BOXER REBELLION

‘Rampage’ Jackson vs Glover Teixeira, UFC on Fox 6

You don’t see a lot of traditional boxing-style bobbing and weaving in MMA because it’s a great way to find your opponent’s knee pushing the structural limits of your facial bones. But when it happens, which each man dodging shots and rolling into his own, it can be quite a visual treat. Like when ‘Rampage’ Jackson battled fellow grappler-turned-boxer Glover Teixeira at UFC on Fox 6. Jackson, intending it to be his UFC farewell, finally got the finish-hungry fight he wanted to give to the fans, and laid down (and happily absorbed) some pretty sweet combos to boot. Will it really be the last we ever see of Quinton Jackson in the Octagon? Time will tell.

HARSHEST LEG KICKS

Tarec Saffiedine, Strikeforce: Marquardt vs Saffiedine

If you aren’t familiar with Tarec Saffiedine’s work, consult some back issues of FO because you’ve been missing out. The 170lb Belgian-born Team Quest striker took it to former UFC middleweight contender Nate Marquardt in January at the last-ever Strikeforce event. By that we mean took severe issue with Nate’s left leg. For once you didn’t have to take the commentary booth’s word for it that ‘those nasty leg kicks’ were ‘leaving welts on so-and-so’s legs’ because Nate’s left thigh was a screaming red, visible even over the medium of television, thanks to Tarec’s masterful leg chops in the main event. Even the noise itself was painful to listen to by the end. Ultimately Marquardt could barely stand and he surrendered his Strikeforce welterweight belt to promotion stalwart Saffiedine on the judges’ scorecards.

MY NOSE WAS COLD

Clay Guida, UFC on Fox 6

We’re not sure how, but Don Frye’s mustache made it onto Clay Guida’s face at UFC on Fox 6. Perhaps by the will of the MMA gods, the January event boasted the Frye-stache and Guida tag teaming against Japanese standout Hatsu Hioki. ‘The Carpenter’ went the distance in his 145lb debut and, wearing his walkout cap while waiting for his hand to be raised for a split decision win in front of his Chicago brethren, also looked more than a little like Mario, of Nintendo video game notoriety. An all-round mighty tash.

EASY WHEN YOU KNOW HOW

Josh Barnett, Strikeforce: Marquardt vs Saffiedine

Considering he had the flu at the time, it was a good thing catch wrestler heavyweight Josh Barnett sliced through opponent Nandor Guelmino in a mere 2:11 at Strikeforce: Marquardt vs Saffiedine in January. Otherwise goodness knows what could have happened in that cage. Like, a really unpleasant sneeze from mount or something. It’s not like Barnett didn’t have the chance; after a little grounded and standing grappling Barnett ended up in that very position. But, like a gentleman, he smothered Austrian foe Guelmino (an 11-4-1 first-time big-time fighter) with a fight-ending arm triangle, not in a stinky spray of saliva and mucus.

SMOOTH MOVES

‘King Mo’ Lawal and Jason Sampson, Bellator 86

Of all the finishes at Bellator 86, the slickest was ‘King Mo’ Lawal’s first-round KO, closely followed by Jason Sampson’s armbar sequence in the dark matches. In his Bellator debut, Lawal showed supreme confidence in his Jeff Mayweather-trained hands (recently, at least) against announcer’s nightmare Przemyslaw Mysiala. Lawal battered him with boxing until dodging Mysiala’s high kick, one, two with a left swipe and a killer right hook to put the Pole out. Earlier in the night ultra composed Jason Sampson used the final 25 seconds of his fight to submit Chris Pham with some slick jits. From back control he went for an armbar, which when unsuccessful he switched to a triangle, then a mounted triangle with strikes, then a triangle-armbar, then just a pure armbar to finish with five seconds left. A bit wow.

MOST CONTROVERSIAL WEIGH-IN WEAR

Khabib Nurmagomedov, UFC on FX 7

Now, there are plenty of Brazilian jiu-jitsu practitioners in the Fighters Only offices, but even they had their funny bones tickled by Russian sambo player Khabib Nurmagomedov’s UFC on FX 7 weigh-in T-shirt poking fun at the ground-focused art. He riled the Brazilian crowd ahead of his bout with their compatriot Thiago Tavares with threads that read, ‘If sambo was easy it would be called jiu-jitsu.’ Knowing how well Brazilians take to lampooning of their nation and traditions (note: statement untrue) Nurmagomedov probably felt fortunate to get out of the arena in one piece, especially after TKO’ing Tavares in less than two minutes. He can talk the talk, and walk the walk.

MISSILE COMMAND

Savant Young, Bellator 85

Stocky Bellator lightweight Savant Young must be a killer Missile Command player. Because, just like in the 1980 arcade game where players have to intercept missiles in mid air with other missiles, Young blasted a leaping UFC alumnus Mike Guymon with a left hand bomb so powerful ‘Joker’ was knocked out immediately, in mid air. Guymon even crashed to Earth, flat on his back, with four facial fractures and a fractured jaw – although those ailments could have been down to the follow-up make-sure haymaker Young landed on a limp Guymon before the referee could step in.

CLONE WARS

Edson Barboza vs Lucas Martins, UFC on FX 7

Did anyone else watching Brazilian lightweights Edson Barboza and Lucas Martins scrap in Sao Paulo think the science community had finally mastered human cloning and chosen MMA, of all potential things on the entire planet, to apply it to? Because save for the color of their shorts (Barboza in white and Martins in black) the two are the spitting image of one another, as the world saw in eerie, Twilight Zone fashion at UFC on FX 7. Cruelly, Barboza happily laid into Martins, his clone, for over two-and-a-half minutes before getting the strike-based stop in the first round, thanks predominantly to an odd jab/fade-away left hook hybrid. Another one for the wild and weird MMA scrapbook.

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