Lei Tong

An example of what I found to be "5 stars:" Hayato Sakurai vs. Frank Trigg: At the time, Sakurai was still undefeated, with the only blemish on his record being a draw with Marcelo Aguiar. Though he would avenge the loss with a decision victory, before the rematch Aguiar was stopped relatively easily by Trigg within 2 rounds. Trigg himself was undefeated, and had found succes in a few different organizations already, including Shooto, Evan Tanner's USWF, WEF and PRIDE. Trigg also offered a style not often seen in the Japanese organizations (especially Shooto) at the time: a strong wrestler who could throw leather as well. For the 1st round of the fight, Trigg brutalized Sakurai. He outwrestled him and bloodied him with G&P, at one point even moving Sakurai under the ring ropes and continuing with strikes, reminiscent of how Sakurai had finished Haraldo Bunn just a year before. However, in the 2nd round, Sakurai turned the tide with a picture perfect left hook which sent Trigg crumpling to the mat. Trigg popped back up and proclaimed no need for Shooto's standing 8 count or for the referee to check his condition, but upon reengaging, it was obvious that he was still feeling the affects of the punches. Sakurai followed up with some of his trademark kneestrikes, sending Trigg back to the mat two more times for the come-from-behind victory.

Oleg Taktarov 1. Was he ever regarded as the greatest fighter in the world? Was he ever regarded as the top fighter at his weight class? Was he ever regarded as the greatest fighter in his respective organization? - No to all. There could be an argument made for him after his UFC VI victory, but with an unavenged loss to Severn only months earlier, it's hard to proclaim that he was the best fighter in the UFC. 2. How many years did he have as a top fighter? Roughly 3 ('95-97). 3. Did his career decline or suffer over the years? - Yes. A combination of knee problems, conflicting goals and overestimation of his skills were his downfall. 4. Was he known for being an exciting fighter? - Yes, though there were exceptions. He was a very gutsy, never-back-down style fighter, but if his opponents wasn't bringing the fight to him, he would often wait back and engage only occasionally. 5. How many good fights or top quality fights has he been involved in? - If by "top quality" you're talking good back and forth action, the fight vs. Tank Abbott is widely considered one of the most dramatic of all time.Most of his other exciting fights, while entertaining, were often quick wins or losses. 6. How many memorable rivalries has he been involved? - None, though him & Marco Ruas were often seen as something resmbling competitive rivals. 7. What types of titles or tournaments has he won? - He won the UFC VI 8-man tournament. 8. Does the fighter’s win-loss record reflect a hall of fame caliber fighter? What was his record against top competition? - Oleg's record is a mixed bag. Despite wins over Abbott, Ruas & Beneteau (all quality wins at the time), he also had brutal KO losses to Renzo Gracie & Gary Goodridge, as well as relatively one-sided losses to Dan Severn (twice) & Ryushi Yanagisawa. 9. How did the fighter respond to losses? - Oleg was a fighter, and even after brutal losses, he went right back into the swing of things, often fighting elsewhere sortly thereafter. 10. Was he innovative or influential? Did he make an impact on the evolution of fighting and fighting styles? Did his career lead to any rule changes? - Oleg was one of the first submission stylists outside of Royce to have great success in the UFC. Also, perhaps fittingly, Oleg was also the recipient of the UFC's first TKO loss due to a cut (vs. Severn I). 11. Did this fighter evolve? Did he incorporate different styles and techniques? Did those techniques result in wins? - Later in his career, Oleg fancied himself as something of a boxer. Though this got him a quick win over the larger Sean Alvarez, it helped to result in the brutal loss to Gary Goodridge. 12. Did the fighter uphold the standard of sportsmanship? - Very much so. Oleg nary spoke a harsh word of anyone in or out of the ring, and was often seen as gentleman. 13. Was he the most popular in his promotion? Did he ever anchor a promotion? Was he ever the star? - No. The UFC relied more on Ken Shamrock's name during Oleg's tenure. 14. Was he able to transcend the sport? Did he gain mainstream recognition? - Kind of. Upon leaving MMA, Oleg realized his life-long dream of acting in movies. Though mostly relegated to small roles, he recieved praise for his performance in the otherwise underwhelmind film "15 Minutes."

Rickson Gracie 1. Was he ever regarded as the greatest fighter in the world? Was he ever regarded as the top fighter at his weight class? Was he ever regarded as the greatest fighter in his respective organization? - Though considered as best fighter in Brazil during his prime (though some Luta Livre members would dispute it), he never really achieved fame on an international scale until '94, and as most of the best fighters on the era never fought each other during that period, it's hard to say how highly he was regarded overall. It could be said that he was the best fighter in Shooto during the period (the Japan Vale Tudo events he won being sponsored by Sayama's org). 2. How many years did he have as a top fighter? - Another tough one to answer. He was a legend in Brazil for years before MMA became widespread, but an exact tiem frame is hard to figure. I suppose you could say he was considered a top level fighter from the early 80's up until his two JVT tournament wins. 3. Did his career decline or suffer over the years? - Inactivity kept him to 3 fights during the last 5 years of his career, though he never looked drastically different during his last match than druing most of his others matches. 4. Was he known for being an exciting fighter? - His matches were often entertaining, though "exciting" may be pushing. A single glaring exception his bout with Yoshihisa Yamamoto at JVT '95. 5. How many good fights or top quality fights has he been involved in? - Most of his opponent's were too outmatched for their bouts to be considered top quality. If you wan to be generous, you could give him the Funaki match. 6. How many memorable rivalries has he been involved? - Rickson v. Zulu was one of the very first MMA rivalries, though most of Rickson's only other notable rivalry never resulted in a match (v. Marco Ruas). 7. What types of titles or tournaments has he won? - Rickson won two Japan Vale Tudo 8 man tournaments. 8. Does the fighter’s win-loss record reflect a hall of fame caliber fighter? What was his record against top competition? - Not really. For the most part, Rickson's competition was rather comparable to Royce's, but he lacked a truly big name like Severn or Shamrock on his resume. Yuki Nakai & Yoshinori Nishi were quality fighters at the time, but both were outsized, and in Nakai's case, half blinded and beaten before the match. Funaki, on the other hand, was considered to still be a skilled fighter. He was only a few years removed from his prime, and combined with a 15+lbs. weight advanatge, many favored him to defeat Rickson. It was only after Rickson beat him convincingly that the many claims of Funaki being "too old" and/or "shopworn" began swirling. I suppose you could say he was 3-0 vs. good comeptition. 9. How did the fighter respond to losses? - Rickson has never lost in MMA competition. 10. Was he innovative or influential? Did he make an impact on the evolution of fighting and fighting styles? Did his career lead to any rule changes? - Along with Royce, Rickson helped spread the names of Gracie & Brazilian Jiu Jitsu(Royce in America, Rickson in Japan). BJJ is easily one of the most practiced styles in MMA compeition, and the Gracie name is one synonomous with MMA. 11. Did this fighter evolve? Did he incorporate different styles and techniques? Did those techniques result in wins? - Rickson claimed to have trained his boxing skills prior to the Funaki match, but the results of the training never showed. 12. Did the fighter uphold the standard of sportsmanship? - Rickson often treated his opponets with respect in the ring, but since his retirement has been blasted for his put-downs of many modern MMA fighters and current status of the sport as well. 13. Was he the most popular in his promotion? Did he ever anchor a promotion? Was he ever the star? - Though he helped PRIDE became a big name, it was more as a foil to Takada, a roll in which arguably any number of other gaijin could've filled. 14. Was he able to transcend the sport? Did he gain mainstream recognition? No. His name is not even as recognizable as Royce's, who himself is not recognized in the mainstream.

"Snowman" is Jeff Monson's nickname, though I have started a petition tohave him renamed "World's Most Boring Submission Wrestler." Chuck's is "Iceman."

Who on the list should I do a write-up on next?

Just 2 notes: - IIRC, Shamrock vs. Taktarov was similar to Shamrock/Gracie II, only a little less boring. - Tank was probably the first UFC fighter to use the small 5 ounce gloves during UFC VI.

A write-up from my man Blue:

Note to Goldberg: Height and reach are NOT the same thing.

The decision could've gone either way, but the scores were atrocious.

Close fight, but I had it 2-1 for Cote.

Leben's chin is quite easily one of his best assets. Also, the constant jabs at Tito are really piling up.

I don't think Bonnar landed anything significant enough to warrant a 10-8, especially with Hoger's submission attenpts.

Hoger looked good off his back (even while stacked against the cage), but still looked clueless in the Thai clinch, as well as gassed.

I'm hoping for a TKD-style match, with lowered hands, leg chambering and lots of flailing kicks.

UFC judges, by and large, suck. Makes me long for some Shooto judging & reffing. I think Sell may have still had a decent chance to turn the fight around. He had enough presence of mind to get butterfly guard, and I don't think Nate was going to tear through Sell's ground game, even with Pete dazed.

Quarry got G&P'ed and shut down by Gustavo "Ximu" Machado. Man, that stoppage was way too quick.

Koscheck is still improving each time out. Spratt is very limited on the ground, but there are wrestlers who've been in MMA for years who still haven't made some of the improvements Koscheck has in the past year.

I'm not disagreeing with the gripping, just wanted to calrify about the forearm across the neck part of the technique.

Actually, a proper RNC should pinch an opponent's neck between both the forearm and bicep of the choker's arm which will effectively block the carotid artery and keep blood from flowing to the brain. Placing the forearm across the throat, on the other hand, will simplly put pressue on an opponent's windpipe, which though more painful for the recipient, takes longer to render an opponent unconcious and have a stronger probability of accidentally injuring the opponent.

I just thought this needed a bit of attention. There are a LOT of people writing about MMA nowadays who haven't got a clue when it comes to pretty much anything outside of the UFC and/or PRIDE, and sometimes even their knowledge of the Big Two is severely limited. A great example is James Hirth from Sherdog. The guy has been writing for the site for over 4 years now, and I shit you not, the guy is still fucking clueless. His comments on many fighters often seem based on nothing more than quick scan of SD's FightFinder, and even then he finds a way to misanalyze a guy's W/L record. Personally, I'd rather read write-ups by people with limited knowledge of MMA as long as they avoid the previously mentioned pitfall of trying to comment too much on things they haven't seen. Would I still critique the guy? Of course, but I'd try and do it in a way that promotes discussion or simply informs someone, rather than with the seething annoyance I spit at guys like Hirth.

I've heard "figure-four" as term for the set-up of moves which involve either one hand gripping the opposite arm's bicep, or bringing a foot behind the knee of the opposite leg (IE-"Figure-four your legs!" at a few submission wrestling tournaments). Of course the finished maneuvers aren't called "figure-four" whatevers, but the phrase has seen use. "Triangling" (sp?) is the probably more poper term, but much like use the Japanese names for techniques, it's not something that's heavily emphasized one way or another.

RE: The triangle bodylock Fryklund was still nursing a previous back injury during the match, and Ivan Salaverry's Thai cup was also being pushed right into Tony's spine. Bad combination. As Frykland later said: "I ain't no pussy or anything... but that fucking HURT."

RE: Koscheck Like I've been telling you, this kid is gonig to be an animal in a year or two.

Masakatsu Funaki 1.Was he ever regarded as the greatest fighter in the world? Was he ever regarded as the top fighter at his weight class? Was he ever regarded as the greatest fighter in his respective organization? - Yes, he was regarded as one of best fighters in the world during the early 90's, as were a few other big Pancrase names. Weight classes weren't around for a few years, but by the time they became a staple of MMA, his status as a top fighter had already started dwindling. Also, few have ever been considered hands down "the best" in Pancrase with fighters constantly trading wins, and after Shamrock's departure Bas Rutten took up the mantle of Pancrase's best fighter, so no, Funaki was never cosndiered pancrase's greatest fighter. 2.How many years did he have as a top fighter? - Some would argue that he was as good in '99 as he had been in '93, but with the quality of competition he defeated, it's hard to tell. I'll say '93-'98. 3.Did his career decline or suffer over the years? - It did, but mostly as pancrase started to phase out works and bring more talented fighters into the mix. 4.Was he known for being an exciting fighter? - Yes. Due to the anture of the bouts, few Pancrase amcthes were downright boring, and Funaki was often involved in entertaining bouts. 5.How many good fights or top quality fights has he been involved in? - "Good fights?" Probably well over a dozen. "Great" fights? I'd say 2: v. Rutten II, & v. Kondo II. 6.How many memorable rivalries has he been involved? - I'm not too familiar with any early Pancrase rivalries, especially since so many fighters fought each other so often anyways. 7.What types of titles or tournaments has he won? - 2 time King of Pancrase 8.Does the fighter’s win-loss record reflect a hall of fame caliber fighter? What was his record against top competition? - This is a very... complicated subject for Funaki, and many Pancrase fighters. The company had a LOT of works. Not only that, but the talent level of those in Pancrase's early days are hard to gauge, as few of the company's top stars fought much elsewhere. I'd say he legitimately lost to as many top names as he legtimately beat. 9.How did the fighter respond to losses? - Losses rarely afected Pancrase fighters much, as they were expected every once in a while (moreso for others). To his credit though, after the brutal loss to Rutten in '96, he worked on his satnd-up game a fair bit. 10.Was he innovative or influential? Did he make an impact on the evolution of fighting and fighting styles? Did his career lead to any rule changes? - Not really. As a whole, the Pancrase style and types of bouts he helped spawn have all but faded, with their main legacy being open-handed striking matches are the norm for amateur MMA bouts. 11.Did this fighter evolve? Did he incorporate different styles and techniques? Did those techniques result in wins? - As I mentioned earlier, outside of the usual catch-wrestling practiced by other Pancrase fighters, Funaki would also study Muay Thai & boxing to complment his ground skills. He showed these skills in victories over journeymen John Renken & Tony paterra. 12.Did the fighter uphold the standard of sportsmanship? - Yes. Funaki never came across as particularly cocky (outside of some over-the-top antics during works), and as with most Pancrase matches, began and ended most fights with a handshake. 13.Was he the most popular in his promotion? Did he ever anchor a promotion? Was he ever the star? - While many of Pancrase's top stars either left the promotion or lost form, Funaki was easily their most consistent home-grown talent during his tenure, and while never the hands down best fighter, was pretty much it's biggest and msot well known star. 14.Was he able to transcend the sport? Did he gain mainstream recognition? - I'm unsure how his popularity in Japan is, but I think it's a "no."

I'd be willing to do write ups on a few guys over the next few days. Any requests?