Issue 094
November -0001
We asked four different figures from the MMA world their opinions on the pressing matters of the moment
The Fighters
Q1. When Georges St Pierre fights Carlos Condit in Montreal, he’ll be coming off an 18-month layoff. Will ring rust affect MMA’s former pound-for-pound king?
PAUL SASS
“No, not at all. He’ll be right back into it, and do the same as usual: take him down and stay on top to grind out the victory. I hope I’m wrong, though. I hope Condit wins, as I’m a big fan of his. I hope it’s close.”
EFRAIN ESCUDERO
“I don’t think ring rust is a factor for GSP especially because of the people he trains with. He’ll be ready. He’s a gamer, and he knows how to keep his belt.”
PHIL NURSE
“No, I don’t think it will be. As much as he had to rehab and slow down, he still kept it within reason with his movements.”
BRETT OKAMOTO
“Definitely. I think ring rust is always a factor when you’re out for that long. But if you’re even slightly hesitant on moving like you usually do and being as explosive as you usually are against Carlos Condit, you’re at a disadvantage.”
Q2. What does jiu-jitsu specialist Frank Mir have to do to defeat smart-boxing Olympic wrestler Daniel Cormier in Strikeforce later this year?
PAUL SASS
“Concentrate on his strengths, and perhaps look to pull guard – it works for me. He should use his striking to close the distance and then pull guard to get the fight where he wants it.”
EFRAIN ESCUDERO
“Cormier is a big boy. He’s a very explosive guy. He’s over at AKA with Cain Velasquez and those guys. Mir is just going to have to stick to his game plan and not try to switch anything up, regardless of how the fight is going.”
PHIL NURSE
“They’re both very good wrestlers. Frank Mir, he probably has to do it early. Whatever he’s going to do, he probably needs to try and do it in the early rounds.”
BRETT OKAMOTO
“It’s a very tough fight for Frank on paper. He’s got to try to use some veteranship over Cormier, but we’ve seen that fail already. Frank’s boxing needs to improve because he needs to win that fight on his feet.”
Q3. The winner of Martin Kampmann vs Johny Hendricks looks set for a title shot. Who deserves it more?
PAUL SASS
“Kampmann, simply due to the people he’s fought and beat. He’s a tough guy. He looks like he’s losing and then pulls it out of the bag. He’s been around for ages, too, and so he deserves his shot.”
EFRAIN ESCUDERO
“Hendricks has had a few ‘whoa’ moments in his career, but he still hasn’t established himself as a veteran fighter. I’m still wondering exactly what he can do. I believe it’s going to be a great fight for both guys.”
PHIL NURSE
“I don’t know what to say about who ‘deserves it more.’ If the guys are doing well, and they’re winning their fights convincingly, if the UFC sees them as contenders, let them go for it. I can’t really judge who should and who shouldn’t fight for the title.”
BRETT OKAMOTO
“If you look at an entire body of work and an entire career, Kampmann has been a guy that’s been there forever. Hendricks has been on a great run though, too. Either one are great choices.”
Q4. This month, we have a feature about jiu-jitsu experts who choose to not use their grappling. Is it possible to have a crowd-pleasing ground game?
PAUL SASS
“Yes, of course, look at me. I’ve received tons of recognition and, from what people say, I’m still a crowd pleaser. I’m happy to win via submission, and the fans seem to enjoy it. Early finishes, on the ground or standing up, make people happy.”
EFRAIN ESCUDERO
“For the true fans of the sport, they want to see those back-in-the-day, Royce Gracie moments. But the public today, and even the media, are wanting to see exciting fights, but exciting seems to mean a lot of punches and a lot of blood.”
PHIL NURSE
“Jiu-jitsu comes down to people being educated on the ground game. For the general guy watching, they just see two guys rolling on the floor, they don’t get it. We need to educate the normal guy that, ‘Hey, this is an art, too.’”
BRETT OKAMOTO
“The ground game is exciting for people who know what they’re watching, but most people, when it goes to the ground, their interest just dies down. Hopefully, as the sport continues to grow, that won’t happen.”
Q5. Xbox-sponsored UFC flyweight Demetrious Johnson is our featured video gamer this month. Have you ever been addicted to a video game like ‘Mighty Mouse’?
PAUL SASS
“I’ve been addicted to Call of Duty in the past, on my PS3. But I only go on it once a week now, ‘cos I was running home from the gym and staying on it until 3am and 4am. Modern Warfare 2 it was, and it was getting ridiculous.”
EFRAIN ESCUDERO
“I actually play a lot of UFC Undisputed. I made a thing called Effy Gametime. People can hit me up on my Twitter at @effyescudero. I have a PS3 and an Xbox, and people can talk to me and play against me on a video game.”
PHIL NURSE
“Not really. I’m not as young as I look. When video games came out, I was never really into them. All that came out when I was around was Pac-Man. That was a real big thing, and I never really got into it. Now, I’m a lot older.”
BRETT OKAMOTO
“Oh, yeah, man. I was never the guy that was waiting in line for Halo at two in the morning, but I had some good Halo battles in the dorm rooms. Madden is always good. Yeah, I love Xbox.”
