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| Major MMAMania.com announcement! Posted: 29 Dec 2008 08:32 AM CST
Earlier this month we promised that big site news was coming for MMAmania.com and its growing community of mixed martial arts maniacs. Now it’s time to let the cat out of the bag. We are proud to announce that we have joined the SB Nation — the best network of sports-related blogs on the Internet. It’s a collection of fan-focused (and friendly) Web sites that cover all major sports … from the National Football League (NFL) to Major League Baseball (MLB) and everything between. That, of course, includes our favorite combat sport, among others. Most of our readers more than likely are familiar with another MMA blog on SB Nation, BloodyElbow.com. Before this revolution even started — back when BloodyElbow.com Editor in Chief Luke Thomas was better known as Mad Squabbles — we were solid acquaintances. That relationship has grown leaps and bounds over the last 18 months to where we are at today. MMAmania.com has always been (and still is) proud of the fact that we built our Web site from the bottom up to become one of the top destinations for mixed martial arts. It was a passion and a labor of love that exceeded even our wildest expectations. The news that we have joined forces with SB Nation is the fruit of that labor. It’s a new beginning that will help us reach even greater heights and deliver even more timely and breaking news. So what’s it mean for you? What will change? What can you expect? That’s where this partnership gets really good.
SB Nation has always advocated community participation, empowering fans to share their thoughts and have their voices heard. That means you will soon get to do much more than debate hot issues and opinions in the comments sections of our posts. That won’t change. But what will change is that you get to create daily threads and submit stories through “Fan Posts” and “Fan Shots.” No more “off topic” comments or having us decide what gets posted and what does not. You, the reader, will have the power to create your own stories and have other maniacs comment on them. It also means unique log in IDs, which is a major issue that our readers have been asking for since we started way back when. That’s just the tip of the iceberg of all the benefits that will be rolled out real soon. Of course, I will continue to steer the ship and Jesse Holland has for whatever reason agreed to come along for the ride. James Iannotti, Adam Wagner and the other MMAmania contributors will also still continue to chip in. Again, nothing will change in how we operate. In fact, the new format will help us build on this winning formula with more talented writers emerging through the new blogging opportunities. We will also more than likely work with BloodyElbow.com more closely to create the best possible destination for all the information you can handle. It’s a powerful partnership that ensures you don’t have to go anywhere else to get your MMA fix. We’re excited about what 2009 holds and beyond. And we would not have done it or compromised our integrity if we didn’t think that it would benefit our awesome community. It’s a win-win situation all the way around. Thanks to all our readers — old and new, young and old — who have helped us get to this point. For those who don’t know, we’ve been at this for more than three years. MMAmania.com is among the longest-running and most successful blogs on the Internet. And we’re about to get a whole lot better. |
| UFC 92 video blog with Dana White (Episode five) Posted: 29 Dec 2008 12:27 AM CST |
| Antonio Rodrigo ‘Minatauro’ Nogueira apologizes to fans for UFC 92 loss to Frank Mir Posted: 29 Dec 2008 12:16 AM CST
Props: UFC.com Quoteworthy:
Former UFC interim heavyweight champion Antonio Rodrigo ‘Minatauro’ Nogueira issues his first formal statement after losing his title to Frank Mir at UFC 92: “The Ultimate 2008.” Nogueira was battered by Mir for the entire first round, which is common for the Brazilian — his durability is legendary. Uncommon, however, was the fact that he was finished via technical knockout in the second round. A feat that Fedor Emelianenko, Josh Barnett, Mirko Cro Cop and even “The Beast” Bob Sapp have been unable to accomplish. Perhaps most surprising is that Mir — a Brazilian jiu-jitsu blackbelt — schooled Nogueira in the stand up — an aspect that Nogueria appeared to have the advantage heading into the fight. Not the case. This marked the third fight for Nogueira inside the Octagon. In his first two matches he was dropped by Heath Herring and Tim Sylvia, respectively. He went on to win those fights in his usual fashion, but could not endure the onslaught from Mir. Has it all finally caught up to Nogueira or is this latest loss just an anomaly? |
| Coming soon: Rashad Evans vs Quinton ‘Rampage’ Jackson? Posted: 28 Dec 2008 11:03 PM CST
Former light heavyweight champion Quinton “Rampage” Jackson made an emphatic bid to earn the next 205-pound title shot thanks to one thunderous left hook that nearly had Wanderlei Silva flat lining last night at UFC 92: “The Ultimate 2008.” However, if his post-fight remarks are any indication, it’s not a priority right now. “I’m getting myself back to normal,” Jackson told Joe Rogan immediately after the sensational knockout. “I need to get my mind right.” His mind was clearly a concern coming into the bout — Jackson was arrested back in July after an energy drink-fueled fast ended in a high profile motor vehicle police-chase on a busy California thoroughfare. The 30-year-old Tennessee native — who was on a delirious mission from God to “save Brian” — has since pleaded not guilty to six charges that resulted from the bizarre incident, including two felony counts (evading while driving recklessly and evading a peace officer and driving against traffic). If convicted on all counts, Jackson faces a three-year maximum prison sentence. Those are some heady “real world” issues that would weigh heavy on anyone’s mind. To his credit, Jackson was able to somehow put it on the backburner and focus on preparing for a man who had soundly defeated him twice before. Talk about mental toughness inside the cage. Now it’s time to see how his life outside of it is affected as legal proceedings begin to heat up in early 2009. It’s perhaps a much bigger battle, which hopefully culminates with justice being served when all the facts are laid out on the table. And while that happens, Jackson will more than likely once again have to keep one foot in the courthouse and the other inside the gym as he prepares for his next opponent. And that very well could be the new light heavyweight champion of the world, Rashad Evans. UFC President Dana White was warm to the potential showdown when asked at the post-event press conference. However, in addition to getting his mind right, Jackson also indicated that he is more interested in exacting revenge on yet another man to best him in professional competition, Forrest Griffin. Griffin scored an unlikely unanimous decision win over Jackson at UFC 86 back in July. This was after Jackson toppled Marvin Eastman, Chuck Liddell and Dan Henderson to reign supreme in the talent-rich 205-pound class. Jackson still feels like he was robbed by the judges and wants to prove that he is indeed the superior fighter. It would be a big money rematch, but more than likely not as big as a fight against “Sugar” now that he bested Griffin last night. Also working in Jackson’s favor is that the other two worthy challengers Thiago Silva and Lyoto Machida — who will collide at UFC 94: “St. Pierre vs Penn 2″ — are currently not big names or box offices draws. The promotion is more than likely featuring the pair in the co main event of the Super Bowl weekend card to get their names out there to build for a future title match. It would therefore make more business sense to book Rampage against Rashad for a big title fight in early 2009. And whether he wants it or not, Rampage would not appear to turn down that offer. He has proven that he can handle the immense burden, but can he do it again? We may find out sooner rather than later. Photo courtesy of the Las Vegas Sun. For more fantastic images of UFC 92 click here. |
| UFC 93 Web site complete for ‘Franklin vs Henderson’ Posted: 28 Dec 2008 05:58 PM CST
Props: 93.UFC.com (To check out the complete UFC 93: “Franklin vs Henderson” fight card click here. We’re just three weeks away!) |
| Quinton ‘Rampage’ Jackson video on Wanderlei Silva knockout win at UFC 92 Posted: 28 Dec 2008 01:52 PM CST Last night was the most nervous he has ever been in his life. That says a hell of a lot: |
| Hakuna Maitta: The ten best submissions of 2008 Posted: 28 Dec 2008 01:31 PM CST
Unlike the knockout, where you can end a fight with one lucky punch, there is no such thing as a lucky submission. In a world where a few select men aspire to enter a ring of violence, submission fighting is a gentleman’s sport. Intelligence, guile, patience - all of the attributes that make for a great chess player - are also found in today’s ground tacticians. Only in chess, you don’t have someone punching you in the face as you plot your next move. Since the 1993 debut of Royce Gracie at the UFC 1 all the way through the UFC debut of Brock Lesnar at UFC 81, the submission has been used as a sort of barometer for talent. In the summer of 2006, Mark Hunt was 5-1 in PRIDE. A feared heavyweight and winner of the K-1 World Grand Prix, the granite-chinned goliath battered his way into title contention with wins over Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic and Wanderlei “The Axe Murderer” Silva. Then in the opening round of PRIDE’s 2006 Open Weight Grand Prix, Hunt faced venerable submission fighter Josh “The Babyface Assassin” Barnett and was quickly submitted in round one. He would compete twice more in Japan, losing both times by tapout. The submission had once again drawn a very distinct line in the sand, separating the mixed martial arts elite from the hard hitting brawlers with a punchers chance. In short, the submission is what helps define our industry as a sport. There may come a day when MMA striking has reached the technical level of boxing, but until then, submissions separate the men from the boys. And 2008 had its share of taps. Like the ten best knockouts of 2008, trying to find the best submissions was no easy task. I didn't want to just bring you a list highlight reel subs that had a nation of MMA fans clutching their extremities in sympathy, because there are a lot more than ten of them. Instead I tried to look at each submission and its significance on not just the fight, but the aftermath it had or may eventually cause. With that said, I present to you my picks for the ten best submissions of 2008.
Heel before Zod: Evangelista 'Cyborg' Santos vs. Makoto Takimoto - Sengoku First Battle (Achilles Lock) Evangelista Santos hadn’t been seen in Japan since his win over Yosuke Nishijima at PRIDE ‘Final Conflict Absolute’ back in 2006 and certainly didn’t want to kick off the inaugural Sengoku event with a loss. Opposing him was Makoto Takimoto who in contrast was riding a two-fight win streak including a huge upset over Murilo Bustamante at Yarennoka!. Cyborg was controlling the stand-up and did a fair amount of damage from the mount. Santos used the opportunity to transition to a leglock but Takimoto - a Judo gold medal winner at the 2000 Olympics - grabbed a leg of his own. From there it was a heart-pounding race against time as each man worked for the submission. The more experienced Santos landed it first, and tweaked his opponent’s Achilles until Takimoto was forced to tap. Rating: Imaginary guest Talos gives this sub three greedy Argonaut’s out of five. A lot of leglocks are attempted in MMA, but a lot of them are also unsuccessful. Kudos for Santos for the patience and skill to do it right. Aftermath: Cyborg could have become the go-to guy for Sengoku, but he was unable to repeat his performance when he fell to Siyar Bahadurzada at Sengoku 5 with an injury. Takimoto reappeared at Sengoku 4 and was outpointed by Frank Trigg. Necks and balances: CB Dollaway vs. Jesse Taylor - UFC Fight Night 14 (Peruvian Necktie) Every now and then a fighter comes along and restores my faith in the balance of the universe. I was a bit surprised that UFC President Dana White went gave Jesse Taylor a shot at UFC fame after he urinated his way through TUF 7 and went on a expletive-filled rampage through the hotels of Las Vegas. Apparently Dana had faith that the right way to bounce “Coco the Monkey” out of the company was by letting him lose on the grand stage. It worked. Instead of having Taylor disappear with people wondering if he was the better fighter, he dispatched runner-up CB Dollaway to banish him at UFC Fight Night 14. Despite being tooled by Amir Sadollah just a month before, “The Doberman” rose to the challenge and finished Taylor with a Peruvian necktie. Besides being an insult to Peruvians everywhere, Dollaway snuck in an illegal knee for good measure. Rating: Imaginary guest Giovanni Battista Venturi gives this sub four pulsus bisferiens out of five. Taylor expected to dominate with his wrestling and obviously had no idea what to do when the submissions started flying. Aftermath: Forward progress for Dollaway. He would go on to win his next fight at UFC 92 and is likely to continue fighting under the UFC umbrella as he continues to grow. Taylor rebounded with a huge win over Drew Fickett at Total Combat 32 and isn’t going away quietly. Tap Smear: Daisuke Nakamura vs. Carlos Valeri - M-1 Challenge 8 (Flying Armbar) U-File Camp’s Daisuke Nakamura already had two flying armbars to his credit, including one at DREAM 5 just three months before this fight. Watching Valeri engage was like watching a teenager knock boots at Camp Crystal Lake. A front kick by Nakamura is caught by Valeri who instinctively tries for the trip. Naka-on-Heaven’s-door goes airborne - and brings Valeri’s arm as carry-on. Valeri was tapping before they hit the ground and this one was in the books in less than 30 seconds. Rating: Imaginary guest Jessica Cox gives this sub five Ercoupes out of five. Not only did Valeri get his arm cranked during takeoff, he nearly got tea-bagged upon landing. Aftermath: For a guy who doesn’t know when to quit, he sure tapped pretty fast. Valeri is 0-8 with six submission losses. He may not have reached the end of his career, but you can see it from here. No arm, no foul: Rousimar Palhares vs. Ivan Salaverry - UFC 84 (Armbar) It’s hard to imagine a routine armbar making the top ten list but Rousimar Palhares’ grappling clinic on Ivan Salaverry at UFC 84 was anything but routine. “Toquinho” ate an oncoming kick without even batting an eyelash and proceeded to slam Salaverry into side control with little effort. From there, Palhares clung to him like a face-hugger from Aliens. A lot of ground tacticians can execute a transition from mount to an armlock, but how often do you see it done from behind? Most of us were expecting the rear naked choke, which is why Palhares is dangerous at any time - and from any position. Rating: Imaginary guest Jimmy Wang Yu gives this sub four flying guillotines out of five. Salaverry wanted this to be his last match in the UFC. After that drubbing, he’s probably glad that it was. Aftermath: Palhares was granted a shot at International superstar Dan Henderson. Despite his unanimous decision loss, Toquinho kept fans riveted for three rounds with the constant threat of submission. Tae Kwon Don’t: Steve Cantwell vs. Razak Al Hassan - UFC: Fight Night 16 (Armbar) WEC stud Steve Cantwell was looking to prove he had the chops to hang in a stacked UFC light heavyweight division. His first order of business was to dispose of the unknown but nevertheless intimidating Razak Al Hassan. After some exchanges on the feet, Al Hassan ends up on his back and is quickly passed and mounted. Cantwell dropped some bombs, forcing Al Hassan to throw his arms up in defense. From there Cantwell executes a textbook armbar - and then breaks Al Hassan’s arm like a textbook that is bent backwards until the spine cracks. A nation of horrified viewers are reminded of why there is no shame in tapping. Rating: Imaginary guest Marvin C. Stone gives this sub five bendy straws out of five. I hear that it was cheaper and less laborious to reassemble Steve Austin than it was Al Hassan. I couldn’t get that image of Tony Burton out of my head when he’s screaming at Rocky to “Throw the damn towel!” Who was in Al Hassan’s corner, Fulgencio Batista? Aftermath: What could have been a sensational win on national TV was marred not by the grisly submission, but by Cantwell’s heat-of-the-moment confession to getting-off on the damage he inflicted. The event was intended to raise money for serious injuries, and “Robot’s” programming inexplicably crashed to the blue screen of death. Ezekiel 25:17: Gi Hate Me: Yoshihiro Akiyama vs. Katsuyori Shibata - DREAM 5 (Ezekiel Choke) Yoshihiro Akiyama, who could be the baddest MOFO not currently owned by the UFC, probably came into DREAM 5 with some residual cobwebs from the illegal soccer kick he suffered at the hands of Kazuo Misaki at Yarennoka! in 2007. Akiyama was being fed the 2-4 Katsuyori Shibata in hopes of a highlight reel knockout. He didn’t get it, but he still put on a show. After a wild head kick missed for Yoshi, they tied-up and Akiyama took him to the ground. From there he easily transitioned to mount and silenced Shibata-bread for laughing at his silly gi. Now if only Akiyama could have done the same to Kenny Rice for rambling on about college football. Rating: Imaginary guest Chief Bromden gives this sub four hospital pillows out of five. Akiyama wanted to prove that he could win without greasing up, it’s just a shame he chose to do it against a store-brand tomato can. Aftermath: Nothing notable. Akiyama would go on to submit can-in-training Masanora Tonooka at DREAM 6 while Shibata-go-to-Mo’s battled Yasuhito Namekawa to a draw at DEEP 38. Yawn. Barn loser: Dustin Hazelett vs. Tamdan McCrory - UFC 91 (Reverse Armbar) How many nerds does it take to screw in a light bulb? I have no idea, but I know how many nerds it takes to put on an exciting MMA match: Two. Dustin Hazelett turned quite a few heads at the TUF 7 finale when he armbarred Josh Burkman back into mediocrity. The Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt was seen as the superior grappler coming into UFC 91 but the 10-1 Tamdan McCrory was certainly no pushover. Despite protecting his pockets, “The Barn Cat” was unable to protect his arm and McLovin’ pulled off a slick reverse armbar. The move not only garnered him the win, but also “Submission of the Night” - his second straight in 2008. Rating: Imaginary guest Michael Ironside gives this sub four missing arms out of five. I was convinced McCrory’s arm was coming out of the socket. “See you at da pohty Rikta!” Aftermath: Beard Science. Hazelett has done a lot to erase the memory of the beatdown he took at the hands of Josh Koscheck at UFC 82 and should look to elevate himself against some of the better welterweights in 2009. Geometry, my dear Watson: Nate Diaz vs. Kurt Pellegrino - UFC Fight Night 13 (Triangle Choke) Nate Diaz did a respectable job in his wins during and after his stint on The Ultimate Fighter Season 5, but there was some initial doubt as to how the brother of Nick would fair against some of the tougher guys at 155lbs, especially since many critics thought he got a lucky break against Manny Gamburyan at the TUF 5 finale when the injured Armenian was forced to tap prematurely. That said, Diaz had a lot to prove when he took on the Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt in Pellegrino. As expected, “Batman” was in control early, delivering some heavy damage from mount and side control. Diaz flirted with a stoppage on several occasions in the first round and was headed for more in the second. That is until Pellegrino picked him up and slammed him - and himself right into a Diaz triangle choke. Diaz knew he had it and threw his hands up in the air in celebration just as Batman tapped. Rating: Imaginary guest Kali gives this sub four Golden Voyages out of five. Submitting a BJJ black belt is a testament to your grappling skills, and perhaps his as well. Nog would be proud. Aftermath: Aside from winning the TUF 5 finale, this is without question Nate’s biggest win. That confidence helped him overcome the tough-as-nails Josh Neer at UFC Fight Night 15 and I expect to see him in title contention sooner rather than later. Thank you for not choking: Shinya Aoki vs. Katsuhiko Nagata - DREAM 4 (Gogoplata) Shinya Aoki already had a gogoplata to his credit when he tapped Joachim “Hellboy” Hansen at PRIDE ‘Shockwave 2006.’ That probably didn’t worry Nagata - or anyone else for that matter - when he was playing it cool in a standard guard. Then out of nowhere, Aoki jacks his own leg like he’s preparing to violate a curbside fire hydrant and Nagata finds himself inadvertently giving Aoki’s ankle a chinblast. It was an amazing accomplishment. Not the submission, rather the fact that Aoki could compete in spandex that looked like a game of Simon with all four buttons lit. Rating: Imaginary guest Jed Cooper gives this sub five out of five sandbags. The now 18-3 Aoki once again proved that the constantly evolving art of jiu-jitsu has come full circle. Aftermath: Fans had high hope for Aoki’s rematch with Joachim Hansen in the finals of the DREAM Lightweight Grand Prix. This time however it would be Hellboy coming out on top, who got his revenge with a TKO stoppage deep into the first round. Aoki quickly got back to his submission ways with a neck crank over Todd Moore at DREAM 6. Mir and loathing in Las Vegas: Brock Lesnar vs. Frank Mir - UFC 81 (Kneebar) Brock Lesnar was aptly billed in the WWE as “The Next Big Thing.” Say what you want about his skills, the man knows how to draw an audience. With Couture gone and a Brazilian import holding the heavyweight title, his UFC debut against Frank Mir was supposed to be a squash match en route to an expedited title shot. He almost got it, until Steve Mazzagatti gave him some tough love for routine infractions. Mir used the reprieve to latch onto Lesnar’s leg (which looked almost like alligator wrestling) and showed the world that success in this sport requires you to bring your mixed with your martial arts. Rating: Imaginary guest Zach Gowan gives this sub four busted wheelchairs out of five. Lesnar looked like a beached whale trying to roll to one side before calling it quits - and cursing the existence of Steve Mazzagatti. Aftermath: Biggest win of Frank Mir’s career. Aside from the mainstream exposure on TUF 8, defeating Lesnar gave him a chance to unify the heavyweight strap in 2009 with a win over opposing TUF coach Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira. In short, it changed the entire landscape of the UFC heavyweight division. That my friends has just about wrapped it up. Stay tuned next Sunday as I present the third part of my "Best of" series as I bring you my picks for the best fights of 2008. In the meantime, go ahead and sound off in the comments section about who you think belongs or doesn't belong on the list of ten best submissions of 2008 - and make sure you can back it up! See you in seven. |
| UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Rashad Evans video on big win over Forrest Griffin Posted: 28 Dec 2008 01:01 PM CST |
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