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So here it is: Another Week In Review At The MartialArtsReporter.com
The United Arab Emirates (UAE) consists of 7 states, termed emirates, which are located in the southeast of the Arabian Peninsula in Southwest Asia on the Persian Gulf.
The three most well-known emirates are Sharjah, Dubai and Abu Dhabi.
Abu Dhabi is the capital and second largest city. It is also the country’s center of political, industrial, and cultural activities.
One of the martial arts activities that has been gaining in international reputation is submission fighting.
Abu Dhabi and martial arts?
Sheik Tahnoon Bin Zayed Al Nayan who happens to be one the sons of the former President of the UAE, Sheik Zayed, has been the driving force in introducing martial arts to his home country.
While studying in the United States he started to learn more about grappling which led him to training in BJJ (Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu).
A man with an open mind and an eagerness to learn, Sheik Tanoon also took up Russian Sambo, freestyle wrestling and Muay Thai in which he became an expert in all. A true mixed martial artist!
He sounds like our kind of guy!
After getting back to Abu Dhabi he immediately went about in creating a combat center to provide his people with the opportunity to study and learn more about martial arts. It was named the Abu Dhabi Combat Center or short ADCC.
The man of vision and action that the Sheik is, he introduced a tournament in which the world’s best and most famous grapplers and submission fighters would compete again each other.
This tournament is simply known as the ADCC World Submission Wrestling Tournament. It has become THE submission grappling event in the world and is being copied across the globe.
To give you an idea of the caliber of competitors who have fought at this tournament are for example Renzo Gracie, Royler Gracie, Mark Kerr, Tito Ortiz, Jean Jacques Machado, Rigan Machado, Rolles Gracie, Fabricio Werdum, Josh Barnett, Vitor Belfort, Ronaldo ‘Jacare’ Souza, Roger Gracie, Dean Lister, Jake Shields and many more. Impressed? I certainly am.
Two of the most successful UFC veterans are putting on their 5 oz. gloves again.
And I gotta be honest when I tell you that I am actually excited to hear that Matt Hughes
and Tito Ortiz both came to an agreement with UFC President, Dana White, to fight in
The Octagon.
Of course, you know they won’t fight against each other in the same division.
Matt “Country Boy” Hughes will again fight as a Welterweight.
Just like he did as the UFC World Champion several years ago with a most impressive
body-slamming professional record of 43-7.
Matt will end up again in the same division as George St. Pierre (GSP who is now
considered by many one of the Top 4 PFP fighters in the world) as well as Thiago
Alves and Jon Fitch.
Tito Ortiz aka The Bad Boy from Huntington Beach on the other hand used
to be, together with Chuck “The Iceman” Liddell, long reigning World Champ,
who could get the crowds really psyched about Ultimate Fighting Championships.
Basically, when it comes to Tito Ortiz: You either love him or you hate him.
He’s colorful, outspoken and controversial to say the least.
Tito is expected to compete in the Rock Star Division also known as Light
Heavyweight, loaded with extremely skillful modern day gladiators such as
Lyoto Machida, Rashad Evans, Quinton “Rampage” Jackson (Is he really retiring?),
Forrest Griffin, Mauricio “Shogun” Rua, and Mark Coleman (Tito’s first opponent in 2009)
just to name a few.
Let there be no doubt:
Both, Matt Hughes and Tito Ortiz are still two very formidable mixed martial artists
with name recognition.
The question is:
Can they still compete at the level it takes to put on the belt of a current
UFC World Champion when the dust settles in The Octagon?
What Dana White totally gets:
These two extraordinary fighters still want to and are capable to effectively
trade kicks and punches and grapple with the best in the world.
They will draw crowds and increase ratings for Dana White’s UFC organization.
So, instead of watching them fight for UFC’s competitors, why not just get
them into The Octagon instead, right?
Tell me what you think about Veteran UFC Superstars Matt Hughes & Tito Ortiz
returning to the Octagon for the UFC.
