- Lyman Good looked in shape and prepared, Eddie Alvarez seemed to be in tip-top form, Zach Makovsky was maxing and relaxing. Seriously, though, having known these guys since the very first time they fought, it’s hard to play the “reporter interviewing fighter” game. My questions are more like, “So, excited to go to California?” and “Three sons? Don’t you want a daughter?”
- The Tiger Schulmann fight team was there – Will Hamilton, Carlos Brooks, Nissim Levy, UFC fighter Nick Pace, KOTC champ Jimmie Rivera, ROC Louis Gaudinot – and as this Bellator shindig was eating into their daily kill-sessions, Tiger was going to have them all workout there. Sadly, I had to leave before they began.
- The gym where this all took place is called Mushin MMA, and it boasts IFL vet Erik Owings as one of its big cheeses. I spoke with Owings a bit about what he’s been up to and if he’d ever consider getting back into the mix. He said he’s not big on competing anymore – “The two happiest moments of my MMA career were winning my first fight and giving up fighting.” Post-IFL, the lightweight did some traveling, hitting the world’s usual fighting hotspots and playing the role of starving MMAer until it was too much to take. Consequently, Mushin MMA is his effort to monetize all that time put into the sport, and he has had an active role in training Northeast rising star John Cholish.
- Fight Factory brawler Ricky Lee was there as well, and he echoed some of the same sentiments as Owings. Despite having an absolute slobberknocker with Andy Main at ROC 24 and winning over the crowd with one of the best fights of the night, it ultimately all boiled down to fighting for money – and to Lee, that’s not the right reason to do it.
- It was good to see Mike Chiappetta and the Fight Nerd there, but when the fighters outnumber the media, the hard questions don’t get asked. At least when you have Eddie Goldman present, you can shout out a steroid question and run and the fighters will be satisfied with roughing up Goldman.
- I kid. No one’s ever satisfied with roughing up Goldman.
Wednesday, February 23, 2011
Notes from a Bellator Open Workout in NYC
Tuesday, February 22, 2011
April 16th CFFC Card Shaping Up to be HOLY CRAP THAT'S AWESOME
The Cage Fury Fighting Championship is gearing up for another installment, and preliminary peeks at the April 16 card show glimpses of pure awesomeness. According to matchmaker Arias Garcia (of the Clan McGarcia), some of the pairings include:
- Andre Gusmao vs. Tim Williams – CFFC 7’s main event will feature capoeira-based striker Andre Gusmao against undefeated submission ace Tim Williams. Some may remember Gusmao from his brief (i.e., unsuccessful) run in the UFC, but the dude was an absolute mass murderer in the IFL, dropping opponents left and right with complete and utter confidence. As he’s also a full-fledged member of the Renzo Gracie/Ricardo Almeida School for Gifted Youngsters, you just know he’s experienced on the ground, so this bout is where the “Tim Williams Hype Machine” gets tested.
- Lester Caslow vs. Eddie Fyvie – These two are virtual carbon copies, with Pellegrino MMA rep Lester Caslow favoring protracted wars and the veteran Eddie Fyvie showing slightly more accurate boxing. Both are solid on the ground, though, and as Caslow is polishing up his striking with a kickboxing bout at Combat at the Capitale between now and April 16, you can expect literally anything to happen when they fight.
- Nah-Shon Burrell vs. Noah Faunce – At the last CFFC, Nah-Shon Burrell schooled Craig Thieme with crisp stand-up and got the stoppage when it became clear their bloodbath was only going to get bloodier. This time around Burrell gets a crack at Combat Academy up-and-comer Noah Faunce, who mixes wrestling with repeated punching to the face, so the big questions of the night will be a) Can Burrell keep it on the feet and work his magic? b) Can Faunce get him down and keep him there? c) How much blood is going to be spilled before the ref waives it off?
- James Funaro vs. Billy Dee Williams – A pair of experienced amateurs fighters will turn pro in this match-up, with James Funaro bringing smooth subs to the cage and Williams bringing heavy leather. This one should be a very decent scrap, as both men are hungry – and no one wants to lose their first pro bout. (Note: no Lando Calrissian jokes were harmed in the making of this post.)
Monday, February 21, 2011
Observations from My Couch: Strikeforce Challengers 14 "Ultimate Wow"
- Dave Douglas smoked Nick Gonzalez like he was a poorly-packed blunt. Which makes sense because Douglas trains out of the Cesar Gracie camp, and, you know, *ahem* the Diaz brothers and all that.
- It may be time to admit that, due to age and the loss of youth, the Apple is losing its shine. Sorry, Erik.
- Ryan Couture: nope, still not his dad.
- Where the heck has that version of Carlo Prater been all these years? Geez, that Prater was killer.
- The nonstop back-and-forth grappling contest between Lyle Beerbohm and Pat Healy is the reason why I gave up reporting on point karate and started watching men roll around with men. Wait, that sounds weird...
Friday, February 18, 2011
A Big Shoutout to Scoop Malinowski
MMA Journalist would like to give a big shoutout to Scoop Malinowski, who's currently working on a book on tennis champ Marcelo Rios, but still manages to crank out Biofiles on fighters. His latest Biofile is on boxer Riddick Bowe (go here: http://www.examiner.com/sports-profile-in-national/biofile-interview-with-riddick-bowe ), but if you hit the archives you'll find a wealth of good stuff on a ton of MMA fighters. Scoop's stuff can also be found on www.BoxingInsider.com.
Thursday, February 17, 2011
From the Mailbag: "Hey, I Want to Go to the Next Underground Show"
From the MMA Journalist mailbag:
"Hey, I want to go to the next underground mixed martial arts show in New York City. Is there a list or something that I can get on? I promise I am NOT A COP." - undercvrCop_5_0@hotmail.com
Dear undercvrCop_5_0, I don't know what you're talking about. But if I did, I would tell you to go to www.savevaletudo.com, which is the official website of the Underground Combat League, and follow "savevaletudo" on Twitter. Maybe you'll get some info, maybe you won't, maybe you'll be told to show up at a warehouse in Queens, and then when you go you get beaten, bound with duct tape, stuffed into a cardboard box, and shipped via UPS to the reservation in South Dakota. And let me tell you, the reservation in South Dakota sucks this time of year.
Got questions for MMA Journalist? Send them to mma_journalist@yahoo.com - and be prepared to be mocked.
Wednesday, February 16, 2011
Tuesday, February 15, 2011
Unsung Heroes Who Used MMA in the Real World
New York City resident Joe Lozito made headlines this past weekend when he helped subdue crazed murderer Maksim Gelman after Gelman attacked him with a knife on a subway train, and Lozito became MMA’s “man of the hour” when he told the press he learned his moves from watching countless UFCs. But while the 270-pound father of two deserves all the kudos in the world for his actions (and mostly certainly earned the impromptu visit from Dana White and appurtenant schwag), Lozito is far from the only man to have used “ultimate fighting” techniques in the real world. In fact, there are a ton of average joes out there who did their best to emulate what they saw in the Octagon in life-or-death situations. Thankfully, MMA Journalist has compiled a list of these unsung heroes, and detailed their exploits for your reading pleasure. Enjoy!
- Daren Hammerstrom, June 6, 2003 – While walking down the street in Omaha, Nebraska, Daren Hammerstrom observed a bus barreling out of control down the street towards an elderly woman who shuffling her way through a crosswalk. Without hesitation, Hammerstrom jumped into the path of the bus and attempted to armbar it. He was not successful.
- Robert Christof, April 22, 2010 – On a scuba diving excursion off the Florida Keys, Robert Christof and his wife encountered a Great White shark. To provide time for his wife to swim away, Christof confronted the shark, and employed a guillotine choke when the predator approached. His remains were never found.
- Antwon DeMarlyle, September 15, 2007 – Upon discovering a cache of homemade pipe bombs in the woods behind his Mobile, Alabama home, Antwon DeMarlyle tried to disassemble them using a series of Thai kicks. DeMarlyle has not been seen since.
- Tricia Hester, August 30, 2009 – During a solo hiking trip in the Adirondack Mountains, Tricia Hester was attacked by a mountain lion. She survived by taking the beast to the ground with a quadruple-leg takedown and laying on it for 15 minutes. Unfortunately, Cecil Peoples awarded the mountain lion the unanimous decision when time expired.
- Thomas Finnegan, January 4, 2005 – At a family picnic in San Jose, California, Thomas Finnegan was handed a jar of pickles that no other family member could open. By placing the jar in the crook of his arm and twisting with his hips, Finnegan used proper heelhooking technique to get the lid off. He still brags about it to this day.
Monday, February 14, 2011
Strikeforce: "Fedor vs. Silva" Postscript
- It was an epic show, and with the attendance figures just above 11,000, it’s the biggest non-UFC event in New Jersey’s history. Cage Fury Fighting Championship 5, which featured Kimbo Slice vs. Ray Mercer and had an attendance of 7,300, ranks number two.
- The Internet and WiFi connection was awful. After attending some IFL events there and having had zero problems with getting online then, I have strong reason to believe Strikeforce was “jamming” us.
- K-Rod was robbed – as usual. The dude just cannot get a decision in the Garden State, no matter what.
- Igor Gracie looked smooth, Sam Oropeza continues to show promise, and John Cholish looked like a complete beast.
- The crowd loved Gina Carano. They also loved Andrei Arlovski. But damn, it approached outright “worship” when it came to Fedor.
- The crowd was also very knowledgeable when it came to action on the ground. There weren’t a lot of catcalls and booing from the usual malcontent demographic.
- Gian Villante may have gone down, but damn did he go down swinging.
- Same for Andrei Arlovski, although watching him fight now is like watching a fond friend walk into the lions’ cage at the zoo wearing a suit made out of Steak-Ums. You just know he’s going to get eaten, and though it’ll be fascinating, it still hurts to watch.
- Fedor took a serious beating and the stoppage was merited. And when the Russian stated that he was going to retire, there were chants of “Thank you, Fedor!” in the arena.
- At the post-fight presser, Scott Coker was having none of that retirement talk. None. And he was deadly serious about Fedor possibly coming back into the tournament as an alternate. Screw that. Fedor should only come in after Shane Del Rosario, Chad Griggs and Valentijn Overeem have been used up.
Sunday, February 13, 2011
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