Friday, August 27, 2010

Global Fight League (AIRDATE: 8/27/2010)

Okay, for some of these weird weekly shows, its time to use an "airdate" thing. I'll be switching that on NAAFS soon too. Anyhow, this. These are half hour shows from NESN. Original airdate? Uhhh, I dunno. Lemme get back to you.

This is all about a title fight to determine the top fighter at 135 in New England. Or something. Matt Smith is claimed to be the greatest wrestler in New England history. Apparently this is a rematch too - Smith won by DQ on a head spike as Smith was trying to pull off an armbar, which most promotions wouldn't bother calling.

Then, the show transitions to being about Rodrigo Almedia/Justin Homsey...and wait. This isn't a show with fights. This is a half hour promo show? A weekly promo show? Like 24/7? FOR EVENTS RUN IN HIGH SCHOOL GYMS?

I kid you not, this is the most outrageous and embarassing shit I've ever seen. Is this a time buy? We see all sorts of "analysts", highly stylized videography for segments of interviews with the refs, so on, so forth. For cage fighting. With nobodies. In a high school gym in Nashua, NH. Is this part of some trolling effort? Look at articles like this one;


That was written by nokaut's english correspondent and clear PR rep for the GFL, Richard Hubbard. Who, it should be noted, is interviewed here while standing against a brick wall. Nice side angle too. There's a subtitled postfight interview that is fucking crazy ridiculous - I mean, clearly this is a dude who imagines himself to manning the new ECW the way this is shot.

In short, if you see Global Fight League on your system and want to see dudes scrap, skip it. Won't get it. But you will get something absurd.

Thursday, August 26, 2010

NAAFS Cage Fighting 4/4/2010

Continuing with moar and moar NAAFS reviews. All sorts of strange commercials too - there's one for the I-X Indoor Amusement Park that gets put up in the metro Cinci area during winter time for instance. Fights seem to be from the 12/5/2009 event.

1) George Comer vs. Kevin Rothacker: National NAAFS Lightweight Amateur Championship. One of these days I'm going to list every title fight I've ever reviewed.

FIGHT: Comer Unanimous Decision. (1) Undefeated as an amateur, Comer is kinda interesting in so much as he's a guy who can wrestle pretty well. Rothacker actually develops some positions off his back and defending takedowns that worry be about Rothacker (nearly taking the back in the 3rd, landing some nice knees in the clinch, getting a high guard when he didn't seem entirely capable of doing anything submission wise).

2) John Hawk vs. Thad Schlichter: Heavyweight pro series SUPAHFIGHT

FIGHT: Hawk TKO Rnd 3. (0)

Hawk: As was displayed in a later fight with Hawk I've already reviewed, he seriously lacks the standup skills or high level of wrestling to truly compete and win at the top end of the heavyweight division. He takes a bunch of shots from Schlichter and gets his nose busted very early on. His chiseled opponent then gasses in the first, and Hawk takes advantage. He gets the fight to the mat and really its all over from there. He just keeps on top for the rest of the round and then retakes the top position in the second and third and rains down elbows and punches. Nothing about this makes you think he could be as successful with Ricco Rodriguez or Monson at this same sort of thing. Hell, he couldn't do this to Oleynik, I don't think. And that's a problem.

Schlichter: Has some moderately acceptable striking for MMA, and is physically strong. But his cardio isn't up to par. Hawk's shouldn't be either, but he is calm. He understands the emotions of fighting. Schlichter doesn't. When you do it for the rush, and it ends, and the man is still there in front of you? It doesn't matter if you should be better, you're going to get abused. And that's what happened. He ends up bleeding like a stuck pig in the second from the shots he takes, and eventually ends up stopped. There's a point in fact where his mouthpiece falls out and the ref stops it with them in position, and he just lays there looking totally defeated. Like why even restart?

OVERALL FOR THE EVENT: 3 out of 10. Nothing to be excited about, and the fights themselves weren't that good. I feel like I say that often?

NAAFS Cage Fighting 3/28/2010

This was recorded a couple days later on 3/31. The fights were taped on 6/6/09.

1) Ryan Madigan vs. Brendan Seguin: Woah, this is an oddly interesting fight. Madigan is a UFC vet, Seguin from KOTC. Madigan gets a rapper. The ring announcer has this almost offensively bad suit. They're obviously hight on hyping Madigan for some reason.

FIGHT: Seguin TKO Rnd 1

Seguin: Looks and gets a takedown. He looks good at 170 physically. He's had so many middleweight fights, I lost track. They're not doing a whole lot, Seguin then throws one elbow on the orbital and smashes it. Madigan immediately taps.

Madigan: Went for an armbar early, otherwise was just trying to mitigate.

2) Forrest Petz vs. Tiawan Howard: Petz is said to be the best fighter from the region to never fight for the promotion. Uhhh, for real? Howard won the 2006 Amateur title for NAAFS, went to fight in EXC, won a fight, and then disappeared.

FIGHT: Petz TKO Rnd 3. My recording of this was so bad from weather that its basically unwatchable for the most part in rounds 1 and 2. Howard is actually able to wrestle down Petz at times, but Petz usually gets the best of him on the mat, sweeping or turning him over. Standing, Petz is also the bigger man, presenting Howard with more issues - outside of the clinch, he's not terribly effective at landing anything. In close and in the clinch, he's equally subject to the weight of Petz and knees. That wears him out, and when Petz is on top in the 3rd and dropping shots, it gets ugly fast. He just takes shots for 3 minutes straight, his eye is closed totally, and the fight is over.

OVERALL FOR THE EVENT: 4.5 out of 10. They're OK fights on paper, I guess, but one sided.

Monday, August 23, 2010

NAAFS Cage Fighting 3/21/2010

Another episode of NAAFS. Kalikas and Hindman are announcing as usual, hyping that Stipe Miocic is making his pro debut.

1) Zach Sutek vs. Bryon McCroskey: Light weights. McCroskey loves ink. Amateurs.

FIGHT: McCroskey TKO Rnd 1. Not much of a fight. Some feeling out by nervous guys, then McCroskey lands a big hook and drops Sutek, then follows with GNP until the ref stops it. (0)

Watching this without fast forwarding through commercials, you get to see the Kalikas voiced over promos for future events and the SUNDAY SUNDAY SUNDAY style advert for Jason Dent's gym. Classic stuff.

2) Travis Soto vs. Reggie Parks: Amateur welterweight fight.

FIGHT: Parks Unanimous Decision. Easy win for Parks, who repeatedly takes down Soto with ease and grinds him out on the mat all 9 minutes. (0)

3) Nick Sorg vs. Mike Nesto: Lots of time spent hyping Sorg. Fought a who's who like Jason Dent and Victor Moreno! Uhhh.

FIGHT: Nesto Submission Rnd 1. Wins a pro tournament bracket fight, which matters or something. Easily wins after taking down Sorg and then taking Sorg's back as he scrambles to get up. Choke comes standing. (0)

4) Stipe Miocic vs. Corey Mullis: All about the dude wearing Cro Cop shorts.

FIGHT: Miocic TKO Rnd 1. He's heavy handed, yeah, but the resistance is minimal right now. Miocic defends a take down, moves straight back as Mullis throws a body kick and jumps forward, then blasts him with a right hand down the pipe that ends it. Real opposition, please. (1)

OVERALL FOR THE SHOW: 3 out of 10. Nothing really to get amped about here. Miocic wins in a minute long youtube special kinda KO, but the rest is really filler. Second best looking guy is Parks, who has an inconsistent record as an amateur.

Wednesday, August 18, 2010

WFC 8: Battle of the Bay (7/10/09)

This is the third WFC show I've watched, and I didn't even have a tag for them. For shame. Now I do. This also catches me up on Fightzone TV cards for awhile, so I can turn back to NAAFS and boxing for a moment. Or perhaps Bellator. Whatever. Something. You know what you need to know about this? One word - RICCO. Benjamin Glossop is also announcing on this show.

1) Caleb Archer vs. Jean DeJesus: Caleb is from ATT.

FIGHT: Archer TKO Rnd 1. DeJesus is a basic wrestler who doesn't look to pass or strike. Archer doesn't have the most active guard on earth and is looking to purely stand. Lots of hanging on when on the mat. Lots of loading up on shots too. DeJesus was signaling that he was done 15 seconds before the fight was over. Archer is still undefeated now a year later but hasn't fought anyone really good (his last win was against chronic loser James Wynn). (0)

2) Rick Hunley vs. Eric Koveric: Ridiculous intros for this fight. 145lb fighters, no winning records. Koveric's nickname is WARFACE. What? Really?

FIGHT: Hunley Submission Rnd 1. Koveric knows how to pass guard sorta and is athletic enough to scramble to the mount at one point in this short fight. Then Hunley regains guard by being flexible and then gets a triangle. Koveric can't slam out and has to tap. (0)

3) Giovanni Moljo vs. James Wynn: Oh god. Wynn has an atrocious record, but isn't a bad fighter. He's clearly just there to collect paychecks as a "test". And he makes sure he's never that tough of one.

FIGHT: Moljo Submission Rnd 1. Wynn scrambles a lot and eventually this goes to the mat and his head gets caught in a triangle. End of the road there. (0)

4) Oscar Reyes vs. Joshua Bacallao: Who are these guys? Don't know.

FIGHT: Bacallao Submission Rnd 2. (0)

Reyes: Reyes has a gameplan - takedown, control, win. There is no B. Bacallao prevents the takedowns because he's a great athlete. In doing so, Reyes is doomed.

Bacallao: He has good enough takedown defense to stop the shots and bodylock, and on the mat he's capable of getting out of the guard and taking offensive positions. He's better standing too - he lands a big punch during a scramble early, and a huge head kick in the second. Reyes' best defense is to put a hand down and be a "downed opponent". RNC setup comes outside of having hooks in - kinda like that one time Militech did it in the UFC from the side.

5) Matt McCook vs. Alex Caceres: White trash dreds still on McCook.

FIGHT: McCook Submission Rnd 2. I'll be honest, I didn't pay much attention to this. McCook had some takedowns, when they were standing it was about equal, but on the mat McCook ran shit. He pulls a really cool armbar to win out of mount in the second.

6) Eric Luke vs. Ralph Acosta: Before this bout, we learn that The Dollhouse Gentleman's Club is supplying the night's ring girls, and entry is free with your ticket stub tonight. Chances this promotion is owned by an organized crime organization? 60%. 139lb catchweight.

FIGHT: Luke Submission Rnd 3. Called a "great standing and grappling fight". Why? Because there's lots of dudes hugging on the cage in round 1. (0)

Luke: Luke is capable of striking a little and he's got a little submission game. His opponent didn't come to fight though.

Acosta: Acosta is looking to just hold and run out the clock on top of pushing his opponent into the cage. His standup seems to be nonexistent compared to Luke and he's not active on the mat. Acosta starts going into guard pull mode in Round 3, and this fight falls into parody. When he does get the fight down, he just lays there. Well, then he's hit with an elbow in the head and starts to bleed and gives up his head IMMEDIATELY to be submitted. It takes a minute to set up the triangle though.

Not enough time remaining in the broadcast to show Ricco/Rinaldi. One relevant fight, and I don't see it. Fuck this.

FIGHT OF THE NIGHT: I don't care. They all sucked.

OVERALL FOR THE EVENT: 1 out of 10. Terrible. Long interview segments wasted time that could have been Ricco/Rinaldi. This isn't even available for download. What the fuck is this? None of the fights are worth watching. Several nonperformances with no notable prospects.

D&R Rating: 0%

Real Fighting Championships 11 (2/23/08)

Allan Berube and Jay Adams are announcing. I have no idea who is on this card aside from the main event, which is headlined by CARL MALENKO. I mean CARL GRECO. I mean CARL OGNIBENE.

1) David Silva vs. Zach Barrios: Silva is undefeated and Barrios is a little soft.

FIGHT: Silva Submission Rnd 1. Total domination by Silva who gets the ref to stop the fight momentarily for a cut on Barrios' face, then finishes the job as Barrios tries to sweep out of half guard and ends up giving his back instead. RNC finish, Barrios claims he didn't tap, but who cares? Silva looked good but never fights again, instead choosing to run a school in Florida. (0)

2) Corey Swanson vs. Joe Robinson: Robinson is all sorts of shredded.

FIGHT: Robinson Submission Rnd 1. Another piece of domination. Swanson gets taken down a couple times, the second time he looks to scramble he gives up his back and gets choked out in about a minute. (0)

3) Dieulhomme Chera vs. Den Lyn: Featherweights. This is probably going to get a 0. Just a guess.

FIGHT: Lyn TKO Rnd 1. Completely wild - both guys went for flying knees at the same time from the clinch at one point. And this fight was under a minute. Ends as Chera goes for a leglock, Lyn breaks out, Chera tries to stand and he lands a wild looping right hook from way behind his body onto Chera's face. Never made it to his feet. (0)

4) Shawn Vaughn vs. Miguel Gonzalez: SUPER FAT HEAVYWEIGHTS.

FIGHT: Gonzalez TKO Rnd 1. Vaughn's cup starts falling down like 10 seconds in. They swing some. Vaughn looks like Bam Margera's dad. He gets dropped with uppercuts in the clinch. Embarassing shit. (0)

At this point, its Voodoo Child, there's fireworks, and yes, a Hulk Hogan appearance and interview. Like I care what he has to say. And then there's an interview with Yosmany Cabezas who won on an EXC show the week before.

5) James Austin vs. James Wynn: Both from the same camp and town. Huh.

FIGHT: Austin Submission Rnd 1. Want to see a thrown fight? Well, this is a candidate. Little striking in this bout, none effective, as a 4-0 fighter fights a 4-12 teammate. Lots of grappling as neither wants to hurt the either too badly. Lots of sub attempts though as they roll around - Wynn runs a fun sequence where he tries to lock in a triangle and Austin rolls around a little as he escapes. Austin gets full mount with little time left in the fight, throws nothing, goes for an armbar, transitions to a triangle and wins the fight. Up there with Charles/Belfort. (0)

Bunch more interviews, including one with Marcus Jones.

6) Ricky Bennett vs. Gilbert Burgos: 145lb bout.

FIGHT: Burgos Submission Rnd 1. I dunno if there's anything to say about Bennett. He got taken down early and worked on until he was choked out. Burgos is a pretty basic submission grappler best I can tell with some decent skills. Bennett took a year off and then lost. (0)

7) Gareth Joseph vs. Danny Babcock: Middleweights. Will this exit round 1? Magic 8 Ball says "Unlikely".

FIGHT: Joseph TKO Rnd 1. Monster KO as both men just trade for most of the fight. Joseph lands way more shots though, which shows Babcock's strategy to be particularly terrible. He's since gone onto lose in an unaired Strikeforce bout. Babcock lost to Trigg in that show that was run on a Daytona 500 weekend and then beat Ariel Gandulla recently. (0)

8) Tony Souza vs. Carl Malenko (or whatever): Somehow I am guessing that this dude is not meant to beat Malenko.

FIGHT: Malenko TKO Rnd 2. Souza was live for about 2 minutes, then gassed out. The ref probably could have stopped this in round one as Malenko traps the arm in a crucifix and started pounding on Souza. He takes down, mounts, and smashes out Souza in the second. (1)

FIGHT OF THE NIGHT: Souza/Malenko

KO OF THE NIGHT: Babcock/Joseph

SUBMISSION OF THE NIGHT: Silva/Barrios

OVERALL FOR THE EVENT: 1.5 out of 10: This isn't a 1 because you can see Carl Malenko fight a fat guy and there's an example of a likely thrown fight to view.

D&R Rating: 2.5% (1/40)

M-1 CHALLENGE: 2009 Season Pt. 5 (Heavyweights)

The final installment, months and months and months late. This I'll admit was tough to do - really, the best fighters did, for the most part, not regularly compete. Those who did and had some additional successful were guys like Rob Broughton (3-0 but no credible wins, loss during the season to Jessie Gibbs) and Jessie Gibbs (lost entering season to Oleinik, wins over Diptchkov and Grigsby, loss after the season to Dion Staring). While they were more successful, clearly their inability to fight at the world class level left me with no choice but to go with guys who picked their shots for the most part.

1) Shane Del Rosario (3-0, 3KOs): Shane Del Rosario entered the 2009 M-1 season as the most interesting heavyweight prospect in the bunch. An undefeated American with some degree of grappling credibility, Del Rosario easily rolled through his three opponents en route to keeping his record undefeated. Shane finished the year by barely scraping by Brandon Cash after being badly hurt early in the contest.

VS. Dool Hee Lee: A mauling: Del Rosario cuts Lee early with a left hand, and later KOs him with a body punch as Lee tries to get the fight down to the mat.

VS. Maksim Grishin: Another piece of quick work. Grishin is down and out from a right hook in the opening seconds.

VS. Lloyd Marshbanks: Marshbanks being a big wrassler goes for the takedown and is successful for a few moments. Del Rosario does scramble and get at least to his feet, where the clinch takes place. Where at that point, Del Rosario starts throwing knees to the body and that's Marshbanks' cue to fall down and quit.

2) Hae Joon "Hungry" Yang (1-0. 1KO): Korea's most notable heavyweight prospect perhaps ever, Yang is undefeated at 5-0. He's young and has backgrounds in BJJ, wrestling, and striking. Well, everyone in Korea has a TKD background, but you know. Yang came from nowhere to collect a massive win over a borderline top 20 heavyweight. Of course, it borders on fluke, but it counts.

VS. Joaquim Ferreira: Ferreira rushes looking for the takedown, as expected, but Yang is able to prevent such a thing and we get wild trading. Sure enough, Yang sparks Ferriera early in the bout and takes out the only man to beat Junior Dos Santos.

3) Alexey Oleinik (1-0, 1 Submission): A long time gatekeeper in the heavyweight mix, Olenik appeared on YAMMA's only event as an alternate and made it to the semis while collecting the one finish of the tournament. Among other successes and failures - tournament losses to Chris Tuchscherer and Michael Kita, another loss in a "normal" Bodog contest to Chael Sonnen, and wins over Sherman Pendergarst, Baga Agaev, and tons of other people you have never in your life heard of.

VS. Sang Soo Lee: The first is only shown as highlights - Oleinik is on top most of the round and we assume it goes to him. And again in round two the bout is generally highlighted with Oleinik's pawing jab leading to takedown attempts, which are often successful. Even when unsuccessful and leading to submission attempts, Lee never seems to have Oleinik in serious trouble. The end comes midway through the round as Oleinik takes down Lee and applies a ezekiel choke from inside Lee's guard.


Tuesday, August 17, 2010

Art of Fighting 4: (8/22/09)

I'm going back in time for this AOF review from their 4th show. Among the bouts? Seth Petruzelli vs. Chris Baten is headliner, with Tom Sauer vs. Marcio Pe De Pano Cruz as the co-headliner. Sauer in the prefight interview has a very noticeable tick. Like, its scary to see. Ben Glossop is working the announce booth with Jay Adams.

1) Ron Ritter vs. Gino Tutera: No idea who these dudes are, but they are heavyweights. Tutera is only 5'9'' and 210.

FIGHT: Tutera TKO Rnd 1. (0) KOTC Special with Tutera basically winning the fight with a single takedown. It all goes on from there as Ritter turns over and absorbs shots. (0)

2) BJ Gress vs. Carlos Gonzalez: Welterweights. Gress has a huge height advantage. Gonzalez is known as "The Rooster" and rocks a red mohawk. C'mon, for real?

FIGHT: Gonzalez TKO Rnd 1. (0)

Gress: Gress has a sloppy active guard he uses on the mat and Gonzalez just pops out of anything thrown at him. Gress should be overpowering his man based on the size advantage, but seems to fight safe more than anything. He lands solid knees in thai plumb but gives it up to go for a double...and do not much with it. In fact, he loses position and has to go for a loose heel hook. So often he tries to go for subs and none of the setups are very good and he ends up losing any solid position he gets. He goes for a kimura and Gonzalez ends up out of it and smashing him out as the round ends. Ref jumps in with 2 seconds on the clock.

Gonzalez: Some submission defense, doesn't react well to the clinch. Basically wins because he has a subpar opponent in the ring.

3) Nyantu Bolo vs. Joe Wissman: Wissman was a decent fighter on a bad card long ago during the only Bonecrunch Fighting League event. Bolo is someone I've never heard of and is already 35.

FIGHT: Wissman Submission Rnd 1. (0) Bolo is hopeless out there and gets tagged with a right hand with his guard being nonexistent. After getting dropped, Wissman jumps on him. Bolo surprises me by sweeping Wissman, but can't do anything inside of the triangle, and Bolo can only try to slam out. He fails and ends up asleep.

4) Keith McCabe vs. Kevin Abrante: Abrante is nearly 40. 185lb fighters. McCabe apparently trains at some Gracie Baha offshoot, and was noted in AOF 7 as having been matched in an attempt to make a slugfest.

FIGHT: McCabe TKO Rnd 1. Dudes slug. Little technique. McCabe is faster and more athletic, so he lands more. In this case, it just requires a 1-2. (0)

5) Mark Serkez vs. Corey Krebs: Serkez half the duo for the AOF 7 fight with McCabe mentioned earlier - and he's a Tom Sauer student! Krebs is a XFC vet, for whatever that's worth, and has like a foot height advantage.

FIGHT: Serkez TKO Rnd 1. (0) Dudes swing hard - I can see why that AOF fight was made now, though it was kinda boring. Serkez lands a couple looping shots as Krebs moves straight back and ends up out cold. Serkez throws his mouthpiece at his body after being tossed off by the ref and kicks at Krebs' corner. Classy dude.

6) Dave Yost vs. Chris Herring: Herring has a huge height advantage, but really now - no chance he wins.

FIGHT: Yost TKO Rnd 1/Sub from Punches. (0) Yost gets on top after Herring is totally gassed early on and smashes the crap out of him. Whatever.

7) Eric Reynolds vs. Greg Loughran: I missed what weight class this was in. Loughran is supposedly from Ireland? Reynolds is fresh off some losing efforts to real fighters in Bellator.

FIGHT: Reynolds TKO Rnd 1. (1) Both men trade standing and land flush. In fact, Loughran actually has some success standing. But in the end, Reynolds gets a takedown and pounds out his opposition.

8) Delson Heleno vs. Tyler Stinson: Stinson had time in the IFO and in Bellator. Heleno is a well known journeyman.

FIGHT: Heleno Submission Rnd 1. (1) Like this was gonna end any other way. Heleno takes down Stinson early and worked to get to the back, but Stinson escaped the RNC. Didn't matter; Heleno gets him back down, mounts, then gets the triangle from the top.

9) Seth Petruzelli vs. Chris Baten: Wow, this isn't the main event? OK. Baten is super ripped as always. Petruzelli has eschewed pink hair for a chinstrap.

FIGHT: Petruzelli TKO Rnd 1. (1) Kinda a lousy fight, SHOCKAH. Petruzelli catches Baten walking in with a right hand, lands a few shots on the mat as he looks a mess, and the ref jumps in. Of course, the announcers play it up like Baten was OK in spite of getting his head dribbled.

10) Tom Sauer vs. Marcio Cruz: Wooooooooow. For Cruz's hilarious heavyweight title. Sauer has a belly.

FIGHT: Cruz TKO Rnd 2. (2)

Cruz: I mean, if you told me this was the only fight that would go to the second, I'd be shocked. But it is. Still, Cruz by submission is like peanut butter and jelly or some shit like that. His striking is abysmal but its never gonna get better. His shots aren't too good either. This was something discovered in his UFC debut at UFC 55 where he was actually taken down a couple times and thrown. Anyhow, Sauer stuffs him twice and then he doesn't have the energy to do it again. The fight is then academic.

Sauer: Between the tick (only seen something like it in stroke patients), the poor conditioning, the fact that I know he's fighting for the money - this is really a sort of sad thing, to be honest. It keeps his name out there and he shows he has about 3 good minutes in the ring, but after that he's like a glorified grappling dummy taking punches while flat on his back. Worst yet, Sauer just covers up at the end of the fight and takes blows for like a solid minute. Why? Why?

FIGHT OF THE NIGHT: Loughran/Reynolds

KO OF THE NIGHT: Serkez/Krebs

SUBMISSION OF THE NIGHT: Stinson/Heleno

OVERALL FOR THE EVENT: 3 out of 10. Some upgrades in terms of the quality of guys up at the top of the card, and a legends fight of sorts main events. Still, the fights themselves aren't at all good. That is an issue.

D&R Rating: 10% (5/50)

Monday, August 16, 2010

W-1 5: Judgement Day (6/19/2010)

Terry Riggs (promoter), Adam Reid, and Jay Adams are announcing for another Fightzone Presents, this time emanating from Montreal's Pierre Charbonneau Centre. Main event is some korean vs. Denis Kang. Screwing up my ability to review this the way I want, Jay Adams Brawl Call features a couple of bonus fights...but one is extra, extra special. So I'll review those from the 30 minute program first, then onto the 1:30 TV card.

1) Ivan Menjivar vs. Aaron Miller: You did not read that wrong. IVAN MENJIVAR has returned, and this is his first fight back.

FIGHT: Menjivar Submission Rnd 1. (3) Ivan is still Ivan. He tries to go for a judo throw, gives up his back, transitions to a Saku kimura, then when the match is on the mat, he is still dominant there too. Menjivar hooks up a triangle and even has the arm in and can go for the armbar.

2) Juan Barrantes vs. Antonio Carvalho: Another comebacking fighter - this is Carvalho's second fight in his most recent comeback since being a regular in Shooto.

FIGHT: Carvalho TKO Rnd 1. (2) Two dudes start swinging early in this one, but there is some reasonable skill exhibited by both men. The thing that bothers me with Carvalho is that he doesn't come back with shots when defending. Just ends up covering up and letting the shots come in. He lands some strong right hands to Barrantes and drops him. Good showing for a guy who, at a lighter weight could still be relevant.

At this point, Brawl Call shifts to the main event. But I have the rest of the taped card here in a 90 minute program recorded.

3) Misha Cirkunov vs. Roy Boughton: Heavyweights around the 215 mark. Both undefeated.

FIGHT: Boughton Submission Rnd 2 (2)

Cirkunov: Clearly, the Toronto based Cirkunov is the guy favored here. Broughton was brought in because, as the promoter himself says, he's really a 185 lb fighter. And early on, Broughton's attempt to takedown Cirkunov and resulting scramble and back control taken on him make this look wise. But Cirkunov gasses out hard a la Carwin - all those muscles don't help if you don't win early. Standing, he has nothing other than raw strength and eats right hands and jabs. When Broughton slips and falls down, Cirkunov goes to get on top of him, and Broughton sits out, then stands, then scores with a double. Terrible.

Boughton: Boughton is a tough guy from a camp known for making animals like David Douglas and the Diaz Bros. He has no real right fighting a big Euro wrestler, but he sure enough does. His skills on the mat are enough for survival against the bigger man and win the fight. Standing, he has that herky jerky style so many from the camp have, but its effective against a guy who can't punch at all. Boughton is young too - he could be a legit threat.

4) John MacPhearson vs. Bruno Hosier: Hosier is from Quebec, MacPhearson from Ontario. More big ass dudes - Hosier is a pretty ripped 240 or so. MacPhearson is a chunky 249.

FIGHT: Hosier TKO Rnd 2. (0)

Hosier: Former Foreign Legion guy who has no boxing, some grappling, and a kicking technique that screams karate. Looks like he's getting up there in years too.

MacPhearson: Things I learned from this show already - fat dudes take body shots better than dudes who are ripped. C'mon, man. For real? MacPhearson is way too big - maybe as small as a welterweight in reality. Sloppy striking is an understatement. While he's probably a tough guy at the bars, the cage is a different reality.

5) Adrian Wooley vs. Randy Spence: This is for the W-1 bantamweight title. Another title. I tell you, boxing has nothing on this sport. Spence is an 11-9 journeyman.

FIGHT: Wooley TKO Rnd 4. (1)

Spence: Has a 6 inch height advantage. Trains at Cesar Gracie. Can't strike. Can't really wrestle that well. Gets outpowered by a much smaller man. No apparent game from the bottom. When he strikes, he drops his hands. When he moves around the ring, he drops his hands. He gets hit with punches CONSTANTLY. His shots have nothing on them - arm punches.

Wooley: Tiny Matt Serra sort of height, but its irrelevant because Spence lets him land looping right hands from far away and/or clinch at will. Wooley throws him to the mat at one point with a guillotine and hurts him a ton of times with punches before the ref comes in to stop the fight, but you come away knowing for certain that he isn't a legit prospect, as well as the feeling that 135 is a weak point in the sport, talent wise.

6) Denis Kang vs. Dae Won Kim: Kang once looked incredible. Then his girl died. Of course, it looks in retrospect that they both may have been drug addicts, and a kid was left without a mother. Kim destroyed Marcelo Garcia's MMA career and has gotten beaten up a lot by western fighters since and before.

FIGHT: Kang Submission Rnd 1. (3) Kang drops Kim very early in the fight, slowly passes guard, and as he does so slaps on an arm triangle. Totally over-matched opponent. Still unbelievable to see him here. After the fight, they tout a "multi-fight deal" with Warrior-1.

FIGHT OF THE NIGHT: Cirkunov/Boughton

KO OF THE NIGHT: Hosier/MacPhearson

SUBMISSION OF THE NIGHT: Menjivar/Miller

OVERALL FOR THE EVENT: 6 out of 10. Between the 2 hours of recording for both shows, there's maybe 60 minutes of fighting, and most of that is the terrible title fight. It really kills the momentum, which for old school fans who loved the pre-UFC period is gonna be a thrill to see with the variety of resurgent names and the appearance of Kang. Like Kang, I have little in terms of expectation for fighters like Menjivar and Carvalho. Too much time away (especially in the case of Ivan) combined with changes in training methodology and increases in the talent pool may render them obsolete. For now, this is an interesting footnote in that period of history - a bit like running a boxing card today with Chris Byrd, Ricardo Williams Jr., and Zahir Raheem on it.

D&R Rating: 37% (11/30)

Sunday, August 15, 2010

X-1 Night of Champions (1/26/2008)

An incredible show with a remarkable headliner. Didn't even know going in who was the top name.

1) Wesley "Cabbage" Corriera vs. Jacob Faagai: Faagai is debuting. CABBAGE is the dude who's head is super hard and can't be KOed. Well, until people started doing it. Regularly.

FIGHT: Cabbage TKO Rnd 1. Corriera still doesn't look any different than years ago. Just tosses Faagai down when he shoots. Like, straight back over backwards. Hilarious shit. Faagai actually turns him over and gets to side control and starts smashing. It looks as if he's going to win with GNP! Then HILARITY. Faagai dislocates his shoulder smashing Cabbage, reels back, falls over, and eats a punch by Cabbage. (2) for the incredible one of a kind ending, Cabbage, a random dude that was smashing Cabbage - incredible. Never seen anything like it.

2) Ricky Shivers vs. Kenny Ento: Shivers is the Alaskan middleweight champ. Can't make that up. Oh! This is a tournament. One night only! Who is the other bracket?

FIGHT: Shivers TKO Rnd 1. (0) Ento slams Shivers early and looks to mount and end this fast, but Shivers is able to force the fight back up, takes down Ento, and nearly gets caught in a leg lock. Shivers stands out, then lands a right hand on Ento. Ento ragdolls into the ropes and starts taking punches like its Morrison/Mercer as the ref jumps in. (0)

INTERVIEW WITH CHRIS LEBEN. He looks like Dave Walsh on a permanent heroin bender.

3) Joey Guel vs. Falaniko Vitale: NIKOOOOOOOOO

FIGHT: Vitale Unanimous Decision (3)

Vitale: Winning a decision in Hawaii is hardly a surprise. He deserved it though, having Guel in trouble with frequency standing and on the mat. He's at a technique deficit standing but makes up for it with raw strength and his grappling technique. Even then, you see that Niko is losing a step against increasing competition - he has to force his way out of a kimura from Guel on strength alone. He should be exceedingly thankful that wasn't a serious prospect or current top fighter.

Guel: Guel shows superior standup for most of the bout and actually has a decent ground game. But he's just an OK fighter, and Vitale can defeat those. He shows enough in terms of how immobile Vitale is as well as how open he is to submissions to make you believe that Niko's a long ways away from making another run at a world title. Guel is pretty well done with the sport, it seems.

4) Dave Moreno vs. Eddie Yagin: Featherweights. Super lightweights. Whatever. 145 is the weight class. Yagin and Moreno have been around in Hawaii SO LONG.

FIGHT: Yagin Unanimous Decision (1)

Yagin: Yagin looks significantly smaller, but he's an all around better fighter. He takes down Moreno a few times and lands nice kicks and right hands. Pretty easy fight, all things considered.

Moreno: Hurts his wrist and takes a low blow the ref misses. Add in that he's a step below Yagin in terms of skill and technique, and he's not gonna win. And he doesn't.

5) Michael Brightmon vs. Anthony Torres: Welterweight bout. Never heard of either. Brightmon was in the UFC I guess. 3 minute rounds.

FIGHT: Brightmon Split Decision (0)

Brightmon: Lost to Bryson Kamaka. In 9 seconds. So that is what we are dealing with here. Just a wild puncher with a lot of physical strength. He wins the first round with some strikes that he wings out and then gets on top in the third thanks to Torres gassing and grinds out a decision.

Torres: A wrestler who has some skills on top, but nothing too great. At all. No standup. There's a reason why it was smart for him to seemingly retire and move on.

MOAR LEBEN INTERVIEW ON THE BEACH

6) Ricky Shivers vs. Falaniko Vitale: And now, the finals.

FIGHT: Vitale TKO Rnd 1. (3) Shivers gets nailed with a flying knee early in the first that drops him. Vitale jumps on him, and there's a lot of blood. Huge cut on Shivers' forehead ends the bout.

EVEN MOAR LEBEN INTERVIEW

7) Mia St. John vs. Rhonda Gallegos: UNREAL. THIS IS A FIGHT?????

FIGHT: St. John TKO Rnd 1. Gallegos is a fat mess and St. John drops her with punches. She just crumbles. St. John doesn't jump on her or anything, but does it matter? This is probably fixed. (3)

FIGHT OF THE NIGHT: Guel/Vitale

KO OF THE NIGHT: Cabbage/Faagai

OVERALL FOR THE EVENT: 5 out of 10. Freakshows of epicness. Niko SMASH. And then decisions that aren't very good.

D&R Rating: 34% (12/35)

Raging Wolf 7 (5/8/2010)

Jay Adams and Jarrod Card are your hosts for yet another edition of Raging Wolf Fights or whatever from Seneca Casino.

1) James Nevels vs. Eric Herbert: Light heavyweights. Nevels looks old and pudgy. Herbert is a younger guy with a Tim Sylvia sort of build: flattish stomach, love handles galore. Nevels comes in with about a week notice. Herbert won some ridiculous belt last time he was in Raging Wolf. Apparently that title already ceases to exist.

FIGHT: Herbert Unanimous Decision (0)

Nevels: Frankly, Nevels is a not too good 185lb fighter blown up and, by his facial appearance, 10 years too old to the game to make any noise. He can't check kicks, his punches are always slow, and he waits until far too long to shoot in. When he does, he easily gets on top and starts blasting. Herbert somehow slips an armbar attempt from Nevels that was ill timed, as merely by staying on top might have won him the fight. There's a quick standup and the time spent cleaning up Herbert probably keeps him alive.

Herbert: Keeps trying to touch gloves. Why? Weird, because its like everything follows with an attempt to touch gloves. Or is it him measuring his opponent? Either way, its not a wise strategy with anyone actually very good. Unlike his last fight, a classic display of fighting someone who could not wrestle, he shows respect for Nevels' ability to grapple, as he turns out to be as strong as he is and capable of defending the shot. This causes the fight to be a long, boring, tedious standup affair only marked occasionally with lousy shots from Herbert that are fended off or reacted to with illegal knees. Eventually he's taken down and actually takes a heck of a beating for most of the 3rd round, to what should have been a 10-8 round. In spite of this, he wins a UD.

2) Josh Thorpe vs. Don Carlo-Clauss: Thorpe trains with Nevels -that means RW got a discount on flying cornermen. Carlo-Clauss is a .667 fighter from Jersey's Bomb Squad. Lightweight belt or something on the line.

FIGHT: Carlo-Clauss Unanimous Decision (0)

Carlo-Clauss: Not an endearing performance. He gets hit with a lot of punches in this fight because he squares himself up to a guy who has a proper stance to strike. Frankly, he's lucky to have won, and the 30-27 card is a complete joke that goes to him. His takedowns aren't that good, nor is his activity on the mat.

Thorpe: You see a serious difference in stance - a true clash of styles. Thorpe stands like a classical boxer, and that leaves him open for leg kicks and the shot. Well, he's only taken down a couple times, lands all the meaningful blows standing, and Carlo-Clauss throws lousy leg kicks, so he actually comes really close to winning the fight. Might even deserve the W, though Carlo-Clauss basically gets it for going Tim Sylvia as his plan B and squashing Thorpe against the cage while a kindly ref lets him not do much.

3) Tonya Evinger vs. Alexis Davis: For a bantamweight title of sorts. Women fighting: WHAT WILL THEY THINK OF NEXT.

FIGHT: Davis Submission Rnd 3 (2)

Evinger: Evinger apparently said prior to the fight that she felt disrespected by her peers because they wouldn't give her a big fight. And then she goes out, does not much apart from hold top control, nearly gets caught in submissions in rounds 1 and 2, then Davis ends up taking her back after a telegraphed single and its all she wrote (no pun intended).

Davis: Okay fighter who isn't very big, moves her hips around pretty well on the bottom, and also has a decent sprawl. And that's it.

FIGHT OF THE NIGHT: Thorpe/Carlo-Clauss

SUBMISSION OF THE NIGHT: Evinger/Davis

OVERALL FOR THE EVENT: 3 out of 10. Not terrible fights or anything, but only three bouts and none of them that important. Evinger/Davis is kind of a fun upset, but I don't really care about women's MMA so its not a big deal to me.

D&R Rating: 13% (2/15)

Saturday, August 14, 2010

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.





Thursday, August 12, 2010

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.

Monday, August 9, 2010

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)

Tuesday, August 3, 2010

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)