Tag: Fighting

Why Tito Ortiz vs. Forrest Griffin III Is Necessary

The rubber match has a prized place in the heart of most combat sport fans. Normally, it means a third serving of that wonderful meal that left us in love with the cooks in the first place, a sublime indulgence of the vicarious. Some incredible trilogi…

The rubber match has a prized place in the heart of most combat sport fans.

Normally, it means a third serving of that wonderful meal that left us in love with the cooks in the first place, a sublime indulgence of the vicarious.

Some incredible trilogies have taken place in combat sports, both boxing and MMA: Barrera vs. Morales, Couture vs. Liddell, Ali vs. Frazier, Silva vs. Jackson, Marquez vs. Pacquiao, Gatti vs. Ward and so on.

A great trilogy is like being in storm country, with a privileged eye to the exact spot and time that lightning might strike next.

So, you may ask, given all of this, why on earth is the rubber match between Tito Ortiz and Forrest Griffin necessary, especially with no divisional ramifications attached?

Read on and find out.

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Tim Boetsch: ‘I’m Going to Smash Yushin Okami’

For the first time since December 16th, 2000, the Ultimate Fighting Championship will return to the birthplace of mixed martial arts for UFC 144.In one of seven main card bouts, Tim Boetsch (14-4) will meet Japan’s own Yushin Okami (26-6) for a middlew…

For the first time since December 16th, 2000, the Ultimate Fighting Championship will return to the birthplace of mixed martial arts for UFC 144.

In one of seven main card bouts, Tim Boetsch (14-4) will meet Japan’s own Yushin Okami (26-6) for a middleweight showdown.

In a recent interview, Boetsch told Bleacher Report of his plans to ruin Okami’s coming home party, as he’ll look to win his third consecutive bout in the 185-pound division.

While “The Barbarian” was certainly expecting to move up the middleweight ladder, he had no idea just how quickly it would take place.

“My initial reaction was really surprised to be completely honest. It was a huge step into competition,” said Boetsch. “I was pretty surprised that they were giving me the chance to fight the top of the ladder so soon.”

“I was like, ‘holy cow.’ I didn’t think I would move up that quickly, but at the same time I was excited because that’s where I want to be,” stated Boetsch. “I’ve always wanted to fight the best guys in the world.”

As Boetsch was notified of his upcoming bout, he was also made aware of the location in which the fight would take place at—Saitama, Japan.

Therefore, in order to leave foreign grounds victorious, Boetsch will not only need to defeat Okami but overcome his hometown crowd.

“It’s an interesting opportunity because of all the heritage MMA has in Japan. But for all the places in the world to fight, I would want to fight right here in the U.S. You don’t have to deal with travel, jet lag and things like that,” said Boetsch. “So a lot of things are stacked against you when you travel there to fight.

“Certainly he’ll be the hometown favorite, but that’s always been one of the aspects I like. I always enjoy going into someone’s house and beating them in front of their crowd,” stated Boetsch. “He’s tough to fight anywhere, yet alone his own country where there won’t be any quit in him.”

Despite recent success at the middleweight division, Boetsch has yet to meet an opponent with the complete skill set of Okami.

Even still, Boetsch believes there are few areas where Okami will hold the advantage when their main card bout begins on February 25th.

“To be truthful, I believe I have the upper hand everywhere. I’m not really concerned where the fight goes, I just hope he doesn’t run too much. We just got added to the main card and it’s the first time we’re going to Japan in a while,” said Boetsch. “So I want to make it an exciting fight for the fans of Japan.”

But Boetsch may need to dominate in impressive fashion if he hopes to leave the MMA stomping grounds with his third consecutive victory.

“The Barbarian” is well aware of the disadvantage he may have entering an opponent’s home country, as the judges’ scorecards tend to favor the native more times than not.

Michael Bisping’s victory over Matt Hamill rings a bell when “The Count” was able to escape with a close split-decision victory at UFC 75 despite the controversy of the decision.

“I think he very much wants to go to the judges’ scorecards. But I very much don’t want to go to the judges. I want to actively pursue him and finish him,” stated Boetsch. “That’s what I’m going to do.”

A win over Okami would certainly be the most meaningful in Boetsch’s career to date, as he’ll have proved he belongs in the upper echelon of the 185-pound weight division.

But it could also mean something else.

Something even greater.

“Honestly, I could see myself fighting for the No.1 contender’s spot after this fight. I won’t get a title shot, but I see myself fighting for that spot very soon,” said Boetsch.

“But, before that can happen, everyone will get to see me smash Okami.”

 

For additional information, follow Garrett Derr on Twitter.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

Nick Diaz and the 10 Most Unprofessional Fighters in MMA

Being a professional athlete comes with the responsibility of obvious duties, like being a professional.Although most mixed martial artists act with class and professionalism, there are still some fighters who act unprofessionally. This not only hurts …

Being a professional athlete comes with the responsibility of obvious duties, like being a professional.

Although most mixed martial artists act with class and professionalism, there are still some fighters who act unprofessionally. This not only hurts their image, but can be a potential roadblock to getting fights in organizations.

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MMA: Best One-Punch Knockout Artist by Division

The one-punch knockout is the weapon that can decide a fight in the mere blink of the eye. It can salvage a losing effort for a fighter and dazzle the masses.There are not an influx of one-punch knockout artists that encompass the MMA world, but those …

The one-punch knockout is the weapon that can decide a fight in the mere blink of the eye. It can salvage a losing effort for a fighter and dazzle the masses.

There are not an influx of one-punch knockout artists that encompass the MMA world, but those who possess the gift of knocking people out on a dime are fortunate for such a tool.

Let’s take a look at the best one-punch knockout fighter by division.

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Tim Sylvia Deserves Another Shot in the Octagon

Tim Sylvia is a former two-time UFC heavyweight champion. He defended his title a total of three times—tied for the most defenses ever—but he hasn’t seen the inside of the Octagon since 2008 when he lost an interim title fight to Antonio Ro…

Tim Sylvia is a former two-time UFC heavyweight champion. He defended his title a total of three times—tied for the most defenses ever—but he hasn’t seen the inside of the Octagon since 2008 when he lost an interim title fight to Antonio Rodrigo “Minotauro” Nogueira.

However, in his last seven fights, Sylvia has gone 6-1 with five finishes, and has launched a campaign to try to get himself back into the UFC.

If you were to look at Sylvia’s Twitter over the past couple of days, it is filled with him re-tweeting fans who want to see him back in the Octagon, and tweets from him about wanting to get back into the UFC.

He even got into a spat with current UFC heavyweight Cheick Kongo to try and drum up interest to propel himself back into the UFC.

Sylvia deserves another shot in the Octagon. He has earned it with his recent performances and his history in the organization.

Throughout his career, Sylvia has had victories over current UFC fighters such as Ben Rothwell and Brandon Vera.

He also claims that he fought when there weren’t that many UFC events each year, but now there are many more, which means many more fighters, and the UFC has to fill up cards. Sylvia claims he can “beat 80 percent of the guys in the UFC.”

Dana White‘s biggest argument against Sylvia is that he was champion when the division was weakest, and when Sylvia and Andrei Arlovski were “knocking each other out every weekend.”

Dana also says that the last time he saw Sylvia was when he was knocked out by Ray Mercer.

In a recent video released by Sylvia, he makes his case to come back to the Octagon.

Dana White has no real reason to keep Sylvia out of the UFC. White told MMAjunkie.com,

“I have no beef with Tim Sylvia. The guy’s out there trying to make a living and doing what he’s doing. But for him to make the claim that he could knock out 80 percent of the heavyweights in the UFC, what I just said before says it all.”

Sylvia can claim whatever he wants, whether or not White agrees with him shouldn’t be a large factor. If White has no issues with Sylvia, then he has no reason to keep him out of the UFC.

White has often given the fans what they want, and there is a large contingent of fans that want to see Sylvia back in the Octagon.

Sylvia is a veteran, can make the 265-pound limit and deserves another shot in the Octagon.

Whether you want to see him in the cage to see him lose, or whether you want to see him win, he deserves to get back into the UFC.

 

Tim McTiernan is a Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report. For the latest news on everything MMA, follow me on twitter @TimMcTiernan.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

UFC on FOX 3: Pat Barry vs. Lavar Johnson Breakdown

UFC on FOX 3 is headlined by a lightweight collision pitting contenders Nate Diaz and Jim Miller in the main event of the evening.However, a heavyweight clash of lethal strikers is primed and ready to steal the show.The UFC’s Pat Barry will look to der…

UFC on FOX 3 is headlined by a lightweight collision pitting contenders Nate Diaz and Jim Miller in the main event of the evening.

However, a heavyweight clash of lethal strikers is primed and ready to steal the show.

The UFC’s Pat Barry will look to derail Strikeforce transplant Lavar Johnson in a battle that pits two of the division’s most dangerous strikers opposite of one another.

Both men come from varying disciplines, though more often than not, both can produce dynamic knockouts to captivate the interests of the fans and media alike. 

 

Pat Barry/ Laron Zaugg for MMAWeekly.com

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