Sunday, February 28, 2010
Liveblog: UCL Part 4
Three-hundred pound warrior James Kene enters to take on Israel Martinez, and this one is abrupt and furious, as Kene bullrushes in with punches and Martinez battles back and gets him off balance. Kene trips and Martinez is on him like a predator, blasting him until Kene taps out. Obasi and promoter Peter Storm get in the ring to hype their fight at an upcoming UCL, and Funaro gets in the ring to announce that the absent Darrow is a clown. Last bout and it's a rematch between New Gen Karate's Chris Corr and Empire Fight Factory's Lionheart. When last they fought it went the distance, with Corr's superb grappling giving him the edge and enabling him to take the decision. This time is no different, although Lionheart is definitely a threat with various triangle choke and guillotine attempts and some elbows from the bottom. Corr takes the unanimous decision when time runs out. And that's that.
Liveblog: UCL Part 3
James Funaro is here and ready, but Wargod is a no show. First up is veteran fighter Kirkland Campbell against New Generation Karate's Eric Blasich. Campbell is an ace ground-and-pounder who's been in a ton of wars, while Blasich is young and mean - which translates into a close three-round battle. Round 1 sees Blasich sprawling hard and working a D'Arce, and when Campbell does get him down, Blasich does a solid job of neutralizing Campbell's punch-party. Rounds 2 and 3 play out in similar fashion, Campbell's takedowns an almost unstoppable force and Blasich's submissions and striking from the bottom a constant, and when time runs out Blasich takes the split decision in a good fight. Next: John Velez of Ultimate Karate against Dante Thomas of Empire Fight Factory. This one is an absolute war, with Velez giving up 40 pounds but unafraid to throw down. For all three rounds Thomas gets Velez down and drops leather, and for all three rounds Velez is blasting away with upkicks, elbows, fists - everything. Thomas takes the unanimous decision thanks to his concise grappling and aggression, but it's a good showing by both men.
Liveblog: UCL Part 2
There are a lot of underground notables here, including Chaz Dimitriopoulos, whose UCL fight was on a Fox News segment, as well as Wing Cun stud Shawn Obasi. Obasi was challenged by some 52 Blocks representative (52 Blocks is a style allegedly divised in prisons), but it doesn't look like Obasi's opponent has shown up. Wise move. Obasi is a killer.
Liveblog: UCL Part 1
MMA Journalist is here at an undisclosed gym in the heart of Brooklyn for the latest installment of the Underground Combat League, NYC's only vale tudo show. For those who've been following the saga on the Internet, today is supposed to be the day MMA fighter James Funaro faces ex-prison fighter Christian "Wargod" Darrow in the ring, which is a rematch of their first bout (which happened in the parking lot behind Funaro's gym and ended with Funaro knocking out Darrow's tooth). For those who haven't been following this rivalry over the Internet... ha, you suck. Anyway, there's allegedly no bad blood between the two, as "their beef has been quashed". The two were only fighting now because their first meeting had garnered a ton of attention. Unfortunately, all that is in jeopardy, as Funaro fought in an Asylum Fight League show in Atlantic City last night and got knocked out by the highly-touted Chris Wing. What now? Will James risk his own well-being and step into the ring today? Will his twin brother Joseph fill in? Damned if I know. But the suspense is killing me, and personally, I hope James sits this one out. "Vale tudo" is Portuguese for "anything goes", not "to the death".
Saturday, February 27, 2010
Observations From My Couch: Strikeforce Challengers "Cornrows of Doom"
- Either Yancy Medeiros is a stud, or Raul Castillo really, really, really needs to learn more than just jiu-jitsu. I'm thinking it's the latter.
- Tarec Saffiedine is one badass Belgian. And given the reputation of the Belgian peoples, he could very well be the only badass Belgian.
- Luke Rockhold smoked Paul Bradley like a cheap, poorly-rolled joint. That wasn't even competitive.
- Karl Amoussou is an exciting and skilled striker, but apparently the counter to superior striking is eye-gouging. He needs to learn to defend against that.
- Sarah Kaufman may be the Strikeforce 135-pound chick champ, but that belt means little until she faces Tara LaRosa.
Friday, February 26, 2010
Liveblog: NBF 28 Part 4
There's an NBF welterweight title up for grabs and Dennis Olson of Gracie Barra Boston and Mike Dolce of Grudge Fight Team are vying for it. Dolce's nickname is "Skullcracker", which he earned because he likes to bake crackers shaped like skulls. Of course, those baking skills don't help him against Olson, who takes him down, pounds on him, cuts him, and puts him through a plethora of choke attempts. However, Round 2 has Dolce sprawling and flexing his stand-up muscle - seemingly where he has the advantage until Olson drops him with a punch in the third round. Olson ends it with an arm-in guillotine at 3:17 of the round. Last bout: Garden State prodigal son Dante Rivera against some HIT Squad rep named Whisper Goodman. Rivera's got Ricardo Almeida, Chris Liguori and Frankie Edgar in his corner, as well as God and Jesus, so you just know he's favored. Round 1 has a fair bit of clinch-work, with Rivera getting a takedown about midway through and Goodman reversing and trying to drop leather. Goodman's balance is impeccable, and it manifests in every Rivera inside-trip that ends with a reversal and the HIT Squad fighter on top. That's the story of Round 2, although in Round 3 the TUF vet manages to lift him high and slam him hard. Time runs out in a very back-and-forth round, and the unanimous decision goes to Goodman. Good show, and goodnight.
Liveblog: NBF 28 Part 3
Bo Harris of Martial Arts Unlimited and Zach Makovsky are set and ready to bang. Makovsky has only lost to Wilson Reis and some Japanese dude in DEEP, and he has long been considered one of the best 135 pounders in the Northeast, so unless Harris has superpowers, he should be in for a rough time. Yeah, this one doesn't take long, with Harris snatching a leg and getting a takedown, but falling right into an armbar then a triangle. Makovsky is victorious at 1:50 of Round 1. If Bellator ever gets around to doing a 135-pound tournament, it would be criminal if Makovsky weren't a part of it. Fight Factory puts another rep in the cage for the next bout, with 168 pounder Sam Oropeza taking on Wolfpack's 170 pound Dave Concepcion. Oropeza has about 50 percent of the audience cheering for him, and with his entrance music that Arcade Fire song that was on the "Where The Wilds Things Are" commercial, I don't think there's a dry eye in the joint. In fact, I think even ref Dan Miragliotta is teary. Wowsers. This one is quick. Some token punches and then a high-kick to the grill and Oropeza has knocked out Concepcion in nine seconds. The undefeated Fight Factory stud continues to impress.
Liveblog: NBF 28 Part 2
First up is International Karate Academy's Geidrius Karavackas against Fight Factory's Kasheem Peterson in a welterweight fight. Like Deividas Taurosevicius and Mackens Semerzier, Karavackas upholds the grand tradition of having a dangerously unpronouncable name, and someone has to give the ring announcer the Heimlich Manuever when he attempts it. We'll see if he fights as well as them. And... he does, first feeding Peterson a healthy dose of right hand, landing a takedown, and alternating from mount to back-mount until Karavackas sinks the rear naked choke. The official time of the tap out is 2:57 of Round 1. Next up: Rich Lictawa of Motor City Boxing vs. Tim Carpenter of Team Balance at 205 pounds. Carpenter is undefeated, but he only fights about once every five years, so he remains a bit of an x-factor around these parts. Lictawa, meanwhile, is a Midwest import who likes to drink motor oil. Yikes. The first round sees Carpenter working for the favorable tie-up, Lictawa avoiding the ground, and the two peppering each other with strikes. Round 2 is more of the same. Carpenter is successful in getting Lictawa down in the third, and his ground and pound and positional dominance is enough for him to take the round - and the unanimous decision.
Liveblog: NBF 28 Part 1
MMA Journalist is cageside for New Breed Fighters 28 at the Resorts Casino Hotel in beautiful sunny Atlantic City. Long a staple in the New Jersey amateur scene, NBF has paired with Monte Cox's Adrenaline MMA tonight to venture into pro waters with a six-bout card headlined by hometown hero Dante Rivera, whom most may remember for his stint on "The Ultimate Fighter". Or you may remember Rivera because he stole your girlfriend from you in high school. Either way, he's the main event, and the undercard features such studs as DEEP veteran Zach Makovsky, TUF alumn Mike Dolce and undefeated Philly fighter Tim Carpenter. Rising star Jeff Lentz was slated to be on the card as well, but a miscommunication had him weighing 240 pounds when his bout was at 145. Oops.
Thursday, February 25, 2010
Weekend Schedule
A busy weekend looms for local MMA fans. Set the DVR to "stun" and catch Strikeforce Challengers on Showtime Friday night, where the world's number-one ranked 135-pound female fighter in Sarah Kaufman takes on number-three ranked Takayo Hashi for a championship belt. Meanwhile, Monte Cox's Adrenaline MMA returns to Atlantic City to team up with New Breed Fighters. This will be NBF's first pro MMA venture (they specialize in amateur fights), and though there are only six bouts on the card, big name fighters like Dante Rivera and Zach Makovsky make the event worthwhile. Fast forward to Saturday night in Atlantic City and you have another Aslyum Fight League installment, with James Funaro taking on Chris Wing as one of the multitude of match-ups. Then there's Sunday... *cough* underground show *cough*. Plus, Paul Rosner's memorial fight show takes place in Brooklyn on Sunday evening. That right there is a lot of MMA. Stay tuned for some furious liveblogging!
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
Feared Bounty Hunter Tom Gallicchio to Add Judoka Pelt to His Grim Collection
Garden State welterweight stud and feared bounty hunter Tom Gallicchio is traveling north this weekend, venturing into Massachusetts to face highly-credentialed judoka Rick Hawn at World Championship Fighting 9. Consequently, it is widely expected that “Da Tank,” a.k.a. “The Wanderer,” a.k.a. “Boba Freakin’ Fett” will be adding another pelt to his grim collection. With solid wrestling, a strong submission game and over 15 bouts to his name, including convincing wins over the likes of Doug Gordon and Igor Gracie, Gallicchio has long been considered one of the most dangerous 170-pound fighters in the Northeast. Though Hawn sports an impressive judo resume that includes four national titles and a 2004 Olympic bid, his brand of pajama fighting will avail him naught when Gallicchio goes all “frozen in Carbonite” on his ass. Watch for the wall at Pellegrino MMA in Belmar to be adorned with Hawn’s hide after this weekend.
Monday, February 22, 2010
Observations from My Couch: UFC 110 "Mad Max, Men at Work, and Other Australian Things"
- I don’t understand it. It was an overseas fight, no one really had to worry about a legitimate post-fight drug test, and his opponent was a scrub. So why did Mirko CroCop look less than amazing?
- Keith Jardine sure does get knocked out well.
- I don’t know where this version of Georges Sotiropoulos came from, but he looked fantastic.
- See what happens when you stop feeding Michael Bisping tomato cans? He loses and whines about it.
- Someone please explain to me why Chris Lytle went through all those knockdown-drag-out stand-up wars when he could’ve been winning via submission the entire time. Please. Explain it.
- Stephan Bonnar and Krzysztof Soszynski… must… try… to… care…
- Cain Velasquez had a tougher time with Cheick Kongo than he did with Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira? Lord, kill me now.
ROC 28 Postscript
This was one of the best Ring of Combats in a while. Bellmore Kickboxing’s Ryan LaFlare can now be considered one of the Northeast’s best 170 pounders and should only be facing other top dogs – like Tom Gallicchio, Greg Soto and Matt Makowski. Edson Barboza’s KO of Nabih Barakat was frightening. Barboza has clearly come into MMA with a ton of a striking experience. And TSMMA’s Louis Gaudinot took out a really hot prospect in Tuan Pham, and he did it on the feet, which is where Pham is strongest. Looks like the only way to beat Gaudinot is via lay-and-pray, and it should only be a matter of time before that chink in his armor is sewn up.
Friday, February 19, 2010
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