Leading up to the enormous UFC 153 Pay-Per-View in Brazil, the UFC loves to give away free fights from top stars who are on the card. Today, we focus on Minotauro Nogueira.Minotauro Nogueira is a legend of mixed martial arts. With the PRIDE organizatio…
Leading up to the enormous UFC 153 Pay-Per-View in Brazil, the UFC loves to give away free fights from top stars who are on the card. Today, we focus on Minotauro Nogueira.
Minotauro Nogueira is a legend of mixed martial arts. With the PRIDE organization, he was the first man to win the heavyweight championship, and he also was a finalist in the 2004 heavyweight Grand Prix.
With incredible submission skills, Nogueira was able to defeat the cream of the crop, including Mirko Cro Cop, Heath Herring, Dan Henderson, Bob Sapp, SemmySchilt and more. In addition, he would win decisions against top names like Fabricio Werdum, Sergei Kharitonov and Ricco Rodriguez. The only man he had faced and not defeated was none other than FedorEmelianenko.
When the UFC purchased PRIDE, Nogueira was a top star who was thrust into a bout for the interim UFC heavyweight championship in his second fight with the organization. The man standing across the cage from him was former-champion Tim Sylvia, who stands 6’8″ and boasts an incredible reach.
With Sylvia being submitted only twice in his 27 fights prior, would Nogueira be able to use the strongest tool in his game and become the only man in history to win championship gold for both the UFC and PRIDE organizations?
(Vince Lucero vs. Tim Sylvia at a 2010 CFX event. We’re not sure if we’ve ever seen a more pathetic ending to a fight in our lives. On second thought…)
Like many MMA fans out there, we are of two minds when it comes to Dave Bautista. On one hand, we should be applauding the former WWE star for having the cojones to step into the cage and give a sport as laborious and intense as MMA a try despite both his age and experience level saying that he should do just the opposite. On the other hand, he represents little more than another splash in the recent wave of professional wrestlers looking to exploit a sport they have little experience in and little desire to actually further.
More often than not, guys like Bautista, Bobby Lashley, and Brock Lesnar to a degree (TO A DEGREE) are not professional fighters in the purest sense of the word; they are opportunists who crossover to MMA looking to make a decent buck and get out before they hurt themselves too badly. For if they were seriously seeking a new career path, they would logically test themselves on the amateur circuit before diving head first into a sport in which ill preparation can lead to serious health issues in both the immediate and distant future. Although their participation in MMA in turn draws legions of new fans to the sport, it also cheapens the value of what it means to call oneself “a professional fighter.” Not to get on our soapbox here, but that is a title that should be earned through hard work and dedication, not a few months of sparring and pure name value.
(Vince Lucero vs. Tim Sylvia at a 2010 CFX event. We’re not sure if we’ve ever seen a more pathetic ending to a fight in our lives. On second thought…)
Like many MMA fans out there, we are of two minds when it comes to Dave Bautista. On one hand, we should be applauding the former WWE star for having the cojones to step into the cage and give a sport as laborious and intense as MMA a try despite both his age and experience level saying that he should do just the opposite. On the other hand, he represents little more than another splash in the recent wave of professional wrestlers looking to exploit a sport they have little experience in and little desire to actually further.
More often than not, guys like Bautista, Bobby Lashley, and Brock Lesnar to a degree (TO A DEGREE) are not professional fighters in the purest sense of the word; they are opportunists who crossover to MMA looking to make a decent buck and get out before they hurt themselves too badly. For if they were seriously seeking a new career path, they would logically test themselves on the amateur circuit before diving head first into a sport in which ill preparation can lead to serious health issues in both the immediate and distant future. Although their participation in MMA in turn draws legions of new fans to the sport, it also cheapens the value of what it means to call oneself “a professional fighter.” Not to get on our soapbox here, but that is a title that should be earned through hard work and dedication, not a few months of sparring and pure name value.
According to MMAFighting, it was revealed that Evans had not been training for Bautista in the weeks prior to the bout — unless you consider fending off knife fights in the yard and gang rape in the shower “training” – because he was in jail while the fight was being promoted. So clearly, we’re looking at a fighter and a promotion primarily focused on achieving MMA legitimacy here people. After Evans was temporarily released from his stay, it seemed as if things were back on schedule. But unfortunately for “The Animal” (as well as Evans), it turns out that when you hand pick an opponent based on their complete lack of anything resembling competence, it could end up biting you in the ass. Evans was pulled over just a few days after his release and promptly thrown back in the hoosegow for driving without a valid license and therefore violating his parole. And so the great superfight of 2012 was off.
The promotion that we have the decency not to name then decided to pair Bautista against Bruno McKee, who, like Bautista and Evans, had zero professional experience. Unfortunately, McKee would also drop out, claiming that he did not have enough time to prepare for whatever skill set Bautista apparently brings to the table (Author’s note: there seems to be a lot of that going around lately).
When the promotion was made aware that Chael Sonnen would not in fact be stepping in to fight Bautista, who Sonnen described as “a freakish, musclebound dolt who hasn’t earned the right to peruse my hamper of dirty gym shorts*,” they once again found themselves in panic mode, which is how they came upon the 40 year old Lucero to fill in on just five days notice.
And once again, we are of two minds when it comes to Bautista. On one hand, at least he’s willing to fight an incredibly experienced IFL and Bellator veteran for his professional debut. On the other, he is fighting a man whose most notable win came over Josh Haynes back in 2004 and who is 2-9-1 in his last twelve. BUT HE’S WON HIS LAST TWO, YOU GUYS.
Who are we kidding, this is going to be a shitshow.
We’ve managed to scour the Internet and find a video of Lucero’s performance against Roy Nelson, which we’ve added below. If you feel the desire to watch his performance against Ron Sparks, go here.
OK, that may have been the most pathetic ending to a fight we have ever witnessed. At least this time it wasn’t Lucero’s fault, we guess.
This sure-to-be FOTY goes down on October 6th from the Dunkin Donuts Center in Providence, R.I. To find out how to purchase tickets, first pick up a phone, dial 911, and then beat yourself over the head with that phone until the ambulance arrives.
*Chael Sonnen has never made such a statement, but we imagine he’d say something incredibly similar if given the opportunity.
When Frank Mir went down with an injury and had to pull out of a scheduled tilt with Daniel Cormier at the Nov. 3 Strikeforce event, officials began the hunt for a replacement. Those options largely appeared to be UFC crossover guys, much like Mir. Exc…
When Frank Mir went down with an injury and had to pull out of a scheduled tilt with Daniel Cormier at the Nov. 3 Strikeforce event, officials began the hunt for a replacement.
Those options largely appeared to be UFC crossover guys, much like Mir.
Except not that many people want to fight Daniel Cormier, on account of his being a remarkable athlete with Olympic-level wrestling and striking that does serious damage.
And so it is that Dana White, living in a weird purgatory running the UFC and having to be worried about Strikeforce from time to time as well, has to consider all his options.
If guys on his roster aren’t willing to slug it out with Cormier before he makes the jump to the UFC and immediately becomes an impact player, perhaps it’s time to look elsewhere.
That elsewhere? That might just come in the form of former UFC heavyweight champion Tim Sylvia.
Sylvia, the often out-of-shape, Mohawk-clad, uncool-sideburns-owning big man from Maine, has been begging for a crack at making his way back to the world’s top promotion. It could be that circumstances are conspiring in his favour for just that.
Initially, there were reports that Sylvia was the one to fight Cormier. Those were quickly and aggressively refuted by White, who went on to announce that it was actually Mir who’d leave the UFC temporarily to mix it up with the former Olympian.
Now, with Mir out and no one else stepping up to take a fight that’s only a month away, he may have to go back and reconsider his options.
And Sylvia, he may just have to get to work on getting down towards 265 pounds if he hasn’t already.
The fact is that Sylvia has a bit of a name, and no matter how bad the division was when he was king, he’ll always be able to claim “former UFC heavyweight champion” as an accomplishment. If he comes in and fights Cormier as that former champion, it’s a win for everyone involved.
He gets his moment back in the sun, likely to be repaid with a UFC fight as a thank-you for helping out the promotion.
If he wins, he’s a feel-good story and he derails one of the more hyped guys to come along at heavyweight in a while.
If Cormier wins, he beats a former UFC champion, and that former champion loses no credibility because he fought on short notice and no one thought he’d win anyway.
Regardless of the winner, the UFC has something to talk about: the next big thing, Daniel Cormier, battering a former champion, or a former champion lost on the regional circuit for years making an against-all-odds thrust back into the biggest show in the game.
Realistically, the UFC could do a lot worse than Sylvia at this stage in the game. Every day that they don’t have someone is a day closer to not finding someone, because people are just plain not lining up to fight Cormier.
Sylvia’s got nothing to lose and the good sense to know as much. If he can make the weight and Dana White can put his own thoughts and opinions on the back burner long enough to get a deal done, Sylvia-Cormier is not a bad way to patchwork a main event for a promotion that’s dying anyway.
Last Friday we (and the rest of the known cyber MMA world) complained about Singapore MMA promotion One FC botching an otherwise solid event in the Philippines with convoluted rules relating to kicks to the heads of downed opponents. Referees somehow had to give fighters “permission” in the moment to throw kicks to the heads of their fallen opponents.
Last Friday we (and the rest of the known cyber MMA world) complained about Singapore MMA promotion One FC botching an otherwise solid event in the Philippines with convoluted rules relating to kicks to the heads of downed opponents. Referees somehow had to give fighters “permission” in the moment to throw kicks to the heads of their fallen opponents.
While, grammatically, the announcement may still leave some uncertainty (are they adopting and implementing all of the rules last used by the now defunct Japanese MMA organization, Pride, or just the Pride rules pertaining to ‘soccer kicks?’ Also, we have to assume that they are referring to Pride rules used in Japan, not the adapted ones used by the organization in fights held in the United States) but it is probably safe to assume, at least, that One FC fighters will now be allowed to kick and knee the heads of their opponents on the feet and on the ground without fear of being penalized.
Last Friday, this writer said that what was needed from One FC was a simple, clear-cut decision to allow or not allow kicks and knees to the heads of downed opponents, not equivocation or delay. If they’ve done that, then it is a step in the right direction.
By the way, things sure do move fast without having to deal with athletic commissions to approve your organization’s rules, huh?
Hmm…do we count Tim Sylvia’s weight as a high or a low?
If you didn’t get to catch One FC’s fifth event yesterday, you more than likely are under the impression that it was an event crushed by its completely preposterous stance on soccer kicks. While the soccer kick fiasco brought the sort-of anticipated fourth bout between Tim Sylvia and Andrei Arlovski to new heights of freak show ridiculousness, the show gave fans plenty of reasons to cheer and a few things to jeer as well. With videos beginning to surface from yesterday’s bouts, and no other televised MMA to look forward to tonight, let’s take some time to re-watch some of the better fights.
Unfortunately, the best fight from yesterday’s card – a lightweight slugfest between Eduard Folayang and Felipe Enomoto – isn’t available as of now. We’ll keep you posted if a video surfaces, but if one doesn’t, you’ll only have to wait until October 6 to see Folayang battle Zorobabel Moreira for the promotion’s lightweight title. Videos from the rest of the card available after the jump.
Hmm…do we count Tim Sylvia’s weight as a high or a low?
If you didn’t get to catch One FC’s fifth event yesterday, you more than likely are under the impression that it was an event crushed by its completely preposterous stance on soccer kicks. While the soccer kick fiasco brought the sort-of anticipated fourth bout between Tim Sylvia and Andrei Arlovski to new heights of freak show ridiculousness, the show gave fans plenty of reasons to cheer and a few things to jeer as well. With videos beginning to surface from yesterday’s bouts, and no other televised MMA to look forward to tonight, let’s take some time to re-watch some of the better fights.
Unfortunately, the best fight from yesterday’s card – a lightweight slugfest between Eduard Folayang and Felipe Enomoto – isn’t available as of now. We’ll keep you posted if a video surfaces, but if one doesn’t, you’ll only have to wait until October 6 to see Folayang battle Zorobabel Moreira for the promotion’s lightweight title. Videos from the rest of the card available after the jump.
Phil Baroni vs. Rodrigo Ribeiro
High: I know how much you all love the technical, methodical fighting styles of Jon Fitch and Ben Askren, but sometimes quick, brutal knockouts are exciting. This one is over before it really ever begins… Low: …and yet it still went on for at least thirteen seconds longer than it needed to. Props to Phil Baroni for begging the referee to stop the fight, but it should have never had to come to that.
Rolles Gracie vs. Tony Bonello
High: In this three round grapplefest, Rolles Gracie demonstrates that he’s one of One FC’s premier heavyweights. Low:See above.
Eric Kelly vs. Jens Pulver
High: Pulver was surprisingly competitive, coming close to pulling off the upset a few times during the fight. Low: Unless you’re a total masochist, you’ll find nothing fun about watching the former world champion get knocked out by yet another fighter you’ve never heard of.
Andrei Arlovski vs. Tim Sylvia
High: It wasn’t nearly the pathetic freak show you were expecting it to be. Low: At least not until it ended as a no contest. Then it was much worse.
Bibiano Fernandes vs. Gustavo Falciroli
High: It wasn’t pretty, but Bibiano Fernandes continued to make his case for being one of the top bantamweights on the planet with a victory over the blue-haired Gustavo Falciroli. Low: After bailing on the UFC, Fernandes needed a much stronger performance than this to still be a top bantamweight in the eyes of most fans. We’ll have to wait and see how he rebounds from this fight.
If you were to think of the classic rivalries in MMA, what’s the first one to come to mind? You’re probably thinking of Rampage Jackson vs. Wanderlei Silva or Fedor vs. Big Nog. If you’re newer to MMA, it’s probably Edgar vs. Maynard, which was a great…
If you were to think of the classic rivalries in MMA, what’s the first one to come to mind? You’re probably thinking of Rampage Jackson vs. Wanderlei Silva or Fedor vs. Big Nog. If you’re newer to MMA, it’s probably Edgar vs. Maynard, which was a great modern-day trilogy.
Now what about the rivalries that you no longer care about? I’m guessing at the very top of that list is Andrei Arlovski vs. Tim Sylvia. They got off to a brilliant start with the first two fights. They had compelling back-and-forth action to really make fans care.
Then the third fight happened at UFC 61. A fight so miserable, I thank my lucky stars that I wasn’t covering MMA at the time or it would have made me rethink my career choices. When the UFC’s heavyweight division lacked depth, Arlovski and Sylvia made it painfully apparent just how shallow it actually was.
For 25 minutes they danced around, neither wanting to commit nor risk picking up another loss to the other. It was appalling and was the turning point where fans realized just how boring these two fighters could possibly be when scared of losing.
It’s a theme that has remained with Sylvia for six years. He’s the heavyweight who wants so badly to return to the Octagon that he’s willing to bore fans to tears with sloppy clinch work. To his credit, Arlovski has been able to shake that reputation. He’s replaced it instead with being known as a fighter who goes out quicker than a fainting goat.
Which brings us to today. This morning at OneFC 5, Arlovski and Sylvia met for a fourth time. The fight was, surprisingly, pretty entertaining. Both fighters had opportunities to finish and there were times when both were rocked.
The ending was actually captivating, though incredibly illegal. In OneFC, a fighter needs to wait for referee approval before going in for a soccer kick. Arlovski dropped Sylvia with a pair of overhand rights and went in for the kill with two soccer kicks to the face.
Sylvia was given five minutes to recover and Arlovski received a yellow card. Unfortunately, Sylvia was seeing double and the fight was ruled a no contest. From the video, it’s clear that the damage was done with the right hands and not the soccer kicks.
But that doesn’t mean much, as OneFC have decided to put together a fifth bout between the two.
It’s literally the last fight that I want to see. The first three meetings were definitive enough that there was no reason for the fourth. The fact that this bout ended in controversy doesn’t mean that there’s reason for a fifth scrap.
OneFC is doing some really interesting things in Asia and have essentially become the home for high-level MMA in the Far East. They have the budget and promotional know-how to showcase some really good fighters who would otherwise have limited options.
They have been doing some great things and can really put Asia back on the MMA map. They should be focusing on building fighters such as Bibiano Fernandes and Eduard Folayang, both of whom have long-term viability for the promotion.
What I’m saying is, skip the fifth bout between Arlovski and Sylvia. Put this debacle behind you. Instead, focus on the future of the promotion with the best that Asia has to offer. It’s why I want to watch OneFC in the first place.
When 
