Back Talk: Jason Burgos’ Mailbag

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Bienvenidos my mixed martial arts compadres. With little controversy to discuss, this edition of Back Talk will be missing the frustrated rants. There is much to be excited for on the MMA horizon. We are just hours away from an Ultimate Fighting Championship flyweight title—at least for Joseph Benavidez—for the first time in nearly 20 months, and Israel Adesanya will defend his UFC middleweight crown in a ridiculous but no less fun battle with Yoel Romero on March 7. With that said, let us move to the latest mailbag.

MMA television and radio broadcaster TJ De Santis Asks: “Is Romero the Goro of the UFC middleweight division? In other words, if you want to become middleweight champion, are you not going to have to fight Romero at some point?”
Burgos: I love this question, as a Mortal Kombat reference is never a bad thing. Moreover, this comparison seems so fitting that I wish Romero would grow a ponytail and had two extra arms attached to his torso. Most importantly, and this is key, Goro was not the final boss in Mortal Kombat I. That distinction belongs to Shang Tsung, which is all the more reason why the comparison is so apt. Romero has for many fighters often been the final blockade to the UFC middleweight division’s final boss. Tim Kennedy, Ronaldo Souza, Chris Weidman and even Luke Rockhold all must have at least of sliver of hate in their hearts for Romero. It could be said that each of those men was in serious consideration for title opportunities before their dates with “The Soldier of God.” Kennedy was on a four-fight winning streak and had just beaten a future division champion in Michael Bisping. Souza doubled his win total with an eight-fight winning streak in the aftermath of his relinquishing the Strikeforce middleweight title to Rockhold. Weidman was on the rebound after losing his title to Rockhold, but the man who twice defeated Anderson Silva would not have needed to do much to earn another opportunity. Meanwhile, the aforementioned Rockhold was only two fights removed from having lost the title and already had an impressive bounce-back win under his belt. Plus, a case could be made that all of them were winning their fights with the Cuban until, well, they no longer were. The fact that reigning champion Israel Adesanya has successfully campaigned to fight Romero because no one else wanted to get in the cage with him only adds to his boogeyman reputation. Do we need any more verification that Romero truly is the Goro of the UFC’s 185-pound division?

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The Bard Asks: “Tyson Fury expressed interest in a match involving four-ounce gloves, in a cage, but otherwise under boxing rules. Is this a feasible rules setup and would the smaller gloves benefit the boxer or a mixed martial artist like Stipe Miocic?”
Burgos: It’s feasible depending on who you ask. If you’re talking to Fury, the UFC, some other MMA entity or Top Rank—Fury’s promoter—then the scenario is worthwhile because those brands together would do gangbusters in any collaboration. If you are asking the MMA fan on the street, be it a diehard or casual, you will probably get an eyeroll once you got to “under boxing rules.” Any equation that combines a top-shelf boxer and a top-shelf MMA fighter, under boxing rules, will always favor the boxer, whether it’s in a cage or a ring, whether four- or eight-ounce gloves are involved. The same holds true in an MMA-rules matchup. I know the theory would be that smaller gloves would increase Miocic’s puncher’s chance, but skill is skill and Fury is worlds ahead of his UFC counterpart in boxing. With no threat of takedowns, knees or elbows in the clinch or kicks to the legs, four-ounce gloves would likely just shorten the time between Miocic standing and awakening to smelling salts.

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Kenny Powerth Asks: “I’d like to know what a black belt in Tiger Schulmann’s MMA entails. I understand it’s probably a mix of multiple disciplines. I would like to ask for some specific examples and possible techniques that are unique to his particular style.”
Burgos: Luckily, I’ve interviewed Schulmann in the past and a have a direct link to the Schulman Empire. For this particular inquiry, I give you Tiger’s brother Ronnie Schulmann—the chief organizational instructor for Tiger Schulmann’s Martial Arts. Take it away, Ronnie …

At Tiger Schulmann’s Martial Arts, there are two types of black belts. Adults, over age 18, can choose a path towards achieving the kickboxing-striking black belt or the MMA black belt. Students, 18 and under, are expected to learn the full curriculum and start on the path towards the MMA black belt. Consequently, since there is more than one art involved in achieving the MMA black belt, there are two full curricula—the striking curriculum and a jiu-jitsu curriculum that are taught in every Tiger Schulmann school. The striking curriculum consists of boxing and muay Thai techniques. The jiu-jitsu curriculum consists of wrestling takedowns and no-gi jiu-jitsu techniques. Both curricula are broken into three levels: beginner, intermediate and advanced. Only the most practical techniques that would work on the street are taught. Our goal is to remove any fluff and make sure our students learn to protect themselves the quickest way possible. If a person trains for just one year at Tiger Schulmann’s, they should be able to defend themselves against most people on the street. Furthermore, while some perceive a black belt to be a good measure of technical ability, it is only one part. The other is conditioning. That’s why all Tiger Schulmann class formats incorporate strength training, cardiovascular conditioning and flexibility. While students dramatically improve their conditioning in just one year, a black belt must be in phenomenal shape. Besides being in phenomenal shape, in order for a Tiger Schulmann student to achieve a striking black Belt, he or she must master our beginner, intermediate and advanced striking curriculum. In order for a student to achieve an MMA black belt, he or she must master our beginner, intermediate and advanced striking and jiu-jitsu curriculum.

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TheNinja Asks: “Worst idea for a walkout costume. Kimo Leopoldo carrying a cross? Deontay Wilder in his 45-pound outfit? Someone else?
Burgos: Without a doubt, it’s Wilder and the monstrosity that looked like something from a “Lord of the Rings” cosplay party. To weaken your legs in such a silly way before the biggest heavyweight clash of the new decade and to do so with millions watching is about as boneheaded as it gets at that level of professional sports. Leopoldo’s “Passion of the Christ” turn at UFC 3, although memorable for cage fighting aficionados, is a relative blip in the annals of combat sports history. Wilder’s costumed bungle will be remembered for years to come.

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Ogata Asks: “Who are some Bruce Wayne-type fighters in the UFC? By that, I mean any UFC fighters who are super rich but for the sake of challenge use their money and resources to train in martial arts and fight in MMA for their own validation?”
Burgos: In my opinion, two individuals fit the role of a not super-rich-but-financially-comfortable MMA Bruce Wayne-type. Those men are UFC welterweight James Krause and current One Championship competitor Yoshihiro Akiyama. Krause is a fighter after whom every other MMA practitioner should model their career. The man has never been a title contender, but he has used his UFC paydays so well that he no longer needs fighting to live comfortably. He owns a successful gym, along with several businesses, and actually plans to purchase a six-unit apartment building. He could call it a career tomorrow, but the man loves to scrap and does it at a high level. Up until UFC 247, where he was arguably robbed of a win at middleweight on just 18 hours’ notice, he was a surging welterweight on a six-fight winning streak. He has grown his wealth with smart business decisions, and as a fighter and coach, he has a grounded and strategic approach to the sport. He totally resembles an MMA Batman. As for Akiyama, he could give Wayne a legitimate run in terms of playboy status. Not only is the guy a UFC, Dream and K-1 veteran, but he is also an Olympic-level Judoka. However, what makes him a special breed and financial force beyond fighting purses is that during his career and into his four-year retirement, he also moonlighted as an actor, talk show host and singer in Japan and South Korea. His “Sexiyama” nickname was earned for being a matinee idol with world-class athleticism. Match that with some pretty good revenue sources outside of fighting and you have a man competing at 43 years old because of the thrill of the challenge. He has a clear Bruce Wayne streak in him.