THE DANA WHITE MULTIVERSE
I remember as a kid dreaming that the NWA'S Ric Flair would "wrestle" the AWA's Rick Martel for the right to take on the WWF's Hulk Hogan. This was a fantasy matchup old school wrestling geeks could only imagine in our nerdy brains as these organizations didn't even acknowledge each other's existence.
I remember thinking that the Pride guys would smash the UFC guys, hypothetically of course, because the big two didn't cross promote. Sure, there was a light at the end of the tunnel when the "Iceman" jumped into the Pride GP back in the day, but it was just a taste.
So if you would have told me just a few years ago that one day we'd have a heavyweight fight between a former UFC,NCAA and WWE champion and a former K1, Strikeforce and Dream champ, while both were still credible and viable contenders, my head would have exploded.
Friday’s brief collision of ferocity between Alistair Overeem and Brock Lesnar was truly a dream matchup on paper. It was goliath versus goliath, striker versus grappler, credentials versus credentials. Two men that struck fear in the hearts of many, but whose existence in separate but parallel universes has made their eventual meeting an event of cosmic proportions.
As they swirled toward each other in the octogan, massive limbs darting about, gigantic bodies finally smashing together, it quickly became evident that this would not be a give and take. Alistair Overeem did not simply catch Brock Lesnar with a good shot. He did not gradually overwhelm Brock. Overeem marched right through the Lesnar universe and absorbed the former champ. It was like watching the Incredible Hulk running through a brick wall. The Reem showed no regard for Brock’s strikes OR his wrestling. So much so that Overeem eventually stopped punching his way in, and simply walked forward. He just stepped right into Brock’s range, grabbed a hold of him and kneed him in the body. From the first engagement, Overeem knew Brock couldn’t hurt him. Alistair sensed the despair that Lesnar felt with every strike his surgically ravaged insides endured. And with a hard kick to the liver, it was over, and Brock was banished forever.
Ah, but with the creation of Dana White’s multiverse, we couldn’t have expected all these separate worlds to co-exist. When such forces meet, only one can hope to survive, larger, stronger, and more powerful than before.
DIAZ STIFLES CERRONE
Nate Diaz looked amazing in his dismantaling of Takanori Gomi. The same Gomi who has lost 5 of his last 10 fights, losing 4 of those by submission. In Donald Cerrone, Diaz was supposed to be shown a lesson by a superior striker. “Cowboy” was a tough as nails Muay Thai fighter with excellent submissions and a six fight winning streak who was pissed off enough at the perpetually angry Diaz to knock the chip of Nick’s little brother’s shoulder with a well placed shin. But then again…
Diaz, like his older but just as angry brother, has found success with an interesting, non-committed boxing style. Diaz’s punches are not thrown at full power. He does not put his entire body behind his shots, choosing simply to roll his shoulders through a symphony of precise punches designed to tenderize his opponent’s face. This is not to say the punches don’t come in hard, as his considerable reach and upper body technique makes every shot count in the context of his overall performance. It is a style that doesn’t give up body positioning for the sake of power. He stays in balance throughout, rarely exposing himself to a counter and keeping a close look on any opportunity to amp up the fire power when he sees his opponent is in defensive mode. Nick and Nate don’t close their eyes and swing from the hip like so many MMA fighters do, they simply keep punching, leaving their adversaries to wonder “ok, when is it my turn to hit him back?”
Cerrone’s lack of head movement can certainly be blamed for some of the abuse he took against Diaz, but it’s Nate’s relaxed, technical style and the fact that Cowboy is not known for his wrestling (and wasn’t looking for a takedown) that made Nate look so unstoppable. Even while being dropped numerous times by Cerrone’s leg kicks and sweeps, Diaz stayed composed. He stayed locked in and focused. He may get angry before fights and he may talk smack in the cage, but make no mistake, when he’s across from his opponent, Diaz can see his target clear as day, and won’t be lured into a game of who hits harder. I guess I’ll just have to learn to like this kid.
