fights as Arlovski in the same period of time and building a similarly skeptical reputation as an MMA contendor.

Unlike Arlovski, he hushed his critics with round-the-clock victories stemming from a will tempered by hunger. He gained the moniker "the Last Emperor," but he should be known as the First Emperor for delivering such an impeccable record with astounding fights.

Also, unlike Arlovski, the fans grew to love him indiscriminately.

His younger brother Aleksander commented in an April 7th interview that "[he and Fedor] already beat everyone in Japan, even though no one bet on [them]." Despite his string of victories and consistent underdog status in his early days of Pride contention, no one booed Fedor for his accomplishments.

The "Last Emperor" Fedor Emelianenko and Andre "the Pitbull" Arlovski should have fought years ago, long before Fedor's complicit stand-off alongside M-1 Global in the developing Cold War with UFC, and certainly long before Arlovski took a manic turn for the worst by losing sight of what makes him one of the top ten fighters in the world.

However, Affliction's Day of Reckoning will bring the MMA fighters together on January 24th for a fight that puts nothing but pressure on Arlovski's shoulders.

Suprisingly, few have lent an ear to this fight with few, if any, win predictions or pre-fight analysis. Maybe it was overshadowed by the Lesnar-Couture Championship bout? The hype surrounding that match turned heads at ESPN, so it certainly is a factor.

Perhaps Affliction-Golden Boy hasn't been marketing the bout as aggressively as they should be?

With De laHoya, the face of Golden Boy entertainment, gearing up for his anomalous boxing match against Manny Pacquiao, Emelianenko shooting a film in Thailand, and Donald Trump working on his comb-over and future catch phrases, it's possible the bout got lost in the melee of the UFC-Affliction/M-1 promotion war that's ensued.

Or maybe everyone has counted Arlovski out.

It makes sense doesn't it?

His golden days in the UFC were quickly followed by gloomy performances: spectators wanted the electric, passionate Arlovski and had no compassion to spare after his twin losses to Tim Sylvia. Despite his overwhelming talent, Arlovski was released from his contract with UFC.

And considering Affliction's trend of match-making for Fedor, Arlovski comes off as a stepping stone, more ammunition in the war on paper to prove that Dana White, Joe Silva, and the other organizers at UFC are dodging the truth.

Affliction pursued a Fedor-Couture bout for the fans initially, and followed the flopped bout with Tim Sylvia's 36 second stand against Emelianenko. It makes sense to schedule a bout with Arlovski, and in the meantime subtlely call-out Brock Lesnar for a match.

For Affliction, Arlovski's loss is evidence that UFC Champions don't compare to Fedor's skill and talent. For UFC, Arlovski's loss may be more evidence that he's fallen off the high horse and by the wayside.

But if there's one thing that's taboo in MMA it's to count someone out before the fight's over. Especially if the fight hasn't even happened.

While Fedor has been reaping the international glory of being the WAMMA Champion, Arlovski has been steadily plugging away in training.

Arlovski's showing against Roy Nelson at EliteXC's Heat foreshadowed his return to aggressive, calculated striking and quick footwork to create depth and angles for his punches.

The time he's spent training with Freddie Roach, who's also prepared Pacquiao for his match-up against De la Hoya and is rumored to be training Anderson Silva, adds to the heavy, calculated striking equation.

Given Arlovski's punching speed and potency, it seems that he's going to rely on his fists to wear down Emelianenko. But if he's expecting one punch dominance, as he did against Buentello and Sylvia 1, he should go back to the drawing board.

If there's an area Arlovski needs to polish, it's his Jiu Jitsu and Sambo skills.

In his fight against Roy Nelson, Nelson left some doubts about Arlovski's Sambo laurels. Nelson made the World Sambo Championship silver medalist look as bad on the ground as Arlovski made Nelson look on his feet.

The fight drew sided opinions because of the apparently inappropriate stand-up from the EliteXC ref who negated Roy Nelson's progress on the ground, possibly saving Arlovski from a submission loss.

Not only is Fedor's Jiu Jitsu better than Nelson's, he's stronger and has better fortitude than Nelson. Where Nelson crumbled under Arlovski's vicious combinations, expect Fedor to rise to the occassion; in fact, expect Fedor to trade with Arlovski.

It may be that Arlovski is looking to be elusive and counter-punch against Fedor, possibly opening up an opportunity to score a few combinations. Arlovski creates angles that other fighters can't, purely based on his quick footwork. And his heavy hands have suprised fighters again and again...

It's highly unlikely that Arlovski will knock out Emelianenko, but it's very possible.

He looks hungry and determined. He looks like he wants to solidify his place as a credible contendor and diminish the thought that he's a prey to the whims of his youth.

He looks like a naturally-gifted fighter who wants to fight his fight.

As wishy-washy as Arlovski is and has been in the past, his recent win over Roy Nelson, which tops off a five fight winning streak, reeks of the old Pitbull who fought like a passionate, intelligent Rus.

Let's hope the old Arlovski comes to the ring, and that the other Arlovski, the over-cautious "I-don't-wanna-get-knocked-out" stays in his dog house. Otherwise, Arlovski's MMA days may be over.

Fight Prediciton: long-shot for Arlovski win by decision or TKO; easy, but time-consuming win for Emelianenko TKO.

The Real Fight: Business Ethics in UFC

brandon mcclinton — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 08:25:08 -0500

In the early days of UFC, there was a brisk, 30-something fighter named Evan Tanner who went into the octagon, won his fight and said, "Now I can pay my mortgage."

It was the tail-end of the dark days of mixed martial arts in the States when Tanner made that statement, a time when American full-contact fighters were outsourced to Japan, Holland, Brazil—any country that would accept them.

It was a time when belts didn't tow $450,000 behind them and they were worn with the pride of Olympian laurels.

Today, in the golden days of American MMA, spearheaded by UFC, elite fighters bankroll almost as well as elite boxers, thanks in part to dedicated business leaders and managers who want to see their fighters get their due.

It's natural in American MMAto see fighters enter the ring with banners advertising fight gear, to thank their sponsors before they thank their mothers after a fight, to take sips of energy drinks post-fight and point to the can as if guarine and high-fructose corn syrup had a hand in their victory.

But where do we draw the line and say, "Leave the sponsorships and marketing contracts on the table and bring your gloves to the ring?"

I've always been skeptical of booming enterprises—people get greedy, and what could last a decade exists for only two years.

In a brief period of time, the worst of people comes out and the controlling interest is themselves.

This isn't the character of UFC, but the characteristics are steadily stacking, especially considering the recent news concerning Jon Fitch's contractual release.

Greg Savage of Sherdog.com reports that Jon Fitch was released from the UFC after declining to sign a lifetime video game contract with the pointed stipulation that Fitch could not agree to sign with any gaming agency that hasn't agreed to work with UFC.

Although Fitch requested that the contract be renegotiated in more reasonable terms to reduce the lifetime agreement to a five or ten-year agreement, his ire stems more fervently from the conditions laid on his table.

"Sign this or you're going to get dropped from the UFC," Fitch explained to mmaweekly.com writer Damon Martin. In three days at most, according to Fitch, the conversation went from an offer to an ultimatum.

Behind the controversy are greenbacks, the same as withTito Ortiz years ago, more recently with Randy Couture, and possibly with Fedor Emelianenko.

MMAWEEKLY.COM reports that UFC got "caught" between two major video game developers: EA Sports of Madden 2009 fame, and THQ, of Saint's Row and Smackdown Vs. Raw fame.

Apparently, Dana White & c agreed to terms drawn up by THQ that put fighters, who want nothing else but to be fighters, in the crossfire.

Like any entrepreneur seeking to protect his investment, THQ is apparently attempting to close out the competition by authenticating its release as the game with the real UFC fighters in it.

And like THQ, White seeks to protect his investment, penning "successful video game" next to "successful reality television series" and "competitive pay-per-views."

But at what cost is Dana White earning his businessman tally marks?

In addition to Jon Fitch being dropped, there’s talk of Josh Koscheck, Christian Wellisch, and Cain Velasquez being cut from the roster. Seriously.

Dana White has been the focal point of three major financial disputes that have all been resolved childishly: If you don't want to play my way, I'll make sure we don't play at all. And its this attitude that has consistently hurt the spirit of MMA and changed the UFC.

Randy Couture's hiatus stemmed mostly from his desire to fight Fedor, which never happened in part because Dana White doesn't want Fedor Emelianenko associated with UFC.

Fedor's camp has even made an effort to debunk Anderson Silva's status as the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world, stating,

"it's more inexpensive for [UFC] to use their marketing resources...as opposed to actually paying the pound-for-pound best what he is truly worth on the open market."

In a sport with little margin of error for fighters and managers that is also propelled by mass-marketing strategies, it's not hard to see why White is protective of his fighters.

We all witnessed Proelite Inc's demise after one fateful night backed by the UFC marketing machine and objective fans who appreciate quality mixed martial arts.

But if UFC is to maintain its status as the premiere world-class MMA promotion, some chances need to be taken and the reigns on fighters need to be loosened. As solid as UFC may seem on the surface, there always seems to be ripples along it's concrete walls.

And as poignant and irascible as Dana White can be, I believe his recent reaction to Jon Fitch was unreasonable and motivated by everything but one of the principles that makes the UFC one of the best fight promotions in the world: "The safety of our fighters comes first..."

Well, Evan Tanner, bless him, got to pay his mortgage without giving his "soul" to the UFC as Fitch put it. But given the recent flares sparked by money-grubbing, I wonder if the everyday fighters will be given enough room to do the same without fear of losing their dream.

Now Would Be The Time for Emelianenko vs. Lesnar

brandon mcclinton — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 04:33:50 -0500

Brock Lesnar beat Randy Couture? Whoop-TEE-do.

We've all become familiar with his record over the last month or so:

A smashing victory over a steadily backsliding Heath Herring which came as no real surprise; a near-victory turned loss to Frank Mir whose sloppy hands don't compare to his tactful submissions; and now Randy Couture, who got "caught," much the same way he got "caught" by Chuck Liddell, and much the same way fighters often get "caught."

So what's the hoop-la about?

How ever many arguments can be made against Brock Lesnar, it still stands that he's a silver lining in the haze that has supposedly settled over the UFC Heavyweight division.

He defeated gate-keeper Heath Herring with explosive poise, delivering unrelenting punches and breaking up the wily tactician's gameplan.

He made Frank Mir look like a total amateur, pummelling Mir until he was subbed with one of the most easily escapable submissions, the knee bar.

And then he toppled the one man every long-term UFC fan hoped would win. It's difficult to admit a respectable hero has been bumped from cloud nine by an athletic vagabond who's decided to stake his claim in MMA, but the sport thrives on the best being beaten.

So, ideally, who would be next for Lesnar if he's going to continue going from fight to fight by leaps and bounds?

The Last Emperor, Fedor Emelianenko.

In a UFC world of consistent rules for No. 1 contender status, Randy would have fought Frank Mir, and the winner of that fight would have fought Nogueira. Lesnar would have come up the hard way, and spectators would have seen him demolish competitors until there was no choice but to give him a shot at the belt.

But in Dana White's world where light shines in the color of money through a tiny window, putting Lesnar against Couture was the best move financially and for the spirit of the sport.

A majority of the controversy surrounding Lesnar related directly to his rookie status in the MMA world. Fans were split between those who wanted to see Lesnar lose either because of his WWE past (which should have had no bearing on his contention status in UFC) or because of Randy Couture's epic journey through the Heavyweight and Light Heavyweight divisions.

We watched to see who would win between Couture and Lesnar; now, it's pertinent to know who will beat Lesnar.

So why jump the gun and put Lesnar up against the man who appears as No. 1 in the Heavyweight Division on more rankings lists than anyone else?

It’s plain Dana White logic: take a fighter whose potential is subject to skepticism and put him the ring with the best. Why waste time, money, and fighters pitting Lesnar against wary hopefuls?

Although Lesnar has tentatively proved himself a champion in the octagon, the next logical step would be to take on Fedor Emelianenko, the Russian wrecking ball who's recently come off a point loss to Blagoi Ivanov (see Ivanov Outpoints Fedor courtesy of B/R writer Anthony Pole) in a combat sambo tournament.

There have been a host of contendors who have fallen to Fedor's wayside, and none without exemplary effort. But the compelling draw for a match between Fedor and Lesnar issues from their determination to win.

In the year that Lesnar's been competing in MMA, his past overshadowed his potential. I can say I was one of the guys listening to his stats and thinking, "So what? He's tough enough be a 'rassler and make the practice squad for the Vikings, but does he have the toolbox to be an MMA fighter?"

With each fight, Lesnar has shown improvement, and rumors are now circulating that he's upped his submission game in preparation for the UFC title unification bout. And behind his improvement is an indomitable will to prove himself worthy to compete in MMA.

But where Lesnar is going, Fedor has been...and then some.

Could Lesnar rebound from a suplex that would break the average fighter's neck and pull-off a kimura victory? Could Lesnar neutralize the submission ability of Nogueira for fifteen minutes?

Who knows about the suplex, it's purely hypothetical, and we may get to see where Lesnar stands against a more complete MMA fighter in Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira. But these are the estimable feats Fedor Emelianenko has delivered to MMA fans with a cool demeanor. In fact, Fedor's pre-fight countenance conveys nothing but determination and a natural motivation to win.

If Dana White has a stroke of genius and is willing to let one of his poster-children compete against the legitimately best Heavyweight in the world, the global MMA community will never be the same. We missed Couture-Fedor; let's hope we don't miss Lesnar-Fedor.

In all actuality, Lesnar will have to face either Mir or Nog, both submission machines, with Nog edging out Mir for his history of boxing skills in the ring and octagon. And with both men doing considerable damage to opponents similar to Lesnar in strength if not in size, the true crucible for Brock comes soon.

Even though the prospect of this match is at least a year away, it's worth letting the thought of who would win in an Emelinenko-Lesnar match nibble the back of your mind.

On one side is the vagabond athlete, the quickly adaptable and wildly popular Brock Lesnar. On the other side is the prodigy, the gift, the well-worn talent, and last emperor of MMA, Fedor Emelianenko. If this fight ever happened (and it won't unless Lesnar walks away from UFC or renegotiations between Fedor's managers and Dana White occur), the belt goes to Fedor and Lesnar keeps wandering.

MMA International Gold: Standards and Stipulations

brandon mcclinton — Mon, 10 Nov 2008 04:30:33 -0500

Since its inception, Mixed Marital Arts has been an international sport. With its recent rise in popularity thanks to UFC's purchase of Pride Fighting Championship, Proelite, Inc.'s Daedalus-like rise and fall, and the expansion of MMA markets in Britain, Japan, Canada, China, and the former Eastern Bloc, its worth considering an MMA tournament pitting each nation's best against each other.

The concept has been attempted on small scales with promotions marketing events like Canada vs USA, China vs the World, West vs East, and even down to sports clubs taking on nations (Team Chute Box vs Japan, Team Gracie vs Japan).

Designing an MMA tournament in this fashion hearkens back to Vince McMahon's WWF plots which involved the Iron Sheik wrestling Sergeant Slaughter, or the Canada-USA rivalry spurred by the Harts and Pro-American wrestlers.

Certainly any fan who respects MMA would want to distance himself or herself from any association with sports entertainment given the wry marketing that described MMA as "a human cock fight."

Taking this into consideration, designing a tournament which pits the best of nations' Mixed Martial Artists would require poignant marketing, coordination between major and minor promotions, and an international body governing rules and restrictions for national MMA competitions.

Marketing

The rapid successes and failures of MMA in the States can most closely be attributed to marketing. The two shining examples of marketing ploys would be Zuffa LLC and Proelite Inc, organizations who exist as polar opposites when it comes to promoting fights and fighters.

The success of Zuffa LLC stems from Dana White's appreciation of MMA fighters, first stating upon buying UFC that "We...marketed it the way it should have been marketed-- as an incredible sport with amazing athletes."

Unlike Zuffa LLC, Proelite Inc. jumped into the mix with little consideration of fighters as a whole; they encouraged and promoted a handful of contendors (Slice, Shields, Carano) with no clear standards for contractual acceptance aside from monetary gain and ratings.

In short, there was no substance and no risk, aside from the "hype" which was forced down viewers' throats.

There are two gains from examining Zuffa and Proelite regarding marketing strategy for an international competition.

One, developing an atmosphere around fighters that presents them as athletes and devalues its spectacle appeal is necessary for any international competition to have minor success. MMA athletes cannot be perceived or promoted as brutes, even if the sport has a brutal edge.

Two, substance and risk are inherent in most international competitions. The substance issues from nations competing for the title of producing the best fighters in the world. The risk originates from the substance, but relates to fighters specifically.

Coordinating Promoters

Scheduling international events around the bread-and-butter of athletes has always plagued grand competitions.

USA suffered in the World Baseball Classic because clubs didn't want to give up valuable players for the tournament.

Most English Premier League managers have the daunting task of carrying teams through an exaggerated regular season and competing in the Champion's League UEFA cup. Not to mention they have to address the European Cup and the World Cup every two years.

So how would MMA promotions meet to put on an international event?

The first thing to consider is share-holding, or who gets paid when it's all said and done. Given the variety of promotions and the brevity of success, it wouldn't be difficult to imagine promoters from several organizations vying for control of the entire competition.

If money played a larger part than the competitors, the competition would lose its long-term appeal and could fall into the hands of crooked organizers (not a first for any international competition).

The best way to skirt this disaster would be to encourage promotions to participate through minor share-holding, promotion of sponsorship, and international exposure.

Attaching a promotion to a fighter, or fighters, and to national interests boosts ratings, sales, and consumer interests without ruining the purpose of the competition. The idea is similar to Nike sponsoring the Brazilian soccer team.

The fighters' contracts is the second major consideration to get the tournament off the ground and into the air.

Consider this: Team Japan's Takanori Gomi vs Team USA's B.J. Penn. Problem? What if contractual disputes arise between WRV and UFC considering if either fighter loses, he loses reputable clout? Perhaps a loss on the international level changes the perception of a fighter in his home promotion, thereby changing the image of the promotion?

Besides money-talk, it's hardly conceivable to think that global competition would over-complicate the fight world. In fact, there's a greater probability of seeing the matches that should happen over the matches that do happen.

However, we know that money tends talk over actions, and protective promoters would hold up the tournament's advancement.

Rules

If its been dense up until now, it only gets denser when considering unified rules for international competition. It's difficult to determine what to allow and disallow under unified rules, so the best idea would be to form a committee to determine what actions can proceed with both fighters on the ground and with one opponent standing.

An international MMA tournament comparable to the World Cup or the Olympics would take plenty of time and careful consideration to produce. But the perks of the tournament would certainly outweigh its cons, and most definitely alleviate any ideas of Mixed Martial Arts being anything less than "an incredible sport with amazing athletes."

Rugged or Refined: What makes an MMA fight "EXCITING"?

brandon mcclinton — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 04:46:22 -0400

With the recent controversy surrounding Seth Petruzelli, who has been propelled to MMA five-minutes of fame stardom, and considering the nature of Mixed Martial Arts, it's fair to posit: What makes an exciting fight?

MMA ring history presents two camps of fans with a sliver of gray area arising in the debate.

On one side, there are those who defend fighting styles as the hallmark of excitement. But with the expansion and streamlining of MMA, fighters who adibe by one style become a rarity.

It's a fact that versatility is necessary to advance through the ranks of MMA competition, if for no other reason than exposure. In the early vale-tudo styled UFC fights, Royce Gracie delivered upset after upset by defeating men twice his size using the dynamic elements of leverage and fluidity inherent in Gracie Jiu-Jitsu.

The short-term result made Royce a legend; the long-term effects of Gracie's performances gave rise to a new breed of fighter, a mixed-martial artist who needs to know how to defend and implement techniques from a host of styles.

Several style competitions become nothing more than a tug-of-war. A wrestling specialist against a muay-thai specialist will go one of two ways: The thai boxer will KO the wrestler; the wrestler will ground out the thai boxer.

The best example of a dull fight would be watching Royler Gracie butt-scoot around the ring, begging Sakuraba to fall into his guard, while Kazushi Sakuraba pummels his legs with kicks. Absolutely boring.

The camp of fans opposite the stylists are inclined to base a fight's excitement on the competitors' skill sets. Mixed-Martial Arts as it exists today has moved from styles to skills. Which brings me to Elite-XC's Arlovski and Kimbo match-ups.

The controversy surrounding Arlovski's fight begins with the ref, but stems from the observation that Roy Nelson was working Arlovski on the ground with convincing progress.

To consider Arlovski a devastating fighter on his feet is an understatement. Anyone watching the fight knew Nelson wouldn't last long standing with Andrei. However, Nelson's progress on the ground paralleled Arlovski's progress standing before he scored the KO.

On one hand, this fight was a classic style match-up (striker vs. BJJ). With that in mind, the predictability of the fight would have lessened if both fighters had a stronger skill set (Arlovski better on his back; Nelson better with his hands)

As for Kimbo Slice, the talk has revolved around whether or not he's "real." Well, he looks like an ex-con who'd have no problem beating someone's face in for $5 or $500,000, so let's just say that he's "real."

Is he a contender? YES. He is a contender as much as any other fighter is a contender.

Is he worth the hype? NO.

The media attention paid to Kimbo should have lasted as long as his October 5th bout with Petruzelli. The fight was brief, which shouldn’t be surprising to avid MMA fans, because Kimbo was made out to be something he isn’t- an exciting fighter. He’s big, scary, and bears a striking resemblance to Mr. T, but he lacks the substance that experienced fighters have.

So what makes an exciting fight?

Consider Pride Final Conflict 2004’s main event between Sergei Kharitonov and Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira. If you haven’t seen this fight, find it, study it, and see what peak performance MMA is all about.

On their feet, both fighters threw precise straights and hooks as if they were wearing 16 ounce boxing gloves. Nogueira supposedly trained with the Cuban National Boxing team to prepare for the fight.

On the ground, Nogueira dominated Kharitonov, but the latter posed a threat up until the bell’s ring in the 2nd round, escaping several submission attempts and transitioning to the Red Devil Fight Team style of ground-and-pound that has made Fedor an immovable object in the Heavyweight division.

The excitement of the Kharitonov-Nogueira match comes from the equitable skills both fighters had. It’s why the Couture-Liddell-Ortiz series was exciting. It’s why “Rampage” vs. Silva is exciting, and it’s why we’re all eager for the outcome of the Mir-Nog match.

Petruzelli's blunder about keeping the fight standing for money links up with the punch-drunk attitude of American MMA. Knockouts are trainwrecks...everyone wants to see. But, please, fight promoters, if the sport is to remain a sport, let's not derail it by pennying the track.

MMA, The Beatitudes: Knowledge

brandon mcclinton — Fri, 26 Sep 2008 05:11:34 -0400

"If you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the result of one hundred battles," a poignant thought courtesy of Sun Tzu.

Frank Mir's comment about the series of fights from the second episode of TUF: Team Nogueria VS. Team Mir quips Sun Tzu's comment in four words— "You've gotta be complete."

As MMA came to forefront in American entertainment, there was a moment when the sport was saturated with one-dimensional fighters who needed to take another year rolling on the mat and learning how to set-up, secure, and escape a leg-triangle lock instead of getting television exposure.

With the saturation came sloppy, heavy punches, fighters who gassed in the second round, fighters who tapped to weak submissions, and fighters who didn't know how to work the clench.

But with UFC's buy-out of Pride (the only other major agency putting the spotlight on true contendors) and the dwindling of smaller shows seeking to mainline amateurish mixed martial arts, the sport has gained way toward an achievable apex.

Granted, a majority of the sport's success has been carried on the shoulders of the veterans: Chuck Liddell, Randy Couture, Rich Franklin, Anderson Silva, B.J. Penn; mostly the recurring champions who flat-out know more than their opponents (usually). However, these days a one-dimensional, ignorant up-and-comer won't get by without his or her lack of knowledge being noticed.

A priceless moment of knowledge toppling ignorance is Arlovski's UFC victory over Wesley "Cabbage" Correira. In a pre-fight interview with Joe Rogan, Cabbage admitted he was going into the fight not knowing, or caring, about the Pitbull's abilities. He didn't know he was walking into a fight with a man who recently garnered a KO against Vladimir Matyushenko, and, as a result, lost the company of top contendors at the time.

Everything went downhill for Cabbage after that fight: the day of brawlers with limited skill sets was setting.

In Arlovski's next fight against Tim Sylvia, spectators witnessed the practiced hands and sambo skills of Arlovski against the eager hands of Sylvia. In his UFC 51 fight against the recently demobbed Sylvia, Arlovski combines quick, boxing-styled, accurate strikes with a take-what-he-gives-me wherewithal.

And, of course, Arlovski took what Sylvia gave him, a solid hook that put Sylvia on the ground followed by a quick heel-hook sunk in with a deftness that only comes with training.

The list of knowledgable fighters overcoming ignorant fighters could go on up to the most recent card and will on as long as there fighters. But the quintessential fight ushering Mixed Martial Arts past the days of one-dimensional fighting had to be Matt Hughes VS. Royce Gracie.

The blatantly arrogant Royce Gracie gave the equally arrongant Hughes his back in what seemed to be an effort to prove the dominance of Gracie Jiu-Jitsu. The result was Hughes dominating Gracies from the latter's back, raining down punches to Gracie's ears until the fight was called.

The same result occurred in Pride 8 where Sakuraba "The Gracie Hunter" defeated Royler Gracie, kicking his opponent in the legs for an astounding eighteen minutes, and then finishing the fight with a kimura that supposedly dislocate Royler's shoulder.

Thankfully there are fighters who compete to win and don't just get in the ring to fight or to prove one style is better than the other. There's a whole crop of contendors who roll with the punches and submissions, and strive to get the upperhand using their skill sets to the best of their abilities.

That said, some attention should be paid to the underrated Michael Bisping who will competing against Chris "The Crippler" Leben October 18th in Birmingham, England. One overwhelming difference between Bisping and Leben is Bisping's versatility and speed. Against a contendor who punches with a roll of quarters in his fist, Bisping will have to be elusive and smarer than Leben, which shouldn't be much of a stretch for the Brit.

On a similar point, Lebe can't rely on his resiliency and knockout power to win this fight. Bisping is a smart striker whose two-handed boxing style (similar to the Welshman Joe Calzaghe) creates shots from multiple angles with decent accuracy. It wouldn't be surprising to see an over-confident attempt to walk through Bisping's assault as he has done so often and get caught in a barrage of well-placed punches and elbows. Bisping, a silver version of Anderson Silva's golden striking, may give the hot-head a k.o. flashback.

Predictions aside, if either opponent comes into the cage bearing any semblance of arrogance or single-styled fighting, the night will be brief and that same brevity may foreshadow a career.

MMA, The Beatitudes: Imagination

brandon mcclinton — Mon, 08 Sep 2008 18:13:14 -0400

A good cynic is often a better critic: he or she latches onto an idea, whether it be atheism, holistic healing, post-modern theory, or athletic strategy, and puts that idea into practice.

What separates a cynic from a critic is faith. It's a rare occurrence to find a critic who judges a craft without earnestly and fervently believing in its value. The most recent and literal reference is the Congressional Hearings about baseball and steroids.

Were it not "the Great American Past-time," who would care that Bonds, McGwire, and Conseco were hitting homeruns courtesy of some illegal juicing, aside from the point that it discredits the feats of Hank Aaron, Mickey Mantle, Babe Ruth, and Roger Maris (speaking of, what about that asterisk thing? anybody else detect a hint of hypocrisy?) For a real opinion of baseball and steroids, I suggest looking up Mos Def's response to Roger Clemens's predicament.

The oldest and possibly most quoted literary reference would come courtesy of Will Shakespeare via Hamlet: To be, or not to be. Or, in other words, should I ignore one transgression to protect a virtuous idea, i.e. Family; or should I be a whistle blower and put the world on its heels by revealing the truth, i.e. Hamlet killing Uncle Claude to avenge his father's murder?

Don't worry, I struck dissecting Hamlet from my list of things to do years ago. And I could care less about baseball and steroids, until my tax dollars are used to fund investigations.

But I do care about mixed martial arts. On one hand, it's brutal, ruthless, and demeaning to the civilized human character. But honestly, I'd rather see two men willing to fight in a ring than see kids go to war to pay for a decent education and a decent livelihood.

On the other hand, it's calm. In its highest form it requires patience, motivated training, intelligence, determination—all those good things that make humans special.

So, to clear up any skepticism as to my stance—whether I'm a cynic or a critic—believe me, I'm a critic. I've got faith in mixed martial arts as a pure, combat sport. That said, I've got to note that I've never known a critic without principles, and to keep MMA pure I'd like to revisit some of the beatitudes of mixed martial arts that shaped my idea of the sport.

"Imagination is more important than knowledge," courtesy of Albert Einstein. One thought consistently crosses my mind when I see Fedor standing in his corner like he's waiting for a bus and then waves to the crowd like he's saying hello to a good friend he sees at his daily stop: What is he thinking?

It would be easy to say, "He's thinking this fight is something to blow off, another man standing in the presence of a legacy of triumph that has no inkling of petering off into the margins." Unfortunately, it's a real threat, if the rumors are true that nobody wants to fight the elder Emelianenko.

But let's turn away from that thought. Let's consider that he's imagined the worst, maybe he's been through the worst. Growing up during the collapse of the Soviet Union either built character or broke it. And it's safe to say that the best fighters have been the most imaginative: B.J. Penn's fluid jiu-jitsu; Kazushi Sakuraba's cart-wheels; Marco Ruas's foot-stomps; Gracie jiu-jitsu overcoming stronger opponents in the first UFC vale tudo style fights.

Without imagination, a good fighter won't know to transition to a triangle leg lock from a failed high kick. He won't know to bomb his opponent in the head with knees when he's in a north-south position. Mixed Martial Arts at its finest, and most destructive, is always imaginative.

I've pegged imagination as a beatitude because it encourages progress and spontaneity, two purely human traits. When a fighter steps into the ring and hasn't given his opponent due thought, the absolute worst can happen.

Consider Filipovic "Cro-Cop" versus Gonzaga. We all knew what to expect: The slapping sound of a foot against an unaware jawbone. What I'm guessing we didn't expect was to see Gonzaga's foot crash into Cro-Cop's face. A lesson in irony. The man who built his career on devastating the right jaws of his opponents makes the leap from Pride to the UFC, hoping to improve his reputation. He stalks Gonzaga like a machine, leading with his left foot, not thinking about the standing power or skill of Gonzaga,then...Whoosh-SLAP-thud. Cro-Cop's out cold.

A hard lesson in irony, and a good time to remember to think the best and imagine the worst.