Weekend recap: World series of Fighting 2 – results and gifs

In this latest non-UFC weekend, the World Series of Fighting returned with it’s latest car crash of an attempt at an MMA show.

The event almost didn’t go ahead at all after there was a colossal balls-up with the canvas, and that, combined with the prospect of a former welterweight meeting a heavyweight in the main event set the alarm bells ringing. No-one wants to see Elite XC/Affliction-type shenanigans from an overly ambitious upstart promotion, but WSOF was doing all the right things to draw comparisons with those failed promotions.

Then there was this nonsense that resulted in the promotion having to borrow a scale to weigh their fighters in.

When the event did go ahead, Anthony Johnson did actually manage to beat former UFC champion Andrei Arloviski by decision, but arguably only due to thanks to some atrocious timekeeping. Here’s what the chaps on the Jackson’s Facebook page had to say:

The NJ athletic commission was worried about the World Series of Fighting getting a new canvas and new corner pads for the cage they almost canceled the fight Saturday night. Unfortunately they forgot to get a time keeper that was trained properly. 1st round 5min 8 sec in the Andrei fight. A devastating blow was landed after the 5min mark. It’s amazing how so much time is spent with over regulating but the simple things can cost dearly.

Sigh.

Add in a (non) appearance from the troubled (to say the least) Paulo Filho and you’re into farcical territory.

On the positive side there was some pretty decent action from some of the rest of the fighters. Marlon Moraes continued to impress with this fine KO of the last man to beat Bellator bantamweight champion Eduardo Dantas, Tyson Nam.

That’s the second high-quality win in a row from Moraes, which must have attracted Sean Shelby’s gaze.

Also, Josh Burkman continued his own career renaissance with a KO victory over tough UFC veteran Aaron Simpson

Burkman is now 7-1 since he was bounced from the UFC after a three fight skid, and he now looks to have lined himself up for a crack at this promotions inaugural welterweight title, where he will probably be beaten into the mat by Jon Fitch. How unfortunate for him

Main Card

Anthony Johnson def. Andrei Arlovski via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Marlon Moraes def. Tyson Nam via KO (kick) round 1
David Branch def. Paulo Filho via unanimous decision (30-26, 30-27, 30-27)
Josh Burkman def. Aaron Simpson via KO (knee) round 1
Justin Gaethje def. Gesias Cavalcante via TKO (cut) round 1

Prelims

Danillo Villefort def. Kris McCray via split-decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
Rick Glenn def. Alexandre Pimentel via KO (punches) round 3
Waylon Lowe def. Cameron Dollar via KO (punch) round 1
Richard Patishnock def. Igor Gracie via TKO (shoulder injury) round 2
Ozzy Dugulubgov def. Chris Wade via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Brenson Hansen def. Tom Marcellino via TKO (knee) round 2
Bill Algeo def. Frank Buenafuente via submission (rear naked choke) round 2

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Bellator 93 Results and Gifs

Marcin Held eats a left from Dave Jansen

A wild, WILD night in Bellator didn’t leave an awful lot of room for analysis, as so many fights were finished early and violently via stoppage.

With that in mind, I’m largely going to get clips of the action do the talking, because when a man is knocked out after 10 seconds there isn’t an awful lot else to say.

Dave Jansen def. Marcin Held via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28) – wins Season 7 lightweight tournament

This was the exception to the stoppage-fest, as the American WEC veteran fought off the BJJ attack of Ploish grappler to finally put a bow on the Season 7 lightweight tournament.

Both came out throwing in the first round, but Held stuck to his grappling in the second. However, Jansen’s defence was excellent and he managed to stay out of danger of submissions and deliver some serious punishment, particularly when Held was grasping for leglocks.

Winning the tournament and that $100,000 sets Jansen up for a fight with Michael Chandler which, being brutally honest, he should lose convincingly.

Ryan Martinez def. Travis Wiuff via KO (punches) – Round 1, 0:18

Marcus Davis vs. Waachiim Spiritwolf declared a no contest due to inadvertent low blow – Round 1, 3:05

An entertaining scrap cut short by a horrifying knee in the dark. Spiritwolf seems to act as a magnet for misfortune. Hopefully there will be a rematch and fans can see a proper rendition of this fight.

Michael Page def. Ryan Sanders via KO (punch) – Round 1, 0:10

Bellator 93 preview

This week’s offering is Bellator MMA is a little light on tournament action compared to previous Season 8 events, but there should be some fin to be had nonetheless.

For now, there are just the three fights lined up for the main card, as the Brett Rogers vs. Eric Prindle fight has been scrapped thanks to an undisclosed injury to Prindle. No doubt that will be replaced by one of the preliminary fights.

Kicking things off is a cracking match between the eternally-popular, long-time UFC veteran Marcus Davis, and Native American slugger Waachiim Spiritwolf. I would imagine many people have this fight pegged as a bit of a slugfest, but I think Davis should actually be able to fight a smart fight and outclass Spiritwolf.

Davis was bounced out of the UFC because he was getting chinny, struggling to keep up with some of the new younger guard, losing fights. Fighting at a comfortable weight class against beatable fighters should provide a nice little retirement run for the Irish Hand Greanade.

The co-main event, if you must call it that is the other heavyweight fight, as Travis Wiuff moves back up to mix with the big guys once more. His fight with Ryan Martinez could provide a thrillingly violent interlude this evening, but it is equally as likely to provide 15 minutes of boredom. Please, please let it be the former.

The main event is the Season 7 lightweight tournament final, months after Season 7 finished. Assuming Marcin Held and Dave Jansen actually make it to the cage in one piece they will fight it out to determine who will be the next lamb to the slaughter against Bellator lightweight kingpin Michael Chandler. Not an exciting prospect for anyone right now given Chandler’s unstoppable form.

Main Card

Marcin Held  vs. Dave Jansen – Season 7 lightweight tournament final
Ryan Martinez vs. Travis Wiuff
Marcus Davis vs. Waachiim Spiritwolf

Prelims

Jesse Peterson vs. Dave Vitkay
Michael Page vs. Ryan Sanders
Jason Butcher vs. Jack Hermansson
Brett Dillingham vs. Mike Mucitelli
Joe Pacheco vs. Pierre Pierry
Vince Murdock vs. John Raio
Jesse Erickson vs. Jon Lemke

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ANOTHER DOUBLE KO

What is going on in regional MMA?

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DOUBLE KO… almost

Congratulations to the ref here who saw fit to let two half-conscious fighters continue. That’s got to be good for their brains and long-term mental health.

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UFC Ultimate 100 Knockouts

Got three hours? This is sure to get taken off YouTube for copyright violation within hours, but while it’s there, here’s 100 of the greatest KOs in UFC, WEC, Affliction, Pride and Strikeforce history.

Whether you agree with the order or not is really academic, the fact that this is wall-to-wall violence is all that matters.

On the other hand, just for the record, the choice on #1 is bang on.

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UFC 158 results and Monday wrap up.

GSP chills out with the next welterweight title challenger

SO the curtain has fallen on UFC 158, which was a solid effort from the world’s biggest mixed martial arts promoter featuring some pretty high highs, and only a couple of lows.

Here are my thoughts on the whole affair.

• GSP did what GSP does, and used superior wrestling to control Nick Diaz for the majority of their fight. What was surprising was that he probably got the better of the stand up too, landing that stiff jab over and over again. Diaz did not disgrace himself one bit, showing off decent boxing and an unparalleled ability to recover position, but he was just not quite up to the task. An entertaining fight, but nothing surprising.
• Johny Hendricks vs. Carlos Condit was brilliant, and maybe the fight of the year so far. Hendricks surpassed my expectations by throwing his left hand in combinations, backing Condit up, and countering with takedowns whenever ‘The Natural Born Killer’ threatened with high-powered offence like flying knees. Full credit to Condit who was constantly working from his back and getting back to his feet, even coming back to win the third round, but Hendricks was just on. There can be no disputing the necessity for him to get a title shot now, and though I expect him to get knee tapped for 25 minutes (or maybe even finished) the prospect of landing one big shot will keep people talking in the build up.
• Jake Ellenberger showed off his frankly ridiculous power once again by flattening Nate Marquardt. He’s still going to get tired and fade against fighters that can push him past the 8-9 minute mark, but boy oh boy he’s going to threaten a KO in every second before that. Marquardt may be on thin ice now. Two defeats in a row, and hardly the best relationship with UFC brass after drug tests etc in the past.
• Please, please. No more TUF losers on the main card. I’m fortunate in the UK that I don’t have to pay to watch that, but if I was in the US and the Ricci/Fletcher fight made up part of my $60 PPV purchase, I’d be furious.

And on the prelims

• Patrick Cote won, who would have thought? And it was quite exciting, against a good fighter. Curious.
• Darren Elkins is now the featherweight with the most wins in the UFC. Yeah it was an early stoppage, but I reckon Carvalho was on his way out, and even if he wasn’t, Elkins would have won anyway.
• Dan Miller had never been finished before. Not by Sonnen, Palhares, Bisping…… Jordan Mein could be one to keep an eye on.
• Daron Cruickshank decided to stand, which was not smart but it made for a fun fight. Kudos.
• Rick Story is no where near the same position he was when the hype machine exploded after his Thiago Alves and Johny Hendricks wins. A few deflating losses have knocked him down a few pegs, but after a performance like that he should be fighting higher level opponents once more in the near future.
• TJ Dillashaw is a much better fighter than Issei Tamura, and his quick lamping of the Japanese import was no surprise.
• George Roop became only the third man to win in three UFC weight classes, and this is despite the fact he’s a six foot bantamweight (!!!) and he really should have been cut after a woeful post-TUF run. Now he’s started to put a half decent Zuffa record together he’s well worth his place in the promotion

Main card results

Georges St-Pierre def. Nick Diaz via unanimous decision (50-45, 50-45, 50-45) – retains welterweight title
Johny Hendricks def. Carlos Condit via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Jake Ellenberger def. Nate Marquardt via KO (punches) – Round 1, 3:00
Chris Camozzi def. Nick Ring via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
Mike Ricci def. Colin Fletcher via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)

Prelim results

Patrick Cote def. Bobby Voelker via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Darren Elkins def. Antonio Carvalho via TKO (punches) – Round 1, 3:06
Jordan Mein def. Dan Miller via TKO (punches) – Round 1, 4:42
John Makdessi def. Daron Cruickshank via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Rick Story def. Quinn Mulhern via TKO (punches) – Round 1, 3:05
TJ Dillashaw def. Issei Tamura via KO (knee and punches) – Round 2, 0:26
George Roop def. Reuben Duran via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-27)

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Dana White says stuff: UFC 158 post-fight media scrum edition

UFC President Dana white discusses all sorts of things after UFC 158 wrapped up last night in the traditional UFC 158 post-fight media

Topics include the co-ed Ultimate Fighter season with Ronda Rousey and Meisha Tate/Cat Zingano as coaches (oh boy), Nick Diaz’s taxes, Johny Hendricks much-deserved title shot, fighting Vince McMahon and much more.

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UFC 158: St-Pierre vs Diaz Post-fight Press Conference

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UFC 158: GSP vs. Diaz preview

UFC weekends in Montreal featuring Georges St-Pierre always generate a big buzz.

However, not since UFC 94, when BJ Penn stood across the octagon, has interest been peaked so much for one of GSP’s title defences. All of Nick Diaz’s crazy talk, disappearing antics and stand-offish chatter combined with GSP’s prickly demeanour has really captured the imagination of hardcore and casual fans alike to the point where talk about where Diaz even deserved this title shot has all but disappeared.

Just a quick preview of the welterweight ‘tournament’ tonight, as I’m on the weekend shift and UFC 158 is approaching fast.

UFC Welterweight Championship – Georges St-Pierre vs. Nick Diaz 

This should be GSP’s fight to lose. Diaz won’t have adjusted his game enough to stop the near-unstoppable GSP knee-tap, rendering the stand-up portion of the fight moot. Once on the mat, unless Stockton’s finest is carved open with elbows It would be shocking to see a finish.

If Diaz is submitted I expect some kind of implosion of all space and time, and GSP should be too strong and in control to get caught himself.

If Diaz is to win, he will have to go for broke on the feet, and outlast his opponent by being probably the only man at 170lbs with better cardio than the champ.

I don’t think he’ll be capable of that though, and it should end up as a five-round decision victory for Georges.

Carlos Condit vs. Johny Hendricks

Johny Hendricks should really be fighting for the title here.

It’s the fight I wanted to see initially, as I loved the style match up between ‘Big Rig’ and GSP, and I would have loved to see the champion’s chin tested by that big left hand.

That was not to be however, and Hendricks was scheduled to line up another shot by beating Jake Ellenberger, but when Rory MacDOnald dropped out of his fight with Condit, Hendricks stepped in.

I think that is unfortunate, because I see ‘The Natural Born Killer’ winning this fight and grinding Hendricks’ run to a halt.

Although not the most defensively sound, I think Condit is capable of avoiding his opponent’s power, and even if he is clipped, he might be durable enough to survive.

With the power element removed, Condit is by far the superior striker. You may remember that Hendricks just barely squeaked past (and arguably lost to) Mike Pierce and Josh Koscheck because he fell in love with his boxing rather than use his wrestling.

Hendricks certainly can land that big shot and win , but I see Condit picking him apart for 15 minutes.

Jake Ellenberger vs. Nate Marquardt

This should be an entertaining fight between two flaky-as-hell fighters who are equally as capable of wrecking their opponent as well as spectacularly crashing and burning.

Ellenberger starts fights better than almost anyone in the sport. Just think about his first rounds against Martin Kampmann, Carlos Condit and Diego Sanchez, where he got incredibly close to finishing his opponents with sheer brute force. However, in the latter half of those fights he slowed down and was finished, found himself on the wrong side of a narrow split decision and just barely won for each of those respective fights.

Marquardt is a frontrunner in the extreme. He can put a serious hurting on other fighters, but if things don;t go his way he finds it difficult to adjust. He had no answer for the grappling of Sonnen or Okami, or for the leg-kick attack of Tarec Saffadine.

This is a tough one to call. Whoever has the most early success should walk away with the win, possibly by stoppage. I would lean towards Ellenberger, but I certainly won’t be putting money on it.

The rest…..

Well that’s all I’m really interested in tonight. There might be some fun to be had with Daron Cruickshank vs. John Makdessi, particularly if Cruickshank decides not to wrestle and engages in a stand-up war.

Oddly, I’m also quite interested to see if Darren Elkins can continue his featherweight run. Ever since his highly controversial win over Michihiro Omigawa he has gone from strength to strength and put together a run of really impressive wins including a crushing victory over Steve Siler. If he wins this evening he will have five wins in the UFC, strangely the most of any featherweight in the promotion. Ever. Curious indeed.

Finally, as someone who actually enjoyed TUF 4 all those years ago I have a soft spot for Patrick Cote. I’d like to see hi do well a his new home of 170lbs, but I fear Strikeforce vet. Bobby Voelker may be a bit much for him to handle.

Main Card

UFC Welterweight Championship – Georges St-Pierre vs. Nick Diaz
Welterweight – Carlos Condit vs. Johny Hendricks
Welterweight – Jake Ellenberger vs. Nate Marquardt
Middleweight – Chris Camozzi vs. Nick Ring
Lightweight – Colin Fletcher vs. Mike Ricci

Prelims

Welterweight – Patrick Cote vs. Bobby Voelker
Featherweight – Antonio Carvalho vs. Darren Elkins
Welterweight – Jordan Mein vs. Dan Miller
Lightweight – Daron Cruickshank vs. John Makdessi
Welterweight – Quinn Mulhern vs. Rick Story
Bantamweight – T.J. Dillashaw vs. Issei Tamura
Bantamweight – Reuben Duran vs. George Roop

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