Thus far in 2010 we've witnessed 145-pound Strikeforce champ Cris "Cyborg" Santos wreck an inferior fighter and utterly destroy someone who had no business being in the same cage. We've also seen Zoila Frausto unseat top-ranked 125 pounder Rosi Sexton in Bellator, and in one of the few serious bouts on that goofy Moosin card we saw Roxanne Modafferi avenge a 2006 loss to Tara LaRosa with a razor-thin split decision. But only now, in August, are we getting a female MMA bout with some real meaningfulness. That's right, I'm talking about Roxy squaring off against Strikeforce 135-pound champ Sarah Kaufman on Friday's Strikeforce Challengers event on Showtime. For unlike the rest of 2010's offerings, a champ is facing a legitimate challenger - a challenger who belongs in that same weight class and who isn't foolishly fighting up - and when you compare them side by side, it's clear you've got a compelling pairing. Roxy can throw and take a punch, can play the submission game as well as any of them, and has got a wealth of experience fighting the best. Kaufman, meanwhile, has got the best hands in her division and has never tasted defeat. In other words, these ladies are very capable of kicking each other's asses - a fact that goes a long way in making this one worth watching. Sure, Bellator's upcoming eight-person, 115-pound female tournament is going to rock, as will whatever tournament Strikeforce is putting together. But this Friday we're getting Roxy against Kaufman, and it's the first meaningful female fight of 2010.
Tuesday, July 20, 2010
Monday, July 19, 2010
From the Department of Corrections
That Dan Severn seminar slated for Ultimate Karate USA's school in Spanish Harlem tonight is now a Phillippe Nover seminar. The address is 1950 Third Avenue. Scheduled topics will include "Punching People in the Face Real Hard 101" and "Eating Balut (a Filipino delicacy of cooked duck fetus)".
Take On Muay Thai Tournament Postscript
Sitan's Omar Ahmed is the man, Bellmore Kickboxing's Terence Hill is beastly with his hands, and of course nothing beats a one-night eight-man tournament in terms of building excitement. Eleven decisions out of 12 fights was brutal, but unless you have mismatches, there's nothing you can really do about that. Overall, it was a great event with some very talented Muay Thai fighters.
Saturday, July 17, 2010
Liveblog: Take On Muay Thai Part 5
Thus far there have been zero stoppages, just decisions. Will Team Renzo's Elijah Clarke and 5 Point's Gaius Ebratt remedy that? Ebratt comes close in the opening round, landing frequently and catching Clarke with a meaty hook to the floating rib at the bell. It's only a few seconds into Round 2 when Ebratt drops him again with a kick to the liver, and the rest of the frame is spent with Ebratt hunting that same sweet spot and Clarke protecting it like crazy. Clarke goes down in Round 3 once again, and when the fourth knockdown comes in Round 4, that's all she wrote. Ebratt via TKO. Next bout is a non-tournament rematch between Jay Matias of Sitan and Mohammed Lemjerdine of CT's Finest. It's pretty even in the first round, as an expressionless Matias moves forward landing punches and Lemjerdine battles back with kicks and knees. It's the same in Rounds 2, 3 and 4, and Lemjerdine seems to grow more and more frustrated that Matias keeps following him with a fist to the jaw and a cold look in his eye. Round 5 is no different, and when time runs out the judges tally up the points and give Lemjerdine the majority decision. Last bout and it's the tournament final between Ahmed and Hill. MMA fighter "Crazy" Chris Schlesinger - who's present as a teammate of Hill's - informs me that Ahmed is Hill's only loss as an amateur, so we'll see if this pro rematch will provide some vengeance. Round 1 is fast and furious, Hill blazing away with his fists and Ahmed pegging him with kicks. The action doesn't let up in the second round, although one telling thing is how many of Ahmed's high-kicks just barely graze the top of Hill's head. Round 3 is ridiculously close, as Ahmed starts out-boxing Hill and Hill starts beating Ahmed on kicks. Time runs out, and the judges decree Ahmed the winner. And that's it.
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