MMA and marijuana

BodogNation tackles the topic and gives this blog some credit...sort of.

UPDATE: Sprawl N' Brawl gets in on the marijuana action, too. Notable quote:

I'm not saying all fighters smoke. But some obviously do. And it seems that if Sam Sheridan can identify that at least in Brazil, smoking weed is a clear part of the jiu jitsu culture, then it must have some influence on the American MMA culture, which incorporates Brazilian jiu-jitsu and its culture into its sport. And people like Nick Diaz and Diego Sanchez are clear cases of this.

So why are we testing fighters for it?

Excellent question. And to the previous point, fighters wouldn't even need to import cultural practices related to jiu-jitsu in Brazil to figure out marijuana has a lot to offer. The best argument I ever heard in favor of marijuana turned a major argument against the drug on its head: if pot is so great, why does it cause people to not engage life? The obvious response - to anyone who's ever used pot - is that, on the contrary, marijuana is known to enhance the enjoyment of all sorts of activitives such as watching a movie, listening to music, eating food, enjoying the weather, helping with sleep, alleviating hangovers, inducing appetite, among dozens of others. So is it really any wonder why people choose to use the plant?

Up next for Diego? Japan!

His photo is 5th from the right. I don't speak or read Japanese, so if you can, let me know what it says. His appearance in the tournament had been rumored, but this is taking it to the next level.

Oh yeah, and that's Matt Hughes on there as well. Stay tuned.

Hat tip: Ichiban Shigaisen

All press is good press

Or so Diego might be hoping. His hometown newspaper covered the event, but paid a lot of attention to his loss.

Weekend wrap-up

There's lots to go over from this past weekend. My predictions sucked - shocker, right? - but apparently so did everyone else's. Let's go!

1. Serra's win not totally surprising. Hindsight is 20/20, but Serra's win isn't that much of a miracle. My dumbass never saw it coming, but watching the fight I was immediately reminded of Serra's fight with Karo. Serra isn't known for his strikes, but he's got good technique and a dynamite right hand. Karo found that out pretty quick when he was floored and only woke up when he hit the mat. But unlike GSP, Karo immediately went for the single. He was still getting pummeled, but it was just enough for him to hold on to regain his composure. GSP tried to shake it off by backing up, but Serra smelled blood. By the time GSP went for the takedown his bell was rung. The rest is history.

2. Is Diego the new Rizzo? No, Diego Sanchez doesn't have the nastiest leg kicks and doesn't have a ton of KO's on his resume, but boy was he silent on Saturday. I'm not suggesting Diego is a counter striker like Rizzo, but between the Alessio and Koscheck fights, I've seen a Diego that is aggressive only when attacked. If you stay patient, keep moving, and slow the pace down, Diego looks confused and out of his element. In that sense, he reminds me of a Rizzo that will only go after you when you go after him.

3. Sokoudjou. Josh Barnett is right: that guy must have granite in his hands. If you lay out Ricardo Arona and Lil' Nog in a combined 2:22, I'm guessing it's safe to say you've got "heavy hands." Chuck Liddell, look out.

4. There was an IFL event. I know it got even less buzz than the PRIDE show on Sunday, but yes, the Seattle Tiger Sharks did battle with the Chicago Red Bears while the Quad City Silverbacks took on the Reno Lions. Catch the wrap-up here, but I would like to point out that Sam Hoger was submitted by Vernon "Tiger" White. That is all.

5. God, my predictions sucked. I'm not even talking about Serra vs. GSP. How about Sell vs. Leites? Grove vs. Belcher? Sanchez vs. Koscheck? Or anything else that mattered? I really don't want to make predictions anymore. Maybe this is a cop out, but a MMA fight is just too volatile for me to "predict" what's going to happen. I'm content with saying who's got what talents and what could happen from now on. The rest is up to the fighters.

6. Upsets. Not only did my predictions suck, but there have been all kinds of upsets of late. Between tonight's fights, Randy's win over Tim, and the PRIDE 33 show, MMA has been turned almost upside down in recent weeks. So with Fedor set to take on Matt Lindland next week, I'm not counting out Lindland anymore. Period. And why should I? He surprised everyone with his performance against Rampage, he's fearless, enormously talented, and very capable of beating almost anyone in MMA. Fedor will have a weight advantage, but that may be it.

7. Speaking of upsets. Is everyone counting out Gabriel Gonzaga? I realize CroCop is the consensus #2 heavyweight in the world, but does anyone else get the feeling that hype around certain fighters is out of control?

8. Nog comes to the UFC. So much for Breen's claim he's 80% blind in one eye. Good signing, too. I can't wait to see him show American MMA fans what an agile jiu-jitsu fighter looks like. Especially one that can finish top-tier opposition off of his back.

9. Face of the Day. Anyone else catch the look on Dana's face before he slapped the belt on Serra? A smile covering absolute disbelief. Don't worry, Dana. That's how we all felt.

10. All hail Don Frye. Arguably the toughest SOB in all of sports, much less MMA. I've loved watching him fight over the years. He reminds me of what a modern day cowboy would be. The catch? His John Wayne days are probably behind him. He got punched out by James Thompson for crying out loud. Don, I think you're the man, but I'd rather see you as a healthy coach than an older, damaged fighter.

11. Mike Brown interview. Go read it.

12. ESPN covering MMA. On SportsCenter no less. Better late than never, I guess. To ESPN execs: welcome to the party, fellas. It's about time you showed up.

13. Herring might be back. I didn't see the fight, but from the write-up's I've read, he landed some big punches, had good cardio, a good game plan, and yes, a good ground game. As for Imes? Who knows for sure, but me thinks a King of the Cage appearance is more likely than one in the UFC at this point.

14. Kendall Grove is improved. A TON. He uses his reach well (nice front kick, bro), pushes the action, and to prove his all-around game is no joke, transitions very well between the different "points" of a fight, e.g. from standing to clinch, from clinch to takedown, from gnp to sub attempt. I still wonder how he'll do against a fighter with good hands/sprawl n' brawl, but his stock went way up on Saturday.

P.S. Jesus, my predictions were seriously pathetic.

Do something! No, you do something!

If you're going to push somebody try to not knock yourself over.

UPDATE: Check out photo albums of the weigh-ins from some folks who were there.

Hat tip: UFCJunkie

Diego shoves Koscheck...

...at the weigh-ins.

I'm telling you, I think Koscheck is in for either a short painful night or a long painful night. Either way, "painful" is the common bond.

Sanchez is more perceptive than you think

Looking at the picture above, you'd think the guy mean-mugging was an awkward doofus. He is. But he's also one hell of a fighter. And while I think he overstates his skill level a tad, he's very much in touch with who he is and why he wins. Notable quote:

"He's not analyzing it for what it really is," said the undefeated welterweight. "He thinks I peaked out and that I'm the same fighter that I was on the show."

After training with Oscar De La Hoya and getting the champ's personal stamp of approval, the "Nightmare" feels he has all the credit he needs.

"I wouldn't have world champion boxers vouching for me that I'm a future possible champ if I wasn't so progressed."

Not only is he a better fighter than he used to be, but Sanchez believes the difference between himself and his opponent isn't close.

"He is a competitor," Sanchez said of Koscheck. "His ideal is he wants to compete with Diego: ‘I want to be the first to beat Diego.'"

Sanchez then sat up straight and quickly changed his tone of voice.

"But my mentality is, I'm a warrior. I'm here to kill this guy. I'm here to put him to sleep. That's the difference between the two of us I'm an animal, he's not."

Emphasis mine. I'm telling you, this is why Diego wins. His drive to win and dismantle opponents is second to none. He's super talented (his ground and pound, top control, transitions, and ability to scramble are particularly good; I'm not yet sold on his stand-up), but he's not Fedor. He's not beating other fighters solely because his skill level is that far ahead. Diego wins on the combination of talent and unparalleled drive. Koscheck is also a fierce competitor who I believe has the ability to beat to Diego. But Koscheck is going to have to go full steam like never before. For his sake, I hope he's ready.

Koscheck and Diego are marketing machines

Want to sell PPV buys with a mediocre fight card? Put on at least one good fight and make sure two fighters are very outspoken. Oh yeah, and also make sure they absolutely hate each other.

Between UFCJunkie and UFCMania, they've got the whole soap opera covered.

Diego calls Koscheck jealous.

Sanchez talks UFC69 and Koscheck.

Koscheck doesn't like Diego or his family.

More on Diego thinking Kos is jealous.

UFCJunkie exclusive interview with Koscheck.

These two guys are doing the UFC's marketing for them.

Diego is not a cowardly lion

In an interview with Roberto Cepeda of Inside Fighting, Diego Sanchez makes a statement about himself and his fighting style that is spot on. Notable quote:

IF:A strength of yours has been your ability to take down opponents. Josh also has that strong point, but he was a very accomplished division-I NCAA college wrestler. You’ve said that he won’t be able to take you down. Do you really believe that?

Diego: You want to know how I feel about that? I’ve been working with division I All American guys and I’m holding my own. I’m ready for this, my opinion about that is if it goes down, fine. His jiu-jitsu is so far behind me that he’s going to be lost. I’m going to take his back, I’ll sweep him, and I’ll get back up. My guard is my strongest position. Karo took me down a couple of times and he couldn’t get in not one good shot. I’m very confident. It’s my heart that makes me a fighter. I’ve been fighting my whole life. When he hits me I’m going to come back like a lion.”

This is truer than most realize. Diego is enormously talented in every area of the fight game, but really, his edge is conditioning and will. In the most recent issue of Real Fighter magazine, Karo believes he was beaten by Diego on account of those traits (although it should be stated he wants a rematch and said Sanchez has "nothing").

When someone takes you down over and over again and you land on your back over and over again, it's as much a mental drain as it is physical. It makes one feel like the inevitability of defeat is too strong to ignore. But Diego never buys into that and that's been the major reason for his success.

For Koscheck to win, he'll have to not only keep putting Diego on the mat physically, but he'll have to keep him there mentally. In terms of drive to win - to dominate - Koscheck must be more than Diego's doppelganger. He must combine every ounce of technique with every ounce of will he can muster. He can do it, but it'll be difficult.

Sanchez and De La Hoya

Apparently they're training together. Good thing Kos can wrestle.

Diego Sanchez loves marijuana

This went under the radar for whatever reason, but apparently Diego Sanchez popped for mary jane after besting Joe Riggs on the last UFC Fight Night. Notable quote:

UFC welterweight contender Diego Sanchez tested positive for marijuana after his first-round KO over Joe Riggs on Dec.13 at Miramar Marine Corps Air Station. Armando Garcia, the executive officer of the California State Athletic Commission, said Sanchez paid a $500 fine and served a three-month suspension, so he has been cleared to fight Josh Koscheck at UFC 69 on April7 in Houston.

Two things:

1. Now we have a case where two fighters (Diaz and Sanchez) both test positive for marijuana after WINNING their fights and not against questionable opponents either. Although Miramar isn't in Nevada (and I'm not sure if California tests for the same amount of nanograms in the urine), this further calls into question NSAC Commissioner Kizer's assertion that when a fighter tests positive for weed they are putting themselves in danger.

2. Diego Sanchez? REALLY? That's just hilarious. Look, I don't think the kid should've had to pay a dime in fines, but I wonder how this is going to square with his fans, namely, Jesus Christ. After all, Diego keeps thanking him for his wins. I wonder how he'll take the news.