MMA Round Up

Ok so it's been a while since my last post and as always two weeks is a long time in the world of MMA. I'm actually on holiday in Japan, I'm here for about a month visiting my in laws and doing some touristy shit. I'm just gutted that I'm not gonna be here in February when the UFC hits town. I'm actually quite interested to see if they will fill the Saitama Super Arena, I guess they will, the UFC marketing machine rarely gets this kind of thing wrong but there is no hype here yet. I have seen just two posters in Shinjuku station in Tokyo.

Here are my thoughts on what's happened recently;

1. Jon Jones is the real deal. People are celebrating how "well" Machida did in the first round but really, cmon, yeah sure he was a little awkward at first and yeah a couple of jabs got through but as soon as Jones upped the heat in round two it was like taking candy from a child. He looked a different class to Lyoto. One thing I would say is that despite what Jones himself claims, his chin still hasn't been tested. Lyoto hardly landed a hay maker, he just landed a stiff jab or two. The fact that Jones is so keen to suppress the idea he might have a suspect chin makes me a little suspicious. He was desperate to tell us after the fight that his chin was now proven to be granite. Hmmm. That's why I have a sneaky feeling Rashad will give him a really tough fight. When Rashad talks about Jones he does so with the air of a man who knows something that we don't. They trained with each other extensively. If Jones was dishing out one sided beatings all day would Rashad be so confident? It might be psychological too, kind of like if a kid has to fight his big brother. On this theme, Dan Henderson will also be a real test. If Jones gets hit with the H-Bomb and lives to tell the tale then he really can claim to have a chin. On a serious note if Jones beats both these two his resume will be unbelievable.

2. Will Big Nog really come back after that break? Maybe but at his age that is a career threatening injury. Hindsight is a truly wonderful thing but If Nog had kept the fight standing then I'm pretty sure he would've knocked Mir out. After that victory I don't think it's silly to suggest that Mir is the top heavyweight submission artist in the world. People talk about Nogueira having better technique, maybe slightly but Mir is bigger stonger and more explosive and that gave him the advantage on the ground.

3. I would give Tito one more fight if I were Dana White. love him or loathe him he is one of the people who helped build MMA into the sport it is today. I'd like to see him go out on a win.

4. Much to the annoyance of many American (and some British) fans Micheal Bisping beat Mayhem Miller with some ease. I think if he beats Demian Maia in his next fight I think he'll get a title shot. I think it's a 50/50 fight for The Count but if I were a betting man I'd put some money on a decision win.

5. I'm really hyped about Lesnar v Overeem. This fight will have an electric atmosphere, it's a true heavyweight clash. It seems like Overeem has managed to avoid falling foul of the pre fight drug tests and has the go ahead to square off with Brock. I like Alastair both as a person and as a fighter but seriously the fact that he can compete at all is a damning indictment of the state of performance enhancing drug testing in MMA. I think Lesnar gets the take down early and wins via TKO after about 3 mins of the first round.

Womens MMA and other stuff

There's a few things that I wanted to talk about, so I thought I'd make a list!

1. It seems like Strikeforce will actually be kept alive by Zuffa and I think this is a great move not least for women's MMA. Dana White has a point that the female divisions aren't really deep enough to integrate in the UFC but Strikeforce is a great platform for women's MMA to grow. I also love how the female fighters are covered in the MMA media, they get legitimate coverage and fight reports. This is something that rarely happens in boxing where they still haven't been fully accepted. I mean I'm genuinely hyped about a potential match up between Ronda Rousey and Miesha Tate. Those girls know how to promote a fight and they are seriously skilled too.

2. I wrote a fairly critical previous post about this season of TUF. I have to say the quality of the fights/fighters has won me round. Diego Brandao in particular looks like he could be a real force in the UFC. He's a mini Wanderlei Silva, loads of aggression and power.

3. I think Bisping's gonna take Mayhem. His wrestling is really good which means that this fight will likely be contested on the feet. I can't see Miller winning a stand up battle with The Count. I'm going for Bisping via unanimous decision. Although most American fans (and some Brits) will hate the prospect, a win on Saturday probably puts him one fight away from a title shot. Whilst he would have almost no chance of beating Anderson Silva (presuming he's still the champ) this would be a great opportunity to hold a title fight in the UK which would generate a lot of media interest over here.