Hey There Fight Fans,
Last Saturday evening veteran super star and multiple weight class champion Sugar Shane Mosley once again stepped into the squared circle. This time out the veteran star was facing The Nicaraguan Bad Boy, Ricardo Mayorga. Although famous as an undisciplined slugger, Mayorga is not only a former champion himself, but also the conqueror of Mosley's long time nemesis, Vernon "The Viper" Forrest. Forrest bested Mosley both as an amateur and as a pro, while Mayorga has both KO'd Forrest and beaten him by decision, so Mayorga may have carried a bit of a psychological edge into the ring Saturday. With his experience, aggression, mind set and unquestioned power, the 34 year old Nicaraguan Bully Boy seemed ready to find out if he could turn off the shine of the 37 year old star who faced him.
Mayorga is perhaps best known for lighting up a cigarette right in the ring after winning his first title from 6 Heads Lewis. The Bad Boy has constantly bragged about his numerous bad habits including his three pack a day smoking, but how they didn't effect his in ring performances. In the ring Mayorga is known for his swarming attack and devastating power, but also for his wide punches that have been capitalized on by the likes of Felix Trinidad. Mosely, on the other hand has always been the consummate professional, training and fighting since grammar school age and attaining multiple amateur and professional titles along the way. He had seemed finished when his amateur nemesis Vernon Forrest destroyed him -- twice, but the Sugar Man had stormed back to win more titles and re-establish himself. Mosley has remained a soft spoken gentleman throughout his career and Saturday was the obvious fan favorite.
As expected, the Nicaraguan Bad Boy stormed out of his corner and launched a swarming attack. As not expected, this attack seemed to be working quite well, landing frequently on the sweet one and completely containing him. By the third round Mosley seemed to be hitting his rhythm and began countering well, but it also looked like he was trying to wear down Mayorga's famously lousy stamina. The possible problem was that the Nicaraguan had announced that for this fight he actually stopped smoking and trained hard ..... so that he could send Mosley back to the kitchen to do dishes while his wife worked. This was a jab at Shane's wife Jen being his very efficient manager, but it rolled right off Shane's back as he stayed focused on business.
In the middle rounds it became evident that Mayorga really had trained hard for this one as he drew the sugar man into an inside war, which is the game of the Nicaraguan. Mosely was holding his own there, but it was debatable if he was actually winning the inside rounds as Mayorga was landing some real power shots ............ but Shane was taking them and seemingly unaffected. Much of Mosely's effective inside work were in the form of quick, short body shots that only the aficionados would pick up on.
In the late rounds, Mosley's counter shots got sharper and Mayorga's sledge hammer power blows a bit less frequent, but rounds were still close. Then came the final round and the 37 year old veteran suddenly turned up the pace on his 34 year old attacker. Now it was Mosley who was slamming punches off his retreating opponent. Then with a mere 16 seconds left, a blistering Mosley combination floored the Nicaraguan. Mayorga clawed himself to his feet, barely beating the count, while trying desperately to avoid a KO loss, but the Sugar Man was having none of it and charged across the ring, threw a perfect sweet shot to The Bad Boy's Jaw and dropped him for the KO at 2:59 of the last round! There was no questions as Mayorga was out like a light. When he awakened, even he congratulated Mosley on one of the most sintilating finishes in boxing history. Now The Sugar Man is looking for Vernon Forrest and a little sweet revenge.
Good Night - Good Fight,
Frank "The Snake"
Tuesday, September 30, 2008
Friday, September 19, 2008
Spoilers ALMOST Dominate Spike Fight Nite
Hi There UFC Fanatics,
For a while now the UFC has opened each new season of their reality show "The Ultimate Fighter", or simply "TUF", with a preceding fight card on Spike TV. These Spike Fight Nites tend to feature alumni of previous TUF seasons, strutting their stuff as they move up the ladder in their division. While working with this theme, the ultimate mixed martial arts promotion company will never miss an opportunity to feature a home town hero.
With that in mind the televised portion of the show, which originated from Omaha, Nebraska opened with Omaha's own light heavyweight star, Houston "The Assassin" Alexander facing Eric "The Red" Schafer. Alexander is a feared striker with KO wins over both Alessio Sakara and Keith "The Dean of Mean" Jardine (who in turn holds a win over Chuck Liddell), but The Assassin has also had his lack of ground skills exposed, when he doesn't knock his opponent out early. Alexander is a very popular radio DJ, famed Hip Hop Personality and admired single father of many children and is immensely popular in Omaha. This was reflected by the huge ovation that rang the rafters as The Assassin swaggered his muscular frame into The Octagon to meet the red haired Brazilian Jujitsu blackbelt. Early in round one Alexander looked frighteningly powerful as he evaded Shafer's take down attempts and pounded him with thumping knee strikes and clubbing punches. Red weathered the storm though, secured his take down late in the round, applied a little ground and pound and then slipped on an arm triangle choke and tapped Alexander out with mere seconds left in the round. That pretty much spoiled The Assassin's homecoming.
The next fight featured Randy Couture trained former star of an early TUF season, 16-5 veteran cage fighter Ed "Short Fuse" Herman. Herman's performances in the cage have been erratic, but he is a red head, like Eric Shafer, so maybe it would be a night for the red heads. Facing Short Fuse was Alan "The Talent" Belcher, another young fighter who runs hot and cold, but has great potential. Belcher is primarily a kickboxer and had just returned from training in Thailand. His striking skills would be tested by Herman's wrestling oriented overall MMA skills. The first round was back and forth standup with Belcher's kickboxing versus Herman's improved boxing skills. Belcher may have been a little more dominate in the striking, but Herman scored two take downs at the end of the round. Rounds two and three followed the same pattern with The Talent dominating the standup and then Short Fuse scoring take downs at the end of the round. The judges saw it as a split decision win for Alan Belcher which spoiled the first show casing of TUF alumni.
Next up to defend the reputation of the TUF veterans was former TUF champion and contract winner Mac Danzig, who has sort of auburn hair and so could carry the red haird fighters torch as well as the one for the TUF Alumni. Danzig carried a 19-4-1 record into the ring and his skills had been improving with every match. Across the ring from the former TUF champion was MMA's energiser bunny, the long haired, constant motion, all action Clay "The Carpenter" Guida. Guida is as bouncy and energetic and Danzig is slick and smooth, so their contrasting styles made for a potentially entertaining match. Danzig had the better record and was considered the prodigy, but Guida had fought the top talent in the 155 LB division, even if he hadn't beaten them all. The first two rounds were mostly Danzig scoring with crisp boxing punches and The Carpenter scoring take downs. In the third round Danzig scored a take down and went for a kimura, but Guida escaped, scored his own take down and ended the round with a ground and pound flurry raining down on Danzig. Guida got the unanimous decision which once again spoiled the show casing of the TUF alumni, as well as the red heads.
Starring in the main event was Season 6 TUF winner Nate Diaz, younger brother of constant weltwerweight contender Nick Diaz, who awaits in vain for Elite XC champion K J Noons to give him the rematch Nick both deserves and is contractually owed. Like his older brother Nate is a very slick grappler from the Gracie Brazilian Jujitsu system, who also has good striking skills and heavy hands. Also like his brother he has that freaky deaky street style which is almost impossible to read and he doesn't have his older brother's scar tissue to worry about. That night Nate was facing the veteran striker Josh "The Dentist" (as in he removes teeth) Neer. Neer has very good overall MMA skills and not only is his experience vast, but he had already fought (and lost to) Nate's older brother Nick, so Neer had a close up look at the unique Diaz style. In the first round Neer scored two early take downs but Nate threw him with a spectacular judo throw. The second round featured Diaz take downs and ground control and he scored another amazing judo throw in the third, but Neer was holding his own in the striking and escaping from the take downs. Nate Diaz's judo tosses in this match were some of the most spectacular throws seen yet within the UFC's Octagon and must have influenced the judges some and yet he still only won with a split decision, saving the TUF alumni from a completely spoiled Fight Nite by the barest of margins.
Following the live Fight Nite was the Season 8 opener of The Ultimate Fighter reality show. This time Interim Heavyweight Champion Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira and his number one contender, former champion Frank Mir are coaching teams of lightweights and light heavyweights. Its refreshing that Nogueira and Mir have let it be known that even though they will fight each other in December, that they respect each other and there will be no histrionics with the coaches this season. As with season 7, Dana White invited twice as many fighters as they need and then let them fight for a spot in the house and on the show. So this week was a series of fight highlights and a little about the fighters. Stand out events were Clay Guida's brother Jason being unable to make the light heavyweight limit and being sent home without even fighting and former TUF winner and recent Chuck Liddell conqueror, Rashad Evans' brother Lance getting his rib kicked out of place and losing his match, proving that not all brothers are like the Diaz's and have the same talent. Outstanding on the show was Junie Browning who said that his opponent had a better chance of getting him pregnant than of defeating him and then backed it up by dominating his opponent so thoroughly that the lad refused to come out for the second round. The show opened with Phillipe Nover from Brooklyn passing out during Dana White's opening talk. Nover said it was the heat in the room. but maybe it was Dana's oft repeated opening lines. Anyway, this of course made the kid from Brooklyn look weak and his opponent from Guam with the Mohawk haircut certainly thought so --- but, Nover showed his real mettle and submitted his cocky opponent for the win. Looks like its going to be a fun season to watch unfold and it has emerged that Dana White has stated that "The New Anderson Silva" is among the new faces. Could that be the cocky bleached blond with the ivory skin and black tattoos, Junie Browning .......................... ??
Good Night -- Good Fight,
Frank "The Snake"
For a while now the UFC has opened each new season of their reality show "The Ultimate Fighter", or simply "TUF", with a preceding fight card on Spike TV. These Spike Fight Nites tend to feature alumni of previous TUF seasons, strutting their stuff as they move up the ladder in their division. While working with this theme, the ultimate mixed martial arts promotion company will never miss an opportunity to feature a home town hero.
With that in mind the televised portion of the show, which originated from Omaha, Nebraska opened with Omaha's own light heavyweight star, Houston "The Assassin" Alexander facing Eric "The Red" Schafer. Alexander is a feared striker with KO wins over both Alessio Sakara and Keith "The Dean of Mean" Jardine (who in turn holds a win over Chuck Liddell), but The Assassin has also had his lack of ground skills exposed, when he doesn't knock his opponent out early. Alexander is a very popular radio DJ, famed Hip Hop Personality and admired single father of many children and is immensely popular in Omaha. This was reflected by the huge ovation that rang the rafters as The Assassin swaggered his muscular frame into The Octagon to meet the red haired Brazilian Jujitsu blackbelt. Early in round one Alexander looked frighteningly powerful as he evaded Shafer's take down attempts and pounded him with thumping knee strikes and clubbing punches. Red weathered the storm though, secured his take down late in the round, applied a little ground and pound and then slipped on an arm triangle choke and tapped Alexander out with mere seconds left in the round. That pretty much spoiled The Assassin's homecoming.
The next fight featured Randy Couture trained former star of an early TUF season, 16-5 veteran cage fighter Ed "Short Fuse" Herman. Herman's performances in the cage have been erratic, but he is a red head, like Eric Shafer, so maybe it would be a night for the red heads. Facing Short Fuse was Alan "The Talent" Belcher, another young fighter who runs hot and cold, but has great potential. Belcher is primarily a kickboxer and had just returned from training in Thailand. His striking skills would be tested by Herman's wrestling oriented overall MMA skills. The first round was back and forth standup with Belcher's kickboxing versus Herman's improved boxing skills. Belcher may have been a little more dominate in the striking, but Herman scored two take downs at the end of the round. Rounds two and three followed the same pattern with The Talent dominating the standup and then Short Fuse scoring take downs at the end of the round. The judges saw it as a split decision win for Alan Belcher which spoiled the first show casing of TUF alumni.
Next up to defend the reputation of the TUF veterans was former TUF champion and contract winner Mac Danzig, who has sort of auburn hair and so could carry the red haird fighters torch as well as the one for the TUF Alumni. Danzig carried a 19-4-1 record into the ring and his skills had been improving with every match. Across the ring from the former TUF champion was MMA's energiser bunny, the long haired, constant motion, all action Clay "The Carpenter" Guida. Guida is as bouncy and energetic and Danzig is slick and smooth, so their contrasting styles made for a potentially entertaining match. Danzig had the better record and was considered the prodigy, but Guida had fought the top talent in the 155 LB division, even if he hadn't beaten them all. The first two rounds were mostly Danzig scoring with crisp boxing punches and The Carpenter scoring take downs. In the third round Danzig scored a take down and went for a kimura, but Guida escaped, scored his own take down and ended the round with a ground and pound flurry raining down on Danzig. Guida got the unanimous decision which once again spoiled the show casing of the TUF alumni, as well as the red heads.
Starring in the main event was Season 6 TUF winner Nate Diaz, younger brother of constant weltwerweight contender Nick Diaz, who awaits in vain for Elite XC champion K J Noons to give him the rematch Nick both deserves and is contractually owed. Like his older brother Nate is a very slick grappler from the Gracie Brazilian Jujitsu system, who also has good striking skills and heavy hands. Also like his brother he has that freaky deaky street style which is almost impossible to read and he doesn't have his older brother's scar tissue to worry about. That night Nate was facing the veteran striker Josh "The Dentist" (as in he removes teeth) Neer. Neer has very good overall MMA skills and not only is his experience vast, but he had already fought (and lost to) Nate's older brother Nick, so Neer had a close up look at the unique Diaz style. In the first round Neer scored two early take downs but Nate threw him with a spectacular judo throw. The second round featured Diaz take downs and ground control and he scored another amazing judo throw in the third, but Neer was holding his own in the striking and escaping from the take downs. Nate Diaz's judo tosses in this match were some of the most spectacular throws seen yet within the UFC's Octagon and must have influenced the judges some and yet he still only won with a split decision, saving the TUF alumni from a completely spoiled Fight Nite by the barest of margins.
Following the live Fight Nite was the Season 8 opener of The Ultimate Fighter reality show. This time Interim Heavyweight Champion Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira and his number one contender, former champion Frank Mir are coaching teams of lightweights and light heavyweights. Its refreshing that Nogueira and Mir have let it be known that even though they will fight each other in December, that they respect each other and there will be no histrionics with the coaches this season. As with season 7, Dana White invited twice as many fighters as they need and then let them fight for a spot in the house and on the show. So this week was a series of fight highlights and a little about the fighters. Stand out events were Clay Guida's brother Jason being unable to make the light heavyweight limit and being sent home without even fighting and former TUF winner and recent Chuck Liddell conqueror, Rashad Evans' brother Lance getting his rib kicked out of place and losing his match, proving that not all brothers are like the Diaz's and have the same talent. Outstanding on the show was Junie Browning who said that his opponent had a better chance of getting him pregnant than of defeating him and then backed it up by dominating his opponent so thoroughly that the lad refused to come out for the second round. The show opened with Phillipe Nover from Brooklyn passing out during Dana White's opening talk. Nover said it was the heat in the room. but maybe it was Dana's oft repeated opening lines. Anyway, this of course made the kid from Brooklyn look weak and his opponent from Guam with the Mohawk haircut certainly thought so --- but, Nover showed his real mettle and submitted his cocky opponent for the win. Looks like its going to be a fun season to watch unfold and it has emerged that Dana White has stated that "The New Anderson Silva" is among the new faces. Could that be the cocky bleached blond with the ivory skin and black tattoos, Junie Browning .......................... ??
Good Night -- Good Fight,
Frank "The Snake"
Wednesday, September 17, 2008
BOXING PARTY
When I was a lad of a mere forty years old, I got the bright idea that I should do something significant and fun to celebrate my forty years on the planet. So at my birthday party I offered to box any and all of my friends who would like to do a short round with me. That day I boxed 16 people, including my own little kids and a few other folk who didn't spar very much and it was a lot of fun and no big deal.
When I hit the half century mark, it seemed only right that I should make the boxing offer again at my fiftieth birthday bash. Luckily I took some time to train that summer as I found myself facing 22 birthday opponents that year and a few of them took their truncated round fairly seriously. It was a lot of fun though and gave us something to talk about for a few weeks.
As my fifty fifth birthday approached, my girlfriend Tina looked up one day and said, "You know Frank, you really ought to box your friends at this birthday party as who knows if you will be able to do that when you are sixty." So I set about to add a bit more boxing to my training schedule. Late that August found me teaching workshops in Frankfurt Germany for my good friend there, Lao Shi Jamie Dibdin, who operates an Internal Martial Arts school in the town. Jamie also had another of his teachers there at the time, Lao Shi Nigel Sutton, formerly of England (English National Wu Shu Team Captain twice) and at that time residing in Panang, Malaysia. These two fine gentleman seemed like the perfect sparring partners and as Nigel is a decade younger than myself and Jamie is a decade younger than Nigel, they found it hard to refuse --- so we began morning boxing sessions before classes each day. Now these guys are both highly accomplished martial artists, but neither of them actually boxes very much. On the fourth morning of training Nigel approached me with a shuffle and his head down and handed me a slightly crumpled sheet of notebook paper. On the paper was scrawled, "Dear Mr. Allen, My son says your are a very nice man -- but he is feeling poorly and would like to be excused from boxing until Sept. 4th (I was leaving on the 3rd). [signed] Nigel's Mum PS: Nigels friend Jamie is also feeling poorly and would like to be excused from boxing" I laughed my ass off ........ and then we got to sparring. Its a good thing that these fine gentlemen assisted me in my training that year as I returned home to a party where I boxed 18 friends, thirteen of whom were fellow martial arts instructors ----------- out to show their stuff. A good time was had by all.
This month I reached the big Six O and this past Saturday we celebrated this fact of time with a wonderful party that Tina put on for me .............. and of course it was time to again offer to box any of my friends who wanted a minute and a half of me. 20 stalwarts threw their hats into the ring this time and they All seemed to know what they were doing with the gloves on.
First up was my partner in everything, Internal Martial Arts Instructor, Asst. Director of the Wu Tang PCA, Tournament Sparring Gold Medal Winner and 2005 National Wu Style Tai Ji Quan Champion, TINA ZHANG. Tina attacks with lightening combinations and had her stuff on display for the entire minute and a half.
Second on the list was KLINE PAUL O., our most improved boxer of the year in The Fighting for Health System. Paul is still a little rough at the edges, but he attacks like a little pitbull and his punching accuracy improves every time out ......... and Saturday was no exception.
Third up was Wu Tang PCA's only "In House" member and Long Time student DJ Firehorse aka STEVE NARDI. Steve is long and tall with a good jab that he put to good use.
Fourth came "Killer" KEITH PALUMBO, one of the Wu Tang PCA's tournament fighter's. The Killer is a charging lightweight with quick hands and good defense. It's always a fast round when Keith is in front of you.
Fifith boxer out was Dr. IGOR aka "Gnome 1". When his medical duties actually allow Igor to get time to take his exam, Igor will become a Xing Yi Instructor and meanwhile he fights like one anyway. Boxing Igor is like sparring with a cannon ball.
Sixth out was NANCY "BRUISER" BRODY, an Internal martial Arts Instructor, Martial Arts Tournament medal winner and Bantam Weight New York Golden Gloves Finalist. Nancy hadn't showed her stuff in a while, but her slick boxing and speedy footwork were still in top form.
Seventh came MARTHA KESSLER, a former amateur boxer and Fighting for Health Instructor. Martha was in her usual form, which is sort of like sparring with Mike Tyson, except its a lady wailing on you with those hooks and overhand rights.
Eighth in line was TOM MARJAROV, our MC of the day, who is also a Ba Gua Instructor. Tom is big and bear like, but luckily for me doesn't box very often. I was honored that he would put on the gloves for the ocassion.
Ninth up was our newest Ba Gua Instructor from Baltimore, SHANE JOHNSON. Sean grew up fighting and knows how to put snap into his long punches and stay out of his opponent's reach. Having very short arms myself I have to try to bob and weave in on Shane, which is much easier said than done.
Tenth was KATE MARJAROV, Tom's lovely wife, my long time student and close friend and our time keeper for the afternoon. Kate is a long time Internal Martial Arts Instructor and her slender frame hides her internal strength. She learned to box from the legendary Bull Dog Williams and consequently knows the game quite well.
Eleventh on the list came XING YI JESSE POWELL. Jess is always on the Xing Yi style attack and comes at you like a smallish Tank. Its always a challenge to escape Jesse's rushing attacks and try to counter his aggressive defense.
In the even dozen slot was PETE "KEMPO POWER" LANDINI. Pete also teaches Tai Ji Quan and Ba Gua Zhang and is a handful for anyone to spar with. Luckily sometimes he is open to counter shots.
Lucky 13 was DR. EARL MORGAN, a 4th degree Shorin Ryu Blackbelt Instructor as well as a teacher of Ba Gua Zhang, Northern Wu Style Tai Ji Quan and Qi Gong. Doc is one of the experienced fighters who won't fall for my tricks and knows how to counter my counters. He's always fun to go with.
Fourteenth was Young IAN MARTIN. The lad has practiced Judo since a very young age and his Dad, Cliff Martin is a Master of Hapkido as well as a Tai Ji and Ba Gua Instructor, so Ian has grown up in the arts. The 18 year old is always a handful and loads of fun to fight.
Number fifteen was my Tai Ji and Ba Gua student RICHARD MURPHY. Richard is large and Irish, so fighting is as natural to him as breathing. Got to have a classic Irish Banger at a boxing party.
Sixteen was SCOTT THOMAS, who was a student of the late Internal Master Jane Hollander and has been practicing the arts for decades. I had never boxed Scott before and was surprised by his boxing skills.
Arriving a bit late and therefore coming in at number seventeen was my long time great friend, first live in student, first Wu Tang PCA Xing Yi Instructor and natural Irish/Cuban Fighter, SEAN BOLIVAR. Sean and I haven't gotten to fight much lately, but in the past we have logged so many sparring hours that slinging leather with Sean is like going home again. Its always enjoyable ... and competitive!
Number eighteen was Sean's famous wife, Hula Master, Internal Arts Instructor, Wiccan Priestess, Martial Arts Tournament Champion, MARY "SHOWTIME" OCHOA. Mary is a speedy and active fighter who can pot shot on the outside and flurry on the inside ...... and all her skills were on show --- after all She's SHOWTIME.
Next to last at nineteen was my close friend, Fighting for Health teaching partner, most common sparring partner and long time student MIKE "THE HEBREW HAMMER" GOLDSTEIN. Mike had just returned from coaching our small tournament team at this year's Wong Fei Hung Chinese Martial Arts Tournament. This year both our Ba Gua guys Marcos Rivera & Jon Molenar took home medals (1 for Jon & 3 for Marc) and our lone fighter Matt Koci lost on DQ for breaking his opponent's nose in a few places ......... As Tina said, "Its better than getting his ass kicked and losing." Mike did a great job coaching this year's team while we were partying and still got back in time to give me a hard round.
Last at #20 came ANVAR "THE CONQUERING TARTAR" MURTAZIN. Anvar has been our most active fighter of the past few years wining medals in martial arts tournaments and competing in full contact Chinese Kickboxing known as San Da. He is a little taller than myself and in good shape at about one eighty. I, on the other hand, at five eight and a bit over two hundred pounds rely solely on my internal principles for stamina. Anvar and I have discovered that we are relations ......... "Trade Relations". We seem to almost always be in range of each other's punches and both like to fight inside, so we sometimes put on a pretty good show. To end the boxing festivities Anvar and I sparred the entire ten minutes of the "Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood" song from the Kill Bill soundtrack, surprising a few of the spectators with the length of the round and hopefully entertaining them with our exchanges.
After the boxing was over a few of our talented friends entertained us. Mary Ochoa showed us why she is THE Hula Master of the East Coast and her husband Sean Bolivar and his long time music partner Doug Principata played back up for Mary as well as did a few tunes of their own for us. Our MC, Tom Marjarov did some folk music for us and Mistress of the Dance, Daria Fain graced us with an exhibition of her extraordinary skills. Also Shane Johnson amazed everyone with his popping and locking dance, the likes of which most of us had never witnessed.
It was a great day and a wonderful entry to my next 60 years. You can see Tina's great photo essay of the event at: http://www.liujingrubaguazhang.com/. Now the question becomes; should I do this again at 64 to celebrate a Yi Jing cycle change, having just celebrated the changing of the Chinese astrological cycle [I'm an Earth Rat and this is the first Earth Rat year since I was born as its a 60 year cycle] --- or should I wait until I'm 65 to celebrate having reached the mark of old age pensioner ???????????
Good Night - Good Fight,
Frank "The Snake"
PS: A DVD of this event is available for a mere $25. + S&H from: tineez@aol.com
When I hit the half century mark, it seemed only right that I should make the boxing offer again at my fiftieth birthday bash. Luckily I took some time to train that summer as I found myself facing 22 birthday opponents that year and a few of them took their truncated round fairly seriously. It was a lot of fun though and gave us something to talk about for a few weeks.
As my fifty fifth birthday approached, my girlfriend Tina looked up one day and said, "You know Frank, you really ought to box your friends at this birthday party as who knows if you will be able to do that when you are sixty." So I set about to add a bit more boxing to my training schedule. Late that August found me teaching workshops in Frankfurt Germany for my good friend there, Lao Shi Jamie Dibdin, who operates an Internal Martial Arts school in the town. Jamie also had another of his teachers there at the time, Lao Shi Nigel Sutton, formerly of England (English National Wu Shu Team Captain twice) and at that time residing in Panang, Malaysia. These two fine gentleman seemed like the perfect sparring partners and as Nigel is a decade younger than myself and Jamie is a decade younger than Nigel, they found it hard to refuse --- so we began morning boxing sessions before classes each day. Now these guys are both highly accomplished martial artists, but neither of them actually boxes very much. On the fourth morning of training Nigel approached me with a shuffle and his head down and handed me a slightly crumpled sheet of notebook paper. On the paper was scrawled, "Dear Mr. Allen, My son says your are a very nice man -- but he is feeling poorly and would like to be excused from boxing until Sept. 4th (I was leaving on the 3rd). [signed] Nigel's Mum PS: Nigels friend Jamie is also feeling poorly and would like to be excused from boxing" I laughed my ass off ........ and then we got to sparring. Its a good thing that these fine gentlemen assisted me in my training that year as I returned home to a party where I boxed 18 friends, thirteen of whom were fellow martial arts instructors ----------- out to show their stuff. A good time was had by all.
This month I reached the big Six O and this past Saturday we celebrated this fact of time with a wonderful party that Tina put on for me .............. and of course it was time to again offer to box any of my friends who wanted a minute and a half of me. 20 stalwarts threw their hats into the ring this time and they All seemed to know what they were doing with the gloves on.
First up was my partner in everything, Internal Martial Arts Instructor, Asst. Director of the Wu Tang PCA, Tournament Sparring Gold Medal Winner and 2005 National Wu Style Tai Ji Quan Champion, TINA ZHANG. Tina attacks with lightening combinations and had her stuff on display for the entire minute and a half.
Second on the list was KLINE PAUL O., our most improved boxer of the year in The Fighting for Health System. Paul is still a little rough at the edges, but he attacks like a little pitbull and his punching accuracy improves every time out ......... and Saturday was no exception.
Third up was Wu Tang PCA's only "In House" member and Long Time student DJ Firehorse aka STEVE NARDI. Steve is long and tall with a good jab that he put to good use.
Fourth came "Killer" KEITH PALUMBO, one of the Wu Tang PCA's tournament fighter's. The Killer is a charging lightweight with quick hands and good defense. It's always a fast round when Keith is in front of you.
Fifith boxer out was Dr. IGOR aka "Gnome 1". When his medical duties actually allow Igor to get time to take his exam, Igor will become a Xing Yi Instructor and meanwhile he fights like one anyway. Boxing Igor is like sparring with a cannon ball.
Sixth out was NANCY "BRUISER" BRODY, an Internal martial Arts Instructor, Martial Arts Tournament medal winner and Bantam Weight New York Golden Gloves Finalist. Nancy hadn't showed her stuff in a while, but her slick boxing and speedy footwork were still in top form.
Seventh came MARTHA KESSLER, a former amateur boxer and Fighting for Health Instructor. Martha was in her usual form, which is sort of like sparring with Mike Tyson, except its a lady wailing on you with those hooks and overhand rights.
Eighth in line was TOM MARJAROV, our MC of the day, who is also a Ba Gua Instructor. Tom is big and bear like, but luckily for me doesn't box very often. I was honored that he would put on the gloves for the ocassion.
Ninth up was our newest Ba Gua Instructor from Baltimore, SHANE JOHNSON. Sean grew up fighting and knows how to put snap into his long punches and stay out of his opponent's reach. Having very short arms myself I have to try to bob and weave in on Shane, which is much easier said than done.
Tenth was KATE MARJAROV, Tom's lovely wife, my long time student and close friend and our time keeper for the afternoon. Kate is a long time Internal Martial Arts Instructor and her slender frame hides her internal strength. She learned to box from the legendary Bull Dog Williams and consequently knows the game quite well.
Eleventh on the list came XING YI JESSE POWELL. Jess is always on the Xing Yi style attack and comes at you like a smallish Tank. Its always a challenge to escape Jesse's rushing attacks and try to counter his aggressive defense.
In the even dozen slot was PETE "KEMPO POWER" LANDINI. Pete also teaches Tai Ji Quan and Ba Gua Zhang and is a handful for anyone to spar with. Luckily sometimes he is open to counter shots.
Lucky 13 was DR. EARL MORGAN, a 4th degree Shorin Ryu Blackbelt Instructor as well as a teacher of Ba Gua Zhang, Northern Wu Style Tai Ji Quan and Qi Gong. Doc is one of the experienced fighters who won't fall for my tricks and knows how to counter my counters. He's always fun to go with.
Fourteenth was Young IAN MARTIN. The lad has practiced Judo since a very young age and his Dad, Cliff Martin is a Master of Hapkido as well as a Tai Ji and Ba Gua Instructor, so Ian has grown up in the arts. The 18 year old is always a handful and loads of fun to fight.
Number fifteen was my Tai Ji and Ba Gua student RICHARD MURPHY. Richard is large and Irish, so fighting is as natural to him as breathing. Got to have a classic Irish Banger at a boxing party.
Sixteen was SCOTT THOMAS, who was a student of the late Internal Master Jane Hollander and has been practicing the arts for decades. I had never boxed Scott before and was surprised by his boxing skills.
Arriving a bit late and therefore coming in at number seventeen was my long time great friend, first live in student, first Wu Tang PCA Xing Yi Instructor and natural Irish/Cuban Fighter, SEAN BOLIVAR. Sean and I haven't gotten to fight much lately, but in the past we have logged so many sparring hours that slinging leather with Sean is like going home again. Its always enjoyable ... and competitive!
Number eighteen was Sean's famous wife, Hula Master, Internal Arts Instructor, Wiccan Priestess, Martial Arts Tournament Champion, MARY "SHOWTIME" OCHOA. Mary is a speedy and active fighter who can pot shot on the outside and flurry on the inside ...... and all her skills were on show --- after all She's SHOWTIME.
Next to last at nineteen was my close friend, Fighting for Health teaching partner, most common sparring partner and long time student MIKE "THE HEBREW HAMMER" GOLDSTEIN. Mike had just returned from coaching our small tournament team at this year's Wong Fei Hung Chinese Martial Arts Tournament. This year both our Ba Gua guys Marcos Rivera & Jon Molenar took home medals (1 for Jon & 3 for Marc) and our lone fighter Matt Koci lost on DQ for breaking his opponent's nose in a few places ......... As Tina said, "Its better than getting his ass kicked and losing." Mike did a great job coaching this year's team while we were partying and still got back in time to give me a hard round.
Last at #20 came ANVAR "THE CONQUERING TARTAR" MURTAZIN. Anvar has been our most active fighter of the past few years wining medals in martial arts tournaments and competing in full contact Chinese Kickboxing known as San Da. He is a little taller than myself and in good shape at about one eighty. I, on the other hand, at five eight and a bit over two hundred pounds rely solely on my internal principles for stamina. Anvar and I have discovered that we are relations ......... "Trade Relations". We seem to almost always be in range of each other's punches and both like to fight inside, so we sometimes put on a pretty good show. To end the boxing festivities Anvar and I sparred the entire ten minutes of the "Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood" song from the Kill Bill soundtrack, surprising a few of the spectators with the length of the round and hopefully entertaining them with our exchanges.
After the boxing was over a few of our talented friends entertained us. Mary Ochoa showed us why she is THE Hula Master of the East Coast and her husband Sean Bolivar and his long time music partner Doug Principata played back up for Mary as well as did a few tunes of their own for us. Our MC, Tom Marjarov did some folk music for us and Mistress of the Dance, Daria Fain graced us with an exhibition of her extraordinary skills. Also Shane Johnson amazed everyone with his popping and locking dance, the likes of which most of us had never witnessed.
It was a great day and a wonderful entry to my next 60 years. You can see Tina's great photo essay of the event at: http://www.liujingrubaguazhang.com/. Now the question becomes; should I do this again at 64 to celebrate a Yi Jing cycle change, having just celebrated the changing of the Chinese astrological cycle [I'm an Earth Rat and this is the first Earth Rat year since I was born as its a 60 year cycle] --- or should I wait until I'm 65 to celebrate having reached the mark of old age pensioner ???????????
Good Night - Good Fight,
Frank "The Snake"
PS: A DVD of this event is available for a mere $25. + S&H from: tineez@aol.com
Tuesday, September 16, 2008
LIGHTWEIGHT HEAT
Hey There Boxing Fans,
THINGS ARE HEATING UP IN BOXING'S LIGHTWEIGHT DIVISION. The little big men have been very active in the past few weeks and are again making the lightweights the all action division in the squared circle.
On Sept. 6th former champ Juan "The Baby Bull" Diaz faced former #1 contender, The Spartan Warrior from Australia, Michael Katsidis. As Katsidis marched down the center ailse in his Spartan helmet, spectators were sure to think how this Might have been a match for the unified lightweight title if only these guys had both won their last matches. But .......... Diaz had just dropped a decision and his IBF, WBA and WBO titles to well traveled veteran Nate Campbell and in his attempt at the linear and Ring Magazine title Katsidis had been dropped by the aging Cuban sensation and linear champ, Joel Cassamayor. So this had become a "one man moves towards a another title, while the other moves a step closer to obscurity" match. Katsidis came out strong and demonstrated his spartan tenacity with his continued attack as The Baby Bull controlled the ring, countered with precision and tore the Greek's face into a bloody mess ... pretty much all night long, except for a brief Katsidis rally in the middle rounds. At the end of the match, Diaz looked like he had just had a good workout and Katsidis looked like he had just been run over by a truck. Somehow, Diaz only received a split decision win, further blackening the name of professional boxing judges, but The Baby Bull should move on to a title rematch while The Spartan Warrior moves back to Australia.
That same evening England's rising star lightweight and Olympic champion from 2004, Amir Khan took the spotlight and promptly proceeded to plummet to the canvas with the flash of a comet, i.e. a Falling Star. With a series of left hooks, Colombian Breidis Prescott decked the Olympian twice and put him to sleep in 54 seconds of the first round! As his record rose to 20 - 0 with 18 KO's, I think that Breidis Prescott became the young lightweight to watch. My good friend from London, former amateur boxer and professional kickboxer and current martial arts instructor Chris Chappell of Real Taoism told me after the fight, " I told the lads that Khan was spending too much time with the weights and getting way to tight and therefore someone was going to knock him out," More youngsters should pay heed to the voices of experience. I guess British fans will have to look to Rickey Hatton to keep the Union Jack high by pummeling Paulie Malinaggi in their up coming bout and for Joe Calzaghe to look spectacular in his swan song against Bernard Hopkins in November.
On Saturday the 13th the lightweight linear and Ring Magazine champion, Joel Cassamayor stepped into the ring to face former Jr. lightweight and featherweight champion Juan Manuel Marquez. Cassamayor is a former Cuban star and Olympic champion as well as a longtime powerhouse in the lightweight pro ranks. His battles with the late Diego Corrales are legendary and the Cubean was feared for his slick skills, devastating power and ability to successfully bend the rules. On this night though, his 37 year old legs couldn't carry him past the Mexican's relentless attack and finally in the 11th round Marquez sent Cassamayor crashing to the canvas twice and scored the TKO win.
That same evening "The Galaxxy Warrior" and IBF, WBA, WBO champion, Nate Campbell was to defend his titles against former super bantam weight and super featherweight champion Joan Guzman. It would have been a slug fest as the veteran 32-5-1 with 25 KO's champion tried to turn back the attack of the 28-0 with 17 KO's younger challenger. -------------- BUT ..... GUZMAN DIDN'T MAKE WEIGHT! He came in at 138 1/2 which is 3 1/2 pounds over the lightweight limit. then trying to quickly shed the extra weight began to exhibit the detrimental effects of improper weight making, including dehydration and coughing blood and had to be rushed to a hospital. I don't understand how a professional former champion from a lighter division could make such a mistake -- ever -- much less when moving up a weight class? It puts the entire making weight process into question. Perhaps its time for fighters to again fight at their natural weights.
The perfect matchup would have been for the winner of Campbell - Guzman to face Juan Manuel Marquez for a unified title, but now Campbell - Guzman hasn't happened yet and Marquez seems to only want a rematch with WBC Lightweight Champion and most recognized Pound 4 Pound Champion Manny Pacquiao, who he has drawn with and has lost to. But the Philippine sensation has a welterweight matchup with The Golden Boy Oscar De La Hoya coming up in December and has to concentrate on making those piles of cash before he gets back to defending his lightweight title. I wonder if Marquez will settle for a title unification match with Nate Campbell right away or wait for Pacquiao? Will Campbell give The Baby Bull a rematch? Will anyone give Guzman another chance? No matter how the match making turns out, it looks like more lightweight heat will be coming to the squared circle soon.
Good Night - Good Fight,
Frank "The Snake"
THINGS ARE HEATING UP IN BOXING'S LIGHTWEIGHT DIVISION. The little big men have been very active in the past few weeks and are again making the lightweights the all action division in the squared circle.
On Sept. 6th former champ Juan "The Baby Bull" Diaz faced former #1 contender, The Spartan Warrior from Australia, Michael Katsidis. As Katsidis marched down the center ailse in his Spartan helmet, spectators were sure to think how this Might have been a match for the unified lightweight title if only these guys had both won their last matches. But .......... Diaz had just dropped a decision and his IBF, WBA and WBO titles to well traveled veteran Nate Campbell and in his attempt at the linear and Ring Magazine title Katsidis had been dropped by the aging Cuban sensation and linear champ, Joel Cassamayor. So this had become a "one man moves towards a another title, while the other moves a step closer to obscurity" match. Katsidis came out strong and demonstrated his spartan tenacity with his continued attack as The Baby Bull controlled the ring, countered with precision and tore the Greek's face into a bloody mess ... pretty much all night long, except for a brief Katsidis rally in the middle rounds. At the end of the match, Diaz looked like he had just had a good workout and Katsidis looked like he had just been run over by a truck. Somehow, Diaz only received a split decision win, further blackening the name of professional boxing judges, but The Baby Bull should move on to a title rematch while The Spartan Warrior moves back to Australia.
That same evening England's rising star lightweight and Olympic champion from 2004, Amir Khan took the spotlight and promptly proceeded to plummet to the canvas with the flash of a comet, i.e. a Falling Star. With a series of left hooks, Colombian Breidis Prescott decked the Olympian twice and put him to sleep in 54 seconds of the first round! As his record rose to 20 - 0 with 18 KO's, I think that Breidis Prescott became the young lightweight to watch. My good friend from London, former amateur boxer and professional kickboxer and current martial arts instructor Chris Chappell of Real Taoism told me after the fight, " I told the lads that Khan was spending too much time with the weights and getting way to tight and therefore someone was going to knock him out," More youngsters should pay heed to the voices of experience. I guess British fans will have to look to Rickey Hatton to keep the Union Jack high by pummeling Paulie Malinaggi in their up coming bout and for Joe Calzaghe to look spectacular in his swan song against Bernard Hopkins in November.
On Saturday the 13th the lightweight linear and Ring Magazine champion, Joel Cassamayor stepped into the ring to face former Jr. lightweight and featherweight champion Juan Manuel Marquez. Cassamayor is a former Cuban star and Olympic champion as well as a longtime powerhouse in the lightweight pro ranks. His battles with the late Diego Corrales are legendary and the Cubean was feared for his slick skills, devastating power and ability to successfully bend the rules. On this night though, his 37 year old legs couldn't carry him past the Mexican's relentless attack and finally in the 11th round Marquez sent Cassamayor crashing to the canvas twice and scored the TKO win.
That same evening "The Galaxxy Warrior" and IBF, WBA, WBO champion, Nate Campbell was to defend his titles against former super bantam weight and super featherweight champion Joan Guzman. It would have been a slug fest as the veteran 32-5-1 with 25 KO's champion tried to turn back the attack of the 28-0 with 17 KO's younger challenger. -------------- BUT ..... GUZMAN DIDN'T MAKE WEIGHT! He came in at 138 1/2 which is 3 1/2 pounds over the lightweight limit. then trying to quickly shed the extra weight began to exhibit the detrimental effects of improper weight making, including dehydration and coughing blood and had to be rushed to a hospital. I don't understand how a professional former champion from a lighter division could make such a mistake -- ever -- much less when moving up a weight class? It puts the entire making weight process into question. Perhaps its time for fighters to again fight at their natural weights.
The perfect matchup would have been for the winner of Campbell - Guzman to face Juan Manuel Marquez for a unified title, but now Campbell - Guzman hasn't happened yet and Marquez seems to only want a rematch with WBC Lightweight Champion and most recognized Pound 4 Pound Champion Manny Pacquiao, who he has drawn with and has lost to. But the Philippine sensation has a welterweight matchup with The Golden Boy Oscar De La Hoya coming up in December and has to concentrate on making those piles of cash before he gets back to defending his lightweight title. I wonder if Marquez will settle for a title unification match with Nate Campbell right away or wait for Pacquiao? Will Campbell give The Baby Bull a rematch? Will anyone give Guzman another chance? No matter how the match making turns out, it looks like more lightweight heat will be coming to the squared circle soon.
Good Night - Good Fight,
Frank "The Snake"
Tuesday, September 9, 2008
Death and Destruction
The sad news this morning has been that former UFC middle weight champion Evan Tanner was found dead in the California desert. Even in his last blog posting Tanner continually proclaimed his love of the desert and quiet wild places in general where he felt he found regeneration and renewal. Unfortunately the wilderness is a dangerous lover who can turn on the beloved in a heartbeat and for all of its faults, civilization is actually safer. But some men escape the realms of safety to find comfort at the edge of danger. Evan Tanner was such a man. His exploits within the eight sided cage reflected this aspect of Tanner and always made his performances entertaining whether he won or lost. His legion of fans will sorely miss this great fighter and unique human being.
At UFC 88, one overhand right ended the night and might turn out to have been the implement of destruction for Chuck Liddell's fighting career. Its not that The Iceman melted. Chuck was a focused and dangerous as usual, but at a hard 38, perhaps Chuck's timing and speed aren't quite what they used to be. Liddell threw an uppercut from way too outside, which is an amateur mistake that Chuck has often gotten away with, by superior timing and speed. But Saturday night Chuck's fist was still about two inches from Evan's jaw when Sugar Shad's overhand right crashed into Chuck's onrushing temple and The Iceman crumpled unconscious to the cage floor ..... and it took a scary couple of minutes to revive him. Now the upcoming, big selling, guarantied entertaining Chuck Liddell vs. Forrest Griffin fight for the light heavyweight strap is in the dumper and the charismatic Griffin has only a rather bland, but very skillful wrestler to play off of, in Rashad Evans. But there is no denying that the "Sugar Man" has earned his shot. Chuck Liddell on the other hand must decide if it was just a bad night or if the competition in general has discovered that his timing is off and his sledge hammer wide punches can be countered with shorter, straighter punches. Chuck Liddell is an educated, public figure with an entertaining personality and a hoarde of fans ...... he doesn't need to get knocked out anymore.
Rich "Ace" Franklin stormed back into the light heavyweight ranks with a third round destruction of Matt "The Hammer" Hamill. The first two rounds were somewhat back and forth and saw both men cut, but Ace controlled most of the stand up action and stopped the young wrestler's sparse take down attempts. Hamill isn't called The Hammer for his wrestling skills though and Franklin's cut was much deeper and wider than the nick on the wrestler and the match was close to being stopped due to the severity of Franklin's gash. But, Ace made the cuts a moot point early in the third by burying a round house kick deep into his young opponent's liver and droping The Hammer for the count. Rarely has a body kick looked so spectacular. It twas a ting o' beauty!
Former champ Dan Henderson found his winning ways again at UFC 88 when he cleanly decisioned up and coming BJJ phenom Roosimer Palhares. The muscular young Brazilian just couldn't seem to manage to take Henderson down and between avoiding take down attempts, Hendo managed to control both the pace and action of the stand up war. It was a good win for the former champ and maybe now he can get back in the title picture at either middleweight or light heavyweight.
When Karo Parisyan was injured in training and his match with Yoshiyuki Yoshida was scraped, Dong Kim vs. Matt Brown was moved up to the main card and proved to be a match worthy of its elevated status. The young The Ultimate Fighter alumni was brought in to showcase the Korean grappler's skills and help the UFC build their new Korean market, but someone forgot to tell Matt Brown and the kid came to win. In the first round the Korean came across as advertised and dominated Brown on the ground, but the second round belonged to the scrappy striker as he kept the Korean on his feet and whacked him around a bit. Then the third round was a slow affair on the mat with the Korean maintaining top control. The split decision win for the Korean was booed by the live audience who appreciated the gameness of Matt Brown.
Maine's own, Tim "The Barbarian" Boetsch entered the octagon to the theme from Conan The Barbarian and then lived up to his moniker by using a strong ground and pound attack to stop Michael Patt in the second round. Its great to see a somewhat chubby barbarian make his mark among the trim athletes.
Speaking of athletes, Jason "The Athlete" MacDonald returned to the octagon just shy of a month from being choked out by Brazilian sensation Damian Maia and returned the favor to his opponent Jason Lambert by catching him in a rear naked choke in the second round and ending the battle of The Jasons. Nice come back by the Nova Scotia lad!
The surprise ending of the evening was the first round KO of kickboxer Martin Kampman by wrestling based former Pancrase champion Nate "The Great" Marquardt. The Great One began his assault with a clean head kick, which he followed up a barage of short punches and knees, which promptly finished the kickboxer. Suddenly Marquardt's calling for a rematch with middleweight champion Anderson "The Spider" Silva doesn't look so far fetched. Having had a shot at figuring the champ out, perhaps The Great One could give The Spider a run for his money with a second go around.
It was yet another entertaining evening of fight sports presented by Dana White and crew, but with the loss of the Liddell - Griffin match, I think we can expect a lot of hype for the November 15th Brock Lesnar vs. Randy Courture match. It will be a great fight and well worth the hype .......... and I give The Big Boy a Big chance against the ageing and rusty heavyweight champion. But before that happens the UFC has a Spike Fight Nite, the new season of The Ultimate Fighter and UFC's 88 & 89 .............. sooo .... lots to watch!
Good Night! ---- Good Fight!
Frank "The Snake"
At UFC 88, one overhand right ended the night and might turn out to have been the implement of destruction for Chuck Liddell's fighting career. Its not that The Iceman melted. Chuck was a focused and dangerous as usual, but at a hard 38, perhaps Chuck's timing and speed aren't quite what they used to be. Liddell threw an uppercut from way too outside, which is an amateur mistake that Chuck has often gotten away with, by superior timing and speed. But Saturday night Chuck's fist was still about two inches from Evan's jaw when Sugar Shad's overhand right crashed into Chuck's onrushing temple and The Iceman crumpled unconscious to the cage floor ..... and it took a scary couple of minutes to revive him. Now the upcoming, big selling, guarantied entertaining Chuck Liddell vs. Forrest Griffin fight for the light heavyweight strap is in the dumper and the charismatic Griffin has only a rather bland, but very skillful wrestler to play off of, in Rashad Evans. But there is no denying that the "Sugar Man" has earned his shot. Chuck Liddell on the other hand must decide if it was just a bad night or if the competition in general has discovered that his timing is off and his sledge hammer wide punches can be countered with shorter, straighter punches. Chuck Liddell is an educated, public figure with an entertaining personality and a hoarde of fans ...... he doesn't need to get knocked out anymore.
Rich "Ace" Franklin stormed back into the light heavyweight ranks with a third round destruction of Matt "The Hammer" Hamill. The first two rounds were somewhat back and forth and saw both men cut, but Ace controlled most of the stand up action and stopped the young wrestler's sparse take down attempts. Hamill isn't called The Hammer for his wrestling skills though and Franklin's cut was much deeper and wider than the nick on the wrestler and the match was close to being stopped due to the severity of Franklin's gash. But, Ace made the cuts a moot point early in the third by burying a round house kick deep into his young opponent's liver and droping The Hammer for the count. Rarely has a body kick looked so spectacular. It twas a ting o' beauty!
Former champ Dan Henderson found his winning ways again at UFC 88 when he cleanly decisioned up and coming BJJ phenom Roosimer Palhares. The muscular young Brazilian just couldn't seem to manage to take Henderson down and between avoiding take down attempts, Hendo managed to control both the pace and action of the stand up war. It was a good win for the former champ and maybe now he can get back in the title picture at either middleweight or light heavyweight.
When Karo Parisyan was injured in training and his match with Yoshiyuki Yoshida was scraped, Dong Kim vs. Matt Brown was moved up to the main card and proved to be a match worthy of its elevated status. The young The Ultimate Fighter alumni was brought in to showcase the Korean grappler's skills and help the UFC build their new Korean market, but someone forgot to tell Matt Brown and the kid came to win. In the first round the Korean came across as advertised and dominated Brown on the ground, but the second round belonged to the scrappy striker as he kept the Korean on his feet and whacked him around a bit. Then the third round was a slow affair on the mat with the Korean maintaining top control. The split decision win for the Korean was booed by the live audience who appreciated the gameness of Matt Brown.
Maine's own, Tim "The Barbarian" Boetsch entered the octagon to the theme from Conan The Barbarian and then lived up to his moniker by using a strong ground and pound attack to stop Michael Patt in the second round. Its great to see a somewhat chubby barbarian make his mark among the trim athletes.
Speaking of athletes, Jason "The Athlete" MacDonald returned to the octagon just shy of a month from being choked out by Brazilian sensation Damian Maia and returned the favor to his opponent Jason Lambert by catching him in a rear naked choke in the second round and ending the battle of The Jasons. Nice come back by the Nova Scotia lad!
The surprise ending of the evening was the first round KO of kickboxer Martin Kampman by wrestling based former Pancrase champion Nate "The Great" Marquardt. The Great One began his assault with a clean head kick, which he followed up a barage of short punches and knees, which promptly finished the kickboxer. Suddenly Marquardt's calling for a rematch with middleweight champion Anderson "The Spider" Silva doesn't look so far fetched. Having had a shot at figuring the champ out, perhaps The Great One could give The Spider a run for his money with a second go around.
It was yet another entertaining evening of fight sports presented by Dana White and crew, but with the loss of the Liddell - Griffin match, I think we can expect a lot of hype for the November 15th Brock Lesnar vs. Randy Courture match. It will be a great fight and well worth the hype .......... and I give The Big Boy a Big chance against the ageing and rusty heavyweight champion. But before that happens the UFC has a Spike Fight Nite, the new season of The Ultimate Fighter and UFC's 88 & 89 .............. sooo .... lots to watch!
Good Night! ---- Good Fight!
Frank "The Snake"
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