BLogs::Articles
salaam,
come across my old travel blog back dated 2005 and 2007, terasa betapa perlunya nad update and complete the journey story. will do that before my next trip overseas.. (insyaAllah) * USAHA Nad!!*
gatal kaki dah nak berjalan ni, bila tgk kawan2 dan kazen2 berjalan..sana sini.
summary :
MARI MENABUNG!! - xpayah bercita2 tukar kereta la yer, pakai la dulu hybrid satria pecah sana sini tuh.. so duit utk keter baru bleh masuk tabung travel. :)
Artist: Nicki Minaj
Video: Your Love
Styles: Kenjutsu, Karate
Facts: Michael Jai White, who plays the sensei in “Your Love”, holds black belts in seven different styles of martial arts, including Tang Soo Do and Kyokushin.
Artist: Afu-Ra
Video: Defeat
Styles: Taekwondo
Facts: Aaron Phillip, a.k.a. Afu-Ra (“body of life force”) told Yoga Journal: “If you look outside of hip-hop, [to] Madonna, Sting, and others with the comfort of money and fame, it’s easier for them…It’s really hard to be from the ghetto and get access to and become absorbed in these kinds of activities…The martial arts, the yoga, the meditation, all help me to be a better father, artist, and just a better person.”
Artist: Busta Rhymes
Video: Dangerous
Styles: New Harlem Shogun
Facts: Busta Rhymes performed on EliteXC, the first MMA broadcast on U.S. network television. Roc Raida, Busta’s personal DJ, died suddenly and unexpectedly last year, possibly due to injuries he sustained during MMA training.
Artist: Jeru the Damaja
Video: Ya Playin’ Yourself
Styles: Brooklyn Style Kung Fu
Facts: Jeru traveled to Hong Kong to shoot his video, which borrows themes from Enter the Dragon and other kungfu movies. In real life, he has studied Taekwondo, Taijiquan, and Qigong.
Did you know Vanilla Ice is good friends with Chuck Liddell? That RZA of the Wu-Tang Clan studied Shaolin style directly from a former Shaolin monk? For more videos and trivia, check our archive, or this month’s feature in XXL Magazine.
Case #33-11-0
Alistair "Ubereem" Overeem
Employer: Golden Glory / Tatsujin Dojo
Amsterdam, Netherlands
Misconception: The fighter in question is an unstoppable, brutal, violent KO machine.
Reality: Put on a ton of muscle and moved up to an inferior weight class and fought inferior competition for 3 years.
So why do so many in the MMA community have this belief that Alistair Overeem is some kind of terminator preying on innocent humans? The answer is simply in the painted picture that fans have made for themselves. The super hulk look, the scar, the hammer, the demeanor, all of these play a part, but to get down to the nuts and bolts of the discussion you just have to look at the fights. Make no mistake, this is not an article dedicated to bashing Alistair Overeem, he is a very good MMA fighter. This is a series of articles dedicated to what I believe are misconceptions brought on by a number of factors.
Now it's not to say that if Ubereem fought the top heavyweights in the world that he couldn't win, I believe he can be very competitive with the best the division has to offer. It's the fans and even some media that have this idea in their head that he is an unstoppable knockout force that is invincible. When really, it's sort of a highlight reel of Overeem dominating inferior competition that have fans thinking this way. Now part of it is the division he has decided to move up to. The heavyweight division, while extremely better than in the past, is still a relatively weak division. That's just the nature of the beast.
Since moving up to heavyweight he has lost to Sergei Kharitonov and his only notable wins are Paul Buentello, Brett Rogers and a K-1 win over the notorious Badr Hari. He is a very good striker and what is always overlooked is that Overeem is simply a phenomenal grappler with an absolutely sick guillotine. What's important to point out is that his weaknesses in the light heavyweight division, most notably his tendency to melt when he gets hit, will still carry over to his new super size me physique and weight division. Contrary to popular belief, muscles don't mask a weakness in mixed martial arts and if Overeem is fighting good competition 2-3 times a year it will eventually rear it's ugly head.
Ultimately, it's about who your facing and what are doing against them.
The Verdict
Alistair Overeem is a top ten heavyweight, great mixed martial arts fighter with good muay-thai skills and very underrated grappling chops. Just like fellow heavyweights Fedor Emelianenko and Mirko Crocop, the misconceptions of invincibility and god like status mostly stem from fighting in a division that sucks and racking up aesthetically pleasing knockouts against inferior competition.
Stay tuned for more fighter misconceptions next week.
-Canada just broke the Nuclear Treaty with Sarah Kaufman's Powerbomb - [Middle Easy]
-Three Reasons Why Anderson Silva vs. Chael Sonnen Will Suck (And Three Reasons Why It Might Not)- [Cage Potato]
-Joe Rogan, Mayhem Miller Rip Gus Johnson - [MMA Fighting]
-UFC 121 Shaping up: Tito Ortiz will fight Matt Hamill, Napao Gonzaga will square off against Brendan Schaub - [Low Kick]
-Exclusive Interiew: For Brian Stann, It's About The Journey - [Heavy]
-Jason Miller vs. Nick Diaz Possible for October - [Five Ounces of Pain]
-Fedor Emelianenko Says 'Jiu-Jitsu Is Nothing Special,' He Lost Because Of 'Personal Mistake' - [MMA Convert]
-CNN decides to do their yearly half-assed analysis of MMA - [Watch Kalib Run]
-Dan Hardy talks about training with Shaolin Monks near the Mongolian Desert changed his outlook on life - [Fight Magazine]
-Vladimir Matyushenko Considers Himself Most Underrated Fighter in UFC - [Versus MMA]
Final Fight, a classic arcade game
[Play Flash version online for free]
Your name is Cody, and you have no past, only a backstory. Some street gang kidnapped your girlfriend Jessica, you are told, and you need to punch them all out in order to rescue her. The details are not important–just start punching!
The clock is ticking, literally. You have to reach the end of each gang-infested street before the timer reaches zero, or Jessica is finished. Unfortunately you never learned to run, much less drive a car, or ride a bicycle, or even take the bus. No, Cody, you never learned much of anything in your life: all you can do now is walk around, jump, kick, punch, and “special attack.”
Lucky for you, most of the Mad Gear gang attended the same inner-city schools. Although there are more than a thousand members in this gang, they always approach to battle you in small and uncoordinated groups, attacking from one of two fixed directions.
There are no threats or intimidation, no pleading or bargaining here. No tactical intellect, and no emotion. Aside from the occasional moan, grunt, or kiai, these streets are dumb and silent.
The best response to a mass attack is to launch a series of flying kicks–which you can execute perfectly every time, without ever getting tired. A single flying kick knocks four enemies down just as easily as one, and if you knock them down a few times, they disappear. Gang members never block or grab, and rarely move out of the way.
“Poison” from Final Fight
It is a mystery how this gang ever managed to kidnap anyone, frankly–but they clearly do know how to attack you. Each member specializes in a different style of armed or unarmed assault. Those who use weapons carry them openly, and everyone else wears a distinctive uniform to represent their favored combat skill.
The samurai warriors fight with spears, while the transvestite hookers use somersault kicks, and the zombie skeletons carry a flaming sword and shield. (Mad Gear is a criminal gang, but also very progressive in its support for alternative and undead lifestyles.) All of these thugs follow a predictable script, and none of them will ever surprise you….except for the hookers, maybe.
Still, wouldn’t it be better to call the police, instead of risking your life in this street fight? No. In Metro City, all the cops are dirty, and they belong to the gang. Also, you have three lives, so losing one or two of them is no big deal.
Your vigilante crimefighting efforts are fully supported by Haggar, who is Jessica’s father, and also a retired professional wrestler, and also the mayor of the city. Both of you are willing to accept the risk, as is your friend Guy, a flamboyantly dressed ninja. Guy’s interest in this street battle is unclear, though he seems to enjoy the pursuit of fist-based justice. (Maybe he is Metro City’s District Attorney?)
Final Fight demo
Aside from Jessica, none of you have any family to support, or to protect from the vengeance of the Mad Gear gang. So there is no need to worry about retaliation. There are no drive-by shootings here–in Metro City, there is only one street, and nobody seems to have a working car. Besides, everyone you’ve beaten immediately fades out of existence, remember?
The toughest men in this gang are waiting for you at the end of each street. You can tell how strong they really are, not only because of their location and their clothing, but also due to the long yellow health bar that floats above their heads. But have no fear, and rely on your invincible “special attack,” and you’ll probably make it through.
If not, Cody, then you’ll have to spend another fifty cents and start over again from the beginning.
Do you think Final Fight is anything like a real street fight? Can you identify even one difference?
