Cecil Peoples

(Antoni Hardonk vs. Sherman Pendergarst @ UFC 65, 11/18/06)

Leg kicks may not seem impressive to everybody, particularly certain MMA judges whose names rhyme with Schmecil Feeples, but as anyone who has ever been hit with a good one knows, they really, really hurt.  Sometimes they hurt so much that you want to quit fighting.  Other times they hurt so much that you have to quit fighting.  Still other times they just gradually chip away at you until you're a fraction of the man you were when you entered the cage.  Leg kicks are not only an effective weapon that deserves to be scored with some respect for their cringe-inducing power, they can also end a fight.  They have ended fights, in fact, and probably will end a few more before this grand MMA experiment draws to a close.

And so, as a tribute to the power and majesty of the leg kick, we offer the following.  Take note, Cecil.

(Pat Barry vs. Dan Evensen @ UFC 92. Somehow Barry skates by on those useless leg kicks.)

Everyone’s favorite maverick judge, Cecil Peoples, supposedly explained the rationale behind his scoring of the Machida/Rua fight at UFC 104 in a talk with CageReport.net.  He begins with the usual defense, pointing out that he has a different perspective on the fight than the fans do, and then launches into an explanation of why Machida’s strikes counted for more than Rua’s:

“Mauricio Rua was being aggressive but it wasn't effective aggressiveness which is what we as the judges look for when scoring a fight. The way I saw it, Lyoto was landing the more cleaner and damaging strikes throughout the fight - if you take a look at the judging criteria clean strikes are valued more-so than the quantity of strikes landed. Although Rua threw a lot of low kicks they were not as damaging as Lyotos diverse attack in the earlier rounds which is why I scored the first three rounds for Machida. You have to keep in mind we always the favour the fighter who is trying to finish the fight, and leg kicks certainly don't do that."

Of course, sometimes leg kicks do end fights.  It just doesn’t happen all that often.  And even when leg kicks don’t serve as the knockout blow, they still damn well hurt and frequently end up making the difference in a fight.

From Yahoo! Sports:

[Dana White] said he’s found “the next Anderson Silva,” a lightweight who is competing in Season 8 of TUF at 155 pounds, though he declined to release the fighter’s name because it might spoil the season. “I was going off when I saw this guy,” White said. “He’s 24 and he’s destroying people. It’s sick how bad ass he is. I’m getting goose bumps talking to you about him.”

Early message-board speculation is pointing to Joe "Hybrid" Duarte, a 24-year-old San Diego-based fighter who claims on his website that he's been selected for Team Nogueira vs. Team Mir. Duarte is 3-0 in pro MMA, 9-0 in pro boxing, and 19-1 in Muay Thai. According to his bio page, he walks around at 185lb-190lb (remember, he's a lightweight) and is "really, really, really RIDICULOUSLY strong," thanks to his Chamorro ethnic background. And yes, he does destroy people. His last two MMA matches are after the jump: