UFC 77

None of the fights were particularly interesting this time around. I thought the Sylvia-Vera match-up would be much more technically interesting, but it boiled down to a much larger, longer opponent overwhelming a smaller guy. Perhaps it would have gone differently if Vera hadn't broken his hand and been reduced to swinging with his elbow on the left side.

Anderson Silva dispelled any doubt that he's simply a better fighter than Rich Franklin. I'm not sure who they bring in to challenge Silva. Dan Henderson might be the next choice given that he's already in the UFC. I'm not sure what the likelihood is of bringing in Paul Filho.

Maybe it's because it was in Cincinnati, but the whole vibe of this show was lower-key than most UFC pay-per-views. It seemed more like a Spike TV event. When the highlight of the night is the cut on Kaleb Starnes's forehead, you're not talking about a memorable event.

Randy Couture

It's probably too soon to assume that Randy Couture really is done fighting, given that he's retired before and would be hard-pressed to pass up a fight with Emilianenko if somebody could arrange it. But I probably wouldn't attempt a summary of his career anyway, since a thousand people are typing it up right now.

I admire Couture as a fighter, and he seems like a pretty nice guy even if he looks like a comic-book thug. But what i find most impressive about the man is that he's still fighting and training at the age of 44. Now, i know that many people have made a big deal about Couture's age, but in my case it's not an astract thing. I turn 44 this year, and as somebody who trains in both the martial arts and endurance sports, I find Couture's durability to be nothing short of awesome. I have some idea of just how much the dude must hurt on some days. There are days when i wake up in the morning after having had a grappling class the night before, and i can barely get out of bed. Couture has to grapple, wrestle, box, strength train, and do conditioning work. He must take ibuprofen like candy.

Occasionally somebody in the sports media will note that guys like Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens are still playing baseball into their 40s, but those guys are getting paid millions to swing a bat or throw a ball. It simply doesn't compare to the energy and physical stress that goes into fight training. Couture is an extremely special athlete. Maybe Bernard Hopkins could be placed in the same category, but considering the level at which Couture is competing, he has to be considered a historically great athlete.

The Cloud Warriors

I stumbled across an article about the Chachapoya civilization of Peru, who are also called the Cloud Warriors. They also occupied a fortress called Kuelap in the Andes.

Montiel-Melendez

If they show it again, try to catch the Montiel-Melendez bout on Versus. It was a 12-round fight for the WBO junior bantamweight title. One of the best boxing matches i've seen in ages.

Lanchester Models

This is only tenuously connected to the topics of fighting and warrior culture, but i came across the idea of Lanchester models a few days ago. Basically, these are mathematical models of attrition in combat. One of the interesting consequences of this particular model is that the size of the group involved in combat is more important than the skill of the individual fighters, which seems contrary to the special forces model that seems to be advocated for the fight against non-centralized guerrilla or terror groups. Of course, these are pretty simple models and they apply more to traditional combat engagements.

Style of the Week VII: Gatka

Gatka is a martial art originated by and still closely associated with the Sikhs. In my part of the world, Sikhs are little known or understood and frequently mistaken for Arab. Even those who are familiar with Sikhism as a religion are unfamiliar with their history. It turns out that the Sikhs are also a true warrior culture, and a fairly badass one at that.

Gatka is a weapon-based martial art, to the extent that it doesn't seem to have any unarmed component. There are numerous weapons including swords, daggers, staff (the lathi), spears, and battles axe (tabar). However, the most fundamental aspect of the art seems to be the panthra, a footwork form. Some of the sword movements are reminiscent of the Chinese broadsword, but the style itself is very distinct and rhythmic. Here's a video displaying sword and shield techniques:

Endurance Sports and Martial Arts

I really like this post at the blog Jonathan in the Distance. If you're in the rare intersection of martial artists and endurance athletes, it's a great read. This is the fifth post on the topic, so there's plenty there to read.