среда, 30 сентября 2009 г.
Joe Rogan talks about the cauliflower ear
Some guys think this is cool but most of us rather not have it. Take a look at the link below to learn more about a very typical injury that happens to guys that do wrestling, judo, bjj, rugby and boxing.
Click Here To Find Out More About Cauliflower Ear
By the way, for those who don't know, Joe Rogan is the guy that leads the commentary for the UFC and I think he does a good job doing it too. The guy is really cool and is very good at what he does. His knowledge of jiu jitsu is excellent and he does really well explaining what is going on.
I'm not sure whether he is on the Ultimate Fighter show, he should be and I think he could add a lot of value there to the production. I've seen the first season online and wanted to get the rest of the shows on DVD so I am waiting but I've not seen him there.
вторник, 29 сентября 2009 г.
ADCC 2009 Sensation - Photos
I have had the chance to personally witness the ADCC 2009 Championship fights last weekend and certainly this was one of the most exciting weekends ever. Check out the official results here.
Firstly of course it was the assembled team. Marcelo Garcia, Robert Drysdale, Ronaldo "Jacare" Souza, Fabricio Werdum and so many others. The team was incredible despite some of the names that we were very much hoping for were missing or on the benches, including Roger and Kyra Gracie, Georges St. Pierre, Fedor Emelianenko and Gegard Mousasi.
Saulo Ribeiro was of course an exciting figure in the first half of the tournament showing impressive skill in submitting the younger jiu jitsu champion Romulo Barral only to lose later to the much bigger Fabricio Werdum who then went on to win the +99kg final to become Champion in the heavyweight division. Saulo displayed heart in fighting off Jeff Monson despite choosing to fight him with a kimono.
Another great name was Gunnar Nelson who impressed me immensely fighting in the absolute division representing Iceland. Gunnar showed surprising cardio and ability to attack the back of each of his opponents. Gunnar later faced the awesome Xande Ribeiro, losing to him by knee-bar. Xande would later win his division and lose via shoulder injury in the absolute finals to Braulio Estima.
Well-done to Xande who looked incredibly calm and displayed incredible abilities, the best fighter on the mats in my opinion.
Plenty of disappointments were also there, most notably Xande's injury to cost him the gold and Rafael Lovato who was submitted by Heel Hook which went too far and caused Rafael to drop out thereafter due to injury as Braulio applied the leg lock too far.
For Marcelo Garcia this was an enormous disappointment despite an impressive start when he submitted Kron Graice. He took silver for the first time in his division losing to Pablo Popovitch and later to Braulio Estima in the Absolute.
Well done to the organizers and participants! Well done ADCC!
Pablo Popovitch vs Gregor Gracie
Xande Ribeiro vs Vinicius Magalhaes
Fabricio Werdum vs Saulo Ribeiro
Tarsis Humphreys vs Igor Praporshchikov
Andre Galvao above working to pass the guard
Video of Marcelo Garcia in action!
Firstly of course it was the assembled team. Marcelo Garcia, Robert Drysdale, Ronaldo "Jacare" Souza, Fabricio Werdum and so many others. The team was incredible despite some of the names that we were very much hoping for were missing or on the benches, including Roger and Kyra Gracie, Georges St. Pierre, Fedor Emelianenko and Gegard Mousasi.
Saulo Ribeiro was of course an exciting figure in the first half of the tournament showing impressive skill in submitting the younger jiu jitsu champion Romulo Barral only to lose later to the much bigger Fabricio Werdum who then went on to win the +99kg final to become Champion in the heavyweight division. Saulo displayed heart in fighting off Jeff Monson despite choosing to fight him with a kimono.
Another great name was Gunnar Nelson who impressed me immensely fighting in the absolute division representing Iceland. Gunnar showed surprising cardio and ability to attack the back of each of his opponents. Gunnar later faced the awesome Xande Ribeiro, losing to him by knee-bar. Xande would later win his division and lose via shoulder injury in the absolute finals to Braulio Estima.
Well-done to Xande who looked incredibly calm and displayed incredible abilities, the best fighter on the mats in my opinion.
Plenty of disappointments were also there, most notably Xande's injury to cost him the gold and Rafael Lovato who was submitted by Heel Hook which went too far and caused Rafael to drop out thereafter due to injury as Braulio applied the leg lock too far.
For Marcelo Garcia this was an enormous disappointment despite an impressive start when he submitted Kron Graice. He took silver for the first time in his division losing to Pablo Popovitch and later to Braulio Estima in the Absolute.
Well done to the organizers and participants! Well done ADCC!
Pablo Popovitch vs Gregor Gracie
Xande Ribeiro vs Vinicius Magalhaes
Fabricio Werdum vs Saulo Ribeiro
Tarsis Humphreys vs Igor Praporshchikov
Andre Galvao above working to pass the guard
Video of Marcelo Garcia in action!
среда, 23 сентября 2009 г.
Greatest Submission Fighters of All Time - ADCC Athletes Ranking
Gracie Magazine has kindly compiled a ranking of all the ADCC competitors and ranked them based on their accomplishments. Please see link here.
It is exciting to see how the top athletes of today compare to the legends like Royler Gracie and Mark Kerr, who have dominated in the past. Well done Gracie Mag!
What surprised me of course was how high Jeff Monson is on the list. He is higher on the list than many others, even higher than Roger Gracie, but I guess not for long since Roger will certainly return in ADCC 2011 as strong as ever.
Mark Kerr of course took the top position, closely followed by Mario Sperry and Marcelo Garcia. Marcelo Garcia however is set to take the top spot as he will undoubtedly take gold in his division this year as well. It is also exciting to see so many faces that have not competed for years come and participate like Ricardo Arona and Saulo Ribeiro. Both should do well but can they pull off winning their divisions, I don't know especially if Saulo competes in the +99kg.
Jacare vs Drysdale will be an exciting highlight but I am betting Xande will be in the absolute final and will probably take the most prestigious gold in the competition.
Anyway, I will be there, so look forward to seeing pictures and if you can't wait then watch the event live or on video on demand. Please click here if you are interested.
It is exciting to see how the top athletes of today compare to the legends like Royler Gracie and Mark Kerr, who have dominated in the past. Well done Gracie Mag!
What surprised me of course was how high Jeff Monson is on the list. He is higher on the list than many others, even higher than Roger Gracie, but I guess not for long since Roger will certainly return in ADCC 2011 as strong as ever.
Mark Kerr of course took the top position, closely followed by Mario Sperry and Marcelo Garcia. Marcelo Garcia however is set to take the top spot as he will undoubtedly take gold in his division this year as well. It is also exciting to see so many faces that have not competed for years come and participate like Ricardo Arona and Saulo Ribeiro. Both should do well but can they pull off winning their divisions, I don't know especially if Saulo competes in the +99kg.
Jacare vs Drysdale will be an exciting highlight but I am betting Xande will be in the absolute final and will probably take the most prestigious gold in the competition.
Anyway, I will be there, so look forward to seeing pictures and if you can't wait then watch the event live or on video on demand. Please click here if you are interested.
вторник, 22 сентября 2009 г.
Fedor vs Mousasi Exhibition Match M1 Breakthrough
M1-Global are doing all they can to promote themselves. Thanks to their August event called M1 Breakthrough held this year in the US, we got to see a sparring match with two great fighters displaying their skills to the American audiences.
Aoki vs Fedor was more exciting in my opinion due to the differences in style and weight. Still an interesting event. Take a look at the video below:
Aoki vs Fedor was more exciting in my opinion due to the differences in style and weight. Still an interesting event. Take a look at the video below:
пятница, 18 сентября 2009 г.
Roger Gracie Out of ADCC 2009, Replaced By Jacare
Roger Gracie, the current BJJ Gi Absolute World Champion is out of the superfight with Robert Drysdale. Roger Gracie got mumps which took him away from training and after returning to training, Roger was unfortunate to twist his knee in a way that made competing no longer possible.
The ADCC Committee after careful consideration selected one of the best jiu jitsu fighters today, Ronaldo "Jacare" Souza, who has recently focused on this mixed martial arts career. He is a very formidable opponent for Drysdale and we will look to see how he does this September in one of the most exciting events of the year.
The ADCC Committee after careful consideration selected one of the best jiu jitsu fighters today, Ronaldo "Jacare" Souza, who has recently focused on this mixed martial arts career. He is a very formidable opponent for Drysdale and we will look to see how he does this September in one of the most exciting events of the year.
четверг, 17 сентября 2009 г.
November Strikeforce Event Coming Soon
A lot of news has been coming out in the grappling and mixed martial arts world over the last two weeks while I have been away. Should be back this Saturday to update everyone on what is going on at the moment.
So far it is looking like everyone is awaiting eagerly the Strikeforce event with what is most probably going to be a very strong roster. As you all will know, Strikeforce has recently strengthened it's roster of fighters to include some of the very biggest names in the sport including the legendary Fedor Emelianenko. Others include the jiu jitsu legends Roger Gracie and Ronaldo Souza and the new Strikeforce light weight champion Gegard Mousasi.
Both Gegard Mousasi and Fedor Emelianenko are hot commodities in the business. Gegard, a rising star with enormous talent and probably a decade of fighting to come while Fedor has beaten almost everyone in the business and consider the greatest fighter of all time.
While both seem to have refused to fight in the biggest promotion in the world, the UFC, they have signed with Strikeforce/M1 Global and have demonstrated their skill already, in an exhibition match called M1 Breakthrough.
The first of Strikeforce run events is expected to be in November and it already looks like the opponent of Fedor will be Brett Rogers, a strong striker with a perfect record and a first round KO of Andrei Arlovski in his last fight.
For those that love brazilian jiu jitsu will of course look forward to Roger Gracie's debut in Strikeforce in the heavyweight division. Roger is perhaps the greatest submission specialist the world has ever seen. Gracie is the current BJJ World Champion both in the heavyweight and in the absolute category, submitting all of his opponents from the mount in a spectacular performance never before seen. With only two mma fights behind his belt and so far little striking skill, he is yet to prove that he can beat the best but there is no doubt in my mind that Roger is a force to be reckoned with in any mma promotion and no matter who his opponent is.
The event in November will be spectacular and the only shame is that many of us fans living outside of the US and UK will not have a chance to watch it live.
sincerely yours,
grappler
So far it is looking like everyone is awaiting eagerly the Strikeforce event with what is most probably going to be a very strong roster. As you all will know, Strikeforce has recently strengthened it's roster of fighters to include some of the very biggest names in the sport including the legendary Fedor Emelianenko. Others include the jiu jitsu legends Roger Gracie and Ronaldo Souza and the new Strikeforce light weight champion Gegard Mousasi.
Both Gegard Mousasi and Fedor Emelianenko are hot commodities in the business. Gegard, a rising star with enormous talent and probably a decade of fighting to come while Fedor has beaten almost everyone in the business and consider the greatest fighter of all time.
While both seem to have refused to fight in the biggest promotion in the world, the UFC, they have signed with Strikeforce/M1 Global and have demonstrated their skill already, in an exhibition match called M1 Breakthrough.
The first of Strikeforce run events is expected to be in November and it already looks like the opponent of Fedor will be Brett Rogers, a strong striker with a perfect record and a first round KO of Andrei Arlovski in his last fight.
For those that love brazilian jiu jitsu will of course look forward to Roger Gracie's debut in Strikeforce in the heavyweight division. Roger is perhaps the greatest submission specialist the world has ever seen. Gracie is the current BJJ World Champion both in the heavyweight and in the absolute category, submitting all of his opponents from the mount in a spectacular performance never before seen. With only two mma fights behind his belt and so far little striking skill, he is yet to prove that he can beat the best but there is no doubt in my mind that Roger is a force to be reckoned with in any mma promotion and no matter who his opponent is.
The event in November will be spectacular and the only shame is that many of us fans living outside of the US and UK will not have a chance to watch it live.
sincerely yours,
grappler
вторник, 1 сентября 2009 г.
Judo World Champion 2009
It keeps surprising me still how unnoticed huge events are like the Judo world championship. Despite all the seats being taken at Rotterdam for the event of the year, the media does not pay much attention. The rules and the complexity of the sport is of course a major factor behind the relatively low popularity of Judo. It not as easy to understand as for example golf or tennis, nor is it as exciting for the uneducated viewer.
Check out the results here. Outside the sports world, many of the names are unknown. Russia has improved its performance taking one gold, one silver and one bronze. An improved result from the Bejing games but still there is room to improve.
Ivan Nifontov won the under 81kg category taking gold. Etsio Gamba, Russia's mens coach says that there is still have room to improve with Alexander Mikhailin and Tagir Haybullaev potentially able to take medals but showing disappointing performances this time around. It looks like Etsio has done well to return the Russian team to success.
The biggest surprise of the tournament no doubt has been the disappointing performance of the Japanse men's team, which took only one silver medal in the under 60kg. This is the worst performance in the 59 year history for Japan.
Overall, no doubt about it, this year Japan, South Korea and France were the countries with the strongest judo athletes. In each country, Judo is extremely popular, and it is not a surprise to see such an outcome. Most noticeably is perhaps China, which keeps climbing up the Judo ladder and no doubt as Chinese Judo grows, we will see some young new talent from over there.
Check out the results here. Outside the sports world, many of the names are unknown. Russia has improved its performance taking one gold, one silver and one bronze. An improved result from the Bejing games but still there is room to improve.
Ivan Nifontov won the under 81kg category taking gold. Etsio Gamba, Russia's mens coach says that there is still have room to improve with Alexander Mikhailin and Tagir Haybullaev potentially able to take medals but showing disappointing performances this time around. It looks like Etsio has done well to return the Russian team to success.
The biggest surprise of the tournament no doubt has been the disappointing performance of the Japanse men's team, which took only one silver medal in the under 60kg. This is the worst performance in the 59 year history for Japan.
Overall, no doubt about it, this year Japan, South Korea and France were the countries with the strongest judo athletes. In each country, Judo is extremely popular, and it is not a surprise to see such an outcome. Most noticeably is perhaps China, which keeps climbing up the Judo ladder and no doubt as Chinese Judo grows, we will see some young new talent from over there.
Final List for Women's ADCC
ADCC has now announced the complete list of competitors in the women's divisions. Never really followed women's grappling although no doubt it will be exciting this year as the level of competitors continues to improve. Kyra Gracie is perhaps the most recognizable name on the list together with Cristiane Cyborg, the current Strikeforce Champion. Actually I thought Cyborg was only a bjj purple belt but perhaps she has other grappling experience and certainly her mixed martial arts experience gives her the right credentials to be able to compete.
Females +60kg
1. Hannette Staack. USA
2. Penny Thomas. USA
3. Hitomi Hiraiwa. Japan
4. Rosângela Conceição. Brazil
5. Ida Hansson. Sweden
6. Shanti Abelha. Denmark
7. Lana Stephanac. USA
8. Cristiane Cyborg. USA
Females -60kg
1. Kyra Gracie. Brazill
2. Sayaka Shioda. Japan
3. Megumi Fujii. Japan
4. Michelle Tavares. Brazil
5. Laurence Cousin. France
6. Ina Steffensen. Denmark
7. Hillary Williams. USA
8. Luanna Alzuguir. Brazil
After a disappointing Mundials performance from Kyra Gracie, it is interesting to see how she will perform in this no-gi event. No doubt the competition will be very strong and from the number of countries represented, a very international event. Women's grappling, like women's mixed martial arts, has a long road to go yet before it can reach any decent level of popularity compared to the men's events. Perhaps women's Judo is quite close to men's Judo. Carano vs Cyborg headline fight was the first step in MMA.
For me I think that women's grappling may be even more exciting than bjj gi championships for example. Gi fights are of course much slower and the men's fights really show more varied technique and speed. Too many women's fights that I have seen were about passing the guard for more than half of the match with little success. Whether it is stalling, lower level of technique or muscle strength, I really don't know but I envision that from a spectator point of view, no-gi matches may become a more exciting event.
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