Passing the Guard 06.21.08: He's Moving Where?!

Posted by Stephen DeAugustino on 06.21.2008

Anderson Silva going to 205? GSP moving to 185? Roger Huerta to 170? All of that, plus Dana White's big announcement, details about the upcoming UFC video game, a review of DREAM 4, and more!

So far this summer has been going great for MMA fans as the fights and events have been rolling along nonstop for the past few weeks. This last week was no exception, with DREAM hosting its fourth installment, and the Ultimate Fighter coming to a shocking conclusion. In addition, things are looking up for the next few weeks as well with Affliction: Banned on the way and an Anderson Silva headlined UFN on the horizon. But, I digress. Let us begin with a review, shall we?


Reviews

DREAM 4

Don't let DREAM 4's decision littered card fool you; that June 15th evening was as exciting as any night provided by the UFC or WEC. The card, loaded with names like Shinya Aoki and Kazushi Sakuraba, had a little bit of everything for any MMA fan; a little bit of crazy submission, a mix of standing KO, and a pinch of grotesque injury for good measure. Here are the complete results for the event, as well as some of my thoughts on each bout.



Shinya Aoki defeats Katsuhiko Nagata by way of Gogoplata in the first round
The fight begins and ends up quickly as fans predicted it, however it is not the Olympian wrestler that claims the takedown, but rather the younger judoka. Aoki shoots a nice double leg and takes Nagata to the ground. It isn't long before Nagata makes his way back to his feet, however the Greco-Roman wrestler is clinched up and thrown to the canvas much to the surprise of the Japanese crowd. After nearly three minutes of pounding Nagata out from the mount, Aoki slicks his foot across the foot of Katsuhiko and gets the tap at 5:12 into the first round.

Shinya Aoki is a sheer joy to watch. His talents have been growing ever since he claimed the Shooto crown a few years back and he hasn't stopped since. After dismantling J.Z. in the first round of the DREAM tournament, Aoki out wrestled an Olympic caliber wrestler in both low leg takedowns and upper body work. After watching this fight, I would confidently venture to say Aoki has the best groundwork in MMA right now. His next fight is against Caol Uno sometime next month. After Uno's surprising display of grappling ability in his win over Ishida, this fight is looking to be a great one.




Alistair Overeem defeats Tae Hyun Lee by way of Knock Out in the first round
The fight begins as Overeem checks Lee with a few leg kicks as the fighters circle one another. A few seconds later Alistair backs Lee up to the ropes and hits him with a right-left combo that dazes Lee. As Tae Hyun stumbles, the Dutchman connects with a nice knee that sends his adversary to the floor at the 0:36 mark.

What is there to talk about? Overeem dismantled Lee without breaking a sweat. However, it is really difficult to gauge the "Demolition Man's" skills with this bout; while Lee is a well renowned grappler, it is hard to look at him as even a remote striking threat to anyone. After his win, Alistair went on to challenge Cro Cop. Is the kick boxer from Holland ready to handle the kick boxer from Croatia? It is still too early to tell, but with the small handful of heavyweights in DREAM, the fight seems to be a realistic one.




Hideo Tokoro defeats Darren Uyenoyama by way of Decision
Shortly after the bell Tokoro gets a nice knee through and puts Uyenoyama down, however after charging on top, he ends up in the American's guard. Both fighters fail in submission attempts before Tokoro gets to his feet and connects with another knee that puts the American on the canvas. The first round ends as Tokoro rains knees down upon Uyenoyama. The second round is a bit more even. Both Tokoro and Uyenoyama get takedowns, however it is Uyenoyama that finds himself on top for most of the round. Dispite this, it is not enough to win him the fight as all of the judges score the bout as a unanimous decision win for the Japanese fighter.
Darren Uyenoyama is clearly a better grappler than Tokoro. Or at least that was what people were saying before the fight. Uyenoyama, ranked number one in the world by FILA, has better credentials than Hideo does as far as the submission world is concerned, but Tokoro really put Darren on ice in this fight. Any submission Darren initiated, Tokoro escaped from and sometimes even countered. We see it time and time again in the ring; maybe Uyenoyama could beat Tokoro in a grappling match, but in the MMA arena it is a different story. Tokoro is a featherweight to be feared.



Ralek Gracie defeats Alavutdin Gadzhiyev by way of Armbar in the first round
The fight quickly hits the ground as Gracie fails to trip Gadzhiyev down and instead ends up on his back. After a few punches, the Russian stands back up. No doubt a relative to Royce, Ralek throws a few front kicks and shoots a head-down double leg similar to what we saw in UFC 1. Soon after acquiring the mount, Ralek gets and nice armbar and finishes the fight. Surprisingly, Gadzhiyev seems upset by the finish.

It is clear that Ralek is new to the MMA field just from watching this fight. The young Gracie reverted strictly to his deep roots in jujitsu to win this fight, and as mentioned before looked a lot like Royce back in the old days. But there is really nothing wrong with that at all. Gracie showed a great tenacity and has a bright future in the sport.



Gegard Mousasi defeats Dong Sik Yoon by way of Decision
The fight starts with a few Mousasi strikes before Yoon takes it to the floor. Mousasi gets to his feet and not long after is locked up by Yoon in what seems to be a Kimura attempt. Leading into a stalemate, Yoon shoots again but this time gives up his back. Mousasi racks up points until Yoon moves to half guard and eventually back to his feet. There, Mousasi knocks Yoon down and jumps down into the Korean's guard. An attempted Heel hook on Yoon's part results in Mousasi taking his back. The round ends as Mousasi takes side-control. The second round is more of the same as Mousasi stuffs another shot and takes Yoon's back. The round ends there as Mousasi rides out Yoon for the majority of the round. The Armanian wins by unanimous decision.
Coming off the triangle finish of Kang, Gegard Mousasi was carrying a bunch of momentum to this fight. However, many considered the Korean judoka to be the most improved fighter in MMA today. One side had to give, and much to my surprise, it was Yoon. The fight was not only controlled on the feet by Mousasi, where it was expected, but also on the ground. Yoon had most of his shots stuffed and countered and always seemed to be in bad position. Whether it was because Mousasi put him there, or because his own skills were lacking that night, still isn't known. By the end of the tournament we should know the answer as Gegard moves to the Semis.



Zelg Galesic defeats Taiei Kin by way of Technical Knockout in the first round
Both fighters stand and mesure up one another before Kin punches his way into Galesic's clinch, where the Croatian picks up and leg sweeps kin to the floor. Trying to post up, Kin's arm is severely dislocated as it gives out under the weight of both fighters. The fight is immediately halted much to the displeasure of both fighters.
While not much of a fight, I can say that I respect both guys even more after this. Galesic was very displeased and seemed to be very upset for Kin, which is very admirable. On the other hand, Kin was seen laughing it off afterward, as if he was watching the replay and chuckling at his own misfortune. Probably the best outcome you can get for a situation like that.

Disclaimer: if you are not a fan of broken bones, dislocated joints, arms that appear to be made out of rubber, or 45 degree angles, turn away!




Ronaldo Souza defeats Jason Miller by way of Decision.
Souza begins the fight with a nice knee tap that brings Miller to the ground. Jason stands but is brought back down again where he finds himself underneath a Souza mount. Miller is able to reverse as Jacare tries to throw a quick triangle. Failing, Souza tries and gets a nice heel hook but cannot get the tap. The fight goes back to the feet before Jacare claims another good takedown and finds another good heel hook. Miller gives a thumbs up before giving up his back, where Jacare looks for a rear naked choke and then a armbar before Miller stands back up. The round ends there. In the second round, it looks as if jacare is gassed as Miller controls the stand up, until Souza brings it down. The Brazilian takes the mount then the back before the round ends.
Souza was clearly a better grappler but it was surprising that he couldn't put down Miller. The true test for Souza was to get past Miller's Muay Thai, which he did, but he just couldn't seem to capitalize when he got Mayhem where he wanted him. This could be a real problem for Souza later on as he cannot afford to let up these opportunities go by. Regardless, it was an impressive showing for the grappling champion.



Melvin Manhoef defeats Kazushi Sakuraba by way of Technical Knockout in the first round
The fight starts as Manhoef throws a head kick that connects as Sakuraba goes down for a shot. Looking for a takedown, the rocked Sakuraba shoots in but is stuffed down into his guard, where he is hit repeatedly. Eventually, Melvin moves to the side and brings down some serious hammer fists. That will be the end, as the referee jumps in soon after to stop the fight.

As a big Sakuraba fan, it really pains me to see my favorite go down. "The Gracie Hunter" is getting worn down and really needs to hang it up soon. I see Kazushi maybe fighting against Tamura in the near future and hopefully (but highly unlikely) against Rickson Gracie for his final outing. As for Melvin, he put on quite the performance. His striking is better than 90% of the fighters he will face, and he seems to have a good handle on keeping in on the feet as he has demonstrated in his past few fights. While I do not see him having much trouble against Mousasi or Galesic, Jacare might prove to be an obstacle.



Previews

The Ultimate Fighter 7 Finale


The Ultimate Fighter 7 has done its job of entertaining the masses for the past few weeks, but nothing can really amount to the live finale that will be taking place tonight on Spike. Forget all of the reality television drama, the lame fighter interviews, or Dana Whites attempts to soak up the limelight every chance he gets. The finale will be loaded with big names and big bouts, all for the small price of, well, free. Here is a look at the fights slated for the card as well as brief analysis on each fighter participating.




Evan Tanner Vs. Kendall Grove
Older UFC fans remember Tanner as the once dominant middleweight champion, however viewers of the newer breed probably only know Tanner as the guy who got topped by Okami and Loiseau, if at all. After Tanner lost his title to Franklin in 2003, he managed to put together an impressive five fight win streak before losing to Franklin a second time, then again to Loiseau. A brief hiatus in 2007 was not enough to revive the former champ, as upon his return this year he was KOed by the aforementioned Japanese fighter. Tanner will look to resurrect his career with a win over TUF winner Kendall Grove, who has been in quite a jam himself lately. Things were looking promising for the Hawaiian native; after claiming the show title over Ed Herman, Grove managed to put together a string of wins that seemed to confirm his talents, however soon after Grove was finished consecutively by both Patrick Cote and Jorge Rivera. Grove will have to turn things around soon, and will look to do so with a win over Tanner.


Diego Sanchez Vs. Luigi Fioravanti
The once flawless Sanchez has begun his quest to erase the back to back losses he suffered in 2007 with one recent win under his belt, and will look to keep that trend going with a victory over American Top Team member Luigi Fioravanti. Both fighters are fairly prevalent in both the ground game and the standing fight, so it will be interesting to see just where this one goes.



Spencer Fisher Vs. Jeremy Stephens
Stephens has managed to put together three consecutive wins since his UFC debut and loss to veteran Din Thomas. Jeremy seems to have found his grove in the UFC since then, making him an up and comer to be reckoned with, and a perfect adversary for Spencer Fisher. Fisher needs some more big names under his belt to get into the stacked lightweight title race, and Stephens will be a fitting rebound from his 2007 lose to Frankie Edgar. On the flip side, a win over "The King" would launch Stephens into the spotlight.


Josh Burkman Vs. Dustin Hazelett

When Josh Burkman touches gloves with Dustin Hazelette tonight, don't feel bad if you let out a little chuckle. Burkman, a man massive for his weight class, is going up against the visibly unassuming "McLovin" (yeah that really is his nick name) in what will no doubt be one of the most misleading fights of the night. While the collegiate athlete in Burkman will appear to have the upperhand, Hazelett is no joke. The Brazillian jujitsu practitioner has seen seven of his ten wins go by way of submission including an armbar finish of MMA veteran Jonathan Goulet. Don't be surprised if Burkman catches an L.



Marvin Eastman Vs. Drew McFedries
Coming off of a loss to Patrick Cote, Drew McFedries will get an opportunity to work his way back into the big picture when he goes toe to toe with the very formidable Marvin Eastman. "The Beastman" recently saw himself on the receiving end of a Quinton Jackson KO, but since then has stringed together two solid victories in his own attempt to get back into the title picture. It is hard to say where a win would place either fighter, but with the way the division is stacked right now, this is looking to be a make or break brawl for both competitors, which always means a good fight. On a side note, is it just me or does Eastman look just like Sgt. Doakes from Dexter?






Jeremy Horn Vs. Dean Lister
It baffles me how this fight can be stuffed so far down on the card; it will be very unfortunate if this fight is not televised. Dean Lister is a huge name in the sport and has fought against names like Ricardo Arona, Nathan Marquardt, and Akira Shoji. Horn is about as legendary as they come; the man has almost 80 wins to his name and is known as one of the most effective submission fighters the sport has ever seen. However, Horn seems to be on his way out, losing 3 out of his four past fights. With the record he currently holds, "Gumby" has nothing left to prove. Lister on the other hand has some things to accomplish; with a 10-5 record the younger Lister still has some time left to get some things done before it's time for him to hang it up. In addition, Lister will be looking to avenge his 2003 loss to Horn with this fight. Like I said before, it will be a real shame if this fight is not aired.



News


Megadeth slated to play at Affliction: Banned
In their attempts to promote the crap out of their upcoming July 19th event, Affliction has brought in legendary metal band Megadeth to play live at "key" points throughout the evening. For a few years now MMA promoters such as EliteXC have tried to incorporate music into their cards, but have failed to make any significant impact with the venture. With the Megadeth maneuver, Affliction will be putting forth the strongest effort seen yet by any promoter as Megadeth has sold well over 20 million albums. Lead by front man Dave Mustaine, the band formed back in 1983 and has been an icon in the metal genre since it's conception. In addition to having the musical super power make an appearance, Affliction: Band will be hosting some big names in the MMA industry such as Andre Arlovski, Renato Sobral, Fedor Emelianenko, and Tim Sylvia.



Roger Huerta talks move to 170, GSP moving to 185

In a recent interview with mmarated.com, Roger Huerta revealed plans for his move to the 170 division in the near future. Of course, the Mexican-American fighter made it clear he is still in the hunt for the lightweight title and plans to own it "hopefully before the year ends". In what seems like a clear quest to become a two-weight class champion, Huerta will then pursue any visions of competing in the stacked welterweight division. And what of close friend and current 170 champion Georges St. Pierre? "Well….he is going to moving up to 185, actually" stated Huerta when asked about a fight between the two. Apparently, as soon as GSP makes his move up, Huerta will take his place soon after. In the same interview, "El Matador" stated he recently played a role in the upcoming Tekken movie that is due out in 2009.




Drew Fickett dropped from EliteXC
Supposedly Drew Fickett was suppose to clash with current champion Jake Shields at last weekends Return of the King even, however Fickett pulled out of the fight at the last minute. The reason? The week before Return of the King, Fickett fought in Arizona for Rage in the Cage 111 and sustained enough injury to keep him from fighting for EliteXC. While this doesn't seem like much, it was the fact that Fickett neglected to tell the EliteXC of his endeavors that resulted in his suspension from the organization. "Fickett's decision cost Shields financially as he was left without a fight for the Hawaii card. EliteXC has not been able to contact Fickett and it looks as if they will be dropping him from their organization. Shields will now be fighting on EliteXC's newly announced July 26th CBS show. Possible opponents now being looked at are Nick Thompson and Jay Hieron amongst others."



Overeem vs. Cro Cop may be reality as tension grows between the two
After his win over Korean Tae Kyun Lee at DREAM 4, skilled Dutch striker and new heavyweight Alistair Overeem made an open challenge to fellow DREAM competitor and feared striker Mirko Cro Cop. "Alistair Overeem has come to Dream. I will be the next champion, and I want ‘Cro Cop." Alistair would go on to spike the microphone before walking out of the ring that evening. In later interviews, Overeem has said that the Croatian has dodged him twice before in the former Pride Fighting Championships, where both formerly fought. In response to Overeem's statement, Cro Cop stated, "It seems to me that some people should mind their own business. I've never been offered to fight Alistair Overeem. Why would I decline this offer? I came to Dream to fight the best." on his official blog. Filipovic is scheduled to fight K-1 competitor Jerome LeBanner at DREAM 5, which will take place on July 21st.



Dana White's "big announcement" revealed.
MMA fan's were lucky enough to be treated to the much anticipated anouncment Dana white has been hyping for over two weeks now last Tuesday, however the news that was "going to blow people's minds" ended up letting down most fans and followers of the sport. UFC owner Lorenzo Fertitta recently announced his departing from Stations Casino in order to focus 100% on the Mixed Martial Arts giant. Station Casinos is a business my family and I have built and now it's a multi-billion dollar company, but the reality is, the UFC has gone through so much growth in the last eight years, my brother and I felt we'd be better in divide and conquer mode. He'll stay at Station Casinos and take care of that and I'll come over here and work on the issues involving the UFC." While obviously unworthy of the hype it was given, the news does mean some good things for the UFC. The organization has managed to grow by leaps and bounds thanks to the Fertittas involvement, and now that Lorenzo is on board 100%, one can infer nothing less than the UFC improving more so than it has in the past.



Riggs steps in for Carter at Strikeforce
UFC long timer and MMA veteran Shonie Carter was scheduled to compete at the upcoming "Melendez vs. Thompson" event hosted by Strikeforce, however had to pull out at the last minute due to an injury. Carter was supposed to fight Luke Stewart, however upon injuring his hand in training had to step down. Taking his place will be another familiar face in the Octagon, Joe Riggs. Riggs has had his share of bad luck recently; in his last five UFC bouts, he went 2-3, and is no most recently coming off a loss to Cory Devela at "Strikeforce At the Dome", where he suffered a back injury that kepy him out for four months. Despite his waning career, Riggs will put on an equal or better showing than the older Carter would have provided. "Melendez vs. Thompson" will take place at the HP Pavilion in San Jose, California and will be broadcasted on HDNet. Notable fights include Gilbert Melendez vs. Josh Thomson, Bobby Southworth vs. Anthony Ruiz, and of course Luke Stewart vs. Joe Riggs.




Silva to move to light heavyweight to face Irvin at UFN
Affliction definitely represents the stiffest competition for the UFC in the United States, and may very well be it's toughest competitor world wide. On July 19th, Affliction will begin its quest to take down the MMA giant, however Dana White and the UFC do not plan on standing by and watching. While "Banned" will be airing on pay-per-view for nearly $40, the UFC will be showing an Ultimate Fight Night free of charge on Spike T.V. The real kicker here is the fact that White has asked pound-for-pound great and middleweight champion Anderson Silva to step up to the light-heavyweight division to take on James Irvin. Silva comments on the situation: "If the UFC asks me to do something, and it's within my capability to do so, I'm going to do it….I feel like I'm part of the UFC family and the head of the family asked me to fight. I'm in condition to fight, my coaches say I can fight — I'm going to fight. I want to do whatever I can to help make UFC the No. 1 event around the world like it is." As it is now, the current card contains the Silva-Irvin fight, Frankie Edgar vs. Hermes Franca, Reese Andy vs. Brandon Vera, Anthony Johnson vs. Kevin Burns, Jake O'Brien vs. Cain Velasquez, and James Giboo vs. Brad Blackburn. Anderson Silva is scheduled to defend his title sometime this year against former nemesis Yushin Okami.



Noons, Diaz feud heats up after EliteXC "Noons vs. Edwards"
Nick Diaz is at it again. The Caesar Gracie pupil notorious for causing commotion has recently managed to bring the ruckus once again, this time in the EliteXC arena. After former opponent and current EliteXC lightweight champion K.J. Noons successfully defended his title for the first time Saturday night, Diaz made his way to the arena to propose a rematch. "It was pretty sudden, I can understand they want to pump it up for another fight. It could have been done a little bit differently; you know what I mean? The more I think about it. But it is what it is, we'll just see where we go from here." Said the Hawaiian native. The conflict began when Noons asked the crowd whether or now Diaz deserved a rematch. As the boos reverberated throughout the arena, Diaz began accusing "The King" of being scared, while brother Nate flicked off Noons and his corner. Riot ensued, with Noons' own father getting involved.

Apparently, the conflict did not end in the arena. The next day outside of their hotel, Noons managed to get under the aggittated Diaz's skin once more. "My car pulled up in front of the hotel and he and his girlfriend and his mom and dad were there," Diaz said. "Right away, he put his mug on me. He was staring me down and trying to give the impression that he's hard core. I flipped him off, but he's standing over there like he's flashing. I go, ‘What the (expletive) are you doing? I'm not the one doing (expletive).' I couldn't understand why this guy is putting his mug on me, but he had to act like he was some kind of a (expletive) tough guy in front of his girlfriend and his Dad." With all of this said, a rematch will no doubt happen at some point in the near future, however Diaz is due to fight in Japan at DREAM 5 next month for a welterweight title fight against Hayato Sakurai which may put things on hold for awhile.



Word of UFC 2009 reemerges
Gaming website 1up.com has recently released a preview of the upcoming UFC game, as well as a few pictures. The pictures are of Quinton Jackson and Forrest Griffin fighting, and seem to be of actual game play quality rather than the cut scene of Jackson and Liddell we saw last year. In regards to the visual quality of the game, urdirt.com has some interesting things to say.

"This half-assed attempt to make money off a license in a day of Blu-ray, HDMI cords, and 1080i and 1080p is a poor excuse for a game graphically. I'm not saying the game is doomed I'm just disappointed big time. THQ better make a quality gameplay mechanic because UFC fans are not WWE fans (a lot younger) we expect a lot more than this. We know quality and this right now is not it.". In addition to the 1up preview, Spike TV recently aired a brief preview of the game, that included interviews with several of the fighters being used, including Quinton Jackson, Cheick Kongo, Ben Saunders, and Jon Koppenhaver. Also confirmed for the game; Forrest Griffin, Michael Bisping, Chuck Liddell, and Joe Lauzon. Apparently the game will feature 80 fighters in all, with online game play that includes a 16 man open weight grand prix, as well as downloadable content.





Big John McCarthy comments on UFN and Affliction
It is no secret that the crap hit the fan when Dana White made the decision to counter attack Affliction by hosting a UFC event the same night, and on live television. However, it is always good to hear someone as influential as Big John chime in on the situation. "I mean, look at that fight. You got your middleweight champion (Anderson Silva), you're moving up to light-heavyweight to fight James Irvin. What good does that do for him? I mean, (UFC president) Dana (White) feels … obviously he feels there is some competition there with Affliction. He wants to try to do something to damage Affliction. That's why he is doing this. I look at it and it's bad for the sport, it's bad for the fans. There needs to be more than the one promotion."

"The UFC is the big one on the block. I would never say anything differently until anything really comes about. But to sit there and try to shove a show in on the same date to say come watch. It's the same thing they did with the Chuck Liddell special (on Spike TV) the same night as the (EliteXC) fights on CBS. It's like, come on. The sport is big enough to where there can be more than one. There needs to be more than one. The UFC has what 200 fighters signed or 250 fighters? You know what, there are a whole lot more fighters thana that in this world and they need jobs. So there needs to be the other promotions."

"Thank God, Affliction is doing what they are doing and putting together … honestly, I'm not saying it to say it, it is the best card with heavyweights that has ever been put together by any organization in, at least North America, and probably in the world ever. You've got three ex-UFC champions (Tim Sylvia, Josh Barnett and Andre Arlovski). You've got the ex-PRIDE champion in Fedor (Emelianenko) and you have other guys. You have Matt Lindland, Vitor Belfort, Mike Whitehead against Renato ‘Babalu' (Sobral). You've got some great fights there. It's going to be a hell of a card. Go and watch the one live and TiVo the UFC show. That's what I'm going to do. I will TiVo the UFC show."





Random Pass

You may recall Alavutdin Gadzhiyev as they Russian dude that just got beat by Ralek at DREAM 4, or as one of the only fighters to claim a knockout from underneath the mount. Here is the video where it all went down.





Well that about covers it for this edition of Passing the Guard. Hopefully I was able to satiate your enormous hunger for all that is MMA, and if not, I thoroughly apologize. A thousand pardons, Dr. Quest. Anywhew, I'll be back next week with more news about Affliction: Banned and a quick little review of what will be going down later tonight. Thanks again for dropping by; you've just Passed the Guard!