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On November 28, 2017 By In Mixed Martial Arts

What’s Legacy Got To Do With It?

“Having a legacy is the closest we can get to immortality. It’s how we combat the transience of our lives and the fact that most of our time is spent doing things that will be forgotten shortly after they’re finished. A legacy, though, outlives all of that. It etches our name in memories and record books and keeps us alive long after we’re gone.

It’s no wonder that the idea of a legacy is so important to professional fighters, whose job exists at the edges of mortality; it gives purpose to the life-shortening danger of their work beyond collecting a paycheck. We still talk about athletes from 100 years ago, and in a sport as young as MMA, legacies have less historical competition and thus are more up for grabs than in other sports. However, as recent events have shown, a fighter’s legacy is more complicated than it seems…”

 

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On November 7, 2017 By In Mixed Martial Arts

Are You Not Entertained?

“In the aftermath of any big fight card, hyperbole is certain. It’s as inevitable as a George St. Pierre victory or MMA’s capacity to entertain and surprise us. Yet in the wake of UFC 217 on Saturday, it is no exaggeration to say that it was easily the best card of the year and one of the most memorable shows in a long, long time.

There was a lot to like about the undercard, from Ricardo Lucas Ramos’ spinning elbow knockout to Ovince St. Preux’s lights-out head kick, but the true highlights belonged to the three title fights at the top of the card. Only two other UFC events have ever had three title fights on the same card: UFC 33 and UFC 205. At UFC 33, often considered one of the worst cards in Ultimate Fighting Championship history, both Tito Ortiz and Jens Pulver retained their titles while Dave Menne won the inaugural middleweight belt. At UFC 205, the company’s first event at Madison Square Garden and one of the most memorable shows in recent memory, two of the three champions retained their titles. Then, at UFC 217, all three titles switched hands. That alone made the event special, but more than the mere swapping of belts, the ways in which the fights went down made UFC 217 truly great…”

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On July 11, 2017 By In Mixed Martial Arts

A Half Empty Look at International Fight Week

“International Fight Week came and went, and with it there was much cause for rejoicing.

“The Ultimate Fighter 25” Finale main card on Friday was surprisingly good. Jared Cannonier laid a dynamic beatdown on a remarkably tough Nick Roehrick in an entertaining brawl; Drakkar Klose provided Marc Diakiese some much-needed adversity in a battle of two promising prospects; Jesse Taylor finally earned the opportunity to aggressively scream “I’m a UFC fighter” around Las Vegas and presumably fought the urge to kick out limousine windows in celebration of his “Ultimate Fighter” victory; and Justin Gaethje brought his beautiful brand of violence to the Ultimate Fighting Championship in a “Fight of the Year” candidate against Michael Johnson.

UFC 213 on Saturday brought its fair share of action, as well. Anthony Pettis once again looked like the Anthony Pettis we all imagine him to be; there were zero butt scoots in the rubber match between Alistair Overeem and Fabricio Werdum; and Robert Whittaker and Yoel Romero went back and forth in a heck of a fight for the interim middleweight title. All things considered, the UFC double-feature delivered. What’s there to complain about?

Unfortunately, plenty…”

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On October 7, 2016 By In Mixed Martial Arts

Michael Bisping vs. Dan Henderson Statistical Analysis

“The middleweight title picture in the Ultimate Fighting Championship is about to get weird.

Newly minted middleweight champion Michael Bisping at UFC 204 on Saturday in Manchester, England, will defend his belt for the first time in his home country against Dan Henderson, who knocked him senseless seven years ago at UFC 100. “The Count” was long considered past the point of being a serious title contender, but “The Ultimate Fighter 3” winner has since experienced a late-career resurgence that culminated in a first-round knockout of Luke Rockhold at UFC 199 in June. This will be the first time Bisping fights three times in a year since 2010. It will also be his 27th fight in the UFC, which will tie him with Frank Mir and Tito Ortiz for the most all-time.

It is not often that a single-fight winning streak earns a crack at the title, but that is exactly where Henderson finds himself. The 46-year-old is a legend of the sport, though he has not won back-to-back fights since 2011. The former two-division Pride Fighting Championships titleholder is 2-2 since dropping back to middleweight in 2015. His last fight was a second-round knockout of Hector Lombard, which happened the same night that Bisping claimed the title. Prior to that, “Hendo” was 2-6 over the course of four years and hardly in the title hunt. This will be his second fight of the year and quite possibly the final fight of his storied, decades-long career.

This is not the average title fight, but it is an intriguing matchup for several narrative and stylistic reasons. Here is what the Tale of the Tape has to say…”

 

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