Author: Andrew Mahlmann

Pushing the Pace: Are Judges Overlooking Aggression and Octagon Control?

Too many times I will see a fighter pushing the pace and being aggressive, yet losing the round despite not being noticeably out-struck.Why is this? Are aggression and octagon control not part of the judging criteria?What makes things even more flabber…

Too many times I will see a fighter pushing the pace and being aggressive, yet losing the round despite not being noticeably out-struck.

Why is this? Are aggression and octagon control not part of the judging criteria?

What makes things even more flabbergasting is that if no fighter clearly wins the round, a score of 10-10 is still perfectly reasonable.

Top examples that come to mind of fighter’s being awarded rounds despite moving backwards and not out-striking their opponents include:

—Jay Hieron over Rick Hawn

—Lyoto Machida over Mauricio Rua 1

—Chris Cope over Shamar Bailey (Ultimate Fighter)

And those three examples are really just the tip of the iceberg. If one fighter is constantly backing up, and not phasing his opponent, why does the fighter not pressing the pace win the round?

We do not want to see two fighters circling each other for 15 minutes or more without throwing a punch.

As great as self-defense is, offense is still part of the equation in fighting.

Having a style that revolves around counter-punching and counter-attacking is fine, but if you are not damaging your opponent with frequency, your lack of aggression needs to acknowledged.

I am not sure about you guys, but I am not as interested in Ultimate Feinting as I am in Ultimate Fighting.


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Bruce Lee, Chuck Norris and 25 Guys Who Could Have Been Great in MMA

One of the great things about MMA is that it answers the age old question, “who is the toughest SOB around?”While it does a great job answering that question as more and more folks realize it is the appropriate forum for doing such, there have been a t…

One of the great things about MMA is that it answers the age old question, “who is the toughest SOB around?”

While it does a great job answering that question as more and more folks realize it is the appropriate forum for doing such, there have been a ton of terrific badasses who never competed.

So who are the greatest tough guys and martial artists who never competed in MMA?

Well, how about I tell you?

These are the 25 guys who had that something special and could have been great in MMA.

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The 30 Most Impressive Unbeaten Streaks in MMA History

It is much less common in MMA for fighters to accrue tremendous winning streaks than it is in boxing.That is what makes these unbeaten streaks all the more impressive.With there being so many different styles and ways to end fights, even top fighters u…

It is much less common in MMA for fighters to accrue tremendous winning streaks than it is in boxing.

That is what makes these unbeaten streaks all the more impressive.

With there being so many different styles and ways to end fights, even top fighters usually do not go on winning streaks of more than four or five in a row.

The mental toughness is takes to keep an edge over a perpetual conveyor belt of masters of different styles is mind boggling.

Just when a fighter thinks he can beat anyone in the world is when his next opponent usually finds a way to win.

Some fighters “pad” their records with mediocre fighters (“cans”), but keeping a streak alive is still a monumental task when competing against professionals.

Out of all the streaks, these are the most impressive in history.

Qualifications: Must be at least 10 victories in the streak, and since this is for “unbeaten” streaks, only an official loss ends a streak.

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Frank Mir, Minotauro and the Top 10 Tightest Guillotine Chokes in UFC History

The guillotine choke, named after the decapitation device, is a common front choke utilized by a number of martial arts.If you do not protect your neck carefully, especially when shooting in for a takedown, the guillotine choke is one of the quickest w…

The guillotine choke, named after the decapitation device, is a common front choke utilized by a number of martial arts.

If you do not protect your neck carefully, especially when shooting in for a takedown, the guillotine choke is one of the quickest ways to lose a fight.

Some fighters, like Sean Sherk, seem to have a supernatural ability to withstand the choke, but never underestimate an opponent’s guillotine ability.

Most fighters must concede defeat immediately when the choke begins relieving them of their consciousness, but still some, like many on this list, cannot succumb soon enough to avoid the results of being put to sleep.

These are the top 10 guillotines in UFC history.   

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Stephan Bonnar vs Karlos Vemola Slated for UFC on Versus 5

The UFC announced this week a light heavyweight showdown between Ultimate Fighter alum Stephan Bonnar and Czech wrestling champion Karlos Vemola at UFC on Versus 5 expected on August 14.Bonnar, now an established UFC veteran, is coming off of cons…

The UFC announced this week a light heavyweight showdown between Ultimate Fighter alum Stephan Bonnar and Czech wrestling champion Karlos Vemola at UFC on Versus 5 expected on August 14.

Bonnar, now an established UFC veteran, is coming off of consecutive victories over Krzysztof Soszynski and Igor Pokrajac.

A former heavyweight, Vemola is coming off of a very impressive light heavyweight debut in which he TKOd Seth Petruzelli in the first round and picked up “knockout of the night” honors.

Both durable fighters, Vemola has never been stopped, and Bonnar has only been stopped due to cuts.

Held at the Bradley Center in Milwaukee, UFC on Versus 5 will host a number of other notable fighters including Jim Miller, Ben Henderson, Dan Hardy, Chris Lytle, Amir Sadollah and others.

The event will be the UFC’s first in Wisconsin. 

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UFC 130 Fight Card: Quinton ‘Rampage’ Jackson’s Top 10 Career Victories

Quinton “Rampage” Jackson is one of the best light heavyweight fighters in the history of the sport; easily in the top 5.Rampage once said he wants to be the highest-paid fighter that the sport had ever seen. It is no secret that he is very much a priz…

Quinton “Rampage” Jackson is one of the best light heavyweight fighters in the history of the sport; easily in the top 5.

Rampage once said he wants to be the highest-paid fighter that the sport had ever seen. It is no secret that he is very much a prize fighter, in it for the paycheck.

Now that he has accomplished so much, as a former champion and still a leading Pay Per View draw, fans hope that his motivation does not wane in the face of his upcoming opponent at UFC 130, Matt Hamill.

Hamill is hungry and motivated and has a style very similar to Jackson’s which should result in an explosive bout.

Although Rampage is the favorite heading into the bout, this is not going to be an easy fight for him.

If he wins, will it be one of his top 10 best victories of all time? If it is convincing enough, it certainly could be.

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