UFC 136
Without a doubt, the UFC and MMA in general has achieved new heights as of last night.
On a fight card that had a quick upset, a stand-and-bang war, a 5 rounder and a comeback knockout, you would be quick to conclude UFC 136 was a successful event. Yes. But not for those reasons.
UFC 136 will be remembered simply as being the event that show the conclusion of an epic trilogy. Now, trilogies in MMA don't have the same impact that trilogies in boxing have. The Ortiz-Shamrock trilogy meant little to the most of the MMA world as it was clear Ortiz was by far the faster, stronger, younger and more talented fighter (it was like putting my uncle in a ring against Amir Khan, yes my uncle can punch, but he can not box). The only trilogy that is embedded in the brains of MMA fans is the Liddell-Couture serious and that was mostly due to the number of titles between and their status in MMA at the time (being the best of a very limited crop of LHW fighters).
The Edgar-Maynard trilogy is different because no one expected there to be a trilogy after the first fight, which Maynard won (after the first Ortiz-Shamrock fight, you know Ortiz wanted to pound on Ken even more). In addition, no one expected these two lightweights to go on and have 2 more fights that wear not only of high calibre but of great drama and excitement. No one expected Frankie to beat BJ Penn twice and become the undisputed UFC Lightweight Champion. Before the 2nd fight, Maynard had bragging rights as he was the only guy to beat Edgar and the champ wanted to make things right (in my opinion, one of the best ways to sell a championship fight - "avenge the only career loss").
Following the dramas of the 2nd fight, arguably the fight of the year (even though it happened on 1st January 2011), the two fighters had even bigger reasons for a 3rd fight...the 2nd was a draw. Maynard was angry that he couldn't finish Frankie in that epic first round where he dropped the champ and basically threw him around like a ragdoll for 5 minutes. Frankie, on the other hand, was frustrated that he kept his title through a draw, no champ ever wants that. And so came last nights 3rd fight.
Again, Maynard rocked Edgar in round 1 but the champ just would not give up and Frankie fought back to take rounds 2 and 3 and then get a TKO victory in the fourth round of another epic. They spent 58 minutes and 54 seconds in the cage together...and they are still locked at 1 win a piece...
It is so clear to say that this is the UFC's greatest trilogy. So many millions of fans argued for months as to who won (or should have won) that second fight. Rarely have fans ever argued so much about one right (and one round in particular). Add to this the drama occuring in the fights and we have a trilogy that not only sits at the top in MMA history but it also rivals great boxing trilogies such as Ali vs. Frazier and Duran vs. Leonard. The words "Edgar versus Maynard" will still, without a doubt, be mentioned in many years to come and I know for a fact that, just like my dad told me about Ali vs. Frazier, I will be telling my kids and grandkids about Edgar vs. Maynard.
Sebastian Vettel
I took the time to watch the 2010 movie "Senna" last night and it is a movie that I will not forget for a long time. Senna's pure racing heart against Alain Prost and his "methodical" approach to championship racing was a joy to watch and I am unbelievably jealous and annoyed that I wasn't born atleast 5-6 years earlier to witness some of Senna's artwork. Sadly, the ending of this movie wasn't a happy one where the guy gets the girl and they fall in love and all that. Instead it was footage of the racing Sunday at Imola in San Marino on 1st of May 1994. 10 days after my 3rd birthday. I watched the on-board camera of Senna's last lap. The camera then cut to one of the external cameras capturing Senna's car crashing into the wall at tremendous speeds. As the car slowed to a stop, the camera zoomed as much as possible to Senna. His helmet limp to his right hand side. The first time I saw the footage I thought he was dead but then I saw his head move just a little, for a brief moment. Medics rushed to his aid but he dead moments later.
There's nothing wrong in shedding a tear whilst watching that footage but it is important to realise that Senna's death caused Formula One to re-evaluate its safety regulations and, since his passing, no F1 driver has died from race injuries. Sadly, it took the death of arguably the greatest racer of all time for that to happen.
I always thought Michael Schumacher's 7 titles held him as the greatest of all time but watching that movie and looking deeper into Senna's life has forced me to question my reasoning. Senna's racing was more pure, he raced to win. If that resulted in a crash, then so be it. Without a doubt Senna's rivalry with Prost will go down as one of the best and Senna will forever be an idol and role model for future racers.
Which brings me to my final point...Sebastian Vettel.
Hours after I watched the Senna movie, Sebastian Vettel took to Suzuka's "figure-of-8" circuit and, after securing pole position in the qualifying, finished 3rd to seal the 2011 F1 World Championship and, more importantly, secure his 2nd title in 2 seasons. With that, Vettel became the youngest driver to win back-to-back world titles in Formula One history.
Many people will compare him to Schumacher: both being German and both winning titles by dominating their teammate and the rest of the field. I, on the other hand, compare him to Senna. Yes, Vettel has the ability to build a strong and positive team around himself like Schumacher did at Ferrari, but he also has a quiet confindence about himself but he prioritises the racing. Seb aims to qualify on top and to win, he wants to lead from the front, if someone is ahead of him, he will push hard and try to pass (even through gaps that others would not dare). All of these were the characteristics of a young Brazilian called Ayrton...
Who knows how many titles Vettel can win? He has Senna's soul and Schumacher's brain. So, logically, he should win 10 world titles. 2 down, 8 to go. Watch out Button, Hamilton and Alonso.
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