Right Reason

Jack Slack on the Karate's Holy Trinity

 

 

Andy Hug, Semmy Schilt, and Lyoto Machida. Those are the men Jack Slack calls 'Karate's Holy Trinity', from most to least aggressive in style. As usual, Mr. Slack is more than worth reading and, as always, Mr. Slack has something to teach in his brief description of each Karateka. For me, Mr. Slack's article was the first time Andy Hug's career was brought to my mind. I've certainly heard of the Kyokushin karateka before, but he never stuck. Not this time:

 

 

 

A final thought, I don't know how many martial artists there are one could call a 'blessing' to watch, but for the second time in the week leading up to Machida's bout tonight with C.B. Dollaway that I've read someone calling it a blessing to be able to behold Machida in the cage. Speaks volumes for the mark has left on mixed martial arts for the decade or so he's been actively competing.  

In Review: UFC 175

 

Photo: John Locher, AP/AP

 

UFC 175 was a decent night of fights. Nothing amazing, but the main event made it worthwhile. The all too familiar hobgoblin of mixed-martial arts judging reared its ugly head when two of the judges gave Russell Doane the nod over Marcus Brimage. Uriah Hall showed exceptional fortitude in being able to fight two-and-a-half rounds with a gruesomely broken toe. The bout between Stefan Struve and Matt Mitrione was sadly cancelled during the pay-per-view broadcast. The two noteworthy events were the two championship bouts, and I shall focus on them here.  

 

Ronda Rousey versus Alexis Davis: Moving onto the short-lived co-main event, it only took Ronda Rousey sixteen seconds to batter Alexis Davis into submission. Rousey’s performance showed that often what separates an alright attack into a sublime one is how the fighter is able to concatenate together a combination of different techniques. Besides the judo throw, at no point was I amazed by each of her techniques understood by themselves, what amazed me was the fluidity with which Rousey combined them all together. A right counter to a knee to the midsection to a judo throw bringing the fight to the ground, where she captured Davis’ head and left arm, where Rousey finished the fight.

 

It’s a shame that Rousey is such a dominant fighter in such a weak division because I can’t say that I’m looking forward to her next bout. Plus, fighters like McMann, who fought and loss to Rousey at UFC 170 probably need more time to face competition and to get better at the game before being a title shot. That McMann was given a title fight after only one appearance in the UFC’s women’s bantamweight division is horrible evidence for the soundness of the contenders there. And then feeding a fighter like McMann, still relatively new to the big show, to the utterly dominant champion doesn’t serve to make that division any stronger. In fact, it only makes it weaker. Big upsets like Renan Barão versus TJ Dillashaw do happen, but match making shouldn’t happen with the hope of a big upset; instead, match making should be made with reasonable expectations for the contender’s possible performance. 

Right now, in the women’s bantamweight division, there simply aren’t any contenders who have a reasonable expectation for defeating Ronda Rousey. We can talk all we want about how Cat Zingano is next in line and how she therefore deserves the next shot, but does she actually have a reasonable chance of even giving Rousey some stirring competition? I doubt it, and that’s why I won’t be looking forwards to that bout. 

I don’t tune in to watch crushing defeats and lasting domination, I tune in to watch competitive fights, and hopefully learn a thing or two in the process. When there is a crushing defeat, it’s really only fulfilling if one of the fighters is able to find a chink in his opponent’s game and use that leverage to get the win. Besides that, crushing defeats tend to be predictable and boring, and I must say the same about Rousey’s bouts. Alas, she just doesn’t have the division to complement her talent and hard work. 

 

 

Chris Weidman versus Lyoto Machida: After his two curious victories over Anderson Silva, the question was: “Could Weidman slay a dragon?” As a diehard Machida fan, I was very much looking forward to this bout. In my mind, Weidman had unquestionably beaten Silva in their previous two bouts, but the second match had a definite asterisk to the victory. It certainly wasn’t a fluke. Weidman had spoken before the bout about how he had trained to counter the kicks which Silva had some success with on their first encounter, and a fighter can fracture an opponent’s leg by properly checking a hard kick, which is one reason why checking kicks isn’t simply a means of defending a kick, but of disabling that weapon. Though not a fluke, it certainly was a bit disappointing, and with Weidman having only eleven professional bouts up to that point, I wanted to see Silva give Weidman some adversity. 

 

That never happened, and so I was looking forward to see Machida give Weidman another test. Was I hoping that Machida would win? Of course. Did I think he would? Nope. Weidman had prove himself to be an amazing fighter up to this point, capable of taking on any challenge before him, and he had what Gegard Mousasi didn’t have against Machida: Top-level wrestling. Top-level wrestling can change the parameters of any fight, and, given that Machida is such a good karateka, keeping the fight standing can be a recipe for disaster. So while I would have liked to see Machida defeat Weidman, the reality was that Weidman had the best likelihood of leaving the cage as the champion. 

The two didn’t disappoint me whatsoever. Though Weidman was able to use pressure and grappling in order to disable Machida’s style, Machida was still dangerous throughout the fight, and Machida was able to test Weidman like no one else previously. Though a 4-1 bout, it was competitive throughout, and left me fully satisfied with both fighters. For all those pointing to an enlightening analysis of the bout, I’ll point you to Jack Slack’s “How Weidman Solved the Machida Riddle.” 

At the end of the night, we can all rest assured knowing that the championship belt belongs to a man who can bring honor to it. Though Weidman won’t be able to please all of his critics, there will always be those who would prefer Anderson Silva in his place. Plus, after that performance, Machida is on the short-list for injury replacement fighters for another chance against Weidman. Moreover, if Machida wins his next couple of fights and if Weidman dominates his next couple of fighters, Weidman versus Machida II could very be in the future.   

Jack Slack Once Again on Lyoto Machida

 

Photo: Jason da Silva, USA TODAY Sports

 

In the wait for UFC 157, Jack Slack once again provides an analysis for why Lyoto Machida has been such a dominant fighter both at middle- and light heavyweight in "Weidman versus Machida: The Illusion of Speed." This time he focuses on how Machida is able to create an illusion of speed by his willingness to create collisions between himself and his opponents:

I was lucky enough to watch Machida compete from the front row when he knocked out Mark Munoz at UFC Fight Night: Manchester last year. Machida had stepped in as a late replacement for an injured Michael Bisping and frankly, the crowd seemed more than happy to see him. That's like being told you're being bought McDonalds and ending up at a steakhouse.

What my companions in press row remarked on more than anything else was Machida's speed. Speed in a fight is really a binary relationship—you are either the faster man or the slower man, by how much rarely matters. But what Machida is so masterful at, and what we will be talking about, is creating the illusion of speed.

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Japanese karate—of which Shotokan is the most popular style—was heavily influenced by Kendo. The idea that one should treat one's hands and feet as swords was taken very seriously, so sparring became about avoiding being touched and diving in to touch first. In karate competition, it often turns into a game of tag, but applying the same principles in regular sparring with people who can box or kickbox will often result in the development of a very unique, elusive style. 

Kendo's focus on getting across the floor quickly, and the fact that many of the university students who helped karate flourish on the Japanese mainland had trained in Kendo, led to the long range, bursting footwork we can spot in karate today. Certainly, karate as it had been practised on Okinawa was a rough style developed from various styles of Chinese martial arts with close in fighting.

Because of this emphasis on not getting hit in modern karate, a greater distance is maintained between the karateka and his opponent (it should be noted that we are not considering Kyokushin variants here). The distance in Japanese is known as the maai or sometimes simply ma. This is easily noticed in Machida's bouts, the distance he maintains is cavernous compared to many other fighters.

Karate in brief, is a game of drawing to counter, or bursting across the floor in one of several methods.

 

Machida is one of my favorite fighters because he doesn't conform to the boxing norm, and instead fully embraces his identity as a kareta. Because of that, some confuse Machida as a back-peddling point fighter, yet he has proven himself to be a fighter who lives and dies by his style, and that's worthy of applause no matter what style it is. Even for someone who doesn't admire karate, Lyoto Machida provides a worthwhile foil for comparing other martial arts like boxing or muay thai because of how often he fails to correspond to the norms of those arts, and yet manages to walk out of the cage victorious. 

Vice Fighland Interviews Yoshizo Machida

 

"The Mentor and the Myth: Yoshizo and Lyoto Machida." A short taste:

Lyoto smiles at my disbelief. I point to the fighter, and ask Yoshizo what advice he’s given his son regarding next week’s Middleweight UFC title bout. Yoshizo laughs. “Just relax. Forget winning and losing. Forget money. His state of mind is better than ever. He used to be worried about the pay, or worried about the travel. But now he is relaxed. That’s when the fear and doubt disappears. When your mind relaxes, your body relaxes, and you can execute the techniques you’ve trained.”

Lyoto concurred. “I no longer think about my opponent. When I enter the Octagon, I am there to complete my techniques. My opponent doesn’t matter. He only provides the canvas.”

In Review: UFC Fight Night 36

 

 

Sadly I was only able to see the last three of the main card fights. I had to make a dash between venues after the first one had technical difficulties, but nevertheless here are my thoughts about UFC Fight Night 36.

 

Silva vs. Sato: Not much to write about here. Erick Silva stopped Takenori Sato fifty-one seconds into the first round. New to the UFC’s, Sato’s performance was, well, pretty horrible. He went for a takedown, got a single leg, and was then beaten either to or into unconsciousness all while still holding that leg without that much of an attempt to stop the punishment Silva was raining down upon him from on high. Overall, it is less of a victory for Silva than a defeat for Sato. There are bouts which, even though the rules necessitate a winner, deserves a loser more than a winer, and Silva v. Sato is one of them for me. 

 

Souza vs. Carmont: Coming into Fight Night 36, Francis Carmont had achieved a notable, if not lackluster, winning streak. The Tristar Gym fighter had been able to use his superior ground game to win a victory in UFC 165 against Costas Philippou, but that victory left many, including myself, hoping for more. Carmont’s test came with the grappling ace, and Brazilian jiu-jitsu world champion Ronaldo Souza  

Carmont failed that test with Souza spending much of the three bouts in a dominant position stuck to Carmont’s back. Although Souza was unable to submit Carmont, he had easily outgrappled the Tristar product to a decision victory. Carmont, who had a 4.5’’ reach advantage, was able to achieve success with his jab. Especially during the second round it looked like Souza was nervous about approaching Carmont, and opening himself up to Carmont’s striking as he tried to close the distance. Nevertheless, Carmont was unable to consistently outstrike Souza, and the amount of time Souza had in a very dominant position on the ground secured Souza a dominant decision. After seeing Carmont be outgrappled by an expert Brazilian jiu-jitsu specialist, all eyes should be on Rory MacDonald’s bout with Demian Maia next Saturday to see if Carmont’s teammate MacDonald will be able to cope with Maia’s excellent ground game. If he cannot, then it’s bad news for Tristar. 

 

Machida vs. Mousasi: Could Mousasi solve the Machida riddle? The answer tonight was a ringing no. There isn’t much more to say than “The Dragon” was able to use his technical skill set to ride five rounds to a dominant decision without so much as a serious threat for Mousasi. One of the most telling things about the fight was that Mousasi wasn’t able to get Machida to on his terms; instead, Machida largely dictated where the fight went, and Mousasi was largely playing Machida’s game for five rounds (which is not the way to solve the Machida Riddle). For those, like me, who love to see Machida in action, it was a wonderful bout. For those who hate Machida’s style, I can completely understand if this bout bored you. As far as talk of a ‘Machica 2.0 Era,’ let’s not talk too quickly, and let’s not forget the Machida 1.0 Era ended as soon as it began. 

 

 

Update Fox Sports put up an interview with Lyoto Machida up on YouTube:

 

 

Jack Slack on the Lyoto Machida Riddle

 

 

Preparing for the upcoming bout between Lyoto Machida and Gegard Mousasi, Vice Fightland's Jack Slack asks the question everybody should be thinking: "Can Mousasi Solve the Lyoto Machida riddle?" Slack had written an earlier article on the Karateka, arguing that Machida's entire game relied on a mastery of some of the elementals of striking, movement and timing, which often go unnoticed in a fight:

Practical karate. It’s a contradiction in terms, right? Karate is for dojos and kids birthday parties, not the cage. 

Yet time after time UFC middleweight (and former light heavyweight champion) Lyoto Machida stumps or starches his opponents with techniques that in other combat sports are considered simple or just plain wrong.

It's treu that speed, power, combinations, and counter techniques are part of what makes Machida great, but what he really excels at is his use of elements that are harder to identify but if anything deserve moreappreciation. Timing, movement, and feinting are the pillars of Machida’s minimalistic but effective game. And he used all three last week in his quick head-kick victory over Mark Munoz.

 

The question is whether Mousasi has figured out a way of solving that riddle:

It's something that’s spoken about repeatedly on Countdown to UFC segments and in podcasts and articles: the Machida riddle: How do you go about attacking one of the finest counter fighters in the sport?

 

The origin of the Lyoto Machida is fundamentally from Machida's Shotokan Karate roots, and from the game of distance and sudden strikes which traditional Karate styles tend to encourage their fighters to enter into. Every martial arts style will have a certain game which they encourage their fighters to play when fighting - a set of rules they should obey in their technique. When different martial arts compare each other, the games often don't line up, and the reasoning for that is heterogenity in their styles.

For traditional Karate, one of its overarching philosophies is that one strike can be lethal. One hit can be the critical juncture of a fight, and that manifests in the game many traditional Karate styles guide their fighters into: Point fighting. Compared to Muay Thai or boxing matches, Karate point fighting can seem to be a boring and urealistic affair, with fighters being encouraged to maintain what could seem to be an unrealistic amount of distance, and then move in for a single strike. As Joe Rogan has pointed out talking about Machida before, though, is that a mastery of Karate point fighting, when mixed with other styles, can give a fighter the skills to get in and get out which can lead to victory in mixed martial arts fight. Let's not forget that Geroges St-Pierre thanked his Kyokushin karate background for his capability for rushing in on his opponents and thereby securing so many takedowns. So while the traditional Karate philosophy that a single strike is lethal isn't going to win a fight in the UFC, a mastery of point fighting, informed by that philosophy, can lead to a dangerous fighter able to use movement and distance second to none. That is Lyoto Machida.

 

Machida is the manifestation of Karate being matched with other styles. We have someone who has fought in the Karate style since he was a child able to mix Machida is one of my favorite fighters on the UFC's rosters, and I simply love watching his strategy - a game of movement and knowing when to strike - in play.