Tag: kickboxing

UFC Veteran Dustin Jacoby Wins Road To GLORY Tournament on Less than 48 Hours Notice

Highlights of Jacoby’s run through the tournament via Chris Gregory

To say that UFC veteran Dustin Jacoby was a gigantic underdog heading into last night’s Road for Glory USA tournament overstates the obvious. A victim of the UFC’s “0-2, sucks to be you” policy, Jacoby was stepping in for injured heavyweight boxer Manuel Quezada with less than two days to prepare for what would be his professional kickboxing debut. Combined with the fact that Jacoby’s first matchup was against ISKA Heavyweight Champion Randy “Boom Boom” Blake (who you may remember as the guy who cheap-shotted Cro Cop last October), the expectations for Jacoby were pretty damn low.

For the majority of Jacoby’s fight against Randy Blake, Jacoby performed exactly as expected. Blake outworked him throughout the fight, effectively chopping away at Jacoby with leg kicks. But in the third round, Dustin Jacoby let his hands go, realizing that he needed a knockout to advance in the tournament. After stunning Blake with a left hook, Jacoby tagged him with a right cross that caused the referee to stop the fight.


Highlights of Jacoby’s run through the tournament via Chris Gregory

To say that UFC veteran Dustin Jacoby was a gigantic underdog heading into last night’s Road for Glory USA tournament overstates the obvious. A victim of the UFC’s “0-2, sucks to be you” policy, Jacoby was stepping in for injured heavyweight boxer Manuel Quezada with less than two days to prepare for what would be his professional kickboxing debut. Combined with the fact that Jacoby’s first matchup was against ISKA Heavyweight Champion Randy “Boom Boom” Blake (who you may remember as the guy who cheap-shotted Cro Cop last October), the expectations for Jacoby were pretty damn low.

For the majority of Jacoby’s fight against Randy Blake, Jacoby performed exactly as expected. Blake outworked him throughout the fight, effectively chopping away at Jacoby with leg kicks. But in the third round, Dustin Jacoby let his hands go, realizing that he needed a knockout to advance in the tournament. After stunning Blake with a left hook, Jacoby tagged him with a right cross that caused the referee to stop the fight.

Jacoby’s run wouldn’t end there, though. He also earned knockouts over Bellator veteran Roy Boughton and Brian Collette to win the tournament. For his efforts, Jacoby earned $20,000 and a spot on a future GLORY card.

So after watching the highlights, will Dustin Jacoby be just as forgettable in GLORY as he was in the UFC, or will lightening strike twice?

Full Results, via Fighters Only:

Quarterfinal Round:

Roy Boughton def. Daniel Brison via unanimous decision
Dustin Jacoby def. Randy Blake via TKO, Round 3 (1:43)
Kyle Martin def. Myron Dennis via unanimous decision
Brian Collette def. Jeremy Freitag via KO, Round 2 (:14)

Semifinal Round:

Dustin Jacoby def. Roy Boughton via TKO, Round 1 (2:47)
Brian Collette def. Kyle Martin via TKO, Round 1 (1:29)

Grand Final:

Dustin Jacoby def. Brian Collette via KO, Round 1 (3:00)

Cain Velasquez, Daniel Cormier and the American Kickboxing Academy Conundrum

Any time one specific fight camp produces more than a single top contender in any particular weight class, things get hairy. Training partners tend to frown upon fighting one another, despite the fact that they’re willing to batter one another for weeks on end in preparation for future battle. It’s an awkward but understandable stance. […]

Any time one specific fight camp produces more than a single top contender in any particular weight class, things get hairy. Training partners tend to frown upon fighting one another, despite the fact that they’re willing to batter one another for weeks on end in preparation for future battle. It’s an awkward but understandable stance. […]

Video: Mirko Cro Cop Gets Cheap-Shotted at K-1 World Grand Prix Final 16

(Props: OneStopMMASpot via BloodyElbow)

On Sunday at the K-1 World Grand Prix 2012 Final 16 event in Tokyo, Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic learned the hard way that not everyone in the fight business is as sweet as Pat Barry. During the third round of his match against American kickboxer Randy Blake, Cro Cop threw a questionable uppercut at Blake, who was getting to his feet after slipping to the mat. This did not make Randy Blake very happy. The action was called back in, and when Cro Cop moved in to apologize, Blake fired a straight right that put the 38-year-old Croatian on his ass. For the last time: Protect yourself at all times, especially when you’ve just pissed off a former star of the World Combat League.

The moment was reminiscent of Floyd Mayweather‘s controversial stoppage of Victor Ortiz last September, but unlike Ortiz, Cro Cop was able to dust himself off and fight until the last bell, earning a majority decision victory. With the win, Cro Cop qualifies for a spot in the eight-man 2012 Grand Prix Finals bracket, December 26th at Madison Square Garden in New York City, where he hopefully won’t be trying any more of this nice-guy crap.


(Props: OneStopMMASpot via BloodyElbow)

On Sunday at the K-1 World Grand Prix 2012 Final 16 event in Tokyo, Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic learned the hard way that not everyone in the fight business is as sweet as Pat Barry. During the third round of his match against American kickboxer Randy Blake, Cro Cop threw a questionable uppercut at Blake, who was getting to his feet after slipping to the mat. This did not make Randy Blake very happy. The action was called back in, and when Cro Cop moved in to apologize, Blake fired a straight right that put the 38-year-old Croatian on his ass. For the last time: Protect yourself at all times, especially when you’ve just pissed off a former star of the World Combat League.

The moment was reminiscent of Floyd Mayweather‘s controversial stoppage of Victor Ortiz last September, but unlike Ortiz, Cro Cop was able to dust himself off and fight until the last bell, earning a majority decision victory. With the win, Cro Cop qualifies for a spot in the eight-man 2012 Grand Prix Finals bracket, December 26th at Madison Square Garden in New York City, where he hopefully won’t be trying any more of this nice-guy crap.

A Conversation with Randy Blake: The Great American Kickboxing Hope

The past couple of years have been tumultuous ones for the sport of kickboxing. Between financial woes and reported ties to organized crime, the sport hit a low point in 2011. But there seems to be a resurgence, not just in interest but also financiall…

The past couple of years have been tumultuous ones for the sport of kickboxing. Between financial woes and reported ties to organized crime, the sport hit a low point in 2011. But there seems to be a resurgence, not just in interest but also financially stable promotions.  One of those promotions is K-1, a brand […]

Tyrone Spong’s MMA Debut Set, Will Face James McSweeney on Nov. 3rd


(“And that was the first time I went full stanky leg.”) 

For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction.

Newton’s third law of motion seems to apply to the world of kickboxing this week, as just a few days after it was announced that Swedish kickboxing legend Jorgen Kruth would be departing from the world of MMA, it has been reported that Dutch kickboxing powerhouse Tyrone Spong will be making the transition to it. Spong, who’s has hinted at a move to MMA for some time now, is best known for his battles with such legends of the sport as Peter Aerts, Ray Sefo, and Melvin Manhoef, and currently holds a 68-6-1 with 1 NC record to his credit.

While it was rumored that Spong would be making his debut under the Titan Fighting Championships banner, it appears that the heavyweight slugger will be debuting under upstart promotion World Series of Fighting, alongside UFC rape joke-castaway Miguel Torres and many more.


(“And that was the first time I went full stanky leg.”) 

For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction.

Newton’s third law of motion seems to apply to the world of kickboxing this week, as just a few days after it was announced that Swedish kickboxing legend Jorgen Kruth would be departing from the world of MMA, it has been reported that Dutch kickboxing powerhouse Tyrone Spong will be making the transition to it. Spong, who’s has hinted at a move to MMA for some time now, is best known for his battles with such legends of the sport as Peter Aerts, Ray Sefo, and Melvin Manhoef, and currently holds a 68-6-1 with 1 NC record to his credit.

While it was rumored that Spong would be making his debut under the Titan Fighting Championships banner, it appears that the heavyweight slugger will be debuting under upstart promotion World Series of Fighting, alongside UFC rape joke-castaway Miguel Torres and many more.

And standing across the cage from Spong will be none other than TUF 10 alum James “The Hammer” McSweeney, who has put together four straight wins in the Shamrock Events promotion and one straight win over knife wielding hoodlums of the greater Las Vegas area. McSweeney already has a fight scheduled for October 6th against the 10-11 Matti Makela, but barring any serious injuries, should be ready to compete on November 3rd against Spong. It’s a fight schedule that Bob Sapp could appreciate if he weren’t too busy hiding from the monster in his closet.

There is of course the possibility that McSweeney could pack his bags and move as far away from Spong as humanly possible once he takes a look at one of Spong’s highlight videos. Then again, Spong has been training with the Blackzilians for some time now, so he more than likely will show up ten to twenty pounds over the weight limit.

Who do you like for this one, Potato Nation? Will McSweeney take it to the ground like any sane man would, or will pride rear its ugly head once again?

–J. Jones

Video: American Kickboxing Academy Says No to B.J. Penn

B.J. Penn wanted to return to American Kickboxing Academy for a portion of his camp for his now-postponed fight against Rory MacDonald. After getting the go-ahead from AKA coach Javier Mendez, Penn’s plans were quickly shot down when Jon Fitch to…

B.J. Penn wanted to return to American Kickboxing Academy for a portion of his camp for his now-postponed fight against Rory MacDonald. After getting the go-ahead from AKA coach Javier Mendez, Penn’s plans were quickly shot down when Jon Fitch told Mendez he didn’t want any part of the idea. Fitch felt it was a […]