THE WEEK THAT WAS
Fighters of the Week:
1. Kengo Ura (Pancrase) Defeated Keiichiro Yamamiya in the main event by split decision at Pancrase Tour 5 in a war to retain his King of Pancrase title. The scores were 30-30, and a sudden-death ruling kept him the champion.
2. Jim York (CFC) The underrated Heavyweight did me proud and took out Brandon Cash in the first round by punches.
3. Seichi Ikemoto (DEEP) The best welterweight in DEEP defeated Naoki Matsushita in the main event of DEEP: Cage Impact 2010.
4. Satoru Kitaoka (Pancrase) The productive lightweight kept on trucking against Jorge Rodrigues by a unanimous decision at Pancrase.
5. Yasuaki Kishimoto (DEEP) Defeated fellow-ranked lightweight Un Sik Song in DEEP.
6. Masaya Takita (Pancrase) - Upset Shigeyuki Uchiyama in the 2nd round by a doctor stoppage for a career-defining win.
7. Young Choi (DEEP) - The much-hyped Young Choi defeated veteran Katsuyorki Shibata at DEEP for a huge win in his career.
8. Teriyuki Matsumoto (Shooto) - Upset So Tazawa in the main event of Shooto's Shooting Disco 12 with an impressive first-round armbar.
9. Jai Bradney (CFC) - TKO'd Ian James Schaffa in the 1st round of the main event of CFC 14.
10. Chris Holland (ROF) - Knocked out Vinnie Lopez in the main event of ROF 38.
Quote of the Week:
"Can I say one thing to Mirko before we go? I just wanted to let him know that I wasn't joking about getting that autograph. I really mean it." - Pat Barry
Upset of the Week:
Teriyuki Matsomoto def. So Tazawa
Event of the Week:
Pancrase: Passion Tour 5
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June 8-June 15
THE WEEK THAT WILL BE
[:: Bellator 21 ::]
June 10
Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino
Hollywood, Florida
8:00
TV: FSN
Notable Fights:
Pat Curran (LW #39) vs. Toby Imada (LW #28)
Megumi Fujii (#4) vs. Sarah Schneider
Jose Figueroa vs. Luis Palomino (LW #16)
Mike Hayes (HW #61) vs. Steve Banks
[:: Matrix Fights 2 ::]
June 11
The Arena
Philadelphia, PA
Notable Fights:
Jay Silva (MW #175) vs. Tim Williams
Guybson Sa vs. Tim Carpenter (LHW #202)
[:: UFC 115: Liddell vs. Franklin ::]
June 12
GM Place
Vancouver, British Columbia
10:00 (PPV)
9:00 (Spike)
Notable Fights:
Chuck Liddell (LHW #20) vs. Rich Franklin (LHW #12)
Mirko Cro Cop (HW #18) vs. Pat Barry (HW #49)
Martin Kampmann (WW #21) vs. Paulo Thiago (WW #7)
Evan Dunham (LW #30) vs. Tyson Griffin (LW #12)
[:: Beast Of The East: Grabowski vs. Kita ::]
June 12
Gdynia Sports Hall
Gdynia, Poland
Notable Fights:
Damian Grabowski (HW #38) vs. Michal Kita (HW #29)
[:: FCF 43 ::]
June 13
Firelake Grand Casino
Shawnee, Oklahoma
7:00
Notable Fights:
AJ Jenkins (#30) vs. Shayna Baszler (#11)
Aron Lofton (HW #161) vs. Josh Watson (LHW #210)
Jason Norwood (MW #111) vs. Joe Bunch
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Fighters I'm Rooting For This Week:
1. Rich Franklin (HUGE Ace fan, and would love him to get another high-profile win. You won't find a classier guy in the sport and a terrific ambassador for Mixed Martial Arts.)
2. Ben Rothwell (Gilbert Yvel is a dick. Reason enough to pull for Rothwell, who needs a win badly.)
3. Toby Imada (Pat Curran's Cinderella run has been fun, but Imada brings something totally different and much needed to the MMA landscape. With all the talk about how wrestling and lay-n-pray is killing MMA, Imada brings a fascinating and entertaining dynamic with his wizardry in submission skills. I'm not sure if I'm pulling for him against Alvarez, but I'd love to see a rematch.)
4. Pat Barry (Nothing against Mr. Filipovic, but Pat Barry is so damned likeable, you can't not pull for him. Mirko's had one hell of a run, and if he wins, it'll be a pleasant surprise. But I'm pulling for Barry to continue his rise on up the division.)
t5. David Loiseau (Gotta pull for Loiseau. Dude is a veteran, getting maybe his last shot in the big leagues, bent over backwards to put on a relief charity show for Haiti, and is fighting in his home country.)
t5. Luis Palomino (This one's flying a little under the radar. Palomino is one hell of a fighter with some quality wins under his belt. With a good showing at Bellator 21, and with UFC on a recent shopping spree, this would be a great pickup for Strikeforce, Bellator (if they do a LW tourney again), Dream, or Sengoku.)
Best Cards:
1. UFC 115
2. Bellator 21
3. FCF 43
4. BOTE: Grabowski vs. Kita
5. Matrix Fights 2
Fights I'm Looking Forward To:
1. Chuck Liddell vs. Rich Franklin (As much as I want Rich to win, I don't want to see Chuck get humiliated. I hope it's a fight that elevates both guys, like Franklin's fight against Wanderlei. Regardless, the winner will get a nice bump and the loser...well...it doesn't look good for the loser.)
2. Evan Dunham vs. Tyson Griffin (Fight of the Night, right here. Count it. I can't recall a single Tyson Griffin fight I didn't love, and his fights against Guida, Sherk, and Franca are among my favorites. Dunham is coming off a monster win over Escudero. This fight belongs on the main card, but I understand them putting it on Spike since it will be a barnburner.)
3. Pat Curran vs. Toby Imada (As fun as the Pat Curran ride has been, I think it ends here. Trying to finish Toby Imada is like trying to nail jell-o to a wall. The guy is such a submission whiz, he'll just slither until he gets you where he wants you. I'm picking Imada here but it'll be fun to watch.)
4. Mirko Cro Cop vs. Pat Barry (Damn, if Mirko was in his prime, this would be a fun damned fight. Even as is, still gonna be cool.
t5. Megumi Fujii vs. Sarah Schneider (Always excited to see a huge-hyped prospect comes to the States, and even better if it's on free TV. I'd love to see if Fujii is as good as hyped. Luckily, I'll get to find out.)
t5. Damian Grabowski vs. Michal Kita (The most underrated MMA scene in the world is in Poland. Some extremely talented fighters and good promotions like BOTE and KSW, and these guys are two of the best. Keep an eye on this fight, could be a doozy.)
In Closing:
*looks out from underneath makeshift blanket fort* Did we make it? Holy shit! Wow...glad that was past us, men. We endured a famish of biblical proportions and here we are. Freshly rejuvinated. UFC and Bellator, reloaded and ready to roll with Strikeforce and Sengoku on the horizon. Awake from your barracks, men! I love the smell of fresh MMA in the morning...it smells like...VICTORY! HOO-AH SUMMER OF MMA!