I've come up for air. We've just finished a major equipment upgrade at work and there's a lot of sports news to cover so I'm gonna do a some quick hits:
My Mom Reads my Blog...
The Internet is an amazing thing. My mom told me last Sunday that she reads my blog. I don't know whether to be scared or proud.
Tate-Rousey=GLOW???
I've been catching some friendly ribbing from friends about my posts on Strikeforce's Tate-Rousey fight a few weeks ago. A Guy at church on Sunday stopped me and asked if I remembered GLOW (Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling) from the 80's as in reference to the fight. I showed my age and that fact that I watched way too much TV as a kid (BTW Rob B. Hollywood and Vine, Broadway Rose, and Palestina were my favs). But I stated that the difference between the two is that Strickforce is real and GLOW was not. In the world we live in, it's easy to dismiss women as serious athletes in sports like boxing or MMA. Even in the testosterone filled steroid dominated world of fakeness that is pro-wrestling you got women who take their craft seriously like Sara Del Rey, Beth Phoenix, and Madison Eagles.
March Madness
It's the most wonderful time of the year... The Brackets are flowing, time to be of good cheer, something, something. So far I'm 3 for 4 on Brendon Loy's Living Room Times annual NCAA pool. But it's not how you start, it's how you finish , and this year Dokesy needs Kansas to win baby.... Cause I was bored, and when I'm bored I'm up for anything. And when I'm up for anything... I make stupid bets with friends... that might end up with me buying Subway Series tickets, plus food and drink if I lose big. Knowing my history with gambling I should start saving now.
Mets News
The dominoes are falling, and it's going to a another hard year in Metville. My friend said that Wilpon was going to have to pay and he was right. Speaking of Wright. Dave Wright is hurt. Not news I wanted to hear. The good news is that should I lose to My friend in March Madness bet good seats at Citi Field will be cheap. Bad News is should my and I both lose to his lovely wife... We'll be taking to the 4 train (or Metro-North) to Yankee Stadium. Rock Chalk, Jayhawk!
Jets News
Gang Green has a lot work to do this off season. There are a lot of holes to fill if they are going to get this team back to being contenders again. Safety, O-line, D-Line, and WR are their biggest needs. No Peyton. No problem. The Jets extended Mark Sanchez for another 3 years, but they need make him work a little. They have to put last year behind them and move forward.
The Nets and NBA trade deadline
Today is the day. Does Dwightmare end or will there be a sequel in the summer. Regardless what the the experts say. I think that the Nets don't have the pieces right now to get Howard. I've been hoping for the last week that they get Micheal Beasley for Minny, that would Deron Williams happy for the rest of the season.
Showing posts with label Miesha Tate. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Miesha Tate. Show all posts
Thursday, March 15, 2012
Tuesday, March 6, 2012
How the Bad Girl won, and other observations from the March 3 Strikeforce Card
All I can say is "Wow". Rousey talked the talk, walked the walk, and now she's Strikeforce Women's Bantamweight Champion. Was I surprised by the outcome? Absolutely not! Her Olympic pedigree was nothing to scoff at over her MMA record. Did she deserve the fight? My answer is still no. But considering the road that might lie ahead in Strikeforce's future, I'm glad she got the opportunity now, because she because the opportunity might not have been there a year from now. More on my ominous signs of doom later...
Lets talk about the rest of the card.
Couture vs Huen
This was one of my top 3 fights of the under card. Ryan Couture continues to impress me. Nuff said
Fodor vs Healy
This ranked #2 fight on the under card. The way it was presented, was that this was a tune up fight for Fodor. Things started out well for Fodor, but mid way through the 2nd round Healy's clinch fight game wore him down. Healy got the submission in the 3rd
Sailing vs. Bowling
I was rooting for Sailing, but I thought something was a little off about him. It turn's out he might be a white supremacist. EPIC FAIL to Strikeforce for not picking that up if it's true.
Kaufman vs Davis
My # 1 fight of the under card. I was expecting Sarah Kaufman's stand up vs. Alexis Davis's ground game. What I saw was a 3 round slugfest. I felt Davis might have won if she could have finished off Kaufman with a submission when she had her on the ground. Kaufman will get her title shot against Rousey, but I'm not liking Sarah's odds when it happens (see Miesha Tate's arm)
Main Card
Souza vs Marunde
This was a tune up fight for Souza plain and simple
Smith vs Sayers
This one is in my top 3 of the main Card. Sayers fights never get beyond the first round win or lose. But Sayers could not have won in a more spectacular fashion than he did against Smith with a back body drop slam in to a guillotine choke submission in the first round
Daly vs Misaki
Also in the my Top 3. Daly looking to advance in his career by taking on Japanese legend Kazuo Misaki. Daly's fights have been hit of miss for me. Misaki nickel and dimed Daly's to point of confusion. Daly had to move away from his normal stand up to actually to trying using a ground game to gain some advantage over Misaki, that didn't work. Despite Daly's crying after the match he it was clear to me that he didn't win.
Thomson vs Noons
What was suppose to be the fight of the night before the main event, was the most lack luster showing of both the cards. Noons should just stick with being a pro boxer, while he's put on good shows in the past with his stand up. I haven't seen improvement in his takedown defense, because Thomson was controlling him the entire fight. Thomson post fight interview pretty much summed up my feelings... It was "$#!+"
Overall this was a great card, but like many I believe that this the beginning of the "Strikeforce Farewell" tour. With Zuffa (the parent company of UFC) now owners of Strikeforce. Over the last 7 years Zuffa has bought out the competition (PrideFC, WEC, and now Strikeforce) and integrated them into the huge machine that is UFC. They plan to ride out the contract with Showtime for the rest of the year, but after that's it's anyone's guess. Cue ominous signs I pointed to earlier.
Lets talk about the rest of the card.
Couture vs Huen
This was one of my top 3 fights of the under card. Ryan Couture continues to impress me. Nuff said
Fodor vs Healy
This ranked #2 fight on the under card. The way it was presented, was that this was a tune up fight for Fodor. Things started out well for Fodor, but mid way through the 2nd round Healy's clinch fight game wore him down. Healy got the submission in the 3rd
Sailing vs. Bowling
I was rooting for Sailing, but I thought something was a little off about him. It turn's out he might be a white supremacist. EPIC FAIL to Strikeforce for not picking that up if it's true.
Kaufman vs Davis
My # 1 fight of the under card. I was expecting Sarah Kaufman's stand up vs. Alexis Davis's ground game. What I saw was a 3 round slugfest. I felt Davis might have won if she could have finished off Kaufman with a submission when she had her on the ground. Kaufman will get her title shot against Rousey, but I'm not liking Sarah's odds when it happens (see Miesha Tate's arm)
Main Card
Souza vs Marunde
This was a tune up fight for Souza plain and simple
Smith vs Sayers
This one is in my top 3 of the main Card. Sayers fights never get beyond the first round win or lose. But Sayers could not have won in a more spectacular fashion than he did against Smith with a back body drop slam in to a guillotine choke submission in the first round
Daly vs Misaki
Also in the my Top 3. Daly looking to advance in his career by taking on Japanese legend Kazuo Misaki. Daly's fights have been hit of miss for me. Misaki nickel and dimed Daly's to point of confusion. Daly had to move away from his normal stand up to actually to trying using a ground game to gain some advantage over Misaki, that didn't work. Despite Daly's crying after the match he it was clear to me that he didn't win.
Thomson vs Noons
What was suppose to be the fight of the night before the main event, was the most lack luster showing of both the cards. Noons should just stick with being a pro boxer, while he's put on good shows in the past with his stand up. I haven't seen improvement in his takedown defense, because Thomson was controlling him the entire fight. Thomson post fight interview pretty much summed up my feelings... It was "$#!+"
Overall this was a great card, but like many I believe that this the beginning of the "Strikeforce Farewell" tour. With Zuffa (the parent company of UFC) now owners of Strikeforce. Over the last 7 years Zuffa has bought out the competition (PrideFC, WEC, and now Strikeforce) and integrated them into the huge machine that is UFC. They plan to ride out the contract with Showtime for the rest of the year, but after that's it's anyone's guess. Cue ominous signs I pointed to earlier.
Wednesday, February 29, 2012
Rousey vs Tate: The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly
I'm a MMA fan. I occasionally order a UFC PPV when I think the card is good, but I primarily watch StrikeforceFC (recently purchased by UFC) cards because the are the more interesting and accessible. Strikeforce is unique for a two reasons. As major networks started to realize the marketing potential MMA events, Stikeforce (formerly known as EliteFC) was one of the first to break prime time TV with CBS a few years ago. Second it's one of the only prominent MMA promotions that has a women's division.
Flash forward to March 3, Strikeforce's second event of 2012 and the main event features Miesha "Takedown" Tate vs "Rowdy"Ronda Rousey.
The Good
Not since the Cyborg vs Carano bout back in 2009, has a women's match gotten such hype to be the main event. They've had huge Twitter war going for months, which has even caught the eye of their new boss Dana White. They've talked ish about each other on just about every form on media possible. With Tate's wrestling background and Rousey's bronze medal winning Judo, everyone is expecting this fight to be on the ground.
The Bad
Rousey shouldn't be in this match. The person that should fighting is former champ Sarah Kaufman (who's fighting in the under card the same night). Rousey has a professional MMA record of 4-0. Add her amateur record and she's 7-0 (all by submission), which in my in mind is hardly deserving of title match. Kaufman boasts 14-1 record. Her only loss was Marloes Coenen. Since losing the title back in 2010 she has won her last 2 matches. She and Tate have a history (She beat Tate in her Strikeforce debut, and Tate has wanted to even the score). Pound for pound, Kaufman is one of the best fighters out there and she deserves a shot to get her title back.
The Ugly
So why are seeing Tate vs. Rousey instead of Tate vs. Kaufman II?
The simple answer is "She who barks loudest and talks the most ish gets seems get a
shot at the belt."
When it comes to talking ish, Rousey has spared no expense to run off
at the mouth at every opportunity possible. Since coming to
Strikeforce, her words have been less than complimentary to her fellow
fighters through websites, Twitter, Facebook, chat shows, you name it
and she ain't making any friends. In her own words Rousey primarily
pushed for this fight because sex sells and she and Tate are the more
attractive women in the promotion. Somewhere some Strikeforce higher ups
maybe looking to make an impression with the UFC bought into that
premise and booked the match. Now, I'm not trying to hate on Rousey. I've watched her matches, read, or listened to her interviews since she has
come to Strikeforce. If
women's MMA needs someone to wear the "black hat", then Rousey is your woman.
But, I've also seen Sarah Kaufman, and it seriously bothers me that she's fighting in the under card rather than title bout with Tate. It's pretty much understood that anyone who is participates in any form of combat sports, whatever attractiveness or handsome qualities they might have can be taken away with one good punch or kick to the face. The men's divisions aren't weighed or measured by the attractiveness of the male fighters (at least from a guy's perspective). In fact we like to see the guys with scars and busted up faces, because it makes them look more menacing. So why is it that the this main event title bout is driven not solely on the merits of the competitors, but their sex appeal. Kaufman is the better fighter for this match, but apparently not the marketable one for a main event, and that makes me sad. What's worse is that I have no doubt in my mind that if Tate vs. Kaufman II were to happen on this card or down the road it wouldn't be a main event.
The Good
 |
| Miesha Tate |
 |
| Ronda Rousey |
The Bad
 |
| Sarah Kaufman |
The Ugly
So why are seeing Tate vs. Rousey instead of Tate vs. Kaufman II?
The simple answer is "She who barks loudest and talks the most ish gets seems get a
shot at the belt."
When it comes to talking ish, Rousey has spared no expense to run off
at the mouth at every opportunity possible. Since coming to
Strikeforce, her words have been less than complimentary to her fellow
fighters through websites, Twitter, Facebook, chat shows, you name it
and she ain't making any friends. In her own words Rousey primarily
pushed for this fight because sex sells and she and Tate are the more
attractive women in the promotion. Somewhere some Strikeforce higher ups
maybe looking to make an impression with the UFC bought into that
premise and booked the match. Now, I'm not trying to hate on Rousey. I've watched her matches, read, or listened to her interviews since she has
come to Strikeforce. If
women's MMA needs someone to wear the "black hat", then Rousey is your woman.But, I've also seen Sarah Kaufman, and it seriously bothers me that she's fighting in the under card rather than title bout with Tate. It's pretty much understood that anyone who is participates in any form of combat sports, whatever attractiveness or handsome qualities they might have can be taken away with one good punch or kick to the face. The men's divisions aren't weighed or measured by the attractiveness of the male fighters (at least from a guy's perspective). In fact we like to see the guys with scars and busted up faces, because it makes them look more menacing. So why is it that the this main event title bout is driven not solely on the merits of the competitors, but their sex appeal. Kaufman is the better fighter for this match, but apparently not the marketable one for a main event, and that makes me sad. What's worse is that I have no doubt in my mind that if Tate vs. Kaufman II were to happen on this card or down the road it wouldn't be a main event.
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