Video: Lyoto Machida’s Spirit Is Ready (and He Will Not Be Touched – Anderson Silva)
(Courtesy of BadBoy.com)
Does anybody else feel sorry for Thiago Silva after watching this video of Lyoto Machida preparing for their fight at UFC 94? Machida really is one of the most focused, technically sound fighters in the world, and if he can score the mount on Silva as easily as he does with his training partner at the video’s 0:42 mark, forget about it. Plus, he has that "spirit" thing going for him, which is nice.
As Machida’s brother Chinzo points out, Lyoto "will only attack an opponent when he knows that the strike will hit its mark." And of course there’s the matter of his confounding defense. FightMetric put together this comparison of Lyoto Machida and some of MMA’s current champions, based on the number of strikes they absorb per minute of fighting ("SApM"):
Lyoto Machida: 0.64 SApM
Georges St. Pierre: 1.01 SApM
Rashad Evans: 1.39 SApM
It’s a very telling statistic, when you consider that many MMA fans would name Fedor/Anderson/Georges/BJ as the top four pound-for-pound fighters in the world, in that order. Does Machida deserve to be ranked among them? He certainly has the talent; maybe by the end of the year he’ll have the accomplishments as well.
Fedor-silva: Narrowing The Gap – Anderson Silva
Six months ago, on July 19, fight fans were treated to an evening of pound-for-pound bliss, with Anderson Silva and Fedor Emelianenko headlining counter-programmed cards between the UFC and Affliction.
With each promotion’s respective pound-for-pound king taking center stage, Silva dealt the first blow at around 10:30 that evening, making short work out of James Irvin and finishing the vaunted knockout artist in 61 seconds.
Not to be outdone, Emelianenko would counter one hour later with a 36-second shellacking of Tim Sylvia.
The evening only intensified discussions as to who should lay claim to the title of the world’s top pound-for-pound fighter and while there will likely never be a consensus to the debate, I can’t help but feel that the gap between the two may be closing.
In the past, if a fighter ever fell from the ranks, it was usually due to some kind of performance shortcoming, be it a loss or a long-winded string of inactivity.
We all know the case against Emelianenko: While Silva was tearing through the likes of Rich Franklin, Nate Marquardt, and Dan Henderson, Fedor was content soundly beating Hong Man Choi, Mark Coleman, and Matt Lindland, who was competing two classes above his normal weight.
When PRIDE folded and talks between the UFC and Emelianenko’s management broke down, the masses began to question the Russian’s legitimacy as the world’s top heavyweight.
After wrecking shop in Japan and dispatching heavyweights stalwarts like Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira and Mirko Filipovic, the fight fan wanted to see how Emelianenko would fare against the UFC’s 1-2 punch of Tim Sylvia and Andrei Arlovski.
Well, the last six months have gone a long way in answering those questions.
The Hong Man Chois of the heavyweight scene have been put on the backburner and in a matter of three minutes and 50 seconds, Fedor took out arguably the UFC’s two premier heavyweights of the past five years.
Meanwhile, Silva is just under three months away from a title defense against Thales Leites, a stout grappler who is a fringe top-10 middleweight. Beyond that, Silva’s line of opposition could range from a rematch with Henderson, to bouts against either Michael Bisping or Yushin Okami.
If there’s anything to be learned regarding the infamous MMA ranking system, it’s that it preys on the “what have you done for me lately” premise.
If memory serves correctly, it’s reaching the one-year mark since Silva last competed against a consensus top-tier middleweight (Henderson). Within that time frame, Emelianenko has soundly bested Sylvia and Arlovski, and aims to complete with 1-2-3 punch by defeating fellow PRIDE veteran Josh Barnett at a future card.
To Silva’s advantage though, the options for Emelianenko are slim once the Barnett fight passes. While there’s always the outside chance of a fight with someone like Alistair Overeem or Sergei Kharitonov, the relevant remainder of the heavyweight division competes under the Zuffa banner.
Still, with Emelianenko’s dominance over the past six months, the gap between he and Silva is closing and while some may see them as ranked 1a and 1b, there’s reason to believe it’s more than just a two-horse race.
There’s a certain dream rematch on tap for this Saturday and the winner of Georges St. Pierre-B.J. Penn will have as much right to the pound-for-pound crown as either Silva or Emelianenko.
It’s the subjective debate to end all subjective debates, but I liken the pound-for-pound argument to a train wreck: you know it’s going to look ugly, but you just can’t turn away.
Joe Rogan Vs. Frank Mir : The Pfp Of Color Commentary – Anderson Silva
As much as I enjoy one-half of the UFC’s broadcasting team, it pains me to say that I cringe every time the phrase “world class Brazilian Jiu Jitsu” comes out of Joe Rogan’s comedic mouth.
After calling out of work due to too much unwatched MMA on my DVR, I spent 75 percent of my day watching countless UFC-Unleashed programs and the other 25 percent watching all of the WEC’s broadcasts from the previous year or so.
It seemed that every match Rogan announced at least one, if not both, fighters either had “world class”, “great”, or “extremely underrated” BJJ skills.
It’s one thing to achieve the level of black belt in BJJ, it’s completely the opposite demonstrating those skills in the Octagon. It even forced myself to want to ask Joe Rogan if graduating from Syracuse University with a degree in psychology meant that you had “world-class” psychology skills. (The reference here is a sibling that indeed graduate from Syracuse, who has virtually zero human interaction skills. She is now training clients on propriety software for a financial company.)
Don’t get me wrong, there is no other color guy in the industry that I would rather listen to announce a fight. His razor sharp quips such as “He just spun into the smell-my-butt guard” and “Rolling around with Karo is like rolling around with an angry chimp” leave me chuckling long after the match is over.
Watching the Dustin Hazlelett-Tamdon McCrory fight left me baffled when Joe spent far more time praising the BJJ skills of McCrory even after Dustin spun the tall, lanky 22-year-old into a human pretzel.
Before Anderson Silva’s fight with Travis Lutter, Joe declared Lutter’s “world class” BJJ as what could be the deciding factor for a win against the Spider. Really??? Granted, Lutter was rolling with someone actually deserving of that title, but if Lutter has world class BJJ, than why does Rogan describe Frank Mir, BJ Penn, and Big Nog’s BJJ with the same distinction ?
It seems like anyone who can maintain a full guard for over 15 seconds has suddenly proven their “phenomenal” BJJ skills to the guy. It has to be the most overused statement in his handbook.
While spending the remainder of my mental health day watching the WEC’s Frank Mir doing the color on his fights, he would go so far as too disagree with his partner whenever (insert WEC’s play-by-play guy’s name here) would declare Wagnney Fabiano’s BJJ the reason why he was dominating Akitoshi Tamura. Frank said “if Fabiano wants to have a chance against the other 145ers out there, he’s going to have to improve a lot more than just his Jiu-Jitsu.”
Throughout the two full WEC cards I watched while ducking work, the only time the phrase “outstanding” or “world class” BJJ was uttered out of Frank’s mouth was when he was describing the skills of Miguel Torres and Urijah Faber (no argument here).
Frank also called sweep after sweep and transition after transition just before they actually happened, and noticed a few guillotine chokes before the fighter applying them knew that he was about lock one up.
What Frank lacks in comedic value, he more than makes up for in technical assessments of fights. But the opposite can be said about Rogan.
The real question is : Not who is more qualified to provide color to a fight, but what do MMA fans prefer while watching?
Input appreciated.
Thales Leites On The Right Track For Title Fight With Anderson Silva – Anderson Silva
On April 18 Thales Leites (14-1) will attempt to do what no one else in the UFC has been able to do. He will try to upset UFC Middleweight Champion Anderson Silva (23-4) from his throne. Leites is on an impressive five-fight win streak with his most recent victory coming at UFC 90 when he [...]
Lyoto Machida And The Great Divide: Disrespected And Misunderstood – Anderson Silva
Anderson “The Spider” Silva (23-4 with 14 KOs) is a name that Mixed Martial Arts fans are more than well acquainted with. Anderson is the 185-pound UFC champion, and rated by many experts as—pound for pound—the greatest Mixed Martial Arts fighter on the planet.
Disrespected and misunderstood by some, loved and much admired by others, Lyoto “The Dragon” Machida is also a name that many fans are well acquainted with, and there exists a great divide among fans regarding the style of this extremely skilled MMA fighter.
Mainly, due to his cautious, defensive style Machida is often overlooked as a pound-for-pound successor to the great Anderson Silva, but with all the right fights and the right wins in this new year, 2009 or early next year can potentially and officially change the opinions of all his closed minded detractors.
This young MMA superstar and undefeated fighter (13-0-3 by KO) is no beginner, he started training in Shotokan Karate at age three; later at age 12, the young Machida began training and developing his strength in the art of sumo wrestling. Though he didn’t know it at the time, he was already learning the basics of MMA.
A karate black belt at age 13 and definitely on his way, at the tender age of 15 a young Machida witnessed the great BJJ skills of legendary MMA pioneer Royce Gracie on a video of UFC 1—he was immediately hooked; he then started training diligently in Brazilian jiu-jitsu.
As a snot-nosed teenager, Machida already had a clear blueprint and a rock solid foundation for the sturdy, well-rounded MMA fighter that we know and admire today. Still, there exists critics because, to the average fan or the untrained eye, Machida appears to be running, or being lethargic.
Personally, I love to watch Machida’s fights; to me, it’s similar to holding a beautiful, loaded, Smith & Wesson .44 calibre revolver, the gun has the potential to create devastatingly violent circumstances; ironically, that wont happen unless the trigger is pulled. So you see, Machida isn’t boring to me because I respect the showstopping violence that he is capable of producing.
In his last few fights, Machida has been called “boring” for employing his Shotokan karate as a defensive tool; Machida circled the octagon, taking advantage of his opponents by counter-punching off their careless mistakes.
As Machida’s opponents tried repeatedly in vain to gain access to striking range, they would unknowingly leave themselves wide open; this “luring in” tactic is also used by Anderson Silva.
Machida has been a black belt in Shotokan since age 13; Frank Trigg has been a victim of Machida’s kicks in sparring sessions, and has spoken highly of them. He also used a karate leg sweep on B.J. Penn in the second round of their fight.
Machida has also used a variety of back kicks in the dominant beat-downs of Tito Ortiz, Rich Franklin, and Stephan Bonnar.
Machida’s first two fights in the UFC were against Sam “the Alaskan Assassin” Hoger at UFC 67 and David Heath at UFC 70, both were victories by unanimous decision.
At UFC 79, he easily spoiled the coming-out party of Pride FC up-and-comer Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou in the second round, using a powerful strangling move called an “arm triangle choke.”
Machida’s detractors view his defensive approach as boring, which diminishes from the entertaining aspect of the sport, but I’m speaking here as a supporter and fan of his style.
Watching Machida in action is an acquired taste, a delicacy similar to caviar; the people who like it will pay top dollar to eat the best, but the other folks who cant stomach it see it as the eggs of a dead fish.
“Genius is one per cent inspiration, ninety-nine per cent perspiration.”
—Thomas Edison
James Irvin Vs. Drew Mcfedries, Dave Kaplan Vs. George Roop Added To Ufc 98 – Anderson Silva
Former light heavyweight James Irvin will make his middleweight debut at UFC 98 against fellow hard-hitter Drew McFedries on May 23 in Las Vegas, MMAFrenzy.com has confirmed.
Additionally, lightweight Ultimate Fighter 8 cast members Dave Kaplan and George Roop will square off at the event, according to MMAJunkie.com.
Irvin was last in action in July when he headlined UFC Fight Night 14 opposite Anderson Silva, losing via knockout in just 61-seconds. After the fight he tested positive for the banned painkillers methadone and oxymorphone and received a nine-month suspension that expires in mid-April.
“The Sandman” is 14-5 in his career, including a 4-4 mark in the UFC. Since returning to the promotion in late-2006 Irvin has scored victories over Hecotr Ramirez, Luis Arthur Cane, and Houston Alexander while dropping bouts to Thiago Silva and Silva.
Known for his impressive knockouts, McFedries has gone just 3-4 in the UFC since debuting with the promotion in late-2006. Following a 3-2 start in the UFC that included wins over Alessio Sakara, Jordan Radev, and Marvin Eastman, McFedries most-recently dropped back-to-back fights to Mike Massenzio and Thales Leites.
UFC 98 is expected to be headlined by a heavyweight championship unification bout between title-holders Brock Lesnar and Frank Mir and is also slated to feature the grudge match between former welterweight champions Matt Hughes and Matt Serra.
James Irvin Vs. Drew Mcfedries, Dave Kaplan Vs. George Roop Added To Ufc 98 – Anderson Silva
James Irvin
Former light heavyweight James Irvin will make his middleweight debut at UFC 98 against fellow hard-hitter Drew McFedries on May 23rd in Las Vegas, MMAFrenzy.com has confirmed.
Additionally, lightweight “Ultimate Fighter 8″ cast members Dave Kaplan and George Roop will square off at the event, according to MMAJunkie.com.
Irvin was last in action in July when he headlined UFC Fight Night 14 opposite Anderson Silva, losing via knockout in just 61-seconds. After the fight he tested positive for the banned painkillers methadone and oxymorphone and received a nine-month suspension that expires in mid-April. “The Sandman” is 14-5 in his career, including a 4-4 mark in the UFC. Since returning to the promotion in late-2006 Irvin has scored victories over Hecotr Ramirez, Luis Arthur Cane, and Houston Alexander while dropping bouts to Thiago Silva and Silva.
Known for his impressive knockouts, McFedries has gone just 3-4 in the UFC since debuting with the promotion in late-2006. Following a 3-2 start in the UFC that included wins over Alessio Sakara, Jordan Radev, and Marvin Eastman, McFedries most-recently dropped back-to-back fights to Mike Massenzio and Thales Leites.
UFC 98 is expected to be headlined by a heavyweight championship unification bout between title-holders Brock Lesnar and Frank Mir and is also slated to feature the grudge match between former welterweight champions Matt Hughes and Matt Serra.
For the latest UFC 98 rumors check out the MMAFrenzy.com UFC rumors section.
James Irvin Returning From Painkiller Suspension As A Middleweight – Anderson Silva
(The Sandman lands a superman-punch en route to his record-tying eight-second KO of Houston Alexander at UFC Fight Night 13 in April. Photo courtesy of NBCSports.)
MMA Mania reports that James Irvin — who was handed a nine-month suspension for testing positive for Methadone and Oxymorphone following his TKO loss to Anderson Silva last July — will be making his Octagon return at UFC 98 (May 23rd, Las Vegas). It will be his first fight at middleweight, as Irvin will be shedding 20 pounds from his jacked frame to face Miletich fighter Drew McFedries, who’s coming off consecutive losses to Mike Massenzio and Thales Leites.
Since neither fighter has a winning record in the UFC — Irvin is 4-4 and McFedries is 3-4 —the loser could find himself without a contract after this one. What’s more, Irvin’s health could be a question; besides the sizable weight cut, Irvin was recovering from a broken foot during the Anderson Silva fight (which is why he was taking those potent painkillers in the first place), and was the victim of a bizarre knee injury during his fight against Thiago Silva in May 2007. UFC 98 will be headlined by the long-awaited grudge match between Matt Hughes and Matt Serra.
In other UFC fight-booking news…
— Tyson Griffin will be looking to rebound from his October loss to Sean Sherk when he takes on Rafael Dos Anjos at UFC Fight Night 18 (April 1st, Nashville). Griffin has been successful five times in seven UFC appearances, though his last six bouts have gone to decision. Dos Anjos is the Brazilian Fury FC/Pancrase vet who was on the receiving end of the fifth greatest knockout of 2008 during his unfortunate UFC debut in November.
— Marcus Davis believes that Thiago Alves’s next opponent will be Mike Swick, though there’s been no official confirmation yet from the UFC. Davis has lost unanimous decisions to both fighters during his career, and wants revenge.
UPDATE: Also, TUF 8 losers Dave Kaplan and George Roop are throwing down at UFC 98.
Roy Jones Jr. To Headline Boxing/mma Card – Anderson Silva
It’s the closest you’ll see Roy Jones Jr. in a mixed martial arts card. The former boxing champ will headline a boxing/MMA card on March 21 in Pensacola, Florida.
Jones Jr. will fight Omar Sheika in a light-heavyweight boxing bout, ESPN confirmed today.
Jones Jr. had spoken about going head-to-head against UFC middleweight champ Anderson Silva, but only in a boxing fight. Both parties wanted the fight but the UFC didn’t want to accept the risk of one of its top stars today losing to the aging legend.
Michael Bisping Is One Win Away From Anderson Silva – Anderson Silva
("If you’d like to donate to the Michael Bisping Memorial Fund…")
According to UFC prez Dana White (via Fighters Only magazine), Michael Bisping would be ready for a title shot if he manages to defeat Dan Henderson following their coaching stints on The Ultimate Fighter: Team U.S. vs. Team U.K., which is scheduled to premiere on April 1st after UFC Fight Night 18. The only thing that would prevent an immediate title shot for Bisping in this scenario is if Anderson Silva is tied up in the light-heavyweight division. As White explains:
Ever the good employee, Bisping is already preparing mentally for the possibility. As he tells FO:
Oh man. Fighters talking about the proper way to beat Anderson Silva (and Fedor Emelianenko) never stops being hilarious to me. It should be noted that Dan Henderson actually had some early success against Silva with an aggressive rough-’em-up style during their fight at UFC 82 last March, but that only made the Spider angrier, and Hendo was obliterated in the second round. And as we saw in his last fight against Patrick Cote, Anderson Silva now has the power to blow-out knees using only his mind. So basically, Bisping had better start training with Freddie Roach, or he has no chance in this one.
