sports-break.com

Last Saturday Floyd Mayweather added to his remarkable unblemished record of 400,000 wins and zero losses (Ok, maybe I'm exaggerating a tad, but in all honesty he started fighting in 1996 and hasn't lost in 15 years.).  The story of the night wasn't Mayweather getting his 42nd career victory over a great, young fighter, it was how he went about doing it.

---

---

In the fourth round, Victor Ortiz, the WBC Welterweight Champion blatantly head butted the boxing great.  Referee Jose Cortez took a point from the champion before instructing them to fight again, turning his head to make sure the clock was ticking down the seconds. At the same time, Ortiz leaned in to tap gloves with Mayweather per boxing custom and then give him a hug.  Mayweather quickly landed a left hook that looked to stun his opponent and then a straight right to put him out.

The part that seems to be an issue is with Mayweather taking advantage of the glove tap and hug to finish the fight.  We all know every sport has "unwritten rules", but if you break these rules are you a cheater or just someone that takes advantage of how the real rules were laid out?  

Personally speaking,  I see no fault in what he did to get the KO.  While it might not be what the fans wanted to see,  he was paid to win a fight, and he did.

Then on top of that, he almost got into a fight with 80 year old Larry Merchant, who told Mayweather, “If I were 50 years younger I’d kick your ass!”… but this is a story for another time.

By: Coach Joe

 

 

Ok, I know it’s only September, but the MMA world is getting us prepared for a big time Heavyweight Fight on December 30^th.  On a rare Friday Night Pay-Per-View fight card, we get to see former Strikeforce Heavyweight Champion Alistair Overeem take on Former UFC Heavyweight Champ Brock Lesnar.   Overeem hasn’t lost a fight since 2007,  and brings unique world class kickboxing into the Octagon.   

Lesnar has been out for a year with his second battle with diverticulitis,  and is looking to get another title shot.  He lost his last fight to current heavyweight champion Cain Velazquez by TKO due to heavy ground-and-pound.  He’s stated he’s 100% now and ready to fight. 

Looking at the tale of the tape:

 

                            Lesnar                                   Overeem

Height:                 6’3”                                        6’5”

Weight:               265                                         260

Reach:                 81”                                          81.5”

 

Although these Goliaths appear to be evenly matched in size, each fighter has their own strengths over the other opponent. While Lesnar has proven his ground game is a huge advantage over his opponents with his history of being a Division I-A Wrestling Champion, Overeem is a Kick boxing world champion with a great standing game advantage. It is clear that not only will this be a great fight, but both opponents will need to bring a great fight plan to the octagon to triumph.

By: Coach Joe

When the UFC started it's first tournament in 1993; The UFC 1 winner, Royce Gracie, fought 3 fights in one night.  The UFC abandoned the one-night tournament bouts in 2000 for good. 

---

---

With all the speciality training for fights these days, the closest we'll get to ever seeing this again is for upcoming UFC 132 and UFC 133.   At UFC 132, 2 weeks ago, Tito Ortiz defeated top contender, Ryan Bader in less than 2 minutes.  Only 5 weeks after that fight, he'll take on another Top Contender in Rashad Evans.  

It's a different UFC than it was when Otriz got his start at UFC 13 in 1997, but 'The Huntington Beach Bad Boy" is still showing that he has what it takes to be the best.  Less than 20 days ago, we thought Ortiz was about to retire, and now people are talking like he could get a title shot if he defeats Evans.  While I wouldn't go that far, I think with upset win against 'Sugar' Rashad Evans, it does set him up with a "Number One Contender" match. 

If Ortiz should win, and I'm not saying that he will, I think putting him against someone with the likes of Lyoto Machida or Shogun Rua would make for a good Number 1 contender match.

In todays UFC, 3 loses in a row likely gets you booted from the organization, but 3 wins in a row against the right opponents gets you a title shot.  If Tito can get 3 wins against someone like Bader, Evans and Rua... He deserves it.

WARNING: THE PICTURES BELOW ARE DISTURBING AND SHOULDN'T BE VIEWED IF YOU ARE EASILY GROSSED OUT.

---

Mixed Martial Arts has been controversial since it started years ago.  It's been referred to as organized street fighting and a deadly combat sport since it's beginning.  I've always disagreed, stating the fact that so few people have actually died from sanctioned MMA events that you can count them on one hand.  While the sport is violent, bloody and all around scary for someone who's never seen fighting, it is riddled with rules and safety measures to keep it's fights safe.

Saying this, I want to point out two of the worst "Before/After" pictures I've seen in recent memory.  The first one is from UFC 129 which featured a bout between Champion Jose Aldo and Mark Hominick.  Hominick was allowed to fight all 5 rounds (25 minutes) even though the swollen hematoma on his head grew and grew like Jack's Giant Beanstalk.  By the end of the fight, I was afraid it would burst open.

---

       

---

Next, in a fight for Number One contendership in the Heavyweight Division,  heavy-handed Shane Carwin took a beating like I've not seen in awhile.  For three rounds (15 minutes) Junior Dos Santos used Carwin's face as a punching bag, and Carwin seemed to take the punishment.  After this fight Shane Carwin was sent to the ER for a broken nose, possible fractured orbital bone, and multiple lacerations to his face.  This might top my list of worst "before/after" shots I've ever seen.  While I'm surprised Referee Herb Dean didn't stop the fight early on, Carwin continued to battle throughout the entire fight.  This man has no quit in him.

---

    

On May 25th, something happened that could possibly change MLB rules forever.  The Rule change being asked for is a "Force Slide at home" rule.  This means, runners coming home would be forced to slide into home as opposed to the choice of attempting to knock the ball loose from the catcher.  Why the sudden uproar for the rule change? 

2010 Rookie of the Year, Buster Posey, was run over at home plate by Scott Cousins.  He wasn't just run over and then got up and called it a day.  He laid in a heap on the ground with a broken femur and 3 torn ligaments.  Watch the video below and tell me if you think this was a cheap shot or if it was a hard-nose play that won the game.

---

---

Date: September 26th, 2000
Location: Sydney, Austrailia. 

A wrestler that had never won a NCAA championship or even placed in an International tournament had somehow won his way into the finals of the Super Heavyweight Division in Olympics. This wrestler was a pudgy, average-looking American, that no one in the USA had ever really heard of. The American was about to face off with a Russian wrestler that had dominated the sport for over a decade. Alexander Karelin had never lost an International match, he was undefeated in ALL of his matches for the last 13 years, and hadn't yielded a point in over 6 years. To say there was little hope for the American was a HUGE understatement.

After only 6 minutes of wrestling Rulon Gardner became an American Hero. He had defeated the Russian Giant by a score of 1 to 0. As a lifetime wrestler myself, I looked up to him and celebrated in awe as he did something that so few people thought he could do

---

 

---

This sounds like a great story, and it would be only if it had stopped here. Gardner continued wrestling and in the 2004 Olympics he won bronze, and then his life turned for the worst. By 2007, Rulon had ballooned from the once pudgy wrestler at 264 lbs to an astounding 474 lbs.

---

---

Again Rulon looked to be against the odds, this time against himself and to try to get back to a healthy weight. He was accepted to join the hit NBC TV show "The Biggest Loser".  For 17 weeks, He was an almost unstoppable force. He had lost 173 lbs to get back to 301 lbs. He was someone, like me, that had been in great condition, let himself go, and now was working hard to get back into shape.  That is when he did something that I hated to see a "Hero" do; he walked out on the show in the middle of the season. He cited "Personal Issues" as reason for leaving. When the show had its finale 5 weeks later, Rulon was the only contestant that didn't show up.

I grew up playing sports from the age of 5 until I was well into my teenage years, I wrestled most recently at the age of 22, and currently I coach young wrestlers. Seeing someone that I looked up to, in the sport that I love just walk away and quit really bothers me. I don't want the kids that I coach to think it's ok to quit. We are taught from day one that quitting is a bad thing, and from what we see from Rulon Gardner, the American Hero, is that he is a quitter.

I don't know if any of you 'Breakers' out there watched Pro-Wrestling growing up, but on Friday, May 20th, the Sports Entertainment world lost a Legend in the World of Wrestling.
.
.

---

"Macho Man" Randy Savage captivated the world the world with his High Flying ways.  At 6'2" and 240 lbs of all muscle, he was a massive man, and he wasn't afraid to show that he could fly across a ring landing 'Flying Elbows" like no one had ever seen.  He was fearless.  The 10-time Wrestling World Champion was as much a part of my childhood as anyone on Television. 

---

---

Wether you like wrestling or not,  wether you like sports or not.  Randy "Macho Man" Savage played a huge roll on pop culture in the 80's and 90's.  He will be missed.   In honor of the Macho Man.  I ask everyone to "Snap into a Slim Jim.... Oooh Yeah!"

The Warrior Dash is upon us here in Georgia. In 5 days, I will be participating in my second Warrior Dash in Mountain City, Ga.  This is a 5k run with 10-15 obstacles.   This year seems to have added some obstacles. 

1) Slithering Swamp
2) Road Rage
3) Barracade Breakdown
4) Great Warrior Wall
5) Tire Tread
6) Cargo Climb
7) Chaotic Crossover
8) Arachnaphobia
9) Blackout
10) Petrifying Plunge
11) Muddy Mayhem
12) Menacing Mindfield
13) Warrior Roast

Pictures of the Dash to come next week.

Over the past months, since I started getting back into "shape", I've had a number of people jokingly ask if I was preparing for my MMA debut.  This got me to thinking, Do you think you could be competitive in a MMA fight.  Some people have what it takes; while others do not.  Some people look the part; while others do not.

Prime example: 
                                                    


If you ran into "Big Country" Roy Nelson on the streets, would you think he was a top-tier MMA fighter, and Jiu-Jitsu Blackbelt?  But he can take a punch better than most anyone in the sport and keep on ticking. 

How about this guy:
                                                        

We saw him get BEATEN for 22 minutes and then submit a fighter from his back.  Sherdog has him listed as Number 2 Pound for Pound best fighter in the world.

I'm not asking if you think you can hang in there with a fight against these athletes,  but what driving forces would help you be a MMA fighter? 

---

Professional sports is more than just kid games that adults do.  It's a multi-billion dollar industry, and the athletes only get a proportion of the cash.  Let's look at the top paid athletes in certain sports:

Baseball - Alex Rodriguez    - $32,000,000 (2011 Salary)
Boxing - Manny Pacquiao     - $32,000,000 (2010 Fight Purse (2 fights))
Auto Racing - Kimi Raikkonen-$26,333,333 (2010 Race Winnings + 12.7M from F1)
NBA - Kobe Bryant                   - $24,800,000 (10-11 Salary)
Soccer - Cristiano Ronaldo   - $19,500,000 (10-11 Salary)
Jockey - Ramon Dominguez -$17,411,880 (2010 Earnings)
Football - Peyton Manning     - $15,800,00 (2010 Salary)
Tennis - Rafael Nadal            - $10,171,998 (2010 Prize Money)
Hockey - 2 tied                         - $10,000,000 (2010 Salary, Lacavalier and Luongo)
Poker - Jonathan Duhemal   - $9,443,519 (Tournament winnings)
Golf (Men) - Luke Donald       - $5,867,601 (Tournament winnings)
MMA - Brock Lesnar                - $5,300,000 (Fight Purse, PPV revenue sharing)
Golf (Women - Kim Clijsters - $5,035,060 (Tournament winnings)

That's 13 different sports with athletes making $5,000,000 or more a year.  Nine sports have athletes making $10,000,000 or more.  Are they over paid?  Should some make more than others?  Take note, Brock Lesnar is in one of the most violent sports around, and is making almost half as much as a poker player.   

I'd like to finish this entry with a line from a classic (changed up a bit for blogging purposes) "Mama, don't let your babies grow up to be Cowboys; let them be Jockey's or Racers or such."