Flying Attacks Explained || From Takedowns to Tornado Kicks || Breakdown • Skill Builder ᴴᴰ

Flying Attacks Explained: Takedowns to Tornado Kicks, Highlights

This was a request that sounded fun.

DISCLAIMER: This is not a detailed instructional video, and I do not endorse nor suggest anyone trying any of the techniques displayed throughout it’s entirety. Discretion is advised, and this is for educational purposes only.

Music: Background Music (Instrumental) I Modern Presentation I No Copyright Music https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ht541mq2dpM

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Mike Tyson on the Pain it takes to achieve Greatness

The former undisputed heavyweight champion of the world Mike Tyson. Had one of the greatest meteoric rises to the top in the history of world sports. Raised for many years in Brownsville New York.

Tyson’s exploits as a teen soon found him in deep water with the authorities. Facing a potential life being in and out of prison, he was taken under the wing of acclaimed boxing trainer Cus D’amato. D’amato saw in him the potential which Tyson could never see.

Turning the street kid into the most devastating youngest heavyweight champion in world history. Here Iron Mike chronicles what it took for him to reach that greatness. The sacrifices he had to make and the dogged determination of his mentor to mould him into one of the most feared fighters of all time.

It’s not lost on Mike that Cus turned a seemingly scared boy into a unrelenting killer inside the ring. Not being something which Tyson would have seen himself ever doing. Hearing him talk about what he had to endure to achieve those goals is truly inspiring. And something we can all learn from in every facet of our daily lives.

Listen and learn from Tyson as he breaks down his time as a young up and coming boxer. How he had to overcome fear with the hep of Cus D’amato. Becoming one of the most famous and lauded athletes of all time.

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Cejudo vs Dillashaw: UFC on espn - What did we learn?

UFC on Espn – What’s changed?

As we pass from one era to the next – specifically the Fox era to the ESPN era – what did we learn about the UFC and its future? Well, for one we learned that Dana White is fully prepared to die on the Greg Hardy hill. “One thing I did learn about Hardy tonight, he can fight”, okay Dana, okay. I believe we’ll have to learn to live with Stephen A. Smith, a man with seemingly nothing to say about the sport of MMA. We learned that crowds love cowboys and violence, but still aren’t too hot on wrestling. We learnt that starting times are now likely to suffer due to various other sports presentation on ESPN, hooray for getting to bed at 7 A.M. in the UK. We learnt some things have changed, and some haven’t. Let’s see.

Never count out Jojo

Fight Night Brooklyn saw the debut of much touted Brazilian striker Ariane Lipski. The highly endorsed 24-year-old had earned her nickname. “Queen of Violence”, with a spectacular run in Polish promotion KSW. Many saw her as a potential new Brazilian star and contender in the flyweight division – the Shevchenko division. She had a destructive aura, so when she was “given” the lovable and scrappy but inconsistent Joanne Calderwood, many assumed a successful start to her UFC stay. JoJo had other ideas.Utilising a surprising ground game to control and drain Lipski in the first round, then outpointing her in the second and third rounds pretty much everywhere, Calderwood picked up the clear decision.

Lipski was by no means embarrassed, but it highlighted the difference between the UFC, the big show, and the rest of the world of MMA. Whether this was a case of first time octagon jitters or Lipski simply hadn’t been exposed to this level of competition in KSW – which true – we won’t know for a while, at least not until the “Queen of Violence” gets back in there. Either way it was an excellent win for Calderwood, who called out Jessica Eye after the fight. At least I think that’s what she said; I had to turn my TV all the way up to hear her. This further proves that the UFC really is a different beast.

dad cowboy

The UFC couldn’t have picked a better fight for the featured bout on the televised part of the ESPN card. The living legend and greatest fighter to never win a world title (yet) Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone delivered one of his late career best performances against a young, hungry athletic opponent in Alexander Hernandez. This could have gone one of two ways – obviously – but in this case the fight took on much more importance than a simple rankings clash. Cowboy has now firmly set his sights on the belt upon his return to the lightweight division.

After delivering a beat down Cowboy called out none other than Conor McGregor. McGregor took to twitter and in a rare case of clarity simply said “For a fight like that Donald, I’ll fight you. Congratulations.” After a career of fighting anyone anywhere, Cerrone has declared that now is the time to pick his fights and go after the belt. He credits this refocus with the birth of his son Danger – because what else did you think Cowboy would call his son?

Cowboy’s last two fights have taken place with his infant son at ring side and it showed in his performances. He looked sharp and motivated, and I believe him when he says he’s coming for the belt. At 35 years of age this is likely his last chance to climb to the top, and what’s a better fight to do that with than McGregor? Conor needs a good win upon his return, and Cowboy is a name and they have a history of heat. It’s a perfect fight in this writer’s opinion. Add “Dad Cowboy” to the final form pantheon of “TRT Vitor”, “Sea Level Cain” and “Motivated Penn”.

The knee heard around the world

Now we come to the ugly portion of the night. Greg Hardy vs Allen Crowder filled up the co-main event slot. The placement of both Greg Hardy and Rachael Ostovich on this card has been discussed ad nauseam, and I have nothing to add. On its own however, this was a shambles. Emptying his gas tank in the first two minutes of the first round, Hardy heaved as Crowder took him down and held him there. Crowder, not exactly Ben Askren himself, did allow Hardy to get up eventually, and by that point neither man really had much to offer on the feet.

Second verse, much the same as the first. Crowder tried to implement his grappling game, but both men were so exhausted nothing really happened. Eventually, after a failed takedown attempt, Crowder found himself on his knees under a standing Greg Hardy. I remember thinking “is he going to do it?” And then in what seemed to be slow motion, Hardy drove his knee into the temple of Crowder, sending him cratering to the canvass. He attempted to follow up with ground and pound – because of course he did – but Dan Miragliotta was in no mood. He called off the fight and the Brooklyn crowd’s indignation boiled to the surface. You couldn’t have chosen a worse way for Hardy to debut.

Dana White somehow found good things to say about Hardy, “he can fight”. Apparently White sees something in the star power of Hardy, despite the fact that he has a sordid past, was disqualified in his debut fight and had the entire crowd booing him. I don’t know where Dana finds this confidence, but he has it, and we are going to have to learn to live with it, if we weren’t already.

cejudo pulls it off

And now we move to the main event, an actual high level fight with a legitimately exciting and shocking conclusion. In the minds of many we received the least probable outcome: Henry Cejudo knocked TJ Dillashaw out in 32 seconds. Well, technically he did, not that TJ is too quick to accept it. He immediately complained about the stoppage and has continued to do so in multiple interviews. It’s a tricky one to assess. TJ was still moving but he had been dropped twice times and Cejudo was all over him. Dana White called the stoppage “horrible” but I think it’s pretty clear he wanted Dillashaw to win so I don’t know what that’s worth.

Whether he denies it or otherwise, Dana seems to be leaning towards cutting the flyweights. A win for Dillashaw would have made that a lot easier, but he was denied of that. Cejudo went into the fight saying he was doing it not just for himself but for the whole division. He may have saved his title, but it remains to be seen whether not he saves the weight class. To make matters a little more complicate “the Messenger” fully intends to move up to bantamweight and rematch Dillashaw for his belt. Things were already messy down there in lower divisions, this will likely only make things worse if he wins. He also may have bagged a date with Nikki Bella thanks to number 1 P4P MMA matchmaker Ariel Helwani.

So, what did we learn?

So, in the wake of the UFC’s ESPN+ debut? Well, we learned that Dana White will do anything if he thinks he can make money doing it. We learned JoJo Calderwood is no gimme fight. We learned that Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone is not a man to be messed with and that having a child really can change you. We also may have learned what Conor McGregor’s next move is. Maybe we learnt that shrinking your body down to 125 pounds and coming out looking like a zombie is not necessarily optimal conditions for a fight, or perhaps Henry Cejudo is just that good?

I think above all else we learnt that the more things change, well the more they’re going to stay the same. Same fights, same crazy MMA happenings and wackiness. Here’s to the ESPN era, hopefully shows do in fact start a little earlier so I can get to bed at reasonable time here in the UK. “Record it and watch it the next day” you may say; well I can’t, I’m in too deep. Long may MMA reign.

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UFC Brooklyn: Henry Cejudo vs TJ Dillashaw - A Fistful of Belts

Henry Cejudo vs TJ Dillashaw – The superfight generation

Well we turned on champion vs champion fights real quick, huh? Henry Cejudo vs TJ Dillashaw takes place this weekend in Brooklyn, New York in the Barclays Centre. Henry Cejudo puts his hard earned flyweight championship on the line as current bantamweight champion TJ Dillashaw moves down to 125 lbs seeking his second belt. Two or three years ago this would have excited the masses. What changed?

The UFC was founded in 1993 and up until 2009 there was not a single champion vs champion fight, discounting interim titles (and they should be discounted). Dana White, a sweet science man himself, sought to iron out many of the issues plaguing boxing, hence the whole weight class thing – a different story for a different time.

In boxing champions fight champions on a regular basis. Frankly it is difficult to keep up with alphabet belts and constant weight class hopping. As a relatively casual fan of boxing I must admit I have no idea what belts GGG and Canelo had upon their pair of meetings. I only know they were great fights.

Things changed

The concerns of clogging up divisions and confusing matters appear to be the root cause of the hesitation, but in 2009 a superfight between top stars and the current welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre and lightweight champion BJ Penn was too tempting for the organisation. To add fuel to the fire, GSP and Penn had fought in 2006 with St-Pierre being awarded the controversial split decision victory. So they had their first “super fight” and it was an excellent contest, with the bigger man GSP coming out on top with a fourth round corner stoppage. Then things went back to normal after that, and every division had their champions. Then, WME bought the UFC.

The importance of Conor McGregor in the current state of things can’t be understated. Before signing with worldwide leader of MMA in 2013, the “Notorious One” had become a double champion – featherweight and lightweight- in the UK based promotion Cage Warriors. He had designs on repeating this across the pond.

Upon the acquisition of the promotion by WME in 2016, Conor McGregor was their ubiquitous top star. The biggest story of that year, at least as far as mainstream exposure, was Conor’s fated capturing of a second championship at UFC 205. In doing so he became the first person to hold two UFC titles concurrently. Naturally, PPV numbers for McGregor were huge that year, and UFC 205 set a new gate record at $17,700,000.

Post-Sale

A lot has been made of the UFC’s new direction after the sale, but it is impossible to deny the emphasis on spectacle. 2016 was a huge year for the promotion, and an interesting year for a new owner to get onboard. Thanks to McGregor’s exploits serving as a blueprint for WME, it’s easy to see why things went in the direction they did.

From 1993 to 2015 the UFC staged one champion vs champion fight. Between 2016 and 2019 they have staged three, with Henry Cejudo vs TJ Dillashaw being the fourth. The most recent came in the form of Cris Cyborg vs Amanda Nunes, with bantamweight champion Nunes coming out on top. It was extremely exciting to see Cyborg conquered by a smaller opponent, and the moment will stand as one of the favourites of many (this writer included) in the sports history. But just the other day Nunes announced on twitter she had zero plans to fight at 145 again, she just wanted a second belt.

To be fair to the “lioness”, she was brutally honest and wasted little time in announcing this. But one can see quite clearly from this how having one person sat atop two divisions an become messy. Unless the UFC can come at Nunes with some numbers to her liking, she will likely be stripped, just like the previous two champ champs.

The fate of a champ champ

McGregor was stripped of his featherweight title soon after his victory over Eddie Alvarez for the lightweight title, then he was stripped of the lightweight title but that’s a whole other thing. Current heavyweight champion Daniel Cormier, despite assertions that he would return to the division where he first tasted UFC gold, vacated the light heavyweight belt before the UFC could strip him and give it to Jon Jones. Essentially, this was a “you can’t fire me, I quit” type deal.

Now we sit on the precipice of our most recent “superfight”. Regardless of the confusion surrounding it, Henry Cejudo vs TJ Dillashaw is a great fight. When it comes to big fights, questions are what really sells these fights. Is Cejudo truly a different fighter these now? Is TJ truly a better “MMA wrestler” than an olympic gold medalist? How much has the weight cut effected Dillashaw? He says he feels great, but he looks like Christian Bale in The Machinist (2004).

Henry Cejudo vs TJ Dillashaw however, actually seems bogged down by being a champ vs champ fight in the eyes of fans. A lot of the talk seems to be directed at the perceived over saturation of these super fights, how they have lost any meaning. In all fairness, fans are fickle, and when this started to happen – as it always seemed destined to – I would have been surprised at any other reaction. The real trouble comes with the flyweight division itself though.

State of the flyweights

Seemingly on the chopping block since longtime champion Demetrious Johnson exited the organisation, after letting several 125er go it seems as if this fight is for the division’s future. With a Dillashaw win it is difficult to imagine him fighting at this weight again considering the complex process of his weight cut. Dillashaw’s claims notwithstanding, he looks like a ghoul from Fallout. What’s more, TJ has stated he doesn’t care what happens to the flyweight division, something Cejudo has taken issue with.

According to an admittedly melodramatic Henry Cejudo, he is going into this fight with the entire division on his back. “The flyweight division will be resurrected” he told the media at Thursday’s press conference whilst wearing a gold snakeskin jacket seemingly two sizes too big for him. He then proceeded to remove a rubber snake from a bag and beat it against the stage as Dana White looked on, tired. Also Henry was wearing his Olympic gold medal.

Anyway, the fight seems to be coming at expense of the division and of super fights as a whole. Dillashaw has far from cleared out his division, with contenders like Marlon Moraes, John Lineker and a trilogy bout with Raphael Assuncao looming. Cejudo didn’t have a lot to do with the departure of DJ to be honest, so this fight makes the most sense for him.

Gaming the system

Despite his criticisms of TJ for his mercenary indifference to the plight of the flyweights, he has also proposed going up to fight for the bantamweight title of he beats Dillashaw. It’s a messy situation, but Dillashaw really doesn’t seem to care. He’s doing this for himself, to become the greatest of all time, while it may seem cold, especially considering he has counted flyweights as teammates, that is the mindset of a true competitor. Why should he care?

Ultimately the only people benefiting from an increased presence of division jumping are the victors. A win for Dillashaw surely spells doom for the 125 lb division, but how can one blame him? He is merely following his programming, and playing the game as its rules allow. We saw this in 2017 when GSP came back and beat Bisping for the middleweight title only to relinquish it mere weeks later. It was chaos for everyone in the top 10. But that’s the system and people will game it. Don’t hate the player folks, hate the game.

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Muay Thai vs. (Dutch) Kickboxing || Breakdown • Skill Study • Highlights ᴴᴰ

After seeing a string of “Muay Thai vs. the World” videos, or whatever click-bait-ish title (the edit king uses), I decided to jump in on the action, and give my take from an MMA Striking perspective.

A Mixed Martial Arts striking coach should be versed in many styles of striking if indeed using that title, and I’m often asked what the most important martial art is, and / or “where to start?” re: MMA. (The impetus was “World’s Strongest Man vs. Gracie Jiu Jitsu” a horse sh|t video that is incredibly misleading, and baffles me with it’s reverence.)

While the answer is likely Wrestling or a form of grappling from the right coach (Khabib’s Sambo or the dozens of Renzo / Danaher disciples e.g. GSP), that doesn’t mean that it would be enough to compete at the highest level of MMA in today’s landscape.

Striking is getting better in MMA, and especially at the higher levels of the UFC. While some use a boxing coach, others a Muay Thai coach, and some of the very best tend to learn from MMA striking coaches, in my predisposed definition.

For the record, striking coaches like Duke Roufus, Duane Ludwig, Ajarn Phil Nurse, Henri Hooft, and other upper echelon fellas may use Muay Thai as a term for what they’re teaching, though most of us know that it is an MMA based system, often influenced by what most would refer to as Dutch Kickboxing or K1 – Glory rules type kickboxing.

My aim here is to show the efficacy of striking styles, agenda free as Cosmo (has defeated high-level fighters from Nampon PKMuaythai to John Wayne Parr) was my former Muay Thai coach and Nieky (lost to Buakaw, though if you know the shade…) has become a friend over the years. Smarks don’t need an explanation really. For the novice and intermediate, it is important to see why things translate, as well as the importance of hands.

A former BJJ coach Gabriel ‘Gladiator’ Santos told me that his issue with a lot of “Muay Thai” is the lack of hands, or as we may say ‘boxing’ as a generality. 10 years later, I’d like to repay.

Footage from One Championship via LHolzken: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l8aumBg3PvY

Music: Dread Pitt – Reckless (ft. C.) [NCS Release] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Egg-0YwPR30

[No Copyright Music] Philae – Olivaw https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HOPIU2wRHXM

Prismo – Stronger (Raiko Remix) [NCS Release] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pqYWDvV0I28

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the most exciting ufc fights of 2018 - Part 2

Korean Zombie vs Yair Rodriguez

Yair Rodriguez had a rollercoaster of a year. After taking a sickening beating at the hands of Frankie Edgar in May of 2017, he spent some time on the shelf. Then in mid 2018 he was shockingly released for refusing to fight, as rumours of his matching up with Zabit Magomedsharipov floated around the internet. After much uproar he was reinstated, and subsequently booked against Zabit in a highly anticipated prospect vs prospect clash. Unfortunately, injury curtailed those plans, and Yair now found himself at the bottom of the UFC totem pole. The injury bug would strike another down, however, removing Frankie Edgar from his fight with the Korean Zombie.

Yair stepped in, to the surprise and delight of many an MMA fan. Zombie, himself in a rebuilding process after a stint in the Korean military is a man known for producing bangers, and Yair is as exciting a striker as they come. They lived up to the hype and then some, creating violent magic on the date of the UFC’s 25th anniversary. Yair was losing the fight on the scorecards, before throwing a hail mary no look backwards elbow thing at a charging Zombie in the literal final second of the fight, flatlining him.

Yair Rodriguez started the year practically forgotten by fans and publicly trashed by Dana White, spent the middle of it unemployed, and ends it being lauded for what many are now considering the greatest knockout in the history of MMA. A lot can happen in a few months.

Demetrious Johnson vs Henry Cejudo

A controversial one, with as many supporters for DJ as for Cejudo. Whatever you thought of the decision here it’s impossible to deny the gravity of this title change. After breaking Anderson Silva’s all time title defense record in 2017 and dominating everyone put in front of him, “Mighty Mouse” was a downright institution in the eyes of MMA hardcores. As such Cejudo was considered a simple diversion on the way to a super fight for the unbeatable Johnson. The Olympic gold medallist had other plans.

In hindsight the fight wasn’t that exciting, and I suspect watching it knowing the result would yield disappointment. But Demetrious Johnson was considered an unsolvable solution, and while Cejudo wasn’t dominating, he was doing better than anyone thought not only he but anyone else could do against the then only flyweight champion in UFC history. It was a thrilling sensation and after the 25 minutes were up for the first time in a long people weren’t sure if Demetrious Johnson was leaving with a belt. Cejudo got the nod, and era came to an end. Hindsight will not be able to adequately assess the excitement of this moment.

Max Holloway vs Brian Ortega

After a year away from the cage for the young featherweight king Max Holloway, he met jiu jitsu wunderkind Brian Ortega at UFC 231 in Toronto. Holloway had been booked for three fights since his second defeat of Jose Aldo in December of 2017, being deemed medically unfit at the last minute each time. The third occasion saw a cancelled title fight with Ortega back in July, due to Max exhibiting concussion like symptoms during fight week. When it comes to the brain, people tend to worry, and were even beginning to question Holloway’s speech.

Despite doubt by many, Max Holloway finally made it to the cage at 231 and put an unholy beating on the undefeated Brian Ortega. After over a year on the shelf, “Blessed” looked better than ever. Dealing with depression and the belief that he many never fight again, Holloway’s return proved many people wrong, and he looks to extend that thirteen fight winning streak in 2019.

Khabib Nurmagomedov vs Conor McGregor

This was the biggest fight in the history MMA, so it goes without saying this was important. The thing with this one though, the story surrounding the fight got ugly quickly. Words exchanged between the two men were deeply personal and stirred up so much emotion that we are still dealing with the consequences of Khabib’s post-fight freak out and the ensuing brawl.

The fight itself however, was an exercise in anxiety for fans. The bout had an air of importance and personal stakes unlike anything in recent memory, as whoever won was essentially the “man” in the sport, and for its duration the tension was almost unbearable. As both men are known to be quick to implement a decisive gameplan, I can honestly tell you I’ve never been so nervous for something I wasn’t directly involved in.

The fight was fascinating, with most of it spent on the ground with Khabib’s relentless top game taking hold. Due to the hyper focus on defending takedowns the McGregor, Khabib was even able to land a clean overhand right, knocking the Irish striking savant down. Round three did actually stay on the feet, leading to some hope for McGregor. It was not to be however, as Nurmagomedov was able to get the RNC finish on a worn down McGregor in the 4th, and then what happened happened. I really hope we don’t see a rematch for the simple reason that I don’t know if my heart can take it.

Tony Ferguson vs Anthony Pettis

In the eyes of many, Tony Ferguson is uncrowned king of the lightweight division. Winning the interim belt during Conor McGregor’s hiatus in October of 2017 and extending his winning streak to 10, the only logical fight was between him and Khabib. The fight was booked for March of 2018, then Tony tripped on a cable and ripped his knee apart, making this the fourth time Tony vs Khabib has been cancelled.

After a truncated rehabilitation that saw “El Cucuy” take his recovery into his own hands, he returned at UFC 229, the biggest event in the history of MMA. His opponent, Anthony Pettis, himself a former lightweight champion was enjoying somewhat of a career resurgence and it was all to play for in Vegas. What followed was two rounds of bedlam, with both men covered in blood. Unfortunately Pettis couldn’t make it out for the third due to a hand injury, giving Ferguson 11 straight in the octagon. He was back, ready to take on the winner of the main event, and Pettis got to prove he still had that warrior spirit.

Robert Whittaker vs Yoel Romero 2

The consensus fight of the year and for good reason, Whittaker vs Romero 2 played out like a live action Dragon Ball Z fight. The seemingly superhuman Yoel Romero hit the incumbent champion Whittaker with bombs, dropping him repeatedly and sustaining minimal damage himself. In a post fight testimonial, Whittaker said Romero “felt like concrete”. That showed.

Bobby Knuckles however, did what champions do, enduring in the face of inhuman punishment. Whittaker stuck to the gameplan in the intervening moments when he wasn’t being lit on fire and outpointed the Cuban aberration to a controversial decision victory. Whoever you scored the fight for, you have to admire both men. The 41 year old Romero for retooling his game in the 12 months since their last fight, and the champion Whittaker for flat out refusing to lose this fight.

The real drama played out before the fight proper however. Romero, being an actual cartoon muscle man, failed to make weight for this title fight in Chicago, coming in at 186 lbs. Practically collapsing off the scale, he was given an extra two hours to make the championship weight. Unsettling considering the state he was in.

In what was most likely a panicked decision on the part of the commission, they decided to cut those two hours short, and Romero weighed in before he was ready. He came in at 185.2, just missing the 185 limit, meaning this was to be a non-title fight. With this in mind the fight itself became a tragedy of sorts. No matter the effort put in by Romero, he was not going to be given a belt that night in Illinois. Then these fighters went out there and did that, with nothing but pride on the line. An illuminating 25 minutes to say the least.

Here’s to the future

As we head into the 2019 this violent comic book/soap opera will continue. There was plenty of great fights in 2018 that were not included here, as I’m sure there will be plenty of great fights this year that few people see and even less people talk about. That’s the fight game; it’s weird, tragic, funny, sad but most importantly it’s hopeful. Here’s to a good year, and more great stories to tell.

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The most exciting UFC fights of 2018 - Part 1

a strange year

2018 was a strange year. To be fair, MMA is weird, so every year is a strange year, but 2018 seemed to go a little further. Conor McGregor attacked a bus, Tony Ferguson tripped on a wire, Nate Diaz was going to come back, then he wasn’t, then he was, then he wasn’t again, Ben Askren and Mighty Mouse were traded like Yu-Gi-Oh cards, Sean O’Connell won a million dollars, Jon Jones cut up a grain of salt and went swimming in an Olympic swimming pool or something, and Floyd Mayweather beat up a small Japanese boy – or maybe he didn’t!? Oh, and Chael Sonnen did this:

With all that succulent drama to indulge in, it can be kind of easy to look past the reason we’re all here in the first, the actual fights. “The best fighting the best” is, optimally speaking, the modus operandi for MMA. With all the failed drug tests, late replacements and interim titles, once can become easily disillusioned, but for the most part we do actually get the best fighting the best and most of the time it’s great.

But why is it great? The beautiful technique or the visceral violence? Fine. Sure. Both of those things are excellent, but when we look back, not just on the last twelve months but decades from now, what is it that we will remember? The sweet foot work and distance management of Max Holloway and the utter lunacy exhibited by Thiago Santos will stick in the minds of some, but it’s the stories that will truly stand the test of time.

The beauty of a fight is that it is real and anything can happen, and it does, all the time. No fight is the same and we learn something, not just about the people involved, but people in general every time the cage doors close. While the participants are trying to maim each other, a story unfolds before the baying crowd. Sometimes it is ugly, and sometimes it is beautiful, but it is always interesting. Here, in no particular order, are my top fight stories of 2018.

chris weidman vs jacare souza

An unexpected treat on the mess of a card that was UFC 230. After being devoid of a main event until four weeks before the show Daniel Cormier and Derrick Lewis were thrown money until they said yes, with both being banged up from recent fights. Nate Diaz and Dustin Poirier were also expected to throw down until Poirier sustained an injury, meaning the Nate return would have to wait again. At least we had the fun rematch between Chris Weidman and Luke Rockhold to look forward to. Oh wait, Rockhold got injured again and Weidman was left without an opponent.

Thankfully Jacare was fighting lower down on the card, so they bumped him up to the co-main to take on Weidman. It was kind of surprising we’d never seen this fight before given both men’s status as elite middleweights for the last several years. With both falling on hard times as of late, this had a last chance vibe, and that is how they fought.

Weidman did great work on the feet, piecing the Brazilian up in the first round. But Jacare bit down on his mouthpiece, refusing to lose and getting even further away from the elusive championship. He boxed his heart out until landing that finishing blow in the third round. It was bittersweet considering how close Weidman was to a title shot and the losing streak he incurred after being defeated for the belt, but this is fighting, it’s a zero sum game.

Zabit magomedsharipov vs kyle bochniak

Sometimes a difference in skill level can make a fight boring, but sometimes it can blow the roof of a place. After the hell week of UFC 223 in April of last year, fans just wanted to see some good fights. Zabit and Bochniak gave them exactly what they needed. The highly extolled featherweight prospect Zabit is considered by many to be the next Russian phenom, a complete fighter; “Khabib with striking” as Joe Rogan said during the broadcast. Bochniak is not that. He is a scrappy bruiser from the state of Massachusetts.

Zabit was levels above Bochniak in every area, there’s no getting around that, but Bochniak didn’t care. He’d stick his tongue out and eat punches, offer a Ric Flair “woo” as he was taking a beating, and generally exhibited the kind of toughness you can’t teach. Zabit was playful until he realised Bochniak wasn’t here to play games, and as the final round came to a close an exhausted Magomedsharipov stared at a marching Bochniak, unable to finish him. The fight ended with a classic Holloway/Lamas exchange and then a hug, the crowd coming to their feet in honour of the fighters. Zabit took the decision, but Bochniak took our hearts.

Rose Namajunas vs Joanna Jedrzejczyk 2

One of best of stories of 2017 saw a conclusive sequel in 2018. Rose Namajunas shocked the world at UFC 217, starching dominant and feared muay thai striker Joanna Jedrzejczyk in three minutes and taking the strawweight championship home. She did this after weeks of verbal abuse on the part of JJ, where she famously remained ominously stoic.

With calls of a “fluke” and plenty of doubt that “Thug” Rose could repeat the performance in a rematch, Joanna was granted a shot at reclaiming her gold. She didn’t, as Namajunas proved there was no fluke as she decisively won a competitive 25 minute kickboxing match with the multiple time world muay thai champion. It felt like a star was born in November of 2017, and this was only reaffirmed in March of 2018.

Stipe Miocic vs Francis Ngannou

Hear me out. It’s easy to forget this but Miocic vs Ngannou was touted as the most anticipated heavyweight fight in MMA history. Ngannou was the quintessential destroyer, with a terrifying highlight reel full of ice cold knockouts. Miocic was the smaller, but technically sound reigning champion on the cusp of breaking the all time defense record for the heavyweight title. It was all to play for, and there was the feeling that if “The Predator” could wrest the belt from the Ohio native he would be the UFC’s next big star.

Ngannou’s power was of the death touch variety, and because of that the first round was a round of the year contender by any metric. The perception was that as soon as Francis connected Stipe would go to sleep. Miocic treated Francis with that exact amount of respect, playing a tantalising game of rope a dope. As Francis hit thin air, he got tired, and then Miocic used his superior wrestling to turn the last four rounds into a fairly uneventful 20 minutes. The dynamic here was interesting, and Miocic, ever complaining at his lack of promotion by the UFC and the focus on his opposition, got to prove he was here to stay. Well, until July at least.

Dustin Poirier vs Justin Gaethje

Apr 14, 2018; Glendale, AZ, USA; Dustin Poirier (red gloves) is held back after defeating Justin Gaethje (blue gloves) during UFC Fight Night at Gila River Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

Justin Gaethje has had four fights in the UFC since July of 2017 and is already entrenched in the minds of UFC fans. You don’t earn the nickname “The Highlight” if you don’t produce slobberknockers and Gaethje is a damn fight of the year factory. His last fight with James Vick ended with a fast knockout for Gaethje, but the three prior were prolonged chaos with more significant strikes than the Thatcher administration. When he steps into the cage anticipation is through the roof, and in February that was no different. Poirier had a storm to weather.

Former featherweight Dustin Poirier proved inconsistent in his run at 145 lbs. Since moving up he has found his footing and entered his fighting prime. Currently riding a four fight win streak he sits at number three in the stacked lightweight division and could well fight for the title this year. Aside from his credentials, he is a born and bred fighter with a back catalogue of violent exhibitions. His fight with Gaethje was burdened with bloody expectations and it delivered and then some.

Visceral enjoyment notwithstanding, this was to be a coming of age for whoever was left standing. With Gaethje suffering his first career loss a few months prior and Poirier seeking respect at the top tier of fighting, everything was to play for, and that is how it played out. Immense toughness from both men saw the fight go to the fourth, with Poirier being the man to come out the other side. This was two hungry young bruisers battling for their future and it was damn exciting.

Images courtesy of fanbuzz.com, nypost.com, mmajunkie.com and sports.yahoo.com.

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Amanda Nunes - The Quiet Rise of the Lioness

Amanda nunes – The lioness emerges

In the maelstrom of the Jon Jones afflicted UFC 232, one moment captured the spirit of this great sport. A thrilling 51 second co-main event produced that rare unanimous positive energy that has all fans coming out of their seats. In a showdown for supreme female dominance, Cris Cyborg put her featherweight title on the line against renowned pioneer killer and reigning bantamweight champion Amanda Nunes. The pair of warriors swung leather until one of them couldn’t. As the significance of the moment bulldozed through the crowd – who reacted accordingly – Amanda Nunes stepped out of the crater, for once truly deserving of that promiscuous honorific, G.O.A.T.

Of all the parties shafted during the final fight week of 2018, the Cyborg/Nunes fight is perhaps the most unfortunate – aside from all the travelling fans actually shafted by the UFC’s abrupt venue shift due to Jon Jones’ “abnormal drug test results”. In the actual fight world though, Cyborg/Nunes was a seminal booking, and the redirected focus to turinabol picograms and USADA’s integrity was a travesty. All woefully par for the course in Mixed Martial Arts these days.

You don’t need to look any further than the pre-fight press conference to see this play out in real time. As UFC president Dana White turned red, invoking “Novitsky” when the tough questions assaulted him, and Jon Jones hurled abuse at a journalist asking fair question, most – myself shamefully included – completely forgot Cyborg and Nunes were even present. The squeaky wheel gets the grease however, and Jon Jones is the squeakiest.

Stolen thunder

The controversial star is a klepto for the headlines, thanks to his decision making both in and out of the cage. His shadow however, is not the only one that has loomed over Amanda Nunes in the last few years. Since winning the bantamweight title in a storming finish of WMMA legend Miesha Tate at UFC 200 back in July of 2016, it seems like lighting rods have been planted around her whenever she did anything impressive.

Nunes’ initial title victory itself was an impromptu main event thanks to Jon Jones’ first failed drug test. UFC 200 also featured the return of Brock Lesnar, whom would also go on to fail a drug test, as such Nunes was at the bottom of any list of talking points coming off of that event. Her first defense would be against a reemerging Ronda Rousey, and Nunes’ subsequent drubbing of the former 135 queen only served as fuel for commentary on the career of Rousey. Her next title defense was a razor thin split decision over now flyweight champion Valentina Shevchenko. To call it controversial would be an understatement; Dana White himself came out in support of “Bullet” on the score cards.

Her fight prior to UFC 232 was her third title defense of her bantamweight title against Raquel “Rocky” Pennington. The fight started poorly for the challenger and only got worse. As Pennington absorbed a sustained mauling at the hands – and legs – of the “Lioness” she informed her corner that she was “done”. In a moment of extreme stress for all involved, her head coach made a call that lit a wildfire in the MMA community: he pleaded with her to continue. She did, and she ended the fight face down, hemorrhaging blood. All eyes were on Pennington and her corner coming out of Brazil that weekend. Amanda Nunes has not been granted true ownership over her many accomplishments and 232 was the chance to rectify that, in spite of the Jon Jones shaped drama.

a pure fight

Cyborg vs Nunes was a pure fight, if there is such a thing. No drummed up animosity or drama, just two fighters doing battle for the ultimate prize. Cyborg was already considered by many to be the greatest female fighter of all time, and Nunes at 30 years old had already wreaked havoc on the women’s MMA pantheon with victories over the likes of Miesha Tate, Ronda Rousey and Valentina Shevchenko (albeit in a controversial decision). For the first time in a long time, the grievous manhandling of superlatives actually felt justified. Of course, we would have to see exactly how things played out before we set the farmyard animals free.

Both women were professional. They both made weight, and they showed up on fight night with nary a scandal to their name. This was main event worthy anywhere in the world, and the two fighters refused to serve as a mere aperitif for the main event. The first bell rang and the champions charged at one another. It didn’t take for the sledgehammers to come out, neither women content with anything less than supreme violence. As winging punches came closer and closer to their targets, an energy took off in arena. The three man commentary booth of Anik, Rogan and Cruz were quick to match the tone. This wasn’t going to last the round, and everyone knew it.

At this point it’s important to note the aura surrounding Cris Cyborg. You don’t get the fighting nickname “Cyborg” because you are a pacifist. Cris Cyborg has been the boogeywoman since 2005, the year that saw her only loss in her first professional fight. Considered unstoppable by pundits, she has used her terrifying power to dispatch every woman put in front of her. The closest thing to a test for the Brazilian during her UFC tenure has been Holly Holm, and that was a decisive showing. Amanda Nunes is highly respected amongst experts, but was still a bantamweight attempting to make the ten pound jump to featherweight against a destroyer. No one had confidence Amanda Nunes would win, except for Amanda Nunes.

She shocked the world

After 51 seconds of pure adrenaline fuelled mayhem, Nunes landed a right overhand that stopped the unstoppable. Cyborg went face down ass up, and Amanda Nunes scaled the cage. The commentary team searched for words between primal screaming and the arena’s seats found themselves temporarily bereft of purpose. After a tumultuous week, an authentic moment in which the sport’s truest and most sincere self shone through was presented to the world. The best fighting the best, and the better woman won. It was perfect, the show of respect and class between Nunes and Cyborg post-fight only adding to the affair.

It’s moments like this that remind us why we all hopped aboard this rickety and misshapen bandwagon in the first place, and Amanda Nunes finds herself at epicentre of it. The question is, will she finally take off the way she deserves? In a career marred by stolen thunder, this moment can and should launch her into the stratosphere. But it’s never a sure thing. The formula for star making has been vaguely parsed, but intangibles often interfere with any practical application of that formula. In short, it is an art, not a science, and while Amanda Nunes painted a masterpiece in the octagon, her promoters have to do their own finessing.

The pieces are all there. Amanda Nunes is a trailblazer, a truly important figure in the sports history. Being the first woman to truly break through and assert herself as the true number one woman. Not only is she to be respected for her fighting acumen, but she is also the first openly gay person to win a UFC title. And we could see her significant other, Nina Ansaroff, join her sooner rather than later as she storm the straw weight rankings. I am not suggesting she been afforded extra credit for being a lesbian, as her skills truly speak for themselves, but it is worth noting what she represents, or what she could represent if the UFC provided her the visibility that she deserves.

I don’t know what the future holds for Amanda Nunes, but I know what she has earned. Cementing herself as the greatest of all time, the world should know that we have history playing out in the cage. The “Lioness” has finally roared loud enough for the world to hear, I just hope they listen.

Images courtesy of mmafighting.com, mmajunkie.com, ftw.usatoday.com and muaythaiauthority.com.

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Alexander ‘The Great’ Volkanovski || Breakdown • Skill Study • Highlights ᴴᴰ

With a win over Chad Mendes, and perfectly obvious nickname, Alexander ‘The Great’ Volkanovski (Александар Волкановски), is now #4 in official UFC featherweight rankings. He has not lost since 2013, and is now 19-1 with 11 knockouts, 3 submissions, and 5 via decision.

The 30 year old Greek-Australian mixed martial artist and kickboxer with a brown-belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, is a former two time Australian Fighting Championship (AFC) featherweight champion, currently competing in the Ultimate Fighting Championship.

An explosive athlete who used to compete in the Australian Rugby League at 5’6″ and 210 lbs. now competes at 145 lbs. and has only been training in martial arts since 2012. His high-level offensive and defensive wrestling, and improving strike variance (in particular his accurate and hasty jab, overhand right, and (9) lead left kick) have made him a promising yet improving force in the featherweight division.

He joins others like Brian Ortega, Renato Moicano, and Zabit Magomedsharipov among a few others (to include now dominant champion, Max Holloway) as “the new guard” of the featherweight division.

Music: Justin Klyvis – Into The Storm | ♫ Copyright Free Music https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WDIMOYIBtiw

Distrion & Electro-Light – Drakkar [NCS Release] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YJTae5ScvQA

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NIVIRO – Diamond [NCS Release] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cjdJLgVAaWY

Brueshko – Sometime [No Copyright] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Aq7CzYqeEM

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#Alexander #Volkanovski #TheGreat

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The Rise & Fall of Jon jones – Is he FALSE?

A short documentary of Jon Jones journey over the years. All his biggest mistakes but also his golden moments.

So the MMA Promo Guy is back with yet another cracker. It’s content creators like him which keep this sport alive. With the UFC making life for anyone who creates content around their promotion an absolute nightmare. Via hitting them for copyright strikes for using excerpts of footage, often not even fight footage! It’s amazing how we as fans and creators keep coming back and doing anything to help grow the sport. So hats off for standing firm against the corporate might of WME 🙂

It’s I am back from the dead, sorry for being away for over two months. I haven´t had the motivation and I have been dealing with Article 13. But now I am back and I am planing to stay. The plan is to make 2019 the greatest year for this channel. To show that I am serious, I have created this 9 min long video that I believe is the greatest video I ever have created and I have never put this much time in a video.

I hope you enjoy it! See you soon again.

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