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)
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