It wasnt fun to watch, Ill give you that. Less than two weeks before Jackson and his trainer, Colin Oyama, left for Japan I was invited into their gym to do interviews and shoot some video. More than once I mentioned to Rampage how happy and at peace he seemed.
Oyama was convinced that Jackson had what it took to beat Shogun. But boy did he lack the explosiveness to compete with the Brazilian.
This might make news: On Saturday I saw Rampage at KOTC and he told me that while the rib was injured, it was not broken. More of a cartilage issue, he said, which no doubt was still painful.
That said, I always believe trainers, especially those as close to their fighter as Oyama is to Rampage, know the limits of the men in the ring. To an outside observer like you or me, his beating seemed unnecessary. But Oyama and I havent had a chance to speak with him must have felt Jackson was still in the fight.
Jackson explained that at no point was he stunned. (On a side note, Jackson shocked me when he said that Rua was better than his more famous teammate Wanderlei Silva. Interesting and scary at the same time.)
Expect Jackson to make some changes in the future. But he promises hell continue to work with Oyama in their No Limits gym.
Best fight ever?
Gotta say, Matt Hughes coming back and beating the snot out of that ball buster Trigg was one of the greatest things Ive ever seen. Reading what you wrote, you sounded impressed. Where do you rank it with the best fights in the history of MMA? Bruce Rosen
I always love these questions because they force me to jar this memory of mine. I also hate them because invariably I leave something off the list I shouldnt have.
Because Im a fight snob I have a few criteria before granting BFE status:
1) It should be a championship bout (unless its so miraculous that just doesnt matter);
2) at least one of the fighters must come back from adversity;
3) when a good fight has a possibility of being a great fight, you immediately think of a BFE fight to compare it to.
So, my top five fights (in no particular order):
Randy Couture vs. Pedro Rizzo I an absolute war. Both men were almost done. It was the first great five-round championship bout to go the distance.
Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira vs. Bob Sapp and I killed DSE/K-1 afterwards for making this match. Put this one in the VCR if you ever want to hook someone on MMA and/or fool them into thinking youve got a murder on tape.
Wanderlei Silva vs. Quinton Jackson II it was the match we wanted to see outside the tournament format. Jackson nearly had this one, hurting Silva with a minute left in round one. But the Brazilian stormed back to deliver one of the most brutal knockouts in MMA history.
Kazushi Sakuraba vs. Royce Gracie this falls under the so miraculous that it just doesnt matter caveat. Half an hour into the bout it was already special. Sixty minutes later, it one for the ages.
Forrest Griffin vs. Stephan Bonnar Im taking the easy way out. Sure, the two fought their hearts out. But the reason for making this list has more to do with the venue in which they did it. During a six-minute stretch an estimated 10 million Americans tuned in to watch this fight. Yeah, that says just about everything.
Handicapping the PRIDE GP second-round matches
What matches would you make for the second round of the Pride GP? I hope they do Igor vs. Silva. But I bet they dont want four Brazilians in the finals Eric Swain, Boca Raton, Florida
Well, let me apologize for not getting to this one before PRIDE had the audacity to officially announce quarterfinal bouts. Lets take the opportunity to break down the fights as the currently stand.
Wanderlei Silva vs. Kazuhiro Nakamura according to those who voted in Wednesdays Sherdog.com poll, this is the least anticipated bout of the second round. I like Nakamura. Hes athletic and aggressive. Silva, however, is too much for the judoka. And you have to wonder what kind of psychological games Silva will play with Nakamura after the Brazilian twice beat Hidehiko Yoshida, Nakamuras mentor.
Antonio Rogerio Nogueira vs. Mauricio Rua the most anticipated bout of the quarterfinals, say you guys. And its hard to argue. Two young bulls on the verge of taking the next step. Its a tough bout to call, but I think Shogun is too athletic for Nogueira and his aggressive striking is the difference.
Ricardo Arona vs. Kazushi Sakuraba if theres one guy in the tournament I can let myself root for its Sakuraba. He can win this fight, but it wont come easy. Arona is equal parts muscle and technique. When he feels like he can be aggressive, hes ultra dangerous. And I think hell walk into the ring acting like Sakuraba cannot hurt him. Hes probably right.
Igor Vovchanchyn vs. Alistair Overeem the sleeper bout. Igor was my pick to win the whole thing and Im not flip-flopping yet. Physically, Overeem presents the Ukrainians most difficult challenge. Cant you envision the Dutchman driving a knee into Vovchanchyns face? I can. But my gut says Igor advances to Augusts championship night by knockout.
An E-mail from Japan I think
Simply which show did you like the best as a editor of biggest MMA site in the universe? Tell us why too. Dirk Digler, Tokyo
Ahem, Dirk? I dislike all promoters equally. Actually, thats not true. Some I actually despise.
Heres my perfect show:
Five-minute round structure as used in sanctioned North American events; same for the rules of the ring, with the much-needed addition of knees to the head on the ground; no cage, just a ring exactly like PRIDEs; and the 10-point must scoring system.
Until theres an event matching that and its making me millions like Im a King of the Cage promoter, I cant pick a favorite.
The best event in April? As an American MMA watcher it had to be the TUF Finale. It meant more for the long-term future of the sport in the U.S. than any other event since, well ever.