TUF 3 Finale...Excellent!

What made this season finale the best so far?

Well, lets start off with my initial picks: (5-3)

Stout (after beating Spencer Fischer, I am a fan)
Bisping (will wear the belt someday)
Grove (going with my heart, not head. Do not put stock in this)
Jardine (Gouveia lost to Rory Singer ...nuf said)
Starnes (Abbadi completely unimpresive)
Hutcherson (Go with the grappler unless the name is Herman)
Matt Hamill (Jesse has ability, no brains)
Combs (Mike thought Hamill was good...)

Stout proved to be overwhelmed. A classic display of standup vs. Jiu Jitsu, with BJJ dominating. The Spencer Fischer fight was not a way to evaluate Stout. He had no defense on the ground. I did not see the other fights I lost...

Now to the good fights!!

First it was the underdog Grove coming to the finale focused and determined to not get beat on the ground. His excellent kickboxing skills, now mixed with a more well rounded ground game, landed him that victory. I thought the adjudication of the judges was correct, but also Ed did earn himself the right to be signed as well.
Grove truly was the most improved fighter, and the best student of the show. He went there to learn and become great. He may be on his way.
Ed showed tremendous heart. He was not well liked due to his overwhelming arrogance but lack of performance on the show. He proved that he would not be "beat." And I would say that he was not "beat," but that he lost a match that either fighter deserved. No complaints, only extreme respect to both fighters.

Michael Bisping looked to be everything I thought he was. He is for sure the best light-heavyweight from that show. Not to take away anything from Matt, but his well rounded skill, his killer instinct, and excellent conditioning led to a dominating victory. I still believe he has what it takes to go through the light heavyweight division to possibly challenge Liddell someday.

Matt Hamill looked very impressive. He is a ground and pound specialist it seems, but I like how he controls his opponents on his feet and throws repeat uppercuts into the chin. I really wonder what a fight between Hamill and Rashad Evans would look like.

I think the fighters to come out of TUF 3 are the best yet. Their actual techinical skills are far better than the winners of the past and I actually look forward to seeing them often in the UFC.

Nate

City Boxing

Yesterday I joined the City Boxing team downtown Sandiego. It was a very good experience. I took the beginners kickboxing class taught by Brandon Vera, and the Jiu Jitsu class that immediately followed. A tough 2 1/2 hours. But, IMO, the best way to train in grappling is tired. It forces you to use your technique, or get submitted.

The gym is a busy one, probably partly due to the success of it's fighters. They have plenty of equipment and expertise on hand. The biggest thing for me was to be able to train with great fighters at a low cost. Compared to other prices in San Diego, City Boxing is a bargain for anyone. Many gyms offer only one sport, this one allows you to train in any or all of them (Muay Thai, Jiu Jitsu, Boxing) or all of them for the low monthly fee. I think I will continue to do the kickboxing and Jiu Jitsu supersets 2 times a week. I need to get back to middleweight size!!

If you are in the San Diego area, I recommend this gym.

Nate

TUF 3...Good Finale

I wasn't sure what to think of the Semi-Finals. I actually thought it was silly that the 2 Semi-Finalists who had WON their previous light-heavyweight matches had to fight 2 previous losers to get to the finals. Only Bisping and Josh were left of the winners, so they should have automatically advanced...except the UFC probably HAD to put up a final episode for Spike (contracts and all). Some things about the business driving the sport can be frustrating, fortunately it worked out right.

I think Bisping is the best light-heavyweight, even had Matt stayed in the mix. That was an awesome flying knee after he had learned from his mistake and took that first shot. He has a real good chance of going far in the light-heavyweight division of the UFC. I think he will take Josh in the first or second round, but I believe it will be a good fight no matter what.

Why the hell didn't Jesse pound Josh from behind? What a waste of energy. Even had Josh gotten out eventually, damage may have been inflicted. Instead he played a purely submission game in a situation where he may have been able to beat Josh in the first round. Jesse is strong, he can wrestle, but he is not a smart fighter. He beat himself twice this season.

Ed continues to unimpress. His ground and pound is weak. Yes he gets the takedown, but he does not inflict much damamge. I still think he could get caught in a guilitine or triangle (even though his position in the opponents guard is low and tight). He really likes to push into his opponents throat and face with forearms and elbows. That could play into a GOOD grapplers hands. Rory looked confused, even though I thought over all (with strikes and actual control) he had the better of round 1. I am not sure why everyone gave Ed the first round. 185 is my best natural weight, and though I do not usually say this, I believe I could defeat any one of the remaining 4 middleweights from last night. I think this fight will be all about preparation. Grove had plenty of time to prep for Ed's style, even if it goes to the deck. I hope he did. i would like to see Kendall win. Ed is a typical wrestler in the style of Mark Coleman, he can be beat from the ground by a good tactician.

Overall I enjoyed the last episode. I think the finals will be fun to watch.

Picks: Bisping and Ed...though I want Grove to beat Ed.

Nate

Brandon Vera...The Next Big Thing in the UFC?

YES!!
The reasons why are simple, he doesn't miss an opportunity. Last week on TUF 3 I saw a fight where Grove had an opportunity at 2:40 into the second round to end the fight quickly with a guilitine choke, and did not even see it. I know after 7 1/2 minutes of fighting, people might tire out and miss opportunities, but this type of choke against a wrestlers attempt at a take down is BASIC. Many fighters today (and Grove could very well be making 6 figures in 1 1/2 weeks from now) are missing the basics.

Brandon Vera IS NOT!

His last fight proves that if you give him a neck, he will take it. On the UFC Unleashed I saw the fight against Fabiano Scherner where, due to his well rounded DISCIPLNE (not knowledge, there is a difference) in both standup and grappling, Brandon had the better of Scherner both standing up, and even on the ground (so it seemed) over the BJJ grappler.

I am typically not at all a fan of "Jack of all trades," but when a fighter can be disciplined in that type of sport, the way Vera is, then he will rise to the top, because not many "Jacks" can fight with his type of discipline. I would like to ask him, has it anything to do with the military background??

I believe Brandon has the ability to beat ANY fighter in the light-heavyweight or heavyweight divisions. Sylvia is too sloppy still. His size may actually hurt him against Vera. Arlovski's chin may be a factor, and Vera may actually be better on the ground. Liddell is entirely too undisciplined and a joke of a champion in my opinion. No one left to even put in Vera's class. It would be an insult to make Vera go through the likes of Bonnar or Griffen to get to Liddel. Maybe bring Pedro Rizzo back due to matching styles or a fight with Frank Mir before a heavyweight title fight. But still, why wait? He is already a contender, the UFC better standby!

Nate