Iceman likey

 MMA  No Responses »
Oct 282010
 

 

So as of January 1st the WEC will be no more, it will only consist of the UFC. The UFC will be bringing the bantamweight(135) and featherweight(145) divisions over and merging the two lightweight divisions. The UFC has 46 lightweights and the WEC has 21 so the fighters are on notice win or your out. Some of the good things about this move to me are first we may see the next TUF utilize the bantamweight and featherweight fighters. For me the most exciting thing is the unification of the lightweight belt. The UFC lightweight title holder is Frankie Edgar (12-1) and WEC’s title holder is Ben Henderson (12-1), but both fighters have upcoming fights. Edgar is scheduled to face Grey Maynard (10-0-1nc) on January 1st and Henderson is fighting Anthony Pettis(11-1) on December 16th. Dana White said today that the winner of each fight will face the other winner for the unification of the belts. So we can probably count on watching this mega fight sometime in early summer. Another good thing about the merger is that the WEC fighters will be getting more exposure which in turn will bring more sponsors and more money for them. So all in all this is a great move for everyone involved.

Bellator 34 Tonight

 MMA  No Responses »
Oct 282010
 

With Bellator 34 taking place in Hollywood, Florida I figured I would highlight the main and co main events for you. In what should be amazing fights the co main event features submission queen Megumi Fujii (22-0) facing off against the very tough well rounded fighter Zoila Frausto (9-1) in the finale of the 115lbs woman’s tournament. Frausto won her last fight by way of controversial decision over Jessica Aquilar to reach the finals. Fujii won by armbar submission in the first round over Lisa Ward. Fujii is so dominant winning 14 or her 22 fights in the first round, seven in the first minute, that I don’t see this fight being any different.

The main event of the night we will see Hector Lombard (26-2-1-1) facing off against Alexander Shlemenko (30-4). Lombard has a 4th degree black belt in judo and a black belt in brazilian jiu jitsu. Lombard had not lost a fight since he faced off against Gegard Mousasi in 2006. Shlemenko is on a just as impressive streak, he has not lost since 2007. Shlemenko is a kickboxing/wrestling fighter with more than half of his wins by T(KO). Shlemenko won the Middleweight tournament to earn this fight for the Middleweight title.

If you need another reason to watch Bellator 34 tonight here you go. Between the four main event fighters they have an impressive 65 wins against 2 losses in the last 4-5 years. That is a very impressive number. So weather you know the fighters or not tune in and watch some great fights.

Interview with UFC Strength and Conditioning Coach

 MMA, Training  No Responses »
Oct 262010
 

Ever since I was a kid they always told me to surround myself with great people. Lucky for me in the past year I have developed some solid relationships with some pretty awesome coaches in the strength and conditioning world and in other fields as well. The learning never stops, as it should for you as a combat athlete or coach.
On Tuesday, October 19 I had the pleasure of interviewing Doug Balzarini a great strength and conditioning coach. Doug has some awesome experience training some top-notch fighters at the professional level, Brandon Vera of the UFC being one of his most well known combat athletes. If you are in the mood to learn something about how fighters train then you better give this interview a listen.

The Engineer is out

 MMA  No Responses »
Oct 262010
 

Shane Carwin posted on his website www.shanecarwin.comthat he is going to have to pull out of his UFC 125 bout with Roy Nelson due to a back injury. Carwin stated that doctors want him out at least 8-10 weeks at least. Carwin also said that he might have to have surgery if it is worse than expected. The popular heavyweight will probably be out of action until next year at this time if he needs surgery. This is a big blow to the Heavyweight division because Carwin (12-1) was one of it’s top contenders. Who will the UFC bring in to face Roy Nelson now ?

Brock Lesnar (5-2)

Lesnar is coming off of a dominant loss to the new champion Cain Velasquez. I am sure Brock will want to get himself back in the cage as soon as possible to get the loss off of his mind and get back on track for another title run.

Frank Mir (14-5)

Mir is coming off of a boring win against Mirko Cro Cop. Many are questioning if Mir still can hang with the big nasties that are top of the heavyweight heep. Mir is 2-2 in his last four fights. I am sure if offered he would take it but Frank still wants the rubber match with Brock so I am guessing we will see Mir v Lesnar III instead.

Pat Barry (5-2)

Barry is all healed up and ready to go after suffering a broken foot and broken hand in his last fight against Mirko Cro Cop. This could be a good match to see if the young Barry can hang with the top fighters of the division.

Brendan Schaub (7-1)

Schaub just beat Gabriel Gonzaga very convincingly and is promised a top 10 fight next. Nelson is also Schaub’s only loss in his young career. A rematch build up could help sell the PPV.

There is many ways the UFC could go from here. Stay tuned because I am sure the decision will be made in a matter of days.

Brain Freeze

 MMA  No Responses »
Oct 252010
 

All day I have been reading and thinking about the Heavyweight division in the UFC. I have read everything from Alistar Overeem coming to the UFC to Brock Lesnar going to fight the Undertaker at Wrestlemania this year. Let me just say that the Undertaker story has all but been squashed, and as far as Overeem coming to the UFC I am thinking do not get your hopes up people. What I do know is that Cain Velasquez is the new champion and could very well keep his throne for quite some time. I know that’s what many were thinking about Brock, myself included, but this time it is different. Different how you say? Well it is different because Cain annihilated Mr.Lesnar made him look like an amateur weakling who couldn’t hold Cain’s corona and burrito. I realize Cain is a more all around fighter than Brock and his wrestling but his speed and athleticism is so good as well. Cain owned every aspect of this fight.

So know we know Cain Velasquez is going to fight Junior Dos Santos, probably in Marchish of 2011. We do not know anything else about the next fights though. Who could be after Junior? Well we already have Shane Carwin facing off against Roy Nelson. So does that mean we will see Brock Lesnar v Frank Mir? What about up-comer Brendan Schaub, Pat Barry, Matt Mitrione? How many more wins do they need to get into contention? The race at the top of the division is tight with four or five top guys looking to end the Cain era before it even begins. Here is what I think Mir will finally get the chance to avenge his loss to Lesnar and that winner will face the winner of Carwin/Nelson for the number one contender spot.

The Iceman is humbled

 MMA  3 Responses »
Oct 242010
 

I went to my local Buffalo Wild Wings, well not so local but close enough, to watch the PPV last night. I had a great time and met a few nice people while watching the overall good card. My picks were way off last night so that kind of bummed me out but I was happy to lose the fights I did. Here is my breakdown of winners and losers from UFC 121 :

To start things off Brendan Schaub faced off against Gabriel Gonzaga. Schaub showed dominant speed and movement against Gonzaga. He made it very hard for Gonzaga to get a gameplan going against the young superstar. The only scare came with just 20-25 seconds left when Gonzaga got Schaub on the ground and quickly started slapping on a submission before time ran out on him. Schaub won by decision.

Next we saw Tito Ortiz against Matt Hamill. Tito was/is 100% for the first time in years and figured he could handle Hamill easily. He could not of been more wrong. Hamill stuffed Ortiz’s takedowns and beat him in the stand up game. Hamill found himself on top a few times and he tore up Tito’s face each time. Hamill had a very good gameplan staying one step ahead of Tito all night. Hamill won by decision. 

The next fight was Diego Sanchez v Paulo Thiago was the first exciting fight of the night. Three rounds of exciting action with each fighter getting an upper hand here and there. Before the fight many fans were wondering if Sanchez would ever be back to his normal self. Well he quickly answered that question and more by putting on one of the best performances of his career winning by decision.

The co – main event of the night was fairly boring overall with flashes of brightness. Most that watched the fight are livid that Shields won for a few different reasons. One reason is because the fight probably could have gone Kampman’s way instead of Shields. The second is that Shields was guaranteed a title fight if he won. Since he is declared as the most boring fighter in all of MMA him getting a shot at the title after a lackluster fight is pretty crazy. Shields won by split decision.

The main event made up for everything though. Brock Lesnar and Cain Velasquez started of the fight looking like welterweights running around shooting for takedowns and punching like crazy, then all of a sudden Cain got a few clean shots in on Brock and it was the beginning of the end. After Velasquez got his first hard shots in, Brock was loopy for the rest of the way. Lesnar dropped to the ground and Cain pounced dropping blow after blow until Herb Dean stepped in to end it. The crowd went crazy one because it was a great fight and two because Cain is such a fan favorite. By the way did you know Cain is Mexican? Velasquez is a very young fighter who is a rising star for the company. Cain won by TKO in the first round.

So if we tally the fights that means I went 2-3 on the main card. Tune in for next time when I make the big picks for UFC 122 in November. Start doing your research now so you can face the Iceman and try to beat him. Until then stay cool everyone.

Icemans Official Picks

 MMA  3 Responses »
Oct 232010
 

Ok folks the day is upon us. The UFC has got one hell of a card for tonight. Here is my official picks:

John Madsen v Gilbert Yvel

Madsen is very good on the ground and has a decent chin. I expect him to try for a quick takedown and just pommel Yvel into the ground.

Chris Camozzi v Dongi Yang

Yang is undefeated in his career but I feel Camozzi is one tough S.O.B. so I am taking him to win. If you can get your jaw broken and not even flinch then yeah you get my vote.

Sam Stout v Paul Taylor

This fight is one of the FOTN potential fights. I’mvery torn on this fight with both fighters being very tough but I feel Stout has some nasty stand up and that may be the difference.

Mike Guyman v Daniel Roberts

I feel bad for making this pick because Mike is such an cool guy but I just feel the quickness and wrestling ability of Roberts is going to be the difference. If Guyman can stay standing and land a big shot maybe he can get the W.

Patrick Cote v Tom Lawlor

Cote is very tough with very good KO power in his stand up. Lawlor seems to put more thought into his walkout than his gameplan. So this seems like it is an easy pick.

Court McGee v Ryan Jensen

Jensen is a savvy veteran but McGee is young and hungry. This guy brings more pressure than most can handle. This is McGee’s first bout after the Ultimate Fighter finale and I’m sure he will be more than ready.

Brendan Schaub v Gabriel Gonzaga

Ok I know Gabe is a very good fighter and he is very good at stand up and packs a punch. What you have to remember is that Schaub’s training partner (Carwin) is better in all aspects of the stand up so Schaub will be ready for anything Gabe has to throw. Stick to your gameplan and don’t get cocky young Schaub and you will get the W. This fight screams KO OTN for either fighter who wins.

Tito Ortiz v Matt Hamill

I know I know Tito is 100% with no injuries coming into the fight. Wait haven’t we heard this before? Too many times. Tito’s bread and butter is his wrestling and GNP. Matt Hamill is a top notch wrestler and I feel he will ground out the win.

Diego Sanchez v Paulo Thiago

Sanchez has been doing some flip flopping as of late trying to decide which division he wants to fight in. He has a great chin and puts tone of pressure on fighters but I feel his YES power is running out. Thiago has just as good of chin and he is a more precise puncher. I feel Thiago gets the cleaner shots in and wears down Sanchez. Another potential FOTN in this fight.

Co-Main Event : Jake Shields v Martin Kampmann

I have all the respect in the world for Shields and am happy he is in the UFC but look Strikeforce just isn’t the same level of fighters as the UFC. Shields can win this if he gets the chance to dry hump Kampmann for three rounds but I think Kampmann is too good for that. Kampmann has always been an underrated fighter but time and time again he proves he deserves to be considered one of the best. Look for Kampmann’s stand up being the difference in this fight.

Main Event : Brock Lesner v Cain Velasquez

Before you all throw me under the bus let me explain. I know Cain is very good and has very good power and quickness but how do you train for Lesner? Lesner brought in Pat Barry to help emulate Cain. Cain cant bring in anyone except the local zoo’s Gorilla to help, and the Gorilla is too slow so that wouldn’t help anyway. Brock is a freak, not unbeatable, but still NASTY. Lesner gets better and better everytime he comes into the Octogon, in every aspect. I can not get myself to pick against him.

Leave your picks and see if you have what it takes to beat the Iceman. My Ice Cold pick (cant lose) of the night is going to be with Patrick Cote.

Killa B in his own backyard

 MMA  No Responses »
Oct 222010
 

Ben “Killa B” Saunders (8-3-2) is scheduled to make his first fight appearance since his cut from the UFC. Saunders is scheduled to face Elijah Harshbarger (5-1) on November 6th in Kissimmee, Florida for the World Extreme Fighting league. Harshbarger has a wrestling background as well as a style called Ameri- Jitsu. Ameri-Jitsu is a blend of wrestling, boxing, sambo, and Jiu- Jitsu. Harshbarger is alos trainer and friend of the UFC’ s Kris McCray.

Saunders is a Mauy Thai fighter with a brown belt in brazilian jiu-Jitsu and fights out of American Top Team. Saunders is on a two fight skid, losing to Dennis Hallman and Jon Fitch by unanimous decision. The Fitch fight Saunders took on short notice. After his release Saunders said on his twitter account that he was going to fix his weaknesses and hopefully work his way back into the UFC. November 6th may be the start to that journey or will Harshbarger derail the train before it gets started. A dominant win by either fighter may get the attention of Joe Silva and the UFC.

Tickets are starting at $25 and can be found at  www.ticketmaster.com , www.ohpark.com , or www.wefmma.com please come out and support these fighters.

Leben and another DUI

 MMA, Training  No Responses »
Oct 212010
 

Chris Leben was reportedly arrested Tuesday on suspicion of driving under the influence and crashing his truck into a wall. Not only that but he is also accused of driving without a licence and no insurance. Leben is scheduled to face Brian Stann on January 1st but with the arrest their fight may be hanging by a string. Leben has had a resurgence of his career in 2010. He is on a three fight win streak with his last two fight coming within two weeks of each other.

Leben served jail time after his last DUI in 2008.The UFC had to reschedule his fight with Bisping because of it. Leben has had to fight demons since his entrance in the UFC by way of the Ultimate Fighter season one. Was this just a one time deal or has the Crippler fallen once again? If he is not careful Leben may be getting a visit from Dog the Bounty Hunter.

With no official word from the UFC we will have to wait and see if Brian Stann has a new opponent on January 1st. He is scheduled to go to court in November so the UFC may wait until then to make a decision. For Leben’s sake I hope all is well because I feel the UFC will not put up with his actions again.

Aldo’s Camp turns down Florian fight

 MMA  1 Response »
Oct 202010
 

Jose Aldo recently told tatame.com that his management team was offered a fight in December with Kenny Florian, but they turned it down. The reason seems to be that Aldo’s management doesn’t want him to end up fighting a training partner or a camp guy. His management may also think Florian is too big of a step for the young champion and would rather him get someone lower down the totem pole to get his feet wet in a very strong 155 lbs UFC division. Aldo says he would love to get this fight but he says the decision is up to his management.

MMAWeekly recently asked Florian’s management if they had heard the rumors of this fight. They said that yes they heard the rumors but have not had any fight offered to them. They also said that if this fight was offered they would definitely take that fight.

Aldo has taken the WEC by storm over the last few years by completely clearing out his 145 lbs division. Many fans have said it is time to move up to face stiffer competition so only time will tell if Dana White pulls the trigger on this. Mr. White usually gets what he wants so stay tuned folks to see if this possible Clash of the Titans happens or not. I’m guessing it will within the next year or so.

 Older Entries