Sunday, September 18, 2011
Thursday, September 15, 2011
Northeast MMA Rankings
It’s that time again, time for an MMA Journalist special listing the top five fighters in each weight class. The criteria are thus: pro fighters only (duh) and no one will be considered who fights in the UFC, Strikeforce or on a Bellator main card or has fought in those promotions (plus the WEC) for the last two years (which means people like Matt Serra, Eddie Alvarez, Deividas Taurosevicius and even TUFers like Andy Main and Jeff Lentz are excluded). Also, although the entries are numbered, those numbers are by no means meant to imply there’s an order. These are the top five guys in each weight class, not the best guy and the next best guy and the next best guy… etc. Finally, some of the weight classes are sparse in terms of competitors, and as I refuse to rank someone who’s 0-1, I’ve instead married a couple of the divisions. Please throw rice and wish them well on their honeymoons.
Heavyweight & Light-heavyweight
1. Tom DeBlass – If anyone has blossomed into a violent and deadly flower this year (and I mean that in the most awe-inspiring way possible), it’s been jiu-jitsu ace Tom DeBlass. He has literally plowed through a variety opponents – both at heavyweight and now at light-heavyweight – and his sub skills plus dangerous boxing have enabled him to snag a ROC belt in the process. He is far and away the top dog in both weight classes.
2. Ed Gordon – A big up-and-comer and Serra/Longo exponent, “Truck” has proven to be tough enough to withstand some gnarly submission attempts and gutsy enough to grind out wins. He’s a heavyweight that’s been gradually trimming down, so he straddles two weight classes as well.
3. JA Dudley – Team Endgamer Dudley sports an XFE heavyweight belt, due in no small part to his durability and the presence of mind years in the fight game have given him.
4. Mike Stewart – A heavy-handed 205er, Stewart just lost handily to DeBlass, but before that he was sending Glen Sandull into slumber, so you know he’s got skills.
5. Ariel Sepulveda – Sepulveda can fight at light-heavyweight or middleweight, and he sports a karate and kickboxing background the he uses to knee the teeth right out of opponents. However, somehow he’s picked up an insane submission arsenal, and though he’s not always successful with them, you’ll likely see him going for Peruvian neckties and omoplatas when other striking-based fighters would be content with stalling.
Middleweight
1. Tim Williams – Right now Williams is the Cage Fury Fighting Championship’s top 185-pound prospect, and with concise striking, excellent wrestling and dangerous jiu-jitsu, it’s not hard to understand why he’s undefeated.
2. Uriah Hall – The two guys who beat Hall in the last year – Chris Weidman and Costa Philippou – are now in the UFC, which says a lot about how Joe Silva views Hall in terms of a fighter being ready for the “big show”. Hall is a deadly striker with a very under-rated ground game.
3. Aung La Nsang – Nsang dutifully treks up from Maryland to fight in ROC, and though his background is Muay Thai, he’s actually pretty damn good on the ground. The only knock against him is he dove into the absolute deep end of the pool in his first few New Jersey outings, taking on Philippou and Hall and paying the price.
4. Ariel Sepulveda – See above.
5. Joey Kirwan – Maryland must not have enough MMA outlets, because Kirwan drove on up here to defeat Drew Puzon in ROC this year – and he looked impressive doing it.
Welterweight
1. Tom Gallicchio – You know what’s a dick move? You win a promotion’s tournament in grueling fashion, and as a reward they fly you to Russia to fight one of their best guys – but THEY FLY YOU THERE THE DAY BEFORE YOUR FIGHT. Anyway, Gallicchio is no less a killer, which he proved by coming back home and choking some cat out in Pennsylvania. Respect.
2. Giedrius Karavackas – Yes, Karavackas fought on a Bellator main card, but it was by accident, as another main card bout got scratched and they needed an undercard duo to fill in. Anyhoo, this Lithuanian judoka takes a beating to warm up, then slays dudes. It’s fun to watch.
3. Joe Aviles – Supposedly, Aviles can do jiu-jitsu and judo pretty well. We don’t know for sure, though, because when he punches opponents with his lightning-like hands, they go to sleep.
4. Igor Gracie – Hey, guess who’s been quietly converting his mastery of jiu-jitsu into a very effective and well-rounded MMA game? That’s right. This guy. Everyone, please, a round of applause for Igor Gracie, who has actually become probably the best Gracie competing in MMA today.
5. Pete Sell – “Drago” returned to action at ROC and very nearly got clobbered. But, as everyone knows, you pretty much have to kill the guy to stop him, or else he will hunt you down in the cage and mess you up. Hooray for the old school warrior!
Lightweight
1. Al Iaquinta – Brazilian beast Gabe Miglioli very nearly beating him two ROCs ago, so this Serra/Longo superstar showed up at the last ROC prepared and razor-sharp. The result: Iaquinta murdered the only man who came close to usurping him as “baddest lightweight around”.
2. Mikhail Malyutin – From out of nowhere (actually, Russia) this guy comes, and in two fights he edges out Luiz Azeredo and Chris Liguori. Granted, Malyutin has had a very healthy career in M-1, and his counter-fighting game is very effective. Still, how frustrating is that?
3. Chris Liguori – In the span of a year, perennial Northeast stud has fought John Salgado twice and Malyutin once. That’s not a lot, and beating Salgado doesn’t make him a world-beater, but it’s not like Liguori has gone from “awesome” to “suck”. Homeboy’s still got skills, and based on his recent knockout win, those skills have improved.
4. George Sheppard – Virginia is for lovers, but it’s also for tough fighters, too. Sheppard lost to Aviles at ROC but went on to rack up a few wins after that, so don’t exclude him from any “top lightweight” lists.
5. Justin Haskins – You can count on two things from Haskins: dogged takedowns and punishing ground and pound. It’s a combo that works more often than not, and within the last twelve months two of those instances of it working happened in ROC, so here we are.
Featherweight
1. James Jenkins – Thus far we’ve seen just about everything from this Serra/Longo fighter – knockout striking, subs, wars. We’ve yet to see telekinesis and levitation, though, so, uh, get on it, Mr. Jenkins.
2. Eddie Fyvie – Like a fine wine aged to perfection, Fyvie returned to MMA competition refined and packing a wallop, taking out a tough Lester Caslow at a CFFC. Fyvie can do it all and is a threat everywhere, so I’m anxious to see how the next year plays out with him clashing with others in the ranks.
3. Jacob Kirwan – Another Marylander with a wandering heart, this Kirwan brother came up to ROC and tapped out Ryan Vaccaro for top featherweight honors.
4. Jimbo Hoffman – A nice, fruitful career as an amateur was parlayed into some dominant pro outings for Hoffman this year. If he keeps it up, he’s either go to earn himself a shot at a belt or kill someone. Maybe both.
5. Evan Chmielski – This guy went 2-2 this past year, but those losses were to two very tough guys so I don’t hold it against him too much. I see potential here, which could bloom into some stellar performances in the coming year against upper-echelon guys.
Bantamweight & Flyweight
1. Sean Santella – Far and away the best of the “little guys”, Santella moves so fast he makes Speedy Gonzales look like Regular Gonzales (credit goes to Fry of Futurama for that one). Yes, that’s fast. It also helps that Santella’s takedowns are so good he can take down oak trees.
2. Brian Kelleher – This Bombsquader has proven to be a feisty little finisher. Yipee! The world needs more finishers. Thanks, Mr. Kelleher.
3. Aljamain Sterling – If you nailed UFC champ Jon Jones with a shrink ray, you’d get something like Sterling. Well, that’s what they say, at least. I just think he’s a talented fighter with great wrestling and work rate in the cage. Anyway, he’s wrecked dudes all year and earned himself a shot at Santella at the next CFFC, which should be a fantastic fight.
4. Sedico Honorio – This Brazilian badass lost a questionable decision to Santella this year, but that should do little to tarnish his sheen as one of the area’s best guys under 135 pounds.
5. Claudio Ledesma – Other than a defeat at the hands of Sterling, the well-rounded Ledesma has been tearing it up as well. And why not? He hits hard and can jiu-jitsu guys all day. Booyah.
Saturday, September 10, 2011
ROC 37 Postscript
- Goddamn was that a good installment. No decisions, concise endings all around, drama, plus a brawl in the bleachers (!).
- The theme of the event was "let's demonstrate how much we've all been working on our stand-up", and starting it out right was Bellmore Kickboxing's Tom English. If it went to the ground, opponent Carlos Oliveira was sure to tie him in knots, so English took his time, found his range, then BAM! KO. Good showing.
- "Wing Chun Man" Shawn Obasi draws a lot of flack for his antics, and he didn't many fans taunting opponent Chris Birchler while they were on the feet. But I give Obasi a ton of credit: he's been busting his ass for a while now focusing on the jiu-jitsu aspect of MMA, and in his pro debut he took on a Division I wrestler who outweighed him by 20 pounds. Props to Birchler, who, under the sagely tutelage of Jonathan Helwig, seemed to have a solid game plan that he stuck to, and props to Obasi for taking a tough fight.
- Ed Gordon vs. Steven Edwards was nuts. Gordon controlled a lot of the bout with his top game, but every now and then Edwards would come damn close to submitting him. And in the sequence at the end of the second round, Edwards actually had the Kimura, and couldn't finish it because he'd dislocated his own shoulder.
- Hey, more stand-up, with Brian Kelleher bloodying old schooler Mike LaDuke.
- Matt Ruskin vs. Eduardo Telles was a fantastic fight and it was a shame someone had to lose. In the opening seconds Ruskin started blasting Telles, chasing him around the cage, and when he got the Brazilian down, Ruskin was instantly on his back hunting for the choke. Telles escaped, though, and soon after masterfully found the armbar. Yikes, what a fight.
- Kudos to last-minute replacement Cody Castillo for stepping up when needed, but opponent James Jenkins is the real deal. Jenkins is definitely someone to watch out for.
- Aung La Nsang completely had his way with Casey Manrique. La Nsang really jumped into the deep end of the pool early, taking on badasses like Costa Philippou, and the experiences could've definitely discouraged him. Good on him for sticking with it, 'cause he's got skills.
- At this stage in the game, Tom DeBlass has pretty much shown it all. He's had wars, he's had quick subs and he's had slugfests. If he wants it, the bigger stage will soon beckon.
- I had mistakenly assumed that Al Iaquinta's front kick to Gabe Miglioli's face - which resulted in a toe going into the Brazilian's eye - was an accidental foul. I was wrong, however, which makes the Serra/Longo fighter's win that much more impressive. The kid is a beast.
- John Salgado is tough, but Chris Liguori has his number - especially in the striking department. Man, was that an ugly knockout.
- It's good to see Deividas Taurosevicius still active. Ronnie Rogers was tough and had his moments, but DT has fought just about everywhere against all levels of competition. ROC 37 was just another day at the office.
- Bonus info: Larry Landless was in the house! Landless is an old school UFC ref who still does officiating in California. His other gig, though, is as a strength and condition coach, and he was in town for the boxing match in Atlantic City the following night. For those who don't know, Landless was an intrinsic part of growing the sport on the West Coast, and he used to promote his very own underground show.
Friday, September 9, 2011
Tuesday, September 6, 2011
ROC 37 Preview Haikus
Ring of Combat 37 is on Friday, and you know a promotion has made it when Sherdog reporter Lufti Sariahmed tweets about whatever changes the anticipated card undergoes. Well, MMA Journalist is going to do his part. Not with a full-out preview, mind you, but with a collection of haikus on the fighters. ‘Cause that’s how I roll.
- Tom DeBlass has been/ knocking them dead as of late./ It’s time for his belt!
- Chris Liguori and/ John Salgado will rematch./ Why? F**k you, that’s why.
- Al Iaquinta/ and Gabe Miglioli use/ syllables like mad.
- Little Deividas/ Taurosevicius, though, /uses them up worse!
- Munah Holland once/ punched a man to death for fun. / Ha! I’m just kidding.
- Aung La Nsang is/ what? Four syllables? Five? Who/ knows. Dude can fight, though.
- Shawn Obasi is/ a Wing Chun man, and he’ll die/ a Wing Chun man, man!
Saturday, September 3, 2011
First Review of RAW COMBAT
A big thanks to Sambo Steve, who read an advance copy and posted a review on his blog (http://nymmanow.blogspot.com/2011/09/book-review-raw-combat-underground.html). Some choice quotes:
- "What Genia offers readers is far from a simple gritty look at underground fighting. RAW COMBAT is a rare, often humorous, and intimate glimpse into the world of New York mixed martial arts. It is a love letter to the sport and community he has covered since the beginning."
- "RAW COMBAT reminds us UFC Lightweight Champion Frankie Edgar and many other now known athletes got their start in unregulated events."
- "Contrary to the book's title, Genia spends plenty of time sharing his observations and experiences from the world of regulated MMA. We learn the history of noted New York fighter and former Bellator Welterweight Champion Lyman Good. We follow the rise and fall of underground boxer turned pro MMA fighter Kimbo Slice. Genia shares the heartbreaking story of my friend and former student Kaream Ellington, the local would-be champion that could not escape the demons of his past. We are treated to behind the scenes stories from the UFC and Pride Fighting Championship as well as many East Coast MMA shows that launched the careers of several fighters, including Sportfighting, the Mixed Fighting Championships, Reality Fighting, Caged Fury Fighting Championships and Ring of Combat. Likewise, we ride the rollercoaster of such failed leagues as the International Fight League and EliteXC."
- "RAW COMBAT has something for both fans and MMA newcomers alike."
Tuesday, August 30, 2011
Rest in Peace "Big Poppa" Schnake
The sport has lost another. Details are sparse, but it appears that Chris "Big Poppa" Schnake passed away over the weekend. For those who don't know, Schnake did just about everything there is to do in MMA - he was an announcer, a commentator, a media personality… heck, he even stepped into the ring to fight once. He was truly a renaissance man, and when I first met him back at a local Brad Kohler show in Minnesota in 2002, he masterfully kept the crowd laughing in between bouts. Rest in peace, Big Poppa Schnake. You will truly be missed.
Monday, August 29, 2011
Someone Unimportant is Upset, Or Something
From the New York Daily News this past weekend: http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/more_sports/2011/08/27/2011-08-27_if_fox_pushes_promos_for_november_ufc_matches_during_mlb_playoffs_bud_selig_migh.html. A nice rebuttal from the MMANYNOW blog: http://nymmanow.blogspot.com/2011/08/raissmans-ranting-by-michael.html. Here's the gist of the Daily News piece, as spoken by a three-year old: "Wah, wah, Fox will advertise MMA during baseball games. Wah!" Here's the gist of the rebuttal, as spoken by an adult: "Ugh, why did I have kids?" Heh.
Thursday, August 25, 2011
Evolution Fighting Championships 7 to Feature the Debut of "Pistol Pete"
Steve Katz’s Evolution Fighting Championship returns for its seventh installment, touching down at the Rahway Rec Center in Rahway on Saturday night, and like most amateur shows in New Jersey, there are about fifteen bouts on the mega-card, each one comprised of dudes who could very well be the next pro superstar. But the one name that leaps out at me – and who would make the price of admission absolutely worth it – is Peter Lampasona, who’ll be stepping into the cage for the first time. Who? “Pistol Pete” Lampasona, the journo behind www.USCombatSports.com. It’s always a curious thing when a fellow media member takes the fistic plunge, but with Lampasona, you just knew it was a matter of time before he had to satisfy his bloodlust. After all, when you possess Vitor Belfort’s hand speed (as per Belfort’s fight against Joe Charles) coupled with Murilo Bustamante-level grappling (as per Bustamante’s fight against Dave Menne), it’s almost a crime to not be out there clobbering folk.
MMA Journalist won’t be able to make it out to Rahway for the fight, as there’s a UFC that night that needs to be liveblogged (for www.MMAConvert.com). But I shall be there in spirit. And for sure my spirit will be cheering Pistol Pete on.
Monday, August 22, 2011
Good Stuff from Dave Meltzer
I don't know what it is, but something about the sport's early days in Brazil fascinates me. Maybe it's the gritty, real nature of the thing, maybe it's that it resembles so closely underground fighting (as I know it), but yeah, it's cool. Anyway, here's Dave Meltzer's latest, which is a trip down memory lane when Helio Gracie was fighting Waldemar Santana and Brazilian politicians wanted to ban everything. http://sports.yahoo.com/mma/news;_ylt=AlRlZRAvAs_HkWXArZJP7rI9Eo14?slug=dm-meltzer_ufc_brazil_vale_tudo_rio_081911
Thursday, August 18, 2011
The Definition of "Huge"
The UFC airing live shows on FOX is huge. The Ultimate Fighter on FX - live, with match-ups voted on by viewers - is huge. The plethora of pre- and post-shows across the FOX platform is huge. The expanded universe of reachable viewers, which in turn means greater exposure for the sport, is huge. As per today's UFC/FOX press conference, MMA has reached perhaps the milestone to end all milestones as it now takes its rightful broadcasting place amongst sports like baseball and football. In effect, MMA is now mainstream. And that, my friends, is the very definition of "huge".
From SpikeTV
“The Ultimate Fighter” season 14 in September will be our last. We are increasing our commitment to distinctive, original series that we own such as “Auction Hunters” and “Bar Rescue” which are delivering on our goal to reach a broader audience. Our 6-year partnership with the UFC has been incredibly beneficial in building both our brands, and we wish them all the best in the future.
Wednesday, August 17, 2011
Five Reasons to Be Excited for ROC 37
The August lull is upon us, and lo! What looms around autumn’s corner but Ring of Combat 37! ROC 37, with its fairest of fisticuffs and promised vistas of violence, gracing the hallowed halls of the Tropicana in Atlantic City and bearing upon its shoulders the anticipated satisfaction of the release of a summer’s pent-up aggression. It is not for the faint of temperament and weak of constitution, mind you; but for those keen on witnessing rapier-sharp skill in action plus a willy-nilly donnybrook, it soothes better than any salve. Behold! For the unconvinced, five very good reasons to be excited for ROC 37:
- Deividas Taurosevicius – Tougher than a two-dollar steak and twice as flavorful, this Lithuanian has employed enough jiu-jitsu in his life to carry him into successful turns in the IFL and the WEC. Somehow, after years of fighting in Northeast promotions (Reality Fighting, Cage Fury Fighting Championship, Sportfighting), Taurosevicius has managed to never have fought in ROC, so BOOM, here we go.
- Tom DeBlass – A steady climb up the light-heavyweight ranks has DeBlass vying for the ROC 205-pound belt on September 9, and from what we’ve seen from him thus far, the Ricardo Almeida-trained jiu-jitsu stud can entertain on the feet (by banging it out) or entertain on the ground (with a smooth sub).
- Gabriel Miglioli – Seemingly from out of nowhere Miglioli appeared, and with one fight – an utter slobber knocker he just barely lost via decision to the fearsome Al Iaquinta – he’s established himself as a stone-cold killer among mere muggers. ROC 37 will see Miglioli and Iaquinta rematch, so hold on to your TapouT hats.
- Munah Holland – Currently the best female MMA fighter coming out of the New York/New Jersey circuit, Holland can be monster when it comes to slugging it out with opponents. Will ROC 37 opponent Michelle Ould oblige her and stand and trade? God, I hope so.
- Shawn Obasi – Normally, an underground fighter must first fight as a sanctioned amateur before New Jersey will consider them for a pro fighter license, so it’s a testament to Obasi’s combative skill that his first fight outside of the UCL is in Ring of Combat. Of course, as his opponent will be a Division I wrestler, the “Wing Chun Man” has got a tall order to fill, but I have faith he’ll deliver excitement.
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