Tag: classic MMA videos

VIDEO: Watch a 15 Year-Old Michael Bisping Compete In Britain’s First “No Holds Barred” Match

If there are two things we know about Michael Bisping, it’s that dude loves to fight and dude is an asshole more often than not. His fourth round TKO of Cung Le over the weekend marked Bisping’s 21st appearance in the UFC, tying him with Diego Sanchez for the most fights of a TUF winner in the promotion’s history. The lead-up to that fight was classic Bisping as well, with “the Count” ferociously trash-talking Le while simultaneously calling him “a phony”, self-awareness be damned.

Bisping’s gameness is undeniable, but the question now becomes: Has Bisping always been a dick, or has he developed his dickishness over the course of his UFC career as a way of marketing himself?

Well, if this video of a 15 year-old Bisping fighting in Britain’s first “No Holds Barred” match is to be believed, I’d have to assume it’s the former.

If there are two things we know about Michael Bisping, it’s that dude loves to fight and dude is an asshole more often than not. His fourth round TKO of Cung Le over the weekend marked Bisping’s 21st appearance in the UFC, tying him with Diego Sanchez for the most fights of a TUF winner in promotional history. The lead-up to that fight was classic Bisping as well, with “the Count” ferociously trash-talking Le while simultaneously calling him “a phony”, self-awareness be damned.

Bisping’s gameness is undeniable, but the question now becomes: Has Bisping always been a dick, or has he developed his dickishness over the course of his UFC career as a way to market himself?

Well, if this video of a 15 year-old Bisping fighting in Britain’s first “No Holds Barred” match is to be believed, I’d have to assume it’s the former.

Fighting at an event dubbed “International KSBO III”, Bisping is introduced by fresh-faced young chap sporting a brilliant maroon sport coat/Weird Al Yankovic tie combo (:55). He faces off with his opponent, Gene Phillips, and partakes in the ceremonial pre-fight bow (2:25). All’s well so far.

It is when Phillips extends his hand for a gentleman’s shake, however, that Bisping is all but forced to channel his inner d-bag in the form a front kick to Phillip’s chest which knocks him flat on his ass. Make no mistake about whether or not Bisping saw Phillips extend his hand before throwing the kick — he did. And then he went Karate Kid on the poofter for having the bollocks to do so. Classic Bisping, literally!

Despite this somewhat glaring condemnation of Michael Bisping’s hereditary assholishm, I’m honestly convinced that he only threw the kick out of confusion. Someone actually tried to be cordial to Bisping, and like the abused Dachshund I recently adopted from my local shelter (ladies), he simply did know how to respond and reverted back to what he knew. Just as I couldn’t blame Weiner Herzdog (the name needs a little work) for biting my hand when I went to pet him, I can’t blame Bisping for reacting to kindness with violence. Plus, the ref did give the signal to fight, so what did Phillips expect, a tea party?

As a matter of fact, I bet that if you were to look deeper into the psyche of your Michael Bispings and your Nick Diazs, you would find some traumatic childhood event that is entirely responsible for the way they act today. Of course, the only way to truly see into a person’s psyche would be through some sort of dream-jumping regressive therapy. I don’t know how it would work, but it would probably involve multiple dream levels, projections, limbo, and a nightmare within a nightmare. BRAHHHMMMM BRAHHHHMMMM

–J. Jones

Georges St. Pierre and Carlos Condit’s Eight Must-See UFC Fights [VIDEOS]

(Props: YouTube.com/UFC)

In advance of Georges St. Pierre‘s long-awaited return at UFC 154 on November 17th, the UFC has made four of the welterweight champ’s greatest performances available on YouTube, along with the last four fights from the interim champ, Carlos Condit. Unfortunately the videos aren’t embeddable, but you can use the handy player above to give yourself a refresher course on the following…

– GSP’s blitzkrieg of Jay Hieron in his Octagon debut at UFC 48.
– GSP’s rear-naked choke of Frank Trigg at UFC 54.
– GSP’s revenge-TKO of Matt Hughes to win his first title at UFC 65.
– GSP’s revenge-TKO of Matt Serra to reclaim the unified belt at UFC 83.
– Carlos Condit snatching a knockout victory from the jaws of defeat against Rory MacDonald at UFC 115.
– Condit’s highlight-reel knockout of Dan Hardy at UFC 120.
– Condit’s demolition of Dong-Hyun Kim at UFC 132.
– Condit’s controversial decision win over Nick Diaz at UFC 143.

And for a different take on GSP’s historic reign in the sport, check out lookoutawhale‘s classic “Bloodsport Karma” film after the jump. We know it’s a lot to watch, so feel free to take the rest of the day off.


(Props: YouTube.com/UFC)

In advance of Georges St. Pierre‘s long-awaited return at UFC 154 on November 17th, the UFC has made four of the welterweight champ’s greatest performances available on YouTube, along with the last four fights from the interim champ, Carlos Condit. Unfortunately the videos aren’t embeddable, but you can use the handy player above to give yourself a refresher course on the following…

– GSP’s blitzkrieg of Jay Hieron in his Octagon debut at UFC 48.
– GSP’s rear-naked choke of Frank Trigg at UFC 54.
– GSP’s revenge-TKO of Matt Hughes to win his first title at UFC 65.
– GSP’s revenge-TKO of Matt Serra to reclaim the unified belt at UFC 83.
– Carlos Condit snatching a knockout victory from the jaws of defeat against Rory MacDonald at UFC 115.
– Condit’s highlight-reel knockout of Dan Hardy at UFC 120.
– Condit’s demolition of Dong-Hyun Kim at UFC 132.
– Condit’s controversial decision win over Nick Diaz at UFC 143.

And for a different take on GSP’s historic reign in the sport, check out lookoutawhale‘s classic “Bloodsport Karma” film after the jump. We know it’s a lot to watch, so feel free to take the rest of the day off.

Classic Fight: The Old Vitor Belfort Destroys Tank Abbott at UFC 13

(Phenom vs. Tank, 5/30/97. Props: UFCVitorVBelfort)

In their continuing efforts to convince you that Vitor Belfort has at least a puncher’s chance against Jon Jones at UFC 152, the UFC has just made the Vitor Belfort vs. Tank Abbott fight from UFC 13 available on YouTube. Just 20 years old at the time, Belfort had made his Octagon debut three months prior at UFC 12, winning the four-man heavyweight bracket in a combined fight time of two minutes. Belfort’s subsequent “superfight” against Abbott — still a somewhat legitimate competitor back then — turned out to be another blitzkrieg. In just 52 seconds, it was all over.

But even more so than the overwhelming striking performance from the Phenom, I think my favorite part of this video is 3:30-3:41, where Belfort calls out for his beloved trainer “Stankie,” and we get a glimpse at a younger (but still pretty old) Al Stankiewicz. Then, we see that Stankie’s hands are wrapped as if he was going to fight that night. Classic.

In a related story, betting odds for Jones vs. Belfort have calmed down somewhat, and the champ is being offered as low as -740. You can also turn $100 into $12,000 if you bet that the fight will be a draw, and the fight actually turns out to be a draw. I’m just saying. What were going to do with that $100 anyway, you know?


(Phenom vs. Tank, 5/30/97. Props: UFCVitorVBelfort)

In their continuing efforts to convince you that Vitor Belfort has at least a puncher’s chance against Jon Jones at UFC 152, the UFC has just made the Vitor Belfort vs. Tank Abbott fight from UFC 13 available on YouTube. Just 20 years old at the time, Belfort had made his Octagon debut three months prior at UFC 12, winning the four-man heavyweight bracket in a combined fight time of two minutes. Belfort’s subsequent “superfight” against Abbott — still a somewhat legitimate competitor back then — turned out to be another blitzkrieg. In just 52 seconds, it was all over.

But even more so than the overwhelming striking performance from the Phenom, I think my favorite part of this video is 3:30-3:41, where Belfort calls out for his beloved trainer “Stankie,” and we get a glimpse at a younger (but still pretty old) Al Stankiewicz. Then, we see that Stankie’s hands are wrapped as if he was going to fight that night. Classic.

In a related story, betting odds for Jones vs. Belfort have calmed down somewhat, and the champ is being offered as low as -740. You can also turn $100 into $12,000 if you bet that the fight will be a draw, and the fight actually turns out to be a draw. I’m just saying. What were going to do with that $100 anyway, you know?

Classic Mismatch: Duane Ludwig vs. Shad Smith, Who Was Wearing a Pair of Vans at the Time [VIDEO]

Thanks to Manny Yarborough GOAT for digging up this classic fight from King of the Cage 4 back in June 2000, in which a young Duane Ludwig beats the absolute dogshit out of MMA pioneer Shad Smith, who entered the cage wearing the same pair of sneakers and white socks that he showed up to the arena in. No, this would not be Shad’s night. Ludwig’s Muay Thai was nasty even back then, and the referee was as shitty as most local refs were in those days — two factors that combined to produce an uncomfortably violent late-stoppage. Skip to the 2:25 mark for the beginning of the end.

After the jump: Shad’s 2004 King of the Cage bout against Krazy Horse Bennett, which is worth watching just for their pre-fight promo packages. A credit to humanity, both of these guys.

Thanks to Manny Yarborough GOAT for digging up this classic fight from King of the Cage 4 back in June 2000, in which a young Duane Ludwig beats the absolute dogshit out of MMA pioneer Shad Smith, who entered the cage wearing the same pair of sneakers and white socks that he showed up to the arena in. No, this would not be Shad’s night. Ludwig’s Muay Thai was nasty even back then, and the referee was as shitty as most local refs were in those days — two factors that combined to produce an uncomfortably violent late-stoppage. Skip to the 2:25 mark for the beginning of the end.

After the jump: Shad’s 2004 King of the Cage bout against Krazy Horse Bennett, which is worth watching just for their pre-fight promo packages. A credit to humanity, both of these guys.

Classic Fight: Anderson Silva vs. Dan Henderson @ UFC 82 [FULL VIDEO]

(Props: UFCAndersonTheSpider via IronForgesIron)

Following up our presentation of Anderson Silva vs. Chael Sonnen 1, here’s the other UFC fight where Anderson Silva looked less-than-invincible, at least momentarily. This was Silva’s third middleweight title defense, back at UFC 82 in March 2008, and Dan Henderson dominated the opening round, taking Silva down about two minutes into the fight and grinding down on him with punches for the rest of the frame. Henderson also puts a good deal of effort into covering Silva’s mouth and nose with his hand, a cheap breathing-obstruction trick that occasionally bleeds into gouging/fish-hooking territory. (Side note: Skip to the 14:07 mark, and you’ll see the rough draft of the front kick that Silva used to dummy up Vitor Belfort.)

Silva got even in the second round, brawling a bit with Hendo before letting his precision striking take over. At the 21:16 mark, Silva nails Henderson with a knee, kick, and punches that the challenger is never able to recover from. Silva gets on top of Henderson and works his jiu-jitsu until he sinks a particularly nasty rear-naked choke. After the fight, Silva takes a moment to explain that Henderson was good, but he’s no Rich Franklin. A real…class act? Anyway, the Ohio fans loved it.

After the jump: Silva’s UFC 134 title defense against Yushin Okami, which also ended violently in the second round.


(Props: UFCAndersonTheSpider via IronForgesIron)

Following up our presentation of Anderson Silva vs. Chael Sonnen 1, here’s the other UFC fight where Anderson Silva looked less-than-invincible, at least momentarily. This was Silva’s third middleweight title defense, back at UFC 82 in March 2008, and Dan Henderson dominated the opening round, taking Silva down about two minutes into the fight and grinding down on him with punches for the rest of the frame. Henderson also puts a good deal of effort into covering Silva’s mouth and nose with his hand, a cheap breathing-obstruction trick that occasionally bleeds into gouging/fish-hooking territory. (Side note: Skip to the 14:07 mark, and you’ll see the rough draft of the front kick that Silva used to dummy up Vitor Belfort.)

Silva got even in the second round, brawling a bit with Hendo before letting his precision striking take over. At the 21:16 mark, Silva nails Henderson with a knee, kick, and punches that the challenger is never able to recover from. Silva gets on top of Henderson and works his jiu-jitsu until he sinks a particularly nasty rear-naked choke. After the fight, Silva takes a moment to explain that Henderson was good, but he’s no Rich Franklin. A real…class act? Anyway, the Ohio fans loved it.

After the jump: Silva’s UFC 134 title defense against Yushin Okami, which also ended violently in the second round.

Watch All of UFC 29: Defense of the Belts Right Here and Get Your Japan-o-stalgia On

Part 1

Part 2

(Props to Allfreefightvideos for the…uh…free fight videos.) 

The sixteenth of December in the year 2000 marked the last time the UFC made an appearance in the Land of the Rising Sun, and to celebrate, we’ve managed to pull some strings and dig up the entire pay-per-view event for your viewing pleasure. Because here at CP, we like to consider ourselves the cool step dads of the MMA blogosphere. Though we may not be around as much as we should, when we show up, you best believe we bring the nudie mags, cigarettes, and that funny smelling water that makes you all giggly and tired. Sure, your mom says it’s evil and thinks it killed your old dad, and sure, when you come to there’s change missing off the dresser, but at the end of the day, you’re just happy we brought you a gift, right?

Part 1

Part 2

(Props to Allfreefightvideos for the…uh…free fight videos.) 

The sixteenth of December in the year 2000 marked the last time the UFC made an appearance in the Land of the Rising Sun, and to celebrate, we’ve managed to pull some strings and dig up the entire pay-per-view event for your viewing pleasure. Because here at CP, we like to consider ourselves the cool step dads of the MMA blogosphere. Though we may not be around as much as we should, when we show up, you best believe we bring the nudie mags, cigarettes, and that funny smelling water that makes you all giggly and tired. Sure, your mom says it’s evil and thinks it killed your old dad, and sure, when you come to there’s change missing off the dresser, but at the end of the day, you’re just happy we brought you a gift, right?

Featuring Chuck Liddell vs. Jeff Monson, Dennis Hallman’s SECOND lightning quick submission win over Matt Hughes, a light heavyweight championship tilt between Pat Miletich and Kenichi Yamamoto, and a headlining middleweight championship bout between Tito Ortiz and Yuki Kondo, UFC 29 was nearly as stacked as UFC 144 looks to be, and delivered several exciting finishes from the Differ Ariake Arena in Tokyo, Japan.

UFC 29 also featured the UFC debut of Olympic silver medalist Matt Lindland, and according to its Wikipedia page, was the first event to play music in-between rounds. Why they decided to use anything but Onmyo-Za is beyond me. Anyway, check it out before it gets taken down.

One thing to watch for: At one point in the broadcast, Mike Goldberg refers to the Japanese ring girls as “title holders in their own right.” Not exactly sure what he meant by that, but the man sticks to his guns.

-J. Jones