Dan Henderson did everything he needed to to get the win at UFC 139. He also did a few things that might have cost him the victory.Against a fighter like Shogun Rua, Henderson showed a few flaws that might be capitalized on if they figh…
Dan Henderson did everything he needed to to get the win at UFC 139. He also did a few things that might have cost him the victory.
Against a fighter like Shogun Rua, Henderson showed a few flaws that might be capitalized on if they fight again or if Henderson gets a shot against Jon Jones or Anderson Silva.
Henderson has always been an elite fighter, but he has never held onto UFC gold. He has won titles in PRIDE and Strikeforce, but the most recognized title will always elude him unless he is able to expand his repertoire.
Henderson may be 41, but he is still one of the most dominant fighters in MMA today and it wouldn’t be surprising if he could learn a few new tricks or iron out some quirks.
Here are the five things Henderson needs to work on if he wants to win a title.
Henderson and Rua put on one of the best fights in the history of MMA.At least that is how Dana White put it.Normally the UFC promoter is known to have bouts of hyperbole in which he tries to make the fight or event grander then it was. UFC 139 was no…
Henderson and Rua put on one of the best fights in the history of MMA.
Normally the UFC promoter is known to have bouts of hyperbole in which he tries to make the fight or event grander then it was. UFC 139 was not one of these times. When White said that it was one of his top three fights of all time, he might not have had his promoter persona on.
He might have just been what anyone else was who witnessed that fight Saturday night.
An excited fan.
It started as a one-sided beatdown by Henderson, but quickly changed as Rua was able to knock Henderson down. When Henderson finally was on top of Rua and seemingly in control, the Brazilian warrior was able to get his leg and almost submit him.
Between a bunch of swung leather and submission attempts, the fight had it all. It was so impressive that by the time the fourth and fifth rounds came and both fighters were exhausted, the crowd was willing to forgive any absences in the action.
It was a fight that stood out on a card that had Martin Kampmann-Rick Story, Urijah Faber-Brian Bowles and Wanderlei Silva-Cung Le. Each of these fights delivered with the next one being better than the last.
After the Silva-Le fight it would be hard to imagine a better fight than that. The main event just couldn’t be as great; it almost never happens.
But miracles happen. MMA fans got a rare treat and were able to see the most exciting type of fight in all of sports combat: two brilliant fighters pushing a technically sound, fast-paced, aggressive fight. They took it to the wall, the cage floor and the center of the Octagon. No part of the battlefield went unused.
And even though the fight might have been stopped a few different times, it wasn’t, and fans got to see Rua make a comeback and end up taking the fight to Henderson.
By the late rounds, Rua was getting in more offense. It was too little too late to get the decision win, but it was awe-inspiring.
When the final bell rang, there was only one way the match could have been spoiled. It had already been saved from incompetent refereeing and now all it needed was decent judges.
And when the scores were read 48-47 in favor of Henderson, fans got to see the perfect fight, with perfect refereeing and perfect judging.
It’s hard for fans to sometimes remember why fights are worth watching. Sometimes there are robberies, the best fights don’t get made, or a fighter doesn’t get signed or leaves the company.
And then there are fights like this to remind them why they watch: to see the best fighters in the world do what they do best and struggle against each other as they try to become legendary.
Rua and Henderson are both spectacular fighters who will most likely each end up with Hall of Fame careers and plenty of memorable fights, but this one stands out from the rest.
It is a fight fans can watch over and over again. It is something that might be shown on ESPN Classic 20 years from now.
Simply put, it was one of the best fights ever from two of the best fighters in the world.
Wanderlei Silva proved that he was able to turn the clock back at least one more time on Saturday night at UFC 139. Instead of getting knocked out and finally being forced out of the Octagon, he was able to weather the storm of Le’s kicks and com…
Wanderlei Silva proved that he was able to turn the clock back at least one more time on Saturday night at UFC 139. Instead of getting knocked out and finally being forced out of the Octagon, he was able to weather the storm of Le’s kicks and come back with a spectacular knockout.
The strike that landed might have been chance, but Silva showed a veteran’s wisdom and held back just long enough to find his openings while not letting Le recover.
Silva might want to retire with this win, as he still seemed to start slowly, but if he does want to continue fighting, then he certainly will do so with a large amount of fanfare. It is obvious that Silva is one of the most exciting fighters to step foot in the cage.
However, if he did retire, it would be depressing, but not the end of the world. That is because there are other exciting fighters in the Octagon who could entertain the masses.
For as long as there have been 24-hour weigh-ins, there have been fighters looking to use them to cut as much weight as possible.It’s gotten to the point where fighters are willing to risk their lives to get the biggest size advantage on an opponent. &…
For as long as there have been 24-hour weigh-ins, there have been fighters looking to use them to cut as much weight as possible.
It’s gotten to the point where fighters are willing to risk their lives to get the biggest size advantage on an opponent. Fighters are willing to cut anywhere from 10-20 pounds within 24 hours of the weigh-in.
In order to lose that weight most—if not all—have to resort to dehydration. This is extremely dangerous as many fighters shave off more weight then they should in one sitting.
A perfect example is Chris Leben, who said he cuts about 25 pounds. He was shown in a video cutting the weight with his team members and himself endorsing it and talking about how doing it the right way made it better for the fighter.
And then he got trounced by Mark Munoz. He just didn’t look like the Leben of old, and it showed.
It probably wasn’t just one weight cut. It probably had to do with Leben abusing his body over and over again to make the middleweight limit.
That kind of toll can break a fighter down over time.
And Leben isn’t the only fighter to put himself through this. Other fighters have cut weight in order to make weight. Readers only need to find the picture of James Irvin to see the risks that they are willing to take.
That picture of Irvin shows some of the major symptoms of dehydration, as mentioned by the Mayo Clinic—dry skin, sunken eyes, and lack of sweating.
That is a part of severe dehydration and though fighters only do it for a little while it can lead to some serious consequences if left unchecked.
It may not kill fighters but it certainly wreaks havoc on their body. It also disrupts the body’s natural rhythm, and each time it does so, it might cause permanent damage.
Even fighters who supposedly have dietitians and nutritionists still seem to struggle with weight. A great example is Thiago Alves. He finally got extra help to help him make weight easier and he still came in a pound over for his last fight.
Yes, he was able to fix that quickly enough, but the fact that it still failed to help him make weight didn’t do anything to help his standing with the fans or his boss.
It also didn’t do anything to help the argument of weight loss for fighting.
The worst problem might not just be that fighter cut weight, but that some even get out of shape while not in the gym. Another great example is Anthony “Rumble” Johnson.
The man has been out of shape when not in the gym and yet also cuts a lot of weight to make the welterweight limit. This yo-yoing between weights can exacerbate the problems and health of fighters as they have to quickly burn fat off in their training camps and then cut water weight within a few days.
The process is dangerous and it has finally gotten to the point where it might be causing more harm then good.
Fighters are known for their competitiveness and willingness to sacrifice future health for immediate success. It is starting to get to the point where weight loss has become the same weight.
On Saturday, most fight fans will tune in to see the heavyweight title fight between Junior dos Santos and Cain Velasquez.Those that do take a look at the undercard might notice this fight only because both combatants have equally difficult names to sp…
On Saturday, most fight fans will tune in to see the heavyweight title fight between Junior dos Santos and Cain Velasquez.
Those that do take a look at the undercard might notice this fight only because both combatants have equally difficult names to spell.
Other than the complexity of their last names, both Yamamoto and Uyenoyama have very few similarities.
Yamamoto usually knocks out his opponents and Uyenoyama mixes it up between submission wins and decision victories.
Yamamoto is 34 and Uyenoyama is 32.
Yamamoto has 23 fights to his name and Uyenoyama has nine to his.
And Yamamoto has won against top name competition. Uyenoyama hasn’t.
Yamamoto has beaten Jeff Curran, Ranyi Yahya, Caol Uno, Genki Sudo and Bibiano Fernandes. Other than the fights with Curran and Fernandes, each one has been by knockout.
He has also lost three of his four last fights. Yamamoto has been on a slump and there is a good chance that he is finally starting to age. It may just be that the “kid” is starting to turn into an old man.
With that said, Uyenoyama has lost two of his last four.
One of those losses was to Hideo Tokoro, a top Japanese fighter, but the other was to a relative unknown.
Uyenoyama has a gap of five years between his first professional fight and his second. He also hasn’t fought since September of last year.
Yamamoto’s last fight was at UFC 126 in February.
Yamamoto may be in a slump, but he is the more active fighter who has already been to the biggest stage and fought some of the best names. He has also been a fighter much longer if Uyenoyama’s five-year absence is taken into account.
For all intensive purposes, this seems to be a rebuilding fight for Yamamoto. It might be that the UFC wants to give him a win so they don’t have to cut him and can use him at UFC 144 when they return to Japan.
As mentioned above, Yamamoto might still lose. He has been in enough fights and has been on the wrong side of a decision as of late. It might just be that he doesn’t have anything left.
However, as Uyenoyama doesn’t seem to be in his league, this is his fight to lose.
Brock Lesnar is finally making his way to the Octagon at UFC 141 after finally getting surgery to fix his diverticulitis.He hasn’t fought since his loss to Cain Velasquez in which he showed the same weakness he did in the Shane Carwin fight.The we…
Brock Lesnar is finally making his way to the Octagon at UFC 141 after finally getting surgery to fix his diverticulitis.
He hasn’t fought since his loss to Cain Velasquez in which he showed the same weakness he did in the Shane Carwin fight.
The weakness that when he gets punched in the face, he loses his game plan.
Now he is set to face Alistair Overeem, a former kickboxing world champion.
Needless to say, Lesnar is going to have to improve his weakness fast.
While it is true that no fighter can improve their “chin,” the fact is that the chin is not really what gets a fighter knocked out.
What really gets a fighter knocked out is a lack of using their legs, the angle of their chin, the angle their head gets hit and where their brain collides with their skull, and how many concussions they have had.
The first part of his problem is that when Lesnar starts eating punches, he tends to get stiff legged and backpedals.
Part of taking a punch is loosening the legs and allowing them to absorb the shock of any punches or strikes that are taken to the head. By doing this, a fighter can minimize the damage they take.
Lesnar also doesn’t tuck his chin which is another problem.
There are fans and pundits believe that the chin itself is what causes a fighter to be knocked out, but it is actually the angle of the chin and how it makes the brain swing into the skull.
Where a fighter gets hit will determine how it affects them.
When a fighter is hit their brain swings from their brain stem and smashes into the inside of their cranium.
Depending on where it hits the fighter takes certain damage.
Having the brain smash against the back damages the occipital lobe which impairs vision and makes it difficult for fighters to see.
The frontal lobe which is at the foremost part of the brain affects consciousness and voluntary motor control. If hit hard enough it makes a fighter lose consciousness.
So it isn’t so much the chin as it is a fighter not tucking their’s properly and letting one of those key areas get damaged.
The last problem Lesnar has is that he hasn’t trained in striking that much.
He is a former standout wrestler, but he hasn’t trained that much in standup. Being hit and absorbing the pain is a kind of conditioning. It takes a while for a fighter to train their body to withstand that pain. Lesnar obviously hasn’t done it.
And this is because he probably never has to.
He is a scary-looking individual. Most people wouldn’t think of punching him in the face and there is a good chance that most of his sparring partners don’t either.
Lesnar has probably never had to deal with people standing toe-to-toe with him and striking back and because of it and his lack of martial arts experience because no one has had the guts to do it.
Now he is going to face someone much like Cain Velasquez. A man who doesn’t have any fear of trading blows with him.
Except this time his opponent is going to be just as large as he is. In which case Lesnar might want to start getting his boxing sharp for his fight so he can stand up with Overeem.
Henderson and Rua put on one of the best fights in the history of