When lightweights Frankie Edgar and Gray Maynard battle it out for the third time at UFC 130, not only the title will be on the line but respect will be as well.It’s something neither of them really get, but as they continue to fight and beat the best,…
When lightweights Frankie Edgar and Gray Maynard battle it out for the third time at UFC 130, not only the title will be on the line but respect will be as well.
It’s something neither of them really get, but as they continue to fight and beat the best, it should gradually come.
Whether or not the 10 fighters on this list are at the top of their divisions, they deserve more respect than they probably get.
Some are UFC champions or have been UFC champions and others number one contenders and title challengers.
They all deserve more recognition for fighting the best and leaving their mark in mixed martial arts.
Since his highlight reel knockout victory over Randy Couture at UFC 129, Lyoto Machida has been dubbed the “Karate Kid.” The Brazilian’s style is so unique and complex, as he combines different styles into his arsenal, along with his elusive speed and …
Since his highlight reel knockout victory over Randy Couture at UFC 129, Lyoto Machida has been dubbed the “Karate Kid.”
The Brazilian’s style is so unique and complex, as he combines different styles into his arsenal, along with his elusive speed and footwork, including Shotokan karate, Sumo, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and Muay Thai.
To put into perspective just how lethal Machida’s flying crane kick was, look no further than former Brazilian karate coach, Geraldo de Paula, who said that the kick Machida used is very hard to land.
“That was a perfect move. For those who know karate well, it is the most difficult attack to land. For those who know less, it’s fatal. Nobody is expecting a front kick like that, a front punch is more common,” de Paula said to UOL Esportes, courtesy of FightersOnlyMagazine.
“The most common kick is mae geri, when one of the feet doesn’t leave the floor, as Anderson Silva did versus Vitor Belfort [at UFC 126]. Lyoto made a more complex kick, mae tabi geri, taking both feet from the floor with a mid-jump,” he explained.
He went on to explain the intent of the kick is not to attack the face of an opponent, or knock them out.
“As we don’t look for the knockout in tournaments, but points for landing hits on the rivals, it is more used to hit the abdomen. For karate practitioners the most common head attack is circular kicks.”
The mae tabi geri is practiced in all martial arts, but it is mostly utilized in Shotokan karate.
Machida, who was accompanied to the Octagon by his family and actor Steven Seagal, credited both his father and Seagal for helping him perfect the kick.
UFC 129 from the Rogers Centre in Toronto, Ontario, Canada was a fight card packed with amazing matchups. Some of the night’s highlights included a flying triangle choke by Pablo Garza, a beautifully executed spinning back fist by John Makdessi, Rory M…
UFC 129 from the Rogers Centre in Toronto, Ontario, Canada was a fight card packed with amazing matchups.
Some of the night’s highlights included a flying triangle choke by Pablo Garza, a beautifully executed spinning back fist by John Makdessi, Rory MacDonald elevated his MMA record to 11-1 with a decisive victory over Octagon veteran and Season 5 of the Ultimate Fighter winner, Nate Diaz.
Additionally, Jose Aldo and Mark Hominick displayed brilliance in their fighting styles as they clashed for the UFC featherweight title. Randy Couture’s retirement matchup ended in a defeat at the foot of Lyoto Machida and Georges St-Pierre endured a rather non-eventful title fight against Jake Shields.
Amongst all these amazing fights, one devastating knockout did not receive much publicity and the fight was over before you could grab a snack.
The 40 year old Vladimir “The Janitor” Matyushenko relied on his 14 years of experience as a professional ultimate fighter to defeat the 35-year-old Jason Brilz by knockout in a mere 20 seconds into round one.
Aggressive from the onset, Matyushenko delivered a flurry of punches at Brilz landing one jaw-rattling strike after another en route to his 26th professional victory.
This former collegiate wrestler has competed worldwide in numerous venues including the International Fight League and Affliction.
Making his second stint in the UFC, Vladimir’s first run at championship gold was met in defeat by the hands of Tito Ortiz at UFC 33 in 2001.
Primed to make another championship run, don’t let “The Janitor’s” age deceive you. Light on his feet and with tremendous boxing skills and an unmatched level of explosiveness, Matyushenko is still a dynamic fighter within the UFC light heavyweight division.
Considering the UFC light heavyweight division is stacked with talent including the current champion, Jon Jones, who has already defeated Matyushenko, a chance at a title will be an arduous endeavor. But one that Vladimir welcomes with open arms.
Keep your eyes on Vladimir “The Janitor” Matyushenko as he continues to mount up victories waiting for the opportunity to regain a title contention opportunity in the future.
Frank Mir’s career has featured peaks and valleys.He was once the most feared heavyweight in the UFC, a man that snapped Tim Sylvia’s arm like a toothpick. However, a motorcycle crash soon followed that threatened to end his career.Mir came s…
Frank Mir’s career has featured peaks and valleys.
He was once the most feared heavyweight in the UFC, a man that snapped Tim Sylvia’s arm like a toothpick. However, a motorcycle crash soon followed that threatened to end his career.
Mir came surging back in 2007 and 2008 with wins over Antoni Hardonk, Brock Lesnar and Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira and Frank found himself as the interim UFC heavyweight champion.
This honor was short-lived, and he dropped subsequent fights to Brock Lesnar and Shane Carwin in a couple of the most brutal knockout losses in recent memory.
Frank has since rebounded again by knocking out Mirko Cro Cop and now looks to get back into the upper crust of the heavyweight division when he fights Roy “Big Country” Nelson at UFC 130 on May 28th.
Jake Shields clearly wanted to get Georges St-Pierre to the ground at UFC 129 and he tried to do just that for a round or so. Then, at some point, he lost focus and decided to try and trade shots with the champion. It was a horrible idea an…
Jake Shields clearly wanted to get Georges St-Pierre to the ground at UFC 129 and he tried to do just that for a round or so. Then, at some point, he lost focus and decided to try and trade shots with the champion. It was a horrible idea and Shields never got back into the fight at all.
It was the first loss for Jake Shields in over six years and clearly he was not happy with his performance after the fight.
MMAjunkie.com was there to get his thoughts. Shields told MMAjunkie, “Obviously I’m not happy. I went in there, and I came up short. Georges has great stand-up, and he kept me away. I couldn’t get him down. He did a great job of stuffing my shots.”
Shields failed to close the distance, get the clinch and take the fight to the ground. He admitted that he was no match for the boxing and overall standup prowess of the champion. “I guess I need to go back, work on my boxing, and get better,” Shields admitted.
Shields showed remorse over not trying to get the fight to the ground but he had few weapons to turn to when he when his takedown attempts failed.
Shields lamented about his gameplan and how it was a failure. “I don’t know. He stuffed my first couple shots. I don’t know why I started boxing him. I should have just started shooting. It’s easy to look back now and be like, ‘I really screwed that up.’ Georges is a great fighter. He fought great. He was evasive, and I couldn’t get after him. He had a great game plan.”
Shields vowed to make improvements and to eventually make it back to contender status. “Hopefully before I retire, I’ll get another title shot,” he said.
It seems that negotiations appear to be resolved, as a non-title superfight between Fedor Emelianenko and Dan Henderson looks to be scheduled for an upcoming Strikeforce event later this year. According to MMAjunkie.com, the superfight between the…
It seems that negotiations appear to be resolved, as a non-title superfight between Fedor Emelianenko and Dan Henderson looks to be scheduled for an upcoming Strikeforce event later this year.
According to MMAjunkie.com, the superfight between the two former Pride FC stars, is expected to be contested at heavyweight and is planned for July 30th, likely to serve as the headliner and to be held on pay-per-view.
The website also reports that both Strikeforce CEO Scott Coker and UFC executive Lorenzo Fertitta are looking to secure the potential bout. UFC president, Dana White said he won’t get involved.
“Lorenzo’s working on it,” White said during last week’s UFC 129 pre-fight press conference.
“Me getting anywhere near that thing? You’ll never see that fight.”
Emelianenko will look to rebound with a win over Henderson, as the Russian has suffered back-to back losses for the first time in his career. Meanwhile, Dan Henderson is only a month removed from capturing Strikeforce light heavyweight gold after earning a knockout victory over former champion, Rafael ‘Feijao” Cavalcante at Strikefore: Feijao vs. Henderson.
A location for the bout has not been confirmed, although reports have suggested the Sears Centre in Chicago is a possible destination.
