(“Photo: Kaitlin Young’s gash is a sight to behold” – actual fake headline from Jesse Holland.)
In the long history of horrific cuts suffered by MMA fighters during training, this axe wound posted by Invicta FC bantamweight Kaitlin Young might just top them all. Passed along by MiddleEasy earlier today, the above photo prompted Young to quickly dispel rumors that the injury was the result of actually being attacked with a demonically-possessed axe, stating on her Twitter, “shot under my buddy’s jab, and he kicked at the same time. Knee vs forehead.”
Sounds too convenient, if you ask me. All I’m saying is that we still leave open the possibility that a Stephen King story come to life is responsible for this.
Seriously though, that has got to be one of the worst goddamn cuts I’ve ever seen, MMA or otherwise. I give it 5 out of 5 Eastmans. I’m pretty sure I can see Kaitlin’s thoughts. I’m going to go throw up.
(“Photo: Kaitlin Young’s gash is a sight to behold” – actual fake headline from Jesse Holland.)
In the long history of horrific cuts suffered by MMA fighters during training, this axe wound posted by Invicta FC bantamweight Kaitlin Young might just top them all. Passed along by MiddleEasy earlier today, the above photo prompted Young to quickly dispel rumors that the injury was the result of actually being attacked with a demonically-possessed axe, stating on her Twitter, “shot under my buddy’s jab, and he kicked at the same time. Knee vs forehead.”
Sounds too convenient, if you ask me. All I’m saying is that we still leave open the possibility that a Stephen King story come to life is responsible for this.
Seriously though, that has got to be one of the worst goddamn cuts I’ve ever seen, MMA or otherwise. I give it 5 out of 5 Eastmans. I’m pretty sure I can see Kaitlin’s thoughts. I’m going to go throw up.
“I get a lot of flack from people who are like ‘oh she’s not serious about fighting’ and that’s not it at all…I’m not just a fighter…I’m a bunch of things, I have a lot of interests…I’m really looking forward to after this fight just sticking to a routine and a program. I’m just getting a handle on it, I think that’s why I’ve slipped up in certain areas, missing weight, I’ve been all over the place, cause I didn’t have any stability or anything.”
That’s former WMMA star Gina Carano defending herself after missing weight by nearly 5 pounds prior to her bout against Kaitlin Young at EliteXC: Primetime. And indeed, many fans were questioning Carano’s “Conviction” after her weigh-in blunder, but those questions would quickly turn into cheers when Carano was forced to drop trou to make weight for her next bout with Kelly Kobold at EliteXC: Heat — five years ago today.
Of all the “On This Day in MMA History” posts we have ever done, this is the only entry in which we almost got to see a naked Gina Carano, and that’s kind of what MMA is all about, is it not? While Carano would defeat both Young and Kobold despite missing weight, she would be chased right out of the sport by Cyborg Santos (who is looking pretty good herself these days, all things considered) in their August 2009 Strikeforce title fight. While we would try to replace Carano with Ronda Rousey some three years later, WMMA would truly never be the same again.
These days, Carano is enjoying a budding film career, with a starring role in Steven Soderbergh’s Haywireand a supporting role in Fast & Furious 6already under her belt, as well as an upcoming role in an all-female version of The Expendables on the horizon. Carano is also set to star in the action-thriller In the Blood, which according to The Hollywood Reporter, will see Carano play, “A wife whose husband disappears while they’re on their honeymoon in the Caribbean. She takes matters into her own hands and pursues the men who took him, uncovering a deeper conspiracy.”
(Photo via Esther Lin/Combat Lifestyle.)
“I get a lot of flack from people who are like ‘oh she’s not serious about fighting’ and that’s not it at all…I’m not just a fighter…I’m a bunch of things, I have a lot of interests…I’m really looking forward to after this fight just sticking to a routine and a program. I’m just getting a handle on it, I think that’s why I’ve slipped up in certain areas, missing weight, I’ve been all over the place, cause I didn’t have any stability or anything.”
That’s former WMMA star Gina Carano defending herself after missing weight by nearly 5 pounds prior to her bout against Kaitlin Young at EliteXC: Primetime. And indeed, many fans were questioning Carano’s “Conviction” after her weigh-in blunder, but those questions would quickly turn into cheers when Carano was forced to drop trou to make weight for her next bout with Kelly Kobold at EliteXC: Heat — five years ago today.
Of all the “On This Day in MMA History” posts we have ever done, this is the only entry in which we almost got to see a naked Gina Carano, and that’s kind of what MMA is all about, is it not? While Carano would defeat both Young and Kobold despite missing weight, she would be chased right out of the sport by Cyborg Santos (who is looking pretty good herself these days, all things considered) in their August 2009 Strikeforce title fight. While we would try to replace Carano with Ronda Rousey some three years later, WMMA would truly never be the same again.
These days, Carano is enjoying a budding film career, with a starring role in Steven Soderbergh’s Haywireand a supporting role in Fast & Furious 6already under her belt, as well as an upcoming role in an all-female version of The Expendables on the horizon. Carano is also set to star in the action-thriller In the Blood, which according to The Hollywood Reporter, will see Carano play, “A wife whose husband disappears while they’re on their honeymoon in the Caribbean. She takes matters into her own hands and pursues the men who took him, uncovering a deeper conspiracy.”
Perhaps the most fascinating thing about Carano’s nude weigh-in — and really, the EliteXC: Heat weigh-ins in generals (video below) — was that it served as precursor to the batshit insanity that would take place the following evening.
One thing led to another on fight night and before Kimbo knew what hit him, ROCKY WAS HERE!! Unfortunately for EliteXC, “Rocky” later informed several media outlets that he was more or less (more) paid to stand and trade with Kimbo, leading to the eventual collapse of the promotion altogether.
While you could argue that the blame for EliteXC’s undoing rests solely on the shoulders of $kala, we’d like to think that the events which transpired on the weekend of October 3rd, 2008 were all thanks to the otherworldly power of Gina Carano’s awesome boobage. We’re cup half full kind of guys.
(Things start to get interesting around the 2:15 mark.)
Invicta FC put on its fifth event last night, closing out a very successful first year for the promotion. A thirteen-fight card at Kansas City’s Ameristar Casino highlighted Invicta’s swelling roster of talented fighters and solidified the promotions reputation for delivering entertaining MMA bouts. The show featured debuts of three champs from Strikeforce and Bellator, plus a pair of Invicta championship matchups. And it fucking rocked.
The card started with a pair of quick submissions, including CagePotato’s own Rose Namajunas, who set the internet on fire with a twelve second flying armbar victory. According to initial reports, that is the 5th fastest victory in MMA history, and fastest in the women’s division. Namajunas was understandably jubilant in her win, saying later that she would like all of her fights to be of the blink-and-you-missed-it variety. She also pointed out that she was still a prospect just starting out at 2-0, and that title talks could wait until she gained more experience.
Obligatory. PicProps: Patrick Walters, CP OG
Invicta FC put on its fifth event last night, closing out a very successful first year for the promotion. A thirteen-fight card at Kansas City’s Ameristar Casino highlighted Invicta’s swelling roster of talented fighters and solidified the promotions reputation for delivering entertaining MMA bouts. The show featured debuts of three champs from Strikeforce and Bellator, plus a pair of Invicta championship matchups. And it fucking rocked.
The card started with a pair of quick submissions, including CagePotato’s own Rose Namajunas, who set the internet on fire with a twelve second flying armbar victory. According to initial reports, that is the 5th fastest victory in MMA history, and fastest in the women’s division. Namajunas was understandably jubilant in her win, saying later that she would like all of her fights to be of the blink-and-you-missed-it variety. She also pointed out that she was still a prospect just starting out at 2-0, and that title talks could wait until she gained more experience.
Also on the preliminary card was a bout between Miriam “The Queen of Mean” Nakamoto and Jessamyn “The Gun” Duke, a matchup between relative newcomers to MMA with extensive striking backgrounds. Nakamoto scored a KO victory in the first round with a pair of blistering knees, but there was some controversy when the second knee strike landed on a downed Duke. Shannon Knapp explained at the presser that the first (legal) knee that landed was considered the knockout blow, but said she would review the fight later. Nakamoto earned Knockout of the Night honors, adding insult to Duke’s injury and keeping her up on Twitter into Saturday morning.
Kicking off the main card was a matchup between popular Australian fighter Bec Hyatt and Austrian striker Jasminka Cive. The two had brought some personal heat to the matchup, including a pre-fight facedown with Invicta commentator Julie Kedzie. Hyatt squashed the beef with an armbar victory in the first round, and will look to rebuild momentum for another shot at Invicta’s 115 pound title.
And then came the upsets. First out was Kaitlin Young, a seasoned pro whose 7-7-1 record belies a career fighting top-ranked women, including Miesha Tate, Gina Carano, Julie Kedzie, and Liz Carmouche. Young dropped a decision to surging Lauren Taylor, and now carries a losing record for the first time in her career.
Zoila Frausto-Gurgel fell victim next, losing a decision in her Invicta debut against Brazilian Jennifer Maia. Frausto-Gurgel was visibly frustrated with the decision and the question marks surrounding her. Zoila competed successfully at 115 pounds under the Bellator banner, but the weight cut was notably difficult. 125 was supposed to be her playground, with a clear shot toward title contention, and that path is no longer so straight and easy.
The upset parade almost continued into the next fight, between former 135 pound queenpin Sarah Kaufman and Leslie “The Peacemaker” Smith, a three round war that went to the judges and resulted in a razor-thin split decision for Kaufman. Smith, who was a virtual unknown training under Ceasar Gracie a year ago, is now perhaps the most dangerous opponent a bantamweight woman can accept. On the other hand, taking a fight with Smith guarantees a crowd-pleasing war and a potential Fight of the Night bonus. The controversial decision (which the crowd loudly disagreed with) brought a bit of awkwardness to the press conference after the fights. Smith, while not willing to directly criticize the decision, pointed out that the UFC could rightly lose confidence in one of “their” fighters (Kaufman), if she had such a narrow decision win over a mere “Invicta fighter” like herself. (For the record, Smith would have won under Stockton Rules.) Meanwhile, Kaufman held a frozen smile, too polite to argue in a civilized setting like a press conference. A rematch between the two was discussed (and literally applauded by the gathered media), under either the UFC’s banner or Invicta’s.
There would be no upset for Cris Cyborg’s Invicta debut. Matched up with Aussie tough Fiona Muxlow, Cyborg put on a blazing display of aggression that lasted a shade over three and a half minutes, at which point Big John McCarthy decided that, no, this Australian lady is not going to crack Cyborg’s fists with her skull, and called the fight. It was announced at the post-fight that Cyborg will move on to compete in Invicta’s inaugural 145 pound title fight against Marloes Coenen in July, while Muxlow works on regaining hand-eye coordination and vowel sounds. She did not attend the press conference after the fights.
Speaking of inaugural titles, Invicta held its first 125 pound title fight between Vanessa Porto and Barb Honchak. After the public execution of Cyborg’s fight, the crowd got a bit restless with the more technical striking exchange. Honchak looked to counter Porto’s vicious leg kicks with combinations, and built up a commanding lead on the cards for a unanimous decision win and the Strawweight Championship.
Closing out the night was Jessica Penne’s first title defense of her Atomweight belt, against Jackson’s MMA fighter Michele Waterson. In interviews leading up to the fight, Penne downplayed the importance of the title and any sense of ego about being the champ, but her enjoyment of her status as queen of the 105ers was as blatant as the #firstever hashtag she used to describe her reign. Not that Penne was resting on her laurels: she was a hard-training, well-rounded, athletically-gifted champ, and she’d earned the belt. Waterson, while an exciting fighter that has a bigger kicking repertoire than Hwoarang and Baek Doo Son combined, looked to be smaller and incapable of fending off Penne’s solid grappling attack.
Oh, how wrong we were. Waterson was quite capable, thank you, and proved it by gutting out an armbar attack from the champ that appeared to snap Waterson’s arm. Waterson would go on to pull out a sneaky-fast armbar transition of her own in the fourth round, earning a quick tap and a shiny new belt as the #secondever Atomweight Champion.
All in all, it was another soaring success for Invicta. While there were complaints about unstable streaming, they were a tiny percentage of the problems Invicta faced in its first iPPV venture. More and more people are realizing that, yes, there is depth of talent in the ladies’ division. All you have to do is showcase it. Invicta’s first year has proven that the athletes are ready for a bigger stage, and the promotion is ready to provide it. While there may be growing pains, like adjusting to a television deal that’s looking increasingly likely to happen. Like it or not, Invicta FC is here to stay.
And one more thing: Our own Doug “ReX13” Richardson has been allowed into the Ameristar Casino Hotel in Kansas City as a member of the media (LOL!), and he’ll be posting additional updates during the show on our twitter page, @cagepotatomma. Don’t miss it.
And one more thing: Our own Doug “ReX13″ Richardson has been allowed into the Ameristar Casino Hotel in Kansas City as a member of the media (LOL!), and he’ll be posting additional updates during the show on our twitter page, @cagepotatomma. Don’t miss it.
2004 Olympic wrestling silver medalist Sara McMann won a hard-fought unanimous decision over Shayna Baszler after three rounds at last night’s all-women Invicta FC 2 event. Baszler rocked McMann with a left hook late in the fight but McMann had evidently gotten far enough ahead on the judges’ scorecards to get the win. Check out the full fight video above.
Scores were 29-28 (twice) and 30-27 for McMann. “That was by far the toughest and most skilled fighter I have ever fought,” McMann said post-fight of Baszler.
With the win, McMann improves her MMA record to 6-0. Baszler dipped to 14-7.
2004 Olympic wrestling silver medalist Sara McMann won a hard-fought unanimous decision over Shayna Baszler after three rounds at last night’s all-woman Invicta FC 2 event. Baszler rocked McMann with a left hook late in the fight but McMann had evidently gotten far enough ahead on the judges’ scorecards to get the win. Check out the full fight video above.
Scores were 29-28 (twice) and 30-27 for McMann. “That was by far the toughest and most skilled fighter I have ever fought,” McMann said post-fight of Baszler.
With the win, McMann improves her MMA record to 6-0. Baszler dipped to 14-7.
In the latest installment of MMA: Inside the Cage, Casey and Cyrus discuss Hector Lombard’s UFC signing, the new beef between MFC and Bellator, and the ongoing Nick Diaz vs. NSAC saga, before presenting the week’s best batch of knockouts and an exclusive interview with the ever-charming Bas Rutten. Part 2 of the show is after the jump, which features an analysis of Invicta’s debut show plus the must-see slugfest between Kaitlin Young and Leslie Smith.
Check it out and support our good friends at MMA:ITC, who have managed to put together a consistently entertaining half-hour MMA show that isn’t based on a bunch of jerkoffs yelling at each other. If you dig it, follow ’em on Facebook and Twitter.
In the latest installment of MMA: Inside the Cage, Casey and Cyrus discuss Hector Lombard’s UFC signing, the new beef between MFC and Bellator, and the ongoing Nick Diaz vs. NSAC saga, before presenting the week’s best batch of knockouts and an exclusive interview with the ever-charming Bas Rutten. Part 2 of the show is after the jump, which features an analysis of Invicta’s debut show plus the must-see slugfest between Kaitlin Young and Leslie Smith.
Check it out and support our good friends at MMA:ITC, who have managed to put together a consistently entertaining half-hour MMA show that isn’t based on a bunch of jerkoffs yelling at each other. If you dig it, follow ‘em on Facebook and Twitter.
