Author: CyanNight

Categories
Boxing Women Boxing

Taylor vs McCaskill- andstill

Gone are the days where female prize fights are the warm-up rounds. Thanks to the likes of Claressa Shields for boxing and Ronda Rousey for MMA, women are starting to lead the way in headline acts for professional bouts.

Ward vs Giner

On the evening of Wed 13th Dec 2017 in London, Katie Taylor meets Jessica McCaskill for the first defence of the WBA lightweight title. They met shortly after the European super-featherweight title between Martin J Ward v Juli Giner, where Martin became the new title holder after his left hook brought Giner to a halt at the 6th round. A clean finish that fired up the crowd in keener anticipation for their main event.

Taylor vs McCaskill

It is no secret that McCaskill chased Taylor unrelentingly for months before the fight was arranged. Considering the mighty legendary status that Taylor holds on the opposite of the Atlantic, McCaskill appears to hold little or no apprehension when the fight was set up in London, an almost home ground for Taylor.

McCaskill’s relentless chasing went all the way into the ring. In the first few rounds, Taylor stayed calm, compose while McCaskill pushes forward with a fierce determination. It was as though she had no intention to run all 10 rounds and is willing to risk her stamina for an early termination.

The main difference between the two fighters, for me anyway, is that Taylor is still playing a sport whereas McCaskill has no interest in scoring, all her strikes are intend for a knock out. At some point it appears to me, Katie Taylor realised just how intense McCaskill’s attacks were. By that stage the cheers of the crowd, instead of fueling her confidence seem to make her more stressed.

It was a spectacular fight for me, neither girls fray at any point, both maintaining a strong will. Taylor seems to gain more control at the end, grasping McCaskill’s technique when both became fatigued. The crowd roars toward the last minute. Everyone held their breathe till the end.

Unanimous decision for Katie Taylor. And still.

No worries Jessica McCaskil you’ll sure gain yourself a few new fans. One of them is me 👍😃

 

 

 

 

Categories
MMA UFC WMMA

Counting down to UFC 219

UFC 219

There are countless reasons why I am bursting with anticipation for UFC 219. It will occur mid-afternoon of 31st Dec 2017 here in Australia – last day of the year and potentially one of the most exciting day of the year for me.

Cyborg vs Holm

I’m not going to deny it – I’m personally more drawn to Cyborg. I am CYan, she is CYborg…Alright, that’s not the reason why. When I see her fight, I find her to be an incredibly focused woman, as though she was one of those few people who knew exactly what they wanted to do the moment they drew their first breath in this world. She shows no signs of fear, no apprehension, no interest in anything else except to destroy that unfortunate person sharing the cage with her.

Neither can I deny the accomplishments of Holly Holm, she had held titles in professional Boxing, Kickboxing and MMA. That’s akin to a ‘triple threat’ of contemporary prize fighting. Not to mention she defeated Ronda Rousey when so many other great women fighters failed.

I have pondered over this subject night and day, in the end, I believe I will be truly happy whoever wins, whether by submission or knock out, AS LONG AS IT IS NOT BY DECISION!

Image from UFC: Cris Cyborg and Holly Holm

Calvillo vs Esparza

Additionally I am also keen to watch yet another come back attempt by Carla Esparza. Since her loss to Joanna Jedrzejczyk more than 2 1/2 years ago, her participation in the sport was sparse for almost 2 years, and her performance have been lacklustre. That is no surprise nonetheless. Losing a title can be devastating. It took her Ronda Rousey over a year before she attempted another UFC fight. Since Esparza’s loss in March 2015, she had not secure neither submission nor knock out wins. Her opponent, the still undefeated Cynthia Calvillo, on the other had had secured 3 out of 4 fights via submissions and TKO just this year.

 

#UFC #UFC219 #Criscyborg #cyborgnation #cyborgvsholm #hollyholm #holm #Carlaesparza #Esparza #Jedrzejcyk #CynthiaCalvillo #Calvillo #UFCStrawweight #UFCFeatherweight

Categories
Neuroscience

One small step for a disease, one large milestone for the brain

Huntington’s disease is devastating neurodegenerative disease that affects one in 10,000 people. It is a hereditary condition that has no known cure. If one parent has it, the children will each have a 50-50 percent chance of developing the disease. Symptoms often appear between the ages 30-50. Patients usually require full time care at the end of their lives, living the last days in a vegetative state.

The challenge for any brain disorder is the lack of quick and easy tests or cheap and definitive imaging technology to help with diagnosis. At the early stages, symptoms are not particularly specific, including mood swings, problem with memory and unsteady walk. Many will simply associate these behaviours as a natural part of aging. Without easy to access, conclusive diagnostic tools people generally only seek medical attention when the symptoms are undeniable or severe, which sometimes is a catch-22 for a patience with cognitive defects.

A recent breakthrough by a team in the University College of London (UCL) means a cure maybe in sight for this dreadful disease. For more information on the cure, please refer to the article on BBC:

 

BBC: Huntington’s breakthrough may stop disease

While the research team are cautious not to brand it as the complete remedy, it is a significant milestone, possibly the biggest breakthrough in neuroscience for 50 years. Aside from the research scientists, credits must be given to the patients who participated in the experiment.

There is hope, not simply for the patients and family of Huntington’s disease, but also for other neurodegenerative conditions. With a cure in sight, more funding may be diverted into this research, which could branch off to developing, cures for similar brain disorders. There are those who describe Huntington’s as a tragic combination of Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s. But here’s hoping that a cure for one will spin off to become a cure for many.

 

#huntingtons #braindisorder #neuroscience #brainscience #parkinsons #alzheimers #parkinson #alzheimer #brain

Categories
MMA UFC

UFC Shanghai

It is possible that mixed martial arts was invented in China some 6,000 years ago. Thus the arrival of UFC for the first time in mainland China seems like a long journey come full circle.

Cyan Night, author of Girl Fighter book is a self-professed ‘martial arts junkie’, having dabbled in numerous forms of martial arts since the age of 5.  Cyan is bi-lingual in English and Mandarin (and speak several other languages at a pidgin level).

Follow this page for discussions and articles with a unique insight to an modern day mixed martial arts, with input from both Western and Chinese media.