Archive for November, 2017

Do we need a little spice added to MMA to shake it up a little? Just something different from the current norm which is the UFC with the Octagon and then everything else.

When I say a little spice I do not mean what they originally had planned for UFC 1 with razor wire around the top of the cage, electric wire for the cage wall and then top it off sharks in a moat swimming around the cage. These are all things that they thought would be good for tv but decided against it due to cost and danger. Imagine the bulls**t in trying to legitimise that as a sport with all that attached to the cage. Therefore I don’t think adding dangerous items to the cage and making it a death sport is going to do any good. What is needed is to create some interest outside the UFC, for me personally I don’t pay a lot of attention the UFC fight nights any more. The last two fight nights have taken 8 hours and I just don’t have the time the patience or desire to sit there and watch 8 hours of fights. It also seems like a lot of the fights are the same as everyone is so well rounded the fights are mostly on the feet as going for a takedown is a little dangerous so you end up with a tentative striking for the first round then second round it can change a little. But there has been some many fights where it looks like people are playing it safe, or trying not to lose. Then as I mentioned a few weeks back the UFC is in transition with only one champion having more than 3 title defences so the big draw cards are not there at the moment, that includes the biggest draw in MMA Conor McGreggor, no one is really sure what he is up to, when or if he will fight again in the UFC – it is all just rumours.

After watching the King of the Ring kickboxing tournament in the weekend it reignited the thought of an 8 man MMA tournament. This is how MMA started and as the UFC has no established champions wouldn’t it be a great injection to have a weight division 8 man tournament with the top 6 fighters in the division, then have two qualifying fights to fill the last two spots. Yes the event would go a little longer with 8 fights (one ‘super fight’) on the main card compared to the usual 5 fights on a normal card. However it wouldn’t be too bad as if you have two title fights on a normal card and assuming that all fights go the distance you have 19 rounds all up. Then with an 8 man tournament you have 21 rounds, then another three rounds for the super fight. I for one would love to see an 8 man MMA comp. The injury management would be very interesting compared to kickboxing, as you can win a MMA fight taking minimal damage if you do it right, where in kickboxing you are going to be sore after any fight outside of a first punch KO.

Even though you don’t get to see what a fighter does to prepare it would be a lot different as well. If you are training to fight one person then you have a specific game plan against that one person. Then when you are fighting anyone of the 7 other fighters it would be very difficult to prepare for them specifically. This means that you just have to make yourself the best you can be, maximise your strengths and minimise your weaknesses. I really like the thought of seeing fighters fight their preferred style compared to a beat that specific opponent style. Then to make it more unpredictable they could use the old K1 style for the sorting out the fight order. You have someone pull a name out of the hat and that fighter goes and stands next to the fight they want – eg fight 1 -2 -3 4 – as it is an 8 man. The first choice for most people will be fight one as that gives you most rest. In general the first four fighters take one side of the first four fights, then the next four people choose the opponent that they believe they have the best chance of beating. This is all done either two nights before the fight or can be done the weigh in. This all keeps the fight card unknown and adds a little intrigue to the night.

I would really like to see fighters from other organisations invited to a 8 man comp, but since the UFC more or less control the sport it is unlikely that they would risk their fighters being shown up by another organisation. To me this is something I would pay to see, just to see something different and see how the fighters deal with the change. Seeing a fighter win three fights in a night against elite competition is always an impressive sight. Regardless if it is kickboxing, boxing or MMA 8 man comps always through up a few upsets and some relatively unknown usually makes the name known. If I get the top 8 fighters in the Heavyweight, Middle Weight and Light Weight division check out the potential fight cards and tell me you are not excited about the thought.

Heavyweight

Champ – Stipe Miocic

1 Alistair Overeem

2 Frabricio Werdum

3 Cain Velasquez

4 Francis Ngannou

5 Mark Hunt

6 Derrick Lewis

7 Alexander Volkov

8 Marcin Tybura

Middle Weight

Champ: GSP

1 Robert Whittaker (Interim Champion)

2 Michael Bisping

3 Yoel Romero

4 Luke Rockhold

5 Jacare Souza

6 Chris Weidman

7 Derek Brunson

8 Anderson Silva

Light Weight

Champ: Conor McGregor

1 Tony Ferguson

2 Khabib Nurmagomedov

3 Edson Barboza

4 Eddie Alvarez

5 Justin Gaethje

6 Nate Diaz

7 Dustin Poirier

8 Kevin Lee 

Gareth Lewis

Head Trainer

http://www.Lockdown.co.nz/

There seems to have been a resurgence in boxing, if I use the saying ‘when the heavyweight division is strong then boxing is strong’. If that is the case then boxing is very strong at the moment.

The heavy weight division is stacked at the moment with names like Joshua, Wilder, Bellew, Breazeale, Parker, Dubious. There is also the middle weight division with Canelo, GGG (Gennady Golovkin), Jacobs and Lemieux. Then a couple of other boxers who are great to watch Lomachenko, Katie Taylor

There seems to have been more anticipated fights this year then there has been over the last 5 years combined. The most anticipated fight of the year was GGG v Canelo, which lived up to the hype and was a great fight to watch. Anthony Joshua vs Klitschko was one of the best heavyweight title fights in history. Joshua is filling stadiums like no heavyweight for 20 years. Then the New Zealand public has taken to Joseph Parker and there is always a lot of chat when his fights are announced.

Even though this fight has not been announced I can’t wait for Joshua v Wilder. This fight I just can’t pick, Joshua is the better boxer but Wilder is the better fighter. They both have nuclear weapons in their gloves and can end the fight at any time. Joshua never looks rushed and has a very technical style. He doesn’t do anything that is that flash, keeps his hands up and throws nice clean punches that will end your night if they land. Joshua’s head movement is just enough to stay out of trouble but is not a big part of his overall game. He never gets caught up in the fight and just sticks to the routine and wears the opponent down, then lands that big shot and it is over, in short he makes it look easy. Wilder on the other hand does throw out his jab and solid punches but he throws them from his hip, shoulder or chin. He has swagger and hams it up during the fight, then when he lands a good punch he gets very wild and gets the finish, I still think he is the best finisher in boxing right now. For Wilder to win he needs to get under Joshua’s skin during the prefight build up in the hope of drawing Joshua in to a fight. If Wilder turns it in to a fight then he stands a very good chance, but if he tries to out box Joshua the Joshua will win. Either way this is the biggest heavyweight fight in years. Then the winner will go for Parker to unify the titles, sorry Parker fans, either of those two fighters will be too much for Parker and we will have a unified heavyweight champ.

I want to see Parker fight one of the other big names in the heavyweight division, but it seems that his management are trying to keep his belt until he gets to fight against either Wilder or Joshua to make some money. The money fight is against Joshua compared to Wilder who is not as well known outside of the US. You can’t really blame Parker’s management for doing this, it is just not as entertaining for the fans. Then there is the young Daniel Dubious who is a very exciting prospect and hits like a freight train, he is going to make massive waves in the heavyweight division.

Other fighters that I always look forward to watching, Lomachenko who is just another level, he has had 9 pro fights and is ranked #3 on the pound for pound best in boxing. The things he can do in the ring amaze me and I have never seen anyone make professional boxers look so out classed. He is just a pure pleasure to watch and makes you think why doesn’t everyone do that. Then GGG just how he makes it look so easy, what he does should not work. GGG takes away his opponents job just by walking forward as he counters their jab then after a few rounds the opponent is very hesitant to throw and just lets him walk in. When you watch GGG fight it makes you wonder why I can’t I do that? Canelo he is just very technical and puts his hands where they need to be, keeps his hands up punches hard and throws lots of combos with level changes just a very go forward fighter to watch. Katie Taylor, she is just a beast and her left hook, either head or body, is devastating she has very tight hard punches and is technically brilliant.

We are still a while away from matching the hay day of boxing with the four horseman Leonard, Duran, Haggler and Hearns. However It is so good to have people talking about boxing again and looking forward to fights. People are always asking me who will win in Parker v Joshua. At the end of the day boxing has been around 400 years at least (16^th Century in the UK) and has had many up’s and downs including pro boxing being outlawed in some countries. People thought that MMA would kill boxing and that was looking the case 5 years ago. Boxing has a lot of life to give yet, and for all the MMA fans that have a go at boxing remember that MMA’s highest earner had to go pick a fight with a boxer to make big money. Boxing has a lot more money for the popular fighters and I do hope that MMA fighters do make the big money in the very near future. As boxing never left we definitely can’t call it a comeback in the immortal words of LL Cool J “don’t call it a comeback, I’ve been here for years”

Gareth Lewis

Head MMA Instructor

http://www.Lockdown.co.nz/

Right now there is a transition in the UFC and we are waiting for the next dominant champions to show up. I am writing this just after UFC 217 where 3 titles changed hands, which seems to make this situation even worse.

Going back a few years we didn’t realise how lucky we were with the most dominant champions in UFC history with GSP, Jon Jones and Anderson Silva. They all ruled their respective divisions with an iron fist. There was never a question of who was the best within their division. Now over all the different weight divisions, there is just one champion with more than three title defences and that is Demetrious Johnson. Up until UFC 217 there were two as Joanna Jedrzejczyk had 5 title defences until her defeat. Outside of that there is no dominant force in the other division.

Heavyweight, Stipe Miocic – 2 defences – has been a top heavyweight but there doesn’t seem to be many heavy weight fights and the title fights are very few and far between. Also I think Velasquez is better.

Light Heavyweight, Daniel Cormier – 2 defences – Was always a question mark as he did not win the title from Jon Jones. He lost to Jones then Jones was banned for 2 years, they fought again and Jones failed a drug test. Without this win over Jones Cormier will always be haunted, and he will never be the true champion.

Middle Weight, GSP – 0 Defences – GSP had his first fight as a middle weight at UFC 217 where he beat Michael Bisping for the title. This division is crazy with Romero, Jacare and Roockhold who are all amazing fighters. Then there is Robert Whittaker as the interim champ. Regardless of what GSP decides to do the title holder will not hold his belt for long in this crazy talented pool.

Welterweight, Tyron Woodley -3 defences – Tyron Woodley has defended his title three times. Each was as boring as hell. He is a great fighter but for whatever reason he just con not connect with the crowd. He has had some amazing KO’s on his highlight reel, great power and great movement. There is just something with him and this is why people are not that fussed about him. Maybe it is because he fights to safe to keep the title.

Lightweight, Conor McGregor -0 defences. The money man. Has never defended a title yet made more money than any fighter in UFC history by a long long way. People pay to watch him over any other name in the UFC, he is only going to be around for another couple of fights and then be gone.

The interim light weight champion Tony Fergusson, is in the division that McGregor more or less ripped apart and is now left in tatters.

Featherweight, Max Holloway – 0 defences – I do feel sorry for the small guys technically brilliant but have a hard time drawing a crowd, even though he beat Jose Aldo he has not made his mark just yet as it is another division that McGregor left in tatters.

Bantamweight, T J Dillanshaw 0 defences – This division had a very dominant champion in Dominic Cruz. Grambrandt beat Cruz then lost to Dillanshaw in his first defence. It will be very hard to stop Cruz regaining the title even though TJ wants to fight mighty mouse.

Flywieght, Demetrious Johnson 11 defences – at the moment he is the man, no better champion in the sport

Featherweight, Cris Cyborg 0 defences – Brutal,legend, but no one wants to fight her.

Bantamweight, Amanda Nunes 2 defences – looking good so far with some good defences, especially when she smashed Rousey

Strawweight Rose Namajunas – 0 Defences – Shock win over Joanna Jedrzejczyk the rematch should be interesting, even though Rose said she will not give Joanna an immediate rematch.

As more women are getting in to the sport it is really improving the depth in each of these divisions

It can’t be long before that is another group of freaks who will take the sport by the scruff of the neck and control their division. After Chuck Liddell lost his title after years of being champ (light heavyweight) the title was passed around by a few people before it settled on Jon Jones’s waist. The heavyweight division is the one division that has never had a dominant champ as no one has had more than 3 title defences. Part of me thinks that everyone is so damn good that it is very hard for someone to stand out, then the other part of me thinks that there is always someone who is just better and history is littered with fighters who have proven this time and time again.

Gareth Lewis

Head MMA Instructor

http://www.Lockdown.co.nz/

I still go and roll at a pure BJJ gym and notice the difference when rolling with BJJ purists over us MMA types.

The first and main thing I notice is the absolute desire that MMA people have to get of their back, as nothing good happens when you are on your back in MMA. Conversely the BJJ purists are not worried about going to their back, they are more than happy to be playing guard as that is a good position for them. I feel it is important to say that the MMA people (me) can do dumb things to get of their back and end up getting caught. Also the BJJ purists do not just roll over on to their back, they are very hard to sweep but once the sweep is on they are programmed to pull guard. Then once in guard they are thinking submission or sweep, once they have your posture broken down they are looking to either roll your over or tap you out. The person who is in guard has one goal and that is to pass guard (get passed the legs) and get to a better position. How this changes in MMA is with ground and pound. People can be quite happy to sit inside someone’s guard and just throw strikes as this can set up a guard pass. The pass is possible as the person on the bottom is now more defensive, and trying to stop getting hit in the head, rather than just thinking about a sweep or submission. More or less in BJJ when you are in someone’s guard you are on the defensive as you are trying to pass their guard while avoiding sweeps and submissions. Then in MMA the roles reverse, the person who has guard and is on their back, is on the defensive as they have to shut down the person on the top so they don’t eat too many punches.

In half guard things are different as well. In BJJ when you are on top in half guard you are trying to keep close to them, flatten then out and get passed their legs. On the bottom your digging for the under hook getting on your side and working one of many escapes. In MMA when you are on top you are trying to keep their far shoulder flat, by using your hand, you are ‘half guarding’ their leg so they can’t wiggle away which allows you to sit tall and unleash some solid ground and pound. On your back in MMA you are trying to get an over hook and lay flat so they can’t get any distance to punch. This is only a stall as they will free there arm, as soon as that arm is free you get the under hook and bury your head in to their hips, so they can’t land big shots on you, then you start your escape. Once you have dealt with the ground and pound it goes exactly like BJJ is it just a little different before you get there.

Side control, in BJJ it is very simple on top you are attacking and on the bottom you are escaping. There are exceptions but in general this is what happens. Then in MMA it isn’t really different as on top you are attacking and on the bottom you are looking at getting the hell out of there. On the bottom you do a plan just like half guard, keep them as close as possible while tying up the arms as soon as they get lose you are escaping using BJJ technique.

Mount in BJJ is bad but not as dangerous as other positions, most people have a lot less submissions in mount than side control as when you are in mount you movement in limited. Of course there are people out there who will make me tap like Fred Astaire from mount, but most people struggle to get submissions from there. In MMA mount is the glory position as the judges and crowd love it, I personally think it is over rated and enjoy other positions better. But in general the escapes and plans are the same in BJJ as in MMA, the main difference is that you have to be prepared to take a punch before you go for an escape in MMA, which is not a concern in BJJ. However I do notice that in general MMA people go harder to escape mount compared to BJJ people.

Overall you can’t be good at MMA without BJJ and you have to learn and modify it a little to make it work in MMA. I really like the subtle things that the purists do and how smooth and relaxed it is when rolling. MMA people do try and power out of moves a little more and I find against most people of smaller size or less skill it works. However when I come up against a good BJJ guy it just does not bother them and they go with it and I end up in bad spot having to fight like hell to survive. Rolling with pure BJJ people is great as they are relaxed and skilled and not really concerned about being stuck under someone. I do not mean this in a bad way they just don’t get punched and they work more technique to escape rather than trying to go ‘wrestling’ on it and go belly down and get to your feet. In any sport that is used in MMA it is modified for MMA and is used for that purpose, any of the kickboxing, Wrestling or BJJ is going to be different when training with purists as they have a more direct focus. This has always been the way and continues to be the best way to improve your skills by training with the purists. Hopefully they a get a little back from us as well.

Gareth Lewis

Head MMA Instructor

http://www.Lockdown.co.nz/