Hermes Franca Gets Shafted Overseas

Hermes Franca fought for some shitty belt in Costa Rica, away from Athletic Commission regulation.

He won a unanimous judge's decison, and the ref raised his had as the winner and new champion. Then the promoter jumped in, said the other guy won, belted him and lifted him up. As seen in the video, the ref wanted none of this corruption.

Apparently, the other co-promoter is Lu Dwyer and she is a business partner with Ferrid Kheder. When he wins, she gets money. Obviously a conflict of interest and all-around scumbaggery. She turned Franca's loss into a NC a few days ago. How a fight can be ruled a NC without illegal groin strikes or other illegal (unintentional) methods, I don't know. Her Facebook lists some of her activities as "competing both lambos in car shows" and "taking my two Lamborghinis for a walk!!!". What a grimy cunt.

UFC 155 Title Picture

So every once in a while, a division gets so stacked with potential #1 contenders that the title picture becomes a bit pissy. With the acquisition of the WEC, the lightweight division has gotten too swollen with angry people, and now someone is going to be extra pissed when they aren't given an immediate shot. Jim Miller called out the UFC after his win over Oliveira at UFC 124, practically demanding a title shot. Fuck Jim Miller. Kudos for the kneebar -- it could have been Sub of the Night if Bocek didn't hit that nasty mounted triangle -- but there are a couple of other guys that are STRONGLY in the mix as well. First off, Bocek has just called out Sotiropolous. They both have some mean BJJ, and as much as I love a great MMA grappling match, this just shouldn't happen now. G-Sot beat Lauzon and is STILL undefeated in the UFC. Instead of maybe throwing him to fucking Dennis Siver, he should have gone directly into a title eliminator against someone like Miller. Neither of these guys have strong records against top opponents, and there is no way Miller should be in the title picture just yet. As for Bocek, the man needs two more wins before he's considered for a title eliminator. Maybe only one more win if the division is less competitive and they need another contender.


1. Pettis fights the winner of Edgar v. Lay Praynard;
2. G-Sot fights Siver; if he wins....
3. G-Sot v. Miller (title eliminator)

Make it happen, Joe Silva.

Best MMA Posters Ever

So, the UFC 127 Poster was just released, and I personally find it to be AWESOME. Not bad/cheesy/poorly planned....but awesome:

UFC  on that Starsky and Hutch shit....haha. AS REAL AS IT GETS.

This got me thinking about some other great MMA posters over the years. PRIDE was known for being super creative, and UFC should definitely take some ideas from them. Here are a few of my favs.

^ Why.

^ America should have one like this. Oh, the vulgarity!!!

^ Sperm??...I guess cuz it's Openweight...

Speaking of Openweight, when the fuck will the UFC add it? Maybe if the 135 and 145 divisions do well (obviously they will), we'll see this on the horizon. I'd much rather see some Openweight action instead of Flyweight. Lesnar vs. Aldo for the win. Though it would be like throwing Lesnar to the lions, so the UFC would never do that.

Thoughts on WEC's Final Event

So tonight marks the end of the WEC's 9 1/2 year run as UFC's little, less-important sister. The promotion's Bantam and Feather divisions will be joining the UFC weight ranks in early 2011, and the Lightweight champ will face-off against the UFC's Lightweight champ, which will most likely be borefest, lay N pray extraordinaire Gray Maynard. As I sit here watching the event, there are a few things that come to mind.

1. Even when fights go to a decision, they're still fucking epic. I just love the energy shown by the lower weights, and I think the UFC casual fans will grow to really appreciate the wars these guys go through EACH time they fight.

2. I'm not a "Cowboy" Cerrone fan. In fact, I really can't stand the guy. But his opponent tonight kinda got on my nerves, and he's American, so I had no choice. Cerrone really impressed me with some great guard work, including tons of transitions from armbars, to omoplatas, to triangles and back. It was a little weird that he couldn't finish a locked-up triangle for a minute or two, because even if the arm is wrapped around the thigh (in defense) you can still finish it. But I'm just a white belt, so maybe I have no idea what I'm talking about...

3. I never was able to warm up to Dominick Cruz. I think it's because I've always been a *huge* fan of Torres, and when he lost the belt to Bowles and then Bowles lost to Cruz, I felt like Cruz didn't prove his worth against Torres, if that makes sense. Maybe if he beat Torres decisively I'd respect him more, but I don't know. Regardless, I have to give it up to Cruz for some great boxing, possibly some of the best stand-up games I've seen in MMA. He exhibited some slick footwork and head-movement, and his willingness to trade in the pocket was admirable. He even showed off some head motion that was reminiscent of Silva/Griffin. On top of this, he mixed it up to the extreme. I mean, damn! Kicks, strikes, bodyshots, takedowns -- he really kept Jorgenson guessing and created some frustration that ultimately pushed the fight in his favor. Apparently he wants Faber now, which should be awesome.

4. Pettis is the man. I really don't like Ben Henderson. He's almost too much of a nice guy that it's nauseating. On top of this, I despise fighters who thank Jesus for the ability and opportunity to hurt another living thing. I'm all for beating the pulp out of someone, but don't thank Jesus for it, asshole. Plus he throws up that stupid fucking illuminati sign. Anyway, Pettis is always exciting (such an understatement!), and I would love to see his freakishly active and creative style of fighting (and guard, especially) against Gray N Pray for the UFC Unified Lightweight Title. Some notes on the final WEC match:

- Bendo has some huge thighs. Seriously, no homo, but as a guy I have to just say "wow, I wish my thighs were that epic". As a whole, the guy is one of the most in-shape and strong fighters in MMA. Some people are just blessed with a beautifully proportional body, and Bendo was just ripped. Unfortunately for him (and much to my enjoyment as a man who loves himself some technical fighting), sheer athleticism isn't enough against a guy who has the creativity and technical ability of "Showtime" Pettis. 

- This match should be a solid contender for Fight of the Year, and most certainly FotN. Great striking, takedowns, reversals, KICKS, and a fucking Rear-Naked Choke war. Both guys had some terrific submission defense, and both worked well to make the most of their own situation. 

- Showtime's kick should get an award. I think "Kick of the Year" would be a good award to give out. This shit was just a jaw-dropping matrix move, and definitely the craziest thing I've ever seen inside the cage -- and I watch *a lot* of MMA. Props for a great fight, and fuck Ben Henderson for comments such as "well the judges gave it to him" with a smug look on his face. Give some credit, dude. You put up a good fight, but in the end, you got served!

- Pettis proves that Tae Kwon Do isn't a completely worthless McDojo "art".

Can't wait to see these guys inside the UFC cage. And I really hope the size difference doesn't affect the craziness of the fights. 

Great Grapplers Quest Match

So this is by far one of my favorite grappling matches that I have had the pleasure of watching. Anyone who isn't familiar with Jiu-Jitsu should watch this. It's pure art.

Cyborg is probably one of my top 5 favorite grapplers. He's strong, explosive, and TECHNICAL. This match is a great example of his skill. He pretty much steamrolls Rolls Gracie Jr., who's pretty talented in his own right. Gracie's sub attempt towards the end really gets your blood flowing. Give it a watch!

NSAC Judging

As much as I dislike Nam Phan (mostly because I am not impressed with his skills) I couldn't help but feel bad for the guy last night after the judges gave the fight to Garcia. Nam was a more technical fighter and I can respect that. Garcia is just about as sloppy as can be. Nothing to be proud of there. All of his fights are the same: 1st round he lands some heavy shots, and after that he loses any and all ability to be accurate. This SHOULD be a call to get some legit judges for MMA, but I don't know how political the Commissions really are.

As a side note, Demian Maia was a pleasure (as always) to watch. Very technical, and great control of a much larger and lengthier opponent. I think as far as BJJ guys go, Maia has some of the best takedown ability around. I'm always a fan.

CSAC Cuts Chael Sonnen's Suspension in Half

The CSAC has agreed to halve Sonnen's 1 year suspension for roid usage following his submission loss to Anderson Silva at UFC 117. The full story can be viewed HERE.

For someone who claims his balls don't work properly, Chael sure has some huge ones. If he wants to claim the title as Best UFC Middleweight Wrestler, he sure can. If he wants to take credit for the 23 minutes of pillow-fisted bashing of A. Silva's face, he sure can. If he wants to take Testosterone and claim he has some medical problem, whatever. But the one thing can can't do?

The Xmas sweater is a bonus (I love this image I swear to God).

Nam Phan Sucks

Nam Pham is pretty much the epitome of mediocrity. He's going to be fighting Leonard Garcia at the TUF 12 Finale. LOL. I guess you should reward people who are so dedicated to the sport but just fucking suck talent-wise. When he gets TKO'd we'll never see him again. I can't wait.

Muhammad Ali Vs. Antonio Inoki. Boxing with sort of-MMA rules?

Some people may not have heard of this (including myself, until now). Basically, back in 1976, Ali agreed to "fight" a pro-wrestler with what can best be described as pseudo-MMA rules. Ali's purse was a whopping $6,000,000. Apparently he thought this would be a staged match, but he was mistaken. Neither man was prepared to throw the fight. The full story can be viewed HERE.

The fight ended with Ali being leg-kicked to holy hell. Since we can't ask James Toney how that felt (because Couture was such a nice guy and opted to just choke the man out), I think Ali can offer some insight.

The rules were fucking weird.

"Ali would wear four-ounce gloves, and would be able to tag out of any grapple by touching the ropes. Inoki would be bare-handed. There was to be no kneeing, kicking, or hitting below the belt. Anyone thrown out of the ring would have 20 seconds to get back in".

Additionally, Inoki could't throw a kick unless he had one knee down on the mat. The guy must have gotten some epic mat-burn...

Ali's camp was sure to make the rules as ambiguous as possible, and no official rule-set was made public prior to the match.

Apparently the golden moment was when Inoki knocked Ali down and obtained mount. Here's an excerpt from the article:

"It got worse. In the sixth, Ali tried to grab Inoki's ankle as he kicked him, but Inoki wrapped his other leg around Ali's calf and flipped him over on to the canvas. He then rolled over on top of Ali's chest and squatted on his face. It's not a great moment in Ali's career. The indignity of it even spurred him, in the next round, to throw his first punch."

Overall this is an interesting read. Definitely a nice piece of combat sport history that many people don't know about.

Tiger Schulmann's Karate!

I had a few friends who took classes there back in our Elementary school days. I think I may have checked the place out when I was around 7 and my mother was seeking some kind of extracurricular activity to spur my interest. Basically, this place is a legend up north. They're everywhere.

Here's a cool article I just read on Sherdog.

http://www.sherdog.com/news/articles/1/The-Worlds-Greatest-McDojo-27665

Regarding UFC 125 and Walker's Strikeforce Bout

UFC 125 was SUPPOSED to be a kick ass fight card to bring in the New Year. While it is still somewhat kick ass (maybe), I feel like Aldo's departure has really affected it in a negative way.

Jose Aldo was the new Urijah Faber of the WEC after claiming the Featherweight belt, and now that the 2 organizations have merged, he's the reigning champion of the UFC's featherweight division. If you don't know Aldo, you should. The guy is a fucking beast.

Anyway, he's injured and now the co-main event has been canceled. This is greatly disappointing. The card's main event is now for the Lightweight belt, pitting 2 notoriously boring fighters against each other. Edgar is OK, but Gray Maynard is so fucking awful that I would want to stab my brain with a fork rather than watch him fight.


Yeah, I really hate Maynard.

In addition to this, it seems Herschal Walker is out of his Dec. 4 Strikeforce bout. This makes me even more pissed off. So basically, I'm just really pissed off at MMA right now.

This was the strikeforce poster before Walker pulled (see Walker, bottom-left). I find it hilarious that he's the only one on there (as opposed to BOTH fighters, like all posters). It just shows that no one gives a shit about the nobody Walker was scheduled to be fighting.

Blogs...

Well I really hate blogs. Honestly. But I've been using Facebook a lot for some general thoughts I have regarding the sport of MMA, and I figure I should try consolidating such posts to a blog.

We'll see how this works...