Issue 059
First, Andrew Garvey takes a look at the bigger picture. What are the career implications for the combatants? Where are they coming from, and what will victory or defeat hold for them? Next, Fighters Only’s technique expert Peter Irving breaks down the strategic and tactical considerations.
BREAKDOWN BY THE NUMBERS
Wanderlei Silva vs Michael Bisping
14
Number of fights Bisping had before his first loss. Of those 14, he went to a decision only once.
3
Inches height difference between Bisping (6’2”) and Silva (5’11”)
1996
Year in which Silva (aged 20) made his bare knuckle, vale-tudo debut
2
Inches reach advantage Bisping (76”) has over Silva (74”)
71%
Percentage of total victories Silva has won by KO or TKO
Wanderlei Silva vs Michael Bisping
UFC 110, February 21, 2010,
Sydney, Australia
The Bigger Picture
Heading into his 45th professional fight and making his UFC middleweight debut, 33-year-old former Pride FC.titleholder (and once one of the most ferocious men on the planet) Wanderlei Silva really, really needs a win.
‘The Axe Murderer’ (surely one of the greatest, most fitting nicknames in MMA history) has gone 2-5 since the beginning of 2006, and has an overall record of 32-10-1 (1NC). Bright spots have been few and far between in the last few years. His decision defeats to Chuck Liddell (UFC 79) and Rich Franklin (UFC 99) were fun to watch and put some extra ‘Fight of the Night’ cash in his pocket, but the fact is he still lost both fights. His electrifying 36-second annihilation of Keith Jardine (UFC 84) looked like vintage Silva, and his July 2006 bludgeoning of iron-headed Kazuyuki Fujita was one of the most memorable muggings of recent years. However, a trio of brutal, one-shot KOs in his fights with Cro Cop (September 2006), Dan Henderson (five months later) and Quinton Jackson (December 2008, UFC 92) gave serious cause for concern. Last time around, against Franklin, Silva looked exhausted in the third, despite fighting at a much slower pace than in his hectic heyday, and was briefly dropped in the second round. Still, the fight was close and plenty thought Silva had won. Now, replacing original opponent Yoshihiro Akiyama, Britain’s biggest MMA star looks set to give Silva another tough, exciting fight on the UFC’s Australian debut.
Fighting again just three months removed from his career-best win over the talented Denis Kang, Bisping faces another very stiff test in Silva, a dangerous man even taking into account his evident decline. Kang was meant to be a serious test for Bisping (18-2) but aside from a shaky first round where he was floored and spent much of the round on his back (showing off some superb ground skills and defense) Bisping looked in exceptional form. He bloodied and battered Kang to an emphatic TKO defeat in the second round, earning his fourth victory at middleweight.
Still, questions remain after that brutal KO from Dan Henderson at UFC 100. Looking out of his depth, that was the worst performance of his career but given his previous dominating showings at 185lb (he obliterated Charles McCarthy and Jason Day and showed Chris Leben the value of jabs, footwork and elusiveness), that may have been an aberration. On the same form as he showed against Kang, this could be an uncomfortable night for Silva and his fans.
As faded as Silva is, the once-feared thrashing machine is now the sympathetic hero as the veteran who throws down for the fans, and in Bisping he faces another competitor who clearly wants to put on a real show for those who part with their hard-earned cash. Fighting a week shy of his 31st birthday, Bisping is the younger man by almost three years, but given Silva’s long, hard career, the Brazilian sometimes seems much, much older. Bisping may lack the power to score the eye-popping KO, but he’s still a punishing puncher who beats people with the sheer volume and accuracy of his shots and this is a very winnable fight for the Englishman.
Technical Breakdown
Wanderlei’s toolbox may remain the same as it ever was, but the classic formula of tight hooks, hard kicks and straight knees from the plum clinch continues to serve him well. With his characteristic hunched shoulders and flared elbows, the Axe Murderer’s Muay Thai is not the most beautiful to watch, but when he gets to work on the inside his power is still devastating. Wanderlei tends to rely on volume of work to land his shots rather than picking accurate strikes, whereas Bisping tends to prefer to look for the one flush shot.
Traditionally ‘The Count’ has generally favored fighting off the back foot, slipping his head back from punches and luring the opposition on to his swiping left hooks and straight rights. In his last outing against Kang, Bisping chose to be the aggressor, pressuring all the time with his front foot and hunting for the head with his lead left kick. Few have successfully pushed Wanderlei on to the back foot, but those who did have found success.
On his back, Bisping has excellent activity with his hips and minimizes the top man’s ability to get effective leverage on their strikes, controlling wrists and posture and covering up with his elbows. It’s unusual to see Bisping pinned for any length of time, always working back to guard or half guard, or to scramble back to his feet.
Bisping is vicious and relentless when on top, more concerned with creating the opportunity to strike than maintaining position. Although his ground ‘n pound may not be the heaviest in the business, his work-rate cannot be faulted. With the sheer number of strikes he throws, results are guaranteed.
BREAKDOWN BY THE NUMBERS
Rob Emerson vs Phillipe Nover
4
Emerson lost his first four professional fights in a row (his debut against Jens Pulver in 2002)
18
Months since Emerson last scored a win in the Octagon
12,08
Nover received his black belt in BJJ in December 2008. He’d been training eight years at that point
15
Combined years Nover and Emerson have been fighting professionally. Emerson began 2002, Nover 2003
60%
Victories Nover has obtained with a submission
Rob Emerson vs Phillipe Nover
UFC 109, February 6, 2010,
Las Vegas, Nevada, USA
The Bigger Picture
In hyping The Ultimate Fighter 8, everyone’s favorite promoter Dana White repeatedly talked about that season’s lightweight star as ‘the next Anderson Silva’. That star was Phillipe Nover, a talented fighter who, going into this fight, has a 0-2 UFC record. At the TUF 8 finale, Nover lost to Efrain Escudero in a cracking battle that was mystifyingly ignored when handing out the Fight of the Night bonus. At UFC 98 Nover lost in 63 seconds, TKO’d by the unheralded Kyle Bradley when referee Yves Lavigne controversially stopped the fight.
Opponent Rob Emerson, yet another product of the TUF reality show, has also lost his last two fights and has twice had to cancel recent fights due to injury. Choked out by Kurt Pellegrino and decisioned by Rafael Dos Anjos, another defeat could see Emerson joining the unemployment line. More experienced than Nover but hardly a prodigious talent, Emerson is a solid fighter who has never been KO’d but has shown some weaknesses against submissions. Finally, Nover should be able to properly showcase his talent and hopefully fulfill some of his immense promise in this one. If he can’t, then he may need to consider plying his trade elsewhere.
Technical Breakdown
Dana White’s gushing appraisal of Phillipe Nover came from the Brooklyn-based fighter’s exceptional skill in every range. A flashy and unorthodox striker with a black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu, you can see why White compared him to middleweight champ Anderson Silva. The big difference between Emerson and Nover is that Nover showed flashes of his brilliance during his TUF trials and while training on the show, but has not been able to put it together in the Octagon.
Emerson is a capable all-rounder but not particularly dangerous in any one area. He suffers against opponents who can dictate the pace of the fight, so look for Nover to control the range in which the contest is fought. Nover should have no issue with Emerson’s striking though should be wary of wild, swinging hooks (he doesn’t want a repeat of the Bradley stoppage). Neither Nover nor Emerson’s wrestling is the strongest. This fight will probably stay on the feet, though Nover will have the edge should it go to the ground.
BREAKDOWN BY THE NUMBERS
Nate Diaz vs Gray Maynard
170k
Amount of bonus money Diaz has won in the UFC, 3 Fight of the Night and 2 Submission of the Night awards.
39
Number of seconds into the second round vs Rob Emerson when
Maynard knocked himself out
7
Times Diaz has fought on a UFC Fight Night event. He’s fought once on a ‘numbered’ UFC (94, St Pierre vs Penn)
4
Height difference between Diaz (6’0”) and Maynard (5’8”)
72%
of Diaz’s 11 victories have been won by submission
Nate Diaz vs Gray Maynard
UFC Fight Night, January 11, 2010,
Fairfax, Virginia, USA
The Bigger Picture
No stranger to the UFC’s regular (and almost always action-packed) Spike TV specials, this will be Diaz’s sixth Fight Night appearance, and his third as a main event. Diaz is enjoying a spectacular run of bonuses, officially pocketing around $170,000 in additional pay for his recent streak of two Submission of the Night and three Fight of the Night awards. Still just 24, the TUF 5 winner has already amassed a 15-4 professional record and faced some of the UFC lightweight division’s more dangerous and exciting fighters. In the undefeated Maynard, he faces one of the biggest 155lb fighters in the UFC.
Stung by Internet criticism of his decision-littered record and habit of blanketing his opponents with his size, power and punishing wrestling style, Maynard chose to stand and trade at UFC 96, and proceeded to have a dull, sloppy fight with Jim Miller where he won by, you guessed it, decision. Last time around, ‘The Bully’ edged past Roger Huerta in a very entertaining match. Overall, he may not be a crowd-pleaser, but Maynard tends to get results and Diaz has struggled with good wrestlers (both Clay Guida and Joe Stevenson beat him in exceptionally fun fights). Maynard should win, but the ferocious efforts of Diaz should be what keeps viewers interested.
Technical Breakdown
Polar opposites in terms of physique and their approach to fights, Diaz has the advantage in reach, Maynard has the edge in power. Their first meeting on TUF 5 saw Maynard outmuscle Diaz. Unable to keep Maynard at bay long enough to employ his rangy punches, Diaz found himself flung to the mat. Only his relentless submission attempts and ability to maintain guard kept him in the fight.
Maynard may have fallen foul of the guillotine in their first fight, but he’s since developed his MMA skill set and now has the complete package. His submission knowledge has grown significantly and his boxing has been tidied up. Diaz has changed little. Though he has grown in experience he remains the same fighter as he ever did. His reach may pose a problem, but the peppering punches he throws are unlikely to rock Maynard. Diaz’s lanky frame gave Maynard an easy task in bringing him down. Diaz’s strongest hand is his ability to pull submissions from nowhere.
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