It’s pretty much a given at this point that cages are the far superior enclosure for most, if not all, combat sports. While it is true that the cage obscures the average spectator’s view a bit more, it also drastically reduces their chances of seeing two grown ass men crawl to the center of the canvas and reset a position after the ref is forced to call breaksies on account of the ropes (it’s MMA’s version of the “walk of shame,” really.). It also prevents the above from happening…unless you are James Irvin.
Our buddies over at KnockoutFootagedropped this gem on us earlier today. In it, you will find two kickboxers; one dons the yellow trunks, the other appears to be African American. Yellow trunks guy — who bears a striking resemblance to Michael Jeter — snatches up a devastating Thai clinch a la Silva vs. Jackson II and proceeds to knee his opponent’s personality through the back of his skull. Being that his opponent doesn’t posses Roy Nelson’s chin of Goron, he goes down. But instead of being cradled by the tender embrace of the cage, Firetrunks tumbles through the ropes and lands head first on the unforgiving concrete below.
There is only one comment currently posted on the video’s Youtube page. It reads, “And that kids, is why we have the octagon.” Fin.
It’s pretty much a given at this point that cages are the far superior enclosure for most, if not all, combat sports. While it is true that the cage obscures the average spectator’s view a bit more, it also drastically reduces their chances of seeing two grown ass men crawl to the center of the canvas and reset a position after the ref is forced to call breaksies on account of the ropes (it’s MMA’s version of the “walk of shame,” really.). It also prevents the above from happening…unless you are James Irvin.
Our buddies over at KnockoutFootagedropped this gem on us earlier today. In it, you will find two kickboxers; one dons the yellow trunks, the other appears to be African American. Yellow trunks guy — who bears a striking resemblance to Michael Jeter – snatches up a devastating Thai clinch a la Silva vs. Jackson II and proceeds to knee his opponent’s personality through the back of his skull. Being that his opponent doesn’t posses Roy Nelson’s chin of Goron, he goes down. But instead of being cradled by the tender embrace of the cage, Firetrunks tumbles through the ropes and lands head first on the unforgiving concrete below.
There is only one comment currently posted on the video’s Youtube page. It reads, “And that kids, is why we have the octagon.” Fin.
Picture it: Saitama, March 2013. Thirty-eight-year-old slugger Mark Hunt has improbably battled his way to a three-fight win streak in the UFC, and is booked to face Stefan Struve, who stands 14 inches taller than him, and is on an impressive four-fight victory run of his own.
The MMA Gods were angry that night, my friend. By the time that Hunt and Struve stepped into the cage, fans at the Saitama Super Arena had suffered through 24 consecutive rounds without a finish — eight straight decision fights, half of which were so close that the judges didn’t all agree on who had won. It would take a miracle to save this card. Or maybe, just a beefy Samoan who knew how to exploit Struve’s maddening inability to use his range.
Picture it: Saitama, March 2013. Thirty-eight-year-old slugger Mark Hunt has improbably battled his way to a three-fight win streak in the UFC, and is booked to face Stefan Struve, who stands 14 inches taller than him, and is on an impressive four-fight victory run of his own.
The MMA Gods were angry that night, my friend. By the time that Hunt and Struve stepped into the cage, fans at the Saitama Super Arena had suffered through 24 consecutive rounds without a finish — eight straight decision fights, half of which were so close that the judges didn’t all agree on who had won. It would take a miracle to save this card. Or maybe, just a beefy Samoan who knew how to exploit Struve’s maddening inability to use his range.
Hunt spent the first two rounds wearing Struve down — at times even out-grappling (!) the Dutch submission specialist — and was up two rounds to zip on the Official CagePotato Scorecard going into round three. Though both men were clearly fading in the final frame, Hunt was still able to throw heavy shots while Struve increasingly had trouble keeping his hands up. Over and over again, Struve allowed Hunt to walk into his range and throw bombs. An exchange of leather that began with Hunt on the retreat actually ended with Struve getting stunned, and Hunt waded forward for one final onslaught, shattering Struve’s jaw with a sledge-hammer left hook that put Skyscraper on his ass. Hunt walked off about five seconds before the fight was officially stopped. The power of suggestion, I guess. The knockout lifted the storm-clouds at the Super Arena, which allowed this to happen.
Hunt is now on a four-fight win streak, with three of those wins by KO/TKO, and will face former UFC heavyweight champ Junior Dos Santos in the co-main event of UFC 160 this Saturday. Will Hunt be able to pull off another dramatic upset? And considering that he was previously on a losing streak that lasted nearly five years before his current run of success, would a win against Dos Santos mark the greatest career comeback in MMA history?
This quick ‘n’ nasty video was taken two Saturdays ago at a regional Brazilian promotion called Hawk Fight Championship, and features a dude named Anderson “Adele” Ramos (seriously?) knocking out his opponent with the kind of high-altitude body-slam that you don’t usually see outside of a pro-wrestling match. Though the move looked eerily familiar, I wasn’t sure what to call it, so I asked our resident pro-wrestling historian Seth Falvo if he could lend some assistance. After doing a bit of YouTube research, he directed me to this video of a “Back Suplex Side Slam,” and further explained via e-mail:
“It turns out no one used it as a finisher/trademarked a name for it that I can tell. I checked Undertaker, Dr Death, Bam Bam, Backlund, Taz, Kane, DDP…fucking no one named it anything. Vince McMahon’s famous “Whattamaneuver!” is probably it’s unofficial name.”
This quick ‘n’ nasty video was taken two Saturdays ago at a regional Brazilian promotion called Hawk Fight Championship, and features a dude named Anderson “Adele” Ramos (seriously?) knocking out his opponent with the kind of high-altitude body-slam that you don’t usually see outside of a pro-wrestling match. Though the move looked eerily familiar, I wasn’t sure what to call it, so I asked our resident pro-wrestling historian Seth Falvo if he could lend some assistance. After doing a bit of YouTube research, he directed me to this video of a “Back Suplex Side Slam,” and further explained via e-mail:
“It turns out no one used it as a finisher/trademarked a name for it that I can tell. I checked Undertaker, Dr Death, Bam Bam, Backlund, Taz, Kane, DDP…fucking no one named it anything. Vince McMahon’s famous “Whattamaneuver!” is probably it’s unofficial name.”
And now, the moment you’ve all been waiting for — the public execution of our least favorite TUF 17 castmember. In case you missed last night’s episode of the show, Bubba McDaniel did everything he could to get out of the match. It had already been apparent that Bubba wasn’t mentally prepared to face Uriah Hall, and he also began complaining of exhaustion and pain in his back. Sadly, the doctor cleared Bubba to compete, and he became a quick meal for the show’s front-runner.
The nine-second knockout had onlookers speaking of Hall in lofty terms. “This guy is the nastiest guy in Ultimate Fighter history,” said UFC president Dana White. Chael Sonnen even called him a contender for the middleweight title. Hmm. That might be the case, but when Hall officially makes it to the UFC, he’ll eventually have to face guys who aren’t terrified of being in the cage with him.
Uriah will compete again in next week’s semifinals episode, where he’ll face Dylan Andrews, who TKO’d Luke Barnatt last week. On the other side of the bracket, 21-year-old prodigy Kelvin Gastelum will go heads-up against Josh Samman, who finished Jimmy Quinlan in last night’s episode. You can check out highlights from that scrap after the jump.
And now, the moment you’ve all been waiting for — the public execution of our least favorite TUF 17 castmember. In case you missed last night’s episode of the show, Bubba McDaniel did everything he could to get out of the match. It had already been apparent that Bubba wasn’t mentally prepared to face Uriah Hall, and he also began complaining of exhaustion and pain in his back. Sadly, the doctor cleared Bubba to compete, and he became a quick meal for the show’s front-runner.
The nine-second knockout had onlookers speaking of Hall in lofty terms. “This guy is the nastiest guy in Ultimate Fighter history,” said UFC president Dana White. Chael Sonnen even called him a contender for the middleweight title. Hmm. That might be the case, but when Hall officially makes it to the UFC, he’ll eventually have to face guys who aren’t terrified of being in the cage with him.
Uriah will compete again in next week’s semifinals episode, where he’ll face Dylan Andrews, who TKO’d Luke Barnatt last week. On the other side of the bracket, 21-year-old prodigy Kelvin Gastelum will go heads-up against Josh Samman, who finished Jimmy Quinlan in last night’s episode. You can check out highlights from that scrap after the jump.
As we enter the Final Four, Team Jones and Team Sonnen both have their #2 and #7 picks remaining…
Team Sonnen Luke Barnatt
Uriah Hall – semifinalist, defeated Adam Cella and Robert “Bubba” McDaniel Zak Cummings Tor Troeng Jimmy Quinlan Kevin Casey
Kelvin Gastelum – semifinalist, defeated Robert “Bubba” McDaniel and Collin Hart
Team Jones Clint Hester
Josh Samman — semifinalist, defeated Tor Troeng and Jimmy Quinlan Robert “Bubba” McDaniel Gilbert Smith Collin Hart Adam Cella
Dylan Andrews — semifinalist, defeated Zak Cummings and Luke Barnatt
The fact that we saw double KO’s twice already in March — this clean double-dinger and this epic stumble-fest — is a statistical anomaly on par with Wanderlei Silva winning by choke. And bizarrely enough, it almost happened again in a fight between Kerwin Sherrill and Derek Thompson at MCF6 in North Platte, Nebraska, on Saturday. This time, it seemed like the referee’s utter shock is the only thing that prevented him from stopping the fight an immediate no-contest/draw/whatever it is that happens when two guys dummy each other up at the same time.
Thompson went on to win the match, and likely claimed that he was “never really that hurt” in his post-fight interview.
The fact that we saw double KO’s twice already in March — this clean double-dinger and this epic stumble-fest — is a statistical anomaly on par with Wanderlei Silva winning by choke. And bizarrely enough, it almost happened again in a fight between Kerwin Sherrill and Derek Thompson at MCF6 in North Platte, Nebraska, on Saturday. This time, it seemed like the referee’s utter shock is the only thing that prevented him from stopping the fight an immediate no-contest/draw/whatever it is that happens when two guys dummy each other up at the same time.
Thompson went on to win the match, and likely claimed that he was “never really that hurt” in his post-fight interview.