It started off like just any other edition of the Underground Combat League, but then things unexpectedly took a turn for the "yikes". Today's UCL featured four MMA bouts and one grappling match, and in attendance was Ottavia Bourdain, pro fighter Villi Bello, a writer from Gawker.com, and producer John Moody - and in the second bout, they, and everyone else present, witnessed a fighter getting his leg broken.
It was a freak accident. One guy (Marwin) took another guy's back (Adriano) while they were standing, and Adriano planted his foot wrong and everything gave away. His femur was visibly bent in a way the bone isn't supposed to bend. There was no screaming, no wails or cries of pain. The fallen fighter just grimaced and gritted his teeth.
Peter Storm and Rage Rivas wasted no time rolling Adriano onto a folding table, and he was carted off to the back. EMS was called, and they showed up with about a dozen cops (who didn't care one bit about the show going on and promptly left). Eventually, EMS did their thing, and Adriano was rolled away on a gurney and taken to an ambulance outside (and he was applauded by the crowd as he left).
It wasn't the first time an ambulance has had to come to a UCL. Years ago, New Jersey pro fighter Glenn Ortiz had his arm popped and suffered a concussion at the hands of badass jiu-jitsu ace Rene Driefuss, and Glenn needed to take a trip to the hospital afterwards. But this, this was... yeesh.
There's been about 40 UCLs at this point, and until now no one has ever been injured so badly that they couldn't step out of the ring on their own two feet. Not even when Frankie Edgar went to war with Eric Uresk, or when the 200-pound Kaream Ellington fought the 300-pound Bryan Vetell, or when however many countless fighters got choked unconscious or put to sleep by a punch. I guess what I'm getting at is this was a freak thing, a thing that could've happened at any sanctioned show anywhere else. And Storm and Rivas did their thing without hesitation, taking care that Adriano was moved carefully and that professional medical help was on its way.
One day, when MMA is sanctioned here in New York, there are going to be a few promoters who know what they're doing (because they've done MMA shows elsewhere), and there's going to be a bunch of yahoos who are going to mess things the fuck up. The UCL team, who are working with nothing in a state that doesn't want them around, played the shitty hand they were dealt and didn't fuck things up. When MMA is sanctioned here, the UCL team is going to be among the former.
Anyway, a shoutout to the fighters who shined in the ring, and who hailed from such schools as Team Renzo, Radical Jiu-Jitsu, Asylum Fight Team and Twin Towers Wrestling. You don't get paid to fight in the UCL, you do it to test yourself and for the love of the sport. Win or lose, each and every one of them deserves respect.
Sunday, February 12, 2012
Saturday, February 11, 2012
ROC Postscript
There are two things you can count on when it comes to a Ring of Combat event: a quality show, and a quality show. Last night's ROC 39 nailed both points. Granted, it's rough when an event runs until past midnight, and seven of the twelve bouts on the card go to decisions, but when you have some of the best fighters in the Northeast throwing down, it's hard to justify any complaints. Some thoughts:
-Whitney Francois and Pat DeFranco just banged away at each other with zero regard for defense. It was almost as if they'd both skipped the class where they were supposed to be taught head movement and keeping your guard up. Of course, that made for a fun fight - and a valid stoppage when Francois sent DeFranco to the canvas.
-Carlos Fonseca had nothing when it came to Andre Harrison's wrestling, which makes sense, as prior to the event veteran fighter Chris Schlesinger was telling me how his teammate (Harrison) was a wrestling beast.
-Frankie Perez continues to impress. Jeremy Uy had no quit in him and showed a lot of heart, but Perez had him in his jiu-jitsu clutches throughout and did not relent.
-We all knew going in the Dwayne Shelton would be the toughest test of James Jenkins' career, and goddamn was he ever. For a while there, Shelton was even picking Jenkins apart on the feet, and it looked like the Team Serra/Longo rep was going to go down. But Jenkins ate some leather and just got more heated, and eventually he found openings in Shelton's defenses and was able to put him away. It shouldn't be long before Jenkins is competing for a belt. Believe that.
-It's amazing to me that Munah Holland was a Golden Gloves boxing star, and yet we see very little of those hands nowadays. Her battle with Pearl Gonzalez was all about who could secure the most advantageous positions on the ground, and Holland won it by a hair. Good for her, and hopefully we'll get to see her employ her full arsenal in a bout in in the future - which would be good for the fans.
-Jarred Mercado had a game plan and he stuck to it. Rafael Fagundes likely had a game plan, too, but it didn't involve being able to stuff any takedowns or get up from the ground. He had good sub defense though, so that's something. Right?
-David Tkeshelavilli is practically on the cusp of being successful in the cage, he's just not quite there yet. Ed Gordon squeaked by him with some slightly superior positioning on the ground and a plethora of knees that were thrown every time the Republic of Georgia fighter ducked his head - and really, you expect skills and the wherewithal to employ them from a Serra/Longo guy. Tkeshelavilli needs to spend some more time training with a deep, talent-rich camp (like Ricardo Almeida's crew). Maybe then he'll be able to put it all together.
-Lester Caslow was out-grappled by someone who had smooth jiu-jitsu. That's all. And Duane van Helvoirt has got smooth jiu-jitsu.
-Most people didn't know much about Daniel Akinyemi prior to ROC 39, but after the beating he put on Uriah Hall - both with his aggressive punching on the feet and his ground and pound - people damn sure know him now. And Hall proved once more why he's one of the best middleweights in the region, because in the face of all the wrath and fury that was being leveled upon him, he was able to see the opening for the heelhook and take it. This was a great, action-packed fight, and an impressive showing for both men.
-Mitch Whitesel, who's always been more of a wrestler, looked like he was going to try to replicate what Nordine Taleb had done by winging strikes and knocking Pete Sell out. Sell was having none of it, though, and got things done by getting Whitesel down and controlling position. It was definitely nice to see Drago get another "W".
-Giovanni Moljo did not belong in the same cage as Jeff Lentz. And to make matters worse, there was something wrong with his mouthpiece, because he kept adjusting it throughout. At one point he even pulled it out and started gagging near my side of the cage - I thought he was going to puke on me!
-Props to Randy Smith for stepping up on short notice. That said, what more does Tom DeBlass need to prove to earn himself a slot in the Octagon? The answer is nothing. There's nothing left to prove. DeBlass is effective in all ranges, he's got all the tools, and he's got experience against a wide range of opponents. The man is ready. Is the UFC ready for him?
-Whitney Francois and Pat DeFranco just banged away at each other with zero regard for defense. It was almost as if they'd both skipped the class where they were supposed to be taught head movement and keeping your guard up. Of course, that made for a fun fight - and a valid stoppage when Francois sent DeFranco to the canvas.
-Carlos Fonseca had nothing when it came to Andre Harrison's wrestling, which makes sense, as prior to the event veteran fighter Chris Schlesinger was telling me how his teammate (Harrison) was a wrestling beast.
-Frankie Perez continues to impress. Jeremy Uy had no quit in him and showed a lot of heart, but Perez had him in his jiu-jitsu clutches throughout and did not relent.
-We all knew going in the Dwayne Shelton would be the toughest test of James Jenkins' career, and goddamn was he ever. For a while there, Shelton was even picking Jenkins apart on the feet, and it looked like the Team Serra/Longo rep was going to go down. But Jenkins ate some leather and just got more heated, and eventually he found openings in Shelton's defenses and was able to put him away. It shouldn't be long before Jenkins is competing for a belt. Believe that.
-It's amazing to me that Munah Holland was a Golden Gloves boxing star, and yet we see very little of those hands nowadays. Her battle with Pearl Gonzalez was all about who could secure the most advantageous positions on the ground, and Holland won it by a hair. Good for her, and hopefully we'll get to see her employ her full arsenal in a bout in in the future - which would be good for the fans.
-Jarred Mercado had a game plan and he stuck to it. Rafael Fagundes likely had a game plan, too, but it didn't involve being able to stuff any takedowns or get up from the ground. He had good sub defense though, so that's something. Right?
-David Tkeshelavilli is practically on the cusp of being successful in the cage, he's just not quite there yet. Ed Gordon squeaked by him with some slightly superior positioning on the ground and a plethora of knees that were thrown every time the Republic of Georgia fighter ducked his head - and really, you expect skills and the wherewithal to employ them from a Serra/Longo guy. Tkeshelavilli needs to spend some more time training with a deep, talent-rich camp (like Ricardo Almeida's crew). Maybe then he'll be able to put it all together.
-Lester Caslow was out-grappled by someone who had smooth jiu-jitsu. That's all. And Duane van Helvoirt has got smooth jiu-jitsu.
-Most people didn't know much about Daniel Akinyemi prior to ROC 39, but after the beating he put on Uriah Hall - both with his aggressive punching on the feet and his ground and pound - people damn sure know him now. And Hall proved once more why he's one of the best middleweights in the region, because in the face of all the wrath and fury that was being leveled upon him, he was able to see the opening for the heelhook and take it. This was a great, action-packed fight, and an impressive showing for both men.
-Mitch Whitesel, who's always been more of a wrestler, looked like he was going to try to replicate what Nordine Taleb had done by winging strikes and knocking Pete Sell out. Sell was having none of it, though, and got things done by getting Whitesel down and controlling position. It was definitely nice to see Drago get another "W".
-Giovanni Moljo did not belong in the same cage as Jeff Lentz. And to make matters worse, there was something wrong with his mouthpiece, because he kept adjusting it throughout. At one point he even pulled it out and started gagging near my side of the cage - I thought he was going to puke on me!
-Props to Randy Smith for stepping up on short notice. That said, what more does Tom DeBlass need to prove to earn himself a slot in the Octagon? The answer is nothing. There's nothing left to prove. DeBlass is effective in all ranges, he's got all the tools, and he's got experience against a wide range of opponents. The man is ready. Is the UFC ready for him?
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