Mixed Martial Arts

Anderson Silva fought, won, and was found wanting

(This piece appeared in 8CountNews on May 13, 2009)

by Mark Lorenzana

I don’t know what the other MMA fans were thinking as they watched the main event of UFC 97: Redemption almost a month ago, but as for me, at the start of the third round, I was thinking, just what exactly in heaven’s name was Anderson Silva doing?

Sure, it takes two to tango. Sure, Thales Leites – with his jiu-jitsu background and his less-than-stellar striking skills – didn’t take the fight to Silva. Sure, the guy kept dropping down to the mat in a rather cowardly fashion whenever Silva would press the action and unleash some of his brutal strikes. But that doesn’t give Silva the license to play around and showboat in front of thousands of spectators who shelled out hard-earned cash to witness a good fight.

Especially since Silva could have ended the fight any time he wanted to. In fact, he hurt Leites with a few good shots in the course of the fight. He could have pressured Leites and gone in and knocked the guy out just to give the crowd what they wanted.

Alas, Silva had other plans. Instead, the boring fight ended with a lopsided unanimous decision win for Silva.

In the end, the fight fans in Montreal, Quebec, Canada went home disappointed. But not before showing their disapproval by booing the fighters and repeatedly chanting the acronym of the name of their hometown MMA hero, Georges St.-Pierre.

I’ve written a couple of previous pieces regarding Silva’s penchant to toy with his opponents especially if he thinks they are inferior, so I don’t want to belabor the point (and yes, in my book at least, punching the other guy in the leg and doing fancy leg sweeps do count as “toying with your opponent”) anymore.

However, I did point out that Silva should move up to light heavyweight if Dana White cannot give him anything but tomato cans at middleweight.

That’s exactly what will happen in Silva’s next fight, as he is slated to face former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion and number two rated MMA light heavyweight fighter Forrest Griffin at UFC 101.

After two straight lackluster title defenses by Silva, I’m pretty confident that this time he cannot, and should not, dismiss Griffin. Silva toys with the guy and he just might get knocked out. Who knows? Maybe that’s just what the doctor ordered for Silva to regain his hunger for the game.

So far, Silva has won all his nine fights in the UFC. That’s pretty incredible. And it seems he is firm in his decision to retire after his contract is over. I just hope that Silva would be professional enough to give his best in all of his remaining fights to be fair to his fans.

The End of an Era

I honestly thought Chuck Liddell had just enough left in the tank to defeat Mauricio Rua, but sadly, I was wrong. Kudos to Rua, however, that was a perfectly-timed left hook to the jaw. But you still can’t ignore the fact that practically, Liddell’s reflexes are all but gone, and so is his chin and ability to take a punch. If this is indeed the end of a great career, thanks for the memories and the great fights, Chuck. The hall of fame beckons.

Silva should move up to light heavyweight

(This piece appeared in 8CountNews on April 3, 2009)

by Mark Lorenzana

On April 18, Anderson Silva will be back in the Octagon to take on fellow Brazilian Thales Leites at UFC 97.

The question is, which Anderson Silva will show up?

Will it be the lethal, cold-blooded, and efficient fighting machine that destroyed the likes of Chris Leben, Rich Franklin, and Dan Henderson? Or will it be the mercurial, seemingly-bored and uninspired fighter that toyed with Patrick Cote five months ago?

In a previous article (Another year for Pacquiao, Silva to prove doubters wrong), I mentioned that Silva did what he did in his last fight because I believed he felt that Cote wasn’t a worthy enough opponent: ”I attribute Silva’s less-than-stellar showing in his last outing to boredom. He has fought every possible contender in his weight class, annihilated every one of them, and he needs to step it up. Maybe Dana White should consider putting Chuck Liddell in the Octagon opposite Silva? Or how about the winner of the upcoming George St.-Pierre – BJ Penn fight? The point is, as good a fighter as Silva is, he needs to be fighting top contenders instead of tomato cans for him to be challenged. Give him an opponent who he knows could hurt him and even take him out, and Silva wouldn’t even think of toying with the other guy. I guarantee you’ll see the old Silva back in action.

I said it then, I say it now. Silva’s performance will depend on whether he thinks Leites will be an opponent of caliber worth taking seriously. That said, fight fans, and even Dana White should keep their fingers crossed. I, for one, am keeping my fingers crossed as well. I want to see the old Silva back in action; I want to enjoy an exciting fight. Who doesn’t?

In any case, I think Silva had better take Leites seriously.

Fifteen fights, 14 wins, one lone loss. Nine wins by submission, two by knockout. Five straight wins in a row. Yes, Leites’s record speaks for itself. He isn’t a fighter Silva can just brush off or dismiss; he’s a

legitimate livewire opponent. So I have a feeling that Silva will indeed bring his “A” game come fight night.

I also believe that depending on the outcome of the fight, it’s time for Silva to move up permanently to the light heavyweight division. Silva once tested the division’s waters a year ago and knocked out James Irvin in the first round.

Maybe a move up to light heavyweight will keep Anderson Silva hungry, and, more importantly the fight fans happy.

Liddell’s last stand

Speaking about hunger, in a previous article (Last Stand for the Iceman), I wrote about Chuck Liddell’s losses of late and speculated that it might have something to do with his diminishing hunger for the game: “Many people will point to Liddell’s age as one of the factors that has contributed to his slump as of late. His last two losses have been dealt by Evans and Jardine, fighters much younger and fresher than him. But I suspect that it is more than age that has resulted in Liddell’s recent losses. I see a fighter that has reached the pinnacle of success and has become complacent, a fighter that has lost his hunger and drive as a result. In order to be on top again, Liddell has to go back to the basics and find the hunger to do what he does best, and that is to fight.”

A reader was gracious enough to comment on my write up: “I think Chuck is one of the greats for sure, but I think his days on top are over, along with many of the greats. I think it’s a combination of age and not having the hunger to fight anymore but I think the world of MMA has also hit a new level. Some of the new guns on the show are just flat out better, faster, and stronger. With MMA growing so fast and becoming so popular we are seeing a lot more faces in the ring, most of them with a huge background of talent that is soon going to outshine all of our old favorites. Like I said I’m not trying to bash Chuck, he’s one of my favorites but we are seeing the out with the old and in with the new stage of MMA, time to see new Joes become greats.”

Liddell vs. Mauricio Rua will be UFC 97’s co-main event. And in my opinion, this will be Liddell’s last chance to show if he still has what it takes to be an elite, top caliber fighter, his age notwithstanding. Who knows? Perhaps Liddell can turn back time and pull off one impressive win just for old times’ sake.

Perhaps the Iceman might just give one more vintage performance to make a believer once again out of our dear reader?

If not, then maybe, just maybe, it’s time for Liddell to finally hang up the MMA gloves, enjoy his retirement, and look back on a storied, successful career.

Kimbo Slice: A Product of Sheer Marketing and Hype?

(This piece appeared in 8CountNews on March 16th, 2009)

by Mark Lorenzana

I’ve been in marketing for almost five years now and as an advertising copywriter it’s my job to write copy that helps sell products. Now it wouldn’t be a stretch to say that in my profession, you need to know how to hype up your product so that customers wouldn’t think twice about digging into their pockets and shelling out their hard-earned cash to make that all-important purchase.

In the fight game, marketing is an important tool to get fans into the stadiums, arenas, and closed circuits. Also to get them to purchase the pay-per-views. If you don’t promote the fighters, if you don’t endorse the fights and events, people won’t buy tickets and nobody gets paid.

However, marketing can only do so much. If a product does not live up to its standards, no amount of publicity will be enough to sell it.

The same can be said for fighters, especially in Mixed Martial Arts. Take Kevin Ferguson, or more popularly known as Kimbo Slice, for instance.

Kimbo earned his notoriety as an Internet underground street fighter a few years ago. By sheer word-of-mouth, he became an Internet sensation. Kimbo eventually worked his way into Mixed Martial Arts, and was even trained by retired MMA fighter Bas Rutten. In Kimbo’s street fight videos, he relied primarily on his fists, knocking out, bloodying, and bludgeoning his opponents into submission, thereby building up his fearsome reputation.

In Kimbo’s first legitimate MMA fight, he went up against retired boxer Ray Mercer in Cage Fury Fighting Championship 5. Kimbo submitted Mercer in the first round via Guillotine Choke, displaying a versatility

nobody thought he had. In his next three fights (all for the defunct Elite XC) he won by submission, knockout, and TKO against Bo Cantrell, Tank Abbott, and James Thompson respectively.

By then, Kimbo was already earning several thousands of dollars per fight as Elite XC’s poster boy. His fan base was also starting to grow. But so were his critics.

Not a few MMA experts pointed out that Kimbo has been fed a steady diet of tomato cans inside the cage. In other words, Kimbo slice was still largely an unproven Internet star, his victories notwithstanding: Rey Mercer looked shot, Tank Abbott was old and out of shape, and Kimbo’s TKO victory over James Thompson can be legitimately argued as a premature stoppage. Still, the Kimbo hype machine was in full swing, and a lot of people were buying it.

Kimbo’s last fight in Elite XC (and his last fight so far in his MMA career) was against Seth Petruzelli. The fight happened in October of last year. Kimbo was originally slated to face Ken Shamrock but the latter pulled out of the fight when he was cut above the left eye during warm-up. Petruzelli took the fight one hour before the event began. Kimbo only agreed to fight Petruzelli after receiving a raise in pay.

Despite being outweighed by almost 30 pounds, Petruzelli defeated Kimbo via TKO 14 seconds into the fight. Petruzelli caught Kimbo with a short jab to the face and Kimbo dropped to the floor and got pounded out. The visibly disoriented Kimbo held on to the referee’s legs, trying to take him down while Petruzelli ran around the cage in celebration.

By the end of October 2008, EliteXC was forced to file for bankruptcy. Many in the mixed martial arts community attribute EliteXC’s failure due to Kimbo’s loss to Petruzelli.

In an interview a couple of days after the fight, Petruzelli admitted that the Elite XC promoters offered him cash incentives to dissuade him from using certain fighting techniques against Kimbo: “The promoters kinda hinted to me and they gave me the money to stand and throw with him, they didn’t want me to take him down. Let’s just put it that way. It was worth my while to try and stand up (and) punch him.”

It remains to be seen whether Kimbo Slice can pick up the pieces of his MMA career, a career that was prematurely cut short by a last-second replacement that he outweighed by 30 pounds. It remains to be seen whether another promotional MMA outfit will express interest in him and pick him up. Perhaps the Kimbo Slice and Elite XC debacle should be a lesson to everyone in the MMA scene.

It’s safe to say, however, that in the fight game, in the hurt business, a fighter is only as good as his last fight. And no amount of marketing will change that; no amount of hype will prove otherwise.

Last Stand for “Iceman” Chuck Liddell

(This piece appeared in Bleacher Report on Feb 16, 2009)

by Mark Lorenzana

It is often said that in sports, especially those that require physical exertion, success usually depends on whether or not the participant is stronger, quicker, and can execute better than his opponent.

For instance, tennis players need to possess a combination of stamina, speed, and power to succeed. A player needs stamina to last the entire match, speed to be able to chase the ball around the court, and power to smash the ball during volleys and serves.

Of course, tennis is an individual sport, but the same holds true in team sports such as basketball and football. NBA teams are always scrambling to find younger, more athletic players to add to their rosters since an aging team is prone to injury.

In theory, the same should hold true for combat sports like boxing and Mixed Martial Arts. As a fighter ages, he or she begins to lose his or her reflexes and speed.

Still, older fighters may retain some abilities. The last thing to go is power, and if a fighter has taken good care of his or her body, stamina may never be an issue.

Pure boxers, who are also defensive specialists, are able to prolong their careers because they tend to absorb less punishment. Examples of technically sound fighters include Pernell Whitaker, James Toney, Ivan Calderon, Floyd Mayweather, and Gerry Penalosa.

Pure sluggers such as Arturo Gatti, Ricardo Mayorga, and Edwin Valero are more offensive-minded and tend to rely on their power and one-punch knockout. Due to this style, they absorb more punches and their careers are shortened.

One fighter that has been in the fight game for quite some time is Chuck “The Iceman” Liddell. At age 39, he is one of the elder statesmen in the MMA scene. In his storied career, he has compiled an impressive record of 21 wins and six losses. Since the start of his career, he has been known as a devastating striker—14 of his victories came by way of knockout.

Mostly a stand-up fighter, he relies primarily on his background in Kempo and Koei-Kan karate and his unorthodox striking. Many unsuspecting opponents have fallen victim to his lethal right hand, which he throws at odd angles. Due to his wrestling background, he also has a superb takedown defense.

His exciting style and brutal finishes have endeared him to countless fans, and he has helped bring MMA into the mainstream.

The road to success was not an easy one for Liddell. After coming to the UFC in 1998, he established himself as a fearsome fighter with victories over Kevin Randleman, Murilo Bustamante, Vitor Belfort, and Renato Sobral. These early wins solidified Liddell as one of the rising contenders in the UFC, and, by 2002, he was considered the No. 1 contender for Tito Ortiz’s light heavyweight title.

However, Ortiz did not want to fight Liddell. To force Ortiz’s hand, the UFC created an interim light heavyweight championship between Liddell and Randy Couture. Liddell lost by TKO in the final round.

Liddell then moved on to the now defunct Pride Championships and won his first match against Alistair Overeem by knockout, but lost in the next round to Quinton Jackson by TKO.

Tito Ortiz finally agreed to fight Liddell in UFC 47. Liddell knocked out Ortiz in the second round.

Then, after a first round knockout of Vernon White in his next fight, Liddell met Randy Couture in a rematch for Couture’s UFC light heavyweight title.

In UFC 52, Liddell finally won the seemingly elusive light heavyweight title after knocking out Couture in the opening round.

Liddell then successfully defended his title four times: first by TKO against Jeremy Horn in their rematch, then by knockout against Couture in their third fight, and by TKO against Sobral and Ortiz, both rematches.

Liddell’s fight with Ortiz would be the last time he would win by stoppage. In his rematch with Jackson at UFC 71, Liddell would lose his light heavyweight title via TKO in the first round.

A subsequent lost by decision to Keith Jardine started some rumors that Liddell might hang up his gloves.

However, a fight with dangerous veteran Wanderlei Silva was scheduled, and Liddell did not disappoint. In a grueling bout, Liddell prevailed via unanimous decision. Both Silva and Liddell received Fight of the Night honors. Their contest was also named 2007’s Fight of the Year at the First Annual World Mixed Martial Arts Awards.

After the fight, many fans believed that Liddell would eventually reclaim his title.

After almost a year of inactivity, Liddell faced rising star Rashad Evans at UFC 88. Evans ended Liddell’s comeback with a second-round knockout.

Chuck Liddell has now lost three of his last four fights. In two of those losses, Liddell could not make it the full three rounds. He will also be turning 40 next year.

Liddell has a scheduled fight against Mauricio Rua in April, and it may be his last chance to prove that he is a contender.

Many people will point to Liddell’s age as one of the factors that has contributed to his slump of late. Based on his recent fights, there may be truth to that claim. His last two losses have been dealt by Evans and Jardine, fighters much younger and fresher than he.

However, age is not the only factor in Liddell’s recent decline. He reached the pinnacle of success, and he became complacent. As a result, he lost his hunger and drive. He needs to regain that hunger if he wants to be champion again.

Recently, in boxing, the older guys have been taking the young guns to school. Bernard Hopkins just gave Kelly Pavlik a boxing lesson he will not soon forget, and Sugar Shane Mosley destroyed the seemingly invincible Antonio Margarito.

Age is not everything.

There are always a few good fights left in older fighters.

Does Chuck Liddell have a few good fights left in him? Let us just hope that for the sake of his countless fans, the answer is yes.

Looking back on the House that Royce Gracie built

(This piece appeared in 8CountNews on January 22, 2009)

by Mark Lorenzana

I was flipping channels the other day when I stumbled upon a rerun of the 2006 fight between Royce Gracie and Matt Hughes in one of our cable sports networks. I admit I wasn’t able to catch the fight live three years ago, having to content myself with reading the results afterward. And at that time I wasn’t too eager to watch even the delayed telecast when I learned that Hughes TKO’d Gracie in the first round.

This time, however, I decided to watch the fight, no matter how agonizing it would be for me.

Don’t get me wrong, I like Matt Hughes. In my opinion, he is one of the best MMA welterweights of all time. But Gracie was my childhood MMA hero ever since he burst into the scene in the early ‘90s with a string of submission victories over much larger opponents. Between 1993 and 1994, he won 11 matches by submission and was the tournament winner of UFC 1, UFC 2, and UFC 4. He also fought to a draw with Ken Shamrock in the super fight at UFC 5. These results contributed to the movement towards grappling, cross-training and mixed martial arts. Gracie summed it up best, in a pre-fight statement prior to the Hughes bout: “This is my house, I built it.”

Perhaps the most memorable fight by Royce Gracie that I witnessed was against wrestler Dan Severn. The fight was Gracie’s final UFC victory and it lasted 16 agonizing minutes as there were no rounds or time limits at that time. For most of the fight, Gracie was continuously pinned underneath the 260-pound Severn. The match ended when Gracie locked his legs in a triangle choke for a submission victory.

In the Hughes fight, however, it could be argued that it wasn’t the same old Royce Gracie that stepped into the Octagon. Not that I am taking anything away from Matt Hughes. Prior to the fight, Hughes pointed out that MMA had evolved and improved immensely since the early days of the UFC. By that time, fighters were already more well-rounded in both the stand up and the ground game. In fact, to prepare, Gracie had cross-trained in Muay Thai and was even frequently shown in publicity materials from Fairtex.

Gracie’s crash course in Muay Thai, however, didn’t prepare him for the punishment that Hughes dished out. Not a few fight fans expected Gracie to dominate Hughes on the ground, but it was the other way around. Gracie stepped into the Octagon wearing MMA trunks in lieu of his trademark jiu-jitsu gi, and sported a shaved head. A few minutes into round one, Hughes hyperextended Gracie’s arm in a kimura but Gracie refused to tap and held on with a poker face. Hughes went on to win the fight by TKO due to strikes at 4:39 of the first round.

In a later interview, Hughes stated that he purposely let Gracie out of the arm lock because he knew that Gracie would not submit and would rather allow his arm to get broken.

If there’s one lasting legacy Royce Gracie should successfully impart on current and future MMA fighters, it’s his heart and fighting spirit. How many fighters today would rather suffer a broken arm than have his will broken?

This year we should look forward to a lot of exciting fights. In fact, this month alone, there are several highly anticipated MMA events and one of the biggest for 2009 — the rematch between Georges St.-Pierre and BJ Penn at UFC 94 – is just around the corner, happening at the end of this month. Affliction Entertainment’s Day of Reckoning comes even sooner, on January 24, and its main event features current World Alliance of Mixed Martial Arts (WAMMA) Heavyweight Champion Fedor Emelianenko defending his belt against former UFC Heavyweight Champion Andrei Arlovski. On January 25, the little guys take center stage at WEC 38, where WEC Lightweight Champion Jamie Varner will defend his title against number one contender and undefeated Donald Cerrone. Also featured on the card is the highly anticipated rematch between former WEC Featherweight Champion Urijah Faber and Jens Pulver.

Yes, we should all be excited because Mixed Martial Arts is here to stay, and it has evolved and improved throughout the years.

But we all should not forget the fighters that came before and helped make MMA what it is now. And Gracie is one of those fighters that we should be thankful for.

Indeed, it is one wondrous house that Royce Gracie built.