The Best From Grapplers Quest Part 2

Last week we decided to showcase one of the biggest aspects of MMA, the  ground game (a.k.a submission grappling, submission wrestling, ground fighting, bjj, grappling) in The Best From Grapplers Quest Part 1. Here's the second installment of the best submissions from the organization that hosts the biggest ground fighting events worldwide, Grapplers Quest. Enjoy the videos.

Check out Fred Thompson vs. Fred Boyle.  The fight ends with one of my personal favorite submissions, the arm triangle.

Here is James Guyton vs. Shane Bravard going at it at the UFC Fan Expo back in June.

This match between Ryan hall and Wesly Gann took place last year in Las Vegas in the World Series of Grappling 2009.

UFC 119 Review and Results

There are times when you look at a UFC card and think, "Eh, that's not looking too good", but then the fights go down and you're amazed at the action. UFC 119 was not one of those. As I wrote last week, the card didn't look good on paper, and it wasn't all that good live and in action either.

Let's start with the main event. Frank Mir and Mirko Cro Cop did a great job of putting on a snooze fest for the majority of three rounds. Then, luckily for Mir, it looked like Cro Cop almost accidentally ran into Mir's knee and knocked himself out. Uhm, yeah I guess that was an exciting knockout.

The Matt Serra vs. Chris Lytle fight was probably the most exciting fight, as it was a chingasos-trading affair. It kind of looked like a rock em' sock em' robot type deal. Unfortunately, it began to get a little boring as neither fighter really pushed for the finish and it went to the judges. The judges gave the win to Chris Lytle. 

In another disappointing fight, Antonio Rogerio Nogueira and Ryan Bader went the distance, and Bader took a unanimous decision. Bader won mostly because he was able to out hug Nogueira. 

The other two fights on the PPV also went the distance. Melvin Guillard defeated Jeremy Stephens via split decision and Sean Sherk defeated Evan Dunham via split decision as well. 

Here are the results for the unaired pre-lim fights:

Thiago Tavares def. Pat Audinwood via submission (guillotine) 

Waylon Lowe def. Steve Lopez via split decision 

TJ Grant def. Julio Paulino via unanimous decision

Sean McCorkle def. Mark Hunt via submission (kimura)

I'm sure the UFC is not happy with the majority of the fights not finishing before they went to the judges. I hope Dana White does something to entice the fighters to go for the finish for UFC 120 so the critics can be silenced, and the MMA fan community can be a little happier with watching exciting fight ending submissions and or chingasos.

UFC 119 Preview and Fight Card

This Saturday, September 25th, the UFC, the top dog in MMA, returns with UFC 119 in Indianapolis.  It's not the greatest card in UFC history, but nevertheless, MMA fans are in for some interesting match ups.  Frank Mir gets a chance to get back in title contention, facing off against former Pride Fighting Championship superstar  Mirco Crocop.  Another Pride veteran, Antonio Rogerio Nogueira, a.k.a Lil Nog, gets a chance to climb up the UFC light heavyweight latter by facing a tough opponent in undefeated Ryan Bader.  Bader is coming off a win where he finished off Keith Jardine with some vicious chingasos.  Sean Sherk, former UFC champ will be returning to the octagon after a year lay-off and facing off against a hungry young fighter, undefeated Evan Dunham.

Check out the UFC preview video:

Here is the full fight card for UFC 119

Main PPV card:

Frank Mir (13-5-0) vs. Mirco Cro Cop (27-7-2)

Antonion Rogerio Nogueira (19-3-0) vs. Ryan Bader (12-0-0)

Matt Serra (17-6-0) vs. Chris Lytle (39-17-4)

Sean Sherk (37-4-1) vs. Evan Dunham (11-0-0)

Melvin Guillard (43-9-3) vs. Jeremy Stephens (18-5-0)

Spike TV Card:

CB Dollaway (11-3-0) vs. Joe Doerksen (45-12-0)

Matt Mitrione (2-0-0) vs. Joey Beltran (12-3-0)

Preliminary Card:

Thiago Tavares (18-3-1) vs. Pat Audinwood

Steve Lopez (12-2-0) vs. Waylon Lowe (8-3-0)

TJ Grant (15-4-0) vs. Julio Paulino (18-3-0)

Mark Hunt vs. Sean McCorkle 

The Best From Grapplers Quest Part 1

Those of you that know MMA, know that the ground game (a.k.a submission grappling, submission wrestling, ground fighting, bjj, grappling) is a big aspect of the sport. Grapplers Quest holds the biggest ground fighting events worldwide. Here is a collection of some of the best from Grapplers Quest. Check out the videos and enjoy what we here at Chingasos MMA refer to as Chingajitsu!

Here's Bill Cooper and Daniel Tavarez trying to win $4,000.  Check out the video:

Now that's a nice rear naked choke! 

This video is from the UFC Expo in Las Vegas earlier this year. Ricco Rodriques goes up against the bigger Robert McConkie, but Ricco's Chingajitsu prevails and he finishes with a nice armbar.

In this video Alec Kearns and Paul McDonough battler it out at the 2010 Nationals.  That kimura was locked on tight!

Check in soon for more exciting matches from Grapplers Quest in Part 2.

Micah Miller Can Throw Chingasos

Small MMA gloves, plus hard thrown chingasos, equals K.O.  Check out this video of Micah Miller vs. Bruce Conners at XFC 11. This fight is one example of why even the most hard core and stubborn boxing fans are starting to love MMA.  Fighting with the smaller gloves is plain and simply more exciting, even if you only like the stand up game in MMA.

Don't Sleep On The Guillotine

What happens when you don't tap on a guillotine choke in MMA? It is off to dreamland! If you are a top MMA and UFC prospect, it is actually more of a nightmare. A few years ago Savant Young put Kendall Grove through that nightmare. Fortunately for Grove, he was able to bounce back and make it into the UFC. Savant Young still has not been given a shot in the UFC, but what a great match it would be to see these two go at it again. Kendall Grove would get what every fighter that has lost wants, a shot at redemption. Savant Young, on the other hand, would get a chance to prove that it was not a fluke and that he belongs in the UFC.

Unfortunately, we are in the age of MMA that would not allow such a matchup. Kendall Grove now fights at 170 lbs, and Savant Young fights at 145 lbs. A shot at redemption for a UFC fighter always makes for an interesting matchup though. In any case, check out the video to see the way the first fight went down.

UFC Fight Night 22 Fight Card and Preview

This Wednesday, September 15 the Ultimate Fighter show gets started right after UFC Fight Night 22.  Headlining UFC Fight Night 22 will be Nate Marquardt (29-8-2) vs Rousimar Palhares (11-2-0).  This fight is going to be exciting as Marquardt is most likely going to try his best to keep it standing and take out Palhares with some sharp chingasos!.  Palhares is a beast on the ground, and if get's there, good night Marquardt.

Here's the rest of the fight card for UFC Fight Night 22:

Charles Oliveira (13-0) vs Efrain Escuerdo (13-1)

Gleison Tibau (19-7) vs Jim Miller (16-3-0)

Ross Pearson (11-3-0) vs Cole Miller (16-4-0)

Pre-lims:

John Gunderson (23-7) vs Yves Edwards (38-16-1)

Rafeal "Sapo" Natal (12-2-0) vs Rich Attonito (8-3-0)

Kyle Kingsbury (8-2-0) vs Jared Hamman (11-2-0)

David Mitchell (11-0) vs Anthony Waldburger (12-5-0)

Brian Foster (11-5-0) vs Forrest Petz (18-8-0)

Tomas Drwal (17-3-0) vs David Branch (3-1-1)

My pick for fight of the night is Charles Oliveira vs Efrain Escuerdo.  Oliveira has an outstanding ground game and if Escuerdo isn't able to keep the fight standing and deliver explosive chingasos, I see him taking his second loss.

Once UFC Fight Night 22 wraps up, the new season of the Ultimate Fighter will kick off.  It should be another exciting season as George St. Pierre and Josh Koscheck coach on opposite sides.

Will Jake Shields Dominate in the UFC?

Jake Shields has defeated everyone that has been put in front of him since 2005, with his exceptional ground game. He has now signed a contract with the major leagues, the cream of the crop, the big dog in MMA. But, how will he do in the UFC?

Jake Shields is fighting out of the Cesar Gracie Fight Camp, has a record of 25-4-1, and is coming into the UFC riding a 14 fight winning streak. He is not beating a bunch of MMA chumps either. In his last five fights alone, he has defeated some big names in MMA, Nick Thompson, Paul Daley, Robbie Lawer, Jason Miller. And, he is coming off his biggest win, in defending his Strikeforce Middleweight Championship belt against MMA legend Dan Henderson.

While he is riding this 14 fight winning streak, many still question his stand up. Coming into the UFC is going to be a big challenge. He will be dropping down to fight at welterweight (170 lbs), which will be good for him since he was a bit small fighting at 185 lbs. Unfortunately for Shields, that division in the UFC is stacked with top level fighters that not only have good stand up, but good takedown defense and wrestling ability. His ability to throw chingasos is going to have to improve significantly so that he can set up his outstanding ground game and rise through the ranks in the UFC's welterweight division. 

Jake Shields will be making his UFC debut fighting Martin Kampann at UFC 121 Saturday, October 23rd at the Honda Center in Anaheim California.

If you haven't seen Jake Shields fight, here's a video of him exchanging chingasos with "Ruthless" Robbie Lawler.

Check out the video of Jake Shields finishing off Nick Thompson.

Nice guillotines! 

Check out possibly the worst guillotine ever.

Bill Cooper and A Don't Blink Guillotine

Everyone that knows MMA knows that you need a solid ground game to be able to throw chingasos in the cage. Bill “The Grill” Cooper definitely has more than a solid ground game, as he has made a name for himself in the Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and submission grappling worlds. The Grill has won numerous Grapplers Quest titles, and has competed in the UFC Fan Expo Superfight against the likes of Hermes Franca and Joe “Daddy” Stevenson. Not only did he take on both of those UFC veterans, he beat them both. Bill Cooper might be “The Grill”, but he is also the real deal. And, so are The Grapplers Quest grappling tournaments. At Grapplers Quest, you will find nothing less than serious grapplers with great skills. Nevertheless, take a look at how fast The Grill was able to get the guillotine choke on one of his opponents.

More Guillotine Action

Is The Armbar Useful in MMA?

The armbar submission was once one of the most feared submissions in MMA.  Not only is it painful, it can cause serious injury if you do not tap in time.  Lately, you do not see it pulled off in top level MMA, such as the UFC, as often.  Reasons for this include fighters training submissions and submission defense a lot more, stand up fighters becoming better at takedown defense and avoiding being taken down, and to add to the difficulty of pulling an armbar off, is a sweaty and therefore slippery opponent.  

Nevertheless, there are MMA fighters that are so good at Brazilian Jiu Jitsu (BJJ) that they can overcome all these obstacles and still pull off a fight-ending armbar submission.  One of these fighters is Nick Diaz.  You can love or hate his personality, but what you must do is respect his ground game.  Check out this fight in Dream 14 as he trades chingasos with Hayoto "Mach" Sakurai and then.....

For more armbars in MMA, check out Armbar in Action.

Kru Dee's Baldwin Park Submission Wrestling Tournament

MMA fans know that grappling/wrestling and submissions are a big aspect of the sport.  Last Saturday, August 28th Dee Martinez from Team Judo-Box held a backyard boogie submission grappling tournament in Baldwin Park, California.  Dee Martinez puts these together a few times a year to give area grapplers an opportunity to compete and test their submission grappling skills. 

Saturday's event wasn't huge, but the excitement definitely was as submission fighters worked hard to takedown and submit their opponent.  Our Chingasos MMA crew was there to document the event with some video and photos. You can check out the photo album on the Chingasos MMA Facebook page.  

Here are some of the videos to give you a taste of the submission grappling action that went on that day.