MMA Thread

[BaseballNick]

Speaking of last night, am I wrong for thinking Shivers won that fight? I don't think McSweeney did enough in either round to warrant winning either.

 

I was pretty surprised by the decision for the same reason. McSweeney didn't show us much at all. I thought Shivers was more aggressive and landed cleaner strikes. I don't think either of them have what it takes to win this season, so I'm not too bothered by it.

[Kenny Hates Prospects]

Aside from his obvious skills in the cage, this is why I like Rashad so much:

He'll fight Lyoto, but not his mom: Rashad Evans talks to Cagewriter

By Maggie Hendricks

 

In the final installment of Rashad Evans' talk with Cagewriter, he talks about his mom, what he said to Lyoto Machida just before getting knocked out, and the bond among the fighters at Greg Jackson's.

 

 

In addition to wanting to fight Thiago Silva, you've said that you want to fight Anderson Silva.

 

I would love to fight Anderson.

 

 

What would you do differently to make you win?

 

I don't know. I don't know what I would do differently. But, I think I'd be able to match him in a lot of strengths. Anderson is very tricky, and so I'd have to get a few tricks, as well. It would be a fun fight, because Anderson is the man. You have nothing to lose. And he's such a nice dude. He's cool like Denzel Washington.

 

I was sitting next to him at UFC 102, and he is just super-cool, and he can speak English a lot better than he lets on. He said, (slipping into Anderson Silva impression) "Yeah, Brandon Vera, he needs to, ah, throw more elbows." There was this fan that made a dash for him, and she dipped under the rope, but the security stopped her. She did it two more times, and was about to get kicked out. Then I told him, "I think that girl wanted you." And he said, "Me? Oh." And he goes over there, in the crowd, and takes a picture with her.

 

 

Fighters are starting flock to your training home. Is Greg Jackson's getting too big?

 

I worry about that, but one thing that remains is that there's a core group. At our foundation, when we started, it was Diego Sanchez, Keith Jardine, Joey Villasenor, Nate Marquardt and myself. But since Diego went his own way, Georges came in. Around that, we all make sure that we're there for each other. We all remain close. The good thing about Jackson's is that there are so many good coaches everywhere that we can work with. We have Phil Nurse in New York City. We have Trevor Wittman in Denver, we have Mike Winkeljohn in New Mexico, we have Faras Zahabi in Montreal. We all have coaches that we can turn to, because sometimes Greg Jackson get spread so thin. He's traveling so much, and he's in everybody's corner, so he gets burned out. But he always tries to make time for his core guys.

 

 

One of the funnier things about UFC 100 was hearing Greg Jackson talk to GSP in the corner like Georges was a little kid. What did you think when he first did that with you?

 

The first time he did that, I was like, "What the hell are you talking about?" I'm tired as hell, and he said, "Calm down, breathe, breathe." Then he said something to me and had me repeat back what he said. They always do the same thing. When I'm in the fight, I'm ready for the next round. They're trying to give me directions, and I'm looking across the ring. But it does feel strange.

 

Like, with the Michael Bisping fight. I was exhausted after the first round. The first round, I felt like I went 15 rounds. I felt like something wasn't right with my body. I had the look in my eye like I couldn't go any more. And he said, "Rashad. Good first round. Really, really good first round. We need two more rounds just like that." I wanted to cry! What do you mean, two more rounds just like that? I was done. I can't go two more rounds. But he talked me through the next two rounds, and got me through it.

 

If you come and train at our gym, you gotta get your game up, because if you're not strong, I'm not strong. We've all got this symbiotic relationship with each other. We need each other to do well and train well, because it helps us all out.

Out of all the camps, do you think Jackson's is the best?

 

I think Jackson's is the best because we don't just say we're teammates. We really care about each other and are really looking out for each other. We won't fight each other. Yeah, we could make a good payday. But when you're training with somebody every day unselfishly, you may not get anything out of it, but you're doing it because you want them to succeed. Their success is your success.

 

When you train like that, and you give everything you have, you could never fight somebody like that. Because once you fight someone, you cross a line that you'll never be able to get back. And once you have that in your mind, and you're thinking, I may fight him one day, you hold back. And he doesn't grow because you're holding back. That's what it means to be teammates.

 

 

So there is not an amount of money that would make you fight Keith Jardine?

 

No. At the end of the day, we're going to sit down somewhere and we're going to reflect on this whole experience of being a fighter. We're going to say, "Man, it went so fast, but didn't we have some fun in the meantime." And we'll be able to have a relationship for the rest of our lives, just based on the experience we're having right now. To me, that means more than money.

 

Money comes and goes. I may make a million dollars, then get a divorce and damn near lose all of it. Money will come and go. As long as you know how to make money, you'll always be able to make money. True wealth is not measured by how much money you've got in the bank or how many toys you've got. Some of the happiest people in the world don't have a crying quarter, but they've got all the things that mean a lot to them.

 

 

What were you saying to Lyoto Machida when he knocked you out?

 

I think my exact words were, "You hit like a b****."

 

 

Are you going to keep talking like that in fights?

 

I'm not going to talk any more. I'll just think it. But even then, I thought I was just thinking it. I was so out of it that I was saying it. When I fight, part of the swagger that I had when I used to fight on the street comes out. When I fought on the street, I used to try to embarrass someone for even wanting to fight me. I would always talk s***. And now when I'm fighting, and really getting into it, I talk s***. It's not any disrespect to my opponent. It just happens naturally, and I don't even know when I'm doing it. It's like an out-of-body experience when I'm in the zone.

 

Even in practice, when I'm sparring with David Loiseau, I'll hit him with a punch, then I'll just look at my fist. Or I'll hit him, put it in my pocket and say, "I'm not going to hit you with that any more." It's just fun. We're just having fun and clowning around.

 

 

Since you've entered the UFC, you've been a magnet for boos. Why do you think people don't like you?

 

It comes from one little person: Matt Hughes. Nah, I can't say it's all Matt Hughes, but when people have this perception of you (from Rashad's turn on "The Ultimate Fighter,") it's hard for them to change it. Their first impression was Matt Hughes saying stuff to me. It always goes back to that. I think that first impression has stuck. With me, I haven't done anything to to not reinforce that, because when I go out there and I fight, I am cocky.

 

I think you have to be cocky when you go out there and fight. Why do you think you could beat this guy? You have to be so confident that you can destroy this guy. Sometimes, when I'm going to fight, I have to think, I'm going to embarrass him. I'm going to destroy him. I'm going to make him wish he hadn't taken the fight. If he beats me, and they say, "You want to fight Rashad Evans again?" He'll think twice. That's my whole mindset. When I go in and fight, I'm not the same guy who is sitting in front of you, who is meeting the fans or anything like that. It's like a split personality. When you see a fighter in the realm of doing their sport, they're not the same person who sits in front of you. It's a different expression of themselves. When I go out and express myself in that way, that's just how I do it.

 

 

Does the booing bother you?

 

It used to, but now I'm so used to it, that if they didn't boo me, that would be strange. It's funny, I'll sign autographs all day, and everyone's my number one fan. Then they'll show me on the screen, and I'll get booed. I think, "I just signed a million autographs. Who is booing me?"

 

 

Does it upset your mom or wife?

 

It used to make my wife mad, but now she's used to it. My mom just discovered the internet, and she said, "Rashad, I was on these blogs, and why do these people say this? It's wrong!"

 

You've turned your mom into a character when you're on ESPN's MMA Live. How does she feel about that?

She's cool. She's used to us being silly. She laughs, and doesn't take it personally.

 

 

Did you know that she was going to call in?

 

No, I had no idea. The producer of the show kept asking me questions about my mom, and I'm just talking, saying whatever. Then he said, "We got to get her on one of these days." And I said yeah, I'll ask her, not thinking anything of it. Right before she came on, they said said, we're calling Mark Coleman, but tell us about your impression of Mike Tyson, and then I started doing the one of my mom, and then they put my mom on the line. I thought I was in trouble!

 

 

Do you still get smacks from your mom every now and then?

 

Oh yeah. My mom will give it to me in a second.

 

 

Who would you rather face, Lyoto Machida again or your mom?

 

I'd rather face Lyoto. My mom's a beast. But every time I've got a fight, she calls me. (dropping into impersonation of his mother) "Rashad, now I'm going to tell you, I know you've got a fight tomorrow. How you feel?" -- I feel good, Mom -- "Good Rashad. When you hit him, keep him hit, Rashad. Punches in bunches. You need to pass the guard like Joe Rogan said."

 

 

Do you do impressions of any of your teammates? GSP?

 

I think it hurts his feelings when we do GSP impressions. I try not to do it too much. Georges is sensitive. The one thing, he did make fun of himself. When the GSP song came out, he made fun of that, and kept saying "My A technique puts people down!" When that song first came out, we just kept playing it again and again. He said, (slipping into GSP impersonation) "I don't like this because it makes me sound like a frog, like Kermit the Frog." He was pissed about it.

[Kenny Hates Prospects]

The interview was from here: http://sports.yahoo.com/mma/blog/cagewrite...?urn=mma,191972

 

Rashad's just a cool guy. Yeah he can talk some trash, but he's not crazy as hell, and he doesn't walk away from fights to do movies, and then complain about company management, and then call out the guy who he walked away from fighting after he had already committed to the fight. Rashad = awesome.

[Goober]

Okay...What about the trash talking and showing up opponents? Whoops, I forgot those can just be ignored because he isn't doing movies.

[Kenny Hates Prospects]

Okay...What about the trash talking and showing up opponents? Whoops, I forgot those can just be ignored because he isn't doing movies.

Ben Gordon grabbed his balls too against the Celtics in the playoffs last year. Did you boo that also?

 

Grabbing your balls =/= humping reporters, going nuts in traffic and running into people with your truck, agreeing to fights and then ditching them to go do movies, quitting the whole sport because your boss rips your decision to take a movie role, etc.

 

Rashad is a professional. Rampage is not.

[MHizzle85]

Rashad is a professional. Rampage is not.

How about we stop this Rashad & Rampage debate. We both are blinded by our fandom when we make points.

 

But, I will say this...If Rashad was such a professional, why didn't he take the fight against Rampage back in March? Oh, he needed time to "rest." They're both professionals.

 

Silva/Belfort is on for 108 it seems. UFC 108 is starting to look really fun.

[Kenny Hates Prospects]

How about we stop this Rashad & Rampage debate. We both are blinded by our fandom when we make points.

 

But, I will say this...If Rashad was such a professional, why didn't he take the fight against Rampage back in March? Oh, he needed time to "rest." They're both professionals.

 

Silva/Belfort is on for 108 it seems. UFC 108 is starting to look really fun.

Rashad had just won the belt in December and the UFC asked him to fight in March. Three months before winning the belt he fought Chuck, and prior to the Chuck fight he had been dealing with injuries through an extended training camp. I don't know if you remember, but Shogun was supposed to fight Chuck early 2008 I believe. Then Shogun got hurt and Rashad, who had already been training for someone else, stepped in to fight Chuck. Then Chuck went down so Rashad switched his training camp for like the third time to train for someone else who filled in for Chuck, I think it might have been James Irvin or something. So Rashad started training for him, then he got hurt, took some time up to heal, and then as soon as he got healed up he took the fight with Chuck. So Rashad had been very busy the whole time, and now that he had the belt, he asked to take some time off to rest up a bit.

 

BTW Rashad didn't duck Rampage or anything like that either. He requested some time and the UFC gave it to him. If they wanted the fight that bad they could have made Rashad defend his belt earlier.

 

I disagree that I'm blinded by fandom. I like or at least don't mind about 97% of the fighters out there, Rashad included. The only guys off the top of my head that I really don't like are Rampage, Barnett, Mayhem Miller, Junie Browning, a couple other TUF losers, and some local scene morons and stuff. But pretty much everyone else that I know of in the sport I'm either a fan of or I don't care much about one way or another. I used to hate on Tito all the time and now I don't even mind him anymore.

 

If Rampage had been fighting anyone else in the LHW division I'd say the same things. I just can't stand that guy. He's a tool who thinks he's better than he is and better than anyone else in his division. And whereas most fighters at the highest levels probably think they're the best too, they at least stick around and fight. Rampage retires and then 5 minutes later is already talking s*** about what he'd have done to Rashad if he hadn't backed out in the first place.

 

Okay MHizzle, I'll agree to try to put an end to the Rampage-Rashad debate for now. But with TUF airing it'll be hard.

[zenryan]

Anyone else feel TUF has lost a lot of steam this season b/c we know that the coaches wont be fighting each other after the season wraps up? Guess we'll have to rely on the fighters to carry the season and that usually isnt a good thing.

[SoxFan562004]

Buentello and Duffee set for 107 and looks like Anderson and Belfort have verbally agreed for a 185 championship match on the 1/2/10 card.

 

The Strikeforce Challengers show was good, they usually are, but unfortunately I don't think too many people are watching them.

[MHizzle85]

Anyone else feel TUF has lost a lot of steam this season b/c we know that the coaches wont be fighting each other after the season wraps up? Guess we'll have to rely on the fighters to carry the season and that usually isnt a good thing.

That's really the only reason I watch. That & to see some of the ridiculousness that goes on in the house.

[SoxFan562004]

WEC is planning on running a show every month in 2010, so I would imagine they will add a little depth to their roster. Good to hear, the lighter weights usually put on a good show

[Kenny Hates Prospects]

WEC is planning on running a show every month in 2010, so I would imagine they will add a little depth to their roster. Good to hear, the lighter weights usually put on a good show

That flyweight division they're bringing in was supposed to be debuting around now, but the Henderson-Cerrone pushback and Versus losing major platforms should end up delaying it. I hope they get Versus back on everywhere or at least can find a way to work around the Versus contract, like using the Versus network for UFN-type shows and putting the title fights on UFC PPV's or something. They need to come up with a plan to keep their top talent happy ($$$) and continue growing their audience.

[SoxFan562004]

I was actually impressed by Kimbo. As I said above, Nelson was probably the toughest match-up for him since he's a legit top 20 HW. If he absorbed a lot in the filiming and continued to work hard after he can stick around and he and Zuffa can make some money.

[MHizzle85]

I was actually impressed by Kimbo. As I said above, Nelson was probably the toughest match-up for him since he's a legit top 20 HW. If he absorbed a lot in the filiming and continued to work hard after he can stick around and he and Zuffa can make some money.

I came away more impressed with Kimbo than I did with Nelson. If Kimbo had any kind of ground game, Nelson would of been in trouble. If he's the "#1" guy on the show, this season's in trouble.

[Marky Mark]

I came away more impressed with Kimbo than I did with Nelson. If Kimbo had any kind of ground game, Nelson would of been in trouble. If he's the "#1" guy on the show, this season's in trouble.

 

Nelson sucks, he pretty much just fell over on Kimbo twice and won the fight by patting him on the head.

[Kyyle23]

Can anyone break down the fight for me? I missed the show

[MHizzle85]

Can anyone break down the fight for me? I missed the show

Both men came out a little tentative to start, sort of like they were both scared to make the first wrong move. Kimbo throws a little bit, which works for him but then Nelson gets him down & pretty much just lays on him, gets him in the crucifix position and just kinda plays pattycake on his head. Kimbo gets out of the 1st.

 

2nd round, Kimbo throws a bit better. But then more of the same happens, Roy gets Kimbo down & just kinda gives this soft shots to his head. But since he's not able to get out of the position he's eating these shots, but not even taking serious damage since the punches suck. So understandably the ref stops it since he's taking all those unanswered "shots." Nelson gets up & you would of sworn that he just destroyed him by his attitude.

[Kyyle23]

So is Kimbo showing any sort of progression that is noticeable? Im seeing a lot of "im impressed with Kimbo" followed by "he got sat on for the whole fight"

[MHizzle85]

So is Kimbo showing any sort of progression that is noticeable? Im seeing a lot of "im impressed with Kimbo" followed by "he got sat on for the whole fight"

His ground game still sucks. It's obvious whoever trained him before didn't even bother with it. In practice, you can see he's learning, but he's still got a ways to go. At his age, not sure if he'll get a whole lot better.

[Kenny Hates Prospects]

I just saw on the UG that Dana wants Kimbo vs., Houston Alexander. That makes sense because watching Kimbo fight last night totally reminded me of Houston Alexander. Tiger on the feet, kitten on the ground.

[southsideirish71]

Both men came out a little tentative to start, sort of like they were both scared to make the first wrong move. Kimbo throws a little bit, which works for him but then Nelson gets him down & pretty much just lays on him, gets him in the crucifix position and just kinda plays pattycake on his head. Kimbo gets out of the 1st.

 

2nd round, Kimbo throws a bit better. But then more of the same happens, Roy gets Kimbo down & just kinda gives this soft shots to his head. But since he's not able to get out of the position he's eating these shots, but not even taking serious damage since the punches suck. So understandably the ref stops it since he's taking all those unanswered "shots." Nelson gets up & you would of sworn that he just destroyed him by his attitude.

 

Kimbo got exposed by a wrestler with limited ju-jitsu. What happens when he faces a heavy weight with a proper ground game. Someone that doesn't just sit on him. Kimbo is a one trick pony. He may knock you out. If he faces a striker he has a chance. If he faces anyone with a ground game he is done. On the other side of it, Roy's only thing going for him is he is fat, and can ride out the guy. He doesn't have enough of a presence on the ground to inflict damage. He also gets gassed pretty quickly.

Edited October 1, 2009 by southsideirish71

[SoxFan562004]

So is Kimbo showing any sort of progression that is noticeable? Im seeing a lot of "im impressed with Kimbo" followed by "he got sat on for the whole fight"

yeah, I was in the "impressed" camp, but it's not like I think he's going to march towards a title run any time soon. I base it on his stand up looked decent, he actually did a good job for a little of blocking the take down and on his back he struggled overall, but had a real nice attempt or two using the cage as leverage.

 

Again, he has a long way to go and at his age he probably won't get super far, but the guy works and showed a flash or two

[Kenny Hates Prospects]

Kimbo got exposed by a wrestler with limited ju-jitsu. What happens when he faces a heavy weight with a proper ground game. Someone that doesn't just sit on him. Kimbo is a one trick pony. He may knock you out. If he faces a striker he has a chance. If he faces anyone with a ground game he is done. On the other side of it, Roy's only thing going for him is he is fat, and can ride out the guy. He doesn't have enough of a presence on the ground to inflict damage. He also gets gassed pretty quickly.

Nelson is actually the opposite. His BJJ is very strong (specifically his top game) but his wrestling is weak and his hands suck.

 

Otherwise I agree, Kimbo is a one-trick pony. But it's still one trick that fans will pay good money to see, so he should make his contract worth it for a company with enough cash as Zuffa.

Edited October 1, 2009 by Kenny Hates Prospects

[Kenny Hates Prospects]

yeah, I was in the "impressed" camp, but it's not like I think he's going to march towards a title run any time soon. I base it on his stand up looked decent, he actually did a good job for a little of blocking the take down and on his back he struggled overall, but had a real nice attempt or two using the cage as leverage.

 

Again, he has a long way to go and at his age he probably won't get super far, but the guy works and showed a flash or two

Yeah I agree. He impressed me a lot defending the takedown in the clinch, even if it was Roy Nelson trying to take him down (I don't think the EXC Kimbo could have stopped that), and he looked pretty light on his feet. He has power. I don't know if Pat Miletich is still training some guys on the side (he's supposedly trying to get back into the UFC as a fighter) but if he is, and if MFS isn't as f***ed up as Drew McFedries and co. would lead one to believe, then Kimbo is the perfect fit for Miletich. Kimbo doesn't have the time to round out his game, so he should just work on his striking and takedown defense. Once he's on the ground even low-end LHW's are going to be able to work him over.

Edited October 1, 2009 by Kenny Hates Prospects

[SoxFan562004]

http://www.mmaweekly.com/absolutenm/templa...87&zoneid=2

 

well the fight brought the ratings, considering that it was on a basic cable channel that's not common to many people that number is crazy!