Mixed-Up Martial Artist

St. Pierre Claus also brought me an Everlast Weighted Vest (40 lb) that he got on sale from Title MMA here. 

Here's what it looks like:

 
I only have one question for St. Pierre Klaus in light of this gift.  Was I bad?  Seriously?  What did I do to deserve this.

The Everlast Weighted Vest is a total piece of crap.  First of all, it is a total pain to get the weights in and out of the pockets they fit into in the vest.  These weights are not hard little bricks you fit into nice slots in the vest.  Oh no, they are bags full of some synthetic product like sand.  Each bag weighs eight pounds.  There are five pockets on the vest.  Two on the front waist.  Two on the rear waist.  One on the upper back between the shoulder pads. 

Not only is it difficult to get the bags in and out of the pockets, but also, you basically have no choice but to use all the weights if you want to wear the vest.  First, I tried just the front pockets.  Well that just pulled the thing down and made the collar rub on the back of my neck.  Second, I tried just the pocket between the shoulder blades.  Strike two.  That pulled the thing way backwards and hurt my back.  The only permutation that worked was loading all the pockets.  So much for easing into the thing.

That's not all that's wrong with the Everlast Weighted Vest.  All you can do in this thing is walk.  You can't run in it.  You can't train it.  Just walk.  I'm resigned to just walking the dog while I wear it.  Why you ask?  Because it fits terribly.  It's loose and the adjustable straps barely adjust.  If you try to do any sort of activity beyond walking, the thing moves all over the place.

Total piece of garbage.  Don't buy it.  Buy something like this instead:

I was lucky enough to have St. Pierre Klaus bring me a pair of Hayabusa MMA Foot Grips/Ankle Supports.

Check 'em out:

I wanted the foot grips because, well, I hate to admit it, but my feet sweat...a lot.  In fact, they sweat so much that I often lose traction and have slipped during training.  Even worse, the mat funk left by the kids from the class before mine ends up glued to my feet.  So gross.  And, I'm not going to lie.  Wearing them makes you at least look like you know what you're doing.  It's kind of like the rule that the more Japanese characters you put on a Honda Civic the faster it goes.  Same thing here.  Slap the word Hayabusa and a Japanese character on my foot and I can kick a hole in you.

That said, I've been wearing the things for a couple of training sessions now and so far I like them.  The foot grips on the bottom give me decent traction and grip.  Here's what they look like:



What's been nice is that the traction and grip aren't so strong as to increase the risk of my foot sticking to the mat and causing knee injuries when I move.  It remains to be seen if the grip will wear off and, if it does, how long it takes to do so.

At first, I thought the dual billing as a grip and ankle support was b.s.  But the things actually are better than any straight ankle brace I have purchased in the past.  My ankles and feet are securely stabilized in the Hayabusa MMA Foot Grips/Ankle Supports.

The only downside so far is that if your feet sweat like mine do, these things will not absorb the sweat and keep it off the mat.  I find myself leaving Hayabusa-shaped footprints all over the place.  What this means is that eventually, you do lose a little traction when you start sweating.


Anyways, you can buy them here:














And if you sweat a ton, try this:

Here are my predictions for the main card:

1.  Frankie Edgar vs. Gray Maynard - Edgar
2.  Chris Leben vs. Brian Stann - Leben
3.  Thiago Silva vs. Brandon Vera - Vera
4.  Takanori Gomi vs. Clay Guida - Guida
5.  Nate Diaz vs. Dong Hyun Kim - Diaz

And if you want to watch some other good fights, check these out:

UFC 123: Rampage vs. Machida

Stay tuned for our new video features coming after the New Year!

Check out the amazing sale at Title MMA by clicking here.  My favorite deal was an Everlast Weighted Vest (up to 40 lbs.) for only $29.99, which you can find here.

Get there quick because stuff goes fast!

I know it's taken a while to put this up, but please be patient as we are working on a new site feature that you're sure to love.  Stay tuned!

On to the fights from the main card:

1.  Struve vs. McCorkle:

In the Battle of the Skinny-Fat Giants, the skinnier gianter Giant prevailed.  Things looked bleak when McCorkle sent Gulliver traveling to the mat with an early takedown, that is, until we were reminded that McCorkle just wasn't particularly talented...which brings me to my point.  Who cares?  Neither of these guys are ever beating Velasquez, Dos Santos, or any other heavyweight who is less gimmick and more talent.  Look for both to play aliens, sasquatch, and other freakish creatures in several straight to video "films" in the future.

2.  Miller vs. Oliveira:



Wow, did I ever call this fight incorrectly.  This fight should simply be known as "Oops, you caught me."  Oops, Jim Miller caught Charles Oliveira only being a purple belt to his black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.  Hey, Charles, hitting someone in the ribs is not a good way to stop your knee from being hyperextended...unless that was actually just a vigorous tap in fear that his leg was about to snap.  I mean that's the long and short of the fight.  Oops, we all got fooled into believing the Charles Oliveira hype.  I just knew he was gonna throw a triangle on Jim Miller.  I even turned to a friend and said, "Look at his legs.  They're like egg beaters.  Just like B.J. Penn's."  Turns out Jim Miller was eyeing his legs too for a submission.  I thought this had fight of the night written all over it.   

3.  Danzig vs. Stevenson:



Joey, Joey, Joey.  Keep that right hand up, protecting your face, when you twist low to throw your left hook.  If Charles Oliveira vs. Jim Miller wasn't coitus interuptus, then this surely was.  This fight had me thinking potential slug fest.  You had Mac Danzig facing rumors he'd be cut from the UFC with another loss added to his streak of four out of the last five fights.  And you had Joe Stevenson, the elder statesman looking to show he still belonged in a talent saturated weight class watching the dinosaurs go extinct.  My potential slug fest turned out to be a one hit wonder.  Called this fight incorrectly too.  Danzig punished Stevenson's open jaw when Stevenson begged to be hit by dropping his right hand.  Maybe it's time to call it a career Joe?

4.  Alves vs. Howard:



I want to start with a question.  Look at the above picture?  Doesn't Bruce Buffer look awfully excited about the briefs these guys chose to wear to the weigh-in?

On to the fight.  Welcome back Thiago!  Thiago is and was one of my favorite fighters.  He's not one of the those MMA guys who has no real Martial Arts training...cough, cough, Koscheck.  He's legit.  Throws legit kicks and punches.  No technically unsound wildman winging desperation hooks here.

I wondered though now that the air had hit Thiago's brain, how would he come back following his surgery.  The answer...like a pitbull! 

Now, on to a question.  John Howard was supposed to be a Muay Thai guy, right?  I mean I think he wore a mongkon to the ring.  Then how come this guy couldn't check a leg kick to save his life.  Holy crap John!  It was as if he was trying to condition his legs for the day when someone takes an actual ax to them.  Thiago punished him with kick after kick.  But what really changed the fight for me was the way that Thiago showed how a straight line always beats a non-linear attack.  Every time that Howard threw a leg kick, Thiago tagged him with a straight punch right down the middle.  And there's not much more to say about it.  Thiago's performance was second only to St. Pierre's at UFC 124.

5.  St. Pierre vs. Koscheck:


The picture says it all, doesn't it?  Koscheck talked and talked and talked about all the things he was going to do to St. Pierre at UFC 124.  Well, if his strategy was to try to break Georges' left hand with his face, then he's a winner!  St. Pierre worked the left jab and changed levels like a pro boxer.  Thank God I just got those Freddie Roach instructional DVDs for the holidays.  Had Koscheck watched them or been trained to do anything besides throw knockout punches, he would have known that backing up is the wrong thing to do against a jab.  Somehow, the concept of side to side movement and level changing completely eluded Koscheck.  And his takedown attempts confirmed my nickname for him, Trainwreck.  St. Pierre didn't sprawl.  He didn't crossface.  He just stepped aside and pushed the little boy into the sand.  Who you gonna' fight now Trainwreck?  The male nurse from TUF Season 12?


Two things really disappointed me about this fight.  First, I really wanted to see Koscheck land one of his awful roundhouse kicks, even if all he hit was shoulder.  Guaranteed toe breaker.  He throws kicks like white belts at my school.  Second, I couldn't believe how he basically took back all of his smack talking after the fight.  If you're gonna run your mouth on national television for weeks, stick by it and just say my body couldn't keep up with my mouth.  Look for Kos to replace Mayhem Miller as the host of some MMA-related reality show banished to MTV2 that no one watches.  An alternative reality show for him could be all about Kos actually trying to carry Georges' jock. 

Alright, I'll end by saying something nice to Kos.  If he wants some work, he could show Georges the tiny microscopic hole he found in Georges takedown game.  Kos manged to stuff just about all of them with ease.  I will say that was impressive.

And if you've got a Koscheck of your own to take care of, check out the Freddie Roach DVDs I mentioned:

Just scoped out this prototype on the Internet for the Cobrinha/Keiko gi:

And if you can't wait, try this:

In honor of the ass-kicking I just took from my two little nephews, I thought I'd post this article about Cortez Coleman whose MMA career started with little kids tapping him out.

Click here to read the complete article.

And if your kid wants a shot at a future pro fighter, make sure you buy him the right gear to get him started, like these:

Have you seen the new Gameness Elite Gi?  It's got a rash guard lining.  Start saving on laundry!

Here's a shot of it:

Get it here:

Jeffrey David Kirby was convicted of manslaughter in connection with Charles "Mask" Lewis' death.  Click here to find out more.

Check out this new gear from Title MMA.

They're Pro Ankle/Foot Grips.  Click here to find them.  They look a lot like the Hayabusa ones, only cheaper.  If anyone has them, let us know what you think.

Buy it here:

For what it's worth, here are my predictions for UFC 124 (main card only):

1.  St. Pierre vs. Koscheck:  St. Pierre
2.  Stefan Struve vs. Sean McCorkie:  Struve
3.  Charles Oliveira vs. Jim Miller:  Oliveira
4.  Joe Stevenson vs. Mac Danzig:  Stevenson
5.  Thiago Alves vs. John Howard:  Alves

Show your love for St. Pierre by stuffing him in your stocking:

Click here for the current fight card for UFC 126.

Although I definitely want to watch Belfort/Silva, I think I'm most interested in Ryan Bader vs. Jon Jones.

Check out this "Breaking Bricks" hoodie from threadless.com, which is on sale for $30, by clicking here.

Here's a link to Inside MMA's interview with Chael Sonnen about his 'roid hearing.

Get your copy of the fight before the hearing here:

Click here for 'em.

Oh, and here's my quick take on the fights...wouldn't watch them if you paid me.  Strikeforce is a joke.

For some quick results, click here.

And here's some quick thoughts I had after watching the fights:

1.  Check out Cody McKenzie and his facial hair.  Reminded me of this guy:

2.  Anybody else notice that Johnnie Hendricks sticks his chin out and begs to be hit when he fights?  Oh, and that his 9-0 start does not really tell the whole story of the type of fighter he is, or should I say is not.

3.  How about Demian Maia's BJJ and takedown clinic!  And for all the bad things Joe Rogan had to say about his hands, his hands were vastly improved.  He had a nice move where he would side step to his right and throw a right hook to the head.

4.  Anybody else wonder how long Koscheck ran his mouth during the first interview attempt before someone told him the audio wasn't working?  That must have been priceless.  And how about that fireplace behind him that was flanked with marble cut naked men holding towels over their nipples.  Yikes.

5.  Stephan Bonnar looked pretty good against Igor "The Serial Killing Human Trafficking" Pokrajac.  That is, except for his bizzare nips and backne.  Hey, don't blame me for bringing it up.  Blame HD.

Also, too little was said about the tight shot on what appeared to be three Eastern Bloc ladies of the night just before Igor was announced.  When the camera cut back to Rogan, he made an awesome face, but no one touched the subject.  Perhaps Igor was working a second job that night knowing that he wasn't going to be making much more dough as a pro fighter.

6.  Lets talk the nam phanner and Leonard "No Cardio" Garcia.  I was surprised by how enraged Joe Rogan and the fans were.  I thought it could have gone either way.  The way I saw it, Garcia brought the action in rounds 1 and 3.  The nam phanner did nothing in round 3 and only landed a few, albeit solid, shots in round 1.  So, I think he only decisively won round 2.  Moral of the story, lock the door when you're going to phan your nam in a house full of fools...and don't leave it to the judges.

7.  Last but not least, Mr. Brookins.  Lets talk about heart and sheer will.  And lets talk about why you finish someone when you have the chance.  Michael Johnson is still the same bull with no cardio after the first round.  I told my wife when he didn't finish Brookins in the first round that he would regret it.  And regret it he did.  Brookins dominated him for the rest of the fight...or at least as much of the fight as I saw because my DVR cut it off before round 3 ended...stupid second take of the St. Pierre/Koscheck interview!  But here's to our new Ultimate Fighter:


Just kidding.  Love that kid Brookins...everything martial arts is supposed to be about.

Season 11 of the Ultimate Fighter now available on DVD here:

Check 'em out here if you missed

Watch 'em here if you missed it.

Find 'em here.

That's right.  America's least favorite huge-boobed woman is training in the martial arts now.  Can someone please tell me how she'll be able to throw a punch or cover with her, um, enhancements?

Read more about it and even see a video here.

Also submitted for your consideration:

Yesterday, I was speaking with a friend who used to train with Nam Pham.  Now, let me start by saying that I'm not a big fan of Nam's game.  I think he essentially acts like a punching bag and absorbs punishment.  I also have yet to see his black belt level BJJ skills.  In my opinion, he only made it to the semifinals of TUF 12 because the competition he faced was so awful.  Anyway, I told my friend, "Hey, whatever happens, he at least represented himself well on the show and didn't kill his rep."  That is, until last night.

First, exhibit A:

Yup, that's right.  Nam got caught on national television, "relaxing before his big fight."  And in just one short moment, Spike TV and the UFC brought us material that would spark the new euphism, "phanning your nam."  Sorry, Nam.

It all went down when team Trainwreck, er Koscheck, decided to "prank" their teammate by busting in on him while he was showering.  In watching team Trainwreck plan their prank, I kept wondering to myself, "What type of prank is busting in on a guy showering so you can see if he's phanning his nam?"  Didn't sound much like a prank to me.  Sounded like a bunch of guys afraid to come out of the closet having a nice bonding moment over their latent homosexuality and using humor as a defense mechanism for all the tension they felt when just the subject of nam phanning came up.  Kind of weird to me that nobody else in the house questioned these fools' eagerness for some homosexual voyeuring.

Now that Nam's humiliation has been covered, lets turn to the real exposure from last night's episode.  Apparently, Nam is two-faced and talks crap about everyone behind their backs.  Team Trainwreck was so tired of him that the whole team turned on him.  Now who knows if Nam really is two-faced or just a victim of clever editing.  Whatever the case may be, not a good night in the life of Nam Pham.  He must have really pissed off a producer to go out that way on the show.

And here's what I think may be worse news for Nam.  He's fighting this guy at the TUF 12 finale:






That's right.  Leonard Garcia.  I know his game has fallen off a bit, but one thing is for sure.  Leonard loves to punch, and Nam loves to be punched.  My gut tells me that Leonard's hands are a little heavier than Michael Johnson's.

Good luck Nam, and don't worry, everyone phans his nam...just lock the door when you live in a house with a bunch of fools.

I was wondering.  Is anyone else frustrated with the way the business of martial arts tends to dominate schools?  What I mean is this.  Have you ever been at a school where students are advanced in ranks despite the fact that they aren't ready so that they keep coming back and paying those fees?  Belt fee.  Test fee.  Fee fee.  Does it drive you crazy as you break your ass every day to earn your place at the school?  Picture this guy getting his brown belt:

Let me know at CrazyKenPo@gmail.com.

Want to know more about Martial Arts as a business?  Try this book:

Check out this interview with Rubens Charles Maciel aka Cobrinha, the badass of BJJ.  Word is that Baca's Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu in Sherman Oaks will be his first West Coast affiliate, and that he'll be opening his own school somewhere else in LA.  In fact, Baca's is offering one week free here.  And if you don't know about Cobrinha, check him out here.

Check out Jeff Curran getting beyond his serious depression to come back to fighting.  Click here to find out more.

Seems like I couldn't get away from legal issues in the world of MMA:

1.  Christy Martin's husband who shot and stabbed her, has now stabbed himself.  Read more here.

2.  Former UFC fighter Lee Murray, who was convicted of masterminding the biggest non-wartime cash heist in history, has had his prison sentence increased from 10 years to 25.  Read more here.





3.  Trial started for the man charged with manslaughter in connection with the death of Tapout's own Mask.  Read more here.


4.  And don't forget Chael Sonnen's steroids hearing, which is looming on the horizon.  Click here for details.