Saturday, June 27, 2009
Liveblog: Brooklyn Underground Show Part 4
Next up is Tony "the Tiger", a tae kwon do rep, against Torin, a Goju Karate dude. Apparently the Tiger hails from Michigan, where they teach a lot of jumping and spinning back-kicks with their MMA - techniques he uses to prove that white men can indeed jump. He batters Torin for the second-round ref stoppage. Frosted Flakes for everyone! The next pair of fighters take to the ring, with a self-proclamed MMA stylist named "Lockman" taking on a tae kwon do dude name Jarrett. No, not the Subway guy. That's Jared. Anyhoo, Jarrett immediately puts Lockman on his butt with a pushkick, and when they get back to their feet it's a UFC 1-style mix of kicks and telegraphed punches coming a mile away. They really lay into each other, though, and in Round 3 Lockman catches Jarrett's kick and feeds him a right hand for the KO. The crowd goes wild.
Liveblog: Brooklyn Underground Show Part 3
The fights haven't yet started, but there's some fighter doing katas to warm up. Excellent. I ask the judges what their backgrounds are; one is a black belt in karate, the other a black belt in kung fu. Okay, it's about to start. But first, that guy who was practicing katas is now doing them for us in the ring with a pair of those bladed thingies that feudal Japanese farmers used to cut wheat. The opening bout: a kung fu stylist nicknamed "Blackie Chan" vs. a jiu-jitsu guy named "Chaos". Uh oh. The ring announcer asked if we're ready to rumble. He's going to get sued. The fight begins with Chaos slightly more aggressive. However, the fact that they're wearing headgear - and that they have to pause to replace it whenever it falls off - enables Blackie Chan to recover and out-scramble his foe to earn the decision.
Liveblog: Brooklyn Underground Show Part 2
This is actually their second MAM event, but the first one was a smaller trial-run thing back in March. This one is larger scale, and includes free food consisting of roast chicken, rice and beans. They've won me over already. It's shaping up to be about a hundred spectators, which will pretty much fill the venue. And the judges are actually in suits and ties. Wow.
Liveblog: Brooklyn Underground Show Part 1
MMA Journalist is ringside for Martial Arts Madness, an underground MMA show at a boxing gym in East New York - one of the worst neighborhoods in Brooklyn. How bad is the neighborhood? I was mugged three times walking here from the subway (although the second set of muggers actually gave me stuff so the third group would have something to steal). Anyway, the promoter stressed that these are just exhibition bouts, and in addition to the seven-bout card, there's some sort of photo shoot going on with bikini-clad chicks.
Friday, June 26, 2009
Weekend Schedule
Not a lot going on in the world of MMA this weekend, although there is that underground show in Brooklyn. Now, if the show does go off, and if the promoter is cool with it, and if I don't get killed in what is one of the absolute worst neighborhoods in New York City, then MMA Journalist will liveblog the event. However, keep in mind that this is not an established promotion, so it's a roll of the dice as to what may happen. Stay tuned tomorrow afternoon.
Vitor Belfort's Worm Excited at Prospect of Returning to UFC
When rumors circulated last week of Vitor Belfort's possible return to the UFC to face middleweight champ Anderson Silva, fans voiced their excitement over the chance of seeing the prodigal son with the crowd-pleasing flurry in the Octagon once more. But none are more excited than Belfort's worm, which has resided in his intestines since his 1997 loss to Randy Couture and has provided the Brazilian with excuses for nearly every MMA loss. "Oh yeah, it's going to be great," said the worm, who sapped Belfort of his energy against Couture and managed to fracture Belfort's hand against Kazushi Sakuraba. "The UFC is without question the premiere organization out there and they treat us right. It's like coming home." As Belfort is still under contract with Affliction, it's unclear if Dana White has actually made an offer or if it's all just speculation. But one thing is sure: Belfort and his worm will be ready to fight, lose and make excuses when the time comes.
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