Fight of the Night - GRIFFIN vs. GUIDA

The fight of the night at UFC 72 wasn't the headline match between Rich Franklin and Okami, but instead was the Light Weight bout between Tyson Griffen and Clay Guida (at least according to Shawn Ennis, MMATorch Columnist).

"STAR RATING: (****+) I almost took something away from the fight because of the decision, but I can’t do it. That was absolutely amazing. Guida gets a big ovation during his post-fight interview, where he says that he dedicated the fight to the late Jeremy Williams."

For full coverage round by round of this fight check out Ennis' entire article here

Bas Rutten talks about Kimbo

First off, if you're not aware of Kimbo Slice he's one bad ass street fighter who has become famous from the video clips of his fights that have been floating around the Internet. They guy is about as intimidating as an human I've ever seen.
Bas Rutten has been training Kimbo for his first upcoming MMA fight against professional boxer Ray Mercer. Kimbo obviously has real talent as a heavy hitter and can take a punch, but how about his cardio? Well, here is what Bas recently had to say on a MMA forum about Kimbo:

OK guys, I have to say something here.

I am training Kimbo right now, and I have to say that he is one of the BEST fighters I have EVER trained. He really listens to you and does what you say, do you know how hard that it? If he's dead tired, and I tell him five more rounds, he looks at me, but doesn't say anything, he just does it. I entroduced him to the Bas Rutten MMA workout, he was SO tired, he told me that he has never been as tired. Today I was teaching him again, he asked me in the beginning "Are we ging to do the Bas Rutten workout?" But he said it in a crazy way, so I asked him "Do you want to do it?". He said "Please, yes!" I asked him why, because all my PROFESSIONAL fighters don't want to do it. He said "Bas, I want to conquer this thing, I want to do it!" Man, he gets, Lots, and losts of respect!

All the shit that people write about him, I am telling you, and I hope you know I don't lie, he's a trooper! I wish that all my fighters would be like him. Even my wife loves the guy. He is SO respectful and uses NO bad language in front of kids (my two little daughters love him, and they don't like anybody!), I am REALLY, blown away.

He really deserves this, I think this. Can a boxer be a MMA FIGHTER? We all know the answer, but can a street fighter be an MMA fighter? We all KNOW the answer to that!

I would wish that all my fighters were like him, like I said, I can put him through every workout I give him, he WILL do it, no questions asked.

I hope you guys meet Kimbo one day, you will be blown away. I just came back from an MMA event and I brought him there, just see how he is with the fans, it's crazy!

You also know that I would NEVER train an asshole, so trust me, but he's got me, Shawn Tompkins (who trained him longer than I have,) and Randy Kathami (boxing coach for my gym) respect. I REALLY love the guy.

El Guapo says: Party one and Godspeed!!

-In case you haven't seen this monster in action, check out the fight that put him on the map (not for the squemish)

kimbo

A Black Mirco Cro Cop?

If you haven't checked Light Heavyweight fighter Sokoudjou out, he's legit. He's young (22 years old) with fast heavy hands and trains with Team Quest. He's somewhat reminicent of Vitor Belfort (young Belfort). He recent easily dispatched two top fighter in the weight class, Ricardo Arona and Antonio Rogerio Nogueira. He KO'd both of these Pride fighting veterans in the first round (Nogueira in 29 seconds). I have yet to see his ground game, and that might be his weak link. But as of now, no one has been able to take him down, similar to Mirko Cro Cop. Keep your eye on this kid. The UFC would be smart to pick him up and put him in line to take on Chuck Liddell (if Liddell gets past Quinton Jackson. Check out his most recent fight against Arona.

UFC 69 - Upset about the Upset

Like the MMA masses, I was in awe last night when Matt Serra TKO'd George St. Pierre. I have to admit that I never gave "The Terror" much of a chance. If you look at his fight record it's a bit lack-luster. His last SIX fights have all gone to decision. No look at GSP's record and you see only two of his last six fights have gone to decision. I'm a fan of those fighters who put on exciting fights. Your record doesn't have to be flawless, but if you consistently put on a good show then I'm a fan. To me, GSP represented the next breed of MMA fighters. The complete package. An athlete who was going to be the poster-boy of the UFC and be the champ that became a household name. I think we all desire to see or get behind an athlete who we believe is "unbeatable." This is what legends are made up. I was already wondering just how many title defense GSP was going to rack up. Was he going to beat Matt Hughes record of defense? Instead, St. Pierre doesn't even defend the welterweight title once. He loses to a guy who hasn't ended a fight in over FIVE YEARS! GSP should really really be disappointed with himself. Hats off to Serra, he put on a great performance and showed all the MMA naysayers. I just wonder why this guy had to wait five years to be aggressive enough to actually finish a fight. I am disappointed not only that GSP lost, but also disappointed that a fighter like Serra now holds the crown. I would have much rather seen someone like Josh Koscheck or Diego Sanchez knock off GSP. We will always have major upsets in mixed martial arts, it's part of the sport. This one ranks right up there with the biggest.

Top 10 MMA Fighters of the Year - Part 2

Jonny T rolled out his top 6 through 10 mixed martial arts fighters of 2006. Now it is time for the top 5. Again, these are not the best fighters per se, but for the best fighters for the year of 2006. 5. Fedor (1-0) The baddest man in all of MMA. The Pride organization had a terrible time trying to find opponents to sign a match with this guy and was able to scrounge up a descending Coleman. After Fedor commenced the vicious beating of the future Hall of Famer, you can see why this guy doesn't fight more. Who in their right mind would fight this man...for any amount of money? When you can't get a fight because your are so extremely bad-ass that fighters avoid you in fear of public humiliation, that tells me you have had a VERY successful year. Your stock is as high as ever, you are well rested, your contracts are substantial due to high demand, and self promotion is not needed through trash talk or other Ali-esque type of antics. He gets the 5th spot, due to inactivity, but there is no better fighter pound-for-pound in the entire sport. 4. Liddell (2-0) The UFC champ should be ranked higher, but doesn't fight quite enough in a division which seemed stacked three years ago only to find but a few challengers standing when the dust has settled. Chuck has decimated the very poorly formulated fight plan of "Babalu" Sobral and has retired the best MMA fighter in UFC history with a convincing knockout of Randy "The Natural" Couture. He has one more fight this year with Tito Ortiz, but I see the outcome very similar to that of their first match three years ago. With the UFC's acquisition of Rampage Jackson, a much anticipated rematch will be very exciting to watch. With low activity and nobody to really fight, The Iceman has missed an opportunity to stand on top of the mixed martial arts podium. 3. T. Sylvia (4-0) The "Mainiac" has done what everyone thought would be impossible...win back the Ultimate Fighting Championship Heavyweight belt. He has beaten Ausserio Silva, Arlovski (twice), and Monson to go undefeated this year. Unfortunately, he has earned only one KO and the other three have been very lack luster performances. Still, a win is a win and to fight the best the UFC has to offer has got to say something. With the UFC's acquisition of PrideFC's Cro-Cop, there possbile meeting to determine who is the best banger in the business may be in our future. With a 4-0 record for 2006 and a true challenger now in the ranks, this guy gets the Bronze medal. 2. St. Pierre (2-0) GSP has beaten two of the toughest fighters in all of MMA. For starters, he has decisioned the "Prodigy" to a very tough fight and demonstrated great durability and poise to survive a very fast start from BJ Penn. St. Pierre kept his cool and adjusted his game plan to squeaked out the victory. George then comes back and beats the most celebrated welterweight in UFC and MMA history by picking apart Matt Hughes with a knockout, making a statement that he is the future of the sport. It's only two wins for the year, but you could have not picked a tougher pair of fights to schedule in any weight class. These fights will earn him a Silver medal, but only by a hair. Drum roll please.... 1. Cro-Cop (4-0) Mirko won the Pride Absolute Tournament with Ws over Jost Barnett, Wanderlei Silva, Yoshida, and Minowa. His lethal striking coupled with his take-down defense makes him the one of the most exciting fighters to warch. After a difficult 2005, he has rebounded to clear out all challengers in Pride Fighting Championsihp and has now been picked up by the UFC for possibly the largest financial contract in MMA history. In my eyes, the clear leader on my top ten and the winner of the Gold medal. Thank you Jonny T. Til next time...

Top 10 MMA Fighters of the Year - Part 1

Well, its been one hell of a year in mixed marital arts and we've seen a lot happen during the past 12 months. As the sport of MMA grows and continues to push the media boundaries to a much more recognizable sport, we need to reflect on the fighters who have helped mold this year into a great one. Our special guest writer Jonny T is here with his thoughts on the subject: My top ten list is NOT the best all-around fighters, but the athletes that have had the most successful year. My list will goes as follows: 10. Minowa (5-1) "The Punk" only suffered one loss this year at it was at the hands of fellow "top 10er" Mirco Cro-Cop. Minowa did score victories over Legeno, Cesar Silva, Hyunkab, Esch, and Plothle. He has proven he will fight you anywhere, any place, anytime, and has over 80 fights to prove it. He was far too small to be fighting in an Pride's absolute division but he accepted the challenge anyway. 9. Matt. Hughes (2-1) Matt's sole loss this year was to George St. Pierre, the new UFC welterweight champion and also a top 10er. Hughes did beat the legend Royce Gracie in one of the biggest UFCs ever. He also had a win ofer A-level fighter BJ Pen. To his credit this year, he defeated the living legend and redeemed his last loss. His only blemish is that he clearly outclassed by the new champ. 8. Wanderlei Silva (2-1) Loss to Cro-Cop, W's over Arona and Fujita. Knocked out the hardest chin in MMA and redeemed his last loss. Took a beaten from Cro-Cop...tough one to watch. 7. Josh Barnett (5-1) Yet another top fighter who lost to Mirko Cro-Cop. That fight is his only blemish over 2006. He racked up five wins over five solid fighters. Nakamura, Aleksander E., Mark Hunt, Nogeira, and Nastula. 6. Andersen Silva (3-1) He would have been higher in the rankings this year, but he did have a loss to Okami and Rumble on the Rocks. On the flip side, he took out Tony Frykland and destroyed "The Crippler" Chris Leben and Rich "Ace" Franklin (who was considered to be one of the best pound-for-pound MMA fighters) to become the new UFC Middleweight Champ. Up next, and in more detail, are the cream of the crop, my top Five picks. Stay tuned...