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On This Day in MMA History…

(Since this sculpture seemed to be a major talking point…)

Minoru Suzuki was born 43 years ago.

Why he matters: One of the co-founders of Pancrase — the pre-cursor to the UFC — Suzuki was of the best Japanese submission specialists of his era. He holds wins over Ken Shamrock, Vernon White, Matt Hume and Guy Mezger and Maurice Smith. A former Olympic alternate freestyle wrestler for Japan and former Japanese freestyle wrestling national champion, Suzuki retired from MMA competition in 2002 with a record of 27-20 to focus on professional wrestling, in which he is still active today.

(Video courtesy of YouTube/MrDartzero)

Many MMA luminaries from Bas Rutten and Ken Shamrock to Josh Barnett count Suzuki as one of THE best catch wrestlers the sport has ever known.

(Video courtesy of YouTube/scientificwrestling)

(Since this sculpture seemed to be a major talking point…)

Minoru Suzuki was born 43 years ago.

(Video courtesy of YouTube/MrDartzero)

Many MMA luminaries from Bas Rutten and Ken Shamrock to Josh Barnett count Suzuki as one of THE best catch wrestlers the sport has ever known.

(Video courtesy of YouTube/scientificwrestling)

Kuniyoshi Hironaka was born 34 years ago.

Why he matters: Besides a win over Nick Diaz, and a stint as the Cage Force lightweight champion, Hironaka’s claim to fame could be that he is the fighter who created Shinya Aoki’s appetite for arm-breaking.

(Video courtesy of YouTube/dannykeat)

In a 2007 jiu-jitsu competition, Aoki caught Hironaka in an armbar, but his opponent refused to tap out. Although Aoki was much more sportsmanlike and reserved than he would be when he duplicated the feat against Mizuto Hirota at K-1 Dynamite! two years later, the incident seemed didn’t seem to bother “Tobikan Judan” in the least. Incidentally, the pair fought a year prior to the jiu-jitsu match under the Shooto banner, with Aoki winning via TKO due to cut.

(Video courtesy of YouTube/belfastbootboy)

Andrei Semenov was born 34 years ago.

Why he matters: Semenov is one of the best fighters who never really got a fair shake in the UFC. Had he been given one, he may have become a household name like Chuck Liddell or Tito Ortiz, rather than a fighter most non-hardcore MMA fans have never heard about.

(Video courtesy of YouTube/Damienhis)

His 30-9-2 record includes wins over Amar Suloev, Ricardo Almeida, Martin Kampmann and Martijn de Jong, as well as a pair of draws with Mike Pyle and Denis Kang. After winning his UFC debut against Almeida, he lost to Ivan Salaverry in his second (and last) fight in the Octagon and was dropped by Zuffa. Folowing a three-year hiatus from the sport, Semenov returned to competition in April of this year to beat Luigi Fioravanti at M-1 Chalenge in St. Petersburg, Russia.

Chris Weidman was born 27 years ago.

Why he matters: Being an undefeated fighter in MMA is like being a messageboard commenter with actual MMA credentials — it’s a rarity. A product of Matt Serra’s gym in New York, Weidman is 6-0 in the sport and 2-0 in his UFC career. He defeated veteran Alessio Sakara by unanimous decision at UFC Live 3: Sanchez vs. Kampmann in March and followed up that impressive performance three months later in Vancouver at UFC 131 with a first-round submission win over Jesse Bongfeldt.

Bellator 22 happened one year ago.

Why it mattered: Ben Askren won Bellator’s Season 2 Welterweight Tournament by defeating veteran Dan Hornbuckle by unanimous decision at the event. He would go on to win the Bellator strap from Lyman Good in his subsequent title shot at Bellator 33.

(Video courtesy of YouTube/BellatorMMA)

UFC 131: Herb Dean Speaks on Refereeing and Dos Santos vs Carwin

Winner of Referee of the Year in the World MMA Awards in 2010, Herb Dean is one of the most respected refs in mixed martial arts, overseeing more than 4700 professional fights in his 12-year career. Plus, he’s been highly touted as the best in th…

Regarding the UFC 131 main event between Junior Dos Santos and Shane Carwin to determine the number one contender in the heavyweight division, some believed that the fight should’ve been stopped in the opening round.

As a former fighter himself, the Pasadena born ref was extremely close in ending the match, as Carwin was being controlled and punched incessantly by Junior. However, Dean felt that Shane still had the means to continue.

According to an MMAJunkie article by Steve Marrocco, “I was definitely very close to stopping the fight,” said the 40-year old ref. “Maybe one more unblocked punch I would have, but I’m always looking for a reason to allow a fight to continue.”

As told to interviewer Mike Straka on Tapout’s Youtube channel, “He was moving to better his position, and eventually he was able to get to a place where he was defending the blows and was able to come back,” Dean said.

Martial arts and self defense has been a significant part of Herb Dean’s life, as he began training as a child. Prior to his professional MMA career, his training included kickboxing, submission wrestling and judo. With a great deal of knowledge of a variety of skills, he feels that competitive experience should be required for MMA referees and judges.

In an interview on TheOpenMat.com, Dean explained:

“I think you should at least know the techniques that the guys are doing. MMA is a new sport. There are some officials that have experience, but the competition is beyond their time. Their competitive age is over. A good martial artist might make a good official without necessarily having to have competed in MMA.”

Since refereeing his first event in 1999 at King of the Cage, Herb’s years of experience have given him the confidence to trust his instincts and to make firm, decisive choices. He has always stood by his instincts, without any regret.

“I’m well aware of the fact I’m the one who’s in there making the decisions and the choices and I’m the one who’s gonna have to live with them,” he told Mike Straka. “I definitely want to make the decisions that I want.”

Though considered “the best referee in the business” by Dana White, Dean has had his share of controversy. He was once booed in UFC 61, as he stopped a bout between Tito Ortiz and Ken Shamrock in the opening round, giving Tito the victory.

As the officiating of MMA events continues to advance, judging versus refereeing seems to perpetually be in the spotlight.

“I think there’s always going to be controversial decisions. Judging is pretty subjective. It’s someone’s opinion of who won the fight,” Dean told OpenMat.com.

“I think that the biggest thing is making sure that athletic commissions are getting more qualified officials, and continue to review the problems we have and correct them. This is a growing sport and we haven’t seen everything that’s going to happen. There’s always something new that someone’s going to do.”

To remedy the persistent criticism received by MMA officiating, Herb feels that education is the best method to improve the quality, as he and fellow ref Big John McCarthy hold judging and refereeing classes in Southern California.

While guiding new students, Dean feels his teaching position has helped him in the octagon.

“You really have to be on your game when you’re teaching these people who want to get into the sport,” Dean told Mike Straka. “I have to be prepared when I do my class.”

“Teaching is definitely making me better.”

-ROLAND RISO
MMAIDIOT.COM

Roland Riso is a contributing writer for Bleacher Report. All quotes were obtained from MMAJunkie.com, TheOpenMat.com and Mike Straka’s interview on Tapout’s Youtube.com channel.

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The Two Sheds Review: Shamrock vs Severn and the Fixed Fight at UFC 6

It featured the second Superfight, the debut of the pit fighter, the introduction of new rules, and a controversial semi-final. In July 1995, the Ultimate Fighting Championship presented their sixth show, promoted as the “Clash of the Titans”.The show …

The show began with the tournament quarter-finals, with pit fighter Tank Abbott taking on Hawaiian bone-breaker John Matua.

The match was a quick and wild affair. Abbott caught Matua with lunging blows early, leaving Matua staggering like a baby just learning to walk until he fell to the ground. Abbott got in another punch before referee “Big” John McCarthy stepped in to give Abbott the knockout win after just 18 seconds.

Next up was Taekwondo fighter Cal Worsham against trap fighter Paul Varelans.

The two came out swinging, with Worsham quickly staggering his bigger opponent. Varelans recovered and worked his way back, eventually landing a left elbow to the back of Worsham’s head that sent him crashing to the floor. The referee stopped the fight, awarding Varelans the win by knockout.

The next matchup pitted kenpō karate fighter Rudyard Moncayo against kickboxer and former tournament finalist Pat Smith.

Smith ran across the cage at the start, immediately knocking Moncayo down with a front-kick. Smith then showed how much he’d improved his grappling game, pulling off a standing guillotine on Moncayo before getting the take down. Smith took Moncayo’s back and got him in a rear naked choke, securing the win by submission.

The last quarterfinal match saw wrestler and UFC finalist Dave Beneteau taking on sambo expert Oleg Taktarov.

A fast-paced fight saw Beneteau score an early take-down, but the Russian quickly got back up to his feet. After Beneteau landed a few strikes, Taktarov got a take down of his own, locking Beneteau in a guillotine for an impressive submission victory.

The semi-finals began with Tank Abbott taking on Paul Varelans.

Abbott put on an impressive punching display, taking the big man down and unloading with the ground and pound.

At one point, Abbott grabbed the cage as he kneed Varelans in the face, taking a moment to smile at the crowd.

With his left knee holding down Varelans’ face, Abbott connected with a series of lefts. It wasn’t long before the referee intervened to give Abbott the TKO win.

The second semi-final was a controversial affair as Oleg Taktarov faced muay thai boxer Anthony Macias, who stepped in to replace the injured Pat Smith.

Both fighters were managed by Buddy Alvin, who was also the manager of the other alternate, Guy Mezger. When Smith pulled out, there was a slight delay as the organizers searched for a replacement. The story goes that neither Mezger or Macias wanted to fight their training partner, but Macias finally stepped up to the plate, with Alvin taking his place in Taktarov’s corner.

When the fight began, Macias ran straight into a Taktarov guillotine, tapping out within seconds. The look on the Russian’s face afterwards said everything as the crowd and the commentators voiced their displeasure. It was pretty obvious that Macias had taken a dive, and as a result the match would prove to be his final UFC appearance.

After a brief interview with UFC 7 entrant Marco Ruas, it was on to the bout for the Superfight title as Ken Shamrock faced Dan Severn.

The match turned out to be a great display of grappling. Both men jockeyed for position at the start, and a few moments later Severn escaped from Shamrock’s initial attempt to catch him in a guillotine.

Seconds later, Shamrock outwrestled Severn and went for the guillotine again. This time, Shamrock caught Severn, and it wasn’t long before the Beast tapped out, giving Shamrock the win and the Superfight Championship.

Then, it was on to the tournament final between Tank Abbott and Oleg Taktarov.

This turned out to be the longest fight of the night by far. Abbott began with his usual brawling, but soon began to visibly tire.

The fight went to the ground, with Abbott taking Taktarov’s guard, occasionally going for a few punches while the Russian looked for an arm bar.

It was a war of attrition, very much in the Royce Gracie style, with the referee eventually exercising his new authority and standing the fighters up.

Abbott managed to connect with a big left against the cage before Taktarov came back with a standing guillotine. Abbott slumped to the ground as Taktarov took his back, eventually securing a rear naked choke for the tournament-winning submission victory.

In conclusion, UFC 6 turned out to be a pretty good show. The early fights may not have been particularly impressive, and the whole Macias affair left a nasty taste in everyone’s mouth, but on the whole, the show delivered.

As for the rule changes, they turned out to be what the UFC needed. Giving the referee the power to stand fighters up due to inactivity certainly made the final a more enjoyable affair.

So in all, UFC 6 gets the thumbs up as another interesting slice of MMA history, and one you should check out if you get the opportunity.

Don’t forget to check out my website at twoshedsreview.blogspot.com.

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Ken Shamrock Says Everyone Except the UFC Wants Shamrock vs. Royce Gracie III

Add Ken Shamrock to the list of those who would like to see Royce Gracie fight at UFC 134 in Rio.The rub is that Shamrock feels he would be the ideal opponent to face off against the Brazilian MMA legend.“That fight, Royce Gracie (versus) Ken Sh…

Add Ken Shamrock to the list of those who would like to see Royce Gracie fight at UFC 134 in Rio.

The rub is that Shamrock feels he would be the ideal opponent to face off against the Brazilian MMA legend.

“That fight, Royce Gracie (versus) Ken Shamrock, should happen,” Shamrock recently told Fight Network. “The fans want it, I want it, Royce wants it, Brazil wants it.”

Shamrock then went on, ripping the promotion that could make the fight happen, saying “the only problem with that is you have a bunch of people who have big egos who believe that the UFC created this whole thing when they absolutely did not. People like myself and Royce Gracie and (Mark) Coleman and many, many other people created this UFC phenomenon, so that they can sit there and control it which is what they’re doing today, trying to control it for themselves. So they’re not gonna let that fight happen.”

If the two UFC Hall of Famers were to meet, Shamrock thinks their presence on the UFC 134 fight card would result in big pay-per-view numbers for the promotion.

“There’s no doubt in my mind, and anyone else will tell you, that if this fight was to happen, this would be the biggest pay-per-view to date, but they will not let that happen,” Shamrock said. “(The UFC) would have to swallow their egos for that to happen, and these guys have too big of egos to let that happen.”

Shamrock’s vitriol most likely stems from the loss of a lawsuit he filed against the UFC’s parent company, Zuffa, LLC. In the suit, Shamrock alleged that the promotion had violated the terms of his contract when they released him with one fight remaining on that contract. The judge in the case found in favor of Zuffa, however, and Shamrock was subsequently ordered to pay Zuffa’s attorney fees and other costs, totaling $175,000.

Shamrock and Gracie have battled twice before, with Gracie winning their first fight at UFC 1 via rear-naked choke submission. The second time they met, in a “superfight” at UFC 5, the fight was declared a draw after 36 minutes of action.

UFC 134 will take place August 27 at the HSBC Arena in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The fight card will be headlined by a middleweight title bout between champion Anderson Silva and the last man to gain a victory over him, Yushin Okami.

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“UFC Rio” Ring Girl Maria Melilo Brings You the Fix Friday Link Dump

Bellator 43 weigh-in results: here. Watch the fights, featuring new Bellator Ring Girl, Jade Bryce on MTV 2 tomorrow night (May 7th) at 9 p.m. ET/8 p.m.
Shinya Aoki may fight Jamie Varner or Antonio Mckee at Dream 17 on May 29th: here.
Nick Diaz’s boxing match dreams come true, will fight Jeff Lacy sometime in Autumn. […]

Bellator 43 weigh-in results: here. Watch the fights, featuring new Bellator Ring Girl, Jade Bryce on MTV 2 tomorrow night (May 7th) at 9 p.m. ET/8 p.m.

Shinya Aoki may fight Jamie Varner or Antonio Mckee at Dream 17 on May 29th: here.

Nick Diaz’s boxing match dreams come true, will fight Jeff Lacy sometime in Autumn. Find out what this means about a possible UFC fight with Georges St. Pierre: here.

Crazy ass Ken Shamrock offers to fight Royce Gracie at UFC Rio to pay off Zuffa debts: here.

Wanderlei Silva says he’s 10 fights away from retirement: here.

Since people actually care about their fight this time around, here’s the UFC 130: Edgar vs. Maynard Preview: here.

SI Swimsuit Model, Kate Upton tweeting pics of her cleavage: here.

Enjoy some naughty pics from “UFC Rio” Ring Girl, Maria Melilo below.
*Note she has a very big landing strip. I thought Brazilians didn’t believe in any hair down there, but I appreciate Melilo’s ’cause I usually miss my target.

Ken Shamrock Offers to Pay Zuffa the Court Fees He Owes Them By Fighting Royce Gracie at UFC Rio

(Video courtesy of YouTube/TheFightNetwork)

Ken Shamrock spoke Fight Network Radio recently and stated that he believes that if the UFC would look past their personal and legal issues and give him a rubbermatch with Royce Gracie at UFC Rio in August, they will sell out and set pay-per-view records much like his pair of fights with Tito Ortiz did.

(Video courtesy of YouTube/TheFightNetwork)

“There’s no doubt in my mind, and anyone else will tell you that if this fight was to happen, this would be the biggest pay-per-view to date, but they will not let that happen. [The UFC] would have to swallow their egos for that to happen and these guys have too big of egos to let that happen,” he said. “I love to fight. I want to fight. I think staying within my capabilities of fighting people who were from my time…Trying to fight these young kids, obviously I’m a bit too old for that, but if I stay within my realm of things I think fans would enjoy it, I would enjoy it and I think it’s good for the sport.”

Although his chances of talking Dana White and company into signing the old school bout are slim-to-none, especially when Shamrock brings up that it likely won’t happen due to the UFC president’s huge ego. Still Ken is holding out hope that money talks.

“That fight, Royce Gracie-Ken Shamrock should happen. The fans want it, I want it, Royce wants it,Brazil wants it. The only problem with that is you have a bunch of people who have big egos who believe that the UFC created this whole thing when they absolutely did not,” he explained. “People like myself and Royce Gracie and [Mark] Coleman and many, many other people created this UFC phenomenon so’s that they can sit there and control it which is what they’re doing today, trying to control it for themselves. So they’re not gonna let that fight happen.”