Ultimate Fighter - What is the best Mix for MIXING IT UP in MMA?
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by Clayton St. John Smythe Esq.
With the rise of MMA as a real legitimate sport, and its potential epidemic popularity, professional martial artists have been propelled into superstardum. Folks that have never gotten into boxing or wrestling as participants or spectators have joined the leagues of fans, and people that would never have had an idea what the hell a "guillotine choke" or "armbar" were, are throwing that sh*t all over the breakroom like they're bad ass or something. Even the geek who fixed our network at the office was talking about his favorite fighter. It was Tito Ortiz, for his "ground n' pound" style of fighting. My friend Clarence has been going a Gracie Jiu-Jitsu school for like a year and a half now after 4 years of Judo because all of a sudden, "Judo's for pussies." So as MMA fighting organizations like UFC, PRIDE and IFL make their way into the mainstream and you got Chuck Liddel on "Entourage" and Tito Ortiz dating Jenna Jameson (I call them "Tameson") people are really start to go nuts about a couple of sweaty dudes punching eachother in the nuts.
Although there really haven't been a lot of articles or wiki stuff done on Armchair for MMA, I KNOW there are some fans here. And since fans are more rapidly getting interested in the finer details of MMA fighting, I thought I'd guage you Armchair peeps for your interest and knowledge by creating your ultimate cage fighter!
So here goes, please create your "ultimate fighter" by choosing three fighting diciplines or styles and then selecting a professional fighter who you feel best demonstrates that style. Your combination should come together like Voltron to be the biggest badass in the cage. We won't worry too much about weight class unless you start talking 'bout "Butterbean."
I will start us out:
Style - Thai Boxing: At a distance, kicks to the head set up by jabs can have an instant knockout effect, and watch out for that liver, because you will definitely be down for the count if hit there! The clinch, or "dirty boxing" is essential to the ultimate cagefighter. It neutralizes power by closing the reach, coupled with knees to the abdoman and ribs, hooks to the dome, the clinch wears any opponent down if the ultimate fighter keeps active.
Fighter - Mirko "Cro Cop" Flipovic: This heavywieght has a professional mixed martial arts record of 22 wins, five losses, and two draws, with 15 wins by knockout and four by submission. His knockouts are almost all comprised of headkicks, usually just one does it. The guy is just coming off a loss to Gabriel Gonzaga (a BJJ and submission specialist) at UFC 70, which was the result of an ironic, almost textbook Mirko style knockout kick to the head.
A young Cro Cop:
Style - Brazilian Jiu Jitsu: We like their bikinis, so why not get into thei martial art? Like was cited earlier, regular Judo is now for pussies. While Judo concentrates on throws and wrestling, BJJ is much more focused on grappling on the ground, with an emphasis on bringing the fight there, then ending it there via submission. It's all about choking and joint-locks, yo! A real Japenese/Brazilian fusion, BJJ was developed by Carlos Gracie and his brothers, who applied traditional Judo to real streetfighting scenarios. Honing their skills to avoid and defend biting, eye-gouging, raking and fishhooking, BJJ is the ultimate discipline for winning by submission. (Note: Judo isn't for pussies, one of the best, if not THE best fighters in the world, Fedor Emelianenko, is a Judo and Sambo master)
Fighter - Antonio Rodrigo "Minotauro" Nogueira: Boasting a jaw dropping 30 wins, 18 by way of submission, Minotauro is known for his technical mastery of BJJ. This guy beat Cro Cop with an armbar, who post-fight stated to media that Nogueira's grip was the strongest he'd experienced, and that it felt like his wrists would be broken every time they were grabbed. In his UFC 73 premier "The Minotaur" beat Heath Herring by unanimous decision. Expect this guy to rise to the top of UFC soon.
Style - Sanshou: Not really a specific martial art, this style is a component of Chinese Martial Arts, which concentrates on close fighting for the purpose of sport. The training emphasises kicks, punches and grappling at close range, and the sport allows for a wider variety of techniques not permitted in traditional kickboxing tournaments. What makes Sanshou tournaments particularly exciting is the fact that fighters can be penalized for not coming forward and being agressive.
Fighter - Cung Le: New to MMA, this explosive Vietnamese-American holds a pro MMA record of 4-0, all knockouts and a Sanshou record of 17-0 with 12 KO. I've never seen so many roundhouse kicks to the face connect in a cage match, and it didn't end there! In his last fight against Tony Frykland, I counted at least 5 combination roundhouse/spinning backfists, all connecting with devastating accuracy.
So there's a start - My "Ultimate Fighter," please don't feel pressured into the lengthy explainations, I merely wanted to get your thoughts flowing. My "Ultimate Fighter" can probably kick your's ass, right in the nuts!
