#mma fighters need a union

[djregular]

That section of the presentation picked out moments from UFC history to illustrate how the promotion controlled its fighters and, in some cases, used them against each other. One such incident is Gray Maynard disclosing that former UFC matchmaker Joe Silva told him to break Roger Huerta’s arm. Huerta had a fractious relationship with the UFC, going from Sports Illustrated cover-boy and main eventer to being kept on the sidelines and eventually released from the company. That slide was followed by a famous quote attributed to Silva. “If you don’t like the first opponent I give you, you sure as shit aren’t going to like the second.” The MMAFA then claimed that the UFC, thanks to their monopolization of the market place, are “masquerading as a sport while being enabled to operate as a reality show”. “The UFC’s corruption makes Don King look like Santa Claus” read one of the MMAFA’s slides.

[theanticool]

MMA is a billion dollar sport with athletes from all around the world. Individual regional promotions that are watched by millions of people. It’s carried by the MOST popular sports outfit on the planet in ESPN. It’s biggest star is one of the biggest sports stars on the planet.

And Dominick Cruz is out here talking about how the sport needs these two assholes who do nothing but light money on fire out of sheer vanity to get real validation. Like it’s an obscure sport that no one has heard of. Like it’s a sport that only comes on at 3am on Sunday nights on ESPN 3. This is why you’ll never see a fighter union.

[union-combat-academy-blog]

“Union, noun: an act or instance of uniting or joining two or more things into one.”

Union Combat Academy opened its door in November of 2020 in Mesa, Arizona. The brainchild of Head Coach Sean Martin, the idea was to create a space where coaches, fighters, and hobbyist can come together to from a solid foundation for a team, in other words to form a union. We have built a place for martial artists to grow as individuals and as a team. No matter what goals of our athletes, our goal remains the same, to give you the tools, the training and the experience to shape you into the athlete you want to be. Offering training in Muay Thai, boxing, grappling and MMA we have a fit for every type of combat sports athlete.

As we look to the future 2 plans stand out.

Number 1 being the promotion and growth of our competition team. As the world begins to adapt and come back from the global COVID-19 pandemic we are beginning to see more opportunities for our athletes to compete. After the long layoff, these athletes are hyper focused and hungry for competition.   It is our honor to help drive these athletes forward and give the tools needed to compete at the highest level.

The second goal is continuing to grow in size and location. Our flagship gym in Mesa will be expanding to include a larger strength and conditioning area, and a child play zone for those athletes with children. We recently have expanded to open a Jiu Jitsu school in Queen Creek, Arizona and are finalizing our Maricopa location. Our biggest growth goal is the opening of a destination training resort. Planning is already on the way for an area in Payson, Arizona for this. It will include dorms from athletes and coaches to stay at, various area set aside for each discipline. We will be bringing in coaches from all around the globe to host seminars and will also be hosting immersion camps. These camps will provide all the needs for an athlete so they can focus just on their training.    

[justmaddox]

(KELLAN LUTZ, 32, CIS-MALE) found in the depths of the DARK SECRETS CLUB is MADDOX CARGILL who is working as HEAD OF SECURITY of the club. As he enjoys the clandestine atmosphere, we can say he is ATHLETIC & PROTECTIVE and IMPULSIVE & STUBBORN. Will the DARK SECRETS CLUB satisfy all his needs? 

BASIC INFORMATION;

Name: Maddox Alexander Cargill

Nicknames: Mad, The Machine, The Marine, Big Guy

Age: Thirty-Two

Gender: CIS-Male

Birthday: May 10th

Zodiac: Taurus

Ethnicity: Caucasian

Nationality: American

Occupation: Head of Security at Dark Secrets, MMA Fighter

APPEARANCE;  

Height: 6′7

Weight: 256 pounds

Build: Herculean, Toned

Hair Color: Dirty Blond - gets lighter in the summer

Eye Color: Cerulean Blue

Shaved/Trimmed/Natural: Naturally smooth

Tattoos: Three. One his left arm is a sleeve that looks like a robot arm, on his right arm is a sleeve that looks as though he has gears underneath his skin, and on his back there is  motor and engine - all of these things have led to his being called “The Machine” both by his Marine buddies and the UFC, as well as his stamina when it comes to working out.

SEX;

Kinks: Muscle Worship, Dominating, Humiliation (giving), Bondage (giving), Sensory Play (giving), Multiple Orgasms (giving), Overstimulation (giving), Orgasm Denial (giving), open to more

Anti-Kinks: Bondage (receiving), Age-Play, Diaper-Play

Favourite Positions: Suspended Congress, Doggy, Missionary, Pile Driver

BIOGRAPHY;

The name Cargill is a well-known and respected one among the elite in New York. Not only have they produced some powerful CEOs and lawyers, but the Cargill men are all decorated military veterans and it was a Cargill tradition for their men to enlist once they reached the age of eighteen. And for young Maddox, the eldest son of the current Cargill patriarch, it was something he couldn’t help but want to do. He wanted to make his parents proud, sure, but he had heard time and time again from his grandfather about his time fighting in WWII, and the stories that he had heard about their ancestors that fought for the union in the Civil War and he wanted to fight for what was right.

Of course, by the time high school came around, things got a little complicated. While he still very much wanted to go off and serve his country, he hadn’t expected to fall in love - especially not with another one of New York’s finest. But how could he not fall in love with Elizabeth Archibald? She was beautiful, of course, but she was also intelligent and confident and those were things he couldn’t help but be drawn to. And the two years he spent with her, as he had been a sophomore when she was a freshman, were the best. Yet when it was time for him to graduate, part of him was torn. He wanted to stay, to be with her, but he had a calling and a duty and after a multitude of long and thoughtful discussions, the two of them split amicably and he headed to Parris Island to begin training to become a United States Marine.

While Maddox didn’t exactly struggle with his studies, it was clear that his strengths lied with his physicality and he took to the training like a fish took to water, and by the time boot camp was over, he had graduated at the top of the class. From there, he continued to show that he was made for military life - but in the back of his mind, he’d always think about Liz and what life would’ve been like had he stayed. When he wasn’t sleeping or on a mission, he was usually working out - something that his buddies often admired about him because it seemed like he was a machine that just wouldn’t stop - and it was during one of these times that he saw a few of his fellow marines sparring against one another in a boxing ring and it wasn’t long before he asked if he could join in.

From the first punch, Maddox was hooked and he found himself getting involved in the Marine’s MMA fighting. Soldiers from different platoons and units would take part, and Maddox was almost always the last one standing. As time went by, and the more tours he went on and the more he trained, the more Maddox knew that this was what he wanted to do when he got back to the States, and at the age thirty-one, he retired from the military and headed home, ready to tell his family what he planned to do. Something that he knew he was capable of. But, as he expected, his father wasn’t thrilled about it. “Fighting isn’t a career” were the words that his father told him as his mother, silent behind his shoulder, simply frowned. Maddox was adamant about it, and he said that he could make a career out of it - with or without his father’s help. And just like that, he left New York and the safety of being a Cargill, left the mounds of money that he was set to inherit, and headed to Las Vegas.

Even though Maddox was confident that he’d be able to achieve champion status, he did know that he needed to get a job and with his background as a Marine, he knew that a job in security was what was needed. Seeing that a new club that had just opened up was looking for a Head of Security, Maddox applied and quickly interviewed before he was offered the job. With that taken care of, Maddox knew that he could take care of himself - and his new dog that he rescued from the shelter - but what he wasn’t expecting was for the owner, and boss, of the club that he was working at to be his high school sweetheart. It was a shock, sure, to see Liz, but he’s made sure to be polite and cordial with her.

After the past year, Maddox is happy with how life has turned out. While he’s still only taking part in amateur fights, he’s starting to gain recognition and he knows that it’s only a matter of time before the UFC turns their sights on him. And working at the club? Well, it has more perks than just working beside his first love.

[letterboxd]

Fantasia 2020.

We emerge from the depths of Fantasia Festival 2020—the largest genre fest in North America—with the ten best things we saw this year.

Fantasia Festival aced this weird shitstorm of a year with one of the best online film festival experiences of 2020 so far. Sure, we miss that unique, zombie-like, end-of-fest haze brought on by midnight madness and inappropriate mealtimes, but quarantine breeds an adjacent kind of mental fog that made Fantasia’s online offering a weirdly natural place to be this year.

Tuning into Montreal from London and Auckland, our Fantasia team (Kambole Campbell, Aaron Yap and Gemma Gracewood) watched as widely as possible, and we recommend most of what we saw—but these are the ten films that stuck out.

Chasing Dream Directed by Johnnie To, written by Wai Ka-Fai, Ryder Chan and Mak Tin-Shu

Hong Kong master of genre Johnnie To once again links up with screenwriter Wai Ka Fai, the writer of Drug War and Romancing in Thin Air. Their new feature Chasing Dream finds itself somewhere between those two, telling the story of an MMA fighter with gang ties named Tiger (Jacky Heung, winner of Fantasia’s Best Actor award) who falls in love with an aspiring singer named Cuckoo (Keru Wang).

To and Wai Ka Fai’s incredibly goofy sense of humor is still totally intact, as they make a complete farce out of the singing competition that Cuckoo enters, with her greatest competitor continually performing so hard that she accumulates injuries, until she ends up in a full-body cast. As Michelle writes: “It’s Rocky meets A Star is Born, with a dash of American Idol, a pinch of musical, and a huge dollop of romance.” This is all to say that Chasing Dream really is a hell of a lot of movie at once. (KC)

Labyrinth of Cinema Directed by Nobuhiko Ōbayashi, written by Kazuya Konaka, Nobu Obayashi and Tadashi Naitō

“It’s time to revisit our history to build a better future.” So begins Labyrinth of Cinema, the final film of Japanese experimental legend Nobuhiko Ōbayashi. Following a trilogy of films contemplating modern Japanese history and war (including the ravishing Hanagatami), Labyrinth is a metatextual and metaphysical trip through the history of Japanese cinema and its intersection with war.

A handful of young characters are quite literally absorbed into the screen of the cinema they’re sitting in at the film’s beginning, jumping through different eras and genres of film, tackling everything from war and propaganda, romance and musical, to chanbara and back again. Jake Cole notes the film’s surprising optimism, writing “even as Ōbayashi grows more sober, the film conveys more and more his strength of belief that cinema is still a force for good, and that if the past cannot be helped, perhaps movies can be rethought and re-crafted to produce a better future”. (KC)

Lapsis Written and directed by Noah Hutton

Noah Hutton (son of Timothy Hutton and Debra Winger) makes his narrative feature debut with a sci-fi-that’s-barely-sci-fi film, which dives into robotics, capitalism and unionization. Not a million miles away from the activist documentaries the director already has under his belt, Lapsis is a low-key, mordant film that captures gig-economy drudgery and the arcane fog of big tech. “Honestly really fucking cool,” writes David, of Hutton’s world-building on a shoestring. “An intelligent and peculiar concept expertly executed and thoroughly entertaining from beginning to end.” Dean Imperial’s surliness is a treat. (AY)

Bleed with Me Written and directed by Amelia Moses

Not one of Bleed with Me’s 79 minutes is wasted. If any of the following sound good to you—micro-thrillers, Robert Altman's Images, Rodney Ascher’s The Nightmare, mumblecore Bergman—add Amelia Moses’ debut feature to your watchlist now. It’s an assured start from Moses, who crafts an unsettling, tantalizingly ambiguous atmosphere from the three-hander, cabin-in-the-snow confines, with Scrabble, gaslighting, bloodletting and sleep paralysis thrown in.

“Lee Marshall anchors the film with a deeply moving performance as Rowan,” writes Finhorror. “With every facial expression, movement, and line reading, she sells vulnerability and discomfort while showing a minimal amount of effort.” Would pair well with Mickey Reece’s Climate of the Hunter (florid dinner conversations, immaculate food-porn and psycho-sexual tension) for an ace double feature. (AY)

PVT CHAT Written and directed by Ben Hozie

New York filmmaker Ben Hozie examines online relationships and modern sexual fantasies with PVT CHAT, starring Uncut Gems breakout star Julia Fox as Scarlet, a cam-girl dominatrix. The film splits its focus between Scarlet and Jack (played by Peter Vack), an internet gambler who mostly remains inside his NYC apartment as he becomes fixated on her. While there’s palpable discomfort in Jack’s increasing obsession with Scarlet, the film doesn’t mock the practitioner nor the customer, and it doesn’t moralize over either of their actions—it simply leaves them plain to witness, as though a normal element of contemporary digital living.

The genuineness of the relationship between Scarlet and Jack is ambiguous—the line between performance and sincere emotion distorted via pixels. As they continue to open up to each other the line blurs further, and PVT CHAT becomes a fascinating observation of how online communication has changed and commodified the ways in which we interact with each other. (KC)

Tezuka’s Barbara Directed by Makoto Tezuka, screenplay by Hisako Kurasawa

Speaking of obsessions, Japanese filmmaker Makoto Tezuka might have chosen his father’s strangest work to adapt into a live-action film. As it says in the title, Tezuka’s Barbara is an adaptation of ‘godfather of manga’ Osamu Tezuka’s Barbara, his most hallucinatory and sexually explicit work. Opening with a Nietzsche quote about madness and love, Tezuka’s Barbara more or less conflates the two, as the main character Yosuke, an author who specializes in lurid and trashy paperbacks, falls obsessively in love with Barbara, a homeless drifter he meets in the street.

Beautifully lensed by Christopher Doyle, legendary cinematographer of Chungking Express and In The Mood For Love, Tezuka’s Barbara takes on a magical and ethereal quality, particularly in its sex scenes. Yosuke’s increasingly deranged obsession with Barbara and the young Tezuka’s depiction of it is compellingly weird, from its vivid colors and almost antiquated costuming to its Eyes Wide Shut-esque rituals of the wealthy. Deranged, perhaps opaque, but a riveting visual journey, especially with its context in mind. (KC)

Special Actors Written and directed by Shinichiro Ueda

Special Actors is the new film from Shinichiro Ueda, who turned heads with his bonkers cult film One Cut of the Dead. It may appear a little less surprising to those already familiar with his tactics, but it’s no less entertaining for it. Special Actors starts one way, as the tale of an aspiring actor looking for work, and ends somewhere else entirely. Brought into a company named ‘Special Actors’ by his estranged younger brother, Kazuko embarks on a different kind of performer’s journey, not just restricted to film and commercials, but also playing implanted mourners at funerals, fake boyfriends—whatever the client desires.

This is an Ueda film, so of course it takes a huge swerve, transforming into a bizarre and entertaining caper as the Special Actors are hired to infiltrate a cult. Ueda is more than aware of the classic conflation of film with “fakery” (as Orson Welles would call it)—the structure of a caper and its layers of illusion, truth and everything in between aligning with the requirements of stagecraft—and he has more than a little fun with it. As a result, so do we. (KC)

Feels Good Man Directed by Arthur Jones / Available on demand now

The internet was a mistake. Even if you try to stay out of the digital trash-fires, you’ll likely have heard of the ‘Pepe the Frog’ meme. Turns out, we need to pay attention to these things, particularly with another US election looming. In Feels Good Man, Arthur Jones introduces us to Matt Furie, the humble cartoonist behind the original Pepe, and then takes several wild and weird side-roads, with the most unexpected-but-entertaining talking heads, as we learn just how 4Chan and the alt-right adopted, weaponized and took the frog all the way to the White House, earning official hate-symbol status. “I came in expecting a solid documentary about a meme, and I ended up getting that and a compelling narrative about today’s troubling world,” writes Zach. (GG)

Sheep Without a Shepherd Directed by Sam Quah, written by Yang Weiwei

Dare we say “Letterboxd meets Parasite”? Sheep Without a Shepherd, Sam Quah’s debut feature (based on Jeethu Joseph’s highly rated film Drishyam), is a cinephiliac feast about have-nots taking on upper-echelon corruption. Lead character Weijie (Xiao Yang) is a working-class, obsessive cinephile who vomits his movie knowledge any chance he can get. When his family is pulled into a case of police corruption, this same cinephilia may be the only thing that gets them out of it. It’s a sturdily wrought Hitchcockian homage, with a well-calibrated balance of suspense, humor and pathos.

“What a gut punch of a movie in the best way,” writes Amanda. “A little messy at times, especially in the end, and some questionable forensics, but this is something I’ll definitely be revisiting.” The jury is still out on whether the ending—make that the many endings—worked, but for the most part Letterboxd members enjoyed the cat-and-mouseness of it all, along with its moral questionability. (AY)

You Cannot Kill David Arquette Directed by David Darg and Price James / Available on demand now

You Cannot Kill David Arquette is a rousing, eye-opening and mostly upbeat gawk at the life of the Hollywood star whose fortunes have lately run dry. Although he is out of shape and has very young children (and very cute Basset hounds) to think of, Arquette is desperate to reignite his love of pro wrestling. In a quest to prove to his heroes that he’s serious about the sport, the actor participates in backyard wrestling matches in Virginia, joins street-fighters in Mexico, and goes down a K-hole at the hands of health professionals.

“Arquette is searching for a shred of legitimacy in a world that’s always made him feel like a fraud, and by the end of this loveable, hilarious, and ineffably heartfelt doc it’s almost impossible not to believe in him,” writes David Ehrlich. As compelling a look at mental health as physical, the film benefits from the inclusion of conversations with those closest to Arquette (both of his wives feature), and there’s a heart-skipping scene involving the late Luke Perry. (GG)

Lastly, our team wanted to shout out to Daria Woszek’s Marygoround for the best end credits dedication of the year. Thanks, Fantasia! Roll on 2021.

[vvarrior]

                                                   [CLASSIFIED] 

                             Advanced Advocate Case File: Warrior

BASICS

BIRTH NAME: Dane Pablo Angelos

NICKNAME(S): Danito, Pablito, Danny

DATE OF BIRTH: 11th, December 1996

AGE: 23

GENDER: Cismale

PRONOUNS: He/Him/His

NATIONALITY: Portuguese-American

HOMETOWN: San Diego, California

CURRENT RESIDENCE: Turnstone City, USA

OCCUPATION: Kickboxing instructor

APPEARANCE

HEIGHT: 6′2

WEIGHT: 192

BUILD: Athletic

ETHNICITY: Portuguese, Greek

HAIR: Dark brown

EYES: Hazel

DISTINGUISHING FEATURES: One tattoo - a swallow on his right hand

DISABILITIES: N/A

DRESS STYLE: Casual but coordinated

TATTOOS: Small swallow on his right hand

PIERCINGS: N/A

PERSONALITY/PSYCHOLOGY

INTROVERT or EXTROVERT: Introvert

INTELLIGENCE LEVEL: Above average

MENTAL HEALTH: Below average, undiagnosed

HABITS: Knocks on wood to divert bad luck, crosses himself when afraid

MANNERISMS: Holds his lower lip between his teeth, rubs his right bicep

HEALTH: Excellent

MBTI TYPE: INFJ

POSITIVE ATTRIBUTES; Amicable, nurturing, resilient

NEGATIVE ATTRIBUTES: Capricious, aggrieved, vain

LIKES: Coffee, animals, the environment, alcohol, fighting, crime shows, rain

DISLIKES: Arrogance, bullying, intolerance, The Office, squash, summer

HOBBIES: Exercise, cooking, reading

TALENTS / SKILLS: Very talented athlete, having practiced soccer and gymnastics from a young age and taken up track-and-field in middle school. Later on enrolling in kickboxing and MMA classes and excelling in those as well, though not after several years of work. Excellent physical performer and hand-to-hand combatant, but he still has a lot to learn.

FAMILY

PARENTS: Unknown biological father, Clarissa Silva (mother), Charles Johnson (stepfather)

SIBLINGS: Younger sisters Mariana and Angelica Silva

CHILDREN: N/A

MARITAL STATUS: Single

SIGNIFICANT OTHER(S): Single

OTHER FAMILY: Large extended family

PETS: Pomsky, with family

SEXUALITY

SEXUAL ORIENTATION: Bisexual

DATING STATUS: Open, conflicted

DOMINANT / SUBMISSIVE / SWITCH: Switch

TOP / BOTTOM / VERSATILE: Vers top

TURN-ONS: Dirty talk, possessiveness, marking

TURN-OFFS: Toilet play, age play, blood play

SUPERHEROISM

ALIAS: Warrior

POWERS / SKILLSET:                                                                                     Forcefield Manipulation: Dane can create, shape, and manipulate force-fields, a field of energy without mass that acts as a matter/wall, so that objects affected by the particular force relating to the field are unable to pass through the field and reach the other side. This power, however, is currently limited to him as the strength of these fields depend on intense skill, power, and concentration, all of which Dane requires significant improvement on.

In theory, the fields may block or deflect certain forces/materials while allowing others to pass, such as air and light - the little experience he's had making them have shown that he requires practice on allowing air through these fields. Strong and/or repetitive impacts may be able to disrupt or destroy these forcefields, as can causing Dane to lose his concentration, and they can currently only defend against the explicitly physical.

The fields also demand great mental strain and energy uptake to maintain, so Dane must ensure he's in excellent shape and mindset when creating them else he runs the risk of passing out.                                                                                       

   [ RESTRICTED ]  Demigod Physiology, Type II: As a mortal-God hybrid, Dane was born from the union of a divine being and a mortal, inheriting his power from his magical, divine parent. Demigods may gain powers associated with their divine parent's domain, or a domain of their own, or just powers generic to divine beings.

However, those unaware of or unwilling to accept their divine nature may sometimes, over a period of time, experience extreme fever, migraines, and body pains, with the potential for seizures or even death as a result of their spirit struggling to manifest itself. Notably, if realized too soon, one may go into shock and experience these symptoms as well.

Potential abilities may include decelerated aging, enhanced condition such as agility, durability, strength, speed, and senses, as well as a regenerative healing factor and sometimes flight. After a demigod truly and completely comes into their divinity, these abilities may increase to extraordinary supernatural levels. Due to his magical origins, he can also resist many forms of magical manipulation

COLORS: Black, gold, sometimes navy blue or red

APPEARANCE:  Handsome and tall, Dane provides a striking figure to most, and he knows it. He typically dresses casually and in low tones, alternating between t-shirts, shorts, and sneakers to jackets, jeans, and boots. He doesn’t necessarily have a superhero outfit, seeing as he’s brand new to the Advocates, but he does own a long sleeved, black, lightly armored shirt with some gold lining that he pairs with similarly colored leather gloves, athletic pants with greaves, and combat boots. Aesthetic-wise, he’s always been a fan of red, navy blue, black, and gold. Striking colors, but if used well can be calming and familiar, even soothing. He likes that aspect.

WEAKNESSES:            When not protected by his forcefields, Dane may be vulnerable to any attack that may harm a regular person.  Overexertion of his physique will render him exhausted and in need of rest.Telepathic or other mental-based attacks may also be effective against him, and as a younger, less experienced fighter, he may also fall prey to psychological manipulation.

 [ RESTRICTED ]  Dane himself, while not invulnerable, may be highly resistant to great amounts of concussive force, extreme temperatures, and some forms of radiation and energy attacks. However, edged weapons or projectiles applied with sufficient force are able to pierce his skin. While his body may be naturally resistant to most poisons, powerful enough toxins may render him incapacitated. Lastly, he is likely also vulnerable to powers or abilities that are solely capable of harming divine beings, such as divine power negation.

MENTOR / PROTEGE: N/A

LENGTH OF ADVOCATE MEMBERSHIP: Less than one week

SUPERVILLAIN ARCHNEMESIS: N/A

SUPERHERO HISTORY: N/A

[hellorickturner-blog]

Daniel Carpenter Taking Things to a New Level

Daniel Carpenter is far from your average senior. He doesn’t take life slow or easy, in fact when most people his age begin to become less active, Daniel Carpenter speeds his life up. So what makes this 64 year old, retired army captain, licensed private investigator, and former professor with a PH.D. in Drama do for fun? The answer may surprise you. Currently, Carpenter is learning MMA and pursuing a career in Rap! Rap Music to be precise and like everything Daniel had ever applied himself to he’s giving it 110%.

Carpenter was born on November 5th 1955 in the back of a farm truck on route 315 in Simsbury, Connecticut (a suburb of Hartford) on the way to the hospital, in a thunderstorm. Already an unusual start to this extraordinary man’s life, at the age of five, he was already showing incredible abilities. Carpenter wrote and performed a cello concerto featured in a local town’s christmas pageant. He was also known to be incredibly athletic, competing against boys much older then he in the annual township’s swim competition. “I was about five or six around that time and the high school swim coach noticed me swimming laps in the pool one summer, he said that I swam faster and better than most of his varsity swim team members. Even at that age, I found his remarks to be humorous because I has practically taught myself to swim” Carpenter remarked. Carpenter was known for his confident and competitive nature throughout his early school years and that reputation continued throughout his highschool career. Voted most likely to succeed in his senior yearbook, Carpenter was a force to be reckoned with. He was the varsity wrestling team captain, school newspaper editor, the star of the debate team and the class president. “I never wanted to have a reason to look back and regret not trying something” Carpenter reflected, “I wanted to make sure I had gave everything a shot.”

In December 1973, Carpenter enlisted in the army to fight in Vietnam. He had just turned 18 and answered to call for young men to join the fight. “I didn’t particularly agree with the war, but I felt a deep sense of patriotism and I could not ignore it.” Over the next three years, Carpenter excelled through the army ranks starting as a private and leaving Vietnam as Master Sergeant. Carpenter did not wish to elaborate much on his experiences in Vietnam, stating “I never speak about it with anyone except for the men who were there… they are the only ones who understand.”

After the Fall of Saigon, Carpenter was airlifted out of Vietnam with the remaining troops in the spring of 1975. He returned home to Hartford, Connecticut just before his 20th birthday. While home, Daniel met a woman by the name of Nancy Slater while eating breakfast at a local diner. They began dating. “I knew when I met her that she was something special and I had to marry her,” said Carpenter. Unfortunately after only a few months home Carpenter was called to duty. He left for West Berlin in February of 1976 and his plans to marry Nancy Slater were put on hold. Despite the distance between Carpenter and Slater he kept true to her and wrote her almost every day. “I was in love, and it hurt to be away from her but I knew the oath I took and that this sacrifice was for the good of my country.”

Over the next 3 years Carpenter was stationed in West Berlin at the doorstep of the Soviet Union during the height of the Cold War. He once again refused to give details about his time abroad, however his reason this time was different, claiming that details of his service during that time is still to this day classified. “I was stationed in West Berlin for almost 3 years, and it was not pretty, let’s just leave it at that,” said Carpenter with a careful chuckle.

Carpenter returned home in 1978 around Christmas. While in West Germany he had bought an engagement ring for his girlfriend Nancy Slater. Carpenter having risen to the rank of Captain decided to leave the army to get married. He proposed to Nancy on New Years Eve of that year and by May of 1979 they were married. “I was so happy, however my appetite for accomplishment was a problem, I couldn’t sit still.” Around this time Carpenter began working at a local factory which built plumbing parts. “Nancy could see that I was not happy working at a factory, however we had a baby on the way and we were saving for a house.” Over the next several years the Carpenters would have 4 children. Daniel would change jobs three times and eventually become a licenced private investigator. Opening an office in on 42nd Street in Manhattan in 1981. “I loved being a gumshoe… meeting all the interesting people and all the adventures and at that time the city was a much seedier and gritty place.”

When cases were slow Carpenter, an avid chess player would search the city for chess players to fulfill his need for competition. Carpenter became a known chess player in the army. He played all sorts of people and allegedly defeated a famous East German Chess Master while on a diplomatic assignment east of the wall. “I would tell Nancy I was working late and would scour the city for best chess opponents I could find. It sounds crazy but it kept me sharp. I loved playing the bums around the port authority. Those guys sometimes we’re better and smarter than some of the professional players. Some of those fellas were undercover savants.” “I sat on the sidewalk of 43rd and Broadway once for 3 hours playing this one guy by a dumpster, over and over again… and I could not beat him.” “I would sometimes have an epiphany during a match and run back to the office after the game to work on the case.”

In 1986 a client of Carpenter’s was unable to pay in full for his investigator services and offered him two tickets to see CATS. The wildly popular Broadway show had been out since 1981 and was still the highest grossing show in New York. Carpenter accepted the tickets and brought his wife to see the show. “I was immediately enthralled and had to have more, I started taking Nancy to all the Broadway shows… La Cage Aux Folles, 42nd Street, Drood, Sweet Charity… she loved them and so did I. So much so I stopped chasing down chess players and started studying theatre.”

Over the next few years Daniel Carpenter would earn a PH.D. in Drama and become a performing art professor at the local college in Nashua, New Hampshire. It would be here that Carpenter would stay as a professor for many years before retiring in 2014. “My four children have given me 11 grandchildren so I wanted to spend more time with them.”

If you think that in the last 5 Years of retirement that Daniel Carpenter has slowed down, you have another thing coming. Daniel Carpenter has already earned a blackbelt in Kempo, won the county chilli cookoff two years in a row, hosts the annual christmas tree lighting ceremony at his church, directs the community theatre troupe and has taken a stab at philanthropy. Daniel Carpenter started a non-profit foundation that funds theater programs in underprivileged school districts. He has even brought famous retired stage actors to guest teach theater. However Carpenter didn’t stop there, this upcoming year Daniel intends to begin competing as an amateur MMA Fighter in a local circuit. “People often remark about how young I look although I’m in my mid-60s and despite all I do. I tell them it’s a gift and a curse, sometimes I wish I could just sit still and enjoy retirement like most people my age, but I can’t. It drives my wife crazy.”

Now Daniel Carpenter is attempting to enter the rap game, but not for the fame but for his charity work. “I was driving down three-o-five right where I was born in Simsbury and heard this advertisement for a Rap battle in Hartford for a prize of twelve-thousand dollars… and I thought to myself about how that money could be used for good.” Unfortunately for Carpenter he was too late to register for last years tournament however he is hopeful he will win the 2020 competition. “My kids think I’m crazy and I don’t blame them, everyone has thought I was crazy at one point or another.” When asked about how his progress in rap Carpenter declined to elaborate stating “I can’t give you the secret to my sauce before the taste testing,” and carpenter knows a thing or two about taste testing, his busy wall of trophies and awards features his “Annual Chilli Cook-Off — 1st Place” awards for 2014 and 2015. “The way I see it is… this is a mix of everything I know. Music, Drama and Chess.” When asked why chess Carpenter remarked “Chess is pure strategy and rhythm, knowing your opponent and exposing their weaknesses… and knowing the right moment to strike… like martial arts too I suppose… it’s a discipline.”

Carpenter has sure been active in retirement and it seems anything that this 64 year old husband, father, teacher, soldier, detective, chess player and philanthropist puts his mind to he accomplishes. Carpenter shares that the secret to his life of success and accomplishments is having dreams. “Never forget how to have you imagination, never forget that your only limitations are what you let limit you, working hard at something you like… isn’t hard.” Carpenter hopes his wacky and eclectic life story will inspire others to take the first step. commercial interior design california

[djregular]

The appeal of WWE to Endeavor is pretty clear. It has a similar money-making structure to UFC in that it combines TV deals, ticket sales, direct-to-viewer sales, sponsorships, Middle Eastern sovereign fund cash, and its own brand licensing all into one big international live events package. It's also appealing because it's physically impossible for WWE to lose money right now, so huge are its deals with parties like Comcast, Fox, and Saudi Arabia. Together, at least in the near future, UFC and WWE are simply too big to fail, and that makes this merger an easy pitch in the boardroom or shareholders' meeting.

The presence of both UFC President Dana White, who escaped any repercussions for hitting his wife on New Year's Eve, and Vince McMahon, who muscled his way back into power despite paying hush money to several women who accused him of sexual misconduct, puts slimy misogyny at the forefront of this new venture. The idea of having either for a boss is chilling.

[fedoremelianenkodevoted]

Fedor Emelianenko – the greatest MMA fighter of all-timeBy

OPINION

Staff Report

3 days ago

The most competitive sport, which has some of the most dedicated athletes who train hard on a daily basis to master the craft – this is the definition of MMA nowadays. Although, according to some, the sport is dangerous, let’s be honest – watching fights excites people, it is in our DNA. Don’t believe us? Think of gladiator fights – you can’t deny that they were the most exciting shows in the Roman Republic, visited by the Roman emperors themselves. MMA channels the purest form of eagerness to defeat another person, and this is the reason why fighters devote their lives to the discipline.

Along with MMA’s rising popularity around the world, punters’ appetite for MMA sports betting also grows at a rapid pace. Following that, ensuring high MMA and Boxing Odds and a wide variety of markets are among the bookmakers’ primary goals. With MMA being an individual sport, the odds are based on fighters’ current form. Although the matches last less than half an hour, athletes dedicate months for preparation in order to grab the win and the huge prize fund that comes with it.

Many fighters today aim to reach the starry level of Fedor Emelianenko – the all-time greatest MMA fighter, according to many experts and fans. An enigmatic big man with the speed and punching power of a predatory Russian bear, Emelianenko has been widely recognised by media as Sports Illustrated defined him as one of the top MMA fighters of the 2000s. Furthermore, former combat sports fighters and legends such as Chuck Norris and Mike Tyson named him the greatest mixed martial artist of all time. The fact that he ranks in the Top 20 List of the World’s Richest MMA fighters with $18 Million net worth is yet another proof of Fedor’s high class in the discipline. Born in 1976 in the Soviet Union, the Russian heavyweight MMA fighter’s martial arts journey started with judo and sambo. Emelianenko began his mixed martial arts career as a member of the Russian Top Team (RTT), where he trained under the mentorship of Volk Han and Andrei Kopylov. His debut in MMA was in May 2000 with four straight victories. According to analysts and fans, Emelianenko, nicknamed The Last Emperor, is a major piece of MMA’s history as he is one of those men who paved the discipline’s way and helped to take the ragtag cage fighting to become an actual sport, admired by millions.

But what makes him so unique? Firstly, Emelianenko is the longest-reigning heavyweight lineal champion as after a debated loss in December 2000, he was unbeaten until June 2010, championing a total of 28 fights. Throughout his career, he has won consecutive MMA’s Pride Fighting Championships from 2003 to 2007, and defeated notable opponents including one Pride FC champion, two Olympic medalists, one former and two future K-1 champions, and four former UFC champions, namely Andrei Arlovski, Mark Coleman, Kevin Randleman and Tim Sylvia. In addition, Emelianenko won numerous MMA accolades, including the 2008 Submission/Beatdown of the Year, the 2009 Knockout of the Year, The Heavyweight of the Year for 2003, 2004, and 2005, the 2005 Fighter of the Year, and the 2000s Fight of the Decade. Besides MMA, Emelianenko became a heavyweight champion of the FIAS World Combat Sambo Championship and a bronze medalist at the Russian Judo Federation National Championship. Fedor is considered one of the most well-rounded MMA fighters as he has developed an unrivalled combination of skill set which include powerful striking, master counter punches, and quickness. Besides, his fighting style has outstanding features such as devastating ground and pound from open guard and smart footwork. His experience in other martial arts gives him further advantage in MMA as he uses throwing techniques from judo and sambo to bring his opponent to the ground. Largely crushing adversaries since 2000, Fedor is so confident in his skills that he even allows his rivals to choose their fighting style.

Undisputedly, Emelianenko has the ability to beat strong competitors in their strongest domain as he has some impressive victories over memorable combatants of the 2000s like Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic and Minotauro Nogueira. According to many industry observers, the fight between Emelianenko and the former kickboxer Cro Cop for the Pride Heavyweight Title, held in August of 2005 in Japan was „a clash of the titans”, and is still one of the greatest mixed martial arts bout, which can be used as a tutorial for young MMA fighters. From the second round onwards, Fedor dominated the match both on the feet and on the ground and proved that he has world-class striking, which secured him the win via unanimous decision.

Even though he has never fought in the globe’s premier MMA company UFC, the fact that some people point out when arguing that his “greatest MMA fighter of all-time” title is controversial, he did not lose a single fight for an entire decade, and this achievement can’t be ignored in any league. The truth is that although Emelianenko’s legacy is a much-discussed topic, he is a one-of-a-kind legend who was the first to excel in all areas of mixed martial arts.

In June 2012, Fedor Emelianenko announced his retirement, however, in July 2015, after a three-year break from MMA, he confirmed that he would be returning to active competition. Up to date, The Last Emperor is fighting for Bellator MMA, and his last fight, which he won via first-round knockout, was held in December 2019 against Quinton “Rampage” Jackson. Emelianenko’s next match is not determined yet, and at this moment, it is difficult to say who his next opponent will be. Currently, he is in what Bellator names a “retirement tour” and in an ideal scenario, he will fight once again in the US and then will have a final fight in his homeland Russia. Old-school fans believe that he still has the needed skills to give a spectacular show and are they are eagerly waiting for his future clashes.

[shanie-the-toyaddict]

The “Three Sisters/One Posse” Trilogy

Stories based on a three part dream from earlier this month (August 2020)

NOTE: Tina and Nikki are named after two real people I knew in the PW2 Chatroom back in the 1990s. The characterizations have nothing to do with them but the three of us in an online Posse was real. (I was Billie BTW.)

In 1998, three friends meet up in a chatroom. Nikki, Tina, and Billie. They all are wild Shane Stans (although that term didn’t exist yet) and love him dearly. They form their own clique called “The Posse” after the Mean Street Posse. They spend weeks raving about Shane, discussing their lives, and generally being sisters.

One day in late 2001, Shane disappears from an arena in Phoenix. A search is launched but no trace is ever found.

These are the stories of the three “sisters” after that.

Story 1: Tina.

Tina is a 23-year-old MMA fighter in California when Shane vanishes. She throws herself into her fighting as a result and begins to gain notice as a skilled competitor.

One day, she is abducted by aliens from the future to compete as a slave in a brutal, illegal underground fighting syndicate. There are very few humans around besides her and she finds out that Humans never made it past the 22nd century. She is truly alone.

She fights her way through the syndicate, both killing and maiming fellow slaves from across the galaxy, including some humans. Along the way, her victories earn her privileges and opportunities and she is rewarded with (albeit propaganda based) knowledge of her new surroundings and era. She learns the language and history of Gorosia (the dominant civilization in that sector) and starts to find a place in her new world.

She continues to fight for three more years and eventually enters a prestigious tournament and becomes grand champion. This gains her an audience with the 2nd in command promoter of the bloodfest.

Surprise, Surprise, it’s Shane McMahon. A very surprised Shane who had arrived seven years before Tina and is now in his 40s. He’s thrilled. Tina addresses him by the title of “High-Master” but he’s having none of it. He’s so thrilled to have someone like himself in the future. Someone who knows who he was. Someone who remembers him from Earth. SOMEONE WHO KNOWS HIS NAME.

The sparks are instantaneous and confuse the fuck out of them both. But in their situation, they’ve become horrible people. Tina maims and murders people daily and Shane is the one responsible for her doing so. They’ve both sent countless people to the netherworld and, while it was as a measure of self-preservation, They hate themselves and everyone around them. Everyone except each other as, due to their odd chemistry, they feel human again when together.

Time passes. Shane takes Tina on as an official consort, providing her with a better life while not fully winning her freedom. She still is considered property but has gained a level or two in status. She no longer has to fight directly (why risk murdering your grand champion when you can use her for publicity) and is given reign over lesser slaves.

All the while, Shane and Tina are secretly plotting a revolt with the assistance of the government.

They succeed and they, along with the other slaves, are all freed.

Shane and Tina move into a house in the civilized part of the sector, becoming citizens and earning jobs. They’re well off, for their status as Temporally Displaced Persons. (Who are generally seen as Second-Class Citizens in the eyes of the locals.) They earn their spot and continue living together. All seems well.

One day, out of the blue, Shane proposes an official union. He explains that he has no idea why he is so primally drawn to Tina, but he has been since the moment they met. Tina confesses the same and they realize they may be cosmically linked and destined to be united for eternity.  

Tina questions this, as Shane was already happily married, but he points out that was in the 21st century, and this is the 26th and he’s never getting home, he doesn’t want his wife to see what he’s turned into anyway, and he’s pretty sure at this point he’s considered a widower.

Tina and Shane undergo a governmental, cosmic test to check for compatibility. They pass with 93.6%. (Failing is anything under 85%). They are then spiritually linked forever and decide that the next step is kids.

At this point, Tina suddenly remembers the friends she left behind. She has been granted one minor use of time travel and uses it to send a communicator back in time to Billie, who had been discussing suicide at the time that Tina was taken.

They head off into the horizon, hand in hand, souls combined, and live happily ever after.

THE END OF TINA’S STORY.

Story 2 – Billie

Billie never had many friends IRL. She was disowned by her parents when she came out as bisexual and had to make her own way in life. She was diagnosed as disabled due to mental illness, which gave her some small amount of income. Between that and her government subsidies, she got by. But she was alone.

When she found her friends online, along with her love of Shane, she was rejuvenated. She finally had someone to talk to and something to talk about.

It didn’t last.

When Shane vanished, she got depressed. Tina also vanished soon after, leaving Billie suicidal. Then Nikki left the group and Billie had had enough. She tried to kill herself but failed several times.

Billie, determined to find oblivion, put her life savings in her track pants pocket, threw on her Shane O Mac jersey, and drove off for the horizon.

Somewhere along the way, as far as she knows, she died.

She’s now a ghost, invisible and doomed to wander.

One day, she wanders into a building where she finds Beetlejuice (of all people)

They can see each other. Hurrah.

She decides to help him (knowing fully who he is and what he wants) and together they go haunting.

Eventually, through some creative graffiti, she gets his name said three times. Beetlejuice promptly leaves Billie behind to go be real and tells her to go to the Netherworld.

She does. And there finds Shane McMahon and Tina.

Their souls exist there in 2002 just as they exist in the distant future upon their death. The netherworld, as it turns out, is infinitely compressed so that all times exist at once. They died in the 26th century, but they’re also there in the netherworld in the 21st.

They explain to Billie that she isn’t dead, she just has a mystical case of Cotard Syndrome. Billie’s so convinced she’s dead that she’s willed herself into oblivion and invisibility. But, with an uncertain future for Planet Earth, she needs to get back on the horse of life and go LIVE.  

Tina explains that they had sent a communicator to her house through time travel, but they never heard from her. So, they sent a “spectral agent” through time to take pictures and found out her fate. After they died, they were determined to find her in the netherworld. They did, and they convince her to live life once more.

Billie leaves the netherworld and returns to reality, now knowing she is alive again. She puts her hand in her pocket and finds the cash she’d stashed there before. She decides to take the cash and buy a room and some new clothes and head home.  

There, she finds the communicator sitting on her kitchen table waiting. She knows that, waiting on the other side, are Tina and Shane, living happily, and wanting her to be happy.

As she drifts off to sleep, alive and in her own bed, she thinks about how excited she is for tomorrow.

THE END OF BILLIE’S STORY

Story 3 – Nikki

I’m not going to lie. I don’t remember many details from this part of the dream, just bits and pieces. That’s why it’s the unwritten part and will likely remain unwritten.  

I remember that Nikki had some sort of family issues and was also the youngest of the three, being only 17 when Shane vanished.  

She left the internet after her parents put a password on the computer because they felt she was spending too much time on there.  

She ends up in a deep depression with none of her family supporting her and the posse not there to support her either.  

She’s usually bullied at school, and while she does have a few friends, she’s afraid to spend time with them in fear of upsetting her parents.  

She eventually finds a communicator, much like the one Billie was granted. However, when she activates hers, it’s text only, without sound. (Tina had it configured that way). It had also been programmed with an Isomorphic Cloaking mechanism that meant that only Nikki could see or interact with it. (instructions on how to set it up were included. Nikki was always quite good with technology for her age and quickly learns the 26th century technology).

There’s no real resolution to the conflict this one. Nikki never reconciles with her family. Instead, she works her ass off at school and gets a full ride to University of Texas. She moves away from home and with the confidence instilled in her by Tina and Shane (and Billie who joins in on the calls sometimes) she becomes her own woman and strikes out for the future – whatever it might bring.

THE END OF NIKKI’S STORY

I have written the first two parts of this but have no intent to publish. Just know that these three dreams all happened in one night. Although, in the actual dream, Nikki was part 1, Tina was 2, and Billie was 3. And Billie’s dream was a musical with, at the end, all three girls coming together to sing a closing number.

[truesportsfan]

UFC fighters rage over low pay while investors reap big dividends

Former fighters at the Ultimate Fighting Championship are fuming over multimillion-dollar payments recently handed out to the league’s rich and famous investors.

A main target of their ire is UFC’s president, Dana White, a hulking, 50-year-old former boxer whose generous tipping habits have reportedly “changed people’s lives.”

As The Post reported earlier this month, roughly $300 million — the lion’s share of UFC’s $350 million cash reserve — is going to one-time dividend payments to the company’s star-studded list of investors, which includes actor and producer Mark Wahlberg, actress Charlize Theron and model Gisele Bündchen.

White, who has been running UFC since 2001, is on track to receive more than $3 million from the windfall, sources told The Post.

That’s sticking in the craw of former UFC fighters suing the company, who note White’s reputation for lavish spending. According to a 2012 report by the Las Vegas Review-Journal, White tipped dealers more than $100,000 during a two-month hot streak at Vegas’ Palms Casino Resort.

“I heard about Dana tipping a waitress $10,000 and that was my wage as a fighter,” said former UFC fighter Kyle Kingsbury. “I lived in my mom’s garage and I had two jobs when I was fighting in the UFC. I was a personal trainer and a bouncer [and] bartender in a strip club.”

Kingsbury is one of three former fighters currently seeking class-action status for a lawsuit that accuses the cage-fighting empire of engaging in anticompetitive practices to drive down their pay, including forcing fighters into long-term, exclusive contracts.

Ruling on the way

The question of whether fighters’ pay is being unfairly capped currently rests with Las Vegas federal judge Richard Boulware, who is expected to soon decide whether to grant them class certification. If the judge rules in their favor, some 1,200 current and former UFC fighters could join the suit, lawyers said. If the judge rules against the fighters, it will likely kill the suit.

UFC has argued in court papers that the ex-fighters’ anti-competitive claims are bogus — and that even if they were valid it would be an issue for the Federal Trade Commission, not a jury. UFC has also argued that there are five competing mixed martial arts leagues.

“UFC pays its fighters more than any other MMA promoter,” a UFC spokesperson told The Post. “We are proud of the company we’ve built and we are confident in our legal position.”

Fighters complain that UFC restricts their ability to make money in other ways, including by keeping the lion’s share of the pay-per-view revenues — unlike boxing, which often promises the vast majority of pay-TV revenues to the purse, or prize money given to the fighters.

By contrast, the fighters call the UFC’s payments “flat money,” because there’s no upside for them, even if their fights help make UFC rich.

After losing a bout to Conor “Irishman” McGregor in less than a minute in January, Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone revealed that he didn’t get a dime more than the $200,000 he was promised in his contract.

“Hahahahah 7-10 million,” Cerrone responded to a follower on Instagram. “I didn’t get PPV money. What the world thinks and what really happens is so different. I made flat money.”

The UFC spokesperson denied that Cerrone received only $200,000 to fight McGregor, who made at least $3 million from the fight, but declined to provide specifics.

UFC President Dana WhiteZuffa LLC via Getty Images

The UFC also put The Post in touch with Cerrone’s manager, Josh Jones, vice president of sports marketing and entertainment firm KHI Management, who said Cerrone “got compensated tremendously. Multiple times more than $200,000, a lot more than $200,000.”

The manager said the 6-foot fighter was “paid in many different ways,” including through UFC’s sponsor Reebok, but offered no details.

More rounds

But fighters say compensation from corporate sponsorships has been severely crimped since UFC cut a six-year sponsorship deal beginning in 2015 with Reebok for $70 million. The deal meant fighters could no longer advertise their own sponsors in the octagon — a practice that had previously been helping to pay the bills.

In exchange for wearing Reebok gear, fighters under the new deal are paid on a tiered system starting at $2,500, according to ESPN. Champions receive $40,000, the report said.

Fighters also claim they have been told to play along with the UFC’s rules or be blacklisted. Ex-UFC fighter Cung Le says he was paid $5,000 for every episode in which he was the coach in the TV show “The Ultimate Fighter: China.”

And when he asked for more, White told him he had to accept it or would “be sitting on the bench,” Le said.

At one point between shows, Le’s wife needed surgery and he asked to “spend a few days with her” before being shipped off to China for the next round of taping, he said.

The UFC denied his request, saying they had to start taping immediately, Le said.

“I had to leave right after her surgery though she spent a week in the hospital and there was no one to watch the kids,” Le said.

“I went to China as asked and the show didn’t even get shot for a week,” he added.

Ari Emanuel and Patrick Whitesell — the CEO and executive chairman, respectively, of Endeavor, the Hollywood entertainment conglomerate that owns half of UFC — are also getting more than $3 million each from the $300 million dividend.

Endeavor, which sources say is in need of cash following a flopped 2019 initial public offering, will be getting a UFC-fueled cash infusion of roughly $150 million. Endeavor officials have denied that the UFC dividend has anything to do with the failed IPO.

Meanwhile, the money that fighters receive to step into the ring is often eaten away by expenses, as ex-fighter Nate Quarry explained, using as an example his 2005 fight for the UFC middleweight championship at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.

“I’m the main event,” Quarry said. “I’m doing all sorts of promotion.

“My show money was $10,000 with a $14,000 bonus for winning,” he said of the event, which had total gate revenue of $2 million, according to the Nevada State Athletic Commission.

Rich Franklin knocked him out in one round. After expenses, including a trainer, he was left with $5,000.

“I would have made more money had I stayed in construction,” Quarry said.

After the championship bout, Quarry was diagnosed with a degenerative disc disease from fighting. White urged him to get the surgery done in Vegas, where the doctors are top-notch. Quarry told White he had no money, and White said the UFC would pay.

“That was a life-changer. I will eternally be grateful to Dana White for that,” Quarry said. “But if I was paid more as a fighter, I wouldn’t have to ask for help.”

In addition to blasting White, Kingsbury said he’s also disappointed that none of UFC’s celebrity investors has spoken out for the fighters given that they, as actors, benefit from unionization.

“That’s the hypocrisy of the whole thing. They play blind, deaf and dumb,” he said, referring to the actors. “Their silence is deafening.”

source https://truesportsfan.com/sport-today/ufc-fighters-rage-over-low-pay-while-investors-reap-big-dividends/

[actutrends]

With 2 years in the books, the PFL stays focused on innovation in MMA

The PFL is still the newest kid on the block when it comes to major MMA promotions. However, their determination to innovate has helped them stand out.

The year is 2016. To close out the calendar, the World Series of Fighting (WSOF) held its 34th event which took place on New Year’s Eve in New York City. Featured on the incredibly stacked lineup of fighters set to compete were five different champions. Well, technically four as one of those champions was the owner of two divisional titles.

Little did we know at the time, this event would mark the last time all of these fighters competed for the – seemingly – expanding promotion.

Of the names on the WSOF 34 bill included past and future UFC as well as Bellator contenders, Marlon Moraes, Justin Gaethje, David Branch, and Jon Fitch. If any of the four had their legitimacy questioned in the WSOF, it’s a safe take to say that they reaffirmed it in the time that has since followed this event. This also goes for the heavyweight champion that headlined WSOF 35, Blagoy Ivanov.

So what exactly happened to the promising home to many of today’s best? In 2017, it would fizzle out and become a thing of the past … to an extent.

A group of investors known as MMAX Investment Partners came along and acquired a controlling stake in the WSOF. In April of that year, an overhaul would be put in motion as the four-letter abbreviation we had grown accustomed to over the past six years was now transformed and evolved into the Professional Fighters League (PFL).

“The opportunity to build a brand and build a league in the fastest growing sport in the world,” PFL CEO Peter Murray responded to FanSided when asked what led him to MMA. “To do it from the ground up with a distinction and with an incredible ownership group and top management team. Really the opportunity to be a leader in the next evolution and the growth of the sport and to propel it forward was incredibly appealing as an entrepreneur.”

Like in the actual form of fighting itself, adaptations are required in the business world as well. Comparatively, the sport of Mixed Martial Arts is still by and far the baby of the group when it comes to major leagues and things alike.

From the National Football League (NFL) to Under Armour to currently the PFL, CEO Peter Murray has spent his career around sports and is always looking to pave a new avenue. Thus resulting in the endeavor it was to enter this still historically new world of MMA.

Upon the WSOF’s rebirth that became the PFL, it instantly became something new – but not just because it was literally a new brand. The way sanctioned violence was established in their league had been unlike anything ever seen before. In a way, they created the most sport-like feel MMA had ever had before.

To compare once again to the other major sports and leagues around the world, whether it be from Major League Baseball to the National Basketball Association, these team activities all have one thing in common. And that’s seasonal formats and certain variations of tournaments.

“What we launched and what we’re building is not a Me-Too Product,” Murray explained. “It’s differentiated from the other guys. In fact, it’s complimentary. It appeals to the avid MMA fan base who are looking for expanded live products to engage in and quality fights that are accessible. So we have the opportunity to engage that large and growing fan base around the world, those avid MMA fans. And we also have the opportunity as well as appeal to non-avid fans. Those stick and ball fans who are now coming over to the fight game and our platform at the PFL with our format with the regular season, playoff, and a championship. Beginning, middle, and end.

“Fighters earn their way. It’s all based on merit. And in the postseason fans are assured the best are competing against the best, fighting against the best and it culminates with the year-end championships, where each fighter earns a million bucks and the belt. All the storylines are there and for those non-avid fans to jump in, it’s easy to follow. They relate to a season format. And it really is built to create stars. And you look at someone like Kayla Harrison, two-time Olympic gold medalist in Judo, Kayla went pro with us. She’s undefeated in MMA and she’s now a star, not only for the PFL, but in the sport and recognized as such, and she’ll be competing for a title on New Year’s Eve.”

In the PFL, over the course of the year, each weight division will have its own tournament that results in the winner being awarded a million dollars and the title of champion. Whoever has the most points after each event advances onward. The point system works in the way that if a fighter earns a victory in a fight, they get three points. Bonus points are given in the case of finishes which go three points for a first-round finish, two points for a second-round finish, and a single point for a third-round finish.

The loser, of course, receives no points at all. But in the case of draws, each fighter gets a point.

In regards to the playoff portion, fighters will have to fight two times in one night to end up being crowned champions. The first fight, the quarterfinal, is only two rounds with the semifinal being three. The reason for this being that under the unified rules of MMA, professional fighters are not allowed to compete for more than 25 minutes in one night.

With the second season coming to a close at the end of this month, something as unique as a literal seasonal format in MMA has still taken getting used to for many. Regardless, Murray preaches that it’s the cornerstone of his promotion and believes it will only push competitors like the UFC and Bellator to step up their games.

“Hey, that’s what a challenger brand does. We’ll grow the sport, we’ll make the sport better. And we’ll push our competitors for sure,” Murray said.

“I think first and foremost, last year the biggest hurdle was simply validating the format. That’s what we accomplished in 2018 and that was our focus. And the endemic MMA community… like many fans in different sports, there’s a lot of pessimists. ‘This type of format won’t work, it doesn’t work, will not work in the fight game.’ We heard that. But we were really committed to launching this.

“We have a vision and committed to this product and the differentiation and we launched it and to some people’s surprise, but not to ours,” he continued, “The sentiment was extremely positive right upon launch, just after two events last year, that the PFL was great for the sport, great for fighters and great for fans. So we knew we had something once we got through the first two events.”

Aside from the actual concept that the PFL is with its unique format, it also tackles the problematic issue that has been fighter pay in the sport. With each winner of the season being awarded a million dollars, it definitely provides some extra incentive where it may not be so easily accessible elsewhere.

In the UFC in 2019, as of Nov. 6 according to The Sports Daily, only six fighters have accrued over a million dollars. This being by taking multiple fights for five of those six. The lone fighter that managed more than that was the current lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov. Jon Jones and Israel Adesanya are the only two other champions of the group. For the latter in “The Last Stylebender,” he didn’t acquire his middleweight title until October.

Over the past two years that the PFL has been around, only seven UFC fighters have achieved over $2 million. Six fighters will receive a million dollars each at this year’s PFL playoff finale on Dec. 31 with the possibility of two of the fighters in Lance Palmer and Natan Schulte having the chance to win it back to back.

Having had experience in other sports like American football with the NFL, Murray has been around sports that have unions involved. Something that MMA lacks and arguably needs. Believing that it’s indeed a talking point, the PFL head doesn’t foresee it happening soon.

Looking at the specifics of compensation, and in regards to the UFC’s highest-paid athlete at the moment in Nurmagomedov, he happens to be managed by Dominance MMA management owner Ali Abdelaziz.

Recently, Abdelaziz was banned from PFL events following a battery case involving him and a fellow MMA manager Abe Kawa. Although non-related, this came days after Abdelaziz fell under critique for having a percentage of the PFL roster revealed as under his management. With numbers as high as 30 percent involved in the tournaments, it was argued as a conflict of interest by the community.

“Regarding Ali, if you look at the stats, how many fighters that he actually has under his company, Dominance, with UFC and Bellator and elsewhere, it is a significant number across the sport,” Murray expressed. “Ali is one of the leading and top managers in the sport overall. We have a number of fighters with Ali. But what I can tell you is, and we value our relationship, you will see us continue to work with Dominance. But we’re also going to expand the number of management companies that we are dealing with today. That’s a function of how we’re in the next phase of growth. And in a position because of what we’ve accomplished, and the interest now among the top stakeholders in the sport, managers and fighters, who are now seeing what makes the PFL so special, and now it is deemed as an absolute alternative option for any top-ranked athlete to either launch their career or continue their career when they’re on their way to the peak or at the top.

“So, as a result of what we’ve achieved in the last two seasons, we’re now in all the top conversations with athletes vying to get in. And so we’ll be dealing with an expanded group of managers that we haven’t done business with before.”

Similarly to the adaptation element of things, expansion is also expected the longer that a business sticks around. So in MMA business, for a promotion, one of those elements would be larger rosters.

Innovation has been key for the PFL since its inception and it doesn’t take this article for someone to see that. And perhaps an unrecognized forcing of the competition to better themselves has already been done and is being done.

In mid to late 2018 but more prominently in 2019, Bellator MMA and Japanese powerhouse RIZIN FF really started beginning their partnership to cross-promote with their fights and fighters. This all culminates in its biggest display yet at the end of the year.

While the PFL does, in fact, have plans in 2020 for events to be held outside their home of the US, they aren’t focused on anyone but themselves. So no cross-promotion… for now. But do they really need it at the moment? Murray believes this is only the beginning when it comes to how they can keep setting themselves apart from the rest.

“We’re the first to innovate the cage,” he stated, “The PFL, our cage is trademarked the ‘smart cage.’ We’re the only organization measuring strike speed and tracking fighter location during live fights and integrating the data, the analytics, into the actual live broadcast. It provides context of the competition. It provides an immersive experience and also provides additional data to activate the ideas in the gaming as well as betting space. New prop bets and things of that nature. So innovation is something we are. It’s part of who we are. It’s how we’ll grow the sport and grow the PFL.

“I really started my career at the NFL and NFL films, working with Emmy Award-winning producers and creating stories about those athletes, teams, and the league and PFL is no different.

“In order for us to grow the sport and have the sport appeal to not only avid MMA fans and to open that up, to broader sports fans, but you’ve also got to tell the story of the athlete,” Murray detailed, “The emotional journey, storytelling about an athlete, who they are, where they come from, why they got into the sport, how they got into the sport, what they fight for. Then that physical journey, all the training, the preparation, and everything that goes into preparing for everything that goes into trying to get into a league such as ours at this level, everything that goes into telling stories around the preparation for the regular season, and getting through the regular season. And then for those who are fortunate enough to get into the playoffs, and then they have to get through fighting twice in one night and win to get into a championship and they fight for a million dollars. So we tell those stories. We tell the story of the athlete. That comes through in our broadcast. It comes through in our shoulder programming on ESPN and across digital and social channels. We have a whole division – PFL original productions dedicated to telling the story of our athletes.”

Being partnered with ESPN so early on into their existence is definitely big in regards to the continued potential upside. And the PFL is clearly putting in the effort to make an impact on the MMA landscape.

From the unique format to aiding the fighters financially while honing in on telling their stories, written into the MMA history books the PFL will have a pretty interesting story of its own.

“It’s life. I mean, you really have to create an emotional connection with fans. And you can’t be just transactional and stage and fight and operate as a puppeteer,” Murray conveyed. “You got to make people care and give them that access and opportunity.”

The post With 2 years in the books, the PFL stays focused on innovation in MMA appeared first on Actu Trends.

[djregular]

As Hardy implied, that really has been UFC’s “style” when dealing with a fighter that wants to get free from their contract, especially in years past. The UFC anti-trust lawsuit previously revealed former matchmaker Joe Silva’s harsh negotiation tactics used to keep leverage and extend contracts.

“I lowballed them on purpose the first offer knowing they would turn it down,” Silva’s emails showed about previous negotiations with Nate’s brother Nick Diaz. “How bout I come back with 29+29, 32+32, 35+35, 38+38. If they turn it down I put him in a prelim against a really tough guy for his last fight.”

Documents also showed Silva himself saying that turning down those intentional bad offers “allows us to extend his contract.”

MMA fighters will never unionize for a number of reasons, but they desperately need a union because of things like this.

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Tactical Guide to Paul Felder vs. Al Iaquinta

UFC 223 is the best card the Ultimate Fighting Championship has put together in a long time. Part of that has to do with the fact that it isn’t completely reliant on the main event—which is probably a good idea as we are now on the fourth booking of Tony Ferguson vs. Khabib Nurmagomedov. One of the brilliant bouts on this card which is more than worth its portion of the asking price is the mouth-wateringly unpredictable matchup between next-great-lightweight, Paul Felder and the previous next-great-lightweight, Al Iaquinta.

Narratives make fights and sometimes they are hard to come by, but the contrasts between Iaquinta and Felder couldn’t be any more obvious and out front. Ragin’ Al routinely lives up to his moniker by proving hot-headed in the cage, on the mic, after the fights, and most importantly in his negotiations with the UFC. Iaquinta’s public spats with his employer have eaten up the majority of the last few years. He was recently named interim secretary and treasurer of yet another attempt to unionize MMA fighters though given his temperament it is a title which you would hope is ceremonial. In the meantime his trips to the cage have been infrequent and most recently—in the case of knocking out a thoroughly washed up Diego Sanchez—largely pointless. In fact one of the problems of Iaquinta’s lengthy absence is that the big names on his record (Ross Pearson, Joe Lauzon) are no longer big names starting to wind down, but are now well into the twilight of their careers.

A wicked knockout against Diego Sanchez, but not a fight that needed to happen nor one that anyone was clamoring for.

Paul Felder is the perfect company man: a less shopworn version of his friend and the UFC’s golden boy, Donald Cerrone. Dana White’s claim that the best fighters in the world fight three times a year in the UFC has always been a shaky one, yet Paul Felder has competed three times a year like clockwork since his arrival in 2015. When the troublesome Francisco Trinaldo was putting together the best streak in the lightweight division, while also being forty years old, speaking no English and having zero marketability whatsoever, it was Felder who was tasked with getting rid of him. Now Felder works as a commentator for the UFC in between his regular in-ring appearances and does a very solid job.

Felder’s recent run of wins highlight what he does best. Often billed as a striker, Felder’s feet can be sluggish but where he really excels is as a hitter. If he can get his man standing still (or lying prone) he can unleash some ferocious elbows and kicks. In fact his last three victories have come by way of his elbows. Against Stevie Ray, a grueling clinch fight allowed Felder to score a knee and finish with elbows on the mat. Against Charles Oliveira, Felder spent the entire first round fighting off a D’arce attempt and a standing rear naked choke. The moment he got free he dove right back into Oliveira’s guard to push the pace on him. In the second round, Felder reversed a clinch and put Oliveira on the fence. Both on the mat and on the feet, Felder’s head was constantly being posted underneath his opponent’s, giving him superior striking position by driving the opponent upright or back into the fence.

When he jostled for head position with Oliveira, Felder felt the chance to have a swing and pulled back to crack Oliveira with a sinister elbow which saw the Brazilian sag to the mat. More elbows from guard soon finished proceedings.

On the outside, Felder’s boxing is pretty bare bones—working high lows with one-twos and pounding in the odd low kick. Felder’s fight with Daron Cruickshank demonstrated that he likes working in tit-for-tat exchanges and can get caught clean in longer exchanges when he thinks that it is his turn to move. Cruickshank had great success sneaking out the side door after a one-two and side kicking Felder in the body or even face when Felder turned to follow. The classic Wonderboy side kick set up.

Cruickshank also demonstrated Felder’s defensive shortcomings in longer exchanges: drag Felder past the one-two and he’s open for plenty of strikes in mid range. Cruickshank snuck in backhands after missed blows and broke Felder’s rhythm.

If you exclude falling victim to an incredible wall walking D’arce choke from the bottom by Mitch Clarke, Al Iaquinta’s most troublesome fight in recent years was against Jorge Masvidal. It was a typical Masvidal fight in that Masvidal looked hard to hit, made Iaquinta miss a lot, and then failed to push his advantage, losing on the scorecards. The truth of Iaquinta’s striking is that he’s right hand happy and when Masvidal controlled distance and swayed away each time Iaquinta stepped in, the right hand just couldn’t find the mark and Iaquinta had little else to make Masvidal worry. Though his jab looked much sharper in the Lauzon fight, Iaquinta would still fixate on the right, throwing five or six strikes in combination and only landing the right hand. As Jim Miller found, Joe Lauzon will often get his head down and cover rather than leave striking range when under fire. This meant that Iaquinta could work in longer and longer flurries against him until the right hand finally snuck through and landed flush.

Hypothetical Gameplans

It would be good to see Paul Felder lean on his heavy kicks and knees more in this bout. Iaquinta is pretty hittable in exchanges, but his footwork is generally light and economical. Iaquinta’s stance is considerably more bladed than Felder’s and presents his lead leg as a lovely target. Jorge Masvidal had decent success pursuing it in their fight. Another Iaquinta habit is that his elbows tend to float away from his body. Masvidal slotted in both switch kicks and stepping kicks on the open side and later used the same kick to set up an effective flurry with his hands.

Felder’s first fight in the UFC was marked by brilliant use of a switch left knee to intercept the charges of Danny Castillo. With Iaquinta constantly looking to step in for the overhand, Felder might do well to hang back on the outside and allow Iaquinta to come to him, intercepting him with knees and kicks to the midsection when possible.

It would be good to see Felder try to cut the cage and put Iaquinta against the fence. Iaquinta is a good wrestler but he hasn’t looked anything close to unstoppable on his shots in MMA. He is more likely to do crafty things like pick up a single leg and drop it to throw his right hand, or attempt a kani-basami scissor leg takedown as he did against Jorge Masvidal and Kevin Lee.

For Al Iaquinta, using the space of the cage would seem to be a good idea. His arsenal is less varied on the feet but his movement is much more spry and savvy than Felder’s. Given Felder’s tendency to plod after his opponents, drawing Felder forward and around the cage could work a treat. It would be nice to see Iaquinta take advantage of Felder’s tit-for-tat rhythm by feinting or even throwing out a couple of half-assed punches, stepping out the side door or pulling back, and returning as Felder pursues. Cruickshank did it repeatedly with the dart and side kick, but the Petrosyan/Pep skip could work a treat for the more minimalist offense of Iaquinta.

The double jab and the feint to double jab could work wonderfully for Iaquinta here and generally Ray Longo calls for a lot of feints from his fighters. Alessandro Ricci fell into a predictable rhythm in his fight with Felder and ate a gorgeous counter elbow. But this elbow, and Felder’s favorite counter knees, both require Felder to get his man’s timing. He also drops his hands when he attempts his knees; a feint and a double jab into right hand could catch Felder on the end of Iaquinta’s right hand and on one leg—that could be disastrous.

Drawing Felder’s low kicks would be another way to get him out of position and plow in with that double jab to right hand. Tiffany van Soest is a great example of this in the kickboxing ring, she will bounce around outside of range, very deliberately step in to present her lead leg, and almost immediately retract it. If the opponent doesn’t kick, nothing is lost. If the opponent does kick she is ready to step back in as their leg swings by.

Iaquinta showed some awareness of this against Masvidal, letting Masvidal fall short on a couple of low kicks after feinting, but failed to capitalize on it with anything meaningful. And of course the old fashioned method of brute-forcing it will always be a reasonable response to a good low kick. Fedor Emelianenko and Igor Vovchanchyn scored a dozen knockdowns between them by stepping into the kick, pointing the knee out and allowing the foot to ride up the front of their quad. At the same time, they were throwing the right hand.

A tactic that might come in handy for Iaquinta is to lead with kicks and step in off them. Both Iaquinta and his teammate Chris Weidman have done this well before—they aren’t big kickers or known for their kicking games but they kick decently enough and can travel in quickly off them, not caring so much about religiously retreating to their guard. Alessandro Ricci had great success putting up kicks and then darting in to hit Felder with his hands after Felder had braced for the impact. Here Ricci both returns to stance and immediately bounds in, and hits that Machida special—using the kick itself to step in.

The reason this fight sticks out as such an enchanting prospect even amid the star-studded UFC 223 is that Al Iaquinta is an unknown. He got off to a promising start, beating Kevin Lee who is now a top ten lightweight, but after that it was as though the UFC wanted to push Iaquinta—giving him some old timers with name value to knock out—and he still bit the hand that fed him. So we don’t know what Iaquinta can do against top names, while Paul Felder seems to have found himself, competing against dangerous names in eight fights since the last time Iaquinta stepped in the cage with a real opponent. If Iaquinta can pull off the win he is right back in the top of the division. If Felder can stop Iaquinta, any leverage Ragin’ Al had during his continuous contract disagreements is suddenly undone.

Jack wrote the hit biography Notorious: The Life and Fights of Conor McGregor and podcasts at The Fight Primer.

Tactical Guide to Paul Felder vs. Al Iaquinta syndicated from https://australiahoverboards.wordpress.com

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Tactical Guide to Paul Felder vs. Al Iaquinta

UFC 223 is the best card the Ultimate Fighting Championship has put together in a long time. Part of that has to do with the fact that it isn’t completely reliant on the main event—which is probably a good idea as we are now on the fourth booking of Tony Ferguson vs. Khabib Nurmagomedov. One of the brilliant bouts on this card which is more than worth its portion of the asking price is the mouth-wateringly unpredictable matchup between next-great-lightweight, Paul Felder and the previous next-great-lightweight, Al Iaquinta.

Narratives make fights and sometimes they are hard to come by, but the contrasts between Iaquinta and Felder couldn’t be any more obvious and out front. Ragin’ Al routinely lives up to his moniker by proving hot-headed in the cage, on the mic, after the fights, and most importantly in his negotiations with the UFC. Iaquinta’s public spats with his employer have eaten up the majority of the last few years. He was recently named interim secretary and treasurer of yet another attempt to unionize MMA fighters though given his temperament it is a title which you would hope is ceremonial. In the meantime his trips to the cage have been infrequent and most recently—in the case of knocking out a thoroughly washed up Diego Sanchez—largely pointless. In fact one of the problems of Iaquinta’s lengthy absence is that the big names on his record (Ross Pearson, Joe Lauzon) are no longer big names starting to wind down, but are now well into the twilight of their careers.

A wicked knockout against Diego Sanchez, but not a fight that needed to happen nor one that anyone was clamoring for.

Paul Felder is the perfect company man: a less shopworn version of his friend and the UFC’s golden boy, Donald Cerrone. Dana White’s claim that the best fighters in the world fight three times a year in the UFC has always been a shaky one, yet Paul Felder has competed three times a year like clockwork since his arrival in 2015. When the troublesome Francisco Trinaldo was putting together the best streak in the lightweight division, while also being forty years old, speaking no English and having zero marketability whatsoever, it was Felder who was tasked with getting rid of him. Now Felder works as a commentator for the UFC in between his regular in-ring appearances and does a very solid job.

Felder’s recent run of wins highlight what he does best. Often billed as a striker, Felder’s feet can be sluggish but where he really excels is as a hitter. If he can get his man standing still (or lying prone) he can unleash some ferocious elbows and kicks. In fact his last three victories have come by way of his elbows. Against Stevie Ray, a grueling clinch fight allowed Felder to score a knee and finish with elbows on the mat. Against Charles Oliveira, Felder spent the entire first round fighting off a D’arce attempt and a standing rear naked choke. The moment he got free he dove right back into Oliveira’s guard to push the pace on him. In the second round, Felder reversed a clinch and put Oliveira on the fence. Both on the mat and on the feet, Felder’s head was constantly being posted underneath his opponent’s, giving him superior striking position by driving the opponent upright or back into the fence.

When he jostled for head position with Oliveira, Felder felt the chance to have a swing and pulled back to crack Oliveira with a sinister elbow which saw the Brazilian sag to the mat. More elbows from guard soon finished proceedings.

On the outside, Felder’s boxing is pretty bare bones—working high lows with one-twos and pounding in the odd low kick. Felder’s fight with Daron Cruickshank demonstrated that he likes working in tit-for-tat exchanges and can get caught clean in longer exchanges when he thinks that it is his turn to move. Cruickshank had great success sneaking out the side door after a one-two and side kicking Felder in the body or even face when Felder turned to follow. The classic Wonderboy side kick set up.

Cruickshank also demonstrated Felder’s defensive shortcomings in longer exchanges: drag Felder past the one-two and he’s open for plenty of strikes in mid range. Cruickshank snuck in backhands after missed blows and broke Felder’s rhythm.

If you exclude falling victim to an incredible wall walking D’arce choke from the bottom by Mitch Clarke, Al Iaquinta’s most troublesome fight in recent years was against Jorge Masvidal. It was a typical Masvidal fight in that Masvidal looked hard to hit, made Iaquinta miss a lot, and then failed to push his advantage, losing on the scorecards. The truth of Iaquinta’s striking is that he’s right hand happy and when Masvidal controlled distance and swayed away each time Iaquinta stepped in, the right hand just couldn’t find the mark and Iaquinta had little else to make Masvidal worry. Though his jab looked much sharper in the Lauzon fight, Iaquinta would still fixate on the right, throwing five or six strikes in combination and only landing the right hand. As Jim Miller found, Joe Lauzon will often get his head down and cover rather than leave striking range when under fire. This meant that Iaquinta could work in longer and longer flurries against him until the right hand finally snuck through and landed flush.

Hypothetical Gameplans

It would be good to see Paul Felder lean on his heavy kicks and knees more in this bout. Iaquinta is pretty hittable in exchanges, but his footwork is generally light and economical. Iaquinta’s stance is considerably more bladed than Felder’s and presents his lead leg as a lovely target. Jorge Masvidal had decent success pursuing it in their fight. Another Iaquinta habit is that his elbows tend to float away from his body. Masvidal slotted in both switch kicks and stepping kicks on the open side and later used the same kick to set up an effective flurry with his hands.

Felder’s first fight in the UFC was marked by brilliant use of a switch left knee to intercept the charges of Danny Castillo. With Iaquinta constantly looking to step in for the overhand, Felder might do well to hang back on the outside and allow Iaquinta to come to him, intercepting him with knees and kicks to the midsection when possible.

It would be good to see Felder try to cut the cage and put Iaquinta against the fence. Iaquinta is a good wrestler but he hasn’t looked anything close to unstoppable on his shots in MMA. He is more likely to do crafty things like pick up a single leg and drop it to throw his right hand, or attempt a kani-basami scissor leg takedown as he did against Jorge Masvidal and Kevin Lee.

For Al Iaquinta, using the space of the cage would seem to be a good idea. His arsenal is less varied on the feet but his movement is much more spry and savvy than Felder’s. Given Felder’s tendency to plod after his opponents, drawing Felder forward and around the cage could work a treat. It would be nice to see Iaquinta take advantage of Felder’s tit-for-tat rhythm by feinting or even throwing out a couple of half-assed punches, stepping out the side door or pulling back, and returning as Felder pursues. Cruickshank did it repeatedly with the dart and side kick, but the Petrosyan/Pep skip could work a treat for the more minimalist offense of Iaquinta.

The double jab and the feint to double jab could work wonderfully for Iaquinta here and generally Ray Longo calls for a lot of feints from his fighters. Alessandro Ricci fell into a predictable rhythm in his fight with Felder and ate a gorgeous counter elbow. But this elbow, and Felder’s favorite counter knees, both require Felder to get his man’s timing. He also drops his hands when he attempts his knees; a feint and a double jab into right hand could catch Felder on the end of Iaquinta’s right hand and on one leg—that could be disastrous.

Drawing Felder’s low kicks would be another way to get him out of position and plow in with that double jab to right hand. Tiffany van Soest is a great example of this in the kickboxing ring, she will bounce around outside of range, very deliberately step in to present her lead leg, and almost immediately retract it. If the opponent doesn’t kick, nothing is lost. If the opponent does kick she is ready to step back in as their leg swings by.

Iaquinta showed some awareness of this against Masvidal, letting Masvidal fall short on a couple of low kicks after feinting, but failed to capitalize on it with anything meaningful. And of course the old fashioned method of brute-forcing it will always be a reasonable response to a good low kick. Fedor Emelianenko and Igor Vovchanchyn scored a dozen knockdowns between them by stepping into the kick, pointing the knee out and allowing the foot to ride up the front of their quad. At the same time, they were throwing the right hand.

A tactic that might come in handy for Iaquinta is to lead with kicks and step in off them. Both Iaquinta and his teammate Chris Weidman have done this well before—they aren’t big kickers or known for their kicking games but they kick decently enough and can travel in quickly off them, not caring so much about religiously retreating to their guard. Alessandro Ricci had great success putting up kicks and then darting in to hit Felder with his hands after Felder had braced for the impact. Here Ricci both returns to stance and immediately bounds in, and hits that Machida special—using the kick itself to step in.

The reason this fight sticks out as such an enchanting prospect even amid the star-studded UFC 223 is that Al Iaquinta is an unknown. He got off to a promising start, beating Kevin Lee who is now a top ten lightweight, but after that it was as though the UFC wanted to push Iaquinta—giving him some old timers with name value to knock out—and he still bit the hand that fed him. So we don’t know what Iaquinta can do against top names, while Paul Felder seems to have found himself, competing against dangerous names in eight fights since the last time Iaquinta stepped in the cage with a real opponent. If Iaquinta can pull off the win he is right back in the top of the division. If Felder can stop Iaquinta, any leverage Ragin’ Al had during his continuous contract disagreements is suddenly undone.

Jack wrote the hit biography Notorious: The Life and Fights of Conor McGregor and podcasts at The Fight Primer.

Tactical Guide to Paul Felder vs. Al Iaquinta published first on https://footballhighlightseurope.tumblr.com/

[bhealthline]

Benefits Of Kickboxing Union NJ

By Christine Robinson

Most individuals aim at having very flexible bodies and fit bodies. That is why they will go to gyms and do many activities just to remain fit. Some of them are joining Kickboxing Union NJ with different intentions such as becoming famous kick-boxers, for fun and body fitness among others. The primary aim of this union, however, is to produce best fighters who will be taking part in various parts of the world. Nevertheless, there are other merits you can get; they include the following. It improves stamina and coordination. It is an activity which involves a lot of muscles of the body work out which also contributes to the burning of excess calories. There are so much body parts involvements to perform the kicks or punches. All these movements have many benefits such as increased flexibility, and steady growth. Therefore, one will have the ability to react quickly which improves coordination in a body. It reduces stress or frustrations. It has several physical advantages which include mental ones. When one is into an exercise, the body responds, and it produces endorphins into the blood which is known to be a very nice mood booster and also have abilities to remove the stresses which someone might be having. The acting of punching or kicking is the best medium of eliminating frustrations that might have been in you. Of all the above, self-confidence is gained, and it is vital for any human being. One can only realize their capabilities after they have been given instructions and put in a test. The coaches will be educating them, and by the time their classes ends, you will have known defense techniques which you can use just in case your life will be in danger; this creates confidence in the individuals who participated. A person is motivated to do further exercises. When one starts this activity, at first, they will not like it because of how it makes them feel pain all over. But the trainers will encourage them to continue with the practice and with time, they will start enjoying and having fun. The targets will also be a significant motivating factor to proceed with the training. It improves balance. One is exposed to many activities which involve things such as standing on one leg to kick somewhere several times using one foot. This will contributes much ability to become stable, and you will be able to throw even harder kicks as you continue with the activity. People do have excess energy which they are not using because it cannot be generated due to lack of enough exercise. In kickboxing, more power is required to give a proper punch and a hard kick, and thus, as you are doing it, the mind and body will respond by increasing the level of energy which you need. Therefore, energy boost is necessary for you. Lastly, one will have determinations and good posture. When working on something, with time, you will develop the decisions in life. In addition to that, if you have been working with may be computers throughout the day some parts are not involved. Thus, it will give a chance to the waist and other parts to exercise hence, giving you an excellent posture.

About the Author:

Find a summary of the reasons why you should attend kickboxing Union NJ classes and more info about an experienced MMA instructor at http://www.yetimma.com right now.

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