Last Saturday, when Lyoto Machida used a real life version of Mortal Kombat and the “Crane Kick” all rolled into one, actor Steven Seagal took little time to take credit for teaching Machida the move.
In actuality though, Machida didn’t meet up with Se…
Last Saturday, when Lyoto Machida used a real life version of Mortal Kombat and the “Crane Kick” all rolled into one, actor Steven Seagal took little time to take credit for teaching Machida the move.
In actuality though, Machida didn’t meet up with Seagal until the night of UFC 129, and in fact, learned the kick from his father, not Seagal.
“There is this kick in Karate, ‘Kanku Dai’. When I started preparing, soon after hernia surgery, my preparation was a bit limited, so my dad [Yoshizo] gave me some kicks to train and told me to use it in sparring at times, but always very carefully because this is a shot that hurts, it’s like a poke,” Machida told Tatame.
Machida told Tatame the news that he did not meet with Seagal until the night of the fight and Seagal was the person who told him it would work.
“When I came to Canada I met with Steven Seagal and he said ‘Machida, this kick will work.’ But I was not worried about doing it or not, only if a chance came up. I was relaxed… and dropped the kick into place. There was nothing ‘out of nothing,” said Machida.
The Internet yet again took storm after learning that Seagal had taught yet another fighter a knockout inducing, epic “Knockout of the Night” kick. Seagal takes credit for Anderson Silva‘s front kick to the face of Vitor Belfort at UFC 126.
Rumors have it that Seagal working with the members of Team Black House is a PR stunt and a marketing exercise.
Seagal though says that he is working with the members on some awesome—legal—kicks.
“There are some real different entrances that I’m working on with the guys. There are some other things that I don’t want to talk about that you guys just haven’t seen at all yet. You haven’t seen it, but it’s legal,” Seagal said.
They say that three times is a charm, although I’m not exactly sure who “they” are…
Perhaps they are gypsies? Or fortune tellers? Or Bas Rutten in the flesh?
I don’t really know, but I do know that the current UFC Lightweight …
They say that three times is a charm, although I’m not exactly sure who “they” are…
Perhaps they are gypsies? Or fortune tellers? Or Bas Rutten in the flesh?
I don’t really know, but I do know that the current UFC Lightweight Champion, Frankie “the Answer” Edgar, had better hope that luck is on his side on the 28th of May, when he is set to face-off for the third time in his professional MMA career (second time consecutively) against his old nemesis, Gray “the Bully” Maynard, at UFC 130 in Las Vegas.
After two previous meetings, it is apparent that Maynard holds the advantage against Edgar, despite fighting to what was a very exciting draw at UFC 125. The first encounter between these two warriors was approximately three years ago at UFC Fight Night: Florian vs. Lauzon, which saw Maynard win via unanimous decision (hence the edge).
Edgar has yet to redeem that loss, and like any competitive athlete, I would have to think that it weighs heavily on his mind from time to time (yeah…that’s an understatement).
If Edgar plans to retain his belt for a third successive title defense, he had better hope for a better game plan than simply surviving the first round. As impressive as Edgar was for weathering the storm, I wouldn’t think that he would be so lucky a second time around.
If he finds himself in trouble again like the last time, I don’t see this fight going the full distance—a rarity for both fighters.
UFC 130 Main Card
Lightweight Championship bout: Frankie Edgar (c) vs. Gray Maynard
Bantamweight bout: Miguel Torres vs. Demetrious Johnson
Preliminary Card (Facebook?)
Middleweight bout: Kendall Grove vs. Tim Boetsch
Lightweight bout: Cody McKenzie vs. Bart Palaszewski
Bantamweight bout: Renan Barão vs. Cole Escovedo
Bantamweight bout: Chris Cariaso vs. Michael McDonald
*All fights are subject to change.
Frankie Edgar: The Breakdown
Edgar has a record of 13 wins, one loss and one draw. As previously stated, both of those blemishes came at the hands and tremendous wrestling prowess of Gray Maynard.
Edgar is on a five fight win streak, which includes back-to-back wins against former Lightweight Champion, BJ Penn.
Despite fighting to a draw in his last bout against Maynard, Edgar (along with Maynard) was awarded with “Fight of the Night” honours, and proved once and for all to fight fans everywhere that he absolutely deserves to wear the Lightweight crown.
After a massive beating in the first round that saw Edgar get knocked down on more than one occasion, he not only survived the round, but he also managed to battle back to take the advantage in the overall fight.
If you haven’t already, I strongly suggest you watch this fight.
It should also be noted that Edgar has gone the full distance in 10 out of his last 12 fights.
Gray Maynard: The Breakdown
Maynard is undefeated with a record of 10 wins, one draw and one no contest—no losses to date.
Maynard’s last eight fights have also all gone the full distance, which might suggest that both of these men have obvious difficulty in finishing fights.
The no contest happened in Maynard’s fight against Rob Emerson due to the fact that he knocked himself out, after slamming Emerson onto the mat.
If memory serves correctly, Maynard disputed the referee’s decision at the time, claiming that he was conscious throughout the ordeal, but after watching the replay several times, it was apparent that the “Bully” was out cold.
Despite having an undefeated professional record, Maynard did lose to Nate Diaz by way of guillotine choke in the semi-finals of The Ultimate Fighter 5, but I think it’s safe to say that he has evolved quite a bit as a fighter since then.
The Prediction
No guillotine chokes here.
After my brutal predictions for UFC 129, where I officially scored 0 out of 5 correct in the main card (what can I say? I love the underdog!), I’ll be looking to play it a little bit safer this time around—the problem with that is, with these two amazing competitors, just about anything can happen.
Well…almost anything.
Give Maynard credit—he almost knocked Edgar out in the first round on their last meeting. The operative word there is “almost.”
I don’t expect that Edgar will be approaching this fight the same way, and no doubt, the adjustments that he made in the later rounds taught him a thing or two about how to actually defeat Maynard.
I’m sticking with the trend on this one, and I’m choosing Frankie Edgar to win by decision.
I’ll save my crazy pick for the Frank Mir vs Roy Nelson match-up.
These are my opinions. If you don’t like them…I have others. Check them out at www.mrjamesryan.com
Tonight (May 5) on HurtsBad Radio, Todd Jackson will be talking to Mr. James Ryan about the release of his new book Desolate Warrior. It’s a book about the triumphs and struggles of Will Ribiero. And speaking of triumphs and struggles, amputee MMA fighter, Matt Betzold, will also be on the show to talk about his contributions to the Desolate Warrior project, as well as, his commitment to the fight game.
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…
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.”
While the speculation surrounding a superfight between Anderson Silva and Georges St-Pierre continues to grow, Japanese star Yushin Okami looks to spoil that opportunity, as he will challenge the Brazilian for the UFC middleweight title at UFC Rio this…
While the speculation surrounding a superfight between Anderson Silva and Georges St-Pierre continues to grow, Japanese star Yushin Okami looks to spoil that opportunity, as he will challenge the Brazilian for the UFC middleweight title at UFC Rio this summer.
The recent announcement of Okami and Silva became somewhat of a surprise to most mixed martial arts fans, as UFC president Dana White stated previously that Silva and St-Pierre would meet if both champions were to defeat their opponents, which they did, having essentially cleaned out their respective divisions.
But for now, it appears the UFC boss has other plans.
And for Okami, he seems quite content with being booked against Silva, who, after winning 10 of his last 12 UFC bouts, is ready to get his shot at the title.
“My opponent is the champion Anderson, the fight is in Brazil, and I am the challenger. I’d say that the table has been set,” he said to MMAFighting.com.
Okami has been eagerly awaiting a rematch with the champion ever since his debut in the UFC five years prior. In January, 2006, Okami was awarded the victory via disqualification after Silva landed an illegal kick that left the Japanese star unconscious and unable to continue.
While Okami said he believes Silva’s kick was not intentional, Silva has held a grudge against Okami and he publicly stated his opponent was able to continue the bout, but chose not to.
As a result, Okami is the last man to technically defeat Silva. And regarding Silva’s bad blood towards him, Okami said he could care less about what the Brazilian thinks of him.
“It doesn’t matter what he thinks,” he said. “All I think about is defeating Anderson.”
Okami has evolved since his first bout with Silva and has been paying close attention to the Brazilian’s recent performances, vowing that he will not be able to toy with him like he has done to past opponents.
“I will guarantee that he will not be bored when fighting me,” Okami said.
Although this won’t be their first encounter against one another, it will be the first time Silva defends his middleweight title in his homeland of Brazil, a difficult task Okami must overcome in order to beat the champion again.
Meanwhile, Silva, who will be defending his title for a unprecedented ninth time, is arguably the sport’s best pound-for-pound fighter and will look to exact revenge on Okami.
But Okami said he will not let the champion’s home-field advantage nor his mystique overwhelm him.
“He’s got an aura that intimidates any opponent,” he said. “I’m going to take that aura away from him.”
At UFC 129, Mark Hominick gave Jose Aldo a run for his money even with a hematoma on his head. Unfortunately, that wasn’t enough to grasp the UFC featherweight title from Aldo.Hominick though, may get another crack at the featherweight title with a cou…
At UFC 129, Mark Hominick gave Jose Aldo a run for his money even with a hematoma on his head. Unfortunately, that wasn’t enough to grasp the UFC featherweight title from Aldo.
Hominick though, may get another crack at the featherweight title with a couple more wins under his belt after he impressed the UFC with his UFC 129 performance.
“Oh, they were thrilled. They were like, ‘Heal up and we want you back as soon as you can. In another two fights you will get another crack at the title,’” Hominick told The Fan 590 Radio on Monday. “I know some of the things I have to work on to take him out. I don’t think he would be lining up to fight me to tell you the honest truth.”
Hominick took the fight to Aldo and in the fifth round made an impressive comeback to try and sway the judges in his favor. Hominick though lost to Aldo by unanimous decision and is now out for a little bit while he heals.
Hominick’s performance took place at home in Canada in front of 50,000 at Roger Centre in Toronto.
“It was just a constant stream [of cheering], that’s what I was hearing. It just made me try that much harder. I think I proved there is no quit in me,” Hominick said. “I know I was supposed to go in there and I wasn’t supposed to make it out of the first round, but I was just trying to finish him. I wanted that belt so bad.”
Now, though, Hominick must move on from his great performance last Saturday night and find a new opponent.
“[I’m going to] just take [on] a guy who’s maybe coming off of a win because I’m still in contention. I don’t think that fight puts me on the bottom of the pile. I’m still up there with the performance I put in,” Hominick said. “Jose Aldo hasn’t lost in five years. He’s never been in any type of trouble in any of his fights and I almost finished him. I took him to his limits. People know that I’m for real and I just have to go out there and prove it again.
“Honestly, I think 30 seconds more and I could have finished the fight. I wasn’t stopping and he was fading. But again, the bell rang and he won, so I have to go back to the drawing board and come back stronger.”
Gray Maynard will face Frankie Edgar for Edgar’s UFC lightweight title at UFC 130 on May 28 in Las Vegas, Nevada. The fight will be Maynard’s third bout against Edgar. The first time the two met, in 2008, Maynard proved victorious, defeating Edgar by u…
Gray Maynard will face Frankie Edgar for Edgar’s UFC lightweight title at UFC 130 on May 28 in Las Vegas, Nevada. The fight will be Maynard’s third bout against Edgar. The first time the two met, in 2008, Maynard proved victorious, defeating Edgar by unanimous decision.
The two battled again at UFC 125 on January 1 of this year, and fought to a five-round majority draw. The draw resulted in Edgar retaining the UFC title he won from BJ Penn at UFC 112. The loss and draw with Maynard are the only two blemishes on the record of Edgar (13-1-1).
Maynard ran up his impressive record of 10-0-1 (one no contest) facing some strong lightweight fighters. “I fought who they wanted me to and I asked for the top guys,” Maynard told MMAFA.TV. “If you look at it now, in the top 10, I’ve fought about four of them: (Jim) Miller, Edgar, Nate (Diaz), (Dennis) Siver. I’ve never had an easy fight. I don’t like to explain that because either you know it or you don’t.”
Maynard does not see Anthony Pettis, the last WEC lightweight champion, as having the same pedigree as he does.
“Let’s look at who he’s fought. Ben Henderson is the best name. And I don’t mind fighting him; I don’t care if I win the belt and then I have to take him on,” Maynard continued. “But for me, guys like Miller, Melendez and all of these guys who have been on the f***ing grind, fighting the best competition for the past few years…that’s what I look at.
“Who have you fought? I don’t care about how good you looked when you fought a scrub. That doesn’t matter. If a guy isn’t good then you’re not supposed to look good. And for me, (Pettis) has fought one good guy in Ben, and he isn’t proven yet. He’s tough as hell, but we’ll see.”
Pettis is currently scheduled to meet Clay Guida on June 4 during The Ultimate Fighter Season 13 finale show. If he is able to get past Guida he will be next in line to fight for the UFC lightweight title.
When talking about his January 1 fight with Edgar, Maynard thinks he knows where things went wrong. “I’m still kind of new to all of this,” he said. “What happened when I caught Frankie in the first round, that’s never happened to me before so I didn’t know what to do. Next time I will. It’s a learning process and I’m still learning.”
The lightweight contender also spoke about his relationship with Rashad Evans, a fighter he roomed with during his college wrestling days at Michigan State University. “A lot of people have Rashad wrong. He’s the most down-to-earth guy, unbelievably nice,” Maynard said. “Rashad is my boy and he’s a real person. I like real people. I hate fake people. Absolutely hate them.”
UFC 130 will take place at the MGM Grand Garden Arena on May 28, the main card will be broadcast on pay-per-view beginning at 9:00 pm ET.
Last Saturday, when Lyoto Machida used a real life version of Mortal Kombat and the “Crane Kick” all rolled into one, actor Steven Seagal took little time to take credit for teaching Machida the move.