MMA Musings

UFC 146: Junior dos Santos v. Frank Mir

Renko Styranka

May 22nd, 2012

Photo courtesy UFC.com

The UFC 146 main card on May 26^th originally had five heavyweight fights slated. One failed drug test and several injuries resulted in every one of those matches being retooled. The heavyweight belt is now being contested between champion Junior ‘Cigano’ dos Santos (14-1), one of the most talented boxers the UFC has ever seen, and Frank Mir (16-5), a two-time HW champion and submission wizard. Both men possess oodles of character.

The challenger won his first UFC HW belt in 2004 by snapping the arm of 6’8” Tim Sylvia. With his winnings, Mir bought a crotch rocket and got T-boned at an intersection while spinning about Las Vegas. He broke his femur, nearly died, and spent a year and a half hooked on pain killers and alcohol. A gutsy wife and a serious gut check got him out of that tail spin.

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UFC on Fuel: Chan Sung Jung finishes Dustin Poirier

Renko Styranka

May 15th, 2012 (All day)

The Korean Zombie, Chan Sung Jung (left) squares off with The Diamond, Justin Poirier. Photo courtesy UFC.com

The Patriot Centre in Fairfax, Virginia, hosted The UFC on Fuel. Fans watching on TV had the pleasure of Kenny Florian’s stellar commentary as the top-flight fighter analyzed each tactic fluidly. Florian’s been in more than one title shot, so he should know what’s going on in the cage. Most of the main card fights were interesting enough.

Featherweight

Undefeated in his UFC career, "The Korean Zombie", Chan Sung Jung, had his work cut out for him in "The Diamond", Dustin Poirier. Despite a rock solid jaw and technique that has been polished since his first fight in the UFC in 2011, Poirier came in as the favourite.

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TUF 15 Live isn't live

Renko Styranka

May 11th, 2012

The Ultimate Fighter Live? Photo courtecy of TUF

TUF 15 episode 10 featured the quarterfinals tonight, so I’m told. TUF ‘live’ isn’t actually live, and although I have nearly every channel available to mankind, I can’t watch the show till 2 hours after it airs, if then. Last week it was on time, but that faked me out and I wasn’t able to watch it till midnight. This week it follows a baseball game, which will last God only knows how long. The first eight weeks TUF were on at 7, 8, or 9 o’clock, nobody knew exactly when. Forget about it now that baseball season is on.

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UFC on Fuel TV: Chan Sung Jung v. Dustin Poirier

Renko Styranka

May 11th, 2012

Photo courtesy of UFC.com

On Tuesday---yes, Tuesday---May 15^th, the UFC will feature 6 fights on Fuel TV and 6 preliminaries on Facebook. Not everyone can afford the PPVs, and not everyone can get to a bar to watch the fights, so these free TV events not only expose a new audience to the UFC, but allow free viewing for all. On paper these cards are never as scintillating as PPV, but as Dana White says: “They’re free. Quit complaining.” Besides, the fights can be every bit as exciting as any main event headliner.

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UFC on FOX 3: Nate Diaz scores impressive finish

Renko Styranka

May 5th, 2012

Diaz (left) faces Miller at the weigh-in. Photo courtesy UFC.com

The UFC on FOX 3 was a fire burner from preliminaries to headliners. The featherweights stood and traded like Rock ‘Em Sock ‘Em Robots, and a couple of title contenders emerged in the main card. UFC president Dana White can be sure the UFC came out of this event with a lot more fans than it went in with.

Lightweights Nate Diaz v Jim Miller

Nate Diaz became the first man to finish Jim Miller. The technique was a power guillotine, but what got him there was an overwhelming array of strikes and far superior boxing. Taunts and showboating are all patented tricks of the Diaz brothers, who aren’t satisfied just wining. Arms down, slapping his own head, Diaz goaded Miller to the finish.

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TUF 15 episode 9: Andy Ogle v. Mike Rio

Renko Styranka

May 4th, 2012

Photo Courtesy The Ultimate Fighter.

This week’s episode of TUF 15 features Team Faber’s Andy Ogle (8-1) vs. Team Cruz’s Mike Rio (8-1), as well as Dana’s pet, the coach’s challenge. In the first few seasons the coach’s challenge was a bigger deal than it is now, but they do add oomph to the battle between the coaches.

This season, the challenge involves US Marines, an obstacle course, and marksmanship. At stake thanks to TapouT's $10,000 contribution: $20,000 for the winning coach; $1,000 for each team member of the winning coach. TapouT has been supporting MMA and fighters since they’ve been able, and are a stellar example of a corporate citizen. The company began selling shirts at UFC events when the UFC was a pariah. Now, TapouT and the UFC are walking arm-in-arm into the sunset.

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UFC on Fuel 3: Nate Diaz v. Jim Miller

Renko Styranka

May 1st, 2012

Photo courtesy UFC.com

On Saturday, May 5, The IZOD Centre in East Rutherford, NJ, will host Nate Diaz (15-7) as he takes on Jim Miller (21-3) in a UFC lightweight bout. Diaz brings stellar boxing into the Octagon, while Miller is a high-level wrestler. Both have black belts in BJJ. Miller can bang, but few fighters can box with either Nick or Nate Diaz.

In spite of Nick mentoring his younger sibling, Nate is the more mature of the brothers. Nick Diaz has all kinds of problems holding to his obligations with the UFC, and is currently suing the Nevada State Athletic Commission over their handling of allegations of marijuana usage. Nick also likes to torment and taunt opponents in the ring---he considers it a real fight, whereas most UFC fighters, Nate incliuded, consider it a competition.

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TUF 15, episode 8: Sicilia and Saunders

Renko Styranka

Apr 27th, 2012

Photo courtesy Theultimatefighter.com

Episode 8 of TUF 15 had Team Cruz’s #2 pick, Sam Sicilia (10-0), taking on the overall last pick, Chris Saunders (9-2). But Sicilia has let Cruz down in training, failing to live up to expectations. Saunders, on the other hand, has excelled in training, and has shown precision, especially with his kicks.

Cruz began training this week by bringing in an Olympic judo silver medalist, Ronda Rousey, a woman who also happens to be the Strikeforce women’s 135-pound belt holder. Her instructions in training showed why people wanting a truly applicable skill for defending themselves should look first at judo.

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UFC Detritus

Renko Styranka

Apr 24th, 2012

Middleweight champ Anderson Silva ignores challenger Chael Sonnen at the weigh-in of their 2010 bout. Photo courtesy ufc.com

Clowning

Chael Sonnen has been mouthing off again leading up to his middleweight fight with division and pound for pound champion Anderson Silva. In his effort to promo the tilt, Sonnen has been: memorizing rap-type poetry; trying to sound clever like Ali; insulting Brazilian fans.

The problem with the American wrestler is: his last fight against Brit Michael Bisping was not inspiring; his prior loss to Anderson Silva via triangle choke in the fifth round----after winning all previous rounds---spoke volumes; Sonnen is not funny or clever like he thinks.

Sonnen's lack of cleverness was highlighted when he was disrespectting Silva at a fan Q & A. Someone in the audience asked Sonnen, "Did Silva's crotch smell good after five rounds?" The thing is, Ali's schtick never seemed contrived, but Sonnen's does. And Ali was a champion.

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UFC 145: Jon Jones elbow-smashes Rashad Evans

Renko Styranka

Apr 22nd, 2012

Jon Jones and his light heavyweight belt exit the Octagon. Photo courtesy UFC.com

The Phillips Arena in Atlanta, Georgia, played host to some of the best tailgate parties the UFC has seen, and the UFC light heavyweight championship, featuring champion Jon ‘Bones’ Jones (16-1) vs. ‘Suga’ Rashad Evans (17-2). Evans was touted as Bones’s toughest test to date, and proved it by going the distance. Barely.

Both men entered the ring and faced each other crouched, the last of the head games prior to the actual fight. Months of training and verbal assaults between these two former stable mates were in the past. Time to let technique flow.

Bones likes to keep opponents guessing, not only within a fight, but from fight to fight, so fans were left pondering his approach for Evans. From the first bell, Jones used distance and methodical forward movement to slow Evans down and stymie his usual fluid circling. Evans is extremely hard to pin down. Not so this night. Bones was hypnotizing Evans into his own pace.

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