The Redemption of Mauricio "Shogun" Rua
by Michael Rome on May 7, 2010 11:00 AM EDT
in MMA News
Email
Print
In September 2007, Mauricio "Shogun" Rua made his much-anticipated UFC debut against Forrest Griffin. In 2007, the big debate among MMA fans was not over who the best pound for pound fighter in the world was. Rather, it was over which stable of fighters was better: Pride fighters or UFC fighters?
Heading into UFC 76, Mauricio "Shogun" Rua was a consensus top 3 Light Heavyweight. Many experts considered him the top 205 pound fighter in the world given his dominant wins over Ricardo Arona, Alistair Overeem, and Rampage Jackson. He also participated in and won the fight of the year against Antonio Rogerio Nogueira in 2006. Most expected Shogun to walk right through Griffin, who had been knocked out by Keith Jardine just 9 months earlier.
At the time, despite the consensus that Shogun would win, many fans had lingering doubts about Shogun. Mirko CroCop had recently been destroyed by Gabriel Gonzaga, and Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira came dangerously close to the same fate against Heath Herring. Was the long-held notion that Pride had the superior fighters a myth? This fight would tell the story, supposedly.
It was apparent as the fight started that this was not the Shogun fans had come to love in Pride. He was flat footed, lethargic, and unable to handle Griffin's size. His punches had nothing behind them. Shogun kept it close for two rounds, but succumbed to Griffin's pace in the third and suffered a devastating and humiliating loss. The win launched Griffin to another level of stardom, and supposedly put the nail in Pride's coffin. Ringside reports even suggested that UFC officials were ecstatic that "their guy" beat Shogun.
Shogun took scorn from all directions after the fight. UFC loyalists mocked the idea that he was the top fighter in the world. Pride fans blamed him for embarrassing them. Stories of his knee injuries only brought on further mockery. Shogun underwent surgery, and was set to face Chuck Liddell at UFC 85. In the midst of his preparation, Shogun blew out his knee again, and underwent a second surgery. When Shogun finally returned to face Mark Coleman, he looked even worse than he did against Forrest. He gassed after one round, and actually found himself in very compromising positions on the ground.
Most experts wrote Shogun off after his fight with Mark Coleman. I fully admit that I was one of them. I couldn't explain what happened to Shogun; I resigned myself to believing that his excellence in Pride must have been a result of the lack of drug testing. I didn't buy into the injury story.
UFC 104 was Shogun's true UFC coming out party. He shocked the world by taking the fight to Machida, breaking his ribs and decimating his legs. If the measure is damage, the fight was not close.
At UFC 113, Shogun has the chance to complete his long journey to the UFC title and achieve a level of personal redemption that most fighters only dream of. One can only imagine the mental anguish he must have endured following his loss and throughout his endless recovery period. This Saturday night, he can put it all behind him and achieve the level of success most experts predicted he would have in 2007.
149 comments
|
0 recs |
Do you like this story?
Comments
"First real loss of his career"?
I saw the fluke arm injury against Coleman, but never saw the Babalu fight. I thought he loss by submission? Or did something happen illegally that led to the submission?
WAR SHOGUN!
Pride 4 EVA!
Eu, sou brasileiro, com muito orgulho, com muito amor♫
June 10th can't come soon enough, for another star is needed!
by Orcus on May 7, 2010 11:15 AM EDT reply actions 3 recs
no
I’m talking about PRIDE Fighting Championships, the one the Ultimate Fighting Championships decided to acquire just to burn it down.
Eu, sou brasileiro, com muito orgulho, com muito amor♫
June 10th can't come soon enough, for another star is needed!
Maybe I'm misinformed, but...
didn’t the Zuffa want to keep it alive, but with the scandal of the Yakuza ties they weren’t able to?
Like I said, I may be misinformed so please enlighten me.
Here is Dana White on the matter:
Fifty times we thought it was over and we were buying PRIDE, then we hear they were talking to these guys and these guys and kept stringing us along. So when Mirko Cro Cop’s deal came up, we went after Mirko aggressively, signed him, and that really started to unravel PRIDE. He was really tight with them, so once we were able to take him away, all the other fighters started talking to us too. And that was basically the last nail in the coffin for those guys. It was really a business move to buy PRIDE. That’s why we signed Cro Cop.
It wasn’t like we brought Cro Cop in and thought he was going to take over the heavyweight division or anything. I think that’s what the fans thought—the hardcore fans who really knew a lot about PRIDE—but it was a business move to kill PRIDE.
Audio is a bit bad so I put up the quote for you :p
Eu, sou brasileiro, com muito orgulho, com muito amor♫
June 10th can't come soon enough, for another star is needed!
Breaking Machida’s ribs? Is your source for this info Shogun’s camp?
by Niles on May 7, 2010 11:18 AM EDT reply actions 1 recs
it depends on who you believe
Shogun says he did, Machida says he didn’t, but on top of that Machida that no kicks to his midsection bothered him at all.
I give Shogun the benefit of the doubt to Shogun because of what Machida said above (though I recognize that I do have a bias here).
Eu, sou brasileiro, com muito orgulho, com muito amor♫
June 10th can't come soon enough, for another star is needed!
I say lol a lot if something is funny
and don’t worry, my answer had a few grammatical errors too!
but he has reasons to deny it. he already looked bad just with the low kicks, on top of that his very red rib area…
Eu, sou brasileiro, com muito orgulho, com muito amor♫
June 10th can't come soon enough, for another star is needed!
it doesn't
but to say it wasn’t bothering him one bit is a bit disingenuous. That’s why I give Shogun’s comments more weight than Lyoto’s.
Eu, sou brasileiro, com muito orgulho, com muito amor♫
June 10th can't come soon enough, for another star is needed!
you like to give empty statements, don’t you?
Eu, sou brasileiro, com muito orgulho, com muito amor♫
June 10th can't come soon enough, for another star is needed!
Fighters have some medical examination after the fight. I doubt that Machida was hiding broken ribs. Especially since UFC is paying his medical bills.
by dancingChicken on May 7, 2010 11:43 AM EDT up reply actions
they also didn't see anything wrong with his hands
though he needed surgery right after the fight. From what I understand, the medical exams they have after a fight is just a quick check up and not full check. Not sure who told me this before (I think it was brookhouse, but it could have been another writer), that they usually just ask if they feel something and looks if they have any visible lacerations.
Eu, sou brasileiro, com muito orgulho, com muito amor♫
June 10th can't come soon enough, for another star is needed!
based on what
I’ve seen, that’s pretty accurate. A fighter simply has to not claim this or that and he’s good so long as he doesn’t have something visibly wrong (deep laceration, broken or dislocated bone).
But if you have broken ribs you have to go to a doctor eventually. And from what I understand the UFC is paying the medical bills. Wouldn’t it be stupid to hide such an injury?
by dancingChicken on May 7, 2010 11:51 AM EDT up reply actions
what makes you think they pay for the bills?
not sure if that’s accurate, but he can get operated on in Brazil without the media knowing about it.
Eu, sou brasileiro, com muito orgulho, com muito amor♫
June 10th can't come soon enough, for another star is needed!
i do believe they pay the bills for injuries sustained within a fight
Even when I'm laying on my back I'm never backing down
by Austin Martin on May 7, 2010 11:56 AM EDT up reply actions
if that's true
he can still opt to see a doctor without the UFC or media finding out about it though.
Eu, sou brasileiro, com muito orgulho, com muito amor♫
June 10th can't come soon enough, for another star is needed!
I like you so I wont post tin foil hat, but...you know... :)
by dancingChicken on May 7, 2010 12:01 PM EDT up reply actions
haha
but I don’t even know what a tin foil hat means anyway :p
Eu, sou brasileiro, com muito orgulho, com muito amor♫
June 10th can't come soon enough, for another star is needed!
ah
thanks, new to me!
Eu, sou brasileiro, com muito orgulho, com muito amor♫
June 10th can't come soon enough, for another star is needed!
the tin foil hat keeps the aliens and the N.S.A cyborgs from being able to read your thoughts through your computer screen.
I never go near a computer without wearing one……. I mean you would have to pretty crazy to just let the aliens just read your thoughts when ever they wanted.
"When i get in there, in his face ,pressin the action,I'm RUFF NECKIN'EM,I'm throwin him around,I'm punchin him,hes punchin me, I'm eatin his shots and I'm Blastin him back in the face he's not goin to be able to handle it ." - Chris Leben on how his fight with Anderson Silva is gonna go.
It's fairly common
to avoid telling a promotion about injuries… and I’m talking the little leagues. I promise you that’s the case with the big guys.
Back to my point, everyone should stop trying to draw conclusions. BOTH SIDES ARE PLAUSIBLE.
If there’s no evidence of injuries, they shouldn’t be even mentioned. Machida also could say that he broke Shogun’s ribs and as evidence show the tape on which Rua’s cornerman hugs him and he has face full of pain. It’s a silly game.
by dancingChicken on May 7, 2010 12:10 PM EDT up reply actions
no
but Shogun has made the accusation and you can either believe him based on observation or disbelieve him based on your observation. it’s not a conspiracy theory as much as believing in something without any evidence to the contrary (btw, observation is considered evidence).
Eu, sou brasileiro, com muito orgulho, com muito amor♫
June 10th can't come soon enough, for another star is needed!
I think that it’s LOVE speaking through you, not the observations :)
by dancingChicken on May 7, 2010 12:23 PM EDT up reply actions
haha
let me try to put it this way.
Shogun hit Machida’s mid-section quite a few times during the fight.
Machida’s mid-section was very red in the end of the fight.
Shogun claims he broke Machida’s ribs.
Machida claim that Shogun did not break his ribs, he claims the kicks to the ribs did not bother him at all.
Based on the above, I believe Shogun, I understand people who believes Machida instead, but I don’t think my observations are that out of the realm of possibilities, nor do they appear to be conspiratory (I think I just created that world) :p
Eu, sou brasileiro, com muito orgulho, com muito amor♫
June 10th can't come soon enough, for another star is needed!
damn
it was supposed to be 4 lines bolded and not just one!
Eu, sou brasileiro, com muito orgulho, com muito amor♫
June 10th can't come soon enough, for another star is needed!
It is possible that Machida had broken ribs, but based on the circumstantial evidence most people would find it extremely hard to make that leap of faith.
I understand bro, I understand, no need to use bold :)
by dancingChicken on May 7, 2010 12:38 PM EDT up reply actions
The burden of proof lies with Shogun to substantiate his claims and if a red ribcage is the only proof that Machida suffered broken ribs then I am sorry I don’t believe it. Your skin can get red just from being slapped.
Furthermore Machida doesn’t strike me as the type of person to blatantly lie about a rib injury just to try and prove a point.
My beef is that the article specifically mentions broken ribs to help prove a point, yet the broken ribs are pure speculation.
to counter that argument
Why would you let your opponent know he hurt you when you have a rematch soon enough. this game is as mental as it is physical. Knowing you injured your opponent in such a way would definitely give you ammunition.
once again… my quote for this convo…
BOTH SIDES ARE PLAUSIBLE!!!!!!!
I was countering your speculation
“Furthermore Machida doesn’t strike me as the type of person to blatantly lie about a rib injury just to try and prove a point.”
the first portion of your argument is correct.
I already told you that the red rib cage area
does not mean it was broken… I can’t continue debating if you’re not taking my argument as I meant them to be…
Eu, sou brasileiro, com muito orgulho, com muito amor♫
June 10th can't come soon enough, for another star is needed!
What is your argument exactly? We should blindly believe Shogun just because he says it? How the hell would Shogun even know if he broke Machida’s ribs?
my argument right now is that
you should read someone’s argument as a whole and try to counter that argument, not create straw mans, which quite frankly I don’t have the patience to argue :p
Eu, sou brasileiro, com muito orgulho, com muito amor♫
June 10th can't come soon enough, for another star is needed!
yeah...
but i doubt they get mandatory X-rays.
either way, it doesn’t matter. It’s possible, and even plausible, as it wouldn’t be the first time Shogun has broken someone’s ribs in a fight.
All that matters is if Shogun can do it tomorrow.
he'll break the Dragon's spirit!
Eu, sou brasileiro, com muito orgulho, com muito amor♫
June 10th can't come soon enough, for another star is needed!
I was thinking machida for this
But I’m torn.. I’m a fan of both, but I def have love for shogun too. When I do finally climb in the ring, I would love to have a style much like his. I think I’m leaning toward shogun now.
His ribs were really red halfway through the first round. You mean to tell me he fought 4 more rounds with broken ribs, eating body kicks, plus broken down legs in the last 2, and Shogun still couldn’t come close to stopping him? BADASS!
Nah, I don’t see him as the type to lie about something like that. He reacted to the leg kicks, but I didn’t see him flinching from the body shots, so maybe they weren’t bothering him that much.
Hey Pete
R.I.P.
I'm not denying Machida has heart
and my example with the red rib cage area was not to illustrate that it was broken, but to illustrate that it had to be bothering him throughout the fight, which he denies. Also, there was no way for him to deny the leg kicks weren’t bothering him, because he had trouble moving around with it.
Eu, sou brasileiro, com muito orgulho, com muito amor♫
June 10th can't come soon enough, for another star is needed!
The kicks that leave abrasions like that are the ones that scrape.
Look at the kick that started it off 4:15 in the first round. The point of the toes scraped Lyoto’s abdomen. This immediately left a huge red mark. Other points throughout the fight he gets hit with similar shots as he’s trying to jump out of the way. These are superficial. I’ve had “toe burn” before, and it has a slightly irritating burning sensation, and looks nasty as hell, but I doubt he’d even feel it much during the fight, with adrenaline pumping and mind focused.
So let me make sure I have this right. You love Shogun, so the honorable Machida-san is a liar? :p
Hey Pete
R.I.P.
you see
the term “liar” is such a strong term, that technically I’d say yes, but not to be taken in a negative way. We all give small lies, and we do that for our benefit on an everyday basis. This does not make us a “liar” in the sense that we shouldn’t be trusted, but quite frankly, it makes us “humans”. we all do that, fighters are no mystical creatures, they do that as well. It doesn’t make someone ignoble, it’s just our natures.
That’s besides the point also that you raise about Machida being “honorable” (not that I would say that he isn’t). But I don’t look at fighters as “honorable” creates as the term is used in hollywood, they’re humans like us and are subjected to the same errors.
Eu, sou brasileiro, com muito orgulho, com muito amor♫
June 10th can't come soon enough, for another star is needed!
and I wouldn't go so far as to say Shogun is lying
because I don’t know, and I think he probably believes what he says is true, or at least likely. But he has a “reason” to lie as well. To even further cement it in people’s minds that he won that fight. I mean, he broke his ribs.
Hey Pete
R.I.P.
no doubt
and I started this conversation by saying “it depends on who you believe”, but there’s enough reasons to believe in whoever’s side you pick.
Eu, sou brasileiro, com muito orgulho, com muito amor♫
June 10th can't come soon enough, for another star is needed!
They definitely were hurting him
And broken ribs is a very broad description, he very well could have fractured them sometime throughout the fight, or damaged the floating ribs. We have no way of knowing either way. Depending on how or where the break occurred, it could very well have been broken without machida realizing it. The only people who truly know are in Machida’s camp.
With the instant rematch being announced instantly I wouldnt admit an injury like that either.
My point isn’t that Machida’s ribs were broken, rather we should not even debate about it. It is pointless and both sides of the argument are very possible.
His injury that took him out for months and made him unable to take a quick rematch was broken ribs according to a number of people in the UFC. Let’s just say his other injury is…questionable.
by Michael Rome on May 7, 2010 12:37 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
Trust me, there were no broken ribs
by SimplePsych on May 7, 2010 1:55 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
uh, i trust you?
Now hop in the back of this van, there’s candy there and plenty of not broken machida ribs…go ahead, trust me…
by Body Triangle on May 7, 2010 2:31 PM EDT up reply actions
first of all u should check facts and interviews before post such thing. If u check even the countdown that was released last week, has this info. Be wise before post something like this :)
Always fight like it was your last fight.
by Newt "The Canibal" Ribeiro on May 8, 2010 3:49 PM EDT up reply actions
Interesting how this article fails to mention the Liddell fight in any way. I’d argue that his fight with Liddell was his coming-out party, not the Machida fight.
"Referees, be sure to step in and stop the fight on time tomorrow, because I might get carried away in the moment and my many punches may end up destroying my opponent." - Tatsuya "CRUSHER" Kawajiri
by andrew861 on May 7, 2010 11:20 AM EDT reply actions 1 recs
but people
were not recognizing Shogun’s performance to his benefit, instead they were just thinking Liddell was too old and couldn’t fight anymore. People only started giving Shogun’s props after his fight with Machida.
Eu, sou brasileiro, com muito orgulho, com muito amor♫
June 10th can't come soon enough, for another star is needed!
No.
By then Liddell was a shell of his former self. He got KO’d by Rampage, looked bad against Jardine, looked decent against Silva, but then got decapitated by Rashad before getting KO’d again by Shogun by being lazy in his defence. I recall watching Shogun beat Liddell and thinking he looked pretty good, but Liddell looked so terrible. I still had my doubts, as did many other people. But then Shogun goes and puts on a great performance against Machida, hitting him more than any other competitor. That really impressed everyone.
Wrong. Wrong. Wrong.
Based on his previous performance against Coleman, just about everyone was expecting Shogun to get knocked out by Chuck Liddell and Shogun was a massive underdog in that fight. Some people may have had their doubts but one thing is for sure, Shogun impressed the hell out of everyone BEFORE he had that amazing fight against Machida.
"Referees, be sure to step in and stop the fight on time tomorrow, because I might get carried away in the moment and my many punches may end up destroying my opponent." - Tatsuya "CRUSHER" Kawajiri
The Liddell fight was his coming-out party and the Machida fight solidified his status as the real deal.
"Referees, be sure to step in and stop the fight on time tomorrow, because I might get carried away in the moment and my many punches may end up destroying my opponent." - Tatsuya "CRUSHER" Kawajiri
I'll be rooting so hard for Shogun Saturday.
My girlfriend and I will be heading up to Montreal at 1:30. So pumped.
by Myke25 on May 7, 2010 11:20 AM EDT reply actions
In the same fight that Shogun beat Machida
by soxrule!35 on May 7, 2010 11:26 AM EDT up reply actions 2 recs
Shogun has had to deal with a twice torn ACL. This was a career ender in the past but he is fully recovered for the benefit of the fans. Out of 18 wins 15 are by knockout and I’m hoping that will be 16 by tomorrow night :)
And of the remaining three (official) wins
there’s submission over Randleman and one of the decisions Fight of the fucking Millennium.
"Someone is WRONG on the internet. What do you want me to do? LEAVE? Then they'll keep being wrong!"
-Randall Munroe
I think I heard rumors
about Lil’ Nog being Shogun’s next opponent no matter what happens tomorrow, though that was before they scraped the Forrest fight.
Eu, sou brasileiro, com muito orgulho, com muito amor♫
June 10th can't come soon enough, for another star is needed!
orcus, i love how shogun brings out the frantic poster in you. i think watching you watch this fight would be as interesting as watching the fight itself.
If lil nog had beaten forrest, which he would’ve he’d definitely get the next shot if it were against shogun because they could promote the hell out of it. Since forrest got injured, i’m sure the rampage/ rashad winner is next in line
Even when I'm laying on my back I'm never backing down
by Austin Martin on May 7, 2010 12:06 PM EDT up reply actions
ha
you wouldn’t want to watch fights with me, I scream like a mad caveman and wake up the whole neighborhood :p
Eu, sou brasileiro, com muito orgulho, com muito amor♫
June 10th can't come soon enough, for another star is needed!
does anyone else become your fav fighters cornerman when your watching the fights?
by mr. gogoplata on May 7, 2010 2:02 PM EDT up reply actions
depends
my favoritism for Shogun is just that I’ve been following him since the beginning, so it weights more for me.
Eu, sou brasileiro, com muito orgulho, com muito amor♫
June 10th can't come soon enough, for another star is needed!
I bet you watching Shogun is like Chuck watching any fight…. I wish I could put the gif up mobile lol
by xbuckeyex05 on May 7, 2010 2:37 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions
(click here to hide this comment)
pretty much, when I’m watching the fight I go like this:
sometimes like this:
if my guy wins I go like this:
if he loses I go like this:
can you tell I like lost a bit :p
WAR SHOGUN (and FLOCK)!
Eu, sou brasileiro, com muito orgulho, com muito amor♫
June 10th can't come soon enough, for another star is needed!
by Orcus on May 7, 2010 3:11 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
War Lost, but that last episode was FUCKED UP.
"With great power comes great responsibility" -Spiderman's Uncle
Jin and Sun are still alive, in the alternate universe, I think both worlds will come together at some point.
Eu, sou brasileiro, com muito orgulho, com muito amor♫
June 10th can't come soon enough, for another star is needed!
Oh yeah
I’m sure you know this like you know that Machida got his ribs broken, now leave me alone so I can grieve over the dead Korean couple and Iraqi terrorist.
WWWWWWHHHHHHHHHHYYYYYYYYY!!!!!!!!!!!!
I don’t care if Kate dies though.
"With great power comes great responsibility" -Spiderman's Uncle
haha
no one cares about Kate, I’m one of them too. Didn’t like Sayid’s character since he went to the dark side, they fucked that up for me.
Eu, sou brasileiro, com muito orgulho, com muito amor♫
June 10th can't come soon enough, for another star is needed!
Long shot prediction
sick of being criticized for being overly cautious Machida goes for broke. infuriated that unwillingness to open up may have cost him the decision, Rua goes for broke: result?
Frye Takayama II!
http://fightdrinker.blogspot.com
by some schmuck in texas on May 7, 2010 12:07 PM EDT reply actions
That would be interesting to see a technical fighter like Machida lose his cool and go for broke. But he won’t do it with wild looping punches.
"There's nothing cool about taking punishment" - Floyd Mayweather Jr.
by VeeisAnimated on May 7, 2010 12:12 PM EDT up reply actions
God...are you listening?
Please let some schmuch in texas’ prediction come true…
by Body Triangle on May 7, 2010 1:53 PM EDT up reply actions
Rome,
Many other people need to come out and admit that Shogun wasn’t himself when he faced Griffin and Coleman.
You kind of omitted his victory against Chuck Liddell. That was a pretty significant victory in my opinion.
"There's nothing cool about taking punishment" - Floyd Mayweather Jr.
"Many other people need to come out and admit that Shogun wasn’t himself when he faced Griffin and Coleman."
Why?
Its part of his body of work and needs to be counted against him just like any victory gets to be part of his legacy.
Unless you can prove that some look-alike was in the cage pretending to be Shogun, then that was him and he lost to Forrect and looked like shit against Coleman.
In a month the next LHW title fight will be set:
Machida v. Jackson
"Hit me up on Twitter @ IDontHaveATwitterBecauseIhaveAFuckingLifeAndDontCareWhatEveryoneElseIsDoingOrThinkingEverySecondOfEveryFuckingDaySeriouslyKnockItOff
don't see it - too much rust
they wouldn’t send Evans back in so soon, so I’m thinking maybe…Franklin if he KOs Lidell (and he almost certainly will – Chuck’s chin is made of styrofoam now)
http://fightdrinker.blogspot.com
by some schmuck in texas on May 7, 2010 12:29 PM EDT up reply actions
What?
"It's fourth and fifteen and you're looking at a full-court press." - Lt. Frank Drebin, Police Squad
I don’t think Jackson will win, and they won’t want to rematch Evans against Machida (assuming he successfully defends the title – that’s the toughest pick I’ve seen in ages) because of how the last match between ‘em went down. So the next title shot will go to Rich Franklin after he beats Chuck Lidell, because even though it doesn’t actually mean much now, Lidell is a former champ with big name recognition and the promotion loves Franklin a lot, especially since he’ll be coming off a half season or so of TUF.
Is that clear enough?
http://fightdrinker.blogspot.com
by some schmuck in texas on May 7, 2010 12:42 PM EDT up reply actions
So after fighting at Light Heavyweight, Middleweight and FranklinWeight with mixed results a victory over Chuck Liddell of all people at this point of his career earns Rich a title shot?
"Hit me up on Twitter @ IDontHaveATwitterBecauseIhaveAFuckingLifeAndDontCareWhatEveryoneElseIsDoingOrThinkingEverySecondOfEveryFuckingDaySeriouslyKnockItOff
by Earl Montclair on May 7, 2010 12:54 PM EDT up reply actions
at least Chuck is a name – even if Machida can be convinced to fight Lil Nog, is a win over Jason Brilz going to put him there? Then the rest of the top 15 in my scenario, has either just taken a loss or has already been beaten by Machida or isn’t in the ufc. It’s wierd, I agree, but there it is.
http://fightdrinker.blogspot.com
by some schmuck in texas on May 7, 2010 1:03 PM EDT up reply actions
It’s not that it’s not plausible, its just that I hope that you are wrong.
"Hit me up on Twitter @ IDontHaveATwitterBecauseIhaveAFuckingLifeAndDontCareWhatEveryoneElseIsDoingOrThinkingEverySecondOfEveryFuckingDaySeriouslyKnockItOff
by Earl Montclair on May 7, 2010 1:13 PM EDT up reply actions
perfectly sensible
http://fightdrinker.blogspot.com
by some schmuck in texas on May 7, 2010 1:16 PM EDT up reply actions
If Frank Edgar can get a title shot by beating someone who is now no longer in the UFC
Lil’ Nog can go beat Brilz and earn a title shot.
"It's fourth and fifteen and you're looking at a full-court press." - Lt. Frank Drebin, Police Squad
I guess…there’s still the issue if Machida would be like ‘nah – I’d rather wait til someone I don’t have dinner with all the time is available.’
http://fightdrinker.blogspot.com
by some schmuck in texas on May 7, 2010 1:17 PM EDT up reply actions
Sherdog just ran an interview where Machida said that he would fight Lil Nog if the UFC asked him to. The only person he said he would never fight is Anderson Silva.
I didn’t read this article I saw it but didn’t get a chance to. Why the hell is this? Is he that much closer to A.S. than Lil Nog? What’s the relationship differences between them?
He said that while he’s closer to Anderson than to Rogerio, the main reason he has no interest in the fight is that they’re in different divisions. He says that Anderson has no interest in the LHW title, so there’s no reason to fight him. Rogerio normally fights at 205 and wants to become the LHW champion, and he realizes that at some point they may have to fight.
yabbut..
the way I read that was he’d do it as a last resort after cleaning out the rest of the contenders. I could be wrong, obviously.
http://fightdrinker.blogspot.com
by some schmuck in texas on May 7, 2010 1:28 PM EDT up reply actions
he also said he wants the title
one or the other is going to have to give, if Lyoto has the belt.
http://fightdrinker.blogspot.com
by some schmuck in texas on May 7, 2010 1:29 PM EDT up reply actions
Good point. I just don’t see how losing to Hendo and Vitor while beating Hammil and Lidell earn you a title shot. Beating Chuck means little to nothing now. But considering that the last two people to beat Chuck did receive title shots you never know.
Machida would beat Franklin even worse than he did the first time.
I forgot about the first Franklin bout!
Probably because I’ve never seen it. Having beaten him once already does argue against a rematch.
http://fightdrinker.blogspot.com
by some schmuck in texas on May 7, 2010 1:59 PM EDT up reply actions
ring rust is the only method of victory that rashad has open to him
Rampage hits harder, and has better boxing. Rashad might have slightly better wrestling credentials, but the ability of Rampage to use decent wrestling skill + insane strength allows him to use his favorite ground strategy: “push him off of you and whup is ass!”
I consider myself a softcore fan.
Ring Rust is Rashads only path to victory
Rampage hits harder, and has better boxing. Rashad might have slightly better wrestling credentials, but the ability of Rampage to use decent wrestling skill + insane strength allows him to use his favorite ground strategy: “push him off of you and whup is ass!”
I consider myself a softcore fan.
sorry for double post, trying to fight the work internet filters
I consider myself a softcore fan.
Griffin was pretty good in the Shogun fight though
Just saying, is all. Griffin would probably not beat Shogun again, but that first fight wasn’t a chintzy decision or anything.
Also, I don’t think this fight should be looked on as a “Shogun Redemption Fight.” Shogun has already redeemend himself by destroying Liddell and doing so much damage to Machida than anyone expected the first time. He could still lose and be the #2 LHW in the world. Machida is sick and there’s no shame in losing to him.
Depending on what happens with Jon Jones and the next generation, these two look like the class of 205 to me right now (with all due respect to Jackson and Little Nog, who have lost to Shogun already, and of course Anderson Silva).
Win or lose, I’d love to see Shogun fight A. Silva his next fight.
I told people it was dumb to think Shogun was done.
http://www.bloodyelbow.com/2009/1/18/727419/why-the-unsubstantiated-ha
Twitter: @FlyByKnite
I think Shogun looked great against Machida in the first fight but...
I think that’s why people are leaning toward Shogun being “robbed”; because he did better than anyone has so far (except maybe BJ).
I thought Machida did more than enough to take the win. I think with some adjustments he wins even more handily this time. I’m just not sure how much Machida is going to change since he’s never had to before…..
I don't think he'll change
he’s been fighting that way forever, it’s going to be hard to make any “real” changes to his base within six months IMO.
Eu, sou brasileiro, com muito orgulho, com muito amor♫
June 10th can't come soon enough, for another star is needed!
Damn it I typed a responce and then hit cancel.
In summary: This is exactly what I’m worried about. I just don’t see Machida making huge changes since he’s never had to. I think if Machida does, he wins handily. If he doesn’t, it’ll be another close one.
Nelson “Doc” Hamilton has since admitted that he got the fight wrong, and Shogun should have won.
Cecil Peoples thinks leg kicks shouldn’t count.
In my view, 2 of 3 judges’ scores are now very much in question.
by Michael Rome on May 7, 2010 2:16 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
Hey Mr. Guy,
I think 2 of 3 judges have no business judging period. I’m not a judge though and I am saying that I thought Machida did more than enough to take the win.
I initally scored it live 4 rounds to 1.
I rewatched and scored it 3 rounds to 2. I could see someone scoring it different. I’m mostly referring to people that are up in arms over the whole thing like it’s some major travesty.
As is well known, Machida's game is primarily self-defense, evasion, opportunism.
And I agree he will not change into an aggressor, and anyway if he does that he is fighting in Rua’s world and will get badly hurt. I believe he has looked to improve his defense (already his forte) and his counter-strikes by studying and digesting the rhythm of Rua’s attacks. I see him — if he does choose to attack — using his strength advantage to tie Rua up and work from closer range, possibly use some trips and look to wear Rua out on the ground, essentially a game-plan that I expected Faber to employ against Aldo.
Since I’m pulling for Shogun here, my worry is that it’s he who, after the injustice of the first fight, is more impatient to do definitive damage to Machida early in this one and wildly leaps into one of Machida’s straight punches, knees, or kicks. But I generally think that if his concentration level is what it was in the first fight, he is the more dynamic and dangerous fighter or the two, and he will again bring Machida to the brink of despair.
Cue the techno. The Shogun is coming to slay the Dragon
by BrothaDarkness on May 7, 2010 3:48 PM EDT reply actions 2 recs
One thing about Shogun that is undeniable
he looks badass hitting the striking dummy.
Hey Pete
R.I.P.
I liked the article better when I wrote it last week.
http://www.mmaforreal.com/2010/4/30/1453116/machida-vs-shogun-ii-could-be-the
Just dickin’ with ya. This is a good piece Rome, but a couple points of contention: It’s hard to say Nog’s troubles with Herring were indicative of any Pride myth, since they were both Pride fighters… Also, I think Rampage had just annihilated Chuck for the second time, so… And, uh, I’d kind of consider Anderson Silva a Pride guy…
Maybe that’s not so much directed toward you, but a retroactive critique of any ‘tards trying to claim Pride’s supremacy was some sort of “myth”. Maybe it was a bit exaggerated, but Pride didn’t suck, to say the least.
Inhale deep, like the words of my breath—I never sleep, cause sleep is the cousin of death
I'm still of the school of thought that Pride had the best athletes during that era
If we all think about the people that were at the top in the UFC back then, they are no longer at the top either, the consensus that PRIDE fighters couldn’t hang with the UFC guys are a bit misplaced, as the new generation of fighters started to take over as well.
But like you said, many PRIDE fighters are still fighting at the top, Anderson, Shogun, Rampage, lil’ nog. The only guy who couldn’t find any success was really Mirko, Wandy for example (breaks my heart to say it) was already coming off losses. Big Nog did well until his chin gave out. But overall I’d still give PRIDE better quality back then.
Eu, sou brasileiro, com muito orgulho, com muito amor♫
June 10th can't come soon enough, for another star is needed!
You're on to something...
with the bit about the new generation of fighters.
During the Pride years, all the best athletes because Pride was paying the better salaries. Even the best early UFC guys were mostly in Pride after a while…however, as we can all see that didn’t last. Japanese MMA, and especially Pride, seems to have had (and still have at times) alot of skeletons in its closet and underhanded stuff going on behind the scenes. Ultimately, this led to the downfall of Pride and the success of the UFC.
The great fighters of that time, be them “Pride guys” or “UFC guys” are all losing ground to the new generation of fighters. Hell, give it a year or two before someone like Jon Jones put the Shogun legacy in check. Not because Jon Jones is THAT much better of an athlete or MMA figher, but because he is the next generation and Shogun’s generation is getting old and passed by.
The dumb thing is actually think of it in terms of Pride verses UFC and not of generational development of MMA fighters.
Oh, and Anderson Silva transcends being labeled as a this promotion or that promotion guy.
Comments For This Post Are Closed
Secondary Sidebar
User Tools
FanPosts
Community blog posts and discussion.
Recommended FanPosts
Recent FanPosts
MMA Rankings
Certain photos copyright © 2012 by Associated Press or Getty Images. Any commercial use or distribution without the express written consent of Associated Press and Getty Images is strictly prohibited.
