A decade ago, it would have been nigh to think that NFL great Herschel Walker would fight former UFC Heavyweight Champion Mark Coleman.Why would there have been? How likely was it Coleman would still be fighting by 2011 and that Walker would embark on …
A decade ago, it would have been nigh to think that NFL great Herschel Walker would fight former UFC Heavyweight Champion Mark Coleman.
Why would there have been? How likely was it Coleman would still be fighting by 2011 and that Walker would embark on a journey into MMA when he was 48 years old?
Yet, these seemingly impossible events have happened, and here we are in May 2011 where there is a significant amount of buzz around a potential fight between Herschel Walker and Mark Coleman.
Coleman even told MMAjunkie.com that “an opportunity to fight Herschel Walker would be something that [he] would drop everything [for] and try to train and prepare for him.”
Despite Coleman’s desire to meet the former football player in the cage, there are several reasons that this fight should not take place.
According to Jose Aldo’s manager, Ed Soares, the UFC featherweight champion is not injured but it isn’t likely he’ll be prepared in time to fight Chad Mendes at UFC 133.The news became apparent after Soares revealed to MMAJunkie.com about Aldo’s absenc…
According to Jose Aldo‘s manager, Ed Soares, the UFC featherweight champion is not injured but it isn’t likely he’ll be prepared in time to fight Chad Mendes at UFC 133.
The news became apparent after Soares revealed to MMAJunkie.com about Aldo’s absence.
“Jose is just resting right now and rehabbing a few small lingering injuries,” Soares told MMAJunkie.com
Soares said Aldo is still under medical suspension until next week and cannot resume training until then. for now, Aldo is focusing on his health and intends to be 100 percent healthy once his suspension is lifted.
Following his title bout against Mark Hominick at UFC 129, rumours were swirling as to who Aldo’s next challenger would be, and all signs pointed to a bout with Chad Mendes at UFC 133 in August. However, Soares said that the featherweight champion would hope for some additional time off to rest and recuperate, citing the date as too soon, which would only allow Aldo to train 10 weeks instead of 12.
“Whether it’s Chad Mendes or any other top contender, Jose is competing against the very best opponents in the world, and he wants ample time to prepare,” Soares said.
“When you’re the champion, everyone is gunning for you, and it’s important to be 100 percent.”
Soares said he clarified that Aldo did not turn down the bout, but he rather prefer to fight Mendes later this year. He expects to return in September to defend his featherweight crown.
As for his opponent, Mendes, he does not intend to wait for Aldo to heal.
Mendes’ manger, Mike Roberts, said he expects Mendes to still compete on the main card at UFC 133, whether it is against Aldo or not.
“We’re not going to wait for Jose Aldo. Chad wants to fight. If Aldo can’t fight, Chad will move on and fight somebody else,” Roberts said to MMAJunkie.com.
And if isn’t against Aldo, Roberts said he hopes it is still a competitive opponent for his client and a tough competitor in the UFC featherweight division.
Get a behind the scenes look at Shane Carwin training for UFC 131 in the 1st episode of “Here We Go: Camp Carwin” posted on YOU TUBE by officialbudlight. In the video, Shane introduces his camp team and is shown training hard in prepara…
Get a behind the scenes look at Shane Carwin training for UFC 131 in the 1st episode of “Here We Go: Camp Carwin” posted on YOU TUBEby officialbudlight. In the video, Shane introduces his camp team and is shown training hard in preparation for his June 11th fight in Vancouver against Junior Dos Santos.
In “Here We Go”, the “silverback gorilla” as his camp likes to call him, gives the fan an insiders view of his training camp, as well as some insight into how he trains in the many aspects of mixed martial arts.
“I have great trainers and great partners, and you know just an all out great team I’m working with. They are helping me get better every day.” Carwin told officialbudlight.
“I try to find the best guys I can at their game, and I try to compete with them at that so when I go out there and fight, you know that the fight is actually the easier part of the whole game.”
Carwin has been forced, much to his delight, to alter and intensify his training now that he has replaced injured Brock Lesnar in the main event vs. Cigano at UFC 131.
Camp Carwin is overseen and run by Denver Grudge trainer Trevor Whitman, and he is the undisputed leader of Carwin’s preparation.
Of interesting note in Carwin’s training camp is that aside from his different skill coaches, like wrestling coach Leister Bowling, and Brazilian jiu jitsu coach Amal Easton, he has nutritionist Josh Ford in his camp whose meticulous meals have stripped thirty pounds off of Carwin’s body
That shift in diet and replacing fat weight with lean muscle will go a long way in improving his overall conditioning, and will reduce the chance of Shane gassing out like he did in his loss to Lesnar.
Dwight Wakabayashi is a Correspondent for Bleacher Report. (Also a Correspondent for MMACanada.net.)
After watching MMA as a dedicated fan for six years now, a pattern has emerged time and time again that frustrates both the fighters and the fans.A series of bad decisions by judges have finally left me fed up with the ten point must system in mi…
After watching MMA as a dedicated fan for six years now, a pattern has emerged time and time again that frustrates both the fighters and the fans.
A series of bad decisions by judges have finally left me fed up with the ten point must system in mixed martial arts. For the most part, the system works in boxing when there are only punches to consider, but in mixed martial arts it causes problems, confusion and sometimes anger.
There have been several MMA results in the last year that led me to this position. The most glaring instance was the matchup between Nam Phan and Leonard Garcia at the Ultimate Fighter 12 finale in December. Phan clearly won the fight, yet somehow lost on a split decision. There have been other results where the unfairness of the ten point system was even more apparent. Joe Warren’s fight with Marco Galvao could easily have gone to Galvao. Diego Sanchez probably should have lost his last bout to Martin Kampmann, and Kampmann was also snubbed of a potential win last October when he lost via decision to Jake Shields.
UFC President Dana White always says to never leave it in the hands of the judges. It is true that the finish makes mixed martial arts more exciting, but why should guys fear the scorecards? The system should work, but it no longer does. Some have suggested changes such as a decimal system or a half point system, but nothing has happened.
I see there being two major problems. The first major problem is the ten point must system itself, which needs to be changed to prevent unnecessary bad decisions and draws. The second major problem is with the judges themselves.
The ten point must system needs to be changed, and no one seems to have the “right” answer. Why not let a council of mixed martial arts professionals decide? I propose starting a council of maybe 1,000 or so individuals, a group of trainers, fighters, writers and executives.
We can call it the MMA World Council, and call a yearly meeting similar to the UFC fighter summit where these informed individuals vote on rule changes to the unified rules of MMA. They could find a better solution to scoring bouts than the ten point must system that mixed martial arts adopted from boxing years ago.
The group of MMA experts and advocates could use democratic principles to propose changes, and vote on those changes. The democratic approach of letting everyone vote is not only fair, but could breed partnership between MMA organizations. Rather than competing against one another, the members could work together to help further the sport as a whole.
The second major problem is with the judges. As it stands, judges are simply not informed well enough on the ins and outs of MMA fighting. The UFC is bringing in monitors for UFC 130 and beyond, but the judge can choose to use them or to ignore them entirely. I think the real problem is that the judges need to know more about MMA, its multi-faceted game and how to decide who is really winning.
Either the existing judges must be better educated about the sport, or the UFC, Strikeforce, Bellator and others must find new judges. These groups need to hire former fighters and referees to judge until the average judges learn that a takedown means nothing when the other guy pops right back up and delivers a punch, or that a guy rushing ahead and getting picked apart shouldn’t be awarded points just for moving forward.
Monitors are a baby step in the right direction, but the sport can’t always hide behind the mantra of “never leave it in the hands of the judges.” At some point we have to start making these people accountable for what they put on their cards, and possibly monitor them to make sure they’re competent enough in MMA to be a judge in the first place. I hope that the use of monitors is the first step of many to improving the ten point must problem that’s currently hurting mixed martial arts all across the board.
There is the potential for a major outbreak of upsets on the UFC 130 fight card this Saturday night at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. UFC matchmaker Joe Silva has done a fantastic job in putting together great stylistic clashes. Sure,…
There is the potential for a major outbreak of upsets on the UFC 130 fight card this Saturday night at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.
UFC matchmaker Joe Silva has done a fantastic job in putting together great stylistic clashes.
Sure, the card is without a standout main event, but generally these types of UFC events are the ones that turn out to be the most exciting.
With the Frankie Edgar-Gray Maynard lightweight championship bout scratched due to injuries, the former co-main event light heavyweight tilt between Quinton “Rampage” Jackson and Matt Hamill has now stepped into the spotlight of the UFC 130 main event.
Jackson, a former light heavyweight champion, is the significant favorite for notable reasons. Outside of a declining Tito Ortiz, Hamill has yet to defeat an upper-echelon light heavyweight. He had his chance at UFC 88 against Rich Franklin, who dominated throughout and earned the third-round TKO due to a nasty body kick.
In December 2009, Hamill was tossed around like a rag doll in his bout against current champion Jon Jones. He still picked up the disqualification victory due to illegal elbows from Jones, but in all fairness, Hamill was never in that fight.
With that said, Hamill is a dangerous light heavyweight who is perennially on the bubble of breaking into the top-10 rankings.
Heading into this bout, many people are questioning Jackson’s mindset. Is he focused? How did his training camp go?
According to Jackson, he is mentally and physically prepared to go into UFC 130 and get the job done. Hamill isn’t the type of fighter to overlook. He has the wrestling, chin and tenacity to give Jackson a lot of problems if the bout goes the distance. A win over Jackson would easily push Hamill over into the top-10 rankings.
In the co-main event, Roy “Big Country” Nelson takes on former heavyweight champion Frank Mir.
While Mir is often credited for his high-level Brazilian jiu-jitsu (BJJ), Nelson isn’t too shabby in that area as well.
At Grappler’s Quest 2003, he defeated Mir by points in the grappling tourney. Yes, the match was a long time ago, but meaning can still be taken from the outcome.
The ground prowess of both of these world-class heavyweights could be closer than originally thought. Neither fighter is imposing on the feet, but they both have shown glimpses of power in the past, especially Nelson.
The main area of concern for Mir is the wrestling department. He has shown struggles against good wrestlers with solid submission defense, and Nelson boasts both of those qualities. While Nelson has a higher affinity for BJJ, it would be foolish to overlook his ability to sniff out takedowns from multiple areas in a fight.
Will it be enough for “Big Country” to thrust himself into title contention?
Rick Story is another underdog to watch on this potential upset-ridden card.
He faces a stern test in former welterweight title contender Thiago Alves, who has had his share of problems in making weight. At UFC 117, Alves failed to make weight for his rematch with Jon Fitch. The bout was long awaited, but it never quite lived up to the hype, as fans watched a cardio-depraved Alves get completely outclassed by the superior wrestler.
At UFC 124, Alves returned with a new diet regimen. He credited the Dolce Diet, a diet by MMA fighter and nutritionist Mike Dolce, for improving his lifestyle and in-ring performance. The “new” Alves looked phenomenal in his unanimous decision victory over John “Doomsday” Howard, but there is a major difference between Howard and Story.
While Howard is primarily a striker, Story is a crafty grappler who could present Alves with some of the same problems he had against Fitch. Story doesn’t necessarily boast Fitch’s wrestling talent and resiliency, but he has the ability to constantly press Alves with takedowns and truly test that newfound cardio.
A fight with major upset potential that no one is talking about is the bantamweight bout between Miguel Torres and Demetrious Johnson.
Former WEC champion Torres gained his notoriety from his memorable wars in the blue octagon.
He is one of the fiercest competitors the sport has ever seen, but he could meet his equal against Johnson on Saturday.
Johnson is an intelligent fighter with one of the most explosive shots in the sport.
It’s going to be tough for Torres to deal with Johnson’s complete game of improved striking and world-class wrestling.
If Torres is forced to fend from his back for all three rounds, will he be able to topple Johnson’s strong top game?
If he sticks to his strengths, UFC 130 could be “Mighty Mouse’s” true coming-out party.
Despite the bad blood that exists between light heavyweight contenders Rashad “Suga” Evans and Quinton “Rampage” Jackson, Evans still thinks that Rampage has what it takes to beat Matt “The Hammer” Hamill at the main…
Despite the bad blood that exists between light heavyweight contenders Rashad “Suga” Evans and Quinton “Rampage” Jackson, Evans still thinks that Rampage has what it takes to beat Matt “The Hammer” Hamill at the main event of UFC 130.
In speaking with ESPN’s Brett Okamoto, Suga actually said that he is a fan of Hamill’s and would love to see him crack the top 10 among UFC light heavyweights with an upset in Las Vegas.
“But I think Rampage should get it done,” Evans admitted. “If he goes in there with his mind right, I think Rampage will win the fight.”
However, Evans was not ready to count Hamill out of the fight.
“It all depends though. I haven’t heard anything out of his camp, as far as how he’s mentally doing. Rampage is all mind. Sometimes if he goes in there and his mind isn’t right, it’s almost like he throws a tantrum just by not fighting the way he can.”
Both Rampage and Hamill have went on the record saying they expect a high-profile fight after posing a dominant win on Saturday, May 28.
Duff Holmes, Hamill’s trainer and manager, has stated that he thinks The Hammer deserves another crack at Jon Jones with a win against Rampage.
Hamill is the sole fighter to own a professional victory over “Bones,” although he was thoroughly being dominated by the current light heavyweight champion before Jones got disqualified for illegal “12 to 6” elbow strikes.
Holmes rationalized that a rematch would make sense since a documentary about Hamill’s life comes out around October, when Jones is expected to return to action.
The release of Hamill’s movie would only add to the hype of the title fight, Holmes added.
Of course, none of that matters unless Hamill can get past Jackson.
Evans, who beat Jackson via unanimous decision almost exactly one year ago (May 29, 2010), feels that Hamill is capable of beating Rampage the same way, but not without first modifying at least one aspect of his fight game:
“For Hamill to win, he’s going to have to bring his punches back,” Evans said. “One thing Hamill does is he leans on his punches. When he throws the jab, he leans on it. Rampage is very good at the counter punch because he catches whatever you throw and, if you don’t bring it right back, he’s going to hit where you just left that punch.”
Evans, one of the most accomplished wrestlers in the division, feels that Hamill would be making a mistake by keeping the fight standing for long. He isn’t banking on Hamill taking Rampage down at will, either.
“So, if Hamill is leaning on his jab, Rampage is going to catch it, he’s going to roll and he’s going to land the right. Can Hamill take Rampage down? Probably. But Rampage is hard to take down. He’s probably got the strongest hips I’ve felt at 205.”
While Evans gave Hamill plenty of credit, and at least a fighting chance to win, he stuck by his original pick of Rampage in the end.
Last time he (Rampage) was real quiet before a fight was when he fought Wanderlei Silva, and it didn’t turn out well for Wanderlei,” Evans said. “Looks like he might be focused for this one.”
