Issue 105
September 2013
Shocks, upsets, retirements and both ‘Fight...’ and ‘Submission of the Year’ contenders. It’s just another four weeks in the world’s best rings and cages.
HIS MASTER’S VOICE
Fabricio Werdum, UFC on Fuel TV 10
A wise man once asked: if ‘Minotauro’ Nogueira doesn’t tap, does he actually submit? The answer is yes, based on the outcome of the jiu-jitsu ace’s main event against Fabricio Werdum. Their UFC on Fuel TV 10 fight was halted when Nog only let out a beast-like grunt as he was locked in a Werdum armbar in the second round. Black belt Werdum released the hold, referee Mario Yamasaki stepped in and loser Nogueira quietly accepted the outcome. The former UFC interim heavyweight champion will probably find it small solace the hold itself was delightfully set up. Werdum ended up with back mount on a turtled Nogueira, the result of some smothering top pressure, from which he trapped Rodrigo’s right arm, grabbed hold of the left, stepped over into an armbar and the rest is recent history. Werdum paid his respects to his idol, against whom he was a coach on the second TUF: Brazil, and sailed off into UFC heavyweight title contendership. A passing of the torch? Could be.
BEST PERFORMANCE
Stipe Miocic, UFC 161
Come on, you were all thinking it – that Stipe Miocic was probably going to get starched by Roy Nelson at UFC 161. Consider the heavyweight American-Croatian’s circumstances. Been knocked out in his last bout? Check. About to fight a heavy-handed grappling specialist who’s just stopped three people in a row with strikes? Check. Except there was no starching. In fact Miocic demonstrated the poise and skill, in avoiding Nelson’s overhand right and grappling game, that had/has many tipping him as a future number-one title contender. Miocic left Canada with a unanimous decision, and plenty of others sat at home watching their wagers get swallowed by bookmakers. MMA universe, you’re a b*tch.
SHOCK TREATMENT
Josh Burkman, World Series of Fighting 3
As ex-perennial UFC 170lb contender Jon Fitch lay entirely unconscious, and Josh Burkman, 5-5 in the UFC several years ago, stood over him in triumph you were surely not uttering the words, ‘Duh, obviously.’ Because no one saw Burkman choking Fitch out with a guillotine coming – no one at all. The World Series of Fighting 3 main event stunned Fitch, stunned the world and stunned referee Steve Mazzagatti, who perhaps was the most surprised of anyone – seeing as Burkman’s celebration notified him of Fitch’s sudden insentient state. That it all happened in 41 seconds was perhaps the most shocking thing of all.
MOST RETIREMENTS
‘Babalu’ Sobral and Seth Petruzelli, Bellator 96
Bellator 96 in June led to two folk hanging up the gloves. Which is two more than the vast majority of fight cards. Seth Petruzelli, famous for knocking out Kimbo Slice as a late replacement in 2008, was KO’d by ‘King Mo’ in the first round of their bout. Which put him out of the promotion’s summer light heavyweight tournament and into retirement, as he later announced on his Facebook page. Competing in the other half of the four-man tourney, ‘Babalu’ Sobral’s bout with Jacob Noe was stopped in the third with Sobral, a 16-year veteran, more or less out on his feet. The former double UFC 205lb number-one contender shouted to commentators Sean Wheelock and Jimmy Smith from inside the cage, telling them that he was calling it a career, and took a moment to poignantly pull off his gloves and place them in the center of the ring.
ANGRY BIRDS
Thiago Silva, UFC on Fuel TV 10
Brazilians, for the most part, don’t like fighting other Brazilians. So when light heavyweights Thiago Silva and Rafael ‘Feijao’ Cavalcante appeared to be furious with one another at UFC on Fuel TV 10 in Brazil you could be certain you were about to see a quick finish. Or two horrendously exhausted individuals engaging in the MMA equivalent of a dad fight in the final round. To the benefit of everyone’s time, money and patience, it was the former. As the first round progressed, Silva was finding a home for the cleaner, stronger shots and by 4:29 was being pulled off Cavalcante – who was slumped against the fence. Naturally, he seemed pleased with the outcome and used the opportunity to flip Feijao the bird as he walked away. Don’t mess with a Brazilian, Brazilian.
THE KING IS DEAD, LONG LIVE THE KING
‘King Mo’ Lawal, Bellator 96
‘You’re only as good as your last fight,’ is perhaps the truest phrase in mixed martial arts. Just ask ‘King Mo’ Lawal, who was thrown to the lions after being knocked out by a spinning back-fist in February and consequently deemed to be overrated and/or washed up. Curiously there was little mention of either after he demolished Seth Petruzelli with a single shot at Bellator 96 in June. Barely 90 seconds into round one, Lawal, standing over UFC alumnus Petruzelli, swept the ‘Silverback’s legs to one side and lamped him with a massive, leaping right hand. Petruzelli was out cold, and Mo was back in the good books.
FIGHT OF THE YEAR?
Doo Ho Choi vs. Shoji Maruyama, Deep: Cage Impact 2013
We don’t want to overhype Doo Ho Choi and Shoji Maruyama’s rollercoaster scrap from Deep: Cage Impact 2013 in Tokyo in June, but it’s the best fight you’ve never seen. Let’s just say if this one were in the UFC it’d be hard to beat for the Fighters Only Awards’ ‘Fight of the Year’ trophy on account of public voting visibility. In fact, promotion president Dana White would have just given his ‘…of the Night’ check book to the pair and let them compliment their bank accounts any way they saw fit. In the spirit of not giving away too much should you choose to YouTube this gem yourself, let us offer our sequence of emotions as description instead of the action itself. In order of occurrence: curiosity, interest, surprise, wonderment at why Maruyama’s corner stool isn’t just walked into the cage not handed over the top, surprise, more surprise, shock, humor, disbelief, a sense of marvel at the capabilities of men. Who won? We wouldn’t want to spoil your appetite.
CLOSEST BOUT
Michal Materla vs. Kendall Grove, KSW 23
It’s a good thing Michael Materla won his barnstormer of a bout against UFC regular Kendall Grove, because when your pre-fight entrance involves your own personal rapper-come-hype man, well, you better have the substance for all that style. He won despite both men not being shy about their attempts to knock one another out at KSW 23 in Poland in June. Materla, the promotion's middleweight champ, nearly did it early on a few occasions but Grove fought through, as they both did to second-round submission attempts. An up-kick appeared to drop Materla in the third only for him to quickly regain his senses and continue with takedowns and more success on the feet. A tie on the judges’ cards after 15 minutes, meant a fourth round was necessary. Both were game, but Materla continually penetrated Grove’s reach with his hound ‘n’ ground (our words) to edge it. Substance confirmed.
