The Moosin: God of Martial Arts event is this Friday in Worcester, Massachusetts, and as the promotion decided to go with an ill-prepared strongman in its main event in lieu of an ill-prepared pro boxer managed by Don King, there's actually a chance the show might happen. But don't let the Tim Sylvia/Mariusz Pudzianowski headliner discourage you from shelling out the dough for the pay-per-view, for the event's got an undercard with some compelling and worthwhile match-ups - not the least of which is the rematch between Tara LaRosa and Roxanne Modafferi. You see, these two top five female fighters met in the ring back in 2006, at a Mixed Fighting Championship event in Atlantic City (the MFC went on to become BodogFIGHT), and if LaRosa vs. Roxy II is anything like their first fight, it should be action-packed from beginning to end. The story of their MFC bout was that these two ladies went back-and-forth for the duration, LaRosa continually finding the dominant position and Roxy threatening with submissions throughout, and when it was all over the crowd went wild with appreciation. This was way before Gina Carano put female MMA on the map and way, way before Cris Cyborg was crowned champ on Showtime. But thanks to this bout, and the crowd-reaction fighters like Laura D'Auguste, Amanda Buckner and Shayna Baszler were getting, promoters were realizing that there was something to this whole "chicks fighting" thing. And LaRosa and Roxy played a role in that. So if you tune in to watch Moosin, don't expect much when the ex-UFC champ takes on the guy who flips giant tires for a living, but when the ladies take the stage, hold on to your freakin' hat. It should be a barnburner.
Wednesday, May 19, 2010
Tuesday, May 18, 2010
Monday, May 17, 2010
Observations from My Couch: Strikeforce's "Horse Meat Surprise"
- Much props to Antwain Britt for going down swinging. That could just as easily have been Rafael Cavalcante on the canvas, the Brazilian just landed cleanly first.
- Thank God Roger Gracie came away looking nothing like Rolles. Thank God.
- I was rooting for Joey Villasenor to make the comeback, but it's just as well that Jacare got the win. If Villasenor were to ever get the belt, he'd lose it immediately to the next challenger. Jacare has a chance of holding on to it.
- Watching the great Andrei Arlovski fight like that gives me a sad.
- How many horses died to help transform the Alistair Overeem who lost to Chuck Liddell in Pride to the monster that wrecked Brett Rogers on Saturday night?
UCC 2 Postscript
Another solid installment by the pro MMA show that's somewhat convenient to New York City. Dante Rivera looked like a fighter who's competed at the highest levels, whereas Ryan Contaldi looked like a fish out of water. John Cholish has got the tools, and against Hitalo Machado he showed he's got the heart, as he was getting the worst of it on the feet until he started landing that low-kick. He's definitely one to watch. And I don't know if Josh Rave plans on fighting locally some more, but in two Northeast bouts he's proven to be one of the best 125-135 pounders around.
Friday, May 14, 2010
Liveblog: UCC 2 Part 5
Last fight and it's Ricardo Almeida-trained Dante Rivera against Iron Horse MMA's Ryan Contaldi. Based on cornermen alone Contaldi is in trouble, as he's got UFC fighter Mike Massenzio while Rivera has UFC champ Frankie Edgar plus Chris Liguori, Haz Ibrahim and Tom DeBlass. We'll see if he can overcome the deficit. The opening frame has the two going back and forth with select strikes and clinch-work, with Contaldi scoring a takedown late and Rivera nullifying his top game. Rivera is large and in charge in Round 2, though, throwing Contaldi with some high-amplitude takedowns and working into a North-South choke. The tap comes at 3:20 of the round. Good showing for Rivera. And that's all she wrote...
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