Rio Heroes, the worlds only bare knuckle fight league is offering their next fight card, their lightweight championships for free, steaming online via their website www.rioheroes.com at 7 PM EST.
Heroes offers competition similar to the original UFC. There are no time limits, no rules, regulations and most importantly, no gloves. This is simulated street fighting at it's finest, only available live from Brazil. These kinds of unsanctioned fights are completely illegal in the United States and many other countries.
Rioheroes previous events are also available on their website.
Remember, there are NO RULES except the sticking of fingers in orifices, biting and groin attacks. Not for the squeamish as this is the most extreme Mixed Martial Arts fighting available today.
Monday, September 24, 2007
UFC 76 Results.
The recent trend of upsets is continuing in the UFC as Forrest Griffin triumphed over Shogun Rua, Jardine won a split decision over Liddell and Jon Fitch also pulls a split decision over Sanchez. My fight predictions for the three headliner fights were all wrong, including the Anthony Johnson fight. This means for this UFC card, my predictions were 5/9. The Results for the entire fight card are below.
Keith Jardine VS Chuck Liddell. Winner - Jardine
Forrest Griffin VS Shogun Rua. Winner - Griffin
Jon Fitch VS Diego Sanchez. Winner - Fitch
Matt Wiman VS Michihiro Omigawa. Winner - Wiman
Ryoto Machida VS Kazuhiro Nakamura. Winner - Machida
Tyson Griffin VS Thiago Tavares. Winner - Griffin
Jeremy Stephens VS Diego Saraiva. Winner - Stephens
Christian Wellisch VS Scott Junk. Winner - Wellisch
Rich Clementi VS Anthony Johnson. Winner - Clementi
Keith Jardine VS Chuck Liddell. Winner - Jardine
Forrest Griffin VS Shogun Rua. Winner - Griffin
Jon Fitch VS Diego Sanchez. Winner - Fitch
Matt Wiman VS Michihiro Omigawa. Winner - Wiman
Ryoto Machida VS Kazuhiro Nakamura. Winner - Machida
Tyson Griffin VS Thiago Tavares. Winner - Griffin
Jeremy Stephens VS Diego Saraiva. Winner - Stephens
Christian Wellisch VS Scott Junk. Winner - Wellisch
Rich Clementi VS Anthony Johnson. Winner - Clementi
Thursday, September 20, 2007
Upcoming Fight Card: UFC 76 "Knockout"
The Rundown
Also on this card is the debut of the Chute Boxe Academy's ace in the hole, and Pride Superstar; Mauricio "Shogun" Rua (16-2-0). For his first fight in the UFC, he will be pitted against fan favorite Forrest Griffin (14-4-0) who has recently been propelled into the limelight due to his success on The Ultimate Fighter reality television series.
Finally the last "headliner" fight features Diego "Nightmare" Sanchez (17-1-0), who is coming off his first loss of his career as he fights against Jon Fitch (14-2-0), who is currently on a 13 fight win streak.
My Fight Picks
Chuck Liddell VS Keith Jardine
Personally, with this fight i feel that the UFC is feeding Chuck Lidell a can with a name to crush. Both fighters are coming into the fights having been knocked out in their most previous bouts. Seing as how Jardine was knocked out in the first round by Houston Alexander, who has been making waves in his division, i feel that Houston should be the one fighting Liddell.
Nevertheless, My Prediction for the Winner is Liddell by 1st round KO/TKO
Shogun Rua VS Forrest Griffin
I believe Shogun is entirely too resourceful to find himself in trouble by Forrest. Although it has been made public that Shogun is going into this fight without a gameplan, and Forrest has been studying tapes of his fights and establishing a solid strategy, Shogun has never really used gameplans before and its worked out fine for him. Without headstomps and soccer kicks, i feel like Shoguns finishing ability may be hindered, but i dont see Forrest Griffin getting past round 2. I'm giving him leway with that, considering Shogun has some cage-rust, and has never fought in the octagon, let alone not fighting in a cage since 2003, where he accumulated his only real legitimate loss to Renato Sobral via Guillotine Choke.
My Prediction for the Winner is Shogun Rua by 2nd round KO/TKO
Diego Sanchez VS Jon Fitch
This is an interesting fight because both fighters involved DO NOT want to lose under any circumstances. Jon Fitch has won every fight he has been involved in, in the UFC and is currently (like i said before) on a 13 fight win streak. Diego Sanchez has tasted defeat for the first time at UFC 69 where he was handed a decision loss to rival Josh Koscheck. Diego does not want to lose again and wants to prove that his lackluster performance at 69 is not something we should get used to seeing. Diego no longer has the pressure of being an undefeated fighter and has alot to prove to the audience. Jon Fitch is coming into the fight on a win streak which may add pressure for him.
My Prediction for the Winner is Diego Sanchez via 1st round KO/TKO
Undercard Fight Predicitons.
Matt Wiman VS Michihiro Omigawa - Round 2 Submission for Wiman.
Kazuhiro Nakamura VS Ryoto Machida - Round 2 KO/TKO for Machida.
Tyson Griffin VS Thiago Tavares - Round 2 Submission for Tavares.
Diego Saraiva VS Jeremy Stephens - Round 1 KO/TKO for Stephens
Christian Wellisch VS Scott Junk - Unanimous Decision for Wellisch
Rich Clementi VS Anthony Johnson - Round 1 KO/TKO for Johnson
Pride Fighting Championships.
It all started at the Tokyo Dome in 1997. The idea to have a dream fight between Rickson Gracie and Japanese pro-wrestler Nobuhiko Takada. The fight was ended by Rickson within the first round due to an armbar, and showed that real fighting was here to stay, both in America and now in Japan.
During it's life before being recently purchased by the Zuffa corporation, Pride Fighting Championships held more than sixty martial arts events, including tournaments and open weigh bouts, when regulation in the states was already prohibiting such events. It was these reasons, along with having different weight classes as the UFC and other state-based martial arts organizations and less strict rules, allowed Pride to become the only real threat and rival organization to the Ultimate Fighting Championship.
Pride fights took place in a ring, rather than a cage, which benefited grapplers and wrestlers. Also the main difference between the UFC and Pride was that in Pride, elbows of any kind were prohibited, however kicks, stomps and knees to the head of a downed opponent were legal. This added another level of excitement to the fights, because fans were now able to see these moves be performed as use of a takedown defense, also it made for some spectacularly brutal finishes.
Being the second biggest MMA organization in existence, fans often (and still do) debated on which organization really had the world's best fighters. The fan base of mma was split down the middle, harboring UFC fans and Pride fans. Since the acquisition of pride by the Zuffa corporation. We have been able to see that both companies had contracted the world's best fighters, and neither is the clear winner. Many pride fighters are starting successful careers in the UFC as we speak, and before the company was sold, visa-versa.
The Cage VS The Ring
Like I had stated above, the main difference between the UFC and Pride was the stage for which the combatants met. The UFC competitions took place inside an eight sided cage, trademarked "The Octagon" while Pride chose to have the fights take place in a boxing ring.
The main differences between the cage and the ring is that they can favor different styles of fighting, and tactics can be implemented using the surroundings themselves. The cage favors wrestlers and fighters who like to use the clinch to press their opponents up against it, leaving them nowhere to go. Also since the cage cannot interfere with the fighters like roped in a ring can, the fight doesn't have to be restarted in the center of the mat, giving the opponent on t op a large upper hand and the opportunity for much more dominant positioning. Using the cage to your advantage is commonly referred to "Cage Tactics" and is a large factor in mixed martial arts. (When taking place in a cage of course).
The ring provides a slight advantage to grapplers. The reason why that is, is because when the fighters get pressed too far into the ropes, the referee will often choose to restart the fight (in the same position) in the center of the ring. This allows the fighter starting off with the better position, to further establish his/her dominance Also it gives the fighter on the bottom a chance to escape, since the ropes are no longer limiting their mobility.
These differences only further enhanced the speculation between who had the best fighters, and provided each organization with its own flare. During it's lifetime PrideFC always had the best production value of any event of its kind, and will always be remembered as an amazing stage for martial artists to participate on.
Wednesday, September 19, 2007
The Basics.
Hello there, this is my Mixed Martial Arts blog. For those of you who do not know much about the sport of mixed martial arts (or MMA), this would be the post designed most for you. Here I will inform you of the history of the sport and the rules involved, both at the conception and modern day mma.
The Ultimate Fighting Championship was created in 1992 by Art Davie, Rorion Gracie, and John Milius to discover which fighting style was essentially the most effective in a one on one combat encounter. Also, with the involvement of Rorion Gracie, it is speculated that it was a large stage for which Gracie Jiu-Jitsu would present itself to the modern world, as it was still largely unknown outside of Brazil, where it was created by the Gracie family.
The first tournament took place, had practically no rules besides no eye gauging and no biting, also there were no time limits and should a fighter win, they would progress to the next round and have to fight again that same night. Safety was not exactly top priority for the fighters, as these fights were only commissioned in a few states, and they did not seek regulation.
During this time, most martial artists only practiced one style of fighting, and usually claimed it to be the best. Since everyone was essentially a one-dimensional fighter, the cage would be a fitting scenario to discover which style was actually the best. The result? Gracie Jiu-Jitsu.
Royce Gracie won the first, second and fourth UFC tournaments. Coming into the first tournament at just 170 pounds, he was the smallest competitor and considered to be the underdog. However, he proved that technique can be better than strength and that you do not necessarily have to harm your opponent to beat them, when you can simply submit them or put them to sleep. Also it demonstrated that a striker (boxer's, karate practitioners) would be rendered useless when taken to the ground, and once out of their element could not fight against a grappler's art. This created a shock-wave in the martial arts world and had many people changing their training regiments to include a grappling art like Jiu-Jitsu and wrestling.
Jiu-Jitsu is a submission grappling art focusing on joint manipulation and choke holds to render the opponent unable to continue fighting, or unconscious. After seeing how a striker could be taken down and submitted almost instantly, the competitors all had to start training the arts of grappling as well as striking. This mixture of styles ultimately led to the martial artists competing today and the sport of Mixed Martial Arts as we know it.
Originally, the UFC was based upon "vale tudo" standards, which means "no holds barred." This implies that there are no rules, restrictions to how the fight is won and there is no time limits. However, when this was displayed to the general public, there was an outcry that the competitions were much too violent and Sen. John Mccain claimed the sports was "human cockfighting." It was at this time that the UFC started to implement time limits and forced the competitors to wear 4 oz. gloves (as opposed to boxing's 12 oz.), which were basically designed to protect the knuckles of the wearer.
These rules were nice for the time, but still were not enough for regulation to occur. After the UFC was purchased by Zuffa, the sport really began to grow. Many rules were implemented to protect the fighters and maintain safety at all times. The current rules as they appear on the UFC website are listed below, in their entirety:
Weight classes:
Lightweight - over 145 lbs. to 155 lbs.
Welterweight - over 155 lbs. to 170 lbs.
Middleweight - over 170 lbs. to 185 lbs.
Light Heavyweight - over 185 lbs. to 205 lbs.
Heavyweight - over 205 lbs. to 265 lbs.
Additional Weight Classes in MMA, but not featured in the UFC:
Bantamweight - 135 lbs. to 125 lbs.
Featherweight - over 135 lbs. to 145 lbs.
Bout duration:
All non-championship bouts shall be three rounds.
All championship bouts shall be five rounds.
Rounds will be five minutes in duration.
A one-minute rest period will occur between each round.
Fouls:
1. Butting with the head.
2. Eye gouging of any kind.
3. Biting.
4. Hair pulling.
5. Fish hooking.
6. Groin attacks of any kind.
7. Putting a finger into any orifice or into any cut or laceration on an opponent.
8. Small joint manipulation.
9. Striking to the spine or the back of the head.
10. Striking downward using the point of the elbow.
11. Throat strikes of any kind, including, without limitation, grabbing the trachea.
12. Clawing, pinching or twisting the flesh.
13. Grabbing the clavicle.
14. Kicking the head of a grounded opponent.
15. Kneeing the head of a grounded opponent.
16. Stomping a grounded opponent.
17. Kicking to the kidney with the heel.
18. Spiking an opponent to the canvas on his head or neck.
19. Throwing an opponent out of the ring or fenced area.
20. Holding the shorts or gloves of an opponent.
21. Spitting at an opponent.
22. Engaging in an unsportsmanlike conduct that causes an injury to an opponent.
23. Holding the ropes or the fence.
24. Using abusive language in the ring or fenced area.
25. Attacking an opponent on or during the break.
26. Attacking an opponent who is under the care of the referee.
27. Attacking an opponent after the bell has sounded the end of the period of unarmed combat.
28. Flagrantly disregarding the instructions of the referee.
29. Timidity, including, without limitation, avoiding contact with an opponent, intentionally or consistently dropping the mouthpiece or faking an injury.
30. Interference by the corner.
31. Throwing in the towel during competition.
Ways To Win:
1. Submission by:
Physical tap out.
Verbal tap out.
2. Technical knockout by the referee stopping the contest.
3. Decision via the scorecards, including:
Unanimous decision.
Split decision.
Majority decision.
Draw, including:
Unanimous draw.
Majority draw.
Split draw.
4. Technical decision.
5. Technical draw.
6. Disqualification.
7. Forfeit.
8. No contest.
The Birth of Mixed Martial Arts.
The first tournament took place, had practically no rules besides no eye gauging and no biting, also there were no time limits and should a fighter win, they would progress to the next round and have to fight again that same night. Safety was not exactly top priority for the fighters, as these fights were only commissioned in a few states, and they did not seek regulation.
During this time, most martial artists only practiced one style of fighting, and usually claimed it to be the best. Since everyone was essentially a one-dimensional fighter, the cage would be a fitting scenario to discover which style was actually the best. The result? Gracie Jiu-Jitsu.
Royce Gracie won the first, second and fourth UFC tournaments. Coming into the first tournament at just 170 pounds, he was the smallest competitor and considered to be the underdog. However, he proved that technique can be better than strength and that you do not necessarily have to harm your opponent to beat them, when you can simply submit them or put them to sleep. Also it demonstrated that a striker (boxer's, karate practitioners) would be rendered useless when taken to the ground, and once out of their element could not fight against a grappler's art. This created a shock-wave in the martial arts world and had many people changing their training regiments to include a grappling art like Jiu-Jitsu and wrestling.
Jiu-Jitsu is a submission grappling art focusing on joint manipulation and choke holds to render the opponent unable to continue fighting, or unconscious. After seeing how a striker could be taken down and submitted almost instantly, the competitors all had to start training the arts of grappling as well as striking. This mixture of styles ultimately led to the martial artists competing today and the sport of Mixed Martial Arts as we know it.
The Rules
Originally, the UFC was based upon "vale tudo" standards, which means "no holds barred." This implies that there are no rules, restrictions to how the fight is won and there is no time limits. However, when this was displayed to the general public, there was an outcry that the competitions were much too violent and Sen. John Mccain claimed the sports was "human cockfighting." It was at this time that the UFC started to implement time limits and forced the competitors to wear 4 oz. gloves (as opposed to boxing's 12 oz.), which were basically designed to protect the knuckles of the wearer.
These rules were nice for the time, but still were not enough for regulation to occur. After the UFC was purchased by Zuffa, the sport really began to grow. Many rules were implemented to protect the fighters and maintain safety at all times. The current rules as they appear on the UFC website are listed below, in their entirety:
Weight classes:
Lightweight - over 145 lbs. to 155 lbs.
Welterweight - over 155 lbs. to 170 lbs.
Middleweight - over 170 lbs. to 185 lbs.
Light Heavyweight - over 185 lbs. to 205 lbs.
Heavyweight - over 205 lbs. to 265 lbs.
Additional Weight Classes in MMA, but not featured in the UFC:
Bantamweight - 135 lbs. to 125 lbs.
Featherweight - over 135 lbs. to 145 lbs.
Bout duration:
All non-championship bouts shall be three rounds.
All championship bouts shall be five rounds.
Rounds will be five minutes in duration.
A one-minute rest period will occur between each round.
Fouls:
1. Butting with the head.
2. Eye gouging of any kind.
3. Biting.
4. Hair pulling.
5. Fish hooking.
6. Groin attacks of any kind.
7. Putting a finger into any orifice or into any cut or laceration on an opponent.
8. Small joint manipulation.
9. Striking to the spine or the back of the head.
10. Striking downward using the point of the elbow.
11. Throat strikes of any kind, including, without limitation, grabbing the trachea.
12. Clawing, pinching or twisting the flesh.
13. Grabbing the clavicle.
14. Kicking the head of a grounded opponent.
15. Kneeing the head of a grounded opponent.
16. Stomping a grounded opponent.
17. Kicking to the kidney with the heel.
18. Spiking an opponent to the canvas on his head or neck.
19. Throwing an opponent out of the ring or fenced area.
20. Holding the shorts or gloves of an opponent.
21. Spitting at an opponent.
22. Engaging in an unsportsmanlike conduct that causes an injury to an opponent.
23. Holding the ropes or the fence.
24. Using abusive language in the ring or fenced area.
25. Attacking an opponent on or during the break.
26. Attacking an opponent who is under the care of the referee.
27. Attacking an opponent after the bell has sounded the end of the period of unarmed combat.
28. Flagrantly disregarding the instructions of the referee.
29. Timidity, including, without limitation, avoiding contact with an opponent, intentionally or consistently dropping the mouthpiece or faking an injury.
30. Interference by the corner.
31. Throwing in the towel during competition.
Ways To Win:
1. Submission by:
Physical tap out.
Verbal tap out.
2. Technical knockout by the referee stopping the contest.
3. Decision via the scorecards, including:
Unanimous decision.
Split decision.
Majority decision.
Draw, including:
Unanimous draw.
Majority draw.
Split draw.
4. Technical decision.
5. Technical draw.
6. Disqualification.
7. Forfeit.
8. No contest.
Referee may Restart the round:
If the fighters reach a stalemate and do not work to improve position or finish
CONCLUSION
That's it for my first post. My next one will describe the birth of the UFC's top competition from Japan, Pride Fighting Championships, and the differences between the organizations which fueled a rivalry and speculation to which organization really had the worlds best pound for pound fighters.
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