ADCC Confirmed Athletes

Garbrandt vs Dillashaw Joins Bisping/GSP on Nov. MSG Card

Reebok Pays $100K for 4+ hrs of prime time cable airtime

I hope in a decade we look back on the Reebok deal as something like the war on drugs: a noble effort but proof that what sounds like a good idea in practice often simply not not deliver as promised 

UFC's Welterweight Division is....Anemic

I didn't realize until I pulled it up: Woodley took the belt from Lawler, beat Maia, Certone just lost, I would rather gouge out my eyes with a spoon than see a third Thompson fight, Masvidal lost to Maia, and what Neil Magny? Colby Covington? Interestingly Ponzinnibion with his stoppage wins on his resume is actually looking pretty good, as Gunnar dropped a stoppage loss to him and Carlos Condit already lost to Woodley via injury but whatever. 

Ouch. Dos Anjos interestingly enough could save the division from snoozer Woodley who now 3 fights in a row has fought on the back foot and no way does RDA let Woodley walk around the cage without outworking him and stalking him down and potentially forcing him to actually do some fighting for more than a round and a half in 5. 

UFC Mexico City Card this weekend:

Despite the lack of big name players, I expect given the location and the dearth of smaller weight class guys a good night of fights. Sam Alvey, Jouban, Rashad Evans, Rani Yahya, and Sergio Pettis facing Brandon Moreno make for a solid outing for a Canle TV card. On one hand I want to complain about the card, but I have been perhaps exceedingly critics of the UFC as of late: despite the absence of McGregor from its cards and Bisping's extended hiatus, overall, the handover to the new ownership has given us some Interim belts which I never thought I'd like but it finally basically makes a number one contender type of queue which was my biggest knock on the UFC for the past several years. The whole so and so is fighting for the title shot was like telling someone the check was in the mail. 

At any rate, if we want guys lined up for the Demetrious Johnson or the Cody Garbrandt, or the whoever, we have to spend some time sorting out the mid tier guys and give them the exposure that can lead to exciting title fights. I for one have allowed obsessing over name recognition to blind me to that truth of combat sports. Part of the fun is and long term fandom is following a guy who comes into the UFC relatively unknown then ascends the throne. 

 

Eddie Bravo Talks EBI 12 Female Flyweights, Gi BJJ as a Spectator Sport et al

Having fallen asleep during the last 5 Grappling Lightweight Bracket, I can't say I disagree. Some of those match-ups felt less intense than two blue belts rolling for bragging rights in the gym at open mat. ACB with its recent -60/-65kg bracket did have some great match-ups and matches, but I found myself skipping through some 5 min rounds of open-guard and death grips on Gi pants and lapels.

Gi competitors who cry about not making money but spend 5 minutes with a guy tied up in your lapel, I dunno man, is there a middle ground? More and more, I find myself spending passing right on over protracted guard battles with guys spending more time needing to shut down their passing b/c of a lapel feed or likewise grips.

Anyhow, have a listen. Enjoy. Ponder. Consider.

Legends Tour: Sakuraba to face Dan Henderson Oct. 15th

Aside from facing guys in what amounted to open weight division times, Saku was and is truly a crafty submission hunting grappler. His non sequitur approach and mix of obscure and less traditional (in the JiuJitsu sense) always made him a. Last to watch. His highlight reels are full of transitions and kimuras and leg locks and pro wrestling meets legit grappling chops. Amazing. He'll always be a legend.