Issue 112
March 2014
A legend is broken in two, Japanese MMA makes a brief comeback and $50,000 earned in eight seconds. Here’s another month in review.
OH SNAP
Anderson Silva, UFC 168
A show of hands, please. Which of you had Chris Weidman down to defend his UFC middleweight title by Anderson Silva suffering a shin-bending bone break that made us all wish we didn’t have retinas? Yet again a Chris Weidman vs. Anderson Silva fight ends in a manner no one expected. These two couldn’t have, like, a normal fight could they?
Despite Weidman’s left leg doing what it’s supposed to when checking a kick, some have still classed it a lucky win. But up until then, it looked like Weidman was on his way to another win over Silva to match his July knockout anyway – what with the knocking Silva down in the first and subsequent ground ‘n’ pounding of the Brazilian for several minutes. And we couldn’t help but notice Silva was down to just an average fighter’s striking accuracy, missing with several power shots.
We’ll have to wait some time to know whether that was truly the unceremonious end of the UFC’s longest reigning champion. But should he come back, watching Silva in a standard three-round non-title fight could be weirder than seeing his shin crack to a 90-degree angle... On second thoughts, no it absolutely wouldn’t be.
TOUGHEST NUT TO CRACK
Kazuyuki Fujita, Inoki Bom-Ba-Ye 2013
They don’t call Kazuyuki Fujita ‘Ironhead’ because he’s partial to falling on his face in a strong breeze. He’s bloody hard to knock out – even from repeated full-power strikes via Olympic judo gold medalist Satoshi Ishii. The two fought to a decision over three two-and-a-half-minute rounds at Inoki Bom-Ba-Ye 2013 in Tokyo on New Year’s Eve. Fujita was cracked with big knees, punches and kicks, and by the end of the fight was pinned in the corner and used for southpaw Ishii’s solid lefts out of the clinch. Ishii went home with the unanimous win, and no doubt a sore pair of hands.
LOUDEST BOOS
Ronda Rousey, UFC 168
It’s very rare a crowd is so vocal with its distaste for a fighter that UFC color commentator Joe Rogan struggles to hear said person during their in-cage conversation. But the UFC 168 attendees didn’t at all like Ronda Rousey’s refusal to shake Miesha Tate’s hand after armbarring her into submission in the third round. It capped off an entertaining scrap fought to the tune of ‘Miesha’ and ‘Ronda’ chants and filled with a little back and forth and a lot of ‘Rowdy’ mat domination and takedown reversal. To be fair to Rousey, even after snubbing Tate’s extended hand she was complimentary of her abilities post fight – which you couldn’t say for Miesha, who told Rogan that Ronda had only improved her right hand since their 2012 clash. A ridiculous ground game, and the ability to polarize a fan base? UFC boss Dana White was right, Rousey really is like a Diaz brother.
BEST PERFORMANCE
TJ Dillashaw, UFC Fight Night 35
You’ll often get an impressive finish or two on a fight card, but you’re not often treated to a near-perfect performance. TJ Dillashaw had one at UFC Fight Night 35, in Georgia against Mike Easton, and it was a delight to watch. Thanks to over a year under the tutelage of kickboxing specialist Duane Ludwig, you’d never have thought the TUF veteran’s primary weapon was wrestling – not after seeing his neat attacks from southpaw and orthodox, and the sharp defense that backed up his Easton-stunting teep and jab. In fact Dillashaw’s repertoire was so diverse the bantamweight looked like he was almost playing, and he took an indisputable unanimous decision win while doing it. Throw in his dominance on the ground and cardio for days and you’ve got a guy with every chance of becoming championship caliber one day.
SCARIEST MOTHERLOVER
Tarec Saffiedine, UFC Fight Night 34
UFC Fight Night 34’s Tarec Saffiedine was wearing one of the scariest game faces the Octagon has hosted for some time. Looking all hard knocks, ‘I’ve seen stuff’ European kickboxer, the frighteningly talented fighter tore Hyun Gyu Lim to pieces using the same leg kicks he crippled Nate Marquardt with a year prior for the Strikeforce 170lb strap. His most vicious moment came in the third after Lim hobbled to the mat following another left thigh chop and Saffiedine whipped the afflicted area with several furious, quick blows. Although almost KO’d by a desperate Lim in the closing seconds, Saffiedine earned an imperious decision and a role in all viewers’ nightmares.
BIGGEST WHIPPING
Ikuhisa Minowa, Inoki Bom-Ba-Ye 2013
Part-time pro wrestler Ikuhisa Minowa with 101 fights is asked to fight full-time squared circle worker Atsushi Sawada who has zero full-contact combat experience. Yes, it’s New Year’s Eve in Japan, yes, it’s on wrestling-MMA cross-over card Inoki Bom-Ba-Ye 2013, and yes, ‘Minowaman’ absolutely trounced former judoka Sawada. The latter’s offensive game mostly consisted of coming up short on Hail Mary overhands, and the beginning of the end came when he staggered across the ring with his eyes rolled back following a Minowaman right-left about a minute in. He stuck around a little while longer as target practice for the outweighed Minowa until he was felled by a taste of his own overhand medicine and then fed a foot stomp. Don’t underestimate a man in red Speedos.
SOME BODY
Luke Rockhold, UFC Fight Night 35
What have you done in the last eight seconds? Ogling our lovingly crafted text, we’d wager. Which is great – it honestly is. Please, do it all the time. Just don’t feel too bad some people can earn $50,000 in the same span. Like former Strikeforce champion Luke Rockhold at UFC Fight Night 35 in January. He struck Costas Philippou with three brutal liver kicks inside only eight ticks to make his 34-year-old opponent call it a night. Philippou dropped to the floor clutching his guts at 2:31 of round one, giving ex skateboarder Rockhold his first UFC victory and a very decent $50k ‘Knockout of the Night’ bonus. All with WWE legend Ric Flair watching from the front row. Some people have all the fun.
MOST OVERDUE DEBUT
Tatsuya Kawajiri, UFC Fight Night 34
It was pretty hard to understand Tatsuya Kawajiri’s exasperated, broken-English post-fight interview in Singapore. Having choked out Sean Soriano in the second, it went something along the lines of saying hello to the entire globe and asking for a featherweight title shot and the ‘Submission of the Night’ bonus. He got neither, but give him some slack; he’d been waiting for that ‘W’, which came in his UFC debut at Fight Night 34, the majority of a 14-year career fought across Pride, Strikeforce, Dream, Shooto and One FC. But who cares how much sense one of Japan’s most exciting fighters makes if he’s finally in the UFC?
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