MMA 101: The "Kimura" Submission

Sunday, May 31, 2009
Here's the debut of our latest QB featured content, MMA 101, where we focus on understanding techniques commonly used in the sport. Today's feature, the Kimura submission!

The Kimura, also known as the "chicken wing" or "reverse keylock" is a submission technique that isolates the shoulder and applies pressure, forcing the opponent to tap. It is named after Masahiko Kimura, the legendary Japanese Judo practitioner who used it to submit Helio Gracie, one of the founders of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. Here are the demonstrations:

From the guard (aka off your back, opponents hips between your legs):




From a standing position:

Karo Parisyan shows Kimura from standing


Fight Demonstration (skip to 8:40 for the setup and execution):


Stumble
Delicious
Technorati
Twitter
Facebook
Read more!

New Wanderlei Silva Interview on UFC 99

The former Pride champion talks bouncing back from a loss, Franklin, and his passion for fighting.

Stumble
Delicious
Technorati
Twitter
Facebook
Read more!

Duane "Bang" Ludwig on Strikeforce, UFC, Fatherhood

Saturday, May 30, 2009
A candid interview with one of MMA's most powerful strikers!

Stumble
Delicious
Technorati
Twitter
Facebook
Read more!

Barn Burners: Frank Shamrock vs Phil Baroni

After almost a year of trash-talking one another, former UFC champion Frank Shamrock took on "The New York Badass" for the Strikeforce middleweight title in this highly entertaining showdown.

Stumble
Delicious
Technorati
Twitter
Facebook
Read more!

UFC 99: Preview

Friday, May 29, 2009
The event will feature Wanderlei Silva vs Rich Franklin, Kongo vs Velasquez, and the return of CroCop to the UFC!

Stumble
Delicious
Technorati
Twitter
Facebook
Read more!

MMA Slam Highlight

Nothing but slams, suplexes, and powerbombs from the world of MMA!

Stumble
Delicious
Technorati
Twitter
Facebook
Read more!

'Baba O'Reilly' Clip from UFC 98

For those who have never been to a UFC event, the organization starts each event with an updated variation of this montage set to the tune made famous by The Who. Here's one from the most recent show.

Stumble
Delicious
Technorati
Twitter
Facebook
Read more!

Xtreme Couture Striking Coach Shawn Tompkins Talks Machida, Randy

Stumble
Delicious
Technorati
Twitter
Facebook
Read more!

ESPN MMA Live- 5/28

Thursday, May 28, 2009
Stumble
Delicious
Technorati
Twitter
Facebook
Read more!

Classic Fights: Fedor Emelianenko vs Tim Sylvia

In perhaps our shortest edition of Classic Fights, here's the former UFC and Pride heavyweight champions from their clash at Affliction "Banned" last summer.

Stumble
Delicious
Technorati
Twitter
Facebook
Read more!

Kevin Randleman talks Strikeforce Debut

"The Monster" is looking to make some noise in the Strikeforce 205lb division, taking on Mike Whitehead on June 6th.

Stumble
Delicious
Technorati
Twitter
Facebook
Read more!

Fox Fight Game On UFC 98, Tyson Tragedy

Stumble
Delicious
Technorati
Twitter
Facebook
Read more!

Frank Trigg Returns to the UFC

Wednesday, May 27, 2009

MMAjunkie is reporting that veteran MMA welterweight/middleweight fighter and radio/television personality Frank Trigg has signed a 4 fight deal to return to the Octagon.
Stumble
Delicious
Technorati
Twitter
Facebook
Read more!

Krzysztof Soszynski Talks UFC 98 Win

The Ultimate Fighter 8 competitor talks about his recent victory, his training partners, and strategies for attacking UFC light-heavyweight champion Lyoto Machida.

Stumble
Delicious
Technorati
Twitter
Facebook
Read more!

Classic Fights: Tito Ortiz vs Wanderlei Silva

Nine years ago (NINE YEARS AGO!! Man I'm old..), two of MMA's future champions and most memorable names squared off inside the Octagon at UFC 25 in Japan. There's a couple of truly interesting moments throughout the course of this one. Find out for yourself..

Stumble
Delicious
Technorati
Twitter
Facebook
Read more!

Reign of the Dragon- Lyoto Machida and the future of MMA

Tuesday, May 26, 2009


Here's the debut of QB's Editorial content, QBE's. The topic? Machida. Comments are appreciated.


Sometime in 2005, an interesting phenomenon was taking place in the online MMA community. Logging on to your favorite popular MMA message board inevitably meant you were going to stumble upon a recurring theme. Seemingly every three or four days, a forum member would start a thread with some variation of the same question:

"Who is this Lyoto Machida guy?"

(click "Read More" for the full feature)



Browsing the respective records of UFC stars like BJ Penn, Rich Franklin, and Stephan Bonnar, fight fans began to collectively recognize the comparatively obscure name of Lyoto Machida as the man who had beaten them all, and had himself remained unbeaten in his young career. Having not yet fought for a major promotion and having no high-profile camp or pedigree with which to be associated, the question as to his identity and potential talent became pervasive.

Four years and seemingly a lifetime of changes in the MMA world later, few questions such as these remain. In a strange way, many of those changes in MMA brought us to the figurative end of Lyoto's anonymity, his devastating championship victory at UFC 98 last Saturday. The success of The Ultimate Fighter reality show and the talent it developed help us to arrive at this moment, with the UFC soaring in popularity and profitability, and a young and skilled Rashad Evans as its undefeated upstart light-heavyweight champion. In the years prior, future UFC champion Quinton "Rampage" Jackson's failure to be re-signed by the Pride organization meant his defection to the fledgling World Fighting Alliance, or WFA, which also featured a mysterious unbeaten Karate practitioner on its roster. The blossoming marketability of the UFC meant more money in its coffers to spend toward gobbling up smaller organizations like the WFA, and Jackson's previous win over longtime UFC champion Chuck Liddell essentially ensured the WFA's acquisition by Zuffa (the parent company of the UFC and WEC, for those unaware), and thereby Machida's spot on the UFC roster.

Seven wins and millions of dropped jaws further into the present, Machida is a fascinating enigma atop the 205lb division in the biggest show in Mixed Martial-Arts. Seemingly as if by some collective psychic intuition, talking heads, analysts, and competitors in and around the sport are buzzing about his potential reign as champion, and what his future opponents could possibly concoct in order to topple him. They aren't coming up with much on the latter subject, but Machida's likelihood of supremacy as a long-time champion seems far closer to a consensus.

"Welcome to the Lyoto Machida era", proclaims UFC color analyst Joe Rogan, only mere moments after Machida's dazzling final display of offensive precision. All of this seemingly without the consultation of UFC President Dana White, who likely wouldn't have endorsed any UFC employee's de facto declaration that Machida's next opponent essentially was already beaten. But Rogan sees some inevitability of it. At 3:45 in the final of White's video blogs for the event;

"..it's the Machida era, man. No one's gonna beat that guy for a long f***ing time."



White's expression is mildly frozen. But in a terrible irony, the first few minutes of White's own blog lay testament to the wisdom of Rogan's words. The electric reaction captured at cage-side as Machida worked his masterpiece was simply incredible. The "oohs" and "ahhs" of routinely dramatic NBA and NHL playoff games simply pale in comparison to the bombshell of shock and awe that overswept the fans at the MGM Grand Garden Arena that night, the crowd appearing as if a strange mixture of elation and panic is experienced through witnessing how strikingly effective of a weapon that a human being can become.

Hyperbole? Certainly, but somehow not "less true" for it. Rogan again tactfully recognizes the undercurrent of stimulation from the fans. On Machida and Karate in MMA;

"And you know how excited people are gonna be? ..people, they want that s**t, they want Karate..they want that- *bows in Dana's direction*..people love that. It's back. Martial Arts is back."

It's back. Of course it never really left, in truth, but the acknowledgment and respect for the traditional arts is certainly seeing a resurgence, and Machida is now the poster boy for this movement. The future, to whatever degree, will inevitably be influenced by this development, and certainly to a degree beyond the glimmers we've seen from other champions like Fedor Emelianenko (essentially a hyper-skilled, Sambo-trained Judoka), and Georges St Pierre (also a Karate practitioner, albeit of a different flavor than Machida).

Karate has traditionally been the most acknowledged and commonly referenced of all the traditional arts, or at least prior to the explosion of interest in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (in the US, anyway) that was, somewhat now ironically, facilitated by its exposure through the early UFC's. Now Machida has brought us full circle, and again Karate has a right to its claim as the premier of the martial arts, and as a palatable core discipline through which to construct a high-level MMA fighter.

In truth, the "era" is up for Machida to determine, and for his opponents to seek to re-write in their days of preparation ahead. Whether "The Dragon" can continue to expand and justify his mystique remains to be seen, but the path he's on could not appear any more convincing. Plenty of footage has been gained, but few flaws can still be perceived in his style. In fact, he seems to appear more dynamic in every contest, and somehow even more equipped to deal with each aspect of the mixed disciplines, all at the most elite level of competition.

An "era" it may be. But if super-talents like Rampage, Shogun, and the rest of the elite UFC light-heavyweights fall victim to him, an "era" could be an "understatement". It may take a superfight (or two..), determine Lyoto's legacy as both a fighter and as a milestone in MMA's ever expanding future, but his myth, much like that of the dragon itself, is seemingly ever-growing.

Stumble
Delicious
Technorati
Twitter
Facebook
Read more!

Dream 9 Fight Videos

Abel Cullum vs Hideo Tokoro (Fight of the night!)


mma

Kid Yamamoto vs Joe Warren


mma

Sokodjou vs Jan Nortje



Gegard Mousasi vs Mark Hunt



Mayhem Miller vs Jacare


mma2

Jose Canseco vs Hong Man Choi


Hong Man Choi Jose Canseco Fight Video


Bobb Sapp vs Minowa

Stumble
Delicious
Technorati
Twitter
Facebook
Read more!

Barn Burners: Eddie Alvarez vs Tatsuya "Crusher" Kawajiri

Just in time for Dream 9, here's one of Dream's best fights of 2008, the lightweight Grand Prix tournament clash between two top-ten sluggers.

Stumble
Delicious
Technorati
Twitter
Facebook
Read more!

UFC 99 Press Conference in Germany

Monday, May 25, 2009
Stumble
Delicious
Technorati
Twitter
Facebook
Read more!

Chuck Norris makes his UFC Debut

...in UFC 2009 Undisputed!! Here's a cool video of a user created fighter battling it out with Brock Lesnar, CroCop, and others.

Stumble
Delicious
Technorati
Twitter
Facebook
Read more!

Dream 9 Warm-Up: Part 2



Continuing our Dream 9 hype feature, Part 2 covers both the Featherweight Grand Prix and Super Hulk Tournaments! Bob Sapp? Kid Yamamoto? JOSE CANSECO?!? You heard right!

(click "Read More" for the full feature)


Super Hulk Tournament Participants:

Gegard Mousasi vacated his Dream middle-weight belt in order to move up in weight. Joining a tournament loaded with guys who are 300+ lbs certainly qualifies. Here's an absolutely EPIC highlight featuring him.



Bobb Sapp is something less than a serious, competitive mixed martial artist, but he has always been good at being absolutely huge. The same thing could be said of Korean giant Hong Man Choi. Here's a vid of them hulking against one another in a K-1 standup fight.



And last, but certainly not least of our Super Hulk competitors, is former baseball and reality TV star Jose Canseco, who will serve as Choi's lunc....I mean "opponent" for his MMA debut. Here's the only combat footage I could find of Mr Canseco, his boxing bout against Vai Sikahema.



As for the Featherweight GP, lets face it, the tournament was designed to showcase this man, "Kid" Yamamoto. After a huge layoff and first round bye, its time for Yamamoto to finally remind everyone why he's one of the kings of his division. Here's an incredible highlight of him.




This concludes our preview of Dream 9! Enjoy the fights and check back later for more Dream coverage.
Stumble
Delicious
Technorati
Twitter
Facebook
Read more!

Cowboy Fedor's Dream 9 Picks




Saddle up for another edition of Cowboy Fedor's Picks! Our MMA analyst is back to pick winners for Dream 9 this Tuesday.


Howdy once again, comrades! I have returned for my newest round of prognostications, this time for the Dream 9 in Japan. I'm quite familiar with MMA in Japan...in fact you could make the argument that I am the "Last Emperor" of the sport there! I kid, of course. The occasional chuckle helps to remind the people that I am not in fact a cyborg. Anyway, on to the picks!

(Click "read more" for the full feature)


I'm going to be brief, because this is a big card, loaded with good fights.


**First Round Super Hulk Grand Prix**

Bob Sapp vs Ikuhisa Minowa-
Minowa runs like a calf at a rodeo, and lasso's Sapp's leg for a first round submission.

Hong Man Choi vs José Canseco-
Canseco is representing the Cuban flag. As a Ruskie, I have a great affection for Cubans. Canseco saddle-broncs Choi down with a first round choke.

Jan Nortje vs Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou-
Sokoudjou's grappling does not inspire. In fact it stirs the closest thing to a negative emotion that I can muster. Soko can and will get submitted by a giant striker, in round one.

Gegard Mousasi vs Mark Hunt- Hunt is...heavy, but Mousasi's grappling will finish him. He has great training partners.


**Lightweight Bout**


Tatsuya Kawajiri vs Gesias Calvancante-
Kawajiri can stand with JZ for a time, but he'll need horse-like cardio to carry him to victory. JZ by second round TKO.


**Second Round Feather Weight Grand Prix**


Abel Cullum vs Hideo Tokoro-
It is a cruel thing to be overlooked. I haven't felt that way in years, but I vaguely remember how I might have perceived it. Tokoro pulls the upset heel hook in round two.

Yoshiro Maeda vs Hiroyuki Takaya- Maeda advanced in the tournament thanks to questionable judging. Did I tell you a dislike both judges and tournaments? Takaya in a unanimous decision.

Masakazu Imanari vs Bibiano Fernandes- Imanari looked uninspired in his last fight. Reminded me of some Croatian fellow...Fernandes smothers him for a decision.

Norifumi Yamamoto vs Joe Warren- Yamamoto is the strongest kid I've ever met. He'll grow up to be quite the competitor some day. TKO for Yamamoto in round one.


**Dream Middleweight Title Fight**


Jason Miller vs Ronaldo Souza-
In the first fight, Miller's best defense was not...his best defense. However, this fight I forsee him losing instead for being too aggressive. How do I know this, you ask? Ever see God in a mirror? Jacare submits Miller in round two.


So, my proletariat cowboy friends, that about wraps up another edition of my picks. Check back soon where we'll be back on the trail with WEC: Brown vs Faber 2 analysis. Dasvidania!


*Cowboy Fedor's Picks are a parody column and not intended in any way to represent the actual views or statements of Fedor Emelianenko, or any other cybernetic organism*
Stumble
Delicious
Technorati
Twitter
Facebook
Read more!

Dream 9 Warm-Up: Part 1

Sunday, May 24, 2009

Part one of a two part series showcasing fighters participating in the Dream organization's 9th event!! Featuring two tournaments (Featherweight Gran Prix Quarterfinals, "Super Hulk" tournament first round), a middleweight title fight, and a Superfight between two top-10 lightweight talents, this is probably the most stacked card in the organization's history.

(click "Read More" for the full feature)


We'll start by previewing the middleweight title fight, a rematch between Ronaldo "Jacare" Souza and Jason "Mayhem" Miller (for casual fans..he's the guy on "Bully Beatdown" of MTV fame). Here's their first matchup from last year's Dream MW tournament second round.

Part 1:



Part 2:



Part 3:



Here's a couple of highlight videos of Tatsuya "Crusher" Kawajiri and Geisas "JZ" Calvancante in preparation for their lightweight showdown. Should be a war!





Look for Part 2 of the Dream 9 Warm-Up, featuring fighters from the Super Hulk and Featherweight tournaments, tomorrow!!
Stumble
Delicious
Technorati
Twitter
Facebook
Read more!

Dana White Post-UFC 98 Interview

Stumble
Delicious
Technorati
Twitter
Facebook
Read more!

UFC 98 Fight Videos

Lyoto Machida vs Rashad Evans





Matt Serra vs Matt Hughes

Click here for the video




Edgar vs Sherk Link
Stumble
Delicious
Technorati
Twitter
Facebook
Read more!

UFC 98 Weigh-In Clips

Saturday, May 23, 2009
The first video is a full clip of the co-main and main event weigh-ins, and the second one is a highlight montage from all the fights combined.



Stumble
Delicious
Technorati
Twitter
Facebook
Read more!

Mauricio "Shogun" Rua Highlight

A solid highlight of Shogun featuring clips from all of his recent bouts.

Stumble
Delicious
Technorati
Twitter
Facebook
Read more!

Barn Burners: Melvin Manhoef vs Evangelista "Cyborg" Santos

Now for the inaugural edition of Barn Burners, our series featuring some of MMA's best all-out wars and slugfests!

In this Cage Rage Light-Heavyweight championship tilt, the deadly Dutchman Manhoef, perhaps one of the most feared strikers ever to compete in MMA, meets a “Cyborg” who is programmed to know no fear. The result is a brawler’s brawl for the ages.

Stumble
Delicious
Technorati
Twitter
Facebook
Read more!

Dana White UFC 98 Vlog Parts 3 and 4

Friday, May 22, 2009
Stumble
Delicious
Technorati
Twitter
Facebook
Read more!

Cowboy Fedor's UFC 98 Picks



Here's the debut of our fight prediction segment, featuring our own MMA analyst, Cowboy Fedor!



Howdy, Comrades! I've been enlisted to provide the global populace with picks for the upcoming MMA Events. Since the UFC 98 is tomorrow, I calmly and emotionlessly considered each of my picks, and now..."submit" them for your consideration.

Sherk vs Edgar: In my humble estimation, this appears to be a matchup of two wrestlers who think they are boxers (both of which I eat for breakfast..but that is another story). It is a very even fight, but considering Edgar had difficulties with Maynard (who is a large powerful wrestler like Sherk), and that Sherk is more experienced, I will choose Sherk to win a decision over the smaller buckaroo, Edgar.

Sonnen vs Miller: More American wrestlers it appears. American fight promotions have more wrestlers than a Belarusian ranch has cattle! I kid, of course. Sonnen carries great wisdom and experience, and is probably the better submission fighter, but Miller is young and performing at a high level. Not to mention Sonnen will have Matt Lindland in his corner. My choice is Miller, by TKO, round three.

McFedries vs Professor X: As a real, authentic cowboy, I can appreciate two gunslingers in a good old-fashioned shoot out, and that is what this competition would appear to be. Which ever fighter lands hard first is likely to be the victor, but given that Professor X is the more diverse striker, I'll concede him an edge in this matchup. Professor X by KO, round two.

Matt Hughes vs Matt Serra: Two former..*cough*...champions square off here, although I do not understand the need for so many emotions regarding a simple combat competition. Hughes is a proud man, but Serra has the greater desire to succeed and continue competing. I'll choose Serra to win a unanimous decision over Hughes.

Evans vs Machida: These two competitors are currently riding high in the saddle, but unfortunately one of them must face his first loss. Thankfully this is not a tournament format, where illegitimate losses are often awarded....Evans is a powerful grappler and striker, but Machida is the hardest man to hit in the UFC. According to Fight Metric, the only man harder to hit is...me. Machida will emerge the victor by TKO in round 4.

Thanks for reading my picks. Look forward to upcoming picks for Dream 9 next week, buckaroos! Dasvidania, pardner!
Stumble
Delicious
Technorati
Twitter
Facebook
Read more!

ESPN MMA Live 5/21

Thursday, May 21, 2009
Stumble
Delicious
Technorati
Twitter
Facebook
Read more!

Fedor vs Barnett, Belfort vs Mousasi at Affliction 3 in August


Sources are reporting to MMAFanhouse that Fedor Emelianenko and Josh Barnett have verbally agreed to square off in August, and that a middleweight clash between top middleweights Gegard Mousasi and Vitor Belfort is also in the works for the card.
Stumble
Delicious
Technorati
Twitter
Facebook
Read more!

Sean Sherk on training for Edgar and a possible Penn rematch

Former UFC LW champion Sean Sherk talks about his preparation for UFC 98, and his thoughts on the upcoming title fight between BJ Penn and Kenny Florian.

Stumble
Delicious
Technorati
Twitter
Facebook
Read more!

Dana White UFC 98 Vlog Parts 1 and 2

Wednesday, May 20, 2009
Part 1



Part 2

Stumble
Delicious
Technorati
Twitter
Facebook
Read more!

Bas Rutten vs Jose Canseco??

Bas with some strong words for the former baseball star, who will make his MMA debut at Dream 9 in Japan on May 26th.

Stumble
Delicious
Technorati
Twitter
Facebook
Read more!

Classic Fights: Chuck Liddell vs Quinton Jackson 1

Here is the inaugural edition of our series of featured classic MMA bouts!!

This is the first showdown between Light-Heavyweight superstars "Rampage" Jackson and "The Iceman" Chuck Liddell, at the Pride 2003 Grand-Prix semifinals.

Stumble
Delicious
Technorati
Twitter
Facebook
Read more!

Andrei Arlovski to face Brett Rogers at Strikeforce in June



Sherdog.com is reporting that Andrei Arlovski has been tapped to replace Strikeforce heavyweight champion Alistair Overeem as a replacement against challenger and Elite XC veteran Brett Rogers. Overeem apparently suffered a hand injury in training.
Stumble
Delicious
Technorati
Twitter
Facebook
Read more!

WEC: Brown vs Faber II Teaser

Tuesday, May 19, 2009
Stumble
Delicious
Technorati
Twitter
Facebook
Read more!

UFC Undisputed '09 is EPIC

Here's a great illustration as to why...an incredible Rampage Jackson highlight. Compiled from footage grabbed from real online bouts, witness how incredibly well the game captures the essence of Rampage's style and capabilities. From the devastating counters, power slams, dirty boxing and ground control, Rampage is brilliantly mimicked in digital form. I'd recommend any self-respecting MMA fan acquire a copy of this game immediately. It is unquestionably the "Madden" of our sport.

Stumble
Delicious
Technorati
Twitter
Facebook
Read more!

Anderson Silva's MMA Impersonations

Monday, May 18, 2009
Here's an hilarious outtake from some of Anderson's instructional videos, with the Spider spoofing the styles of Chuck Liddell, Royce Gracie, Wanderlei Silva and other MMA stars.

Stumble
Delicious
Technorati
Twitter
Facebook
Read more!

Semmy Schilt vs Badr Hari: Its Showtime

Sunday, May 17, 2009
K1 and kickboxing fans will know these two names very well, and fans of MMA may remember Schilt from his UFC and Pride days, and Hari from his recent KO loss to MMA heavyweight monster Alistair Overeem.

Stumble
Delicious
Technorati
Twitter
Facebook
Read more!

UFC Undisputed 2009 Videos

Many retailers have broken street dates for the game, and as a result, a lot of videos are hitting the net that simulate never-before-seen (and some perhaps "never TO be seen") matchups between some of MMA's best.

I thought I'd throw in some highlights for those like myself who are highly anticipating the game..

LESNAR vs CROCOP



WANDERLEI vs MACHIDA



BISPING vs HENDERSON

Stumble
Delicious
Technorati
Twitter
Facebook
Read more!

UFC 98 Preview

Stumble
Delicious
Technorati
Twitter
Facebook
Read more!

UFC Undisputed 2009 Video Contest

Capture an epic online battle? Record your Create-a-Fighter in action? Well here's your chance to let your skills shine! Send in your video submission in link form, along with a brief description and your name/handle.

Winners will be selected and featured every Wednesday. E-mail addresses will remain confidential unless otherwise requested by the contestant.

If your fight features a Created Fighter and you'd like to share your CAF stats, feel free to include them (including complete general information and physical attributes settings) and we will feature them in the full post alongside your video.

May the best fighter win!
 
Stumble
Delicious
Technorati
Twitter
Facebook
Read more!

Stumbling Quality Beatdowns 101

If you're a fan of Quality Beatdowns and would like to help support the QB movement, you can do so by sharing your favorite posts with others through StumbleUpon. Below any post, select the StumbleUpon button (illustrated at the bottom of this post) and instantly "stumble" the post up to their database.

Submit the post with a few keywords (MMA, Martial Arts, UFC or sports etc) of your choosing, and an optional review, and you've instantly done your part in continuing your support for our site. StumbleUpon is also an incredble web-surfing resource for those who care to register with them in the process.

We strive to consistently provide the best and most stimulating content available for all our fellow MMA fanatics, and with your help, we'll continue to do so. Thanks in advance for the support.


StumbleUpon button \/
Stumble
Delicious
Technorati
Twitter
Facebook
Read more!

Kimbo Slice versus Seth Petruzelli

Stumble
Delicious
Technorati
Twitter
Facebook
Read more!