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Younger, Faster, Disaster; Michael Bisping vs Kelvin Gastelum.

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As the smoke begins to settle from UFC Fight Night 122, many fight fans are left questioning the motives of Michael Bisping for taking a short-notice fight just three weeks removed from being choked unconscious by current UFC Middleweight Champion Georges St. Pierre. But like many actions in the fight game, it’s all about context.

Michael Bisping is one of the last of his kind. I can’t remember a single time Bisping was reported to have refused or pulled out of a contest, something that’s extremely rare in 2017. He lives by an old school code and thinks an old school way; “This is what I do, I fight”.

The risks involved were abundantly clear, and although pre-fight Gastelum was placed much lower in the UFC Rankings than Bisping (Gastelum was ranked 9th before the fight), rankings don’t mean much in a sport that entire careers can be altered via a single punch to the face.

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CHAMPION: The former UFC Middleweight Champion aimed for a quick turnaround after his 3rd round submission loss three weeks ago.

Kelvin Gastelum has looked reinvigorated since his move to Middleweight. The Ultimate Fighter Season 17 winner holds notable stoppage wins against Tim Kennedy and Vitor Belfort, two consistent contenders throughout their careers and two men that previously caused Bisping a world of problems. Gastelum is also twelve years younger than Bisping, who has clocked plenty of fighter miles in his grueling eleven year UFC career.

But who can blame Michael Bisping for acting like Michael Bisping? He’s always been game for a fight, and was seemingly confident going into this contest; “Everybody wants to get paid. Two paydays, one training camp”. Bisping’s logic seemed rudimentary, and I’m sure looking back on this contest he wishes this fight was as straightforward as that. But in his heart of hearts, I have to believe he knew better than to think that his bravery and nobility is all it would take to force a win against a dangerous opponent. Put simply, life isn’t as easy as that.

Contrary to popular belief, the fight itself was close right up until the final exchange. Both fighters had their high points, landing solid punches and kicks. But the final exchange has quickly gone viral; a crisp weave, followed by a right straight/left hook combination seen “The Count” collapse. The fairytale ended right at that moment and the brutality of MMA was realised once again. Sporting romanticism out the window.

Credit where credit is due to Michael Bisping for being the company man that he is and resurrecting a fight card thats entire existence was threatened by Anderson Silva’s apparent USADA violation. He flew to China and rolled the dice, and although he didn’t experience the luster or reward of a win, he should be recoginsed for his huge heart and endless valor. Bisping was all class after the fight: “I was enjoying myself; he caught me with a good shot. God bless Kelvin, he’s young. I’ve done this for a long time, man. I’m getting old”.

But combat, in its nature, is unpredictable and MMA doesn’t follow a Hollywood script. Gastelum’s incredible knockout will surely move him on to bigger and better things, and Bisping’s loss may accelerate his retirement plans (although he has hinted his plan for one last fight in London on March 2018 will go ahead). And for the fight fans who’ve been left slack-jawed by the manner of Gastelum’s explosive dispatching of Michael Bisping, this fight was a sobering look into the savage reality of MMA.

MMA is as good as it gets. The UFC is as real as it gets. And quite simply, it’s the most gruesomely honest sport on the planet.

Where do we go from here? Dinosaurs and Crocodiles; The March 2nd Election.

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On March 2nd, the voting electorate of Northern Ireland provoked a political paradigm shift and dramatically cut the Unionist majority in Stormont. It marks a unique time with unique circumstances, and will raise massive challenges for the executive in the next five years.

But before that happens, the executive must iron out its creases.

How many more times have we to hear about “red lines” and “republican consensus” before cross community progress actually begins? By definition, Government’s main aim is to govern and serve the people that have appointed it. It seems that now, in 2017, the dysfunction of Stormont and the negligence of our political constitutions are clearer than ever.

Whether we like it or not, politics in Northern Ireland is a “Green Vs. Orange” issue, and the majority of the active voting electorate treat it as such. Sinn Fein returned to Stormont with one less seat than the DUP, who seen a ten seat reduction on the MLA’s they have. The SDLP also fared better than many expected, replacing the UUP as the third largest party in the Assembly. Many have been left wondering how this all happened and whether normality will ever resume.

The most popular three-letter abbreviation in Northern Ireland over the last five months surprisingly hasn’t been “IRA”, but “RHI”; The “Renewable Heating Incentive”, overseen by Arlene Foster, was exposed largely by former MLA and DUP Minister Jonathan Bell, who vowed to “tell the truth” about the misgivings of the scheme. The initiative is set to cost the taxpayer approximately £495 Million Pounds, and will inevitably force a halt to vital funding in vulnerable areas such as healthcare and legacy issues.

And whether we blame the implementation of the RHI Scheme ,“radical republican agenda”, the Irish Language, Brexit or hungry crocodiles for the collapse of our political institutions, the fact remains we’re left with a lot of rebuilding to do, and little optimism about the project’s desired results.

Secretary of State James Brokenshire has his work cut out for him. There’s no doubt about that. He’s already been walked out on by a Sinn Fein delegation, who’ve described their conversation with Mr. Brokenshire as “waffle, waffle and more waffle”. And although senior members of both Sinn Fein and DUP (Michelle O’Neill, Arlene Foster and John O’Dowd to mention a few) have claimed there are “no red lines” with regards to a return to devolution, there clearly are many key issues that need addressed.

Screen Shot 2017-03-09 at 23.07.33RED LINES: The key issues which both main political parties will demand action on (credit to “Nolan Live” for the image).

Per the Secretary of State, Sinn Fein and the DUP have three weeks to reach a deal and if a government cannot be formed within that time then under law, another election can be called. In turn, failure from Mr. Brokenshire to fully address these “red lines” will result in a deep political chasm being formed. Ultimately, if no power-sharing government is formed, Direct Rule can be enforced (for the first time in over a decade).

Whilst DUP leader Arlene Foster seen the election results as “a great day for Sinn Fein”, Sinn Fein leader Michelle O’Neill hailed the results as “a brilliant day for equality” and “a great day for democracy”. Both O’Neill and Foster are vital cogs to stabilising Northern Ireland’s political institutions, and the real gauge of how successful these elections are for the North of Ireland will come in whether or not professional, local politics can resume. Without local Government, direct rule is a certainty. And the one thing that’s for certain about Tory led, pro-austerity direct rule, is that nothing is for certain.

CM Punk Broke the Internet.

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CM Punk

As UFC 203 drew to a close, it was difficult to take my mind off the cataclysmic failure in which Phil Brooks had just endured.

For those wondering who Phil Brooks is, he’s known by most as CM Punk, a former professional wrestling champion and self proclaimed “Cult of Personality”.

The reason I call him by his real name, rather than his stage name, is to differentiate his past from his present. Nothing in his past could have prepared him for the stark realization that, when it comes to mixed martial arts, you’re either born with it or you’re the other 99.9% of the world.

Brooks got battered. There’s no debate about that. The bout lasted two and a half minutes and there wasn’t a second in the fight when he wasn’t being dominated.

BATTERED: Phil Brooks being pummelled by welterweight prospect Mickey Gall.
BATTERED: Phil Brooks being pummelled by welterweight prospect Mickey Gall.

It was hard to watch at times. Just seconds in, it was abundantly clear that this experiment wasn’t going to have a happy ending for the Chicago native. And although the fight proved brutal, it also proved necessary.

This fight, along with other examples (James Toney VS Randy Couture & Jose Canseco Vs Hong Man Choi immediately spring to mind) are reminders to the general public that, although the term “mixed martial arts” has the word “art” in it, there’s nothing artistic about being punched in the face.

MMA is savage. On the same card, viewers witnessed a man’s finger becoming so badly dislocated that, when the footage is paused, you can clearly see a bone sticking out. Viewers also witnessed Alistair Overeem, a man with over 15 years of MMA experience, being unapologetically knocked unconscious. This isn’t a game folks.

The Phil Brooks experiment, if nothing else, provoked opinions. On one side, many admired the man for chasing his goals and following his dreams. On the other, many seen his move into professional fighting as cocky, arrogant and ignorant. He’s always been considered a controversial character and his move into MMA was cut from the same cloth.

Brooks said, “In life, you go big or you go home” after the fight. It was an admirable act of courage to step into the octagon and the man deserves respect for that alone. But there’s nothing more humbling in life than a punch to the face. And unfortunately for Brooks, he learned that the hard way on several occasions.

His Rocky story didn’t have a happy ending. His face and ego were left battered and bruised. And his reputation? Well, he’s always been known as an entertainer and his journey has certainly entertained fans and spectators alike. So, credit to him.

It’s not clear if we’ll see Phil Brooks back in the octagon. But if we do, I hope it’s to promote a Wrestlemania, rather than to venture into a world that rewards the few and condemns pretenders through violence.

His record reads zero wins, one loss. And with his 38th Birthday fast approaching, I just can’t see that improving anytime soon.

Gary Neville: Lost in Translation?

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The news that Gary Neville had been sacked as manager of Valencia has not come as a shock to many. His disastrous run saw only 10 wins in 28 games, with the former Manchester United captain actually losing more games than he had won. Valencia’s league performance was especially worrying, with Neville only winning 3 of his 16 games in La Liga.

The statistics surrounding his managerial tenure are for dire reading. But, like most sports, although results are what go on to define you, they really don’t tell the full story.

Valencia is a club in turmoil and has been for many years. They’ve not came close to winning a trophy since winning the Copa Del Rey in 2008 (that’s 2907 days for all you statisticians). They’ve also had 7 managers in the last 4 years and seem reluctant to give any of these managers the time or space to set a footballing philosophy. Managers simply don’t have the time to turn it around, and when you consider the fact they’ve not won silverware in such a long time, it begs the question; Why?

Gary Neville was always subject to an uphill battle. The nationalistic Spanish press was all over him from day one, with him eventually saying, “I said before I came that I would be judged in five months. I have been judged in six weeks”.

He often seemed shaken at press conferences, often looking unsure of himself when he was fielded questions in Spanish. When he gave his answers in English, which subsequently had to be translated to Spanish for the Spanish Press and fans to understand, the moment was gone. His passionate answers seemed to lose their effectiveness. “I’ve only ever been one way in football and that’s to win every match”, he claimed in his first interview as Valencia Manager. Many were cynical from the beginning.

Maybe it was a case of the job being “too much, too soon” for Neville to cope with. He perhaps could have come better equipped for the job. As previously mentioned, his lack of experience with the Spanish language (or Spanish football for that matter) meant he would have problems. He couldn’t take team talks or even communicate effectively with his predominantly Spanish team due to the language barrier. Instead he relied on translators and pre-prepared liaison to get his messages across. Perhaps his words of wisdom lost their magic.

His team tactics were often subject to both experimentation and injuries. With a manager coming in halfway through a footballing season, it is expected he has a concrete idea of how the team are going to play and line out. This didn’t seem to be the case, as Neville opted to experiment with five different formations in his first eight league games, trying out 4-3-3, 5-3-2, 4-4-2, 4-1-4-1 and 4-2-3-1. Injuries to Diego Alves, Enzo Perez, Jose Gaya and Sofiane Feghouli also didn’t help team performances.

And with faltering team performances came the impending passionate response from Neville. But this response ended up being his eventual undoing.

His downfall came from his own words. His own beliefs. He set himself up for scrutiny by basing his employment on the ideal that he’d turn it around, and turn it around quickly. He wasn’t shy about telling the fans of his plans to make the club great again. His claims of immediate success unfortunately didn’t happen, and the cool, calm and collected Neville was made to look foolish with his words of optimism.

Fan support wavered. Once believers in Neville, they began boo’ing the Englishman venomously. They didn’t see the product Neville had professed about. They didn’t care for his passion. All they had seen was their football club in crisis mode, losing games to lesser opposition on a consistent basis. And with club legends such as Santiago Cañizares and Gaizka Mendieta openly condemning Neville, it was only a matter of time before he was shown the door.

When taking the Valencia job, he claimed. “If I’d have turned down this job, I could have said goodbye to credibility in football because it’s a massive club”. This quote in itself describes Neville; A fierce competitor with huge wells of confidence. He believed this was his chance to shine.

His final game, a lacklustre 2-0 defeat at home to Celta Vigo was the final nail in the coffin. His team looked uninspired. He looked lost. And the fans, with their white handkerchiefs at the ready, boo’d Neville out of the Mestalla Stadium.

The real sadness from this story is the “what could have been” factor of the sacked football manager. Managers are often in and out of a job before anyone can even process what’s going on. It’s a fickle sport, with fickle fans and fickle businessmen. Realistically, four months is not nearly enough time to prove your worth in any line of work. Neville may feel hard done by, but in the long run, if Valencia don’t drastically transform their entire club, it may prove to be the luckiest break he’s ever had.

Album Review: Kendrick Lamar – To Pimp a Butterfly.

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For those of you that have been living on Mars for a few years; Kendrick Lamar is one of the most highly touted and well-respected rappers to emerge in recent times. Adored by both rap fans and fellow musicians, he has been compared to the likes of Tupac Shakur, Ice Cube and Bob Dylan. And before you ask….Yes, I said Bob Dylan. Well, Pharrrel Williams did.

Album Cover: Kendrick Lamar -To Pimp a Butterfly.
Album Cover: Kendrick Lamar -To Pimp a Butterfly.

After taking an almost 3 year hiatus, The Compton native released “To Pimp a Butterfly”, his first album since the critically acclaimed “Good Kid, M.A.A.D City”. The story behind the album title is a strange one; after ditching several other planned titles, Kendrick claimed, “I just really wanted to show the brightness of life and the word “pimp” has so much aggression, and that represents several things. For me, it represents using my celebrity for good. Another reason is, not being pimped by the industry through my celebrity.”

The anticipation for this album is something that’s been lost from Hip-hop in recent times. In all honesty, the last time I can remember a hip-hop album release becoming so captivating was on September 11th 2007, when both Kanye West and 50 Cent released their respective albums (“Curtis” and “Graduation”).

The pressure was well and truly on Kendrick, who at this point has become a rap deity to his fans. With titles such as “savior of hip-hop” and “the new Tupac Shakur” synonymous to Kendrick, there’s no question many were expecting a classic in the proportions of “Illmatic”.

Did the album live up to expectations? I don’t think it did. I think it surpassed them.

Many expected him to release a music album and what his fans got instead was a socio-political manifesto, the likes of which I personally haven’t experienced through the medium of modern hip-hop music (on this level anyway). The album is both contextually poignant and thought provocative. There are many layers to the album and to mention them all in this article would read similarly to a college dissertation. So I’ll try and keep it brief.

After first listening to the album, I was completely flabbergasted. I was overawed by his consistent challenges to black culture’s ethos, as well as the condemnation and reluctance to allow himself to become “pimped” or bought by the entertainment industry in the name of selling out his morality. This theme has been heard by many black entertainers before; Dave Chappelle for example quit his show and allegedly turned down £50 million dollars to stay, in the name of his morality and racial integrity. “And if I gotta brown nose for some gold, then I’d rather be a bum than a motherfuckin’ baller” sums up his argument in “King Kunta”. Pretty heavy stuff, considering we’re only on track 3.

The constant idea that Kendrick is the new face and voice of the black community is constantly reinforced. He has mixed views on this idea and can be heard In “Mortal Man” interviewing Tupac Shakur posthumously about this. The complexities associated with Kendrick taking on this role are consistently referred to. “I remember you was conflicted, misusing your influence, sometimes I did the same” is heard repeatedly throughout the album to reinforce this.

His overall disgust and confusion about himself is also referred to in “Blacker the Berry” when he says, “So why did I weep when Trayvon Martin was in the street, when gang banging make me kill a n***a blacker than me? Hypocrite”. The mention of both the Trayvon Martin case and black gang culture are very sensitive subjects, but Kendrick shows bravery by going headfirst into it. He holds nothing back and condemns his own actions and thoughts. More importantly, this lyric directly condemns the gang elements related to civil rights cases, such as the events surrounding the Trayvon Martyn case. The term “paradigm shifting” isn’t a strong enough expression for a message as powerful as this, and sets this album apart from other modern hip-hop albums. Truly revolutionary material.

Kendrick’s brutal honesty and constant referral to historical context and political influence is a breathe of fresh air in modern hip-hop. Kendrick’s taken the genre of politi-rapping to a previously unattainable level, and has embedded this poetic message into a beautifully produced music album. His unique commentary on black culture is an audio masterpiece and his take on entertainment and show-business is fascinating. This, in my opinion, is the best album I’ve heard in years and a true lyrical masterpiece. I’d rate this album 10/10, 5 microphones out of 5 and reward the album all the accolades I could. I don’t think anything rap/hip-hop related holds a candle to this. Nothing even comes close.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6AhXSoKa8xw