Shamrock vs. Kimbo: A Work of Fiction

shamrockKimbo — Photo Credit: Sherdog.com

Last Friday, in the main event of Bellator 138, Kimbo Slice knocked out Ken Shamrock. The former bare-knuckle brawler seemingly came back from the jaws of defeat as he escaped from a rear-naked choke and landed a right hand that sent Shamrock crumbling to the canvas.

The thing is, there are a lot of people who are questioning the integrity of the bout. Some scoff at the very idea that there was anything fishy with the bout, while others believe without question that the fix was in.

When examining these matters, the two big questions you have to ask yourself are why the event would unfold this way and what Bellator has to gain from Kimbo getting a big win on national television? Continue reading “Shamrock vs. Kimbo: A Work of Fiction” →

Big Easy Win for Old Man Hendo

It took Dan Henderson 28 seconds to prove the naysayers wrong on Saturday night in New Orléans as he dispatched of Tim Boetsch. The catalyst for Boetsch’s demise came in the form of an H-bomb special that crumbled the barbarian, causing him to count the lights in the Smoothie King Center. Continue reading “Big Easy Win for Old Man Hendo” →

Henderson’s Last Ride?

Dan Henderson at Team Quest — allelbows.com

The middleweight showdown between Dan Henderson and Tim Boetch will headline the latest UFC Fight Night card from Louisiana on Saturday evening. Both fighters are coming off losses, but the bigger story here is that Henderson, a legend in the sport, has won only one of his last six fights.

With his 45^th birthday right around the corner, could this be the last time we see ‘Hendo’ grace the cage? Continue reading “Henderson’s Last Ride?” →

Calling The Shots: Frankie Edgar vs. Urijah Faber

The UFC makes its debut in the Philippines this Saturday as Frankie Edgar, and Urijah Faber will tango in the main event. While the card boasts what should be some fun fights, the five-round featherweight attraction between the two former WEC and UFC champions could very well be MMA’s version of the Thrilla in Manila.

Fight night is a term that encapsulates the evening’s combative festivities. However, this event has the unusual distinction of airing in the early a.m. to compensate for the twelve-hour time difference. One would wonder why such a big fight would be booked for this particular show, but the UFC’s aggressive push in the Asian market probably answers that question. Continue reading “Calling The Shots: Frankie Edgar vs. Urijah Faber” →

Remember The Name: Joanna Jedrzejczyk

UFC 185 produced an interesting night of fights that not only provided some divisional clarity but crowned two new champions. One of the new titleholders became a star on Saturday night as she pummeled her way towards straw-weight gold and her name is Joanna Jedrzejczyk.

The first straw-weight title defense in UFC history hadn’t gained a lot of fanfare even though an entire season of The Ultimate Fighter was used as a vehicle to usher in the division. Carla Esparza seemed to have a firm lock on the title since her wrestling appeared to be unstoppable. Continue reading “Remember The Name: Joanna Jedrzejczyk” →

Bellator Opening Pandora’s Box With Shamrock vs. Slice

Ken Shamrock vs. Kimbo Slice will headline the Bellator MMA event on June 20 inside the Scottrade Center in St. Louis. The bout is scheduled to take place at heavyweight and will air on Spike TV. This is a rematch of the fight that never was from October 4, 2008, when they were booked to headline an Elite XC show on CBS.

The day of their initially scheduled bout, Shamrock suffered a cut over his left eye and withdrew. There was controversy surrounding this since Shamrock was upset when he learned how much more Slice was being paid and asked for an increase in salary, which was denied.

Seth Petruzelli, who was already fighting on the card, accepted the change of opponent to Kimbo on the shortest of notice and knocked out the backyard brawler in 14 seconds. Allegations from Petruzelli stating he was told not to take Kimbo down, along with substantial money losses from the advertised main event falling through, caused Elite XC to file for bankruptcy and then close their doors seventeen days later. Continue reading “Bellator Opening Pandora’s Box With Shamrock vs. Slice” →

Calling The Shots: Anderson Silva vs. Nick Diaz

Anderson Silva vs. Nick Diaz main event at UFC 183 is a fight that was never supposed to be made. A middleweight that walks around at 220 lbs. and a thinly framed welterweight doesn’t make sense in the combative sphere of the MMA. However, a gruesome injury, along with the eclectic desire to only vie for a high valued prize, suddenly made this bout go from impractical to something that makes complete sense.

Silva is coming off a thirteen-month layoff after recovering from a broken leg he suffered in his bout with Chris Weidman. Diaz emerges from a 22-month retirement where a seven-figure payday in a loss to Georges St. Pierre made him very selective on who he does business with inside the confines of the Octagon. Continue reading “Calling The Shots: Anderson Silva vs. Nick Diaz” →

UFC 181: Thank You

UFC 181 - Hendricks v Lawler — Past and Present Welterweight Kings

I almost hate admitting this, but I have been bored with MMA as of late. The UFC’s overwhelming slate of shows has given me little cause for excitement. While I understand their business strategy is to create new stars, appealing content extends beyond merely two people fighting in a cage.

We’ve been spoiled for so long with a plethora of intriguing personalities. Gladiators like Royce Gracie, Ken Shamrock, Dan Severn, and Tank Abbott introduced us to this combative spectacle. At the same time, warriors such as Chuck Liddell, Randy Couture, BJ Penn, and Matt Hughes ushered in the sports boom period.

The new generation of fighters have evolved quite nicely, but besides Ronda Rousey, no one else has mass appeal. People want to like Jon Jones, but his Ill-mannered and disingenuous personality is a turnoff. Cain Velasquez, Demetrious Johnson, and Chris Weidman seem like the type of athletes you’d want your kids to look up to. Unfortunately, they lack that larger-than-life persona.

UFC 181 rejuvenated my excitement for Mixed Martial Arts. The event had everything you could ask for and then some, and I wrote a column about it at What Culture.com titled 5 Things We Learned From UFC 181.

Werdum Denies Hunt The Glass Slipper

As an MMA fan, sometimes we pay for stories instead of fights. Last Saturday night, I didn’t plop down $54.95 to watch the first heavyweight title fight in thirteen months. I paid to see Mark Hunt shock the world and topple Fabricio Werdum on three weeks’ notice to become the interim champion as the UFC made their maiden voyage into the hardened fight mecca of Mexico. Unfortunately, Hunt would be denied his glass slipper.

Continue reading →

Calling The Shots: Tito Ortiz vs. Stephan Bonnar

Under the leadership of Scott Coker, Bellator MMA will hold its biggest event to date on Saturday night when Tito Ortiz and Stephan Bonnar clash at the Valley View Casino Center in San Diego, CA. This fight should have happened in the UFC. However, the stars never aligned for a plethora of reasons.

Both fighters have been vocal about their disdain for one another, which has garnered a lot of attention to the bout. Bonnar is coming out of a two-year retirement, while Ortiz is fresh off a win over Bellator middleweight champion Alexander Shlemenko. Continue reading “Calling The Shots: Tito Ortiz vs. Stephan Bonnar” →