Saturday, May 30, 2009

XFC 8 (4/25/09)

XFC is a regional promotion from Florida looking to expand and looking to expand NOW. So here they are in Tennessee and its a card full of something or other! Hooooray. Guy Mezger is playing the role of Bas for Kenny Rice. Big stupid ramp with compressed air shooters.

1) CHRIS BARNETT vs. JONATHAN IVEY: Heavyweights. Barnett has a TKD background. This will come into play. Meanwhile, Ivey is the best fat man in MMA today, and the only fighter with a successful shoot Rock Bottom.

Barnett throws spinning kicks and it is glorious throughout this fight. He lands a tornado back kick but it does zero damage. Mad lulz. Ivey rolls for a couple kneebars and only comes close in round 1. Final strike stats were like 110 for Barnett and 6 for Ivey. Total domination from Barnett en route to his first pro win. He's not a bad wrestler either, but he really needs to lose a few pounds (1) for all the awesome kicks. 

2) JASON WOOD vs. DEREK SCHIFFER: Wood is from TN, Schiffer from FL. Both are 2-0, and lightweights.

Really good fight with Wood going for some wild submission attempts like an inverted triangle and Schiffer being extremely game and fighting through it. Schiffer looks like he's in control early in the second with a flying knee that breaks Wood's nose, but Wood fights through it and wins with a comeback off the overhand right. (1) for the gutty performance.

3) OMBEY MOBLEY vs. OVINCE ST. PREUX: Mobley is a standup guy; as a boxer, he's 0-2-2, with 4 fights over about a 13 year period. Light heavyweights and Mobley is debuting. St. Preux has a bunch of amateur fights supposedly and a loss to Ray Lizama. Oh geez.

Decent action in this fight, though both are, well, sloppy, amateurish, and altogether not all that good. St. Preux wins with a Calf Slicer and it looks really cool. that is the best thing to say about it. (1)

4) GERARDO JULIO GALLEGOS vs. C.T. TURNER: No idea who they are, frankly. 

Turner has a big takedown on the "high school wrestling star". Such credentials and such bad tats for Gallegos. Turner easily wins the round, taking his back and basically controlling the first. Turner is on his way to winning the fight, and then he shoots and gets caught in a guillotine in the second. Oops! Can't say I'm excited about Gallegos. (0)

5) RAFAELLO OLIVERA vs. JOHN MAHLOW: Mahlow is so mediocre its not funny.

Olivera takes down Mahlow over and over in the first and punches him a lot. Then, in the second, he takes down Mahlow over and over and punches him a lot. Mahlow tries for sloppy submissions and then gets punched in the face. Mahlow gets to be on top in the third round  and does very little with it. Then he is swept. This fight I did not care for so much. Olivera could be a serious threat if he ever learns to be a striker, otherwise he's a very poor man's Arona. (1)

6) JARROD CARD vs. BRUCE CONNORS: I really don't know these guys. Its for a 145lb title of no relevance.

Card is a good wrestler and gets a big takedown and tries for a d'arce to start, but it doesn't work, so its time for CONTROL! God, that's such a gay term. Like Connors is a sub and Card is the dom making him shave him or something. Its quite clear after the second or third takedown that this is all Card brings to the table, and luckily, Connors has no answer. In fact, when the fight is back vertical for the second, he swings wildly. Nothing else. Card then rides him down to the mat the entire round except when he is able to get Connors' back or the mount. 

Connors, however, makes an adjustment. He knows how he can win: GUILLOTINE when the opposition shoots. But the arm is in and instead all he does is build lactic acid in his muscles. So Card then beats him up a lot and nearly sinks an RNC with 10 seconds left in the third. Connors then enters Plan C, which is to be a Liddell-lite. Problem: He is gassed and throwing arm punches. Guess what happens? Card doesn't exploit his advantage and shoot, but instead blocks punches and lands the very occasional shot. With about 90 seconds left its Card landing the bombs. Connors can't win standing or on the mat, yet this drags on. I'm all about title fights at lower levels, but I'd prefer good fighters in them. The final round is anticlimactic: Connors still has nothing to give and Card refuses to take his gassed opposition down and finish the fight, instead hoping for a highlight reel KO that never comes. (1)

FIGHT OF THE NIGHT: Wood/Schiffer

KO OF THE NIGHT: Wood/Schiffer

SUBMISSION OF THE NIGHT: Mobley/St. Preux

OVERALL FOR THE EVENT: 2 out of 10. As bad as many bad KOTC shows. The main event was where title fights go all wrong.

D&R Rating: 16% (5/30 )