UFC 169 will move to Sunday if SuperBowl moves to Saturday
If you are reading this from the Northeast of the US, the weather outside is cold at best. As worst, you are snowed in.
Normally bad weather in the Northeasst doesn't have much of an effect on worldwide MMA, but this time it might. Super Bowl XLVIII is scheduled to take place on Sunday, February 2 in East Rutherford, NJ. However, if the weather is as bad as predicted, NFL officials may move it to Saturday night, putting it head to head with UFC 169, which takes place in Newark, NJ.
"I've been seeing that," said UFC president Dana White. "I didn't know, I don't keep on that stuff, but I was getting some tweets from people saying, 'What are you going to do if the game gets moved to Saturday?'. Wow, wouldn't that be a f---er? Yeah that would hurt."
Fox Sports' Mike Chiappetta reports that White plans to move UFC 179 to Sunday if the SuperBowl moves to Saturday:
Mike Chiappetta MMA @MikeChiappetta
UFC says they will move UFC 169 to Sunday if the Super Bowl is moved to Saturday due to bad weather. Right now, snow is in forecast. #UFC
The remarks were confirmed by UFC Senior Director of Public Relations Dave Sholler.
"If, and only if, they move the Super Bowl to Saturday, we will move UFC 169 to Sunday," said Sholler said at the UFC on FOX 10 post-fight press con.
Luckily, Weather.com is predicting a wintry mix on Sunday, and not a fullblown, SuperBowl-and-UFC PPV-shifting blizzard
Showing posts with label Urijah Faber. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Urijah Faber. Show all posts
Sunday, January 26, 2014
Sunday, February 24, 2013
Monday, July 23, 2012
Whats next for Urijah Faber ?
Once counted among the vaunted “nearly indestructible” in mixed martial arts, former WEC champion Urijah Faber has become human over the past few years.
Starting out with an impressive run to 21-1 to start his career, including capturing and defending the WEC featherweight championship, Faber has since gone 5-5 in the cage.
He lost the WEC belt to Mike Brown in late 2008 and has yet to return gold to his waist. Faber failed in three attempts to regain the belt in the WEC, and at UFC 149 on Saturday night in Calgary, was unsuccessful in his second attempt at a UFC belt.
Renan Barão utilized much the same strategy as his teammate, UFC featherweight champion Jose Aldo, to overcome Faber, using kicks and knees to slow his mobility en route to a unanimous decision.
That puts Faber’s failed attempts to regain a title at five. Most fighters rarely see that number of title fights even from the winning side of the equation, so where does Faber go from here?
“I don't know. I fought a guy on a huge win streak and didn't get it done. I fought Dominick (Cruz), who is considered the champ right now, as well,” Faber reflected at the UFC 149 post-fight press conference. “I'm right there, it's just a matter of continuing to heal up and then reassess this thing.”
UFC president Dana White agreed, saying that it would be good to let things settle for a little bit before they determine Faber’s next move.
One move that won’t be happening, despite Faber dropping weight classes in the past, is another move down on the scale.
“Pffft. No way,” Faber laughed when asked about whether or not a drop down to 125 pounds was even possible for him. “I put on 18 pounds last night (after weighing in at 135 pounds on Friday). I would probably not be here if I was attempting 125s. No, 135s is where I'll be.”
Thinking that he may have suffered a broken rib early on in the fight, Faber doesn’t need to make any rash decisions. He’ll need some time to heal up before he can determine his career strategy and get back in the gym.
He certainly doesn’t sound like a man that has given up, however.
Disappointed? Yes. But to the point of giving up? No.
“This is what I do for a living, so this isn't anything that new, really.”
Starting out with an impressive run to 21-1 to start his career, including capturing and defending the WEC featherweight championship, Faber has since gone 5-5 in the cage.
He lost the WEC belt to Mike Brown in late 2008 and has yet to return gold to his waist. Faber failed in three attempts to regain the belt in the WEC, and at UFC 149 on Saturday night in Calgary, was unsuccessful in his second attempt at a UFC belt.
Renan Barão utilized much the same strategy as his teammate, UFC featherweight champion Jose Aldo, to overcome Faber, using kicks and knees to slow his mobility en route to a unanimous decision.
That puts Faber’s failed attempts to regain a title at five. Most fighters rarely see that number of title fights even from the winning side of the equation, so where does Faber go from here?
“I don't know. I fought a guy on a huge win streak and didn't get it done. I fought Dominick (Cruz), who is considered the champ right now, as well,” Faber reflected at the UFC 149 post-fight press conference. “I'm right there, it's just a matter of continuing to heal up and then reassess this thing.”
UFC president Dana White agreed, saying that it would be good to let things settle for a little bit before they determine Faber’s next move.
One move that won’t be happening, despite Faber dropping weight classes in the past, is another move down on the scale.
“Pffft. No way,” Faber laughed when asked about whether or not a drop down to 125 pounds was even possible for him. “I put on 18 pounds last night (after weighing in at 135 pounds on Friday). I would probably not be here if I was attempting 125s. No, 135s is where I'll be.”
Thinking that he may have suffered a broken rib early on in the fight, Faber doesn’t need to make any rash decisions. He’ll need some time to heal up before he can determine his career strategy and get back in the gym.
He certainly doesn’t sound like a man that has given up, however.
Disappointed? Yes. But to the point of giving up? No.
“This is what I do for a living, so this isn't anything that new, really.”
Saturday, March 10, 2012
The Ultimate Fighter reality fighting Show highlights ..
For each fight, there is a $5,000 bonus for finishing fights and White explains that after the season is done, fans will vote to decide who had the best knockout, submission and fight of the season, with the winners getting $25,000 each. Additionally, the winners of the season, fighters and coach, will get themselves a purty new Harley Davidson.
First fight is up – Joe Proctor (7-1) vs. Jordan Rinaldi (5-0)
Proctor trains with UFC lightweight Joe Lauzon, so I think it’s ok for us to call him “mini Lauzon,” “Boston Joe II,” or something to that effect. Anything’s better than being nicknamed after Jennifer Lopez. Rinaldi says he will win TUF because he’s “talented, technical and blessed.” Fighters everywhere who consider themselves talentless, sloppy and cursed, tremble.
The opening horn sounds and we can hear White, Cruz and Faber mumbling in the background. Proctor becomes the first to put together combos a minute and a half in. Catches a kick from Rinaldi, gets the takedown and locks in a mounted guillotine. He gets the tap at the 2:52 mark of the first round.
“Boston Joe II” is the first man in the house.
Next up – Cristiana Marcello (12-3) vs. Jared Carlsten 3-0
Battle of the Brazilian Blackbelts here. Marcello got his from Rickson and Royler Gracie, and has also fought in Pride and coached at Chute Box. Carlsten got his from that guy who tapped Royler in 2003 but is too humble to ever mention it, Eddie Bravo.
Anik says that Marcello is the oldest fighter in this season of TUF. He’s also got to have the shortest shorts shorts on the show. At least I hope so (unless Dakota Cochrane whips out something from his old film wardrobe later in the show). Those red bad boys are snug floods.
Fighters get at it with body work, kicks and knees from the clinch up against the cage. Marcello gets the takedown and mounts quickly, locking in a grapevine. Cruz mentions that Carlsten competed against one of his assistant coaches for this season, Lloyd Irvin, 12 years ago.
Ok, so I guess there’s no real color commentary, but Cruz, Faber and White are hooked up to microphones. The trio is beginning to find their voice, speaking in more than mumbles.
Marcello takes Carlsten’s back, flattens out his hips and locks in the rear naked choke. Tap out at the 2:22 mark. Royler’s revenge.
Next up, Erin Beach (3-1) vs. Sam Sicilia (10-0)
Sicilia is one of 9 undefeated fighters trying to get into the TUF house. Looks like for good reason, as it takes him just 8 seconds to knock Beach out with an overhand right.
Doing TUF live is going to allow for live post fight interviews, looks like. Dig it. Jon Anik interviews “Mini Lauzon” Proctor about his fight. “I was nervous as hell…this is my dream and I wasn’t going to let is pass by me,” Proctor says.
Next up – Austin Lyons (9-1) vs. Chris Tickle (7-4)
Lyons used to be 260lbs in highschool, we’re told. Wish they had that year book photo to show on the air. Oh well.
Tickle channels his inner Serena Williams by screaming with each strike he throws. It works. 24 seconds in, off the power of consecutive right hands, Tickle gets the TKO win and 5k bonus. He’s in the house.
The cameras go to White and Faber and Cruz, who have the photos of all the fighters in front of them on a table, cage side. They discuss what they’ve seen thus far.
The show that brought you a house full of jocks has added another highschool element, as Anik reveals the disproportionately haughty sounding “winners circle.” Camera pans over to what looks like a miniature, three leveled, bleacher. Ever see “Spinal Tap?” It looks like someone may have made a similar dimension mistake for the “winners circle,” as they did for the stonehedge set piece in that movie. After their fights the winners from tonight are to go and sit there, we’re told. Excitement seminar in session!
Next up – Brendan Weafer (6-3) vs. Andy Ogle (8-1)
Weafer and Ogle exchange strike attempts and clinch briefly before the shorter Ogle uses his lower center of gravity to get an inside trip takedown. Weafer uses his feet on the hips of Ogle well to keep Ogle away from him. But Ogle crowds Weafer against cage.
Weafer works for the triangle, controlling Ogle’s posture. Ogle lets his left hand go outside the guard completely, the triangle is on but Ogle is pushing Weafer against the cage and not allowing him to scoot back on his shoulders and fully lock it in. Ogle uses his outside arm to strike, Weafer is trying to keep Ogle’s posture down.
Weafer is able to circle away from the cage and comes under Ogle’s left leg to keep him from standing and slamming him. Weafer works the sweep from triangle now, doesn’t get it. Ogle is able to posture up momentarily and tries to strike.
We haven’t seen a triangle choke locked in for that long without being escaped or having caused a tap, maybe ever. A moment later referee josh Rosenthal stands the fighters up while Weafer has Ogle in the triangle with less than a minute left.
That’s an unfortunate second first – Can’t immediately ever remember seeing a fight stood up while one fighter is in a submission, defending, before.
Back on the feet, Ogle drops Weafer, pulls a guillotine choke and the fight finishes with Weafer defending the choke.
All three judges score the round and fight 10-9 for Ogle. Dana White reads the result in the cage. Ogle turns to Dana, hugs Dana. Ogle jumps on Dana, wraps legs around Dana and locks in the full body embrace. Really.
This might be more awkward for Dana White than all the times he had to field questions about Dakota Chocrane’s gay porn past in the last few weeks.
Anik interviews Sicilia – the guy who just won by KO in 8 seconds, and Tickle, who won in 24. Sicilia says “that 8 seconds just changed my life.” Tickle is the first fighter to express a preference for a coach on TUF saying, “I like Faber.” Anik turns to the camera and says, “I hope Dominick Cruz is listening to this,” and smiles. Shameful. If there’s one thing we don’t approve of at Cage Potato, it’s shit-starting.
Next up – Vinc Pichel (6-0) vs. Cody Pfister 7-3
Well, the fight for most confusing name spelling-to pronunciation compatibility might be a draw here. Pfister wants the takedown badly, gets it and works to pass immediately. Pichel is just as active working for submissions off his back. Pichel locks in an omoplata which he uses as a sweep which Pfister in turn turns into his own omoplata attempt. Sweet.
Pichel works a reversal and lands another omoplata. They get to their feet. Pfister changes levels and gets another takedown. Pichel gets up. Pfister gets the back of Pichel from the standing position.
Pichel shakes him to the ground and is back in Pfister’s guard, landing big elbows that open up a cut on Pfister. Pichel gets Pfister’s back in a scramble and finishes the rear naked choke without hooks in at the 1:21 mark.
Next up – Mark Glover (5-1-1) vs. John Cofer (7-1).
Glover’s training and interview montage bring back one of my production pet favorites – subtitling, in English, the words of a British person. They are not always that hard to understand, but it’s still fun to fuck with them that way, considering they invented the language.
John Cofer makes pottery. They call him, “The potter.” You know, sometimes its ok not to have a nickname, guys.
Cofer presses Glover up against the cage for a bit, Glover frees himself. Glover works kicks and knees, Cofer catches one of those knees and takes glover down. Glover backtracks to the cage to get up, Cofer picks him up and slams him back to mat.
Cofer traps Glover’s right arm behind his own back and hits him, bully style. Glover gets it free and tries to walk up the cage again, then looks for a switch. They get back to their feet, they trade knees then a taunt from Glover and jumping knee that Cofer eats before getting the clinch against the cage again.
Glover pushes away with 2 minutes left. Cofer lands a good left to the head of Glover at the end of a combo. Glover tries knees from the clinch, Cofer grabs a knee again and gets the takedown. This time Glover wraps full guard and tries for a guillotine. Glover gives it up and looks to walk up the cage again.
Glover up to his feet, Cofer still has a leg. Glover lands a knee and breaks away. Just under a minute left. Glover throws a couple kicks, Cofer grabs one and gets the takedown with under 30 seconds left. Glover back to his feet, but with Cofer behind him with his arms tied around his waist as the horn sounds.
Big “Wrath of the titans,” presence tonight on TUF. Wait, you might say, didn’t that movie come out a couple years ago? No, that was “Clash of the titans.” “Wrath of the titans,” is a very different sequel, soon available on bluray.
Kevin Harvick, who is a nascar driver, the on-screen graphic tells us. Wait, so the fighters and coaches still have to give up their cell phones when they enter the house and training center, but things are aired live and celebrities are in the audience? Ironic or just incongruent? Neither? Not really sure what either word means, actually.
Back for the official decision. It goes to Cofer, 10-9. Cofer’s in the house.
Next up – Chase Hackett (4-1) vs. Chris Saunders (9-2)
This is twice now that we’ve seen a curly mustached fighter in the UFC and on FX – first Ian McCall, and now Hackett. Hackett describes himself as a “stay at home son,” and his fighting style as “handsomeness.” So interesting how back in 1875, men with McCall and Hackett’s style of facial hair would have likely been serious, solemn, individuals.
Hackett lands a kick to the head, Saunders goes down. Hackett follows Saunders to the ground. Saunders recovers and gets up, pulls arm-in guillotine choke from full guard.
Hackett evidentially trains with Bellator (until last night) champion Joe Warren and Faber takes the opportunity to point this out and poke fun at Warren, calling him the “most dangerous man in the world,” and then laughing.
One can only imagine that Hackett heard the rib of his teammate and uses his anger to fight out of the guillotine. Up on their feet, the pair trade right hands to the head. Hackett works for a single leg, gets it. Saunders back up to his feet and looks for his own takedown but doesn’t get it.
They trade jabs and then Saunders catches a kick, then tries another takedown. Hackett with the double underhooks against cage. Hackett lands punches on separation. Saunders appears to get his second wind and gets active with wide but hard punches.
It’s clear Dana White does not like Hackett. He is criticizing his effort inside the cage. Saunders pulls guillotine from guard. Hackett gets out with 15 seconds left. They trade shots from inside Saunders’ guard until the horn.
Dana White reads the decision – all three judges score the fight 10-9 for Saunders.
Another break for White, Cruz and Faber to talk about what they’ve seen. White makes another dig at Hackett, saying it looks like he’ll be living with his mom a lil while longer. Oh you saucy bitch, Dana. Looks like TUF has finally added that much needed “Real Housewives,” cattiness to its own reality format.
But seriously, it is interesting, cool and mostly refreshing to get to hear guys like White, Cruz and Faber talk about fights as they watch them in an unguarded way.
James Vick (4-0) vs. Dakota Cochrane 11-2
This is it, folks. If Cochrane can’t pull out this win, we may never again get the chance to see how homophobic TUF cast members would be in the house. Cochrane did gay porn years ago to pay off student loans but says he is hetero. He’s even got a fiancé and kids. So, not gay. Not that there’s anything wrong with that.
Cochrane shoots in fast, Vick defends, goes for a judo toss (no, I don’t know Judo or Japanese well enough to distinguish between all of them), doesn’t get it. Cochrane tries for another double, doesn’t get it. They stay clinched up against the fence. They both try for takedowns, don’t get them, stay in the clinch.
Vick goes for an arm-in choke but it is, as the coaches point out, not on the correct side to execute. Referee Rosenthal sees that a submission is being applied and watches closely since submissions are clearly prime stand-em-up opportunities. Cochrane breaks free.
Not one takedown has been executed to this point even though perhaps more have been attempted than in any prior fight tonight. Cochrane changes levels and tries for another takedown, gets stuffed at 1:30.
Dana White calls for the break, “we need to break them to determine a winner,” as both guys work actively to improve position from inside the clinch. Rosenthal breaks them up with 45 seconds left in the round. Cochrane tries to get busy with two punch combos, then goes for a double, Vick goes for an arm-in guillotine, Cochrane reverses into full guard. Vick looks for submissions as the horn sounds.
Closest fight thus far.
The judges score it a split decision, in favor of Vick. No romo.
Next up – Johnavan Vistante (4-1) vs. Michael Chiesa (7-0)
Chiesa with a quick takedown, works to get the back as Vistante tries to sit up. Chiesa with Vistante’s back. Chiesa peppering Vistante with punches from on top, with his hooks in from the back. Flattens hips and works for the choke. The choke doesn’t appear to be under the chin but Vistante taps.
Next up – Mike Rio (8-1) vs. Ali Maclean (9-5-1)
Faber looks at the long-haired Rio and the closely cropped blonde Maclean, says, “Long hair don’t care. This is Tito Ortiz vs. Clay Guida.” A water boy comparison from Dana White and then the UFC President and TUF coaches are reminded that they’re watching fights as Rio and Macclean light each other up a few times with punches.
Rio takes stiff jabs from Maclean and the coaches wonder out loud why the three time national champion wrestler doesn’t try to take the fighter from Belfast down. After some more jabs and kicks, Rio has enough of that and gets a takedown, works to sidemount. Rio opens up with punches, Maclean tries to get back to his feet but Rio controls him and keeps him on ground. Rio gets to Maclean’s back and lands punches. Maclean stands, Rio immediately suplexes him, gets hooks in from the back. “Bloody is the nose of Maclean,” one imagines Mike Goldberg would say right now. Rio gets the rear naked choke tap out at the 1:30 mark.
Next up – Justin Lawrence (3-0) vs. James Krause (14-4)
Lawrence, who trains out of Blackhouse, throws some side kicks and spinning kicks to the head of Krause that whiff on Krause but look pretty. Faber says, “ooh we’ve got a karate guy.” Stiff jab from Krause, but Lawrence gets a takedown is very active with a flurry of punches to the downed Krause. Krause gets up but Lawrence is relentless and chases him with knees and hooks to the jaw. A big left lands, drops Krause and Lawrence follows him to the ground with a couple more punches before the bout is stopped. Lawrence is the most effectively explosive fighter yet tonight.
Next up – Drew Dober (8-3) vs. Daron Cruickshank (10-2)
Cruickshank lands a big body kick, changes stance, throws side kick. Dober ducks under and goes for the takedown. Cruickshank defends, and on separation, he is a maniac, landing multiple head kicks and punches in a matter of seconds before landing his own big takedown, working immediately to sidemount and mount.
Dober recomposes his guard. Cruickshank lands a big elbow from inside the guard, Dober works backwards to the fence, stands up. Cruickshank continues to be aggressive on separation, throwing head kicks and punches, Dober goes for a takedown, Cruickshank defends. Cruickshank now looks for his own takedowns, gets a single leg.
Dober stands up, Cruickshank is aggressive with strikes on separation again. Dober lands a left hand, then hits Cruickshank in the balls. The ref breaks it up to give Cruickshank time to recover. White takes this opportunity to tell Faber and Cruz, “just so you guys know, your corners suck. Neither one of them are telling the guys how much time is left.”
The coaches decide to “push back” on that criticism telling White to give them clocks, pointing out that most of them use their phones as stop watches and that White and the show’s producers made them give up their phones.
The fight restarts and White’s cat-fight ends. Cruickshank and Doe trade punches until Cruickshank gets a takedown, Doe, stands and lands his own double, fight ends with Cruickshank back on his feet looking for another takedown.
Cruickshank gets the unanimous decision from the judges and is in the house.
Next up – Jeremy Larsen (8-2) vs. Jeff Smith (9-1)
The cage side salon-talk continues at the start of the bout as Cruz comments that Smith, though known as a submission guy, seems to have come good stand up, after he lands a body kick. Faber replies that Larsen “has a grim reaper tattooed on his shoulder though, so you have to take that into account.”
Faber thinks that fighters that try to rock the tough-guy look are lame, man. Smith lands the takedown, opens up a cut on the left side of Larsen’s head. Larsen stands up. Smith pulls a guillotine, then uses the grip to sweep Larsen over. Larsen stands back up.
Larsen catches a kick from Smith and takes him down. Smith immediately shoots an arm bar, Larsen defends. Larsen works into the sidemount. Smith scores a nifty reversal and they are back on their feet.
Larsen lands a big left hook to the head of Smith, followed by a takedown. Smith goes for a toe hold, Larsen defends. Smith grabs a knee bar with two minutes left. Larsen appears to almost tap, then escapes, works to sidemount on Smith.
Knees to the body of Smith from Larsen. Larsen lands elbows to the far side of Smith’s body while maintaining pressure from the cross side position. Larsen tries to mount, Smith catches his leg, Larsen escapes quickly, ends the fight in cross side.
Larsen wins the unanimous decision. Larsen’s in the TUF house.
Next up – John Tuck (6-0) vs. Al Iaquinta (5-1-1)
Tuck with a body kick, caught by Iaquinta, Tuck tries to jump into an arm bar, misses. They go back to the ground. Tuck works for arm bar more methodically now. Iaquinta defends, stands, his arm extended but he doesn’t tap. Tuck releases the arm, grabs Iaquinta’s right leg then gets behind him and takes his back. Slick.
Iaquinta stands up with the fighter from Guam on his back. Iaquinta escapes. Both men measure each other for awhile but neither lands cleanly until Iaqunita lands a good body kick, followed by two good leg kicks, and then a lead high kick.
Tuck has a toe that is totally fucked, bent the wrong way, he has changed stances. This is affecting his fight for sure, as he’s now heavy on his feet and only throwing big arm punches, one at a time.
Iaquinta takes Tuck down and the Serra/Longo fighter pounds on Tuck from Tuck’s half guard with punches. White, Cruz and Faber are all grossed out by Tuck’s toe. One of them makes a vomiting noise.
The Horn sounds, Tuck immediately points to his toe for the ref to see. Doctors come in the cage to examine, point and stare. Great fight, best of luck to Tuck with that injury.
Iaquinta wins the decision, but really wins because he has 10 functioning toes. Eewww
Next up – Akbarh Arreola (19-6-1) vs. Myles Jury (9-0).
Akbarh, out of Mexico, is on a huge win streak, and it’s probably in his interest to keep on wining here since I can’t imagine it will be easy for him to successfully get on another international flight with that name any time soon.
Jury gets the takedown, in Arreola’s full guard. Jury lands some thudding body shots from inside the guard. Akbarh works for an arm bar, doesn’t get it, back in full guard. Jury with short elbows. Ref stand up at 2:52. Jury gets the takedown. White says, “Akbarh had better get some wrestling.” Hopefully he can pick some up at the store on his way home.
Interesting stories from Faber and Cruz about these fighters. Cruz says he commentated on a fight Jury fought in Brazil and Cruz talks about how some of his teammates have trained with Akbarh.
Another stand up from the ref at just under 1:30. Another takedown from Jury. This is why stand ups are not effective. One guy wrestles well, the other guy does not. No way you can stop that fight being on the ground.
Cruz tells how both these men were training partners for a long time and that it went back and forth in training between the two. Akbarh tries to get up but can’t, Jury ends the fight on top in the guard.
Jury gets the unanimous decision victory. Myles Jury is the final fighter in the house.
Faber, Cruz and White gather in front of the “winner’s circle/stonhedge”. Poor planning. The mini bleachers set up don’t even fit all the fighters as one awkwardly tries to kneel to listen to White talk and almost falls over. Live television, folks. Things get wild and crazy.
“You know how hard you’ve worked. This is only the beginning,” White tells the new cast of TUF. “We’ve got 13 weeks of busting ass in here…welcome to The Ultimate Fighter.”
On next Friday’s episode, Cruz and Faber will pick their teams and two fighters will be paired up and fight. Live fights every Friday night, folks, on FX at 10pm EST/PST.
First fight is up – Joe Proctor (7-1) vs. Jordan Rinaldi (5-0)
Proctor trains with UFC lightweight Joe Lauzon, so I think it’s ok for us to call him “mini Lauzon,” “Boston Joe II,” or something to that effect. Anything’s better than being nicknamed after Jennifer Lopez. Rinaldi says he will win TUF because he’s “talented, technical and blessed.” Fighters everywhere who consider themselves talentless, sloppy and cursed, tremble.
The opening horn sounds and we can hear White, Cruz and Faber mumbling in the background. Proctor becomes the first to put together combos a minute and a half in. Catches a kick from Rinaldi, gets the takedown and locks in a mounted guillotine. He gets the tap at the 2:52 mark of the first round.
“Boston Joe II” is the first man in the house.
Next up – Cristiana Marcello (12-3) vs. Jared Carlsten 3-0
Battle of the Brazilian Blackbelts here. Marcello got his from Rickson and Royler Gracie, and has also fought in Pride and coached at Chute Box. Carlsten got his from that guy who tapped Royler in 2003 but is too humble to ever mention it, Eddie Bravo.
Anik says that Marcello is the oldest fighter in this season of TUF. He’s also got to have the shortest shorts shorts on the show. At least I hope so (unless Dakota Cochrane whips out something from his old film wardrobe later in the show). Those red bad boys are snug floods.
Fighters get at it with body work, kicks and knees from the clinch up against the cage. Marcello gets the takedown and mounts quickly, locking in a grapevine. Cruz mentions that Carlsten competed against one of his assistant coaches for this season, Lloyd Irvin, 12 years ago.
Ok, so I guess there’s no real color commentary, but Cruz, Faber and White are hooked up to microphones. The trio is beginning to find their voice, speaking in more than mumbles.
Marcello takes Carlsten’s back, flattens out his hips and locks in the rear naked choke. Tap out at the 2:22 mark. Royler’s revenge.
Next up, Erin Beach (3-1) vs. Sam Sicilia (10-0)
Sicilia is one of 9 undefeated fighters trying to get into the TUF house. Looks like for good reason, as it takes him just 8 seconds to knock Beach out with an overhand right.
Doing TUF live is going to allow for live post fight interviews, looks like. Dig it. Jon Anik interviews “Mini Lauzon” Proctor about his fight. “I was nervous as hell…this is my dream and I wasn’t going to let is pass by me,” Proctor says.
Next up – Austin Lyons (9-1) vs. Chris Tickle (7-4)
Lyons used to be 260lbs in highschool, we’re told. Wish they had that year book photo to show on the air. Oh well.
Tickle channels his inner Serena Williams by screaming with each strike he throws. It works. 24 seconds in, off the power of consecutive right hands, Tickle gets the TKO win and 5k bonus. He’s in the house.
The cameras go to White and Faber and Cruz, who have the photos of all the fighters in front of them on a table, cage side. They discuss what they’ve seen thus far.
The show that brought you a house full of jocks has added another highschool element, as Anik reveals the disproportionately haughty sounding “winners circle.” Camera pans over to what looks like a miniature, three leveled, bleacher. Ever see “Spinal Tap?” It looks like someone may have made a similar dimension mistake for the “winners circle,” as they did for the stonehedge set piece in that movie. After their fights the winners from tonight are to go and sit there, we’re told. Excitement seminar in session!
Next up – Brendan Weafer (6-3) vs. Andy Ogle (8-1)
Weafer and Ogle exchange strike attempts and clinch briefly before the shorter Ogle uses his lower center of gravity to get an inside trip takedown. Weafer uses his feet on the hips of Ogle well to keep Ogle away from him. But Ogle crowds Weafer against cage.
Weafer works for the triangle, controlling Ogle’s posture. Ogle lets his left hand go outside the guard completely, the triangle is on but Ogle is pushing Weafer against the cage and not allowing him to scoot back on his shoulders and fully lock it in. Ogle uses his outside arm to strike, Weafer is trying to keep Ogle’s posture down.
Weafer is able to circle away from the cage and comes under Ogle’s left leg to keep him from standing and slamming him. Weafer works the sweep from triangle now, doesn’t get it. Ogle is able to posture up momentarily and tries to strike.
We haven’t seen a triangle choke locked in for that long without being escaped or having caused a tap, maybe ever. A moment later referee josh Rosenthal stands the fighters up while Weafer has Ogle in the triangle with less than a minute left.
That’s an unfortunate second first – Can’t immediately ever remember seeing a fight stood up while one fighter is in a submission, defending, before.
Back on the feet, Ogle drops Weafer, pulls a guillotine choke and the fight finishes with Weafer defending the choke.
All three judges score the round and fight 10-9 for Ogle. Dana White reads the result in the cage. Ogle turns to Dana, hugs Dana. Ogle jumps on Dana, wraps legs around Dana and locks in the full body embrace. Really.
This might be more awkward for Dana White than all the times he had to field questions about Dakota Chocrane’s gay porn past in the last few weeks.
Anik interviews Sicilia – the guy who just won by KO in 8 seconds, and Tickle, who won in 24. Sicilia says “that 8 seconds just changed my life.” Tickle is the first fighter to express a preference for a coach on TUF saying, “I like Faber.” Anik turns to the camera and says, “I hope Dominick Cruz is listening to this,” and smiles. Shameful. If there’s one thing we don’t approve of at Cage Potato, it’s shit-starting.
Next up – Vinc Pichel (6-0) vs. Cody Pfister 7-3
Well, the fight for most confusing name spelling-to pronunciation compatibility might be a draw here. Pfister wants the takedown badly, gets it and works to pass immediately. Pichel is just as active working for submissions off his back. Pichel locks in an omoplata which he uses as a sweep which Pfister in turn turns into his own omoplata attempt. Sweet.
Pichel works a reversal and lands another omoplata. They get to their feet. Pfister changes levels and gets another takedown. Pichel gets up. Pfister gets the back of Pichel from the standing position.
Pichel shakes him to the ground and is back in Pfister’s guard, landing big elbows that open up a cut on Pfister. Pichel gets Pfister’s back in a scramble and finishes the rear naked choke without hooks in at the 1:21 mark.
Next up – Mark Glover (5-1-1) vs. John Cofer (7-1).
Glover’s training and interview montage bring back one of my production pet favorites – subtitling, in English, the words of a British person. They are not always that hard to understand, but it’s still fun to fuck with them that way, considering they invented the language.
John Cofer makes pottery. They call him, “The potter.” You know, sometimes its ok not to have a nickname, guys.
Cofer presses Glover up against the cage for a bit, Glover frees himself. Glover works kicks and knees, Cofer catches one of those knees and takes glover down. Glover backtracks to the cage to get up, Cofer picks him up and slams him back to mat.
Cofer traps Glover’s right arm behind his own back and hits him, bully style. Glover gets it free and tries to walk up the cage again, then looks for a switch. They get back to their feet, they trade knees then a taunt from Glover and jumping knee that Cofer eats before getting the clinch against the cage again.
Glover pushes away with 2 minutes left. Cofer lands a good left to the head of Glover at the end of a combo. Glover tries knees from the clinch, Cofer grabs a knee again and gets the takedown. This time Glover wraps full guard and tries for a guillotine. Glover gives it up and looks to walk up the cage again.
Glover up to his feet, Cofer still has a leg. Glover lands a knee and breaks away. Just under a minute left. Glover throws a couple kicks, Cofer grabs one and gets the takedown with under 30 seconds left. Glover back to his feet, but with Cofer behind him with his arms tied around his waist as the horn sounds.
Big “Wrath of the titans,” presence tonight on TUF. Wait, you might say, didn’t that movie come out a couple years ago? No, that was “Clash of the titans.” “Wrath of the titans,” is a very different sequel, soon available on bluray.
Kevin Harvick, who is a nascar driver, the on-screen graphic tells us. Wait, so the fighters and coaches still have to give up their cell phones when they enter the house and training center, but things are aired live and celebrities are in the audience? Ironic or just incongruent? Neither? Not really sure what either word means, actually.
Back for the official decision. It goes to Cofer, 10-9. Cofer’s in the house.
Next up – Chase Hackett (4-1) vs. Chris Saunders (9-2)
This is twice now that we’ve seen a curly mustached fighter in the UFC and on FX – first Ian McCall, and now Hackett. Hackett describes himself as a “stay at home son,” and his fighting style as “handsomeness.” So interesting how back in 1875, men with McCall and Hackett’s style of facial hair would have likely been serious, solemn, individuals.
Hackett lands a kick to the head, Saunders goes down. Hackett follows Saunders to the ground. Saunders recovers and gets up, pulls arm-in guillotine choke from full guard.
Hackett evidentially trains with Bellator (until last night) champion Joe Warren and Faber takes the opportunity to point this out and poke fun at Warren, calling him the “most dangerous man in the world,” and then laughing.
One can only imagine that Hackett heard the rib of his teammate and uses his anger to fight out of the guillotine. Up on their feet, the pair trade right hands to the head. Hackett works for a single leg, gets it. Saunders back up to his feet and looks for his own takedown but doesn’t get it.
They trade jabs and then Saunders catches a kick, then tries another takedown. Hackett with the double underhooks against cage. Hackett lands punches on separation. Saunders appears to get his second wind and gets active with wide but hard punches.
It’s clear Dana White does not like Hackett. He is criticizing his effort inside the cage. Saunders pulls guillotine from guard. Hackett gets out with 15 seconds left. They trade shots from inside Saunders’ guard until the horn.
Dana White reads the decision – all three judges score the fight 10-9 for Saunders.
Another break for White, Cruz and Faber to talk about what they’ve seen. White makes another dig at Hackett, saying it looks like he’ll be living with his mom a lil while longer. Oh you saucy bitch, Dana. Looks like TUF has finally added that much needed “Real Housewives,” cattiness to its own reality format.
But seriously, it is interesting, cool and mostly refreshing to get to hear guys like White, Cruz and Faber talk about fights as they watch them in an unguarded way.
James Vick (4-0) vs. Dakota Cochrane 11-2
This is it, folks. If Cochrane can’t pull out this win, we may never again get the chance to see how homophobic TUF cast members would be in the house. Cochrane did gay porn years ago to pay off student loans but says he is hetero. He’s even got a fiancé and kids. So, not gay. Not that there’s anything wrong with that.
Cochrane shoots in fast, Vick defends, goes for a judo toss (no, I don’t know Judo or Japanese well enough to distinguish between all of them), doesn’t get it. Cochrane tries for another double, doesn’t get it. They stay clinched up against the fence. They both try for takedowns, don’t get them, stay in the clinch.
Vick goes for an arm-in choke but it is, as the coaches point out, not on the correct side to execute. Referee Rosenthal sees that a submission is being applied and watches closely since submissions are clearly prime stand-em-up opportunities. Cochrane breaks free.
Not one takedown has been executed to this point even though perhaps more have been attempted than in any prior fight tonight. Cochrane changes levels and tries for another takedown, gets stuffed at 1:30.
Dana White calls for the break, “we need to break them to determine a winner,” as both guys work actively to improve position from inside the clinch. Rosenthal breaks them up with 45 seconds left in the round. Cochrane tries to get busy with two punch combos, then goes for a double, Vick goes for an arm-in guillotine, Cochrane reverses into full guard. Vick looks for submissions as the horn sounds.
Closest fight thus far.
The judges score it a split decision, in favor of Vick. No romo.
Next up – Johnavan Vistante (4-1) vs. Michael Chiesa (7-0)
Chiesa with a quick takedown, works to get the back as Vistante tries to sit up. Chiesa with Vistante’s back. Chiesa peppering Vistante with punches from on top, with his hooks in from the back. Flattens hips and works for the choke. The choke doesn’t appear to be under the chin but Vistante taps.
Next up – Mike Rio (8-1) vs. Ali Maclean (9-5-1)
Faber looks at the long-haired Rio and the closely cropped blonde Maclean, says, “Long hair don’t care. This is Tito Ortiz vs. Clay Guida.” A water boy comparison from Dana White and then the UFC President and TUF coaches are reminded that they’re watching fights as Rio and Macclean light each other up a few times with punches.
Rio takes stiff jabs from Maclean and the coaches wonder out loud why the three time national champion wrestler doesn’t try to take the fighter from Belfast down. After some more jabs and kicks, Rio has enough of that and gets a takedown, works to sidemount. Rio opens up with punches, Maclean tries to get back to his feet but Rio controls him and keeps him on ground. Rio gets to Maclean’s back and lands punches. Maclean stands, Rio immediately suplexes him, gets hooks in from the back. “Bloody is the nose of Maclean,” one imagines Mike Goldberg would say right now. Rio gets the rear naked choke tap out at the 1:30 mark.
Next up – Justin Lawrence (3-0) vs. James Krause (14-4)
Lawrence, who trains out of Blackhouse, throws some side kicks and spinning kicks to the head of Krause that whiff on Krause but look pretty. Faber says, “ooh we’ve got a karate guy.” Stiff jab from Krause, but Lawrence gets a takedown is very active with a flurry of punches to the downed Krause. Krause gets up but Lawrence is relentless and chases him with knees and hooks to the jaw. A big left lands, drops Krause and Lawrence follows him to the ground with a couple more punches before the bout is stopped. Lawrence is the most effectively explosive fighter yet tonight.
Next up – Drew Dober (8-3) vs. Daron Cruickshank (10-2)
Cruickshank lands a big body kick, changes stance, throws side kick. Dober ducks under and goes for the takedown. Cruickshank defends, and on separation, he is a maniac, landing multiple head kicks and punches in a matter of seconds before landing his own big takedown, working immediately to sidemount and mount.
Dober recomposes his guard. Cruickshank lands a big elbow from inside the guard, Dober works backwards to the fence, stands up. Cruickshank continues to be aggressive on separation, throwing head kicks and punches, Dober goes for a takedown, Cruickshank defends. Cruickshank now looks for his own takedowns, gets a single leg.
Dober stands up, Cruickshank is aggressive with strikes on separation again. Dober lands a left hand, then hits Cruickshank in the balls. The ref breaks it up to give Cruickshank time to recover. White takes this opportunity to tell Faber and Cruz, “just so you guys know, your corners suck. Neither one of them are telling the guys how much time is left.”
The coaches decide to “push back” on that criticism telling White to give them clocks, pointing out that most of them use their phones as stop watches and that White and the show’s producers made them give up their phones.
The fight restarts and White’s cat-fight ends. Cruickshank and Doe trade punches until Cruickshank gets a takedown, Doe, stands and lands his own double, fight ends with Cruickshank back on his feet looking for another takedown.
Cruickshank gets the unanimous decision from the judges and is in the house.
Next up – Jeremy Larsen (8-2) vs. Jeff Smith (9-1)
The cage side salon-talk continues at the start of the bout as Cruz comments that Smith, though known as a submission guy, seems to have come good stand up, after he lands a body kick. Faber replies that Larsen “has a grim reaper tattooed on his shoulder though, so you have to take that into account.”
Faber thinks that fighters that try to rock the tough-guy look are lame, man. Smith lands the takedown, opens up a cut on the left side of Larsen’s head. Larsen stands up. Smith pulls a guillotine, then uses the grip to sweep Larsen over. Larsen stands back up.
Larsen catches a kick from Smith and takes him down. Smith immediately shoots an arm bar, Larsen defends. Larsen works into the sidemount. Smith scores a nifty reversal and they are back on their feet.
Larsen lands a big left hook to the head of Smith, followed by a takedown. Smith goes for a toe hold, Larsen defends. Smith grabs a knee bar with two minutes left. Larsen appears to almost tap, then escapes, works to sidemount on Smith.
Knees to the body of Smith from Larsen. Larsen lands elbows to the far side of Smith’s body while maintaining pressure from the cross side position. Larsen tries to mount, Smith catches his leg, Larsen escapes quickly, ends the fight in cross side.
Larsen wins the unanimous decision. Larsen’s in the TUF house.
Next up – John Tuck (6-0) vs. Al Iaquinta (5-1-1)
Tuck with a body kick, caught by Iaquinta, Tuck tries to jump into an arm bar, misses. They go back to the ground. Tuck works for arm bar more methodically now. Iaquinta defends, stands, his arm extended but he doesn’t tap. Tuck releases the arm, grabs Iaquinta’s right leg then gets behind him and takes his back. Slick.
Iaquinta stands up with the fighter from Guam on his back. Iaquinta escapes. Both men measure each other for awhile but neither lands cleanly until Iaqunita lands a good body kick, followed by two good leg kicks, and then a lead high kick.
Tuck has a toe that is totally fucked, bent the wrong way, he has changed stances. This is affecting his fight for sure, as he’s now heavy on his feet and only throwing big arm punches, one at a time.
Iaquinta takes Tuck down and the Serra/Longo fighter pounds on Tuck from Tuck’s half guard with punches. White, Cruz and Faber are all grossed out by Tuck’s toe. One of them makes a vomiting noise.
The Horn sounds, Tuck immediately points to his toe for the ref to see. Doctors come in the cage to examine, point and stare. Great fight, best of luck to Tuck with that injury.
Iaquinta wins the decision, but really wins because he has 10 functioning toes. Eewww
Next up – Akbarh Arreola (19-6-1) vs. Myles Jury (9-0).
Akbarh, out of Mexico, is on a huge win streak, and it’s probably in his interest to keep on wining here since I can’t imagine it will be easy for him to successfully get on another international flight with that name any time soon.
Jury gets the takedown, in Arreola’s full guard. Jury lands some thudding body shots from inside the guard. Akbarh works for an arm bar, doesn’t get it, back in full guard. Jury with short elbows. Ref stand up at 2:52. Jury gets the takedown. White says, “Akbarh had better get some wrestling.” Hopefully he can pick some up at the store on his way home.
Interesting stories from Faber and Cruz about these fighters. Cruz says he commentated on a fight Jury fought in Brazil and Cruz talks about how some of his teammates have trained with Akbarh.
Another stand up from the ref at just under 1:30. Another takedown from Jury. This is why stand ups are not effective. One guy wrestles well, the other guy does not. No way you can stop that fight being on the ground.
Cruz tells how both these men were training partners for a long time and that it went back and forth in training between the two. Akbarh tries to get up but can’t, Jury ends the fight on top in the guard.
Jury gets the unanimous decision victory. Myles Jury is the final fighter in the house.
Faber, Cruz and White gather in front of the “winner’s circle/stonhedge”. Poor planning. The mini bleachers set up don’t even fit all the fighters as one awkwardly tries to kneel to listen to White talk and almost falls over. Live television, folks. Things get wild and crazy.
“You know how hard you’ve worked. This is only the beginning,” White tells the new cast of TUF. “We’ve got 13 weeks of busting ass in here…welcome to The Ultimate Fighter.”
On next Friday’s episode, Cruz and Faber will pick their teams and two fighters will be paired up and fight. Live fights every Friday night, folks, on FX at 10pm EST/PST.
Sunday, July 3, 2011
UFC 132 Results And Dana White thoughts on the fights ..
With the little guys headlining UFC 132UFC Personal Trainer
, some casual fans may not have been stoked to check out this year’s Fourth of July weekend UFC card, but those who tuned in and bought tickets certainly got their money’s worth. The card produced three awesome knockouts, some major upsets and one of the best UFC moments in years with Tito Ortiz pulling off the shocker in absolute must-win situation against Ryan Bader.
- UFC president Dana White was impressed and said Tito will be sticking around.
“Not only did he win the fight. He won the fight impressively, you know dropping the younger stronger and many people thought he had better hands. Dropping Bader and then submitting him.” White said.
- White said this should be it for another veteran Wanderlei Silva. The soon-to-be 35-year-old was knocked out badly inside of one minute by Chris Leben.
“People love him so much for the way he fights. The style and the kind of person he is. Yeah, it’s probably the end of the road for Wanderlei,” said White.
With an exciting five-round battle, UFC 132 delivered a solid event overall. In addition to Dominick Cruz’ long-awaited revenge over rival Urijah Faber, Tito Ortiz scored his first win since 2006, while Chris Leben delivered an impressive stoppage of Wanderlei Silva.
Here’s a closer look, with the UFC 132 Stock Report.
Stock up
Dominick Cruz: He waited four years; and debuting in the UFC as the champ in a headliner bout, delivered big. Cruz’ performance tonight showed how much his game has matured, as he utilized his trademark slick standup, with the threat of takedowns to finish strong to take a unanimous decision. While judge Sal D’Amato’s card of 50-45 was off (this writer had it 48-47 for Cruz), the 135-poun ace closed hard down the stretch as a champion should.
In addition to getting payback for the sole loss of his career, Cruz, now 18-1, performed the neat trick of simultaneously jump-starting the UFC’s bantamweight division with a good championship fight, while setting up a rubber match that is promotable as well. All in all, a great start for the UFC 135-pound titlist.
Tito Ortiz: With a stunning submission win over favored Ryan Bader, Ortiz recouped from a 0-4-1 slide, injecting much-needed life into a career that faced a certain release from the UFC if he’d lost. A polarizing figure throughout his 14-year career in the UFC, Ortiz’ post-fight celebration had to make even the most hardened critics a little nostalgic; working his patented gravedigger routine after getting the tap from Bader, Tito looked every bit like a hard-traveled veteran who appreciated the spoils of a big win.
Tapout Ryan Bader UFC 132 Walkout T-Shirt, XXL
It’s been a while, and this one gives him firm promotional footing for at least two more fights. As an added bonus, we can look forward to more Twitter awesomeness between he and UFC President Dana White.
Chris Leben: In a classic Lebenesque showing, the middleweight slugger was drilled early and came back huge, rebounding with his big left hand to stop Wanderlei Silva. Fighting an idol in a high-profile bout, Leben showed why he’s always a punch away from being in the winner’s circle and a promotional favorite. The biggest win of his career, it also removes the bad taste of his stoppage loss to Brian Stann in his previous outing.
Carlos Conit File Photo
Condit is on a roll in the UFC.Melvin Guillard: Clinical, laser-sharp and destructive, Guillard was like a bomb going off against Shane Roller. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: he’s the most physically gifted lightweight in the world, and a handful for anyone. The big question is, can he adjust in tough fights against the very best? We’ll soon find out. He’s probably the worst guy in the division to make a mistake against, given his power and ability to exploit openings.
Carlos Condit: Faced with a potentially daunting style matchup, Condit showed why he’d finished 25 opponents in 26 previous wins -- by going for it and damning the consequences. With a gorgeous flying knee he stunned Kim and took him out with a follow-up attack. Now a proven top-tier welter, he’s
also becoming highly marketable off this win and his
one-punch blowout of Dan Hardy.
Hold
Dennis Siver and Matt Wiman: While Siver took a unanimous 29-28 decision, the lightweight bout between mid-tier contenders was largely inconclusive. Siver took the first with his counters and takedown defense, while Wiman rebounded in the second, bloodying Siver with ground and pound and consistent top control. The third saw both largely run out of gas -- like a high school kegger that started strong and then fizzled when the power went out and the parents came home. Not necessarily a bad showing by either guy, but none of the elite lightweights are going to lose sleep watching a replay of this one.
Urijah Faber: In a close bid to take Cruz’ bantamweight belt, Faber fell just short in an exciting bout. Over the five-round distance, the champ’s mercurial style and overall volume proved the difference, though Faber clearly landed the harder and more effective shots. Interestingly, Cruz got the better of the wrestling battle, threatening over the last half of the bout with several, from which Faber consistently scrambled up and away from. A third match is a natural with these two; it will be up to Faber to adjust his tactics accordingly.
Brian Bowles: With his oft-injured right hand tweaked again against Takeya Mizugaki, Bowles could only offer a so-so showing, taking a decision win. Style-wise, this seemed like a winnable fight for him, but the hand clearly affected his ability to operate. The former champ definitely needs time to heal up.
Stock down
Wanderlei Silva: Silva simply hasn’t looked his old self. Whether it’s the weight cut at the advanced age of 34 (he turns 35 Sunday) or the numerous battles, he’s not the same fighter he used to be. Taken out by Leben in 27 seconds, the once-stout resilience and fighting machine that terrorized Pride is no longer the guy in the cage. Like another legend and all-time great, Silva’s venturing into Chuck Liddell territory if he continues to fight. Now 2-4 with the UFC, is he still too big a name to release, for fear that another promotion could pick him up? We’ll soon find out.
Ryan Bader: After being dominated by Jon Jones, on paper, Bader couldn’t have gotten a better opponent in terms of risk-reward than Ortiz, a name ex-champ who hadn’t won in five fights. Hurt by a right hand and submitted in the first, Bader’s stock takes a hit here, as this was the kind of fight a guy in his position is supposed to win.
Shane Roller: Blitzed out by the dangerous Guillard, Roller was simply outmatched on the feet. A mid-level 155er in the WEC with a potential upside, his striking remains very raw, leaving him dangerously exposed, something Guillard exploited.
Dong Hyun Kim: Going into the Condit bout, Kim was 14-0-1, and probably the least-hyped unbeaten fighter on the UFC’s roster. Handed his first loss, it’s back to the drawing board for the South Korean.
Takeya Mizugaki: Laconic and uninspired against Bowles, Mizugaki can’t seem to get over the bantamweight hump. Since his gutty title fight decision loss to then-champ Miguel Torres, he’s gone 3-3 and didn’t fight with much passion tonight.
- Not only did Ortiz remove head from the chopping block, he hauled in a nice postfight bonus. Ortiz along with Urijah Faber, Dominick Cruz and Carlos Condit each got $75,000. Ortiz was awarded Submission of the night, Condit Knockout of the Night and Faber/Cruz got Fight of the Night.
The knockout award was a tough decision. A disappointed Melvin Guillard shook his head during the presser and Chris Leben was hoping to get a bonus as well. White revealed that the 25-minute scrap between Faber and Cruz actually screwed Leben and Guillard. Without an obvious fight of the night, the promotion had planned on awarding three KO of the Night awards.
- The Cruz-Faber fight was very difficult to score and left Faber extremely disappointed. At least he kept it together in the Octagon. Matt Wiman failed to hold it together when it was announced he’d lost a close decision to Denis Siver. Wiman ran from the Octagon and eventually out of the building. White no issue with the decision. He scored it for Siver, but did say one celebrity onlooker disagreed vehemently. Justin Bieber thought Wiman won the fight. There’s no news on whether the 17-year-old singer also left the arena in disgust. A less than thrilled Bieber is pictured below with the legendary Chuck Liddell. It’s hard to smile for a photo after missing on out plus-240 Wiman payday.
- Ortiz admitted he was a little annoyed that he didn’t bet on himself. Bader closed as a minus-550 favorite in the MGM Grand sportsbook. A $100 bet on Tito would’ve brought home $400. Ortiz said he was glad to get the $75,000 bonus which he’ll use to “put away for my sons and, I don’t know, maybe go gamble a little bit tonight because is so damn good.”
- White was blown away by Condit and his knockout.
“How easily he did it. How technical it was. He fought an incredible fight tonight. He’s been great in his last two shows,” said White. Condit also destroyed Dan Hardy at UFC 120. “Yeah, he’s proved himself to be one of the best 170 pounders in the world. The guy that he beat tonight [Dong Hyun Kim] was undefeated in the UFC”
- Both Faber and Cruz admitted they barely remembered the details of their five-round war.
“You get really instinctual in there and I can’t really remember the fight. Right after the fight the doctor asked me how I feel and I said ‘I feel great!’ Now I feel like [expletive],” laughed Faber. “You always have to take a look at the actual fight and see what happened.”
“By the end of the fight, you really don’t know what happened,” Cruz said. “I can’t really remember much of anything. You go in there and it’s like a whirlwind in there. Feels like I was in a tornado, you know? I was running into stuff (Cruz wobbles his head) likes dressers and what not. My shoulders hurt. My face hurts. I was just going out there to scrap.”
- It was a tale of two cards. The four Facebook fights were less than scintillating. According to Yahoo! Sports’ Dave Meltzer, UFC matchmaker Joe Silva went into the locker room to give a “pep talk.” He told the remaining fighters that the card needed pick-me-up and it was up to them to save it. The next two fights on Spike resulted in a 59-second knockout by Rafael dos Anjos and Guillard finished Shane Roller in 2:12.
- Looking to the future, Ortiz mentioned that he’d like to face the winner of the August fight between Forrest Griffin and Mauricio “Shogun” Rua. Guillard mentioned Jim Miller as his choice. When asked about rematching Siver, Guillard said he’d knock him out again. White and matchmaker Joe Silva were asked about what’s next for Cruz? Silva then deferred to WEC’s former matchmaker Sean Shelby, who said both Brian Bowles and Demetrious Johnson were candidates.
UFC Personal Trainer
..
, some casual fans may not have been stoked to check out this year’s Fourth of July weekend UFC card, but those who tuned in and bought tickets certainly got their money’s worth. The card produced three awesome knockouts, some major upsets and one of the best UFC moments in years with Tito Ortiz pulling off the shocker in absolute must-win situation against Ryan Bader.- UFC president Dana White was impressed and said Tito will be sticking around.
“Not only did he win the fight. He won the fight impressively, you know dropping the younger stronger and many people thought he had better hands. Dropping Bader and then submitting him.” White said.
- White said this should be it for another veteran Wanderlei Silva. The soon-to-be 35-year-old was knocked out badly inside of one minute by Chris Leben.
“People love him so much for the way he fights. The style and the kind of person he is. Yeah, it’s probably the end of the road for Wanderlei,” said White.
With an exciting five-round battle, UFC 132 delivered a solid event overall. In addition to Dominick Cruz’ long-awaited revenge over rival Urijah Faber, Tito Ortiz scored his first win since 2006, while Chris Leben delivered an impressive stoppage of Wanderlei Silva.
Here’s a closer look, with the UFC 132 Stock Report.
Stock up
Dominick Cruz: He waited four years; and debuting in the UFC as the champ in a headliner bout, delivered big. Cruz’ performance tonight showed how much his game has matured, as he utilized his trademark slick standup, with the threat of takedowns to finish strong to take a unanimous decision. While judge Sal D’Amato’s card of 50-45 was off (this writer had it 48-47 for Cruz), the 135-poun ace closed hard down the stretch as a champion should.
In addition to getting payback for the sole loss of his career, Cruz, now 18-1, performed the neat trick of simultaneously jump-starting the UFC’s bantamweight division with a good championship fight, while setting up a rubber match that is promotable as well. All in all, a great start for the UFC 135-pound titlist.
Tito Ortiz: With a stunning submission win over favored Ryan Bader, Ortiz recouped from a 0-4-1 slide, injecting much-needed life into a career that faced a certain release from the UFC if he’d lost. A polarizing figure throughout his 14-year career in the UFC, Ortiz’ post-fight celebration had to make even the most hardened critics a little nostalgic; working his patented gravedigger routine after getting the tap from Bader, Tito looked every bit like a hard-traveled veteran who appreciated the spoils of a big win.
Tapout Ryan Bader UFC 132 Walkout T-Shirt, XXL
It’s been a while, and this one gives him firm promotional footing for at least two more fights. As an added bonus, we can look forward to more Twitter awesomeness between he and UFC President Dana White.
Chris Leben: In a classic Lebenesque showing, the middleweight slugger was drilled early and came back huge, rebounding with his big left hand to stop Wanderlei Silva. Fighting an idol in a high-profile bout, Leben showed why he’s always a punch away from being in the winner’s circle and a promotional favorite. The biggest win of his career, it also removes the bad taste of his stoppage loss to Brian Stann in his previous outing.
Carlos Conit File Photo
Condit is on a roll in the UFC.Melvin Guillard: Clinical, laser-sharp and destructive, Guillard was like a bomb going off against Shane Roller. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: he’s the most physically gifted lightweight in the world, and a handful for anyone. The big question is, can he adjust in tough fights against the very best? We’ll soon find out. He’s probably the worst guy in the division to make a mistake against, given his power and ability to exploit openings.
Carlos Condit: Faced with a potentially daunting style matchup, Condit showed why he’d finished 25 opponents in 26 previous wins -- by going for it and damning the consequences. With a gorgeous flying knee he stunned Kim and took him out with a follow-up attack. Now a proven top-tier welter, he’s
also becoming highly marketable off this win and his
one-punch blowout of Dan Hardy.
Hold
Dennis Siver and Matt Wiman: While Siver took a unanimous 29-28 decision, the lightweight bout between mid-tier contenders was largely inconclusive. Siver took the first with his counters and takedown defense, while Wiman rebounded in the second, bloodying Siver with ground and pound and consistent top control. The third saw both largely run out of gas -- like a high school kegger that started strong and then fizzled when the power went out and the parents came home. Not necessarily a bad showing by either guy, but none of the elite lightweights are going to lose sleep watching a replay of this one.
Urijah Faber: In a close bid to take Cruz’ bantamweight belt, Faber fell just short in an exciting bout. Over the five-round distance, the champ’s mercurial style and overall volume proved the difference, though Faber clearly landed the harder and more effective shots. Interestingly, Cruz got the better of the wrestling battle, threatening over the last half of the bout with several, from which Faber consistently scrambled up and away from. A third match is a natural with these two; it will be up to Faber to adjust his tactics accordingly.
Brian Bowles: With his oft-injured right hand tweaked again against Takeya Mizugaki, Bowles could only offer a so-so showing, taking a decision win. Style-wise, this seemed like a winnable fight for him, but the hand clearly affected his ability to operate. The former champ definitely needs time to heal up.
Stock down
Wanderlei Silva: Silva simply hasn’t looked his old self. Whether it’s the weight cut at the advanced age of 34 (he turns 35 Sunday) or the numerous battles, he’s not the same fighter he used to be. Taken out by Leben in 27 seconds, the once-stout resilience and fighting machine that terrorized Pride is no longer the guy in the cage. Like another legend and all-time great, Silva’s venturing into Chuck Liddell territory if he continues to fight. Now 2-4 with the UFC, is he still too big a name to release, for fear that another promotion could pick him up? We’ll soon find out.
Ryan Bader: After being dominated by Jon Jones, on paper, Bader couldn’t have gotten a better opponent in terms of risk-reward than Ortiz, a name ex-champ who hadn’t won in five fights. Hurt by a right hand and submitted in the first, Bader’s stock takes a hit here, as this was the kind of fight a guy in his position is supposed to win.
Shane Roller: Blitzed out by the dangerous Guillard, Roller was simply outmatched on the feet. A mid-level 155er in the WEC with a potential upside, his striking remains very raw, leaving him dangerously exposed, something Guillard exploited.
Dong Hyun Kim: Going into the Condit bout, Kim was 14-0-1, and probably the least-hyped unbeaten fighter on the UFC’s roster. Handed his first loss, it’s back to the drawing board for the South Korean.
Takeya Mizugaki: Laconic and uninspired against Bowles, Mizugaki can’t seem to get over the bantamweight hump. Since his gutty title fight decision loss to then-champ Miguel Torres, he’s gone 3-3 and didn’t fight with much passion tonight.
- Not only did Ortiz remove head from the chopping block, he hauled in a nice postfight bonus. Ortiz along with Urijah Faber, Dominick Cruz and Carlos Condit each got $75,000. Ortiz was awarded Submission of the night, Condit Knockout of the Night and Faber/Cruz got Fight of the Night.
The knockout award was a tough decision. A disappointed Melvin Guillard shook his head during the presser and Chris Leben was hoping to get a bonus as well. White revealed that the 25-minute scrap between Faber and Cruz actually screwed Leben and Guillard. Without an obvious fight of the night, the promotion had planned on awarding three KO of the Night awards.
- The Cruz-Faber fight was very difficult to score and left Faber extremely disappointed. At least he kept it together in the Octagon. Matt Wiman failed to hold it together when it was announced he’d lost a close decision to Denis Siver. Wiman ran from the Octagon and eventually out of the building. White no issue with the decision. He scored it for Siver, but did say one celebrity onlooker disagreed vehemently. Justin Bieber thought Wiman won the fight. There’s no news on whether the 17-year-old singer also left the arena in disgust. A less than thrilled Bieber is pictured below with the legendary Chuck Liddell. It’s hard to smile for a photo after missing on out plus-240 Wiman payday.
- Ortiz admitted he was a little annoyed that he didn’t bet on himself. Bader closed as a minus-550 favorite in the MGM Grand sportsbook. A $100 bet on Tito would’ve brought home $400. Ortiz said he was glad to get the $75,000 bonus which he’ll use to “put away for my sons and, I don’t know, maybe go gamble a little bit tonight because is so damn good.”
- White was blown away by Condit and his knockout.
“How easily he did it. How technical it was. He fought an incredible fight tonight. He’s been great in his last two shows,” said White. Condit also destroyed Dan Hardy at UFC 120. “Yeah, he’s proved himself to be one of the best 170 pounders in the world. The guy that he beat tonight [Dong Hyun Kim] was undefeated in the UFC”
- Both Faber and Cruz admitted they barely remembered the details of their five-round war.
“You get really instinctual in there and I can’t really remember the fight. Right after the fight the doctor asked me how I feel and I said ‘I feel great!’ Now I feel like [expletive],” laughed Faber. “You always have to take a look at the actual fight and see what happened.”
“By the end of the fight, you really don’t know what happened,” Cruz said. “I can’t really remember much of anything. You go in there and it’s like a whirlwind in there. Feels like I was in a tornado, you know? I was running into stuff (Cruz wobbles his head) likes dressers and what not. My shoulders hurt. My face hurts. I was just going out there to scrap.”
- It was a tale of two cards. The four Facebook fights were less than scintillating. According to Yahoo! Sports’ Dave Meltzer, UFC matchmaker Joe Silva went into the locker room to give a “pep talk.” He told the remaining fighters that the card needed pick-me-up and it was up to them to save it. The next two fights on Spike resulted in a 59-second knockout by Rafael dos Anjos and Guillard finished Shane Roller in 2:12.
- Looking to the future, Ortiz mentioned that he’d like to face the winner of the August fight between Forrest Griffin and Mauricio “Shogun” Rua. Guillard mentioned Jim Miller as his choice. When asked about rematching Siver, Guillard said he’d knock him out again. White and matchmaker Joe Silva were asked about what’s next for Cruz? Silva then deferred to WEC’s former matchmaker Sean Shelby, who said both Brian Bowles and Demetrious Johnson were candidates.
UFC Personal Trainer
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Saturday, July 2, 2011
Saturday, June 25, 2011
UFC 132
UFC 132 now has 11 bouts on the night’s fight card as bantamweight newcomers Jeff Hougland and Donny Walker have been matched up as the final fight for the show.
UFC officials announced the bout on Thursday.
Jeff Hougland (9-4) makes his UFC debut after spending the majority of his career in the regional circuit. A winner of eight fights in a row, Hougland actually fought 2011 Topps UFC Title Shot / Ultimate Fighting Championship #132 Mark Scanlon - Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) Trading Card in a Protective Screwdown Display Case!
Strikeforce lightweight champion Gilbert Melendez early in his career in 2003 at a WEC show long before it was acquired by Zuffa.
Facing Hougland at UFC 132 will be fellow Octagon rookie Donny Walker.
Walker (12-6) is the latest product to come to the UFC by way of the Buckeye State of Ohio.
Spending the majority of his last few years in the NAAFS promotion, Walker has picked up seven wins in a row including a victory over Bellator Fighting Championships bantamweight Kenny Foster.
The bout between Walker and Hougland rounds out the 11-fight card set to go down on July 2 in Las Vegas
UFC officials announced the bout on Thursday.
Jeff Hougland (9-4) makes his UFC debut after spending the majority of his career in the regional circuit. A winner of eight fights in a row, Hougland actually fought 2011 Topps UFC Title Shot / Ultimate Fighting Championship #132 Mark Scanlon - Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) Trading Card in a Protective Screwdown Display Case!
Strikeforce lightweight champion Gilbert Melendez early in his career in 2003 at a WEC show long before it was acquired by Zuffa.Facing Hougland at UFC 132 will be fellow Octagon rookie Donny Walker.
Walker (12-6) is the latest product to come to the UFC by way of the Buckeye State of Ohio.
Spending the majority of his last few years in the NAAFS promotion, Walker has picked up seven wins in a row including a victory over Bellator Fighting Championships bantamweight Kenny Foster.
The bout between Walker and Hougland rounds out the 11-fight card set to go down on July 2 in Las Vegas
Sunday, March 20, 2011
Sunday, January 10, 2010
WEC 46 MMA fight Urijah Fabor returns !
"I feel like I am a little bit faster, and a little bit all over stronger," Faber told News10 in Sacramento. "But for me it is more than just being big, it is about being athletic."
Faber is returning from a seven-month absence. He suffered a broken right hand and a dislocated thumb on his left hand in a loss at WEC 41 to Mike Brown.
Jamie Varner (155) v. Ben Henderson (154.5) - WEC lightweight title
Raphael Assuncao (146) v. Urijah Faber (145.5) - Featherweight
Dave Jansen (156) v. Kamal Shalorus (155) -Lightweight
Mike Brown (146) v. Anthony Morrison (146) - Featherweight
Mackens Semerzier (144.5) v. Deividas Taurosevicius (146)- Featherweight
NON-TELEVISED UNDERCARD
Akitoshi Tamura (135) v. Charlie Valencia (134) - Bantamweight
Wagnney Fabiano (136) v. Clint Godfrey (135.5) - Bantamweight
Bryan Caraway (146) v. Mark Hominick (146) - Featherweight
George Roop (135.5) v. Eddie Wineland (135.5) - Bantamweight
Will Campuzano (136) v. Coty Wheeler (136) - Bantamweight
Saturday, June 6, 2009
WEC fight Urijah Faber Vs Mike Brown
With the biggest fight in the history of the featherweight division coming up on Sunday, the question is what looms in the business future for World Extreme Cagefighting and the company’s most marketable fighter, Urijah Faber.
Sunday could be one of those perfect scenarios which only fall together on rare occasions. The former longtime champion and the company’s most popular fighter is attempting to regain the 145-lb. championship from the man who defeated him, Mike Brown, in his hometown of Sacramento.
But this rare instance of the top two fighters in the world in their division battling for the title isn’t getting the exposure that the ability of the two fighters and the stakes of the battle deserve.
It’s not anything lacking in the fighters or the story, but the lack of the initials “U-F-C” – the insignia that, at this point, seems to determine whether the majority of mixed martial arts fans are going to pay attention.
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Though WEC is a subsidiary of the same Zuffa corporation that runs the Ultimate Fighting Championship, Faber (22-2) is not as well known as Georges St. Pierre despite being equally marketable. Unlike the UFC’s champions, Brown (21-4) isn’t mobbed by fans everywhere he goes. It’s not a slight on WEC as much as it is the reality of the sport.
There will probably be more than a million people buying next month’s UFC 100 on pay-per-view, but the majority of those people will not be watching Sunday night’s free fight that, on paper, is every bit as good as any fight on that UFC card.
There were business reasons for how this situation developed. WEC, a small California promotion operating out of a casino near Fresno, was purchased by Zuffa at the end of 2006 – largely in the guise of being a completely different company so Zuffa could make a deal with the Versus network.
At the time, Versus was looking to make a deal with the International Fight League. The IFL had raided several key executives from UFC, and when UFC president Dana White is in a promotional war, he doesn’t exactly play by the Marquis of Queensbury rules. UFC had an exclusive contract with Spike TV, so the purchase of the WEC promotion allowed White to block the IFL from Versus without violating his deal.
From the start, the decision was made that the WEC would become the home to smaller fighters, and the organization lucked into the fact the Fresno promotion’s featherweight champion, Faber, possessed a star quality that few in the game have. That was great for both sides two years ago, since there was no avenue in the United States for anyone lighter than 155 pounds to make real money.
“Without the WEC, if you were a 145-pound fighter, you had to look at fighting as just a hobby,” Brown noted.
Faber, in particular, has come a long way in those two years. At UFC 73 – held at the Arco Arena during the summer of 2007 – when Faber was shown on the big screen in his hometown, well, crickets chirped almost as loud as the stunning lack of reaction. One year later, when Faber defended his title in the same building against Jens Pulver, he received a reaction comparable to the biggest stars in the sport. Faber vs. Pulver actually sold more tickets than the UFC event the year before, and nearly filled the arena with 12,682 fans, setting a record for a featherweight fight.
Now, when Faber is shown at a UFC event, the fans react like he’s one of the top fighters in the sport.
But his most recent fight, a second win over Pulver, on Jan. 25 – ending with a guillotine in just 1:34 – was viewed by 700,000 viewers. That’s less than half the number who watched The Ultimate Fighter reality show on Wednesday night. And that was the second biggest TV audience in WEC history, although Sunday’s number should be significantly higher.
With Faber as the challenger in his home arena, that attendance record is expected to fall. More then 10,000 tickets were sold by midweek, and if it doesn’t end up as a sellout, it will come just a hair shy.
If one year ago, starting with the first Faber vs. Pulver fight, you had put these same two fighters and their weight class on UFC pay-per-view shows, Sunday’s fight would be one of the biggest fights of the year to the general public. As it is, it’s only that to those who follow the sport closely.
“Well, I’d be getting paid a lot more if this was on pay-per-view,” Faber said. “But more people are going to see the fight on free television. But I hope pay-per-view is in the near future.” It’s Faber who over the past two-plus years has put the division on the map, with a combination of skill and hard work in the gym and – being one of the most charismatic fighters in the world – working tirelessly in promoting.
After his loss of the championship to Brown on Nov. 5 in Hollywood, Fla. (just minutes away from Brown’s home base in Coconut Creek), Faber flew to Mexico to promote a tape-delayed airing of the fight, talking to media and fans as if he was still champion, talking endlessly about getting ready for a title defense that he had already lost.
“I do a lot of interviews,” he noted. “I’ve been starting at 6 to 7 a.m., and then go back to sleep. I do a lot of promotional stuff. It’s part of the game. When you’re getting established, you have to do that.”
But at 30, the clock on his prime years is ticking – though he’s almost four years younger than Brown. He talks about the day when a featherweight fighter can earn the kind of money in MMA that a boxer at the same level or top pro athlete would earn. And some day, it’s inevitable that something close to that will happen. Whether it will be quick enough for Faber after paving the way to share in the spoils at the end is the question.
His chances, as well as those of featherweights around the world, increase markedly if he gets the championship back – and even more if he and his opponents in the division were to be exposed within the UFC brand.
As for the fight, it will be Brown’s power, both in grappling and one-punch power, against Faber’s speed and scrambling ability. The wild cards are Faber’s creativity and unorthodox offensive moves, and conditioning by the time it gets to the late rounds.
“I think I got out of position,” said Faber, who is a very slight favorite to regain the title after suffering his first loss at featherweight. “I knew exactly what I was doing. I did a spinning back elbow and got caught with a big punch.
“The last time I got caught for being careless. I sort of live by the sword and die by the sword.”
Besides his usual training regimen of four- to five-hour daily sessions, Faber went back to lifting weights, trying to increase size and power against Brown. The champion is stronger than most lightweights, and a physical monster against most featherweights.
“I’ve added a bit of weight in my legs. I’m eating a little better. Other than that, it’s the same stuff. I’ll probably have added two pounds of muscle, but that’s a big difference at this weight. I think I’ll have a little more power.”
“I felt fine in the clinch,” he added. “He’s a big guy for featherweight. I didn’t feel like he was overpowering me.”
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