Posted on 02/02/2006 9:21:13 AM PST by SShultz460
Think of a boxer, dripping with sweat, working the heavy bag, jumping rope, knowing a six-mile run still awaits. Switch to an image of a wrestler, straining through the dual demons of technique and conditioning in order to survive seven of the toughest minutes in sports. Are you exhausted just by the mental images?
Well, we're not even halfway through. Mix in karate, jiu-jitsu and kickboxing. Now you're getting the complete picture of what St. Paul-born Jeff Monson must do and what Ultimate Fighting is all about.
--Snip--
"It is the most difficult sport. If you're not good at one particular aspect, you will get exploited," Monson said. "But I like competing, and I don't like to lose. It's almost indescribable. Nothing comes close." Monson will fight on the undercard in the Ultimate Fighting Championship 57 at Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas.
--Snip--
Rise in popularity Though fighters do battle in a caged octogan, Ultimate Fighting proponents say it is safer than boxing. Even so, it's been a long road to respectability since UFC 1 in 1993.
-Snip-
The main bout in UFC 57 is a rubber match between light heavyweight champion Chuck Liddell and Randy Couture. For those who don't know much about Ultimate Fighting, this is a big deal. Tickets for the 12,000-seat Mandalay Bay sold out in 24 hours, White said. An online ticket broker is selling a pair of a pair of second-row ringside tickets for $9,500. That's a few hundred dollars cheaper than a pair of lower-level tickets between the 30-yard lines at the Super Bowl.
--Snip--
Ultimate Fighting has also jumped into the mainstream on Spike TV. On Jan. 16, "Ultimate Fight Night" went head-to-head with the Heat vs. Lakers (Shaq vs. Kobe) and had better ratings for the males 18-34 demographic.
(Excerpt) Read more at startribune.com ...
I had to snippet alot of good material, Go read the full article!
Looking forward to Lidell/Couture 3 on Saturday night!
UFC Ping!
I'm waiting for the first Sumo Wrestler to enter the octagon.
It's come a long way since the days of the Gracie smother-thons.
It happend in UFC 1 when he got ended in about 30 seconds
Matt Hughes vs Royce Gracie is going to happen in March! :)
Hughes is from the Miletich camp, isn't he?
You are Correct Sir!
UFC 57 Card
http://www.ufc.com/index.cfm?fa=eventDetail.FightCard&eid=146
Current odds at the Venetian
UFC 57 current (openers)
Couture +160 (+130)
Liddell -190 (-160)
Cruz +220 (+210)
Mir -300 (-270)
Arsdale +280 (+180)
Sobral -360 (-220)
Eilers +210 (+120)
Vera -270 (-150)
Aldano +180 (+130)
Buentello -220 (-160)
Hinkle +190 (+150)
Monson -240 (-180)
Whitehead +130 (+140)
Jardine -160 (-170)
Riggs +130 (-115)
Diaz -160 (-115)
Let me rephrase that. A good Sumo wrestler. LOL
lol...
I suppose...I still watched Zulu get strait up owned by Fedor at Pride FC's NYE event last month.
I'm not a believer in the big man theory when it comes to MMA.
I'm a believer in the "best athletes" don't get involved in this sport. There are many in the world of football, wrestling, the martial arts, and other sports who would excel in this style of fighting, but who long ago chose more common and lucrative sports.
But it is gaining in popularity and $$$ so it should get even better in the future.
Ultimate Fighter Ping
I would agree with you to a certain extent. Especially when it comes to the Heavyweights (205 lb+). Almost all of them go to football.
I do think that more and more that MMA is draining away talent that is normally lost to boxing. Where does a strong wrestler that competes at 185 lbs or so go? They definatly do not go to Professional wrestling where all those guys are 240+
Look at Matt Hughes and Randy Couture. Pure Wrestlers that evolved into Hybrid MMA Athletes. I don't know where a Matt Hughes or a Randy Couture goes with in a professional sports field besides an MMA career.
Chuck Lidell goes to K-1 or another Kickboxing avenue. Or he just gives up the fight game and goes back to being an accountant.
*I'm a believer in the "best athletes" don't get involved in this sport.*
It takes a particular type of person to take a snap to the head and recover quickly, athleticism is big in UFC but so is a freakish tolerance to pain.
My UFC Ultimate Highlight
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-5283560580659792584&q
I'm making another one for Hughes/Gracie
UFC #1 Keith Hackney (185 lbs. approx.)knocked out Yarbrough (606 lbs.) Sumo wrestler. FYI
sorry just saw the post #5. LOL He yarbrough got hit with a chop to the bridge of the nose and hit the deck.
Sumo's get destroyed. Royce Gracie subbed Akebono in 2 minutes. Kenpo guy Kieth Hackney, destroyed a 600 sumo guy in one of the early UFC's is a great match to watch.
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