King of the Cage: Imminent Danger (8/14/2010)

From the Inn of the Mountain Gods Casino in New Mexico (9200 ft above sea level), Schiavello and Mayhem Miller are announcing this ShoXC....I mean, KOTC show. I keep forgetting to watch KOTC on HDNet, because these shows are actually good and KOTC burned me so many times before.

1) Trevor Mellen vs. Gerald Lovato: Mellen is a young flyweight and Lovato a long time gatekeeper bested by the Mike Easton and Takeshi Inoue's of the world.

FIGHT: Mellen Unanimous Decision (2)

Mellen: Against a guy who's a survivor, Mellen comes in and fights quite well, regularly getting Lovato down and only finding himself in trouble when he makes physical miscues like stumbling after a kick rather than making mental miscues that lead to him getting hit in the head. On the mat, not much can be discerned about his ability to defend himself against a superior wrestler who puts him on his back, but he has a good transitional game and is able to pass and go for submissions. Unfortunately, against Lovato (a man with two submission losses), he didn't display much for finishing capability. Interesting fact: A guy fighting at 125 beat a former KO victim of Edson Draggo. True story.

Lovato: Survivor; perfect as a gatekeeper/journeyman talent needed for this level of the sport. Enough ability to go rounds and provide resistance, not really good enough to beat anyone who isn't a fraud or terrible.

2) Tyler East vs. Estevez Jones: Heavyweights. East was in a great fight on a previous KOTC event shown on HDNet where he nearly defeated Tony Lopez, only to get submitted in the rematch. Jones has a win over longtime journeyman Andy Montana and pretty much no one else.

FIGHT: East KO Rnd 1. Wild striking affair - Both were just exploding with energy and would have gassed if it didn't end in the first 3 minutes. East answers a crazy front kick/spinning back fist combo by feinting and then throwing a spinning back fist of his own that stuns Jones. Jones then takes all sorts of clubbing and slapping blows against the cage before finally falling down. East could have a future as a journeyman. (1)

3) Quinn Mulhern vs. Levi Stout: Mulhern had an incredible performance beating the shit out of Rich Clementi about 6 months ago. Stout I have never heard of, but has beaten trial horses like Adam Madrid. This is for KOTC's welterweight title.

FIGHT: Mulhern Submission Rnd 1. After some feeling out standing, they clinch and Stout goes for this wild flying kimura attempt. Mulhern anticipates it and ends up taking Stout's back. Its just a matter of time until the rear naked choke. Another good performance for Mulhern - would love to see him fight the Joker again to see if he can get that series even. (2)

4) Bobby Green vs. Daron Cruickshank: Green is the junior welterweight champion, it seems. He lost to the mediocre Dan Lauzon back at Affliction's second event but now in KOTC he's been trucking along with some decent performances. His opposition here comes in the form of an undefeated wrestler.

FIGHT: Green Submission Rnd 2. Entertaining fight. (1)

Cruickshank: did everything he could to get this fight down, constantly seeking the shot. It never came. On his feet he couldn't compete with Green's sometimes wild and unorthodox technique, and he was forced to keep at it. It proved his undoing, as he fell into a guillotine while shooting for a single.

Green: Showed a good scramble here, though it was in part assisted by his holding of the cage. Standing he threw a crazy front kick that landed right on Cruickshank's face, along with an array of punches and stuff like that. Eventually he catches Cruickshank with a sort of modified guillotine where it looks like only one arm is really in choking on top in half guard as he uses his body to close off the other half of the carotid with his body. Cruickshank just can't hang on or break out on the bottom with Green in a dominant position.

5) Daniel Cormier vs. Tony Johnson Jr.: Johnson beat Tony Lopez for the title, and Cormier as challenger has been pro less than a year, but has incredible wrestling chops. Johnson's not bad there either. They even look similar physically.

FIGHT: Cormier Submission Rnd 1. Cormier really works well on the mat spinning around and changing positions. When he gets Johnson stunned with punches, and Johnson starts looking for a shot, Cormier scrambles to the back and really starts to put it down, eventually putting in the hooks, flattening Johnson, and then choking him out. (3) Cormier looks like a good heavyweight prospect, and Johnson might actually bounce back.

FIGHT OF THE NIGHT: Green/Cruickshank

KO OF THE NIGHT: East/Jones

SUBMISSION OF THE NIGHT: Green/Cruickshank

OVERALL FOR THE EVENT: 7.5 out of 10. Man, this was really fun to watch. Good fighters, good fights, announcing that didn't hurt to listen to - I couldn't ask for more. I haven't reviewed an event I gave more than a 5 out of 10 since April (Art of Fighting 6). Since then, I've watched and reviewed 19 events for this blog. That's a lot of crapola.

Cage Wars 12: Nightmare (11/29/2009)

Graham Little and Jude Samuels are the chief commentators, with Jay Adams along on site for moral support (I think). This is an event review I've been dreading with good reason - its across 3 hours of TV, features no good fights, and really only one passable present day fighter in Rich Clementi. Clementi fights Chris Stringer - why? Don't know. Also, John Lober! The event is being held in Belfast, Northern Ireland, and it looks to perhaps be the last CFC show. Ever.

1) Radek Rychlack vs. Ryan Boyd: Heavyweights. Boyd is wearing a rashguard and pudgy.

FIGHT: Rychlach Submission Rnd 2. Sloppy striking everywhere, Boyd gasses in the first, and then its a slow crawl till we get a finish. Boyd finally ends up on the mat on his back and is subject to a couple keylock attempts then a RNC. Lousy to watch. (0)

2) Colin Neeson vs. Jonny McGillion: More Irish fighters at 145.

FIGHT: Neeson Split Decision. I didn't pay that much attention to this, to be honest. A lot of the fight had Neeson on the mat on top banging on McGillion. Standing it was pretty even with lots of robot arm punching. Its tough to care when neither guy is going anywhere ever. McGillion had a small gastank as well.(0)

3) Ali Maclean vs. Julien Dennis: Maclean is a CFC regular. Dennis is from France, and so I would guess he does judo and sucks. Not an indictment on judo though, for reals. Just french judoka in MMA.

FIGHT: Maclean Submission Rnd 1. Easy fight as MacLean drops Dennis early with wild strikes, and ends up locking up a d'arce after beating on Dennis awhile. He was setting up the choke for like 20 seconds. (0)

4) Ben Boekee vs. Hugh Brady: Holland vs. Ireland. Boekee is supposedly 6-0.

FIGHT: Boekee Split Decision. This can be summed up as being the most basic kind of ground battle: One guy (Brady) is a big bruiser who likes top control and prefers to ground and pound. Doesn't even care to pass or anything. The other (Boekee) has long legs and will throw submissions till the cows come home. The end result is a 3 round exciting fight between two guys not really going anywhere ever but that entertains. Boekee eats huge punches at times while Brady powers out of armbars and triangles and heel hooks all sorts of submission attempts time and time again, no matter how "done" the fight seems. (1)

5) Jorde Peute vs. Neil Seery: Holland vs. Ireland, take two. Featherweights. Peute is THE SUBMISSION WIZARD.

FIGHT: Peute Submission Rnd 2. Same exact style of fight as the preceding one. EXACTLY. Peute is a submission guy and Seery is the top control grappler trying to land shots and not get caught. Seery actually rolls Peute late in round 1 and seems to be instituting his game plan and rolling towards a win, but when the round ends, his chances are gone with them. Peute drops for a leg lock at the very start of round 2 and gets a kneebar. (0)

6) Daniel Thomas vs. Duane Van Helvoirt: Lightweights, never heard of either.

FIGHT: Thomas Submission Rnd 2.(0)

Thomas: You can't hate the guillotine he wins with too much. And yet, when he first pulls guard with it in round 1, he ends up having it escaped out of and he is immediately mounted. And then nearly triangled. Nonexistent standup. Top control grappler with not much skill.

Van Helvoirt: Gassed 2 minutes in because he had so much nervous energy. Falls into a guillotine early in the second round after nearly being tapped with one in the first round. As a submission guy, he should recognize this. Does he? Well, no. He adjusts a little by trying to pull guard rather than shoot and get caught in another one, but inevitably he goes to the clinch, and another guillotine beats him.

7) Colin McKee vs. Neydson Santos Ferriera: McKee I've liked. His opponent is an old BJJ guy. Apparently McKee was supposed to fight Che Mills, and this is a late replacement.

FIGHT: McKee TKO Rnd 1. (1) Ferriera comes out swinging and tries to surprise McKee, but its to no use. After some sustained hugging on the cage, Ferriera is arm weary and tired. More clinching and dirty boxing, then its knees and Ferriera is in trouble. A flurry of shots end the fight. Easy fight, honestly.

8) Lee McKibbin vs. John Lober: Irish dude fights old journeyman 13 years past his best. Amazing.

FIGHT: McKibbin Submission Rnd 1. Lober's leg is swept out by a low kick and he rushes to clinch. McKibbin sets up a guillotine for about 20 seconds and Lober just keeps trying to stick his head under the armpit. Easy win. (1)

9) Chris Stringer vs. Rich Clementi: Enormous gap between who Stringer has faced and who Clementi is. Stringer has poor submission defense, an admitted flaw say the announcers. Uhhhh.....

FIGHT: Clementi Submission Rnd 2. (1) This is one of the most brutal embarassments in a ring that I can remember. Up there with Roy Jones/Jeff Lacy. I mean, Clementi gets taken down off a kick and then almost immediately sweeps Stringer and goes to mount, then starts mugging and throwing elbows. He trashes Stringer with hard elbows as he applies the triangle from mount. Incredibly easy stuff.

FIGHT OF THE NIGHT: Boekee/Brady

KO OF THE NIGHT: McKee/Ferreria

SUBMISSION OF THE NIGHT: Peute/Serry

OVERALL FOR THE EVENT: 4 out of 10. Impossibly long, tons of commercials, lots of lousy fights with a couple surreal moments mixed in.

D&R Rating: 9% (4/45)

NAAFS Cage Fighting 3/7/2010

Again, I recorded this a few days later on 3/11, but I believe this is the original airdate on STO.

1) Frank Carabello vs. Daniel Straus: Carabello is an middling alphabet lightweight champ holding a title never successfully defended. Straus is a fairly legitimate prospect. Jason Dent is on a mic because he's scheduled to fight Straus in June. Well, he was. Then Straus signed to Bellator.

FIGHT: Straus Submission Rnd 5. (2)

Straus: Straus learns in this fight. I mean, he learns a lot. Not just how not to get caught in a lock again, because honestly guys don't tend to learn from that. If they did, Gilbert Yvel would be an all time great champion. Not how to avoid eating a right hand to the face, because no one learns to keep hands up when they get KOed. For real, name someone who did. Nah, this is a real learning experience. Straus learns to not rely on just the cool looking things like that sweet ass sweep from a standing arm triangle, but to do basics - double leg, pass guard, trap the arm, punch punch punch. Why trade when you can get hit with a 4oz glove in the mush you don't see? Especially when you don't have to?

Straus figures "it" out in round 3 and begins to totally take over. Just dominates Carabello on the mat, moving to dominat position after dominant position, basically looking to squash distance and keep grinding on his man. Eventually, Carabello breaks and quits.

Carabello: Has fought 16 times for the NAAFS. Was paid for like 3 of those fights. Who got the better end of the deal? Yeah. So this fight - Carabello isn't a great fighter. I can know that without even admiring all the tape. But he's a solid fighter who can test kids at the really shallow ends of the sport before they run into some real monsters. He's not that athletic, and he's not that technical, but he has heart and some skill. I mean, he turns the tables briefly in round 3 by throwing a combination that ends with a spinning back fist. Really sweet stuff.

But when you're so outgunned as he is here, you don't win. Miracles just don't happen in this sport unless you're named Matt Serra. So when you're at a deficit at everything, you're gonna take a beating while making your opponent work for it. Against other guys, when Straus mounts them or does that Gary Goodridge thing from the first fight with Yatsu and holds the wrist behind the back while he throttles you, most guys end up getting taken out. Carabello hangs on. He regains full guard. He arches and bucks. He throws front kicks to lead into straight rights. But its never going to be enough.

OVERALL FOR THE EVENT: 7.5 out of 10. I mean, its one fight, but this is what you want to see when you see prospects fight and come up. Not the greatest fight of all time but I enjoyed it and paid attention. Straus might not be a world champion, but he's a pretty good little fighter.

NAAFS Cage Fighting 2/28/2010

Alrighty, another episode of NAAFS Cage Fighting. This I believe was originally aired on 2/28 and was reaired on 3/4 on STO.

1) John Hawk vs. Joe McCall: For the NAAFS Pro Series heavyweight title. Apparently, this is a big deal. McCall was on Iron Ring, BTW. Both have Buentello style body types, you feel me?

FIGHT: John Hawk Decision. 5 full rounds of "heavyweight action". One of the worst MMA bouts in 2010. One of the worst ever, actually. All standup the entire fight, with neither man even being really bothered until Hawk was nearly KOed in the final round with 2 minutes left. Cards are EVERYWHERE, with 49-46 cards for each man, and a 48-47 for Hawk that wins him the fight.

I'm not going to break both men down because honestly, its not worth it. There's little to cover. Hawk comes forward the entire bout and while he's less accurate, doesn't check low kicks, and probably gets more landed on him than McCall did, he wins the bout on pure activity with the judges. McCall standing has his lead hand low much of the fight and just isn't active when he should be. He paws with the jab (or is just really slow with his right hand), throws low kicks with nothing behind them, and never bothers to shoot until he hurts Hawk. Its probably a mistake in retrospect.

Neither man belongs even in the Bellator heavyweight tourney. But someone will give them a shot because of their records. And then we will pretend it matters.(1)

OVERALL FOR THE SHOW: 2 out of 10, with 1 point for a knockdown late. Bad. Bad bad bad. Stay away from both men unless they're fighting someone known for throwing fights.

Art of Fighting 7: Pay Day (4/3/2010)

In the world of fifth tier MMA, Art of Fighting has made itself a bit of a name. Well, not a big one, but a name. Their main event for this event is Dave Yost vs. Pe De Pano, which is a surprisingly big name to bring in. Also appearing: Edson Berto! Tom Sauer!

1) Tom Sauer vs. Liron Wilson: Unimaginably bizarre fight. Trauma is old as hell and actually, so is Wilson, who has about 500 fewer fights. Sauer has a gut.

FIGHT: Sauer TKO Rnd 2 (1)

Sauer: Had issues keeping the fight standing against a guy with no real wrestling background. Strikes were lazy. Gassed after one round. A sad return, even in winning.

Wilson: Wilson actually spent most of the first round landing hard blows on top of Sauer, who was working bizarre pseudosubmissions. He gets swept and then takes blows. After that, it goes downhill fast. Totally blown up at the start of the second after nearly getting choked out by Sauer at the end of the first, Wilson has a slow kick caught, is taken down, and pounded out.

2) Ron Jacobs vs. Jim Alers: Undefeated feathers.

FIGHT: Jacobs TKO Rnd 1. (0)

Not much of a story, as Alers gets hurt really early and then gets demolished with punches. Not an important fight as Jacobs gets beaten less than a month later.

3) Greg Laughran vs. Edson Berto: Lightweight fight with Berto, the former prospect and Laughran, a journeyman.

FIGHT: Berto Submission Rnd 1. So fast you could have missed it. Berto shoots and takes down Laughran twice in just the first two minutes, then as Laughran stands up, Berto switches to his back and drops for an ankle lock. Really cool submission. Laughran showed next to nothing except that he is capable of getting injured by a 15-8-1 fighter. (1)

4) Daniel Lovett vs. Raul Amaya: Amaya is undefeated at 170, but hella short. Clearly too small for 170.

FIGHT: Amaya Submission Rnd 3. (0)

Amaya: You can tell what his problems will be very quickly - at welterweight he looked almost a division smaller than Lovett. Lovett threw a lot of really good submission attempts, almost winning on an armbar in the first. Amaya was strong and constantly kept looking for the single leg takedown, eventually grinding Lovett down, getting him to the mat, and taking his back.

Lovett: Probably a blue belt level BJJ competitor, Lovett is slow on his feet, a nonpuncher, and not a very good wrestler. He doesn't hold dominant positions well either. He has some decent submission skills and can move his hips around well from the bottom, but aside from that, no particularly strong skills that would indicate that he can rebound from his 2-3 pro start to something more significant.

5) Keith McCabe vs. Mark Serkez: Middleweights. Bangers intended to give the world a FOTN.

FIGHT: Serkez Unanimous Decision (0)

Two guys throw bombs. That's the fight. But its a fight like Lytle/Davis where people want it to be this incredible thing and it doesn't become that because each guy is too respectful of the other. So instead, its one shot at a time landing, the occasional hug/takedown, and that's about it. McCabe isn't as well prepared as his opponent, getting taken down and huffing big time at the end of the fight.

6) David Yost vs. Marcio "Pe De Pano" Cruz: Cruz was signed by the UFC to make his debut there in modern times. David Yost is a gassed up meathead, by all appearances. This is for the WORLD FIGHTING ORGANIZATION HEAVYWEIGHT TITLE. What?

FIGHT: Cruz Submission Rnd 1. (2)

Yost: A brawler against one of the greatest big men in submission grappling history. What could possibly go wrong? Aside from everything?

Cruz: Clinches with Yost as soon as he tries to slug. Throws him. RNC soon after.

FIGHT OF THE NIGHT: Amaya/Lovett

KO OF THE NIGHT: Jacobs/Ayers

SUBMISSION OF THE NIGHT: Laughran/Berto

OVERALL FOR THE EVENT: 3.5 out of 10. There's some meaningless fun here with recognizable names. The fights themselves aren't very good, to be honest, and no one here is likely to become a household name ever. The best chance for one is Marcio Cruz, with Amaya being a distant second.

D&R Rating 13% (4/30)

M-1 CHALLENGE: 2009 Season Pt. 4 (Light Heavyweights)

Things I'm behind on: This. So I guess I'll do it.

1) Tom Blackledge (2-0, 1 KO, 1 Sub): Whenever Tom Blackledge is the best light heavyweight in your division, there are major issues at hand.

VS. Tatsuya Mizuno: Mizuno drops Blackledge really early in round 1, but Blackledge survives Mizuno's attempt to finish. Mizuno lands another right hand that hurts him, and then proceeds to try and win with a poor armbar attempt. Blackledge escapes but is jumped on. The overt aggression will not stand, man - Mizuno forgets to flow like water, and being overly aggressive costs him as Blackledge counters by taking the back and locking in a body triangle. Blackledge holds on as Mizuno elevates and gets to his feet, and as he drops back to try and break it, the choke is locked in. Blackledge comes from behind.

VS. Enoc Torres: Blackledge throws low kick, Torres drops his hands, and then gets caught with a headkick 6 seconds in. He's stiff as a board.

2) Christian M'Pumbu (2-0, 1 KO, 1 Sub): This shouldn't shock you at all. Well, it did shock me when I realized he lost in that DEEP Light Heavyweight Tournament. Good god.

VS. Hideo Tatsumi: Highlights are shown of Round 1, in which its said that M'Pumbu landed lots of strikes at all ranges. In the second, Tatsumi eats leg kicks and some wild punches while doing nothing. With a few seconds left, Tatsumi is dropped by a combination of a low kick and right hand, causing the corner to throw in the towel.

VS. Enoch Torres: Actually struggles to some degree, as Torres is able to get up after being thrown and actually catches one of M'Pumbu's kicks. In the end, Torres gets on top but gives up an arm to M'Pumbu, tapping out with just one second remaining.

3) Tony Lopez (1-0. 1 Sub): Lopez was just in for a cup of coffee, but considering the competition as to who was the third best light heavyweight in the M-1 Challenge 2009 season, he's the clear winner. Next on the depth chart is Tatsuya Mizuno or Gadzhimurad Omarov. What, Omarov deserves special treatment for fighting at heavyweight too? Not like Tony Lopez isn't known for that or anything. Oh, wait.

VS. Victor Nemkov: Lopez is shown going for a kimura in round 1, but Nemkov survives. We're told it was a close round in highlights. Entering round 2, Lopez looks beat. There's a pretty wild grappling exchange that leaves Lopez and Nemkov trading dominant positions, and Lopez gets the best of it. At one point, he looks to be going for a Eddie Bravo twister, then transitions to a body triangle, forcing Nemkov to tap to a chinlock. Hilarious.

Mainstream MMA VII: Vengeance (10/20/07)

Finally making it to TV, another Mainstream MMA show. This event, from 2007, is headlined by John Strawn vs. Joe Pearson for some version of a lightweight title. Really. The fights occupy maybe 40 minutes of broadcast time, with lots of interviews shot at some UFC event comprising the rest of the time.

1) Julian Nava vs. Danny Joe Sykora: 135 lb amateur bout.

FIGHT: Sykora TKO Rnd 1. Sykora controlled this from the beginning, stuffing a shot from Nava and getting on top in dominant position. Nava was able to reverse position briefly, but it didn't matter much. Sykora stood up a minute and a half in and Nava couldn't. Fight was over. Sykora is now 3-0 as a pro, but still far from contention at the moment. (0)

2) Allen Hernandez vs. TJ O'Brien: 160lb catchweight thing.

FIGHT: Hernandez Submission Rnd 1. Another total domination fight - Hernandez gets down O'Brien, bombs on him for awhile in full guard and mount, O'Brien eventually stands up and takes a right hand that drops him and leads to a rear naked choke. TJ O'Brien is now the notable fighter with a record of 13-3, and losses to all the best competitors he's fought. (0)

3) Eric Poling vs. Josh Gutcher: Heavyweights. Gutcher has a shirt and Poling is from Militech.

FIGHT: Poling TKO Rnd 1. Not competitive. Poling lands a ton of strikes and Gutcher falls down. Polins has a 9-3 record today, with zero notable names on his resume. (0)

4) Micah Washington vs. Rod Montoya: Montoya is a longtime journeyman in the midwest. Washington is some guy no one has ever heard of.

FIGHT: Washington Submission Rnd 3. (0)

Washington: Fought pretty darn composed and showed a solid ability to change his position for the better. He landed a solid left hand in the opening of round 3 that helped turn the tide. His submissions aren't bad, but his wrestling is lousy. No fights since 2008.

Montoya: Always game, his wrestling is his base. He was rolled repeatedly from top control and suffers an arm injury that ends the fight and forces him to quit.

5) Joe Vedepo vs. Chris Powers: Vedepo got a shot with the UFC, lost twice, and was back to shows like this.

FIGHT: Vedepo Submission Rnd 1. Not competitive. Vedepo shrugs off a shot and then proceeds to demolish his opponent, eventually winning by kimura in side control. KOTC special type stuff. (1)

6) Alex Rozman vs. Rashad Brooks: Heavyweight fight. Rozman is muscular and over 270. Brooks is some physically soft black dude in Thai shorts.

FIGHT: Brooks TKO 1. Incredible hilarity - Rozman rushes Brooks and expends all his energy with terrible punches for about 1:15 seconds nonstop. Fully square, all arm punches, not even exhaling during his "combinations". Brooks survives and then hurts Rozman with a punch, forcing him to clinch. Rozman gives it up for a last gasp of punches, then gets KOed so hard by Brooks, who proceeds to throw the ref to the side and punch his fallen opponent. Rozman proceeds to go 1-11 in his pro career, beating only his hapless teammate Justin Grizzard and losing to guys like Brendan Schaub & Mark Burch. Brooks is 3-7 with a submission loss to Aaron Stark. (0)

7) Clay French vs. Bobby Mosley: Mosley is billed as 11-1. The official MMA database? 1-0. French is, you know.

FIGHT: French Sub Rnd 1. Jesus, another terrible fight. French gets an armbar after going for a kimura in side control that Mosley tries to escape. Stupid matchmaking. (1)

8) Joe Pearson vs. John Strawn: Journeymen COLLIDE. This also sold like 3,000 tickets. Isn't that fucking crazy?

FIGHT: Pearson Submission Rnd 1. The highlight of a career - Pearson throws a flying triangle in the clinch at the start of the second and lands it. Amazing. (1)

KO OF THE NIGHT: Rozman/Brooks

SUBMISSION OF THE NIGHT: Pearson/Strawn

FIGHT OF THE NIGHT: Washington/Montoya

OVERALL FOR THE EVENT: 2 out of 10. Basically worthless apart from the flying armbar.

D&R Rating: 5% (2/40)