- When you get a rematch with someone, and they defeat you with the same choke at the same exact time as the first bout, it may be a good idea to work on defenses for that move. Just a thought, Damacio Page. Just a thought.
- It’s good to know that no matter how long the layoff, Brian Bowles will come back with his hairstyle completely unchanged.
- Igor Pokrajac called out Tito Ortiz – is that a thing, now?
- With his tentativeness and his sloppy-looking striking, Chris Weidman looked like a guy with only four MMA bouts to his name. That is to say, a guy with all the talent and promise in the world who still managed to get the job done.
- Man, it’s got to suck to be Thiago Tavares, all “kicking ass” and “technical striking”, and then BAM! Shane Roller freakin’ kills you.
- For 53 seconds, CB Dollaway looked great. Too bad about that 54th second.
- Martin Kampmann was far and away the better fighter, but Diego Sanchez had too much heart. And fists. And blood. And determination. And drive. And emotion. And guts. And simply would not stop walking forward.
Friday, March 4, 2011
Observations from My Couch: UFC on Versus 3 "Ultimate Sanchez Has Got Heart, No Disputing That"
Thursday, March 3, 2011
Predictions for Bellator 35 "All Kinds of Welterweight Awesome"
As the great Canadian warrior/poet Harold Howard once said, “If you’re coming on, then come on!” Well, Bellator is “coming on” MTV2 on Saturday night, and their debut on the network is most certainly “coming on”. We may or may not get to see champ Zoila Frausto in a non-title bout, and perhaps the inevitable bloodbath between Waachiim Spiritwolf and Jaime Jara will remain unaired, but what is in store for sure are the quarterfinal match-ups of this season’s welterweight tournament – a field that includes the likes of ex-champ Lyman Good, IFL champ Jay Heiron, and judo thrill-machine Rick Hawn. So hold onto your hats, ‘cause here comes some BFC 35 predictions.
- Lyman Good vs. Chris Lozano – As evidenced by his destruction of Yoshiyuki Yoshida at BFC 31, Lozano is great at two things: striking and striking. Good, meanwhile, has proven to be great at both striking and grappling. That little tidbit, coupled with his unparalleled conditioning, means Good is going to smash Lozano so badly the ring doctors are going to need a broom and a dustpan to get Lozano out of the cage.
- Jay Hieron vs. Anthony Lapsley – Sometimes, if a fighter is too good or too boring, they’ll fall between the cracks, unable to make it in the “big show” yet dominant everywhere else. This is the story with Hieron (accent on the “too good” and “too boring” part), who has smoked opponents like carelessly-dealt marijuana in such promotions as Strikeforce, Affliction and the IFL (his only two trips into the Octagon ended with losses). This Xtreme Couture staple is pretty damn good at pounding people into oblivion – so good, actually, that the word on the street is that Anthony Lapsley’s management is already lining him up fights elsewhere for when Bellator sends him packing. Hieron by TKO destruction.
- Rick Hawn vs. Jim Wallhead – Hey, do you like judo? Hawn and Wallhead sure do, and they’ve made a name for themselves by wearing judo gis everywhere they go and shouting “ippon!” whenever they enter a room. Okay, not really. They just have strong backgrounds in the Japanese art – although as an adult Olympic team member, Hawn is the more accomplished of the pair. Watch for him to toss Wallhead on his head once or twice and snag a win via TKO.
- Brent Weedman vs. Dan Hornbuckle – Last season’s 170-pound tournament had two pervading questions hanging over it when it began, the first being if wrestling demigod Ben Askren was going to steamroll his way to the top, and the second being if Dan Hornbuckle could stop him. Hornbuckle couldn’t, but that doesn’t negate the fact that he’s a bad dude who clobbered the likes of Akihiro Gono and Nick Thompson before hooking up with Bellator. Weedman, though tough and very capable wherever the fight goes, is simply overmatched in this one. Expect him to tap to Hornbuckle’s patented “Cherokee Armbar of Doom”.
Wednesday, March 2, 2011
TUF Tryouts Scheduled for March 21 in New Jersey
Sean Shelby of the Kentucky Shelbys just tweeted that there are TUF tryouts scheduled for March 21, with the Marriott at Newark Liberty International Airport as the venue. The weight classes up at bat: featherweight and bantamweight. Putting aside how crazy-cool that is for a second, MMA Journalist has a list of Northeast fighters in those divisions who abso-freakin’-lutely should be trying out that day – and it would be criminal if they didn’t. The fighters in question are:
- Claudio Ledesma – Tough, durable and capable of ending things on the feet or on the ground, Ledesma would kick ass in the Octagon if given the chance. Don’t expect him to urinate on any fruit trays or pillows, though. Or maybe you should. I don’t know. Reality TV makes people do weird things.
- Lester Caslow – Caslow’s been a top-five featherweight around these parts for years, and with his well-rounded skills, it’s not hard to see why. If he were to show up to the TUF tryouts in a kung fu uniform and wicker hat, the deal would be sealed.
- Louis Gaudinot – These are the facts: I’ve seen Gaudinot KO an opponent with a spinning backfist, I’ve seen him guillotine an opponent to win the ROC 125-pound belt, and the kid’s hair is green. What more could a SpikeTV producer want?
- Felipe Arantes – An absolute killer Muay Thai and jiu-jitsu guy, Arantes may or may not speak perfect English. Which would actually be kind of awesome in the TUF House in a “Stranger in a Strange Land” kind of way.
- Sean Santella – Though the ROC flyweight champ, Santella would do well to eat a couple Big Macs and move up a weight class just so he could out-wrestle and out-grapple everyone in the joint.
- Jimbo Hoffman – Sure, he’s only had one (insanely dominant) pro fight, but Hoffman was just plain killing folks in his amateur career. Put a sombrero and a fake moustache on him and he’d be a shoe-in.
Tuesday, March 1, 2011
Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Chris Weidman But Were Afraid to Ask
A very busy week in MMA kicks off on Thursday night with UFC Live: “Sanchez vs. Kampmann” on the Versus channel, and the main card features a rejuvenated Diego Sanchez taking on the always-durable Martin Kampmann, TUF 7 second-placer CB Dolloway against wrestler Mark Munoz, and former WEC champ Brian Bowles re-matching Damacio Page because Page just loves getting guillotined. Anyway, there’s also the walking Italian oil painting Alessio Sakara squaring off against Octagon newcomer Chris Weidman. Who? Chris friggin’ Weidman, dude. A ROC champ who’s been kicking serious ass in the Northeast, a wrestler who throws pinpoint accurate hands and one of the best middleweight prospects in the entire country – any of that ring a bell? No? Well, then you’re hopeless. But here are some more facts:
- Weidman was a Division I All-American wrestler when he began training jiu-jitsu under Matt Serra, and within a year he qualified for and competed in the prestigious Abu Dhabi Combat Club Submission Wrestling Championships.
- The man is quite obviously a beast on the ground, with his top game particularly hellacious. But what enables him to win fights more than anything is his boxing. Weidman has a great sense of range and timing, and when he lands, he lands hard.
- Although he’s fought only four times, his first three bouts didn’t make it out of Round 1. His last bout, against a deceptively badass Brazilian named Valdir Araujo, went the distance, though, and after out-slugging and out-positioning his opponent, Weidman came away with the unanimous decision. The fight was Weidman’s toughest test to date.
- Weidman won his ROC belt when he took on champ Uriah Hall. Hall is considered one of the most dangerous 185-pound strikers on the East Coast, so it was assumed that the Serra/Longo rep was going to take the fight to the ground. He didn’t. Instead, he stalked Hall around the cage and stunned him with an extremely precise dose of leather to the chin.
- Strikeforce (wisely) wanted Weidman on their recent “Fedor vs. Silva” card in New Jersey, but Weidman had to decline because of a rib cartilage injury he’d sustained in training. Will that play a factor in his bout with Sakara on Thursday? Doubtful. Standing and banging is a lot easier on the ribs than being stuck on the bottom of someone with superior wrestling – and there’s no way in hell Sakara’s got superior wrestling. This one is going to be a live re-enactment of Rock ‘Em Sock ‘Em Robots, with Sakara playing the role of the light blue plastic robot with his head detached from his shoulders.
Monday, February 28, 2011
TUF 13 Cast to Feature Dude Tom Gallicchio Recently Choked Out
This just in from the Department of There Is No Justice: SpikeTV has released the names of the cast for the thirteenth season of the Ultimate Fighter, and one of the cast members is a dude Northeast star welterweight Tom Gallicchio recently choked out. Len Bentley is the TUFer in question, and the loss – by rear naked choke in about four and a half minutes – occurred in the final bout of the M-1 Global “Selections” 170-pound tournament back in September. And no, the fight was not even close. Kudos to Bentley for getting onto TUF despite the loss. TUF 13 premieres on SpikeTV on March 30; meanwhile, Gallicchio will be flying to Moscow this week to compete against some Russian M-1 Global champ with an unpronounceable name on Saturday night.
Observations from My Couch: UFC 127 "Ultimate From Great Heights Fall the Mighty"
- Riki Fukuda is now seeing a rape counselor after what the judges did to him in his Nick Ring fight.
- When Alexander Gustafsson won against local boy James Te-Huna, about one person seemed to cheer – and that was Gustafsson, and he quickly shut up and acted gloomy and morose. Really, that’s got to blow.
- Jason Reinhardt: still a can.
- Ross Pearson vs. Spencer Fisher may have lacked in fireworks, but… No, actually, that’s all I have to say.
- Kyle Noke. Beating up TUF washouts so you don’t have to.
- Well color me surprised, ‘cause Brian Ebersole was very entertaining. His chest hair was a tragedy, but he kicked ass despite it.
- Chris Tuchscherer’s best moment in his bout with Mark Hunt was the funky chicken dance he did after getting knocked out.
- Boy did George Sotiropoulos put forth a great big pile of suck in the Octagon against Dennis Siver. So much for cutting through the lightweight division like a hot knife through Vegemite.
- Michael Bisping’s illegal knee to Jorge Rivera’s dome was definitely on purpose. No one with over 24 sanctioned fights to their name makes a mistake like that. And his spitting on Rivera’s corner just makes me want to re-watch the clip of Bisping getting KTFO’d by Dan Henderson over and over again.
- *Googles “Michael Bisping KTFO by Dan Henderson”; watches it; sighs with satisfaction*
- You can look at the BJ Penn/Jon Fitch fight in one of two ways: either Penn is a badass for fighting a top welterweight to a draw, or Penn is too small for the division. Regardless, if he had even the tiniest bit of ability to fight back in the third round, that 10-8 round would’ve been a 10-9 round, and Penn would’ve gotten the decision. And that would’ve been fine by me. The Hawaiian will always be mighty in my book.
Friday, February 25, 2011
A Collection of News Limericks
Okay, you know the drill: there’s news out there, and MMA Journalist is just not satisfied regurgitating it in plain-vanilla form. So! Limericks! Enjoy!
- There once was a UFC Down Under.
- Fedor wanted to compete in sambo.
- Guess who failed once again to make weight?
- Josh Gross is a man on mission
Why hold one there you may wonder?
“Because there’s money to be made,”
That’s what Dana White said.
“Plus, holding this card in the States would be a blunder.”
“Oh no you can’t,” said Nick Lembo.
“Your face just got pounded like veal –
Give the damn thing time to heal.
Besides, who do you think you are? Rambo?”
I’ll give you a clue: he says “mate”.
He is also a Brit
And his best move is to hit.
If you said “Paul Daley”, man, you’re great.
So he calls each athletic commission.
You should just sit back and relax
As Josh gathers all the facts
And discovers Strikeforce’s secret venue ambition.
Thursday, February 24, 2011
Deconstructing UFC 127: "Ultimate Not Worth the $44.99 Pay-Per-View"
Remember back in the day when the UFC would put together an uninspired card for its overseas division and we here in the States would get to watch that half-assed effort for free on SpikeTV? Yeah, those were good times. Unfortunately, this weekend’s installment of our favorite Octagon-flavored promotion is both suckilicious and very not free – the worst combination possible for an ardent fight fan, a fan who would ordinarily be thrilled to see Jon Fitch relentlessly lay on someone for three full rounds if it cost nothing, but when a hefty pay-per-view fee is thrust into the equation, gets sad and bitter. So let’s break down Saturday night’s UFC 127, and harp on the many reasons why spending that 45 bucks on a few good jigsaw puzzles and three 40-ounce bottles of Colt 45 malt liquor would be wiser.
- BJ Penn vs. Jon Fitch – Whether he’s winning or losing, ex-champ BJ Penn is usually pretty exciting. Unfortunately, when the words “pretty” and “exciting” are used in the same sentence as the words “Jon Fitch”, all polygraph machines within a hundred mile radius glow red hot and kill their masters. Seriously, Fitch is what you’d get if you spliced the DNA of a Purdue University wrestler with the DNA of an Ambien pill. Blankets watch his fights for tips on how to be soothing and comfortable. Sorry, Penn, but this man is going to try his best to get on top of you and whisper “I-love-you-I-love-you-I-love-you” prison-style into your ear, and there’s likely nothing you’ll be able to do about it.
- George Sotiropoulos vs. Dennis Siver – Good old George Sotiropoulos has been on a bit of a tear lately, bouncing back nicely after completely crapping the bed in TUF 6. But Dennis Siver? Really? Watching Siver fight is like watching a toddler slowly learn how to walk. I mean, it’s cool and all that Germany’s best fighter is finally getting the hang of “this MMA thing”, but shelling out dough to watch a non-scrub wax a scrub… Yeah, not so much.
- Chris Lytle vs. Brian Ebersole – As “grizzled old fighters who’ve turned to standing and banging in their twilight years in an effort to retain fans” go, Chris Lytle has done well for himself. It’s too bad his original high-end opponent Carlos Condit got injured, though, as his replacement – Brian Ebersole – is nowhere near as compelling. Ebersole is to today’s scene what Travis Fulton was to the pre-Zuffa MMA world, i.e., a warm body that will fight anyone. And hey, that’s cool if you’re a backwater promoter scrambling at the last minute to get someone to fight in your main event and the guy with his hand stuck in the vending machine backstage hears your pleas and says “yes” on the condition that you’ll help him get his hand out, but it’s not so cool when it’s for a pay-per-view card.
- Michael Bisping vs. Jorge Rivera – There’s actually nothing wrong with this match-up. Michael Bisping and Jorge Rivera will likely just blast each other in the face with skill and aggression until someone drops, making this the only worthwhile bout on the card.
- Kyle Noke vs. Chris Camozzi – A pairing between two TUF 11 washouts? Folks, this is clear and convincing evidence that matchmaker Joe Silva hates us.
(*Note: Ah what the heck, I probably will pay for this card. You know, brand loyalty and all that.)
Wednesday, February 23, 2011
Notes from a Bellator Open Workout in NYC
- 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.
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.)
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