Mixed Martial Arts

Hey All,

My name is Scott Menner and I’m just another buddy of Paul’s. We work in the same office—about three cubicles apart, in case you were wondering. Paul’s notorious in our building for his Cardinal bashing and his pro-Cub rhetoric, which is a cardinal sin (pun very much intended) when you work in Saint Louis. He even walked in the office during our Cardinals opening day celebration proudly donning a Mark Prior jersey. Think what you may, but the guy’s got guts!

Paul has recruited me to be this site’s resident MMA expert, but I would say that calling me an MMA expert is about as accurate as calling Spike Lee a casual Knicks fan. I don’t train in any martial arts, nor have I ever even been in a real fist fight. I can, however, offer a layman’s insight into a sport that I love. My knowledge isn’t extensive, but it’s ever increasing.

Introduction to Mixed Martial Arts

For those of you who are new to Mixed Martial Arts, referred to hereafter as MMA, it is an amalgam of your more traditional martial arts--including Brazilian Ju Jitsu, Judo, Sambo—and other combat sports like boxing and Greco-Roman wrestling. What events boil down to is essentially two unarmed combatants in a ring or cage. The sport, once branded as “human cockfighting” by Senator John McCain, has undergone a metamorphosis in recent years.

The Ultimate Fighting Championship, or the UFC, hails as the world’s largest MMA organization and the sport’s premier venue. Whereas in the past the UFC allowed your more brutal maneuvers like hairpulling and groin shots and allowed bouts with large weight disparities, recent political scrutiny as well as efforts to maintstream the sport have tempered it a bit. The UFC has instituted five weight classes and has prohibited many of the controversial facets from its past. What we’re left with is an event where opponents combat using a combination strikes (punches, kicks, knees, etc) and submission techniques. Bouts consist of three five minute rounds for non-title matches, and title bouts may last up to five five-minute rounds. Matches are won knocking out your opponent or forcing them to submit.

Hope you enjoy MMA as much as I do.

MMA Pundit

05/17/2007

Well we’re about a week away from one of the most anticipated bouts in MMA history. Reigning light heavyweight champion Chuck “The Iceman” Liddell will be taking on brawny number one contender Quintion “Rampage” Jackson. This will be a rematch of their 2003 bout, which Jackson won after Liddell’s corner threw in the towel. What was surprising about their first match was that Jackson not only beat the heavily favored Liddell, but that he outstruck him in the process. The loss may be blamed in part to the fact that Liddell was venturing out from the UFC’s familiar confines in Vegas to fight halfway across the world in the Japanese-based PRIDE organization

The rematch, however, will unfold differently. The two will be fighting in the UFC, that is, on Liddell’s home turf. After suffering losses to several of his recent big-name opponents, Jackson has rebounded with consecutive victories over middleweight standout Matt Lindland and rival Marvin Eastman, to whom Jackson suffered his first professional loss. Chuck Liddell, on the other hand, has been unstoppable since his loss to Jackson, posting wins over many of the biggest names in the sport, including Tito Ortiz, Vernan White, Randy Couture, Renato Sobral, and Jeremy Horn. Moreover, all of Lidell’s recent victories have come by way of knockout, and only Jeremy Horn has made it past the third round.

Unlike Liddell’s last few fights, this match is difficult to pick. Once again I would have to say that the smart money is on Lidell, but Jackson poses a much bigger threat than Liddell’s last few opponents. Tito Ortiz had a shot at UFC 66, and Jackson arguably has better striking and wrestling than Tito and a significant strength advantage over Liddell. The problem for Rampage is that he must take Liddell to the ground and pound him out, and to do so he’ll have to take a few shots from the heaviest hands in the business. All Chuck needs, though, are a few solid shots to put Rampage away. Jackson definitely has the best chance of any of Liddell’s opponents since Randy Couture, but he will enter the octagon that night as a solid underdog.