‘Such Great Heights’ a Must-See for Jon Fitch, MMA Fans

Many moons ago, I worked in the documentary department of HBO Sports. While I had always been a fan of sports documentaries, that experience cultivated inside of me a true appreciation for a good sports documentary.

With that in mind, I was excited wh…

Many moons ago, I worked in the documentary department of HBO Sports. While I had always been a fan of sports documentaries, that experience cultivated inside of me a true appreciation for a good sports documentary.

With that in mind, I was excited when I heard that a group of young filmmakers — Jonah Tulis, Philip Frank and Jesse Osher — had produced a documentary on Jon Fitch, which was shot during his UFC 87 welterweight title run of a couple years ago, as well as a deeper look into what makes American Kickboxing Academy one of the most respected MMA gyms in the world.

It’s safe to say that other than The Smashing Machine and perhaps one or two others, the MMA documentary scene has been pretty subpar. So when the filmmakers invited myself and a group of other MMA media members to watch a special sneak preview of Such Great Heights prior to UFC 107 in Memphis, TN, I jumped at the opportunity.

I’m happy I did.

UFC 117 Is Basically ‘USA vs. Brazil’

(Images courtesy of UFC and Wikipedia)
Are you noticing a pattern here? By bizarre coincidence, the top six fights at UFC 117 (August 7th, Oakland) all feature an American fighter taking on a Brazilian fighter. It’s not an official gimmick like UFC …

UFC 117 poster Silva Sonnen
UFC 117 lineup Anderson Silva Chael Sonnen
(Images courtesy of UFC and Wikipedia)

Are you noticing a pattern here? By bizarre coincidence, the top six fights at UFC 117 (August 7th, Oakland) all feature an American fighter taking on a Brazilian fighter. It’s not an official gimmick like UFC 58’s "USA vs. Canada" setup — in which the Yanks went 5-3 against the Canucks — but it’ll be an interesting theme for the night, and hopefully the UFC will make the most of it. (Sorry Chandella, but we’ve found your replacement.) I’ll go out on a limb and say Brazil takes this event in a 4-2 rout, with Fitch and Guida scoring the only wins for the home team. Your predictions?

After the jump: Joe Rogan runs down the Hughes vs. Almeida matchup, and Jon Fitch discusses his co-headlining rematch against Thiago Alves.

read more

UFC 116 Video Round-Up: Lesnar Says Carwin Poses No Threat to Him; UFC Fighters Weigh In On Main Event

(Video courtesy YouTube/Zuffa)
Brock Lesnar and Shane Carwin have really stepped up the trash talk in the week leading up to their heavyweight title clash Saturday night at UFC 116.
Prior to this point, Lesnar has been uncharacteristically sedate…

(Video courtesy YouTube/Zuffa)

Brock Lesnar and Shane Carwin have really stepped up the trash talk in the week leading up to their heavyweight title clash Saturday night at UFC 116.

Prior to this point, Lesnar has been uncharacteristically sedate in his pre-fight posturing and seemed almost respectful towards Carwin during a conference call two weeks ago.

Well, apparently Brock got the itch to flip the script and went "WWE" on Shane in the above video.

"I feel no threat by him whatsoever. I don’t feel any threats by anybody."

Considering Carwin has yet to be defeated and has never fought outside of round one in any of his bouts, he may want to consider him a threat.

Cognizant that Lesnar is likely speaking out of his ass, Carwin calls him on the remark as well.

"Brock can talk all the garbage he wants for this fight. When they close that cage and I see Brock across from me, I want to tear him apart."

I know one thing: Somebody is getting hurt in this one.

read more

Jon Fitch: ‘If Koscheck is Able to Win the Belt and Defend the Belt, I Will Move Up to 185’

(Video courtesy Sportsnet)Sportsnet’s "Showdown" Joe Ferraro sat down with Jon Fitch this past weekend in Vancouver and, among other topics, spoke with the American Kickboxing Academy fighter about the UFC’s welterweight landscape a…

(Video courtesy Sportsnet)

Sportsnet’s "Showdown" Joe Ferraro sat down with Jon Fitch this past weekend in Vancouver and, among other topics, spoke with the American Kickboxing Academy fighter about the UFC’s welterweight landscape and his teammate, Josh Koscheck’s year-end showdown with 170-pound champion. Georges St-Pierre.

Not surprisingly, Fitch is picking Kos to beat GSP, and says that if it happens and Josh successfully defends his belt,  he’ll move up to middleweight indefinitely.

"The first fight, Koscheck lost the fight to a takedown. He won the first round, lost the second round and in the third he shoots a single, switches of to a double and Georges is able to defend it and sprawl and Josh has to pull guard," Fitch said. "That was the deciding factor in that fight, so it will be interesting to see where this fight goes now. I don’t know if will be as much of a wrestling match as it was the first time. There might be a lot more striking involved. It’s a tough fight and its an interesting fight, but I think Koscheck’s gonna win it."

read more

Report: Thiago Alves Medically Cleared for UFC 117

If you’re having a bad day and are in need of some good news, MMA Junkie is reporting that Thiago Alves has been medically cleared to begin fighting again by the New Jersey State Athletic Control Board, and as a result, the punishing welterweight will face Jon Fitch at UFC 117, August 7th. Just a […]

alves kicking koscheck

If you’re having a bad day and are in need of some good news, MMA Junkie is reporting that Thiago Alves has been medically cleared to begin fighting again by the New Jersey State Athletic Control Board, and as a result, the punishing welterweight will face Jon Fitch at UFC 117, August 7th. Just a refresher, in case your job entails inhaling computer duster hourly, Alves had been scheduled to fight Fitch at UFC 111, until pre-fight testing revealed an abnormality in his brain. The American Top Team fighter underwent successful surgery and is now free and clear to resume brutalizing dudes in the Octagon. The report from Junkie included this comment from the NJSACB’s Nick Lembo:

“Mr. Alves is medically cleared as of today to resume his career as a professional mixed martial artist in the UFC,” Lembo wrote in an email to MMAjunkie.com. “It is a pleasure to be able to clear Thiago and allow him to return to what he loves doing after all he has been through.”

Awesome. So, there you have it, Alves will finally get a chance to avenge his previous, 2006, TKO loss to Fitch. If you haven’t been keeping score, the only other guy to beat Alves since (over 8 fights which included bouts with Matt Hughes, Josh Koscheck and Karo Parisyan) is Georges St. Pierre. The only dude to beat Fitch in 13 Octagon appearances is also GSP, so yeah, this fight is kind of a big deal.