MMA HOTBED LONG ISLAND HOUSES UFC CHAMPION!

     Chris “The All American” Weidman is currently the UFC middleweight champion and is the biggest name of Long Island’s MMA fighters. On May twenty third Chris successfully defended his title at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas Nevada against Vitor “The Phenom” Belfort. In the past, regardless of his excellent performances both in acquiring the title and in defending it some believed that Weidman had not yet proved himself as deserving of the middleweight title. It seems now that many of those naysayers are turning the tune of their speech in favor of the champion. With his recent domination of Vitor Belfort it is finally becoming evident that Chris Weidman is the real deal and will likely retain the title for some time! Fighting out of Baldwin, New York, Chris trains with several other active UFC fighters here on Long Island such as Ryan LaFlare who is the owner of Long Island Mixed Martial Arts and Fitness Center located in Farmingdale NY.

     Now the discussion must be had as to whom will be the next best opponent to face Chris in the octagon. Two names particularly stand out and they are Jacare Souza and Luke Rockhold. Both men are coming off of impressive victories and are riding extensive win streaks. Each time a dangerous contender has stood in Weidman’s path there has been talk of adversity and possible failures yet The All American has shown fans each time why he is the one holding the belt, by putting on fast and decisive performances. Long Island must have something in the water to be producing such a number of high level fighters, and no matter the opponent, Chris Weidman is going to show them exactly what Long Island MMA is all about with more quick and decisive finishes!

The Reebok deal...

     It seems as if from the second the UFC/Reebok sponsorship deal was set in motion it was a surrounded by controversy. Everyone had been asking the question as to whether the deal would actually be a legitimate benefit to the fighters as it had been promised. Well, the official pay scale for the deal has been released and many UFC fighters as well as members of the MMA community are not at all impressed or happy with its turn out. Just to shed some light on exactly why this is upsetting everyone so much here is an example of the lowest tier in the pay scale: Fighters that have five or less fights in the UFC will only be being paid $2,500 per fight.

     For professional athletes this number is absolutely absurd! To be paying fighters that little money based on their time in the organization rather than performance or a series of other more logical factors is cruel and unjust. Many that were affected by the release of this information took to social media to express their concern and disapproval of the new pay scale. UFC middleweight Roger Navarez took to twitter in a message that states “Wow 2500$ for my next fight for reebok sponsorship. ....i mad twice that off 1 sponsor my last fight!!!! Sucks!” For a fighter to have made twice that amount from only one of their sponsors and now be dropped down to such a low pay grade is wrong and as Navarez also states, this is going to be extremely hard on a lot of fighters.

     While this deal was undoubtedly designed to innovate and progress the way the
UFC operates it may end up back firing severely. It would not be a surprise to see many UFC fighters leaving the organization in favor of others such as World Series of Fighting or Bellator MMA as we have seen recently when UFC light heavyweight Phil “Mr. Wonderful” Davis left the UFC in favor of their competitor, Bellator MMA. The UFC must proceed with caution considering their present circumstances; and hopefully there will be more developments in the future that somehow make this situation better for all of the hard working athletes in the UFC that deserve proper compensation for their effort

“The Fight of the Century” | Long Island MMA

     “The Fight of the Century”, or so it was labeled as the combat sports world crept closer and closer to the long awaited bout between Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Manny Pacquiao. A fight that took an approximate five to seven years to come to fruition; and it did not seem to be quite what most fans were expecting to see. But one must ask, what exactly did fans expect? Did they expect a slug fest, or a story book comeback, perhaps a flash knockout? Realistically the fight went the way that it probably should have gone according to the fighters styles.

     Floyd Mayweather is an expert defensive/counter striker while Manny Pacquiao is an extremely aggressive fighter that throws a massive volume of strikes. When the two were put together, Pacquiao attempted to fight his fight by initiating several exchanges using combinations however most of those exchanges were stifled by a well thought out game plan. If Pacquiao was to initiate the exchange all Floyd had to do was simply maintain his stance and clinch with him stifling his offense. There were certain instances in which Manny was able to unleash large combinations on Mayweather as he had his back to the ropes but they were few and not damaging enough to turn the tide of the battle.

     The fight was a strategic victory for Mayweather by his use of the clinch as well as cutting angles and countering with single accurate strikes on the aggressive Pacquiao. Now there have been certain extenuating circumstances that have surfaced since their fight has taken place involving a shoulder injury that Manny entered the fight with that may be a possible explanation for his lack of volume in his offense. . Due to the length of time it took to make the fight a reality it is possible fans had built up an unrealistic set of expectations for the bout. Had he been healthy the fight may have been different; perhaps he would have been able to maintain significant offensive volume and avoid the clinch but unless we are blessed with a rematch and a healthy Manny Pacquiao the result we received should have come as no surprise. Expert strategy wins fights and Floyd Mayweather seemed to have absolutely implemented an expert strategy.

What it means to be a champion| A Look at the UFC's Jon "Bones"Jones | Long Island MMA

     What is it exactly that constitutes being a champion? Is it simply having the skills to defeat all of your rivals?

       Some would say that winning alone is enough to have one dubbed a champion. Others however, may disagree and say that with the role of champion one takes on certain unspoken responsibilities. Not only must a champion win, he/she must also be an exceptional human being. Some say a champion must also be kind and respectful, disciplined and honorable, honest and responsible. Essentially one may say that the same qualities that must reside in a champion are alike the ones that must reside in a leader. After all that is what a champion is isn’t it? They are the “leaders” in their respective areas. They have a unique position of power similar to many other types of leaders. With their position they can inspire and motivate people, they can educate and be role models for people; all of which is what would seem to be what we expect of a champion.

     That is not to say that one couldn't do the opposite. A “champion” could be irresponsible, dishonest, unfair and vulgar; while that may not seem to be what we expect of such an individual it is yet a fact that they do carry the title. But after all what are titles? They are artificial constructs of language that guide our perception, but when our understanding of such a thing contradicts its definition (in this instance it would be in regards to a wrong doing champion) that individual simply is not what their title dictates. Perhaps the biggest topic in MMA as of late has been the arrest of the former light heavyweight champion Jon “Bones” Jones. While Jones has unquestionably been one of the most dominant fighters in UFC history, he simply has not been able to fill the “unspoken requirements” that we had mentioned earlier. Realistically speaking Jon Jones has displayed quite the opposite of what is expected of a champion.

     He has been caught in the past for taking an illegal narcotic, that drug being cocaine. Taking any sort of narcotic drug in and of itself is uncharacteristic of any professional athlete that is serious about their career and their training. What does it say about Jon Jones when he is titled as the champion, the one who is supposed to be the best and setting a proper example as to why when he has been taking an illegal drug like cocaine? It can certainly not be anything to his credit. Even more recently Jon Jones has been charged with a felony in a hit and run involving himself and a pregnant woman whom was injured in the accident. He fled the scene of an accident in which he harmed another needless to say she was pregnant! If honesty and responsibility are qualities that we believe reside in a champion then obviously Jon Jones can not be a champion.

    That is certainly the way that the UFC (Ultimate Fighting Championship) has seen it. The organization has concluded that Jon “Bones” Jones has been stripped of his title and suspended from competition indefinitely. This is only just, and not to mention the possibly and likely jail time that the former “champion” (if he can be called that) will face for his recklessness. This outcome could have been predicted, given the prior behavior of Jones. He may have been one of the most skilled while in the cage, but outside he was no champion and the record is now set straight. One can only slip up so many times; he was never a champion, just a thug with a title.

One of our coaches Kyle Cerminara said it best on Facebook:

   

Connor McGregor Vs Jose Aldo as told by Long Island MMA

     Throughout the history of the UFC (Ultimate Fighting Championship) there have been quite the number of intense rivalries some of which include legends such as Rashad Evans and Rampage Jackson, Tito Ortiz and Chuck Lidell, and now possibly towering above all is Connor McGregor and Jose Aldo. The UFC has put an incredible amount of effort and time into propagating this intense rivalry with an international media tour which spanned five different nations and eight different cities across the world. It is safe to say that this is one fight that the entire world may stop to watch! The charismatic McGregor has certainly done his part in drawing attention to the event; especially in his home country of Ireland where he snatched up the belt of Jose Aldo from right in front of him, holding it above his head as if already victorious.

     Stylistically this fight should hold up to the hype as well, the brutally violent muay thai machine that is Jose Aldo vs. the sniper accurate technician in Connor McGregor. We have seen such ferocious finishes from the champion by way of twenty punch combinations and flying knees and from the challenger we have seen sniper accurate counter striking and deception through the use of his Irish “Up-Down” boxing; which he has cleverly combined with his exotic Tae-Kwon-Do style kicking. However, one criticism that some have for the challenger Connor McGregor is that they believe he has not yet been truly tested by a high level wrestler whereas Jose Aldo has been several times. Although It may be detrimental to the flashy brutal striking war that all fans are praying for it wouldn’t be too far out of the strategic domain of Aldo to take the fight to the ground and utilize his high level Jiu Jitsu to carry the day. Reports have surfaced that in training with some of Eddie Bravo’s high level competitors McGregor performed superbly, however, as many believe, it must be proven in the octagon.

     The rollercoaster of hype and drama surrounding this bout will come to a hopefully thunderous conclusion on Sat. July 11^th at UFC 189! Besides the obvious, this card is stacked with several very promising fights including the match up of Jeremy “Lil Heathen” Stevens and Long Island MMA’s own Dennis “The Menace” Bermudez! The 11^th of July will without a doubt be a night to remember in the world of mixed martial arts, especially with the looming possibility of the champion Jose Aldo being dethroned. Should this come to pass we may be ushering in the age of the fighting Irishman; The Notorious One, Connor McGregor

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!

Dennis Bermudez VS Jeremy Stephens | Long Island MMA

UFC 189 is set for July 11 at MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas and it is already being predicted as a “summer blockbuster”. What better fighter to have on such a blockbuster than Dennis “The Menace” Bermudez. Fighting out of Long Island Mixed Martial Arts, the tenacious Bermudez is coming off of a loss to Ricardo Lamas. However, he fully intends to bounce right back into the win column with an impressive victory over his next opponent, Jeremy “Lil Heathen” Stephens. Stephens is a true veteran of the sport with 34 total professional contests with 23 of them being victories. He is aggressive and certainly packs a punch; if the fans are to expect a blockbuster then this fight is one that they should certainly be looking forward to.

   
“Lil Heathen” is coming off of two consecutive unanimous decision losses so it is likely that he will return to the cage with purpose. Both fighters possess extremely dangerous striking and explosiveness. As far as overall style is concerned these men are very similar which certainly bodes for a war! However, Dennis Bermudez likely possesses the advantage in the wrestling department so it should be interesting to see which direction the fight will take. Will “The Menace” chose to initiate the takedown, or will they choose to slug it out? That is a question that is absolutely worth getting an answer for by watching UFC 189 on July 11.