Tag: WSOF

Josh Burkman, Ali Abdelaziz Detail Contractual Issues and Resolution

For a brief period of time on Thursday night, issues between Josh Burkman and his employers at World Series of Fighting seemed untenable.
Burkman expressed his disappointment with vague issues on Twitter, asking to be released from his contract. WSOF m…

For a brief period of time on Thursday night, issues between Josh Burkman and his employers at World Series of Fighting seemed untenable.

Burkman expressed his disappointment with vague issues on Twitter, asking to be released from his contract. WSOF matchmaker Ali Abdelaziz responded to Burkman via Twitter, saying the promotion had been good to Burkman and had bent over backward for him.

On Friday, World Series of Fighting executive Shawn Lampman called Bleacher Report from the promotion’s Las Vegas office. On the line with Lampman were both Burkman and Abdelaziz. Over the next 20 minutes, the trio shed some light on the roots of Burkman‘s frustration with the promotion.

Abdelaziz told Bleacher Report that his issues with Burkman had been resolved and that Burkman would face the winner of the title fight between Rousimar Palhares vs. Jon Fitch, which takes place this summer.

Burkman confirmed the news.

“We can get into this from time to time. Especially me and Ali, because it has happened multiple times,” Burkman said. “But once it’s resolved, it’s resolved and we move on. And I’m very happy that they made it right and that I’m next in line to fight Fitch or Palhares.”

Burkman told Bleacher Report that his issues with Abdelaziz and WSOF stemmed from his recent fight with Tyler Stinson. Burkman told Abdelaziz he wanted to fight on the card, but the promotion was already over its fighter-pay budget. Burkman insisted on fighting, however, and ultimately agreed to take lower pay than what his contract called for.

But though he agreed to take the pay cut, Burkman wasn’t happy. After he knocked Stinson out, Abdelaziz came in the cage.

“I love you, Ali, but I don’t like you,” Burkman told the matchmaker.

“That’s our relationship. I don’t think it’s going to change. I don’t think it’s the last run-in we’re going to have over contracts or fights,” Burkman said. “But at the same time, I appreciate the person that Ali is. Some things got blown out of proportion, and I didn’t want that to happen.

“I like Ali, but he’s kind of a pain in my ass sometimes. Which is kinda his job, right? What happens is that there are some changes and miscommunication in contracts, and I was unhappy about it. I should have voiced how I felt about it a little bit better, maybe before I fought Tyler Stinson. But I figured the time for me to voice my opinion was after I won. I probably should have done that before the fight instead of doing it after. We didn’t all see eye to eye on it, but we came to a common ground. I appreciate how this has been handled.”

Burkman said he was unhappy with his treatment after coming off a loss to Steve Carl last year.

“I didn’t really like how I was treated. But I think that’s how it is in our sport. When you win, everything goes smoothly. But when you lose, that changes,” Burkman said. “There was a little bit of miscommunication. I wasn’t real happy with the way it all went down.”

“World Series of Fighting is a new company. We’re about to announce a very big thing, and there are a lot of moving parts,” Lampman said. “There was just some lack of communication. I think Josh had a reason to be a little upset. But I talked to Josh and we figured it out.”

Lampman told Bleacher Report that the promotion on Friday paid Burkman the difference in what he should have contractually received for the fight.

“When a fighter is coming off a big win, they have an expectation. And I think sometimes things get lost in the shuffle. Not intentionally. I was talking to Josh, and I completely understood how he felt. On a couple of issues, we agreed to disagree, but we resolved it,” Lampman said. “I think now, as Ali said, we have the making of an epic fight. Either Fitch vs. Burkman 3, or a war with Palhares. And Josh has the tools to beat both of them. It’s an honor to have him in our company and as a friend.”

Abdelaziz addressed Burkman directly.

“Josh, listen, me and you are going to become best friends,” Abdelaziz said. “I’m going to come down there and maybe you can choke me a couple of times.”

Burkman and Abdelaziz both expressed some regret in the way the situation played out over Twitter, but both chalked it up to the often volatile nature of social media.

“I’m a very emotional guy, and I speak my mind very loud. And when I saw the tweet, I got a little bit hurt. I kinda feel bad about it, because everyone started talking about me and Josh,” Abdelaziz said. “And that’s what people want. They want drama. I think I should have texted him, and he should have texted me. Whatever happens, me and Josh respect each other because we always speak our mind. No regrets. That is part of life.”

Burkman agreed.

“I don’t have any regrets. I made sure I thought about what I was going to say, and that I knew what I was getting myself into. I never said anything derogatory about Ali. I just said that, yeah, he can be a pain in the ass to deal with. I never said anything about World Series of Fighting except that I was unhappy and that, contractually, something went wrong.

“Social media is something else. You say one or two things, and then people ask you questions. And then it turned into something very big. Which is why I posted that WSOF has been mostly good to me. The people involved there are good people. So I wasn’t trying to bash the WSOF in any way. I was just trying to get things fixed that I wanted to get fixed, and it has been done.”

When asked by a fan on Twitter if Burkman wanted to fight the winner of Palhares vs. Fitch for the championship, the fighter responded by saying he didn’t want the WSOF belt.

“Josh, let me ask you a question: Do you want that belt now?” Abdelaziz asked Burkman.

Burkman said he does, in fact, want the belt. 

“I definitely am very competitive. I think that comes out in the way I fight and negotiate. Now? I’m very interested in the Fitch vs. Palhares fight,” Burkman said. “And I’m very excited for the opportunity to fight the winner. I want to be the best in this organization, and you need the belt to do that.”

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

The Black Hat Fits: Rousimar Palhares vs. Jon Fitch Will Be Must-See TV for WSOF

Rousimar Palhares proved he’s still an elite welterweight on Saturday at World Series of Fighting 9, taking the company’s 170-pound title from no-name champion Steve Carl in 69 easy, breezy seconds.
The 34-year-old leg-lock specialist showe…

Rousimar Palhares proved he’s still an elite welterweight on Saturday at World Series of Fighting 9, taking the company’s 170-pound title from no-name champion Steve Carl in 69 easy, breezy seconds.

The 34-year-old leg-lock specialist showed he’s also still a lightning rod for controversy—both real and imagined—when referee Yves Lavigne needed two quick tugs to break the inverted heel hook that forced Carl to tap. Palhares turned the submission loose in a timely manner, but it still left Carl in a familiar pose for the Brazilian’s opponents: writhing on the mat holding his knee.

There was no real hullabaloo to be made here (even Carl immediately stood and limped over for a congratulatory hug), but MMA pundits beat the war drums a bit nonetheless. It has been a bit more than five months since Palhares was deemed too dangerous for the UFC, and it seems that reputation followed him across the aisle to WSOF.

His camp was quick to call shenanigans.

“Negative stuff always sells better than positive,” manager Alex Davis said, via MMA Junkie’s Ben Fowlkes. “People try to make him a villain because it sells. I’ve said this a thousand times. It gets hits on their sites.”

Silly indictments of the media aside, Davis is right about one thing. The process of being drummed out the Octagon and vilified as an unsportsmanlike, dirty fighter has unwittingly fashioned Palhares into one of MMA’s most must-see attractions.

In the coming months that infamy should serve both the fighter and his new promoters well.

They can publicly disparage it if they like, but privately they should be embracing it.

And really, they should be thanking their lucky stars.

Palhares is slated to defend his new championship against fellow UFC expatriate Jon Fitch this summer, and suddenly that fight shapes up as one true fans won’t want to miss. Everybody and anybody in the MMA community will be marking their calendars for Fitch vs. Toquinho for the same reason many of us tuned in to see the Carl fight this past weekend.

We want to see what Palhares will do next.

Fitch was dismissed from the UFC in February of 2013, most likely for commanding too high an asking price after going 1-2-1 in his last four appearances there. The 36-year-old American Kickboxing Academy product has long been maligned as boring and predictable but was a perennial title contender for much of his stint in the Octagon.

He’ll be a good first test for Palhares as WSOF champion. If the Team Nogueira wild man can dispatch Fitch with the same effortlessness we’ve seen in his first two appearances at the weight class, we’ll have no choice but to recognize him as one of the best welterweights in any organization.

If the mere presence of Palhares can make people honestly intrigued to tune in for a Fitch fight, well, that will be a major accomplishment in and of itself.

Palhares has always had the skills. Now he’s got the notoriety to go with them.

After going 7-4 in the UFC middleweight division from 2008-12, he dropped to welterweight in October of 2013 and established himself as an instant contender with a 31-second tapout of Mike Pierce.

Or at least he would have, if the end of the fight weren’t marred by his refusal to immediately break the hold when referee Keith Peterson intervened. It was far from Palhares’ first offense. He did the same thing against Tomasz Drwal at UFC 111 and had a couple of similar incidents earlier in his career.

After the episode with Pierce—who suffered a sprained MCL and a torn ligament in his ankle—UFC President Dana White dubbed it “really despicable” and banned Palhares (who had also tested positive for elevated levels of testosterone after a 2012 loss to Hector Lombard) from the company.

“He won’t be back,” White told MMA Fighting’s Ariel Helwani. “He can go fight with another organization. We don’t put up with that stuff here.”

And thus, in the weird, backward logic of the fight game, a star was born.

Palhares now occupies a strange and delightfully sordid position in MMA. He is regarded as among the most volatile and legitimately dangerous men in a sport full of them. As if professional cage fights needed added suspense, his bouts boast a titillating extra layer of unpredictability and menace.

Most fights end when a submission-hungry Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt gets a hold of his opponent’s legs. When Palhares is involved, that’s just when things get interesting.

His camp obviously thinks that’s unfair, but the truth is, his reputation has been well earned. What is more, it’s actually transformed him from being a bit-part player in the UFC into a marketable oddity on the independent scene.

Think of how unusual it is for a fighter to be released from the UFC under less-than-honorable circumstances and then go on to refashion himself into a bona fide draw in another organization. Now Palhares has pulled off that trick, adding himself to the very, very short list of interesting attractions in WSOF.

His fight with Fitch may well end up on the company’s July card, alongside Justin Gaethje’s lightweight title defense against Nick Newell and the return of Tyrone Spong. That would likely make WSOF 11 far and away the promotion’s most appealing and best-rated event to date.

If Palhares winds up on the marquee as one of the show’s biggest drawing cards, it won’t be in spite of his bad reputation, but precisely because of it.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

Rousimar Palhares: Oh, What Might Have Been in the UFC

Oh, what might have been.
On a spring night in Nevada, Rousimar Palhares latched onto the leg of World Series of Fighting welterweight champion Steve Carl, heel hooking his way to victory in 69 seconds to become champion himself.
Few men are able to wi…

Oh, what might have been.

On a spring night in Nevada, Rousimar Palhares latched onto the leg of World Series of Fighting welterweight champion Steve Carl, heel hooking his way to victory in 69 seconds to become champion himself.

Few men are able to withstand Palhares‘ unconventional approach to combat, and Carl was no different.

Palhares, something of an enigma and long embattled for his continuous injuring of opponents in MMA and grappling matches, arrived at the top of the heap in a welterweight division. Unfortunately, it’s one where Steve Carl was the champion. It’s one no one who isn’t a hardcore fan would even see. It’s one that’s probably well beneath his considerable ability.

You see, the fine line of success for Palhares is one he’s blurred repeatedly. His leglocks are nightmare fuel for opponents, either because they’re nearly undefendable and will result in a loss without room for second chances, or because if he gets one in place it’s highly likely that he’ll let go when he’s good and ready—not when an official intervenes.

He’s left many a victim in his wake, a collection of guys hobbled because they didn’t tap fast enough, or because Palhares elected to hold on for a while after they did. It’s that attitude that cost him what could have been a real run in the UFC.

The world’s biggest promotion was his home for 12 fights between 2008 and 2013, 11 of which took place at middleweight. The stocky Palhares, nicknamed Toquinho for his likeness to a Brazilian tree stump, went 8-4 there in an almost comically kill-or-be-killed run: get a leg, finish the fight in seconds. Don’t, and get KO’d almost as quickly.

But it was his last fight—made so by a repeat offense of injuring an opponent seemingly on purpose—that raised eyebrows. Debuting at welterweight, he demolished the criminally underrated Mike Pierce in 31 seconds, snapping on a leglock and easily procuring a tap. And then another. And then another.

After the event, he was released from the UFC for ignoring those taps, a gesture that left Pierce hobbled. Despite some pleading and some contrition that certainly seemed genuine, he accepted his jettison to the nether realm and signed with WSOF.

Still, fans were left to wonder: If he did that to someone as well-respected as Pierce, what could he have done with more time in the UFC? Especially now, with no GSP and a bunch of closely clustered contenders jockeying for position?

It’s hard to say but fun to think about. With the division wide open and another year to get the weight cut down, Palhares might have fought one or two times since his last UFC appearance in 2013 and been in the title mix now.

Who wouldn’t want to see him against Demian Maia or Jake Shields? Or against Nick Diaz or Robbie Lawler? Or even someone ranked a little lower, like Tarec Saffiedine or Gunnar Nelson?

Not to say he’d beat those guys, but wouldn’t it be fun to watch? The frantic race of Palhares trying to lunge on a leg and break it off (maybe literally), while better proper mixed martial artists try to fend off the most abstract attack in the game long enough to impose their will?

There’s no telling if it would be competitive, but it would damn sure be entertaining. And, that’s just as big a part of MMA as anything else.

Palhares is no martyr. He did some dumb stuff—repeatedly—and he’s paying the price with his ban from the biggest promotion in town. He’s landed on his feet by becoming a WSOF champion, but it’s hard not to wonder what might have been had the most intriguing part of his UFC run not been cut short so quickly.

What might have been, indeed.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

Why “Going Out on Your Shield” Is the Most Toxic Part of MMA Culture


(Photo via WSOF)

By Matt Saccaro

Rousimar Palhares and Yushin Okami were the stars at last night’s World Series of Fighting 9. Both fighters crushed their respective cans, and got write-ups on MMA sites across the web because their “UFC veteran” status makes them more page view friendly.

While fans and pundits are lost in circular debates about Palhares’ leg lock ethics, the sport is missing out on something more serious that happened at WSOF 9: Marlon Moraes vs. Josh Rettinghouse.

This fight was a horrifically one-sided mismatch. Rettinghouse couldn’t compete with Moraes in any area of MMA. As the bout dragged on, Moraes’ leg kicks started to take their toll. Rettinghouse was reduced to hobbling and then Nick Serra-level buttscooting. Rettinghouse had little to no chance of victory by the time the “championship rounds” started. The media knew it. The referee knew it. Rettinghouse’s corner likely knew it as well. The fight went the full five rounds, but it was over long before the judges submitted scorecards. It shouldn’t have made it that far. It should’ve been stopped.

Unfortunately for Rettinghouse’s legs, such behavior is an anathema to MMA culture. MMA, the ultimate dude-bro sport, values a glamorized Spartan ethos that never considers the results of its “come back with your shield—or on it,” mantra. Fans, fighters, coaches, and everyone in between agree almost unanimously that getting knocked out is better than quitting on your stool between rounds, and that (s)napping is better than tapping. It’s better to let a fighter “go out on their shield” than stop a fight too early, robbing the winner of undisputed victory and the loser of honor in defeat.


(Photo via WSOF)

By Matt Saccaro

Rousimar Palhares and Yushin Okami were the stars at last night’s World Series of Fighting 9. Both fighters crushed their respective cans, and got write-ups on MMA sites across the web because their “UFC veteran” status makes them more page view friendly.

While fans and pundits are lost in circular debates about Palhares’ leg lock ethics, the sport is missing out on something more serious that happened at WSOF 9: Marlon Moraes vs. Josh Rettinghouse.

This fight was a horrifically one-sided mismatch. Rettinghouse couldn’t compete with Moraes in any area of MMA. As the bout dragged on, Moraes’ leg kicks started to take their toll. Rettinghouse was reduced to hobbling and then Nick Serra-level buttscooting. Rettinghouse had little to no chance of victory by the time the “championship rounds” started. The media knew it. The referee knew it. Rettinghouse’s corner likely knew it as well. Nevertheless, the fight went the full five rounds. It shouldn’t have made it that far. It should’ve been stopped.

Unfortunately for Rettinghouse’s legs, such behavior is an anathema to MMA culture. MMA, the ultimate dude-bro sport, values a glamorized Spartan ethos that never considers the consequences of its “come back with your shield—or on it,” mantra. Fans, fighters, coaches, and everyone in between agree almost unanimously that getting knocked out is better than quitting on your stool between rounds, and that (s)napping is better than tapping. It’s better to let a fighter “go out on their shield” than stop a fight too early, robbing the winner of undisputed victory and the loser of honor in defeat. Josh Barnett once admitted that he’d rather die than let a fight end prematurely.

One could argue that such behavior is admirable, necessary, and worthwhile on the sport’s grandest stages. At the highest level of any physically taxing sport, sacrifices must be made.  However, this attitude trickles down to the lower-levels, which is exceedingly dangerous for younger and less experienced fighters.

During the Moraes-Rettinghouse match, Bloody Elbow staff writer Zane Simon joked that there was “nothing like potentially destroying your career for a regional MMA title.” He was right, and CagePotato’s own George Shunick echoed this sentiment. The fight was no such thing; it was a beat down that the referee or Rettinghouse’s own corner should have ended. Rettinghouse gained nothing by continuing, and risked everything. We like to tout MMA’s safety, conveniently forgetting this sport can be lethal. Fortunately, Rettinghouse wasn’t in severe danger as it was only his legs that were being tenderized. But seeing a fighter continue despite being concussed (“rocked”) multiple times is common. We praise these fighters as modern-day warriors and worship their toughness. We deride those who realize fleeting glory isn’t worth forgetting your child’s name a few decades from now as cowards who don’t belong in the cage. We beg corners, referees, and doctors not to stop fights.  Let them go out on their shield.

There is no honor in being knocked senseless or in not tapping. Bold displays of bravado demonstrate the innate foolishness of MMA’s culture, not mental and physical fortitude; we believe it’s better to prove toughness and risk permanent injury rather than concede defeat and convey weakness. Renzo Gracie ascended into legend when he let Kazushi Sakuraba snap his arm, but Chris Leben received no such praise for electing to avoid further head trauma and physical abuse against Uriah Hall at UFC 168.

MMA needs more behavior like Leben’s. The sport needs to dispel its culture of prizing punishment above precaution. Fighters have more courage than sense, and if we’re going to discourage cornermen, officials, and doctors from doing their jobs, we might as well take MMA back into the 1990′s.

The Good, Bad and Strange from World Series of Fighting 9

When Rousimar Palhares’ name is on the card, anything can happen. And it usually does.
The powerful Brazilian grappling ace rose to prominence as one of the most feared submission fighters in the middleweight ranks, and he has carried that mystique wit…

When Rousimar Palhares’ name is on the card, anything can happen. And it usually does.

The powerful Brazilian grappling ace rose to prominence as one of the most feared submission fighters in the middleweight ranks, and he has carried that mystique with him into welterweight waters since his transition into the weight class in 2013.

“Toquinho’s” ability to end a fight with a leglock is well-known, but his inconsistency when it comes to letting go of those submissions has brought on trouble for the Team Nogueira fighter.

The 34-year-old veteran was released from the UFC when he held a fight-ending heel hook he had locked on Mike Pierce well past the moment when the fighter tapped out. The incident added another strange chapter to the Brazilian’s career, and on Saturday night, he was hoping to get things back on track when he made his promotional debut at WSOF 9.

The task he would face under in his new organization was to derail welterweight champion Steve Carl, who became the inaugural champion in his previous outing. The two fighters squared off in the main event at WSOF 9, and Palhares wasted no time in adding another leglock submission to his collection and a new world title to put around his waist.

Carl tried to start things off with a haymaker, but Palhares put him on his back as soon as the action got under way. After playing in Carl’s closed guard for a minute, Palhares dropped back and latched onto the champion’s heel. While Carl attempted to spin out of the hold, the Brazilian locked on the inverted heel hook, and the fight ended shortly thereafter.

While the co-main event featured two of the more established names under the WSOF banner, the bout put the spotlight on one of the fastest-rising bantamweight stars on the MMA landscape in Marlon Moraes. The 25-year-old Brazilian locked up with Josh Rettinghouse to determine the first 135-pound champion for WSOF, and a barrage of leg kicks sealed the deal for Moraes.

Moraes spent the entire fight chopping away at the lead leg of Rettinghouse until his opponent submitted. He made it a long night for his opponent. In victory, Moraes takes home the WSOF bantamweight title and Rettinghouse’s left leg for his mantle.

 

The Good

After being banned from the UFC for refusing to let go of a submission hold he had locked on Mike Pierce, Palhares needed a special performance on Saturday night to regain some of the shine to his name.

The Brazilian leglock ace brought his suspect reputation into his promotional debut at WSOF 9 and made quick work out of welterweight champion Steve Carl in the process.

“Toquinho” landed a takedown in the opening seconds of the fight and then waited patiently for his opportunity to grab hold of one of Carl’s legs. Once the opportunity presented itself, Palhares locked on and forced Carl to tap in rapid fashion.

With the victory, he becomes the champion of what is arguably WSOF’s deepest division. He will face former perennial UFC contender Jon Fitch later this year in what will be an interesting stylistic matchup between two of the top grapplers in the welterweight ranks. 

The majority of recognizable names on the WSOF roster originally made their bones in other promotions, but bantamweight Marlon Moraes has the potential to be the organization’s first homegrown star.

The 25-year-old Brazilian has been lights-out since signing with WSOF in 2012. He was undefeated under the promotional banner coming into his title bout with Rettinghouse on Saturday night.

While the bout ultimately went the distance, it was as one-sided as it gets, as Moraes brutalized his opponent’s lead leg with monster kicks early and often. Rettinghouse may have survived the entire 25 minutes, but that is all he did in the fight.

With the victory, Moraes has now been successful for seven consecutive showings, including all five of his outings for WSOF. He is quickly picking up steam as he’s becoming recognized as one of the best bantamweight fighters on the planet. He will likely hold the 135-pound gold for WSOF for quite some time. 

It doesn’t matter which promotion he’s fighting for, Yushin Okami is absolutely one of the best middleweight fighters in the world.

MMA fans were shocked when “Thunder” was released by the UFC last year after a loss to Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza broke up a three-fight winning streak. Nevertheless, the 32-year-old Japanese fighter was released from his Zuffa contract, and WSOF swooped in to scoop him up.

The savvy veteran made his promotional debut on Saturday night and mopped up fellow newcomer Svetlozar Savov in the process. After hammering Savov from the top mount for the entire first round, Okami continued to drop punishment on the Bulgarian before finishing the fight via arm-triangle choke midway through the second round.

With the victory, Okami has now been successful in four of his last five showings and will be a front-runner to get a shot at the WSOF middleweight title. Where he was the “Samurai Guardian” to the 185-pound crown under the UFC banner, he could have a long reign as the middleweight king of WSOF.

Josh Burkman has been experiencing a career resurgence under the WSOF banner. “The People’s Warrior” floated around the MMA landscape for several years, fighting for numerous promotions before landing with the Las Vegas-based organization in 2012.

After finding victory in his first three showings for WSOF, the 33-year-old Utah-based fighter came up short against Carl back in October, and that brought an end to a five-fight winning streak.

He was looking to get things rolling again on Saturday night, and he did so by blistering Tyler Stinson with a smashing right hand in the first round.

Burkman put Stinson on the canvas with a haymaker and then sent his opponent’s eyes rolling back in his head with an uppercut to finish things off. While Stinson is far from the biggest name in the welterweight ranks, Burkman’s victory will keep him in the WSOF title hunt as a major player at 170 pounds.

 

The Bad

While the fights taking place inside the cage are ultimately the entertainment for MMA fans to consume, the team calling the action cageside is a huge part of the presentation. In other words, the men who are making the call are a crucial part of the show. Unfortunately, Todd Harris and Bas Rutten just aren’t getting the job done for WSOF.

The team has put on some lackluster showings in the past, but their call on Saturday night was nothing short of awful. While Rutten’s experience is legendary, his inconsistency on the mic is tough to deal with. In some fights, he pays attention; in others, he simply doesn’t. That can’t happen if WSOF wants to be taken seriously. The sad thing is, that is far from the worst part.

Despite Harris having years of experience doing his job, he continues to botch things in a major way when calling WSOF shows. In addition to flubbing several live calls during the broadcast, he continuously put forth factually incorrect information.

Fans watching the show learn about fighters from what the commentary team adds to the broadcast, and Harris is apparently pulling the information he uses from outer space.

If Ray Sefo wants to keep his promotion on the upswing, a total reconstruction of the commentary team is in order.

While Harris pulled enough gaffs to fill up this category on his own, referee Jason Herzog earned a mention for the way he handled the co-main event between Moraes and Rettinghouse. By the end of the third round, the Brazilian wrecking machine had smashed Rettinghouse’s lead leg to bits to the point where he was dropping to the canvas with every kick that was thrown.

Fighter safety is the key reason for the referee being inside the cage, and with Rettinghouse obviously injured, Herzog needed to step in and end the fight.

Fighters by their very nature are too tough for their own good, and it is the referee’s responsibility to protect fighters from themselves. But as Rettinghouse repeatedly winced, limped, dropped and hobbled around the cage, Herzog stood by and allowed the fight to continue.

It was a bad look from Herzog, who is typically a solid third man in the cage on most nights.

 

The Strange

Gift giveaways in the world of MMA are nothing new, but no organization does it more strangely than WSOF.

The promotion created one of the most awkward moments in recent history last year when Joey Varner attempted to present knockout machine Tyrone Spong with a Boost Mobile phone he had won. The “King of the Ring” had just finished adding another victim to his growing list, and Varner did his best to get Spong to care about the Boost Mobile phone.

Spong looked at Varner and then at the phone for a moment—and then confusion reigned supreme.

While there was no Boost Mobile incident on Saturday night, WSOF sponsor Shout 2 Win’s attempt to give away a Ducati motorcycle was nearly as strange. During the live television broadcast, the CEO of Shout joined Varner on camera to talk about the contest that was under way, and after a rough minute of explanation, nothing was made clear.

Maybe the motorcycle would be won by a fighter? Maybe the motorcycle would be won by a fan in attendance or at home? The only thing made clear was that someone would be winning the spectacular piece of machinery…well, maybe.

Of course, the only thing that could make that situation more curious would be Harris chiming in, which he absolutely did, only serving to make the moment more “sideshow” than it already was.

In the description of the contest, they never once mentioned where the winner would be announced. Would it be on the broadcast or online? Who knows, and that lack of clarity qualifies the contest for this particular category.

Another element of the show that could have been cast into the “bad” category was the WSOF 9 card matchmaking.

The promotion has catered to the bigger names on the roster with squash matches at previous events, and that trend didn’t necessarily stop on Saturday night. That said, this aspect of the event wasn’t nearly as bad as it had been at recent shows, as former UFC middleweight title challenger Yushin Okami was the only high-profile fighter to have an unknown opponent.

It is understandable that the young promotion’s lack of depth would create these situations, but the window of allowance for such things is coming to a close. WSOF has now instituted a belt system to crown champions, and the weight classes are filling out nicely.

In order to keep things moving in the right direction going forward, Ray Sefo and Ali Abdel-Aziz need to match their stars up with opponents who either make sense or carry equal status in the fight game.

 

Duane Finley is a Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

The Good, Bad and Strange from World Series of Fighting 9

When Rousimar Palhares’ name is on the card, anything can happen. And it usually does.
The powerful Brazilian grappling ace rose to prominence as one of the most feared submission fighters in the middleweight ranks, and he has carried that mystique wit…

When Rousimar Palhares’ name is on the card, anything can happen. And it usually does.

The powerful Brazilian grappling ace rose to prominence as one of the most feared submission fighters in the middleweight ranks, and he has carried that mystique with him into welterweight waters since his transition into the weight class in 2013.

“Toquinho’s” ability to end a fight with a leglock is well-known, but his inconsistency when it comes to letting go of those submissions has brought on trouble for the Team Nogueira fighter.

The 34-year-old veteran was released from the UFC when he held a fight-ending heel hook he had locked on Mike Pierce well past the moment when the fighter tapped out. The incident added another strange chapter to the Brazilian’s career, and on Saturday night, he was hoping to get things back on track when he made his promotional debut at WSOF 9.

The task he would face under in his new organization was to derail welterweight champion Steve Carl, who became the inaugural champion in his previous outing. The two fighters squared off in the main event at WSOF 9, and Palhares wasted no time in adding another leglock submission to his collection and a new world title to put around his waist.

Carl tried to start things off with a haymaker, but Palhares put him on his back as soon as the action got under way. After playing in Carl’s closed guard for a minute, Palhares dropped back and latched onto the champion’s heel. While Carl attempted to spin out of the hold, the Brazilian locked on the inverted heel hook, and the fight ended shortly thereafter.

While the co-main event featured two of the more established names under the WSOF banner, the bout put the spotlight on one of the fastest-rising bantamweight stars on the MMA landscape in Marlon Moraes. The 25-year-old Brazilian locked up with Josh Rettinghouse to determine the first 135-pound champion for WSOF, and a barrage of leg kicks sealed the deal for Moraes.

Moraes spent the entire fight chopping away at the lead leg of Rettinghouse until his opponent submitted. He made it a long night for his opponent. In victory, Moraes takes home the WSOF bantamweight title and Rettinghouse’s left leg for his mantle.

 

The Good

After being banned from the UFC for refusing to let go of a submission hold he had locked on Mike Pierce, Palhares needed a special performance on Saturday night to regain some of the shine to his name.

The Brazilian leglock ace brought his suspect reputation into his promotional debut at WSOF 9 and made quick work out of welterweight champion Steve Carl in the process.

“Toquinho” landed a takedown in the opening seconds of the fight and then waited patiently for his opportunity to grab hold of one of Carl’s legs. Once the opportunity presented itself, Palhares locked on and forced Carl to tap in rapid fashion.

With the victory, he becomes the champion of what is arguably WSOF’s deepest division. He will face former perennial UFC contender Jon Fitch later this year in what will be an interesting stylistic matchup between two of the top grapplers in the welterweight ranks. 

The majority of recognizable names on the WSOF roster originally made their bones in other promotions, but bantamweight Marlon Moraes has the potential to be the organization’s first homegrown star.

The 25-year-old Brazilian has been lights-out since signing with WSOF in 2012. He was undefeated under the promotional banner coming into his title bout with Rettinghouse on Saturday night.

While the bout ultimately went the distance, it was as one-sided as it gets, as Moraes brutalized his opponent’s lead leg with monster kicks early and often. Rettinghouse may have survived the entire 25 minutes, but that is all he did in the fight.

With the victory, Moraes has now been successful for seven consecutive showings, including all five of his outings for WSOF. He is quickly picking up steam as he’s becoming recognized as one of the best bantamweight fighters on the planet. He will likely hold the 135-pound gold for WSOF for quite some time. 

It doesn’t matter which promotion he’s fighting for, Yushin Okami is absolutely one of the best middleweight fighters in the world.

MMA fans were shocked when “Thunder” was released by the UFC last year after a loss to Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza broke up a three-fight winning streak. Nevertheless, the 32-year-old Japanese fighter was released from his Zuffa contract, and WSOF swooped in to scoop him up.

The savvy veteran made his promotional debut on Saturday night and mopped up fellow newcomer Svetlozar Savov in the process. After hammering Savov from the top mount for the entire first round, Okami continued to drop punishment on the Bulgarian before finishing the fight via arm-triangle choke midway through the second round.

With the victory, Okami has now been successful in four of his last five showings and will be a front-runner to get a shot at the WSOF middleweight title. Where he was the “Samurai Guardian” to the 185-pound crown under the UFC banner, he could have a long reign as the middleweight king of WSOF.

Josh Burkman has been experiencing a career resurgence under the WSOF banner. “The People’s Warrior” floated around the MMA landscape for several years, fighting for numerous promotions before landing with the Las Vegas-based organization in 2012.

After finding victory in his first three showings for WSOF, the 33-year-old Utah-based fighter came up short against Carl back in October, and that brought an end to a five-fight winning streak.

He was looking to get things rolling again on Saturday night, and he did so by blistering Tyler Stinson with a smashing right hand in the first round.

Burkman put Stinson on the canvas with a haymaker and then sent his opponent’s eyes rolling back in his head with an uppercut to finish things off. While Stinson is far from the biggest name in the welterweight ranks, Burkman’s victory will keep him in the WSOF title hunt as a major player at 170 pounds.

 

The Bad

While the fights taking place inside the cage are ultimately the entertainment for MMA fans to consume, the team calling the action cageside is a huge part of the presentation. In other words, the men who are making the call are a crucial part of the show. Unfortunately, Todd Harris and Bas Rutten just aren’t getting the job done for WSOF.

The team has put on some lackluster showings in the past, but their call on Saturday night was nothing short of awful. While Rutten’s experience is legendary, his inconsistency on the mic is tough to deal with. In some fights, he pays attention; in others, he simply doesn’t. That can’t happen if WSOF wants to be taken seriously. The sad thing is, that is far from the worst part.

Despite Harris having years of experience doing his job, he continues to botch things in a major way when calling WSOF shows. In addition to flubbing several live calls during the broadcast, he continuously put forth factually incorrect information.

Fans watching the show learn about fighters from what the commentary team adds to the broadcast, and Harris is apparently pulling the information he uses from outer space.

If Ray Sefo wants to keep his promotion on the upswing, a total reconstruction of the commentary team is in order.

While Harris pulled enough gaffs to fill up this category on his own, referee Jason Herzog earned a mention for the way he handled the co-main event between Moraes and Rettinghouse. By the end of the third round, the Brazilian wrecking machine had smashed Rettinghouse’s lead leg to bits to the point where he was dropping to the canvas with every kick that was thrown.

Fighter safety is the key reason for the referee being inside the cage, and with Rettinghouse obviously injured, Herzog needed to step in and end the fight.

Fighters by their very nature are too tough for their own good, and it is the referee’s responsibility to protect fighters from themselves. But as Rettinghouse repeatedly winced, limped, dropped and hobbled around the cage, Herzog stood by and allowed the fight to continue.

It was a bad look from Herzog, who is typically a solid third man in the cage on most nights.

 

The Strange

Gift giveaways in the world of MMA are nothing new, but no organization does it more strangely than WSOF.

The promotion created one of the most awkward moments in recent history last year when Joey Varner attempted to present knockout machine Tyrone Spong with a Boost Mobile phone he had won. The “King of the Ring” had just finished adding another victim to his growing list, and Varner did his best to get Spong to care about the Boost Mobile phone.

Spong looked at Varner and then at the phone for a moment—and then confusion reigned supreme.

While there was no Boost Mobile incident on Saturday night, WSOF sponsor Shout 2 Win’s attempt to give away a Ducati motorcycle was nearly as strange. During the live television broadcast, the CEO of Shout joined Varner on camera to talk about the contest that was under way, and after a rough minute of explanation, nothing was made clear.

Maybe the motorcycle would be won by a fighter? Maybe the motorcycle would be won by a fan in attendance or at home? The only thing made clear was that someone would be winning the spectacular piece of machinery…well, maybe.

Of course, the only thing that could make that situation more curious would be Harris chiming in, which he absolutely did, only serving to make the moment more “sideshow” than it already was.

In the description of the contest, they never once mentioned where the winner would be announced. Would it be on the broadcast or online? Who knows, and that lack of clarity qualifies the contest for this particular category.

Another element of the show that could have been cast into the “bad” category was the WSOF 9 card matchmaking.

The promotion has catered to the bigger names on the roster with squash matches at previous events, and that trend didn’t necessarily stop on Saturday night. That said, this aspect of the event wasn’t nearly as bad as it had been at recent shows, as former UFC middleweight title challenger Yushin Okami was the only high-profile fighter to have an unknown opponent.

It is understandable that the young promotion’s lack of depth would create these situations, but the window of allowance for such things is coming to a close. WSOF has now instituted a belt system to crown champions, and the weight classes are filling out nicely.

In order to keep things moving in the right direction going forward, Ray Sefo and Ali Abdel-Aziz need to match their stars up with opponents who either make sense or carry equal status in the fight game.

 

Duane Finley is a Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report.

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