Fight Game Blog

News and notes from around the MMA world …

Two sad notes before we get to the rest of the news.

- Young Canadian fighter Rene Ayangma died after a light sparring session Tuesday evening.

- Ryan Gracie’s toxicology report reads that he died because of a lethal mixing of drugs according to Sherdog.

And to the rest of the news …

- Mike Coughlin writes about Bob Sapp and Strikeforce, who run live tomorrow in Seattle at the Tacoma Dome.

- Dave Meltzer has more on Sapp.

- The UFC and Yahoo! are working together now that Yahoo! is their online PPV distributor.

- Chuck Liddell’s autobiography is on the New York Times Best Seller’s list for the second week in a row.

- Mirko Cro Cop says he will return to the UFC after he has 3 fights with Dream.

- Fabricio Werdum won’t get the next title shot and will instead face Brandon Vera at UFC 85.

- IGN interviews IFL Middleweight Champ, Matt Horwich.

Talking Points

After last week’s slobberknocker of a fight between Kimbo Slice and Tank Abbott, Strikeforce comes back this week with Bob Sapp’s first fight in the US. Sapp is a huge star in Japan I’ve read that he even had his own merchandise store at one point. You’re talking Michael Jordan level status. While I don’t think Strikeforce is depending on Bob Sapp in the same ways that EXC depends on Kimbo Slice, with their business model, they don’t need to. Their big market is in San Jose, California with local headliners Frank Shamrock and Cung Le. Seattle has been a good market for minor league MMA and Strikeforce is using Sapp and his local ties to the area to try to sell tickets. The fight is on HDNet, which very few people receive (something like 6 million people in all), but for those who do get it, it should be an interesting spectacle. There aren’t many big name fighters, though former UFC fighter Joe Riggs and former UFC champion, Maurice Smith are on the card. Interestingly, Smith beat Tank Abbot in a fight over 10 years ago. We’ll see if he can do better against kickboxer Rick Roufus than Abbott did against Slice.

News and notes from around the MMA world …

- We have a full write-up on the latest EXC from last weekend featuring Kimbo Slice knocking out Tank Abbott.

- Speaking of the fight, there’s a ton of media surrounding the outcome.

The Miami Hurricanes newspaper has thoughts on Kimbo.
The Miami Herald has it’s take on Kimbo.
What’s next for Kimbo Slice?
What did Kimbo and Tank make for less than a minute of fighting?
Bryan Alvarez reports that Showtime did 522,000 viewers for the fight.

- HDNet Fights and Randy Couture apparently have a contract together that starts when his contract with UFC is over.

- Dave Meltzer has more on HDNet and Mark Cuban entering the fray.

- Brock Lesnar looks to have done a top five UFC buyrate.

- Frank Mir says he needs one more win to be in line for a title shot.

- Floyd Mayweather Jr. may have been talking to Mark Cuban, but he’s working for Vince McMahon.

Talking Points

EXC took a lot of flack from the hardcore MMA fan base for putting Kimbo Slice up against Tank Abbott as the main event of their big show last weekend. As I said last week, it’s a much different approach from a show that also happened last week, WEC 32. That event showcased smaller fighters and more technical bouts, while the EXC show was fixated around the freak show main event. At the end of the day, as far as I’m concerned, it’s about having a business model that works. If the EXC can utilize main events that help them make money that might not be your prototypical MMA fight, so be it. Watching that show, Kimbo Slice looked like a huge star. They need to figure out a way to keep him at that level and find more eye balls. I don’t know if they are THE ALTERNATIVE, but they definitely have someone who can draw a crowd in his hometown (over 7,000 in Miami vs. a little over 4,000 for Carlos Condit in Albuquerque) and possibly get some folks to give it a shot.

1. Brett Rogers vs. James Thompson

Rogers knocked this man silly. It was slow until the middle of the round and then Rogers hit a knee and four straight punches. He was knocked completely loopy.

Winner: Brett Rogers by way of first round TKO

2. Edson Berto vs. Yves Edwards

They were both landing early, but Berto took it to the ground. He had a guillotine in and it looked tight, but Edwards got out and nearly got a kimura. Edwards was on top and both men were striking from their positions, but the referee stood them up anyway. Berto shot in for a single leg and actually grabbed a hold of his right leg, but Edwards jumped with his free leg and threw a wicked knee and Berto went down and was out.

Winner: Yves Edwards by way of first round TKO

3. Kyle Noke vs. Scott Smith

Noke took the first round on points strictly from boxing his way through it. He was sticking and moving but never hurting Smith. Smith got a few shots in early. In the second, Noke threw a couple punches that Smith walked right through and then Smith landed a right hand to Noke’s mouth and Noke went out completely. He was out before he hit the ground.

Winner: Scott Smith by way of second round TKO

4. Ricco Rodriguez vs. Antonio Silva

The story of the fight was that Rodriguez was far more active and game than he seemed to be early on. He looked to be afraid of Silva’s strength, but eventually got a takedown late in the first. In the second, Silva was on top and was hitting Rodriguez with some heavy shots, cutting him over his left eye. Rodriguez got the referee to stop the fight so the doctor could check his eye, but it seemed like he did it more so to catch his breath as he winked at the camera. The second was all Silva. In the third, Silva got a takedown but the referee stood them back up and Rodriguez got the takedown. He tried to steal the round, but didn’t do much while on top. It was a boring fight, and afterwards Silva said that he tore his MCL a couple weeks ago. The surprise was that even as fat and out of shape Rodriguez looked, he fought well.

Winner: Antonio Silva by way of split decision

5. Tank Abbott vs. Kimbo Slice

Abbott came out and pushed Slice against the cage, but Slice was able to push him off. Slice put him on all fours, but the referee came in the middle of them because of a punch to the head and Slice received a warning. He knocked Abbott back down twice, with one shot to the head and one to the back of the shoulder. It was more like a forearm. Abbott was back up and was knocked out off a right/left combination.

Winner: Kimbo Slice by way of first round TKO.

News and notes from around the MMA world …

- We have a write-up about WEC 32 from earlier this week.

- Mark Cuban and HDNET Fights are now involved with the Randy Couture and the UFC war.

- Who else is possibly getting into the MMA game?

- Ricco Rodriguez thinks that Kimbo Slice and Tank Abbott are tomato cans.

- Leonard Garcia wants Urijah Faber.

- Matt Lindland says that the UFC won’t offer him a new deal.

Talking Points

Tomorrow night is the big EXC show with Tank Abbott and Kimbo Slice in the main event. When you look at this show, versus the WEC show from earlier this week, you see the difference between the two companies. With EXC, you have a slobberknocker of a main event, but not one that is going to show off the arts part of the name Mixed Martial Arts. These guys are going to swing until one of them can’t swing anymore. With the WEC you had some very technical matches at lighter weights. Tomorrow night, the semi-main event is a second heavyweight bout between Ricco Rodriguez and Antonio Silva being the semi-main event. The WEC focuses on the smaller weights, including ones that other promotions don’t feature like 135 and 145 pound weight divisions. The two promotions are both different enough to where they don’t cancel each other out in my opinion. I thoroughly enjoyed the WEC show on Wednesday, and I imagine I’ll enjoy the EXC show for different reasons.

EXC is really banking on Kimbo Slice and this is another opportunity for him show people that he’s the real deal. He’s going to have his hands full, for at least some of the first round. Tank’s strategy is usually to come out swinging for the knockout and then tire out completely if he doesn’t get it. I’d imagine that will happen tomorrow. Scott Smith, a former UFC fighter, also makes his EXC debut.

Here’s the card.

1. Antonio Banuelos vs. Manny Tapia

Tapia won a three round decision that initially was called a split decision draw. The first round was really good, but in the second and third, they kind of stayed away from each other. It was mostly stand-up though Banuelos did get a few takedowns.

Winner: Manny Tapia by way of split decision.

2. Chase Beebe vs. Miguel Torres

This was for Beebe’s bantamweight title. Urijah Faber was on commentary and said that Torres had a dirty mustache and a mullet and you can’t underestimate the power of the mullet. He was right. Torres was taken down twice and the second time went for a shoulder lock from the guard. Beebe rolled out of it and Torres got an anaconda choke, but then switched to what Frank Mir called a reverse rear naked choke and Beebe tapped out. Torres is the new WEC bantamweight champion.

Winner: Miguel Torres by way of first round submission

3. Leonard Garcia vs. Hiroyuki Takaya

Garcia got him early with a straight right and then stopped him soon thereafter.

Winner: Leonard Garcia by way of first round TKO

4. Rob McCullough vs. Jamie Varner

Varner showed that he could stand-up with McCullough in the first round and was the better boxer. McCullough was being patient, looking for his spot, but he definitely lost the first round. The second round was nothing much at all. But the third was classic. McCullough dropped Varner and the tide seemed to shift. Varner lost his mouthpiece and asked the referee to stop the fight so he could put his mouthpiece in. The referee agreed and he was able to catch his breath a bit. It helped. Varner dropped McCullough with a right hand and followed up, but McCullough was trying to fight back. He was dropped again and fell backwards and the fight was stopped. Two title fights, two title changes.

Winner: Jamie Varner by way of third round TKO

5. Carlos Condit vs. Carlo Prater

Condit came out fired up, but was taken down early in the round. He was very comfortable on his back though and was keeping Prater and his elbows at bay. He locked in a guillotine and the fight looked to be over, but Prater got out of it, only to get stuck in it again. This time, he tapped.

Winner: Carlos Condit by way of first round submission

News and notes from around the MMA world …

I would say that you should try and go out of your way to see tonight’s WEC show on the Versus Network. There are three title matches and all of them should be pretty good. Carlos Condit is trying to avenge a previous loss a few years ago to Carlo Prater. The WEC shows are quick paced because of their focus on the lighter weight fighters and go by pretty quickly. Also, you get to hear Frank Mir talk about his win over Brock Lesner, since he’s the color commentator.

Here’s more on the show:

- WEC 32 showcases three title fights.

- Adam Swift focuses on the WEC.

The main story today is that a new company called the Fighting Entertainment Group, made up of K-1 and the former Pride promotion, has created a new promotion called Dream. The Hero’s promotion is no more, and this new promotion will take it’s place and the network television deal they have in place with TBS in Japan. This is important because the main reason Pride eventually failed is because it lost TV and didn’t have the money to spend on what their fans loved, which was an insane fighting atmosphere and big named fighters.

Maybe even more importantly to US fans, Mirko Cro Cop is going to be involved with them, ending his short stay with UFC. Cro Cop says that his contract was ended by the UFC, though he still had several fights left on it. In a recent Wrestling Observer newsletter, Dave Meltzer mentioned that the UFC was trying to renegotiate his deal. His three fight UFC stay has to be looked at as nothing short of a disaster for the UFC.

Here’s more on the story:

- Meltzer has more on Cro Cop to Japan.

- Cro Cop says that he didn’t like fighting in the cage.

News and notes from around the MMA world …

- Dave Meltzer charts former Pride fighters and how they’ve done in the UFC and also says that neither company came out the winner.

- Now Tim Sylvia is teasing that he might be unhappy.

- While we’re talking about Tim, did he use lotion to make his skin slippery against Big Nog?

- Diego Sanchez says he wants Josh Koscheck in a rematch.

- Referee Steve Mazzagatti says that he warned Lesnar, but Lesnar might not have heard him before docking him a point for hitting Frank Mir in the back of the head.

- Frankie Edgar thinks his fight with Gray Maynard at the next UFC Fight Night could end up at every position.

- Strikeforce At The Dome will be broadcast on HDNet.

- Don Frye to fight Oleg Taktarov at YAMMA’s first PPV?

Talking Points

Tim Sylvia doesn’t have the same kind of drawing power that Randy Couture and Tito Ortiz do. When a fighter talks about leaving the UFC because of money reasons, the idea that they can go to another company and increase their worth to the MMA buying audience is preposterous. Randy Couture could make a lot of money for one or two fights, but in no way are those fights going to reach the same kind of PPV audience that a UFC show could. Tito Ortiz has one possible fight with Frank Shamrock that could do decent business outside of the UFC. But Tim Sylvia? He’s not a draw like both of those men are. Even if he were to go to M-1 to fight Fedor Emelianenko, that fight doesn’t draw to a non-hardcore audience. He’s upset that Brock Lesnar made more money than he did, but he has to understand that Lesnar and Mir drew the PPV buyrate and the house. Sylvia is a decent fighter when it comes to a semi-main event spot, like the last PPV (even though they fought last, Lesnar/Mir drew the house), but he’s not going to command the kind of money Couture or Ortiz would because of his history as someone who doesn’t sell fights.

News and notes from around the MMA world …

- I wrote a review on Matt Hughes’ new biography and let’s just say that it’s lacking.

- If you missed UFC 81 (and if you did, you need to check out the replay) we blogged it live while it was happening.

- Fox Sports has photos from UFC 81.

- Dave Meltzer thinks Brock Lesnar showed superstar potential in his loss to Frank Mir.

- The lineups are official for the next two UFC cards.

- Dana White doesn’t think Kimbo Slice would fare well in the UFC. He also thinks they could have their own ranking system sometime in the future.

- It looks like Chuck Liddell vs. Shogun Rua is happening at UFC 85.

- Todd Martin says that Minotauro Nogueira is never far from victory.

Talking Points

I was definitely wrong about both outcomes of the double main event at UFC 81. More importantly, I was also wrong about how exciting of a card it would be. UFC 81 was definitely one of the better UFC cards of late, and if it’s true that there were more first time PPV buyers for this show than ever, those folks got to see what makes MMA an action packed sport. I myself was watching the show at my parents’ house with a few non-hardcore fans. My father used to enjoy watching boxing and with some great hype, my mom can get into it too. Both seemed to be entertained and my dad stated the thing he didn’t like most about the sport was that you could take a beating and then pull off a submission and still win. I guess he wasn’t too fond of Frank Mir and Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira pulling wins out with submissions. I may have also hyped Brock Lesnar up too much because after he tapped out, there was a bit of a deflated feel in the room. But the feeling was still that he was a monster.

While it would’ve been better for Mir had Tim Sylvia won the belt, I still think that coming out of this fight, he has the most buzz of possible heavyweight contenders not named Randy Couture. While Fabricio Werdum had a nice victory in January over Gabriel Gonzaga, Nogueira has already beat him and really, can you market Fabricio Werdum as your heavyweight champion if he is able to pull off an upset? I think Mir needs to be thrown in there immediately as a contender for the heavyweight championship. Nogueira isn’t going to be a big draw on his own, but if Mir is the new “pro wrestling killer”, act on him now. I think people would pay to see Mir fight Nogueira. And if Mir were to win, you could always do the rematch between he and Silvia.

Mike Goldberg and Joe Rogan are the announcers.

The first fight is Nate Quarry, on the comeback trail, against Pete Sell.

1. Nate Quarry vs. Pete Sell

Both men come out swinging. Quarry looks a tad slow and seems to be willing to eat a few punches in order to land one. Let’s just say that these guys aren’t missing many punches. Sell gets the first.

Sell knocks Quarry down, but Quarry gets right back up. It is more of the same, but Quarry is getting some leg kicks in. Sell is just taking them. Sell wins the second because of the knock down.

Quarry needs to stop him to win the fight. And he did. He hits a short counter right and Sell drops like a sack of potatoes. The fight is over.

Winner: Nate Quarry by way of third round TKO.

2. Nate Diaz vs. Junior Assuncao

Nate goes for the arm early on and sticks with it until he knocks down Assuncao. Assuncao falls into a guillotine and after Nate sinks it in even further by wrapping his leg around Assuncao’s back and shoulder, Assuncao taps.

Winner: Nate Diaz by way of first round submission.

3. Terry Martin vs. Chris Leben

Leben seems to be fighting a smart fight. He’s using leg kicks and his reach advantage. But Martin is a bulldog. He’s getting inside and landing. He gets Leben up for a slam, but Leben holds onto the cage and gets a point deducted. He goes down anyway. Probably Martin’s round and with the point deduction, it’s 10-8.

Leben is fighting a much better second round. He’s connecting with knees and when they clinch, foot stomps. Martin takes him down, but Leben locks in a triangle. Martin is saved by the bell. That was Leben’s round all the way.

Both guys are exhausted. Leben looks ripe for getting knocked out. Martin throws a huge right and rocks Leben, but doesn’t follow up on it. He gives Leben a chance to bounce back, but hits him again. Leben throws a desperation left hook that knocks Martin out and it’s all over. Leben knocks him out.

Winner: Chris Leben by way of third round TKO.

4. Din Thomas vs. Kenny Florian

Florian is going for high kicks, but Thomas is blocking them. He slips throwing one and Thomas pounces. But he doesn’t want any part of the elbows coming from Florian’s guard and gets back up. Florian shoots in and takes Thomas down not once, but twice. Thomas shoots in and Florian stuffs the take down and starts to hammer him while he turtles up. He gets his back and gets both hooks in and sinks in a rear naked choke. Thomas taps out.

Winner: Kenny Florian by way of first round submission.

There were two sloppy boxing matches that ended in knockouts and there were two fights that ended in first round submissions. It was an average show, but if you were a fan of The Ultimate Fighter guys, all four won. Chris Leben, Nate Quarry, and Kenny Florian were all from season one and Nate Diaz was in the last one.

1. Tyson Griffin vs. Gleison Tibau

Really good first round. Griffin and Tibau were simply standing and trading punches. Griffin was getting the better of it standing, utilizing both straight rights and overhand rights. Tibau shot in and took him down, but they were both back up in the middle. Griffin was tagging him near the end of the first and it’s his round.

The second round wasn’t quite as fast paced as the first. Griffin was still winning the stand up game, but Tibau was able to take him down a few times. But he couldn’t keep him down. Even with the shorter reach, Griffin is still landing from the outside at will.

The third round was very much like the second. Tibau was able to take him down, but not do anything with him. Griffin was landing overhand rights pretty much at will. The fight ended with Griffin pushing Tibau up against the cage and foot stomping him.

Winner: Tyson Griffin by way of unanimous decision.

2. Ricardo Almeida vs. Rob Yundt

Almeida got a takedown and locked in a guillotine. Yundt tried to get up and fall forward on Almeida, but momentum took them completely over and they ended up in the exact same position. Yundt tapped.

Winner: Ricardo Almeida by way of first round submission.

3. Nate Marquardt vs. Jeremy Horn

Marquardt was landing some good shots and then took Horn down twice by underhooking him and taking him down with one arm. He was able to throw some bombs from the top, but Horn controlled him after that. Horn tries to get a shoulder lock near the end, but Marquardt gets out of it right before the end of the round.

Marquardt slipped early in the round and Horn got on top of him. They got back up and Horn shot in and pushed him up against the cage. Marquardt locked him in a guillotine and Horn tried to slip out by going to the mat, but Marquardt blocked him and cranked on the neck at the same time. Horn had to tap or risk his head being detached from his neck.

Winner: Nate Marquardt by way of second round submission.

4. Tim Boetsch vs. David Heath (taped from earlier in the night)

Boetsch simply owned him for the fight. Heath was able to land some punches in a flurry, but other than that, front kicks, knees, and overhand rights were landed at will by Boetsch. Late in the round, he threw him into the cage and Heath landed on top of his head and a few punches later, it was over.

Winner: Tim Boetsch by way of first round TKO.

5. Frank Mir vs. Brock Lesnar

Lesnar came out and immediately took him down. He was on top and throwing hammer punches from the top position. Mir turned his head and Lesnar hit him on the back of the head. The referee came between them and took a point away from Lesnar for hitting him in the back of the head. Back in the middle, Lesnar landed a punch and Mir pulled guard. Lesnar was on top again and landing. Mir was already bloody. Mir grabbed Lesnar’s leg and Lesnar turned into the knee bar and had to tap out. Great fight for what it was.

Winner: Frank Mir by way of first round submission.

6. Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira vs. Tim Sylvia

Sylvia knocked Nogueira down early in the round and blanketed him. He let him back up and snapped his head back again. Nogueira went for a half-assed shot, but Sylvia ended up on top again. He let him up and then let him catch his breath. Nogueira ended up catching his breath and taking Sylvia down at the end of the round. But it was all Sylvia. Maybe even 10-8.

The second round was a boxing match. Rather than go after Nogueira, he let him get his breath back and it’s back to a striking match. Nog went for a single leg and didn’t get it. Nog landed a short left hook, but it was still Sylvia’s round.

In the third, Nogueira finally got the takedown, but Sylvia ended up on top. He swept Sylvia and immediately his guard into his half guard. Sylvia tried to get out, but got caught in a guillotine and immediately tapped.

Winner: Antonio Rodrigo Nogueria by way of third round submission.

7. Chris Lytle vs. Kyle Bradley

Lytle came out swinging and landing. Bradley was so out of it that when the referee stopped it, Bradley pulled guard on the referee.

Winner: Chris Lytle by way of first round TKO.

8. Rob Emerson vs. Keita Nakamura

Emerson pretty much had his way with Nakamura by using good boxing and following up with counterpunches. Nakamura scored with a big knee that knocked Emerson down near the end of the round.

Second round was much of the same. Both guys landed many punches, but Nakamura got a takedown late in the second. But he’s also bleeding from an inadvertant elbow.

The guys were tired, but didn’t stop throwing punches. Nakamura got a takedown near the end of the round and ended up on top of Emerson when the fight was over.

Winner: Rob Emerson by way of split decision.