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![[beautyinthefilth]](http://24.media.tumblr.com/avatar_4937b1cc6550_30.png "Beauty in the Filth (beautyinthefilth)")
Most fans have seen Toby Imada’s inverted triangle choke of Jorge Masvidal, but they also brought us Nick Pace’s flying knee knockout of Collin Tebo, Yahir Reyes spinning backfist knockout of Estevan Payan, and many, many more impressive performances. Fortunately for us, 2010 has some high quality fighters already signed on the dotted line with an impressive list of 2009 champions awaiting their title contenders.
Eddie Alvarez, Lyman Good, Joe Soto, and Hector Lombard will all await their challengers as four eight-main tournaments will play out to find the next contenders in their respective divisions. Bellator is currently leaking news about the signings very slowly as they are brilliantly maintaining their name in the media from week to week, but the names we know about definitely give fans the thought that this season will be just as good as the last.
The moral of the story: taking down Cung Le is going to be easier said than done.
Despite these achievements, MMA commenters have slept on Nogueira’s dramatic improvements in his striking game. In large part this is because Little Nog’s MMA career took an unfortunate two year detour. In 2005, he approached the very top of the division, losing a razor thin decision to Mauricio “Shogun” Rua at PRIDE Critical Countdown in 2005. Shogun went on to win the PRIDE 2005 205lb Grand Prix and cement his status as the uncrowned champion of the division. But Nogueira„ after taking an impressive TKO win over Alistair Overeem in 2006, found himself on the wrong end of a KO loss to Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou in 2007. Then PRIDE collapsed and Little Nog spent most of the next two years in exile, wandering from Sengoku to Affliction to Jungle Fight. Because of the dramatic drop-off in the caliber of his competition, few noticed that Nogueira was racking up a string of TKO wins — of his 5 career TKOs, all have taken place in the last three years.
Absolutely phenomenal fight, if you haven’t seen it yet. Dramatic.
DREAM.12 featured Bellator champ (and #3 ranked lightweight in the world on the USAT/SBN Consensus MMA Rankings) Eddie Alvarez, a fighter who epitomizes the combination of boxing and wrestling that has become a mainstay of MMA. His opponent was the fast-rising Katsunori Kikuno whose success with Kyokushin karate, an eccentric Sanchin dachi stance and use of crescent kicks have made him a cult favorite with those of us who are fascinated with the successful use of “traditional martial art” styles that were long believed to be of extremely limited effectiveness in MMA.
Quinton Jackson up and Mohawk’d himself to Vancouver. Brock Lesnar picked up a case of swine flu from a viking horn. Lyoto Machida’s hand has eluded him. Anderson Silva has a recurring funny bone injury. Thiago Alves’s knee won’t even let him TRY to make weight. And despite Greg Jackson’s best efforts, Georges St. Pierre CAN’T hit a guy with his pulled groin.
— Mike Fagan, Worlds Collide: Time to Bring in the WEC Cavalry - Bloody Elbow
It’s easier to describe this process than it is to be human and gut through it. Not only is there the ultimate sense of failure and a question about one’s true identity after dreams are deferred, but there is the outrageously difficult, poverty-stricken lifestyle that virtually all fighters must endure to move the needle of their career even beyond the outset. That some eventually fall victim to it is not something we can shrug off as prosaic simply because exceptionally daring men and women chose to accept the risk so willingly. In fact, it only reinforces my point. There’s a hell of a risk involved with this pursuit and that risk should carry some measure of respect and humanity from us.
— Luke Thomas - The Tired, Poor, Huddled Masses That Are Professional MMA Fighters
