Issue 084
January 2012
Highlight reel finishes, a fight for the ages and the exit of two true legends – what a month!
FIGHT TO THE FINISH
Andrei Arlovski, ProElite 2
Like some sort of Hollywood movie, former UFC heavyweight champion Andrei Arlovski stone-cold KO’d MMA ironman Travis Fulton in the last second of their last round at ProElite 2 in November. Unfortunately, completely unlike a Tinsel Town script, the rest of the bout’s 14 minutes and 59 seconds were awash with tepid action. Fulton, the owner of quite possibly the longest record in the sport at 247-49-10 (1 NC), swallowed a last-gasp, lackadaisical left head kick just before the bell that had him drop vertically down then slump against the cage. A highlight-reel end to a grizzly fight.
MOST ENTERTAINING BOUT
BJ Penn vs Nick Diaz, UFC 137
Pretty much Nick Diaz’s back control defense against BJ Penn at UFC 137 would be enough for any grappling obsessive to fall into a quivering stupor and anoint the entire bout God-sent for that singular reason. But, as it happens, the Stockton bad boy and Hawaii’s greatest export encased that moment with another 14 minutes of mind-blowing leather lugging. From Diaz’s trademark taunts to BJ Penn’s sweet combinations in the pocket, let alone the former’s killer instinct and the latter’s indestructible chin, this meeting ladled out a hearty portion of your recommended daily allowance of fight magic. One for the ages.
WALK THE LINE
Nick Diaz and Pat Curran, UFC 137
One thing that makes a Nick Diaz fight even better: his Deftones walkout music. For his return to the UFC at 137 he set the scene with the dark menace of Feiticeira, the California metal band’s opening track on their world-beating White Pony record. No trance delirium or throbbing hip-hop for Mr Diaz, thank you very much. Bantamweight Jeff Curran, on the other hand, opted for a completely different angle for his second shot in the UFC – the ‘80s MTV rock classic Here I Go Again by Whitesnake. With the lyrical chorus refrain ‘Here I go again on my own, walking down the only road I’ve ever known,’ it was a fitting choice for the 13-year fight veteran.
BEST KNOCKOUT
Bart Palaszewski, UFC 137
Between the WEC and the IFL, Polish-American featherweight Bart Palaszewski has been impressing way before his startling knockout over Tyson Griffin at UFC 137. His first-round stoppage of the Xtreme Couture man made for the 17th (T)KO of his 36-win career and came after a duo of hard left hooks put Griffin on rubber legs with his back on the fence. A vicious volley of strikes forced open the wrestler’s guard where a clipping left and a violent right turned Griffin’s rubber legs to jelly. If Palaszewski can apply his sleek boxing to the rest of the UFC’s featherweight division as he did in his debut, Aldo might have yet another challenger.
YOU BLINK YOU MISS
Terry Etim, UFC 138
Yeah, you’re regretting grabbing that extra beer from the fridge right at UFC 138’s opening bell aren’t you? That’s right, that yeast nectar caused you to miss one of the most electrifying submissions of the year. Terry Etim’s 17-second, arm-in guillotine tapout on Edward Faalaloto in the first televised fight of the night was intense. Why? In part because it was a 17-second guillotine (duh!) and because Etim’s adrenaline-fueled screams from the top of the cage were awesome – and also a little bit terrifying. Which begs the question, how would he react if he won the lightweight title? Hands up if you’re picking brass band and petting zoo.
RETIREMENT PARTY
Mirko ‘Cro Cop’ and BJ Penn, UFC 137
For years fight legends couldn’t be pushed out of the cage at gunpoint but within 12 months five of the greatest have called time on their careers. At UFC 137, BJ Penn and Mirko ‘Cro Cop’ joined Chuck Liddell, Randy Couture and Matt Hughes on the UFC’s Florida-bound shelf. Although Mirko’s was pre-planned and sought-after by some, BJ Penn’s assessment to finish his time in the Octagon immediately after losing to Nick Diaz was a shock to all. Not everyone is completely sold on the plans of ‘The Prodigy,’ though. He’s teased it before only to change his mind. But whatever the Hawaiian decides, FO sends a salute to him and his recent retirement buddies, Cro Cop, Hughes, Liddell and Couture. Thanks for the memories.
BIGGEST BEATDOWN
Che Mills, UFC 138
It’s the same old story: knee meets face, face hates knee, knee meets face again, face goes limp and stares at the ceiling. That was somewhat how it went for TUF alum Chris Cope against UFC newcomer Che Mills in Birmingham in October. After circulating on the British scene for years, Mills finally announced himself in the big time, and in a big way: a 40-second TKO of his American foe. The two started out trading leg kicks until a Mills one-two and left knee sent Cope to the deck, only to scramble back to his feet for the benefit of a right knee and some follow-up punches to finish. Impressive.
LOUDEST STATEMENT
Junior Dos Santos, UFC on Fox 1
New UFC heavyweight champion Junior Dos Santos might have been tearful and lost for words during his post-fight interview with Joe Rogan at the first UFC on Fox event but only moments earlier he’d made his most deafening declaration. The Brazilian announced himself as the world’s best heavyweight fighter to the largest US television audience for an MMA bout ever by putting Cain Velasquez down and out after 64 seconds with a huge overhand right. Over 5.7 million Americans, and many more worldwide, watched one of mixed martial arts’ most electrifying outcomes and began (or extended) their journey into MMA obsession. That’s certainly one powerful punch.
