With 7 of his 8 wins coming within the first round (and 5 of those 7 coming within the first 2 minutes!), Josh Shockley was looking to employ an atypical “jab & jog” type strategy against Eric Moon, but “The Monster” would not be having any of that shit, thank you very much. Moon waited approximately 25 seconds before bull rushing into his first takedown attempt like a drunken frat boy chasing a frisbee that is clearly out of his reach. The problem with such an obviously telegraphed double-leg however, is that it gives someone with even below-average reflexes the time to grab that neck, stuff you in a wooden chest, and have a cocktail party around your rotting corpse.
As soon as Shockley locks in a standing guillotine, Moon quits faster than Kim Kardashian (sorry folks, been holding that one in for a while), giving Shockley the victory in just 35 seconds and nearly erasing the memory of his BFC 36 loss to Toby Imada. Even more impressive is the fact that this was not even Shockley’s quickest victory, which was a 15 second TKO via slam back in 2008.
Join us after the jump for the controversial Sledzion/Solomon fight, and the Van Buren and Bezzera submissions:
(Props, as always, to ZombieProphet over at IronForgesIron.)
With 7 of his 8 wins coming within the first round (and 5 of those 7 coming within the first 2 minutes!), Josh Shockley was looking to employ an atypical “jab & jog” type strategy against Eric Moon, but “The Monster” would not be having any of that shit, thank you very much. Moon waited approximately 25 seconds before bull rushing into his first takedown attempt like a drunken frat boy chasing a frisbee that is clearly out of his reach. The problem with such an obviously telegraphed double-leg however, is that it gives someone with even below-average reflexes the time to grab that neck, stuff you in a wooden chest, and have a cocktail party around your rotting corpse.
As soon as Shockley locks in a standing guillotine, Moon quits faster than Kim Kardashian (sorry folks, been holding that one in for a while), giving Shockley the victory in just 35 seconds and nearly erasing the memory of his BFC 36 loss to Toby Imada. Even more impressive is the fact that this was not even Shockley’s quickest victory – a 15 second TKO via slam back in 2008.
An absolute must see bantamweight battle from last weekend’s “Shoot the Shooto 2011” card, which transpired in Tokyo, Japan and featured none other than Shooto legend Rumina Sato facing off with Belgian born fighter Nico Veressen. Sato, who you may remember as our Technique of the Year holder for 1999, has built his name off legendary battles with top competition like Takanori Gomi, Caol Uno (at the time), Joachim Hansen (again), and Hatsu Hioki. Veressan was 1-0 heading into the bout, with his lone win coming against a fellow 1-0 fighter. Think you know how this one went down? Well, you’d be wrong.
From the start, Sato showcases the mix of mindfuckery and vicious leg attacks that he has become known for, first trying to goad the younger man into a ground match with the infamous Fireside Pose Manuever popularized by Fabricio Werdum before launching into a series of submissions that is nothing short of dazzling. I counted three or four toe holds, an inverted triangle ala Braulio Estima, and maybe a calf slicer attempt thrown in just for fun.
An absolute must see bantamweight battle from last weekend’s “Shoot the Shooto 2011″ card, which transpired in Tokyo, Japan and featured none other than Shooto legend Rumina Sato facing off with Belgian born fighter Nico Veressen. Sato, who you may remember as our Technique of the Year holder for 1999, has built his name off legendary battles with top competition like Takanori Gomi, Caol Uno (at the time), Joachim Hansen (again), and Hatsu Hioki. Veressan was 1-0 heading into the bout, with his lone win coming against a fellow 1-0 fighter. Think you know how this one went down? Well, you’d be wrong.
From the start, Sato showcases the mix of mindfuckery and vicious leg attacks that he has become known for, first trying to goad the younger man into a ground match with the infamous Fireside Pose Manuever popularized by Fabricio Werdum before launching into a series of submissions that is nothing short of dazzling. I counted three or four toe holds, an inverted triangle ala Braulio Estima, and maybe a calf slicer attempt thrown in just for fun.
But Veressen is no slouch, offering some solid submission defense, some nasty ground-and-pound, and a Brazilian kick for good measure. At one point, he literally has Sato on the ropes, performing a spot on impersonation of Jackson/Silva 2 in order to evade Veressen’s punches.
Once the fight gets back to the feet, however, Veressen is clearly the fresher of the two. A straight right later and this baby is all over. With the loss, Sato drops to just 2-6 in his last 8 fights, with 4 of those losses coming by way of (T)KO.
As a bonus, I’ve posted the rarely seen match between Sato and Isamu Osugi from an early Shooto event all the way back in 1995, featuring a finish that would make Toby Imada flush with jealousy. Enjoy.
Back in September 1996, a relatively unknown 350-pounder named Scott Ferrozzo scored an unexpected decision victory against Tank Abbott in the semifinals of the UFC 11 heavyweight tournament. In recent years, the two heavyweight brawlers have expended a good deal of energy talking trash, trying to goad each other into a rematch. Amazingly, the fight was actually put together this year. It was slated to go down October 30th at the Dixie Cowgirls Night Club in Dayton, Ohio, and would feature a no-holds-barred ruleset reminiscent of the UFC’s early days.
Somehow, the venue was moved from Dixie Cowgirls to a random-ass backyard, filled with about two dozen spectators. (Card subject to change!) But true to their words, both fighters showed up and fought their hearts out in an outdoor shirts-on death-match. Here’s the Cliff’s Notes version…
Back in September 1996, a relatively unknown 350-pounder named Scott Ferrozzo scored an unexpected decision victory against Tank Abbott in the semifinals of the UFC 11 heavyweight tournament. In recent years, the two heavyweight brawlers have expended a good deal of energy talking trash, trying to goad each other into a rematch. Amazingly, the fight was actually put together this year. It was slated to go down October 30th at the Dixie Cowgirls Night Club in Dayton, Ohio, and would feature a no-holds-barred ruleset reminiscent of the UFC’s early days.
Somehow, the venue was moved from Dixie Cowgirls to a random-ass backyard, filled with about two dozen spectators. (Card subject to change!) But true to their words, both fighters showed up and fought their hearts out in an outdoor shirts-on death-match. Here’s the Cliff’s Notes version…
0:05: Tank appears. Hopefully that hacking cough won’t be a factor during the fight.
1:43: Fighter introductions. Crowd loyalties are evenly split, although Ferrozzo draws more whistles.
2:29: TANK ABBOTT COMES OUT LIKE A HOUSE ON FIRE, but Ferrozzo backs him up with punches of his own.
2:47: Tank lands some nasty body-shots in a clinch, misses an uppercut, and freaks out like he’s having flashbacks to the Kimbo fight.
2:57: Tank drops Ferrozzo with a straight right and takes the fight to the grass. Tank lands in side-control and it’s ground and pound time.
4:52: Tank lands a big left hand from the top, and poetically, two dead leaves float down into the frame, reminding us that life is fragile, and this fight is really happening in a fucking backyard.
6:24: Ferrozzo rolls to escape the abuse, and Tank goes for a rear-naked. As Scott’s lady friend says, “You’ll never get under that neck.” She’s right.
7:22: Ferrozzo has Tank’s right arm locked down, and Tank is clearly frustrated. As Tank punches with his left, Scott responds to each one with, “Nothin’…nope…” The man is indestructible. Scott’s lady friend calls for head-butts.
8:32: “Whoooo is this fun!” Scott says, as Tank back-mounts him, Deliverance style.
9:20: Tank scores his first knees to the head on the ground. PRIDE neva die, it just fades away.
10:54: Ferrozzo has both of Tank’s hands completely locked down. If this was legit MMA, the ref would call for a standup. But in Ohio Backyard DeathMatch Rules, there are no standups. Tank is exhausted, and his cough returns.
12:28: One of the journalists on hand tries to do the post-fight interview during the fight. After asking “bring back memories, huh guys?” like seven times, Ferrozzo says, “Fuck yeah, we were two young warriors. Now we’re just two old guys.”
14:20: “I can’t be fuckin’ hurt. You see the size of my head?”
15:18: Scott’s chick is getting real ansty. Her man is clearly not following the head-butt-based gameplan that they’d been working on for the last eight weeks.
16:36: ”Fuckin’ pussies in the UFC. Fuck them motherfuckers. Whoooo! [punch] Nothin’! [punch] Nothin’!”
17:09: “I can not be fuckin’ hurt! I can not be fuckin’ hurt! I am a fuckin’ BEAST!”
17:29: And that’s the fight. Or is it? 15 minutes with a three-minute overtime? For Christ’s sake, it’s not over yet? I’m as tired of this as Tank is right now.
19:41: The fight is re-started and they get to sluggin’. Ferrozzo has Tank on his heels.
20:50: They separate after a brief clinch. Tank backs up and doubles over with fatigue. If Ferrozzo had anything left, he’d end this shit right now with a flying knee, but he clearly gassed himself out yelling during the 15-minute opening round.
21:10: Knees and punches from Ferrozzo. Punches and wheezing from Tank. Shrill screeching from Scott’s girlfriend.
21:30: Tank has his hands on his knees facing away from Ferrozzo, and Ferrozzo isn’t doing anything about it. The fix is in. Ferrozzo was clearly paid off to lose to Tank. What other explanation is there? That two 46-year-old men are too tired to fight after 17 minutes? No. I refuse to believe that. Not in this America.
21:40: “You got a minute to win it.” Love that show.
22:40: That’s the fight. “Where else in the world can you see that?” yells a fan. I honestly don’t know. Dayton has the old-man backyard fight scene on lock.
24:36: Tank Abbott def. Scott Ferrozzo via unanimous decision. Plans for a rubber match are shouted out, mostly as a joke. Tank achieves his redemption. Ferrozzo’s girlfriend is eerily silent. Not a good sign, buddy.
(Ah, 2007. A very fine year for gogoplatas. / Photo via Sherdog)
By Ben Goldstein
Over the last two decades, MMA has evolved so consistently that fighters are still finding new and unexpected ways to destroy their opponents — while causing fans to spit their beers in shock. We decided to take a lil’ spin through MMA history and identify the single most awe-inspiring technique from each year since the sport’s modern inception. We expect you to disagree with us; there’s a comments section just for that purpose. And away we go…
1993:Royce Gracie’s Rear-Naked Choke vs. Ken Shamrock @ UFC 1, 11/12/93
(Fight starts at the 3:54 mark)
You have to remember that in the early ’90s, a well-placed roundhouse kick to the head was considered the pinnacle of martial arts. What Royce Gracie introduced to fight fans in his early UFC run was something much more practical, less flashy, and a little bit scary. Gracie’s submission of Ken Shamrock — and the similar hold he used to stop Gerard Gordeau in the finals — proved that skill beat size, and pajamas beat man-panties.
1994: Dan Severn’s Suplexes vs. Anthony Macias @ UFC 4, 12/16/94
(Ah, 2007. A very fine year for gogoplatas. / Photo via Sherdog)
By Ben Goldstein
Over the last two decades, MMA has evolved so consistently that fighters are still finding new and unexpected ways to destroy their opponents — while causing fans to spit their beers in shock. We decided to take a lil’ spin through MMA history and identify the single most awe-inspiring technique from each year since the sport’s modern inception. We expect you to disagree with us; there’s a comments section just for that purpose. And away we go…
1993:Royce Gracie’s Rear-Naked Choke vs. Ken Shamrock @ UFC 1, 11/12/93
(Fight starts at the 3:54 mark)
You have to remember that in the early ’90s, a well-placed roundhouse kick to the head was considered the pinnacle of martial arts. What Royce Gracie introduced to fight fans in his early UFC run was something much more practical, less flashy, and a little bit scary. Gracie’s submission of Ken Shamrock — and the similar hold he used to stop Gerard Gordeau in the finals — proved that skill beat size, and pajamas beat man-panties.
1994: Dan Severn’s Suplexes vs. Anthony Macias @ UFC 4, 12/16/94
(Fight starts at the 1:53 mark)
Of course, the UFC’s formative years weren’t all about subtlety. The arrival of Dan Severn, followed by his ground-and-pounding spiritual descendants Mark Coleman and Mark Kerr, showed that a hulking wrestler could do just as well as a skinny grappling whiz. The suplexes that Severn pulled off in his UFC debut were straight out of a pro-wrestling match, but my God, they were real. As commentator Jim Brown sums up the performance, “what I’m looking at is a wrestler with a lot of strength, but not the true technique of the jiu-jitso man.” And sure enough, the UFC’s original “jiu-jitso man” Royce Gracie caught Severn in the Octagon’s first-ever triangle choke later that night.
1995: Marco Ruas’s Leg Kicks vs. Paul Varelans @ UFC 7, 3/10/95
It’s not like Marco Ruas was the first guy to throw leg kicks in a vale tudo match, but the technique became part of his legacy due to how he used them — as a savage fight-finisher, perfect for chopping down bigger opponents. During his 13-minute UFC 7 finals match against Paul “The Polar Bear” Varelans, Ruas executed a leg-kick based strategy that hobbled the American behemoth. Varleans became so aggravated that he started kicking back, and seemed to learn how to check the incoming kicks mid-fight. But in the end, the King of the Streets pulverized Varelans’s lead thigh until he collapsed to the mat, unable to defend himself. Of course, if the UFC outlawed fence-grabbing at the time, the fight wouldn’t have lasted half as long. Honorable mention:Ken Shamrock’s kneebar against Bas Rutten @ Pancrase: Eyes of Beast 2.
1996: Gary Goodridge’s “Goose Neck” Crucifix vs. Paul Herrera @ UFC 8, 2/16/96
Let’s just say that Big Daddy didn’t earn his 4th-degree black belt in Kuk Sool Won the old-fashioned way. But when the former arm-wrestling champ and all-around tough guy made his UFC debut, he at least knew how to pull off a rather nasty grappling maneuver that would leave his opponent’s head wide-open for elbow strikes. As Goodridge told us in his final “Ask Gary” column, “I was shocked like everybody. Since I practiced my counter-move the night before I was ready, but surprised it worked that easily.” Though Jon Jones pulled off a variation of this finish against Vladimir Matyushenko in 2010, the Goodridge Goose-Neck hasn’t been duplicated in the Octagon since, which is probably a good thing. Honorable mention:Bas Rutten’s liver shots against Jason Delucia @ Pancrase: Truth 6.
Out of the 22 fighters competing on this Saturday’s UFC 136: Edgar vs. Maynard III card, only one will be stepping into the Octagon for the first time. That man is Stipe Miocic, an undefeated 29-year-old Croatian-American from Ohio who will be facing Joey Beltran during the prelims. So how does a guy with just six fights, who’s beaten nobody you’ve ever heard of, get an invitation to the big show? By being one of the most decorated blue-chip prospects the UFC heavyweight division has seen since Cain Velasquez. Seriously. Just check out his credentials…
(Stipe Miocic vs. William Penn, 4/16/11)
Out of the 22 fighters competing on this Saturday’s UFC 136: Edgar vs. Maynard III card, only one will be stepping into the Octagon for the first time. That man is Stipe Miocic, an undefeated 29-year-old Croatian-American from Ohio who will be facing Joey Beltran during the prelims. So how does a guy with just six fights, who’s beaten nobody you’ve ever heard of, get an invitation to the big show? By being one of the most decorated blue-chip prospects the UFC heavyweight division has seen since Cain Velasquez. Seriously. Just check out his credentials…
While attending Cleveland State University, Miocic was an athletic phenom, earning a national rank as a Division I wrestler at 197 pounds and attracting the MLB’s attention due to his talents as a third baseman. Following college he pursued boxing, picked up a Golden Gloves title, and also went 5-0 as an amateur MMA fighter.
Miocic made his professional MMA debut in February 2010, and went on to win his first five pro fights by KO/TKO within two rounds. He won the NAAFS heavyweight title in June by leg-kicking Bobby Brents into submission, and landed a UFC contract less than two weeks later.
Miocic currently trains with Ohio’s Strong Style Fight Team, which includes Chris Lozano, Forrest Petz, and Jessica Eye. He spits a lot. Check out his knockout reel below, and let us know how you think he’ll do against the more-seasoned Mexicutioner this weekend.
Over the past two decades, Mixed Martial Arts has evolved from a no-holds-barred freak show to a heavily regulated, network television ready enterprise that is accepted by a large slice of the general public. But even with the sport’s modern improvements and safeguards, there are still detractors who contend that MMA is nothing more than low-bred street-fighting operating under the guise of an organized competition.
In honor of the upcoming DVD release of Arena — a truly insane modern-gladiator flick starring Samuel L. Jackson and Kellan Lutz — we thought we’d give the MMA critics some perspective by presenting a list of the most brutal and dangerous combat “sports” ever invented. From shock-fighting to bear-baiting, they defy logic, celebrate gratuitous violence, and remind us just how far the human race has come…
(Two brave athletes battle for the X-FENCE welterweight title, previously vacated by Ash Williams.)
Over the past two decades, Mixed Martial Arts has evolved from a no-holds-barred freak show to a heavily regulated, network television ready enterprise that is accepted by a large slice of the general public. But even with the sport’s modern improvements and safeguards, there are still detractors who contend that MMA is nothing more than low-bred street-fighting operating under the guise of an organized competition.
In honor of the upcoming DVD release of Arena — a truly insane modern-gladiator flick starring Samuel L. Jackson and Kellan Lutz — we thought we’d give the MMA critics some perspective by presenting a list of the most brutal and dangerous combat “sports” ever invented. From shock-fighting to bear-baiting, they defy logic, celebrate gratuitous violence, and remind us just how far the human race has come…
Irish Bare-Knuckle Boxing
(Tip of the day: Don’t ever fight pick a fight with anyone who requires subtitles in their own language.)
Irish/Gypsy/Traveller/pikey bare-knuckle fighting, or whatever you choose to call it, is the missing link between a pub brawl and the Marquess of Queensberry rules. Bare-knuckle fighting is unregulated and implicitly raw. While boxing is often described as “beautifully brutal,” bare-knuckle boxing is just brutal. There is no designated area in which a Gypsy fight occurs. Boxing has a square-ring, MMA has a cage — gypsy boxing simply has an abstract “space” that can include barn-doors, tractors, livestock, and fellow gypsies. And the sound of raw knuckle against skull is something that few people can get used to.
This style of underground street-fighting was most recently popularized by Internet sensation Kimbo Slice. Kevin Ferguson’s version of backyard brawling is a direct descendant of Irish bare-knuckle boxing, and the underlying concept has remained identical, right down to the lack of medical professionals on hand. The only discernible difference is that Kimbo staged some of his throw-downs in a boat-yard, thereby enabling himself to take his buddies out on the water after the ‘bows had been thrown.
