Whatever your preconceptions of life in the publishing industry, putting together Fighters Only isn't rocket science. It's more like juggling about 20 different odd shaped objects all at once, while standing on a skateboard that someone is trying to kick from under you.
And all at the same time, there are people stood behind your back talking shit about you and waiting for you to fall so they can step in and claim they could do a better job. Not to mention the few members of the audience who boo incessantly, really wishing you'll fail.
Well guess what? We got juggling skillz, for real.
Next issue is gonna kick ass - you'll see it in a week's time.
Last month's issues was one of my favourites for a while, and Ryan Harksness's article on GSP's, Kang's and Louiseau's strength and conditioning was outstanding. GSP is very much my role model as an athlete, the fighter I aspire to be both technically and physically, so I relish any insight into his training. Given that, you can imagine my delight when when I found a video of the very same training session on Youtube. I hasten to add that the the mancrush I have on GSP is entirely heterosexual, strictly professional admiration, and has nothing to do with his tight, cute buns.
Was it just me or did Brandon Vera look tiny compared to Werdum? I can imagine him making Middleweight if he stripped the fat off and sauna'd a little bit. Werdum seemed to out strength Vera and used his ju jitsu skills to pass Veras guard with relative ease. Weight might not be as big a factor when your fighting average competition, but when your fighting top ten heavyweights such as Sylvia and Werdum 20-30-40 pounds is not something you want to be giving up.
Even though Vera had little to answer for Fabricio’s ground game, I thought the fight was stopped prematurely as Vera was being ground and pounded from mount, but he was intelligently defending himself and there was only 15 seconds left in the round. He wasn’t out and wasn’t taking any real damage so surely he could have lasted till the end of the round. Maybe I’m just biased though because I’m a big Brandon Vera fan and don’t like Werdums style of fighting.
Perhaps a drop to light heavyweight is in order for Vera?
Marquardt would have picked up his second win in a row following his defeat to middleweight king Anderson Silva if it wasn’t for the two points he was deducted. If he had thrown the knee 1 second later and didn’t grab onto the fence he would have been celebrating a big win. Sadly the 2 points were vital when it ended up going to a split decision.
Respect for attempting to power bomb his opponent: Thales Leites though. Wild Professional wrestling moves in MMA always make me jump out of my seat and go crazy.
The fight that stood out for me was Matt Wiman Vs. Thiago Tavares. This fight was a back and forward technical war with the perfect mixture of slick jiu jitsu and sharp stand up exchanges. I haven’t "oooo'd" that much since Tyson Griffin Vs. Frankie Edgar! I’ve been a fan of Wiman since he got KO'd by Spenser Fisher (but put on an excellent show), but I've since accepted he wasn't an elite fighter. I think Saturday night changed my perception of him again. I'm also a really big fan of Tavares aggressive fight style. He makes Jiu Jitsu exciting, which is always a good thing.
Omoplatas, heel hooks, Ground and pound, takedowns, sweeps and striking (eventually resulting in a second round knock out). What more could you possibly want from a fight?
Mike Bisping was on fireeee. Middleweight is definitely the weight class for him. Need I say any more?
The main event was in essence a "passing of the torch". Hughes never looked himself in the fight while Alves was dieing to get at him. Although he was a bit too cautious in the 1st (I’m assuming its because he didn’t want to get taken down) he made up for it in the second.
I see this as a new school Vs. Old school match up and proof that if you aren't constantly evolving as a fighter then your not going to be able to keep up with the up and coming fighters rising through the ranks.
Overall an excellent show though, off the top of my head it's the best event I've seen in recent memory.
The UFC was back in the UK at the weekend, with the legendary Matt Hughes replacing the legendary Chuck Liddell as the main event. For those fortunate to get to the 02 Arena, I hope you all had a good time. I did.
Highlights for me was the Sanchez Vs Hardonk fight. A wild and crazy slug fest that probably would have brought the house down had it not been the first fight of the night! Another highlight was meeting some of the fans and clients of the magazine. Some I had previously met at other shows and and more recently at SENI 08. You guys sure know how to cheer for your favourite fighters!
So even after train delays, heavy crowds, taxi drivers who don't know where hotels are and over priced food it was still worth it and I can't wait until they roll into town again.
