UFC Live on Versus 3: The Aftermath

 Posted by at 4:03 PM  Features, MMA News, UFC  No Responses »
Mar 042011
 

WEC transplant "Last Call" Danny Castillo (red/black trunks) was able to withstand Joe Stevenson's (white/black trunks) powerful wrestling to deliver some punishment of his own brand and earn the Unanimous Decision victory. (Photo courtesy of Zuffa, LLC.)

The third installment of UFC: Live on Versus gave the fans of Louisville, Kentucky and viewers at home all the bang without the buck this past Thursday night. More acquisitions from the WEC/UFC merger made their UFC debut and put their divisions on high alert, a newcomer made his UFC debut within weeks of taking a fight on short notice, two middleweights pleaded their case on their ascension to the top of the 185lbs. division mountain, and two welterweights battled in a possible “Fight of the Year” candidate. Though the undercard also had its share of the action, here are some possible match-ups that should happen for the victors off the UFC: Live on Versus 3 main card.

“Last Call” Danny Castillo (10-3) defeats “Daddy” Joe Stevenson (31-12) via Unanimous Decision

Able to survive Stevenson’s takedown attempts and patented Guillotine Chokes, “Last Call” Castillo passed his first UFC test with flying colors. The Facebook-featured match showcased Castillo besting Stevenson with wildfire striking and staggering the former lightweight challenger during the 15-minute contest. If approaching the closing bell there were any doubt beset as to who the fight would have gone to, the final takedown of the match was executed by the former WEC standout “Last Call” and accompanied by Stevenson receiving an unwelcome rain of fists from above, further aiding in handing him his third loss in a row. Continue reading »

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It’s Beginning to Look A Lot Like Boxing…

 Posted by at 3:43 PM  Features, MMA News  No Responses »
Jan 042011
 

UFC 118 in August was predominantly centralized around its "MMA vs. Boxing" co-main event between UFC Hall of Famer Randy Couture (red/black shorts) and superstar boxer "Lights Out" James Toney (camouflage trunks). Couture demolished Toney and put an end to his night about halfway through the first round. (Photo courtesy of Zuffa, LLC.)

This past month rounding out the 2010 MMA calendar and transitioning into the New Year has been thrilling. UFC 124: St. Pierre vs. Koscheck II was for all intents and purposes an exciting affair. “Rush” Georges St. Pierre (21-2) put on another picture perfect fight against perennial contender “Kos” Josh Koscheck (15-5) and “Pitbull” Thiago Alves (18-7) showed he could stay relevant at welterweight by testing the iron chin of “Doomsday” John Howard (14-6), Strikeforce: Henderson vs. Babalu 2 was quite literally a knockout, WEC 53: Henderson vs. Pettis was an explosive send-off for the exciting organization, and the main event at UFC 125: Resolution featured lightweight champ “The Answer” Frankie Edgar (13-1-1) and his challenger, NCAA Div. I wrestler “The Bully” Gray Maynard (10-0-1), partaking in a five round war dominated by stand-up that rather surprisingly resulted in a Draw. However a disturbing realization has come to light. It is likely that given the growth of MMA, especially the UFC, this beloved sport one day will begin to emulate the stale monotony of professional boxing. As the UFC and MMA continue to grow into the meganaut of combat sports, mainstream growth’s effect on the sport, its entertainment value, and its fighters will only become progressively more apparent. Continue reading »

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Chris Horodecki Dropped from Zuffa Roster; Fans Ask, WHY?

 Posted by at 1:07 PM  Features, MMA News, UFC  No Responses »
Dec 292010
 

Chris Horodecki's (right) superior striking and kickboxing posed a viable threat to his lightweight competitors in the IFL and WEC, and certainly would have continued to do so in the UFC. (Photo courtesy of Dave Mandel and Sherdog)

“The Polish Hammer” Chris Horodecki (16-3) is the most recent addition to a slew of fighters that have felt the wrath of Zuffa’s chopping block. It was announced Tuesday that the lightweight kickboxer, who  partook in four bouts in the WEC over the last year, will in fact not be moving on to the big show with the impending WEC/UFC merger only a few days away. Sure the UFC is fickle about its roster and fighters come and go, but this cut in particular leaves a lot of MMA fans wondering how and why the 23-year-old Canadian could have been dubbed a UFC reject in the first place. Zuffa certainly is establishing its subsidiary the UFC as the mixed martial arts organization with the utmost top notch talent in the world, but many still wonder – was cutting Horodecki warranted? Continue reading »

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The Heart of a Champion: Anthony Pettis Looks to Unify the Lightweight Titles

 Posted by at 4:17 AM  Features, MMA News, UFC  No Responses »
Dec 242010
 

The accurate striking, unpredictable style, and exceptional takedown defense of "Showtime" Anthony Pettis (white/green trunks) render him a dangerous opponent against any of the UFC's current top lightweights. (Photo courtesy of Zuffa, LLC.)

There’s no doubt “Showtime” Anthony Pettis (13-1) shocked a lot of people with his win over the now former WEC Lightweight Champion “Smooth” Ben Henderson (11-2) last Thursday night to claim the honors of being the very last ever WEC 155lb. title holder and earn his spot as the first man in line to face the winner of “The Answer” Frankie Edgar (13-1) vs. “The Bully” Gray Maynard (10-0). Pettis came into the WEC 53 main event bout as the underdog, but it sure didn’t appear that way as “Showtime” controlled the pace and consistently landed the more damaging shots through much of the fight.  And, in what will surely make MMA highlight reels for years to come, in the final round Pettis delivered an astonishing Matrix style off-the-cage kick that connected hard to the left side of Henderson’s skull and momentarily dropped the champion to the canvas. It is safe to say that his match against “Smooth” showcased Pettis’ best performance to date and proves beyond the shadow of a doubt that he indeed has earned his moniker “Showtime”.

Pettis’ next big task in his only three-year-old professional fighting career is to face either Frankie Edgar or Gray Maynard in hopes of dethroning the current champion or giving the top contender his first loss in order to unify the lightweight belt between the two promotions once they merge in 2011. One of these three men – “Showtime”, “The Answer”, or “The Bully” – will be the undisputed UFC Lightweight Champion. Both of the UFC fighters have unique fighting styles and each pose different threats to Pettis. How will “Showtime” fare against the upper echelon of the talent pool boasted by the UFC? What challenges does he face, and how will he overcome them? Let’s take a closer look at the potential match-ups for Anthony Pettis. Continue reading »

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“The Punk” Josh Thomson to Compete in NYE DREAM Card; Hopes to Move Up in Strikeforce Lightweight Contender Ranks

 Posted by at 7:34 AM  MMA News  No Responses »
Dec 232010
 

Former Strikeforce Lightweight Champion "The Punk" Josh Thomson takes on Tatsuya Kawajiri at DREAM: Dynamite 2010 in Japan on New Year's Eve. A victory may help springboard him into Strikeforce lightweight title contention. (Photo courtesy of Scott Peterson and MMA Weekly)

Strikeforce lightweight “The Punk” Josh Thomson (17-3-1) not only has one of the coolest nicknames in MMA but also is one of the best lightweight fighters in the world when it comes to putting a hurt on his opponents. Thomson infiltrates the Japanese MMA market once again and puts himself to the test at the Saitama Super Arena in Saitama on New Year’s Eve when he faces PRIDE veteran and Shooto fighter Tatsuya Kawajiri (26-5-2) at DREAM: Dynamite 2010.

With that date quickly encroaching many hope to see former Strikeforce Lightweight Champion “The Punk” have a better camp than he did in his contested win over American Top Team graduate “JZ” Gesias Cavalcante (14-3-1) in October where Thomson himself admitted to MMAJunkie.com that “it was the worst camp ever.” He elaborated, “I had ankle injuries. I had a partially torn MCL in my leg and my knee. Obviously I was having hand and wrist problems.” With all those complications, one would wonder why Thomson didn’t forfeit the fight but, to earn a nickname like “The Punk” it would have to take a lot of grit and determination which Thomson displayed in his fight with not only being stitched in his head due to “a headbutt kind of thing”, as Thomson called it, but also getting caught in the arm-in Guillotine Choke of Cavalcante. Continue reading »

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Who to Watch Out For in 2011

 Posted by at 11:34 AM  Features, MMA News  No Responses »
Dec 222010
 

"Bones" Jon Jones (black shorts) is one of the fastest rising stars in the UFC’s light heavyweight division. Come January 1, Jones will collide with fellow rising star Ryan Bader to see who will be launched into the higher levels of the 205lbs. weight class. (Photo courtesy of Zuffa, LLC)

The year 2010 showcased a wealth of fights and events for the mixed martial arts world to marvel over. “The Answer” Frankie Edgar (13-1) defeated one of the greatest lightweights of all time in “The Prodigy” BJ Penn (16-7-1). Boxing great “Lights Out” James Toney (0-1) stepped into the the cage to face UFC Hall of Famer “The Natural” Randy Couture (19-10) in what was intended to determine the superior combat sport, MMA or boxing. Couture pummeled Toney for nearly three minutes of pure fan delight before submitting him via Arm Triangle Choke. The MMA world was shaken and the heavyweight rankings sent into a state of disarray when the top ranked “The Last Emperor” Fedor Emelianenko (31-2) was handed his first legitimate loss via first round submission to Fabricio Werdum (14-4-1).

To follow up with the 2009 roster exchange agreement between the Strikeforce, DREAM, and M-1 Global MMA promotions, the UFC ended 2010 with the intake of the WEC organization. With all the memorable fights and events that have taken place in the last 12 months, 2011 is the year where prospects can become contenders, fighters inflicted with injury or tribulations return to fight their way to a title, and champions become legends.

Here are some of the top fighters to look out for in 2011. Continue reading »

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Spilled Bag of Fights: The Kick!

 Posted by at 4:12 PM  MMA News, Spilled Bag of Fights  1 Response »
Dec 192010
 

PART ONE: Everything Leading up to…

SO… WEC is no more. I know… I know. Things change and it’s not always easy and it’s not always what you want but sometimes you just have to let it go and just remember the good times because, well, you have no choice. I’ll always remember our last night together, WEC. Even though I knew it was goodbye, I couldn’t wait to see you. Then suddenly, you were there , in my bedroom on my TV as I drank cheap wine and tweeted smart ass comments as if nothing was different and this wasn’t our last night together.

It went by so fast that it was all kind of a blur to be honest. I remember Bart Palaszewski and  Kamal Shalorus having a decent scrap and thought it was a close fight. I gave the edge to Bart for more effective striking but I wouldn’t call the W going to Kamal a robbery of the Nam Phan order. Continue reading »

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WEC 53 Marks the End of an Era

 Posted by at 7:13 AM  MMA News  No Responses »
Dec 172010
 

WEC 53 marked the organization's final event and it did not disappoint. (Photo courtesy of Zuffa, LLC.)

The organization that brought the world “The California Kid” Urijah Faber (24-4), “Junior” Jose Aldo (18-1), Dominick Cruz (15-1), “Angel” Miguel Torres (37-3), “Showtime” Anthony Pettis (13-1), “Smooth” Ben Henderson (11-1), “Cowboy” Donald Cerrone (11-4), and so many more world class fighters said its goodbyes tonight as WEC 53: Henderson vs. Pettis marked the final event before the WEC is absorbed into the Ultimate Fighting Championship.  The WEC was known for the action packed, go-for-broke matches that stemmed from a stacked talent pool in the lower weight divisions and WEC 53 continued in that tradition, showing that the WEC would prove to be one of the very best MMA promotions in the world right up to the very end. The UFC’s little cousin announced loudly to the MMA fans that it would not be forgotten as its final event opened with four straight first round stoppages including three KO’s – one of which came via slam. When the main card started with “Danny Boy” Dan Downes (7-1) and “The Mongolian Wolf” Zhang Tie Quan (8-1), the fights only got better. Continue reading »

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WEC 53: Henderson vs. Pettis Quick Results

 Posted by at 7:42 PM  MMA News  No Responses »
Dec 162010
 

(Photo courtesy of Zuffa, LLC.)

Renan Barao vs. Chris Cariaso: Barao via Submission (Rear Naked Choke), Round 1, 3:47

Ricardo Lamas vs. Yuri Alcantara: Alcantara via KO, Round 1. 3:26

Danny Castillo vs. Will Kerr: Castillo via KO, Round 1, 1:26

Eddie Wineland vs. Ken Stone: Wineland via KO (Slam), Round 1, 2:11

Brad Pickett vs. Ivan Menjivar: Pickett via Unanimous Decision, Round 3, 5:00

Jamie Varner vs. Shane Roller: Roller via Submission (Rear Naked Choke), Round 1, 3:55

Zhang Tie Quan vs. Daniel Downes: Downes via Unanimous Decision, Round 3, 5:00

Bart Palaszewski vs. Kamal Shalorus: Shalorus via Split Decision, Round 3, 5:00

Chris Horodecki vs. Donald Cerrone: Cerrone via Submission (Triangle Choke), Round 2, 2:43

Dominick Cruz vs. Scott Jorgensen: Dominick Cruz via Unanimous Decision, Round 5, 5:00*

Benson Henderson vs. Anthony Pettis: Pettis via Unanimous Decision, Round 5, 5:00**

*Dominick Cruz retains his belt as the (very last) WEC Bantamweight Champion and earns the honors of being the UFC’s very first 135lb. title holder.

**Anthony Pettis becomes the new WEC Lightweight Champion after what very well could be Fight of the Year, and included an astonishing Matrix-style head kick by Pettis. “Showtime” will face the winner of “The Answer” Frankie Edgar (13-1) and “The Bully” Gray Maynard (10-0) for the unified UFC Lightweight Championship.

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WEC 53 Pre-Fight Breakdown: Dominick Cruz vs. Scott Jorgensen

 Posted by at 4:36 PM  MMA News  No Responses »
Dec 152010
 

The reach of Dominick Cruz (right) will likely be the deciding factor in a five round stand-up war against Scott Jorgenson. (Photo courtesy of WEC.tv)

The WEC has promised to go out with a bang with WEC 53 tomorrow night. The promotion has headlined its finale event with a title fight between “Smooth” Ben Henderson (11-1) and “Showtime” Anthony Pettis (12-1), and has shored up the card with the likes of “Prince of Persia” Kamal Shalorus (6-0-2), “Bartimus” Bart Palaszewski (34-14), “Cowboy” Donald Cerrone (11-4), “The Polish Hammer” Chris Horodecki (16-2), “The Mongolian Wolf” Zhang Tie Quan (8-0), and “Danny Boy” Dan Downes (6-1). The co-main event of the evening pits WEC Bantamweight Champion Dominick Cruz (15-1) against fan favorite “Young Guns” Scott Jorgensen (10-2) in a bout that won’t be just for the WEC title, but also the for newly minted UFC bantamweight belt. Cruz has proven to be unstoppable at 135 with his speed, strikes from all angles, and endless gas tank, but will the grit and power of Jorgensen be enough to dethrone the champion? Continue reading »

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WEC 53 Pre-Fight Breakdown: Kamal Shalorus vs. Bart Palaszewski

 Posted by at 1:13 PM  MMA News  No Responses »
Dec 152010
 

Kamal Shalorus (right) should have an advantage in controlling this fight, but his disregard for the Unified Rules of MMA may well prove his undoing. (Photo courtesy of WEC.tv)

World Extreme Cagefighting presents its final card before the WEC/UFC merger on Thursday night as “Smooth” Ben Henderson (11-1) and “Showtime” Anthony Pettis (12-1) and Dominick Cruz (15-1) and “Young Guns” Scott Jorgensen (10-2) co-headline WEC 53 in two fights for the WEC’s most contested titles. Other bouts that night include “Cowboy” Donald Cerrone (11-4) taking on “The Polish Hammer” Chris Horodecki (16-2), “The Mongolian Wolf” Zhang Tie Quan (8-0) putting his undefeated record against “Danny Boy” Dan Downes (6-1), and a lightweight tilt between “Prince of Persia” Kamal Shalorus (6-0-2) and “Bartimus” Bart Palaszewski (34-13). “Prince of Persia” has one of the more questionable records in MMA. He is unbeaten but has two draws, including his most recent bout, caused by point deductions against him. Palaszewski is the more experienced of the two men and currently rides a four fight winning streak. Continue reading »

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UFC 124: The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly

 Posted by at 9:38 PM  MMA News  1 Response »
Dec 122010
 

Georges St. Pierre (center) did more than simply retain his title at UFC 124. He established himself as the general consensus' "Greatest MMA Fighter of All Time". (Photo courtesy of Zuffa, LLC.)

With UFC 124 in the books, the MMA world has again turned to its typical speculation over the fight results that go beyond a mere victory or defeat. In the case of UFC 124, the fighters on the card set out to prove just why it is that every card is important and every fight has an effect on the division in which it is fought. This event was condemned by many as “being all about one fight” or “the UFC putting together a shitty undercard because they knew the main event would sell it out” and the vast majority of the MMA community felt that the card would have little or no impact on the UFC big picture. Those naysayers were wrong. UFC 124 provided the MMA community with a comeback, a second chance, and at least two solid title contenders. However it also sent several men back to the drawing board or worse, potentially out of the UFC. Continue reading »

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MMA Gospel Presents Spilled Bag of Chat: “Danny Boy” Downes

 Posted by at 7:22 AM  MMA News  3 Responses »
Dec 112010
 

So, it started with Spilled Bag of Ice (yours truly) and then there was Spilled Bag of Fights, my weekly MMA Wrap-up column, and now: Spilled Bag of Chat! This is a new feature where I’ll be interviewing fighters and MMA personalities as I continue my attempt to take over the world – Or as it will soon be renamed: The Spilled Bag of Earth. Continue reading »

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UFC 124 Pre-Fight Breakdown: Joe Stevenson vs. Mac Danzig

 Posted by at 7:01 AM  MMA News  1 Response »
Dec 102010
 

TUF Season 6 alum Mac Danzig (black trunks) has posted an unimpressive 2-4 record since winning the title of "The Ultimate Fighter" three years ago. With another loss, Danzig will more than likely be cut from the UFC. (Photo courtesy of Dave Mandel and Sherdog)

Montreal, Quebec, Canada’s Bell Centre will play host to the UFC for UFC 124 where Canada’s favorite son, “Rush” Georges St. Pierre (20-2) will face the ultimate heel in “Kos” Josh Koscheck (15-4) in a rematch for the UFC world welterweight title. Also making appearances on the card are heavyweights “Skyscraper” Stefan Struve (17-4) and “Big Sexy” Sean McCorkle (10-0) in an internet hype fueled newcomer super fight, welterweight wrecking machines “The Pitbull” Thiago Alves (16-7) and “Doomsday” John Howard (14-5), and lightweight submission experts “The Mongoose” Jim Miller (18-2) and Charles Oliveira (14-0). In a thrilling lightweight match-up, The Ultimate Fighter alums will see action against one another as “Daddy” Joe Stevenson (31-10) squares off against TUF Season 6 winner Mac Danzig (19-8-1). Like so many fights in the UFC following the announcement of the UFC/WEC merger, this bout is a critical one for both Stevenson and Danzig. Continue reading »

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