When you hear the name Robbie Lawler, you think knockout.  When you hear the name Melvin Manhoef- at least if you’ve seen some of his fights overseas- you think the same thing.  So when the two collided at Strikeforce: Miami just a few minutes ago, you had to believe that someone was going to sleep early.

 If you did, then you were right.

 Manhoef stalked Lawler very early on, with both guys throwing kicks that for the most part did very little.  However, later in the round Manhoef connected with a nice body kick.  Soon after, he followed things up with a hard low kick.  Then he tagged Lawler with a nice punch admidst a flurry.  Then a low kick.  And these kinds of strikes kept coming from Manhoef, who was beginning to look like a far better stand up fighter than his opponent.  Punch after Manhoef punch connected, intermixed with low kicks that were literally lifting Lawler’s legs off the ground. 

But that’s when out of nowhere Lawler landed a huge overhand right.  And as soon as Manhoef hit the ground, he nailed him with another left for good measure.

What a turnaround.  People won’t forget this one on their best knockouts of 2010 lists; it left Manhoef out on the canvas for awhile.

Robbie Lawler defeats Melvin Manhoef by KO at 3:33 of round one.

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Robbie Lawler Defeats Melvin Manhoef By Spectacular KO originally appeared on About.com Martial Arts on Saturday, January 30th, 2010 at 22:50:01.

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Before taking on Greg Nagy in his mixed martial arts debut, former Heisman Trophy winner Herschel Walker said, “age has always been a number for me.  I’ve always learned that if you got a job to do you get out and do it…no matter what age you are.”  So would Walker ‘get out and do it’ or get out and be done?

Walker connected with a low kick early on after hitting home with a jab.  Then came another low kick.  He began yelling at his opponent to come on, which Nagy did in the form of an attempted takedown, but Walker sprawled out.  Then the former football star found himself on top of his turtled up opponent.  From there, Walker eventually found himself over his opponent throwing some nice bombs; then in Nagy’s open guard, connecting only sporadically.  Soon after, Nagy transitioned to a leglock attempt, but Walker escaped and took side control.  Then he gained the crucifix and began connecting with lefts until the bell tolled.

Clearly a round for Herschel Walker.

The second started with a couple of nice low kicks by Walker.  Then he clinched, gained two underhooks, and took Nagy for a ride to the canvas.  From there came side control before he took Nagy’s back.  Nagy decided to turn over, leaving Walker in the full mount.  However, he lost the position and found himself on his feet with his opponent fighting off a takedown.  Soon after, they ended up on the ground again, with Walker on Nagy’s back raining down punches.  Though positions changed, that’s generally how the round ended.

 Nagy needs a stoppage in order to win.

Nagy connected with a nice overhand right to start the third, causing Walker to clinch with him. Nagy then pulled him into his guard and went for an armbar.  Walker slipped his arm out and transitioned to the mount position.  From there, he connected with several sporadic punches as positions changed.  Eventually, with Walker on his back and Nagy doing next to nothing, the referee stopped the fight.  Kind of an uneventful end- it certainly wasn’t due to a burst of action- but still you have to give it to the 47 year old athlete.  He showed off some nice takedown defense and amazing cardio for a man of his age.

Herschel Walker wins by way of TKO at 2:17 of round three. 

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Herschel Walker Defeats Greg Nagy By TKO originally appeared on About.com Martial Arts on Saturday, January 30th, 2010 at 23:23:55.

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The bottom line: Cris “Cyborg” Santos and Marloes Coenen came out ready to fight.  Coenen connected with a kick to start things off, while Santos nailed her with an overhand right for her efforts.  Moments later, Cyborg slammed Coenen, the better grappler, to the ground.  Cyborg smartly got up and connected with a few nice shots before once again following her to the ground.  Several moments of similar fighting ensued before Coenen came to her feet.  And that’s when the two threw down big time, with Coenen connecting with a nice right but eating far more numerous and powerful shots from her adversary.  After a clinch by Coenen, the two separated again.  Though both landed shots once again, Cyborg got the better of things before the bell.

This one went to Cyborg.

In the second, Cyborg threw several punches that sent Coenen to the ground, but a Coenen upckick seemed to save her from anymore immediate damage.  That said, Cyborg recovered quickly.  And for the rest of the round, she gained takedowns, connected with hard punches on her feet, and shirked takedowns enroute to another winning round.

In the third, Coenen started off by shooting in with maximum effort looking for a takedown.  Somehow, despite it looking bad for her, Cyborg managed to avoid going to the ground once again.  And from there, a lot of the same things we’d seen all fight long happened.  That is, until Cyborg found herself on top of Coenen after the 1:30 mark on the ground raining down unanswered punches.  And that eventually led to the referee appropriately stepping in.

Cris “Cyborg” Santos defeats Marloes Coenen by TKO at 3:40 of round three.

Cris Cyborg Santos Defeats Marloes Coenen By TKO originally appeared on About.com Martial Arts on Saturday, January 30th, 2010 at 23:49:22.

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Early on, Marius Zaromskis connected with a flurry on Nick Diaz at the main event of Strikeforce: Miami.  But then Diaz started doing what he does- coming forward with punches that don’t look like they hurt, but do.  Eventually, with both guys throwing down, Diaz shot in and grabbed a leg.  With Zaromskis up against the cage wall, Diaz began slamming knees into his leg, working on his opponent’s greatest weapon.  After getting taken down for just a moment, Zaromskis got up.  But then he ate tons of punches for his efforts until, Zaromskis landed a big left, another punch, and then rifled the Cesar Gracie product with several ground and pound punches.  Diaz, however, recovered quickly- as he always seems to- and got to his feet.  Of course, he then came forward with punches anyway- there is no retreat in him- and those punches, as always, began to hurt bad.  By the end of the round, Zaromskis was just taking punch after punch.  And then came a short right from Diaz.  His opponent hit the ground.  Game over.

 Nick Diaz defeats Marius Zaromskis by TKO at 4:38 of round one. 

Nick Diaz Defeats Marius Zaromskis By TKO – Named Strikeforce Welterweight Champion originally appeared on About.com Martial Arts on Sunday, January 31st, 2010 at 00:09:37.

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The mixed martial arts craze has become about more than just fighting.  These days, it’s also about fitness.  So it’s no wonder that Asian Sun Martial Arts has decided to collaborate with one of the most dominant UFC champions ever in Matt Hughes to deliver Cage Fitness, a complete fitness system based on the structure of a championship MMA match.

In other words, we’re talking about five minute workout rounds designed to build endurance, strength, power, and one’s core.  And the best part is it’s for everybody, not just great athletes.   

In the end, anyone that has ever done any MMA training knows how rigorous such a workout can be.  So for those of you in the Ohio area, it might be worth checking out. 

Matt Hughes Helping Get People In Shape With Cage Fitness originally appeared on About.com Martial Arts on Monday, January 25th, 2010 at 16:25:39.

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When Jose Canseco tried his hand at MMA, it brought a lot of attention to the sport.  That said, there were two problems (actually more, but we don’t have time).  First, Canseco didn’t put in the time training for a guy like Hong Man Choi.  In other words, he was a circus attraction, which didn’t necessarily make the publicity MMA received from him helpful.  Second, the fight took place in Japan, so American audiences were only so aware.  But now former NFL and college football star Herschel Walker (age 47) is set to jump into the cage and try his luck this weekend at Strikeforce: Miami.  And with Walker, things are different.

You see, Walker had trained extensively in Tae Kwon Do and other stand up martial arts styles before getting involved in MMA.  What’s more, leading up to his debut he’s put in an extensive amount of time training at AKA, one of the better mixed martial arts training camps in the world.  He’ll also be fighting in America, taking on Greg Nagy, a man with a 1-1 MMA record.  In other words, it’s a winnable bout in front of the right crowd.

Beyond all of that, however, is the fact that Walker is truly an amazing athlete.  He was a football star, a track star, and even a bobsled star.  At age 47, you’d be hard-pressed to find a man in better shape anywhere.  And if a man with his name were to win in mixed martial arts and make waves- not championship waves, just some waves- it would bring in spectators.  Lots of them.

A decisive Herschel Walker win would translate to future fights for him, and that would generate big time media interest.  So this Saturday’s fight is important for the sport.

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A Herschel Walker Win At Strikeforce Miami Would Be Huge For The Sport originally appeared on About.com Martial Arts on Monday, January 25th, 2010 at 16:42:30.

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We’ve all heard people refer to fighting for a paycheck as going to war.  Hardly.  As tough as the cage and tournaments can be, war is a totally different animal.  The major difference, of course, is that if you mess up, if you get caught- ever hear that referenced after a fight?- then you  could very well be dead.  And the people that are often at the heart of such fighting for Americans abroad are the Marines.  Speaking of fighting, if you’re going to engage in hand-to-hand combat for all the marbles, you really want to do it well, and that means good instruction.  This January, a group of 23 Marines- which eventually dwindled to only 17- engaged in a three-week Marine Corps Martial Arts Instructor Course.  At the conclusion of the training, those that make it will become Marines martial arts instructors.

According to an article at DVIDS, these Marines have been asked to carry heavy wooden planks everywhere they’ve gone from day one.  Beyond martial arts training that brings them from tan to green belt, they’ve also engaged in a host of comraderie and toughness building activities.

Congratulations to those that will eventually graduate and become instructors themselves.  They carry a heavy burden and have an important job.

Marines Become Martial Arts Instructors originally appeared on About.com Martial Arts on Saturday, January 23rd, 2010 at 10:25:57.

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There was a time when some considered Takanori Gomi to be the best lightweight fighter in the world. It was a time when the UFC’s lone competitor for the top dog tag in mixed martial arts was the PRIDE organization, which Gomi was lightweight champion of. But then PRIDE fell, and Gomi began to look human (actually, that human thing started just before the organization folded).

Regardless, it now looks as if Gomi is going to get his chance to regain the stardom of his past when he takes on UFC lightweight contender Kenny Florian at Fight Night 21 on March 31. The fight, which was tentatively reported on Thursday by ESPN’s MMA Live, will take place in North Carolina.

If Gomi were to win, you’d have to think he’d get the next shot at BJ Penn’s UFC lightweight title. Back in 2003, arguably before Gomi entered his prime, he lost by rear naked choke to Penn at a Rumble on the Rock event.

In the end, though, it’s hard to imagine that Gomi, a man that has had some difficulty with submission fighters and is only a .500 fighter over his past four fights, won’t have a difficult time with the ever-improving Florian. Florian owns a black belt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu; so in a ground fight he’d almost certainly prove very superior. What’s more, there’s no guarantee that he wouldn’t be able to last on his feet either, with those Muay Thai skills of his.

Still, this is an interesting and worthwhile fight to put on. Looking forward to it.

Takanori Gomi vs Kenny Florian At Fight Night 21 originally appeared on About.com Martial Arts on Friday, January 22nd, 2010 at 18:20:14.

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Jackie Chan movies are known for comedy.  They’re also known for exciting martial arts sequences.  That said, they are not known for him getting a girlfriend, nor kissing her.  But that’s exactly what happens in his new movie, The Spy Next Door.  Amber Valletta plays his girlfriend in the recently released, family oriented action comedy that portrays Chan as a secret CIA spy asked to watch her children.

“It’s just a kiss, not a love scene,” Chan said, according to an AZ Central article. “No one wants to see Jackie Chan naked or making love.”

In the end, this movie is PG rated; thus, it can be seen by the majority of your family.  And that alone may make it worth family time and money. 

By the way, Chan will also star in the upcoming remake of The Karate Kid, playing Mr. Miyagi.  Talk about a busy guy.

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Jackie Chan Gets The Girl In The Spy Next Door originally appeared on About.com Martial Arts on Saturday, January 16th, 2010 at 07:28:32.

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The bottom line?  Fresh off of his lightweight championship loss to BJ Penn, Diego Sanchez is going back to the UFC welterweight division (170 pounds).  And it’s a good move for sure.

Sanchez defeated Joe Stevenson and Clay Guida at 155 pounds before losing in decisive fashion against Penn by way of TKO in his title shot.  After the fight, there was really no reason to believe that he could do any better in a rematch.  And if you look even more closely, despite winning one of the great fights of the year against Guida, Sanchez never really looked as powerful at lightweight as he did at welterweight anyway.  His takedowns weren’t as good, and the speed he showed as a larger fighter wasn’t nearly as pronounced as a lighter man.  That plus some difficult weight cuts seems to have prompted his decision.

Though Sanchez wrote of a possible bout against Nate Diaz- “I hear you’re going up to 170 too. I would love to welcome you to welterweight. Let’s make it happen.”- the real fun would be in rematches against Jon Fitch and/or Josh Koscheck.

Looking forward to it.

Diego Sanchez Going Back To Welterweight originally appeared on About.com Martial Arts on Tuesday, January 19th, 2010 at 16:03:48.

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