Issue 097
January 2013
Bad game plans, jaw-dropping knockouts, and Anderson Silva – all washed down with a slightly comedic KO.
LATEST STOPPAGE
Andrey Koreshkov and Marius Zaromskis, Bellator 78
How do you know a man should have stopped taking punches to an unprotected face several seconds ago? When he’s been lying on the floor making virtually no effort to prevent 11 of them in a row. But such is the benefit of hindsight for the referee in the Bellator 78 contest between Andrey Koreshkov and Marius Zaromskis. After dropping MMA veteran Zaromskis with a neat left hook, Koreshkov followed ‘The Whitemare’ to the ground and delivered the previously mentioned package. Here’s to hoping there are fewer delayed stops such as this in any promotion’s ring in future.
JUST LOOKING FOR MY CONTACT LENS
Thiago Santos, Bellator 79
‘Why’d you stop it, ref? I was just looking for my contact lens,’ is an excuse not nearly enough fighters use after being saved from a TKO onslaught during which they could only turtle and cover up. It wasn’t used by Thiago Santos at Bellator 79, although it certainly could have been. The TV broadcast initially didn’t clearly show why he suddenly burrowed his face into the cage canvas from Richard Hale’s collar tie, toward the end of the opening round. From there, Hale’s strikes got the victory, which was especially surprising as Santos had him on the ropes for most of the fight. Replays showed Santos losing a tooth a minute prior that could have played a part. Perhaps he was looking for that?
FIGHT ‘TIL THE FINISH
Anthony Johnson, World Series of Fighting 1
There was a little bit of unintentional comedic timing in former UFC welterweight/middleweight Anthony Johnson’s finish of DJ Linderman at World Series of Fighting 1. Their battle in Las Vegas in November ended at 3:58 of round one, soon after ‘Rumble’ Johnson (now at light heavyweight) had complained to referee Herb Dean of an eye poke. Dean hadn’t seen it and directed Johnson to continue, who immediately turned to Linderman, stiff-armed an oncoming right hand and unloaded a hellacious right of his own which planked Linderman face first to the floor, bout over. All of this happened inside two seconds.
MOST SECRETLY RELIEVED
Haitham Tantawy via Michael Page, Super Fight League 7
We’re speculating here, of course. Egyptian welterweight Haitham Tantawy, might well not have been relieved to have the doctor take issue with a cut and call off a bout between him and showboating British stand-up wizard Michael Page at Super Fight League 7 in India. But he probably was, because for one, he’d been dropped twice before the 2:15 end, and Page is known for dominating men in spectacular fashion. Don’t believe us? YouTube it. There you will see a man who first dances like Fred Astaire, then kicks ass like Anderson Silva. Which is exactly why he’s dubbed ‘The UK’s Anderson Silva’. Would you want to be in the ring with him?
MOST APT NICKNAME
Brian Rogers, Bellator 78
When Brian Rogers tries to hit Dominque Steele (not a girl) in the face, he does it with frighteningly severe conviction. We know this because it’s exactly what he did when he fought the man at Bellator 78. Rogers ain’t one of these dudes who hurts other dudes with shots then goes all calculated assassin. Nope, he goes all predator. That’s his nickname, yeah? Despite living up to his moniker, however, the five-foot-eleven middleweight couldn’t put Steele away. ‘The Predator’ rocked him with several violent strikes, and always followed up with a hyper-aggressive flurry of fists but couldn’t get the finish en route to a unanimous decision win.
AUDACIOUS, BODACIOUS
Anderson Silva, UFC 153
This bloody Anderson Silva has to be taking the Michael. Who does he think he is, beating every man put in front of him in the UFC’s Octagon, and earning the title ‘pound-for-pound number-one’? And in his home country of Brazil, for UFC 153 in October, he only went and kept up the act at the expense of Stephan Bonnar didn’t he? The middleweight champion couldn’t just have a nice tidy scrap with the light heavyweight. Oh no, ‘The Spider’ had to marvel us by sticking against the cage and slipping Bonnar’s strikes, then ending the fight in the first with a knee to the chest. Just shocking.
NO WORDS RHYME WITH BRABO
Ricardo Tirloni, Bellator 77
Brazilian lightweight Ricardo Tirloni really wanted to get a choke from the front headlock position at Bellator 77. Like, really. A guillotine was the first and second thing the guy went for after stumbling Rene Nazare with a right hook in the second round, causing a failed Nazare takedown attempt. Even after getting swept and then ending up in side control Tirloni went for the brabo choke at his earliest opportunity. Third time was the charm, as it turns out. Around 17 seconds later, former jiu-jitsu world champion Nazare was tapping. Maybe it’s better if you brabo-n’t go to the ground with Ricardo Tirloni…
PAPER BEATS ROCK
Tyrone Spong, World Series of Fighting 1
Engaging in a kickboxing battle with Dutch-Surinamese kickboxing stud Tyrone Spong (68 stand-up wins), whilst you’re both wearing four-ounce gloves, is not a recipe for your success. As demonstrated by Travis Bartlett, now 7-3, at World Series of Fighting 1. Spong, who was making his mixed martial arts debut, battered Bartlett around the cage perimeter with kicks, knees and body shots before finishing with a precise right hand, straight down the pipe and onto Barlett’s chin in the first. Lesson learned.
...
