Issue 001
March 2005
Although North America’s largest promotion — the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) — lay dormant throughout December and January, many UFC veterans managed to stay busy. With more and more promotions cropping up every day, there are plenty of opportunities.
Rich Franklin, Falaniko Vitale and former UFC heavyweight champ Tim Sylvia all came out with wins at SuperBrawl 38 in early December. The Hawaiian stalwart SuperBrawl managed to finally settle the feud between Tim Sylvia and fellow UFC veteran Wes Sims. The way the fight went, one would wonder what the whole feud was about anyway. Big Tim wasted no time putting Sims on the ground and proceeded to pound him until the referee stopped the bout a minute and a half into the first round.
While King of the Cage slowed down their usually frenetic pace during the holiday season in America, Jackson’s Submission Fighting middleweight Joey Villasenor didn’t. He headlined the 46th installment of King of the Cage and destroyed Jorge Ortiz in little more than three minutes into the first round. Improving his record to 15-3, Joey Villasenor is a name to remember.
After defeating Mark Weir at Cage Rage 9 in November, top three middleweight Matt Lindland returned home to headline on his and Randy Couture’s own promotion, Sport Fight. Looking to shut the mouth of JT Taylor, who had called him out, Lindland instead ended up facing last minute replacement Landon Showalter. It seems Taylor had to withdraw due to an injury. Showalter was game but he was no match for Lindland, who beat him mercilessly then finished him off with an armbar in the second round.
At that same Sport Fight: Justice show, UFC veteran Jeff Monson took another step towards a return to the Octagon with a win over a tough Brian Stromberg. In a battle of top up-and-comers, Team Quest’s Ryan Schultz lost a controversial decision to AKA’s Keith Wilson.
In less than four years World Extreme Cagefighting (WEC) has become one of the premier mixed martial arts promotions in the United States. Not only did their 13th edition shed light on some of the top rising talent in the sport, but a portion of the show was carried live on high-definition television station HDNet.
In accordance with the show’s name, Heavyweight Explosion, WEC featured a four-man, heavyweight tournament that saw one fighter rise above the others. Brandon Vera was previously known for his tremendous grappling ability, but in one night he established himself as a mixed martial arts force.
He opened the tournament with a brutal knockout from a knee in just under a minute. In the finals, Vera defeated Miletich Martial Arts fighter Mike Whitehead when he connected with a big right hand that broke Whitehead’s nose. Look forward to a promising future from Brandon Vera.
Also on the WEC show, mixed martial arts rookie Jorge Oliveira (a student of Ralph Gracie) stunned the crowd when he punished long-time veteran Shonie Carter for their entire three-round fight. He rocked Carter several times, but couldn’t put him away. In the end Oliveira won a unanimous decision in a very impressive debut.
Not all mixed martial arts in North America takes place in the United States. The premier promotion in Canada, TKO Communications (formerly UCC), held their 19th show in January.
Headlining TKO 19: Rage were two fighters who have recently gained attention on the international stage of the UFC. Georges St Pierre, recently seen in a loss to welterweight champion Matt Hughes at UFC 50, looked very impressive as he handled Dave Strasser in under two minutes by taking control and submitting him with a Kimura shoulder lock. Canadian Patrick Cote earned a lot of respect by going the distance in a decision loss to Tito Ortiz at UFC 50, but he wasn’t as impressive at the TKO show. Though he did manage to win a split decision and retained his TKO Canadian Light Heavyweight title.
Outside the ring:
It’s been a busy time in North America in the ring, but things outside the ring have started heating up as well. The biggest news is the successful debut of the Ultimate Fighting Championship’s new reality television show The Ultimate Fighter on cable television channel SpikeTV. The first major mixed martial arts based television series in the United States; the estimated audience for The Ultimate Fighter is just under two million viewers.
The success of The Ultimate Fighter, according to UFC president Dana White, has led to a bidding war between SpikeTV and Fox Sports Net (a major sports channel in the US) for a weekly television show featuring live mixed martial arts bouts.
