Mike Dolce Interview/Diet for Performance

I use common sense when it comes to my diet. As I integrate staples into my diet, I look at how "full" I feel after eating, later that date, at rest before sleep, of course during training and how sore I am through the week until my rest day.

I also look at how I feel after I take something out of my diet and this is particularly true of my attitude toward supplements (I take a multivitamin and fish oil and of course some protein.....and that's it for supplements).

Keenan Cornelius @ Five Grappling in California

Monday Morning/Afternoon Post Judo Tournament Review

Despite the snow days interrupting training, I did Mayfields Judo Open this past Saturday.
I have some nagging injuries, one relatively limiting that affected a good bit of my options on the feet but you can win or learn and I knew I would get more out of competing than going to Open mat like I normally do on a Saturday. Saturday was supposed to be my return to right-handed play in Judo, but an injury has delayed that again. I haven't competed/played right handed since before my ACL surgery.

I took 2nd in the -66kg adult advanced/black belt division.
Threw my first two opponents in the first or second exchange, something like 20 seconds or so apiece if I recall correctly. I threw the first for an uranage still counter to an uchimata or ouchigari. The 2nd match I won with two throws for waza ari in the first few exchanges, finishing with a seionage or seiotoshi.

The final was a tough match with my less than stellar conditioning not being up to par and some missed opportunities on the ground, namely a triangle/armbar locked in but stopped by a stand-up/restart from the referee. On the plus side I managed to hit a deep half sweep and reverse de la riva sweep despite the shorter time on the ground in Judo competition and very nearly pinned him for the win but needed about 5 more seconds of pin time to get the "W".

2 weeks until the next tournament put on by Bushido Judo, then the US Grappling Virginia Beach tournament on March 15th.

Monday's MMA Multimedia Mailbag: UFC 170 Underwhelmingly Meh Edition

Well, UFC 170....happened.

I spent the day out 2 hours out of town competing at a Judo tournament in the -66kg black belt division. I took 2nd after a very tough match in the finals. I won the first two rounds of the bracket by Ippon/throw then had a very tough match in the finals against a very tough competitor. I needed 5 more seconds of pin time to win before time expired but he beat me fair and square. My hat off to him. I had some good transitions, locked a triangle and armbar but lost it to a referee restart, the same for a deep set RNC grip, but c'est la vie.

On to the event:

Rousey won a woefully underwhelming fight that leaves me wondering who is really left for her to fight.

Cormier outclassed a guy who clearly looked like a 10 day replacement in a main event of the "NFL of Mixed Martial Arts"

Maia again failed to capitalize with a high level fight right in front of him. I love Demian Maia but his come out and shoot repeatedly from way too far out was ill-advised and looked worse and worse as he tired. He shows up some nights and crushes guys (like Jon Fitch) then other nights....well, you saw Saturday night.

Metamoris 3 Countdown: Rafa Mendes vs Clark Gracie

Berimbolo vs Omoplata

Can't wait.

UFC 170 Countdown Special: Rousey vs McMann, Cormier vs Cummins, Maia vs McDonald

I've put them in order of my interest to see the fights. I'm actually buying some of the hype/grudge match angle to see Cormier and Cummins fight. Call me a sucker. Call me an unabashed narrative/MMA fan. Whatever. Cormier has had some great wins to his credit. He won the Strikeforce Grand Prix Champion. Say what you will, at heavyweight, all of those guys on any given night are dangerous. Bigfoot, Kharitonov, Barnett, *ahem* Fedor, Fabricio Werdum.....it was kind of the best heavyweight bracket ever likely done in MMA history.



Rory wilted under Robbie Lawler's pressure as I expected and won me a whole boatload of fantasy money. I'm interested to see how Maia handles the longer-framed Rory who has a much more versatile standing attack when he decides to use it. It remains to be seen if Demian Maia can put him on his back and punish him and control him like he did when he out-Fitchd Jon Fitch.



Stylisticlaly, I'm interested to see Ronda face an elite level grappler as the rest of her wins have been over women with simply not the combat sports credentials necessary to have with Rowdy on the mat.

 

Metamoris III Countdown: Zak Maxwell vs Sean Roberts

We're about a month away.

I Like Stylishly Shot Competition Videos: Victor Estima Abu Dhabi World Pro Ticket Match

MMA's Dreaded Knee Injury Curse Strikes Again: Rashad Evans Edition

Add Rashad Evans to the likes of GSP, Dominic Cruz, Mousasi, King Mo, Anthony Pettis and many others sidelined by the dreaded knee injury.

Having had my ACL torn and meniscus torn (with a fracture in there to boot), I can't imagine returning to world class competition in 6 months as some guys have.

The "exact nature" of the injury is being withheld, but Rashad Evans will be out at least 6 months with a knee injury.
Talks like a duck, quacks like a duck....it's a duck...or in this case, an ACL injury.

 

Don Frye Does UFC 170 Predictions: Rousey vs McMann

Unapologetically man. Hard not to love.

BJJ Hacks TV: Team Atos

Monday's Multimedia Mailbag: UFC Fight Night 36 Hangover/Full Video Highlights

Machida looked less impressive than his debut at 185 had led me to believe, but got the nod.
Now of course, there's the usual Dana White "not sure if that win was championship/number one contender" talk that is as worn out as your first Jiu-Jitsu Gi.
Some of the mid-tier Brazilian guys just couldn't put the "W" on their resume which was disappointing.

Jacare didn't get the decision but ultimately outclassed Carmont. I'm a little disappointed to hear him say he's not that psyched about a rematch with Rockhold who took his belt in Strikeforce 3 years ago, but perhaps Souza just wants guys coming off of wins, oh wait, Rockhold is coming off of a win. Hmm. Perhapse, Jacare's not interested because of the style Rockhold brings? It remains to be seen.

Oliveira, Erick Silva, Trinalde, and Rodrigo Damm were all fights I called correctly but Marcello and Reis woefully let me down.

Overall I went 6 of 7 for the fights I decided to make picks for last night.
Not bad.
 

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Travis Stevens Interview - Just the Gi Top

Keenan Cornelius - Lapel Guard

Awhile back up in DC, some friends of mine who train at Yamasaki Academy showed me the lapel-o-plata. They had been at a week long training seminar camp of sorts and Caio Terra among others had been there.
I played with it a little bit but it's probably far above my game as I am just now starting to hunt for the omoplata occasionally.

At any rate, enjoy, food for thought:
 

UFC Fight Night 36: Machida vs Mousasi - Picks & Prognostications

Machida is going to put the stamp on Mousasi. Mousasi couldn't put away his first softball opponent in the UFC (knee injury or whatever).
Machida looked faster and more dynamic in his brief debut against a tentative Munoz.
I think Mousasi will hang on for the duration of the fight but I think Machida will frustrate him and a bewildered Mousasi will look terrible.
Machida by unanimous decision.

Jacare by 1st round submission. All other predictions are silly.






Erick Silva is getting a softball here (but damn if he came out swinging for the fences in his last fight in Brazil and got clipped and shut down. It will be interesting to see how a kid who at first was all aboard the hype train recovers from such a devastating KO.
Silva by decision.
Oliveira because I don't trust TUF prospects.
Marecllo by TKO, round 2.
Damm by split decision.
Trinalde by KO round 2.
Reis by 3rd round submission.


"                                                                           

FOX Sports 1, 10:30 p.m. ET

Lyoto Machida vs. Gegard Mousasi

Francis Carmont vs. Ronaldo Souza

Takenori Sato vs. Erick Silva

Viscardi Andrade vs. Nicholas Musoke

Andy Ogle vs. Charles Oliveira

preliminary CARD

UFC Fight Pass, 7:30 p.m. ET

Cristiano Marcello vs. Joe Proctor

Rodrigo Damm vs. Ivan Jorge

Jesse Ronson vs. Francisco Trinaldo

Yuri Alcantara vs. Wilson Reis

Felipe Arantes vs. Maximo Blanco

Ildemar Alcantara vs. Albert Tumenov

Douglas de Andrade vs. Zubair Tuhugov "

Kouchigari to Ezekiel Choke: Maryland Takemori Judo Open 2013

Throwback to the Takemori Open 2013 in the black belt division (sankyu and up):

Kouchigari/makikomi to leg weave pass to Ezekiel choke from the back when he bridges to avoid the pin/osaekomiwaza. I've probably drilled this transition a thousand times or more.

That was my first semi-legit tournament back with some hard training post ACL surgery.
It was a long day.
I only won a single match in the -73kg, and took 2nd in the -66kg division.
No easy matches up there.
Even the brown belts were tough.


 

Various IBJJF San Fran 2014 Open Matches/Rafa vs Gianni Grippo Part Deux - IBJJF San Francisco Open

With some new editions in the lower class at black belt (Gianni and half of the Miyao Brothers), there will be some repeated match-ups.
Gianni recently faced Rafa at the Euros and lost a relatively stale match on points.
This time, however, Rafa turned up the heat.

 

Keenan vs Antelante at Weight



Keenan vs Moizinho in the Open Class Final
 

Gui Mendes vs Paschoal

BJJ Mundials NOT for Everyone/Black Belt World Championship Requirements

I suspected it would come along eventually as the sport grew. The IBJJF has announced that black belts will need to medal/win (it's unclear exactly how many) at other IBJJF events in order to quality for eligibility to compete at the world championships.
It may start at black belt, but you can bet it will eventually trickle down to other belts.
"
In pursuit of this goal, we are requiring that Adult Division Black Belts who would like to register for the 2015 World Jiu-Jitsu Championship will need to have placed at other IBJJF tournaments prior to May 2015.

Because the World Championship is the most prestigious event of our Jiu-Jitsu calendar, it is important that only the most accomplished athletes have a chance for the title.
Athletes eligible to participate in the 2015 World will be:
- Black belts with minimum of 50 points in the IBJJF black belt adult ranking
- Former Black Belt adult World champions
- 2014 Brown Belt World Champions (all weight divisions)

"

ON one hand, logistically, it means ONLY the elite of the elite will compete.
ON the other hand, it means that competitors must now increasingly travel to potentially accrue enough points to be eligible to compete at the Mundials.

If you look at the mechanics of the points system in Judo, only a player at the very upper echelon of USA Judo will get funding to travel to a limited number of international events in order to score enough points to be ranked/qualify for the Olympics/Trials.

Again, on one hand, I'm all for making sure only the elite compete at the black belt level.

ON the other hand, then we should do away with the gentleman's agreement.
If we're really here to ensure fans see the showdowns and elite level competition, then there can be no handshake or coin toss. There needs to also then be a break up or shakedown at some of the major powerhouse teams.

I predict some unforeseen long term effects/changes on BJJ as a result of this decision.

Judo has increasingly become an elitist sport in which a handful of US Teams put forth a handful of competitors as a few events each year to quality for the Olympics.
The recent changes also have meant that an increasingly small handful of countries overall produce competitors for the Olympics/World Championships as well.
For a grass roots level player from a small town, unless you are part of one of a handful of teams, you can go ahead and accept you will likely never compete at  even the national level.

What I've loved about BJJ (among other things) is that openness in the sport.
That any guy with the gumption and drive can show up and do the World Championships.
I like seeing guys from all manner of different teams show up with the patches on their back and compete at that level.

I think it will also mean that you will see more investment by competitors into the other IBJJF events throughout the year which I think is a fiscal reason motivating this decision, which they can then also stream/sell because there will be more high level names competing at the various Opens across the calendar.

US Grappling Submission Only Greensboro - Purple Belt/Video

Made my purple belt debut February 1st/this past weekend at US Grappling Submission Only Greensboro.

Won my first match in the combined -162 weight class then lost to a teammate in the final.

Won my first match from knee on belly to setting up the lapel choke, Brabo-whatever-you-call-it then sliding over into mount.




I also lost in the 1st round of the absolute.
My opponent pulled guard pretty low and hit the outside of my knee (the non-surgery knee which has some collateral damage from years of training across Judo, Jiu-Jitsu, and my 5 MMA fights).

I spent the time in his closed guard trying to determine if my knee was okay and got caught in a triangle which he eventually finished with an armbar.
The Takeaway: I should've pulled guard immediately in the absolute because as the guys get bigger, I'm a bit more hesitant on the feet in the event exactly what happened happens: pull guard and launch into my leg/knees.
Going forward, I'll be pulling guard immediately rather than be worried someone takes a flying jump toward my knee(s).

At any rate, I learned a bunch which is the most important part and got my first 3 matches at purple under my belt.

US Grappling runs great tournaments minus pretty much all the things we hate about Jiu-Jitsu tournaments: start late, poor refereeing, et cetera.
Submission Only, in particular is awesome.
I got to see a bunch of black belt submission only matches and a lot of great, solid Jiu-Jitsu.

Sao Paulo Abu Dhabi World Pro Trials Highlight

Keenan Cornelius Pancake Guard

Need More Hype to Force You to Order Metamoris 3?

Up first, from the folks at Metamoris, the official countdown piece: Next, we have an extended version from Eddie Bravo:

The Proof is in the Results

Wrap your brain around that picture.

Jose Aldo, buzzsaw in WEC, world champion in the UFC at 145 lbs.

Renan Barao, undefeated in 30+ MMA contests at the professional level, UFC world champion at 135 lbs.

Eduardo Dantas has the bellator belt at 135 lbs.

Not pictured is Marlon Sandro, the King of Pancrase at 135 lbs.

Whatever is in the water, it is working.
Unlike some teams marred by positive steroid tests of its fighters and fake urine (*ahem* American Top Team), I'm unaware of any such problems with Nova Uniao.

The proof is in the results.

Rafa Mendes Guard Passing Study - The Grappler's Guide

BJJ Scout has inspired a new wave of such breakdowns.
Watch and digest.

The leg wiper and the stapling the legs in particular are the easier parts to adopt and implement if you don't do them already.

 

Fighter 3,453 Blames Rehydration Snafu not Weightcutting Extremes for Loss

Yep. It wasn't the cutting 20 lb's of weight in a short amount of time.
It wasn't the process by which you forcibly dehydrate your body after a strenuous training camp.
It was the IV or lack thereof.

If you weren't cutting 20 lb's it never would have happened:
"Brunson told MMAjunkie that one small change in his post-weigh-in routine set everything spiraling over the next 24 hours, and left him in a bad spot come fight time. Gassing out in the third was inevitable, he believes, and all started after making weight."

"“I’ll be working with a nutritionist to find out how to rehydrate properly, because whatever I’m doing isn’t working. I’ll get a good meal plan and a good way to rehydrate, and never forget that IV."

Yeah, now that you're in the UFC, that would be a good idea.

Like it or Not, You Will Order Metamoris 3: Thanks Stuart Cooper

I have oft been a vocal critic of the Metamoris. Like all great ideas, it has been marred by poor execution, agenda, promotion, self-serving...but, it is one of the highest profile invite only professional level grappling events, so.....

 

Monday's Multimedia Mailbag: UFC 169 Anti-Climax Edition

Well, I was pretty excited about this card when it was announced. Dominic Cruz's return, Renan  Barao facing him, Jose Aldo dispatching another challenger with ease.....Frank Mir vs Alistair might be entertaining if it lasted a round.

But as with human plans and expectations gone awry, I was left with a sour taste in my mouth.

As for my picks, I saw Lineker plod forward barely throwing punches and get out grappled over 3 rounds. Jamie Varner get into an extended firefight and get KTFO.

I correctly had Barao, Aldo and Overeem but that's about it.

I built myself up for letdown with this one and all I can really do at this point is look forward to the February 22nd card, but I'll be working at my other job that weekend. Stylistically, there are some great match-ups on that card with Cormier vs Evans, Rivera vs Assuncao, Oliveira vs Koch, Dos Anjos fighting, and McDonald vs Maia. Sometimes these cards with mid-level guys needing the "W" to move up the ladder prove better than a champ fighting to win a decision ala Ben Henderson or even Jose Aldo as of late.

On to the highlights or lowlights as the case may be:

Purple Belt Debut/Hectic Jiu-Jitsu Weekend/No Rest for the Weary

2nd place, purple belt combined -162 lbs

Busy weekend spent helping set up and do some referee training with the awesome folks at US Grappling for their Submission Only Greensboro. I won my first match at purple belt, lost to a teammate in the next round of a round robin bracket combining the 3 guys under 162 lbs.
I got to see a number of good matches while working a table between a good number of black belts as well.

Sunday morning was back at Judo practice then some hard rolling at another Jiu-Jitsu Open Mat because the Virginia Judo Open is in 2 weeks.
I plan to do the ADCC Nationals in Virginia Beach the following weekend.
Then, schedule permitting, US Grappling's Virginia Beach Tournament mid-March.

 Thought I may have injured my knee in the absolute when the guy jumped guard very low and hit my knee from the outside/going in, but my knee is okay. I got caught in a triangle/armbar by worrying about my knee rather than staying in the present but I relearned an old axiom that the guy who gets to where he wants to be first usually wins (Thanks Justin Rader).




I was undecided if I should sit to open guard or fight for the takedown, and every time I've done that in a match I've lost.

Lesson (re)learned.

I also got a sweet Jeff Shaw designed Gracies in Action inspired T-shirt from Cageside MMA's vendor booth.