Saturday, February 4, 2012
Wednesday, February 1, 2012
Cage Fury Fighting Championship 13 Preview
While most of you will be shelling out bucks to see Nick Diaz and Carlos Condit go at it on pay-pay-view on Saturday night, a select few of us will instead be at the Resorts Casino in Atlantic City, watching some top-notch regional MMA the way the sport is meant to be watched: in-fucking-person. That's right, I'm talking about Cage Fury Fighting Championship 13. Now, I've already extolled the virtues of a few of the bouts (http://www.mmajournalist.blogspot.com/2012/01/why-february-will-be-awesome.html), but there are others that have my interest piqued as well. So why not discuss them now? Hey, that's a great idea! (Note: I'm talking to myself. I think I might be going crazy.)
-Sean Santella vs. Bryan Lashomb - Up until when Santella ran into the human brick wall known as Aljamain Sterling, he was the baddest "little guy" in the Northeast. Which isn't to say "Shorty Roc" isn't still pretty bad ("bad" meaning he could put his fist through your chest; "bad" meaning he could submit you before you even knew he'd taken you down). He is. Only now he's aiming to get back on track as a dominant force in the Garden State circuit. On the other side of the bout is Lashomb, who trains out of MMA Institute in Virginia, is a veteran of M-1 Challenge, and seems pretty well-rounded. The big question here, though, is if Lashomb is ready for the step up in competition, as Santella is way better than any of the guys he's faced while competing in the Maryland-DC-Virginia area... *Awkward silence* ...Wait, are you expecting me to tell you if Lashomb is ready? How the hell should I know?
-Anthony Morrison vs. Jay Haas -How's this for bad luck: "Cheesesteak" Morrison worked his way up the Northeast rankings and made it into the WEC, only to face Mike Brown and Chad Mendes (an ex-champ and a top contender). Man, talk about screwed. Anyway, Morrison is back after a year and a half hiatus, and standing on the other side of the cage will be Haas, an experienced dude from Pennsylvania who can pound opponents out or get subbed by them. This bout intrigues me because I'm curious to see where Morrison is at in terms of being "Mr. Ass-Kicker".
-Claudio Ledesma vs. Pedro Gonzalez - Ledesma is another top "little guy" who fell to Aljamain Sterling but still remains a stone-cold killer, so this matchup should see him work New England fighter Gonzalez over pretty thoroughly. My crystal ball is showing me some punishment from top position, a transition to a sub, and a victorious Ledesma doing the Marcarena, but in the interest of full disclosure, I should say my crystal ball is a piece of shit. Literally.
-Mike Medrano vs. Brian VanHoven -Back in 2010, Medrano was a contender fighting the best guys in Ring of Combat, but he's hit a bit of skid from then to now. VanHoven was winless in 2011, so in theory, this should be the perfect opportunity for big-punching Medrano to get back to his winning ways. In theory. In reality, just about everyone Medrano has ever faced has had a reach advantage; if that's the case with VanHoven - and if VanHoven is explosive - this one could get ugly.
-Sean Santella vs. Bryan Lashomb - Up until when Santella ran into the human brick wall known as Aljamain Sterling, he was the baddest "little guy" in the Northeast. Which isn't to say "Shorty Roc" isn't still pretty bad ("bad" meaning he could put his fist through your chest; "bad" meaning he could submit you before you even knew he'd taken you down). He is. Only now he's aiming to get back on track as a dominant force in the Garden State circuit. On the other side of the bout is Lashomb, who trains out of MMA Institute in Virginia, is a veteran of M-1 Challenge, and seems pretty well-rounded. The big question here, though, is if Lashomb is ready for the step up in competition, as Santella is way better than any of the guys he's faced while competing in the Maryland-DC-Virginia area... *Awkward silence* ...Wait, are you expecting me to tell you if Lashomb is ready? How the hell should I know?
-Anthony Morrison vs. Jay Haas -How's this for bad luck: "Cheesesteak" Morrison worked his way up the Northeast rankings and made it into the WEC, only to face Mike Brown and Chad Mendes (an ex-champ and a top contender). Man, talk about screwed. Anyway, Morrison is back after a year and a half hiatus, and standing on the other side of the cage will be Haas, an experienced dude from Pennsylvania who can pound opponents out or get subbed by them. This bout intrigues me because I'm curious to see where Morrison is at in terms of being "Mr. Ass-Kicker".
-Claudio Ledesma vs. Pedro Gonzalez - Ledesma is another top "little guy" who fell to Aljamain Sterling but still remains a stone-cold killer, so this matchup should see him work New England fighter Gonzalez over pretty thoroughly. My crystal ball is showing me some punishment from top position, a transition to a sub, and a victorious Ledesma doing the Marcarena, but in the interest of full disclosure, I should say my crystal ball is a piece of shit. Literally.
-Mike Medrano vs. Brian VanHoven -Back in 2010, Medrano was a contender fighting the best guys in Ring of Combat, but he's hit a bit of skid from then to now. VanHoven was winless in 2011, so in theory, this should be the perfect opportunity for big-punching Medrano to get back to his winning ways. In theory. In reality, just about everyone Medrano has ever faced has had a reach advantage; if that's the case with VanHoven - and if VanHoven is explosive - this one could get ugly.
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
New Blog Link
In the spirit of industry growth, check out this link to some dude's MMA blog - http://jim-ma.blogspot.com/ .
Monday, January 30, 2012
New York Admits Amateur MMA is Legal
I just read the New York City District Attorney's Motion to Dismiss Zuffa's lawsuit, and in it the dude freely admits that the law banning professional MMA does not apply to amateur bouts. Oh hell yeah. Back in 2003 I discovered that loophole in the law and wrote about it in Full Contact Fighter, and since then a few "underground" promoters have managed to exploit that loophole to varying degress of success.
Here's a link to the document - http://www.scribd.com/doc/79853000/Fighting-Motion - but if you want to cut to the chase, here's the relevant sentences:
"The statute’s provision on its face explicitly speaks to ‘professional’ combative sports and does not address amateur sports. Moreover, while the legislature, in another statute, regulates amateur boxing and wrestling, the legislature has not enacted a provision expressly addressing any amateur martial arts activity. Accordingly, the statute does not treat amateur MMA bouts any differently from amateur bouts involving traditional martial arts."
Ah yes, the sweet taste of vindication...
Here's a link to the document - http://www.scribd.com/doc/79853000/Fighting-Motion - but if you want to cut to the chase, here's the relevant sentences:
"The statute’s provision on its face explicitly speaks to ‘professional’ combative sports and does not address amateur sports. Moreover, while the legislature, in another statute, regulates amateur boxing and wrestling, the legislature has not enacted a provision expressly addressing any amateur martial arts activity. Accordingly, the statute does not treat amateur MMA bouts any differently from amateur bouts involving traditional martial arts."
Ah yes, the sweet taste of vindication...
Sunday, January 29, 2012
Strike Club/Renegade Grappling Postscript
You know, it's not all vale tudo in New York City's underground fight scene. Take today, for instance, when the people behind the UCL put together an event that featured kickboxing bouts and a grappling mini-tournament, and dubbed it "Strike Club" (for the kickboxing) and the "Renegade Grappling League" (for the grappling portion). There were TKOs and there were subs, and at the end of the day, there was enough action to make my four-year-old daughter want to skip her nap. Highlights included:
-The strong showing by the Twin Towers Wrestling & Jiu-Jitsu Club. I checked out their digs back in the late 1990s and they epitomized the words "humble beginnings". Now they're killers.
-The standup battle between UCL vet Alajandro Richardson and Manup Standup champ Will Cavali. It was truly boxing versus kung fu, and though both men put up a heck of a fight, it was Richardson who came away with the decision.
-Peter Storm putting my daughter to work as the official bell ringer. I'm thankful anytime my daughter smiles, and that put a grin on her face that stretched from ear to ear.
-The strong showing by the Twin Towers Wrestling & Jiu-Jitsu Club. I checked out their digs back in the late 1990s and they epitomized the words "humble beginnings". Now they're killers.
-The standup battle between UCL vet Alajandro Richardson and Manup Standup champ Will Cavali. It was truly boxing versus kung fu, and though both men put up a heck of a fight, it was Richardson who came away with the decision.
-Peter Storm putting my daughter to work as the official bell ringer. I'm thankful anytime my daughter smiles, and that put a grin on her face that stretched from ear to ear.
Tuesday, January 24, 2012
Dramatis Personae: Blacky Chan
Stephen Plummer, a.k.a. "Blacky Chan". As the name might imply, he's a Chinese martial art exponent, but he's been calling the world of MMA his home for some time now, climbing into the ring and throwing down with whoever is willing.
Though a regular at the UCL these days, the first time I ever saw Blackie Chan compete was at another underground show, some half-baked attempt called Martial Arts Madness at a gym out in Brooklyn. There, the competitors had to wear pads - including headgear - and the competitors skewed towards the traditonal martial artists out to give "this whole MMA" thing a try. Which was fine, as there was action. Ill-prepared dudes got knocked out by dudes who were very much prepared, sharks got to eat guppies, and scrappy individuals got to mix it up with equally scrappy individuals. Black Chan was one such scrappy individual, and though he fell prey to a straight right that put his dazed on his butt, he threw down like he was meant to be in there.
Which, ultimately, is a good trait to have when you're a fighter, and it's a trait he carries with him to this day. At the last UCL, the tall, lanky and amiable Blackie Chan took on Peter Storm. And sure, he eventually succumbed to a kimura - coming from a kung fu background, Blackie Chan freely acknowledges that he's still got some learning to do on the ground. But the man can scrap. Sometimes, that's all that matters.
Though a regular at the UCL these days, the first time I ever saw Blackie Chan compete was at another underground show, some half-baked attempt called Martial Arts Madness at a gym out in Brooklyn. There, the competitors had to wear pads - including headgear - and the competitors skewed towards the traditonal martial artists out to give "this whole MMA" thing a try. Which was fine, as there was action. Ill-prepared dudes got knocked out by dudes who were very much prepared, sharks got to eat guppies, and scrappy individuals got to mix it up with equally scrappy individuals. Black Chan was one such scrappy individual, and though he fell prey to a straight right that put his dazed on his butt, he threw down like he was meant to be in there.
Which, ultimately, is a good trait to have when you're a fighter, and it's a trait he carries with him to this day. At the last UCL, the tall, lanky and amiable Blackie Chan took on Peter Storm. And sure, he eventually succumbed to a kimura - coming from a kung fu background, Blackie Chan freely acknowledges that he's still got some learning to do on the ground. But the man can scrap. Sometimes, that's all that matters.
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