Wednesday, 22 May 2013 03:54

Yes, it is that time again, as our favorite announcer in combat sports continues his series of interviews on HDnet with The Voice Versus Wanderlei Silva. For many, this is a huge episode, as it should be. Wanderlei Silva is known to be one of the absolute all-time greats when it comes to the 205lbs weight class in MMA. He absolutely dominated PRIDE for years, with his era being right up there with Fedor Emelianenko's. Sadly by the time that he made it to the UFC, his career seemed to be winding down a bit. We, the fans, finally got the dream fight with Chuck Liddell, but it was at the point in both men's careers where the explosiveness and raw power that we came to know and love just wasn't there.

Regardless, any time Wanderlei Silva fights it is a big deal. He has had mixed success in the UFC, but his legend precedes him. So enter Michael Schiavello's interview with Wanderlei Silva. Wanderlei has been living the life of a legend for the past few years, training and living the life in Vegas. On March 25th at 8PM Eastern on HDnet, the latest in the Voice Versus Series makes its debut, and we have two questions between the Voice and Wanderlei, and as always, Schiavello is on point with his MMA internet memes.

Sheer brilliance, as always. MMA needs more of a sense of humor to go with the serious approach, and Schiavello always provides.

Wednesday, 22 May 2013 03:54

Our thoughts go out to all those in Japan who are affect by the Earthquake/Tsunami

As previously reported here at LiverKick, Japanese discount chain Don Quijote ended their sponsorship of Sengoku. This could very well mark the end of Japan's second largest MMA promotion. They may still run scaled-down shows but the future doesn't look good. However, Don Quijote will continue to support Pancrase (as they are a controlling partner) and Shooto.

Former Pride Fighting Championship Execs Nobuyuki Sakakibara and Hiroyuki Kato's Japan Cup Bantamweight Grand Prix is rumored to begin April 18th. The winner will reportedly move on to compete in DREAM’s world bantamweight tournament.

Popular Japanese MMA and Pro-Wrestling magazine Kamipro will cease operations.

DEEP announced a bunch of additions to their 4/22 DEEP IMPACT 53 show. The big name added is Eiji Mitsuoka (16-7-2), who'll make his return to DEEP for the first time since July of 2003. Yoshido Dojo fighter Tatsumitsu Wada (4-6-1) will face Mach Dojo's Yoshiki Harada (4-0). Former DEEP Welterweight champ Hidehiko Hasegawa (18-14-6), Yasuaki Kishimoto (13-2-3), Seichi Ikemoto (19-17-5), Yasushi Kitazaki (11-7-1), and undefeated DEEP Future King Yutaka Ueda (6-0) will all participate.

Tony Loiseleur from Sherdog published a fascinating article on Shooto. A very interesting read. Inside Shooto’s Scandal, Legacy and Future.

Valkyrie Featherweight Champion Mei "V.V" Yamaguchi (6-2-1) vs. WINDY Tomomi (16-12-1) has been added to the Pancrase 4/3 show.

Of course, the Jewels, Pancrase and Shooto shows scheduled for this weekend have all been postponed due to the situation in Japan.

Wednesday, 22 May 2013 03:54

Who said that this month was over yet? It is just beginning. First, on the 19th we have the Ultimate Glory tournament second round, featuring Gokhan Saki vs. Wendell Roche, then on the 26th It's Showtime puts on not only their second show of the year, but their second show of the month. You can't joke about something like that.

This show doesn't feature as big of names as last week's show did, but the March 26th show is solid by any definition, featuring a lot of up and coming fighters that we'll all be talking about in a few years time in the same breath as the greats if everything pans out. As always, this show will be available on http://www.showtimefights.com for 10 Euro.

Wednesday, 22 May 2013 03:54

A casual sports fan is asked who the greatest basketball player of all time is. Without thinking too long the fan replies and says Michael Jordan. When asked who the greatest football player is, the fan says Jim Brown. The fan continues to answer the same question from various sports. Gretzky, Pele, Mays, Robinson etc... The answers the fan gives are generally accepted by most sport pundits.

A casual fight fan is asked who the greatest Muay Thai fighter of all time is. The fan responds with Buakaw Por. Pramuk, and Ramon Dekkers. Which, unfortunately is what most fight fans would say. 

According to various highlight reels, and from his fans, Ramon Dekkers was the first foreign fighter to win fighter of the year in Thailand. This is not true at all. They claim he won the award in 1992, but the actual winner was Jaroensap Kiatbanchong. It is possible he won best foreign fighter, but he never won fighter of the year, yet many still believe he did. Kind of hard to be fighter of the year when you never held a title in any of the major stadiums (Lumpinee Stadium, and Rajadamnern Stadium) isn't it? His fans claim he beat the best fighters from Thailand, and on occasions he did. He violently took out Coban Lookchaomaesaitong, and also holds wins over Nampon NongkeePahuyuth, and Sangtienoi Sor. Rungrot. Granted Sangtienoi had seen better days, and Nampon had a fun night on the town the day before, but still, he got the W's. But more times than not he was outclassed by the Thai's. The same 3 names above also have wins over Dekkers, as does former fighter of the year Orono Por. Muang Ubon. The ever popular Sakmongkol Sitnchuchoke was only 17 when he beat Dekkers. Den Muangsurin outclassed him over 5 rounds, and a prime Sangtienoi clowned him. Being an 8 time world champion is great, but the true world champ has to get it in Lumpinee, or Raja. 

At the end of the day Ramon Dekkers was an awesome fighter, and a top 10 foreign Muay Thai fighter, but not the best Muay Thai fighter ever, or even top 50 or 100 for that matter. Joe "OHHH" Rogan and his comments about Dekkers, and Kaman being the greatest are incongruous and flat out not true. 

Where to begin with Buakaw Por. Pramuk? First off being a champion in K-1 does not make you the greatest Muay Thai fighter ever. Second, like Dekkers, Buakaw never held any major stadium titles. He was ranked high at one point and may have became a champion had he stayed in Thailand, but he chose the money, the myth, and the fame. Even in his homeland most people view him more as an attraction or celebrity, and not a fighter. Would the greatest Muay Thai fighter of all time and his handlers refuse to fight the best? Buakaw and his camp do. They've been running from the best Thai's for years, hence why he's viewed as a celebrity and not a fighter. It is rumored he accepted a fight with Yodsanklai Fairtex to take place sometime in the upcoming months. Will it happen? I highly doubt it. If it does happen? Myth takes a beating. 

Great ambassador for Muay Thai? I suppose. Greatest Muay Thai fighter ever? Not even in the discussion. He is to Muay Thai as Royce Gracie is to Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. 

Ramon Dekkers, and Buakaw Por. Pramuk both have there place in fighting history. One as a ballsy "turbine from hell" who would fight the best and always put on a fun fight regardless of whether he won or not. The other, a good Muay Thai fighter who took his skills and abilities to kickboxing and became great in that sport. But please people, don't confuse Muay Thai with kickboxing. 

Wednesday, 22 May 2013 03:54

As 2011 started, I embarked on a new personal mission - to train Muay Thai.  It's been a personal goal of mine for some time now, and with the site taking off and more of my time committed to writing about the world of kickboxing and Muay Thai, I figured there was no time like the present.  And so I've found my gym, signed up for classes, and I am on my way.  But I'm still a writer, so, as I train, I'll present some thoughts on my experiences here.  I don't mean this to be a definitive tale of Muay Thai training - far from it.  I know there are many regulars here who have far (FAR) more experience than me.  But I'm sure there are also some who have not yet taken that plunge.  So perhaps this little online diary will provide a glimpse into learning more about Muay Thai and kickboxing the best way you can - by getting out there and doing it.  And if you're on the fence about taking classes yourself, maybe I can help nudge you into that local gym.

As I prepared for classes the first step was obvious - I needed a gym.  On the plus side for me, I live in Chicago, and as a major metropolitan area, there's no shortage of gyms around.  After hunting around a bit online and in the city, I opted for Conviction Fitness - a newer gym with an ever expanding martial arts program and a friendly, locally owned kind of vibe.  It's the kind of place where, if you are trying to buy a drink but realize you're short a dollar (and I was) the owner just waves a hand and says "Get us back next time."  It's the little touches.

Of course, I'm not here for the drinks or the vibe - I'm here for the training.  And so far, that training is working.  One month in, and to date I've worked on kicks, punches and knees.  No elbows.  Yet.  A few random observations so far:

-Our instructor, Andre Madiz, is vigilant about keeping your hands tight to your chin and your elbows tucked to protect your ribs.  This is a constant point for him. As a result, I've noticed that, quite frankly, a lot of professional fighters suck at this.  It's amazing how often fighters fail to get their guard up, and how often they pay for it.  You see this more in K-1 style kickboxing than in Muay Thai, but there is a trend to give up on your defensive posture when you start throwing more punches - a move that often costs you the fight.

-The front kick is a criminally underutilized technique.  Particularly in MMA, I can't think of more than a handful of fighters who consistently use this strike effectively (Josh Thomson comes to mind as an excellent front kick practitioner).  MMA enthusiasts - any thoughts on why this is?

-While checking out the front kick online I came across this gem on Wikipedia: "The modern incarnation of the front kick was perfected by Steven Seagal, who was taught a primitive version circa 1970 in Japan. The exact date is unknown. He secretly developed the technique over several decades before teaching it to UFC Middleweight champion Anderson 'The Spider' Silva".  Wow.

-My conditioning is not bad (which is a surprise to me) but my technique so far is... lacking.  If I could have a fight with nothing but right front kicks and superman punches, I'd be fine.  But until I can get someone to agree to these rules, I'm in trouble.

-Things to work on: left kicks, inside kicks, throwing multiple knees.