Cat Zingano & the ACL Curse

The bane of MMA: the ACL injury afflicts both men and women alike.
Dominic Cruz, GSP, Mousasi, King Mo et al.

Cat Zingano missed her shot at TUF/women's MMA Stardom by having ACL surgery.

 

As someone who is a year + out of ACL surgery, I cannot imagine returning to professional sports competition in something like 6 months to a year, but that's why I'm a semi-pro athlete *ahem*



Newaza/Shimewaza wins the Women's -63kg World Championship

NoGi Judo/Sumo Wrestling WTF! Video of the Day

I've had people ask me if Judo works without the Gi, and having competed NoGi, wrestled, fought in MMA, and used it to protect myself "in the streets" the answer is "Yes".

Assuming the information included is true, a 200 lb Judoka entered a Sumo Tournament and had the following result(s):

2013 Judo World Championships Brazil - 66kg & 73kg

My two favorite weight classes in Judo. The 66kg due to the sheer speed with which they play, and the 73kg because of the mix of power and speed.
 

Spoiler Alert! Massive Wednesday Multimedia Mailbag: UFC on Fox Sports 1 - Condit vs Kampmann

So many video highlights...I remember having to scroll through the sherdog forums to wait and read about results back in the dark days.

 Condit sets up the finish with a body shot if you pay close attention :)

More fights after the Jump!

UFC 164 Predictions & Dissecting UFC 164 Countdown Video: Lying by Omission Edition

"For when you die, it will be without honor."

In hilarious UFC 164  soundbyte news, Josh Barnett discusses Frank Mir's ground game: "I can think of a lot of drunken nights that have been bigger mistakes than grappling Frank Mir."
    - Josh Barnett

A couple other random thoughts on the already posted UFC 164 Countdown:
Some lies by omission:
Josh Barnett never got stripped from the title for steroids, but rather fought in Japan and did some Pro Wrestling.
Josh Barnett didn't sink the Affliction/Fedor card due to another hot piss test, he's just shown knocking out one of the Noguieras.
He didn't necessarily lose to Daniel Cormier, but apparently knee'd him in the eye and took him down somewhere in his racking up 8 straight wins in the HW division.

That being said, the card has some interesting match-ups. Jokes aside, I'm very interested to see Pettis rematch Ben Henderson, the last man to beat Bendo before he won the belt. Pettis choked against Guida but I think he simply overlooked the one-dimensional fighter.

Mir vs Barnett will be interesting if Barnett doesn't land some heavy punches from top position (Mir's recent crash landing zone against guys like Carwin and Lesnar).

Mendes will perhaps finish Guida b/c I do respect Mendes' punching power against guys not named Aldo who pick him apart.

Do I care about Brandon Vera or Rothwell? Not really.

Poirer vs Koch will be an exciting fight no matter who wins.

Tibau vs Varner will go to a decision, probably split.

The rest of the fights I don't care much if anything about either.

Negative Nancy Discusses UFC on Fox Sports 1 Tonight

My Greatest Fears about tonight's card:
Clay Guida somehow wins a decision by out-hugging Chad Mendes and I have to hear about him in title talk contention.
Mendes gets another early KO, but then does what? Knocks off actual title contenders (unlike Clay Guida)? Faces Jose Aldo who brutally finished him inside of one round?

Condit or Kampmann wins and neither of whom has a shot in hell of not being out-wrestled by GSP. Condit, having faced GSP and wobbled him,  is a more dangerous fight I truly believe but I'm not super interested in seeing him lose the majority of 5 rounds again.

Cerrone will likely choke, as Dos Anjos has become a more consistent fighter and well-rounded in his UFC tenure, and Cerrone finds a way to blow it whenever he's close to a title shot.

 

Even Stand-Up Fighters End Up on the Ground When Fighting

Volume 23,345 in the proof section of why you should learn Jiu-Jitsu.
Even stand-up fighters end up on the ground when fighting one another:

2013 Judo World Championships Happening Now (ish) Video Incl.

Schedule for today and the upcoming days:

"

Event Date	Starting Time	Event Details
26 August	10:00	Men −60 kg
		Women −48 kg
27 August	10:00	Men −66 kg
		Women −52 kg
28 August	10:00	Men −73 kg
		Women −57 kg
29 August	10:00	Men −81 kg
		Women −63 kg
30 August	09:00	Men −90 kg
		Women −70 kg
		Women −78 kg
31 August	09:00	Men −100 kg
		Men +100 kg
		Women +78 kg
1 September	09:00	Men team
		Women team

Original Grapplers - Jiu-Jitsu in 1912

UFC 164: Henderson vs Pettis, Mir vs Barnett - Countdown Episode

Thoughts: that was some selective editing to not make the Pettis/Guida fight 13 1/2 minutes of Guida trying to dry hump Pettis to a decision. If you want to show Benson as a dominant fighter, show the hellacious beating he put on Guida and Bocek rather than his close decisions in defending the strap.

Your Diet Sucks Because You're Lazy and You Allow it to Impede Your Performance

I stumbled across this linked on BJJNews.com (seriously, go check them first every day).

I learned a similar recipe but with some taste accouterments (bacon and spinach) from a training partner whilst at the Pan Ams year before last.

“My first advice is to look for a nutritionist .In my case it was a sports nutrition who was able to point me to a diet suitable for my objectives. A favorite snack of mine is” Sweet Potato with grilled chicken breast. A dish that is quick and easy to prepare. ”
Ingredients:
200gr of sweet potatoes
100ge of lean chicken meat
Preparation:
Grill the chicken with half a tablespoon of olive or coconut oil.
Make cuts into the sweet potatoes with a knife so that they cook faster. Set aside for 7-10 minutes.
Peel the potatoes when ready, mix together with the chicken and enjoy your meal.
You can substitute the chicken with turkey breast."
---

You are what you eat is a simple mantra in sports and exercise.
I also hear people always say they don't have time to cook.
The healthier you eat, the easier I find preparation of said diet to be.
As I've gotten older, and especially in the past couple years, my energy level derived from my diet the day before, or the worst (several days in airports or out of town travelling/hotel rooms), is unavoidably linked. I can feel my energy drain in training rapidly when I eat like *&^%.
As for some specifics of how I eat, maintain weight, and have energy to train (and look so young, yeah right): I bake my chicken after seasoning, I boil most of my vegetables which I eat (green beans, sweet potatoes, corn on the cob, spinach, broccoli et cetera).
If you always prepare enough for 2, you have lunch for the following day at work.
I keep eggs scrambled and some ground bison to make breakfast taco type things each morning at work.
I keep apples and bananas and come citrus fruit for the afternoon when I want sugar/caffeine.
I make a sandwich with lunch meat as healthy as I can find (Applegate Farms is pricey but good), and I add mustard with some avocado on Ezekiel bread.

My lunch and breakfast take little to no time to prepare (other than scrambling eggs or cooking the ground bison once a week which I then store and take to work Monday morning). The sandwich takes not even 5 minutes to prepare.
Dinner, if you count waiting on the chicken to bake, I rarely spend more than 30-45 min's preparing including wait time, which I have to wind down from training until 9pm or later at night anyway. The actual prep time for any chicken I make or meat for dinner is less than 5 minutes which includes unwrapping, seasoning, and waiting for the oven to preheat. I then prepare the vegetables or salad I'll have with it while the protein is in the oven.
Coffee, during the week, I brew at work when I arrive.
If I went to a restaurant that wasn't fast food, I'd spend comparable time driving, sitting down, ordering, waiting, paying, then driving home. It's not time we need more of, it's just laziness that impedes are desire to prepare our own food and eat in a healthy manner.

John Danaher on Cross Training

Feel like I just said something about this the other day....

Danaher discusses grappling

Ignore the interviewer's 2 cents:

Guard Pass in Action: Francisco Iturralde - Black Belt Guard Passing

Other than sweeping from deep half guard, guard passing is my other current obsession in BJJ.


 

Monday = Leg Weave/Terrere/Knee Shield Guard Pass - BJJNews

I saw this over at BJJNews.com (you should have gone to their page first this morning while sipping coffee in your cubicle).

I've mentioned it on here quite a bit as part of how I pass guard, and here is Kurt Osiander showing it, one of my favorite/delightfully simple guard passes.

More Copa Podio & Travis Stevens

Got this from over at BJJ Eastern Europe:

How he got into BJJ:
"In 2012 I suffered a really bad foot injury while getting ready for the London Olympic Games and so to stay in shape I sought out the best BJJ school I could find and that was Renzo Gracie’s in Manhattan NY. I basically lived in a hotel for three months in NYC where I trained at Renzo’s three times a day desperately trying to stay in shape for the London Olympics in that three months I fell in love with the sport and started to compete soon after the London Olympics."

I found myself due to knee injuries spending more time practicing BJJ as half-guard from the bottom was about all I could do in the interim.
That and I realized if I wanted better mat work, I should work with guys that it was their specialty. I knew not all of it would cross over, but I wanted that seemingly effortless control and fluidity some of the higher ranked BJJ guys used when I rolled with them. I used to care more about what crossed over, but now, like I've said, I like competing in each and appreciate their differences and attributes.

Semi-Docu-Grappling-mentary Saturday

Random combat-sport related videos I've watched at coffee shops over the past few days:

Ryan Hall gets Stuart Cooper Treatment: Deep Half Guard

Ouchi Gari as taught by the inimitable Yamashita

Keenan Cornelius - Submission Series from Mount

Bangkok BJJ

Gianni Grippo Interview

Rolled Up with Bruno Malfacine

MMA's ACL Curse Strikes Again: Conor McGregor

Dammit.
Been there myself.
It's the Achilles heel of our sport.
Add Conor McGregor to the list of King Mo, Dominic Cruz, Mousasi, GSP et al.

Friday's Dunning-Kruger Effect Sample: Full-Time Training Schedule with Matt Holt

I'm big on scheduling and plotting out my training, as well as keeping a training log.
I'm always interested to see how full-time or close to full-time competitors and athletes allot their time to drilling, live sparring, & the dreaded (for me) strength and conditioning.

Peaking and periodization is another art form which long term I would like to improve (and by improve, I mean learn about b/c currently I know very little beyond recognizing some of the late stage signs of overtraining and fatigue).

I'm always interested to see the "haters" come out when they read the training regimen of a full-time athlete. The steroids, the disbelief, the overtraining blah blah claims come about very, very quickly.
It's interesting to see the Dunning-Kruger effect let fly almost immediately. People who've never been to the OTC and/or never trained more than once per day, or picked up grappling as a hobby in their mid 20's immediately choose to disbelieve rather than take with a grain of salt and consider what it's like to literally train, teach, and compete roughly full-time.
I'd liken it to reading about Travis Stevens' full-time schedule for training:

That being said, I believe I stumbled across this posted on Sherdog

Matt Holt:
"JiuJitsu Competitor, Greco Roman wrestler, and coach.

Description

2013 FILA world bronze medalist. 2012 NAGA Men's Expert world champion. 2x US Open place winner. Olympic Training Center Resident Athlete. Received a Masters of Education at Southern Oregon University. Was an All-American and Academic All-American for coach Mike Ritchey at SOU. University All-American in Greco Roman.
---
Monday 8/12/13
10:00 NO GI DRILL/POSITIONAL SPARRING – RICKY STORY – PAID
12:00 GI PRACTICE
6:00 WRESTLING PRACTICE – ZEPH – PAID
7:00 TEACH SUBMISSION WRESTLING – PAID

8:00  LIFT
DEADLIFT – 8X175/5X315/3X335/3X355

1. HIGH PULL 8X165/8X175/8X185/8X195
2. MED BALL SLAM 20X20/20X20/20X20/20X20/

1. T ROWS 8X160/8X170/8X185/8X185
2. CURL PRESS 8X26/8X26/8X35/8X35
3. BAND ROWS 40/40/40/40

• SL PULLY CURL
• LEG EXT
• TRI EXT

TUESDAY 8/13/13
9:00 GI PRACTICE
10:30 WRESTLING PRACTICE – EVAN – PAID
7:00 TEACH SUBMISSION WRESTLING – PAID
8:30 NO GI LIVE 30 MINS – PAID

8:30 LIFT
ZERCHER SQUAT 8X255/5X275/3X315/3X335

1. SLED PULL 50 METERS 135/155/165/185
2. SLED PUSH 50 METERS 135/155/165/185

1. HIP ABDUCT 8X170/8X180/8X190/8X190
2. HIP ADDUCT 8X170/8X180/8X190/8X190
3. BOX JUMP 48 INCHES 8/8/8/8

• SIDE RAISE
• FRONT RAISE

8/14/13
10:00 NO GI DRILL/POSITIONAL SPARRING – RICKY STORY – PAID
12:00 NO GI PRACTICE
6:00 WRESTLING PRACTICE – ZEPH – PAID
7:00 TEACH SUBMISSION WRESTLING – PAID

8:00  LIFT

1. KB OVERHEAD SQUAT
2. CRUSH GRIPPER
3. PAVEL TWIST
4. AB FLEXOR
5. BACK EXT
6. GOOD MORNINGS

8/15/13
12:00 GI PRACTICE
6:00 WRESTLING PRACTICE – ZEPH – PAID
7:00 TEACH SUBMISSION WRESTLING – PAID
8:30 NO GI LIVE 30 MINS – PAID

8:30 LIFT
HAMMER STRENGTH INCLINE BENCH 8X315/5X335/3X365/3X385

1. SINGLE ARM PAVEL PUSH PRESS 8X50/8X60/8X60/8X70
2. KB FRONT RAISE 8X35/8X35/8X44/8X53

1. SINGLE ARM CRUNCH PRESS 8X53/8X70/8X70/8X70
2. LF SIDE RAISE 8X120/8X125/8X135/8X135

1. TRI EXT 8X140/8X150/8X160/8X170
2. SINGLE ARM RING PUSH UP 8/8/8/8

8/16/13
12:00 NO GI PRACTICE
6:00 SUBMISSION WRESTLING – PAID
7:00 KETTLE BELL WORKOUT – 18 MINS

8/17/13
3 MILE WALK
8/18/13
3:00 WRESTLING PRACTICE – PAID
4:30 NO GI LIVE 90 MINS"

 

Friday = From Russia with Love

Sometimes that dude watching the fights from the stands....is a total badass.

Just watch.
Wow.

He pretty much immediately picks up a single leg and hits an outside trip.
After a restart he really lets his hands go and it goes downhill for his longer haired opponent.

Friday's Question: Do you even uchikomi, bro?

Mike Swain is no longer a young man.
In brief: "four Olympics and five World Championships. He is most known for his historic win in 1987, becoming the first male judoka from the Western Hemisphere to win a World Championship since it’s inception in 1956. He also won silver at both the 1985 and 1989 World Championships, as well as a gold at the 1987 Pan American Games. He is a four time Olympian*, a five time World team member and was the 1996 US Olympic Judo coach for the Atlanta Games."

 

There it is.
You have the beginning of some great Judo.
No frills. No fluff. No flash. Solid, core, basic fundamentals repeated thousands of times with speed, intent, and efficiency. The true definition of Judo.
Go train.
 

Travis Stevens: Copa Podio, Humility, Judo, and Jiu-Jitsu

Judo: It's a tough sport.

This will bother some people, but I believe it.
You don't go to a foot doctor if your hand is hurting.

This as it applies to grappling is the same.
Disclaimer: This is not another tireless BJJ vs Judo debate. Just my thoughts, having competed in both for going on something like 7-8 years now.

If I want to learn how to take people down in the Gi, I'm going to go see a sambo player or a Judo player. If I want to work on my NoGi takedown game....wait for it....I'll go see a wrestler.
If I want to learn how to pin, I'll go see a Judo player or a wrestler or a sambo player.
If I want to polish my submissions, my finesse, and my control, I'll go see a Jiu-Jitsu player.

This always ruffles feathers on some level.
I don't know why, and frankly, it's silly.

If a Judoka goes to Jiu-Jitsu and tries to just take everyone down and pin them in side control and not move, they're missing all the other areas. If a wrestler tries to just stay in the guard and not get swept or submitted, they're missing all the other areas. If a Jiu-Jitsu player just pulls guard from the feet at Judo practice and attempts to quickly take the back and get a submission during standing Randori, they're missing all the other areas. If a sambo player refuses to learn any chokes at Jiu-Jitsu practice and tries to heel hook everyone, they're missing the other areas. If a Judo player takes a BJJ player and smashes them into the mat at their first Judo practice to prove a point, they too then are guilty of the same false-pride.

I don't take people down in BJJ the way I do in Judo. I don't go for submissions in Judo the way I do in BJJ. I've learned a lot by simply taking each sport as their own, training them separately and when competing or in competition practice trying things out.

Travis Stevens has an interview up over at Graciemag. He's accepted the offer to compete at the upcoming Copa Podio.

There's a lot of humility in the article for a guy ranked #5 in the world at his weight in Judo and a 2 time Olympian. He doesn't see the two sports as being very similar or the need to bring the rule sets in each sport any closer together (based on other interviews of his I have read). I have two different modes when competing in Judo as compared to Jiu-Jitsu. I like the two sports separate just fine. They're different visually/aesthetically, they attract differing personality types and emphasize a number of different attributes. I used to wish there was more or less of this in each sport and the reality is there is no happy or perfect or ideal medium. I have my quibbles with the governing bodies/politics/rule changes in each, but by and large, I just see them as separate now and enjoy them each relatively separately.

The most prescient point he makes is in the first line of the article's title: "I'm going to Copa Podio to do BJJ, not Judo." Sounds simple enough, and yet, that's the point.
--
TRAVIS STEVENS: Unfortunately for me the strategies that are used in Judo are not the same as BJJ so there wont be much cross over. The only thing that I will be able to bring to the table from Judo is how comfortable I feel while competing. I’m used to competing about 15-16 times a year for Judo which keeps me in a competition mind set.

TRAVIS STEVENS: I don’t think my Judo accomplishments will be overlooked but I think that my Judo accomplishments won’t help me in any BJJ competition. Even if someone tries to stand up and take me down I’m just going to pull guard anyways. I’m going to Copa Podio to do BJJ not Judo.

 

 

 

 

Your Excuse is Invalid: Richie Parker Edition

Time to realize that you're just making excuses, here's an image and a video to help with that:
 

Alert the Drug Czar: Barnett Never Lost the HW Belt

"no one ever took my belt from me, so I don't what belt they were putting around (his waist), but that wasn't the UFC heavyweight title as far as I was concerned."

That's like saying if you came in over the contracted weight, then lost the fight, you still didn't lose.
This isn't parking lot 3pm fighting. It's a legitimate sport with rules and if you don't like them (like not using banned substances), either fight elsewhere or learn to piss clean.

I suppose it's not surprising that Barnett a 3 strike loser in the game of PED-testing would come up with some self-deluding rationale to hype this upcoming bout.

And, oddly enough, I think Barnett is hilarious and a welcome addition to the division. But damn if he makes it hard to like him when he's such an egregiously repeat offender.

 

Macelo Makes Rollsies with Gianni Grippo

In some of the bigger up n' comer world news preceding the Worlds, Gianni Grippo left his longtime team at Renzo/Danaher to join Marcelo Garcia. (That and Team Lloyd Irvin effectively disintegrated with Keenan and JT leaving, DJ Jackson's criminal record came out et cetera). On unrelated news, I've started getting emails/instructional spam from Lloyd Irvin again. I guess he figures he's laid low long enough.

Le sigh.
Anyhow, moving on.
 

This Guy: Wilson Junior

Wow.
This guy.


"There was Marco Ruas(UFC) vs Roberto Leitao .. I remember Leitao got a triangle on  Ruas and Ruas standing up and slammed him to the wall to see if he released.. I was watching and thinking “fuck” that’s the place to train ."

"He invited me to join their elite no gi training there. As we were supposed to meet there one Monday morning he was late so I was waiting for him outside as one of our local friend passed by: a tough blue belt called Paulo Filho (15×0 on Pride and 4 times World Champion) and invite me to go up. That was my first training there. In that class we had Liborio, Ze mario, Carlson senior him self and Vitor Belfort was training for his first fight against Randy Couture."

"I always try to pass the Carlson Gracie mentality.. Pass and smash! No funky Bjj, no gogoplata,berimbolo and all this faggot stuff.. We do it knee on the face here.
There is no flow rolling here. War has to be the rule at all times, if you can’t take it, you can leave… Many guys didn’t survive our aggressive training and left to other clubs to do Zen Bjj. Here in Carlson, is the place where the children cry and the mother don’t see. If he survives the training he will be a bad mother fucker for sure mate!
One thing I don’t like in my club is a pussy student, here we have fighting Bulldogs.. I want people to know when they see those Bulldogs patches on the other side of the fighting area… You better be ready my friend because it will be nasty.. Ezequiel choke will be over your mouth.. While you are trying your berimbolo someone will crank your foot, better don’t let us pass your guard because knee on the belly will become knee on face, shoulder of justice and other nasty stuff..
That’s how we roll!"

"In 2013 I already announced after this English Open that I will run 4 hour long competition training for the hardcore team, those guys join those classes will get the HardCore Patch to put on their gi.
Also this training will show who is real keen to be good on Bjj and the other who just want to go the Pub and say “I do Bjj” “I do mma” etc…"

"The Gym will not be business man friendly.. Will be cold,dark,rusty irons bars, will be similar a jail with cage fighting and mats. I think the Carlson style will fit perfect in Poland, polish guy are hard workers and very talented"

 

Renzo Rolling with Paulo Miyao (!)

 

6 Degrees of Grappling: Marcelo to Marcelo

Slow Motion Phantom Cam Footage from UFC on Fox Sports 1

Handbag World Problems: Reza Madadi Released

Well, say it ain't so. Reza Madadi was sentenced to 18 months in jail for aggravated burglary in Sweden. For stealing high end hand bags. And with that, his contract with the UFC has been terminated.

How to Sweep Leandro Lo by Otavio Souza

I'm sure others have, but it's a rarity. Otavio Souza is the only guy other than Lucas Lepri I believe I've seen sweep Leandro Lo as a black belt (I know, I'm probably missing someone, take a deep breath, it's Monday morning).
At any rate, jump ahead to 1:24 to see Otavio Souza enter the hallowed halls of the few to get Leandro Lo on his back:
 

BJJ Scout: Rodolfo Vieira Guard Passing Breakdown

BJJ Scout has been putting out that hot fire as of late.

Go check it out over at their site, and peruse the other great stuff:
 

BJJ Scout elucidates the point that much of Rodolfo's passing comes from encroaching up the opponent's body and then cross-facing which opens up a variety of passes.
It's interesting in so far as they passing Rodolfo does is nothing spectacularly complex, but is clearly solid in its fundamentals as he has a very direct path and however the opponent reacts, he then responds and continues his progress to the pass.

 

My God This Crane Kick: UFC on Fox Sports 1 Video Highlights

Well, that was an interesting night of quick stoppages on the UFC's debut on Fox Sports 1. The conspiracy theorist in me is always suspicious, but I'll suspend my disbelief and simply enjoy a bunch of stoppages. Matt Brown put away Kyle early. Mike Brown got folded up. Urijah Faber out wrestled his way past a mid-level contender and stakes his claim as the best gate keeper in the UFC. Travis Browne inexplicably overcame what could have easily IMO been the end of the fight and Shogun got guillotined by Chael Sonnen. Being a Shogun fan is heartbreaking at times. God, it is heartbreaking, but the fight game is no place for sympathy.

On to the highlights:

Shogun, you would have done better to work on you wrestling than to work your jab with a boxing trainer:

Travis Browne shows the awesomeness that is the crane kick:
 

Urijah Faber shows why he is always the second best lower weight class fighter in several divisions:
 

More Fights After the Jump:

Last MInute Hype Train Videos For Shogun vs Chael and Overeem vs Browne

For the launch of programming on a brand new flagship sports network, the UFC's been low key in appealing to us, the hardcore fans. They correctly assume we'll tune in, and you get the feeling the card is set to appeal new potential fans rather than those of us who always watch UFC-style fighting whenever it appears on cable or PPV.

At any rate, I'll be working my other job, but as the hours count down I grow increasingly interested to see if Alistair really is that flat when proving he has "normal" Testosterone levels or if Travis Browne's crumbling under the weight of Bigfoot was a fluke. I think if Browne has early success he can win the fight. I've never been a big believer in Alistair's ability against top flight or even closer to the top of the figurative flight of competition, but does that mean Browne is high enough up the rung to beat him? Browne grew a beard and that's always been a psychological tell regarding confidence to me, but if he lands a good shot, and/or Alistair showboats and lets him adjust, Browne can pull off the win. Alistair's never beaten A-list fighters in MMA. Look at his resume for proof. It simply remains to be seen if Browne has recovered from his devastating KO loss to Bigfoot (who incidentally KO'd Alistair by coming on strong in the 3rd ala Rocky vs Clubber Lang.

That being said, Shogun, still fighting since his wars in Pride, his life-shortening bout with Dan Henderson plugs on, trying to regain a shot at Jon Jones who he clearly did not respect nor take seriously in their first bout and added his scalp to the chopping block of former champs that is the Jon Jones machine. Brazil's Undesirable No. 1, Chael Sonnen, gets the spotlight again and it's interesting to see if/how he works toward another title shot if he takes down Shogun for the better part of 3 rounds. That's about the only way I see him winning. Chael hasn't made a habit of finishing fights but rather grinding out wins with top position (save him outstriking Anderson Silva, go figure, in their first bout).

Anyhow, I'm being a Chatty Kathy, you came for videos:

 

BJJ News - Aesopian on Mandatory Gi's

I got it from BJJ News which you should check first thing every day when you lazily stroll into your favorite coffee shop and/or sit down in your cubicle.

Here is the link to Aesopian's thoughts on schools regimenting gi aesthetics/consistency et cetera.

 

O.G. - Original Grappler of the Day - Nino Schembri

Nino is one of those guys that has been competing in Jiu-Jitsu, grappling, and the sport of MMA for years.
His MMA career spanned 7 years, and he's one of the only Brazilians to hold a notable win over Kazushi Sakuraba, the famed "Gracie Hunter".

He's popped up again recently in highly entertaining bouts with the likes of Bill Cooper at the World Jiu-Jitsu Expo.

I love watching him compete, and despite being 39 years old, he's still putting it on the line, competing against younger guys and even doing the absolute.

Here is Nino at the 2000 Mundials against none other than Terrere:
 

Fast forward something like 13 years and he's competing still:

 

Nino vs Unknown at the 2013 San Francisco Open:
Nino vs Yuri Simoes at the 2013 Las Vegas Open:
Rolled Up Episode 9 feat. Nino:
Nino vs Kazushi Sakuraba:


Rolled Up Episode 8 feat. Nino Schembri:
 

John Wayne Parr Talks Nonsense: Dunning-Kruger Effect

“If I can just learn a bit on the ground, I can do this. I’m not saying I’m going to be a UFC champion but I think I can beat some of the mid-level guys,” he added."

“I really wanted to have an (MMA) cage fight, I watch it every weekend and I think these guys are warriors so I thought ‘how can I do this without having to learn the ground (game) because I’ve been doing muay thai for so long'."

“I got to spar with GSP and Rory MacDonald and I more than held my own with those guys. Without wanting to blow smoke up my own bum I think it was 70-30 my way so that was such a confident booster,” he said."

Temp Drops in Hell: Somdet wins by submission

John Wayne Parr take note, old dogs can learn new tricks. Somdet picked up a win by submission recently in MMA:



Here he is in his native sport:

That is a little man with whom you would probably do well not to cross.

OMG! Fox Sports 1/UFC Fight Night 26 Gambling Picks!?!@)!(#

From over at MMAJunkie.com:

My picks in 60 seconds are - Shogun by a gritty tough, split decision. My only concern being if he worked enough takedown defense and work off the cage. Chael will make it a grinder to be sure.
Alistair by first round KO b/c he won't wait to fade like he did against Bigfoot, and b/c Travis Browne grew a big beard and I recall reading something psychological about guys who suddenly grow a beard before a big fight.
Faber b/c he beats all mid-level guys but loses in title shots.
Matt Brown by grinding unanimous decision.
Uriah Hall by headkick KO in first round.
Joe Lauzon by submission b/c I love watching that guy fight.

Brad Pickett by unanimous decision. McGregor b/c the hype train must roll on!
Brandao b/c he's slowly maturing as a fighter rather than blowing his load like the Tazmanian devil.
Cole Miller b/c I hate watching Gamburyan fight.
Nijem b/c he had a respectable win streak there for a hot second.

"

MAIN CARD (FOX Sports 1, 8 p.m. ET)

• Mauricio Rua vs. Chael Sonnen
• Travis Browne vs. Alistair Overeem
• Yuri Alcantara vs. Urijah Faber
• Matt Brown vs. Mike Pyle
• Uriah Hall vs. John Howard
• Michael Johnson vs. Joe Lauzon

PRELIMINARY CARD (FOX Sports 1, 6 p.m. ET)

• Michael McDonald vs. Brad Pickett
• Max Holloway vs. Conor McGregor
• Mike Brown vs. Steven Siler
• Diego Brandao vs. Daniel Pineda

PRELIMINARY CARD (Facebook, 4:30 p.m. ET)

• Manny Gamburyan vs. Cole Miller
• Cody Donovan vs. Ovince St. Preux
• Ramsey Nijem vs. James Vick "

 

O.G. Photo of the Day: Original Grapplers

 

Braulio Talks Galvao @ ADCC 2013

Hopefully the "guard of the galaxies" stall fest he pulled against Rodolfo won't be on display b/c this is NoGi.

Christ that was boring.

 

Rolled Up: Kurt Osiander

Go and buy some stuff over at Budovideos. Budo Dave is about as close to being the heart of BJJ/business as exists. The shows and this week in BJJ and each year refining the broadcast(s) of the Pans and Mundials.....go support the business. A lot of it turns around and goes right back into the sport(s) we love.
 

I've lifted a number of his moves of the week series on youtube and used them in my game. Aside from being a character and figure in BJJ, his no frills approach is refreshing: Watch and Learn: Watch and Learn More:

The Spirit of Anthony Johnson Smiles Down....

I've posted before about Anthony Johnson's weight foibles....but...the title of poorly missing weight is no longer his. That honor title distinction belongs in the hands of another: Lew Polley everyone.

Cage Potato has also been kind enough to construct a weigh-in failure score board for us MMA factoid nerds out there to bicker over at keg parties on balconies of friends houses where we debate the merits of Bruce Lee vs Rickson Gracie rather than hit on actual girls in social situations or brave the club/dance places where guys with big biceps wear bedazzled shirts with feathers, horns, skulls, and tribal artwork and tell every chick in stilletoes about their "underground cage matches for undisclosed amounts of money" and that their style is "ground n' pound".

The above are all things I've actually seen and/or heard firsthand.
My god, these people.

One more, just for nostalgia value:

 

Monday's Multimedia Mailbag from the Minor League Series of Fighting Stuffs

It is what it is. Your excuse(s) is(are) invalid. See above for proof.

I got off work at my other job and was home by 2 something AM.
Just in time to catch Ray Sefo miss a headkick, turn with his hands down and get caught with a big shot, then 2-3 other well-placed shots really had him hurt, and then a guy I'd never heard of finished off Sefo.

It was tough to watch, but then, that's why we watch fights. There is always that chance that the "other guy" will come through and pull of the upset.

By and large, the card was entertaining, and as something on for free, being rerun at 2 something AM as I sat on the couch and unwound from working downtown, I can't complain.

My biggest complaint was actually the glorified sparring by Tyrone Spong. He was literally fed an undersized guy with not nearly enough power to finish Spong in any likelihood (I know, see above), and yet, Spong never really brought the heat.


Maybe he had a tough weight cut, maybe doing the kickboxing tournaments, making weight, sparring, paying his bills, whatever, I'm sure the guy has legitimate reasons why his performance fell flat, I just as a fan was a bit disappointed. I'm sure he'll violently punish and finish whatever poor soul faces him next (how about him and Arlovski at light heavyweight?), I'm just called it as I saw it. I like Spong, I like watching him fight, technically he's great, it just missed the mark a bit for me.



Newell continues to impress and it's hard not to root for the guy and then also enjoy watching him win. He comes to fight and does so and wins convincingly.

Some other guys I'm not familiar with from the broadcast:

At the end of the day, I'm glad it was on, it was a good card, and it's good that fighters not in the UFC get some spotlight. I'd be hard pressed to admit I enjoyed it any less than some of the recent UFC main cards.

Leandro Lo vs Felipe Preguica @ Rio Open

Leandro Lo struggles with his guard passing here, in the open division. Preguice makes it nearly 4 1/2 minutes before Lo passes and nearly gets to mount, perhaps briefly, it's hard to tell by the angle.
It's interesting to see Lo struggle with perhaps a longer limbed, heavier opponent, and not to discredit anything about his game, as he's at the forefront of cutting edge competition at the moment, but perhaps like the Mendes brothers, he is limited by his skillset with guys of comparable size/frame in his division.
At 8:50 Lo gets to the back briefly from standing position to knee through pass as Preguica adjusts grip but in the restart against must address the guard.

You can tell in scrambles Lo would normally reassert pressure and break the opponent down, here, with Preguica, his fatigue and the size difference halts his gains in momentum.

Part of what always set apart Marcelo Garcia and Royler was their work against heavier opponents and it will be interesting if another star rises in the next few years from the lighter weight classes to bring back the old adage/belief in the small man beating the big man.

Graciemag: Rafa Mendes Talks ADCC/Mundials Disappointment

Silly & Pointless and MMA News to Kick Off Your Weekend!

Gegard Mousasi has called out Vitor Belfort (the guy with a legion of fans and highlight reel KO's, currently within a fight of a title shot), whereas Gegard Mousasi to the casual fan is the guy who fought that guy from Sweden and could barely pick the unknown can fighter apart until it was mercifully ended via TKO/cut stoppage.

Belfort's recent UFC resume:

Mousasi's:

 

 

In other predictably expected news, Ronda Rousey says she "could be" done fighting in two years. She waxes poetic about a road trip and the realization she could lose after having her back taken in her last fight, then comments something about how you can die in the Octagon. I bet her riding around in SoCal traffic is statistically far more dangerous than a sanctioned MMA bout in her division.

That acting but likely figures in as she's made some easy money, but other than Oleg Taktarov, the likes of her making money long term is probably about as good as Rampage Jackson's acting career.



 

Leandro Lo vs Jacob Mackenzie: From 2012-2013

Below I've linked 2 Leandro Lo matches against the same opponent: Jacob Mackenzie.

The matches begin similarly with Mackenzie shooting a low single, but in 2012 Mackenzie immediately goes to a deep half position whereas in 2013, he works more diligently for the low single but is ultimately reversed by Leandro Lo with a sacrifice throw/sumi gaeshi type turnover b/c Mackenzie stops driving with the single leg and goes static for a bit, allowing Leandro to react and adjust.

The 2013 match is vintage Lo with his knee through, active posting with the left hand, punching the right hand through to underhook as he knee through passes or cross facing Mackenzie's face away with the back of his right forearm and virtually stuffing all manner of Mackenzie's attempts to spin underneath and sweep from deep half. In 2013, Mackenzie briefly gets to one legged x-guard which Lo steps over, and briefly has spots in deep half but the show is by and large Leandro Lo. 

In the 2012 Match, Leandro very quickly punches his right hand through to the underhook then Gable grips to force the knee through pass on Mackenzie by the 1:15 mark. Mackenzie gets back to half-guard and Leandro Lo must restart with his knee through and gets back to active posting with the left hand, right hand in the cross collar and working his knee through pass again. It's not until the 3 minute mark that Lo passes Mackenzie's half-guard/deep half switching back and forth.
At 6:21 Mackenzie almost takes Lo's back in identical fashion to the way he does from deep half in the 2013 match, but Lo ultimately scrambles to make enough space to come up to knee through the middle pass as usual.
Mackenzie does a far better job than most of the guys I've seen face Lo (Clark Gracie comes to mind, as does Sean Roberts - granted, a newly minted black belt, but the list of guys Lo just quickly passes their guard is very long indeed).



First up - Leandro Lo vs Jacob Mackenzie from the CBJJE Pan Ams in 2012


Second up - LEandro Lo vs Jacob Mackenzie from the CBJJE Mundials in 2013

Thursday's Strangle Dossier: Head Down, Loop Choke - Flavio Canto Ed.

Matwork-ing his way to prominence in Judo- Flavio Canto:

"

Olympic Games
Bronze	2004 Athens	-81 kg
Pan American Games
Gold	2003 Santo Domingo	-81 kg
Silver	1999 Winnipeg	-81 kg
Bronze	1995 Mar del Plata	-78 kg
South American Games
Gold	2002 Rio de Janeiro	-81 kg
Pan American Judo Championships
Gold	2010 San Salvador	-81 kg

"

One of my coaches is crafty with the loop choke. If you're passing the guard, and your head is down, the loop choke is coming. Period.

The Canto strangle is one of the ones highlighter here (first), and the quick loop choke to victory for an opponent who's not paying attention or ignores the danger sign of the grip in the collar/lapel, pays for his hastiness.

And more about the (Flavio) Canto Strangle:



More of Flavio Canto's matwork/newaza:

2012 Year in Judo HL

Leandro Lo being Leandro Lo at the CBJJE 2013