(Brandon Vera vs. Igor Subora. PRIDE…[*wipes away tear*]…neva die.)
ONE FC 23: Warrior’s Way just wrapped up in Pasay City, Philippines, featuring the promotional debuts of Brandon Vera and Roger Gracie, who were both victorious. Full results are below, and GIFs of the main card stoppages continue after the jump, via Zombie Prophet. As usual, brutal soccer kicks were involved.
– Bibiano Fernandes def. Dae Hwan Kim via submission (rear-naked choke), 1:16 of round 2
– Brandon Vera def. Igor Subora via KO (punch, soccer kicks), 3:54 of round 1
– Timofey Nastyukhin def. Eduard Folayang via KO (flying knee, soccer kicks), 3:11 of round 1
– Roger Gracie def. James McSweeney via TKO, 3:15 of round 3
– Kevin Belingon def. Koetsu Okazaki via unanimous decision
– Herbert Burns def. Honorio Banario via submission (rear-naked choke), 3:59 of round 1
– Jake Butler def. Sylvain Potard via unanimous decision
– Dejdamrong Sor Amnuaysirichoke def. Rene Catalan via KO (knee), 2:30 of round 1
– Ana Julaton def. Walaa Abas Mohamed Kamaly via unanimous decision
– Jujeath Nagaowa def. Tharoth Sam via TKO, 3:34 of round 2
(Bibiano Fernandes vs. Dae Hwan Kim)
(Brandon Vera vs. Igor Subora. PRIDE…[*wipes away tear*]…neva die.)
ONE FC 23: Warrior’s Way just wrapped up in Pasay City, Philippines, featuring the promotional debuts of Brandon Vera and Roger Gracie, who were both victorious. Full results are below, and GIFs of the main card stoppages continue after the jump, via Zombie Prophet. As usual, brutal soccer kicks were involved.
– Bibiano Fernandes def. Dae Hwan Kim via submission (rear-naked choke), 1:16 of round 2
– Brandon Vera def. Igor Subora via KO (punch, soccer kicks), 3:54 of round 1
– Timofey Nastyukhin def. Eduard Folayang via KO (flying knee, soccer kicks), 3:11 of round 1
– Roger Gracie def. James McSweeney via TKO (and possibly a busted right leg), 3:15 of round 3
– Kevin Belingon def. Koetsu Okazaki via unanimous decision
– Herbert Burns def. Honorio Banario via submission (rear-naked choke), 3:59 of round 1
– Jake Butler def. Sylvain Potard via unanimous decision
– Dejdamrong Sor Amnuaysirichoke def. Rene Catalan via KO (knee), 2:30 of round 1
– Ana Julaton def. Walaa Abas Mohamed Kamaly via unanimous decision
– Jujeath Nagaowa def. Tharoth Sam via TKO, 3:34 of round 2
There’s only one good reason to watch ONE FC events — the chance to see a knockout that would be totally illegal on this side of the Pacific. Today in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, ONE FC 21 gave us two knockouts by way of completely brutal soccer kicks. Above, Stephen Langdown straight-up murders Raymond Tan with knees to the head on the ground and a pair of point-blank soccer kicks. Warning: It’s ugly. Below, Anatpong Bunrad crumples Marc Marcellinus with a teep to the gut, then uses his head to score the go-ahead goal.
After the jump: Ev Ting finishes Edward Kelly with a gnarly head-kick of the normal, standing-up variety.
There’s only one good reason to watch ONE FC events — the chance to see a knockout that would be totally illegal on this side of the Pacific. Today in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, ONE FC 21 gave us two knockouts by way of completely brutal soccer kicks. Above, Stephen Langdown straight-up murders Raymond Tan with knees to the head on the ground and a pair of point-blank soccer kicks. Warning: It’s ugly. Below, Anatpong Bunrad crumples Marc Marcellinus with a teep to the gut, then uses his head to score the go-ahead goal.
After the jump: Ev Ting finishes Edward Kelly with a gnarly head-kick of the normal, standing-up variety.
Note:Ben Askren will be making his promotional debut in the main event of today’s OneFC card, which is still going on at the time of this writing. Askren is fighting a guy named Bakhtiyar Abbasov. We’ll update this post if anything GIF-worthy happens. UPDATE: Askren subbed that dude with an arm-triangle choke in the first round.
Note:Ben Askren will be making his promotional debut in the main event of today’s OneFC card, which is still going on at the time of this writing. Askren is fighting a guy named Bakhtiyar Abbasov. We’ll update this post if anything GIF-worthy happens. UPDATE: Askren subbed that dude with an arm-triangle choke in the first round.
Last Friday we (and the rest of the known cyber MMA world) complained about Singapore MMA promotion One FC botching an otherwise solid event in the Philippines with convoluted rules relating to kicks to the heads of downed opponents. Referees somehow had to give fighters “permission” in the moment to throw kicks to the heads of their fallen opponents.
Last Friday we (and the rest of the known cyber MMA world) complained about Singapore MMA promotion One FC botching an otherwise solid event in the Philippines with convoluted rules relating to kicks to the heads of downed opponents. Referees somehow had to give fighters “permission” in the moment to throw kicks to the heads of their fallen opponents.
While, grammatically, the announcement may still leave some uncertainty (are they adopting and implementing all of the rules last used by the now defunct Japanese MMA organization, Pride, or just the Pride rules pertaining to ‘soccer kicks?’ Also, we have to assume that they are referring to Pride rules used in Japan, not the adapted ones used by the organization in fights held in the United States) but it is probably safe to assume, at least, that One FC fighters will now be allowed to kick and knee the heads of their opponents on the feet and on the ground without fear of being penalized.
Last Friday, this writer said that what was needed from One FC was a simple, clear-cut decision to allow or not allow kicks and knees to the heads of downed opponents, not equivocation or delay. If they’ve done that, then it is a step in the right direction.
By the way, things sure do move fast without having to deal with athletic commissions to approve your organization’s rules, huh?
It’s a good thing the MMA world was so excited to see the fourth meeting of Tim Sylvia and Andrei Arlovski at One FC 5: Pride of a Nation today in the Philippines, because now it might just get a fifth. The two former UFC champions were set to clash Friday near the top of the Singapore-based organization’s card, and they did, but with an unsatisfying result for fighters and fans alike, thanks to One FC’s convoluted and dangerous rules regarding kicks to the head of downed opponents.
They are legal. Sort of.
Phil Baroni won his bout earlier in the evening after effectively using kicks to the head of his opponent Rodrigo Ribeiro. However, when Arlovski landed glancing kicks to the head of Sylvia after dropping him to the mat on all fours with a punch combination, the referee called the blows illegal and gave Sylvia time to recover. When Sylvia could not, the fight was ruled a no contest. You see, One FC allows kicks to the head of a downed opponent only after a fighter is given express, in-the-moment permission by the referee. What could possibly go wrong?
(Check out GIFs of the Baroni and Arlovski finishes — as well as full results from One FC 5 — at the bottom of this post.)
Besides giving referees a strange discretion that would seem to do nothing but open up new and exciting opportunities for oversight, slip ups, and corruption, such a rule necessarily stops the action in fights and gives fighters something else to think about other than the only two things they should be — attacking their opponent and defending themselves.
(Hey, this just means One FC will rake in big bucks for “Sylvia vs. Arlovski 5: Please, God, Make It Stop”)
It’s a good thing the MMA world was so excited to see the fourth meeting of Tim Sylvia and Andrei Arlovski at One FC 5: Pride of a Nation today in the Philippines, because now it might just get a fifth. The two former UFC champions were set to clash Friday near the top of the Singapore-based organization’s card, and they did, but with an unsatisfying result for fighters and fans alike, thanks to One FC’s convoluted and dangerous rules regarding kicks to the head of downed opponents.
They are legal. Sort of.
Phil Baroni won his bout earlier in the evening after effectively using kicks to the head of his opponent Rodrigo Ribeiro. However, when Arlovski landed glancing kicks to the head of Sylvia after dropping him to the mat on all fours with a punch combination, the referee called the blows illegal and gave Sylvia time to recover. When Sylvia could not, the fight was ruled a no contest. You see, One FC allows kicks to the head of a downed opponent only after a fighter is given express, in-the-moment permission by the referee. What could possibly go wrong?
(Check out GIFs of the Baroni and Arlovski finishes — as well as full results from One FC 5 — at the bottom of this post.)
Besides giving referees a strange discretion that would seem to do nothing but open up new and exciting opportunities for oversight, slip ups, and corruption, such a rule necessarily stops the action in fights and gives fighters something else to think about other than the only two things they should be — attacking their opponent and defending themselves.
Rules like this are also going to be needlessly open to uneven application and enforcement. For example, Baroni won his fight and didn’t appear to look for nor receive permission to kick the head of the dropped Ribeiro, prior to striking. Neither did Arlovski. But Baroni won, Ribeiro lost, and Arlovski walked away with a no-contest despite convincingly beating his rival.
One FC put together a solid card with some great mixed martial arts competitors for their fifth event. Unfortunately, what will be most remembered is how the organization’s confused and unorganized rules left their referees, athletes, and spectators confused as well.
We don’t need an accounting from the organization as to what rationale led to their strange rule-set. They simply need to recognize the damage that they have done and abandon them.
Allow kicks and knees to the head of downed opponents, or don’t. One FC has to choose.
“One FC 5: Pride of a Nation” results
– Bibiano Fernandes def. Gustavo Falciroli via unanimous decision
– Eduard Folayang def. Felipe Enomoto via unanimous decision
– Andrei Arlovski vs. Tim Sylvia ended in a no contest (illegal kicks)
– Eric Kelly def. Jens Pulver via TKO, 1:46 of round 2
– Rolles Gracie def. Tony Bonello via submission (rear-naked choke), 1:33 of round 3
– Jung Hwan Cha def. Igor Gracie via TKO, 1:03 of round 3
– Soo Chul Kim def. Kevin Belingon via unanimous decision
– Gregor Gracie def. Nicholas Mann via submission (armbar), 3:38 of round 1
– Phil Baroni def. Rodrigo Ribeiro via TKO, 1:00 of round 1
– Shannon Wiratchai def. Mitch Chilson via KO, 3:02 of round 2
– Honorio Banario def. Andrew Benibe via KO, 3:47 of round 3
