Issue 028
August 2007
UFC 72: Victory
The Ultimate Fighting Championship has grown to the degree where they now host an average of three shows a month. Back in the ‘good old days’ you were more likely to get one show every three months, but with the juggernaut picking up speed and rolling over everything in it’s path we’re now getting a non-stop flow of MMA action,
The Odyssey Arena, Belfast, Northern Ireland, 16th June 2007
Report by Daniel Fletcher, images © Josh Hedges / Zuffa LLC
The UFC machine headed back across the Atlantic once again for another show on UK soil, this time in the province of Northern Ireland. The card was criticised for not being as ‘interesting’ when compared to others of late, and admittedly this event didn’t quite have the star appeal that recent (or future) events have enjoyed, but this was still a solid night of action in one of the best fighting towns on the planet. The Belfast crowd were amazing in that they numbered just short of 8000 but sounded like there were over double that in attendance.
Former middleweight champion Rich Franklin was firmly on the road to redemption and his old title belt, while Forrest Griffin was in a make or break situation against a tough opponent. The undercard featured an assortment of Irish-Americans, rising stars and local lads, and proved to be equally enthralling and possibly more satisfying than the main attractions.
Franklin finds the road to redemption a rocky one
As a main event this match-up may not have been the strongest draw, but this southpaw vs. southpaw encounter had serious implications. The winner would go on to face the middleweight champion later this year, be it Anderson Silva or Nate Marquardt (they will fight for the title on 7th July on UFC 73).
The problem in this fight was that neither Franklin nor his opponent, Yushin Okami, seemed to want to lose, so for much of the fight neither of them tried very hard to win. In a very measured first round neither fighter pressed the action, and there was quite literally nothing of note except one solid knee from Okami. The booing started properly during the second round, as the crowd were getting tired of the sparring session they were watching. The game of tag was turning into a very uneventful main event, save for the worry towards the end of the second round that Franklin may have broken his fragile left hand due to an errant punch.
The dozens of members of the audience who walked out during the second round will surely be kicking themselves considering the way the fight changed during the third.
The third round saw some good action in the form of a takedown from Okami that put him in side control. He even got mount on the former champion, but didn’t capitalise with the ground ‘n pound game that we have come to expect. The crowd sat up and began to pay attention though, especially when Okami seemed moments away from victory with a tight guillotine and a horrific kimura. How Franklin escaped is a miracle, though he said in the post-fight press conference that the guillotine was the tighter of the two submissions. “I was making funny gurgling noises when he had me in that choke,” he admitted.
If anything it seemed that for the majority of the fight they cancelled each other out, but looking back it seemed it was a case of hesitancy on Okami’s part that stopped the fight short. He hardly engaged in the striking, preferring to stick and move and avoid getting tagged, and Franklin found it awkward to chase him down. When Okami got his hands on him in the third he more or less had his way with him, but by now had lost two of the three rounds. Had Okami decided to fight like that ten minutes earlier he could have been the one challenging for the title later this year, but as it stands Franklin walked away with the nod from the judges.
Griffin gets back to business
MMA fans love Forrest Griffin, win or lose. The likeable brawler made his name by appearing in the first season of The Ultimate Fighter and sealed it by participating in (and winning) possibly the most entertaining fight the of UFC in the final of said competition. That was a few years ago now though, and Forrest has been through some ups and downs since then, namely winning against fighters like Bill Mahood and Elvis Sinosic but losing to Tito Ortiz and most recently, Keith Jardine.
The knockout loss to Jardine hit him hard, so Forrest was anxious in the run up to this fight, and rightfully so given his opponent’s credentials. He may not have the greatest record, but Hector Ramirez proved his worth even in defeat to James Irvin (a sometime-training partner of Griffin). Heavy handed and a strong wrestler, the Hispanic Los Angelean would be no easy fight-back for the fans’ favourite.
Griffin showed a different side in his fight with Ramirez, and though technically impressive, he failed to impress the hardcore fans who are used to seeing him brawl. Though he works in the business of entertainment (that’s what fighting is, remember that) Forrest has no obligation to anyone to fight in a way that may be visually appealing but dangerous to his career or his health.
Going back to the drawing board following his fight with Jardine, Forrest worked extensively on his Muay Thai skills with Kru Mark Beecher at the Xyience Training Centre, and it paid off. Though he came into the fight injured and hadn’t trained as hard as he wanted to, his timing, footwork and accuracy looked superb. He finished almost every combination he threw and picked Ramirez apart, consistently beating him to the punch and clearly winning every round. At times it was so one-sided it looked like Griffin was fighting a padman, only Ramirez didn’t have the luxury of padding to absorb the blows.
A unanimous decision may not have won the hearts of the crowd (obviously hoping for fireworks) but his star appeal is still strong enough that they chanted his name throughout. Post-fight Griffin actually commented on the support of the crowd and their constant singing, saying “That was awesome, I could hear it in there [the Octagon]. I’d fight over here again just for that”.
Interestingly about this fight, light heavyweight champion Quinton ‘Rampage’ Jackson was in Ramirez’s corner, while heavyweight champ Randy Couture cornered Griffin.
Main card
You rarely get a bad fight in the lightweight division, and certain fighters are always worth keeping an eye on.
Chicago-based Clay Guida is one, while Las Vegas representative Tyson Griffin (no relation to Forrest) is another. These young lightweights proved to be the hidden jewel of the entire card. Destined to be a ‘sleeper’ match (one that didn’t attract a lot of attention in the build-up to the event but would almost guarantee plenty of action) they went to war for fifteen minutes and gave the crowd an education in everything MMA is about. Combination striking, technical wrestling, sick transitions, submission attempts and ground ‘n pound; they held nothing back and the fight was very close to call. Griffin got the nod thanks to a split decision, which didn’t go down well with the crowd. The booing during the announcement could best be described as vociferous, but was more a reflection of how they saw the verdict than Griffin’s performance, as the fight was easily a contender for Fight of the Year. The likeable Guida was sorely disappointed, but this won’t harm his credibility in the UFC matchmaker’s eyes.
There was plenty of solid middleweight action on the main card, with Jason MacDonald coming from behind to beat Rory Singer in a fight that saw a totally different Singer to usual. The Brooklyn-born Singer handled MacDonald in the first round, beating him in every range and even mounting the jiu-jitsu expert. Singer came incredibly close to finishing with a tight triangle choke but was denied by the bell: and that was the inspiration MacDonald needed. He came out hard in the second round and made Singer pay for the first, taking him down, mounting him and pounding him out with a series of vicious punches and elbows.
Ed Herman and Scott Smith went to war in a thrilling match. Herman showed great ground ‘n pound and a particularly strong ground game, obliterating Smith’s nose with elbows and prompting the doctor to take a long look at the injury. Smith tried a couple of desperate submissions, coming close with a nasty footlock, but Herman stayed on top throughout until he executed a rear naked choke to seal it halfway through the second.
Undercard
The three UK representatives admitted that none of them had been given easy fights for their UFC debut, and unfortunately this proved to be the case as all three lost their fights. Liverpool-based Jason Tan fell to popular Irish-American Marcus Davis in the first, courtesy of a perfectly timed southpaw right hook. Davis followed with punches on the downed Tan, prompting the stoppage.
Belfast boys Stevie Lynch and Colin Robinson were unsuccessful in their matches against Dustin Hazelett and Eddie Sanchez. Hazelett broke Lynch’s nose in the stand-up and locked-in a tight anaconda choke for the tap, while Eddie Sanchez somehow survived a torrid first round to come from behind and pound a fatigued Robinson out in 32 seconds of the second round.
Full results
Rich Franklin def Yushin Okami via Unanimous Decision
Forrest Griffin def Hector Ramirez via Unanimous Decision
Jason MacDonald def Rory Singer via TKO (GnP) 3.18 Rd2
Tyson Griffin def Clay Guida via Split Decision
Ed Herman def Scott Smith via Submission (Rear naked choke) 2.25 Rd2
Marcus Davis def Jason Tan via TKO (GnP) 1.15 Rd1
Eddie Sanchez def Colin Robinson via TKO (GnP) 0.32 Rd2
Dustin Hazelett def Stevie Lynch via Submission (Anaconda choke) 2.50 Rd1
K-1 / EliteXC Dynamite
Now that Pride has been bought by UFC’s parent company Zuffa, fans have been either been hoping for some stellar matches or wary over the lack of competition. The supposed ‘collaboration’ between K-1, EliteXC, Strikeforce, BodogFIGHT, Cage Rage and SpiritMC could prove to be that desired competition if they can learn to work together.
Los Angeles, California, 2nd June 2007
Report by Keith Mills, images © FEG inc
The greatest advantage in all this is distribution. Cage Rage was aired on EliteXC parent company ProElite’s website as well as BodogFIGHT’s ION channel, while EliteXC has the Showtime channel’s mixed martial arts (MMA) contract, giving this group equal if not greater distribution than the UFC. The first pay per view for this collaboration was, Dynamite!! USA, a card more commonly referred to as, K-1 / EliteXC in LA. One drawback to sinking so much capital into distribution is the collaboration is not only in competition with UFC / Pride but with the independent shows as well. On the day before this event IFL held a show to be aired on free TV and King of the Cage debuted a new pay per view, while the day after this show World Extreme Cagefighting (WEC) held their first free show on the Versus TV network. It was a tough weekend for competition and UFC/Pride weren’t even involved.
The fact this show could be viewed as a ‘niche’ attraction made it stand out, as it could be seen as the first Japanese-style show in North America. “Japanese-style” refers to shows in Japan where it is acceptable to highlight fighters from other sports with, at best, limited MMA experience. The Japanese organisation Pride had two shows in the US before being bought by the UFC, but those were fight cards consistent with what fans expect in North America, so they couldn’t be called ‘Japanese-style cards’ in this context.
This show featured fighters that readers will recognise from events all over the world with former Cage Rage champions Melvin Manhoef and Brad Pickett, K-1 stars Hideo Tokoro, Rumble on the Rock Champion and BodogFIGHT veteran Jake Shields, and Strikeforce vet Nam Phan but the main fights involved a giant former pro wrestler, an American Football player, and a rematch of a legendary Pride fight.
The card would have been stronger if not for the withdrawals of EliteXC vets Gina Carano and Antonio Silva, and the cancellation of proposed fight between K-1 fighter Ray Sefo and Marvin Eastman. In fact half of the twelve original scheduled fights were either dropped or had a change in opponent.
Several of the fights ended quickly, such as that of Jake Shields vs. Ido Pariente. Shields took Pariente down, mounted and sunk in a rear choke with little opposition. K-1 HERO’s tournament champion Gesias ‘JZ’ Cavalcante was another heavy favourite who didn’t disappoint in his brief and explosive fight against Nam Phan.
Lasting not much longer, Cage Rage favourite Brad Pickett tried to keep up with Hideo Tokoro through the ground scrambles and submission attempts but fell victim to an armbar half way through the first round.
Perhaps the most disappointing fight from the point of view of advance publicity was American Football player Johnnie Morton’s knockout defeat at the hands of professional comedian and part-time fighter Bernard Ackah in a bout that mostly consisted of uncontrolled slugging.
Dutchman Melvin Manhoef and Korean fighter Dong Sik Yoon saw Manhoef come out as explosively as expected, getting the better of the scoring early on. When Manhoef was on top he racked up the points and had the fight where he wanted it, but in the second round Sik got a take down and manoeuvred his way to top position. Once there he had little trouble securing the armbar for an emotional victory.
The main event, between former World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) and New Japan Pro Wrestler Brock Lesnar and lamb-to-the-slaughter Min Soon Kim, epitomized the one-sided nature of the majority of the fights as Lesnar quickly took Kim down and made the hapless Korean tap out to strikes. Lesnar certainly understood what was going on in the fight and showed a definite knowledge of MMA tactics. His time training with Miletich Fighting Systems seems to have paid off, as his single-leg takedown, guard pass and striking from mount looked polished and a threat to any heavyweight. Muttered speculation from insiders has pointed to fears that should he wish to, he could make a hefty impact within the sport.
For some fans there was only one fight of real importance on the card, and it was a rematch of an epic battle. Royce Gracie and Kazushi Sakuraba faced off in the very first Pride Grand Prix in 2000, with Sakuraba managing to defeat the legendary Gracie despite even in the face of several unusual rules that favoured Royce, such as no time limit and no stoppages by doctors or the referee. That fight ended up as a ninety-minute war, and Sakuraba won when Royce’s corner threw in the towel.
Unfortunately this rematch was slow moving and drawn out. In the first round Sakuraba hit Gracie with a right hook and Gracie (as expected) went to his back, but given that Royce was coherent and wanted to be on his back it couldn’t be credited a knockdown. Rounds two and three saw mostly positional exchanges with Sakuraba shooting for a takedown or Gracie working from the back. Gracie ended up winning the unanimous decision but certainly not the hearts of the fans.
Overall the production levels were very high with all kinds of pomp and circumstance North American fans don’t usually receive. It was a great show but in the perspective of the scene as a whole it lacked the competition to be truly newsworthy for more than a month or two. Hopefully K-1 Hero’s USA will bridge the gap between cultures just as K-1 USA kickboxing events have with the standard K-1 in Japan.
Full results
Gesias “JZ” Cavalcante def Nam Phan via TKO 0:26 Rd1
Katsuhiko Nagata def Isaiah Hill by Split Decision
Jonathan Wiezorek def Tim “Big Perm” Persey via TKO 0:50 Rd2
Jake Shields def Ido Pariente via Submission (Rear naked choke) 2:06 Rd1
Bernard Ackah def Johnnie Morton via KO 0:38 Rd1
“Mighty” Mo Siliga def Ruben “Warpath” Villareal via TKO 1:33 Rd1
Dong Sik Yoon def Melvin Manhoef via Submission (Armbar) 1:17 Rd2
Hideo Tokoro def Brad Pickett via Submission (Armbar) 2:41 Rd1
Royce Gracie def Kazushi Sakuraba by Unanimous.Decision
Brock Lesnar def Min Soo Kim via Submission (GnP) 1:09 Rd1
UK round-ups
Amateur Fight League
Newport Centre, Newport, Wales, 10th June 2007
Report & photographs by Hywel Teague
Every sport needs a development area for up and comers. The AFL, a growing promotion in South Wales, is providing exactly that for fighters from the local area and beyond. With rules that encourage newbies to try their hand at the sport (standing headshots are allowed but not on the floor, and dangerous submissions have been removed) and a format that promotes fast-paced, exciting fights, the AFL is attracting attention from fighters around the country. Last minute pull-outs left the card at seven fights and meant the main event (featuring Newport-based wunderkind Tim Newman) was off.
The remaining contests proved a blend of raw action and polished skills.
The bumped-up main event of Gavin Glyn versus John Ashley ended in controversial fashion when Glyn was disqualified for an illegal headshot to his grounded opponent). The two battled it out in a fast-paced and entertaining first round that saw big shots, takedowns, reversals and more, and it seemed the 26-year old local favourite Glyn had his hands full with the 39-year old man from the Midlands. The second round was over almost before it began when sharp striker Glyn landed a clean right hand that dropped Ashley. Unfortunately he followed up on his dropped opponent and lost the fight via the technicality as a result.
Full results
John Ashley def Gavin Glyn via DQ (Glyn used illegal strikes) 0.12 Rd2
Martyn Evans def Mark Aplin via Submission (Guillotine Choke) 2.42 Rd1
Davind Dunn def Steve Longford via Unanimous Decision
Costa Dorn def David Griffiths via Submission (Anaconda Choke) 1.14 Rd1
Raj Bista def Ruslan Machadov via Unanimous Decision
Phillip Faulkner def Jordan Hamilton via Unanimous Decision
Kevin Knight def Josh Ramage via Submission (Guillotine Choke) 2.48 Rd1
Cage Kombat 4
Edinburgh, Scotland, 3rd June 2007
Report & photographs by Peter Falkous
Having little sleep due to the previous night at Total Combat I picked up my passengers and headed up to Edinburgh at 9am in the morning. Not realising the start time (I was told by a friend it would be around 5pm) we arrived there just in time for the weigh-in, then to our surprise, we were informed that first fight would be at 1.15pm.
A great venue (albeit a little warm, it is summer though) was nicely laid out and an early finish meant I didn’t have to travel back home at midnight again. This is Cage Kombat’s fourth event and the organisation and atmosphere was equivalent to that of a much larger event.
With a fight card ranging from fighters from local clubs to Sambo champions from Russia, the line up was an interesting mix. The Irish UFR Fight Team had two fighters in for title belts and probably provided the two greatest fights of the day. Mark O’Toole looked very comfortable in the cage and showed great submission skills, winning by triangle in the first round. Steve Stringfellow and Jason Simpson had a huge battle on their hands, which really entertained the crowd.
The standard of fights was very high, with only a few individuals that didn’t know where to go when they got themselves into a good position. The semi pro and amateurs showed some great promise. Overall it a great day out with a good solid fight card, and along with the atmosphere made my Sunday a relaxing one.
Pro results
Steven Stringfellow def Jason Simpson via Submission (Rear Naked Choke) 2:34 rd1
Mark O’Toole def John Jamieson via Submission (Triangle Choke) 1:32 Rd1
Daniel Thomas def Graham Turner TKO 2:08 rd2
Aidan Marron def Dave Hirst via Submission (Rear Naked Choke) 3:21 Rd1
Cage Rage Contenders, Ireland
The Point, Dublin, Ireland, May 26th 2007
Report & photographs by Hywel Teague
With all eyes on Belfast and the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), you’d be forgiven for forgetting that the rest of Ireland has mixed martial arts (MMA) too. Dublin has been a hotbed for MMA events for a few years now, with events such as Ring of Truth (RoT) providing local fans their fix. The people behind the RoT show decided to take it up a gear by becoming part of Cage Rage’s growing franchise ‘Contenders’. Designed with the two-fold purpose of providing a feeder pool of talent for the main event and filling the couple of months gap between big events, Contenders was, until now, always a modest sized affair.
The 3000+ crowd that packed into the Point in Dublin didn’t get what you would nortmally expect from a Contenders show though – they got something more akin to the full Cage Rage experience. Only the big names were missing, although the vocal Irish-audience seemed to prefer the fact the fighters were their own, as they blew the roof off with their cheers of support.
Headlining were the two Cage Rage veterans Paul Jenikins and Henrique Santana. The superior grappler Santana controlled the first round on the canvas and barely overcame fatigue in the second round to pound his way to victory. The steely Polish ex-boxer Adrian ‘Drago’ Degorski redeemed himself after a series of disappointing performances with a strong submission win over German Phillip Schade, in a back and forth fight. Degorski broke his hand in the first round but worked around it to submit Schade with a triangle choke.
The UK’s top bantamweight Paul McVeigh steamrolled over his opponent to prove why he is number one at his weight. With a lack of suitable opponents for him in the UK or Ireland, it seems time for promoters to look overseas for opponents for this charismatic young fighter.
The Ultimate Fighting Revolution (UFR), team from Northern Ireland had a strong presence with Greg Loughran (whose victory earned him a shot at Cage Rage champion Abdul Mohamed’s lightweight strap in September), Mark O’Toole and more picking up wins; showing that both Northern and Southern Ireland have plenty of capable fighters. Two out three of Sol Gilbert’s team were successful, with Jack Magee and Ryan White picking up impressive wins.
Full results
Henrique Santana def Paul Jenkins via TKO GnP 3.50 Rd2
Adrian Degorski def Philipp Schade via Submission (Triangle) 2.02 rd2
Samy Shiavo def Mark Dayrell via TKO GnP 0.08 Rd1
James Doolan def Paul Cowzer via Submission (Rear Naked Choke) 1.04 Rd1
Thomas MaGuire def Nicklas Zackrisson via Submission (RNC) 0.35 Rd2
Greg Loughran def Owen Dempsey via Submission (Armbar) 2.56 Rd1
Tom Haddock def John Donnelly via Submission (RNC) 2.05 Rd1
Ryan White def Karl Roche via TKO GnP 0.13 Rd1
Owen Roddy def Kevin McAlonan via TKO GnP 2.25 Rd1
Paul McVeigh def Neil Seery via Submission (RNC) 1.10 Rd1
Mark O’Toole def Geoff Hayes via Submission (Armbar) 1.24 Rd2
Alan Hannon def Willy Hamill via KO 0.25 Rd1
Driss el Bakara def Gintarius Dominski via Submission (RNC) 3.31 Rd2
Jack MaGee def Clive Staunton via Submission (RNC) 3.45 Rd1
