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Jerusalem posted:Great write-up, and man was Ken Shamrock ever actually any good? I don't think I've ever seen or read about or heard of any fight he ever had not resulting in either him losing in embarrassing fashion or insisting that he actually won and got cheated. Early UFC? His Pancrase run? His WWF run in the late 90's wrecked him physically. He was a big draw though until the mid 00's.
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Apr 17, 2020 01:55
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I have to confess that I didn’t roll for this. Something in Memento’s post reminded me that I wanted to watch a fight on this card. I think that counts as random enough for this thread. It’s my third contribution anyway. I’ll go back to the rng next. Anyway SUPERBRAWL 35 April 16, 2004 from Honolulu  There’s too much weird carny poo poo to keep up with it as I go. The ref is introduced as a professional fighter and he’s wearing a headset. Our first bout is  R1 Yamaguchi opens with a weird expression on his face and rapidly hits a double into side. Apparently this is Pride rules, as Yamaguchi sends some knees to Kid’s head while on the ground. Kid is a terrible grappler. He’s wrapping him up in a way that he’s just asking to get americanaed and there Yamaguchi grabs a keylock. A bit of a scramble and Kid gets out for a second but then right back to the bottom. There’s no timer but the announcer tells me that there’s 20 seconds left. That did not feel like 5 minutes. 10-9 Yamaguchi but who knows what the rules are. R2 The fightpass file cut out the bit between rounds. The ref delays the start while Kid’s corner clears some poo poo they left in the ring. The announcer tells us that Yamaguchi trains with Kid Yamamoto while he’s caught in a really sloppy guillotine off of a shot. They end up in full guard and Kid sends some worthless heel kicks to Yamaguchi’s butt until the ref stands them up. Yamaguchi shoots again and gets side control but the ref recentres them as they go through the ropes. Oh! He restarts them standing. Circle circle. The PA shouts 30 seconds. Yamaguchi on top again but not really achieving anything. Some knees to the head. R3 Yamaguchi opens with a fastball left overhand to Kid’s jaw and Kid just drops into a fencing response. That’s like 2 seconds into the round. Kid is loving outttttt.  I don’t have the technology to make a gif but that KO is worth checking out, like timestamp 7:30 or so.  Hey I know Palaszewski! WEC! He had some decent wins. This seems to be a USA vs Japan thing. Palaszewski doesn’t have his trademark dyed hair and beard yet. Okada gets double underhooks and a takedown but Palascewski gets some overhook butterfly play going. The announcer calls him “Bart.” Standup. Palascewski with some front kicks and leg kicks. Clinch, knees, etc. Okada has a judo background apparently. “Little knee to the groin there” but no separation. Palascewzki barely misses a big uppercut on the break. Palaszewski throws some haymakers and Okada shoots underneath but Palaszewski sprawls out. More clinch. Little scramble to end the round. They show an instant replay of an inconsequential moment in the Kid-Yamaguchi fight between rounds and the announcers just pretend that it’s Okada and Palascewski, as the white guys and Japanese guys are just generally interchangeable. R2 More action to open R2 – there’s a bit of a brawl before Okada scores a takedown into full guard. Palascewski looking for the kimura-guillotine-bump setup. He gets the kimura on the other side and Okada tries to get out through the ropes, but the ref moves them in and away. Palascewski gives it up. Bland ground and pound until a standup. Okada lands a decent right then goes for a whizzer uchimata but no dice. More hugging. Another exchange at the end of the round. Palascewski kicks Okada’s leg out from underneath him and lands some flying GNP at the end. Okada’s nose is bleeding. Right replay this time. R3. Some fun sloppy striking exchanges to open the round. Palascewski seems more confident in his striking, landing a nice body kick and then starts to tee off. Okada gets a reactive double leg and hangs on to the waist lock for dear life. Ref threatens a standup over a PA. Okada is pretty battered here and Palascewski is just looking for the finish. Okada keeps shooting increasingly sad shots to stay alive. He eventually grabs onto a single Ryan Bader style and just starts to eat abuse. In comes the towel. Bart Palascewski wins by TKO at some point in Round 3. There’s a real leathery looking dude in a suit and a lei who interviews the winner.  This must be a “North America vs Japan” thing. R1 Skinner opens with a high kick. Some exchanges and skinner gets a big slam before things slow down. Skinner looking to establish some kind of top position ride. Stands them up. Wild exchange. Skinner lands some hard shots but then gets clipped while swinging and goes down to a knee. He gets back up but Ishikawa puts him on his back. Ishikawa goes for an armbar but Skinner twists out and ends up on top. Ishikawa doubles through and ends up back in side. Then the exact same thing happens again. They end up on their feet clinching, then dragged back to the ground with Ishikawa on top at the end of the round. R2 I got distracted. It was a good round. Skinner is gassing and Ishikawa probably won it. R3 Both fighters are gassed but still fighting. Ishikawa ends up on top at the end of round 3. 10-9 must decision – 29-28 / 30-27*2 for Ishikawa  R1 Kato gets a trip and ends up in top half then passes to mount. Dent holding on to the waist to stay in it. Kato just happy to work from the top. Dent reestablishes half guard. They keep going like this for the majority of the round. R2. Exactly the same as R1 – Kato putting consistent but not devastating GNP on Dent but nothing fight ending. Some of those knees look unpleasant but Dent isn’t going away. R3. Kato lands a right hand and takes it down again. Kato wins the decision  Oh! The rules! Things are legal except when illegal. Thanks for clearing that up, Super Brawl!  First fight without a Japanese fighter. I remember Kerry Schall from one season of TUF. I think he was on the one with Uriah Hall. If I remember right, his story was that he was a middleweight whose record was bad because he kept taking heavyweight fights. Holy poo poo if that’s the same guy he lost weight. I think I’m getting my old b-leaguers mixed up. R1. Clinching. Serraile with some bodylock knees in the corner. Schall bulls him over and goes for an Americana. Serraile gets out but schall eventually ends up with an inside wrist behind the head and starts throwing punches. A mouthguard comes out. The ref stops it. Schall seems pissed that the ref didn’t stop it sooner. Apparently Serraile had some kind of shoulder injury. The post-fight interview is incomprehensible because of the bad sound. From what I can tell is that Serraile tried to verbally tap because his hands were tied up and the ref didn’t step in. Schall then asks if anyone wants a souvenier and then grins and strips to his skivvies and throws his shorts and jock into the crowd.  Anyway  R1 One of these fighters lost to Yves Edwards but beat Rob McCullough. Didn’t catch which. We quickly end up in front headlock and clinches. Eventually a bit of a slam to the ground and Bow scrambles into a mounted triangle kimura position. I like this guy’s grapple style. Gets the tap! Cool sequence. Rewatched it! It was side to - spinning armbar – kimura trap - reverse triangle – mounted reverse triangle – mounted kimura. The fighters laugh and horse around after the finish a bit.  This is the fight I wanted to tune in for. Someone I know was there  live for it and tells me that it’s a really good fight, and seeing Fukuda’s name reminded me to look it up. Both of these guys fought at 185 in the UFC.R1 Fukuda shoots on Doerksen right away, but sprawls, and Doerksen feeds him some knees for the trouble. Immediately we have a ton of action where Doerksen is boxing Fukuda up and putting tons of knees on the body. Doerksen drops Fukuda with a hook and Fukuda shoots defensively and finishes it but Doerksen ends up on top, then rolls in for an arm-in guillotine, which he rolls to mount. Fukuda goes limp for a second but then pops back to life and slips out. Doerksen grabs a triangle but it isn’t locked and Fukuda slips it. Countdown over the PA and the ref stands it. Fukuda charges in like a madman and Doerksen clinches and switches him into the corner. Fukuda’s face is swelling already. Lots of dirty boxing. Big shots by both. Wild exchanges. Some clinches then Doerksen lands some big elbows. Blood on top of Doerksen’s head but it’s coming out of Fukuda’s eye. Clinched up… ref stops it to check the cut. Baroni in Fukuda’s corner More clinch and knees from both fighters to end the round. Fukuda’s face is already Fukdupa. R2. Fukuda charges in like an idiot again and they’re clinching in the corner. Doerksen separates and lands some good punches and elbows. Fukuda shoots a really long outside shot but Doerksen sits into guard rather than try to sprawl through the ropes. Doerksen grabs a kimura but Fukuda gets his arm back. Doerksen goes for a pendulum sweep and then an armbar setup but Fukuda recenters. Countdown on the PA and standup. Fukuda lands a big leg kick but gets kneed and elbowed a bunch on his way back into the corner. Ref shouting over the PA. They trade right hands in the clinch. Doerksen goes for a kneebar and misses ending up on bottom. Throws up for a triangle but the ref stops it mid attack because his head is under the ropes. Looking for the hantai kimura and omoplata while Baroni is losing his mind at the ref because the ropes are in the way. Ref moves them a few feet in. Doerksen getting really aggressive from his guard – triangle, armbar, but he gets his elbow out. Rich Franklin in Doerksen’s corner. R3 Fukuda opens with the leg kick again but gets countered. And again. A few kicks exchanged. Fukuda looks for a single but Doerksen shrugs it off. Fukuda lands a nice straight left. Good combo by Doerksen but Fukuda exploits the fact that Doerksen’s fists are on Fukuda’s face as an opportunity to get double unders. Fukuda loses his mouthpiece. Doerksen rolls for the kneebar and gets it trapped and deep but Fukuda somehow squirms his way out and then immediately ends up in a triangle, which he escapes. Doerksen goes back to the kimura-bump attack. He gets the kimura deep again but again Fukuda powers out. Some more wrangling and Doerksen grabs an omoplata. Fukuda stands up and goes for some stomps but falls back down into guard and that’s the end. Doerksen gets a UD. Fight delivered. They give Fukuda a post fight interview to congratulate him on being tough. Doerksen congratulates Fukuda for his toughness (it was Fukuda’s pro debut). I guess Dana White was in the audience, and the crowd gives “Anyone wanna see Joe in the UFC” a pretty good pop.  R1 Lots of feeling out at the beginning. Both guys are crisp and twitchy. Shot to the cup but Curran only takes a few seconds. Curran lands a right hand that drops Nonaka but Nonaka gets a loving lumberjack sweep to get up on top to quarter guard. Curran gets full guard and Nonaka stands and they’re back up. Curran gets knees and uppercuts. Nonaka hits an uchimata but Curran almost gets his back and they end up in guard. A bit of play and they’re back up. Curran starts flurrying again with uppercuts and knees. Nonaka puts Curran on his back again and gets caught in an armbar for his trouble, but clears the elbow and stands. Curran throwing upkicks. Nonaka lands a couple of good punches but the round ends. R2 Got distracted but R2 has more clincheng than R2. Nonaka seems to be trying to deny Curran space to strike. Nonaka shoots and Curran goes for a guillotine but nowhere near. Curran gets a triangle and it’s tight! Nonaka goes for the sitout escape and gets out! Curran spins for a kneebar but doesn’t get there. Nonaka lands a big ROH to grounded Curran but gets an upkick for his trouble, and that’s the round. R3 Trade some heavy shots but they end up in clinch and Nonaka gets it to the ground. Curran grabbing his Nonaka’s head as if he wants to get Von Flued but the ref stands him up instead. Nonaka lands a nice left. Some exchanges and then Curran shoots and gets the back. Nonaka is going for a short armbar instead of fighting the choke. Curran grabs the mandible choke but Nonaka gets out, and eventually spins into guard and back to his feet. Just as I’m tuning out Curran lands a BRUTAL upkick and Nonaka faceplants. Curran is on his back before the ref can get in there, and he grabs the RNC for the tap. loving gnarly. Jeff Curran by RNC! Curran respectfully calls for a rematch with Kid Yamamoto  Franklin was cornering Doerksen earlier, and now he’s fighting against a doughy looking jobber. He gets underhooks and drags the guy down right away. Works to his mount. Throws some punches. Sylvest taps to strikes and the crowd boos. Franklin kinda says he’s disappointed in the lame fight and asks for a fight against Enson Inoue. Speaking of whom…  Main event time! Crowd is hyped for Enson. Sauer opens with a big swing and Enson shoots under and then pulls guard, looking for an armbar from the bottom. He misses the armbar and goes for a triangle, then back to the armbar, Sauer slams out and enson goes back to the triangle. Back to the armbar. Back to the triangle. He’s really slick, but Sauer slips past to north south, and he looks for a north south choke a bit, but he’s too high on the body and Enson starts kneeing Sauer in the head from the bottom. Sauer adjusts his position and starts sending some knees back. Sauer moves to mount and starts getting some nasty GNP on Enson as the PA shouts “one minute. Enson is just starting to curl up. That’s it. Enson is upset and Baroni and Kid Yamamoto jump in the ring and start yelling at the ref what the christ. Security gets in there. It was a good stoppage, though I could see calling some strikes to the back of the head. The announcer is like “Man we’re sorry you weren’t about to die he shouldn’t have stopped it” Enson gives a barely coherent speech to tell the crowd that he’s ok in his heart. His face is pretty beaten up. He says he’ll be back. Calls for a rematch right to Enson’s face. Enson’s entire entourage dominating the ring as Sauer accepts the rematch.  God that stoppage was fine. Tommy Sauer TKO Enson Inoue The rematch never happened. Sauer would get KOed in his next two fights and finish out his career in 2012 at a respectable 25-12, though Inoue would probably be his second-best career win aside from a 1998 RNC of Monson. Enson would fight once more at the ASTRA card beating some guy named Antz via an armbar. He later gave up his BJJ black belt, self-demoting to purple, because he felt that the game had passed him too far. Rich Franklin TKO Leo Sylvest This was Franklin’s rebound fight after his first career loss to Machida (a hell of a KO you should check it out). He’d need to get another win before moving on to begin his hall-of-fame UFC career. Leo Sylvest continued to let people beat him up for money, finishing his career at 10-26 in 2009. He had actually beaten Greg Franklin a few months earlier. His losses include Dave Menne, Mark Hughes, Edwin Dewees, Jason Guida and the above mentioned Tommy Sauer (13 second first-round submission to punches hah). Jeff Curran sub Kimihito Nonaka Jeff Curran was a pioneer of the lighter weights. He’d fight in the UFC at the highest level, though he dropped four straight there to Faber, Mike Brown, Benavidez and Mizugaki. He probably deserves to be in the Hall of Fame, though his UFC/WEC record is lacking. He last fought in 2016 and if he is retired, did so with a record of 36-18. Kimihito Nonaka fought only once more and finished his career at 6-8. Curran was his only noteworthy opponent, though admittedly I don’t know all of the Shooto guys from 2000 or so. Joe Doerksen UD Riki Fukuda Joe Doerksen didn’t get the UFC shot in his next fight. Instead he pulled Leben, handing the Crippler his first career loss. He’d then lose to Joe Riggs in his UFC debut. Overall Doerksen would compile a 2-8 UFC record, but nearly every one of his fights was short notice, and he fought three future title challengers in that time (Cote, Lindland, and Marquardt) and would challenge Paulo Filho for the WEC middleweight championship. Doerksen retired with a record of 51-16, with quite a few good wins even if on smaller stages, and he is a legend of Canadian MMA. Riki Fukuda had a long career which would eventually take him to EliteXC (thanks, Memento) and to the UFC, where he would go 2-3 with wins against Steve Cantwell and Tom Deblass. His best career win is arguably Murillo Rua. His present record is 24-9 Ryan Bow SUB Deshaun Johnson. Bow retired in 2008 with a record of 17-9, primarily in Japan. His most noteworthy opponent was a 2000 decision loss to Gomi. Deshaun Johnson would fight three more times, to retire 6-9 in 2004. He has a win over Andy Wang and a loss to Yves Edwards. Kerry Schall TKO Ray Seraile Kerry Schall was not the guy from TUF who I thought he was – he’s the guy from the TUF where he got Leg Kick TKOed ™ by Keith Jardine. He also has losses to Ben Rothwell and Fedor. He retired in 2013 with a record of 24-13. Ray Seraile retired in 2010 with a record of 8-9 with losses to Roy Nelson and Joey Beltran. Tetsuji Kato UD Jason Dent Tetsuji Kato retired in 2009 with a record of 20-10. He has a Shooto loss to Anderson Silva, and a late career win over Toby Imada, and a loss to Giblert. Jason Dent would make it to the UFC, to go 1-1, losing to G-Sot. His last fight was a 2012 loss to Khabilov. 22-13. Makato Ishikaawa UD Antoine Skinner Ishikawa would win only once more, closing out his career 11-10. Skinner would go on a 10 fight unbeaten streak after this before losing to Joe Lauzon in 2005. He retired after a 2007 loss to Rich Clementi, 19-6. Bart Palaszewski TKO Komei Okada Palaszewski would be a WEC-UFC Journeyman, peaking with a split decision win over Anthony Pettis. He retired in 2013 after a loss to Cole Miller, 36-17. Okada’s career is kinda sad. He lost to a lot of people, though mostly by decision, but none of them are noteworthy. I only see one other future UFC fighter on there, and that guy is presently 0-2. 7-18. Jyoji Yamaguchi KO Billy Kid Yamaguchi only fought twice more, ending his career at 2-1 Billy Kid would fight until 2014, retiring with a record of 12-9, though with no opponents of note. Thanks folks! The “Where are they now” is quite fun!
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Apr 17, 2020 04:43
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I always remember Shamrock being a sort of 1 trick pony when it came to his fighting arsenal/gameplan.
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Apr 17, 2020 06:07
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CommonShore posted:
Ahh yes, the rules as written by Franz Kafka.
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Apr 17, 2020 09:49
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CommonShore posted:I have to confess that I didn’t roll for this. Something in Memento’s post reminded me that I wanted to watch a fight on this card. I think that counts as random enough for this thread. It’s my third contribution anyway. Hell to the yes CommonShore posted:R3 I was like "Didn't I used to make gifs for the monthly thread OPs? Oh yeah, Gooncam!". It actually turned out pretty well, but now I've set a bar for my future reviews that I'll have to keep getting up to. https://i.imgur.com/2Nehh7D.mp4 Literally the first blow of the round. It was really easy to edit the gif down because this action happens the frame after the camera closes in to catch the action after the start of the round.
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Apr 17, 2020 10:33
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Memento posted:Hell to the yes Awesome. Can you grab the Jeff Curran upkick too? They had a good replay of it so it should be easy to find. e. Daily Motion has the Sauer-Inoue fight. Discuss the stoppage - was this worth swarming the ring over and inflicting Damnatio Memorae on the ref? https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x3tgjf Finishing sequence begins at 4:45 timestamp. CommonShore fucked around with this message at 15:02 on Apr 17, 2020 |
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Apr 17, 2020 14:59
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CommonShore posted:Jeff Curran upkick So the angle during the fight wasn't too bad, Curran gets a hell of a lot of it and you can see that Nonaka is in a world of hurt. This first gif got sped up somehow, still not 100% sure what I'm doing with this thing. https://i.imgur.com/dJTS4Vn.mp4 But from the second angle, you can see that the fight was one hundred percent over after that shot. https://i.imgur.com/x33OKYz.mp4
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Apr 19, 2020 14:10
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UFC 14 Showdown - 27 July 1997 Here's what I know about this show: Not a goddamn thing. But it's 1997, it's the 14th UFC Show and from what little I know about this period, I'm likely going to see a loving bizarre time capsule of early MMA. Here's what the opening told me: The Ultimate Striker vs. The Ultimate Grappler! Maurice Smith quick and lethal, Mark Coleman strong and ferocious! UFC Heavyweight Champion vs. Kickboxing Champion! It's the Showdown! It's the Boutwell Auditorium in Birmingham, Alabama and there are 4800 people in attendance which is apparently a sell-out. The commentators are Bruce Beck (who looks like a kid's soccer coach) and Jeff Blatnick who looks like Bruce Beck's dad. There is a Middleweight and Heavyweight Tournament getting resolved tonight, and the whole thing has an oddly charming regional sports conference feel to it: this is a far cry from the polished product that UFC puts out nowadays. Also holy poo poo the backstage interviewer is Joe Rogan, still best known at the time for his role in Newsradio, and he looks like a completely different human being. Yori Vaulin vs. Joe Moreira This is a fight in the Middleweight Tournament. Vaulin has a primary background as a boxer but the commentators not he has NO grappling skills AT ALL. Moreira's background is in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and obviously he can grapple but striking is "limited". They're not kidding about this PPV being a "showdown" of different styles and are openly talking up the complete lack of ability in particular areas of fighting. I have to remind myself this is early UFC where they were still trying to figure poo poo out. Little Baby Bruce Buffer is the ring announcer and he looks more like Dave Batista got shrunk in the wash than the Bruce Buffer we know today. The ref is Big John McCarthy, who is looking particularly swole tonight. Round 1: Vaulin gets in a single punch as Moreira lunges at him and takes him down effortlessly. Apparently Moreira's last fight was against a guy 105lbs heavier than him because what the gently caress, UFC? He lays on top of Vaulin - described by the commentators as a Dolph Lundgren lookalike - who really has nothing to offer on the ground. There's no double Moreira is completely dominating and there is no pretense from the commentators about it, they know he's doing nothing. A headbutt gets thrown at one point and openly pointed out by commentary... turns out these weren't made illegal until UFC 15. 9 Minutes and 31 seconds into this brutally boring first round, John McCarthy stands them and the crowd cheers. Vaulin is so completely outclassed it's beyond funny and just sad. He's got 270+ boxing matches on his record and none of it means anything, and he doesn't even get in a single nothing-punch this time before Moreira takes him down with laughable ease. The crowd boos, they don't want to see Moreira just laying on this guy but why the gently caress would he do anything else? He's dominating and is no danger whatsoever. Round 2: So this show is so old that I didn't realize they didn't have the 3 round system yet (I believe that comes in at UFC 21?). Instead, they fought for 12 minutes, and go to a 3-minute overtime because there was no Knock-out or Submission. I'll call it round 2 for convenience. So they get up, John McCarthy starts the overtime period and... Moreira immediately takes Vaulin down again at will. Time runs out and the crowd aren't impressed, and they probably won't be happy with the inevitable result of a clear decision victory to Moreira. Yep, it's a unanimous decision and the crowd don't care. Final Thoughts: The moment I saw Vaulin was a boxer and nothing else I assumed unless he lucked out with a KO punch 0.2 seconds into the fight this was how things would end up. It wasn't exciting, it wasn't compelling viewing, but I do not blame Moreira in the slightest. He did exactly what he needed to do, especially considering this is a tournament and he'll have to fight again tonight (that's insane). Where are they now?: I'm not going to look up Moreira until after his part in the tournament is done. As for Vaulin, well when I eventually was able to track down his record it was.... 0-1-0. Yes, this was his ONLY UFC fight, he lost, and apparently never fought again. While his 270+ boxing fights were mentioned on commentary in a desperate effort to talk him up, his actual professional record was apparently only 16 bouts, with him winning 13 and losing 3 by knock-out. Todd Butler vs. Kevin Jackson The next fight in the Middleweight Tournament is between Butler, an expert in Okinawan Karate, and Kevin Jackson who is a wrestler... oh my God Butler is gonna die  . Butler apparently likes to overwhelm his opponents but is aware that doing this against a grappler is likely to end him quickly. He does have experience as a wrestler at the High School and Collegiate level, but that is unlikely to do much against Jackson who is making his UFC debut. He's a world champion and Olympic gold medalist wrestler... oh my God seriously, Butler is a sacrificial lamb. Jackson admits that he doesn't have much experience getting punched and has to be mindful of that, and the commentators laud his honesty, but it really sounds to me more like he's trying not to come across as arrogant about his clear status as the favorite.Round 1: Butler is true to his word and doesn't rush in and try to overwhelm Jackson, recognizing the clear superiority of Jackson in terms of grappling. They finally engage and go up against the cage, where Butler uses everything he has to prevent getting taking down, and is actually doing well when suddenly Jackson just snaps him to the ground with a double-leg that seems to come out of nowhere. Butler gives up his back and Jackson is immediately on the attack, and Butler taps out just as McCarthy looked like he was going to step in and call it anyway. Final Thoughts: A complete contrast to the prior bout, but no less surprising. Butler looked a little upset about the finish but he was the one who submitted, and he must have suspected going into this fight that UFC probably wanted Jackson to get a fast and exciting win. There's not much else to say really, Butler did well to fight a takedown for 15-20 seconds against a Gold Medalist but that's really all there is to say. Jackson isn't even breathing hard backstage as he's interviewed by Joe Rogan, and his look, his background, the ease and confidence with which he speaks: this looks like the kind of guy the UFC is dreaming about being a champion. Where are they now?: Butler only fought once for UFC, in this losing effort. His MMA career in general was much the same. He had 5 fights total in his career, lost four and finished up as a fighter after getting his only win ever, submitting Adam Harris at IFC Montreal Cage Combat in 1999. A video package airs for Maurice Smith, who is facing Mark Coleman in the Main Event. It talks up his strong record and makes a real point of the fact he has beaten more favored fighters with a stronger grappling background than his in the past. The final Extreme Fighting Champion, Smith has primarily fought as a Kickboxer but claims that while he respects Coleman's record he also believes he is a one-dimensional fighter and he can exploit that. The video package is clumsily put together but does a solid job of making an argument for Smith's chances, including the fact that to this point Smith has NEVER lost a championship match. Mark Kerr vs. Moti Horenstein This is Kerr's UFC debut, and the first fight in the Heavyweight Tournament. He looks like he's been molded out of steel, he is in exception shape and the breakdown of his skills only offers up one potential issue: he's limited when it comes to submissions, despite being excellent on the ground and having a real ability to takedown other fighters. That could be a real limitation for him against his oppo-oh wait nevermind, he's fighting some dude called Moti Horenstein whose fighting background is "karate". He's VERY good at karate but he's probably doomed, claiming that he felt "ok" duing his loss to Coleman in a previous fight and so feels he'll be much more comfortable against a grappler this time. The ring girls are just wandering about in jeans and over-sized t-shirts but still getting wolf-whistles. John McCarthy is the ref again. The commentators accidentally call Bruce Buffer Michael Buffer  Round 1: Horenstein is wearing his gi in the fight, which is something I knew used to be a thing but still catches me by surprise, especially as in the modern day fighters are forced to wear specific Reebok branded generic gear. The commentators mention that Horenstein has a deadly axe-kick that could win the fight for him if he can ge-nevermind he just got effortlessly taken down by Kerr. Getting side control, Kerr lays in heavy knees and some right hands, thumping Horenstein at will and largely ignoring his attempts to knee his side. Putting Horenstein on his back, Kerr just pummels him in the face unshielded a couple of times, then does it again after a brief failed effort by Horenstein to struggle free. John McCarthy's seen enough and waves the fight off, Kerr is the winner in less than 3 minutes. He makes a point of hugging Horenstein who is cognizant enough after an initial disagreement with McCarthy to step aside and offer Kerr to leave the Octagon first as a show of respect. Final Thoughts: Obviously anything can happen in a fight and a single lucky shot can end any fight in an upset but... c'mon, seriously? I know early UFC was a complete clusterfuck of various fighting styles that didn't really mesh well in a fight, but all these karate/strikers going up against accomplished wrestlers feels like they were going for some VERY obvious results. Sure fighters eventually figured out they needed to be better rounded at more than just a single aspect of fighting, but these match-ups are just ridiculous and by UFC 14 they should have figured this out. Where are they now?: Moti Horenstein fought 7 times in his MMA career, which ended in the year 2000. Both his UFC fights were losses, but it wasn't just because he was outclassed and could do well in different promotions: In his entire career, he only won once: beating Patrick Smith at the Colorado Regional in 1999. Every other fight was a loss. Rogan interviews Kerr backstage who agrees that he was confused to see Horenstein wearing a gi but hey, that's a thing he guesses. With that he leaves, and Rogan looks a little pissed off as he blurts out as quickly as possible that oh by the way Joe Moreira hasn't been cleared by the doctor and won't be able to fight in the Middleweight Tournament Final after all. To be fair they had mentioned earlier that alternate fights had opened earlier in the night to set up a possible replacement, and Anthony Fryklund will be replacing him in the final. It was absolute madness to have a tournament bracket all happen on the same night. A video package airs with Mark Coleman responding to Maurice Smith's comments that he would just jab him to death and bore the audience till he knocked him out, and that he wasn't worried because "Mark hits like a girl". Coleman's retort is "I am a very powerful man". For some reason, the camera keeps cutting to a yellowish blob background during this. Daniel Bobish vs. Brian Johnston The match graphic for these two dudes make them look like proto-versions of the Pawn Star guys. That take disappears the moment Bobish appears with his shirt off, he appears to be Mike Haggar from Final Fight, he's loving enormous. Johnston, much smaller than Bobish, comments that he's aware Bobish is far, far, far, far, far, far stronger than him, but that he is much faster and intends to use that speed to avoid getting his skull caved in like he was a rabbit being petted by Lennie. Oh by the way, Johnston is 3 inches TALLER than Bobish who outweights him by 78 lbs  Round 1: They swanging and banging to start, Bobish unsurprisingly getting the best of the exchanges despite Johnston being a Golden Gloves boxer. Bobish slams Johnston to the ground against the cage, Johnston's corner screaming advice as the commentators point out that Bobish may not have the stamina to keep up this level of pressure, because holy gently caress the guy is the roughly the size of a walk-in freezer. Then suddenly seemingly out of nowhere McCarthy calls it, Johnston has apparently submitted. Bobish throws his hands up in triumph but he does look like he's incredibly worn out from all the effort expended. Final Thoughts: This wasn't a technically good fight but goddamn was it a lot of fun. Against anybody skilled Bobish is probably doomed, but he's probably been the most exciting fighter all night. Backstage, Bobish is breathing heavy but still able to communicate clearly with Joe Rogan, where he admits that he came out swinging because he knew Johnston's corner wouldn't have been expecting that given his wrestling background. Where are they now?: This was the last fight of Johnston's fighting career. Apart from back-to-back losses against Coleman and Ken Shamrock, his career followed a remarkable record of a win followed by a loss followed by a win followed by a loss etc. His final record was 5 wins and 6 losses. Maybe standing across the Octagon from a character built in Unreal Engine finally proved the final straw for him? A recap of Mark Coleman vs. Don Frye airs from UFC 10, where Coleman won the championship on debut. It looks insane. This is followed by a video recap of Coleman's UFC career so far and based on it, I'm starting to think Maurice Smith is doomed. Moreiro is interviewed backstage and oh my God this is horrible, they're asking him why he's not cleared and he's insisting he feels fine and doesn't understand why having a concussion should take him out of the fight. He and his coach insist he'll be back in UFC soon.... they're wrong. After failing to get cleared for the Middleweight Final, he never fought in UFC again, hell he didn't fight in MMA again until 5 years later when he beat Joe Son at Xtreme Pankration 2. He lost a decision later than year to Paul Herrera at Hitman Fight Productions 2 and that was it for Moreira, whose MMA career ended up being 4 fights with 2 wins and 2 losses. Donnie Chappell vs. Anthony Frykland This is the alternate fight fought earlier in the night. They already gave away the result so suffice to say that Frykland wins, but in about the worst way possible as he punches Chappell in the face and openly steps on his face AFTER the tapout and the referee had called off the fight. Big John McCarthy entered the ring and read Fryklund the riot act, it looked like he was ready to tear Frykland in two. This was Chappell's only fight in his entire career. Kevin Jackson vs. Anthony Frykland Big Johny McCarthy is the ref in this fight and based on what we saw earlier, there's a chance he might rush and takedown Frykland before Jackson gets a chance. Round 1: Welp, forget that idea, because Jackson immediately rushes and takes down Frykland! He almost manages to get a choke on Frykland, but when he can't quite lock it in he just smashes Frykland in the back of the head. He continues holding him down and Frykland must sense that he has zero ability to break free and immediately taps, and the fight is over 45 seconds into the first round. Final Thoughts: Jackson does NOT punch him in the face and them stomp on it, instead he leaps up and celebrates wildly, hugging his corner as he is announced as the winner of the Middleweight tournament. He walks around outside the octagon, posing for the crowd and getting them fired up. UFC must be absolutely delighted, this guy was the clear favorite and he didn't just win but delivered with impressive performances in the octagon. Art Davie who is the UFA Commissioner, presents Jackson with a medal to go along with all the others he has won, and the President of SEG who co-produced UFC at the time declared that he hoped he would stay with the UFC for a very long time. Where are they now?: Frykland, who had made his UFC debut AND started his professional fighting career at this show, went on to have a long career that only ended in 2013. Ending with a record of 14-9-1, his last UFC appearance was a loss to Ivan Salaverry at UFC 50. He went on to fight for a number of promotions, with his last bout being a draw against Patrick Cenoble at Bellator 94. Kevin Jackson, despite seemingly having everything going for him, did not last long as a fighter. He lost his next two UFC fights against Frank Shamrock and Jerry Bohlander, and then ended his MMA career at Extreme Challenge 18 with a win over Sam Adkins. In the end his career record was 4-2, a real surprise from a guy who looked like he had everything it took to be a star. His career turned out okay as he worked as a freestyle wrestling coach for US Olympics wrestling teams, but perhaps the funnest thing about looking him up is that it appears he or somebody close to him wrote his wikipedia page: quote:Kevin is currently married with 5 children (1 male and 4 female's, including his favorite daughter Bailee Jackson) and 2 dogs, of which he is not a fan of, in Colorado Springs, Colorado. He enjoys fishing, football, yelling at the television, and grilling.  Mark Kerr vs. Daniel Bobish Mark Kerr looks like loving Lou Ferrigno, and then I got confused as to why they were shooting the side of a bus until I realized it was Daniel Bobish's back. Bobish outweights Kerr by 85 lbs, otherwise their stats are essentially identical. 85 lbs. loving hell. Bruce Buffer announced that Mr. Borat from Kazakhstan is present in the building and they hope to visit there soon and for one beautiful moment I thought maybe Sacha Baron Cohen had tricked his way into the building, but alas it wasn't to be. Round 1: They're immediately going right at each other but Kerr quickly backs up when he feels Bobish's power. They go to the ground 30 seconds in, Kerr hoping to use his wrestling though Bobish as mentioned earlier has a grappling background too. Bobish struggles, he fights, but nothing he does is having any effect. Despite his giant size he can't find the leverage or the ability to fight off Kerr and finally he gives up and taps out... less than 100 seconds into the fight. Bobish remains on his back apparently worried about his eye as McCarthy and then the doctors check on him, while Kerr celebrates with his corner, the winner of the Heavyweight Tournament. Bobish eventually gets up and embraces Kerr, but is still checking on his eye as Kerr runs around flexing his impressive physique. Final Thoughts: It's not clear from the replay what it was that hurt Bobish's eye, or if he was just looking for an excuse for his defeat. There is no disputing the finish in any case, Kerr clearly was a better wrestler/grappler than the gigantic Bobish and once he had him down and could control him it was only a matter of time. Kerr gives a good post-fight interview with Joe Rogan where he gives a nice, diplomatic answer about whether he would like to fight Coleman next, saying that he is still getting his feet wet in the UFC and will just see how things go. He's presented with his medal and informed he is the future of the sport. Where are they now?: Bobish would go on to fight through to 2007, ending his 17-9 career with a loss to Alexander Emelianenko at HCF: Title Wave. This was the only UFC event he ever fought out, the rest of his career was at a variety of different promotions including PRIDE. Mark Kerr might have been the future of MMA but he wasn't the future of UFC. He only had one more event in UFC, winning two Heavyweight Tournament fights at UFC 15 (so... they just did a multi-match tournament at every PPV back then?) before shifting to PRIDE. His career ended with a 15-11 record, with his final match happening in 2009 against Muhammed Lawal at M-1 Global: Breakthrough. He lost the last five fights of his career, and 10 of his last 12 fights: a sad end to what looked like it was going to be a strong career. In a hilariously carefully worded statement, the commentators point out that wrestlers now have a great potential income stream through UFC as opposed to pro-wrestling being their only real option in the past and that being more "promoter based" and focused on "entertainment" instead of just openly saying it's fake. Mark Coleman vs. Maurice Smith for the UFC Heavyweight Championship They production has been rough, the show has been flawed, the fights have been lopsided for the most part... but they've still done a good job of really selling this main event as a big loving deal. They've also effectively set up Smith as the "bad guy" in the sense that he's talked poo poo (politely) about Coleman, who has been nothing but humble in his responses. Despite all the plaudits given to Smith for his ability to beat more well-rounded fighters and never losing a championship round, I am assuming that Coleman is going to walk home with this. Round 1: Coleman launches straight at Smith but then holds up and they circle for the first 15-20 seconds and it seems like Coleman was all talk about going hell for leath... until he suddenly takes down Smith like nothing and... oh my God he's just laying in headbutt after headbutt after headbutt, loving hell. He pummels Smith with a few punches too, but then settles for simply holding Smith down, seemingly content to maintain his stamina and keep complete control of the fight: this is basically a repeat of what has happened all night in fights where a wrestler went up against somebody who has more of a background in striking. Smith tries to throw punches from below as best as he can but he's using most of his energy trying to avoid getting wrapped up by Coleman. On the plus side for Smith, however, is that Coleman is turning red and it seems he might be expending more energy than he wants to trying to keep Smith in place. The punches have stopped coming, and Smith even gets an opening to lay in some tough looking elbows... and then does it again! But Smith makes a bad mistake when he turns to look at McCarthy, perhaps hoping that he might stand them up... and Coleman takes side mount and almost gets his back too. Smith immediately scrambles to get his guard up, but all the good work he'd done has been negated and Coleman seems to be back in control. Coleman begins throwing punches, and Smith tries to slip free and shows his back to Coleman who straight away attempts a choke. Smith attempts to reverse it but can't quite make it, and Coleman throws another headbutt. It's 7 minutes into the 15 minute round, with 2 overtime rounds allowed before going to a decision. The fight is going in cycles now, Coleman will dominate but Smith will continually defend himself to the point that Coleman becomes exhausted and starts leaving openings, but then Smith's attempts to either reverse or escape resets everything. The last three Coleman fights ended in less than 3 minutes and only one has gone over 10, Smith is living up to the hype. The crowd erupts in appreciation when Smith finally manages to break free and Coleman looks in trouble now, backing up as he struggles to keep his breath, Smith coming after him. Unfortunately for Smith, he throws a kick when Coleman was down on the mat and McCarthy immediately separates them. Coleman looks momentarily terrified that McCarthy has called the fight, but he's actually calling a foul, deducting a point from Smith who looks in anguish over his best chance at victory turning sour. Things are moving fast though, there's no lengthy standdown, McCarthy has them back into it almost immediately and Coleman is sucking wind and looking like he needs a break (he would probably love modern 5 minute rounds). Smith is stalking, thinking Coleman is done, and he throws a spin kick... and Coleman doesn't so much lunge as he stumbles forward and manages to get a takedown on Smith who, though less tired, is also sucking wind. It's back to familiar territory, as Coleman is all over the top of Smith but so tired that he's letting Smith get in some punches to the stomach as well as elbows to the head. 12 minutes into round 1 now, there's still 3 minutes to go and potentially two more 3 minute rounds to follow, and Coleman's head might pop if they go that far. Coleman goes for a choke and Smith almost manages to knee him right in the back of the head. McCarthy warns them there is only a minute left, and Smith is doing something I assume MUST be illegal nowadays, plastering his hand over Coleman's mouth and nose to prevent him from breathing. This is pretty effective, as Coleman lets Smith slip free and they end the round on their feet. Coleman looks desperately relieved as the round ends, one eye swelling up with a minor cut beneath it. He was practically hiding against the fence desperately hoping Smith wouldn't throw any shots: he had NOTHING left to offer and now he has to go another 3 minutes, and possibly 6. Round 2: Coleman is still trying to catch his breath as Smith tries to maintain his composure. He knows he has the advantage but he doesn't want to risk a takedown and spend another 6 minutes with Coleman on top of him. He looks for his chances, getting in close before picking a single shot before backing away. Coleman isn't throwing anything back and is actively looking towards the clock, but if he's hoping to wait out a decision that seems like a poor decision.... especially when Smith manages to connect with a series of punches and a kick. The only reason Smith doesn't follow up is that it seems like he's tired himself... just not as tired as Coleman who is constantly putting his hands on his thighs and bending forward to make his breathing easier. The round ends and it was clearly all Smith, who throws his hands high and walks confidently back to his corner while Coleman just quickly moves to take a seat and get whatever breath he can. The look on his face is that of a man who knows he has NOTHING to offer and that his championship is all but gone. Round 3: Coleman is given pause by leg kicks, and when Smith wildly overextends on a headkick and falls over... Coleman simply stands and watches him, he doesn't even have the energy to go after him when he's down. Suddenly Smith backs up and gestures to McCarthy that his wraps are coming lose, so McCarthy calls a halt to the clock to get it fixed. Coleman immediately clutches at the ring and sucks in air as the lights start to go off above the Octagon, perhaps because NOBODY expected this fight to go this long. With a minute left, Coleman looks utterly defeated, actively putting his hands on his head and cringing in anticipation of a strike that doesn't come. Smith is the more aggressive but he's also not throwing more than he needs to, he must know that he's gonna win a decision, and even the loss of some MORE lights overhead doesn't bother him. The horn sounds and the two men embrace, but both have to know that Smith has won this. Coleman dominated most of the first round but then it all fell apart and Smith gradually took more and more control, and those final two rounds were ALL Smith and absolutely no Coleman at all. If Smith doesn't win this, it'll not just be a travesty, it'll be a loving joke. Bruce Buffer announces the decision, it's unanimous and yes Maurice Smith is the new UFC Heavyweight Champion, and well deserved. Where are they now?: This was the start of a 4 fight losing streak for Coleman, who after UFC 18 would shift over to PRIDE until 2006 before returning to the UFC for three more fights, ending his career in 2010 with a loss to Randy Couture in the first Hall of Famer vs. Hall of Famer bout. His final record was 16 wins and 10 losses, with 3 of those losses coming in his last four fights. Maurice Smith would continue fighting till 2013, leaving and returning and leaving again the UFC during that time. He defeated Tank Abbot in his first title defense but lost it at the next one to Randy Couture. His final UFC fight was a loss to Renato Sobral at UFC 28, and his career ended with a loss at Cage Warrior Combat 9 against Matt Kovacs. Final Thoughts: I was completely wrong, after a night of grapplers making GBS threads all over strikers, in the main event it was Maurice Smith's night and he was the clear and deserving winner. This main event saved what was a pretty awful show, and as fun as it was to look back at the early, unrefined era of UFC I'm glad they've developed it as much as they have because this really lost the low-rent appeal it started with fast. I don't know what the deal with these tournaments was but goddamn was it an awful idea to have fighters have more than one bout in a single night, and certainly not within an hour or so of originally fighting. On a more upbeat note, as Joe Rogan interviews Smith post main-event, he points out that everything went exactly as Smith said it would. Smith remains confident but doesn't crow over his win, and doesn't concern himself over whether McCarthy got it wrong to call his kick a foul, saying that in the end it didn't matter and in any case it can't be changed now. In a rather touching moment, he calls out to his students to say that he will see them all in class on Monday and he doesn't want any of them being late. So ends UFC 14. Jerusalem fucked around with this message at 15:22 on Apr 19, 2020 |
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Apr 19, 2020 14:33
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Fun fact: I met and worked with Bruce Beck when the TV network I worked for out of college was doing boxing events and the Exec. Producer told him I was a big UFC fan so Bruce offered to take a picture with me. He's a really nice guy and it turned out his wife was from the same part of the US I had gone to college. Lennox Lewis was also there along with Freddie Roach on another boxing card. They were all cool people and I am really happy I got to meet them.
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Apr 19, 2020 14:47
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I have to say once the initial surprise of NOT seeing one of the commentators I was used to went away, they did a fine job on commentary for the most part and really worked hard to explain what was going on and why they thought the fighters were doing what they did. Also I'm jealous as hell of you getting to meet Lennox Lewis.
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Apr 19, 2020 14:55
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Jerusalem posted:Mark Kerr vs. Daniel Bobish  vs.   what the gently caress lads did you leave any equipoise for the loving horses?
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Apr 19, 2020 15:16
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Jerusalem posted:Where are they now?: As an addendum to this, less than 2 months after losing to Bobish Brian Johnston had started a new career as he turned up in New Japan Pro Wrestling, debuting in a loss to Naoya Ogawa on a show that also had Don Frye vs Kazuyuki Fujita & Shinya Hashimoto against long-forgotten UFC 1 & 9 competitor Zane Frazier. He eventually became a bit of a regular in NJPW over 99 & 2000, before finishing his short pro wrestling career in May 2001. He wasn't bad at pro-wrestling for how little experience he had before a stroke ended his career prematurely. He was also the first guy to fight in the UFC representing American Kickboxing Academy (I think, my memory is garbage)
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Apr 19, 2020 15:33
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Couple extra facts for JRu about his card: 1 - Tony Fryklund is most famous for getting his head elbowed off by Anderson Silva in spectacular fashion https://thumbs.gfycat.com/VictoriousDismalBarracuda-mobile.mp4 2 - Mark Kerr is in really really sad bad shape now 3 - Mo Smith and Mark Coleman both ended up in the UFC Hall of Fame, Mo Smith largely for that one fight. 4 - Kevin Jackson would end up being a terrible victim before long.
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Apr 19, 2020 15:43
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Time for another random fight this time I got Strikeforce Challengers: Voelker vs. Bowling III from 2011 so strap yourself in because this is a classic Strikeforce/Scotty Coker kinda show. Strikeforce Challengers This kind of show actually lasted quite a while and has roots that go back further than you would initially think so let's go over its history briefly. Back when Strikeforce was a thing they were partnered with the TV network Showtime in the USA. Showtime, prior to Strikeforce, actually had worked with Elite XC and is why Kimbo vs Seth Petruzelli took place on CBS making that card the first ever free-to-air nationally televised MMA card. Its a specific distinction but important given how TV networks are laid out in the USA. ANYWAY, Showtime MMA (aka ShoMMA, like their boxing counterpart ShoBoxing) decided they wanted a few more cards and sadly didn't have the top talent. So they would put on the ShoXC series to highlight young and up and coming talent (read: cheap fights to pad out their schedule). When Strikeforce and Showtime came to a partnership Strikeforce Challengers took up that slow. It ran for 20 events ranging from 2009 to 2011. The event we're watching here is their 17th event and will feature some people you actually know! Also fun fact, this event took place 1 week before Dan Henderson KO'd Fedor. The Opening The opening video package features the likes of Pat Miletich, Randy Couture, Dan Henderson, Frank Shamrock, etc. all talking about how they remember being up and comers and how people didn't know their names but everyone will soon remember your name. Mauro brings us into the arena in The Pearl at the Palms Casino in Vegas with an attendances of....2300 people. Did I say this was designed to be a cheap product to put out by Showtime? Anyway joining Mauro in overtalking the event (I actually love Mauro) is Stephen Quadros. gently caress yeah baby, Pride Never Die. Also joining the pair is former UFC Champion Pat Miletich who was a pretty regular commentator for Strikeforce and despite not having the best way with words was actually pretty decent for a color commentator. The trio go over the card but mostly highlight the main event between Roger Bowling and Bobby Voelker. You may have noticed this is the third time they've fought. All three of their fights actually took place under the Strikeforce Challengers banner. In the first match, which was on the undercard of a Matt Lindland vs Kevin Casey card (yeah I know right?) Bowling won via a "Technical Decision (Unanimous)" which is weird because the Wikipedia note says that Voelker poked Bowling in the eye and the fight couldn't continue but back in 2011 we sort of didn't care? Then the two faced off again a few months later as a main event for another Strikeforce Challengers card and Voelker won via TKO, handing Bowling his first professional loss. We are now just over a year later and they have the rare rubber match in MMA (something I am genuinely a fan of as well). Now, before we get to the first match I want to point out one specific thing to you the dear reader. On the undercard for this Strikeforce Challengers card was a young Middleweight fighter who was just 15-7 so a bit of a veteran but not very talented/bright with a future. His name was Anthony Smith. Yes, you read that right. Future UFC Light Heavyweight title challenger Anthony Smith made his Strikeforce debut on this card. In fact this is the first card he has ever been on that has a Wikipedia page. He faced a guy name Ben Lagman and this is how the fight ended. https://i.imgur.com/P1a3Wp3.mp4 Want to see the best part of that KO? This was the photo that was captured that night and later featured on an ESPN article about Anthony Smith ahead of his UFC 235 title fight vs Jon Jones  https://www.espn.com/mma/story/_/id/26079671/who-anthony-smith-man-challenging-jon-jones-ufc-235 Anyway lets move on to the main card. Ron Stallings (9-4) vs Adlan Amagov (8-1-1) This was a Middleweight bout which was introduced to us by not Jimmy Lennon Jr. (again, Showtime cutting costs for a show). Also because of how small the arena was, the Strikeforce ramp was like three feet long and you had to then step down to the floor to get your vaseline etc. Funny tidbit here, look at this young shabby looking Brett Okamoto.  His opponent is the Chechnyan turn New Jersian, Adlan Amagov. Amagov says he is a fan of standing on the feet and will try to keep it standing. Both fighters are making their Strikeforce debut. Also Kim Winslow is at the event (:ugh:). The referee is Steve "Doing My Grocery List As You Are Beaten Up" Mazzagatti. As the round begins, Stallings takes to the center. In the first serious exchange Amagov lands a crisp right and a front kick that knocks Stallings back a bit. Both fighters work their strikes but nothing seriously gets going. Eventually the two end up in a clinch in the final moments of the round after a few punches until Amagov gets a trip and takes side control. Stallings works his way up and then Amagov gets another toss in for good measure. Amagov took that round 10-9 due to the takedowns. The second round starts and Stallings opens with a few slapping low kicks, however Amagov immediately returns with his own offense. The hands fly freely for a bit before the two clinch again. Nothing really happens until Amagov works his way out and gives himself some distance. Suddenly Amagov then scores two takedowns and throws a series of left hands at Stallings. Stallings though is able to scramble away and gets in his own series of knees to answer back. The two go back and forth with their strikes and offensive movements until the round ends. Amagov takes that one again thanks to the takedowns. 20-18 for Amagov. The third round begins and Stallings opens up even more aggressively. Stallings throws more and more knees and even tries to go for an early takedown of his own. As he gets the takedown, Stallings gets control in side position and throws a few elbows before working towards an armbar attempt but then swaps to a full mount. However, Amagov is able to quickly get back to his feet and the fight remains standing. Both fighters look a bit winded/gassed and it's not fair to critique them for that because the fight so far has been not lacking in action. As the fight ends Amagov receives a few verbal warnings for fence grabbing but Mazzagatti doesn't do anything past that. I'd give it to Stallings for that, but Amagov likely took the whole fight 29-27. The fight was a great one and here's a clip of Amagov getting a nice throw off from round one. Keep in mind both guys just could not get the ground work going due to their respective skills there. https://i.imgur.com/5ZDqA16.mp4 The judges make the decision and its Adlan Amagov via Split Decision. Where Are They Now? Both Amagov and Stallings did end up in the UFC but their paths were fairly different and interesting. Amagov faced Anthony Smith next in another Strikeforce Challengers card and won via KO. He then fought and suffered his 2nd professional loss to Robbie Lawler. He wen to win more fights in Strikeforce before presumably being abosrbed into the UFC where he won two fights (1 decision, 1 KO). He then randomly missed a bout due to injury and then decided to call it quits from 2013 to 2016. In that time his UFC contract lapses and he fought most recently in 2016 on a local card in Russia. Since then he hasn't seemed to have fought and he's (as of 2020) only 33 years old. At 14-2-1 as a Middleweight/Welterweight, Amagov could have been a great guy in the UFC had he not opted to take a hiatus/retire for a while but it seems he just wasn't that into fighting after his 2013 win at UFC 166. Ron Stallings would go on to fight in minor league MMA orgs going 3-1 before signing with the UFC. He would face Uriah Hall at UFC Fight Night 59 in his debut and lose via a Doctor's Stoppage. Stallings would win his next fight but then lose via a DQ to Joe Riggs at UFC 191. He would then have a canceled bout before move on from the UFC and fighting in Titan FC and CES. He most recently fought in 2018 and since then nothing really notable. Sarah Kaufman (13-1) vs Liz Carmouche (6-1) This was the lone female fight on the whole card and it pitted former Strikeforce Champion Sarah Kaufman vs Liz Carmouche in a Bantamweight bout. Kaufman was just 1 fight removed from her title loss to Marloes Coenan and Carmouche had just recently challeneged for the title. Our referee was Josh Rosenthal. The two engage quickly at the opening bell, and Carmouche fires off a flurry of quick punches. Kaufman then moves into the clinch and presses her against the cage. Carmouche circles off and tries to do the same but ends up giving up her back after a throw attempt that Kaufman blocks. Carmouche escapes the position, and the two jockey for dominance on the inside with knees, punches and footstomps. The round ends and Kaufman took it thanks to controling Carmouche against the cage and blocking the takedown. In the second round Kaufman opens with a few clean punches. Kaufman appears to gain confidence in her strikes and beings to mix in more kicks with her combinations. Carmouche returns with combinations of her own but gets her nose bloodied up from a few of the combinations she doesn't defend as well as she should have. Carmouche then tries to grab a kick in order to bring the fight to the floor, but Kaufman remains upright. Carmouche continues pressing forward with punches and takedown attempts, but she simply couldn’t net the results she needed. I'd go with Kaufman again for this round, but I could see Carmouche earning the round as well. It was pretty close. Carmouche continues to look for anything she can to get the advantage in the final round but Kaufman found what works and didn't let the fight stray from that strategy. Carmouche even goes for a superman punch off the cage but even that doesn't work. Kaufman continues to work her stuff as the round ends. Kaufman pretty clearly controlled that round and won the fight overall 30-27 in my opinion. It was a pretty solid women's fight for 2011 and shows what potential the whole division had almost a decade ago. Where Are They Now? Kaufman Would go on to win one more fight before facing off against the rising Ronda Rousey and lose in less than a minute. From there Kaufman moved on to Invicta for a fight before being called up to the UFC. She would go 2-2 and never reach the title picture like she had once held in Strikeforce. Kaufman now mostly fights in PFL and Invicta's women's divisions where she most recently fought in PFL this past October in a losing effort. Kaufman still remains a pretty respectable fighter with a 21-4 record since this fight vs Carmouche. Carmouche would go on two win her next two fights before being called into a UFC Women's Bantamweight Championship bout vs Ronda Rousey in both of their debuts for the promotion. Carmouche would lose the fight and continue to fight in the UFC. Recently however she was cut by the UFC while comically on a USO tour representing the UFC. She is presently sitting at a record of 13-6 and unfortunately probably will never reach the same level of spotlight as she experienced in her bout vs Rousey despite being a tough fighter (she has never loss via stoppage save for her Rousey loss). Josh Rosenthal was eventually sentenced to 37 months in prison for his role in a large-scale pot growing operation in California in 2012 when federal agents raided a warehouse owned by Rosenthal and an associate and seized around $6 million worth of marijuana. He was eventually released and put on a 3 year probation as part of a plea deal and was seen working a Bellator card as of 2018. Bet you don't remember that, huh? Ovince St. Preux (10-4) vs Joe Cason (8-0) We move on to the Light Heavyweights with the, at the time, middling OSP taking on the young up and coming Joe Cason. Kim Winslow is the referee for this one, dear god. As the fight begins there is a few moments of tension between the two as the gauge each other's range and distance. When the action begins Cason who makes a big mistake by ducking in for a shot on the legs as OSP throws a kick landing square on Cason's head wobbling him. OSP pounces on him and throws what he can and Cason taps out due to the strikes. Enjoy the awkward landing kneed/kick that caused the final sequence to begin (I'm guessing Cason broke his nose/jaw). https://i.imgur.com/QWGkacq.mp4 Ovince St. Preux wins by TKO in Round 1. Comically Mauro says OSP is "4-0 in Strikeforce" and OSP goes "I'm 5-0" for the nights bit of commentator comedy. OSP then calls out Mousasi for a fight next. Where Are They Now? OSP would go on to face Gegard Mousasi in his next fight losing via a decision. he would then go on a 5 fight winning streak as he transitioned into the UFC via the Strikeforce merger until he dropped a fight via Unanimous Decision to Ryan Bader. St. Preux would then face the legendary Mauricio Rua and win via a quick KO and earn another KO victory to then face Glover Texeira who he lost to via submission. OSP would rebound with a win and then be selected to replaced the injured Daniel Cormier to fight Jon Jones in an Interim LHW Championship at UFC 197 which he would lose but many felt was Jones' worst performance up to that point. OSP would then suffer 3 losses in a row, bounce back with 3 wins, then go 2-3 in his last 5. St. Preux most recently fought in September 2019 and was scheduled to fight in 2020 but was delayed due to rescheduling and then the coronavirus. St. Preux is mostly famous now for basically being the master of the Von Flue choke, having the most finishes with it in the UFC which is an odd honor but fitting for him. Following this fight, Cason would take a 3 year break from fighting before returning in 2014 to fight next in a Z-League organization picking up a win. Since then he has not fought nor can I really find more information on him. Devin Cole (18-9-1) vs Shawn Jordan (11-2) We have a Heavyweight fight on our hands here and these are some big boys. Jordan is a late replacement for Lavar Johnson for the card. Steve Mazzagatti to referee. Cole comes out early and lands with his hands prompting Jordan to mock him. Oh Trashweight, how we don't ever really like you. Cole soon lands another crisp flurry, and Jordan closes the distance and earns a trip takedown. Jordan pounces in with punches and locks up the back as Cole tries to roll free. Jordan couldn’t hold the position, and Cole quickly reverses the action and moves back up to his feet. Cole settles in as the round continues, and he lands a takedown of his own on Jordan. However, Jordan works back to his feet and lands a few crisp rights in a few back-and-forth exchanges. Cole wins that round 10-9. In the second round, Cole lands an early knee, and Jordan smiles again. This time, he even shouts something aloud. Trashweights everyone. Comically Jordan has begun to slow down more as Cole presses forward. Jordan lands a quick and sudden Superman punch which leads to a few more followup strikes but Cole closes the distance and takes the fight to the floor again. Cole throws a few knees to the body before Jordan escapes to his feet. Cole again wins the round 10-9. In the final round, Jordan moves forward but clearly has not much left in the tank. The round continues on and its clear that Jordan needs a finish to win the fight. He actually attempts a last-ditch effort to get a submission in but ends up in bottom position under Cole who stalls the action out forcing a reset by Mazzagatti. The round ends and its pretty easy to say Cole took that. Cole wins via Unanimous Decision. Where Are They Now? Devin Cole would go on to win his next fight in Strikeforce before moving on to the World Series of Fighting where he would headline their first card against former UFC Champion Andrei Arlovski. Cole would lose the fight. Since then he has not fought in the past 8 years and holds a record of 20-10. Also he apparently got arrested for being a rapey/sex pest guy as pointed out by LobsterMobster below and that explains why he wasn't picked up by the UFC. Jordan would have a much more promising career. Following the loss he would go on a 2 fight win streak before dropping his 2nd UFC fight to Cheick Kongo. Following another pair of wins, Jordan would drop 2 more fights to Gabriel Gonzaga and Matt Mitrione. Jordan would win 3 more before eventually losing to Ruslan Magomedov and be cut/dropped/leave the UFC to head over to World Series of Fighting. In WSOF, Jordan would go 1-2 having recently fought in 2018. His career record as of writing is 19-8. Roger Bowling (9-1) vs Bobby Voelker (23-8) The mainevent is a Welterweight bout between Roger Bowling and Bobby Voelker in their third fight in roughly 2 years. The referee is Bowling takes the center early, and lands an early punch and kick to the gut. But Voelker answers quickly, and the two trade shots in the pocket for the duration of the round. Each guy had moments with powerful strikes landing but Voelker lands with a cracking hook to the jaw along with a crushing kick to the body. Bowling was able to score a late takedown, but it was his crisp punching and well-timed kicks that really earned him the round. Also comically an eyepoke happened with Bowling receiving the poke but the fight was able to resume. As the second round begins, Voelker presses forward and lands a few early punches before being brought to the floor by Bowling. He quickly scrambles back to his feet, but Bowling presses relentlessly against the cage before letting up and this is where the fight went wrong for him. As he begins to back away from the clinch Voelker drives a knee right up the middle and blasts Bowling in the face wobbling him. Voelker swarms him with punches and the fight is called off. Voelker wins by TKO, Round 2. Where Are They Now? Voelker would go on to the UFC and face Patrick Cote in his debut in a losing effort. Next he would drop 3 more fights to the likes of Robbie Lawler (KO), and 2 decisions to William Macario and Lance Benoist. Upon being cut from the UFC, Voelker would go down to the Z-Leagues and go 9-1 in his last 10 fights having recently fought for Shamrock FC as recently as April 2019. He currently boasts a 32-13 record and maybe could earn his way bac into the UFC? Who knows. Roger Bowling would go on a two fight winning streak before facing Tarec Saffiedine in Strikeforce and drop a fight to him. He would then lost his 3 UFC fights before returning to the Z-Leagues where hs has since gone 1-1 and presumably retired after his msot recent 2016 loss. Thoughts This was, in essence, the Dana White Tuesday Night Contender Series prototype. It's not a terrible concept and I wish the UFC would do more with it than DWTNCS and use the ESPN/ESPN+ cards as a chance to showcase younger talent in the same way they did with Strikeforce Challengers (namely video packages introducing you to the fighter past "he/she did this in their lst fight"). It's pretty great to see some future big names low down on the card because of how bizarre things turned out. But even then, putting two former title challengers below two nobodies in a rubber match on the card is definitely a Scott Coker thing to do. Overall, its a solid 7 or 8 out of 10 kind of card. Nothing fantastic, nothing amazing. The fights did what they were supposed to do, provide content and a decent level of entertainment on the cheap. Mekchu fucked around with this message at 17:48 on Apr 19, 2020 |
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Apr 19, 2020 16:56
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Jerusalem posted:I have to say once the initial surprise of NOT seeing one of the commentators I was used to went away, they did a fine job on commentary for the most part and really worked hard to explain what was going on and why they thought the fighters were doing what they did. Beck is the old classic sports commentator that basically belongs in non-combat sports (he did well in boxing mind you, as well as the UFC iirc) but his delivery is very straight laced. I mean I didn't get to meet meet him, but I was in the same room and got him and his assistants food/coffee and stuff and he said thanks to the group I was with when he left.
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Apr 19, 2020 17:00
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Terrible MMA fact:Wikipedia posted:Arrest
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Apr 19, 2020 17:42
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Jesus Christ
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Apr 19, 2020 17:47
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Mekchu posted:The referee is Very zen  Poor OSP, he's got just enough of a name that whenever I see he's fighting I go,"Oh it's OSP.... he's probably gonna lose."
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Apr 19, 2020 23:30
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LobsterMobster posted:Terrible MMA fact: Wikipedia posted:Personal life Adlan had initially retired because he was tired of cutting weight and wanted to spend time with his kid. Also: Mike Winkeljohn posted:I asked Adlan Amagov if he was always like this before a fight, if this was normal for him. He said, "I lived in a tent for seven years with Russians shooting at us from helicopters. In the cage, it's just a man." That was kind of like, wow, there's some perspective.
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Apr 20, 2020 00:02
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Rolling again, I got 686 which is UFC 76: Knockout from 22-Sep-07. The name of the show makes me assume it's something to do with some big ol' heavyweights, I guess I'll soon see if I'm right!
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Apr 24, 2020 05:05
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I know that show and you'll find out why it's a hilarious event that deserves to be remembered.
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Apr 24, 2020 05:35
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UFC 76 Knockout - 22 September 2007 Here's what I know about this show: It's titled Knockout, so I'm assuming it either heavily features or is main evented by a Heavyweight bout featuring heavyhitters. Here's what the opening told me: I was wrong, it's not big trashweight Heavyweights in the main event, it's a Light Heavyweight match between Chuck Liddell and Keith Jardine. The opening video package is black and white direct-to-camera pieces by fighters in the various matches of the night calmly discussing why they think they can win. Apparently they're all sitting inside pitch-black rooms. This calm, b&W video is bookended by an over-the-top color footage of a dude getting dressed in gladiator armor and walking into the arena, before a sepia-toned hype video of the fighters beating the poo poo out of other dudes plays. We're in the Honda Center in Anaheim California, there are close to 14,000 people in attendance, Mike Goldberg and Joe Rogan are commentating, and EVERYTHING about this show is night and day difference from the UFC 14 event from 10 years earlier I recently watched. Zuffa owns UFC now, the presentation is far more professional and the whole thing feels like a much, much bigger deal. Tyson Griffin vs. Thiago Tavares A lightweight fight. Tavares used to be a law student but made the shift to being an MMA fighter, and has a 16-0 record (only 12 are recorded on his Wikipedia page before this fight). Griffin is coming off two extremely well received fights after making his UFC debut in 2006, trains with Randy Couture and has a record of 9-1. The tale of the tape has them near identical in terms of age, weight (duh), reach etc and they're both considered very well-rounded, there is none of the obvious mismatch in fighting styles seen at UFC 14 (so far). Steve Mazzagatti is the ref so  one of these fighters I guess.Round 1: Griffin holds the center of the Octagon as Tavares works his way around him in circles looking for an opening. Over a minute in there has been little action and the crowd is getting restless, they were expecting more action from these two based on their prior fights (or maybe they just want blood). Griffin manages to get Tavares to the ground and lands a couple of solid shots, then escapes nicely an attempted leglock by Tavares. They end up on their feet again and against the cage, a takedown attempt ending with both men still managing to keep their feet. Finally Griffin manages to get him down though, showing remarkable ability to turn takedown attempts around. Mazzagatti warns Tavares for grabbing at the cage while throwing kicks from his back. Tavares manages to get Griffin's back but again in a remarkable display Griffin manages to not only escape but turn it around on Tavares. They get back to their feet for a second and Griffin lands a SOLID punch which drops Tavares to his knees, and they go back to the clinch to end the round. Lots of action after a slow start, and both guys worked hard but to my mind Griffin seemed by far the more impressive and in control, I'd say it's a clear 10-9 round to him. Round 2: Round 2 starts the same, though this time Tavares takes his chance and throws a flying knee. It lands solid and it's enough for him to get Griffin down onto his back and for the first time in the fight it appears like he's dominating, including landing a flush punch on Griffin's face as he's trying to walk his back up the cage. Tavares manages to get onto Griffin's back, who stands up with him like a backpack, trying to shake him off as Tavares simultaneously goes for a choke and lands in the odd shot to the side of Griffin's face. Tavares tries to hook his leg and drop him to the canvas but Griffin is able to hold up, but he's getting exhausted and it seems like Tavares has really turned this around... and then somehow, unfathomably (to me) Griffin somehow once again turns this around entirely and suddenly they're on the ground and HE is the one pummeling Tavares in the face. Absolutely remarkable skill and perseverance from Griffin. With a minute to go, things turn around and somehow they end up back in the same position with Tavares a backpack on Griffin standing... AND GRIFFIN DROPS TAVARES HEADFIRST DIRECTLY INTO THE CANVAS AHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!! The round ends with Griffin and Tavares both somehow still alive, though Tavares has an atrocious black eye, and the crowd is losing their minds now because they're absolutely getting what they expected from this fight now. I have no idea how to score this round, probably I'd give the edge to Griffin but Tavares did a ton of great stuff as well. Let's say 20-18 Griffin. Round 3: They quickly find themselves clinching against the cage again, Griffin the more aggressive but Tavares manages to take him down and try for an armbar. But Griffin AGAIN manages to slip out of it and turn it around, another sensational display that has the crowd going insane. Back on their feet, both tired but still active and aggressive, they clinch against the cage. There are less than 3 minutes left and Tavares needs to find something else, because his good round 2 probably still wasn't enough to win even that round and Griffin has dominated everything else. He tries for a takedown has some a degree of success, but Griffin seems to be a master of either turning these around or negating them. Unfortunately all he's doing is trying endlessly for takedowns in the hope of finally locking in a submission hold in hopes of a last second tap, but even an exhausted Griffin is still skilled enough to slip free or escape, and constantly lands strikes on Tavares in the process. Time runs out and Tavares throws his hands high, but he has to know he hasn't done enough to win. Griffin runs around the Octagon to show he's still got energy to burn, and though it seems unfair given how hard Tavares fought I have to believe it's going to be a unanimous 30-27 decision to Griffin. Final Thoughts: I wasn't quite right, it was 30-27, 29-28 and 29-28 to Griffin, but still the right decision form the judges. It's Tavares' first ever loss but he takes it in good grace, and why not, there's a strong chance this fight will get a Fight of the Night bonus (it did). Griffin admits that the flying knee in Round 2 hit hard enough that he didn't actually remember what it was that put him on his back and he had to ask his corner between rounds what happened, which is... oof. Griffin doesn't exactly set the world on fire with his post-fight interview but maybe he doesn't need to, he can do his "talking" in the ring and from what I saw in this fight and based on how his previous fights were talked up, he seems like he was somebody with a real future. An incredible fight to start the show, I hope it's not an aberration. Where are they now?: Tavares would remain in UFC until 2016 where he lost on The Ultimate Fighter Finale card to Doo Hi Choi. His fighting career wasn't and isn't over though, as he moved over to the PFL. Though he hasn't fought since 2018 he is still classified as an active fighter, and his current record is 22-10-1. Tyson Griffin's last fight was also in 2018, but he is retired. He remained in UFC until 2011, fighting mostly as a Lightweight but also a couple Featherweight bouts. His last fight was a win over Jordan Bailey at URCC 34 in August of 2018 and his career ended with a 17-8 record. He also received numerous Fight of the Night bonuses throughout his time in UFC as well as Fight of the Year for his fight with Clay Guida at UFC 72. Based on his performance in this fight, it's not hard to see why: he was incredible. Lyoto Machida vs. Kazuhiro Nakamura Light Heavyweight fight. Holy poo poo Machida looks like a baby! Nakamura is making his UFC debut after a career spent in PRIDE up to this point. They talk up his history of fights against great opponents and say he's "battle tested" which makes me suspect he lost most of those big fights, especially with an 11-6 record. Machida has a 10-0 perfect record and is supremely confident, claiming that he doesn't see a single aspect of Nakamura's fighting ability that Machida himself isn't better at. The commentators do their best to talk up Nakamura, but words like "veteran" and "battle tested" make me suspect that he's been set-up to put up a good losing effort to make the undefeated Machida look good. Nakamura has a cool entrance, fun music and carries a little umbrella which rules though. The ref is Big John McCarthy. Round 1: Machida scores a punch out of loving nowhere almost immediately after taking a couple of leg kicks, his speed is remarkable. They clinch against the cage and trade knees to the side before returning to the center, frequently engaging, tossing a couple of knees then backing away. Machida blocks an attempt to sweep out his leg by Nakamura and gets him to the mat where he tries unsuccessfully to get him into a Kimura. They return to their feet and trade more knees, though Machida also peppers in the odd body shot too. They've protected their heads well so far, it seems this is a fight likely to go to a decision unless one of the fighters just gets so worn down to the point they make a bad mistake. Machida gets Nakamura down on his back in the middle of the Octagon and Nakamura doesn't do much but just try to survive through to the end of the round, which he does. 10-9 to Machida seems likely, the commentators saying that Nakamura has been "overwhelmed" seems like it is going to be the story of the fight. Round 2: Almost immediately as the round starts Nakamura tries to get in close and Machida just drops him with another one of those super-fast shots, and is all over him. Nakamura can't wait this one out and tries to fight from his back, but soon finds himself being overwhelmed again by Machida who constantly puts him in danger of chokeholds as he tries to roll out. Nakamura fights with everything he has to escape what looked like a locked-in Rear Naked Choke and somehow manages it. Getting Machida against the cage he's able to return to his feet, still in a vulnerable position but at least not on his back again... and then he's on his back again, forced down by a dominant Machida. What I said earlier about successfully protecting heads is out the window as Machida lays in several shots direct to Nakamura's face. He does manage to get back to his feet, but there's still 90 seconds left and he's looking hurt, exhausted and he doesn't seem to have anything that remotely bothers Machida. Even when they exchange a few shots in the middle of the Octagon nothing he hits gives Machida pause, and they end the round back on the ground, with Nakamura arguably getting his only offense of the fight so far after managing to get Machida on his back and throw a few shots at him. Much like the first round though this one seems clearly Machida's: 20-18 in my opinion. Round 3: Nakamura is trying to show more aggression and manages to open scoring a couple of shots and even to get a takedown. He knows going to the judges is probably going to go against him, but even being more aggressive he still doesn't seem like he's really threatening Machida, who at one point literally just shoves him down to the canvas in the middle of a clinch. Most of the technique is gone and replaced by them just clinching and exchanging hard shots, Nakamura out of need and Machida presumably because he feels he can survive. Nakamura manages to hit a couple solid blows but "overwhelmed" has been the story of the fight, and the round ends on a sadly appropriate note with Machida just once again shoving him to the ground just as the final horn sounds. 30-27 to Machida is my guess, even though he who wasn't particularly flashy and never really all that aggressive he just seemed so clearly the superior fighter, and Nakamura simply laying on the canvas post-fight while Machida walks calmly away sums things up nicely. Final Thoughts: Yep, 30-27 by all judges. The fight was perfectly fine but nothing spectacular, this was exactly what I suspect the UFC matchmakers wanted: a dominant win against a not-bad fighter to further extend Machida's unbeaten streak. There is no post-fight interviews, just a few replays of key moments in the fight and then they unceremoniously move on. Where are they now?: Nakamura would have only one more fight in UFC, another loss at UFC 84 to Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou when he suffered a leg injury at the end of round 1. He would go on to fight for World Victory Road, Dream and Deep before ending his career with a 21-13 record, his final fight a loss to Yoshiyuki Nakanishi at Deep: 70 Impact in 2014. Machida still fights to this day, with his last fight to date being a loss to Gegard Moussasi at Bellator 228. His final UFC fight was in 2018 at UFC 224 when he defeated Vitor Belfort in a Performance of the Night bonus winning fight. Machida had an exceptional career in UFC, defeating many big names and winning Championships. The fact that he got his start as a Professional Wrestler absolutely blows my mind, and though his loss in an exceptional fight with Chris Weidman arguably marked the point that his decline as a fighter began (or accelerated) he will arguably be remembered as one of the greats. His record to this point stands at 26-9. Diego Sanchez vs. Jon Fitch Welterweight Fight. Watching with the benefit of hindsight is fun because Jon Fitch talks about how people haven't really heard of him. Diego Sanchez promises to be all over Fitch, take him down and beat the poo poo out of him. Fitch declares he has better striking, Sanchez believes he can win in the first round, especially if he can take him down to the ground. Both men are promising a war, but Fitch appears to be content to take it to a decision while Sanchez is determined to end it fast. Fitch is coming in with a 19-2 (and 1 No Contest) record and a 13 fight win streak, while Sanchez has a 19-1 record (he also weighed in initially 1lbs over but was able to drop it in time to officially make weight). The ref is Herb Dean. Round 1: Sanchez is true to his word and just sprints across the Octagon at the opening bell in hopes of taking down Fitch to finish him with Ground and Pound. Fitch is able to resist it and break him off though, throwing a wild spinning kick that Sanchez easily dodges. Sanchez remains aggressive, backing Fitch against the cage and trying again to take him down, convinced he can win fast on the ground. Fitch is doing nothing but defending, the aggressor is all Sanchez but he's making no progress and burning energy, and the crowd actually boos that the initial promise of fast-paced action isn't coming true. Finally Sanchez manages to get Fitch's leg out from under him and get him to the ground, but Fitch has too much in the tank to let him do anything with it and actually hauls Sanchez up and takes HIM down instead. But as Fitch is getting all over him, Sanchez is able to get hold of his arm and tries his best to turn it around into an armbar. He can't quite manage it though, his promise of domination on the ground isn't coming true, especially as Fitch didn't burn as much energy in the opening couple of minutes as Sanchez did trying to take him down. Fitch scores some shots on Sanchez on the ground, and if you put a gun to my head at the end of the round I'd say Fitch just barely edged Sanchez out for a 10-9 win that round, but it could easily go the other way. Regardless, Sanchez's promise did not come true, this did not end on Round 1. Round 2: Sanchez goes for the takedown again and Fitch manages to turn him so he's in top position, and almost gets a choke on him which causes Sanchez to break away. He goes for another takedown and ends up on top this time, Fitch's foot getting caught momentarily in Sanchez's shorts. Fitch is trying his best to get to his feet and Sanchez is doing all he can to keep him down... and Fitch just loving lifts him bodily into the air and turns them around so he has Sanchez's back. Sanchez struggles to break free, and the look on his face tells a terrifying story: he's realizing that not only is he not dominating on the ground as promised, but he's in danger of facing his first ever submission loss. He manages to haul free and launches straight back into another takedown attempt, and once against Fitch just powers out, lifting him up into the air and them dropping him straight down on his back in a surprising display of power. With a minute left, things aren't going Sanchez's way and it has to be shaking that confidence he came into the fight with: he couldn't beat Fitch in a single round, he isn't dominating the grappling AND Fitch is more than holding his own AND overpowering him. The round ends and Sanchez is straight up, blood on his face, going right for the corner. The question now is how much energy did Fitch expend that round, because he won it and could be ahead 20-18 at this point, but can he keep it up? Round 3: He's certainly not looking tired, certainly not to the extent that Sanchez is. He doesn't launch in with a takedown attempt this time, he stands and lets Fitch come at him with the strikes Fitch claimed to want to use all along. It works though, because a confident Fitch comes in too close with his head too low and Sanchez strikes like a cobra, grabbing him in a Guillotine and dropping to the mat. The crowd erupts, sensing the possibility that maybe Sanchez finally caught him... and then somehow, someway, once again Fitch manages to tear himself free. They struggle for dominance on the ground, Sanchez trying for a Kimura that ends the same way as the Guillotine, with Fitch defending long enough he is able to wrench free and continue to lay on Sanchez and deliver the odd punch here and there and maintain the lead he's held since at least round 2 and arguably through round 1 as well. The crowd boos, there are 90 seconds to go and the action has become technical but not exciting as they struggle for position on the ground. Fitch keeps laying in the odd shot and there, but once again his seeming dominance puts him in a position where Sanchez can strike with yet another submission, this time a triangle choke. But the story of the fight doesn't change, he can get the submission hold on but he can't keep it, and Fitch pulls clear retains top position, grinding Sanchez down just like he warned him he would. Fitch easily escapes another attempt at the triangle and the round ends, Fitch standing and offering a hand to Sanchez, hauling him to his feet and the two men embracing despite the talk of disrespect they mentioned in the hype video. Fitch can afford to be magnanimous, even in a worse case scenario this has to be a 29-28 victory for him. Final Thoughts: The swagger is gone from Sanchez as they wait for the decision to be announced, he can probably sense his second loss is coming, while Fitch seems relaxed and unconcerned. The final ruling is 30-27 to Fitch, 29-28 to Sanchez (what the Christ?) and 29-28 to Fitch: it's a split decision. The crowd had booed to hear Sanchez has won for one judge, and I have to agree, at best he might have possibly won the first round, how the hell could he be judged to have won two of them? Joe Rogan brings this up in a diplomatic way to Fitch, noting that there is a clear disparity in the judging over what should be scored higher: positioning or submissions etc. Fitch agrees that while he did get put into a number of submission holds none of them really did him damage, and he was able to simply grind down Sanchez as he'd promised in the hype video. That was the story of the fight, and it meant the fight - while certainly not boring - lacked the exciting fast-paced action (and quick finish!) that Sanchez promised. Sanchez is interviewed as well and tells the crowd "you don't need to boo!" when they boo him. He admits that while he got the submissions he didn't finish Fitch who dominated in position and he can't complain about losing as a result. It's a classy statement from a guy who talked big before the fight but couldn't follow up on what he promised, as he admits that he has to go back to training to figure out what went wrong and get back to winning again. Where are they now?: Sanchez got back to winning again, with victories in his next four fights. Still an active fighter, Sanchez continues to not only fight to this day but is STILL fighting for the UFC in the Lightweight, Featherweight and Welterweight Divisions. His last fight was a victory over Michel Pereira on a UFC Fight Night in February of this year (which feels like a decade ago now) via DQ when Pereira used an illegal knee. He has delivered Fight of the Night and Performance of the Night winning fights for years, and has a record that currently stands at 30-12. Jon Fitch also remains active, though his time in UFC ended in 2013 with a loss to Demian Maia. Though he has constantly performed at a high level and still retains an admirable win/loss record, the closest he ever came to championship gold in UFC was a loss to Georges St-Pierre in 2008. He made the shift to World Series of Fighting until 2016 and then went over to Bellator where he remains to this day. His last fight was a draw against Roary MacDonald, and his current record stands at 32 wins, 7 losses, 2 draws and a 1 No Contest. Mauricio "Shogun" Rua vs. Forrest Griffin Light Heavyweight Bout. This is Shogun's long-awaited debut in UFC, after UFC purchased PRIDE. He comes in with a 16-2 record and notes that he doesn't just want to win but to win convincingly to prove that he belongs in the Octagon, and intends to go for the lockdown. Forrest, who has a 14-4 record, muses in charmingly laidback fashion that he would like to fight "that Shogun guy", he would like to fight him "forever". He doesn't discount any of Shogun's qualities, simply states that he believes he can beat him regardless. Steve Mazzagatti is the ref, who must be thirsting for human blood after not getting it in the opener. Round 1: It's a messy but exciting start, as Shogun throws some heavy overhands that don't connect, then they slam against the cage during a takedown attempt, roll on the canvas for a few seconds then return to their feet and go back to exchanging kicks and punches. Shogun takes Forrest down, getting drilled a few times in the side of the head as he does so, and can't get past Forrest's defenses who controls well from the ground. Forrest hits Shogun with a mean looking elbow as Shogun attempts to work his way to make this work, and they return to their feet where they both land solid punches and knees, one seeming to momentarily drop Forrest though he's already recovered as he starts to drop and quickly regains his footing. It's not pretty, it's not technical, it's not controlled, but this mess of a fight is extremely entertaining so far. Shogun goes on the aggressive but as he's coming forward and throwing hard kicks and knees, Forrest grabs him and takes him down to the crowd's great delight, and they struggle for position before Forrest gives up and gets back to his feet and tosses a little kick Shogun's way to get him back up. This time it is Shogun who seems momentarily stunned but immediately recovered from a flush shot to the face, and Shogun manages to take Griffin down once and then - with some effort - a second time. Shogun stands up and then tries to launch in with a hard shot to finish the round, but he's misjudged both time and position and instead Griffin turns him around and HE ends the round with a solid punch to Shogun on the ground. I'd give the edge to Forrest on Round 1, but it's we the viewers who are the winner, this fight is a lot of fun. Round 2: They start by trading blows in the center of the Octagon, Shogun attempting a single leg takedown but almost getting caught in a Guillotine for his troubles. Shogun scores a powerful shot direct to Forest's face and blood sprays everywhere, but then they're up and against the cage and now it's Forrest slamming Shogun to the ground and laying in punches. Blood is flying everywhere, spraying across the floor, all over Shogun's back and flowing from Forrest's face. They return to the center and both men look tired but Forrest must be feeling it more, especially with all that blood pumping out of him. Shogun drills Forrest again and again but Griffin isn't backing down and is throwing his own back, and against all reason it looks like Shogun is the one struggling to breath. An attempted takedown goes horribly wrong and Forrest walks away... then turns and realizes that Shogun is STILL on the ground and he pounces. He smashes Shogun in the side of the face, looking at times for potential submissions but mostly just throwing punches. Shogun is clearly clock watching, and jerks back into motion when Mazzagatti approaches, fearing that he might be thinking about calling the fight (this is Mazzagatti, he just wants a closer look at the blood). The round ends and Shogun has survived, but that was Forrest's round yet again in spite of the explosion of blood. Shogun is in real danger of losing his UFC debut. Round 3: Neither man is timid but they're more reserved to start, throwing a few shots that don't connect before Shogun goes right for a takedown and finds himself in danger of being armbarred as a result. Bloodstains are all over the canvas, and Mazzagatti forces Forrest's hand away from the cage thinking he means to grab it. Forrest complains, actually throwing his arms wide as he demands Mazzagatti stand them up since Shogun is clearly making no progress on top of him. Mazzagatti does not comply, so Forrest takes matters into his own hands, turns it around and gets Shogun's back. He can't quite hold the position so he gets by with elbows and punches to the side of Shogun's face. He maintains his dominance of position right through into the final minute of the round and it seems Shogun can do nothing but protect himself but not much else. Finally he can't even do that, as Forrest FINALLY locks in the Rear Naked Choke and it's over, Mazzagatti calls it and an astounded, emotional Forrest Griffin has scored what it seems even he knew was an upset. Shogun Rua has lost his UFC debut by submission. Final Thoughts: This match was a mess but a beautiful one. It was sloppy and rough and all over the place and I loved every second of it. An ecstatic Forrest embraces Joe Rogan and declares he hasn't done many drugs but he suspects this is what ecstasy feels like, haha. He delivers a charming interview, pointing out that after his last loss his family told him he wasn't any good at anything else so he had to get back to fighting, then assures his mother that "I won't cuss!" Rogan declares that this is the first time Rua has been finished in a fight which isn't actually true, but Forrest Griffin doesn't care, he's over the moon. Where are they now?: Rua wasn't done in the UFC and STILL isn't done, as he still fights to this day for the company though his win-loss record has been largely 50/50, with his UFC record being 10 wins, 9 losses and a draw, with a lifetime record of 26-11-1. However he was also half of what is widely considered one of the greatest UFC fights of all time: the fight with Dan Henderson at UFC 139 in 2011 (and the follow-up in 2014 wasn't too bad either). Griffin's career meanwhile didn't last all that much longer, as he finished fighting in 2012 with a win over Tito Ortiz at UFC 148. Ending his career at 19-7, Forest Griffin did have a couple more highlights, including winning the Light Heavyweight Championship, having several more Fight of the Night winners and even winning Fight of the Year in 2008. This fight against Shogun won him Submission of the Night and Upset of the Year, and fittingly enough his penultimate fight was a rematch against Shogun in 2011. He lost that fight by KO in the first round, meaning Shogun got a measure of revenge. But Griffin's career ended on a high note, as he not only defeated Tito Ortiz in the final fight of his career at UFC 148, but won Fight of the Night as well. Chuck Liddell vs. Keith Jardine Light Heavyweight fight and Main Event, this is not a title fight so it will be three 5-minute rounds. Liddell is coming into this fight after his first loss in 4 years, losing the Light Heavyweight title to Quinton "Rampage" Jackson, and Jardine lost his prior fight too so both have something to prove. Keith Jardine KOed Forrest Griffin who just beat Shogun Rua who people clearly thought was on the fast track to a Light Heavyweight title fight, so this doesn't seem like an easy-beat for Liddell. "There's nothing fun about fighting me" Jardine notes in the pre-match video. Liddell, who has highly regarded takedown defense, says the fight is going to be exciting but he's not concerned about getting taking down... he's just going to punch Jardine hard and knock him out. Good strategy if it works! Jardine comes into the fight with a 12-4-1 record, and Liddell with a 20-4 record. Big John McCarthy is the ref. Round 1: Liddell holds the center and they trade shots at each other, with Liddell taking the odd opportunity to come forward and back Jardine off before returning to the center. Jardine has made no attempt at a takedown yet, seemingly happily to trade shots, but Liddell is seemingly getting the better of the exchanges so far. Whenever Jardine throws a kick he seems to cringe back as if he expects a counter-punch from Liddell, he's clearly wary of his knockout power. Jardine has developed a minor cut beside his right eye and is bleeding slightly though nothing like Griffin in the previous fight. The round ends without a single takedown attempted, and Jardine's best moments coming towards the end when he managed to land a kick. Even with that though this seems like Liddell's round to me, he controlled the pace and the positioning within the Octagon, and appeared to land a shot for every one he took plus all the ones he scored that Jardine didn't answer. Round 2: Jardine seems to be relying on the kicks to wear down Liddell, and it seems like we're in for a long fight... when suddenly Jardine just lands one right on Liddell's face and he falls flat on his rear end. Jardine has a moment of pure startlement and then leaps forward to try and capitalize as Liddell tries to get back to his feet. Chuck manages to get away, but now he's not the aggressor anymore and Jardine is holding the center and dictating the pace of the fight, his confidence has shot up and Liddell's has dropped. Jardine continues to exchange shots but he's also throwing in regular kicks, and Liddell's left side has a massive welt on it as a result. There's blood all over the left side of Jardine's face and running down the right side, but none of it is getting in his eye or obscuring his vision. His dominance ends purely by accident when he slips on the canvas and Liddell immediately comes after him and begins laying in the shots. Jardine finds himself on the backfoot, both recovering from the slip and trying to avoid the shots, plus the sapping of his energy from the fast pace of the fight starting to take its toll. The round ends with Liddell having regained his composure but it's a Jardine round for sure and likely sets the scoring so far to 19-19. More worrying is that when the horn blows, Liddell tries to return to the wrong corner which... well that's not good. Round 3: Jardine is still throwing those brutal sounding kicks, peppering them in with the punches he and Liddel are regularly exchanging. Jardine appears to largely be holding the center of the Octagon and making Liddell come to him, drilling him with those kicks, starting to show solid punches that go unanswered now. The commentators note that Liddell may be trying to time his shots now, but point out that even if so while he's doing it he's eating lots of shots and taking a ton of punishment and he must know there's a good chance he's behind on the scorecard. Time is ticking away, and with a minute to go Liddell is offering nothing but reactions while Jardine, who is throwing less now, must be confident that even if time does run out the decision is going to go to him. The crowd erupts in the last 30 seconds, baying for a KO to match the event name, both men throwing hard shots, Liddell even trying a kick. The final horn blows and Chuck Liddell throws his hands up high... and the crowd boos him! That was a Jardine round, and this must be a 29-28 win to Jardine. Final Thoughts: The results come through and it is 29-28... but a split decision. One judge somehow gave two rounds to Chuck Liddell. But Jardine is the winner, and he's overwhelmed with happiness, telling Joe Rogan that this felt like winning a title to him because he rates Liddell as the greatest fighter in UFC history. That kind of says it all really, Jardine came in knowing he was fighting a dangerous opponent and Liddell apparently came in expecting a guaranteed win, and had nothing to offer when the fight proved harder than expected. Where are they now?: Liddell became a Hall of Famer in the UFC, recovering from his loss to Jardine to go on to a Fight of the Year winner with a victory over Wanderleri Silva at UFC 79. He ended his UFC career with three straight losses to Rashad Evans, Shogun Rua and Rich Franklin and retired from fighting... for 8 years. He returned in 2018 to lose to Tito Ortiz in a shambles of a Heavyweight match for Golden Boy Promotions making his final record 21-9. Jardine's fighting career continued until 2012, though he finished fighting for the UFC in 2010 on the card for The Ultimate Fighter: Team Ortiz vs. Team Liddell Finale, losing by majority decision to Matt Hamill. He finished up his career with a 17-11 record, with his win over Liddell being probably the highlight of his career. The most prominent victory on his record after this fight was a win over Brandon Vera, otherwise he was fed to and lost to the likes of Wanderlei Silva, Rampage Jackson, Thiago Silva and Ryan Bader. Final Thoughts: This was a good show, but not a stand-out one, beyond the comedy of a show called KNOCKOUT featuring not a single KO finish on the card and only one non-decision finish. I can't help but compare it to UFC 14 which was the last show I watched, and note that all the rough edges had been smoothed out the overall quality of the presentation lifted immensely... but that it might been too smoothed over. What I saw was a very good card with quality matches on it, with Griffin vs. Tavares absolutely the best fight of the night, but not much more to say about it beyond that. Gone were the insanely unbalanced match-ups of conflicting styles, which I'm glad for. Gone were the overly long first round then bonus rounds all in hopes of avoiding going to a decision. But what replaced it was a slick but unremarkable affair that was trying too hard to be professional and felt oddly antiseptic as a result. Of course not every card was like this, and UFC would go on to demonstrate time and again that they could and would be as insanely dangerous and weird as ever right through to the current day. I just find myself in the unusual position of feeling slightly disappointed that I "only" got a quite enjoyable card out of this random pick.
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Apr 25, 2020 10:00
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UFC 76: Knockout deserves to never be forgotten because it was the a great display of hubris by the promotion. It also had some great fights with some future stars still making their name in MMA.
Mekchu fucked around with this message at 11:24 on Apr 25, 2020 |
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Apr 25, 2020 11:19
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I'm guessing that they assumed Shogun and Liddell would win their respective matches and were planning ahead with that in mind in terms of Light Heavyweight matchups for the future?
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Apr 25, 2020 13:17
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I think they just assumed there would be at least a KO in the main event (or anywhere on the main card)
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Apr 25, 2020 13:22
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