Mixed Martial Arts!

[Jaakko]

So anybody seen UFC 51?

Tito is back in business, pissing off his old pals Chuck Liddell and Ken Slam-****, no, Shamrock!

[Pekka]

Sure.

And unless you show respect to Shamrock, you're nothing. He's a pioneer. He's the reason I picked up shootfighting YEARS ago, after seeing him in UFC2 in rental video. Well he wasn't fighting in it but he was interviewed and they showed an awesome clip of an awesome anklelock.

[Jaakko]

Aww, come on, Tito's just being a crazy irreverent kid. It's his schtick and he knows it brings money to the UFC. Shamrock really shouldn't get provoked so easily. Unless, of course, he's in cahoots with Tito.

Whatever the case, Chuck's act is always genuine. He just loves his fighting and he's a bit of a hothead.

[Pekka]

No, Shamrock brings money to the UFC. His fights has gotten the biggest PPVs. Shamrock doesn't get provoked easily, but if someone runs his mouth and is dodging him the same time, that's disrespectful, no two ways about it. The fact is, fighters do not show disrespect to each other that often in MMA, it's extremely rare. Tito does, every time. He used to be able to talk the talk and walk the walk. Now he isn't.

Just look at his last performances. Weak. Win over Vitor wasn't a big deal. He didn't step up. He's thinking too much of a movie career and all that and not enough about fighting anyone they bring in front of him.

you do know the long rivalry between Lions Den and Tito, that's been going on for years? The only thing he should do is to shut up, stop talking and start training against the fight with Ken. UFC doesn't need that smack talk. It didn't happen before. It's not a tradition. YOu see true champs like Randy Couture talking smack? No you don't. What about Chuck? He doesn't talk smack. Furthermore, Ken doesn't talk smack, unless someone starts it first. No one talks smack in there and get away with it. It's not a WWE, it's UFC and mma. No fireworks, just fighting, thanks.

[Jaakko]

Nothing like silly rivalry stuff to spice up the UFC, as far as I'm concerned.

And hell yeah Tito should take up Ken's challenge, it'll be a good fight! Ken will need to train really well to avoid a repeat of the first match, though.

Finally, I don't think Tito is doing bad at all. Losing to Chuck and Randy isn't the mark of a bad fighter. It just made him lose his confidence a bit but now he's back, and from what I can see he's in great shape, especially endurance-wise. His fighting style is just a bit boring to watch.

[Pekka]

His cardio has always been great. He wasn't decisive against Vitor. It was the boring old cut the dude with your elbows. Sure, it's not bad technique since he's able to enforce it to good opponents but still a bit boring.

Ken is SUPERIOR in submissions. He's the man. He also has heavier hands than Tito. The problem is last time, Ken dropped a lot of weight. He's a heavyweight, where as Tito is a light heavyweight, but still walks around 215, so he's a big ass LHW. That said, it took Ken's power and speed when he dropped too much because he wanted to fight Tito so bad. These are not excuses, these are facts of life. He also was recovering from torn ACL, which is a serious injury. So he wasn't able to do execute his gameplan, shoot, take down, submissions. He wasn't even able to get back up really good. You say he couldn't because TIto was dominant, well he didn't even try, and with tored up ACL, I see it task of Zeus. he didn't even try to shoot. He told himself he couldn't shoot or grapple, but he thought he could bang with Tito standing up. Well that was a mistake. I'm the first to tell you, that Tito has better stand up. It's not Ken's domain. But Ken is stronger, he has better submissions, he has heck of a lot more experience, he has KO power in his hands, he's very smart. The only thing that can stop Ken against Tito is Ken. If he doesn't get his cardio great, he might lose it. Tito can go 3 x 5 min easily. He can go 5 x 5 min easily. Ken can go maybe 1 x 5 full and then he might start gassing. Tito beat his ass fair and square though. But he's fully healed up now, he's hungry and he has a great shot at Tito.

And no, mma community does not want a WWE atmospehere. Why? Because we don't want to have a ****ing WWE crowd and hype, and people saying it's not real, or that they start mixing it up with WWE. They want to stay the hell away from that image, and that's why they have played it down a little bit for a year or two now with the entrances.

Besides, it's not up to Tito as far as the fight goes. The first deal was there will be a rematch option for both, no matter who wins the first fight. Tito won, Ken has immidiately reported he wants a rematch. Tito has talked and talked, but he hasn't signed it. That's a fact. So it's not up to him to say or pick who he wants to fight. THat's the job of the UFC. He's not the champ now. He' sjust a regular fighter, who is not even the number one contender.

[Jaakko]

As Pride and K-1 show, MMA and putting on a big show aren't mutually exclusive. UFC needs to admit to itself that they'll never get the truly mainstream fanbase they want if they want to keep it an "insider sport". Right now they don't realise that and think they can have their cake and eat it too. I've got no problem with either way, but that's the way it is. The average fan wants flashy fighting and a show.

[Pekka]

If a fan wants flashy things, they should stick with WWE. Real fights are what is happening in UFC.

However, Pride is a helluva bigger show and IMO the best. I like Pride x 10 vs UFC. But the fact is, average Japanese fan is educated, unlike their western counterparts who want to see stand up war. You notice how they boo in UFC in case of a takedown? Many of them don't know wtf is going on and they can't appreciate it.

But it's the realest form of competitive fighting. That's what happens in a fight. So if they can't appreciate it, they can stfu and buy the next wrestlemania PPV and chunk 10 beers while beating their wives.

UFC is growing, it's going to break even soon. It will never become that mainstream in the US and Europe anyway. Japan is where it's at. I'm not opposed to a show. I'm opposed to enforcing the fights to go to a way that's not the natural darwinist type of evolution. The fact is, if someone doesn't like it, then they don't. But then they don't like mma.

They are now doing the right thing and it's showing in statistics, PPV revenues, and all the things going with it right now. It wasn't like this back in 2001, 2002. It was truly struggling. It was about to die. Now it's on a steady base.

UFC and Pride can never be equal, the reason being Pride is so much richer and keep being, because they got it in Japan. In here, it won't be the same, ever. Did you know that they show Prides in national tv in Japan? THey got so high ratings, that only baseball tops it, being #1 sport in Japan. The same won't happen in here. It'll keep growing in here as well, but it won't reach the same limits but that's just something we have to live with. I don't care as long as the event is steady, they can make a card regularly and keep the WWE away from them, because mma is about fighting.

[Jaakko]

Originally posted by Pekka
UFC and Pride can never be equal, the reason being Pride is so much richer and keep being, because they got it in Japan. In here, it won't be the same, ever. Did you know that they show Prides in national tv in Japan? THey got so high ratings, that only baseball tops it, being #1 sport in Japan. The same won't happen in here. It'll keep growing in here as well, but it won't reach the same limits but that's just something we have to live with. I don't care as long as the event is steady, they can make a card regularly and keep the WWE away from them, because mma is about fighting.

Yeah, a friend of mine just came back after having spent half a year in Japan. Everyone there assumed he'd know all the MMA stars (luckily he did, being a fan like me), and the family he lived with had a tradition of spending New Year's Eve watching MMA.

[Jaakko]

When are you going to fight in Pride anyway?

[Pekka]

oh man I'd LOVE to visit Japan.. could you imagine the PERFECT day? Just going there like lost in translation, checking otu some awesome arcades, eating some nice food, taking funny pictures of funny signs and products, getting an awesome massage from pretty Japanese girl, checking out the city (Tokyo) and then... good seats at Pride, preparing way too early for it, getting in, drinking a beer or two, totally pissing pants from excitment, like a kid on christmas, and then the theme music starts and the drums start... oh boy!!!! Then hours of awesome entertainment and fights, and then few beers more and then out to the city for the night, maybe to an afterparty and from there to the city.

Would make my year. Anyway I plan to do that. Iw as thinking this summer but I can't afford it yet so.. I'll have to wait more.. you know it's a lot cheaper to fly from US naturally it being so much closer, so I was thinking a mega trip, flying to LA, hanging out there for a soem time and thne take a trip to Las Vegas to check out a UFC and then flight to Hawaii, and from there to Japan. I figured you could make such a trip and have fun for about 3000 euros, or a little more, so you wouldn't have to pinch the penny too much.

I dream of fighting in Pride! but then again, would the opportunity arise, I would turn it down . I wouldnt' want to get humiliated in front of so many people and live TV. And obviously injured very badly. I'll just stick with the... fan thing.

[Jaakko]

Originally posted by Pekka
I dream of fighting in Pride! but then again, would the opportunity arise, I would turn it down . I wouldnt' want to get humiliated in front of so many people and live TV. And obviously injured very badly. I'll just stick with the... fan thing.

How good a fighter could you see yourself becoming? What are your strengths?

[Pekka]

Not a good one anymore to tell you the truth.. not a good one in competitive level that is. What I mean to say is, not a professional. Had I stuck with it back in the 90s with shootfighting, you know, who knows.. maybe I would have become good. But not that good anymore.. not exceptionally good. I mean, if I started training again every day and dedicate my life for it and have no other obligations, who knows but not really. I'm not in the level of making that kind of decision to be anything else than just a .. guy who goes to train.

But as far as .. how far I would still go, to be honest, I think I've seen my peak already. I'm not going to get a lot better anyway. That's not to say I'm awesome. It's to say I don't train seriously. I think I have a strong groundgame, that being my base when I started good. I idolized Ken (surprise surprise), and wanted to fight like he did, especially on Pancrase. So I'd say my ground abilities are good. I'm comfortable there. I think I have good take downs and take down defense.

The thing I'm most lacking is stand up. I mean sure I can stand up but I won't be taking out any good stand up fighters standing up. At most I might be able to hang up, but it's not my thing.

But I'm more fan than a fighter these days anyway. It used to be other way, when it was next to impossible to get any material in here, except UFC2. So that's all we had so we were fans of the sport itself doing it. Now it's the other way around. I've become the fan, but I still like to roll.

So no, I never was a fighter worth mentioning, if we are talking about 'could you make it to Pride!!?'. You know.. not really .

[Jaakko]

Damn. I'd hoped we would see you one day on Pride, wearing an Apolyton hoodie when you walk down the ramp.

Anyway, do you know that new reality tv show, Ultimate Fighter? Have you checked it out?

[Pekka]

yeah.. and then get a beating of my LIFE! no thanks.. I mean sure if the money is there, but no otherwise. And hecks no I would never had the chance in making there. The level in smaller shows are getting a lot better all the time too, they train like pro's, all of them bastards. No chance for me Jose..

Sure I know the show.. I've been pretty amazed.. I thought it would suck a LOT more than it really does. I actually like it in a way.