Chicks Heart Fights

I’m still conflicted - happy for Forrest, heartbroken for Rampage. It was a great fight. Forrest’s kicks early on created trouble for Rampage, and he couldn’t recover. Though he threw some great strikes, the leg problems limited his takedowns and slams. Forrest was relentless, and as the guy near me at the Tap Room continuously yelled, Forrest is a beast.

A few notes from the other fights:

- Tyson Griffin’s shorts fit him very oddly.

- In Josh Koscheck’s UD win over Chris Lytle, Lytle spilled more blood than I have ever seen in my life, including during trips to the emergency room, and the time my friend tripped over her dog and put a pen through her nose. There was blood on the camera. Koscheck’s bleached blond hair took on a shade of pink, thanks to all the blood. DH said that he looked like Ronald McDonald.

- Joe Daddy was never in danger of submitting from an omoplata during the first round - he just couldn’t get out. He reacted perfectly, stayed calm, and won with a textbook guillotine in the second round.

- During the Almeida-Cote fight, I… zzzzzzzzzzzzzz. Seriously boring fight. Congrats to Cote for winning the SD.

- Gerald “Hotness” Harris was working out with Rampage before the fight. DH and I cheered and got very funny looks in the bar.

- Forrest came out to Shipping Up to Boston by the Dropkick Murphys, or as my friend calls it, my Irish bar fight song. That song always makes me want to punch someone in the face.

- Rampage had a breast cancer awareness ribbon on his shorts. I thought that was pretty damn cool.

So, Boston Legal has moved to this time slot, which means I am now recording two shows at once, so I can’t periodically check in on the Cubs. This is annoying. Oh well. I have two fights to look forward to this evening, so let’s get on with it:

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Gerald Harris - member of Team Rampage on the Ultimate Fighter, comedian, history teacher - answered a few questions for Chicks Heart Fights. Find out what it was like to live in a house with 15 guys, what Harris did to hecklers, and what he thinks of the nickname “the Hotness,” after the jump.

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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…)

I love a good nickname, and many of my favorite other sports are weak on the nickname front. A-Rod? D-Lee? Sexy Rexy? Those are terrible. Today’s nicknames don’t hold a candle to Mordecai “Three-Finger” Brown, Dick “Night Train” Lane, and my favorite, Sweetness.

This is true for every sport except mixed martial arts. Every fighter has a nickname, and some are downright fantastic. A few weeks ago, I decided to call the Ultimate Fighter’s Gerald Harris “The Hotness,” due to his tough fighting style, quickness, and yes, his looks. So, come on people, let’s make “the Hotness” happen. I don’t know if he already has an MMA nickname, and I frankly don’t care. Say it loud, say it proud: Gerald “the Hotness” Harris!

Thanks to Stardust for the fantastic graphics!

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.