THE WEEK THAT WAS
Fighters of the Week:
1. Jose Aldo (WEC) - Jesus. Aldo beat Faber like Ike used to beat Tina. He beat him like he stole something. Good Lord, that was hard to watch. The only fight I've ever seen that leg kicks were even close to that realm of nasty was Forrest vs. Rampage, but Aldo chopped him down so badly that Faber had to literally carried to his corner after Round 4. Not to mention the quick combos, body shots with the hands and feet, and it was just an utter domination, on a Franklin vs. Loiseau level or worse. All the credit in the world, Urijah is a fucking warrior, but Aldo served him his lunch, then stole it from him. Yeesh that's a scary dude.)
2. Benson Henderson (WEC) - Put a definitive end to the Henderson-Varner-Cerrone love triangle for the WEC Lightweight Title. He's the undisputed man now with no one, save a Shane Roller challenge, in sight.
3. Chang Sung Jung/Leonard Garcia (WEC) - Giving them a shared spot. What a motherfucking fight. I've seen scores ranging all over the place, I had it 29-29, but I'm a lot more liberal with 10-10 rounds than most people are. Regardless, it was a fantastic fight for both guys (who walked away 65K richer), WEC, and MMA in general.
4. Dan Hornbuckle (Bellator) - WAR HORNBUCKLE! 2:03 was all it took for DannyHorn to move on. Like he said, "the belt is already mine, I just have to take care of four guys to get it."
5. Manny Gamburyan (WEC) - Dispatched the former champ Mike Brown in nasty fashion. Dana says Mike was dealing with some person stuff, and we've seen this before in MMA (St. Pierre vs. Serra I), but a W is a W, especially a first-round stoppage over a former champ. He staked his claim to be next in line to get annihilated by Aldo.
6. Shane Roller (WEC) - Disposed of Anthony Njokuani and quickly, at 3:21 of the first to earn himself a title shot (most likely) at Benson Henderson.
7. Travis Wiuff (CFX) - Scored a HUGE win over Jeff Monson by split decision at CFX: Mayhem In Minneapolis. Losses from The Snowman are few and far between these days, so kudos to Wiuff, the wiley veteran.
8. Michihiro Omigawa (ASTRA) - In any other week, this would be the biggest Featherweight fight of the month, but alas, Omigawa continued his rampage on anyone who dares weigh 145 pounds in Japan with a unanimous decision win over Micah Miller. Zuffa should really come calling at his door, he might be the best challenge to Aldo.
9. Ryan Thomas (Bellator) - Vengeance shall be his! In his redemption fight after a horrible ref decision against Ben Askren, he TKO'd Jacob McClintock in the first round to move on. I'd love to see a Thomas-Askren rematch. Maybe this time, fly Herb Dean in, huh?
10. Kazuhiro Nakamura (ASTRA) - The student bests the teacher by decision in Yoshida's retirement match. Spirited effort from both men in the main event. Hopefully ASTRA puts on more shows, as this was a very enjoyable card. Thank you, Yoshida, enjoy retirement.
Quote of the Week:
"Right now, I am in no position of asking for a (DREAM) rematch and I think it's best that I strive to raise the value of 'Shinya Aoki' so that Melendez can say, 'I do not mind fighting Aoki once again' on his accord. As things stand right now, I would cringe if I said, 'I want to fight him again.'" - Shinya Aoki
Upset of the Week:
Travis Wiuff def. Jeff Monson
Event of the Week:
WEC 48
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April 27-May 4
THE WEEK THAT WILL BE
[:: Bellator 16 ::]
April 29
Kansas City Power & Light District
Kansas City, Missouri
8:00
TV: FSN
Notable Fights:
Bryan Baker (MW #47) vs. Sean Loeffler (MW #211)
Jared Hess (MW #61) vs. Ryan McGivern
Alexander Shlemenko (MW #51) vs. Matt Major (MW #136)
Demi Deeds (FW #208) vs. Eric Marriott (FW #52)
[:: KOTC: Underground 55 ::]
April 30
Jackpot Junction Casino Hotel
Morton, Minnesota
8:00
Notable Fights:
Garrett Olsen vs. Jeremy Lang (WW #68)
[:: Superior Challenge 5: Pride & Fury ::]
May 1
Fryshuset Arena
Stockholm, Sweden
Notable Fights:
Jameel Massouh (FW #61) vs. Sami Aziz (FW #74)
Junie Allen Browning vs. Reza Madadi (LW #129)
Danny Batten vs. Hamid Corassani (LW #116)
[:: Galaxy MMA: Worlds Collide ::]
May 1
Blaisdell Arena
Honolulu, Hawaii
6:00
Notable Fights:
Fabiano Scherner (HW #236) vs. Scott Junk (HW #210)
Keola Silva vs. Tyson Nam (BW #52)
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Fighters I'm Rooting For This Week:
1. Bryan Baker (THE BEAST! Seriously, this dude is awesome. He's 11-1, with his only loss by decision against one Chael Sonnen. My odds-on favorite to win the Bellator MW tourney, but the inclusion of Shlemenko makes things verrrrrryyy interesting.)
2. Reza Madadi (Anyone who's in a position to inflict bodily harm on Junie Browning is someone that has my support.)
3. Scott Junk (Really liked the dude on TUF, caught a bad break, hopefully he can work his way back up.)
4. Eric Marriot (Have had my eye on this kid for awhile now. Fought alot in the regionals and getting his break on a Bellator card. It's always cool, even going back to my days of covering indy wrestling, where a guy you follow in these little shows finally gets an opportunity to break through. Hopefully he does.)
5. Alexander Shlemenko (STORM! A late entry to the MW tourney, and a legit challenge for Bryan Baker. Looking forward to seeing him fight in the U.S., and a major get for Bellator with only days to spare.)
Best Cards:
1. Bellator 16
2. Superior Challenge 5
3. Galaxy MMA: Worlds Collide
4. KOTC Underground 55
Fights I'm Looking Forward To:
1. Bryan Baker vs. Sean Loeffler (I'm ready to see Baker unleashed on an unsuspecting public. I think Lombard will roll him if he wins the tourney, but I wanna see him rampage his way to the top, regardless.)
2. Alexander Shlemenko vs. Matt Major (Shlemenko's one of the best unknown Russian fighters out there and poses a threat to Baker or Lombard. All things equal, Shlemenko should roll Major, but flying to the U.S. with less than a week to prepare? I hope he rebounds quickly enough to put on a show.)
3. Keola Silva vs. Tyson Nam (An exciting bantamweight against a hometown bantam that wants to make a name for himself. Oh yeah, this will be fun to watch.)
4. Jared Hess vs. Ryan McGivern (Hess is probably the only guy with a shot against Baker, but can McGivern play spoiler?)
5. Jameel Massouh vs. Sami Aziz (A genuinely interesting matchup between two great up-and-coming featherweights. Gotta think the winner raises some eyebrows from WEC, Bellator, or Japan.)
In Closing:
Well, it appears the hamster running on the wheel that powered The Spring of MMA stepped out for a smoke break this week. REGARDLESS! Catch your breath this weeks, good folks. Bellator finally has the big(ger) boys in the round cage, and watch some playoff hockey, root for YOUR DEFENDING STANLEY CUP CHAMPIONS, PITTSBURGH PENGUINS and...oh...wait...most of you chaps are British, aren't you? Errr...I guess, talk about the Premier League, how washed up Beckham is, and why Cristiano Ronaldo isn't getting huge Beckham-like media coverage heading into the World Cup?