Friday, February 4, 2011
Liveblog: ROC 34 Part 2
First bout and it's Manny Millan of Team Stryker and Mike Benoit of Bellmore Kickboxing in a featherweight contest. It's a dogfight from the opening bell, with both men blazing away on the feet and tagging each other until Benoit starts mixing in takedowns - then it's all about Benoit beating the bejeezus out of Millan every which way to Sunday. When time runs out Benoit takes the unanimous decision. Next: Team Vendetta's Jimbo Hoffman vs. Eagle Martial Arts' Yaser Shaukur in another featherweight pairing. Hoffman was a kickass amateur, but this is his pro debut. Can he make the transition seamlessly? Um, yeah. From takedown to mount to a storm of punches to a guillotine, it's all Hoffman, and Shaukur is tapping at :47. Last prelim and it's Vitor Shaolin student Sergio Da Silva against St. Charles MMA rep Alp Ozkillic at bantamweight. Round 1 is all Ozkillic, whose wrestling superiority enables him to stifle Da Silva's game and drop leather from above. Perhaps sensing he's in dire straights, Da Silva comes out for Round 2 throwing fists, knees and kicks with reckless abandon, and it serves him well in making Ozkillic know he's in a fight. But the judges aren't convinced, and Ozkillic ends up with the unanimous decision.
Liveblog: ROC 34 Part 1
MMA Journalist is here at the lovely Tropicana Casino & Resort in Atlantic City for Ring of Combat 34, the Northeast's best and purest expression of state-sanctioned unarmed combat. There are 13 bouts on tap, four of which are championship bouts featuring the likes of Kurt Pellegrino-trained Steve DeAngelis, Bill Scott-trained Ryan Vaccaro, Andre Pederneiras-trained Gabriel Migliolo, and a chick fight between two ladies who I assume were trained by someone but I just don't know who. (Of course, it is possible they trained themselves - you know, by living in the woods and wrestling bears, or by watching a lot of episodes of The Ultimate Fighter. That is, however, not likely.) Anyhoo, it should be a good night of fights. Stay tuned.
Thursday, February 3, 2011
NYC MMA Legalization Roundtable Postscript
Assemblyman Dean Murray arrived with his chief of staff, and Murray was the voice of optimism. "This is the year," he said. "If we're going to do it, it's going to be this year." He went on to talk about how attitudes toward the sport have shifted among other Assembly members (shifted positively), and he played down the impact of Governor Cuomo's budget proposal (and its lack of MMA legislation), stating that what the governor submitted was merely a proposal and a wealth of budget hearings and discussions awaited it. Other points he brought up: how packaging is important in terms of the rally scheduled for February 8 (i.e., no riots, please), how effective (or ineffective) the revenue-generation argument truly is, and the underground show scourge that must be regulated into oblivion. Was there Kool-Aid being dispensed? I don't think so, but I'll drink anything when it comes to MMA, so maybe I'm not the best person to judge. It was, however, a worthwhile roundtable. Props to Sambo Steve for putting it together.
Liveblog: NYC MMA Legalization Roundtable
MMA Journalist is here at Sambo Steve's school in Midtown Manhattan for an MMA legalization roundtable. The discussion is (of course) centered around the issues pertinent to getting sanctioned in New York, and the participants include gym owners Sambo Steve, Steve Katz and Steve Kardian, journos Eddie Goldman, Justin Klein, Bruce Kivo and Pete Lampasona, insider Paula Romero, and a rep from State Senator Lee Zeldin's office. In light of recent legislative events, Lampasona is advocating the "V for Vendetta" mode of attack, but calmer folks are talking him back from the ledge and disassembling his pipe bombs. Other topics discussed include educating the public on the safety of the sport and its utility, and countering negative propaganda and rhetoric.
Wednesday, February 2, 2011
More New York MMA Legislative Stuff
Although Governor Andrew Cuomo delivered a hearty knee to the midsection of the "sanction MMA in New York" movement yesterday with his 2011 budget proposal, there's still some hope. Last week the State Senate introduced a bill to legalize pro MMA (which MMA Journalist broke down for you), and not long after, Assemblyman Clifford Crouch introduced a similar bill in the State Assembly. Yesterday, Assemblyman Steve Englebright - who spearheaded the MMA bills that came close to passing the past two years - did the same. So the scorecard is: no love from the governor (and a move to get rid of the position of Chairperson of the State Athletic Commission), one bill in the Senate, and two bills in the Assembly. Keep in mind that both legislative houses have to give their thumbs up and then the governor has to sign the bill into law. Also, keep in mind that last year the Senate passed their MMA bill while the Assembly relegated theirs to subcommittee purgatory, and the year before that the Assembly passed their bill while the Senate had an unrelated political meltdown and did nothing. One last note is that both current Assembly bills have been referred to the Committee on Tourism, Arts and Sports Development, which is where Assemblyman Bob Reilly has been waging a pitched battle to keep "human cockfighting" out of his state - and in 2009 and 2010, Assemblyman Reilly got his ass kicked by a wide margin. The bottom line is, just because the Governor Cuomo refused to "backdoor in" some MMA legislation, there's still hope. Just like there's hope that the Beatles will go on tour with Menudo as their opening act.
Tuesday, February 1, 2011
New York State Budget Proposal 2011 = MMA Fail
If you were at the UFC's Madison Square Garden presser a few weeks ago, you heard loud and clear how Dana White and company were banking on New York State Governor Andrew Coumo including a bill to legalize MMA in his 2011-2012 budget proposal. Well, that budget is out today (go here: http://publications.budget.state.ny.us/eBudget1112/fy1112littlebook/BriefingBook.pdf ), and the bad news is that there's no mention of our lovely sport anywhere in there. What does this mean? Basically, it means that if an MMA bill is getting passed this year, it's not sneaking in via the budget and it's getting passed the old fashioned way by going through the State Senate and Assembly - and getting voted on by a lot of people who think these kind of fights are to the death. And that mode hasn't worked so well in the past few years. However, on the plus side, it will be somewhat interesting to watch Lorenzo Fertita send his "boys" over to Governor Coumo's office to get back that $74,000 Zuffa donated to his election campaign. Hijinks! (On a side note, the budget proposal also calls for the elimination of the salary for the Chair of the State Athletic Commission. Rut-roh.)
Monday, January 31, 2011
Questions to Be Answered This Weekend at ROC 34 and CFFC
Atlantic City: the place to be if you’re keen on gambling, shopping at outlet stores, eating so-so food and heckling streetwalking prostitutes. And this weekend, it’s also the place to be for some hardcore MMA action. On Friday, Ring of Combat 34 returns to the Tropicana, bringing with it all its usual fanfare and luster, and on Saturday, the Cage Fury Fighting Championship rises like a phoenix from the ashes to set fire to the Resorts Casino & Hotel and send patrons fleeing into the night. That’s right, there’s an awful lot of fighting going on this weekend – and hopefully, there will be some questions answered. Questions such as:
- Can Aung La N Sang find success in the Northeast circuit? Sang teaches Muay Thai at the Crazy88 school in Maryland, but at ROC 33 he ran into one of the best strikers the Northeast has to offer in Costa Philippou and suffered an 11-second loss via TKO. At ROC 34 he’s facing Mitch Whitesel, who’s far less dangerous but possesses the kind of experience that’s always a threat. Will Sang get a chance to showcase his ability?
- Can Steve DeAngelis get back on the winning track? In his last outing, he was caught by Nick Pace (and Pace is now fighting in the UFC), and the time before that he got the blanket treatment from a much-bigger Jacob Kirwan. 2010 was a bad year for the Pellegrino MMA rep, but at ROC 34 he’s taking on submission specialist Dustin Pague in what could be the perfect opportunity to snag a “W” against a dangerous foe. Can DeAngelis do it?
- Will Mervin Rodriguez come out on top once more? In the span of three and a half years Rodriguez has amassed a mottled record, but upon closer inspection it’s clear he’s lost to only the best and toughest guys – like Al Iaquinta, Liam Kerrigan, Jeff Lentz, Andy Main, George Sheppard and Kenny Foster. However, at ROC 33 Rodriguez was a full-on Team Pellegrino fighter and he was large and in charge. Has his new team put him on the path to badass-ness? Will we see him victorious once more at ROC 34?
- Victor O’Donnell, what have you done for me lately? When O’Donnell first stepped into the cage at ROC 25 he was an underdog against heavy-hitting Team Renzo rep Rafael Sapo. But the Ohio native proved to have a granite chin and some dangerous fists of his own, and he came away with the win and Sapo’s ROC belt that night. Since then, O’Donnell lost a decision to Costa Philippou, went out on his shield at the TUF 11 season opener, and returned to the minor leagues to rattle of a few victories. But those fights were far away – what have you done for me lately, Victor O’Donnell? At CFFC on Saturday night, the big puncher and game-as-hell fighter is headlining against wrestler/jiu-jitsu guy Andrew Riddles, and you can bet Riddles is going to try his best to avoid eating knuckles. Will it be enough? Or will O’Donnell find a way to remind us Northeasterners that he belongs in the big leagues?
Observations from My Couch: Strikeforce's "Ultimate Nick Diaz is Unstoppable"
- It’s refreshing to see a fighter with finely-honed jiu-jitsu skills (like Roger Gracie) meet with success, especially when it’s so painfully clear he’s got no striking or wrestling skills (like Roger Gracie).
- I have zero problems with Herschel Walker crushing cans. No problem whatsoever.
- Was Jacare trying to emulate an alligator in his victory dance? I thought for sure the dude was having a seizure.
- Robbie Lawler is and always will be a bad dude. Also, bad at jiu-jitsu.
- For a while there I thought Cyborg was getting the better of the fight. Then Nick Diaz appeared and told me to stop smoking that crack.
- I am baffled at how unstoppable Diaz is with his boxing, and based on the impressive string of wins he’s put together and his performances in the cage, it is clear that the only opponents that could defeat him would be the top-level wrestling dry humpers (Georges St. Pierre, Jon Fitch, et al.).
Friday, January 28, 2011
Strikeforce's "Diaz vs. Cyborg" Fun Facts
Yeah, so, Fedor’s fighting Bigfoot in New Jersey and there’s a heavyweight tournament and if you accidentally mixed together the urine of some the tournament competitors the laboratory where they do the post-fight drug screening would freakin’ explode, blah, blah, blah. What many have forgotten in all the excitement is that there’s a pretty decent Strikeforce installment scheduled for this Saturday, featuring the likes of Nick Diaz, Robbie Lawler and old man Herschel Walker. But MMA Journalist hasn’t forgotten, and as proof, here are some nice fun facts about the show!
- Roger Gracie is putting his undefeated record on the line when he faces Trevor Prangley, but did you know that his nickname among his clan members is “Lutador de Porco-espinho”? It means “fighter of porcupine” in Portuguese, and it stems from an unfortunate incident at a family picnic when he was eight-years old.
- Trevor Prangley hates baked beans.
- Ex-football player Walker is so old, when he last stepped on the field players wore leather helmets. That’s old!
- Lawler will be facing Ronaldo Souza with Souza’s middleweight belt up for grabs. Curiously, Lawler has never had a belt – he prefers to use rope to hold his pants up.
- Souza’s nickname is “Jacare”, which means “spaghetti sauce” in Portuguese. There is no explanation for that.
- Diaz was at first very apprehensive about agreeing to fight Cyborg, stating that he didn’t think he had “a chance in hell of winning” or coming out of the fight without serious injury. Diaz finally said yes only after Scott Coker clarified that he would in fact be facing Evangelista “Cyborg” Santos and not Cristiane “Cyborg” Santos.
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