Gabriel Gonzaga vs. Mirco Cro Cop 2 | Long Island MMA

Set to take place on UFC Fight Night this Saturday, Gabriel Gonzaga vs. Mirco Cro Cop is quite interesting. For Gonzaga this fight will be an affirmation of his dominant victory in their first meeting. For Cro Cop this fight is all about redemption! When these two heavyweights last met their bout ended suddenly and with the utmost surprise. Gabriel Gonzaga was able to finish Mirco Cro Cop with his own signature technique, that which had defined his MMA career particularly during his time fighting for Pride Fighting Championships; after being dominated on the ground for the entirety of the first round he was knocked out with a devastating right head kick just shy of the bell.

     For Mirco Cro Cop there are a couple of key factors that should certainly be taken into account in this rematch. The first one would be for Mirco to open up with his striking. In their first bout Cro Cop only threw one straight right and one round kick the entire fight. Being that his base and strength is his striking it would make sense that he should use it to take control of the fight the second time around. The second factor is in regards to his movement and footwork. Mirco is a southpaw and Gonzaga is an orthodox fighter; for the duration of the first round each time Gonzaga would engage him Cro Cop would consistently circle to his left. This undoubtedly is the reason that Gonzaga was able to set up the round kick that ended the fight. The second time around Cro Cop should certainly consider mixing up his movement patterns and if possible avoid circling towards the power side of Gonzaga. 
     Lastly, it is extremely likely that Cro Cop will once again be on the receiving end of a takedown from Gonzaga and for their rematch working takedown defense and maintaining an active guard should he be taken down are of the utmost importance. Cro Cop was cut by one of Gonzaga’s elbow strikes from the guard. Gonzaga’s ability to consistently strike Cro Cop could be attributed to his lack of movement on the bottom. Come UFC Fight Night on 4/11/15 we will see if Mirco Cro Cop has made the necessary adjustments to achieve redemption against Gabriel Gonzaga!

Does Brazilian Jiu Jitsu work in a street fight? | Long Island BJJ | BJJ on Long Island

     As the sport of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu has evolved it has developed more and more complex techniques. Most of these techniques have been designed particularly to win matches in competition. For example, the berimbolo which is used to take the back and acquire points, the worm guard, an extremely tight position used to control your opponent. It is often the complexity of this evolution that leads people to ask the question, “is Brazilian Jiu Jitsu an effective means of self-defense”?

    
    A video has recently surfaced that may shed light on the issue. The video consists of two men seen having an altercation on a basketball court over the game that they have been playing. The argument continues to escalate until finally one of the men becomes violent. He throws a punch at the man who happens to be a purple belt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and immediately takes action. The video captures him pulling guard and immediately transitioning to his attackers back, not only nullifying his ability to strike him but placing himself in a position to stop the attack. Several attempts by the Jiu Jitsu fighter to submit his opponent are flaunted by two men who begin to grab and attempt to pull him away but he doesn't give up knowing he will most likely take damage otherwise.

  
  Seeing as they can’t remove him the men let the altercation continue and after a short scramble both men end up sitting down in what appears to be 50/50 guard. He has secured a heel hook and warns his attacker to stop. He says “I will tear your knee…. You’ll never play basketball again.” His attacker seems to heed his warning as the scrambling stops and the altercation ends. Regardless of what anyone has to say about the legitimacy of Jiu Jitsu on the street it is irrefutable that the simple knowledge of positioning and control is enough to turn the tables on an assailant, as was displayed by the practitioner in this video.

Al "M0ther#ucker" Jones' Next Fight | Long Island Mixed Martial Arts

     Long Island Mixed Martial Arts has been putting out very impressive talent since their arrival on the MMA scene. One of the newest fighters out of Long Island’s premier MMA facility to make his professional debut was none other than Alfred Jones. Alfred had carried an undefeated amateur record of 7-0 before his move to the professional stage. Each of these bouts labeled him as someone to be feared. Each fight was a showcase of his vicious striking ability and all ended via KO or TKO. Alfred Jones made the decision to turn pro and compete for the CFFC (Cage Fury Fighting Championships) at their 41^st event. Alfred shocked the fans by not only showcasing his enhanced wrestling abilities, but his superior grappling! He won his professional debut against Noel Arcibal via Brabo Choke in the third round of the bout.

     Alfred Jones next fight for the CFFC will be taking place at CFFC 44 This will be Al's second Professional Fight with this organization. This opponent undoubtedly has their hands full with a fighter as well rounded as Jones. Alfred trains with  world class coach Gregg DePasquale whom also trains the likes of Chris Wade and Dennis Bermudez,  who are both UFC fighters. He is surrounded by a tough team and having proven in his debut that he is not only a striker one can imagine the statement that sent to the division. Whereas some might have once said “Al Jones is a dangerous striker” they now say “Al Jones is dangerous” and he will continue to prove he is a dominant force in the division come CFFC 44.

CM Punk to the UFC WTF?

          At UFC 181 pay-per-view on Saturday night December 6^th, former WWE champion "CM Punk" reviled that he had signed a multiple fight deal with the UFC. CM Punk’s real name is Phil Brooks and Phil Brooks has zero combat experience outside of his WWE roots.
          CM Punk can be seen as far back at 2012 training with Rener Gracie in some YouTube clips. In those clips he is wearing a white belt indicating to us who have participated and competed in Jiu Jiu that he is a beginner. In 2 years of training it’s unlikely that his blue belt level of Jiu Jitsu will be enough to help him win a professional fight in the biggest organization on the planet. Phil “CM Punk” Brooks is 36 whereas many UFC greats have been competing into their late 30’s some even 40’s, those men have extensive combat backgrounds that Phil does not.
          At Long Island MMA we have seen multiple fighters make it to the UFC we have witnessed fighters like Chris Wade put it all on the line and quit his job to pursue fighting full time. The signing of CM Punk bothers me because the UFC purposely didn’t hire fighters who are legitimately the best in the world like Ben Askrin and chose instead to pick out fighter like Punk who has only the ability to draw eyes to the UFC. Now I understand the UFC is trying to make up for the ratings drop off that happened when Brock Lesner left but Brock was a legitimate combat athlete.
          Sorry Punk but we have no faith in you at Long Island MMA and fully expect this to blow up in your face.