Monday, August 31, 2009
Randy Couture: Now With More Old!
Saturday night saw the unveiling of the newest version of Randy Couture: the "old man who's inspiring just by being in there". Yes, "The Natural" is a fighter able to get into the cage to give opponents a hard time and drive pay-per-view sales (hence the nice six-fight contract extension the UFC rewarded him for being 46-year-old and popular and an all-around swell dude), but he's no longer capable of beating the best. Not by a longshot. Is the multi-time champ worthy of another Octagon appearance? Sure. He could probably defeat a fair number of the scrubs out there. But thanks to his performances against Brock Lesnar and Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, Couture cannot be considered one the killer elite. Now, everything he does (like win) or doesn't do (like win) is overshadowed by the fact that he's the oldest guy in the cage. Randy Couture: now with more old!
Observations From My Couch: UFC 102
- Brandon Vera won because of his vastly superior striking skills, but he also had the advantage over Krzysztof Soszynski because of his name. Seriously, who doesn't prefer saying "Vera" over "Soszynski"?
- Who was that Jake Rosholt? He was a lot more exciting and capable than the one-dimensional Jake Rosholt we'd seen previously.
- By the way he came in throwing kicks and got totally messed up by a single punch, you could tell Demian Maia is a fantastic jiu-jitsu guy.
- Todd Duffee seems tough, but he needs to face someone who won't get knocked out by a jab.
- Ed Herman: the next in a long line of TUFers who belong in the minor leagues.
- How on Earth was Evan Dunham vs. Marcus Aurelio a split decision? That one wasn't even close.
- It's time for the "Dean of Mean" to hang up the gloves and go back to academia.
- Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira looked great - maybe the best ever. Randy Couture looked old - maybe the oldest ever.
Sunday, August 30, 2009
Liveblog: Carmine Zocchi's New School
Local jiu-jitsu black belt Carmine Zocchi opened a new school today in Ridgewood, Queens, and MMA Journalist was on hand to snap a couple pics and listen to some tales from Carmine's early days training under Marcelo Mello. Apparently back then it was commonplace for Mello to field challenges from streetfighting or karate yahoos who were unaware that grappling was an essential part of fighting, so Carmine was his inadvertant enforcer, injecting jiu-jitsu into fistfights while honing his craft. It is of course a kinder, gentler jiu-jitsu now, with Carmine playing the role of teacher and his new digs here in Ridgewood serving as the BAMA FightNight and ROC vet's homebase. Incidently, there appears to be a boxing/kickboxing gym downstairs, so his facilty has it all.
Saturday, August 29, 2009
With UFC 102 Win, Minotauro Hopes To Finally Move Out Of Labyrinth
To most, tonight's UFC 102 match-up between Randy "The Natural" Couture and Antonio Rodrigo "Minotauro" Nogueira may at best be fan candy and at worst be past-its-prime matchmaking, but to the Brazilian with the head of a bull and the body of a man, the bout means a lot more. Consigned to living in a labyrinth in his South American homeland, Minotauro hopes a victory over Couture will provide him with enough money to finally move into better living quarters, like perhaps an apartment over a grocery store or into someone's unused garage. "I really don't eat virgins anymore," said Minotauro. "Plus, living in a labyrinth... that's very difficult. You cannot get comfortable. Where is the bathroom? Where is the kitchen? I wake up in the middle of the night to use the toilet or get a snack from the refrigerator and I end up lost for hours." According to oddsmakers, Minotauro may have his work cut out for him when he tangles with the Natural. But tall odds or not, for the sake of new digs, the Brazilian is going to do his best.
Thursday, August 27, 2009
Liveblog: Fedor at TSMMA Manhattan
MMA Journalist is here at the Tiger Schulmann's MMA school in Manhattan, waiting patiently for some Russian dude named Fedor who is scheduled to visit the facility. For those who don't know, TSMMA is an organization encompassing 48 schools in New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Pennsylvania and Florida, and their fight team is a key player in the Northeast MMA circuit. Their star player is Lyman Good, who won Bellator FC's welterweight tournament on ESPN Deportes; Good is actually here now teaching a grappling class (there are three classes being taught simultaneously - this place is huge). Anyway, Fedor is due to arrive in a few minutes. I asked if Fedor's visit is an indication that we'll see some TSMMA fighters in Strikeforce soon, maybe at an East Coast Strikeforce installment, but the folks here are feigning ignorance. Hmmmm...
Fedor To Appear At Manhattan TSMMA School Today
Yeah, so MMA Journalist missed the Fedor press conference yesterday at the Fighthouse where it was announced the Russian deity would be facing Brett Rogers at some upcoming Strikeforce show. However, Fedor is still in town, and will apparently be making an appearance at the Manhattan Tiger Schulmann's Mixed Martial Arts school tonight at 6:15. The school is at 39 West 19th Street, and as this won't create any conflicts with my day job, I will definitely be there to snap some pics this time. Woot!
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