Science of Fights

The Superman Punch is arguably the most popular single move in fighting sports today. The technique is flashy but highly effective when executed well. Hitting someone with a form-perfect Superman in a fight or sparring match instantly boosts one’s confidence. It is one of those techniques that positively shifts or increases a fighters’ momentum---no wonder, it’s so popular.

The appeal of fighting sports is its capacity to feed our primal need for destruction. Fighters approach fights differently: there are fighters that prefer to bulldoze the competition with brute power and strength, and in contrast, other fighters are methodical assassins. Whatever the approach, spectators love to see someone “hurt” or get knocked out. It is in our drive, it is what Freud refers to as man’s “Death Instinct”. But this article is not about the Freudian theory. This is about individuals who had made reputations of themselves as fearsome fighters. These 25 fighters of last 25 years are not inside the ring or cage to win on points. They are not in there to sting you with punches or kicks, instead, they are there with the full intention to hurt you or knock you out cold. Win or lose, going against them always guarantees pain.

Brock Lesnar was dethroned as “The Baddest Man Alive” after Cain Velasquez decimated him in UFC 121. It only took Velasquez one round to make it happen as he left Lesnar beaten to a bloody pulp after referee Herb Dean motioned to stop the fight. Velasquez winning the fight did not really surprise me. His well-rounded skills and innate speed is certainly difficult to overcome even for someone like Lesnar. Rather, it was Lesnar’s performance in that fight that made me realize something about the monster. Ever since Lesnar’s prominence in the UFC, I see him as an enigmatic fighter. I definitely revere his awesome size, strength, and athletic ability as they were instantly recognizable but I had lingering doubts about his composure, heart, adaptability, defense, and overall skills as a true MMA competitor. The problem with Lesnar is the hype that surrounds him. It was really difficult to profile him and rank his aptitude in different aspects of the fight game because of the ex...

UFC, as part of its yearly tradition, aims to start its first event of the year with a stacked fight card. 2011 will be no different as UFC announces " UFC 125: Resolution , Edgar vs. Maynard". The event is set to take place in the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada on New Year's Day. The main event will be a lightweight title fight between the current champion, Frankie "The Answer" Edgar, and the number one contender, Gray "The Bully" Maynard. This fight is also a rematch between the two lightweights as the undefeated Maynard will look to repeat his win over "The Answer". Edgar, on the other hand, will try to avenge his only loss to retain his UFC lightweight belt.

Jon Jones’ rise in the UFC is well known. He ends fights impressively. With his combination of powerful wrestling and unorthodox striking, he is exciting to watch. After his destruction of solid fighters like Brandon Vera and Vladimir Matyushenko, he feels that he is ready for the big time. He expressed that he wanted better fighters, particularly fighters that belong in the top five of the light-heavyweight pool. Regardless of his desires, Jones already expected that his next opponent was the winner of the Ryan Bader-Antônio Rogério Nogueira match.

The Bad: Chael Sonnen’s abrupt rise and fall Chael Sonnen, the underdog in UFC 117, gave Anderson Silva a beatdown he has never encountered before. Sonnen frustrated Silva with his wrestling for four and a half rounds but got caught by the champion’s miracle triangle choke in the last round. Despite Sonnen’s loss, some UFC fans were quite contented to realize that Silva, the man who dominated the middleweight division for three years, is beatable. Sonnen, as a fighter, instantly became a hot item. Fans could already imagine him wearing the middleweight belt. Immediately after the fight, talks of rematch resounded. It was even verbally confirmed by UFC president Dana White that a second fight between the two cage fighters would be arranged sooner than many had expected. MMA fans were pumped for the rematch, but it all crumbled down when Chael Sonnen tested positive for natural steroid use. The repercussions of that result were very bad for the organization’s mone...

The Ultimate Fighting Championship is set for another great fight card when it presents “UFC 118: Penn vs Edgar 2” on 28 August at the TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts. The much anticipated rematch between Frankie Edgar and BJ Penn for the UFC lightweight championship will top the event. It will also feature the UFC debut of former boxing champion, James Toney, when he goes up against UFC hall-of-famer, Randy Couture.

Before any of you Quinton “Rampage” Jackson fanatics out there come bashing this post, hear me out. Let me put it out there and say that I am a true Rampage fan and I have been following him since his Pride days. I find him to be not only an amazing fighter but also one hell of a personality. His wit and humor, along with his caveman strength and KO power, have made him a fighter you cannot easily forget. He is popular and he can bang with the best fighters MMA has to offer, there is no doubt about that. However, I am also a follower of the evolving sport and, as an analyst, I must be realistic and go against my fanaticism of Jackson and say that he can’t become a UFC champion again.

A knockout punch can end all contests decisively. It can finish fights without dispute and can save your life in grave circumstances. A fighting sports athlete needs it when he is awfully down on points; an up and comer wants to have a lot of wins through knockouts to boost confidence and create an intimidating image. Some people just want that knockout punch to end things in their favor and end things fast. True, the knockout punch is a tool that every fighter should have in their repertoire. It can be used as intimidation and insurance. But before we get into the details on what makes a knockout punch, we must first understand the anatomy of the knockout.

Are you one of those people who scour the web looking for fights? No, I don’t mean someone who picks fights in forums or comment spaces, not that kind of keyboard warrior but the type who searches YouTube for a Kimbo Street Fight, MMA matches, or compilations of knockouts and fight highlights. If that’s your thing, you are what I call a fight fan . You have the thirst for primal human action and also have the acumen for fight science. Discrimination is not in your vocabulary eventhough you may favor one type of martial art or prefer a particular fighting sport. You enjoy watching and understanding fights. Whether it’s MMA, Boxing, Karate point fighting, Muay Thai, backyard brawl, or a Kimbo Street fight – your interest is genuine and profound. There are different kinds of fight fans. Here’s a short list:

A true challenge lies ahead of Frank Mir. The former UFC heavyweight champ and now Interim heavyweight champ will battle the other holder of the belt, Brock Lesnar, in UFC 100. Mir had proven that he have the skills and the will to be the best. Even after the seemingly career-ending injury, he bounced back to fight again eventually beating the MMA Hall of Famer, Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, to claim the Interim championship. Now, to settle the best UFC heavyweight, he will try to defeat Brock Lesnar --- the physical powerhouse he narrowly defeated last year.  It should be noted that at that time, it was still at the infancy of Lesnar’s MMA experience and development. Frank Mir was severely pummeled and it looked like he was losing. But suddenly, with a stroke of brilliance, he caught the inexperienced Lesnar in a sensational kneebar to win the match. After that match, Mir had shown huge improvement in his stand-up striking and cardio. He dominated Nogueira and taunted Lesnar sa...

Part 1: The Champion Georges St. Pierre, the UFC welterweight champion, will battle the Brazilian MuayThai specialist Thiago “Pitbull” Alves as a co-main event in the upcoming UFC 100. St. Pierre, regarded by many as the top pound for pound MMA fighter, has dominated all the fighters he had fought. His only two losses, one of each from the feuding Serra and Hughes, were soundly avenged. GSP made it clear that these losses were just flukes. Matt Serra got tenderized by the French-Canadian’s ground and pound while Matt Hughes got dominated in the octagon in both of the rematches. St. Pierre’s only unconvincing win was from the hands of BJ Penn. And sure enough, three years later, GSP showed the world that “The Prodigy” is no match for him --- greased or not greased. St. Pierre is a complete mixed martial artist. He excels in all aspects of cage fighting. His Kyukushin Karate background gave him a solid base for his stand-up. He works with premier boxing and muay thai coaches to furthe...