Issue 108
December 2013
Tender kisses, four storming comebacks, English death metal and Ric Flair: your guide to MMA’s maddest month.
TIGHTEST ARMBAR
Anthony Pettis, UFC 164
In just four minutes and 31 seconds of the main event at UFC 164, Anthony Pettis forced Benson Henderson to verbally submit to one of the tightest armbars of the year and surrender his 155lb strap. Just as impressive was the first thing now-former UFC lightweight champion Henderson knew about Pettis scoring the lock was when it was already too late. With Henderson’s forearm high up on Pettis’ torso close to the end of the first round, ‘Showtime’ whipped his legs up fast as lightning and snagged Benson’s arm. ‘Smooth’s elbow was so deep no amount of stacking or stepping over could stop Pettis getting the ‘W’. Not bad for a striker.
BEST COMEBACKS
Glover Teixeira and Lucas Martins, UFC Fight Night 28
For a while it looked like Glover Teixeira was going to fall off the title contender rails. Having already been wobbled by UFC Fight Night 28 main event opponent Ryan Bader a few times, his knees briefly gave out halfway through the opener.
The end appeared nigh when the American 205lb’er piled on the pressure with Teixeira on the fence. But Glover’s right and left hooks, one after the other, soon had other ideas. Bader on the ground, Teixeira hammering from the top, results in a TKO finish.
It was also almost a mirror image of Lucas Martins’ tilt with Junior Hernandez on the prelims. Answering punishment against the cage in the opening minute, Hernandez got Martins’ attention with a left hook, only to drop like a stone when Martins’ torqued his chin with a straight right seconds later.
In the ensuing scramble, ‘Mineiro’ dragged Hernandez to the floor with a rear naked choke where, literally in the middle of reaching behind to punch his foe, Hernandez drifted into unconsciousness. MMA: stranger than fiction.
SO SWEEPY
Tor Troeng vs. Rafael Natal, UFC Fight Night 28
As commentator Kenny Florian noted on air during the UFC Fight Night 28 contest between Tor Troeng and Rafael Natal, the pair might have used more sweeps and reversals in one tussle (18) than in any other fight in human history. It was all there: half guard sweeps, side control sweeps, takedown reversals, plus Troeng getting dropped by the BJJ black belt’s fists all over the place. No wonder it took ‘Fight of the Night.’ Troeng might have lost the judges’ decision, but he won $50,000 for his efforts. Between the two of them that’s $5,555 per transition. The prosecution in the case of The World vs. Lay ‘n’ Pray rests its case.
BACK FROM THE BRINK
Justin Wilcox and Blagoi Ivanov, Bellator 99
Bellator 99 in September had two comeback kids: Justin Wilcox rebounding from crippling leg kicks to win by choke, and Blagoi Ivanov returning to action after being stabbed in the heart in 2012.
Using a clutch of hard kicks, Russian Akop Stepanyan whipped Wilcox’s lead leg out of commission for one and a half rounds, and forced the American into a takedown after shaking him with a spinning heel-kick. But, there, a little over a minute since appearing seconds away from losing,
Wilcox pounced on a rear naked choke following Stepanyan’s botched kimura sweep. After a short struggle, ‘The Silverback’ choked Stepanyan completely unconscious and picked up his first win in over two years.
Which is all pretty great, but when you’re a Bulgarian heavyweight who was stabbed multiple times a little over a year and a half ago, with some of those punctures reaching your heart, and you mark your competitive reappearance by guillotining a chap in 77 seconds, that’s something else.
Is Blagoi Ivanov ‘Comeback of the Year’ at the Fighters Only World MMA Awards material? Maybe.
TAKING THE P**S
Brandon Thatch, UFC Fight Night 27
For pretty much no part of the 83 seconds he was fighting Brandon Thatch did Justin Edwards look as though he was having fun. From the welterweights’ opening exchange on the preliminary card of UFC Fight Night 27, promotional debutant Thatch rocked his Ohioan opponent. That ‘come to blows, Edwards appear less lucid’ pattern repeated for the following minute or so until Edwards turtled up and the referee wisely called the contest. Thatch looked formidable, Edwards looked like he’d no idea what happened.
‘Rukus’ declared/joked (we hope joked) shortly afterwards he was so overwhelmed by his entire UFC appearance he might have urinated upon his own person a smidgen before the tussle even got underway.
Somewhere Tim Sylvia and Kevin Randleman were no doubt relieved Thatch hadn’t gone one further, allowing their respective 2006 and 2002 UFC trunk-pooping achievements to remain unique and in tact.
MOST INTENSE WALKOUT
Josh Barnett, UFC 164
UFC 164 proved one thing above all else: if you want an atmospheric entrance that lets everyone know you mean more than just business, you need to be stepping towards the cage with English death metal ringing in your ears. Most specifically, Bolt Thrower. Heavyweight catch wrestler Josh Barnett knows exactly this, which is why he’s been walking out to their war-themed mid-tempo heaviness for ages. Because why get everyone in the arena buzzing like they’re ‘in the club’ with auto-tuned radio pop when you could make them feel a little bit uneasy with the marching riffs of The IVth Crusade. Barnett’s furrowed, 1,000-yard stare finished it off, before he justified it with a first-round TKO of opponent Frank Mir. Take note, kids: out with the Akon, in with the Bolt Thrower.
