Some Thoughts on Frank Vs Renzo

Man, what a dissapointing finish, especially given the surprising competitiveness of the fight up until that point.

First, this was a freak knockout. Yes, I know strikes to the back of the head can be dangerous (what, it's not dangerous to hit the chin or the temple?), but knees from the bottom have much less leverage than the top, and if you could normally knock people out like that we'd have seen it before now.

Shame on Frank for poor sportsmanship. "I thought we were fighting?" Give me a break. If you were fighting, Renzo would have turned your face into jelly with headbutts, and then slammed a couple of knees into the side of your head, using the superior leverage that comes from having taken you down and passed your guard like it was nothing.

I've heard people say that Renzo was 'dominating' the fight, but that's far from true. He was getting owned standing, but he managed to take the fight to the ground at will. I'm sure Renzo could take me down, but he's never been considered a takedown artist. Something is seriously wrong with Frank Shamrock's takedown defense; he's younger, stronger, more athletic, and trains with the Stanford wrestling team.

And what is with Frank Shamrock's non-existent guard? Fine, you don't like sitting in the guard forever, but that doesn't mean being side-mounted is good for you. I like how he continuously strikes from the bottom (and the knees to the ribs were looking good), but to offer no resistance to the pass is foolish. I was surprised when Shamrock fought Jeremy Horn that he gave up the mount so easily, but for him to still be giving up position like this is shocking.

Finally, while it's certainly possible Renzo wanted to take the DQ for a payday, there's little reason to think that's the case, and it's basically a bogus charge. Seriously, this is the guy who got his arm snapped without flinching against Sakuraba. Renzo was taking him down at will and working for an armbar (albeit slowly and methodically), if he could continue, it makes sense that he would think he could win by submission, and win all the glory that comes with tapping out Frank Shamrock for the art of Jiujitsu.

Frank lost his cool and started to play dirty, that's what happened. I loved Frank back in the day, but I'm starting to agree with Dana White's assesment of him. No, he did not (as he said in the previews) beat every champion there ever was, and he is not the Michael Jordan of MMA. Since he left the UFC he's been fighting only average opponents, and intermittenly at that. And now, he's not even winning.