Issue 072
February 2011
The walking dead are a staple of modern horror: terrifying because unless you separate their spine from their cerebral cortex, they still keep coming. In MMA, fighters who push forward no matter what gets thrown at them hold a special place in the hearts of fans.
Heath Herring
IN BRIEF: Crazy-haired ten-gallon-hat-wearing Pride star turned UFC super-gatekeeper.
TOUGH ROAD TO THE TOP: Fedor, ‘Cro Cop’, Mark Kerr, Belfort: he hung with the cream. of Pride
TAKING IT: Drew the short straw to face Brock Lesnar rebounding from his Frank Mir loss. The first punch cracked Heath’s orbital bone but he stuck out a 15-minute beating.
GIVING IT BACK: Yoshihiro Nakao famously kissed Heath in the staredown at K-1 Dynamite 2005. Herring responded with a right hook that knocked his opponent out.
FUTURE: Currently unsigned, Herring has appeared in a number of movies.
Chan Sung Jung
IN BRIEF: An MMA overnight sensation and named ‘The Korean Zombie’ no less. The face that launched a thousand Day-Glo T-shirts.
TOUGH ROAD TO THE TOP: Made it to the UFC via DEEP and Sengoku.
TAKING IT: His performance against Leonard Garcia at WEC 48 earned him a place in MMA folklore. He ate bomb after bomb, but the Korean Zombie never flinched.
GIVING IT BACK: He threw enough back to convince many he deserved the decision against Garcia in the brawl (if not fight) of the year.
FUTURE: A KO loss against George Roop next time out weakened his modern legend, but the Korean Zombie will never be short of offers.
Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira
IN BRIEF: The first Pride heavyweight champion. A legend who proved that BJJ was fit for the modern era.
TOUGH ROAD TO THE TOP: In the golden age of Pride, he fought everyone who was anyone and never got stopped.
TAKING IT: Went the distance with Fedor twice.
GIVING IT BACK: After being battered by Tim Sylvia at UFC 81, Minotauro came back to score with a guillotine in the third round to take the interim heavyweight title.
FUTURE: KO defeats against Frank Mir and Cain Velasquez suggest his punch resistance is waning, but there are still big fights out there for ‘Big Nog’.
Jan Finney
IN BRIEF: ‘Cuddles’ was on the end of the most severe beatdown in female MMA.
TOUGH ROAD TO THE TOP: Built a solid record, but found her nemesis in the shape of Julie Kedzie, losing three times to her.
TAKING IT: Some felt Finney’s fight with Strikeforce 145lb champ Cris Santos made hard viewing. ‘Cyborg’ pummeled her mercilessly then ended it in round two.
GIVING IT BACK: Merely staying conscious against Cyborg was an achievement. Getting back up to fight after four first-round knockdowns was courage beyond the call of duty.
FUTURE: Still a match for opponents below Cyborg’s level (that means everyone else in women’s MMA).
Chris Leben
IN BRIEF: Brawling gatekeeper turned title contender after a series of outstanding results.
TOUGH ROAD TO THE TOP: After starring in the first The Ultimate Fighter, ‘The Crippler’ was matched hard on Fight Nights, famously being served as Anderson Silva’s UFC debut.
TAKING IT: When he graduated to the main event, Leben led with his face and took Michael Bisping’s best shots full on for 15 minutes at UFC 89.
GIVING IT BACK: After coming in as a late replacement, Leben out-gamed Yoshihiro Akiyama to win with a last-minute triangle at UFC 116.
FUTURE: A positive alcohol test after crashing his van may put the brakes on the Leben revival.
Mike Russow
IN BRIEF: Chicago cop who pulled off one of the most spectacular come-from-behind wins in MMA history.
TOUGH ROAD TO THE TOP: Russow was already a veteran when he was called up to the UFC. He stuck at it despite a number of losses early in his career
TAKING IT: Before UFC 114, nobody had been able to cope with the power of the highly tipped Todd Duffee. The KO artist landed 52 punches, but Mike stood tall.
GIVING IT BACK: Ignoring a broken forearm sustained in the first, Mike was still around in the third and delivered a single blow that knocked Duffee out cold for ‘KO of the Night’.
FUTURE: Career has been on hold as he served a lengthy medical suspension after his twelve-and-a-half-minute heavy bag impression.
Alex Reid
IN BRIEF: Pioneer of UK MMA, Celebrity Big Brother-winner and married to ‘the most famous woman in Britain’.
TOUGH ROAD TO THE TOP: The opening round of his 2004 clash with Mark Weir was as brutal as the sport can get. His losing record comes from being overmatched in his Cage Rage days.
TAKING IT: At the end of his long-awaited BAMMA 4 showdown with Tom Watson, Alex resembled Rocky Balboa with his face busted to the point of looking like a mask.
GIVING IT BACK: Alex landed enough leather to convince any doubters that he was still a warrior.
FUTURE: Alex’s display of guts rehabilitated his reputation with fight fans, but he has more lucrative offers outside the cage. Whatever he chooses, it’ll be on TV.
