Tim Sylvia vs World's Strongest Man, April 23, 2010

You can't make this stuff up. Former UFC Heavyweight Champion Tim Sylvia, after a lot of drama following the "I got KOed by a crazy old boxer in his MMA debut" fiasco, has been signed to scrap with Mariusz Pudzianowski, 5-time World's Strongest Man Champion, in Boston on April 23rd at the DCU Center.

And there's more! Not only that, the fight is being promoted by Moosin, a Korean company, through a guy named Corey Fischer and Eric Esch, better known as the superheavyweight boxer, Butterbean.

Somewhere in this big circus of name-dropping, there is going to be an enormous fight between two enormous fellows. There's not many more details about anything else, but to be honest, I can't imagine there being much more that could be added.

The Boston Herald

Middle Easy

Movie Review: Bodyguards and Assassins

Shi Yue Wei Cheng

“Bodyguards and Assassins”

Hong Kong, 2009

Genre: Historical

132 minutes

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1403130/

When the revolutionary Dr. Sun Yat Sen plans a return to Hong Kong, his supporters find themselves in the midst of a life-and-death struggle to protect the one man who can save China.

Unlike most martial arts films, “Bodyguards and Assassins” lacks a clear hero for the audience to identify with. The plot revolves around a group of Chinese revolutionaries working at a newspaper press, including the businessman owner and his son, the president of the press, the owner’s rickshaw driver, and a host of other colorful characters from around the city. It seems like this band of heroes is meant to symbolize the necessity of unity among all the social levels of Chinese culture, but as a film, it makes it difficult to follow a single storyline. There are numerous subplots revolving around a rickshaw driver’s love interest, a daughter seeking revenge for her father’s murder, a police officer’s strained relationship with his estranged wife, and, of course, the plans to escort and protect Dr. Sun from the government’s team of ninja assassins (no, seriously, Chinese ninjas).

Donnie Yen, the film’s big martial arts star, plays the aforementioned cop, who begins the film by working for the local government, doing odd jobs for money to spend on wine and gambling. His wife left him for the businessman with his daughter, but goes back to him and asks him to help protect Dr. Sun. He agrees after meeting his child for the first time, and lends a critical hand in protecting the escort through the streets of Hong Kong. He eventually is hunted down by one of the top assassins working for the government, played by MMA superstar Cung Le, the second most recognizable face in the movie. Their fight scene is the best in the film, and is probably the biggest draw for Americans looking for the movie.

To call this movie a “Kung Fu Film” would be a bit of a misnomer. Really, it’s more like a historical film that happens to use martial arts and wire-fu in the fight scenes. The fights are choreographed and shot well, complemented nicely by the orchestral rock music score. Unfortunately, due to the lack of a clear hero, there isn’t much of a final showdown with the big bad boss man, resulting in a somewhat anti-climactic ending. Even with the cast of lesser heroes, tragedy abounds through the film, removing any chance of catharsis that could have been used to relieve the audience’s tension. In the end, there isn’t really a personal resolution to the film. As a Chinese-American, I do feel a small swell of pride as Dr. Sun’s mission is accomplished, but it may be a little much to ask of people who don’t have the cultural connection to the historical events portrayed in the film. Still, if you’re just watching it for the “good parts,” it’s still a movie worth picking up.

Bad Boy of Sumo Retires, is MMA Next?

Asashoryu, the resident bad boy of the sumo world, announced his retirement from Japan's national sport on Thursday. This announcement comes right on the heels of a convincing victory at the January grand tournament, his 25th championship. The retirement follows allegations of a drunken brawl during a night on the town in Tokyo.

Rumors have surfaced that the sumo-tori is being courted by some of the prominent Japanese MMA organizations, where he would be a huge draw due to his reputation both in and out of competition. I can't help feel like it would be another "freak-show" attraction if he did enter MMA competition, similar to the use of other celebrities and athletes such as Jose Canseco and Herschel Walker. Still, at only 29 years old, Asashoryu is still very young for a fighter, and could feasibly become a legitimate competitor if he trains for it. As a big fan of the wrestler, I must admit that I've always hoped he would step into the cage eventually.

What would he need to make it? Cardio would be the first thing to work on. Other sumo-tori who tried MMA (Chad "Akebono" Rowan, Emmanuel Yarborough, and others) quickly found themselves gassed after the first few minutes of stalking down their opponents. This is because sumo matches are short bouts of explosive energy, not the long wars that MMA matches tend to be. If Asashoryu can bring his endurance up to speed, he'll at least have gotten himself a real chance at victory, should he decide to give the sport a shot.

Strikeforce: Diaz vs. Zaromskis Review

Herschel Walker, athletic Messiah of the United States, looked amazing in his debut against his mediocre opponent, Greg Nagy. I'm not sure if Nagy/Nudge/Nooge was supposed to be a tomato can to make Walker look good, but whatever the case, Walker definitely demonstrated a well-rounded set of skills in the cage. It remains to be seen, however, if he can put these skills to use against an opponent of higher caliber.

An absolutely dominating victory for Cris Cyborg over Marloes Coenen. Coenen showed tremendous heart throughout the match, but just couldn't handle the pressure and strength from the Brazilian brawler. Cyborg shucked off all the attempted takedowns, submissions, and power punches that Coenen threw at her, and marched forward in typical and terrifying Chute Boxe fashion.

I'm not sure how he did it, but Nick Diaz put on another display of his awkward, yet frighteningly effective, boxing skills against Marius Zaromskis. After brutalizing the Lithuanian's leg early in the fight with knees, Nick went to work on the head with an onslaught of punches from all angles. Marius had Diaz in trouble a couple times with hard punches of his own, but just couldn't hold him down in the end.

Wishful Martial Artists

Inspired by a thread on Bullshido, I created this quick infographic to help categorize martial artists according to desire to fight, desired visibility, and fighting ability.

It's not perfect, obviously, and nothing is this cut and dried. Still, I think it should be useful for a quick reference guide to some of the more "eccentric" martial artists we come across.

Even the Baddest Man on the Planet Can Joke Around

A clip from M-1 Global's tour bus, where Fedor and Gegard seem to get around like good friends. Good friends who will gladly put ice down each other's pants for a quick laugh.

Martial Arts Quotes

Here's a small sampling of my favorite martial arts quotes. Feel free to share some that have had an effect on your life!

"We are all one." - Genki Sudo

"The best part of falling is getting back up again." -David Belle

"Persistence is the twin sister of excellence.
One is a matter of quality; the other a matter of time."

"Don't ask for it; go win it on your own. Do that and you'll succeed."

"Use what talents you possess; the woods would be very silent if no birds sang except for those that sang best."

"There is no superiority or inferiority of style, only the distinctions between the practitioners."

"Every boxer fights to his own music, it provides him with the rhythm for his footwork."

"One hundred victories in one hundred battles is not the most skillful. Seizing the enemy without fighting is the most skillful." -Sun Tzu

"Control yourself, let others do what they will.
This does not mean you are weak.
Control your heart, obey the principles of life.
This does not mean others are stronger." -Southern Dragon Style Motto

"The world is not beautiful; therefore, it is." -Kino no Tabi

"Whatever you do, just don't get mad at yourself. Because then you're fighting two people; your opponent and yourself." -Darren

"An ounce of behavior is worth a pound of words." -Sanford Meisner

"You know it's all right to be wrong, but it's not all right not to try." -Sanford Meisner

"Don’t waste your time on jealousy; sometimes you’re ahead, sometimes you’re behind…the race is long, and in the end, it’s only with yourself." -Baz Luhrmann

"Extraordinary claims require extraordinary proof." -Marcello Truzzi

"Etre fort pour être utile." -Georges Hébert ("To be strong in order to be useful.")

"A lie is a lie even if everyone believes it. The truth is the truth even if nobody believes it." -David Stevens

"I am a shark. The ground is my ocean, and most people don't even know how to swim." -Rickson Gracie

"Years ago we hardly had anything to eat. Now I earn more money and I see every opponent as a man that tries to put me back to that poorer period. That man has to be eliminated." -Fedor Emelianenko

"Two hundred pounds is always two hundred pounds." -Henry Rollins