|
Navigation
|
 |
[an error occurred while processing this directive]
Article Navigation:
Want to write?
We're always looking for new writers and people willing to help out with the magazine and site. If you're interested, [Click here for more info]. |
|
Stay Updated!
If you'd like to stay updated and recieve a notice when the next issue of is released, just sign up at our forums by [Clicking here]. We will send out a mass e-mail to all our members when the next issue is released. |
|
Your Comments
Let us know how you feel about this issue. We will read e-mail sent and would appreciate any comments and/or suggestions that you may have. [Click here]. |
|
|
|
 |
Fighters to watch in ’05
by Bachir Ayoub & Fahad Maniar, Team IronLife.com Staff Writers
This past year was a memorable one for MMA fans. The Tito-Chuck saga came to an end with a devastating knockout, a Randleman knockout of K-1 star Mirko Filipovic and my personal favorite BJ Penn dethroning welterweight powerhouse Matt Hughes in sound fashion. Many fighters made a lot of noise in the past year and with all indication will establish themselves as contenders or champions in the coming year. With the good must come some bad, and some fighters having shown a lack of passion and skill to cut it in the world of Mixed Martial Arts. What would the Internet be without some rumors? Some fighters are looking to make a comeback and have an immediate impact in 2005. So, in the immortal words of Big John McCarthy, let get it on!
MMA fighters who you should keep on your radar screen:
Sergei Kharitonov The man who had to deal with being in the shadow of fellow countrymen, Fedor Emelianenko, made more than just a statement this past year. Winning against relative unknowns Corey “LA Giant” Peterson and Jason Nobunaga may have not gotten too many people excited, but his KO of Chute Boxe member Murilo “Ninja” Rua made people take notice. Sergei has the complete package in my opinion. Sergei made his biggest statement in ’04 against former PRIDE heavyweight champion, Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira. The fight was a back and forth battles with Minotauro edging out Sergei with the judge’s decision. His boxing skills are very polished, complementing his submissions and takedowns nicely. He also has a lot of heart, which he exhibits in every one of his fights. At the young age of 24 I truly believe the sky is the limit for Sergei Kharitonov and I expect nothing but big things from the Russian fighter in the upcoming year.
Renato Sobral Babalu will make his mark on the Light Heavyweight division in 2005. Ever since his loss to the “Iceman” Chuck Liddell, Babalu has been a man on a mission. In late 2003, Babalu defeated Trevor Prangley, Mauricio “Shogun” Rua and Jeremy Horn all in one night to win the IFC Light Heavyweight tournament. In 2004, Renato defeated Brazilian legend “Pele” by decision and most recently Cyrille Daibete by submission. I must admit I was very skeptical of how successful Babalu would be after leaving Ruas Vale Tudo Camp to join the Gracie Barra Combat Team. He proved me along with many others wrong with his current win streak. Renato has great stand-up and an excellent ground game. If anyone would like to question this man’s toughness, all you have to do is see a picture of Babalu’s face after winning the final bout against Jeremy Horn in the IFC Light-Heavyweight tournament. I think Renato has done more than enough to gain the confidence of PRIDE/UFC matchmakers to put this man on any one of their cards.
Jens Pulver There is no fighter I am happier to see back in the lightweight mix than Little Evil. Being a lightweight myself, it is not hard to understand why I love this fighter. Jens not only made his impact in the MMA ring in 2004 but also in the boxing ring racking up a couple of knockout victories along the way. Jens’ devastating KO of Stephen Palling at the Shooto Hawaii show seemed like a flashback of the same Jens that shocked UFC fans with his knockout of John Lewis. It is great to see Jens Pulver with the focus and passion that he had when he first burst onto the scene and with a new PRIDE contract in hand, lightweights all over the world better take notice of Little Evil in 2005.
Dan Henderson Dan was fairly absent from the fight scene in 2004 only adding a technical knockout winning due to injury over Kazuhiro Nakumara. I doubt Dan will have any ring rust in 2005 and a re-match between Henderson and Silva could happen in the upcoming year. I also doubt age will catch up with Hollywood, especially considering his ageless training partner Randy Couture. It will be hard to deny Dan Henderson a title shot in 2005 and I truly believe Vanderlei Silva will have his toughest fight as champion against the Team Quest fighter.
Antonio “Nino” Schembri The newest member of Chute Boxe is definitely going to make a splash in the fight scene in the New Year. Nino’s grappling skills have never been questioned and with help from Chute Boxe his stand-up game will soon be as dangerous. A few more sparring sessions with Vanderlei Silva should help out Nino’s fight game greatly. Although he can’t make a run for the belt as long as it’s Silva’s, but he can help out his teammate by softening up potential opponents.
Notable Mentions: Kevin Randleman, Norifumi “Kid” Yamamoto, Ryo Chonan, Andrei Arlovski and Kazuyuki Fujita
Kickboxing fighters who you should keep on your radar screen:
Kaoklai Kaenorasing The “Tiny Thai” as I call him, is one of two Thais to make this list who have come out of the shadows in 2004 to become household names. Kaoklai exploded onto the scene by being the underdog in the K-1 Seoul GP in July as the winner of the tournament. He then shocked the world by beating Alexei Ignashov with a huge 40kg weight difference! Weighing only 85kg, Kaoklai Kaenorasing holds his own in the K1 90kg+ against fighters such as Mighty Mo, Mike Bernardo and Musashi and is someone to watch out for in 2005
Buakaw Por Pramuk The second of the two Thai. Buakaw Por Pramuk qualified for the max finals by defeating Jordan Tai. He entered the underdog of the K-1 Max finals fighting firm favourite JWP in the first round. After a close decision, he then went to rip apart Kohiruimaki and the 2003 champ, Masato, who he seemed to just play with. While not being much of a boxer, Buakaw’s main strength is in his Teep kicks and teep kick combos. He is so far undefeated in K-1 and I strongly believe his run will continue well into 2005
John Wayne Parr John Wayne Parr had a great start to the year. He had solid successes in Superleague as well as being crowned the first S1 Champion. He looked to be the favorite to win the K1 Max GP only to lose to Buakaw Por Pramuk in the opening round. Since then he has fought tough battles against Arslan Magomedov and most recently, against Thai legend Sakmongkon, losing both fights by close decision however, he’s insistent on making 2005 his year and I for one have firm faith in him.
Nathan "Carnage" Corbett
MMA fighters who have fallen off the radar screen:
David “Tank” Abbott My only wish for the New Year is for Tank to stay on the barstool and out of the Octagon. I’m sure Dana White feels great about locking up a fighter the caliber of Tank Abbott who hasn’t scored a check in the win column for six years and counting. His countless attacks on jiu-jitsu fighters resulted in two submission losses at the hands of Frank Mir and Kimo. The only thing Tank could take credit for was brawling but he was outgunned by Wesley “Cabbage” Correira. It looks like both karma and conditioning are not big fans of Tank Abbott when it comes to fighting and frankly neither am I.
Carlos Newton This pick is a sad one to make but it just appears that Carlos doesn’t have his heart or head in fighting anymore. His activities outside of the ring are truly noble and it would probably be in Carlos’ best interest to either re-think his training regime or take an extended break from fighting to focus on his medical career. I would like nothing more than for Carlos to prove me wrong, but after his performance against Ryo Chonan, I highly doubt that Carlos will in 2005.
Notable Mentions: Wes Sims, Don Frye and Ricco Rodriguez (hope he proves me wrong but no fights in ’04 and three losses in '03) and also Gilbert Yvel (he has overstayed his welcome and doesn’t have the mindset to be a pro).
Kickboxing fighters who have fallen off the radar screen:
Peter Aerts The “Dutch Lumberjack”, winner of 3 K-1 GP titles has been heavily criticized as of late. Some say he has been on a downward slope ever since he changed management by leaving Chakuriki to team up with Andre Manart at Mejeiro gym. After personal problems and rumors of peters fight with Depression and Alcohol, The Dutch Lumberjack returned to the ring with a vengeance. However his winning streak was somewhat sporadic and with the new talent in the K1 now, Many fear that the time of the Dutch Lumberjack has passed. He will however, always be known as a legend in the ring who took part in some ferocious battles early on in his career and during the K1’s infancy.
Samkor Kiatmonteap Samkor has a rather illusive reputation. Amongst the Internet forum community, most people recall him from hearsay. What’s known about Samkor by the average fight fan is he’s a Thai with a VERY VERY HARD left round kick!
That said, Samkor has somewhat faded away into obscurity. He was rumored to fight on K1 Max and is now too heavy to fight for the big prizes in Thailand and is thus no longer a popular name there. He has however fought on AJKF promotions in Japan but his international reputation is practically non existent now.
MMA possible returns:
Enson Inoue Fan (and personal) favorite Enson Inoue has been hinting at a possible return to major competition. Enson has gained support in the MMA community for his gutsy performances, unmatched generosity to his fans and an unwavering passion for the sport he loves. Enson would not be the only person to benefit from a return, but every person in the mixed martial arts community would gain from his comeback (except for potential opponents). If Enson does comeback to major competition in the upcoming year, I expect him to make an impact in some fashion. His two fights in ’04 resulted in a record of 1-1, but being back in the hunt for a title should be the added incentive needed for Enson to make another impact on the sport.
Mikey Burnett Another fighter looking to make a comeback in ’05 is Lion’s Den fighter Mikey “The Eastside Assassin” Burnett. His heavy hands and submission skills always made Mikey a tough fighter but his five year absence from the sport could represent the biggest hurdle in his career. He appears to have his eyes set on Cesar Gracie, who judging by his students could be a pretty big handful for Mikey. The Eastside Assassin always put on a show and speaking on behalf the entire IronLife.com team, if Mikey does comeback I wish him nothing but luck and success.
Pedro Rizzo He never really left but he has gone missing. This isn’t so much a rumor as a plea. PLEASE COME BACK! Rizzo is still young, if he can find something to really get him angry and he channels that energy into the ring constructively, it would make me and countless others extremely happy. Pedro is without a doubt the best counter puncher and one of the best overall heavyweights to step into the octagon. Maybe a change of scenery like from an octagon to a ring would better suit Pedro. Whatever can get Pedro to come back, I hope it happens soon because the carnage that this man would wreak on his opponents would be something to truly behold.
Kickboxing possible returns:
Jerome Le Banner Geronimo, Jerome Le Banner has had a shaky past few years. He was head to head for the coveted title of “Best fighter never to have one the GP” along with Ray Sefo. After suffering a broken arm at the hands, or should that be the shins, of “Mr. Perfect” Ernesto Hoost in the 2002 GP Finals, Jerome has suffered great setbacks. He has had 4 wins since but suffered a rather humiliating defeat at the hands of Francois Botha in September of 2004. However, If he keeps his focus and keeps his head clear, he’ll pose a threat to current champion Bonjasky, and I’m sure there are a lot of people who would be very happy to see Jerome Le Banner finally get the GP. A title he was, and still is, more than worthy to.
Alexei Ignashov The Red Scorpion or the sleepy, drunk, Belarusian? 2003 saw Alexei rise through the ashes and set him up for 2004 as the favorite, the man to beat however 2004 proved not to be the red scorpion’s year after all. Looking rather lack luster in performance, which ironically was what made him so dangerous and popular, Ignashov failed to wow the crowds. His shock defeat by Kaoklai raised doubt amongst his fans and critics and questions were asked how he can afford to look so laid back when he’s getting a whooping at the hands of an unknown fighter some 40kgs lighter than himself.
Despite a string of wins in the year, none really made heads turn and the Ignashov bandwagon seemed to be put on mute. Lets hope that he has something special for us in 2005!
Ramon Dekker In the summer of 2004, an Internet rumor developed. Although I am not so sure if there was any concrete truth to the rumor, word was that Ramon Dekker, The legend and phenomenon of Muay Thai, was to come out of retirement and make a comeback. Everyone suddenly questioned this “decision”. Sure he was possibly one of the best fighters ever to have fought but does he have what it takes to fight the young guns now. Questions like “how will he fare in the K1 Max” and fantasy match ups like “Dekker vs. Masato” were rampant on various Internet forums across the World Wide Web. Even JWP said that if the rumors were true, he would be the first to issue a challenge to Ramon Dekker. If there’s any truth to the rumor (and I certainly hope there is an inkling of even a one off fight) then this could give 2005 a little kick up the jacksie!
* Article by Bachir Ayoub & Fahad Maniar, Team IronLife.com Staff Writers.
* Back to This Issue's Frontpage
|
|
|
