Guy Mezger and Kenny Rice are announcing this show for HDNet.
1) Jay White vs. Chris Barnett: White is the definitive sort of journeyman. Barnett is a short chubby guy that throws tornado kicks.
FIGHT: Barnett TKO Rnd 1 (0)
Barnett: The story remains the same. He's a solid wrestler but not a great one. He can hit hard, sure, but he was clearly bothered by Jay White's power when they traded. And Jay White is not a KO artist. He looks too small and too husky to be at heavyweight, much less in the 250 zone. If he keeps this up, we'll be talking about Chris Barnett - the poor man's Terry Martin.
White: White's a talented and skilled big man, but he's not talented enough to break the top 50 of the division, his chin is suspect, etc etc etc. I mean, he's perfect in fights like this to determine whether or not someone deserves to move up the ladder or what they might have for better opposition.
At this point, there is some long thing showing XFC tryouts, which is just legit hilarious for me to see some nobody promotion running.
2) Ryan Dunn vs. Ian Stephens: Welter weight fights between dudes I've never heard of. Dunn fights for ATT's satellite in Danbury, Connecticut. Danbury? They must be recruiting lacrosse players who pop their collars.
FIGHT: Stephens Unanimous Decision (0)
Stephens: Can wrestle. Can punch when on top of guys. That's what we know.
Dunn: Can't wrestle as well as Ian Stephens, can lose an easy submission.
3) Dustin Rhodes vs. Jeremy Smith: Rhodes was a last minute replacement. Like, on 4 hours notice. He's 1-0, Smith 7-0.
FIGHT: Smith TKO Rnd 2 (1)
Rhodes: Rhodes is game and an early takedown in the fight seemed to create the illusion he could win. And then came the wide hooks of Smith. He just battered Rhodes endlessly in the first. There was no standup at all or defense for punches. In the second, another takedown for Rhodes, but Smith climbs the fence and bops him out.
Smith: Wide looping punches that MMA guys love. Minimal takedown defense. No submission game really that I could see. Not a wrestler. Not going anywhere fast.
4) Mike Bernhard vs. Gerardo Julio Gallegos: Gallegos won a fight where he was dominated most of the way but got a guillotine in the second round while being taken down again. Bernhard I don't know. Bernhard was seen on AFL Rock N Rumble 2 being fouled over and over by Ariel Gandulla.
FIGHT: Bernhard TKO 1. Like had happened to Gallegos in his fight at XFC 8, he's taken down at will by Bernhard, loses dominant position, has his back taken, and gets beaten up. Not much of a story to tell in this bout. A KOTC special. Best thing to note was that when Gallegos got back up after the first takedown, he basically got thrown back down with something like a Sakuraba kimura attempt.(1)
5) Marianna Kheyfets vs. Kim Couture: If Kheyfets has the slightest modicum of talent, she blows through Kim.
FIGHT: Kheyfets Submission Rnd 1. Couture is dropped hard with a straight right hand from the kickboxer Kheyfets, who follows her down and gets a triangle. Couture's shots are straighter these days but slow and over thought. She still doesn't belong in a ring. (0)
6) Bruce Connors vs. Micah Miller: Miller's fall out of the WEC was swift, and after that he's looked pretty human in losses to Omigawa and Yoshida Maeda. Connors I watched gas out and get taken down repeatedly by Jarrod Card.
FIGHT: Miller TKO Rnd 1. (2)
Connors: I've seen twice, both times against the best men he's faced, and I cam away thinking he's a not very special mediocre athlete who can be a regional contender/journeyman. This did nothing to change that opinion. He couldn't match Miller anywhere they fought before getting lit up with a brutal KO loss.
Miller: Miller is a better fighter than needing to take bouts like this, but when they present themselves? I guess he has to take them. Better than Connors at everything, bigger than Connors, etc.
FIGHT OF THE NIGHT: White/Barnett
KO OF THE NIGHT: Miller/Connors
SUBMISSION OF THE NIGHT: Kheyfets/Couture
OVERALL FOR THE EVENT: 3 out of 10. I swear I've watched XFC 9, but I must not have reviewed it here and the opinionz 4 u sit in a notebook. In any case, XFC sells a decent number of tickets to mostly bad fights with the sort of booking that KOTC was famous for out west. When you really break it down, this was a show sold off of two things: 1) It was cage fighting. 2) Micah Miller, a guy who was in undercard fights for a promotion watched by 6 people and who demonstrably cannot win at the international level. Most of the fights here are lousy featuring guys who aren't going to win fights against the big boys. Obviously Miller isn't going to, otherwise he would have already. Kim Couture sucks. Mike Bernhard is the second best fighter on the show. Jeremy Smith will be someone's highlight reel win in the UFC. Chris Barnett is a middleweight pretending to be a heavyweight. None of this matters though. You know what matters to most MMA writers? XFC probably sold 4500 tickets. Establishing the narrative, whatever the hell that means. Building the local fanbase like the old days of territories. You know, the usual.
D&R Rating: 13% (4/30)
No comments:
Post a Comment