- Mike Chandler's guillotine over Chris Page reminded me of Dan Miller's guillotine over Dave Phillips in the IFL. But submissions were hella tight, and both victims nearly had their heads torn off.
- Maybe I missed something, but since Jim Wallhead's nickname is "Judo Jim", shouldn't he have used at least a little judo in his bout?
- Mark my words: Zach Makovsky will be the first MMA fighter to ever take an opponent down TO DEATH. That's right. A nonstop stream of single-legs and double-legs and trips and tosses until someone croaks. Just watch.
- Congrats to Cole Konrad. No, not for winning the Bellator heavyweight tournament, but for fighting like he has a pulse.
Friday, October 15, 2010
Observations from My Couch: Bellator 32 "Ultimate Cole Konrad Can Finish After All"
Thursday, October 14, 2010
Mitch the Intern's TUF 12 Recap: Episode 5
*Editor's note: Mitch the Intern is an NYU undergrad whose favorite Wednesday night pastime includes the TV in his dorm room, a green beanbag chair and two hits of acid. Enjoy.*
Bad choices. That's theme for this week's Ultimate Dudes Incarcerated in a House and Forced to Fight, and the theme manifests itself early and often. Case in point: coach Josh Kosh B'Gosh, who is clearly stressing that his team has thus far lost three out of three meetings with the opposing Team Georges St. Pete. "Our system works," he repeats, trying to convince us that his homeboys at American Kickboxing Academy have the secret to success and that if his wards would just follow the ten easy "mindless" steps they too would see victory. But desperation breeds desperate decisions, and Josh Kosh B'Gosh brings in AKA mate Jon Fitch to work with everyone.
"I'm Jon Fitch," says Jon Fitch, with his disheveled hair showcasing this episode's first epic bad choice. You see, it looks like he passed out in a ravine the night before and woke up with a family of raccoons setting up a bed and breakfast in his bouffant. Yup. Tragic.
They all get their training on, and then we're back in the TUF House. Uh-oh, trouble is a-brewing. It seems Bruce Leroy has entered the prank stage a bit prematurely - too soon for anyone's liking because, hey, isn't the jizz-on-the-food stuff supposed to wait until week number 6? Anyway, he pours bleach in the fabric softener, or dye in the detergent, or something else equally benign, and teammate Chris Rock on Steroids almost falls prey to the collateral damage.
"Everyone hates me," says Bruce Leroy with a smile, a knowing smile, for if he can generate enough negative emotion, then he can ensure himself a trip into the Octagon for reals regardless of if he wins or loses again on TUF (thanks Junie Browning!).
Back to the training center, where Georges St. Totally Does Not Talk Nor Display Personality manages to one-up prior bad choices with a doozy of a bad choice. Remember how everyone was forced into the locker room with that convicted rapist last week? Remember how no one got raped? Well, that ain't too cool as far as coach Canada is concerned, so he brings in a drunk French Muay Thai stud named Jean-Claude Swarovsky to… to… what? What benefit could a bunch of aspiring fighters sequestered for six weeks and forced to train and fight get from having to deal with a drunken French Muay Thai guy? This is like the precursor to an episode of "Cops".
"He ees a ver-ee good Muay Thai fighter," says Georges St. Bad Choice. "Pleeese show 'im respect."
Adds New Zealand jiu-jitsu sensation Jemaine Clement, "This could be the greatest experience of your life or the worst experience of your life. We just don't know! Also, don't look Jean-Claude Sikorsky in the eye, as he might take that as a threat. And no sudden movements!"
Of course, what transpires next can best be described by the phrase "Man bullies children". Or "Human squashes bugs". Or "Poor judgment leads to drunkard beating on innocents". There's a clip of Spuds McKenzie eating a knee to the gut and collapsing. A clip of Bruce Leroy getting kicked in the afro. A clip of Dr. Watson being doused with gasoline and lit ablaze by the Frenchman. It would be funny but for all the senseless suffering.
Afterwards, the time for picking the next match-up is upon us, and as Georges St. Kill His Team is in control, the mean Canadian makes bad choice number whatever: Spencer the Page versus Banh Mi. You see, a page is the first job a boy takes on the road to becoming a knight, but in between that job and the end goal is running a lot of errands and doing menial tasks, then becoming a squire and learning how to fight. It's a three-stage process - and Spencer's still at the "hold on, sire, while I go get your chamber pot" stage. In other words, Spencer the Page is in trouble.
Cut to Team Josh Kosh B'Gosh's training session, which is interrupted by a visit from none other than the amazingly punch-drunk Chuck Liddell. "Okay Dana, I'm ready to coach," says the Mohawked One to a nearby water cooler. "But we have to do this quick, because I have to get back to 'Dancing with the Stars'." Grabbing a broom, Liddell begins to tango.
At first everyone seems elated to see him, but that elation fades into discomfort, and soon they all slowly return to their workouts. Liddell is none the wiser.
More training, and we see Ban Mi jogging around the TUFF House lawn. Before coming to the Ultimate Fighter show Ban Mi was a student at the School of Visual Arts who dropped out to sell Ecstasy to club kids on weekends, and all that running - from nightclub to nightclub and dance floor to dance floor - has been a hard habit to break.
"Maybe I should train," says Spencer the Page from a lawnchair. "Um, naah." Again, bad choice.
And then it's fight time. Things go well for Spencer the Page for the first half of Round 1, as he manages to land hard and heavy on his ever-approaching Vietnamese sandwich foe. But countless evenings spent in front of blaring dance floor speakers and staring down cruel bouncers has made Ban Mi tough, and soon he has Spencer the Page on his back and is raining down strikes. The round ends with Ban Mi cranking a kimura.
"I think I don't know how to fight," says Spencer the Page to coach Georges St. Heartless in between rounds. "I think I don't learn fighting techniques until the squire stage."
"Do not worr-ee about eet," says the welterweight champ, choosing to ignore his fighter's plight.
Round 2 commences and it's just more raw beating. When the final bell sounds, it's clear Banh Mi has earned himself the decision and his team their first win.
Afterwards, Team Josh Kosh B'Gosh celebrates by pounding on the walls. Another bad choice? Well, the building doesn't come crashing down. But we'll see…
Fade to black.
Northeast Rankings
Hey, rankings, wahoo. I vote on the Independent World MMA Rankings and the USA Today rankings every month, but it’s been a while since I did some for the Northeast fighters. Plus, fellow journo Arias Garcia Jr. has been nagging me about it for some reason. Don't ask me why. Anyway, the criterion is as follows: only fighters who’ve fought pro in 2010 are on the list, and if you’ve made it to the UFC, WEC, Strikeforce or on a televised Bellator main card match, you’re excluded (for being too awesome. That means you, Jeff Lentz and Andy Main.). Also, these are in no particular order, and some divisions are so thin there aren’t enough successful stud fighters to make a top five. So… rankings!
Heavyweight
- Kenny Garner – A student of Din Thomas at American Top Team in Florida, Garner won the M-1 Global heavyweight tournament. He’s built like Roy Nelson, he’s tough like Roy Nelson, and he’s got a decent set of grappling and striking skills.
- Pat Bennett – Bennett took second place in M-1 Global’s heavyweight tournament, losing (obviously) to Garner when he decided to block a lot of Garner’s punches with his face. However, he’s a tough bastard as well, and this Bombsquad rep is capable of dishing out the clobbering too.
- Gian Villante – Currently ROC’s heavyweight champ, Villante went down a weight class to compete for the light-heavyweight belt and messed himself up going for a Whizzer. Oops. The Bellmore Kickboxing fighter is still a badass though, and undefeated at heavyweight.
Honorable mention: Glen Sandull, who was the man years ago and recently returned to out-point JA Dudley.
Light-heavyweight
- Byron Byrd – Another ATTer who was flown in to compete in the M-1 Global tournament, Byrd made the most of the opportunity by kicking ass and taking names. Literally. He went around the audience asking everyone their names and jotted the answers down a little notebook. Kind of creepy…
- Brendan Barrett – Barrett fights about once or twice a year now, but it’s usually enough to remind us that he’s got enough skill to finish foes on the feet or on the ground.
- Demetrius Richards – Richards is the man who fought Villante for the ROC 205-pound title and won it when Villante succumbed to injury. Richards has lost four straight since then, and his last bout was on a Bellator broadcast (which aired as a pre-recorded prelim), but the dude holds the ROC belt so he kind of has to be on the list.
Honorable mention: Tom DeBlass, who, as one of Ricardo Almeida’s top jiu-jitsu guys, made his pro debut as a heavyweight and won a decision. He then cut down to light-heavyweight and TKO’d Tom Velasquez at the last ROC, so that – plus his BJJ black belt – makes for a 205-pounder to keep an eye on.
Middleweight
- Tyson Jeffries – You know what sucks? M-1 Global flying in all these blokes from far away to win championship belts. Case in point: Jeffries, a Team Quest rep and Muay Thai specialist who took top middleweight honors when he defeated Mike Geurin. Oh well. The dude is a killer anyway.
- Mike Geurin – a Bombsquader with great wrestling, durability and no compunction about getting punched in the face? Insane, right? Well, it’s true, there is one just like that and his name is Mike Geurin. Geurin may have lost the M-1 Global middleweight tournament, but there are few fighters out there who you could throw out of a moving car one minute and watch them win an MMA fight the next.
- Chris Weidman – Some sort of wrestling deity who Ray Longo molded into a dangerous striker, Weidman recently TKO’d Uriah Hall to earn the ROC belt. If anyone is getting called up to the “big leagues” soon, it’s Weidman.
- Uriah Hall – TSMMA’s top middleweight fighter, Hall is still a stud with elite-level kickboxing despite his loss to Weidman. Thus far, only one person in the Northeast has been able to withstand his game – which secures his spot in these rankings for a while.
Honorable mention: Plinio Cruz and Daniel Akinyemi, of Gold Team Fighters and Rhino Fight Team, respectively. Cruz is a grinder on the feet and Akinyemi is a bomber (meaning it’s “bombs away!” when he starts throwing leather).
Welterweight
- Tom Gallicchio – He’s been around for years, but after winning M-1 Global’s welterweight tournament, Gallicchio should hopefully start getting the recognition he deserves. He’s tough as nails, as evidenced by the punishment he took from Aaron Meisner, and once he gets your back that rear naked choke is inevitable.
- Ryan LaFlare – ROC’s 170-pound title holder, LaFlare is a beast with his fists – which he uses to TKO people on the ground or rock them on the feet. Word on the street is that LaFlare, who hails from Bellmore Kickboxing, went out to Las Vegas to train and wrecked some big name fighters.
- Ed Guedes – His camp may be the Armory in Florida, but Guedes has made his presence felt in the Northeast. Combining solid wrestling with solid jiu-jitsu (weird, right?), he’s proven to be too much for most to handle.
- Mike Medrano – An AMA Fight Club workhorse who fights about once a month, Medrano racked up three wins before falling to LaFlare in June. He lost his last bout as well, but that crushing knockout doesn’t negate the fact that Medrano is lean, mean scrapping machine.
- Joseph Aviles – The aforementioned crushing Medrano knockout? Yeah, that was Jungle Gym’s Aviles, who returned after a three-year hiatus to deliver a flying knee from hell to Medrano’s chin at the last ROC. He’s got subs and KO power, so don’t sleep on Aviles.
Honorable mention: Chris Wing, who’s parlayed a successful amateur career into some impressive pro performances (and thrilling KOs).
Lightweight
- Chris Liguori – Like Brendan Barrett, this RABJJ rep comes out of hibernation about once a year to remind us that he’s elite. Otherwise, the only time we see him is when he’s corning Frankie Edgar in the UFC. He’s somewhat of a jiu-jitsu specialist now, but Liguori can do it all, and he’s been doing it all since before MMA was sanctioned in New Jersey.
- Jose Figeuroa – Really, the only reason this ATT fighter made this list is because he won the M-1 Global lightweight belt. I mean, sure, he’s got Muay Thai and jiu-jitsu skills, but he took the belt after kicking opponent George Sheppard in the nuts twice in a fight he was losing.
- George Sheppard – Hailing from MMA Institute and mixing wrestling with boxing, Sheppard made it to the M-1 Global finals by winning. And he lost the finals because a cup can only protect your precious jewels so much.
- John Cholish – A member of Team Renzo’s newest generation of striking/jiu-jitsu hybrids, Cholish absolutely wrecked house in the first two UCCs. If he keeps it up, I see a ROC belt in his future.
- Mikhail Malyutin – Repping K-Dojo and carrying the hearts of a few ex-Soviet Union nations on his shoulders, Malyutin out-pointed Luiz Azeredo to win gold at the last ROC. We haven’t seen a lot of him otherwise, but hey, a belt’s a belt.
Featherweight
- Tim Troxell – Another AMA FC badass, Troxell fought for the ROC featherweight belt last year and gave up the decision to Anthony Morrison (Morrison then went on the WEC). A wrestler molded into a jiu-jitsu guy with a boxer’s hands, Troxell is still a stud.
- Lester Caslow – Well-rounded and fighting out of Pellegrino MMA, Caslow pretty much grown up in the Garden State circuit, maturing into a competitor who can do it all. He lost to Troxell back in the day, yet a rematch somewhere down the line could prove interesting.
Honorable mention: Felipe Arantes, who never really got a chance to employ his sharp Muay Thai and top-notch jiu-jitsu in the cage until his last fight – and in his last fight, he looked amazing.
Bantamweight/Flyweight
- Jimmie Rivera – A homegrown TSMMA rep with a strong all-around game, Rivera just won the King of the Cage bantamweight belt when he defeated Abel Cullum up at Foxwoods in Connecticut. He’s a New Jersey fighter, though, and he’s on this list because I can’t get HDNet (or whatever that KOTC aired on) on my TV set.
- Louis Gaudinot – Another TSMMAer who started training as an embryo, Gaudinot choked out Jesse Riggleman to snag the ROC flyweight belt at the last show.
- Jesse Riggleman – Although he trains out of MMA Institute in Virginia, Riggleman likes to come up here and fight for belts. While he may have come up short against Gaudinot, he did manage to put the tough Tuan Pham to sleep earlier in the year.
Honorable mention: Steve DeAngelis and Nick Cottone, two guys who’ve proven to be top guys in years past, but haven’t really had the opportunity to shine this year.
Wednesday, October 13, 2010
Blogger Sells Book; A Nation Exhales
Yours truly has just sold a book. Kensington is the publisher, Dispatches from the Underground is the title, and the contract describes it as "a non-fiction insider account of the underground mixed martial arts scene and the Underground Combat League: roving gatherings of fighters in gyms and basements for impromptu combat with virtually no rules, no money and only pride and a love of the sport to spur them on." There's a good bit about the New Jersey sanctioned MMA scene in there, too, so don't think it's all just about the time Shawn Obasi killed that representative from the Chinatown Triads or when Richie Torres fought a pitbull in the ring. As the publishing process takes about a year, you will have plenty of time to save up your allowance to buy a copy.
Tuesday, October 12, 2010
MMA University Comes to Queens
UCL promoter Peter Storm has started an MMA program at the Pulse Fitness gym in Sunnyside, Queens. Dubbed "MMA University", the program features instruction by a rotating staff of underground and pro fighters, and the facilities include dedicated mat space, a variety of heavy bags and an assortment of equipment. For more info, email Storm at peterstorm@hotmail.com - or just show up and get your ass kicked. I don't care.
Monday, October 11, 2010
Scenes from a Carlos Condit Open Workout
MMA Journalist is here at the Wat in NYC - Kru Phil Nurse's school and one the premiere Muay Thai academies in the country - for a Carlos Condit open workout. Condit is here in the Big Apple making some appearances before hopping on a plane to the UK for his UFC 120 bout this weekend, and at this very moment Kru Nurse is putting him through his paces to keep him sharp. "I feel good," says the former WEC champ, who is upbeat and calm. Is he concerned at all with jetlag and getting enough rest before Saturday given his busy fight-week schedule? "Not at all. I can pretty much sleep anywhere at anytime, so I'll be well-rested." Condit will be facing British hairstyle tragedy Dan Hardy, and as Condit appears to be healthy and in solid shape (i.e., that cast on his leg and that festering staph wound don't seem to be slowing him down), it should be a pretty decent brawl.
Observations from My Couch: "Ultimate Yeah, Nick Diaz is Pretty Badass"
- Andre Galvao: reminding us in a minute and 48 seconds that world-class jiu-jitsu means nothing when you pit it against world-class wrestling and a mean uppercut.
- It was nice having a female MMA champ that was capable of highlight-reel knockouts and slams. But a slick submission machine as champ is cool, too. Way to go, Marloes Coenen.
- The decision in the Josh Thomson/Gesias Cavalcante bout could definitely have gone either way. And that judge that gave the third round to Thomson is beyond blind; she’s straight up hallucinating.
- How long will Thomson and Cavalcante be out due to injury? To determine the answer, use this simple equation: (the number of rounds fought x 3) + (each past knee injury x 4) + 6. This is the number of months they’ll be out. In other words, expect to see them in the cage again in 2014.
- Nick. Diaz. Kicks. Ass. That is all.
Friday, October 8, 2010
Predictions for Strikeforce: "Diaz vs. Noons II vs. Post-Fight Riot"
It’s time once again for the number two MMA organization in the world to grace us with another offering, and this time Strikeforce presents us with a four-fight card on Showtime that will likely yield way more than four fights (how many fights go into a riot?). You see, the main event on Saturday night will feature a rematch between Nick “Proposition 19” Diaz and KJ Noons, and if there’s one thing that these two guys are good at, it’s post-bout melees. But oh the questions that prospect raises! Will Nate Diaz stab KJ Noons’ dad with a stale pretzel? Will Nick’s weed stash get trampled on? Will the two opposing camps break into a “West Side Story” song and dance number? (*Fingers snapping* “Be cool, Nick, be cool.”) At this point in time, no one knows. But here are some predictions.
- Tyron Woodley is a stud wrestler. Andre Galvao is a stud jiu-jitsu guy. Given Strikeforce’s luck lately, Woodley and Galvao will engage in an uninspired stand-up sparring match reminiscent of when your overweight uncle Jeff did Tae Kwon Do back in the ‘80s.
- Josh Thomson and Gesias “JZ” Cavalcante are two of the best in their division, and very exciting fighters. Another thing they have in common: they’re held together by duct tape. The winner is going to be the dude who doesn’t literally fall to pieces first.
- Sarah Kaufman: smash. Smash hard.
- Marloes Coenen: be smashed.
- Diaz vs. Noons is actually a very compelling match-up in terms of their respective boxing abilities. Lately, no one’s been able to cope with what Professor Cannabis brings to the table, and Noons absolutely wrecked Jorge Gurgel. Who’s going to win? I don’t know, but it’s going to be a fun ride.
Thursday, October 7, 2010
Mitch the Intern's TUF 12 Recap: Episode 4
*Editor's note: Mitch the Intern is an NYU undergrad whose favorite Wednesday night pastime includes the TV in his dorm room, a green beanbag chair and two hits of acid. Enjoy.*
Yeah, so Chris Rock on Steroids won last week, defeating Brit Eye-run Wal-king Some (as coach Georges St. No English calls him). But now it's time for everyone to go back to the locker rooms, and they're reluctant. You see, there's a convicted rapist in there with the kind of facial tattoo that just cries out "Mmmm, buttocks!" And no one wants any of that.
Yet eventually the SpikeTV producers wrangle Team Canada Dry in there, and all the kids plus coaches are subjected to listening to ex-boxing champ Mike Tyson talk about… I don't know, being brave in prison and not looking corrections officers in the eye or something.
"Wow, this so completely applies to me," says starry-eyed anonymous TUFer #563.
But if one half of the TUF cast is having a grand time locked in a room with a felon, the other half must be suffering - which coach Josh Kosh B'Gosh ensures by shouting nonsensical speeches meant to motivate while his team punches big inflatable exercise balls. Then they push the balls around. Then they attempt to balance on top of the balls (most fall). Then they kick the balls into traffic. Then they drop the balls into Lake Meade, and shoot at them with shotguns as the balls float away.
"You will work hard now," exclaims Josh Kosh B'Gosh. "You will be rewarded, but much later. Like, maybe sometime after you're 40, or when you go to 7-11 and buy a cherry cola Slurpee and a scratch-off lottery ticket, and you win ten dollars. That's when you'll be rewarded. If ever." And it becomes clear that, as the theme of his team's workouts is "mindless", so too are his speeches.
Back at the TUF House and everyone is relaxing, sipping on cocktails in hollowed out pineapples and rolling up palm fronds and smoking them. "Cue discord!" yells a producer, and The Armenian Wonder starts grumbling about how Bruce Leroy isn't the baddest, that the Shogun of Harlem is the man to beat.
John Fitzgerald Kennedy Lentz agrees and chimes in with, "Who's the baddest? Sho'Nuff!"
Bruce Leroy responds by adjusting the pick in his afro, then mixing kata with 1980s-style break dancing moves.
Napkins and other table linen are thrown. Spuds McKenzie the fisherman throws a roll of paper towels. Marky-Marc tosses a dry sponge into the fray. It's insanity.
The insanity continues into the next scene, as Georges St. Impossible Accent cautiously drives his car into the TUF Training Center parking lot. You see, in the last episode Josh Kosh B'Gosh pulled the mother of all pranks and parked his rental car too close to the Canadian's car, forcing him to have to squeeze in through the door awkwardly. To prevent another such crippling practical joke, Georges St. Er, What? nips the shenanigans in the bud by parking too close to a fire hydrant. Uh, that's illegal and gets your car towed in most parts of the world. Does the UFC welterweight champ not know that? Probably not, but what he does know is… underwear!
It's time for a pose-down, and Josh Kosh B'Gosh and Georges St. Ambiguous take turns strutting around in their tight skivvies.
"Don't you love it when men look at you?" asks Josh Kosh B'Gosh.
"Mais oui!" giggles Georges St. Pierre.
And then it's time to pick the next fight. As Team Canadia won the lost bout, Georges St. No Personality gets to choose, and he calls out his ward Dr. Watson to face Team Josh Kosh B'Gosh's Andy My Main Man.
"My main man!" says an aged blind blues guitarist sitting on a bench in the back of the gym, and he strums a few notes.
Training montage time, and Andy My Main Man is bedecked in a fur coat, garish purple hat, and alligator-skin boots. On either harm hang scantily-clad beauties - beauties who charge clients by the hour, give him a percentage, and who know karate. Another pimp saunters by going in the other direction, pauses and extends his palm. "My main man!" says the pimp, and Andy My Main Man slaps the man's hand and then the two bump fists and continue walking.
Cut to Dr. Watson's training, and jiu-jitsu master from New Zealand Jemaine Clement adjusts his glasses and begins serenading him. "Looking 'round the room, I can tell that you are the most beautiful fighter in the… room. In the whole wide room. And when you're on the street, depending on the street, I bet you're definitely in the top three good-looking fighters on the street."
"Dee-pending on de street," adds Georges St. Please Don't Talk.
More training for Dr. Watson, though, only this time his trainers stage a fake entrance to the fight. Once in the Octagon, they make like it's the beginning of his impending bout. After that, they do act one, scene two of "Hamlet", then pretend the floor is lava and hop from piece of gym equipment to piece of gym equipment.
But then it's fight time for reals, and Andy My Main Man and Dr. Watson waste no time in mixing it up. The two clock each other nicely, clinch, and punch each other some more. Utilizing his purple belt in Koala Jiu-Jitsu, Andy My Main Man gets on Dr. Watson's back and stays there, hunting for eucalyptus leaves to munch on while the older fighter defends. Dr. Watson eventually escapes and winds up on top, and the two exchanges pleasantries. Time runs out in Round 1 and we're fed commercials, and then the fight resumes, this time with Dr. Watson getting the takedown, scoring with some ground and pound, and eventually finding his way to Andy My Main Man's back. The younger fighter taps soon after to a rear naked choke, giving Dr. Watson and Team Georges St. I'm Too Good To Learn English another win.
Upset, Josh Kosh B'Gosh begins rearranging furniture.
The end.
Wednesday, October 6, 2010
Tuesday, October 5, 2010
Top Five Craziest Things Eddie Alvarez Fans Have Done When He Has Fought
Years ago an up-and-coming wrestler with dynamite in his fists made waves in the Northeast scene, crushing opponents left and right in promotions like Reality Fighting, Ring of Combat and the Mixed Fighting Championship. And during this Philadelphia-based fighter’s unbridled dispensing of carnage, which occurred sometimes in Atlantic City, sometimes in Trenton or even Northern New Jersey, there were always several hundred screaming, rabid fans – bussed in and garbed in “We Love You, Eddie!” or “Eddie For President” t-shirts – mere seconds away from rioting regardless of whether their hero won or lost. That’s right, I’m talking about Eddie Alvarez, favorite son of the “City of Brotherly Love” and now a top-five lightweight. Back then, those of us who observed the phenomenon would wonder aloud what would happen once Pennsylvania legalized MMA and Alvarez could fight before his hometown crowd. Would his fans storm the cage? Would the very foundation of the venue tremble from their might? Well, soon we shall wonder no more, for Bellator has Alvarez headlining their October 21st show, slated for the Liacouras Center in Philadelphia. There will be bloodshed when Alvarez faces Roger Huerta. There will be chaos. And all that’s just outside of the cage. Consider: the top five craziest things Eddie Alvarez fans have done when he has fought.
- Alvarez vs. Chris Schlesinger, Reality Fighting 7 on October 16, 2004 – After stunning Schlesinger with an uppercut at the one-minute mark Alvarez was declared the winner. Meanwhile, an Alvarez fan dragged a chair to the top of the bleachers at Boardwalk Hall and tossed it into a crowd of Schlesinger supporters. Two men were killed, one seriously injured.
- Alvarez vs. Seichi Ikemoto, Mixed Fighting Championship 3 on February 26, 2005 – It took Alvarez nearly two full rounds to overwhelm a tentative and back-pedaling Ikemoto, but when he finally did, an Alvarez fan ran over to the concession stand, doused himself with gasoline and lit a match. Forty-seven hot dogs and a bag of Skittles were burned beyond recognition.
- Alvarez vs. Adam Fearon, Ring of Combat 6 on April 24, 2004 – A takedown into mount and a shower of fists. That was the story of this pairing, which took place at the Rexplex Sports Complex in Elizabeth. Moments after Alvarez’s win, a fan detonated a car bomb in the parking lot; no more MMA events were allowed at the Rexplex Sports Complex.
- Alvarez vs. Derrick Noble, Mixed Fighting Championship 7 on June 3, 2006 – Alvarez’s first taste of UFC-level competition ended clearly and convincingly, with Noble falling prey to a flurry of leather and crumpling to the canvas in about a minute. Afterwards, a fan drove his Mustang convertible onto the Atlantic City boardwalk, then onto the beach and into the surf. Neither car nor driver was ever recovered.
- Alvarez vs. Matt Lee, BodogFIGHT on July 14, 2007 – For the first and only time in his career Alvarez was taken to a decision, with the durable Lee losing via unanimous decision. As this bout took place in the Sovereign Bank Arena in Trenton, fans poured out into the streets post-fight and destroyed three entire city blocks. Trenton residents still haven’t noticed.
Monday, October 4, 2010
UCL Postscript
Don't get me wrong, I love going to sanctioned MMA events of all shapes and sizes and seeing the budding elite mix it up. But something about taking the subway to a mosque (!) and seeing dudes throw down vale tudo-style on a mat (no ring, no cage, just a mat) makes me smile. There were only three fights at last night's Underground Combat League event, and with the audience consisting of only fighters, their trainers, underground photographer Anil Melwani and myself, it was as intimate an affair as you could get. There wasn't even an admission charged at the door. Kudos to James Braddock for winning the first-ever UCL belt (and major props to Sadistic Athletics for making the hardware). And Peter Storm deserves a ton of credit. He was outweighed by about 35 pounds but didn't hesitate to get in there and get his hands dirty. Good times. Anil should have pics up over at www.MMA.us soon.
Sunday, October 3, 2010
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