I did it. I finally succumbed to the cries of all of my friends and I sat down and watched an episode of "Dexter." Admittedly, I jumped on the bandwagon a wee bit late, as I jumped in at the start of season six, but it was worth it.
The show centers on the daily life of bloodstain pattern analyst, Dexter Morgan. He works for the Miami Metro Police Department, and is also, coincidentally, a serial killer. Sounds like quite a conundrum, doesn’t it? I thought so, which is why I always stayed away from the hit show. It all just sounded a bit too farfetched for me.
Dexter is, basically, a modern day Batman. He kills criminals, and people who do wrong by his moral code of ethics. He learned the skills from his adoptive father, Harry who also used to work for MMPD. Enough of the back-story. I’m hardly the guy to give it to you anyway.
So, the first episode of season six, I sit down with a five-pound bag of gummy bears that I bought from Emporium (cheaply priced at only four meals!) and get ready for the mind trip that is Dexter. The show opens with a short recap to get viewers like me up to speed.
The twists start early, as Dexter is (spoiler alert) already seen killing two people within the first five minutes. Feigning as a stabbing victim, he attacks the paramedics, and those sent out to save him unknowingly meet their demise. I find that I don’t really like how the show starts off with high-paced action. It seems to me, a ploy to hook viewers in quick, and oftentimes leads to a weak plot.
The plot here is that he is still trying to cope with the murder of his wife. Many storylines weave their way off of that. From the character aspect, Dexter now has more time for his son, and ultimately is shown as becoming a better father. This is something many felt he needed to focus more on considering the trauma he endured through watching his own mother being killed with a chainsaw. I must note, that is one of the more brutal things I have seen on television. It’s not everyday you see a child spattered with his own mother’s blood — kudos Showtime for stepping outside the box with this series.
From the director’s aspect, the death of Dexter’s wife allowed more freedom to return to focusing on the serial killings that made the show so popular in the beginning. Many fans cried about how terrible season five was, so if I decide to watch the show the whole way through, I’ll be dreading that one. The sixth season already has several dead bodies in its closet, so fans needn’t worry about there not being enough excitement. Dexter is hot on the blood trail again.
Having said all this, I still don’t foresee a happy relationship with Dexter and me in the future. It’s still a little too farfetched for me. Dexter isn’t a big man by any means, and his ability to hide his crimes by simple knowledge of blood spatters makes the show almost laughable. For the future, I think I’ll stick to my "Sons of Anarchy" and "White Collar," but it was nice to tag along with the bandwagon, even if only for a moment.
Sunday, October 23, 2011
UFC 136 Preview - Gray Maynard
One of the most dynamic wrestlers in the UFC will step into the cage this Saturday and attempt to do what only he has before. Gray “The Bully” Maynard will finally get his second shot at the UFC Lightweight Title on Saturday as he takes on Frank “The Answer” Edgar.
Maynard comes into the fight undefeated, with one draw and one no contest on his record. The draw was against Frank Edgar, and the no contest came against Rob Emerson in a bout where both fighters were declared unfit to continue. In the bout with Emerson, Maynard was executing a slam to escape a submission. Emerson’s ribs snapped and he immediately tapped out, while Maynard was judged to have knocked himself unconscious with the force of the slam.
In his Mixed Martial Arts career, Maynard has defeated talented Russian striker Dennis Siver, Jim Miller, Nate Diaz, and constant title-challenger, Kenny Florian. His most notable victory is against the man with whom he also holds a draw, current UFC Lightweight Champion, Frank Edgar.
In their first outing, Maynard utilized his wrestling background, honed at Michigan State University, to outpoint Edgar. At the time of their initial meeting, they had both had three fights inside the Octagon, and both were undefeated. Neither was thought of as the next big thing, but here they are, winners of last year’s Fight of the Year award. The second meeting was a highly anticipated one. Fans all over the world tuned in to see the two incredible lightweights go at it, and go at it they did. Both fighters swung for the fence from the get-go, and didn’t stop, even in the closing seconds of the fight. Edgar-Maynard II is famous for its first round; because it was one of the most dominant rounds a fighter has ever turned it.
Maynard threw all he had at Edgar. He knocked him down three times, and it looked like he was going to put Edgar away early, but Edgar showed incredible resolve and fought through the round. In total, Maynard landed 43 strikes to Edgar’s head, and still just couldn’t capture the finish.
From there, Maynard looked sluggish, and got tagged over and over. It never looked like Edgar was going to finish the fight, but it became clear that he was on his way to out-pointing the exhausted Maynard. When the final results come in, the judges split between the two champs at 48-46 apiece and the final judge scored the contest at draw at 47-47, making the fight a split draw.
Both fighters were understandably frustrated, and a rematch was instantly booked. Injuries to both fighters postponed the bout from its original booking at UFC 130. In their third, and final meeting according to UFC President Dana White, Maynard will have a tough fight. He unloaded everything he had in the first round and couldn’t finish, so he will try and spread out his attack over the five rounds. Doing this will enable Edgar to execute his game plan and pick his shots. With his superior speed, Edgar will trounce Maynard on the feet, and his speed will also nullify Maynard’s stellar wrestling. Besides, even if he can’t avoid the ground, Edgar is by no means a slouch on the ground. The assistant wrestling coach at Rutgers University will take this one with a TKO in the second round, and move on to a whole host of challengers in the loaded lightweight division.
Maynard comes into the fight undefeated, with one draw and one no contest on his record. The draw was against Frank Edgar, and the no contest came against Rob Emerson in a bout where both fighters were declared unfit to continue. In the bout with Emerson, Maynard was executing a slam to escape a submission. Emerson’s ribs snapped and he immediately tapped out, while Maynard was judged to have knocked himself unconscious with the force of the slam.
In his Mixed Martial Arts career, Maynard has defeated talented Russian striker Dennis Siver, Jim Miller, Nate Diaz, and constant title-challenger, Kenny Florian. His most notable victory is against the man with whom he also holds a draw, current UFC Lightweight Champion, Frank Edgar.
In their first outing, Maynard utilized his wrestling background, honed at Michigan State University, to outpoint Edgar. At the time of their initial meeting, they had both had three fights inside the Octagon, and both were undefeated. Neither was thought of as the next big thing, but here they are, winners of last year’s Fight of the Year award. The second meeting was a highly anticipated one. Fans all over the world tuned in to see the two incredible lightweights go at it, and go at it they did. Both fighters swung for the fence from the get-go, and didn’t stop, even in the closing seconds of the fight. Edgar-Maynard II is famous for its first round; because it was one of the most dominant rounds a fighter has ever turned it.
Maynard threw all he had at Edgar. He knocked him down three times, and it looked like he was going to put Edgar away early, but Edgar showed incredible resolve and fought through the round. In total, Maynard landed 43 strikes to Edgar’s head, and still just couldn’t capture the finish.
From there, Maynard looked sluggish, and got tagged over and over. It never looked like Edgar was going to finish the fight, but it became clear that he was on his way to out-pointing the exhausted Maynard. When the final results come in, the judges split between the two champs at 48-46 apiece and the final judge scored the contest at draw at 47-47, making the fight a split draw.
Both fighters were understandably frustrated, and a rematch was instantly booked. Injuries to both fighters postponed the bout from its original booking at UFC 130. In their third, and final meeting according to UFC President Dana White, Maynard will have a tough fight. He unloaded everything he had in the first round and couldn’t finish, so he will try and spread out his attack over the five rounds. Doing this will enable Edgar to execute his game plan and pick his shots. With his superior speed, Edgar will trounce Maynard on the feet, and his speed will also nullify Maynard’s stellar wrestling. Besides, even if he can’t avoid the ground, Edgar is by no means a slouch on the ground. The assistant wrestling coach at Rutgers University will take this one with a TKO in the second round, and move on to a whole host of challengers in the loaded lightweight division.
UFC 136 Preview - Frankie Edgar
The UFC Lightweight division is filled with excellent competition for the only man to defeat future UFC Hall-of-Famer B.J. Penn in back-to-back fights, Frankie Edgar.
In his quest for the title, Edgar defeated names like Sean Sherk, Spencer Fisher, Tyson Griffin, Jim Miller and Mark Bocek. The sole stumble in his Mixed Martial Arts career was against Gray Maynard. The heated rivalry between UFC Lightweight Champion, Frank “The Answer” Edgar, and the only man to defeat him, Gray “The Bully” Maynard is one of the best the UFC has seen in a while.
Maynard managed to win their first outing by using his stiff wrestling to control Edgar, and eliminate his quickness. He attempted a few submissions, but mostly controlled the smaller Edgar. Edgar is one of the smallest lightweights, as he typically walks around 160 pounds pre-fight. Maynard used his ground striking skills, as well as his superior wrestling to outpoint the future champion. Later, in the rematch once Edgar became champion, the two fighters fought to a draw in the Fight of the Year.
The first round of their title fight alone could have easily garnered Fight of the Year honors. There were a total of 57 strikes landed in just that first round, 47 of which were by Maynard. Maynard dominated the first round, but Edgar miraculously hung around and recovered to make it out of the first. In the second round, Edgar began to out strike Maynard, and landed a few stellar takedowns, including a modified double leg. The fans slowly got behind Edgar, and his momentum just kept building until he was declared the UFC Lightweight Champion once again, sort of.
The fight was scored 46–48 for Edgar, 48–46 for Maynard, and 47–47 to declare the fight a majority draw. It was the first time in UFC history that a championship fight had been declared as such, and both fighters were left with unresolved anger. Neither knew how to take the draw. Sure, Edgar was still the champ, but it was like the fight never happened, as everyone was immediately sure there would be a rematch.
In the latest installment, there isn’t really a way in which Edgar can’t walk away with the belt. Maynard spent every ounce he had in that first round to try and put Edgar out, and Edgar showed how tough he was, and how determined he is to hold that belt. Maynard is going to have some trouble putting Edgar out that much is clear. The factor that remains to be seen is whether he can pace himself and land his shots and not gas early. In doing this, he will have to be more calm, and Edgar won’t be dazed the entire fight as he was before. Edgar will therefore be freer to get in and out and land heavy shots, he just has to be careful and nullify Maynard’s wrestling. If he can do that, Edgar wins this one by second round TKO.
In his quest for the title, Edgar defeated names like Sean Sherk, Spencer Fisher, Tyson Griffin, Jim Miller and Mark Bocek. The sole stumble in his Mixed Martial Arts career was against Gray Maynard. The heated rivalry between UFC Lightweight Champion, Frank “The Answer” Edgar, and the only man to defeat him, Gray “The Bully” Maynard is one of the best the UFC has seen in a while.
Maynard managed to win their first outing by using his stiff wrestling to control Edgar, and eliminate his quickness. He attempted a few submissions, but mostly controlled the smaller Edgar. Edgar is one of the smallest lightweights, as he typically walks around 160 pounds pre-fight. Maynard used his ground striking skills, as well as his superior wrestling to outpoint the future champion. Later, in the rematch once Edgar became champion, the two fighters fought to a draw in the Fight of the Year.
The first round of their title fight alone could have easily garnered Fight of the Year honors. There were a total of 57 strikes landed in just that first round, 47 of which were by Maynard. Maynard dominated the first round, but Edgar miraculously hung around and recovered to make it out of the first. In the second round, Edgar began to out strike Maynard, and landed a few stellar takedowns, including a modified double leg. The fans slowly got behind Edgar, and his momentum just kept building until he was declared the UFC Lightweight Champion once again, sort of.
The fight was scored 46–48 for Edgar, 48–46 for Maynard, and 47–47 to declare the fight a majority draw. It was the first time in UFC history that a championship fight had been declared as such, and both fighters were left with unresolved anger. Neither knew how to take the draw. Sure, Edgar was still the champ, but it was like the fight never happened, as everyone was immediately sure there would be a rematch.
In the latest installment, there isn’t really a way in which Edgar can’t walk away with the belt. Maynard spent every ounce he had in that first round to try and put Edgar out, and Edgar showed how tough he was, and how determined he is to hold that belt. Maynard is going to have some trouble putting Edgar out that much is clear. The factor that remains to be seen is whether he can pace himself and land his shots and not gas early. In doing this, he will have to be more calm, and Edgar won’t be dazed the entire fight as he was before. Edgar will therefore be freer to get in and out and land heavy shots, he just has to be careful and nullify Maynard’s wrestling. If he can do that, Edgar wins this one by second round TKO.
Sunday, October 2, 2011
UFC on Versus 6 Preview - Dominick Cruz
The UFC’s young bantamweight division is very uncertain right now. With fighters like former title challenger, Urijah Faber trying his hand at the division, and other fighters like Demetrious Johnson considering an exit, there isn’t a lot of stability. The one thing that is consistent is Champion, Dominick “The Dominator” Cruz.
Cruz became famous for his WEC 26 featherweight title fight against Urijah Faber. The champion, Faber, handled Cruz with relative ease, submitting him with a guillotine choke in just over a minute into the fight.
After his first loss, and such a quick one, his camp decided that it would be a wise move to drop to 135 pounds and make a name for himself in the bantamweight division. He did just that as he went on a tear defeating the sport’s top 135ers. He took down Charlie Valencia, Joseph Benavidez and Brian Bowles. In his fight against Bowles, he claimed the WEC Bantamweight title, a title he has yet to relinquish.
Cruz’s first title defense was against Joseph Benavidez. In the rematch with the only man to hand him a loss, Benavidez defeated once again by split decision. Cruz’s next opponent was announced to be Scott Jorgenson for the last WEC Bantamweight title fight.
The fight lasted all five rounds and was one of the most highly contested bouts of Cruz’s career. Cruz dominated the striking game and each got their shots in on the ground. Cruz was obviously the more talented wrestler, controlling the position for most of the fight. Cruz retained his fight with a unanimous decision victory and became the Undisputed UFC Bantamweight Champion in the UFC-WEC merger.
Cruz’s first title defense was against Urijah Faber, the only loss on his record. Faber lost the featherweight title to Mike Brown, and then later lost the rematch. After stringing together a few wins, he was awarded a title bout with current UFC Featherweight Champion, José Aldo. Faber was unable to reclaim his title and subsequently dropped down to bantamweight to chase after his former nemesis, Cruz.
Cruz handled Faber’s aggressive style by countering effectively, and stuffing many of his takedowns. It was clear that Cruz had improved vastly since his last fight with Faber, and Faber just had no weapons to use against the champ. Cruz earned another unanimous nod, and retained his title while winning his rematch.
Coming off of his impressive win over Faber, there is little doubt about whether Cruz can retain his title against Demetrious “Mighty Mouse” Johnson. The shortest fighter in the UFC, at five feet three inches, Johnson poses few problems for Cruz. Cruz has already demonstrated that he can triumph over a dominant wrestler many times through his wins over Faber, Benavidez and Jorgensen, coincidentally all fighters from Team Alpha Male. Cruz only has a short two-inch reach advantage, but he has a five-inch height advantage, much of which is in his legs. Cruz will need to utilize his kickboxing skills to keep Johnson at bay, as he will immediately look to bring the fight to the mat. In the end, Cruz will continue his career with only one loss as he rolls past Demetrious Johnson via unanimous decision.
Cruz became famous for his WEC 26 featherweight title fight against Urijah Faber. The champion, Faber, handled Cruz with relative ease, submitting him with a guillotine choke in just over a minute into the fight.
After his first loss, and such a quick one, his camp decided that it would be a wise move to drop to 135 pounds and make a name for himself in the bantamweight division. He did just that as he went on a tear defeating the sport’s top 135ers. He took down Charlie Valencia, Joseph Benavidez and Brian Bowles. In his fight against Bowles, he claimed the WEC Bantamweight title, a title he has yet to relinquish.
Cruz’s first title defense was against Joseph Benavidez. In the rematch with the only man to hand him a loss, Benavidez defeated once again by split decision. Cruz’s next opponent was announced to be Scott Jorgenson for the last WEC Bantamweight title fight.
The fight lasted all five rounds and was one of the most highly contested bouts of Cruz’s career. Cruz dominated the striking game and each got their shots in on the ground. Cruz was obviously the more talented wrestler, controlling the position for most of the fight. Cruz retained his fight with a unanimous decision victory and became the Undisputed UFC Bantamweight Champion in the UFC-WEC merger.
Cruz’s first title defense was against Urijah Faber, the only loss on his record. Faber lost the featherweight title to Mike Brown, and then later lost the rematch. After stringing together a few wins, he was awarded a title bout with current UFC Featherweight Champion, José Aldo. Faber was unable to reclaim his title and subsequently dropped down to bantamweight to chase after his former nemesis, Cruz.
Cruz handled Faber’s aggressive style by countering effectively, and stuffing many of his takedowns. It was clear that Cruz had improved vastly since his last fight with Faber, and Faber just had no weapons to use against the champ. Cruz earned another unanimous nod, and retained his title while winning his rematch.
Coming off of his impressive win over Faber, there is little doubt about whether Cruz can retain his title against Demetrious “Mighty Mouse” Johnson. The shortest fighter in the UFC, at five feet three inches, Johnson poses few problems for Cruz. Cruz has already demonstrated that he can triumph over a dominant wrestler many times through his wins over Faber, Benavidez and Jorgensen, coincidentally all fighters from Team Alpha Male. Cruz only has a short two-inch reach advantage, but he has a five-inch height advantage, much of which is in his legs. Cruz will need to utilize his kickboxing skills to keep Johnson at bay, as he will immediately look to bring the fight to the mat. In the end, Cruz will continue his career with only one loss as he rolls past Demetrious Johnson via unanimous decision.
UFC on Versus 6 Preview - Demetrious Johnson
Demetrious Johnson may be the shortest fighter in the UFC at five feet three inches, but his heart makes up for what he lacks in stature.
Johnson, a former WEC fighter, made his UFC debut against Japanese phenom, Norifumi Yamamoto in a relatively young bantamweight division. Johnson earned the win over Yamamoto through his superior conditioning, and his sheer will to win. Johnson worked tirelessly on the ground to control the pace of the fight and frustrated Yamamoto. Johnson solidified himself as a force within the division with a unanimous nod over the favorite.
After such a big win, it was arranged for Johnson to fight up-and-coming Brazilian, Ranan Barão. He caught a stroke of luck when former WEC Bantamweight Champion Miguel Torres’ opponent, Brad Pickett was forced off of the same card. Johnson stepped in to fight Torres, and put on the defining moment of his career.
Johnson’s superior heart was the deciding factor in a fight of two possible future title contenders. He used his superior wrestling to control the taller Torres. Johnson was picking apart Torres with his boxing, when early in the second round, he checked a leg kick and his fibula snapped in two. Johnson played off the injury so the fight was not called, and allowed Torres to put him to the mat. Once there, Johnson worked off of his back, and executed sweeps and reversals when they were available. The judges thought he did enough, even with the broken leg to earn the unanimous victory.
In his fight for the title at UFC Live 6, versus Dominick Cruz, he will need a lot more than just heart and determination to wrest the bantamweight title from Cruz’s waist. Cruz, even though he stands five feet eight inches, incredibly, he only has a two-inch reach advantage. The height difference won’t play much of a factor in the fight, but Cruz’s takedown defense will. In his most recent title defense, against Urijah Faber, he was only taken down once, and he stuffed 4 of Faber’s takedowns. His career takedown defense is an astounding 83 percent.
Johnson has shown improved striking skills, but they aren’t on the level of “The Dominator” just yet. If Johnson can get inside Cruz’s guard, he still isn’t safe. Shortly after his UFC 132 title defense, he was awarded his BJJ blue belt, under Lloyd Irvin, Jr. If Johnson decides to be content and strike from within Cruz’s guard, he will find himself waking up from a triangle choke. Johnson will have to try and play this one safe, but doing so will result in Dominick Cruz retaining his title with a unanimous decision.
Johnson, a former WEC fighter, made his UFC debut against Japanese phenom, Norifumi Yamamoto in a relatively young bantamweight division. Johnson earned the win over Yamamoto through his superior conditioning, and his sheer will to win. Johnson worked tirelessly on the ground to control the pace of the fight and frustrated Yamamoto. Johnson solidified himself as a force within the division with a unanimous nod over the favorite.
After such a big win, it was arranged for Johnson to fight up-and-coming Brazilian, Ranan Barão. He caught a stroke of luck when former WEC Bantamweight Champion Miguel Torres’ opponent, Brad Pickett was forced off of the same card. Johnson stepped in to fight Torres, and put on the defining moment of his career.
Johnson’s superior heart was the deciding factor in a fight of two possible future title contenders. He used his superior wrestling to control the taller Torres. Johnson was picking apart Torres with his boxing, when early in the second round, he checked a leg kick and his fibula snapped in two. Johnson played off the injury so the fight was not called, and allowed Torres to put him to the mat. Once there, Johnson worked off of his back, and executed sweeps and reversals when they were available. The judges thought he did enough, even with the broken leg to earn the unanimous victory.
In his fight for the title at UFC Live 6, versus Dominick Cruz, he will need a lot more than just heart and determination to wrest the bantamweight title from Cruz’s waist. Cruz, even though he stands five feet eight inches, incredibly, he only has a two-inch reach advantage. The height difference won’t play much of a factor in the fight, but Cruz’s takedown defense will. In his most recent title defense, against Urijah Faber, he was only taken down once, and he stuffed 4 of Faber’s takedowns. His career takedown defense is an astounding 83 percent.
Johnson has shown improved striking skills, but they aren’t on the level of “The Dominator” just yet. If Johnson can get inside Cruz’s guard, he still isn’t safe. Shortly after his UFC 132 title defense, he was awarded his BJJ blue belt, under Lloyd Irvin, Jr. If Johnson decides to be content and strike from within Cruz’s guard, he will find himself waking up from a triangle choke. Johnson will have to try and play this one safe, but doing so will result in Dominick Cruz retaining his title with a unanimous decision.
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