Thursday, June 30, 2011
Wednesday, June 29, 2011
Things You Should Know: The Brian McLaughlin Edition
According to a press release circulated by the venerable AMA Fight Club in New Jersey, longtime lightweight submission monster Brian McLaughlin has signed a three-fight deal with Strikeforce. In lieu of you having to look up that name – and me berating you for not knowing the New York-based fighter – I will instead cut straight to the chase and give you the 411 on him in bullet points. That way, the next time you’re in a bar spitting game at some girl, you can act all knowledgeable. (As if.)
- McLaughlin is a black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu under Rob Khan. How good is his jiu-jitsu? He once tapped out a cougar. And I don’t mean an “older woman on the prowl” type of cougar.
- All of his MMA wins have been by submission. Ridiculously fast submission. Truthfully, this is a function of his sick transitioning ability. Watch and you’ll see.
- He has one MMA loss, and it was a close split decision to Rene Nazare. It has since been determined that Nazare is a Terminator, model T-880.
- McLaughlin made it into the house for TUF 8, but his opponent in the elimination bout (Brandon Garner) kneed him in the grill, and the subsequent medical suspension prevented McLaughlin from staying for the duration of the show. To this day, the rest of the TUF 8 cast still send Garner checks in gratitude.
- McLaughlin once met with New York MMA opponent Bob Reilly to enlighten the Assemblyman on the sport’s merits. No one knows the details about what they discussed behind closed doors, but since that meeting, Reilly weeps and cowers whenever he sees McLaughlin on the street.
Tuesday, June 28, 2011
Monday, June 27, 2011
Assembly Says No MMA? UCL Says "Suck It"
Hot on the heels of the New York State Assembly’s decision to let the MMA bill die in committee was another installment of the Underground Combat League – this one in an Outer Borough location so secret, I’d have to kill you if I told you where it was (or when it was; I was asked specifically to wait on reporting on the event, hence no liveblog). There were submissions! There were returning veterans and green newcomers! There were aliases! And there was no air conditioning! Highlights included:
- Ironman Jarrett McBride, who fought for a kickboxing championship in a Long Island promotion a few days earlier, but wanted to get a vale tudo match before he went back home to Rochester. He may have fallen to Twin Towers Wrestling Club rep Pedro Vila, but damn, that’s a lot of fighting.
- Jonathan Rodriquez’s spirited performance against the salty wrestler Kirkland Campbell, a UFC old schooler who still has some ground and pound left in him to dole out. Unfortunately for Campbell, Rodriguez’s jiu-jitsu was too slick, and he was forced to tap out.
- The war between Gracie Barra product Chiki Obi and New Generation Karate fighter Junior Lubin. They went the distance pounding on each other in back-and-forth fashion, and though Lubin was game, it was an exhausted Obi who wound up with the decision.
Check out the Raw Combat YouTube page for videos, including an interview with UCL promoter Peter Storm.
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