mendozathejew
02-02-2007, 05:08 AM
UFC 67: Jackson and Cro-Cop Make UFC Debuts
By Nate Edwards (Feb 1, 2007) Doghouse Boxing
While many UFC fans are looking forward to seeing the match up between the UFC Ultimate Fighter 4 middleweight winner Travis Lutter and UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva on Saturday Night, February 3rd at UFC 67, the real interest from MMA fans as a whole is in the debuts of two international MMA stars that will finally find themselves in the limelight and on center stage in America in the UFC. The long awaited arrival of Quinton ‘Rampage’ Jackson and Mirko ‘Cro-Cop’ Filipovic has emerged.
Over a month ago the UFC announced that they had bought out the WFA (World Fighting Alliance) and that they had also bought out quite a few contracts from them as well to acquire some of their fighters. One of those fighters was the one and only Quinton ‘Rampage’ Jackson. Around the same exact time the UFC was also making big moves on the global market going after and signing Mirko ‘Cro-Cop’ Filipovic from their international rival Pride Fighting Championships. Following a lights out win over Wanderlei Silva and an equally impressive win against Josh Barnett on the very same night to win the Pride Open-Weight Grand Prix title, Mirko seemed destined for a rematch with Pride heavyweight champion Fedor Emelianenko, but that was not to be. Cro-Cop was not bound by contract to Pride and apparently the UFC was knocking at his door with the sort of money and opportunity that he could not turn down. This brings us to UFC 67 where not only will Mirko Cro-Cop be making his UFC debut but Quinton ‘Rampage’ Jackson will see his first action in the Octagon as well. Mirko and Quinton both were Pride fighters for the bulk of their MMA careers but have now found a home in the UFC.
Quinton ‘Rampage’ Jackson
Quinton Jackson started his career in MMA basically learning on the job trying to fight just to support himself. He was very raw when he started out with a wrestling background and not much else except for street toughness and explosive strength. His skill was limited and his conditioning was poor. Jackson would win his first two career MMA fights before suffering his first ever MMA loss to Marvin ‘The Beastman’ Eastman by decision in June of 2000. Jackson would then go on to win eight straight before finally getting his big shot against MMA legend Kazushi Sakuraba in July 2001 for Japan’s Elite MMA Promotion Pride Fighting Championships. Sakuraba, at the time being Pride’s ‘Golden Boy’ and proclaimed ‘Gracie Hunter’ because of all of the members of the Gracie family he had defeated, was supposed to be facing an easy win, a gimme of sorts, but he soon found out that a win against this ‘gimme’ would be a much harder victory than anticipated. Jackson, who was still technically flawed and lacked conditioning, turned out to give Sakuraba all he could handle and then some. Sakuraba would get Jackson in his guard and try to choke him out over and over again only to get slammed in return by Jackson using his brute strength to toss his opponent around the ring. Jackson, while out-skilled, was a live dog and he amazed the crowd with his display of aggression and heart. In the end Jackson’s aggression and heart wasn’t enough and Sakuraba did indeed end up catching Jackson in a rear naked choke that would end his night, but this would not be the end of Quinton Jackson in Pride.
Jackson would go on to fight in pride for 4 ½ more years and go on to have victories over the likes of other international and well known MMA fighters such as Kevin Randleman, Igor Vovchanchyn, Murilo Bustamante, UFC light-heavyweight champion Chuck ‘The Iceman’ Liddell (by TKO), and former Greco Roman USA Olympic gold medallist Matt ‘The Law’ Lindland. Jackson (who has a record of 25-6 in MMA) throughout these wins has had his ups and downs and has developed into a very well rounded fighter. A mixed martial artist who started only as a wrestler with a street fighting background has turned into a well-rounded fighter with decent boxing skill, one of the best punch defense techniques in all of MMA, great and explosive ground and pound, a great chin and a man who’s strength and fighting spirit can change a fights outcome at any moment. Jackson, who is a good friend of ‘The Huntington Beach Bad Boy’ Tito Ortiz, has also added another element to his game since training in the states full time and that is cardio conditioning. Since leaving Team Oyama, Jackson has trained in California full time and has trained in Big Bear, California leaving him lean and ready to fight a full distance. Against Matt Lindland last July, Jackson was in the clinch, escaping chokes and fighting at a hard pace for three full rounds and was hardly winded when the fight came to a conclusion. Now in the biggest debut of his career he will try to avenge his very first loss in MMA to Marvin ‘The Beastman’ Eastman. This match up is interesting in more than one aspect mainly because Eastman and Jackson’s styles go together so well. Both are good wrestlers and both have K-1 level striking skills. Both don’t care if it has to go to the ground or stay standing up as long as they can inflict punishment on their opponents and put on a show. And what a show it should be.
Outcome: Look for this to be a barnburner and for Jackson to avenge his very first loss in MMA and at the same time put himself on the map in the UFC. Is a Chuck Liddell vs. Quinton Jackson II match up in the works? Jackson controlled their fight for the most part by picking off Liddell’s wild flurries with his forearm blocking technique and coming back with fire of his own. It was a very high-paced bout but in the end it was Jackson who had the overall edge and forced the corner of an exhausted Chuck Liddell to throw in the towel in the second round. It’s obvious that is the idea behind the UFC’s signing of Jackson, but it’s up to Jackson to make it happen by being successful and exciting in his first two contracted fights in the UFC. The man has the personality to crossover – now it’s up to his talent and determination to consolidate it all.
Mirko ‘Cro-Cop’ Filipovic
Mirko ‘Cro-Cop’ Filipovic started his MMA career already being established in many different forms of combat. He not only has an amateur boxing pedigree but started professionally kickboxing at a very young age. Most well known from 1996 until 2001 at fighting in K-1 Kickboxing, this former commando for the Croatian anti-terrorist unit is probably the most technically gifted striker in Mixed Martial Arts today. With beautiful footwork as well as a nice straight left and a deadly left high kick, the man nicknamed and known as ‘Cro-Cop’ has become an international phenom. What is surprising to most hardcore MMA fans is the fact that a lot of UFC fans don’t know anything about him. This man has a record in MMA of 21-4-2 and is bar none probably the most exciting striker on the planet in all of MMA. He carries wins over the likes of MMA talents Kazuyuki Fujita (twice), Heath Herring, Aleksander Emelianenko (brother of current Pride heavyweight champion) Josh Barnett (three times), Mark ‘The Hammer’ Coleman, Olympic judo gold medallist Hideheko Yoshida and Pride’s 205lb champion Wanderlei Silva by brutal KO. His biggest losses were to Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, Mark Hunt and Fedor Emelianenko. Nogueira and Emelianenko are considered by many to be the two best heavyweight MMA fighters on the planet and Cro-Cop was well on his way to a rematch with Emelianenko before the UFC gave him an offer he couldn’t refuse (pardon the pun). Cro-Cop’s strong points are his technical striking mixed with power and quickness to form a perfect blend. He doesn’t waste any motion and always goes for his openings when they are given to him. He is as militant and disciplined with his fighting style as he was as a commando for Croatia so many years ago. He also might possibly have the best takedown defense in the sport today. Yes, that includes Chuck Liddell. This man has developed his game from a fighter who was easy to take down early in his career to a fighter even an Olympic gold medallist judo fighter can’t get down.
Cro-Cops opponent at UFC 67 is a virtual unknown in MMA and his name is Eddie Sanchez. Sanchez is 6-0 in MMA competition and it’s the unknown part of him that makes this bout so interesting. You could go off of what you have seen out of Cro-Cop and think he is going to absolutely destroy this fighter or you could look at it as this could get interesting if this guy can actually stand with Cro-Cop. Chances are it’s going to be the wrong night for Sanchez but the reality of fighting in a combat sport like this is you just never know, but it’s obvious that the UFC picked up Cro-Cop though to add depth to the UFC heavyweight picture and to give Tim Sylvia an obvious opponent down the road in 2007.
Outcome: I feel Cro-Cop is going to just be too much for Sanchez and it’s going to end up being a rough and very hurtful night for Sanchez. Cro-Cop is going to establish himself as the heavyweight to look for in the UFC, as if you have to tell Tim Sylvia something he DOESN’T ALREADY KNOW.
Side Notes: Look for the main event between Silva and Lutter to be more interesting than most anticipate. Silva has shown a vulnerability in the past having problems on the ground and if Lutter can get this fight to the ground and control Silva it could make for a very interesting match up. Many fans believe that Silva is the best middleweight today after his wins over Leben and Franklin but it is also VERY POSSIBLE that both of those men fought right into Silva’s style without even trying to expose Silva’s flaws…NOT SMART. Look for Lutter to go the other route.
Also, be on the look out for the debut of Lyoto Machida. This half Brazilian, half Japanese fighter is a pure bred MMA fighter and is very well versed in his stand up and his ground game. He has a lightning fast southpaw straight left and fights from a very awkward, almost karate-based, stance. He gave Rich Franklin fits three years ago and also KO’d him. Look for him to give Hoger similar problems and to control the bout through his intelligent yet very technical display of overall fighting skill.
Questions or comments,
e-mail Nate at: NATEEDWARDSDHB@HOTMAIL.COM
© Copyright / All Rights reserved: Doghouse Boxing 1998-2007
http://www.doghouseboxing.com/dhb/Edwards_020107.htm
By Nate Edwards (Feb 1, 2007) Doghouse Boxing
While many UFC fans are looking forward to seeing the match up between the UFC Ultimate Fighter 4 middleweight winner Travis Lutter and UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva on Saturday Night, February 3rd at UFC 67, the real interest from MMA fans as a whole is in the debuts of two international MMA stars that will finally find themselves in the limelight and on center stage in America in the UFC. The long awaited arrival of Quinton ‘Rampage’ Jackson and Mirko ‘Cro-Cop’ Filipovic has emerged.
Over a month ago the UFC announced that they had bought out the WFA (World Fighting Alliance) and that they had also bought out quite a few contracts from them as well to acquire some of their fighters. One of those fighters was the one and only Quinton ‘Rampage’ Jackson. Around the same exact time the UFC was also making big moves on the global market going after and signing Mirko ‘Cro-Cop’ Filipovic from their international rival Pride Fighting Championships. Following a lights out win over Wanderlei Silva and an equally impressive win against Josh Barnett on the very same night to win the Pride Open-Weight Grand Prix title, Mirko seemed destined for a rematch with Pride heavyweight champion Fedor Emelianenko, but that was not to be. Cro-Cop was not bound by contract to Pride and apparently the UFC was knocking at his door with the sort of money and opportunity that he could not turn down. This brings us to UFC 67 where not only will Mirko Cro-Cop be making his UFC debut but Quinton ‘Rampage’ Jackson will see his first action in the Octagon as well. Mirko and Quinton both were Pride fighters for the bulk of their MMA careers but have now found a home in the UFC.
Quinton ‘Rampage’ Jackson
Quinton Jackson started his career in MMA basically learning on the job trying to fight just to support himself. He was very raw when he started out with a wrestling background and not much else except for street toughness and explosive strength. His skill was limited and his conditioning was poor. Jackson would win his first two career MMA fights before suffering his first ever MMA loss to Marvin ‘The Beastman’ Eastman by decision in June of 2000. Jackson would then go on to win eight straight before finally getting his big shot against MMA legend Kazushi Sakuraba in July 2001 for Japan’s Elite MMA Promotion Pride Fighting Championships. Sakuraba, at the time being Pride’s ‘Golden Boy’ and proclaimed ‘Gracie Hunter’ because of all of the members of the Gracie family he had defeated, was supposed to be facing an easy win, a gimme of sorts, but he soon found out that a win against this ‘gimme’ would be a much harder victory than anticipated. Jackson, who was still technically flawed and lacked conditioning, turned out to give Sakuraba all he could handle and then some. Sakuraba would get Jackson in his guard and try to choke him out over and over again only to get slammed in return by Jackson using his brute strength to toss his opponent around the ring. Jackson, while out-skilled, was a live dog and he amazed the crowd with his display of aggression and heart. In the end Jackson’s aggression and heart wasn’t enough and Sakuraba did indeed end up catching Jackson in a rear naked choke that would end his night, but this would not be the end of Quinton Jackson in Pride.
Jackson would go on to fight in pride for 4 ½ more years and go on to have victories over the likes of other international and well known MMA fighters such as Kevin Randleman, Igor Vovchanchyn, Murilo Bustamante, UFC light-heavyweight champion Chuck ‘The Iceman’ Liddell (by TKO), and former Greco Roman USA Olympic gold medallist Matt ‘The Law’ Lindland. Jackson (who has a record of 25-6 in MMA) throughout these wins has had his ups and downs and has developed into a very well rounded fighter. A mixed martial artist who started only as a wrestler with a street fighting background has turned into a well-rounded fighter with decent boxing skill, one of the best punch defense techniques in all of MMA, great and explosive ground and pound, a great chin and a man who’s strength and fighting spirit can change a fights outcome at any moment. Jackson, who is a good friend of ‘The Huntington Beach Bad Boy’ Tito Ortiz, has also added another element to his game since training in the states full time and that is cardio conditioning. Since leaving Team Oyama, Jackson has trained in California full time and has trained in Big Bear, California leaving him lean and ready to fight a full distance. Against Matt Lindland last July, Jackson was in the clinch, escaping chokes and fighting at a hard pace for three full rounds and was hardly winded when the fight came to a conclusion. Now in the biggest debut of his career he will try to avenge his very first loss in MMA to Marvin ‘The Beastman’ Eastman. This match up is interesting in more than one aspect mainly because Eastman and Jackson’s styles go together so well. Both are good wrestlers and both have K-1 level striking skills. Both don’t care if it has to go to the ground or stay standing up as long as they can inflict punishment on their opponents and put on a show. And what a show it should be.
Outcome: Look for this to be a barnburner and for Jackson to avenge his very first loss in MMA and at the same time put himself on the map in the UFC. Is a Chuck Liddell vs. Quinton Jackson II match up in the works? Jackson controlled their fight for the most part by picking off Liddell’s wild flurries with his forearm blocking technique and coming back with fire of his own. It was a very high-paced bout but in the end it was Jackson who had the overall edge and forced the corner of an exhausted Chuck Liddell to throw in the towel in the second round. It’s obvious that is the idea behind the UFC’s signing of Jackson, but it’s up to Jackson to make it happen by being successful and exciting in his first two contracted fights in the UFC. The man has the personality to crossover – now it’s up to his talent and determination to consolidate it all.
Mirko ‘Cro-Cop’ Filipovic
Mirko ‘Cro-Cop’ Filipovic started his MMA career already being established in many different forms of combat. He not only has an amateur boxing pedigree but started professionally kickboxing at a very young age. Most well known from 1996 until 2001 at fighting in K-1 Kickboxing, this former commando for the Croatian anti-terrorist unit is probably the most technically gifted striker in Mixed Martial Arts today. With beautiful footwork as well as a nice straight left and a deadly left high kick, the man nicknamed and known as ‘Cro-Cop’ has become an international phenom. What is surprising to most hardcore MMA fans is the fact that a lot of UFC fans don’t know anything about him. This man has a record in MMA of 21-4-2 and is bar none probably the most exciting striker on the planet in all of MMA. He carries wins over the likes of MMA talents Kazuyuki Fujita (twice), Heath Herring, Aleksander Emelianenko (brother of current Pride heavyweight champion) Josh Barnett (three times), Mark ‘The Hammer’ Coleman, Olympic judo gold medallist Hideheko Yoshida and Pride’s 205lb champion Wanderlei Silva by brutal KO. His biggest losses were to Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, Mark Hunt and Fedor Emelianenko. Nogueira and Emelianenko are considered by many to be the two best heavyweight MMA fighters on the planet and Cro-Cop was well on his way to a rematch with Emelianenko before the UFC gave him an offer he couldn’t refuse (pardon the pun). Cro-Cop’s strong points are his technical striking mixed with power and quickness to form a perfect blend. He doesn’t waste any motion and always goes for his openings when they are given to him. He is as militant and disciplined with his fighting style as he was as a commando for Croatia so many years ago. He also might possibly have the best takedown defense in the sport today. Yes, that includes Chuck Liddell. This man has developed his game from a fighter who was easy to take down early in his career to a fighter even an Olympic gold medallist judo fighter can’t get down.
Cro-Cops opponent at UFC 67 is a virtual unknown in MMA and his name is Eddie Sanchez. Sanchez is 6-0 in MMA competition and it’s the unknown part of him that makes this bout so interesting. You could go off of what you have seen out of Cro-Cop and think he is going to absolutely destroy this fighter or you could look at it as this could get interesting if this guy can actually stand with Cro-Cop. Chances are it’s going to be the wrong night for Sanchez but the reality of fighting in a combat sport like this is you just never know, but it’s obvious that the UFC picked up Cro-Cop though to add depth to the UFC heavyweight picture and to give Tim Sylvia an obvious opponent down the road in 2007.
Outcome: I feel Cro-Cop is going to just be too much for Sanchez and it’s going to end up being a rough and very hurtful night for Sanchez. Cro-Cop is going to establish himself as the heavyweight to look for in the UFC, as if you have to tell Tim Sylvia something he DOESN’T ALREADY KNOW.
Side Notes: Look for the main event between Silva and Lutter to be more interesting than most anticipate. Silva has shown a vulnerability in the past having problems on the ground and if Lutter can get this fight to the ground and control Silva it could make for a very interesting match up. Many fans believe that Silva is the best middleweight today after his wins over Leben and Franklin but it is also VERY POSSIBLE that both of those men fought right into Silva’s style without even trying to expose Silva’s flaws…NOT SMART. Look for Lutter to go the other route.
Also, be on the look out for the debut of Lyoto Machida. This half Brazilian, half Japanese fighter is a pure bred MMA fighter and is very well versed in his stand up and his ground game. He has a lightning fast southpaw straight left and fights from a very awkward, almost karate-based, stance. He gave Rich Franklin fits three years ago and also KO’d him. Look for him to give Hoger similar problems and to control the bout through his intelligent yet very technical display of overall fighting skill.
Questions or comments,
e-mail Nate at: NATEEDWARDSDHB@HOTMAIL.COM
© Copyright / All Rights reserved: Doghouse Boxing 1998-2007
http://www.doghouseboxing.com/dhb/Edwards_020107.htm