Finally, after what seemed like a long break in mma events we are entering a very busy period with 4 great evens in just 5 weeks! And the first one is UFC104 Machida vs Shogun and it promises to be a great event.
The main event is obviously Machida vs Shogun and it is a very interesting fight, as I mentioned in my previous post, if Machida wins then he will have literally no one else to fight despite the fact that UFC has most of the world's best 205 pounds fighters.
Can Shogun do it? It's a hard question to answer. He rose to fame with his 2005 Pride GP win, and was considered one of if not the top light heavy weight. However after the demise of Pride he came to UFC only to lose to Forrest Griffin (although Shogun had a knee injury) in what was supposed to be an easy win for him (similar to Gonzaga vs CroCop.)
After a surgery (or two?) on his knee, he fought Mark Coleman, although he won he gassed pretty fast in that fight. He then KO'ed Chuck Liddell in the first. Unfortunately neither of this two wins is that impressive. Coleman is just too old at this point, and Liddell has lost 4 of his last 3 fights heading into the fight with Shogun. Still, they are two solid wins combined with Shogun's previous wins have earned him a title shot.
Can he beat Machida though? it's hard to tell, no one seems to even be able to hit him. But Shogun is very fast and has a very aggressive style, yet he also has very high accuracy. Will his aggression be enough to overcome Machida's elusiveness and force him to engage, or will it play right into Machida's style?
Only one way to find out: Watch UFC104 Machida vs Shogun!
Thursday, October 22, 2009
Thursday, October 15, 2009
UFC 104 Machida Vs Shogun Rua - In depth look at Machida
UFC 104 is just 8 days away and I can't wait to watch the main event - Machida vs Shogun. And there are plenty of reasons for that, but let's take an in depth look at Lyoto Machida.
Machida - a rare style of mma fighter as he uses karate as his main base. Of course, Machida isn't one of those vintage karate guys who claim that their "eagle punch" is too brutal for mma as their excuse for not competing in it. Lyoto has augmented his karate with good wrestling (sumo based at that I think) as well as having a black belt in bjj.
His style is still based on point karate match ups which makes him perhaps the most unique fighter in maa today. Since the point of karate competition is to score points while not allowing your opponent to score, Machida has an amazing ability to move out of range just when the other guy was about to unload on him, while also being able to move in for a quick punch himself. In fact, Lyoto gets hit less than any other fighter save for Fedor Emelianenko (which could be explained by the fact Fedor's fights have more 'ground" time, well, that and the fact his opponents are busy crapping their pants and are in no position to actually throw a punch)
Machida's "elusiveness" has earned him some dislike from the fans though, as many have claimed that he does nothing but "run away" as well as making a claim that if everyone fought like that then no one would even watch UFC as it'd be boring.
Lyoto however has stepped up his game and appears to be a lot more aggressive now. Beating an undefeated Thiago Silva by KO in the first round as well as Rashad Evans by KO in the second. Which makes him even more dangerous.
personally, I am rather amused by his style, he moves out of range from opponent as they try to chase him, but the moment they stop chasing Lyoto takes a step forward and punches them in the face, then before a fighter can retaliate he steps back and the chase continues. No fighter has been able to solve this rather amusing problem and it appears to both frustrate fighters and make them look completely outclassed.
Sadly, if Machida beats Shogun he will be pretty much done with UFC's light heavy weight division. For all the talks (which are true) about UFC having most of the best light heavy weights Machida will have no challengers if he wins his next fight. Looking at sherdog.com's rankings:
#2 Rampage is done fighting, for now at least
#3 Rashad Evans already lost (and in a rather embarrassing fashion)
#4 Shogun is his next fight
#5 Forest Griffin got literally owned by Anderson Silva, and while Machida and Anderson have different fighting styles, I find it very unlikely Forest would be able to hit Machida at all given the fact he couldn't connect on Silva.
#6 Thiago Silva has already lost by a round 1KO that makes Rashad's loss look good
#7 Gegard Mousasi has been on an absolute tear for a few years now and had recently sent Babalu to hell (judging by Babaul's eyes and facial expression) But due to UFC having most good fighters in 205 pounds division, it's hard for Gegard to "prove" himself against high ranked competition.
#8 Luis Arthur Cane is a good prospect but lacks wins vs higher ranked fighters
#9 Antonio Rogerio Nogueira is a good fighter but it's questionable if he'd fight Machida, since he trains with him (I think, I know Machida, Anderson Silva and big Nog train together)
#10 Rich Franklin has already lost to Machida a few years ago in Japan
Interestingly enough, should Machida beat Shogun, the the most interesting fights for him would actually be outside of 205 division (aside from a fight vs Mousasi) Who wouldn't want to watch Machida fight Anderson Silva (not going to happen since they train together) or vs Fedor Emelianenko (not going to happen since UFC can't sign Fedor, and it's unlikely they make this fight even if they did)
Machida - a rare style of mma fighter as he uses karate as his main base. Of course, Machida isn't one of those vintage karate guys who claim that their "eagle punch" is too brutal for mma as their excuse for not competing in it. Lyoto has augmented his karate with good wrestling (sumo based at that I think) as well as having a black belt in bjj.
His style is still based on point karate match ups which makes him perhaps the most unique fighter in maa today. Since the point of karate competition is to score points while not allowing your opponent to score, Machida has an amazing ability to move out of range just when the other guy was about to unload on him, while also being able to move in for a quick punch himself. In fact, Lyoto gets hit less than any other fighter save for Fedor Emelianenko (which could be explained by the fact Fedor's fights have more 'ground" time, well, that and the fact his opponents are busy crapping their pants and are in no position to actually throw a punch)
Machida's "elusiveness" has earned him some dislike from the fans though, as many have claimed that he does nothing but "run away" as well as making a claim that if everyone fought like that then no one would even watch UFC as it'd be boring.
Lyoto however has stepped up his game and appears to be a lot more aggressive now. Beating an undefeated Thiago Silva by KO in the first round as well as Rashad Evans by KO in the second. Which makes him even more dangerous.
personally, I am rather amused by his style, he moves out of range from opponent as they try to chase him, but the moment they stop chasing Lyoto takes a step forward and punches them in the face, then before a fighter can retaliate he steps back and the chase continues. No fighter has been able to solve this rather amusing problem and it appears to both frustrate fighters and make them look completely outclassed.
Sadly, if Machida beats Shogun he will be pretty much done with UFC's light heavy weight division. For all the talks (which are true) about UFC having most of the best light heavy weights Machida will have no challengers if he wins his next fight. Looking at sherdog.com's rankings:
#2 Rampage is done fighting, for now at least
#3 Rashad Evans already lost (and in a rather embarrassing fashion)
#4 Shogun is his next fight
#5 Forest Griffin got literally owned by Anderson Silva, and while Machida and Anderson have different fighting styles, I find it very unlikely Forest would be able to hit Machida at all given the fact he couldn't connect on Silva.
#6 Thiago Silva has already lost by a round 1KO that makes Rashad's loss look good
#7 Gegard Mousasi has been on an absolute tear for a few years now and had recently sent Babalu to hell (judging by Babaul's eyes and facial expression) But due to UFC having most good fighters in 205 pounds division, it's hard for Gegard to "prove" himself against high ranked competition.
#8 Luis Arthur Cane is a good prospect but lacks wins vs higher ranked fighters
#9 Antonio Rogerio Nogueira is a good fighter but it's questionable if he'd fight Machida, since he trains with him (I think, I know Machida, Anderson Silva and big Nog train together)
#10 Rich Franklin has already lost to Machida a few years ago in Japan
Interestingly enough, should Machida beat Shogun, the the most interesting fights for him would actually be outside of 205 division (aside from a fight vs Mousasi) Who wouldn't want to watch Machida fight Anderson Silva (not going to happen since they train together) or vs Fedor Emelianenko (not going to happen since UFC can't sign Fedor, and it's unlikely they make this fight even if they did)
Sunday, October 11, 2009
Upcoming MMA Events You'll Want to Watch!
Things have been a little quiet after UFC 103, as far as big events go at least. Although the have been a few small scale shows (Tim Sylvia finally got a win in one of them) Aoki subbed Hansen in Dream 11, and Oveream beat Aerts in K1 kickboxing. But as far as really big mma events it has been rather slow.
But all that is about to change very soon! With 4 big events in just 5 weeks! October 24 is UFC 104 Machida vs Shogun, a fight that will determine the future of UFC's 205 pounds division. If Machida beats Shogun decisively he will likely be the king of that division just like GSP, BJ Penn and Anderson Silva are of theirs.
November 7 is a huge Strikeforce card - Featuring Fedor Emelianenko -on CBS no less! Well, as an MMA fan you can't really get much better than this! The best fighter in the world fighting decent opponent (Bret Rogers - ranked 7th by sherdog.com) as well as a very good card over all featuring Moussassi vs Sokodjou, Jake Shields vs. Jason "Mayhem" Miller and Fabricio Werdum vs. Antonio "Big Foot" Silva. Plus it's on CBS so it's free! Really have to watch this one!
November 14 - UFC 105 Couture vs Vera. A bit low quality, so far at least. And given its timing will likely be one of the least watched UFCs in recent times. With the economy being what it is buying 3 ppv's in 5 weeks probably doesn't sound all that fun to most people. And if you have to choose then UFC 104 and UFC 106 both have better main events and stronger cards. None the less, the main event of this card will determine the future of both fighters. A win by couture coulds et up a title fight with Machida/Shogun winner.
Finally November 21 is UFC 106 Lesnar vs Carwin. The card also features return of Tito Ortiz in a fight against Forrest Griffin. But back to main event - it should be pretty interesting. Both guys are still quite untested. Shane only has 1 good win - against Gonzaga, in which he got rocked himself (although he did get up rather fast after Gonzaga took him down) and Gonzaga isn't exactly such a credible fighter himself seeing how his only win vs top competition is taking Cro Cop's soul.
And for all the talk about how Fedor is afraid of UFC and Brock, Lesnar has a 4-1 record - that's right just 5 fights! Discounting his first fight (agains some can in Japan) and his loss to Mir in the first fight, you only get 3 fights that showcase Lesnar's abilities.
What makes this an interesting match is that both guys will get tested in ways they have not been tested before. Lesnar will finally face someone he doesn't have 40+ pounds weight advantage. Someone with comparable wrestling back ground (he had trouble with randy for example, even though he had a good 50pounds on him) as well as someone with very, very heavy hands. And shane of course will too be facing a big with very good wrestling and better over all athletism.
All in all the upcoming 5 weeks should be a lot of fun to watch and will determine the future of both weight classes and promotions as Strikeforce tries to establish it as more than just a great regional promotion.
The only question is is this: If Shane KO's Brock in the first round, will Dana White talk about how Fedor is afraid of UFC because of Carwin? :)
But all that is about to change very soon! With 4 big events in just 5 weeks! October 24 is UFC 104 Machida vs Shogun, a fight that will determine the future of UFC's 205 pounds division. If Machida beats Shogun decisively he will likely be the king of that division just like GSP, BJ Penn and Anderson Silva are of theirs.
November 7 is a huge Strikeforce card - Featuring Fedor Emelianenko -on CBS no less! Well, as an MMA fan you can't really get much better than this! The best fighter in the world fighting decent opponent (Bret Rogers - ranked 7th by sherdog.com) as well as a very good card over all featuring Moussassi vs Sokodjou, Jake Shields vs. Jason "Mayhem" Miller and Fabricio Werdum vs. Antonio "Big Foot" Silva. Plus it's on CBS so it's free! Really have to watch this one!
November 14 - UFC 105 Couture vs Vera. A bit low quality, so far at least. And given its timing will likely be one of the least watched UFCs in recent times. With the economy being what it is buying 3 ppv's in 5 weeks probably doesn't sound all that fun to most people. And if you have to choose then UFC 104 and UFC 106 both have better main events and stronger cards. None the less, the main event of this card will determine the future of both fighters. A win by couture coulds et up a title fight with Machida/Shogun winner.
Finally November 21 is UFC 106 Lesnar vs Carwin. The card also features return of Tito Ortiz in a fight against Forrest Griffin. But back to main event - it should be pretty interesting. Both guys are still quite untested. Shane only has 1 good win - against Gonzaga, in which he got rocked himself (although he did get up rather fast after Gonzaga took him down) and Gonzaga isn't exactly such a credible fighter himself seeing how his only win vs top competition is taking Cro Cop's soul.
And for all the talk about how Fedor is afraid of UFC and Brock, Lesnar has a 4-1 record - that's right just 5 fights! Discounting his first fight (agains some can in Japan) and his loss to Mir in the first fight, you only get 3 fights that showcase Lesnar's abilities.
What makes this an interesting match is that both guys will get tested in ways they have not been tested before. Lesnar will finally face someone he doesn't have 40+ pounds weight advantage. Someone with comparable wrestling back ground (he had trouble with randy for example, even though he had a good 50pounds on him) as well as someone with very, very heavy hands. And shane of course will too be facing a big with very good wrestling and better over all athletism.
All in all the upcoming 5 weeks should be a lot of fun to watch and will determine the future of both weight classes and promotions as Strikeforce tries to establish it as more than just a great regional promotion.
The only question is is this: If Shane KO's Brock in the first round, will Dana White talk about how Fedor is afraid of UFC because of Carwin? :)
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