Friday, May 31, 2013

Legacy FC 20 Review

Elias Garcia versus Matt Schnell- What a barnburner. Both fighters kept a furious pace the entire three round war. Matt Schnell had top position nearly the entire second frame but could not sink in the rear naked choke. Schnell showed some amazing durability by taking a slurry of power shots. Schnell seemed to gas in the 3rd round and it seemed as if he would rather have eaten the shots than defend them. Judges score the fight 28-28, 29-28 amd 29-28 declaring the winner by majority decision Elias Garcia. What an amazing fight. Garcia improves to 4-0 while Schnell gets his first professional loss to move to 2-1.

Alp Ozkilic versus Antonio Banuelos-
This fight did not last long at all. Both fighters come to the center of the cage and feel eachother out. Ozkilic lands a brutal overhand right that plants Banuelos on the mat face first. Ozkilic pounces on his prey and unleashes before the ref steps in to stop the punishment at :30 seconds of the very first round. This was a huge win for Alp Ozkilic as he makes quick work of a very experienced and extremely tough Antonio Banuelos. Ozkilic improves to 8-1 and Banuelos is winless in his last 4 fights moving his record to 20-10-1.

Adam Schindler versus Chris Pecero-Schindler comes out full speed looking to land head kicks and power punches as Pecero defends. Schindler is relentless and gets Pecero to the ground. At the halfway mark of the opening round Schindler winces in pain and appears to have hurt his knee. Pecero throws a couple of kicks to the knee and Schindler quickly goes for a takedown. Schindler appears to have recovered and takes the back of Pecero. It seems to be a welcome respite as Schindler just hangs on. After the bell sounds ending the first round, Schindler gingerly walks to his corner. Something is obviously wrong with his right knee.
Coming into the second round Schindler looks to clinch and take it to the ground. Pecero pushes Schindler to the cage and unleashes a flurry of knees to the right knee of Schindler as Schindler winces in pain. After several more blows to the right knee, it is obvious this fight is over and the ref steps in at 1:02 of the second round to bring a stop to the fight declaring the winner by TKO Chris Pecero. I hope that Schindlers knee is not seriously damaged. Schindler shows great heart by limping to the center of the cage for the anouncement of the winner. Precero improves hi srecord to 9-5 while Schindler drops to 10-6

Damacio Page versus Patick Ybarra- Both men start at a high pace with submission specialist Ybarra trying to get this fight to the mat. Damacio is defending and sprawling very well and continued to strike from the clinch. Page drops Ybarra from the clinch, but Ybarra popped right back up. Page's boxing looks great and seems to be picking his shots at will. Damacio Page throws a HUGE right hand that lands right behind the ear of Ybarra dropping him face first prompting the ref to call a halt to the fight, declaring Damacio Page the winner by knockout at 1:57 of the first round. Page looked great in his takedown defense and Ybarra couldn't do anything to stop the striking of Page. This was an excellent and much needed win for Page winning for the first time in his last five fights improving his record to 16-8 while Ybarra loses for the first time as a professional dropping his record to 5-1.


---MAIN EVENT---
Carlo Prater versus Carlos Diego Ferreira- The story of this fight seems to have been the much improved striking coupled with the relentless takedowns of Ferreira. Prater seemed very surprised by the hands and combinations of Ferreira. In the first round Ferreira nearly had the rear naked choke in but Prater defended well. When Ferreira could not get the choke in, he transitioned to the armbar. He did not get the submission, but his grappling just seemed a little bit more refined than Prater's ground game.
The second round of this fight was much like the first, Ferreira simply out paced Prater. Ferreira would throw combinations, connecting frequently, and when Prater defended the punches Ferreira would take him down.
Going in to the third and final round it was obvious Prater needed a finish to win the fight. Prater was in defensive mode for a majority of the fight and this did not change in the third frame. Takedowns and position were the name of the game for Ferreira and he ends the fight in top position as the final bell rings. All three judges score the fight 30-27, 30-27 and 30-27, declaring Carlos Diego Ferreira the winner by unanimous decision. Ferreira improves his undefeated record to 7-0 while Carlo Prater drops to 31-14-1.


Excellent card put on by Legacy Fighting Championship tonight. My hats off to all the fighters. I have nothing but good things to say about these fighters and I look forward to seeing each of them in the near future.





Legacy FC 20 Preview


In tonight’s main event we have Strikeforce, WEC and UFC veteran Carlo Prater 31-13-1) versus undefeated Carlos Diego Ferreira (6-0). With nearly fifty professional fights against top competition, the experience edge goes to Prater. Carlo has notable wins against UFC veterans Carlos Condit, Melvin Guillard, Pat Healy and Spencer Fischer. After losing three straight, Carlo will be looking to put together back to back wins after picking a big submission win in his last fight against Sebastian Latorre on January 25, 2013. Carlo has slick submissions and an experience edge that very few fighters have.

 

Carlos Diego Ferreira comes into tonight’s fight boasting an undefeated professional record at 6 wins and 0 losses. With five wins by way of submission in his six fights, Carlos comes into tonight’s Main Event tilt with the ability to finish fights. This should be a very close fight on the ground as both fighters are proficient in Jiu-Jitsu.

 

This evening’s co-main event pits UFC and WEC vet Damacio Page (15-8) against Patrick Ybarra (5-0). Page is coming off of a four fight skid in the UFC and will be looking to get back on track against Ybarra in his first fight since July 2012. Page trains with world class fight camp Jackson-Winklejohn and will undoubtedly come into this fight hungry to get back in the win column.

 

With an undefeated professional record, Patrick Ybarra has finished all of his five fights by way of submission or TKO. Ybarra hales from Corpus Christi, Texas and will be looking to move up the bantamweight rankings in front of his hometown crowd.

 

Adam Schindler (10-5) versus Chris Pecero (8-5). A Strikeforce and Bellator MMA vet Schindler is coming off of a knee injury that has sidelined him since May of 2012 and will be eager to push the pace and get a big win in his Legacy FC debut.

 

Chris Pecero has won four out of his last five fights and will be looking to get back into the win column after a split decision loss to Gregorio Alvarez this past March. Both fighters are well rounded with the ability to finish the fight standing and the ground skills to submit their opponents.

 

Alptekin Ozkilic (7-1) versus Antonio Banuelos (20-9-1)
Alptekin Ozkilic will be looking to make it three straight wins tonight and continue his momentum by beating a very tough and experienced Banuelos.

 

Antonio Banuelos is one of the flyweight’s toughest competitors. The UFC, DREAM, and WEC vet has fought on the biggest stages in MMA and will be looking to get a big win tonight after a hotly contested split draw in his last outing against Jacob Montalvo in March, 2013, a fight many had Banuelos winning.

 

First fight on the main card has Elias Garcia (3-0) matched against Matt Schnell (2-0).

These two up and coming flyweights will be looking to continue their rise up the ladder with big wins on in front of a television audience on AXS TV. As the Legend Bas Rutten puts it, “Someone’s O has to go.”

 

Good luck to all the fighters tonight. Enjoy the fights!

Thursday, May 30, 2013

Our Fighting Culture

There have been seminal moments in sports history by men and women whose accomplishments have influenced future generations of athletes in their respective sports and society in general. Our generation has indeed witnessed a rare occurence.

Since MMA was popularized using the art of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu by Gracie clan on Novemeber 12, 1993, we have been witness to a sports revolution. That cold night in Denver, Colorado, in which Royce Gracie captured the imagination of martial artists around the world by defeating opponents much bigger than himself, was truly an unprecented and unexpected success that gave birth to modern MMA. Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu has revolutionized modern martial arts and the way society looks at what being a fighter is really all about.

Whether we are talking about the Bushido philosophy of a divine order being protected by the Samurai in which honor, discipline and semi-indigence was a reflection of the clan, or in the ancient Greek tradition of wrestling or Pále which was the purest expression of strength of one man against another, we have to include Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu in the pantheon of martial arts.

Mixed martial arts and traditional martial arts are an expression of all that our mind, spirit and body can achieve through discipline, dedication, heart and the will to succeed. Our great sport and all that MMA represents coils into one, we can see the fruits of a fighters labor through the way they fight.

Nearly every culture throughout history has had some form of martial art or an expression of the unity of physical hand to hand combat. Since we live in a unique time where we are considered a "global village", MMA is our modern articulation of the precept of hand to hand combat and has evolved into an increasingly popular if not honourable pursuit. Modern martial arts are not strictly a single culture's practice, rather a global uniting of our many and diverse cultures.

We may not agree with one anothers political stance. We may never be able to see eye to eye
on religious tenats and we may never even agree on what is the most effective art of combat. One thing we can agree upon is the precepts of honor through training of the body, mind and spirit of hand to hand combat. Just like the first UFC event where one discipline was victorious against other martial arts, we have evolved into our own culture. The concept of Man vs man or woman vs woman, the sport that we see today can be looked at as many cultures coming together and uniting us to become one fighting spirit. We should all take lesson a from MMA and learn the evolution of all cultures to appreciate our global village.



Sunday, May 26, 2013

The Man Who Saved MMA

We are one day removed from another epic UFC card, and as always, there are a plethora of storylines coming out of the latest fight card. We have Cain Veasquez defending his title, Juinor "Cigano" Dos Santos' spinning head heel kick knockout of the iron chinned "Super Somaon" Mark Hunt, "Cowboy" Cerrone's return to the win column, T.J. Grant seemingly coming out of nowhere to earn a title shot at the UFC lightweight champion Ben "Smooth" Henderson's belt by knocking out perrenial contender Gray "The Bully" Maynard and the continued rise of Glover Teixeira in the light heavyweight division.

Today I would like to focus on another storyline coming out of the fight capital of the world. The retirement of the first TUF champion, former UFC light heavyweight champion, MMA superstar, future UFC hall of famer and fan favorite, Forrest Griffin. With a UFC career spanning nearly 8 years and 15 fights inside the octagon, Forrest Griffin has become a household name. Even the most casual of MMA fans know who Forrest is and enjoys watching him fight. Whether we are talking about his epic battle with Stephan Bonnar in the first TUF Finale, his improbable submission win over PRIDE superstar Mauricio "Shogun" Rua or his upset victory over former UFC light heavyweight champion Quentin "Rampage" Jackson at UFC 86 to win the LHW championship, Forrest has done for MMA what nearly $50 million dollars spent by the Fertitta brothers could not do...he saved the sport. With his self deprecating humor, his toughness or his willingness to put himself in harms way to entertain us fans, Forrest Griffin has truly had an epic Mixed Martial Arts career. While capturing the hearts and minds of fans, press and even the literary world (I use the word literary loosely as would Mr. Griffin) Forrest  has catapulted the MMA into the mainstream, taking this great sport from a percieved bloodsport to an art that is ever evolving and expanding into the mainstream sports world.

There are very few athletes throughout sports history who have captured our attention with style, humor, grit and guts all the while actually being a world class athlete in their respective sport. While announcing his retirement last night, Forrest seemed a little uneasy and even embarrassed that we would or even should care about what he has accomplished in his life. It's hard for us not to talk about the whole career retrospective that inherently comes after such a great fighting career, in which Forrest himself seemed not to care for the attention. With his fan accessible, every-man persona we would be hard hearted S.O.B.'s not to care. Well, Mr. Griffin, we do care and we care a helleva alot. Just like the look he gave to the camera with a shrug of the shoulders while wearing his new belt after his victory that won him the title that seemed to say "Who fucking knew?" his career was as improbable as it was entertaining and is something that I am glad I had the chance to witness. To Forrest I would like to say thank you, we do care and We Fucking Knew, Forrest, We Fucking Knew.

Saturday, May 25, 2013

UFC 160 analysis


First fight on the Facebook prelims- Jeremy Stephens versus Strikeforce import Estevan Payan-  UFC veteran Stephens, is coming off of  3 straight losses in the U.F.C. Lightweight division.“Lil Heathen” will be making his Featherweight debut tonight. A fan favorite for his power, striking ability and willingness to stand toe to toe, has tremendous power and a great chin. This is probably a must win for Stephens if he wants to continue his UFC career.
 Estevan Payan, a Strikeforce import, is coming into the UFC riding an 8 fight unbeaten streak including 1 n.c. The famous “UFC jitters” could be a factor in this fight as Payan is facing an experienced brawler in Jeremy Stephens.
 
In the second prelim fight on Facebook, Brian Bowles takes on the always tough George Roop. Brian Bowles is coming off of a loss to Uriah Faber at UFC 139 in November of 2011. Bowles is returning to UFC Octagon after 18 month layoff due to injury. Bowles, a former W.E.C. bantamweight champion, has rediscovered his passion for MMA. At 10 wins and 2 losses, Bowles has only lost to champions and former champions. He has great power and is the first fighter to knockout former W.E.C. champion Miguel Torres.
George Roop, an experienced W.E.C. and U.F.C. veteran, has lost 3 of last 5 fights. However, His 13-10-1 record is deceptive. Roop has great movement, striking and toughness. He has notable wins over Josh Grispi and Chan sung jung (head kick knockout). Do not sleep on George Roop. He always seems to come up with wins when he needs to.
 
The third and final Facebook prelim fight pits Stephen Thompson versus Nah-Shon Burrel. Stephen “Wonderboy" Thompson is a kickboxing and karate expert. Thompson comes from a family of traditional martial artists and has been training and fighting his whole life. His first defeat in any combat sport was in an exciting three round war with the always dangerous top welterweight contender Matt Brown at UFC 145 in which Matt Brown said “The Wonderboy” had him rocked several times. Thompson, mainly a striker, has been working on his ground game since his lone defeat. Undefeated in his kickboxing and karate career, Thompson announced his presence in his UFC debut at UFC 143 with a thunderous head kick knockout of the tough striker Daniel Stittgen.
Nah-Shon Burrel, another Strikeforce import, is coming into the octagon for the second time. Nah-Shon is coming off of a unanimous decision win over Yuri Villefort in his UFC debut in February 2013 and will be looking to go 2-0 in his young UF.C. career. Burrel has a dominating ground game with excellent takedowns.
 
The first bout on the FX televised portion of the U.F.C. 160 prelims pits Khabib Nurmagomedov versus Abel Trujillo. Khabib Nurmagomedov is undefeated at 19 wins 0 losses and has 3 straight wins in the U.F.C. with finishes over Kamal Shalorus,  a unanimous decision win against the always tough U.F.C. veteran Gleison Tibau and a brutal knockout of top Brazilian lightweight and UFC veteran Thiago Tavares in January 2013 at UFC on FX 7. Missing weight by 2 ½ pounds, Nurmagomedov Shoved Abel Trujillo during weigh-ins which seems to have garnered a lot more attention as this has turned personal for both fighters. Nurmagomedov famously said “If sambo was easy they would call it jiu jitsu.” Do not let the bravado fool you. Khabib Nurmagomedov is as tough as they come.
Abel Trujillo- Trains with super camp Blackzillians and is coming into his second fight inside the Octagon. With 10 wins and 4 losses, Trujillo is coming off of a TKO victory in his UFC debut this past December over Marcus Levessuer. His opponent Nurmagomedov missed weight, then during the faceoff was shoved by Nurmagomedov almost hitting Mike Tyson. Look out, this fight has two very angry and very skilled men facing off.
 
Colton Smith versus Robert Whittaker- Colton Smith is coming into this fight with 6 wins 1 loss. Smith is a strong wrestler with the ability to control his opponents. A member of the U.S. armed forces, Smith has the mental fortitude to be a tough match. Smith is coming off a unanimous decision win over Mike Ricci to become the TUF 16 winner in December 2012 and will be looking to continue that momentum.
Robert Whittaker, a TUF SMASHES winner, comes into tonights fight with 11 wins 2 losses. Whittaker is coming off a unanimous decision win against Brad Scott at UFC on FX 6 in December 2012. A well rounded fighter with good takedowns and well rounded striking, Whittaker has a background in karate and will look to keep his distance to unleash his striking arsenal.
 
Dennis Bermudez versus Max Holloway- Dennis "The Menace" Bermudezhas 11 wins with 3 losses and is 3-1 in the U.F.C. including 3 straight wins. The TUF 14 finalist is coming off of a barn burner FOTN performance against Matt Grice at UFC 157 earning the split decisionwin. Bermudez has great heart, a strong chin and is a powerful striker with improved ground game.
Max Holloway- 7 wins with his only 1 loss coming against to top featherweight contender Dustin Poirier in his UFC debut. Holloway is a great striker with a BJJ and kickboxing background. Coming off of a hotly contested split decision win over grizzled W.E.C. and U.F.C. vet bad boy Leonard Garcia in December 2012. Max Holloway is young with heart and talent.
 
Mike Pyle versus Rick Story- Mike Pyle comes into this fight with 24 wins and 8 losses and has won 3 in a row all via ko/tko. The Xtreme Couture coach and fighter has won 6 of his last 7 fights with finishes in 4 out of the 6 wins. Pyle has an excellent ground game, a good chin, is well rounded and ever improving striking.
Rick Story- With 15 wins and 6 losses, rebounded from a submission loss to top welterweight contender Damien Maia to take a tko win against Quinn Mulhern at UFC 158 this past March. This is a relatively quick turnaround as this is his second fight in 3 months. "The Horror" is well rounded with excellent takedowns, heart and determination. He bosts notable wins against Thiago Alves and #1 ranked Welterweight title challenger Johny Hendricks. Don’t sleep on this fight. Both guys are experienced and as tough as they come.
 
First fight Main card ppv:
Donald Cerrone versus K.J. Noons- Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone, 19 wins 5 losses, is coming off of a tko loss to lightweight and featherweight contender Anthony "Showtime" Pettis. “Cowboy”, a Perrenial W.E.C. and U.F.C. title contender, has an excellent ground game, amazing kickboxing and an experience edge. A Thrill seeker with the skills to take anybody out, Donald will be looking to rebound with a dominant win.
K.J. Noons with 10 wins 5 losses, is making his U.F.C. debut coming off of a very questionable loss against Ryan Couture in the final Strikeforce card. With Professional boxing experience, fast hands and a great chin, Noons versus Cerrone has the ability to be a  FOTN bout. This fight Great way to start the ppv portion of this card.
 
Gray Maynard versus T.J. Grant – Gray Maynard, 12 wins only 1 loss (to Frankie Edgar in their third fight) 1 draw (Frankie Edgar for lw title) and 1 n.c. is a Top U.F.C. lightweight contender. “The Bully” has an excellent wrestling pedigree with some of the most dangerous hands and power in the lightweight division. Maynard has switched training camps to train at the famed A.K.A. The reinvigorated Maynard is coming off of a win over Clay Guida at UFC on FX 4 Last June 2012. The winner of this fight will face Champ Ben Henderson for the U.F.C. lightweight strap.
T.J. Grant- 20 wins 5 losses is coming off of a brutal knockout of the tough UFC vet Matt Wiman via elbow strikes. T.J. has an excellent ground game as well and improved striking with a powerful clinch game. T.J. has rolled up 4 straight wins in the UFC and is fighting Gray for the right to face U.F.C. lightweight champ Ben Henderson. This is an excellent Matchup!
 
Glover Teixeira versus James Te Huna- Teixeira has 20 wins with only 2 losses and is undefeated in the UFC at 3-0. Glover is powerful striker with fast hands with great timing in his takedowns with the ability to stand and trade or dominate on the ground. Coming off of a dominant performance against former U.F.C. light heavy weight champ "Rampage" Jackson at UFC on FOX 6, Teixeira will be looking to further solidify his spot in the LHW top five rankings. If Glover wins this fight tonight he will face a top ten opponent in his next bout. However, never look past James Te Huna.
James Te Huna is coming into this bout with 18 wins,5 losses and is coming off of 4 straight wins. James has won 5 out of his last 6 in the U.F.C. including a win over Ryan Jimmo at UFC on FUEL TV where he showed resilience after nearly being finished in the first round. With great heart, a durable chin and the ability to recover Te Huna is a very worthy adversary. Te Huna has excellent takedowns and powerful hands. He has notable wins over Igor Pokrajac, Joey Beltran and Ryan Jimmo.
 
Junior “Cigano” Dos Santos versus “Super Somoan” Mark Hunt- With 15 wins and 2 losses, JDS might be the best boxer in the U.F.C. heavyweight division. Junior is coming off the first loss of his U.F.C career after current champion, and tonights main event fighter Cain Velasquez pummeled him for five rounds at UFC 155. “Cigano” is a tough and resilient fighter with an amazing chin and the willingness to stand and trade. Junior has great head movement and takedown defense. He Trains with the Nogueira brothers and MMA legend Anderson Silva.
Mark Hunt comes into this highly anticipated heavyweight bout with 9 wins and 7 losses. Mr. Hunt has had a career resurgence since losing his U.F.C. debut to Sean McCorkle at U.F.C. 119  in 2010, winning 4 straight in the stacked UFC Heavyweight division. “Super Somoan” is a former K-1 champion with powerful striking and an unbreakable chin. Mark is a fan favorite and his career turnaround just may be the best story in sports right now. In his last fight Mark Hunt broke the Jaw of the 7’ Stefan Struve at U.F.C. on FUEL 8. Mark is much improved in his submission defense and has even added takedowns to his arsenal. With a great ability to get inside and throw that famous jumping left hook he is known for, this fight should not last long. Possible FOTN or fight of the year candidate. Don’t blink!
 
MAIN EVENT
Champ Cain Velasquez versus challenger Antonio “Bigfoot” Silva- What can we say about Cain that hasn’t already been said? Cain has top wrestling pedigree, fast hands and a speed advantage over everyone in the U.F.C. heavyweight division. Once Cain gets you to the ground he smothers his opponents with vicious ground and pound. With great kickboxing, Velasquez throws scary combinations with awesome power and technique. Training in one of the best camps in the world, A.K.A., Cain has improved every day and has notoriously endless cardio. As he proved in his title winning effort against JDS, he can go five full rounds at top speed. We all knew Cain was a beast but he finally put it all together in his last fight to show the world the REAL Cain Velasquez.
Antonio Silva, who is coming into this championship fight with 18 wins and 4 losses, seems to always be the dark horse after starting out his UFC career with a loss to current heavyweight champ Cain Velasquez. “Bigfoot” has had two straight vicious wins against top U.F.C. heavyweights Travis Brown, and most recently a huge upset knockout win over Alistair Overeem at UFC 156. A fight in which he was being taken down and smothered in the clinch, “Bigfoot” came out in the final frame with anger in his eyes and within a minute had Overeem sleeping in the canvas.
 
I am not going to make predictions on this stacked card. I wish all fighters the best and I look forward to one of the most highly anticipated cards of 2013. Enjoy the fights everyone.
 
Randy Casjens- Twitter @SavageRandy

Thursday, May 23, 2013

Introduction

This blog is dedicated to MMA fighters and their personal struggles to become professional fighters. There are too many negative perceptions of these men and women, whether it is because of a lack of knowledge of the sport, or because they are looked at merely as fighters. MMA is not a blood sport. It is a physical and, more importantly, a mental struggle. The martial arts are the embodiment of the union between mind, body and spirit. A vast majority of these men and women hold down full time jobs, raise families and train every day while making little to no money in the process. Success is never a guarantee in this truly global sport, or in any facet of life in general. A fighter's character is not defined by wins and losses, but rather their struggle to succeed.

My love and respect of MMA has given me the desire to share their stories and inspire us "Regular Joes" in our daily lives. I believe wholeheartedly in their aspirations and I seek to tell their stories of struggles, failures and success to help inspire the world. This blog is about positive reinforcement with zero negative opinions or editorials. Please keep your comments positive.

- Randy Casjens