WEC 44: Brown vs. Aldo Commentary

Sadly, this WEC event got popped right in between two UFC events and on a weekday. I missed the event but caught a replay of the main event, which was a featherweight title fight between the challenger Jose Aldo and the champion (and one of the top-ranked pound for pound fighters in the world) Mike Brown. As I expected, it was a great fight, which eventually ended in a TKO victory for Aldo in the 2nd round, and this (along with looking at his previous fights) leads me to believe that Aldo has what it takes to be compared to the likes of Silva, Fedor, GSP, Penn, etc. and be called one of MMA's top pound for pound fighters.

It was not exactly a horrible fight for Mike Brown, but Aldo basically outclassed him the whole way through. I've seen Aldo's four televised WEC fights and it's the same things that get him the win each time:

• Physical fitness: Aldo is really fast even for a featherweight and packs a lot of power in his strikes. You can really hear the impact of his kicks, and just from the look of his punching technique you can sense the power in them.
• Distance control: Lyoto Machida is famous for his ability to stay out of range of his opponent's strikes and sneak in for just enough time to land his own. Aldo does this too, but in a more controlled fashion, as Machida just seems to run back, while Aldo seems a lot more controlled about it. I honestly think Aldo's got one up on Machida in this one.
• Control and timing: Aldo's timing is impeccable! He seems to have this ability to time his knees right when his opponent is moving in, and accordingly, many of his opponents have eaten a huge hit to the face. Aldo's other strikes are also well controlled in their aim, distance, and timing, which I think is similar to Anderson Silva's style.
• Ability to adjust: I've found that fighters tend to overcommit to their attacks, which sometimes open up some vulnerabilities. But Aldo, on the other hand, seems to always be able to find the best offensive and defensive approach at all times, because his movements don't seem overcommitted. He has the ability to transition one of his movements into another one if he realizes that his original idea wasn't going to work, and because of that, he doesn't waste energy or open up too many weaknesses.
• Calmness: Aldo looks just about as chill as Fedor during his fights, and seems to spend the majority of the time in his fights inching slowly toward his opponent. His focus must be really intense, and especially now that he's the champion, this can be intimidating for his future opponents.
• Staying on the feet: Out of all of Aldo's WEC main card fights, this one with Mike Brown was the only one in which Aldo was even remotely close to being taken down. Those well-timed knees must already discourage his opponents from shooting, but in this case, Aldo demonstrated impeccable takedown defense, and indeed although they got clinched on a few occasions, Mike Brown - a great wrestler - wasn't even able to get all that close to taking Aldo down. And to top that off, Aldo is a black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, so he knows what to do in case he does indeed end up on his back.

I think Aldo has to be tested on the ground before people start to hail him as one of MMA's top fighters, but who knows if anyone will ever be able to take him down. I also have no idea as to how strong his chin is, though by digging through his older fight videos maybe I can find something. I'm already on the bandwagon though regardless and am definitely excited for his next fight, especially if a UFC-WEC merger happens early next year as rumored. I think he's already proven himself by thoroughly outclassing one of MMA's best - which is different from, say, Brian Bowles beating Miguel Torres, which I thought was fairly even before Bowles KO'd Torres. And I'm not sure who the WEC will put against him next, but if it's someone like Urijah Faber, it should be another straightforward victory for Aldo.

Summary: Jose Aldo is THE BOMB.

UFC 106 is coming up quickly on Saturday, and it is definitely one of the best cards in a while, so I am excited, though I'm not sure if I'll be able to see the fights anytime before school resumes following Thanksgiving break.

Pacquiao vs. Cotto + UFC 105 Commentary

Last night was huge in fighting sports as we finally got to see the much-anticipated Pacquiao-Cotto fight, with the free UFC 105 competing against it. Pacquiao vs. Cotto was electric and UFC 105 was less so, though for a free card it was certainly no disappointment. I was able to catch the last 1 1/2 undercard bouts of the boxing event (which were boring) before watching the Pacquiao-Cotto fight, then watched the UFC event (which I taped) later that night. Interestingly enough, apparently it was the undercard of UFC 105 which delivered the better fights than the main card. They eventually aired two of these undercard fights during the televised coverage, and they delivered. Anyway, here is my commentary on the Pacquiao-Cotto fight and all the televised UFC 105 fights.

*****

Manny Pacquiao vs. Miguel Cotto

The big question coming into the fight was which would trump the other: Cotto's power or Pacquiao's speed. Well it turns out that not only did Pacquiao's speed seem to play a key role in this huge win, but also that Pacquiao did have the power to match up to a true welterweight.

Cotto was impressive in the first round and was actually speedier than I expected. Starting from the third, though, when Cotto got knocked down for the first time, the fight was pretty much a sealed deal. Pacquiao's ability to accurately connect from odd angles and his strategy during the fight were what I thought to be the biggest keys to his win. Cotto was mainly using his left hand, so most of his shots that were connecting weren't too powerful. Pacquiao spent a portion of each round just absorbing shots from Cotto with his gloves and body. Whenever Pacquiao found an opening, though, he exploded with a flurry, and this strategy is evident if you look at the statistics of the fight: Pacquiao landed almost twice as many strikes as Cotto, more than twice as many power shots, and was significantly more accurate.

In the end, Manny Pacquiao stops Cotto in the final round, though he was already significantly ahead in the scorecards. In my personal scorecard, I gave Cotto the 1st round 9-10, Manny the 4th round 10-8, and all of the other rounds to Manny 10-9. I give Cotto the extra point in the 3rd despite the knockdown because I thought he kept the round close. Cotto is a champion in his own right for fighting through the 11th and into the 12th round, as he was starting to get punished big time starting in the middle rounds. He definitely loses no respect for losing to someone who many now consider to be one of boxing's all time greats.

Pacquiao defeats Cotto by TKO (Round 12, 0:55)

*****

Andre Winner vs. Rolando Delgado

I am quite impressed with Andre Winner, who is making his UFC debut on the undercard of UFC 105 after finishing as runner-up in last year's Ultimate Fighter competition - although I'm not sure if they intended to challenge him by putting him against Rolando "Popsicle Stick" Delgado, who had a lowly record of 6-4-1. Though Delgado seemed to be holding his own for a while, his shots didn't really seem to be doing any damage, but with the physique that he has I am not surprised. Andre Winner's solid boxing, composure, and power came out victorious in the end after he connected with a huge overhand right that knocks the Popsicle Stick out cold.

Winner defeats Delgado by KO (Round 1, 3:22)

*****

Alexander Gustafsson vs. Jared Hamman

This short undercard fight eventually made it onto the TV broadcast as a replay. There is not much to say, as both fighters seemed to just be just flailing wildly at each other. Eventually it is Gustafsson who lands one of his shots on Hamman, knocking him down and making his mouthpiece go flying. After jumping in and landing some big blows, the fight is much more than in the books.

Gustafsson defeats Hamman by KO (Round 1, 0:41)

*****

Ross Pearson vs. Aaron Riley

The Ultimate Fighter's Season 9 lightweight champion Ross Pearson looked rock solid in his UFC debut against veteran Aaron Riley. The story of the fight is knees. Riley kept on falling into Pearson's muay thai clinch and consequently got punished by multiple knees to the body and face. Other aspects of Pearson's standup game were evidently solid too, but in the end the knees put it away. In the second round, Pearson connected with a flying knee that cuts Riley's nose wide open, leading to a doctor stoppage.

Pearson defeats Riley by TKO (doctor stoppage, Round 2, 4:34)

*****

James Wilks vs. Matt Brown

Now James Wilks makes his UFC debut after winning the welterweight competition of The Ultimate Fighter Season 9, and doesn't impress as much as Ross Pearson does. The first round is uneventful, as Wilks presses Brown up against the cage, apparently looking for a takedown. Brown is content with just defending himself and letting Wilks use his energy up. In the second round, the action heightens when Brown lands a perfectly timed flying knee to the face of Wilks, who is unsurprisingly going for a shoot. The round ends after some more cage-pressing, with Brown starting a triangle choke attempt.

In the third round, the fighters end up (surprise!) against the cage. Brown seems to be on the verge of having a kimura set up, but instead it is Wilks who gets the kimura set up on Brown. Brown's shoulder really looks in danger of being dislocated, but Brown is eventually able to roll out of the submission. Wilks is able to start twisting Brown's shoulder again, but each time he is unable to keep Brown from rolling out. Finally, Brown is able to roll conveniently into a full mount where he is able to finish Wilks off with uncontested punches.

Brown defeats Wilks by TKO (punches, Round 3, 2:26)

*****

Michael Bisping vs. Denis Kang

This "Fight of the Night" made me sad, though I suppose I may be biased, because this fight must have been awesome for all the Michael Bisping fans out there. The first round was all Kang, who seemed to be calmly composed, and was able to drop Bisping with a punch and do some damage on the ground. Props go to Bisping in that round though, as he was able to scramble out of some pretty bad positions and minimize damage well.

The story changes in the second round, when Bisping is able to wrestle Kang to the ground and land some huge hits. This seems to really daze Kang, who also seems to be running out of gas. From then on, the fight wasn't even close, as Bisping takes Kang down at will with some really spectacular throws. At this point, Kang can hardly defend himself, and the fight lasts longer than I think it should have as Kang is taking a really hard beating and clearly is doing nothing more than just taking the shots uncontested.

Bisping defeats Kang by TKO (punches, Round 2, 4:24)

*****

Mike Swick vs. Dan Hardy

I have little to say about this fight, which ended in a well-deserved decision victory for Dan "The Outlaw" Hardy. Swick looked incredibly lean and anyone who hasn't seen his previous fights may have trouble believing that he used to fight as a middleweight. This fight was basically a standup battle with its own share of clinching against the cage - of which we had no shortage during this event - though in these clinches Hardy was able to land some really good elbows. In the end, Hardy just outclassed Swick for the entirety of the fight, which I scored 30-27 for Hardy.

Hardy defeats Swick by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)

*****

Randy Couture vs. Brandon Vera

Randy Couture's strategy for the fight made it incredibly boring, but it was also the perfect plan for someone like him to beat someone like Brandon Vera. Basically, Couture's strategy seems to be to eliminate Vera's advantage in the standup (from his range and strong kicks) by staying in the clinch and playing his own game. Vera is also a great wrestler, but Couture sees wrestling as his best shot for winning.

The first round is incredibly uneventful, with Couture pressing Vera up against the cage for basically the entirety of the round, but I give the round to Couture for control. Second round is largely the same story, but Vera is able to land a good number of strikes, and so I give the round to him. The final round was the closest to being considered exciting, and it seems to be widely debated as to who won the round - many writers gave the round, and thus the fight to Vera. Couture opens with a great flurry and goes straight back to the clinch. Now Couture is doing some good dirty boxing, which along with the flurry I think gave him the round. After the referee splits up the two fighters yet again, Vera lands two hard kicks that take the wind out of Randy. Close to the end of the fight, Vera gets a takedown and mounts, but doesn't have enough time to do any real damage.

Many seem to give Vera the round for this late series of attacks, but I don't think it matches up to Couture's performance at the beginning and through the rest of the round. Attacks later in the round also naturally have more influence on how people score the round, but you have to consider everything that happened and not just who's on top in the end - especially in close fights like this. So anyway, I personally gave this fight to Couture, 29-28, in agreement with all the judges. It is kind of a disappointment, as Couture didn't really need the win to validate himself and didn't really prove anything with it, and Vera failed at both establishing himself as a top light heavyweight contender and addressing his status as a rather boring fighter.

Couture defeats Vera by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)

*****

I am glad I saw the Pacquiao fight because it was great in comparison to UFC 105 - though you should never expect too much from a free UFC event. Who's next for Manny Pacquiao will be a hot subject for a while - and I along with the rest of the world hope it will be Floyd Mayweather. But one of the problems with boxing is that fighters - perhaps Mayweather - want to leave their record untarnished. This is different from the UFC, where top fighters are constantly against other top fighters, and can always redeem themselves after a loss by working their way back up the ladder. In boxing, this "ladder" doesn't really exist, as there are so few superstars and so many promotions.

As for the world of MMA, it has been an huge month, and the excitement will continue. After a solid Strikeforce event last week and a mediocre but free UFC event last night, the action will continue with two events in the upcoming week! First up on Wednesday, 11/18 is WEC 44, which mostly has un-noteworthy fights but ends with one of the top pound-for-pound fighters in the world Mike Brown as he tries to defend his 145 lb championship belt for the fourth time against the hard-hitter Jose Aldo, who has really been on a roll. This is the first real heavy hitter we'll see Mike Brown against since he came into the WEC and should be a really great fight, and after we saw Miguel Torres get handed by Brian Bowles not too long ago, who knows what can happen?

Then we can start off our Thanksgiving break with the absolutely stacked UFC 106, which was originally set to be headlined by a heavyweight title fight between Brock Lesnar and Shane Carwin before Lesnar had to pull out after falling ill with mono. Instead, the event is headlined with another great matchup - a rematch between Tito Ortiz and Forrest Griffin (who replaced an injured Mark Coleman in the lineup) after Ortiz's close and controversial split decision victory 3 1/2 years ago in UFC 59. The card also has what will be an electric battle between the quick and heavy hitters Josh Koscheck and Anthony Johnson, as well as Antonio Rogerio Nogueira's debut in the UFC against Luiz Cane. Completing the main card is a bout between Ultimate Fighter 7 winner Amir Sadollah, as he looks to bounce back from a recent quick TKO loss in UFC 101, and the always exciting Phil "The New York Badass" Baroni, as he reenters the UFC after nearly 4 years of fighting for other organizations - and a match between one of my favorite fighters in judo specialist Karo Parisyan and Dustin Hazelett.

My Top 100 Movies: #100 - #91

#100

Across the Universe

Dir. Julie Taymor (2007)

Across the Universe, a musical based on songs by The Beatles, slips into this list if not only for its creativity and originality. The plot is nothing marvelous, but what makes the movie special is that it packs 33 Beatles songs into a 133 minute movie. Because the plot is secondary to the music, this movie is a must for any Beatles fan, but still accessible to those unfamiliar with their music. The re-imaginations of the Beatles songs are musically great and original, and range from perplexing to truly brilliant visually. My favorite numbers: "I Want You (She's So Heavy)" and "Strawberry Fields Forever"

*****

#99

The Grapes of Wrath

Dir. John Ford (1940)

The screenshot on the left says it all. This classic from the great John Ford incorporates the visual grandeur of his famous westerns with the starkness of John Steinbeck's literary masterpiece. The film follows the Joad family as they head west upon losing their home, struggling to find a place unaffected by the Great Depression. Especially for its time, this film was as dark as it could get, though the ending is notable for replacing the depressing tone of the book's conclusion with a more hopeful. This positive tone in the ending was actually required by a U.S. movie production code at the time, but I think it works great in this case (it did not in many other movies).

*****

#98

Duck Soup

Dir. Leo McCarey (1933)

Admittedly, it took a while before I was able to follow the Marx Brothers' lightning-fast humor. Groucho is shooting one-liner after one-liner, but that is exactly one of the things that makes this movie so full of substance even though it is just over an hour long. Among the many great scenes is the famous "mirror scene," where Harpo, dressed as Groucho, mimics Groucho's movements exactly, pretending to be a Groucho's reflection in a mirror when in fact Groucho is just staring through a doorway. Add scenes like this to the context of a political farce, and you've got what many consider the Marx Brothers' finest film.

*****

#97

The Phantom of the Opera

Dir. Rupert Julian (1925)

I've already written about this silent classic in my "Horror Movies to Watch" series, and it makes the cut in my list of top 100 movies of any genre. This silent film masterpiece foreshadows much of what is to come in the horror genre, with the famous Dracula, Frankenstein, and King Kong. While these three movies are historically significant and a huge part of our culture, none of them are quite as good as the original Phantom, which has since been bastardized by Andrew Lloyd Webber into a horrible musical (albeit with great music). Already love old movies and looking to get into silents? This may be a good one to start off with.

*****

#96

Adam's Rib

Dir. George Cukor (1949)

In general I'm not too much a fan of the old screwball comedy genre, but this is an exception. Chemistry between characters is also something I don't care for too much, but again, this is an exception. The plot is rather simple - a husband is prosecuting a case with possible sexist undertones and his wife is the defending attorney. Needless to say, their arguments in court, which get increasingly crazy, translate to their interactions at home. In the end - well, I won't say who wins in the end - but until I saw this I never knew that two characters annoying the heck out of each other could be so likable.

*****

#95

Children of Men

Dir. Alfonso Cuarón (2006)

This movie has settled in enough for me to consider it one of the greats of all time. Alfonso Cuarón, already established as one of the prime directors of the great Mexican film movement today (and also director of the third Harry Potter movie!), creates an intriguing image of the future, which is neither paradise nor high-tech. Instead, society is a dirty dystopia where no children have been born for eighteen years. In addition to being visually stunning, Children of Men is filled with a unique type of action that I personally like better than, say, the Michael Bay type, and is infused with a dark atmosphere throughout that leads to a much-discussed ending that I think is great.

*****

#94

Natural Born Killers

Dir. Oliver Stone (1994)

There are way too many adjectives that can describe this controversial modern classic. Crazy, trippy, funny, creepy, ____? Anyway, it is tragic that this movie has inspired a series of copycat crimes because it is not a message to be taken seriously at all, especially judging from the tone of the film. In the movie, the characters Mickey and Mallory go on a killing spree and somehow go on to become glorified nationwide celebrities for it. Again, it's sad that this has led people to do some horrible things because this movie is loads of fun.

*****

#93

The Right Stuff

Dir. Philip Kaufman (1983)

Name a movie that has to do with NASA. Bet you named Apollo 13, right? Although that movie is good in its own regard, nothing compares to the epic-ness, intrigue, and excitement of the film adaptation of Tom Wolfe's The Right Stuff. The story revolves around the pilot Chuck Yeager (who was the first man to break the sound barrier) and the test pilots who eventually were selected for NASA's Mercury missions, culminating in the mission that launched an American (John Glenn) into space for the first time. There are not many three-hour movies that can keep you captivated for its entirety, but this is one of them.

*****

#92

Shane

Dir. George Stevens (1953)

The blueprint for this movie has since become a formula for making a western of any sort - a man with a gun walks into town. But Shane is set apart from other westerns in my opinion because it creates such a lovable hero in Shane and beautifully develops his relationship with the little boy Joey. Otherwise, this movie is filled with much of what you'd expect from a western - tons of tension between men with guns holstered at their sides, leading to the obligatory shootout. If you're unfamiliar with the western genre, there are many great ones out there, but this is one of the most accessible and lovable.

*****

#91

The Birth of a Nation

Dir. D.W. Griffith (1915)

It is such a shame that one of the greatest directors of all time - and probably the most influential one in terms of the development of film narrative and technique - did not realize how extremely racist this film was. In his recreation of the Civil War and Reconstruction, leading to the birth of the Ku Klux Klan, D.W. Griffith was glorifying a popular historical view of the time, and it wasn't until afterwards that he realized it was racist, leading him to make the film Intolerance, which shows the evil of intolerance (e.g. racism) throughout the ages. This film, regarded as the first feature length film, introduces many revolutionary filmic techniques, and if you can handle the racist undertones, it is surprisingly easy to digest for a three-hour long silent movie.

*****

For the complete Top 100 list, click here.

Strikeforce: Fedor vs. Rogers Commentary

On Saturday night was the Strikeforce: Fedor vs. Rogers mixed martial arts event, which was on CBS and marks the first MMA event on network TV since the fall of the EliteXC promotion. I was away this weekend, so I taped the event and just watched it today. Overall, it was a great main card, with all of the four main card fights featuring fighters that are generally reasonably highly ranked within their weight classes. In the end, three of the four fights are what I'd classify as good, while the other one was what I (and seemingly the crowd at the event) thought was a major disappointment.

*****

Antonio "Bigfoot" Silva vs. Fabricio Werdum

I'm really impressed with Fabricio Werdum in getting this win. In the first round it looked like he was going to get dominated, as he was clearly outplayed by a calm, scientific Silva. Werdum got rocked by some huge elbows and Silva was able to land really powerful punches on the grounded Werdum. Late in the round, Silva seemed to be getting a little tired - though he wasn't panting, he was letting his guard down, allowing Werdum to land a few solid strikes that foreshadowed the rest of the fight.

The second round started off with Silva knocking down Werdum with a big straight punch. However, instead of waiting for Werdum to have to stand up, Silva unwisely goes down to land a couple punches. This may have been the turning point of the fight, as Werdum landed a big knee and punch as the two were standing up. Most of the round involved a lot of pummeling from the Greco-Roman clinch that amounted to nothing, but finally Werdum was able to get Silva onto the ground. I'd have to say that for a hulk, Silva has impressive ground defense, being able to avoid damage from half-guard and having the mobility to escape once Werdum escaped into side control.

The third round was all Werdum. Silva definitely looked sluggish, and Werdum was able to perform a beautiful single leg takedown and land punches in big numbers. On the feet, Werdum was even able to use the muay thai specialist Silva's game against him and land some hard knees to the face. In the end, Werdum came out with a well-deserved victory in a fight that after the first round I thought he had little chance of winning.

Werdum defeats Silva by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)

*****

Gegard Mousasi vs. Sokoudjou

The moral of this fight is that even the most awesome judo throws won't get you anywhere if you can't be effective once taking the fight to the ground. Sokoudjou's strength in the fight seems to be his ability late in the first round and in the beginning of the second round to toss Mousasi and to reverse Mousasi's takedown attempts and establish a good top position. However, Mousasi's ground game is great and he is able to escape or roll Sokoudjou over and establish a top position of his own. And from the bottom, there's not much Sokoudjou can do.

In the beginning of the fight, Mousasi looked invincible, displaying a lot of speed and calmness. Sokoudjou looked as tense as anything and kept ducking his head when going in for strikes. I was waiting for him to get rocked by a well-timed uppercut. Indeed, Mousasi was eventually able to capitalize on this and send a flurry of punches Sokoudjou's way. Then Sokoudjou started going to his judo game, which as we know didn't turn out so well. In the end, Mousasi is able to get the TKO victory after a series of uncontested punches to a curled up Sokoudjou's head.

Mousasi defeats Sokoudjou by TKO (strikes, Round 2, 3:43)

*****

Jake Shields vs. Jason "Mayhem" Miller

Jason Miller had the perfect game plan to defeat someone like Jake Shields and blew it. It seemed like he was convinced that he could finish the fight and not have to rely on winning individual rounds, but when you're against a good wrestler who can kill a lot of time off the clock by keeping you on your back, you can't rely on that. Anyway, Mayhem's plan was to conserve energy and explode once Shields tired out. Shields indeed seemed to start running out of gas, but Mayhem was just only attacking whenever Shields really made himself vulnerable. Most of Miller's attempts at exploding didn't last long and just ended up in a clinch, and his only shot at finishing the fight was a solid rear naked choke that came at a very bad time for him (at the very end of a round) as Shields was just able to wait the time out.

In my opinion, Miller really needed to start picking things up in round 3 (or even as early as the end of round 1) so that he could at least fall back on a decision victory, which I think he could have done. Instead, Shields is basically able to win the fight purely based on control, as in the typical Jake Shields style, his punches from the top position seem to do basically no damage to Miller.

Though Jake Shields just beat a quality opponent (well actually I think it's more Miller losing than Shields winning), I still don't think he can be considered a top fighter in either the middleweight and welterweight divisions. I think I've seen him as high as #2 on some welterweight rankings, which just puzzles me. He is an outstanding grappler and is basically able to pass guard at will. However, his striking, even by welterweight standards, is way below par and I think top fighters in both weight classes should be able to exploit this weakness. From looking at Shields's past fights, even his strikes from mount seem essentially harmless. It looks like he's not even trying to hurt his opponent - he's just trying to "score points!"

As a Mayhem Miller fan, I am truly disappointed in this fight - a fight I thought he could definitely have won, especially given his good groundwork skills. But in the end, Miller just wasted way too much time conserving energy and trying to pull a Muhammad Ali. I scored the fight 50-45 for Shields, but it seems like the judges were a bit nicer to Miller.

Shields defeats Miller by unanimous decision (48-47, 49-46, 49-46)

*****

Fedor Emelianenko vs. Brett "The Grim" Rogers

I think this is the most mortal I've ever seen Fedor be (even more so than his fights against Kazuyuki Fujita and Mark Hunt in Pride). Brett Rogers was using his range and sheer size early and I really thought he could seal the deal during the first round. Once he gassed out though, his chances all but disappeared. Fedor was throwing some wild punches, which are on one hand just part of his sambo style, but also in this case missing wildly in particular out of respect for Rogers's huge reach advantage.

By the end of the first round, Rogers was out of juice and was struggling to survive against someone he had been completely laying the smackdown on. And then in the second round, Fedor delivered an incredible hook that was lights out for Big Brett. This must be really disappointing for Rogers, who seemed to have a genuine chance at winning the fight on much more than a punch's chance. Instead he fell victim to Fedor's crushing punching power, and it was basically a single punch that caused his own demise. I'm sure Brett will begin to focus on his cardio, which was never really a problem for him as his previous fights were all quick finishes for him.

Meanwhile, Fedor upon winning has his usual look - one filled with an intense lack of emotion. Well it's a great thing for Strikeforce that Fedor won, otherwise it may have fallen under much like EliteXC did with the embarrassing defeat of Kimbo Slice. This leaves me wondering what's next for Fedor, as I don't think anyone in Strikeforce other than Rogers has any chance of defeating or even at least providing an entertaining fight against Fedor.

Emelianenko defeats Rogers by TKO (strikes, Round 2, 1:48)

*****

As much as I wanted to see Fedor lose (as a kind of karma thing for joining Strikeforce instead of UFC), I am more than satisfied with his fight against Rogers, and I'm glad I have the event taped so that I can save the video to re-watch, as this fight was exceptional. Particularly disappointing (once again) was the Shields vs. Miller championship fight, which was a mostly uneventful 25 minutes. I was waiting for Miller to just go crazy on Shields after his rope-a-dope tactics early on, but Shields was able to hold on to get a boring but deserved decision.

The next major Strikeforce event is Strikeforce: Evolution on December 19 and so far it doesn't have any huge names that would make me too excited to watch it. I think Strikeforce really went all out with this event to see if they can be successful on network TV, and we'll have to see what happens. In its current state, I don't think they have much left in the tank, but if they sign some more big games, perhaps they have a chance of starting some competition with the MMA behemoth promotion UFC.

Speaking of UFC, Dana White has graced us with UFC events both next Saturday and the one after that. First is UFC 105 on November 14. This event is competing with the Manny Pacquiao vs. Miguel Cotto fight, at least in the US. Actually, since UFC 105 is in Britain, they'll actually be done well before the Pacquiao fight in Las Vegas even begins, but as far as I know, the TV broadcast of the UFC event is at night. Probably because of two events competing for a similar audience, UFC 105 is free on Spike TV and doesn't feature as many big names as typical UFC events. Still, in the midst of a card that showcases British fighters, we have a fight between Mike Swick and Dan Hardy that will determine the next challenger for the welterweight title against GSP. Then, the main event is Randy Couture, who is looking to redeem himself after a tough loss against Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira in UFC 102, against Brandon Vera, who is facing his toughest challenge in several years.

Then on November 21 is UFC 106, which is just packed with great matchups. The main event was originally going to be a heavyweight title fight between Shane Carwin and champion Brock Lesnar that was basically guaranteed to be a thriller - until Lesnar came down ill, which means the fight will either be postponed or replaced with an interim title fight. Instead, the main event is a rematch between Forrest Griffin and Tito Ortiz, who won their first fight in a controversial split decision. Also, making his debut in the UFC is Antonio Rogerio Nogueira, the other Nogueira's twin brother. The main card is completed with fights of some of the most exciting and some of my favorite fighters out there - Anthony Johnson, Phil Baroni, and Karo Parisyan.

Top 100 Movies!

Any list of the "top 100 movies ever made" is doomed to failure from the start, but at the same time, 100 is a nice number to expect someone who really wants to get into film to go out and watch over the course of, say, a year or two. And don't even get me started about ranking these 100. Sure, I know that I like certain movies more than others, but to create a definitive ranking is impossible, so you can treat the following "rankings" more like neighborhood rankings.

Still, each one of these movies is still worth seeing for their own reason. And as "horrible" as the famous AFI list is, all 100 of those movies are also worth watching (though I should note that specifically the biggest reason not to stick biblically to that list is that it only includes American movies). So are all the movies on many other lists you can find on the internet.

But since I love recommending movies for people and kind of feel the need to make my own Top 100 list, I figured why not? Narrowing the list down to just 100 was really difficult. I started really struggling once I cut down the list to about 200, but that would make for definitely too long of a list. Technically the final count in this list is 107 movies, but I took the liberty of grouping some trilogies and sequels with the originals. All of these movies can be considered among my "favorite movies," so needless to say my Facebook list of "favorite movies" is far from comprehensive!

And as I've implied already, lists like these are completely subjective. For example, how do you rank a great horror movie against a great comedy? You may notice that my list contains fewer westerns, screwball comedies, romances, and action movies than other lists. Also I made these selections based on the movies' general beauty and quality, their importance, and my personal feelings for them. So just keep all this in mind as you browse through, and definitely try to see these movies!

Here is the full list, and I'll write a little blurb about each of these movies in future posts. Stay tuned!

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THE OFFICIAL Yet Completely Un-definitive

Jason Chan Top 100 Movie List

100. Across the Universe (2007)	50. Hoop Dreams (1994)
99. The Grapes of Wrath (1940)	49. Stroszek (1977)
98. Duck Soup (1933)	48. Do the Right Thing (1989)
97. The Phantom of the Opera (1925)	47. On the Waterfront (1954)
96. Adam's Rib (1949)	46. This Is Spinal Tap (1984)
95. Children of Men (2006)	45. The Best Years of Our Lives (1946)
94. Natural Born Killers (1994)	44. The Shining (1980)
93. The Right Stuff (1983)	43. Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939)
92. Shane (1953)	42. The Player (1992)
91. The Birth of a Nation (1915)	41. North By Northwest (1959)
90. The Red Shoes (1948)	40. The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie (1972)
89. Carrie (1976)	39. Dr. Strangelove (1964)
88. Abre Los Ojos (1997)	38. Groundhog Day (1993)
87. Red River (1948)	37. It's a Wonderful Life (1946)
86. The Battleship Potemkin (1925)	36. Casablanca (1942)
85. No Country For Old Men (2007)	35. Rebel Without a Cause (1955)
84. The Purple Rose of Cairo (1985)	34. The Producers (1968)
83. Dog Day Afternoon (1975)	33. Beauty and the Beast (1946)
82. Moulin Rouge! (2001)	32. The Wizard of Oz (1939)
81. Woodstock (1970)	31. Lawrence of Arabia (1962)
80. Forrest Gump (1994)	30. Raging Bull (1980)
79. The Bicycle Thief (1948)	29. The Apu Trilogy (1955, 1956, 1959)
78. Boyz n the Hood (1991)	28. Annie Hall (1977)
77. The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957)	27. Citizen Kane (1941)
76. Rocky (1976)	26. City of God (2002)
75. Arsenic and Old Lace (1944)	25. Chinatown (1974)
74. Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969)	24. Schindler's List (1993)
73. Ace in the Hole (1951)	23. Bonnie and Clyde (1967)
72. Alien (1979)	22. The Battle of Algiers (1966)
71. Being John Malkovich (1999)	21. Rear Window (1954)
70. What Ever Happened To Baby Jane? (1962)	20. Double Indemnity (1944)
69. Goodfellas (1990)	19. The Star Wars Trilogy (1977, 1980, 1983)
68. Ali: Fear Eats the Soul (1974)	18. West Side Story (1961)
67. Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975)	17. Gone With the Wind (1939)
66. Strangers on a Train (1951)	16. Vertigo (1958)
65. Rain Man (1988)	15. The 400 Blows (1959)
64. The Treasure of the Sierra Madre (1948)	14. Metropolis (1927)
63. Ben-Hur (1959)	13. Amadeus (1984)
62. The Three Colors Trilogy (1993, 1994, 1994)	12. The Passion of Joan of Arc (1928)
61. Ran (1985)	11. The Godfather, Parts I & II (1972, 1974)
60. Don't Look Now (1973)	10. Network (1976)
59. Raise the Red Lantern (1991)	9. Psycho (1960)
58. Dark City (1998)	8. 8 1/2 (1963)
57. Jaws (1975)	7. Singin' in the Rain (1952)
56. My Fair Lady (1964)	6. Taxi Driver (1976)
55. The Conversation (1974)	5. The Seventh Seal (1957)
54. The Last Picture Show (1971)	4. Orpheus (1949)
53. The Manchurian Candidate (1962)	3. Modern Times (1936)
52. When Harry Met Sally... (1989)	2. Sunset Boulevard (1950)
51. The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly (1966)	1. 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)