Hawkius Maximus

I picked Rashad to win, but when I did on here I admitted I really had no idea how he'd win. I just had a feeling. He showed me how. The sound of that punch was like a gun shot. Just a scary ass KO. People have discredited Rashad (and still do, Mr. Coughlin and his "Rashad didn't impress me because Liddell is old!" shit), but through his entire UFC stay it was pretty obvious he was getting better every fight. I missed the first round the first go around, but rewatching it, it's pretty clear what Rashad's strategy was. To make Liddell angry that he couldn't hit his one big KO punch (and when he did blast him once or twice Rashad did not fall), so that Liddell would only headhunt. Worked to a T, so that Rashad got him in range and threw the hook. Luckily for Rashad, Liddell saw it coming and tried to counter but was too slow. Rashad's forward momentium plus Liddell's forward momentium = KO. You can look at it many ways. Liddell is done. Rashad is great. Combo of the two. Rashad got lucky. Etc, etc. I see Rashad as constantly improving, and I saw him avoid every single death shot that Liddell threw. His gameplan beat Liddell, not just one punch. Give Liddell six months to a year to get his shit settled, quit drinking, get in better shape, and bring him back and see what he can do. The day's of the "OMG ONE HIT AWKWARD ANGLE KO~!" Liddell is over. He's got to evolve or fade away. I find Forrest/Rashad FAR more interesting a fight. I'd actually favor Rashad, aside from the crazy improvement Forrest has shown. It should be a really good, heated fight for the championship if only for how popular Forrest is.

Seattle is being raped. Violently. By the Bills. This does not bode well for the season. That and the whole "Losing all the starting Wide Receivers and now starting RB" thing.

Hate to break it to you, but right smack dab in the next major arc they go to fillers. They kind of altered a major situation, and then said "ANDNOWFORSOMETHINGCOMPLETELYDIFFERENT~!" with a filler arc...within the arc...without anything to do with the arc. Damnedest thing. I haven't even touched Bleach's anime in months now. There's no point to it. The last filler arc was miserable, and I haven't seen much in the way of positives about this one. It's one of those decisions that make you go "...whatthefuck?" when you've actually read the source material.

According to Fightopinion and a link to CBS Sports, the WEC show is off. Their postponing it until 11/5 due to the Hurricane about to hit. Shitty day for MMA what with Karo/Yoshida being off, Lyoto/Silva being off, and now this.

I might pick up Shivering Isles...that's a decent deal when you consider I already have 400 MS points I got from Gamefly.

It's always interesting when a lot of people pick the same team. This happened a few times last year, which was why I made it to the final four/three I believe. If Philly loses, then a large chunk of the pool goes bye bye. Seems like a safe enough pick though.

That'll be an interesting fight, but I'm not sure bullrushing Machida's the answer. All it takes is a quick stepback and a straight as they charge. Machida's a counter fighter. Just seems like charging with all your momentium plus his punch's momentium = Bad idea.

The Giants scared the holy FUCK out of me, but due to them not being as horrible as the Redskins, I've made it through week one. If I remember right, last year it was weeks 1-4 that saw the most bloodletting. I think it was the Chargers that kept claiming victims.

I don't think anyone said Randy hasn't faced anyone that hits as hard as Brock. There have been people who have said (myself included) that Randy won't be able to take that kind of punch without going down. Does that mean KO'd? Not necessarily. It means knocked down, and there's enough evidence to support that. Do I think Brock could kill Randy from there? Yeah. Doesn't mean Brock has one hit KO power though. As for the wrestler thing...You can say Randy's a better wrestler or equal (As Meltzer pointed out, it's hard to judge with Brock what level he was fully at because he was swooped by WWE pretty much right after college), but that doesn't change Brock's sheer size and power which enhances his wrestling ability. Randleman MIGHT be close in terms of power, but I doubt it, but Brock is much larger then Randleman and Brock has already proven to be a much more intelligent fighter then Randleman. In fact using Randleman at all is iffy because he had all the gifts in the world, he was just a dumb as rocks fighter. The man never LEARNED from anything he ever did in the sport. Brock already has. Which if anything makes Brock more dangerous then Randleman ever was. Brock learns from his mistakes. Randleman just kept repeating them.

I played COTG for years...If you got over some of hte faults it was fun. This game looks kind of like it but...more statey. On TEW, this has come up a bunch of times...Some people just don't like the degree of control and difficulty. The new TEW is haaard. EWR is easy, and I don't think it has much in the way of day to day control. Plus it's free. That helps.

UFC is in a kind of...pandora's box already with this fight. They have PPV's and shows inbetween now and that fight...but already no one gives a fuck about them. All the hype is already on Brock/Randy. I don't expect good buyrates for the next two UFC's at all, unless this fight has created some kind of surge in interest. Meltzer was probably right when he said many fans will simply hold off on buying PPV's until Randy/Brock, figuring that it's the "big fight". On the plus side, all the ad time for this time already shows that the media is VERY interested. That is very, very good. Even without the media, this would be a strong fight, but with the media the sky is the limit.

Earlier today I finished the Rurouni Kenshin manga...I was a huge fan of the anime, but I never looked into the manga. More or less because the ending of the main Kenshin anime really, really pissed me off. I typically find a series and blow through it, so I targeted Kenshin for lack of anything else to do. The quality of that final arc really makes you wonder what the hell they were thinking regarding the Kenshin anime. It even ends differently then the full anime package did. Some good action, good enemies...it stretched things somehow even further then Shishio did, but still enjoyable stuff. The subtle shift of focus from Kenshin to Yahiko was good stuff too. By the end he went from a minor character to one of the major factors. Right now I'm caught up in Hajime no Ippo, Mahou Sensei Negima, Black Lagoon & Bleach, as far as the translations go anyway. I generally will find a series with a large stockpile, or an anime I just watched (in Black Lagoon's case), and then blaze through it.

I can say safely as a DRAGON GATE fan...If you are in the area...Go. DRAGON GATE puts on great shows. Even if you've never seen them before, go. The level DRAGON GATE wrestlers wrestle at is a level that is almost unbelievable.

Enjoy the show, because unless some kind of miracle happens it'll probably be the last DREAM show at this level. They've basically confirmed that unless it gets a massive rating (I believe they stated 16.0 or something) it'll be the final DREAM show. Nothing on this card, outside of maybe Mirko/Overeem will draw Japanese attention. Even though it would have been a ridiculous match, Mirko/Akiyama would have drawn. Sadly, that rumor never came together. T'was fun though.

Tong, really on the power issue you're splitting hairs. Brock had no stand up training before turning to MMA. In both his UFC fights, he dropped highly experienced at one time top heavyweights with punches. In Mir's case, I believe it was twice. The fact that he's doing that with *JUST* power and no form shows how powerful his punches are. He's a more talented Sapp at this point. Brock's punches are incredibly strong. However, he still hasn't fully learned how to control them or how to set them up. With Mir, Mir wasn't hit fully but still crumbled. With Herring, Herring just survived because that's what he does. Brock hit Herring hard enough to basically break his orbital bone if I remember right. Herring's said from that point on he was working with one eye. THAT is power. No matter how you slice it, that is incredible punching power from one punch. You could argue that it was lucky punches, but to say that he doesn't have the power to finish people off when he's learned to control them is silly if you ask me. And on the Fedor/Brock thing...I'm not a huge Fedor fan, but as a PRIDE fanboy (Admited many times), I see Fedor as kind of the...symbol of PRIDE so I have an attachment to him. Having said that, no one really cares about Fedor. Fedor never drew in Japan. In fact PRIDE actively wanted Nog or Mirko to dethrone him since they were better draws. Unless UFC put the biggest hype they've ever done on him, he won't draw in the US. Affliction more or less proved he has no power himself. Brock/Randy is a much bigger fight business wise then Randy/Fedor would be. No matter what country it was held in. Don't underestimate the fact that Brock can cut promos. It'll help.

The fact that Brock generates absolutely fearsome power on the ground with very little wind up also supports his punching power. He's shown that in all his fights. He doesn't have to get range or space to generate power. Him hitting you with a straight has to be like getting clocked upside the head with a blunt weapon. People can say he hasn't shown power, or will gas but the fact is the man is just a goddamn freak of nature. He's one of those rare specimens that is just built for combat and high intensity situations. He's very much like a heavyweight GSP in that he just has genetics, and an insane work ethic to go along with it. His sheer athletic ability and background will carry him pretty far despite his lack of skills. Brock got a little tired against Herring, but never in any situation where he was in danger. It's far more likely that Couture gasses out before Brock does if either does. Randy got tired against Sylvia in what was mostly a stand up fight in the later rounds where he was winning easily. He'll have someone of Sylvia's size crushing him under his 280+ pound frame for a significant portion of time. You could always ask Herring's face how it was doing too on the power issue. I'd figure it would tell you it wasn't having a good day at the end of that fight. Or Mir's...Or the Korean who panicked and tapped immediately.

It's been about a year, but I remember the judges scoring being along the lines of 29-28 for Liddell. I think second...maybe...they gave Silva. Liddell realized this, and began to use takedowns for the sake of doing them. He never intended to do anything once he took Silva down. He just did so to gain points because he thought he was in danger. Regardless if he was in danger or not, Liddell, in his head went "I have to score points" which is...uncharacteristic for him. In his prime, he was the type that really didn't seem to care if he lost rounds as long as he won in the end. Against Silva, and probably Jardine (which is where this may have started), he realized he couldn't finish them off and began to panic. If Rashad can survive Liddell's barrage's we'll see this happen again. The only difference will be that Liddell can't take Rashad down. Also, why I don't hold the Tito fight against Rashad...Because Rashad is still young. He's still getting better. Liddell showed a clear downgrade against Tito the third time followed up by two back to back losses in different but similarly poor fashion. That or Tito was being more ballsy then usual. For Rashad, that was probably the biggest fight of his career. It happens to fighters sometimes. Not gonna fight ya on the Jackson, Jardine comments, but if you're gonna knock Chuck for having difficulty finishing Tito, at least mention Evans' showing against Ortiz. The fight entered the books as a draw, but only due to the Ortiz point deduction. Evans was pretty lackluster against an over-the-hill Tito and you can't downplay Liddell's victory over Tito without mentioning that. And by resorting to tactics never used to beat Silva, you make it sound like Liddell had to resort to desperate measures to beat Silva. He won that fight 30-27 in the eyes of most and I look at the pair of third-round takedowns as icing on the cake and not leaving anything to chance. It's not like Liddell was in any serious danger of being finished in that fight. If Liddell comes out guns blazing like he did in the Silva fight, Evans doesn't have a prayer. Like most have said though, it comes down to whether Liddell's hammy can withstand Evans' wrestling.

Randy's head movement will give Brock fits just like it did for Sylvia. If Brock can hit, he does big damage, but he has to hit first. Stand up, the advantage lies with Randy unless that one big punch hits. I don't see Randy surviving that big of a punch. The only reason Herring did is because he's a stupid tough fucker, and the only reason Mir did is the punches standing weren't flush. A straight with Brock's power behind it would likely drop Randy. Maybe not put him out, but it'll do massive damage. Randy's a smart man. He realized he was never winning this lawsuit, but then realized he can get another big profile fight, a big time payday, AND fight someone he probably heavily respects. On top of that, he really had UFC over the barrel in terms of agreements for this fight because UFC desperately needed a main event. If Randy wins this, then beats the winner of Mir/Nog, then he's pretty much cemented himself as one of the truly legendary figures in modern sports. If he loses...then really? It doesn't hurt him. He's Randy fucking Couture. He's old, and yet he stepped in and faced someone as scary as Brock that no one else really wanted to fight. It's win win for Couture, regardless of how this plays out.

This is probably the biggest fight UFC could make right now. They didn't have anything for the November show, and now they have this fight which should explode. Brock is internationally known, Randy is as well, AND locally, Randy's got ties. Mammoth fight. It's hard to say who'll win. Randy's got way more experience, but he's also significantly older. Brock is probably his equal or better at wrestling, and Brock is surely far stronger then Randy. Randy is better at submissions, and understanding how fighting works (The man is almost a tactical genius). Then the whole experience thing comes into play. Brock showed maturity by slowly raping Herring, but Randy is the king at pacing a fight. I'd favor randy, but I would not be surprised to see Randy have no answer for Brock's shoot and sheer strength. If Brock decides he wants to keep you down and have you stay there, chances are you aren't going to get up. Randy has pretty decent punching power too, with good head movement. He could test Brock's chin. There's also the fact that Brock could go back to what he was in the Mir fight and make a mistake at this level and Randy submits him. The betting lines on this fight are going to be HYOGE.

I can't seem to get it to work. It keeps telling me wrong password everytime I try.

I've got the full DVD set of Record of Lodoss War: Chronicles of the Heroic Knight just kind of...sitting around. So I figured I'd try here. I listed it on Ebay, and Ebay yanked it down, claiming it was "bootlegged" which it is *NOT*, but I never contacted them about it. They would have charged me a second listing fee anyway. It's opened, and it's been watched, but the discs are in pretty good condition, as is the little cardboard holder thing for it. I forget exactly how much I paid for it when I got it off Ebay years ago, but I'd be willing to part with it for twenty or so. I'm negociable. If no one has any interest, I'll try about Ebay again. I had interest in it until Ebay yanked the fucking thing down.

Are there any plans to do that Yahoo Pick em thing like last year? I'd be down for that if it happened.

Myeh. A written response doesn't really indicate charisma. When he's been on screen I didn't feel anything from him. Now, if they turn this into an angle where after Kimbo murders Ken, Rogers begins to claim Kimbo is ducking him going the "Clubber Lang" approach as has been mentioned? That could be buys. That's of course if Elite XC is still alive. Even with a monstrous rating that's far from a lock.

That stance is just a foreign concept to me. I honestly don't care about MMA's popularity, or it's influx of fans, or "Bad precidents" or anything of that nature. I suppose I take a promoter's stance to certain things as I look at it from purely a business standpoint, and I also use the "Will it entertain me" stance. If freakshows aren't your thing, then that's fine, but enjoying two relatively unskilled (Or in this case unskilled/past their prime) fighters beat on each other isn't really wrong. The truth is, Elite XC needs a fight that will draw. This will draw. Thusly, since UFC needs in some form of competition (Monopoly is not good folks), it is a good fight to have made. If it is correctly promoted, this fight could be the biggest fight in the history of North American MMA. Does it interest me? I suppose. I've always had an attraction to certain freakshow fights. Depends on who, really. Most of the more popular/historic fights in MMA history have had some freak show element to them. (Off the top of my head...Takada/Gracie was complete freakshow, Frye/Takayama was a freakshow, Sapp/Nog was a freak show, Royce/Sakuraba was a freakshow due to the rules, all the early UFC's were freakshows and you can even say that Sylvia/Couture was a freakshow and we all know Mir/Brock was a helluva freakshow). It just depends on WHO is in it. Did Akebono ever pick my interest? Not really. I think I have more interest in this fight then I would have in Rogers/Kimbo. Where's the fun in seeing Kimbo get smashed to a uncharismatic Rogers who won't draw, thereby watching Elite XC crumble? I mean, in the Gina Carano/Cyborg fight (if it ever happens) Gina can cut promos and be really, really pretty. What the fuck does Kimbo got after that first loss? Feeding him to someone who wont' draw makes no sense whatsoever.

I usually respect your opinions, but that is an elitist way of thinking. Yes, MMA is a sport. No denying that. But the goal of ALL professional sports is to make money. Bottom line. MMA is not, nor has it ever been so ingrained in any culture that simply putting on a good fight will draw. Even in Japan, the market for which absolutely crushes anything any other market has ever done was never like that. Name any PRIDE main event that drew 30,000 to 60,000 fans along with gigantic ratings percentages, and I can give you a storyline from it, a hook that drew that crowd. Same thing with UFC. All their biggest, and most remembered fights have a storyline surrounding them. That's just reality. Two really great fighters slugging out just will never draw without the four things I listed above. ANd two fighters slugging it out without any market power, any drawing power, or any fan interest means nothing beyond people going "Hey, good fight!" and then immediately forgetting it. And there is absolutely nothing wrong with liking a freakshow. It's just another form of a fight. If you think like that, then 99.9% of all MMA fans *around the world* are not in your bracket to talk with, and by token seemingly many of the people in this forum. There's no right way or wrong way to view things. Other then facts, it's just all opinion.