MTB by 198 vs. Max Rigging
This month brings a contest between two top-notch websites in these sports to answer this question. Mountain Biking 198 and MaxRigging are having a competition. The contest is simple. Which site, the biker’s or the rower’s, can get more subscribers to their RSS feeds by the end of the month.
Affliction: Banned – Video Recap & Analysis
Affliction's inaugural event kicked off with some of the best heavyweight action that we've seen in quite a long time in any promotion in the sport today. It provided hardcore fans with some validation as to who is near the top of the heap in the heavyweight rankings. More importantly, the event brought together arguably the best heavyweight in the world in Fedor Emelianenko against what many consider a top three to five contender in former UFC champion Tim Sylvia. Also featured on the card were some cross promotional battles between the former IFL fighter Mike Whitehead and former UFC and PRIDE veteran Renato Sobral, and former UFC heavyweight Andrei Arlovski and former IFL champ Ben Rothwell. Josh Barnett took on Pedro Rizzo in a rematch from their previous matchup at UFC 30 in 2001. Check out the action in the video recap.
Fedor Emelianenko crushes Tim Sylvia (rear naked choke, :36 seconds)
Noone could have expected such a quick victory for “The Last Emperor” in this tangle between two of the top heavyweights in the world, but it certainly was thought about by many hardcore fans. In my analysis over the years of Fedor's overwhelming abilities in the ring, I came to two conclusions as to why he's so dominating that are somewhat displayed in this fight.
First and foremost, his standup is horribly underrated by nearly everyone who follows his dominance. For a heavyweight, Fedor is unmatched in his quickness and speed in conjunction with the amount of power he is pushing into his punches. The pure power he exhibits must be the most demoralizing piece in his punching game for anyone trying to get inside on him.
Even more scary, how can you even counter such a blasting force? Tim Sylvia had no answer, and it was reminiscent of his PRIDE domination of various fighters. The force of Fedor's punching was reacted to by Sylvia simply leaning to avoid the shots and Fedor pressing forward.
Second, Fedor's transition speed and game is unmatched by anyone in any level of the sport. For his weight alone, he's blazingly quick at finding the submission. He was able to move from the back, sink the hooks in, and easily push his hands through Sylvia's defense to sink the choke in. Impressive to say the least.
Is Fedor beatable? I don't believe he's beatable by anyone in the division at this point. Barnett has a shot, but it's a slim shot at that. Fedor looked unreal in the 36 seconds he was in the ring. He almost looked quicker and more tenacious than we've seen him in the past. If that's the case, get ready for a run that could make him the undisputed pound for pound best in the sport.
Andrei Arlovski displays his superior striking skills against Ben Rothwell
I won't delve too much into this bout because it was a dominating performance for Arlovski in the standup war. It was apparent from the beginning that Arlovski's technical skills coupled with his raw power was overwhelming Rothwell in every exchange. Arlovski's leg kicks set up his punches well, and he even mixed in some attempted ankle locks to keep Rothwell guessing.
The only danger Arlovski ever entered was during the second round in which Rothwell toppled into top control and was able to land some hard elbows to Arlovski's head. It looked to be a glaring weakness in Arlovski's game that he was unable to get back to his feet, especially in having a Russian Sambo background.
Nonetheless, his striking was technical and powerful. He should be a dangerous opponent for anyone that Affliction can muster up to take him on, but I'd love to see how his quickness would hold up against Fedor. If his ground game was an indication of a weakness in his skillset during the second round, that matchup would likely end quickly.
Barnett unexpectedly KO's Rizzo!
Another tussle between a ranked heavyweight contender Josh Barnett and a face from the past in Pedro Rizzo. While Rizzo has some striking skills, Barnett clearly had the advantage when it came to the ground game. Surprisingly, Barnett stood with Rizzo and made him pay in stunning fashion with a second round knockout that swiveled Rizzo's chin spectacularly.
An uneventful first round in which Barnett tried to close the distance and shoot a couple of times was won by Barnett using some choice jabs and leg kicks. The second round couldn't come any sooner for fans looking to see a finish in this fight. Some more sparring leads to a huge connecting left hook by Barnett preceded by a missed right hook. Rizzo is knocked out instantly.
We can't overly analyze this fight due to the fact that Barnett didn't use his catch wrestling to end the fight quickly on the ground, but it does look like Barnett has improved his standup skills a bit in the training for this fight. He definitely made a statement in knocking out a standup striker in Pedro Rizzo, but it's been known for quite some time that Rizzo isn't in his prime anymore. Make Fedor vs. Barnett happen.
Sobral defeats Whitehead by decision
One of the more entertaining fights for me was the decision win by Renato “Babalu” Sobral over Mike Whitehead. Many fans simply found this fight boring, but it was clear that Sobral's striking game had improved. Whitehead wasn't exactly the best test of his abilities though, and Sobral had the clear advantage on the ground when it came to grappling.
Sobral's leg kicks punished Whitehead for most of the fight, and it made it increasingly hard for Whitehead to explode from his lead leg. Sobral's kicks to the body and head were also equally damaging. Sobral's aggression was seen throughout the fight as well. He pushed the pace, landed more punches, and fought off takedown attempts by Whitehead by reversing those attempts into his own takedowns.
Overall, it was a good performance for Sobral against a bigger opponent in Whitehead. Sobral should look to move up against a much more experienced and game opponent, and hopefully we will see him back in the ring against some top 10 competition soon enough.
Other action…
Vitor Belfort made his return to the ring at 185 pounds, and he looked much quicker in his striking and wrestling game than we have seen in a long time. Terry Martin stalked Belfort for most of the round with Belfort landing a solid punch, but Martin also getting in some exchanges with Vitor.
During the second round of battle, Belfort began landing more convincing shots. He stunned Martin with a punch early followed by a kick that causes Martin to move to the clinch and takedown. Unfortunately, Martin can't keep Belfort down and is punished with a flurry on the feet that knocks him out against the ropes, ending the fight.
Belfort was impressive in his quickness at times, but I'm still a bit hesitant to exclaim that Belfort is back. Nonetheless, it wasn't a bad performance for his first bout at middleweight.
Matt Lindland made his return to the ring for a mildly entertaining bout. Although he was battling in typical Matt Lindland fashion by controlling the ground and maintaining top control while pounding on Negao. It wasn't the most eventful fight we've seen from Lindland, but he did manage to show that his controlling style is still effective in netting him the win.
Gary Goodridge came in on short notice against Paul Buentello after Aleksander Emelianenko wasn't cleared to fight by the CSAC. Unfortunately for Goodridge, his cardio wasn't up to par on such short notice and he was defeated decisively by Buentello. Buentello's classic striking style was the deciding factor in this tussle. While Goodridge always has the power to put someone out quick, Buentello's technical prowess was on a different level than Goodridge, and it's surprising considering Buentello doesn't have enormous talent. He's simply a hard worker, and it showed in this fight.
Mike Pyle won quickly on the ground as expected, “Little Nog” destroyed Edwin Dewees with some heavy standup striking, and Mark Hominick had an impressive ground game to supplement his striking skills.
Overall thoughts
Although the production had some problems with audio and video going in and out and the commentating team was green, the production wasn't half bad. Megadeth playing before the Fedor fight was ridiculous, and highlighting the fact that Don Johnson was there was even more ridiculous.
Overall, the fights were entertaining. Many casual fans may not have enjoyed the card, but some of the technical striking displayed from some of the heavyweights was entertaining to watch. Sobral's standup has improved slightly, and it's good to see him get a solid win under his belt on his way back into a top 10 battle. Arlovski looked even more devastating in his striking, but he does need to work on his ground game a bit. Fedor looked indestructible, and it wouldn't surprise me one bit if we see Barnett vs. Fedor in October/November. I think Barnett will present a challenge, but I think Fedor can finish off Barnett in much of the same fashion using his quickness in the standup.
