Bellator Fighting Championships is an interesting concept for Mixed Martial Arts fans both new and old. It provides us with a weekly format (not something any different than ESPN's Friday Night Fights), tournaments (a throwback to the days of Pride and currently, Strikeforce with the "Grand Prix" concept), and young hungry prospects as well as journeymen, more than willing to try to prove themselves. Most importantly, before this upcoming season set to begin Saturday on MTV2 (The Score in Canada beginning at 10pm EST), it had its own night (Thursdays).
Here are 5 questions I'd hope to be answered when that season starts :
1) Is their Television deal a gamble? - Before MTV2, Bellator had a reported deal with American Fox Cable outlet FX on the table before being left at the altar. Bjorn Rebney, as suave and calculated almost every bit as that other bald MMA exec, promptly turned around and got a deal with MTV2. MTV2 is catered more to younger audiences, where as Bellator is catered to that coveted male 18-34 male demographic. It will be interesting to see how many sons will hang out with their old man to watch fights on Saturday night. Plus, MTV2 has stiffed us with combat sports being watered down in the past (anybody remember Wrestling Society X?) and bouncing that aformentioned show all over the schedule -- something that happened to Bellator in seasons 2 and 3 with their deal with Fox Sports Net, after being promised events will air live. MTV2 says these events will air live in their entirety due to their 3 year pact. We'll See.
2) Which one of their established veterans step up or get robbed trying? -- In season 2, Toby Imada made it to the lightweight finals for the second straight tournament, only to lose a title shot to Lightweight kingpin Eddie Alvarez due to a controversial split decision loss to Pat Curran. Season 3 saw Jessica Aguilar lose her spot in the woman's title finals to Zoila Frausto, even though many people thought that like Imada, she got robbed. With Lyman Good losing his Welterweight title to Ben Askren in season 3, he's entered as in the tournament along with veterans like Dan Hornbuckle and "Judo" Jim Wallhead (gotta love the name). Will any of those 3, along with the veteran Imada, get to the finals? or will they get conned out of an opportunity to fight for the title based on a judges decision?
3) What crazy moments will happen in these tournaments? - In Season 1, we got the spinning back fist knockout courtesy of Yahir Reyes, and a standing triangle choke courtesy of Imada on Jorge Masvidal. Season 2 provided us with highlight reel KOs from Pat Curran, and spinning back fists from Alexander Shlemenko. Season 3 saw something that was away from the cage, as Roger Huerta had his biggest win outside the cage (outside a Dallas nightclub) and hot water abound as the UFC sued Bellator for some legal issues. From all these moments, can we expect something off the wall for season 4?
4) Is Marcin Held more BJ Penn or Jake Shields? - Well, one thing nobody can dispute about Rebney is that he has a knack for finding talent. He's always been able to take the fringe fighters who are in relative obscurity (Canadians Sean Pierson and Nick Ring to name a couple) and showcase them on a grand stage. Megumi Fujii was the showcase for the women's season 3 tournament. Unfortunately she lost to Zoila Frausto in the finals. Now, comes the "Prodigy of Polish MMA", Marcin Held. At 19 years old, he's 10-1 and in the process of being the youngest BJJ black belt in his country's history. I've only ever seen a few of his fights on youtube, and from what I've seen he's got some decent standup and great Jiu-Jitsu. Does that mean he has the tools to challenge Eddie Alvarez? We'll have to wait until Saturday to find out when he has his first round match against Michael Chandler.
5) Is the move to Saturday's necessarily a good thing for MMA - Bellator for 3 seasons dominated mid to late week. Going to Saturdays, according to Rebney, provides a "lead-in" for cards such as Strikeforce and the UFC. But does that mean its necessarily a good thing to get exposure if you're not competing directly? Will fans care? Rebney thinks so. And based on what he's done for the first 3 seasons, there might not be any reason to doubt him.
Tune in Saturday nights on MTV2 in the United States and the Score in Canada.
Until next time, fight fans.
Wednesday, March 2, 2011
Sunday, February 27, 2011
UFC 127 : Penn vs Fitch re-hash : Win, Lose, or (majority) Draw.
Ahhh, the day after saturday night. Sunday morning (or afternoon, based on how much you've had to drink last night) has come and the card last night was somewhat entertaining, even if it wasn't really worth 60 dollars in HD.
In the main event, welterweight contenders BJ Penn and John Fitch fought to a majority draw. While the 3 judges scored it 29-28 for Fitch and 28-28 apiece (twice), I still believe that Penn did enough in the second round to eek out a slim decision.
In the first, Penn showed exactly how much training he spent in the gym with former rival Matt Hughes and he immeadiately went for a take down. He was able to get dominant position via a body triangle, and looked like he could get in a choke, but Fitch fought it off. The second round started out much of the same as the first, as Penn got a lot of good strikes inside in the clinch and was able to get Fitch's back and go for a choke, but Fitch spun it around and was able to use his weight to outgrind Penn until the end of the round. Fitch dominated the 3rd, securing a takedown early and grinding Penn with short elbows and hammer fists until the fight ended.
Afterward, Fitch thought he had done enough to win, while Penn was very desolate and thought he had lost the fight based on his performance in the 3rd. "I think I got some dominant position in the first and second rounds, but he kicked my butt in the third round," he said.
Next for Penn : a rematch with Fitch on a free Spike card.
Next for Fitch : a rematch with Penn on a free Spike card.
In the co-main event, Michael Bisping got Jorge Rivera to eat the words he talked via various videos on youtube with a second round TKO....though it wasn't without controversy. Midway through the first round following a scramble, Bisping clearly landed an illegal knee to Rivera's head (while he was on the ground), costing him a point and possibly the round. Rivera was never in it from that point, as aside from a right hand he landed on Bisping's chin got beat to the punch on every exchange, as Bisping finished him with strikes at 1:54 of round 2. Immediately afterward, Bisping gave us a display more tasteless than generic rice cakes, getting in Rivera's face telling him to "apologize" for his comments and spitting in the corner of his opponent.
Next for Bisping : I know this guy will call for a title shot. But he still has one more fight to go before that happens (even though it will be a cakewalk for Anderson Silva), and i suggest giving him the winner of Jorge Santiago and Brian Stann.
Next for Rivera : Perhaps Nate Marquardt, so he can pad his resume even further with names that have beaten him.
In the first of 2 main card fights I picked, hometown product George Sotiropoulos was defeated by Dennis Siver via unanimous decision. Puts the breaks on a potential title shot that Dana White was promising the Australian.
Next for Siver : Donald Cerrone.
Next for Sotiropoulos : Perhaps that fight with Canadian Marc Bocek doesn't seem so far fetched after all. Dear Mr. White and Mr. Silva, hope you're taking notes.
In the second, Brian Ebersole made every one of those 60+ fights on his resume count during his octagon debut, as he upset Chris Lytle by unanimous decision. So yeah, I went 0-3-1 for the four fights (MEH!) which drops my record this year to 6-7-1.
For some Canadian content, Calgarian and TUF season 11 veteran Nick Ring remained undefeated following a unanimous decision win over DEEP veteran Riki Fukuda. Look I'm all for Canadians going to represent, but what exactly were those judges thinking? Fukuda beat Ring to the punch on every exchange and secured takedown after takedown after takedown, although Ring's body locks were able to neutralize Fukuda's ground offense for the most part.
Questions? Comments? Agree or Disagree?
Get back to me, email me at mmarmaggedon@gmail.com.
Until next time, Fight fans!
In the main event, welterweight contenders BJ Penn and John Fitch fought to a majority draw. While the 3 judges scored it 29-28 for Fitch and 28-28 apiece (twice), I still believe that Penn did enough in the second round to eek out a slim decision.
In the first, Penn showed exactly how much training he spent in the gym with former rival Matt Hughes and he immeadiately went for a take down. He was able to get dominant position via a body triangle, and looked like he could get in a choke, but Fitch fought it off. The second round started out much of the same as the first, as Penn got a lot of good strikes inside in the clinch and was able to get Fitch's back and go for a choke, but Fitch spun it around and was able to use his weight to outgrind Penn until the end of the round. Fitch dominated the 3rd, securing a takedown early and grinding Penn with short elbows and hammer fists until the fight ended.
Afterward, Fitch thought he had done enough to win, while Penn was very desolate and thought he had lost the fight based on his performance in the 3rd. "I think I got some dominant position in the first and second rounds, but he kicked my butt in the third round," he said.
Next for Penn : a rematch with Fitch on a free Spike card.
Next for Fitch : a rematch with Penn on a free Spike card.
In the co-main event, Michael Bisping got Jorge Rivera to eat the words he talked via various videos on youtube with a second round TKO....though it wasn't without controversy. Midway through the first round following a scramble, Bisping clearly landed an illegal knee to Rivera's head (while he was on the ground), costing him a point and possibly the round. Rivera was never in it from that point, as aside from a right hand he landed on Bisping's chin got beat to the punch on every exchange, as Bisping finished him with strikes at 1:54 of round 2. Immediately afterward, Bisping gave us a display more tasteless than generic rice cakes, getting in Rivera's face telling him to "apologize" for his comments and spitting in the corner of his opponent.
Next for Bisping : I know this guy will call for a title shot. But he still has one more fight to go before that happens (even though it will be a cakewalk for Anderson Silva), and i suggest giving him the winner of Jorge Santiago and Brian Stann.
Next for Rivera : Perhaps Nate Marquardt, so he can pad his resume even further with names that have beaten him.
In the first of 2 main card fights I picked, hometown product George Sotiropoulos was defeated by Dennis Siver via unanimous decision. Puts the breaks on a potential title shot that Dana White was promising the Australian.
Next for Siver : Donald Cerrone.
Next for Sotiropoulos : Perhaps that fight with Canadian Marc Bocek doesn't seem so far fetched after all. Dear Mr. White and Mr. Silva, hope you're taking notes.
In the second, Brian Ebersole made every one of those 60+ fights on his resume count during his octagon debut, as he upset Chris Lytle by unanimous decision. So yeah, I went 0-3-1 for the four fights (MEH!) which drops my record this year to 6-7-1.
For some Canadian content, Calgarian and TUF season 11 veteran Nick Ring remained undefeated following a unanimous decision win over DEEP veteran Riki Fukuda. Look I'm all for Canadians going to represent, but what exactly were those judges thinking? Fukuda beat Ring to the punch on every exchange and secured takedown after takedown after takedown, although Ring's body locks were able to neutralize Fukuda's ground offense for the most part.
Questions? Comments? Agree or Disagree?
Get back to me, email me at mmarmaggedon@gmail.com.
Until next time, Fight fans!
Saturday, February 26, 2011
UFC 127 : Penn vs Fitch preview.
Well, its time for the UFC's second trip down under. This card sold out faster than Kimbo Slice's MMA career, and while i'm still trying to figure out why (well, its not that hard to figure out. They could have sold UFC 127 as a Kangaroo vs a Koala as a main event), The point is that its here and we're going to have a solid night at the fights. Now, onto my picks.
The main event will feature former welterweight and lightweight champ, BJ Penn take on perennial contender at 170, Jon Fitch. While people questioned BJ Penn's desire to continue on in his career (especially after his 2 consecutive losses to Frankie Edgar, the first of which resulted in the loss of his lightweight title), He turned heads with his 19 second KO of Matt Hughes in their 3rd encounter in Detroit as the co-main event of UFC 123 last November. His re-dedication to the craft has resulted in Penn bringing in the aformentioned Hughes to help him combat the positioning wrestling style of Fitch, who hasn't fought since he scored a unanimous decision win over Thiago Alves last August at UFC 117. For those who think Penn will be giving up too much weight to Fitch, Fitch has slimmed down do about 168 at the weigh-ins thanks to a new vegan diet he's been on. Penn has also brought in boxing trainer Freddie Roach to help him with his striking and stand up.
I can't see any chance Fitch will keep this fight standing. His "Lay N Pray" approach to the game heaps more scorn than praise from most fans, and while his run as a perennial contender is always without question, I think BJ will have enough tools in his arsenal to combat Fitch. Expect Penn to be deliberate, maintain composure on the ground after the takedown and look for the opening he needs to armbar Fitch late in round 2.
Michael Bisping vs. Jorge Rivera - I am still scratching my head as to how this got co-main event status (yawn), but that is how the cards go. Bisping is probably a win away from getting his long anticipated title shot, while Rivera has about the most unimpressive 19-7 record in MMA history, as all his losses have come against quality names (Anderson Silva, Rich Franklin and everybody's favourite MMA criminal, Lee Murray to name a few). Rivera's video trash talk, in which he went after Bisping's British heritage amongst other things has certainly gotten under Bisping's skin. Bisping says he's going to shut up Rivera once and for all, but I think the trash talk will make him fall right into Rivera's hand as Rivera will bob and weave, use counter striking and come out victorious in a split decision. Yes folks, I'm going with the upset here.
George Sotiropoulos vs Dennis Siver - Well, well looks like the UFC's main meal ticket in Australia has to be on this card. Real shock there. Anyway, despite all of the talk about Sotiropoulos' pedigree, to his boring style, to his choice of fight attire, nobody can deny the man is a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu ace. He'll need all of that when he takes on the Dangerous German Siver, who's a great striker, but who's skills on the ground are certainly lacking (though he certainly has a few submission wins, including his last time out against Andre Winner). Though I can't see Sotiropoulos losing at home. I'd still love to see Sotiropoulos fight Canadian Marc Bocek (Bocek even called him out, but ultimately will get Ben Henderson in his hometown in Toronto in April).
Sotiropoulos by 3rd round Submission.
Chris Lytle vs Brian Ebersole - I hear Ebersole is making his octagon debut, although he has over 60+ fights everywhere else (he was the opponent for perennial punching bag Stephan Bonnar's debut). Ebersole is also taking this fight on a very short notice. It doesn't bode well for him, as I see Lytle taking this by decision.
Well those are my picks. Questions? Comments? want to get back to me? hit me up at mmarmaggeddon@gmail.com
Tune in next week where I'll have a full Bellator season 4 preview.
Until next time, Fight fans!
The main event will feature former welterweight and lightweight champ, BJ Penn take on perennial contender at 170, Jon Fitch. While people questioned BJ Penn's desire to continue on in his career (especially after his 2 consecutive losses to Frankie Edgar, the first of which resulted in the loss of his lightweight title), He turned heads with his 19 second KO of Matt Hughes in their 3rd encounter in Detroit as the co-main event of UFC 123 last November. His re-dedication to the craft has resulted in Penn bringing in the aformentioned Hughes to help him combat the positioning wrestling style of Fitch, who hasn't fought since he scored a unanimous decision win over Thiago Alves last August at UFC 117. For those who think Penn will be giving up too much weight to Fitch, Fitch has slimmed down do about 168 at the weigh-ins thanks to a new vegan diet he's been on. Penn has also brought in boxing trainer Freddie Roach to help him with his striking and stand up.
I can't see any chance Fitch will keep this fight standing. His "Lay N Pray" approach to the game heaps more scorn than praise from most fans, and while his run as a perennial contender is always without question, I think BJ will have enough tools in his arsenal to combat Fitch. Expect Penn to be deliberate, maintain composure on the ground after the takedown and look for the opening he needs to armbar Fitch late in round 2.
Michael Bisping vs. Jorge Rivera - I am still scratching my head as to how this got co-main event status (yawn), but that is how the cards go. Bisping is probably a win away from getting his long anticipated title shot, while Rivera has about the most unimpressive 19-7 record in MMA history, as all his losses have come against quality names (Anderson Silva, Rich Franklin and everybody's favourite MMA criminal, Lee Murray to name a few). Rivera's video trash talk, in which he went after Bisping's British heritage amongst other things has certainly gotten under Bisping's skin. Bisping says he's going to shut up Rivera once and for all, but I think the trash talk will make him fall right into Rivera's hand as Rivera will bob and weave, use counter striking and come out victorious in a split decision. Yes folks, I'm going with the upset here.
George Sotiropoulos vs Dennis Siver - Well, well looks like the UFC's main meal ticket in Australia has to be on this card. Real shock there. Anyway, despite all of the talk about Sotiropoulos' pedigree, to his boring style, to his choice of fight attire, nobody can deny the man is a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu ace. He'll need all of that when he takes on the Dangerous German Siver, who's a great striker, but who's skills on the ground are certainly lacking (though he certainly has a few submission wins, including his last time out against Andre Winner). Though I can't see Sotiropoulos losing at home. I'd still love to see Sotiropoulos fight Canadian Marc Bocek (Bocek even called him out, but ultimately will get Ben Henderson in his hometown in Toronto in April).
Sotiropoulos by 3rd round Submission.
Chris Lytle vs Brian Ebersole - I hear Ebersole is making his octagon debut, although he has over 60+ fights everywhere else (he was the opponent for perennial punching bag Stephan Bonnar's debut). Ebersole is also taking this fight on a very short notice. It doesn't bode well for him, as I see Lytle taking this by decision.
Well those are my picks. Questions? Comments? want to get back to me? hit me up at mmarmaggeddon@gmail.com
Tune in next week where I'll have a full Bellator season 4 preview.
Until next time, Fight fans!
Monday, February 21, 2011
Huntington Beach Old Boy : Why doesn't Tito retire?
Hi guys, hope everybody (in Ontario and other places) enjoyed their long weekend. It was Family Day out here in a few provinces in Canada, and President's Day down in the US (Geez, it always seems there's a long weekend down there!). Anyway, let's get into what's really on everybody's mind :
-Tito Ortiz has been scrapped as a competitor in the UFC's first visit to the Pacific Northwest on March 24th in Seattle, Washington. ESPN.com/Sherdog was the first to report that "The Huntington Beach Bad Boy" has been forced to pull out of his fight with Antonio Rogerio Noguiera ("Lil Nog") due to a cut which required 22 stitches in training. Due to some matchmaking shuffling, Phil Davis, who was supposed to fight Matt Hammil (originally before he was moved to the UFC 130 main event against Rampage Jackson, who originally was supposed to fight Thiago Silva...but you all know the story there. Still following me?) then was supposed to fight Jason Brilz in Toronto at UFC 129, steps up to take his place. Vladimir Matyushenko will take Davis' spot against Brilz at the event at Rogers Centre.
Seriously, why is Tito prolonging his career? He's been winless in the octagon in 5 years (0-4-1 in his last 5 fights), that last win coming against a (then) 44 year old Ken Shamrock. His career has been on the slide for so long that the biggest story to come out involving him in recent years also involved his live-in girlfriend. He looked flat against Matt Hammil in his last bout and blamed it on training. Back in the days, when UFC was first getting mainstream exposure, people wanted to see him sell a fight...now, nobody wants to even watch him lose. Liddell, as prolonged as his retirement was, graciously stepped aside and decided enough was enough (it probably helped that Dana White was telling him he wasn't going to let him fight anymore). Why doesn't Dana be the bigger man and tell him its over? Is it worth getting his kicks to watch Tito piss away another fight?
Dana said his next fight was a "must win". Now we have to sit and wait to see if (or when) he gets taken out. Moving on :
-UFC 127 goes this weekend in Australia at Sydney's Acer Arena. Honestly, not looking forward to this card. The main event features the Lord of Lay 'N' Pray (Jon Fitch) taking on a man who clearly has more talent in his middle finger than Fitch does his entire body, BJ Penn. The problem is, that Penn relies on his talent a little too much. Dana White says whomever wins this deserves a "title shot" according to MMA Junkie. I see GSP going up in weight, and I see whomever wins this fight as the best Welterweight in the world (that includes Jake Shields!)
-Cain Velasquez seems to be keeping himself busy. Interviewing on MMAJunkie radio Monday, he said that despite the fact that he's abuzz (as is the rest of the MMA world) with excitement over the Strikeforce World Grand Prix its impossible to actually determine who is the #1 heavyweight in the world, because they all have to be under one banner for it to really be determined.
We won't know unless we get in the same organization," Velasquez told MMA Junkie Radio. "Who's to say that I'm No. 1 or they're No. 1 if we haven't fought yet?".
He also went onto say he was a little shocked by the loss of Fedor, and that he's always been an "undersized" heavyweight.
Hate to break it to Cain, but with these landmasses coming in, he's just as undersized as "The Last Emperor". Giving up 40 pounds to Lesnar blew your shoulder blade out, Cain. But you still won.
-Speaking of Fedor, it seems that I'm a little hypocritical. I really thought the man once the best in the world was officially done after his loss to "Bigfoot" Silva. Now according to several MMA media outlets, he's coming back. A report from ESPN.com/Sherdog said he "rushed his retirement too quickly" and that he's capable "of a few more fights".
Of course, these aren't actually Fedor speaking. These are "sources" close to Fedor (Read : Vladimir Finklestein's cronies). I hated Brett Favre for doing this to NFL fans 3 years in a row, and now if Fedor does this after every loss, i'm going to jump off his bandwagon I've been riding on for so many years. The report also goes onto say a fight between the loser of the 1st round match between Alistair Overeem and Fabricio Werdum in April seems likely.
Honestly, after seeing Bigfoot Silva pummel Fedor to the mat like he did, do i really want to see Overeem mount Fedor and drop him too? M-1 Global has tarnished this mans legacy; In 2008, I wanted to see him fight Randy Couture. Bad. To the point of pain. Now, all I want him to do is come back with a fury and show us why he was great for so long.
Well, that's my snide. Questions? Comments? Are you either Tito Ortiz or Vladimir Finklestein reading this and want to rip my head off? Get back to me mmarmaggeddon@gmail.com
Until next time, Fight Fans!
-Tito Ortiz has been scrapped as a competitor in the UFC's first visit to the Pacific Northwest on March 24th in Seattle, Washington. ESPN.com/Sherdog was the first to report that "The Huntington Beach Bad Boy" has been forced to pull out of his fight with Antonio Rogerio Noguiera ("Lil Nog") due to a cut which required 22 stitches in training. Due to some matchmaking shuffling, Phil Davis, who was supposed to fight Matt Hammil (originally before he was moved to the UFC 130 main event against Rampage Jackson, who originally was supposed to fight Thiago Silva...but you all know the story there. Still following me?) then was supposed to fight Jason Brilz in Toronto at UFC 129, steps up to take his place. Vladimir Matyushenko will take Davis' spot against Brilz at the event at Rogers Centre.
Seriously, why is Tito prolonging his career? He's been winless in the octagon in 5 years (0-4-1 in his last 5 fights), that last win coming against a (then) 44 year old Ken Shamrock. His career has been on the slide for so long that the biggest story to come out involving him in recent years also involved his live-in girlfriend. He looked flat against Matt Hammil in his last bout and blamed it on training. Back in the days, when UFC was first getting mainstream exposure, people wanted to see him sell a fight...now, nobody wants to even watch him lose. Liddell, as prolonged as his retirement was, graciously stepped aside and decided enough was enough (it probably helped that Dana White was telling him he wasn't going to let him fight anymore). Why doesn't Dana be the bigger man and tell him its over? Is it worth getting his kicks to watch Tito piss away another fight?
Dana said his next fight was a "must win". Now we have to sit and wait to see if (or when) he gets taken out. Moving on :
-UFC 127 goes this weekend in Australia at Sydney's Acer Arena. Honestly, not looking forward to this card. The main event features the Lord of Lay 'N' Pray (Jon Fitch) taking on a man who clearly has more talent in his middle finger than Fitch does his entire body, BJ Penn. The problem is, that Penn relies on his talent a little too much. Dana White says whomever wins this deserves a "title shot" according to MMA Junkie. I see GSP going up in weight, and I see whomever wins this fight as the best Welterweight in the world (that includes Jake Shields!)
-Cain Velasquez seems to be keeping himself busy. Interviewing on MMAJunkie radio Monday, he said that despite the fact that he's abuzz (as is the rest of the MMA world) with excitement over the Strikeforce World Grand Prix its impossible to actually determine who is the #1 heavyweight in the world, because they all have to be under one banner for it to really be determined.
We won't know unless we get in the same organization," Velasquez told MMA Junkie Radio. "Who's to say that I'm No. 1 or they're No. 1 if we haven't fought yet?".
He also went onto say he was a little shocked by the loss of Fedor, and that he's always been an "undersized" heavyweight.
Hate to break it to Cain, but with these landmasses coming in, he's just as undersized as "The Last Emperor". Giving up 40 pounds to Lesnar blew your shoulder blade out, Cain. But you still won.
-Speaking of Fedor, it seems that I'm a little hypocritical. I really thought the man once the best in the world was officially done after his loss to "Bigfoot" Silva. Now according to several MMA media outlets, he's coming back. A report from ESPN.com/Sherdog said he "rushed his retirement too quickly" and that he's capable "of a few more fights".
Of course, these aren't actually Fedor speaking. These are "sources" close to Fedor (Read : Vladimir Finklestein's cronies). I hated Brett Favre for doing this to NFL fans 3 years in a row, and now if Fedor does this after every loss, i'm going to jump off his bandwagon I've been riding on for so many years. The report also goes onto say a fight between the loser of the 1st round match between Alistair Overeem and Fabricio Werdum in April seems likely.
Honestly, after seeing Bigfoot Silva pummel Fedor to the mat like he did, do i really want to see Overeem mount Fedor and drop him too? M-1 Global has tarnished this mans legacy; In 2008, I wanted to see him fight Randy Couture. Bad. To the point of pain. Now, all I want him to do is come back with a fury and show us why he was great for so long.
Well, that's my snide. Questions? Comments? Are you either Tito Ortiz or Vladimir Finklestein reading this and want to rip my head off? Get back to me mmarmaggeddon@gmail.com
Until next time, Fight Fans!
Saturday, February 19, 2011
Friday night at the fights.
So, Friday night was able to check out the doubleheader they had going on. The twin bill of the Strikeforce Challengers and Tachi Palace Fights in California were the events. While both cards were probably mediocre at best (The TPF featured a red mat in the cage and native entertainment. I know, its a indian reservation casino!) The 2 fights I was most interested in were entertaining nonetheless. Here's how they break down :
-Randy Couture's eldest son Ryan improved to 2-0 in the strikeforce cage following a 3rd round submission win. He had a few attempts on his opponents in the opening 10 minutes but finally was able to secure a rear naked choke with about 2 minutes left to force a tap. Kudos to him he seems like a chip off the old block.
-David Loiseau proved that if the cage isn't in the UFC, he can still be dangerous. While his fight for the middleweight tachi palace fights title was mostly a ground affair, he showed flashes of the old crow (including a flying knee attempt that landed him head first into the cage) and systematically beating down defending champion Leopoldo Serao, forcing a 5th round stoppage due to a deep cut on Serao's head. Loiseau improves to 20-10. Now if he could only get it together in the Octagon, that would be much better.
I'll be back to post a couple of entries into the blog this week and give you my thoughts on the upcoming UFC 127 card between Penn and Fitch as well as how I see Bellator's Season 4 tournaments breaking down.
Until next time, fight fans.
-Randy Couture's eldest son Ryan improved to 2-0 in the strikeforce cage following a 3rd round submission win. He had a few attempts on his opponents in the opening 10 minutes but finally was able to secure a rear naked choke with about 2 minutes left to force a tap. Kudos to him he seems like a chip off the old block.
-David Loiseau proved that if the cage isn't in the UFC, he can still be dangerous. While his fight for the middleweight tachi palace fights title was mostly a ground affair, he showed flashes of the old crow (including a flying knee attempt that landed him head first into the cage) and systematically beating down defending champion Leopoldo Serao, forcing a 5th round stoppage due to a deep cut on Serao's head. Loiseau improves to 20-10. Now if he could only get it together in the Octagon, that would be much better.
I'll be back to post a couple of entries into the blog this week and give you my thoughts on the upcoming UFC 127 card between Penn and Fitch as well as how I see Bellator's Season 4 tournaments breaking down.
Until next time, fight fans.
Friday, February 18, 2011
Stairway to Heaven : The Crow is back, but does anybody really care?
At UFC 126, during the fight between Jon Jones and Ryan Bader, Jones threw a flying kick at Bader midway through the first round. While impressive, I knew I had seen it before.
It was June 2005, and my devotion to MMA was just getting started. I had been watching Pride for a few years, mind you, but the UFC was still relatively new to me. At UFC 53, I seen a silky smooth Canadian Fighter try that same kick Jones threw, as well as escaping a early rear naked choke attempt and finishing off Charles McCarthy with a spinning roundhouse and a flying knee. I was on the edge of my chair and thought the performance was impressive. I had to find out who this dude was. Joe Rogan interviewed him and identified him as David Loiseau.
Immediately, I thought this guy was somebody who was destined for great things. Possessing speed, quickness, mental toughness and raw athleticism, I figured it was only a matter of time before this guy was on the top of the mountain.
When that title shot came at UFC 58 : USA vs Canada, I expected him to put up a good fight and possibly take the belt from then champion Rich "Ace" Franklin. Instead, I seen a one sided beating from Ace, as Loiseau was never in the fight and lost it by unanimous decision.
It seems that was a bad dream for Loiseau, who never woke up from it. Following that fight were 2 more losses to Mike Swick (and his subsequent release), and Joey Villasenor in EliteXC, Loiseau found some success on the regional circuits in Canada (going 3-1 in such places as Gatineau and Calgary, Alberta) only to come back to the UFC against Ed Herman...and subsquently not show up, as he lost by unanimous decision in UFC 97. Another win on the regional circuit brought him back to the UFC, only to see him get pummeled by Mario Miranda at UFC 115, which was Chuck Liddell's swansong.
Friday night, Loiseau makes his return to the regional circuit as he goes for the Middleweight title at "Tachi Palace Fights 8 : All or Nothing" in California, being streamed live in MMAJunkie staring at 8:30 pm EST. His fight coincides with the release of the documentary "The Striking Truth" (with Georges St. Pierre), set to debut in Toronto this month. The title of the card really defines what's on the line for Loiseau : Its really all or nothing.
Should he win, does the UFC make the call to bring him back? Even if that did happen, how good would he look in the Octagon? is it just Octagon jitters why he always seems to do well on the undercard, but fail on the big stage?
In an interview with MMAJunkie this week, he is calling for a "return to vintage days". He's only 31 years old, and I feel if he were able to figure it out, he may be able to return to the big leagues because everybody who's seen him fight back then knows he's got the tools to survive.
If not, I'll always remember that spinning back kick.
It was June 2005, and my devotion to MMA was just getting started. I had been watching Pride for a few years, mind you, but the UFC was still relatively new to me. At UFC 53, I seen a silky smooth Canadian Fighter try that same kick Jones threw, as well as escaping a early rear naked choke attempt and finishing off Charles McCarthy with a spinning roundhouse and a flying knee. I was on the edge of my chair and thought the performance was impressive. I had to find out who this dude was. Joe Rogan interviewed him and identified him as David Loiseau.
Immediately, I thought this guy was somebody who was destined for great things. Possessing speed, quickness, mental toughness and raw athleticism, I figured it was only a matter of time before this guy was on the top of the mountain.
When that title shot came at UFC 58 : USA vs Canada, I expected him to put up a good fight and possibly take the belt from then champion Rich "Ace" Franklin. Instead, I seen a one sided beating from Ace, as Loiseau was never in the fight and lost it by unanimous decision.
It seems that was a bad dream for Loiseau, who never woke up from it. Following that fight were 2 more losses to Mike Swick (and his subsequent release), and Joey Villasenor in EliteXC, Loiseau found some success on the regional circuits in Canada (going 3-1 in such places as Gatineau and Calgary, Alberta) only to come back to the UFC against Ed Herman...and subsquently not show up, as he lost by unanimous decision in UFC 97. Another win on the regional circuit brought him back to the UFC, only to see him get pummeled by Mario Miranda at UFC 115, which was Chuck Liddell's swansong.
Friday night, Loiseau makes his return to the regional circuit as he goes for the Middleweight title at "Tachi Palace Fights 8 : All or Nothing" in California, being streamed live in MMAJunkie staring at 8:30 pm EST. His fight coincides with the release of the documentary "The Striking Truth" (with Georges St. Pierre), set to debut in Toronto this month. The title of the card really defines what's on the line for Loiseau : Its really all or nothing.
Should he win, does the UFC make the call to bring him back? Even if that did happen, how good would he look in the Octagon? is it just Octagon jitters why he always seems to do well on the undercard, but fail on the big stage?
In an interview with MMAJunkie this week, he is calling for a "return to vintage days". He's only 31 years old, and I feel if he were able to figure it out, he may be able to return to the big leagues because everybody who's seen him fight back then knows he's got the tools to survive.
If not, I'll always remember that spinning back kick.
Tuesday, February 15, 2011
The Crossroads : What is Fedor's Legacy?
Long before he entered the Strikeforce Heavyweight Grand Prix, critics were dubious of Fedor Emelianenko's status as "the best heavyweight in the world". Following a loss to Fabricio Werdum, the majority of people believed that Fedor would simply walk through his first round opponent, Antonio "Bigfoot" Silva. Instead of a return to his familiar form, we got an emphatic thud as Fedor spent a round lying on his back taking shot after shot from a bigger, stronger opponent. After the doctor stopped the fight due to his eyelid shutting, Fedor essentially said the loss was again (like he did after his loss to Werdum) "God's Will"
After the debacle Saturday night, It has been reported by numerous MMA media outlets that the former Pride champ is contemplating retirement (the irony is that his fight with Silva received a record 1.1 million viewers for Strikeforce, who wanted to either see a) the redemption and return of Fedor to form or b) to see him lose, though nobody thought he'd be that outclassed). Strikeforce CEO Scott Coker and M-1 Global head Vladimir Finklestein were both quick to down play the comments, saying it was him getting caught up in emotion, though Finklestein was the first to say that the final decision would rest with "The Last Emperor"
So if he does indeed retire, what will his legacy be?
To find the answer, you have to look at the bigger picture here. Yes the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is the biggest organization in the sport of MMA and has been since their acquisition of Pride Fighting Championships in 2007...but to look at the big picture, you have to go back to those days of the aforementioned Pride.
At the time when Fedor was dominant in Pride, the top 3 heavyweights (arguably) were Randy Couture, Tim Sylvia and Andrei Arlovski, holding a combined 5 title reigns and 12-7 record in title fights (of course this was during the UFC 'dark ages' where sanctioning was difficult) from the years 2001-2007. In contrast, the top 3 fighters in the Pride organization at that time were (arguably) Mirko "Cro Cop" Flipovic, former UFC heavyweight champion Antonio "Minotauro" Rogerio Noguiera, and Fedor. Those 3 combined for 3 title reigns (2 for Noguiera, one for Fedor) with a combined record of 18-3 in title fights (12 of those were defenses by Fedor). In terms of heavyweight divisions, Pride was much better (title contenders in the UFC's heavyweight division featured Wesley "Cabbage" Corerria, plus the UFC's best heavyweights like Josh Barnett and Mark Coleman were lured away to Pride because there was no sanctioning and heftier salaries).
So in the years 2001-2007, there was no heavyweight better than Fedor Emelianenko.
Then M-1 entered the picture.
In M-1, the head of the organization, Vladimir Finklestein, was able to secure a deal to promote with Affliction clothing subsidary "Affliction Entertainment" and Billionaire real estate holder Donald Trump, who founded the World Alliance of Mixed Martial Arts (WAMMA) and were able to lure fighers like Sylvia and Arlovski away from the UFC with promises that Pride had similarly made (heftier salaries). Fedor was able to handle them both; the fight that most people wanted however, was Fedor vs Randy Couture. Sadly, that would never happen.
In the meantime, after UFC bought Pride, Dana White was able to sign former WWE superstar Brock Lesnar, acquire former Pride mainstays Noguiera and Cro Cop, and assemble a crop of fine talent (Frank Mir, who had come back from a car wreck, Shane Carwin, Junior Dos Santos and the current UFC heavyweight champ, Cain Velasquez).
So when the opportunity came to sign with the UFC, M-1 spurned them and signed with their biggest rival, Strikeforce. Many fans wondered why. Finklestein said it had to do with "difficult negotiations", but UFC president Dana White bluntly had said "no" to co promotion. Finklestein didn't think the deal was for him, and promptly left.
That was the beginning of the end. Unfortunately, as his fight with Brett Rogers was won, Fedor's deficiencies in that fight can no longer be ignored (his submission attempts were sloppy, his KO was more like a EA Sports Haymaker) and while the legions of Fedor fans were jubulant in his victory, the rust was starting to show. Then came the debacles against Werdum, and Bigfoot Silva.
Sadly, the problem is that most people will remember those 2 defeats more than they'll ever remember Fedor's 32 victories. If he indeed does decide to retire, it will be more disheartening than anything else. I'm sure that Fedor doesn't have the heart to fight through adversity; His complacency in being "the best" makes the scenario of defeat more difficult for him. The fact is that he looked old, and clearly outclassed by a big man with some skill. His legacy will be one that all MMA practicioners should strive to achieve, as 28 consecutive wins is no easy task and the majority of fighters he fought were bigger than him in sheer size (at 6'0" and 230, he was an undersized heavyweight). But his 2 defeats should remind that anything could happen in this sport, and that nobody can stay at the top forever.
After the debacle Saturday night, It has been reported by numerous MMA media outlets that the former Pride champ is contemplating retirement (the irony is that his fight with Silva received a record 1.1 million viewers for Strikeforce, who wanted to either see a) the redemption and return of Fedor to form or b) to see him lose, though nobody thought he'd be that outclassed). Strikeforce CEO Scott Coker and M-1 Global head Vladimir Finklestein were both quick to down play the comments, saying it was him getting caught up in emotion, though Finklestein was the first to say that the final decision would rest with "The Last Emperor"
So if he does indeed retire, what will his legacy be?
To find the answer, you have to look at the bigger picture here. Yes the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is the biggest organization in the sport of MMA and has been since their acquisition of Pride Fighting Championships in 2007...but to look at the big picture, you have to go back to those days of the aforementioned Pride.
At the time when Fedor was dominant in Pride, the top 3 heavyweights (arguably) were Randy Couture, Tim Sylvia and Andrei Arlovski, holding a combined 5 title reigns and 12-7 record in title fights (of course this was during the UFC 'dark ages' where sanctioning was difficult) from the years 2001-2007. In contrast, the top 3 fighters in the Pride organization at that time were (arguably) Mirko "Cro Cop" Flipovic, former UFC heavyweight champion Antonio "Minotauro" Rogerio Noguiera, and Fedor. Those 3 combined for 3 title reigns (2 for Noguiera, one for Fedor) with a combined record of 18-3 in title fights (12 of those were defenses by Fedor). In terms of heavyweight divisions, Pride was much better (title contenders in the UFC's heavyweight division featured Wesley "Cabbage" Corerria, plus the UFC's best heavyweights like Josh Barnett and Mark Coleman were lured away to Pride because there was no sanctioning and heftier salaries).
So in the years 2001-2007, there was no heavyweight better than Fedor Emelianenko.
Then M-1 entered the picture.
In M-1, the head of the organization, Vladimir Finklestein, was able to secure a deal to promote with Affliction clothing subsidary "Affliction Entertainment" and Billionaire real estate holder Donald Trump, who founded the World Alliance of Mixed Martial Arts (WAMMA) and were able to lure fighers like Sylvia and Arlovski away from the UFC with promises that Pride had similarly made (heftier salaries). Fedor was able to handle them both; the fight that most people wanted however, was Fedor vs Randy Couture. Sadly, that would never happen.
In the meantime, after UFC bought Pride, Dana White was able to sign former WWE superstar Brock Lesnar, acquire former Pride mainstays Noguiera and Cro Cop, and assemble a crop of fine talent (Frank Mir, who had come back from a car wreck, Shane Carwin, Junior Dos Santos and the current UFC heavyweight champ, Cain Velasquez).
So when the opportunity came to sign with the UFC, M-1 spurned them and signed with their biggest rival, Strikeforce. Many fans wondered why. Finklestein said it had to do with "difficult negotiations", but UFC president Dana White bluntly had said "no" to co promotion. Finklestein didn't think the deal was for him, and promptly left.
That was the beginning of the end. Unfortunately, as his fight with Brett Rogers was won, Fedor's deficiencies in that fight can no longer be ignored (his submission attempts were sloppy, his KO was more like a EA Sports Haymaker) and while the legions of Fedor fans were jubulant in his victory, the rust was starting to show. Then came the debacles against Werdum, and Bigfoot Silva.
Sadly, the problem is that most people will remember those 2 defeats more than they'll ever remember Fedor's 32 victories. If he indeed does decide to retire, it will be more disheartening than anything else. I'm sure that Fedor doesn't have the heart to fight through adversity; His complacency in being "the best" makes the scenario of defeat more difficult for him. The fact is that he looked old, and clearly outclassed by a big man with some skill. His legacy will be one that all MMA practicioners should strive to achieve, as 28 consecutive wins is no easy task and the majority of fighters he fought were bigger than him in sheer size (at 6'0" and 230, he was an undersized heavyweight). But his 2 defeats should remind that anything could happen in this sport, and that nobody can stay at the top forever.
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