Tag: General

So, Should We Hate Or Love What Ryan Hall Did At The TUF Finale?

So not too far back you probably came across an article that stated how traditional martial arts is the future of mixed martial arts. It’s an opinion that I still stand by wholeheartedly. The distance management, the selection of strikes, the variety and movement, traditional martial arts striking has all the factors needed to bring a fighter’s game to the next level. Brazilian jiu-jitsu wizard Ryan Hall is one fighter who has embraced the idea of traditional martial arts bolstering his game.

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So not too far back you probably came across an article that stated how traditional martial arts is the future of mixed martial arts. It’s an opinion that I still stand by wholeheartedly. The distance management, the selection of strikes, the variety and movement, traditional martial arts striking has all the factors needed to bring a fighter’s game to the next level. Brazilian jiu-jitsu wizard Ryan Hall is one fighter who has embraced the idea of traditional martial arts bolstering his game.

At The Ultimate Fighter finale Ryan Hall showed new wrinkles in his game against the veteran Gray Maynard in a match that ended up feeling decidedly disjointed. When the fight was contested on the feet, Hall demonstrated exactly what he’d been working on since teaming up with karate masters Ray and Stephen Thompson.

You could see the similarities in their styles from the way Stephen Thompson and now Ryan Hall bounced in the southpaw stance, circling and cutting angles and utilizing long range kicks of different variety to keep their opponent guessing. The biggest difference in their approach: where Thompson looks to knock out his opponent, Ryan Hall is looking to use his strikes to set up his grappling game.

That’s what the fight with Maynard so frustrating.

Hall consistently threw kicks that landed flush, particularly the hook kick that smashed into Maynard’s grill almost at will. The problem is right when Maynard chose to counter back with strikes of his own Hall was diving for the legs in hopes of catching the veteran in a submission. While it may be a smart and effective approach, the fact that it slowed down the action was more than irritating to observe. The crowd at the Palms didn’t appreciate the tactical approach to Hall’s game, and even when it was quite obvious that his strategy was working, it took the whole fight out of fighting. Yes, not all fights are going to be barnburner slug fests, but the point of fighting is to prove you are the superior combatant. Hall proved that his striking is effective, but when he faces someone who has equal parts striking and grappling, he’ll have to learn to bite down on his mouthpiece and endeavor to trade blows.

What did you think of Ryan Hall’s performance?

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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“Pride Goeth Before The Fall” – Is The UFC Setting Itself Up For Failure?

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The end of an empire?

While putting a negative spin on every piece of media that doesn’t involve social justice seems to be the thing for modern day media, we over here at Cage Potato have a genuine concern for the direction of the UFC. Hate it or Love it is the biggest and BEST promotion for MMA and has a concentration of talent that is unrivaled. However, with the recent going ons as well as trials and tribulations, the UFC is going to have to open up that iron fist if it wants to keep that title.

If you know anything about Machiavellian theory, the worst things you want to do is keep up multiple conflicts over a long period of time. With The recent start up of the MMAAA (Mixed Martial Arts Athletes Association), the UFC now has a considerable amount of fires it has to put out. Sure, the association may not go anywhere, but to a certain degree the fact that is has gained media attention shows that it has already won. It also a stepping stone for those who want to attempt a union in the future.

The fact that Bellator is gaining steam doesn’t help much either. Sure it helps in the scope of MMA as whole but for UFC it doesn’t bode well. With pioneers like Ben Henderson and Rory MacDonald making the switch, and homegrown talent like Douglas Lima, and Michael Chandler, the promotion is becoming more and more of a legitimate option. They actually pay fighters not named Conor McGregor.

Free agency is another beast that feeds into the Bellator option. With fighters like Lorenz Larkin and Ryan Bader up for grabs. UFC can’t play the take it or leave it game they’ve played in the past. Lorenz Larkin is an explosive prospect that could pay dividends in the future. Besides being an in octagon dynamo, he’s got a personality to boot. Not a big one, but if you listen to him he’s actually got something to say, a quiet confidence that could take off if promoted right.

“My management spoke with Bellator and they are very interested in talking with me,” he said. “That’s a good thing. And I know RIZIN is interested, too. I feel like there’s interest there.”

“If the promotion doesn’t believe in me, then what’s the point?” he says. “I’m kind of seasoned now. It’s not the thing I just want to be cool and tell people I fight in the UFC. That doesn’t do anything for me. Every fighter, they want a promotion to believe in them and believe they can do something and maybe put a little push behind you. I understand I won’t get pushed with everybody, but I feel like I have talent, I’m a fan-favorite to watch, I have an exciting style, I’m not boring in the cage, so my whole thing is, ‘use it.’

Bader, although always a bridesmaid, has made a good case for a pay rise. Stopping Ilir Latifi and Antonio Rogerio Nogueira in his last two fights, he manages to always stay in the top 5 in an otherwise paper thin division. Sure, he looked bad against Rumble Johnson, but he keeps improving and always puts himself in position. Could he eventually get the belt? In MMA you never know.

But besides free agency, the general consensus of the fighters seems to be one discontent. With Cole Miller recently posting about his lack of compensation due to the Manila card cancellation, Fabricio Werdum pretty much having a cold war with Reebok, and some of it’s most well known fighters starting an Athletic Association to get their needs met, the UFC’s position is less than ideal. Even strong leadership has to keep its citizens happy.

The new ownership is obviously more business minded, we get it. But you can’t keep cheesing with the Conor McGregor move and neglect the other fighters on the roster, and it’s starting to backfire. Multiple sources reported a less than ideal turnout for the TUF Finale 24 last saturday night even though it was headlined by their pound for pound Demetrious Johnson. While Entertainment might bring the fair weather fans, the backbone will always be the die hards. You have to start promoting the sport AS WELL AS the entertainment! You can’t rely on the pop from spectacles such as UFC 205 to keep the promotion afloat. UFC has to find a way to make the sport the lifeblood and the entertainment the cherry on top, instead of the other way around.

The stronghold the UFC had on the sport and its fighters seems to be a thing of the past. The real question is will the UFC give a little to get a little, or stick to their guns to the bitter end?

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Fallout: Tim Elliott Deserves Respect, Henry Cejudo Deserved The Win

Well, who saw that coming? I know I said the winner of TUF wouldn’t stand a chance against Demetrious Johnson, but Tim Elliott really acquitted himself against the long time champ. The match showcased exactly why mixed martial arts is so entertaining.

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Well, who saw that coming? I know I said the winner of TUF wouldn’t stand a chance against Demetrious Johnson, but Tim Elliott really acquitted himself against the long time champ. The match showcased exactly why mixed martial arts is so entertaining. The element of the unknown made for a bit of a nail biter even when it became apparent that Elliott wouldn’t be able to keep up his success. Even so, he proved that he has a tremendous amount of talent and could certainly become a major threat if given the chance improve.

Elliott threatened Johnson in the first round with some solid grappling and striking to take the opening frame. It had the makings of an upset written all over it. But the champion would once again show what he’s made of and adjust his game plan to play to his strengths. Still, it was truly unusual, and kinda of riveting, to see Johnson threatened at all. Elliott’s ability to create chaos is uncanny and it once again made for a thrilling contest. With some game planning and better entries with his striking, Elliott really could become one of the elite. No one likes eating crow, but I’ll admit that Elliott is a one of a kind fighter. Here’s hoping he continues to grow.

The two other elite flyweights on the card put on a show, but the outcome was a little sketchy to say the least. Joseph Benavidez and Henry Cejudo battled it out for three rounds in the co-main event. While Benavidez may have had the edge it terms of strikes landed, Cejudo landed the harder shots and pushed the action for much of the match. Heading into the contest Benavidez was the odds on favorite. After the contest Cejudo proved that he’s a lot better than people gave him credit for. We’re already seeing some new wrinkles in Cejudo’s game since his recent camp switch. His timing still needs a bit of work but it’s much improved. With time and the right seasoning, we could be seeing Cejudo once again challenge for the flyweight belt in no time.

What’s your opinion on the flyweight main events?

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“Y’all Musta Forgot” Check Out Demetrious Johnson’s Best Finishes Right Here

“P4P”

A couple of weeks ago we put out the pound for pound rankings for the end of 2016. Though flyweight champion Demetrious Johnson was at the top, it was surprising how many names were thrown into the hat. We saw request for Jon Jones, Anderson Silva, and of course the one and only Conor McGregor. While a valid argument can be made for all three, with Conor leading the pack due to his masterful performance at UFC 205, we thought we’d give you guys a little reminder of why Demetrious Johnson is at the top – better yet, why he deserves it.

The post “Y’all Musta Forgot” Check Out Demetrious Johnson’s Best Finishes Right Here appeared first on Cagepotato.

“P4P”

A couple of weeks ago we put out the pound for pound rankings for the end of 2016. Though flyweight champion Demetrious Johnson was at the top, it was surprising how many names were thrown into the hat. We saw request for Jon Jones, Anderson Silva, and of course the one and only Conor McGregor. While a valid argument can be made for all three, with Conor leading the pack due to his masterful performance at UFC 205, we thought we’d give you guys a little reminder of why Demetrious Johnson is at the top – better yet, why he deserves it.

Besides being the only fighter to ever win via Kimura choke in  a title fight against Chris Cariaso at UFC 187, here’s are a short list of his in cage accomplishments.

He’s never been knocked out or submitted in MMA competition.

His average fight time of 17:23 in UFC flyweight competition is the longest in divisional history.

His 1,164 total strikes landed in UFC flyweight competition are the most in divisional history.

He lands 55.9 percent of his significant strike attempts in UFC flyweight competition, the highest rate in divisional history.

His 43 takedowns landed in UFC flyweight competition are most in divisional history.

His 59 takedowns landed overall in UFC competition are tied for fifth most in company history behind St-Pierre (87), Gleison Tibau (84), Frankie Edgar (66) and Clay Guida (61).

He is the only fighter in UFC history to record 10 or more takedowns in three separate bouts.

His submission of Kyoji Horiguchi at the 4:59 mark of Round 5 at UFC 186 stands as the latest stoppage in a UFC fight.

He is one of two fighters in UFC history to earn two fifth-round stoppage victories. T.J. Dillashaw also accomplished the feat.

 

But lets face it, statistics can only go but so far. You can read all the stats you want but how does the champion look in the ring? Even with a magnifying glass you’d be hard pressed to find any mistakes on this flyweight, with flawless footwork and the rare ability to look better in each and every fight, at his division he’s damn near unstoppable.

Now we know Johnson has an upcoming bout with TUF 24 winner Tim Elliott this saturday. So we thought we’d give Elliot a little pep talk for what he had in store on Saturday night.

Fighting Demetrious Johnson is literally like fighting a spider monkey. He’s so fast and accurate, and his TRANSITIONS are second to none. You think he’s going to take you down, nope, he changes levels again and hits you with a left cross, right straight, and two leg kicks for your troubles. If you do stop the takedown then you’re in the clinch with a Tazmanian devil that will knee you to death against the cage and then add a head kick for good measure.  At 5’3 he somehow manages to throw head kicks like jabs. Oh so now you’ve got a gameplan, you’re going to take him down are ya? His explosiveness makes it damn near impossible to keep him down, and even if you do, he’s just as dangerous from the bottom as anyone else in the UFC.  Whatever you do, don’t let him get on top because it’s armbar city. His transitions are lightening fast and, you won’t even know it’s coming.

…Oh and did we mention he’s tough as nails, doesn’t get tired, relentless, and has no concept of the word quit? When Bruce Lee said “be like water” , he meant be like Demetrious Johnson.

Let us know what you think of Demetrious Johnson in his upcoming bout with TUF 24 winner Tim Elliott? Does Elliot have a chance or nah?

 

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Reaction: So What’s This MMA Athletes Association All About?

It looks like the time has finally come. It seems as if the Mixed Martial Arts Athletes Association is actually happening and that can mean some very, very big changes moving forward in the sport. The Association promises some pretty bold, pretty intriguing offerings for those who looking for some security outside of the major mixed martial arts promotions, namely the UFC.

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It looks like the time has finally come. It seems as if the Mixed Martial Arts Athletes Association is actually happening and that can mean some very, very big changes moving forward in the sport. The Association promises some pretty bold, pretty intriguing offerings for those who looking for some security outside of the major mixed martial arts promotions, namely the UFC. Fighter treatment has been a hot-button issue for quite some time now, specifically fighter pay, health insurance, and severance/retirement packages fighters aren’t afforded with their contracts with top MMA promotions.

Is this Fighter Association what the athletes have been waiting for? At this point it’s hard to say. The Fighter Association has been set up in hopes of representing their clients, namely fighters under the UFC brand for example, and their best interests. Tim Kennedy, Georges St-Pierre, and the other fighters on the board have gone on record stating that their first line of business is to obtain a settlement package that will ensure that past, present, and future UFC fighters will be given the benefits needed to give them a safety net for their post fight careers. Going forward they are hoping to expand on this idea of giving the power back to the fighters.

So far, it sounds great and it’s about time that something was done to ensure that fighters are given a fair shake. The problem is we can’t celebrate so soon. Until a great deal of fighters join this association, until we’ve seen that the big promotions are actually being threatened by this new entity, there’s no way of knowing if the MMA Athletes Association is truly going to make a change. With big names like Georges St-Pierre, Donald Cerrone, Cain Velasquez, TJ Dillashaw, and Tim Kennedy as members of the board, fighters are sure to be in good hands moving forward. It’s all about if they can actually get some traction for this thing to work. Until then, everything is a question mark.

What is your take on this new Mixed Martial Arts Athletes Association?

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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