Big MMA Weekend!
Image from Sherdog
Not only is Kimbo fighting James Thompson this weekend on primetime (CBS May 31 at 9-11 p.m. ET/PT) but Jens Pulver is fighting Urijah Faber at WEC 34 on June 1st.
Kimbo vs. Thompson
Thompson has his work cut out for him as Kimbo is steadily improving under the watchful eye of Bas Rutten. I remember watching Thompson, who has tons of energy and was very hyper in the ring, lose via a quick knockout to Fedor’s brother Aleksander, but since then he has gone on to a solid 14-8-0 record. Kimbo, at 2-0, is fighting to establish his legitimacy in the heavyweight ranks and at the same time, progressively picking his opponents as his skills develop. Kimbo has gone from a homeless guy, to youtube sensation to living his dreams. I think this fight is not only a great opportunity for both fighters, but also the sport of MMA. Being on prime time tv will continue to increase the exposure of a great sport.
Here is a cool story on Kimbo for ESPN the Magazine: http://sports.espn.go.com/espnmag/story?id=3405201
Faber vs. Pulver
Faber, 20-1-0, is explosive, young and hungry. This is already his 5th title defense of the WEC Featherweight title. Jens is in need of a win and would love to get a title again. This will, without a doubt, be a quick, fast-paced fight – so don’t blink! Watch on June 1st on Versus.
Special Note: At the 1:20 mark in the video, Jens talks about training his GRIP and how he hits harder than ever (notice the KB’s in the background).
Check out this trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n-ZyZvo-N78
Here is another video of Jens doing thick rope pull-ups: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YWpPwCCdAMo&feature=related
Leave your predictions in the comments section!
Check out the pic of Kimbo above throwing the medicine ball around, check this out for more sick abdominal training exercises for athletes.
Smitty
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Tags: athletes, combat, fighting, how to improve grip strength, kimbo, mma, slice, versus, wec
May 30th, 2008 at 12:41 pm
Kimbo – KO – 1st Round
Faber – KO – 1st Round
Smitty
May 30th, 2008 at 6:18 pm
Slice – 1st Round KO
Faber – Early KO
In two minds on the Faber vs Pulver match-up. I think Faber KO but I hope Pulver KO. Jens is a funny dude. He should audition for a part on ‘My Name is Earl’ 🙂
cheers
May 30th, 2008 at 6:43 pm
I completely agree on both counts!
June 1st, 2008 at 9:58 am
Im not sure how you guys feel about the fights, but last night I had a battle between two things I love, sleep and MMA. I chose MMA and regret it. It was an average card to begin with, with the highlight being the female match. Don’t get me wrong, I am a big MMA fan, but I think, and hope, the WEC night will be much better. Elite XC stopped fights to early (probably not to look like “human cockfighting” as it has been called). If they wanted to avoid that title, they should have put more talent to show off the skill it takes to be an MMA fighter. 2 minutes of fighting in the first 1 hour, 15 minutes, isn’t going to help it go mainstream. Just an opinion though, still a fan!
June 1st, 2008 at 10:08 am
Sorry to double post, but we did try the tennis ball pull-ups/chinups I saw Jens do in his grip training as Smitty mentioned in the article. Interesting variation, it would be nice to mix it in sparingly but in my opinion towel and thick grip chins are more valuable. Thoughts?