Breaking down a fighters skill

[Ari Bolden]

Recently, there were a couple of comments on Aaron's KOTC fight on you tube that I thought were freaking hilarious. Now, it should be pointed out that neither me nor the person making them are completely objective. However, having been in the martial arts for a little while, I wouldn't consider myself a casual observer and I happen to know a fair bit about the art of jiu jitsu.

Here are the person's comments, as they appear:

not bad... but the guy he fought...... don't train mma and only had a couple weeks to get ready....love to see a rematch

From what I remember he was a TKD and JJ guy from Port Alberni correct? So he had a striking background and grappling no? I give the kid credit for stepping in the cage, just like Aaron. this was the first fight for BOTH guys so I don't think that excuse washes. The better guy won that night and perhaps they'll fight in the future?


dude that did not show eather guys talent. my eight yr old kid can transtion to the back and R.N.C..... Aaron was the better man that night for sure......but of all the fights that night.... this is what gets put on youtube.....I hope king of the cage dosn't catch you for posting there fight...lol

North:
Do you train at the same school as Aaron's opponent? If so, I understand why you're standing up for your boy. I disagree it that it didn't show either guys talent. If someone can get your back and get the choke in 36 seconds that means that he was following the right steps and kept the mistakes down to a minimum. There were lots of great fights that night,that is for sure. I am not taking anything away from LeBlanc. Again, it's great that he went in there.

Now, the person first says that the guy isn't a mma guy and that he only had a few weeks of training. Then he replies that it didn't showcase their talent. Then he says an 8 year old can sink in a RNC.

I am pretty sure this guy either trains with Aaron's opponent or is related to him some how. I find his statements so utterly ridiculous. I can also see that he is responding with emotion rather than a skilled observer.

Facts are that Aaron was able to adjust in the fight. He got a takedown and transitioned to the back immediately. If that fight was supposed to showcase skill, didn't Aaron do that? Didn't he show the ability to get the back and get the choke? Didn't it show that the other guy gave up his back and was unable to defend the RNC?

Again, I am not taking anything away from the opponent. It is great that he was willing to step in there. But as a guy who has been on the mat for over 15 years, the comments from North just make me cringe and laugh at the same time.

[Dondo]

those comments have to be from a blood relative, no doubt! training partner perhaps, but it's definitely someone close to him. either way it's a shame that many people cannot be objective when giving their comments on a fight, regardless of the parties involved. i cannot stand matt serra and my favorite welterweight is GSP but even though i hate to admit it, serra punished GSP in their fight and was clearly more focused and prepared to win. then my favorite LHW chuck is completely owned by rampage, and may never beat him. i can admit that too. being objective is terribly painful for some, just don't understand why...

[Herm]

Ari I completely agree with you but I wouldn't take any of these comments seriously. I don't even bother to read the comments on YouTube because most of the people that post on there are just looking for a pissing match, and I think their comments aren't worth your time or even warrent any kind of response.

[Ari Bolden]

Chris:

I know buddy. All of the comments on YouTube have to be approved by me as well. I usually delete stupid shit but sometimes, I like others to have a read and see what's out there.

Don't worry...it doesn't get to me....just wanted to share:)

[Tom Gavrilos]

Dont take this the wrong way guys but people (in general) are stupid creatures:p

But seriously many people who post on there have NO CLUE whats going on. When someone is far superior to another it usually ends quickly. Not all matchups are like UFC where everyone is at this very high skill level.

There will be large gaps in sklll and training regiments + fights often will end fast. That has nothing directly to do with this fight by the way..just one flaw in the way many people look at EVERY fight and compare it to the headline fights they see on TV.

Its like watching Roy Jones box and then going to an exhibition boxing match and critisising a guy that might have suffered a 1st round TKO. This is NOT Roy Jones and the skill level may vary drastically. Understanding this simple fact makes it hard to blame" one guy or the other.

My .02c

[Herm]

I usually delete stupid shit but sometimes, I like others to have a read and see what's out there.


I hear ya, some of what is said on YouTube is good for a laugh, but other times it's guys just fishing for an argument. On a side note, how was the trip to NM?

[Ari Bolden]

New Mexico was great..cold as hell....My parents have a house in the mountains....can't wait to go back in the summer.

I hope Arizona will be warmer when I visit in Jan 2008 (right Tom!!!)

peace

[Dannicus]

YouTube is chalk full of punks. Look at any video that has anything to do with any type of combative sport. There is a guaranteed 3 posts from some guy that thinks he is the world's most dangerous man. And 10 more posts from guys, that AREN'T Ken Shamrock. heh.

Thank God for guys like you who can openly and honestly debate issues without egos.

P.S. Boost sucks, and only stupid people drink it.....errrr what? :)

[Hadaka Jime]

"Getting into a fight online, is like competing in the the Special Olympics. Even if you win, you're still retarded."

....errrr what? well... i agree the comments the guys made on youtube are ignorant and most people think they are the worlds greatest fighters or 1 technique is the best and it will dominate any other technique but the comment i quoted may seem funny to some, but not to me

i know that carlos mencia is a funny guy, and i respect a lot of his comedy (i love his bit about truman calling the emperor and the emperor calling the taliban:p )with him coming from a poor family and all, on a serious note 1 thing i think is not kind is speaking ill of the mentally handicapped

my mother was a teacher for "challenged" students and most of them were severely mentally retarded, and when people joke around and use the word like dan did, it bothers me a lot... my brother is autistic, and i guess if your not around people with challenges you don't understand that handicaps are not funny in any way shape or form, and are usually nice people and do not deserve to be generalized and talked about like that way, it really sickens me that any one would talk about people and use the word retard so lightly, and i am fine with profanity honostley i've heard all the words in the book, and you could have said "even if you win, your still a dumb@$$" and not even had to upset/offend me by that attempt at bieng funny, i hope you all can see where i am coming from and i hope that you have some decency to change your statement or remove it completley

the whole special olympics thing is just disgusting to me, because every year the people who win feel so good for themselfs and have overcome so much more than people with out disabilities and if any one with down syndrome where to win the special olympics and then read your comment that would probably ruin all there happiness and hurt them badly emotionally, because something they worked hard for is just looked down upon by you because i guess that you feel mentally handicaps are not worthy of being appretiated, that's just disgusting to me and thats as low as you can possibley go in my book

and if you choose not to remove it, that's fine by me i guess... but i don't think that is something that I personally want in a forum, and im sure it doesn't look to good for tom and ari either to have people talking like that in a public forum associated with them, but if you do not remove the comment, all power to you, and even though i do not know you in person i will lose a lot of respect for you and mainly disregard the rest of your comments... you may think i am irrational and that you were joking and your probably going to say take a chill pill, or calm down... but i just think it is completley disrespectful for any one to use that word jokingly when on a serious note, it ruins peoples lives every day, and it adds on to that by making fun of every one in that catagory

[Dannicus]

Hey fellas, after taking a nap, and coming back to the forum to read. I realized its time for me to man up and apologize for my comments earlier. As soon as I read Hadaka's post, and saw that he had quoted that specific line, I knew I had screwed up. No excuses, no back peddling. I apologize. To all of you. I have since deleted the comment. Anyone who knows me, knows I have a huge heart. I would never attempt to hurt someone's feelings. EVER! And I have to say, it really bothers me that I didn't see this coming before I posted it. My father always told me, "Be quick to think, but slow to speak" apparently I need to take that lesson to heart again and add on...slow to speak...or type.

Again, guys. I'm truly sorry.

[Ari Bolden]

Dan:

It's nice to see you man up to that.

Now, let's move on gents....

Ari

[Scrub]

Hey fellas, after taking a nap, and coming back to the forum to read. I realized its time for me to man up and apologize for my comments earlier. As soon as I read Hadaka's post, and saw that he had quoted that specific line, I knew I had screwed up. No excuses, no back peddling. I apologize. To all of you. I have since deleted the comment. Anyone who knows me, knows I have a huge heart. I would never attempt to hurt someone's feelings. EVER! And I have to say, it really bothers me that I didn't see this coming before I posted it. My father always told me, "Be quick to think, but slow to speak" apparently I need to take that lesson to heart again and add on...slow to speak...or type.

Again, guys. I'm truly sorry.


You shouldn't have to apologize like you did, Dannicus you were not entirely at fault what you should REALLY apologize for is using such an old, stale joke :p

And @ Hadaka...

You handled this pretty poorly, you expected Dan to have a kinetic link to your brain-stem and know that the word *which is casually thrown around EVERYWHERE and by EVERYONE* would have such a negative impact on you.

Instead, you air out your beef in the public for everyone to see and make subtle threats at Dan saying "Ari and Dan wouldn't want this" and "i'll be ignoring your posts" which seemed pretty insidious to me.


In a way, you are being irrational EVEN with what you have been through..

I, too, worked with the mentally challenged in HS and know that it is no laughing matter, but the way you attacked dan for merely quoting an old joke -- *which carlos mencia didn't even come up with if that was what you were implying with the carlos mencia thing* was pretty irrational to me

A forum and friendship will never prosper if we take everything so seriously.

If i seem like i am talking like i know you all its because i kind of do, since i have been lurking the forum for awhile and just decided to finally sign up.

I hope this came out right... now lets all hold hands ;)

[Hadaka Jime]

I'm looking to put this in the past, and i respect dan a lot for apologizing and he sent me a message and sounded very honost

as for the carlos mencia refrence, i never said he made that joke, i was saying i like his comedy and am not really offended by anything that he says with the exeption of the handicap jokes... personally i could care less about what somebody says to me, but if they are ignorant and falsely accuse me i often correct them:rolleyes: but i'll come out and say, i am a white male and an athiest, and people can make fun of my race my sex or my relegion i don't really care, but it bothers me when people poke fun at people who can't even think at the level of the person who is making fun of them... and sorry scrub if you think i am irrational for standing up for something i believe in and telling some one when something bothers me

and the whole thing about if you think you know me or not seems a bit false... i believe i have been around the forums for less than a month, so i don't think any one really knows much about me other than, making fun of mentally handicapped bothers me, im a brown belt in BJJ and i train in the gracie ohio academy with private lessons via relson gracie, but other than that, i don't think any one knows much about me... few people even knew my name untill today when i put it in my sig

hopefuly all hate/anger is gone, i have accepted dans apology and don't really expect to have any negativity go any further than this post... so fued over?

[Dannicus]

For the record,

I never felt like i was being attacked. In my close circle of friends, we hold each other accountable for things each other does that are completely out of line. I look at what Brett did, being the same thing. He held me to a higher standard. More guys should do what he did. I have the utmost respect for him for calling me out on my jackassery....yeah...its my term....don't steal it.... :)

There was no feud in my mind, just one guy, calling out another guy on the fact that he did something wrong... One of my favorite quotations of all time is, "Iron sharpens iron, So one man sharpens another."

It's why we're here boys, to learn from each other, and together as a whole stand stronger than before we all met.

[Ari Bolden]

I gotta say that you guys handled this with class.

In a perfect world, I'd love to have many of you as students/teachers.

with respect
Ari

[Hadaka Jime]

haha thanks ari, i would love to attend a seminar some day in the future, and sorry for kind of hijacking the thread

-brett-

[Ari Bolden]

Brett:

Forum threads are like jiu jitsu...you never know what will come next!

[Spidaman]

haha good comparision Ari :P

[Tom Gavrilos]

Lets move forward. This was handled well VERY rare to see this on an MMA related forum! Makes me proud!:p

[Ryan]

When breaking down a fighters skill I think it would be neglectful to not mention heart. I think heart has everything to do with it. Without heart, Randy would have quit when he broke his arm against Gonzaga. Without heart, Tim Sylvia would have backed out of the fight when he ruptured discs in his back. Without heart, the Huerta/Garcia fight would have not been as good.

In my opionion, heart can make up for skills to a certain extent.

[Hadaka Jime]

heart is a major thing that comes into play in a fight, i can't remember the 2 fighters names but in the fight one fighter had been hit HARD in the stomach and held his rips in pain, and the other fighter charged in for the kill and the hurt fighter halled off a huge blow to his opponents chin knocking him out it was a 1 and a million ending great fight... can't believe i don't remember the names,... any one see this fight? it was a ufc match

[Ari Bolden]

Pete Sell vs Scott Smith at the TUF Final 4...great match!

[Hadaka Jime]

It sure was... i thought oh S@#% he is so done and then BAM, throws a huge shot and wow what a finish, showed a lot of heart sticking with it

[Scrub]

It sure was... i thought oh S@#% he is so done and then BAM, throws a huge shot and wow what a finish, showed a lot of heart sticking with it

Yeah that was amazing.. i felt so bad for pete he had that one in the bag. Serra was probably furious.

At least that fight will always be remembered.