The Way of the Shogun: The Machida ERROR (Part 2)

Due to some injuries in the UFC and prior obligations with Rampage Jackson and Rashad Evans hosting a season of The Ultimate Fighter, Shogun is offered a title shot with the undefeated and unscathed Lyoto "The Dragon" Machida much to the dismay of many UFC fans. Machida is one of the most unique and dangerous fighters in the world. Entering the fight with Shogun, I don't think Machida has even lost a round in his career. He is ranked among the pound-for-pound bests of the sport and he has a tremendous legion of fans that support him and his karate style. He is a throw-back to the days when people wondered if Bruce Lee was the baddest man to walk the planet.

There weren't many people giving Shogun any chance in this fight. Even though his last fight against Chuck Liddell was a vintage performance, people are now saying Chuck Liddell is washed up, too old, and his chin is shot. The same odds Forrest Griffin faced many years ago when he stepped up to fight Shogun, are now being placed on Rua for his fight with Lyoto. The tables have turned. Shogun is the one who many believe will not exceed the first round. On websites, all I can read our phrases of "Machida by murder", "Machida by anything he wants", "R.I.P. Shogun" etc...


I have a strange feeling about this fight. Shogun and Machida trained together once upon a time, and there are whispers coming out from mutual friends that trained with them that Shogun used to get the better of Machida in sparring sessions. Of course that is just sparring, but even in pre-fight interviews and press conferences, there is a look on Shogun and Machida's faces like they know something the rest of us don't.

Fight time. The fight starts slow and methodical. Both guys talent levels are so high, that the smallest of mistakes could lead to the end of the fight. They're feeling each other out. It's almost like a chess match. No matter the outcome though, it is safe to say that the Shogun of past has arrived. This is the guy people said would one day rule the MMA world. The first round ends with little damage being inflicted by either fighter, but the edge has to go to Shogun as he landed a few leg and body kicks to Machida, and was more in control of the pace. Round 2 is pretty similar to round 1, only now Shogun is loading up some severe leg and body kicks on the champ. Machida is a bit more active this round however, so I 'll have to say round 2 goes to the champ. Round 3, Shogun is continuing to punish Machida's legs and ribs with some real powerful kicks. Bruising is starting to develop on Machida's ribs. Near the end of the round Machida comes with a strong flurry to try and steal the round, he throws a nice combo, but at the end of the flurry Shogun lands a thundering right that rocks Machida. Very close round, but aside from that one small flurry, it's all Shogun. 2-1 Shogun. Rounds 4 and 5 are not even close as Shogun is taking over the fight. The crowd who in early rounds were pro-Machida are now starting to rally around Shogun, chanting his name. Shogun punishes Machida with leg and body kicks. He removes Machida of his mobility. Machida is wincing after each kick. Shogun is landing at will. Machida can't do much but throw the odd counter punch. As the fight progresses Shogun is getting stronger and faster where as Machida is dwindling.






The final buzzer sounds at the end of the 5th round and Shogun throws his arms up in air in triumph! He as well as 99% of the people watching believe he has just overcome so much adversity to become the UFC light-heavyweight champion. All the critics, the haters, the people who said he was finished, or the people who accused him of steroids had been answered. My brother, and 2 friends had all bet on the fight. With Shogun at +400 we were getting 4 times the amount we bet. Another friend of mine bet $350 on Shogun and was looking forward to a $1400 payout. We were all dancing arm in arm celebrating after the fight, but it wasn't really about the money, it was about the vindication. It was about watching Shogun come all this way to prove the critics wrong. It was about him taking the fights when asked and it was about time.


Bruce Buffer is now in the ring to announce the judge’s decision. The camera pans to Shogun who can't keep his smile contained. His camp is behind him and they're all smiling and talking and awaiting the announcement of the new UFC light heavyweight champion. There isn't a doubt in any of their minds that Shogun just won the title. Now the camera pans to Machida, and he looks defeated, he looks beaten, he looks sullen. His entire camp behind him are looking stunned and deflated with their heads down. They're probably thinking about what went wrong and how to fix the problem. How are they going to make their way back to the title again?

Bruce begins..."All three judges scored the fight 48-47 for the winner......LYOTO "THE DRAGON" MACHIIIIIIIIIIDAAAAAAA


I feel sick to my stomach. The people I am watching with, some cheering for Machida, most cheering for Shogun, are all silent. How could this happen? Shogun is in disbelief. Machida is celebrating as if he just won the lottery. Joe Rogan and Mike Goldberg are baffled. Dana White walks over to Shogun and and says in his ear "I had you winning that fight". The crowd who started the fight cheering on the champ, are now reigning down boos. The message boards are quickly heating up with angry fans ranting about this colossal mistake. ESPN website is reporting that Shogun had just won the UFC title with a 5 round decision over Machida as they tried to be the first to report the news by putting the story up immediately after the fight. The event ends with a shot of Shogun, who is sitting in his locker room with his face buried in his hands.

As the night goes on, fighters, media types, and fans all weigh in on the controversy. Then UFC play-by-play man Joe Rogan drops this gem on his twitter, "Welcome to the Machida ERROR".

All of this is in the past now and the rematch is this Saturday. Tomorrow I will be previewing the fight and weighing in with my thoughts. Last year about a week before the fight I was on record of saying "Shogun will control this fight with effective leg and body kicks". Yeah I know, that's pretty eerie, but was it expert analysis or just wishful thinking? Well, tune in tomorrow to see if I can nail another prediction.

The way of the Shogun: Battling Adversity (Part 1)

This is a look back at the career of Mauricio "Shogun" Rua. To enhance the reading experience, try and read it as if the narrator from "Beyond the Glory" or "Cold Case Files" is reading it to you aloud.

Watching this guy come up the MMA ranks at the mere age of 21 was truly a pleasure to experience. It was fun, exciting, and intense at times. Almost like watching a young Ovechkin dangle an NHL defenceman, or seeing Lebron dunk on some poor center who accidentally wandered under the basket. Aside from an early career loss to fellow Brazilian Renato "Babalu" Sobral, Mauricio "Shogun" Rua seemed like a young phenom staring down the road of a long and legendary career filled with accolades and championships.



He began his career by making a name for himself in PRIDE beating up on the local heroes of Japan. His opponents were completely outmatched, but it was great to see Shogun showoff all his tools. I wondered how he would do against some real competition. Then he got his first real test as he was given the opportunity to avenge his brothers loss to Quinton "Rampage" Jackson, let's just say he made Rampage look like a fish on the dock. Next was Rodrigo Noguiera's twin brother Rogerio, followed by Allistair Overeem, and then a tournament Grand Prix win over Ricardo Arona. The sweetest thing about the Arona victory was that he was avenging the loss of his mentor Wanderlei Silva from earlier on in the night. Shogun thus captured the PRIDE LHW GP championship, a a very big deal in MMA. Fans were witnessing the "Next One" in MMA. I, like other fans at the time started to wonder how Shogun would fair against the likes of Mirko Cro Cop or maybe even Emelianenko Fedor. Yes, he was that good, that comparing him among the greatest fighters that were 30-40 pounds heavier was not a ridiculous thought.



What happened next was heartbreaking and made one squirmish. Shogun snapped his arm in a freak incident during his fight with Mark Coleman. A fight that was sort of a tune up to possibly prepare him for the Heavy Weight division. That would derail his career for up to a year, and it would be a long time before he ever looked the same again.


Let's fast forward some decent wins and some lackluster performances to his UFC debut. UFC 76, titled "The Funeral of Forrest Griffin" err sorry "The Knockout of Forrest Griffin" no sorry just simply titled "Knockout". PRIDE fans were salivating at the thought that Shogun was finally going to show all UFC fans and especially fans of Forrest Griffin's reality show - The Ultimate Fighter that were critical towards PRIDE and its fighters, what this Brazilian warrior was all about. Then something happened, 2 minutes into the first round and Forrest was still alive. 4 minutes in and wow Forrest is actually competitive. What was going on? The first round ended and Forrest's head was still attached to his neck. Forrest was doing well for the first 2 rounds and fans were absolutely stunned. Shogun looked so sloppy and out of shape in this fight, that people didn't even realize he won the first two rounds. People were expecting him to literally tee up Forrest's head like a football and punt it into the 9th row of the arena, the fact that Shogun somewhat controlled the first 2 rounds and didn't kill Forrest was a victory for Griffin in itself. The fact that Forrest was still breathing after 10 seconds into the fight was a victory for Forrest. Not to mention that Griffin was the crisper puncher, sharper fighter, and better conditioned. This was an upset of the ages as Forrest choked out Shogun Rua in the 3rd and final round with a rear naked.



Shogun then decided it was time to address his injured knees, it took over a year for Shogun to have two surgeries and rehab his knees before stepping back into the octagon. He cited not taking time out to address his knee issues earlier as reasons why he was so poorly conditioned in the Forrest fight.

Now its time for UFC 93 a rematch vs Mark Coleman, the man who according to himself, took Shogun down so hard that he broke his arm on sheer impact alone. Sorry I have to laugh a little, that was as freak of an accident in sports as there could be. I'll give Coleman a pass on this as I believe he's just trying to hype up the fight. OK, let's see Shogun make his 2nd comeback and his 2nd fight in the UFC, destroy Mark Coleman, and move on with his career....Not so fast. Wait a minute, here we go again, this is looking like deja vu. Shogun is looking...bad...again! What's going on? He's winning, but he looks bad. He is tired, weak, and very sloppy...again. He is serving up one of the most tired and unconditioned beat downs I have ever seen. Thank god Coleman is looking much worse and a lot more tired. Had Coleman filled up his tank and not left the locker room on reserve he may have been able to American wrestle his way to a victory. Anyways, Shogun wins as he knocks Coleman out in the 3rd round.


I'm starting to think Shogun is done. He is no longer the fighter he once was. No more brutality, no more sharpness, no more speed, no more conditioning. What was once suppose to be the next best thing in MMA is quickly turning into a sad tale of "what could have been". Beating Coleman in the manner he did was almost as bad as a loss for Shogun. It did more bad then good for his reputation. People were writing him off fast.

Within minutes of his victory, a very giddy and excited Dana White (besty of UFC fighter Chuck Liddell) storms into Shogun's locker room offering him a fight with Liddell at UFC 97 in Montreal exactly 3 months down the road. Chuck Liddell is coming off of one of the most devastating losses of his career - a KO from Rashad Evans and he is in need of a comeback fight to regain his popularity and relevance in the UFC title picture. What better than to feed Liddell a guy who used to be on top of the world, has looked terrible in his last two performances, and already fought a 3 round fight 3 months prior? Some might suggest that this was a set up to for Chuck. That Shogun was being fed to Liddell on a silver platter so that Liddell could comeback from a loss and be relevant again. Shogun would have no time off to heal any post-fight injuries from the Coleman event. He would have to leave the octagon fly back to Brazil and get right back into the gym to start training.

Here it is...UFC 97 vs Chuck Liddell. A part of me is praying Shogun wins, but deep inside I am just hoping Liddell knocks him out quick and fast, and Shogun doesn't suffer anything embarrassing. There's no way I see Shogun putting away the Iceman after his last 2 performances. No way! I just hope it's not a highlight reel KO, or I hope Shogun doesn't put up an embarrassing performance. The bar I am at is filled with Lidddell fans. Shogun's entrance begins and I am the only guy clapping and nodding. The place is silent. Liddell's entrance is the polar opposite, people cheering and clapping. Fight starts, Shogun is looking good, crisp, and conditioned. He's landing shots, avoiding shots, scoring take downs. He might just be able to pull off a decision victory. The last 2 fights I had been left wondering what happened to the old Shogun? Now this fight I am wondering what happened to the poor conditioned sloppy Shogun? Shogun is owning Chuck Liddell. He looks faster, stronger, sharper... Then all of a sudden WAM! Liddell is floored to the canvas with a beautiful left hook, and Shogun pounces, about 7-10 hammerstrikes later the fight is stopped. WOW! Vintage. I'm the only guy in the bar standing and clapping, high fiving with the friends I am with who are a little too new to the sport to understand what just happened. The man is back! The look on Dana White's face sitting cage side is priceless. Nobody saw this coming. Liddell is sitting on his stool asking "what just happened?" The return of Mauricio "Shogun" Rua just happened....



Part 2 continues tomorrow.

Here is an excerpt:

"...Bruce Buffer is now in the ring to announce the judges decision. The camera pans to Shogun who can't keep his smile contained. His camp is behind him and they're all smiling and talking and awaiting the announcement of the new UFC light heavyweight champion. There isn't a doubt in any of their minds that Shogun just won the title. Now the camera pans to Machida, and he looks defeated, he looks beaten, he looks sullen. His entire camp behind him are looking stunned and deflated with their heads down. They're probably thinking about what went wrong and how to fix the problem. How are they going to make their way back to the title again?"

Floyd Mayweather Jr. The Good the Bad and the Ugly

Floyd Mayweather Jr. aka Pretty Boy Floyd aka Money Mayweather has become quite the antagonist in the boxing world. Whether it is because his ego is big enough to host a venue for one of his upcoming fights, or because his determination to give beloved boxer Manny Pacquaio headaches outside of the ring as he maintains his stance that Manny provide blood and urine tests in the days leading up to the fight to clear any possibility of steroids. Maybe it's because Floyd has taken on fan favorites such as Oscar De La Hoya, Arturo Gatti, Ricky Hatton and even Carlos Baldomir, which gives people no choice but to cheer against him. Maybe it's the simple fact that Floyd dubs himself Money Mayweather to represent his luxurious lifestyle, but then gets caught making it rain at a Las Vegas night club with counterfeit $100 bills. Whatever the reason is, the fans don't seem to be on Mayweather's side, including me. This past weekend I found myself rooting for "Sugar" Shane Mosley hoping he would derail the champ. Come to think of it I can't remember the last time I cheered for Floyd Mayweather during a fight, if at all. Furthermore, the obstacles that Mayweather is creating that are preventing a dream show-down between him and The PacMan are becoming drawn out, tiresome, and worst of all - expected.

There are athletic commissions put in place by respective states that oversee issues for blood testing, there is no reason for Floyd to interfere and try and act as the athletic commission for this fight. He is the fighter, let the the athletic commission do their job. All Mayweather needs to do is shut up and fight Manny. But maybe the reason for this interference is that he knows something about athletic commissions that the average fan doesn't? I for one have long suspected foul play from athletic commissions. All you have to do is a little research to see that these aren't the most ethical people in the world, especially the ones coming from Las Vegas unfortunately. Ethics are to Las Vegas what the legal system is to OJ Simpson. So if this is the reason for Mayweather's interference then I fully support him, however, I feel this is just a gimmick for him to get under Manny Pacquaio's skin

I have been such an anti-Floyd type of boxing fan for so long. I remember saying that Zab Judah would be the one to beat him, than it was Arturo Gatti who had the heart and courage to beat him, De La Hoya had the size and experience to beat him on points, than it was Ricky Hatton and his punching power that would overwhelm him, all leading up to his fight last Saturday with Shane Mosley. After overcoming a slow first round and then a shocking second round in which the champ was leveled with two thundering rights that almost put him on the canvass, Floyd settled into the zone which has made him who he is today. He overcame the adversity and the roaring fans in support of Mosley, to put on a boxing clinic like he has so many times in the past. While this was happening I was developing a new found respect and appreciation for Mayweather. I was discovering something that I never realized in the past because my dislike for him was so strong, and my want for him to lose was so great, that it was preventing from appreciating Mayweather for the fighter he truly is. I was letting my hatred overpower my logic and boxing intelligence.


Floyd Mayweather Jr., the same circus act with the loud mouth who disrespected his opponents at press conferences, rained counterfeit money at clubs, hung around in 50 Cent's entourage, and was putting off a fight with Pacquiao, is nothing like that in the ring. He is a completely different person when he steps through those ropes. No showboating, no trash talking, no chicken boxing, no hands behind the back, no dancing, no smiling, and certainly no disrespecting of his opponent. This is a pugilist who is the exact opposite of his out-of-ring personality.

If I were to ask people what Floyd Mayweather's greatest strength was, I would get a mixture of different answers ranging from his speed, to his defence, to his quickness, to his endurance, to his conditioning. And yes, all of those answers would be quality, but none of those things would matter if Floyd didn't possess the one quality that puts all his other strengths into place...Composure. For a guy who does so much promoting, talking, and flaunting outside of the ring, Floyd Mayweather Jr. is THEE most composed boxer in the world, and that is why he is THEE greatest boxer in the world. He doesn't get sucked into in-ring antics, best displayed in his fight with Zab Judah. He doesn't get involved in slugfests just to please the crowd, best displayed in fights with Arturo Gatti and Ricky Hatton. He doesn't get drawn into the other boxer's gameplan, best displayed against Oscar De La Hoya, and he doesn't turn into a desperate boxer with nothing to lose once he gets cracked with a powering shot that wobbles his legs and almost knocks him out. Twice in the 2nd round with Mosley he was nailed with shots that many thought could have lead to the end of the fight and the end of Mayweather's reign as a pound-for-pound best, yet there was Floyd covering up his head with a very effective defence that helped him overcome those 2 right haymakers. From then on it was Mayweather who dictated the fight. He dominated Shane. Mosley tried his best to suck Mayweather into a brawl by trash talking the champ and making face gestures at him. Floyd didn't bite. Floyd stuck to what has made him the pound-for-pound best boxer in the world. He stayed composed.



It's funny, because you would think that a guy who acted the way he does outside of the ring and called himself such names as "Money" and "Pretty Boy" and possessed the talent he does, would be a boxing hybrid of Muhammad Ali, Roy Jones Jr., Prince Naseem, and even Anderson Silva. But he isn't. He doesn't have the fans on his side, but in the ring Floyd is all class and all hard-work. It's strange to use class in the same sentence as Mayweather, but it's true. When the bell rings, all of that sideshow stuff goes out the window, and a true professional takes over. Once the fight is over, and the after party starts, then the counterfeit bills start to rain and he gets back to business...show business that is. Earlier on in this blog I stated that Floyd needs to just shut up and fight, I should have re-worded that to he needs to shut up THEN fight, because shutting up AND fighting is all Floyd ever does.

Anderson is bored, Dana is impatient, Sonnen is punishment, nobody gets punished but the fans

News flash, Anderson Silva is so good he can go for a run, have a conversation with his opponent, participate in a little dance number, and play percussion on the octagon mat; all while successfully defending his UFC middleweight championship belt. He can also do all this in just under 25 minutes. Isn't that spectacular? That would be like Roger Federer serving up a shot and then moonwalking across the court only to return his opponents counter shot for a point. Or imagine Tiger Woods following one of his putts with the infamous worm maneuver to the hole. Wouldn't that be exciting? Well not if you're me, or you, or Damien Maia, or Dana White. Fans don't pay to watch athletes act like jackasses. I enjoy an entertaining celebration or some tasteful sportsmanship during a game or fight as much as the next guy, but excessively taunting your opponent to the point where fans are left wondering if they're watching a fight or a crunk battle, is teetering on the point of douchebaggery. Don't get me wrong, I love most of what Anderson Silva does. I love watching him fight. I love watching his Michael Jackson like entrances as displayed in the video below. But I do not like the way he acted in his last fight. I think it was disrespectful and tasteless. I just wish he would leave his dancing for before and after the fight. Because that is when it is awesome and entertaining.



What boggles me is that Anderson Silva is not being paid by the hour or the round for that matter, so why wouldn't he want to finish his work day as soon as possible? My guess is as good as yours, actually I take that back, my guess is better than yours because my guess is the only logical reason as to why Anderson would act like this. My guess is that Anderson is bored, he has repeatedly made attempts to call out fights that would be much more challenging than your local 185 contender. Heck he even called out Roy Jones Jr. to a boxing match. He has suggested a desire to fight Brock Lesnar. So if this is what he is asking for, why is Dana ignoring him? Why is Dana so intent on lining up the entire UFC freshman line to fight Silva? Dana has a role in Anderson's display of apathetic behaviour. He is trying to manipulate a career that doesn't need to be manipulated. He is trying to hype a fighter who's hype has already soared through the clouds. It is this lack of intelligence possessed by the UFC president that has created this predicament. After all Mr. White's roots aren't exactly MMA. He's a former boxercise instructor who then went on to be a small time boxing promoter. If anybody knows how to build a record it's Dana himself. Boxers usually fight about 30-40 jabronies before they face their first strong test.

So Dana comes out publicly playing the embarrassed president card. "I'm humiliated" "I didn't even want to put the belt on him" "I left halfway through the 4th round" "If he does this again I will cut him" "This is anything but my fault". Get real, there is good reason to not allow a boxing fight between Anderson Silva and Roy Jones Jr, but what is stopping him from allowing him to fight at 205 or even heavyweight? There are more than enough challenges out there to keep Anderson busy.

So Dana has the ultimate punishment in mind. Chael Sonnen. Let the UFC hyperbole begin. The funny thing is, Chael Sonnen definitely has the tools to beat Anderson Silva with strong wrestling performance. But will anybody care? Will anybody realistically rank Sonnen above Silva in any rankings? Will people fantasize about match ups between Sonnen and Fedor or Lesnar? Give me a break. This is just another attempt at having another good old American champ. If Dana really wanted to test Silva, he would have had him fight Shogun following his fight with Machida. Or have him fight the winner of Rampage/Rashad. Or let him fight one of the big daddy heavyweights like Cain Velazquez or Mirko Crocop.

Instead of lip drooling possibilities like that, we are fed another match that nobody really cares to see. Sure fans will rally around Sonnen because they just want to see Anderson get his head pounded in, but what will it prove? I mean Sonnen has already lost a few times in the UFC and once to the guy that got Anderson in this mess.

So really the only people being punished are the fans...again. Instead of getting some fantasy match ups for Silva, Dana White is going to hype up Chael Sonnen as the ultimate contender for Silva. He'll hype him up as a guy who will not let Anderson Silva dance around the octagon, who won't tolerate such antics, who won't be afraid to run across the octagon and double leg takedown Silva to his demise. Sure Dana, I believe all of that just like I believe that you are thrilled to have two Brazilians, one with little english and one with none at all, holding UFC titles. I could get into those politics, but this blog would never end.

The fact of the matter is, Chael Sonnen, which many may or may not know, has already been on the opposing side of a fighter displaying peculiar antics in the cage, and the fight went down as one of the most boring fights in MMA history. I kid you not. Chael Sonnen rematched Paulo Filho, and Filho had a mental breakdown during the fight. He was talking to imaginary characters, looking to the side as if somebody was next to him was asking him questions, and just outright talking to himself. All of which held Chael Sonnen hesitant as he coasted to a very boring unanimous decision. So how this guy is going to be god's gift to the fans displeased with Silva is beyond me. He couldn't even finish a fighter who was possessed by a character from One Flew Over The Cookoo's Nest.



If you ask me, this is punishment alright. Only not the type of punishment Dana is promoting. It's punishing Silva in the fact that Silva once again has his desire to fight a real challenger pushed to the side once again by the UFC. And we, the fan, get punished by having to sit through this. Mark my words, this fight has as much of an opportunity of being an exciting fight as I have of landing a flying scissor kick on Anderson Silva.

Once again at the end of the day, the fans will be unsatisfied and Dana will be left looking like a fool with his pants on the ground.

Hey, I Wonder What They're Up To Now? (Part 1)

I would like to start a segment in my blog that takes a look at the athletes and celebrities of our past to see what they're up to now. It is so often the case that our favorite athletes slip into obscurity once they retire, or we'll love an actors performance in a movie only to never see them again. It got me thinking "Hey, I wonder what they are up to now?" and believe me I was shocked at what I found for some of these people and the new careers they have crossed over to. For instance:

After retiring as baseball's iron man leader with 2,632 consecutive games played and amassing over 3000 career hits, Cal Ripken Jr. began a career as a security guard where he even landed a job on The Jerry Springer Show breaking up fights. He was so successful and such a fan favorite that studio executives rewarded him with his very own TV talk show. You can now catch Ripken Jr. going by the stage name of Steve Wilkos and giving marital and domestic advice to to the lovely functional citizens of the U.SofA





Do you remember the kid from the hit film Dazed and Confused? The kid with the long hair who gets paddled after pitching in his baseball game and ends up hanging out with all the older dudes for the rest of the movie. Yeah, well that kid became a pitcher in real life, and a damn good one at that too. After a failed acting career, he decided to drop his uber cool stage name of Wiley Wiggins and go back to his boring birth name Tim Lincecum. You can now catch Wiley Wiggins or Tim Lincecum, whichever you prefer, pitching for the San Francisco Giants, where he is one of the best pitchers in baseball.

Remember the guy who played Hank, Jim Carrey's alternate personality in the movie 'Me, Myself, and Irene'? His name was Rich Franklin, and he is now a UFC fighter.
Things never really took off for Rich Franklin after his performance in the movie. He was casted because they wanted a look-alike to play a more tough and aggressive version of Jim Carrey. He never really was able to land another major role in a movie, so after a short stint as Jim Carrey's stunt double, he moved to Mixed Martial Arts where he was able to become the UFC Middleweight chapion of the world at one point before losing the title to current champ Anderson Silva.

One of the more bizarre celebrity/athlete crossovers is techno dancer turned UFC fighter Keith Jardine. Once labeled as the Technoviking, this maniac was discovered dancing through the streets of Berlin, Germany during a rave party called Fuckparade 2000. During the video you can see Technoviking (Keith Jardine) almost apply his current skills on a few obnoxious fellow party goers, who seem to cross Technoviking's line of rave parade ethics.
Keith Jardine's amateur dance video can be seen here:


Well that sums it up for the first part of "Hey, I Wonder What They Are Up To Now?" I hope you enjoyed it and please subscribe to my blog. Also feel free to leave a comment, i would love to hear your feedback. Be sure to stay tuned for "Hey, I Wonder What They Are Up To?" part 2. Happy Easter!

The Rundown

It's been a while since I've updated this blog. It's been pretty boring on the Toronto sports scene the past year, and miserable enough to make even that dude from Dawson's Creek cry. That is unless you're my buddy Maxamillian Droege (you can catch Max after every Leaf game dissecting the Leafs with Andy Frost on AM 640, if he isn't dropping F-bombs), who can somehow find pleasure in a Leaf team in 2nd last place. I admire his commitment though, and I can wholeheartedly say that is one of the truest Leaf fans I know. Now somebody wash the blue paint out of his eyes from last night's Leaf game so he can read this. The Blue Jays, god bless their souls, have now re-entered the rebuilding stage, and are entering the season with the idea of Jose Bautista leading off for them. The Raptors are on the verge of losing another big star, as Chris Bosh is counting the days before he bolts back to the States. Well at least we'll have Jay Triano around to fluff the next big star that arrives. The Argos are...who gives a shit about the Argos? All the while our beloved soccer team TFC is still trying to figure out this playoff thing. If that ever happens, somebody be sure to never let me know, because I would be more interested in watching the 5 million dollar grass grow at BMO field than watching a soccer game that isn't the World Cup.

With all of this turmoil comes topics and things to get off my chest.

So basically, I'd like to rundown a little catch up session to get this blog back up and running. A little smorgasbord of sports (say that 10 times real fast). Where better to start than with Toronto's beloved Maple Leafs.

- Isn't it funny how Leaf fans have stressed all year about the thought of the Leafs finishing last, which would equal the Boston Bruins getting their hands on 1st overall draft pick Taylor Hall. Fast forward to present day, and the Leafs have built a comfortable lead on the Edmonton Oilers, leaving us in second last, which should only land the Bruins a 2nd overall draft pick, which will end up being...Taylor Hall! That's right, there is no way Tyler Seguin doesn't go 1st overall in this year's entry draft. He has definitely emerged as the better player, and now with recent admission that Taylor Hall isn't a great 2 way player, you can bet on the Oilers taking Seguin.



- I'd also like to take one last shot at Brian Burke before I start drinking his Kool-Aid and predicting a Tyler Bozak scoring title and a Stanley Cup within the next 3 years. A lot of people have criticized his trade of two 1st round picks and a 2nd rounder for Phil Kessel. I can't complain about the trade, seeing as how Phil Kessel is the most skilled player the Leafs have had since...shit, he's the most skilled player the Leafs have ever had, and yes that includes Mats Sundin, Doug Gilmour, Dave Keon, Tim Horton, sorry Wendel Clark faithful, and even Jeff Farkas, and Brandon Convery. And that is not exactly a huge compliment to Kessel. What I can complain about, is Brian Burke's mentality that the team we had was a top 15 or 20 team in the NHL when he completed that deal. Burkey is a smart man, and as much as he tries to convince you, there is no way he makes that deal if he knows his team is finishing in the bottom 3 of the league. If Kessel was worth a Hall or a Seguin, the Bruins would have never let him go, and Burke knows that. My criticism is directed towards Burke's mentality during the trade. The fact that he thought Komisarek, Beauchemin, Wallin, Finger, Grabovski etc... were a good enough team to land us in the playoffs is way out of his character. For example, if the Red Wings, Flames, Capitals, Pens, Habs, Sharks, Blackhawks make that trade, it's a great trade. Because basically, you're giving up a 23rd and 27th overall pick for Phil Kessel. But when you're a potential lottery based team and you make that trade...ouch. So my problem isn't the trade itself, it's Burke's idea that we would make the playoffs and not be giving up a lottery pick.

- Now, as I sip some of this delicious red Kool-Aid, I would like to change my tune and actually compliment Burke for some of the moves he's made recently. Let's start with the Dion Phaneuf trade. As that obnoxious girl from the TV show Friends who always dates Chandler would say, Oh...My...God! Did that just happen? Did we just trade a decent centre, an OK 30-something year old winger, Ian White (no knock there, he was awesome), and a 5 minute per night player; for Dion Phaneuf da-daaaaaa-da-da-da? No way. This is the type of trade where you can only get away with in video games. Like when you start a season in NHL 2010, and think how do I get a 90 rated player? Well let's see if this works? I'll add in this guy who's rated 81, this guy who's rated 79, wow they rated this guy 82, we'll add him. Sent the trade...rejected! Shit! back to the drawing board, I'll put those same 3 players in, only this time I'll add in this amazingly rated 77 player and VOILA! I have Dion Phaneuf da-da-da-daa on the Toronto Maple Leafs in my NHL 2010 season. Not to mention, we also got a PK specialist, yeah I know big deal, but we also got a 6 foot 6 defensive prospect who is only 20 years old and won a Gold Medal with Canada's junior team. If Darryl Sutter isn't fired within the next 2 years because of this trade, than I will apply for a GM job in the NHL.



- As for the Giguere trade. All I had to see on the ticker was Leafs trade Vesa Toskala and Jason Blake for...and it was already a great trade. I would have traded those two for Fulton Reed and Adam Banks from the REAL Mighty Ducks. What I really like about this trade is how Jonas Gustavsson has played since Giggy arrived. In the 6 games he has played since he's 5-1 with a 2.40 GAA, and a .910 Save %. Maybe it's the competition of a goalie breathing down his neck for playing time, or just some helpful advice from his new locker neighbour, whatever it is it has definitely turned around The Monster's play.

- Now that's enough of the Leafs for now. On to my 2nd favorite mediocre team in Toronto, the Blue Jays. Thank you for finally freeing the team of J.P. Retardo. I would like to apologize to anybody that I may or may not have offended with that comment. I had no intentions of indirectly implying that J.P. Ricciardi could be as smart as a reh-tard.

- A special shout out to the Jays for keeping my man Randy Ruiz in the line up. He will do big things this year. This guy can hit the ball, trust me on this one. Biggest surprises this year will be Ruiz, Travis Snider, and Vernon Wells. Yes, I did just say everybody's favorite Blue Jay Vernon Wells, and the only reason why I name him is because with they way he played last season, there is no place to go but up!

- Can Brian Colangelo please forget about his Italian patriotism for 2 seconds and fire Jay Triano so the Raptors can play for a real coach? Seriously, the Raptors can lose by 30 points, and Triano will greet them in the locker room with a box of baked homemade oatmeal chocolate chip cookies. One time a man kicked Jay Triano in the ass, and all Triano did was turn around and ask if the man's foot was ok. Sure, I hate to rag on a guy for being a great guy, but this is sports, and sports are unforgiving. I don't want Johnny Nice Guy coaching a Toronto team. I want a Bobby Knight type of asshole who storms in the locker room after a loss throwing chairs, beating up old ladies, and stealing from children. And while we're at it, can we please get rid of Mr. overrated, Jose Calderon? The only reason why he is loved in Toronto is because this is a hockey city, and he somehow translates into a tough basketball player. Maybe it's because he has longish hair and when he sweats, his hair gets drenched like a hockey player, making him look like somewhat of a Darcy Tucker like warrior. That's my only guess. Jarret jack has been a breath of fresh air at the point guard position this year.

- As for the Toronto Argos and TFC, all I have to say about those two Toronto teams are...

And thank you that is all the time we have left for today! Thank you for reading this installment of my blog. I hope you enjoyed it, and please leave some feedback of what you thought. Also good luck to Georges St. Pierre this weekend as he prepares to defend his welterweight title against England's Dan Hardy!

I Pledge My Allegiance to the Vancouver Canucks

Being a Toronto Maple Leaf fan has been pretty uneventful for the last 4 years. We haven't made the playoffs since the NHL lockout in 2005. We've also lost many of the core players that were the last links we had to the playoffs. Although some of these players have simply diminished in terms of performance like Darcy Tucker, others I think we were just too spoiled with - see Brian McCabe. I think Florida is pretty happy we booed him out of town. The icing on the cake: the day we lost our captain Mats Sundin for absolutely NOTHING (!!!) Not to mention trading away the goalie of our future in Tuuka Rask. I'm still wondering if Boston is going to return a personal favour too John Ferguson Jr. for that gaffe. Our only blue chip prospect Jiri Tlusty looks like he belongs in the AHL since that's the only platform upon which he can succeed. Literally, the only optimism we have right now is that we have a great coach and when was the last time you can recall a team's coach being their most valuable player?

To sum it up - things have gotten pretty boring in Leaf land. I haven't been excited for the NHL playoffs in years, and never mind the fact that we haven't actually won the Cup since 1967. The other day I was scrolling the Internet and I came across a link to a website for Toronto Maple Leaf playoff tickets!!! That's got to be a joke right? It must be a scam. Or are they expecting a 5 year fixed payment plan? Immediately I thought of the famous Jim Mora rant. PLAYOFFS?For those of you scratching your head on Jim Mora, watch the video and it'll sum up my reactions to the Toronto Maple Leaf playoff tickets link.

So here's what I did - and remember by no means am I permanently jumping Maple leaf ship - I am simply following my money and it lead me to the Vancouver Canucks. In December when the Vancouver Canucks were going through a few stumbling blocks - Roberto Luongo was injured, no Mats Sundin, and average production from the Sedin's; I was looking for a good valued team to bet on to win the Stanley Cup when i came across an interesting statistic - the Canucks were a top 5 team WITH Luongo in the net, yet were struggling to make the playoffs without him. Seeing as how his injury wasn't for the entire season, and he was only weeks away from returning, I made a couple of $50 bets on the Canucks to win the Stanley Cup, with a payout being near $3000. I figured when Luongo returned they would form back to the team that started the season as a Stanley Cup contender. I didn't expect them to sign Mats Sundin weeks after I made the bet!

So no, I haven't jumped Maple Leaf ship forever but for the moment I have jumped right into the driver seat for the Vancouver Canuck Stanley Cup bandwagon and I will be picking up passengers at all stops along the way. When I now refer to my team as "we", know that I am referring to the beloved Canucks. I also must admit to having sentimental reasons to cheer for them as I have followed Mats Sundins career for quite some time now and he is one of my top players. The Canucks also have some amazing fans. I must admit, back when they were making playoff runs via the Bertuzzi/Naslund circa, and the Leafs were making our own playoff runs, I used to watch Vancouver games in envy as their team would come out to the ever amazing intro of 'The Streets Have No Name' by U2, and every fan in the building would wave a white towel in the air to tribute their franchise. (fast forward to 1:32 of the video to see what I'm talking about)

Some would call them gimmicks to connect fan energy to the game - but they work which is something Toronto Maple Leaf fans would know nothing about as it would be way too difficult to type on your blackberry while waving a towel and not to mention the noise of a hit tune would be to distracting while trying to entertain business clients.

So here's to one Leaf fan pledging his allegiance to the Vancouver Canucks for the 2009 NHL playoffs. I will be watching their games and cheering as if it were the Maple Leafs playing like I did last night when the Canucks won game 1 over the Blues 2-1! I had the Tiger Woods fist pump accompanied by a roaring YEAHHHHHHH going for every Vancouver goal. So don't be shy Toronto and support a fellow Canadian city that shares a Stanley Cup passion with Toronto, and be happy that Ottawa didn't make the playoffs either, and god knows we can't cheer for Montreal...