Here’s a roundup of news from the world of Martial Arts from the leading mixed martial arts gym in New York City.
1. Andre Galvoa, a Brazilian Jui Jitsu Fighter with multiple world championships to his name will be confronting Chael Sonnen in LA on August 9th in a no gi, submission match . The world beating grappler is expected to have an advantage against Chael Sonnen in his own field of expertise.
Sonnen reigned from MMA after he tested positive in a random drug trial. That the fight can be competitive underscores the massive overlap between these 2 sports. Galvoa said “If you fight MMA, you should know Jui Jitsu.” Whether you are interested in learning Jui Jitsu as a component of your mixed martial arts arsenal or as a discipline it its own right our gym is the best in New York City to learn.
2. Undefeated prospect Thomas Almeida knocked out Caio Machado and won the Legacy FC 135 pound title. The young fighter has since realized his dream of signing with the UFC and will enter their bantamweight division.
3. In the underreported women’s MMA division speculation is rising regarding the possibility of the biggest women’s fight in history. The reigning champion Ronda Rousey is considering the possibility of a fight against Gina Carano. Carano, a former champion, who has been in retirement for some 5 years still carries with her enormous interest. Dana White, the UFC president who was initially hesitant about allowing women’s fights has since begun to talk up the possibility saying “Carano deserves a shot” at a title fight against Rousey. Pressure for the fight is driven by enormous interest and would the a highly lucrative prospect for the UFC and both fighters.
4. There has been growing consideration of the possibility of changing the current timing system for MMA fights. As fans in our New York MMA gym will know most promotions of MMA presently have 5 minute rounds and 3 rounds in a bout. ( or 5 bouts of 5 minutes in a title fight).
There are 2 major justifications for this change. The first is really for the benefit of spectators. A shorter round would put greater pressure on fighters to take advantage of strong positions when they have them. Under the current 5 minute round set up it is considered common for a fighter in an advantageous position to simply try and hold it and milk the time in order to win the round on points. A shorter time span would increase the pressure to use that advantageous position to deal out damage that will give them an advantage in later rounds. The proposal makes sense on its own terms but it begs the question of whether the sport should really be reformed encourage more risk and aggression simply for the fans benefit? Who is watching MMA and thinking “This isn’t action-packed enough?”.
Perhaps a more justifiable reason is to improve the quality and consistency of judging. It’s remarkably hard to assess who won a more balanced round when it last 5 minutes. The tendency is for judges to make their decision on the basis of the action in the final minute or two. This imposes some peculiar incentives on fighters in terms of style and when to take risks.
Shortening the round would make it easier for judges to appraise the entire action in a round rather than forgetting some portion or focusing to heavily on the final minutes.
Any change in style is likely to have consequences favoring some fight styles over others. At Andersons Martial Arts gym in New York we train in both grappling and strike based martial arts styles such as Jeet Kune Do, Brazilian Jui Jitsu and Mauy Thai. So however the sport evolves you will be prepared. Current analysts say that a shortened round would probably favor strike based fighters by giving them more opportunity to fight outside a grappling situation. Grappling fighters would have to finish off a fight rapidly after engaging their opponent with a shortened time to force submission.
5. Mauy Thai is continuing to gain popularity in China. In Macau, often described as the Las Vegas of China, is hosting a series of Mauy Thai fights. The city is a former Portuguese colony and retains some autonomy which it uses principally to be China’s leading Party town. It’s the perfect place to showcase Mauy Thai fighting as in a spectacular event. MMA promoters are sure to have their eye on the reception as they have long been interested in growing in the Chinese market.
There will be 16 fighters at the Saturday contest hailing from Thailand, France, China, Hong King and Japan. It goes to show that well trained foreign fighters can excel an reach the top levels in sports traditionally associated with other countries. Andersons Martial Arts gym has trained New Yorkers and fighters from across the world to compete in Mauy Thai and Brazilian Jui Jitsu.