Boxing Meets MMA

UFC 143: Diaz vs. Condit

2012-02-02T23:18:00.000-05:00

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(for more original artwork: http://kongsart.blogspot.com/)

Maybe George St. Pierre’s body really has been breaking down in the prime of his life following a career filled with fighting UFC legends, up and comers and those tough, technical madmen in between. Maybe.

But lately, his conspicuous crown seems inconspicuously heavy; five years as ruler of the welterweight division can do it to the best of them. He has twice pulled out of scheduled main event fights against two of the most dangerous fighters he has faced since his rematch with Matt Serra, the only man to stop him with punches in MMA’s biggest upset.

As good and as tough as Matt Hughes, Jon Fitch, Thiago Alves, BJ Penn and Sean Sherk were, none of them, except for the smaller Penn, are all around technique fighters like Carlos “The Natural Born Killer” Condit and MMA true to the bone, bad boy Nick Diaz. Diaz and Condit don’t rely on the stand up game to win. They also don’t rely on the ground game as their go to. They are ambidextrous in their winning ways. They have proven to beat the bombers on their feet and the grapplers on the ground.

George St. Pierre or, as the MMA world calls him, GSP, could retire tomorrow and he will be a shoe in for the UFC’s Hall of Fame (though even without a UFC HOF, he’s an MMA Hall of Famer for sure). But in another realm of combat sports, GSP may find his legacy tainted. For just as Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao’s careers have been impressive, and for all they have accomplished, their careers will still seem unfulfilled if they never meet. GSP’s career may seem the same way as Diaz and Condit have been fighting at the contender level for the last five years in different organizations internationally.

GSP’s last time in the octagon was almost a year ago and it was a less than stellar showing against top contender Jake Shields. GSP, while winning comfortably on points, sounded less like a king defending his rule and more like a protector of a throne. Shields has since been knocked out in one round by Jake Ellenberger, who, in turn, lost a close decision to Condit in 2009. GSP’s best hope is for a truly magnificent fight which will produce a truly magnificent contender that MMA fans will pay to see.

And that brings us back to Diaz and Condit; two honey badgers fighting for the same prize. They both fight with unbridled fury unusual for fighters with such technically superior skills and conditioning. They both go for the knockout every time the fight is on the feet and they always go for submissions when the fight is on the ground. These fighters always give fans a top-quality production on every level and give fans their money’s worth.

Diaz fights with an aggression that is only matched by his prefight antics. He genuinely dislikes the
business of fighting but he gives all fighters the business. Diaz brings five thousand volts of pain that is given even more intensity by the crowds that ignite his style with their roars. Diaz lets his emotions ooze from his pores and he translates those emotions into crisp punches and a never-say-die attitude.

Condit is not to be outdone. He carries the professionalism befitting a fighter who respects the sideshow that goes with promoting a fight. But he also fights like a Mack truck with no brakes trying to avoid a cliff. For every kick, punch, and slam he receives he intends on shaking it off and giving it just as good as he got it; just like Diaz.

The pick here is that Condit will make it past the finish line via a close decision. He is less war-torn than Diaz and does not allow his emotions to betray the fight’s strategy.

Of course, GSP will be watching. And waiting.

R.I.P. Angelo Dundee (1921-2012)

2012-02-02T01:36:00.000-05:00

Angelo Dundee passed away on February 1, 2012 at the age of 90. He trained everyone from Cassius Clay to Muhammad Ali to Sugar Ray Leonard and George Foreman 2.0 and was involved in the sport he loved until his dying day. RIP to a boxing legend.

$1 Million Dollar Prize for Glory World Series fight events 2012

2012-01-21T02:54:00.000-05:00

It's too bad they don't have events like this in the States, New York City specifically.

Vitali Klitschko vs. Derek Chisora

2012-01-15T11:43:00.003-05:00

In the video below, Chisora, scheduled to face Vitali on February 18 in Germany, made two unconventional statements in boxing. First, he said he goes both ways sexually when Vitali asked him if he wanted to kiss him. Then, toward the end of the interview, he flat out accused Vitali of "juicing" to stay in shape.

While Vitali has never been a bombastic character, it will be intereting to see if either fighter throws punches with some Cain in them. We shall see.

UFC 141: The Brock vs The Reem

2011-12-28T22:39:00.000-05:00

"More than a quarter of a ton collide this Friday."

"The biggest and the best will go head on this Friday night, etc."

The comparisons and analogies to the size of the following behemoths, Brock Lesnar and Alistair Overeem, will be endless and cliche. As the poster suggest, these guys are the biggest of the bunch in terms of skill, size, and experience. But will it be explosive and tactical or an explosive dud?

As evidenced by Cain Velasquez quick defeat at (literally) the hands of Junior Dos Santos, one can't help but be reminded of another colossal matchup that failed to live up to the hype. This time on the boxing arena: Lennox Lewis vs. Michael Grant.

Grant was an undefeated start up while Lewis was the reigning heavyweight king who was supposed to be taken to the brink. Instead, Lewis used his experience and power to knockout his opponent in the 2nd round. Grant never recovered and never competed at such a high level again.

This one should be different as there are two main styles which are needed, though both have a puncher's chance. Sort of.

Overeem has proven himself in the stand up game; first in PRIDE and then in K-1. Brock has power but unlike The Reem, he does not have that one punch kayo power. If he did, Heath Herring never would have made it out the first round. Lesnar is a powerful man who will hurt you then Hulk smash you into utter defeat.

The Reem has the skills needed to counter Brock's brockness. He has grown like the Incredible Hulk. Gone is the lanky ko artist and now a big brawler who throws big fighters around like rag dolls has re-emerged. He tossed crude Brett Rogers around and dumped Fabricio Wewrdum whenever he felt like it. And these are no small men either.

The guess here is that Lesnar's long layoff, along with Overeem's recent success at heavyweight, will allow The Reem to control The Brock and finish the fight on the feet ... but he must tuck his chin in and avoid being kept down.

This one should be exciting ... for as long as it lasts.

Andre Wards(s) off Carl Froch

2011-12-17T22:29:00.002-05:00

Ward beats Froch in 12

Andre Ward, the last U.S. Olympic gold medalist controlled Carl "The Cobra" Froch to become the super middleweight champion by all accounts. While some will say that Lucian Bute is the man, Ward has taken the rougher path to the title and Bute has not.

Ward set the pace in the first round when he boxed, brawled, mauled and bullied Froch on all four sides of the ring. The pattern set by Ward would continue for the remainder of the fight. Though Froch was clearly outboxed, he never stopped trying to win and finished the last two rounds as the aggressor.

UFC 140: Funny Money Only POTW

2011-12-09T01:00:00.001-05:00

Funny Money Only Picks of the Week:

Jon "Bones" Jones vs Lyoto Machida
Can the Karate Kid aka Ryu, rattle Jones' bones? The smart pick here is that Jones wins by either referee stoppage or vicious elbows debilitating Machida. Unless Jones goes in too confident, look for a late stoppage win for Jones. Machida is a live underdog in this one.

Frank Mir vs. Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira
Mir has been one of the hottest/coldest fighter in MMA even before his motorcycle accident. He should win through attrition, via unanimous decision. That's if he trained right and maintains his focus.

Tito Ortiz vs. Antonio Rogerio Nogueira
Tito took a painful stoppage loss last time out against a rejuvenated Rashad Evans. Look for Lil Nog to eek out a decision.

Chael Sonnen is MMA's Floyd Mayweather

2011-10-09T11:57:00.000-04:00

And you thought Mayweather's post-fight interviews were interesting (side note:if only Floyd and Pacquiao would have done this years ago ...):

Sergio Martinez KO's Darren Barker in 11

2011-10-02T00:31:00.001-04:00

Sergio Martinez continues his quest to get a marquee fight against boxing's power brokers, Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather Jr., with another hard fought ko victory over another undefeated European fighter, Darren Barker. Also, with the win, Martinez has scored three straight ko title defenses since beating Kelly Pavlik for the title.

An interesting stat: Martinez's last two opponents combined records were 60-0 (37 KO's).

Wow.

Funny Money Only Pick of the Week: Jones vs. Jackson

2011-09-23T23:37:00.000-04:00

Looking like buddy sitcom stars

Can Rampage break Bones? Unless Jon "Bones" Jones under trained against Quinton "Rampage" Jackson, look for the phenom to use his vast array of striking skills to wear down the older Jackson. Jackson needs to land lightning in a bottle or Jones will stop him in 3.

Remember, as always, to bet with Funny Money Only!

Floyd Mayweather KO's Victor Ortiz in 4th Round

2011-09-18T00:18:00.005-04:00

After a flurry and a Flagrant headbutt by Ortiz, referee Joe Cortez rightfully penalized Ortiz a point for the foul. Ortiz hugged Mayweather and forgot boxing's cardinal rule: Protect yourself at all times!

Somewhat controversial but fully comprehensive victory for Mayweather.

Funny Money Only Pick of the Week: Haye vs. Klitschko

2011-06-30T23:18:00.003-04:00

It's time for the mean glares and cold stares to end.

The smart money says Wladimir Klitschko jabs, grabs, pummels and wilts David Haye by the 9th round or so. However, this section is for those playing with FunnyMoneyOnly.

Hence my pick: Haye uses a lot of energy and jabs Klitschko's body and lulls the giant to sleep in the 3rd round, courtesy of a right hand followed by a rapid combination. It's his only chance as a decision in Germany is not realistic. And also, surviving Klitschko's jabs and right hand and left hook are also very unrealistic. And with this scenario, it will involve big brother Vitali and one clear champion to the heavyweight throne.

Funny Money Only Pick of the Week

2011-05-07T22:10:00.000-04:00

Mosley vs Pac: Who You Got?

This weeks FMOPOTW=Manny Pacquiao W 12 Shane Mosley.

Of course, in fighting, anything can happen. All it take is one punch. Unfortunately for Mosley, who use to make full application of his punches in his prime, he has had two fights to land that one punch and has failed against Floyd Mayweather (no shame there) and Sergio Mora (for shame). Maybe third time's the charm?

Pacman: My Story of Hope, Resilience, and Never-Say-Never Determination

Too Young for Wars

2011-04-17T17:49:00.000-04:00

Which way will either fighter go?

Andre Berto, Victor Ortiz, Juan Manuel Lopez and Orlando Salido all won and lost a little bit more last night.

Giving your all is never a bad thing, unless of course you're in the business of never giving too much until you've cashed in all your chips. For the aforementioned warriors, they do not know the meaning of the words "just enough."

For Ortiz and Salido, they each won world titles and boosted their careers the way a kayo over an undefeated fighter can. It was truly a night for the underdogs. But how much longer can each winner maintain the do and die attitude? And for the losers, will they seek better management and not immediately jump back into the fire or will they be exploited for as long as their excitement level allows?

We will all find out in their next fights. What an exciting and amazing night for boxing fans.

Nick Diaz Remains Undefeated; James Kirkland Loses

2011-04-09T23:41:00.000-04:00

Nick Diaz' blase attitude must have been a front as he defiantly stood with Paul Daley and knocked him out. Who will beat Nick??
---

James Kirkland lost for the first time by first round tko as Nobuhiro Ishida knocked him down 3 times in the first round.

Will Nick Diaz Lose Tonight?

2011-04-09T17:28:00.000-04:00

If this video is any indication, an upset to hard-hitting Paul Daley may not be out of the question.

UFC Monopolizes MMA. Now what?

2011-03-12T16:17:00.000-05:00

Zuffa, LLC has purchased Strikeforce according to UFC President Dana White. Does this mean that the Heavyweight Tournament will go as planned? What will happen to the respective champions and their scheduled fights? Will the fights be shown on Showtime or Spike? What about the announcers?

Let's see if a lot of fighters go the way of the not so popular but equally as effective fighters from the days of Pride FC. The last time this happened Randy Couture sued the UFC when he felt short changed (as well as a fight with Fedor not materializing) by the UFC. Let's just hope some of the same mistakes are not repeated.

We shall all see.

Revenge, Redemption or Repeat?

2011-02-12T13:06:00.000-05:00

Meet the Strikeforce Heavyweight Challengers

(photo from http://www.mmamania.com/)

Will Fedor Emelianenko (third from right) win over Antonio "Bigfoot" Silva? Or will the others (from let to right then right to left:) Alistair Overeem, Fabricio Werdum, Fedor, Silva, Josh Barnett, Brett Rogers, Andrei Arlovski, or Sergei Kharitonov win it all? Find out tonight @ 10 p.m. EST on Showtime.

Anderson Silva: MMA's Muhammad Ali

2011-02-06T00:52:00.002-05:00

Ascension to the pantheon of greats

When analyzing Muhammad Ali's defining and dominating moment, many people point to Ali's destruction of Cleveland Williams. Others cite his improbable upsets of Sonny Liston and George Foreman. While others will point to his third fight with nemesis Joe Frazier. Either way, those moments leave no doubt as to the mettle which made Ali one of the greatest fighters ever.

Anderson Silva can now make that claim. It's not that his emphatic, almost easy victory over MMA veteran and former champ Vitor Belfort defines his greatness.

No.

It's the fact that it adds to his contrast of victories.

In his last fight, Silva struggled mightily on his feet and on the ground before staging a late-round submission over substance user, Chael Sonnen. In his fight tonight, Silva knocked out Belfort with a kick to the face that would have made Bruce Lee proud, if not Steven Segal who was seated at ringside and who had also trained Aikido with Silva.

Either way, fans can choose from a vary of styles to promote Silva's greatness. This writer prefers to use the Silva vs Chris Leben fight as a blueprint to the type of fighter Silva is when he steps on the pedal.

Now, let's see if young tiger Jon "Bones" Jones can make his own mark as he already has a unique style, power and a will to win which can possibly have him compared to Silva ... if he's good enough and dominant enough.

Jamaica's Fountain of Youth

2010-11-06T23:08:00.002-04:00

After all these years ...

Jamaica's own "Gentleman" Glen Johnson continued to marvel fans and critics as he scored an 8th round TKO of perennial contender Allan "Sweetness" Green and confirmed a place in the Super Six semi-finals as Green is left to re-evaluate his career.

Johnson, who has fought at the elite level for the last 13 years, proved he is a threat at either 168 or 175 lbs. as the 41-year-old marvel dug and scrapped an 8th-round TKO over Green dropping and forcing a referee stoppage after downing Green with two right hands. It's a good thing too, as the judges were well on their way to giving The Road Warrior an umpteenth shaft on the scorecards.

Interestingly, if Johnson can win the Super Six, or at least be competitive--which is his repertoire--and if Bernard Hopkins can score an upset over light heavyweight Ring champ, Jean Pascal, Johnson may be in line for a revenge fight against the only man to stop him by next year.

Will it be a fight that can be sold to the public is too far in the future to predict. But until then, Johnson has time to return to Jamaica and rejuvenate.

Too Many Wars for Marquez

No way does a fighter like Rafael Marquez have three wars with Israel Vasquez, back to back to back no less, and emerge the same fighter. Against a younger, faster fighter like Juan Manuel Lopez Marquez realized that he cannot go on forever.

Though the fight ended after the 8th round (both Green and Marquez got the proverbial 8-ball last night) due to a shoulder injury suffered by Marquez, he was getting beat to the punch all night, while occasionally catching counter hooks from Marquez.

The guess here is that though a rematch is viable, so is a huge upset or, more realistically, a cut eye, a possibility which could derail a mega fight with Cuban champion Yuriorkis Gamboa. Unless Juanma tightens his defense, Gamboa is faster and hits just as hard and could catch a mid-round KO.

Brock Rocked by Cain

2010-10-24T00:43:00.000-04:00

The new UFC HW Champion ... for now

Cain Velasquez survived Brock Lesnar's initial offensive onslaught and pummeled the UFC behemoth to win the UFC HW title. Fedor, where art thou?

As expected, Brock immediately bore in for the takedown. The difference is that Cain has similar wrestling credentials and was able to transition back to his feet. Once on the feet, Brock's lack of a strong stand up game cost him dearly as he was dropped each time he was cleanly hit. Cain is not an alleged juiced up Shane Carwin; he does not let up. He picked his shots and made sure to hit Brock fast and furious when he had him down, forcing referee Herb Dean to stop the fight as Brock face was a crimson mask.

Next up for Cain is heavy handed Brazilian, Junior Dos Santos. The guess here is that if t remains on the feet Junior gets the ko. But if he can get Junior down, he can either submit him or pummel his way to a victory.

We shall see.

Can Junior prove to be senior on the feet?

Will Brock Smash Puny Cain?

2010-10-23T02:10:00.001-04:00

Or will Cain make MMA History? (sherdog.net)

Cain Velasquez will have a chance to make MMA history and become the first Mexican-American heavyweight champion in MMA and possibly, combat history, this Saturday at UFC 121.

But in his way stands MMA's version of Marvel's green Hulk. Former WWE superstar/champion, Brock Lesnar, has smashed his way into MMA superstardom. He is, bar none, the main money maker in MMA. He has smashed 2 of his last 3 opponents. Even his first name denotes destruction. However, for a big smasher, his stand up is brutish, at best.

And this is the department where the smaller Cain may bring forth his wrath (now you know that was going to be used). As Cheick Kongo showed, Cain's standup is not the greatest, but compared to Brock's 1800's bar-room style stance, Cain is Muhammad Ali. Cain will need to use his strength and wrestling ability, which is overshadowed by Brock's, in order to stay off the mat and keep the fight standing. That is his only chance as he has not shown any exceptional jiu-jitsu holds. So far, all but one of Cain's wins have been by stoppage.

Unless Cain surprises on, and especially off the ground , look for Brock to rock a 3-round unanimous decision.

"Prince" Naseem Hamed vs. "The Neo Samurai" Genki Sudo

2010-10-17T16:40:00.001-04:00

I almost forgot I had this video I made a few years ago to fit the "Boxing Meets MMA" theme. Sadly, the original music I used, C & C Music Factory's "Sweat" and Ini Kamoze's "Hotstepper" could not be used (thank you faltering record labels for diminishing any FREE promotion).

For my money, Sudo was an all-around fighter who sought out the best competition. Either way, their ring entrances and fighting styles were unique and fan pleasing. Enjoy.

James Kirkland's Last Shot?

2010-10-02T01:50:00.000-04:00

For more: espn.com

As per Fightnews.com, James Kirkland was released on 9/30/10 from prison for probation violation ahead of schedule and is being allowed to continue his boxing career.

Kirkland has been one of boxing's best prospects for almost a decade. He is still relatively young but his boxing age is getting older and his convictions are getting old. Here's to hoping that Kirkland uses this last chance to make the most of a promising fighting career. Here's to hoping that the rage that makes him great in the ring doesn't destroy him outside of it, ala Mike Tyson, Ike Ibeabuchi and Harry Simon, to name a few.

All the talent in the world could not help Harry Simon reach his boxing zenith.

Mir The End?

2010-09-25T02:48:00.000-04:00

If ever there was a crossroads fight this year in the UFC, this is it. Frank Mir cannot afford to lose to hot and cold UFC KO artist, Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipovich this Saturday night. Cro Cop can afford to lose as long as it's spectacularly. Cro Cop is the striker and nearly all his wins are exciting. Mir, on the other hand, wins mostly on submission (which is why his KO over Big Nog was surprising to say the least) and loses by devastating KO.

The Funny Money Only Picks are:

Cro Cop KO 2 Mir
Bader W3 Nogueira
Lytle W3 Serra