When Life Imitates Art

Years ago I posted this.  Now, this happens.  Um, yikes.

Ronda Rousey vs. The UFC's Bantamweight Dude Roster

They say that, despite being in her prime, female pro boxer Laila Ali would still get her ass kicked pretty easily when sparring with even just mediocre journeyman fighters in the gym.  And why not?  When it comes down to it, men and women are physically different, and as such, never the twain should meet when it comes to the world of combat sports.  But MMA isn't boxing, or plain old wrestling, or any other pure flavor of martial art.  It's all of them put together, and the beauty of that subsequent stew of styles means that sometimes superior technique can win out over superior physical ability.  (Don't believe me?  Then check out Royce Gracie circa UFC 1-5.)  All of this is simply just a long way of saying that Strikeforce female bantamweight champ Ronda Rousey - who, at present, is untouchable by any other female fighter on the planet - could wreck a fair number of her 135-pound male counterparts in the UFC.  Who could she beat?  And who could retain their dignity and beat her if, by some perverse act of fate, they met in the cage?  Hey, glad you asked.

• Dominic Cruz - A healthy Cruz is like a meth-crazed epileptic slathered in Vaseline, which is to say, the dude is virtually impossible to get a hold of and take down.  For that trait alone, I see him being able to avoid Rousey's attempts at clinching and throwing - and if someone can do that, then they can pick her apart with strikes from a distance.
• Urijah Faber - Faber is far less slippery than Cruz, but he's fast when he needs to be, and his balance is usually on point.  That said, if Faber fails to put Rousey down with some sort of stunning blow when she's coming in, I can see her pulling him down and snagging an armbar from the guard before his knees and/or her back even touch the canvas.  And as for him slamming his way out of trouble... sure, he's strong enough to lift her up with ease, but have you seen how explosive she is with her hips?  Dude's arm would be broken before gravity even entered the equation.
• Renan Barao - Barao's got the leg-kicks to chop Rousey down like a tree, and he seems to have great movement when it comes to circling out of trouble, so I'd say the Brazilian would be okay.
• Bryan Caraway - Not even fucking close.  Caraway would be dismembered so fast, girlfriend Miesha Tate wouldn't even have time to scream out for mercy on his behalf.  He needs to start making Rousey some sammiches stat, and stay on her good side by any means necessary.
• Takeya Mizugaki - Mizugaki hasn't looked good in a long time, and meeting Rousey in the cage would do his career no favors.  Homeboy would be flying back to Japan in coach and his arm would be in a cooler full of ice in the cargo hold, with both waiting patiently for a doctor in Tokyo to reunite them.
• Miguel Torres - With mullet?  I see Torres keeping his distance and out-pointing Rousey with long-range strikes.  Without mullet - doomed.
• Dustin Pague - Not even Jesus could save Pague from the eternal damnation the Strikeforce champ would cast him into.
• "Kid" Yamamoto - Considering his prime was years ago, I envision Yamamoto getting major play from Joe Rogan on the mic up until the point where his arm is snapped in half, and then I see Kid committing ritual seppuku in the Octagon while Gene Lebell stands behind him with a katana to finish the job.

Oy, Check Out This Link

Veteran fighter and longtime friend of MMA Journalist Andrew Montanez is living the dream out on the West Coast, and you can witness some of that here.

Observations from My Couch: Strikeforce's "Rousey vs. Kaufman"

• Sure, Bobby Green may have kicked his tail from pillar to post, but Matt Ricehouse is one game-ass mofo who doesn't know the meaning of the word "quit".  Seriously, someone needs to bring him a dictionary.  I don't think he knows the word's meaning.
• After last night's performance, I really question if Strikeforce's matchmaker was trying to get Hiroko Yamanaka killed when she was paired up against Cris Cyborg.
• Adlan Amagov didn't beat Keith Berry.  Referee Herb Dean did.  That was a raw deal.
• I don't know what was more impressive - the beating that Julie Kedzie delivered, or the beating that Miesha Tate absorbed before somehow finding the sub.  I definitely want to see both ladies again.
• I question that stoppage in the Ovince St. Preux/TJ Cook bout.  I think Cook still had more in him.
• Chumbawumba Sayers.  I just like saying that.
• I dig Tarec Saffiedine and have him as a top contender for the belt.  Champ Nate Marquardt is going to kill him, but at least Saffiedine is up there.
• Strikeforce's middleweight division is so thick with top talent, Ronaldo Souza need only defeat Derek Brunson to get a crack at the belt again.  That is, of course, unless someone deems it necessary for him to face Keith Jardine.  Then Souza is doomed.
• Ronda Rousey is to armbars what Beatrix Kiddo is to katanas, and God damn if all those limbs she's collected in the cage don't belong to her now.

Crappy MUSU Pics

MUSU Postscript

Something strange is happening.  Months ago, when I began checking out these underground full-contact kung fu tournaments out in Queens called Manup Standup, the action was all on the feet.  But evolution has crept in and insinuated itself into the fights, and now... they be grappling.  Today, for the first time ever, I witnessed not one, but two wins via submission at a MUSU - and one of the subs was even a D'Arce choke!  Now, maybe it had something to do with the camera crew filming everything for an episode of "Hidden America" on the Discovery Channel, or maybe it truly was the first signs of fistic metamorphosis, but damn, it was awesome.  Highlights of the event included:

• All the unadulterated violence!  Repeat customer Rinson of Bagua Zhang KO'd Yahuda, Ruben of San Bao TKO'd his opponent on the ground, Chris of San Bao TKO'd some kid from Utah - it was the opposite of boring, that's for sure.  And the icing on the cake was the EMT imploring the fighters to take it easy on each other.  "I didn't come here to work!  I've got to go out in the field after this and work, and I don't want to have blood on my shirt!"
• All the submissions!  Mike from Harlem tapped out Craig from New Hampshire with a D'Arce - a fucking D'Arce!  And earlier, a dude named Owen from Boston won via rear naked choke.  What the hell is going on here?
• DJ from Syracuse, the reigning MUSU champ, and his gritty decision win over Mike from Harlem.  It was hard scrapping throughout, and DJ pulled out the win.
• The main event between dueling sifus Jess and Ben Hill, which had no ref.  Since there was no ref, there was no ten-second limit on the ground, so what we got looked a lot like UFC 1.  But hell, where else are you going to see that in the world of combat sports?

It was by far the best MUSU I've seen.  Big props to promoter Black Taoist, who's doing his thing and is starting to get noticed.

Reminder: Follow Me on Twitter, Bitches!

Remember how I used to liveblog everything I covered?  Well, those days passed the minute I got a new BlackBerry and it didn't support the necessary apps.  But lo and behold, there's Twitter!  Where I now post all the live updates on the shows I go to!  And you just know I go to some off-the-beaten-path events!  Take tomorrow's Manup Standup, for instance - who the fuck else is covering that underground kung fu tournament in Queens?  No one else.  No one but me.  That, my friends, is called journalism.

Zuffa Loses a Round in New York Court Battle

Remember Zuffa's lawsuit against the State of New York?  Remember how Zuffa was alleging that the law in New York that bans pro MMA is unconstitutional on a number of different grounds?  Well, today the judge in the case (Judge Kimba Wood of the US District Court of the Southern District of New York) allowed the dismissal of two of the seven counts in the claim.  Essentially, it just means that, while the fight isn't over, Zuffa has clearly lost a round.

What got dismissed were the claims that the law violated the Equal Protection clause and the Due Process clause; translating that into plain English, it means that the law - as it was enacted in 1997 - had a rational basis for being enacted (i.e., Holy spectacle, Batman!  That shit is dangerous!), and that it doesn't matter how safe the sport is now when scrutinizing the law.

What didn't get judicial attention was the First Amendment claim in the lawsuit (i.e., that professional MMA bouts are a form of free speech), and the whole vagueness claim re: the law banning pro MMA but not banning amateur MMA.

None of this really means much.  The lawsuit already served a huge purpose in that it got the state to admit that amateur MMA is legal, and now there are amateur shows sprouting up like toadstools in the dark.  And regardless of what happens with the suit, it seems like the legislature is gearing up to lift the ban in the upcoming year anyway.  So, yeah, Zuffa lost this round, but we fans are certainly winning the war.

Check out Justin Klein's blog for some keener legal insight.  Dude is a lawyer, after all.

Amateur MMA Event in Albany Goes Off Without a Hitch

And it looks like the promoter even got a letter from the athletic commission saying everything was kosher.  What up wit dat? 

Weekend Schedule

Hey there.  Yeah, yeah, the Yahoo! Cagewriter blog is taking up a lot of my time, but you know I still love you, baby.  Don't you?  Anyway, this is what's on tap for the weekend that's relevant to our interests:

• UFC 150 on pay-per-view on Saturday night, which features Northeast legend Frankie Edgar attempting to reclaim that belt that Benson Henderson took from him.
• Take-On has got another installment of high-level Muay Thai going down at Bally's in Atlantic City.  But for this UFC and my Yahoo! gig, I'd be there covering the event - especially because UCL fighter Doug "Lionheart" Ahammer is in the main event opposite Sitan ace Jay Matias.  This is a tough, tough fight for Ahammer, as Matias is one of the best Muay Thai guys around.
• Holy shit, there's another above-the-board amateur MMA show going down in New York State.  This one is called Cage Wars, and it's happening in Albany.  First Buffalo, now Albany - this stuff is getting closer and closer to the Big Apple.  Pretty soon we might have some non-underground events here, and then I can die a happy man.

More Crappy UCL Pics

Crappy UCL Pics

UCL Postscript

Just when you thought the summer was going to be peaceful and quiet, along comes another UCL to FREAK YOU HARD, BABY. Yesterday’s installment of New York City-based combative sport action was a mixed bag of MMA and Muay Thai bouts, and there were heroes galore. Highlights of the event included:

· The back-and-forth scrum between Thiago Chavez and Irish Todd. Chavez was in control on the ground throughout all of the first round, but Irish Todd weathered the storm, and brought things to an abrupt end with a guillotine in the second.

· Israel Martinez and his Lyoto Machida-front kick KO of the tough Kevin Wall. It was all over in under ten seconds.

· Jonathan Rodriguez's and his tight jiu-jitsu game, which enabled him to find success in his first venture down to lightweight against young buck Nico Agusto.

The Return of the Wing Chun Man

UCL and ROC veteran Shawn Obasi has returned, this time in a video for the Global Proving Ground.  Here's what it says in the GPG press release:

 "Welcome to Global Proving Ground, where elite fighters from all over the world come to get noticed!  Experience raw talent like never before, as you watch videos submitted by GPG athletes in their quest to get noticed!  GPG athletes show the combat sports world what they have to offer by demonstrating their fight skills in a very intense 1-2 minute video.  Fans are encouraged to vote for their favorite GPG fighter video submissions.  Winners get onto a reality TV show."

Here's Shawn's video.

My New Temp Gig

While Maggie Hendricks handles some minor sporting event called the Olympics, I'm going to be at the helm of the Yahoo! Sports "Cagewriter" blog.  So.  Check it out.  Or don't.  Blah.

Observations from My Couch: Bellator/UFC 149 Mash-Up

• Sure, Marius Zaromskis won that bout against Waachiim Spiritwolf, but I'm picking Spiritwolf to win the next two rematches.
• Attila the Vegh is so getting squished by Travis Wiuff.
• Of course Paul Daley damn near killed Rudy Bears in his Bellator debut.  What did you expect?  It's Paul Daley.  It would've been shocking if Bears somehow survived.
• Karl Amoussou is slick as hell and fun to watch.  Unfortunately, he's going to be wearing the Askren Manblanket soon, and there's nothing any of us can do about it.
• Antonio Carvalho's KO of Daniel Pineda was cool and all, but his cuddle immediately after... that was like when Forrest Griffin spooned Bill Mahood.  Yeesh.
• Yeah, Ronda Rousey would totally kill Bryan Caraway.  No doubt about it.
• Nothing ruins a 7-second KO more than doing the Robot. 
• I like watching this Francisco Rivera fight.  Sean Shelby, keep feeding him scrubs.
• I'm not quite sure how Nick Ring got that decision over Court McGee, but okay, fine, I'll take it, as it means another TUF winner loses.
• I have no idea where that version of Matt Riddle came from, but he needs to stick around.  The dude reeks of Mystery Machine and Scooby Snacks like crazy.
• In honor of Brian Ebersole's uninspired performance, I'm not going to bother finishing this sentence with...
• Cheick Kongo - all hugs, all the time.
• Boy did Hector Lombard lay a gigantic egg in the Octagon.  Somewhere, Bjorn Rebney was alternating between watching that fight and staring at a Bellator profit-and-loss spreadsheet, and he was smiling.
• As tough and as skilled as he still is, the sun is setting on Urijah Faber's championship-level abilities.  Let us not mourn its passing.  Instead, let's celebrate the greatness that was.

Crappy FNF Pics

Friday Night Fights Postscript

There are three Big Apple-based kickboxing promoters who, when New York finally starts sanctioning MMA (and if the promoters choose to take part), have the experience, connections and infrastructure to churn out quality MMA shows.  One is Lou Neglia of Ring of Combat and Combat at the Capitale fame; another is Eddie Cuello of TakeOn; and the last one is Justin Blair of Rumble on the River and Friday Night Fights.  Last night I checked out an installment of Friday Night Fights.

The only other time I'd been to a FNF, the venue was in the basement of a church near Columbus Circle.  This time around, the ring was set up in a ballroom near Wall Street, with columns and high ceiling lending the proceedings an air of majesty.  Of course, with Blair's years of promoting under his belt, the event ran like a well-oiled machine, and the eight-bout fight card flew by.  Would I recommend these FNF shows to other fight fans?  Fuck yeah.

Now, some thoughts on the bouts:

• Bill Woodward of Real Elite got the job done in his pro debut against Phabion Wilson, playing the role of the Juggernaut (yes, the X-Men villain) and walking through everything Wilson threw at him to deliver pain.  No matter what, Woodward kept coming, and his efforts garnered him the unanimous decision.
• From the outset it was clear both Carlos Madariaga and Arad Namin had skills, but Madariaga (who hails from Sitan Gym) had the sharper Muay Thai, and it enabled him to score enough to snag the split decision.
• TSMMA rising star Michael Trizano was crisp like a stainless steel potato chip, and for three rounds he kickboxed the hell out Alan Reinoso.  To his credit, Reinoso never faultered, but when time ran out, the clear-cut unanimous decision belonged to Trizano.
• I don't know if it's possible to clinch someone to death, but if it is, American Top Team-Danbury rep Geoffrey Then came damn close in his bout against Ragelio Castillo.  Then wore Castillo out with two rounds of it, and battered the exhausted fighter in the third for the unanimous decision.
• Female standout Angela Hill of Evolution Muay Thai almost lost her perfect record against the surprisingly game Jill Guido.  Hill was relentless in her aggression, and ultimately that helped her get the split decision, but Guido (he was flown in from California) was in it throughout, and was able to put Hill on her butt whenever Hill's defenses lapsed.
• Mike Erosa fought all five rounds of his bout against American Top Team-Danbury rep Mohammed Lemjardine with his chin way up in the air, and it's a miracle he didn't get put to sleep.  As it was, Lemjardine dropped him three times with punches to the grill, and the unanimous decision for Lemjardine shocked no one.
• Liam Tarrant of North Jersey Muay Thai brought some serious heat against the more-experienced Turan Hasanov, with said heat manifesting itself in the form of crippling leg-kicks that eventually resulted in a TKO.  But it took four rounds for that TKO to come, and until then, Tarrant and Hasanov had some blazing striking exchanges that drove the crown wild.  This one was the fight of the night, and it was fun as hell to watch.
• Church Street Boxing Gym rep Chris Kwiatkowski apparently didn't want to be outdone by Tarrant, so his leg-kicks were even hotter against opponent Daniel Rodriguez.  Rodriguez last only into the second round, and that was all she wrote. 

Rest in Peace Sherman Pendergarst

The sport has lost another warrior.  Sherman Pendergarst, who started off in the local East Coast scene before joining the Miletich crew out in Iowa, has died after a long, tough battle with cancer.  Pendergarst was 46. 

With a career that saw him fight in the UFC and Bellator and all points in between, "The Tank" was the kind of fighter who'd stand and bang with anyone.  And though he didn't always come out of it on top, he definitely threw down.  His fast and furious fisticuff with Jon Murphy at Extreme Challenge 75 was two minutes of sixteen seconds of pure excitement that brought the best out of Murphy, and when he put Glen Sandull away with a first-round knockout at Sportfighting, the crowd went nuts.  Regardless of how many losses he accumulated, especially towards the twilight of his time in the cage, he was someone you could count on for action.

Rest in peace, Sherman Pendergarst.  You will be missed.

Observations from My Couch: Strikeforce's "Rockhold vs. Kennedy"

• Holy crap, Jordan Mein defeated Tyler Stinson?  Wow, I haven't cared about the results of an inconsequential fight since NEVER.  AND I STILL DON'T.
• Justin Wilcox looks like an action figure.
• I remember when Jorge Masvidal used to be a bit meaner and angrier in the cage.  Now he's all respectful and happy and less of a killer.  Bring back that old guy.
• Ryan Couture - still not his dad.
• Pat Healy's been so underutilized by the promotion, at some point he's just going to go crazy and drive a truck packed with fertilizer and diesel fuel into the Strikeforce offices. 
• Add Robbie Lawler to the list of people who are totally fucking spent in the cage.  Dude was the epitome of explosiveness back in the day.  Now he's the epitome of tired.
• Why?  Why does Keith Jardine still get fights?
• Nate Marquardt and Tyron Woodley were the lone shining stars of the event, and Marquardt's performance was studly.  Too bad Strikeforce has no one else that can challenge him.
• When Luke Rockhold starts to look like vintage Wanderlei Silva, you just know Tim Kennedy's striking is lacking.