DREAM 8 Welterweight Grand Prix 1st Round
(4/5/09) – Nagoya, Japan (Nippon Gaishi Hall)
Top lightweight Shinya Aoki is moving up in weight tonight to take part in the Welterweight Grand Prix. He will try to avenge a previous loss tonight against Hayato Sakurai. The Featherweight tournament will also be continued tonight. We will also see 5 non-tournament fights featuring the likes of Jeff Monson, Ninja Rua, and Ikuhisa Minowa. There will be 11 fights tonight. The announcers are Kenny Rice and Bas Rutten.
Just a reminder that in DREAM they fight 2 rounds. The first round is 10 minutes and the second is 5 minutes. The fights are not judged by the round but rather on the entire fight.
Katsuyori Shibata (2-6-1) vs. Ikuhisa “Minowaman” Minowa (41-29-8)
Shibata is a former New Japan Professional Wrestler. His won/loss record is a little deceiving because he has fought way above his level of talent and experience in several recent fights as he has lost to Hayato Sakurai, Yoshihiro Akiyama and Mayhem Miller in recent DREAM fights. He is winless in his last 7 fights after starting his MMA career 2-0. Minowa defeated Errol Zimmerman in his last fight on New Years Eve. Minowa has career losses to the likes of Wanderlei Silva, Rampage Jackson, Kazushi Sakuraba, Paulo Filho and Evan Tanner.
R1- Minowa got two take downs in the first round and he leg lock submission attempt but Shibata reversed the submission attempt for one of his own. Minowa controlled the majority of this round and is in firm control of this fight.
R2- Both fighters received a yellow card at the two minute mark of this fight as Minowa was in Shibata’s guard after a take down but neither guy was doing much. Shibata landed some good knees and strikes in the middle of this round. Shibata took Minowa’s back and peppered him with strikes but Minowa rolled over and took Minowa’s guard. Shibata hit a nice belly to back suplex in the closing seconds and took Minowa down again. Shibata might have stole this fight as he dominated the last 3 minutes after Minowa hit the cardio wall.
And all the judges score the fight in favor of Shibata. Huge win for him as it breaks his losing streak and gives him a taste of victory.
Winner: Katsuyori Shibata by Decision (Unanimous)
Middleweight Fight- Shungo Oyama (7-11) vs. Andrews Nakahara (1-1)
Oyama is a judo fighter that holds victories over Carlos Newton, Renzo Gracie and Rodrigo Gracie. He has lost to the likes of Wanderlei Silva, Dan Henderson, Mirko Cro Cop and Melvin Manhoef (twice). Oyama has lost 8 times by submission. Nakahara comes out to Eminem’s “Lose Yourself.” Nakahara lost his pro debut against Kazushi Sakuraba but won his second fight.
R1- Nakahara looked good early with leg kicks. Oyama went after some leg locks but couldn’t get any and got caught by TKO a couple of minutes into the fight. Good showing by Nakahara. Nakahara hit Oyama with a good punch as he was getting up from an attempted take down and then jumped on top to finish him off.
Winner: Andrews Nakahara by TKO (Strikes) R1
Lightweight Fight- Katsuhiko Nagata (4-4-1) vs. Vitor Ribeiro (19-2)
Nagata is on a 3 fight losing streak and has tough losses to Caol Uno, Shinya Aoki and Yoshihiro Akiyama. Nagata was also in the Lightweight Grand Prix and won his first round fight against Artur Umakhanov by Unanimous Decision but got matched up against Aoki in the 2nd round and got submitted. Ribeiro has not fought since Sept 2007 due to a detached retina he got in a loss to JZ Calvacante. Ribeiro has career victories over Joachim Hansen (current DREAM Lightweight Champ), Mitsuhiro Ishida and Tatsuya Kawajiri. His only losses are to JZ and Kawajiri. Nagata is a wrestler and Ribeiro is a BJJ fighter.
R1- This fight was all Ribeiro as he slowly moved into position with his BJJ and then opened up a large cut on the head of Nagata for the ref stoppage.
Ribeiro looks like a good addition to the already stacked DREAM Lightweight division.
Winner: Vitor Ribeiro by TKO (Ref Stoppage ) R1
Murilo “Ninja” Rua (16-9-1) vs. Riki Fukuda (13-4)
Looks like they are fighting at a catchweight of 195. Rua most recently has competed in Elite XC but was not offered a contract by Strikeforce after losing to Benji Radach in his last Elite XC fight. Fukuda is a Muay Thai fighter and a wrestler. Ninja is a BJJ/Muay Thai fighter.
R1- Ninja gets a take down reversed about 3 minutes in and Fukuda gets some good shots in before they get back to their feet. Fukuda hits some nice shots on their feet and Ninja is visibly hurt but is holding on. Ninja went for a triangle and then a leg lock but couldn’t lock in either submission. Ninja gets Fukuda’s back briefly and gets enough shots in to bloody Fukuda. Ninja came on strong in the second half of the first round and has the advantage going into the second round.
R2- Not a great second round as both guys are really tried. Fukuda comes on strong in the last minute and hits some nice strikes. This is going to be a toss-up for the judges.
Fukuda wins a unanimous decision.
Winner: Riki Fukuda by Decision (Unanimous)
Heavyweight Fight- Jeff Monson (19-8) vs. Sergei Kharitonov (16-3)
Monson has won his last 5 fights and this is his 3rd fight in 3 weeks. Kharitonov has finished 15 of his 16 wins by KO or submission. He has wins over Alistair Overeem, Pedro Rizzo and Fabricio Werdum. Kharitonov has been training with Overeem lately. He has also has a 5” height and 14 pound weight advantage in this fight.
R1- Monson got Kharitonov down and was able to get a guillotine type move from the north/south position and made quick work of Kharitonov. Really good showing by Monson.
Winner: Jeff Monson by Submission (North-South Choke) R1 1:42
Featherweight Grand Prix First Round Fight- Daiki Hata (10-5-3) vs. Hideo Tokoro (21-15-1)
Daiki is 3-0-1 in his last 4 fights. He has split two fights with Yoshiro Maeda. Tokoro won on the DREAM 4 show by decision over Darren Uyenoyama and also beat Takeshi Yamazaki by decision on the DREAM 5 show.
R1- These guys took a while to get going but really went at each other during the middle of this round with both guys getting in some decent shots. Daiki came on strong at the end of the round and got some good punches in that floored Tokoro but he couldn’t finish him off.
R2- This was a close fight but I think Daiki is going to take this as I think he took the first round and stayed in a dominant position for the majority of the second round.
Winner: Daiki Hata by Decision (Unanimous)
Welterweight Grand Prix First Round Fight- John Alessio (24-12) vs. Andre Galvao (2-0)
Alessio trains at Xtreme Couture and Mac Danzig is in his corner for the fight. Alessio has wins over Thomas Denny and Pete Spratt and has tough losses to Diego Sanchez, Thiago Alves and Carlos Condit. He lost his last fight to Paul Daley by TKO in the 2nd round back in December of 2008. Galvo is a BJJ World Champion and trains Wanderlei Silva in jiu jitsu but this is only his third fight.
R1- Galvao took Alessio’s back and got in some knees to the back of his thighs and then took the fight to the ground. Galvao lands some good hammer punches to the side of Alessio’s head as he has him clamped in with a body triangle. Galvao went for an arm bar and Alessio did a good job stopping it for a while but then Alessio flipped over and Galvao clamped it in. Really impressive showing for Galvao.
Winner: Andre Galvao by Submission (Arm Bar) R1 7:34
Welterweight Grand Prix First Round Fight- Marius Zaromskis (8-2) vs. Seichi Ikemoto (18-14-5)
Marius comes out dressed in a pink wig and is dressed like the video game character Akuma. Both of Maruis’s losses are against Che Mills (who lost in the first round of this current season’s TUF to James Wilks). Ikemoto is undefeated in his last 5 fights and is the DEEP Welterweight Champion. Ikemoto has losses in his career to Yves Edwards, Eddie Alvarez and Shinya Aoki. Marius is a kick boxer and Ikemoto is a freestyle fighter.
R1- This was a competitive back and forth first round. Marius started to land some good shots towards the end of the round.
R2- Marius tried a back flip to land on top of Ikemoto and was denied but got a good pop from the crowd. This was another close round but Marius closed the fight very strong and I think that will put him over the top.
Winner: Marius Zaromskis by Decision (Unanimous)
Welterweight Grand Prix First Round Fight- Jason High (6-1) vs. Yuya Shirai (15-7)
High is coming off of his first career loss, which came to Jay Hieron by first round KO at the January Affliction show. Shirai is a Judo Fighter and High is a wrestler from the University of Nebraska.
R1- High immediately comes out and floors Shirai with a punch and then jumps on top and gets a Rear Naked Choke and the ref has to step in as Shirai will not tap but does pass out. Very impressive performance by High.
Winner: Jason High by Submission (Rear Naked Choke) R1 0:59
Welterweight Grand Prix First Round Fight- Shinya Aoki (20-3) vs. Hayato Sakurai (34-8-2)
Shinya Aoki moves up in weight from Lightweight for this fight. Aoki is one of the top Lightweight fighters in the world and is the current WAMMA Lightweight champion having defeated Eddie Alvarez for the vacant title. Aoki was 5-1 with 1 No Contest in 2008 and holds wins over Alvarez, Joachim Hansen, JZ Cavalcante and Caol Uno. Aoki’s losses have come to Hansen, Jutaro Nakao and Hayato Sakurai. Sakurai is a former Shooto Middleweight Champion who started his career 18-0-2. He has career wins over Caol Uno, Frank Trigg, Dave Menne, Aoki, Jens Pulver and Joachim Hansen. He has lost to Anderson Silva, Matt Hughes, Jake Shields, Ryo Chonan and Takanori Gomi. Aoki has a 4” height advantage but Sakurai has a 5 pound weight advantage so Sakurai is the much more solid Welterweight in this fight. Aoki is a jiu jitsu and judo fighter who likes to clamp onto his opponent like a leach. Sakurai is a Judo and Shooto fighter.
R1- Sakurai came out and went for the home run knockout but missed and Aoki clamped onto him. Sakurai powers him over and destroys Aoki with some knees and then punches. Aoki just got punked. Kawajiri is in the crowd and gives two thumbs up.
Winner: Hayato Sakurai by TKO (Knees and Punches) R1 0:27
I thought the Welterweight fights were fun. Sakurai and High just destroyed their opponents. Galvao looked very strong and Zaromskis had a good fight. Vitor Ribeiro was also very impressive in non-tournament action. Overall, this was a good show.
Here is a look at what is coming up for DREAM:
OLYMPIA DREAM.9 Featherweight Grand Prix 2nd Round (5/26/09)
Featherweight Grand Prix 2nd Round: Norifumi Yamamoto vs. Joe Warren
Gesias Cavalcante vs. Tatsuya Kawajiri
DREAM Middleweight Championship: Ronaldo Souza vs. Jason Miller
Gegard Mousasi vs. Paulo Filho
Featherweight Grand Prix 2nd Round: Masakazu Imanari vs. Bibiano Fernandes
Featherweight Grand Prix 2nd Round: Yoshiro Maeda vs. Hiroyuki Takaya
Featherweight Grand Prix 2nd Round: Abel Cullum vs. Hideo Tokoro
Mirko Filipović vs. TBA
OLYMPIA DREAM.10 Welterweight Grand Prix Final Round (7/20/09)
Welterweight Grand Prix Finals: André Galvão/Jason High vs. Hayato Sakurai/Marius Zaromskis
DREAM Lightweight Championship: Joachim Hansen vs. Shinya Aoki
Kazushi Sakuraba vs. TBA
Welterweight Grand Prix Semifinals: Hayato Sakurai vs. Marius Zaromskis
Welterweight Grand Prix Semifinals: André Galvão vs. Jason High
Showing posts with label Ninja Rua. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Ninja Rua. Show all posts
Saturday, May 02, 2009
Tuesday, October 07, 2008
Elite XC Saturday Night Fights 10/4/08 Re-Cap
Elite XC Saturday Night Fights 10/4/08
They start off the show announcing that Ken Shamrock has sustained a cut and had to get stitches right above his eye and he will not be able to fight Kimbo Slice tonight. Seth Pettruzelli of UFC and TUF fame will take his place. Gus Johnson interviews Shamrock and then they speak ringside to the doctor that made the decision to not allow him to fight.
Card for tonight is:
-Kevin "Kimbo Slice" Ferguson vs. Seth Petruzelli
-Jake Shields vs. Paul Daley
-Andrei Arlovski vs. Roy Nelson
-Gina Carano vs. Kelly Kobald
-Benji Radach vs. Murilo "Ninja" Rua
Looks like a pretty decent card as we’ve got some pretty decent fighters like Shields, Arlovski and Rua to watch tonight. They talk about the Elite XC/Affliction relationship, which is the reason for the Arlovski/Nelson fight and they also talk about Fedor. Cristiane "Cyborg" Santos is on the under card and rumor has it that we will get highlights of that fight on tonight’s show time permitting. Edson Berto is also on the under card. I wish they would have done a pre-CBS Showtime card so I could see his fight. He doesn’t have the best record but he’s real fun to watch.
The announcers tonight, as usual, are Gus Johnson, Mauro Ranallo and Frank Shamrock. Gus is great. Jimmy Lennon Jr is the ring announcer. They are running the show in Florida so Kimbo should draw in a good crowd tonight.
Middleweight Fight- Ninja Rua (16-8-1) vs. Benji Radach (18-4)
Radach has 14 knockouts in his 18 wins. Rua was the Middleweight Champ for Elite XC before dropping the belt to Robbie Lawler.
R1- Radach lands some shots early and then gets Ninja down on his knees and looked like he had a chance to put him away. Ninja gets back to his feet and pushes forward and shoves Benji down. Radach lands a big punch and follows with another lesser punch. Radach is a free swinger and he’s taking it to Ninja early. Ninja landed a shot but then came in unprotected and Benji knocked him back against the cage. Ninja is hurt. Benji is hitting him up against the cage. Both guys went down at the same time, I think Benji hit Ninja with a punch but then slipped. Benji tries to take Ninja’s back but Ninja instead gets the advantage and lands a couple of shots and then they go back to their feet and they are clinched. Ninja is getting some of his bearings back but is face is beaten up pretty good. Ninja with a knee and follows with a punch. Benji takes Ninja down but Ninja grabs an arm but then releases it. Ninja is active on the bottom as Benji is in his guard, but it’s a loose guard. Ninja goes for a heel hook. Benji spins out and regains a dominant position. Ninja grabs a guillotine but Benji again gets out. Ninja grabs a heel hook but Benji fights out. Ninja now has Benji up against the cage. Ninja ends the round in a dominant position. Really good first round and a great way for Elite XC to come out swinging on this show. Radach takes the first round 10-9 but Ninja regained his barring and made the fight close towards the end of the round as he had a bunch of submission attempts.
R2- Ninja comes out as the aggressor in this round and hits a couple of knees. Ninja walking down Benji and in control but comes in and eats a big straight right hand that rocks him but he remains on his feet. Ninja clinches against the cage but Benji denies the take down. Benji caught Ninja with a punch as he was coming in and Ninja slipped going for a knee and Benji immediately hit Ninja right square in the face several times and the fight is stopped.
Great fight for Benji. Ninja showed a pretty good chin as he took a bunch of strong shots but he just had really poor defense tonight and Benji picked his shots well and gets a really good victory for him and puts him in line for a shot at Middleweight Champ Robbie Lawler.
Winner: Benji Radach by TKO R2 2:31
Karyn Bryant interviews Gina Carano. They discuss her issues making weight for the fight.
Woman’s 140lb Fight- Gina Carano (6-0) vs. Kelly Kobald (16-2-1)
They show Cyborg watching at ringside and say that she won her fight earlier and they put her over. These will be 3 minute rounds.
R1- Carano lands a good shot right at the beginning. Kobald goes for a take down, the announcers say that Kobold doesn’t want to stand up with Carano. They battle against the cage for a while with Kobold trying to get the take down. Carano gets out and lands some shots. Kobold swinging wildly in defense. Carano landing better punches and landing knees. Kobold goes for another take down and they clinch against the cage. Shamrock notes that Kobold’s nose is busted open and they unclinch and you can see it now. They both swing at each other to close the round. Carano takes this round 10-9.
R2- Carano hits a good punch early and clinches Kobald but Kobald holds on. Kobald goes for another take down. Kobald lands a good punch but Carano answers. Kobald goes for another take down but is denied again. Carano is hitting some shots now and is starting to pick Kobald apart. Kobald finally gets a take down at the end of the round and lands a couple of shots. This was a much closer round but I’m not sure that I would give it to Kobald as I had Carano winning it pretty well up until the take down with 10 seconds left. I’ve got Carano 20-18.
R3- Kobald comes right across the ring at Carano trying for another take down. Gina still defending the take down after a full minute gone in the round. Ref separates them and Carano starts getting some nice strikes in on Kobald. Kobald clinches again going for a take down. Gina with a knee and another in defense. One minute left in the fight. Gina has Kobald in a Rear Naked from the side and gets a take down but can’t get the submission. They are back to their feet as Carano lost the move when they went to the ground. Carano with some strikes and a front kick. Kobald is exhausted at this point and Carano is just picking her apart. Carano takes this round and will win by decision. I’ve got it 30-27, but I could see a 29-28. They show Cyborg ringside again and are hyping a fight between her and Carano. Carano landed 62 strikes to Kobold’s 28 during the fight.
Judges scores are: 29-28, 30-27 and 30-27.
Winner: Gina Carano by Decision (Unanimous)
Gus is in the ring and interviews Gina. Gus brings up Cyborg and asks if she’s is Gina’s next opponent. Gina says that she will fight whoever they put in front of her and puts Cyborg over.
Heavyweight Fight- Andrei Arlovski (13-5) vs. Roy Nelson (13-2)
This fight is brought to us by Affliction. Nelson is on a 5 fight win streak and he has finished all of those fights. Nelson has one of the worst physiques that you will see on an MMA fighter. Andrei has a 4 inch height advantage and “Big Country” Nelson has a 22 lb weight advantage. Nelson is a former IFL Heavyweight Champion. Andrei is a former UFC Heavyweight Champion. Arlovski gets a good reaction from the crowd. Tito Ortiz is shown ringside and they say that it is rumored that he could be a part of Elite XC in the future. Mauro says that he is having back surgery and will be back in action next year. Mauro says that he bets Frank would like to see Tito as a part of Elite XC and Frank answers that it “would give me something to do with my fists.”
R1- Arlovski starts off with some low kicks and Nelson clinches. Andrei takes him down but Nelson rolls over and is on top of Andrei. Nelson passes quickly into side control. Nelson going for an arm submission but gives it up. Nelson moves to the north/south position but Andrei bucks out of it. Nelson gets back into half guard and then moves to side control again and has an arm. The ref brings them back to their feet. Big Country clinches against the cage again. Arlovski lands a good knee. The ref separates them again. Arlovski gets some shots in on Nelson. Nelson clinches again. The first round goes to Nelson as he controlled the round early on the ground. As the round went on it seemed like Nelson grew tired and it allowed Arlovski to stand and get some good strikes in. Nelson 10-9 after one round.
At the end of the round Karyn Bryant interviews Tito Ortiz ringside. Tito says he’s still a Free Agent but says he’s about a week away from signing a deal. Tito says that he would be interested in a fight with Frank Shamrock.
R2- Nelson hits a shot early and it wobbles Arlovski but instead of following up he clinches Arlovski against the cage. Arlovski hits a knee on Nelson. Arlovski hits a left hand and then a right and then a kick. Great combination by Andrei. Andrei has a clinch and lands some knees and punches. Andrei with a leg kick and then some jabs and then just destroys Nelson with a big left hand and this one is over. Nelson got tired and Andrei just owned this round.
Winner: Andrei Arlovski by KO R2
Welterweight Title Fight- Jake Shields © (21-4-1) vs. Paul Daley (18-6-2)
Shields has a 3” height advantage but Daley has a 2.5” reach advantage. Daley is the Cage Rage Welterweight Champion. Shields has won 10 straight fights.
R1- Shields pushes early. Daley hits a nice strike as Shields attempts a take down. Daley sprawls out of it nicely. Shields goes for a take down and gets it with about three and a half minutes left. Shields passes guard and gets full mount. Shields landing some strikes. Shields continuing with some Ground and Pound and it seems to be growing in velocity and he starts to hit some elbows. Shields moves back to side control and gets full mount again and lands some Ground and Pound strikes. Shields is just controlling Daley right now. Shields goes for an arm bar but can’t get it so he regains full mount and goes for it again but Daley flips him over and is now in Shields guard and Daley hits a couple of nice shots. Round one goes to Shields 10-9, Daley needs to keep the fight standing up if he wants to win.
Karyn is backstage with Kimbo Slice. Kimbo’s answers are real short and he looks like he’s ready to get down to business.
R2- Daley pushes Shields early and Shields goes for a take down but Daley sprawls. Shields goes for another take down and goes for a heel hook but Daley gets out of it. Shields take down is stuffed again. Shields finally gets a take down and is immediately in full mount. Shields is getting in some light Ground and Pound. Shields with elbows and Daley smiles at him but can’t get out from under Shields. Shields moves to side control and then back to mount and goes for an arm bar and Daley has to tap out.
This was a tough fight for Shields as Daley was clearly better on stand up. Shields definitely showed some weaknesses tonight but still won the fight.
Winner and still champion: Jake Shields by Submission (Arm Bar) R2 3:47
Gus interviews Jake in the ring after the fight. Shields says that he’s up for whatever Elite XC has for him and suggests moving up in weight to take on Robbie Lawler.
They show highlights of the Cyborg/Takahashi fight after the break. Cyborg won by Unanimous Decision. Gina is shown ringside. They hype up a Cyborg/Carano fight but don’t announce it as official.
Heavyweight Fight- Kevin "Kimbo Slice" Ferguson (3-0) vs. Seth Petruzelli (10-4)
Kimbo is backstage getting hyped up. Bas Rutten is by his side. The announcers put over Kimbo for taking this fight tonight after Shamrock could not go. Kimbo has the physical advantage in this fight. He’s 2 inches taller, 29 pounds heavier and has a 4 inch reach advantage. Hulk Hogan is shown at ringside with a large breasted blonde woman.
R1- Kimbo just got destroyed in about 20 seconds by Seth! Wow. That was an amazing performance by Seth. I think Elite XC just folded before our very own eyes here on National Television. Man, I can just see Dana White smiling at this.
Seth hit a quick jab and possibly a front kick and Kimbo was down on his knees and Seth just kept pounding him until the ref stepped in.
Gus interviews Seth and Kimbo post match. Seth is very gracious in victory. Kimbo doesn’t shy away and still gets on the mic but then kind of walks away before Gus can ask him what is next for him.
Winner: Seth Petruzelli by TKO (strikes) R1 0:14
Good night of fights and a shocking Main Event. Great TV, but it’s got to be the worst thing to happen for Elite XC from a business perspective because Kimbo was their meal ticket into the mainstream.
They start off the show announcing that Ken Shamrock has sustained a cut and had to get stitches right above his eye and he will not be able to fight Kimbo Slice tonight. Seth Pettruzelli of UFC and TUF fame will take his place. Gus Johnson interviews Shamrock and then they speak ringside to the doctor that made the decision to not allow him to fight.
Card for tonight is:
-Kevin "Kimbo Slice" Ferguson vs. Seth Petruzelli
-Jake Shields vs. Paul Daley
-Andrei Arlovski vs. Roy Nelson
-Gina Carano vs. Kelly Kobald
-Benji Radach vs. Murilo "Ninja" Rua
Looks like a pretty decent card as we’ve got some pretty decent fighters like Shields, Arlovski and Rua to watch tonight. They talk about the Elite XC/Affliction relationship, which is the reason for the Arlovski/Nelson fight and they also talk about Fedor. Cristiane "Cyborg" Santos is on the under card and rumor has it that we will get highlights of that fight on tonight’s show time permitting. Edson Berto is also on the under card. I wish they would have done a pre-CBS Showtime card so I could see his fight. He doesn’t have the best record but he’s real fun to watch.
The announcers tonight, as usual, are Gus Johnson, Mauro Ranallo and Frank Shamrock. Gus is great. Jimmy Lennon Jr is the ring announcer. They are running the show in Florida so Kimbo should draw in a good crowd tonight.
Middleweight Fight- Ninja Rua (16-8-1) vs. Benji Radach (18-4)
Radach has 14 knockouts in his 18 wins. Rua was the Middleweight Champ for Elite XC before dropping the belt to Robbie Lawler.
R1- Radach lands some shots early and then gets Ninja down on his knees and looked like he had a chance to put him away. Ninja gets back to his feet and pushes forward and shoves Benji down. Radach lands a big punch and follows with another lesser punch. Radach is a free swinger and he’s taking it to Ninja early. Ninja landed a shot but then came in unprotected and Benji knocked him back against the cage. Ninja is hurt. Benji is hitting him up against the cage. Both guys went down at the same time, I think Benji hit Ninja with a punch but then slipped. Benji tries to take Ninja’s back but Ninja instead gets the advantage and lands a couple of shots and then they go back to their feet and they are clinched. Ninja is getting some of his bearings back but is face is beaten up pretty good. Ninja with a knee and follows with a punch. Benji takes Ninja down but Ninja grabs an arm but then releases it. Ninja is active on the bottom as Benji is in his guard, but it’s a loose guard. Ninja goes for a heel hook. Benji spins out and regains a dominant position. Ninja grabs a guillotine but Benji again gets out. Ninja grabs a heel hook but Benji fights out. Ninja now has Benji up against the cage. Ninja ends the round in a dominant position. Really good first round and a great way for Elite XC to come out swinging on this show. Radach takes the first round 10-9 but Ninja regained his barring and made the fight close towards the end of the round as he had a bunch of submission attempts.
R2- Ninja comes out as the aggressor in this round and hits a couple of knees. Ninja walking down Benji and in control but comes in and eats a big straight right hand that rocks him but he remains on his feet. Ninja clinches against the cage but Benji denies the take down. Benji caught Ninja with a punch as he was coming in and Ninja slipped going for a knee and Benji immediately hit Ninja right square in the face several times and the fight is stopped.
Great fight for Benji. Ninja showed a pretty good chin as he took a bunch of strong shots but he just had really poor defense tonight and Benji picked his shots well and gets a really good victory for him and puts him in line for a shot at Middleweight Champ Robbie Lawler.
Winner: Benji Radach by TKO R2 2:31
Karyn Bryant interviews Gina Carano. They discuss her issues making weight for the fight.
Woman’s 140lb Fight- Gina Carano (6-0) vs. Kelly Kobald (16-2-1)
They show Cyborg watching at ringside and say that she won her fight earlier and they put her over. These will be 3 minute rounds.
R1- Carano lands a good shot right at the beginning. Kobald goes for a take down, the announcers say that Kobold doesn’t want to stand up with Carano. They battle against the cage for a while with Kobold trying to get the take down. Carano gets out and lands some shots. Kobold swinging wildly in defense. Carano landing better punches and landing knees. Kobold goes for another take down and they clinch against the cage. Shamrock notes that Kobold’s nose is busted open and they unclinch and you can see it now. They both swing at each other to close the round. Carano takes this round 10-9.
R2- Carano hits a good punch early and clinches Kobald but Kobald holds on. Kobald goes for another take down. Kobald lands a good punch but Carano answers. Kobald goes for another take down but is denied again. Carano is hitting some shots now and is starting to pick Kobald apart. Kobald finally gets a take down at the end of the round and lands a couple of shots. This was a much closer round but I’m not sure that I would give it to Kobald as I had Carano winning it pretty well up until the take down with 10 seconds left. I’ve got Carano 20-18.
R3- Kobald comes right across the ring at Carano trying for another take down. Gina still defending the take down after a full minute gone in the round. Ref separates them and Carano starts getting some nice strikes in on Kobald. Kobald clinches again going for a take down. Gina with a knee and another in defense. One minute left in the fight. Gina has Kobald in a Rear Naked from the side and gets a take down but can’t get the submission. They are back to their feet as Carano lost the move when they went to the ground. Carano with some strikes and a front kick. Kobald is exhausted at this point and Carano is just picking her apart. Carano takes this round and will win by decision. I’ve got it 30-27, but I could see a 29-28. They show Cyborg ringside again and are hyping a fight between her and Carano. Carano landed 62 strikes to Kobold’s 28 during the fight.
Judges scores are: 29-28, 30-27 and 30-27.
Winner: Gina Carano by Decision (Unanimous)
Gus is in the ring and interviews Gina. Gus brings up Cyborg and asks if she’s is Gina’s next opponent. Gina says that she will fight whoever they put in front of her and puts Cyborg over.
Heavyweight Fight- Andrei Arlovski (13-5) vs. Roy Nelson (13-2)
This fight is brought to us by Affliction. Nelson is on a 5 fight win streak and he has finished all of those fights. Nelson has one of the worst physiques that you will see on an MMA fighter. Andrei has a 4 inch height advantage and “Big Country” Nelson has a 22 lb weight advantage. Nelson is a former IFL Heavyweight Champion. Andrei is a former UFC Heavyweight Champion. Arlovski gets a good reaction from the crowd. Tito Ortiz is shown ringside and they say that it is rumored that he could be a part of Elite XC in the future. Mauro says that he is having back surgery and will be back in action next year. Mauro says that he bets Frank would like to see Tito as a part of Elite XC and Frank answers that it “would give me something to do with my fists.”
R1- Arlovski starts off with some low kicks and Nelson clinches. Andrei takes him down but Nelson rolls over and is on top of Andrei. Nelson passes quickly into side control. Nelson going for an arm submission but gives it up. Nelson moves to the north/south position but Andrei bucks out of it. Nelson gets back into half guard and then moves to side control again and has an arm. The ref brings them back to their feet. Big Country clinches against the cage again. Arlovski lands a good knee. The ref separates them again. Arlovski gets some shots in on Nelson. Nelson clinches again. The first round goes to Nelson as he controlled the round early on the ground. As the round went on it seemed like Nelson grew tired and it allowed Arlovski to stand and get some good strikes in. Nelson 10-9 after one round.
At the end of the round Karyn Bryant interviews Tito Ortiz ringside. Tito says he’s still a Free Agent but says he’s about a week away from signing a deal. Tito says that he would be interested in a fight with Frank Shamrock.
R2- Nelson hits a shot early and it wobbles Arlovski but instead of following up he clinches Arlovski against the cage. Arlovski hits a knee on Nelson. Arlovski hits a left hand and then a right and then a kick. Great combination by Andrei. Andrei has a clinch and lands some knees and punches. Andrei with a leg kick and then some jabs and then just destroys Nelson with a big left hand and this one is over. Nelson got tired and Andrei just owned this round.
Winner: Andrei Arlovski by KO R2
Welterweight Title Fight- Jake Shields © (21-4-1) vs. Paul Daley (18-6-2)
Shields has a 3” height advantage but Daley has a 2.5” reach advantage. Daley is the Cage Rage Welterweight Champion. Shields has won 10 straight fights.
R1- Shields pushes early. Daley hits a nice strike as Shields attempts a take down. Daley sprawls out of it nicely. Shields goes for a take down and gets it with about three and a half minutes left. Shields passes guard and gets full mount. Shields landing some strikes. Shields continuing with some Ground and Pound and it seems to be growing in velocity and he starts to hit some elbows. Shields moves back to side control and gets full mount again and lands some Ground and Pound strikes. Shields is just controlling Daley right now. Shields goes for an arm bar but can’t get it so he regains full mount and goes for it again but Daley flips him over and is now in Shields guard and Daley hits a couple of nice shots. Round one goes to Shields 10-9, Daley needs to keep the fight standing up if he wants to win.
Karyn is backstage with Kimbo Slice. Kimbo’s answers are real short and he looks like he’s ready to get down to business.
R2- Daley pushes Shields early and Shields goes for a take down but Daley sprawls. Shields goes for another take down and goes for a heel hook but Daley gets out of it. Shields take down is stuffed again. Shields finally gets a take down and is immediately in full mount. Shields is getting in some light Ground and Pound. Shields with elbows and Daley smiles at him but can’t get out from under Shields. Shields moves to side control and then back to mount and goes for an arm bar and Daley has to tap out.
This was a tough fight for Shields as Daley was clearly better on stand up. Shields definitely showed some weaknesses tonight but still won the fight.
Winner and still champion: Jake Shields by Submission (Arm Bar) R2 3:47
Gus interviews Jake in the ring after the fight. Shields says that he’s up for whatever Elite XC has for him and suggests moving up in weight to take on Robbie Lawler.
They show highlights of the Cyborg/Takahashi fight after the break. Cyborg won by Unanimous Decision. Gina is shown ringside. They hype up a Cyborg/Carano fight but don’t announce it as official.
Heavyweight Fight- Kevin "Kimbo Slice" Ferguson (3-0) vs. Seth Petruzelli (10-4)
Kimbo is backstage getting hyped up. Bas Rutten is by his side. The announcers put over Kimbo for taking this fight tonight after Shamrock could not go. Kimbo has the physical advantage in this fight. He’s 2 inches taller, 29 pounds heavier and has a 4 inch reach advantage. Hulk Hogan is shown at ringside with a large breasted blonde woman.
R1- Kimbo just got destroyed in about 20 seconds by Seth! Wow. That was an amazing performance by Seth. I think Elite XC just folded before our very own eyes here on National Television. Man, I can just see Dana White smiling at this.
Seth hit a quick jab and possibly a front kick and Kimbo was down on his knees and Seth just kept pounding him until the ref stepped in.
Gus interviews Seth and Kimbo post match. Seth is very gracious in victory. Kimbo doesn’t shy away and still gets on the mic but then kind of walks away before Gus can ask him what is next for him.
Winner: Seth Petruzelli by TKO (strikes) R1 0:14
Good night of fights and a shocking Main Event. Great TV, but it’s got to be the worst thing to happen for Elite XC from a business perspective because Kimbo was their meal ticket into the mainstream.
Sunday, June 15, 2008
Elite XC: "Return of the King" 6/14 Re-Cap/Thoughts
Elite XC: Return of the King
They focus on the Main Event during the lead-in promo with KJ Noons vs. Yves Edwards. This show is named for KJ Noons who is returning to his home, Hawaii, to defend the lightweight title.
The card for tonight is:
Rafael Feijao – (205) vs. Wayne Cole – (204)
Dave “Pee Wee” Herman – (243 ½) vs. Ron Waterman – (263)
Murilo “Ninja” Rua – (184) vs. Tony Bonello – (185)
Nick Diaz – (169) vs. Muhsin Corbbrey – (163 ½)
EliteXC Lightweight World Title Match: KJ Noons ©– (160) vs. Yves Edwards – (158 ½)
Light Heavyweight Fight- Wayne Cole (11-6) vs. Rafael Feijao (5-1)
Wayne Cole was last seen on the Frank Shamrock/Cung Le card destroying Mike Kyle. Feijao has trained with Anderson Silva and Noguiera. This will be the first time I’ve seen Feijao fight. Looks like Anderson Silva is in Feijao’s corner, or someone who looks a lot like him. Maura Ranallo notes that Feijao’s lone loss was due to disqualification.
R1- They mix up at the beginning with both guys landing shots and then Rafael takes Cole down. Back to their feet and they clinch. Ranallo confirms that Anderson Silva is in Rafael’s corner. Rafael is hitting some knees. The ref stops the fight and tells Cole that he has five minutes, looks like he called a low blow. They come back and Rafael hits a couple of kicks and then they clinch again. Both guys are very quick and aggressive. Rafael separates from the clinch and hits a couple of nice punches. He goes for a knee but Cole grabs it so Rafael hits him with this other knee. Rafael with two more knees and Cole is down and in trouble. Rafael just nailing Cole with shots and the ref stops the fight. Rafael Feijao looked very impressive in victory in this fight.
Winner: Rafael Feijao by TKO (strikes) R1 2:47
Scott Smith joins Mauro Ranallo ringside and they show highlights from the CBS Saturday Night Fights show. Scott says his eye is fine and that his foot is also fine, he pulled some ligaments in it but he’s running on it now and he’s ready to fight. Says he and Lawler have some unfinished business to take care of. Smith says he needs to move around move during the next fight and not eat as much punishment (jabs). Ranallo announces that the re-match is coming up Saturday July 26th at 9PM on CBS EliteXC Saturday Night Fights. I definitely will tune in for this as I really liked their first fight.
Heavyweight Fight: Dave Herman (10-0) vs. Ron Waterman (15-5-2)
They hype Waterman as a “Jack of all Trades” and talk about some of the former jobs he’s had, they don’t mention WWE developmental wrestler. He’s 42 years old. Ranallo says that Cro Cop called Waterman the most powerful man he’s ever faced. Herman is hyped as an undefeated young prospect. Herman is 10-0 with 7 KOs and 3 Subs.
R1- Herman boxes around Waterman early but Waterman quickly takes him down. Waterman has Herman against the fence and is getting some Ground and Pound. They sprawl and Herman gets up but Waterman takes him down and Herman gets up again. Good job by Herman escaping with minimal punishment. Herman hits a Karate Kid kick right to Waterman’s face that just looked fantastic as it echoed when it hit. Waterman trying to take Herman down again and Herman is hitting him with some elbows, a couple of which are dangerously close to the back of the head. Herman hits a knee to the side and Herman is in full mount and Ground and Pounds Waterman until the ref stops the fight. Really impressive fight for Herman.
Winner: Dave Herman by TKO (strikes) R1 2:19
Two impressive victories by young fighters to start off this show as Herman and Feijao are both guys that I want to see more from.
Stephen Quadros interviews Yves Edwards backstage. They talk about Yves’ comeback and working with American Top Team and of course the fight tonight.
Middleweight Fight- Tony Bonnello (16-0-1) vs. Ninja Rua (15-8-1)
Bonnello is undefeated and he is looking to get the fight on the ground. Ninja says he’s never submitted and the only way he is leaving the cage is if he gets knocked out. Ninja is a former EliteXC Middleweight Champion but he lost to Robbie Lawler. This is Bonnello’s US TV debut. Bonnello looks pretty intense during the pre-fight ref talk. I think he was cussing at Rua during this as the ref was giving instructions.
R1- Bonnello aggressive early but Rua gets a take down. Ninja has side control. Ninja with some elbows and some shots to the side. Ninja hitting some nice elbows. Bonnello just getting dominated. Rua is just destroying this guy with elbows. Rua in the full mount now getting some Ground and Pound but then moves back to side mount where he was having more success. Rua is hitting more elbows. Rua hits a couple shots to the side. Rua puts his knee on Bonnello’s belly and starts hitting Bonnello with punches. Bonnello has no answer and the ref stops the fight. Rua just dominated this fight. Nice to see after the other guy was talking trash to him during the ref instructions. Domination. Great showing by Rua. The only things Bonnello showed was that he can take a punch, actually lots of punches.
Winner: Ninja Rua by TKO (strikes) R1 3:16
Post-Fight Rua says he wants his belt back. So we’ve got Smith/Lawler coming up and potentially Rua getting the winner of the fight.
Stephen Quadros is backstage with KJ Noons and they talk about the fight.
Catch weight (168 lbs) Fight- Nick Diaz (16-7-1) vs. Mushin Corbbrey (12-2)
Neither of these guys made weight for this fight. Nick Diaz just fought last month at the DREAM.3 fight. They say that Diaz went to a plastic surgeon after the Noons fight (which was stopped due to a Diaz cut) to get some scar tissue removed to try and correct the issue he’s had with cuts. Neither one of these guys made weight for the fight but the winner is going to be considered a leading candidate to fight the winner of Noons/Edwards for the lightweight belt. Makes perfect sense to me. Diaz missed weight by 9 pounds. Mushin is from Savannah, Georgia.
R1- Diaz goes for an early take down but comes up empty. Diaz has a noticeable reach advantage and hits a couple of jabs. Diaz hits a nice left hand. Both guys are hitting shots now. Diaz is hitting more clean shots but Mushin is hitting some knees and dirty boxing. Diaz hits a couple more nice shots. Mushin has some really quick punches and is able to land a good shot to Diaz but Diaz comes right back with jabs. This was a good first round with a lot of action. It was pretty even but Diaz controlled the fight more and landed more punches. Mushin started to come on towards the end of the round so it will be interesting to see who comes out and controls round 2. Diaz up 10-9 so far on my scorecard.
R2- Diaz trying to get a take down but he is denied again. Diaz is hitting some nice jabs and it looks like he is wearing Mushin down. Mushin getting in some counter punches but is still getting tagged by Diaz jabs. Diaz starting to hit some more punches and is talking trash and putting a little “show” in his game. Mushin hits a good counter punch. Diaz looks like he’s cut. Diaz goes for another take down but he still doesn’t get it. Diaz with more jabs and one of them catches Mushin off balance. Diaz gets a take down but there is only 15 seconds left. Diaz takes this round based on controlling the fight and landing more punches. Diaz’s jabs seem to be talking their toll on Mushin. Mushin is not out of this fight but he needs to finish to win. Diaz is up 20-18 on my scorecard.
R3- Diaz goes for a take down but is denied. Diaz hitting more jabs. Diaz gets a take down after a knee. Diaz moves from half guard to side control and is going after an arm submission. Diaz was going for a kimura, looks like he is going for an arm bar but Mushin escapes. Diaz pins him against the cage and is picking him off with shots against the cage now. Quadros compares this round to a spider and fly. Diaz moves very well to full mount, great move. Diaz is hitting Ground and Pound and the ref stops the fight.
This was an enjoyable fight and Diaz looked really good. Diaz dominated the fight without dominating until Round 3. He just controlled the fight and did what he wanted except that he wasn’t able to get a take down that mattered until the third round. Corbbrey looks to have talented he was just outclassed by Diaz. I would like to see Corbbrey fight Edson Berto in the future. Nate Diaz was in Nick’s corner in a wife beater.
Winner: Nick Diaz by TKO (strikes) R3 3:59
Anderson Silva is shown again in the crowd watching the fights. They mention that he is considered to be one of the best pound for pound fighters in the world. Anderson mugs for the camera.
Elite XC hypes some upcoming shows:
July 26th on Showtime (must be the prelims for the CBS show)
July 26th on CBS at 9 PM- Lawler/Smith II
Lightweight Title Fight- KJ Noons © (5-1) vs. Yves Edwards (34-13-1)
R1- Noons comes out and hits an immediate kick and then they are going back and forth. Yves hits a good knee but then gets tagged and Noons is all over Edwards and is Ground and Pounding him and this one is over in 47 seconds. Wow, I thought Yves was going to take this one but KJ looked really strong in this one as he just exploded on Yves after Yves was knocked to the mat. On the replay Yves got caught with a punch right to the jaw and then Noons just jumped on him and went to town hitting a barrage of punches.
Winner: KJ Noons by TKO (strikes) R1 and still Elite XC Lightweight Champion
Post-Match they interview KJ and Yves. Yves says he got his ass whooped. Then they bring in Nick Diaz and we are about to go all Pro Wres in this bad boy! Diaz says let’s go and KJ lunges at Diaz and we get a pull apart as the Diaz boys rain on KJ’s parade. KJ’s dad almost getting into it with Nick. At least they are starting to sell their next big fights as they hyped Smith/Lawler II during this show and now we have Noons/Diaz II which looks promising.
Overall, this was a good solid show. A couple of quick fights with very good showings by Herman and Feijao. Ninja looked dominate in his fight. Diaz had a good fight and looked really good and KJ Noons dominated Yves Edwards.
They focus on the Main Event during the lead-in promo with KJ Noons vs. Yves Edwards. This show is named for KJ Noons who is returning to his home, Hawaii, to defend the lightweight title.
The card for tonight is:
Rafael Feijao – (205) vs. Wayne Cole – (204)
Dave “Pee Wee” Herman – (243 ½) vs. Ron Waterman – (263)
Murilo “Ninja” Rua – (184) vs. Tony Bonello – (185)
Nick Diaz – (169) vs. Muhsin Corbbrey – (163 ½)
EliteXC Lightweight World Title Match: KJ Noons ©– (160) vs. Yves Edwards – (158 ½)
Light Heavyweight Fight- Wayne Cole (11-6) vs. Rafael Feijao (5-1)
Wayne Cole was last seen on the Frank Shamrock/Cung Le card destroying Mike Kyle. Feijao has trained with Anderson Silva and Noguiera. This will be the first time I’ve seen Feijao fight. Looks like Anderson Silva is in Feijao’s corner, or someone who looks a lot like him. Maura Ranallo notes that Feijao’s lone loss was due to disqualification.
R1- They mix up at the beginning with both guys landing shots and then Rafael takes Cole down. Back to their feet and they clinch. Ranallo confirms that Anderson Silva is in Rafael’s corner. Rafael is hitting some knees. The ref stops the fight and tells Cole that he has five minutes, looks like he called a low blow. They come back and Rafael hits a couple of kicks and then they clinch again. Both guys are very quick and aggressive. Rafael separates from the clinch and hits a couple of nice punches. He goes for a knee but Cole grabs it so Rafael hits him with this other knee. Rafael with two more knees and Cole is down and in trouble. Rafael just nailing Cole with shots and the ref stops the fight. Rafael Feijao looked very impressive in victory in this fight.
Winner: Rafael Feijao by TKO (strikes) R1 2:47
Scott Smith joins Mauro Ranallo ringside and they show highlights from the CBS Saturday Night Fights show. Scott says his eye is fine and that his foot is also fine, he pulled some ligaments in it but he’s running on it now and he’s ready to fight. Says he and Lawler have some unfinished business to take care of. Smith says he needs to move around move during the next fight and not eat as much punishment (jabs). Ranallo announces that the re-match is coming up Saturday July 26th at 9PM on CBS EliteXC Saturday Night Fights. I definitely will tune in for this as I really liked their first fight.
Heavyweight Fight: Dave Herman (10-0) vs. Ron Waterman (15-5-2)
They hype Waterman as a “Jack of all Trades” and talk about some of the former jobs he’s had, they don’t mention WWE developmental wrestler. He’s 42 years old. Ranallo says that Cro Cop called Waterman the most powerful man he’s ever faced. Herman is hyped as an undefeated young prospect. Herman is 10-0 with 7 KOs and 3 Subs.
R1- Herman boxes around Waterman early but Waterman quickly takes him down. Waterman has Herman against the fence and is getting some Ground and Pound. They sprawl and Herman gets up but Waterman takes him down and Herman gets up again. Good job by Herman escaping with minimal punishment. Herman hits a Karate Kid kick right to Waterman’s face that just looked fantastic as it echoed when it hit. Waterman trying to take Herman down again and Herman is hitting him with some elbows, a couple of which are dangerously close to the back of the head. Herman hits a knee to the side and Herman is in full mount and Ground and Pounds Waterman until the ref stops the fight. Really impressive fight for Herman.
Winner: Dave Herman by TKO (strikes) R1 2:19
Two impressive victories by young fighters to start off this show as Herman and Feijao are both guys that I want to see more from.
Stephen Quadros interviews Yves Edwards backstage. They talk about Yves’ comeback and working with American Top Team and of course the fight tonight.
Middleweight Fight- Tony Bonnello (16-0-1) vs. Ninja Rua (15-8-1)
Bonnello is undefeated and he is looking to get the fight on the ground. Ninja says he’s never submitted and the only way he is leaving the cage is if he gets knocked out. Ninja is a former EliteXC Middleweight Champion but he lost to Robbie Lawler. This is Bonnello’s US TV debut. Bonnello looks pretty intense during the pre-fight ref talk. I think he was cussing at Rua during this as the ref was giving instructions.
R1- Bonnello aggressive early but Rua gets a take down. Ninja has side control. Ninja with some elbows and some shots to the side. Ninja hitting some nice elbows. Bonnello just getting dominated. Rua is just destroying this guy with elbows. Rua in the full mount now getting some Ground and Pound but then moves back to side mount where he was having more success. Rua is hitting more elbows. Rua hits a couple shots to the side. Rua puts his knee on Bonnello’s belly and starts hitting Bonnello with punches. Bonnello has no answer and the ref stops the fight. Rua just dominated this fight. Nice to see after the other guy was talking trash to him during the ref instructions. Domination. Great showing by Rua. The only things Bonnello showed was that he can take a punch, actually lots of punches.
Winner: Ninja Rua by TKO (strikes) R1 3:16
Post-Fight Rua says he wants his belt back. So we’ve got Smith/Lawler coming up and potentially Rua getting the winner of the fight.
Stephen Quadros is backstage with KJ Noons and they talk about the fight.
Catch weight (168 lbs) Fight- Nick Diaz (16-7-1) vs. Mushin Corbbrey (12-2)
Neither of these guys made weight for this fight. Nick Diaz just fought last month at the DREAM.3 fight. They say that Diaz went to a plastic surgeon after the Noons fight (which was stopped due to a Diaz cut) to get some scar tissue removed to try and correct the issue he’s had with cuts. Neither one of these guys made weight for the fight but the winner is going to be considered a leading candidate to fight the winner of Noons/Edwards for the lightweight belt. Makes perfect sense to me. Diaz missed weight by 9 pounds. Mushin is from Savannah, Georgia.
R1- Diaz goes for an early take down but comes up empty. Diaz has a noticeable reach advantage and hits a couple of jabs. Diaz hits a nice left hand. Both guys are hitting shots now. Diaz is hitting more clean shots but Mushin is hitting some knees and dirty boxing. Diaz hits a couple more nice shots. Mushin has some really quick punches and is able to land a good shot to Diaz but Diaz comes right back with jabs. This was a good first round with a lot of action. It was pretty even but Diaz controlled the fight more and landed more punches. Mushin started to come on towards the end of the round so it will be interesting to see who comes out and controls round 2. Diaz up 10-9 so far on my scorecard.
R2- Diaz trying to get a take down but he is denied again. Diaz is hitting some nice jabs and it looks like he is wearing Mushin down. Mushin getting in some counter punches but is still getting tagged by Diaz jabs. Diaz starting to hit some more punches and is talking trash and putting a little “show” in his game. Mushin hits a good counter punch. Diaz looks like he’s cut. Diaz goes for another take down but he still doesn’t get it. Diaz with more jabs and one of them catches Mushin off balance. Diaz gets a take down but there is only 15 seconds left. Diaz takes this round based on controlling the fight and landing more punches. Diaz’s jabs seem to be talking their toll on Mushin. Mushin is not out of this fight but he needs to finish to win. Diaz is up 20-18 on my scorecard.
R3- Diaz goes for a take down but is denied. Diaz hitting more jabs. Diaz gets a take down after a knee. Diaz moves from half guard to side control and is going after an arm submission. Diaz was going for a kimura, looks like he is going for an arm bar but Mushin escapes. Diaz pins him against the cage and is picking him off with shots against the cage now. Quadros compares this round to a spider and fly. Diaz moves very well to full mount, great move. Diaz is hitting Ground and Pound and the ref stops the fight.
This was an enjoyable fight and Diaz looked really good. Diaz dominated the fight without dominating until Round 3. He just controlled the fight and did what he wanted except that he wasn’t able to get a take down that mattered until the third round. Corbbrey looks to have talented he was just outclassed by Diaz. I would like to see Corbbrey fight Edson Berto in the future. Nate Diaz was in Nick’s corner in a wife beater.
Winner: Nick Diaz by TKO (strikes) R3 3:59
Anderson Silva is shown again in the crowd watching the fights. They mention that he is considered to be one of the best pound for pound fighters in the world. Anderson mugs for the camera.
Elite XC hypes some upcoming shows:
July 26th on Showtime (must be the prelims for the CBS show)
July 26th on CBS at 9 PM- Lawler/Smith II
Lightweight Title Fight- KJ Noons © (5-1) vs. Yves Edwards (34-13-1)
R1- Noons comes out and hits an immediate kick and then they are going back and forth. Yves hits a good knee but then gets tagged and Noons is all over Edwards and is Ground and Pounding him and this one is over in 47 seconds. Wow, I thought Yves was going to take this one but KJ looked really strong in this one as he just exploded on Yves after Yves was knocked to the mat. On the replay Yves got caught with a punch right to the jaw and then Noons just jumped on him and went to town hitting a barrage of punches.
Winner: KJ Noons by TKO (strikes) R1 and still Elite XC Lightweight Champion
Post-Match they interview KJ and Yves. Yves says he got his ass whooped. Then they bring in Nick Diaz and we are about to go all Pro Wres in this bad boy! Diaz says let’s go and KJ lunges at Diaz and we get a pull apart as the Diaz boys rain on KJ’s parade. KJ’s dad almost getting into it with Nick. At least they are starting to sell their next big fights as they hyped Smith/Lawler II during this show and now we have Noons/Diaz II which looks promising.
Overall, this was a good solid show. A couple of quick fights with very good showings by Herman and Feijao. Ninja looked dominate in his fight. Diaz had a good fight and looked really good and KJ Noons dominated Yves Edwards.
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