K-1 World GP in Hawaii!!

Aloha Fight Fans!

K-1 will be at the Blaisdell Arena in Hawaii April 28th. While it does look like it will be the first and last US Grand Prix they will be running this year (there is a possibility for a second one), They totally make up for it by debuting the new K-1 Heavyweight belt. This will be at least at taste of what FEG will bring to the table June 2nd with it's DYNAMITE show in LA. Also expect some annoucments about that in this event.

And now the card.

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PRIDE is to MC5 as UFC is to Rage.

So I'm going through all my LPs, and I pulled out Kick Out The Jams by MC5. Amid the scratches and pops of the record, my thoughts turn on a couple things. The thing that really comes up is how both original and cover versions of the song really reflect what is radiated from both Pride and UFC. The image and dramatic force radiated by both are on totally different levels.

For those not familiar with the song I'll try to be brief. KOTJ was the second song on the same titled album put out by the politically conscious group MC5 (Motor City 5) who will be later label the founders of Punk Rock. One of the big reasons the song was popular was that it started out with the line "And Now It's Time To.....KICK OUT THE JAMS MOTHERFUCKERS!!" The blatant use of "Motherfuckers" and playing a concert for anti-war protesters was very controversial at the time and it lead to the record company, Elektra, dropping the band. The album was and still is considered one of the best live albums so far.

Another reason KOTJ is so popular is that people seem to think there is a political message behind the song. They're pretty much wrong. This is a bullshit song. There is no political context whatsoever. "Kick Out The Jams" was just a musical rant about how bands waste peoples time by just jamming and not playing music and they should just "kick out the jams." On the the other hand, there is the underlying subtext of "being yourself and giving it your all". To give everything you got till you can't give no more.

PRIDE is (or was) the embodiment of that subtext. If you were going out into that ring, you pretty damn well need to be willing to leave it all in the ring because the other guy probably is. Being able to try almost everything possible to either get the win or try your damn hardest to keep the win from your opponent. In the end, whether you win, lose or draw, if you put it all out on the line and put on an enjoyable fight, you both are winners. You'll both will be coming back. You'd get deals and such galore, just because you left it all in the ring.

And that's how it should be. You're not only entertaining and impressing the fans at the event, you're showing to the judges in your match what you are capable of doing, how far you're willing to go in terms of risks taken and what your own willpower can provide in this situation. You just might also impress yourself in the match by see how quick of wits you have and what you can come up with in times of extreme stress. In the end, no matter if your arm is raised or you're on the mat, a bloody mass and out like a light, if you tried your hardest and gave it truly your all, you come out the winner just the same.

Now like all good songs, you're going to have your share of homages, covers and ripoffs. KOTJ is no different. In my listening to the various recordings of KOTJ covers, I've come to the conclusion that no one can do a standout performance of the song. Now before everyone gets their panties in the bunch, I urge you to hear me out as I explain myself.

It is a very simple and logical understanding that someone doing a cover will not be %100 percent as great as the original song. All that's asked of the person doing the cover is that they put a real great effort in either playing the song or totally putting your own spin on the material. Out of all the people who did covers for KOTJ (Rage Against The Machine, Hellacopters, Jeff Buckley, Silverchair, etc.), they do an awesome job playing the song. Awesome job. But everyone totally blows the subtext. In all of the covers, everyone plays the song like it's just another song. There is somehow this...underlining restraint that they have to play the song right. That's total nonsense. If you play the song full hilt, totally get into it, just show your balls and leaving every last bit of energy on the stage, if you fuck up a couple cords or screw up a couple lyrics, it won't matter to anyone because they see that you're totally into the whole song and are pretty much doing the same thing you're doing. Putting energy into the music. All these covers out today are the total blatant use of "motherfucker" line to an invisible band that's "just jamming" and then they totally contradict themselves by just jamming.

Such is the plight of the UFC. Sure, they have great fighters and they do put out wonderful fights. They just don't encourage something of an effort to leave everything in the ring. You have people relying too much on "getting points" on judges scorecards to win. You have people relying on one style to stop and finish opponents instead of challenging themselves and try other avenues. And the overall product turns boring, mediocre or just nothing to write about fully. Sure, you're going to get a couple of great fight out of a UFC card, but when has anyone almost literally gush over a whole UFC card? When have you heard people talk about THE UFC card?

While I do credit Dana White for working with the NJSAC about getting knees on a downed opponent, it will still be up to time and effort before we see any result of this. It should also be noted that even if certain moves are legalized or banned, it's still up to the fighter to bring his S game or not. It is becoming harder and harder to validate theses guys who fight in the UFC as legit fighters if they're not willing to leave everything and more out on that ring. The McCulley/Hardonk fight is a great example of guys going out to fight but aren't willing to go balls out. Hardonk had this match, but didn't put an effort to try to win the match.While the only thing McCulley did was push weight. As the great Ric Flair would say, there are a lot of guys busting their ass to get the opportunity McCulley was given. To let it just waste away with that performance is a slap in the face to them all.

Next month, Zuffa will have full control over Pride. The indications on how it will be run is not good, but then again, weirder things have happened. The future is uncertain.

Will they actually play music or will they just be kicking out jams.

Radio Time!

If you want my thoughts on last weekends UFC and Pride cards last weekend, Come listen to Komikazee #18

A look at Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira in UFC

As many UFC fans now know, former PRIDE heavyweight Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira was introduced as UFC's latest acquisition at UFC 69. Many MMA fans -- both hardcore and casual – have asked me about Nogueira and his potential impact on UFC. Here are some of my thoughts on the fighter known as “Minotauro”.

Most MMA fans know that Big Nog -- as Nogueira is also known -- is a world-class grappler but they tend to forget that he also has Olympic-grade hands. In fact, he had the Brazilian and Cuban Olympic boxing teams begging for him to be on their teams. In the UFC, Nogueira could end up being the catalyst forcing fighters to get serious about their boxing because once he is in that cage and the bell rings, his fists could render a number of opponents unconscious. Nogueira’s punches are crisp, his jab is strong, and anyone who tries to bang it out with him will have a difficult time winning.

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So UFC is on Sportscenter. So what?

First of all, I'd like to say great job to Zuffa for getting some semblance of MMA on ESPN. It must have been hard for them to get this far. They totally deserved props.

With that said, I think ESPN and Zuffa could have gone a lot farther with coverage, but with the Powers That Be at ESPN like they are, it's going to be a long time before we see a bit more content to future reports.

I know. I know. "Stop being a pessimist!" "You'll jinx us!" "Don't you want MMA to succeed?" The answer is Yes, I would love to see MMA succeed. But hear me out.

To me...that Sportscenter piece...was really lackluster. It did nothing to promote, it did nothing to inform and it did nothing to validate. It was nothing. In fact, I can do the whole segment in a couple sentences. Here we go:

Ultimate Fighting is the combination of all aspect of martial arts combat put together in a display of unarmed combat.

A reality star who won a chance at a title fight with the UFC Welterweight Champion surprised everyone by winning said championship.

That was the whole gist of the segment. Pitiful ain't it?

First off, they didn't promote Matt Serra as a "veteran fighter". They promoted him as a "reality star". While he did win his chance at the title on The Ultimate Fighter reality show, they made it sound like he was this chump off the street. Like anyone can get a title shot. I hope they do a little more research next time.

Another thing that irked me was that they only shown the title fight, like it was the only fight that mattered. That was very "Boxing" of them to do so. This was an awesome card that did needed some highlighting. If I was given say, thirty secs. to a minute for a package, I would not only put in the title fight, but some highlights of the Cummo/Haynes KO, Garcia/Huerta and also Swick/Okami. They I'd follow it up with some post fight quips. Not only am I showing every aspect of MMA, I'm also getting people to know the fighters as well. One of Boxing's hurting points is that you don't know much about the fighters. This is due to, yes, media outlets just showing title fights. More coverage means more knowledgeable people and also means more profit for everyone. It also dispels the "unpopular" myth. You give it time and effort, sports won't be "not popular enough". They'll be just "sports".

While it was a valiant first effort, I won't be convinced that ESPN is committed to "ultimate fighting" until we see it covered consistently. UFC 70 will be the tipping point as to whether or not ESPN will cover it as "sport" or cover it as "Boxing". If it is covered as "Sport" then all as well. If it's covered as "Boxing", then Zuffa really needs to sit them down and talk to them about the sport. And I mean heart to heart.

But for now, The segment was hype. No substance.

K-1 HEROS at Nagoya Analysis!

A spin-off promotion of K-1, the HEROS promotion started off the New Year with some controversy. The league temporarily lost one of its great fighters to Olympic dreams while another fighter retired. What made matters worse was that one of their new middleweights was caught cheating. At K-1 Dynamite, Yoshihiro Akiyama was caught using Oil of Olay to grease his legs, making him slippery to the advances of Kazushi Sakuraba. Though Akiyama initially won the contest, the result was changed to a "No Contest" and Akiyama was suspended for six months.

Despite all these early issues, the promotion hoped that HEROS 8 would put it back on the right track.

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