Author: Jeff D Gorman

UFC 2: Solving the Royce Gracie Riddle

We return to the Mile High City four months after the first UFC, as the one-night tournament has expanded to 16 fighters. Somebody will have to win four fights in one night.The live crowd has already watched seven of the eight first-round bouts. Now w…

We return to the Mile High City four months after the first UFC, as the one-night tournament has expanded to 16 fighters. Somebody will have to win four fights in one night.

The live crowd has already watched seven of the eight first-round bouts. Now we check in for the last one, featuring the winner of UFC 1, Royce Gracie.

 

1. Royce Gracie (Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu) vs. Minoki Ichihara (Karate)

Ichihara was supposed to be one of the favorites, and he looks bummed that he drew Gracie in the first round. Still, in his pre-match interview, he resolutely states, “I would like to fight this dangerous man.”

His wish is granted as Gracie smothers him and starts nailing him with punches to the ribs and palm strikes to the face. The announcers talk about how Gracie wants to win via choke, but it’s not happening.

Realizing that he has to fight three more times, Gracie switches to a lapel choke and gets the tap out.

Now the crowd is enjoying an intermission as we learn about the different fighting styles we will see tonight: Karate, Kickboxing, Kung Fu, Grappling and “Exotics” (secret ninja attack!).

We also get highlights from a couple of first-round bouts. Johnny Rhodes out-slugged fellow American David Levicki with the help of a headbutt to the eye. Orlando Wiet of France nailed Robin Lucarelli with a devastating knee to the face en route to a TKO win.

 

2. First Quarterfinal: Scott Morris (Exotics) vs. Pat Smith (Kickboxing)

Scott Morris is an American ninja who used a guillotine choke to beat Sean Daugherty in 20 seconds to advance through the first round.

Smith is Denver’s hometown hero who lost to Ken Shamrock at UFC 1. This time around, he tasted victory over Ray Wizard via guillotine choke in a first-round battle that lasted just under a minute.

Smith clobbers Morris with forearms to the face, takes the mount and elbows Morris into oblivion in 30 seconds. So far, things are going great for Smith and his Denver fans.

 

3. Second Quarterfinal: Johnny Rhodes (Karate) vs. Fred Ettish (Karate)

Rhodes’ win over Levicki was the “longest in UFC history,” the announcers note, at 12 minutes. Of course, there were no rounds back then.

Ettish replaces Dutch fighter Frank Hamaker, who hurt his arm while beating American Thaddeus Luster in the first round, when Luster’s corner threw in the towel just before the five-minute mark.

Ettish is one tough dude, as he eats some knees to the face from Rhodes before finally tapping out to a choke. He even reappears like a ghost behind Rhodes during the post-fight interview.

 

4. Third Quarterfinal: Orlando “The Gladiator” Wiet (Muay Thai Kickboxing) vs. Remco Pardoel (Jiu-Jitsu and Judo)

Wiet went less than three minutes in his win over Lucarelli, while Pardoel battled Alberto Cerro Leon of Spain for almost 10 minutes before putting him away with an armlock.

Pardoel’s strategy consists of plopping his weight onto Wiet and trying to bend his right arm until it breaks. This goes nowhere until Remco realizes that from this position, he can elbow Weit into La-La Land. The towel comes in, but Weit was out anyway.

 

5. Fourth Quarterfinal: Jason DeLucia (Kung Fu) vs. Royce Gracie (Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu)

Jason DeLucia won an alternate bout at UFC 1 over Trent Jenkins and upped his record to 2-0 with a first-round win over Scott Baker by submission to strikes in less than seven minutes.

DeLucia actually gains top position on Gracie, but Royce calmly pulls guard, floats over and secures an armlock. DeLucia is actually standing up while he taps out.

 

6. First Semifinal: Pat Smith (kickboxing) vs. Johnny Rhodes (Karate)

Jim Brown says Smith is going to win. He’s a Pro Football Hall of Famer, so who am I to argue? After a boxing stalemate, Smith backs Rhodes into the cage, then locks on a guillotine and chokes him out.

Always listen to Jim Brown.

 

7. Second Semifinal: Remco Pardoel (Jiu-Jitsu and Judo) vs. Royce Gracie (Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu)

Gracie is giving up 84 pounds, so it takes a long time to bring Pardoel down, but he finally does. Pardoel tries for a kimura, but Gracie uses the gi to choke the big man out. Remember: there are no rules!

 

8. UFC 2 Final for $60,000: Patrick Smith (Kickboxing) vs. Royce Gracie (Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu)

It’s the fourth fight of the night for each man. The fans are chanting for Smith. Now before this fight starts, what should Smith do to solve the Royce Gracie riddle?

I’d say that since Gracie has proven that he can take almost anyone down, Smith should go full guns a-blazin’ with punches and kicks. Make Gracie beat him with punches.

Well, that’s what happens. After stuffing Smith’s initial attack and taking him down, Gracie takes the mount, lands a few punches and here comes the towel. Huh?

At first, the corner stoppage seems premature, but on replay, you could see that Gracie had a mount locked in and was just going to punch Smith in the head all night long. So the towel toss was the right move.

Gracie and Smith give each other hugs and respect, as the Gracie family comes into the Octagon to celebrate. The big check (which was made out to “The Ultimate Fighter!” at UFC 1), is filled in with Royce Gracie’s name. This will avoid an awkward moment at the bank.

Gracie calls out some more tough men to challenge him.

Fun show, and the question moving on at this point is: Can any fighter stop Royce Gracie?

 

@JeffDGorman is an MMA announcer. Check out his work here and follow the UFC Evolution Series at his new blog, The MMA Specialist.

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UFC 1 Review: The Birth of Modern MMA

UFC 1 is still an entertaining show to watch nearly two decades after the mixed martial arts competition debuted on pay-per-view in Denver on Nov. 12, 1993. Instead of focusing on who was the best fighter, UFC 1 was about determining which style of fig…

UFC 1 is still an entertaining show to watch nearly two decades after the mixed martial arts competition debuted on pay-per-view in Denver on Nov. 12, 1993.

Instead of focusing on who was the best fighter, UFC 1 was about determining which style of fighting was the greatest.

None of the fights made it past the five-minute mark, and that’s a good thing since the finalists would endure three fights in one night. That’s a full year’s schedule for some of today’s fighters.

 

1. Gerald Gordeau (savate) destroyed Telia Tuli (sumo).

Like a good sumo, Tuli rushed at Gordeau and pushed him to the outside of the Octagon. However, Gordeau pushed him down to a seated position and blasted him with a kick to the face.

Give credit to Tuli; once the cobwebs cleared, he wanted to keep fighting. After a period of confusion that lasted longer than the fight itself, the ref ruled that Gordeau had won by knockout.

 

2. Kevin Rosier (kickboxing) beat Zane Frazier (karate) by TKO.

These two weren’t even thinking about grappling. Without gloves, they were just blasting each other with bare-knuckle shots.

Late in the five-minute first round, both men ran out of gas, but Rosier gathered himself for a flurry of punches and stomps, and Frazier’s cornerman threw in the towel.

 

3. Royce Gracie (Brazilian jiu jitsu) beat Art Jimmerson (boxing) by submission.

Jimmerson wore a giant boxing glove on his left hand; he was hoping the fight would not go to the ground. He landed zero punches before Gracie took him down and choked him out.

 

4. Ken Shamrock (shoot fighting) beats Pat Smith (tae kwon do) by submission.

The Denver fans gave a hometown ovation to Smith. He was announced as having a record of 250-0 (whoa!).

Both men employed the exact same offense: headbutts then ankle locks. Shamrock’s ankle lock was better, and Smith tapped out.

 

5. In the first semifinal, Gerard Gordeau beat Kevin Rosier by TKO.

Gordeau somehow broke his hand in the first fight, so it was all taped up. Gordeau pounded Rosier against the fence and kept kicking and stomping him when he tried to get up.

Seeing that this scenario would not change, Rosier’s cornerman threw in the towel.

6. In the second semifinal, Royce Gracie beat Ken Shamrock by submission.

The announcers were drooling over the matchup and wishing it were the finals. Shamrock sprawled nicely out of Gracie’s takedown attempt and tried to get a leglock.

However, Gracie floated to the back and put Shamrock out with a rear naked choke.

Before the main event, Rorion Gracie presented an award to his father, Helio Gracie, for paving the way for the UFC with his development of Brazilian (Gracie) jiu-jitsu.

 

7. In the finals, Royce Gracie beat Gerard Gordeau by submission.

Gracie tried to take the bigger man down, but Gordeau refused and hung onto the fence. Gracie finally got the takedown and floated to the back.

The fans booed like crazy because they didn’t understand what was going on. Gracie secured the rear naked choke for the tapout, the tournament win and the giant $50,000 check.

After the fight, Gracie explained his fighting philosophy, “I don’t want to give him a chance to hit me. I want to win without getting hit.”

Jason Delucia beat Trent Jenkins by rear naked choke in an alternate bout that didn’t air.

 

@JeffDGorman is an MMA announcer. You can e-mail him at [email protected] and check out his work here.

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MMA: Fighter Auctions LeBron James Ball to Raise Money for Brazil Training Trip

Mixed martial artists often travel abroad to hone their skills, but it can get expensive. So, an Ohio MMA gym put together a raffle to raise money to send fighter Doug Kulbis to continue his training in Brazil.Evolve MMA, located between Medina and Akr…

Mixed martial artists often travel abroad to hone their skills, but it can get expensive. So, an Ohio MMA gym put together a raffle to raise money to send fighter Doug Kulbis to continue his training in Brazil.

Evolve MMA, located between Medina and Akron, Ohio, tried to give him a boost by raffling off MMA and sports-related merchandise.

A LeBron James-signed basketball was the hot-ticket item at the raffle, which also included a hotel stay, tattoo services, artwork, a Fox Sports Ohio fun pack, a mini-golf gift certificate and a membership to train at Evolve.

Kulbis put himself on the map by winning the 2009 North American Amateur Fighting Series (NAAFS) 145-pound tournament.

After winning the amateur tournament, Kulbis turned pro in March 2010. He lost his pro debut to Brandon Hance, but came back in the summer to defeat Brandon Inskeep via rear naked choke.

That win earned him a spot on NAAFS Night of Champions 2010, where he lost a unanimous decision to Kevin Rothacker.

“That was one of the best, most exciting fights I’ve ever been in,” Kulbis said.

Kulbis bounced back again on May 21 of this year, evening his pro mark at 2-2 with another rear-naked choke submission, this time over Andrew Huffman.

“I try to be well-rounded, but I would say I’m more ground-oriented,” he said. “I worked on my skills as a Marine in boxing and wrestling, and here at Evolve I’ve been able to take it to the next level.”

Kulbis has been working with Mario Micale, Brandon Pondexter and kickboxing ace Ryan “The Lion” Madigan, who competed at UFC 96.

“I feel like my stand-up is coming along,” Kulbis said. “I feel like I have the confidence to keep the fight standing as well as taking it to the ground.”

That confidence will grow if the plans for the Brazil trip come to fruition.

Evolve MMA founder John Cook has been running his gym for 12 years. In addition to Madigan, his training staff includes two-time Penn State All-American wrestler Clint Musser and former national judo champion Andrew Law.

Cook said he may the oldest active fighter in Ohio, with a 2-0 record at the age of 42.

For more information on Evolve MMA, call (330) 329-2692 or go to www.evolveohio.com.

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Live Coverage of M-1 Challenge XXVII on Showtime

We are live, watching M-1 Global Challenge XXVII on Showtime. The show is coming from Phoenix, Ariz., at Grand Canyon University Arena. Mauro Ranallo and Pat Miletich greet us on commentary. Remember, no cage in M-1, we have ring with four ropes. Jimm…

We are live, watching M-1 Global Challenge XXVII on Showtime. The show is coming from Phoenix, Ariz., at Grand Canyon University Arena.

Mauro Ranallo and Pat Miletich greet us on commentary. Remember, no cage in M-1, we have ring with four ropes. Jimmy Lennon Jr. is our ring announcer. Off we go!

 

1. Welterweight fight

Tom “Da Tank” Gallicchio (16-6, 170 pounds) vs. Daniel “Blackout” Madrid (9-2, 165 pounds)

Madrid has been boxing since he was four and made the transition to MMA when he was 16. He hasn’t fought since a knockout loss in June 2010.

Gallicchio, a catch-wrestling specialist, won the M-1 Americas welterweight tournament last year. He comes out to “Stuck in the Middle With You” by Stealers Wheel.

Madrid knocks out Gallicchio’s mouthpiece, gets taken down, but locks in an armbar from the bottom for the submission—just like that!

Winner by submission: Daniel Madrid (48 seconds).

 

2. Welterweight fight

Yasubey Enomoto (7-3, 168 pounds) vs. Josh Thorpe (10-5, 166 pounds)

I interviewed Thorpe earlier in the week and you can read that right here. He comes out to “Sweet Home Alabama” as he fights out of Port City MMA in Mobile. Enomoto runs his own dojo in Zurich, Switzerland. He reached the finals of the Sengoku welterweight grand prix.

Thorpe gets the takedown, but Enomoto locks in the triangle, and it’s another quick submission!

Winner by submission: Yasubey Enomoto (1:07).

 

3. Middleweight fight

Arthur Guseinov (8-2, 185 pounds) vs. Eddie “Crazy Face” Arizmendi (15-2, 186 pounds)

We see clips of both men scoring spectacular knockouts in their last fights, including Guseinov’s SICK spinning backfist KO of Tyson Jeffries. Crazy Face has the La Parka skeleton mask, while Guseinov comes out with a smile to “Raise Up.”

Guseinov tries a couple of spinning back kicks that miss, so Crazy Face takes him down. For the third fight in a row, it’s a quick submission as Guseinov sinks in a perfect heel hook. 

Winner by submission: Arthur Guseinov (50 seconds). 

 

4. M-1 Interim heavyweight title (vacant)

Kenny “Deuce” Garner (7-3, 255 pounds) vs. Maxim Grishin (11-5, 220 pounds)  

These men both want another shot at Guram Gugenishvili for the M-1 heavyweight belt. Guram is out with an elbow injury, but he is in Phoenix watching the fight. Garner was supposed to get the shot at Guram tonight, but at least he has a chance at an interim title.

Deuce Garner wins Round 1 with smart boxing, punctuated with a takedown near the end of the round. Miletich speculates that Grishin may be trying to extend this fight so the heavier Garner will run out of gas.

Garner dominates Round 2, but Maxim gets a takedown late and almost gets a submission before the bell. Still, you have the give the round to Garner, but remember, this one is supposed to go five rounds.

Round 3 was a stalemate as both men were running out of gas. Garner was kicked in the head while grounded, so Maxim got a warning.

In Round 4, Maxim slides out of the ring, so we get a restart—Garner did it earlier, and the ref starts them from a standing position. Maxim hits a takedown but Garner winds up on top. Fans were not happy with Maxim and were chanting for Garner to KNOCK HIM OUT!

Final round! Very slow action as Garner tries to ice this one. Maxim tries a guillotine but it doesn’t work. Maxim goes with a pair of quick takedowns and an armbar—can he get the submission? No—tries a triangle, but Garner escapes again. Garner wins at the end as the ref said Grishin tapped while getting pounded.

Winner by submission: Kenny Garner (Round 5, 4:07) and NEW M-1 Interim Heavyweight champion. 

 

5. M-1 Global Light heavyweight title

Vinny Magalhaes (champion, 8-5, 204 pounds) vs. Mikhail Zayats (14-5, 205 pounds)

Both fighters have won four in a row. Magalhaes is a Brazilian jiu-jitsu submission master, while Zayats specializes in Russian Sambo fighting.

First round was pretty even, with a slight edge going to Mikhail Zayats, who hit Vinny with some nice leg kicks.

Round 2 also goes to Zayats, who is doing a great job of not getting sucked into Vinny’s strength, which is Brazilian jiu-jitsu.

In Round 3, Vinny EXPLODES with a head kick and pounds out Zayats to retain the title—what a turnaround!

Winner by TKO: Vinny Magalhaes (Round 3 – 1:13) and STILL M-1 Light Heavyweight champion.


Thanks for joining me—good fight and good night!

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Strikeforce Challengers 18: Live Blog

We are live watching Showtime—it’s Strikeforce Challengers 18 from The Palms in Las Vegas, Nevada. Joe Duarte will face Jorge Gurgel in our main event.Lead announcer Mauro Ranallo greets us along with analysts Pat Miletich and Stephen Quadros. He…

We are live watching Showtime—it’s Strikeforce Challengers 18 from The Palms in Las Vegas, Nevada. Joe Duarte will face Jorge Gurgel in our main event.

Lead announcer Mauro Ranallo greets us along with analysts Pat Miletich and Stephen Quadros. Here we go! 

 

1. LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHTS—Roy “The Wolf” Jones (6-1) vs. Derrick “Caveman” Mehmen (11-3)

Mehmen is a wrestler out of America’s Top Team in Coconut Creek, Florida. Jones is fighting out of the Imperial camp in Boca Raton, Florida.

Jones delivers two huge knee strikes, but Mehmen somehow survives. A low blow from Jones gives Mehmen a well-needed break, and then he scoops Jones off his feet and slams him down. Mehmen dominates the rest of the round with wrestling. Jones wins the round.

Round 2 begins and Jones throws another huge knee. Mehmen is busted WIDE open. He is gushing blood, but wants to continue. A doctor checks him out, but Mehmen fights on. It’s down to the mat where Mehmen dominates again. Blood is everywhere, but Mehmen is winning the round!

In Round 3, Jones tries a guillotine, but Mehmen is too slippery and Jones is stuck on the bottom again. Announcers are second-guessing that strategy. Jones is back to his feet, but can’t hit anything else dramatic.

Winner by unanimous decision: a bloody Derrick Mehmen.

 

2. WOMEN’S 145-POUNDERS: Sarah “The Monster” D’Alelio (4-1) vs. “Rowdy” Ronda Rousey (2-0)

D’Alelio was supposed to fight Gina Carano next, but that bout fell through. Rousey is a judo artist whose two wins are both by submission.

After 25 seconds, the fight is stopped. Why? Nobody knows. Replay shows NO TAP. Why did the ref stop the fight?

Here’s the post-fight interview:

Ronda: She said “Tap.”

Sarah: I said “Ahh.”

Ronda: She said “something.”

Clearly, it’s a she said-she said.

Winner by submission: Ronda Rousey (tap out that we didn’t see).

 

3. LIGHTWEIGHTS: Pat “Bam Bam” Healy (26-17) vs. Eric “Little Lee” Wisely (17-5) 

Healy is coming off a win over Lyle Beerbohm, becoming the first fighter to beat “Fancy Pants.” Wisely is named after his own middle name and Bruce Lee.

Healy is on top after a leg sweep, but Wisely almost wins it with an arm bar from the bottom. Wisely is very impressive on the back and almost gets a heel hook as well. It’s a very even round with Healy’s cage control and top control giving him a slight edge.

Round 2 starts with a surprise knee-bar attempt by Wisely as the announcers reminisce about Oleg Taktarov. Healy finally passes Wisely’s guard. Wisely fires up another arm-bar attempt, but Healy slips out. I have Healy up 20-18, despite Wisely’s great defense and surprising submission attempt.

Healy is in control in Round 3 with some steady ground-and-pound. Nothing fancy, but Healy is totally controlling the action, and he should win this. The size disadvantage was too much for Wisely to overcome. 

Winner by unanimous decision: Pat Healy.

 

4. MIDDLEWEIGHTS: Danillo Villefort (13-3) vs. Nate James (12-7-1)

It’s even striking in the first two minutes. Villefort wins a stalemate against the cage with a big judo throw—he’s going for a rear-naked choke. James is trying to survive and he does. A Villefort judo throw and RNC attack win him the round.

Cartwheel by Villefort! Fun.

James is keeping it standing—until Villefort maneuvers a big double-leg take down and lands inside control. Villefort goes for the RNC but slips, and James takes over. He’s scoring on top, and he may win the round.

It’s a fun striking battle until Villefort hits the double-leg and sinks in a guillotine, but can’t put him away. James is back on top and scoring again. He could steal this win. Ref Herb Dean stands them up. James takes him down again and that could be enough for the victory.

Winner by unanimous decision: Nate James (30-27, 29-28, 29-28).

 

PROMO: Barnett vs. Khartonov and Silva vs. Cormier on Sept. 10. Also, Jacare vs. Rockhold, Roger Gracie vs. King Mo and Josh Thompson vs. Maximo Blanco.

 

5. LIGHTWEIGHTS: Jorge Gurgel (14-7) vs. Joe Duarte (9-2)

I used to announce fights with Jorge Gurgel’s students for “Fightfest” on Sports Time Ohio, and they knew what they were doing. Gurgel comes out to “Here I Go Again” by Whitesnake. Nice!

There’s lots of stand up in the first three minutes before Gurgel finally tries a take down. No dice. Duarte hits a take down to end Round 1 and that could give him the round.

Winner: Joe Duarte.

Good fight and good night!

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Strikeforce Challengers 16 on Showtime: Live Blog

We are live, watching Strikeforce Challengers 16 on Showtime. The action is coming from the ShoWare Center in Kent, Wash. Our announcers are Mauro Ranallo on play-by-play and Steven Quadros and Pat Miletich on color. 1. Ladies 145 pounds – Germaine …

We are live, watching Strikeforce Challengers 16 on Showtime. The action is coming from the ShoWare Center in Kent, Wash. Our announcers are Mauro Ranallo on play-by-play and Steven Quadros and Pat Miletich on color.

1. Ladies 145 pounds – Germaine de Randamie (2-1) vs. Julia Budd (1-1)

These two have fought before in Muay Thai, with Randamie winning. In fact, Randamie won 46 Muay Thai fights in a row and won 10 kickboxing titles. Impressive!

Budd does not want to get her head kicked in again, so she is sticking to Randamie, first against the cage and then on the mat. Budd goes for the armbar, but Randamie spins out.

Announcers say neither fighters is ready to challenge Chris “Cyborg” Santos for the Strikeforce women’s welterweight belt. Give that round to Budd.

Round 2: Budd is outgrappling Randamie but can’t take her down. Finally she does. Randamie walks the cage to escape side control. Budd with another takedown, refusing to let Randamie use her striking skills. Budd wins Round 2 as well.

Round 3: Finally, Randamie outslugs Budd and is on top, dropping some bombs. Budd back with another takedown and needs to run out the clock. Randamie tries for a triangle with no luck.  Ref stands them up, Budd eats a knee but lands right back on top.

 

Winner: Julia Budd by unanimous decision (29-28)


2. Welterweights: Quinn Mulhearn (15-1) vs. Jason High (13-3)

Mulhearn comes out to “Seven Nation Army” by White Stripes. High is rockin’ the KC Royals hat and gold chain.  Mulhearn is 6-3, with a six-inch height advantage.

High with a pair of takedown but then steps away to avoid Mulhearn’s Brazilian jiu-jitsu. Third takedown for High but Mulhearn is going for a heel hook. High escapes. Have to give Round 1 to High with all the takedowns.

Round 2: More of the same as Mulhearn runs into a GIANT takedown by High. Miletich stuffs a Steven Seagal reference by Ranallo on commentary. Round 2 goes to High, who can’t finish Mulhearn but can take him down at will.

Round 3: Mulhearn keeps getting dumped on his head. His only hope is to hit a BJJ submission on his back. Can he do it? No.

Winner: Jason High by unanimous decision (30-27)


 

 

3. Light heavyweights: Lorenz Larkin (10-0) vs. Gian Villante (7-2)

We see highlights of Larkin’s win over Scott Lighty on the last episode of Challengers on April 1. Larkin came out to “Total Eclipse of the Heart” after that song was mistakenly played for Villante.

Villante starts with leg kicks and then a nice takedown. He controls the action for the rest of the way. That’s a 10-8 round for Larkin.

Round 2 features more standup, which should favor Larkin, who is up against the cage but is landing knees and punches to the legs of Villante. Larking opening the offense with kicks, uppercuts and a big knee that Villante shrugs off.

With 11 seconds left, we get a timeout as Larkin lands a kick to the groin. Villante should have taken the full five minutes because he’s just been standing there. Villante gets cussed out by his cornerman at the break.

Round 3 starts with another break for an eyepoke? No, the ref says fight on. Slower pace as Villante is having a hard time pulling the trigger. Nice jabs by Larkin. He’s going to win this fight as he ends it with a takedown.

 

Winner: Lorenz Larkin by unanimous decision (all 29-28)


Lightweights: Ryan Couture (2-0) vs. Matt Ricehouse (4-0)

Ricehouse comes out to “The Sounds of Silence” by Simon & Garfunkel as we see highlights of his win in December 2010 over Tom Aaron. Big ovation for Couture, and then we see clips of his victory over Lee Higgins in February.

Both men evenly matched in the early going. Couture channels his dad (who is in his corner) by working Ricehouse over against the fence.  Ricehouse responded in kind. Couture on his back but Ricehouse not coming in to take the bait. Even 10-10 round.

Round 2 and neither man can get a clear advantages, and they are both switching from righty to lefty stances and back. Both men stop takedown attempts as well. Ricehouse steals the round at the end with a superman punch and liver kick.

Round 3 sees Couture land some more strong strikes as he knows he’s behind. Ricehouse dumps Couture with two minutes left. Both men fighting for that last big punch as time runs out. Couture won the round. I score it a draw, but I think Ricehouse will win the fight by a hair.

Winner: Matt Ricehouse by unanimous decision (29-28)

 

MAIN EVENT: Lightweights: Caros Fodor (8-2) vs. James Terry (10-2)

We hear Nirvana (YES!) play “Smells Like Teen Spirit” as Terry comes out and we watch him KO Josh Thornburg on the last Challengers show. Fodor is from Kirkland, Wash. and the crowd loves him. We see clips of him also winning on the last show over David Douglas.

Terry controls the action early against the fence, but Fodor turns things around with constant forward movement and aggression.  Terry is bleeding, and Fodor wins Round 1.

Round 2: Terry fights for a takedown and finally gets it and goes for an arm-triangle. Fodor pushes him off. Fodor outstriking Terry in quality and quantity.

Round 3: Terry’s striking is looking a lot better. Low knee by Fedor leads to a brief timeout. Another low knee. “Come on, man! Terry says. Battling and brawling at the end, but Terry, I believe has run out of time.

Winner by unanimous decision: Caros Fodor (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)

All decisions. Good fight and good night!

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