Saturday, March 6, 2010
Friday, March 5, 2010
Liveblog: M-1 Fight Tryouts
MMA Journalist is here at Ultimate Karate is Spanish Harlem for the M-1 fighter tryouts. Yes, international promotion M-1 is coming to town - Bally's Casino in Atlantic City to be exact - for two installments in April, and they're looking for young and hungry future stars in all weight classes. Putting the contestants through their paces is sambo master Oleg Savitsky, and scrutinizing the action is M-1 exec Apy Echteld. Present in the cage are underground star James Funaro, Wing Chun killer Shawn Obasi, Iron Ring veteran Daniel Akiyemi and the experienced Kenneth Rivera, plus reps from Anderson's Martial Arts, Ultimate Karate and Fighthouse. Also, this is just one stop of many for Savitsky and Echteld, as they've held similiar tryouts at Renzo's and other schools throughout the city.
Predictions for WEC 47 "We Welcome You To Munchkin Land"
Hey, what do you know, there's a WEC on tap for Saturday night - and this one won't cost you anything if you have cable TV and the Versus channel (unlike WEC 48, which will cost you more clams than it's worth). Anyway, WEC 47 stars champ Brian Bowles and challenger Dominick Cruz, two 135-pound fighters who live in absolute fear of Frank Mir ever since the former UFC heavyweight champ and erstwhile WEC color commentator ate a couple bantamweights last year when they came too close to his gaping maw. Also on the card is ex-135-pound champ Miguel "Super-Mullet" Torres, Deividas "What's My Name?" Taurosevicius, and Bart "Ah the IFL… Those Were the Days" Palaszewski. Predictions!
- Who’s going to win between Bowles and Cruz? Who the hell cares! Torres is the only bantamweight who ever made an impression.
- Torres is facing Joseph Benavidez. Not counting the referee, that’s 270 pounds of nachos and spicy salsa in the cage right there.
- Faded warrior Jens Pulver now gets knocked out when his opponents breathe too hard on his skull. Thankfully, Javier Vasquez ain’t no heavy-breather. Pulver by TKO.
- Taurosevicius is facing LC Davis. Did you know the “LC” stands for Loquacious Child? Seriously, that kid does not stop talking…
- Palaszewski is facing Karen Darabedyan. I give Palaszewski the edge here, as he’s obviously facing a girl.
Weekend Schedule
M-1 is holding tryouts tonight at Ultimate Karate USA in Manhattan. I'm not sure for what - an upcoming show? Their team? Regardless, MMA Journalist will be there to check it out. MMA Journalist will also be at the Evolution Amateur MMA event in Rahway on Saturday night, so expect some livebloggery. And Saturday night also brings us the latest installment of the WEC on Versus. Set your DVRs for that one.
Thursday, March 4, 2010
Epic End to an Epic Saga
Last night Christian "Wargod" Darrow showed up at James Funaro's gym on Long Island for the bout that was supposed to happen at the UCL, and the result was a predictable KO for Funaro. By all accounts, and his own admission, Darrow has a drug problem and witnesses say it was evident. But credit should go to both men - for Darrow, who knew going in that he was going to take a beating, and for Funaro for showing class and restraint. According to Anil Melwani over at www.MMA.us, as soon as his opponent dropped Funaro was immediately helping him up. For an incredibly hyped challenge match, one on par with the legendary Kimbo vs. Gannon or Hermes Franca vs. Manny Reyes bouts, there was no bad blood whatsoever. It was all just business. Serious, Internet business. Check out Anil's site for pics.
Wednesday, March 3, 2010
Tuesday, March 2, 2010
UCL Postscript
Although there were only four fights, they were pretty good, with Eric Blasich and Kirkland Campbell really going at it, Jonathan Velez and Dante Thomas waging war and Chris Corr proving yet again that he's a dominant force at 132 pounds. The Northeast is stocked with quite a few tough, highly-skilled bantamweights out there both at the amateur level and pro - he definitely belongs in the mix. However, one thing that should not be overlooked is how good Doug "Lionheart" Ahammer is and how much he's improved on the ground. He was way more of an offensive grappling threat in this rematch. That, plus the fact that he fights like a Tasmanian Devil on meth, makes for one exciting fighter. Lastly, props to James Funaro for showing up to fight even after being KO'd the night before, and boo on Christian "Wargod" Darrow for pulling a no-show. There were a ton of people there to see that bout and quite a few more photographers than usual. Wargod let everyone down.
Sunday, February 28, 2010
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