Following His UFC 131 victory over Diego Nunes, Kenny Florian has gone from a fringe contender at 155, to a legit option to challenge Jose Aldo for the featherweight belt. This might be because of Florian being the most well known fighter in a relative…
Following His UFC 131 victory over Diego Nunes, Kenny Florian has gone from a fringe contender at 155, to a legit option to challenge Jose Aldo for the featherweight belt.
This might be because of Florian being the most well known fighter in a relatively new division (likely), or because there is absolutely no depth in the 145lb division (even more likely).
Whether the MMA universe likes it or not, Florian just entered the top 5 in the UFC’s weakest division, and there are only a few matchups that make sense at this point.
Canada has turned into one of the biggest markets for mixed martial arts in the World, as the recent stadium sellout of 55,000 tickets for the recent UFC 129 event stands as a testament of that statement.
On Friday night, the land of “True North Strong and Free” held three events, two of which featured several […]
Canada has turned into one of the biggest markets for mixed martial arts in the World, as the recent stadium sellout of 55,000 tickets for the recent UFC 129 event stands as a testament of that statement.
On Friday night, the land of “True North Strong and Free” held three events, two of which featured several big names and television deals. The Maximum Fighting Championship held its MFC 30: Up Close & Personal event in Edmonton, Alberta airing live on HDNet, while the Score Fighting Series inaugural event in Mississauga, Ontario is set to air via tape delay on TheScore television network (and via live video stream last night). Also taking place, was the smaller Edmonton based Aggression MMA “Confrontation” event.
Now that I’ve established that, I’ll get to my point.
These three events stand as examples of why it’s important to have an overall regulating body for combat sports, such as the Nevada State Athletic Commission (NSAC) and the California State Athletic Commission (CSAC).
The Score Fighting Series was overseen by the Ontario Athletic Commission, who presides over all events in Canada’s biggest Province, follows the Unified Rules of Mixed Martial Arts and as recently as April 1st of this year began started its duties. Friday’s nights event ran smoothly, there didn’t appear to be any hiccups with the show, and the event drew in such big names as DREAM welterweight champ Marius Žaromskis, former UFC vets Joe Doerksen, Luigi Fioravanti, and Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou.
This is an example of how things should be managed for the sport of mma for those States and Provinces who do not have one single regulating body.
Now if you look at the two events in Edmonton, Alberta on Friday night, you have two separate events and two different regulatory bodies. The Province of Alberta, as well as British Columbia which hosts tonight’s UFC 131 event, have sanctioned the sport of mixed martial arts but have delegated the task of monitoring events to local commissions.
Edmonton features two commissions, with the River Cree Combative Sports Commission overseeing the MFC events and the Edmonton Combative Sports Commission overseeing the AMMA event.
Despite the River Cree’s years of regulatory experience, they still have a ways to go to establish them as a top commission within Canada. There were several examples on Friday night of issues that are never seen, or non-issues seen at UFC, Strikeforce, or Bellator events.
The first that stands out is the miscalculation of scores by the judges initially awarding Robert Washington the split decision win over Curtis Demarce. This was later overturned later in the evening after the scores were recalculated giving the split decision win to Demarce. It would be easy to discount the incident if it only happened once, but in 2009 judges at the MFC 23 event scored a fight between Jason ‘The Athlete’ MacDonald vs. Solomon Hutcherson a draw after miscalculating the scores once more. The bout was announced as a split decision win for MacDonald by the end of the evening.
I also take objection to the point deduction to Sheldon Westcott, who earned a unanimous decision over Thomas Denny. From my vantage point, Westcott was not targeting the back of his opponents head, hitting Denny only once in each incident before the ref stopped the action. Now I agree that strikes to the back of the head can be dangerous, but there has to be some lee-way when your opponent keeps turning the back of his head into his opponents oncoming strikes.
I also take issue with the Drew Fickett vs. Brian Cobb stoppage in the first. I think it was an early stoppage but I also think Cobb would have stopped it in the second. I could go on more but I’ve ranted long enough.
Unfortunately I don’t have first hand knowledge of Friday’s AMMA event, which apparently went well for the Edmonton Combative Sports Commission but not so well for the promotion. According to TopMMANews.com, the co-main eventt was declared a “No Contest” after a hole opened up in the cage floor, taking 15 minutes to repair in order for the main event between Ryan Ford vs. Nick Hinchliffe to happen.
No the main issue I take with the ECSS is their willingness to set mixed martial arts back about ten years by sanctioning an upcoming Colloseo Championship Fighting: Bushido event in the city of Edmonton. The event will feature rules based on the days of PRIDE Fighting, allowing soccer kicks and head stomps to downed opponents.
With the sport looking for good examples to help move it into the main stream, providing more ammunition to those who oppose mixed martial arts hurts everyone involved. Certainly the nostalgia of the action from PRIDE is exciting, but it shouldn’t effect the future of the sport and it’s further development.
As reported by MMAWeekly.com, UFC president and company figurehead Dana White announced Thursday that all freshly inked main event bouts from this day forward will be five rounds, not the traditional three. Here’s a snippet of his quote from MMAW…
As reported by MMAWeekly.com, UFC president and company figurehead Dana White announced Thursday that all freshly inked main event bouts from this day forward will be five rounds, not the traditional three. Here’s a snippet of his quote from MMAWeekly.com:
“From this day forward, as we speak right here, right now today, every fight that is a main event that is not a title fight will be a five-round fight,” said White. “For Spike and everything else.”
Let me start off by saying: I was in full support of something being done to avoid main event draws. There is nothing worse for fans, who are shelling out hard earned cash to watch the pay-per-view, than having the two biggest draws on the card fight to a draw. (I’ll let you decide if the pun was intended).
Part of the fun of being a fight fan—or just a sports fan in general—is getting immersed in all the pre-fight hype leading up to an event. For diehards, weeks prior to fight nights are excoriating reminders of what it must be like for junkies during the dry times.
Not to mention, combine all the pre-fight interviews, video blogs, articles, Countdown specials on Spike, the occasional Georges St-Pierre Primetime, pressers and weigh-ins; by the time the final bell rings, every type of fight fan is craving for that climatic conclusion, the closing chapter to the main event.
Needless to say, when that closure is compromised by some indecisive judging and neither fighters’ hand is raise after the scores are spewed out of Bruce Buffer’s pie-hole, my inner Joe is sprinting around in my head like a zombie from 28 Days Later while I have to calmly starve my wallet by ordering another overpriced beer.
Point being, nobody wants draws in main events. There is a place and time for the inconclusive decision in MMA; it should be utilized during times where two guys never really had an advantage over the other. A good draw is acceptable, but when it occurs during the last fight—even during an incredible one like Edgar vs. Maynard 2—fans wake up the next day with a sour taste in their mouths.
On those mornings, I can barely find the energy to download such a hot mess, knowing the gratifying ending was omitted, devaluing all the time and energy spend on the internet leading up to the event. So, that last statement is both sad and pathetic, but equal parts true. You can sympathize with me even those there are far worse tragedies in the world, right?
Edgar vs. Maynard was bearable, almost acceptable, because it still stands as one of the best fights of the year, five months later. But after Penn vs. Fitch went to a draw, something had to be done.
That fight needed, at the most, an extra round, not two.
Good intentions and effort aside, extending all headliners to five rounds is not the best solution the UFC think-tank could have mustered up.
Even though regulation allows for an additional 10 minutes for fighters to duke it out after three rounds, it doesn’t mean it has to be that way—more is not always better, just ask Meg Ryan’s upper lip or the Octomom’s uterus. While you’re at it, ask the Octomom’s lips too.
Firstly, having your key fighters do battle for an extra two rounds will increase the likelihood of injury and general wear-and-tear on the body, which in turn will give match maker Joe Silva an aneurysm. The UFC already has a hard enough time replacing guys at the last minute to preserve a card’s momentum to keep casual fans intrigued—the cash cow of the equation.
As long as none of my readers have amnesia, please refer to two weekends ago at UFC 130 and think about tomorrow at UFC 131. Top guys had to relinquish prime slots on main cards due to injury and the alternate matchups that were improvised, as a result, made the event less appealing. Shaking up main events like a game of Boggle is risking business if the end product has less impact or meaning as the fight it was meant to replace.
Plus some fights are so static during the first three rounds, there’s no reason why fans would want to watch another two. Since UFC 131 was already referenced: Who was dying for 10 more minutes of Rampage not finishing Hamill?
Furthermore, the verdict is not quite out on whether or not these extra rounds will facilitate more finishes. That debate requires a certain level of empirical evidence and a fight mathematician—we’ve got neither here.
You’re stuck with me, but what I will do is link you to an article by Josh Nason, who diligently interjected previously recorded statistics on the percentage of finishes during non-title and title fights.
Basically, over the last year or so, there have been more finishes during three-round non-title fights than five-round championship bouts.
To put that into perspective, we’ve seen fighters who excel in the pressure cooker during those final minutes in the final round with their backs up against a wall. With two more rounds to consider, those types of fighters lose the urgency to make things happen.
On the flipside, there are guys who have made a successful living by grinding away the clock, dominating their will (usually through wrestling) in order to out point their opponents. What will two extra rounds do for that kind of competitor? I’m guessing more of the same.
The only advantage of a 25-minute lay-and-pray clinic over a 15-minute one is getting to see those beautiful little numbers take extra laps around the Octagon. But even then, there’s the internet. We’re watching for the fights.
Plan and simple: mandating five rounds for non-title headliners is a game changer for fighters, not only to the action in the Octagon, but also to all the extra preparation that has to happen in the gym. For example, guys will have to work on their cardio that much harder to survive longer fights, making training camps longer and possibly lessen the amount of bouts a fighter can take in a given year.
A lot of points of contention are up for debate at the moment until we see how it actually pans out, but rest assured, it is a historic shift in UFC policy that will likely alter the landscape of MMA as a whole.
I’ve always been a proponent for logically progressive change, whether in sports, politics or in society. Many calculated gambles thrive or die on a trial and error basis, hands-on test for those involved. This may be no different; time will tell the tale.
All I can say and have been saying for a solution is this: Why not the sudden victory round instead? It does wonders in avoiding draws for The Ultimate Fighter. Then again, that’s a whole other article for a whole other day. I’m sure your eyes are just as tired as mine.
It was announced on Thursday by Dana White that all UFC main events, even those that are not for titles, will be five round affairs. The idea of making main even fights five rounds has been a hot topic recently, especially in bouts to determine title s…
It was announced on Thursday by Dana White that all UFC main events, even those that are not for titles, will be five round affairs. The idea of making main even fights five rounds has been a hot topic recently, especially in bouts to determine title shots. The main motivating factor for making contendership fights five rounds was to make sure that a lot of the judging mishaps that have taken place will be alleviated with the addition of two more rounds.
I for one am not a fan of five-round contests that are not for championships. I believe that there’s something special about five-round fights, and if all main events were to become five rounds then the potential exists for championship fights to lose some of their luster. I also believe that a three-round fight when a title shot is on the line makes the fight a lot more exciting, and the fighters know that they have to perform because they don’t have much room for error.
I can understand the UFC’s decision to implement five-round fights for bouts that have a title shot on the line, but the idea of making all main events five rounders—including Spike TV and Versus cards—is somewhat baffling. A lot of the main events for those cards may be interesting fights and even some of the main events for PPV’s are interesting, but at the same time hold no real relevance in their respective weight classes. I can live with five-rounders for title shots, but at the same time Dana White has shown on multiple occasions that he does whatever he wants; he has even taken away title shots from people that were supposed to be given to them on the condition of them winning their fight. If five-round fights are to be instituted, then title shots should be guaranteed.
I know people’s positions on this are split, but let me know what you guys think. Should all main events be five rounds? Should five-rounders be used only for title fights? Should five rounds be used in title fights as well as number one contender fights?
There’s not a whole lot to say about Vagner Rocha (6-1-0 MMA) as he heads into this fight tomorrow night against WEC Veteran and perennial “Fight of The Night” bonus-seeker Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone, aside from the fact that he has some good Brazilian ji…
There’s not a whole lot to say about Vagner Rocha (6-1-0 MMA) as he heads into this fight tomorrow night against WEC Veteran and perennial “Fight of The Night” bonus-seeker Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone, aside from the fact that he has some good Brazilian jiu-jitsu, but is it possible that the fact that we know little about him might just be enough to think that maybe he can actually beat Cerrone?
It’s MMA, so of course it’s possible.
Some people have no faith in Rocha because all they know is that he’s 6-1-0 professionally and that he’s got some Brazilian jiu-jitsu, which might be a bit unfair of a basis to make the claim that he can’t beat Cerrone, but then again, Thiago Tavares is predominantly a jiu-jitsu fighter, and he went undefeated for a time.
Rocha can achieve success against Cerrone, but the key for him to beat Cerrone is a striking game.
Cerrone believes that this fight is going to be controlled by him due to his stand-up prowess, something which he adamantly feels Rocha will not have, so what better way of throwing Cerrone off than by showing some improved striking and actually trying to end the fight on the feet?
If it doesn’t lead to a KO or a stoppage, Rocha can at least use it to set up his takedowns and work his jiu-jitsu game, but he better take caution when doing so, because Cerrone is one of those guys who does have a good game from off his back.
It’ll take a great Wrestling game—not a good one, a GREAT wrestling game—to neutralize the jits of Cerrone, and unless Rocha has that, his best bet will have to be keeping it on the feet and trying to throw Cerrone off as much as he can.
If he can mix it up and make Cerrone wonder where he’s coming from, we could be seeing a big upset in MMA come tomorrow night.
Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone, arguably one of the most polarizing lightweights in the sport right now, makes his return to the Octagon after a second-round victory by rear-naked choke at UFC 126 over Paul Kelly to contend with masterful jiu-jitsu ace and Pa…
Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone, arguably one of the most polarizing lightweights in the sport right now, makes his return to the Octagon after a second-round victory by rear-naked choke at UFC 126 over Paul Kelly to contend with masterful jiu-jitsu ace and Pablo Popovitch-prospect Vagner Rocha.
Now fans of the Mixed Martial Arts brand of combat sports know that you don’t have a true Donald Cerrone fight unless Donald Cerrone is talking a little bit of smack, and even though he called out Cole Miller, then exchanged benevolent malevolence with Mac Danzig and has to now contend with Rocha, Cerrone has made us a proud sports community by not keeping his big mouth shut about Rocha.
If there’s one other thing we all know about Cerrone, it’s that he can back it up inside the cage.
So with that said, is there any way for Cerrone to take home another win without the judges robbing Rocha?
It’s Mixed Martial Arts—of course there is, but Cerrone’s not getting the win by smiling and showing up to the arena.
He’s said before that this isn’t a championship jiu-jitsu competition—this is a sanctioned three-round bout consisting of three five-minute rounds, but we don’t know enough about Rocha to know that he’s only capable of that one aspect of the fight.
If he is, but all fights stay standing, then Cerrone needs to use his mastery of the horizontal scrap to expose the alleged lack of striking or the existent-yet-inferior striking of Rocha.
Once he has Rocha in a bad spot, then he can try to beat Rocha at his own game and take the fight to the ground, but we still don’t know enough about Rocha to know if he has a good takedown defense level or if he knows any ability in the wrestling field.
Provided he does have good enough takedown defense, Cerrone should prepare to hit Rocha with everything including the kitchen sink and the dishwasher just to get a win.
I’ve always said that anytime one signs a fight, that involves walking from a backstage area to a cage or ring and walking up steps to get inside the cage or the ring, just so they can try and beat up someone that legally has 15 minutes to punch a hole in their face, the fight is probably going to be a difficult fight.
Cerrone is a warrior for sure, but he should expect Rocha to be as difficult as Jamie Varner or Ed Ratcliff were for him when Cerrone faces Rocha this Saturday night in Vancouver.
