martial-arts
-
“Victor Belfort” Live on Pay-Per-View television on February 7, 1997, you could see a hulking Brazilian fighter crash through your screen and step into the UFC cage. Referred to as “Victor Belfort” multiple times on the UFC broadcast and previously known as “Vitor Gracie” because of his association with the Gracie family, the man named…
-
That’s Judo! If you go back and watch Karo Parisyan’s fights, this is a word you will hear about 7 times per round. When he hit the scene in the early 2000s, Judo was not well-represented on the North American MMA scene. In terms of cage fighting, US fans dismissed this art as limited and…
-
As a Martial Artist or Fighter, how do you test the effectiveness of the techniques you learn in training? Damage. At least, that’s according to one of the greatest Martial Artists to ever live, Joe Lewis. One night in January of 1970, Joe Lewis’s telephone rang. Hollywood stuntman and student of Lewis, Lee Faulkner was…
-
Japan has a decorated history when it comes to professional combat. As professional wrestling in Japan slowly transformed into full-on fighting in the late 80s and early 90s, an abundance of Japanese fighters made their way into the fold, from all different backgrounds and Martial Arts. Some of them had short careers spanning 15 or…
-
The sport of MMA as we know it was born in 1993, which was only 31 measly years ago. Since it’s so young, there is a short history. This makes it easier to look back, especially with the number of organizations we have seen in a brief period of time. With that being said, the…
-
The Torchbearer In 1979, a Brazilian martial artist traveled along the coastline of Brazil and beyond, on a quest to spread the art of Muay Thai. That man was Taekwondo black belt and Muay Thai ambassador Flavio Molina. Starting in his hometown of Rio De Janeiro, Flavio spread Muay Thai across cities such as Sao…
-
Disclaimer One: For the purpose of honoring the time period for which this article covers, we will refer to Mixed Martial Arts in the United States as No-Holds-Barred, or simply NHB. We will also refer to Martial Arts Competitions in Brazil from the 1960s to 1990s as Vale Tudo. Disclaimer Two: This article may seem…
-
In the first part I published on Hendo, I covered all of his ranked wins while fighting in PRIDE. That included adding both welterweight and middleweight championship belts to Dan’s resume. In the second part, we will talk about Hendo’s success in the UFC and Strikeforce. Event: UFC 93 Opponent: Rich Franklin Result: Win //…
-
Hendo is one of the most revered fighters in the history of MMA. The reason he is listed first here is not only because of the sheer depth of competition from the very beginning of his career – but also the number of weight classes he competed in. Known early on as “Decision Dan”, Hendo…
-
The first article I wrote on Fedor reviewed his wins over the likes of Heath Herring, Big Nog twice, Mark Coleman, Kevin Randleman, and Semmy Schilt. Of all his seven ranked wins during that time period, he finished four of those guys. In his early years of capturing a championship and defending it, he had…