THE RUSH RETURNS

It's been a week since we found out Georges "Rush" St. Pierre has signed back with the UFC, and already we are wanting to know who does he fight first. Now there is speculation he will be fighting between 155-185. I know there are so many fighters right now like:

And to be honest...they is probably a long list of fighters who would love to be the first person to fight GSP: he has not fought since November 2013, and after a long layoff there has to be tons of ring rust); he has been in and out of Hollywood (filming Captain America: The Winter Soldier); he was having personal issues outside the UFC (baby mama drama); etc. You can see why so many people would love the chance to get at him. But let's be honest, would you want to fight GSP? He was a master of the game, he was able to breakdown your gameplan in the first few minutes of a fight and attack your strengths. Remember when he fought Thiago Alves, and everyone praised Thiago's wrestling...how did that turn out?

Remember when people were talking about GSP's inability to match-up with wrestlers, so GSP trained with the Canadian National Wrestling Team. Wrestlers on the team said he could compete on the international level and then he did this...

and this...

in case you did not know the top picture if Carlos Condit (regarded for his wrestling ability) and Matt Hughes (the legend known for his wrestling ability) both were out matched by GSP and beaten.

Or how about people who said GSP's ability to strike with great strikers was never going to be elite, so he hired Freddy Roach (the legendary boxing training, who trained Manny Pacquiao, Miguel Cotto, Mike Tyson, Oscar De La Hoya, among a slew of other great boxers) (Freddy, n.d.), then other fighters ended up like this:

So fighters ended up like this:

And this:

Or maybe that time when people would talk about how the spinning heel kick would be the new move people needed to add, so GSP went to Joe Rogan and trained with him...then we saw him utilize this kick on several occasions:

And:

We already know that GSP had a deadly kick game and was able to finish off fights with it, just ask Matt Hughes how that went:

But what makes this so interesting, the Return of GSP is the list of names being dropped: Anderson Silva, Conner McGregor, Nick Diaz, Nate Diaz, Jose Aldo, Max Halloway, etc. A long line of people who want a piece of GSP. Now personally I think GSP needs a warm-up fight to shake off all the cobwebs, others think he needs to be put in right away against the sharks of the tanks. I say give him Dan Hardy, the have fought before and both are coming back from long layoffs. Both will need a tune-up fight and they are still big names. After that, it is whoever GSP wants to fight. Tyron Woodley, Stephen Thompson, Jose Aldo, McGregor, or even Michael Bisping.

The return of GSP is much needed even with all the UFC "stars" falling as they have: Rousey, McGregor, Jon "Bones" Jones, Jose Aldo, etc. So let's see who the UFC puts GSP up against first, this will be fun to watch and it will be amazing if GSP can be the "Rush" he use to be or if he is even better.

Reference:

All photos are property of UFC

"Freddy Roach ." Http://boxrec.com/media/index.php?title=Human:3014. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 Feb. 2017

Joerogandotnet. YouTube. YouTube, 03 Feb. 2011. Web. 26 Feb. 2017

Fight Night Tonight!!!

We are here!!! The #8 Heavyweight fighter versus the #9...anyone who was ready for a slugfest, should keep holding their breath. I am sorry I have been from the beginning a very big fan of Travis "Hapa" Browne but recently his striking has not been on point. Now he is not the problem, his corner is the problem. Let's breakdown this fight:

Derrick Lewis:

In his last five fights Lewis has had 4 of those fights end in KO with his other win being in a split decision against Roy Nelson. He stands 6 foot 3 inches and weighs in around 268 pounds, he has some devastating hands and trains out of 4oz Fight Club. He refers to his style as "swangin and bangin" boxing. He is relentless in his attacks and makes sure he can finish the fight. He is one of the few fighters who is either going to finish you or get finished.

Travis Browne:

In his last five fights Browne has lost three of his fights. However the two fights he did win Were both by TKO, he loves to throw bombs and work for KOs. He stands 6 foot 7 inches and weighs in around 240 pounds, one of his favorite set-ups comes from his front face kick. He trains of our Glendale Fight Team and has been there since May of 2013. It should be noted this is the same gym Ronda Rousey trained out of. He does have a tough chin and looks to eat punches while delivering his own and I feel this is his type of fight.

Hopefully we can see a nasty fight with a lot of set-ups to either counter or just some devastating shots being landed. I think Travis could have this fight being the longer and taller fighter, but Lewis has shown he wants to compete and will look for the knockout. In this fight I am looking for it to end early, either 1st or 2nd round by KO. I will be pulling for Travis in this fight and looking forward to seeing him get his hand raised.

Some of the other fights on this card could be fun to watch:

Johnny "Big Rig" makes his return to the Octagon after failing to make weight at 170, he will be set at 185 and hopefully we can see him make his return to his old form. There was a time where the Big Rig would land some nasty shots and finish people, but I feel since he has been dropping so much weight to fight at 170 some of his power has left. Getting back to 185 could be good for him and keep him healthy.

He is fighting a tough opponent as well, in Hector Lombard. Hector comes into the fight looking to get back into the win column and put his name back on the map. Johnny may be the target to help him get back in, but Hector has had trouble with guys who can land heavy punches and Johnny is that kind of fighter. It will be interesting to see, but I will be pulling the wrestler from Oklahoma State University, Hendricks.

Another returning fighter to the octagon is Sara McMann look to see her utilize her world class wrestling to get the win, as she continues to grind out fights. Another fun fighter to watch is Carla Esparza who will be returning to the octagon as well, hopefully we will see both women win their respective fights and maybe we can see both women get a fight against each other.

After this fight the UFC will not be back until March, with the rematch of Stephen Thompson and Tyron Woodley. This will be a fun fight to watch again, and maybe Woodley will actually finish off Thompson this time.

What fights are you looking forward to, let me know in the comments and you can find more articles attached to "Your Sports Therapy" as well. Enjoy the fights tonight!

UFC 208...the disappointment

Let's begin by saying this fight card lacked a lot of things to begin with, and even Dana White has come out to say it was disappointing. I do not want to come out and say it was all bad, because it was not, but the UFC needs to try harder in building up stars for the sport.

But, I have to be honest the first fight of the night was electric. I really thought this fight was going to set off the entire card.

Jim Miller vs Dustin Poirier

In case you were not aware, these two gladiators went at it to see who is supreme. Round after Round after Round, there were devastating shots to both individuals. As I am listening right now to Fox Sports One, Dana has mentioned the numerous kicks Miller threw and the possibility of Poirier's leg being broken. I hope to see these two monsters in the Octagon again because it was fun to watch them do what they do best. Though I felt this fight could have gone either way, I was pulling for Miller to get the win, but the judges saw it another way. Great fight again between these two and hope to see a part two.

Anderson Silva vs Derek Brunson

So here is a fight that started with a lot of mutual respect between each other, and stayed the same throughout the entire process. But, let us play devil's advocate for a second...it was interesting to listen to Greg Jackson tell Brunson in the third round, he was giving "too much respect" to Silva. I agree with this statement 100%, yes we know it is Silva...yes we know how dangerous he can be...yes we have seen his skill for a long time, but there has to be a line drawn in the sand. I mean Brunson did not have the same kind of respect for Uriah Hall in his fight. He did not show the same killer instinct he had when he fought an aging Chris Leben. Because it was Silva and people understand the history he has had with the UFC,  Brunson fought too timid in my book. Sure I had him winning the first round, but the next two rounds were like this...

If anything has been shown from the last four fights with Silva, it is that he is no longer invincible. He has been knocked down and out, he has slowed down, and he has been taken down numerous times in his last fight (prior to Brunson). Yes I get it, it was DC, Bisping, and Weidman (also a NC against Nick Diaz...which he won the fight) but these younger fighters who are coming up should not be afraid, be respectful of Silva but not to the point you are afraid to attack. With that being said Silva was able to defend multiple shot attempts by Brunson. You have to give points for a great defensive battle Silva was able to put together. Stopping the momentum of Brunson in the third round numerous times. Now if you listen to the Sunday Morning Sports Voice, you would have heard me say I was taking Brunson over Silva. What I did not see coming was Brunson trying not to lose instead of trying to win the fight. Great strategy by Silva and I hope he chooses to go out on this victory, but I am sure we will see him fight at least two more times this year. 

Holly Holms vs. Germaine De Randamie

This was the main event for the evening and I have to be honest, it was a great fight between two deadly strikers. After the results of the fight I was upset about why (spoiler alert) Germaine won the fight, but after thinking about the Silva vs Brunson fight I realized why she did. Holly was definitely being the aggressor in the fight when she got Germaine to the cage. However when the fight was in the center of the ring Germaine was able to take the fight to Holly...

According to Joe Rogan last night during the broadcast, Holly Holms went 0 for 8 in takedown attempts. A point of weakness in Germaine's game is her inability to stop takedowns, this is due to her being a striker for her career. Same to be said about Holly she is not use to taking people to the ground, being put in situations to allow her to control her opponent. When these two elements mix, the person who is against the cage has the advantage and that is what we saw in the fight. Holms did her best and even landed an amazing question kick that stunned Germaine during the fight, but a great defense will most times beat a great offense. Stuffing takedowns, not taking a lot of damage, and being able to counter is what got Germaine the victory and...NEW FEATHERWEIGHT CHAMPION OF THE WORLD!!!

So what is all the problem with the judges for some reason felt to award victories to individuals, maybe the crowd or Dana did not agree with. In the final fight there were two incidents that could have effected the fight more, Holms was struck not once but twice in back to back rounds after the bell sounded. The ref warned Germaine the second time by letting her know he would deduct a point from her, but it was too late. A more experienced ref needed to be in the fight, which is something the New York Athletics Commission was not ready for. I get it, to get that experience you need to be involved in that kind of atmosphere but, after the first incident a fighter should be warned. The second time a point should have been deducted and the fight should have ended in a draw.

But that is my little rant on that, what did you guys think of the fights. Also let me know what fights you are looking forward to coming up. I will tell you next Feb. 19th Travis "Hapa" Browne and Derrick Lewis squaring off in the Octagon expect to see a lot of fireworks in the making. Hopefully Hapa can show why he is a dangerous striker and not fall under the Rousey curse. Let's hope!!!

All photos were taken from UFC and Google.

What Happened!!!

What is going on readers!!!

I am glad to announce that GET THE KO will be exclusively feature on the blog called Your Sports Therapy!

This will be a new blog that will have lots of articles attached to it from many different writers, different point of views and a lot more fun. I am excited for this change and I hope you all will stay with me and enjoy the ride.

BUT LET'S GET DOWN TO BUSINESS!!!

First thing I want to address is the fall of the Queen! As most of you know Ronda Rousey was beaten again by Amanda Nunes, and not just beaten but embarrassed. It is tough when you have no head movement, while your corner is yelling "HEAD MOVEMENT...HEAD MOVEMENT!" But as we learned from the Holly Holms fight, to her debut on Saturday Night Live, to her fight with Amanda Nunes...she needs a lot of help with her stand up.
From this...

To this...

To ultimately this...

Now do not think I am only coming down on Ronda (I was pulling for her) I thought if she had worked on her striking, she could eventually clinch up. That was not the case, Amanda had an amazing game plan for her. Nunes said herself she had been preparing for this fight her whole career, and it showed.

As for Ronda it is not time to re-brand yourself, time to find the next thing. Gina Carano after her lose to Cris Cyborg went into movies. Maybe Ronda can find herself in the same boat and even the WWE. Re-branding her the most dominate wrestler can get her back on the Bad Ass path. Look at John Cena, Dwayne Johnson, and the other wrestlers who have starred in films (Minus the Big Show, sorry).

Speaking of the WWE...The UFC hired former WWE and ESPN talent Todd Grisham to replace Mike Goldberg as their play-by-play announcer. We are talking about this guy...

Now my problem is not with Todd himself, though I remember him being the butt of The Rock's jokes back in the day. It is the fact the UFC did not give a proper send off for Mike Goldberg. The man literally dedicated himself to 2 decades in the UFC, and there was nothing. Mike Goldberg had been around even before Zuffa bought the UFC, only to sell it to WME-IMG. He and Joe Rogan have been the faces and the "hype men" for the sport. I will be pulling for Todd and wish him the best, but how much time will pass before Joe Rogan leaves, and who will be the person to replace him once it happens. My vote is for Jay Glazier, or maybe Brian Stann. Everyone will have the one person they want to include. Those are just a couple of my picks.

Also speaking of Picks...We have an interesting fight card coming up on Feb. 4th, one day before the "Big Game."

Usually this fight card will be loaded with talent, but for some reason this fight card is a little lackluster. Sure, we will see the return of the Korean Zombie (bad ass nickname by the way) and OSP (one fight after being knocked out) but overall the fight card is meh at best. With all the talent that is starting to emerge around the MMA world, why not try to give this card a little more UMPH!

I would like to see the Korean Zombie get his win, especially after being away for two years due to military obligations, I do want to see OSP get a win after being KO'd in his last fight, I am looking forward to seeing Anthony Hamilton win his fight, and pulling for Abel Trujillo (who is on a 3 fight win streak).

Now I will be back to writing especially now since I get to write for both the blogs. I look forward to seeing your comments and talking with all of you.

Thank you again for the support!!!