UFC 126 Silva vs. Belfort Preview

Tonight my friends is the night, the night where two of the best mixed martial arts fighters in the world meet in the center of the octagon. Tonight is Anderson Silva vs. Vitor Belfort for the UFC Middleweight championship at UFC 126. Fans of mixed martial arts know just how amazing this fight could be, as two of the best strikers in the world are about to clash in the center of the cage. 

On one side is the defending champion and pound for pound best fighter in the world, the UFC Middleweight champion Anderson Silva. Silva is undefeated in the UFC and has broken many records inside the company. His pinpoint accuracy and lethal Muai Thai has made him the most feared fighter in the world in two weight classes. His destruction of names like Dan Henderson and Nate Marquartd proved he is the best middleweight fighter of all time and his ventures into the light heavyweight devision showed just how deadly this man truly is. His second fight at light heavyweight against Forrest Griffen at UFC 101 was remarkable. Griffen who was a former Light Heavyweight champion was embarrassed in the fight as Silva danced with his hands down, ducking his opponents attack until finally knocking him out with a falling away jab. If you have not seen the fight, I highly recommend doing so because it is a ballet of violence, and shows just how far and away better Anderson Silva is from the rest of the planet when it comes to fighting. His last performance inside the octagon a Middleweight title defense against Chael Sonnen won fight of the year from many MMA publications and in my opinion was the most incredible comeback not only in the UFC but mixed martial arts history. Before the fight, Sonnen trash talked and hyped the fight like a professional wrestler, saying how we was going to dominate and beat up the champion. He called Silva many degradable names including “fraud” and “phony” and even insulted Silva's jujitsu trainer and friend, legend Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira. For four and a half rounds, Sonnen backed up everything he said, as he repeatedly took Anderson Silva down and worked his ground and pound putting a beating on the champion that was never before seen. However, Sonnen made one tiny mistake during the last minute of the last round and was submitted via triangle choke. Anderson Silva not only defended his friend and master's honor by submitting his opponent, but he also showed the true heart of a champion by never giving up. A seemingly invincible champion with deadly fast and accurate striking, an amazing ground game and a true warriors heart, not many people would be ready and willing to fight this man but Vitor Belfort is not a normal human being. 

Belfort, the challenger in the title fight is the fastest striker in the world and has huge power behind that speed. To say Belfort has the fastest hands in MMA would be an understatement since nobody comes close to matching his speed. Belfort like Silva is also a multi-division fighter and was a former Light Heavyweight champion of the UFC in the older days. When Belfort debuted for the UFC in 1997, he was revolutionary. Never before had the sport seen a fighter with so much speed and power, who was knocking people out left and right with relative ease. However, a few personal and professional factors effected Belfort and his fighting career took a back seat. The mysterious kidnapping of his sister, was the main reason and during this time his heart was not in fighting and he suffered some bad loses. Now, those issues are resolved and behind him and the fear that Belfort once established in his opponents eyes is back. His recent knockout of Matt Lindland had many wondering if Lindland was in fact dead in the center of the ring and his knockout over Rich Franklin proved it was not a fluke and that Vitor Belfort was truly back. Both knockouts came so fast that the only way to see where the strike came from was to use slow motion replay. 

This is what makes this fight so interesting, since Silva has never faced anyone with the speed of Belfort. Anderson is used to being the faster striker and he uses his reflexes very well to avoid his opponents strikes. This will not be the case on Saturday night. Another reason why this fight is so important is the true dislike these two men have for each other. Even though both men have downplayed the fight by not saying much and complimenting each other's fighting style, anyone who saw yesterdays weigh-ins could tell this fight is personal between the two. Actions speak louder than words and the stare down told the true story. These two men were nose to nose, ready to start throwing hands right on the spot. It was recently discovered that Silva and Belfort used to train together as well as be friends. When Belfort's sister was kidnapped Silva moved with Belfort to another part of Brazil to show comfort for his friend. They both trained together at the acclaimed Chute Boxe Academy and were known for having wars with one another during training. However, animosity exists now because Silva takes it personal that his friend would agree to fight him, after everything they have been through. For Silva, the sheer fact Belfort agreed to take this fight was a slap in the face. Belfort is claiming that the fight is just a sport, but anyone with half a brain knows he wants all the accolades that Silva currently has including the gold UFC belt. 

It is not only the biggest fight in the UFC's middleweight division but it is also the biggest fight in Brazilian history, as it has gained as much press and build up in Brazil as the Super Bowl does in America. Tonight, many questions will be answered because it is the biggest fight of both fighters lives. It is impossible for me to predict a winner, since both guys have unrivaled skills. All I can say is the winner are the fans because we will either see a living legend add to his legacy and add another notch to his belt or we will see the beginning of a new reign in the Middleweight division. Saturday promises to deliver fireworks and I am personally more excited for UFC 126 than the Super Bowl on Sunday.

Satan's Cycle

I gave up on life and accepted my fate

The angels were singing but they were too late

This needle and bottle my thoughts will be drowned

Redemption was calling but couldn’t be found

Tears got heavy and froze in the snow

Flew so high, but hooked so low

Losing myself was all done in vain

Little I thought her darkness would reign

Struck a deal with deceit, my soul she would gain

Turned towards sin to calm all the pain

If I died tomorrow I’d have nothing to show

Trapped in this mind with no place to go

Screaming my lungs out, wasn’t making a sound

Drugged the nails deeper into the ground

Was trapped in a coffin so couldn’t be great

Walked a thin road between anger and hate.

Walked a thin road between anger and hate

Was trapped in a coffin so couldn’t be great

Drugged the nails deeper into the ground

Screaming my lungs out, wasn’t making a sound

Trapped in this mind with no place to go

If I died tomorrow I’d have nothing to show

Turned towards sin to calm all the pain

Struck a deal with deceit, my soul she would gain

Little I thought her darkness would reign

Losing myself was all done in vain

Flew so high, but hooked so low

Tears got heavy and froze in the snow

Redemption was calling but couldn’t be found

This needle and bottle my thoughts will be drowned

The angels were singing but they were too late

I gave up on life and accepted my fate.

Glamour of the Kill - The Summoning Review

Glamour of the Kill a new band from York, United Kingdom released their debut album, “The Summoning” recently. I have been a fan of this band for over a year now and I was expecting big things out of their debut record. However, after listening to the album my wishes were not granted. In fact, I was disappointed after my first listen. The main problem from the get-go was that Glamour of the Kill sounded too much like Bullet for My Valentine. In all honestly, they sounded like the baby brother of Bullet. I tried very hard to ignore the comparisons but every note reminded me of a less heavy Bullet. Glamour of the Kill have a friendlier sound and young kids just getting into metal will love them, that is until the kids grow up and discover Bullet. Their songs are very catchy and slightly heavy, so I would expect to walk into a Hot Topic and hear this album playing on the speakers. This is of course not a bad thing, since any band that engulfs children into the metal world earns my respect.  The point being, I enjoy heavier music and if I had a choice I would choose Bullet For My Valentine over Glamour of the Kill. It is not a good sign when a band’s debut album reminds you of how far and away advanced Bullet is too the rest of the pack coming out in England. Yet, Glamour of the Kill is still a good up and coming band, they’re just not ready to steal away the crown from the current kings of British heavy metal: Bullet For My Valentine. Some songs which I think stand out most on the record were Lost Souls and Here, Behind These Walls which was my personal favorite.

Final Review:

2 Beavis' out of 5 Butt-Heads

Adema or A Demise?

It is not often you see a car wreck occur right before your eyes, and when it does happen it is not something you will quickly forget. This occurred to me on Saturday night when I attended the Adema concert at Webster Theater in West Hartford, Connecticut.  While luckily I was not a part of any car crashes I did see a band crash and burn onstage in their moment of glory. Adema who is a nu-metal band from California, was supposed to be on their five piece original member reunion tour. However due to very unfortunate circumstances, on Saturday night only two of the members were left on stage. To say it was the worst reunion show I ever witnessed, would be an understatement. The original guitarist left Adema to join another band before the tour started then the lead vocalist unexplainably left mid-tour. The saying goes fool me once shame on me, fool me twice shame on you, apparently Adema never received this memo, because this is the second time the guitarist and lead singer ditched the band to go their own ways. In fact, Adema had their new guitarist and lead singer step down before the tour to put the reunion show on for the fans. Sadly, the core members of Adema made a terrible mistake, as only one guitarist, the bassist and drummer, the members who were in the band the entire time were left to perform on this “reunion “tour. However, the tour must go on and Adema decided to continue touring as a three piece with the guitarist and bassist both handling vocal duties. This seemed like a good plan, until the Hartford police arrested the bassist during the band’s sound check for public intoxication. Things could not be going any worse, since a bassist is vital for a band especially a three piece. Still the show must go on and Adema made the wonderful decision of letting their Dungeons and Dragons obese bus driver handle bass duties. Normally, I love to root for the underdog, but this guy was pathetic. He was about as un-rock and roll as you can get. His bass playing consisted of strumming the open E string and after every song he made a comment. At one point, he kept rambling on and the guitarist just stared at him with his mouth wide open and a look of disgust upon his face.  If was not wearing a “Fuck Me I’m Fat” shirt I might not have even watched the band perform, and would have went to talk to the opening band outside. In fact, when Adema first took the stage they sounded so different I did not realize it was them until the third song of their set when they played one of their hit songs “Giving In.” In fact, I first thought they ran out of songs to play and were just stealing Adema’s songs. Another reason I did not realize the band was Adema was because the floor only had twenty-five people on it. I know because I actually counted. Never in my life had I seen something so sad and pathetic at a rock concert, that I cannot blame Adema for having a very short set list. If my memory serves me correct, I believe they only played seven songs. Their time on stage was shorter than the opening bands time performing as they took stage at exactly 9:30pm and I was in my car at 10:05pm. To make matters worse, they did not even perform the one and only song I really liked from them, “Immortal.” If they played that song, I would have went home happy as a calm and this review would have been a lot nicer. However, the song was not played but at least I got to witness history as the guitarist claimed  this would be the last show on the tour and possibly forever. It was by far not the best concert I ever attended but I never will forget it, since it was the demise of Adema.  

Jacare

Strikeforce had a lot to be thankful for on Saturday night, as the promotion put on a fantastic event. The show featured two champions as Nick Diaz defended his Welterweight title in the main event and Middleweight champion Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza defended his title for the first time against perennial contender Robbie Lawler. Jacare which is Portuguese for alligator is considered to be one of the greatest ju-jitsu practitioners of all time and he demonstrated why on Saturday night, as he submitted Lawler in the third round of their five round fight. The matchup was a classic striker vs. grappler match and Robbie Lawler quickly dropped the Anderson Silva trained Jacare in the first round, but made the mistake of following him to the ground which was Jacare’s territory. This proved to be a huge mistake, because Jacare was able to nullify the rest of the attack from Lawler forcing a standup. That was all the offense Lawler provided in the fight, as Jacare dominated until the end. Jacare’s grappling game was the focus of round two, as he forced Lawler to carry his weight and left no space for Lawler to do anything productive. Jacare easily passed into side control at will and even attempted two quick arm bars but he was unable to finish. The third round was much of the same, as Jacare quickly brought Lawler back to the ground, using his patented “Jacare” takedowns, and he took Lawler’s back immediately. As soon as Jacare locked the figure four body lock on Lawler, you can sense the end was near and it was going to take a miracle for Lawler to escape. Unfortunately for Lawler, his miracle did not get the memo and he was forced to tap out to a rear naked choke.

This was a huge statement for Jacare as he cemented his place as the dominant champion in the Strikeforce division. The question now lingers on who his next opponent will be since the Strikeforce roster is not stacked with clear cut contenders. Jacare has already shunned the idea of a possible third meeting with Jason Miller, claiming he already fought him twice and did not feel he was worthy of a title shot . This leaves a shot list of contenders such as living legend Dan Henderson, Kazuo Misaki, or even Sengoku Middleweight champion Jorge Santiago. Out of the three, I am hoping Strikeforce is able to secure Santiago as the next opponent, since I believe it would be an excellent matchup and a true test for Jacare. Jorge Santiago has not competed since August 2010 and is without a named opponent, so the timing could be perfect for Strikeforce to bring him over to America and have a champion vs. champion bout. If this is not the case, then whoever Strikeforce deems worthy enough to compete next for the title, they better be prepared because the alligator is only improving every fight.

Royal Rumble and The Road to WrestleMania

The road to WrestleMania is without a doubt the best time to be a WWE fan. The quality of the WWE show during this time is flawless and leaves you excited to see how the stories progress. The scent of WrestleMania is in the air and fans want to know who will be gracing the main event of the granddaddy pay per view of the WWE. The questions to this journey begin at the Royal Rumble, where one wrestler is given the chance to fight for immortality at a championship match at WrestleMania.

Times are changing within the WWE, the youth movement is in full effect as many up and coming superstars are in the beginnings of their careers. Their characters are not fully developed and their rank is not yet determined within the machine. So the WWE had a big choice on their hands, go with experience such as having an established name win such as Randy Orton or John Cena or go with the future and promote an up and comer like John Morrison or Wade Barrett. The WWE made the right decision and went with the future but with a different name, Alberto Del Rio.  

Over the past month leading into the Royal Rumble, Del Rio had been showing up weekly on Monday night Raw interrupting matches claiming it was his “destiny” to win the Royal Rumble and headline WrestleMania. Apparently, the WWE have faith that Del Rio can grow into a huge star and this is his opportunity to shine. I predict he will choose to fight for the Heavyweight championship making him the focus point of Smackdown until WrestleMania. He will probably compete against Edge at the event, most likely gaining the title, on his road to superstardom.

The future of Raw is also at question, since the WWE can go a number of different ways. They can have The Miz defend the title at the event against John Cena or have him lose at the Elimination Chamber to someone like Randy Orton or John Cena, enabling Cena-Orton to headline WrestleMania. There is also CM Punk, who can be thrown into the mix. I highly doubt the WWE will do a fatal four way at WrestleMania and instead will have a one on one match. The way which makes sense after the Rumble is it will be The Miz vs John Cena for the WWE Championship. This is because at the Royal Rumble, The Miz who was doing commentary and not in the match jumped into the ring to eliminate Cena. This would be an interesting feud and one I hope WWE push. The Miz has established himself as a superstar and he is ready to headline the flagship show. Letting The Miz carry the championship into WrestleMania would be great for his career. More importantly, WWE has a chance to do something very special with The Miz and it looks like they are willing to test him out.

If those fights are indeed the championship fights then the undercard must be filled with the other superstars. The one person who needs to have a high profile match is CM Punk. This man is the MVP of the WWE right now. His character is perfect as a psychotic cult leader and he is one of if not the best overall talents in the WWE. His time in the Royal Rumble was the highlight of the show and provided an edgier, darker time to the event. Everything from his mannerisms of sitting Indian style in the middle of the ring to his Christ sacrifice pose was perfection. On the microphone, there is no one better since Punk speaks with such sincerity; he makes his character so unique and believable.  One opponent who could give Punk a high profile match is Randy Orton. These two have never feuded before, so this would be a fresh exciting matchup which the fans have never seen. Orton is just as dark and edgy as Punk, but the fans love him. A matchup against Punk would allow Orton to be a little more vicious and cutting edge while still getting over and retaining baby face status. The psychological story these two athletes could provide would be a great addition to WrestleMania and might even bring back some of the attitude that the WWE desperately needs.CM Punk and Randy Orton are both incredible technicians who can tell a story inside and outside the ring. If given the proper time, I believe this match could be the highlight of WrestleMania 27.

The other main attraction of WrestleMania, is of course the Undertaker. The streak is the most important accolade in the WWE and every year it is anticipated to see who will be given the opportunity to hand the Undertaker his first loss at WrestleMania. The most likely candidate to face the Undertaker this year is Season one NXT winner Wade Barrett. This match could be huge for Wade Barrett’s career, because he is a young up and coming competitor who the WWE has bright futures for. To be given the chance to fight the Undertaker is a huge honor, but Barrett has been golden so far and should provide an interesting threat. We all know the Undertaker will bring it since he is still the best in the business and will provide a fantastic show but it is Wade Barrett who really wants to shine here. This is his platform to cement his status as a main event player within the WWE, in his biggest match of his young career. Randy Orton’s career took off after his match with the Undertaker at WrestleMania 21 in 2005, so hopefully Barrett’s match provides him with the same fortunes.

There are still many big name stars such as John Morrison, and Sheamus who still need to be booked. It is believed Sheamus will have a rematch with Triple H who is set to return soon, but John Morrison remains a question. It was disappointing that Morrison was given such little time in the Royal Rumble and he came out looking very weak. I thought the WWE had bigger plans for him since he is over with the crowd and I hope he is booked in a compelling match up to help his character. I was hoping that Morrison was going to be matched up against Chris Jericho since that could have been a fantastic feud, but with Jericho not set to return that seems to be in limbo. A Morrison- Jericho feud would have benefitted Morrison’s career since Jericho excels at Morrison’s weak points. Working with Jericho would have given Morrison a chance to prove he belongs in the main event picture.  However, if that’s not the case and the event has a Money in the Bank match or something similar then Morrison would be my pick to win, but if not a match up with someone like Daniel Bryan could be interesting.  

In conclusion, the upcoming months look to be very exciting, with various twists and turns soon to occur within the WWE. The road to WrestleMaina is finally here, and the intensity is going to be picked up. Our questions will be answered in the future, but for now I suggest we just sit back and enjoy the present. WrestleMania is always a fun time and this year’s card seems to be coming along nicely with the fresh talent and matchups. We are seeing future hall of famers in the young stages of their career and we should cherish this moment very dear since history could take place right before our eyes.

Nick Diaz: Pound for Pound the Best?

Growing up my favorite video games were Street Fighter and Mortal Kombat. I loved the idea of having two warriors with certain skill sets fight each other one on one. This is one of the things that attracted me to MMA. It was just like a live version of those amazing video games. Two warriors with different fighting styles, competing to see which style was better. It was the ultimate showcase of fighting, to see which style was the best among the others. The fighters were not only fighting for themselves but for every person who practiced their discipline. Every person wanted to know what the best martial arts style was and the very first UFC’s offered that. It was like a live version of the Mortal Kombat tournament, style vs. style, fire vs. ice, Scorpion vs. Sub-Zero, Royce Gracie vs. Ken Shamrock.

Now the sport has grown up, and her combatants are so disciplined that it has become necessary for all martial artists to know every style effectively. And while every style is known, there are only few participants who are masters of a craft and on a different level than the rest. We can think of these men as the final bosses in a video game. In Ju-jitsu there are the Gracies, Muai Thai has Anderson Silva, Sambo has Fedor Emilenanko, kickboxing had Mirko Cro Cop and now features Alistair Overeem, wrestling has Georges St. Pierre and karate boasts Lyoto Machida. The one main style not mentioned is the style which America knows best: Boxing.  Boxing is a sweet science and most students who study boxing in America, end up dedicating themselves to it and become professional boxers. Now the new breed of MMA is taking over and finally boxing is being utilized in the octagon. Recently we saw Georges St. Pierre use crisp jabs to completely shut Josh Koschecks’ eye in December. The damage done by St. Pierre’s pure boxing was so effective it required Koshcheck to undergo surgery on his orbital bone.  On Saturday night we saw boxing showcased again as Nick Diaz utilized his boxing to perfection in his second round submission win over Evangilista “Cyborg” Santos.

Diaz mentioned before the fight, he would like to compete in a boxing ring soon and he showed us all why on Saturday. His boxing was so crisp that in my opinion, he made a name for himself as a master of the style.. His attack was constant with punches flying from every angle multiple times landing every time on Cyborg’s chin or body. The highlight of the fight for me was after Diaz blocked a Chute Boxe style attack from Cyborg he pushed forward backing Cyborg up to the cage and firing boxing combinations with such precision and accuracy that Cyborg had no choice but to just weather the storm and cover up. It was without a doubt the best utilization of boxing technique I have ever seen in MMA.  Diaz landed ten clean unanswered combinations from every angle to the head of Cyborg before hitting Cyborg’s body with six hooks ending the combination with a clean right hook to Cyborg’s jaw. The technique Diaz displayed was flawless and mere perfection. Diaz trains with professional boxers on a daily occasion and his hard work shined during this fight. The performance was so good that I would feel confident placing good money on Diaz if he did compete in a boxing match soon, with Fernando Vargas’ name being mentioned as a possible opponent.

               

However, Saturday nights Strikeforce event was not a boxing match it was a mixed martial arts fight, and anytime Nick Diaz is billed on the card, you can expect a real fight. Diaz is always pushing the pace, and attacking no matter what you throw at him. In the first round, Cyborg landed thunderous vicious leg kicks that almost put Diaz on the floor, but Diaz continued to be the aggressor and kept coming forward reminiscent of a zombie. It is the fact that he is willing to take punishment to hand out punishment that makes Diaz such an exciting fighter. Another reason is his pressure breaking style. On the feet he throws bunches in punches, hitting his opponent numerous times zapping their energy bar. Under this relentless pressure, his opponents usually give up and fall or make the mistake of trying to take Diaz to the ground. As amazing as Diaz’ boxing skills are, his Ju-jitsu skills are on another level. Trained under Cesar Gracie, Diaz is one of the best Ju-jitsu practitioners, and watching his ground game is a work of beauty. After another vicious Diaz combination, an exhausted Cyborg brought the fight to the ground with half a minute left in the second round. As soon as the fight went south, Diaz instantly threw his legs up over Cyborgs’ face, changed angles right away, spun underneath Cyborg coming out the backdoor. Then with his free hand Diaz hooked Cyborgs shin bone and threw his legs over, spinning Cyborg and putting him hopelessly on his back. Diaz hit him a couple times before finally flexing back and torque Cyborgs’ arm causing an immediate tap out with ten seconds remaining in the round. It was so breathtakingly fast that my jaw was left wipe open at the sheer flawlessness at the execution of the move. To make matters more impressive was that Diaz did this to a fellow highly ranked BJJ black belt. After the fight Diaz explained his style best, saying “I’m going to put punches in, you’re going to have to throw me down and I’m a Ju-jitsu fighter, a black belt under Cesar Gracie.”

Nick Diaz once again proved that he deserves much more respect than he currently receives in the MMA community. He is without a doubt a top ranked Welterweight and could arguably be considered in top five pound for pound rankings. It is the fact that he does not fight for the UFC which ultimately hurts Diaz the most. Matchups with high ranked guys such as Jon Fitch, Josh Koscheck and UFC champion Georges St. Pierre would not only be dream matchups but would also be a better indication of Diaz’ skills. However, as long as Diaz is under Strikeforce contract, which will be for the foreseeable future, these fights are impossible. Still a matchup with GSP is something I would really love to see since it would host the two best boxers in the sport against one another in my opinion. I believe the standup game would be even, possibly giving Diaz the advantage for his boxing pressure. I think, GSP would fold under the constant attack, eventually resorting to his wrestling, taking the fight to the ground. The ground game would be a whole new chess match, since GSP has never faced anyone of Diaz’ caliber and St. Pierre would have to be very careful not to get caught in one of Diaz’ crafty submissions. This is the fight I would really love to see before GSP hangs up his gloves at welterweight for new beginnings in the middleweight division. It is a shame that it most likely won’t happen in the near future, since it would clearly show who the best 170 pound fighter in the world truly is.

In conclusion, Saturday night was a clear indication that Nick Diaz is as real as it gets when it comes to cage fighting. His performance left no doubt that he was the real Strikeforce champion and a force to be reckoned with in the welterweight rankings. Diaz brings back the fun part of fighting, having no problem making the fight personal and trash talking but afterwards always being humble and respective towards his opponents. His old school approach to martial arts is something I deeply admire and it is why he is one of my personal favorite fighters in MMA today.