MMA: Inside the Cage #132 — “100 Knockouts Strike Back!” [VIDEO]

Regardless of how you feel about Casey “Glorious Ball Tickler of Absolute Douchiness” Oxendine, it’s hard to deny that he and co-host Cyrus Fees are doing a fantastic job bringing mainstream audiences the best in small promotion fight news over at MMA: Inside the Cage. Specifically, bringing us knockout videos from local promotions spanning across damn near every continent on this planet (for some reason, Antarctica’s Igloo Fighting Championship has yet to truly take off). While these knockouts are often sporadically placed throughout each episode, every now and again we are treated to an entire episode devoted to the knockout videos fans of the show have sent in from around the world.

So to honor Inside the Cage’s third collection of 100 epic knockouts, we’ve thrown the full video of episode #132 above for you to enjoy. Featuring more falling tree, lawn chair, and King slow-Mo knockouts than you can shake a stick at, episode #132 is destined to reside in the bowels of MMA culture until at least Wednesday, so check it out and let us know which knockout you think took the cake.

J. Jones

Regardless of how you feel about Casey “Glorious Ball Tickler of Absolute Douchiness” Oxendine, it’s hard to deny that he and co-host Cyrus Fees are doing a fantastic job bringing mainstream audiences the best in small promotion fight news over at MMA: Inside the Cage. Specifically, bringing us knockout videos from local promotions spanning across damn near every continent on this planet (for some reason, Antarctica’s Igloo Fighting Championship has yet to truly take off). While these knockouts are often sporadically placed throughout each episode, every now and again we are treated to an entire episode devoted to the knockout videos fans of the show have sent in from around the world.

So to honor Inside the Cage’s third collection of 100 epic knockouts, we’ve thrown the full video of episode #132 above for you to enjoy. Featuring more falling tree, lawn chair, and King slow-Mo knockouts than you can shake a stick at, episode #132 is destined to reside in the bowels of MMA culture until at least Wednesday, so check it out and let us know which knockout you think took the cake.

J. Jones

Bellator 90 Recap: ‘King Mo’ Dethroned Via Spinning Backfist, Ben Saunders Adds Head Kick KO to Highlight Reel

(The Emanuel Newton vs. King Mo spinning-backfist falling-tree knockout, via RockOwnsPunk.)

When you’re watching a Bellator event, you can only hope that a memorable finish or two will make up for the general lack of star power compared to those other guys. And oh man, did last night’s Bellator 90 event in West Valley City, Utah, deliver the goods, with all four fights on the Spike TV main card ending within the first two rounds, and three more stoppages featured on the prelims.

But the card’s generous helping of violence was a mixed blessing, since the list of victims included Bellator’s light-heavyweight marquee attraction, and their marketable featherweight inspirational figure. If you didn’t tune in last night, here’s what you missed:

Season 8 Welterweight Semi-Finals: Ben Saunders faced Raul Amaya for the second time in his Bellator stint, and while Killa B completely dominated their first meeting en route to a unanimous decision win, he didn’t even let Amaya out of the first round this time. Amaya was aggressive from the opening bell, but wasn’t able to find his range against the lanky Saunders, who landed counter-punches and body-kicks at will, before putting Amaya’s lights out with a left high kick. (GIF here, via ZombieProphet/BloodyElbow)

The fight on the other side of the 170-bracket was just as quick and one-sided. Douglas Lima didn’t give Bryan Baker a chance to get in the fight, abusing Baker’s legs with low kicks for a couple minutes, then firing a devastating right hand that crumpled “The Beast” to the mat. Lima will now face Saunders in the Season 8 Welterweight Tournament Final at Bellator 93, in a rematch of their Season 5 Welterweight Tournament Final in November 2011, which Lima won by knockout.


(The Emanuel Newton vs. King Mo spinning-backfist falling-tree knockout, via RockOwnsPunk.)

When you’re watching a Bellator event, you can only hope that a memorable finish or two will make up for the general lack of star power compared to those other guys. And oh man, did last night’s Bellator 90 event in West Valley City, Utah, deliver the goods, with all four fights on the Spike TV main card ending within the first two rounds, and three more stoppages featured on the prelims.

But the card’s generous helping of violence was a mixed blessing, since the list of victims included Bellator’s light-heavyweight marquee attraction, and their marketable featherweight inspirational figure. If you didn’t tune in last night, here’s what you missed:

Season 8 Welterweight Semi-Finals: Ben Saunders faced Raul Amaya for the second time in his Bellator stint, and while Killa B completely dominated their first meeting en route to a unanimous decision win, he didn’t even let Amaya out of the first round this time. Amaya was aggressive from the opening bell, but wasn’t able to find his range against the lanky Saunders, who landed counter-punches and body-kicks at will, before putting Amaya’s lights out with a left high kick. (GIF here, via ZombieProphet/BloodyElbow)

The fight on the other side of the 170-bracket was just as quick and one-sided. Douglas Lima didn’t give Bryan Baker a chance to get in the fight, abusing Baker’s legs with low kicks for a couple minutes, then firing a devastating right hand that crumpled “The Beast” to the mat. Lima will now face Saunders in the Season 8 Welterweight Tournament Final at Bellator 93, in a rematch of their Season 5 Welterweight Tournament Final in November 2011, which Lima won by knockout.

Season 8 Light-Heavyweight Semi-Finals: The Spike card led off with a 205-pound match between Mikhail Zayats and Jacob Noe, who you may remember as the guys who beat Renato Sobral and Seth Petruzelli at Bellator 85. Zayats took control from the very beginning, flooring Noe with a right hand and establishing top position on the mat. After some ground-and-pound, Zayats established mount and methodically set up an armbar, cranking it for the tap.

You’d think that Zayats would now be set up for high-profile meeting with Muhammad Lawal in the tournament finals, but Emanuel Newton went and screwed those plans up later in the evening. Unlike Przemyslaw “The Inanimate Object” Mysiala, Newton wasn’t afraid to stand toe-to-toe with Mo; Lawal’s shots might have been cleaner during their striking exchanges, but Newton was getting his licks in and making it a battle. But that battle didn’t last long. Halfway through the opening round, Newton whiffed so hard on an overhand right that he found himself with his back turned to Mo. So he figured, hey, why not throw a completely-blind spinning backfist? And because the MMA Gods have a sadistic sense of humor when it comes to fight promotions putting all their eggs into a single fighter’s basket, that spinning backfist landed across Lawal’s jaw, sending the King into a slow-motion tailspin. And so, it’ll be Newton vs. Zayats for all the marbles. How do you like that.

Season 7 Featherweight Tournament Final: The fight between Rad Martinez and Shahbulat Shamhalaev was originally supposed to go down in December, but Shamhalaev had to bow out at the last minute due to food poisoning. Shamhalaev was in fine form last night, punching Martinez to the mat in the first round, and nailing him with leg kicks. Martinez’s best moment came as he scored a takedown to stifle Shamhalaev’s momentum near the end of the round. Once the fighters were re-started for round two, it was all Shamhalaev, who dinged Martinez with unanswered power punches that staggered the Utah native, then smashed him with an overhand right that effectively ended the match — GIF here, via ZombieProphet/BloodyElbow — punching his ticket to a future title shot against Pat Curran.

Full Bellator 90 results are below.

Main Card
– Shahbulat Shamhalaev def. Rad Martinez via KO, 2:12 of round 2 *
– Emanuel Newton def. Muhammed Lawal via KO (spinning backfist), 2:35 of round 1 **
– Douglas Lima def. Bryan Baker via KO, 2:34 of round 1 ***
– Mikhail Zayats def. Jacob Noe via submission (armbar), 3:38 of round 1 **

Preliminary Card
– Ben Saunders def. Raul Amaya via KO (head kick), 2:56 of round 1 ***
– Travis Marx def. Chase Beebe via unanimous decision (30-27 x 3)
– Jesse Juarez def. Jordan Smith via split-decision (29-28, 28-29, 30-27)
– Sean Powers def. David Allred via submission (rear-naked choke), 2:10 of round 3
– Lionel Lanham def. Joe Rodriguez via KO, 0:49 of round 1

* Season 7 Featherweight Tournament Final
** Season 8 Light-Heavyweight Tournament Semi-Final
*** Season 8 Welterweight Tournament Semi-Final

Spend Your Snow Day Watching These Awesome Knockout Videos From Around the Web

(TURN DOWN YOUR SPEAKERS. YOU WILL THANK US.) 

Right now, the East Coast has basically been shut down by Snowstorm Nemo, a frigid, unrelenting bastard of a blizzard that has cast the majority of our coastal cities into a state of chaos. The streets of Boston, for instance, are either gridlocked beyond the point of visibility, or conversely barren, save the ever-increasing presence of snow. It’s the kind of storm that makes you feel like using hyperbole when attempting to describe it, and if you’re an MMA fan, it’s also the kind of storm that makes you want to cancel all your plans and surf the web for knockout videos while drinking yourself into an early grave.

Luckily for you, I’ve already done all three of those things for you, starting with the above video of the Collin Reuter/Gerald Fike fight that went down at SAARFC II on February 1st. The fight has gained some notoriety around the web over the past week, not for ending with a spectacular technique ala Uriah Hall, but rather for the manner in which Fike collapsed to the canvas once he was knocked out. Not since the unconscious masturbater have I seen such a hilariously brutal reaction to a KO as Fike, who appears to mimic one of the Golden Arches before crashing head over heels into the fence.

Here at CagePotato, we’ve been responsible for trademarking such unique knockouts as “The Falling Tree” and “The Lawn Chair,” but this one had even us at odds when it came to deciding upon a name. “The Slinky,” “The Reverse Cowgirl,” and “The Gumby” were among our top choices, but we’ll leave it up to you Taters to decide. Just this once, we ask that you don’t make us regret our decision. Just. This. Once.

And if you think that KO was great, join us after the jump to check out a couple more…


(TURN DOWN YOUR SPEAKERS. YOU WILL THANK US.) 

Right now, the East Coast has basically been shut down by Snowstorm Nemo, a frigid, unrelenting bastard of a blizzard that has cast the majority of our coastal cities into a state of chaos. The streets of Boston, for instance, are either gridlocked beyond the point of visibility, or conversely barren, save the ever-increasing presence of snow. It’s the kind of storm that makes you feel like using hyperbole when attempting to describe it, and if you’re an MMA fan, it’s also the kind of storm that makes you want to cancel all your plans and surf the web for knockout videos while drinking yourself into an early grave.

Luckily for you, I’ve already done all three of those things for you, starting with the above video of the Collin Reuter/Gerald Fike fight that went down at SAARFC II on February 1st. The fight has gained some notoriety around the web over the past week, not for ending with a spectacular technique ala Uriah Hall, but rather for the manner in which Fike collapsed to the canvas once he was knocked out. Not since the unconscious masturbater have I seen such a hilariously brutal reaction to a KO as Fike, who appears to mimic one of the Golden Arches before crashing head over heels into the fence.

Here at CagePotato, we’ve been responsible for trademarking such unique knockouts as “The Falling Tree” and “The Lawn Chair,” but this one had even us at odds when it came to deciding upon a name. “The Slinky,” “The Reverse Cowgirl,” and “The Gumby” were among our top choices, but we’ll leave it up to you Taters to decide. Just this once, we ask that you don’t make us regret our decision. Just. This. Once.

And if you think that KO was great, check out a couple more below…

Props to our buddies over at MiddleEasy for this video, which showcases a Scottish Muay Thai match between senior citizens that ends with the same thing that everything else involving senior citizens ends with, sleep.

And finally, two Polish guys walk into an MMA ring. They both lose.

Fin.

J. Jones

Bellator 88 Results & Videos: Shlemenko Knocks Out Falcao to Win Middleweight Title, Mike Richman Scores Another Head-Kick KO

(The Shlemenko vs. Falcao stoppage)

Last night’s Bellator middleweight title fight between ever-twirling Russian Alexander Shlemenko and hard-sluggin’ Brazilian Maiquel Falcao didn’t disappoint. After an evenly-pitched first round that featured both men making statements with their striking — and Falcao mixing in a couple takedowns — Shlemenko focused his attacks on the body in round 2, hurting Falcao with a liver punch then dropping him with a short right hand. Shlemenko fired down a few more body shots from above before KO’ing Falcao with a precision head-shot. Shlemenko earns the vacant middleweight title in impressive fashion, and will now take a break until the Season 8 middleweight tournament produces his first challenger.

Also on the Bellator 88 card, the featherweight tournament quarterfinals were highlighted by returning contender Mike Richman, who scored his third knockout under the Bellator banner with a head-kick-and-punches stoppage of Mitch Jackson — pretty much the same thing he did to Jeremy Spoon last October, only this time with Dan Miragliotta doing his lovable late-stoppage thing. You can watch the Richman/Jackson KO after the jump, along with five more stoppages from the event. Full results are below.

Main Card
– Alexander Shlemenko def. Maiquel Falcao via KO, 2:18 of round 2
– Marlon Sandro def. Akop Stepanyan via majority decision (28-28, 29-27, 29-27) – Stepanyan was docked a point in round 2 for fence-grabbing
– Mike Richman def. Mitch Jackson via TKO (head-kick and punches), 4:57 of round 1
– Alexandre Bezerra def. Genair Da Silva via submission (armbar), 1:40 of round 1

Preliminary Card
– Frodo Khasbulaev def. Fabricio Guerreiro via submission (arm triangle), 1:15 of round 2
– George Hickman def. Stephen Upchurch via submission (rear-naked choke), 2:19 of round 1
– Clay Harvison def. Ururahy Rodrigues via KO, 3:34 of round 3
– Ronnie Rogers def. Shane Crenshaw via unanimous decision (29-28 x3)
– Joe Elmore def. Jerrid Burke via KO, 4:11 of round 2


(The Shlemenko vs. Falcao stoppage)

Last night’s Bellator middleweight title fight between ever-twirling Russian Alexander Shlemenko and hard-sluggin’ Brazilian Maiquel Falcao didn’t disappoint. After an evenly-pitched first round that featured both men making statements with their striking — and Falcao mixing in a couple takedowns — Shlemenko focused his attacks on the body in round 2, hurting Falcao with a liver punch then dropping him with a short right hand. Shlemenko fired down a few more body shots from above before KO’ing Falcao with a precision head-shot. Shlemenko earns the vacant middleweight title in impressive fashion, and will now take a break until the Season 8 middleweight tournament produces his first challenger.

Also on the Bellator 88 card, the featherweight tournament quarterfinals were highlighted by returning contender Mike Richman, who scored his third knockout under the Bellator banner with a head-kick-and-punches stoppage of Mitch Jackson — pretty much the same thing he did to Jeremy Spoon last October, only this time with Dan Miragliotta doing his lovable late-stoppage thing. You can watch the Richman/Jackson KO after the jump, along with five more stoppages from the event. Full results are below.

Main Card
– Alexander Shlemenko def. Maiquel Falcao via KO, 2:18 of round 2
– Marlon Sandro def. Akop Stepanyan via majority decision (28-28, 29-27, 29-27) – Stepanyan was docked a point in round 2 for fence-grabbing
– Mike Richman def. Mitch Jackson via TKO (head-kick and punches), 4:57 of round 1
– Alexandre Bezerra def. Genair Da Silva via submission (armbar), 1:40 of round 1

Preliminary Card
– Frodo Khasbulaev def. Fabricio Guerreiro via submission (arm triangle), 1:15 of round 2
– George Hickman def. Stephen Upchurch via submission (rear-naked choke), 2:19 of round 1
– Clay Harvison def. Ururahy Rodrigues via KO, 3:34 of round 3
– Ronnie Rogers def. Shane Crenshaw via unanimous decision (29-28 x3)
– Joe Elmore def. Jerrid Burke via KO, 4:11 of round 2


(Mike Richman vs. Mitch Jackson)


(Alexandre Bezerra vs. Genair Da Silva)


(Frodo Khasbulaev vs. Fabricio Guerreiro)


(George Hickman vs. Stephen Upchurch)


(Clay Harvison vs. Ururahy Rodrigues)


(Joe Elmore vs. Jerrid Burke)

And Here’s That Insane Spinning-Back-Kick KO From Last Night’s Episode of TUF… [VIDEO]

(Props: TheUltimateFighterFX)

The UFC was so damn proud of the Edson Barboza-esque knockout that Uriah Hall laid on Adam Cella during last night’s episode of TUF, that they actually made it available on YouTube along with some extended aftermath footage. And come to think of it, I can’t think of a knockout from the show’s history that was more impressive — or more brutal — than this one, especially considering how long Cella was unconscious. Cella did in fact go to the hospital for a CAT scan when he woke up, but it looks like the black dude in the ambulance that they kept showing in promos was footage from a different fight. (Could be the next one, actually.)

Hall’s win makes him an iron-clad front-runner for the $25,000 Knockout of the Season prize, and puts Team Sonnen up 2-0 in the preliminary round. A couple other notable moments from episode 3…


(Props: TheUltimateFighterFX)

The UFC was so damn proud of the Edson Barboza-esque knockout that Uriah Hall laid on Adam Cella during last night’s episode of TUF, that they actually made it available on YouTube along with some extended aftermath footage. And come to think of it, I can’t think of a knockout from the show’s history that was more impressive — or more brutal — than this one, especially considering how long Cella was unconscious. Cella did in fact go to the hospital for a CAT scan when he woke up, but it looks like the black dude in the ambulance that they kept showing in promos was footage from a different fight. (Could be the next one, actually.)

Hall’s win makes him an iron-clad front-runner for the $25,000 Knockout of the Season prize, and puts Team Sonnen up 2-0 in the preliminary round. A couple other notable moments from episode 3…

– While hanging out at the house, Hall makes reference to the fact that Tor Troeng is a “professional cooker.” Josh Samman points out that the actual term for that is “chef.” Hall feels belittled in the exchange, and vows to go after Samman next. It’s such a thin line between life and death.

– Even before the Hall vs. Cella fight happens, Team Sonnen decides that they’re sending in their #6 pick Kevin Casey to fight next. Bubba McDaniel continues to lobby for a fight against Casey, and is once again overlooked, as Team Sonnen selects Casey vs. Collin Hart for next week’s matchup. At this point, it seems like Team Sonnen is intentionally keeping McDaniel on ice just to mess with his head — and it’s definitely working.

Team Sonnen
Luke Barnatt – quarterfinalist, defeated Gilbert Smith
Uriah Hall – quarterfinalist, defeated Adam Cella
Zak Cummings
Tor Troeng
Jimmy Quinlan
Kevin Casey
Kelvin Gastelum

Team Jones
Clint Hester
Josh Samman
Robert “Bubba” McDaniel
Gilbert Smith
Collin Hart
Adam Cella
Dylan Andrews

Rustam Khabilov Really Loves to Knock People Out With Suplexes [VIDEO]

(Props: Kalle Uusitalo via the UG)

Rustam Khabilov‘s UFC debut at the TUF 16 Finale resulted in a first-round knockout of Vinc Pichel; the fight was finished by the last of three suplexes. (Somewhere in Coldwater, Michigan, Dan Severn sheds a single tear.) But as rare as suplex-KOs are in this sport, it wasn’t the first time that the Russian lightweight has pulled it off.

On August 16, 2009, Khabilov faced Akin Duran at an M-1 Challenge event in the Netherlands. The fight lasted all of 28 seconds. Watch as Khabilov takes the center of the ring, corrals Duran into a corner, clinches, then drops Duran directly onto his head with a belly-to-belly suplex, knocking him out immediately. Duran never fought again.

As for Khabilov, he joined Greg Jackson’s team about two years ago, built his record to 14-1, then pulled off one of the most impressive Octagon debuts since these guys. Any ideas on who he should fight next?


(Props: Kalle Uusitalo via the UG)

Rustam Khabilov‘s UFC debut at the TUF 16 Finale resulted in a first-round knockout of Vinc Pichel; the fight was finished by the last of three suplexes. (Somewhere in Coldwater, Michigan, Dan Severn sheds a single tear.) But as rare as suplex-KOs are in this sport, it wasn’t the first time that the Russian lightweight has pulled it off.

On August 16, 2009, Khabilov faced Akin Duran at an M-1 Challenge event in the Netherlands. The fight lasted all of 28 seconds. Watch as Khabilov takes the center of the ring, corrals Duran into a corner, clinches, then drops Duran directly onto his head with a belly-to-belly suplex, knocking him out immediately. Duran never fought again.

As for Khabilov, he joined Greg Jackson’s team about two years ago, built his record to 14-1, then pulled off one of the most impressive Octagon debuts since these guys. Any ideas on who he should fight next?