Michael Chandler vs Benson Henderson: Lightweight Bellator World Championship
SAP Center in San Jose, Nov 19 2016
Well, we've been waiting for this one for a long time. Not many fights have been talked about since the "Bjorn Era" and this is one of them. Chandler and Henderson were champions of rival promotions at the same time (Chandler in Bellator and Henderson in the UFC) and them coming together to see who was REALLY the greatest lightweight in the world was a dream matchup. Both fighters have been through their ups and downs since the early days of 2012, but they are finally squaring off in the Bellator cage with the title on the line this Saturday.
If you could combine Michael Chandler and Benson Henderson you would get the perfect lightweight. One one fighter lacks, the other one has in spades. That's part of what makes this fight so intriguing to begin with.
Everyone knows Benson Henderson's style. In 14 UFC appearances he went to a decision 10 times. The level of competition during his UFC/WEC run was murderous: he fought Frankie Edgar (twice), Donald Cerrone (three times), Anthony Pettis (twice), RDA, Josh Thompson, Nate Diaz, and Gilbert Melendez. Considering he holds a losing record only to Pettis and RDA, that's one hell of a lightweight run.
He is versatile, athletic, and has a unique combination of "embrace the grind" wrestling and unorthodox striking attacks. He's just as likely to mash an opponent against the fence as he is to throw a spinning back-kick, and that's not something many fighters do. The knock on him is that he rarely goes out of his way to finish a fighter, and when he does it is usually the result of a positional mistake that allows a front choke or RNC. In fact his 10 submission wins are ALL front chokes or RNCs. He outworks fighters and beats them in the later rounds with his perseverance and endurance. The good news is the you'll probably see the final bell with Bendo, the bad news is that you probably won't win.
Michael Chandler is perhaps Ben Henderson's polar opposite. Of Iron Mike's 15 wins, only 2 have been by decision and the last one was more than 5 years ago. He has D-1 All-American wrestling credentials but has grown into a devastating striker. Patricky Pitbull, Dave Rickles, and Akihiro Gono have all been leveled by his explosive punches in the opening round. Eddie Alvarez, Rick Hawn, Derek Campos, and Marcin Held can all attest to his submission ability as well. It isn't pretty, but if you are in trouble on the ground and give Chandler positional dominance he (like Henderson) will choke your lights out.
Chandler's kryptonite has been his inability to pace himself in long fights. He has never won a decision in a 5-round fight and 2 of his 3 losses were decided by the judges. Chandler relies on his explosiveness and aggression, two qualities that tend to suffer as a tough fight wears on. At his best he is a whirlwind of destruction, at his worst he is an easy target who walks into punches looking for a kill shot. In his epic fights with Eddie Alvarez he had difficulty sustaining his offense from round to round. One round he would look dominant, the next he would look like the walking dead as he moved around trying to recharge his depleted batteries. He was tough enough to see the final bell in his close decision losses to Will Brooks and Eddie Alvarez, but his fatigue in later rounds caught up to him both times. He also has glaring defensive issues: he loves coming forward but hardly ever moves his head or parries punches and he rarely cuts angles.
The X-factor here is the timing of the matchup. Henderson was a blue-chip free agent this year when he signed with Bellator, but he hasn't looked good in his new home. Partly it was his reach exceeding his grasp. His first fight was against then 170 champ Andre Koreshkov. Henderson pulled every trick he could in that fight, but it was never competitive. Andre tee'd off on Ben for 5 rounds and did everything but stop him.
His next fight was against former 145 kingpin Patricio Pitbull and the outcome bizarre to say the least. Most people chalked up Ben's loss in his Bellator debut to the fact that he was fighting a larger, rangier fighter with real power. Against a puffed-up featherweight who only stood 5'6", most fans thought that Ben would play the outside and be far too active for the power-punching style of Pitbull. In a bizarre role-reversal, it was Ben pressuring throughout the fight as Pitbull played the outside and tried to land single punches. Although he pressed forward the entire time, Ben was surprisingly inactive and offered little meaningful offense against a fighter who was naturally much smaller. The Ben Henderson who threw everything he could against a gigantic welterweight seemed tentative against a short featherweight. I gave Pitbull the first round and during the 2nd he suffered an injury when Henderson checked one of his kicks. Ben got the win he needed, but the fans were not pleased with his performance and boos rained down during his post-fight interview.
Michael Chandler is coming into this fight riding a streak that has marked the rebirth of his MMA career. After 2 losses to Will Brooks (one by stoppage), some were questioning whether Iron Mike had seen his best days in the sport and would be relegated to gate-keeper status. After blasting Derek Campos and Caveman Rickels, Chandler got a shot at the vacant lightweight title against Patricky Pitbull and made the most of it with highlight-reel KO in the opening round. As far as momentum goes it is clear that Chandler is regaining his stride while Henderson has yet to truly find his footing.
This is a legacy fight. Henderson has made a career out of defeating the top names in the sport and if he adds the Bellator title to his list of accomplishments it's hard to keep him out of the discussion when talking about the greatest lightweights of all time. Michael Chandler has been a crowd-pleaser from day one, but hasn't hasn't defeated the NAMES necessary to take his place among the division's elite in the eyes of most fans. A dominant win is necessary for both fighters to silence the critics and nothing can be more motivating than that.
Tuesday, November 15, 2016
Friday, October 28, 2016
Breakdowns: Liam McGeary vs Phil Davis
Going to be a busy few months. People always ask me what I do with my time off between Bellator and PBC shows. The truth is that I generally train BJJ and write. To actually get my technique back for a few weeks is a great feeling, but it always gives way to another stretch on the road. Some serious title fights are on the horizon, so I might as well get some thoughts on paper while I can.
Phil Davis vs Liam McGeary
Mohegan Sun 11-04, Light-Heavyweight Belt on the line.
Well, this one has been a long time coming. Phil jumped right into Bellator and was faced with a one-night four-man tournament for the right to face Liam for his 205 belt. Davis looked great that night and easily dispatched Emmanuel Newton and Francis Carmont on his way to the tournament title. It wasn't just the opponents and the dominance, it was the versatility as well. He submitted the former champ who had shown great submission defense against McGeary, then he got his first KO since 2009.
The fact that King Mo was supposed to meet Davis in the finals led to them having a showdown in San Jose the following spring. Davis dominated the third round in a very close fight to earn his title shot. When it comes to 205 in Bellator, its clear that Davis is the #1 contender and the "UFC free agent vs established Bellator champ" match that so many have wondered about will finally happen.
Liam McGeary has been nothing less than a British wrecking-ball in Bellator. He has gone 8-0 in our cage and 11-0 overall with 10 finishes. Another impressive stat is that he has 5 wins via sub, and 5 by KO. The guy has shown that he can win anywhere and in impressive fashion. Not only does he have impressive submission skills, but his build allows him to strike from just about anywhere. He has TWO inverted triangle submissions: one against Kelly Anundson and another against Tito Ortiz.
The key to this fight has been Liam's tendency in recent fights to accept takedowns in order to work from his back. In the Tito Ortiz and Kelly Anundson fights he was taken down with no difficulty at all but was able to capitalize early with quick submissions. Against Emmanuel Newton his tendency to rely on his submission skills nearly cost him as he was unable to submit Newton and the judges awarded him a win that could have gone either way.
In interviews leading up to this fight Liam has expressed unwavering confidence in his BJJ game. He has also framed the contest as a "BJJ vs Wrestling" type of fight. The first problem with that analysis is that Phil has exceptional BJJ skills in his own right. I know from painful experience (Click here to see Rolling With Jimmy) that Phil is excellent at putting pressure on his opponents and has a fantastic kimura. Phil was able to finish Emmanuel Newton in the first round, an opponent Liam couldn't catch in 25 minutes.
The second problem is that the judging criteria in MMA is a bit uncertain when it comes to an aggressive guard vs moderate ground and pound. Many of the rounds in Liam's fight vs Newton could have gone either way, depending on whether you preferred the GnP of Newton or the submission attacks of McGeary. The last thing Liam wants is to let his title slip away because judges generally go for the fighter on top.
Against King Mo, Phil Davis was content to test his boxing out for the first 2 rounds and only went to his takedown when he had Mo hurt in the 3rd stanza. The reason for that is simple: Mo is one hell of a wrestler. Davis wasn't about to lose all of his precious energy fighting for a difficult takedown when he had confidence in his striking skills. Thats not a concern he faces against Liam. Liam has yet too see a takedown in Bellator that he didn't readily accept, and Phil has a HEALTHY respect for Liam's KO power. That combination should result in some early takedown attempts by Phil (I'd be surprised if it took more than a minute for the first one).
Both fighters have to keep the pressure on in their respective comfort zones. Phil Davis has never been finished in his pro career, so Liam has to be ready for 5 hard rounds of throwing volume on the feet and chaining submissions together on the ground. Phil has to respect the finishing ability of a guy who has only seen the final bell once in 11 fights, so staying in Liam's chest and working for takedown after takedown will probably be the order of the day.
Scrambling positions with be VERY interesting considering Liam's build and Davis' speed. The guy who makes a mistake getting into or out of a position might find themselves in deep trouble. If the straight "sprawl and brawl" strategy doesn't fit Liam (which it hasn't so far), he might roll for something crazy as Phil latches onto a takedown, so Phil has to be aware at all times.
Ring rust might also be a serious issue for the champ. It has been just over a year since Liam tapped out Tito in his first title defense. A knee issue has kept Liam sidelined while Phil has fought 3 times. Liam can't afford a slow start to ease his way back into competition and Phil probably wouldn't allow one anyway. Liam's timing has to be sharp from the opening against an aggressive and confident Phil Davis.
Love to know what the fans think. I'm looking forward to one hell of a fight.
Check out rolling with Jimmy below:
Phil Davis vs Liam McGeary
Mohegan Sun 11-04, Light-Heavyweight Belt on the line.
Well, this one has been a long time coming. Phil jumped right into Bellator and was faced with a one-night four-man tournament for the right to face Liam for his 205 belt. Davis looked great that night and easily dispatched Emmanuel Newton and Francis Carmont on his way to the tournament title. It wasn't just the opponents and the dominance, it was the versatility as well. He submitted the former champ who had shown great submission defense against McGeary, then he got his first KO since 2009.
The fact that King Mo was supposed to meet Davis in the finals led to them having a showdown in San Jose the following spring. Davis dominated the third round in a very close fight to earn his title shot. When it comes to 205 in Bellator, its clear that Davis is the #1 contender and the "UFC free agent vs established Bellator champ" match that so many have wondered about will finally happen.
Liam McGeary has been nothing less than a British wrecking-ball in Bellator. He has gone 8-0 in our cage and 11-0 overall with 10 finishes. Another impressive stat is that he has 5 wins via sub, and 5 by KO. The guy has shown that he can win anywhere and in impressive fashion. Not only does he have impressive submission skills, but his build allows him to strike from just about anywhere. He has TWO inverted triangle submissions: one against Kelly Anundson and another against Tito Ortiz.
The key to this fight has been Liam's tendency in recent fights to accept takedowns in order to work from his back. In the Tito Ortiz and Kelly Anundson fights he was taken down with no difficulty at all but was able to capitalize early with quick submissions. Against Emmanuel Newton his tendency to rely on his submission skills nearly cost him as he was unable to submit Newton and the judges awarded him a win that could have gone either way.
In interviews leading up to this fight Liam has expressed unwavering confidence in his BJJ game. He has also framed the contest as a "BJJ vs Wrestling" type of fight. The first problem with that analysis is that Phil has exceptional BJJ skills in his own right. I know from painful experience (Click here to see Rolling With Jimmy) that Phil is excellent at putting pressure on his opponents and has a fantastic kimura. Phil was able to finish Emmanuel Newton in the first round, an opponent Liam couldn't catch in 25 minutes.
The second problem is that the judging criteria in MMA is a bit uncertain when it comes to an aggressive guard vs moderate ground and pound. Many of the rounds in Liam's fight vs Newton could have gone either way, depending on whether you preferred the GnP of Newton or the submission attacks of McGeary. The last thing Liam wants is to let his title slip away because judges generally go for the fighter on top.
Against King Mo, Phil Davis was content to test his boxing out for the first 2 rounds and only went to his takedown when he had Mo hurt in the 3rd stanza. The reason for that is simple: Mo is one hell of a wrestler. Davis wasn't about to lose all of his precious energy fighting for a difficult takedown when he had confidence in his striking skills. Thats not a concern he faces against Liam. Liam has yet too see a takedown in Bellator that he didn't readily accept, and Phil has a HEALTHY respect for Liam's KO power. That combination should result in some early takedown attempts by Phil (I'd be surprised if it took more than a minute for the first one).
Both fighters have to keep the pressure on in their respective comfort zones. Phil Davis has never been finished in his pro career, so Liam has to be ready for 5 hard rounds of throwing volume on the feet and chaining submissions together on the ground. Phil has to respect the finishing ability of a guy who has only seen the final bell once in 11 fights, so staying in Liam's chest and working for takedown after takedown will probably be the order of the day.
Scrambling positions with be VERY interesting considering Liam's build and Davis' speed. The guy who makes a mistake getting into or out of a position might find themselves in deep trouble. If the straight "sprawl and brawl" strategy doesn't fit Liam (which it hasn't so far), he might roll for something crazy as Phil latches onto a takedown, so Phil has to be aware at all times.
Ring rust might also be a serious issue for the champ. It has been just over a year since Liam tapped out Tito in his first title defense. A knee issue has kept Liam sidelined while Phil has fought 3 times. Liam can't afford a slow start to ease his way back into competition and Phil probably wouldn't allow one anyway. Liam's timing has to be sharp from the opening against an aggressive and confident Phil Davis.
Love to know what the fans think. I'm looking forward to one hell of a fight.
Check out rolling with Jimmy below:
Monday, September 26, 2016
Growing up Gracie
I remember seeing Kron Gracie on the mat many times in the blue belt and purple belt divisions when we were competing at the same time ten or so years ago. I remember one time in particular that stands out to this day. Kron was about 16 years old and was competing in a big tournament (I think the nationals) in the adult blue belt division. He lost on points to a guy who looked to be in his mid-20s. After the win the guy ran around the mat celebrating and jumped into his teammates arms like he just won Olympic gold. Bear in mind that Kron probably didn't have hair on his nuts at this point and had lost to a full grown man by a point or two.
I'll never forget the look of pure RAGE on Kron's face that day as he watched this guy celebrating at his expense. That was the first time it dawned on me how hard it must be to grow up carrying the Gracie name.
During my competition days, 5 Gracies were on the mat consistently: Kron, Ralek, Riron, Rener, and Clark (I only saw Clark at big tournaments, I saw the rest all the time). They won most of the time, but not EVERY time. They took their lumps sometimes just like everyone else, and when they did it was an EVENT. People crowded around the mat. They yelled, they cheered, they gasped, they sat in stunned silence: a Gracie had just lost. Whenever one of my teammates was nervous about competing I would ask them:
"Do you know how many times Marcello Garcia lost as a blue belt?"
"Um...no"
"Neither do I. No one gives a shit about this match, get out there and have some fun."
Your first few years of competition are SUPPOSED to be anonymous. You are supposed to lose when no one gives a shit and no one is really watching. Your first MMA fights are supposed to be on an undercard when no one is in the stands with just your friends and relatives screaming for you. The Gracies don't get that luxury, everyone pays attention when they fight. When Kron took on Bill Cooper at Copa Pacifica the crowd was silent and intense, and the these were a couple of purple belts who weren't old enough to drink legally.
There is a special edge to Kron Gracie's legacy of course: he's Rickson's son.
There has always been a tendency to lump the Gracies together into a single, monolithic clan. Nothing could be further from the truth of course. That family has more branches than a 500-year-old oak tree and more rivalries than the Mafia. In a group that large there is room for all kinds of people. Most Gracies have excellent technique due to the simple fact that its hard NOT to when you do a sport from birth and have a whole family of experts to support you, but not all of them have been outstanding competitors. When you ask old-timers about certain Gracies they will roll their eyes dismissively and say something like; "Porra! That mutherfucker never win nothing in Brazil, just have the name!" Like in any family, some were more cut out to be outstanding businessmen, instructors, promoters etc. When it comes to the competitive side, one name stands out above all others: Rickson.
Most people know the story: Rickson was the undefeated lion of the Gracie family. Either in a tournament or on the beach his skills are legend. I have heard a million stories of him wiping the floor with an entire class full of world champions. My coach on the Fight Quest BJJ episode was a Rickson disciple who told me point-blank: "I've been training for 25 years and Rickson toys with me like a child. In all this time I'm no closer to competing with him than I was when I knew nothing". That's a scary thought when you remember how long that guy has been training, but its the same thing I've heard in various academies a million times. The shame from a historical perspective is that few of Rickson's competitive matches survive to this day. He stopped competing in the 80's and, as a result, there are only a handful of grainy clips on youtube of the famous Rickson at the end of his tournament career. They are impressive to say the least, he blows most guys out before they even know what's happening. The only match of any length is his war with a young Rigan Machado, but the quality of the videos makes it difficult to see many details in their techniques. There is no video of him losing, because in BJJ he never did. His only official defeat was in a Sambo tournament when he was thrown and lost, similar to an Ippon in Judo.
Following up on a legacy like that must be a motherfucker, but it seems that Kron has the mentality to do it. Of the Gracies I saw compete, Kron has proven to be the best of that class. He has world titles in the purple and brown belt divisions and a silver at black in 2011 to go along with a host of major tournament titles. He medaled twice at ADCC (all his loses to Marcello Garcia) and tapped ALL of his opposition on his way to gold in 2013. Two things immediately stand out to someone who knows BJJ when they see Kron compete. The first thing is that his style is BASIC. He doesn't rely on fancy tricks or techniques nor does he employ a ton of guard variations and crazy attacks. He sticks to the basics and has incredible fundamentals that opponents can't keep up with. The second thing is that he is phenomenally aggressive. At ADCC in 2013 he submitted EVERYONE he fought. He hasn't just beaten world champions like Leandro Lo, Otavio Souza, and Gilbert Burns, he's submitted them in competition (although Burns DID get payback at the 2011 Worlds, beating Kron in the final). In high-level BJJ I've seen guys win world titles without submitting anyone. The submission at the professional level of the sport, with time limits etc., is comparatively rare. Kron submits the best with regularity.
Of course Kron has stepped into the professional MMA world. Last weekend he defeated Hideo Tokoro in the main event of the Rizin promotion's 2nd show in Japan. A lot of people have asked me how I think he will do in his MMA career and I always answer the same way: it depends on whether or not he makes it a career. Consistency has really been a problem for the Gracies in MMA when it comes to evaluating their competitive legacy. Royce, Renzo, Rickson, Rolles Jr., Roger, Rodrigo, Ryan, Gregor, Ralph, Royler, Daniel, Igor, Neiman, Ralek, Crosley, Roggan, Carlson Jr., Robbin, Cesar, and Rhalan have all made appearances in MMA (might be missing a couple somewhere). Their total number of fights: 150, that makes for 7.5 fights per Gracie. Neiman Gracie has fought in the Bellator cage and has averaged about a fight a year, Kron has averaged about the same in his 3-fight career as well.
Once a year does not an MMA career make. One of the obvious issues is that most fighters start off their careers fighting fairly regularly, then taper off as the stakes and purses get bigger. Kron, however, is fighting in main events and its his 3rd MMA fight. The dues-paying years when you have to fight every month to pay the bills don't necessarily exist when you have a famous last name. Also, every Gracie has a built-in career waiting at home. Kron has an academy here in Southern California. No matter what happens in the cage or the ring, his financial future is fairly secure as long its doors remain open. The economic reality is that the VAST majority of Gracies can make far more money running academies and giving seminars than they can from fight purses, Kron is no exception in that regard.
I was fortunate to be ringside for his fight with Asen Yamamoto. Any time a fighter taps AND goes out, its one tight choke. That kind of slickness and technique is a thing of beauty to watch. Talking to Joe Shilling about Kron he had nothing but praise for Kron's standup ability, so I believe he has the will to become well rounded and dangerous in every area. If he is willing to fight with consistency, we might see a new lion emerge in the Gracie family.
I'll never forget the look of pure RAGE on Kron's face that day as he watched this guy celebrating at his expense. That was the first time it dawned on me how hard it must be to grow up carrying the Gracie name.
During my competition days, 5 Gracies were on the mat consistently: Kron, Ralek, Riron, Rener, and Clark (I only saw Clark at big tournaments, I saw the rest all the time). They won most of the time, but not EVERY time. They took their lumps sometimes just like everyone else, and when they did it was an EVENT. People crowded around the mat. They yelled, they cheered, they gasped, they sat in stunned silence: a Gracie had just lost. Whenever one of my teammates was nervous about competing I would ask them:
"Do you know how many times Marcello Garcia lost as a blue belt?"
"Um...no"
"Neither do I. No one gives a shit about this match, get out there and have some fun."
Your first few years of competition are SUPPOSED to be anonymous. You are supposed to lose when no one gives a shit and no one is really watching. Your first MMA fights are supposed to be on an undercard when no one is in the stands with just your friends and relatives screaming for you. The Gracies don't get that luxury, everyone pays attention when they fight. When Kron took on Bill Cooper at Copa Pacifica the crowd was silent and intense, and the these were a couple of purple belts who weren't old enough to drink legally.
There is a special edge to Kron Gracie's legacy of course: he's Rickson's son.
There has always been a tendency to lump the Gracies together into a single, monolithic clan. Nothing could be further from the truth of course. That family has more branches than a 500-year-old oak tree and more rivalries than the Mafia. In a group that large there is room for all kinds of people. Most Gracies have excellent technique due to the simple fact that its hard NOT to when you do a sport from birth and have a whole family of experts to support you, but not all of them have been outstanding competitors. When you ask old-timers about certain Gracies they will roll their eyes dismissively and say something like; "Porra! That mutherfucker never win nothing in Brazil, just have the name!" Like in any family, some were more cut out to be outstanding businessmen, instructors, promoters etc. When it comes to the competitive side, one name stands out above all others: Rickson.
Most people know the story: Rickson was the undefeated lion of the Gracie family. Either in a tournament or on the beach his skills are legend. I have heard a million stories of him wiping the floor with an entire class full of world champions. My coach on the Fight Quest BJJ episode was a Rickson disciple who told me point-blank: "I've been training for 25 years and Rickson toys with me like a child. In all this time I'm no closer to competing with him than I was when I knew nothing". That's a scary thought when you remember how long that guy has been training, but its the same thing I've heard in various academies a million times. The shame from a historical perspective is that few of Rickson's competitive matches survive to this day. He stopped competing in the 80's and, as a result, there are only a handful of grainy clips on youtube of the famous Rickson at the end of his tournament career. They are impressive to say the least, he blows most guys out before they even know what's happening. The only match of any length is his war with a young Rigan Machado, but the quality of the videos makes it difficult to see many details in their techniques. There is no video of him losing, because in BJJ he never did. His only official defeat was in a Sambo tournament when he was thrown and lost, similar to an Ippon in Judo.
Following up on a legacy like that must be a motherfucker, but it seems that Kron has the mentality to do it. Of the Gracies I saw compete, Kron has proven to be the best of that class. He has world titles in the purple and brown belt divisions and a silver at black in 2011 to go along with a host of major tournament titles. He medaled twice at ADCC (all his loses to Marcello Garcia) and tapped ALL of his opposition on his way to gold in 2013. Two things immediately stand out to someone who knows BJJ when they see Kron compete. The first thing is that his style is BASIC. He doesn't rely on fancy tricks or techniques nor does he employ a ton of guard variations and crazy attacks. He sticks to the basics and has incredible fundamentals that opponents can't keep up with. The second thing is that he is phenomenally aggressive. At ADCC in 2013 he submitted EVERYONE he fought. He hasn't just beaten world champions like Leandro Lo, Otavio Souza, and Gilbert Burns, he's submitted them in competition (although Burns DID get payback at the 2011 Worlds, beating Kron in the final). In high-level BJJ I've seen guys win world titles without submitting anyone. The submission at the professional level of the sport, with time limits etc., is comparatively rare. Kron submits the best with regularity.
Of course Kron has stepped into the professional MMA world. Last weekend he defeated Hideo Tokoro in the main event of the Rizin promotion's 2nd show in Japan. A lot of people have asked me how I think he will do in his MMA career and I always answer the same way: it depends on whether or not he makes it a career. Consistency has really been a problem for the Gracies in MMA when it comes to evaluating their competitive legacy. Royce, Renzo, Rickson, Rolles Jr., Roger, Rodrigo, Ryan, Gregor, Ralph, Royler, Daniel, Igor, Neiman, Ralek, Crosley, Roggan, Carlson Jr., Robbin, Cesar, and Rhalan have all made appearances in MMA (might be missing a couple somewhere). Their total number of fights: 150, that makes for 7.5 fights per Gracie. Neiman Gracie has fought in the Bellator cage and has averaged about a fight a year, Kron has averaged about the same in his 3-fight career as well.
Once a year does not an MMA career make. One of the obvious issues is that most fighters start off their careers fighting fairly regularly, then taper off as the stakes and purses get bigger. Kron, however, is fighting in main events and its his 3rd MMA fight. The dues-paying years when you have to fight every month to pay the bills don't necessarily exist when you have a famous last name. Also, every Gracie has a built-in career waiting at home. Kron has an academy here in Southern California. No matter what happens in the cage or the ring, his financial future is fairly secure as long its doors remain open. The economic reality is that the VAST majority of Gracies can make far more money running academies and giving seminars than they can from fight purses, Kron is no exception in that regard.
I was fortunate to be ringside for his fight with Asen Yamamoto. Any time a fighter taps AND goes out, its one tight choke. That kind of slickness and technique is a thing of beauty to watch. Talking to Joe Shilling about Kron he had nothing but praise for Kron's standup ability, so I believe he has the will to become well rounded and dangerous in every area. If he is willing to fight with consistency, we might see a new lion emerge in the Gracie family.
Friday, September 23, 2016
Chael P. and the free-agent thing...
Well, Bellator has made another interesting free-agent signing. This one even took ME by surprise.
Contrary to popular belief, I am not usually informed of upper-management decisions at Bellator unless I am called upon to say something about it in public (interview the fighter, shoot a video etc.). As a result I had no clue that he was signed until read about it online.
Free-agency has been a HUGE story in 2016. Phil Davis made the jump to Bellator, followed by Ben Henderson, then Rory MacDonald, and now Chael Sonnen. In terms of star-power, he has to be the biggest acquisition since Tito Ortiz and has the potential to draw a ton of eyeballs to the Bellator brand.
Free-agency is a great way to draw instant attention to a particular promotion or team, but a lot of strategic thought goes with it. Snagging a coveted free-agent in any sport can be a game changer, but one has to keep their eye on the overall prize: making the team, or promotion in this case, a more competitive unit. In this regard the Bellator signings over the past year fit well into an overall brand-building strategy. The key to that strategy is that all of the free-agent fighters fall into competitive divisions where there are options for instantly relevant fights.
Phil Davis dropped right into the mix at 205 and won a Bellator 4-man tournament in his promotional debut. He defeated King Mo and has a title fight lined up with the undefeated champ Liam McGeary. No need for any softballs or tune-ups: Davis made a huge impact in a competitive division.
Ben Henderson, Rory MacDonald, and Chael Sonnen all have expressed interest in fighting in multiple weight classes. Henderson dove right into the deep end of the pool and took on 170 kingpin Andrey Koreshkov. I admire his confidence and willingness to bang, but his reach in that case clearly exceeded his grasp and he took a one-sided beating in his Bellator debut. The upside to having aspirations in more than one division is that a loss in a move up can be forgiven fairly easily. Case in point: after a bizarre finish to his match with Pitbull, Henderson will now face Michael Chandler for his 155 strap in November. Its been a rocky road, but fans will get the matchup they wanted when both fighters held belts in rival organizations a couple years back.
Chael Sonnen has the same which-way-will-the-knight-move kind of ability (yeah I play chess, go ahead make fun of me). He has had most of his success at 185, but has competed at light-heavy (most recently against Rashad Evans and Shogun Rua) and seems willing to make a fight at 265 for the right dollar amount. While he made reference in his Bellator TV debut to a "legends" ass-kicking tour the simple fact is that there are very few legends actively fighting in Bellator, and even fewer who would make a compelling fight for the American Gangster. Kimbo is gone, Ken Shamrock (provided he ever fights again after 2 terrible showings) would be a like throwing a steak to a wolf, Royce Gracie would be another terrible matchup, and I have heard nothing about the return of Stephan Bonnar. Wanderlei Silva (a name with a lot of history when it comes to Chael) is still serving a suspension and is scheduled to fight overseas before he makes any moves inside the Bellator cage.
The only real "legends" fight that makes any sense is Tito Ortiz. The buildup alone to a fight between two of the biggest trash-talkers in the sport would draw plenty of people in and get unprecedented mainstream coverage (please GOD no more dudes in masks in the cage, I still have nightmares about that night). It's also a fairly easy sell: Tito looked good in his last fight against Liam McGeary. He was lean and looked like he had gotten through camp injury-free. I actually had him ahead until the champ locked in the reverse triangle. If he can do another 6-8 weeks camp (no small task considering his age and history) he could give the fans one last solid performance against Chael.
Lets, for arguments sake, say that Chael's first fight is against Tito and he comes out on top. THAT'S when the real difficulties begin. Although he has been at his best at 185, he hasn't cut to middleweight in 4 years. Cutting weight gets exponentially more difficult as you get older, and dropping to 185 at 39 years old and with 3 years off is no easy task. Although he has expressed an interest in dropping to middleweight again, the physical reality of getting there might be a bit a challenge. Furthermore, there isn't a ton motivation for Chael to make a challenging cut in the first place as the big name fights are currently at 205. Middleweight is an entertaining division is Bellator, but lacks a name with mainstream star power. Rory MacDonald would be an interesting addition to the division and could make a compelling fight against Chael, but I think he will want to test out the waters at welter before making a leap in weight-class.
Assuming he stays at 205, his showdown with Tito Ortiz (a fight with its own set of challenges) is about as easy as the road gets for Chael. Waiting in the wings would be King Mo, Linton Vassel, Phil Davis, and Liam McGeary: ALL of them tough challenges who would love to put a victory over the American Gangster on their resume. If his (hypothetical) performance against Tito were sufficiently impressive, it would be hard to keep him out of a title shot against the winner of McGeary/Davis, two BIG light-heavyweights who Sonnen acknowledges as great fighters.
When it comes to Chael there is a MASSIVE elephant in the room and it involves the label that is the most tenacious in the world of MMA: doper. Everyone knows about the positive tests that led to Sonnen's suspension in 2011 and his retirement in 2014. He can make light of it as much as he likes, but its an issue that Bellator has clearly taken seriously. His contract contains a clause that if he fails a USADA test he forfeits his entire purse, plus a 500,000$ fine. There are few MMA fighter on Earth who could afford a half-million dollar fine. This is a "bankruptcy-level" fine designed to let Sonnen know that he has no wiggle-room when it comes to PEDs. Of course he knows it was in the deal he signed and he manned up, knowing he's got to be clean the rest of his foreseeable career. The problem is that its a tough label to shake. If Chael looks any smaller, or slower, or hell, ANYTHING is different on the scale or in the cage the fans will immediately grumble that the best parts of the American Gangster came out of a syringe. Chael may claim not give a wet fart what the fans think, but the urge to compete generally comes with an urge to leave a legacy you can be proud of and the strictness of the Bellator contract will allow the MMA fans to find out what Chael P. Sonnen is really made of.
On the technical side (the side I'm most interested in), Sonnen is an interesting case to say the least. He has beaten some of the best in the world over the length of his career and has wins over the current UFC champ Michael Bisping, Nate Marquardt, Shogun Rua, and my commentating colleague Brian Stann. On the down side is a history of mental lapses in fights, especially on the ground, many in fights he was clearly winning.
Most current MMA fans remember his performances against Anderson Silva. I must have watched their first fight half a dozen times. MAN he had that fight in the BAG!! When he gave up the fight-ending triangle with 2 minutes left in the fight, he was so far ahead that Silva could have LITERALLY won the round 10-6 and Sonnen would have won majority decision. In the rematch, another he was ahead in, Sonnen's undoing was an ill-advised spinning backfist attempt after he had CRUSHED Silva with his ground and pound for 5 solid minutes.
What the younger fans might not remember are his fights with Jeremy Horn, Renato Sobral, and his first fight with Paulo Filho. In each fight he was on top working his ground and pound and fell by submission. The Sobral fight was about even, he was ahead against Horn, and he was DESTROYING Filho when the end came. Its important to keep in mind that all of these guys had incredible submission games, but it shows that the result of the Anderson Silva fights fit into a troubling overall pattern of technical lapses in competitive, and in some cases dominant, fights. Two of the biggest wins of his career, against Rua and Bisping, have come AFTER this string of late blunders, so hopefully he has addressed that area of his game and made the necessary corrections.
Sonnet's mouth may be front page news to the rest of the MMA world, but I'm intrigued to see what he can do with his fists in the new chair of his career.
Contrary to popular belief, I am not usually informed of upper-management decisions at Bellator unless I am called upon to say something about it in public (interview the fighter, shoot a video etc.). As a result I had no clue that he was signed until read about it online.
Free-agency has been a HUGE story in 2016. Phil Davis made the jump to Bellator, followed by Ben Henderson, then Rory MacDonald, and now Chael Sonnen. In terms of star-power, he has to be the biggest acquisition since Tito Ortiz and has the potential to draw a ton of eyeballs to the Bellator brand.
Free-agency is a great way to draw instant attention to a particular promotion or team, but a lot of strategic thought goes with it. Snagging a coveted free-agent in any sport can be a game changer, but one has to keep their eye on the overall prize: making the team, or promotion in this case, a more competitive unit. In this regard the Bellator signings over the past year fit well into an overall brand-building strategy. The key to that strategy is that all of the free-agent fighters fall into competitive divisions where there are options for instantly relevant fights.
Phil Davis dropped right into the mix at 205 and won a Bellator 4-man tournament in his promotional debut. He defeated King Mo and has a title fight lined up with the undefeated champ Liam McGeary. No need for any softballs or tune-ups: Davis made a huge impact in a competitive division.
Ben Henderson, Rory MacDonald, and Chael Sonnen all have expressed interest in fighting in multiple weight classes. Henderson dove right into the deep end of the pool and took on 170 kingpin Andrey Koreshkov. I admire his confidence and willingness to bang, but his reach in that case clearly exceeded his grasp and he took a one-sided beating in his Bellator debut. The upside to having aspirations in more than one division is that a loss in a move up can be forgiven fairly easily. Case in point: after a bizarre finish to his match with Pitbull, Henderson will now face Michael Chandler for his 155 strap in November. Its been a rocky road, but fans will get the matchup they wanted when both fighters held belts in rival organizations a couple years back.
Chael Sonnen has the same which-way-will-the-knight-move kind of ability (yeah I play chess, go ahead make fun of me). He has had most of his success at 185, but has competed at light-heavy (most recently against Rashad Evans and Shogun Rua) and seems willing to make a fight at 265 for the right dollar amount. While he made reference in his Bellator TV debut to a "legends" ass-kicking tour the simple fact is that there are very few legends actively fighting in Bellator, and even fewer who would make a compelling fight for the American Gangster. Kimbo is gone, Ken Shamrock (provided he ever fights again after 2 terrible showings) would be a like throwing a steak to a wolf, Royce Gracie would be another terrible matchup, and I have heard nothing about the return of Stephan Bonnar. Wanderlei Silva (a name with a lot of history when it comes to Chael) is still serving a suspension and is scheduled to fight overseas before he makes any moves inside the Bellator cage.
The only real "legends" fight that makes any sense is Tito Ortiz. The buildup alone to a fight between two of the biggest trash-talkers in the sport would draw plenty of people in and get unprecedented mainstream coverage (please GOD no more dudes in masks in the cage, I still have nightmares about that night). It's also a fairly easy sell: Tito looked good in his last fight against Liam McGeary. He was lean and looked like he had gotten through camp injury-free. I actually had him ahead until the champ locked in the reverse triangle. If he can do another 6-8 weeks camp (no small task considering his age and history) he could give the fans one last solid performance against Chael.
Lets, for arguments sake, say that Chael's first fight is against Tito and he comes out on top. THAT'S when the real difficulties begin. Although he has been at his best at 185, he hasn't cut to middleweight in 4 years. Cutting weight gets exponentially more difficult as you get older, and dropping to 185 at 39 years old and with 3 years off is no easy task. Although he has expressed an interest in dropping to middleweight again, the physical reality of getting there might be a bit a challenge. Furthermore, there isn't a ton motivation for Chael to make a challenging cut in the first place as the big name fights are currently at 205. Middleweight is an entertaining division is Bellator, but lacks a name with mainstream star power. Rory MacDonald would be an interesting addition to the division and could make a compelling fight against Chael, but I think he will want to test out the waters at welter before making a leap in weight-class.
Assuming he stays at 205, his showdown with Tito Ortiz (a fight with its own set of challenges) is about as easy as the road gets for Chael. Waiting in the wings would be King Mo, Linton Vassel, Phil Davis, and Liam McGeary: ALL of them tough challenges who would love to put a victory over the American Gangster on their resume. If his (hypothetical) performance against Tito were sufficiently impressive, it would be hard to keep him out of a title shot against the winner of McGeary/Davis, two BIG light-heavyweights who Sonnen acknowledges as great fighters.
When it comes to Chael there is a MASSIVE elephant in the room and it involves the label that is the most tenacious in the world of MMA: doper. Everyone knows about the positive tests that led to Sonnen's suspension in 2011 and his retirement in 2014. He can make light of it as much as he likes, but its an issue that Bellator has clearly taken seriously. His contract contains a clause that if he fails a USADA test he forfeits his entire purse, plus a 500,000$ fine. There are few MMA fighter on Earth who could afford a half-million dollar fine. This is a "bankruptcy-level" fine designed to let Sonnen know that he has no wiggle-room when it comes to PEDs. Of course he knows it was in the deal he signed and he manned up, knowing he's got to be clean the rest of his foreseeable career. The problem is that its a tough label to shake. If Chael looks any smaller, or slower, or hell, ANYTHING is different on the scale or in the cage the fans will immediately grumble that the best parts of the American Gangster came out of a syringe. Chael may claim not give a wet fart what the fans think, but the urge to compete generally comes with an urge to leave a legacy you can be proud of and the strictness of the Bellator contract will allow the MMA fans to find out what Chael P. Sonnen is really made of.
On the technical side (the side I'm most interested in), Sonnen is an interesting case to say the least. He has beaten some of the best in the world over the length of his career and has wins over the current UFC champ Michael Bisping, Nate Marquardt, Shogun Rua, and my commentating colleague Brian Stann. On the down side is a history of mental lapses in fights, especially on the ground, many in fights he was clearly winning.
Most current MMA fans remember his performances against Anderson Silva. I must have watched their first fight half a dozen times. MAN he had that fight in the BAG!! When he gave up the fight-ending triangle with 2 minutes left in the fight, he was so far ahead that Silva could have LITERALLY won the round 10-6 and Sonnen would have won majority decision. In the rematch, another he was ahead in, Sonnen's undoing was an ill-advised spinning backfist attempt after he had CRUSHED Silva with his ground and pound for 5 solid minutes.
What the younger fans might not remember are his fights with Jeremy Horn, Renato Sobral, and his first fight with Paulo Filho. In each fight he was on top working his ground and pound and fell by submission. The Sobral fight was about even, he was ahead against Horn, and he was DESTROYING Filho when the end came. Its important to keep in mind that all of these guys had incredible submission games, but it shows that the result of the Anderson Silva fights fit into a troubling overall pattern of technical lapses in competitive, and in some cases dominant, fights. Two of the biggest wins of his career, against Rua and Bisping, have come AFTER this string of late blunders, so hopefully he has addressed that area of his game and made the necessary corrections.
Sonnet's mouth may be front page news to the rest of the MMA world, but I'm intrigued to see what he can do with his fists in the new chair of his career.
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