IRONMAN TRIATHLON CROSS-TRAINING

Recently finished the 2009 Arizona Ironman Triathlon in Tempe Arizona in 12 hours 48 minutes... The course compiled of 2.4 mile swim, 112 mile bike and 26.2 mile run was challenging and long!
Now having built a great base condition I'm anxious to get back on the mat for some Muy Thai, Jui Jitsu and all the rest.. Ironman and triathlons in general are a great way to supplement your aerobic conditioning as well as you mental toughness... Explore the world of triathlon and see if it can help you and your overall game.

THE SPIRIT OF MMA CROSSES MANY BRIDGES

The spirit off MMA embodies many great qualities none more predominant than COURAGE! This post is dedicated to Navy Petty Officer MIKE MONSOOR winner of the CMH the Congressional Medal Of Honor! :

"I BET YOU DIDN'T SEE THIS IN THE NEWSPAPER OR ON THE 6 O'CLOCK NEWS" ~ The Sailor Pictured Below Is, Navy Petty Officer, PO2 (Petty Officer, Second Class) EOD2 (Explosive Ordnance Disposal, Second Class) "MIKE MONSOOR" April 5th, 1981 ~ September 29th, 2006 Mike Monsoor, Was Awarded "The Congressional Medal Of Honor" Last Week, For Giving His Life In Iraq , As He Jumped On, And Covered With His Body, A Live Hand Grenade, That Was Accidentally Dropped By A Navy Seal, Saving The Lives Of A Large Group Of Navy Seals That Was Passing By! ~ During Mike Monsoor's Funeral, At Ft. Rosecrans National Cemetery , In San Diego , California . The Six Pallbearers Removed The Rosewood Casket From The Hearse, And Lined Up On Each Side Of Mike Monsoor's Casket, Were His Family Members, Friends, Fellow Sailors, And Well-wishers. The Column Of People Continued From The Hearse, All The Way To The Grave Site. What The Group Didn't Know At The Time Was, Every Navy Seal (45 To Be Exact) That Mike Monsoor Saved That Day Was Scattered Through-Out The Column! ~ As The Pallbearers Carried The Rosewood Casket Down The Column Of People To The Grave Side. The Column Would Collapse. Which Formed A Group Of People That Followed Behind. ~ Every Time The Rosewood Casket Passed A Navy Seal, He Would Remove His Gold Trident Pin From His Uniform, And Slap It Down Hard, Causing The Gold Trident Pin To Embed Itself Into The Top Of The Wooden Casket! Then The Navy Seal Would Step Back From The Column, And Sal ute! ~ Now For Those, (And Me) Who Doesn't Know What A Trident Pin Is, Are What It Looks Like? Here Is The Definition And Photo! ~ After One Completes The Basic Navy Seals Program Which Lasts For Three Weeks, And Is Followed By Seal Qualification Training, Which Is 15 More Weeks Of Training, Necessary To Continue Improving Basic Skills And To Learn New Tactics And Techniques, Required For An Assignment To A Navy Seal Platoon. After successful completion, Trainees Are Given Their Naval Enlisted Code, And Are Awarded The Navy Seal Trident Pin. With This Gold Pin They Are Now Officially Navy Seal's! It Was Said, That You Could Hear Each Of The 45 Slaps From Across The Cemetery! By The Time The Rosewood Casket Reached The Grave Site, It Looked As Though It Had A Gold Inlay From The 45 Trident Pins That Lined The Top! This Was A Fitting End To An Eternal Send-Off For A Warrior Hero! This Should Be Front-Page News! Instead Of The Garbage We Listen To And See Every Day. ~ Here's A Good Idea! Since The Main Stream Media Won't Make This News. Then We Choose To Make It News By Forwarding It. ~ I Am Proud Of All The Branches Of Our Military.. If You Are Proud Too, Please Pass This E-Mail On. ~ If Not, Then Delete This E-Mail. But Rest Assured, That The Fine Men And Women Of Our Military Will Continue To Serve And Protect Your Freedom And Right To Do So! "GOD BLESS AND KEEP OUR TROOPS SAFE!

MMA CONDITIONING

This is a video I found on Youtube and it was noted on some other sites that looked interesting and after my first set I was certainly convinced of the quality of the workout! Now in my opinion I believe if your cardio fitness is suspect and/or your used to heavy weightlifting this will be a challenging workout. Give it a try as it will leave you humble and wanting more. Remember don't put the bar down until all the exercises are complete. Have fun and have a bucket on the side for when you toss your cookies ;-)

FIGHT YARD
Train like a fighter and test your skills in a fairly controlled environment. Here is Chris, Black shorts dark hair, my son fighting local wrestler undefeated (in the backyard brawl events) Notice the nice display and transitions from Boxing to Muay Thai to Wrestling to Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. I think he's learned his lessons well over the years. Comment on the techniques as we value any insightful comments of value...

HAWAIIN STYLE VICTORY FOR BJ PENN

BJ PENN defeats Kenny Florian in UFC 101! Penn State is proud. Fight fans are proud. I am overwhelmed with joy! After his disappointing loss to GSP BJ lost some respect from the fight fans in general but like a true champion that he his he picked himself up, dusted himself off and got real serious about winning! Congratulations on a superior performance over a game, highly skilled contender. It's time to party and reflect and celebrate with a true champion.

THE PATH OF KNOWLEDGE

Since my wrestling days in High School I've always liked the Wrestler's Guillotine also know as the Twister in modern Jiu Jitsu. Here's a great video with a solid slow demo of getting to twister from a closed guard. Take note of the tight body position and strategic explanation and terminology it will really help you get this move down.
Happy Grappling and Enjoy!

FULL FIST "THE NEW KID ON THE BLOCK"

Full Fist Clothing has recently got their website up and running and though they're the New Kid On The Block they show some promising styles. Their initial line of T's are limited but certainly worth a look or two. Here is one of the prints I like. It's an aggressive Muay Thai inspired theme in Blood Red, makes sense, right? You be the judge. You can check them out on the Web at http://www.fullfistclothing.com/

UFC 100 DELIVERS A KNOCKOUT

UFC 100 was amazing. Hendo knocks out the Count in brutal fashion! For me, this was great as Bisping was talking so much trash during the Ultimate Fighter he needed a little taste of humility and Hendo was just the man to give him a nice big helping! Mmm... How did it taste Mr. Bisping? Oh, that's right you were unconscious and can't remember anything! Watch it on you tube biotch! Moving on to something very COOL! GSP does exactly what I said he'd do with injury and all! GSP has a lot of talent and a lot of class. Nice Job! hey, Frank Mir looked awesome and though he lost he won great admiration and respect from all his fans. Lesner showed me yet another reason not to like him. I'll only be watching and waiting for someone to shut him up! The veteran Coleman wins over Bonner who is always game. Yea there were other fights but these are the ones I was interested in and I'm happy to say satisfied my mma fix.

GEORGE ST. PIERRE vs. THIAGO ALVES AT UFC 100

UFC 100 is arriving soon with much anticipation! The fight I'm most looking forward to is St. Pierre vs. Alves because I like both of these fighters so now it's time to choose one over the other. My fight Prediction looks like this: Honestly, I don’t see Alves being victorious. St. Pierre is too quick and explosive for Alves. Once the fight hits the mat, it will be all St. Pierre, who will punish Alves with top control and ground and pound. I believe St. Pierre will WIN by TKO.
This is the semi-Main Event with these two Welterweights for the title. St. Pierre has been a dominant force, destroying challengers and cementing himself as a strong P4P #1 contender. Alves has also been on a tear recently, scoring a string of upsets and earning himself the top contender’s spot.

Thiago Alves has excellent striking. His punches, kicks, and especially knees from the clinch are completely devastating, as many top welterweight fighters can certainly verify. Recent improvements in his takedown defense may be a hickup for St.Pierre to overcome but only for a moment. If Alves can manage to keep this fight standing, he has a lot more than a puncher’s chance.
St. Pierre has extremely underrated standup and most likely comes in second to Alves. However, he more than makes up for it with his superior athleticism, wrestling, submissions, strength, and cardio. While Alves has the edge standing, St. Pierre has the advantage in pretty much every single other category, including top-level fight experience. Alves’ takedown defense has become formidable, but every single time anyone felt like an opponent could handle St. Pierre’s wrestling, they were proven emphatically wrong. I guess we'll see...

TITO ORTIZ'S BIG ANNOUNCEMENT

I don't know about you but personally I like Tito Oritz and what he brings to the Octagon so when I read he may be signing with a big promotion I just had to check it out. Now according to Ortiz, he’s about to become the latest member of the Strikeforce family.
The Superstar Fighter and former UFC light heavyweight champion was a guest of honor at the June 27th Ultimate Cage Fighting Championship (UCFC Rumble On The River) in Pittsburgh at the Mellon Arena. In between fights, Ortiz entered the ring and announced to the crowd that he was extremely close to signing a four-fight deal with the Strikeforce promotion. Not only that, but he also mentioned that he could face Renato “Babalu” Sobral at a Strikeforce event in October. How cool would that be? I would love to see these two get down, hopefully everything works out. Either way I'll keep you posted.

KING OF THE STREETS

Today I had the pleasure to meet the legendary MARCO RUAS who is without question one of my all time favorite MMA icons! I have to share with you that I was very impressed by his demeanor, humility and class. He is legend in the MMA world having fought in the early days when there were no weight classes and you had to fight multiple opponents in the same night! As a treat I have posted a highlight video from some of his fights - perhaps it will spark a memory or even introduce you to this true legend of MMA... Enjoy! To find out more info on Marco check out SHERDOG.com and take a look at his bio and American MMA record.

KNIFE DISARMING SKILLS

MMA surpasses the Octagon and within that spirit we flow to life survival skills for the mean streets where anything can happen so my friends I humbly submit for your MMA approval my good friend, knife instructor, defense contractor and all around bad ass Steve Tarani with some personal friends of mine demonstrating basic and intermediate KNIFE DISARMING techniques derived from various Filipino Martial Arts Systems that I have had the distinct privilege and honor in learning for more than a decade plus. I have personally used these skills in REAL LIFE situations on more than several occasions and present them with confidence in their own glorious truth. If you ever get the FMA (Filipino Martial Arts) bug you will learn first hand that it will be a supreme addition to the rest of your MMA arsenal. Explore, Learn and Grow my friends!

TUF 9 NOT THE FINALE I EXPECTED

I must say after checking out the fights and reviewing the results I ended up with mixed emotions. I got into the whole U.S. vs U.K. thing and slowly but surely the UK picked apart the US team. Even after seeing Johnson's fights and Wilks's fights I was certain Johnson would dominate, as most others did as well. I suppose that's what I enjoy about mixed martial arts - it brings out the truth! It doesn't matter what a fighter has done in the past, sure you can speculate, but he still has to prove it every time he steps into the Octagon and then the wild card is thrown in. Now the wild card can be anything a strike, a choke some technique one fighter isn't prepared for. All I'm saying is with mixed martial arts anything can happen and that in and of itself makes it exciting. The fights were good, real good although they didn't have the outcomes I was looking for it was a pleasure to watch fo sho! Crazy Dragon reflecting on the pool.

MMA OLYMPIC SPORT FOR 2012

MMA possess all the potential to be the next great Olympic Sport as early as 2012. In scouring the Internet you can easily find evidence there is concerted effort around the globe to try and make MMA an Olympic event. However, I suppose you can imagine what hurdles must be overcome to make this happen as not everyone making this approval decision is a fan of the sport, yet. One tactic I read being pursued at the moment is to try and get MMA into the Olympics as a subdivision or a discipline of wrestling. Karate and sambo. Olympic wrestling now has Greco-Roman, freestyle, and recently, women’s wrestling under its banner. As a fourth discipline, it has been suggested to introduce MMA. I think this makes sense as there is always a need to attract future competitors for the sport to flourish. Reassuring parents of the longevity of the sport has also been important. No one would encourage a child to choose a career that could soon be obsolete. I have found various promotions around the world including the UFC are contributing to this worthy goal although, ultimately, it will come down to the fans. As the sport grows and more and more people will watch MMA and then it will become widely accepted which will eventually break down some barriers currently holding MMA back from getting into the Olympic lineup. If you support the idea get on line and sign a petition at http://www.youchoose.net/campaign/mixed_martial_arts_in_the_olympics_for_2012#campaignnodetab

RICH FRANKLIN SILVER STAR

Silver star makes this Rich "ACE" Franklin Walkout T-shirt in a sick style with bold colors and dynamic graphic. I'm adding this one to the collection with Franklin's WIN over Silva at the recent UFC 99 it sure to be a winning look this summer! Enjoy.

COOL TECHS: FLYING SIDE CHOKE FROM AN ARM DRAG

My favorite technique from the clinch position or any kind of close range grappling position is the ARM DRAG. This is because I have about a 80 to 90 percent success rate using it. Thanks coach Ruffini! This was my High School Wrestling Coach who originally taught me this move and made me practice it over and over and over again. The Arm Drag can be used to create tons of opportunities for various finishes and it's only limit is your creativity in using it. High, middle or low line attacks can be taken advantage of using the Arm Drag! Check out the basic move then a cool example I found and try it out. Who knows the ARM DRAG may just work for you too.. Enjoy!

NEW TALENT EQUALS EXCITEMENT

What an amazing weekend of fights! After seeing all the great new talent that is out there I have to say

"New talent equals excitement!"

These guys can really bring it and I guess the toughest thing to do is determine which of all the great fights was the best. For me, as short as the fight was, it was the Aldo vs Swanson fight lasting all of 8 seconds! This guy ALDO looks to be in contention for the belt at 145lbs in the WEC real soon! Do a little homework and check out some videos of this guy fighting and you'll see what I mean. I for one am going to keep an eye on this kid for his dynamic fighting style, solid all around ring skills and overall demeanor make him a strong pick for being a future super star! Aldo's MMA bio and stats:
Name: Jose Aldo
Nick Name: Junior
Record: 15 - 1 - 0 (Win - Loss - Draw)
Wins: 10 (T)KOs ( 66.67 %) 2 Submissions ( 13.33 %) 3 Decisions ( 20 %)
Losses: 1 Submissions ( 100 %)
Association: Nova Uniao
Height: 5'9" (176cm)
Weight: 145lbs (66kg)
Birth Date: 1986-09-09
Country: Brazil

SENGOKU

Sengoku refers to a period in Japans' history when there was a lot of social upheaval, political intrigue and constant military conflict but these days it's the name of a new Japanese MMA promotion produced by World Victory Road (WVR) and it is being aired on HDnet here in the U.S now. I have yet to see the event live but I have been able to check out a few videos and it looks really good. I like the fact the fighters can knee and stomp an opponent when they are down. I'm looking into the future because Sengoku is showcasing some top notch fight talents with very good credentials and I think they will produce good fighters that will eventually make their way to the BIG SHOW, aka: UFC, here in the states. Keep your eye in this promotion and their fighters and see how many find their way into the UFC!

LET IT ALL HANG OUT

WEC Brown vs Faber 2 fight is this weekend and I'm really looking forward to this fight because I think these two fighters will really let it all hang out. This is the kind of fight Ireally enjoy. A fight where two guys enter the Octagon and give it everything they have Win, Loose or Draw! In one of my earlier post from last month I wrote about how a lot of top fighters try to protect their belt, their sponsors, contacts and endorsement deals. These two guys love the combat and based on what I've seen simply want to be the best with an all out effort. There's no obvious signs of holding anything back or being influence by outside forces that may dictate the outcome. If you read all the news on this fight you'll get a feel for what I'm talking about. My prediction is Faber will win in 3 rounds! He's hungry, wants redemption and the belt! This will be one exciting fight. Crazy Dragon sees the future..

THE ULTIMATE FIGHTER SEASON 10 FEATURING "KIMBO SLICE!"

LAS VEGAS – An article on Yahoo! Sports released this story late last night!

Kimbo Slice, the controversial heavyweight who in 2008 headlined the most-viewed mixed martial arts card in history, will be one of 16 contestants on the forthcoming season of “The Ultimate Fighter,” the Ultimate Fighting Championship’s reality TV series. Dana White, the UFC’s outspoken president, has repeatedly mocked Slice for his lack of fighting ability. Slice, whose real name is Kevin Ferguson, became a cult figure by competing in street fights that were posted on YouTube. Slice’s “bouts” drew tens of millions of views and led him to turn professional. He fought for the now defunct Elite XC, garnering massive media attention but getting mocked by White and others affiliated with the UFC for a lack of ability. White has called him a “joke,” a “bum” and “not a real fighter,” among other less than kind descriptions. He said that Slice would “get murdered if he fought in the UFC” and suggested that his lightweight champion, 155-pound B.J. Penn, would “annihilate” the 230-pound Slice. The UFC president has repeatedly insisted he would not allow Slice to compete in the UFC unless he won his way onto the show by competing on “The Ultimate Fighter,” which beings taping Wednesday and is scheduled to air in September. Slice has called White’s bluff and will appear on Season 10 of the highly rated Spike TV series, White has confirmed. Fighters live in the same house and train together, and then fight during the show in a bid to earn a UFC contract. His appearance, along with that of former UFC light heavyweight champions Quinton “Rampage” Jackson and Rashad Evans as coaches, should guarantee massive ratings.

“It should be interesting, given some of the things I’ve said about him,”

White said.
Slice, who has a 3-1 professional record, appeared in the main event of the first MMA card shown on network television in the U.S. when he fought James Thompson on May 31, 2008, on CBS. Slice won by third-round stoppage in a bout that attracted a record 6.5 million viewers and remains the most-viewed MMA bout in history. But Slice hasn’t fought since Oct. 4, when he was knocked out by a jab from late replacement Seth Petruzelli, a light heavyweight, just 14 seconds into another fight broadcast on CBS. The plug was pulled on Elite XC, which reportedly lost millions of dollars, in the aftermath of the fight. White promised “some major surprises” as he announced on a Thursday conference call that Jackson and Evans, each of whom is a former light heavyweight champion, would serve as coaches on Season 10. He declined to say anything further but urged reporters on the call not to miss media day, which is Tuesday at the UFC Training Center in Las Vegas. White worked hard to keep Slice’s appearance on the show a secret, hoping to have unveiled him Tuesday. Season 10, which is being called “The Ultimate Fighter: Heavyweights,” was originally slated to feature a cast of eight heavyweights and eight middleweights, but the UFC quietly informed the middleweights who tried out that it was going with an all-heavyweight show. And unlike in recent seasons, where the competitors had to win a fight to earn their way into the house, there will be no such arrangement this time. All 16 fighters – Spike and the UFC are keeping names of the others a closely guarded secret – will automatically move into the house.

"Nothing On The Show Is Scripted"

Though White goes to great lengths to insist that nothing on the show is scripted, it’s virtually guaranteed that Slice won’t fight early in the competition. Having him around and alive in the competition is going to keep ratings elevated. If Slice is able to advance to the live Dec. 5 finale, with a chance to earn a UFC contract with a win, ratings would likely be the largest in Spike history.

HOW ABOUT TODAY

CARBON 9 has a hypnotic sound that can put you into a trance just before entering the OCTAGON. Check out the video as it has well, lets just say something extra to get you motivated!
Werrrrd!

KEEP IT REAL

MMA UFC, Pride, WEC and any of the big show promotions we see today are a far cry from what used to be. If you recall, or maybe you don't, in the beginning there were no 5 minute rounds there was no 1 minute rest and you fought all weights classes all night until there was one winner. The whole concept was "Keep It Real", as real as possible. When you stepped into the octagon you fought and kept fighting until someone was knocked out, choked out or tapped out!

It has changed but why? Let me give you my opinion. I believe in an effort to make it a legal sport and actually make money you have to make the powers that be happy and organize, regulate and oversee the fights. It all gets down to money. From the Athletic commission to State legislators and so fourth.

Okay fine, it is what it is. My point is this, today's fighters are under a lot of pressure to perform and what I mean by that is they are obligated to make an exciting fight so ratings and viewer interest is kept high. Once again money rearing it's ugly head. Doing this forces a fighter to change their game to please others. Fighters are fighting to stay popular, keep their contracts, sponsorship and endorsements.

Sure MMA is about training all aspects, boxing, Muay Thai, wrestling, bjj etc. But if your strength is wrestling and you are forced to make it a boxing match how smart is that and vice versa. Watch some of the recent fights and you'll notice guys who are good on the ground are standing toe to toe more! I say have good hands but for the purpose of going to your strength. Have good wrestling and take down defense if your Muay Thai and boxing is awesome. Know other arts to facilitate the way to staying within your area of proficiency because you can't be all all things there's just not enough time in the day. Crazy Dragon speaks his mind!

Check out the dog brothers video as this is how I like to train: Street serious with brotherhood vibe. MMA with weapons!

CONTRACT KILLER

I'm always on the prowl for fresh MMA gear. I stumbled across this at MMA Warehouse.com it's from Contract Killer and it's their Messenger design. It's has some tight graphics and a strong feel to it. Word of caution: when it's time to get down be sure to hand it over to a friend as the T is not blood friendly. But, I guess you knew that already - right?

Up and coming I'm hunting down T-shirts the fighters wear when they enter the Octagon. Usually custom and limited editions for fighters and entourage only but they're out there and soon we'll all know where to get them. Crazy Dragon - OUT!

MMA EN"TRANCE" THEME MUSIC

The band is called OVERSEER and the song is SLAYED. I've heard this song being played by some of the top MMA fighters as their entrance theme song and it has a funk coolicious feel to it. It's chill but gets you pumped up! ENJOI...

THIS IS WHAT'S POPPIN AT AFFLICTION

This Affliction T has and edgy cool vibe to it and everyone will be asking you what's poppin when you're at the next event in this. The Tian Bao Xing V-Neck is what's happening also, as an added plus it's got a dark chaotic look to it so if you get into a little scuffle and some fool bleeds on you nobody can see the blood. NICE!

MMA IS WATER

After UFC 98 I attempted to keep up with all the news, just as you did, but found so many articles that said the same thing and yet even more with their own unique spin. In any event, it's staggering to think where MMA as a Martial Art and then as a Sport will be in 10 plus years. The growth is spectacular.

MMA is dynamic! It is ever changing, evolving and morphing into the Universal Martial Art. Absorbing what is useful from arts around the world and discarding the rest.

MMA is water as it can take any shape we give it. Now that metaphor can be construed in many different ways all of which would apply I'm sure. From my perspective as a practitioner, a seeker of martial truth and self improvement perfectionist it inspires me, drives me and pushes me to ask more of myself and those around me and in many ways I hope it does for all who enjoy it around the world.

As the late great Bruce Lee once said: "Be Water My Friend"

MACHIDA WINS BY KNOCK OUT!

Lyoto Machida is the New UFC Light Heavy Weight Champion! In devastating fashion and a beautiful display of martial arts Lyoto Machida and his Karate style fighting with perfect timing and cobra like reflexes devastates Evans in a 2nd round knock out! What a perfect fight.
I can't say enough about this guy all I know is he's going to be around for a long time.

Diamond In The Rough: Hughes vs Serra

Matt Hughes
Former UFC WW Champion#5 Welterweight

Matt Serra
Former UFC WW Champion#11 Welterweight TUF 4 Winner

Okay so these two guys have a burning desire, a desire so hot that Lucifer himself would need a trip to the North Pole and he'd want a room in an ice hotel with air conditioning, to beat the living hell out of each other! However, with this dynamic heat and friction we could see a diamond in the rough. This could turn out to be one of the "fights of the night!" Why? Well listen up fight fans, there are so many trade offs in Strengths and Weakness here it really will get down to who can maintain their fight plan the longest! Can Serra stay off his back? If not, can he strike well from his back and can his superior jiu Jitsu submit Hughes as we've seen in the past? Can Hughes close the mid fighting range and take Serra down to finish him with strikes? Will Hughes be a new man and bring proficient hands into the cage to surprise us all or has the "CURSE" of the cage fighter struck yet another veteran who has long out stayed his peak performance years in this sport we call MMA? One can only speculate but we will speculate with a sense of awe and sadistic enjoyment!

UFC 98 Shaping Up To Be A Big Show

It's midnight on Thursday the 21st of May and outside it's unnervingly quiet and calm yet there is a distinct feeling of electricity in the air crackling like an overloaded transformer about to blow as all forms of media such as News, Radio, Blogs and even Tweeters are all ranting and raving about the upcoming UFC 98. All I have to say is place your bets, hold onto your seats and if you're not lucky enough to be there get that pay-per view ordered cause baby it's coming.

You know I have to admit, I always get hyped up before a big fight as a fan and as a practitioner. When I see two combatants enter that octagon and watch that drama unfold before my very eyes it just makes me all warm inside. I'm sure this will be a spectacle we won' t soon forget.

I'll be posting results and hope you'll be on the edge of your seats during fight night along with

me.Adios MMA sports fans!

How Long Can You Stay At The Top

If you take a look over the years at the title holders in all the big MMA shows you'll be hard pressed to find one who stays on top for more than 2 years that has laid everything they had out on the canvass each and every single time they fought. Sure there are a lot of factors involved but my question is this; Is there a fighter out there NOW who can put it on the line every single time and bring the exciting action we all expect or once they've reached the top are they destined to protect their precious belt. Do they become the slaves of fame and fortune.

Let's face it most of these fighters love to fight, C'mon lets get real here, they wouldn't do it if they didn't love it but the money is what their after and as the paydays become bigger and bigger so does the pressure to stay on top and that my MMA friends is what causes lackluster fights. Take a look at Silva's last couple of fights. He's certainly not bringing it like he used to.

Something to think about going into this weekends UFC 98....

MMA Evolution

In my never ending quest for something different I have to ask myself what will MMA evolve to? What does the future hold for MMA? What influences will alter the state of MMA as we know it today. Certainly UFC has changed from no rounds and everyone continues fighting until there is only one left standing to structured weight classes and restrictive rules. As sports fans we want intense excitement, furious action and breathtaking drama, that's what we pay for. As individuals we are inspired by the primal challenge of combat - survival of the fittest! Who knows however, I know it will be around for a long time to come in some way, shape or form. Ever hear of Bully Beatdown? What's next well I let you know as soon as I think of it!

Machida and Evans

Let's get it on! Everyone I'm talking to seems to be excited about the upcoming fight between Machida and Evans. I'm keeping up with all the news and it's interesting even Rashad admits in an interview that he has to train not to get frustrated by Machida. Wow! What does that tell you? I think he knows it will prove to be a problem for him and I honestly think he'll be the one feeling the pressure.

With UFC 98 roughly 10 days away excitement is building and MMA fight fans are betting much more than they had been two or three years ago. Here's a look, parentheses are odds ranges from the various sites listed at BestFightOdds.com:



Crazy Dragon Predictions:


Lyoto Machida (-220 to -205) vs. Rashad Evans (+180 to +165): This matchup will prove to be one of the best we'll see in the Light Heavyweight Division this year! I'm pumped up about this one. My pick is MACHIDA wins in round 3! Both fighters have the goods but I'm just not an Evans Fan and Machida's elusiveness will prove to be frustrating I think for Evans. I believe Evans will step away from his game plan and make mistakes that will cause him to loose.





Matt Hughes (-260 to -250) vs. Matt Serra (+220 to +190): Okay we know these two guys can't stand one another and this will be an exciting fight. My prediction is Hughes in round 2!





Frankie Edgar (+240 to +190) vs. Sean Sherk (-280 to -265): Sean Sherk all the way! Hands down no more to say! Just too much for Frankie.



Dave Kaplan (+120 to +110) vs. George Roop (-140 to -150): You 'member these two from Ultimate Fighter 8 - Two fighters decent skills but I'm going with the slight underdog as Kaplan should squeeze out a 3 round decision on this one over Roop.



Kyle Bradley (+290 to +280) vs. Phillipe Nover (-350 to -365): I'm not really excited about this fight but if I had to choose I'd go with Nover to submitt Bradley in the 2nd round.



Brandon Wolff (+365 to +350) vs. Yoshiyuki Yoshida (-460 to -550): Crazy Dragon says Yoshida wins in round numero uno!



Pat Barry (-300 to -350) vs. Tim Hague (+250 to +225): Who cares? I don't!



Brock Larson (+120) vs. Chris Wilson (-167): Yawn! Go get some food and time to hit the restroom.



Drew McFedries (-227) vs. Xavier Foupa-Pokam (+157): Okay, here we go! McFedries is always game and I like him as the favorite as he's a shoe in to win. McFedries will knock out Foupa-Pokam in Round 3!



Andre Gusmao (-118) vs. Krzysztof Soszynski (-118): I don't know, this one may be a hidden gem! Two tough 205'ers. I have to give the edge to Gusmao to pull out a decision here.



What do you think?



Crazy Dragon says:

"Let's Get It On!"