End of an era
2013 has become a year of transition in mixed martial arts.
First Georges St. Pierre announced his pseudo-retirement a few weeks ago after winning a heavily disputed title bout over Johnny Hendricks. Now Anderson Silva suffered a gruesome shin injury that may have ended his career.
St. Pierre and Silva (and Dana White) got me interested in MMA, particularly the UFC. Both men were great champions that commanded lots of eyes and Pay-Per-View $$$ for UFC events. St. Pierre was a master grappler who was as strong on his feet as he was on the mat. Hell, St. Pierre’s domination in the octagon was what led me to purchase his “RushFit” workout DVDs.
Meanwhile, Silva to me was the standard in MMA. Silva is a Jiu-Jitsu fighter by trade, whose triangle armbar submission hold was one of the most indefensible moves in UFC history. He held the longest title defense streak in UFC history, which ended in his first bout with Chris Weidman this year with 16 consecutive wins and 10 title defenses. He is considered the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world by several publications, including ESPN and Yahoo! Sports.
I don’t know how MMA will be the same without St. Pierre and Silva, but I trust White’s ability to keep the sport (and UFC) moving forward. And I bet I know which money ticket White will use…
Rousey Is UFC’s (and MMA’s) Best Female Fighter
Ronda Rousey is the shit in MMA. She is 7-0, and is quickly becoming the face of UFC. I loved the way she dispatched hated rival Miesha Tate in the third round with her armbar submission hold. Simply put, Rousey is not only the best female fighter on the planet, she is one of the best FIGHTERS. White should count his blessings to have a drawing card who also happens to be a very attractive woman.
As for Rousey not shaking Tate’s hand after the fight, I do not have a problem with it. If she hates Tate as much as she leads on, then why shake the hand of a person you cannot stand nor respect?
Would any of you shake the hand of a person you hate and not respect? I didn’t think so…
Leave a Reply