Author: Jordy McElroy

Georges St-Pierre, Jose Aldo Hate Speaks to the Short-Term Mindset of MMA Fans

You’re only as good as your last fight. The underlying effect of this mantra on MMA fans is amazing at times. An upper-echelon fighter could put together a solid résumé over quality opposition, and the MMA world will adorn him or her with…

You’re only as good as your last fight.

The underlying effect of this mantra on MMA fans is amazing at times. An upper-echelon fighter could put together a solid résumé over quality opposition, and the MMA world will adorn him or her with iconic praises and immortality.

If the fighter ever has a rough outing, fans and critics will claim the fighter was exposed and gear up the “over-hyped” bandwagon. When the fighter returns to form, everything will be right in the world again, and the praise will resume as if it had never left.

MMA isn’t special, and this particular type of banter is present in other sports as well.

After losing to the New York Jets in the 2010-2011 football season, the New England Patriots bounced back with five consecutive victories, including wins over tough teams like the San Diego Chargers and Baltimore Ravens.

The Patriots were starting to look like the team of destiny, but when they suddenly lost on the road to the Cleveland Browns, the aura of hype was ripped apart. They rebounded with significant wins after the loss, and once again, they were back to being the favorites in the NFL.

UFC welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre had already faced criticism about finishing fights, but the criticism was magnified in his tough unanimous decision win over Jake Shields. Featherweight champion Jose Aldo’s night wasn’t any easier. After gassing out in the early rounds, he was forced to gut out a unanimous decision victory over Mark Hominick.

Aldo is listed as third on most top 10 pound-for-pound publications. He is on a 12-fight win streak, and seven of those victories were stoppages.

Meanwhile, St-Pierre picked up his sixth consecutive welterweight title defense at UFC 129, which is one shy of tying UFC Hall of Famer Matt Hughes’ record. It’s been four fights since his last stoppage, but all of his victories have been completely dominant.

The sports world doesn’t allow any leeway for human error, and sometimes fans get so caught up in the present that they forget about the past, which is crippling in looking towards the future. As UFC champions, St-Pierre and Aldo are forced to face the best fighters in the world on a consistent basis. There aren’t any scrubs in between.

It’s asking a lot to expect these guys to completely dominate every opponent. Shields is listed in most pound-for-pound rankings, and Hominick could easily be considered a top ten featherweight.

This is where fighting deters from the rest of the sporting herd. In other sports, fans long for great matchups. They want to see the top dog tested and pushed like never before.

When UFC middleweight champion and proposed pound-for-pound king Anderson Silva fought Chael Sonnen at UFC 117, it was an incredibly tough and entertaining bout that ended with Silva pulling out the submission in the final round.

The backlash was incredible after the fight. For a long time, fans had claimed to want to see Silva tested, but when he actually was, the media horde blasted his in-ring abilities.

If you fast-forward a few months to Silva’s tremendous upkick victory over Vitor Belfort, you’ll see that he is back to being MMA’s messiah.

Former light heavyweight champion Lyoto Machida could also be included in this discussion. After coming off back-to-back losses to Quinton “Rampage” Jackson and Mauricio “Shogun” Rua, some began to question Machida’s fighting style and future as a title contender.

At UFC 129, he busts out the Karate Kid’s crane kick on a 47-year-old Hall of Famer, and the MMA world is already buzzing about a potential title bout between Machida and current champion Jon Jones.

Regardless of pound-for-pound placement, we all agree that guys like St-Pierre, Aldo and Silva are three of the best fighters in the world.

Why can’t we just enjoy special moments as they come?

People have become more occupied by watching these guys pull a rabbit out of their hat instead of actually enjoying the fights.

Yes, St-Pierre and Aldo looked mortal at UFC 129. They are only human. Isn’t that what propels the selling out of large arenas and big pay-per-view numbers. Just ask yourself. Why do you love MMA?

The unexpected keeps us on the edge of our seats. Sure, St-Pierre was a huge favorite against Shields, but if Shields managed to drag the fight to the ground, the possibility of an upset was real.

If Aldo made the slightest mistake against a savvy kickboxer like Hominick, his night could’ve been ended early.

Did anyone expect Matt Serra to knock out St-Pierre at UFC 69? What about Gabriel Gonzaga’s highlight reel KO victory over Mirko “Cro Cop?”

Even though the mantra has been used for years, it has never been true. Your last outing doesn’t determine your overall ability. If it did, every world-class athlete and team would all have been classified as overrated at one time or another.

Whether you see these fighters as Superman today or tomorrow, just remember, even Superman gets “exposed” every now and then.

 

(SportsHaze.com)

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Yushin Okami Vows to Take Away Anderson Silva’s Aura at UFC 134

What does it take to beat a guy like Anderson Silva? The favored answer would be a strong, aggressive wrestler with great submission defense. Despite being overlooked, these are the exact same qualities possessed by UFC middleweight contender Yushin Ok…

What does it take to beat a guy like Anderson Silva?

The favored answer would be a strong, aggressive wrestler with great submission defense. Despite being overlooked, these are the exact same qualities possessed by UFC middleweight contender Yushin Okami.

On August 27, Okami will finally get his long-awaited title bout in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil at UFC 134 against arguably the top pound-for-pound fighter in the world today, Anderson Silva.

“I will guarantee that [Anderson] will not be bored when fighting me,” Okami told MMAFighting.com in an email interview.

Silva’s dominant middleweight reign is legendary. Since defeating Rich Franklin for the UFC title in October 2006, he has successfully defended his throne a record eight times inside the octagon.

Most consider Silva to be one of the greatest fighters of all time. His ability to make some of the best fighters in the world look mediocre is nothing short of astonishing. At times, he even seems bored inside the octagon, which has led to questionable tactics in the past––such as hiding behind the ref, helping up a downed opponent during a fight, and busting out awkward gestures and dance-like movements.

Silva meets a familiar foe in Okami. The two went toe to toe in January 2006 at Rumble on the Rock 8, where Okami earned the victory after Silva was disqualified for an illegal upkick. The fight was stopped when a wobbled Okami wasn’t able to continue.

Silva wasn’t too happy about the way the fight went, and he even went on record to say that Okami could’ve continued but simply chose not to.

“It doesn’t matter what he thinks,” Okami said. “All I think about is defeating Anderson.”

Okami certainly has the style to present a legitimate threat to Silva’s reign. At UFC 117, Silva was completely outclassed by challenger Chael Sonnen for five rounds, but he was able to latch on a last minute triangle choke in the fifth round to retain his middleweight title.

Sonnen pushed the action on the feet throughout and secured takedown after takedown. Okami is a similar fighter with superior submission defense, and he should be able to take a page or two out of Sonnen’s book.

“Of course, Chael’s fight does give me some hints, but I am a different person, and therefore it will be a different fight,” Okami stated.

Born in Kanagwa, Japan, Okami hopes to boost the morale of a nation devastated by tragedy. The American success rate for Japanese fighters hasn’t been very good, but the statistics don’t seem to apply to Okami, who is a perennial contender and one of the top middleweights in the world.

“Winning the championship will be proof that an Asian can stand on top of the heavyweight contact sports world,” said Okami. “I believe that can also give strength to everyone in Japan and Asia. I hope the people of Japan will feel joy by seeing me become the champion.”

Okami is coming off two significant wins over Nate Marquardt and Mark Munoz, and his confidence level is through the roof. Fans are clamoring for a superfight between Silva and Georges St-Pierre, but it would be downright foolish to underestimate Okami’s chances.

He has the style to beat Silva, but can he get the job done?

“[Anderson’s] got an aura that intimidates any opponent,” said Okami. “I’m going to take that aura away from him.”

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Cesar Gracie Says Nick Diaz Wants Revenge for Shields Loss

A week ago, the world was buzzing about Nick Diaz’s possible professional boxing debut, but after watching his teammate and close friend Jake Shields drop a unanimous decision to welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre at UFC 129, the Stockton native i…

A week ago, the world was buzzing about Nick Diaz‘s possible professional boxing debut, but after watching his teammate and close friend Jake Shields drop a unanimous decision to welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre at UFC 129, the Stockton native is eager to slip back into a pair of four ounce gloves.

“Obviously, there’s a storyline behind it,” Diaz’s trainer Cesar Gracie said in an interview with MMAJunkie.com.

“Shields just lost a decision, and Nick wants some revenge for that. Nick is very confident that he can defeat St-Pierre.”

As Strikeforce welterweight champion, Diaz has amassed a 10 fight win streak and three consecutive title defenses. He has made multiple comments in the past about his dissatisfaction with the lack of competition and big payday.

Recently, he has turned his interest to the world of boxing and a plethora of possible debut opponents have already been rumored, including Fernando Vargas and IBF champion Jeff Lacy.

What would it take to keep Diaz under the MMA umbrella and set up a superfight with St-Pierre?

“Look, [UFC executive] Lorenzo [Fertitta] can do whatever he wants at this point. The guy signing the checks is the guy making the decisions,” said Gracie.

“There’s a couple of roadblocks, and I think the least of which is Nick’s contract with Strikeforce. That would be a roadblock if we chose not to take the fight against Georges St-Pierre.

“But obviously, that wouldn’t happen. The biggest thing is that Nick’s Strikeforce contract dictates that he can box in 2011, and we’ve gone pretty far into that process. It’s still a work in progress, but we’re just about there.”

A bout between St-Pierre and Diaz could instantly become a blockbuster. Diaz’s aggressive style could force the UFC champion into some interesting positions, but does he have what it takes to succeed where Shields failed?

Skeptics would point out Diaz’s previous struggles with strong wrestlers. Towards the end of his UFC tenure, he lost three consecutive bouts to Diego Sanchez, Sean Sherk and Joe Riggs.

St-Pierre is often considered the best wrestler in all of MMA.

It could be a tough style match-up for Diaz, who hasn’t faced a high caliber wrestler since leaving the UFC, but Gracie isn’t worried about skeptics. He believes that Diaz matches up well with St-Pierre, and a bout between the two could present fans with the intriguing welterweight title fight they’ve all been waiting for.

“[Nick’s] a guy that could press the action against GSP and not let GSP dictate the pace. GSP has been a great champ, and hats off to him, but there has been criticism that he’s not really taking risks,” stated Gracie.

“With Nick, you have the ultimate risk-taker. He will fight you at your game. He throws caution to the wind, really, because he’s more interested in beating you up than winning on points. I think that makes for an intriguing match-up between the two.”

At the UFC 129 post-fight presser, UFC President Dana White seemed open to the possibility of a bout between St-Pierre and Diaz, but a few hurdles would have to be cleared for the fight to actually become a reality.

Diaz will likely continue in his pursuit of a professional boxing bout, unless he gets the lucrative MMA bout he’s been waiting for.

“It would take Lorenzo and Dana to really come into this and show us how it could happen,” said Gracie.

“It would have to make financial sense for everybody. So, we’re waiting just like everybody else to see what they have in mind, and I’m more than happy to listen to their suggestions.”

 

(SportsHaze.com)

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