Bleacher Report - Articles by John Campbell

Nogueira Vs Mir: What Will Happen On The Canvas?

John Campbell — Sat, 22 Nov 2008 22:36:44 -0500

Antonio Rodrigo "Minotauro" Nogueira: 31 - 4 - 1 (Win - Loss - Draw) ( 1 NC )
Frank Mir: 11 - 3 - 0 ( Win - Loss - Draw )

On December 27th the UFC will host their end of the year card, "The Ultimate 2008". On this card, the Interim-Heavyweight Championship and/or heavyweight No. 1 contender will be decided when Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira and Frank Mir do battle.

Not the two men, the thousands in attendance at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Nevada nor the millions watching on PPV will be at all surprised when this fight hits the mat.

Together these titans have a total of 51 fights and together a total of 27 submission victories. Neither of them have been submitted before in Mixed Martial Arts combat. Could we see one of the UFC's best Brazilian Jui-Jitsu practitioners tap out for the first time?

The Fighters

When discussing Nogueira's career it's impossible not to use the word experience. This warrior has been a part of the sport MMA since '99 and has successfully placed himself atop the heavy weight division. He's defeated names like, Mark Coleman, Heath Herring twice, Dan Henderson, Mirko "Cro Cop", Josh Barnett, and Tim Sylvia.

His four losses all came by decision, two of them by split decision to Josh Barnett and Dan Henderson, not exactly slackers. The other two decision losses came from the hand of Fedor Emelianenko, arguably the best heavyweight to date.

When Frank Mir's name is brought up around the water cooler, generally one word comes immediatly to mind. Power. This man has seven submission victories in his MMA career and two of those wins came due to broken bones. Roberto Traven and Tim Sylvia both felt the wrath of Mir's power, neither man could have drank enough milk in a lifetime to stop the armbars of Mir.

Mir may not have the long list of victories that Nog has but this could be blamed on a motorcycle accident he suffered in mid-late '04. The accident halted his training and his progress as a UFC heavy weight. Though he was slow to gain ground on the division it seems he's back and ready to put whoever he fights to the test.

The Prediction

Once on the ground I can say with confidence this fight will not be a chess match. Though often two great jui-jitsu fighters will methodically work away at their opponent, setting up submissions, sweeps, and strikes, I feel that the explosive nature of Mir will force Nog to try and make it a quick night.

Both fighters will probably look for whatever submission they lock onto first. Mir an arm lock, ankle lock, maybe knee bar. Nog will probably work for a guillotine choke off a Mir take down, a triangle off an up kick from guard, or maybe an armbar transition from a triangle.

The real fireworks will be the stand up action. There will be plenty. Trust me.

Both fighters are very aware of the others abilities on the ground. One thing that Brazilian Jui-Jitsu will do is make you respect others talents. You won't see a lot of shooting unless at the very begining of a round or during some intense stand up, where one fighter leaves himself open. Neither man will want to end up in guard for very long so expect well planned take downs that result in side control, or half guard at the least.

Predicting this is very difficult because either man can end the night as quickly as Joe Rogan can get annoying. I'll take a shot and say Nogueira, by armbar in the second.

B.J. Penn vs. Georges St. Pierre 2: A Super Fight We've Come to Expect

John Campbell — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 10:24:27 -0500

As we near the end of November, UFC 92 creeps closer. You know the huge end of the year card that features a LHW championship bout, an Interim HW championship bout, and a super fight that pits two rivals against each other for a third time. If this card is so big, then why can't anyone stop talking about B.J. Penn vs. Georges St. Pierre?

Penn and GSP won't fight for another three months, yet the videos, articles, and blogs about them are piling up. When Pride FC and the UFC became one, Dana White spoke of super fights; the UFC was to become the Super Bowl of MMA.

Flashes of Fedor and Sylvia, Franklin and Hendo, Silva and Liddell, and Gomi and Sherk all ran through people's minds. Like a young man on his wedding night, we all licked our lips in anticipation.

We've been happy to watch fights such as, Liddell vs. Jackson, Hendo vs. Jackson, Hendo vs. Silva, Cro Cop vs. Gonzaga, Rua vs. Griffin, and Liddell vs. Silva. These super fights didn't disappoint, for the most part.

What they may have done is condition us UFC fans into believing that every card should have a super fight.

B.J. Penn is pound for pound one of the best in the world. With his new dedication to the sport, this man has the ability to not only take GSP's title, but attack Anderson Silva if he wanted to. He has respectfully fought at 205, is a legend at age 29, and has beaten some of the best.

GSP is one of the most athletically gifted people on the planet. In dismantling Hughes and Fitch in his last few fights, he's proved he also is one of the pound for pound best.

Two of the top p4p fighters clashing? This has the potential to out do Hendo v Silva. In that fight, Hendo of course came up from 183 and defeated Silva at 205. Can B.J also upset the larger man? That's for another article.

Fights like Penn vs. GSP don't come around all the time. The hype from the first fight, the fact they're both champions this time around, and Penn's new outlook on life fuel this fight beyond any other fight coming up. This is why nobody can stop thinking about the possibilities.

What Is Next For Randy Couture? How Does He Walk Away?

John Campbell — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 08:47:35 -0500

Couture vs Lesnar couldnt have been any better for the UFC and Zuffa. If Couture had won, he would have been the man that beat a younger, faster, stronger, bigger, and most of all more athletic man. Lesnar winning left the UFC in an even better position. Now their heavy weight champion is the man that finally put away the ageless wonder that was "Captain America" Randy Couture.

Is "was" the proper wording though? Randy IS 45 years old, but does that mean everything? His age didnt prove to be a factor in the fight, the size difference didnt even really seal his fate.

He was caught, he tried to slip a punch but failed to do so. Same thing happened to GSP against Serra, and look at GSP now. Randy Couture has the ability to impose his will on anyone, Tim Sylvia, Gonzaga, even out punch Chuck Liddell in their first meeting. How could someone with such ability walk away even at 45 years old?

He can't walk away, and probably wont. He wouldve been truthful with reporters when the question came up. He knew that it was going to come up, he had plenty of time to think about it. Question is where does he go?

Does he stay at heavy weight? Fight Gonzaga again? Does he look for a rematch with Lesnar? Maybe he fights Frank Mir after the Nog/Mir fight. What it comes down to is that he isnt a very big heavy weight and he probably wont to stay there.

As he did before I'll be willing to guess he's going to drop the weight and fight at 205. Fact of the matter is heavy weights are truly heavy weights now. Though, guys like Couture and Verra can stand and survive weighing 220, your best bet is to drop the weight.

Who does he fight after he drops down? The once stacked LHW division is slowly turning sour. Guys like Liddell, Alexander, Verra, Silva, Ortiz, Rua, Jardine, Bonnar, Hamill aren't thought of by many to be in the thick of things for a title shot at the moment. Machida, Thiago Silva, and Rampage are your only contenders if you ask this guy.

Does Couture want to fight his way through a thicket of guys to get a shot? No. He's 45, hes ageless not god. If he were to fight his way through the division he could be looking at 4+ fights, thats at the quickest a year. He could be 46-47 before he gets his next shot.

Let him drop the weight to 205, fight someone like Rua or another elite fighter that is at least close to a title shot. If he wins put him against whoever sits atop the contender list mid '09 and have a title shot by next November. This gives him time to recoop if he needs it, and gives the UFC their big fights that people want to see.

Couture is a crowed gatherer. The man can come out on top no matter what, hes entertaining and an all around nice dude. People love to see him fight, the new UFC, since Pride was abolished is the stomping grounds for possible Super fights! Lets see some more. Henderson v Silva, Liddell v Silva, Penn v GSP 2, Couture v Lesner, let's see Couture in there a few more times.