'Page Fought "The Law" and "The Law" Won

Or at least that’s the conclusion one could draw from the report released today with stats from the fight between Quinton “Rampage” Jackson and Matt Lindland. The FightMetric system gives the fight to Lindland 29-28 for winning rounds one and three.

But that’s only half the story. The overall scores for the fight are 159-163, which falls within FightMetric’s four-point margin for error. That means the fight overall is a draw, which sounds more than reasonable. While Rampage landed more effective strikes, Lindland stayed busy on the ground and attempted five submissions.

What we’re learning over the course of the FightMetric project is that there probably should be many more draws in MMA than are actually called. In many cases, a controversial decision is controversial because the fight really was too close to call. But the ten-point must system makes fools of us all when judges refuse to call 10-10 rounds. Calling a round even carries the stigma of indecision, as if a better judge should have been able to spot the victor, even when there fairly shouldn’t be one.

Will this change anytime soon? Probably not. The reason seems clear: A close decision disappoints only the fans that thought the losing fighter won; a draw disappoints almost everyone.

Source:'Page Fought "The Law" and "The Law" Won

UFC Fight Night 15 Predictions

Clay Guida vs Mac Danzig
Clay “The Carpenter” Guida (23-9), instantly recognizable for his log mane of wild, curly hair, is a tough and well-rounded fighter who, for some reason, seems to have trouble translating his natural ability into consistent wins in the UFC. Over his career, Guida’s strength has been his grappling, but he has […]

Source:UFC Fight Night 15 Predictions

Don't Forget About Sherk

It’s been all BJ all the time the last couple of weeks here, as we ramped up to UFC 84 with a few detailed reports of his fights. Today marks the release of the career TPR Report for BJ Penn and we have an article up at Yahoo Sports with some really interesting information about BJ’s jiu-jitsu and the way he passes guard.

But don’t think we forgot about Sherk. While the majority of his fights have been in smaller organizations, and thus, do not have readily accessible video, we are doing the best we can to learn what we can about Sherk’s time in the UFC. The first product of that study is released today, a detailed report on his fight with Nick Diaz. This is one of those odd fights where all three judges agree precisely on the scoring, but the fan community is up in arms. As the stats show, the fight was extremely close, nearly a draw. What are the chances that Penn-Sherk is that close?

Source:Don't Forget About Sherk

Josh Neer – The Quiet Headliner gets His Chance to Shine

Debbie Lee, UFC – This past April at Colorado’s Broomfield Event Center, Josh Neer stepped into the Octagon with all odds stacked against him. With an extended absence from the UFC, untested mettle in a new weight class, and a formidable veteran opponent, a potential win would not come easy. To add to the burden, this wasn’t an ordinary fight— its outcome would determine his standing in the organization.The funny thing is, it wasn’t the pressure that made Neer choke.

Source:Josh Neer – The Quiet Headliner gets His Chance to Shine

Alan Belcher Searches for Consistency with Some Unique Summer Schooling

Thomas Gerbasi, UFC – If Alan Belcher was still a schoolboy, he would have had some essay to hand in when asked to describe his summer. From a trip to Thailand, to training through Hurricane Gustav for his nationally televised fight this Wednesday against Ed Herman, the 24-year old from Biloxi has had a couple of months to remember, but what will ultimately stick in his mind the most won’t be determined until this week in Omaha.

Source:Alan Belcher Searches for Consistency with Some Unique Summer Schooling