Going into UFC's foray into Pittsburgh Sunday evening, the big story was surrounding Nate Marquardt and his surprising release from the promotion. After all, the card was initially hyped up as being the former Middleweight contenders debut at the lighter 170 lb. division, against a guy who took his first "true" test in the cage and ran with it, in Rick Story. That, coupled with the fact that the main event was now Frenchman Chieck Kongo and American Pat Barry, left fans with a bitter pill to swallow due to the fact that while an interesting matchup, Kongo vs. Barry is likely the 4th spot on a Pay per view card at best.
After the event Sunday night, fans can honestly say that while it didn't have star power, the main event did show us one of the freakish comebacks in recent history.
For the first minute or so, we saw both kickboxers by trade circling, Kongo exchanging leg kicks with Barry though not thoroughly engaging. An early attempt by the American was stuffed by Kongo, the Congolese born Frenchman who now calls Paris home. Just as it had appeared that the main event was going to be a dud, fireworks exploded with a heavy right hand landed by Barry that had Kongo dropped and reeling, hoping to secure a takedown. After being warned by referee Dan Margliotta to defend himself, Kongo got up and received another heavy shot. While getting up and being woozy akin to roller skates, Kongo got up and walked back to the cage with Barry swarming. Barry however, left himself open and Kongo responding with a heavy uppercut, that dropped Barry clean out. In doing so, Kongo defeats Barry via 1st round TKO.
Next for Kongo : Definitely still an exciting fighter that knows how to put on a show. I'd say throw him Joey Beltran.
Next for Barry : Definitely a guy who just keeps getting stung by bad luck. How about Christian Morecraft?
Heavyweight prospect and former NFL player Matt Mitrone fought Christian Morecraft on the main card's opening fight on Versus. The first round got off to a solid start, with Morecraft landing some leg kicks while Mitrione was able to tag the Ithica, New York native to the floor, while just laying up and allowing his opponent to get back up. Mitrione cruised throwing his left hand and dropped Morecraft about a minute left in the 1st, with Morecraft scrambling back up losing his mouthpiece just before the clock reached 0. The second round saw Mitrione pushing forward and Morecraft throwing wildly, trying to keep the former lineman at bay. Mitrione threw a leg kick, though missed, and again finding a home with his left tearing Morecraft's face to shreds. A takedown after the 2 minute mark by Morecraft nullified Mitrione temporarily, with an inside clinch and an elbow allowing Mitrione to work; Another takedown by Morecraft got him down and passed Mitrone into full guard, though not doing enough for about a minute before the referee stepped in and got them back up. After that, Mitrione showed his superiority and standup prowess, stuffing another Morecraft takedown attempt and throwing a heavy combination with 30 seconds left in the middle stanza to win by KO.
Next for Mitrione : Either Pat Barry or Chieck Kongo.
Next for Morecraft : Joey Beltran.
Honorable Mention : Hats off to Mitrione for backing off after dropping Morecraft. He could have thrown 2 more shots that gave him a concussion, but was content in his win. Also, both former lightweight standouts Tyson Griffin and Joe Stevenson are going in different directions. Both making their featherweight debuts, Griffin earned a majority victory over former 145 lb. title challenger Manny Gamburyan, while Stevenson looked rather timid against his opponent, Javier Vasquez (no relation to the baseball player), and lost via unanimous decision. Also Charlie Brennerman, who while taking the fight versus Rick "Horror" Story on 24 hours notice, dominated the would-be main eventer in earning a decision victory. Such a thing could be compared to Seth Petruzelli shocking the world against Kimbo Slice in 2008....but, seeing as how Kimbo's career ended up, it shouldn't have been a surprise in the first place.
2-0 for my picks for the night. Brings me to 30-16-2 for the year. which would give me a winning percentage of .625. Not bad.
Look for more about the Nate Marquardt situation on this blog in the coming days, as well as a preview of this weekend's tilt between Dominick Cruz and Urijah Faber.
Until next time, fight fans!
Monday, June 27, 2011
Sunday, June 26, 2011
UFC on Versus 4 : Barry vs Kongo preview.
You see, folks, this is why I don't post a preview until the day of the event. The UFC comes to Pittsburgh for the very first time on Sunday, but 24 hours before it, UFC president Dana White dropped a proverbial bombshell that left most MMA fans speechless : Former Middleweight challenger Nate Marquardt, who was supposed to headline the card versus Rick Story, failed a medical clearance and in doing so, has been dropped from the promotion. Though this puts a huge dent in the card, there is an age old analogy that the "show must go on", with Barry and Kongo being pushed up to main event status.
Though there should be more fallout coming from Marquardt's release in the coming days, there's more to be discussed. Like my picks :
Pat Barry vs Chieck Kongo - This will be a kickboxing heavy contest. Expect Kongo, who's tough as nails but lacks a real ground game, to shoot early and often and expect Barry to have worked on his rather soft grappling skills. Both men's strength is stand up, so it will be a matter of time before one of them falls. I plan on the skills favoring the Frenchman.
The Pick : Kongo by TKO.
Matt Mitrione vs. Christian Morecraft - Heavyweight prospect and noted "Kimbo Slayer" Matt Mitirone fights on the first fight of the main card, taking on 7-1 Christian Morecraft, who's known for taking out Sean McCorkle. Expect Mitrione to show his ever improving stand up skills, avoiding takedowns, and cruising to a victory.
The Pick : Mitrione by decision.
I'm only picking 2 fights on this card. With Story having to move on to face Charlie Brennerman due to Marquardt's release, it will be interesting to see how he does regardless.
Tune in tonight at 7 pm for the preliminary fights airing on Facebook, with the main card starting on TV at 9.
Until next time, fight fans.
Though there should be more fallout coming from Marquardt's release in the coming days, there's more to be discussed. Like my picks :
Pat Barry vs Chieck Kongo - This will be a kickboxing heavy contest. Expect Kongo, who's tough as nails but lacks a real ground game, to shoot early and often and expect Barry to have worked on his rather soft grappling skills. Both men's strength is stand up, so it will be a matter of time before one of them falls. I plan on the skills favoring the Frenchman.
The Pick : Kongo by TKO.
Matt Mitrione vs. Christian Morecraft - Heavyweight prospect and noted "Kimbo Slayer" Matt Mitirone fights on the first fight of the main card, taking on 7-1 Christian Morecraft, who's known for taking out Sean McCorkle. Expect Mitrione to show his ever improving stand up skills, avoiding takedowns, and cruising to a victory.
The Pick : Mitrione by decision.
I'm only picking 2 fights on this card. With Story having to move on to face Charlie Brennerman due to Marquardt's release, it will be interesting to see how he does regardless.
Tune in tonight at 7 pm for the preliminary fights airing on Facebook, with the main card starting on TV at 9.
Until next time, fight fans.
Bellator 46 recap.
For the first time this summer, we got a card not named "UFC....", as Bellator kicked off its debut "Summer Series", Saturday night from Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino from Hollywood, Florida. Matches featured from last night were entrants in a Bantamweight tournament, for Joe Warren's 145 lb. strap.
The main event featured Season 2 lightweight winner, Pat Curran, drop to his more "natural" weight class of 145 (which is strange, considering he walks around at 175) take on season 1 alum Luis Palomino. The Peruvian Palomino, who's best known in promotional circles via a controversial decision loss to Yahir Reyes, was dominated early on from the bell, and Curran wasted little time tapping Palomino at just under 4 minutes of the opening round. Just to add insult to injury, the particular submission that made Palomino tap just happened to be a Peruvian necktie.
The co-main event saw Sengoku and Pancrase vet Marlon Sandro take on Genair De Silva. Sandro, who's stablemate (and UFC featherweight kingpin) Jose Aldo was at cageside, looked every much his 34 years as the vet struggled, but ultimately prevailed in a 3 round split decision, scores of 30-27 and 29-28, with the 3rd judge having it 29-28 for his opponent. In winning, he moves on to the semi-finals.
Other winners included Nazareno Malagarie, who ended his losing streak at 1 with a 3rd round submission of Jacob DeVree, as well as Sengoku veteran Ronnie Mann, who showed his "Kid Ninja" skills with a devastating knockout of Adam Schindler. A catchweight special feature bout was also included after the main event, with Brazilian Alex Bezerra defeating American Sam Jones by 1st round rear naked choke in a bout that was contested at 152 lbs.
Honorable Mention : Curran's Peruvian Necktie just happened to be on a Peruvian, and the second I've ever seen in my long viewing of MMA after TUF veteran CB Dolloway's. Curran gets way more style points doing it due to his draw of opponent. Ronnie Mann's KO of Adam Schindler, after a notable slugfest started out with some heavy bombs early, had Mann throwing Schindler off by circling outside of his power, throwing jabs and keeping the American at bay. His right hand that dropped Schindler was reminiscent of a certain "Stanky Leg" from "Razor" Rob McCullough and Patricio "Pitbull". Jacob DeVree, who told the television audience at home that aside from fighting he had "no backup plan", certainly needed one as the native Argentinian Nazagare dominated him from the get go, seemingly not being able to put DeVree away until the 3rd round. Let that be a lesson to all aspiring Mixed Martial Artists : Stay in School, kids!.
Tune in next month, as Bellator comes north of the border for the very first time, with the semi-finals of the Featherweight tournament from Casino Rama, with a 5 round main event featuring current Featherweight kingpin Joe Warren and challenger Patricio "Pitbull". And yes, I plan on being there.
Until next time, fight fans!.
The main event featured Season 2 lightweight winner, Pat Curran, drop to his more "natural" weight class of 145 (which is strange, considering he walks around at 175) take on season 1 alum Luis Palomino. The Peruvian Palomino, who's best known in promotional circles via a controversial decision loss to Yahir Reyes, was dominated early on from the bell, and Curran wasted little time tapping Palomino at just under 4 minutes of the opening round. Just to add insult to injury, the particular submission that made Palomino tap just happened to be a Peruvian necktie.
The co-main event saw Sengoku and Pancrase vet Marlon Sandro take on Genair De Silva. Sandro, who's stablemate (and UFC featherweight kingpin) Jose Aldo was at cageside, looked every much his 34 years as the vet struggled, but ultimately prevailed in a 3 round split decision, scores of 30-27 and 29-28, with the 3rd judge having it 29-28 for his opponent. In winning, he moves on to the semi-finals.
Other winners included Nazareno Malagarie, who ended his losing streak at 1 with a 3rd round submission of Jacob DeVree, as well as Sengoku veteran Ronnie Mann, who showed his "Kid Ninja" skills with a devastating knockout of Adam Schindler. A catchweight special feature bout was also included after the main event, with Brazilian Alex Bezerra defeating American Sam Jones by 1st round rear naked choke in a bout that was contested at 152 lbs.
Honorable Mention : Curran's Peruvian Necktie just happened to be on a Peruvian, and the second I've ever seen in my long viewing of MMA after TUF veteran CB Dolloway's. Curran gets way more style points doing it due to his draw of opponent. Ronnie Mann's KO of Adam Schindler, after a notable slugfest started out with some heavy bombs early, had Mann throwing Schindler off by circling outside of his power, throwing jabs and keeping the American at bay. His right hand that dropped Schindler was reminiscent of a certain "Stanky Leg" from "Razor" Rob McCullough and Patricio "Pitbull". Jacob DeVree, who told the television audience at home that aside from fighting he had "no backup plan", certainly needed one as the native Argentinian Nazagare dominated him from the get go, seemingly not being able to put DeVree away until the 3rd round. Let that be a lesson to all aspiring Mixed Martial Artists : Stay in School, kids!.
Tune in next month, as Bellator comes north of the border for the very first time, with the semi-finals of the Featherweight tournament from Casino Rama, with a 5 round main event featuring current Featherweight kingpin Joe Warren and challenger Patricio "Pitbull". And yes, I plan on being there.
Until next time, fight fans!.
Tuesday, June 21, 2011
Demolished : Are Alistair Overeem's expectations of himself too high?
In 2005, The Ultimate Fighting Championship's heavyweight division was not the robust division one talks about now. In fact, it wasn't even close; To make the argument that it was a joke is probably being a little too generous. Its Heavyweight champion was Tim "The Maine-iac" Sylvia, who everybody knows looks quite awkward throwing punches and standing there in a ring. Frank Mir had been injured in a car accident. Andrei Arlovski's chin was in the best days of his career. It got so bad that at one point, the Zuffa brass coaxed a then retired Randy Couture out of retirement and got him to move up to heavyweight, so he could challenge Sylvia for the title.
Over in Japan, The Pride Heavyweight division was a who's who of the game, with Mirko Cro Cop, Mark Coleman, Antonio Rodrigo "Minotauro" Nogueira and of course, Fedor Emelianenko.
Of course, The UFC has recovered from those doldrums. Now featuring a fantastic division with the likes of Cain Velasquez, Junior Dos Santos, a now recovered Frank Mir, Shane Carwin and Brock Lesnar, its no secret that the majority of the world's top 10 (2/3rds at least) fight in the UFC.
Yet, there might be one person who disagrees with that argument : Alistair Overeem.
Yes, we all know about Overeem. We know that he went from being a middle of the pack light heavyweight, not seeming to be able to get past the likes of Chuck Liddell, Noguiera (twice), and Vitor Belfort, to being what he is now, a giant hulk of a man people affectionately call "Ubereem", as a play on the size he has put on to make a push in the heavyweight division. He won the Strikeforce Heavyweight strap in 2007 with a victory over Paul Buentello, then through a rash of injuries (most can be attributed to his size), his commitment to K-1 and fights in Japan, He hadn't fought a fight on the North American continent until last year, when he dismantled challenger Brett Rogers.
With the Strikeforce Grand Prix being announced earlier this year, Overeem claimed he was going to prove to everybody that he was "the best fighter in the world". He also blamed his MMA hiatus on Fedor Emelianenko and his management team, M-1 Global, saying they refused to fight him. Everybody in his path had been dispatched of, including a victory over UFC castoff Todd Duffee on last years Dynamite! card in Japan.
So fans figured against Fabricio Werdum last Saturday night in Houston, they would probably see the same.
Instead, we got an ordinary effort from "The Demolition Man", as yes he was dominating with his strength and size, but never seemed to put Werdum away or even manage to get close. Several times, we saw Overeem throw the BJJ world champion Brazilian down, but every time Overeem implored Werdum to get up, as he wasn't going to fall feign to what had happened to Fedor Emelianenko. Several times we also saw Overeem tag Werdum with heavy shots and peel back, as if to not worry about the finish. When we got the chance to finally see the Dutch product's ground game, it was a rather soft one : He was able to hold Werdum down, but could not advance his position past Guard, everytime scrambling and getting back up. It was an odd performance, despite the judges scorecards reading victory for him.
So, is Alistair Overeem's expectations of himself too high? Is it too much to think he is a great heavyweight? At this point, I'd have to say yes. There was the argument that Overeem's victory in the K-1 World Grand Prix last year in Japan made him the best striker, but the performance Saturday night was definitely an odd one. Junior Dos Santos dispatched Shane Carwin with effective striking and making him hurt, unlike Overeem and its safe to say right now he might be the best striker in MMA. That being said, it could have been an off night for Overeem, and we might be able to see him dispatch of everybody in this tournament with highlight reel caliber finishes.
-In Other news, while the effort of Overeem was a little suspect, it didn't hurt the ratings for the Showtime card. About 1.7 viewers tuned in for the card, peaking at about 719,000, reported by MMAJunkie. It narrowly misses the top spot held by the "Silva vs Fedor" card earlier this year. Although perhaps the heavyweights aren't as solid as the UFC, the Grand Prix concept is certainly one I'd like to see return....even though it looks bleak given the lack of fighters in any division in Strikeforce. As well, CEO Scott Coker says the tourney semis are scheduled for the fall.
-Medical Suspensions were handed out for UFC 131, with Shane Carwin receiving a 60 day no contact suspension with no contact during training for 45 days, thanks to his one handed pasting at the hands of Junior Dos Santos.
-And according to ESPN.co.uk, Tito Ortiz "begged" for his upcoming fight against Ryan Bader at UFC 132, slated to feature a main event between bantamweight champ Dominick Cruz and Urijah Faber. Tito Ortiz needed a bone, I preferred to have him take on Stephan Bonnar. I'm hoping that after what will likely be another one sided victory for Bader, Tito will merely beg to go away.
Questions? Comments? Leave one at the bottom or email me at mmarmaggedon@gmail.com. You Can also follow me on twitter at twitter.com/mmarmaggedon.
Until next time, fight fans!.
Over in Japan, The Pride Heavyweight division was a who's who of the game, with Mirko Cro Cop, Mark Coleman, Antonio Rodrigo "Minotauro" Nogueira and of course, Fedor Emelianenko.
Of course, The UFC has recovered from those doldrums. Now featuring a fantastic division with the likes of Cain Velasquez, Junior Dos Santos, a now recovered Frank Mir, Shane Carwin and Brock Lesnar, its no secret that the majority of the world's top 10 (2/3rds at least) fight in the UFC.
Yet, there might be one person who disagrees with that argument : Alistair Overeem.
Yes, we all know about Overeem. We know that he went from being a middle of the pack light heavyweight, not seeming to be able to get past the likes of Chuck Liddell, Noguiera (twice), and Vitor Belfort, to being what he is now, a giant hulk of a man people affectionately call "Ubereem", as a play on the size he has put on to make a push in the heavyweight division. He won the Strikeforce Heavyweight strap in 2007 with a victory over Paul Buentello, then through a rash of injuries (most can be attributed to his size), his commitment to K-1 and fights in Japan, He hadn't fought a fight on the North American continent until last year, when he dismantled challenger Brett Rogers.
With the Strikeforce Grand Prix being announced earlier this year, Overeem claimed he was going to prove to everybody that he was "the best fighter in the world". He also blamed his MMA hiatus on Fedor Emelianenko and his management team, M-1 Global, saying they refused to fight him. Everybody in his path had been dispatched of, including a victory over UFC castoff Todd Duffee on last years Dynamite! card in Japan.
So fans figured against Fabricio Werdum last Saturday night in Houston, they would probably see the same.
Instead, we got an ordinary effort from "The Demolition Man", as yes he was dominating with his strength and size, but never seemed to put Werdum away or even manage to get close. Several times, we saw Overeem throw the BJJ world champion Brazilian down, but every time Overeem implored Werdum to get up, as he wasn't going to fall feign to what had happened to Fedor Emelianenko. Several times we also saw Overeem tag Werdum with heavy shots and peel back, as if to not worry about the finish. When we got the chance to finally see the Dutch product's ground game, it was a rather soft one : He was able to hold Werdum down, but could not advance his position past Guard, everytime scrambling and getting back up. It was an odd performance, despite the judges scorecards reading victory for him.
So, is Alistair Overeem's expectations of himself too high? Is it too much to think he is a great heavyweight? At this point, I'd have to say yes. There was the argument that Overeem's victory in the K-1 World Grand Prix last year in Japan made him the best striker, but the performance Saturday night was definitely an odd one. Junior Dos Santos dispatched Shane Carwin with effective striking and making him hurt, unlike Overeem and its safe to say right now he might be the best striker in MMA. That being said, it could have been an off night for Overeem, and we might be able to see him dispatch of everybody in this tournament with highlight reel caliber finishes.
-In Other news, while the effort of Overeem was a little suspect, it didn't hurt the ratings for the Showtime card. About 1.7 viewers tuned in for the card, peaking at about 719,000, reported by MMAJunkie. It narrowly misses the top spot held by the "Silva vs Fedor" card earlier this year. Although perhaps the heavyweights aren't as solid as the UFC, the Grand Prix concept is certainly one I'd like to see return....even though it looks bleak given the lack of fighters in any division in Strikeforce. As well, CEO Scott Coker says the tourney semis are scheduled for the fall.
-Medical Suspensions were handed out for UFC 131, with Shane Carwin receiving a 60 day no contact suspension with no contact during training for 45 days, thanks to his one handed pasting at the hands of Junior Dos Santos.
-And according to ESPN.co.uk, Tito Ortiz "begged" for his upcoming fight against Ryan Bader at UFC 132, slated to feature a main event between bantamweight champ Dominick Cruz and Urijah Faber. Tito Ortiz needed a bone, I preferred to have him take on Stephan Bonnar. I'm hoping that after what will likely be another one sided victory for Bader, Tito will merely beg to go away.
Questions? Comments? Leave one at the bottom or email me at mmarmaggedon@gmail.com. You Can also follow me on twitter at twitter.com/mmarmaggedon.
Until next time, fight fans!.
Sunday, June 19, 2011
Strikeforce : Overeem vs Werdum re-hash : Overeem lackluster in unanimous decision victory; Barnett advances.
The opening round of Strikeforce's Heavyweight World Grand Prix has provided some great highlights : A highlight reel KO and slugfest, and a monumental upset. Unfortunately, that was the first half, as the second half on Saturday night provided nothing but unmemorable and uninspired tilts that left fans booing and must have had even Scott Coker scratching his head.
In the Main Event, Strikeforce heavyweight kingpin Alistair Overeem took on Fabricio Werdum. While many people figured Overeem would walk through Werdum, they were instead treated to a 15 minute contest that featured the Dutch kickboxer showing his precise striking and strength (throwing the Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu world champion down several times) but also confused many, as when Overeem used his grappling prowess he never seemed to posture or use ground and pound, ever weary of Werdum's ground skills. It was also apparent that Overeem's cardio was suspect, as after the final bell during the postfight interview he looked fatigued and obviously frustrated, that factoring in 'Reem leaving a leg free late in the 3rd for a Werdum kneebar attempt. However, despite the disappointing effort, the 3 judges scored it for "The Demolition Man" with scores of 30-27 (twice) and 29-28.
Next for Overeem : Bigfoot Silva.
Next for Werdum : I'd say throw him Chad Griggs, who defeated Alistair's brother Valentjin as the first fight on the card. Either that, or Brett Rogers (but we know how that would end).
The other quarterfinal on the night featured former UFC heavyweight kingpin Josh Barnett and fearsome brawler Brett Rogers. The first round got off to a feverish pace, with both man throwing strikes and trying to feel the pace out. After an impressive takedown by "The Baby Faced Assassin" with a slam, Barnett spent the majority of the rest of the first round dominating from top position, landing a strike here and there and attempting a submission, though not able to put Rogers away. The second round had Barnett reverse a Rogers takedown attempt and land right in a full mount, with him mercifully putting away "The Grim" at just 1:17 of the second round.
Next for Barnett : Sergei Kharitonov.
Next for Rogers : learning how to hip escape. In fact learning some BJJ skills because he has absolutely no ground game whatsoever. Also makes you wonder, was he really just too big for Fedor to tap, or was Fedor just really that sloppy?
Honorable Mention : I said I was looking most forward to the opening tilt of the night featuring reserve heavyweights Chad Griggs and Valentjin Overeem, and it did not disappoint. After a standup stalemate that put neither ahead of the other, Griggs was able to secure a takedown and wore on the Dutchman, finally finishing him with several hard shots that made Valentjin tap. With the victory, he improves to 11 victories in 12 fights. I know he's a can, but he's a tough one. Also, KJ Noons and Masvidal, with Noons showing tremendous heart as Masvidal's superior boxing technique left him a bloody mess, though Noons went for it and never tired, still trying to secure a victory, despite his forehead looking like a leaky faucet.
Josh Barnett doing the entire world a favor, cutting a WWE-esque promo following his victory. Not that the promo was any good, but he actually did something the whole world has wanted for quite a while : He got Gus Johnson to SHUT UP. I've always loved him doing the NCAAs, but as an MMA commentator he just seems a step out of place.
So overall, i went undefeated (2-0) on my picks, which brings me to 28-16-2 for the year.
Until next time, fight fans.
In the Main Event, Strikeforce heavyweight kingpin Alistair Overeem took on Fabricio Werdum. While many people figured Overeem would walk through Werdum, they were instead treated to a 15 minute contest that featured the Dutch kickboxer showing his precise striking and strength (throwing the Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu world champion down several times) but also confused many, as when Overeem used his grappling prowess he never seemed to posture or use ground and pound, ever weary of Werdum's ground skills. It was also apparent that Overeem's cardio was suspect, as after the final bell during the postfight interview he looked fatigued and obviously frustrated, that factoring in 'Reem leaving a leg free late in the 3rd for a Werdum kneebar attempt. However, despite the disappointing effort, the 3 judges scored it for "The Demolition Man" with scores of 30-27 (twice) and 29-28.
Next for Overeem : Bigfoot Silva.
Next for Werdum : I'd say throw him Chad Griggs, who defeated Alistair's brother Valentjin as the first fight on the card. Either that, or Brett Rogers (but we know how that would end).
The other quarterfinal on the night featured former UFC heavyweight kingpin Josh Barnett and fearsome brawler Brett Rogers. The first round got off to a feverish pace, with both man throwing strikes and trying to feel the pace out. After an impressive takedown by "The Baby Faced Assassin" with a slam, Barnett spent the majority of the rest of the first round dominating from top position, landing a strike here and there and attempting a submission, though not able to put Rogers away. The second round had Barnett reverse a Rogers takedown attempt and land right in a full mount, with him mercifully putting away "The Grim" at just 1:17 of the second round.
Next for Barnett : Sergei Kharitonov.
Next for Rogers : learning how to hip escape. In fact learning some BJJ skills because he has absolutely no ground game whatsoever. Also makes you wonder, was he really just too big for Fedor to tap, or was Fedor just really that sloppy?
Honorable Mention : I said I was looking most forward to the opening tilt of the night featuring reserve heavyweights Chad Griggs and Valentjin Overeem, and it did not disappoint. After a standup stalemate that put neither ahead of the other, Griggs was able to secure a takedown and wore on the Dutchman, finally finishing him with several hard shots that made Valentjin tap. With the victory, he improves to 11 victories in 12 fights. I know he's a can, but he's a tough one. Also, KJ Noons and Masvidal, with Noons showing tremendous heart as Masvidal's superior boxing technique left him a bloody mess, though Noons went for it and never tired, still trying to secure a victory, despite his forehead looking like a leaky faucet.
Josh Barnett doing the entire world a favor, cutting a WWE-esque promo following his victory. Not that the promo was any good, but he actually did something the whole world has wanted for quite a while : He got Gus Johnson to SHUT UP. I've always loved him doing the NCAAs, but as an MMA commentator he just seems a step out of place.
So overall, i went undefeated (2-0) on my picks, which brings me to 28-16-2 for the year.
Until next time, fight fans.
Saturday, June 18, 2011
Strikeforce : Overeem vs Werdum preview.
Late last year, Strikeforce announced that with their heavyweight division was going in a brave new direction : For the first time since Pride's demise in 2007, a major mixed martial arts promotion would hold a "Grand Prix" tournament, featuring such stars as Josh Barnett, Alistair Overeem, Sergei Kharitonov, Antonio "Bigfoot" Silva (and of course) Fedor Emelianenko. The tournament's first part of the first round was in February, with "Bigfoot" stopping the legendary Russian and Kharitonov punching his way into the semi finals with a KO over Andrei Arlovski. On Saturday night, 2 more fighters earn their spot in the semi finals, live from Houston, Texas.
Onto my picks :
Alistair Overeem vs Fabricio Werdum - The Main Event features fearsome Dutch kickboxer (who's about as wide as a door frame) Alistair Overeem, against Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu ace Fabricio Werdum. Werdum hasn't fought since his monumental victory over Fedor last June, while Overeem has been idle since his one handed dismantling of Brett Rogers last May. This also hasn't been the first time these 2 have tangled : In 2006, The Brazilian handed "The Demolition Man" a loss via kimura in the first round of the Pride Openweight tournament that was won by Mirko "Cro Cop". Since then, Overeem has won the Strikeforce heavyweight title, and K-1 tournaments to establish his striking prowess. I expect Overeem to keep this fight standing, and if Werdum, who's a world BJJ champion can't secure a takedown into a submission as per his repertoire, it might be a long night for him. Actually, it might be a short night if you think about it.
The pick : Overeem by KO.
Josh Barnett vs Brett Rogers - The other quarterfinal in the tourney is between former UFC heavyweight kingpin Josh Barnett and a guy who could pass for Clubber Lang, Brett Rogers. Barnett, who's licensing issues are well documented stemming from a positive steroid test in 2009, has gotten a license from the State of Texas no questions asked. In the meantime, he was fought abroad, winning a pair of fights versus Mighty Mo in Japan and Geronimo Dos Santos in Australia in July of last year. Rogers, meanwhile, recovered from his pasting at the hands of Overeem to win via unanimous decision against Ruben "Warpath" Villareal in Nova Scotia last October (yes, that same Warpath that a 40 year old Bas Rutten leg kicked into submission just 4 years ago).
I expect this fight not to last long. Watch for Barnett to circle, give Rogers angles, and if need be, secure a takedown and go for a submission. Rogers will go for what he's known to do, club and go for a KO. I sincerely doubt that Rogers will get that chance, however.
The Pick : Barnett by decision.
-In other news, several fights were announced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) in the previous days leading up to this post. The UFC 134 PPV lineup has been announced as full and set, with 5 fights including the main event between middleweight kingpin Anderson Silva and Yushin Okami (wonder if we'll see a front kick). In addition, UFC 135's main event was announced to feature Jon "Bones" Jones and Quinton "Rampage" Jackson, as well as UFC's 138 is set to feature a main event between the 2 best heavyweights in the world today, Cain Velasquez and Junior Dos Santos on November 19th, as reported by MMAJunkie.
-Junkie also reported the winner of the tilt tonight between KJ Noons and Jorge Masvidal is a "frontrunner" to challenge lightweight champion Gilbert Melendez next, CEO Scott Coker has said. Oddly enough, I forgot to mention Noons as a possible challenger when I criticized Melendez's "I'm the best lightweight in the world" comments on Facebook.
-And, I suppose this isn't news but, seeing as how I didn't predict it, the fight I'm looking forward to tonight is between an Overeem....Valenjin, Alistair's brother, and Chad "Wile E." Griggs. It will no doubt be a flat out brawl, with somebody getting their head, ear, or a combination of both getting ripped off.
Questions? Comments? leave one at the bottom or hit me up at mmarmaggeddon@gmail.com or follow me on twitter at twitter.com/mmarmaggedon
Until next time, fight fans!.
Onto my picks :
Alistair Overeem vs Fabricio Werdum - The Main Event features fearsome Dutch kickboxer (who's about as wide as a door frame) Alistair Overeem, against Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu ace Fabricio Werdum. Werdum hasn't fought since his monumental victory over Fedor last June, while Overeem has been idle since his one handed dismantling of Brett Rogers last May. This also hasn't been the first time these 2 have tangled : In 2006, The Brazilian handed "The Demolition Man" a loss via kimura in the first round of the Pride Openweight tournament that was won by Mirko "Cro Cop". Since then, Overeem has won the Strikeforce heavyweight title, and K-1 tournaments to establish his striking prowess. I expect Overeem to keep this fight standing, and if Werdum, who's a world BJJ champion can't secure a takedown into a submission as per his repertoire, it might be a long night for him. Actually, it might be a short night if you think about it.
The pick : Overeem by KO.
Josh Barnett vs Brett Rogers - The other quarterfinal in the tourney is between former UFC heavyweight kingpin Josh Barnett and a guy who could pass for Clubber Lang, Brett Rogers. Barnett, who's licensing issues are well documented stemming from a positive steroid test in 2009, has gotten a license from the State of Texas no questions asked. In the meantime, he was fought abroad, winning a pair of fights versus Mighty Mo in Japan and Geronimo Dos Santos in Australia in July of last year. Rogers, meanwhile, recovered from his pasting at the hands of Overeem to win via unanimous decision against Ruben "Warpath" Villareal in Nova Scotia last October (yes, that same Warpath that a 40 year old Bas Rutten leg kicked into submission just 4 years ago).
I expect this fight not to last long. Watch for Barnett to circle, give Rogers angles, and if need be, secure a takedown and go for a submission. Rogers will go for what he's known to do, club and go for a KO. I sincerely doubt that Rogers will get that chance, however.
The Pick : Barnett by decision.
-In other news, several fights were announced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) in the previous days leading up to this post. The UFC 134 PPV lineup has been announced as full and set, with 5 fights including the main event between middleweight kingpin Anderson Silva and Yushin Okami (wonder if we'll see a front kick). In addition, UFC 135's main event was announced to feature Jon "Bones" Jones and Quinton "Rampage" Jackson, as well as UFC's 138 is set to feature a main event between the 2 best heavyweights in the world today, Cain Velasquez and Junior Dos Santos on November 19th, as reported by MMAJunkie.
-Junkie also reported the winner of the tilt tonight between KJ Noons and Jorge Masvidal is a "frontrunner" to challenge lightweight champion Gilbert Melendez next, CEO Scott Coker has said. Oddly enough, I forgot to mention Noons as a possible challenger when I criticized Melendez's "I'm the best lightweight in the world" comments on Facebook.
-And, I suppose this isn't news but, seeing as how I didn't predict it, the fight I'm looking forward to tonight is between an Overeem....Valenjin, Alistair's brother, and Chad "Wile E." Griggs. It will no doubt be a flat out brawl, with somebody getting their head, ear, or a combination of both getting ripped off.
Questions? Comments? leave one at the bottom or hit me up at mmarmaggeddon@gmail.com or follow me on twitter at twitter.com/mmarmaggedon
Until next time, fight fans!.
Monday, June 13, 2011
UFC 131 : Carwin vs Dos Santos re-hash :JDS leaves Carwin bloody mess, cruises to decision.
Going into Saturday night's main event at UFC 131 in Vancouver, the general consensus was that Junior Dos Santos would have a fair bit of trouble against Shane Carwin. After all, Carwin did almost stop the former heavyweight kingpin, Brock Lesnar, before cardio issues caught up to him and Lesnar was able to secure a victory through an arm triangle choke. And Carwin did stop another former heavyweight champ, Frank Mir, with a devastating uppercut that dropped Mir. Many pundits were assured that between the 2 fighters, who have each 12 KO's in the first round, that once somebody dropped they were going to sleep. After the final bell, nobody did. But Carwin might as well have.
Through 15 minutes, Dos Santos showed his crisp boxing, dropping Carwin with heavy shots as the first round ended and leaving Carwin a bloody mess, as well as an unseen amount of wrestling skill, taking down Carwin in the 2nd and 3rd rounds, and cruised to a unanimous decision victory of 30-27 (twice) and 30-26. In doing so, the protege of Antoino Rodrigo "Minotauro" Noguiera secures his long awaited title shot against current Heavyweight kingpin, Cain Velasquez.
Next for Dos Santos : Cain Velasquez.
Next for Carwin : The back injury and the apparent steroid issues clearly had a effect on him. How about the "disappointing" Roy Nelson?
The co-main event saw Kenny Florian make his featherweight debut against 16-1 Diego Nunes. Nunes, who had endeared himself to fans earlier on in the week by wearing a Vancouver Canucks jersey to the weigh-ins, did a lot to frustrate the Massachusetts native, who was booed excessively, due to wearing the jersey of his hometown team (and Vancouver's adversary in the Stanley Cup finals) the Boston Bruins. Amid cheers of "Go Canucks Go" and "Florian Sucks", Nunes reversed a Florian takedown in the 1st and got the former 2 time title contender on the mat, as well as dropping Florian with a shot at the end of the 1st that had KenFlo reeling. In between, Florian used his strength and improved wrestling to dominate Nunes, and despite dropping Florian again in the 3rd before the bell, he was unable to sway the judges his way and lost via unanimous decision, scores of 29-28 (twice) and 30-27.
Next for Florian : a victory over current featherweight kingpin Jose Aldo is clearly a victory away. Either the winner of Hominick-Chan Sung Jung or Josh Grispi.
Next for Nunes : George Roop or Leonard Garcia.
Mark Munoz fought Demian Maia, and Maia came out with a vengeance, throwing several powerful shots and an improving standup game, having the former Oklahoma State wrestler Munoz wobbly a couple of times in the first round. Despite hurting Maia late, Munoz had a so-so first round and I thought the "Black House" product the opening round 10-9. The second stanza got off to a better start for the "Filipino Wrecking Machine", as he dropped Maia and nailed him with excessive shots to the leg, frustrating and fatiguing Maia and wearing him down. Though he went for a Darth Choke and gave his back to Maia, Munoz was able to scramble out and get to his feet, and his wrestling clearly wore on the former Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu world champ Maia, grinding out a victory through his escapes and his sheer dominance, by unanimous decision with scores of 29-28 (twice) and 30-27.
Next for Munoz : I had picked the upset. Though it will be a long time before he has a chance to catch a whiff of the big fight at middleweight. I say the winner of Mayhem Miller and Bisping.
Next for Maia : Great improvement on the standup, though he shied away from it as soon as he got in trouble. Brian Stann or a rematch with Chael Sonnen.
Sam Stout was able to weather an early takedown from veteran Yves Edwards and a heavy hook and responded with a huge shot that dropped Edwards and securing Knockout of the Night" bonus at just under the 4 minute mark of the opening round.
Next for Edwards : possible retirement?
Nex for Stout : He showed why they call him "Hands of Stone". Good thing too, because I was beginning to forget. A fight with Sean Sherk.
Honorable Mention : Stout's reaction to dropping Edwards was priceless. Not wanting to further injure him, he backed off as soon as he saw Edwards googly eyed. It also shows you why Herb Dean is the "best in the business" (a title I bestowed on him long before DW re-iterated it with comments at the post fight press conference) as he saw it as well. Munoz doing his "Stanky Leg" impression, I'm not sure what Maia hit him with but he did a shuffle. Chris Wiman's standing guillotine. The pro-Canuck crowd giving Florian nothing but disdain for representing his team. People, he's from Massachusetts, did you really expect him NOT to wear a Bruins jersey?
As for my picks, another clean sheet : 4-0. I've won 11 or 12 and it brings me to a impressive 26-16-2 for the year.
Until next time, fight fans!
Through 15 minutes, Dos Santos showed his crisp boxing, dropping Carwin with heavy shots as the first round ended and leaving Carwin a bloody mess, as well as an unseen amount of wrestling skill, taking down Carwin in the 2nd and 3rd rounds, and cruised to a unanimous decision victory of 30-27 (twice) and 30-26. In doing so, the protege of Antoino Rodrigo "Minotauro" Noguiera secures his long awaited title shot against current Heavyweight kingpin, Cain Velasquez.
Next for Dos Santos : Cain Velasquez.
Next for Carwin : The back injury and the apparent steroid issues clearly had a effect on him. How about the "disappointing" Roy Nelson?
The co-main event saw Kenny Florian make his featherweight debut against 16-1 Diego Nunes. Nunes, who had endeared himself to fans earlier on in the week by wearing a Vancouver Canucks jersey to the weigh-ins, did a lot to frustrate the Massachusetts native, who was booed excessively, due to wearing the jersey of his hometown team (and Vancouver's adversary in the Stanley Cup finals) the Boston Bruins. Amid cheers of "Go Canucks Go" and "Florian Sucks", Nunes reversed a Florian takedown in the 1st and got the former 2 time title contender on the mat, as well as dropping Florian with a shot at the end of the 1st that had KenFlo reeling. In between, Florian used his strength and improved wrestling to dominate Nunes, and despite dropping Florian again in the 3rd before the bell, he was unable to sway the judges his way and lost via unanimous decision, scores of 29-28 (twice) and 30-27.
Next for Florian : a victory over current featherweight kingpin Jose Aldo is clearly a victory away. Either the winner of Hominick-Chan Sung Jung or Josh Grispi.
Next for Nunes : George Roop or Leonard Garcia.
Mark Munoz fought Demian Maia, and Maia came out with a vengeance, throwing several powerful shots and an improving standup game, having the former Oklahoma State wrestler Munoz wobbly a couple of times in the first round. Despite hurting Maia late, Munoz had a so-so first round and I thought the "Black House" product the opening round 10-9. The second stanza got off to a better start for the "Filipino Wrecking Machine", as he dropped Maia and nailed him with excessive shots to the leg, frustrating and fatiguing Maia and wearing him down. Though he went for a Darth Choke and gave his back to Maia, Munoz was able to scramble out and get to his feet, and his wrestling clearly wore on the former Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu world champ Maia, grinding out a victory through his escapes and his sheer dominance, by unanimous decision with scores of 29-28 (twice) and 30-27.
Next for Munoz : I had picked the upset. Though it will be a long time before he has a chance to catch a whiff of the big fight at middleweight. I say the winner of Mayhem Miller and Bisping.
Next for Maia : Great improvement on the standup, though he shied away from it as soon as he got in trouble. Brian Stann or a rematch with Chael Sonnen.
Sam Stout was able to weather an early takedown from veteran Yves Edwards and a heavy hook and responded with a huge shot that dropped Edwards and securing Knockout of the Night" bonus at just under the 4 minute mark of the opening round.
Next for Edwards : possible retirement?
Nex for Stout : He showed why they call him "Hands of Stone". Good thing too, because I was beginning to forget. A fight with Sean Sherk.
Honorable Mention : Stout's reaction to dropping Edwards was priceless. Not wanting to further injure him, he backed off as soon as he saw Edwards googly eyed. It also shows you why Herb Dean is the "best in the business" (a title I bestowed on him long before DW re-iterated it with comments at the post fight press conference) as he saw it as well. Munoz doing his "Stanky Leg" impression, I'm not sure what Maia hit him with but he did a shuffle. Chris Wiman's standing guillotine. The pro-Canuck crowd giving Florian nothing but disdain for representing his team. People, he's from Massachusetts, did you really expect him NOT to wear a Bruins jersey?
As for my picks, another clean sheet : 4-0. I've won 11 or 12 and it brings me to a impressive 26-16-2 for the year.
Until next time, fight fans!
Saturday, June 11, 2011
UFC 131 : Carwin vs Dos Santos preview.
When UFC announced its first foray into the Canadian province of British Columbia last June, many people pointed to the fast sellout (the fastest on record until UFC 127 in Australia this past February) as a clear reason of the exponential rise of the growth of Mixed Martial Arts in Canada. While that was true, others pointed to the fact that Dana White could have promoted a Hyena fighting a Giraffe and it would have sold out (due to that aforementioned growth), and a lackluster card, the card will best be remembered for Tito Ortiz pulling out of the main event with an injury and Rich Franklin stepping in to send Chuck Liddell into retirement.
On Saturday night, the UFC returns to Rogers Arena, again with an injury suffered from a coach on TUF (Brock Lesnar pulling out due to illness) and a late replacement (Shane Carwin) stepping in to fight the other coach (Brazilian Junior Dos Santos). While others point to another disappointing card, I believe it has several intriguing fights that aren't headliners, but do grab your attention.
Onto my picks :
Dos Santos vs Carwin - The main event will be a heavyweight championship eliminator, as Carwin steps in for Brock Lesnar to face Dos Santos. Carwin will be fighting for the first time since a back injury (and subsequent steroid investigation regarding him) forced him to take some time off following his fight with Brock Lesnar last July, while Dos Santos is fighting for the first time since taking a unanimous decision victory over Roy Nelson last August on the UFC 117 undercard. Carwin was supposed to face promotional newcomer Jon Olav Einemo before the injury to Lesnar brought him to the forefront.
I do not expect this fight to last long. Carwin has very heavy anvils for hands, and while he will stand and trade with the Noguiera protege Dos Santos for a bit, I expect Junior to have worked his ground game very meticulously and have the strength to stuff a Carwin takedown late in round 1. I also expect like Gabriel Gonzaga, Dos Santos will have Carwin in Trouble. However, unlike his countryman, Dos Santos won't get dropped by a Haymaker brought to you by EA Sports.
The Pick : Dos Santos by TKO.
The co-main event will see promotional history, as former lightweight contender Kenny Florian will drop another 10 pounds and make his featherweight debut. In doing so, he will be the first fighter in UFC's history to fight in 4 differing weight classes (if you'll remember, he was a Middleweight on The Ultimate Fighter, dropped to welterweight and won both fights there, then dropped again to lightweight and won 9 of 12 fights including 2 world championship matches at 155). He'll be facing 16-1 Brazilian Diego Nunes, who will be fighting for the first time since his dismantling of former featherweight champion Mike Brown on New Year's day at UFC 125.
I fully expect that Florian will be successful in his new endeavor. This will be a grappling heavy contest, and I expect Florian's newly acquired wrestling skills (remember he was training with the Tristar team, including GSP's coach Firas Zihabi according to reports), to come in handy. While Nunes' Jiu-Jitsu prowess will have the American in trouble, expect Florian to weather the storm, and ultimately grind out a victory.
The pick : Florian by split decision.
Mark Munoz vs Demian Maia - The "Filipino Wrecking Machine" and arguably the Philippines greatest combat sports export aside from some guy named Pacquiao, Mark Munoz will fight Demian Maia in a 3 round middleweight affair. Munoz is fighting for the first time since dropping CB Dolloway in March, while Maia showed improved striking skills (especially compared to his fight against Anderson Silva) in December when he dispatched Kendall Grove by unanimous decision. It will be interesting to see how Maia fares against another member of the "Black House" team, though I think Munoz is better than most people give him credit for and will use his wrestling and striking to secure a victory. Yes, i'm going with the upset here.
The Pick : Munoz by decision.
Sam Stout vs Yves Edwards - In a fight that has "Fight of the Night" written all over it, Canadian Sam Stout will face UFC veteran Yves Edwards in a 3 round affair. Stout will be fighting for the first time since defeating Englishman Paul Taylor at UFC 121 last October, while Edwards dispatched TUF graduate (and master of the guillotine choke) Cody MacKenzie at "Fight for the Troops 2" in January. It will be an entertaining affair, with Edwards using his grappling knowledge to wear out Stout on the ground, though the kickboxing expertise of Stout will ultimately have him prove victorious.
The Pick : Stout by decision.
-In other news, Dana White has announced that from here on in, all main events will be 5 rounds regardless of title stipulations or not. While I applaud the long needed change, I disagree it should only be title bouts. Maybe they should give non-title fights up to 4 rounds and have title rounds 6 rounds instead? Oh well. Just because they'd have to stretch the time on the PPV's shows you how little I know.
-Watched ESPN E:60 recently with a piece on Dada 5000. Apparently this man is the best friend of Kimbo Slice, also a former guidance counselor.. Though while Kimbo made it big fighting in backyard brawls, 5000 takes it to another level : He promotes backyard street brawls, selling tickets and having people gather in his mother's backyard to watch. Watching this, just makes me wonder how extreme people will go to get a piece of the MMA pie. Not trying to say these guys aren't tough and don't have guts going in there, but I am saying fighting on youtube isn't going to cut it.
Questions? Comments? leave one at the bottom or email me at mmarmaggedon@gmail.com or feel free to follow me on twitter at twitter.com/mmarmaggedon.
Until next time, fight fans!
On Saturday night, the UFC returns to Rogers Arena, again with an injury suffered from a coach on TUF (Brock Lesnar pulling out due to illness) and a late replacement (Shane Carwin) stepping in to fight the other coach (Brazilian Junior Dos Santos). While others point to another disappointing card, I believe it has several intriguing fights that aren't headliners, but do grab your attention.
Onto my picks :
Dos Santos vs Carwin - The main event will be a heavyweight championship eliminator, as Carwin steps in for Brock Lesnar to face Dos Santos. Carwin will be fighting for the first time since a back injury (and subsequent steroid investigation regarding him) forced him to take some time off following his fight with Brock Lesnar last July, while Dos Santos is fighting for the first time since taking a unanimous decision victory over Roy Nelson last August on the UFC 117 undercard. Carwin was supposed to face promotional newcomer Jon Olav Einemo before the injury to Lesnar brought him to the forefront.
I do not expect this fight to last long. Carwin has very heavy anvils for hands, and while he will stand and trade with the Noguiera protege Dos Santos for a bit, I expect Junior to have worked his ground game very meticulously and have the strength to stuff a Carwin takedown late in round 1. I also expect like Gabriel Gonzaga, Dos Santos will have Carwin in Trouble. However, unlike his countryman, Dos Santos won't get dropped by a Haymaker brought to you by EA Sports.
The Pick : Dos Santos by TKO.
The co-main event will see promotional history, as former lightweight contender Kenny Florian will drop another 10 pounds and make his featherweight debut. In doing so, he will be the first fighter in UFC's history to fight in 4 differing weight classes (if you'll remember, he was a Middleweight on The Ultimate Fighter, dropped to welterweight and won both fights there, then dropped again to lightweight and won 9 of 12 fights including 2 world championship matches at 155). He'll be facing 16-1 Brazilian Diego Nunes, who will be fighting for the first time since his dismantling of former featherweight champion Mike Brown on New Year's day at UFC 125.
I fully expect that Florian will be successful in his new endeavor. This will be a grappling heavy contest, and I expect Florian's newly acquired wrestling skills (remember he was training with the Tristar team, including GSP's coach Firas Zihabi according to reports), to come in handy. While Nunes' Jiu-Jitsu prowess will have the American in trouble, expect Florian to weather the storm, and ultimately grind out a victory.
The pick : Florian by split decision.
Mark Munoz vs Demian Maia - The "Filipino Wrecking Machine" and arguably the Philippines greatest combat sports export aside from some guy named Pacquiao, Mark Munoz will fight Demian Maia in a 3 round middleweight affair. Munoz is fighting for the first time since dropping CB Dolloway in March, while Maia showed improved striking skills (especially compared to his fight against Anderson Silva) in December when he dispatched Kendall Grove by unanimous decision. It will be interesting to see how Maia fares against another member of the "Black House" team, though I think Munoz is better than most people give him credit for and will use his wrestling and striking to secure a victory. Yes, i'm going with the upset here.
The Pick : Munoz by decision.
Sam Stout vs Yves Edwards - In a fight that has "Fight of the Night" written all over it, Canadian Sam Stout will face UFC veteran Yves Edwards in a 3 round affair. Stout will be fighting for the first time since defeating Englishman Paul Taylor at UFC 121 last October, while Edwards dispatched TUF graduate (and master of the guillotine choke) Cody MacKenzie at "Fight for the Troops 2" in January. It will be an entertaining affair, with Edwards using his grappling knowledge to wear out Stout on the ground, though the kickboxing expertise of Stout will ultimately have him prove victorious.
The Pick : Stout by decision.
-In other news, Dana White has announced that from here on in, all main events will be 5 rounds regardless of title stipulations or not. While I applaud the long needed change, I disagree it should only be title bouts. Maybe they should give non-title fights up to 4 rounds and have title rounds 6 rounds instead? Oh well. Just because they'd have to stretch the time on the PPV's shows you how little I know.
-Watched ESPN E:60 recently with a piece on Dada 5000. Apparently this man is the best friend of Kimbo Slice, also a former guidance counselor.. Though while Kimbo made it big fighting in backyard brawls, 5000 takes it to another level : He promotes backyard street brawls, selling tickets and having people gather in his mother's backyard to watch. Watching this, just makes me wonder how extreme people will go to get a piece of the MMA pie. Not trying to say these guys aren't tough and don't have guts going in there, but I am saying fighting on youtube isn't going to cut it.
Questions? Comments? leave one at the bottom or email me at mmarmaggedon@gmail.com or feel free to follow me on twitter at twitter.com/mmarmaggedon.
Until next time, fight fans!
Sunday, June 5, 2011
TUF 13 re-hash : Pettis' gamble didn't pay off. Was it worth it?
Anthony Pettis thrust himself into the spotlight with his victory over "Bend it like" Ben Henderson at the last World Extreme Cagefighting (WEC) card last December. Through a 5 round war which went back and forth, a clear winner was never determined until the final minute, when Pettis ran off the cage and dropped Henderson with a sidekick that brought millions (myself included) out of their chairs. With it, he took the promotions 155 lb. strap and secured a lightweight title shot against the winner of the next month's fight between UFC champion Frankie Edgar and top contender Gray Maynard.
When that fight at UFC 125 ended in a controversial split draw, many wondered what Pettis would do next. Would he bide his time, wait until the 3rd fight between Edgar and Maynard had taken place and then take his shot at the title? Or would he take a chance, fight a non-title fight and see where the chips laid thereafter.
It turns out, he chose the latter. And on Saturday night at the Ultimate Finale for season 13 of the "Ultimate Fighter", Pettis took on UFC mainstay Clay Guida. Through 15 exhausting minutes, Guida clearly showed his wrestling experience to wear the younger Pettis down, scoring takedowns time and again and imposing his will in grinding out a decision. Pettis had his moments during the fight, including an amazing sidekick off the cage and several submission attempts that had Guida in trouble, though he was never able to put him away. With the loss, Pettis relinquished his title shot and now it appears Guida, not Pettis, will be next in line for a crack at the UFC World Lightweight title.
So, was Pettis' risk worth it? I would argue that yes, even after losing his shot, it was. After waiting through a draw (and a subsequent cancellation of the 3rd bout due to injuries suffered by both Edgar and Maynard), One has to give the man they call "Showtime" credit for not wanting to sit on the sidelines. Had Pettis waited until it was his time, He no doubt would have had to waited over a year in between fights (as Edgar-Maynard III has not been rescheduled) and only being 24 years of age, was quite aware of the risk the fight with Clay Guida involved. He also took solace that the loss exposed the holes in his game (including wrestling defense), and in the post fight interviews, promised to work on those holes to improve his skill set. Being so young, I have no doubt that the "Showtime" kick was no fluke against Henderson, and I figure for this guy to be in the mix of the 155 lb. division for a long, long time.
-In other news, Tony Ferguson won the TUF 13 finale with a spectacular TKO over Ramsey Nijem. He wins a six figure contract with the UFC. But I also figure Nijem, who was a JDS' disciple, to also figure in the welterweight division soon.
-MMAJunkie reports that 2 main card fights have already been lined up for the "Fedor vs. Henderson" card on July 30th. Maroles Coenen, coming off her best Anderson Silva impression over Liz Caramouche, will take on top contender Miesha Tate, who was to take her at "Henderson vs. Feijao" in March but was sidelined due to injury. As well, former Strikeforce 205 lb. kingpin Muhammad "King Mo" Lawal will make his return from injury versus Roger Gracie. Lawal will be fighting for the first time since a TKO loss against "Feijao" Calavante this past August. Strikeforce also announced that an announced tilt between current middleweight kingpin "Jacare" Souza and Luke Rockhold was prematurely announced, and will take place at a later date.
-TUF 12 graduate Jonathan Brookins will make his UFC debut -- as a featherweight at UFC Fight Night 25 on June 25th in New Orleans according to MMAJunkie.
-and On the rumor mill, I have caught wind that July 23rd will mark Bellator's first foray into Canada as part of their "Summer Series". All I'm going to say is a little bird named Mercedes Terrell said they "would be coming here soon". I didn't figure it was going to be so fast. My money on where the first card will be held?
Either Caesar's Windsor or Casino Rama.
Questions? Comments? Leave me one or email me at mmarmaggeddon@gmail.com or follow me on twitter at twitter.com/mmarmaggedon.
Until next time, fight fans!
When that fight at UFC 125 ended in a controversial split draw, many wondered what Pettis would do next. Would he bide his time, wait until the 3rd fight between Edgar and Maynard had taken place and then take his shot at the title? Or would he take a chance, fight a non-title fight and see where the chips laid thereafter.
It turns out, he chose the latter. And on Saturday night at the Ultimate Finale for season 13 of the "Ultimate Fighter", Pettis took on UFC mainstay Clay Guida. Through 15 exhausting minutes, Guida clearly showed his wrestling experience to wear the younger Pettis down, scoring takedowns time and again and imposing his will in grinding out a decision. Pettis had his moments during the fight, including an amazing sidekick off the cage and several submission attempts that had Guida in trouble, though he was never able to put him away. With the loss, Pettis relinquished his title shot and now it appears Guida, not Pettis, will be next in line for a crack at the UFC World Lightweight title.
So, was Pettis' risk worth it? I would argue that yes, even after losing his shot, it was. After waiting through a draw (and a subsequent cancellation of the 3rd bout due to injuries suffered by both Edgar and Maynard), One has to give the man they call "Showtime" credit for not wanting to sit on the sidelines. Had Pettis waited until it was his time, He no doubt would have had to waited over a year in between fights (as Edgar-Maynard III has not been rescheduled) and only being 24 years of age, was quite aware of the risk the fight with Clay Guida involved. He also took solace that the loss exposed the holes in his game (including wrestling defense), and in the post fight interviews, promised to work on those holes to improve his skill set. Being so young, I have no doubt that the "Showtime" kick was no fluke against Henderson, and I figure for this guy to be in the mix of the 155 lb. division for a long, long time.
-In other news, Tony Ferguson won the TUF 13 finale with a spectacular TKO over Ramsey Nijem. He wins a six figure contract with the UFC. But I also figure Nijem, who was a JDS' disciple, to also figure in the welterweight division soon.
-MMAJunkie reports that 2 main card fights have already been lined up for the "Fedor vs. Henderson" card on July 30th. Maroles Coenen, coming off her best Anderson Silva impression over Liz Caramouche, will take on top contender Miesha Tate, who was to take her at "Henderson vs. Feijao" in March but was sidelined due to injury. As well, former Strikeforce 205 lb. kingpin Muhammad "King Mo" Lawal will make his return from injury versus Roger Gracie. Lawal will be fighting for the first time since a TKO loss against "Feijao" Calavante this past August. Strikeforce also announced that an announced tilt between current middleweight kingpin "Jacare" Souza and Luke Rockhold was prematurely announced, and will take place at a later date.
-TUF 12 graduate Jonathan Brookins will make his UFC debut -- as a featherweight at UFC Fight Night 25 on June 25th in New Orleans according to MMAJunkie.
-and On the rumor mill, I have caught wind that July 23rd will mark Bellator's first foray into Canada as part of their "Summer Series". All I'm going to say is a little bird named Mercedes Terrell said they "would be coming here soon". I didn't figure it was going to be so fast. My money on where the first card will be held?
Either Caesar's Windsor or Casino Rama.
Questions? Comments? Leave me one or email me at mmarmaggeddon@gmail.com or follow me on twitter at twitter.com/mmarmaggedon.
Until next time, fight fans!
Thursday, June 2, 2011
The fight that never will be : Is Silva-GSP MMA's answer to Mayweather-Pacquiao?
Yesterday, numerous Mixed Martial Arts outlets reported that in October, UFC welterweight champion Georges St. Pierre will defend his championship against current Strikeforce kingpin and former UFC fighter Nick Diaz in Las Vegas at UFC 137. This will be the first time since the Zuffa takeover of Strikeforce that a current champion from the promotion will take on a UFC counterpart, where numerous things (not to mention bragging rights) will be on the line.
One of the main reasons why this fight will happen is a deficiency of challengers to St. Pierre's title, the French Canadian having disposed of the man most believed was the greatest challenge to his title, Jake Shields, via unanimous decision at UFC 129 in Toronto in April.
Another reason for this no doubt, is UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva's defense of his title against Japanese fighter Yushin Okami at UFC 134 in Rio De Janeiro, in Brazil in August.
For years, we have anticipated a match between the 2 UFC champions to see who is the sports greatest "pound for pound" king. Numerous reasons have stalled it, from challengers to both fighters titles to St. Pierre's reluctance to move up in weight, St. Pierre comparing it to Roy Jones' late career move to Heavyweight and subsequent move back down to Light Heavyweight that probably ended the greatness of the boxer's career. UFC President Dana White has teased fans with the potential matchup, saying it will happen now that both fighters have "cleaned the cupboard" of challengers in their respective weight divisions.
Still, through it all the fight remains something from myth or legend. Fans argue over it on numerous website message boards from MMAJunkie to Sherdog. Saying that will happen, this may happen or something out of the ordinary will captivate our attention.
So, why hasn't this fight happened already? Why doesn't Dana White put his 2 biggest MMA draws in the cage to settle it, once and for all?
The answer is simple : It might be the sport's answer to a boxing match that has been teased time and time again : Floyd Mayweather Jr., and Manny Pacquiao.
Now, I'm not talking drug tests or legal issues that tie that potential superfight up. But, it is interesting to note that like St. Pierre and Silva, the 2 boxers have cleaned out the cupboard of potential challengers, fought similar fighters (like Shane Mosley) and yet, can't seem to get past the logistics that would make them end up in the ring. A huge payday might actually bring Mayweather to his senses (he is nicknamed "Money" after all) and get past the Olympic style blood test he keeps pushing on Pacquiao to get in the ring.
So, let me just say this folks : Despite all the problems, Sports enthusiasts and columnists all over are convinced that Mayweather and Pacquiao will fight. Some have even been so bold as to say it will happen in the next year or so. My only hope is that eventually, Dana White gets past all the smoke and mirrors, and does exactly what Boxing fans have wanted Mayweather and Pacquiao to do all along : Get the 2 biggest draws of his sport to settle it once and for all, in the cage.
-In other news, injuries seem to have caught UFC fighters like a bug. Anthony "Rumble" Johnson has had to pull out of the UFC on Versus 4 main event slated to take place June 26th in Pittsburgh. In his place steps in Rick Story, who manhandled former Welterweight challenger Thiago Alves at UFC 130. He'll face Nate Marquardt, who's dropping from 185 to 170 lbs. Also, former WEC fighter Cub Swanson has had to drop out of his UFC 132 fight due to injury, as Rick Koch will either face another opponent or be pulled from the card. Both reported by MMAJunkie.
- Demitirous "Mighty Mouse" Johnson didn't just break the spirit of former WEC bantamweight champion Miguel Torres in their fight at UFC 130. MMAJunkie reports that he did so with a broken bone in his leg, as a huge leg kick that Torres checked in the second round, Johnson said he heard a crunch and "figured it might be broken. Doctors said a six-to-eight week window is standard, but if he keeps rested and recuperated, he might be walking within a matter of 3 weeks. Right now however, he is zooming around on a scooter (my cousin also had one of those motorized things. They're actually pretty cool).
-The "Pride" style rules "Colosseo Championship Fighting 6" has found a venue in Alberta, Junkie reported. It will take place at the Sangudo Arena in Sangudo, Alberta on July 23rd. Well, this move doesn't surprise me at all : Not only will it be something that will possibly make Mixed Martial Arts look brutal, its also taking place in a town I've never heard of. And I used to live in Alberta!.
Questions? Comments? Leave one at the bottom or email me at mmarmaggedon@gmail.com. Or feel free to follow me on Twitter at twitter.com/mmarmaggedon.
Until Next time, fight fans!
One of the main reasons why this fight will happen is a deficiency of challengers to St. Pierre's title, the French Canadian having disposed of the man most believed was the greatest challenge to his title, Jake Shields, via unanimous decision at UFC 129 in Toronto in April.
Another reason for this no doubt, is UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva's defense of his title against Japanese fighter Yushin Okami at UFC 134 in Rio De Janeiro, in Brazil in August.
For years, we have anticipated a match between the 2 UFC champions to see who is the sports greatest "pound for pound" king. Numerous reasons have stalled it, from challengers to both fighters titles to St. Pierre's reluctance to move up in weight, St. Pierre comparing it to Roy Jones' late career move to Heavyweight and subsequent move back down to Light Heavyweight that probably ended the greatness of the boxer's career. UFC President Dana White has teased fans with the potential matchup, saying it will happen now that both fighters have "cleaned the cupboard" of challengers in their respective weight divisions.
Still, through it all the fight remains something from myth or legend. Fans argue over it on numerous website message boards from MMAJunkie to Sherdog. Saying that will happen, this may happen or something out of the ordinary will captivate our attention.
So, why hasn't this fight happened already? Why doesn't Dana White put his 2 biggest MMA draws in the cage to settle it, once and for all?
The answer is simple : It might be the sport's answer to a boxing match that has been teased time and time again : Floyd Mayweather Jr., and Manny Pacquiao.
Now, I'm not talking drug tests or legal issues that tie that potential superfight up. But, it is interesting to note that like St. Pierre and Silva, the 2 boxers have cleaned out the cupboard of potential challengers, fought similar fighters (like Shane Mosley) and yet, can't seem to get past the logistics that would make them end up in the ring. A huge payday might actually bring Mayweather to his senses (he is nicknamed "Money" after all) and get past the Olympic style blood test he keeps pushing on Pacquiao to get in the ring.
So, let me just say this folks : Despite all the problems, Sports enthusiasts and columnists all over are convinced that Mayweather and Pacquiao will fight. Some have even been so bold as to say it will happen in the next year or so. My only hope is that eventually, Dana White gets past all the smoke and mirrors, and does exactly what Boxing fans have wanted Mayweather and Pacquiao to do all along : Get the 2 biggest draws of his sport to settle it once and for all, in the cage.
-In other news, injuries seem to have caught UFC fighters like a bug. Anthony "Rumble" Johnson has had to pull out of the UFC on Versus 4 main event slated to take place June 26th in Pittsburgh. In his place steps in Rick Story, who manhandled former Welterweight challenger Thiago Alves at UFC 130. He'll face Nate Marquardt, who's dropping from 185 to 170 lbs. Also, former WEC fighter Cub Swanson has had to drop out of his UFC 132 fight due to injury, as Rick Koch will either face another opponent or be pulled from the card. Both reported by MMAJunkie.
- Demitirous "Mighty Mouse" Johnson didn't just break the spirit of former WEC bantamweight champion Miguel Torres in their fight at UFC 130. MMAJunkie reports that he did so with a broken bone in his leg, as a huge leg kick that Torres checked in the second round, Johnson said he heard a crunch and "figured it might be broken. Doctors said a six-to-eight week window is standard, but if he keeps rested and recuperated, he might be walking within a matter of 3 weeks. Right now however, he is zooming around on a scooter (my cousin also had one of those motorized things. They're actually pretty cool).
-The "Pride" style rules "Colosseo Championship Fighting 6" has found a venue in Alberta, Junkie reported. It will take place at the Sangudo Arena in Sangudo, Alberta on July 23rd. Well, this move doesn't surprise me at all : Not only will it be something that will possibly make Mixed Martial Arts look brutal, its also taking place in a town I've never heard of. And I used to live in Alberta!.
Questions? Comments? Leave one at the bottom or email me at mmarmaggedon@gmail.com. Or feel free to follow me on Twitter at twitter.com/mmarmaggedon.
Until Next time, fight fans!
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