MMA Blogging Temporarily Suspended

I was 2 for 5 for UFC 167 and one of those was the widely panned decision win of GSP. This has led me to make a tough decision: I'm not going to blog about MMA until I have reliable computer access and know for certain that I can make all of the PPVs. Meanwhile, I will continue to blog about the martial arts in general, in particular my training in Kung Fu, which resume in January.

My UFC 167 Predictions

Now that I finally got not just one, but two jobs, this should be the last event that I miss. Here are my predictions for tonight's card:

Elliot vs. Bagautinov: I know very little about either fighter, so I'm going with my gut. Bagautinov takes this by decision.

Winner: Bagautinov

Koscheck vs. Woodley: After Koscheck got upset by Lawler, it became obvious that he will never get a title shot again. Nonetheless, I see him knocking out Woodley with an overhand right en route to finishing out a decent UFC career.

Winner: Koscheck

MacDonald vs. Lawler: As long as MacDonald keeps clear of Lawler's heavy hands and head kicks, he shouldn't have too much trouble in this bout. I see "Ares" getting a TKO finish in Round 2 to earn a title shot.

Winner: MacDonald

Evans vs. Sonnen: Sonnen still has a passion for fighting, whereas Evans' head hasn't been in the game since his decision loss to Jon Jones. I'm giving this one to the "American Gangster" via decision.

Winner: Sonnen

GSP vs. Hendricks: Hendricks is a southpaw version of Koscheck. He has good wrestling and packs a punch, but lacks the technique and finesse of the champion. Whether GSP decides to break Hendrick's orbital bone to ruin his vision or keep him pinned to the mat for five rounds, he is going to keep his belt tonight.

Winner: GSP

Sparring Vs. Fighting

Sparring is probably my favorite aspect of martial arts training.  It's the closest to a real fight that you can experience safely.  That being said, doing it too much can lead to a false sense of security.  Here are some of the key differences between sparring and fighting:

In sparring, your opponent's goal is to get bragging rights at your school or win a shiny medal/trophy.  In a real fight, your opponent's goal is to put you in the hospital or the morgue. 

In sparring, there are rules to ensure the safety of you and your opponent.  Additionally, unless you are doing MMA, certain aspects of fighting (i.e. grappling if you are doing karate) will probably be banned.  In a real fight, there aren't any rules.  There is nothing to keep your opponent from hurling you through a plate-glass window if you miss that jump spinning back kick.

In sparring, it's one-on-one and your opponent isn't armed.  In a real fight, your opponent will probably have friends who would consider a lopsided beatdown a male bonding experience.  Additionally, he may relish the opportunity to try out his new baseball bat, switchblade, or .45 caliber (bang!). 

In sparring, it's usually light contact if there is a significant size/age difference between you and your opponent or if it's a mixed gender contest.  In a real fight, that 300-pound musclehead is throwing that haymaker at your 150-pound body at full force.  That teenager might see little kids and elderly people as soccer balls with arms and legs.  If you are a young woman, that not-so-romantic date who is pinning your wrists above your head does not know the meaning of "no", much less "light contact." 

In other words, sparring is a good overall test of your technique and tenacity, but it won't completely prepare you for a real fight.  For those life-threatening situations, you will need to do combatives drills, especially ones that deal with multiple opponents and armed assailants.  Will they get boring after a while?  Yes.  Doing the same thing over and over again always gets dull.  But repetition will grind them into your muscle memory so that, if you are attacked, you can defend yourself on instinct.  That way, you won't be totally screwed if you find out that you brought your fists to a gun fight.