Tag: MMA

MMA’s Evolution Can Be Found In The UFC’s Welterweight Division

Photography by Josh Hedges

The apples and oranges argument of MMA vs. Boxing makes me roll my eyes sometimes. Some feel caged combat is overrated and deprived of any athletic craftsmanship. In contrast, others say clashes of the pugilistic variety are too one-dimensional and archaic to be considered real fighting. It’s easy to understand how MMA can sometimes look like an uneducated brawl, but you have to remember the sport is currently in its golden years.

Boxing’s organizational roots can be traced back to 1743, and the Marquess of Queensberry rules, drafted in 1867, have governed It ever since.

The first organized Mixed Martial Arts bout took place in 1989 in Japan for the Shooto promotion, while the Ultimate Fighting Championship held its inaugural event in 1993.

Continue reading “MMA’s Evolution Can Be Found In The UFC’s Welterweight Division” →

Fedor Retires Following KO of Pedro Rizzo in Russia

Fedor Emelianenko knocked out Pedro Rizzo at 1:24 of the first round at the M-1 Global event in St. Petersburg, Russia. The 35-year-old Emelianenko leaves the sport with an overall 34-4 record in 12 years of professional competition. Despite never finding his way to the UFC’s octagon, The former Pride heavyweight champion is consensus greatest heavyweight in the history of mixed martial arts. 

M:1 Presents: Fedor vs. Rizzo 6/21/12
St. Petersburg, Russia 

Main Event
Fedor Emelianenko defeated Pedro Rizzo by Knockout (Punches, 1st Round, 1:24)

Heavyweight Title Bout
Kenny Garner defeated Guram Gugenishvill by Stoppage (Doctor, 3rd Round, 5:00)

Lightweight Title Bout
Musa Khamanaev defeated Daniel Weichel by Submission (Heel Hook, 1st Round, 1:57)

Heavyweight Feature Bout
Jeff Monson defeated Denis Komkin by Submission (North-South Choke, 1st Round, 1:58)

Undercard Bouts
Marat Gafurov defeated Mairbek Taisumov by Split Decision
Mikhail Malyutin defeated Renat Gasanov by TKO (Strikes, 1st Round, 3:16)
Ramazan Emeev defeated Alberta Duraeva by TKO (Strikes, 1st Round)
Vugar Bakhshiev defeated Jerome Bouisson by Submission (Heel Hook, 1st Round)
Pavel Vitruk defeated Radoslaw Piechnik by Unanimous Decision
Akhmed Sultanov defeated Denis Goltsov by Submission (Heel hook, 1st Round)
Abdulmazhid Magomedov defeated Davreka Isakova by TKO (Strikes, 1st Round)

UFC on FX 4: Maynard vs. Guida Preview & Predictions

Gray Maynard (10-1-1) vs. Clay Guida (29-12)

Just like Nucky Thompson did many years earlier, Clay Guida and Gray Maynard will try their luck on the Atlantic city boardwalk in pursuit of UFC glory. While both fighters are coming off losses, they fall under a different set of circumstances. Guida’s loss to Benson Henderson cost him a title shot while Maynard’s knockout defeat to Frankie Edgar denied him the lightweight title and gave him the first loss of his career. Pre-fight drama has uncharacteristically in their case, reared its ugly head as Maynard’s camp filed a protest with the New Jersey Athletic Control Board complaining about Clay Guida’s hair. To avoid any commission entanglements to focus on the fight, Guida will braid his hair. Maynard told MMAJunkie.com “I never filed a complaint” and “This was the first I’ve ever heard about it.”

Continue reading “UFC on FX 4: Maynard vs. Guida Preview & Predictions” →

The Ultimate Fighter Live Finale Results

– Facebook Prelim

Erik Perez defeated John Albert @ 4:18 of the 1st Round via ref stoppage: Our night begins in controversy as referee Kim Winslow called a stop to the action as Albert was positioning himself to escape the armbar. Winslow made a judgement call but Albert did not tap out. Dana White announced on Twitter that he will pay John Albert his win bonus.

– Fuel TV Prelims

Joe Proctor defeated Jeremy Larsen via TKO due to strikes @ 1:59 of the 1st Round

Sam Sicilia defeated Cristiano Marcello via TKO due to strikes @ 2:53 of the 2nd Round

Myles Jury defeated Chris Saunders by submission via guillotine choke @ 4:03 of the 1st Round

Daron Cruickshank defeated Chris Tickle via unanimous decision (29-27 across the board)

– FX Main Card

Justin Lawrence defeats John Cofer by KO via a devastating right high kick at 0:19 of the 3rd Round after losing the first two.

Max Holloway defeats Pat Schilling via unanimous decision (30-27 across the board): The story of the fight was Holloway picking apart Schilling with body punches. It got kind of bad in the later rounds where Schilling was in so much pain that he could barley keep his hands up and flinched whenever Holloway fainted a body shot.

Charles Oliveira defeats Jonathan Brookins by submission via guillotine choke @ 2:42 of the 2nd Round: Oliveira kept constant pressure on Brookins with takedowns and elbows and never allowed him to get comfortable. The finish came when Oliveira applied a modified guillotine and sat down on it and finished while going to his back and squeezing tight to force the tap.

– Season Fight Bonuses voted on by the fans where each winner is awarded $25,000

Submission of the Season: Joe Proctor for his rear naked choke over Chris Tickle

Knockout of the Season: Al Iaquinta won  for his KO over Andy Ogle

Fight of the Season: Al Iaquinta vs. Myles Jury which means Iaquinta has earned $50,000 this evening and he hasn’t even fought yet.

The Ultimate Fighter Live Tournament Final 

Michael Chiesa chokes out Al Iaquinta via rear naked  @ 2:47 of the 1st Round to win the contract: Iaquinta came out aggressive at first and kept Chiesa off balance. Chiesa caught one of Iaquinta’s kicks and grabs a body lock. Chiesa gets the hooks in while Iaquinta gets warned by the referee for holding onto the inside of Chiesa’s glove while trying to defend the choke. Chiesa gets his arm under the chin and Iaquinta tries to fight it but he refuses to tap and goes to sleep.

This has been one hell of a journey for Michael Chiesa who lost his father at the beginning of the season. Chiesa was awarded the TUF Live trophy along with the keys to his new custom Harley Davidson motorcyle and a Tap Out endorsement. Urijah Faber was also awarded the keys to his custom Harley since he was the winning coach.

 

Main Event 

Martin Kampmann over Jake Ellenberger via KO @ 1:40 of the 2nd Round: Ellenberger won the first round by using his power and landing some powerful shots against the cage. Kampmann landed a short right hand that really wobbled Ellenberger and Kampmann runs in and delivers three knees to the chin. Ellenberger falls to the canvas and referee Steve Mazzagatti rushes in to stop the bout. Kampmann should change his name from ‘Hitman’ to ‘Comeback Kid’.

Brock Lesnar’s appearance at UFC 146???

The internet is up in arms over Brock Lesnar’s appearance at UFC 146 this past Saturday. Everyone wants to know: is he ditching the WWE, once again, for Octagon glory? The answer is yes. Well, at least until Junior Dos Santos was declared the winner.

In his retirement speech, Brock stated his plan was to win the title one more time and retire as champion. It’s been proven that if you can throw a decent punch, you can beat Brock Lesnar. Cain Velasquez, Alistair Overeem & Junior Dos Santos all fit this criterion. Frank Mir? Not so much. Mir can’t take a punch either, but what if he had somehow beat JDS? Brock would have been the first person in the cage to challenge him, and that, ladies and gentlemen, is why he was there.

He knows he can beat Mir, and a rubber match between the two could end up being the highest drawing pay-per-view of all time. Their first bout drew 600,000 buys and their second bout drew 1.7 million buys.

Thank goodness Mir lost because if he had won, we would be reading about Lesnar quitting WWE for the second time and all the drama that would come with it. Brock is a fickle man and can get away with what most people can’t because he draws a lot of money. The funny thing is, after all the legal rigmarole, Vince would still take him back because, in the end, money talks.

UFC 146: Dos Santos vs. Mir Predictions

From top to bottom, the all heavyweight main card at UFC 146 has undergone many changes due to a positive drug test and a plethora of injuries. The main event features Junior Dos Santos making his first heavyweight title defense against former champion Frank Mir.

Continue reading “UFC 146: Dos Santos vs. Mir Predictions” →

Strikeforce Heavyweight Grand Prix Final: Barnett vs. Cormier Results

Strikeforce Heavyweight Grand Prix Final: Barnett vs. Cormier Results  (coverage I provided for gerweck.net)

HP Pavilion in San Jose, CA

 

– Showtime Extreme Prelims

Bobby Green defeated James Terry via split decision (29-28 across the board)

Quinn Mulhern defeated Yuri Villefort via split decision (30-27, 28-29, 29-28)

Gian Villante defeated Derrick Mehmen via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)

Guto Inocente defeated Virgil Zwicker via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-27)

Isaac Vallie-Flagg defeated Gesias Cavalcante via split decision (28-29, 29-28, 29-28)

 

– Main Card

Chris Spang defeated Nah-Shon Burrell via KO @ 1:35 of the 1st Round: Burrell pushed the pace with strikes until Spang dropped Burrell with a left hook. Burrell got up as Spang rushed in and tied up Burrell with a thai clinch and landed several knees to the head of Burrell until he was dropped once more and referee Josh Rosenthal stepped in to stop the fight.

  Continue reading “Strikeforce Heavyweight Grand Prix Final: Barnett vs. Cormier Results” →

Josh Barnett vs. Daniel Cormier Preview & Predictions

Josh Barnett (31-5) vs. Daniel Cormier (9-0)                              (column I wrote for gerweck.net)

The tournament is an alluring beast that captures our imagination because it provides a sense of finality as to who is the best. The two fighters who remain have traveled down different avenues to reach the Strikeforce World Grand Prix’s finals. Barnett submitted Bret Rogers and Sergi Kharitonov by arm triangle, while Cormier was an alternate who replaced Alistair Overeem. He dominated the much larger Antonio Silva with fast and accurate punches en route to a 1st round knockout. Fun fact: both obtained their first big win in their ninth professional fight, with Cormier beating Silva and Barnett defeating Dan Severn.

 

The former King of Pancrase and UFC heavyweight champion will be the toughest and most experienced opponent in Cormier’s career. Barnett is super durable and is not afraid to take a punch to clinch and tie-up Cormier to set up the takedown. On the ground, Barnett is an assassin with considerable skill who craves making people submit with his catch wrestling appliance use even though he is effective with the ground and pound option. This is the third time Barnett has made it to the finals of a tournament as he won the Superbrawl 13 honors and lost to Mirko Cro Cop in the finals of the Pride Open Weight Grand Prix in 2006.

Continue reading “Josh Barnett vs. Daniel Cormier Preview & Predictions” →

Thoughts on The Ultimate Fighter Ratings Decline

The Ultimate Fighter Live

The Ultimate Fighter Live on FX is currently the lowest-rated season in the history of the series. The show has been missing that WOW factor for quite some time. Season 10 back in 2009 featuring Kimbo Slice and the Rampage vs. Evans feud was the last signs of worth wild television the show has produced. Faber and Cruz are two of the best fighters in the world but they do not produce that dynamic you want from opposing coaches in order to pop a rating. Also, the show hasn’t changed its look or presentation since its debut in 2005

Continue reading “Thoughts on The Ultimate Fighter Ratings Decline” →

UFC on Fox: Diaz vs. Miller Preview & Predictions

UFC on Fox: Diaz vs. Miller Preview & Predictions

(Column I wrote for gerweck.net)

UFC attempts to make their “third time’s the charm” event on the Fox network. Pay-Per-View headliners take a backseat as the objective is to create new stars with talent who present a better chance of producing an exciting fight that will leave the eyes of channel surfers glued to the action in the octagon.

 

Pat “HD” Barry (7-4) vs. Lavar Johnson (16-5): Both fighters bring with them aggression and ridiculous punching power fueled by an insatiable appetite for knockouts. Johnson has a chance to catch the Duke Roufus pupil if he can turn it into a wildfire fight, but he doesn’t possess the stand up pedigree of a Cheick Kongo or Stefan Struve to confuse Barry, who’s K-1 striking repertoire will be the difference maker.