Many argue that the world of combat sports has evolved far beyond the boxing and its glory days. People crave more than two men only utilizing their two hands, battering each other for twelve dreary rounds. These days, people yearn for more action and with more action, there comes more technique.
The answer to this craving is the future of combat sports. It is mixed martial arts.
Mixed martial arts is a combat sport is composed of a wide assortment of fighting technique, techniques which range from striking to grappling.
In this little educational piece, I will run through the primary styles of mixed martial arts used today (note the word primary; it may not include every single art out there).
Striking
I. Muay-Thai Kickboxing
Muay Thai, also known as Thai Boxing or The Art of the Eight Limbs, is Thailand’s national sport. Techniques of Muay Thai usually include the feet, shinbones, fists, elbows, the clinch and knees.
Muay Thai’s worldwide popularity blossomed around the 1990s, being extremely effective in mixed martial arts fights. Muay Thai remains as one of the most popular styles of striking amongst MMA fighters today.
Muay Thai has showed great effectiveness in mixed martial arts today. Fighters who have found much success with Muay Thai include current UFC middleweight champion Anderson “The Spider” Silva, former PRIDE middleweight champion Wanderlei “The Axe Murderer” Silva, Mauricio “Shogun” Rua and the majority of the Brazilian-based Chute Boxe Academy. Although these fighters’ styles revolve greatly around the art of Muay Thai, they have incorporated elements of grappling, wrestling, and submission wrestling in order to compete in MMA.
II. Kickboxing
The art of kickboxing differs from that of Muay Thai kickboxing. Kickboxing focuses mainly on utilizing just punches and kicks opposed to standing elbow strikes and the clinch as in Muay Thai.
The term “kickboxing” alone is usually independent of “Muay Thai” and often refers to American and Japanese derivatives of the sport.
Kickboxing of course has proven to be quite effective as well. Most notable fighters whose primary arsenal relies on kickboxing are Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic and Mark Hunt, both of whom fought in the K-1 organization before transitioning into MMA.
III. Boxing
Boxing in my opinion is one of the greatest styles a fighter can learn to develop their standup skills in MMA. Boxing is essentially the style of the hands, so I believe there is not a style out there that can top it as far as punching goes.
The main components of boxing include one of the most under used strikes in MMA today, the jab to set up combos, the cross, the hook, and the uppercuts. Defense includes slipping, bobbing, and footwork.
Boxing is used in MMA today by high profile fighters such as PRIDE’s lightweight champion Takanori “The Fireball Kid” Gomi, Nick Diaz, and UFC’s former lightweight champion Jens “Little Evil” Pulver.
Grappling
I. Jiu-Jitsu
There is no question that more than 50% of the ground skills involved in MMA is contributed to by Jiu-Jitsu. Jiu-Jitsu focuses on grappling and in particular ground fighting using joint-locks and chokeholds to force an opponent into submission and ultimately tap out!
Jiu-Jitsu was said to include many “dirty” techniques and was then adopted by the Gracie family and turned into a “cleaner” combat system.
The Jiu-Jitsu used in MMA is mainly Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ), which came about when the Gracies went to the United States to spread their art. The Gracie family continued to develop their system throughout the 20th century and has refined its techniques, which are seen in much of the MMA matches today.
There is no doubt that BJJ is extremely effective in today’s MMA matches. Gracie Jiu-Jitsu (or BJJ) became most popular when UFC Hall of Famer Royce Gracie won UFC 1, UFC 2 and UFC 4 with his superior ground game. Royce’s opponents were usually much larger and practiced other styles, including boxing, shoot-fighting, karate, judo, and wrestling.
However, today some of the greatest BJJ MMA practitioners include: former PRIDE heavyweight champion Antonio “Minotauro” Nogueira, BJ “The Prodigy” Penn, Shinya Aoki, and a wealth of other fighters.
II. Wrestling
Wrestling is an essential skill in mixed martial arts today. A fighter can have a good background in Jiu-Jitsu, but have poor wrestling skills.
Wrestling, the oldest form of martial arts, includes a variety of techniques which include: clinching, holding, locking, leverage and one of the most important techniques in MMA, the sprawl.
Wrestling consists of numerous styles, such as: Greco-Roman wrestling, freestyle wrestling, catch wrestling, and others.
Many successful MMA champions and fighters have extensive wrestling credentials before entering a career in MMA. The most notable of fighters whom come off a wrestling background are: former UFC welterweight champion Matt Hughes, former UFC light heavyweight champion Chuck “The Iceman” Liddell, and current UFC heavyweight champion Randy “The Natural” Couture.
However, many wrestlers in MMA have been criticized and said to “Lay-and-pray.” Lay-and-pray is a term used to describe when wrestlers take an opponent down and lay on top of them without attempts to finish the fight with “ground-and-pound” or submissions. Lay-and-prayers only seek to maintain control of positioning and smother any offense by the opponent, imposing little or no offense themselves, hoping for a decision victory.
III. Sambo/Judo
Sambo and Judo are not the most popular styles utilized in mixed martial arts but have certainly proven to be highly successful when utilized. Sambo is combat sport and self-defense system developed in the former Soviet Union, and recognized as an official sport by the USSR All-Union Sports Committee in 1938, presented by Anatoly Kharlampiev. While Judo is a combat, originating in Japan, that involves hip throws, tosses, joint locks, as well as punches and kicks. Sambo heavily resembles Judo.
Many of today’s top fighters utilize either Sambo or Judo. Fedor Emelianenko, PRIDE Fighting Championships's current heavyweight champion and consistently ranked the world's best heavyweight mixed martial arts fighter has a background in judo and is an avid practitioner of Sambo. Other fighters with backgrounds in Judo in MMA include: Hidehiko Yoshida, Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou, Pawel Nastula and UFC’s Karo “The Heat” Parisyan.
Judo and Sambo not only has proven to be successful amongst MMA matches but is certainly exciting to watch.
So there you have it, the primary martial arts inside of mixed martial arts. I hope you learned a thing or two from this article and if you have any questions simply post a comment below!
The Lianger
Friday, July 27, 2007
Combat Sports 101: The Styles Behind MMA
Saturday, July 14, 2007
Upcoming UFC Events Analysis
With a reasonable degree of certainty, we are now able to discuss main events through the end of 2007. Some suggest that Dana White and his at-times overzealous promoting machine are a drain on the sport, but knowing main events in advance allows us to speculate way too early and have a great deal of fun doing so.
UFC 74: Unfortunately, the 74th installment of UFC events (this is a lie, see UFC 37.5) seems be falling just as the 73rd and 72nd did. That is, they feature a number of events which are "good match ups" and could potentially feature upsets, but will most likely leave us saying "I knew that was going to happen." Despite Gabriel Gonzaga's early betting lead over Randy Couture, it is doubtful that the Brazilian will be able to capture the American's title. I watched UFC 56 today, and was put to sleep by Gonzaga's lack of stamina and aggression. To be fair, he did land a knockout blow 13 minutes into the fight (which was 12 minutes too late for the crowd, which had begun to chant "Go Home!" minutes earlier). Additionally, St. Pierre should destroy Josh Koscheck. Of course, I said this about Rush's UFC 69 fight against Matt Serra, but I just don't see how St. Pierre loses two fights in a row. This is certainly one to bet on. Couture and GSP provide the event with marketable and exciting figures, but they aren't fighting worthy competitors. I predict another dud.
UFC 75: After what will have been three months of total crap, UFC will finally come through with an awesome event (even if it does feature PRIDE fighters rather than home-grown UFC talent). Jackson and Henderson should provide an absolute war which will be scheduled to end at any time, as both possess incredible knockout power. On another level, the idea of having Champion vs. Champion is something that's never been done before and brings us closer to Dana White's dream of an MMA Superbowl. On the under card are a few solid fights including the return of Cro Cop and Bisping-Hamill. This is definitely one to buy and will probably be the most hyped card since UFC 71 as well as the most enjoyable card since UFC 68.
UFC 76: I don't even want to talk about this piece of shit card. I plan on spending this fight night watching UFC 52 instead. Liddell vs. Jardine is a waste of time for both fighters and their fans. If Jardine wins, it just sets Liddell further back from a title shot. Meanwhile, it's not as if Jardine is getting a shot at Rampage or Hendo anytime soon. The best scenario is that Liddell destroys him and legitimizes his claim for a title shot. Even so, we would still have to wait another 5 months for this to happen. The fight of the night should be Shogun vs. Machida. We all know what Shogun can do (just one loss in PRIDE with wins over Rampage, Little Nog, and Arona) and despite Machida's fights getting bumped off his last two cards, he still holds wins over B.J. Penn AND Rich Franklin. I wouldn't be surprised if the winner of this fight meets the winner of Evans-Ortiz II, as Liddell inevitably gets lost in the Light heavyweight shuffle.
UFC 77: This should be a fun one, and it's encouraging that they've sandwiched this and 75 on either side of the evolving disaster that will be UFC 76. Rich Franklin will get his rematch against Anderson Silva and the WORST thing that happens is that Franklin gets his face knocked in from a Muay Thai clinch for two rounds. The best case scenario (in my book, at least) is that the Miletich-trained fighter takes this fight, setting the stage for Franklin-Silva III. That would be awesome. Meanwhile, Tito and Rashad will meet again, and both should be looking to make an impact. Neither fighter was pleased with the outcome at 73, and both want to prove that they are the better competitor. Look for an all-out war.
UFC 78: While this card won't be quite as strong as 77, it will still top the UFC 76 card. It looks to feature Sherk-Penn for the Lightweight title, or as I like to call it, the fight of second-tier Welterweights. Both hold losses to St. Pierre and Matt Hughes and have since decided to cut weight and try their hand at a different class. This should be a spectacular fight, with both men being expert technicians and wizards on the ground. Both can strike, Sherk has the best take downs in the game, but Penn might have the best defense. Anything can happen in this fight, and that's what makes it so exciting. Maybe they'll add a little Arlovski-Sylvia IV to this card and really make it a show stopper. Big Nog would be ready to fight at this point as well, and Cro Cop has been guaranteed a date with Rodrigo -- if he can get past Kongo at 76. Just a thought...
UFC 79: I doubt that the Hughes-Serra fight will the greatest bout in the history of MMA, but it could be good. For all intents and purposes, Hughes is expected to win his title back (he's a current -400 favorite) without having to go through GSP. The most exciting part of this bout is that it should set up Hughes-St. Pierre III, which will reach Liddell-Couture trilogy status. It's way too early to guess what else will be on this card, but as we all know too well, the other main card fights (not the main event) often make or break the entire event. It could be as good as 75 or as terrible as 76; it all just depends on how they schedule it.
Monday, July 9, 2007
End of Summer Preview
What direction will the WWE be taking from now until Summerslam? How will the major returns affect the end of the summer? I'll give you some analysis on the rumors and facts of the end of the summer in WWE. Also, I'll give you my opinion on ppv predictions, but I want your take too.
Alright folks, let's look ahead shall we? The end of this summer COULD be one of the greatest in WWE history...COULD be. WWE has to start basically from scratch, and this will allow them to develop creative storylines and build up superstars a great deal.
This huge summer could happen because of 4 reasons:
1. Almost everyone on the WWE roster will be intact (so it seems) With the exception of Helms HBK and maybe Taker...I think that everyone will be intact by the end of summer...which is a result of the next reason...
2. Huge returns. Think of the amount of hype that they can build for the returns of Rey Mysterio, Triple H, and possibly The Undertaker. If you didn't see Smackdown last night, they are already doing return promos for Rey Rey. WWE needs to maximize the excitement of these returns and give the fans some great return feuds.
3. Media Coverage. They got huge mainstream media coverage for the McMahon storyline and the Benoit tragedy. This got the attention of many people and got them interested (or disgusted) in/with WWE. They can continue this great media coverage by becoming even more controversial (Attitude Era anyone?) and utilizing their special guests (Steve-o, Knoxville, and the crew) to give the non-regular viewers people to relate to and give them reasons to watch.
4. Summerslam. This ppv sounds HUGE. Combining the stars of the hit show "Jackass", the returns of Triple H and Rey Rey, and the rumored huge match that Mick Foley has been training for for some time now creates an unstoppable ratings machine attracting WWE fans and MTV fans alike.
As I said before, the end of this summer might be the greatest ever. Starting from scratch can be a very good thing, because the creative team can (hopefully) give the WWE viewers classic feuds and matches that wouldn't have existed if the injury plague didn't happen. So basically I am looking at all of these major injuries as a good thing...because although we lost major superstars for many months, we get to start over and get fresh feuds.
Now we get to the fun part...predicting!
I'll write what I think the cards for the next two ppvs will be:
The Great American Bash:
Edge (c) vs. Kane (World Heavyweight Championship)...locked
John Cena (c) vs. Bobby Lashley (WWE Championship)...locked
Johnny Nitro (c) vs. CM Punk (ECW Championship)...locked
Batista vs. The Great Khali...locked
Dusty Rhodes vs. Randy Orton
Chavo Guerrero (c) vs. Jimmy Wang Yang (Cruiserweight Championship)
Rey Mysterio vs. Mark Henry
Alright, I'll start out by saying that there is a rumor that Mick Foley is training for a huge match at Summerslam (...what I think is a last hurrah). Who will he fight?...There are many superstars that it could be (remember all of this is just a rumor for now, but it is still fun to think about). It could be John Cena, Triple H, Mr. Kennedy, etc. But I am going to go with Randy Orton. Mick Foley=Legend...Randy Orton=Legend Killer. Foley has put superstars over all of his life, and I think he will put Randy Orton over in a Hell In A Cell match.
Summerslam:
Mick Foley vs. Randy Orton (Hell In A Cell)
Umaga vs. The Jackass Crew (Some weird stipulation).
John Cena (c) vs. Bobby Lashley (WWE Championship)
Burke vs. Cor Von vs. Punk (c) vs. Nitro (Hardcore ECW Championship Match) okay...maybe not...
Triple H vs. Mr. Kennedy
Rey Mysterio vs. Edge (c) (World Heavyweight Championship)
Matt Hardy vs. MVP (c) (United States Championship)
Batista vs. The Great Khali
Melina vs. Mickie James (Women's Championship)
Although Summerslam is about a month and a half away, that was actually really fun. I would love to hear your opinions on the card for Summerslam and the Great American Bash.
-An article by Jared Gerrard
Monday, July 2, 2007
Top Submission Artists In MMA
5. Jeff “The Snowman” Monson
Jeff “The Snowman” Monson doesn’t really look like your everyday jiu-jitsu specialist. Monson is an American born out of Olympia, Washington and a full-blown Anarchist. Monson can almost pass as a power lifter and looks the type to chuck his opponents across the cage and pummel them into a bloody pulp. Well, that’s not the case, usually.
Monson actually trains with American Top Team in Coconut Creek, FL and is a world class submission wrestler and an ADCC Submission Wrestling World Champion. Monson received the nickname “Snowman” at the 1999 ADCC World Championship. The Brazilian participants gave him the nickname after he came in as an unknown and swept through four Brazilians in a row to win his 88-98 kg weight class. Through the tournament Monson was described as a snowman because he seemed to only get better and better as he ran through his opponents, resembling a rolling snowball increasing in size. Strange metaphor but sure why not, I’m sure as hell not going to say anything to Monson about it.
Monson also holds three boxing bouts, consisting of two wins and one draw. Surprisingly enough, Monson has a Bachelor’s degree and Master’s degree in psychology.
Of Monson’s 23 wins, a whopping 14 are due to submissions. Monson’s most exciting win was his most recent one against Kazuyuki Fujita at PRIDE 34:Kamikaze. Monson was dominant throughout the fight and concluded it with a beautifully sunk rear naked choke.
4. Shinya Aoki
Shinya Aoki is not well-known amongst the casual MMA fan or TUF newbies out there, however, this doesn’t count him out as a top notch submission artist and MMA fighter. Aoki holds a black belt in both Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and Judo. Aoki’s unique blend of superior jiu-jitsu and judo surely makes him stand out in the crowd of submission wrestlers. Aoki also stands out with his rainbow colored and/or neon tights in his fights, which is pretty damn awesome if you ask me.
Shinya Aoki has made most of his MMA career in the Shooto organization along with PRIDE FC and is the current Shooto middleweight champion.
In a way, Aoki reminds me of a Japanese version of BJ Penn. Aoki is best known for his remarkable flexibility and fluidity in his movements, usually gaining him the edge over his opponents on the ground. Nicknamed “Tobikan Judan,” meaning “Tenth degree black belt in jumping locks,” Aoki often surprises his opponents with his flexibility and exceptional submissions.
From what I hear, Aoki is a strong fighter, despite his lanky appearance. Aoki’s craziest wins would have to be against Clay French at Bushido 13 and against Joachim “Hellboy” Hansen at PRIDE Shockwave 2006. I was in absolute awe when watching Aoki’s win over French, he won via FLYING triangle choke, YES, FLYING! What looked like an everyday match was turned into a mind-blowing win as Aoki slapped a flying triangle choke on Clay French and turned French into what looked like a human pretzel. I kid you not. Aoki’s win over Joachim Hansen was equally impressive as he took the victory via gogoplata, an extremely rare submission in MMA.
Aoki truly proves that a submission victory can be equally if not more entertaining than a knockout victory. With his gravity defying submissions, Aoki is surely one of the top submission artists out in MMA today.
Here is a highlight video of Aoki I posted a while ago.
3. BJ “The Prodigy” Penn
Fighters don’t earn the nickname “The Prodigy” for nothing. If there is one fighter out there to be deemed the prodigy, Penn is certainly the one. He's best known for his spectacular dexterity, flexibility, remarkable balance, as well as his “heavy hands.”
Penn began training Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu at the age of seventeen and was awarded a black belt in 2000. Penn was the first non-Brazilian to win a gold medal in the black belt division of the Mundial World Championships held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Penn also destroyed a well accomplished black belt in Judo as a white belt.
Penn established his mixed martial arts career with three consecutive knockout wins in the UFC over Joey Gilbert, Din Thomas and Caol Uno before running into a majority decision loss against Jens Pulver at UFC 35.
Penn’s foremost achievement would have to be when he moved up from his normal lightweight division to the welterweight division, and defeated the heavily favored champion Matt Hughes. In Penn-Hughes I, Penn dominated the entire beginning first round on his feet and continued his onslaught on the ground. Penn sealed the deal with a beautiful rear naked choke forcing Hughes to tap. Penn also holds a win over current Japanese superstar and PRIDE FC lightweight champion Takanori Gomi.
Penn was also a coach for The Ultimate Fighter 5, which aired on April 5, 2007. Penn lead a team of eight lightweight fighters, and fought a rematch against Jens Pulver at the finale of the TV series on June 23, 2007. Penn took it to Pulver the entire match and won with a rear naked choke in the second round. Penn was able to trap the left arm of Pulver with his leg to sink in the choke. Penn’s future plans once again lie in the welterweight division where he hopes for a possible rematch against Georges St. Pierre and to fight Matt Hughes for the third time.
2. Fedor "The Last Emperor" Emelianenko
It must hurt to not see Fedor at the number one spot on any list. However, because the list is based on submissions alone, I hope you guys can forgive me. Fedor “The Last Emperor” Emelianenko is of course the current PRIDE FC World Heavyweight Champion and has been since March 16, 2003. Emeliananeko has been considered the best heavyweight fighter in the world for the last four years by many major MMA publications.
Emelianenko’s worldwide assault in MMA began in the art of Judo and Sambo. In 1997, Emelianenko earned the official certification of a “Master of Sports” in Sambo and Judo and soon became part of the Russian national team. In 2000, Fedor decided to compete in combat sambo and mixed martial arts because he was “poor.” Thank god for poverty!
Fedor’s best fights are well, all of them. I mean there isn’t one fight that Fedor has out there that doesn’t have me on the edge of my seat. Emelianenko is an absolute animal in the ring, from his lightning fast strikes to his smooth transitions and submissions on the ground. Fedor seems to be able to tangle his opponents from any position and slap on whatever submission at will. He just makes it look all too easy!
What catches my eye the most about Fedor though has to be his composure inside the ring. There has been many times where he has been caught in what seems to be a threatening situation, but shows no sign of panic whatsoever. For instance, in his fight with Mark Hunt, Fedor seemed to be caught in a tightly locked kimura and instead of panicking he patiently worked out of it.
Fedor “The Last Emperor” Emelianeko will go down as one of the greatest MMA fighters in history. No doubt about it!
We are down to the crème of the crop ladies and gentlemen. My number one rated submission artist in MMA today. And no, it is not Rickson Gracie, sorry. It is Antonio Rodrigo “Minotauro” Nogueira. From a jaw dropping 29 wins, 18 by way of submission, Minotauro is known for his technical mastery of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ).Nogueira is ranked #2 in most MMA heavyweight rankings around in the Internet. The majority of his career has been completed in PRIDE but, he was recently signed into the UFC, where I think he will do BIG things.
Nogueira made his way to the top of the heavyweight ranks around the world and has competed against some of the biggest names in MMA. From Fedor Emelianenko, Mirko Cro Cop, Heath Herring, Ricco Rodriguez, Dan Henderson, Fabricio Werdum, Sergei Kharitonov and even Bob Sapp, who outweighs Nogueira by a good 100 lbs.
If you’re not impressed with Nog’s more than stellar record, or his striking abilities or even his ground game, you must be blown away by this man’s fighting spirit and heart. Nogueira will NEVER give up in a fight, no matter what the situation or who the opponent. He is as tough as nails and is always respectable to all his opponents. Cro Cop, who Nogueira defeated via armbar, mentioned an interesting fact about Nogueira in a post interview. Cro Cop stated that he’d never experienced a grip as strong as Nogueira’s and it was as if his wrists were going to break every time he’d grab a hold of them.
Nogueira’s fight against Bob Sapp and Semmy Schilt are worth watching only because of the ludicrous size disadvantage he had coming in. In his bout against Sapp, he seemed to be getting dominated by Sapp’s overwhelming power and weight but managed to flip things around and win via armbar. With Schilt, Nogueira was forced to face a 6’11 giant with top notch striking credentials. Nogueira, being the “submission magician” he is, was able take the win with a triangle choke.
I am ecstatic with Nogueira’s signing to the UFC and hope to see him take the HW belt in the future!
Here are my picks for Top 5 Strikers of MMA Today just in case you missed that one.
-The Lianger