We know Daniel Cormier, unfortunately, has to stick around the now two-man Strikeforce heavyweight division for at least one more fight. In an ideal world, Cormier would be on his way to the UFC after his re-broken hand heals up.So yeah, it’s unfortuna…
We know Daniel Cormier, unfortunately, has to stick around the now two-man Strikeforce heavyweight division for at least one more fight. In an ideal world, Cormier would be on his way to the UFC after his re-broken hand heals up.
So yeah, it’s unfortunate that we won’t be seeing Cormier make his UFC debut in his next fight. But it’s not the end of the world. There are zero heavyweights left in Strikeforce besides Cormier and Josh Barnett, and we don’t really need to see that fight again. The idea of bringing in an outside name like Tim Sylvia has a little appeal, but only because seeing the out-of-shape Sylvia being battered around the cage by Cormier would be intriguing.
Cormier sticking around Strikeforce for one more fight isn’t all that bad because there are plenty of UFC heavyweights who could move over for one big fight against the grand prix winner. As I’ve said before, I wouldn’t mind seeing him fight someone like Travis Browne, but Cormier has a much better idea, as he told Ariel Helwani on yesterday’s edition of The MMA Hour:
I think if there is a plus one and Zuffa’s going to send someone over it is going to have to be someone that is very good you know? Maybe Shane Carwin, as he’s coming back. He’s a guy with a lot of name value and I don’t necessarily know if that’s a step up (from Josh Barnett) but that is somebody with name value.
Oh my. That’s quite the idea right there. Carwin’s been gone from the cage for nearly a year at this point, and we don’t know exactly what kind of condition he’ll be in when he gets back. But this is an intriguing idea, with the perfect mix of challenge and name value for Cormier’s next opponent.
Heading into this weekend’s title bout at UFC 146, Frank Mir isn’t being given a fair advantage on the feet against his opponent, Junior dos Santos.Mir is attempting to leave Las Vegas with the heavyweight title around his waist despite odds makers lab…
Heading into this weekend’s title bout at UFC 146, Frank Mir isn’t being given a fair advantage on the feet against his opponent, Junior dos Santos.
Mir is attempting to leave Las Vegas with the heavyweight title around his waist despite odds makers labeling him as a significant underdog against the Brazilian.
While most critics will point to Mir’s world-class jiu-jitsu as his only chance of winning the bout, the former UFC heavyweight champion believes his striking is being overlooked.
Having defeated such notable strikers like Cheick Kongo, Tim Sylvia and Mirko Cro Cop Filipovic, Mir feels he can compete with the champion.
“I think that sometimes it’s overlooked,” Mir told ESPN.co.uk when asked about his striking skills. “Sometimes it comes down to style. And with my style I’ve predominantly done better with people that use more striking or know the submission games.”
Mir’s striking ability has improved throughout the years but fans consider his chin to be susceptible. Out of his five career losses, four of them have seen Mir succumb to strikes via KO/TKO.
Combine that with dos Santos’ hand speed and knockout power, and many fans lean towards the champion to walk away with the title.
But Mir could be provide some difficulty for “Cigano” if he is able to avoid the Brazilian’s exchanges in the pocket and stay on the outside.
Dos Santos’ striking has proved to be successful against all of the heavyweight division so far, but Mir isn’t intimidated to engage.
“I’ve had to work harder on the wrestling-based [fighters] as far as control and position and so that’s why, if you look at my training, it’s geared towards wrestling more because I am so comfortable with the boxing and the kick-boxing aspects and also dealing with submission guys,” Mir told ESPN.co.uk.
Junior dos Santos will make his first heavyweight title defense against UFC veteran Frank Mir on May 26 at UFC 146. Dos Santos has predominately faced fighters who like to stand and trade punches. His last last four opponents have been Cain Velasquez, …
Junior dos Santos will make his first heavyweight title defense against UFC veteran Frank Mir on May 26 at UFC 146. Dos Santos has predominately faced fighters who like to stand and trade punches. His last last four opponents have been Cain Velasquez, Shane Carwin, Roy Nelson and Gabriel Gonzaga. Mir is enjoying a rebirth […]
We sports fans are a quantitative bunch.There’s nothing we love more than having a single, definitive number to summarize the performances of our favorite athletes or teams, especially when we can use that number in a heated argument against a dissenti…
We sports fans are a quantitative bunch.
There’s nothing we love more than having a single, definitive number to summarize the performances of our favorite athletes or teams, especially when we can use that number in a heated argument against a dissenting point of view.
Kobe Bryant averaged over 27 points this season and carried his team to the playoffs, you say? Well sure, I retort—but he only shot 43% for from the field. Two dozen players in the league could do that and more if they averaged 23 shot attempts a game.
ERA. PPG. QBR. We can’t get enough. And when we’re finally at a level of information overload, we come up with new statistics that are supposed to be deeper and more accurate than the ones they’re replacing.
ERA becomes xFIP, PPG evolves into efficiency rating, etc.
Mixed martial arts is the new kid on the block, with FightMetric leading the charge on quantitative MMA statistics. This is a wonderful thing, because statistics help give clarity to something complex. So while a new MMA fan might not be able to articulate the finer technical points of a double-leg takedown, they can look at Georges St-Pierre’s sport-leading 77.3% takedown accuracy and know that he’s pretty good at putting his opponents on their backs.
And since MMA is still in its infancy relative to other mainstream sports, it gives us the unprecedented opportunity to shape the way the sport is covered. We can leave useless statistics at the door and focus on the ones that matter. It’s with that idea in mind that I present to you a notion that might seem extreme at first, but it comes with merit:
It’s time we stop paying attention to MMA career records.
I’ll admit from the start that this proposition is UFC-centric, but it’s a fact that the UFC is the presumptive major leagues of MMA. Bellator puts on some fantastic fights, and Strikeforce still has some top-level talent (until the inevitable day when Zuffa shifts them over to the big-brother promotion), but the vast majority of the best fighters in the world call the Octagon home.
With that in mind, take a look at the career records of two current UFC fighters:
Fighter A: 20-8, 17 finishes
Fighter B: 16-7, 14 finishes
Based on those numbers, you’d assume that fighter A was better, based on the fact that he’s managed to win more with a better winning percentage. But let’s adjust those numbers to include just these fighters performances in the UFC and include the win/loss streak that they currently are on.
All of a sudden, your perception of those two fighters shifts dramatically.
Fighter A is Jeremy Stephens, a four-time bonus winner but not someone who is anywhere near the top of the lightweight division. Fighter B is Nate Diaz, who has a legitimate claim to fight for the lightweight title.
This is just one of a hundred similar comparisons that highlights the importance of UFC records over career records. It’s the reason that Mark Munoz (12-2 career, but 7-2 in the UFC) is knocking on the door for a title shot, but Michael Kuiper (11-1 career, but just 0-1 in the UFC) probably won’t be on the main card in his next UFC appearance.
My point is that for the vast majority of fighters currently in the UFC, their records outside of the promotion are hardly indicative of the successes or failures that they’re experiencing in the Octagon.
Fighters simply do not face the same level of competition on a fight-to-fight basis anywhere else in the world, and their numbers become skewed as a result. Miguel Torres’ pre-Zuffa record is 32-1, but does that tell us much about a fighter who’s gone 2-2 since the UFC absorbed the WEC?
So with the goal of creating an accurate reflection of record, I propose that we place our primary focus for UFC fighters on two statistics: record inside the Octagon and current UFC winning streak—both of which are direct indicators as to who are the top fighters in each weight class.
When Bruce Buffer introduces both fighters, I want to hear their UFC records, not the inflated numbers that they earned while climbing to the big leagues.
This isn’t to say that career records should be completely discounted, but they should be treated just like a first baseman’s minor league on-base percentage, or a quarterback’s college career touchdown totals.
The reality is that other promotions are a minor league of sorts, and a win in King of the Cage doesn’t hold the same historical value as does a win in the UFC. So, when a fighter like Hector Lombard makes his promotional debut in August, by all means introduce him as a 31-2-1 (1 NC) fighter. But after that bout, his introduction should begin with, “This fighter has a 1-0 (or 0-1) UFC record, 31-2-1 (1 NC) overall.”
Now, I understand the perceived diminishment that this type of focus would have on the accomplishments of veteran fighters from the PRIDE era, with guys like Wanderlei Silva (4-6 UFC record) and Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira (4-3 UFC record), in particular. Similarly, fighters like Lombard and Gilbert Melendez have earned their positions in the sport by clearing out the divisions of their respective promotions.
But to this sentiment, I have two points:
First, to adopt a focus on UFC records does not mean to create a vacuum where no other MMA history exists. We can appreciate the accolades that these veterans rightfully earned without confusing their position in the sport today.
Second, and most important, this shift in focus is not done with the past in mind but for the benefit of the future.
With Josh Barnett’s loss last Saturday, we are rapidly reaching the point where the PRIDE gladiators of old are on their last legs. At the same time, the fighters that are the champions of today (Jon Jones, Junior dos Santos) and tomorrow (Rory McDonald) are making their name solely in the UFC. Five years from now, it’s conceivable that the UFC and Bellator will be the only two major MMA promotions in the country, with the vast majority of PRIDE fighters long retired.
Our stat system should be reflective of that environment, not of one where the best fighters are stretched across multiple organizations across multiple countries.
We as fans and writers are in the unique position of shaping the way the MMA is covered and discussed. For the sake of clarity and consistency, consider a gradual shift in discussion and analysis, and we’ll reap the benefits of mainstream understanding in the future.
Junior dos Santos will make his first heavyweight title defense against UFC veteran Frank Mir on May 26 at UFC 146. Dos Santos has predominately faced fighters who like to stand and trade punches. His last last four opponents have been Cain Velasquez, …
Junior dos Santos will make his first heavyweight title defense against UFC veteran Frank Mir on May 26 at UFC 146.
Dos Santos has predominately faced fighters who like to stand and trade punches. His last last four opponents have been Cain Velasquez, Shane Carwin, Roy Nelson and Gabriel Gonzaga.
Mir is enjoying a rebirth of sorts of his long UFC career. This fight against dos Santos will mark Mir’s 20th trek into the Octagon. Mir is 14-5 over those 20 fights.
The sight and sound of Mir’s last submission against Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira is still fresh in the minds of many MMA fans.
Personally, I had to delete the fight from my DVR after watching the replay a couple of times. There is nothing on television that makes me cringe more than seeing a limb snapped. Envision a kid peeking through their fingers while watching a scary movie and that’s how I looked watching the replay of Mir breaking Nogueira’s arm.
Surely I can’t be alone in that.
Forget about you and I, what about dos Santos? Is he going to have a quick trigger when it comes to tapping out against Mir?
Dos Santos is an elite power striker, there is no debating that. He also has a ground game that is solid enough to help him stay on his feet with Mir.
If Mir is able to weather the storm of punches by dos Santos and get the fight to the ground, he should be able to get the champion into a submissive position.
As soon as dos Santos feels his arm being cranked in the wrong direction, one would expect him to tap based off of what Mir has done to previous opponents.
UFC 146 limps its way to viewers on Saturday, as the card has undergone a number of changes due to injuries and other circumstances.Originally headlined by Junior dos Santos and Alistair Overeem, Frank Mir has stepped in for Overeem due to a pre-fight …
UFC 146 limps its way to viewers on Saturday, as the card has undergone a number of changes due to injuries and other circumstances.
Originally headlined by Junior dos Santos and Alistair Overeem, Frank Mir has stepped in for Overeem due to a pre-fight drug test failure. This was the first of many changes to the card.
With a card full of heavyweights, this event will either be a huge success or a massive failure. Here are some predictions that are all-but-sure to happen.
We sports fans are a quantitative bunch.