Hawkius Maximus

Swick is my favorite fighter if only for giving a goddamn finishing name to his Guillotine choke. That's just genius. Swickotine. Genius. I think any sane MMA fan is kinda hoping Babalu loses if the Silva/Chuck fight hangs in the balance like they hinted at. If Babalu wins, we may be robbed of what could be the greatest dream MMA fight of all time. It would be a shame. That said, going 10-0-0 is fucking impressive. It's gonna be an interestinf fight.

Personally, I think PRIDE screwed up. I would have done Mirko/Nog and Josh/Silva, with the idea that you want to get atleast ONE new face into the possible runnings for the title. If Mirko & Nog win, then they just resolidify that their the runners up, and neither will win against Fedor. Atleast with Silva & Josh, there's a slight hope. The problem is, Fedor demolished two of the four already. Josh is a great overall fighter, but he's not at Fedor's level in that overall ability. The one thing that might save Josh would be his ability to formulate gameplans and execute them to win. Fedor does that too, but he's very much more of a anytime, anyplace fighter. He really doesn't give a fuck where the fight goes. Josh would need an extensive, and complete gameplan, and given how his last two fights have went exactly how he planned them, he might be able to do it. Silva has that wow factor to bring, and the question would be if Fedor could survive Silva's 5,000 punches, and knee assault. The problem with these matchups, is Josh isn't better then Noguriera at any aspect of the game. Silva may have a better ground game then Mirko, but at the rate Mirko improves, there is no lock there. I dunno, I was just hoping for something new to come from this tournament, and it looks like it might just go back to the triangle at the top we've had for several years now.

Randleman is alot like Ross was on TUF 3...he just WONT listen to anything you tell him to do. No matter how well prepared you are, the corner people are there for a reason. Not using them is stupid. Randleman has lost bunches of fights that he should have won easily. The man has natural gifts that most people can't even comprehend. Even in todays MMA world, he could still be world champion. He just never will be. I don't think anyone says Hammer House is a great team, but it's kinda hard to guide someone to victory if their too stubborn to listen and improve on what your trying to tell them. Randleman's just simply mentally weak. In the Fedor fight, after he damn near killed Fedor with that Backdrop Driver, he just seemed to give up. He had fired his best shot, and it didn't do shit. He was mentally broken. Randleman's easily as strong as Fedor, if not stronger, he should have been able to fight back..He just didn't have the will. And thats what it all breaks down to. You could be a shitty fighter, but if you have will, heart, and mental determination, you atleast have a SHOT. You can also be a great fighter, but without those things you'll never amount to anything.

According to Zach Arnold and Fightopinion.com, probably the best site for Japanese MMA news... PRIDE essentially SOLD Silva to UFC. He's got a three fight UFC contract. He's no longer a PRIDE fighter. PRIDE will pay UFC everytime they book him. I...Wow. If PRIDE actually did that, they must be in desperate shape to do something so idiotic. Silva's their top consistant draw...and to SELL HIM? This fucks everything up. Everything. The GP might be in shambles. I just...I'm in shock at PRIDE doing anything like this. Great for UFC though.

Since they said that the fight would DEFINATELY happen in November if Liddell beat Babalu, theres no "Maybe in a few months". Couture outright said "November. Liddell v.s. Silva". There was no maybe, it's going to happen. It's one thing to suggest it, but another to outright announce a month and have you're HOF commentator say it's going to take place. In THEORY, Silva has a chance now to become pretty much the undisputed greatest fighter to ever have fought in MMA. He's been PRIDE Middle-Weight Champion since the beginning of the earth practically. He's in the Open-weight GP. In theory, if Silva wins the Openweight GP in August, beats Liddell and then beats Fedor on NYE, as unlikely as that all is, he will be PRIDE Middleweight champion, UFC Light-Heavyweight Champion and PRIDE Heavyweight champion and in the process probably have beaten the top three Heavyweight fighters in MMA, and the only competition Silva realisticly has for #1 in the LHW ranks. As unlikely as that is, it's amazing. If Silva did this, in just FOUR MONTHS, I don't see how anyone could question his rank as #1 of all time. I can't recall anyone ever taking on this type of high-pressure workload ever before, and really, he's got everything to win and nothing to lose. What's going to be interesting, is when the news breaks on WHY this suddenly happened. We knew Silva would be there, but there had to have been some major wheeling and dealing for this to take place. UFC promised a huge surprise, but generally their surprises are known, and kinda sucky. They blew this sonofabitch out with this one. I just know that I WILL get that UFC show if it happens, no question whatsoever. I also think some crazed MMA fan needs to take a tire-iron to Babalu's kneecap to ensure we get this goddamn fight.

I'm not watching the show...I'm getting PBP from a friend...and I am in fucking shock right now. UFC has my money in November already for what they've setup.

Honestly, I don't think Randleman would ever reach his potential, regardless of what team he is with. I forget who said it, but it was someone who knows Randleman, and simply stated the truth: He doesn't listen. You could give Randleman the greatest advice, or strategy in the world, and he'll go out there and fight how he wants to fight. He also seemingly lacks the mental ability to stick with a given gameplan and often reverts to just holding the opponent. I think he might have become a better fighter, but I don't know if anyone could have fixed his mental weaknesses. I'm not saying he wouldn't be a better fighter, but I don't think he'd ever be the elite that he seemed destined to be.

The thing about the Naturals, is while I like them as a team, they are pretty bland. They just look like generic pretty boys, and outside of their team they have no shot at all of getting over. This isn't like WWE where they just randomly told long haired guys to cut their hair. TNA was planning a storyline that revolved around them getting a makeover to be a different style team with a manager. For them to stubbornly refuse to cut their hair at this juncture of their TNA career is freaking foolish. They have nothing beyond decent looks and a good tag team, and if TNA decided to split them up they'd be sunk. For all we know, TNA could have been planning an angle where Douglas cuts off their hair to symbolize that their the NEW Naturals, and in that way it becomes both an angle and a gimmick change. I really like them as a team too. It'll be a shame to see Monty Brown killing them two on one.

Bah I says. Just because Coleman's entire Submission defense system is to simply power out of it, and he tries to catch punches and kicks with his mouth does not make him any less dangerous. Honestly, all joking aside, I think Coleman would do damn well in either the PRIDE MW Division, or UFC LHW division if he did that. Follow the Couture model in a way. He has great wrestling skills, and the trim down would make him faster and less prone to gassing then he is right now.

Right now, I think you'd have to be a world class wrestler to get Chuck down and keep him there, and you're only hope as a striker would either to hit harder (Very doubtful) or hit faster. That said, Sherdog says Babalu has went 10-0-0 in his fights since Liddell, that is pretty impressive. Too bad only three of them were in the UFC. God-bless Sherdog's Fighter Finder... Back to 61...Am I really the only person underwealmed by the show? Cause it seems that I am. The MMA friends I have are excited for the show, but I just am not feeling nothing. If I had had the money, I would have gotten the OW GP show from Pride over this one. I'm poor.

Bah. Coleman at LHW would probably be at his peak condition for his age. He'd wrestle Liddell to the ground and pound the crap out of him there. Coleman slimmed down and off the roids would probably mean he'd have better cardio too which is one of his weak spots. He'd have no flaws I tells ya, a supreme fighting machine.

Huzzah, I was correct! If I remember right, they fought before, and Liddell knocked him the fuck out. I doubt it'll be different this time.

Maybe it's because I'm tired of rematches, but even if Ken beat Tito, I still wouldn't be interested in Tito/Ken III. The likelihood of Tito losing even messed up is almost micro small though. If Ken beats Tito, then that completely fucks UFC's plan for Liddell/Tito II, if Liddell survives his title defense soon (I remember reading he'll face...Babalu? Someone) with his title that is. Maybe that wouldn't be a bad thing afterall though.

...So awesome. If he plays it, it'll be even more awesome.

Personally, I just don't see the draw of this show. Everyone knows Tito is goign to smash Ken. In fact, if Tito LOSES this fight then his career in the UFC is virtually over. There would be absolutely no where else to go with him. The main event seems like the only real pull of the show, and even then, if Arlovski doesn't smash Sylvia I'll be shocked. Arlovski took Sylvia lightly the second fight, and by all account (in direct contrast to the second fight), he's been training like a madman and seems legitimately pissed off that he was beaten. Arlovski by leg submission Rd 1 again.

I've never liked the whole "So and so could beat so and so if he's healthy". Tito probably, might have beaten Forrest dominately if he was healthy, but the same token can be applied that if Forrest had attacked Tito's knee more agressively, and Mirko'd his ass, he'd have beaten Tito easily. The few times Forrest kicked him in the leg, Tito buckled. Forrest himself said he didn't want to attack Tito's leg and injure him for real. Forrest could have finished Tito easily in the second if all he did was kick him in the leg. But he didn't, so it really doesn't apply. Plus, it's kinda like the Belfort fans going "IF THE OLD BELFORT SHOWED UP HE'D BEAT ANYONE!!!". God that gets annoying. As for my outlandish statement... Mark Coleman at LHW = Killer, and would be one of the best fighters in the weightclass. Huzzah and all that.

.... ... Jeff Hardy is AWESOME.

Heath Herring: One of my favorites a few years ago. Is a good wrestler, who isn't afraid to stand and pound you if he can. I forget when, but he changed camps and things started going to hell. He wasn't the same fighter against Fedor, or Mirko that he was against Nogueria, and got pretty much squashed in those fights. I believe he switched to a camp in Holland when his slide began (Golden Gloves? ... I just woke up damnit), but has since changed teams and seems to be putting his career back on track. Ricardo Arona: Helluva boring. The only time Arona has looked anything beyond decent is against Sakuraba, and that was because he had so much mass over Sakuraba. In the two Silva fights, he did well, but the first he clearly used the time limit against Silva. In the rematch, his own stupidity at various points cost him the title, such as pulling guard with about a minute left. With work, he could easily be the most dominate LHW in the world, but he seems content to stick with whats working, and what won't win him the title from Silva. Dan Henderson: Dan's the king of pulling a decision victory out of a loss, and a few times now I really don't think it should have went his way. Dan'll get pretty much smashed for an entire fight, then come back for a two minute flurry and get the decision. Personally, I think he lost to Ninja, and his second fight with Murilo for that exact reason. Mark Hunt: Highly over-rated, and exposed by Josh. Hunt's potential is there, but it's far, far too soon. With time and training, he'll be at a higher level then Mirko, but right now he's not near Mirko's level despite beating him. Hunt simply knew how to exploit Mirko's game, and did so. In a year or two, when Hunt can follow Mirko's steps, he'll be a force, but right now against anyone with a great submission/wrestling game, he'll be beaten. Alistair Overeem: One of the weirder cases in MMA. Everything is there for Overeem to be a world champ, even in PRIDE. He has the size, the talent, but he just either lacks heart, or the ability to do cardio training. 90% of Overeem's fights, he just mauls his opponent for the first round, and then putters out. If he could just overcome that, he'd be a champion. Until he does, he'll be stuck as a runner up. Josh Barnett: I've never been a fan of Josh, but he's good at what he does, and he's a smart fighter. He imposes a gameplan on his opponents and wins because of it. Right now, he's posed to break through PRIDE's uppercards, but I don't think it'll happen and he'll be taken out in the semi finals. If he does get the fight against Fedor, then we should all pray for him. After all the shit Josh has said about Fedor, I think he might die in that fight. Fedor beats your ass when he respects you. I cannot imagine how Fedor will fight when he DISLIKES YOU. Aleksander Emelianeko: A fun fighter, but he's really nothing all that impressive He's a strong striker, and has great sambo skills like his brother, but he lacks Fedor's X factor that saved Fedor, which is the fact that Fedor is a fucking cyborg. Alek has been KO'd and submitted, while Fedor simply eats the blows and powers through the submissions. I do get a kick out of Alek's "I just woke up and I couldn't give a fuck" attitude though.

...Weren't we talking about a subject here? No? Yes? I don't remember either.

I just finished Ep 12 of School Rumble 2nd. I had to skip about three episodes due to them not being on Youtube...but really? Doesn't appear I missed much. I would have to say that Eri is the most three dimensional character on the show. She's got her fair share of whacky situations, but there is a purpose and meaning behind most of the scenes around her. The fact that she obviously has feelings for Harima, but doesn't act on them 90% of the time is pretty compelling. So far into 2nd, it seems a bit more deeper then the first season. Most of the characters seem to have more depth to them, which is alot better then the first season. There is still goofiness, but it's offset more. I'm currently downloading the 13th episode subbed, which is apparently as far as they've gotten. I've read rumors that they are still making episodes in Japan, and if so, it'll be the first show I've ever watched at the same time as it was airing in Japan. Fun. It's only going to take me ten hours to download a 172 meg file on my DSL connection. Godbless Bit-Torrent.

I like Yoshida though. I refuse to cheer for another Judo user until he retires! Which, if his knee is in as bad shape as I've heard rumored, might not be that far off.

...The show has aired right? I was one of those people who thought Fujita would give Silva problems. The man simply cannot be KO'd, and I thought that would be a daunting factor in the fight for Silva. I simply ignored the fact that Silva doesn't just hit you once, he hits you about five thousand times. Not even Fujita could withstand it. He didn't get KO'd, but it would have been almost barbaric to let that continue. Fun, but barbaric. I'm saddened by Yoshida's loss. I picked him to win, but realistically I knew there was only about a 5% chance he'd win. Kinda sucks that Mirko targeted his leg like that. If I've read up right, Yoshida's had that knee worked on before. He won't be back in some time.

I'm shocked, shocked I tells ya for the lack of hate on Seahawk's being #1. Considering how many people called them over-rated all last season, I figured the backlash would be immense. I didn't know they lost Joe Jurevicius though. That one sucks.

The problem with School Rumble, is the seeds are there for what might have been a funny, touching anime...Instead they wasted so much damn time on wacky hijinx, that by the time you even got to anything touching you felt like you had been cheated. Plus, the fact that everything carries over itno the second season which I can't find subbed hurts it even more. When I do find it, shit better get resolved. Yakumo was one of the better characters I thought. As was the blonde chick, whatever her name was. I watched it in two days, I cannot remember names. They actually seemed like somewhat developed characters, instead of Tenma. Who despite being lead, is completely boring, and has very little character to speak of. Inless her character is to be insanely stupid, then there ya go. I'm not sure how far you're into it, so I won't go into specifics but man...I dunno if I'd rewatch it if I had a chance to go back and not watch it. It sure as hell didn't live up to it's OP and ED themes. Despite saying that, if I come across Subbed second season episodes, I'll watch Edit: Go figure, I finally found 2nd episodes on Youtube in ENGLISH. Seems to have been upped recently, so maybe I just missed them. Whoohoo, or something.

What doesn't help is that Tenma and Harima are EASILY two of the stupidest Anime characters I've ever seen. It's funny for a few episodes, but near the end I found myself skipping over Tenma latest whacky-completely-inane-situation-that-she-created-for-herself. I mean MY GOD. I've seen some stupid Anime females, but she's pretty much #1. Plus, there was nothing really interesting about her plot. Without Harima carrying the show, it's completely devoid of any real substance or feeling. Tenma's just a ditzy school girl, but Harima actually cares about his feelings, and tries so damned hard. 90% of the funniest moments come from him too. Tenma's just...there.