Issue 126

March 2015

Want to know who made the biggest waves during the last month in MMA? We've got you covered.

BACK IN HIS GROOVE  

Jake Shields, World Series of Fighting 17

Oh, Jake Shields, why must you play with our feelings? Before you came to the UFC, we loved you for your submission wizardry. You schooled the likes of Robbie Lawler, Paul Daley and Mike Pyle on the ground with your mix of wrestling and BJJ, which you delightfully dubbed ‘American Jiu-Jitsu’. Then it all seemed to go away when you signed with the UFC and won, then lost, decision after decision. 

However, when most fans figured your days of tapping opponents were done, you filled your first two WSOF fights with classic Jake Shields grappling. First, Ryan Ford succumbed to a sneaky rear naked choke at WSOF 14, then three months later Brian Foster suffered the same fate. The former Strikeforce champ needed less than three minutes to submit the MMA veteran. Never change again Jake.

BIGGEST ROBBERY

Cathal Pendred vs. Sean Spencer, UFC Fight Night 59

Just when you begin to feel as if MMA judging had finally turned a corner, some terrible injustice happens to remind you how far judges truly have to go. 

Sean Spencer lit Cathal Pendred up for 15 minutes, using fast, accurate combination punching to counteract his opponent’s desperate takedown attempts, but it was the Boston-born Irishman who walked away with the unanimous decision nod. How? We don’t really know. However, we would like to sit down and watch the bout again with judges Doug Crosby, Eric Colon and David Ginsberg to find out the method behind their madness.

BACK-AND-FORTH BATTLE

Patricio Freire vs. Daniel Straus, Bellator 132

Despite not being the featherweight title fight on the lips of every MMA fan around the world – that award goes to the tantalizing Aldo-McGregor showdown – Bellator’s 145lb champion Freire and perennial leading contender Straus showed they deserve as much recognition as their UFC counterparts. 

The always-game Straus took it to the champion from the off, utilizing kicks and searching for takedowns throughout the first 15 minutes. Freire had some success, but Straus was clearly up on the scorecards going into the fourth round. However, as we’ve seen time and again in this sport, all it takes is one mistake. Straus found that out the hard way when he failed to complete a kimura and was reversed into a rear naked choke. MMA, you truly are a cruel mistress.

ROLLING BACK THE YEARS  

Mirko ‘Cro Cop’, IGF – Inoki Bom-Ba-Ye 2014

Despite having the sort of career that would put him in the all-time top 10 of heavyweight fighters and a reputation as one of the most violent strikers to ever grace the sport, there’s an entire generation of newbie mixed martial arts fans who only know Mirko ‘Cro Cop’ for his underwhelming UFC campaign. 

However, at Inoki Bom-Ba-Ye 2014 – the revitalized annual Japanese New Year’s Eve event – the former Pride superstar showed fans he could still turn it on when given the chance. 

Cro Cop took on Olympic judo gold medalist Satoshi Ishii in a rematch of their fight last year. He peppered the judoka with strikes, forcing him back towards the corner before he unleashed his trademark left high kick to Ishii’s temple. 

The Reign MMA heavyweight stumbled and staggered before the Croatian landed the final blows. You could almost hear the “Pride Never Die!” faithful weeping with nostalgic joy around the world.

SCARIEST SUBMISSION  

Georgi Karakhanyan, Bellator 132

When you’ve got two fighters who are as confident, skilled and brash as former WSOF 145lb king Georgi Karakhanyan and NCAA Division I champion wrestler Bubba Jenkins, fireworks are pretty much guaranteed. Prior to the fight, Jenkins told the MMA media that after training with Karakhanyan for his title defense against Lance Palmer last year he knew the Armenian was, “absolutely petrified of wrestlers” and that there was no way he’d be caught by a guillotine. 

Well, even though Karakhanyan wasn’t able to defend Jenkins’ takedown attempts, he did manage to battle his supposed fear head on. He used the same submission Jenkins promised never to be caught by to choke his opponent unconscious and leave him in a heap in the middle of the cage.

BIGGEST BEATDOWN

Marion Reneau, UFC 182

Every so often the MMA gods give fans a match-up that produces so much one-sided violence it becomes slightly uncomfortable to watch. Junior dos Santos probably lost a few brain cells after being mauled by Cain Velasquez, Rosi Sexton retired after being decimated by Jessica Andrade and now we can add Marion Reneau beating the breaks off Alex Dufresne inside the MGM Grand to the list of brutal beatdowns inside the Octagon.

Reneau did whatever she wanted against Dufresne, using the Team Quest product as a human punch bag for three full rounds. She used her superior speed to bludgeon Dufresne at will, and left a lasting impression on everyone watching. 

Dufresne, however, got an A for effort but will hope 2015 gets a little easier because this was one beatdown that threatened to give her recurring nightmares.