Chicks Heart Fights

So. Much. To. See.

Watching two separate events tonight was fantastic, as there was rarely a moment when there wasn’t a fight going on. On the flip side of that is the fact that there were few fights that I could watch closely, so I know I missed some things.  You can catch the full results here.  Some observations from the evening:

• Good gosh almighty, Fedor was amazing. He was frighteningly calm going into the ring, but the second that bell rang, Tim Sylvia’s night was over. He had textbook striking, a perfect takedown, and a perfect rear naked choke.
• My favorite  body part of the evening was Andrei Arlovski’s knee. That flying knee to Ben Rothwell’s head was the beginning of the end for Rothwell.
• For Affliction being a clothing company, there were many wardrobe malfunctions. First, Mike Whitehead’s shorts were ripped in a very odd way. DH and I were very concerned that we were going to see a little bit too much of Mr. Whitehead. One friend said he looked like he got fired from Chippendales. Also, Josh Barnett’s shorts looked one size too small, causing Barnett to have a muffin top. Mixed martial artists should not have a muffin top.
• When Anthony Johnson suffered that bizarre eye poke that caused him to lose, one of the guys at my table yelled “He poked him in the brain!” That’s pretty accurate.
• I was so happy to see C.B. Dollaway win, and with the Peruvian necktie, nonetheless.
• Matt Lindland vs. Fabio Nascimento was the all-ugly fight of the night. Nascimento looked like an elephant. Or a bat. Or a rhinoceros.
• I was very happy to see Brandon Vera get comfortable in a new weight class. With Anderson Silva’s win, I wonder if he is going to stick around at light heavyweight.
• Joe Rogan needs a new shirt. I think I’ve seen this one about four times.
• Because I was in a bar, it was tough to judge the overall Affliction production. I like the cage better than the ring, and Michael Buffer just doesn’t seem to fit. However, I enjoyed the overall show. It will be interesting to see where they go from here.

I think that’s it for me. Good night, friends.

Because I was out fighting cancer, I was not able to watch the TUF finale live. I have finally caught up with the TUF matches and news - I will have observations on the Diego/Luigi and Grove/Tanner fights tomorrow.

First off, the Credeur/Yarborough fight was scratched just minutes before it was set to begin. Credeur’s preliminary drug test showed Adderall, a drug usually associated with hyperactive children. It can increase the likelihood of cardiac issues, according to Keith Kizer, of the Nevada State Athletic Commission.

With the Riddle/Dante fight, I don’t know if Riddle was that good, or Rivera was that good. That being said, if Dana White was giving out a most improved award, Riddle would win it, hands down. He has gone from an raw fighter to an up and coming star. He seems hungry to train and learn MMA, and that will serve him well.

The only thing different between the two Amir/C.B. fights was when C.B. submitted. C.B. will have a bright future in the UFC. Working with Arizona Combat Sports, his jiu-jitsu will improve, and he will be a more well-rounded fighter. What can be said about Amir, except, how fun is he? A funny self-deprecating, well-rounded fighter who can take serious punishment is a huge asset to the UFC. I can’t wait to see what he does next.

Cubs lost, and Carlos Zambrano has shoulder discomfort. Not good. Of course, we’re in for the most shocking TUF EVA! tonight, so that’s a good thing. Also good is that the blister I sustained from walking the strip in Vegas is finally healing. Onto the show:

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You might get some bonus Cubs updates tonight, as their game starts a 9 central, same time as TUF. The Cubs are going for their tenth straight win tonight, facing former Cub Greg Maddux. Let’s Go Cubbies!

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Sorry for the late start tonight. I was at my niece’s high school graduation, and listening to speeches about sisterhood or something. To get that mess out of my system, I need to watch some guys pummel each other. Onto the show!

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Buried during last week’s announcement of ASU dropping its wrestling program was the fact that Maryland hired Kerry McCoy to replace Pat Santoro . Though a tough loss for Stanford, this is great news for the Terps. McCoy will continue the great work that Santoro had started at the up and coming school. With alumni support and full funding, McCoy will get Maryland to a top ten standing, and more importantly, in my opinion, fuel growth of the sport in the Capitol region.

Back to ASU, CB Dollaway, ASU All-American and current TUF cast member, wrote a column for MMA Junkie expressing his feelings about the cut. Jason Bryant had two interviews - first with Anthony Robles, ASU freshman wrestler , and Lisa Love , ASU AD.

Now onto things that don’t get me nearly as angry, ESPN has stepped up its coverage of MMA. With Sherdog’s help, MMA now has its own page on ESPN.com ,  and a weekly internet only show, MMA Live (found on the left side of the MMA page.) Kenny Florian is one of the contributors, and its a decent rundown with results, profiles and general MMA discussion. The only thing I don’t like is the “MMA 101″ segment, where Florian taught us the basics of MMA. I wouldn’t be watching a 30 minute MMA show if I needed the basics. Save those segments for a Sportscenter broadcast before a big fight.

A lovely day in Chicago:70 degrees for the first time in six months, no cougar attacks, and the Cubs are wailing on the Reds. Best of all, we have another episode of the Ultimate Fighter! Tonight, the coaches will pick teams, and the battle of the funny between Forrest and Rampage with continue. Onto the show! (more…)

This past weekend, Spike reran TUF6, a season filled with broken bones, “pooooosies,” crazy girlfriends/wives and one dominant fighter, Mac Danzig. The knock on last season is that all the preliminary fights were weak-J-Roc working on his deer in the headlights look, Dan Barrera standing over Ben Saunders instead of letting him up to continue striking, Blake Bowman falling, without any help, in a fight with Richie Hightower. Not all fights can be incredibly competitive, but the fighters on last season’s show were not the cream of the crop. Fight fans couldn’t help but ask: isn’t there someone better? I knew of many former wrestlers who had jumped into MMA-why weren’t they on the show?

This season, the team behind TUF clearly listened to the complaints. First of all, the fighters are coming in with credentials and experience. Four NCAA D-I wrestlers, including All-American C.B. Dolloway, are on the cast list put together by MMA Junkie. 18 cast members have at least five fights under their belt. Some have fought for the International Fight League, like Gerald Harris (who I may just nickname The Hotness, because that is exactly what he is). Two fighters, Dave Roberts and Steve Byrnes, even have UFC experience.

To further trim the fat from the TUF pool, 32 fighters were selected for the cast, but before they were even allowed to move into their house, they had to win a fight. Not only will this ensure that the cast members are there to become better fighters, this will also jam pack the first episode with 16 fights.

The best part of this show, though, will be the coaches. Both Forrest and Rampage will say anything at any time, and that will only lead to pure comedy gold. Can you imagine the Coach’s Challenge?

I don’t think anyone can deny MMA’s explosion in the past few years. The growth of the UFC, and the addition of various other MMA groups such as the WEC, EliteXC, StrikeForce, IFL, etc. have made mixed martial arts an almost mainstream sport. (Almost.) This has led to people flocking to the sport, and the opening of several MMA gyms - heck, you can even franchise Xtreme Couture.

To be a great fighter, you need discipline, excellent physical conditioning, and a willingness to make contact with an opponent. Where is the best place for a child or teenager to learn these skills? Right here:

If you want to be the next Randy Couture, Chuck Liddell, Georges St. Pierre, Josh Koscheck, Roger Huerta, Clay Guida, Matt Hughes, Dan Henderson, etc., then start where they started: on the wrestling mat. Wrestling taught them the basic grappling skills, but beyond that, they learned skills vital to a successful MMA career.

Indeed, a great crop of fighters coming up through the ranks had their start in a wrestling roon. In an article on MMA Junkie, Kevin Iole takes a look at the next generation of wrestlers turned MMA fighters, led by Oklahoma State Cowboy Jake Rosholt. Fellow Cowboys Johny Hendricks and Shane Roller have also started with the Xtreme Fighting League. Three former Division I wrestlers, Paul Bradley, Gerald Harris and C.B. Dolloway are all cast members for next season of the Ultimate Fighter. Mo Lawal, a current US freestyle team member, has recently signed with Team Quest. Ben Askren, the two time NCAA champion for Mizzou, has stated his intent to have a career in MMA after the Olympics.

So you want to be a fighter? Follow in the footsteps of some great fighters, and wrestle.

I was going to hold off on a Linky McLinkerson, but some of these links were too good not to share…

Ben Fowlkes from the Fighting Life wrote a story on the “type of women” that seem to gravitate towards fighters. You know the type-bleached blond, stiletto-wearing, surgically-enhanced, fake-tanned women of indelible character. I make no judgment on these women, but they’re just very different from me. I’m a redhead, tanning beds scare me, stilettos make me fall, and the only surgical enhancement I’ve had is having screws put in my leg so my knee won’t dislocate. Yet, I am still attracted to fighters. I think the difference is that the blondies are on TV more, and there are a multitude of these women in places where fighters train and fight - namely, California and Las Vegas.

The Ultimate Fighter update: MMA Junkie has a pretty comprehensive listing of fighters here, and that list includes two former wrestlers, CB Dolloway, All-American from Arizona State, and Paul Bradley, an Iowa All-American. KTNV in Las Vegas has a cute little interview with Forrest Griffin and Rampage.

Bloody Elbow has been writing an ongoing history of MMA, and it’s fascinating. Check it out here.

The Cornell Daily Sun did another excellent “Ten Questions” feature, this time with my precious wrestler to watch, Jordan Leen. Unfortunately, the link is not working right now, but I emailed the webmaster, so hopefully you can read Jordan’s thoughts on mud-butt vs. swamp ass, the kind of woman he’s looking for, and if there has ever been a redheaded NCAA champion. As a redhead myself, I am curious to know the answer to that question. I can think of some redheaded All-Americans, but no champion. If anyone can think of a champion, please email me at at chicksheartfights at gmail dot com.

Also, if you have any links for Linky McLinkerson, please feel free to send those to me as well!