Thursday, July 13, 2006

USMC Grappler Fight Club

This is it! The inaugural USMC Grappler Fight Club session was today.

I have to tell you, we are blessed to be in a position where training in MMA is considered to be part of fostering the “warrior spirit.” To be in a place where our passion for fighting is encouraged and where our training is facilitated for free is just simply awesome.

I work in a place that has more Marines with upper level Marine Corps Martial Arts Program (MCMAP) belts than any unit I have been in before. For Marines to be at the green, brown, and black belt level in the Marine Corps, typically means they have a desire for fighting and training outside of just what the Marine Corps teaches them. So here we are, provided with the pads, the time for physical training, and the experience of a mix of people who can share their knowledge of what they grew up learning or what they are learning out in the civilian world right now. Bring that together in an environment of both physical and technical training along with mentoring and leadership and you have the USMC Grappler Fight Club!

Our vision for the future is to have better fighters proficient in both MCMAP and MMA and to foster the warrior spirit in any who desire to participate. We will do this through routine training, grappling tournaments, boxing smokers (if still allowed), and motivational cultivation.

Semper Fi and see you out there!

Sunday, July 09, 2006

UFC 61

Arlovski fought another fight where he beat himself. This is why I am a Vera fan. He is a smart fighter. He would have pursued that leg until Tim could no longer stand. Now in the next heavyweight fight, we will be forced to watch Monson vs Sylvia. Ugh. i am no longer an Arlovski fan. He was out to prove he had a chin and could outpunch Sylvia more than he wanted the belt.
He bought Sylvia's hype and actually believed a submission is the lucky win (Sylvia/Arlovski 1). Stupid fighter.


I hate Ken, but he is still KEN SHAMROCK. You do not stop that fight until he is at least injured visibly!!! I agree Tito (and I am glad) was in the process of punishing him mercilessly. But Ken deserves the respect of getting submitted or knocked silly. He was not convincingly either. Doesn't the first UFC hall of famer deserve more respect than that?
I think it was a plan to piss off Ken. Maybe he will leave for good this time. The old timers are being phased out.

Mir looked horrible. How long does it take to lose that kind of weight? Frank went from pure dominant to horribly out of shape. His problems are mental, and he needs to correct him because he is going no where in that division without better conditioning.

WANDERLEI SILVA!!!

The third on my list of favorite 6!! He is the worlds best at 205 and will prove it. Ummm...what is Babalu wins?? Errrr...
Either way I hove Wanderlei fights in the UFC. Is it a belt match? I hope so. He may have lost in the UFC before, but he has had a lot of wins and maturing since then. Look for him to own the UFC!!!

Josh Burkman looked good. In reality, Team Punishment looks great. Did coaching actually make Tito a better man and fighter? Now that he is the one looked up to, will he take back his status in the UFC as a great? I look forward to seeing team punishment challenge Miletich for supremacy in the UFC.

Overall it was a very disappointing UFC other than the Wanderlei announcement. The fights were lackluster, the fighters not the brightest, and too many quick stoppages. I would have like to see the Joe Stevenson fight end on different terms. I had the first 2 rounds split. Joe is suceptable to a knockout. C- on the overall good fighter/entertaining scale for the night.

Nate

Friday, July 07, 2006

UFC 61 Preview and Picks

I will first start off with my predictions with the winner in red and then break them down. Hopefully I will do better than my 5-3 on Ultimate Fight Night last week.

Tim Sylvia Vs. Andrei Arlovski

Andrei has yet to get beat by anyone other than Andrei. Yes, I said it. The last fight all came down to a mistake made by an over anxious fighter, who given a second or two longer, would have finished that fight with a victory. Tim Sylvia is strong, don't get me wrong, but he is not a great fighter at any particular style. He can get beat at punching with anyone that can stay out of his reach. He would get out kickboxed by any premier kickboxer of comparable sixe, he would get outgrappled by anyone with any serious skill. He cannot rely on his size for much longer.

I would have to say that the heavyweight division is the one division where the skills are not that widely dispersed. Frank Mir, Andrei Arlovski, Brandon Vera, and Jeff Monson are the only fighters that immediately come to mind with any true art to their fighting. These are the disciplined few of that division.

Tito Ortiz Vs. Ken Shamrock

Unfortunately, for the second straight UFC, the fight with the biggest hype behind it will turn out to be a battle, but another battle where Tito tees off on Ken Shamrock. Ken just does not have the cardio to keep up. I cannot see this fight going any different than the last. Watching Ken attempt to compete today is getting old. We see a tired fighter, working through exhaustion by getting beat up even worse. His fight against Don Frye in Pride was a boring battle of two old guys.

Tito is still up to punish Ken. The bad blood between them will hype up Tito even more than last time. Last time Tito was out to beat a legend, now he wants to destroy the heart of his enemy.

Unfortunately, this fight doesn't hold much bearing for either fighter. Even if Tito wins again impressively, I do not think he is up to the level of beating Chuck Liddell. I am not sure he can. Not because he isn't good, but because their styles do not mix to his advantage.

Dan Christison Vs. Frank Mir

This is a fight where both men have something to prove. Either are capable of a win. I see Frank winning this fight by submission, only if he has better striking skills. Dan and Frank will more than likely end up on the ground, and I would count that battle to go to Mir, who appears to be in better shape for that type of fight. If Mir can keep the top position, and reverse Dan when in the guard, this should be Mir's fight. The winner of this bout should fight Brandon Vera, if Vera is not already on tap to fight someone like Ricco Rodriguez or Jeff Monson.

Josh Burkman Vs. Josh Neer

Josh Neer has already defeated 2 TUF fighters in Joe Stevenso and Melvin Guillard. Coming from the Miletich camp, I will have to go with Neer. He has good submission skills and great heart. His fight against Melvin Guillard, where he fought through one of the nastiest cuts I had ever seen and was still allowed to continue, showed me that Neer is all heart. He knew he had superior ground skills and was able to avoid Melvins big punch. His fight against Joe Stevenson was unimpressive, but effective.

I believe Stevenson is overrated compared to the other fighters in the UFC at that weight division. With this division owned by BJ Penn, GSP, and last but not least, Hughes, all the Welterweight fights like this will ever be is undercards!

Yves Edwards Vs. Joe Stevenson

I have not seen Yves fight, but I have seen Joe. I have been too unimpressed with Joe Stevenson to pick him again. Both fighters have skill on the ground, with an edge to Joe. However, if Yves can protect himself there, and do the damage he is capable of on his feet, I see him getting a descision, or less likely, a knockout. I believe this will be a good fight, again, in a dead end division for either of these fighters.

Undercards

I will just pick these fights. Most of the following fighters I have not seen, and I am picking off of their records and styles.

Drew Fickett Vs. Kurt Pellegrino (Great fight)

Jeff Monson Vs. Anthony Perosh (Monson is on a mission)

Gilbert Aldana Vs. Cheick Kongo

Hermes Franca Vs. Joe Jordan

Enjoy the fights!!