Spoilers after the jump, along with the Fedor/Ishii fight, the Sylvia/Le Banner “fight,” and the bantamweight tournament final match between Bibiano Fernandes and Antonio Banuelos.
Main Event:
Fedor Emelianenko def. Satoshi Ishii via knockout at 2:29 of round 1
Main Card:
Shinya Aoki def. Satoru Kitaoka via unanimous decision
Hiroyuki Takaya def. Takeshi Inoue via unanimous decision
Hayato Sakurai def. Ryo Chonan via unanimous decision
Tatsuya Kawajiri def. Kazuyuki Miyata via submission (arm triangle choke) at 4:55 of round 2
Megumi Fujii def. Karla Benitez via submission (armbar) at 1:15 of round 1
DREAM Bantamweight Grand Prix:
Bibiano Fernandes def. Rodolfo Marques via unanimous decision
Antonio Banuelos def. Masakazu Imanari via split decision
Yusup Saadulaev def. Hideo Tokoro via knockout (slam) at 0:42 of round one
Bibiano Fernandes vs. Antonio Banuelos via TKO at 1:21 of round 1
Mixed Rules Bout:
Katsunori Kikuno def. Yuichiro Nagashima via TKO in round two
Kickboxing Bouts:
Yuta Kubo def. Nils Widlund via knockout at 1:10 round three
Masaaki Noiri def. Kengo Sonoda via unanimous decision
Pro Wrestling Bouts:
Kazushi Sakuraba and Katsuyori Shibata def. Shinichi Suzukawa and Atsushi Sawada via submission (neck crank)
Kazuyuki Fujita def. Peter Aerts via submission (ankle lock)
Josh Barnett def. Hideki Suzuki via pinfall
Jerome LeBanner def. Tim Sylvia via TKO
(Similar to Georges St.Pierre, MMA pundits, and most fans heading into UFC 129, Dana White was looking right past Jake Shields.)
2011 is approaching it’s final hour, Potato Nation, and when we typically take a look back at the year that was, we often lump things in terms of the very best, and more often than not, the very worst. But even though it has been arguably the biggest year in the sport’s History, it hasn’t gone without it’s fair share of snoozefests, sparring matches, and fights that simply didn’t live up to their own hype. For every Rua/Hendo, there was a Torres/Banuelos, so to speak, that kept us from having a full-on Chuck Liddell style freak out. It’s not that these fights made us angry, it’s just that they failed to make us feel anything.
In a way, they were actually a good thing for the sport, as they raised our appreciation for the epic slugfests, the back and forth brawls, and the technical battles to new heights. So it is for these unsung heroes that we bring you The Ten Most Forgettable Fights of 2011, presented in chronological order.
We know what you’re thinking, Potatoites, you’re thinking, “My God, it’s only been a year since this clown (dis)graced the UFC with that performance?” Well the answer is yes, and almost to the exact date. On January 1st at UFC 125, Anthony Mckee made his long awaited debut in the UFC. And when we say “long awaited,” we mean by none other than Mckee himself. You see, Anthony Mckee followed the James Toney method of trolling his way into the UFC through a shitstorm of self absorbed and ridiculous claims, despite only claiming seven finishes in his previous thirty contests. Well, DW took the bait, and threw Mckee humble wrestler and future threat to Homeland Security, Jacob Volkmann, for his big debut.
(Similar to Georges St.Pierre, MMA pundits, and most fans heading into UFC 129, Dana White was looking right past Jake Shields.)
2011 is approaching it’s final hour, Potato Nation, and when we typically take a look back at the year that was, we often lump things in terms of the very best, and more often than not, the very worst. But even though it has been arguably the biggest year in the sport’s History, it hasn’t gone without it’s fair share of snoozefests, sparring matches, and fights that simply didn’t live up to their own hype. For every Rua/Hendo, there was a Torres/Banuelos, so to speak, that kept us from having a full-on Chuck Liddell style freak out. It’s not that these fights made us angry, it’s just that they failed to make us feel anything.
In a way, they were actually a good thing for the sport, as they raised our appreciation for the epic slugfests, the back and forth brawls, and the technical battles to new heights. So it is for these unsung heroes that we bring you The Ten Most Forgettable Fights of 2011, presented in chronological order.
We know what you’re thinking, Potatoites, you’re thinking, “My God, it’s only been a year since this clown (dis)graced the UFC with that performance?” Well the answer is yes, and almost to the exact date. On January 1st at UFC 125, Anthony Mckee made his long awaited debut in the UFC. And when we say “long awaited,” we mean by none other than Mckee himself. You see, Anthony Mckee followed the James Toney method of trolling his way into the UFC through a shitstorm of self absorbed and ridiculous claims, despite only claiming seven finishes in his previous thirty contests. Well, DW took the bait, and threw Mckee humble wrestler and future threat to Homeland Security, Jacob Volkmann, for his big debut.
And after unleashing a verbal assault on Volkmann the likes of which we had yet to experience, “Mandingo” proceeded to stick his foot so far down his mouth that his leg nearly snapped at the knee. The fight was terrible, with neither fighter even attempting to engage over the course of 15 minutes. In fact, Mckee’s most significant offense was captured in the above photo, in which he decided to use his strongest asset as a fighter to attempt a takedown. Volkmann would walk away the victor via split decision, and Mckee would be served his walking papers, which he would then try and pass off as some old school racism by the UFC. Good riddance, d-bag.
#9: Steve Cantwell vs. Cyrille Diabate – UFC Live 3
Best known for his trilogy of wars with top middleweight contender Brian Stann, Steve “The Robot” Cantwell found himself sidelined and on a two fight losing streak in 2009. His losing efforts to Stann and Luiz Cane had been relatively entertaining, and before that Cantwell had scored a SOTN award by breaking Razak Al-Hassan’s arm at UFC: Fight For the Troops. Cyrille Diabate, on the other hand, had scored a TKO victory over Cane in his debut before being submitted by Alexander Gustafsson. The fight was placed on the Facebook prelims, and promised to be a technical kickboxing clinic. To say it was a letdown would be an understatement.
The match was little more than a light sparring session, at one point drawing that exact comparison from Joe Rogan during the third round when neither fighter remotely attempted to pick up the pace. It would be mark the halfway…uh…mark of Cantwell’s current four-fight losing streak, and would be Diabate’s last win as well; he would go on to drop a second round submission to Anthony Perosh at UFC 138.
Phil Davis had a hell of a year in 2010. Not only did he go 4-0 in the UFC, scoring wins over the likes of Alexander Gustafsson and Brian Stann, but the man even invented a submission, a hammerlock/kimura hybrid dubbed “The Mr. Wonderful.” Not bad for someone who had been training MMA for less than two years at the time. With his aforementioned submission win over Tim Boetsch, Davis was almost immediately pegged as the next Jon Jones by MMA critics and fans alike, despite the fact that Jon Jones had barely begun his own rise to success. When Davis was placed against former PRIDE star Antonio Rogerio Nogueria, who had knocked out then undefeated Luiz Cane in under two minutes and scored a razor thin decision over Jason Brilz in his own UFC run, the MMA community was ready a grand display of fireworks, and walked away with sparklers.
After a tense first half that saw little to no significant strikes landed, the first round was mainly comprised of Davis trying unsuccessfully to take Nogueria down. And when he was forced to stand, we saw a different, less wonderful version of Davis, complete with an array of awkward push/teep kicks and one-to-two punch combinations that were all but completely ineffective against Lil Nog. Davis was able to secure his first takedown midway through the second round, and to his credit, was able to control the BJJ black belt down when he did so. “Minotoro” on the other hand, never really looked like he was that concerned about finishing the fight, despite Davis’ increased takedown success over the next round and a half. His punches came slower and slower, and by the end of it many in the silent audience were simply awaiting a decision.
It’s not that there was anything particularly bad in this fight, it’s just that there wasn’t much to write home about, including Phil Davis, who’s momentum train found itself at the bottom of a very large hill afterward. And as it turns out, this would be the first of many lackluster main events to come…
Tisk, tisk, tisk. Apparently word travels fast, because it seems we cannot go more then a couple days here at CagePotato without hearing another tale of some Charles Bronson-esque vigilante justice. Today’s story takes us to Hendersonville, North Carolina, where avid MMA fan and pawn shop clerk Darren “Rocky” Mothershead (?) found himself on the wrong end of a Friday night robbery attempt and decided to solve things the good old fashioned way, with his fists.
And we mean “attempt” in the lightest sense of the word, because as “Rocky” was handing over the day’s take to the gun-toting thief (a gun which later turned out to be of the pellet variety), he went all Jason Statham on the SOB and delivered a BRUTAL left hand that KO’d the dirty rapscallion instantly.
If the fact that this was all caught on tape wasn’t awesome enough, Mothershead then forced the burglar to CLEAN UP HIS OWN BLOOD off the carpet as they waited for the police to arrive. These are the actions of a boss, ladies and gentlemen. The thief was later identified as Mostafa Kamel Hendi, so if anyone out there knows this guy, send us his address so we can in turn send him a crushed ice pack and our condolences for failing at every turn in his life thus far.
Tisk, tisk, tisk. Apparently word travels fast, because it seems we cannot go more then a couple days here at CagePotato without hearing another tale of some Charles Bronson-esque vigilante justice. Today’s story takes us to Hendersonville, North Carolina, where avid MMA fan and pawn shop clerk Darren “Rocky” Mothershead (?) found himself on the wrong end of a Friday night robbery attempt and decided to solve things the good old fashioned way, with his fists.
And we mean “attempt” in the lightest sense of the word, because as “Rocky” was handing over the day’s take to the gun-toting thief (a gun which later turned out to be of the pellet variety), he went all Jason Statham on the SOB and delivered a BRUTAL left hand that KO’d the dirty rapscallion instantly.
If the fact that this was all caught on tape wasn’t awesome enough, Mothershead then forced the burglar to CLEAN UP HIS OWN BLOOD off the carpet as they waited for the police to arrive. These are the actions of a boss, ladies and gentlemen. The thief was later identified as Mostafa Kamel Hendi, so if anyone out there knows this guy, send us his address so we can in turn send him a crushed ice pack and our condolences for failing at every turn in his life thus far.
It is clear that Hendersonville gets its name from you know who, because all of its residents seemingly posses H-bomb technology and aren’t afraid to use it, especially when it comes to foreigners. I know, I know, that photo makes me giggle like a little schoolgirl, too.
And to think that all of this could have been avoided if Hendi was an avid CP reader. But knowing today’s society, it will only be a matter of time until he sues Mothershead for using excessive force to thwart his robbery attempt. Hell, he’ll probably win.
It’s official: Satoshi Ishii is a dead man walking. Don’t call it a comeback, but Fedor Emelianenko was spotted on his return flight home from Holland donning none other than the Glorious Sweater of Absolute Victory, or as MMA Mania calls it, The Ultimate Sweater of Destruction. I’m not going to lie to you, Potato Nation, I had to paste that name directly from their article, because as I tried to type it, it was as if some otherworldly force took over my body, choked me within an inch of my life, and then forced me to smash the ice cream cone I was eating into my face. Weird.
The sweater, which was retired amidst an undercover attempt by the Russian government to assassinate “The Last Emperor” and use its powers to bring on a new Ice Age, has been the sole factor in Emelianenko’s recent three fight skid, which saw him submitted by Fabricio Werdum before being TKO’ed by Antonio Silva and Dan Henderson. After a recent, secret shift in the Russian power paradigm, Emelianenko told CagePotato in an exclusive and possibly fake interview that he feels safe to wear the sweater again, and looks forward to going on another 30 fight win streak that will culminate in a “two man enter, one man leaves” match against Dan Severn.
It’s official: Satoshi Ishii is a dead man walking. Don’t call it a comeback, but Fedor Emelianenko was spotted on his return flight home from Holland donning none other than the Glorious Sweater of Absolute Victory, or as MMA Mania calls it, The Ultimate Sweater of Destruction. I’m not going to lie to you, Potato Nation, I had to paste that name directly from their article, because as I tried to type it, it was as if some otherworldly force took over my body, choked me within an inch of my life, and then forced me to smash the ice cream cone I was eating into my face. Weird.
The sweater, which was retired amidst an undercover attempt by the Russian government to assassinate “The Last Emperor” and use its powers to bring on a new Ice Age, has been the sole factor in Emelianenko’s recent three fight skid, which saw him submitted by Fabricio Werdum before being TKO’ed by Antonio Silva and Dan Henderson. After a recent, secret shift in the Russian power paradigm, Emelianenko told CagePotato in an exclusive and possibly fake interview that he feels safe to wear the sweater again, and looks forward to going on another 30 fight win streak that will culminate in a “two man enter, one man leaves” match against Dan Severn.
I consider Ishii to be a serious opponent; he’s a very strong guy and great wrestler. Plus it’s clear that he is able to utilize his best characteristics in the fight. I will have to adapt, I’ll have to see how Ishii will be moving around the ring during the fight, what will he offer me, and what will I be able to showcase myself. It will all depend on the situation in the ring.
Well one thing’s for sure, “God’s will” just got a hell of a lot stronger with the return of the GSoAV. So suck it, you cynics; there is simply nothing stopping Fedor’s inevitable return to glory, and it is only a matter of time until we refer to him as “The Undisputed UFC Heavyweight Champion of the World Colon Wicked Awesome Emperor Backslash The Real People’s Champ.com” You can call it fanboyism, but we’re calling it fact.
Now that we’ve all officially finished binge-eating/drinking our way through Christmas, our good pal DW is back and with a late gift of his own – the gift of heartbreak. In typical fashion, this week’s Danavlog focuses on the aftermath of UFC 140, giving us a behind the scenes look at the pre and post-fight moments of Tito Ortiz, Jon Jones, and perhaps most importantly, Krzystof Soszynski, who, after suffering a 35 second knockout at the hands of Igor Pokrajac, informs us that he has fought his last MMA contest. Whether he is just pulling a BJ Penn on us or is truly sincere about his decision remains to be seen, but if we really have witnessed the last of “The Polish Experiment,” we here at CP would just like to thank him for all the great fights and wish him the best of luck in his future endeavors.
Join us after the jump for the rest of the highlights.
Now that we’ve all officially finished binge-eating/drinking our way through Christmas, our good pal Dana is back and with a late gift of his own – the gift of heartbreak. In typical fashion, this week’s Danavlog focuses on the aftermath of UFC 140, giving us a behind the scenes look at the pre and post-fight moments of Tito Ortiz, Jon Jones, and perhaps most importantly, Krzystof Soszynski, who, after suffering a 35 second knockout at the hands of Igor Pokrajac, informs us that he has fought his last MMA contest. Whether he is just pulling a BJ Penn on us or is truly sincere about his decision remains to be seen, but if we really have witnessed the last of “The Polish Experiment,” we here at CP would just like to thank him for all the great fights and wish him the best of luck in his future endeavors.
Some highlights.
00:16 – Dana White “You guys have been bitching about me not popping out blogs. I swear to God, I mean it this time, I will be popping out blogs this week. Fight week, blog week!” We’ll believe it when we see it, DW.
1:00 – Walel Watson pleads his case after dropping a unanimous decision to Yves Jabouin. Personally, this was the only fight on the card that I missed, and considering Sherdog’s three livebloggers scored it three different ways, I’m guessing the second and third rounds weren’t as cut and dry as Watson claims.
2:40 – Now that Tito Ortiz has begun to make some significant life changes, might we suggest he overhauls his pre-fight pump up music, because that auto-tune shit is weak, son. Throw on some Pantera if you really want to hurt someone.
3:15 – Soszynski makes his announcement, then asks Igor Pokrajac if he can split his Knockout of the Night bonus that will eventually be upended by Chan Sung Jung. Mark Munoz plays the role of supportive friend.
4:36 – Mark Hominick explains to the physician that he remembers every second of his fight with “The Korean Zombie.” It has been said that the human brain can only store seven things in its short term memory bank, so his recollection seems about right.
5:06 – The Black House crew, warming up.
5:50 – Then celebrating Lil Nog’s win over Ortiz.
6:00 – Ortiz informs the physician that none of his ribs are broken. His soul, on the other hand, is cracked to say the least.
6:30 – Jon Jones is a screamer, Lyoto Machida is not.
7:40 – A feeling that most of us will never know, and probably the reason that Brett Favre can’t quite come to terms with retirement. It’s hard to blame the guy.
Another pair of interesting matches at 170 lbs. have recently been added to UFC 143’s already welterweight-stacked card. If you are anything like us, then you likely expected Matt Brown would receive his walking papers after dropping his fourth loss via submission (and second via guillotine) in his past five fights to Seth Baczynski at UFC 139. Well, it turns out Brown will be given another shot at UFC glory, and will be fighting for not only his Zuffa contract, but the chance to keep his record above .500 when he takes on TUF 13 cast member Chris Cope.
Cope will be looking to rebound from the devastating 40 second TKO loss he suffered at the hands (and more specifically, knees) of Che Mills in Mills’ UFC debut back at UFC 138.
(Who did this to my brother? I WANT HIS NAME!!)
Another pair of interesting matches at 170 lbs. have recently been added to UFC 143′s already welterweight-stacked card. If you are anything like us, then you likely expected Matt Brown would receive his walking papers after dropping his fourth loss via submission (and second via guillotine) in his past five fights to Seth Baczynski at UFC 139. Well, it turns out Brown will be given another shot at UFC glory, and will be fighting for not only his Zuffa contract, but the chance to keep his record above .500 when he takes on TUF 13 cast member Chris Cope.
Cope will be looking to rebound from the devastating 40 second TKO loss he suffered at the hands (and more specifically, knees) of Che Mills in Mills’ UFC debut back at UFC 138.
Elsewhere on the card, Justin Edwards and Mike Stumpf will both be looking to bounce back from losses in their UFC debuts when they face one another on February 4th. Edwards dropped a tough decision to John Maguire, also at UFC 138, whereas Stumpf found himself on the wrong end of a brilliantly executed T.J. Waldburger triangle at UFN 25.
Both fights are without a doubt a must-win for the fighters involved.
