M-1 Global: "Selection" Preview

M-1 Global touches down at Bally’s in Atlantic City this Saturday for the opening round of some sort of international tournament, or maybe this is to determine who represents the United States in a grand M-1 Global event.  Who knows, and really, who cares?  The bottom line is the roster is full of bangers.  Not the best guys around, but definitely guys who come to throw down.  It’s a list that includes:

• Rami Ibrahim, a Muay Thai master making his MMA debut;
• Plinio Cruz, a Gold Team Fighters striker;
• Mervin Rodriguez, a gritty Rhino Fight Team rep;
• Kevin Roddy, a Pellegrino MMA submission stud;
• Mike Geurin, a wrestler-turned-Bombsquad hitman; and,
• John Salgado, a Carmine Zocchi-trained human action figure who will stomp on your head if you try to armbar him.

Throw in some smoking-hot prospects like Sedico Honorio, Renato Migliaccio and Pat Audinwood, and you certainly have reason to check this event out.  And if you can’t make it, look for MMA Journalist to do some liveblogging.

Observations from My Couch: UFC Fight Night "Rotten Sushi"

• Sure Ross Pearson looked sharp and crisp in his battle against Dennis Siver, but how were his teeth?  He is a Brit, after all.
• Jorge Rivera beat Nate “The Rock” Quarry so bad, Quarry’s new nickname is “The Rubble”.
• Caol Uno was awesome when he first came to the UFC – in 2001.  Watching him fight now is like watching the teenage daughter of the owner of the Japanese restaurant down the street getting mugged in an alley.
• Roy Nelson is one of the most solid (heh) and legitimate fighters to ever come out of the TUF House.
• Takanori Gomi was a badass years ago, but getting out-struck and out-grappled they way he did by Kenny Florian doesn’t mean Florian is a stud as much as it means Gomi’s expiration date has passed.  Seriously, after that bout, I bet the cage smelled like rotten sushi.

Check Out This Week's New York Press

Check out this week's edition of the New York Press, as some clown's article on the return of sanctioned MMA in New York is the cover story.  The New York Press is a free NYC-based alternative weekly newspaper, and with a circulation of over 100,000, it's considered the main competitor of the Village Voice.  Link here for the online version: http://www.npaper-server.com/nypress/2010/03/30/#?article=814800 .

Rest in Peace Gene Fabrikant

MMA Journalist has just learned that sambo expert Gene Fabrikant passed away this morning.  It was sudden, and the result of an unknown heart issue.  Fabrikant coached a few fighters here and there, and also ran a few shows out in Brooklyn, including the recent Paul Rosner memorial event as well as the infamous International Fight Night underground shows.  He will be missed.

Predictions for UFC Fight Night "Florian vs. Gomi vs. Fanboys"

Do you recognize the name “Takanori Gomi”?  If so, congrats!  You are neither a TUF Noob nor a Kimbo Noob.  However, if the name doesn’t ring a bell, this is all you need to know about the former Pride lightweight champ: he can punch, he’s a fanboy favorite, and like his opponent Kenny Florian, he loses when he fights BJ Penn.  Predictions!

• Gomi is totally an awesome, top-level competitor.  If we take a time machine back to 2006, that is.  Though clearly not the best in his division, Florian is the better fighter, and will win via New England Clam Chowda Choke.
• Roy Nelson is fighting Stefan Struve, which pits a fat guy against a tall, skinny guy.  Did Joe Silva let his eight-year-old nephew handle the matchmaking for this one?  Is Nelson going to take on a really short guy next?  Nelson via bludgeoning with his big TUF Lucite.
• Not counting the referee, the combined age of those in the cage for the Nate Quarry/Jorge Rivera bout will be 214 years.  Think about that one.
• Ross Pearson vs. Dennis Siver pits a Brit against a German fighter.  I’m picking Siver, if only because there’s a joke in there about the Blitzkrieg and Pearson getting bombed.

Observations from My Couch: UFC 111 "Please, Someone Defeat GSP Already"

• Jared Hamman vs. Rodney Wallace was sloppy as hell, but definitely fun.
• Only Ricardo Almeida could turn a rear naked choke into a side naked choke and win with it.  That’s a jiu-jitsu stud right there, folks.
• Nate Diaz edged just a little bit closer to being the badass his brother Nick is, while Rory Markham edged just a little bit closer to fighting in Bellator.
• Damn.  Rousimar Palhares wanted to take that leg home with him.
• When a jiu-jitsu black belt has your back, has his legs figure-foured around your waist and one of your arms trapped, you’re pretty much his bitch.  Unless your name is Jim Miller.  Then that jiu-jitsu black belt is your bitch.  He just doesn’t realize it yet.
• Jon Fitch: the second-best welterweight in the world that no one wants to watch.
• Kurt Pellegrino gave one heck of an awe-inspiring performance in his bout against Fabricio Camoes.  Too bad about that victory dance.
• Youngsters aspire to be comic book heroes.  Comic book villains aspire to be Shane Carwin.  Seriously, that dude was going to kill Frank Mir.
• You know what sucks?  The fact that the measure of a welterweight’s ability and standing is based on how well they can take a beating from Georges St. Pierre.  Please, someone defeat GSP already.

Observations from My Couch: Strikeforce Challengers "Why You Gotta Keep a Brother Down?"

• Someone please explain to me why Shamar Bailey gets poked in the eye repeatedly and when he complains is told to shut up and keep fighting, yet when the white Justin Wilcox gets an inadvertent finger in the lens he gets a recovery period and Bailey gets a warning.  Can anyone explain that one?  Damn.  Why you gotta keep a brother down, Mr. Racist Ref?
• Meisha Tate: for when Sarah Kaufman, Tara LaRosa, Roxanne Modafferi, Takayo Hashi, Hitomi Akano and Shayna Baszler are unavailable.
• I think Andre Galvao did enough to win.  Or, more accurately, I don’t think Luke Stewart did enough to win.  Good fight, though.
• Every time Abongo Humphrey fights I keep hearing that corny announcer from that BET show saying, “Next, on the Ion Wing”.
• Lavar Johnson.  Cyberdyne Systems Model 101.  Living tissue over a metal endoskeleton.

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Liveblog: Tokyo 5/UFC Magazine Party

MMA Journalist is here at Lounge 48 in Midtown Manhattan for the Tokyo 5/UFC Magazine party, which is either a soiree featuring industry insiders, a wretched hive of scum and villainy, or both. Present are UCL promoter Peter Storm, Chewbacca, Phillipe Nover, Iron Ring vet Daniel Akyemi and Greedo, among others.

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Predictions for UFC 111 "Ultimate Brit Not Ready"

UFC 111 is in Newark this weekend, and the headlining bout is a welterweight championship contest between Georges St. Pierre and some Brit who is not ready.  Seriously, Dan Hardy is not ready.  How not ready is he?  Hardy is so not ready, he showed up at Matt Serra’s gym last week to learn about “this whole jiu-jitsu thing I been hearing so much about.”  He’s so not ready, Las Vegas sportbooks are already laying down odds that St. Pierre will defeat Anderson Silva.  He’s so not ready, right this very minute Joe Rogan is standing in the Octagon in a darkened Prudential Center practicing the post-fight questions he’s going to ask the St. Pierre.  And St. Pierre is standing there with him, practicing his English.  So... predictions!

• Props to Ben Saunders for stepping up to face Jon Fitch at the last minute.  Also, props to him for not caring about dying.
• Kurt Pellegrino via super-cool Batman utility belt, which includes a Batarang, a grappling hook and a can of shark repellant.
• Jim Miller is going to beat Mark Bocek so bad, the Canadian Mounties aren’t going to allow Bocek back across the border.
• Nate Diaz and Ricardo Almeida are going to defeat Rory Markham and Matt Brown with submissions.  Or they won’t.  I don’t know.
• Wouldn’t it be funny if Shane Carwin knocked out Frank Mir?
• Did I mention Dan Hardy isn’t ready?

Predictions for Strikeforce Challengers VII "A Terminator Named Lavar"

It apparently takes more than mere bullets to stop Lavar Johnson.  Last year the Strikeforce heavyweight slugger (and Terminator model T-800) took some hot lead in the gut while at a family barbecue – a turn of events that would kill most non-cyborgs.  But instead Johnson just calmly stood up, shook it off and said, “I’ll be back.”  Well, the dude is back, and fighting this Friday on Showtime as the headliner for the latest installment of Strikeforce Challengers.  Lambast Scott Coker all you want for putting on freakshows, but I dig watching a literally unstoppable killing machine in action.  Predictions!

• Johnson is facing Lolohea Mahe, some big 300-pound Hawaiian who is not Sarah Connor.  Mahe is doomed.
• Top-ten 135-pound female fighter Meisha Tate is taking on Zoila Frausto.  Meisha and Zoila?  What, are they Amazon warriors or something?
• Abongo Humphrey returns to fight George Bush III.  George Bush?  G-George B-B-Bush?  Oh no!  Joke-possibility overload!  Aaargh!
• I’m not sure, but I think Andre Galvao might try to employ some jiu-jitsu in his bout against Luke Stewart.  That’s just a hunch, though.
• I don’t know anything about Shamar Bailey, although it’s safe to say he got into a lot of fights in school.  Like, a lot of fights.

So Close You Can Taste It

Legalized pro mixed martial arts in New York is now so close you can taste it. Last night the State Assembly approved of a 2010-2011 budget plan that, among other things, calls for the regulation (and taxing) of MMA competitions - a move that jibes with Governor Paterson's budget proposal and the Senate's budget proposal. All that remains is for the three bodies to hammer out a compromise on their plans' other points (you now, minor things like State aid, spending, education, etc.), a process that could take a couple weeks. However, unless a giant meteor falls on Albany and destroys everything, this MMA thing is pretty much a done deal. Next at bat will be the Athletic Commission, with Chairwoman Melvina Lathan laying down some rules and regulations and hiring more staff, and the Empire State will start having some shows. Yeah, baby.

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