Author: Adam Osterkamp

UFC 137: Is GSP Training with Dan Hardy to Become a More Aggressive Fighter?

Recently Georges “Rush” St-Pierre let the whole world know through Twitter that he was bringing Dan Hardy, a man he has beat, in to help him train for his upcoming fight against Carlos Condit at UFC 137. Dan Hardy, a fighter who is on a fou…

Recently Georges “Rush” St-Pierre let the whole world know through Twitter that he was bringing Dan Hardy, a man he has beat, in to help him train for his upcoming fight against Carlos Condit at UFC 137.

Dan Hardy, a fighter who is on a four-fight losing streak, has not only lost to GSP but to Condit as well. So one must beg the question, “Why in the world is GSP bringing Hardy in to his fight camp?”

St-Pierre is a fighter who is constantly evolving. He’s always looking for anyone who can teach him something new.

However, with his last four fights all going to decision, many people have been questioning GSP’s ability to finish fights.

Hardy is a fighter known for an aggressive, in your face, head-hunting style (although he hasn’t knocked out anyone in his past six fights). It’s a fighting style many fans wish GSP displayed.

So is GSP bringing in Hardy to help him get his killer instinct back? No. No he isn’t.

GSP is doing it because it affords him a great opportunity to train with a man who has fought both Condit and himself, and to get inside of Condit’s head.

Mostly, it’s to get inside of Condit’s head.

GSP is a smart fighter, and while he’d like to go out and finish every fight with a knockout, he’d still rather come away with the win.

Sure, Hardy might be able to give him some valuable bits of information, but GSP’s main goal here is to make Condit question his own fight plan.

Rush wants Condit to come into the fight asking himself if what he normally does will work. It’s genius.

A big part of this sport is a fighters mental stability going into the fight. Any fighter will tell you that they get nervous before a fight, but going in questioning your training is a big deal.

“Rampage” Jackson attributed his loss to Jones at UFC 135 with not following through on his game plan, and doubting his pre-fight training.

Condit had originally been training to fight B.J. Penn before things got switched around and he was given his shot at the title.

Now GSP has thrown another wrench in Condit’s gears by giving him yet another thing to question in his fight preparedness.

So as much as we may want GSP to be teaming up with Hardy because he’s looking to put Condit to sleep, he’s not. He’s simply doing what he’s always done, and that’s fighting smart.

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GSP to Train with Dan Hardy for Condit Fight: 5 Reasons This Is a Good Idea

Earlier today Georges “Rush” St-Pierre posted this on his twitter feed, “Guess who landed in town yesterday night to come train with me? For sure he’ll bring the much needed intensity to get prepared…Dan Hardy!!!”GSP is set to…

Earlier today Georges “Rush” St-Pierre posted this on his twitter feed, “Guess who landed in town yesterday night to come train with me? For sure he’ll bring the much needed intensity to get prepared…Dan Hardy!!!”

GSP is set to face Carlos Condit at UFC 137 in October. Bringing in Hardy, a man who has a loss to Condit, is a curious move on GSP’s behalf.

Is this the right move for St-Pierre, a fighter who has been incredibly dominant for years, to make? And what’s in it for Hardy, a man who’s lost to both GSP and Condit.

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Dana White Hints at Two UFC Events on Same Day in the Near Future

According to an article on Yahoo! Sports, Dana White and the UFC are planning on having multiple events on the same day in the near future. White was quoted as saying, “When we go to Japan next year, we’re going to be putting on a show at t…

According to an article on Yahoo! Sports, Dana White and the UFC are planning on having multiple events on the same day in the near future.

White was quoted as saying, “When we go to Japan next year, we’re going to be putting on a show at the same time in Las Vegas.”

White wasn’t too forthcoming with much information. When asked about how he and the UFC planned on executing having multiple events on the same day, he simply said, “You’ll see.”

The logistics behind running two events simultaneously can be tricky. White is still playing this one close to the chest, but he will be sure to release more information about the fights as the dates draw closer.

The UFC has an event scheduled for Japan on Feb. 26, which would be taking place in the early afternoon and air live in the states on the evening of the 25th.

White never confirmed a date, but these dates are most likely when the two events will be taking place.

Having two events on the same day is a great thing for not only the UFC and for fight fans.

For the UFC it means they will have continuing success and growth after their deal with Fox goes through in November.

For us fight fans it means that we will continue to get more of what we want. Fights!

As the UFC continues to grow and evolve, so will the sport of Mixed Martial Arts. That means more high quality, well rounded fighters, and more big events year round.

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UFC on Fox: Why the UFC Should Expect Massive Ratings on November 12th

The masses have yet to truly understand and embrace what the sport of Mixed Martial Arts is. It is a popular sport, yes, but still widely misunderstood.  The UFC’s debut on Fox should expect massive ratings if for nothing else than morbid cu…

The masses have yet to truly understand and embrace what the sport of Mixed Martial Arts is. It is a popular sport, yes, but still widely misunderstood. 

The UFC’s debut on Fox should expect massive ratings if for nothing else than morbid curiosity.  

November 12th, 2011 will be the first time in the history of the UFC that they will be broadcast on network television to a prime-time audience. It is an entirely new realm for not only the UFC, but for all of MMA.

One big portion of the UFC on Fox ratings will be new viewers who have been on the fence about the sport. Up until the UFC was broadcast on Spike, the only way to get any event was by way of pay-per-view.

Even after the UFC aired some free cards on Spike, fans could only watch the big cards, the main events, via pay-per-view. 

Now new fans can dip their toes in, without the need to worry about a hit to their checking account.

There will also be people tuning in to reaffirm their already biased and rigid beliefs about the sport. That it’s too violent or that it’s not really a sport. Perhaps some of them will have a change of heart—but probably not many. It’s still ratings though, and ratings are good.

But the biggest reason, the reason the sport has grown and will continue to grow, is morbid curiosity. It is a curiosity that is piqued in the caveman part of our brain. 

It is that part of our brain that wants to tune in, just to see if maybe, what we fear and relish at the same time might happen. That someone might get hurt.

Those viewers, the viewers who tune in to see two men beat each other senseless, they’ll become fans. That’s how we all became fans. Because we wanted to see two men fight, and ended up finding a sport that defined us.

We all have that desire to peek behind the curtain, to look at the goriest part of a movie, to see something that really turns our stomach. 

The UFC and Fox—they’re banking on that part of the human psyche.

They’re banking on the fact that lots of new viewers who want to see a blood bath will tune in to see one, and end up finding a sport they love instead.

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Riot at the Hyatt: Standout Mixed Martial Artists

The Minneapolis-based Mixed Martial Arts event, “Riot at the Hyatt” was a packed house by the end of the show. There were, however, two stand out performances of the night that many fans who showed up late may have missed. The first was an …

The Minneapolis-based Mixed Martial Arts event, “Riot at the Hyatt” was a packed house by the end of the show. There were, however, two stand out performances of the night that many fans who showed up late may have missed.

The first was an amateur bout between Nick Jessen and Andre “The Diva” Tieva. The fight went the distance with Tieva getting the win via unanimous decision.

The amateur bout had an exciting pace that never slowed. Tieva showcased impressive striking, take downs, and an ability to work off his back.

It was Tieva’s second fight to go the distance, leaving him with an undefeated amateur record at 5-0.

Tieva plans to go pro in early 2012 and currently trains with UFC veterans like Jacob Volkman, Nik Lentz, and Greg Nelson at the Academy in Minneapolis.

The second fight that stood out was between Chris Lane and Michael “The Marine” Richman. At 1:43 of the first round Richman walked away with a TKO victory due to corner stoppage.

While Richman did receive a broken nose, his stand up was very impressive. He looked eager to push the pace and dropped Lane with a couple of great body shots.

Once his opponent was on the ground, Richman laid into him with some vicious ground and pound before Lane’s corner threw in the towel.

Richman also trains out of the Academy in Minneapolis and has earned a record of 10-1, which includes his victory over Lane.

Both of these Midwestern warriors showed lots of promise, great skill, and an ability to dictate the pace of their fight. Be sure to keep your eye on them as they evolve through the sport.

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UFC: Tim Boetsch’s Move to 185 Pounds Is a Fresh Start to Career

After his second win as a middleweight at UFC 135 on Saturday, Tim Boetsch told reporter Ariel Helwani, “I have certainly not tapped my full potential here. I’m still learning.”While Boetsch said his first cut down to the new weight w…

After his second win as a middleweight at UFC 135 on Saturday, Tim Boetsch told reporter Ariel Helwani, “I have certainly not tapped my full potential here. I’m still learning.”

While Boetsch said his first cut down to the new weight was easy, this one was harder for him.

“The lungs are definitely hurting,” Boetsch told Helwani, when asked about being a bit gassed in the third round of his fight.

Boetsch still looked pretty good, despite his difficult cut. When combined with the fact that his fight was in Colorado’s higher elevation, Boetsch actually looked better-conditioned than a lot of fighters on Saturday’s card.

Boetsch showed everyone what a strong middleweight he is, when he performed a huge hip toss on opponent Nick Ring.

Boetsch took Ring completely off the ground, and managed to land on top of him in side control.

Once in side control, Boetsch managed to get Ring into a crucifix, but the round ended before Boetsch could do much with his advantageous position.

“I just want to continue getting better as a fighter,” Boetsch told Helwani, when asked what he wanted to do next at middle weight.

Boetsch also claimed he is “looking to put a run together” at his new weight class.

After his performance against Ring, Boetsch might be featured on the main card for his next fight.

While Boetsch hasn’t faced any stiff competition at the new weight class, he is a new talent that fight fans should pay attention to at welterweight.

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