In the absence of a UFC event tonight, many of you are going to tune in to Bellator 59 to catch this season’s Heavyweight and Bantamweight tournament finals. But let’s say that Bellator isn’t your scene. Let’s say that you’re the type of person to watch an event and say “This is fun and all, but I’d much rather watch freak show fights and can crushing”. Well, good news: Your favorite Polish promotion, KSW returns tonight with both of the above.
In the absence of a UFC event tonight, many of you are going to tune in to Bellator 59 to catch this season’s Heavyweight and Bantamweight tournament finals. But let’s say that Bellator isn’t your scene. Let’s say that you’re the type of person to watch an event and say “This is fun and all, but I’d much rather watch freak show fights and can crushing”. Well, good news: Your favorite Polish promotion, KSW returns tonight with both of the above.
It’s almost fitting that a fighter known for pulling out of fights would pull out of his retirement fight. Astute readers may have remembered that KSW 17 was supposed to be Paulo Filho’s final fight, but that FIlho, as he’s known to do, pulled out of the fight at the last minute. Jesse “JT Money” Taylor has been recruited as a late replacement to take on Mamed Khalidov, who was last seen choking out Matt Lindland at KSW 16.
Speaking of KSW 16, this card also features a rematch between Mariusz Pudzianowski and James Thompson. Their first fight was a surprisingly entertaining affair that saw Thompson walk away victorious. Shogun vs. Henderson it will not be, but it should be a decent fight nonetheless.
Also in action tonight: Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou defends his LHW championship against Jan Blachowicz, who he defeated at KSW 15 to win the vacant title. Meanwhile, Matt Horwich attempts to pick up his first victory since 2010 when he takes on Michal Materla. Horwich has gone 4-9 since the start of 2008.
Don’t worry- we didn’t forget about you. We were just a little busy yesterday. To demonstrate that your questions weren’t asked for no reason, we’ll jump right into answering them today. Unless, of course, you asked a question and we didn’t answer it. Then it was definitely asked for no reason. Oh well.
So let’s get started, shall we?
Kyle Gifford asks (via Facebook): Why haven’t you taken any questions from FB?
Victory, comrade!
Don’t worry- we didn’t forget about you. We were just a little busy yesterday. To demonstrate that your questions weren’t asked for no reason, we’ll jump right into answering them today. Unless, of course, you asked a question and we didn’t answer it. Then it was definitely asked for no reason. Oh well.
So let’s get started, shall we?
Kyle Gifford asks (via Facebook): Why haven’t you taken any questions from FB?
Sorry about that, Kyle. We won’t ignore you in the future. Unless you continue to ask awful questions, that is.
Kyle Gifford asks (via Facebook):I’ve been following CP since the beginning. Can I get a free shirt? I no longer frequent the forums but I did when it first started.
No, Kyle. No you cannot. Next question.
Tarran Constable asks (via Facebook): who are the 2 worst pound for pound fighters in the ufc and strikeforce? And if they were to fight, who would win?
If you’re asking us to compare the worst fighter in the UFC to the worst fighter in Strikeforce, you’re just begging us to make a weak basketball analogy. So here it is: This is like asking what would happen if the worst player in the NBA played one on one against the worst player in the D-League. Even if that happened, you’d never hear from the winner again, so who really cares?
1.) Pick two fighters who lost on the undercard of Friday’s Challengers event. Go ahead, any two will do.
2.) Get a coin, and label one side for the first fighter and the other side for the other fighter.
3.) Flip said coin.
4.) Acknowledge that you just wasted your time.
RwilsonRasks:What is the best fighting/martial arts movie of all time that doesn’t involve Bruce Lee? And no picking some cult Hong Kong POS that is totally unwatchable. I’m talking classic 70?s, 80?s, 90?s Hollywood cinema.
Throughout MMA’s short history, we’ve seen countless fighters try to adapt the martial arts to suit their particular skill set and physical attributes; it’s basically how Gracie Jiu Jitsu was formed. We’ve also seen our fair share of former Olympians make the transition to the fighting world. Lost in the revisionist history of mixed martial arts, however, is Kurt Thomas. In addition to founding his own martial art form, he put his life on the line to serve his country. Never forget.
Fried Taco asks: Who is your favorite commenter (can’t be someone who works for CP, or any of the secret Break Media alliances with other organizations that we all really know about but pretend don’t exist – and no fair picking a girl who takes her clothes off for you).
Okay, Fried Taco. We know where you’re going with this, so we better have a chat. We like you. You’re a wonderful guy, and we’ve had some great times with each other. But things are very hectic here at Cage Potato, and frankly, we’re not ready to commit to just one commentator right now. We know it sounds like a total cop-out, but we’re serious when we say it: It’s not you, it’s us. Let’s just stay friends, okay?
EnemyofReality asks: Dear CP…. I think I might be going bald. Should I go with the shaved head w/ goatee-tattoo and piercing Kerry King look or should I go with the regular guy, ball cap smiling Junior Dos Santos look?
Neither. You’re not a famous metal guitarist or a UFC champion, so you’ll look like a tool trying to imitate one. For an image that won’t get people to refer to you as “that douchebag”, try either of these:
That’s all for now, folks. Tune in next week as we answer even more of your (hopefully at least kind of) MMA related questions. You know the drill: You can send us questions through our Facebook page. You can tweet them to our Twitter account, as well as hashtag questions with #AskThePotato. You can register for our forums and post your questions there. Or you can just post them in the comments section of this article. Or maybe you can show us how to use that Google+ page we set up so we can take questions from there. You can ask questions on that thing, right?
I’m willing to bet that more than a few sports writers have pointed out that four years ago, Dan Henderson vs. Mauricio “Shogun” Rua would have been just as worthy of main event status as it was last night at UFC 139. That four years later, we’re still willing to pay to watch guys like Wanderlei Silva, Cung Le, Urijah Faber, Stephan Bonnar and Miguel Torres. That last night’s event appropriately enough took place in Strikeforce’s old stomping grounds in San Jose. For that matter, I’m pretty sure you heard all of that stuff at some point from Mike Goldberg and Joe Rogan last night.
I tried to avoid those clichéd observations, but they’re too appropriate to ignore. As fans of mixed martial arts, we’ve been waiting at least four years for a fight between Pride legends Dan Henderson and Mauricio “Shogun” Rua to come together. Yet for as long as we’ve wanted to see this fight, what we were given last night was worth every second of the wait.
I’m willing to bet that more than a few sports writers have pointed out that four years ago, Dan Henderson vs. Mauricio “Shogun” Rua would have been just as worthy of main event status as it was last night at UFC 139. That four years later, we’re still willing to pay to watch guys like Wanderlei Silva, Cung Le, Urijah Faber, Stephan Bonnar and Miguel Torres. That last night’s event appropriately enough took place in Strikeforce’s old stomping grounds in San Jose. For that matter, I’m pretty sure you heard all of that stuff at some point from Mike Goldberg and Joe Rogan last night.
I tried to avoid those clichéd observations, but they’re too appropriate to ignore. As fans of mixed martial arts, we’ve been waiting at least four years for a fight between Pride legends Dan Henderson and Mauricio “Shogun” Rua to come together. Yet for as long as we’ve wanted to see this fight, what we were given last night was worth every second of the wait.
If you didn’t get to see it, please accept my condolences. There is no way to adequately sum up the five round, back and forth battle between Henderson and Shogun without watching the fight. In the end, Dan Henderson triumphantly returned to the UFC with a hard fought unanimous decision victory over Shogun that demonstrated why five round non-title main events could not have come at a better time.
The only thing left to say about last night’s main event is that Josh Rosenthal deserves much respect for allowing the fight to continue. There were multiple points- especially in the third round- where a lesser referee would have stopped the fight. Being a referee in MMA is a lot like being a punter in football: No one knows who you are until you mess up. Thankfully, Josh Rosenthal called the bout well, and fans were treated to what Dana White is calling one of the top three fights of all time. The $70k that both men took home for Fight of the Night was just the icing on the cake.
The evening’s co-main event got off to a depressing start, with “The Axe Murderer” getting caught early in the first round, and then appearing gunshy against Cung Le’s unorthodox attack. Yet as the fight went on, Silva managed to find his rhythm against Le, and began to push the pace against the former Strikeforce middleweight champion.
I’ll say this much about the “controversial” stoppage: You’re right, perhaps Cung Le was attempting to take down Wanderlei Silva. But after Le took multiple knees directly to his head, got dropped by a punch and then ate hammerfists from The Axe Murderer, can you really blame anyone who thought the whole scene looked more “clinging onto Wanderlei’s leg for dear life” than “in total control and attempting a takedown”? If you answered yes to that hypothetical question, take a good look at Cung Le moments after the stoppage. Let what you’re seeing really sink in.
For the record, Wanderlei Silva and Cung Le were also both awarded $70k for FOTN honors. It’s strange to see this fight on the same level as Henderson vs. Shogun. But when you arguably have the best fight in the history of the sport on the card, perhaps it’s best to give out two FOTN bonuses.
If Urijah Faber vs. Brian Bowels took place back in 2007, odds are it would have looked almost identical to the fight we saw from them last night. Brian Bowels managed to tag Faber with some heavy shots, but couldn’t put together a significant offense against the former WEC featherweight champion. Once Faber dropped Bowles in the second round, the fight over, as Urijah utilized some brutal elbows en route to a fight finishing guillotine choke. The victory earns Urijah Faber the $70K Submission of the Night bonus.
Also of note, Martin Kampmann nearly fell victim to a controversial decision again last night. Despite dominating Rick Story, Kampmann still lost the fight on one of the judge’s scorecards, earning him a split-decision victory over Story. If Wikipedia is to be trusted, the decision was the result of a judges error and the fight has since been ruled a unanimous decision victory for Kampmann. Stephan Bonnar made it three straight victories last night with an impressive unanimous decision victory over Kyle Kingsbury. Bonnar completely neutralized Kingsbury’s attack with his wrestling. After the fight, “The American Psycho” did two things that pretty much nobody expected: He apologized to Josh Koscheck and called out “Rampage” Jackson. Furthermore, the $70k Knockout of the Night bonus went to Michael McDonald for his first round knockout against UFC newcomer Alex Soto. McDonald improves to 14-1 overall, as well as 3-0 in the UFC.
Full Results:
MAIN CARD:
Dan Henderson def. Mauricio “Shogun” Rua via unanimous decision (48-47, 48-47, 48-47)
Wanderlei Silva def. Cung Le via knockout (strikes) – Round 2, 4:49
Urijah Faber def. Brian Bowles via submission (guillotine choke) – Round 2, 1:27
Martin Kampmann def. Rick Story via split decision (28-29, 30-27, 29-28)
Stephan Bonnar def. Kyle Kingsbury via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-25, 30-27)
PRELIMINARY CARD:
Ryan Bader def. Jason Brilz via knockout (punch) – Round 1, 1:17
Michael McDonald def. Alex Soto via knockout (punches) – Round 1, 0:56
Chris Weidman def. Tom Lawlor via technical submission (D’arce choke) – Round 1, 2:07
Gleison Tibau def. Rafael dos Anjos via split decision (28-29, 29-28, 30-27)
Miguel Torres def. Nick Pace via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Seth Baczynski def. Matt Brown via submission (guillotine choke) – Round 2, 0:42
Danny Castillo def. Shamar Bailey via TKO (punches) – Round 1, 4:52
Heading into tonight’s UFC 139, you may have noticed that we did not post a usual Gambling Addiction Enabler to help you spend that pesky “extra money” that’s been clogging up your wallet. We just kind of assumed you planned on spending so much money on that Thanksgiving feast you were planning for your family and friends that you wouldn’t have the funds left over to gamble. But then we remembered who we were dealing with, and genuinely felt sorry. Our fault.
But where we have failed you, Spike TV’s Corissa Furr has come through. Okay, so it’s not exactly gambling advice, per se. But if you wanted to put money on her picks and form a parlay, you could make enough money to upgrade that impressive feast you’ve got planned. Call you’re bookie and lock it in while you still have time.
Heading into tonight’s UFC 139, you may have noticed that we did not post a usual Gambling Addiction Enabler to help you spend that pesky “extra money” that’s been clogging up your wallet. We just kind of assumed you planned on spending so much money on that Thanksgiving feast you were planning for your family and friends that you wouldn’t have the funds left over to gamble. But then we remembered who we were dealing with, and genuinely felt sorry. Our fault.
But where we have failed you, Spike TV’s Corissa Furr has come through. Okay, so it’s not exactly gambling advice, per se. But if you wanted to put money on her picks and form a parlay, you could make enough money to upgrade that impressive feast you’ve got planned. Call you’re bookie and lock it in while you still have time.
Rousey vs. Budd. Things get ugly about thirty seconds in. Props: IronForgesIron.com
Heading into last night, many people were calling Ronda Rousey the new face of women’s MMA. And why not? She is a decorated judoka who has finished all three of her professional fights in less than one minute. Rousey was given a step up in competition against Julia Budd at last night’s Strikeforce Challengers 20.
If you’ve followed Ronda Rousey’s MMA career at all, then you probably knew how the fight would look even before watching it. For those of you who are new to WMMA: Rousey quickly got Julia Budd to the ground. She established mount, and worked for an armbar. Julia Budd tried to fight through it, and got her arm snapped as a result. Total time? Thirty nine seconds. Forget the second round- Ronda Rousey is yet to see the second minute of a professional fight, having armbarred all four of her opponents less than one minute into the opening round.
Rousey vs. Budd. Things get ugly about thirty seconds in. Props: IronForgesIron.com
Heading into last night, many people were calling Ronda Rousey the new face of women’s MMA. And why not? She is a decorated judoka who has finished all three of her professional fights in less than one minute. Rousey was given a step up in competition against Julia Budd at last night’s Strikeforce Challengers 20.
If you’ve followed Ronda Rousey’s MMA career at all, then you probably knew how the fight would look even before watching it. For those of you who are new to WMMA: Rousey quickly got Julia Budd to the ground. She established mount, and worked for an armbar. Julia Budd tried to fight through it, and got her arm snapped as a result. Total time? Thirty nine seconds. Forget the second round- Ronda Rousey is yet to see the second minute of a professional fight, having armbarred all four of her opponents less than one minute into the opening round.
After receiving confirmation from none other than “Judo” Gene Lebell that her fight lasted only thirty eight seconds, Ronda Rousey got busy calling out Sarah Kaufman and Miesha Tate. Both fights are very interesting for WMMA. Make it happen, Zuffa.
The only fight on the card to end quicker than Rousey vs. Budd was the evening’s main event, Antwain Britt vs. Lumumba Sayers. Sayers caught Britt with a vicious uppercut just twenty eight seconds into their bout. Sayers improves to 5-2, and despite his nickname being “Heavy Hands”, this victory marks his first by knockout. Go figure.
Lumumba Sayers def. Antwain Britt via knockout (punches) – Round 1, 0:28
Ronda Rousey def. Julia Budd via submission (armbar) – Round 1, 0:39
Adlan Amagov def. Anthony Smith via knokcout (punches) – Round 1, 2:32
Trevor Smith def. T.J. Cook via submission (guillotine choke) – Round 1, 4:28
Derek Brunson def. Nate James via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
PRELIMINARY CARD
Matt Ricehouse def. Bill Cooper via unanimous decision (29-27, 30-26, 30-26)
Bobby Green def. J.P. Reese via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 3, 2:25
Quinn Mulhern def. David Hulett via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Andreas Spang def. Willie Parks via TKO (punches) – Round 1, 3:10
Juan Manuel Márquez punches the face of boxing, figuratively and literally. Props: Fox News Latino
With all of the hype surrounding last night’s UFC on Fox, a quick finish in Velasquez vs. Dos Santos was far from ideal. As we’ve mentioned, it left fans, many of whom first time viewers, with an anticlimactic feeling. Immediately following the UFC’s debut on Fox was the main event of that other combat sport’s event from last night: A welterweight title fight between Juan Manuel Marquez and Manny Pacquiao.
Even though Manny Pacquiao is arguably the best boxer alive, many people felt that the 10-1 underdog Juan Manuel Marquez won their first two meetings. An exciting fight between Marquez and Pacquiao could have given boxing some much needed publicity after Dos Santos quickly knocked out Velasquez, and possibly have kept casual fans from jumping over to mixed martial arts. Frankly, the only truly damning result for the sport would be for the fight to end in a controversial decision that gets the crowd thinking that the fight was fixed.
If you’ve followed boxing at all over the past few decades, you already know where this is going.
Juan Manuel Márquez punches the face of boxing, figuratively and literally. Props: Fox News Latino
With all of the hype surrounding last night’s UFC on Fox, a quick finish in Velasquez vs. Dos Santos was far from ideal. As we’ve mentioned, it left fans, many of whom first time viewers, with an anticlimactic feeling. Immediately following the UFC’s debut on Fox was the main event of that other combat sport’s event from last night: A welterweight title fight between Juan Manuel Marquez and Manny Pacquiao.
Even though Manny Pacquiao is arguably the best boxer alive, many people felt that the 10-1 underdog Juan Manuel Marquez won their first two meetings. An exciting fight between Marquez and Pacquiao could have given boxing some much needed publicity after Dos Santos quickly knocked out Velasquez, and possibly have kept casual fans from jumping over to mixed martial arts. Frankly, the only truly damning result for the sport would be for the fight to end in a controversial decision that gets the crowd thinking that the fight was fixed.
If you’ve followed boxing at all over the past few decades, you already know where this is going.
Marquez lived up to his reputation as a dangerous counter-puncher, causing Manny Pacquiao to look lost throughout the fight. When the fight was over, Pacquiao returned to his corner with his head down, as if he were ashamed of his performance. However, two of the three judges saw the fight in favor of Manny Pacquiao, while the third judge saw the fight as a draw. The fans in attendance booed the decision as they showered the ring with cans and bottles.
Perhaps Marquez summed it up best with this quote: “It’s hard when you’re fighting your rival and the three judges, too”. Yes, biased judging is only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to problems with professional boxing. But once again, the sport had a golden opportunity with last night’s anticlimactic finish for the UFC’s debut on Fox, and failed to capitalize. After watching the fans react to last night’s decision, it was pretty clear that even the most diehard boxing fans are getting fed up with the current state of their sport.
It begs the question: How many more times can they be teased with Mayweather vs. Pacquiao before they embrace their inner homosexual skinhead?
