MMA and me; day 179

Went to work on some more grappling yesterday. First, we worked on the reclaim of guard from bottom side control. Bridge to create a gap you can drive your near side elbow through to the ground, while shrimping to the near side hip, and slipping your top side knee across their waist, and straightening out your bottom side leg. From there, you have created enough space to bring the bottom side leg across the knees and straighten out your upper body to reclaim guard. Next, was a counter you your opponent standing up in your guard. When they stand up, let your butt drop to the ground, pinch your knees together, slide your hands down to their heels, and then push against their waist with your knees, while pulling their heels to drop them to their butt. With their legs on the outside of yours, , slide your hips over one of their legs, while still holding their ankles down. Slide the far side knee across their belly, and quickly slip it through to end in high judo, or side control, just make sure you don't get stuck in half guard. We followed that up with a counter to that counter. When your opponent drops you to your butt, lift their legs up with your hands and bridge. Push their legs off to the side, and pull their outside leg over the inside leg. From here, swim your outside arm over the top leg, and under the bottom leg, and grab a Gable grip with your other arm, keeping the top side arm pressured into the top leg, preferably with the carpal bone. From there, it's a simple matter of pinching your legs together, keeping your arms in tight to your chest, and squeezing while shrugging your shoulders until they tap, it's called "Breaking the Sticks", and it does not feel good! From here, if that doesn't work, you can reach the top hand to the toes of the bottom leg, and switch to a toe hold, trying to drive the toes into the....posterior. Lastly, we worked on a standing S pass to knee bar. Standing over your opponent, instead of moving their legs side to side, move them in a circular motion, and as they move on a downward arc, bring your leg on that side around and over their body, then follow with the other leg so you're standing over the side of their body facing away. Then step in between their legs, and sit down, reaching under their knee with your elbow, and rolling to the near side, pinching around their thigh with your knees, and scooting your butt down their leg towards their belly. From here, slide both legs up to the heel, keeping your knees up by your chest, and then arch your back until they tap. Great day of classes!

MMA and me; day 178

Yesterday we worked on arm bars. First, the snap arm bar from side control, where you hook the near side arm, windshield your waist side leg into the body while leaning over, then ratchet your head side leg around their head, then cinch that heel in tight against the side of their neck, pinch your knees together. As you lean back, make sure you have the arm hooked elbow pit deep, and tight in against your chest, make sure the thumb is pointed up, and extend your hips until they tap. We next worked an S mount arm bar, where from mount, you push one of their arms across their body, and hold it in place with your own chest. Slide the knee on the same side as the arm that you pushed across up just past their head, and swivel so the other leg is straight out, and your are pressing down with all your weight on their chest with your thigh. From here, post a hand on their far side leg to prevent them from getting up, hook their near side arm elbow pit deep, and go through the same checklist for the arm bar as you lean back. Third, we drilled the arm bar from back mount. From back mount, if you get bucked forward, don't post both hands on the mat, instead, get an over/under, or seat belt grip and roll over the shoulder of the over hook, pull them over your body, and then simultaneously push their head away while lifting their near side arm with the under hook to pivot yourself to a position where you can swing the outside leg around their head, and lock in the arm bar. Lastly, we worked a rolling arm bar from the knees, but this could also work from a standing position. In a 50-50 collar tie, switch your grip on the arm from the tricep to the forearm, and roll to the opposite side shoulder, bringing your knee on the collar tie side up to their chest, while swinging the other leg around their head, getting their neck in the crook of your knee, pulling them in tight, then going down the checklist, (boots on, knees pinched, thumb pointing up, or away from your hips, and arch your hips) until they tap. Great day of classes, and I'm back to just about full time now. Got a lot of rust to shake off, but I'm up for the challenge!

MMA and me; day 177

So I only got to the gym once this week, and boxing was another day of fundamentals. I really liked this starting over from the ground up. When I first joined the gym, I knew nothing about the sport of boxing, other than I didn't particularly care for it, but I wanted to learn. Now, with a little over a year under my belt, I'm back at the beginning, but with a better understanding of boxing, and a lot of interest and curiosity for how every little part of the art works. We focused again on the "perfect boxing stance" as coach calls it, and the 50-50, where the weight is evenly distributed between both feet, and there is a light spring in the knees. We also worked a lot of head movement, and slipping punches. When slipping, being closer to your opponent is always better, and when rolling under big looping punches, step off to the side after the roll to change your angle of attack, and come off of theirs. In following your opponent, it's important to not keep your head on the same plane at all times, but instead, dip it as you step, and make sure to always lead with the foot that is in the direction you are going (front-forward, rear-backward, etc..) but make is smooth, and fluid. We finished with 100 push ups, and then it was on to grappling.

We just did a lot of rolling with each other in jiu jitsu. I grappled with Joachim, Alex, and Amanda, mostly. I gotta say, these guys all got a lot better in the several months since I got to work with any of them. I'm super proud of all of my teammates and all the hard work they have been putting in. I know that we will all meet and surpass our goals, and I can't wait to get there!

UFC 139

There are some CRAZY good fights on the UFC's card tonight. So no time to waste!

Stephan "The American Psycho" Bonnar vs. Kyle "Kingsbu" Kingsbury"
light heavyweight

Two gigantic 205 pounders go at it here, and this could be an interesting fight. Kingsbury is on a four fight winning streak, and a win over Bonnar could steer him towards some stiffer competition. Bonnar has strung together a couple of wins after a three fight skid had him on the verge of getting pink slipped. Bonnar is the better fighter, with solid stand up, killer cardio, and an extremely underrated ground game. Kingsbury is one of those fighters who got into MMA due to being a freakishly athletic individual, and has picked up the skills necessary in a very short period of time. This fight comes down to how tough Kingsbury's chin is, and can he grind out Bonnar long enough to eke out a decision, or possibly get a stoppage. Honestly, as tough as Kingsbury is, I think his stand up isn't good enough to faze Bonnar, and he'll have a hard time getting Bonnar to the mat, where he may not have any advantage anyway. Kingsbury is a tough fighter, and an imposing physical specimen to boot, but Bonnar is too well rounded, and I like "The American Psycho" in an exciting three rounder.

Bonnar via Unanimous Decision


Martin "The Hitman" Kampmann vs. Rick "The Horror" Story
welterweight

With both men coming off losses, and Kampmann suffering back to back defeats, there is much to be gained in victory by both men. After scoring a big upset over Thiago Alves, Story seemed posed to break into the top tier of welterweights, but then had his plan derailed by Charlie Brenneman. An excellent wrestler with a chin like granite, and an amazing ability to take fighters out of their comfort zone, Story is a tough match up for any fighter. After a contentious split decision loss to Jake Shields, Kampmann bloodied and battered Diego Sanchez but was on the losing end of another decision. Honestly, he got hosed in that fight, but he comes into this bout with a bit of a chip on his shoulder, and is looking to get back on track to a title fight. Kampmann is one of the most precise and technical strikers in the 170 pound division, and backs that up with very good wrestling, outstanding submissions, and a strong chin. His wrestling will likely be enough to stave off take downs from Story, and if that's the case, it's going to be a long night for "The Horror" as his chin is durable, but his striking is just not on the same level as Kampmanns is. Story will be thwarted on take down attempts early, and pay the price for it. He may try to go the route Sanchez did, and try to steal rounds late with flurries and pressure, but by the time it gets to that point, he'll be too far behind on the judges cards for it to matter. Kampmann may get a late stoppage, but it's more likely that he gets the decision nod in another exciting three rounder.

Kampmann via Unanimous Decision


Urijah "The California Kid" Faber vs. Brian Bowles
bantamweight

In a battle to become the next man to challenge Domini Cruz for the bantamweight title, Faber and Bowles will undoubtedly put on a heck of a show. Faber has a motor that doesn't stop, and is extremely creative and innovative with his attacks. Bowles is much more measured, and precise. Bowles probably has the edge in technique, but Faber possesses such a wide arsenal of offense, that it's hard to anticipate exactly what you're going to get when you face him. Both men have a wrestling background, though Fabers is far more extensive. Bowles may be the slightly larger fighter, and definitely has the reach advantage here, and is probably the more heavy handed. This fight will be two tough guys going 110% and trying to force the other to make a mistake first. Both are very talented, but I think the conditioning and all around game of Faber edges out Bowles, and again, it will come down to the judges, but I think they will be divided in their decision.

Faber via Split Decision


Wanderlei "The Axe Murderer" Silva vs. Cung Le
middleweight

Former Strikeforce middleweight champion Le makes his UFC debut against one of the most decorated, and beloved fighters in MMA history in Silva. Le brings an dynamic and exciting striking game to the table, along with a surprising take down defense, which against Wanderlei, probably wont come into play. Silva doesn't try and surprise you, he just comes out as pure, unbridled aggression, and tries to take your head off. I'd be surprised if this fight makes it out of the first round, and down right shocked if it makes it out of the second. Le is very talented on the feet, but he's staring down the barrel of turning forty, and has never been up against the caliber of striker of Silva. "The Axe Murderer" is a road worn fighter himself, and many speculate that it should be his last fight, should he lose. A warrior in the truest sense, Silva will go out, press the action, and deliver a highlight reel quality knock out, and I'm calling it now, KO of the Night for Silva by the end of the second round.

Silva via KO, Rd. 2


Mauricio "Shogun" Rua vs. Dan "Hendo" Henderson
light heavyweight

The main event is a dream match up between two men who are already MMA legends, and looking to be state their case that they should be in the ever expanding pool of contenders for the 205 pound title. After getting manhandled by the champ Jon Jones, Rua rebounded with a thorough dismantling of Forrest Griffin, avenging the loss he suffered to Griffin in his UFC debut. After scoring the Knock Out of the Year against Michael Bisping in 2009, Henderson went on to win the Strikeforce light heavyweight title, and now finds himself back in the UFC, trying to get another shot at UFC gold. Cast in the mold of Randy Couture, Henderson is a cagey vet with outstanding wrestling chops, and a right hand that you really don't want to be on the receiving end of. Rua has a slick Muay Thai based stand up, that blends kicks, punches, and knees together in a whirlwind, and is more than capable of submitting fighters on the ground if it should go there. Can Rua stave off the wrestling and avoid the big shot from Henderson long enough to impose his game plan and chop down the tree of "Hendo"? Rua will need to pick his shots early, and just wear him down, which is when Henderson makes mistakes, and the try to capitalize on what was once, but is no more a stout chin. This will be exciting for sure, but I see Rua pulling away late, and getting a late second, or early third round stoppage.

Rua via TKO, Rd. 2

MMA and me; day 176

Well, another day of class in the books, but I gotta mention something before I get to class. This week was the last week for Coach Troy, who has had other things come up and is moving on to the next stage in life. I would not have developed the appreciation, and love for the sport of boxing, without his influence. Thank you braddah, and I wish you the best in all your endeavors.

So Coach Wise has assumed boxing class teaching duties, and after one day, I know I'm once again going to be working my behind off. We worked the basics, namely chin down, head up, getting the proper stance, and KEEPING THE HANDS UP! A few other details, such as throwing the punches straight out and back, turning the punches over, dropping the knee on the straight punch, and 50-50 weight distribution. We focused on all of this for the entire class, and then worked on a little bit of avoidance and foot work. Namely rolling and circling off, or rolling and stepping through when your opponent throws a big, looping punch. Big things to make sure are paid attention to are staying in contact when you roll and step, since that is a good way of cutting off angles, and power of your opponents punches. We finished off with three minutes of sit ups, and then it was on to grappling.

We worked on a couple of different sweeps from bottom side control. First, bridge up by gathering your feet as close to your bottom as you can, and flat on the ground, then as you drop your butt to the ground, drop your elbow on the same side they are on to the ground, while turning to that side hip and slipping your top side knee across their near hip. Next, extend the top leg, and bring the bottom leg across to reclaim guard, and if it gets stuck in a butterfly hook, instead of making it to full guard, that's okay. From this position, pummel in for an under hook on the same side as your butterfly hook, grab their tricep on the other side and shrimp your butt out while on your hip and sit up, letting your leg which is not in the butterfly hook to lay flat on the mat. From here, rock back, while doing four things with each limb to insure the sweep, Using your arms, which are basically in an over hook/ under hook position, turn their shoulders towards the leg that is flat on the ground, lift up with the butterfly hooking leg, and use the leg on the ground to scissor their leg out from underneath them. Doing all of these together, smoothly, will almost guarantee a sweep to mount. The other sweep from a similar position,but instead of getting a single butterfly hook, swim both legs in for double butterfly hooks. From here, shrimp your butt back, and pummel in for double under hooks. Rock back, kick them off to one side, and swing your hips in to high judo. We also worked the reversal sweep from bottom side control, where you bridge up, and under hook either the hip side arm, or both arms, and switch your hips towards the head to pull yourself out from under them, and end up in a topside position, primed to take their back. Great days of classes, and I'm excited for what the coming weeks will bring!

MMA and me; day 175

A really fun boxing class on Tuesday, so I'll get right into it. First, we opened all of our combos with a step off jab, lead uppercut, jab, straight. It's important to step off with the first jab, so you can set up the uppercut properly, then press forward with the second jab, since you will most likely be knocking your opponent back with the uppercut. The opening combo was the beginning sequence a high catch, and a counter, right turn, double lead hook, straight, left turn double jab. Next we followed up the opening with a touch, where you use your lead hand to gauge distance, and actually touch it to the opponents chin, then fire a straight right down the pipe, roll, counter, and finish with the right turn, double lead hook, straight, left turn, double jab. After working the combo with the touch, we worked another new concept for me, the reach. After the jab, uppercut jab, straight, step off and throw a rear hook to the body, then pull back and throw a hard straight, followed by a roll, counter, and then the same ending. Lastly, we worked the double body catch into the whole combo, remembering to sit straight down, and rock side to side instead of leaning, to catch the punches.We finished up with ab and core drills, and it was time to move on to grappling. First, here are the broken down combos

1) step off 1-5-1-2-high catch-2-3-2-right turn-3-3-2-left turn-1-1
2) step off 1-5-1-2-touch-2-roll-2-3-2-right turn-3-3-2-left turn-1-1
3) step off 1-5-1-2-reach body 4-2-roll-2-3-2-right turn-3-3-2-left turn-1-1
4) step off 1-5-1-2-catch body 4-catch body 3-6-5-3-2-right turn-3-3-2-left turn-1-1

In jiu jitsu, we worked again on take downs, fluidity, and balance. When shooting take downs from the knees, we worked on flowing from side to side and pulling guard if the take down is unsuccessful. We also drilled on smoothly transitioning from position to position, and never allowing an opponent an opening to either pass your guard, or work for a take down. It's very important to always keep pressure, but don't over extend yourself. We then worked from the stand up on a couple of double leg take downs, first where you wrap up the legs, and then pivot on your knee until they fall to the mat, and then pass around into side control. Second, we worked on a more straight forward take down, where after wrapping up the legs or waist, you slide your rear leg behind their legs, keeping your head tight under their armpit and the side of the rib cage, then drive forward and pass to side control. Lastly, we drilled take downs off of the pummel, which comes in handy when you have your opponent pushed up against the cage, or are pressuring them towards it. After a couple of pummels, just drop your level, and work for that double leg. Fun class, and it's bringing back memories of high school wrestling!

MMA and me; day 174

Ahh kickboxing, how I have missed you. So we worked on some bump drills yesterday. Starting throwing punch combos and working in the kick at the end. First it was just the typical kicks, low 10s and 9s, with an occasional heel kick. Then we started mixing in push kicks, and switch kicks, and different punch set ups. After several rounds, we moved onto working the Thai clinch. We began by doing skippies, which is alternating knees to the body while in the clinch, and also dragging your partner around and then throwing knees. The key things here are keeping your elbows in, and pulling the head in while you throw the knees. We then worked reclaiming the clinch in two ways. First by reaching across the face, and grabbing the shoulder, then with the other hand, pummeling around the back of the neck, and then reaching over and behind the head with the first hand. The other way, was to reach both hands over the clinch, and push your partners chin up, tilting their head back, and walking towards them, until you could swim your hands under the clinch, reclaiming an offensive position. We next moved to a move where you go from the Thai clinch to an under hook with your dominant arm, and hold their head down with your other hand, from there you throw a knee into their leg closest to you, then step through with that leg, and throw a knee to the head with your other leg. Lastly, we worked on legged knee drills for a minute per leg, where for the whole minute, while engaged in the clinch, you throw knees with one leg, not letting it touch the ground. It was quite intense, and then it was onto...


NO GI JIU JITSU!!! Man I love grappling. We mostly worked on take downs, but from so many different positions, and reclaiming better positions when the take down falls through. First, we stretched, which I needed since I have grappled in forever. We then worked on the rhythm and balance of the take down, mostly by staying on our knees and sweeping across the gym, rocking back and forth, then pivoting while still on a knee, and shooting back in the other direction. Next we incorporated grabbing a double, and pivoting for the take down, and then pulling guard. We followed that up with Working the take down drills from a standing position, and then finally, working the drills with a partner. It felt good to go back to my wrestling roots, but I felt rusty as hell. Well, it's gotta start somewhere, and it began yesterday.

MMA and me; day 172/173

Two boxing days last week, and we worked on the same stuff, so here it goes. We began all combos with a jab, straight, and first followed it up with catching a lead hook to the body, countering with a rear uppercut, straight, hook, straight, catching a straight up high, countering with a straight, hook, straight, and finishing with a left turn, double jab. Next we went to the other side of the body. After the opening, we caught a rear hook to the body, countered with a lead uppercut, hook, straight, high straight catch, counter with a straight, hook, straight, and finish with a left turn, double jab. We went to both sides of the body next, catching a rear hook to the body, lead hook to the body, countering with a rear uppercut, lead uppercut, hook, straight, high catching a straight, countering with a straight, hook, straight, and ending with a left turn, double jab. Lastly, we worked both sides separately, catching a lead hook to the body, countering with a rear uppercut, straight, hook, straight, then catching a rear hook to the body, countered with a lead uppercut, hook, straight, catching a straight up high, countering with a straight, hook, straight, rolling into a Cuban Slide, where you roll under a lead hook, then slip off to the outside with a replacement step, throw a hook to the body, then straight to the head, and end with a left turn, double jab. Two awesome days of boxing, and as of last night, I'm back in the gym four days, and eight hours a week. So the blog will be back up in full swing. As always, a breakdown of all the combos will follow, and I'll be getting to what we worked last night in a little bit.

1) 1-2-catch body 3-6-2-3-2-high catch 2-2-3-2-left turn-1-1
2) 1-2-catch body 4-5-3-2-high catch 2-2-3-2-left turn-1-1
3) 1-2-catch body 4-catch body 3-6-5-3-2-left turn-double jab
4) 1-2-catch body 3-6-2-3-2-catch body 4-5-3-2-high catch 2-2-3-2-roll-Cuban Slide-body 3-2-left turn-1-1

UFC on Fox

It's a historical event taking place tonight at the Honda Center in Anaheim. For the first time ever, the UFC will be shown on network television. Not only that, but the main event is going to be for the heavyweight championship, for free! The under card is being streamed online, so that's kind of a bummer. I'll briefly touch on the four main card fights, but will focus on the main event.

Mike Pierce vs. Paul "The Gentleman" Bradley
welterweight

Pierce is a tough kid who has only lost to Jon Fitch, and Johny Hendricks, and has a solid wrestling background with ever improving stand up. Bradley has a very well rounded game, and is looking to prove something after losing his UFC debut. With both fighters sharing a wrestling background, look for most of the action to take place on the feet, and Pierce's experience being the factor. Three rounds later, he gets the judges nod.

Pierce via Unanimous Decision

Norifumi "Kid" Yamamoto vs. Darren "BC" Uyenoyama
bantamweight

A veteran of the sport that was expected to do big things, Yamamoto fell short to former title challenger Demetrious Johnson in his UFC debut. Expect him to right the ship against Uyenoyama, who while being a solid fighter, simply doesn't have the skills or experience to handle Yamamoto. "Kid" is a fantastic wrestler, with very crisp stand up and nasty ground and pound. Uyenoyama has good, but not great skills, and was ostensibly tabbed for an easy win for Yamamoto. This fight will likely not make it out of the second round, as Yamamoto gets his UFC career back on track with a resounding TKO.

Yamamoto via TKO, Rd. 2


Dustin "The Diamond" Poirier vs. Pablo "The Scarecrow" Garza
featherweight

Garza has made big waves since coming over from the WEC with two resounding wins in electric fashion. Poirier has been more workmanlike in his recent wins, but has been impressive nonetheless. Poirier has shown an aptitude for keeping fights where he it benefits most, and taking opponents out of their element. Against Garza, he's going
to want to try and negate the reach advantage of "The Scarecrow", and avoid his nasty submission game. Unfortunately, Garza is very good at nullifying take downs, and is well rounded on the ground, so this could be a long night for Poirier. Garza has too many weapons for "The Diamond" (love the nickname) here, and will probably get a submission late in the second round, or early in the third of what should be a pretty exciting fight.

Garza via submission (Triangle) Rd. 2


Ben "Smooth" Henderson vs. Clay "The Carpenter" Guida
lightweight

Earlier in the week it was announced that the winner of this fight will get the next crack at Frankie Edgar's lightweight title belt, so expect even more fireworks than were already headed our way in this fight. Henderson is coming off two very impressive wins, including an absolute dismantling of the very tough Jim Miller. Guida has been on a tear of his own, having won four straight, with three submissions. This fight will most likely go the distance, and will be fought at an incredibly breakneck pace. Both men have the ability to push the tempo of their fights beyond that of normal men, along with very good wrestling, and incredibly resiliency. Henderson is a bit bigger, has better stand up, and is maybe the most difficult fighter in the UFC to submit. Guida simply does not quit, and has fantastic pressure. This will be the Fight of the Night, and the only bummer about it, is that it wont be shown on television, which is a shame since it will be a sterling example of mixed martial arts that would do the UFC a world of good to bring to the masses. Henderson wins by simply being a better fighter. Three rounds of being able to dictate where the fight takes place will take it's toll on Guida, and "Smooth" gets a close, but decisive victory.

Henderson via Unanimous Decision.


HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP
Champion: Cain Velasquez vs. Junior "Cigano" Dos Santos

For the first time in over a year, Velasquez will step into the Octagon, and make his first title defense. Dos Santos has been demolishing everyone in his path, and is finally getting his title shot that he won after beating Roy Nelson last year. He put it on the line against the monstrous Shane Carwin, but silenced any doubt that he was the number one contender with a sound thrashing of Carwin. Velasquez took an undefeated record into his title fight with Brock Lesnar, and summarily dismantled the champ in a first round TKO. This fight is going to be very exciting, as these two fighters have been on a collision course for quite some time, and their meeting just so happens to be for the belt.

Velasquez has just nine fights to his resume, but in those nine fights, he's shown the kind of growth and improvement that most fighters gain in a lifetime. An All American wrestler at Arizona State, he made the transition to MMA quite easily, and after only two fights, made his UFC debut. Velasquez blends speed, strength, and solid technique so seamlessly, it's hard to pinpoint any weakness. His stand up improves by leaps and bounds every time he fights, and he's shown a fantastic ability to recover the few times he's been hurt. The big question mark is how has the long layoff affected him? After injuring his shoulder against Lesnar, he needed surgery. Is he back to form, and has the shoulder become a non issue? We'll see when he sets foot in the Octagon tonight.

Dos Santos has been on a tear in the UFC. After knocking out Fabricio Werdum in his debut, Dos Santos has rattled off six straight wins, with four coming by way of stoppage. Supposedly having fantastic ground skills, he should be comfortable if he gets taken down. I say supposedly, because he's never been anywhere but his feet, where he's shown very clean, and powerful boxing, backed up by a staunch take down defense. I'm interested to see how well he does on the ground, because Velasquez is one of the best in the heavyweight division of getting a fight there. That being said, Velasquez hasn't fought anyone with the ability to put together combos like Dos Santos, and will need to be wary on the feet.

Two young bucks charging head long into each other in this fight, and with this being the first time a lot of people will see the UFC, and maybe mixed martial arts as well, they will not be disappointed. Both men are extremely talented, and regardless of outcome, they will both be involved in title fights for the next several years. That being said, I'm slightly leaning towards Dos Santos due to his slightly better stand up, and Velasquez's long layoff. Dos Santos will get the better of the stand up, and be able to avoid being on his back enough to get a TKO finish late in the third round.

Dos Santos via TKO, Rd. 3, and new champion!

UFC 138

Almost forgotten amongst the rest of the UFC cards this month and last, we have a solid card to look forward to tonight.Without further ado, here we go.

Cyrille "The Snake" Diabate vs. Anthony "The Hippo" Perosh
light heavyweight

The Snake takes on The Hippo in a fight that got moved up to the main card after an entertaining fight between Anthony Njokuani and Paul Taylor had to be scrapped due to Taylor being injured in a car accident (He is fine). Diabate is a tall, southpaw striker, and Perosh is a solid grappler, so this is very much a style vs style match up. Both men are a stones throw away from forty, and the loser could very well find themselves looking for a new organization to fight in. Diabate needs to utilize his reach advantage (He is 6'6") and avoid getting taken down as submission defense has been one of his shortcomings. Perosh needs to negate that reach by getting inside and try to get the fight to the mat where he can use his superior grappling to attempt to end the fight via submission. In a fight that is essentially a toss up, I lean towards the grappler, and see Perosh getting a late first round, early second round submission.

Perosh via submission (rear naked choke) Rd. 2


Terry Etim vs. Eddie "Falo" Faaloloto
lightweight

Etim has been on the shelf with injuries for over a year, and had seemed right on the cusp of making a big splash in the lightweight division. Now healthy, he once again finds himself on a card in his native England, ready to begin his assault on the top of the division anew. Faaloloto is very young when it comes to MMA, only having four professional fights to his name. Etim has a solid stand up game, and his lanky frame has made it easy for him to lock up submissions as well. Etim should win this fight fairly easy as Faaloloto doesn't pose a credible threat in any aspect of the game, and will most likely find the referee interceding on his behalf in the middle of the first round.

Etim via TKO, Rd. 1

Thiago "Pitbull" Alves vs. Papy "Makambo" Abedi
welterweight

Alves makes his return to the Octagon after being upset by Rick Story in his last UFC bout. A brutal muay thai striker, with increasingly stout take down defense, Alves looks to return to his head hunting ways that garnered him wins over the likes of Karo Parisyan, Matt Hughes, and earned him a title shot. Abedi makes his UFC debut after racking up an 8-0 record on smaller shows, with seven of his victories by stoppage. This is his first fight at 170, so it will be interesting to see how he handles the transition, to a lower weight class. Alves is as nasty as they come when focused and on his game, so it will be key to winning for him to fight his game, and not letting Abedi dictate the pace. Expect a lot of feeling out early, and exchanges coming more frequently into the second round, until Alves finally lets his hands and feet go, getting a third round stoppage.

Alves via TKO, Rd.3

Brad "One Punch" Pickett vs. Renan "Barao" Pegado
bantamweight

Former WEC fighter Pickett makes his UFC debut against another solid up and comer in Pegado, who is also had several fights in the other Zuffa organization before the merger. Both men sport impressive records with Pickett standing at 20-5 and Pegado boasting a gaudy 26-1. While Pickett may have faced the tougher opponents, he cannot just expect to win as "Barao" has an extremely tough ground game that Pickett will do well to avoid and keep the fight standing. With wins over Ivan Menjivar, and Demtrious Johnson, Pickett could find himself knocking on the door of title contention with a win here, especially if can live up to his nickname. I see a back and forth battle in this one, with Pickett fending off take downs, and inflicting damage on the feet when he can, and Pegado flicking out leg kicks and attempting to get the fight to the ground so he can utilize his submission and grappling game. After three very tough rounds, Pickett gets his hand raised in a close decision.

Pickett via Split Decision

Chris "The Crippler" Leben vs. Mark "The Filipino Wrecking Machine" Munoz
middleweight

The first five round, non title fight main event in UFC history pits two fighters against each other that will almost insure that the fight doesn't last that long. Heck, this fight wouldn't likely make it to a decision if it was a three rounder! Leben is who he is at this point in his career. A solid, if not technical striker with a chin like granite and some of the heaviest shots in the UFC. Munoz continues to improve his stand up, which makes him that much scarier since his wrestling and ground and pound are some of the scariest in any weight class. The deciding factors in this fight will be how long can Leben fend off the take down long enough to exploit the somewhat suspect chin of Munoz, and can Munoz pick his shots on the feet instead of throwing nothing but power shots and avoid the extremely underrated submission game of Leben on the ground. Munoz may want to test his stand up early, but will likely revert to taking Leben down. Neither fighter has stellar cardio, but Leben does have a zombie like ability to continue fighting even when he should have by all accounts, passed out. Against my better judgement, I'm taken Leben by third round stoppage, as he weathers the storm early, and graces us with another classic TKO.

Leben via TKO, Rd. 3

MMA and me; day 171

On Thursday we once again covered defense from the shell position. Not fighting out of the shell, but a few options to utilize if you find yourself against a high volume puncher. We covered the same basics that we did on Tuesday, so I'll list the broken down combos, and some of the things I worked on to help smooth things out.

Mostly I need to work on keeping my hands up, but that's something I know I need to work on, and I also need to not be in a hurry when I roll then turn. I'm trying to hard to make it one fluid motion, which you don't want to do, because it makes it too easy for your opponent to predict where you will end up. As you finish the roll, get set, then make the left turn, and come up with the double hook. The small break in the motion gives your opponent pause, and when you come up after the turn, they've had to relocate you twice.

1) 1-2-jab parry-shoulder catch-hook catch-3-2-roll into a left turn-3-3-2-right turn-2-3-2
2) 1-2-catch body 3-6-2-3-2-roll into a left turn-3-3-2-right turn-2-3-2
3) 1-2-jab slip-2-3-2-shoulder catch-2-3-2-hook catch-3-2-roll into a left turn-3-3-2-right turn-2-3-2
4) 1-2-jab slip-straight slip-roll-2-3-2-roll into a left turn-3-3-2-right turn-2-3-2

MMA and me; day 170

Well, I kinda dropped the ball the past couple of weeks, but I had some stuff going on in my family that kinda made me put the blog on the back burner for a bit. I'm back now, and will be coming with this silly thing I started on the regular. Yesterday in boxing we worked a lot of head movement, and shell defense. First, we started off with a simple jab, straight, then the shell defense, which is a jab parry, shoulder catch, hook catch. Off of the hook catch, was a roll, and then before coming up, a left turn, and then a double hook, straight as you stand up, then hit a right turn and finish with a straight, hook, straight. Next, after the same opening combo, we blocked a hook to the body, and countered with a rear uppercut, straight, hook, straight, then rolled, turned left, came up with the double hook, straight, turned right, straight, hook, straight. Third, was the jab, straight, jab slip, counter, catch 2, and then the finish. Lastly we worked a double slip, roll, counter, and then the roll, left turn, double hook, straight, right turn, counter. We finished with a nice long set of burnouts on the heavy bags, and called it a night.

Broken down here is what we did

1) 1-2-jab parry-shoulder catch-hook catch-2-3-2-roll into a left turn-3-3-2-right turn-2-3-2
2) 1-2-catch body 3-6-2-3-2-roll into a left turn-3-3-2-right turn-2-3-2
3) 1-2-jab slip-2-3-2-shoulder catch-2-3-2-hook catch-3-2-roll into a left turn-3-3-2-right turn-2-3-2
4) 1-2-jab slip-straight slip-roll-2-3-2-roll into a left turn-3-3-2-right turn-2-3-2