The Best Come From Behind Victories, Ever.

We all love to see them.

Those smashing, come from behind victories that leave us with our jaws open, and exclamations of "did that just happen?" dripping from our lips.  The type of finish that has Mike Goldberg and Joe Rogan making such repeated statements as "don't blink!","that's what's so unpredictable about MMA","never leave it in the judges hands", etc., etc.

For your perusal and enjoyment, I've complied a list of the 10 best come from behind victories in MMA. Enjoy.

Debate Article #1: Has the UFC Become Too Commercialized?

The premise of this debate: Too many websites have "rules". By rules, I mean that if you disagree with the author of the article, you may/ will be ridiculed, and/ or deleted. You are not truly allowed to express yourself.  Also, it seems as though everyone is supposed to comment within the parameter's of the article itself.

I don't agree with that. I would rather put out a topic, and allow the conversations/ debate that takes place  to be the true entertainment.

The "Rules": There are none.  Say what is on your mind; I encourage it. I do request a certain sense of civility, though. You are not required to agree with anyone (and no one is required to agree with you). Proper grammar is appreciated, however.

Has the UFC Become Too Commercialized?

Nick Diaz vs. Carlos Condit: This Brought Me Out of Hiding

So, I just finished watching the fight for the third time.

The first time was with friends, bbqing and having a couple of drinks. The second time was watching the fight on dvr. This last time was studying the fight with the volume off. All three times lead me to a more unequivicable conclusion.

But before I get to that...

Chael Sonnen is at it again

 So, here's the back story:

Leading up to UFC 127, Jorge Rivera made a number of HILARIOUS videos that were meant to get under the skin of Micheal Bisping (said videos are on a previous article.  I highly recommend you check them out.)

Although Bisping claimed that the videos would have no affect on his mindset, he was suitably inflamed at the weigh ins. Bisping got in Rivera's face and even called him a "faggot."  All of this took place on the UFC's dime, as well as being in front of a live crowd and broadcast over the internet.

During the bought, Bisping delivered an obviously intentional (and illegal) knee to the head of a downed Rivera.  At the cessation of the fight, Bisping went to Rivera's corner, hurled insults, then proceeded to spit on the cornermen.  After which, he approached the still dazed Rivera, demanded an apology, then told him to "Go home, Loser."

The fallout has been great, and his behavior has prompted UFC fighters Demian Maia and Vitor Belfort to call Bisping out.  But it also caught the attention of the greatest MMA smack talker of all time:

Chael Sonnen, that kooky little bastard.

The Big Three: Jorge Rivera vs. Micheal Bisping

The days of competitive respect are close to gone.  The old school martial arts mentality to respect your opponent seems to be a thing of the past.  To replace these things, we now have bravado, arrogance, and an almost Hitler-like sense of superiority.  It could be argued that this is the sad passing of an age.

But, damn, does it make an exciting build up to a fight.

Smack talk has become an integral part of MMA, and the fight game as a whole.  We have pre fight trash talk, online bashing, blogging battery, the stylings of Chael Sonnen,  and Twitter.

But now, apparently, we have a new outlet for pre fight debauchery:  Broadway.

For those of you who don't know, Jorge Rivera has put forth a number of online videos that have demeaned Micheal Bisping in a way that would have Brock Lesnar laughing like it was "Shark Week" at Sea World.

Has MMA Gotten Soft?

Back at it's inception in '93, the UFC was about determining two things:  What is the best fighting style, and who is the best fighter, in the world. Is Muay Thai better than Jiu-jitsu?  Is Judo dominant over boxing?  Is "bone breaking" really a fighting style?  How does high levels of martial arts training stack up against the real world application of Pit Fighting (ala, Tank Abbott.)

Whether you look at Vale Tudo, Shooto, or the Ultimate Fighting Championship, it was a no holds barred/ minimal rules fighting competition.  Fighters of one style faced fighters of another. It was considered barbarism, not even allowed on pay per view. It wasn't until 1995 that Rick Blume, president and CEO of "Battlecade" coined the term "mixed martial arts", in turn helping to make the sport more socially acceptable.

It is my personal belief that mixed martial arts is no longer "mixed."  I believe that it has become a style all its own.  Sure, there are schools that teach Karate, Muay Thai and Jiu-jitsu.  But we now have schools that teach MMA, specifically combining different elements of different fighting styles for a synergistic effect.

While perusing one of my favorite MMA sites, cagepotato.com , I landed on this old school gem that many of you have probably seen:

Ryan Couture: Should We Believe the Hype?

Ryan Couture, is the (in)famous son of UFC/MMA legend and ground breaker, Randy "the Natural" Couture (not that you needed me to tell you.)  Ryan fought last night on "Strikerforce: Challenger Series," to emerge victorious by submission over BJJ fighter Lee Higgins.

While the commentators, promotion, and familial legacy would have us believe that Ryan is the next coming of an MMA Jesus, I can't help but wonder: Should we really believe what we are being told?

With me tonight is a long time associate, "Big D".  Big D is a Las Vegas financial professional, married with children, who still finds time to be an advocate and train in MMA (take that, fat America.)

(For the record, I love my country; we just happen to eat a lot of fast food and not exercise.) 

Junior Dos Santos: Am I the Only One?

     "Dude, what's the big deal? It's just me and my BFF.  It's not like we're holding hands...at the moment."

 (For the record, this is not an actual quote.)

 The UFC recently announced that the upcoming season of "The Ultimate Fighter" would be coached by former heavy weight champ, Brock Lesnar, and current contender Junior Dos Santos.  At the culmination of the season, the two will square off in June.

Apparently, the outcome of this battle is a foregone conclusion.

Vegas sports books are already showing Lesnar as a strong underdog.  This prompts me to ask:

Why?

The Solution

Editor's note:  Don't read this article until you have read the previous one, as this is a continuation.  Seriously;  don't do it. Don't you fucking do it.

Winner of Fitch vs. Penn to Get a Shot at the Welterweight Title

The UFC brass has announced that the winner of the main event at " UFC 127: Fitch vs. Penn"  will get a shot at whoever holds the title after the collision between welterweight champ GSP and long established contender Jake Shields.  This prompts me to ask a few questions.  Firstly:

Who the hell cares?

Fedor

I'm not going to waste time telling the story of Fedor Emilianenko.  I won't delve into his history, his legacy, or what he is to the sport of MMA.  Quite frankly, there is too much to go over.  If you don't know who he is you can go to Youtube or Google him.


I am here to discuss this past Saturday evening, where he faced "Bigfoot" Silva.

This is not an in depth breakdown or analysis of the fight, but rather a former fighters' defense of the "Baddest Man on the Planet".  Fedor's loss this past Saturday has brought out a surprising amount of naysayers.  People that were formerly staunch supporters of "the Last Emperor" are now trumpeting his downfall, and how the game has passed him by.  He lost his edge.  Too many years fighting cans.  His heart isn't in it anymore.

It's fucking insulting.

What to do about Johnny?

Let's lay it on the line right now: If you haven't heard of Johnny "Bones" Jones, you haven't a remote interest in MMA.  Don't worry; I don't think (much) less of you.

At 23 years old, Bones has walked into the UFC and practically decimated everyone placed in front of him.  The only reason I say "practically" is due to his relatively quiet entrance into the UFC, where he defeated an always game Andre Gusmao by unanimous decision.  His next fight was featured during the live portion of UFC 94, where he faced Stephan Bonnar.  While Jones didn't finish the fight, the maneuvers he was able to pull out were absolutely jaw dropping.  He had announced his presence, and this is where the "practically" ends.

Frankie Edgar serves notice: Don't ever doubt him again.

12 seconds; that's all it took for Frankie Edgar to take his opponent down.

BJ Penn, long vaunted for his amazing take down defense, found himself taken down multiple times in his rematch for the UFC light weight championship.  Not only did Edgar manage multiple (5) take downs, but absolutely destroyed Penn on the feet.

I remember the first time I saw Micheal Johnson run. Initially, I was unimpressed at Johnson leading the pack.  Then I took a look at the landscape flying past, providing a way to measure exactly how fast Johnson was moving.  This is a rough equivalent to what happened last night.

Edgar is fast, but it wasn't until I had BJ Penn as a measuring stone that I realized how fast.  Edgar, looking like the youngest sibling fighting the eldest brother, blurred through combination after combination.  What most impressed me, however, wasn't what he landed; it was how he closed.

Standing corrected; Diaz looks spectacular in victory over Davis

Everyone makes mistakes.

Whether it's a mistake, an action, or a statement, big or small, everyone does it.  But it takes true integrity, sometimes, to step up unprovoked and address that mistake.  Now that I have built myself up...

Nate Diaz has proven me completely and utterly wrong.

Due to my personal experiences with Nate, I will admit that I have a negative view of whatever he does.  I feel that his boxing is over rated, he has no striking power, he has been fed tomato cans and can't win when he faces a step up in competition.

Last night, he proved otherwise.

Maynard grinds out a decision over Florian; Secures title shot

Well, it wasn't exciting, but it was a win.

Last night Kenny Florian faced Gray Maynard for the opportunity to fight for gold in the UFC lightweight division.  I, personally, was very vocal on a) How Kenny should be the one pushing current champ Frankie Edgar in his first title defense, and b) how there was any/ no way that Gray could win this fight.

Tie: Randy Couture no surprise vs. What the hell did Toney even say?

 Sorry; I didn't know which title I wanted to go with, so I "tied" them.

Despite all the build up and trash talk leading up to this "MMA vs boxing" spectacular, things went exactly as expected.

Couture, smiling widely before the fight even began, shot and secured the takedown within seconds of the bouts opening bell (so much for Toney's self proclaimed take down defense).  Couture quickly and easily moved to full mount, giving Toney a healthy taste of those four ounce gloves, while smothering any sort of offense Toney tried to put togethter.  Still smiling, Randy secured a head and arm choke, forcing Toney to tap.

Joe Lauzon crushes Gabe Reudiger in first round

Imagine what would happen if a 5th grade student got into a streetfight with a Senior in highschool.  If you can mentally see that then you have a good understanding of what transpired in the match up between Joe Lauzon and Gabe Reudiger.

The fights' interesting back story continued at the weigh in, where Reudiger presented Lauzon with a cake that read "Sorry for your loss".  Although civil at the weigh ins, Lauzon has made no secret of the fact that he and Gabe don't like each other.  Gabe has publicly stated that he thinks Lauzon is a spoiled kid too full of himself.

As soon as the bell rang, the Boston native began a full assault on "Godzilla" that included a couple of monstrous slams, some viciously personal ground and pound, and complete and utter dominance from the top position.  After feeding Reudiger plenty of leather, Lauzon secured an armbar, forcing the tap at 2:01 in the first round.

After the stoppage, Joe attempted to shake Gabe's hand, but was rebuffed and ignored by the pouting protagonist of colonics.  When interviewed by Joe Rogan after the fight, Lauzon proudly welcomed Reudiger to Boston.  This, of course, was met with roaring approval.

It was fortuitous that Reudiger was thoughtful enough to bring Joe a cake; every winner deserves some dessert.

The Big 3, Part 3: Penn vs Edgar

Welcome to the third and final round in my breakdown of the "Big 3" where we will feature BJ Penn and Frankie Edgar meeting a second time to battle for the UFC lightweight strap.  The two previously met this past April, with Edgar pulling off the upset victory by unanimous decision.

Firstly, as I've already mentioned, I feel that this fight is a joke.  The fact that Edgar's first title defense is against the man he won the title from is a mistake.  Yes, while it might have been a close fight, the fact is that Edgar won.  While Shogun vs. Machida was understandable, the growing trend (witness the recently announced Sonnen vs Silva II) towards immediate rematches is irritating.

While I feel that Kenny Florian deserves the first shot at Frankie's newly aquired accessory, Edgar (competitor that he is) has stated that Gray Maynard (the only fighter to beat him) deserves the shot.

From what I have seen of Edgar, it's not a matter of "who deserves what"; it's a matter of Frankie's desire to avvenge his only loss.  But BJ thinks differently. BJ thinks that, by Edgar speaking for Gray, he has shown his true colors: Yellow.

I'd like to remind everyone(BJ included) that after the "Grease Gate" scandal that BJ sent his own mother to lobby on his behalf to the California State Athletic Commision (don't believe me? Google it).

While I don't doubt BJ's warrior spirit, this makes him a bit of a bitch with no right to speak of cowardice towards Edgar's logical statement.  Regardless of this, however, the fact of the matter is that these two will face each other once more.  So in a brief synopsis:

Look for Penn to be in shape and very aggresive from the get go.  A motivated Penn is scary.  But I don't see any new results.  While Penn may have brought in WEC competitor Antonio Banuelos to help prepare for speed and elusiveness, Frankie is in a different league.

In my opinion, what won the original bought for Edgar was a combination of heart, strong foot work, speed, angles, and boxing.

Edgar is fast, but combine this with absolutely sick angles and movement.  The result was a guy that was destined to be "first" and could effectively shut BJ down.  Sinus infection or not, BJ got schooled.

And I expect the same thing to happen again.

The Big 3, Part 2: Randy Couture vs. James Toney

Ah, shit; here comes round two.  Let's go.

While UFC 118 may be head lined by the rematch between Frankie Edgar and BJ Penn, Randy Couture and James Toney have stolen the show.

After watching "Countdown to UFC 118", my first instinct was to call this article:

James Toney: My Big Fat Belly
But that would just be silly. 

I understand that the countdown is filmed well before the fight.  I further understand that the producers will edit the production at their own discretion.  I have witnessed (through web casts) both Mike Tyson and Dana White saying that James is in great shape.  With all of that being said,

James, are you out of your fucking mind?

James spent half of the broadcast talking about how much of a beast he is. "Randy Couture ain't never faced no one like me", and I am a real fighter.

Really?

Let's take a look at James.

Beat Randy Couture? I thought you said "eat" Randy Couture. Shit, my bad; Let's go to McDonald's.

Toney is now representing Trevor Sherman as his head trainer.  This prompts me to ask, "who the hell is trevor Sherman"? (Seriously; even Wikipedia doesn't have a listing for him).  James probably has more money than God, but rather than enlisting the aid of a Greg Jackson, Dan Henderson or Jeremy Horn, he gets Trevor Sherman.  Here are some other gems I picked up:

In the show, Sherman says that "Toney is a sponge; he sucks up everything". My first thought is: I believe you. he does suck up everything: pizza, burgers, chicken and waffles (c'mon now; you gotta switch things up).

Next, we get this from Sherman: "We don't want to change his game, we just want to add more tools to his tool belt". 

My wife immediately asked: "why add tools to the tool belt when you are already a tool"?  You hear that? My wife knows that Toney is a joke.

Finally, we finish with Sherman talking about how "James may not know the nomenclature of [ certain moves], but he can pull them off".

Now, Trevor...

We're dealing with a native born English speaker that needs sub titles to elucidate whatever the hell he is saying.  He may not know the "nomenclature"? He doesn't know what "nomenclature" means!

Now that I've got my rant out of the way, let's actually get to the break down.

TONEY
James Toney has proven himself to be one of the most durable and long lasting figures in professional boxing. His habit of smoothly rolling with punches make incredibly slippery and hard to hit. Combine this ability with the fact that he is one of the best counter strikers the game has ever seen and you have the recipe for trouble for anyone who attempts to face him in a stand up war.  This concludes all the positivity I have to offer Mr. Toney.

I am not the first to say it, but it can't be said enough.  Boxing is not MMA.

Just because you happen to be a famous classical violin player doesn't mean you can pick up a guitar and play rock and roll.  James Toney thinks that his boxing will be enough to make him legitimate in MMA.  After all, he's been working on his take down defense for a whole 6 months.

COUTURE
Randy Couture is blah blah blah, yadah yadah yadah.  We all know who Randy Couture is, what he is capable of, and what he will do to James Toney.  I give it less than 30 seconds before Randy goes for the shot (and if strong wrestlers Tito Ortiz and Chuck Liddell couldn't stop him do you think Toney can?), takes Toney down and finishes it by rear naked choke.

This fight has nothing to do with Randy or James and everything to do with MMA vs boxing.  It's a move, a statement, a power play.  The way I see it, James embarrassed Dana White by following him around the country and calling him out.  So Dana welcomes James to MMA by stacking him against one of the most experienced, well rounded, and competitive fighters that the UFC has to offer.

But here is where Dana has gotten sneaky.

If Dana wanted to make a statement, why not stack Toney up with Frank Mir? Roy Nelson?  Hell, Brock Lesnar?  Why pull Randy up from light heavy weight to the heavy weight division?

Because it's about spin control.

Let's say that Toney accomplishes the impossible and knocks Randy out.  How much damage will be done to the reputation of MMA?  So Dana has hedged his bet.

While no one can argue that Randy is in fantastic shape and remains very competitive, the fact of the matter is that he is almost 48.  If Toney manages the win, it can be argued that he didn't beat a top contender in the prime of his life; he beat an "old" man closer to 50 than 40.  Dana has made Randy the UFC's fall guy.

With that being said, Toney has been almost Sonnen like in the trash talk leading up to this fight, preaching his own prowess and demeaning Randy at every turn.  As if the always respectful Couture didn't have enough motivation for this fight, Toney has managed to piss him off.

Randy said it best: "I don't care about knocking him out; I'm here to kick his ass".

The Big 3, Part One: Florian vs. Maynard

Holy shit, here we go.

After watching "Countdown to UFC 118" (again), I've decided that the 3 biggest fights on the card deserve their own individual, and in depth, breakdowns. Consequently, I've decided to put together " The Big 3; Parts One, Two, and Three", which will detail the 3 biggest and most interesting fights on the card. 

Make sure you have your tighty whities on, 'cause you're gonna have a boner.

First up on the Big 3, we feature the scrap for the number one contenders spot: Kenny Florian vs. Gray Maynard:

kicking your ass will be wicked cool!

Nope, nope, K(L)enny...I only like things that are soft.(This is a reference to "Of Mice and Men", for those that didn't get it).

This match up, like many on this card, promotes some controversy.  Most ( myself included) would say that Florian deserves the first shot at Frankie Edgar's belt.  Although only two fights out from his last title fight with BJ Penn, Florian has stopped big name fighters Clay Guida and Takanori Gomi.  It stands to reason that, having stayed in the upper echelon of fighters his entire career, Kenny is the only obvious choice for Edgar's first title defense.

This is where the controversy comes into play.

In his 12-1 record, the only person that Edgar has lost to is Maynard, himself.  After that fight, Maynard stated "He was a lot smaller than me, and I felt like I could throw him around.  So that's what I did."  Edgar himself has stated that Maynard deserves the title shot, since he [Maynard] is the only one to beat him.

This in turn lead to it's own tangent of controversy involving BJ Penn, who claimed that Edgar showed his true colors (yellow) by saying he wished to face Maynard instead of an immediate rematch with Penn.

But that will come in Part 3.


For this current bout, let's look at the build up.


I have been very fortunate to meet both Kenny and Gray (here in Vegas at local MMA bouts), and both were very humble and down to earth guys. Up to this point, both have adhered to the old school martial artist standard that stipulated: I'm a regular guy that just happens to fight; I don't need to talk about how tough I am.

Lately, though, Maynard has been very vocal about this fight with Kenny, being verbally more aggressive than I have yet seen him.  So let's break it down.

MAYNARD
Maynard is physically intimidating. Due to my background in bodybuilding, I was considered a large lightweight, but when I stood next to Gray, he dwarfed me.  He uses his physical size and power as an asset to control the ring.  By controlling the ring, he can effectively dictate where the fight takes place.

Maynard trains here in Vegas at Extreme Couture, which has a strong reputation as a wrestler's MMA gym.  Under Randy's training mentality, they take high level wrestlers and give them the tools to be absolute beasts in MMA.  His striking offense has improved dramatically, as evidenced by his bout with Roger Huerta.  Defensively, however, his striking is lacking.

Like the majority of wrestlers, Maynard is not completely comfortable with throwing a punch.  The subtle nuances that are ingrained in a long-time striker don't flow as effectively in wrestlers. Throwing shots from the hip, pivoting the rear foot, punching through a target as you execute a combination (while punching with speed and not muscle), getting your hands back into position as quickly as you throw them out; these are some of the things that many wrestlers struggle with.  This becomes an issue if you are dealing with someone that has quick hands.

In his last fight, Maynard faced Nate Diaz.  While I feel that there is no question that Gray won the fight, there were a number of instances were Diaz gave him issues.  I personally feel that Nate Diaz's striking game is over rated.  He pitter-pats and throws a number of shots, hoping one will land on a blind chin or temple.  This happened when he faced Gray, catching him with a barrage of punches that dropped Maynard to the canvas.

If Diaz can catch you, what do you think K-Flo will do?

FLORIAN 
The epitome of a thinking man's fighter.  K-Flo has presented himself as a professional from day one.  His game has changed dramatically since his time in the TUF house, and I think you would be hard pressed to find anyone that would argue against him being the most well rounded fighter in the lightweight division.

"I FINISH FIGHTS!"

Does anyone not remember that?  While I can appreciate and enjoy the intricacies of a ground war, I'd be lying if I said I didn't love a dramatic and emphatic finish just like everyone else.  Kenny has gone 8-2 in his last 10 fights, with 7 of those wins coming by stoppage.  The singular win that he didn't finish is the sole similarity between himself and Maynard: Roger Huerta.  This is where the similarities end.

While Maynard may be undefeated at 9-0 (with 1 no contest), the level of competition faced by each opponent is drastically different.  While Gray struggled with Diaz, who is mid level at best, Florian has beaten a "who's who" of fighter's in the UFC lightweight division.

Gray has the size, strength, and wrestling pedigree to take Kenny down, but it is easier said than done.  Kenny's in and out movement is  Machida like, and even if Gray manages a take down he has to contend with Florian's black belt level BJJ ground game.  Sorry, Gray; but I just don't see how you win this.

With the win, Kenny will be back in the number one contenders slot; right where he should have been from the get go.