UFC 172: After The Smoke Clears

Ladies and gentlemen,

I just watched Jon "Bones" Jones beat the mess out of Glover Teixeira.  I'm a big fan of Glover's, but Jones performed as I expected he would.  He pulled out all the old tricks like spinning elbows and oblique kicks, but he also pulled a few new tricks from his hat like axe kicks and spinning heel kicks.  Also as predicted, Jones kept Glover from ever establishing a rhythm, and though he was successful using his reach, he broke Glover's rhythm mostly by smothering him against the cage and slicing him to ribbons with short elbows.  It was amazing stuff that you only see from Jon Jones.

After the Gustaffson fight, I think a lot of folks lost some of their awe and some of their respect for Jones. After this fight, they should have regained it.  Those who were predicting that Daniel Cormier would make short work of Jones had best take a moment and consider just how good Jones is.  He is, without a doubt, a unique talent.  We may never see a fighter like this again in our lifetimes.  Enjoy him while he is here and while he is fighting in his prime.  When or if he ever does fight Daniel Cormier, my money will be on Jones.

Jones wasn't the only one who looked great tonight.  Anthony "Rumble" Johnson, Luke Rockhold, Danny Castillo, Jim Miller, Max Holloway and Chris Beal all put in sensational performances.

Rumble Johnson proved that his 30-pound move from welterweight to light heavyweight was a wise decision when he dominated Phil Davis in a manner that not even his teammate and mentor, Rashad Evans, could match.  

Luke Rockhold was clinically efficient, wrapping up Tim Boetsch in a triangle choke from top position only to finish him with a kimura.

Danny Castillo rebounded from losing the first round to landing a nuclear bomb of a right hand on Chris Brenneman's chin.  That knockout was as violent as any you're likely to see this year.

Jim Miller choked his opponent unconscious.  In fact, the fight was over and Miller had to celebrate on his back because it took his comatose opponent so long to wake up.

Max Holloway continues to get better.  I've liked this kid every time I've seen him.  Even when he loses, he puts on a heck of a fight.  At only 22 years of age and with 8 fights in the UFC, it's scary to think how good Max might end up being once he reaches his prime.

Ultimate Fighter alumni, Chris Beal, landed one of the most beautiful flying knees I've ever seen.  And now, thank to the magic of the internet, you can see it, too.

Savor that clip, ladies and gentlemen.

Until next time.

Jon Jones Versus Glover Teixeira

Ladies and gentlemen, give some props to Jon Jones for being the champion in one of the deepest divisions in the sport.  One reason why Jones is considered among the sport's best fighters pound-for-pound, is he has been able to prove himself against some fantastic competition.  Just look at some of the men he's defeated:

Rashad Evans

Rampage Jackson

Lyoto Machida

Vitor Belfort

Shogun Rua

Chael Sonnen

Ryan Bader

Vladimir Matyushenko

Brandon Vera

Matt Hamill

Don't give me grief about Hamill.  Yes, I know that he stands as the only living man with a recognized win over Jones, but Jones was manhandling him prior to the disqualification.  The 12-6 rule is dumb.  For those of you who don't know what I'm talking about, I am referring to the rule that prohibits elbow strikes that are thrown straight down with the point of the elbow.  The 12 refers to the number 12 on a standard clock.  The 6, then, stands for the number 6 on a clock.  Jones was disqualified for landing a number of these blows on Hamill.

But back to my point.  Just look at those guys.  They're beasts!  Even the lower-tiered guys like Bader, Vera and Matyushenko run through most guys outside of the top 25.  Yet Jones handled them with ease.

Some of you may have noticed that I didn't put Alexander Gustaffson's mug up there. I did that for a reason.  Opinion is divided concerning whether or not Jones deserved his victory over Alexander.  Personally, I thought Jones did enough to win, but it definitely wasn't easy.

Saturday night isn't going to be easy, either.  Glover Teixeira is a monster.  Chuck Liddell's long-time trainer, John Hackleman, said he's never held pads for someone who hit harder than Glover.  Follow that to its logical conclusion.  Glover punches harder than Chuck!  And Chuck is one of the most murderous strikers the sport has ever seen!  How crazy is that?

Now I first heard about Glover Teixeira when Ramieu Sokoudjou burst onto the scene in 2007 with back-to-back knockout wins over Antonio Rogerio Nogueira (Little Nog) and Ricardo Arona (Man, whatever happened to him?).  I knew about Glover because he was, at the time, the only man to have beaten Sokoudjou.  Sokoudjou looked so good demolishing those top-ten guys, I just couldn't help but wonder who the heck could have beaten him. And not only had Glover beaten him, he had knocked him out.  

But Glover was a man of mystery.  For several years, he barely fought. In fact, he knocked out Sokoudjou in 2006.  He didn't fight again until 2008.  He fought twice that year and won both fights by knockout.  But then he only fought once in 2009.  It boggled the mind!  How could a man with such potential spend so little time fighting?

Finally, in 2010, he started fighting regularly.  He fought and won 4 times that year, and he finished 3 of his 4 opponents.  In 2011 he fought 5 times, and won every fight by knockout or submission.  And he beat some good names while he was at it.  Marcio Cruz is a world champion jiu-jitsu fighter who once beat former Frank Mir nearly to death.  Glover knocked him out.  Marvin Eastman holds a win over Rampage Jackson.  Glover knocked him out. Ricco Rodriguez is the former UFC heavyweight champion.  Glover knocked him out, too.

That's when he was finally invited to the big leagues.  The UFC. He's gone 5-0 since and only former champion Rampage Jackson was able to go the distance.

He's clearly ready to face Jon Jones.

Or is he?

Coming off his toughest fight ever, Jones is going to have a chip on his shoulder.  He will be looking to silence the critics.  Putting the stamp on Glover would do just that.  There's a part of me that believes Jones took Alexander lightly.  After all, he had beaten bigger names with far less effort.  He won't be taking Glover lightly.

A motivated Jon Jones is one of the scariest fighters on the planet. If you doubt me, scroll up and take a second look at the leviathans he has already trounced.  And while Glover has looked great, he has never faced a man like Jones.  No one fights like Jones.  No one.  No one has Jones's combination of athleticism, height, reach, skill, unorthodox style and true grit (John Wayne would have been proud of the way he gutted through his match with Alexander).

But Jones has faced hard hitters.  Rashad, Rampage, Machida, Belfort, Bader, Rua, Vera, Hamill--all those guys can knock you dead with one shot.  Jones had no problems.

Jones has also faced good wrestlers.  Rashad Evans, Chael Sonnen, Ryan Bader and Matt Hamill are fantastic wrestlers.  Jones had no problems (other than the DQ against Hamill...).

The only thing he hasn't faced is a world champion jiu-jitsu specialist.  But Glover isn't a world champion jiu-jitsu specialist (though he did beat up a couple of them...).

I predict a great fight.  These guys have the potential to bring out the best in one another. But I think Jones will use his reach (both with his hands and with his feet) and his unorthodox style to keep Glover off balance and out of rhythm. 

Jon Jones by 5 Round Unanimous Decision.

Until next time.

By the way, do you enjoy short stories?  The Kindle edition of Big Blue, my collection of short stories, is on sale for 99 cents.  That's less than a buck!  It's also available in paperback.  Just click this LINK to get your copy.

Congrats to Bernard Hopkins and UFC on Fox 11 Post-Thoughts

Ladies and gentlemen, I've got a handful of things I'd like to write about today. But the first thing I want to do is congratulate 49 year old Bernard "The Executioner" Hopkins, who won yet another world title on Saturday night. Just last week I wrote about how age catches up to us all, and especially to fighters. Well, I guess he is the exception that proves the rule. Bernard fought for his first title more than 20 years ago. That's right. More than 20 years ago. Saturday he looked almost as good as he did for that first title fight back in 1993. Of course, some might argue that he looked even better. After all, he lost that first title fight to Roy Jones Jr. (he would avenge that loss years later), but he won on Saturday.

Put simply, the man is an inspiration. And an anomaly. Some credit his incredible self-discipline for his even more incredible longevity. He doesn't drink, he doesn't do drugs, he doesn't eat junk, and he doesn't cheat on his woman. That's quite the discipline cocktail right there. Props to him for maintaining an iron will, and props to him for whipping butt long past the age when most boxers have hung up their gloves.

Now let's talk briefly about the UFC fights from Saturday. First of all, Fabricio Werdum looked good in dominating Travis Browne. Ironically, Browne put a beating on Werdum in the first round. In fact, he was razor blade close to finishing the fight. It was reminiscent of the beating Alistair Overeem put on Browne months earlier. Browne survived that horrible beating, and came back to win. Likewise, Werdum survived Browne's early onslaught. Then he thrived. 

Next up for Werdum is an Ultimate Fighter coaching gig and a title shot against the juggernaut, Cain Velasquez. In Mexico, of all places. I'm excited about that fight. Before anyone writes off Werdum, they should be reminded of just how good Werdum is off his back (which is where he will likely find himself against Cain). He caught the greatest heavyweight in the history of our sport, Fedor Emelianenko, with a triangle choke while on his back. Fedor was legendary for his ability to fend off submissions. Just check out his fights with Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira to see this for yourself. But Werdum caught him and made him tap.

As good as Cain is--and he is exceptional--he is not perfect. He has been caught with big punches by Junior Dos Santos and by Chieck Kongo. Who is to say that he can't be caught by a big submission? If he can be, Werdum is the man to catch him. He has truly world class jiu-jitsu skills; better than anyone Cain has faced.

Plus, Werdum may be the only other heavyweight in the world who can keep up with Cain's pace. Let me be clear, I still think Cain holds a cardio advantage over Werdum. But perhaps his advantage won't be as overwhelming as it is against other heavyweights.

Meisha Tate came from behind to defeat Liz Carmouche in a close decision. I'm not sure where either woman goes from here. Both have been defeated by champion, Ronda Rousey, and neither looked spectacular on Saturday.

Edson Barbosa and Donald Cerrone, however, stole the show. As was expected, these guys came right out and started throwing down.  Though Cerrone looked more than willing to trade bombs, it was Barbosa who was landing the better shots.  In fact, Barbosa looked spectacular.  At least until Cerrone hit him with a stiff left jab.  The jab dropped Barbosa, which of course makes me call his chin into question. We all know Cerrone hits hard.  But a jab?  Sure, I've seen people get dropped by jabs before, but it doesn't happen often.

Regardless, Cerrone took advantage of the moment by jumping on Barbosa's back and sinking in a rear naked choke.  For their efforts, Cerrone and Barbosa both earned fat performance bonuses.  And they earned them.  Good job, gentlemen.

I've written in the past about Yoel Romero. In fact, I dedicated an entire blog post to him. You can read it HERE. Well, he looked as good as ever in his manhandling of game Brad Tavares.  His wrestling was ridiculous.  Tavares, a strong fighter on a five-fight win streak, was tossed around like a child by the former Olympian.  As before, Yoel looked to be enjoying himself in the cage.  Winning was, I'm sure, a welcome early birthday gift for him since he turns 37 in a week.  We will have to wait and see if he'll be one of those rare athletes like Bernard Hopkins or Randy Couture who continues to perform at a world-class level past the age of 40.  If so, Yoel has time to work his way to a title shot.  With his stellar wrestling background and his ever-evolving striking game, he may be a legitimate threat to the champion, Chris Weidman. 

But if he's like most fighters, he'll start to lose a step--and maybe sooner than later.  I hope that isn't the case, because I'm sure enjoying watching him work.  He has a rare combination of natural ability, insane work ethic, and a genuine fighter's heart.  I'm definitely looking forward to his next fight.

Speaking of looking forward to a fight, this weekend is UFC 172 (Jones vs Teixeira).  That should be awesome.  I hope to work in some pre-fight thoughts and predictions this week, so stay tuned.

Until then.








  

Bisping Versus Kennedy Post-Fight Thoughts

Ladies and Gentlemen,

I am so happy to have gotten it wrong.  Tim Kennedy won 4 of the 5 rounds against Michael Bisping. He did what only 2 other guys have done against the Brit--he took him down and kept him down for much of the fight.  He also landed some good punches en route to the unanimous decision win.

With the win, Tim Kennedy positions himself as a top contender in the middleweight division.  Unfortunately for him, two of the men who have defeated him are perched in the top 5: Jacare Souza and Luke Rockhold. Then there's also Lyoto Machida, Vitor Belfort, and Anderson freaking Silva.  So to say that Kennedy has his work cut out for him is an understatement, to say the least.

All the same, I am excited for him.  He seems to have his head on straight and is no longer splitting his time between the Army and mixed martial arts.  Plus, he's training full time at the best gym in the world: Greg Jackson's. And although he lost to both Jacare and Rockhold, neither of those guys beat the heck out of him. He was competitive.

Plus, I can't help but root for the former Army Ranger and sniper. Having spent 9 years working with military families at Fort Bragg and having grown up as the son of a career Marine who served 2 tours in Viet Nam, I have a soft spot in my heart for our men and women in the military.  It's an incredibly tough gig they sign up for.

As for Bisping, he was game.  Kennedy's takedowns were simply better than he anticipated. I still think he beats a lot of 185 pounders.  In fact, I would love to see him against Francis Carmont or Gegard Mousasi. Either fight is intriguing and could spark some serious fire works.

Also, I would be remiss if I didn't give props to K.J. Noons for his 30 second destruction of iron-chinned Sam Stout.  Great stuff, K.J.!  The same goes for Dustin Porier, who weathered an early storm by Akira Corassani and stopped him early in the second round.  If that wasn't enough, congratulations to Chad Laprise and Elias Theodorou for their season-winning efforts.  They are the 2 newest Ultimate Fighters on the UFC's roster.  Can't wait to see them in the future.

Until then.

By the way, do you enjoy short stories?  The Kindle edition of Big Blue, my collection of short stories, is on sale for 99 cents.  That's less than a buck!  It's also available in paperback.  Just click this LINK to get your copy.

Michael Bisping Versus Tim Kennedy

Ladies and gentlemen,

In my last post, I talked about how age catches up to all of our heroes and transforms them into mere mortals.  Big Nog--also known as Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira--played heavily in that post.  He was the man in 2002!  But it's 2014, and I prayed that he could roll back the clock long enough to put on a great show against Roy Nelson.

That didn't happen.

If you missed it, here is what happened:

Talk about mixed emotions.  I like Roy Nelson.  I like Big Nog.  And I love knockouts!  But I hate seeing my heroes getting knocked out.  They're supposed to be invincible.  Forever.

Oh, well.  So what's on the horizon?  Tonight, the Ultimate Fighter Nations (Canada VS Australia) finale is on.  The main event pits former Ultimate Fighter, Michael Bisping, against Tim Kennedy, a solid fighter and a man who can honestly be described as a killer.  You see, Kennedy served as a sniper for the U.S. Army.  In fact, when The Deadliest Warrior needed an American to demonstrate the lethality of U.S. weapons, they called in Tim Kennedy.  He performed as well as anyone I've ever seen on the show.  In case you can stream it on some service or another, he was on episode #25 (Army Rangers vs North Korean Special Forces). 

In a Sports Illustrated article, Tim talked about his service overseas, and was candid about killing.  You can read that article HERE.  Whether you read this or not, understand that Kennedy has killed a lot of people.  He has seen his friends--his fellow soldiers--die.  While that doesn't necessarily make him a better mixed martial artist, it does provide him with perspective.  He rarely gets worked up emotionally for a fight.  Win or lose, he seems stoic about it all.  Detached.  After all, a sporting event doesn't carry quite the emotional impact of making an enemy's head explode.  Nor does a knockout match the terrible finality of a comrade's death.  

Except he was uncharacteristically emotional when he headlined the UFC's Fight For the Troops in a building filled with members of the U.S. military.  After winning with a devastating left hook, Kennedy was fighting back tears.  Speaking into Joe Rogan's microphone and addressing the crowd, he said, "You guys are my heroes.  You guys are my idols.  I'm a Christian, I give the glory to God, but I worship you guys.  I worship you guys.  I love every one of you."

This stands in stark contrast to his usual demeanor.  You see, Kennedy is usually joking.  He spends a lot of time on Twitter, calling out other fighters and talking smack.  In fact, he goaded Bisping into a match back in December when he posted a fake fight contract he wrote and signed, stating he would fight Bisping any place and any time.  HERE is a link to the contract.

Bisping, one of the best smack talkers in the sport, didn't take kindly to Kennedy's antics.  In typical Bisping fashion, he has been amped up and angry in the days leading up to their fight. "I'm excited to get in there and just f--k this idiot up, honestly," he told reporters on Monday.  "He thinks that he's played mind games and he thinks that he really got the upper hand.  I'm a pretty intense individual and all he's done is made me more and more intense. I'm more in the zone, if you will.  He's going to pay the price on Wednesday night."

So who wins this fight?  Bisping has an army of detractors--probably a result of his tendency to run his mouth, his gift decision over Matt Hamill, and his penchant for winning by decision. But he is a legitimate top five middleweight contender.  He has faced some of the best competition at 185 and 205 pounds, and he has won far more than he has lost.  Kennedy, too, has faced some top competition, and usually comes out on the winning side of things.

Their match comes down to styles.  Bisping likes to stick and move.  It's a style that doesn't endear him to fans who prefer blood-n-guts, but it has proven effective against some of the UFC's best. He relies on solid takedown defense to keep the fight standing.  Only Rashad Evans and Chael Sonnen have been able to impose their wrestling against him, and they didn't find it easy.  He has a solid chin, too.  Only knockout artists Dan Henderson and Vitor Belfort have knocked him out, while other renowned bangers like Wanderlei Silva, Brian Stann and Chris Leben failed to stop the loud-mouthed Brit.

Kennedy, on the other hand, has shown a cast-iron jaw.  Even murderous punchers like Robbie Lawler and Melvin Manhoef have been unable to stop the Army Ranger.  His jiu-jitsu has proven equally impervious.  In fact, he has faced arguably the two most dangerous submission fighters in the sport--Jacare Souza and Roger Gracie--and neither of them could force Kennedy to tap.  So chances are, Tim Kennedy finishes this fight without Bisping knocking him out or submitting him.

Though Kennedy doesn't have a ton of finishes on his record, he has improved since making it to the big leagues.  Since joining Strike Force (which was bought by the UFC), he has stopped 6 of his 10 opponents. 5 of those 6 finishes have been by submission, but his last win was the crushing left hook I mentioned earlier, so he has some pop in his punches, too.

Ultimately, I think Bisping's takedown defense will win him the fight.  Kennedy's best shot is to take Bisping down and work for a submission, but Bisping isn't likely to let that happen. He'll keep the fight standing and keep Kennedy at the end of his jabs and kicks.  The fight won't likely win any awards, but Bisping will likely show off strong technical skills en route to a unanimous decision win.

My Pick: Bisping by Unanimous Decision.

Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, Roy Jones Jr., and Villainous Age.

On Friday, the UFC returns to Abu Dhabi for Fight Night 40, headlined by the legendary Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira and Roy "Big Country" Nelson.  As I wrote that sentence, I couldn't help but shake my head.  Nogueira--or Big Nog as he is so often referred to (his brother is referred to as Little Nog)--is a true legend of the sport.  At one point in his career, he was considered the greatest fighter on the planet.  Let that sink in for a second, dear reader.  Big Nog would have been the odds-on favorite to defeat any man alive in hand-to-hand combat.  Big, tall, or small, Big Nog would have beat them.  Any man.

But that was more than a decade ago.  Now before one of you misunderstands me, I didn't shake my head because the matchup between Nogueira and Nelson is laughable.  It isn't.  I shook my head because it always saddens me when old heroes of mine can no longer do what they once did.  Nogueira is still an outstanding fighter, but he is not the same man who armbarred Dan Henderson in 2002.  Nor is he the same man who absorbed a CroCop head kick and still managed to win by submission.

The Big Nog of today has lost almost as many fights as he has won in the UFC.  What's more, he has been finished in each of his UFC losses.  Finished.  The man who was known for his ability to take a beating and for his world class submission skills has been knocked out or submitted four times in the UFC.  If we could jump in a time machine and go back to 2002, no fan, no expert, no one who had witnessed the martial beauty of Big Nog would believe that he would ever be finished.  You see, in 2002 that seemed impossible. He was simply too good.  He was simply too tough.

But it's 2014.  

Age is cruel, especially on those who fight for a living.  When I watch footage of a prime Roy Jones Jr., I see a man with supernatural speed.  In his fight against Bryant Brannon, for instance, Roy seems to throw punches at light speed.  In fact, he hits Brannon with four left hooks in the span of one second.  I'm not talking jabs.  I'm talking hooks!  Four of them!  In one second!  If you find that idea preposterous, I won't hold it against you.  I wouldn't believe it either if I hadn't seen it for myself.  And although the Brannon fight was held in 1996, we can still watch it today thanks to the wondrous invention that is YouTube.  Click on this LINK and see it for the first time (or for the 30th--Lord knows I've watched it more times than I can remember).  Roy throws those 4 left hooks at the 8 minute and 30 second mark of the video.  The fight doesn't last much longer than that.

Roy, on that day, was one of the most spectacular boxers I've ever seen--and I've seen footage of all the pound-for-pound greats.  On that day, he was super human.  But age caught up to him.  And eight years later, Antonio Tarver's fist caught up to Roy's chin.  The man with super human speed was no longer fast enough to dodge that particular knockout punch. Tarver laid him out.  And in Roy's next fight, Glen Johnson laid him out as well.

Those were difficult to watch.  I idolized Roy Jones.  I thought he was one of those rare boxers with the talent and potential to one day stake a claim of being the greatest pound-for-pound of all time.  Even greater than the immortal Sugar Ray Robinson.  After those losses, it would be a tough sale to claim he was the greatest of his generation, much less the greatest of all time.  Because age caught up to him.  As it does to us all.

Tomorrow night, I hope and pray that I don't have to see Big Nog--a man who was once a superman--fall victim to villainous age.  Again.  

Until then.

By the way, do you enjoy short stories?  The Kindle edition of Big Blue, my collection of short stories, is on sale for 99 cents.  That's less than a buck!  It's also available in paperback.  Just click this LINK to get your copy.

The Rise and Fall of Rampage Jackson: Part 5

In our last post, Quinton "Rampage" Jackson had just finished starring in the 10th season of The Ultimate Fighter and in the Hollywood remake of The A-Team, where he landed the coveted role of B.A. Baracus, who was famously played by Mr. T in the 1980's.

That's Mr. T.  He was (and still is) one bad looking dude.  Here is Rampage in the same role from 2010:

I have to admit, Rampage looked the part.  In fact, I was super excited when I heard the news about him landing the role.  To me, Rampage had always been charismatic.  His fight promos in Pride were legendary. The fans in Japan loved him as much for his personality as for his fighting ability.  It's strange that I was so excited about him playing in that movie, yet here it is spring 2014--almost 4 years after the movie's release--and I still haven't watched it.  Crazy, huh?  I'll get around to it some day.

Regardless, in 2010 he was flying high and at the peak of his mainstream popularity.  With a big box-office hit due to be released in the summer, he almost certainly expected more movie offers to come rolling in.  But he had a small problem.  He was a fighter and still under contract with the UFC.  Though he and the company's president, Dana White, had their differences, they managed to put them aside and agree to get Rampage back in the cage.  "Suga" Rashad Evans, the man who coached against him in The Ultimate Fighter, awaited.

So Rampage won that contest, right?  I mean, isn't that how the story is supposed to play out?  The fighter-turned-Hollywood-star wins and goes on to even greater accomplishments both in the octagon and in film?  Unfortunately for Rampage, no Hollywood producer gave Rashad a script.  As I wrote in the last post, Rashad won a 3-round decision over Rampage. He took Quinton down and kept him on the ground for much of the fight, neutralizing Rampage's offense and turning the fight into a boring affair.  Rampage did manage to rock Rashad during one exchange, but it wasn't enough to win.

He lost that fight before the film debuted.  No doubt, his costars were disappointed to see him lose.  So were many of his fans.  Personally, I wanted to see a fight worthy of all the smack Rashad and Rampage had talked during their season of the Ultimate Fighter.  The way they had jawed at one another, I expected them to come out swinging for the proverbial fences.  Instead, Rashad fought a conservative, wrestling-first fight and Rampage could do nothing to stop him.  The result was boring and frustrating.

Rashad would follow up that performance with a destruction of Tito Ortiz, and a unanimous decision over Phil Davis, which would earn him a title shot against the newest champion on the block: Jon Jones.  Jones was the fifth light heavyweight champion since Rampage lost the title.  Rampage lost to Forrest Griffin.  Griffin lost to Rashad Evans.  Evans lost to Lyoto Machida.  Machida lost to "Shogun" Rua (who once beat Rampage...). And Rua lost to Jon Jones.  All of that happened in a little more than two years.

Six months after losing to Rashad Evans, Rampage stepped into the Octagon against the only man to have defeated Rashad at that time: Lyoto "The Dragon" Machida.  I've written about Machida before.  He's a bonafide bad momma-jomma.  His elusive karate style combined with his serious knockout power makes him a difficult matchup for anyone.  That proved no different for Rampage.  The fight was only scheduled for three rounds, and neither man managed to dominate the other.  Rampage pushed the pace in the first two rounds. Machida's vaunted offense didn't get on track until the 3rd round, which Machida won in the eyes of most viewers.  When Bruce Buffer announced that Rampage had won a split decision, some fans howled, "Robbery!"  Even Rampage thought he lost.  He wore an obvious look of surprise at the announcement, and even told Joe Rogan in the post-fight interview that Machida "whooped my [butt]!"

But Dana White made his feelings clear at the post fight press conference when he claimed that, in his opinion, Rampage won the first two rounds and that Machida fought too conservatively.  Regardless, Rampage walked away with a victory.  His next opponent would be Matt "The Hammer" Hamill.  Matt was a high-level amateur wrestler.  He was also deaf. As far as I know, he is still the only deaf athlete to have ever competed in the UFC.  In fact, he is the only deaf athlete I can think of who has ever competed as a professional mixed martial artist.  It's a remarkable feat.  His run in season three of The Ultimate Fighter was cut short when he refused to tap to a Michael Bisping arm bar during training.  He was heart broken when the UFC's physicians refused to let him fight in the finale.  He wanted to fight Bisping with one arm.

One arm.

Eventually, he would get his chance to fight Bisping, but only after the British smack talker won The Ultimate Fighter.  Their match occurred in England.  No one with eyes truly believes that Michael Bisping beat Matt Hamill.  Hamill should have won the fight, but the judges gave the win to Bisping.  To this day, it remains the worst decision I've ever witnessed in mixed martial arts.  When Hamill stepped into the cage to face Rampage, he was riding a 5 fight win streak and had just defeated his coach from season three, Tito Ortiz.  Oh, and in case I forget, he also had a movie made about his life.  It was called "The Hammer."

You see, Rampage wasn't the only fighter to have captured Hollywood's attention.

After having seen Rashad Evans easily outwrestle Rampage, many expected Hamill to give Rampage a stern test since wrestling was his bread and butter.  But Rampage won a unanimous decision over the deaf combatant.  During the fight, Hamill shot for many takedowns, but Rampage stuffed them and made him pay with brutal knee strikes and powerful hooks and crosses.  Fans booed the slow pace of the fight, but it was a solid performance for Rampage nonetheless.

With two straight wins over top competition, Rampage was suddenly a title contender again. The new champion, Jon Jones, was supposed to defend his belt for the first time against the last man to beat Rampage, Rashad Evans.  But a hand injury sidelined the champion.  In fact, it was originally stated that Jones's injury would require surgery.  Consequently, Rashad Evans went ahead and took a fight against Tito Ortiz.  Shortly after, Jones announced that his hand wasn't as badly injured as he originally thought and he was ready to defend his title. Since Rashad had just fought (and defeated Tito Ortiz), the UFC gave Rampage a call.

And, suddenly, Quinton "Rampage" Jackson was scheduled to fight for the undisputed Light Heavyweight championship of the world.  Again.  Could he summon the strength and determination of old to regain a title he claimed to so desperately want?  And would that be enough to best one of the most impressive young champions in the sport?

Check back next time to find out.

Until then.


By the way, do you enjoy short stories?  The Kindle edition of Big Blue, my collection of short stories, is on sale for 99 cents.  That's less than a buck!  It's also available in paperback.  Just click this LINK to get your copy.

And here's a quick picture of the cover: