MMA Analytics 04.07.08: IFL Impresses, ShoXC Thoughts
Posted by Leland Roling on 04.07.2008
A look at this weekend surpisingly entertaining IFL event and EliteXC's Challenger Series, ShoXC. What's next for the IFL's champions, and what can we expect from the upcoming talent in ProElite? We'll take a look in this edition of MMA Analytics!
The International Fight League began the year off right with an event that didn't seem to have the most exciting matchups on paper, but ended up impressing even this critic. With three title fights and some camp vs. camp action on the card, the event at least seemed to have some potentially great fights. Instead of the potential, we were delivered with the reality of a great show.
In the night's main event, Jay Hieron made quick work of Mark Miller with an aggressive ground and pound campaign that was reminiscent of Patton's Fourth army scorching the Earth toward Berlin. Hieron came out fully intending to stop the fight in the first round, and a big overhand strike started the fight out. Hieron immediately pounced on Miller with strikes from the guard. He was able to push Miller into the corner of the ring and continue crushing him with big blows that ended the fight by referee stoppage.
Hieron is becoming more and more impressive as he continues his mixed martial arts career. He has quality experience against venerable fighters, a great training team at Xtreme Couture, and a solid wrestling background to supplement his power in the standup and ground and pound. Hieron will likely face Brad Blackburn in his second title defense, a fighter who holds a quick :40 second TKO win over Hieron. Both guys have solid power, wrestling, and standup skills, so it could prove to spark some fireworks.
In a surprising finish, the Featherweight title bout between champion Wagnney Fabiano and challenger Shad Lierley could be summarized as one of the most brutal knockouts in IFL history. Fabiano, labeled as a slick grappler with solid strength, was able to land a stiff right that turned the lights out on Shad Lierley with the flick of a switch. Lierley crumpled to the ropes and was visibly unconscious for a period of time. Lierley should have had the striking advantage in the bout, but Wagnney was able to fake the left hand and slip past Lierley's defense with the right. It looks like other featherweight contenders will need to be weary of Fabiano's multidimensional skills now.
A more evenly matched battle during the evening was the Light Heavyweight title bout between Vladimir Matyushenko and Jamal Patterson. Patterson took it to Matyushenko early with some great standup skills, but he was able to survive the first round onslaught to continue on to a dominating second round in which he won via TKO. Patterson grew tired on the ground in the second and was unable to stop Matyushenko's top control and strikes. It was a solid win for Matyushenko considering Patterson's age and power.
Both Matyushenko and Fabiano could potentially hold the belts in their respective divisions for quite some time. Vladimir has a solid ground game and great wrestling skills. He's also faced some of the best competition in the world and was once a UFC combatant. Outside of the UFC, the Light Heavyweight division doesn't offer much of a challenge for him, so I wouldn't bet money that Vladimir will be losing the belt anytime soon. Fabiano is sitting in the 145 lb. Division, and most of those fighters are locked up in the WEC or in Japan. Unless he ends up making a move to either of those promotions or regions, he should sit pretty at the top of the IFL's newest division.
In other action, Brad Blackburn scored an upset victory over grappler Delson Heleno in the third round of their matchup. Blackburn was being crushed by Heleno for most of the fight, and it was evident that Blackburn knew he needed a huge punch to end it in the third. Heleno left himself open after a shot, and then took a massive blow to the temple that immediately ended the fight. Blackburn will likely move on to a title shot with Jay Hieron, who he has beaten in the past.
My big bet upset of the night was Jim Miller, Ring of Combat Champion, coming in on short notice to face venerable striker/wrestler Bart Palaszewski. In typical Miller fashion, he scored takedown after takedown and attempted multiple anaconda chokes and submissions in a 30-27 unanimous decision victory over Palaszewski. If you haven't seen Miller fight recently, he's a no joke load for anyone to deal with. At 11-1, his only loss came from Frankie Edgar who stated during the Ring of Combat show on HDNet that Jim Miller was indeed one of the toughest he's ever fought. Miller got some great exposure during this card, and it's no doubt that he'll be moving away from Ring of Combat in no time.
In early, early action, Chris Horodecki won his matchup with Nick Lamotte in typical fashion via endless combinations while maintaining the fight in the standup position. I'd really love to see Horodecki develop some more power and begin ending these fights, and I'm sure the IFL wants to see some explosiveness as well.
Also, here's Emyr Bussade's kneebar submission of Jessie Lennox on the undercard, OUCH!
ShoXC's night of upcoming talent
EliteXC's Challenger Series still remains relatively unknown to mixed martial arts fans, but if you want to see some of the better upcoming talent in the sport, I highly reccommend tuning in for these cards on Showtime. The main event featured Jared Hamman (9-0) vs. Poai Suganuma (8-1) in an anticipated bout of fighters that could be making the jump to the big show with a win. Unfortunately for fans, the fight ended in controversy over the quality of the official in the cage.
Suganuma's power and standup was the deciding factor in this matchup. Both fighters came out looking to catch one another, but Hamman was clearly outclassed on his feet. Suganuma was able to clip Hamman with a huge overhand right following it with a flying knee strike that put Hamman to the canvas. As Suganuma moved in for the kill, Hamman tried to get to his feet, but the referee crashed into the pileup and ended the fight. According to the official, Hamman was out and the fight was over. After further review of the replay, it was obvious that Hamman hit the ground, but wasn't unconscious or even visibly dazed to a point where he could not continue. The ensuing pandemonium in the cage involved Vladimir Matyushenko, Hamman's cornerman, questioning the referee, and an entire crowd booing the result of the fight.
In my opinion, it was a horrible stoppage, and ShoXC should make this fight happen again as soon as possible for Hamman. Although I believe Suganuma still has a distinct advantage over Hamman, he still deserves a fair shot at this fight.
Fabricio Camoes returned to the cage in one of the evening's leadup bouts against Iron Ring contestant and MMA veteran Joe Camacho. Camoes hasn't fought since late 2006, but it wasn't obvious in this bout as he crushed Camacho on the ground and ended the fight in the first round via TKO. Camacho was outmatched in nearly every facet of the fight. Camoes had much more size, more strength, and an obvious ground advantage when the two fighters hit the mat. I look forward to seeing Camoes make his way through the ShoXC/EliteXC ranks as he could be a dark horse with his size and skills.
Shayna Baszler continued her dominance by defeating entertaining Japanese fighter Keiko Tamai. Baszler put her to the floor immediately in the fight, and it was over from there. After a mean knee strike from Baszler and a suplex to follow, Tamai was unable to escape Baszler's grip on the ground and tapped to what looked like a Twister by using a neck crank. Amazing submission, but then again, Baszler has the infamous encyclopedia of submission in Josh Barnett in her corner.
In some lower card bouts, Givanildo Santana armbarred Matt Lucas late in the first round after getting clipped with a left hand. Bao Quach blew out former UFC and AFC fighter Doug Evans with a crushing knockout strike. Quach took the fight on less than a week's notice.
Although the main event had some controversy, the fight card still manged to give us a look at some of the upcoming talent that we may see on CBS or on an EliteXC Showtime card. Camoes looked dominant in his victory, and his return to the cage can only spell good things for ProElite. Suganuma is definitely an exciting fighter, and the rematch could end up with the same result. Regardless, he's a talent that can't be ignored.
Leland Roling is the Editor-in-Chief of MMA-Analyst.com. Check out his previews, predictions, and betting breakdowns for each MMA event coming up at his website.
