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Archive for Mixed Martial Arts

MMA Fighter Dies After Fight

Thursday, July 1st, 2010
I have to admit I love all sports. Everything from MMA to bowling. I haven’t always felt this way but as I age and become slower, I seem to appreciate any athletic ability, even if it is throwing a ball down a lane.

 

However, when it comes to Mixed Martial Arts there is a large attraction for me. Even though it is a bloody aggressive sport, and people get hurt. There seems to be enough drama with the creation of the Ultimate Fighter and the dedication it takes to step in the octagon.

I also know it is not for everyone! I read somewhere that the attraction is waining a little bit even with the explosion of the UFC. I don’t see the sport leaving prime time any time soon, but I don’t see it lasting any longer than the poker craze did. But who knows it might just replace WWE?

However recently the sport suffered a blow when a tragic death occurred. Michael Kirkham is the second fighter to die from injuries sustained in mixed martial arts competition in North America.

I want to start by sending my sympathy to the family and have zero desire to make light of what happened. There is nothing that can replace someones life and it is a tragedy when it is cut short by a sport.

What I do want to explore is if this death is going to effect MMA in anyway. I wonder what the backlash will be for those who hate the sport or even for those who love the sport. Will this mans death effect it in either way.

I understand that this sport carries an enormous risk! But I also understand that these guys train like crazy and know what they are doing. They have strong camps that teach these guys how to fight and avoid injury as much as you can in a fighting sport.

The sport has improved in its safety and officiating, just compare matches from five years ago to those you see today, you will immediately notice all the changes.

However, that does not help this situation. The sport is fought in a cage and filled with cheers from every hit that lands on someones face and we love to watch the knock outs.

So I wonder, with perhaps the first death in MMA fighting in North America, will the sport suffer and take a hit, or will it continue on without any recourse? What do you think?

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Brock Lesnar vs Shane Carwin UFC 116

Wednesday, June 30th, 2010

Hype Video for Brock Lesnar’s next fight against Shane Carwin on July 3rd at UFC 116!

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Dana White UFC 116 Video Blog – 6/29

Tuesday, June 29th, 2010
UFC asked:

Dana White video blog leading up to UFC 116 on Saturday, July 3rd on Pay-Per-View. Go to 116.UFC.com for full event detail.

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Boxing Training, Essential Training for the Sweet Science

Tuesday, June 22nd, 2010

Let’s talk about boxing training. There are two types of boxing, fighting professionally and amateur boxing. One is done for money and the other just for sport and recreation. You should keep these two separate in your mind. I’m targeting the boy who wants to learn how to get into shape and defend himself while having fun at the same time.

I’ve covered just some of the basics of boxing in this article to give you a little bit of a taste of what this sport is all about. People from all ages and walks of life can enjoy this sport. The coaches like to get a hold of the kid who is younger because the younger people are not so set in their ways. So don’t be afraid to start out in this sport if you are young.

I have been working in amateur boxing for many years now. I was a coach in college and in the service. People that I’ve trained with come from all walks of life, rich and poor. The weight ranged from 90 pounds all the way up to 250. Some people that I’ve worked with were very shy and others very bold. Many have come from the big cities or from smaller towns. There is something in this sport for everybody.

Youngsters are always causing fights and when you know boxing to protect yourself there is a level of confidence that this brings to you. It helps keep you in great shape as well. You can find amateur boxing in most colleges and schools.

You want to start off with the right gear. The gear that you want to have are the mouthpiece, well padded headgear, hand wraps, gloves, high topped shoes and loose fitted clothing. Other sports with the equipment can cost you a lot of money, but not boxing. The gym will make available things like the boxing ring and the punching bag.

It is essential that you obey the rules of the sport. All coaches should make the wearing of this gear which is the headgear, mouth pieces and protective cups an obligation. If you are boxing and some of the gear is out of whack, then you should stop and replace it. No boxer should be permissible to break the rules, because doing so can cause damage to your body which no recovery can be made.

A physician should always be in the gym while others are practicing the sport. Boxing can be very hazardous, if you have people that don’t pursue the rules, inhabitants can get wounded or die. Following the rules protects people from getting hurt.

Your body can stay in grand form when you box. Road work is running 3 to 5 miles about 3 times a week. Sprints should be run as well. When you work out in the boxing ring, you can have 2 minute rounds between two people. These are just some of my boxing training tips.

Kimbo Slice

Monday, June 21st, 2010

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Principles of Gracie Jiu-Jitsu

Monday, June 21st, 2010

Gracie Jiujitsu was trademarked and stands separate from Brazilian jiu jitsu, though naturally there are many similarities. Aside from certain martial art techniques that have been developed by the Gracies over the years, the main thing that separates Gracie jiujitsu from all the other Brazilian jiu jitsu disciplines out there, is the philosophy that goes hand in hand with the training. This philosophy is the foundation of Jiu-Jitsu according to the Gracies and accepting it is the first step if you want to train in their schools.

The first principle of Gracie Jiu-Jitsu is about control. In a fight, this involves being the one who will dictate what happens during the fight. Part of this is in physically controlling your opponent and restricting his movements to what you want him to do; the other part is the self-control that you need to impose upon yourself so that you can make the best choices to win the fight. This is personal training at its best, and it is part of a healthy lifestyle. It is expected that you are able to exercise enough control to eat properly and take care of your health.

The next principle of Gracie Jiu-Jitsu involves patience. This is particularly important for a fighter, since so much that occurs in a fight can depend on timing and whether enough patience has been used. Patience is often rewarded, as opportunities are more likely to appear. For those who rush, bad decisions are more likely to occur. This philosophy is instilled from the beginning and it is expected that if you can be patient on the mat, then you will display the same quality in your life outside of the dojo.

The final of Gracie Jiu-Jitsu principles is efficiency. This is particularly important for a fight, since the foundation of this discipline is built on the assumption that you will be fighting someone stronger and bigger than yourself. Jiu-Jitsu schools will often promote the idea that you drain your opponent of his or her energy while conserving your own strength in order to finish the fight. This applies to daily living as well, with the idea that you are able to maximize your results through an efficient application of effort, whether it is in business or social situations.

As you can see, Gracie Jiujitsu goes well beyond the mat, and really the only people who will succeed in this discipline are the ones who are able to live their lives according to the ideals that the discipline is based upon. Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu academies are everywhere nowadays, and you can probably find one that won’t require a commitment on your part to lead your life outside of the dojo according to the Gracie Principles. But whether that will result in you being a better fighter is unlikely, since how you are on the mat is not so different from how you are when off it.

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Mercer the Lumberjack

Monday, June 15th, 2009

I saw an article on East Side Boxing which talked about the fight between 48 year old Ray Mercer, and 300+ pound Tim “The Maniac” Sylvia. The fight only lasted 9 seconds before Mercer knocked Sylvia down like he was felling a tree.  Of course I am a fan of MMA, and not that much of boxing, but this does not make the MMA world look like the best of the best.  The fight is posted on YouTube, and you can check it out here.  It’s only 12 seconds, so it’s worth checking out.  Pretty pathetic performance by Sylvia (if you ask me).

Bob Reilly Needs to find a Better Agenda

Tuesday, June 2nd, 2009

Bob Reilly New York State Assemblyman

There must be an election coming up because Bob Reilly seems to be pulling out all of the stops to make sure that he does everything possible to make sure Mixed Martial Arts does not come to New York.  Bloody Elbow quotes Reilly as saying:

“There is overwhelming, widespread opposition to [MMA],” Reilly says. “Many of my constituents come up to say, ‘You’re doing the right thing. How can we have this?’ It’s a violent sport that is harmful and damaging. Violence begets violence. It helps create a culture in our society of domestic violence, of bullying, of violence against gays, of illegal gun use. It’s the job of state legislatures to pass laws against that sort of stuff, and then we put something like ultimate fighting as our form of entertainment?”

Reilly has made weak comparisons to violence begetting violence and MMA in the past, and he continues to do so.  In an article written by Ben Fowlkes for Sports Illustrated Fowlkes asks Reilly, “…harming your opponent to the point of unconsciousness is one of the ways you win a boxing match, isn’t it?”  Reilly’s reply is, “It’s not a stated goal, though.”

Again, I repeat from a previous post, one of boxing’s stated goals is harming your opponent to the point of unconciousness.  I am not understanding how Mixed Martial Arts has anything to do with domestic violence, bullying, violence against gays, or illegal gun use.  This guy is a joke.  He must have a weak agenda because he can’t find anything better to fight for.

Jose Canseco Needs to Find a Day Job

Tuesday, May 26th, 2009

In an article written by the Associated Press’ Jim Armstrong and found on Google News, Armstrong reports on Jose Canseco’s fight against the Korean giant Hong Man Choi.  Canseco was very unimpressive in I guess what would be called a debut pro fight.   In some ways I can’t believe that anybody even wants to watch Canseco fight, unless it is just to see someone beat the crap out of him.  In the article Armstrong reports that Canseco admitted he “needs the money.”  If you are interested in the video, you can watch it here:

What kind of joke is it when you are so stupid you ruin your career over steroids, drag everybody you know into the mix, spend the enormous amount of money that you made as a pro baseball player, and then make a weak attempt at fighting cause you “need the money.”  In some ways I feel like I shouldn’t even be blogging about this because Canseco is such a fool, and to write about it just gives him more credibility, but it does feel good to verbally abuse him, in some odd way.  What is the saying, “the pen (or keypad in this case) is mightier than the sword.” 

One thing that gives me solace is the fact that on May 8, reports were made that Canseco called a press conference to gloat about Manny Ramirez being suspended for 50 games over something that Canseco was probably illegally involved in, and nobody showed up!  Well, I should give him some credit, one reporter did show up.

Everybody Loves Jose

Everybody Loves Jose

UFC 98: Machida Dominates Evans

Saturday, May 23rd, 2009
Props:  lyotomachida.com

Props: lyotomachida.com

In a great fight between “Sugar” Rashad Evans and Lyoto “The Dragon” Machida, Machida was able to again win both rounds of the fight, and take the belt from Evans, who was defending it for the first time. Machida was on his game tonight. He is definitely showing the Karate (at least Shotokan) is nothing to sneeze at. Machida dominated both rounds. Round one was basically slow for the first half, Machida throwing a couple of really solid kicks to the body of Evans, but when Machida decided that he had found his opening, get out of the way, cause he was like a raging bull going through Evans. He would strike Evans in the face with viciously fast blows, and it seemed like he had “The Force” when Evans would punch or kick, because Machida would just move out of the way, and continue his domination.

Round two proved to be the greatest part of the fight. Machida saw his opening, and when he struck he rattled Evans, knocked him down, and unlike many fighters who throw and couple more punches, and their opponent is able to back off and recover, Machida kept coming. He saw the opening and kept pushing, finally landing several punishing blows, one of which caught Evans in the jaw with his mouth open: Lights Out!

Machida is beginning to appear to be like one of these guys that is invincible. His fighting stance is very strange, he does not lean forward at all like most fighters, but almost leans back, making it harder to judge the distance and get in on him. He is also very fast. His head movement, and his striking with both his fists and feet are lighting fast. It’s as though he knows what his opponent is going to do, and is ready to react before they are able to do it. Quinton “Rampage” Jackson has said that Machida is a boring fighter, but tonight he proved to be very exciting, and he is quickly becoming one of my favorites.