Saturday, April 3, 2010

Liveblog: M-1 Global Part 2

Plinio Cruz of Gold Team Fighter's School of Brazilians Who Like to Brawl enters the ring. His opponent: middleweight John Doyle, a man who specializes in ground and pound. Doyle was a Combat in the Cage champ back in the day, a crown he earned through hard work and sheer grit, but the fight game is a cruel mistress who will kiss you goodbye when you leave for work and then change the locks while you're gone. Round 1 starts with Cruz dropping Doyle with a brutal high-kick. Doyle is stunned, but recovers eventually and the two get back to their feet swinging bolos. Doyle scores some payback in Round 2, tossing the Brazilian with a shoulder throw and working him with his wrestling. However, Cruz's jiu-jitsu is enough to make any grappling contest a difficult endeavor, and with Cruz laying down a beating until the final bell, there's no question he's got the unanimous decision in the bag. Bombsquad middleweight Mike Geurin and Team 401 rep Todd Chattelle are next. If Geurin wins this one, that will set up a rematch with Cruz - when the two fought last year, it was so violent the athletic commission stepped in and implored them to be more gentle. In the opening seconds Chattelle proves he's got some stand-up skills, so Geurin wastes no time taking him down and kneeing him in the side like he's an evil pillow. When they get back to their feet late in the round Chattelle looks spent, and the Bombsquader attempts to knock his mouthpiece down his throat. Round 2 is a carbon copy of the first, and Chattelle's face by now is hamburger - a fact that prompts Geurin to come out headhunting in Round 3. He gets the TKO stoppage just 32 seconds into the round. Team Renzo 159 pounder Renato Migliaccio is up, taking on Inner G rep John Salgado. Wow, this is the best Salgado we've ever seen, as he manages to seriously out-wrestle Migliaccio and even take him down and pin him with a crucifix. Migliaccio eventually works his way on top and delivers a stream of punches and sub attempts, but damn, Salgado looks impressive. Round 2 doesn't go so well for him, though, as Migliaccio imposes his jiu-jitsu on him throughout, and despite Salgado's more or less successful efforts at avoiding the ground in the third, it's still a battle. Salgado takes the split decision - which shocks many, including Salgado himself, and his exclamation involves him inadvertantly dousing the photographers with the contents of his water bottle.

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