Art, Workout, and Tate vs Rousey

So I've just got through the first week of spring semester at VCU Arts, and man, do I have alot of work in the months ahead! My two Art foundation courses (A.K.A First-year art student hazing) are Space research, which is a 3-dimensional class, and Drawing, which is a traditional (you guessed it!) drawing class.

Of course the first thing that we're going over in Drawing is contour line work. I hate contour line, and I think EVERYBODY hates doing contour line, but an understanding of it really does improve your ability to LOOK and SEE. I even improve by the end of three hours of drawing! My teacher gives out alot of work, which is a double-edged sword. As lazy as I am, I know that the only way to improve and become an amazing illustrative artist is to work my butt off. Its just like with muscles - the only way to build and improve them is to work them silly. I also continue to learn how much I love charcoal as a medium, especially now that I understand the zen of vine charcoal and chamois (chamois will literally take the dust right off your paper its awesome!)

Here's an example of contour line work from my sketchbook:

this of of a lock, 3 of them are blind contour (which means I never looked at my paper) and one I allowed myself to look at the paper. I personally like lock #3 - I decided to just go for it and not spend a long time worrying about the line.

My first assignment in Space, which I am dreading because I have no 3-Dimensional skills whatsoever, is to make something, anything, to show our teacher what we can do. I built an anatomical study of a bird's wing from cardboard. Tomorrow I plan on painting it and perhaps attaching wires to make it sort of a Borg-type exploration. After all, resistance is futile. Here's a WIP shot:

Also: I am adjusting my workout routine and now my diet. My routine goes as follows:

15 minutes nonstop on an elliptical (like three 5 minute rounds in a professional fight)

45 minutes of weightlifting (switching between upper and lower body depending on soreness)

half an hour - an hour of kickboxing for both cardio and technique polishing.

There are a few people I can spar with and train with, especially now that I have punching pads that I got for Christmas. It's not the same as formal training, but its something!

My current abilities with weights are as follows: 80 lbs on the lat pull-down (short reps,) 12.5 lbs dumbells, 140 lbs leg press, 15 lb medicine ball (short reps, for abs,) 40-50 lbs on ab machines (short reps,) 25 lbs bicep curlers. Last time I checked, I could, with assistance and in short reps, bench press 25 lbs on either side of the bar (so about 80 lbs all together?)

I need to focus more on my core strength, which I seem to be lazy with. Its one of the most important factors in a fight, next to endurance. Core workouts are difficult, though, especially since I tend to work out alone. I hope to up my game, however.

And now for WMMA!

Strikeforce appears to have solidified the fights on their next event, Tate vs Rousey, which airs on Saturday, March 3rd over Showtime. The cool thing is that this card's main event is a women's title fight. Of course, the two women fighting are current Bantamweight title holder Miesha "Takedown" Tate and the rising star Rhonda "Rowdy" Rousey. There are two men's fights, Paul Daley vs Kazuo Misaki and Josh Thomson vs KJ Noons. Finishing up the card is another women's fight, a rematch between Sarah Kaufman and Alexis Davis. I'll come up with some predictions closer to the date of the fight

That's it for now!

WMMA update, January 7, 2012

First of all: Cyborg and another fight-less year

So the women's 145-lb Strikeforce champ Cris "Cyborg" Santos was caught for using anabolic steroids. The CSAC suspended her on Friday. Despite a lot of speculation, this is the first time she has tested positive for steroids.  She has been suspended for a year, fined $2,500, and the Cyborg vs Yamanaka fight has been changed to "no decision." I wonder what effects this will have on the future of the Strikeforce women's 145 lb division and on WMMA as a whole. And, to be frank, I'm irked.

I believe that she would still be an awesome fighter without the extra juice. Her training with Chute Box,  aggression, and love of the fight would still be there, steroids or not. I think the only difference between Cyborg juiced up and natural Cyborg would be the time it takes for a KO - and, after all, exciting fights don't have to last only one round. I'm baffled why she or Chute Box felt the need for it.

I've made no secret I'm a fan of Cyborg's effectively aggressive fighting style and still want to base alot of my fighting style around hers. BUT I am more than a little peeved about this, especially because I am worried how Dana White and Zuffa will react to the situation. They're certainly not happy about it and it doesn't paint a good light on women's MMA, or at least Strikeforce's 145 division. Cyborg was one of the reasons Strikeforce could continue with women's MMA; so what now?

Next up: Ronda Rousey and 135 lbs

Ronda Rousey has a reputation for being boisterous, but I can see why she's doing her thing. Women's MMA can always use more publicity, and to be honest, I think alot of Rousey's swagger and smack-talk is a stratagem to this end. She's expressed her interest in elevating the publicity level of women in MMA, and I agree with that sentiment - I think all fans can agree with that sentiment. I do worry, though, if she will take it too far - bring too much drama in, or inadvertently turn all of the publicity onto herself.

That being said, Rousey is dropping to the 135 lb division and going straight for Miesha Tate, who holds the title in that division.

I have a few misgivings about this decision. I don't think she has the experience to take on the division champ, nor do I think that going right for the title will bring in the optimal amount of publicity that Rousey is always so keen about.

While Rousey has an impressive resume and should fight just fine at 135 lbs, she only has 138 total seconds of professional MMA experience. None of these fights have gone past the first round, and she has only fought four times. She has not officially proven to anyone that she can last in a longer MMA fight. If a good stand-up fighter keeps Rousey from going to the ground, I'm not sure she has the experience to know how to continue past the first round. 

I think that moving her way through the 135lb division will, in the end, stir up more publicity, at least for Rousey. She'll have plenty of time to get in smack-talk before the big fight, and while it won't be nearly as glitzy as the current scenario, I think it would be overall beneficial. I also think its just the right way to do it - although Miesha could use a challenger, Rousey needs to prove herself in the division first.

Finally: Gina Carano and Haywire

Carano, considered the be the "face of women's MMA" before she lost to Cyborg, has been working on the film Haywire for the past year. Its U.S. release will be on January 20, 2012. I don't think it is going to be released anywhere else. She has the lead role. Check out the IMDB.

I'm a fan of Carano overall, probably more a fan of her than Cyborg, but she has not been in a fight since her loss to Cyborg. After that, she had been dogged by difficulties in making weight and mysterious health concerns right before scheduled fights, and then there was Haywire. I want to see her back in the cage, but I wonder if she can honestly return or not.

As for the movie, her real-life skill in fighting will probable make the action and fight scenes quite believable and fun, but after seeing the previews… well just sayin', I expect a B-flick.

I am hoping beyond all hope that Carano gets back in the cage and does well. Just because you lost to Cyborg doesn't mean you're a bad fighter - now that she's suspended, maybe you can stir up some fun in the 145 lb division, eh? And hey, it'll probably be some good publicity for women's MMA.

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So, that's the newest buzz in WMMA. Btubs, the Tate vs Rousey fight is so far scheduled for March and as usual will be on Showtime.