Another NYFE Hype Video, This One Featuring Fighter Interviews

NEW YORK

With a little over a week until showtime, the New York Fight Exchange has kicked the promotional engine into overdrive. Here's co-promoter Tom Sconzo visiting Renzo Gracie's academy in Brooklyn, interviewing a number of fighters - like Ken Sweeney and Matthew Kaplan - who are scheduled to compete on the June 7 NYFE card. Sconzo even gets jiu-jitsu coach/Japanese hipster extreme Diasuke Yamaji on camera.

Definitely check it out.

Throwback Thursday: Affliction's New York Presser

NEW YORK

The only things separating a press conference from an actual theater performance are the lack of a script and the thin veil of reality. Take, for instance, the Affliction presser, which was held back in July, 2008, on the downstairs concourse of one of Donald Trump's buildings in Midtown Manhattan, and which featured the likes of Fedor Emelianenko, Tim Sylvia, Ben Rothwell, and all the misguided hopes and dreams of would-be competitors of the UFC. If you were to believe what's said at such gatherings, then Affliction was going to snuff out the flickering flame Dana White held aloft.

Obviously, that ended up not being the case.

You can relive the glory here:

New York State Assembly Speaker Rep: "The Union Issue is Fiction"

NEW YORK

It's business as usual in Albany, especially when it comes to politics, money and truth. Case in point: the Assembly's MMA bill. Not that they would come out and admit it, but in an interview with Breitbart Sports for a run-of-the-mill article on the battle for sanctioned MMA in New York, the office of Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver denies that Culinary Union influence is a factor in keeping the MMA bill on ice - which, of course they would.

Here's the relevant quote:

But the office of New York State Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver, whom [UFC COO Lawrence] Epstein labels as “very, very much aligned with organized labor,” disputes the notion that a union three time-zones away has influence on the Empire State’s decision to keep out MMA. The powerful speaker has consistently kept similar bills from receiving a vote in the past. “The union issue is fiction,” Michael Whyland, press secretary for Speaker Silver, bluntly tells Breitbart Sports.

Epstein counters with this gem:

“The local union here in Las Vegas has hired a lobbyist in New York,” Epstein notes. “His name is Neal Kwatra. They’re paying him tens of thousands of dollars to lobby on mixed-martial arts in New York. Why would a Las Vegas union be meddling in the internal politics in New York?”

There is less than a month left in the legislative session. Think anything is getting done?

New York Amateur MMA: The Importance of Reporting Fight Results

NEW JERSEY

For years, fighters who've fought in New York have had a hard time doing the same in New Jersey, with would-be competitors having to get the full range of medical screening normally reserved for pros. This is done for the obvious reasons, and until the law in New York is amended, things probably won't change.

But one important component of the New York amateur MMA machine that can be fixed is something that's wholly in the power of the promoters. According to Nick Lembo of the New Jersey State Athletic Control Board, the reporting of official fight results is something that's making the engine sputter.

Another Poster for Golden MMA Championships' Upcoming Show

NEW YORK

UFC Fight Night 45 Primer: Jim Miller Up Close

UFC

Jim Miller is headlining UFC Fight Night 45 opposite Donald Cerrone. Jim Miller is also awesome. So in advance preparation for the July 16 event in Atlantic City, N.J., here's some footage from an open workout Jim did with his brother Dan in the week leading up to UFC 159 last year. 

Yes, they're on mats set up inside a Modell's Sporting Goods store in Midtown Manhattan. Where else would you like them to be?

Minnesota Fighter in Bad Shape After Near-Death Experience Saturday Night

NOT AWESOME

A fighter competing in a Minnesota regional show is recovering after suffering a near-death experience after a bout on Saturday night. Dan Kiser is the fighter's name, No Mercy II was the show, and the injury came about after Kiser was stunned by an up-kick and was immediately choked out.

Here's local news site MNMMANEWS with the details of how it went down:

After some ground and pound, Kiser stood up and looked to rain down punches on the grounded Johnson. But Johnson landed a couple of up-kicks, hurting Kiser. After the second up-kick landed, Kiser was visibly stunned and a scramble ensued. Kiser grabbed on to Johnson's leg and looked for a kneebar.

After a few moments, Kiser's body went limp. It did not appear that Johnson landed any other significant strikes. Johnson latched on to a rear-naked choke and the ref quickly noticed Kiser was unresponsive and stopped the fight.

After Johnson let go of the choke, Kiser did not wake up. He stopped breathing momentarily, but was breathing again when he was put in the ambulance. He was taken to a local hospital and then was moved to Sanford Medical Center in Fargo, where he remains today.

Obviously it's tragic any time a fighter is injured to the point where it's unclear if he'll live, but what does this have to do with New York MMA? Oh, you know, just the whole "sufficient cageside medical care" thing.

Dead Serious 11 to Feature Lots and Lots of Amateur Fighters

NEW JERSEY

The eleventh installment of the Dead Serious amateur MMA promotion is going down at the Rahway Rec Center in Rahway, N.J., on Saturday, and if the preliminary card posted on mixedmartialarts.com is of any indication, bring a sleeping bag - there's going to be a lot of fights.

Muay Thai Challenge: War 23 Poster

NEW YORK

Happy Memorial Day - Here Are Some Fights From Reality Fighting 2

NEW JERSEY

Reality Fighting 2, Wildwood, N.J., circa November 2, 2002. Note the octagonal ring, the youthful vitality, and the general innocence of us all.

Happy Memorial Day.

Observations From My Couch: UFC 173

UFC

• Tough loss for Al Iaquinta, but it's hard to see what he did wrong. Dude was killing it, and then out of nowhere, got caught.
• Tony Ferguson vs. Katsunori Kikuno was fun to watch for 30 seconds, and then we were reminded why karate doesn't work.
• Michael Chiesa is the toughest homeless man-looking fighter in the world.

Cage Fury Fighting Championship 36 Card Looking Awesome

NEW JERSEY

Cage Fury Fighting Championship will be returning to the Mennen Sports Arena in Morristown, N.J. on June 21, and while we already knew former Bellator champ Lyman Good was headlining, how the rest of the card looked was a bit of a mystery. Well, the mystery is solved now, and the fights that are lined up are pretty awesome.

Check out the card after the jump, and note these top names that stand out: Sean Santella, Andy Main, Kenny Foster, Brad Desir and Claudio Ledesma. Those guys alone are worth the price of admission.

NYFE Promoters Talk About Their Upcoming Show

NEW YORK

The next big amateur MMA show in New York City is the New York Fight Exchange's June 7 event at the Amazura Nightclub in Jamaica, Queens. The card looks fantastic, and thus far NYFE has been churning out some strong, entertaining shows.

Here's a video preview featuring promoters Tom Sconzo and Mike Washington talking about what's in store. Check it out.

Dude Thinks Doctors Aren't Needed at Fight Shows

NOT AWESOME

My Deadspin article on amateur MMA in New York generated a good bit of discussion, but one opinion is a curious one. A commenter thinks that having a doctor ringside is overkill, and that a paramedic there is just as good.

His quote:

Another Old Manup Standup Fight

NEW YORK

The expansion of the New York amateur scene has had an inverse effect on the "underground" fights on the Big Apple, so we're seeing less and less Underground Combat League and Manup Standup installments than years past. Which is... sad. A UCL or MUSU is like the Forbidden Fruit of Eden - good to take a bite of every once in a while, just don't let God catch you.

Anyway, here's an old MUSU fight from 2010. Relish it.

Adventures in Brooklyn Teenage Fight Club

NEW YORK

Here's a story that's remarkable because it's about unsanctioned fighting in New York City and it's not being reported firsthand by me. DNAInfo has discovered a teenage "fight club" in Brooklyn - which is pretty much what it sounds like.

Check out the Second Gerald Javier Documentary Clip

NEW YORK

The documentary on Aggressive Combat Championship king Gerald Javier continues to roll on with this second teaser clip, courtesy of 750 Sq Feet. Watch. Gain insight. Enjoy.

Reality Fighting 52 Poster

CONNECTICUT

Throwback Thursday: One of the Greatest Comebacks Ever

NEW JERSEY

It was one of the greatest comebacks I have ever seen in an MMA bout. Deividas Taurosevicius - Ring of Combat champ, IFL and WEC veteran, and all-around Terminator - took on future World Series of Fighting champ Marlon Moraes at ROC 38 on November 18, 2011, and the Brazilian was utterly kicking his ass. I mean, "DT" was getting smoked hard on the feet, and when it went to the ground, Moraes was wrecking him. It was almost a complete blowout.

But DT has always been made of stone, and somehow he escaped, reversed, and... well, watch.

A Letter from the MMA Platinum Gloves Promoter

NEW YORK

Here's a letter from Nic Canobbio, the promoter behind the Long Island-based organization MMA Platinum Gloves (posted with his permission):