Australia’s Impact FC The Uprising (MMA)
Today for some reason, Sydney hosted a Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) event called IMPACT FC The Uprising.
It was live from the Sydney Entertainment Centre and televised on Main-Event.
For the first couple of match-ups the biggest hit (pun intended) was the imported referee, Big John McCarthy. Earlier today, I was happy to order this event but I admit I did not realise this was an Australian event. Australian events are so often underwhelming.
I might as well jump straight to the third fight..
During the third fight (Murilo Rua from Brazil V Jeremy May from America) we saw a classic example that nick-names or fight-names do not have to necessarily be relevant. The guy from Brazil (Rua), called himself “The Ninja”. After seeing him fight it became apparent that he must have received his name based on the tattoo of typical Asian writing across his upper back, certainly not from his stealthy ninja moves. Having said that, The Ninja did go on to win in the second with a submission.
Next fight:
Denis Kang from America Vs Paulo Filho from Brazil:
Both obviously accomplished ring-fighters, unfortunately most of the bout was spent on the canvas grappling. Whereas this is a great skill and certainly takes maximum energy, it’s not pleasing to the audience. It’s nowhere near as dynamic looking, therefore these types of bout are often seen as boring.
Even worse, the judges decision came back as a draw! Fair enough I suppose, it was however anything but explosive. And it must be remembered at this level of competition, the crowd must be pleased. Hopefully not as much as the professional wrestling, but still this must be a consideration.
(As a personal interjection at this time, I wish the Australian commentator would stop saying “down under”).
Next up: Carlos Newton from Canada V Brian Ebersole from America
Apparently Ebersole is now based in Australia; one wonders how he thinks that is going to advance his MMA career..
Notwithstanding that the loud-speaker commentator a couple of times referred to the venue as Brisbane, we are still hopeful of seeing some good action.
(Sorry, but another annoying and very commercial aspect to this event is that excitable man on the loud-speaker periodically telling the audience to “make some noise”. It’s somewhat reminiscent of the one and only basketball game I went to).
I won’t even bother mentioning who won this bout.
Next:
Super Heavyweights: Brad Morris V Soa Palelei (The Hulk):
(Christ, its becoming more bizarre; the next bout sees one of the competitors come out to the ring with over-sized green Incredible Hulk hands that he must have received in a show-bag at last years Royal Melbourne Show. Complete with a strange green pseudo-hulk / Indonesian face mask. If it wasn’t for the commentator explaining that “with the substance comes the show”, I would have been left confused and dazed and probably thinking I was still at Rob’s engagement party last night).
Not a bad match though. A lot of power in that ring. The Hulk comes away the winner with a mighty figure 4 arm-bar on the mat. Just as well this one ended when it did, I think The Hulk was changing back into Dr Bruce Banner. And take it from me, Dr Banner can’t fight for shit.
Next:
Welterweights: Paul Daley from the UK (regardless of the USA flag the television people are displaying with his name) Vs Daniel Acacio from Brazil:
Dynamic bout, especially compared to the super-heavyweights.
Verbal tap-out in the third due to a downward elbow strike to the head of Acacio which opened him up. Victory to Daley.
Main Event:
Ken Shamrock V Pedro Rizzo (14 year veteran):
Shamrock, at 46 years old is known as a very direct fighter, usually meeting his opponent head-on. This is his 43rd professional bout! He has however been out of the cage for 18 months so it will be interesting to see how much ring-rust he has still attached to him.
(The loud man with the loud- speaker needs to work out if he is a professional announcer or a hip-hop DJ).
Shamrock’s fighting style is very tight; elbows in and moving around almost like a boxer. Even though this is a useful style for a reason, I don’t often see MMA fighters using it.
In the first round Shamrock took a devastating roundhouse kick to the knee which sent him to the canvas in pain. It’s no wonder, the kick was textbook, chopping down onto the knee. After Shamrock went down it was apparent to Rizzo that Shamrock didn’t want to continue on, therefore he paused for a couple of seconds but the referee did not stop the fight, so Rizzo was forced to come in for the slaughter. Soon after the fight was stopped.
In the after fight interviews, Shamrock showed just what a humble gentleman he really is, congratulating his victorious opponent. In answer to the interviewer’s question about the ongoing career of Shamrock, he showed his great attitude and sense of humour when he answered that as long as the fans want to see him, he is happy to get into the ring and get beaten up.
Hats off to both fighters.
UFC 116 Lesnar Vs Carwin De-Brief
Brock Lesnar
Heavyweight Championship bout: 
Brock Lesnar (c) vs Shane Carwin (ic)
Lesnar makes his long awaited return to the cage to defend his title against Carwin. The UFC is billing this one as the Clash of the Titans and it’s easy to see why when you look at the size of Lesnar. The ex WWE (World Wrestling Entertainment) pro-wrestler has evolved to the UFC. Looking at his sporting history and achievements on wikipedia he appears to be one of these people who excels at anything he turns his hand to; damn him 
Lesnar is one of the only UFC fighters I have noticed that seems to pay close attention to his stance: always maintaining a Tactical-Stance and crab-walking wherever he needs to go in the cage. This is something you don’t often see to this extent. A Tactical-Stance is one of the most important aspects in the Combat System of Zen Ki Bo, where a great deal of emphasis is put on the basics, based on the tried and tested strategy that when a human needs to defend himself he will revert back to the basics, and the stance is the foundation of everything.
Carwin completely dominates the first round with magnificent striking, knocking Lesner to the canvas and continuing to pound him. Most fighters would give up or be counted out in this position but Lesnar somehow resisted it. Wow. He seems to have sustained lacerations to his right and left eye from this onslaught. One of the cuts appears to be over the left eye of Lesner, any fighter will tell you that this is bad news for two reasons, first the ref can stop the fight and second the blood will steam down into your eye making you essentially temporarily blind in one eye.
Coming out for the second round Lesner is much more careful and both men are tired. Lesner does however go in for the take-down and once on the ground rests all of his weight on the slightly smaller man. There is limited striking going on but do not underestimate how difficult it is to have a heavy opponent on top of you.
Quick as a flash, Lesner tightens up the choke hold on Carwin and forces a tap-out, winning the match and maintaining his Heavyweight Title. Its called an arm-triangle-choke in the UFC, but of course it’s taken from the Martial Arts; usually executed in a standing position after moving inside of a strike. It compromises the flow of oxygenated blood to the brain by cutting off one of the ‘blood-highways’ on the neck, or carotid artery. See diagram:
Carotid Artery diagram
In his post-fight speech, Lesner attributes his win to god : “I am blessed by god”.. personally I would have thought it was due to the years of dedication and training to his chosen sport.
The loser, Shane Carwin also thanks “god” in his post-fight speech. I guess that means that the big man upstairs does play favourites?!? Unless he just has a gambling problem..
Undercard: Yoshihiro Akiyama vs. Chris Leben
Akiyama, apparently the traditional Martial Artist, comes to the cage in his Martial Arts uniform. Leben just comes out ready to fight.
Leben starts the 1st round with some heavy leg kicks (dropping his hands when he does so), but not making significant contact. Akiyama is ‘on the ball’ however, easily evading most of them.
Also worth noticing that Leben fights with his elbows out, which is unorthodox. Part of the 1st round sees Akiyama dominate on the ground. With 30 seconds left in the first, they stand up and resume striking until Leben is taken down again, but with no time left the round finishes.
I was somewhat dismayed to see Akiyama lean in with a single straight-punch to the body, which of course was answered by Leben with a punch to the face. Thats the ironic thing about attacking, it leaves you open to counter attack, so you better make sure your attack is strategic and with Intent.
Half way through the second round sees both men exhausted after some hard fighting. They are still fighting, but with depleted energy.
Hats off to both combatants, they both probably should have been knocked out at different stages but they kept going somehow. Amazing show of toughness – they are earning their money tonight.
It seems to me that Akiyama is the Martial Artist and Leben is the unorthodox brawler. I think if the brawler lands something significant he will probably win, however if that doesn’t happen its hard to match the skill of a Martial Artist. (Ha, just after I wrote that last sentence the “brawler” submits Akiyama with a leg triangle, so there you go!)
Well done to Leben; he did display more “bad intent” and therefore won the day.
Always makes me smile when you have a look at who is in the audience of such events; United States Senator (Nevada) Harry Reid, actor Steve Austin, actor Dwayne Johnson; all people who rely on other men to do their bidding for them and feel tough when they are somehow “associated” with the actual men who are willing to actually fight. Another case of empowerment by association. It used to be the boxing that brought together people from all walks of life, and now it’s well and truly the UFC.
UFC 115 de-brief
UFC 115..
Main Event: Chuck “The IceMan” Liddell Vs Rich Franklin.
UFC 115
Franklin wins by KO with a short sharp right.
It was during an exchange of a flurry of punches including a good right elbow by Liddell. It’s easy for me to say, but Liddell actually inadvertently walked into the knockout punch.
Amazingly, Franklin reveals in the post fight interview that during the fight his lower left arm was broken by one of Liddell’s kicks. Couple of amazing things here, the fact that a kick was responsible for actually breaking the bone in someone’s arm and secondly that Franklin kept fighting and eventually wins after he is well aware that his arm has been broken.
One of the cornerstones in Zen Ki Bo training is the Mindset. Having Survival Intent. This is exactly what Franklin displayed in this fight. Two things will win the day (whether it be real-life or in the cage): Mindset and Training. Franklin has proved that he has both.
Some are already saying that this is the end of The Iceman’s career. I suppose only he can make that decision. Hopefully he makes it at the right time.
Rich Franklin
Chuck Liddell
Undercard: Mirko Cro Cop Vs Pat Barry.
Victory to Cro Cop.
Barry lands a straight right punch early in the first round, which sent Cro Cop to the canvas. It did however do little damage because it was a combination of a slip and the punch.
Then a second knockdown with what looked to be the same punch. Cro Cop gets straight back up, but he is injured this time.
Mirko Cro Cop
Pat Barry
These two guys obviously have the greatest respect for each other, this was evident when actually during the first round they touched gloves and hugged each other after some great techniques. In fact, Cro Cop is one of Barry’s UFC idols.
Dynamic finish with Cro Cop stinging Barry with some good punching, not just landing leather but using real strategy by feinting and causing Barry to react, then monopolising on that reaction in order to counter. Just before the finish, Cro Cop landed multiple blows onto the face of Barry, some with the fist and some with the palm. These punches are not meant to knock you out but instead overwhelm the opponent with ferocity and aggression, usually used as a platform for bigger things. In this case, it was indeed a platform for a rear-naked choke. And once a rear-naked-choke is clamped on its just a short drive down the grey-tunnel until you pass out. Well-earned win Mirko.
At 35 years old, some people have said he is getting too old for the fight game, Cro Cop has said that he is keen to put that straight. He was essentially self-taught whilst growing up in a Croatian village. People used to think he was mentally deranged when they saw him training because they had no idea what he was doing.
This match was also a good lesson to see just how dangerous high kicks can be to the person throwing the kick – what often happens is the opponent shoots in, using that kicking leg as a lever taking down the kicker. Not only is this what a trained fighter will do, but its also a natural reaction, often the person you are kicking can just instinctively just put up their arms as a startle reaction, and if you get caught under the centre of gravity you can easily go down.
I enjoyed seeing some traditional kicks from Cro Cop. During this match we saw him throw an Axe Kick, a Side-Kick and a Hook-Kick. All effective kicks but not seen much in the UFC.
Another point I found worth mentioning and also indicative of the popularity of MMA was that Rory MacDonald (who was one of the fighters on the undercard, Carlos Condit V Rory MacDonald) was brought up actually learning MMA, not transitioning from a Martial Art or other system into MMA. I guess this will be happening a lot more now.
All in all, UFC 115 was pretty explosive and worth watching.
Fighting “off the back” is no match for a good punch to the chin
During UFC Unleashed, Lyoto “The Dragon” Machida demonstrated why it’s mixed martial arts;
Machida, using his tried and tested single leg hook take-down tripped his opponent to the cage floor. Finding himself flat on his back he waited for Machida to approach, but being a BJJ black belt he was well within his comfort zone (or so he assumed).
Lyoto "The Dragon" Machida.
(Quick digression): Now, anyone who has ever squared off against a grappler (especially a BJJ black belt) will tell you that it’s not a good idea. I personally hate them. Most probably because grappling is an area in my game that needs improvement. I remember fighting in the US once, feeling pretty confident with my skills, when all of a sudden and without any warning, the floor went from being horizontal (where I like it) to being vertical. I wasn’t sure what had happened but I felt fairly certain it had something to do with the grappler sitting on my chest.
Anyway, Machida, knowing the game, chose not to engage in a grappling match, but instead launched himself forward with a solid punch to his opponent’s chin, causing a direct hit to the knock-out button. He instinctively followed up with another punch but the objective had already been met, his opponent was out for the count.
This was a reminder that the UFC is a mix of styles. One can not expect one’s opponent to engage them with only one style, whether it be stand-up striking or grappling or whatever. While the UFC (and any competition for that matter) is safely bounded and governed by rules, there is still a lot ways to attack and defend. This is no doubt one of the reasons why UFC is so popular.
UFC 114 Results – Evans beats Rampage
Evans beats Rampage on points in a unanimous decision (29–28, 30–27, 30–27).
Rashad Evans UFC
It was interesting to see Rashad Evans‘ confidence increase after he landed that big right hand on Rampage Jackson early in the first round. It carried him throughout the rest of the fight.
It’s amazing to what extent a successful strike or technique can change your mindset during a bout. A fighter can go from having a healthy awareness of his opponent’s skills and abilities to realising that his opponent is able to be beaten. Might sound strange, but the human’s psychology is complex and certainly open to primal fears and instincts, meaning that on a very basic non-conscious level, humans experience fear as a survival tool. This same psychology is often taken into the ring or the cage, usually unbeknownst to the competitor.
They say that’s one reason Muhammad Ali was extremely successful in boxing, he apparently genuinely believed that he was the best. Therefore he had the two essential components needed to win: mindset and skills. That being the case, he would not have been as prone to fear and anxiety et cetera in the ring.
In other fights that night;
Michael Bisping defeated Dan Miller via unanimous decision (30–27, 30–27, 29–27).
And finally a knockout in the Heavyweight bout: Mike Russow defeated Todd Duffee via KO (punch) at 2:35 in round 3.
UFC 114 Sunday 30th May
UFC 114 on pay TV this Sunday (30th May 2010). Starts 12 midday. Live from Las Vegas USA.
Main Card:
Rampage Jackson Vs Rashad Evans (Light Heavyweight).
Bisping Vs Miller (Middleweight)
Todd Duffee Vs Mike Russow (Heavyweight).
Click here for UFC’s pre fight banter between Rampage and Evans.
Click here for you-tube video of Rampage Jackson Vs Rashad Evans fight Preview.
UFC – Dan Henderson KO’s Michael Bisping
Was just watching the UFC fight: Dan Henderson Vs Michael Bisping (I believe it was 12th July 2009, but this was the first time I’ve seen it).
During the first round I was excited to see the bio-mechanics Henderson was using in his punches – starting from the feet, working up through the knees, into the hips, up into the shoulders and out into the punch. Manifesting into massive energy that resonates even after the punch.
It was no surprise that in the 2nd round, Henderson caught Bisping with a wonderful punch to the face, knocking him out (what looked to be almost instantly). I believe he was unconscious before he even hit the canvas – this was substantiated by the fact that Bisping hit the back of his head on the ground as he fell – something that your MMA (Mixed Martial Arts) training tells you not to do..
I hope the Tactical Zen students have a look at this you-tube clip and see the wonders of bio-mechanics. The same bio-mechanics that I am always going on about at training
Click here for images of Henderson.
Click here for images of Michael Bisping.
Did anyone else see the fight? Any thoughts on the bio-mechanics?
Bruce Lee and MMA
Mixed Martial Arts (MMA), and where does it begin?
It’s claimed that the philosophies behind the mixture of Martial Arts came from Bruce Lee in 1965 when he was challenging traditional ideas.
So the story goes, in order to win the right to be able to teach his style of Kung Fu (Jun Fan Gung Fu) to non-Chinese, he was to have a Martial Arts duel against a fighter who was representative of the traditional Chinese idea of Martial Arts. All of this because the traditional Chinese MA community did not want non-Chinese learning the art. Lee apparently won the competition and thus continued teaching to any student who wanted to learn. He did however believe that he should have been able to win more efficiently, therefore it is at this time his philosophy went from Traditional Martial Artist to Modern or Mixed martial Artist.
This is a great story, but what I am saddened by is the idea that anyone (Bruce Lee or not) would even consider compromising their own Martial Arts journey based on the expectations of other people. And as for asking permission to go after something that you’re passionate about? The only person that you need permission from is Yourself. It is outrageous that anyone should feel they have the right to control how any Martial Artist thinks or teaches.
Experience has proven that it is the case that many Martial Artists insist on making pathetic attempts to monitor and control the aspirations and philosophies of other Martial Artists.
Such attempts are nothing more than a psychological insight into little minds that are devoid of Courage, Honour and Vision. Their own lack of faith, understanding and experience means they are one of life’s Huddled Masses. These are people who, based on their own fear and inadequacies feel an overwhelming need to control everyone else around them.
When one of the Huddled Masses tells you that your goal or passion is not worthy, or could not possibly be viable, remember that this is a reflection on them and their own fear. It is not a reflection on you or the path that you seek.
Back yourself and follow your passion.
UFC 113
UFC 113 live from Bell Centre Quebec.
Available on “Main Event” Sunday 9th May 2010 (Melbourne, Australia time).
UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Lyoto “The Dragon” Machida Vs Mauricio “Shogun” Rua.
Kimbo Slice (ex street-fighter and sometimes explosive MMA fighter) is on the under-card also.
Here is the trailer video: