I saw a list that said a "Paul Wight" was a BJJ black belt. Sounds inconsequential but The Big Show's name is Paul Wight.Originally Posted by djwolford
I'm pretty excited for the end of the year events.
Dream's putting up a good card so far and UFC 92 looks amazing.
To be honest Dream just never did anything for me, although I respect the amount of talent that they have and the cards that they produce. UFC 92 is looking good, and I'm actually psyched to see AA and Fedor. On a side note I hope that AA pulls out a win.
Also, great arm bar or best arm bar?
(Towards the end, dude should have tapped.)
Cantwell's catching a lot of shit for seeming so happy to have broke dude's arm, but really, he should have tapped. That and I'm pretty sure that it's everyone's desire to break someone's arm if they're too stubborn to do so. Then again maybe I'm just an asshole and so is he.
It is supposed to be, "great arm bar, or the greatest arm bar?"
But you are right, that is a pretty mean arm bar. Dude should have tapped though, it is his own fault. You tap before your arm breaks. That is common sense.
I mean that's how I thought it worked.
Apparently the guy thought that if he didn't tap, Cantwell would decide to go for something else and not break his arm. That is a good example of how it doesn't work.
In my experience, everyone will tap out eventually. I've never done true MMA but I used to do shoot (if you know what that is), and once I got a good hold on they always tapped eventually. I intend to start doing MMA training in about a month or so. I am pretty excited. This post is disjoint and I apologize.
Indeed. He would have tapped after the initial "hey my arm just snapped" adrenaline wore off, pretty quickly might I add.
Also, that's pretty awesome that you're starting in on MMA training, it's fun when it's not bjj. Maybe that's just because I'm not good at it though. I'd much rather enjoy my reach advantage that I generally have than get beat on the ground. Come to think of it, I need to stop being lazy and start back in on that myself.
I'm actually pretty well-rounded. My grappling is stronger than my striking, just because I'm a wrestler and am wrestling minded, but I have a few years of martial arts training and I'm really, really strong, even for my size.
Last edited by Mr. E; 12-11-2008 at 01:02 PM.
By the way, event results-
Spoiler
That may be my problem with jiu jitsu, I never actually wrestled but learned a lot from my uncle and a few friends that did, so I guess my grappling base is more wrestling based. I never really got good at it though, so I'm not a good enough wrestler to be strong in that category, but it keeps me from responding with jiu jitsu quickly and naturally because I always want to revert back to wrestling.
It's a real problem because I could be good as a WW due to my height and striking ability, but can't keep up with most of them on the ground. At MW I'm good enough at striking but again, not quite up to par on the ground, although that's my best division. At LHW I'm just horribly undersized and can't stand with most of them, but most LHWs are on about the same skill level as I am on the ground. That's the main reason that I've been so inactive lately, I've got to get to a point where I can either get big enough to be a huge MW or at very least hit 200 lbs. and be a respectable LHW.
I'd go for LHW if your ground work is poor. Even if you become a giant MW I don't know if you could put on enough strength to counterbalance your ground inadequacies. Of course, you could always just become better on the ground, lol.
I'm a little over my weight class weight now because I put on more weight during this most recent bulking cycle than I thought I would. I'm at about 275 or so right now. I'm going to go through a cutting cycle to get back down below 265 before I start training, cause I don't want to fight as a super heavyweight just because I think some of those guys would crush me into dust.
Cut 15 lbs. of water weight and go in Brock Lesnar style. You can almost win fights based on that huge size advantage in itself if you're a good wrestler.
That is prolly what I'll end up doing. I do still need to cut some body fat though. I'm rocking 14.6% as of yesterday, and I really want to get that number down so I can put on some more muscle without having to worry about outgrowing my weight class like I did this time.
Well while you're bulking 14.6 isn't bad really. I'm bulking right now and sitting at 197 and about 13%(Never been 200, so when I get there I'm cutting again.). After cutting you'll be a beast if you're aiming for 265 and end up around 10 or 11%.
Edit:You're 6'6" aren't you?
Yes, I am 6'6"
That was probably the most brutal MMA card I've ever watched. Also great night of fights.
Anyway on the topic of strengths and weaknesses, I'm pretty much the opposite of you djwolford. My grappling is good enough to hang with most people outside my weight class/experience and is by far my greatest strength, but my striking is terrible. Well I mean I've never got to test it out on someone my size(everyone I train with is a lot bigger than me), so brawling actually might work in my weight class, but I'd rather have technique. It'll all come with experience I guess, right now when I try boxing I have absolutely zero fluidity. But whatever, I have a decent jab and a pretty mean right cross. My main problem is getting overconfident. Again, most of the people I train with are a lot stronger than me so my game plan is keep distance with my jab, stick and move when I get a chance. I tend to land a couple stiff jabs, start landing my cross, then get too cocky and try and stand in the pocket and put together a combination after the 1-2. Usually ends with me getting dropped pretty hard.
Oh yeah and I really need to stop dropping my left hand after I throw a cross.
edit: Also dj wtf, if grappling is your weakest point thats what you should be training. I'm doing nothing but boxing, then muay thai once I'm comfortable with my hands until I get a muay thai fight (my team is pretty small so we can really focus on our weaknesses instead of having a generalized class). I figure if I can beat grapplers in pure grappling and kick boxers in pure kick boxing, I'll do pretty good in MMA.
Last edited by raghead; 12-11-2008 at 06:00 PM.
I know, I really should be. Striking comes naturally to me though, so I've always been pretty good with it. I just can't stand to do something that I get beat at time after time, even if I know I have to improve on my ground game if I ever want to get anywhere. I'll probably get back in to bjj classes here pretty soon and work on it. It's not like I'm actually going to fight anytime soon anyway so it's ok for now. I'd like to get to about 195 and then cut down to MW. I think being that big in that weight class would be a nice advantage.
When I was around 175 I considered trying to make LW but realized that it would be a shitty thing to do if I made the cut.
Also, you're right about the card being brutal. Somewhere between Koscheck's two knockouts in one fight, Al-Hassans arm, Hill's leg(ugh), Saunders destroying dude's face, Wiman's epic blood loss strategy and Goulet being Goulet...it was pretty harsh for a UFC event. It almost reminded me of old school UFC.
Last edited by djwolford; 12-11-2008 at 06:33 PM.
Hi my name is raghead I'll be your motivational speaker for the day.
If I'm lucky I'll only walk out of training with a minor concussion from sparring. Chances are theres only one person on our team worse than me at stand up(also the only kid weaker than me), but I consistently pick the strongest guy(who just so happens to have the best boxing in the class) for sparring. Getting your ass kicked is the fastest way to get better. Man up, yo.
All you have to work on is ground, getting your 'ass kicked' only consists of tapping, losing only hurts your ego. Pick out the best guy ground guys in your class (or the instructor if you're allowed) and only spar with them. If you end up sparring with someone on your level or worse than you, put yourself in your least comfortable positions so you get used to them.
Sigh, I suppose you're right. My ego is very important to me though just to be totally honest about it.
If you roll with the best, than theres no shame in tapping frequently. Think of it that way if it's that important to you.
Hmm, that's a very valid point. Another thing is that if I'm rolling with someone much better than me I'm more likely to keep on until I'm dead or better than that person. Getting outclassed by a lot motivates me whereas getting beat by average people just makes me sad.
That's funny, getting beat by average people should probably motivate you even more.
Nah I'm like "fck it, that guy got the edge on me, he's pretty much on par with me though, that kind of thing happens.".
If someone much better than me beats me it's like "that guy just made me look bad because he's much better than me, I've got to do something about this.".
To be honest you're right, it doesn't make much sense. That's the way I feel though.
Interesting piece of information-Al Bundy is a BJJ black belt under Rorion Gracie.
Wow, who would have guess Al Bundy could have so much to say about MMA?
At the time, he would have been a beast. He had the advantage of knowing bjj and being huge.
Good card last night. I'm pretty pissed Jason MacDonald lost. Nover should have won too, he was too nervous. He just started to get comfortable in the 3rd round and started winning, but it was too little too late.
It was pretty decent but I couldn't get excited about most of the fights. Also Junie/Kaplan getting fight of the night irritated me. I'd be happier if that kid just fell off the face of the planet. Just my opinion though.
On a side note...
luls @ "I usually train, I practice fighting...".
Forrest Griffin is probably one of my favorite people ever. Not my favorite person to watch fight, but the dude is seriously an inspiration. He's the modern day Randy Couture, if Randy started fighting a lot earlier and was funny. Not in fighting style of course, but people should have already learned by now to never bet against Forrest Griffin.
That being said, Rashad doesn't stand a chance. This is one of the few fights that Griffin shouldn't be an underdog.
Jason's selections for UFC 92 winrars in red.
Forrest Griffin Vs. Rashad Evans
Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira Vs. Frank Mir
CB Dollaway Vs. Mike Massenzio
Wanderlei Silva Vs. Quinton Jackson
Cheick Kongo Vs. Mustapha Al-Turk
Agree with all of them. On a side note Mike Massenzio was at that grappling tournament I entered.
Evans doesnt stand much of a chnace against Griffin.
Mir already mentally lost to Nog, look at any of his interviews and you can see he doesn't even think he stands a chance.
Dollaway I'm going with on against Massenzio just because I've never seen Massenzio fight.
Wandy's gonna destroy Rampage. Normally I'd think Rampage has improved enough and Wandy has aged enough that it would be pretty close, but Rampage is not mentally ready to be in a cage.
Kongo I'm going with because I've never seen Al-Turk and Kongo is a monster.
I feel the same way about Evans. Griffin just works too hard on his game plans and probably has more heart than anyone else in the UFC. You've almost got to kill Forrest to beat him, and I don't think Evans can do it.
Mir, like you said, he's already been beat by Nog, he just doesn't know it yet. He's already been mentally defeated to the point that he has a hard time talking smack about Nog, and I don't think I've ever seen Mir unable to talk smack at any given time.
Dollaway may lose the fight, but I like him and don't know much about Massenzio so that's why I picked him.
Wandy will beat Jackson with his stare alone. I don't think Rampage is back to normal yet mentally. Also, I think Jackson is progressively getting worse for some reason, whereas Wandy is still a beast and will be mentally prepared.
Kongo is just a beast. That's all.
I honestly wish that they would show the Hamill fight, even though it's on the undercard. I've got a lot of respect for that dude and enjoy watching him fight.
The next fight I'm really really looking forward to-
Spoiler
Discuss.
Discuss.
Hendo v. Franklin should be amazing.
I'm also a huge Franklin fan, but even I have to admit that Franklin wouldn't stand a chance against Hendo in his prime. Hendo has looked like shit every time he's been in the octagon, so it should be a pretty even fight. I got Franklin winning this one via submission. He can't go punch for punch with Henderson, and is probably gonna end up getting taken down at some point. I really think his submission game is good enough to submit Henderson.
Franklin just hasn't been the same since Andy rearranged his facial structure with knees, but he's still one of my favorite fighters. I'm not going to predict that he'll win because that never works out for me.
He looked good against Hamill... but then again he was fighting Hamill.
Who knows, as it looks now all the old Pride legends are dropping like flies, maybe Hendo is the next to go.
I'm just ready to see Bart destroy Mir now. Really. I don't even know why I don't like Mir.
Also, raghead I took your advice (somewhatly) and worked on my jj a bit.
By worked on my jiu jitsu what I mean is that I got drunk and tried to have a jiu jitsu match with a buddy of mine that outweighs me my about thirty lbs. and actually knows what he's doing. It went on for about three minutes, then I got caught in an armbar, only I was drunk and thought I could get out of it for some reason and I didn't tap. So he put progressively more pressure on it until it made a weird popping noise and I tapped. Today it hurts pretty badly but I can move it and stuff so that's a good thing right?
I did do pretty well though, considering the fact that I was pretty trashed and he wasn't much. I kept pretty good control with my guard and almost had a nice guillotine locked in at one point. I thought I did well keeping control of his head as well. I mean we weren't hitting each other or anything like that but I always like to assume that they could hit me. It makes it more applicable to pretty much any situation where you'd be using jj besides a tournament or something.
The thing with guillotines is you'll almost never catch someone in them that knows what they're doing unless you have it really, really tight with your guard closed in. The counters are just way too easy and effective. Also your arm's probably just hyper extended and should be fine in a day or two.
Also I've been working on my striking a lot, my one-two is getting pretty nasty and I'm getting really good at slipping jabs/crosses and creating angles.
Anyway probably the best thing you could do for your grappling is remember, position before submission. I never really took that to heart til I got out pointed at the tournament, and it's worked wonders for my ground game. Of course I still will go for subs from the bottom if I see an opening, but my sweeps have gone from non-existent to really good and my overall game is a helluva a lot more dangerous. It'll especially benefit you if you like striking, since even from someones guard you can land pretty good strikes. Work on your sweeps, trust me it will pay off.
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