Differnece between Ice and Axe

After watching one of the best fights in 2007 and possibly ever in MMA between Wanderlei Silva and Chuck Liddell this past Saturday, I felt very satisfied.  In one respect, the Iceman, poster boy for the UFC came back to form and looked more focused than ever. Looking like the dominant Liddell we were used to seeing for so long, a far cry from the lack luster performances against Rampage and Jardine.  Chuck was counter punching, landing with pin-point accuracy and even threw in a couple of never seen before take downs!  The fight was very exciting from start to finish, but what was the diffence?

From watching “All Access” the UFC, there is no way it was Wanderlei’s training regimine that did not prepare him for victory.   So what was the difference in this fight?  Chuck’s height/reach advantage?  Wanderlei definitely looked much smaller than the Iceman, did the Axe Murderer not cut weight like most UFC fighters do?   Why did WANDY not seem to posess that crazy edge that he always brought into the ring, that he seemed to not possess in the cage.  I have never seen Wandy come out and ‘respect’ an opponent for so long before fearlessly attacking! 

Possibly it was the lack of experience in a cage, rules(elbows) or just plain too much hype got to our beloved Wand.  Could the fight have ended differently if Wanderlei landed one of those nasty hay-makers, or got Chuck in the Thai clinch, absolutely.  One thing is for sure, and that is Wanderlei will not give any excuses for the loss, and will only praise Chuck for his excellent performance. Regardless of the reason for the outcome of the fight, it was one of the most entertaining fights I’ve ever seen.  Both fighters deserve the utmost respect from all fans.  Despite losing, Wanderlei won, in that he gained the respect of many US fans in displaying his never give up spirit and iron chin.  Obviously the Iceman re-instated his career as one of the best fighters of all time.  I can’t wait to see both fighters in action again soon!

MMA Joe

The official launch of MMA Joe’s store is TODAY(12/17/07)!!!

The 155lb Battle of the YEAR

This past Saturday(12/8/07) was the season finale of the TUF show season six.  The main event of the evening was not between contestants of the show, but between the up and coming Mexican-American Roger Huerta and the always exciting Clay Guida.  Some folks touted this battle to be the fight of the year, and when it was all said and done, it came pretty damn close and just might have been.

What made the match such an exemplary duel was the fact that it ended without any question as to who the winner was. The two exchanged heavy blows from the outset, but it seemed that Guida was in full control of the contest on his feet and on the ground.  At one point the end was nearly certain for Huerta as he was on the verge of being knocked out in the second, but weathered the storm by grasping Guida tight to survive and eventually submitted Guida in the third.Guida was rattled by a series of punches and knees and eventually succumbed to a rear-naked choke. But in defeat, both fighters came out victorious.This fight meant volumes for both men involved.  Huerta is one of the greatest attractions in MMA today, being touted as MMA’s Golden Boy, referring to boxing’s Oscar DeLa Hoya, while Guida is a hellacious fighter trying to make a name for himself in MMA.  Well Guida may have lost in front of thousands in a fight viewed by millions, but should be extremely proud of his performance knowing that he lost in possibly the fight of the year and gave it all he had, won over thousands of new fans and guaranteed to return to the UFC.Both fighters showed they have the hearts of a champion, and both came out victorious. I thank and applaud both fighters for their efforts and look forward to witnessing them both compete for years to come.