Chuck Liddell: MMA Juggernaut
May 14th, 2009 by admin
Chuck Liddell is one of the most popular MMA champions today. He was born December 17, 1969, and is known in the Ultimate Fighting Championship world as The Iceman. He is a former Ultimate Fighting Championship light heavyweight champion, and has been active in Mixed Martial Arts for years.
Chuck Liddell has a long career in wrestling and kickboxing that goes back many years. Chuck Liddell began taking lessons in Koei Kan Karate when he was only twelve years old, and a close look at his scalp will reveal a tattoo that reads Koei Kan. When Chuck Liddell was in high school, he enjoyed the local fame as a starting player on the football team for all four years that he attended. Growing up in Santa Barbara, a college town, he says that he often would get into fights with the local college kids who would come out of the bars late at night drunk, and had found then that he was an excellent fighter.
While he was a student at California Polytechnic State University, he became a Division I wrestler, and graduated with his Bachelor of Arts degree in 1995. After that, he began to train in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu with expert John Lewis. At 62 and 205 pounds, Chuck Liddell combines his training in Kempo Karate and Koei Kan karate into his fighting style for the Ultimate Fighting Championship, making him a real stand up fighter. He is famous within the Mixed Martial Arts community for his incredible takedown defense and knockout skills.
Since 1998, Chuck Liddell has taken down many of the top fighters in Mixed Martial Arts, beginning with a stunning win over Noe Hernandez in a fight that began his career in the limelight with Mixed Martial Arts. Four short years later, in 2002 he was credited with being the number one Ultimate Fighting Championship fighter in the light heavyweight division. Other big name fighters that he has taken down in the ring over the years are Jeremy Horn, Randy Couture, Tito Ortiz and Kevin Randleman. His relaxed hands down stance and unorthodox punch angles make him a unique fighter in the UFC, and also a favorite among fans.
Chuck Lidell is grateful to his fans and gives back to the people who have cheered him on through the years. In 2005, Chuck Liddell made an appearance on the first season of The Ultimate Fighter, Spike TVs reality show that features amateur fighters competing for a UFC contract. He was the coach of Team Liddell while Randy Couture coached Team Couture.
By: Phoenix Delray
About the Author:
Chuck Liddell has a long career in wrestling and kickboxing that goes back many years. Chuck Liddell began taking lessons in Koei Kan Karate when he was only twelve years old, and a close look at his scalp will reveal a tattoo that reads Koei Kan. When Chuck Liddell was in high school, he enjoyed the local fame as a starting player on the football team for all four years that he attended. Growing up in Santa Barbara, a college town, he says that he often would get into fights with the local college kids who would come out of the bars late at night drunk, and had found then that he was an excellent fighter.
While he was a student at California Polytechnic State University, he became a Division I wrestler, and graduated with his Bachelor of Arts degree in 1995. After that, he began to train in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu with expert John Lewis. At 62 and 205 pounds, Chuck Liddell combines his training in Kempo Karate and Koei Kan karate into his fighting style for the Ultimate Fighting Championship, making him a real stand up fighter. He is famous within the Mixed Martial Arts community for his incredible takedown defense and knockout skills.
Since 1998, Chuck Liddell has taken down many of the top fighters in Mixed Martial Arts, beginning with a stunning win over Noe Hernandez in a fight that began his career in the limelight with Mixed Martial Arts. Four short years later, in 2002 he was credited with being the number one Ultimate Fighting Championship fighter in the light heavyweight division. Other big name fighters that he has taken down in the ring over the years are Jeremy Horn, Randy Couture, Tito Ortiz and Kevin Randleman. His relaxed hands down stance and unorthodox punch angles make him a unique fighter in the UFC, and also a favorite among fans.
Chuck Lidell is grateful to his fans and gives back to the people who have cheered him on through the years. In 2005, Chuck Liddell made an appearance on the first season of The Ultimate Fighter, Spike TVs reality show that features amateur fighters competing for a UFC contract. He was the coach of Team Liddell while Randy Couture coached Team Couture.
By: Phoenix Delray
About the Author:
To know more about Chuck Liddell please visit our website.
Mma Versus Boxing - Who Will Win Win the Battle?
May 13th, 2009 by admin
Over the last 3-4 years Boxing’s mantle as the number one ‘fight’ sport has come under serious threat from Mixed Martial Arts (MMA), and in particular the Dana White lead Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). Ultra slick presentations, clever marketing and the ability to produce the fights which fans yearn to see, has seen the UFC explode in the United States. The phenomenon is now actively spreading across Canada, Europe and the rest of the World. States and countries who once banned MMA events as ‘too brutal’ are now openly promoting them in their top stadia and venues. The UFC Events always have sell-out crowds regardless of the venue enormity, and this has continued as the bandwagon has spread to countries such as the UK and Ireland. Other MMA Organisations, such as Pride (Japan) and Affliction also gain huge crowds for their events. All this is occurring against the back-drop of a global recession!
On the other hand, Boxing has been a mainstream populous sport for in excess on 100 years. Legends such as Muhammed Ali, Marvellous Marvin Hagler, Rocky Marciano, Sugar Ray Leonard and Mike Tyson (to name a few) are household names amongst most people from both sides of the Atlantic. Boxing, celebrity and glamour have gone ‘hand in hand’ for decades. Watch re-runs of Mike Tyson fights from the 90’s on YouTube and try and spot the non-celebrities ringside - it’s very difficult! With such celebrity links comes huge revenues - something which top-level fighters have, in many instances, capitalised upon to become extremely wealthy, along with their promoters. However, this vast influx of celebrity and wealth appears to have come at a costly price for the noble art of boxing. With such money and prestige available to ‘World Champion’s’, every promoter wanted a champ. This has led to the increased number of weight divisions (very small variance between the weights) and most damagingly the introduction of the numerous ‘alphabet’ World Titles. The original and respected boxing organisations such as the WBC, WBA, IBF have dramatically swelled with the forming of the WBO and IBO, followed by such non-entity belts as the WBU. All this has led to numerous World Champions at each weight class. Whilst it is now commonly acknowledged that it is the fighter who ‘makes the belt’ (The Ring Belt is ultimately decided upon in this way), the reluctance of organisations to interlink means many ‘top’ fights never occur. Combine this with the reluctance of promoters / fighters to risk their status as ‘World Champ’ for anything less that an ‘out of this world payday’ and you the present scenario.
Whilst there are always exceptions to the rule, as Ricky Hatton and PBF recently proved, it is too often the case that the best fighters don’t ever meet in the ring. This is not the case in MMA, where every event seems to provide at least one fight between a weight divisions top two. There are also less weight divisions, and, unlike boxing, there never seems to be a mis-match simply to ‘pad’ a fighter’s record. The glamour / celebrity side of the sports is also turning in MMA’s favour (and that’s not referring to Tito Ortiz’s partner!). Celebrities such as Paris Hilton are common place at UFC events, Donald Trump actively promotes events in his venues whilst the Goldenboy of Boxing, Oscar Del Hoya, was recently ecstatically cheering ringside at the Affliction main event of Fedor v Arloski (he had a business interest in that event).
It appears that MMA is clearly challenging Boxing’s supremacy like it has never been challenged before. Many fans suggest the sports are as different as Football is to Rugby, but their audience catchment groups most definitely overlap. If MMA, and the UFC in particular, continue to ‘run their business’ and improve as they have in recent years they have a big future. They should take a cautious note of what has happened to boxing in recent years and learn from their mistakes. On a ‘flip-side’, maybe boxing and it’s bosses should ‘go-back to basics’, benchmark the MMA success formula and re-invent their brand accordingly. Only time will tell.
By: Ian Worthington
About the Author:
On the other hand, Boxing has been a mainstream populous sport for in excess on 100 years. Legends such as Muhammed Ali, Marvellous Marvin Hagler, Rocky Marciano, Sugar Ray Leonard and Mike Tyson (to name a few) are household names amongst most people from both sides of the Atlantic. Boxing, celebrity and glamour have gone ‘hand in hand’ for decades. Watch re-runs of Mike Tyson fights from the 90’s on YouTube and try and spot the non-celebrities ringside - it’s very difficult! With such celebrity links comes huge revenues - something which top-level fighters have, in many instances, capitalised upon to become extremely wealthy, along with their promoters. However, this vast influx of celebrity and wealth appears to have come at a costly price for the noble art of boxing. With such money and prestige available to ‘World Champion’s’, every promoter wanted a champ. This has led to the increased number of weight divisions (very small variance between the weights) and most damagingly the introduction of the numerous ‘alphabet’ World Titles. The original and respected boxing organisations such as the WBC, WBA, IBF have dramatically swelled with the forming of the WBO and IBO, followed by such non-entity belts as the WBU. All this has led to numerous World Champions at each weight class. Whilst it is now commonly acknowledged that it is the fighter who ‘makes the belt’ (The Ring Belt is ultimately decided upon in this way), the reluctance of organisations to interlink means many ‘top’ fights never occur. Combine this with the reluctance of promoters / fighters to risk their status as ‘World Champ’ for anything less that an ‘out of this world payday’ and you the present scenario.
Whilst there are always exceptions to the rule, as Ricky Hatton and PBF recently proved, it is too often the case that the best fighters don’t ever meet in the ring. This is not the case in MMA, where every event seems to provide at least one fight between a weight divisions top two. There are also less weight divisions, and, unlike boxing, there never seems to be a mis-match simply to ‘pad’ a fighter’s record. The glamour / celebrity side of the sports is also turning in MMA’s favour (and that’s not referring to Tito Ortiz’s partner!). Celebrities such as Paris Hilton are common place at UFC events, Donald Trump actively promotes events in his venues whilst the Goldenboy of Boxing, Oscar Del Hoya, was recently ecstatically cheering ringside at the Affliction main event of Fedor v Arloski (he had a business interest in that event).
It appears that MMA is clearly challenging Boxing’s supremacy like it has never been challenged before. Many fans suggest the sports are as different as Football is to Rugby, but their audience catchment groups most definitely overlap. If MMA, and the UFC in particular, continue to ‘run their business’ and improve as they have in recent years they have a big future. They should take a cautious note of what has happened to boxing in recent years and learn from their mistakes. On a ‘flip-side’, maybe boxing and it’s bosses should ‘go-back to basics’, benchmark the MMA success formula and re-invent their brand accordingly. Only time will tell.
By: Ian Worthington
About the Author:
My background is very sport and fitness orinetated, not in my profession but in my lifestyle. I have been a keen sports player since I was ‘knee high to a grasshopper’ and a gym member since college. However, I honestly believe I have never felt fitter than I do at present, at the age of 32 years, 4 months and 8 days! My favourite sports include football, boxing and MMA.
I have recently become involved in http://www.competitiveurge.com/ , a social networking site with a difference - it actively encourages and promotes physical participation. Whilst the site is only in it’s infancy in terms of functionality and useability, I believe in the concept 100% and am extremely excited by the future plans for it. Hope you enjoy.
UFC 98 EVANS vs MACHIDA TRAILER
May 12th, 2009 by adminUFC 98: Evans vs. Machida is an upcoming mixed martial arts event to be held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) on May 23, 2009 at Las Vegas, Nevada. A title unification match between the UFC Interim Heavyweight Champion Frank Mir and UFC Heavyweight Champion Brock Lesnar was originally slated to be the the main event, but was postponed to a later date due to a knee injury to Mir. By way of replacement, Quinton Jackson, former UFC Light Heavyweight champion, was to fight the …
By: lichnight1
About the Author:
By: lichnight1
About the Author:
A Brief Background On Diego Sanchez
May 11th, 2009 by admin
Diego The Nightmare Sanchez was born on December 31, 1981 in Albuquerque, New Mexico and is a mixed martial artist with a background wrestling and Gaidojutsu, a system of wrestling developed for him by his long time personal trainer, Greg Jackson. Sanchez, in addition to pioneering the combat method that has made him well known in fighting circles, currently fights as a welterweight with the UFC, and made his MMA debut in 2002, fighting mostly in small shows, like the King of the Cage promotion. His UFC debut resulted from his participation in the reality show, The Ultimate Fighter, and his subsequent win against Kenny Florian. Since then, Diego Sanchez has gone on to a successful career as a mixed martial artist.
Gaidojujutsu is a fighting system that incorporates Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and kickboxing, and is popular in both UFC and PRIDE Fighting Championships. Other Gaidojutsu practitioners include Ultimate Fighters Rashad Evans and Keith Jardien, former UFC Welterweight Champion Georges St. Pierre, and recently deceased naturalist Steve Irwin.
Mixed Martial Arts, or MMA, combines many different fighting techniques, including grappling and striking, and high performance standards, particularly in the often intense, and very popular MMA tournaments. The first tournaments came about as a result of the 1993 Ultimate Fighting Championship, which matched different fighting styles in a competition where the rules were minimal and the goal was to find the best fighters in the world. The success of this mixed martial arts combat style led to the development and implementation of rules designed to keep athletes safe and deflect early criticism of the sport while still holding on to the original concept of the UFC as much as possible. The modern MMA tournaments have their roots in the Vale tudo martial arts tournaments held in Brazil by the Gracie family beginning in the 1920s, and the preliminary martial arts tournaments hosted in Japan by Antonio Inoki in the early 1970s.
There are several different competition techniques, including striking techniques, like kicks, punches, and knees, and grappling techniques, like pinning holds, submission holds, clinch holds, takedowns, throws and sweeps. The permissibility and legality of certain other techniques like headbutts, spinal locks, and elbows vary according to the specific organization and sponsored competition.
The MMA continues to grow in popularity and reputation, as athletes associated with the sport have also gained reputation and renown, as well as successful careers and endorsement deals. With mainstream acceptance, worldwide acclaim, and an every growing fan base, what started as an abstract concept has become an established sport and a successful platform from which many athletic careers have been launched. The future of the MMA appears to be bright, and the popularity of the sport, and the athletes involved, like Diego Sanchez, are even more so.
By: Phoenix Delray
About the Author:
Gaidojujutsu is a fighting system that incorporates Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and kickboxing, and is popular in both UFC and PRIDE Fighting Championships. Other Gaidojutsu practitioners include Ultimate Fighters Rashad Evans and Keith Jardien, former UFC Welterweight Champion Georges St. Pierre, and recently deceased naturalist Steve Irwin.
Mixed Martial Arts, or MMA, combines many different fighting techniques, including grappling and striking, and high performance standards, particularly in the often intense, and very popular MMA tournaments. The first tournaments came about as a result of the 1993 Ultimate Fighting Championship, which matched different fighting styles in a competition where the rules were minimal and the goal was to find the best fighters in the world. The success of this mixed martial arts combat style led to the development and implementation of rules designed to keep athletes safe and deflect early criticism of the sport while still holding on to the original concept of the UFC as much as possible. The modern MMA tournaments have their roots in the Vale tudo martial arts tournaments held in Brazil by the Gracie family beginning in the 1920s, and the preliminary martial arts tournaments hosted in Japan by Antonio Inoki in the early 1970s.
There are several different competition techniques, including striking techniques, like kicks, punches, and knees, and grappling techniques, like pinning holds, submission holds, clinch holds, takedowns, throws and sweeps. The permissibility and legality of certain other techniques like headbutts, spinal locks, and elbows vary according to the specific organization and sponsored competition.
The MMA continues to grow in popularity and reputation, as athletes associated with the sport have also gained reputation and renown, as well as successful careers and endorsement deals. With mainstream acceptance, worldwide acclaim, and an every growing fan base, what started as an abstract concept has become an established sport and a successful platform from which many athletic careers have been launched. The future of the MMA appears to be bright, and the popularity of the sport, and the athletes involved, like Diego Sanchez, are even more so.
By: Phoenix Delray
About the Author:
For more information on Diego Sanchez and the mma fight gear he uses visit our site.
Greatest UFC Champ of All Time?
May 11th, 2009 by admin
A champion in any sport has a huge target on their back, but when you fight in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), the biggest and baddest men on the planet are gunning for you at all times; title shot or not. In the fifteen year, 97 event history of the UFC only 11 fighters have defended their title more than once. This list of elite fighters have justly earned their place in UFC history, as many critics and followers of the sport believe that one is not truly a champion until he has successfully defended his belt. Those that have done it more than once are unquestionably the cream of the crop. So who is the Greatest of All Time?
The following is the list of UFC fighters with multiple successful title defenses. You decide who the best of the best is. If the main criteria is the number of consecutive successful defenses; Anderson Silva is incontestably the king. If total number of defenses is your measuring stick, Matt Hughes would get the nod. And if the caliber of the champ’s competition is also a consideration; I think most will argue for Silva.
1. Matt Hughes (WW) - Title Defenses: 7
Matt Hughes was and is a UFC legend. He defended his title a total of seven times during two separate stints as the UFC Welterweight champion. During his first term as champ, he defended five consecutive times against the likes of Gil Castillo and Frank Trigg (lol). I’m having fun here, but on a serious note, Matt Hughes has beaten a load of quality fighters over his illustrious career, however, looking at his list of challengers it surely doesn’t compare to Anderson Silva’s.
2. Anderson Silva (MW) - Title Defenses: 6
After his last defense he is now the sole record holder for consecutive title defenses in the UFC. Despite all the unmerited criticism he garnered from UFC 97, he is still the UFC Middleweight champ and pound-for-pound king. The next time someone has the balls to get in the cage with him and try to IMPOSE their will on him, I bet he will continue to dominate. (read Anderson is the CHAMP!) His streak of defenses and the challengers he has beaten is nothing less than remarkable!
3. Tito Ortiz (LHW) - Title Defenses: 5
UGH!! It pains me to have to put the “Huntington Beach Bad Boy” on this list, but the facts are the facts. Tito defended his Light Heavyweight title from 2000 to 2002, until Randy Couture took it away from him. This is when Randy gave the Bad Boy some well deserved corporal punishment in the form of a humiliating spanking…HA HA!!
4. Chuck Liddell (LHW) - Title Defenses: 4
The “Iceman” has one of the most impressive title defense streaks. Including his win over Randy Couture to gain the title, he won and defended the title with five consecutive TKO wins. Randy, Tito, Jeremy Horn and Renato Sobral all fell victim to the dynamite hands of Chuck during his reign as champion.
5. Pat Miletich (WW) - Title Defenses: 4
Miletich made his official UFC debut at UFC 16 and won the very first UFC Lightweight Tournament. In 2001, the UFC changed the weight class limits, creating the Welterweight. At UFC 17: Ultimate Brazil, Pat defeated Mikey Burnett and became the first UFC Welterweight champion. He went on to defend the Welterweight belt four times before losing it to Carlos Newton by submission at UFC 31.
6. Frank Shamrock (LHW) - Title Defenses: 4
“The Legend” was the Light Heavyweight champ from 1997 to 1999, until he forfeited his title due to retirement. The talent he faced was so so, but Shamrock’s wins were in impressive fashion - all by submission, TKO or KO in the first round, except for the beating he put on Tito, which ended by strikes in the fourth round.
7. Randy Couture (HW) - Title Defenses: 3
Randy “The Natural” Couture, possibly the most popular mixed martial artist of all time, has won the Heavyweight championship on four separate occasions (1 interim title), and has successfully defended it a total of three times. He also won the Light Heavyweight belt twice, but has never successfully defended it. While his win-loss record may not be as stellar as some of the UFC’s other great champions, to some he is the greatest of all time for his achievements in two weight classes at a more advanced age.
8. The following fighters have all defended their respective titles 2 times:
a. Tim Sylvia (HW) (read Tim Sylvia and the Willy Nilly Freak Show)
b. George St. Pierre (WW)
c. Rich Franklin (MW)
d. Andrei Arlovski (HW)
9. Royce Gracie (open) – Won 3 UFC Tournaments
Royce Gracie and the Gracie Jiu Jitsu family, for whom we owe much of everything to, was also a great champion. He won the UFC 1, 2, and 4 tournaments, which were night long, weight- classless events. It was not until UFC 16 that the title and belt system was implemented. Royce was also a great mixed martial artist, who many consider one of the greatest.
I think most will agree that this list of fighters is quite impressive, however, not all challengers were top contenders. Regardless of who the competition was, it is a feat in and of itself to win more than one or two fights in a row in the National Football League (NFL) of mixed martial arts, and even more so while wearing a belt.
By: MMA Omniscient
About the Author:
The following is the list of UFC fighters with multiple successful title defenses. You decide who the best of the best is. If the main criteria is the number of consecutive successful defenses; Anderson Silva is incontestably the king. If total number of defenses is your measuring stick, Matt Hughes would get the nod. And if the caliber of the champ’s competition is also a consideration; I think most will argue for Silva.
1. Matt Hughes (WW) - Title Defenses: 7
Matt Hughes was and is a UFC legend. He defended his title a total of seven times during two separate stints as the UFC Welterweight champion. During his first term as champ, he defended five consecutive times against the likes of Gil Castillo and Frank Trigg (lol). I’m having fun here, but on a serious note, Matt Hughes has beaten a load of quality fighters over his illustrious career, however, looking at his list of challengers it surely doesn’t compare to Anderson Silva’s.
2. Anderson Silva (MW) - Title Defenses: 6
After his last defense he is now the sole record holder for consecutive title defenses in the UFC. Despite all the unmerited criticism he garnered from UFC 97, he is still the UFC Middleweight champ and pound-for-pound king. The next time someone has the balls to get in the cage with him and try to IMPOSE their will on him, I bet he will continue to dominate. (read Anderson is the CHAMP!) His streak of defenses and the challengers he has beaten is nothing less than remarkable!
3. Tito Ortiz (LHW) - Title Defenses: 5
UGH!! It pains me to have to put the “Huntington Beach Bad Boy” on this list, but the facts are the facts. Tito defended his Light Heavyweight title from 2000 to 2002, until Randy Couture took it away from him. This is when Randy gave the Bad Boy some well deserved corporal punishment in the form of a humiliating spanking…HA HA!!
4. Chuck Liddell (LHW) - Title Defenses: 4
The “Iceman” has one of the most impressive title defense streaks. Including his win over Randy Couture to gain the title, he won and defended the title with five consecutive TKO wins. Randy, Tito, Jeremy Horn and Renato Sobral all fell victim to the dynamite hands of Chuck during his reign as champion.
5. Pat Miletich (WW) - Title Defenses: 4
Miletich made his official UFC debut at UFC 16 and won the very first UFC Lightweight Tournament. In 2001, the UFC changed the weight class limits, creating the Welterweight. At UFC 17: Ultimate Brazil, Pat defeated Mikey Burnett and became the first UFC Welterweight champion. He went on to defend the Welterweight belt four times before losing it to Carlos Newton by submission at UFC 31.
6. Frank Shamrock (LHW) - Title Defenses: 4
“The Legend” was the Light Heavyweight champ from 1997 to 1999, until he forfeited his title due to retirement. The talent he faced was so so, but Shamrock’s wins were in impressive fashion - all by submission, TKO or KO in the first round, except for the beating he put on Tito, which ended by strikes in the fourth round.
7. Randy Couture (HW) - Title Defenses: 3
Randy “The Natural” Couture, possibly the most popular mixed martial artist of all time, has won the Heavyweight championship on four separate occasions (1 interim title), and has successfully defended it a total of three times. He also won the Light Heavyweight belt twice, but has never successfully defended it. While his win-loss record may not be as stellar as some of the UFC’s other great champions, to some he is the greatest of all time for his achievements in two weight classes at a more advanced age.
8. The following fighters have all defended their respective titles 2 times:
a. Tim Sylvia (HW) (read Tim Sylvia and the Willy Nilly Freak Show)
b. George St. Pierre (WW)
c. Rich Franklin (MW)
d. Andrei Arlovski (HW)
9. Royce Gracie (open) – Won 3 UFC Tournaments
Royce Gracie and the Gracie Jiu Jitsu family, for whom we owe much of everything to, was also a great champion. He won the UFC 1, 2, and 4 tournaments, which were night long, weight- classless events. It was not until UFC 16 that the title and belt system was implemented. Royce was also a great mixed martial artist, who many consider one of the greatest.
I think most will agree that this list of fighters is quite impressive, however, not all challengers were top contenders. Regardless of who the competition was, it is a feat in and of itself to win more than one or two fights in a row in the National Football League (NFL) of mixed martial arts, and even more so while wearing a belt.
By: MMA Omniscient
About the Author: