UFC Live 6: Cruz vs. Johnson
Bellator 52
HEAVYWEIGHT QUARTERFINALS
Georges St. Pierre Joins Forces with Dan Hardy for Title DefenseGeorges St. Pierre wrote,
“Guess who landed in town yesterday night to come train with me? For sure he’ll bring the much needed intensity to get prepared…Dan Hardy!!!”
In March 2010, Georges St. Pierre defended his Welterweight Title against Dan Hardy in a match the British superstar is still recovering from. Hardy is one of the most passionate and intense fighters in the division and even in the face of defeat, has continued to press forward, continued to fight. Things have changed since losing to St. Pierre. Hardy first faced Carlos Condit, a fighter very similar to himself who happened to land his punch a split second sooner, knocking “the Outlaw” unconscious. Hardy then returned to face Anthony “Rumble” Johnson, but refusing to engage the heavy handed Brit, Johnson used his wrestling and size to simply hold Hardy down and decision, admitting after the lackluster fight,
“I’m kinda disappointed in myself because I like to finish fights… I wanted to finish the fight but in reality I just needed the win. After being out for a year and some change I needed to get back into the groove of things and just get the win, I didn’t need to go for the knockout or a submission.”
Hardy once again returned to face fan favorite Chris Lylte in what would be his retirement match. Hardy was noticeably not himself before the fight. He had a much softer physical figure and didn’t seem as prepared as usual. The fight however was a fantastic one that earned Fight of the Night honors and both men were willing have an actual fight. Unfortunately, late in the 3rd round, Lylte surprised Hardy with a takedown and caught him with a guillotine to finish the fight. Having lost his last 4 fights yet still with the UFC, Hardy vowed not to return until some major improvements have been made.
GSP has since defended his title successfully against Jake Shields and Josh Koscheck. St. Pierre has drawn some criticism for not finishing fights, 6 of his last 10 have gone to decision. Looking at his last 5 decision victories, Georges faces Jon Fitch in a fight where most of this criticism started. GSP consistently dropped Fitch on the feet and was even able to out wrestle him. Once on the ground GSP beat Fitch up so bad he was near unrecognizable after the fight. However most people just remember the fight as a ground battle which is considered boring. GSP then demoralizes BJ Penn, forcing BJ’s corner to stop the fight resulting in a TKO. He then faces the most dangerous striker in the division in Thiago Alves. Staying out danger, GSP gives Alves similar to what he gave Fitch. Next up is Dan Hardy, once on the ground, GSP nearly breaks Hardy’s arm with a kimura and almost ends the fight with an armbar, but his knees weren’t tight enough, earning him another decision. Then, he faces a wrestler in Josh Koscheck. From the very beginning, St. Pierre breaks Koscheck’s orbital bone with a jab and picks him apart for the remainder of the fight knowing he has the fight won.
Against Jake Shields, is where GSP may deserve the most criticism. St. Pierre’s repertoire consisted of a jab, a spinning side-kick and an overhand right. Both men had terrible gameplans. Shields hoped GSP would initiate the takedown if he tried to engage in a clinch. GSP hoped that he could force Shields in throwing a lazy kick that he could counter with the overhand right. Early in the fight, Shields landed a strike that blinded GSP’s right eye for the rest of the fight, forcing him to fight very conservatively resulting in another decision.
So now, Georges “Rush” St. Pierre is set to square off against fellow Team Jackson fighter, Carlos Condit. Condit is aggressive, a bit wreckless, has heavy hands and in dangerous on the ground. GSP will have no choice but to engage Condit and hopefully get the highlight finish he and his critics so crave. In preparation GSP has made a wise decision in reaching out to none other than Dan “the Outlaw” Hardy as a training partner who can mirror Condit perfectly, who has prepared for and fought Condit and who isn’t afraid to get in GSP’s face during sparring. Having “the Outlaw” as a resource for this fight is going to make Georges St. Pierre very dangerous.
Hardy is eying a return in early 2012 and after training with GSP, “the Outlaw” could certainly realize his full potential and become the Welterweight Champion he so deserves to be.
“I can see why George is the champ, he has a great team around him. I’ve done one session and I’m already learning a lot.” -Dan Hardy, 9/28/11
UFC 137 takes place in Las Vegas, Nevada October 29th and features Welterweight Contender Match, BJ Penn vs. Nick Diaz.
Dominick Cruz vs. Demetrious Johnson-by Ryan Conforti
“The Dominator” Dominick Cruz(18-1) has become the face of the Bantamweight division, with lightning fast hands, dynamic footwork and fighting pace no opponent can match. Cruz first appeared in the WEC immediately challenging then 145lb Champion, Urijah Faber for the Featherweight title where he suffered his first and only defeat. Since then he’s fought the very best at 135 and claimed the title. In his third title defense, Cruz met Faber once again and avenged his loss. Dominick Cruz is not only a fast and dynamic in offense, but is one of the most elusive fighters in the UFC. Difficult to hit and difficult to takedown, Cruz breaks his opponents mentally and physically with a constant barrage of unorthodox strikes.
Demetrious “Mighty Mouse” Johnson(10-1) is an exciting fighter to watch. He’s strung together enough impressive wins to earn himself a title shot, all while competing at weight class heavier than he should. Once the UFC adds the Flyweight Division, Johnson will be first in line, but has found success at 135lbs and could very well compete in both divisions. Before joining the WEC, Mighty Mouse had put together a six-fight win streak, finishing all of his opponents, five of which in the first round. Since then he’s been victorious against top Bantamweight contenders such as “Kid” Yamamoto and former Bantamweight Champion, Miguel Torres.
Keys to Victory
Dominick Cruz - Cruz needs to follow the same gameplan that he had in his last fight with Urijah Faber. Cruz has tremendous takedown defense, something he improved specifically in preparation for Faber and will need to rely on in this fight. Cruz has the speed, the range and the unpredictability to ‘dominate’ this fight, so as long as he stays calm, technical and respects Mighty Mouse’s strengths enough to stay out of danger, he’ll outwork Johnson for the win.
Demetrious Johnson – Johnson needs to get inside of Cruz’ range and press him against the cage to keep him from moving and prevent the onslaught of Cruz’ constant strikes. Mighty Mouse’s greatest skill is his wrestling and if he can tie up Dominick’s limbs and get him to the ground, that’s where he’s going to have the power advantage and be able to finish the fight. It’s not going to be easy though.
How it Ends
KO: Cruz. He’s the bigger fighter, better striker and has underrated KO power.
TKO: Slight edge to Cruz. I could see Cruz hurting Johnson and overwhelming him but I’ll give Johnson a fair chance of maybe getting a takedown and finishing, but it’s very unlikely.
SUB: Mighty Mouse. I wouldn’t count on this. Though both guys have the ability to submit each other, I think the fight will remain standing. I give a slight advantage to Johnson because, should the fight end in a submission, it’ll be because he finally got a takedown and looked to finish.
UD: Cruz. It’s been his style lately to stay elusive and outstrike his opponents to get the decision. I don’t see this fight being any different.
Expectation
I don’t want to count Johnson out. I’m a fan of his, I think he’s got a fair chance, but only a slight one. I fully expect Cruz to live up to his name and dominate. I definitely see this being a fantastic and exciting showcase of the Bantamweight Division and Cruz will likely outstrike Mighty Mouse for 5 rounds and win the decision. I really hope however, that this fight will end with Cruz finishing Mighty Mouse in highlight fashion so that he, and the rest of the Bantamweights can continue receiving the respect and attention they deserve.
Rampage vs. Griffin II?
Looks like Rampage and MMA fans everywhere will get their wish in February, or at least half of it. Rampage seems to have a spot reserved on the card but fans and he himself were hoping it would be against Mauricio “Shogun” Rua or Dan Henderson depending on the outcome of their November match-up. Rampage specifically wanted Shogun, but if he wins against Henderson, he’ll face the winner of Jones vs. Evans. It seems the only way Rampage could face either fellow PRIDE superstar in Japan is if the loser of Shogun vs. Henderson doesn’t sustain too much damage and wants to fight. With the likelihood of Rampage not getting that fight, he specifically asked to avenge his loss with Griffin, caring more about being on the card than who his opponent is and obviously feeling that he and Griffin have some unfinished business. Nothing is confirmed as of yet and probably won’t be until the outcome of UFC 139.
This may be a bad matchup for Griffin. Though he’s beaten Rampage before, but one has to think fighting Rampage in Japan is going to look real similar to fighting Shogun in Brazil. Could very well be the last match for both of these superstars and would definitely be a highlight match regardless.
Bellator 51Alexis Villa vs. Joe Warren
Official: Round 1 – KO 1:04, Alexis Villa
-Villa shows significant power in his hands early.
Wilson Reis vs. Eduardo Dantas
Official: Round 2 – KO 1:02, Eduardo Dantas
-Eduardo has superior strikes. Ends it dynamically.
Chase Beebe vs. Marcos Galvo
Official: Split Decision – 29-28, 28-29, 28-29, Marcos Galvo
-Very aggressive start from both men. Beebe gets tired.
Luis Noguiera vs. Ed West
Official: Unanimous Decision – 29-28, 30-27, 29-28, Ed West
-West is very confident on his feet. Noguiera counters with wrestling.
-By Ryan Conforti
Regardless if you’re a full-time athlete or just looking for info on how to provide your body with essential functional health, there’s a thing or two you should know about almonds.
Let’s start with the basics. Almonds are full of Fat, Fiber and loaded with Protein. They’re rich in Calcium, and Iron. So we’re going to focus on those 5 elements.
FAT: A serving of Almonds (1/4 cup, 1 ounce) is full of Fat. Good Fat. Only 5% of that Fat is Saturated (above 10% is too much) so you’ve got a good source of long lasting energy that is high in Cholesterol-lowering, healthy Fat. Athlete or not, this is where you want your energy to come from, not sugar.
FIBER: The recommended intake of Fiber is 20-35g, a handful of Almonds will net you about 3g. Keep that in mind when evaluating an entire days meals.
PROTEIN: A serving of Almonds gives you about 6g of Protein. A small protein bar usually provides about 10g with the ‘big guys’ providing 20-30g. Proteins are vital for energy and recovery. They build and repair muscle. And not just the ones in your chest and arms that you get from weight-lifting but also your organs and most importantly, your heart. Proteins can actually be used to sustain life and provide energy in times of need. The body pulls this from muscle when there’s no other source. In the short term (in the middle of a fight) this can provide a second boost of energy just when you’ve think you’ve given your all. Long term, this happens when the body is starved, say when an athlete is cutting weight poorly and begins to lose muscle mass.
CALCIUM: Almonds get you 70mg of your recommended 1000mg of Calcium per serving. This may seem low, but consider most Calcium rich foods are heavy in Dairy and high in Saturated Fats. Calcium is great for keeping your bones strong. Whether your recovering from conditioning your knuckles and shins or realize the importance of maintaining a strong skeletal system, this is a healthy source of Calcium.
IRON: Like Calcium, Almonds provide a good source of Iron, about 6%. While other foods can provide greater amounts, they’re sometimes accompanied by high fats or other factors such as time and preparation.
Almonds also provide high quantities of other Vitamins and Nutrients; Copper, Phosphorus, Magnesium, Manganese and Vitamin E.
Personal opinion – I love Almonds. I recommend about a 1/2Cup a day. They go great mixed into cereal or salad. Or just grab an handful in between your major meals to keep metabolism up throughout the day. It’s quick, cheap, requires no preparation and will a 32oz can can last you weeks. Keep them raw! No salt, sugar or any of that stuff.
~click here for more info on Almond nutrition and information~
MAIN EVENT
Yuji Nashiro vs. Yuya Yamamoto (FINAL)
Official: Round 1 – KO 3:00, Yuji Nashiro
Yuta Kubo vs. Andre Brul
Official: Decision – Yuta Kubo
Kizaemon Saiga vs. Valdrin Vatnikai
Official: Decision – Kizaemon Saiga
Yuya Yamamoto vs. Kenta (SEMI-FINAL)
Official: Decision – Ext.Rnd, Yuya Yamamoto
Yuji Nashiro vs. Takafumi Morita (SEMI-FINAL)
Official: Decision – Yuji Nashiro
Yuichiro “Jienotsu” Nagashima vs. Kenmun
Official: Decision – Yuichiro “Jienotsu” Nagashima
Yashuhiro Kido vs. Kenta (Quarterfinals)
Official: Decision – Kenta
Yuya Yamamoto vs. Shintaro Matsukura (Quarterfinals)
Official: Decision – Yuya Yamamoto
Hiroki Nakajima vs. Takafumi Morita (Quarterfinals)
Official: Decision – Takafumi Morita
Albert Kraus vs. Yuji Nashiro (Quarterfinals)
Official: Decision – YuJi Nashiro
Yoshi vs. Go Yokoyama (Reserve Fight)
Official: Decision – Go Yokoyama
PRELIMINARY FIGHTS
Sho Usami vs. Kensei Kondo (Amateur Fight)
Official: Decision – Sho Usami
Hide Usami vs. Yuji Inazuka (Amateur Fight)
Official: Decision – Ext.Rnd, Hide Usami
Naoki vs. Takayoshi Kitayama
Official: Round 3 – TKO 0:04, Naoki
Yuya vs. Akihiro Kimura
Official: Round 3 – KO 2:02, Yuya
Taito vs. Yuya Kai
Official: Round 2 – KO 2:40, Taito