Issue 058
January 2010
With so many events taking place around the world it’s impossible to feature them all, but here is our selection of outstanding moments from recent action.
Heaviest hands
Anthony ‘Rumble’ Johnson
Anthony ‘Rumble’ Johnson is one scary dude. The 25-year-old striker’s five UFC wins have all been by KO or TKO – his latest, against Yoshiyuki Yoshida, proved the Cung Le-trained fighter is one of the most devastating strikers in the UFC.
Most controversial decision
Lyoto Machida vs Mauricio ‘Shogun’ Rua
What more needs to be said? Both have agreed to a rematch. Let’s hope they settle this and a winner is announced with no shred of doubt.
Best flying knee
Alistair Overeem
The only time we’ve seen a fighter nearly go over the top of a cage was when Tank Abbott tried to throw Cal Worsham out of the Octagon in 1996. Overeem almost launched himself out of the new Dream cage when he threw a flying knee at James Thompson – the 6’5” Dutchman got stuck on top of 6’4” Thompson and had to scramble to get back down to the ground
Best debut
The new Dream cage
Whether it was part of their talent-exchange deal with Strikeforce or whether they’re simply trying to vamp up their domestic presence, the sexy white hexagonal cage used by Dream marks s welcome debut – it is the first time a major Japanese MMA promotion has used a cage. More please!
Most effective elbows
Joe ‘Daddy’ Stevenson
It’s no secret how good Joe Stevenson’s grappling is – he’s proved it many times – but we’ve never seen a focused and fired-up Stevenson like this before. He overwhelmed the extremely tough Spencer Fisher, trapping him in the crucifix position and launching a vicious barrage of elbows to finish the fight.
Best high kick
Marius Zaromskis
His latest one-shot KO makes it three in a row. Cro Cop’s crown of ‘head-kicking Eastern European king’ has been passed on.
Latest stoppage
Sakuraba vs Galesic
Apprently, when Sakuraba is in the ring 60 unanswered punches aren’t considered worth stopping a fight over. That’s how many blows to the skull he took trying to leglock Zelg Galesic. He finally managed to slap a straight kneebar on the Croatian, but in what world is it okay for a referee to allow a broken-down, punch-drunk 40-year-old man like Saku take such a beating?
Biggest grudge match
Pat Barry vs Antoni Hardonk
The two former heavyweight kickboxers once trained together in Holland. It’s still a relatively tight-knit sport, so it’s not unusual for friends to have to fight each other in the Octagon. Pat Barry came out looking to touch gloves with former training partner Hardonk, but the Dutchman would have none of it. Once the leather started flying, the friendship went out of the window, shortly followed by Hardonk’s chances in the fight.
