Arlovski v. Rothwell

Here is Andrei Arlovski fighting Ben Rothwell at Affliction - Banned which took place on 7/19/08.

Arlovski (25-11) next fights Alistair Overeem at UFN 87 on May 8th.

Video of the Day - Rothwell v. Soszynski

Krzysztof Soszynski fighting Ben Rothwell at IFL - Legends Championship 2006 which took place on 4/29/06 in Atlantic City, New Jersey.

Rothwell next fights Brandon Vera at UFC 164.

UFC 110 Preview

UFC 110 airs from Sydney, Australia on February 21, 2010 in the UFC's first venture down under. There are numerous fights with title implications, though no belts will be on the line.

Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira vs. Cain Velasquez- Expect Cain Velasquez, the two time All American wrestler from ASU, to look to get the fight to the ground early and often. He will look to throw punches and elbows in bunches from the guard. The explosive Velasquez (7-0, 5-0 UFC) has six TKO's on his resume, defeating Ben Rothwell, Cheick Kongo and Ben Morris in his last three fights.

(Cain Velasquez pictured)

Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira (32-5-1, 3-1 UFC) is a legend of the MMA world after his epic run in Pride. Big Nog's UFC results have been somewhat mixed, as has battled staff infections and nagging injuries. In his last fight, Nog battled UFC Hall of Famer Randy Couture, defeating him via decision. Nog also has victories over Tim Sylvia, Sergei Kharitonov, Mirko Filipović, Mark Coleman and Dan Henderson in his career.

(Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira pictured)

Michael Bisping vs. Wanderlei Silva- This 185 pound tilt will push the winner one step closer to the title. Both are primarily stand-up fighters who will be swinging for the fences. TUF 3 champ Michael Bisping (18-2, 8-2 UFC) will be looking to get his second straight win after TKO'ing Denis Kang in his last fight. Bisping also has UFC wins over Eric Schafer and Chris Leben.

(Michael Bisping pictured)

Wanderlei Silva (32-10,2-5 UFC) was a legend in the Pride organization, known for his brawling Muay Thai arsenal. However, Wandy has been on a slide as of late, losing 5 of his last 6 fights. Wandy is the former Pride Middleweight Champ (205) having defeated Rampage Jackson, Kazushi Sakuraba, Guy Mezger and Minowaman in his career.

(Wanderlei Silva pictured)

George Sotiropoulos vs. Joe Stevenson- This fight pits two excellent grapplers against each other. Stevenson (31-10, 8-4 UFC) has the distinct experience advantage and has battled much better competition. Stevenson, a TUF 2 winner, has looked revitalized since joining Greg Jackson's camp, going 2-0 defeating Spencer Fisher and Nate Diaz.

(Joe Stevenson pictured)

George Sotiropoulous is a solid grappler who will be fighting on his home court in Australia. George was on Team Serra during TUF 6, KO'ing Jared Rollins and submitting Richie Hightower before getting KO'd by runner-up Tommy Speer. Since joining the UFC, he has gone 4-0 submitting Billy Miles, George Roop and Jason Dent.

Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipovic vs. Anthony Perosh- Ben Rothwell, Cro Cop's original opponent has withdrawn from the fight due to illnes. Cro Cop (25-7, 2-3 UFC) has not looked good in his UFC career, but should rebound against Perosh. Cro Cop is a former K-1 kickboxer and Pride superstar was on top of his game in 2006, winning the Pride Open Weight Grand Prix, defeating Josh Barnett, Wanderlei Silva, Minowaman and Hidehiko Yoshida.

(Cro Cop KO's Aleks Emelianenko)

Ryan Bader vs. Keith Jardine- This fight pits TUF 8 winner and All-American wrestler Ryan Bader (10-0, 3-0 UFC) against TUF 2 veteran and unorthodox striker Keith Jardine (15-6, 6-5 UFC). Expect Bader to utilize his wrestling to overwhelm Jardine. Bader has defeated Eric Schafer, Vinny Magalhães and Carmelo Marrero in his UFC career.

Jardine has been up and down in his UFC career, scoring monster wins over Chuck Liddell, Forrest Griffin and Brandon Vera, while being KO'd by Thiago Silva, Wanderlei Silva and Houston Alexander.

UNDER CARD

Stephan Bonnar vs. Krzysztof Soszynski
Brian Foster vs. Chris Lytle
C.B. Dollaway vs. Goran Reljic
Igor Pokrajac vs. James Te Huna

UFC 104 - Dragon Fire

I waited to release my review of this event until I watched the Lyoto Machida versus Shogun Rua fight again. After five lackluster but technically impressive fight was won by Lyoto Machida on all three score cards. However, the viewing audience, Joe Rogaine and myself all saw it for Shogun.

Here are the results:

Lyoto Machida def Shogun Rua via unanimous dec- This title fight has turned controversial following all three judges awarding the fight to champion Lyoto Machida with 48-47. Throughout the fight Shogun seemed to land hard leg and body kicks. Machida seemed to back peddle and throw punches.

The body and leg kicks thrown by the more aggressive Rua led to me believing he had won the 1st, 4th and 5th rounds. Rua continually controlled where the fight to place and was consistently showing better aggression. Machida did gets some nice punces in at times, but seemed to never get into rhythem.

Dana White has indicated both fighters have agreed to an immediate rematch. Unfortunately, Machida suffered a laceration to his lip and was suspended without contact for 60 days. Look for the fight to possibly take place in February.
*MMA Blaster readers correctly choose Machida 90-27

Cain Velasquez def Ben Rothwell via TKO (punches) R2, 0:58- Cain Velasquez bullied the larger Ben Rothwell, eventually knocking him senseless in the second round. Velasquez dominated Rothwell with his superior wrestling and power punching from the ground.

The victory would have seemed to earn Cain a title shot. However, champ Brock Lesnar suffered an illness pushing back his fight with Shane Carwin. It appears Velasquez could fight Junior Dos Santos next.

Joe Stevenson def Spencer Fisher via TKO (elbows) R1, 4:03- Joe Stevenson continues his rise back up to the top of his game since joining Team Jackson. The submission grappler knew his best shot at victory would be to get the fight to the ground. Fisher was able to deny Stevenson's takedowns for a little while before succeeding.

Once the fight was on the ground, Stevenson was able to get Fisher's arm trapped in a crucifix, reminiscant of the Roy Nelson versus Kimbo fight. Elbows came in bunches and the ref was forced to stop the fight.

(Joe Stevenson pictured)

Anthony Johnson def Yoshiyuki Yoshida via KO (punch) R1, 0:41- Anthony Johnson sacrificed some pay for missing weight in this contest, but he didn't sacrifice his performance. Johnson briefly attempted to clinch, backed out and crushed Yoshida with a right hand knocking him into another universe and ending the fight.

Pat Barry def Antoni Hardonk by TKO (punches) R2, 2:30- In what turned out to be the fight of the night, Pat Barry and Antoni Hardonk threw down in an absolute battle. Hardonk started the action landing some big leg kicks and big punches. Barry looked to use his quickness, before Barry then was struck deep in the eye by Hardonk.

After a brief injury time out, Barry began to find his range with straight punches. Barry dropped Hardonk with a jab, landing in side mount dropping additional punishment. In the second round, Barry's speed was too much for Hardonk as he dropped him with straight punches before the finisher, a right hand to Hardonk's temple.
*Barry wins Fight of the Night and KO of the Night Bonus

(Pat Barry pictured)

Stefan Struve def Chase Gormley via sub (triangle) R1, 4:04- After the gigantic Struve landed some big kicks, Gormley worked the fight to the ground. From there, the two attempted leg locks. After Struve got top position he worked for a triangle and leaned to his back, getting Gormley to succumb to the choke.
*Struve wins Submission of the Night Bonus

Gleison Tibau def Josh Neer via unanimous dec
Ryan Bader def Eric Schafer by unanimous dec
Chael Sonnen def Yushin Okami via unanimous dec
Jorge Rivera def Rob Kimmons via TKO (punches) R3, 1:53
Kyle Kingsbury def Razak Al-Hassan via split dec

UFC 104 Preview

UFC 104 takes place on Saturday, October 24th from the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California. The event will feature a ppv card as well as at least 2 undercard bouts on an hour lead-in segment on Spike TV. If one of the undercard bouts ends in the first round it could make one of the broadcasts.

Lyoto Machida vs. Mauricio "Shogun" Rua- The undefeated champ Lyoto "The Dragon" Machida (15-0) will look to defend the title he aquired while violently KO'ed Rashad Evans in the second round of their 205 bout. Shogun (18-3) will look to continue the momentum he has built off a first round KO of Chuck Liddell.

Lyoto Machida and his karate base make a fight with the Brazilian very difficult. Shogun will look to utilize his muay thai, attacking his knees, kicks and elbows. Machida is very elusive and often forces his opponents to lose their cool and rush in, leaving an opening for Machida to pick them apart.

(Lyoto kicking Rashad at UFC 98)

Machida's undefeated run includes wins over Rich Franklin, BJ Penn, Tito Ortiz, Thiago Silva and Rashad Evans. Shogun was a fixture in Pride before coming to the UFC and has victories over Mark Coleman, Chuck Liddell, Alistair Overeem, Rampage Jackson and Kevin Randleman.

(Shogun Rua pictured)

Ben Rothwell vs. Cain Velasquez- Former IFL Heavyweight star Ben Rothwell will take on fast rising Cain Velasquez in a fight that could send Velasquez to a potential title shot. Rothwell would likely need another big time victory.

Cain Velasquez (6-0, 4-0 UFC) has the wrestling advantage, and his best strategy would be to get the fight to the ground and delivering a healthy dose of ground and pound. Velasquez' defeated Cheick Kongo in his last match via decision, while taking a couple big punches. He also has victories over Jake O'Brien and Denis Stojnic.

(Cain Velasquez pictured)

Ben Rothwell (30-6) compiled a 9-0 record while in the IFL, defeating the likes of Roy Nelson, Krzysztof Soszynski, Ricco Rodriguez and Dan Bobish. Look for Rothwell to keep the fight standing, throwing power punches while utilizing his height and weight advantage.

(Ben Rothwell pictured)

MAIN CARD

Josh Neer vs. Gleison Tibau
Spencer Fisher vs. Joe Stevenson
Anthony Johnson vs. Yoshiyuki Yoshida

SPIKE TV

Ryan Bader vs. Eric Schafer
Patrick Barry vs. Antoni Hardonk

UNDERCARD

Yushin Okami vs. Chael Sonnen
Rob Kimmons vs. Jorge Rivera
Razak Al-Hassan vs. Kyle Kingsbury
Stefan Struve vs. Chase Gormley

Adreneline MMA 2 Results

Here are the results from Adreneline MMA 2 which took place in Moline, Illinois. Probably not the best scheduling as the Bears game was on during the fights. I haven't watched all the fights yet, the rest are sitting on the DVR. As you can see there weren't any upsets on the card as all the former IFL fighters came out victorious.

Pat Miletich def Thomas Denny via KO(punches) R2, 0:50
Ben Rothwell def Chris Guillen via sub (strikes) R1, 3:40
Mike Russow def Braden Bice via sub(North-South choke) R1, 1:13
Mike Ciesnolevicz def Derrick Mehmen via sub (guillotine) R2, 1:46
Dan Loman def Gabe Lemley via TKO (punches) R2, 1:54
Ryan McGivern def Geno Roderick via sub (rear-naked choke) R1, 1:27
Pat Curran def Ramiro Hernandez via unanimous decision
Jesse Lennox def Ryan Williams via sub (triangle choke) R1, 3:41
L.C. Davis def Billy Kidd via sub(side choke) R1, 2:52
Danny Rodriguez def David Fuentes via sub (rear-naked choke) R1, 1:50


(Ben Rothwell Pictured)

Affliction: Fedor Style

A reported 14,832 were in attendance to see Affliction's inaugural show. The production was not quite UFC's level, but who cares about production values? I want to see great fights, and that's exactly what this heavyweight all-star card produced.

Paul Buentello def. Gary Goodridge via. Decision (Unanimous)- Buentello was able to push the pace and win the fight.

Vitor Belfort def. Terry Martin via. KO (Punch) R2, 3:12- Vitor stood and traded with Martin during the first which also saw Martin get some takedowns. In the second, Vitor began to string together standing combinations before bringing a massive knee to Martin's head. A big punch sent Martin to the canvas, with Vitor backing off as he knew Martin was KO'd.

Mike Pyle def. JJ Ambrose via Sub (Rear-naked choke) R1, 2:51- Pyle went from takedown to mount to rear naked choke.

Antonio Rogerio Nogueira def. Edwin Dewees via. TKO (Punches) R1, 4:06- Edwin Dewees tapped into his inner Krazy Horse Bennett as he tried some push kicks while in a corner with his arms over the ropes. Unfortunately, the strategy didn't work as Dewees ended up being crushed and sent to the canvas after knees and punches. While Dewees put up a valiant effort, he was simply out-matched when it came to boxing.

Matt Lindland def. Fabio Negao via Decision (Unanimous)- Lindland won a couple rounds to win the decision.

Renato Sobral def. Mike Whitehead via Decision (Unanimous)- Babalu pressed the action more and landed more strikes to defeat Mike Whitehead via decision. Babalu came close with a submission attempt and did more damage in this mostly one-sided fight.

Mark Hominick def. Trenell "Savant" Young via Submission (Armbar) R2, 4:25- After a Savant Young trip take down, Hominick cycled through a barrage of submission attempts before using a triangle attempt to get an arm bar.

Josh Barnett def. Pedro Rizzo via. KO (Punch) R2, 1:44- Barnett and Rizzo mainly kept the fight standing and as a boxing match in the first. Barnett would lunge in for takedowns after punching and kicking. Barnett landed a variety of kicks, including two spinning back kicks. In the second, he connected with a vicious left hook sending Rizzo down.

Andrei Arlovski def. Ben Rothwell via KO (Punches) R3, 1:13- Wow, Andrei Arlovski is back. He got the better of every exchange as he used Ben Rothwell's head like a punching bag on more than one occasion. After knocking Big Ben to the canvas, Arlovski kept bring punishment. He tried leg locks in two rounds, which were unsuccessful. In the third, Rothwell went down hard after a straight right and right uppercut.

Fedor Emelianenko def. Tim Sylvia via Submission (Rear-naked choke) R1, 0:36- Fedor's United States debut was an absolute explosion. The invincible Emelianenko stood and traded with the taller Tim Sylvia. Fedor was able to close the gap between him and his taller foe. Sylvia admitted that he, "has never been hit like that before." It took only seconds before Fedor connected with a punch flush to the chin of Sylvia and sent him to the canvas. As Fedor swarmed in, a dazed Sylvia was not able to stop more punches before rolling into a rear naked choke.

*“I don’t think Fedor is human,” Sylvia half-joked after the fight. “He is by far the best fighter in the world."

In his next match, Fedor may see UFC legend Randy Couture as his contract with the UFC expires in October. Josh Barnett and Andrei Arlovski are two other Affliction fighters who deserve a spot. Hopefully there is a number one contender match if the Couture fight happens.
*MMA Blaster pollsters picked Fedor to win 7-2

Video of the Day - IFL Greatest KO's

The IFL has pretty much ditched the team concept opting for traditional belts. The last event staged by the IFL drew little fanfare. Here is the old IFL's greatest KO segment. The IFL posted it on youtube.



*Ben Rothwell claimed two of the KO's, I'd like to see him get off the shelf and fight someone soon.

IFL Recap and Grand Prix Talk

IFL by the MMA Blaster

On IFL.tv, the IFL officially announced plans for their December 29th Grand Prix finale show. I have been a fan of the IFL and virtually every other MMA league in existence. I had a good time at their May event at the Sears Centre. The format of the IFL drew me in, partly because of the team format and structure which almost resembled a high school wrestling team. Also their stock of fighters made me interested because it included some ex-UFC talent, some B level journeyman, and some legit up and comers who someday will probably dominate the UFC. (Helano, Horodecki, Rothwell, Kennedy, Fabiano)

The team finals came and went, with Renzo Gracie's Pitbulls winning this year and injuries mounting on virtually every team. There were also fighters that were not signed or injured following the team competition. Undefeated IFL fighters Mike Whitehead, Tim Kennedy, Antonio McKee and Ben Rothwell were nowhere to be found in the Grand Prix. Also left out was Red Bear Mark Miller (8-2) who brutally KO'd Josh Neer, had a UD against Brad Blackburn, and lost a UD against the frontrunner in the division Delson Helano.

In an effot to boost hype, the IFL has decided to scrap the Horodecki v. Fabiano fight in the GP, a move that left me quite upset. The IFL has instead tossed in Shad Lierly to fight for the LW title against Horodecki and declared it the "Rematch of the fight of the year." They have decided to drop Fabiano to 145 and have him face LC Davis (9-0)(very talented, but why is he just thrown in there). The 170 final will stay Hieron v. Helano. 185 will stay Horwich v. Radach. And HW will be Nelson v. Jaoude. I was happy to see that they signed Tim Kennedy to fight on the undercard as well as Rory Markum.

The IFL needs to revamp for the next season. My advice, redact a couple more teams to leave the league with 8 or fewer teams (San Jose is gone, add a few more). Pick the teams solely based on the revenue made at each city to ensure good turnouts. Rename the teams based on the camps they are training at. Get Dan Severn to start a team or take one over (Tokyo). Let the fighters advertise on their shorts so they can make more money.

Instead of 3 regular season matches, team championship (2 events), and grand prix (2 events) (possible 7 events in a year) shorten the season. Have 2 or 3 regular season fights to seed the 8 man grand prix (have the grand prix play over 3 events for 5-6 events total). Base the team championship on where fighters place in the Grand Prix. Use the bracket as a marketing strategy like the NCAA tourney and DON'T CHANGE IT UNLESS YOU NEED TO REPLACE AN INJURED FIGHTER WITH AN ALTERNATE. If possible have 3rd place fights to fill in. Have penalties for fighters that do not make weight.

Whatever happens to the IFL, at least they tried something new. I'll post my picks later as the line-up could change.

Shonie pic taken by the MMA Blaster, no doubt that the purple pimp suit was rocking. Whether or not Shonie actually had floor seats is probably an entirely different question.