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Home» Posts tagged "UFC"

Sean Santella – A Champion’s White Whale

Posted on December 18, 2017 by fighter in MMA
Sean-Santella1

He’s too old, too small, too many miles, he’s had a stroke! These are the criticisms from Sean Santella’s detractors. Their words have been ringing in his cauliflowered ears since he fell short against Joseph Morales on Dana White’s “Looking For a Fight”. Santella has been on the 1 yard line of the UFC for years, narrowly missing out on his shot at the big show time and again. Like a modern day Sisyphus, every time he seemed to reach the summit his dream came crashing down. Years ago the UFC called him up on late notice, but it was just days after having major knee surgery. He seemed a shoe-in for the flyweight Ultimate Fighter, but despite holding multiple belts over the years he was not a current champion and was therefore passed over. He stepped up to fight Wilson Reis after champ Demetrious Johnson pulled out, but the UFC was too scared by a a stroke he suffered 8 years and 20 fights ago. He scored a 1st round submission with Dana White sitting cage side, but his victory flew under the radar. Against Morales Santella floored him immediately and put him in a myriad of submissions, victory seemed certain, but he got caught and had to watch as Morales won his debut UFC fight. He has been told point blank from the most powerful men in the UFC they aren’t signing him, with the implication being he should just stop trying.

The MMA world rarely operates in absolutes. When asked when women would fight in the UFC Dana White once famously replied, “Never”. Dana White claimed Conor McGregor would not box Floyd Mayweather. Fighters such as Tito Ortiz, Josh Barnett, and BJ Penn have all been told they’d never fight in the UFC again only to return once cooler heads prevailed. Sean Santella has decided he is going to keep fighting and continue beating all the top prospects until the UFC has no choice but to sign him.

Santella’s first fight back he made it clear he only wanted to fight battle tested champions. He took on Lawrence Diguilio, a World Series of Fighting veteran and the reigning V3 flyweight champion with 29 fights on his resume. Diguilo was bigger, younger, the #1 ranked fighter in the midwest and had won 8 of his last 10 bouts. Santella was coming off a loss, it was the first time he’d been finished in a decade of fighting. The established logic is to take a “tune up fight”. An easy bout where victory is a foregone conclusion allowing the fighter to build back their confidence and return to form without risking another injury or defeat. Diguilio was no tune up. Santella was traveling into enemy territory against an established veteran to prove to himself and the MMA world that he was better than his last performance and he deserved his spot among the best in the world.

santella2The fight was an absolute mauling. In less than 2 minutes Santella left Diguilio face down and unconscious. This fight was supposed to be the final nail in the coffin for Santella’s career. Instead it was the first highlight reel victory on his comeback. Santella had a new belt around his waist and a new lease on his MMA career. He set his sights on another title, the PA Cage Fight strap. In his way was Nate Williams, a Bellator veteran with 26 wins on his resume. Williams was a ground specialist who had just rattled off 4 straight submission victories. Santella, who has always prided himself on having the best jiu-jitsu at 125 pounds, was eager for the challenge. In many ways this bout was even more one sided than Santella’s last. After flooring Williams three times with strikes Santella secured the submission in the 3rd round dominating every exchange from bell to bell. With this bout Santella made a statement that he wasn’t just looking to lead the pack of contenders, but to leave them in the dust.

The next chapter in Santella’s comeback would be returning to the CFFC cage. CFFC was the organization where he made a name for himself. It has also become a proving ground for the UFC. Aljamain Sterling, Mickey Gall, Doug Gordon, Paul Felder and many other UFC veterans got called up after getting their hands raised in the CFFC cage. In fact, no one has ever won as many fights in CFFC as Santella without going to the UFC. CFFC was also the site of Santella’s last defeat. Earning a victory and having the title back around his waist would be the litmus test he needed to show that he was back on top. The UFC kept him off the Ultimate Fighter because he was not a current champion, a victory here would be his 3rd title in as many fights.

The opponent was Kevin Gray, who was fresh off Dana White’s Contender Series and his last 2 wins were against Bellator veterans. Santella had set a high standard for himself in this fight. He not only wanted to win, but he wanted to finish Gray. Moreover he wanted to show himself to be in a league of his own. Someone trapped in the local scene who clearly didn’t belong there. Mission accomplished. Despite working patiently and methodically Santella disposed of Gray in 2 and 1/2 minutes. He left the cage with his hand raised, a new title around his waist, and not a scratch on him. Chants of “U-F-C” erupted throughout the arena as his hand was raised in victory.

Post fight Santella credited his rigorous training as the secret ingredient in his path to success. Frankie Edgar, Jim Miller, Marlon Maraes and a host of other ufc champions, contenders, and record holders are who Santella counts himself among on a daily basis. After swimming with sharks in the deep end of the ocean local champions are little more than guppies by comparison. Now the only question is what’s next? Will the UFC decide that after 20 victories, half a dozen title belts, and being ranked #1 in every region in which he fights that Santella can finally be granted a shot at the big time? Or will he be forced to follow the path of Ben Askren? Collecting victory after victory, but never being given his shot against the best in the world.

Mixed martial arts is a meritocracy. It may take some more time than others, but eventually everyone will rise and fall based on their abilities. Keep winning and they can’t deny you is the prevailing logic that is passed on to aspiring champions trapped in the seeming purgatory of the local MMA scene.  At this point, keeping Sean Santella out of the UFC is a punishment. However, it is unclear who it is worse for – Santella or his unfortunate opponents 1 by 1 being sent to their slaughter. UFC or not, Santella will continue taking on all comers.  

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Why Sean Santella Should be on the UFC’s Short List

Posted on November 26, 2015 by fighter in MMA

shorty

Anyone. Any time. Any place. It is a credo that many fighters espouse, but few are willing to accept the consequences of the edict.  One fighter who has embraced taking on all comers is Sean “Shorty Rock” Santella.  During Sean’s MMA career, easy street has been the path less traveled by.  During his very first day of training he broke his arm, but in typical form he left undeterred.

Sean was committed to being a fighter and he stepped into his first amateur fight confident that he could use MMA as a way to get ahead.  Sean grew up with a single mother in poverty, a troublemaker who never finished high school and seemed to be speeding down a road toward failure.  MMA was his clean slate, his chance at redemption and he jumped at the opportunity with unrivaled enthusiasm. 

Sean would lose his first amateur fight.  His investment in his MMA dream had yielded a payout of a broken arm and a heartbreaking defeat.  0-1 is the most common record in mixed martial arts competition.  Aspiring combatants, expecting to be the hammer, play the role of the nail and find a new hobby.  However, it would take more than that to deter Sean.  In a pattern that would become all too familiar he took time off, regrouped and came back strong.  In 2008 Sean rattled off 4 consecutive wins including an amateur title and a victory over future UFC fighter Louis Gaudinot.  Sean proved he was ready to step up and in his pro debut informed the promoter he would take on anyone.

sean2Young fighters typically select “safe fights” early in their careers, match-ups in which they have an obvious advantage and will allow them to play to their strengths and cruise to victory.  Sean wasn’t interested in that path.  He made his pro debut against Nick Pace.  Pace came from one of the premier schools and boasted a perfect 6-0 record with 5 consecutive finishes.  He was someone no one wanted to face.  Sean fought hard and found himself on the wrong end of a judges decision.  Once again he was 0-1.

Loss wasn’t new for Sean, but what happened next was.  After a hard training session he was feeling weak and light headed.  The feeling persisted and Sean found himself in the hospital where doctors told him he had just suffered a stroke.  No one could tell Sean why at 24 years old in his physical prime he had suffered an ailment typically reserved for people in their 70’s.  Sean’s back was against the wall.  He had just lost his pro debut and suffered a health scare that would send even the toughest of characters into a panic.  Sean did what he always did when things didn’t go his way, he worked hard and kept on fighting.

Sean kept his stroke a secret and after taking a 7 month hiatus he found himself back in the cage taking the fights others ran from.  Sean rattled off 5 wins in 2009 finishing the year undefeated, ending all but one fight inside the first round.  Sean began to develop a reputation with promoters as someone who wsean3ould take on all challengers.  At one point, while cornering a friend, Sean took a fight out of the crowd when a fighter had his opponent no show. Despite having to move up in weight and knowing literally nothing about his opponent, Sean drove to the nearest sporting goods store, bought a cup and mouthpiece and won by submission.  He even went on to earn a submission victory over the man who defeated him in his amateur debut.  Sean’s determination had finally begun to pay off.  He wasn’t going to be known as the dropout who never amounted to anything, he was the fighter bound for greatness.

Things are never that easy for Sean though.  His winning streak came to an end following a back and forth battle with crafty veteran Josh Rave.  Following the fight the New Jersey athletic commission got wind of Sean’s prior stroke an placed him on indefinite suspension.  Sean went from fighting every month to sitting on his hands not knowing if he’d ever be allowed to fight again.  The problem was that no doctor could answer the obvious question – why did Sean have a stroke in the first place?  Sean refused to go quietly though, petitioning the commission he underwent a seemingly never ending battery of medical examinations poking and prodding every conceivable possibility.  Finally, after 6 months of uncertainty, Sean was granted a license to fight. 

sean4Sean let every promoter know he was back in business and ready to take on the toughest fighters in the region.  Top prospects, Strikeforce & Bellator veterans, Jiu-Jitsu black belts and NCAA wrestling champions all quickly earned a notch in the loss column when they stood across from Sean Santella.  In 9 fights his lone defeat came at the hands of still undefeated UFC star Aljamain Sterling.  Along the way Sean had won titles in both Ring of Combat and CFFC the region’s top MMA promotions.

Sean was set to face feared flyweight Zack Makovsky.  It was no secret that the winner of this fight would likely be called up to the UFC.  Sean’s goal was finally within his grasp, his shot at the big time.  Then, while rolling in jiu-jitsu class, Sean heard a loud pop.  He tried to ignore it, but he knew something wasn’t right.  He hobbled into his doctor’s office and was given the bad news.  He had completely torn his LCL, his fight was off and he would require reconstructive surgery.  Sean would have to sit and watch from his couch as Makovsky was signed by the UFC and began collecting victories and turning heads.  Adding salt to the wound, unaware of his surgery, the UFC reached out to Shorty and offered him a last minute replacement spot on a card when a fighter dropped out – right place, wrong time. 

It would be an entire year before Sean would be able to return to competition.  He would fight Nick Honstein in his return bout.  Maybe it was the ring rust or perhaps the pressure to make up for missed opportunities, but Sean was not himself.  He was a step behind Nick the whole fight.  Despite locking up submission after submission Nick would escape by the skin of his teeth and land shots.  Shorty would lose his title and suffer his first loss in 2 and ½ years.  Sean wanted to bounce back quickly, but fighters would either outright refuse to face him or days prior to the bout would claim they were unable to make weight.  After 9 fights fell through, Sean signed to fight Jimmy Grant.  Grant came in over weight.  Sean and his team had decided long ago that they would not fight anyone who missed weight.  However, Sean felt pressured considering opponents dropping out had kept him out of the cage for 10 months.  Grant would go into the fight, use his size to take Sean down and then defend offering little to no offense.  Sean actively pursued submissions the entire bout, but his opponent was awarded the split decision victory.  Grant would miss weight again for his next fight, proving that he is in fact a bantamweight who has simply been fighting flyweights for his own advantage.

rizzoSean now had his back up against the wall.  He had consecutive losses for the first time in his career and finding a fight had never been harder.  Rather than allow himself to be discouraged Sean stayed in the gym.  He worked to improve his wrestling to ensure a lay and pray loss would never again be marked on his record.  He also let promoters know he was ready to step in against the toughest opponent they could find in the northeast.  Finally promoters gave him a fight against Matt Rizzo.  Rizzo was riding a 3 fight winning streak and more importantly he had finished Jimmy Grant.  This was Sean’s chance to jump right back in the rankings against an opponent no one wanted to face.  Rizzo was a ground specialist and it was clear whoever won this fight would be recognized as the most dangerous jiu-jitsu fighter in the region. 

The bout was billed as two of the top flyweights outside the UFC battling to see who was more deserving of a shot at the big time.  The fight began with Rizzo pressing Sean against the fence and looking to smother him and take him down.  Sean countered every attempt and landed

Side of the head or back of the head?

Side of the head or back of the head?

big shots that staggered Rizzo.  Eventually Sean timed a takedown of his own and immediately advanced to the back where he flattened Rizzo out and began landing heavy blows.  Rizzo was able to make it to the end of the round, but the tide was clearly in Sean’s favor.  In round 2 Sean once again brought the fight to the ground and advanced to half guard.  Sean threw a back elbow and Rizzo’s corner protested.  The referee stopped the action deeming that the blow struck the back of Rizzo’s head.  Rizzo was unable to continue and the bout was ruled a no contest.  Whether the blow was legal or not depends on your definition of “back of the head”, but as the replay showed on the projector screen the court of public opinion ruled in Sean’s favor. 

Sean had fought the perfect fight in a showcase bout against a top ranked opponent, but he would not earn the victory that would have surely catapulted him to the front of the flyweight line.  The path was clear; rematch Rizzo and get that victory back.  Ring of Combat 53 would be the venue and the bout would be for the flyweight title.  To raise the stakes even higher, UFC president Dana White would be in attendance.  It seemed like the stars had finally aligned for Sean, nothing was going to stop him now.  However, things are never that easy for Sean Santella.  Just when things seemed to be at their best a setback is always waiting in the wings.  Halfway through the fight camp we received word that Rizzo pulled out of the fight.  The promoter didn’t think anyone would be willing to step up against Sean considering his track record.  Sean once again faced an uncertain future at a pivotal juncture in his career.  Staying the path paid off though.  Ring of Combat found a worthy adversary in the form of Jay Pressley.  Jay was undefeated at flyweight and was being touted as the next big thing out of team Roufusport, the same camp that produced UFC champion Anthony Pettis.

In training Sean was looking unstoppable.  After his last fight we knew we couldn’t leave things to the judges, we had to finish the fight and leave no doubt that Sean wasn’t simply the better fighter, but that he was leagues above the opposition – this was Sean’s now or never fight.  No injuries, no ring rust, no weigh-in problems, or health issues, he was going to show the UFC what Sean Santella was capable of when firing on all cylinders. 

sean5The fight began and Sean fired off a series of leg kicks before charging forward and putting Pressley on his back.  Pressely was touted as a skilled wrestler, but Sean had no trouble keeping him down.  Pressely knew his only chance was to get to his feet.  He turned his back in order to stand and in the blink of an eye Sean had a fully locked body triangle.  Seconds later he slapped on the rear naked choke and earned the submission victory.  His celebratory breakdancing routine was nearly as long as the fight.  If Sean’s pink hair didn’t get Dana White’s attention his grappling certainly did.  The chants of “U-F-C” filled the arena as Sean’s hand was raised in victory. 

For Sean’s career to continue he needs the UFC, but in many respects the UFC needs him too.  The flyweight division has no compelling fighters, no strong story line, no characters that inspire the public.  Sean has that story that makes people sit up and take notice.  He was the kid who was supposed to end up dead of in jail.  He wasn’t supposed to make it in the sport.  He should have quit when he broke his arm, when he lost his first fight, when he had a stroke, when he tore his knee.  His story is one of perseverance and triumph in the face of adversity.  His fighting style is a metaphor for how he lives his life, guns blazing and full throttle.  Dana White is famous for asking the question, “Do you want to be a fighter”?  After 20 professional bouts Sean Santella has shown he’ll take on all comers.                 

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Dana White, Sean Santella, Shorty Rock, TUF, UFC No Comments Read More

A Great Fight

Posted on December 7, 2013 by fighter in martial arts

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There is nothing quite like a great fight.  Some fights exemplify technical prowess.  Techniques are disguised with feints, fakes and misdirection like a magician’s prestige.  Attacks are sequenced in endless combinations and flow before the audience in a series of chain reactions.  Fighters solve physical riddles and challenge their adversary’s reflexes and intuitions.

Other fights are chaotic displays of unbridled fury where caution is thrown to the wind.  Courage accented with insanity creates a wild parade of speed, power and grit.  Fighters become less like artists and more like daredevils as they stand in the line of fire.

Finally, there are fights that devolve into wars of attrition, crucibles of endurance which are no longer battles of techniques, but wars of wills.  These fights become spectacles of character where the only thing keeping a combatant going is his unwavering devotion to the pursuit of victory.

Every once in a great while a fight is all of these things simultaneously, a synergistic combination of mind, body and spirit.  Great fighters challenge our concept of reality; they display unimaginable feats and in the process force us to reconsider what is possible for human beings. 

Mark Hunt and Antonio Silva put on a great fight and if you were not privileged enough to witness it, no amount of hyperbole will do it justice.

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Ultimate Amateur Hour – Could TUF’s Debacle Improve The UFC?

Posted on November 21, 2013 by fighter in Uncategorized

tufThe Ultimate Fighter has become the UFC’s farm system for finding top undiscovered talent for mixed martial arts.  The reality show has produced multiple world champions and countless contenders over it tenure on the air.  The tournament format of the show is grueling.  Three fights in a 6 week period while completely cut off from friends, family and the support structure that usually guides a fighter through troubled waters.  Fighters must compete through injuries and literally live side by side with the very people training to knock them out.  They are robbed of their privacy and all their eccentricities are broadcast worldwide for public scrutiny.  Fighters who persevere to the finale possess an extraordinary amount of mental and physical fortitude; steadfast discipline and devotion to their craft make them the benchmark for aspiring combatants across the globe.  However, juxtaposed alongside these marvels of martial excellence is a motley crew of self sabotaging underachievers with a surplus of hubris and a deficit of commitment.  These self-proclaimed “professional fighters” forgo hard work and dedication in favor of binge drinking, street fighting, fraternity styled pranks and gluttonous overeating.

GabeRuediger_display_imageAside from perhaps quitting on the stool, the most visible external sign of a fighter’s lack of heart is failure to make weight – a behavior that has plagued The Ultimate Fighter since its inception (I briefly discussed my first hand experience with a TUF cast member falling short on the scales HERE).  Making weight on the show is much more difficult than other fights mainly due to the fact that the weight cuts are so frequent.  Often times the fighters who do best on the show are those who compete above their natural fighting weight.  Joe Stevenson, Mac Danzig and Kevin Gastelum are prime examples of this phenomenon.  Mitigating circumstances aside, all fighters know what they are getting themselves into when they sign on the dotted line.  The weight cuts are not a surprise and the fighters have access to the best food money can buy at zero cost for the duration of the show.  This season, Cody Bollinger was the first to fall victim to the scale.  He suffered embarrassment on the grandest scale and became the recipient of untold amounts of ridicule and disdain.  In spite of this public crucifixion, his opponent to be Anthony Gutierrez suffered the same fate.  Gutierrez is stable mates with numerous UFC veterans. He has seen how professionals conduct themselves at the highest level.  Additionally, his coaches and teammates pointed out the recklessness of his “nutritional regimen”.  Gutierrez simply arrogantly assumed he could cut 20 pounds in a week’s time and failed…miserably.  David Grant was Gutierrez’s opponent and was the perfect foil, a consummate professional.  Rather than enjoying an easy route to the finals, Grant was devastated that he earned his spot by forfeit.  It was as if he considered his entry to the finals an unjust enrichment.  He yearned for the crucible of competition and felt betrayed that he was denied his opportunity to demonstrate his worth.  I actually believe he would rather have fought and lost than receive advancement via weight cut.

This turn of events holds many consequences for the sport.  On the one hand, it plays to the sport’s critics by portraying the athletes as amateurish, weak minded children who can’t fulfill the most pedestrian of obligations.  The title of “Ultimate Fighter” is forever weakened as the public now realizes that simply being on weight is enough to secure a spot in the finals. 

JohnsonWEIGH2editThe UFC and the sport of mixed martial arts should take this occurrence as an opportunity for some self assessment.  Fighters routinely miss weight.  There is one astronomical difference between a fighter missing weight on TUF as opposed to a regular UFC event – the fight doesn’t occur.  There is no negotiation, no financial compensation to make up for the infraction, the penalty for missing weight is simple; you are not entitled to compete.  At almost every UFC event someone misses weight.  John Lineker has missed the mark a staggering three times yet for some reason he is still allowed to compete in the same division.  Weight classes are in place to create a level playing field, to ensure that skill, athleticism and determination determine the victor rather than simply size.  Violating weight class restrictions is the most blatant form of cheating.  You don’t miss weight in the heat of the moment.  There was no moment of confusion or anger that made you forget the weight class you signed up for.  The competitor was aware of the rules and blatantly disregarded them.  Allowing a bout to continue by simply instituting a financial penalty would be equivalent to allowing a fighter to openly take steroids if they sacrificed 20% of their purse.  If athletic commissions scrapped a fight whenever a fighter missed weight then the UFC would likely cut fighters after their first infraction, or at the very least require them to move up a weight class for future fights.  Additionally, if the threat of a fight falling through was real then coaches and promoters alike would check the progress of their fighters on the path to weigh-ins.  A fighter competing at 135 pounds should not be 150 the week of the fight.  The fighter didn’t mentally quit during the weight cut, they were far too heavy. 

If the UFC adopted this model it would result in short term chaos followed by long term improvement.  For the first year fights would be called off regularly, but once cuts were doled out fighters would wise up.  They would stop trying to drop a weight class after every defeat.  They would refrain from taking bouts on 7 days notice.  They would stop assuming they could sweat out 20 pounds in a matter of days and instead make sensible weight loss decisions.  Sadly, I doubt the UFC will adopt this policy.  Instead we will continue to scold the TUF combatants who miss weight and reward the cheaters in the UFC who do the same.

Poughkeepsie MMA

Poughkeepsie MMA

Want to train with an Ultimate Fighter Veteran?  Check out Tampa Gracie specializing in BJJ Tampa and Kids Martial Arts Tampa

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Glory Glory Hallelujah – Why Kickboxing Will Dominate

Posted on October 15, 2013 by fighter in Uncategorized

Every time I’JustBleedm watching mixed martial arts at a bar or restaurant I hear the same thing, jeers of dissatisfaction when the fight enters a clinch or when fighters engage in a ground fight.  The everyday public doesn’t appreciate the nuances, strategy and subtlety of grappling.  The pace is slower, the positions are foreign and too often fans are unclear which combatant is even winning.  I’ve been grappling since the 90’s, to me a slick guard pass or duck under is poetry in motion.  However, I recognize that I am in the minority.  Combat sports fans love the Chuck Liddells and Vitor Belforts of the world.  Their aggressive striking makes for short, but memorable fights which end with the ultimate definitive conclusion – the knock out.

 

If stand up fighting is what the public craves then why isn’t boxing the sport of choice for combat sports fans?  Grappler Ben Askren once earned a Bellator victory only to be met by a chorus of boos to which he responded “go watch boxing”.  The truth of the matter though is aside from Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao boxing fails to capture the imagination of the public at large. I’ve found the same MMjjmA fans who boo the ground fights couldn’t care less about the slick counter punching of Juan Manuel Marquez. There are several reasons this situation exists.  First, boxing is too predictable.  Two men are going to punch one another.  There are no spinning or flying techniques, no unorthodox kicks, knees, back fists or superman techniques.  The success of MMA striking is that anything could happen.  The recent surplus of wheel kicks and spinning back kicks in MMA competition is what keeps the sport thriving even among the intoxicated, often homophobic anti-grappling crowd.  Boxing is also too long and knockouts too rare.  12 rounds of strategic “sweet science” is a real challenge to our culture of instant gratification.  High level pros normally spend the first two rounds in a feeling out process, by which point the masses have already changed the channel.  The defense in boxing is so highly refined that one shot KO’s are rare.  MMA utilizing small gloves and unpadded weapons like knees, elbows and kicks means more knockouts and fewer decisions.  Why isn’t muay thai the solution then?  Muay thai keeps the pace slow by emphasizing the clinch.  Also the Thai style of feeling the fighter out for the first few rounds will bore the public.

 spong-bonjasky1Enter Glory – the combat sport for the masses with 3 x 3 minute rounds of intense martial arts action, no clinching or groundwork just kicks, punches and knees.  Glory was smart to take out the elbow strikes as well, meaning fights are far less likely to be stopped via cut.  Glory fights are easy to understand, one guy lands more strikes than the other guy.  The scoring encourages action; the feeling out process is a minute at most.  There also is a twist to Glory not present in modern day boxing or MMA – the tournament setting.  Fighters must fight multiple times in one night.  This allows the fans to develop a deeper connection to the fighters with each passing bout and makes the outcome more intriguing since fighters have more adversity to overcome in the path to victory.  The tournament setting also incentives quick finishes.  When you know you must fight 2-3 times consecutively earning a 1st round KO is a massive advantage over your opponent.  Kickboxing has the right mix of standard punching and high flying Bruce Lee-esque martial arts techniques.  Glory is like the now defunct K-1, but with major network exposure.  In Tyrone Song, the organization has someone with true star potential.  He has the look, name and fighting style to bring mainstream recognition to Glory.  Some have postulated that Glory is a threat to the UFC and may steal its viewership.  However, I believe the two can peacefully coexist.  The UFC will always have one advantage, their fighters will win under a limited rules set.  Viewers want to know who the “best” fighter is and the UFC provides the most realistic platform for determining that.  While I think the UFC will always exist its days as the martial arts monopoly could be numbered.  If Glory can build an audience and learn from the pitfalls of organizations which came before it I believe it will surpass any combat sport as the preferred event for the casual fan.  While many MMA fans (myself among them) despise the anti-grappling crowd, you can’t deny their strength in numbers.   

About the Author:

D2

Brian McLaughlin is owner of Poughkeepsie Kickboxing and Martial arts gym Precision MMA in LaGrange, NY

He is a BJJ Black Belt under Tampa Gracie coach Rob Kahn and professional mixed martial artist

training MMA in Rockaway at the AMA Fight Club

Hudson Valley martial Arts

Hudson Valley martial Arts

Boxing Tampa

Glory, Glory kickboxing, Glory vs UFC, K1, Kickboxing vs MMA, Tyrone Spong, UFC No Comments Read More

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