Saturday, June 19, 2010
Liveblog: MMA Mayhem Part 2
First bout and it's George Sheppard from MMA Institute (not an accredited university) against Williamsburg BJJ lightweight honcho Roger Mamedov. Despite having grappling elite like Ricardo Almeida and Frankie Edgar in his corner, Mamedov engages in a stand-up contest with Sheppard, the two going toe to toe and dinging each other repeatedly. But at around the three-minute mark Sheppard tags Mamedov on the chin and drops him. Mamedov rises only to get knocked down again, and another knockdown after that has the ref stepping in. The official time of the TKO is 3:29 of Round 1. Next is Quinton McCottrell of 11th Dimension MMA and Jim Tomczuk of RABJJ in a middleweight pairing. Round 1 has McCottrell flexing his wrestling muscle and Tomczuk beating him on the grappling transitions and scoring with some dirty boxing. Round 2 is more of the same, and when Tomczuk works onto his opponent's back, flattens him out and pounds him, it only seems like the inevitable is coming to fruition. Ref Kevin Mullhall halts the bombardment at 4:05 into the round.
Liveblog: MMA Mayhem Part 1
MMA Journalist is here at Six Flags Great Adventure for MMA Mayhem, a six-fight pro card in the middle of a gigantic amusement park. New Jersey veteran Jose Rodriguez is slated to fight the Tasmanian Devil (or someone in a Tasmanian Devil suit), while Chris Liguori is facing the Joker from the Batman rollercoaster and Dante Rivera and Dan Cramer are squaring off on the Log Flume. So, um, yeah.
Friday, June 18, 2010
Mixed Martial Musings
- Jake Shields leaving Strikeforce for the UFC would be great for Strikeforce. Shields draws zero ratings, and the only time his bouts are exciting is when he’s losing (getting rocked by Dan Henderson, almost getting choked by Mayhem). Also, nothing says “pure awesomeness” like an eight-man middleweight tournament – which is what Strikeforce will do to crown a new champ if Shields bolts.
- Everyone knows UFC champ Frankie Edgar had his first fight ever in the Underground Combat League, but did you know that ROC champ Ryan LaFlare had his first fight there too? And guess where Anthony Leone – who is making his WEC debut on Sunday – popped his MMA cherry? If you said the UCL, then buy yourself a 40oz of Olde English 800, drink it from a paper bag and pass out on the corner.
- The M-1 Global “Selection” show in Atlantic City is next weekend and they’ve purposely kept their fight card hush-hush lest some rival promotion poach their fighters. I know Tom Gallicchio is fighting, and maybe Josh Key, but that’s it. Oh the drama!
- When MMA came along, Tiger Schulmann’s was a school that specialized in a karate that was heavy on boxing and kickboxing. What’s remarkable about that is that their latest rising star, ROC bantamweight champ Nick Pace, has won ten of his eleven fights (both pro and amateur combined) with superior grappling. That’s some serious evolution right there.
- The fact that the New York State Senate passed a bill to legalize MMA this week made for some nice headlines, but all that optimism needs to be tempered with a dose of reality. For it to become law, a legalization bill has to pass through two more committees in the Assembly before it can get a general vote, and with no committee meetings scheduled and the legislative session supposed to end on Monday… well, lets just say it would be a bit premature to start camping outside Madison Square Garden for UFC tickets right now.
- MMA Mayhem is this Saturday at Six Flags Great Adventure in New Jersey, and the majority of the proceeds will be going to the Jackson Township PBA to combat some threatened layoffs of police officers. MMA Journalist will be there liveblogging the event, and I’ll be wearing my vintage NWA and the Posse “F**K Da Police” t-shirt. Just kidding.
June 2010 Women's Independent World MMA Rankings
The June 2010 Women's Independent World MMA Rankings have been released. These rankings are independent of any single MMA media outlet or sanctioning body, and are published on multiple web sites, as well as http://www.independentworldmmarankings.com/.
The members of the voting panel for the Women's Independent World MMA Rankings are, in alphabetical order: Nicholas Bailey (MMA Ratings); Jim Genia (Full Contact Fighter, MMA Memories, and MMA Journalist Blog); Yael Grauer (MMA HQ); Jesse Holland (MMA Mania); Robert Joyner (Freelance); Zac Robinson (Sports by the Numbers MMA); Leland Roling (Bloody Elbow); Michael David Smith (AOL Fanhouse); Joshua Stein (MMA Opinion); and Ivan Trembow (Freelance).
The members of the voting panel for the Women's Independent World MMA Rankings are, in alphabetical order: Nicholas Bailey (MMA Ratings); Jim Genia (Full Contact Fighter, MMA Memories, and MMA Journalist Blog); Yael Grauer (MMA HQ); Jesse Holland (MMA Mania); Robert Joyner (Freelance); Zac Robinson (Sports by the Numbers MMA); Leland Roling (Bloody Elbow); Michael David Smith (AOL Fanhouse); Joshua Stein (MMA Opinion); and Ivan Trembow (Freelance).
June 2010 Women's Independent World MMA Rankings
Ballots collected on June 15, 2010
Featherweight Rankings (136 to 145 lbs.)
1. Cristiane "Cyborg" Santos (9-1)
2. Marloes Coenen (17-4)
3. Gina Carano (7-1)
4. Yuko "Hiroko" Yamanaka (9-1-1)
5. Cindy Dandois (4-0)
6. Shana Olsen (4-0)
7. Amanda Nunes (5-1)
8. Jamie Seaton (2-1)
9. Emily Thompson (3-2)
10. Hitomi Akano (15-7)
Bantamweight Rankings (126 to 135 lbs.)
1. Sarah Kaufman (11-0)
2. Roxanne Modafferi (15-5)
3. Tara LaRosa (18-2)
4. Hitomi Akano (15-7)
5. Shayna Baszler (12-6)
6. Takayo Hashi (12-2)
7. Miesha Tate (9-2)
8. Julie Kedzie (14-8)
9. Vanessa Porto (10-4)
10. Jennifer Tate (6-1)
Flyweight Rankings (116 to 125 lbs.)
1. Rosi Sexton (10-1)
2. Tara LaRosa (18-2)
3. Aisling Daly (9-0)
4. Rin Nakai (6-0)
5. Sally Krumdiack (8-3)
6. Lena Ovchynnikova (6-0)
7. Megumi Fujii (20-0)
8. Monica Lovato (5-1)
9. Jeri Sitzes (3-1)
10. Mutsumi Kasai (4-1)
Junior Flyweight Rankings (106 to 115 lbs.)
1. Megumi Fujii (20-0)
2. Yuka Tsuji (22-2)
3. Lisa Ward (12-5)
4. Mei "V Hajime" Yamaguchi (6-2)
5. Jessica Pene (7-0)
6. Jessica Aguilar (8-3)
7. Kyoko Takabayashi (11-4)
8. Angela Magana (8-4)
9. Saori Ishioka (8-4)
10. Emi Fujino (8-4)
The Women's Independent World MMA Rankings are tabulated and published
on a monthly basis, with fighters receiving ten points for a
first-place vote, nine points for a second-place vote, and so on.
The rankings are based purely on the votes of the members of the
voting panel, with nobody's vote counting more than anybody else's
vote, and no computerized voting.
The voters are instructed to vote primarily based on fighters' actual
accomplishments in the cage/ring (the quality of opposition that
they've actually beaten), not based on a broad, subjective perception
of which fighters would theoretically win hypothetical match-ups.
Inactivity: Fighters who have not fought in the past 12 months are not
eligible to be ranked, and will regain their eligibility the next time
they fight.
Disciplinary Suspensions: Fighters who are currently serving
disciplinary suspensions, or who have been denied a license for drug
test or disciplinary reasons, are not eligible to be ranked.
Changing Weight Classes: When a fighter announces that she is leaving
one weight class in order to fight in another weight class, the
fighter is not eligible to be ranked in the new weight class until her
first fight in the new weight class has taken place.
Catch Weight Fights: When fights are contested at weights that are in
between the limits of the various weight classes, they are considered
to be in the higher weight class. The weight limits for each weight
class are listed at the top of the rankings for each weight class.
Special thanks to Eric Kamander, Joshua Stein and Yael Grauer for their invaluable help with this project, and special thanks to Garrett Bailey for designing our logo.
Thursday, June 17, 2010
Observations from My Couch: Strikeforce's Midweek Melee
- Not a bad show. Not a bad show at all. Why couldn’t this have been their CBS show instead of that Jake Shields/Dan Henderson-headlined suckfest?
- KJ Noons looked a bit out of shape but was still dangerous. It might be nice seeing him slug it out with Jorge Gurgel. Someone like Eddie Alvarez would kill him, though.
- Wow. Tim Kennedy pretty much ate Trevor Prangley for dinner. Cobra Commander doesn’t stand a chance!
- That DREAM championship belt that Marius Zaramoskis won last year is worth about nine dollars on E-Bay now. Tops.
- Best Evangelista “Cyborg” Santos ever. I’d give him a 10% chance of defeating his wife in a fight now.
- When Babalu first fought in the UFC he was a heavyweight. When Robbie Lawler first fought in the UFC he was a welterweight. I’m just going to leave that out there.
Dr. Sherry Wulkan - Not a Fan of the UCL
"To:CNN Money Reports
Re: Illegal Fight Club Hides in NY
Although the content of the report about the UCL/Illegal Fight Club in New York is unfortunately, accurate and if anything, understated, granting UCL’s CEO Peter Storm access to free press makes a mockery of legitimate promotions and Athletic Control Boards and sets the sport of MMA's reputation back at least 10-15 years, prior to the adoption of the Unified Rules of MMA initially drafted by the New Jersey State Athletic Control Board in 2000.
The purpose of these rules is first and foremost, to make mixed martial arts competitions as safe as possible for its athletes: the Association of Boxing Commissions (ABC) has continued to modify the original rules as the sport evolves and the skill sets of its participants change.
In this tape, Peter Storm 'proudly states' that he has only 4 rules. A young, obviously poorly trained young man is knocked out more than once in the same session and is hit on the back of the head multiple times. There are no trained referees, ringside physician(s) or ambulance(s) present. No legitimate trainer permits his athletes to participate in these promotions, since there is no way to ensure appropriate match making. Promoters of this sort claim their injury rate is no greater than that of events which comply with State Regulatory Commissions. However, many problems are not necessarily apparent the night of the event. For example, concussive symptoms (simple or complex) may not manifest immediately. Orbital fractures may be missed as may hand, rib or abdominal issues. Pre-fight testing also eliminates young, deceptively healthy looking athletes from competing (a case in point is Thiago Alves, whose dural fistula, if not fixed, could have ruptured at any time and killed him). The risk of spread of communicable diseases such as hepatitis B or C is also minimized with pre-fight testing.
In the state of New Jersey a fighter who has participated in one of these events must subject him/herself to full pro-medical pre-fight evaluations (which in New Jersey include either a head CT or MRI/MRA, full ophthalmologic examination, an EKG, HIV1/2 and hepatitis B and C screening, CBC and clotting times and a complete physical examination)before being allowed to fight for a licensed promoter, since there is no way to determine what types of injuries were sustained during an illegal match as no official records are kept.
The UCL is illegal and is potentially dangerous to its participants. It is only a matter of time until someone gets severely injured in one of these events. The shows should be stopped and charges should be pressed because of the blatant disregard of fighter safety for personal profit, and because, quite simply, what Peter Storm is flaunting, is illegal.
Dr. Sheryl Wulkan
Chief MMA Ringside Physician, New Jersey State Athletic Control Board
ABC MMA Rules Committee Medical Chair
Ringside Physician, New York State Athletic Commission
Certified Member, American Association of Professional Ringside Physicians"
Wednesday, June 16, 2010
MMA Journalist's Five-Day Forecast
According to the latest available data, it looks like we're in for some interesting weather in the next five days - weather that could include a storm of fists, a light submission shower and possibly even some World Extreme-blizzard-like conditions. Should you wear a raincoat and tote around an umbrella for Wednesday night's Strikeforce show? Is the Bellator welterweight tournament final on Thursday going to be so hot sunglasses and tanning lotion will be required? Will the Ultimate Fighter Finale on Saturday suck so hard that all air will be drawn up into the atmosphere and a deadly tornado formed? Stay tuned, because here's MMA Journalist with the five-day forecast.
- Wednesday: Clouds are gathering in Los Angeles for a mid-week Strikeforce event that will air on Showtime. Watch for scattered excitement if Conor Heun decides to stand with KJ Noons and if Evangelista Cyborg goes toe-to-toe with Marius Zaramoskis. There will be a break in the clouds when Tim Kennedy plays the hugging game with Trevor Prangley, and then severe thunder and lightning when Robbie Lawler rains hell down upon Renato “Babalu” Sobral.
- Thursday: Bellator’s second-season welterweight tournament will draw to a close at night, so expect a quiet, uneventful evening of nothing and then a giant comet in the sky and explosion when Dan Kornbuckle kicks Ben Askren’s ass.
- Friday: Nothing. Absolutely nothing is going on. Sit out on your lawn and read a book.
- Saturday: As we have now finished off eleven seasons of TUF and somewhere around season 5 the Pope declared the reality TV show the most godless and unholy thing to ever be inflicted upon the Earth, expect some serious Revelation-type stuff for Saturday night’s TUF 11 Finale. This includes a plague of locusts when Rich Attonito pounds out Jamie Yager, frogs raining down when Spencer Fisher and Chris Leben KO Dennis Siver and Aaron Simpson, and a freakin’ volcanic eruption that wipes out entire villages when Matt Hamill TKOs Keith Jardine. What will happen when Court McGee takes on Kris McCray for the eponymous TUF winner title? One can only hope for an earthquake and deep chasm that swallows them all whole.
- Sunday: WEC 49 in Edmonton, Canada, rounds out the weekend nicely. Expect some cool breezes every time Kamal Shalorus wings wild bolos at Jamie Varner, a calm and relaxing Josh Grispi submission over LC Davis, and bright sunshine when Mark Hominick takes out Yves Jabouin. The only downside will be Chris Horodecki, who will stink up the joint.
Tuesday, June 15, 2010
Really Just an Opportunity to Say "Shinnecock"
Today at 11:00am the Shinnecock Indians on Eastern Long Island will get a phone call from the Federal Bureau of Indian Affairs telling them they've been granted federal recognition. Whoopty-freakin'-doo, right? Wrong. Federal recognition for the Shinnecock means they won't be bound by New York State law, particularly the one banning pro MMA, and it means the Shinnecock will get to move forward with their plans to open a casino with hotel and entertainment facilities (i.e., a venue to host at least regional-sized MMA shows). To draw a comparison, think of how the Mohegan Sun Casino in Connecticut sprouted up and was soon hosting UFCs, IFLs and Bellators. Now switch Connecticut with Long Island, and trim that 2 1/2 hour drive down to an hour (although the Shinnecock Reservation is in Southampton, they're working out a deal with the state to build their gambling mecca in Calverton, which is much closer to NYC).
Technically, Albany could legalize MMA any time between next week and the year 2027 (and given how smooth New York runs, 2027 might be most accurate). But it's good to know that there will at least be other options out there.
Also, "Shinnecock". Tehe.
Monday, June 14, 2010
Old School Pitts Penn Reunion This Saturday
There will be threats, curses, fist-fights, blood, an assortment of tattoos depicting four-legged animals, and a brawl in the parking lot to cap off the night. If the above description reminds you of a 2003 New Jersey fight show featuring Pitts Penn fighters, you're wrong - it actually depicts a typical weekend at Six Flags Great Adventure, which on Saturday night is hosting the inaugural "MMA Mayhem" event. There are, however, a trio of Pitts Penn old-schoolers featured prominently on the card, three grizzled veterans in the form of Chris Liguori, Jose Rodriguez and Adam Fearon, and as MMA pioneers go, it doesn't get any more historical than them. Each got their start at the BAMA Fight Night shows Dan Miragliotta used to run, in a time when the sport was new and fights began in the ring but only finished after some Jersey Shore kid tried to run you down with his beat-up Nissan Ultima after the event. Thankfully, it's a kinder, gentler and more civilized sport today, and the only post-fight antics we'll likely encounter on Saturday night is when some drunken redneck named Cletus tries to ram his truck into a rhinoceros on the Wild Safari. But how things were "back in the day" made for some interesting (and fun) times, and Pitts Penn - with their hard-charging fighters leaving it all in the ring - played a big role in making Garden State MMA what it is now. Although they currently rep places like RABJJ and AMA Fight Club, expect Liguori, Rodriguez and Fearon to kick ass and take names, or at the very least, go down swinging. That was the Pitts Penn way.
Observations from My Couch: UFC 115 "Ultimate Chuck Takes a Nap"
- Mac Danzig got screwed and he got screwed hard. Referee Yves Lavigne should’ve restarted that one.
- Where the hell did that ref come from in the Ricardo Funch/Claude Patrick fight? Has he ever seen an MMA bout before? Don’t they teach grappling in Canada?
- Evan Dunham and Rory MacDonald – two youngsters who are scary-good. Watching them is like watching Georges St. Pierre circa 2004, i.e., you just know you’re gazing upon the future of the sport.
- It’s good to see Mike Pyle get a chance to showcase his skills without him getting clobbered.
- For an old horse way past his prime, Gilbert Yvel can still throw down.
- I had no problem with CroCop and Pat Barry hugging during their fight. You don’t have to hate someone to fight them, and *gasp* it’s even possible to respect the person you’re fighting.
- So is Rich Franklin going to be remembered for his run as champ? Or is he going to be remembered as the guy who retired Chuck Liddell?
Sunday, June 13, 2010
Saturday, June 12, 2010
ROC 30 Postscripts
This one was definitely one of the top five ROCs of all time. The Jenkins/Porkchop fight was a thriller, Brooks vs. Sepulveda lived up to the hype, and it was good seeing Wing and DeBlass rack up wins. As for the title fights, everyone in press row was predicting Hall, Barboza and LaFlare to score victorities, but Pace/DeAngelis was an absolute toss-up. If Pace isn't in something like the WEC soon, then WEC matchmaker Sean Shelby is just a straight-up hater.
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