Get out there and run | SCRIPT FIGHTING

Get out there and run.

"100 Miles And Runnin'" by N.W.A.
from 100 Miles And Runnin'

Get on the treadmill. Run laps around the pitch.

Better yet, jog around your neighborhood. If you got what it takes, run the hills, even in full gear.

Don't pound your knees, but do get out there and run.

You'll have endurance, whether you're a baller or fighter, porn star or rock star.

You'll blow away yourself or your opponent, your partner or the crowd.

You'll have mental sharpness. You'll have breath control.

Of course, energy is just one part of the game. You'll need other things, too, like technique, feel, speed and power.

But getting out there and running is a start.

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If you're static, you're predictable. Your opponent will shut you down. Your partner will get bored.

If you're dynamic, constantly moving with the flow, it's a whole different story. If you're at war, being mobile like Forrest Gump could even save your life.

But you need stamina to dodge bullets and bombs...

You need stamina to grab rebounds...

You need stamina to emulate your favorite World Cup stars...

And you need stamina to beat BJ Penn twice.

Frankie Edgar isn't the most versatile or skilled UFC fighter I've seen, but against BJ Penn in UFC 112 and 118, he was a marvelous, grounded martial artist. He was constantly moving and mixing up his attacks and rhythms, always staying a step ahead of Penn.

Penn couldn't hurt Edgar standing up, nor could he keep the Mighty Mouse from Toms River on the ground.

Frankie Edgar had too much stamina for BJ Penn. He could stick to his game plan and execute almost at will.

courtesy of UFC

The moral of the story is that if you want to become a pickup basketball legend, uplifter of spirits, or champion of life...

Get out there and run!

P.S. For another martial arts life lesson, check out my Machida-Shogun II post-fight piece "We Must Learn".

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Brock Lesnar as the White Shaq of MMA | SCRIPT FIGHTING

After watching him come back from an early pounding to choke out Shane Carwin with an arm-triangle, I'm ready to officially anoint Brock Lesnar the title of "White Shaq of MMA".

Lesnar showed such an improved ground game against Carwin that it was hard to see where his wrestling ended and jiu-jitsu started. The way he smothered Carwin came as no surprise, but his ability to calmly work him into an arm-triangle choke was something else.

Watching Brock Lesnar try to sweep, then reverse and spin his way out from underneath Shane Carwin was like watching Shaq breakdance or execute his patented "Black Tornado".

Watching him dominate Carwin in the second round with his smoothly blended wrestling/jiu-jitsu game was like watching Shaq school Baby Shaq with a polished low-post game despite taking some lumps along the way.

This is the story of how it all went down.

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Staggering the intimidating Brock Lesnar with a hard left uppercut a minute into their UFC 116 showdown was Shane Carwin's way of asking Lesnar what his style was.

From the start of the fight, until the 50-second mark of the second round, Carwin imposed his fighting method on Lesnar. He had looked invincible in March, smashing Frank Mir senseless with a barrage of punches from the clinch and above.

But he was even scarier in giving Lesnar a sound ass-kicking in the first round of their heavyweight title fight.

Shane Carwin engineered a sound game plan, establishing his jab early and looking light on his feet. When Lesnar aimed to take him down 31 seconds into the bout, Carwin simply brushed him off, with a knee to the chest as added insult.

The message was clear : Carwin was officially born as a monstruously powerful striker who would use his impressive wrestling pedigree primarily to gain the upper hand in the clinch and defend takedowns. This was how he would live and die.

There was only one problem : Brock Lesnar had an answer, and it was more than convincing.

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I'm not sure if Brock Lesnar's submitting Shane Carwin with an arm-triangle choke 2:18 into Round 2 had to do with :

a. Carwin's fatigue
b. Carwin's lack of a ground game or
c. Brock Lesnar's expertise.

I'm guessing :

d. all of the above.

Going bonkers on Lesnar in the first 3:10 seemed to have sapped Carwin of the gas he would need to continue fighting at an intense pace.

This probably allowed Lesnar to escape from underneath 45 seconds later.

This probably allowed Lesnar to wear him down in the clinch for the rest of the first.

This probably kept him from actively taking the fight to Lesnar at the start of the second.

But give Brock Lesnar all the credit in the world. By all accounts, he had been working extremely hard to come back from diverticulitis and expand his fighting capabilities.

Against Shane Carwin, it all paid off.

Lesnar sensed that Carwin didn't have anything left in the tank and boldly attempted another takedown 49 seconds into Round 2.

From half guard, he pinned Carwin and slipped in an arm triangle under Carwin's neck. He then smothered, punched and exploded his way to full mount.

Side control from the right side of Carwin came next. From there, he simply squeezed tighter as he improved his leverage by rotating his body position counterclockwise.

Seconds later, Lesnar forced Carwin to tap.

This submission didn't come against an Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira or a Fabricio Werdum. But at worst, it was Lesnar's patiently applying what he's learned, in a professional manner.

And I think he'll do even better if he's faced with a similar opportunity in the future.

At that point, he'll be demonstrating his improved chops under the title of "White Shaq of MMA".

P.S. If you can't get enough Brock Lesnar, check out :

1. The Brock Lesnar-Sable Sex Tape
2. How Vince McMahon robbed Brock Lesnar's soul
3. Brock Lesnar, GSP and Co. gangbang the NCAA

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The Rivalry Without Swords | SCRIPT FIGHTING

In my Mayweather-Mosley post-fight piece "All he saw were shadows", I likened Floyd Mayweather, Jr.'s splendid display of speed, timing and technique to a demonstration of the special Shaolin shadowboxing technique.

In this Vazquez-Marquez IV pre-fight piece, I explore the modern Mexican version of Shaolin shadowboxing in the context of Shaolin kung fu's rivalry with the Wu Tang sword style.

The martial arts referred to in this piece are the Shaolin and Wu Tang methods cinematically depicted in the cult favorite Shaolin and Wu Tang (aka Shaolin Master Killer).

As I reviewed footage from the Israel Vazquez-Rafael Marquez Trilogy, all I could say was...

"Thank God no swords were involved."

If the thrusts of the Wu Tang sword and cuts of the Shaolin broadsword from Shaolin and Wu Tang were used to fight each other in the punishing boxing rivalry Vazquez-Marquez, there would've been no Trilogy.

If blades were used instead of fists, someone would've been killed within the first minute or two. Even if it were a kung fu movie, someone would've died after a spectacular back-and-forth duel.

As seen in the Vazquez-Marquez Trilogy, the updated Mexican version of Shaolin shadowboxing is dangerous as it is.

(Trilogy Analysis and Vazquez-Marquez IV prediction after the jump)

1. The broken nose Rafael Marquez gave Israel Vazquez in the first round of their first fight demonstrated the potentially devastating results of pressure point strikes : Vazquez was forced to quit on his stool after the seventh round due to breathing difficulties from the badly broken nose.

In addition, Marquez cut Vazquez badly in their second and third fights.

2. Vazquez applied his own leather-strapped techniques to great effect in their rematch, knocking down Marquez twice.

After the second knockdown, which came in Round 6, Vazquez backed Marquez to the ropes, and threw an unending flurry of strikes. This relentless beating of Marquez administered by Vazquez forced the referee to put a temporary halt to the madness.

3. The extended duel of fists between Israel Vazquez and Rafael Marquez culminated in their rubber match, which ended up in a hard-fought split decision by Vazquez. In the first half of the fight, Vazquez was floundered by the jabs and combinations of Marquez, and was even knocked down in the fourth round.

However, he turned it up in the second half to set up the epic Round 12 : Vazquez unleashed his fistic fury on Marquez, much like he did in the sixth round of their rematch.

Vazquez landed huge rights, some lefts - and basically the whole kitchen sink - at Marquez. He knocked down Marquez with a short left hook, and only that erased some doubt of Vazquez's victory.

Surely enough, just one point decided the winner of the bout, and the 12th round knockdown proved to be decisive.

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Two years ago, I thought the Vazquez-Marquez rivalry came to a close with their rubber match. However, I was wrong, as there will be the fourth - and I hope, final - showdown on Saturday (9 PM ET, Showtime).

If you ask who I think will win, I'd have to say Vazquez.

As thrilling as the Trilogy was, I felt that Vazquez has always been the bigger, more powerful fighter. Although he couldn't continue in the first fight due to a broken nose, Vazquez has been able to eat Marquez's punches, get in the inside, and hurt Marquez.

Marquez has been the better technician with the crispier jab and combinations, but for the most part, he hasn't been able to stop the mad charges of Vazquez.

When I see a fight like Vazquez-Angel Priolo, Vazquez's most recent, I see that Vazquez's ability to give and take punishment is still there, even after all those wars.

Factoring in the damage the smaller Rafael Marquez has been taking from the bigger, stronger Israel Vazquez, I predict a TKO win for Vazquez in the 10th.

But no matter how the fight ends, I'm sure we'll be witnesses to yet another thriller, after which we can say...

"Thank God no swords were involved."

from Shaolin and Wu Tang

Israel Vazquez vs. Rafael Marquez is The Rivalry Without Swords.

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Undressing the Mystery of Anne Hathaway | SCRIPT FIGHTING

* Credit for photos used in this piece go to GQ UK.

I'm hardly familiar with Anne Hathaway. The only movie or TV show of hers I've seen is Alice in Wonderland, in which she played the White Queen with much grace and panache.

I'm hardly familiar with Anne Hathaway. To my memory, the purpose of putting together this piece marked the first time I browsed the web looking for her pictures.

(Half clothed/half naked pictures of Anne Hathaway after the jump)

I saw a picture of Anne Hathaway for the first time in some magazine a few years ago and I wondered who that beautiful girl was. She was a mystery to me back then, and still is.

Anne Hathaway appeared to me on 3D celluloid, clad in a white dress and white makeup (Alice in Wonderland). She appeared to me photographed under what looks like dark lighting, half clothed, half naked (British GQ).

I can only hope to undress the mystery of Anne Hathaway.

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We Must Learn | SCRIPT FIGHTING

I wasn't surprised to see Lyoto Machida get cracked over his left temple and drop instantly, bear-hugging Mauricio "Shogun" Rua's waist and holding on for his dear life. Machida would get no mercy from the Shogun, who pounded The Dragon until his lights turned out 3:28 into the very first round of their rematch.

Machida had been clipped hard just a minute and 18 seconds ago. After separating from the clinch, Shogun charged at Machida in full force, throwing punch after punch. Two of them, a left and a right, connected. The left simply caught Machida by surprise, but the right that came three punches later wobbled him.

The Dragon had no choice but to clinch Shogun and take him down. He would've been knocked out in a matter of seconds if he didn't. Machida tried to work the ground game, but Shogun had other plans : The Shogun knew he could teach the Shotokan Karate exponent a lesson in dynamic Muay Thai kickboxing.

As the UFC commentators Joe Rogan and Mike Goldberg roused about how the unpredictability of UFC rematches, Shogun worked himself from the bottom, eventually escaping with 2:11 left in the round. Machida gave the possessed Shogun a knee to the right kidney, but was overwhelmed physically.

Pinned against the cage, and running out of gas and options, Machida broke loose and engaged aggressively in a standup battle. His left knee threw Shogun back for an instant, but Machida couldn't capitalize. His left cross from the southpaw stance was countered by Shogun with a perfectly timed overhand right hook to the temple.

It was such timing that would undo Lyoto Machida's brief reign atop the UFC's light heavyweight division seconds later.

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What went down in Machida-Shogun II shows us that even a world class martial arts traditionalist who built his name on evasion and countering can be put down viciously by a world class kickboxer (boxer) if he forgets what makes a Thai or Western boxer tick.

Simply, in what was essentially a classic style vs. style matchup, the Shogun slayed The Dragon by breaking his rhythm and splicing a full-beat left cross with a half-beat overhand right.

It's quite possible that Lyoto Machida could've saved himself by throwing a fast lead right instead of the slower left cross which was instantly countered by Shogun : Machida's resetting himself after ramming Shogun with a solid left knee clearly gave the Muay Thai stylist time to recover and defend himself.

Instead of surprising Shogun with an immediate follow-up strike (punch or otherwise), Machida let the dangerous kickboxer gather himself and track his movements. And when The Dragon compounded the problem by throwing the long left rather than the short, quick lead right or jab, the fight was as good as over.

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Ultimately, Machida-Shogun II teaches us an important lesson : No matter what we do in life, martial arts or no martial arts, we must learn as much as we can from the world around us and take control of our destiny.

So let's stop acting like we don't know.

"MC's Act Like They Don't Know" by KRS-One

If s*** can happen to a smart, dedicated, world class professional like Lyoto Machida, then it can happen to any of us.

We must learn.

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