In case you didn't notice, she's hot. Not "hot for a fighter". Hot. Unquestionably. She's also strong as hell, talented, charismatic, etc... This list goes on. She will beat 99% of the women fighters out there, and will do it in convincing fashion.
But let's get serious for a second. MMA, women's or otherwise, is a legit sport. As in any sport, you need to be in the best shape you can be (combined with tons more) to win. To win fights, you're body needs to be hard, at least for any sustainable amount of time. Cris "Cyborg" Santos is hard. She trains her body, and it shows. And she manhandled Gina Carano last night. Did Gina put up a valiant effort? Of course... but she was out muscled above all else.
Over the last few months we've had to listen to the jokes about Cyborg's "manliness", "steroid use", and "freakishness". It's ridiculous. The woman is an athlete. And a hell of an athlete at that. In order for Women's MMA to continue to evolve, we need women like Cyborg to step up so that the public can see that it's not a beauty contest and not a popularity contest, but an athletic endeavor worthy of their time.
As time goes by, we'll all look back and realize that Gina Carano was an anomaly, because as the sport evolves, so will the shape and condition the athletes are in. If you don't believe me, ask the Williams sisters. "Conviction" is a great fighter, and I'm not taking anything away from her training, skills, cardio etc... Her beauty combined with her talent make her, truly, a freak.
This card has fallen apart almost as fast as my respect for the Facebook friends who support the signing of Michael Vick. Injuries, new signings, and well... pot, have changed the scope of this card on almost every level. Let's hit the main card up like your mom on a prom date.
Gina Carano vs Cris Santos
I still don't understand people who don't think is is an awesome fight and dont' see the ramification this will have on the MMA world. The women are getting a main event with a title on the line. On a major card. On national TV. And it's going to be epic! This is a superfight. Both these ladies are tough a nails and put people out. And it's really hard to call. Epic striking almost ensures this doesn't go all five rounds. Gina (we're on a first name basis, you know) is on top of the game now for a reason. If she shows up on target, she'll be able to out work Cyborg on the feet. If it goes to the ground there is a marked advantage for Cyborg. Gina will have to control the pace early and stay away from the take down. If that happens? Win.
Gina Carano by TKO, Rd 2
Renato "Babalu" Sobral vs Gegard Mousasi
I'm not going to re-hash this one since I've already gone over what I think. Suffice it to say, great match up with Mousasi drop kicking all up in Babalu's skull.
Mousasi by KO boot to the dome, Rd 2
Gilbert Melendez vs Mitsuhiro Ishida
Grappler vs Wrestler. I'm thinking snoozfest if this goes to the ground... call it a hunch. But if it stays up, Melendez is gonna' lay suckas out.
HAHAHAHA! You've got to be kidding me. Jesse Taylor is a doofus. Sure he's won some fights. Against who? Guys behind TJ Maxx? Heiron's on the verge of being top rung and he'll prove it by dismantling JTdummy... this doesn't get out of round one. Heiron by murder, Rd 2
Mike Kyle vs Fabricio Werdum I still don't get why Werdum was canned after his devastating loss to Junior Dos Santos. He's an elite fighter who's gone against elite competition... including a win over the current SF HW champ, Overreem. Mike Kyle is a talent no doubt. Werdum has him beat in ever aspect. I'm hoping to see some jits here, since there isn't a lot on the rest of the main card. Werdum by strangulation, Rd 2
Other Thoughts: -Really upset how the Nick Diaz drama is playing out. I love watching him fight, and would hate to see his career take a Josh Barnett arc.
-How long do we have to wait for SF to put up Overeem's title? I really want SF to succeed... there needs to be competition in the market. But until they can support their title picture with constant fights, it'll never be legit.
-Yes, Gina Carano is hot... she is also an exciting fighter. Really would like to see her win. She is STRONG. Don't let the looks fool you. She will knock you out. Can she out power Cyborg? Maybe... Plus, she trains with This Guy:
Ok. So far August is turning out to be an awesome month for MMA. Didn't I tell you? With just 2 events down, we've seen return to forms, upsets, and new champs. Quick reactions to the weekend:
-I didn't get to post my predictions for WEC 42, but I'm pretty sure no one in their right mind was expecting the Bowles upset... certainly not in such convincing fashion. Some are comparing it to Brown-Faber 1, but at least SOME people gave Brown a chance. Congratulations to Brian Bowles, and I can't wait for a quick rematch.
-Anderson Silva may have killed Forrest Griffin. I predicted upset, then I saw the fight and said "WTF was I thinking?!" It would seem that the reason Silva was so boring in his last 2 fights would be because his opposition was so boring. He stepped up and mutilated Griffin. Destroyed. I'll never doubt him again... until he fights Machida, someday.
-BJ Penn is still the man. In my predictilations I said that Kenny is the Rich Franklin of 155. It seems to be the case. BJ won in convincing fashion. Who's next at 155? What's next for Kenny? 145?
Up next: Strikeforce Carano vs Cyborg. So far, exciting month in MMA. Told you so!
A few short days away from the UFC's first foray into my home town... and I'll be in another state. Such is life, but I implore everyone to get to the show. Make them come back at a time that is convenient for me!
So here you go, my totally biased, completely un-scientific predictions for the main card... love 'em or hate 'em... or shut it, sucka!
BJ Penn (0-1 vs Crisco) vs Kenny Florian (0-1 vs beards) I want Kenny to win this. He's an exciting fighter, awesome in every way, and quite frankly, a testament to his profession. He is also the Rich Franklin of his weight class. He is the best LW, who can't beat the champ. The psuedo-question of the BJ's condition out, there is nothing Kenny does better then BJ. I don't see this ending any other way than stoppage. No question. BJ Penn by upside down monkey choke - Rd 2
Anderson Silva (1-0 vs insomnia lately) vs Forrest Griffin (0-1 vs elephantitus of the ears) When I heard about this fight, I nearly blew my shit. This is the fight Anderson needs, and is a fantastic way for Forrest to prove that he is THE underdog thrilla. If Silva brings his game, Forrest most likely won't stand a chance. He'll probs put Forrest through the ringer, and make him run with magic legs (bam). But he hasn't been there, and is looking a bit cocky. This is the perfect chance for Forrest to step in and show what he's made of. I'm calling upset. Forrest Griffin by decision - Rd 2
Amir Sadollah (o-1000 vs injury) vs Johnny Hendricks (1-0 vs people who share my awesome first name) Amir is a future star methinks. Johny Hendricks is going to be a journeyman in about ten fights or so. So where does that leave us? I'd like to see Amir drop some kicking science all over Hendricks. No cheap, easy arm bars. Keep it on the feet, Amir. Smack that sucka around. Thai clinch, knees, end. Amir Sadollah by Tiger knee - Rd 2
Kendall Grove (1-0 vs hunger pangs) vs Ricardo Almeida (1-0 when tagging with Renzo's foot Another great clinch game, and Kendall's length makes it that must more interesting. He also has a half decent ground game. Ricardo's got the ground advantage, clearly, but if Grove can keep it on his feet it should end in a butt whoopin'. I smell grove picking Ricardo apart from afar all night and dropping him when Ricardo gets sloppy and shoots. Then blammo... Kendall Grove by head boot - Rd 2
Josh Neer (0-1 vs charm school) vs Kurt Pellegrino (1-0 vs awesome nicknames) To steal from a million people, this has FotN all over it. But Neer is strong and tough, and will bash your brains in if given the chance. Plain and simple, Holy Lights Out Batman! Josh Neer by route canal... with fists - Rd 2
You may or may not have heard this, but if you hadn't I'm calling "exclusive". Fedor Emelianenko has signed with Strikeforce! You read it here first! Right?
We can only hope that they didn't give ALL of their money to Fedor. Strikeforce has proven to be a pretty compelling show, even more so than when Affliction was around (when was that anyway?). If they pull an Attencio or a Shaw and sink all of their money into "The Last Emperor", they may go the way of the dodo($kala). Fortunately, SF already has a bunch of stars, great fighters, and compelling match-ups under their belt.
That being said, pull up a chair, relax, and allow me to spin a little yarn for you about a great Emperor that ruled over no one. Here's a list of HWs currently fighting in SF via their website:
Alistair Overeem: A 29-11-1 record sounds better of paper than it does in reality. He's lost to Shogun (twice), Werdum, and Nogueira, and beat a string of guys I mostly don't recognize (including Filipovic "twins", which I totally don't recognize). Does this mean he's a bad fighter? No. He suffers from the same dearth of competition that Fedor does. Fedor will kill him. I don't mean that metaphorically. He also beat Vitor Belfort twice, which puts him on my hate list. F' him.
Brett Rogers: "The Grim" beat the snot out of a slumping Andrei Arlovski. That's got to count for something, right? Sure it does. But he doesn't have the experience to take Fedor now (maybe not ever). Fedor also has the jaw of a real pit bull... one punch won't be enough, and what else has he got? Moxie?
Fabricio Werdum: A super-dee-duper Jits guy who's got some big fights to his name, then got his head punched off by Junior dos Santos. This is actually my favorite fight for Fedor. Why not? To paraphrase... some one's got to beat Fedor, why not Fabricio Werdum?
Phil Baroni's Ego: There's actually a good chance that the NYBA'a ego could overcome Fedor in a fight. It's def a heavyweight. But it would have to escape from the body of average fighter, and that would be it's down fall.
I could go on (not really, there's just not that many) but I'm not going to bother. Dana White might be right. Fedor will never be the best until he beats Ric Flair. He isn't doing that in Strikeforce. For years, the HW division in the UFC was a joke. I mean this guy was champ! The story goes that Randy Couture called D Dubbs and begged to come out of retirement because the HWs were lazy! But the new HWs are stacked, jacked and ready for crack! Fedor's missing out... on a handful of beatins'.
Gina Carano is a freak.
t few months we've had to listen to the jokes about Cyborg's "manliness", "steroid use", and "freakishness". It's ridiculous. The woman is an athlete. And a hell of an athlete at that. In order for Women's MMA to continue to evolve, we need women like Cyborg to step up so that the public can see that it's not a beauty contest and not a popularity contest, but an athletic endeavor worthy of their time.
