Ultimate Fighting Championship

[Manji]

Not sure if this is anyone's cup of tea; but did anybody catch UFC 46 yesterday?
There was some pretty good fights on the event except for the last one which turned out to be a huge disappointment. Randy Couture had his eye lid cut open!

 

[Manji]

I have to say that the BJ Penn / Mat Hughes fight was pretty entertaining. To have a guy go up from lightweight to welterweight and win the belt from a dominating fighter like Matt Hughes was extraordinary.

I thought that Newton would do better. But he got dominated as well. I've met Carlos as well, great guy; a little bit flaky.

Can't believe that you're cheering for Tito. He's too mch of a punk. I got to say I'm rooting for the Iceman.

 

[revolver]

They're up to 46? Man, I remember watching the first couple.

 

[mexicanbullfrog]

Shamrock was great in his day. He was either no longer hungry, or merely needed the money.

In either case that fight brought in a lot of viewers and was great for business.

Tito is a skilled fighter, as is Chuck... both schooled by Randy, and in need to redeem themselves as UFC big-guns. This is a well-marketed fight, and I hope it lives up to the hype.

I was disappointed with the last match as well, and hoped the fight would continue. Not a real victory for Vito in my humble opinion.

 

[canucklehead]

When i was in University i wrestled Dan Severn of the then Sunkiss Kids wrestling team and beat him. It was at the AAUs in Lincoln Nebraska back in 83.
Then i saw him win the UFC and definitely had second thoughts about him being a pussy
Tito rocks.

 

[Manji]

You're right Kathleen; Shamrock got his ass kicked by Tito. In fact, it was sort of embarassing for Shamrock. Like Mexican Bullfrog stated, "Shamrock was great in his day."

The fighting back in the early UFCs wad more spectacle than sport. Now it is most definitly a sport. Guys like Shamrock are just too old to adjust to new fighting systems of mixed martial arts.

If you like UFC, check out Pride (if you haven't already). I find Pride to be even more entertaining than the UFC.

Pride is the Japanese version of the UFC. Payoff is bigger so they always have the top fighters from around the world fighting in it.

 

[shinjitsu]

Aren't they planning a Frank Shamrock return match with Sakuraba as the possible opponent? A match I would have paid to watch 3-4 years ago.

 

[Manji]

Frank Shamrock and Sakuraba?
I hope not, but then again it could be entertaining. With Sakuraba, any match is an entertaining match whether he wins or loses.

Kathleen, you're right about jiu jitsu being the core of MMA but it is just one part of being a mixed martial artist. Stand up is just as important. Muay Thai and Boxing are integral elements in being a sucessful fighter. And a lot American fighters just get by with a strong greco-roman wrestling background (usually in addition with a little boxing or kickboxing).

Look at Mirko Filopovic a.k.a. Crocop. Has dominated Pride with just a kickboxing background. Crocop couldn't grapple if his life depended on it. Crocop's lack of ground fighting was evident in Pride Final Conflict. Vanderlai Silva, Fedor Emelianenko, and the Iceman are others who have excelled in Pride, primarily with a Stand Up background.

I have to admit that is why I like Pride better. More stand up fighting in it with a lot more knock outs. UFC tends to favour grapplers with its more restrictive rules.

Shinjitsu, there were hints of a possible Randy Coutour and Vanderlai Silva fight. Who knows now after UFC 46?
I know the Axe Murderer is dying to fight Vitor Belfort.