SNL Short - Punching people just before they eat

Thai Pads for Xmas- The One's From Class

So, previously I posted about the wraps we use in class and put up a link for anyone interested in picking up a set. This time we're talking about the Thai Pads that we use in class.

I've used a lot of Thai Pads over the years and when I had to buy a pile of them for teaching classes of 32 people, I wanted to find the best pads I could for the best price ... and these pads are what I found.

If you've taken any classes with us in the past you'll recognize these and know how good they are.

If you're interested in some more information on these, check out this link: http://www.spartanmmaacademy.com/Shop_ThaiPads.html
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$65.00

UFC 107 - Penn vs. Sanchez Picks and Breakdown

* Still 100% on Main Event match-ups since starting this blog (6 for 6)

This should be a great event. There are two tough main event match-ups that I’m looking forward to.
BJ “The Prodigy” Penn vs. Diego “the nightmare” Sanchez
Fantastic match-up but I think Diego will be having nightmares for a while about this one. Both are great fighters and it’s an amazing match-up but BJ has done SO much more in this sport than Diego and faced top guys for such a long time.
BJ’s has better stand up than Diego with a great jab and there’s no way the “Prodigy” should get submitted in this match up. BJ will win this one and it should be a great fight.

Frank Mir vs. Cheick KongoAs cool and scary as Kongo looks, I’m going with Mir via submission. I’ve never liked Mir but he really impressed me against Big Nog at UFC 92. I’ve never seen him look that good. He went on to look pretty bad against Lesnar but I think that even a crappy Mir should beat Kongo. Kongo’s not exactly a grappling specialist and this fight will show a classic match-up of Stand-up vs. Submission Fighter and, if memory serves me correctly, submission guys have always been the better bet in this case.

Clay “The Carpenter” Guida vs. Kenny “KenFlo” FlorianThis is the second light weight match up that’s going to be great to watch and this one’s even tougher to make a call.
Guida has been a favorite of mine for a long time. He fights ridiculously hard, with non-stop action and he’s a great all-around fighter.
Florian on the other hand improved faster than any other fighter I’ve seen. He use to just be a BJJ fighter with a questionable black belt (given to him by his brother).
I can’t remember what event, but Florian was talking about how he was training in Thailand and that his stand up was amazing. I got pissed after watching this fight because his stand up was garbage and didn’t represent good Thai boxing at all. Then, (insert foot into mouth) his next couple of fights, he looked like a whole new and complete fighter. He changed in leaps and bounds, and then after weathering his 5 round battle against Sean Sherk (Florian lost via decision) he was transformed into a world-class fighter.
I’ve gotta pick Florian and this one will probably go the distance.

Jon Fitch vs. Mike PierceFitch for sure. This is another one that should make the broadcast and it almost looks like a tune up fight for Finch.
Pierce is coming off a big win over Brock Larson who’s been around forever (trains with Sherk) and although he was able to control Larson (a strong wrestler) there’s no way he’s going to get away with that against the former coach of Purdue wrestling team, Jon Fitch. Fitch will finish this within 3 rounds.


http://www.spartanmmaacademy.com

Yellow Bamboo

I just love this stuff too much.

Yellow Bamboo is a Martial Art and Described (description via their website) as "a Balinese White Magic and an Art of self-development, protection, healing
founded in Singaraja Bali with over 30,000 members worldwide."

Here's a demo video of what Yellow Bamboo is:

It's messed up to teach people this and messed up that people believe it. Can you imagine one of these guys getting attacked on the street and trying to point their hands at someone expecting them to collapse?


Here's what Yellow Bamboo really does:

This other clip, I can't embed here but the link to the forum it's on is below. A woman gets nailed pretty hard and it's a good example of the danger in stupid things like this. They create a false sense of confidence:
http://www.bullshido.net/forums/vbtube_show.php?do=tube&tubeid=63#watch


In all reality, in the time these people spend standing there trying to get their "Chi in Check" and pointing their hands towards someone like The Emperor from Star Wars, they could easily be running away.

The Ultimate Fighter 10 Finale - Picks and Breakdown

* Still trying to hold on to a perfect record one the main events since starting this blog.

Roy “Big Country” Nelson vs Brendan Schaub (FIGHT DECIDING THE ULTIMATE FIGHTER)
Two words for my pick in this fight, Yee-haw. That’s right, I’m picking Big Country. For anyone’s that’s seen Nelson fight prior to competing in TUF has seen him rise to the top of the International Fight League and has been the favourite to win the show since the beginning. I was really impressed with Brendan during the show but my pick at the beginning of the season is in the finally, so I’m not going to sway now.

Matt Hamill vs Jon JonesHamill has to lose this! I’m going with Jones. I can’t stand watching Matt Hamills stand-up skills and I’ve been waiting, for far too long, to see someone finally pick up on his many flaws. He leaves his hands down all of the time, but his biggest flaw is that after throwing a jab, his hand drops down to his waist.
I hate watching him fight because I scream at the TV for whomever’s fighting him to just take one of his crappy jabs and step in with, at least, a heavy hook to knock him on his ass.
Hamills has great wrestling and out matches Jones on the matt but I think Jones should get a Knockout.

Kimbo Slice vs. Houston AlexanderI like Kimbo a lot and his stand-up movement has always reminded me of Mike Tyson, who happened to be my favourite boxer.
However, after Kimbo was knocked out via a seemingly weak punch against Seth Petruzelli and his chin is a little suspect. Just like Andrei arlovski, that may be why Kimbo keeps such a bushy beard.
Both fighters have heavy hands but Kimbo is pretty limited to boxing skills whereas Alexander is a kickboxer and will probably be looking to do damage on Kimbo’s bad knee (that was shown during the television series).
There’ll be a ton of fireworks in this bout though so don’t blink.

Matt Veach vs. Frank “The Answer” EdgarThis is another one that should make the broadcast and Edgar should easily handle the 11-0 Veach. Edgar’s dispatched the top guys in the sport including Sean Sherk, Hermes Franca, Spencer Fisher, and Tyson Griffin. There’s just no comparison in the competition these guys have faced.


http://www.spartanmmaacademy.com

Benny Hinn No Touch Knockout Highlight Reel

This is just a really quick post that goes along with the series that just finished last week; "The No Touch Knockout put to the Test"

I don't know the Traditional Martial Art that he practices but, this is a Benny Hinn Highlight vid.

Hybrid Gel Wraps!

With so many students showing interest in the gear that we use for classes we decided to throw up a link! These Gel Wraps are available through MMA Companion here: http://www.mmacompanion.com/Accessories_TitleGelWraps.html

Below is a lot of detailed information on them:

Platinum Hyrbid Gel Wraps:

If you've taken any classes with us, you've seen these wraps. They're better than traditional wraps because they go on faster, they allow you to secure you're whole hand firmly like a traditional wrap, and keeps you protected with gel over your fist! These are great and are the best I've seen during my years, and that's why they're always used in our classes.

* My Opinion on these Wraps:

I wasn't a fan of these kinds of wraps when they first came out because I was use to traditional wraps and the first series (which were Everlast) were very crappy, but since the years have past and improvements have been made, I've found these benefits:

- They have all the benefits of the original gels but actually let you wrap like a wrap. I still have a set of the originals if anyone wanted to see them. The advantage of these is that they give you a long wrap that is stretchy (just like Mexican-style wraps) letting you support your wrist, around your thumb and around your the palm of your hand to avoid sprains and injury.

- Fantastic Gel over the knuckles. For any fighter that trains a lot, your hands can take a lot of damage from heavy bag work. The best I could do in the past was wrapping sponges in with my wraps but nothing is as comfortable as the gel over the knuckles.

- They're fast! Other than the great protection, these take a lot less time to put on and I use the in all of my classes so that students get ready faster instead of wasting time. These are fantastic wraps.

If you’re interested follow this link (http://www.mmacompanion.com/Accessories_TitleGelWraps.html).

· If you live in the area or attend classes, let me know and I’ll bring them so that you don’t have to pay shipping.

The No Touch Knockout - Part 5

Guy creates a force-field around himself and tests it with a knife. ... see how it turns out! (not as bad as it sounds for those that are squeamish)


This is the last one and it's pretty funny. It starts with a guy creating a force-field around his arm and taking a knife to it, then a guy tries to put his head through a block of wood and then it ends with a guy that finally shows everyone ACTUAL evidence of Chi Energy (Actual Proof!!!!)!








* My favorite is the Karate guy trying to put his head through a block of wood. To his defense, it's a pretty big block of wood and not like the tricks that Karate usually does with thin and brittle blocks or bricks with spacers between them. It's always someone elses fault too.
I've never understood breaking stuff in Karate. In a fight, who has time to make all the sound effects and gestures needed to pull of these feats? I also wouldn't want to break someones face like a brick, that's just murder.
Traditional Martial Arts are full of parlor tricks and the only thing people interested in a combative sport should worry about is training, sparring and competing.
Although I'll write a blog in the future outlining the history of certain disciplines and the history of MMA I recommend, for anyone interested in something that's been proven as real and functional; Kickboxing, Boxing, Brazilian Jui-Jitsu, Wrestling (not the WWE kind)and finally Mixed Martial Arts which is a mix of the best that every discipline has to offer and constantly evolving.

The last clip really sums up the whole series that "Science Reason and Rational" put together. .... just amazing.


If you missed any, check out the blog history and they're all titled "The No Touch Knockout"

UFC 106: Ortiz vs. Griffin - Fight Picks and breakdowns

For the record, since I started this blog, I’ve picked correctly on ever main event match-up so far. Boo-ya.
Tito Ortiz vs. Forrest Griffin
This one is a coin flipper. Tito hasn’t won since 2006 and two of those wins were over Ken Shamrock.
Griffin is on a skid now too with back to back losses to Rashad Evans and Anderson Silva.
Griffin should take this one. Although they’re both on skids, Tito’s been out of action for a long time. It’s been 3 years since they last met and Tito squeaked out a win, but with more experience over the years, Griffin should take it via decision. Since their last fight Griffin has been a champion, he has fought bigger wars, and faced bigger names.
There shouldn’t be any surprises in this match up and Tito will try to take him down the whole time to land elbows in hopes of stopping the fight via cut (Boo Tito) and Griffin is going to try and keep it standing and probably work leg kicks to slow down the wrestler’s shot.

(funny story about their last fight) After the first fight Tito complained that Griffin “greased” his legs to stop the takedowns. After Tito made such a big deal out of the “grease” videos started to pop up showing Tito getting Vaseline put over his eyes between rounds, Griffin punching Tito to the face, Tito touching his face with both hands after the punch and then going in for a takedown, after which Tito looked at his hands suspiciously because he could feel the “grease” on the back of Griffins legs. You could see in the video that the idiot clearly put “grease” on his hands by touching his face after a landed jab. I could not find this 3 year old video :(


Amir Sadollah vs Phil Baroni
Amir 98%. I would like Baroni to win because I’ve always found him funny but his glory days (which are hard to find when you look at his record) are behind him. Baroni brings great boxing and strong wrestling while Sodallah brings strong submissions. Baroni’s just never had luck on his side and has always seems to fall short. If Baroni’s going to do something it’ll have to happen fast but if not Sadollah (TUF winner) should take this.

Phil Baroni Body building interview, covered in bronzer. He was pretty damn ripped... geh.:


Here’s some highlights of Phil:


Josh Koscheck vs. Anthony “Rumble” Johnson
I’m not a Koscheck fan at all but I’ve gotta take him on this one. Kos has WAY more experience that Johnson.
Johnson comes into his fights big and reportedly walks around at 220lbs and cuts down, which in his last fight he did not make weight.
Johnson’s got great and amazingly explosive striking but Koscheck should be able to put Johnson on his back taking away his strengths and grinding out a boring decision.


... and Kendall grove loss via TKO. (this is just a standard pick for whenever Kendall fights someone that can punch).



http://www.spartanmmaacademy.com

The No Touch Knockout Put to the Test - PART 3&4

This Martial Arts Practitioner and Founder of Gung-Fu claims he can move things with his mind (insert spooky music)


This one's a two-parter and is the 3rd and 4th part that I'm posting up on this topic and has Bob Barker in it! haha

It's an old video but very interesting and it has Bob Barker! haha






* This guy eventually confessed fraud on another investigative program and admitted that he had developed this talent in prison and not from an old Chinese master like he said.
It's really funny to watch him try and move the pages because he looks like he is actually trying to use mental powers because he can't use his breath. It would be great to hear the dialog in his head at the time, "%$*@ING MOVE PAPER!".
- and just like all Mystical guys, he's got an excuse for everything.



If you missed any, check out the blog history and they're all titled "The No Touch Knockout"

Stay Tuned for the follow up post, next week.
http://www.spartanmmaacademy.com

UFC 105: Couture vs Vera Fight Picks

UFC 105 – Couture vs. Verra

4 out of 4 correct on the last picks! The Record is staying strong.

Easy picks this time.... I think.

Randy “The Natural” Couture vs. Brandon “The Truth” Vera

This one is an easy pick for a couple of reasons and only has one dark side that may make the difference. I’m picking Randy, and here’s why.

Randy has always excelled against strikers and his only trouble has been against very large opponents, which is why he’s moved back down to light heavyweight in the past. We’ve seen Randy drop down before, except it was to fight and win against better fighters in the 205 division. Vera does have ground game and started his journey competing for Grapplers Quest on the East Coast before finding a home to hone his skills and excel in Muay Thai.

Brandon Vera has never been as good as everyone thinks he is or was. He’s never fought anyone on Randy’s calibre. Vera’s claim to fame is that he beat Frank Mir. If you go back and look at how good Frank Mir looked in his fights that time, he was a very weak and lazy fighter. This was all after Mir suffered a horrible motorcycle accident.

The dark side of this fight is that it involves an guy that’s 46 years old! Randy keeps pushing it back, but you never know when time is going to catch up with him and kill his reflexes, power and motivation. From the training footage I’ve seen, Randy looks stronger than ever so Randy is a safe pick and he’ll probably grind out a decision.

HERE's a Randy Couture Highlight:

Michael “The Count” Bisping vs. Dennis Kang

When I heard this fight announced I thought, ‘first round knockout’ right away. I don’t know if it’s going to end that way but Dennis Kang should take the win here.

There was a time that Dennis Kang was a very hyped free agent. The UFC didn’t see the value, which I agreed with at the time, so he went back to Japan. When Kang shines he blinds opponents with his skills. Kang looked really sharp in his last fight and Bisping is coming off a HUGE Knockout at the hands of Dan Henderson. That’s the first time Bisping has been knocked out like that and that messes with a fighter. Some times they’re never the same after a knockout like that. There’s a long list of fighters that have been among the best or THE best in the world that haven’t come back from big KO’s like that; Wanderlei Silva, Cro-Cop, and (one of my favourite fighters from back in the day), Igor Vovchanchyn.

With Bisping’s crazy KO loss aside, Kang has the skills, speed and a tighter stand up game to count Bisping out of this matchup.

Mike “Quick” Swick vs. Dan “The Outlaw” Hardy

This is a Welterweight matchup and the winner is set to have a title shot with Georges St. Pierre. .... What the hell has happened to the welterweight division?

I don’t feel too strong either way on these guys but Swick ... is quick. It’s not just a stupid nickname, Swick is fast and has a ton of motivation for this fight. Coming off some injury’s and with the opportunity to fight GSP ahead Swick’s been training really hard, has a great training camp and I think he’ll win and this could be a fight of the night.

The No Touch Knockout Put to the Test - PART 2

The No Touch Knockout Put to the Test - PART 2
The Human Stun-Gun, put to the test

This video actually has Stephen Bonnar (he came in 2nd place on The Ultimate Fighter 1) in it and I remember that Spike TV's "Manswers" showcased this stun-gun guy (showing that he WAS a human stun-gun, not a fake) and I was so bothered by it that I emailed the network telling them about this and sending along a link to the news story that featured Stephen Bonnar (famous for fighting on Spike TV) and said that they should know better. haha, that was a couple of years ago and they didn't email me back. :(







* I wonder if this guy was the inspiration for the new movie "Men Who Stare at Goats" starring George Clooney.
Once again, I can't believe how gullible people are and how delusional some can be.
I think it's great how the one guy says that his 'no punch knockout' doesn't work because the guys are athletic and then the teachers dojo can't knock out the National Geographic guy even though he is clearly a very un-athletic and tiny guy.

It's amazing how these guys try to justify their garbage.
Delusional Quote of the day:

"I don't know if I should say this on film..." (oh no, don't let everyone know the counter to your devastating technique) "...but if the guy had his tongue in the wrong position in the mouth, that can also nullify it".

... that makes complete sense.


If you missed any, check out the blog history and they're all titled "The No Touch Knockout"


- Here's a trailer to Men Who Stare at Goats:


Stay Tuned for the follow up post, next week.

http://www.spartanmmaacademy.com