Archive for the 'Jacob Lawton' Category

Hard to believe, but the final shows to be held under the name World Extreme Cagefighting are on the way. Fittingly, tonight’s broadcast of WEC 52 from Las Vegas, NV(On Versus network stateside) features the promotion’s most popular fighter, Uriah Faber, against one of the talents that it helped develop into a star for North American audiences, Takeya Mizugaki. This should be an excellent fight to cap off a pretty good show.

But it’s a sad night because it reminds me how I’ll miss this promotion when its gone at year’s end. WEC’s emphasis on the lighter weight divisions often kept the pace up and offered an overall talent pool with a bit greater depth than the more glamorous UFC or Strikeforce. Admittedly, they’d fly under everyone’s radar sometimes with the battery of MMA shows out there. I’ve sometimes wished WEC would throw in some bells and whistles, a human interest story among their broadcasts – anything. But they’ll be missed all the same. With ZUFFA eliminating the WEC brand we’ll probably not see so many of these strong bouts in the lighter classes week after week. 

Don’t it always seem to go… that you don’t know what you’ve got ’till it’s gone? 

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Pictured: UFC Heavweight Champion Brock Lesnar (left) and challenger Cain Velasquez face off at the UFC 121 weigh-ins yesterday.

So… at 7 pm PST tonight from the Honda Center in the greater area of La Ciudad De Nuestra Señora, Reina de los Angeles, aka L.A. — fight fans are treated to UFC 121: Lesnar vs Velasquez, perhaps the UFC’s last big show of 2010. What hasn’t been said about this show? Who isn’t excited for this main, featuring a champion who finally stands alone on top of the division against its biggest blue chip prospect? Who isn’t sick of the Mexico vs US theme that the UFC hype machine is spitting out? Who knew Cain’s native California seceded anyway? I was born there — I guess I need a Brown Pride tat so I can piss off all the internets. Oh well. Maybe I’ve lost touch of my roots — but tonight, ich bin ein Mexicaner.

As always, our predictions are for entertainment purposes only, along with my references to Cain’s heritage. You want my opinion? The guy has every right to be proud of it. Sure, a “White Pride” tat wouldn’t go over so well but hey, life isn’t fair. Quit whining and go for yours. Cain’s and his fam are living proof that hard work pays off. So shaddap.

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Head below the jump for some comments by Lorenzo Fertitta on the future of the UFC in Europe and of the WEC, and a few other random anecdotes from a day full of MMA fun…

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To call tonight’s UFC 120 a stacked card would be a gross overstatement. It is, at best, an average UFC Fight Night card, with a mediocre headliner but for me these faults pale to the fact that it is on my hallowed shores in the UK. Unlike our spoilt American brothers, we cannot afford to toss back any top notch MMA action we get, as it blows around far to rarely.

I will be in London enjoying that atmosphere, and the fights, which, despite lots of doom and gloom from areas of the online MMA community, aren’t actually that bad – former welterweight title challenger Dan Hardy looks to rebound against former WEC champ Carlos Condit in a fight that promises to be an absolute war, and top British prospect John Hathaway looks to continue his rise in the 170lbs division hot off his win over Diego Sanchez against tough veteran Mike Pyle…

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Tonight, a fast-paced MMA autumn continues with the talent-laden and sadly overlooked Strikeforce: Diaz vs Noons 2, broadcast on Showtime at 10 pm EST/PST stateside.

KJ Noons looks to live up to the early promise of his somewhat now-stagnant career. Nick Diaz, fresh off a huge win over Hayato Sakurai, comes in ready to prove that his defeat at Noons’ hands in 2008 was an anomaly. Prospects like jiu jitsu luminary Andre Galvao will try to show that his success in the “gentle art” will translate into an MMA career.

But the biggest question may be how much longer can this organization continue to survive as it seems to be overlooked at nearly every turn… even the live gate is down.

On a personal note, for my part, I’d love to see it continue. These are some great fights we’re getting, and without shelling out PPV dough. The MMA world needs competition and not a ZUFFA monopoly.

On another (and less relevant) personal note, tonight’s show is in Strikeforce’s warm weather backyard, my birthplace of San Jose, CA – and its pretty grey out in my hometown of Seattle. So maybe I’m just California dreamin’, and hoping this show ends up more than it should be… but as you can see, I have hopes for it, and Strikeforce’s continued rebound from their primetime disaster earlier this year.

Picks and analysis of the show after the jump….

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Editor’s note: Did that last UFC leave a bad taste in your mouth? You’re not alone. The consensus seems to be that Joe Rogan’s apologetic remarks on commentary during the main event were more memorable than most of the night’s bouts.

How great is this show and why is no one talking about it? Jose Aldo defends his featherweight strap against a guy who just knocked out former champ Mike Brown. Donald Cerrone & Jamie Varner have the rematch of 2009’s fight of the year. Former P4P entrant, the suddenly cooling Miguel Angel Torres, fights the suddenly hot Charlie Valencia. It’s as solid a lineup as we’ve gotten in 2010. I’m happy Jacob stepped up to spotlight it. — Tommy

Main Event Featherweight Title Bout: Jose Aldo (17-1) vs. Manny Gamburyan (11-4)

The headliner of this, as usual, packed WEC offering gives the fans a chance to see a pound-for-pound entrant hailed as the future of the sport in Aldo, in action against the rugged hybrid judoka with dynamite fists, Gamburyan. UFC vet Gamburyan is a solid fighter, and has gained a new lease of life since his drop to 145 pounds, highlighted by his upset KO victory over former divisional kingpin Mike Brown. He has a well rounded skill set and is not truly weak anywhere – his submission defence has proved impenetrable and he has only one KO loss. Add to that a varied and dangerous offence and Aldo has himself a legitimate challenger here. Unfortunately for Gamburyan, Aldo is just a league above the’Pitbull’. His Muay Thai is fluid and deadly, his takedown defence near impenetrable — and his jiu-jitsu solid & workmanlike. Gamburyan’s only chance is to tag Aldo on the chin or somehow pin him to the mat – and though the former is a possibility, the latter is not seeing as celebrated wrestler Urijah Faber failed to do so at WEC 48. I like Aldo to take the victory via a TKO in the championship rounds.

Co Main Event Lightweight Bout: Jamie Varner (16-3-1) vs. Donald Cerrone (11-3)

A rematch of a title fight which took place in January of 2009 and ended in a technical decision in favour of Varner after an illegal fight from Cerrone caused the fight to end early. Since this time there has been bad blood between the two, with Cerrone going as far as to say that he wanted to ‘kill this dude (Varner)’. Obviously, then, this will be a passionate encounter. Since their fight at WEC 38 the pair have not had the best of times, Cerrone is 2-2, with both the losses coming to current lightweight kingpin Ben Henderson, and Varner is 0-1-1, also with a loss against Henderson and a draw with the now released Kamal Shalorus. The first fight was a tight affair, with the two men pretty equal across the board; but the question is since then who as evolved the most. For me the answer is Cerrone – his jiu-jitsu game and his kickboxing have improved immensely, while Varner has looked the same fighter in the pair of fights he has taken part in since then – well rounded and dangerous. But Cerrone has looked more so, and I expect the ‘Cowboy’ to grind out a unanimous decision.

Bantamweight Bout: Miguel Torres (37-3) vs. Charlie Valencia (12-5)

Miguel Torres looks to snap his two fight losing strip against a journeyman on a hot streak. Valencia has had an unremarkable career until recently, when a trio of victories over the lesser lights of the WEC’s 135lbs division has lead to rise in prominence, and, should he extend his run tonight against the former champ, one would expect a title shot in the near future. Valencia is a rugged fighter who has struggled to finish fights recently, but his scrappy style is a hard one to overcome, but that is what Torres needs to do. The former long time bantamweight legend is not in a good place, after his shocking KO loss to Brian Bowles and that horrific cut in his fight with Joseph Benavidez, which he lost via submission. It cannot be forgotten, however, that he is a truly deadly fighter, with 31 of his victories coming via stoppage. Valencia has shown a tendency to succumb to rear naked chokes in his career, and though Torres’ legend is fading it hasn’t faded this far quite yet – a first round submission will get the veteran back on the victory trail.

Featherweight Bout: Leonard Garcia (14-5-1) vs. Mark Hominick (18-8)

‘Korean Zombie’ conqueror Garcia steps out for the first time since his edge-of-the-seat victory over Chan Sung Jung against tough gatekeeper Hominick. A UFC vet, Hominick is well rounded and can finish the fight in multiple positions with heavy hands and a dangerous submission game. He has spent his entire career beating everyone except the very best, and this is a definite litmus test for Garcia. Should the similarly well-rounded Texan defeat Hominick he will catapult himself into title contention, but I can’t see it happening in this fight- Hominick is in a different league to Garcia in the wrestling department, and I can see him using it to control the fight and to take a well deserved decision.

There are a mouthwatering selection of bouts on the prelim slate – Mike Thomas Brown, Chan Sung Jung, and the first Chinese to fight under the Zuffa banner Zhang Tiequan are all in action – we should all be hoping some of those bouts make the air. As always, enjoy the fights!

It would be easy to describe UFC Fight Night: Marquardt vs. Palhares (aka UFC Fight Night 22) as hobbling its way into the Frank Erwin Center in Austin, TX tonight — with several of its scheduled bouts scratched due to one injury after another. But, it would also be a bit dishonest.

This show, which leads off the new season of Ultimate Fighter, may have lost some of its luster with the loss of such names as Alan Belcher — but it’s also benefitted from some creative shuffling of ZUFFA talent. Nate Marquardt and Rousimar Palhares would be a solid undercard bout for a PPV show; so it’s fair to classify them solid entries for a “free TV” (Cable isn’t free where I live, but whatever) main event. The undercard features some familiar faces like TUF winners Ross Pearson and Efrain Escudero, along with some exciting developing talent like Charles Oliveira.

So many changes occured with this lineup, that I can barely remember the original card. Maybe that’s to its benefit. I didn’t exactly mark this one on the calendar, but the more I look at it, the more I like this show and am looking forward to it.

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Pictured: Frankie Edgar and BJ Penn square off at UFC 118 weigh-ins yesterday. Picture from Tracy Lee of CombatLifeStyle.com

The TD Center in Boston takes center stage for one of UFC’s bigger shows of 2010 tonight, as BJ Penn rides into New England to try and take his lightweight crown back from the man who took it from him: Frankie Edgar. UFC 118 also features the MMA debut of James “Lights Out” Toney (I think this is a bad idea, but hey, it’s a free country), squaring off against UFC legend Randy Couture, and a strong undercard to boot — including Kenny Florian vs. Gray Maynard and Nate Diaz vs. Marcus Davis.

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Pictured: Sengoku 14’s official poster. Jorge Santiago and Kazuo Misaki battled for the Sengoku middleweight title this week — in what Total-MMA writer Jacob Lawton calls a fight of the year candidate.

As a group, Total-MMA has offered no coverage of the recent Sengoku event thus far. And who can blame us? Strikeforce was held the same night, and in the lead up to the event WEC had another of their edge-of-the-seat exciting shows. So let me remedy that now. On paper the card was standard Japanese fare – a collection of hometown boys with “squash matches” against various foreigners, the first rounds of the SRC Welterweight Grand Prix and Asian Bantamweight Grand Prix, former BJJ Mundials champ Leonardo in action. The main event was a rematch from the beginning of 2009 Jorge Santiago vs. Kazuo Misaki for the Sengoku Middleweight strap. The first fight between the duo was great – four and a half rounds of Misaki dominance capped by a Santiago come-from-behind submission – but this fight was the far superior. Please, click the link below and watch the fight before reading on through the event analysis, which continues after the jump. I do not lie when I say this is a fight of the year contender.

Check the video out: SRC 14: Santiago vs. Misaki II

While you get an energy drink and calm down, I’ll go ahead and analyze the rest of the card.

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Pictured: Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza weighs in for StrikeForce: Houston yesterday. Photo by Esther Lin courtesy of StrikeForce. Total-MMA staff agrees on the result of every bout but Souza vs. Tim Kennedy!

It hasn’t been all smiles under the warm California sun for our friends at StrikeForce. The San Jose-based promotion has taken a few hits in its recent attempts to go “international” — among them, the defection of middleweight champion Jake Shields, an embarassing showing on national TV, and most recently, injury issues with their newly crowned champion Fabricio Werdum. But as the lineup for tonight’s StrikeForce: Houston show illustrates, they still have the roster to put on a strong show.

A light heavyweight title bout which would be a good offering on any ZUFFA show headlines, while the absence of Shields makes way for two of the game’s grittiest to take center stage, to contest the vacated middleweight crown. A solid undercard airs in a webcast on Sherdog.com, including the sublime jiu-jitsu of world champion Andre Galvao against old favorite Jorge Patino.

So maybe sometimes things fall apart… but they still end up okay, at least for this viewer who just wants to catch some good MMA action on a Saturday night!

Tonight’s show is handicapped by Jacob Lawton (JL) and me (TH). Read the rest of this entry »