UFC 114 Rampage VS Evans review

Though many may consider men who enter an mma proving ground little else than hired human pitbulls ripping each other apart for massive money and radical amusement, it seems easy enough to recognize that professional level mma is the combat of highly disciplined human spirits, opposing each other for but the duration of the bout. The ultimate declaration of one's will to express oneself as a fighter, demands the form of radical intimacy, circulated between fighter and rival in a cage where the damage one suffers is the wit one failed to exhibit. The reaction of one's opponent is the reaction to whatever one could offer as offense. That is how, in my opinion, the mma fighter fights against himself, by being subjected to his own image, reflected by his rival. Who is, then, ignorant enough to express honest disinterest in such delicious fun?

The will and desire to fight seeks no propagation of aggression, as once two consenting parties are present in a fight, then it is nothing less than an expression of the human spirit and body in the form of combat. The ripe spirit embraces and respects this consenting rivalry, as this is the only channel its will might be shaped and perfected upon, until it realizes that the will of the rival is one with the will he opposes that with. Who though, has the more intricate command of that will? Well, this is why fights are made for.

Notice that the ultimately glorious moments of mixed martial arts are not of those of KOs and submissions. They are of those of hugging the formal rival at the end of the bout, circulating the most honest, pure respect spirit and related intelligence may come upon, the limitless respect each fighter deserves simply by making an attempt of expressing themselves thoroughly, honestly on the proving grounds. The biggest respect one could give is the assumption that one needs solid skills and wits to neutralize the rival. A fight is the expression of these skill sets, put though to the test utterly and completely, instead of infinitely theorizing about them. The most glorious moment of the bout emerges in the form of the ensuing peace between the fighters, a legit, palpable sensation, unifying the former enemies and the grateful audience once the collision reaches its conclusion.

This is a review of the latest UFC event to date, UFC 114 - Rampage VS Evans.



Introductory thoughts about the more significant lineups

UFC 114 marks the peaking of the bitter rivalry between UFC prominences Quinton "Rampage" Jackson and "Sugar" Rashad Evans. The winner of this highly anticipated grudge war will have the opportunity to collide with UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Mauricio "Shogun" Rua. Seems to me that the UFC made this event headlined by a collision the whole mma world wants to see, while the promotion takes the same night as an opportunity to showcase its recent prospects, so next time both of those top level and - not something to be ashamed of - marketable warriors may return to the Octagon with a face you already recognize.

As such, Michael Bisping and Minotauro's twin brother are coming back to the fray to give their - logically - consecutive matches, yet I purposely refrain from naming their opponents, as I would need to check their names on the Internet. I intend to express no disrespect, what I mean though is that it obvious that the UFC wants to build up its recently added fighters as efficiently as possible, and, now that Minotauro got put away by Cain Velasquez via ruthless precision during a blink of an intent eye, - and resonating a whole new mma frequency in the process - now is the time to start market Minotauro's twin brother up to top of the foodchain competition, with possible plans of throwing him in front of the most promising resistance, if to emerge triumphant tonight.

Brit favorite, charismatic Michael Bisping comes back to Octagon, following a decision loss to Wanderlei Silva. Bisping, too, fights against someone I never heard of before, but, once again, this is not necessarily the fighter's incapacity, it might as well be mine. To be honest with you though, I would rather watch Antonio Rogerio Nougeira being unleashed on Bisping, than to watch the two notabilities engage with relatively unknown competition. This is quite enough of the whining though, as the UFC has a superbly exploited chance-pool to deliver quality in every second, and seldom it is that it fails at it.

John Hathaway VS Diego Sanchez

It seems Sanchez's forehead healed up nicely after the beating he received from BP Penn, and now The Nightmare moves up a weight class to once again establish himself as a force having a right to its nickname. Diego is quick to close the distance in the early segment of the fight, muscling fresh UFC addition unbeaten Hathaway to the cage. Sanchez tries to take this fight to the ground, but his attempts witness no instant fruition. Then it is Hathaway who exhibits dominant Octagon presence, as he tags the incoming Nightmare with a knee. Diego is knocked down, the Brit prospect swarming on him. The remaining portion of this here round is a chronicle of Hathaway's efficient ground and pound-, and of Diego's ability of being able to remain in a fight under pressure, relying on solid defense and his punishment resistance. It is not easy to control those long limbs from the back, when they are fueled by bad intentions: many of the shots do evade Diego's guard and connect on The Nightmare, yet the round comes to a conclusion without a Referee stoppage.

The second period is characterized by prolonged standup sequences, interrupted but momentarily by a couple of takedown attempts that fail to affect the pace of the round significantly. As if the two would have had an agreement, they battle it out on the feet, and, surprisingly enough, it is Hathaway who goes away with the better of the exchanges. Rendering himself as the primal aggressor of the sequence and forming advantage of his longer reach, the Brit effectively puts a beating on top of the foodchain UFC prominence Diego Sanchez.

The third and final round shows no difference from the second in it its nature, except the fact that it is more heated and Sanchez eats even more of the straight rights Hathaway darts in with. A solid decision victory by the Brit.

Jason Brilz VS Antonio Rogerio Nougeira

Another surprising match, as Brilz gives an exceptionally hard time to evident favorite, Little Nog. Brilz brings a solid gameplay and has the tools in his possession to enforce it, going for the single leg takedown with a constant urge, pulling it off successfully on multiple occasions. What comes as an even bigger surprise, is the fact that Brilz has a whole lot to offer even in the standup position, remaining absolutely competitive in the exchanges he exhibits the noted takedown threat from.

While Minotauro's twin brother, as a highly regarded Jiu-Jitsu expert - who, among other things, is Minotauro's twin brother, - is able to invite and force Berlitz to pretty dangerous positions on the ground, the evident underdog is capable to deliver his own submission attempts to Minotauro's twin brother. Brilz finishes the second round with landing wild, yet effective bombs on Minotauro's twin brother, who spends the last seconds of the round with the manic backpedaling going on.

Judges that probably were not even present at the match though, give their decision to Minotauro's twin brother, Antonio Rogerio Nougeira, while everyone who has seen the match knows that Brilz did NOT lost this collision. Looked sharp in the opening round, clearly won the second, and spent the last seconds of the third and final round with defending himself. Granted: slight advantage in that portion at Minotauro's twin brother. It is important and necessary to draw out attention to yet another case of idiotic judging by UFC Judges though. How they select UFC Judges? Do you have to be retarded AND subject yourself to frontal lobotomy right before the match? Oh, and no viewing allowed. No idea, truly. I might-, JUST might be content with a draw, but what the Judges did now is nothing less than they simply gave Minotauro's twin brother a win he does not deserve, and probably generated mild hatred in some fans towards the Victor. To be honest with you, I like Big Nog very much, even after he got his butt handed to him by Velasquez. But, following this decision which I feel completely unjust, I can't wait to see Minotauro's twin brother getting put away like his twin brother. Uhm. Am I making sense? No, do not answer, please. The crowd chanted: "Bullsh*t!, bullsh*t!", when Rogerio gave the everyday average "He is a tough guy, sure..." post-fight interview alongside Joe Rogan. What should you add to that? You can agree or be content with being lobotomized.

Mike Russow VS Todd Duffee

Heavy duty warfare here, as Todd Doffee heavyweight prospect, who holds the fastest knockout in UFC history - 7 seconds - steps up against fellow promise Mike Russow. The winner of the match catapults himself to the top of the heat.

Duffee is quick to claim the position of the aggressor, delivering all the shots in the world and then some more. It seems that the chronicle of the match truly is nothing more and nothing less than Russow's ability to take a massive punch and remain in the game nevertheless, as he gets subjected to constant pressure by Duffee, finding no antidote against the superior standup game of the talented heavyweight prospect. In the second and third round, Duffee exhibits noticeable signs of slowing down, his punches lack the fuel the initial assaults were ignited with, and then, from out of nowhere, the improbable happens: battered Mike Russow lands a shot from close quarters, which does not even seem to be too powerful of a strike, yet probably connects on parts of the head that is not too keen to receive a greeting like this. Duffee goes to the ground, chased fervently while on his way by a consecutive shot. The dominant prospect already is out when the final shot of good measure connects on him: a huge-, and highly non-probabilistic victory by Mike Russow. Now that Duffee has tasted defeat, it remains interesting to see what kind of a fighter he comes back to the Octagon as, yet, this one punch knockout certainly raises a question about Duffee's ability to take a strike.

Michael Bisping VS Dan Miller

Bisping claims then maintains the upper hand by expressing his superior standup skills all over the place. The match has a pretty balanced character to it nevertheless, as aggressor Bisping is not able to shatter the resistance of Miller, but undoubtedly lands the more precise and more damaging shots, remaining intact even after eating in the couple of impressive strikes his opponent is capable to find a home for at the Brit's expense. Though Miller gives a rather competitive match for the opposition, he clearly comes short this time and loses a decision to the Brit in this fluently paced, intact kickboxing bout.

Quinton Jackson VS Rashad Evans

Rashad lands a solid right hand at the beginning of the fight, then is quick to give a thorough hint of his gameplan, as he is muscling Rampage to the fences with the consorting intent of taking him down from the clinch position. The two show little if any success at administering damage in close quarters, and Referee Herb Dean decides to separate them on multiple occasions due to lack of significant action. In the standup exchanges, Evans shows superior agility and remains intent at forcing Jackson to the fences, getting away with the hardly disputable accomplishment of dictating how and where the fight takes place. Then Rashad is able to pull off a decent double leg takedown, solidifying his momentary superiority in this fight. Following two rounds of action gravitating around Evans' versatility, Jackson finds a brief moment of success by knocking his opponent down, yet the subsequent ground and pound assault, though thoroughly executed, fails to shatter Rashad's defensive lines. When the two greet each other on the feet again, Jackson shows cautiousness (passivity?) with his rival standing in front of him on relatively wobbly legs. Since Quinton probably is too worried about being taken down again, he gives time for Rashad to recover, and, as such: to seal a convincing decision victory over him in a match that has relatively little to offer via its endgame.

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UFC 113 Machida VS Shogun 2

Though many may consider men who enter an mma proving ground little else than hired human pitbulls ripping each other apart for massive money and radical amusement, it seems easy enough to recognize that professional level mma is the combat of highly disciplined human spirits, opposing each other for but the duration of the bout. The ultimate declaration of one's will to express oneself as a fighter, demands the form of radical intimacy, circulated between fighter and rival in a cage where the damage one suffers is the wit one failed to exhibit. The reaction of one's opponent is the reaction to whatever one could offer as offense. That is how, in my opinion, the mma fighter fights against himself, by being subjected to his own image, reflected by his rival. Who is, then, ignorant enough to express honest disinterest in such delicious fun?

The will and desire to fight seeks no propagation of aggression, as once two consenting parties are present in a fight, then it is nothing less than an expression of the human spirit and body in the form of combat. The ripe spirit embraces and respects this consenting rivalry, as this is the only channel its will might be shaped and perfected upon, until it realizes that the will of the rival is one with the will he opposes that with. Who though, has the more intricate command of that will? Well, this is why fights are made for.

Notice that the ultimately glorious moments of mixed martial arts are not of those of KOs and submissions. They are of those of hugging the formal rival at the end of the bout, circulating the most honest, pure respect spirit and related intelligence may come upon, the limitless respect each fighter deserves simply by making an attempt of expressing themselves thoroughly, honestly on the proving grounds. The biggest respect one could give is the assumption that one needs solid skills and wits to neutralize the rival. A fight is the expression of these skill sets, put though to the test utterly and completely, instead of infinitely theorizing about them. The most glorious moment of the bout emerges in the form of the ensuing peace between the fighters, a legit, palpable sensation, unifying the former enemies and the grateful audience once the collision reaches its conclusion.

This is a review of the latest UFC event to date, UFC 113 - Machida VS Shogun 2.



Introductory thoughts about the more significant lineups

UFC 113 gives you the rematch mma aficionados have been impatiently waiting for ever since its precursor got recorded into the books. UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Lyoto "The Dragon" Machida emerges to defend his title for a second time against the man who gave him more problems in the Octagon than he ever had to deal with in it so far: Mauricio "Shogun" Rua. The first meeting of the two, that took place in October, 2009, yielded the most controversial decision of the year, and now is the time to find out if Machida is able to resonate the qualities he was characterized by earlier: the Champion scarcely got hit before the first Shogun fight, and he was able to deliver ruthless efficiency whenever chose to explode on the rival. Rua though, in my opinion, fought a delicately elegant, efficient and smart fight, taking away Lyoto's legs and refraining from offering counter opportunities for The Dragon. The match is still a tough one to call indeed, as, though in my reality Shogun won the first fight, the argument that you need to put a decent beating on the Champion in order to be crowned a fresh one, seems to be a legit one, indeed. I think Shogun would have walked away as the victor if the first meeting were not of Championship caliber, but his - nevertheless excellent - performance was not enough to leave Lyoto decisively beaten. Yet, in my opinion: it WAS enough to leave Lyoto beaten.

Josh Koscheck and Paul Daley found little if any tender tendencies so far with the help of the other one, instead, they decided to talk and throw rather steep smack at each other with excellent results: both fighter look forward to the collision with no love in the eyes. The Brit has exceptional knockout power in his left, enough power, in fact, that made Koscheck state how he - Josh - is ready to go toe to toe with Daley, as the seasoned mixed martial arts veteran is pretty confident that Paul has nothing more to offer than his left. There is something which adds even more importance to this great matchup: the winner of the bout will have the right to collide against reigning UFC Welterweight Champion George "Rush" St. Pierre.

Kimbo Slive VS Matt Mitrione

Did Kimbo look good against Houston Alexander, or was it Houston Alexander who looked really bad against Kimbo Slice? Sure, the twilight of the fight has fine moments, characterized by Kimbo's presence, that which is competent enough to find landing zones for precise, powerful, elegant, shady shots, and to command Alexander to the ground with impressive slams. Yet, the two spent the first round by doing little more than circling around in the Octagon. Hopefully, Matt "Meathead" Mitrione will cultivate none of this approach and will take the fight to Kimbo, as both parties seem to be agree upon the fact that fans want to see Kimbo knock somebody out, or, to be knocked out by somebody. I am a fan of both men, but please, deliver a kill, indeed.

Alan Belcher VS Patrick Cote

After a balanced first period primarily characterized by Belcher's efficient body kicks and Cote's intact ability of finding the range he can ignite rockets from with the highest precision, it eventually is Cote to gain a momentary upper hand by sticking to an offensive leg and taking it to the ground with him - with Belcher attached to it, fortunately. Though Cote delivers a competent performance on the ground by attempting a kimura, Alan proves to be able to reverse the dire situation, eventually administering more damage in this ground sequence than Cote is able to. The second round showcases some brief, nevertheless impressive exchanges in which no strikes remain unanswered, yet it is Cote who finds himself in the role of the hunted at the midway point of the round, desperately driving his rival into the fences as opposed of continuing the toe to toe warfare. Belcher is quick to gain the upper hand in the clinch position via an efficiently offered knee, convincing Cote to take the fray to the ground once again - in theory. In reality though, while Patrick is regaining his wits via cultivating an intimate relationship with the torso of his rival in close quarters, Belcher picks him up and face plants him into the canvas. This consecutive act of sobriety molestation proves to be enough to sink in the hooks from the back, demanding a tapout from Cote due to a rear naked choke.

Kimbo Slice VS Matt Mitrione

Kimbo looks good in the first half minute of the bout, countering Mitrione's attacks with a dive-in, scoring a beautiful double leg takedown, yet the former YouTube sensation is quick to find himself in the inferior position when reaching low quarters, with Mitrione's legs wrapped all over him. Though Kimbo escapes from this dangerous position, he gets subjected to consecutive submission attempts, nevertheless leaving the impression of a competitive fight behind. In the second round, Kimbo's defense looks way less effective, while his ability to deliver offense is virtually non-existent. Mitrione delivers vicious leg kicks and constantly finds a landing zone for those solid strikes, grinding down Kimbo up to the point on which Mitrione's noted rival is no longer in the same fight. Kimbo soon finds himself mounted on the ground, with Matt administering ground and pound on him. Having nothing more and nothing else to offer than sloppy defense work Slice has zero chance to stop Mitrione with, Referee Dan Miragliotta eventually puts an end to this contest. The winner is Matt Mitrione by second round TKO.

Josh Koscheck VS Paul Daley

Paul Daley might possess semtex power in his left indeed, yet his collision with mma veteran Kosch Koscheck clearly proves that a martial artist needs to possess a more versatile tool set than that in the possession of the talented Brit, if to face and remain competent against a fighter with the grappling experience of Koscheck. The story of this bout entirely revolves around Josh's ability to take down Daley at will, in order to subject the Brit to various submission attempts. While they spend the majority of the fight on the ground with Daley being the molested, the bout also is characterized by two rather strange incidents: Daley lands an illegal knee in teh first round, yet later it turns out that the knee did not exactly contact with Koscheck, who, nevertheless, delivers an acceptable performance of suffering the definite hurt real bad. Though no point is deducted from Daley eventually, he might just earned himself a suspension for his Octagon behavior following the end of the match. When the two do stand up from the ground position Koscheck exhibited constant superior position on, the talented Brit can not control his emotions, and punches his rival in the face AFTER the bout has arrived to a conclusion. This is a more intricate incident though, in my opinion, than it may seem like at first. It appears as if Daley would want to make peace with Koscheck, laying his hand on Josh's shoulder, yet Josh is walking away, signaling than he will have none of the peace Daley seems to offer. This is the moment, probably, by Daley loses control of his emotions, as he probably feels humiliated. As such: he punches the evident winner. Josh is the sound triumphant of the fight nevertheless, and will have the chance to headline the next season of the Ultimate Fighter reality show to culminate that event with a collision against reigning UFC Welterweight Champion George St. Pierre. As for Paul Daley, he probably will have a suspension, and, along with that, will have the opportunity to calm his emotions, although I remain reluctant to offer a radical verdict on his behavior, as he indeed seemed like he was trying to make peace with Koscheck, right before he decided to punch him instead - after the fight, which is totally unacceptable, of course - as result of being humiliated by the man who just bested him. Either way, I feel a suspension is a just decision in this case, because behavior like this does no good to the sport.

Lyoto Machida VS Shogun Rua

Shogun starts to work early on those legs again via finding the range he is most dangerous and efficient from, and, quite similarly to the first meeting, Machida seems to be unable to offer an antidote for those. The challenger shows an increased amount of aggression compared to what he was relying on in the first confrontation, getting away with the better of the swift, quality exchanges that summarize the virtually non-existent feeling out process of this bout. Interestingly enough, Machida decides to take Shogun to the ground on two separate occasions, yet the canvas warfare yields no other results than a relentless urge from Rua to get back on the feet, an intent he brings to fruition without too much desperation on his part. Continuing to stalk the Champion, Rua exhibits sober and well positioned aggression that swiftly-, yet surely forces Machida to play the role of the hunted, yet, at one point, The Dragon decides to have no more of that, and accepts the invitation to slug it out. As Lyoto darts in to close the distance, Shogun clips him on the temple: the Champion collapses, and the next second witnesses the challenger dropping precision air to ground missiles until the lights go out in Georgia for Lyoto. Mauricio Shogun Rua wins this battle at 3:25 in the first round by the way of knockout, and emerges as the new UFC Light Heavyweight Champion. A spectacular performance which leaves no questions behind this time around.

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