In MMA, decision wins are common, but most fighters do try to avoid them. UFC President Dana White tells the fighters and up-and-comers to not leave it to the judges. The judges have notoriously made unpleasant calls and to many, have robbed some fight…
In MMA, decision wins are common, but most fighters do try to avoid them. UFC President Dana White tells the fighters and up-and-comers to not leave it to the judges. The judges have notoriously made unpleasant calls and to many, have robbed some fighters of their livelihood unjustly.
Of course sometimes the opportunity to grasp a finish does not always present itself, but for whatever reason these men haven’t finished a fight recently, a finish would help them more than other fighters.
This showcase of five fighters (all UFC) are the ones that desperately need a finish. Whatever way they want to, they need to do it before the last round ends. Whether it be for career integrity, media pleasing, to remain relevant in the MMA world or to grow their fanbase, these fighters are in a race to finish.
This is, of course, not a compete list, nor is it indicating these five are worse fighters than others!
A lot of would-be mixed martial artists have walked through the doors at Adrenaline Training Center, in London, Ont. Most of them have dreams of becoming professional fighters. Alex ‘Pecker’ Gasson, who is the manager and one of the instruc…
A lot of would-be mixed martial artists have walked through the doors at Adrenaline Training Center, in London, Ont.
Most of them have dreams of becoming professional fighters. Alex ‘Pecker’ Gasson, who is the manager and one of the instructors at ATC, remembers one in particular.
“This guy packed up his family and moved here from New Brunswick,” Gasson said. “He wanted to be a fighter. He never came back after the first day of training.”
The realities of what it takes to become a pro fighter are a shock for many people. Dreams of fame and glory may bring people to ATC, said Gasson, 33, but without dedication and sacrifice, those dreams can fade quickly.
“People don’t talk about the sacrifice, because it’s not glamorous,” said ‘Pecker’. “But training isn’t easy, and I don’t sugarcoat it for anyone. If they can’t handle the training, they can’t handle the ring.”
In the world of professional fighting, the real story is what goes on behind the scenes, outside of the spotlights and away from the screaming fans, said Gasson. Meeting the demands of a fighter’s life and maintaining commitments to family and friends can be difficult.
“Be prepared to sacrifice a lot,” Gasson said.
Adrenaline Training Center instructor Adam Higson knows about making sacrifices. A former amateur boxing champ and seven time kickboxing and Muaythai champ, Higgson, 35, has been training for over 20 years.
“Fighting cost me my marriage,” said Higson, before a workout with ATC strength and conditioning coach Brain Fletcher. “We see who our friends are when we’re not in the spotlight, when we’re training or dealing with a loss.”
This is why there is a strong sense of community in mixed martial arts, Gasson said. Fighters need a strong support network to help them survive the physical and emotional challenges that come with training and competing at the professional level.
Fighters must structure their lives around training. It is not uncommon for fighters to train six days a week, four to five hours a day, leaving little time or energy for anything else.
Days are typically divided into morning and afternoon sessions, training either striking, wrestling or jiu jitsu in one session, and strength and condition in the other. Mixed martial arts requires power and endurance, and so work outs are often based on circuit training that works the muscles and body to exhaustion, said Gasson.
This might include one minute sets of flipping a 350 pound tire, followed chin-ups, tossing around a medicine ball and ending off with rope exercises. And then repeat.
“Train as much as you can, and then double it,” said Gasson. “Remember, while you’re taking a break, what’s your opponent doing?”
The core group of people behind ATC has been together for more than a decade and they know what it takes to make it in the world of professional MMA.
Mark ‘The Machine’ Hominick, Sam ‘Hands of Stone’ Stout and Chris ‘The Polish Hammer’ Horodecki have all competed at the highest levels of the sport.
Stout, 27, recently competed at UFC 131, in Vancouver, B.C., on June 11. Stout defeated Yves Edwards with a first round knockout, earning himself a $70,000 ‘Knockout of the Night’ bonus. It was the sixth fight-night bonus of Stout’s career.
The Ultimate Fighting Championship is the largest mixed martial arts organization in the world, drawing thousands of fans to their live events, with millions of more fans tuning in to watch from around the world.
Hominick, 28, who has been fighting professionally for almost a decade, recently fought for the featherweight belt at UFC 129, at the end of April, in Toronto, Ont. The event was held at the Rogers Center in front of 55,000 fans, the biggest MMA event in North American history.
Although Hominick lost the fight, his performance earned him a Fight of the Night bonus of $129,000.
Horodecki, 23, began training when he was 13 years old and started fighting professionally just after his 18th birthday. He has fought around the world in MMA’s biggest promotions, including the UFC, the WEC and Affliction.
Gasson, who began training mixed martial arts in his late teens, is a former North American kick boxing champion and has competed in events around the world. But his days of competing are over, after breaking his neck last November. Now, Gasson sees it as his job to help the members of ATC reach their own personal goals.
Not everyone who comes to train at ATC aspires to a career in fighting, so training is tailored to the individual. As demanding as the training regime may be, sometimes the most difficult thing is building up the nerve to train at ATC.
From outside, the building is a nondescript warehouse, but inside the gym equipped for serious training. Divided into sections, one half of the gym is dedicate to training strength and cardio, and the other half is lined with wrestling mats for working on grappling and fighting techniques.
A number of heavy bags hang from the ceiling, and there is a boxing ring and an MMA cage, costing over $20,000 combined, for all out sparring, said Gasson.
Many people are intimidated when they first come to ATC, and Gasson tries to make the new students comfortable. “That’s my job, to make sure it’s a smooth transition.”
With MMA’s crossover into mainstream acceptability, it has become a popular form of exercise. Gasson estimated that 90% of ATC’s 424 clients are fitness orientated. The remaining 10% are serious about becoming professional fighters, of which 1% might actually make it.
It is not uncommon for some of the aspiring pros to work at the gym in exchange for memberships, said Gasson. Training fulltime makes holding down a job difficult, so fighters typically struggle to pay for necessities like food and shelter, meaning many cannot afford the cost of working with professional trainers.
“The gym couldn’t survive with only pros,” Gasson said. “Often those guys have nothing.”
Nothing but dreams about becoming professional fighters.
After Jon Jones dominated Mauricio “Shogun” Rua at UFC 128 to capture the light heavyweight title, speculation began as to who in the division would ever be able to defeat him. Many opined that Jones would remain champ for a long time to come. While th…
After Jon Jones dominated Mauricio “Shogun” Rua at UFC 128 to capture the light heavyweight title, speculation began as to who in the division would ever be able to defeat him. Many opined that Jones would remain champ for a long time to come. While that may be true, let’s not forget these famous words: “Welcome to the Machida era!”
Jones has been booked to face former light heavyweight champion Quinton “Rampage” Jackson on September 24 at UFC 135. The fight will be the main event from Denver, Colorado’s Pepsi Center.
While the fight with Jackson is still a few months away, there have been some interesting developments out of the Jones camp that point to the fact that perhaps his main focus is not MMA and the UFC light heavyweight title.
The first indication that Jones may be thinking that the UFC title is just a steppingstone to bigger things came earlier in the month, when MMAHEAT caught up with Jones on the Warner Brothers studio lot. In the interview, Jones admitted that although he had once looked at acting as something that could sidetrack him, he was warming to the idea and had been speaking to the Warner folks about possible acting gigs.
Jones also recently spoke to Luke Thomas of SB Nation, where he revealed another piece of information that may lead one to believe that his focus is slipping from the light heavyweight strap that he has yet to defend. Jones told Thomas, ““I think personally it would be cool to be considered a heavyweight champion of the world. I think it doesn’t get much better than that. But I’m totally fine with being the light heavyweight champion.”
Jones did qualify his statement with the remark that he is fine with the light heavyweight title, but to hear him entertain thoughts on the heavyweight title may indicate that he is looking past his first title defense.
This may all be speculation, but it does seem that Jones may very well be looking a little too far into the future for his own good.
Jones would be well served to look at a champion that has established a legacy, Georges St-Pierre. St-Pierre once looked past an opponent, Matt Serra, and it cost him his title.
Jones is a young fighter, and while that youth and exuberance can serve him well, it can also have devastating results. If Jones loses his focus, it will only take one of Rampage’s “bungalows” to turn him into a champ with zero title defenses.
When Rick Story stepped in for an injured Anthony Johnson, UFC on Versus 4 suddenly became relevant to the welterweight title picture.Rather than an preparing for an introductory match against a fighter on the lower rung of the “Top 20” welterweight ra…
When Rick Story stepped in for an injured Anthony Johnson, UFC on Versus 4 suddenly became relevant to the welterweight title picture.
Rather than an preparing for an introductory match against a fighter on the lower rung of the “Top 20” welterweight rankings, Nate Marquardt is now faced with a much more dangerous opponent who seems to be getting stronger with each bout.
By all means, the winner of this main event should be considered the most dangerous welterweight not named Georges St. Pierre.
Moreover, the fact of the matter is simply this—Rick Story or Nate Marquardt should get a shot at the UFC Welterweight Championship, regardless of how the fight ends.
Give credit to Story for covering his bases, though, as he rightly suspects that finishing Marquardt is the only way to secure a shot.
As he told ESPN, a finish would “definitely” put him in line for a title fight, while a decision might require “one more fight.” Marquardt should be thinking the same thing.
Regardless, making the winner of this bout the next title contender makes sense. In fact, I’m surprised that the UFC didn’t establish this as soon as Story stepped up on short notice. Still, there’s plenty of good reasons for Dana White and the UFC to commit to giving a winner a shot at the belt right now.
1. Georges St. Pierre Isn’t Going Anywhere
Pretty much all talk of a superfight between GSP and Anderson Silva has died down, especially with the former fighting Nick Diaz at UFC 137 and the latter facing Yushin Okami at UFC Rio.
Assuming that St. Pierre uses his biggest strength to exploit Diaz’s biggest weakness, it’s not far fetched to say that Canada’s favorite fighter will most likely be looking for another challenger that he hasn’t already beaten.
Rick Story and Nate Marquardt each make compelling match-ups based on different criteria.
Story’s wrestling, granite chin, and brute strength would be interesting walls for GSP to break down, especially looking at how brazenly the “Horror Story” went after Thiago Alves at UFC 130.
Unlike three of St. Pierre’s last four opponents, Story is good at more than one thing. He’s not reliant on haymakers, nor does he lose the ability to fight if he can’t ground his opponent.
Similarly, Marquardt is equally well rounded, and unlike Story, has the benefit of overall fight experience that outstrips most other fighters in UFC. If the weight cut doesn’t take away Marquardt’s grappling prowess or one-punch knock-out power, he could be a very sellable opponent for GSP.
And if Nick Diaz does manage to win against St. Pierre, the dangerous wrestling and grappling threats from both fighters would obvious from the very start.
2. Rick Story is Mowing Down Everyone
Dana White and the UFC have thrown guys at George St. Pierre with half the winning streak that Story has managed to accrue.
If Story can put down Marquardt, his profile couldn’t possibly be higher, and a fight against anyone else—even Jon Fitch—would be a step sideways rather than forward.
Considering Marquardt’s reputation and the opposition he’s faced, a win from the “Horror Story” would be a major upset in my eyes.
3. Nate Marquardt Needs to Put Up or Shut Up
Nothing is more irritating in MMA matchmaking than fighters who deliberately avoid putting up their dukes against teammates. In Marquardt’s case, a title shot against the winner of GSP vs. Diaz puts him in a position where he could very well have to face off against a Greg Jackson fighter.
In the middleweight division, this wasn’t a problem—Team Jackson doesn’t have notable fighters in that division, especially as it’s currently ruled by Anderson Silva and his Front Kicks of Death.
If Marquardt wins on Sunday, there’s a wealth of fights that he can take, but Georges St. Pierre should be at the top of the list. Either these two training partners would have to face up to their contracts and fight, or the circumstances might prompt GSP to move up in weight.
And should Marquardt lose to Story, there’s still plenty of attractive bouts for him to consider at welterweight, provided he doesn’t head back to 185 pounds to take on Michael Bisping.
When it comes to this Sunday’s main event between Rick Story and Nate Marquardt, the largest question is how Marquardt’s fairly bulky body will respond to shearing off extraneous poundage in his first drop down to welterweight.But his opponent is facin…
When it comes to this Sunday’s main event between Rick Story and Nate Marquardt, the largest question is how Marquardt’s fairly bulky body will respond to shearing off extraneous poundage in his first drop down to welterweight.
But his opponent is facing a similar, if not quite as urgent or closely dissected, question. Fighting on short notice and only four weeks after defeating Thiago Alves, how will Story handle such a quick turnaround?
A look at Story’s fight career suggests the former. Story (currently 13-3 overall and 6-1 in the UFC) actually began his career with five fights in six months, between Nov. 2007 and Feb. 2008. He went 4-1 during that span, losing only his debut.
All told, he has fought six times a month or less following his preceding fights. More importantly, however, is the fact that he won all but one of those encounters. Included in these quick-turnaround victories was a unanimous decision win over Jake Ellenberger in June 2008, which he pulled off a month after earning a unanimous decision win over Ryan Healy.
With all of this in mind, when Story says he and his camp “jumped all over the opportunity” to fight Marquardt just four weeks after Story defeated Alves, I’m pretty well inclined to believe him.
In fact, it’s making me rethink my take on this fight. Rethink, but not re-pick.
I still think Marquardt has too much for Story in this one.
Part of what makes Story so durable, one presumes, is his fighting style. He wrestles like someone who has been wrestling most of his life—that is, it seems to come without a lot of effort. And when Story is controlling the fight, it generally makes the fight a fairly non-traumatic affair, at least for him. Furthermore, he seems very comfortable at the 170-pound mark, and always appears to be in excellent shape and condition.
That may be his biggest contrast with Marquardt, who, of course, looked almost as natural at middleweight as Story does at welterweight. I am guessing that Marquardt will be successful in the weight cut, and will use his strength, experience and superior striking to keep the fight standing and score damage there, but also to hold his own with Story once the fight hits the ground.
Despite this, though, no one (including probably Marquardt) will really know until the proverbial cage door closes. But even if Story comes up short, I have a feeling we’ll see him back on a UFC main card again. And maybe sooner rather than later.
When we talk about mixed martial arts legends, often we measure greatness in terms of success. Living legends of this era of the sport like Georges St-Pierre or Anderson Silva have known very little more than pure success across their careers. They fou…
When we talk about mixed martial arts legends, often we measure greatness in terms of success. Living legends of this era of the sport like Georges St-Pierre or Anderson Silva have known very little more than pure success across their careers.
They found that success at the highest level of the sport and in championship form. Looking back fighters like Chuck Liddell and Randy Couture also forged their legacies in UFC gold. These men are legends without question.
But they are not alone, their success may define their legacies, but unwavering success is not the only litmus test for greatness. Take Don Frye for example. Sure he held a title or two over his career, but his fans celebrated him for his war; for what he brought into the cage with him.
It was not just his titles that captivated an entire generation of die hard “Predator” fans. It was his gentle touch, and appreciation for small talk. No, no it was not. It was his warlike, beast mode, mustached weapons of mass destruction that lured the Frye-onians.
Like Frye, there are many other fighters who may not be perennial championship contenders but they hold a very special place in the heart of MMA fans in the know. Clay Guida comes to mind but there are many more.
But no fighter on the planet is more celebrated for his fight every but as much as his recent success, than Wanderlei Silva. Show me any fight fan who can’t pick Wand out of a line up and I’ll show you a Tapout fashion statement who showed up when Lesnar crossed over.
The MMA community has a very “what have you done for me lately” mentality. Just ask Fedor. You can go from one of the most talked about fighters in history to old news after one triangle choke, and one doctor stoppage. Then you become just another heavyweight looking to prove you still belong.
Wanderlei has somehow circumvented the idea that winning is the only thing that matters. When it comes to his career, there is plenty of success make no mistake about it. He is no stranger to being a champion looking at his days in Pride. But checkered across his record are scattered and lately some clustered losses.
What die hard Wanderlei fans already know and will be happy to explain to anyone who may not realize is this; Even in his losses Wanderlei has found a way to make almost every fight spectacular. His most devastating failures of course reflected a superior opponent but more often than not they also reflect the results of a war he imposed.
His fight with “The Iceman” will go down in MMA history right up with Griffin vs Bonnar. His loss to Rich Franklin was razor thin in an amazing bout. What fans remember is not just the loss reflected in the right side, they remember how hard he fought for them as he lost. It is not every fighter who can lose so impressively as Wanderlei.
The fighter in this world is a rare breed. Most will fight if challenged for life or limb. Few will seek out the competition and sacrifice that can be found preparing for and participating in MMA. Among that certain brand of human being there are even more elite individuals who stand out among the crowd.
Wanderlei Silva is a gleaming beacon of light that is undeniable. His archives of outright war, competing both in and outside the comfort zone of his ideal weight class, are stunning to put it gently.
Having built his modern legacy competing with some of the sports greats, Wanderlei has proven his own greatness win, lose, or draw. Often it has been the opponent that became the catalyst for the best Wanderlei we have ever seen. For example Michael Bisping opened the door for Wanderlei to fight his fight, an aggressive and reckless format of hand to hand combat.
And once again, “The Axe Murderer” shined over a man many consider a top UFC middleweight.
With that in mind Silva’s next opponent is very much the type of fighter who will leave the door wide open for him to really open up and make it a scrappy and dangerous fight. Chris Leben is one of those fighters who is not the most tactical, or the most analytical when he gets inside the cage.
Like Silva, Leben is an all out in your face type of fighter with a granite chin and hands of stone. He loves to fight, not simply to win, but to fight and his own resume reflects some amazing bouts, some wins, some losses.
See when Leben (25-7) and Silva (33-10-1-1) enter the cage together the only people in the entire arena concerned with scoring will be the cageside judges. When Dana White says “Never leave it in the hands of the judges”, these two listen.
Just for fun, how about we do some MMATH. At UFC 132 Silva and Leben bring into the Octagon with them a combined seventy seven professional MMA bouts. The experience they bring to the table alone is astonishing.
Of Silva’s thirty three wins, he finished 80% of his victims, twenty three by KO, three by submission. Of Leben’s twenty five wins, he finished 76% of his victims, thirteen by KO, and six by submission. Face it fight fans, the boys come to bang.
What it really amounts to is pure matchmaking genius, and a clash of styles between top middleweights that rarely happens. At the end of the day, the run Anderson Silva is on is not of this world and will long be recognized as the bar of measurement for all time greatness but few can challenge him.
Wanderlei and Leben are not the most elite fighters in the division. They are not the most hyped fighters at middleweight. But damn it they pose a challenge for one another. There is a chemistry in their styles that is guaranteed to prove volatile when they mix.
So while Anderson Silva continues to consume contenders, these two will prove the be the meat and potatoes of the division. These two will remind fight fans what it is they really love about the fight game and quite simply they love the fight.
They may enjoy taking in the undeniable greatness of an Anderson Silva, but they will not be able to stop talking about the battle of the ages that is about to take place between Wanderlei Silva and Chris Leben.
The facts are simple here fight fans. Two of the sports most notorious brawlers, both needing something different from this fight, but both looking to find one answer to everything at UFC 132. The answer is open war, it is something both men are very well acquainted with, it is something their fans have grown to expect from them. Neither man has ever been in the business of letting their fans down. So simply put, don’t miss this fight.
The bad men are coming to town, and they have a few things to sort out. Things are about to get ugly.
