March this year I decided to follow up an old goal from 1993 - 1995 when I was planning to compete in both Japan's Shooto and UFC in the USA when mixed martial arts competitions first started to gain popularity. Unfortunately back then I broke my right hand 3 times within a 6 month period and other priorities came into play and the dream was put aside until now.
While my strength is nowhere near what is was in my mid 20s I still feel that as long as this next 12 months goes past without any major injuries I'll be absolutely confident to totally blow away all fighters in the UFC in the light heavy weights division for strength. In the heavy weight division there are a couple exceptions - Brock Lesnar and crazy Kimbo Slice who actually look like they've got some serious power. I'd say Brock should be the physically the strongest raw fighter who's biggest downfall is technical skill. I feel Frank Mir was extremely lucky to have gotten away with a win against him mainly due to the referee stopping the fight momentarily to warm Brock about strikes to the back of the head...Don't get me wrong Frank Mir is a seriously talented fighter just it may have gone differently without the pause when Brock was on top of the fight.
Kimbo Slice, best described as an articulate mad man. In my option his best win was over Mercer who was an Olympic Gold Medalist and former Heavy Weight World Champion boxer. A strong win that cements Kimbo as a calculating challenger for anyone in the UFC and possibly the best person to match up against Fedor if he decides to compete in UFC after PRIDE disbands. To my surprise UFC President Dana White doesn't rate Kimbo's chances against the top heavy weight contenders, I on the other hand rate him as one of the most exciting fighters to enter the octagon ever.
My personal plan of attack is to start one weight division lower where Quinton Rampage Jackson who is playing pretend world champion after a lucky win over one of the few real fighters with warrior spirit Chuck Liddel. Honestly how cold anyone with a name Quinton strike fear into the heart of a real fighter. Even when I call him Rampage I have to hold myself back from laughing. There's no one in this weight division who will be able to go toe to toe with my stand up ability, my striking accuracy, precision and power is on another level to anyone in the UFC. Later in the year when I start practicing my leg kicks they will be world class and like my hands I will have the best leg kicks in the game leaving the main area for improvement a ground game.
I'm confident in putting up a strong take down defense but to be a true champion it is necessary to be extremely strong in all areas just my focus at the moment is to work on my strength first followed by core, cardio then onto actual fight training. Unlike most other fighters I do not need to spend hours every day fight training. I'm a natural warrior and do most of my fight training in my mind...yes folks I can think my way to improving all my combinations and can even directly translate it into practical sessions on the fly. I learn in my sleep without any input from any styles, coaches or other fighters showing me their moves. Greatness is taken by those who feel the desire and drive, it's not something that can be taught in a dojo dancing around in your jammy jams.
My Opinion on Brazilian Jiu Jitsu
When the Gracie's first hit the scene very few people had been exposed to fighting on the ground. The few exceptions were a couple Judo compatriots who did reasonably well against the Gracie style and especially Ken Shamrock with his Pancrase background. But overall it showed how small guys could take down large fighters and take away their advantage. I remember seeing guys around the 300 pounds being dumb struck by BJJ fighters half their weight. Part of the reason for this is the general assumption when people see guys 6"5 - 6"10 with a large build that they can fight simply based on their height and strength...In my younger years I loved it when I had the opportunity to knuckle on with big guys. Usually an awesome upper cut & hook combination sent them to la la land but my favourite attack was a direct drive of the forearm into their throat while spinning them into a lateral chock finally finished off with a bunt with my hips to put them off balance before I dragged them to some high quality concrete where I hip threw them into an average 10 minute black out followed by a ride in an ambulance to the hospital...thanks guys making me look good.
Anyway back to the point I was supposed to be making under this heading...BJJ is a necessary skill but now that everyone has some exposure it's not the big advantage it was 10 years ago. I challenge anyone to show a battle in history where an army lined up against another to lay on their back while the opposing army charged them down...Mankind evolved into bipedal animals for a reason and champions stand up not lay down!
I do like Rickson Gracie because he's an aggressive fighter who combines tradition BJJ with strikes unlike many BJJ guys who roll around trying to only submit a fighter and win or loose take numerous hits to the head...a great strategy if you want to end up with cauliflower ears and a broken nose.
My Opinion on Wrestlers
Fighters from Greco Roman and Freestyle wrestling show great strength, power and speed, they are usually comfort going to the ground but are habitually hamstrung because their style does not practice strikes and do not practice real world fighting. Sorry guys I respect you as athletes and sportsman but the best warriors in history were the Spartans and the Samurai - the vast majority of their styles revolved around being upright and striking not cuddling up to another man and asking a referee for his opinion on who won the fight.
December Goals
This is a general benchmark of what I feel should be sufficient as pre fight conditioning. Once I take time off to train full time I expect these all to improve especially core training and VO2 should go above 60 ml/kg/min plus get my lactic production up through the roof to ridiculous levels where most elite athletes stop and cry...the heart of a warrior is what makes one a champion.
Special Hello Goes Out
Benjamin & Alexander who I place above all others on the planet