Observations From My Couch: UFC 175

UFC

• Rob Font walked into that fight with George Roop a Times New Roman, but when he nailed that KO, he was totally Courier New in bold, italics and underlined.
• Urijah Faber is so good in non-championship fights. So damn good.
• I have no Russell Doane taking the decision in that Marcus Brimage fight. He did enough.
• If Uriah Hall's bone was jutting out of his toe, how in the hell did the doctor allow the bout to continue?

Friday Night Fights Poster

NEW YORK

Another Letter From an Assemblyman

NEW YORK

My campaign to become pen pals with every New York State Assemblyman has met with limited success. Which makes the replies they do send make me feel very special. Here's another letter from one of them.

A Bunch of MMA Stuff Happening This Weekend

WSOF/UFC

There's pretty much nothing going on locally in terms of combat sports this weekend, which is just as well, because today and tomorrow are jam-packed full of fights that make for some serious must-see TV. First, on the NBCSports channel the afternoon, there's the latest installment of the World Series of Fighting. Normally, WSOF is best watched via DVR on fast-forward, but this one is headlined by everyone's favorite one-armed fighter - Nick Newell - so you know you have to tune in for that.

Jonathan Velez: NYC's Best Unsigned Amateur Talent

NEW YORK

He reps Garcia Gung Fu, is just as dangerous at submissions as he is with strikes, has been fighting in the Underground Combat League for years, and last weekend won a UCL belt after knocking the promoter out. I'm talking about Jonathan Velez, who at this very moment is the best fighter not attached to any of the "big" amateur promotions in New York City.

Cage Wars 26 Poster

NEW YORK

Babalu vs. DeBlass at MMA World Expo

NEW YORK

Throwback Thursday: Frankie Edgar's UCL Fight, Courtesy of MMAJunkie

AWESOME

In honor of Frankie Edgar's rematch against B.J. Penn at the TUF 19 Finale on Sunday night, MMAJunkie's Ben Fowlkes has done a story on Edgar's first foray into limited-rules fighting. Yup, I'm talking about the former UFC champ's Underground Combat League bout back in 2005.

A Letter from a New York State Assemblywoman

NEW YORK

Sometimes I write to politicians. Sometimes they write back.

Dear Mr. Genia:

Thank you for your letter regarding mixed martial arts (MMA). I am always pleased to receive feedback from my constituents.

Throwback Thursday: Phillipe Nover's TUF Party in Brooklyn

NEW YORK

In the fall of 2008, Brooklyn-based Ring of Combat champ Phillipe Nover was earning some serious praise for his performance on the eighth season of The Ultimate Fighter. And on the eve of the episode featuring his first fight on the show, Nover threw a little shindig out at the sports complex at Floyd Bennett Field (at what is now called the Aviator). The hometown hero went on to make it to the finals and ultimately lost to Efrain Escudero, but on that night in Kings County, he was fighting royalty.

Here's a look back at that party.

Night of Champions Poster

NEW YORK

Watch the Best Female Fighter in New York City Kick Ass

NEW YORK

She's Aggressive Combat Championships' female title holder, and this past weekend, Katalina Morales stepped into the cage at the inaugural Battle at the Aviator in Brooklyn and did her best Ronda Rousey imitation on opponent Aly Franco. Check out the video of that fight after the jump.

Brawlapalooza Poster

NEW YORK

Last Night's East Coast MMA Show is a Must-See

NEW YORK

Major props are due to the East Coast MMA Show, who for last night's episode had a ton of reasoned discourse on sanctioned, semi-sanctioned and completely unsanctioned MMA events in New York State. The special guest was Rage Rivas, a coach and longtime behind-the-scenes organizer for the Underground Combat League, so there was insight aplenty in how events are when there are varying levels of oversight.

Fists of Fury Poster

NEW YORK

The New York Liquor Law That Can Shut Down Fight Shows

NEW YORK

New York Unconsolidated Laws Section 8509-a, a.k.a. the "combative sports" law, is the statute that famously bans professional MMA in New York but allows amateur events, and it's the law that gets the most attention. But there's another law on the books that can be - and sometimes has been - used to put the kibosh on fight shows. Enacted in 2001, the New York Alcohol Beverage Control Law Section 106-6-c bans combative sporting events of both the pro and amateur variety at venues with liquor licenses.

The text of the statute is as follows (emphasis mine):

Scenes From An NYC Bar Association Panel on MMA

NEW YORK

Yesterday the New York City Bar Association hosted a panel discussion on MMA in New York, and nestled in among panelists Peter J. Kiernan (former counsel for Governor David Patterson), Senator Liz Krueger (one of the sport's most vocal opponents), and Justin Klein (the attorney who drafted this Association of Boxing Commissions letter) was yours truly. Before an audience of about 15 to 20, we talked about all things relative to pro and amateur MMA here, including the legislative efforts and the Zuffa vs. New York lawsuit.

Remembering Billy Craparo on the Anniversary of His Death

NEW JERSEY

Today is the five-year anniversary of the death of Billy Craparo, a trailblazer in the local New Jersey MMA scene who encapsulated what it meant to be a blue collar fighter in the early, pre-Zuffa days of the sport.

Here's what I posted on Craparo when he passed in 2009:

Nationwide Amateur MMA Tournament to Culminate at MMA World Expo on July 26

NEW YORK

The July 26 an 27 MMA World Expo at the Javits Center in Manhattan will have a lot to offer MMA fans, not the least of which is the amateur MMA show slated to go down. Thanks to the good folks at Fighters Source, a nationwide tournament will culminate in the cage there, and as the following card indicates, fighters who've fought and won throughout the country at FS events will be mixing it up.

Things to note about the lineup: New York City has one representative in Stuart Gordon, with a fighter from Syracuse coming down to lend some more somewhat local flavor. Also, it seems the team from Fresno has been kicking a ton of ass this year. A ton of ass.

AKBF Fight League Poster

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