Amanda Nunes vs Ronda Rousey: 5 Things To Keep An Eye On

Ronda Rousey has been a ghost for the past thirteen months since her defeat at the hands of Holly Holm. Since then it’s been radio silence on the “Rowdy” front and as such fans have been waiting with baited breath to see how Rousey would rebound from her first loss. The sad part about Ronda’s big comeback party is that she’ll have to lock horns with current women’s bantamweight champion Amanda Nunes. Usually, a breakdown would follow this introductory paragraph, but you have to shake things up now and again. So instead, here’s five points of interest to watch out for in the UFC 207 main event.

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1. The Same Coaching Staff

So, Ronda Rousey has stuck with the same coaching staff following her last bout at UFC 193. While her loyalty may be commendable, one has to wonder if it’s truly the smartest move. The biggest takeaway from the fight besides Rousey’s first defeat was the lack of valuable information in the corner between rounds. Edmond Tarverdyan may be able to teach boxing with adequate results, but at this level of the game cornering a pro fighter should be more nuanced. The biggest issue with his coaching was that he failed to offer his fighter new adjustments between rounds. Rousey was dominated for the first time in her career and when she returned to her corner, no valuable strategies were awaiting her. Some fighters need a pep talk between rounds, that’s true. But in the heat of competition words of encouragement won’t cut it. If Ronda faces adversity at UFC 207, Tarverdyan better be prepared to give his fighter tangible advice.

2. Any New Techniques?

If Ronda Rousey hopes to be champion again come Friday then she’ll need to show some new wrinkles to her game. Rather than just throwing punches in bunches and looking for a hip toss, kicks of all variety should be on the table if she wants to be successful. Throwing a fighter off their game, making them uncomfortable, that’s the key to grasping victory.

Also, what new goodies does Nunes have cooked up? We could just be scratching the surface of the champion’s skills. Don’t be surprised if Nunes starts throwing wheel kicks out there, especially considering her traditional martial arts background. As we all know anything can happen in an MMA match.

3. Ring/Cage Rust

Rousey’s been gone for a minute while Nunes has been collecting scalps and cutting checks. That time away could have either hurt Ronda or sent her game to a new level. This fight could easily come down to activity versus stagnation.

4. The Difference In Striking

I mentioned striking before, but this is truly the field in which both fighters will need to keep their eyes open. Ronda can’t afford to bull rush and hope to connect a good shot on the champ’s chin. Nunes will also need to be cognizant of the same thing. She can’t afford to blink or get flustered by Rousey’s pressure game. Ronda will need to show patience (and feints for Gods sake) to close distance while Nunes will need to keep the former champ on the outside and at the end of her strikes.

5. Who’s The Better Grappler?

Once the fight hits the mat things are sure to get interesting. Both women come from a judo background and both have strong ground games, albeit in different ways. Nunes has impressive top control and is extremely violent when she’s in that position. Ronda hunts for submissions the moment the fight gets to the ground. It’ll be a positional battle with Nunes having to avoid consistent submission attempts while Ronda avoids being brained by the champion.

So, who do you got in the UFC 207 main event?

Jonathan Salmon is a writer, martial arts instructor, and geek culture enthusiast. Check out his Twitter and Facebook to keep up with his antics.

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Ronda Rousey Storms Off Stage After Early Weigh Ins.

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All Business

Ronda Rousey has made a point to avoid the media storm for her first fight back against Amanda Nunes on Friday at UFC 207, and the official weigh ins were no different.

She showed up in amazing condition, as most people expected her to, and hit 135 on the nose. She was the first to weigh in and when she was done she stormed off the scale with no time for pictures and answering no questions from media. When they asked her to come back out she simply refused.

The real question here is she just so focused that she can only think about the fight? Or is she so emotionally damaged that any negativity could break the camel’s back?

Only time will tell but if there’s one thing that’s for sure she’ll have to go from 0 to 60 tomorrow night.

Hit us up in the comments section below and let us know what you think about Ronda Rousey’s new no-nonsense attitude.

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Dominick Cruz Owns Cody Garbrandt…Again!

We know Conor McGregor is suppose to be the best trash talker in the game but Cruz is coming in as a close second. The cerebral assassin strikes again and this time it’s a headshot to the Alpha Male crew.

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Complete Annihilation

We know Conor McGregor is suppose to be the best trash talker in the game, but Cruz is coming in as a close second. The cerebral assassin strikes again and this time it’s a headshot to the Alpha Male crew.

In a recent UFC interview for their upcoming bout this Friday on UFC 207, headlined by Ronda Rousey vs. Amanda Nunes, Dominick Cruz and Cody Garbrandt exchanged in a war of words. One of them left in a huff and the other sat calmly and continued to narrate the situation, and the one walking away wasn’t Dominick Cruz.

The craziest part of this video is how effortless Dominick Cruz was in his trash talk. Everything flowed naturally, he didn’t even break a sweat. When he caught Cody Garbrandt on a point, especially an emotional one, he just kept hammering it home and eventually Garbrandt snapped.

What we like about Cruz is that he spits ether, breaking his opponents down to the core, not just as fighters, but human being. His remarks are stinging and truly hit home on a very personal level. Not like the bragadocious remarks of a Conor McGregor, his statements are truthful and direct, no fat necessary. What we don’t like about Cruz’s trash talk is that very same thing. While it’s nice to get inside your opponent’s head, you don’t want to get too personal, as you can make some real enemies. Talking about past concussions as well as the wives and girlfriends of others are taboo in the fight game and get you in a real mess. Overall, an A- for both sessions, losing points for the concussion talk.

Obviously your boy Dominick “Domin8ter” Cruz has been reading up on his Machiavelli, but is all really fair in love and MMA?

Let us know what you think of the trash talk below. Did the man with the hands of stone get owned?

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UFC 207 Picks: This Is The Only Way Cody Garbrandt Can Beat Dominick Cruz

UFC 207 is quickly approaching and I for one can’t wait. While the card has its fair share of standout matches, the co-main event is certainly one the fans should keep their eyes on as Cody Garbrandt bids for the bantamweight title again champ Dominick Cruz. The trash talk has been colorful even finding its way onto social media. Both men have been trading jabs, Cruz arguably getting the better of Garbrandt in the exchanges, and now they’ll trade their virtual punches for some legitimate action on Friday night.

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Since coming back from injury earlier this year, Dominick Cruz has looked nothing short of phenomenal in his victories over TJ Dillashaw and Urijah Faber. In the Dillashaw match we saw Cruz dominate most of the match until facing a bit of adversity in the final two rounds. Still, his head movement, solid and unpredictable takedowns and striking led him to victory. The performance against Faber showed that Cruz not only has legit power in his strikes, but has improved his distancing game. The sequence in which he allowed Faber to close the distance in order to land a left overhand from the southpaw Stance shows that Cruz’s understanding of distance has sharpened. Against Garbrandt he faces a young Up and comer who has legitimate power in his hands. Cruz will likely employ his usual game plan of moving on the outside and making Garbrandt miss. More than likely we’ll be seeing more leg kicks out of the champ as well as some well timed takedowns as he is want to do against opponents who favor a boxing heavy attack.

For Cody Garbrandt the match up is far more complicated. Garbrandt’s striking is certainly clean, technical, and traditional. Which is exactly the problem. If he hopes to take out Cruz, Garbrandt will have to embrace a kicking game as well as avoid headhunting. Where fighters always seem to go wrong with facing Cruz is constantly aim to land a shot on his chin. Garbrandt should start at the legs and body then begin to work his way up to his head. He’s primarily a boxer which is ultimately going to hurt his chances if he looks to land leather rather than focus on his full arsenal of skills. Garbrandt also has a tendency to launch forward without throwing feints or strikes which could leave him open to strikes and takedowns. Garbrandt has a punchers chance, but if he utilizes his kicks and his wrestling he can at least surprise the champ and keep him guessing.

It’s almost as if in order to defeat Dominick Cruz you have to come into the fight as a completely different fighter each and every round. There are only a few fighters with that kind of capability and one of them happens to be Dominick Cruz. While many think this one goes to decision, a finish wouldn’t be surprising. The pick is Dominick Cruz by stoppage in the third round.

Do you think Cody Garbrandt has a chance?

Jonathan Salmon is a writer, martial arts instructor, and geek culture enthusiast. Check out his Twitter and Facebook to keep up with his antics.

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Does The Bearded Fighter Carry An Unfair Advantage?

We all know the story of Samson and Delilah. Samson was judge of Israel and derived his great strength from his lengthy locks. When his enemies discovered his secret they devised a plan to cut off his hair, gouge his eyes out, and imprison him to a number of years of hard labor…geez. So how would Samson favor in the new age of MMA? Well if he fought in Ontario, let’s just say I wouldn’t exactly put the house on it.

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Hair today…

We all know the story of Samson and Delilah. Samson was the judge of Israel and derived his great strength from his lengthy locks. When his enemies discovered his secret they devised a plan to cut off his hair, gouge his eyes out, and imprison him to a number of years of hard labor…geez. So how would Samson favor in the new age of MMA? Well if he fought in Ontario, let’s just say I wouldn’t exactly put the house on it.

Under Ontario Athletics Commision fighters must be clean shaven or wear a closely cropped mustache prior to competing. This left welterweight Emil Meek as well as two other fighters dumbfounded and shocked prior to their 206 bouts.

“After I had cut weight, I just checked the weight with the UFC commission [liaison team]. I was waiting to get called up to the official weigh-ins. As I was there, the Ontario commission sat there and asked if they could have a word with me. I just sent my cornerman since I was dehydrated,”

“He yelled at me, ‘Emil! You need to shave your beard.’ I was like, ‘Uh, that’s funny.’“

Nope, it’s a thing. Meek discovered the hard way what many fighters have had to deal with for years. These rules started from boxing and were implemented into MMA, stemming from reasons from making the sport more palpable to the public to being able to medically inspect cuts and bruises. Other reasons include possible beard grabbing, friction from rubbing, hygiene, and possible cushioning. Fortunately, Unlike Samson, Emil “Valhalla” Meek doesn’t derive his strength from his sweet sweet Norwegian beard and pulled off a unanimous decision over a lackluster Jordan Mein.

But despite the red tape, do these reasons really post any significant advantage to the fighters who chose to grow out their mane? If cushioning is the reason then guys with long hair would be immune to head kicks, if it’s being able to inspect cuts and bruises, most of those things happen over the eye and nose. I don’t know if I’ve ever seen a fight stopped via chin cut. If it’s a broken jaw they’re looking for well that’s determined from the inability to close your mouth, and/or protruding teeth or jaw – nothing to do with facial hair.

With that being said, there are many wrestlers who will tell you grappling a guy with a long beard is no fun. In the high stakes world of MMA every little bit counts, and competitors are always looking for an edge, could this be the next budding issue of MMA?

Hit us up with you thoughts and comments below.

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Unsung Hero: Retired From Competition, Mike Brown Is Still A Fighter

Remember the days of the WEC? The simpler times when damn near every fight was exciting, save for Chad Mendes and his earlier grinding wrestling style. It was a time that turned Urijah Faber, Jose Aldo, Dominick Cruz, Miguel Torres, Takeya Mizugaki, Joseph Benavidez, Demetrious Johnson, and countless others into major MMA stars. It highlighted the greatness of the lighter weight divisions and how exciting the match ups could be. It was also the time when Mike Brown had his time to shine above all the other featherweights in the world.

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It’s strange once a fighter wishes to retire. Mike Brown was once the most feared featherweight on the planet after crushing Urijah Faber in their first meeting, destroying the then highly touted Leonard Garcia inside one round, and dominated Faber in their rematch. Mike Brown was a dominant wrestler with a ton of power in his hands and knew how to use it. Then came Jose Aldo and it seemed that everyone had forgotten how great Mike Brown truly was.

These days you can find Mike Brown at almost every event featuring an American Top Team fighter. His abilities as a high level fighter have transferred over well to his aptitude as an MMA coach. He’s been in the big show, a veteran of the UFC and WEC, and clearly has a passion for watching his teammates succeed in their own MMA careers.

While he may not have the spotlight shinning on him these days, Mike Brown is a man who is worthy of respect. While many may have forgotten his exploits, the former featherweight world champion is proving that life after retiring from the sport doesn’t have to be lived in obscurity. Rather, his dedication to his fighters showcases the kind of man that he is and perhaps has always been. Mike Brown is still a fighter, albeit in a different realm these days. With Amanda Nunes set to battle Ronda Rousey at UFC 207, it’s has to be a nice reminder and confidence booster that Brown will be in her corner for the toughest fight of her career.

What are your thoughts and remembrances of Mike Brown?

Jonathan Salmon is a writer, martial arts instructor, and geek culture enthusiast. Check out his Twitter and Facebook to keep up with his antics.

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