2009 September | MMAValor

Monthly Archives: September 2009

Kimbo vs. Nelson = Disappointment

September 30, 2009 Joshua Wood (Editor in Chief)

Week long of super hype and it results in disappointment. Kimbo Slice fought Roy Nelson on tonight’s Ultimate Fighter and Roy Nelson won via lay on top a tapping your face (TKO). Neither fighter looked good and some might even say that Kimbo looked better in the lose then Nelson, the winner. Nelson worked for the takedown in round one and locked Kimbo in a crucifix which almost ended the fight but the bell saved Kimbo. Kimbo looked much better in the second round landing a few good shots but went for a knee and was taken down. Nelson again got him in the crucifix and the ref had to step in as Kimbo couldn’t get out. Nelson didn’t land anything hard but his love taps went unanswered and the stoppage was good.

The previews for next week already make hints to a fighter getting hurt and Kimbo could be coming back. Let the hype begin!

Today's Random Thoughts

September 29, 2009 Joshua Wood (Editor in Chief)

» The UFC confirmed the UFC 105 fight card. The DaMarques Johnson vs. Peter Sobotta fight was removed from the card and will likely happen on a later card. The Dan Hardy vs. Dong Hyun Kim fight was rework due to an injury to Kim. Dan Hardy will now face Mike Swick for the chance to face GSP in early 2010 for the Welterweight belt.

» Dana White says Anderson Silva is two fights away for clearing out the Middleweight division. Guess that means he fights Belfort at UFC 108 (rumored) and if he wins, he’d then take on the winner of Henderson vs. Marquardt. If he does all that then he’s done at middleweight and vacates the belt… Where does that leave the middleweight division??

» Dream has unveiled a white cage for their Dream 12 event. Should be fun to see blood all over the white cage, can’t wait!

In “WTF” news

» Herschel Walker fired back at Dana White for his earlier comments towards Walker. Saying he’d beat every Heavyweight on the Ultimate Fighter and that White should step in the ring with him. Come on seriously??

» Rapper DMX has decided he wants to be a MMA fighter and will take on fellow musician Eric Martinez for Thunder Promotions. Come on, Strikeforce couldn’t sign this fight to go along with Hershel Walker?

Kimbo Slice

September 28, 2009 Joshua Wood (Editor in Chief)

So we are now 2 days away from “the biggest fight in ultimate fighter history” when Kimbo Slice takes on Roy Nelson. This fight is a bit unfortunate for the UFC as the fighter driving rating is fighting the man most think will win this season. With either outcome the man who loses will have left the tournament to soon. Win or lose though we already know that slice will be fighting on the finale’s card.

The fascinating thing to me is the public opinion of Slice and how it has/hasn’t changed. When Kimbo was Knock loser out on the Internet I resisted typing You Tube on my browser. Then he became the face of EliteXC and had never done anything inside a cage and that upset me. At this point all I wanted to see was him get his ass knocked out. When his meal ticket folded I took the Dana White route saying the he needed to prove himself on the Ultimate Fighter to get into the UFC. I never thought he would check the ego at the door and actually do the show, even though his options were limited. I was shocked to hear he was going to be on the show yet pleasantly surprised. Now going into the third week of the series and my view of him is starting to turn. He is training hard with his teammates and not acting like a thug or thinking he’s more important then the others. Now all he needs is a win over the big Roy Nelson and I’ll have no issues with him being a UFC fighter.

Now I know what you’re thinking, he should have to win it all to get into the UFC. Well several fighter have lost on the show and later fought inside the cage. Most of them by the way didn’t have to fight someone on the level of a Roy Nelson either.

Few fights made semi official

September 27, 2009 Joshua Wood (Editor in Chief)

A couple of fights over the last few days were made Semi Official (only the UFC hasn’t announced it).

Paul Buentello vs. Todd Duffee was added to the UFC 107 card . UFC 107 will be December 12 with B.J. Penn facing Diego Sanchez in the main event for the Lightweight title. Todd Duffee after his 7 second TKO over Tim Hague at UFC 102 asked for the fast track to the top. Looks like he got his request as the UFC will put him in there against the veteran Paul “The Headhunter Buentello. Buentello will be making his return to the octagon after being away for almost 4 years and has been in against some of the biggest names in MMA including Tanner, Rodriguez, Arlovski and Overeem. This will be a stand up war that should give Duffee a stern test and show us how good he really is.

Two fights were also announced for the year end event (UFC 108) which will actually happen at the beginning of the year (Jan. 2).

Anderson Silva will defend his belt againstVitor Belfort in the night main Event. Belfort was brought back into the UFC for this exact fight and will look to do something no one has been even close too, defeat “The Spider”.
Rashad Evans vs. Thiago Silva will also fight on the nights card, which could easily be a number one contenders fight. Evans was suppose to fight Rampage Jackson at UFC 107 until Jackson decided to play B.A. Baracus on the big screen. Thiago will look to take out another Jackson’s Submission Fighter after beating Keith Jardine at UFC 102. Both fighters have only one lose on their record, both coming via Lyoto Machida. This will be a very exciting fight that should not go to the judges.

Gladiator Challange: Blood Brothers recap

September 26, 2009 Joshua Wood (Editor in Chief)

Last night was the Gladiator Challenge: Blood Brothers event in Colusa, California. MMAValor was at the event taking pictures and hanging with the fighters. This was my first experience at a Gladiator Challenge event or a small venue event for that matter. Got there about an hour before the first fight and walked around the place and I’m thinking the place only held a few hundred people. Moved back stage where the fighters were and met up with Mark Matthews (check out his interview) who was suppose to be fighting until his opponent backed out after weigh-ins. Mark is a really cool dude and he introduced me to a few of his training partners. Mark will be fighting on Oct. 10th for Gladiator Challenge at the Shingle Springs Rancheria in Sacramento, California.

Once the fights started I was going back and forth between watchingthe fights and hanging out back stage. The place was packed with a rabid mixture of family, friends and fans. The 13 fight card had some very solid and competitive fights. One fighter that really stood out though was Ben Sattlerwho slammed his opponent several times and quickly submitted him for the win. Sattler brought his record to (4-0) using his strong wrestling background to control the fight, keep your eye out for this guy in the near future.

The guys at Gladiator challenge put on a good show and if they come to a place near you I recommend checking it out. My pictures of the event will be up soon and if you fought on the card and want a picture just email me.

MMA board game?? An interview with Brett Siciliano

September 24, 2009 Joshua Wood (Editor in Chief)

mma_game

If you were like me you probably didn’t know there was an MMA board game out there. In this high tech day and age with video games and the Internet, board games don’t get much love. Mixed Martial Arts has already made it’s presence know in TV, Movies, Video games and the Internet but never board games. Until Extreme fight games maker Brett Sililiano introduced the “worlds only extreme MMA board game” to the market. Having grown up on board games and with my passion for MMA my curiosity ran wild. I caught up with Brett to ask him a few questions about him and his board game.