Breakdown of Junior Dos Santos vs Cain Velasquez at UFC on FOX

The heavyweight title fight between Cain Velasquez and Junior dos Santos ended so quickly that it disapponted some people. I, like many, think the UFC and Fox should have shown Guida-Henderson instead of 30 minutes of of hype. But, I don't understand why people think it's a total failure. If you look at the details of the fight, I think any MMA fan can still enjoy it, even if it was short.
 
Immediately, Dos Santos was superior in terms of speed to Velasquez, so, he didn't need to attack first. Dos Santos was able to react to Velasquez's attack and counter, instead. Moreover, dos Santos is great at using his back step to create an angle for his dominant right hand. He goes to the right side to set up that right hook, making it much harder to see.
 
Dos Santos throws a left hook with 4:22 remaining, and Velasquez answers with a left hook of his own. I think that movement made dos Santos try it again. At 4:18 remaining, dos Santos shows a left hook feint, then throws a right hook to the body, bringing the attention to Velasquez's torso.
 
Then, with 4:05 remaining, dos Santos throws a left jab, which I don't think he had any intention of landing. If you watch the replay at the end of the fight, it looks like he uses the jab to gauge Velasquez's movement. He expected Cain to answer with the left hook, and he was able to counter with his right hand. Look at the post-fight replay and watch the mechanics.
 
Short fights can still have plenty of rich MMA content if you really look.


Big thanks to Jordan Breen (Sherdog) for English editing.

Jessica Penne interview

I interview Jessica Penne who is Bellator veteran.I interview about how she think about female MMA's new division 106 pounds and her division at Bellator, 115 pounds.She talk about how she interest potential fight against Jewels 106 pounds tourny fighter.

- Please talk a bit about what first made you interested in MMA. Was there any particular moment that motivated you to start training? Before you began training in MMA, did you have any other martial arts or sports background?

Before I began training in MMA, I was involved in a few different sports. I played soccer, softball and competed in swimming. I was interested in wrestling and tried to join the high school team, but they didn't allow me to join. I was very curious about grappling and kickboxing for some time, but I was not sure how to go about training and competing in it. I started training in grappling and kickboxing in 2005 and had my first MMA fight in November 2006.


- With your recent win against Rena Kubota in Shoot Boxing, many people realized your talents. Do you think that your fighting style fit well with the Shoot Boxing rules? You seemed to have a lot of success with throws.

I took that fight on about a week’s notice, and before that I didn’t know what Shoot Boxing was, but I thought it sounded like a great challenge. I’m more comfortable grappling than with my throws and striking, so this was a good opportunity to test all of the work I’ve put in. I really enjoyed fighting under the Shoot Boxing rules and I think that it was a natural transition from my MMA fighting style. I hope to have the opportunity to fight there again.

- Please talk about your experience of fighting at a Japanese event and spending time in Japan. Did you have time to train at any gyms or go sightseeing before you returned home?

Fighting in Japan was by far the best fighting experience that I have had. I had always wanted to go there, and to have the opportunity to fight there was a dream come true for me. Everyone was very welcoming and treated us very well. It was nice to see fighting so well-received there. It was a very short trip, so I didn’t get to sightsee as much as I had hoped, but I did have a little time to do some tourist type stuff. I can’t wait to go back.

- The female 48kg./106lbs. division in MMA isn’t very deep yet and you used to compete at a higher weight. Jewels recently began a 106lbs. tournament and a champion will be crowned in December. Would you be interested in fighting in Japan against any of the tournament fighters? Any fighters in particular?

I competed at a higher weight because there really weren’t many opportunities at a lighter weight in the States. Japan has a lot of good fighters at 106lbs. I had heard about that tournament and wanted to be a part of it. I hope in the future I will have that opportunity to go back to Japan and fight MMA and/or Shoot Boxing soon.

- When you faced Zoila Frausto in 2010, she was much bigger and you seemed to struggle with her power when trying to take her down. Would you like to continue fighting for Bellator at a higher weight (115lbs.) or do you hope that they will make a new division for you at 105lbs.? Please talk about your view of the 105lbs. division in the United States and its future.

I was small for that tournament. I usually walk at 115, and was actually below weight the week before that fight. I had hoped that by not having to cut any weight, I might have an advantage over people who had a big weight cut. After the Bellator tournament, it had been mentioned to me that they would want to do a lighter weight tournament, but I haven’t heard anything since then about it.

It would be great if they did, or if there were more opportunities at 105lbs in the States. I like fighting at 105lbs and my first preference would be fighting at that weight, but I have not ruled out competing at 115lbs, either, and there are opponents at that weight that interest me.


- Please discuss your training at Reign MMA. Who are your main trainers for striking, grappling and wrestling, and what is your opinion of them? Also, please talk about how Mark Munoz contributes to your fighting style. Has he helped you a lot with your wrestling and takedowns?

I currently train at Kings and Reign for MMA. Those gyms cross-train with each other. For striking, I have been learning from Rafael Cordeiro and Andre Dida. I have learned a lot from them and really enjoy their striking style. For wrestling, I have been training with Mark Munoz and Jacob Harman. And for jiu-jitsu, I have been training with Lucas Leite at Checkmat.

I work with Gavin MacMillan at Sport Science Lab for strength and conditioning and have never felt more athletic. I feel really lucky to be around such great teams and trainers. They have so much knowledge and are so supportive of everyone there.


- Do you currently have any fights coming up? If so, please talk about them. If not, what are your plans for next year?

I don’t have any fights booked yet, but I am looking and hope to fight in Brazil early next year. I competed at the No-Gi Worlds this past weekend to stay busy until then.


- Please give a message to the fans, both the English-speaking and in Japan, about your fighting career and your future.

I would like to say thank you to everyone for their support. My family, friends, coaches and teammates are amazing. I am very lucky to be involved in this sport, and it has brought me a lot of happiness. Training and fighting have brought a lot of wonderful people into my life and I hope to make them proud.

Jessica Penne Official Twitter

Big thanks to Robert Sargent  (MMA Rising) for interview arrangement and English editing.

Wajyutsu Keisyukai restarted

After financial trouble on running own cage event Cage Force and Valkyrie, biggest Japanese MMA Gym Franchise Wajyutsu Keisyukai keep silence.Cage Force and Valkyrie didn't hold event.

Because of financial trouble, Wajyutsu Keisyukai lose Tokyo head quarter gym and A-3 gym closed by financial trouble.GODS gym have trouble too.But fighters decide take own control.Because of that, they can continue GODS gym.Toyoki Kubo is basically missing after financial troble of GCM.But fighters still claim they don't arbitrarily decide this decision.

Wajyutsu fighters get rid of under control by GCM (Greatest common multiple) and organization head Toyoki Kubo.Fighters directly get permit to use bland "Wajyutsu Keisyukai)" from Yoshinori Nishi.Who is founder and ValeTudo Japan veteran.

For the conclusion,fighters withdraw from old "Wajyutsu Keisyukai" under GCM control and start running new "Wajyutsu Keisyukai (same name)" by fighters.

Wajyutsu Keisyukai known for produce Yushin Okami ,Caol Uno.

Ronda Rousey interview

I interview Ronda Rousey who is MMA prospect and Olympic Bronze medalist at Beijing.I interview about how elite Judoka adapt MMA, what Judo skill is useful for MMA and how she want build herself as a fighter.

- You started in MMA with influence from your mother and you have referred to MMA as “old judo” where there’s more focus on ground skills. Today’s judo rules limit ground techniques and the morote gari (double-leg takedown). What is your opinion on the rule changes in judo and what advice would you give to other judokas who are interested in competing in MMA?

I absolutely hate the new rule changes in judo. I think it entirely favors the Japanese style of fighting and makes it a less realistic fighting sport. If the rules in judo continue to be influenced by politics, I see a steady decline happening for what really is a beautiful sport and martial art.


- You often prefer osotogari and harai goshi throws in MMA, which allow you to land in side control. Are there any other judo techniques that you would recommend for use in MMA?

Foot sweeps, which I wasn’t a huge fan of in Olympic Judo, are extremely effective and underutilized in MMA. I’ve actually used them a few times in fights, but it’s very subtle and hard to notice.


- All of your fights so far have ended very quickly by submission. I am curious how you will perform in a tougher fight. What can we expect to see from you if you have a longer fight? Positional dominance, striking skills or will you just try to finish the fight in any way that you can?

I just try to finish fights in any way I can. Improvising is a talent I am lucky to have, and whatever I see, I try. It’s hard to predict what will come to mind in a fight, and I think that’s what makes me a difficult opponent to prepare for.

- Cris Cyborg is the Strikeforce champion in your weight class and you have said that you believe that Cuban judokas are better athletes than she is. I think this is true. If other Olympic medalists in judo come over to MMA, what do they need to do to make the transition easier?

If judoka want to be successful in MMA, they have to focus on their ground game and transition from standing to ground. If you want to succeed in MMA with a grappling style, like judo, you have to be completely well-rounded and be able to finish fights on the ground.


- How have you fused and balanced your judo skills with the other skills that you need in MMA? Have you added bits of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu to your judo or do you find that you are using BJJ most often now?

I see no big difference between BJJ and judo. When people compliment me on my BJJ, I tell them I am a BJJ white belt, because it’s true. I believe BJJ and judo are the same sport with different emphasis. BJJ is 20% standing and 80% on the ground, whereas judo is 80% standing and 20% on the ground. It’s all the same to me.

- Which fighter’s style had the biggest influence on you when you moved from judo to MMA? Perhaps Karo Parisyan or Rick Hawn?

Actually, Fedor is the fighter I try to emulate the most. I study his videos and try to be just as explosive and just as smooth transitioning from standing to ground.


- How much of an effect does the discipline of judo have on you in life and in fighting?

Judo taught me that I am capable of anything. No matter how favored my opponent is to win, or how injured or sick I could be, I can mentally push past anything and be victorious. My mom used to always tell me, “No one has the right to beat you.” I never would have learned that if it wasn’t for judo.


- You will face Julia Budd for Strikeforce on November 18. She is a good striker. Please provide your thoughts on the fight and list what you think is key to victory.

I think the key to victory will be to force her to play my game, which is in the clinch and on the ground. I am used to fighting people who try to keep me at a distance and only strike with me, whereas she has never faced anyone like me before. One advantage to having so little cage time is that my opponents don’t really know that much about me. I am sure I will be much more prepared than she will.


- How much longer do you think you will compete until you are ready to fight for a championship?

I would like to have 6 or so pro fights before I make a run for the 145lbs title. The thing is, a fight against Cris would be the most important of my career, and though I know I am capable of winning that fight today, I want to be at my absolute peak, as I would for an Olympic Games, when that fight happens.

People forget I have only been doing MMA for one year and have only a little over 3 minutes of experience in the cage. I am improving every day and still feel like I can keep getting better. When my management and coaches say it’s time, we’ll take the fight.


- Please leave a message for the fans, both the English-speaking and in Japan, about your fighting career and future.

Well…here’s a quote from Will Rogers: “Women are not the weak, frail little flowers that they are advertised. There has never been anything invented yet, including war, that a man would enter into, that a woman wouldn’t, too."

And here’s a quote from me: DEMAND WOMEN’S MMA!

Ronda Rousey Official Web

Ronda Rousey Official twitter 

Big thanks to Robert Sargent  (MMA Rising) for interview arrangement and English editing.

Marloes Coenen interview

I interview former Strikeforce women's bantam weight champion Marloes Coenen .Who will be fighting for BlackEye promotion.I interview about a history and future of female MMA, how she thinks about a being a pro with getting money and how to make recognition for female MMA.


Marloes Coenen


- I was reminded of the ReMix World Cup from 2000 when you won your Strikeforce title last year. It was the first big tournament in women’s MMA history, and after ten years of ups and downs in your career, you won the Strikeforce belt. Women’s MMA began as a niche interest, but it has come a long way. What are your thoughts on that? Is it nostalgic to think back to the ReMix tournament?

Yes! It definitely is. About a week prior to the tournament, I visited Japan for the first time in my life and had my first professional fight (after only two amateur Shooto fights). It was unexpected. I was busy with a different life and just started University in Rotterdam. Looking back at it, it feels to me that the universe was telling me something. Showing me a different life path.

I never thought of myself as a fighter. That was not how I was brought up. My mom is a strong person and the mother of my father is an truly brave and unique woman…but fighting? That  was sooooo not an option for a girl like me! And now 10 years later I'm a professional cage fighter…


- You were released from Strikeforce this year and could not get a new contract. My understanding is that you could not agree on financial terms. Strikeforce paid some female fighters better than Zuffa pays some of its male champions. As someone who is seen as a leader in women’s MMA, what is your opinion of the current situation for women who are trying to make a living as professional fighters? What can be done to make things better?

We need good role models to attract a big audience. I firmly believe we can empower, intrigue and entertain so many women. And if they tune in to watch us fight, the big sponsors will follow. Maybe we need a female-only organisation and broadcast that on TV. L'Oreal would more likely sponsor that than a UFC-only show with heavy metal music and a rough and tough male vibe.


- Female fighters in MMA do not receive the same amount of recognition that male fighters do. What needs to change in order to increase the popularity of women’s MMA? Better athletes or more advertising? Is it better to have recognition for the sport (of MMA) or as an individual?

Gina Carano proved that a single woman can do a lot for the sport. Like I said above, good role models are needed. A variety of girls. What I see now is that a lot of girls are trying to be the pin-up girl. Some take it, in my opinion, too far, though it does work with the male audience. Then on the other end, others don't understand at all that they are not just an athlete. It's hard to find the right mixture.

A second thing that can enhance our recognition is when famous male fighters publicly endorse females in MMA. Because their fans will listen to them, and in that way the audience can be educated. If a Nick Diaz commentates on a female fight for instance, and tells why it's a good fight, a lot of people will be influenced positively. I know, from talking with a lot of famous male fighters, that they are positive about women in the sport. They respect us big time because they know what it takes. Only be a bit more vocal about it, please. ;)


- Until recently, women often did not compete with the same rules as male fighters do and it was difficult to fight the best opponents without changing weight classes. Now the talent pool is growing and the rules are usually the same. You have fought under many different rules in your career. What is your opinion on the current rule set in MMA? What improvements could be made?

Keep it the same. We need to get the same amount of respect as the guys so we should fight under the same rules.  The term 'WMMA' annoys the hell out of me. When I started fighting it was called MMA, and now since a year or two I'm doing WMMA? Nothing has changed on my side. I use the same techniques, the same round times and fight under the same rules. The added 'W' is only there to separate…but why? It has no function whatsoever.


- You are known for finishing fights with submissions from the bottom. This can sometimes be risky, though, depending on the rules and if fighters can strike to the face on the ground. Especially with elbows. Do you have particular strategies when trying for submissions from the bottom? Also, do you think that the Unified Rules make it so that you need to try to have top position more often?

It's quite simple…there are a lot of techniques that you can do from the bottom. Of course I prefer the top position, but you should be able to finish a fight from every position.


- You recently appeared on a sports variety show on Japanese TV and also attended a Shooto event as well. How was your latest trip to Japan? What else did you do besides the TV appearance and Shooto?

I LOOOOOOOOOOVE Japan! I missed it so much!! We went to DREAM & Shooto and ate at my Japanese brother Taro Obata’s. His wife Chica made Okonomiyaki for me and Kawasaki-san joined us for dinner, too. I was lucky to meet Takashima-san, who's my Japanese father, at the Shooto show. And Shinobu was there, too. She's my Japanese sister. Believe it or not!

Of course I did some shopping! Gifts…I was lucky to buy my Shu Uemura makeup at the airport. And I ate all my favourite Japanese food: sushi (I tried whale, too), tako yaki, Imagawayaki and Okonomiyaki. My trainer Martijn wants to eat Korean BBQ all the time so we eat that a lot, too! Then I had to fly back to Kansas, where I was staying.


- This summer, you announced that you would be fighting for BlackEye Promotions. Who are some fighters that you hope to face in the United States in 2012?

There are a lot of great female athletes in the States that I am interested in facing in 2012. Two rematches are on my list: Tate and Cyborg!


- Please leave a message for the fans, both the English-speaking and in Japan, about your fighting career and future.

I would like to thank the Japanese people for the life-changing experience that your country gave me. I look forward to training hard and getting into the cage soon! If you are interested in my journey, please follow me on Twitter @marloescoenen. And don't forget to vote for me in the Fighters Only Awards (I'm nominated 2x!)! The voting will end soon! Stay strong! :)

Marloes Coenen Official Facebook

Big thanks to Robert Sargent  (MMA Rising) for interview arrangement and English editing.

Bruce Lee fan bring Shooto to America

The early UFC era's unsporting, duel-type fights bred animosity between MMA and many country's political structure. Many states banned MMA, beginning the early struggles and the Dark Ages of MMA in North America.

In the same era, Japanese MMA organization Shooto started MMA with idealized goals. They defined international and regional commissions, and an amateur system which is still very ahead of its time. American promoters such as Jeff Osborne started promoting Shooto stateside, largely because they felt they needed to change the American public view of MMA.

Yorinaga Nakamura was charmed by the trailer for Bruce Lee's Game of Death, when he went to see Close Encounters of the Third Kind in the theatre. Bruce Lee's Jeet Kune Do said that any and all offense which is effective is encouraged in combat. Therefore, he very much liked the idea of Shooto founder Satoru Sayama, which offered this same structure.


Yorinaga Nakamura

Nakamura joined Sayama's Super Tiger Gym in the pre-Shooting era, and won a championship at 145 pounds. But, Nakamura badly wanted to be Bruce Lee, so like his idol, he went to America. He bulked up to around 200 pounds, so he could deal with larger American foes, and then moved to the United States.

Lee had a heritage in America by this time, through his student Dan Inosanto. Inosanto continued to teach Lee's Jeet Kune Do at his academy in Los Angeles, so Nakamura joined and studied under Inosanto. However, the teacher was also interested in his student's experience with Shooto, as Jeet Kune Do stresses a philosophy of accepting any and all effective martial arts.

One of Nakamura's student was Erik Paulson, who learned many martial arts, including Shooto, where he would go on to become a world champion. His gym, CSW, continues to teach Shooto techniques that many are unaware of.

Erik Paulson talks about his mixture of training experiences.

Paulson is the head trainer of Brock Lesnar and Josh Barnett. So his Shooto, Japanese and English submmision wrestling knowledge remain relevant in elite fighter's skillsets in current MMA.

Trainer Greg Nelson talks about Dan Inosanto, Yorinaga Nakamura and Erik Paulson.

Erik Paulson had student named Greg Nelson, who experienced many martial arts too. Nelson would go on to found The Academy in Minnesota, a gym including Sean Sherk, Nik Lentz, Jacob Volkmann, Cole Konrad and others.

Satoru Sayama's Shooto and Japanese submmision wrestling exported United States by Yorinaga Nakamura has conciously and unconciously impacted many fighters, right through to the contemporary era of MMA.

So, a Japanese child, charmed by Hong Kong martial arts movies was the bridge for Shooto to move to the United States, all reinforced by the Jeet Kune Do (and MMA) mentality to accept any martial arts.

Yorinaga Nakamura is still teaching Jeet Kune Do in the United States, while Dan Inosanto is still interested in adding new skills to his own, which has led to him learning jiu-jitsu under the Machado brothers.

We can find Jeet Kune Do fighters, sometimes even in major MMA organizations. UFC veteran and Bellator welterweight Ben Saunders, for instance, still proclaims himself to be a Jeet Kune Do fighter.

If we judge from Lee's movies, it's a little too far from MMA, so people might be quick to laugh or mock the idea. However, it is Lee's philosophy that helped pave the way for so many new skills and techniques to make their way to America.

Yorinaga "Yori" Nakamura show his Shooto skill.

Big thanks to Jordan Breen (Sherdog) for English editing.

Fetish in MMA

There are people out there who are obsessed with the martial arts. For those who practice MMA, they of course train in several different martial arts disciplines. Therefore, it is the tendency of onlookers to find the "backbone" discipline of MMA fighters, which leads them to favor particular techniques and fighters, based upon that discipline.

This practice disrupts proper discussion in analyzing MMA, as people often develop unbalanced opinions when discussing a fighter's backbone. MMA has absorbed many different martial arts, but you can discern which techniques are more appropriate for MMA.

For example, in the beginning, Muay Thai and judo's effectiveness was not fully understood and evaluated for MMA, but now many people have come to realize the effectiveness of neck clinches and trips from those disciplines.

MMA isn't only a mix of martial arts, it's also a mixed culture. To fully understand it, one must study up on how it became "mixed" and what that mixing it implies. A prime example is Fedor Emelianenko, who has recently lost three straight fights. Like many other countries, Russia has a strong sporting culture which is supported by the Russian state, but other than Fedor, there aren't many top talents from Russia in major-level MMA. Critics have often pointed to the fact that Russian fighters have difficulty catching up in the grappling department because grappling training isn't stressed outside of Russian sambo. Fedor's recent losses and the fact that there weren't freakishly big fighters at heavyweight who are as skilled as they are today ten years ago speak to this notion. Today's heavyweights now understand how to counter Fedor's wild hook game and have the footwork and cage savvy to defend against it.

Information is the key to obtaining such results. I won't say that all MMA can be boiled down to just strategy, but given how much knowledge is needed to properly perform in MMA, acquiring that knowledge is critical, whether it's through reading, watching videos, or traveling to different places to train.

In 2005, the UFC had Andrei Arlovski, Chuck Liddell, Rich Franklin, and Matt Hughes as champs. While I do believe they all rightfully earned their titles, they do point to one thing in particular about the UFC at that time; its roster was not as culturally diverse as it is today, let alone as diverse as Pride's roster, at the time.

Thus, I believed that a more diverse selection of fighters would deliver for the UFC when Zuffa bought DreamStage Entertainment in 2007. As we've seen since however, the UFC's ability to thrive wasn't only delivered on the part of former Pride fighters, but also on the part of ethnically diverse American and Brazilian fighters.

In the past, I've sometimes said that former Pride fighters from America and Brazil have had better results than former Pride fighters from other countries. I am not saying that information is the only factor, but in actuality, fighters from countries where knowledge and technique relevant to cage survival is more readily accessible have clearly benefitted from it.

As a point of reference, look at the growth of talent from the United Kingdom. There were regular MMA events in the UK in the past, but not many talents rose to the upper levels of the sport until recently. Given the fact that UK-based fighters speak English, they have benefitted from the many sources of information out there in the MMA world, most of which is in English. Whether it's gathering information through written texts or exchanging information with fighters and trainers across the Atlantic in the US for example, the benefit of language that UK fighters have is a huge advantage to their overall MMA game.

I've already talked about the fusion of skills in the sport, and how hybridized knowledge is born day by day, year by year. Without that evolution of skills and knowledge, catching up to and staying current in today's MMA game is impossible. In the current state of MMA, learning how to chain skills is critical, but I want to see a twist for the future. I don't just want MMA to mature, I want it to become a cultural amoeba, consuming and absorbing all martial arts and adding their unique skills and repertoires to its own vast pool of knowledge. I want to see new challengers from martial arts that MMA fans have never heard of before. I want to encourage traditional martial artists to continue to try their hands at MMA.

For that matter, MMA already has incorporated traditional martial arts skills, whether fans realize it or not. Who wasn't excited to see Lyoto Machida's karate crane kick on Randy Couture, for example? How many fighters now use the spinning back fist, as innovated by the little-known Japanese martial art, Koppo? Skills like these show that MMA has room for the more radical techniques found in the traditional martial arts, right alongside better athletes and better informed fighters. While I don't deny the effectiveness of athleticism and the fundamental knowledge that MMA lays claim to now, I can also buy into the fetishization of traditional martial arts. Many watch and become fans of exotic techniques as displayed on sites like YouTube, and they too are a huge part of how our sport will gain its audience. 

Big thanks to Tony Loiseleur (Sherdog) for English editing.