The Tap-Out 05.19.06
Posted by Caleb Newby on 05.19.2006
Would you walk away from a UFC contract ala Noah? Also Bushido Grand Prix lineup, what Rampage is up to, Bob "The Beast" Sapp takes a walk and can Hughes take Gracie? Oh yeah, I finally figured out pictures of babes = views. D'oh
This isn't good. I've been doing this for about a month and a half or so, and I am already late with an article. Not proud of this fact. Also, I have noticed that if you put in pictures of hot chicks wearing next to nothing, you seem to get more views and prominence for your column. Can't really fault the logic with that. So when I sell out, expect pictures of some ring girls.
To kick this shindig off, we're going to start with the tried and true 411 tradition of reader mail!!!
Last week's question: "With Brock dipping his toes into MMA how well will he do? Can he compete or will he get destroyed? And are there any other pro wrestlers that could make the transition to MMA? Why?"
From Riley who may or may not be from Canada: If this not a cash grab, I see Brock being quite good in a year or two. His above average athleticism and incredible wrestling skill should provide him with a good base. He needs to train exclusively for MMA in an established gym. I heard he might go to Takadas DOJO but I would prefer, team Golden Glory, Miletich, AMC pankration or a school like those ones, that will provide him with the stand up and sub defense he will need in order to employ the ground and pound. If he can take a punch, I don't see any reason why he wouldn't be successful. He loves training, and fighting three or four times a year seems like its better suited to him.
Yeah. If Brock is serious I think he has the tools to be a legitimate competitor. I too am curious to see how he is when it comes to striking, as you can't doubt his wrestling pedigree.
From Skip: Heya
Lets not forget Brock was an accomplished D1 wrestler before he "went pro". That is some of the best prep for MMA. He is VERY strong. On the flip side, as with all MMA people, the real test is going to be what happens when he gets put on his back for the first time.
Brock seems to have a bit of a problem making any sort of long term commitment to anything. If he really wants to be successful in MMA it's going to require that kind of commitment.
Basically, I think he will be a "Tank Abbot Type" fighter. A monster who is successful until someone puts him on his back.
One thing is for sure, he will sell tickets, at least for his first few fights.
Exactly Skip. Brock is a beast with amazing physical tools. I think you hit the nail on the head with his long term commitment. If he is willing to put in the time, in terms of years, he could potentially go places. If he is in this for the short term the critics will be proved right. While I don't see him as a Tank Abbot type fighter, he will sell tickets, and in the end that is what is important to the organizations that employ him. I look forward to seeing what type of pay he gets out of the gate.
Chris wrote in with: Hey
Personally I'd have to say Brock won't do to bad going into MMA. He has a good
wrestling background and size. The question will be in his striking. He most
likely has some submission skill and he is a powerhouse but what kind of
chin does he has and how well of a striker is he . I've always through Kurt
Angle would be sweet in the UFC. He is an amazing wrestler, great at
submission and seems like he could strike. Throw him into team quest and let
him train with Randy Couture and Kurt could be a champion.
Striking and submissions will have to be his focus. Being a wrestler especially, he will need to get some BJJ training. Kurt would have been great back in his prime, but he is too broken down now to be able to fight. Look at his injuries now pile up. I wish we would have been able to see him fight back in the 90s, but instead we have to speculate.
MMA News
Bushido Grand Prix Card
From MMAweekly, the first round of the Bushido GP has been announced. We'll look at the card in more detail soon. The event is scheduled to take place on June 4th.
First-Round Matches:
-Murilo Bustamante vs. Amar Suloev
-Paulo Filho vs. Yoon Dong Sik
-Murilo "Ninja" Rua vs. Denis Kang
-Phil Baroni vs. Kazuo Misaki
-Akihiro Gono vs. Hector Lombard
-Ryo Chonan vs. Joey Villasenor
-Makoto Takimoto vs. Gegard Mousasi
Non-Tournament Matchs:
-Marcus Aurelio vs. Mitsuhiro Ishida
-Hayato "Mach" Sakurai vs. Olaf Alfonso
-Tatsuya Kawajiri vs. Charles "Krazy Horse" Bennett
-Jason Black vs. Eoh Won Jin
Replacement for UFC 60 undercard
From MMAweekly, Spencer Fisher has a new opponent for UFC 60 after Leonard Garcia was injured. Matt Wilman is taking Garcia's place. Wilman's record currently stands at 6-2. Wilman is known as a stand up brawler.
WFA hits it big
Quinton "Rampage" Jackson and Matt "The Law" Lindland will be headlining the WFA's upcoming event on July 22nd in Los Angeles. This is huge news with two big names in the MMA scene. Hopefully we get more competition to the UFC. While Dana White might be hilarious for quotes, for some reason I enjoy the thought of him squirming over competition to his product.
The Beast pulls out What?! Dirty dirty…
Bob Sapp walked out on his fight at K-1, just an hour before it was scheduled to take place against Ernesto Hoost. K-1 says that Sapp was making ridiculous demands that they could not and meet. I haven't heard what Sapp has said for his reasoning as of yet, but it woulda sucked to have bought tickets for the show only to have Sapp walk out shortly before the event.
Question(s) of the week
Question #1:With the hype building for Hughes vs. Gracie, who do you see coming out with the victory, and how?
Question #2:On the last episode of "The Ultimate Fighter" Noah left the show after receiving a letter from his girlfriend that she was told he was cheating on her. Putting aside the notion of how Noah got the letter in the first place and if he should get a phone call or not, what would you do in his situation? Would you go home to be with her or continue on for the contract? Why?
I think this second question is quite the character study. I've been asking friends about it to see what they would do. Interesting to see different people's takes on the issue. Email me at cnewbs@gmail.com
And that is a wrap. This column is 15 minutes late, but I didn't even think I would have her done tonight in the first place.
Check out Andrew Mellick's column "Hyped" over in the music section as he looks at if The Smashing Pumpkins are overrated or not. And then chuckle as he sticks it to some people as well.
