Well, here I am with an extremely sore leg, and now I know why it is preferable to check leg kicks with the shin, instead of eating them in the thigh. So we worked leg kicks again, this time throwing a 10 then a 9, and having them both checked. Not too bad, they guy I was partnered with clearly has been doing this for a while, so his kicks land a little more cleanly, but it builds character, right? Anyways, the next drill, was checking your partners 10, then countering with a switch, high 9. I've had trouble with this in the past, mostly because I am not a flexible individual. Much to my surprise, I was getting my kick up to the ribcage/shoulder area! I'm very slowly working out the inflexibility I've had my whole life. So we did a couple rounds of that, and then we moved onto what I think may have been my least favorite drill to date. One person threw an inside 9, and instead of checking it, the kickee would swing the leg out as it was kicked, and then immediately counter with a low 10. Let me tell you, even with shin pads, taking a low 10 from someone who knows how to properly throw one.... is a less than desirable outcome. As the tears welled up (no joke!) We finished the drill, and moved onto the last couple of rounds. We lined up on the three heavy bags in the gym, and for five minutes, the first person in each line would run up to the heavy bag, throw ten 10s, then run to the back of the line, and the next person would go. After that we did the same with 9s, we finished up with our standard plank position, and then it was on to jiu jitsu.
After warming up with our standard shrimping drills, we went into three minutes of bear crawls. Let me tell you, if walking around on all fours sounds easy, try doing it that long without stopping, it is not so damned easy! With a good sweat going, we went right into a little leg lock flow. First you break down your opponents guard, by posting your hands on their hips, leaning back, digging your knee into their tailbone, and elbows into their inner thigh. As their legs separate, reach back, and swim your hand under their calf, and drop to your hip, throwing your same side leg as you have your hand under their calf, over their leg. From there, scoot your butt towards theirs, and work your grip down the calf, towards the heel, until you can feel the top of their foot in your armpit. Use your opposite arm to post up on, look over that shoulder, and arch your back, keeping your other hand flat on your stomach, and hopefully driving your wrist bone into their Achilles tendon.. This should cause them to tap, and is called an Achilles lock. It is painful, but not dangerous. The next submission in the flow, is in the event that you can't get the Achilles lock. Say you're trying, and trying, but just can't get it; drop to your back, and push their shin away with the hand opposite the one wrapped around their leg, with that hand, grab across the top of their toes, and site up, as you scoot your but out, bringing your leg that is over the top of their legs, in closer. From here, swim the hand not grabbing the toes under that arm, and grab your own wrist, then proceed to attempt to, and I quote my coach, "Try and put his foot, in his butt". It is the motion you want to really torque that foot and ankle, getting the tap out, and now you've learned an ankle lock! Good first day back after the holidays, now I'm going to wait and see how many pretty colors my legs turn.
Tuesday, November 30, 2010
Thursday, November 25, 2010
MMA and me; day 49
Well, with the weather being less than clement yesterday, and with Thanksgiving upon us, the gym was decidedly empty, with only a few people showing up for striking class, and even fewer sticking around for jiu jitsu. In any event, I was there, and thoroughly enjoyed myself..... even if my leg bruises say otherwise. In kickboxing, it was all about checking leg kicks and bump drills. Bump drills are exactly what they sound like; I kick you, you eat the kick in the leg, then vice versa. Wash, rinse repeat. To say my legs feel and look sore, is a gross understatement. I took kind of a sick pleasure in the bruises I got due to those kicks. A badge of honor, so to speak. Anyways, class was awesome, jiu jitsu was all free grappling, which I did okay in. I'm still a bit sloppy, but I'm getting better. I hope the few who read this have a Happy Thanksgiving! I'm off to eat turkey!
Wednesday, November 24, 2010
MMA and me; day 48
Another day of chilly weather, another day of kicking my own behind in class. Boxing was back to basics, and we worked on some simple, fundamental combos. First, the 1-2, making sure to bring the elbow up first, snapping the fist out and back, and really sitting down on the 2, instead of reaching. We followed that up by adding the 3, and making sure that all three punches have a very tight rhythm. I still kind of trail my head after the 3, and need to make sure I keep my head up, or I'm going to get clocked. Finally, we worked on a 2-3-2, which is one we haven't worked on that much. Throwing a lead straight, felt a little awkward, and it took me a bit to get the timing down. Also, I felt my balance get way out of whack, but as I got better at flicking out the elbow before I threw the first 2 really helped with the quickness and not telegraphing the punch. We finished up with 100 sit ups, and more of the wonderful plank position. The nice thing was it kept us quite toasty.
Jiu jitsu was arm bars, arm bars, arm bars. First we worked an arm bar flow that went from a snap arm bar from side control, to a mounted top side arm bar, to an arm bar from having the back, to a rolling arm bar from back mount, back to a snap arm bar from side control. Next we worked a couple of arm bar drills. First, from the mount, the partner on bottom would clasp their hands together, and the partner on top would hit snap arm bars on each side, going back and forth , trying not to post on the mat if at all possible. The second drill, was hitting the arm bar from having the back of your opponent, which entailed getting a seat belt grip, then with the underhooked arm, grabbing the shoulder, with the overhooked arm pushing their head away from the side you have underhooked, and swinging your leg around and over the head to sink it in and secure the arm bar. We went right into free grappling from this drill, and I got caught in a couple of arm bars, and doled out a few of my own as well. This was one of my favorite jiu jitsu classes yet!
Jiu jitsu was arm bars, arm bars, arm bars. First we worked an arm bar flow that went from a snap arm bar from side control, to a mounted top side arm bar, to an arm bar from having the back, to a rolling arm bar from back mount, back to a snap arm bar from side control. Next we worked a couple of arm bar drills. First, from the mount, the partner on bottom would clasp their hands together, and the partner on top would hit snap arm bars on each side, going back and forth , trying not to post on the mat if at all possible. The second drill, was hitting the arm bar from having the back of your opponent, which entailed getting a seat belt grip, then with the underhooked arm, grabbing the shoulder, with the overhooked arm pushing their head away from the side you have underhooked, and swinging your leg around and over the head to sink it in and secure the arm bar. We went right into free grappling from this drill, and I got caught in a couple of arm bars, and doled out a few of my own as well. This was one of my favorite jiu jitsu classes yet!
Tuesday, November 23, 2010
MMA and me; day 47
Due to the ridiculous weather we've been having, I only went to one class last night. More because of the amount of people that was there, than a desire to only do one class. In any event, I worked my butt off, and feel that the decision was just. I got there a little late, and missed doing my jump rope and shadow boxing, but managed to be right on time for the hellish kettle bell workout. Not wanting to be a pansy, I grabbed a 25 pound weight, and went balls out. First we did 25 one armed swing presses with each side, 25 push ups, 50 two armed swing presses, 50 squat thrusts, 25 clean and presses with each arm, than finished with 50 mountain climbers. To say this kicked my ass would be an understatement. We jumped right into putting boxing gloves on and doing burnouts on the heavy bag for three minutes, then three minutes of rolling uppercuts on focus mitts. Continuing the gnarly exercises, we did three minutes of skippies, and finished off with the plank position. It was only one class, but it so thoroughly kicked the poop out of me that I didn't feel bad going home before jiu jitsu. Also, nobody was going to stick around for it, so I would have had nobody to roll with. Maybe tonight will be different.
Friday, November 19, 2010
MMA and me; day 46
Worked up a pretty nice sweat during boxing yesterday. After jumping rope, and shadow boxing, we jumped right into a 1-5 combination. Throwing punches from the same side can be a little difficult. You pump the jab, turn the rear knee in and drop it a bit, then explode your hips open and up as you bring the lead hand back through for the uppercut. We then added a straight to the combo, making it a 1-5-2. You can feel the punches start to flow together, and stringing together combos starts to feel much more natural after a bit. From there we added a slip and a rear uppercut, to make it 1-5-2-slip-6. Then capped it off with a lead hook to the head, making the final combo 1-5-2-slip-6-3. It sounds long and complicated, but once you find your rhythm and feel how to finish the punches in preparation of the next punch, it starts to flow much more smoothly, and feels pretty damn awesome. We finished up with our core exercises, and it was on to jiu jitsu.
Jiu jitsu was all about body positioning, and first we drilled on top of kick shields, using them to simulate an opponent on the ground. We started in mount, and went to S pass to side control, high judo, head mount, high judo opposite side, side control, low judo, and back to mount. We did that for one round as coach called out the positions, and transitions, then one round on our own. For the third round, we added posting up a knee on the stomach and sped the transitions up a bit. From there we did a couple rounds of the swinging armbar drill, which though I'm getting better at, still kinda suck at. I have a hard time keeping my hips in close, and keeping that momentum going from side to side. Then we switched to the triangle drill, popping the arms out, snaking a leg over the opponents shoulders, , and sinking it in. I did a little better on this one, and it's a great ab workout on top of it. After two rounds of swinging armbar drills, three rounds of triangle drills, and a sore abdomen, we finished up class. I had a blast, and am quite sore, but jiu jitsu is just too much fun!
Jiu jitsu was all about body positioning, and first we drilled on top of kick shields, using them to simulate an opponent on the ground. We started in mount, and went to S pass to side control, high judo, head mount, high judo opposite side, side control, low judo, and back to mount. We did that for one round as coach called out the positions, and transitions, then one round on our own. For the third round, we added posting up a knee on the stomach and sped the transitions up a bit. From there we did a couple rounds of the swinging armbar drill, which though I'm getting better at, still kinda suck at. I have a hard time keeping my hips in close, and keeping that momentum going from side to side. Then we switched to the triangle drill, popping the arms out, snaking a leg over the opponents shoulders, , and sinking it in. I did a little better on this one, and it's a great ab workout on top of it. After two rounds of swinging armbar drills, three rounds of triangle drills, and a sore abdomen, we finished up class. I had a blast, and am quite sore, but jiu jitsu is just too much fun!
Thursday, November 18, 2010
MMA and me; day 45
The days where we work on punch and kick combos in kickboxing don't happen often, but when they do, they are greatly appreciated, because they are pretty damn fun. We worked on throwing a lead 2, followed up by a body 3, then added a head 3 in the next set. The reasoning behind this is to set up a low 10, by working the body on one side, force them to cover it up by attacking it repeatedly, and then go for the exposed leg with a 2-body 3-low 10 combo. By really working the body with the 3, it makes them lean to that side, exposing the opposite leg, allowing you to really dig in that 10. I liked these combos, a whole lot!
Jiu jitsu was more of what we worked on Monday, the D'Arce choke, and a variation on the Vice. The difference in the Vice that we worked, was instead of trying to finish them from the arm over the back of the neck position, we allowed them to roll through, putting themselves in an inverted triangle. Pretty neat, even though since I don't have the longest arms in the world, I have a bit of trouble getting these chokes. It just means I have to work a little extra to get them.
Jiu jitsu was more of what we worked on Monday, the D'Arce choke, and a variation on the Vice. The difference in the Vice that we worked, was instead of trying to finish them from the arm over the back of the neck position, we allowed them to roll through, putting themselves in an inverted triangle. Pretty neat, even though since I don't have the longest arms in the world, I have a bit of trouble getting these chokes. It just means I have to work a little extra to get them.
Wednesday, November 17, 2010
UFC 123
Well, I gotta put in a better showing than last week, but once again being an adult and having very little free time rears it's ugly head, so I'm going to do my best. We've got a good card here, full of up and comers, rising stars, and the cream of the crop. How will it all play out? Let's see what this poor schmuck thinks!
Phil "Mr. Wonderful" Davis vs. Tim "The Barbarian" Boetsch
light heavyweight
If we were just going off of nicknames, it would be a fantastic match. Luckily, we have a seasoned veteran in Boetsch, and surging MMA neophyte in Davis, to make it more than that. After a stellar wrestling career at Penn State, Davis has transitioned into MMA perfectly so far. Running his record to 7-0 and winning his first three fights in the UFC, he looks to face his biggest test so far in the super durable Boetsch, who won his first match back in the UFC after a pedestrian 2-2 record in his first tour of duty with the organization. Both fighters have a strong wrestling background, but Davis has a greater skillset on the ground, while Boetsch seems to have the heavier strikes. Who can impose their will more readily, and who's wrestling will win out? It's going to be a tough fight, but should be a goodie.
It all comes down to who can get the fight where they want to. Davis is taller, has better reach, and if he stays out of the clinch, should be able to execute whatever gameplan he wants. Boetsch needs to get in close, and use elbows and knees to try and negate the reach advantage Davis has. Boetsch also likes to use the teep, or push kick, to keep opponents from pressuring too much, so look for that if he can't execute the clinch to his liking. If this fight gets to the ground, which I suspect it will, Davis has the smoother, more fluid grappling game, and has a blue belt in bjj, so he should be able to dictate how the fight progresses in the grappling realm a bit more than Boetsch.
While Boetsch is tough, this fight is Davis' to win, and should be able to keep his distance on the feet with his reach, and even if he gets taken down, should be able to out grapple "The Barbarian", and either snatch a submission late, or earn a nod from the judges after a tough three rounds. I suspect the latter, and Davis will continue his ascent towards the top of the light heavyweight division.
Davis via Unanimous Decision
Gerald "Hurricane" Harris vs. Maiquel Jose "Big Rig" Falcao Goncalves
middleweight
In what should be a live action rock 'em sock 'em robots match, Harris and Goncalves will lock horns and try to beat the holy bejebus out of each other. Harris is a former college wrestler with solid stand up, and big power. Goncalves is a new comer to the UFC, but boasts a stunning 25-3 record. Goncalves seems to be more of a stand up fighter than most Brazilians, cut from a similar cloth as Wanderlei Silva, or Anderson Silva, and of his 25 wins 21 have come in the form of KO or TKO. Their size seems comparable in this fight, but we'll see what kind of game plan Harris brings, if the stand up doesn't go to his liking.
Harris is well rounded, and is just as happy to bring the leather on the feet, as he is to use his wrestling to get the fight to the ground and grind opponents out. Goncalves seems happier to bully on the feet, throwing a barrage of punches, kicks, and knees, until his opponent wilts under the pressure. I admittedly do not know much about the newcomer, and had a hard time finding much information about him, but from what little I gleaned from the interwebs, he is one tough hombre, who is going to bring the fight to Harris in a big way.
Expect some feeling out early by Harris, while Goncalves will undoubtedly try to kick things off by bringing aggression early. Harris will fall back on his wrestling if he gets uncomfortable, and if Goncalves has anything less than stellar conditioning, he could be in trouble if he doesn't finish early. Harris will withstand an early onslaught, and early in the third, get the stoppage win, in what should be a fairly exciting fight.
Harris via TKO, Rd. 3
George Sotiropoulos vs Joe "J-Lau" Lauzon
lightweight
With Sotiropoulos being hailed as the next challenger to the throne, and Lauzon rapidly ascending to the heights hinted at after bursting onto the scene in dramatic fashion by knocking out Jens Pulver in his UFC debut, this fight has two of the most promising fighters in the UFCs light weight division locking horns for a chance to fight for the 155 pound strap. Sotiropoulos brings an amazingly well rounded skill set, to try and overwhelm the highly unpredictable style Lauzon likes to utilize.
Sotiropoulos is a much more technically proficient striker, and is a black belt in bjj. He has emerged as one of the top contenders for the lightweight championship, since he dropped down to 155 after fighting at 170 during his stint on The Ultimate Fighter, and his first two UFC bouts. His striking could prove problematic for Lauzon, as the Bostonian has had problems with fighters possessing longer reach and solid boxing skills. Sotiropoulos will need to keep his distance standing, and utilize his strong clinch game to initiate takedowns. The Aussie also needs to be wary of dropping his hands, which nearly cost him towards the end of his decision win over Kurt Pellegrino.
Despite his youth, Lauzon actually has more professional fights than Sotiropoulos, and has been fighting in the UFC since he was 22 years old. Despite the perception that he was brought in to lose to Jens Pulver in Pulver's first fight back in the UFC in quite some time, Lauzon promptly knocked Pulver out inside of one minute. Since then, Lauzon has compiled a 5-2 record in the UFC, and added 6 "*blank* of the Night" awards to his ledger. A skilled grappler holding the rank of purple belt in bjj, Lauzon is an aggressive fighter, always looking to finish his opponent, though sometimes to his detriment. Against Sotiropoulos, he will need to temper his aggression with patience, and also have to have improved his conditioning. In his decision loss to Sam Stout, Lauzon nearly had a couple submissions early, but expended so much energy, that it left him exhausted, and Stout picked him apart from there on. For Lauzon to have a chance, he will need to be particular about picking his spots, because Sotiropoulos isn't the kind of fighter who fails to capitalize on mistakes.
My personal pick for Fight of the Night, this should be a heck of a throwdown. Sotiroploulos will engage on the feet, and prevent any take downs, but Lauzon will make it a tough fight, and isn't likely to make the same mistakes he did against Stout. This very well could turn into a ground fight, with both men being very skilled grapplers, but I give Sotiroploulos the edge in the ground game as well as on the feet. Lauzon may be able to snatch a submission off his back, or catch the Aussie with a counter punch, but I expect Sotiropoulos to be just too much for the New England native, and despite a furious rally late, Sotiropoulos will pull out the unanimous decision.
Sotiropoulos via Unanimous Decision
Matt Hughes vs BJ "The Prodigy" Penn
welterweight
A year ago, these fighters were at opposing ends of the fighter spectrum, compared to today. BJ was on top of the world as the most dominant lightweight in the world, and Hughes was looking to fight big names, but had become a name nobody mentioned in respect to a title shot. In the last year, Hughes has convincingly stopped two highly respected bjj black belts, including an impressive choking unconscious of Ricardo Almeida. Conversely, Penn has lost two fights in a row to the now king of lightweights, Frankie Edgar. Seemingly at a crossroads, Penn has opted to make the shift back up to welterweight and finish the trilogy of fights with Hughes that started nearly seven years ago.
In 2004, Hughes was king of 170 pounds. With brutal strength, and imposing ground and pound, nobody had really come close to defeating him. Enter Penn, a lightweight moving up in weight, that few outside of the hardcore fan even gave a chance. Penn completely outclassed Hughes on the feet, and after a scramble on the ground, Penn took his back, and choked him out with 20 seconds to go in the first round. To say this was a shocking upset would be an understatement. Even more unbelievably, Penn left the UFC to fight overseas, ostensibly to challenge himself in any arena possible. He even fought a heavyweight bout against former UFC light heavyweight champ, Lyoto Machida, losing a unanimous decision. The UFC wouldn't see him for over two years.
Fast forward those two years, Penn has fought all around the world, and against a variety of opponents, Hughes racked up five straight wins, and regained the welterweight belt. Set to rematch Georges St. Pierre, Penn was a late replacement due to an injury suffered by GSP, and Penn was intent on regaining the belt he never lost. While the fight started similarly to the first, Hughes started to wear out Penn, and after surviving a triangle/armbar at the end of the second round, the third started with Hughes looking much fresher, and Penn looking exhausted. After tagging the Hawaiian with several punches, Hughes took Penn down, and proceeded to pummel him until the referee called a stop to the fight.
Four years later, both men stand ready for the rubber match, and it comes down to the intangibles. Will Hughes be able to impose his will and take Penn down? Will BJ be able to go hard for three rounds if need be? Is Penn's head even in the fight game after suffering two consecutive losses for just the second time in his career? Is the resurgence of Hughes for real? I'm going with my gut, and ignoring my head and picking Penn. Hughes has looked great, but he's still the same fighter he's always been, while Penn is a much more well rounded fighter, a better striker, and better grappler. There will be some feeling out, but ultimately Penn will start to land cleaner shots, and force Hughes to make a mistake, ending with Hughes tapping out, and Penn ending his losing streak.
Penn via submission, (rear naked choke) Rd. 1
Quinton "Rampage" Jackson vs. Lyoto "The Dragon" Machida
light heavyweight
In what many thought would be a championship fight when it happened, Machida and Jackson clash with both fighters coming off losses, and looking to re-establish themselves in the 205 title picture. Machida is looking to rebound from his first career loss, losing the light heavyweight strap in a rematch with Mauricio Rua, and Jackson is trying to get the bad taste out of his mouth after losing a unanimous decision to former champ Rashad Evans. With both men looking to prove they should be next in lone for a shot at the champ, this should be a hell of a scrap.
Machida got to the top of the 205 pound heap by being nearly impossible to hit, and bringing a varied skill set to bear including punches and kicks from odd angles, trips and sweeps to get take downs, and a vastly underrated submission game. After winning his first three UFC fights in somewhat pedestrian fashion, he picked up some steam and started finishing fights. three of his next five to be exact, with the two decisions being fairly exciting as well. Against Jackson, he will need to regain that elusiveness, because despite a somewhat cartoonish persona, Jackson has some extremely technical skills, and packs some of the heaviest hands in the light heavyweight division. He'll need to stick and move, and attack with leg kicks a la Forrest Griffin, if he hopes to wear out "Rampage" and move in for the kill.
Jackson needs this win, but for that to happen, he is going to need to get inside Machida's reach, stand firm in the pocket, and use quick, snapping combos, utilizing his nasty hooks and uppercuts to test the Brazilian's now suspect chin. With strong wrestling, and great balance in defending take downs, Jackson will more than likely not need to worry about the fight going to the ground, but should be well equipped to prevent that from happening if need be. Jackson will also need to be patient, and not try to walk Machida down too much, because with his excellent counter punching, Machida waits for opponents to do just that, and then turns on the pressure. Never afraid to take a punch to give two, Jackson will definitely need to use his strength and strong chin to suck Machida into standing in the pocket and trading, where Jackson is extremely dangerous. If he can do that, it will be a short night for Machida.
This fight comes down to whether or not Jackson has the patience to pick his spots, and not try and bullrush Machida. No shabby counter puncher in his own right, if Jackson can bait Machida into over committing, he may be able to give him a dose of his own medicine, but Machida is too smart for that, and will likely pick his shots, and frustrate Jackson for most of the fight, until "Rampage" escapes late in the fight, and puts a scare into Machida fans everywhere, but will fall just a bit short. Machida gets a close, but unanimous decision here, and Jackson will be left pondering his next move.
Machida via Unanimous Decision.
Phil "Mr. Wonderful" Davis vs. Tim "The Barbarian" Boetsch
light heavyweight
If we were just going off of nicknames, it would be a fantastic match. Luckily, we have a seasoned veteran in Boetsch, and surging MMA neophyte in Davis, to make it more than that. After a stellar wrestling career at Penn State, Davis has transitioned into MMA perfectly so far. Running his record to 7-0 and winning his first three fights in the UFC, he looks to face his biggest test so far in the super durable Boetsch, who won his first match back in the UFC after a pedestrian 2-2 record in his first tour of duty with the organization. Both fighters have a strong wrestling background, but Davis has a greater skillset on the ground, while Boetsch seems to have the heavier strikes. Who can impose their will more readily, and who's wrestling will win out? It's going to be a tough fight, but should be a goodie.
It all comes down to who can get the fight where they want to. Davis is taller, has better reach, and if he stays out of the clinch, should be able to execute whatever gameplan he wants. Boetsch needs to get in close, and use elbows and knees to try and negate the reach advantage Davis has. Boetsch also likes to use the teep, or push kick, to keep opponents from pressuring too much, so look for that if he can't execute the clinch to his liking. If this fight gets to the ground, which I suspect it will, Davis has the smoother, more fluid grappling game, and has a blue belt in bjj, so he should be able to dictate how the fight progresses in the grappling realm a bit more than Boetsch.
While Boetsch is tough, this fight is Davis' to win, and should be able to keep his distance on the feet with his reach, and even if he gets taken down, should be able to out grapple "The Barbarian", and either snatch a submission late, or earn a nod from the judges after a tough three rounds. I suspect the latter, and Davis will continue his ascent towards the top of the light heavyweight division.
Davis via Unanimous Decision
Gerald "Hurricane" Harris vs. Maiquel Jose "Big Rig" Falcao Goncalves
middleweight
In what should be a live action rock 'em sock 'em robots match, Harris and Goncalves will lock horns and try to beat the holy bejebus out of each other. Harris is a former college wrestler with solid stand up, and big power. Goncalves is a new comer to the UFC, but boasts a stunning 25-3 record. Goncalves seems to be more of a stand up fighter than most Brazilians, cut from a similar cloth as Wanderlei Silva, or Anderson Silva, and of his 25 wins 21 have come in the form of KO or TKO. Their size seems comparable in this fight, but we'll see what kind of game plan Harris brings, if the stand up doesn't go to his liking.
Harris is well rounded, and is just as happy to bring the leather on the feet, as he is to use his wrestling to get the fight to the ground and grind opponents out. Goncalves seems happier to bully on the feet, throwing a barrage of punches, kicks, and knees, until his opponent wilts under the pressure. I admittedly do not know much about the newcomer, and had a hard time finding much information about him, but from what little I gleaned from the interwebs, he is one tough hombre, who is going to bring the fight to Harris in a big way.
Expect some feeling out early by Harris, while Goncalves will undoubtedly try to kick things off by bringing aggression early. Harris will fall back on his wrestling if he gets uncomfortable, and if Goncalves has anything less than stellar conditioning, he could be in trouble if he doesn't finish early. Harris will withstand an early onslaught, and early in the third, get the stoppage win, in what should be a fairly exciting fight.
Harris via TKO, Rd. 3
George Sotiropoulos vs Joe "J-Lau" Lauzon
lightweight
With Sotiropoulos being hailed as the next challenger to the throne, and Lauzon rapidly ascending to the heights hinted at after bursting onto the scene in dramatic fashion by knocking out Jens Pulver in his UFC debut, this fight has two of the most promising fighters in the UFCs light weight division locking horns for a chance to fight for the 155 pound strap. Sotiropoulos brings an amazingly well rounded skill set, to try and overwhelm the highly unpredictable style Lauzon likes to utilize.
Sotiropoulos is a much more technically proficient striker, and is a black belt in bjj. He has emerged as one of the top contenders for the lightweight championship, since he dropped down to 155 after fighting at 170 during his stint on The Ultimate Fighter, and his first two UFC bouts. His striking could prove problematic for Lauzon, as the Bostonian has had problems with fighters possessing longer reach and solid boxing skills. Sotiropoulos will need to keep his distance standing, and utilize his strong clinch game to initiate takedowns. The Aussie also needs to be wary of dropping his hands, which nearly cost him towards the end of his decision win over Kurt Pellegrino.
Despite his youth, Lauzon actually has more professional fights than Sotiropoulos, and has been fighting in the UFC since he was 22 years old. Despite the perception that he was brought in to lose to Jens Pulver in Pulver's first fight back in the UFC in quite some time, Lauzon promptly knocked Pulver out inside of one minute. Since then, Lauzon has compiled a 5-2 record in the UFC, and added 6 "*blank* of the Night" awards to his ledger. A skilled grappler holding the rank of purple belt in bjj, Lauzon is an aggressive fighter, always looking to finish his opponent, though sometimes to his detriment. Against Sotiropoulos, he will need to temper his aggression with patience, and also have to have improved his conditioning. In his decision loss to Sam Stout, Lauzon nearly had a couple submissions early, but expended so much energy, that it left him exhausted, and Stout picked him apart from there on. For Lauzon to have a chance, he will need to be particular about picking his spots, because Sotiropoulos isn't the kind of fighter who fails to capitalize on mistakes.
My personal pick for Fight of the Night, this should be a heck of a throwdown. Sotiroploulos will engage on the feet, and prevent any take downs, but Lauzon will make it a tough fight, and isn't likely to make the same mistakes he did against Stout. This very well could turn into a ground fight, with both men being very skilled grapplers, but I give Sotiroploulos the edge in the ground game as well as on the feet. Lauzon may be able to snatch a submission off his back, or catch the Aussie with a counter punch, but I expect Sotiropoulos to be just too much for the New England native, and despite a furious rally late, Sotiropoulos will pull out the unanimous decision.
Sotiropoulos via Unanimous Decision
Matt Hughes vs BJ "The Prodigy" Penn
welterweight
A year ago, these fighters were at opposing ends of the fighter spectrum, compared to today. BJ was on top of the world as the most dominant lightweight in the world, and Hughes was looking to fight big names, but had become a name nobody mentioned in respect to a title shot. In the last year, Hughes has convincingly stopped two highly respected bjj black belts, including an impressive choking unconscious of Ricardo Almeida. Conversely, Penn has lost two fights in a row to the now king of lightweights, Frankie Edgar. Seemingly at a crossroads, Penn has opted to make the shift back up to welterweight and finish the trilogy of fights with Hughes that started nearly seven years ago.
In 2004, Hughes was king of 170 pounds. With brutal strength, and imposing ground and pound, nobody had really come close to defeating him. Enter Penn, a lightweight moving up in weight, that few outside of the hardcore fan even gave a chance. Penn completely outclassed Hughes on the feet, and after a scramble on the ground, Penn took his back, and choked him out with 20 seconds to go in the first round. To say this was a shocking upset would be an understatement. Even more unbelievably, Penn left the UFC to fight overseas, ostensibly to challenge himself in any arena possible. He even fought a heavyweight bout against former UFC light heavyweight champ, Lyoto Machida, losing a unanimous decision. The UFC wouldn't see him for over two years.
Fast forward those two years, Penn has fought all around the world, and against a variety of opponents, Hughes racked up five straight wins, and regained the welterweight belt. Set to rematch Georges St. Pierre, Penn was a late replacement due to an injury suffered by GSP, and Penn was intent on regaining the belt he never lost. While the fight started similarly to the first, Hughes started to wear out Penn, and after surviving a triangle/armbar at the end of the second round, the third started with Hughes looking much fresher, and Penn looking exhausted. After tagging the Hawaiian with several punches, Hughes took Penn down, and proceeded to pummel him until the referee called a stop to the fight.
Four years later, both men stand ready for the rubber match, and it comes down to the intangibles. Will Hughes be able to impose his will and take Penn down? Will BJ be able to go hard for three rounds if need be? Is Penn's head even in the fight game after suffering two consecutive losses for just the second time in his career? Is the resurgence of Hughes for real? I'm going with my gut, and ignoring my head and picking Penn. Hughes has looked great, but he's still the same fighter he's always been, while Penn is a much more well rounded fighter, a better striker, and better grappler. There will be some feeling out, but ultimately Penn will start to land cleaner shots, and force Hughes to make a mistake, ending with Hughes tapping out, and Penn ending his losing streak.
Penn via submission, (rear naked choke) Rd. 1
Quinton "Rampage" Jackson vs. Lyoto "The Dragon" Machida
light heavyweight
In what many thought would be a championship fight when it happened, Machida and Jackson clash with both fighters coming off losses, and looking to re-establish themselves in the 205 title picture. Machida is looking to rebound from his first career loss, losing the light heavyweight strap in a rematch with Mauricio Rua, and Jackson is trying to get the bad taste out of his mouth after losing a unanimous decision to former champ Rashad Evans. With both men looking to prove they should be next in lone for a shot at the champ, this should be a hell of a scrap.
Machida got to the top of the 205 pound heap by being nearly impossible to hit, and bringing a varied skill set to bear including punches and kicks from odd angles, trips and sweeps to get take downs, and a vastly underrated submission game. After winning his first three UFC fights in somewhat pedestrian fashion, he picked up some steam and started finishing fights. three of his next five to be exact, with the two decisions being fairly exciting as well. Against Jackson, he will need to regain that elusiveness, because despite a somewhat cartoonish persona, Jackson has some extremely technical skills, and packs some of the heaviest hands in the light heavyweight division. He'll need to stick and move, and attack with leg kicks a la Forrest Griffin, if he hopes to wear out "Rampage" and move in for the kill.
Jackson needs this win, but for that to happen, he is going to need to get inside Machida's reach, stand firm in the pocket, and use quick, snapping combos, utilizing his nasty hooks and uppercuts to test the Brazilian's now suspect chin. With strong wrestling, and great balance in defending take downs, Jackson will more than likely not need to worry about the fight going to the ground, but should be well equipped to prevent that from happening if need be. Jackson will also need to be patient, and not try to walk Machida down too much, because with his excellent counter punching, Machida waits for opponents to do just that, and then turns on the pressure. Never afraid to take a punch to give two, Jackson will definitely need to use his strength and strong chin to suck Machida into standing in the pocket and trading, where Jackson is extremely dangerous. If he can do that, it will be a short night for Machida.
This fight comes down to whether or not Jackson has the patience to pick his spots, and not try and bullrush Machida. No shabby counter puncher in his own right, if Jackson can bait Machida into over committing, he may be able to give him a dose of his own medicine, but Machida is too smart for that, and will likely pick his shots, and frustrate Jackson for most of the fight, until "Rampage" escapes late in the fight, and puts a scare into Machida fans everywhere, but will fall just a bit short. Machida gets a close, but unanimous decision here, and Jackson will be left pondering his next move.
Machida via Unanimous Decision.
MMA and me; day 44
Ahhh boxing. Why is it when it's more of a technique or defensive class, I always get a much more intense sweat going than in classes where it's more offensive? Anyways, yesterday was all footwork, and it kicked my behind. After a couple rounds of shadow boxing, we switched up and with a partner, worked on throwing punches to the focus mitts while walking towards them, and being walked down as well. First was just a 1-2 combo, then a 1-2-slip-2. We did the second combo for two rounds of walking up and down the mat, it killed my shoulders, and got a heavy sweat going. We finished up with footwork drills, and the usual plank and then leg flutters. Solid class, and I need A LOT of work on my footwork, so you can bet I'll be practicing.
Jiu jitsu was a couple of submissions from top mount. First was a near side arm triangle, where you swim your hand across the opponents neck, posting a fist on the mat, and leaning on the neck. As they try and push the arm off, push that elbow across their neck, and pin it in place with your chest. Reach under their head, and grab their wrist, while posting the opposite side foot, and pulling the hand out that initiated the neck pressure. After pulling the hand out, swim that same hand back around the neck, and under the elbow that should still be pressed across their neck with your chest, and grab a monkey grip with your other hand. Kick both legs to the side opposite the arm wrapped around the neck, and keep the opponents elbow pinned in place across the throat with your head, and bring your elbows in while slowly compressing inwards to finish the choke. Second, we learned a top side arm bar from S-Mount, and it starts from the same position as the arm triangle. From the position of having their arm and elbow pinned across their neck with your chest, pull the knee opposite that side up by their ear, and unfold the opposite leg out to an S-Mount. Keeping the pressure on their chest with your butt, swap grips under their near side arm from your far arm, to the near arm, pull the straight leg side foot in to their shoulder, and rock forward onto the far arm, then go through the arm bar checklist, and lean back for the submission. Quite technical, and it helps to be flexible, but very cool.
Jiu jitsu was a couple of submissions from top mount. First was a near side arm triangle, where you swim your hand across the opponents neck, posting a fist on the mat, and leaning on the neck. As they try and push the arm off, push that elbow across their neck, and pin it in place with your chest. Reach under their head, and grab their wrist, while posting the opposite side foot, and pulling the hand out that initiated the neck pressure. After pulling the hand out, swim that same hand back around the neck, and under the elbow that should still be pressed across their neck with your chest, and grab a monkey grip with your other hand. Kick both legs to the side opposite the arm wrapped around the neck, and keep the opponents elbow pinned in place across the throat with your head, and bring your elbows in while slowly compressing inwards to finish the choke. Second, we learned a top side arm bar from S-Mount, and it starts from the same position as the arm triangle. From the position of having their arm and elbow pinned across their neck with your chest, pull the knee opposite that side up by their ear, and unfold the opposite leg out to an S-Mount. Keeping the pressure on their chest with your butt, swap grips under their near side arm from your far arm, to the near arm, pull the straight leg side foot in to their shoulder, and rock forward onto the far arm, then go through the arm bar checklist, and lean back for the submission. Quite technical, and it helps to be flexible, but very cool.
Tuesday, November 16, 2010
MMA and me; day 43
Well, back to the grind after the weekend. In kickboxing it was working on the teep, or push kick. You bring either leg up, lean back, bring your hips up, and thrust your foot forward, impacting with the ball of your foot, and violently shoving your opponent in the stomach or chest. We worked rear teeps, and then front teeps, then switched to attacking the upper leg. Lastly, we followed up a teep to the thigh, with a low 10 (leg kick) to the same thigh. By the end of class, my legs felt like they were made out of lead, and my hips were killing me. Finish off with some planks, and leg raises, and Monday's striking class is in the books!
Jiu jitsu was all about D'Arce chokes, and variations from there. A D'Arce is a choke similar to a guillotine, but instead of getting completely under the chin, you thread the choking arm under their armpit, and lock your hand over your bicep, grabbing around the opponents back muscle, or shoulder with your other hand, and dropping to your hip opposite the side your hands are on, and walking your hips towards theirs until the choke compresses and they tap. From there we learned the Vice choke, where you can't get a D'Arce, and thread the other arm around to the side of their neck, put your other arm over the back of their neck, get a palm to palm grip, and squeeze your elbows together for the choke. The last choke was a Japanese Necktie, and though very cool, my partner and I had a hard time pulling it off, because it was not easy for big guys to execute. From the Vice choke, you take the leg opposite the side of the choke, and hook their near leg, from there, you push the head down, keeping the leg in place with yours, and stack their legs and chest over their chin for the choke. Sounds weird, and I had a hard time with it, but the rest of the class seemed to indicate that it was a crappy position to be caught in, so I think I will be avoiding it.
Jiu jitsu was all about D'Arce chokes, and variations from there. A D'Arce is a choke similar to a guillotine, but instead of getting completely under the chin, you thread the choking arm under their armpit, and lock your hand over your bicep, grabbing around the opponents back muscle, or shoulder with your other hand, and dropping to your hip opposite the side your hands are on, and walking your hips towards theirs until the choke compresses and they tap. From there we learned the Vice choke, where you can't get a D'Arce, and thread the other arm around to the side of their neck, put your other arm over the back of their neck, get a palm to palm grip, and squeeze your elbows together for the choke. The last choke was a Japanese Necktie, and though very cool, my partner and I had a hard time pulling it off, because it was not easy for big guys to execute. From the Vice choke, you take the leg opposite the side of the choke, and hook their near leg, from there, you push the head down, keeping the leg in place with yours, and stack their legs and chest over their chin for the choke. Sounds weird, and I had a hard time with it, but the rest of the class seemed to indicate that it was a crappy position to be caught in, so I think I will be avoiding it.
Friday, November 12, 2010
UFC 122
So I ran out of time this week, and it will be my shortest preview ever. (I really need to manage my time better) So here we go...
Goran Reljic vs. Krzysztof "The Polish Experiment" Soszynski
light heavyweight
After a failed two fight run at 185, Reljic returns to 205 where he first made his mark in the UFC. Flashy kicks and strikes wont save him against Soszynski, who is bigger, stronger, and more than capable of taking him down and grinding him out.
Soszynski via Unanimous Decision
Amir Sadollah vs. Peter Sobotta
welterweight
Sadollah is coming off a spirited loss to Dong Hyung Kim, and Sobotta is staring down the barrel of being 0-3 in the Octagon.Sadollah's pressure, and multifaceted arsenal will keep the German from getting anything going in front of his hometown crowd. If Sobotta get's Sadollah in trouble, he is more than capable of taking the fight to the ground where he is a much better grappler, and submission artist. It will be tight, but Sadollah gets the late stoppage.
Sadollah via TKO, Rd. 2
Dennis Siver vs. Andre Winner
lightweight
Two lightweights who keep a good pace, and like to bang, have this fight tagged as my pick for fight of the night. Siver has his spinning back kick from hell, along with solid boxing, and Winner brings the whole arsenal of strikes. Both men have been beaten by fighters who put them on their butts, but with the two of these fighters preferring to keep things standing, we're going to see three rounds of fireworks. It will be close, but I see Winner eking out a split from the judges.
Winner via Split Decision.
Jorge "El Conquistador" Rivera vs. Alessio "Legionarius" Sakara
middleweight
Another solid contender for Fight of the Night, Sakara vs. Rivera will be brutal, exciting, and could end quickly as well. Both fighters have solid stand up skills, and have the ability to end fights early. It's a tough fight to pick, and while neither fighter is likely to give an inch, both have been susceptible to getting caught early, and Sakara has a bit better boxing pedigree. Look for the fight to start and end with a flourish, as Sakara gets a nasty KO late in the first.
Sakara via KO, Rd. 1
Nate "The Great" Marquardt vs Yushin "Thunder" Okami
middleweight
A very interesting fight that is also serving as a title eliminator for the next shot at the 185 pound strap, Marquardt vs. Okami should be a hard fought affair. Okami has solid takedowns and ground and pound, with improving striking. Marquardt is a bjj blackbelt, and extremely well rounded in all departments. Marquardt will get the better of the striking exchanges, and frustrate Okami by staying away from the counter punches he likes to throw. Okami usually can muscle his opponents around, and when he can't (see fights against Chael Sonnen and Mark Munoz) he struggles a bit. In Marquardt, he has another beastly strong opponent, who will keep the pressure on him, and expose the holes in his striking game. It will be a tight, but clear cut win for Marquardt in the Judges eyes.
Marquardt via Unanimous Decision
Goran Reljic vs. Krzysztof "The Polish Experiment" Soszynski
light heavyweight
After a failed two fight run at 185, Reljic returns to 205 where he first made his mark in the UFC. Flashy kicks and strikes wont save him against Soszynski, who is bigger, stronger, and more than capable of taking him down and grinding him out.
Soszynski via Unanimous Decision
Amir Sadollah vs. Peter Sobotta
welterweight
Sadollah is coming off a spirited loss to Dong Hyung Kim, and Sobotta is staring down the barrel of being 0-3 in the Octagon.Sadollah's pressure, and multifaceted arsenal will keep the German from getting anything going in front of his hometown crowd. If Sobotta get's Sadollah in trouble, he is more than capable of taking the fight to the ground where he is a much better grappler, and submission artist. It will be tight, but Sadollah gets the late stoppage.
Sadollah via TKO, Rd. 2
Dennis Siver vs. Andre Winner
lightweight
Two lightweights who keep a good pace, and like to bang, have this fight tagged as my pick for fight of the night. Siver has his spinning back kick from hell, along with solid boxing, and Winner brings the whole arsenal of strikes. Both men have been beaten by fighters who put them on their butts, but with the two of these fighters preferring to keep things standing, we're going to see three rounds of fireworks. It will be close, but I see Winner eking out a split from the judges.
Winner via Split Decision.
Jorge "El Conquistador" Rivera vs. Alessio "Legionarius" Sakara
middleweight
Another solid contender for Fight of the Night, Sakara vs. Rivera will be brutal, exciting, and could end quickly as well. Both fighters have solid stand up skills, and have the ability to end fights early. It's a tough fight to pick, and while neither fighter is likely to give an inch, both have been susceptible to getting caught early, and Sakara has a bit better boxing pedigree. Look for the fight to start and end with a flourish, as Sakara gets a nasty KO late in the first.
Sakara via KO, Rd. 1
Nate "The Great" Marquardt vs Yushin "Thunder" Okami
middleweight
A very interesting fight that is also serving as a title eliminator for the next shot at the 185 pound strap, Marquardt vs. Okami should be a hard fought affair. Okami has solid takedowns and ground and pound, with improving striking. Marquardt is a bjj blackbelt, and extremely well rounded in all departments. Marquardt will get the better of the striking exchanges, and frustrate Okami by staying away from the counter punches he likes to throw. Okami usually can muscle his opponents around, and when he can't (see fights against Chael Sonnen and Mark Munoz) he struggles a bit. In Marquardt, he has another beastly strong opponent, who will keep the pressure on him, and expose the holes in his striking game. It will be a tight, but clear cut win for Marquardt in the Judges eyes.
Marquardt via Unanimous Decision
MMA and me; day 42
Well, there's not a whole lot to tell about boxing class yesterday. Warmed up by jumping rope for ten minutes, shadow boxed for two rounds, and then threw one thousand jabs. That's correct, one, zero, zero, zero. To say that I has a sore shoulder afterwards would be an understatement. I think for the most part my form was good, and I'm getting better at keeping my hands up, but 1,000? Damn.
Jiu jitsu was very cool, as we worked on leg locks and kneebars. We first did a leg lock flow that went something like this, break the guard, drop for an achilles lock, move to the toes for a compression lock, then a toe hold, heel hook, back to the achilles lock and finish with a half crab compression lock. None of them felt particularly nice, and after the coach had me in the heel hook, I can see how it blows peoples knees out. After that, we worked on kneebars, and those are pretty damn cool. There are a multitude of entries, we worked specifically on spinning out of half guard, sitting on your opponents stomach, and grabbing around their leg with your elbow pit in their knee pit and securing a rear naked choke grasp. From there, fall to either side, keeping your butt up against their stomach, pinch your knees together, work your grasp up to the heel, and lean back. Pretty nasty, and a lot of fun!
Jiu jitsu was very cool, as we worked on leg locks and kneebars. We first did a leg lock flow that went something like this, break the guard, drop for an achilles lock, move to the toes for a compression lock, then a toe hold, heel hook, back to the achilles lock and finish with a half crab compression lock. None of them felt particularly nice, and after the coach had me in the heel hook, I can see how it blows peoples knees out. After that, we worked on kneebars, and those are pretty damn cool. There are a multitude of entries, we worked specifically on spinning out of half guard, sitting on your opponents stomach, and grabbing around their leg with your elbow pit in their knee pit and securing a rear naked choke grasp. From there, fall to either side, keeping your butt up against their stomach, pinch your knees together, work your grasp up to the heel, and lean back. Pretty nasty, and a lot of fun!
Thursday, November 11, 2010
MMA and me; day 41
Whoo hoo, I'm past the 40 day mark! Anyways, onto business. Kickboxing was one of my very favorites, leg kick checking and counter drills! So we practiced throwing low 9s and 10s, and checking them. To properly check a leg kick, you lift the leg being kicked and meet the shin with your own shin. At the same time, you move the hand on that side to cover your neck, while pushing the opposite hand across the forearm of the arm with the hand behind your neck. Also, as you bring your leg off the mat, bring your knee to the elbow of the arm wrapped around your neck. I'm sure if you're reading this, you're confused, but if you like, I've added a handy dandy visual aid.
http://www.ehow.com/video_2353609_checking-leg-kicks-kickboxing.html
Pretty nifty! After working leg kicks to either side, we worked on throwing a counter mid to high kick after checking either a 9 or 10. Immediately following a checked kick, throw a kick on that side, which would be the opposite of the kick that was blocked. For example, if you check a 9, you follow up with a counter 10. Easy peezy, except I'm not flexible, and have a hard time kicking above the waist.
Grappling was more guard passing, and another submission. From guard, you post up on the hip bones, as you lean back and drive one of your knees into their tailbone. From there you swim both hands under their legs and suck their hips into yours, and lean up over them, compressing their body on top of itself, also known as stacking your opponent. Then you need to get aggressive and shove both legs off to one side, landing in what is known as a low judo position, or your ribcage pressed on theirs, facing their legs, with your bottom leg in front of you, and top leg behind you. After you get to low judo, sneak your arm that is away from the across their stomach, and switch to side control, voila, guard passed! We also learned a submission from here, which instead of switching to side control from low judo, you walk your body up towards their head, until you are trapping one of their arms under your body, and when you get up by their head, reach the arm on the same side as their body under their head. From here it's just a slow sprawl with your legs, and reach your other arm to grab a monkey grip with your hands, and slowly compress your elbows to your side until they tap. Good times!
http://www.ehow.com/video_2353609_checking-leg-kicks-kickboxing.html
Pretty nifty! After working leg kicks to either side, we worked on throwing a counter mid to high kick after checking either a 9 or 10. Immediately following a checked kick, throw a kick on that side, which would be the opposite of the kick that was blocked. For example, if you check a 9, you follow up with a counter 10. Easy peezy, except I'm not flexible, and have a hard time kicking above the waist.
Grappling was more guard passing, and another submission. From guard, you post up on the hip bones, as you lean back and drive one of your knees into their tailbone. From there you swim both hands under their legs and suck their hips into yours, and lean up over them, compressing their body on top of itself, also known as stacking your opponent. Then you need to get aggressive and shove both legs off to one side, landing in what is known as a low judo position, or your ribcage pressed on theirs, facing their legs, with your bottom leg in front of you, and top leg behind you. After you get to low judo, sneak your arm that is away from the across their stomach, and switch to side control, voila, guard passed! We also learned a submission from here, which instead of switching to side control from low judo, you walk your body up towards their head, until you are trapping one of their arms under your body, and when you get up by their head, reach the arm on the same side as their body under their head. From here it's just a slow sprawl with your legs, and reach your other arm to grab a monkey grip with your hands, and slowly compress your elbows to your side until they tap. Good times!
Tuesday, November 9, 2010
MMA and me; day 40
Boxing was more uppercuts, and though I'm getting better at them, I'm still having trouble finding my balance, and turning my hips through properly. Other than that, I feel like my form is improving, and my footwork is also getting better. First we did the 1-2-slip-6 (jab-straight-slip-rear uppercut) then added a hook onto the end. After those two combinations, we threw the 1-2-3-roll-5, (jab-straight-hook-roll-lead uppercut) and then once again added a hook onto the end of it. It was nothing new, but it was also combos I need a lot of work on, so I was glad for the chance to improve on them.
Grappling was very simple, everyone sat against the back wall, and coach picked two people at random to have grappling matches. After a couple matches, I went against a kid who though young and inexperienced, is much more capable than he looks. I went the whole five minutes and didn't get to sub him, but would like to think I got the nod, points-wise. Second, I went up against an older guy, who is in phenomenal shape, and managed to get him down into side control, and almost got him into a wrap submission (that we worked on yesterday) on two occasions, and also controlled the match for nearly the entire five minutes. I really liked how they did grappling, and it gives me hope for the possibility of entering grappling matches in the future.
Grappling was very simple, everyone sat against the back wall, and coach picked two people at random to have grappling matches. After a couple matches, I went against a kid who though young and inexperienced, is much more capable than he looks. I went the whole five minutes and didn't get to sub him, but would like to think I got the nod, points-wise. Second, I went up against an older guy, who is in phenomenal shape, and managed to get him down into side control, and almost got him into a wrap submission (that we worked on yesterday) on two occasions, and also controlled the match for nearly the entire five minutes. I really liked how they did grappling, and it gives me hope for the possibility of entering grappling matches in the future.
MMA and me; day 39
After a nice weekend, it felt good to get back in the gym. Like the last boxing class I had, kickboxing was all basics, and we worked leg kicks. First 10s with the rear leg, which I'm getting better at. I need to open my hips more and really drive my shin down into the thigh, but at least I didn't end up with a sore foot. We worked on 9s with the lead leg after that, and I'm really starting to like that kick. You don't put as much oomph behind it, but it can still sting just as much. After kicking the pads, we switched to bump drills, and even though I'm sure that it could have been much, much worse, I'm not achy, and it was really fun working on that with several different partners. We finished up with plank position, and then leg lifts, gotta love those core workouts.
Jiu jitsu was all about working on passing your opponents guard. First, you keep your hands off the mat, and either post them on the arms, or stomach of your opponent. From there, put one knee right behind their butt, and lean back on the other knee, sliding it back a bit. Then you post both hands on the hip bones, and drive your elbows down into the inner thigh, this does not feel good if you're on the receiving end. Once you've broken the guard, you push the leg opposite the side your knee under them is on, to the mat, and slide your far knee over that leg, and keep posting your hand on their hip. From there, you slide over into a high judo position, rib cage to ribcage, and secure a far side underhook. You walk your hips up next to their head, and transition to side control, from which we learned a submission. From side control, reach over with the arm on the side of their head, and reach under their neck, grabbing your own shorts. Sprawl out to a north south position, and after releasing your shorts, get your hands in a monkey grip, and slowly bring your elbows to your ribcage. It's called a reverse arm triangle, or a wrap, and it's awesome!
Jiu jitsu was all about working on passing your opponents guard. First, you keep your hands off the mat, and either post them on the arms, or stomach of your opponent. From there, put one knee right behind their butt, and lean back on the other knee, sliding it back a bit. Then you post both hands on the hip bones, and drive your elbows down into the inner thigh, this does not feel good if you're on the receiving end. Once you've broken the guard, you push the leg opposite the side your knee under them is on, to the mat, and slide your far knee over that leg, and keep posting your hand on their hip. From there, you slide over into a high judo position, rib cage to ribcage, and secure a far side underhook. You walk your hips up next to their head, and transition to side control, from which we learned a submission. From side control, reach over with the arm on the side of their head, and reach under their neck, grabbing your own shorts. Sprawl out to a north south position, and after releasing your shorts, get your hands in a monkey grip, and slowly bring your elbows to your ribcage. It's called a reverse arm triangle, or a wrap, and it's awesome!
Friday, November 5, 2010
MMA and me; day 38
Boxing class was a return to the fundamentals yesterday. We started with a round of shadow boxing, and from there we partnered up and worked on the jab. After a round of the jab, we incorporated the straight. We proceeded to practice defense, in particular, head movement and rolls. We did a round of rolling under hooks, after practicing changing levels as an entire class. We finished up with the usual plank position, and leg raises, but for five minutes each, instead of three like we've been doing. I really liked getting back to the basics, it forces you to make sure you don't make mistakes, and keep everything clean.
In jiu jitsu, we worked on everything. We started with shrimping, then shrimping with a partner. Then it was jumping guard, and knocking out sit ups. From there we did jumping guard and climbing around your partner, which I am sad to say, I cannot do yet, but I will not stop trying. Then we did triangle drills, and swinging armbar drills. I still suck at the triangle, but am starting to get the hang of the armbar. From there it was just free grappling, and I just wore myself out for the final 25 minutes, trying to tap my opponent, which I did twice, and promptly collapsed. Good times!
In jiu jitsu, we worked on everything. We started with shrimping, then shrimping with a partner. Then it was jumping guard, and knocking out sit ups. From there we did jumping guard and climbing around your partner, which I am sad to say, I cannot do yet, but I will not stop trying. Then we did triangle drills, and swinging armbar drills. I still suck at the triangle, but am starting to get the hang of the armbar. From there it was just free grappling, and I just wore myself out for the final 25 minutes, trying to tap my opponent, which I did twice, and promptly collapsed. Good times!
Thursday, November 4, 2010
MMA and me; day 37
I need to work on my flexibility. In kickboxing, we worked on mid kicks. Not high kicks, mid kicks, and I just don't have the confidence that my hips and groins wont explode, and I pull up short on the kicks. Still, I'm working on getting better, so I soldier on. We first worked on 10s and 9s, and after that, we threw punches in addition to the kicks. I feel a little more fluid in throwing the 9 than the 10, but I like the leg kick versions of these kicks better, mostly due to the angle that is used in each form. In leg kicks, the idea is to swing your hips open, and bring the leg over to drive it down into your opponents thigh. In the mid kicks, you're still opening your hips, but instead of driving the leg down, your bringing it straight up, and I'm having a hard time getting my body positioning correct. By the end of class, I was feeling more comfortable, but it still needs a lot of work.
Grappling was all about wrestling, and the single leg takedown. First we worked on the form, widening your stance, dropping a little bit lower, and after bringing your lead knee to the mat, pushing your rear leg straight through until it's in the lead position. From there, we drilled getting into a deep single leg, with the head on the inside, as to avoid getting choked out. Also, sucking the leg in tight, and pinning it between your thighs. Next was the actual take down, where you use your head, and legs, to pivot, and drive your opponent to the mat. We worked on an ankle pick next, where if you couldn't pivot around your opponent, due to them being backed into the cage, you drop back down to your left knee, and grab their ankle opposite the leg you already have, and pull it in quick, dropping your opponent to the mat. All in all, it was a nice reminder of wrestling practice, and though I was never that good, it all came a little more naturally to me than I thought it would.
Grappling was all about wrestling, and the single leg takedown. First we worked on the form, widening your stance, dropping a little bit lower, and after bringing your lead knee to the mat, pushing your rear leg straight through until it's in the lead position. From there, we drilled getting into a deep single leg, with the head on the inside, as to avoid getting choked out. Also, sucking the leg in tight, and pinning it between your thighs. Next was the actual take down, where you use your head, and legs, to pivot, and drive your opponent to the mat. We worked on an ankle pick next, where if you couldn't pivot around your opponent, due to them being backed into the cage, you drop back down to your left knee, and grab their ankle opposite the leg you already have, and pull it in quick, dropping your opponent to the mat. All in all, it was a nice reminder of wrestling practice, and though I was never that good, it all came a little more naturally to me than I thought it would.
Wednesday, November 3, 2010
MMA and me; day 36
So I didn't go to class on Monday, wanted a slightly longer weekend, and needed to spend more time with my wife. That being said, I was really itching to get back into class yesterday, and I worked my ass off. In boxing, we worked on uppercut to hook combinations, or as Coach Troy called it "popping them up, and knocking them down". First was a 1-2-slip-6, which is the standard jab, straight, followed by a slip and a rear hand uppercut. I had a little trouble with my balance at first, but I started to come around and find out my footwork. We then added the 3, or hook, to the combo. This felt really natural, but I need to keep my eyes forward, and on my opponent at all times. I was trailing my head off to the side, and I'm guessing that gets people knocked out. After those, we switched to a 1-2-roll-5, which is similar, but instead of slipping the punch after the straight, you roll under it, and throw a front hand uppercut. It's more of a timing thing, and it feels really awkward, but by the end of the round I was starting to get it. Just like before, we added a hook to the mix, but this time it felt really strange, because the uppercut and hook are being thrown from the same side. I had all sorts of problems with this one; dropping my hands, not keeping my eyes to the front, didn't care for this one as much. All in all, it was a fun boxing class, and I got a great workout in to boot!
Jiu jitsu was tough, but fun. We worked more jumping guard drills, and I felt bad for my partner, who I outweighed by almost 50 pounds! He was tough though, and made me work for every last submission that I got. First we each jumped guard 10 times, and then we threw in a submission with an entangled arm. First was an entangled arm lock, which Frank Mir used to tap out Pete Williams in Mir's UFC debut. (look it up, it's pretty sweet), and then from the same position, we threw on a triangle choke. Both of these submissions are tight, but I need to work on the entangled arm lock. I had trouble getting the elbow down far enough to make it a tight submission, but when I did, done! Before we free grappled, we worked on rolling from an opponents side backmount into a triangle, and I really liked that one! Dropping to the shoulder that is on the same side as your opponent, rolling across your shoulders, and sweeping your leg around their head while grabbing wrist control, and then going down the checklist to lock it in tight! If I can remember wrist control, I think this one is something that I can and will use a lot.
Jiu jitsu was tough, but fun. We worked more jumping guard drills, and I felt bad for my partner, who I outweighed by almost 50 pounds! He was tough though, and made me work for every last submission that I got. First we each jumped guard 10 times, and then we threw in a submission with an entangled arm. First was an entangled arm lock, which Frank Mir used to tap out Pete Williams in Mir's UFC debut. (look it up, it's pretty sweet), and then from the same position, we threw on a triangle choke. Both of these submissions are tight, but I need to work on the entangled arm lock. I had trouble getting the elbow down far enough to make it a tight submission, but when I did, done! Before we free grappled, we worked on rolling from an opponents side backmount into a triangle, and I really liked that one! Dropping to the shoulder that is on the same side as your opponent, rolling across your shoulders, and sweeping your leg around their head while grabbing wrist control, and then going down the checklist to lock it in tight! If I can remember wrist control, I think this one is something that I can and will use a lot.
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