Posts Tagged ‘mixed martial arts’

Renato Babalu Sobral defeated Bobby Southworth by TKO to become Strikeforce light heavyweight champion in the co-main event of the promotions \’Destruction\’ card on Friday night. Despite leaving with the belt around his waist, it wasn\’t a highlight reel worthy finish.

A -350 wagering favorite despite his challenger status, Sobral was expected to use his world class Brazilian Jiu Jitsu skills and vast experience against superior competition to dominate the tough but limited Southworth. It didnt happen that way, as Southworth easily got the better of things in the first round. Southworth looks to use his strength and conditioning to control his opponent en route to a decision victory. While the result makes him something of a MMA equivalent to boxing\’s John Ruiz, it does afford him the best chance of victory.

The first round displayed Southworth\’s style in microcosm, with much of the frame spent pushing Babalu up against the cage or on the ground inside his guard not really doing much. Sobral had one effective strike the entire round–during a clinch against the cage wall the challenger rocked Southworth with a hard elbow strike that not only busted his nose but opened a huge cut over his right eye.

Upon seeing the gusher of blood Referee John McCarthy brought the ringside physician over to take a look. As Southworth\’s corner futilely worked on the gaping wound during the break the doctor once again took a look and better realizing the severity and placement of the cut recommended to McCarthy that the fight be stopped. The veteran official complied, awarding Sobral the TKO victory and the championship belt.

The other half of the co-main event was decided in much more decisive fashion as Scott Smith knocked out well traveled veteran Terry Martin in a mere :24 seconds. Unfortunately, Martin didn\’t adequately close the distance against a fighter dubbed \’Hands of Steel\’ and was caught with a perfectly placed punch that knocked him out cold.

In the semifinal event, Duane \’Bang\’ Ludwig defeated Yves Edwards by unanimous decision in a very closely contested bout. Edwards was originally slated to face lightweight champion Josh Thomson until a toe injury necessitated his withdrawal.

Earlier in the evening, Kim Couture made short work of overmatched Lina Kvokov as she TKOd her foe in 1:44 of the first round. Couture, the wife of UFC legend Randy Couture, gained even more notoriety for the courage she displayed in her professional debut last June. She had a much easier time here\”despite the fact that both fighters entered with 0-1 records Couture was significantly more polished as she put Kvokov on the defensive from the outset with her sharp punching combinations. She recovered momentarily and survived the initial onslaught. The reprieve was only temporary, however, as Couture launched another barrage of punches prompting the referee to step in and wave off the non-competitive affair.

Ross Everett is a freelance sports writer who has written on sports betting and how to successfully bet on NFL football. He has appeared on TV and radio talking about boxing, hockey and NFL pointspreads. He lives in Las Vegas with three Jack Russell Terriers and a wombat.

In our fitness-crazed society, people are always looking for the latest fad that will help them lose weight, gain muscle, and look good. Nowadays, if you go to a high-end fitness gym, you will often find a plethora of activites that will get you in shape including rock-climbing, hot yoga, as well as more standard fare as swimming and spinning classes.

Occasionally, these gyms will hold Brazilian Jiu Jitsu classes as another option for conditioning. But what are the benefits that separate Brazilian Jiu Jitsu (BJJ) from other fitness activities.

1. Brazilian Jiu Jitsu focuses on multi-directional movements. While gym exercises generally work 1-2 muscle groups in a single range of motion, BJJ focuses on being able to use your muscles in a variety of planes of motion.
2. Brazilian Jiu Jitsu concentrates on functional fitness. The nature of the sport of BJJ will exercise both your heart and muscle groups since both are important aspects of BJJ success. You will not get overly bulky like a bodybuilder nor will you be stick-skinny like a marathon runner.
3. Brazilian Jiu Jitsu increases flexibility especially in the legs and core. Submission holds such as Triangle Chokes require your legs to be flexible and over time, you will develop increased flexibility. BJJ practitioners will be able to increase their core flexibility just through working on basic Jiu Jitsu positions such as the guard.
4. You will learn effective self-defense and martial arts. Brazilian Jiu Jitsu is a fundamental aspects of current Mixed Martial Arts so you can rest assured that you are learning what works.

Due to these great benefits, gym members can expect to see more and more Brazilian Jiu Jitsu classes being added onto the schedules of their workout center. If you are looking for a different kind of workout, definitely give it a try. If you are a gym owner, you should definitely try to get a qualified bjj instructor into your school as you can bring in some new clientele.

Adam Delbrugge played college football and currently runs a Baltimore BJJ gym.