The official Combat Sports Thread

[kingklavetter]

Hey yall,
I thought I'd take the time to contribute and start a discussion on MMA. Myself and others on this board are MMA fans. I now train only for fighting and I rarely miss a good fight. I know there are many on here who follow wrestling as well. I'll post some of my training, weight cutting and thoughts on here as I get ready for my first fight.
But, mostly I'll probably just rant and rave about UFC fighters.

Currently I've bought a first class ticket on the Jon Jones hype train. This guy is apparently unstoppable and I think his own true challenge lies in Randy Couture or if that sissy ass Anderson Sylva steps up.

Dan Hardy had a unfortunate run in with a fast rising and super talented Anthony Johnson. The two promised to go toe to toe and put on a potential fight of the year, however, such promises rarely come to fruition. Hardy absorbed a high kick that sent him ass first to the mat. Once down, Johnson took this opportunity to expose Hardy's inferior wrestling capabilities. Johnson, however did not gain much credibility as man who could challenge for the title when Rumble laid lifeless on Hardy for the next two rounds. Submission attempts were rare and one can only believe Johnson has a lot of BJJ to work on before he can be considered a top 5 fighter.
Hardy left the Seattle Arena last night 0-3 now after his last 3 fights and Johnson found himself back into action in the UFC as a winning and healthy fighter.
I predict Johnson's next test will be in Carlos Condit. The survivor of this bout will could very well find himself facing the likes of Jon Fitch or BJ Penn for a 170 title shot.

Chan Sung Jung was robbed in 2010 but sought out cold calculated and embarrassing vengeance against his fight of the decade adversary Leonard Garcia. Garcia has picked up back to back "steals" in his last two appearances. Garcia's fight against Jung in 2010 was an epic brawl. The men through solid lead at each others faces with heavy hands and fast kicks but neither man would give the other the satisfaction of a KO. Garcia was out matched so slightly by Jung but the judges, who were apparently watching the card girls and not the fight, gave an odd decision to Garcia. 2011 wasn't MUCH different...
Garcia came in expecting to face Nam Phan for a rematch of another Garcia robbery, but Phan pulled out due to injury two weeks before the date. Zuffa called and confirmed that Korean Zombie would step in and go for revenge on very short notice. Zombie may have had no training camp specific for Garcia but it was clear that Jung knew he would get a chance at redemption and Jung knew to train year round for his next shot at Garcia. In the last year Zombie has had camps with Team Alpha Male (Urijah Faber) and these brutal camps seemed tailor made for Mr. Jung. Jung also had another trick up his sleeve. While at his home camp in South Korea Zombie had practiced daily to achieve one wish, be the first fighter in the UFC to submit a man via Twister. Wrestlers may recognize the twister as a guillotine with a trapped head, causing the spine to twist as the hips and shoulders are trapped. Zombie worked at beating Garcia on the feet but as many know Garcia has an iron chin and hands that don't slow down. Jung held his own but somehow the two men ended up on the ground late into the third round. Both men worked to finish the fight and keep the judges out of the mix. Jung worked a little harder and locked in his desired twister but only 20 seconds remained. With one second left one the clock Jung mustered everything he had and applied as much twist as his 145 lbs body could muster and VICTORY! One second remaining before we go to score cards and Garcia taps. Redemption for the Korean Zombie.
What's next for Zombie is anyone's guess but Jung appears a new animal. Watch yourself featherweights, there is a new monster in your way

[Jared Enderton]

Oh my lord. First off, Silva would knock the f*ck out of Jon "my fights are rigged" Jones. Jones couldn't carry Silva's jock strap.

2nd, GSP would knock the F out of Jon Jones.

3rd, heck, I would knock out Jon Jones.

Ok. #1 I am being serious about that one. #2- GREAT thread!!

[vdecke]

Dang King, you may have a second career as an MMA journalist! Good stuff.

I thought the UFC gave us a really solid card for a free Fight Night Live show. I was especially happy for KZ as this guy deserved a win like no other. I hope Nam can extract some revenge next. Garcia seems like a good enough guy, but he just didn't deserve a win over either of those guys.

Couture is Bones Jones' biggest threat lol.

I sure hope the potential mega fight between GSP and Silva materializes before Silva suddenly gets old.

[Jared Enderton]

Yeah King you absolutely could become a MMA journalist. I Was shocked. Pretty in-depth stuff there. I am kidding about Jones, I love that fella.

[kingklavetter]

Thanks guys. Maybe I'll submit a piece to the Sunday Junkie, MMAJunkie.com's weekly contest.
And to think Vince, that card was originally supposed to feature Lil Nog vs Tito. That would have been slightly better still! I'm taking this as Dana's way of apologizing for the lack luster performances Anderson has put on in previous PPV's.

Jared, of course you love JBJ. He is a winner. I bet you also loved Charlie Sheen for about 5 days.

[caalvarez2]

no way Silva knocks Jones the f--- out.Silva is a pussy,a talented pussy yes,but still a pussy.Jones would take him out within 1 round.look at what he just did:he completely dominated a MMA legend,a man who has defeated Sobral,Rampage,Gono,Nogueira,Overeem (twice),Arona,Randleman,Coleman,Liddell and Machida.Shogun had no offense whatsoever in that fight.he looked like an amateur.fighters like Jones are the future of MMA,and Jones is the future of the UFC's LHW division.no way Couture defeats Jones.that fight probably won't even happen,if Dana is smart,because Captain America might actually be killed in the octagon if it does happen.no more Expendables 2 for Couture if he decides to fight Jones.i call on the old man to finally hang it up for good.

I watched the Shogun/Jones fight alongside Luke Moffitt,Jon Jones's head wrestling coach at Iowa Central.Luke told me that night that Jon Jones is the most talented athlete he has EVER seen.and he's seen lots of them.

GSP can't knock anybody the f--- out anymore,let alone Jon Jones.Jones would take GSP out within 1 round.and i am a big fan of GSP.he just really has a big hard on for the judges over the last 3yrs.

i agree with King,Anderson Silva is a sissy ass.i hate that guy.never liked him since the first time i saw him at Pride 21,when he came down to the ring with that 70's porno mustache.

the GSP/Silva megafight that everybody has been having wet dreams about for the last 2yrs will NEVER happen.GSP said recently that it would be too drastic a change for his career,as well as having to gain the weight for the fight,even if it was at a catchweight.i have never been a fan of this fight,as it would be a poor choice for GSP to step into the cage with such a larger man.with the height and reach advantage alone,Silva would pick GSP apart easily.this would be a repeat of UFC 94,if you know what i mean,and GSP was on the winning end that night,EASILY.i predict that both GSP and Silva will remain in their respective weight classes for the foreseeable future.in fact,Silva said recently that he has absolutely no desire to fight outside the MW division again.

just would like to say that i am a lifelong fan of mma.i bought UFC 1 on PPV in November 1993 and watched Royce Gracie go 3-0 in one fucking night,submitting a then unknown Ken Shamrock with a rear naked choke for his second win of the night.that was a great show.i was also a big fan of Pride as well.alot of their fights were more entertaining than the UFC's.it was a shame to see them go.

i wish you good luck in your new profession,King.not everyone has the balls to step in the cage.i fought twice,once in 2000,and once in 2001.long time ago.i have respect for anybody who steps into the cage.i hope you find victory in your new endeavor.

[endo]

Guess who else went to Iowa Central..he knocked Lesnar out with a torn rotator cuff..Cain Velasquez is FO REAL!!!

[caalvarez2]

Mar 30, 2011 11:24:11 GMT -5 endo said:

Guess who else went to Iowa Central..he knocked Lesnar out with a torn rotator cuff..Cain Velasquez is FO REAL!!!

Cain is a badass.i knew he was going to put Lesnar down.Lesnar is dreaming if he actually thinks he can defeat Velasquez,but he has to go through Dos Santos in June to get to Velasquez,and i don't see that happening either.Lesnar does not like to get hit in the face,and Dos Santos has the best hands in the UFC's HW division,by far.if Lesnar can't take Dos Santos down and keep him there,he's in for a beating,and will probably go to sleep.i call Dos Santos winning this fight,by TKO stoppage or KO in the 2nd round.

the #1 HW in my opinion,in all of MMA right now is Alistair Overeem.this dude is a monster.he currently holds 3 HW titles.the legs on this guy are fucking tree trunks,and there is no HW alive today who wants to take a beating from those vicious kicks and knees he throws.in the clinch he is deadly,nobody gets out alive.and his hands are pretty damn good too.with Zuffa purchasing Strikeforce recently,there is a good chance we might start seeing some crossover fights within the next year.Shane Carwin was just about put into Josh Barnett's spot in the HW tourney (Barnett is in a legal battle with just about every governing body right now,because the guy just can't stop juicing),but Carwin instead opted to remain in the UFC and took a fight with Jon Olav Einemo at UFC 131 in June.i hope to one day see Overeem fight in the UFC.i would love to see him fight (and destroy) some of the UFC's so-called *best in the world HW's*.

[kingklavetter]

LOL Sorry, I found it funny you bringing up the fact that Barnett can't piss clean and praising Overeem. Overeem is so gassed up he makes Mariusz look human. Ok, that might be a little much but you get my point.

Overeem is probably the best HW in MMA right now, but in this game you never know until two men square off. I never would have bet a nickel that Cain could have done what he did to Brock. I also think Werdum has come along way over the last few years. Strikeforce has some amazing HW's but I don't see any cross promotion fights coming down the pipe for the next few years. There is a lengthy legal battle between Zuffa and Showtime and now that Zuffa owns Strikeforce those political games just got heavier. If Zuffa can pull away from Showtime we may see some "progress". It would be a huge gain for us fight fans and a big loss for the fighters. As a fan I love the monopoly. Besides the obvious, we also don't have to swim through the confusion that has plagued boxing.
"Who is the champ?"
"In which federation?"
"Huh?"

If you don't have a clear cut great one then the sport losses an element of legitimacy amongst the lay person. It's hard to become a boxing fan because there are just to many boxers in to many organizations.

I'm sure Zuffa and Coker have no problem "dropping" fighters to the AA league. Fighters like Carwin and Hardy. Guys who are good but not the creme de la creme.

JDS vs Lesnar will be interesting because there are so many changes with 2010 Lesnar and 2011 Lesnar. Brock has been training in Vegas with an actual team. Not just some fat guys who have nothing going on in their own career so they are able to drop their lives and move up to Alexandria, MN. Brock is your prototypical talented athlete who never faced a challenge until he got to the very top of the mountain. Guys like him and Tyson don't get many challenges in the ring and when that day finally comes they are so shocked everything falls apart.
This is the tipping point for Champions. Does Brock have the character to admit flaw and defeat, analyze everything he knows about performance and be willing to learn all over again? The most massive beasts on earth aren't around anymore because the smaller creatures found a way to defeat and outlast the giants. The small ones had to do this from the beginning so overcoming adversity is as natural as breathing. Champions fall but great ones get up and look for another route up the mountain. An easier, faster, more efficient path.
If Lesnar can relearn and be coached he can beat JDS and Cain. He is bigger, faster and more athletic than either fighter. People can learn to accept punches. He doesn't have a glass jaw, just an inexperience with pain.

thanks for the well wishes, but fighting is and always will be a past time for me. Nothing more and certainly nothing less.

[caalvarez2]

Mar 30, 2011 20:18:16 GMT -5 kingklavetter said:

LOL Sorry, I found it funny you bringing up the fact that Barnett can't piss clean and praising Overeem. Overeem is so gassed up he makes Mariusz look human. Ok, that might be a little much but you get my point.

Overeem is probably the best HW in MMA right now, but in this game you never know until two men square off. I never would have bet a nickel that Cain could have done what he did to Brock. I also think Werdum has come along way over the last few years. Strikeforce has some amazing HW's but I don't see any cross promotion fights coming down the pipe for the next few years. There is a lengthy legal battle between Zuffa and Showtime and now that Zuffa owns Strikeforce those political games just got heavier. If Zuffa can pull away from Showtime we may see some "progress". It would be a huge gain for us fight fans and a big loss for the fighters. As a fan I love the monopoly. Besides the obvious, we also don't have to swim through the confusion that has plagued boxing.
"Who is the champ?"
"In which federation?"
"Huh?"

If you don't have a clear cut great one then the sport losses an element of legitimacy amongst the lay person. It's hard to become a boxing fan because there are just to many boxers in to many organizations.

I'm sure Zuffa and Coker have no problem "dropping" fighters to the AA league. Fighters like Carwin and Hardy. Guys who are good but not the creme de la creme.

JDS vs Lesnar will be interesting because there are so many changes with 2010 Lesnar and 2011 Lesnar. Brock has been training in Vegas with an actual team. Not just some fat guys who have nothing going on in their own career so they are able to drop their lives and move up to Alexandria, MN. Brock is your prototypical talented athlete who never faced a challenge until he got to the very top of the mountain. Guys like him and Tyson don't get many challenges in the ring and when that day finally comes they are so shocked everything falls apart.
This is the tipping point for Champions. Does Brock have the character to admit flaw and defeat, analyze everything he knows about performance and be willing to learn all over again? The most massive beasts on earth aren't around anymore because the smaller creatures found a way to defeat and outlast the giants. The small ones had to do this from the beginning so overcoming adversity is as natural as breathing. Champions fall but great ones get up and look for another route up the mountain. An easier, faster, more efficient path.
If Lesnar can relearn and be coached he can beat JDS and Cain. He is bigger, faster and more athletic than either fighter. People can learn to accept punches. He doesn't have a glass jaw, just an inexperience with pain.

thanks for the well wishes, but fighting is and always will be a past time for me. Nothing more and certainly nothing less.

considering Overeem-yeah, i was waiting to see if i would get a response out of you with that one.Overeem is the best HW right now,period.is he jiuced to the gills?sure,more than likely.but remember this:he did piss clean twice at Strikeforce Heavy Artillery last May in St. Louis,before and after the fight with Brett Rogers.Barnett has pissed dirty 3 times now,but including having his UFC HW title stripped from him in 2002 after testing posititve for 3 different steroids.so until Overeem pisses dirty for the first time,the guy gets a pass from me.remember,before he started hitting the weights hard,and decided to leave the LHW division for good,he would cut down to 205 from 235.is it hard for a guy who is 6'5 to gain 30lbs of muscle over 3yrs?i don't think so.but were there drugs involved?probably.but he did piss clean TWICE here in the USA.

regarding Brock-REALLY???you didn't see that beating coming?i knew Brock was going down that night.Brock was beating everyone just on the basis of pure size and strength,power,and speed and athleticism,but no skill or discipline.when he finally met the man who was not only a better wrestler,but also 100% more of a skilled fighter,and also a man who at 245lbs is just about as strong and powerful as he is at 280lbs,well,you saw the results.and it wasn't pretty.now i am a huge Brock fan.always have been.in fact,i stopped watching WWE in 2004 just for the fact that the Next Big Thing was gone.but i lost some respect for the guy when,for two fights in a row,after he gets hit in the face one fucking time,he put his tail between his legs and ran away like a little bitch.you know he did it.i know he did it.EVERYONE knows he did it.BROCK KNOWS HE DID IT.now,i know lots of fighters myself,and you are the first one who has ever told me that you can *learn* to take a punch,or *learn* to like to get hit.when i was training to fight 10-11yrs ago,i had no problem getting hit in the face,or anywhere for that matter,which is the reason guys like us are in the cage in the first place.we like to get hit.it motivates us.i'm sure you are the same way.i grew up in Los Angeles,moved here to Iowa when i was 16yrs old,but i grew up fighting.that's pretty much all my brother and i did in LA was fight.my dad got tired of shuffling us around from catholic school to catholic school because they wouldn't have us there.but my dad also taught both of us to never back down from a fight,no matter what the odds.and we never did.sure,we got our asses kicked plenty of times,it happens.but we were also on the winning end of the stick plenty of times as well.we always stood TOE TO TOE.and that is the reason i lost some respect for Lesnar,as did alot of people.yes,great champions pick themselves up off the ground and live to fight another day,but they also have tremendous amounts of HEART.i now question Lesnar's heart.can Lesnar pick himself up,dust off the remnants of that embarassing defeat,and come back stronger than before?i hope so,for his sake.i am still a fan of the guy.but if he takes a beating from JDS like he did from Velasquez,i look for him to leave the UFC and MMA for good.

the Strikeforce contract with Showtime runs through next year.Dana has already said that once it is up,Showtime will be negotiating directly with the UFC.i don't think those negotiations will go very well.i guarantee you that after that contract is up,Scott Coker and the rest of the Strikeforce work staff will be on the unemployment lines.Dana and Lorenzo will fold the Strikeforce brand into the UFC,just like they did with the WEC.once that happens,hopefully we will see some of these fights.i too like Werdum and think he has come a long way since his loss to JDS.and i was very happy when he defeated that overrated fatass Fedor.i would like to see Dana bring him back to the UFC.but that probably won't happen for awhile anyways.

so King,when and where will your first fight be?and at what weight?

[kingklavetter]

Mar 31, 2011 9:05:19 GMT -5 caalvarez2 said:

the Strikeforce contract with Showtime runs through next year.Dana has already said that once it is up,Showtime will be negotiating directly with the UFC.i don't think those negotiations will go very well.i guarantee you that after that contract is up,Scott Coker and the rest of the Strikeforce work staff will be on the unemployment lines.Dana and Lorenzo will fold the Strikeforce brand into the UFC,just like they did with the WEC.once that happens,hopefully we will see some of these fights.i too like Werdum and think he has come a long way since his loss to JDS.and i was very happy when he defeated that overrated fatass Fedor.i would like to see Dana bring him back to the UFC.but that probably won't happen for awhile anyways.

so King,when and where will your first fight be?and at what weight?

I agree. Strikeforces days are limited. I'm sure Coker made a great deal of cash in the sale so he will be fine. The rest of the crew is hurting though. Hurt most by this is the Russian mob run M1 Global promotions. Sorry guys, you may be a big deal in Russia but here in the US you just can't have your way. USA!

I will look for it later but somewhere on the intraweb there is a shot of Allistair's growth over the years. It's so amazing when you see it. Hopefully I can find it later. Yeah, I'm with you though, if a guy doesn't get popped and he says he's clean than I have to take his word. As wrong as that feels sometimes you just have to. But mostly, I don't give a shit who is gassed and who is not.

I want to fight at 155 this year but currently I am at 192-194 and fucking growing. My belt is going down and my fat is dropping (talk of that in my journal) but I keep gaining weight. I have been avoiding weightlifting but now it appears that I have to really buckle my diet. According to the bodpod, if I get down to 170-175 I'll be 6-8% BF. There will be muscle loss so MAYBE I can be in the high 160's by then. If I can find a 24 hour weigh in I can make 155.
For right now I have a fractured hand and wrist so BJJ is the only thing I can work on. I'll need a lot of sparring time after this to catch up but the year is early so it should happen by this fall/winter. We'll see.

[caalvarez2]

Mar 31, 2011 9:20:32 GMT -5 kingklavetter said:

Mar 31, 2011 9:05:19 GMT -5 caalvarez2 said:

the Strikeforce contract with Showtime runs through next year.Dana has already said that once it is up,Showtime will be negotiating directly with the UFC.i don't think those negotiations will go very well.i guarantee you that after that contract is up,Scott Coker and the rest of the Strikeforce work staff will be on the unemployment lines.Dana and Lorenzo will fold the Strikeforce brand into the UFC,just like they did with the WEC.once that happens,hopefully we will see some of these fights.i too like Werdum and think he has come a long way since his loss to JDS.and i was very happy when he defeated that overrated fatass Fedor.i would like to see Dana bring him back to the UFC.but that probably won't happen for awhile anyways.

so King,when and where will your first fight be?and at what weight?

I agree. Strikeforces days are limited. I'm sure Coker made a great deal of cash in the sale so he will be fine. The rest of the crew is hurting though. Hurt most by this is the Russian mob run M1 Global promotions. Sorry guys, you may be a big deal in Russia but here in the US you just can't have your way. USA!

I will look for it later but somewhere on the intraweb there is a shot of Allistair's growth over the years. It's so amazing when you see it. Hopefully I can find it later. Yeah, I'm with you though, if a guy doesn't get popped and he says he's clean than I have to take his word. As wrong as that feels sometimes you just have to. But mostly, I don't give a shit who is gassed and who is not.

I want to fight at 155 this year but currently I am at 192-194 and fucking growing. My belt is going down and my fat is dropping (talk of that in my journal) but I keep gaining weight. I have been avoiding weightlifting but now it appears that I have to really buckle my diet. According to the bodpod, if I get down to 170-175 I'll be 6-8% BF. There will be muscle loss so MAYBE I can be in the high 160's by then. If I can find a 24 hour weigh in I can make 155.
For right now I have a fractured hand and wrist so BJJ is the only thing I can work on. I'll need a lot of sparring time after this to catch up but the year is early so it should happen by this fall/winter. We'll see.

i agree 100% brother about M1 Global.they can kiss our asses.when i heard that Zuffa had pruchased Strikeforce,the first thing i thought was *well those russian mobsters are gonna be pissed off now*.

i have seen the photos of Overeem.they speak for themselves,don't they?its pretty drastic.you go from really-skinny 205lb Alistair to Alistair who looks like he's eating 200mgs of anadrol daily lol.one of those pics he is bloated as hell.and i'm with you,i don't give two shits who's juicing and who's not.its in all sports now,and they will never be able to get rid of them,so might as well accept them.i've done them myself before,so i am not a hypocrite either.to each his own.everyone makes their own decisions.who are we to judge anybody?

that sucks about the hand and wrist man.i hope that shit heals qucikly so you can get back on track.i know how it feels after a lengthy time away from throwing your hands.good luck with that.

its been fun chatting with you about this shit too brother.keep it coming man.

[kingklavetter]

So now that Fitch is sidelined who deserves the shot against BJ? My knee jerk reaction is Carlos Condit. Last WEC champ and on a win streak. But, I feel in my gut that there is a better match up for him.

[caalvarez2]

Apr 4, 2011 19:05:49 GMT -5 kingklavetter said:

So now that Fitch is sidelined who deserves the shot against BJ? My knee jerk reaction is Carlos Condit. Last WEC champ and on a win streak. But, I feel in my gut that there is a better match up for him.

yeah i think Condit would be the first choice as well,but his knee still isn't fully healed yet,so maybe not.there have been other names thrown around already,such as Anthony Johnson,Thiago Alves and Diego Sanchez.

[kingklavetter]

Diego is too intimidated by BJ. I know he is tough as nails by that last ass whooping he took from Penn was severe that there has to be a long term effect. When they get locked up and Diego feels that Deja Vu his brain will begin to fill with doubt and then it is all over.
Johnson would crush Penn. Johnson is a better match for Fitch.
Alves is scheduled to fight Rick Story at 131. It's a little to late into training camp to ask him to reformat and get ready for Penn. Although I love that match up.
Also, Rick Story gets a "sorry bud. You didn't need money anyways right?"

A lot of people in 170 are either new, injured or on a losing streak. Tough match making for Joe Silva