Ever stared at someone who wanted to physically hurt you for two minutes and then knock him out with a freakish Tae Kwon Do style front kick that mirrored the likes of old school video game Mortal Kombat? This isn’t a sick twist on a Chuck Norris joke but Steven Seagal had accolades given to him by Anderson Silva after displaying a resounding “yes” to my hypothesized question.
Silva again answered the world’s question of whether he holds the essence to greatness or fraud at UFC 126 when he stunned the crowd with a kick that can only hold the description of “freakish” or “something out of a video game” knocking supposedly tough opponent Vitor Belfort. After an intense staring contest Silva effortlessly projected the front kick that caught Belfort off-guard and down Belfort went.
This makes the upcoming Pierre-Shields championship fight all the more interesting. If Welterweight Champion can successfully defend against a tough opponent such as Shields then the makings of an epic clash between Pierre and Silva seems inevitable (and hopeful). The mma gods must convene to determine this as the world wants nothing more than to see that happen. Of course, the intelligently calculable UFC execs understand this and promote the likelihood of the two fighting only if Pierre wins to fans. This probably proves more false than not as fans usually get what they want; and even if Pierre loses to Shields he still gets a shot and Silva.
To add to all this chaos in the world of mma the next event headlines the return of B.J. Penn to the Welterweight division against elite fighter John Fitch. Fitch hasn’t loss since 2008 (to Pierre) and continually moves upward in the division. If either fighter wins they could claim number one contender rights to the Welterweight belt. That potentially sets up a three-peat affair of Penn-Pierre or a rematch of Fitch-Pierre. In summation, anytime you have the names Penn, Pierre, and Silva in a scenario it usually revolves around the question of “pound-for-pound” greatest fighter; in this context the conversation points to giving practical answers to the question instead of theoretical round houses and take-down defenses.
Without minimizing other fights on the card, Forrest Griffin managed to gain a strategic victory over competitive adversary Rich “Ace” Franklin. Griffin caught criticism for the lackluster win but felt compelled to note fighters must “win” and so he did, just not at the behest of the mma faithful in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Jon “Bones” Jones effortlessly dispensed of Ryan “Darth” Bader with a submission in the second round of the fight. The fight had championship title shot implications and Jones and President Dana White confirmed this rumor at the post-fight interviews. Jones will set to face current Light-Heavyweight Champion Mauricio “Shogun” Rua. Rua, who hasn’t fought since May of last year, comes off an extensive layoff from a knee surgery to face a brutally tough opponent in Jones. This fight very well could make “Fight of the Year”.
Fight Back: Elementary schools have started implementing martial arts into their physical activity programs and after-school programs. Do you think this is a good or bad thing? Hit me up at mercer.gene@gmail.com to weigh in.
The Kid's Corner
