By E. Spencer Kyte (espencerkyte@mmaratings.net)
1. This Picture Might Be Accurate
Anyone else would have been finished.
Broken nose on the very first punch, from a jab no less, before taking some serious ground and pound from a guy known explicitly for his big hands? We’ve seen talented fighters succumb to less.
But Fedor? The increasingly mythical entity that is “The Last Emperor” stood tall and remained calm, weathered the storm, landed some shots of his own and put an exclamation point on the evening with a precision knockout of Brett Rogers less than two minutes into Round 2.
More and more, Fedor is looking like an unbeatable fighting machine.
2. Brett Rogers is a Top 5 Heavyweight
After defeating Andrei Arlovski back in the June, Rogers’ trainer Mike Reilly proclaimed his fighter to be a Top 5 Heavyweight, prompting a certain someone (read: we’re talking about me here) to counter on Watch Kalib Run. Now, five months and a fight with Fedor later, let me assure you that Brett Rogers is a Top 5 heavyweight.
Results aside, Rogers busted up Fedor and showed the hands to put just about anyone into some serious trouble. What impresses me most about “The Grim” is where he can go from here.
Right now, he’s still a brawler, but there is potential there to harness those hands and build a serious striker. Add in some semblance of a ground game – because there isn’t one yet – and Brett Rogers could be deadly, and that’s saying something, because he’s already pretty damn dangerous.
3. 30 More Seconds and Mayhem is Champ
For all the talk about Jake Shields’ phenomenal submission game, he was the one in the most danger last night.
While the Cesar Gracie student earned a Unanimous Decision and the Strikeforce Middleweight title, Jason “Mayhem” Miller came closest to finishing the fight with a very deep Rear Naked Choke at the close of the third round.
Had there been any more time in the round, we’re talking about an upset and Mayhem is rolling with some new gold around his waist. Instead, we’re talking about something we already knew: Jake Shields has zero – REPEAT ZERO – stand-up, no matter what he tries to tell everyone.
4. The Fans Booed a Grappling Match? Didn’t Someone Say That Would Happen?
I remember, it was me, yesterday, when I was talking about The Jorge Gurgel Theory.
As if on cue, the action in the Shields – Mayhem match went to the ground and the chorus of complaints started ringing through the Sears Center. Admittedly, there were points in the action where it certainly was boring, but there were also some terrific scrambles and reversals and still the boos came crashing down.
If this is the way casual fans are going to react when a fight goes to the floor (and it is), pushing Jake Shields is going to be a tough task, 13-fight winning streak and shiny, gold belt or not.
5. Sokoudjou Added to the Dictionary
Sokoudjou (verb): the act where a person routinely looks good in their chosen profession before pulling a complete 180 and getting their ass handed to them.
Example: Mark Sanchez was on a roll in New York before he sokoudjoued against the Bills.
What makes it even harder to stomach is that Soko won the first round and looked good doing it; great balance, a couple nice throws, kept Mousasi from doing much damage, but then it was done.
My new question is whether it is a cardio issue or a “Sokoudjou simply quits” issue?
6. Mousasi is the Next Fedor
You can see it in his demeanor; both just look so calm and almost disinterested before the fight begins and once it’s underway, nothing seems to phase them.
There are going to be those who jump all over this idea, citing Mousasi’s lack of Top 10 opponents and that’s fine. Renato Sobral is better than a lot of people give him credit for and the kid can only beat up whoever they put in front of him.
As stated earlier in the week: Gegard Mousasi will be considered the best MMA fighter on the planet inside the next three years.
7. Nothing Like Talking About the UFC
Here’s an idea for the next Strikeforce card: have the announcers try even harder to advertise for the competition, and by “the announcers” I mean “the two guys who aren’t Mauro Ranallo.”
When you add up the GSP reference and talking about Sokoudjou losing to Machida with Johnson calling him something like “the emerging UFC superstar,” the only thing missing was Brock Lesnar and some reference to Fedor avoiding the UFC like the plague.
Strikeforce presents: the prime-time UFC info-mercial with your host, Gus Johnson.
8. While We’re on the Topic of Announcers…
Frank Shamrock has got to go.
Repeatedly saying he couldn’t score rounds whenever Ranallo gave him the lead in was bad enough, but not quite as bad as calling Sokoudjou “Sujoku” all night.
Frank, he’s a fighter, not a tricky little numbers game in the Sunday morning paper. That’s called Sudoku. You’ll have time to attempt one next time Strikeforce is on CBS because you shouldn’t be at the announce table.
9. Fights Good, Production Bad
You can’t control the outcome of fights (sorry DMX…), but you can control the timing of the event and Strikeforce failed in my books last night.
Everything felt really slowed down and while I understand that being on network TV and needing to mix in commercial breaks and such plays a part, things just looked amateurish.
On a night where Strikeforce could have entrenched themselves as a legitimate opponent to the UFC, the fighters came through in spades, but the production crew seriously dropped the ball.
Did I mention an entire fight was just scrapped for no real reason? To quote Ron Burgundy, “that’s just Bush. It’s Bush League! Audrey!”
10. EA Sports MMA Looks Gooooooooood!
Two words: Me Likey
Ten Things, second take:
1. Fedor showed in his last three fights that if you make a mistake, HE WILL FINISH YOU DECISIVELY. That's what mainstream MMA fans want to see, and that's why he will reign as the Top Heavyweight in the sport, and an emerging superstar, to boot. The fact that he takes damage, but remains unperturbed, just enhances his aura.
2. Ask yourself this question: Would anyone NOT named Fedor have survived Rogers' first round offense? (OK, maybe Big Nog.) Regardless, I think he stops Lesnar, Carwin, Velasquez, Mir, and possibly Kongo. The challenge now for Strikeforce is convincing fans of this fact. I'd say that he should face Tim Sylvia (nothing like a former UFC champ on the resume) next, and then perhaps an Antonio Silva, before building him up for another shot at the big boys, Overeem, Arlovski, and Fedor.
3. Jason Miller came *this close* to becoming a HUGE star for Strikeforce. The fact that Mayhem almost won could be a jumping off point for an eventual second title shot for him; he just needs to put together a winning streak. It'll be tough, because he'd be an underdog against Lawler and Jacare, and possibly Lindland and Kennedy. Where's Mr. Cyborg when you need him?
4. The ground game *is* boring if there's no chance of a finish. Sure, positional dominance is "effective grapping," in the same way that Ball Control that controls the clock, but ends drives with field goals is Effective Football. Once it became obvious that Shields couldn't finish Miller, the audible groans from the home and live crowds were unmistakable. However, when Miller almost finishes Shields, they all perk up. Fans don't want to see defensive grappling and control, they want to see offensive grappling that results in submission attempts.
But look at it this way: If Shields is going to be maligned for being an "American Ju Jitsu" conservative grappler, then fights against bangers like Cung Le, Joey Villasenor, and Robbie Lawler will represent style clashes that will have all the fans rooting for the challengers. And if he really wants that Frank Shamrock fight, then doing it in San Jose would galvanize the local base…especially if announcer Frank Shamrock has a platform to criticize Shields for being boring.
5. You mean 180. But anyway, I think that Sokoudju is the new Overeem. Remember when the knock on Overeem was that he was a frontrunner who looked great for the first 2-3 minutes, but then he gassed and died? Yup, now that guy is Sokoudju. However, just like Overeem, Judo Thierry is a young guy, and he still has room to develop…especially in Japan, where he should be the recipient of favorable matchmaking. I'd like to see him get some of that from Strikeforce, perhaps as part of the Strikeforce Challenger series.
6. Yes. And he too is represented by M-1, so he may not get into the UFC either. However, this could work out for Strikeforce, especially if they manage to sign Dan Handerson, arguably a Top 5 light heavyweight, and Ricardo Arona, who is a solid LHW in his own right.
7. This isn't pro wrestling — ignoring the UFC makes you look disingenuous, and makes you lose credibility in the eyes of fans. MMA fans *should* know who the Top stars in the sport are. Mentioning that Sokoudju had a sub-.500 record in the UFC, including losses to Top 10 LHW fighters Machida and Cane, doesn't hurt anyone except people allergic to the truth.
Georges St. Pierre and Anderson Silva are guys considered top pound-for-pounders, and Fedor is in that class. To pretend that their fanbase will avoid the UFC because Strikeforce doesn't mention it or their stars is misguided, and won't lead to any growth on their part.
8. I'm not a fan of Frank Shamrock, but where have you been? He always goes into business for himself, and his grudge against Jake Shields was the reason he refused to say Shields was winning the fight. Pat Militech is a better color guy, but Frank's better known, and for CBS's purposes, that helps them. Plus, when it came to calling the ground game, he offered solid insight without coming off as an apologist.
That said, the Sujoku thing was unforgivable.
9. Here's the thing about production: WEC cards NEVER end on time, but they have a network that allows them a huge overrun. In CBS, they are deathly afraid of running long and raising the ire of local affiliates. Plus, a five-round decision in your semi-main creates a 30-minute glut that the rest of the show has to be booked around. They already skimped on entrances and post-fight interviews.
As for the swing bout getting canceled, that's not a production thing; that's the fault of the arena and the promoter.
10. EA Sports MMA needs to be pushed HARD. They should put together a demo for every show's main event, and use those graphics for their "Keys to Victory" instead of the Meat Puppets. In fact, using Virtual Fedor might help them get around their lack of fight footage.
You're right that not mentioning the UFC is a discredit to the fans watching.
That being said, mentioning that your MW title contender got smashed all over the cage by GSP (who fans know is a WW) is kinda crappy to me…
While you certainly have to acknowledge their presence and the fights some of these guys have had, you temper everything and keep it to a minimum is my opinion.
Sokoudjou lost to Lyoto Machida explains the defeat just as much as Sokoudjou lost to the rising UFC superstar Lyoto Machida…
Ten Things, second take:
1. Fedor showed in his last three fights that if you make a mistake, HE WILL FINISH YOU DECISIVELY. That's what mainstream MMA fans want to see, and that's why he will reign as the Top Heavyweight in the sport, and an emerging superstar, to boot. The fact that he takes damage, but remains unperturbed, just enhances his aura.
2. Ask yourself this question: Would anyone NOT named Fedor have survived Rogers' first round offense? (OK, maybe Big Nog.) Regardless, I think he stops Lesnar, Carwin, Velasquez, Mir, and possibly Kongo. The challenge now for Strikeforce is convincing fans of this fact. I'd say that he should face Tim Sylvia (nothing like a former UFC champ on the resume) next, and then perhaps an Antonio Silva, before building him up for another shot at the big boys, Overeem, Arlovski, and Fedor.
3. Jason Miller came *this close* to becoming a HUGE star for Strikeforce. The fact that Mayhem almost won could be a jumping off point for an eventual second title shot for him; he just needs to put together a winning streak. It'll be tough, because he'd be an underdog against Lawler and Jacare, and possibly Lindland and Kennedy. Where's Mr. Cyborg when you need him?
4. The ground game *is* boring if there's no chance of a finish. Sure, positional dominance is "effective grapping," in the same way that Ball Control that controls the clock, but ends drives with field goals is Effective Football. Once it became obvious that Shields couldn't finish Miller, the audible groans from the home and live crowds were unmistakable. However, when Miller almost finishes Shields, they all perk up. Fans don't want to see defensive grappling and control, they want to see offensive grappling that results in submission attempts.
But look at it this way: If Shields is going to be maligned for being an "American Ju Jitsu" conservative grappler, then fights against bangers like Cung Le, Joey Villasenor, and Robbie Lawler will represent style clashes that will have all the fans rooting for the challengers. And if he really wants that Frank Shamrock fight, then doing it in San Jose would galvanize the local base…especially if announcer Frank Shamrock has a platform to criticize Shields for being boring.
5. You mean 180. But anyway, I think that Sokoudju is the new Overeem. Remember when the knock on Overeem was that he was a frontrunner who looked great for the first 2-3 minutes, but then he gassed and died? Yup, now that guy is Sokoudju. However, just like Overeem, Judo Thierry is a young guy, and he still has room to develop…especially in Japan, where he should be the recipient of favorable matchmaking. I'd like to see him get some of that from Strikeforce, perhaps as part of the Strikeforce Challenger series.
6. Yes. And he too is represented by M-1, so he may not get into the UFC either. However, this could work out for Strikeforce, especially if they manage to sign Dan Handerson, arguably a Top 5 light heavyweight, and Ricardo Arona, who is a solid LHW in his own right.
7. This isn't pro wrestling — ignoring the UFC makes you look disingenuous, and makes you lose credibility in the eyes of fans. MMA fans *should* know who the Top stars in the sport are. Mentioning that Sokoudju had a sub-.500 record in the UFC, including losses to Top 10 LHW fighters Machida and Cane, doesn't hurt anyone except people allergic to the truth.
Georges St. Pierre and Anderson Silva are guys considered top pound-for-pounders, and Fedor is in that class. To pretend that their fanbase will avoid the UFC because Strikeforce doesn't mention it or their stars is misguided, and won't lead to any growth on their part.
8. I'm not a fan of Frank Shamrock, but where have you been? He always goes into business for himself, and his grudge against Jake Shields was the reason he refused to say Shields was winning the fight. Pat Militech is a better color guy, but Frank's better known, and for CBS's purposes, that helps them. Plus, when it came to calling the ground game, he offered solid insight without coming off as an apologist.
That said, the Sujoku thing was unforgivable.