These are also late, but even more then boxing these had to be left until the new year so all the events could be done and everything taken into consideration. As it turns out, a few of the last few events of the year won some awards.

Fight of the Year- Eddie Alvarez TKO 1 (7:35) Tatsuya Kawajiri (DREAM.5)
This fight took place in the semi finals of the DREAM Lightweight Grand Prix and a cut suffered by Alvarez in winning this fight left him unable to continue in the tournament marking the way for alternate Joachim Hansen, the man Alvarez beat in the Quarter Finals, to fight in and win the Final against Shinya Aoki. Both fighters traded heavy shots on their feet throughout the fight and both fighters were knocked down. Alvarez dropped Kawajiri with a left hook-right cross about three minutes in but he used good survival skills to get himself out of trouble. After the doctors ruled Alvarez’s cut was okay to continue, Kawajiri dropped him heavily with a right hand and then passed his guard and mounted him. Alvarez escaped the mount and got back to his feet where both guys traded heavy shots and hurt each other more then once. Alvarez then pinned Kawajiri against the ropes and dropped him again, took his back and finished him with heavy strikes to the head. I picked this fight over some of the other ones on the list because it was fast paced for the full distance of the fight unlike some of the other candidates this year and because the whole way through the fight you had no idea who was going to win. If you haven’t seen the fight, here it is:

Honourable Mentions- Miguel Torres TKO3 Yoshiro Maeda (WEC 34), Forrest Griffin UD5 Rampage Jackson (UFC 86), Eddie Alvarez UD (15 mins) Joachim Hansen (DREAM.3).

Fighter of the Year- Gegard Mousasi
This might come as a strange pick to some people, but the big factor in this pick was that he went 6-0 this year (plus his victory under K-1 rules against MUSASHI) and four of those wins were against decent opposition in winning the DREAM Middleweight Tournament. After winning two fights early in the year (one over PRIDE veteran Evangelista Cyborg), Mousasi entered the Grand Prix as one of the dark horses. Matched up against PRIDE 2006 Welterweight Grand Prix Runner-up Denis Kang in the first round of the tournament, Mousasi’s triangle choke victory came as a big upset to most people. A workman-like decision win over Dong Sik Yoon in the Quarter Finals earned him his spot in the Final Event where he had to face Melvin Manhoef in the Semi Finals, and then fight again on the same night to win the title. Most were expecting a Manhoef-Ronaldo Jacare final, but Mousasi had other ideas, scoring a victory again via triangle choke in 88 seconds over the feared striker. Facing Brazilian Jiu Jitsu expert Jacare in the Final, Mousasi ended up on his back early, but at the 2:15 mark of the first round a dramatic upkick followed up by punches with Jacare in his guard left his Brazilian opponent unconscious and made Gegard Mousasi the new DREAM Middleweight Champion. Some of the other fighters (particularily in the UFC) scored bigger wins this year, but all of them fought only twice this year and you can question the level of some of their wins. While some of Mousasi’s opponents certainly wouldn’t make it in the UFC, going 6-0 against that sort of competition is very impressive stuff. I definately don’t think he’d beat Anderson Silva or anything like that so save your time from writing some idiotic comment saying Silva would crush him or whatever because that’s not what this is about. It’s about which fighter accomplished the most in the calendar year and it was in my opinion Gegard Mousasi.
Honourable Mentions- Frank Mir, Rashad Evans, Georges St Pierre.

Knockout of the Year- Rampage Jackson KO1 (left hook) Wanderlei Silva (UFC 92)
This knockout just edged out Rashad Evans knocking out Chuck Liddell. I almost made it a tie, but then I measured my closet and realised I wasn’t big enough to fit into it so I could come out of it after making it a tie and acted like a man and made the pick. I think the deciding factor was the importance of the knockout for Rampage in this fight after avenging two brutal KO losses to Silva from their PRIDE days with an equally if not more devastating KO win himself. I would put a clip of the KO up, but ZUFFA are pricks about this sort of thing and don’t allow any of their fights to be on youtube so I’ll have to describe it. Wanderlei attacked Rampage while he was near the fence and threw a left hook-right hook combo. Rampage countered the left hook with a tighter one of his own and caught Wanderlei square on the jaw with his own hook putting him out cold right away while he was in the middle of throwing his own shot. Rampage then followed it up with two or three shots while Wanderlei was out. Both Rampage and Rashad will likely fight for the belt later this year and hopefully we’ll see another KO of the year candidate (and hopefully it’s Rashad who is on the receiving end).
Honourable Mentions- Rashad Evans KO2 (overhand right) Chuck Liddell (UFC 88), Wanderlei Silva KO1 (rape choke + right hands from mount) Keith Jardine (UFC 84), Anthony Johnson KO3 (left high kick) Kevin Burns (TUF8 Finale).

Submission of the Year- Shinya Aoki Sub1 (5:12)(Aokiplata/Gogoplata from mount) Katsuhiko Nagata (DREAM.4)
I watched this about 50 times in a row after I saw it. It was so cool it has to be given it’s own name and I will from now on refer to this as the Aokiplata no matter how much my friend who has done Jiu Jitsu longer then me tells me that the gogoplata was originally done from the mount before the guard and that the one he did on Hansen should therefore be the Aokiplata because I think he’s wrong. Anyway, unlike KO of the year, I have a clip, so I’ll shut up and you can enjoy:

Honourable Mentions- Dustin Hazelett Sub2 (Flying Armbar from Whizzer) Josh Burkman (TUF7 Finale), Dustin Hazelett Sub1 (Cutting Armbar against his own leg) Tamdan McCrory, Demian Maia Sub2 (Triangle Choke from Mount + Punches) Ed Herman (UFC 83).

Event of the Year- UFC 92: The Ultimate 2008 (December 27th)

The UFC stacked their last show and it proved to be the best event of the year. On the card we had two title fights between Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira and Frank Mir for the UFC interim Heavyweight title and Rashad Evans challenging Forrest Griffin for the UFC Light Heavyweight title in the main event. Also on the card was a fight featuring one of the best grudges in MMA between Rampage Jackson and Wanderlei Silva; one that has been around for more then five years since before their first bout at PRIDE Final Conflict 2003. Thw two other fights that filled up the main card saw an excellent knockout by Cheick Kongo over Mustafa Al Turk as well as a great Middleweight battle between CB Dollaway and Mike Massenzio. The UFC put six of it’s top starts against each other in fights that had plenty of impact on their respective divisions as well as plenty of impact in future fights that can be made. This card had great matchups that turned into great fights, upsets plus some great finishes and you really can’t ask for anything more (other then the odd submission).
Honourable Mentions- Affliction: Banned, UFC 81: Breaking Point, UFC 84: Ill Will.

Performance of the Year- Fedor Emelianenko Sub1 (36 seconds) Tim Sylvia (Affliction: Banned)
There was a lot of hype around Fedor’s return to US soil and him fighting his (apparent) first ‘real’ opponent in former Heavyweight Champion Tim Sylvia. Plenty of people thought that Fedor was all hype and no skill and the new promotion he represented, Affliction, depended on him to prove them wrong in order to succeed. That he did. After a brief feeling out process off about 10 seconds, Fedor dropped Sylvia with a series of big punches, battered him on the ground with even heavier punches, took his back and made him tap with a rear naked choke. It was easily the most you could dominate someone in just 36 seconds. Anyone who wasn’t impressed by Fedor in this fight is an idiot and I really don’t care what anyone has to say about it. Fact of the matter is he’s the best Heavyweight in the World until someone beats him. Guess what, I found a clip of it as well:

Honourable Mentions- Anderson Silva Sub2 Dan Henderson (UFC 81), Frank Mir TKO2 Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira (UFC 92), Georges St Pierre TKO2 Matt Serra (UFC 83).

Upset of the Year- Mike Brown TKO1 Urijah Faber (WEC 36)
Faber was easily the top Featherweight in the World and was considered miles ahead of anyone else. He was a top pound for pound fighter as well and no one expected him to lose anytime soon. Mike Brown was a former UFC competitor (he had one fight and got tapped out by Genki Sudo) who had only lost to top fighters and usually fought at Lightweight. While a respectable fighter no one really thought he standed much of a chance with Faber. Two minutes 23 seconds later he had caught Faber with a big right hand as Faber attempted a spinning elbow and rained down punches until the referee pulled him off. I didn’t even bother watching this fight until I saw the result (plus I would have had a hard time finding it online because they broadcast fuckall down under in terms of MMA) because I thought this would be business as usual for Faber. None of the other upsets this year come close to that one.

Honourable Mentions- Junior dos Santos KO1 Fabricio Werdum (UFC 90), Rashad Evans KO2 (UFC 88), Frank Mir TKO2 Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira (UFC 92).

Before I get onto some of the lesser more comical awards, I’m going to explain my lack of a round of the year award. I prefer the Japanese 1 10 min/1-2 5 min rounds because I think MMA is a sport that doesn’t need rounds. It’s a proper fight and while I don’t care about having rounds as much as I care about say stand-ups and while I understand that they allow more fights to get sanctioned and make some fights more exciting, I still prefer the fighters to go for as long as they can for a round or two then a couple of shorter rounds at the end so I will not include a round of the year. If I did have one I’d give it to Alvarez-Kawajiri because it ended in the first round even though that round was 10 minutes long.

Now, seeing how MMA isn’t as old as boxing, these are all going to be completely new and made up awards named after whoever wins them as I go remembering some of the funnier moments of the year.

Shonie Carter Award for Best Referee Stoppage/- Shonie Carter (Tyler Bryan vs Shaun Parker)
Bryan/Parker Award for Double KO of the Year- Tyler Bryan vs Shaun Parker
And here it is:

Just a prior warning, the next few awards go to EliteXC for their ‘Heat’ show, so make sure you have a bucket handy.

Shamrock/Kimbo Award for Most Entertaining Weigh-in of the Year- EliteXC: Heat
This weigh-in had two big feuds that almost flared up as well as some nudity from someone not quite as ugly as Kimbo Slice. Undercard attraction and probably the most well known female MMA fighter Gina Carano failed to make weight for like the 4th time in her MMA career but instead of letting it go like what has happened in the past, EliteXC officials made her strip all the way to see if the limited clothing she was wearing accounted for extra weight that she was over. Somehow it did. About four towels covered Carano (and from what I read on a few message boards the wet dreams of many fight fans) that were being held up by her handlers and a very embarrassed Carano made the contracted weight for her fight with Kelly Kobald. After the Arlovski-Nelson weigh in went off without any problems, EliteEX Welterweight Championship competitors Paul Daley and Jake Shields had to be seperated after Shields blew Daley a kiss during the staredown. The main event for this fight was between UFC Hall of Famer Ken Shamrock and Youtube star Kimbo Slice (well at that stage it was) and going with his usual style, Shamrock decided to start some shit before the fight. While posing for the media in attention, Shamrock for absolutely no logical reason (Shamrock thinking he’s been disrespected isn’t a logical reason) pushed Slice in the back and caused the second near brawl of the weigh-in. This one took a lot longer to calm down though as both fighters had bigger entourages then Daley and Shields. Unfortunately, the actual card was no where near as entertaining as the weigh-in.

Jared Shaw Award for Worst Matchmaking of the Year- Kimbo Slice vs Seth Petruzelli (EliteXC: Heat)
Kimbo Slice Award for Most Pathetic Knockout of the Year- Seth Petruzelli KO1 (14 seconds) Kimbo Slice (EliteXC: Heat)
Ken Shamrock somehow got himself cut warming-up for the fight and EliteXC needed someone to step in and fight Kimbo Slice in their main event. After an offer from commentator Frank Shamrock was turned down because Shamrock, despite being 50lbs lighter then Kimbo, has some serious skills and would likely have beaten Kimbo anywhere the fight went and EliteXC couldn’t risk their main drawcard getting beaten by a Middleweight. Instead Jared Shaw came up with former TUF2 competitor Seth Petruzelli who was fighting in a Light Heavyweight bout on the preliminary card. Petruzelli was an unorthodox but fairly handy striker who also had some wrestling ability and Shaw tried to make sure it was his striking skills that he would be using against their apparent ‘top 10 Heavyweight boxer in the World’ by asking that Petruzelli stand with Kimbo. What Shaw didn’t know is that there is a difference in levels of striking between your good street fighters and your trained fighters. It took only 14 seconds for him to be wishing that he picked Frank Shamrock. Kimbo rushed across the cage in his usual fashion and backed Petruzelli against the fence. Petruzelli flicked out a jab while off balance and to his and everyone else’s surprised it dropped Kimbo onto all fours. Petruzelli pounced and landed several shots while on Kimbos back, then rolled him over and landed a barrage from, side control that forced the referee to stop the fight at just 0:14 of the first round.

Bob Sapp Award for Biggest Mismatch of the Year- Jan Nortje vs Bob Sapp (Strikeforce: At the Dome)
Some people might be surprised that I picked this fight over the Kinniku Mantaro fight against Sapp at the end of the year. Well the answer is obvious, that fight was competitive, this fight wasn’t. Jan Nortje was receiving a lot of hype for his 1-5 record that earned him a spot in the Strikeforce main event. They brought in monster of a man Bob Sapp to fight him because that wanted to see what happens when Nortje picks on someone his own size. The fight ended quickly after Nortje landed several hard blows that forced Sapp to run away, then chased him down and finished the job 55 seconds into the first round. It truly was a mismatch and the matchmakers at Strikeforce deserve an enquiry much more then EliteXC officials for bringing in someone as poor as Bob Sapp to fight a stud like Jan Nortje.

YAMMA Award for Worst MMA Show of the Year (maybe ever)- YAMMA Pit Fighting
Seriously this was just horrendous. The creators of the UFC tried to bring back eight man-one night tournaments and make MMA ‘more exciting.’ The tournaments were impossible to do like they used to be done, so they had to compromise. Because fighters could only fight five rounds a night, the first and second rounds of the tournament would be one round of fighting each with the Final fight being three rounds. YAMMA also had a ‘revolutionary’ new fighting surface in which the area of the mat around the edge of the fence would go up on an angle so that the wrestlers couldn’t just pin you up against the cage and drop elbows on your head. Basically YAMMA wanted their organisation to be striker friendly. Instead, the wrestlers backed their opponents onto the ‘ramp’ then took them down with ease because they were off balance and because the fights were only one five minute round, the fight was over right there and then. The tournament consisted of every match being won by lay and prey (including the three round final). The only slightly entertaining part of this event was the super fights between Butterbean and Patrick Smith (mainly because Butterbean got royally fucked up) and Oleg Taktarov vs the man who ate Mark Kerr (Taktarov won by kneebar about one minute in). The event was bad from the fights to the Ring Announcer, who was so bad I’ve named an Award after him.

Scott Ferrall Award for Worst Ring Announcer of the Year- Scott Ferrall (YAMMA Pit Fighting)
Scott Ferrall was funny but I wasn’t laughing with him. The guy was way too weird to be allowed to have his thoughts expressed on a microphone. He first announced referee Dan Miragliotta as “Big Dan Miragliotta STOMP YOU OUT!” and then “Big Dan the Man, How can I be the man if you’re the man, Dan Miragliotta (to which Dan shook his head in disgust).  Pulled off a terribly lame call in “Travis ‘The Diesel’ Gimme a room with a Wiuff.” One fighter he said “hadn’t eaten in a week because he’s going to the electric chair.” Referred to the YAMMA Championship belt as ‘the strap-on’ and probably the weirdest call he made was “Kevin Mulhall will be the referee for this beautiful matchup of warriors and freaks ready to pound and dance…”

Gone but not Forgotten
It’s sad that I have to do one of these for MMA. Boxing has been around for over 100 years and past champions are going to pass away each year and I feel it’s important to remember them. MMA on the other hand has been around for just 15 years and this year my favourite fighter, Evan Tanner, passed away way earlier then he should have.

Evan Tanner- Former UFC Middleweight Champion. Challenged Tito Ortiz for the UFC Light Heavyweight Title at UFC 30 but lost. Defeated Dave Terrell for the UFC Middleweight title at UFC 51 and won with strikes in the first round. Lost the title to Rich Franklin on a doctors stoppage in his first defence at UFC 53. None of this was why I liked Evan Tanner. He kept a blog on his website which I read for over a year about everything that went on in his life, including all his adventures and even his battle with alcohol which he beat in order to return to the UFC this year. I admired not so much the way the man led his life but the way he was completely honest with himself about who he was and who he wasn’t. He died in September of this year from heat exposure after his motorbike broke down in the desert and he ran out of water. He was 37.

Evan Tanner (1971-2008)

UFC 92 takes place this weekend with the annual years end card that the UFC seems to stack every year. This year is no exception with two title fights and a fight between a former UFC champion and a former PRIDE champion. In the main event, UFC Light Heavyweight champion makes the first defence of the title he won from Rampage Jackson in July against Rashad Evans. In the first co main event, TUF 8 coaches Frank Mir and Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira collide for Nogueira’s interim UFC Heavyweight title. In the other co main event, former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Quinton ‘Rampage’ Jackson returns to face former nemesis Wanderlei Silva.

The UFC seems to be copying the PRIDE thing of having a special name for their end of year show. This years end of year event is being called ‘The Ultimate 2008′ although we’ll have to wait until next year to find out whether or not they keep this up. This card is seriously stacked with some good fights. I honestly didn’t know who else was on this card apart from one other fight until I checked out the website to write this article up. I would say that if they didn’t show any other fights apart from the main three it would be well worth the money even still but the two title fights have the potential to be a bit boring and there’s some good matchups on the undercard. I’m just hoping their isn’t a repeat of UFC 33 where they ran out of time on the pay per view because the three title fights on the card ended up all going the distance. Anway, onto the fights:

Main Card
Forrest Griffin vs Rashad Evans
(UFC Light Heavyweight Championship)
Prediction- Griffin on points
The big advantage Griffin will have in this fight is size. He’s a monster at 205lbs whereas Evans looks like a middleweight in there. Griffin’s high work rate will also be a big advantage over the sometimes lacklustre and lazy Evans but I really wouldn’t be surprised if Evans catches Griffin in this fight and knocks him out. That’s about the only way I see him winning this fight though. Griffin’s hands are very suspect and he rarely steps in with his punches. That’s not to say that his stand-up is bad because he has excellent knees in the clinch and his kicks (especially his low kicks) are very good but he boxes with his head straight up and doesn’t commit to his punches like Rashad does. If Rashad gets Griffin to the ground I doubt he’ll do much damage as Griffin was able to successfully tie Rampage up and keep him from doing damage. Griffin to outwork Rashad in a bit of a snoozer I’m afraid. I just have to say that it’s strange thinking that these two will fight for the right to call themselves the best Light Heavyweight in the world, especially when Rampage takes on Wanderlei Silva on the same card.

Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira vs Frank Mir
(Interim UFC Heavyweight title)
Prediction- Nogueira by third round stoppage
This is fight also has the potential to be a snoozer I think. If Nogueira decides he wants to box Mir and not risk going to the ground we could very well have a repeat of Nogueira-Werdum, although I think thats unlikely because Mir is willing to duke it out if he can’t get to the ground. That’s where I think Nogueira will knock Mir out in this fight. Nogueira has excellent technique with his hands and as Mir gasses in the late rounds he should score more and more frequently, busting Mir’s face up and likely finishing him with strikes from on top. Mir will be very dangerous early especially if he gets on top in the first round. Nogueira has been submitted in submission wrestling in the past by lesser grapplers then Mir. I was almost tempted to pick Mir in the first round by leg lock but it’s hard to go past Nogueira with his big advantage in fitness. Mir rarely looks good after the first round.

Quinton ‘Rampage’ Jackson vs Wanderlei Silva
Prediction- Silva by first round knockout
I’m expecting knockout of the night to come in this fight regardless of whatever else takes place. If anyone here has seen the other two fights between the two they were both slugfests with Wanderlei surviving an onslaught on the ground early from Rampage before taking his head off with knees from the muay thai clinch late in the fight. There are two things that will give Rampage an advantage in this fight that didn’t happen in PRIDE. First is that these will be five minute rounds with Rampage having to stay busy for less time in order for the fight not to be stood back up like what happened in the two previous fights. Second, this time they are in a cage and not in a ring which will suit Rampage again if they hit the ground as he’ll be able to pin Wanderlei up against the cage. Still, I’m not convinced that Rampage can deal with the Chute Boxe style yet that Wanderlei is a master of and also I’m not sure that Rampage will be on top form with his recent switch of teams and personal problems. I think Wanderlei will walk through him in about two-three minutes with a brutal knockout that should set him up with a title shot early next year.

CB Dollaway vs Mike Massenzio
Prediction- Dollaway by first round submission
Massenzio is a wrestler by background although he is more that that now. Dollaway is a much better wrestler who will likely put Massenzio on his back and finish him quickly. Hopefully the fight goes to the ground one way or the other because watching CB Dollaway stand-up and outbox someone is pretty painful to think about.

Cheick Kongo vs Mustafa Al-Turk
Prediction- Kongo by first round knockout
Al-Turk holds a submission win (by strikes) over the man who ate Mark Kerr in Cage Rage a few years ago and thats about his only claim to fame. He could get Kongo on his back because Kongo’s takedown defence still sucks, but I think Kongo will decapitate him with a knee early on and give Wanderlei a good run for his money when it comes to knock out of the night.

Preliminary Card
Dean Lister vs Yushin Okami
Prediction- Okami on points
This fight not appearing on the main card is the best decision UFC matchmakers have ever made. This fight will go like this. Lister will throw some really bad strikes and hope for a takedown but he’ll miss and Okami will counter him with just enough to win every round comfortably on points. If they show this card on the main card it’ll be because Lister got the takedown he wanted and scored a submission or because Lister got caught coming in and knocked out.

Antoni Hardonk vs Mike Wessel
Prediction- Hardonk by first round knockout
I don’t know anything about Wessel other then he’s short for a heavyweight and heavy for his height. If he is a wrestler he’ll probably win on points because Hardonk has no ground game. But I think Hardonk will have way too much firepower and end this one early.

Matt Hammill vs Reese Andy
Prediction- Hammill by second round stoppage
Both guys come from wrestling backgrounds but Hammill’s wrestling is by far the better. He’ll put Andy where he doesn’t want to be and punch with his right hand until the referee has seen enough. If anyone has taught him how to punch with his left hand it’ll likely end in the first round.

Brad Blackburn vs Ryo Chonan
Prediction- Blackburn on points
This could be a very entertaining fight. Both men have fought some good fighters over the years with mixed results, however I think Blackburns recent form suggests that he’ll come out victorious by split decision in a fight that should be good to watch wherever it ends up.

Patrick Barry vs Dan Evenson
Prediction- Barry by first round knockout
Seriously, why is Evenson getting another fight? Barry is an Ernesto Hoost trained K-1 veteran who is going to chop the apparent ‘Norwegian Kickboxing Champion’ down in probably a minute or two.

Merry Christmas to all those who read this site.

Author: Warren Piece

New York’s Brian McLaughlin, a TUF 8 cast-member, will be making his return to MMA on January 17th in Plymouth, MA at Reality Fighting-Apocalypse. If someone out there has a Star Trek-like transportation machine that can beam me to the show, I will be there to cover it. But seriously, best of luck from bro. Kick ass for NY!!!

Post-fight at TUF 8

Report by Anthony Springer Jr
Photos by Josh Hodges/UFC

Ryan Bader is a happy man these days.

The Arizona fighter was just crowned season eight’s Ultimate Fighter in the light heavyweight division after a first round TKO over Vinny Magalhaes.

But before any trophies and contracts awarded to the former college wrestler, he had to get through the gauntlet known as the infamous Ultimate Fighter house. Though Bader had friend and corner man CB Dollaway to rely on for advice, he says nothing said beforehand offers sufficient preparation for the TV experience.

“He really didn’t try to get too much involved,” Bader said of Dollaway’s advice. “You really couldn’t know what it was like until you were there. He told me what it was like when you got there and about getting a room away from all the noise and places to escape if you wanted to get away from all that. Those are really the only things he told me. Nothing can prepare you for that; cameras in your face and fighting people in the house. It’s an experience that you have to go through to get the gist of it.”

While the pranks on this season were by far the most outrageous, Bader says everything on the show actually went down the way it was seen, though other fighters have protested some of the show’s scenes.

“Here and there, there were some scenes cut out. Everything happened, and that was really how it happened. I think [Frank] Mir came off a little worse than he actually was. They may take a ten minute interview and use the last thirty seconds of what you said.”

One thing that was crystal clear on the show was the family like atmosphere that Team Nogueira displayed. The camaraderie aided the fighters during—and after the show’s filming.

“Nogueira came to us right off the bat and told us we’re a team and we’re going to help each other,” Bader said of the environment. “We had three guys in the finals and two won, we did something right.”

With the win over Magalhaes, Bader is the newest initiate into a fraternity of sorts. Throughout the history of the UFC, former wrestling standouts like Dan Severn, Matt Hughes, and Randy Couture have adapted their wrestling bases to attain Octagon success. Bader hopes to follow in their footsteps.

I think [wrestling is] the best base, you can dictate where the fight goes,” said Bader, who has wrestled since he was eight-years-old. “If I want to keep it on the feet, I can do that. If I want to take it to the ground I can do that. I think it’s the best base you can have in MMA.”

Last night, Bader proved that his wrestling would best Magalhaes’ jiu-jitsu skills. Bader admits that his Team Mir opponent played into his hands during the fight. In pre fight statements. Magalhaes stated that he wanted to win the contest on his feet.

The decision suited Bader just fine.

“Vinny’s a stud on the ground and I didn’t want to be down there with him. When he said he wanted to keep it on the feet, we welcomed that. When he said that I knew we were going to have a good fight.

“It turned out that I was the better man that night.”

Post-fight at TUF 8

Report by Anthony Springer Jr
Photos by Josh Hodges/UFC

Despite a perfect 10-0 record coming into the show, good wrestling credentials, and exemplary performance on The Ultimate Fighter, the odds were stacked heavily against lightweight winner Efrain Escudero to win in the finals.

His opponent, Phillpe Nover—impressive in his own right—was compared to welterweight champion Georges “Rush” St-Pierre and Anderson “The Spider” Silva during his tenure on the show.

None of that mattered to Escudero. The All-American wrestler was an underdog in a state championships match in high school—and bested his opponent. To put it simply, being favored to lose was nothing new.

“I love being the underdog. I never want to have big odds to win. That puts pressure on me and I don’t want to have pressure.”

Escudero found himself to be a favorite on both sides of the house when his semi-final matchup with Junie Browning arrived. Despite his status as the favored fighter, the 22-year-old felt little pressure from his housemates to perform, because he “hated” the fighter he’d be facing.

“There was no pressure, I just hated Junie. From the bottom of my heart, I wanted to destroy him and wanted to break every single bone.”

Despite the animosity towards Browning, “Hecho en México” turned on the intensity for the semi-final fight, and quickly turned it off. Even when discussing the situation, his voice rises when addressing the lead up to the fight, and quickly mellows while discussing the end result. “After my fight, I was like ‘hey, whatever.’ I went in there and did what I had to do.”

With the long layoff, Escudero had plenty of time to observe fan reactions to his performance on the show—and couldn’t resist checking out the Internet to see what the word was.

“You always want to know what people are saying about you. I did visit the Web, and a lot of people felt I was the underdog. Everybody hated me because I was Mexican and representing my country or talking smack about how Junie was going to knock me out.”

Representing his country and Mexican heritage is something Escudero takes seriously. As the first Mexican born fighter, Escudero represents his country with pride, and hopes to be a positive role model for those coming up after him.

“It’s a great honor. I come from a small town where there’s gangs and violence. There is something else besides drugs. There’s always something else. If I can make it, and I’m from Mexico, anybody can make it.”

The next Ultimate Fighter may not be the next Anderson Silva, but he may be the next UFC role model.

]]> http://fightstalker.wordpress.com/2008/12/14/2683/ Sun, 14 Dec 2008 05:33:42 +0000 fightstalker http://fightstalker.wordpress.com/2008/12/14/2683/

UFC TUF 8 Finale Play-By-Play Results

Quick Results

Pictures

Story by Anthony Springer Jr

As the eighth season of The Ultimate Fighter comes to a close this Saturday, it seems that the latest installment of the Spike TV reality show will largely be remembered for one person: Junie Browning.

Browning, a Kentucky native, became the show’s most infamous fighter to date with antics that were at times appalling (spitting on a black belt before a fight) and outlandish (throwing a glass at another fighter). After a lot of trash talking, Browning was dismantled in the semi-finals by Efrain Escudero via D’arce choke.

“I think Junie Browning was a huge disappointment,” Frank Mir said during a telephone conference for the finale. “The biggest mistake that I made was probably not trying to force him off the team harder. I’m not a babysitter; hopefully Junie will find that in the future: somebody to console him and give him the special love that he needs.”

While Mir was glad that Browning was defeated in the semi-finals, he wasn’t in favor of the Kentucky fighter being able to participate at all. “It looks better that Efrain got to smash his ass in the fight and show that he quit in the fight. There’s a chance that he would’ve won and that would’ve looked bad. But I don’t think he should’ve got to fight Efrain. It’s a privilege that we all go through hardships to be on the platform we’re on now. For him to have that behavior over and over again and still be allowed to compete… If you’re a pro football player and you shove somebody in practice, you don’t get to play on Sunday.”

Drama aside, the season produced light weight finalist Phillipe Nover (who takes on Efrain Escudero), a fighter Dana White has repeatedly hailed as “the next Anderson Silva.” Being mentioned in the same sentence as the reigning middleweight champion means that there are high expectations and big shoes to fill. In spite of that, Nover is taking it all in stride and focusing on one fight at a time.

“I took that as a compliment,” he said of the comparison. “I’m not saying that I’m the next Anderson Silva, but I fight hard. I’m pretty much ready for any competition.”

With Nover stealing the show inside the Octagon, it’s almost easy to overlook the potential fireworks in the light heavyweight showdown. Season favorite Ryan “Darth” Bader will face Vinicius “Vinny” Magalhaes.

Though Bader was the favorite coming in, the Arizona wrestler will have to beat back criticism following his uneventful decision victory in the semi-finals over Eliot Marshall. Bader says exciting fights are important, but winning is the ultimate goal. “I just had to win,” Bader said of his performance. “I didn’t fight like I usually do. It wasn’t the most exciting fashion, but a W is a W at the end of the day. But you also have to be exciting. People don’t want to watch somebody laying on somebody else. At that point, I was going in to get that win. At the end of the day, you have to win and that was my goal, to make it to the finale.”

On the opposing side stand Magalhaes, a fighter with amazing jiu-jitsu skills coupled with highly questionable stand up. Magalhaes’ skills earned the praise of Frank Mir, who says in addition to Vinny’s athleticism, he performs moves seldom seen in MMA.

“Vinny does things that I can’t do,” Mir said. “If I put my foot in some of the positions that Vinny did, I wouldn’t be fighting anymore. You’d call 911; my leg would be going to one hospital and I’d be going to another.”

One thing both Magalhaes and Bader had to do was keep the secret that they were both in the finals. For Magalhaes, keeping the secret meant dealing with people who assumed he wouldn’t be in the finals.

“Everybody was predicting that Krzysztof [Soszynski] would be in the finals against Ryan, so they assumed I’d be the loser,” Magalhaes said. “So I just stayed quiet regarding the finale. But at times it was hard because some guys were so annoying asking me if I was going to be on the main card or the undercard. It was funny. I didn’t go into the competition to be another competitor, I go in to win. It was hard not to tell anybody.”

Bader admitted it wasn’t as difficult to keep mum about the results. People were asking me when I was starting to train, but basically I did the same thing; told people that I hoped I’d make it on. It wasn’t too hard though, you just kinda keep to yourself. That’s what makes the show exciting to watch and see how it all unfolds.”

The Ultimate finale kicks off tomorrow night on Spike TV at 9:00 p.m. EST.

Ultimate Fighter 8 Weigh-In Results

Pictures

Video

Picks and Preview: The Ultimate Fighter Finale

205 lbs. TUF Title – Vinicius Magalhaes vs. Ryan Bader

• MMA Record: Magalhaes (2-2); Bader (7-0)
• Result: Bader winner by 1st round TKO
• Although Vinny did improve his standup since the show, he still couldn’t handle Bader’s strikes. A powerful overhand right caught Vinny upside the temple and that was it. Bader is a beast and he has a very bright future in the UFC. Vinny must keep improving his standup. Bader debuts at 40.

155 lbs. TUF Title – Phillipe Nover vs. Efrain Escudero

• MMA Record: Nover (5-0-1); Escudero (10-0)
• Result: Escudero winner by Unanimous Decision
• Efrain won this fight by controlling the wrestling aspect. Phillipe kept making the mistake of throwing knees and kicks against a wrestler. He would have been better suited throwing nothing but punches. Efrain looks like the real deal already. He could probably compete against some of the top 50 right now. Phillipe showed during the season that he has great skills also. Both guys deserve to be ranked. Efrain debuts at 67. Phillipe debuts at 81.

185 lbs. – Jason MacDonald [23] vs. Wilson Gouveia [48]

• MMA Record: MacDonald (21-10); Gouveia (11-5)
• Result: Gouveia winner by 1st round submission (ground and pound)
• I was surprised by how easily Gouveia dominated MacDonald. MacDonald has looked really good his last few times out. Gouveia is crafted in the same mold as Vitor Belfort and Kevin Randleman. He has all the skills in the world but he doesn’t always bring his A game. Tonight he did. It must be noted that Wilson came in 3 lbs. over weight so that takes a bit of glory away. Gouveia rises to 22. MacDonald drops to 30.

170 lbs. – Kevin Burns [16] vs. Anthony Johnson [17]

• MMA Record: Burns (7-1); Johnson (5-2)
• Result: Johnson winner by 3rd round KO.
• This was a battle of two of the bright young stars in the welterweight division. It was a pretty even fight for the first 2 rounds. Johnson got more takedowns but Burns controlled from his guard. Johnson was getting the better part of the exchanges and in round 3, he put Kevin’s lights out. Burns will no doubt come back strong. Johnson moves one step closer to GSP. Johnson rises to 15. Burns drops to 28.

155 lbs. – Junie Browning vs. Dave Kaplan

• MMA Record: Browning (2-0); Kaplan (0-0)
• Result: Browning winner by 2nd round armbar.
• Of all the fighters on the card, I thought Junie was the most impressive. He looked like a completely different fighter out there. It is a credit to his gym, Xtreme Couture and his trainer, Shawn Tompkins. Junie’s footwork blew me away. It usually takes guys years to develop that type of comfort in the striking game. He learned it in his short time with Tomkins. He might be a headcase, but he can fight. Junie debuts at 82.

205 lbs. – Krzysztof Soszynski vs. Shane Primm

• MMA Record: Soszynski (15-8-1); Primm (1-0)
• Result: Soszynski winner by 2nd round submission (Kimura).

205 lbs. – Eliot Marshall vs. Jules Bruchez

• MMA Record: Marshall (5-1); Bruchez (0-0)
• Result: Marshall winner by 1st round submission (rear-naked choke)

205 lbs. – Kyle Kingsbury vs. Tom Lawlor

• MMA Record: Kingsbury (7-1); Lawlor (4-1)
• Result: Lawlor winner by Unanimous Decision

155 lbs. – Shane Nelson vs. George Roop

• MMA Record: Nelson (10-3); Roop (8-3)
• Result: Nelson winner by Split Decision

155 lbs. – Roli Delgado vs. John Polakowski

• MMA Record: Delgado (5-3-1); Polakowski (2-1)
• Result: Delgado winner by 2nd round Submission (Guillotine choke)

Future Fights That Make Sense

205

• Ryan Bader [40] vs. Winner of Thomas Drwal vs. Ivan Serati
• Vinicius Magalhaes vs. Loser of Andre Gusmao [43] vs. Antonio Mendes
• Eliot Marshall vs. Karn Grigoryan (rematch)
• Krzysztof Soszynski vs. Loser of Thomas Drwal vs. Ivan Serati
• Tom Lawlor vs. Antwain Britt

185

• Wilson Gouveia [22] vs. winner of Jeremy Horn [35] vs. Rousimar Palhares [40]
• Jason MacDonald [30] vs. winner of Mike Massenzio [42] vs.  C.B. Dolloway

170

• Anthony Johnson [15] vs. Mike Swick [10]
• Kevin Burns [28] vs. Jonathan Goulet [34]

155

• Efrain Escudero [67] vs. Kyle Bradley [79]
• Phillipe Nover [80] vs. Rafael dos Anjos
• Junie Browning [81] vs. Dale Hartt
• Dave Kaplan vs. Aaron Riley
• Role Delgado vs. Alberto Crane [76]
• Shane Nelson vs. Shannon Gugerty

Author: Warren Piece

“I think Phillipe is an incredibly talented kid. It just seems like this kid is going to dominate everyone here.”

“From what I see of this kid right now he reminds me of a GSP. When GSP was that young. I think this kid has so much potential, it’s scary.”

-Dana White 

After much shit-talking on the part of Team Cocky Assholes, Brooklyn’s Phillipe Nover makes quick work of one strangely over-confident Dave Kaplan; beating his face in and then tapping him out with a pretty rear-naked-choke early in the first round of tonight’s TUF 8 lightweight bout.

“I still believe you’re the best at 155 in the house.” Mir says post Kaplan-destruction. “I believe it too.” replies Kaplan.

“Wow.” I say.

NYFS: Brian, first, I think our readers would be very interested in hearing a bit about the Ultimate Fighter “tryout” experience. Could you talk a little about that? 

Brian: I originally tried out for season 5 of TUF.  I went down to Florida and was paired up for 1 2-minute grappling match.  I put my opponent to sleep with a triangle in about 30 seconds.  He was the only guy to go unconscious so it made me stand out from the crowd (of which there were several hundred).  We then had to do one round of pad work and afterwards we interviewed.  I cracked a few jokes and was told I would be flying out to Las Vegas for the final leg of auditions.  Unfortunately, they passed on me for that season after making it to the final 20.  When TUF 8 came around I made a funny tryout video (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DIZccihjsPI) and went out to Vegas once again for background checks, drug screening and interviews.  Everything went well and I was told to pack my things and be ready to fight.

NYFS: I’d like to briefly summarize your TUF experience as it was portrayed on television: Episode 1; in your initial bout, you suffered a illegal knee to the face and could not continue. Your opponent, Brandon Garner, was sent home and you gained entry to the house. Episode 3; both you and Karn Grigoryan were forced out of the competition due to dual broken noses that placed you on a 180-day suspension by the Nevada State Athletic Commission. Can you give us your thoughts on how all of that went down?

Brian: I was very disappointed that they edited my fight with Brandon.  We put on a great fight complete with dueling omoplatas, head kicks, and reversals. The illegal knee was disappointing because they didn’t offer me time to recover.  Had it been a low blow I would have been given 5 minutes, but instead was given the option of fighting immediately or not at all.  Being unable to see straight made that decision fairly easy. 

Episode 3 was painful to watch. Since I was 15 years old I dreamt of fighting in the UFC and to get that close and have it taken away was crushing. The moment Dana called me forward I knew I was out. I knew it was a possibility from the start so I had mentally prepared myself for it, but walking out the door was extremely difficult.  I did think it was funny that they showed me not leaving the gym.  Honestly, I didn’t realize they had a van waiting for us. I was waiting for a producer to point me in the right direction.  Also, I had a bag of gear I wanted to grab and one of the camera men was standing on it.  So I guess I looked a little ridiculous on TV, but considering how some other fighters have been portrayed, I’d say I made out alright.  I’m a competitor and went on the show with every intention of winning it.  I was going to view anything short of winning the entire show as a failure, so to go home as soon as the journey began was heartbreaking.

The medical suspension, I feel, was overkill.  A hairline fracture might take 2 months to heal at most, 180 days is ridiculous. I’m technically under suspension until the end of November.  I’ve seen guys get only 90-day suspensions after near career ending KO’s, so I don’t understand putting me on ice for 6 months. 

NYFS: How much personal sacrifice went into leaving your life in New York and flying out to Vegas for the show? I know you run Hudson Valley Ju-Jitsu. Did you have to close-up shop for a while?

Brian: I was worried sick about leaving my students and my school for that long, but luckily I was surrounded by people who were willing to help me every step of the way.  Since my stay was so brief, things remained pretty normal in my absence.

NYFS: Would you do it all over again, considering the outcome of your stint on the show?

Brian: I was offered a spot on the next season at 170, but decided against it. I gave reality TV my best shot and am now focused on getting into the UFC the hard way…by beating every opponent put in front of me.

NYFS: How has your life changed, if at all, from your experience on The Ultimate Fighter?

Brian: My life has remained pretty much the same.  My school has grown as a result of the show and a few people recognize me at the grocery store, but otherwise its business as usual.

NYFS: What are your future plans? Do you still have a relationship with the UFC? Are you talking with any other promotions?

Brian: My manager still speaks to guys at the UFC and, hopefully, I’ll have a future with the company.  Right now I’m still suspended, but am fielding offers…so if any promotions would like to have me fight for them, drop me an e-mail at hudsonvalleybjj@gmail.com.

NYFS: Dana White has stated that the UFC is already in negotiations with MSG to hold their first New York State card there sometime in 2009. Obviously, that depends on certain legislation being passed. What do you suggest the readers of our site do to aid in the legalization movement?

Brian: I think the best thing that can be done for MMA in NY is for fighters and fans to promote the positive aspects of the sport.  Showcasing the athleticism, sportsmanship, and excitement that make the sport so amazing will hopefully win over the ignorant minds of NY legislatures.

NYFS: How exciting would it be for you to compete in professional, sanctioned MMA within your home state?

Brian: Many of my friends have never seen me fight because they can’t make the 4 hour trip to Atlantic City. Many people in my area have no idea that there are professional fighters teaching and training in their backyard.  Fighting in NY would allow me to grow my school, acquire local sponsors, and bring together everyone I care most about…hopefully one day it will be a reality.

Below are posted links to The Ultimate Fighter 8 Blogs.  I was just compiling a list and thought it may be interesting for some who liked to get some inside info from tome of the fighters in the house. 

Vinny Magalhaes

Ryan Bader

Eliot Marshall

Krzysztof Soszynski

Jules Bruchez

Phillipe Nover

George Roop

John Polakowski

Tom Lawlor

Efrain Escudero

Junie Allen Browning

Team Mir Assistant Coach Ken Hahn

Note: You may have to click out to the site’s main page to find the most recent blog entry,  If anyone knows of any others, hook me up so I can have a comprehensive list.

TUF 8 Finale: Kevin Burns vs. Anthony Johnson II