Issue 128

May 2015

Leading ladies, aluminum hotpants, title upsets, and the Brits invade Bellator.

’IRON’ RONDA ROUSEY  

Ronda Rousey vs. Cat Zingano, UFC 184

Could it be time for Ronda Rousey to change her nickname? As much as we’ve grown to love referring to the UFC women’s bantamweight champion as ‘Rowdy’ – an ode to former pro wrestler Roddy Piper – surely ‘Iron’ Mike Tyson’s moniker is more apt a mantle for the 135lb phenom?

Just like the way Tyson ran through opponents during his heyday, Ronda is bulldozing her way through the UFC’s women’s bantamweight division. Her latest victim, Cat Zingano, was hyped to be a worthy challenge for the undefeated Olympic judoka, but proved to be nothing more than another body to add to the queen of female fighting’s growing list of first-round victims. 

It took just 14 seconds for Rousey to launch the onrushing Zingano through the air before she caught her in her patented armbar submission. Tyson wiped out the heavyweight division with ferocious power, and it appears Rousey will do the same to women’s MMA thanks to her full arsenal of skills.

TITLE CHANCE BAKED

Riku Shibuya, One Championship: Age of Champions

Either One Championship title challenger Riku Shibuya, aka Asuka Mikami, has got a real fear of alien life forms using telepathy to invade his genitals or he’s got serious fashion issues.

The Japanese flyweight took on champion Adriano Moraes in a pair of aluminum foil hotpants in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, in what must have proven to be the most uncomfortable five rounds of his professional life.

Strapping your meat and two veg up in an aluminum foil wrap may well be the key to preparing a classic family thanksgiving dinner, but it’s certainly not the ideal preparation for a world title fight. 

Not surprisingly, Moraes won a unanimous points decision. But at least Shibuya had something convenient to wrap up any leftover pizza at the post-fight party before heading back to Tokyo.

AGAINST ALL ODDS  

Rafael dos Anjos, UFC 185

Outside of the Octagon at least, ‘Showtime’ Pettis has been a busy man. He wrapped up a Reebok sponsorship deal and became the first mixed martial artist to grace the cover of a Wheaties box. But he failed to see a Brazilian juggernaut hurtling towards him. 

Rafael dos Anjos smacked Pettis around the Octagon for five rounds in Dallas, unleashing rib-crushing left body kicks to snatch the UFC lightweight crown in an upset victory. It was the Brazilian’s 18th fight under the UFC banner – better late than never. 

Amazingly, in a post-fight revelation, it was found dos Anjos suffered an MCL injury just weeks before too. That’s one tough dude. 

BEST OF BRITISH  

Liam McGeary & co., Bellator 134

Liam McGeary became the first British fighter to win a world title with a major US-based promotion in Connecticut when he relieved Emanuel Newton of his Bellator MMA light heavyweight belt after a back-and-forth battle.

And he was followed into the win column by veteran slugger Paul Daley and submission specialist Linton Vassell at Bellator 134, crowing a remarkable night for the Brits abroad.

Daley beat the fight out of Andre Santos, lighting up the Brazilian journeyman with his trademark left hooks en route to a points win. While Vassell, out to make a statement after losing his own shot at Newton last time out, battered former Pride star Sokoudjou with ground ‘n’ pound before the referee pulled him off in the second round. 

With McGeary and Vassell both earning impressive wins on the same card, could this set up an all-English 205lb title fight in 2015? London awaits.

COMETH THE CYBORG

Cris Justino vs. Charmaine Tweet, Invicta FC 11

According to Charmaine Tweet, she and her team refrained from referring to Cris Justino by her more popular nickname of ‘Cyborg’ during the training camp for her 145lb title fight as a way of humanizing the champion. 

On paper, making Justino appear normal probably seemed like a smart idea, but as soon as the Brazilian started to connect with punches, Tweet quickly realized she wasn’t fighting a mere mortal. She was, in fact, facing someone who was like a part-woman, part-machine. 

Just 46 seconds later, Tweet was marooned on the Invicta canvas – bloody, battered, and beaten. 

CAN I KICK IT? YES YOU CAN

Gianni Subba, One Championship: Age of Champions

Ever since Gerard Gourdeau kicked Teila Tuli’s teeth out of the Octagon at UFC 1, soccer kicks have courted controversy in MMA. Now prohibited under the Unified Rules, we rarely get to wince at their reckless abandon today.

Thankfully, out in Asia, they still permit the old volley to the chops as Phuket Top Team flyweight Gianni Subba reminded us of during March’s One Championship fight card in Kuala Lumpur. Backpedaling under pressure from Thanh Vu, Subba dispatched a perfect counter left hook to send the Aussie crashing onto all fours, then followed up with a right head soccer kick.

He’d also shipped a couple of teeth-chattering right hands by the time the ref jumped in. But it was the soccer kick that made sure this was one of the most brutal finishes of the year so far.

IF LOOKS COULD KILL

Alan Jouban vs. Richard Walsh, UFC 184

If intimidating appearances were the deciding factor in fights then Richard Walsh would have destroyed Alan Jouban with some sort of devastating high-flying manoeuvre. With his large beard and intense stare, Walsh certainly has the look of a fighter, especially compared to Jouban, who wouldn’t be out of place working the checkout at an Abercrombie & Fitch store.

However, as the old adage goes, never judge a book by its cover, as Jouban, who is indeed a model outside of his mixed martial arts career, stood toe-to-toe with the Australian before leveling him with a vicious standing elbow strike to the temple. 

So not only is Jouban a handsome devil, he can fight like one too. Sometimes life just isn’t fair.

POLISH POWER  

Joanna Jedrzejczyk, UFC 185

The polished Polish bombs and punishing pinpoint accuracy displayed by Joanna Jedrzejczyk in Dallas, Texas was enough to buckle Carla Esparza’s knees in round two and ensure Europe crowned its first-ever UFC women’s champion. 

Jedrzejczyk’s gangly frame and liquid movement immediately submerged Esparza, winner of the TUF 20 strawweight world title tournament at the start of the year, in deep water. After dominating on the reality show, the American wrestler came up against a far superior striker at UFC 185. One who, critically, stuffed takedown attempts with ease.

Talk about sprawl and brawl, The diminutive former Muay Thai champion not only had Esparza’s number, she punched the ticket and wrote the book on how to shut down a grappler and pick her off with clever dirty boxing and nasty Thai elbows.

With the division’s other Muay Thai-grounded Jo, Joanne Calderwood, in action in the new champ’s native Poland this month, bringing the two together in the Octagon could set up the first-ever UFC title fight on European soil in Glasgow, Scotland later in the summer.