THE WEEK THAT WAS
Fighters of the Week:
1. Shane Carwin (UFC) As much as we all wanted to see Mir get his revenge on Brock, it was Carwin who had other ideas, surviving Mir in the first and breaking him down in the 2nd. Carwin is officially the most dangerous striker in the Heavyweight division and I can't wait to see him take it to Brock.
2. Georges St. Pierre (UFC) Dan Hardy talked a huge game, and we all hoped we'd see something different out of GSP, but alas we didn't. It was GSP v. 1.0. Takedowns and smotherings for five rounds. Granted, he had some great subs on Hardy, but no way Dan was gonna tap. St. Pierre retains via unanimous.
3. Lavar Johnson (Strikeforce) In his first fight from almost being shot to death, Johnson gets the TKO win over Lolohea Mahe in Strikeforce Challengers 7 to keep his fantastic comeback story going.
4. Nate Diaz (UFC) Now I HATE the Diaz brothers. Seriously, HATE. But Nate, who was fighting his first bout at 170, took a fight against Rory Markham, who dickishly came in at 177, and proceded to beat the shit out of him. Nate said he came in the day of at 175, and normally I'd laugh it off, but he fought for years at 155, and Markham, once again, failed to make weight, this time against a LIGHTWEIGHT. He came into the fight looking easily at 200 lbs. Nate dominated him. Used his reach and striking, took his back multiple times and TKO'd him in the first round. Fantastic show.
5. Miesha Tate (Strikeforce) - "Takedown" Tate armbared her way to a #1 contendership to Sarah Kaufman's 135-lb. Strikeforce belt, which I cannot wait for.
6. Kurt Pellegrino (UFC) - Great show in front of the hometown crowd after he got promoted to the PPV card. Batman took down Fabricio Camoes by a RNC in th3 2nd.
7. Jon Fitch (UFC) - I know, I know. ANOTHER decision win for Fitch, but dammit, the dude just wins. He's boring as hell, but that's yet another win for Fitch. Hopefully Alves heals up nice and soon so he can stake his claim against Jon.
8. Mike Kyle (KOTC) - In the main event of KOTC: Legacy, Kyle TKO'd up-and-comer Jon Murphy in the 2nd round.
9.Quinn Mulhern (KOTC) - After establishing himself with a win over Rich Clementi, he RNC's his way to a victory in the 2nd round over Koffy Adzitso.
10. Andre Galvao (Strikeforce) - It wasn't impressive, but he earned a split decision win over Luke Stewart and possibly entered himself in the Strikeforce title picture.
Quote of the Week:
"Yeah, that'll sell tickets..." - Dana White, responding to Jon Fitch saying the only way he'll fight Josh Koscheck is in their gym with the doors closed.
Upset of the Week:
Shane Carwin def. Frank Mir
Event of the Week:
UFC 111
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March 30-April 6
THE WEEK THAT WILL BE
[:: UFC Fight Night 21: Florian vs. Gomi ::]
March 31
Bojangles Coliseum
Charlotte, North Carolina
TV: Spike
Notable Fights:
Kenny Florian (LW #3) vs. Takanori Gomi (LW #10)
Roy Nelson (HW #36) vs. Stefan Struve (HW #32)
Jorge Rivera (MW #57) vs. Nate Quarry (MW #26)
[:: Art of Fighting 7: Pay Day ::]
April 3
USF Sun Dome
Tampa, Florida
Notable Fights:
David Yost vs. Marcio Cruz (HW #25)
Liron Wilson vs. Tom Sauer (HW #249)
[:: M-1 Selection: USA ::]
April 3
Bally's Casino
Atlantic City, New Jersey
Streaming: Sherdog
Notable Fights:
Josh Rave (FW #144)) vs. Sidemar Honorio (BW #75)
John Salgado vs. Renato Migliaccio (LW #146)
Patrick Audinwood vs. Robert Conner (WW #215)
Mike Guerin vs. Todd Chattelle (LHW #244)
[:: Bushido Challenge 2: A New Dawn ::]
April 3
Harvey Hadden Sport Complex
Nottingham, England
Notable Fights:
Artemij Sitenkov (BW #27) vs. James Doolan (FW #116)
Danny Mitchell (WW #127) vs. Eugene Fadiora
David Hill vs. John Cullen (FW #124)
Allan Love vs. John Phillips (MW #198)
[:: NAFC: Stand Your Ground ::]
April 3
Wisconsin State Fair Park
West Allis, Wisconsin
Notable Fights:
Reese Shaner (HW #104) vs. Sherman Pendergarst (LHW #214)
Jason Dent (LW #158) vs. Tim Samelstad
Nick Agallar (LW #185) vs. Ted Worthington
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Fighters I'm Rooting For This Week:
1. KENNY FLORIAN (Huuuge KenFlo fan, want him to desperately get another crack at BJ. I think Gomi is washed-up, overrated, and lazy. Plus, I'd love to bill Kenny as the PRIDE Lightweight Champion after this fight. KenFlo finishes fights!)
2. Nate Quarry (Normally this spot would go to either Nelson or Struve, but I don't know which one to pick, so I'm going with "Rock". One of the most underrated fighters in the UFC, I'd like to see him get one more crack at a meaningful fight. Plus, he's forever endeared to me by doing the funniest damned things I've ever seen in an MMA ring against Kalib Starnes.)
3. Stefan Struve/Roy Nelson (Love them both, hoping for a good fight that elevates them both. You'd think the winner here is about two more wins away from a title shot.)
4. Jacob Volkmann (How do you not root for this guy? Do-or-die fight for him, which is a shame because the dude took Kampmann and Thiago, not cakewalks.)
5. Jason High (Looking forward to a big debut from one of my favorites.)
Best Cards:
1. UFC Fight Night 21
2. Bushido Challenge 2
3. M-1 Selection: US
4. NAFC: Stand Your Ground
5. Art Of Fighting 7
Fights I'm Looking Forward To:
1. Kenny Florian vs. Takanori Gomi (Huge fight for the Lightweights. Does Gomi still have it? Will KenFlo take one more step towards avenging BJ?)
2. Roy Nelson vs. Stefan Struve (Damn is this fight gonna be alot of fun. Contrast in size, styles, shape, just fun. Two of my favorite Heavyweights in a fight that I think is going to be tremendously entertaining.)
3. Jorge Rivera vs. Nate Quarry (Gonna be a standup battle.)
4. Artemij Sitenkov vs. James Doolan (Sitenkov is a guy I've had my eye on for awhile, and could really make a splash in a big promotion soon.)
5. Caol Uno vs. Gleison Tibau (Very interesting fight between two very different fighters. Poor Uno is probably going to be outweighed by 40 pounds come fight night.)
In Closing:
The Spring of MMA rolls on with a huuuuuge Lightweight fight between the American debut of "The Fireball Kid" Takanori Gomi against Kenny Florian. Struve/Nelson will be a good time and the undercard is absolutely stacked. April is going to be an even bigger month in MMA, so relish the last big card of March.
