MMA Hit Pit

UFC 9 Motor City Madness

2008-03-17T22:22:00.005Z

UFC 9 Motor City Madness
Cobo Arena
Detroit, Michigan

The format was changed for this event.
There is no single elimination tournament like in previous events.
There will be 5 main card fights plus the main event.
There is also one unaired prelim
This event nearly didnt happen as an American Senator took the UFC to court to try and ban it.
Due to this there was a new rule added to this event. There was no punching to the face of an opponent. The fighters faced being arrested if they broke that rule. Though the UFC officially excepted that rule fighters were not stopped by the Referee if they did throw punches.
Don Frye and Gary Goodridge return taking on new comers and the main event is Shamrock v Severn II.

In the unaired prelim Steve Nelmark beats Tai Bowden via TKO after seven minutes.

Main Card

Zane Frasier v Cal Worsham

This was the second fight in the UFC for both fighters. They both lost there first fight. Fraiser was part of UFC 1.

At the start of the fight both fighters circle each other and feint there punches. Worsham stays on the outside then shoots and takes Frasier down and goes straight to half guard. From half guard Worsham throws head butts, elbows and punches. Frasier taps from punishment.

Rafael Carino v Matt Anderson

This is the debut for both fighters. Carino is a Jui Jitsu fighter and we are told that Anderson is well rounded but prefers to stay on the feet.

Carino shoots straight away and takes Anderson down. He gets side control but Anderson quickly pulls guard. For the next three minutes they jockey for position as Anderson neutralises Carino and works to keep him in the guard. Eventually Carino passes to the full mount. From this position Carino opens up with punches and Big John stops the fight.

Mark Schultz v Gary Goodridge

Originally Goodridge was due to fight Dave Beneteau. Beneteau broke his hand in training and his training partner stepped up on less then a days notice. Schultz was not to be taken lightly as he had won a Gold Medal in the 1984 Olympics for Free style Wrestling.

They circle each other and Schultz shoots for the takedown. Goodridge is able to grab Schultz's head and tries to control him. Eventually he breaks his head free and passes straight to side control. From there he controls Goodrige and throws punches. After about three minutes of this the fight is re started. Schultz takes Goodridge down straight away. He lands with more shots and opens up a cut under Goodridges eye. The fight is stopped to check the cut and then restarted. Schultz finishes the end of the twelve minute regulation with yet another takedown, full mount and punches from top position. There was scheduled to be a three minute over time but the fight is stopped in the corner due to Goodridges nose being broken. Schultz pulls off the upset.

Mark Hall v Koji Kitao

Mark Hall returns and against a new fighter. Koji Kitao is a Sumo Wrestler who is 8 inches taller and 200lb heavier then Hall.

Kitao charges in to take Hall down, as they hit the floor Big John breaks them up. Kitao nose is bleeding and looks broken. It was hard to see what happened but Hall must have caught him flush on the nose as he was taken down. Hall is awarded a TKO victory.

Don Frye v Amaury Bitteti

Originally Frye was due to fight Marco Ruas. Ruas was bitter about his decision loss to Taktarov at Ultimate ultimate 95 so decided to turn the fight down. Bitteti is a late replacement. He is a Brazillian Jui Jitsu fighter who trains with Carlson Gracie.

Bitteti starts off aggressive charging Frye and landing with a front kick, they then clinch and work for position while standing with neither fighter being able to gain an advantage. They break the clinch and Frye lands with two punches that stun Betteti. Betteti then shoots but is unsuccesful as Frye defends with a sprawl. Betteti tries to pull guard but Frye stands up. Frye starts to control the standup with punches and some big knees. Frye then takes Betteti down. Betteti manages to get half guard but Frye is able to land punches from this position. The fight is stopped so that the doctor can check a cut over Betteti's eye.

He is cleared to continue fighting and Frye takes him straight back down and pounds him with punches and elbows. Once again the fight is stopped to check Betteti and he is cleared to re start. Frye takes an exhausted and battered Betteti down again, this time he gets a head lock and throws knees until Big John finally stops the fight. Betteti showed a lot of heart but Don Frye just dominated him.

Superfight

Ken Shamrock v Dan Severn

This fight was an anticipated rematch and was for the Superfight championship.

This fight lasted for thirty minutes. Most of the fight was spent with both fighters circling each other. No strikes thrown and no take down attempts.

The only things that happened were:

16 minutes. Severn takes Shamrock down with a single leg takedown but Shamrock gets straight to his feet.

19 minutes. Severn gets another single leg takedown but Shamrock reverses him and throws a few elbows from top position, but they are not damaging. After about five minutes of this Severn reverses this position and lands the best shots of the match. Elbows and hammer fists which do cut Shamrock.

We then have two three minute over time periods. Nothing happens in the first period. Three minutes of circling. At the end of the second period Severn takes Shamrock down.

This is arguably the worst fight in the history of the UFC. Severn wins by split decision and is the new Superfight champion.

This was the first UFC event that was not a tournament style. This was obviously the future of the UFC but this event was not a success. There was only two exciting fights out of the six.

Bonus Awards

KO of the night Mark Hall v Koji Kitao

Tapout of the night Cal Worsham v Zane Frasier

Fight of the night Don Frye v Amaury Betteti

Fighter of the night Mark Schultz

UFC 8 David Vs Goliath

2008-03-11T00:51:00.004Z

UFC 8 David Vs Goliath
Ruben Rodriguez Coliseum,
San Juan, Puerto Rico

UFC is back. After the disappointment of Ultimate Ultimate 95 The UFC tries a new approach.
Its still and 8 Man Tournament but there are 7 new fighters and only one returning fighter.
The event is named David Vs Goliath as each first round fight see a big size difference between both opponents.
The first two rounds have a 10 minute time limit. The finals and Superfight have 15 minutes. If they go the distance Judges will decide who wins.
There is also a Superfight. Ken Shamrock v Kimo Leopaldo.

Before the main card there is one alternate match. Sam Adkins defeats Keith Mieike within one minute by submission due to strikes.

Quarter Finals

Don Frye v Thomas Ramirez

Ramirez is the Goliath in this fight out weighing Frye by 150 lbs. He is also the home town boy and the fans favourite.

They both meet in the centre of the Octagon. Frye throws a left right combination and the second punch lands clean on the jaw and sends Ramirez to sleep in a record 8 seconds.

Joe Morrera v Paul Varlaens

Varlaens is the only returning fighter. He is fighting a tough Brazilian fighter. He out weighs him by 100lb and is 9 inches taller.

Both fighters are very cautious. Morrera is very wary of the size advantage, he throws leg kicks but is constantly moving backwards. Varlaens is always coming forward but wants to keep this fight on the feet and uses his jab. On a few occasions they clinch and when the clinch breaks Morrera throws a big right which continues to land but seems not to affect Varlaens. Another tool Morrera uses in the clinch is the foot stomp. This is a very slow fight to watch and it does go the distance and Varlaens wins by decision. The deciding factor being that he constantly comes forward.

Jerry Bohlander v Scott Ferrozzo

Ferrozzo is the bigger man and he out weighs Bohlander by 100lbs. Ferrozzo is a Pit fighter which is the same back ground as the infamous Tank Abbott. Bohlander is the first guy to come from under Ken Shamrock and the notorious Lions Den.

From the start Ferrozzo uses his size a bull rushes Bohlander up against the fence. He then grabs Bohlander around the waste and throws him down to the ground. He then switches to his back and lands a much better throw. On this throw Bohlanders head accidently hits Ferrozzo's eye and cuts it just under and causes a big mouse. Ferrozzo still has Bohlanders back but they are now on the ground. Ferrozzo works round to the front of Bohlander and sinks in a guillotine choke from the front. With Bohlanders training from the Lions Den he comfortably defends this attempt and gets back to his feet. Ferrozzo holds him against the fence, there is a bit of a struggle and Bohlander lands with a head butt then is able to hook his own guillotine choke in from the front with his legs wrapped around Ferrozzo's midsection being supported up against the fence. Ferrozzo stays calm and fights out of this hold before swinging Bohlander down to the ground and ending up in his guard. There is a stalemate in the guard. ferrozzo throws some headbutts and Bohlander throws punches from his back but neither fighter cause any damage.

The fight is then restarted on the feet. Ferrozzo again pushes Bohlander up against the fence. Bohlander tries to use the straps of Ferrozzo's singlet wrestling top to cut off his air supply by pulling it against his windpipe. With neither fighter making progress they are once again restarted. From the restart Ferrozzo once again pushes Bohlander up against the fence. Bohlander then uses both his hands and uses both straps of Ferrozzo's vest and once again starts to strangle him with it. This is basically a slow choke and you can tell that it is bothering Ferrozzo. Ferrozzo struggles out of this position and only when both fighters hit the ground does Bohlander let go of the vest. On the ground Bohlander is quicker to react and lands with a knee flush into Ferrozzo's face and then sinks in a guillotine. With one minute to go a tired Ferrozzo taps in what was a dramatic and sudden finish.

Paul Herrera v Gary Goodridge

Goodridge is the Goliath in this fight out weighing Herrera by 100lb. Herrera fights from Tank Abbotts camp.

Herrera shoots straight away. Goodridge sprawls and lands in a crucifix position with both of Herrera's arms trapped. Goodridge then throws EIGHT unanswered elbows to the side of Herrera's head. The second elbow actually ko'd him but the elbows were that quick that by the time Big John stepped in the elbows had already landed.

Semi Finals

Don Frye v Sam Adkins

We are told that Paul Varlaens is unable to continue as he broke a bone in his foot in his first fight.

Both fighters have a boxing back ground and start by feeling each other out with punches. This is very even so Frye takes Adkins down and finishes the fight with punches from side control.

Gary Goodridge v Jerry Bohlander

Both of these fighters looked very impressive in the first round. Goodridge is the bigger fighter out weighing Bohlander by 50lbs. It is also pure muscle with the extra weight that Goodridge holds over Bohlander.

Goodridge closes the gap straight away and uses his strength to push Bohlander up against the cage. Bohlander drops to try and take Goodridge down and Goodridge hooks in a standing guillotine. Bohlander is able to break the hold but is still not able to distance him self from Goodridge. To avoid being thrown Bohlander drops to the floor with Goodridge on top of him. Goodridge instantly jumps to side control. He bides his time before trying to get the full mount which Bohlander defends and is able to get full guard. Amazingly from this position Bohlander uses the butterfly guard and elevates Goodridge and ends up in top position. Bohlander works to the mount and throws punches from the mount. Goodridge blocks some of the punches and makes a few attempts to reverse but is unsuccessful. He then just powers through and is able to reverse Bohlander and end up in his guard. From that position Goodridge stands up and uses the fence to balance himself. He then hovers over Bohlander who is trying to create space by pushing Goodridge away with his feet. Goodridge defends that by continuing to hold on to the fence and then lands a big downward right punch to end the fight.

Superfight

Ken Shamrock v Kimo Leopaldo

Shamrock is back to defend is Superfight belt against the man who shocked the MMA world by pushing Royce Gracie to his limit.

Kimo starts by throwing a kick and Shamrock blocks the kick and then takes Kimo down. Shamrock works to the full mount but decides not to throw any strikes and attempts a choke. Kimo defends this and is able to reverse Shamrock and end up in his half guard. Kimo lands with a big punch and then Shamrock grabs Kimo's leg and works for a leg lock. Kimo tries to wriggle out of it but is unsuccessful and Shamrock sinks in a knee bar and forces Kimo to tap.

Final

Don Frye v Gary Goodridge

On paper this looked like being a very exciting final. Both fighters had looked very impressive and very aggressive in their fights.

Frye comes out and straight away lands with punches and pushes Goodridge up against the fence. Goodridge is then able to wrap his arms around Frye and take his back while standing. Frye throws backwards elbows before Goodridge picks up Frye and throws him to the ground. He then tries to soccer kick him but Frye reacts quickly and gets back to his feet. They then clinch and Frye uses effective dirty boxing and rocks Goodridge with a couple of uppercuts. Goodridge then pushes him against the fence to stop the punches. Goodridge uses his strength and picks up Frye who holds on to the top of the fence. Goodridge has Fryes legs in the air and Frye lets go of the fence and falls to the ground. Goodridge quickly takes Frye's back while is on the ground but Frye reacts quickly and comes back through Goodridge's legs and then takes Goodridge down. Frye throws punches from the top position and Goodridge taps.

Overall this was a great event with some very exciting action. We also saw the introduction of some recognisable faces, Don Frye, Gary Goodridge and Jerry Bohlander.

Bonus Awards

KO of the night Gary Goodridge v Paul Herrera

Tapout of the night Jerry Bohlander v Scott Ferrozzo

Fight of the night Jerry Bohlander v Scott Ferrozzo

Fighter of the night Don Frye

UFC 7.5 Ultimate ultimate 95

2008-03-05T23:21:00.003Z

UFC 7.5 Ultimate ultimate 95
Mammoth Gardens,
Denver, Colorado

Ultimate ultimate 95. On paper the best card yet. Once again the format is an 8 Man Tournament with 2 unaired alternate belts. There is no Superfight at this event.
On this card there is 4 previous tournament winners and 3 runners up.
There is also one major change for this event which is the intoduction of Judges for fights that go the distance

Firstly in the Alternate bouts Joe Charles defeats Scott Bessac via armbar and Mark Hall beats Trent Jenkins via armlock.

Quarter finals

Tank Abbott v Steve Jennum

Jennum who won UFC 3 versus Abbott who was runner up at UFC 6.

Abbott shoots for a take down straight away and uses his strength to push Jennum up against the cage. Abbott throws some punches but Jennum is able to defend the strikes with out taking to much punishment. Abbott continues to push Jennum up against the cage and then puts all his weight on Jennum. Jennum's neck is cranked against the side of the cage and he taps out due to this position. Abbott wins easily.

Dan Severn v Paul Varlaens

The winner of UFC 5 (Severn) versus the runner up of UFC 7.

Severn gets a quick takedown and lands in side position. From this position he works a head and arm choke and Varlaens taps. Another quick fight with Severn winning easily.

Dave Beneteau v Oleg Taktarov

The winner of UFC 6 (Taktarov) versus the runner up of UFC 5. This is also only the second rematch in UFC history ( the first was Gracie v Shamrock).
Both fighters clinch at the start and Taktarov then rolls through and grabs Beneteau's leg and gets the takedown. Taktarov then works for the heel hook. He takes one kick to the face before Beneteau taps. Another one sided fight.

Marco Ruas v Keith Hackney

Ruas won UFC 7. Hackney is the only fighter in the tournament who has not finished in the top two in previous events. He has made enough of an impression in his previous fights to earn his spot in the Ultimate ultimate Tournament.

Both fighters start of cautious. Leg kicks are thrown by both fighters but nothing to effective. Ruas then shoots for a takedown which Hackney is able to defend. Off the defence of the takedown Ruas is able to take Hackneys back while standing and pulls him down to the ground with Hackney on top of Ruas but Ruas still having his back. Ruas is patient and softens Hackney up with strikes to the back of the head before he sinks in a rear naked choke. Hackney taps out.
This fight lasted the longest so far at two and a half minutes.

Semi Finals

Tank Abbott v Dan Severn

Both fighters meet in the middle of the Octagon and Severn shoots for a takedown. Abbott tries to defend the attempt but is eventually taken down. The rest of this fight is spent with Severn holding position and neautralising Abbott. Severn throws strikes but they are more for show as hardly any of the strikes are effective. There is also long spells were Severn just holds Abbott and throws no strikes. Unfortunately Big John did not restart them. The fight went for eighteen minutes with very little action and Severn won by decision.

Oleg Taktarov v Marco Ruas

This fight was also fought at a very slow pace with both fighters being known for there patience. Ruas starts the fight with leg kicks. Taktarov then closes the distance and they both end up against the fence. Ruas then uses is famous foot stomps. Taktarov then rolls for his leg to get the takedown. The attempt is unsuccesful and Ruas ends up on top of Taktarov who manages to put Ruas into his butterfly guard. Taktarov uses the cage to get back to his feet. He then lands with some punches before grabbing the guillotine and pulling guard. The guillotine was not in properly and after about two minutes Big John restarts both fighters on there feet.
This does nothing for the fight as both fighters circle each other and throw a combined total of two leg kicks each in a two minute spell. There is five minutes left and Taktarov tries to push the pace with a couple of takedown attempts but Ruas is able to defend. We once again go to the Judges and Taktarov wins by decision.

Final

Dan Severn v Oleg Taktarov

Im afraid to say that the final is worse than the two semi finals.
This fight follows the same pattern through out the fight. Taktarov tries to roll for a leg to take Severn down. Severn blocks the attempt and ends up in top position. Severn then uses his wrestling skills to move around Taktarov on the ground and to control him with out causing any damage. The fight is restarted but it always ends up in the same position. Both semi finals were eighteen minutes and the final is thirty minutes.
After thirty minutes of nothing Severn wins by decision.

Overall this was great idea on paper but it did not work in reality. The first round fights were all won easily and were not competitive and the semi's and the final were very boring as each fighter cancelled each other out.

Bonus Awards

KO of the night There was no KO's or TKO's

Tapout of the night Dan Severn v Paul Varlaens

Fight of the night Marco Ruas v Keith Hackney

Fighter of the night Dan Severn

UFC 7 The Brawl in Buffalo

2008-02-25T20:21:00.003Z

UFC 7 The Brawl in Buffalo

Memorial Auditorium

Buffalo, New York

Once again the format is the same as previous events.
An 8 Man tournament.
A superfight and 2 unaired alternate matches.
There was 4 returning fighters and 4 new fighters.

In the first alternate match Onassis Parungao defeated Francesco Maturi via submission from strikes after five minutes. In the second bout Scott Bessac won via guillotine after thirty seconds over David Hood.

Round 1

Gerry Harris v Paul Varlaens

The returning Varlaens is fighting an opponent around the same size as him which is unusual when you are 6 ft 8. Varlaens does still out weigh Harris by forty pounds.

Varlaens grabs Harris and pushes him up against the fence. Varlaens then takes Harris down and lands in side control. Varlaens throws short punches to the face. Harris turns away and gives up his back. Varlaens then throws two big elbows to the back of Harris head to force a tap out.

Mark Hall v Harold Howard

The returning Howard out weighs the new Hall by fifty pounds.

They both come out and Howard throws the first punch. They then clinch. After a bit of working for position Howard trips Hall and takes him down. Hall responds by reversing Howard straight away and ending up in Howards guard. From the guard Hall lands with punches cutting Howards face. Hall is in complete control and Howards verbally submits rather then taking more punishment.

Remco Pardoel v Ryan Parker

Pardoel returns and takes on the 6 ft 3 and 235 lbs Parker.

Pardoel pushes Parker up against the fence. He then grabs a headlock and Judo throws Parker to the ground. The next two minutes is spent with Pardoel controlling Parker from the full mount and looking for a front choke. He eventually sinks in the choke and Parker taps.

Marco Ruas v Larry Cureton

Ruas is the new fighter with a back ground in Brazilian Vale Tudo. He is completely cut and looks like a true athelete. Cureton who lost his only fight in the Octagon is the bigger fighter by forty pounds.

Ruas shoots straight in for the takedown. Cureton defends the takedown and sinks in a standing guillotine choke. Ruas remains calm and picks up Cureton slamming him down to the mat and breaking the hold. Ruas is active on the ground and quickly slips past the guard taking side control and then the full mount. Cureton is here to fight and he quickly reverses the position and ends up in Ruas guard. Ruas attempts an armbar and Cureton escapes by standing up. Ruas reacts quickly and grabs Curetons leg and sinks in a heel hook and Cureton taps.

Semi Finals

Paul Varlaens v Mark Hall

Varlaens is much bigger then Hall. He is 8 inches taller and 110 lbs heavier.

Hall starts the fight by jumping and throwing a punch which bloodies the nose of Varleans. Hall then throws a leg kick. Varleans uses his size and grabs Hall and takes him down. He then mounts and starts throwing elbows. As Hall tries to defend Varlaens grabs his arm and wins with a key lock.

Marco Ruas v Remco Pardoel

On paper this looks a very intereting fight as both fighters have good ground skills.

The fight starts with Ruas throwing leg kicks. Pardoel closes the gap and is able to grab Ruas in a headlock and starts looking for a standing guillotine. They actually stay in this position for five minutes as Pardoel works for a choke and Ruas defends. We then see a move that becomes quite famous but is actually very basic and when used in modern UFC the commentater often refer back to this moment. Ruas uses his big feet to stomp on Pardoels feet. The infamous Ruas foot stomp. Pardoel is thrown by this move and it is clearly bothering him. They then fall to the ground with Pardoel on top. Ruas quickly reverses the position and finally breaks the head lock after six minutes. From the guard Ruas sits back and tries to work for a leg lock. After two minutes of this Pardoel frees his leg. Ruas then stands up and and throws a leg kick before jumping in to side control. Ruas throws knees to the body before taking the full mount. At this point Pardoel taps, it is either from exhaustion or the fact he did not want to take any more punishment.

Superfight

Ken Shamrock v Oleg Taktarov

Shamrock and Taktarov were training partners and also good friends. We are led to beleive that neither fighter wanted this fight. Will this lead to a slow cautious fight or will they surprise us. In the 2 previous superfights we had a draw and a Shamrock victory. Shamrock is viewed as the Superfight champion and this is his first defence.

This fight went as expected. Both fighters were cautious and most of the fight was spent with Shamrock in Taktarov's guard. Neither fighter really looked to try and finish the fight. Shamrock landed with rabbit punches and head butts. They were stood up a few times by the referee for inactivity. Each time they ended back in the same position with either Shamrock getting the takedown or Taktarov pulling guard. If the fight was a draw after thirty minutes there was suppose to be a five minute overtime period. The fight was a draw but we only had a three minute overtime period.

The fight was ruled a draw after a very boring fight which was very simular to Shamrock v Gracie II.

The outcome of this fight would lead to a positive change in the next UFC which you will hear more about in my next review.

Final

Paul Varlaens v Marco Ruas

Both these fighters had looked impressive in making it to the final. All is set for what should be a great final.

Varlaens is quick to close the distance throwing punches and coming forward. Ruas keeps circling and is also throwing punches as well as leg kicks. Varlaens then clinches and pushes Ruas up against the fence. He throws some knees but Ruas is able to defend them. Ruas is able to turn off the fence and break away from the clinch, as he does so he punches Varlaens on the nose giving him yet another nose bleed. Ruas also continuse to throw leg kicks. Ruas then shoots and Varlaens blocks the shoot and attempts the guillotine. As Varlaens tries to sink in the guillotine he picks Ruas up off the mat with the momentum of the attempt. Ruas breaks the grip and then uses the infamous Ruas foot stomps and is able to work to Varlaens back while standing. They actually stay in this position for five minutes with little action and Big John McCarthy restarts them. In a standing position Ruas starts to take over and for the first time in the UFC we start to see the effect of the leg kick. Ruas picks Varlaens apart with leg kick after leg kick. Varlaens is limping with the effect. He tries to close the gap and Ruas keeps the fight at kicking distance and continues with the punishing leg kicks. After numerous leg kicks Varlaens drops to the mat as his legs just give in. Ruas swarms in with right and left combinations forcing the referee to stop the fight.

This was an good final with an exciting finish.

Overall a good event with the only dissapoinment the any thing but Super fight.

Bonus Awards

KO of the night Marco Ruas v Paul Varlaens

Tapout of the night Marco Ruas v Larry Cureton

Fight of the night Marco Ruas v Paul Varlaens

Fighter of the night Marco Ruas

Fight Team League - Elite XC results

2008-02-23T22:14:00.002Z

Here we go, the breakdown of scoring for EliteXC - Street Certified is:

uk_mma_fan
Tap or Snap
Kimbo Slice - 4pts

Wang_can_Bang
The Wangers
Antonio Silva - 3pts

Also, on the ShoXC event which took place a couple of weeks ago, Ben_Hutch had Paul Daley getting another W to his fantastic record, giving him 4 more points.

The overall table now looks like this:

Chuck Liddell's Left Testicle 11
The WarWagon 10
Rampant Rabi's 8
Barnbusters 7
Momma Said Knock Us Out 7
Scottie Too Hottie 7
Great Wyrms 7
MMAnchester MMAssive 7
My Team's Harder Than Yours...Bitch! 7
Tap or Snap 4
The Wangers 3
I Love Dana's Hair 3
Tapout to tattflash 0
Teeside MMA 0
Team 3:16 0
Gooch Punchers 0
Team Ruthless 0
Don Black Belts 0
Nainova Xtreme 0
Steed's Sluggers 0
Audere Est Facere 0
Psalm 144:1 0

UFC 6 Clash of the Titans

2008-02-19T23:26:00.002Z

UFC 6 Clash of the Titans

Casper Events Centre

Casper, Wyoming

Once again the main feature is a 8 man tournament.
There is 3 returning fighters and five new fighters.
Two of the returning fighters are previous runners up.
There is once again 2 alternate matches.
There is also a Super fight. Ken Shamrock v Dan Severn

The first unaired prelim sees Joel Sutton defeat Jack McLaughlin with tap out due to strikes after two minutes.

In the second bout the returning Anthony Macias defeats He-Man Gibson the same way as above after three minutes.

Round 1

Tank Abbott v John Matua

Matua comes into this fight out weighing Abbott by 100 lbs. We are told these two dont like each other and it is billed as a grudge match.

Both fighters come straight at each other. The first punch thrown by Abbot drops Matua. Matua gets back up and the second punch thrown knocks Matua out in spectecular fashion. As Matua falls to the floor it looks like he has a mini sezuire. The classy Abbott stands over him and mocks him. Matua is fine and after a few minutes is able to leave the octagon. Abbot won in twenty seconds.

Cal Worsham v Paul Varlaens

Varlaens is huge. He is almost one foot taller then Worsham at 6ft 8 and weighs 70lbs more.

Both fighters come out and for the first minute go toe to toe. Worsham has the slight advantge bloodying Varlaens nose. They then both start to tire. Varlaens uses his height and throws a downward elbow to the back of Worshams head. He then throws another and drops Worsham to the floor. Varlaens jumps in for the finish and Worsham taps before he takes any more punishment.

Rudyard Moncayo v Pat Smith

This is Smiths first UFC fight since finishing second at UFC 2. Moncayo specialises in Kempo Karate. Both fighters prefer to stand and fight.

Smith charges Moncayo and flies in with a front kick to Moncayo's chest which floors him. As Moncayo is standing Smith reacts quickly and sinks in the guillotine choke. As Moncayo tries to fight out Smith uses the fence to balance himself. He then trips Moncayo and falls straight in to full mount. Moncayo gives up his back and Smith sinks in the rear naked choke. Moncayo taps.

Dave Beneteau v Oleg Taktarov

Both of these fighters lost to Dan Severn at UFC 5. Beneteau in the final and Taktarov in the Semi finals. This fight is a classic Wreslter v Jui Jitsu.

As the fight starts Beneteau shoots straight away. Taktarov drops to his back and uses his guard. Beneteau pushes Taktarov up against the fence. Taktarov uses the fence to get back to his feet. Benteau then throws punches which force Taktarov to shoot. Beneteau blocks the attempt and uses Taktarov's momentum to suplex Taktarov. Taktarov lets Beneteau roll through and then sinks in a guillotine forcing Beneteau to tap.

Semi Final

Tank Abbott v Paul Varlaens

Once again Abbott is fighting a much larger opponent.

Abbott comes out and throws a big punch and then pushes Varlaens up against the fence. He then takes Varlaens down easily. From the half guard Abbott controls Varlaens with some big punches. In another sadistic Abbott moment he steps through the half guard and pushes one knee onto Varlaens head like he is kneeling on it. The best part is he looks at the crowd and just smiles. He continues to throw punches and Big John steps in to stop the fight. Varlaens is unhappy with the stoppage but he was not defending himself.

Oleg Taktarov v Anthony Macias

Patrcik Smith pulls out with an injury. The alternate Joel Sutton is also injured so Anthony Macias steps up. Macias and Taktarov are training buddies.

In what many believe to be a worked fight Macias shoots in for the takedown and Taktarov wins with a ten second guillotine.

The final is set: Tank Abbott v Oleg Taktarov

Superfight

Ken Shamrock v Dan Severn

A big test for both fighters. Both fighters have looked very impressive in previous UFC events and only lost to the legend Royce Gracie.

Shamrock closes the gap straight away and clinches with Severn. He throws a knee to the body and then lands with punches to the head. Severn reacts by shooting in on Shamrock. Shamrock is able to block the attempt and stay on his feet. He then attempts to sink in the guillotine and Severn slips his head away. A persistent Shamrock attempts the guillotine again, this time he is succesful and Severn taps.

This was Shamrock biggest win to date and he looked very impressive as he neutralised Severns wrestling skill for an easy submission victory.

Final

Oleg Taktarov v Tank Abbott

Taktarov is surprisingly the aggressor to start the fight, as he initiates with punches, but Abbott is able to take him down and force Oleg to pull half guard. Abbot does not control Taktarov on the ground and Taktarov is able to get back to his feet. Abbott wants to get into a slug fest, but Taktarov is effectively using his jab to get in close and clinch. He shoots, but is unable to take Abbott down. He pulls free and lands a nice uppercut on Abbott. They end up against the fence as Taktarov tries for a guillotine and falls into guard for more leverage. Abbott is able to pull his head free but looks very tired. Because Abbott is starting to tire he rests in the top position rather then push the pace. Weak punches from the bottom is pretty much the extent of Taktarov's offense from the bottom. Defensively though, he is doing a good job in neutralizing Abbott by controlling his head and arms. Five minutes in, and Abbott is looking very tired. Taktarov throws up a triangle attempt, but Abbott avoids it. He has no energy and is unable to do much, but does manage to stand up. Back on their feet, Abbott lands a right and works Taktarov up against the fence at about the seven and a half minute mark. Takatarov does not like how the fight is going on his feet and falls back into half guard, quickly transitioning to full guard. Lots of laying now as both guys look exhausted. Taktarov tries for another triangle without success. Abbott gets side control, but his too tired to do anything and Taktarov quickly gets him back into his guard. Abbott rises up and start landing rights until Taktarov closes his guard again. Big John decides to restart them on their feet as both guys are just plain exhausted. Abbott lands a left and they clinch against the fence. Taktarov tries for single leg, but stands up and locks in a guillotine. He gets it in deep, and falls back into half guard for leverage. Abbott is able to get free, but Taktarov takes his back and sinks in a rear naked choke for the victory at 18 minutes. Both guys are totally exhausted. They even bring in oxygen for Taktarov, while Abbott is able to leave under his own power.

Oleg Taktarov is the UFC 6 Tornament winner. The tournament was exciting with the only dissapointment the worked Semi Final.

The Super Fight was also exciting as there was a clear winner.

Bonus Awards

Ko of the night Tank Abbott v John Matua

Tapout of the night Ken Shamrock v Dan Severn

Fight of the night Oleg Taktarov v Tank Abbott

Fighter of the night Oleg Taktarov

UFC 5 Return of the Beast

2008-02-11T23:00:00.001Z

UFC 5 Return of the Beast

Independence Arena

Charlotte, N Carolina

The 8 Man Tournament returns.
There will once again be two alternate matches.
And, what should be the highlight of the night, the first ever superfight.
Royce Gracie v ken Shamrock II.

The two unaired prelims were Dave Beneteau v Asbel Cancio and Guy Mezger v John Dowdy. Beneteau won his match via TKO after 21 seconds and Mezger won via TKO after two minutes. Mezger had won qualification to the tournament at UFC 4 but due to his training partner and friend Oleg Taktarov being in the tournament he declined the invitation for the tournament. Also he will be the second alternate used for the same reason already mentioned.

Round 1

Andy Anderson v Jon Hess

Hess is nearly 1 ft bigger and 60 lbs heavier in this fight.

The fight starts with Hess charging out and throwing a flying knee which semi connects. Hess then throws wild punches, Anderson shoots in for a double leg takedown and Hess just stands there and throws elbows to the spine of Anderson before sticking his fingers straight into his eye. While Anderson reels from the eye gouge Hess throws Anderson to the floor and drops onto Anderson with a double knee drop. Anderson uses the momentum of the knee drop to reverse Hess and ends up in his guard. He then works to side control. Hess then just stands right up and drops Hess with a punch before finishing the fight with soccer kicks. The fight lasted just over one minute.

Todd Medina v Larry Cureton

Medina is the first fighter to represent Jeet Kune Do, the martial art made famous by Bruce Lee. Cureton is primarilly a striker.

Medina instantly shoots in and takes Cureton down. Medina works from the guard with headbutts and rabbit punches. Medina then works to half guard and then side control. Medina throws two uppercuts to the groin and then chokes Cureton with his forearm for a tap out.

Oleg Taktarov v Ernie Verdicia

Taktaorv comes in to the event as a European Judo, Sambo and Jiu Jitsu champion. Verdicia is a three time Florida state Karate champion.

Verdicia comes out aggressive going straight at Taktarov. Taktarov instantly pulls Verdicia down into his guard. Taktarov tries for an armbar but is unsuccesful. He then switches to the butterfly guard which he uses to roll Verdicia right into a head and arm side choke. Verdicia submits.

Dan Severn v Joe Charles

Dan Severn is back after his loss in the Final against Gracie. Joe Charles is a Black belt in Karate and Judo.

Severn shoots straight away for a quick takedown and is succesful. He then pushes Charles up against the fence and throws knees to the head from side control. One of these knees opens up a cut on Charles head. Charles manages to pull guard. Severn through punches from the guard. As Charles tries to stand up Severn quickly takes his back and wins with a chin lock choke.

Semi Finals

Dave Beneteau v Todd Medina

Due to a bruised hand Hess pulls out of the tournament and Beneteau comes in as an alternate. Beneteau's background is Wrestling and Judo.

Beneteau gets a quick takedown. He throws punches from the guard and then tries to take the back of Medina. The attempt is unseccesful but he does end up in the full mount. Beneteau then uses punches from the mount forcing the fight to be stopped.

Dan Severn v Oleg Taktarov

These are easily the two tournament favourites meeting in the Semi final.

Severn takes Taktarov down straight away. Severn throws punches which are ineffective. He does mangage to work to half guard but damage is not being caused by either fighter. Taktarov rolls for an armbar and takes knees to the head in the process. He keeps grip of the arm but is unable to extend it due to being to close to the fence. From a result of the knees to the head there is nasty cuts on Taktarov and the fight is stopped by Big John McCarthy. Taktarov wanted to continue to fight but Big John would not allow him.

Superfight

Ken Shamrock v Royce Gracie

This fight was billed as the biggest in the UFC at this time. This fight had a lot of hype but unfortunately did not deliver. The fight was supposed to have a thirty minute time limit and there was no judges.

The whole fight was spent with Shamrock in Gracies guard. There was hardly any action from either fighter. Even when the fight was restarted they always ended up back in that position. After 31 minutes the fight was stopped.

The officials seemed to be making things up as they went along and decided on a five minute over time period. When the fight restarted Shamrock landed with a punch which blackened the eye of Gracie who then pulled guard. After five more minutes of very little action the fight was called a draw.

If there had been Judges many believe Shamrock would have been given the decision.

Final

Dan Severn v Dave Beneteau

This is the first final involving two Wrestlers.

Beneteau comes out more aggressive throwing punches. Severn quickly clinches. Beneteau then lands with some more punches and tries for a single leg takedown. Severn throws a knee and Beneteau lets go. From the clinch Severn then gets the takedown and side control. Severn forces Beneteau to tap with a Keylock.

Severn wins UFC 5.

The tournament was ok with out being great but the Superfight was anything but Super.

Bonus Awards

KO of the night Jon Hess v Andy Anderson

Tapout of the night Dan Severn v Dave Beneteau

Fight of the night Jon Hess v Andy Anderson

Fighter of the night Dan Severn

UFC 4 Revenge of the Warriors

2008-02-04T15:25:00.000Z

UFC 4 Revenge of the Warriors

Expo SquarePavilion

Tulsa, Oklahoma

Once again the format is an 8 man open weight Tournament.
There is one big difference, there are two fights before the Paper view, the winners of these fights will be used as alternates in case of injurys.
There are once again two seeds seperated by the draw, they are Steve Jennum and Royce Gracie.
There is also one other match which is billed as a qualifier for the tournament at UFC 5.

The two unaired prelims were Joe Charles v Kevin Rosier ( from UFC 1) and Marcus Bossett v Eldo Xavier. Charles won with armbar in 14 seconds and Bossett won by knock out after five minutes.

Round 1

Ron Van Clief v Royce Gracie

Clief is the first recognised Master of any Martial Arts to enter the UFC and is also 51 yrs old.

The fight starts with Cleif throwing a front kick, Gracie grabs the kick and quickly takes him down. Gracie then takes the mount and throws rabbit punches to the body trying to soften him up. He then ups the tempo and throws elbows to the head, Cleif gives up his back and is then submitted by the Rear Naked Choke. Clief lasted four minutes but Gracie controlled the whole fight and won easily.

Joe Son v Keith Hackney

Keith Hackney returns after beating the Huge Yarborough at UFC 3. Joe Son is Kimo's right hand man. After Kimo rocked the MMA world with his performance against Gracie could Son have the same impact. Son weighs 234 lbs and is 5ft 4. After his short MMA carear Joe Son played the charcater Random Task in the Austin Powers films.

The fight starts slow before Son takes Hackney down, Son ends up in north south control, as Hackney starts to stand Son sinks in a Guillotine choke, Hackneys responce is a uppercut right to the groin, he is then able to trip Son and end up in Side control. Hackney then throws SIX more punches to the groin. Hackney then grabs Son round the throat with his other hand and gets ready to throw more groin shots. Son taps before he can take any more punishment.

Milton Bowen v Steve Jennum

The returning champion versus Bowen, who stems from professional boxing, his is billed as having 24 ko's in his 37 fights.

Jennum starts the fight wanting to kick, Bowen wants to land with his punches but doesnt want to over commit and be taken to the ground. The first puch throw by Bowen ends with both fighters in the clinch. Jennum backs Bowen up against the cage and slowly takes him down. Jennum ends up in the full mount. Jennum then throws lots of hard punches, Bowen shows a lot of heart and trys to role Jennum off, Jennum uses the cage to balance himself, ( something you are not allowed to do now.) Bowen eventually gets himself to his feet but is quickly taken back down with a Judo throw. Both fighters are exhausted at this stage. Jennum is to tired to throw punches and Bowen is to tired to reverse position. After a failed Americana by Jennum he eventually grabs an arm for the armbar submission after five minutes.

Anthony Macias v Daniel Severn

This is classic striker v grappler. Macias's background is Thai Boxing and Severns background is Wrestling. Severn is seventy pounds heavier then Macias.

Macias starts off the fight using leg kicks, Severn then shoots for a double leg takedown. Macias sprawls and throws elbows to Severns back. And then, the hightlight of the fight, Severn manages to take Macias's back while standing and throws Macias with a belly to back suplex, he keeps hold of Macias stands him up and does it again. As they stand up again Macias shakes his head as he tries to compose himself. Severn then takes him down and works in the Rear Naked Choke for a submission. Severn did not throw any strikes at all during the fight.

Semi Finals

Royce Gracie v Keith Hackney

This could be an interesting fight as Hackney is very simular to Kimo in strength. Could he cause Gracie the same sort of problems.

Gracie looks to shoot, Hackney avoids the attempt and punches Gracie in the face. Gracie then throws a high kick to distract Hackney and shoots in again. Hackney once again avoids the attempt. Hackney is forcing Gracie to stand and fight and he looks really uncomfortable on his feet. Gracie then clinches with Hackney up against the cage. Gracie then knees Hackney in the groin and Hackney responds by once again punching Gracie in the face. That forces Gracie back and Hackney grabs Gracies Gee and starts throwing more punches. to the head and face. Gracies answer is to pull guard and take Hackney down that way, he then tries a quick triangle which Hackney avoids. Hackney is still throwing punches. He stands up and jumps back into the guard landing with one more big punch. Gracie is able to ride out the storm, he attempts the triangle again and then turns that into an armbar and the tired Hackney taps out. A very exciting fight. After such a difficult fight will Gracie be ok for the final?

Daniel Severn v Marcus Bossett

Jennum pulls out due to fatigue. Bossett is a Karate man. He won his alternate match and is entered into the semi finals.

Bossett lands with a beautiful front kick which visible stuns Severn, he then tries for a spinning back kick and Severn ducks under and takes him down. Severn lands in side control and quickly gains the mount, Severn then forces the tap with a head and arm choke.

Open Weight Match

Guy Mezger v Jason Fairn

Fairn is 33-0 in bare knuckle fighting. Mezger is a kick boxer. Both fighters have a pony tail and make a gentlemans agreement not to pull hair during the match.

Both fighters clicnch straight away and then trade knees that look like they land to the groin. Fairn then throws a big right and drops Mezger. As Mezger gets back to his feet Fairn trys to sink in a guillotine. Mezger escapes and then takes Fairn down and wins with ground and pound from the mount.

Final

Daniel Severn v Royce Gracie

This fight looks very interesting. Gracie Ju Jitsu versus a wrestler who out weighs Gracie by Seventy pounds.

They circle each other before Severn shoots and takes Gracie down. Gracie throws a few liver kicks before clsoing the guard. They stay in this position with very little action for fifteen minutes. Severn throws no strikes and tries to work for an arm and head choke. Gracie defends easily. Severn throws a few weak hammer fists. Gracie tries with his legs to work for a triangle or arm bar. As of yet nothing is coming off. Severn starts to sit up and throw strikes, Gracie is patient and relaxed through out. After sixteen minutes Gracie finally sinks in the triangle and Severn submits. Overall a very boring fight with a very dramatic finish.

Gracie regains his title. Once again he has defeated all comers. The competition does seem to be getting harder though.

Bonus Awards

Ko of the night Marcus Bossett v Eldo Xavier

Tapout of the night Royce Gracie v Keith Hackney

Fight of the night Royce Gracie v Keith Hackney

Fighter of the night Royce Gracie

UFC 3 The American Dream

2008-01-28T23:56:00.000Z

UFC 3 The American Dream

Grady Cole Convention Centre

Charlotte, North Carolina

September 9th 1994

We are back to the original 8 Man Tournament.
There are 6 new fighters and 2 returning fighters.
The returning fighters are seeded and set on opposite sides of the draw.
They are Royce Gracie and Ken Shamrock.

All going well we will have a Gracie v Shamrock final.

Round 1

Emmanuel Yarborough v Keith Hackney

Yarborough is a Sumo Wrestler. He stands at 6 foot 8 and weighs over 600 lbs. Hackney is 9 inches shorter and 400 lbs lighter.

The fight starts with Yarborough coming straight at Hackney. Hackney throws an over the head open hand strike. The first shot lands and drops Yarborough to the mat. As he tries for the quick finish Yarborough reverses Hackney and takes him down and takes his back and starts to slap him around the back of his head. Hackney quickly gets up and has Yarborough charges straight at Hackney, Hackney is thrown through the Octagon gate on to the floor below. When the fight is restarted back in the Octagon Hackney starts to throw leg kicks. Yarborough catches his leg, Hackney then unleashes a barrage of punches and open hand strikes to Yarborough's face and head. He drops to the floor and the fight is stopped. Hackney earns the nickname " The Giant Killer ".

Ken Shamrock v Christopher Leninger

This is Shamrocks first fight since losing to Gracie in UFC 1. He is here for one reason which is to redeem his loss from UFC 1.

When the fight starts they shadow each other for about 1 minute. They then clinch and Shamrock gets the take down straight away. Leninger is quick to get Shamrock in his guard. Leninger throws a few punches but no damage is caused, they also trade headbutts. The going is quite slow on the ground as both fighters are biding there time. Leninger then attempts a triangle which Shamrock avoids and takes Leninger's back. Leninger is able to turn and firstly get half guard and then full guard, the only problem is that his head is cranked against the side of the Octagon. To avoid punishment Leninger taps. He is so exhausted he is unable to stand at the end of the match.

Roland Payne v Harold Howard

This fight was fast and exciting.

They both come out throwing big punches. Payne then shoots and takes Howard down. Howard quickly gets back to his feet, as Payne is grabbing one of Howards legs Howard throws numerous downward elbows to the back of Payne's head. Howard then suplex's Payne. Payne recovers quickly and they both start trading punches and Howard ko's Payne. This fight lasted less then a minute.

Royce Gracie v Kimo Leopaldo

The defending champion returns against the mysterious Kimo who out weighs Gracie by 60 lbs.

Kimo rushes straight at Gracie, they clinch and Gracie works hard for the takedown. They then fall through the gate that was broke in the first fight. They are then restarted in the clinch up against the cage. Gracie throws a lot of strikes from the clinch as he tries to get the takedown. He then tries to sweep Kimo and that ends up with both fighters going down and Kimo taking Gracie's back. Kimo tries to work for the choke, Gracie defends the attempt before reversing the position and gaining the full mount. This lasts for less then 10 seconds as Kimo rolls him and ends up in Gracie's guard. Gracie is really struggling for the first time in any of his UFC matches, he then grabs Kimo's pony tail to help him try and control his much larger opponent. Kimo stands back up and loses a big chunk of his hair. Both fighters are exhausted. Kimo takes Gracie down, Gracie then rolls for an armbar off his back and forces Kimo to tap. Both fighters are exhausted and Gracie is carried out of the Octagon by his brothers.

Semi Finals

Ken Shamrock v Felix Lee Mitchell

Hackney broke his hand in his win over Yarborough and Mitchell is brought in as an alternative.

Shamrock goes straight for the clinch and pushes Mitchell up a against the cage as he works for the takedown. Mitchell does well to defend the takedown and gives Shamrock his back while standing. Mitchell continues to defend and manages to get away from Shamrock. Shamrock seems exhausted with all this work trying to get the takedown. Shamrock again closes the gap and eventually gets a trip to take Mitchell down. Once Mitchell is down Shamrock quickly takes his back and wins with a rear naked choke.

Harold Howard v Royce Gracie

This is were the planned super final all goes wrong.

Gracie still seems tired from his first fight, as the fight is about to start a towel is thrown and Gracie forfeits the match, allowing Howard to advance to the final.

Kimo comes down to the Octagon to celebrate eliminating Gracie. Big John McCarthy picks Kimo up around the waist and carries him out of the Octagon.

The final is set, or is it?

Final

Harold Howard v Steve Jennum

With the disappointment of Gracie withdrawing from the competition and with an injury that Shamrock picked up in the Semi final, he also withdraws from the tournament.

Howard comes out and throws a big right that cuts Jennum. Jennum then tries for a takedown and gets caught in a standing guillotine. He manages to push through it and take Howard down who then quickly gets back to his feet. Jennum is persistent and he quickly takes Howard down and gains the full mount and wins with ground and pound.

Jennum fought once on the night and he is the unlikely UFC 3 champion.

Bonus Awards

KO of the night Harold Howard v Roland Payne
Tapout of the night Royce Gracie v Kimo Leopaldo
Fight of the night Royce Gracie v Kimo Leopaldo
Fighter of the night Kimo Leopaldo

Made in America, Matt Hughes.

2008-01-23T12:10:00.000Z

Matt Hughes: Farm hand, family man, devout Christian, mixed martial artist. Can he now add talented author to this list? The answer, unfortunately, yet not particularly surprisingly is a resounding no. Including the fact that the book is also by Michael Malice, then it really is shocking that they’ve managed to hire a reasonably competent author to help (i.e. ghost) write such a mixed up, uninteresting, somewhat monotonous life history.

It covers everything you would expect from such a book, his early life growing up, which mostly involves him and his twin brother bullying and beating people up, including one example, rather shockingly I thought, their own sister. The ‘boys’ wind her up, she tries to get them to leave, which results in a swift body punch which leaves her down and winded. Matt then endorses (rather than defends) this by saying that nobody pushes him out of his own home. This pretty much sets the scene for the rest of the book. Two deeply unpleasant men force their way onto everyone else. They drink, sleep around, and fight people. A particularly distasteful anecdote involves Matt and Mark, cornering one of their ‘friends’ in their farm, before bombarding him with pig shit and dead swine foetuses. Hilarious I’m sure. They go swimming and one of their friends gets in trouble. Matt tries to help, gets in trouble himself, recovers, but his friend dies. This is alright in the end though as Mark makes Matt see just how selfish and stupid he was to try and help. If this doesn’t sound like the caring, Christian image he tries to portray, this is because he didn’t find god until pretty recently. And even when he does, he then comes off as a hypocritical, scientology-esque nut case, instantly trying to tell his family that because he has now had a revelation, they should all follow.

I read this book though primarily as a fan of the ufc, and as he was the most dominant champion in the history of the ufc (according to the book) surely the chapters relating to this would be better? Yes they were. Slightly. He mentions his wrestling days, how Pat Miletich got him into the UFC and in his camp, his feuds with Hallman, Trigg, BJ, GSP etc. It’s just a shame that it is in so little detail. Seriously, I’ve done crosswords that had more depth than this book. And it’s mixed up too. It’s as if they told him after the first draft there wasn’t enough UFC related writing in it, so they went back and randomly inserted passages to do with Tim Sylvia, who Matt bullies relentlessly for no apparent reason, Brock Lesnar, who Matt disrespects for no apparent reason, Randy Couture who Matt doesn’t speak with, yet doesn’t explain anything else. These random passages don’t seem to fit in with anything else or relate to other things happening in the book.

If anybody can remember a few years back, the WWE wrestler Mick Foley released his autobiography. It was a surprise No. 1 best seller, but this was due to the fact it was well written, brutally honest, interesting and entertaining. The WWE jumped on this idea and quickly released a number of inferior follow ups by other superstars to cash in. Made in America has an unnerving feel of being one of these ‘follow’ up books. Covers everything it needs to, but only just.

Despite this however, there aren’t too many MMA biographies out there, and therefore, by default, this one is still, only just, worth reading. Especially if you can find it in a sale or a library.

UFC 2 No Way Out

2008-01-21T23:07:00.000Z

UFC 2 No Way Out

Mammouth Gardens, Denver, Colorado

March 11th 1994

The UFC is back, this time bigger and better. The second UFC was a 16 man elimination tournament. The first 7 first round fights were un aired. The eighth first round fight and the Quarter finals onwards were all broadcasted. UFC 2 was also the debut of the legendary referee Big John McCarthy and his famous phrase, " Are you ready, Are you ready, LETS GET IT ON "
The only returning fighters from UFC 1 were Patrick Smith and the defending champion Royce Gracie.
There was no time limits, no weight classes and minimum rules.

Preliminaries

Scott Morris v Sean Daugherty

Morris defeated Daugherty in a Guillotine choke within twenty seconds.

Patrick Smith v Ray Wizard

Another short fight as the improved Smith submits Wizard with another Guillotine in under a minute.

Johnny Rhodes v David Levicki

Rhodes submitted Levicki at the twelve minute mark with strikes.

Frank Hamaker v Thaddeus Luster

Hamaker wins by submission at the five minute mark.

Orlando Weit v Robert Lucarelli

The end of the fight was shown as a highlight on the live broadcast as it was very dramatic. Around the two and a half minute mark as Lucarelli was on his knees trying to get back up to his feet, Weit a Muay Thai fighter landed with a knee straight to the face. Weit thought he had ko'd Lucarelli and started to walk away with his hands raised. When Lucarelli started to show signs of getting back to his feet Weit turned and ran back over to his opponent and threw four elbows to the back of his head and neck. The fight was stopped when Lucarelli's corner threw in the towel.

Remco Pardoel v Alberta Cerra Leon

Pardoel won with an armbar at the ten minute mark.

Jason DeLucia v Scott Baker

De Lucia wins by tapout due to strikes at the seven minute mark.

Royce Gracie v Minoki Ichihara

This was the first fight broadcasted on the PPV. The draw was made random and many people felt that these two fighters were the best fighters in the event and thought this would be the final. Ichihara was a second degree black belt in Karate and had over 60 bare knuckle victories.

Gracie took the centre of the Octagon and got the takedown almost straight away. He took his time trying to isolate one of Ichihara's arms. He then gave up on the arm and used Ichihara's gee against him and won by tap out with a collar choke at the five minute mark. That was Gracie's longest fight to date.

Quarter Finals

Patrick Smith v Scott Morris

Morris charges Smith, Smith clinches ans takes him straight down landing in the full mount. Smith then throws a flurry of elbows and knocks out Morris in spectacular fashion. Smith was absolutely brutal.

Johnny Rhodes v Fred Ettish

Ettish was an alternate who replaced Hamaker who was injured in his prelim bout.

Rhodes and Ettish meet in the middle of the octagon. Rhodes with a boxing stance and Ettish with a Karate stance. Two straight right punches drop Ettish to the floor. After about a minute of Ettish trying to get to his feet and Rhodes trying to keep him down, Rhodes throws a big downward punch and then takes top position. Rhodes eventually puts on a very loose choke and Ettish taps out.

Remco Pardoel v Orlando Weit

Pardoel the Judo and Ju Jitsu guy out weighed Weit the Muay Thai fighter by 90 lbs. Pardoel worked in close and took Weit down with a Judo throw. He landed with Weit underneath him in a crucifix position. Pardoel was patient taking his time and controlling Weit. He then threw a backward downward elbow that landed flush on Weits head, the second elbow ko'd Weit, but four more were thrown before the fight was stopped. Another viscous KO.

Royce Gracie v Jason DeLucia

Gracie and DeLucia had fought before in a Gracie challenge match with DeLucia lasting five minutes.

Gracie took DeLucia down in his guard and then quickly reversed the position and took the full mount. As Delucia tries to improve his position and shake Gracie off Gracie hooks the armbar for his second submission of the night.

Semi Finals

Patrick Smith v Johnny Rhodes

Smith closes the gap and pushes Rhodes up against the fence. He lands with a head butt and then catches Rhodes with a standing Guillotine and forces Rhodes to tap.

Royce Gracie v Remco Pardoel

This looked like it could be an interesting fight for Gracie with Pardoel also knowing Ju Jitsu and out weighing Gracie by 90 lbs.

Gracie is the most aggressive and shoots in on Pardoel wrapping his arms round his waist and trying to take him down from the side. Gracie then trips Pardoel and takes his back. Gracie uses the gee and chokes Pardoel for another submission victory.

Final

Royce Gracie v Patrick Smith

Smith had looked very aggressive all night with some very explosive finishes in his three fights. Had he got enough to be able to push Gracie.

Gracie quickly closes the gap and takes Smith down very easily. He then throws punches from the half guard and Smith submits very quickly.

Bonus Awards

Ko of the night Patrick Smith v Scott Morris

Tapout of the night Royce Gracie v Remco Pardoel

Fight of the night Patrick Smith v Scott Morris

Fighter of the night Royce Gracie

FTL - UFC 80 Results

2008-01-20T21:22:00.000Z

Here are the results after UFC 80:

Chuck Liddell's Left Testicle (Ben_Hutch)
BJ Penn 7 (3pts for win, x2 for title win, +1 for finishing fight)

Teeside MMA (MMAcca)
Joe Stevenson 0

Team 3:16 (ACER)
Gabe Gonzaga 0

Team Ruthless (xchicox)
Gabe Gonzaga 0
Joe Stevenson 0

Rampant Rabi's (Rabi)
Jason Lambert 0

Marcus Davis 4 (3pts for win, +1 for finishing fight)

Great Wyrms (Red-Dragon)
BJ Penn 7 (3pts for win, x2 for title win, +1 for finishing fight)

MMAnchester MMAssive (hellboy)
Gabe Gonzaga 0

Barnbusters (barnyards)
Gabe Gonzaga 0
Kendall Grove 0
BJ Penn 7 (3pts for win, x2 for title win, +1 for finishing fight)

Psalm 144:1 (jakeovgy)
Gabe Gonzaga 0

These results mean the league table looks like this after one event:

Barnbusters (7)
Chuck Liddell's Left Testicle (7)
Great Wyrms (7)
Rampant Rabi's (4)
Audere Est Facere (0)
Don Black Belts (0)
Gooch Punchers (0)
I Love Dana's Hair (0)
MMAnchester MMAssive (0)
Momma Said Knock Us Out (0)
My Team's Harder Than Yours...Bitch! (0)
Nainova Xtreme (0)
Psalm 144:1 (0)
Scottie Too Hottie (0)
Steed's Sluggers (0)
Tap or Snap (0)
Tapout to tattflash (0)
Teeside MMA (0)
Team 3:16 (0)
Team Ruthless (0)
The Wangers (0)
The WarWagon (0)

Fight Team League Rules

2008-01-17T16:16:00.000Z

- Each member of the camp who wants to participate PM's a list of fighters (1 from each weight class) who they want to represent them in the forthcoming year. They will also include the name of their team. This can, but doesnt have to, include members names/usernames.

- At each event, scores will be awarded on a football-style basis, 3 points for each fighter who wins, 1 for a draw and 0 for a loss/no contest. These will be tallied up and after each event the league table will be updated.

- Title fight (including Interim Championship's) wins are worth double points

- Bonus point awarded for a fighter finishing the fight (KO, TKO, Submission, Dr Stoppage)

- Weight classes are: HW, LHW, MW, WW, LW and FW

- The organisations you can pick fighters from are: UFC, WEC, EliteXC, Cage Rage and IFL.

- Also, substitutions will be allowed. 3 per team. So if a fighter was out injured for 6 months, or just not doing well, you could replace them.

- If a fighter leaves an organisation and heads to one not on the list, or switches weight classes, then you would not be charged a substitution but be allowed to make a 'free transfer' as it were. Points the fighter won up to that time would be frozen, and your new fighters points would start from the first event after they joined your team.

- 3 point deduction for any fighter found guilty of drug use (performance enhancing or personal enjoyment)

- My decision is final

UFC 1 The Beginning

2008-01-14T21:59:00.000Z

UFC 1 The Beginning

McNichols Sports Arena, Denver, Colorado
November 12th 1993

The first ever UFC was an 8 man tournament over one night.
There were no weight classes or time limits.
The event was billed as no rules but biting or eye gouging was not aloud, everything else goes.

Quarter Finals

Gerard Gordeau v Teila Tuli
Gordeau was a Savate World champion and weighed approximately 215 pounds. Teila Tuli was a 6 foot 2 4oo pounds sumo wrestler. This first match was seen as classic Grappler v striker.

Tuli charged Gordeau from the start, Gordeau threw strikes while backing up, with the strikes and the momentum of Tuli coming forward he fell to the floor against the cage, one punch and head kick to a downed opponent later and the fight was stopped timed at 30 seconds. Tuli's tooth flew out of his mouth from the kick and Gordeau also broke his hand from punching Tuli to his head.

Kevin Rosier v Zane Frazier
Rosier was a kickboxer versus Frazier a Karate practitioner. These two stayed on there feet and traded punches for four minutes. Frazier had the advantage early on and it looked like he would force the stoppage, Rosier shown a lot of heart and weathered the storm. Both fighters were exhausted and Rosier turned the tide and dropped Frazier with punches, Rosier then stomped on Frazier's head and his corner threw in the towel.

Royce Gracie v Art Jimmerson
The fight every one was waiting for, Gracie Jujitsu versus a professional boxer. Jimmerson also wore one glove to the ring on his right hand. This was an easy victory for Gracie as he quickly took Jimmerson down with a double leg takedown. He took full mount almost immediately, Jimmerson tried to shake him off and then realised he was out of his depth and quickly tapped before he could sustain any serious damage.

Ken Shamrock v Patrick Smith
Another anticipated match up, Shamrock the shoot fighter who had been successful in Japan versus an aggressive Kick boxer in Smith. There was also bad blood in the match has Smith had criticised Shamrock before the fight. Shamrock got the takedown straight away and was in Smith's guard. He then hooked his heel and sat back to try and finish with the heel hook. Smith tried to kick his way out and did catch Shamrock giving him a nice black eye. Shamrock stayed calm and sunk in the heel hook forcing Smith to tap.

Semi Finals

Gerard Gordeau v Kevin Rosier
Rosier still seemed tired from his first fight and tired very quickly in this semi final bout. Gordeau backed him up with strikes and then dropped him with punches up against the fence. Gordeau then stomped Rosier in the ribs forcing his corner to throw in the towel. The fight lasted just over a minute.

Royce Gracie v Ken Shamrock
Many people saw this as the tournament decider as this was seen as the best two fighters in the tournament. Gracie went in for the take down and was blocked and turned by Shamrock. All of Shamrock submission fighting at this time had come from Japan and in that style of fighting chokes were not allowed. As Shamrock went for a leg/foot hold to force the stoppage he left his neck exposed and Gracie sunk in the choke. Shamrock was forced to tap. Gracie immediately let go of the hold, the referee had not seen the tap and had not called a stop to the fight. Shamrock then acknowledged that he had tapped and the fight was stopped.

Final

Royce Gracie v Gerard Gordeau
This was another simple fight for Gracie as he took his time and then took Gordeau down. He threw strikes forcing Gordeau to give up his back. Gracie then sunk in the rear naked choke forcing the tap.

Bonus Awards

In true UFC style I will award the bonuses of the night. They are my opinion and fall under the following categories.

Ko of the night Gerard Gordeau v Teila Tuli
Tapout of the night Royce Gracie v Ken Shamrock
Fight of the night Kevin Rosier v Zane Frazier
Fighter of the night Royce Gracie

Fight League Camps

2008-01-14T14:28:00.000Z

The WarWagon MMAnia07
HW Antonio Rodrigo Nogeira
LHW Thiago Silva
MW Anderson Silva
WW Jon Fitch
LW Tyson Griffin
FW Jens Pulver

Tapout to tattflash tattflash
HW Neil Grove
LHW Thiago Silva
MW Robbie Lawler
WW Nick Diaz
LW Kenny Florian
FW Jens Pulver

Tap or Snap uk_mma_fan
HW Kimbo Slice
LHW Rampage
MW Anderson Silva
WW GSP
LW Kenny Florian
FW Jens Pulver

Chuck Liddell's Left Testicle Ben_Hutch
HW Neil Grove
LHW Rampage
MW Anderson Silva
WW Paul Daley
LW BJ Penn
FW Brad Pickett

Teeside MMA MMAcca
HW Gary Turner
LHW Lyoto Machida
MW Robbie Lawler
WW Jon Fitch
LW Joe Stevenson
FW

Team 3:16 ACER
HW Gabe Gonzaga
LHW Houston Alexander
MW Evan Tanner
WW Josh Koscheck
LW Mac Danzig
FW

Gooch Punchers Rich78
HW Brock Lesnar
LHW Forrest Griffin
MW Robbie Lawler
WW GSP
LW Joe Lauzon
FW Urijah Faber

Momma Said Knock Us Out BigScouseMac
HW Antonio Rodrigo Nogeira
LHW Forrest Griffin
MW Anderson Silva
WW Josh Koscheck
LW Kenny Florian
FW Brad Pickett

Team Ruthless xchicox
HW Gabe Gonzaga
LHW Lyoto Machida
MW Robbie Lawler
WW Jon Fitch
LW Joe Stevenson
FW Urijah Faber

Rampant Rabi's Rabi
HW Frank Mir
LHW Jason Lambert
MW Ed Herman
WW Marcus Davis
LW Mac Danzig
FW Urijah Faber

Scottie Too Hottie scottaz88
HW Antonio Rodrigo Nogeira
LHW Shogun Rua
MW Anderson Silva
WW GSP
LW Mac Danzig
FW

The Wangers Wang_can_Bang
HW Antonio Silva
LHW Sokoudjou
MW Robbie Lawler
WW Jon Fitch
LW Roger Huerta
FW Urijah Faber

Great Wyrms Red-Dragon
HW Neil Grove
LHW Lyoto Machida
MW Anderson Silva
WW GSP
LW BJ Penn
FW Urijah Faber

Don Black Belts gml07
HW Cro Cop
LHW Lyoto Machida
MW Dan Henderson
WW Mac Danzig
LW Frankie Edgar
FW

Nainova Xtreme nainova
HW Antonio Rodrigo Nogeira
LHW Forrest Griffin
MW Dan Henderson
WW GSP
LW Kenny Florian
FW

MMAnchester MMAssive hellboy
HW Gabe Gonzaga
LHW Shogun Rua
MW Dan Henderson
WW Jon Fitch
LW Manny Gamburyan
FW

I Love Dana's Hair Chui
HW Cheick Kongo
LHW Shogun Rua
MW Paulo Filho
WW Jon Fitch
LW Tyson Griffin
FW

Steed's Sluggers steed
HW Brandon Vera
LHW Forrest Griffin
MW Anderson Silva
WW GSP
LW Roger Huerta
FW

Welcome to MMA Hit Pit

2008-01-14T13:58:00.000Z

Welcome to MMA Hit Pit

This blog has been setup to host the start of new beginnings for the Bravo fight camp on MMAPlayground.com

The blog is a temporary solution for things to come.

We will start out by hosting the Fight League for 2008.

Over and out

MMA Hit Pit admin