Those of you who caught the middleweight match-up between Tim “The Barbarian” Boetsch and Nick “The Promise” Ring on the UFC 135 Live Prelims last Saturday were likely transfixed by the gorgeous judo throw Boetsch pulled off in the third round known as the Harai-Goshi, or Sweeping Hip Throw.
The Harai-Goshi is one of the forty fundamental throws created by the founder of Judo, Kano Jigoro. The above video, though not demonstrated in English, most properly demonstrates the necessity of foot placement in both the initial attack and sweep stages of the throw. From there, the throw trades in power for momentum, a basic principle of Judo.
Those of you who caught the middleweight match-up between Tim “The Barbarian” Boetsch and Nick “The Promise” Ring on the UFC 135 Live Prelims last Saturday were likely transfixed by the gorgeous judo throw Boetsch pulled off in the third round known as the Harai-Goshi, or Sweeping Hip Throw.
The Harai-Goshi is one of the forty fundamental throws created by the founder of Judo, Kano Jigoro. The above video, though not demonstrated in English, most properly demonstrates the necessity of foot placement in both the initial attack and sweep stages of the throw. From there, the throw trades in power for momentum, a basic principle of Judo.
No stranger to brutal throws, “The Barbarian” showcased his “redneck judo” once again this past weekend and impressed a lot of people with his decision win over the previously unbeaten Ring. As further proof of the effectiveness of Judo in MMA, here’s a video of the Cory Devela/Joe Riggs scrap from the Strikeforce: Strikeforce at the Dome event back in 2008, which ended just over a minute in after Devela pulled off a similar throw. Karo Parisyan would be proud. Enjoy.
I will be the first to say that Jones defeated Rampage handily. I actually thought Jones would take Rampage down much more easily, and dominate him more from top position. My prediction was a 3rd round TKO, but in the end, I’m not surprised by a …
I will be the first to say that Jones defeated Rampage handily. I actually thought Jones would take Rampage down much more easily, and dominate him more from top position. My prediction was a 3rd round TKO, but in the end, I’m not surprised by a 4th round submission.
But, just like when Jones beat Bader and an injured Rua, his hype has once again gone over the top. His striking and wrestling are both being called the best at light heavyweight. Some are even calling him the current P4P best fighter in the UFC.
His wrestling is great, but it isn’t the most proven at light heavyweight and his striking is truly being overrated.
His natural length and size gives him odd advantages that are tough to prepare for, but his style will stop being a mystery. Even in his last fight, his spinning elbows didn’t come at unpredictable times, and he telegraphed his sidekicks very badly.
Rampage is a solid striker, but has always had trouble with unorthodox fighters and strikers who utilize kicks, and it showed. He couldn’t deal with the telegraphed sidekicks of Jones, and was almost constantly kept at a range because of it. Other top light heayweights wouldn’t have this problem.
Remember the Machida Era? His style was called perfect. Between his phenomenal takedown defense, hard-hitting counter strikes and incredible evasiveness, people thought his style had no weakness. The attitude toward Jones now is very similar to the attitude toward Machida before he fought Rua. Just like there were always fighters who could beat Machida, there are fighters who can beat Jones.
Evans might be the one to beat Jones. His wrestling is some of the best at 205 and he has trained with Jones before. He is the fighter with the most experience at overcoming Jones natural size and reach.
Or maybe Machida. Machida’s takedown defense is better than Jackson’s, and he’s a more dangerous striker who is better at covering distance. His movement is also better, and he would not simply stand still and be nailed with sidekicks.
Jones is a champion, and currently a top pound-for-pound fighter. But has he really looked more dominant than GSP, Silva and Aldo? Has he even looked more dominant than Cain Velasquez?
Jones is great, but he’s not the P4P best and needs to prove himself before being placed so high above the other champions in perceived ability and ranking.
After a disappointing and somewhat controversial split decision loss to Gray Maynard at UFC Fight Night 20, Nate Diaz decided to jump up to the welterweight division in order to avoid cutting weight to make 155 pounds.While at 170 pounds, Dia…
After a disappointing and somewhat controversial split decision loss to Gray Maynard at UFC Fight Night 20, Nate Diaz decided to jump up to the welterweight division in order to avoid cutting weight to make 155 pounds.
While at 170 pounds, Diaz started off with two impressive performances. In his welterweight debut, he battered Rory Markham and finished him in the first round via TKO. Diaz followed that by submitting Marcus Davis in a fight he completely dominated. Despite the professional boxing experience of Davis, Diaz easily got the better of him striking.
In his next two bouts, losses to Dong Hyun Kim and Rory MacDonald, Diaz learned the importance of size as he was controlled very easily in both fights.
Nate Diaz finally returned to lightweight at UFC 135, utterly destroying Takanori Gomi. Diaz picked Gomi apart on the feet as the former PRIDE champion threw wild haymakers that missed their mark.
After “The Fireball Kid” got rocked on his feet, he attempted to take Diaz to the ground. Diaz showed his excellent guard, catching Gomi in a triangle. He was then able to chain submissions together until he transitioned into an armbar for the finish.
Diaz’s performance proves not only that he belongs at lightweight, but that he has the potential to be a contender.
Nate’s issue, similar to his brother Nick, is his lack of wrestling. In the past, both Diaz brothers have relied on their excellent guards to finish fights. The problem with that is, as the Dong Hyun Kim fight proved, simply threatening with submissions isn’t enough to win fights. Judges will often favor the man on top, even if he isn’t doing much damage.
Diaz has proved that he has the ability to pick apart great strikers on the feet, even busting up the face of Gray Maynard—the man currently fighting for the lightweight title. He also has the ability to submit people off of his back. In his 14 wins, Diaz has finished 10 of them by submission.
The biggest weakness for Diaz is his inability to deal with strong wrestlers who can maintain top position and avoid submissions—fighters like Clay Guida, who Diaz has lost to in the past. It’ll also be helpful if he could diversify his striking game and include more kicks, especially if he doesn’t mind fighting off of his back.
With any hope, Diaz can improve his wrestling with help from fellow Cesar Gracie fighter Jake Shields and make a run in the lightweight division. Despite his seven years of fight experience, Diaz is just 26 years old and his best days are still likely ahead of him.
Jon “Bones” Jones continues his reign of dominance within the division after successfully defending his UFC light heavyweight championship against Quinton “Rampage” Jackson on Saturday at the Pepsi Center in Denver.With a 14-1 overall record and 8-1 wi…
Jon “Bones” Jones continues his reign of dominance within the division after successfully defending his UFC light heavyweight championship against Quinton “Rampage” Jackson on Saturday at the Pepsi Center in Denver.
With a 14-1 overall record and 8-1 within the UFC, Jones’ only loss was by disqualification to Matt Hamill back in 2009.
Relatively untested in his victories inside the famed Octagon, Jones has eclipsed mythological status inside the cage.
A tremendous talent with blessed abilities, the development of the champion since his arrival in the UFC in 2008 has been incredible.
Capable of securing victories on his feet or on the ground, “Bones” is a very balanced fighter with power, length, offensive creativity and an overall skill set that warrants his current reign as champion.
Defeating tremendous adversaries, please follow along as I power rank Jones’ top five victories inside the Octagon.
I welcome your comments.
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UFC Light Heavyweight champion Jon Jones made his first title defense this past weekend at UFC 135 in Denver, Colorado, and his performance has the top dogs of the media world gushing and validating the young phenom. The undisputed champion of MMA medi…
UFC Light Heavyweight champion Jon Jones made his first title defense this past weekend at UFC 135 in Denver, Colorado, and his performance has the top dogs of the media world gushing and validating the young phenom.
The undisputed champion of MMA media, Ariel Helwani, held his second media roundtable this afternoon on his show, The MMA Hour, on MMAFighting.com. Helwani has been doing his thing for a long time in the mixed martial arts world, and his show just celebrated its 100th episode last week.
The second round table was graced by journalists Mike Chiappetta of MMAFighting.com, Jim Genia of MMAConvert.com and the pioneer when it comes to MMA coverage, TapouT’s Mike Straka.
The Jon Jones and Quinton Jackson title fight was the first topic on the agenda and attention quickly focused on Jones and his meteoric rise to the top of the mountain in mixed martial arts. His performance against Jackson, although not perfect, legitimized the new champion in the eyes of many who were reluctant to get on the hype train prior to Saturday night.
After listening the roundtable this afternoon, it is clear that many have been turned to believers. People are talking about the champion today, and here are some comments from some of the top MMA writers.
On the dominance of Jon Jones
Mike Chiappetta
“I knew Jones would be what he has become the first time I saw him in the cage.”
“The man to beat Jon Jones is not in the UFC right now. He is a young guy coming up now.”
Mike Staka
“Malki Kawa is gonna hate me and Jon Jones is gonna hate me but I was one of these guys that picked Rampage in this fight only because I did not think he had truly been tested and I thought Rampage would definitely do that.”
“I will never doubt Jon Jones again.”
Jim Genia
“I covered the smaller New York shows so, I was following the early Jon Jones so I am a firm believer that it will take kryptonite to beat him.”
“It’s the reach and athleticism and the fact that you cannot get to him.”
On why Jones seems to have some haters out there for being fake?
Mike Chiappetta
“I don’t think he is fake, I just think that people expect a certain learning curve and Jones has risen without following that blue print or time line. People don’t like that. There could be a resentment there.”
“Of course he has paid his dues, and worked for it, but in the public’s view maybe he hasn’t.”
Jim Genia
“I still see him all the time at the small shows as he supports other fighters. He’s a nice guy. To me, I see him deal with fans. He truly is a nice guy he handles the spotlight well.”
Mike Straka
“When people make it big people kinda want to hear, “I’m the man” and not, “praise God.”
“His family keeps him humble. He is not fake. If he gets too cocky, his brothers will get him in line.”
I met and interviewed Jones a few months ago, and he was truly great to talk to and deal with. He had the kids and his fans all around and was talking to all of them. I got to talk to the man in a very relaxed setting.
When I asked him what he thinks of the heat he takes from fans for being cocky and arrogant. His response gave a look at the two necessary sides in this game:
“It doesn’t bother me, I know that people are commenting on a persona, or a character that may not really be me. They don’t know me as a person or what I believe, they only know the persona of Jon Jones so it doesn’t bother me.”
Dwight Wakabayashi is a Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report MMA and (also a Correspondent for MMACanada.net)
Jon Jones proved that he wasn’t invincible against Quinton Jackson at UFC 135. He showed some flaws, as he was unable to get into the same dominant rhythm that he was against Ryan Bader and Shogun Rua.However, as Rampage showed the world that Jones was…
Jon Jones proved that he wasn’t invincible against Quinton Jackson at UFC 135. He showed some flaws, as he was unable to get into the same dominant rhythm that he was against Ryan Bader and Shogun Rua.
However, as Rampage showed the world that Jones was not invincible, Jones became even more unbeatable in my eyes. I know. It doesn’t really make sense to me either, but it happened.
Jones faced a well-conditioned and supremely motivated Jackson in this fight. Jackson was in the kind of form that once made him a champ.
He gave Jones everything he could handle, and Jones handled it.
This was an important progression in Jones’s career. Some fighters, even dominant ones, simply aren’t able to recover when another talented fighter knocks them off their game or rhythm.
Jones weathered the storm, stayed the course and ultimately scored a convincing win. This is a key and underrated quality for any fighter.
It is that ability to stay confident and calm and still attack like a surgeon—even when an opponent knocks them off of their game plan—that few fighters possess.
It is this quality that is going to lead to Jones’s continued success and domination. There is not another light heavyweight around that can combat Jones.
Jones is a complete fighter.
He can outbox, out-clinch and out-wrestle almost every fighter alive—and the few that can match or beat him in one area, will not be his equal in the other two.
After a disappointing and somewhat controversial split decision loss to Gray Maynard at UFC Fight Night 20, Nate Diaz decided to jump up to the welterweight division in order to avoid cutting weight to make 155 pounds.