We've been reading all day about the ghastly weight-cut induced injury Rory Markham entered his UFC 95 fight with Dan Hardy with. Fightlinker has already concluded that Markham is a dumbass. Here's another take, from Zak Woods:

When fighters make this kind of announcement regarding injuries suffered, but offer no details  of the severity or degree, it is our job to say wait a minute, this isn't making a whole lot of sense.

Remember when Jamie Varner was complaining about his 'detached retina'? That isn't the type of injury that you can just waltz into the optometrists office a week after it occurred, at least if it is as severe as Varner was describing.

Look, we saw what happened with Amare Stoudemire when he had a detached retina. Immediate surgery and out for the rest of the regular season. Not quite on par with Varner's injury.

It is important to remember when these fighters describe an injury to take it with a grain of salt. They are not medical professionals nor are they describing the severity of the injury they are classifying. It's akin to saying, I have a broken toe, when the break is a small chip off the end, versus explaining, that I have a fractured third metatarsal which will require screws in order to set the bone to heal. It is in the specifics and description of an injury, not some medical term that is simply thrown out there, that we discover what type of damage has actually been done to a fighter.

Zak goes on to offer some medical details on exactly what a "collapsed lung" or pneumothorax really is and is not. This isn't to say that Rory Markham isn't a tough and brave man, just a much needed reminder to check ourselves before we get too carried away.

For those of you who are wondering where Nate Marquardt came up with the unconventional combination that ended his fight with Wilson Gouveia, he explained a little at the post-fight press conference (via MMA Weekly):

“Even when I'm tired in the third round, or whenever, I still feel explosive. I still feel I can move quickly and I have the knockout power in the hands.”

Of course, it was more than just his hands that sealed Gouveia’s fate. After landing the knee flush, Marquardt knocked the American Top Team product across the cage with a trio of high kicks, the last followed by a 45-degree spinning backfist. Gouveia sat in concession when another knee met his head.

The sequence was not unlike something the champ would cook up.

“The funny thing is I started in Karate and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu – full contact Karate – so I have a lot of stuff in my background where I'm able to pull from, like the spinning back fist," said Marquardt at UFC 95’s post-fight presser. “And I've been working a lot of Muay Thai with a British guy, James McSweeney, and it's helping me out a lot. I felt very good on my feet."

Note that the key to throwing this kind of wild combination so late in the fight is conditioning. If Nate wasn't in incredible shape he wouldn't have the gas in the tank to risk spending the energy trying to finish the fight rather than holding back and going for the decision.

The second point to make about this combination is that its a mastery of the "traditional" holy trinity of MMA -- wrestling, jiu jitsu and muy thai -- that allows Marquardt to make effective use of a flashy karate combination like a left body kick-left high kick-right high kick-spinning backfist.

If Nate didn't have the wrestling skills to keep the fight standing or get back to his feet he wouldn't risk throwing the high kicks. If Nate didn't have the jiu jitsu skills to handle himself on the ground, he wouldn't wouldn't risk throwing the high kicks. If Nate didn't have the muy thai skills to land effective combinations he wouldn't be able to work in the high kicks.

I really wish I had a gif that showed the straight right jab that stunned Wilson and allowed Nate to land the flying knee. It reminded me very much of the jab/flying knee combination that B.J. Penn used to finish Sean Sherk in their title fight way back when.

Unlike Sherk, Wilson wasn't quite finished by the knee and had enough wherewithal to backpedal across the octagon. This is where Nate saw his chance to unleash the TMA (traditional martial arts) attack. The series of kicks allowed him to keep landing shots on Gouveia even as he backpedaled across the cage. The head kick/spinning back fist/left right hook was an excellent way to capitalize once Wilson was back against the cage and unable to retreat anymore. And of course, the final knee to the face was the coup de grace.

This combination is a perfect example of modern mma fulfilling its potential to be a truly beautiful "ballet of violence".

Gif via Brawl Sports

Now, I don't normally like to cover the same exact topic as one of our other staff members here, especially only one or two posts after theirs but I was planning on writing this before I even read Kid Nate's piece but I had to run out to see my chiropractor (The awesome Dr. Tara Scharich, Inner Balance Chiropractic - Saint Joseph, MI  /shoutout)  and as I have the exact opposite viewpoint (as well as a different way of looking at the issue) as him I decided to go ahead with my post.  Now...on to the article!

I read Jordan Breen's article yesterday and was extremely disappointed by the following line:

It may sound ridiculous, but a couple of perfunctory hammerfists aren't about to jeopardize any fighter’s health.

Replays of the Josh Koscheck fight show that he was unconscious following the uppercut and was "brought to" by his head bouncing off the ground as he landed.  As far as I'm concerned there is no arguing the fact that he was out prior to hitting the ground.  Even as he is "recovering" while on his back his left leg is slightly quivering as his brain is trying to get back on track.

The quivering leg (and more importantly the fact that he went out completely to begin with) is a sign of the failure in neurotransmission that is a part of being knocked out and concussed.  When you are knocked out or concussed your brain undergoes trauma which does include the failure of your brain to be able to transmit messages and your brain does not immediately go back to full function in that split second that you regain consciousness.  Furthermore, after undergoing such trauma the victim can undergo changes in blood flow to the brain which can result in increased pressure on the brain.  Striking the head of someone who is undergoing an increase of pressure on the brain can result in considerable brain damage and potentially even death.

In March of last year Canadian researchers found that blows to the head that knock someone unconscious can result in the loss of brain tissue:

Levine studied brain scans taken from 69 traumatic brain injury patients whose head injuries ranged from mild to moderate or severe. The researchers used high-resolution magnetic resonance imaging or MRI to study changes in brain volume a year after the injury.

They ran a computer analysis of these images and found that even patients with mild brain injuries with no apparent scarring had less brain volume.

"When you have a blow to the head, it causes a neurochemical reaction in the brain cells that lead to cell death," Levine said in a telephone interview. "The more cells that die, the less tissue you have."

Knowing these facts and thinking that we need to see someone who was just hit in a way that caused him to lose consciousness, even for just a second, take more punches to the head to be able to get a more desirable ending to a sporting event seems relatively selfish to me.  Obviously injury, especially concussions and knockouts, are an accepted risk of the sport.  But the fact that fights are stopped on the basis of fighter safety has always been something that supporters of MMA have pointed to as a reason that our sport is safer than boxing where a guy who gets rocked and knocked down is given time to recover.

The truth is, the fan in me does like to see more definitive endings to fights than we got with Paulo Thiago vs. Josh Koscheck and like anyone else I get hugely excited by fights where one guy seems out but survives and comes back to make it a fight again.  But there needs to be an ability for us to separate the fan from the guy who realizes that for a guy to be knocked out, even for a split second, he has undergone legitimate brain trauma.  And asking for a "couple of perfunctory hammerfists" is basically begging for tragedy.

Update:  The more I think about hitting a guy after he is unconscious the more I am reminded of Emile Griffith vs. Benny Paret III, in which Griffith knocked Paret out but Benny was held up by the ropes and Griffith unloaded on him with a barage of unanswered shots.  Paret died slightly over a week after this happened.  So yeah, the idea of needing to see "a couple shots" after a guy goes out?  Not for me.  Go watch Ring of Fire though, it is a great documentary that tells the story of Emile Griffith and honestly will break your heart.

Update: Poll added by Richard.

While Jordan Breen won't come out and condemn the very quick stoppages of the Paulo Thiago/Josh Koscheck and Terry Etim/Brian Cobb bouts, he might as well since he attacks the underlying principle behind the stoppages. Randy Couture's principle of "intelligent defense" which holds that as long as a fighter is making conscious efforts to defend himself the fight should continue. Breen said this principle has led to "the margin between winning and losing in MMA has become hideously deformed":

"Intelligent defense" has spread virally over the MMA landscape in the last four years or so. Unfortunately, like all viruses, it has mutated. Somewhere along the way, "intelligent defense" became disfigured. No longer does it describe a fighter acting in a way to minimize damage and actively compete in prizefight. Now it’s a mandate that a fighter never wobble, fall or roll precariously amidst attack. Falling inelegantly to the canvas and making googly eyes after getting clipped are now legitimate white flags and concessions of defeat. Don't spit venom toward the referees: They're stricken with this mutant strain of intelligent defense syndrome, and a cure is critical.

...

Glibness aside, the ultimate goal of a prizefight is to show who the "better" fighter is. While I don't necessarily think any of UFC 95's bouts would have swung the other way given more latitude, the fact that there is debate over the stoppages means that the results being generated aren't nearly as conclusive as a "fight" or a "sport" ought to be. Consigning referees to Room 101 and returning to the Roman gladiator days would be a little over the top, so there needs to be some kind of comfortable compromise.
...

Furthermore, saying, "Let a dazed fighter take two or three more punches to make sure he's out," sounds idiotic and slightly sadistic to boot. However, no one is asking for bouts to resemble Vovchanchyn-Inoue; people want clarity, not carnage. It may sound ridiculous, but a couple of perfunctory hammerfists aren't about to jeopardize any fighter’s health.

This idea isn't from some unattainable officiating utopia. You don't have to look further than UFC 95 to see a picture-perfect paragon of what I'm preaching. Marc Goddard's stoppage of the Evan Dunham-Per Eklund bout was precisely what I'm advocating: a fighter is badly dropped, lands awkwardly but is afforded the opportunity to show he can defend himself, and when subsequent strikes show he cannot, the bout is stopped. A referee need not stand by idly, waiting for the second coming of Sakuraba-Smirnovas, but to be overly officious with so much riding on the line for fighters is unconstructive and unconscionable.

I think Breen is on the right track here. The last thing we want as MMA fans is for the referees to stop focusing on fighter safety, but we also want definitive conclusions to the fights, not quick and unsatisfying stoppages following flash KO's.

A fighter might briefly lose consciousness but be able to regroup in a split-second. There's too much on the line to stop fights every time a fighter is stunned by a blow.

Photo via mmaweekly.com

UPDATE: Josh Gross piles on:

Yes, Koscheck was caught. He was hurt. If this were boxing, he would have received a 10 count. That's all indisputable. However, MMA isn't boxing. Fighters are not defenseless from their back. I've seen that scenario too many times to count, and it's not entirely shocking for the man on the bottom to regain his wits, recover and pull out a win.

This is professional fighting. A referee is in place to protect the health and safety of the sport's athletes, but officials also need to realize that veteran's like Koscheck (12-4) deserve a chance to survive. Rebounding from adversity is perhaps the most exciting aspect of a combat sport that lives and breathes on flashy knockdowns and dynamic exchanges.

It's a tough call. One I've never had to make, nor would want to. Still, hard-nosed veterans like Koscheck should be given the benefit of the doubt.

At UFC 74, Josh Koscheck lost a tough decision to Georges St. Pierre.  St. Pierre was the clear winner, but Koscheck put in the most competitive performance against GSP during St. Pierre's recent streak.  According to Dave Meltzer, he was just two wins away from getting a rematch.  His shocking loss created a situation in which there are no clear contenders for St. Pierre's title after Thiago Alves.  

Perhaps the biggest winner coming out of last night was Carlos Condit, who now only needs a few wins to be the number one contender.  Even then, Condit is not much of a challenge for GSP at this point.  

If GSP beats Alves, the welterweight division will rapidly start to resemble the middleweight division, a division with a champion seen as so dominant that his fights are greeted with growing disinterest.  I believe Koscheck's loss made a St. Pierre vs. Anderson Silva fight a lot more likely, assuming Anderson is able to get by his next few opponents.

It's now the fifth installment of my "How Not to Punch" series and it is nice to get a new "boxing rule" broken for this segment.

Today's Rule:  You never, ever, ever bend at the waist and look at the ground while throwing a punch.  Especially a "push jab" with little snap behind it.

Look at the action here.  Josh starts by lunging when he throws the jab, his feet leave the ground as he starts to throw the punch.  There is no reason to "jump in" with this punch for starters.  It isn't like a superman punch, you're not gaining any momentum on the jab by hopping forward as you throw it.  A jab is a snap punch, the power on it comes from pumping it and snapping it back.

Next, as he hops he bends at the waist.  I suppose there is an argument to be made that he was "changing angles" but to me it is all part of his getting cocky in not only his new found KO power but in the fact that Thiago hadn't yet been able to really strike with him. Looking at his body positioning I can only guess that he was going to try to wing a big overhand right behind the bunny hop.

Lastly, watch Josh's eyes as he throws the jab.  Where are they?  Is he locked in on his target in Paulo's head?  Is he locked in on Paulo's chest and shoulders to follow any potential counterpunch movement?  No, he is looking downward somewhere between Thiago's legs and the ground.  Josh gave himself no chance to see a punch coming in return and in the end it came down to bad jab vs. solid uppercut.  Guess which one wins that clash damn near every time?

While Thiago's striking was anything but technically sound for the fight up to that point in the fight he was able to sit down on one uppercut that Josh was leaping in to the power of and not looking as it hit him in the jaw.  The reason the old saying "the shot that hurts the most is the one you don't see coming" is true is because you're usually not in a position to defend it although you usually aren't also hopping like a bunny directly into the other guy's power at the same time.

Previous "How Not to Punch" Editions:

Jason Lambert - Volume 1

Jason Lambert - Volume 2

Doug Marshall

Badr Hari

Continue reading this post »

Diego Sanchez def. Joe Stevenson via Decision (Unanimous)
Dan Hardy def. Rory Markham via KO (Punch) at 1:09 of Round 1
Nate Marquardt def. Wilson Gouveia via TKO (Strikes) at 3:10 of Round 3
Demian Maia def. Chael Sonnen via Submission (Triangle Choke) at 2:37 of Round 1
Paulo Thiago def. Josh Koscheck via KO (Punch) at 3:29 of Round 1
Terry Etim def. Brian Cobb via TKO (Strikes) at 0:10 of Round 2
Junior Dos Santos def. Stefan Struve via TKO (Strikes) at 0:54 of Round 1
Evan Dunham def. Per Eklund via TKO (Strikes) at 2:13 of Round 1
Mike Ciesnolevicz def. Neil Grove via Submission (Heel Hook) at 1:03 of Round 1
Paul Kelly def. Troy Mandaloniz via Decision (Unanimous)

MMAWeekly reports on the night's bonuses:

UFC 95 AWARDS AND BONUSES
(All awards include a $40,000 bonus for each fighter.)

UFC 95 Fight of the Night
– Diego Sanchez and Joe Stevenson

UFC 95 Knockout of the Night
– Paulo Thiago

UFC 95 Submission of the Night
– Demian Maia

This was Demian Maia's fourth "Submission of the Night" in five UFC fights.

The MMA Insider Blog has the scoop on the live gate and attendance at the O2:

The UFC treated fans watching UFC 95 on Setanta Sports to all 10 bouts on Saturday night in England. Even the British fans that weren't able to attend were able to see their countrymen fight, most of which faired well.

The fans that did make it to the O2 Arena treated the UFC to a strong attendance of 13,268, totaling ticket revenue of slightly more than $1 million U.S. Both are considered strong numbers during tough economic times, especially with a fight card sans a championship bout.

As with every major show we'll be here to bring you live results and commentary on UFC 95. The real "live" blog will start with the beginning of the Spike TV broadcast so make sure to make Bloody Elbow your home for this event.

As always we have our one rule: NO SPOILERS! In the interest of not ruining anything from the undercard that may make the broadcast we ask that you do not discuss the results of the undercard in the comments until either the broadcast ends or the fight makes the air.

So again, join me for the show and share your thoughts as the event unfolds.

It's 9:00pm Eastern and the Spike broadcast is starting.

Josh Koscheck vs. Paulo Thiago - Gets the show going tonight.  Round 1 -Thiago's striking looks a bit wide and wild early as Kos looks like he wants to land the big KO shot.  Very nice leg kick from Paulo now.  Big boos from the crowd.  Overhand right lands hard for Koscheck now and Thiago takes it.  Thiago's left hand is low and is inviting the right hand from Kos.  Another right hand lands for Josh.  Left hook now.  Thiago is throwing punches but he isn't landing and he is leaving himself wide open for counters.  Thiago lands a big shot and Koscheck drops to his back, the ref jumps in and stops it!  I don't think Kos was out at all there, he looked ready to defend himself but it was stopped.  Paulo Thiago wins by knockout, round 1.

Demian Maia vs. Chael Sonnen - Round 1 - A few jabs land for Sonnen, Maia goes to his back and Chael tells him to stand up.  Left lands for Maia but not too hard.  Maia shoots and ends up pulling guard.  Sonnen gets out but starts throwing punches and playing around in Maia's guard.  Now Maia has the full guard again but Sonnen decides to stand back up.  They are against the cage and doing some "standing flat throwing punches"  big takedown to the mount by Maia and he is in position for a triangle.  Rolls over and Sonnen is forced to tap out.  It's getting to be a bit too common to say about him...but beautiful technique from Demian Maia.  Demian Maia wins by submission (triangle choke), round 1.

Junior dos Santos vs. Stefan Struve - Undercard action here.  Round 1 - They're standing for the first 30 seconds without much happening.  Flurry of big shots by dos Santos and Struve is out.  Junior dos Santos wins by KO, round 1.

Nate Marquardt vs. Wilson Gouveia - Very exciting fight here.  Round 1 - Goldy throwing out the meaningless "MMA stats" again (Gouveia lands 83% of his leg kicks!).  High kick misses from Marquardt.  They trade leg kicks.  Superman punch attempts by Nate now.  Wilson is stalking and finally lands a punch.  Nice leg kick by Nate.  Gouveia throws another flurry that forces Nate to back off.  Nate is really circling A LOT early (but is landing kicks here and there).  Push kicks and leg kicks from Marquardt now.  Nate with a takedown into a one handed guillotine by Wilson with one of Nates arms in.  Nate gets free and is in Wilson's guard with twenty seconds left.  Time runs out and Nate won it on kicks and a little bit of activity in the last ten seconds as he was on top.  10-9 Marquardt on my card.  Round 2 - Gouveia with a good right hand and Marquardt answers with a knee.  Right hand lands flush for Nate now.  Right hand by Wilson knocks Marquardt stumbling, follows up with a left but in the action they end up on the ground with Marquardt on top in Wilson's full guard.  Big elbows from the top by Marquardt now.  Wilson escapes to standing but Nate locks up a standing guillotine but lands a knee and lets go.  Wilson looks a bit gassed here.  Leg kick by nate.  Big right hand by Nate and a big knee.  He's teeing off but Wilson is hanging in there.  The round ends and if it wasn't for the small flurry early it would have been a 10-8 round.  As it is...10-9 Marquardt puts him up on my card 20-18.  Round 3 - Right hand from Wilson lands and Nate gets away as Gouveia tries to follow up. Gouveia tries to attack and Marquardt slips and takes his back standing.  They separate and are back to distance mid-cage.  Wilson is pretty much entirely gassed but he is throwing shots.  Big flying knee from Marquardt and he follows up with a high kick, some punches and another knee that drops a now bloody Gouveia to his butt and the fight is over.  Nate Marquardt wins via TKO (strikes), round 3.

Terry Etim vs. Brian Cobb - Round 1 - Good leg kick from Etim.  Huge leg kick from Etim now after avoiding a takedown.  Cobb grabs a leg and drags Etim to the ground.  Etim is looking for an armbar but can't quite lock it down.  They're stood back up after a lack of action.  Another big leg kick from Etim.  Uppercut/left hand combo from Etim now.  Cobb can't hang with Etim on the feet at all.  Another takedown from Cobb and again he just puts his chest in Etims chest and works punches to the body and again they're stood back up.  The round ends and it was all Etim.  10-9 Terry Etim on the BloodyElbow card.  Round 2 - Big high kick as Cobb was leaning down and Etim follows up with some huge punches and the fight is over.  Terry Etim wins by TKO (strikes), round 2.

Per Eklund vs. Evan Dunham - Round 1 - Left hand by Dunham rocks Eklund and Per shoots but ends up in a guillotine but he gets his head out. They stand briefly and Eklund pulls guard.  Armbar attempts and Dunham escapes and they're standing.  Right hand lands for Per.  Two punches land from Evan in return.  Dunham is getting the better of things standing here.  Left hand knocks Eklund stiff and Dunham pounces landing some big shots and it's over.  Evan Dunham wins byt TKO (strikes), round 1.

Neil Grove vs. Mike Ciesnolevicz - Round 1 - Mike pulls guard and Grove ends up playing the leg lock game but now it's Grove looking for the leg lock and as they roll Mike grabs the leg and gets the submission win.  Mike Ciesnolevicz wins by submission (heel hook), round 1.

Dan Hardy vs. Rory Markham - Round 1 - They're trading jabs early and Hardy has landed a few leg kicks.  Hardy tagged Markham once and now Rory's nose is streaming blood.  Huge punch from Hardy puts Markham hard.  Markham landed awkwardly and ate a few more knees and it is over.  Dan Hardy wins by KO, round 1.  Very impressive performance for Hardy.  It was a counter left hook that landed flush on the temple.

Diego Sanchez vs. Joe Stevenson - Round 1 - Three punch combo by Sanchez doesn't really land but a follow up jab does.  Right hand from Stevenson lands as does a second.  Knee to the body by Diego.  Two punch combo lands for Joe now.  Right hand from Diego now.  Another straight right from Joe now.  Right hand now for Diego.  It's that kind of "trade moments and punches" fight.  Uppercut from Diego lands very solidly right after Joe was laughing at him.  Another right from Joe.  Left hand counter from Joe as Diego tries to get a combination going.  Body/Head combo by Diego now.  They're trading punches for the last minute here.  The round ends and it was close but Diego had the more powerful strikes and takes the round 10-9 on the BloodyElbow scorecard.  Round 2 - Right hand lands and staggers Joe and a follow up knee.  Stevenson shoots for a takedown and Diego takes his back but Joe stands up.  It's a lot of Sanchez flurrying here while Stevenson looks for single right hands.  Diego with a big slam takedown to get out of a standing guillotine and now Stevenson is on top but a scramble and they're back up.  A lot of activity there and the crowd applauds the action.  Knee/left hand combo from Diego now.  Right hand to the shoulder by Stevenson.  Right hand to the head by Sanchez.  Not a lot to say here, it is a lot of the same stuff with each guy throwing punches occasionally but not overly damaging the other guy.  Sanchez is much more versitile though and it is winning the fight for him thus far.  They exchange big shots now and then go back to standing.  My scorecard reads 20-18 Sanchez as the round ends.  Round 3 - Both men are really going at it with punch combinations early in the round. Left hand lands for Joe.  This has been the same as the second match.  Joe tries to get the crowd into it for...some reason.  A few big punches from each guy but not anything that is hurting the other guy.  Takedown attempt from Diego and he ends up with Joe on his back standing.  Stevenson lands a few punches and they separate.  30-27 on my card for Sanchez (but I came close to giving Stevenson the 3rd round).  Official Scorecards: 29-28, 30-27, 30-27 all for Diego Sanchez.  Diego Sanchez wins by unanimous decision.  And the crowd boos.

Good free show.  Everything but one fight made the broadcast and while there were no "great fights" it was a fun show.