life

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

Ray Mullan Home, Sports, Trending , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Screen Shot 2017-11-25 at 22.35.00

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.

Screen Shot 2017-11-25 at 22.36.36
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.

Ben Askren: The Welterweight MMA Legend You’ve Never Heard of?

Ray Mullan Home, Sports, Trending, Uncategorized , , , , , , , , , , ,

Screen Shot 2017-09-06 at 21.10.05

In recent years, MMA has seen rise to some of the best combat athletes of the modern era. The savage and barbaric nature of the sport has forced competitors to constantly improve and innovate, and this ideal has been both a gift and a curse for Ben Askren.

At this point you may be wondering; Who is Ben Askren?

Ben Askren is an extremely outspoken nine year MMA veteran, holding an undefeated record of 17-0-1 and known for his highly controversial “lay and pray” fighting style. His most notable victories come against Douglas Lima (via decision), Jay Hieron (via decision) and Andrey Koreshkov (via doctors stoppage between rounds three and four).

Askren is a great example of how entertainment value can make or break a combat athlete’s notoriety, and a prime example of how being critical of Dana White, the UFC’s methods and the sport as a whole can come back and bite you permanently.

Askren has referred to himself as being “blacklisted” by the two biggest MMA organisations in the world (Bellator and UFC), which is stunning considering his fight record and his fighting credentials. To mention a few of his many accolades, Askren is a former Olympian in wrestling, a former Bellator champion (who also holds the record for recording the most amount of Bellator wins) and current One FC Champion. He has never been signed to the premier MMA organization, The UFC, and at 33-Years-Old, has just announced he is to retire after his next fight (against Shinya Aoki on November 24th at “One FC: Immortal Pursuit”).

Screen Shot 2017-09-06 at 21.15.46
UNDEFEATED: Ben Askren holding his Bellator and ONE FC Welterweight Titles.

Again, you may wonder why Askren has never fought under the UFC banner.

There isn’t a straightforward answer, although both Dana White and Ben Askren tell different stories as to why the signing never happened. Askren often refers to the “unfair contractual practices” implemented by the UFC, which was a direct reaction to his unsuccessful contract negotiations with the UFC in 2013. These negotiations led Askren to claim that he “got screwed pretty royally”. These failed contract talks have left a bitter taste in the mouth of Askren, who over the years has went on to attack the UFC and Dana White relentlessly.

On the other hand, Dana White pointed to Askren’s passion for the sport as the reason for the failed negotiations. In 2015, Dana White claimed Ben Askren “does not want to fight the best in the world” at a New York Press Conference, and also claimed “he’s not my kinda guy” (with reference to Ben Askren as a businessman and person).

We’ll probably never know how good Ben Askren truly was, due to the fact he never came up against the “world class” competition required to reach legend status, although if legend status was conditional on “beating what’s in front of you”, he’d be a hall of famer, no questions asked.

His “lay and pray” style may also be damaging to his reputation, with many MMA figures (such as Phil Baroni) referring to Askren as “boring” and “unwatchable”. It is worth noting that as a tactical approach, “lay and pray” has been extremely effective at neutralizing Askren’s opponents offense, whilst also limiting the damage which Askren has taken in his career. Askren has also been able to finish ten of his eighteen opponents within the distance, making him both clinical and punishing in grappling and ground and pound exchanges.

There’s nothing more temporary in combat sports than retirement; Look at Floyd Mayweather, Georges St.Pierre and BJ Penn as examples of this. However, if this is the final time we see Ben Askren fight, know that there will be a permanent footnote on both Askren’s career and the MMA Welterweight Division.

We’ll never truly know what we missed out on.

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

Ray Mullan Home, Serious, Trending , , , , , , , , , ,

Screen Shot 2017-03-10 at 02.03.31

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.