NAAFS Cage Fighting (8/22/2010)

This was recorded on it original airing on 8/22/10. Long delay as they started replaying a lot of stuff from Fight Night At the Flats VI. Frankly, this was also part of that same event, so it too is probably a replay. Whatever.

1) Frankie Perez vs. Kenney Jackson: Amateur MMA bout among lightweights. Perez is a fighter from the stable of Ricardo Almedia himself.

FIGHT: Perez Unanimous Decision. Perez is a legitimate prospect, and you see why watching this. Most of the fight is spent wit Perez having hooks or a body triangle on Jackson while holding onto his back. This is part and parcel of an issue with training - Jackson doesn't get the same level of help as does Perez. Clearly he's not any less explosive or athletic. I can see that. But one of these guys is from Ohio and the other is from New York, and the guy from the richer, more important city is unsurprisingly better. Not only is he better as an MMA fighter right now, he completely dominates Jackson the entire fight. Jackson wins maybe, and I mean, MAYBE 20 seconds of the bout, and even that leads to Perez taking the back (Jackson goes for a guillotine after a shot by Perez, picks up Perez, ends up having Perez go around the side and to the back).

Perez, meanwhile, is only a purple belt and pretty new at this MMA thing. Still not a pro. That's something. The announcers are struck dumb trying to say something about this fight that doesn't demolish their homegrown guy. (1)

2) Chuck Ellison vs. Gerric Hayes: Pro welterweight fight. Both guys well under 170.

FIGHT: Hayes Submission Rnd 1. Another fight where the announcers spend a long time talking about their hometown fighter only to see him get rolled. Hayes gets a takedown ASAP, Ellison does try to slip out the back and, oh, oops, he gets caught with a kneebar and it gets blown up. Hayes apparently didn't earn a second time up to Ohio for smashing their amateur star and lost at a Gameness Fighting Championships event. (0)

3) Dane Bonnigson vs. Josh Stansbury: Dane apparently wrestled D-1 for Western Michigan and was undefeated as an amateur. Supposedly cuts from 240 down to 205. Josh Stansbury is some dude I don't know much about and thought was Kyle Kingsbury for a first. Pro series light heavyweight fight, in case I didn't make it clear.

FIGHT: Stansbury Submission Rnd 1. Bonningson looked like an even more robotic Dan Henderson, gets sorta touched by a high kick or something (not even sure he was), gets thrown as he shoots in, and ends up caught in a guillotine that he gave up way too easily while trying to get back to his feet. Never even really recognized the problems he had either. Bonningson is so jacked muscularly that I wonder if NAAFS has to test. (0)

OVERALL FOR THE SHOW: 5 out of 10. There was a really real prospect on the show tonight, along with dudes who were claimed to be real prospects getting embarassed. Makes for not bad TV. Only problem is that it is awash in ads for shit like NAAFS: The Music Vol. 2.