I'll Go Tomorrow

For the next time you are too busy, too tired, too sore, too hungry:

Amateur Boxing - A How-To Guide, Part 3

I am doing a 3-part instructional on the preparation and planning needed for competing in amateur boxing over at The Art of Manliness. Part 1 looked at selecting a gym and coach, and some of the positive and negative aspects of the different gym types. Part 2 looks at the training environment, sparring etiquette and the like.  Part 3 discusses getting your physical, dealing with pre-fight jitters, and looks at exactly at what to expect when you step into the ring for your first fight.

The schedule tells you what corner you will be in (red or blue) and what number on the schedule you will be fighting. I always pray to not be first, but not to be too far down the list either. As I mentioned, nothing is worse than the long wait. Another small joy of amateur boxing is the close proximity to your opponent. From the moment you get there, everyone is eye-balling each other, mentally sizing the guys up, especially anyone who looks around their weight. Once the matchups are announced, you know which guy you will be fighting. You will most likely be getting dressed and warmed up in the same room as him. I had a fight last year where the room was so cramped that we were literally shadow boxing right next to each other as our bout neared. This is stressful.

Read the rest here

Amateur Boxing - A How-To Guide Pt.2

I am doing a 3-part instructional on the preparation and planning needed for competing in amateur boxing over at  The Art of Manliness.  Part 1 looked at selecting a gym and coach, and some of the positive and negative aspects of the different gym types.  Part 2 looks at the training environment, sparring etiquette and the like.

As you progress, sparring becomes more and more intense.  Mismatches are often amended with a handicap, where a bigger fighter will take a bit off of his punches, or a more experienced fighter will let his opponent dictate the pace.  More even match-ups, with both guys of similar weight and experience, will resemble a full-contact fight.  There are some notable differences of course, such as the larger gloves.  Also, if a guy gets noticeably rocked by a hard shot or barrage of punches, etiquette usually demands avoiding going in for the kill, unlike in an actual fight.

Read the rest...

Inner Circle Fight Team - MMA in Watsonville

My brother made his amateur MMA debut last Saturday night in Watsonville, Ca.  This Rugged Life was on the scene to cover the action.

Amateur Mixed Martial Arts action came to the Monterey Bay last Saturday night for the C.A.M.O.-organized "Coastal Collision" in Watsonville, Ca.  Bryan Schatz entered the cage as the third event of the night, squaring off against Eduardo Carrillo out of San Jose, Ca.  The two met at an agreed-upon catch-weight of 145 pounds, with Schatz possessing a slight reach and height advantage over the shorter Carrillo.

The bell rang for round 1 and the two touched gloves before squaring off.  After a brief feeling-out period that saw both fighters land hard shots, Schatz took the action to the ground, closing the distance and shooting for a double leg take-down that turned into a vicious slam that brought the crowd to their feet.  After the scramble, Schatz ended up in Carrillo's guard, and both traded several blows to the head and body.  While competitive, the first round went to Schatz.



The second round started as a mirror image of the first, with both fighters showcasing their extensive experience in the stand-up arts of boxing and Muay Thai.  Trouble came shortly into the round when Carrillo landed a beautiful left hook, right hand combo that caught Schatz on the way in.  The right hand wobbled Schatz, but his instincts took him into a clinch to buy time.  Carrillo went on the attack for most of the rest of the round, leading with hard right leads and scoring with knees to the head at the end of his combinations.  The barrage left a large welt under Schatz's left eye.  The bell rang, and the 2nd round was a wide one for Carrillo.

Schatz's corner worked on the eye between rounds, applying liberal amounts of vaseline, and their fighter bounced off the stool to start the 3rd round.  He then looked over at the crowd and grinned.  Carrillo came out hard and aggressive for the last round, looking to finish off his opponent.  Schatz had recuperated well between rounds, and fired back with straight punches down the middle.  Halfway through, Schatz landed another hard slam to his opponent, changing the course of the round, and perhaps the fight.  The two combatants grappled for the balance of the round, both looking to finish the other with a submission but lacking the time to put one in place.

In what had clearly been the most exciting bout of the evening, the three judges scored a split decision victory for Carrillo.  Where most fights have a clear winner and loser, with the victor being elevated and the defeated knocked down a peg, this was the type of fight that saw both participants elevated just for their participation in it.  It was a very solid, back and forth type of fight that saw both men in danger at numerous times, and both men fight back with tremendous heart and courage.




On a personal note, I am very proud of my brother for accomplishing what has been a long-time goal of his, fighting bravely against a very skilled opponent, and being a gentleman both before and after the bout.

The Part where I am Stabbed by a Masai Spear

It was a good week.  The apparel and textile production "busy" season is officially over, and I was able to take a few deep breaths, leave my apartment, and think about things outside of my profession.  How pleasant.

Actually, it was more than good.  I started training again, this time at the Wild Card Boxing Club of Hollywood.  It is the same gym that Manny Pacquiao trains at when he is in the States, as well as many other world-class amateurs and professionals, and I am learning a lot just from being in close proximity to all of these top-level guys.  I have a good rapport with my new coach, a former world champion in his own right, and a funny dude.  Rumor is, I have "rhythm for a white boy."

Also, I was running on the boardwalk in the evenings, followed by a quick dip in the ocean to catch some waves via body surfing.  I would then watch the sun go down while sitting on the beach and thinking deep and inspiring thoughts, such as "what should I make for dinner," and "that girl is pretty hot."

Never trust too much good stuff at one time.  After being inspired by The Art of Manliness's post on Man Caves, I decided that I must have one.  I immediately set to, rearranging furniture out of and into my spare bedroom, putting up vintage boxing posters, and stocking it with bourbon and other necessities.

Years ago, my Grandma Bev had brought me back a Masai spear from her trip to Kenya.  It was a perfect accent to my man-cave-in-progress, and I had set it on the ground while determining a good place for it.  It was at this point that I tripped, falling forward and kicking the sharp end of the killing device.  With one edge firmly planted against the wall, the business end stabbed through the meaty part of my foot at a 45 degree angle.  I had propelled myself forward with so much force that the end against the wall embedded itself at least a quarter inch deep into the drywall.  I didn't look how deep it had gone into my foot, but it took a long time to pull it all the way out.  Sure enough, the metal blade was completely rusted over.  Tetanus shots, joy!

I found an Urgent Care Center that was still open, and they stuck needles in me, gave me antibiotics, and a candy for being such a good patient.

Now I am limping along with a hole in my foot, a sore arm, and flu-like symptoms as a reaction to all the medication.  However, I got to do some fishing off a dock with my brother today, and while I caught a perch and a stingray, he didn't catch shit but seaweed. 

Overall, a good week.

A Lesson in Intimidation

I recently watched the 2009 documentary "Tyson."  It consists of about 90 minutes of interviews with former heavyweight champion, Mike Tyson.  In a sport full of strange stories and stranger personalities, Tyson stands above most.  A former hoodlum as a teenager, the last prodigy of the legendary trainer Cus D'Amato, a savage and ferocious finisher in the ring.  Convicted rapist, one of the youngest champions to ever live, a father, and a man who's rise and fall were as dramatic as any combatant in the sport's history. 

This video below was one of the most powerful scenes in the film, and it is worth a watch even if you are not a boxing fan.  Tyson describes his emotions and mindset as he gloves up before a fight, to the long walk from locker room to the ring, and obligatory stare-down of his opponent across the squared circle.  There has not been a more intimidating presence in the sport since Sonny Liston ruled the heavyweight division.  Watch this and you'll see what I mean.

Fight Preview - Manny Pacquiao vs. Josh Clottey

  March 13th will feature the return of one of boxing's two current claimants to the mythical pound for pound title.  Philipino sensation, Manny Pacquiao (145 3/4) will square off against the durable Joshua Clottey, a native of Ghana now fighting out of the boxing hotbed of Bronx, New York.  

  Both fighters find themselves in the rare situation of sharing their last common opponent.  Clottey lost a very close, controversial decision to Puerto Rican star, Miguel Cotto, just months before Pacquiao annihilated Cotto in 12 rounds at the MGM Grand Hotel in Las Vegas, Nevada.  

  Pacquiao has been involved in controversy ever since that November 14th bout, as negotiations between Pacquiao and rival, Floyd Mayweather Jr. fell through after an inability to agree on drug testing procedures.  After the Mayweather/Pacquaio fight was nixed, Clottey was able to step into the picture as a replacement dance partner for Manny Pacquiao's March 13th date at Cowboy Stadium in Arlington, Texas.  

  Clottey is a 15 year pro who brings an impressive record of 35 wins and 3 losses into his bout with Pacquaio (50-3).  Clottey has faced a murderer's row in terms of this era's best welterweights, but has often come up just short in his biggest fights.  Clottey suffered the first lost of his career against former world champion, Carlos Baldomir back in 1999 by disqualification for excessive head-butts.  He then ran off a string of victories against B-level competition before losing a unanimous decision against the since-disgraced Mexican star, Antonio Margarito.  He then splattered a blown-up lightweight in Diego "Chico" Corrales before scoring the best win of his career in a lopsided victory over Zab Judah in 2008.  Clottey capitalized on his strong performance to secure a fight against Miguel Cotto in the venerable Madison Square Garden.  Despite a very strong performance, Cotto was the man with his hands raised at the end, despite the angry protestations of an irate Clottey.  Clottey has earned a reputation for being good enough to give any fighter a tough night, but not quite good enough mentally to come away with a victory over the division's elite.

  He may be in over his head tomorrow night against the whirlwind that is Manny Pacquiao.  While he is a very strong and durable fighter at 147 pounds, Clottey will be facing an absolutely horrible stylistic matchup for him in the southpaw Pacquiao.  Clottey employs a very straight up defensive posture, putting his gloves up in front of his face in an "earmuff" style of defense, while letting opponents beat on his arms and gloves.  It works well against orthodox fighters and orthodox punches, and Clottey rarely gets hit clean.  Against Pacquaio, who emphasizes the use of punches from strange angles and a non-stop, relentless attack, Clottey is going to get beaten to the punch all night. While Clottey's high guard works well against the straight right hand and left hook, favorite weapons from orthodox fighters, he will be there to be hit by the overhand left and right uppercuts of Philipino's favorite son.  

  If Clottey sees the last bell, it will be scored a wide Unanimous Decision for Pacquiao.  More likely, this fight will end in the late rounds by referee stoppage as Clottey takes a huge amount of punishment both in the center of the ring and against the ropes.

 

The Rule of 10,000 Hours and Taking an Ass-Whuppin'

    I don't think he's the guy to actually come up with it, but Malcom Gladwell, author of "Outliers," is probably the guy who popularized the concept of 10,000 hours being required to become an expert at any one thing.  Simply put, to become an expert at a skill, you must put in your dues...dues that cash in at right around 10,000 hours of dedicated, informed and focused training.  Ever since the book came out, I've seen the concept mentioned, discussed and repeated all over the place.  

    Most recently, I found it in Sam Sheridan's new book, "The Mind of a Fighter."  It's a pretty kickass book that attempts to answer the questions about the mental game involved in combat sports.  One of the men interviewed for the book was legendary fighter and trainer, Pat Miletich.  Miletich's contribution to the overall puzzle is that gaining some degree of competency in the sport was simple..."You had to take plenty of ass-whuppin's."  

    That's a pretty common expression that you hear.  You got to pay your dues.  You have to be humbled, beaten, broken-down and taught by people with more experience than yourself.  So with that in mind, I pay homage to the 5 worst ass-whupping's I have received in my boxing career, listed in no particular order.  To those responsible, thanks...I think.

1. Johnny Black - Was being trained down in Costa Mesa by Jesse Reid at the time.  Despite fighting at lightweight (135 lbs), he gave me such a bad beating to the body one sparring session that I was pissing blood for the next two days.

2. Arturo Quinterto - Another lightweight fighter, Arturo was the first guy to ever hit me hard enough for me to need to call for a breather.  In the 2nd of the 3 rounds we sparred, he landed a perfectly timed and perfectly executed shot to the liver that felt like he had used a baseball bat.  I was lucky that it came near the end of the round and that it was just a sparring session.  He was a complete gentleman about it, and actually thanked ME for the work.

3. Henry Molloy - Won the 152 pound Golden Gloves in 2007.  My sparring sessions with Henry all came after he had retired from competition and was only training for fun and to stay in shape.  Even still, he is probably one of the top 2 or 3 hardest punchers I have ever worked with.  He doesn't have great speed but his punches just land like wreaking balls.  He is a guy that will keep coming forward no matter how many hard shots you land on him.  It's discouraging and a little scary to land your best shots, just to have the guy keep walking forward through them all. 

4. Unknown - I can't recall the guy's name, but he was an open class fighter down in Orange County before I had had my first amateur fight.  By far the most dominated that I have ever been in a sparring session.  I don't think I landed a single significant punch, but I was on the receiving end from bell to bell. 

5.  Mike Fernandez - Mike's only 19, but he is leagues better than me.  He started competing back when he was 7 or 8, and we will probably see him on TV one of these days when he turns pro.  I shouldn't say that it's an ass-whuppin', because he is one of those guys who knows how to work with people that are less experienced or less talented than him.  That being said, it is always obvious that he can take it a step higher than however hard I want to take the sparring session.  That kind of control is pretty impressive in a young guy.  He has a very good and fast straight right hand, and can double up on the left hook to the body and head like a 10 year pro.  Works good, ripping uppercuts on the inside.

Injuries, Annoyances & Setbacks

During a sparring session on Tuesday night, I managed to scrape the cornea of my left eye.  Because this happened just a few weeks after my eye surgery, I am forced to pull out of the fight I was scheduled for on February 26th.  It also left me with an eye that looks like a cherry tomatoe.  Everything is just fucking peachy.

A Welcome Back from the Team

Sometimes I forget what a rewarding sport this is.

On Boxing

"I regard boxing professional and amateur, as a vigorous, healthful sport that develops courage, keenness of mind, quickness of eye, and a combativeness that fits every boy who engages in it for the daily tasks that confront him." "It is not half so brutalizing or demoralizing as many forms of big business, and certain legal work that is often carried on to help such business." "I have often thought that if we had more boys' clubs where the art was taught, we would have fewer adolescent criminals, the street-corner type of hoodlum, and would breed a better class of young American citizens - the future voters. Boxing develops elements of character that are difficult to obtain in other sports: fairness, a spirit of give-and-take, courage, and alertness." " It is only the bully who wants to give and avoid the taking. If boxing were taught in every public and secondary school and in college, this nation would soon find it rid of the bullies and would develop in our youth a spirit of manhood, a spirit that teaches fairness to our fellow men. We would be rid of street corner rowdies and cowards and make our boys a better, sturdier, and healthier lot." - President Teddy Roosevelt

Being a Professional

"Don't you understand anything about commitment, about being a pro, about sticking with what you say you wanna be?  You don't do it just when you feel good.  You don't just do it when you're not tired.  You don't do it just when it's sunny.  You do it every day of your life.  You do it when it hurts to do it, when it's the last thing in the world you wanna do, when there are a million reasons not to do it.  You do it because you're a professional."

Teddy Atlas to Michael Moorer

An Update, It's Needed

It's been an eventful week or so, but I just haven't had the inspiration or inclination to write about any of it in detail.  I may need to up my coffee intake...

Here's a quick summary of what's going on in my world, and I'm sure I'll be writing longer posts on a few of these shortly.

• I'm moving.  I'll be leaving San Francisco, my home for the last 2.5 years, and moving back down south.  The actual move will take place between April 1st to June 1st, depending on work stuff.  I'll be in the LA area, and some of the places I'm interested in are Long Beach, Hermosa Beach, Marina Del Rey, Miracle Mile, and Downtown LA.  If anyone has suggestions on those areas, they would be appreciated.
• I got my eyes tasered.  On purpose.  Having dealt with contacts and glasses since the 5th grade, I finally had enough.  While I had been toying with the idea for years, the final decision came like a flash of lightning.  I scheduled the appointment to meet with the doctor and signed up for the first available opening.  Because I went with the PRK version of the test compared to LASIK, my recovery time is longer.  I am probably at about 20-40 vision right now, but with no pain or discomfort, and my eyes will slowly stabilize to 20-20 (or better).  The upside of the PRK is that my eyes will heal back just as strong as before the test, an important consideration if one engages in contact sports.  And speaking of contact sports...
• I am scheduled to fight in San Francisco on February 26th.  At 155 pounds. Hunger, I will have it.  Don't know anything about my opponent yet, but will get to fight in my own city, which is always a plus.  Only point of concern is that the eye surgery leaves me with only 10-14 days of hard sparring beforehand.  It should be plenty so long as I get in boss shape in the meantime.  I plan on being intimately acquainted with the many hills that San Francisco offers.  Joy.
• My good friend Susan thought my chili recipe sounded good, so I got an offer from her to cook it for her and her friends this coming Sunday.  I am proud of my culinary skills.  I hope they like fire.
• Going to do a kickass night hike and navigation course up Mt. Tam tomorrow night with my friends Clara and Ted.  Night hikes give me an opportunity to use my head lamp, and therefore, they rock. 

I suppose that's it for the major news.  A few of those events deserve a more detailed look, but I just don't have it in me at the mo'.

Andre Ward vs. Mikkel Kessler Preview

Round 2 of Showtime's heavily promoted "Super Six" tournament is descending on Oakland, California this weekend.  The last American Gold Medalist, Oakland's own, Andre Ward (20(13)-0) will square off against the current Super Middleweight champion, Mikkel Kessler (42(32)-1) at the Oracle Arena.

This should prove to be one of the most intriguing match-ups of the tournament.  Ward is a very smart, fast and disciplined fighter who uses angles and ring savvy to confuse and bewilder his opponents.  At only 25 years of age, his command of the ring belies his relative lack of experience.  Despite his gaudy record, Mikkel Kessler's level of competition can be questioned, as he has faced quite a few limited fighters in his Denmark homeland.  Still, the two best fighters Kessler has been in the ring with are much better than anyone Ward has fought thus far, including a 12 round decision loss to Joe Calzaghe and a unanimous decision victory over Librado Andrade.

Kessler is a very fundamentally sound and crisp boxer with good power in his orthodox jab and straight right hand.  These two weapons are world-class, and are usually enough to beat his opponents with by themselves.  What we haven't yet seen from Kessler is the ability to "go downstairs" and work the body well or consistently.  He also rarely deviates from his tried and true, and well-loved combination of the left jab, followed by his right cross.  He will have to vary his attack a bit more to get by Ward this Saturday night.

Ward does a little bit of everything.  He has decent power, although he won't be scoring any single-punch knockouts.  He has good speed, excellent ring generalship, good smarts, and is a disciplined fighter.  Raised in the tough city of Oakland, Ward has been well-schooled by local trainer, Virgil Hunter out of the venerable Kings Gym.  After winning gold in the Athens Olympics of 2004, many observers felt that the talented Ward was being pushed too slowly.  Despite the criticism, it seems to have been a good decision.  Ward stepped up the level of his competition this year to win a unanimous decision against the always-dangerous Edision Miranda, in a fight that saw the Puerto Rican-based brawler confused and sloppy in the face of a very composed Ward.

Andre Ward will need to use his superior movement and speed to throw Kessler off of his game-plan.  Look for Andre to circle to Kessler's left, avoiding the dangerous right hand, and winning a tight but unanimous 12 round decision. 

For fans in the Bay Area, make sure to check out Comcast's Bay Area Sports website and channel for interviews and discussion on the fighters, trainers and promoters.  My buddy Rich is putting in some great work over there and we finally have combat sports getting some attention in the Bay Area again.

In Praise of Miguel Cotto

Miguel Cotto has taken a lot of punishment during his 8 year career, possibly too much. In an age where long-time boxing fans bemoan a newer and lesser generation of fighters, Cotto is a throwback. He approaches his craft with a blue-collar and workmanlike mentality, takes his work seriously, and is as tough as they come.

Unfortunately, Cotto isn't appreciated as much as he should be. The man has put together a tremendous body of work against the best fighters of his generation, and he has often taken a horrific beating in both wins and losses. And yet, we still have the usual internet crowd of experts questioning his heart, chin, grit and toughness for his performances against Margarito, Clottey and Pacquiao. Many never forgave him for his taking a knee in his final round against Margarito, and those same brave individuals in front of their TV's will never forgive him for backpedaling much of the last rounds in the Clottey and Pacquiao fights. In truth, Cotto is too tough for his own good.

Unlike some other fighters of recent year who have earned prestige for toughness in the ring, Cotto's skill-set puts him in the squared circle with only the most elite of fighters. Guys like Arturo Gatti, tough and game as any fighter who ever lived, took their punishment from much more limited fighters than Cotto's opponents. When Gatti stepped up in class to fight Floyd Mayweather Jr., he was simply annihilated within a few rounds. Stopping that fight was an easy decision to make. The decision to stop a Cotto fight is much more difficult due to his superior talent. Cotto always has enough good moments to dissuade his corner, the ref or the ringside doctor from stopping the abuse. He is excellent at fighting off the back foot, throwing a stiff jab or double jab, and then countering with fast and hard combinations when his opponent overextends himself. His ability to do that earned him an extra 3 rounds of bludgeoning last night against the buzz-saw that is Manny Pacquiao.



It has been established that a quick and sudden knockout is far less punishing over the long-term than the cumulative damage that is dished out over the course of a 12 round championship fight. Cotto's fights against Margarito and Pacquaio have most likely taken years off of the fighter's life.




At one point, the beating was so conclusive that Cotto's wife was forced to leave the arena with their young son. On that note, shame on the man who's decision it was to continuously pan to Mrs. Cotto and their son's face during a break in the action. It was reminiscent of Mayweather's fight against British boxer, Ricky Hatton, where Hatton was splattered in the 10th round. The cameraman found it necessary to focus on Hatton's screaming wife for what felt like minutes as her husband was quickly surrounded by his doctors and cornermen. Boxing has always produced more drama and action than any other sport, and it's an unnecessary and distasteful trick to try to engender more by focusing on these personal tragedies.

Cotto is still a skilled and dangerous fighter, and would most likely beat all but the very top 2 or 3 welterweights in the world. That being said, he may want to consider winding down. At only 29 years old, he is a young man, but people age differently in boxing. That was clearly shown when Joe Calzaghe met Roy Jones Jr. last year. While nearly the same age in years, Jones Jr.'s career had been far more damaging after concussive knockouts at the hands of Antonio Tarver and Glen Johnson. There was no question of who was the "younger" man that night. So it is with Cotto. He has given us amazing fights in victories over "Chop-Chop" Corley, Zab Judah, Shane Mosley, Josh Clottey and Carlos Quintana, while taking tremendous punishment in losses to Margarito and Pacquiao. As Antonio Margarito was later caught trying to enter the ring with loaded handwraps, one has to consider the possibility that Cotto went nearly 11 rounds with a man who was using bricks instead of fists.

Sometimes it takes a fighter to retire before he gets the respect that he deserves, and so it may be with Miguel Cotto. The man is a pro's pro and has never ducked a fighter in his life. He has always been calm, polite and respectful towards the press and his opponents. He works hard and trains hard. In this "bling" generation, Miguel Cotto is an old-school type of fighter and an old-school type of man.

Inner Circle Fight Team Represents Half a World Away

Bryan Schatz won his first Muay Thai fight over the last weekend, stopping his opponent in the 3rd round. The victim was unable to answer the bell to start the 4th round after absorbing dozens of low kicks to his lead leg. Good luck walking tomorrow...

Anaerobic vs. Aerobic Training for Combat Athletes

Disclaimer: I am not a trainer, nor do I have any degree or certification in sports performance.

Over the last decade and a half, more and more "modern" athletes and trainers have turned away from the morning "roadwork" that combat athletes have relied on for centuries. The long distance work that generations of successful fighters have used for conditioning (mind & body) have been pooh-poohed as "backwards," and "unsuitable" for explosive sports like boxing or MMA.

High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) can be summarized as a series of all-out sprints of activity, followed by full or partial rest periods. The most famous study was directed by Dr. Izumi Tabata from the National Institute of Fitness and Sports in Tokyo, Japan. What would become known as the "Tabata Principle" consisted of 4 minutes of training, broken down into 20 seconds of all-out effort, followed by 10 seconds of rest, continued 8 times, for a total of 240 seconds. After 6 weeks of training, Dr. Tabata found that his athletes improved 28% in anaerobic capacity, and 14% in their ability to consume oxygen (VO2 Max/aerobic).

There is no doubt that interval training is intense, time-efficient, and effective. If anyone doubts it, just try it on the track. That being said, so many people now tout it as the end-all, be-all of conditioning, that steady pace distance running is completely disregarded. The following statements are heard often:

"MMA is a sprint, not a marathon."

"Long , slow distance running doesn't have a place in a sport that is as explosive as MMA (or boxing.)"

"Slow running changes fast-twitch muscle fibers to slow ones, limiting an athlete's ability to react quickly and explosively."

These comments have some basis in fact, but they ignore certain parts of the Tabata study, and are misleading in some ways.

For one thing, the Tabata study makes a big deal out of the improvements taking place on "trained athletes." This is important, as it is much harder to get significant results out of athletes already "in shape," compared to relative novices. In fact, the athletes in the study had decent, but not great VO2 max averages before starting the study. The argument that similar improvements could be made with other training protocols, especially since these are relatively un-trained athletes, rarely gets made.

Secondly, even the group of athletes who were being trained with the Tabata Protocol were also instructed to perform LSD (Long, Steady Distance) runs once a week.

Finally, are we sure that combat sports are REALLY anaerobic in nature?

Aerobic means "with oxygen," and being in an aerobic state is when the body's demands for oxygen and fuel can be met by the body's intake. (breathing in oxygen) An extreme example of an aerobic athlete is a marathon runner.

Anaerobic means "without oxygen," and the system is used under maximal effort, where the body is working so hard that the demands for oxygen and fuel exceed the supply. The body must then rely on the stored reserves of fuel. An extreme example of an anaerobic athlete is a 100 meter sprinter.

The problem with the argument that combat sports are anaerobic is that this system can only operate for a short time before it is spent. Once that happens, the demands for fuel and oxygen must be supported and replenished with the aerobic system. This happens QUICKLY. In fact, by the time that maximum effort has passed 75 seconds, more than half of the energy being used is supplied by the aerobic system. During the two minute rounds of amateur boxing, 63% of the energy requirements are coming via the aerobic system. With professional boxing and MMA fights lasting as long 48 minutes, broken into 3-5 minute rounds, it is clear that these are not purely anaerobic activities.

The point of all this is that the title is misleading. There should not be a question of anaerobic OR aerobic training, but just a matter of using both to bring up your weaknesses. If you come from a sprint-heavy background before beginning training in combat sports, you will most likely benefit from longer distance-style training. This will help lower your resting heart rate, and allow for quicker recovery between rounds. Conversely, if your resting heart rate is low, but you are lacking in speed and power, you may want to place an emphasis on interval training to bring up the lagging areas.

In short, each is good, but both is better.

Further Reading
http://www.brianmac.co.uk/enduranc.htm
http://ezinearticles.com/?Tabata-Anything---Four-Minutes-of-Pain-to-Gain&id=348486
http://8weeksout.com/