Author Archive for valentine

Farmboy come Fighter

Published by valentine August 9th, 2007 in Matt Hughes. 4 Comments

There have been times that I have watched fighters and been impressed by their form, their art, their force. But never had I watched a fighter that left me totally speechless with their demonstration of freakish strength. Not until I met Matt Hughes.

Matt Hughes hit the UFC scene in 1999. I can still recall his first few fights where he exhibited he was a new force to be reckon with. He was like an anaconda on his opponents. A highly trained wrestler with early career highlights that include being a two-time Illinois state high school champion, a high school All-American, and four-time
collegiate All American at the Eastern Illinois University, once Hughes got his hands on you, it was highly doubtful that he would let go. Hughes stumbled across UFC when his buddy suggested he try it out. He started out with small cage fights but was quickly recognized as a good up and coming fighter. He would highly impress judges and fans when he would show his upper body strength by picking up opponents and slamming them down on the mat with ease.

Hughes quickly climbed the UFC ladder, having only three losses in his entire UFC career thus far. It was no surprise when he became UFC World Welterweight Champion.
But his loss to BJ Penn during UFC 46 would plague Hughes for years. He was chosen to be a team coach for the Ultimate Fighter Season 2 with his nemesis, BJ Penn, leading the opposing team. Hughes showed he had finally earned his place at the top when he faced a living UFC legend, Royce Gracie, and came out victorious with a TKO in the first round. Hughes had little time to celebrate, he remained focused for his rematch with BJ Penn, which took place as the headlining fight for UFC63. Towards the end of Round 3, Hughes would rise victorious again with a TKO on Penn. It seems the Champ was back and in full force.

Then appeared the three letters in the alphabet that would hurt Hughes, GSP.

Perhaps he was feeling very comfortable at the top, but the match between Hughes and Georges St. Pierre would be the end of his reign. Hughes appeared to be winded and unfocused, basically being man-handled by GSP. He would lose by TKO at the beginning of the second round. Leaving the ring, he appeared more disappointed in himself rather than beaten. It would be almost five months before the world would hear from Matt Hughes. He returned to the octagon for UFC68 with a unanimous decision over Chris Lytle. There is still a long road ahead for Hughes to recapture his title. And a new crop of up and comers hitting the scene. Pound for pound, Matt Hughes still remains a force to be reckoned with in UFC. Those who doubt it will soon learn there is no escape from the farmboy from Illinois.

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About Tito Ortiz

Published by valentine July 23rd, 2007 in Tito Ortiz. 2 Comments

During the evening of May 30, 1997 the UFC introduced one of its newest fighters. Thirty one seconds after the opening bell rang, the world knew a new name Tito Ortiz. Bursting on the scene, The Huntington Beach Bad Boy quickly became the hottest new fighter in the mixed martial arts world.

A two-time California state wrestling champion in high school, Ortiz just happened to stumble across his initiation into the sport. His wrestling coach was Paul Herrera, a UFC veteran, who was looking for a sparring partner for his close friend, another UFC alumni, Tank Abbott. Interested in the cross training, Ortiz accepted and the rest is history.

Ortiz soon became known for his abrasive behavior inside and outside of the ring for antics such as giving the finger to his opponents and acting like he was digging their graves. Such taunts fueled a bitter rival between Ortiz and Ken Shamrock’s Lions Den. Ortiz went on to fight several fighters from the Lions Den corner including Ken’s brother Frank, and a bitter battle with Guy Metzger. During which, Ortiz continued to twist the knife into Shamrock by wearing personalized with slogans such as, “Gay Metzger is my bitch!”

In April, 2004, Ortiz faced Wanderlei Silva for the Light Heavyweight Championship title and won by a unanimous decision. He went on to defend his title and creating his unique style of MMA fighting, The Ground and Pound. Being very aggressive by nature, Ortiz would usually shoot an opponent to the ground and begin an onslaught of strikes and elbows, knocking his opponents senseless. He continued to defend his belt until he was stopped dead in his tracks by Randy Couture during UFC44.

The feud with Shamrock finally came to a head when both fighters agreed to be trainers for the UFC reality show, Ultimate Fighter 3. It was agreed that the two fighters would face each other once again in the octagon, the original confrontation ending in a TKO for Ortiz. Once again, Ortiz pummeled Shamrock during UFC61, but that didn’t stop Shamrock and he challenged Ortiz to another go. The highlight for this pay per view, Ortiz Vs. Shamrock: The Final Chapter, was yet another win for Ortiz, who entered the ring wearing one of his shirts stating, “Beat him into retirement.” And he did just that with a full knock out. Shamrock decided he had enough of the rivalry and buried the hatchet, shaking hands with Ortiz at the end of the match.

Today, Ortiz is back on the road to the championship. Having a few minor set backs with two losses to Chuck Liddell and a recent draw with Rashad Evans. Ortiz continues to prove himself in the mixed martial arts world. Fans can expect to see much more coming from the inventor of ground and pound. Whether in the octagon or outside being a coach, Ortiz is here to stay.

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