Ronda Rousey vs. Cat Zingano UFC 184 | Long Island MMA analysis

     The UFC women’s bantamweight champion “Rowdy” Rhonda Rousey has quite literally been ripping apart her competition since her debut in mixed martial arts on August 6, 2010. Rousey became the first woman to win an Olympic medal in Judo in Beijing two years prior. For the majority of her career it has been here extremely powerful judo base that has dominated here bouts and lead her to victory. Her consistency is quite the marvel considering her first eleven fights were all finished by way of arm bar. However, as some may suggest, Rhonda Rousey is not a one trick pony. She has been able to showcase her improved striking abilities in her last two bouts which have ended via TKO and KO respectively.  Rhonda’s title retention has created a situation similar to that of light heavyweight champion Jon Jones. Who is she to fight? With every victory the list of possible contenders keeps getting smaller and smaller. UFC President Dana White has even made jokes about having Rhonda fight men.

     However, simply because the list does seem to be shrinking the challenges presented still stand strong. Rousey’s next opponent is set to be Cat Zingano and she is no pushover. Zingano possesses some very high level wrestling credentials in that she is a four time all American national champion from the University of the Cumberlands. Cat brings ferocity to the competition in the way that she pursues the finish. This is particularly true of the way she fights in the clinch and it is perfectly exemplified in her TKO victory over long time title contender Miesha Tate. After landing several devastating elbows and knees Tate was unable to continue and the referee stepped in.  If there were a position that an opponent of Rousey’s would absolutely need to excel in it would be the clinch. Considering the clinch is one of Rousey’s most devastating it is an aspect of her game that needs to be neutralized in order to achieve victory.

     It would be safe to say that of Rhonda’s thirteen opponents none of them have been able to do any sort of significant damage from the clinch; damage which could turn the tables of the bout. If the clinch is too dangerous to enter and execute a throw how then will the champion acquire the takedown? If she is to resort to her wrestling it may become problematic considering the strong wrestling base of Zingano. These scenarios are what will undoubtedly make this fight exciting and also possibly the greatest challenge of the champion’s career.  Their bout is set to take place on February 28 at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California and it is a date that could possibly shake the foundations of the division!

UFC's New PED policy | Long Island MMA

     The UFC (Ultimate Fighting Championship) has recently announced that they will be spear heading reform of drug testing for all fighters on every card. Yes that is right, the UFC would like to have every single combatant on every card moving forward to be tested for PED (performance enhancing drugs). They are currently working with all athletic commissions to sanction their events in order to accomplish what they have dubbed the “drug testing call to action”. The UFC has certainly taken up the call to action, they have also stated that in respect to the athletic commissions they will cover any and all costs associated with the new policy that may fall outside of the state or federal budgets for such issues.

 
   In doing so the UFC has taken nearly the full responsibility of fighting PED’s on themselves as an organization. This type of oversight will most certainly be heavy on the UFC’s wallet seeing as there are a total of five hundred and eighty five fighters under contract with the UFC. Each fighter will be tested by the commission when they are to compete. While the UFC has agreed to supplement any state or federal budget shortcomings in order to accomplish this goal they have taken their commitment a step further. Other than the supplementation of state PED testing the UFC will also be randomly testing every single one of their contracted athletes outside of competition. Keeping in mind that this movement will not replace any of the testing that is currently taking place, it will simply be added on. These additions could possibly amount to several millions of dollars, so it is very clear that the UFC means business.

    One might wonder “just because testing has increased doesn’t mean anything will be fixed, what is the penalty”? It is arguable that the current penalties being assigned for those having failed drug tests are simply not enough. A fighter collecting a legitimate purse and only looking at a couple months suspension has no real reason not to use PED because the risk is quite below the reward. However, the thought has been raised by the UFC to instate failure penalties that “could be career threatening” according to UFC President Dana White. A minimum of two years suspension seems to be the goal, however, depending on the severity of the circumstance suspensions may even reach up to four years long. With the threat of possibly career ending suspensions at hand this could be the beginning of the end of the current PED issue.

Jones Vs Rumble | Long Island MMA

     Ever since Jon Jones became the UFC’s youngest champion at the age of twenty three he has been dismantling every opponent that he has been given. It seems that no man has the physical or technical capabilities to defeat the champion. Jon Jones utilizes a wide range of unorthodox and sometimes perplexing attacks that are devastating to his opponents. Working in his favor is his massive length. The range that the champion possesses over the rest of the light heavyweight division is staggering.

    
     Essentially, for the majority of light heavyweight fighters Jon Jones is able to strike with elbows when they are in punching range; as well as land kicks when they are out of their offensive range all together. A good example of this range issue would be Jones bout against Rashad Evans. Evans is a former champion and no slouch, however, he was simply unable to strike effectively against the champion. He was struck several times with elbows and was unable to return anything of merit. The only individual able to mount a successful offense against Jon Jones was Alexander Gustafsson. Known as the Mauler, Gustafsson is actually taller than Jones and their similar physique made for quite the even match up, however, the bout ended in a decision in favor of the champion.

   
    Now, with his latest victory over Daniel Cormier the question is to be asked: who can beat Jones? It may in fact not be such a hard search! The Blackzilian’s camp has proven itself time and time again with impressive talent such as Long Island native Ryan LaFlare who will be facing Damian Maia at UFC Fight Night 62.  In regards to the light heavyweight title however, one of LaFlare’s teammates may be the one to dethrone the champion. Anthony “Rumble” Johnson has been tearing through the division in a terrifying way. He has had several impressive victories which display his destructive power. Most prevalent to the question would be his victory over Jones greatest challenger, “The Mauler”. Johnson finished Gustafsson within the first round of their bout and Gustafsson’s bout against the champion went the distance; so this leads one to wonder just how will Jones fare against such a seemingly unstoppable force in the division? If Jones was unable to finish Gustafsson will he be able to go the distance with “Rumble”.

    
     Some keys for Jones to defeat Johnson would be to utilize his technical striking abilities to land precise strikes and then exit the range of Johnson. However, the tenacity and ferocity of Johnsons striking may prove to be too overbearing, as seen in his stoppage of Alexander Gustafsson. This will certainly be a fight to watch! For the first time it may seem more likely than not that the champion will fall. We will see when the two collide if in fact Jones is ready to rumble. 

By Joe Ninomiya 

6 Key Factors in Finding a Legitimate MMA Gym | Long Island Mixed Martial Arts

With the rapid increase in MMA’s popularity it is extremely important to be sure that when seeking instruction you are able to find a legitimate and well equipped facility. For someone who is new to Mixed Martial Arts training it may be difficult to tell just who is really worth training with, especially when certain academies may be quite expensive.

6 Key Factors in Finding a Legitimate MMA Gym

1) Experience: Above all things, finding a gym that has experienced and accomplished coaching staff should be a top priority. Before signing up to train always be sure to do some research as to who will be training you! Ex: state/national champion Wrestling, Jiu Jitsu Black Belt, Professional MMA fighters, etc.

2) Diversity: MMA is based on diversity. Not only is it important to find an experienced coach but to find coaches that are specialists and work together to train you. Ex: Wrestling/Muay Thai/ Brazilian Jiu Jitsu/Strength Training. Learning from coaches that specialize in certain areas will help you become able to compile ideas and have a well-rounded experience.

3) Proper Equipment: When training in MMA it is important that your gym be able to supply the proper equipment. This is key for effective and especially safe training. For example: there is a specific reason why MMA predominantly uses the cage as opposed to a ring; it is a safety issue! If you or your training partner were to roll too close to the edge of a ring you run the risk of injury where as a cage would keep both of you from falling. This is besides the fact that the cage looks extremely cool.

4) A Strong Team of Competitors: Even if your goal isn’t to become a fighter and compete, it is important that your gym has a strong team. This proves that the techniques you are being taught have been tested and are effective. This also ensures that there is a system of growth. Every fight your team mates have there will be something new to learn based on legitimate combat, those corrections and adjustments to training by your team will benefit you even if you would rather not step into the cage yourself.

5) Social Environment: What are your teammates like? You want to surround yourself by positive individuals that are focused on becoming better martial artists and better people. Having a positive environment to train in builds a sense of camaraderie and helps to make coming to training something that you will look forward to doing!

6) Cleanliness: Last but certainly not least is cleanliness. Mixed Martial Arts is a sport that involves getting up close with your training partners. Having this type of close contact on a regular basis makes it extremely important that your facility is clean. Are the mats cleaned regularly and are they cleaned properly? Are there showers on site? Keep this in mind when searching for a place to train, even though you are working out your health could be at risk if the facility is not kept in proper order.

Honorable Mentions

- Great music being played during training

- Children’s programs

- Sauna (Cutting weight? No problem!)

- Open Mat Times (Why let class times restrict you? Train when you want to!)
-Enough bags for everyone.

The Steroid Problem

by Joe Ninomiya

 
  Performance Enhancing Drugs or (PED’s) have certainly become a hot topic in regards to professional Mixed Martial Arts and some of the sports’ top athletes. From Wanderlei Silva to Anderson Silva, fighters have been being called out on their use of PED’s. Some of the most recent of these offenses would be the following two fighters. Anderson “The Spider” Silva, who is renowned as the world’s greatest fighter failed his drug test for his return fight to the octagon against Nick Diaz. He tested positive for drostanolone and androstane which are anabolic steroid metabolites. However, he was tested again after his fight had occurred and then tested negative for those same metabolites. The controversy over the results of these tests still looms. If in fact Anderson Silva had taken these steroids, one viable explanation as to why would be the rehabilitation of his broken leg which he suffered in his second bout against the current middle weight champion Chris Weidman. After such a horrific injury some may feel some sympathy towards the desire for a speedy and effective recovery. This is all hypothetical of course; whether Silva actually took these substances the general public may never know for sure.

    
     The second of these most recent offenses would be Silva’s opponent Nick Diaz. He would seem to be in quite a different situation than Silva in regards to an explanation for his failed test seeing as he had tested positive for marijuana metabolites. According to www.mmafighting.com Nick Diaz was not issued any random pre-fight tests, therefore one must conclude that he knew exactly what he was doing and some may say true to the Diaz nature simply didn’t care. While the argument against marijuana in sports could be considered different than that against anabolic steroids the fact remains that it is a banned substance and Diaz had tested positive for it. It shall be quite interesting to see how the situation is handled with both fighters, particularly with Nick Diaz; considering the penalties that certain fighters such as Matt Riddle have faced in the past. Matt Riddle was released from the UFC after failing his UFC 149 post-fight drug test for marijuana metabolites. Will Nick Diaz meet a similar fate?

    

      Of course in regards to any sports related PED testing one may ask several questions from several points of view such as the ethics of the issue or the general public opinion. But what do fighters think of their peers’ involvement in these failed PED tests? Even Anderson Silva had mentioned in the past a possible lifetime ban would be a sufficient punishment for offenders. Some may say this is extremely harsh. A recent quote from UFC fighter Josh Burkman suggests a seemingly accepting stance. He states "I've seen PED's used by athletes in all sports at all levels. This is not an MMA issue. It seems to be part of sports. All sports. Lance Armstrong, A-Rod, baseball, football, basketball, speed skating ... Anyone who overlooks this is naive. That doesn't mean all athletes use them, I'm just not surprised when guys do." With PED usage apparently a prevalent issue in all sports what is there to be done about the issue overall, if there is any concrete solution? Or shall athletes simply accept that this is part of professional sports? An issue with so many questions may only beg time to supply us with the answers.