Fighting Words: The Silva Conundrum
Posted by Jonathan Snowden on 31st October 2008
What was the deal with Silva at UFC 90?
Posted in Anderson Silva, UFC | 1 Comment »
Archive for October, 2008
The Ultimate Fighter Season 8, Episode 7 Review
Posted by Kendall Shields on 30th October 2008
Hell hath no fury like a Nogueira dissed. Read all about it.
Posted in TUF, UFC | No Comments »
Exclusive Miguel Torres Interview: On WEC, Redneck Bars, Japan, and moving to the UFC
Posted by Jonathan Snowden on 29th October 2008
One of the top ten fighters in the world talks in depth about his career and what the future holds.
Posted in Interviews, Miguel Torres, WEC | No Comments »
Exclusive UFC 90 Video Recap
Posted by Jonathan Snowden on 28th October 2008
Exclusive interviews and recap. We talked to Miguel Torres, Rachelle Leah, and Dana White.
Posted in UFC | No Comments »
Was Anderson Silva Really Goofing Off?
Posted by Dave Walsh on 27th October 2008
The fallout over Anderson Silva vs. Patrick Cote continues on. There is debate pretty much everywhere, with fans and journalists alike taking their sides and sticking to it. I’ve made my voice heard in the matter, as have an Irate Kevin Iole, an embarassed Fightlinker, and, well, just look for yourself, it is endless.
Everybody has an opinion on if Anderson Silva embarassed himself, shamed his family, has forced Dana White’s hand, if he was disrespecting Patrick Cote, if he was afraid of Patrick Cote. Is Anderson Silva simply a prima-donna and looking to move his career on to greener pastures? While I do not think this will be settled until we see Anderson Silva in the ring again, duking it out (hopefully soon?), we can have a look at the numbers for this fight and see what they tell us.
For what was throw in this fight, and who was leading who, it is clear that Anderson Silva was unchallenged. Question the method all that you want, but stats are telling the story that we all saw. I have to wonder, if Silva scored a leg kick right before Cote buckled, or even a nasty kick that ended the fight, would any of this backlash exist? Probably not.
Update: Good article on this subject posted by Mike Chiappetta of NBC Sports — Is Silva worthy of criticism for Cote fight?
Also how about some Compustrike stats?
Posted in Anderson Silva, Dave Walsh, UFC | 18 Comments »
Anderson Silva: Too Good for MMA
Posted by Dave Walsh on 26th October 2008
I am in disbelief right now. I am in absolute disbelief at the discrepancy between what I saw last night and what I am reading and hearing today. I was hearing the rumblings of it last night, but I decided to sleep on it before writing on it; maybe people would have a more clear mind in the morning. Maybe. I want to start this off saying that martial arts was something that intensely interested me as a child. Watching Bruce Lee movies, Jackie Chan movies, those goofy Shanghai guys-on-wires films excited me enough to get into Kenpo. The ideals of martial arts, the idea of not wanting to brutally assault and harm somebody, and being subtle, has always enamored me.
When the concept of UFC first started up, the idea was enthralling to me. Here was chance for this to become a reality; martial artists from all walks of life descending upon a closed atmosphere, with no rules except for some basic gentleman’s rules, and go at it. It was great to see the street fighters get picked apart, the brawlers meet the calmness and serenity of Royce Gracie’s jiu-jitsu. The sport has changed, drastically. I am not saying in a bad direction, but simply in a different direction. It is no longer about martial arts as much as it is about fighting, as it is winning and getting paid your backstage, unreported bonus. Anderson Silva has transcended all of this. Last night, Anderson Silva was not in any way a MMA fighter, he was a martial artist completely on top of his game.
Posted in Anderson Silva, Dave Walsh, UFC | 21 Comments »
UFC 90: Live Coverage
Posted by Jonathan Snowden on 24th October 2008
Live Coverage from UFC 90. Starting with a preview and including a liveblog, interviews, videos, and more!
Posted in UFC | No Comments »
The Ultimate Fighter Season 8, Episode 6 Review
Posted by Kendall Shields on 23rd October 2008
Can Junie Browning live up to his own hype? Find out.
Posted in TUF | No Comments »
Don “The Dragon” Wilson on Headbutts, Hughes, and Hitting 54
Posted by Tommy Hackett on 23rd October 2008
A week ago I was reminded that I’m not the only MMA fan out there with a place in my heart for Don “The Dragon” Wilson, as Hawaii’s Fighter’s Club Radio ran an interview with the ex-UFC and KOTC commentator. For those unfamiliar with the show, it runs 9 am Mondays on Honolulu’s AM 1500, and is hosted by Elite XC veteran Mark Kurano and the former matchmaker for Icon MMA, Patrick Freitas. Their interview with Wilson begins at about the 12:00 mark.
This was the most fun I’ve had listening to an interview in a long time. Think about it. From kung-fu and kickboxing in the 1970’s and 1980’s, to MMA and B-Movies in the 1990’s and 2000’s, Don “The Dragon” Wilson has basically been party to every martial arts trend. Now, at age 54, he’s preparing for a 10 round kickboxing bout in Cyprus, his first since 2002. It will be Wilson’s 75th bout in the sport where he has notched 48 knockouts.
But best of all, if you believe his side of the story, his KO total should have included everyone from Matt Hughes to Royce Gracie. And that is what makes this guy awesome.
Posted in History, Tommy Hackett | 1 Comment »
EliteXC: Funeral for a Friend (Kimbo Lies Bleeding)
Posted by Dave Walsh on 22nd October 2008
Today, we the MMA fans, media and those involved with the industry mull over the death of one of our own — today we remember the ProElite family. Now, I know what you are thinking, you are thinking of Gary Shaw standing firm, signing fighters directly to himself as opposed to the company, or pushing millions of dollars into creating stars. Maybe you are thinking about Kimbo Slice and his impressive career that began and will most likely die in an EliteXC branded cage. Or maybe you are thinking about a company that dared to dream in a hostile world that really didn’t need ProElite. There is no doubt in my mind that upon reflection, we could find some good to go with the bad that was ProElite.
ProElite seemed cursed from the very start, as the company launched attempting to be immediate, direct competition to the Ultimate Fighting Championship. UFC, the established juggernaut and company single-handedly responsible for launching the MMA revolution in the United States had been untouchable for a long time. The EliteXC concept was, in and of itself, a sound one. There was substantial risk involved in launching a brand new Mixed Martial Arts brand and immediately taking it national. An agreement between the newly founded and mind-bogglingly public company, ProElite Holdings, and Showtime garnered a new promotion; EliteXC. The first event also mind-bogglingly held in MMA hotbed Mississippi, featuring Renzo Gracie vs. Frank Shamrock as their big draw.
Posted in Dave Walsh, Elite XC, Kimbo Slice | 1 Comment »