Here is Quentin "Rampage" Jackson in his second official pro MMA fight which took place on 5/13/00 at the Huntington Beach Underground Pancrase Organization against Marco Bermudez.
While Bermudez never fought again, he sure does have a cool story. After the fight Rampage would lose a decision to Marvin Eastman before rattling off 8 straight and establish himself as the explosive power phenom he was at the peak of his powers.
Showing posts with label Quinton "Rampage" Jackson. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Quinton "Rampage" Jackson. Show all posts
Monday, March 2, 2020
Saturday, May 7, 2011
UFC 130 Preview - Rampage Returns
UFC 130 took a big hit as both Gray Maynard and Frankie Edgar pulled out of their proposed lightweight title fight with injuries. Each is looking at 6-8 weeks to heal, as Maynard is dealing with knee injury and a cut that required stiches, while Edgar nurses a rib injury.
Filling the void will be a 205 pound match between Rampage Jackson and Matt Hamill. Rampage is coming off a razor thin decision win over Lyoto Machida. While Rampage (31-8) won the first two rounds on most scorecards, Machida rallied in the third nearly pulling off the win.
(Rampage KO's Chuck Liddell and takes the LHW belt)
It has been almost two years since Rampage has looked like his old powerful, explosive self. Rampage mainly looks to counter-punch standing, rarely looking for the textbook power takedowns and slams he was once known for. Rampage will be defending Hamill takedowns en mass throughout this bout, counterstriking and looking for an opening to land a texbook power KO punch.
While Matt Hamill (10-2) technically is riding a five fight win streak, he was destroyed by Jon Jones at the TUF 10 Finale a year and a half ago. Always the power wrestler, Hamill has looked good in his past two outings, defeating Keith Jardine and Tito Ortiz.
(Hamill KO's Mark Munoz with a head kick)
Hamill will look to set-up his takedowns, boxing his way in. Hamill may want to take a page out of the Forrest Griffin handbook, utilizing leg kicks to take the steam out of Rampage.
In the co-main event, former UFC champ Frank Mir will be locking horns with TUF 10 champ Roy "Big Country" Nelson. The winner could be next in line for a title shot, following the Carwin v. Dos Santos fight.
Frank Mir (14-5) has looked to strike early and often in his recent UFC bouts, going 5-2 in his last 7 fights. With a likely reach advantage, expect Mir to utilize a mix of kicks and punches from distance against Nelson. Mir has career victories over Cro Cop, Tim Sylvia and Big Nog.
(Mir wins the UFC belt)
Roy Nelson (15-5) first made a name for himself as the big bellied champion of the International Fight League. With solid hands and a BJJ blackbelt, Nelson is a wily veteran who poses problems to any heavyweight. Expect Nelson to look to get inside on Mir, throw heavy hands, and try a couple takedowns. Nelson's big victories have come over Brendan Schaub, Stefan Struve and Brad Imes.
(Roy Nelson wins the IFL belt)
In what is almost guaranteed to be a heavy handed slugfest, the 6'11" Stefan "Skyscraper" Struve (21-4) will fight the massive 6'7" Travis "Hapa" Browne (10-0-1). Expect plenty of fireworks as both these guys like to throw punches.
The 23 year old Struve always seems to be improving his game, with two straight wins over Sean McCorkle and Christian Morecraft in his last two UFC bouts. The Dutchman has been working to put on extra weight for this fight, and has solid submission and kickboxing skills.
(Stefan Struve TKO of Morecraft)
The Hawaiian Travis Browne is coming off a solid performance in which he fought to a draw against Cheick Kongo. A striker who loves to swing big, Browne has KO wins over James McSweeney, Aaron Brink and Abe Wagner.
(Travis Browne TKO over McSweeney)
In other action, former Sengoku champion Jorge Santiago (23-8) will make his return to the UFC after posting solid wins over Jeremy Horn, Trevor Prangley, Kazuo Misaki and Mamed Khalidov. Former WEC champ Brian Stann (10-3) will look to build off the momentum of a Chris Leben TKO in this fight.
Dominant striker Thiago Alves (18-7) will meet Ricky Story (12-3) in what is sure to be an entertaining 170 pound contest. Story has used stifling grappling and accurate striking during his 5 fight UFC win streak which includes his latest win over Johny Hendricks.
PPV CARD
Matt Hamill v. Quinton "Rampage" Jackson
Frank Mir v. Roy Nelson
Travis Browne v. Stefan Struve
Jorge Santiago v. Brian Stann
Thiago Alves v. Rick Story
SPIKE TV CARD
Demetrious Johnson v. Miguel Torres
Tim Boetsch v. Kendall Grove
FACEBOOK CARD
Rafaello Oliveira v. Gleison Tibau
Chris Cariaso v. Michael McDonald
Renan Barao v. Cole Escovedo
Filling the void will be a 205 pound match between Rampage Jackson and Matt Hamill. Rampage is coming off a razor thin decision win over Lyoto Machida. While Rampage (31-8) won the first two rounds on most scorecards, Machida rallied in the third nearly pulling off the win.
(Rampage KO's Chuck Liddell and takes the LHW belt)
It has been almost two years since Rampage has looked like his old powerful, explosive self. Rampage mainly looks to counter-punch standing, rarely looking for the textbook power takedowns and slams he was once known for. Rampage will be defending Hamill takedowns en mass throughout this bout, counterstriking and looking for an opening to land a texbook power KO punch.
While Matt Hamill (10-2) technically is riding a five fight win streak, he was destroyed by Jon Jones at the TUF 10 Finale a year and a half ago. Always the power wrestler, Hamill has looked good in his past two outings, defeating Keith Jardine and Tito Ortiz.
(Hamill KO's Mark Munoz with a head kick)
Hamill will look to set-up his takedowns, boxing his way in. Hamill may want to take a page out of the Forrest Griffin handbook, utilizing leg kicks to take the steam out of Rampage.
In the co-main event, former UFC champ Frank Mir will be locking horns with TUF 10 champ Roy "Big Country" Nelson. The winner could be next in line for a title shot, following the Carwin v. Dos Santos fight.
Frank Mir (14-5) has looked to strike early and often in his recent UFC bouts, going 5-2 in his last 7 fights. With a likely reach advantage, expect Mir to utilize a mix of kicks and punches from distance against Nelson. Mir has career victories over Cro Cop, Tim Sylvia and Big Nog.
(Mir wins the UFC belt)
Roy Nelson (15-5) first made a name for himself as the big bellied champion of the International Fight League. With solid hands and a BJJ blackbelt, Nelson is a wily veteran who poses problems to any heavyweight. Expect Nelson to look to get inside on Mir, throw heavy hands, and try a couple takedowns. Nelson's big victories have come over Brendan Schaub, Stefan Struve and Brad Imes.
(Roy Nelson wins the IFL belt)
In what is almost guaranteed to be a heavy handed slugfest, the 6'11" Stefan "Skyscraper" Struve (21-4) will fight the massive 6'7" Travis "Hapa" Browne (10-0-1). Expect plenty of fireworks as both these guys like to throw punches.
The 23 year old Struve always seems to be improving his game, with two straight wins over Sean McCorkle and Christian Morecraft in his last two UFC bouts. The Dutchman has been working to put on extra weight for this fight, and has solid submission and kickboxing skills.
(Stefan Struve TKO of Morecraft)
The Hawaiian Travis Browne is coming off a solid performance in which he fought to a draw against Cheick Kongo. A striker who loves to swing big, Browne has KO wins over James McSweeney, Aaron Brink and Abe Wagner.
(Travis Browne TKO over McSweeney)
In other action, former Sengoku champion Jorge Santiago (23-8) will make his return to the UFC after posting solid wins over Jeremy Horn, Trevor Prangley, Kazuo Misaki and Mamed Khalidov. Former WEC champ Brian Stann (10-3) will look to build off the momentum of a Chris Leben TKO in this fight.
Dominant striker Thiago Alves (18-7) will meet Ricky Story (12-3) in what is sure to be an entertaining 170 pound contest. Story has used stifling grappling and accurate striking during his 5 fight UFC win streak which includes his latest win over Johny Hendricks.
PPV CARD
Matt Hamill v. Quinton "Rampage" Jackson
Frank Mir v. Roy Nelson
Travis Browne v. Stefan Struve
Jorge Santiago v. Brian Stann
Thiago Alves v. Rick Story
SPIKE TV CARD
Demetrious Johnson v. Miguel Torres
Tim Boetsch v. Kendall Grove
FACEBOOK CARD
Rafaello Oliveira v. Gleison Tibau
Chris Cariaso v. Michael McDonald
Renan Barao v. Cole Escovedo
Tuesday, November 2, 2010
UFC 123 - Return to Detroit
UFC 123 will mark the UFC's first return to Detroit since the odd UFC 9 event which featured no closed fist strikes. At that time, just about everything else was legal, including having a 400 pound sumo wrestler fight a 185 pounder. Footnote- Mark Hall crushed Koji Kitao in 40 seconds after breaking his nose.
This event will feature a bigtime fight between enigmatic Lyoto "The Dragon" Machida (16-1) and Quinton "Rampage" Jackson (30-8). Rampage has promised that he is rejuvinated, hoping to channel his Pride Fighting days when he fought more for the love of the game than the money. Word out of the Machida camp points to Lyoto being extremely focused since his first loss suffered at the hands of Shogun Rua.
Rampage brought raw power and energy to the fight game when he burst on the scene in Pride, slamming and crushing just about everyone in sight. When he came to the UFC, he quickly met Chuck Liddell, knocking out the Iceman and claiming the title. He then became grounded, losing the title in a sluggish performance against Forrest Griffin and an apprehensive performance against Rashad Evans.
(Rampage KO's Liddell in Pride)
Lyoto's rise to stardom came first in the Japanese fighting circuit when he used a head kick and punches to TKO Rich Franklin, choked out K-1 star Michael McDonald and scored a decision win over BJ Penn. He soon came to the UFC, where he notched several decision victories, rarely getting hit. In 2009, Machida came into his own, KO'ing Thiago Silva, then Rashad Evans to capture the title.
(Lyoto Machida)
Look for Machida to use his Shotokan Karate style to keep his distance on Rampage. Rampage will stalk Machida, trying to unload his power punches. Rampage will have to try to cut off angles and get a takedown or two to win the fight. The question is, will he eat too many Machida counter strikes before he can do that.
Penn v. Hughes 3 is the co-main event, and should be as exciting as the previous two bouts the men have split. In the first match-up, Penn (15-7)was able to control Hughes (45-7) and use a rear naked choke to win the fight and the belt in the first round. In the second, Hughes seemed to over-power and out-cardio Penn, using a crucifix and punches in the third round to secure a TKO win.
(BJ Penn)
I expect Matt Hughes to utilize the takedown early and often to try to get the fight to the mat and unleash ground and pound. Hughes will again have the power and wrestling advantage in this fight. Penn will try to keep the fight standing, using his superior striking and keeping the distance. Penn does not want to get in the clinch in this fight. While Penn has the BJJ advantage, I don't think he will be using it other than to get up off his back.
(Matt Hughes)
TUF 5 vet Joe Lauzon fights TUF 6 vet George Sotiropoulos (13-2) in a lightweight scrap for a step closer to a number 1 contender match. Sotiropoulous has been on a tear as of late, using his reach during his stand-up and using excellent control on the ground. George with a perfect 6-0 UFC record has wins over Kurt Pelligrino, Joe Stevenson, Jason Dent and George Roop in his last four fights.
Joe Lauzon (19-5) is a gritty fighter with a solid overall game. When Lauzon is aggressive is when he looks his best. In his last performance, Lauzon absolutely steamrolled Gabe Rudieger. Joe has other UFC wins against Jens Pulver, Jeremy Stephens and Kyle Bradley.
MAIN CARD
Quinton Jackson v Lyoto Machida
Matt Hughes v B.J. Penn
Joe Lauzon v George Sotiropoulos
Tim Boetsch v Phil Davis
Maiquel Falcao v Gerald Harris
SPIKE TV CARD
Matt Brown v Brian Foster
Mark Munoz v Aaron Simpson
PRELIM CARD
Dennis Hallman v Karo Parisyan
Edson Barboza v Mike Lullo
Paul Kelly v T.J. O'Brien
Nik Lentz v Tyson Griffin
This event will feature a bigtime fight between enigmatic Lyoto "The Dragon" Machida (16-1) and Quinton "Rampage" Jackson (30-8). Rampage has promised that he is rejuvinated, hoping to channel his Pride Fighting days when he fought more for the love of the game than the money. Word out of the Machida camp points to Lyoto being extremely focused since his first loss suffered at the hands of Shogun Rua.
Rampage brought raw power and energy to the fight game when he burst on the scene in Pride, slamming and crushing just about everyone in sight. When he came to the UFC, he quickly met Chuck Liddell, knocking out the Iceman and claiming the title. He then became grounded, losing the title in a sluggish performance against Forrest Griffin and an apprehensive performance against Rashad Evans.
(Rampage KO's Liddell in Pride)
Lyoto's rise to stardom came first in the Japanese fighting circuit when he used a head kick and punches to TKO Rich Franklin, choked out K-1 star Michael McDonald and scored a decision win over BJ Penn. He soon came to the UFC, where he notched several decision victories, rarely getting hit. In 2009, Machida came into his own, KO'ing Thiago Silva, then Rashad Evans to capture the title.
(Lyoto Machida)
Look for Machida to use his Shotokan Karate style to keep his distance on Rampage. Rampage will stalk Machida, trying to unload his power punches. Rampage will have to try to cut off angles and get a takedown or two to win the fight. The question is, will he eat too many Machida counter strikes before he can do that.
Penn v. Hughes 3 is the co-main event, and should be as exciting as the previous two bouts the men have split. In the first match-up, Penn (15-7)was able to control Hughes (45-7) and use a rear naked choke to win the fight and the belt in the first round. In the second, Hughes seemed to over-power and out-cardio Penn, using a crucifix and punches in the third round to secure a TKO win.
(BJ Penn)
I expect Matt Hughes to utilize the takedown early and often to try to get the fight to the mat and unleash ground and pound. Hughes will again have the power and wrestling advantage in this fight. Penn will try to keep the fight standing, using his superior striking and keeping the distance. Penn does not want to get in the clinch in this fight. While Penn has the BJJ advantage, I don't think he will be using it other than to get up off his back.
(Matt Hughes)
TUF 5 vet Joe Lauzon fights TUF 6 vet George Sotiropoulos (13-2) in a lightweight scrap for a step closer to a number 1 contender match. Sotiropoulous has been on a tear as of late, using his reach during his stand-up and using excellent control on the ground. George with a perfect 6-0 UFC record has wins over Kurt Pelligrino, Joe Stevenson, Jason Dent and George Roop in his last four fights.
Joe Lauzon (19-5) is a gritty fighter with a solid overall game. When Lauzon is aggressive is when he looks his best. In his last performance, Lauzon absolutely steamrolled Gabe Rudieger. Joe has other UFC wins against Jens Pulver, Jeremy Stephens and Kyle Bradley.
MAIN CARD
Quinton Jackson v Lyoto Machida
Matt Hughes v B.J. Penn
Joe Lauzon v George Sotiropoulos
Tim Boetsch v Phil Davis
Maiquel Falcao v Gerald Harris
SPIKE TV CARD
Matt Brown v Brian Foster
Mark Munoz v Aaron Simpson
PRELIM CARD
Dennis Hallman v Karo Parisyan
Edson Barboza v Mike Lullo
Paul Kelly v T.J. O'Brien
Nik Lentz v Tyson Griffin
Saturday, May 8, 2010
UFC 114 Preview
UFC 114 is set for this Saturday, May 29th in Las Vegas, Nevada. TUF 10 coaches Quinton "Rampage" Jackson and Rashad Evans will finally fight in one of the longest feuds in recent memory. During the trash talking at TUF 10, Rampage poked fun of Rashad's KO loss at the hands of Lyoto Machida. Meanwhile, Rashad brought up Rampage's KO losses to Wanderlei Silva and Shogun Rua.
At the conclusion of the show, Rashad Evans won the coaching war by putting two of his fighters in the finale. Roy "Big Country" Nelson eventually took the trophy by KO'ing Brendan Schaub in the very first round. Rampage's strategy of picking heavyweights based on size obviously didn't work out.
With the fight being delayed due to Ramapage filmed the movie A-Team, Rashad was in a training camp. Evans (14-1-1) fought Thiago Silva at UFC 108 emerging victorious with a unanimous decision, but nearly tasted defeat in the third round. Evans won the second season of TUF as a heavyweight, defeating Brad Imes to kickstart his career. Since, he has notched victories over Michael Bisping, Chuck Liddell and then Forrest Griffin for the 205 pound UFC title.
(Rashad Evans Pictured)
Rampage Jackson (30-7) has had a legendery career first made famous by his epic slams and KO's in Pride. Rampage went high altitue with ferious power while slamming Masaaki Satake, Igor Vovchanchyn, Minowaman to create a stir. But, he really made a name for himself by KO'ing Kevin Randleman and Chuck Liddell. The power bomb on Ricardo Arona will live forever in the history of MMA. His other victories have came over Dan Henderson, Wanderlei Silva, Keith Jardine, Matt Lindland and Ninja Rua.
(Rampage slam of Arona)
In the co-main event, TUF 3 champ Michael Bisping (18-3) will look to rebound from his unanimous decision loss to Wanderlei Silva with a win over Dan Miller (11-3). Expect Bisping to look to use his striking early and often, looking for a big knockout blow. Bisping owns career victories over Denis Kang, Eric Schafer, Chris Leben and Jason Day.
(Michael Bisping Pictured)
Miller's greatest chance at victory comes in getting his European foe to the ground and securing a submission. Miller, a former IFL champ, is an accomplished BJJ player with 7 submission victories on his record. Miller's career wins have come over Matt Horwich, Jake Rosholt, Rob Kimmons and Ryan McGivern.
Rising heavyweight star Todd Duffee (6-0) will look to improve on his 7 second KO of Tim Hague against underrated heavyweight Mike Russow (12-1). Look for Duffee to try to keep the fight standing and pepper the slower Hague with power punches. Russow (12-1) will likely do whatever he can to get the fight to the ground, looking for a submission.
Antonio Rogerio Nogueira (18-3), otherwise known as Minotoro or Little Nog, seeks to build on his 6 fight win streak with a win over late replacement Jason Brilz (18-2). While Brilz is a great wrestler, he will have his hands full dealing with the boxing of Nogueira, who also possesses top notch BJJ. Look for Minotoro to be throwing some heavy leather, looking for a knockout of the night bonus.
Diego Sanchez (21-3) is returning to the 170 pound division after 2-1 stint at 155 pounds, which saw him lose a title fight to BJ Penn. Standing in his way is the undefeated British rising star John Hathaway (12-0). Look for Diego to get the fight to the ground with several takedowns and ruthless elbows and punches from the top position.
(Diego Sanchez Pictured)
SPIKE TV PRE-LIMS
Dong Hyun Kim vs. Amir Sadollah
Efrain Escudero vs. Dan Lauzon
PRELIMINARY CARD
Melvin Guillard vs. Waylon Lowe
Luiz Cane vs. Cyrille Diabate
Joe Brammer vs. Aaron Riley
Jesse Forbes vs. Ryan Jensen
At the conclusion of the show, Rashad Evans won the coaching war by putting two of his fighters in the finale. Roy "Big Country" Nelson eventually took the trophy by KO'ing Brendan Schaub in the very first round. Rampage's strategy of picking heavyweights based on size obviously didn't work out.
With the fight being delayed due to Ramapage filmed the movie A-Team, Rashad was in a training camp. Evans (14-1-1) fought Thiago Silva at UFC 108 emerging victorious with a unanimous decision, but nearly tasted defeat in the third round. Evans won the second season of TUF as a heavyweight, defeating Brad Imes to kickstart his career. Since, he has notched victories over Michael Bisping, Chuck Liddell and then Forrest Griffin for the 205 pound UFC title.
(Rashad Evans Pictured)
Rampage Jackson (30-7) has had a legendery career first made famous by his epic slams and KO's in Pride. Rampage went high altitue with ferious power while slamming Masaaki Satake, Igor Vovchanchyn, Minowaman to create a stir. But, he really made a name for himself by KO'ing Kevin Randleman and Chuck Liddell. The power bomb on Ricardo Arona will live forever in the history of MMA. His other victories have came over Dan Henderson, Wanderlei Silva, Keith Jardine, Matt Lindland and Ninja Rua.
(Rampage slam of Arona)
In the co-main event, TUF 3 champ Michael Bisping (18-3) will look to rebound from his unanimous decision loss to Wanderlei Silva with a win over Dan Miller (11-3). Expect Bisping to look to use his striking early and often, looking for a big knockout blow. Bisping owns career victories over Denis Kang, Eric Schafer, Chris Leben and Jason Day.
(Michael Bisping Pictured)
Miller's greatest chance at victory comes in getting his European foe to the ground and securing a submission. Miller, a former IFL champ, is an accomplished BJJ player with 7 submission victories on his record. Miller's career wins have come over Matt Horwich, Jake Rosholt, Rob Kimmons and Ryan McGivern.
Rising heavyweight star Todd Duffee (6-0) will look to improve on his 7 second KO of Tim Hague against underrated heavyweight Mike Russow (12-1). Look for Duffee to try to keep the fight standing and pepper the slower Hague with power punches. Russow (12-1) will likely do whatever he can to get the fight to the ground, looking for a submission.
Antonio Rogerio Nogueira (18-3), otherwise known as Minotoro or Little Nog, seeks to build on his 6 fight win streak with a win over late replacement Jason Brilz (18-2). While Brilz is a great wrestler, he will have his hands full dealing with the boxing of Nogueira, who also possesses top notch BJJ. Look for Minotoro to be throwing some heavy leather, looking for a knockout of the night bonus.
Diego Sanchez (21-3) is returning to the 170 pound division after 2-1 stint at 155 pounds, which saw him lose a title fight to BJ Penn. Standing in his way is the undefeated British rising star John Hathaway (12-0). Look for Diego to get the fight to the ground with several takedowns and ruthless elbows and punches from the top position.
(Diego Sanchez Pictured)
SPIKE TV PRE-LIMS
Dong Hyun Kim vs. Amir Sadollah
Efrain Escudero vs. Dan Lauzon
PRELIMINARY CARD
Melvin Guillard vs. Waylon Lowe
Luiz Cane vs. Cyrille Diabate
Joe Brammer vs. Aaron Riley
Jesse Forbes vs. Ryan Jensen
Monday, November 2, 2009
Video of the Day - Forrest v. Rampage Netgun
Forrest faced off with Rampage in TUF 7, hyping up a championship bout between the two at UFC 86. In this video Forrest shows off his net gun skills. Forrest fights Tito Ortiz at UFC 106. Pretty sure a TUF 7 marathon on Spike is in the near future.
Thursday, October 29, 2009
TUF 10, Matt the Rat
This episode of TUF focused on former NFL player Matt Mitrione as he struggles with living in the isolation that is the ultimate fighter house. Matt has lost his temper, tried to play mind games with teammates, and looked completely out of focus.
With Matt acting crazy and the fighters bored, Wes Sims seems to be the guy to liven things up. While clad in a massive black gi, the 6'10" Sims looked to scale the wall as a ninja, and sneak up on Mitrione as he shot some hoops alone. As Sims crept closer, he began hiding in the trees. The secrecy continued until he was right up on Mitrione. Hilarious.
Rampage and Rashad continued to bicker at each other, mocking the KO's that each has suffered in their superb careers. The animosity seems to boil over to practice sessions.
The final fights are announced as Mitrione will fight Scott Junk. That leaves Marcus Jones fighting Mike Wessell in the final fight. In a weird move, Mitrione drops Junk a note, saying that Wessell was scared to fight him. Why did Mitrione completely throw Wessell under the bus? Maybe just trying to play mind games.
As the fight between Junk and Mitrione starts, Mitrione clearly has the advantage in size and reach. Miotrone landing jabs and kicks with effectiveness. The smaller Junk tries to throw a kick, and a Mitrione jab lands square in Junks face. Apparently, Junk was poked in the eye.
Despite having his eyelid inside out, he is peppered by Mitrione. Junk tries to kick, but that is caught by Mitrione who punches Junk again and throws him down. Junk tries for a desperate single and is teed off on by Junk. Near the end of the round, Junk manages a brief flurry.
In the second, Junk manages a takedown, but Mitrione keeps throwing punches. Both fighters run out of gas, barely able to throw punches as they battle until the end of the second. Two judges score it for Mitrione, one scores it a draw.
With the win it is now 7-0 for Rashad. Rampage lives up to his nickname, destroying a door in the gym that is apparently made out of cardboard and toothpicks.
(Matt Mitrione on the Vikings)
2nd Round Qualifiers - Jon Madsen, James McSweeney, Roy Nelson, Brendan Schaub, Justin Wren, Darrill Schoonover, Matt Mitrione
With Matt acting crazy and the fighters bored, Wes Sims seems to be the guy to liven things up. While clad in a massive black gi, the 6'10" Sims looked to scale the wall as a ninja, and sneak up on Mitrione as he shot some hoops alone. As Sims crept closer, he began hiding in the trees. The secrecy continued until he was right up on Mitrione. Hilarious.
Rampage and Rashad continued to bicker at each other, mocking the KO's that each has suffered in their superb careers. The animosity seems to boil over to practice sessions.
The final fights are announced as Mitrione will fight Scott Junk. That leaves Marcus Jones fighting Mike Wessell in the final fight. In a weird move, Mitrione drops Junk a note, saying that Wessell was scared to fight him. Why did Mitrione completely throw Wessell under the bus? Maybe just trying to play mind games.
As the fight between Junk and Mitrione starts, Mitrione clearly has the advantage in size and reach. Miotrone landing jabs and kicks with effectiveness. The smaller Junk tries to throw a kick, and a Mitrione jab lands square in Junks face. Apparently, Junk was poked in the eye.
Despite having his eyelid inside out, he is peppered by Mitrione. Junk tries to kick, but that is caught by Mitrione who punches Junk again and throws him down. Junk tries for a desperate single and is teed off on by Junk. Near the end of the round, Junk manages a brief flurry.
In the second, Junk manages a takedown, but Mitrione keeps throwing punches. Both fighters run out of gas, barely able to throw punches as they battle until the end of the second. Two judges score it for Mitrione, one scores it a draw.
With the win it is now 7-0 for Rashad. Rampage lives up to his nickname, destroying a door in the gym that is apparently made out of cardboard and toothpicks.
(Matt Mitrione on the Vikings)
2nd Round Qualifiers - Jon Madsen, James McSweeney, Roy Nelson, Brendan Schaub, Justin Wren, Darrill Schoonover, Matt Mitrione
Thursday, October 22, 2009
TUF 10 - Darrill Stands Up
In the sixth episode of The Ultimate Fighter, Team Rashad's Darrill Schoonover fights Team Rampage's Zak Jensen. Schoonover (10-0) is a long time martial artist that was active in the Army for two years. Zak Jensen (7-3) is a former Northern Illinois football player and wrestler.
They show a healthy dose of footage of the fighters picking on Zak Jensen, whom Kimbo nicknames "Linderman." Wes Sims decides to craft a betting pool, with fighters picking dates on when he would break down mentally. Zak seems to take a beating in practice at well, finally doing well in the last practice.
Darrill is first shown drinking before practice and then the coaches talking to him about not drinking. Darrill said after the show he actually only drank the first two days, and he didn't fight till the 3rd week. Darrill is a pretty interesting characters, discussing tattoo's he got while drunk.
At practice, Rampage again gets at Darrill, calling him his usual nickname and trying to get under his skin. Darrill gets in Rampages face challenging him to fight at 205, and later saying in the confessional he would have headbutted Rampage, because anything goes in a street fight.
The fight gets off to a bang, as both fighter find their range and Darrill closes in. After getting in a clinch, Darrill unloads multiple knees into Jensen's midsection. As they broke free, Darrill let his hands fly as Jensen swung wildly and Darrill tagged him several times with straight punches.
While dazed, Jensen went for a double leg and eventually got a takedown. Darrill got his right leg up, and instead of defending the upcoming triangle, decided to throw hammerfists. Schoonover worked the triangle deeper as Jensen threw more hammerfists. Eventually, Jensen was choked out and became unresponsive.
With the win, Team Rashad now has 6 straight victories. Rampage's photo exaggerating Team Rashad was met with laughs.
(Darrill Schoonover pictured)
Remaining Fighters:
TEAM RASHAD
Matt Matrione (0-0) - Former NFL Lineman
Mike Wessel (6-1) - UFC Vet
TEAM RAMPAGE
Scott Junk (6-2) - Heavy hands, UFC vet
Marcus Jones (4-1) - Former NFL Defensive End
TEAM RASHAD 6 - TEAM RAMPAGE 0
2nd Round Qualifiers - Jon Madsen, James McSweeney, Roy Nelson, Brendan Schaub, Justin Wren, Darrill Schoonover
They show a healthy dose of footage of the fighters picking on Zak Jensen, whom Kimbo nicknames "Linderman." Wes Sims decides to craft a betting pool, with fighters picking dates on when he would break down mentally. Zak seems to take a beating in practice at well, finally doing well in the last practice.
Darrill is first shown drinking before practice and then the coaches talking to him about not drinking. Darrill said after the show he actually only drank the first two days, and he didn't fight till the 3rd week. Darrill is a pretty interesting characters, discussing tattoo's he got while drunk.
At practice, Rampage again gets at Darrill, calling him his usual nickname and trying to get under his skin. Darrill gets in Rampages face challenging him to fight at 205, and later saying in the confessional he would have headbutted Rampage, because anything goes in a street fight.
The fight gets off to a bang, as both fighter find their range and Darrill closes in. After getting in a clinch, Darrill unloads multiple knees into Jensen's midsection. As they broke free, Darrill let his hands fly as Jensen swung wildly and Darrill tagged him several times with straight punches.
While dazed, Jensen went for a double leg and eventually got a takedown. Darrill got his right leg up, and instead of defending the upcoming triangle, decided to throw hammerfists. Schoonover worked the triangle deeper as Jensen threw more hammerfists. Eventually, Jensen was choked out and became unresponsive.
With the win, Team Rashad now has 6 straight victories. Rampage's photo exaggerating Team Rashad was met with laughs.
(Darrill Schoonover pictured)
Remaining Fighters:
TEAM RASHAD
Matt Matrione (0-0) - Former NFL Lineman
Mike Wessel (6-1) - UFC Vet
TEAM RAMPAGE
Scott Junk (6-2) - Heavy hands, UFC vet
Marcus Jones (4-1) - Former NFL Defensive End
TEAM RASHAD 6 - TEAM RAMPAGE 0
2nd Round Qualifiers - Jon Madsen, James McSweeney, Roy Nelson, Brendan Schaub, Justin Wren, Darrill Schoonover
Thursday, October 8, 2009
TUF 10 Ep 4 - Anaconda
This episode of The Ultimate Fighter featured the diverging coaching styles of Rampage Jackson and Rashad Evans as they attempt to mold their fighters. We get a good look at the training preparations, strategies and mental aspect of the fight game.
Early on in the show, it is clear that Kimbo Slice would love another shot to get back in the octogan. All it really takes is someone getting hurt for him to come back. Cue in "Big" Marcus Jones sweating like crazy and almost passing out and you could see Kimbo might just have the chance to come back.
Meanwhile, Rashad and his coaches Mike Van Arsdale and Trevor Whitman strategize about upcoming fight picks. We see them ask elite greco wrestler Justin Wren to fight power puncher Scott Junk, Brendan Schaub to fight Demico Rogers and Matt Miotrone to fight Marcus Jones.
That would leave Darrill Schoonover and Mike Wessell to fight either Wes Sims or Zak Jensen. Justin Wren comes back to the room and lets Rashad know that Scott is his best friend in the house and training partner before the show, Rashad takes that into consideration. Obviously, if someone on Rashad's team lost, those picks would go out the window.
When Wren arrives back in his room after training, mysteriously Scott Junk inquires about Justin fighting him. Apparently Matt Miotrone had clued him into all the fight picks that Rashad and the coaches had considered. While Miotrone apologizes for his blunder, Jon Madsen and eventually Rashad wonder if Miotrone is trying to avoid a fight with Marcus Jones.
The match-up is made of Brendan Schaub versus Demico Rogers. During training, Brendan is instructed to use the jab that got him a boxing Gold Gloves championship. Rogers is instructed to take Schaub down and pound him out. Each fighter is hyped up, but Travis Whitman really gets into Schaubs ear, telling him he is the best ever. It is obvious that the mental aspect of the fight game is critical to success in the TUF tournament.
As the fight starts, Brendan looks to use his jab. Demico quickly attempts a couple takedowns which are denied. However, Demico is able to eventually get the takedown. Demico doesn't do much in guard until the ref asks for action. From there, Demico landed a couple big elbows. He stood up and dropped a little more punishment down on Schaub.
With Demico back in guard, he is instructed to pass, and gets in half guard. As soon as Demico rested, Schaub bucked him off and got top position. After a brief scramble, Schaub locked in an anaconda choke for the win near the end of the first round.
(Brendan Schaub pictured)
TEAM RASHAD 4 TEAM RAMPAGE 0
2nd Round Qualifiers - Jon Madsen, James McSweeney, Roy Nelson, Brendan Schaub
Early on in the show, it is clear that Kimbo Slice would love another shot to get back in the octogan. All it really takes is someone getting hurt for him to come back. Cue in "Big" Marcus Jones sweating like crazy and almost passing out and you could see Kimbo might just have the chance to come back.
Meanwhile, Rashad and his coaches Mike Van Arsdale and Trevor Whitman strategize about upcoming fight picks. We see them ask elite greco wrestler Justin Wren to fight power puncher Scott Junk, Brendan Schaub to fight Demico Rogers and Matt Miotrone to fight Marcus Jones.
That would leave Darrill Schoonover and Mike Wessell to fight either Wes Sims or Zak Jensen. Justin Wren comes back to the room and lets Rashad know that Scott is his best friend in the house and training partner before the show, Rashad takes that into consideration. Obviously, if someone on Rashad's team lost, those picks would go out the window.
When Wren arrives back in his room after training, mysteriously Scott Junk inquires about Justin fighting him. Apparently Matt Miotrone had clued him into all the fight picks that Rashad and the coaches had considered. While Miotrone apologizes for his blunder, Jon Madsen and eventually Rashad wonder if Miotrone is trying to avoid a fight with Marcus Jones.
The match-up is made of Brendan Schaub versus Demico Rogers. During training, Brendan is instructed to use the jab that got him a boxing Gold Gloves championship. Rogers is instructed to take Schaub down and pound him out. Each fighter is hyped up, but Travis Whitman really gets into Schaubs ear, telling him he is the best ever. It is obvious that the mental aspect of the fight game is critical to success in the TUF tournament.
As the fight starts, Brendan looks to use his jab. Demico quickly attempts a couple takedowns which are denied. However, Demico is able to eventually get the takedown. Demico doesn't do much in guard until the ref asks for action. From there, Demico landed a couple big elbows. He stood up and dropped a little more punishment down on Schaub.
With Demico back in guard, he is instructed to pass, and gets in half guard. As soon as Demico rested, Schaub bucked him off and got top position. After a brief scramble, Schaub locked in an anaconda choke for the win near the end of the first round.
(Brendan Schaub pictured)
TEAM RASHAD 4 TEAM RAMPAGE 0
2nd Round Qualifiers - Jon Madsen, James McSweeney, Roy Nelson, Brendan Schaub
Thursday, October 1, 2009
TUF 10 - Big Country
The latest episode of TUF 10 - Heavyweights featured a fight between youtube legend Kimbo Slice and Roy "Big Country" Nelson. The episode featured a nice mix of training and fight footage.
In the lead-in to the fight, Kimbo's training mainly focused on how to get up, how to get off his back and what he would do to get off the ground. Unfortunately for Rampage, he didn't know who Roy Nelson was during evaluations. Now, I'm guessing Rampage has an idea. It seemed Team Rampage coach Tiki Ghosen has his hands full.
Rashad had good things to say about Roy Nelson, who he described as an independent fighter. Roy trains often out of his garage, is self-managed and procures his own sponsorships. At the house, one scene featured Team Rashad intently listening to Roy Nelson talk about a crucifix he liked to use. With the arm trapped, and in half guard, you rain down punches.
Meanwhile, Rashad Evans friend and training parter Keith Jardine showed up. While Rampage was initially cordial to Jardine, Rashad had to start talking trash. That left Rampage bringing out the bad breath jokes and eventually getting into it with Team Rashad fighter James McSweeney.
The fight itself played out how many thought it would. In the first round, the two fighters went through a feeling out process before Nelson got Kimbo up against the cage. He used position to eventually get a trip takedown and get mount. With not much going in mount, Nelson looked for the crucifix, trapped the arm, and began to punch Kimbo's head. With not much damage done, the round ended.
In the second, Kimbo came out firing. He clipped Roy with a couple decent punches, but when he tried a knee, Nelson took advantage. With a knee up, Nelson took Kimbo to the mat again. From there, Nelson got in half-guard and began punching Kimbo again. Ref Herb Dean was forced to stop the fight.
After the fight, the rotund Roy Nelson asked Dana White for a Whopper as he celebrated the victory. While Kimbo felt bad for the loss, he knew he would learn from the experience.
(Roy Nelson pictured)
TEAM RASHAD 3 TEAM RAMPAGE 0
2nd Round Qualifiers - Jon Madsen, James McSweeney, Roy Nelson
In the lead-in to the fight, Kimbo's training mainly focused on how to get up, how to get off his back and what he would do to get off the ground. Unfortunately for Rampage, he didn't know who Roy Nelson was during evaluations. Now, I'm guessing Rampage has an idea. It seemed Team Rampage coach Tiki Ghosen has his hands full.
Rashad had good things to say about Roy Nelson, who he described as an independent fighter. Roy trains often out of his garage, is self-managed and procures his own sponsorships. At the house, one scene featured Team Rashad intently listening to Roy Nelson talk about a crucifix he liked to use. With the arm trapped, and in half guard, you rain down punches.
Meanwhile, Rashad Evans friend and training parter Keith Jardine showed up. While Rampage was initially cordial to Jardine, Rashad had to start talking trash. That left Rampage bringing out the bad breath jokes and eventually getting into it with Team Rashad fighter James McSweeney.
The fight itself played out how many thought it would. In the first round, the two fighters went through a feeling out process before Nelson got Kimbo up against the cage. He used position to eventually get a trip takedown and get mount. With not much going in mount, Nelson looked for the crucifix, trapped the arm, and began to punch Kimbo's head. With not much damage done, the round ended.
In the second, Kimbo came out firing. He clipped Roy with a couple decent punches, but when he tried a knee, Nelson took advantage. With a knee up, Nelson took Kimbo to the mat again. From there, Nelson got in half-guard and began punching Kimbo again. Ref Herb Dean was forced to stop the fight.
After the fight, the rotund Roy Nelson asked Dana White for a Whopper as he celebrated the victory. While Kimbo felt bad for the loss, he knew he would learn from the experience.
(Roy Nelson pictured)
TEAM RASHAD 3 TEAM RAMPAGE 0
2nd Round Qualifiers - Jon Madsen, James McSweeney, Roy Nelson
Thursday, September 24, 2009
TUF 10 - Episode 2 UK Again
TUF 10's second episode again focused on fighter training as opposed to in house antics which has been a blessing so far. While the fight this week wasn't the greatest, the training aspect was nice to see.
In the beginning of the episode, Kimbo Slice seems a little concerned about an approaching fight. The training depicts Tiki Ghosen and Rampage teaching Kimbo how to scramble out of takedowns and defend himself on the ground. Kimbo described himself as a sponge, willing to soak up knowledge.
Meanwhile on Team Rashad, Roy "Big Country" Nelson was protesting certain training techniques, telling coaches about his way to do things. After practice, the coaches had a heart to heart with Nelson, whom they described as a self made fighter. When they asked, "Do you want to get knocked out again by Arlovski" everything seemed to get put in perspective for the large fighter. Brendan Schaub described in his blog that after the conversation, Roy became a leader of their team.
The second fight was announced, as the massive Wes Shivers was taking on the smaller James McSweeney. McSweeney was mainly trained as a kickboxer, being on the K-1 level and having over a hundred pro kickboxing matches. McSweeney is trained out of the Greg Jackson gym with Rashad in New Mexico.
Shivers meanwhile was a pro football player before getting into MMA. He was drafted by the Tennessee Titans in the 7th round before going to the Atlanta Falcons. The former offensive lineman is absolutely massive at 6'7" who has to cut to the 265 pound weight limit.
The fight begins and McSweeney is content to throw stinging leg kicks as Shivers counters with punches. Unfortunately for Shivers he doesn't check many kicks and they accumulate. Soon into the first, he is able to get a trip takedown and nearly gets a kimura locked. However McSweeney is able to roll out and get the fight standing.
After a couple minutes of Shivers being tired, the second round starts. McSweeney again punishes Shivers with kicks and nearly gets a high kick to connect. Somehow, Shivers again gets a takedown and looks to get some ground and pound in. Both fighters are completely gassed at this point.
As the decision is read, McSweeney gets a majority decision, 19-19, 20-18, 20-18. I'm guessing the scores went to him mainly because of Shivers gassing out first. I scored the fight 19-19.
(James McSweeney pictured)
After two bouts: TEAM RASHAD 2, TEAM RAMPAGE 0
2nd Round- Jon Madsen, James McSweeney
Next Match-up- Roy Nelson v. Kimbo Slice
In the beginning of the episode, Kimbo Slice seems a little concerned about an approaching fight. The training depicts Tiki Ghosen and Rampage teaching Kimbo how to scramble out of takedowns and defend himself on the ground. Kimbo described himself as a sponge, willing to soak up knowledge.
Meanwhile on Team Rashad, Roy "Big Country" Nelson was protesting certain training techniques, telling coaches about his way to do things. After practice, the coaches had a heart to heart with Nelson, whom they described as a self made fighter. When they asked, "Do you want to get knocked out again by Arlovski" everything seemed to get put in perspective for the large fighter. Brendan Schaub described in his blog that after the conversation, Roy became a leader of their team.
The second fight was announced, as the massive Wes Shivers was taking on the smaller James McSweeney. McSweeney was mainly trained as a kickboxer, being on the K-1 level and having over a hundred pro kickboxing matches. McSweeney is trained out of the Greg Jackson gym with Rashad in New Mexico.
Shivers meanwhile was a pro football player before getting into MMA. He was drafted by the Tennessee Titans in the 7th round before going to the Atlanta Falcons. The former offensive lineman is absolutely massive at 6'7" who has to cut to the 265 pound weight limit.
The fight begins and McSweeney is content to throw stinging leg kicks as Shivers counters with punches. Unfortunately for Shivers he doesn't check many kicks and they accumulate. Soon into the first, he is able to get a trip takedown and nearly gets a kimura locked. However McSweeney is able to roll out and get the fight standing.
After a couple minutes of Shivers being tired, the second round starts. McSweeney again punishes Shivers with kicks and nearly gets a high kick to connect. Somehow, Shivers again gets a takedown and looks to get some ground and pound in. Both fighters are completely gassed at this point.
As the decision is read, McSweeney gets a majority decision, 19-19, 20-18, 20-18. I'm guessing the scores went to him mainly because of Shivers gassing out first. I scored the fight 19-19.
(James McSweeney pictured)
After two bouts: TEAM RASHAD 2, TEAM RAMPAGE 0
2nd Round- Jon Madsen, James McSweeney
Next Match-up- Roy Nelson v. Kimbo Slice
Thursday, September 17, 2009
TUF 10 - Big Boys Episode 1
TUF 10 got off to a bang with the bloodiest fight in the shows ten season history. The season is guaranteed to have a splattering of trash talk between the two coaches, Rashad Evans and Rampage Jackson. With the addition of internet legend Kimbo Slice, goofy tall Wes Sims and the round mound of destruction Roy Nelson, the season will have plenty of laughs and drama.
From the get go, Rashad and Jackson begin ribbing each other before the fighters even arrive. Jackson begins by mocking Rashad in his KO loss to Lyoto Machida. Rashad counters describing Jackson's KO loss to Shogun Rua. Each fighter really does have contempt for one another.
When the fighters walk in, the appear to get bigger and bigger. With 15 fighters emerging, Rashad Evans notices two training partners in the mix, former arena player Brendan Schaub and stand-up UK fighter James McSweeney. Rampage doesn't know who most are, with the exception of former UFC fighter Wes Sims, who stands 6'10". Next, in walks Kimbo Slice, and Rampage immediately declares him his first pick.
Each coach gets a chance to evaluate fighters as the break into two groups. While Rashad is looking at technique and the ability to follow direction with master evaluator and coaching legend Greg Jackson, Rampage puts the fighters through sparring and grappling paces. In the end, it really looks like Rashad got the far better team. Here is the breakdown:
TEAM RASHAD - COMBINED RECORD (44-8)
James McSweeney (4-2) - Stand-up Fighter
Brendan Schaub (4-0) - Former AFL Player
Justin Wren (6-1) - Excellent grappler
John Madsen (1-0) - Excellent grappler
Roy Nelson (13-4) - Last IFL HW Champ
Darrill Schoonover (10-0) - XFC LHW Champ
Matt Matrione (0-0) - Former NFL Lineman
Mike Wessel (6-1) - UFC Vet
TEAM RAMPAGE - COMBINED RECORD (48-21)
Kevin "Kimbo Slice" Ferguson (3-1) - Elite XC Star
Abe Wagner (6-2) - Wins in small shows
Demico Rogers (0-0) - Excellent amateur wrestler
Wes Sims (22-12) - Veteran fighter, UFC vet
Scott Junk (6-2) - Heavy hands, UFC vet
Wes Shivers (0-0) - Former NFL Lineman
Marcus Jones (4-1) - Former NFL Defensive End
Zak Jensen (7-3) - Former NIU wrestler/football player
After a brief training session, it was time for the first fight of the season. As Rashad got the first pick, Rampage was guaranteed the first two fight picks. In his first pick, Rampage chose his number 2 pick Abe Wagner, a mechanical engineer, against Jon Madsen, a former wrestler getting his MMA career going.
Before the fight started, Abe Wagner asked if Madsen wanted to touch gloves, Madsen didn't really respond. At the bell, Madsen began his takedown and ground and pound parade, as he used the double leg takedown to perfection. Unfortunately for Abe Wagner, he didn't know how to defend a takedown and paid the price.
Madsen unleashed elbows and punches, at times looking a little tired. It was his first fight, so it would be understandable that he had an adrenaline dump. Midway through the first, an elbow struck Wagner above the eye, opening a big cut. The punishment continued as blood flowed from Wagners head. The bell rung, and UFC cutman "Stitch" Duran remarkably patched him up.
At the start of the second, Madsen again went for the takedown executing yet another perfect double leg. This time as Wagner went to try to touch gloves. Soon after the cut was re-opened. Two stand-ups occurred, but Madsen executed perfect double legs again and again.
Near the end of the fight, blood was everywhere. The unanimous decision went to Jon Madsen. The last scene showed the cut, one of the biggest in UFC history. The medic was worried of a potentially fractured skull.
(Jon Madsen pictured)
Lesson one - if you can't wrestle and defend takedowns you will not be good at MMA. After 1 fight - TEAM RASHAD 1, TEAM RAMPAGE 0
From the get go, Rashad and Jackson begin ribbing each other before the fighters even arrive. Jackson begins by mocking Rashad in his KO loss to Lyoto Machida. Rashad counters describing Jackson's KO loss to Shogun Rua. Each fighter really does have contempt for one another.
When the fighters walk in, the appear to get bigger and bigger. With 15 fighters emerging, Rashad Evans notices two training partners in the mix, former arena player Brendan Schaub and stand-up UK fighter James McSweeney. Rampage doesn't know who most are, with the exception of former UFC fighter Wes Sims, who stands 6'10". Next, in walks Kimbo Slice, and Rampage immediately declares him his first pick.
Each coach gets a chance to evaluate fighters as the break into two groups. While Rashad is looking at technique and the ability to follow direction with master evaluator and coaching legend Greg Jackson, Rampage puts the fighters through sparring and grappling paces. In the end, it really looks like Rashad got the far better team. Here is the breakdown:
TEAM RASHAD - COMBINED RECORD (44-8)
James McSweeney (4-2) - Stand-up Fighter
Brendan Schaub (4-0) - Former AFL Player
Justin Wren (6-1) - Excellent grappler
John Madsen (1-0) - Excellent grappler
Roy Nelson (13-4) - Last IFL HW Champ
Darrill Schoonover (10-0) - XFC LHW Champ
Matt Matrione (0-0) - Former NFL Lineman
Mike Wessel (6-1) - UFC Vet
TEAM RAMPAGE - COMBINED RECORD (48-21)
Kevin "Kimbo Slice" Ferguson (3-1) - Elite XC Star
Abe Wagner (6-2) - Wins in small shows
Demico Rogers (0-0) - Excellent amateur wrestler
Wes Sims (22-12) - Veteran fighter, UFC vet
Scott Junk (6-2) - Heavy hands, UFC vet
Wes Shivers (0-0) - Former NFL Lineman
Marcus Jones (4-1) - Former NFL Defensive End
Zak Jensen (7-3) - Former NIU wrestler/football player
After a brief training session, it was time for the first fight of the season. As Rashad got the first pick, Rampage was guaranteed the first two fight picks. In his first pick, Rampage chose his number 2 pick Abe Wagner, a mechanical engineer, against Jon Madsen, a former wrestler getting his MMA career going.
Before the fight started, Abe Wagner asked if Madsen wanted to touch gloves, Madsen didn't really respond. At the bell, Madsen began his takedown and ground and pound parade, as he used the double leg takedown to perfection. Unfortunately for Abe Wagner, he didn't know how to defend a takedown and paid the price.
Madsen unleashed elbows and punches, at times looking a little tired. It was his first fight, so it would be understandable that he had an adrenaline dump. Midway through the first, an elbow struck Wagner above the eye, opening a big cut. The punishment continued as blood flowed from Wagners head. The bell rung, and UFC cutman "Stitch" Duran remarkably patched him up.
At the start of the second, Madsen again went for the takedown executing yet another perfect double leg. This time as Wagner went to try to touch gloves. Soon after the cut was re-opened. Two stand-ups occurred, but Madsen executed perfect double legs again and again.
Near the end of the fight, blood was everywhere. The unanimous decision went to Jon Madsen. The last scene showed the cut, one of the biggest in UFC history. The medic was worried of a potentially fractured skull.
(Jon Madsen pictured)
Lesson one - if you can't wrestle and defend takedowns you will not be good at MMA. After 1 fight - TEAM RASHAD 1, TEAM RAMPAGE 0
Friday, September 4, 2009
TUF 10 Cast Confirmed!
Meet The Heavyweights
With confirmation that Kimbo Slice will be a contestant in TUF 10, you can bet it will be the most hyped season of the Ultimate Fighter. Kimbo will garner the attention of the casual fan, creating a massive buzz. You can bet he will be featured in the Spike TV ads for the show. Recently, the UFC has confirmed the cast members listed below.
The coaches are also big names in former UFC champs Rashad Evans and Rampage Jackson. Each has personality and flair which you can bet will be shown during the season. Rashad was the winner of the previous HW TUF tournament in season 2. Rampage was coach of TUF 7.
Season 10 was slated to begin taping on June 1st, with 16 heavyweights competing for the title. This year, there will be no fight to make it in the house and feature only the big boys. In addition, there are rumors that three ex-NFL players tried out for the show.
Here are some of the contestants:
Kimbo Slice (3-1)- Wins over Tank Abbott and James Thompson
Mike Wessel (6-1)- Win over Pat Castillo (7-3), loss in UFC
Scott Junk (6-2)- Win over Jimmy Ambriz (13-11), loss in UFC
Darrell Schoonover (9-0)- Win over Rex Richards @ Shark Fights
Justin Wren (8-1) - Accomplished wrestler
Abe Wagner (6-2 )- Decicion win over Sherman Pendergarst
Zak Jensen (7-3)- Former NIU football player and wrestler
Wes Sims (22-12, 0-3 UFC)- Wins over Kimo Leopoldo and Marcus Silveira, 6'10"
Roy Nelson (13-4)- IFL HW Champ, wins over Brad Imes, Fabiano Scherner and Antoine Jaoude
(Roy Nelson pictured)
NFL Players on TUF 10:
Tampa Bay Bucaneer - Marcus Jones (4-2) 6'6" defensive tackle
Atlanta Falcons- Wes Shivers (0-1 or 6-1)- massive guy 6'7"
New York Giants- Matt Miotrone (0-0) 6'4" defensive lineman
Brendan Schaub (4-0)- almost made Buffalo Bills, Arena League player
Monday, April 20, 2009
Gerald Harris Exclusive Interview
The following is an exclusive MMA Blaster interview with former Ultimate Fighter 7 competitor and IFL veteran Gerald Harris. MMA Blaster thanks Gerald for his time and wishes him the best in his martial arts career.
MMA Blaster: Gerald, you recently won the NAGA Arnold Classic World Grappling Championship in the Advanced No Gi division, what was that experience like?
Gerald Harris: It was crazy just to be able to compete. A year ago, I couldn't have even made it past the 1st round, but I've been training in so many great places that my BJJ has developed very fast. Oh yeah, I got the s*** choked out of me in the semifinals but somehow managed to wake up and win the match.
(Gerald after winning the NAGA Arnold Classic)
MMA Blaster: How has your outlook on the fight game changed since your time on The Ultimate Fighter?
Gerald Harris: It may sound dumb, but I'm glad that I lost on the show. It made me work harder to improve and not rely on wrestling. I was blessed to be on the show and became good friends with Rampage Jackson. He showed me what its like to be a true champion. I witnessed some highs and lows of his career so the strong comeback victory over Wanderlei Silva was great. After attending his camps and training with some other great fighters, I realized that I wasn't ready for the UFC. I also left Team Quest for personal reasons, nothing against the members team. It's been a year now and I'm on a 5 fight win streak. I'm getting better everyday, so when I return to the UFC I'll be there for good.
MMA Blaster: What doors has The Ultimate Fighter show opened for you?
Gerald Harris: Somebody actually opened the door in the public restroom one time while I was taking a dump and asked me if I was on TUF 7. Along with that, a million myspace notes and crazy exposure. I have many sponsorships, a new agent, and I'm networking all over the country. I will take full advantage of TUF exposure and experience in order to improve my career.
MMA Blaster: Where have you been training lately? How has your training been going?
Gerald Harris: Training is great and I have a big list of places that I've been to. Arizona Combat Sports, Oklahoma Fight Club, Tulsa Combat Fitness, Wolfslair Gym, Big Bear Training Center, Ghost Dog Boxing, along with private lessons for BJJ and boxing.
(Gerald and Rampage at Wolfslair)
MMA Blaster: You have three victories in C3: Fights since the show, what is it like fighting in that organization?
Gerald Harris: It's pretty cool, they allow me to get some experience against tough guys then pay well so that I can focus on training and not just fighting to survive. I will be fighting for them on March 28th, so that will make win number 4. My goal is to stay unbeaten and learn from each fight.
MMA Blaster: Do you have an upcoming fight in C3? Do you know your opponent?
Gerald Harris: My opponent has changed numerous times, some people think they wanna fight me, but they have no idea how much trouble they are gonna be in once they lock that cage. I'm a different man when the cage is shut. I'm out for blood. They usually back out at the last minute. We have a few names, but nothing solid yet. I just train hard and prepare for everything.
MMA Blaster: Since The Ultimate Fighter you have managed to pull off four straight victories outside the UFC, five overall for an (11-2) record, how close are you to making it back to the UFC?
Gerald Harris: Honestly that's a question I can't answer. I could be (20-2) and it probably wouldn't matter. I have to wait until the window opens and the roster isn't so full. I'm not in a rush to get in the UFC, but I would love to be there. I'm gaining so much experience right now, that I'll be ready when they call. Until then I must continue to whoop ass.
MMA Blaster: What are your current goals in MMA?
Gerald Harris: I will be the champion of any organization that I join.
MMA Blaster: Would you be open to fighting in Japan? What do you think of the fight game and fans in Japan?
Gerald Harris: I'm open to fighting at the mall if it's sanctioned and pays well! Japan is great, I have a few friends that fight over there. My boy King Mo will be fighting this weekend and he's a huge deal in Japan, they love him. I've heard nothing but great things about Japan. I'm open to all options and I have some good offers that I can't discuss in this interview.
MMA Blaster: Who are your favorite MMA fighters?
Gerald Harris: My momma and daddy. My momma use to whoop my ass when I was little so I can take a beating and keep rolling. My daddy raised me to be a responsible hard working man. Other than those two it's Rampage, King Mo, and Kenny Florian.
MMA Blaster: Not to get political, but what are your feelings about Barack O'Bama getting elected? I was at the rally in Grant Park, it was a very intense and uplifting experience.
Gerald Harris: Barack is my cousin, so I was real happy for him. Just kidding, but really, I used to be a history teacher, so to witness an African-American become President is an honor and big step for the world. We were slaves in the mid 1800's and were barely allowed to go to school in the mid 1900's so it shows all people that anything is possible if you put your mind to it.
MMA Blaster: Any sponsors or supporters you want to give a shout out to?
Gerald Harris: Oh yeah, I gotta put them in here, cagedsteel.com, AlphaElectronics.com, Marc Ecko Clothing line, Unbreakable Mouthpieces, DiscountSportsNutrition.com, Brookside Tattoos and Piercings and a special shout out to my boxing coach "Sweet Pea Macho Peppe Johnson" that's a long name huh?
MMA Blaster would like to thank Gerald for his time and candid answers. You can find more on Gerald at geraldhurricaneharris.com.
MMA Blaster: Gerald, you recently won the NAGA Arnold Classic World Grappling Championship in the Advanced No Gi division, what was that experience like?
Gerald Harris: It was crazy just to be able to compete. A year ago, I couldn't have even made it past the 1st round, but I've been training in so many great places that my BJJ has developed very fast. Oh yeah, I got the s*** choked out of me in the semifinals but somehow managed to wake up and win the match.
(Gerald after winning the NAGA Arnold Classic)
MMA Blaster: How has your outlook on the fight game changed since your time on The Ultimate Fighter?
Gerald Harris: It may sound dumb, but I'm glad that I lost on the show. It made me work harder to improve and not rely on wrestling. I was blessed to be on the show and became good friends with Rampage Jackson. He showed me what its like to be a true champion. I witnessed some highs and lows of his career so the strong comeback victory over Wanderlei Silva was great. After attending his camps and training with some other great fighters, I realized that I wasn't ready for the UFC. I also left Team Quest for personal reasons, nothing against the members team. It's been a year now and I'm on a 5 fight win streak. I'm getting better everyday, so when I return to the UFC I'll be there for good.
MMA Blaster: What doors has The Ultimate Fighter show opened for you?
Gerald Harris: Somebody actually opened the door in the public restroom one time while I was taking a dump and asked me if I was on TUF 7. Along with that, a million myspace notes and crazy exposure. I have many sponsorships, a new agent, and I'm networking all over the country. I will take full advantage of TUF exposure and experience in order to improve my career.
MMA Blaster: Where have you been training lately? How has your training been going?
Gerald Harris: Training is great and I have a big list of places that I've been to. Arizona Combat Sports, Oklahoma Fight Club, Tulsa Combat Fitness, Wolfslair Gym, Big Bear Training Center, Ghost Dog Boxing, along with private lessons for BJJ and boxing.
(Gerald and Rampage at Wolfslair)
MMA Blaster: You have three victories in C3: Fights since the show, what is it like fighting in that organization?
Gerald Harris: It's pretty cool, they allow me to get some experience against tough guys then pay well so that I can focus on training and not just fighting to survive. I will be fighting for them on March 28th, so that will make win number 4. My goal is to stay unbeaten and learn from each fight.
MMA Blaster: Do you have an upcoming fight in C3? Do you know your opponent?
Gerald Harris: My opponent has changed numerous times, some people think they wanna fight me, but they have no idea how much trouble they are gonna be in once they lock that cage. I'm a different man when the cage is shut. I'm out for blood. They usually back out at the last minute. We have a few names, but nothing solid yet. I just train hard and prepare for everything.
MMA Blaster: Since The Ultimate Fighter you have managed to pull off four straight victories outside the UFC, five overall for an (11-2) record, how close are you to making it back to the UFC?
Gerald Harris: Honestly that's a question I can't answer. I could be (20-2) and it probably wouldn't matter. I have to wait until the window opens and the roster isn't so full. I'm not in a rush to get in the UFC, but I would love to be there. I'm gaining so much experience right now, that I'll be ready when they call. Until then I must continue to whoop ass.
MMA Blaster: What are your current goals in MMA?
Gerald Harris: I will be the champion of any organization that I join.
MMA Blaster: Would you be open to fighting in Japan? What do you think of the fight game and fans in Japan?
Gerald Harris: I'm open to fighting at the mall if it's sanctioned and pays well! Japan is great, I have a few friends that fight over there. My boy King Mo will be fighting this weekend and he's a huge deal in Japan, they love him. I've heard nothing but great things about Japan. I'm open to all options and I have some good offers that I can't discuss in this interview.
MMA Blaster: Who are your favorite MMA fighters?
Gerald Harris: My momma and daddy. My momma use to whoop my ass when I was little so I can take a beating and keep rolling. My daddy raised me to be a responsible hard working man. Other than those two it's Rampage, King Mo, and Kenny Florian.
MMA Blaster: Not to get political, but what are your feelings about Barack O'Bama getting elected? I was at the rally in Grant Park, it was a very intense and uplifting experience.
Gerald Harris: Barack is my cousin, so I was real happy for him. Just kidding, but really, I used to be a history teacher, so to witness an African-American become President is an honor and big step for the world. We were slaves in the mid 1800's and were barely allowed to go to school in the mid 1900's so it shows all people that anything is possible if you put your mind to it.
MMA Blaster: Any sponsors or supporters you want to give a shout out to?
Gerald Harris: Oh yeah, I gotta put them in here, cagedsteel.com, AlphaElectronics.com, Marc Ecko Clothing line, Unbreakable Mouthpieces, DiscountSportsNutrition.com, Brookside Tattoos and Piercings and a special shout out to my boxing coach "Sweet Pea Macho Peppe Johnson" that's a long name huh?
MMA Blaster would like to thank Gerald for his time and candid answers. You can find more on Gerald at geraldhurricaneharris.com.
(A picture perfect slam against Benji Radach in the IFL)
Sunday, March 8, 2009
UFC 96: Jackson Howls
UFC 96 was an excellent fight card with several exciting bouts. As the dust settled, it appears that a Rashad v. Rampage Jackson fight looms on the horizon. Also, heavyweight powerhouse Shane Carwin will be entering the title picture.
Quinton Jackson def Keith Jardine via unanimous dec- Jardine was not able to quell Jackson's power and swarming style as Jackson overwelmed Jardine en route to a unanimous decision. Jackson landed the heavier punches in all three rounds and managed to score a couple takedowns. Jardine landed a couple leg kicks but couldn't mount much offense.
In the second and third rounds, Jackson was able to knock Jardine to the floor with combinations. But Jardine didn't go out and kept fighting. After the decision was read for Rampage, current light heavyweight champ Rashad Evans emerged in the cage. Rampage obliged with a stare down. It now appears that Rampage will take on Rashad Evans for the title, possibly at UFC 98.
Shane Carwin def Gabriel Gonzaga via KO(punch) R1, 1:09- Carwin came out firing again, proving he belongs among the elite in the heavyweight division. After Carwin ate a couple punches and was taken down, the tide turned. Carwin got to his feet and threw a massive punch that clobbered Gonzaga in the face. With Gonzaga rattled, there was no choice but for the ref to jump in.
Matt Brown def Pete Sell via TKO (strikes) R1, 1:32- Pete Sell decided to throw punches and again it proved to be his downfall. Matt Brown is as tough a brawler as they come and he landed a perfect combination sending Sell to the ground. It appeared as though the ref stopped it, but for some reason he didn't. Sell ate more punishment before the bout was called.
Matt Hamill def Mark Munoz via KO (head kick) R1, 3:53- With Mark Munoz looking to turn the bout into a wrestling match, Matt Hamill wasn't having it. Munoz failed at takedown attempts then started to eat punches. Slightly wobbled with his hands dropped, Hamill fired a high kick that landed flush on Munoz, crumpling him to the canvas. The replay showed Hamill's shin strike Munoz' temple, a recipe for a devastating KO.
Gray Maynard def. Jim Miller via unanimous dec- Gray Maynard lived up to his nickname "The Bully" as he pushed around Miller throughout the fight. Maynard used his boxing effectively, throwing combinations while moving in and out. Miller was unsuccessful in attempting takedowns, eating punishment for his efforts. All the judges had the fight 30-27. Maynard now has 4 straight decision victories and is 5-0 in the UFC.
Tamdan McCrory def Ryan Madigan via TKO (strikes) R1, 3:35- McCrory wanted no part of Madigan's stand-up as he was able to get a takedown and bring the fight to the mat. Once there, McCrory worked for mount and threw punches and elbows until the fight was called.
Kendall Grove def Jason Day via TKO (strikes) R1, 1:32- In a must win fight, Kendall came out firing and ready to trade punches. Day backed him up early, but Kendall connected with a couple overhand rights. With Day dazed, Kendall went to the mat to finish the job.
Jason Brilz def Tim Boetsch via unanimous dec- Brilz brought the fight to Boetsch, utilizing takedowns and ground and pound to pick up the decision.
Brandon Vera def Michael Patt via TKO (leg kicks) R2, 1:27- Brandon Vera came out firing, looking crisp in his punches and kicks. It seemed as if every leg kick landed and by the second round, Patt was having trouble standing. The snapping kicks eventually led to Patt being unable to stand and continue.
Shane Nelson def Aaron Riley via TKO (strikes) R1, 0:44- For some reason this fight wasn't broadcast.
Quinton Jackson def Keith Jardine via unanimous dec- Jardine was not able to quell Jackson's power and swarming style as Jackson overwelmed Jardine en route to a unanimous decision. Jackson landed the heavier punches in all three rounds and managed to score a couple takedowns. Jardine landed a couple leg kicks but couldn't mount much offense.
In the second and third rounds, Jackson was able to knock Jardine to the floor with combinations. But Jardine didn't go out and kept fighting. After the decision was read for Rampage, current light heavyweight champ Rashad Evans emerged in the cage. Rampage obliged with a stare down. It now appears that Rampage will take on Rashad Evans for the title, possibly at UFC 98.
Shane Carwin def Gabriel Gonzaga via KO(punch) R1, 1:09- Carwin came out firing again, proving he belongs among the elite in the heavyweight division. After Carwin ate a couple punches and was taken down, the tide turned. Carwin got to his feet and threw a massive punch that clobbered Gonzaga in the face. With Gonzaga rattled, there was no choice but for the ref to jump in.
Matt Brown def Pete Sell via TKO (strikes) R1, 1:32- Pete Sell decided to throw punches and again it proved to be his downfall. Matt Brown is as tough a brawler as they come and he landed a perfect combination sending Sell to the ground. It appeared as though the ref stopped it, but for some reason he didn't. Sell ate more punishment before the bout was called.
Matt Hamill def Mark Munoz via KO (head kick) R1, 3:53- With Mark Munoz looking to turn the bout into a wrestling match, Matt Hamill wasn't having it. Munoz failed at takedown attempts then started to eat punches. Slightly wobbled with his hands dropped, Hamill fired a high kick that landed flush on Munoz, crumpling him to the canvas. The replay showed Hamill's shin strike Munoz' temple, a recipe for a devastating KO.
Gray Maynard def. Jim Miller via unanimous dec- Gray Maynard lived up to his nickname "The Bully" as he pushed around Miller throughout the fight. Maynard used his boxing effectively, throwing combinations while moving in and out. Miller was unsuccessful in attempting takedowns, eating punishment for his efforts. All the judges had the fight 30-27. Maynard now has 4 straight decision victories and is 5-0 in the UFC.
Tamdan McCrory def Ryan Madigan via TKO (strikes) R1, 3:35- McCrory wanted no part of Madigan's stand-up as he was able to get a takedown and bring the fight to the mat. Once there, McCrory worked for mount and threw punches and elbows until the fight was called.
Kendall Grove def Jason Day via TKO (strikes) R1, 1:32- In a must win fight, Kendall came out firing and ready to trade punches. Day backed him up early, but Kendall connected with a couple overhand rights. With Day dazed, Kendall went to the mat to finish the job.
Jason Brilz def Tim Boetsch via unanimous dec- Brilz brought the fight to Boetsch, utilizing takedowns and ground and pound to pick up the decision.
Brandon Vera def Michael Patt via TKO (leg kicks) R2, 1:27- Brandon Vera came out firing, looking crisp in his punches and kicks. It seemed as if every leg kick landed and by the second round, Patt was having trouble standing. The snapping kicks eventually led to Patt being unable to stand and continue.
Shane Nelson def Aaron Riley via TKO (strikes) R1, 0:44- For some reason this fight wasn't broadcast.
Sunday, March 1, 2009
UFC 96 Preview
UFC 96 takes place this Saturday in Columbus, Ohio. The fights will be available on ppv. Here is the current line-up.
MAIN CARD
Quinton Jackson vs. Keith Jardine- The main event could be a quick one or a long battle. Both fighters have produced dramatic results in the UFC. Jardine (14-4, 6-3 UFC) has knocked out former champ Forrest Griffin and won split decisions over Chuck Liddell and Brandon Vera. Jardine, a veteran of TUF 2, has an unorthodox stance and throws very good leg kicks.
Rampage Jackson (29-7, 4-1 UFC), the former champ, is almost guaranteed a title fight against Rashad Evans if he wins. Rampage won the belt with a knockout victory over Chuck Liddell and defended with a decision victory over Dan Henderson. With a long lay-off Jackson lost a razor thin decision to Forrest Griffin before recently defeating Wanderlei Silva in brutal fashion. Expect Rampage to throw big bombs from his feet. If a KO doesn't happen, I expect Rampage to look for a takedown.
(Rampage Jackson pictured)
Matt Hamill vs. Mark Munoz- This will be a battle of two former top notch wrestlers. Hamill is a 3 time Division III national champion. Munoz is a 2 time All-American, winning the Division I title in 2001. Hamill was a stand-out in TUF 3, where he beat veteran fighter Mike Nickels. Hamill (5-2, 5-2 UFC) has the UFC experience factor, getting TKO's against tough opponents in Tim Boetsch, Reese Andy and Seth Petruzelli. His loss to Michael Bisping was perhaps one of the worst decisions in the sport.
(Matt Hamill pictured)
Mark Munoz (5-0, 0-0 UFC) won twice in the WEC before they folded the 205 division. Munoz looks for the takedown early and often, and if he gets it has a good ground and pound game. With Munoz stating he will test his wrestling against Hamill, this will make for a quality fight. Both are extremely strong.
(Mark Munoz pictured)
Shane Carwin vs. Gabriel Gonzaga- This match will prove whether or not Shane Carwin belongs in the heavyweight elite. Carwin (10-0, 2-0 UFC) is an absolute beast, standing 6'4" with 265 pounds of pure muscle. Carwin won the Division II national championship in 1999, and was a runner-up in 1998 and 1997. He knocked Christian Wellish out cold in his UFC debut and Neil Wain in his second fight. No fighter has lasted more than 3 minutes with Carwin.
(Shane Carwin pictured)
Gabriel Gonzaga is no slouch himself, with his young career capped with a devastating head kick KO of uber striker Mirko Cro Cop. Gonzaga (10-3, 6-2 UFC) is a BJJ blackbelt with 6 submissions on his resume. He dropped a tough loss to Randy Couture in his shot at the heavyweight title, and lost to Fabricio Werdum via TKO in his next match. He has since rebounded with a KO of Josh Hendricks and kimura over Justin McCully.
(Gabriel Gonzaga pictured)
Matt Brown vs. Pete Sell- Matt Brown (8-7, 2-1 UFC) will look to stand and trade as brawling is his forte. With a solid BJJ background Sell (8-4, 2-4 UFC) is best when looking to utilize his submission game. Sell gets in trouble when he stands and swings for the fences, which would play into Brown's game.
Gray Maynard vs. Jim Miller- Maynard (6-0, 4-0 UFC) has been climbing the 155 pound ranks with solid wrestling and ground and pound. Then knock on Maynard has been a lack of excitement in his fights, he may try to push the pace here. Miller (13-1, 2-0 UFC) won over Matt Wiman in his last fight on a weeks notice. He will have more time to prepare for this one, but the fight will boil down to whether Miller can pull a submission off his back.
UNDER CARD
Ryan Madigan vs. Tamdan McCrory
Jason Day vs. Kendall Grove
Tim Boetsch vs. Jason Brilz
Mike Patt vs. Brandon Vera
Shane Nelson vs. Aaron Riley
MAIN CARD
Quinton Jackson vs. Keith Jardine- The main event could be a quick one or a long battle. Both fighters have produced dramatic results in the UFC. Jardine (14-4, 6-3 UFC) has knocked out former champ Forrest Griffin and won split decisions over Chuck Liddell and Brandon Vera. Jardine, a veteran of TUF 2, has an unorthodox stance and throws very good leg kicks.
Rampage Jackson (29-7, 4-1 UFC), the former champ, is almost guaranteed a title fight against Rashad Evans if he wins. Rampage won the belt with a knockout victory over Chuck Liddell and defended with a decision victory over Dan Henderson. With a long lay-off Jackson lost a razor thin decision to Forrest Griffin before recently defeating Wanderlei Silva in brutal fashion. Expect Rampage to throw big bombs from his feet. If a KO doesn't happen, I expect Rampage to look for a takedown.
(Rampage Jackson pictured)
Matt Hamill vs. Mark Munoz- This will be a battle of two former top notch wrestlers. Hamill is a 3 time Division III national champion. Munoz is a 2 time All-American, winning the Division I title in 2001. Hamill was a stand-out in TUF 3, where he beat veteran fighter Mike Nickels. Hamill (5-2, 5-2 UFC) has the UFC experience factor, getting TKO's against tough opponents in Tim Boetsch, Reese Andy and Seth Petruzelli. His loss to Michael Bisping was perhaps one of the worst decisions in the sport.
(Matt Hamill pictured)
Mark Munoz (5-0, 0-0 UFC) won twice in the WEC before they folded the 205 division. Munoz looks for the takedown early and often, and if he gets it has a good ground and pound game. With Munoz stating he will test his wrestling against Hamill, this will make for a quality fight. Both are extremely strong.
(Mark Munoz pictured)
Shane Carwin vs. Gabriel Gonzaga- This match will prove whether or not Shane Carwin belongs in the heavyweight elite. Carwin (10-0, 2-0 UFC) is an absolute beast, standing 6'4" with 265 pounds of pure muscle. Carwin won the Division II national championship in 1999, and was a runner-up in 1998 and 1997. He knocked Christian Wellish out cold in his UFC debut and Neil Wain in his second fight. No fighter has lasted more than 3 minutes with Carwin.
(Shane Carwin pictured)
Gabriel Gonzaga is no slouch himself, with his young career capped with a devastating head kick KO of uber striker Mirko Cro Cop. Gonzaga (10-3, 6-2 UFC) is a BJJ blackbelt with 6 submissions on his resume. He dropped a tough loss to Randy Couture in his shot at the heavyweight title, and lost to Fabricio Werdum via TKO in his next match. He has since rebounded with a KO of Josh Hendricks and kimura over Justin McCully.
(Gabriel Gonzaga pictured)
Matt Brown vs. Pete Sell- Matt Brown (8-7, 2-1 UFC) will look to stand and trade as brawling is his forte. With a solid BJJ background Sell (8-4, 2-4 UFC) is best when looking to utilize his submission game. Sell gets in trouble when he stands and swings for the fences, which would play into Brown's game.
Gray Maynard vs. Jim Miller- Maynard (6-0, 4-0 UFC) has been climbing the 155 pound ranks with solid wrestling and ground and pound. Then knock on Maynard has been a lack of excitement in his fights, he may try to push the pace here. Miller (13-1, 2-0 UFC) won over Matt Wiman in his last fight on a weeks notice. He will have more time to prepare for this one, but the fight will boil down to whether Miller can pull a submission off his back.
UNDER CARD
Ryan Madigan vs. Tamdan McCrory
Jason Day vs. Kendall Grove
Tim Boetsch vs. Jason Brilz
Mike Patt vs. Brandon Vera
Shane Nelson vs. Aaron Riley
Thursday, January 8, 2009
MMA Blaster 2008 Awards
2008 was an awesome year for mixed martial arts. With the year wrapped, I've got some awards to hand out. They choices were difficult, so if you have any some comments feel free to leave them.
Fighter of the Year (UFC)- Anderson Silva- Anderson remained dominant in 2008 as he defended the MW belt with wins over Dan Henderson and Patrick Cote. He also defeated James Irvin in a match at 205 pounds for three wins in the UFC for 2008. As usual, Anderson did not let any match go to the judges hands. He won over Henderson via rear naked choke, Irvin via nasty KO, and Cote after he injured his knee. It was also nice to see him appear on The Ultimate Fighter Season 8.
(Anderson Silva pictured)
*Runner-up- Rashad Evans- won twice over top ten opponents, defeating Chuck Liddell via first round KO to get the number one contender spot and then Forrest Griffin via TKO for the LHW belt.
*Runner-up- BJ Penn- won twice over top ten opponents, defeating Joe Stevenson for the LW belt via rear naked choke then Sean Sherk in a great fight where BJ finsihed sending Sherk to the fence and finishing him with knees and punches.
*Runner-up- Georges St. Pierre- won twice in convincing fashion beating Matt Serra to unify the WW belts via 2nd round TKO and defending the belt against Jon Fitch in an epic 5 round decision.
Fighter of the Year Outside UFC- Gegard Mousasi- Mousasi had a busy 2008, winning the Dream middleweight tournament with wins over dangerous striker Melvin Manhoef, world class grappler Ronaldo "Jacare" Souza, elite judoka Dong Sik Yoon, and Pride and K-1 vet Denis Kang. Outside Dream, Mousasi claimed victories over Steve Mensing and the gritty veteran Cyborg Santos. With 6 mma wins, Mousasi also won a K-1 rules match over Musashi via first round TKO. Mousasi's 6-0 mma record (3 KO/TKO's, 2 subs and 1 dec) and 1-0 K-1 record for 2008 make him an easy choice for this honor.
(Gegard Mousasi pictured)
Fight of the Year- Cung Le v. Frank Shamrock, Strikeforce, March 29, 2008- The fight was three rounds of non-stop action. Frank kept to his word and preferred to stay on his feet. He attempted a takedown only one time, with the announcers eluding to a possible ACL injury. While standing, Cung got the most of Frank with his assortment of kicks, punches, spinning backfists, and a couple leg catches. The leg catches were very impressive, as Cung caught the leg of a Shamrock high kic and blasted Shamrock's grounded ankle with a sweep kick (reminiscent of San Shou).
Frank was able to land a couple kicks on Cung and was able to close the distance in the third round. When in close, Frank did some damage with punches. However, it was only temporary as Cung was able to break away. Cung's kicks proved too much for Frank in the end as he broke his ulna(forearm) while defending high kicks, not answering the bell in the third. This fight is an absolute must see.
(Cung Le kick of Frank Shamrock pictured)
Runners Up- Joachim Hansen v. Eddie Alvarez, Urijah Faber vs. Jens Pulver, Forrest Griffin vs Rampage Jackson, Jon Fitch v. Georges St. Pierre, BJ Penn v. Sean Sherk, too many to list.
Submission of the year- Three way tie- Shinya Aoki's mounted gogoplata over Katsuhiko Nagata, Demian Maia's mounted triangle over Ed Herman, and Dustin Hazelett's arm bar over Josh Burkman. All are works of art and should be viewed over and over again. Fight fans will see all three of these guys getting more awesome submissions in 2009.
Runners Up- Marcus Aurelio's armbar over Ryan Roberts, Mitsuhiro Ishida's armbar over Justin Wilcox, C.B. Dollaway's Peruvian Necktie over Jesse Taylor, and Frank Mir's kneebar victory over Brock Lesnar.
KO of the year punch(2-way tie)- Rampage Jackson KO of Wanderlei Silva and Rashad Evans KO of Chuck Liddell. Rampage had lost twice to Wanderlei before this fight via big knockouts. In the first round, Rampage ducked Silva’s blow and unleashed a left hook that crushed Silva directly on the chin, leaving him unconscious.
Rashad Evans was able to get the number one contender status after blasting Liddell into the next hemisphere. Rashad placed a devastating right hand to Liddell's chin while Liddell was throwing an ill advised uppercut.
Runners Up- Jeremy Stephens come from behind uppercut KO of Rapheal Dos Anjos, Wanderlei Silva mauling of Keith Jardine, and Josh Koscheck over Yoshiyuki Yoshida.
KO of the year kick- Rory Markum's high kick KO of Brodie Farber. Rory was losing the fight after being tagged several times by Farber. While backing up, Rory threw the high kick with his shin striking Farber's neck. Farber was out cold.
Runners Up- Anthony Johnson's third round high kick KO of Kevin Burns for revenge from a previous eye poke and Gegard Mousasi's upkick KO of Jacare to win the Dream MW tourney championship.
Top Up and Coming Fighter- Dave "Pee Wee" Herman (13-0). The undefeated heavyweight prospect Herman scored four victories in 2008, including three for the now defunct Elite XC organization. Herman TKO'd Kerry Schall, Ron Waterman, Mario Rinaldi and Chris Guillen. Only Rinaldi was able to get out of the first round. The 6'5" Herman is very athletic and can throw a variety of punches and kicks while possessing a wrestling background from the University of Indiana.
Fighter of the Year (UFC)- Anderson Silva- Anderson remained dominant in 2008 as he defended the MW belt with wins over Dan Henderson and Patrick Cote. He also defeated James Irvin in a match at 205 pounds for three wins in the UFC for 2008. As usual, Anderson did not let any match go to the judges hands. He won over Henderson via rear naked choke, Irvin via nasty KO, and Cote after he injured his knee. It was also nice to see him appear on The Ultimate Fighter Season 8.
(Anderson Silva pictured)
*Runner-up- Rashad Evans- won twice over top ten opponents, defeating Chuck Liddell via first round KO to get the number one contender spot and then Forrest Griffin via TKO for the LHW belt.
*Runner-up- BJ Penn- won twice over top ten opponents, defeating Joe Stevenson for the LW belt via rear naked choke then Sean Sherk in a great fight where BJ finsihed sending Sherk to the fence and finishing him with knees and punches.
*Runner-up- Georges St. Pierre- won twice in convincing fashion beating Matt Serra to unify the WW belts via 2nd round TKO and defending the belt against Jon Fitch in an epic 5 round decision.
Fighter of the Year Outside UFC- Gegard Mousasi- Mousasi had a busy 2008, winning the Dream middleweight tournament with wins over dangerous striker Melvin Manhoef, world class grappler Ronaldo "Jacare" Souza, elite judoka Dong Sik Yoon, and Pride and K-1 vet Denis Kang. Outside Dream, Mousasi claimed victories over Steve Mensing and the gritty veteran Cyborg Santos. With 6 mma wins, Mousasi also won a K-1 rules match over Musashi via first round TKO. Mousasi's 6-0 mma record (3 KO/TKO's, 2 subs and 1 dec) and 1-0 K-1 record for 2008 make him an easy choice for this honor.
(Gegard Mousasi pictured)
Fight of the Year- Cung Le v. Frank Shamrock, Strikeforce, March 29, 2008- The fight was three rounds of non-stop action. Frank kept to his word and preferred to stay on his feet. He attempted a takedown only one time, with the announcers eluding to a possible ACL injury. While standing, Cung got the most of Frank with his assortment of kicks, punches, spinning backfists, and a couple leg catches. The leg catches were very impressive, as Cung caught the leg of a Shamrock high kic and blasted Shamrock's grounded ankle with a sweep kick (reminiscent of San Shou).
Frank was able to land a couple kicks on Cung and was able to close the distance in the third round. When in close, Frank did some damage with punches. However, it was only temporary as Cung was able to break away. Cung's kicks proved too much for Frank in the end as he broke his ulna(forearm) while defending high kicks, not answering the bell in the third. This fight is an absolute must see.
(Cung Le kick of Frank Shamrock pictured)
Runners Up- Joachim Hansen v. Eddie Alvarez, Urijah Faber vs. Jens Pulver, Forrest Griffin vs Rampage Jackson, Jon Fitch v. Georges St. Pierre, BJ Penn v. Sean Sherk, too many to list.
Submission of the year- Three way tie- Shinya Aoki's mounted gogoplata over Katsuhiko Nagata, Demian Maia's mounted triangle over Ed Herman, and Dustin Hazelett's arm bar over Josh Burkman. All are works of art and should be viewed over and over again. Fight fans will see all three of these guys getting more awesome submissions in 2009.
Runners Up- Marcus Aurelio's armbar over Ryan Roberts, Mitsuhiro Ishida's armbar over Justin Wilcox, C.B. Dollaway's Peruvian Necktie over Jesse Taylor, and Frank Mir's kneebar victory over Brock Lesnar.
KO of the year punch(2-way tie)- Rampage Jackson KO of Wanderlei Silva and Rashad Evans KO of Chuck Liddell. Rampage had lost twice to Wanderlei before this fight via big knockouts. In the first round, Rampage ducked Silva’s blow and unleashed a left hook that crushed Silva directly on the chin, leaving him unconscious.
Rashad Evans was able to get the number one contender status after blasting Liddell into the next hemisphere. Rashad placed a devastating right hand to Liddell's chin while Liddell was throwing an ill advised uppercut.
Runners Up- Jeremy Stephens come from behind uppercut KO of Rapheal Dos Anjos, Wanderlei Silva mauling of Keith Jardine, and Josh Koscheck over Yoshiyuki Yoshida.
KO of the year kick- Rory Markum's high kick KO of Brodie Farber. Rory was losing the fight after being tagged several times by Farber. While backing up, Rory threw the high kick with his shin striking Farber's neck. Farber was out cold.
Runners Up- Anthony Johnson's third round high kick KO of Kevin Burns for revenge from a previous eye poke and Gegard Mousasi's upkick KO of Jacare to win the Dream MW tourney championship.
Top Up and Coming Fighter- Dave "Pee Wee" Herman (13-0). The undefeated heavyweight prospect Herman scored four victories in 2008, including three for the now defunct Elite XC organization. Herman TKO'd Kerry Schall, Ron Waterman, Mario Rinaldi and Chris Guillen. Only Rinaldi was able to get out of the first round. The 6'5" Herman is very athletic and can throw a variety of punches and kicks while possessing a wrestling background from the University of Indiana.
Monday, December 29, 2008
UFC 92: Ultimate 2008 Results
Rashad Evans def. Forrest Griffin via TKO (punches) R3, 2:46- Rashad and Forrest traded shots for the first two rounds. Forrest probably got the better of Rashad in the first two with more punches and kicks landed. In the third, Rashad was able to get a takedown from a Griffin kick and then unleashed a flurry of punches and hammerfists forcing the ref to intervene.
(Rashad Evans pictured)
Rashad, with the 205 pound belt in hand, now has to be the most accomplished fighter to emerge from TUF. Evans now has 8 straight official victories inside the octagon. He had three additional wins in TUF that are not official.
*Fight of the Night Bonus
*MMA Blaster readers picked Evans over Griffin 17-15
Frank Mir def. Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira via TKO (punches) R2, 1:54- Frank Mir dominated the fight as Nogueira never mounted any offense. Through the two rounds, Mir looked to be the better striker, knocking Nog to the floor and bouncing his head back throughout the fight. After knocking Nog to the ground in the second, Mir followed with punches until the ref stepped in. While the stoppage may have been a little early, Nog wasn't intelligently defending himself.
(Frank Mir pictured)
Mir, with Interim HW Belt in tow, will now face Brock Lesnar sometime next year. My guess would be that the fight happens sometime in March or April. This will be a repeat of the fight which ended in a Mir victory via kneebar. Mir was getting beat up before securing the submission in that fight.
C.B. Dollaway def. Mike Massenzio via TKO (strikes) R1, 3:01- CB was technically sound in this fight getting the takedown, mount and then throwing strikes until the ref had to step in and stop the fight.
Quinton "Rampage" Jackson def. Wanderlei Silva via KO (punch) R1, 3:21- Rampage emphatically got the the demons off his back in this fight. After losing a razor thin decision to Forrest Griffin, and a public meltdown, Rampage desperately needed a victory. Rampage landed a flush left hook sending Silva to the ground then followed it with strikes until the ref stepped in.
A fight with Rashad Evans for the 205 pound title will probably be Rampage's next fight. Rampage had lost his previous two fights with Wanderlei.
Cheick Kongo def. Mostapha Al-Turk via TKO (strikes) R1, 4:37- After some inadvertent knees thrown by Kongo, he found his mark. Kongo threw a right hand that dropped Al-Turk then brought elbows and punches until the fight had to be stopped.
Yushin Okami def. Dean Lister via unanimous decision- Lister could not get any offense going in his loss to Okami. Okami used a systematic approach to grind out the decision.
Antoni Hardonk def. Mike Wessel via TKO (strikes) R2, 2:09- Wessel looked good in the first round, but in the second, Hardonk turned the tide. Hardonk got a sweep, then dominant position, then threw strikes until the bout was stopped.
Matt Hamill def. Reese Andy via TKO (strikes) R2, 2:19
Brad Blackburn def. Ryo Chonan via unanimous decision
Patrick Barry def. Dan Evensen via TKO (injury) R1, 2:36
(Rashad Evans pictured)
Rashad, with the 205 pound belt in hand, now has to be the most accomplished fighter to emerge from TUF. Evans now has 8 straight official victories inside the octagon. He had three additional wins in TUF that are not official.
*Fight of the Night Bonus
*MMA Blaster readers picked Evans over Griffin 17-15
Frank Mir def. Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira via TKO (punches) R2, 1:54- Frank Mir dominated the fight as Nogueira never mounted any offense. Through the two rounds, Mir looked to be the better striker, knocking Nog to the floor and bouncing his head back throughout the fight. After knocking Nog to the ground in the second, Mir followed with punches until the ref stepped in. While the stoppage may have been a little early, Nog wasn't intelligently defending himself.
(Frank Mir pictured)
Mir, with Interim HW Belt in tow, will now face Brock Lesnar sometime next year. My guess would be that the fight happens sometime in March or April. This will be a repeat of the fight which ended in a Mir victory via kneebar. Mir was getting beat up before securing the submission in that fight.
C.B. Dollaway def. Mike Massenzio via TKO (strikes) R1, 3:01- CB was technically sound in this fight getting the takedown, mount and then throwing strikes until the ref had to step in and stop the fight.
Quinton "Rampage" Jackson def. Wanderlei Silva via KO (punch) R1, 3:21- Rampage emphatically got the the demons off his back in this fight. After losing a razor thin decision to Forrest Griffin, and a public meltdown, Rampage desperately needed a victory. Rampage landed a flush left hook sending Silva to the ground then followed it with strikes until the ref stepped in.
A fight with Rashad Evans for the 205 pound title will probably be Rampage's next fight. Rampage had lost his previous two fights with Wanderlei.
Cheick Kongo def. Mostapha Al-Turk via TKO (strikes) R1, 4:37- After some inadvertent knees thrown by Kongo, he found his mark. Kongo threw a right hand that dropped Al-Turk then brought elbows and punches until the fight had to be stopped.
Yushin Okami def. Dean Lister via unanimous decision- Lister could not get any offense going in his loss to Okami. Okami used a systematic approach to grind out the decision.
Antoni Hardonk def. Mike Wessel via TKO (strikes) R2, 2:09- Wessel looked good in the first round, but in the second, Hardonk turned the tide. Hardonk got a sweep, then dominant position, then threw strikes until the bout was stopped.
Matt Hamill def. Reese Andy via TKO (strikes) R2, 2:19
Brad Blackburn def. Ryo Chonan via unanimous decision
Patrick Barry def. Dan Evensen via TKO (injury) R1, 2:36
Sunday, December 7, 2008
UFC Ultimate 2008
UFC Ultimate 2008 will take place on December 27, 2008. It will feature two title matches and a superfight between Wanderlei Silva and Rampage Jackson. The fights will take place in Las Vegas. All 20 fighters made weight at the weigh-ins, as a Wanderlei and Rampage scuffle served as a highlight.
Forrest Griffin vs. Rashad Evans- This UFC light heavyweight title match will most likely become a slugfest. Rashad has been testing his foes on his feet in recent matches. Forrest will look to defend the takedown and find a rhythm to Rashad's sometimes style.
Champ Forrest Griffin (16-4) won the title with a very slim decision victory over Rampage Jackson. Prior to that fight, Griffin dominated Pride superstar Mauricio Shogun Rua, finishing him with a rear naked choke. Griffin has defeated Stephen Bonnar, Hector Ramirez, Elvis Sinosic, Chael Sonnen and Jeff Monson in his career. Griffin won TUF 1 in an epic battle against Stephan Bonnar.
(Forrest Griffin pictured)
Rashad Evans (14-0-1) knocked out Chuck Liddell to earn a shot of the title in September. Previously Rashad won a split decision over Michael Bisping, drew with Tito Ortiz, and viciously knocked out Sean Salmon with a head kick and Jason Lambert with ground and pound. Rashad won the heavyweight season of TUF in the second season with a victory over Brad Imes.
(Rashad Evans pictured)
Champ Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira vs. Frank Mir- This fight is for the interim Heavyweight Title. The winner will face Brock Lesnar sometime next year in a unification match. Nogueira won the fight with a come from behind guillotine choke victory over Tim Sylvia last February.
Nogueira is an indestructible opponent who has never been submitted or knocked out. He seems to be able to take a monstrous amount of punishment and can't be stopped. Nogueira has victories over Josh Barnett, Heath Herring, Fabricio Werdum, Sergei Kharitonov, Mirko Filipovic, Mark Coleman and countless others.
(Nogueira getting the guillotine)
Frank Mir has been on a mission since his horrific motorcycle crash that broke his leg. Mir won over Antoni Hardonk via kimura before his kneebar victory over Brock Lesnar. Mir did not look good in the fights prior to that looking slow in his loss to Brandon Vera, decision victory over Dan Christison and loss to Marcio Cruz. Mir holds an arm breaking victory over Tim Sylvia and submission victories over Roberto Traven and Pete Williams.
(Frank Mir pictured)
Quinton Jackson vs. Wanderlei Silva- This fight will more than likely result in another war. Silva has won the past two in devasting fashion. However, what most people forget is that Rampage has had opportunities to win the two fights. If Rampage can get some takedowns he will have a chance to win. Silva will look to keep the fight standing and utilize his superior Muay Thai game.
C.B. Dollaway vs. Mike Massenzio
Mustafa Al-Turk vs. Cheick Kongo
UNDERCARD
Dean Lister vs. Yushin Okami
Antoni Hardonk vs. Mike Wessel
Reese Andy vs. Matt Hamill
Brad Blackburn vs. Ryo Chonan
Pat Berry vs. Dan Evensen
Forrest Griffin vs. Rashad Evans- This UFC light heavyweight title match will most likely become a slugfest. Rashad has been testing his foes on his feet in recent matches. Forrest will look to defend the takedown and find a rhythm to Rashad's sometimes style.
Champ Forrest Griffin (16-4) won the title with a very slim decision victory over Rampage Jackson. Prior to that fight, Griffin dominated Pride superstar Mauricio Shogun Rua, finishing him with a rear naked choke. Griffin has defeated Stephen Bonnar, Hector Ramirez, Elvis Sinosic, Chael Sonnen and Jeff Monson in his career. Griffin won TUF 1 in an epic battle against Stephan Bonnar.
(Forrest Griffin pictured)
Rashad Evans (14-0-1) knocked out Chuck Liddell to earn a shot of the title in September. Previously Rashad won a split decision over Michael Bisping, drew with Tito Ortiz, and viciously knocked out Sean Salmon with a head kick and Jason Lambert with ground and pound. Rashad won the heavyweight season of TUF in the second season with a victory over Brad Imes.
(Rashad Evans pictured)
Champ Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira vs. Frank Mir- This fight is for the interim Heavyweight Title. The winner will face Brock Lesnar sometime next year in a unification match. Nogueira won the fight with a come from behind guillotine choke victory over Tim Sylvia last February.
Nogueira is an indestructible opponent who has never been submitted or knocked out. He seems to be able to take a monstrous amount of punishment and can't be stopped. Nogueira has victories over Josh Barnett, Heath Herring, Fabricio Werdum, Sergei Kharitonov, Mirko Filipovic, Mark Coleman and countless others.
(Nogueira getting the guillotine)
Frank Mir has been on a mission since his horrific motorcycle crash that broke his leg. Mir won over Antoni Hardonk via kimura before his kneebar victory over Brock Lesnar. Mir did not look good in the fights prior to that looking slow in his loss to Brandon Vera, decision victory over Dan Christison and loss to Marcio Cruz. Mir holds an arm breaking victory over Tim Sylvia and submission victories over Roberto Traven and Pete Williams.
(Frank Mir pictured)
Quinton Jackson vs. Wanderlei Silva- This fight will more than likely result in another war. Silva has won the past two in devasting fashion. However, what most people forget is that Rampage has had opportunities to win the two fights. If Rampage can get some takedowns he will have a chance to win. Silva will look to keep the fight standing and utilize his superior Muay Thai game.
C.B. Dollaway vs. Mike Massenzio
Mustafa Al-Turk vs. Cheick Kongo
UNDERCARD
Dean Lister vs. Yushin Okami
Antoni Hardonk vs. Mike Wessel
Reese Andy vs. Matt Hamill
Brad Blackburn vs. Ryo Chonan
Pat Berry vs. Dan Evensen
Saturday, July 5, 2008
UFC 86 Results
Justin Buchholz def. Corey Hill via Sub (Rear-Naked Choke) R2 3:57
Gabriel Gonzaga def. Justin McCully Submission (Kimura) R1 1:57
Melvin Guillard def. Dennis Siver TKO (Punches) R1 0:36 - Guillard rocked Siver with some solid shots.
*KO of the night
Cole Miller def. Jorge Gurgel Submission (Triangle Choke) R3 4:48 - You can watch this one on UFC.com. It was a match that I had Gurgel winning going into 12 seconds left in the match. Miller locked in a triangle at the last second.
*Submission of the night.
Tyson Griffin def. Marcus Aurelio Decision (Unanimous)- Griffin was the clear winner as he unleased kicks, punches and lunging attacks to get the decision victory.
Josh Koscheck def. Chris Lytle Decision (Unanimous)- Koscheck was able to get takedowns and throw down elbows to win one of the most bloodiest fights of the year.
Joe Stevenson def. Gleison Tibau Submission (Guillotine choke) R2 2:57- This was an exciting fight as Steven looked for submission after submission. He had a very close attempt at a guillotine in the first, and ended up securing one in the second.
Patrick Cote def. Ricardo Almeida Decision (Split)- Cote barely scored a victory after losing the first round and probably taking the second two. Almeida was able to get takedowns, but got tired after the first. Cote had good energy, but didn't look like a guy who should be getting a title shot right away.
Forrest Griffin def. Quinton Jackson Decision (Unanimous)- Jackson won the first round with a punch that sent Forrest to the canvas. Rampage had suffered damage to his leg in the first however, which slowed him in the first. Griffin won the second round on more leg kicks. The rest of the rounds saw Jackson landing more punches and Griffin more kicks. I had it scored very close, as Griffin came out the winner.
With the win, Griffin has proved he is the real deal. It will be interesting to see what match-ups are possible. We could see Forrest v. Wanderlei Silva, Forrest v. Chuck Liddell, Forrest v. Lyoto Machida, or possibly Forrest v. Rampage 2.
*Fight of the Night
Monday, June 30, 2008
UFC 86 Preview
Here is a quick preview to UFC 86, which takes place on July 5th. I won't be watching live, as I will be in the wilderness. I'll get a review up once I see all the fights.
Quinton Jackson vs. Forrest Griffin (LHW Championship)- Rampage has respect for Forrest's ground game, so expect this one to stay standing. Jackson has been training at a high level, as is Forrest. Both will look to keep this an entertaining fight. Forrest is always in top shape, so don't expect him to gas.
Jackson has six straight victories, including 3 straight in the UFC. Forrest has two straight victories in the UFC since his loss to Keith Jardine. Forrest is coming off a huge victory over Shogun Rua. Jackson is coming off huge wins over Dan Henderson, Chuck Liddell and Marvin Eastman. Both have been on the shelf for quite awhile because of The Ultimate Fighter reality show.
*MMA Blaster pick - Jackson via KO, R3 - WRONG
*From Jackson v. Liddell 1
Ricardo Almeida vs. Patrick Cote- This is a grappler (Almeida) v. striker (Cote) match-up. The fight will likely come down to whether or not Almeida can get Cote to the ground. Almeida debuted in the UFC at UFC 31 against Matt Lindland. He had 6 straight wins before he decided to take a four year break. His only fight since his comeback was a Guillotine Choke victory over Rob Yundt at UFC 81. Cote has 4 straight victories since his loss to Travis Lutter in the TUF 4 finale. 3 have been in the Octagon, with his latest a TKO over Drew McFedries.
*MMA Blaster pick - Almeida via armbar, R2- WRONG
Joe Stevenson vs. Gleison Tibau- Stevenson's last fight was a submission loss to BJ Penn in January for the LW title. Tibau is coming off a decision loss to Tyson Griffin.
*MMA Blaster pick - Stevenson via rear naked choke, R3- CORRECT
Josh Koscheck vs. Chris Lytle- Koscheck is coming off an impressive victory over Dustin Hazelett. He will look to keep the fight on the ground and away from Lytle's boxing skills. Lytle is coming off a victory over Kyle Bradley at UFC 81. If Koscheck wins it sets him up nicely for a potential title shot or number one contender match.
*MMA Blaster pick - Koscheck via decision - CORRECT
Marcus Aurelio vs. Tyson Griffin- Tyson currently has 3 straight decision victories in the UFC. Aurelio has two straight victories since a split decision loss to Clay Guida. Both are excellent grapplers, this bout has the potential to be very exciting or slow.
*MMA Blaster pick - Griffin via decision - CORRECT
Undercard
Gabriel Gonzaga vs. Justin McCully - MMA Blaster pick - Gonzaga via submission, R3 - CORRECT
Jorge Gurgel vs. Cole Miller - MMA Blaster pick - Miller via decision - CORRECT
Melvin Guillard vs. Dennis Siver - MMA Blaster pick - Guillard via KO, R2 - CORRECT
Justin Bucholz vs. Corey Hill - MMA Blaster pick - Hill via TKO, R3 - WRONG
*MMA Blaster Picks- 6-3
Quinton Jackson vs. Forrest Griffin (LHW Championship)- Rampage has respect for Forrest's ground game, so expect this one to stay standing. Jackson has been training at a high level, as is Forrest. Both will look to keep this an entertaining fight. Forrest is always in top shape, so don't expect him to gas.
Jackson has six straight victories, including 3 straight in the UFC. Forrest has two straight victories in the UFC since his loss to Keith Jardine. Forrest is coming off a huge victory over Shogun Rua. Jackson is coming off huge wins over Dan Henderson, Chuck Liddell and Marvin Eastman. Both have been on the shelf for quite awhile because of The Ultimate Fighter reality show.
*MMA Blaster pick - Jackson via KO, R3 - WRONG
*From Jackson v. Liddell 1
Ricardo Almeida vs. Patrick Cote- This is a grappler (Almeida) v. striker (Cote) match-up. The fight will likely come down to whether or not Almeida can get Cote to the ground. Almeida debuted in the UFC at UFC 31 against Matt Lindland. He had 6 straight wins before he decided to take a four year break. His only fight since his comeback was a Guillotine Choke victory over Rob Yundt at UFC 81. Cote has 4 straight victories since his loss to Travis Lutter in the TUF 4 finale. 3 have been in the Octagon, with his latest a TKO over Drew McFedries.
*MMA Blaster pick - Almeida via armbar, R2- WRONG
Joe Stevenson vs. Gleison Tibau- Stevenson's last fight was a submission loss to BJ Penn in January for the LW title. Tibau is coming off a decision loss to Tyson Griffin.
*MMA Blaster pick - Stevenson via rear naked choke, R3- CORRECT
Josh Koscheck vs. Chris Lytle- Koscheck is coming off an impressive victory over Dustin Hazelett. He will look to keep the fight on the ground and away from Lytle's boxing skills. Lytle is coming off a victory over Kyle Bradley at UFC 81. If Koscheck wins it sets him up nicely for a potential title shot or number one contender match.
*MMA Blaster pick - Koscheck via decision - CORRECT
Marcus Aurelio vs. Tyson Griffin- Tyson currently has 3 straight decision victories in the UFC. Aurelio has two straight victories since a split decision loss to Clay Guida. Both are excellent grapplers, this bout has the potential to be very exciting or slow.
*MMA Blaster pick - Griffin via decision - CORRECT
Undercard
Gabriel Gonzaga vs. Justin McCully - MMA Blaster pick - Gonzaga via submission, R3 - CORRECT
Jorge Gurgel vs. Cole Miller - MMA Blaster pick - Miller via decision - CORRECT
Melvin Guillard vs. Dennis Siver - MMA Blaster pick - Guillard via KO, R2 - CORRECT
Justin Bucholz vs. Corey Hill - MMA Blaster pick - Hill via TKO, R3 - WRONG
*MMA Blaster Picks- 6-3
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