Hawkius Maximus

HDNets says it's 3 am ET on Saturday. So Midnight here in the Pacific time zone. Then it replays at nine PM ET. I had thought it was a day later, actually. So good thing you asked.

Yeah, I'm not too happy about this. Japanese MMA is dying, but there's still more then just one subject here. K-1, NYE, how Sengoku's going to bomb like fuck soon, etc, etc. Plenty of topics. Not *MY* fault if ya'll are North American biased. But I shall go with it. K-1 World Grand Prix is this week. This is my favorite event every year. Great action, great drama, and legitimately the top fighters within the company fighting it out to decide who's the top guy for the year. The major hook this year? No Semmy Schilt. Peter Aerts managed to outpoint him in the elimination show. That should increase interest dramatically. Peter Aerts vs. Badr Hari Errol Zimmerman vs. Ewerton Texeira Gokhan Saki vs. Ruslan Karaev Remy Bonjasky vs. Jerome LeBanner There's no reason to miss this show either. HDNet are airing it. Which means you will be readily be able to find streams or even torrents after it ends. I've watched the K-1 finals live several years in a row now. Do not miss this show.

Sapp's only hope would have been to bullrush Hari since he'd be so dramatically bigger, bull him into a corner and pound away. Just like how he beat Hoost. The problem is, Sapp clearly does not give two ounces of care about fighting. So the fight would have probably went twenty seconds before Hari popped him and Sapp folded.

The rumor floating around is that Kimbo Slice will begin fighting for K-1 sometime next year. The rumored first opponent? Badr Hari. K-1 wants Kimbo Slice to *DIE*.

I'd never heard of it, but I just got done watching the S-Cup tournament. I really recommend that if you can manage to see it. It's K-1 Rules but with limited grappling. No ground work, but standing subs and takedowns are legal. Andy Souwer, Chris Horodecki, Luiz Azeredo, and others are in it. Really fun stuff. I've never seen much K-1 MAX, so this was the first time I'd seen some of the other fighters...I was really impressed with Hiroki Shishido, who has absolutely no striking power but makes up for it by being a constant fireball of activity. And the final thirty seconds of the first semi final are some of the nuttiest stuff I've ever seen in combat fighting. So track it down.

To resurrect the earlier points. Co-Promoted stuff historically doesn't really work. It's odd, but it just doesn't. Pro-Wrestling and MMA mixed together on the same show doesn't work. MMA and K-1 mixed together really doesn't work either. There's an odd disconnect. Some of the fans will come to only see *one* side of the fights, and viceversa for the other. It probably has something to do with the rules of each "sport" as well. So I don't think Boxing will work with MMA on the same card. K-1's closer to MMA then Boxing, and none of the K-1 shows with them have really been that great I don't think. Then again, K-1 before they grabbed the DSE crew had no fucking idea how to do MMA at all.

I think this qualifies you as the antichrist.

Bryan Danielson being "unwilling" to go to TNA or WWE is one of the greatest jokes ever. The fact that it keeps repeating itself is even better. Danielson was offered a Dev contract for much less then he was making on the indies. This was also many, many years ago. He turned it down, rightfully feeling he could make a better living on the indies. He then proceeded to quit wrestling for a period of time because TNA and WWE weren't coming for him. He came back, and has had some interest expressed for him from WWE but nothing significant. WWE is interested in him stemming from his dark matches earlier this year (The fact that they put him over Lance Cade and Meltzer heard nothing but praise shows this). It's his ROH contract that's prohibiting that. If he leaves ROH, or ROH folds in the future, WWE will likely shoot him a deal similiar to CM Punk's. ROH's deals are pretty open, but they keep the talent from being hijacked. As for ROH...How did Nigel get the ability to not put the title on the line? I could see stunts like that really pissing off the fans. Not a good idea.

Of course it's sleazy. It's fucking pro-wrestling. EVERYTHING in Pro-Wrestling is sleazy. This isn't near the worst thing they've ever done by a mile.

I didn't want to do this...but I have to get this off my chest. I'm sure this will get me some heat. I just finished Neon Genesis Evangelion. Finished as in watched End of Evangelion. I want to preface this by saying I really enjoyed the first twenty four episodes of the anime. Really did. The mythological/biblical stuff didn't bother me. I've seen it before. I enjoyed the characters, I enjoyed how they felt "real", and had legitimate issues to death with. Flawed characters are good. It's a good thing to not have a superman in the leading role. Every character was relatable as the show went on. We found out what drives them, what is causing them issues. Everything was well and good. I felt invested in the characters, and I wanted to know what the mysteries were in the show, of which there were many. Then those final two episodes. Again, I want to preface this by saying that I got what was the intent. I also did some minor research and saw that the director (I believe) has dealt with mental problems/depression, and wanted to reflect that. Fine. I get that. The problem is, just because I "get it", doesn't mean I "liked it". The final two episodes were complete psychoanalysis "THIS IS ART~!" type bullshit. They tried so hard that it became difficult to watch. It's not that the characters didn't have issues. Far from it, but it's the avenue they used to display it. The "popup words" that were supposed to reflect either their inner mind, or another persons were jarring and ultimately useless. In Shinji's case, we had already seen glimpses into his psyche multiple times. To devote an entire episode to his mind at that point is odd. On top of that, the issues came down to the same issues being brought up multiple times, usually some form of whining while the omnipotent voice continued to "dig" further by asking it again. In a slightly different way. Then again the original phrase. And more time is spent on Shinji's issues, and then I believe any of the others combined. In addition, the animation became horrible as they would use the same images multiple times to fill time (I started laughing every goddamn time the image with Kaji standing all "cool" popped up behind Shinji with his eyes all freaked out. It seemed to be every twenty seconds). The only part I liked was I believe in Episode 26 where they flashed to the "alternate possibility", in which every character is just someone Shinji knows. I would have really liked to see this further developed. The sheer idea that the show morphed from a ultra-serious Giant Robot show to a romantic comedy with all the usual gags and setups is a great idea. Alas, it lasted like four minutes. At first, I honestly believed they were going to go the "IT'S ALL A DREAM!~!~!" route which would have been maybe the worst thing they could have done. All these issues come back in End of Evangelion, where Five star anime, this is sadly not. And my god that was a big rant. I haven't had that much to say in a long time.

I don't consider a fighter having to cave in to make a living after the president goes on a radio show and blasts you, "everything working out", personally. Just shows that Dana can make the fighters do whatever he wants. Sad.

Meltzer on WOR basically summed it up like I thought it had gone down. Everyone seemed to be okay with the idea of UFC having exclusive rights (They already have rights, just not exclusive) for their contract or employment, or even a few years after, but the lifetime thing is what kills it. Dana firing Fitch was a scare move. It's like the mafia targeting someone high up in the police. It was a "sign now or else" move instead of it being anything meaningful. Meltzer seems to suggest the fighters sign the deal, and then when UFC stops using them and tries to retain the rights, simply to take them to court like Brock Lesnar did to WWE. The sheer legality of it all is questionable. I don't think you can enforce any kind of "lifetime rights issue. The thing with Dana White, is he doesn't get what Vince McMahon gets even when Vince is ragingly pissed. It's a business. Vince hates him some fuckers, but he never mixes personal feelings (at least publically) with business. Dana White goes out and just BURIES AKA and by proxy himself with shit like that. It makes him look horrible, and if I was a fighter, I'd seriously be considering if I want to work with someone like that. Friend today, the next you don't do what he wants and he cuts you. This is probably the best time for fighters to have this happen, theoretically. It'd be much worse if Affliction was already dead, but you know if Koscheck goes out then they'll try to get him. This'll be so much more worse when there's no other competition other then UFC.

Meltzer's confirmed it. Jesus christ. I feel really bad for the fighters. It's either sign a bullshit agreement or get cut when UFC knows full well probably within six months or so they won't have any place to make a living. If the agreement was for a few years, or even ten, I doubt this would happen, but LIFETIME? You're signing away a major possible source of revenue. If one of these guys were to star in a major movie after they stop fighting or during (not out of the realm of possibility) they wouldn't even be able to appear in their own fucking video game from the movie. You couldn't even use their likeness. No contenders to another MMA game could ever use any of these guys, LONG after UFC's forgotten about them (and they will) and the royalties in it disapear. UFC's tripping worse then I think I've ever heard WWE do.

If this is over the video game, then this is example #1 why having one major company and no others will cripple the sport. Atleast right now Fitch can still go to Affliction or maybe even Sengoku and make a living, but if UFC's the only game in town (and they obviously believe themselves to be if they're doing this) then it's going to be a nightmare for fighters. We'll see how this plays out...I can't imagine MMA journalists (Well, real ones) are going to just roll over on this storyline if it's really over the video game.

Cha$e is fucking awesome. I've loved both episodes so far. I think they over do it with the "this is a video game" thing with the Hunters a bit, but there's something...legit about the "competition" that you don't see on other shows. There's nothing staged. They earn the tools they get (and on this show that had some...complications), and there's a very real sense of danger and fear even though they all know the worst that'll happen is they get tagged. People come up with legitimate strategies to keep themselves in the game (or do hilariously stupid things like the inability to read the map, or taunting the hunters), and amazingly their personalities shine through in a way that some reality shows can't get in weeks of TV. When people are scared, and confused, who they really are comes through. And apparently being chased by human beings in suits trying to act like Terminators is enough to scare the fuck out of people. I've akined it to a pussified Battle Royal (the movie) with an hour long time limit. They just have to survive to win. Plus, I like the fact that there's the possibility that no one could win. If they don't reach the area in time, then no one gets the money. That's interesting.

...My god. What have I done by claiming that I didn't particularly care for this fight? Instead of focusing their hate on me, the war has begun. I have begun the end days of this folder.

Trying to downplay the beating Matt Serra took in the second fight is hilarious. Serra got whooped up on. Simple as that. Just like how GSP got whooped up on in the first fight. I don't remember either making many excuses (GSP did claim mental, but he didn't actively say he lost because of it, and his subsequent wins have proven him correct), because both knew they were beaten. Fans shouldn't make excuses for their fighters. And when did BJ Penn achieve "icon" status? To me, that's like...Chuck Liddell, Wanderlai Silva, Randy Couture, Fedor, Nog, Hughes, etc, etc. Guys who have dominated or become unthinkable to not think of when you picture a great champion. I don't put BJ Penn OR GSP in that stratusphere. BJ Penn was on a helluva run in UFC, but then vanished. He returned and lost twice in the UFC, and won three. I dont' see "icon" there. I see "Good fighter". GSP hasn't been tested enough. Beating Hughes twice helps, but he too has only defended his unified title once. He hasn't shown himself to be a fantastic champion. He's on the path, but he isn't there yet. And yes, I realize I'm splitting hairs.

We're not an isolated country within the world of TSM, but I think MMA in general's going to see an upswing of wrestling fans getting into MMA, or becoming more serious due to Brock. You can take that as a positive or a negative. Surely they can't be any worse then Sherdoggers.

Kurt Angle is a lot of things. He's not stupid. There is no way Angle would agree to fight Brock Lesnar after how he's fought the last two times. Angle would be killed, and deep down he knows it. Plus, Angle's never doing MMA in the first place. It's all bullshit. Carny bullshit.

If you want to use BJ Penn "nearly" beating GSP as a reason for why he's getting this title shot, then Matt Serra should have already gotten his rubber match. Because he kicked GSP's ass. Yet he isn't, because he's not ranked that high. GSP beat him. Just like he beat BJ Penn. Does not compute. The point Curry and I seem to be making, is it's insane that BJ Penn has leapfrogged everyone to get this fight when there's more deserving champions in other weight classes. Anderson Silva is the prime example. He has *NO ONE* left to face aside from maybe two people and one of them (Maia) isn't ready yet. The other doesn't even speak English. Another issue I have with this fight, is what the fuck does GSP have to fight for? Only his title is on the line. He beats BJ Penn...so what? Penn's not in his division. He's already beaten him once. The only motivation I can see if sheer competition and the fact that GSP likes being champion. He's really got nothing else to prove. I will conceed the money issue, however, since this is potentially a big fight...but I really think fans and UFC are overestimating the drawing power of these two men. I think it'll do well, but not the 800,000+ I've seen pitched around. Both men are insanely over with the hardcores, but with casuals? I don't know. Obviously, casual people not from Hawaii or Canada. I'd expect this to be a national day off when this happens in both. And yes. Hughes/GSP III was for the interm title because Serra pulled out due to injury against Hughes, UFC panicked and called GSP who filled in. That was legitimately for the title since no one knew how long Serra would be out. Many feared it could be career ending, but luckily he came back strong.

When did Thiago Silva fight Koscheck? I thought he fought at 205... LOL. This is what happens when you have fighters with the same first name. Thiago Alves obviously. And Lei, if you want to say that the HW division is broken due to the weight system, I'd actually agree, but it would not stop people from cutting 20+ pounds, then bulking up the day of the fight. It just wouldn't. You'd have 250+'ers trying to cut to 220 or whatever that proposed weight class was. And then bulking way back up so that you'd force the natural 220 fighters down to 205. Just like it's happening right now. The only way you could fix this system is make it so fighters are weighed in the day of the fight. Then you'd have people fighting at their natural weights and not whatever it is they can starve and dehydrate themselves down to. I've never gotten why they don't do that anyway. It makes more sense to me. This weight cutting business is getting out of hand, and it will eventually lead to problems for some of these guys. It can't POSSIBLY be healthy to cut what someone like Alves does and then bulk back up to it in a day.

Honestly. I've never been that excited for this fight, but the more I've thought about it the less enthused I am. In fact, it's starting to really bug me. What has BJ Penn done to deserve this opportunity? This isn't just a "title shot", this is the case to make history. You can't even use the Henderson/W. Silva example for this (That was in America and PRIDE desperately wanted an American in the main). This show isn't in Hawaii. BJ Penn was just GIVEN the opportunity to make UFC history. It doesn't feel like he's earned this at all. Since his back to back losses to GSP and Hughes, he's won three fights. Jens Pulver - I don't think this fight means anything. I didn't think it meant anything back then, but given that Pulver was murderized by Joe Lauzon before this fight, and then after he failed to beat Urijah Faber and then was blown out by Leonard Garcia it's even more evident. This fight was hype, not substance. Sean Sherk - I can't take anything away from this one, because Sherk is a talented if usually an incredibly boring one dimensional fighter. BJ Penn smoked him. Joe Stevenson - This one looked like a credible fight...but the fact that Kenny Florian just absolutely murdered him in half the time it took Penn kind of negates it. I think what really bugs me about this, is the fact that this isn't an Anderson Silva situation. BJ Penn only defended his championship *ONCE* and magically got this shot. And poor ole Kenny Florian has had to fight two "top contender" fights now, and STILL has to wait. Unless BJ Penn wins, the earliest Florian will get his chance is probably Summer 09. Maybe later. It's not fair. And if Penn wins, Florian will fight in a vacant title fight, most likely win, and then have people claiming he's a "paper champion". Florian's 9-2 in UFC (With one loss being in MW to Diego or whatever that was, and the second a decision), and is on a six fight winning streak. He's more then earned a chance. Plus, what has changed with BJ Penn to make this go any differently? He got "serious", which I buy, but GSP doesn't have to "get serious". He's ALWAYS serious. GSP doesn't need some kind of external motivation. His motivation is clearly to be the best fighter in the world. I think my sig pretty much shows where I stand, but I predict GSP will stop Penn. Probably in the later rounds when Penn's "new" gas tank empties and GSP isn't even at half down.

Your point makes no sense whatsoever. Every single fighter in every single division (aside from maybe LW since some of them may be Featherweight sized people) cut down from higher weights to fight in that weight class. Anderson Silva is a natural 205 or HIGHER fighter. He cuts down to 185. Chuck Liddell? Way over the 205 limit. Brock Lesnar's cut is nothing compared to Thiago Silva's who admitted when he fought Josh Koscheck at *170* that he was about 190+. Brock's doing nothing that anyone else isn't doing. Period.

The thing about Brock's GnP, is if he'd just calm down a little and pull back his arms more he'd *KILL PEOPLE*. Instead he just hits those rapid succession hammer blows. If he just pulled back a few more inches? Mah gawd.

The only aspect we didn't see of Brock's game in this fight was submissions. I'd say that every other aspect's been pretty much decided. If Randy Couture couldn't get Brock to the ground (and when he did he got back up almost immediately) there probably isn't anyone in the HW ranks that will be able to do it. Randy has near perfect MMA adapted wrestling, and Brock was just too big and too strong. Brock ate punches of the level that dropped Tim Sylvia. For *right now*, his natural defenses make up for his lack of standing defense. He took the shots and kept coming. This, along with knees to the face from Herring pretty much show that Brock has a very strong chin. He doesn't know how to defense or avoid them very well, but it's not like he's going to eat a medium/weak shot and crumble. Right now, the only hw's in UFC (Aka ignoring Fedor, Arlovski, Barnett, etc, etc) I'd give an advantage over Brock is Nogueira. Brock's biggest weakness will probably always be a strong submission fighter and there's no one better in MMA at MMA adapted BJJ then Nog. However, Nog's ability to avoid taking shots and his ability to absorb them has significantly went down. Herring dropped him, and Sylvia dropped him. I'd say neither have Brock's sheer power. Furthermore, Nog won't be able to take Brock down unless he pulls guard. However, standing Nog should have a very sizeable advantage with his boxing traing as long as he can avoid the big shots. If he had to, he could just outpoint Brock to win. The only other one I'd probably give even odds to now is Gonzaga. Gonzaga is insanely strong, and a hard hitter, and should be above Brock in every department. But he's already shown two big weaknesses. He mentally breaks when he's in an unfavorable position, and against Werdum and Couture (Granted because of his nose here) he gassed. Standing, Gonzaga's technique is better and he may have as much power as Brock. He probably won't be able to take Brock down, but his jiu jitsu is so high that he may be able to work well off his back. But he wasn't able to do much to Couture from the bottom, so I can't see him being able to do much with Brock on top of him. It'd be an interesting fight. The other "young guns" I can't predict. Shane Carwin has not had a single fight last long enough to judge. It's hard to tell when no one's went past three minutes. Cain Velasquez really isn't worth even considering at this point. He's only 4-0, he has no name value, and he hasn't really beaten anyone that good. UFC would never in a million years make that fight. There's no way to gain anything from it. And Frank Mir got DAMN lucky that he was Brock's first UFC opponent. The Brock that beat Herring and Randy would absolutely murder him. Brock only lost due to inexperience and being too excited. This Brock won't make that mistake, and Mir was already about dead.