Tag: Opinion

UFC 130: Quinton “Rampage” Jackson Is Either Disinterested or Cold-Blooded

Just when almost every MMA fan is looking forward to an exciting and redemptive main event after what many found rather unsatisfying in UFC 129’s, Quinton “Rampage” Jackson rewards us with his expressed “lack of excitement” over…

Just when almost every MMA fan is looking forward to an exciting and redemptive main event after what many found rather unsatisfying in UFC 129’s, Quinton “Rampage” Jackson rewards us with his expressed “lack of excitement” over his fight versus Matt Hamill in UFC 130 (Rampage Jackson Not Excited With Matt Hamill for UFC 130 by Michael David Smith, May 17, 2011).

To account for his unpopular prior statement, he clarifies that, “Some MMA fans, they don’t hear something they want to hear and they jump all over you. If they really get to know me, I’m not really excited about anybody I fight. It’s my job; it’s my career. I don’t get excited anymore. I got almost 40 fights. I don’t get excited about anybody I fight.” (UFC 130 Fight Card: Rampage Jackson Talks Matt Hamill Fight on Conference Call by Sean Smith, May 20, 2011).

Maybe his long and storied MMA career is beginning to bore him and he’s now seriously contemplating on his budding movie career.

Or, if we interpret his above statement in a more positive light, he is now a true fight veteran and has become a cold-blooded murderer inside the Octagon. (Regardless if there are those who think he got away with murder versus Lyoto Machida.)

He is unfazed by any opponent, no matter how formidable. Nothing can shake his equanimity, whatever the odds.

Speaking of cinematic and cold-bloodedness in an already cinematic and, well, seemingly cold-blooded sport, my imagination conjures the following scene:

”Quinton Jackson coolly enters the Octagon amid the heavy booing of the crowd. The referee gives Jackson and Hamill their last pointers in the middle of the Octagon, as the former UFC champion stares at his opponent with an expressionless look on his face.

”The fight begins and 10 seconds into the round, Rampage lands a powerful right straight flush into Hamill’s left jaw, knocking the New Yorker out cold.

”Uncharacteristically, Jackson doesn’t howl or raise his arms in victory. The blank countenance remains.

”Joe Rogan climbs into the Octagon for the customary post-fight interview, but Jackson walks past him and swaggers back to his locker room with his posse, as the agitated crowd fills the arena with a deafening cacophony of cheers and boos.

“The cheers for the fast finish, the boos for the wanton display of arrogance.”

A cowboy villain entering a bar and shooting everyone in sight, then exits unhurriedly and nonchalantly mounts his horse, post-massacre.

Wisps of smoke arise from the still-warm twin revolvers tucked in opposite holsters attached to his belt, as he rides into the sunset as the original motion picture soundtrack of The Good, the Bad and the Ugly fills the desert air.

The problem with watching too many Westerns, lately.

UFC 130: Fight Card, News, Predictions, Results, and More!

 

I think we have Manny Pacquiao’s future MMA equivalent lurking here somewhere…for those interested in Philippine MMA, check out here the official Web site of our country’s premier MMA organization, the Universal Reality Combat Championship and our top MMA online forum at PinoyMMA.com.

 

 

 

 

 

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UFC 130: Quinton “Rampage” Jackson Is Either Disinterested or Cold-Blooded

Almost every MMA fan is looking forward to an exciting and redemptive main event–after what many found to be a rather unsatisfying one in UFC 129.As a reward, Quinton “Rampage” Jackson claims “lack of excitement” over his …

Almost every MMA fan is looking forward to an exciting and redemptive main event–after what many found to be a rather unsatisfying one in UFC 129.

As a reward, Quinton “Rampage” Jackson claims “lack of excitement” over his upcoming fight versus Matt Hamill for the UFC 130 headliner (Rampage Jackson Not Excited With Matt Hamill for UFC 130 by Michael David Smith, May 17, 2011).

To account for this unpopular statement, he clarifies that, “Some MMA fans, they don’t hear something they want to hear and they jump all over you. If they really get to know me, I’m not really excited about anybody I fight. It’s my job; it’s my career. I don’t get excited anymore. I got almost 40 fights. I don’t get excited about anybody I fight.” (UFC 130 Fight Card: Rampage Jackson Talks Matt Hamill Fight on Conference Call by Sean Smith, May 20, 2011).

Maybe his long and storied MMA career is beginning to bore him and he’s now seriously contemplating on his budding movie career.

Or, if we interpret his above statement in a more positive light, he is now a true fight veteran and has become a cold-blooded murderer inside the Octagon. (Regardless if there are those who think he got away with murder versus Lyoto Machida.)

He is unfazed by any opponent, no matter how formidable. Nothing can shake his equanimity, whatever the odds.

Speaking of cinematic and cold-bloodedness in an already cinematic and, well, seemingly cold-blooded sport, my imagination conjures the following scene:

Quinton Jackson coolly enters the Octagon amid the heavy booing of the crowd. The referee gives Jackson and Hamill their last pointers in the middle of the Octagon, as the former UFC champion stares at his opponent with an expressionless look on his face.

The fight begins and with just 10 seconds into the round, Rampage lands a powerful right straight flush into Hamill’s left jaw, knocking the New Yorker out cold.

Uncharacteristically, Jackson doesn’t howl or raise his arms in victory. The blank countenance remains.

Joe Rogan climbs into the Octagon for the customary post-fight interview, but Jackson walks past him and swaggers back to his locker room with his posse, as the agitated crowd fills the arena with a deafening cacophony of cheers and boos.

The cheers for the fast finish, the boos for the wanton display of arrogance.

A cowboy villain entering a bar and shooting everyone in sight, then exits unhurriedly and nonchalantly mounts his horse, post-massacre.

Wisps of smoke arise from the still-warm twin revolvers tucked in opposite holsters attached to his belt, as he rides into the sunset as the original motion picture soundtrack of The Good, the Bad and the Ugly wafts through the desert air.

The problem with watching too many Westerns, lately.

UFC 130: Fight Card, News, Predictions, Results, and More!

 

I think we have Manny Pacquiao’s future MMA equivalent lurking here somewhere…for those interested in Philippine MMA, check out here the official Web site of our country’s premier MMA organization, the Universal Reality Combat Championship and our top MMA online forum at PinoyMMA.com.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

UFC: Was Rashad Evans Right About Jon Jones?

Jon Jones and Rashad Evans have been exchanging verbal blows for months now. The trash talk started when Jones beat “Shogun” Rua to become the UFC light heavyweight champion in March and they have not simmered down one bit.Sugar and Bones b…

Jon Jones and Rashad Evans have been exchanging verbal blows for months now. The trash talk started when Jones beat “Shogun” Rua to become the UFC light heavyweight champion in March and they have not simmered down one bit.

Sugar and Bones both used to train at Greg Jackson’s MMA in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Rashad had been a part of the Jackson team for years and, after it was made known that he would face Jones next, Evans decided to leave the gym.

Rashad seemed to be dealing with the fact that the coaches had taken a great liking to Jon and he seemed to grow jealous to the point of being downright obsessed with it.

A subsequent match was set for the fall, but it fell apart when Jones said that he had to pull out of the fight due to a torn ligament in his hand. Rashad then came up with the theory that Jones was ducking him. The verbal battles continued in interviews, on twitter and online.

Rashad’s theory seemed to be a bit far-fetched. That was, until recently. He signed to fight Phil Davis at UFC 133 in Philadelphia and it was mere days later that Jon Jones revealed that he would forgo surgery and that he intends to fight this fall despite the injury. Evans is now even more convinced that Jones is avoiding fighting him for some reason. So, I ask you—is Jon Jones ducking Rashad Evans?

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UFC 134: Is Brendan Schaub Standing on the Shoulders of MMA Giants?

Brendan Schaub is known as “The Hybrid.” I’m not quite sure where the nickname comes from, but I do know that he is one heck of an athlete.He was a former Arena Football League player who made quite the impression on the Ultimate Fighter ten. Sch…

Brendan Schaub is known as “The Hybrid.” I’m not quite sure where the nickname comes from, but I do know that he is one heck of an athlete.

He was a former Arena Football League player who made quite the impression on the Ultimate Fighter ten. Schaub suffered a brutal knockout loss to Roy “Big Country” Nelson at the TUF finale, but has since rebounded with four straight wins inside the Octagon. Schaub has improved by leaps and bounds and now has a win over MMA legend and Pride open weight grand prix champion, Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic.

This is a great signature win, but I don’t know how much it really means. Cro Cop had a serious size advantage, giving up thirty pounds to Schaub. Cro Cop also recently received a knockout loss to Frank Mir in which he was out cold. If you couple that with the knockout he suffered to Gabriel Gonzaga at UFC 70, it becomes very apparent that Mirko was finished as a fighter before he ever entered the Octagon.

Cro Cop actually put up one hell of a fight that night, but that says more about what Brendan Schaub lacks and less about what Mirko has left in the tank. It still puzzles me that Frank Mir had such a difficult time with Cro Cop, until he knocked him out. This all goes to prove my point that Cro Cop can’t take a shot anymore. Neither Mir or Schaub should put too much stock into those knockout victories.

It was recently announced that Brendan Schaub is now slated to fight Pride legend and former UFC interim heavyweight champion, Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira. Nogueira is a true legend of this young sport, but he is on a steep decline to retirement. Schaub had previously campaigned to fight Frank Mir and had seemed to want to fight other men previously.

Then, suddenly, he seemed to switch his path and decide he wanted to fight another MMA legend. The problem I have with this is that Nogueira is shot by most people’s assessment.

In the last three years, he has been knocked out by Frank Mir and Cain Velasquez, suffered from staph infections and knee problems and now is coming off of a year-and-a-half layoff. It seems that Brendan is being given an easy route to the top. Much easier than the road Roy Nelson has traveled. So, I must ask one question. Is Brendan Schaub being given the easy route to the top? 

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Pushing the Pace: Are Judges Overlooking Aggression and Octagon Control?

Too many times I will see a fighter pushing the pace and being aggressive, yet losing the round despite not being noticeably out-struck.Why is this? Are aggression and octagon control not part of the judging criteria?What makes things even more flabber…

Too many times I will see a fighter pushing the pace and being aggressive, yet losing the round despite not being noticeably out-struck.

Why is this? Are aggression and octagon control not part of the judging criteria?

What makes things even more flabbergasting is that if no fighter clearly wins the round, a score of 10-10 is still perfectly reasonable.

Top examples that come to mind of fighter’s being awarded rounds despite moving backwards and not out-striking their opponents include:

—Jay Hieron over Rick Hawn

—Lyoto Machida over Mauricio Rua 1

—Chris Cope over Shamar Bailey (Ultimate Fighter)

And those three examples are really just the tip of the iceberg. If one fighter is constantly backing up, and not phasing his opponent, why does the fighter not pressing the pace win the round?

We do not want to see two fighters circling each other for 15 minutes or more without throwing a punch.

As great as self-defense is, offense is still part of the equation in fighting.

Having a style that revolves around counter-punching and counter-attacking is fine, but if you are not damaging your opponent with frequency, your lack of aggression needs to acknowledged.

I am not sure about you guys, but I am not as interested in Ultimate Feinting as I am in Ultimate Fighting.


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Jon Jones Interview: Machida or Rampage? Who Is the Man That Can Beat Him?

The undisputed champ of the mixed martial arts world these days, Jon “Bones” Jones was in my neighbourhood yesterday appearing at the MMA Expo Show as part of MMA Live 1 London. Bones talked to all his fans, signed every autograph and posed for every p…

The undisputed champ of the mixed martial arts world these days, Jon “Bones” Jones was in my neighbourhood yesterday appearing at the MMA Expo Show as part of MMA Live 1 London. Bones talked to all his fans, signed every autograph and posed for every photo request made, in a pure display of how star athletes should treat the fans that come out to see them.

As I stood there and waited for a word with the champ, he spoke pleasantly to everyone that came up to him. The MMA Expo was holding a jiu jitsu competition in the main bowl and I could hear Jones ask each little guy that came up to him if they were competing today, because he was excited to catch some of the action.

Imagine how jacked up these kids were to know that Jon Jones was interested in watching them grapple. After his appearance session was done, Bones was kind enough to speak with me on one condition.

“Can we go out there and do this because I want to watch some jiu jitsu?” he asked. Well who am I to argue with the champ?

Right before we went out, his manager had already told me, “Sure, you can have a minute, but no Rashad questions, and no injury questions.” I soldiered on.

 

DW: So Jon, with the new announcement involving Twitter bonuses, and as a martial artist, do you see that Twitter is a good thing?

JJ: Absolutely, it gives the fighter a real opportunity to connect with and also reward fans through Twitter.

DW: And for you, you know, going from a hero recently and now you seem to be taking some heat on the airwaves and twitter heat, how are you doing there? Are you ok dealing with that?

JJ: Oh for sure man. You know, I look at those people and I feel that they are upset or talking about Bones you know, the character, they aren’t talking about me the person. My friends and family all know me and that’s the important thing.

DW: Speaking of that, who would win a fight in your family? Your family dinners?

With that question I got a chuckle out of Jon’s manager and a weird look and smile from Bones but also a quick and honest answer.

JJ: Arthur. Yeah, I would say he would probably still be the man. He’s big man, he still wrestles. He’s a tough guy I would say. He’s strong and could hold me down.

DW: But you have the strikes though right?

JJ: Yeah, I have the strikes for sure.

I was expecting Bones to say he himself is the toughest and would win, but his brother Arthur is a defensive tackle for the Baltimore Ravens, as well as an accomplished wrestler. Now I know Jones can be beaten, and I know the man he thinks can do it.

DW: So Machida or Rampage? What do you think?

JJ: It doesn’t matter to me at all, they are both tough fighters and I’m here to fight the best.

DW: And you were just here for UFC 129 as well, did you enjoy the week?

JJ: I had a great time man, I love Canada and all the fans.

DW: Will you please push to be a headliner up here so we can see it live?

JJ: I’ll fight anywhere man. Wherever they want me to go I go. 

 

Jon Jones is a champion who clearly knows how to be a champion. He was a pleasure to talk to, even though he is an absolute nightmare to fight.

I want Jones vs. Machida soon, and I’m greedy—I want the fight in Canada so I can try to see it live.

Dwight Wakabayashi is a Correspondent for Bleacher Report. (Also a Correspondent for MMACanada.net.) All quotes were obtained first-hand.

 Catch me on Twitter at wakafighter 

 

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