Issue 039

July 2008

With so much MMA action happening around the world, we break down the stand out performances from the month of May.

Best performance

BJ Penn’s handling of Sean Sherk

Plenty of people picked BJ over Sherk, but did anyone expect it to be so easy? We definitely didn’t. BJ continues to impress, and 2008 could well be the year of The Prodigy.  

Mismatch of the month

Roger Gracie vs Yuki Kondo

Kondo was the striking David vs a grappling Goliath. Roger Gracie, in only his second MMA fight, had all the advantages going in against the 48-22-6 Kondo. Bigger, stronger and looking near unstoppable, Gracie channelled the spirit of Rickson and choked Kondo out in the first.  

Controversial moment

Tito Ortiz vs Dana White

When Tito turned up uninvited to the post-fight press conference, it was only going to go one way. Ortiz bit his tongue for most of the post-fight presser, as did White, save for a few pot shots either way that couldn’t hide the contempt both parties harbour. There were four police officers standing by to remove Tito if necessary.

Fight of the month

Joachim Hansen vs Eddie Alvarez 

Could you have asked for anything more? Blistering stand up action and multiple knockdowns, slick groundwork and near submissions – all added up to not just a fight of the month but a potential fight of the year. Though Alvarez won, there were no losers in this fight.  

Most frustrating performance

Lyoto Machida

He’s good, there is no doubt. But Machida continually disappoints with his refusal to properly engage in a fight. He evades, avoids, backs off and stalls his way through a fight, only putting in a few minutes worth of work in an entire round. If he had a killer instinct , he could be a champ by now.  

Sub of the month

Caol Uno choking out Mitsuhiro Ishida

Slick as ever, Uno showed his experience in finishing off tough wrestler Mitsuhiro Ishida with a rear naked choke – given the smallest of openings, Uno locked on a choke in the blink of an eye that caught the near unstoppable Ishida totally off-guard.  

Best comeback

Wanderlei Silva

We love Wanderlei, and we’re hard pressed to find a fan who doesn’t’ carry a torch for ‘The Axe Murderer’. His demolition of Keith Jardine puts him back on the map – we never doubted you Wanderlei; it’s good to have you back!