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| The ego has landed: Recap and analysis from Strikeforce: ‘Shamrock vs. Cung Le’ Posted: 30 Mar 2008 02:52 AM CDT
The HP Pavilion in San Jose had a final attendance of 16,326 for the Strikeforce: “Shamrock vs. Cung Le” event. Considering the stranglehold the UFC has on the casual MMA fan, that’s a pretty impressive number. What was even more impressive was watching Cung Le rise to the occasion against an opponent that many thought was too skilled for the San Shou warrior. Le is too green, Le has suspect conditioning, Le has no ground game. Ladies and gentlemen, Le is the new Strikeforce middleweight champion. Longtime fans will recall a similar scenario when a young, up-and-coming Ruskie named Fedor Emelianenko first challenged the PRIDE deity known as Antonio Rodrigo “Minotauro” Nogueira. I’m not saying that Le is the next Fedor, but to be 6-0 with 6 (T)KO’s is an awfully good start. I’ve heard the conspiracy theories since the end of the fight, and to be perfectly honest, I’m not buying any of them. I’m not naive enough to think that no sporting event is ever fixed, but anyone who understands the motives behind fixing an event understands this was neither the time nor the place. Besides, I’ve been following Frank Shamrock long enough to know his ego would never allow him to roll over for anybody. And speaking of ego, it may have cost Shammy the fight. He wasn’t a lame duck by any means, and his striking was probably as good as I’ve ever seen it. The problem was that he couldn’t adjust to Le’s versatility in his kicks. There was no pattern. A lot of strikers are predictable. Low kick, straight right. High kick, spin. Le was all over the map. He uses kicks like Anderson Silva uses punches. They were coming from so many different angles that Frank could only defend and that kept him from getting inside. I kept waiting for Frank to go to the ground. But he promised to keep it standing, and I think in Frank’s eyes going to the ground would be admitting defeat. Conceding that Le is the superior striker may have been the only way for Shamrock to win. Still, Frank is a warrior and he can take punishment. He was close to ending it in the third but Le found a way to answer. To me that gives a level of credibility to his championship. This was not a flash KO, rather a three round war of attrition. From a striking perspective, it’s got my vote for fight of the year. And of course there is also the other end of the spectrum. I’m speaking of the world’s greatest streetfighter. No not Kimbo Slice, the other legendary streetfighter named Marlon Sims. Sims was KOed in the third round against Billy Evangelista. I don’t fault him for the loss, but he looked like a streetfighter in the process. In that I mean he looked like someone who was pulled off the streets and asked to fight. Gilbert Melendez retained his lightweight title by mauling Gabe Lemley but truth be told I didn’t think “El Nino” looked as sharp as he has in the past. Like his loss at Yarennoka, he left himself open on more than one occasion and fought a little recklessly. And speaking of reckless, did Gabe Lemley owe Herb Dean money? Lemley took a lot of punishment before getting rescued. Unfortunately no one could rescue Ryan Jensen. He was tough on the ground but the replay showed him trading blows with his eyes closed in a state of perpetual flinching. Not a good strategy against a seasoned guy like Joey Villasenor. Someone asked Wayne Cole what camp he was affiliated with to which Cole’s response was “My garage”. After the armbar he slapped on Mike Kyle, he should start shopping himself around. The Drew Fickett that phoned it in at the weigh-ins was thankfully nowhere to be found at tonight’s show. In his place was the venerable “Master” we’re used to and the way he dispatched Lim was an indication that he’s got his sights set on Jake Shields for June 14. And since we’re on the topic of the next Strikeforce event, can they please bring back the same dancers? Nothing like solid legs and a thick booty to get a stadium full of alpha males pounding on their chests (present company included). Overall this was a solid event. I have never heard a crowd pop like they did for the main event. They love MMA in San Jose and when you pull in the kind of attendance Strikeforce did you can bet they’ll be back. And so will I. |
| MMA Quick Quote: Snap, Crackle, Pop Posted: 30 Mar 2008 12:08 AM CDT
Newly crowned Strikeforce Middleweight Champion Cung Le discusses the devastating kick that broke Frank Shamrock’s arm - and ended the fight after three rounds. |
| Strikeforce: ‘Shamrock vs. Cung Le’ results and LIVE fight commentary Posted: 29 Mar 2008 06:54 PM CDT
The action will air live on Showtime at 9 p.m. ET with the main card action. And of course, MMAmania.com will provide LIVE fight-by-fight, round-by-round coverage at this time. In addition, we will begin posting quick results of the preliminary action at around 8:00 p.m. ET. Many of our readers check-in before, during and after the telecast to share their thoughts on the action. Therefore, feel free to leave a comment or 10 before you leave and chat with many of our readers during the show — it always turns out to be a great discussion. Keep in mind that we will also be the spot for the latest news, recaps and post-fight analysis after the show. Quick results of the preliminary action are NOW FLOWING and LIVE blow-by-blow, round-by-round coverage of the main card action will begin promptly at 10 p.m. ET with the Showtime telecast. Strikeforce: “Shamrock vs. Cung Le” quick results:
Strikeforce: “Shamrock vs Cung Le” main event results and live commentary: Joey Villasenor vs. Ryan Jensen (185-pound limit) Round one: Villasenor jabs. Jensen answers. Jensen misses a kick. Villasenor ties him up. Jensen falls to the mat and pulls guard. Lots of squirming but no action. Villasenor grabs the cage. No action. Crowd rains down boos. Yamasaki just standing and staring. Villasenor postures up and lands a punch. Jensen gets to his feet. Stinging left drops Jensen who quickly recovers and answers with a combo that backs Villasenor up. Both fighters going for broke. Crushing right from Villasenor KO’s Jensen into a lifeless heap. Final result: Joey Villasenor defeats Ryan Jensen via KO (4:45 R1) -end- Mike Kyle vs. Wayne Cole (265-pound limit) Round one: They meet in the center and briefly exchange but Cole quickly tosses Kyle to the mat. Cole in side control and leaps into an armbar. Kyle has nowhere to go and taps. Final result: Wayne Cole defeats Mike Kyle via submission/armbar (0:42 R1) -end- Kimbo Slice makes a guest appearance in the center of the ring to a standing ovation. That ovation quickly goes to uncomfortable silence when Kimbo mistakenly thinks he’s in San Francisco. Goldberg gives a tepid interview and sends him on his way. No announcement from Kimbo about his next opponent just a quick cameo for a cheap pop (as Mick Foley would say). Gilbert Melendez vs. Gabe Lemley (153-pound limit) Round one: Lemley stalks and lands a jab. Melendez answers with a hook that stuns him. Melendez with a huge takedown. Lemley tries for the guillotine but Melendez escapes. Melendez postures up and Lemley tries to triangle him so Melendez plops down into guard. Lemley again looks for the triangle and Melendez goes north south and back again. Lemley avoiding the mount. Melendez gets some room and does some punching. Back into guard. Hammer fists score for Melendez. Back into guard and Melendez again lands with strikes from the top. Lemley is cut. Melendez is pouring it on. Herb Dean letting it go. Lemley seconds away from being stopped and gets saved by the bell. Round two: They trade on their feet and Lemley eats a HUGE right. And another. Melendez takes him down. Lemley in guard. Lemley taking punishment. Melendez to side control and fires at will. Lemley’s face looks like corned beef hash. Herb Dean takes his time but eventually stops the punishment. Final result: Gilbert Melendez defeats Gabe Lemley via TKO/strikes (2:18 R2) to retain the Strikeforce lightweight championship. -end- Drew Fickett vs. Jae Suk Lim (170-pound limit) Round one: Fickett charges and they tie up. Lim grabs Fickett’s crank. Center of the cage and Lim eats a left but answers with an uppercut. Fickett with a big takedown. Lim stands straight up into a guillotine. Fickett straddles him and sinks it DEEP. Lim tries for the slam but is too far gone. He falls to the mat and taps. Final result: Drew Fickett defeats Jae Suk Lim via submission/guillotine choke (1:14 R1) -end- After the fight Jake Shields gets called into the ring by a zealous Goldberg and they announce the Drew Fickett/Jake Shields fight for June 14. Both fighters talk tough about the contest but Fickett goes a little too far and predicts it will end in death by rear naked choke. To be sure everyone takes him seriously he then screams “ONE OF US WILL DIE!” Good stuff. Frank Shamrock vs. Cung Le (185-pound limit) Round one: An exchange of kicks opens the bout. Frank catches a spinning back kick and grabs Le’s waist. Cung escapes and lands a combo. Stinging jab by Frank. More kicks and a Le combo lands. Frank looks to shoot but decides against it. Punches and kicks are flying! Both fighters look crisp. Frank brings the heat and Le answers. Le’s speed is unbelievable. A spinning roundhouse by Le gets caught by Frank who dumps him to the cage. Le is bleeding from the mouth courtesy of a Shamrock knee. More exchanges and Frank looks like he’s getting the better of them. Round ends with Shamrock taunting Le. Round two: A Le kick sends Shammy’s mouthpiece flying. The pace slows but Le is starting to get the better of the striking. Le lands a right hook. Frank answers with a combo. Le finding his range with the kicks. Frank is taking punishment. Every exchange sees Le get sharper. Frank refuses to shoot. A Le kick deadens Shamrock’s leg. Round ends with Le pushing the pace. Round three: Le stiffens Shamrock with a liver kick. Then a combo for Le. Frank is getting owned on his feet. Le sweeps Frank off his feet who crashes to the mat. Frank is in trouble. Out of nowhere Shammy lands a huge right. Le is staggered. Frank attacks with a flurry. Shammy pouring it on. Le is in danger but fights back and lands a devastating body kick. Then a tremendous kick to the jaw. Frank is rocked. Le on the verge of ending it as time expires. Round four: Frank Shamrock is unable to answer the bell. Cung Le is declared the winner by TKO. Final result: Cung Le defeats Frank Shamrock via TKO/Doctor Stoppage to win the Strikeforce middleweight championship. -end- Shammy reports to the crowd of 16,326 that he suffered a broken arm and could not continue. |
| Matt Serra: Stylewise the worst match up for St. Pierre (Video) Posted: 29 Mar 2008 11:15 AM CDT Matt Serra and Georges St. Pierre interviews are everywhere lately and there are more than likely even more on the way prior to UFC 83 on April 19:
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| MMA Quick Quotes: Adrenaline MMAs Tim Sylvia and Ben Rothwell speak Posted: 29 Mar 2008 11:13 AM CDT
Former undefeated IFL star Ben Rothwell on Adrenaline MMA:
– Recent quotes contained within a press release from the newly-minted Adrenaline MMA promotion that shares some thoughts from its two biggest stars, Tim Sylvia and Ben Rothwell. Both fighters train at Miletich Fighting Systems in Bettendorf, Iowa, and are managed by Adrenaline MMA chief, Monte Cox. Dumb, smart or just plain strange decision making going on here? |
| Greg Jackson reveals the dark secrets of Gaidojutsu training Posted: 29 Mar 2008 11:03 AM CDT Here’s the proof for which everyone has been looking to confirm that Greg Jackson is the best trainer in all of mixed martial arts: (Thanks to BloodyElbow.com for the assist.) |
| Holy cow!: MMAmania.com exclusive sit-down with UFC fighter Tim Boetsch Posted: 29 Mar 2008 10:42 AM CDT
One medieval throw of David Heath to the mat turned light heavyweight fighter Tim Boetsch into an overnight sensation in the UFC. Now Boetsch has the opportunity to go 2-0 in the UFC — in a span of two months — when he takes on Matt Hamill at Ultimate Fight Night 13, next Wednesday, at the Broomfield Event Center in Broomfield, Colo. "The Barbarian" took this fight on short notice, much like he did for his Octagon debut at UFC 81: “Breaking Point,” when he stepped in for Tomasz Drwal to face Heath. Once again, Boetsch is a replacement, stepping in for Stephan Bonnar, who was injured during training. Boetsch took the fight on eight weeks notice and believes that he will be ready to go come next Wednesday a winner. "I don’t think it’s too soon," Boetsch told MMAmania.com. "As long as I stay injury free, I wouldn’t mind fighting every two-three months." Boetsch boasts an impressive record (7-1) in MMA. In fact, his only loss was a decision to Vladimir Matyushenko at the 2007 IFL Semifinals, which took place last August. He now looks for his second straight win and knows this is a huge opportunity against Hamill if he wants to climb the long ladder in the UFC light heavyweight division. "I think it’s a huge opportunity. He’s got a real strong following from being on the Ultimate Fighter show," Boetsch said. "He’s had a lot of success in the UFC already and has already improved his game from when he started. He’s a very good athlete." Boetsch is aware that he is the underdog coming into this fight against Hamill. “I’m quite the underdog coming into this fight and that’s fine by me," Boetsch said. "I’m really excited to get the opportunity and show people what I can do in there." Boetsch has been fighting in the sport of MMA since fall 2006. He made his debut against Demian Decorah at Madtown Throwdown — A Wisconsin-based promotion. Boetsch won the fight by submission via strikes in the third round. After his fight with Matyushenko, Boetsch saw he had a chance to get into the UFC and took full advantage. His first fight in the UFC was against Heath. And he wasn’t concerned about jitters of fighting for the first time inside the eight-sided cage. "Everybody talks about those first time in the Octagon jitters and of course being in Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas, you don’t get much bigger than that," Boetsch said. "I kept my head on straight, stayed focus and didn’t get caught up in the hype. Nerves really weren’t a factor for me that first fight.” Boetsch defeated Heath by TKO (strikes). Boetsch finished the fight by kneeing Heath and then throwing him to the mat. Boetsch was stunned, much like the rest of the fans watching at Mandalay Bay and at home that night. "It was like, holy cow, he went down hard," Boetsch said. "He was rocked from taking some knees and some other shots, his equilibrium was off a little bit and then on top of the big throw, his head bounced off the floor and that just sealed the deal for me." Boetsch does not expect to throw Hamill down, like he did with Heath. Hamill is fighting in the UFC for the first time since his controversial decision loss to Michael Bisping at UFC 75. Boetsch expects Hamill to come out swinging and ready to go. "I expect him to come out guns blazing, throwing heavy hands and firing some big takedowns," Boetsch said. "I’m ready for him." Boetsch is on the second fight of a three fight contract. If all goes well for him next Wednesday night, Boetsch will certainly be a star in the UFC for a long while. Especially if history can somehow repeat itself. |
| WEC 33 fighter paydays for Marshall vs. Stann Posted: 29 Mar 2008 10:39 AM CDT
Chael Sonnen didn't get the opportunity to compete for a world title, but cashed in after his three-round domination of Brian Baker. Sonnen was the highest earner of this past Wednesday's event, getting a check for $34,000 bananas. Not to be outdone, new WEC Light Heavyweight Champion Brian Stann collected his share of the Benjamins (18,000), while the deposed 205-pound kingpin, Doug Marshall, raked in $10,000. Here are all of WEC 33 payouts: Brian Stann — $18,000 ($9,000 to show, $9,000 to win) Chael Sonnen — $34,000 ($17,000 to show, $17,000 to win) Marcus Hicks — $10,000 ($5,000 to show, $5,000 to win) Steve Cantwell — $8,000 ($4,000 to show, $4,000 to win) Richard Crunkilton — $20,000 ($10,000 to show, $10,000 to win) Hiromitsu Miura — $8,000 ($4,000 to show, $4,000 to win) Brock Larson — $24,000 ($12,000 to show, $12,000 to win) Alex Serdyukov— $12,000 ($6,000 to show, $6,000 to win) *Chris Manuel — $3,000 *There was no win bonus awarded due to both men fighting to a draw Now is time for your friendly reminder: The salaries listed above do not include fight bonuses, sponsorships, percentages and other unofficial payments. Deductions for expenses such as insurance, taxes, etc. are also excluded. For complete WEC 33 results and coverage click here and here. |
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