Passing the Guard 10.11.08: Oh, Rachelle!

Posted by Stephen DeAugustino on 10.11.2008

This week we provide a look back at the events of EliteXC: Heat, a look into all the biggest news stories of the week (including Fedor's next opponent!), and finally a look at some of Rachelle Leah's newest pictures from within the pages of Playboy. You really, don't want to miss out.

Hi ohhhhh! Welcome once again to another edition of Passing the Guard. This week we take a look back at all the action that went down in South Florida, as well as a glimpse of all the savory news that broke this past week. Hit that arrow button in the bottom right….no no that…..NO STOP PLEASE NOT THAT ONE….oh ok there we go……. Let's get started!



Review

EliteXC: Heat




Seth Petruzelli defeats Kevin Ferguson by way of Technical Knockout

It seemed like fate. After spoon-feeding poster boy Kimbo Slice in attempts to make him the next MMA superstar, a wild turn of events put Slice and the EliteXC in a hot spot that would result in the former street thug's first professional loss. Since his arrival under the EliteXC banner, Slice has been cradled and protected, fighting against low-risk competitors such as Tank Abbott and James Thompson. Not only that, but the company have done their best to impose huge amounts of bias, both within and outside the ring, to make Slice look that much better. Last Saturday was suppose to be just another day at work for the promotion, with Kevin Ferguson fighting another harmless name that would draw in enough hype and viewership from casual fans to fill the pockets; UFC legend Ken Shamrock, who hasn't been competitive in several years, was slated to take on Ferguson. However, after Ken sustained a cut just hours before the fight, Elite had to rush to find a replacement.

Seth Petruzelli was already on the card that evening, fighting in the untelevised undercard against Aaron Rosa. Seth, one of the original Ultimate Fighter cast members, has fought in the UFC before, where he went 0-2. Apparently this was enough to make him a safe bet for the EliteXC, however not enough for Ferguson; Kimbo had to be compensated for the swap in order to get him to fight the new opponent. Maybe he knew something Shaw and Elite didn't…..

The fight was faster than many predicted. After pursuing Petruzelli to the cage, Seth struck out with a sloppy shot off of his back foot, one that was apparently enough to instantaneously drop the promotion cash cow. Ferguson tried to scramble to his feet, but Petruzelli swarmed, stuffing Kimbo Slice with repeated shots to the face that drew the TKO stoppage at the 14 second mark.

Of course, this is all to the severe dismay of Elite. The younger Shaw can be seen on the instant replay, screaming at the referee that the strikes were illegal. Announcers professed that this was "the greatest upset in the history of the sport", and that Ferguson was a hero for taking up the fight on such short notice. In reality, it couldn't have ended worse for Elite; Slice wasn't submitted on the ground, or pounded out by a great wrestler. No, he was knocked out in his own territory, by a fighter not know as a great striker or an awesome fighter in anyway. It seems the charade is over.







Jake Shields defeats Paul Daley by way of Submission

Paul Daley is no joke. A Cage Rage champion, Daley is known as one of the best strikers in the division, and it was questionable whether or not the grappler in Shields would be able to weather the striking storm in this fight. On the flip side, Daley really isn't know for anything but his striking, so if the fight were to go to the floor, it was expected to end quickly in Jake's favor. With that said, what we had here was a classic match up of styles, not unlike that of the early UFC competitions. Unfortunately, the fight was about as technically appeasing as said competitions as well.

Everyone knows Shields is not a striker, but this was a bit much. Jake showed little to no striking ability, shooting for several ineffective takedowns throughout the first round and making some poor attempts at pulling guard. Daley was never in trouble on the feet, but was usually too busy stuffing shots to really do any real damage. Within the final minute of the round, Shields would finally bring the fight to the floor, where he finished the round out in the mount. The second round was more of the same, but this time Shields managed to snag the takedown much earlier. A rather sloppy armbar attempt later, and the fight ends at 3:47.

Sure it was a win over a tough opponent, but it was probably one of the sloppiest performances Shields has shown in a long time. The standup was virtually non-existent, and even his submission game looked a little on the mediocre side that night. To think that Jake challenged Georges St. Pierre in his last bout is almost laughable now. Hopefully the welterweight champion will have a better outing next time.






Andrei Arlovski defeats Roy Nelson by way of Knock Out

Sure we wanted to see Andrei fight Fedor or Barnett instead of making an appearance on this card, but going 2-0 against the IFL's best isn't so bad either. Coming off of an impressive KO victory over former IFL superstar Ben Rothwell, Andrei Arlovski repeated his efforts by defeating another IFL standout in Roy Nelson. Nelson, a product of Ken Shamrock's Lions Den, is well versed in grappling as a former ADCC competitor.

With that in mind, Nelson wanted this to go to the ground, and got his wish in the first round when Arlovski made an attempt for an outside leg trip. Countering with nice lateral drop, Nelson landed on top and made several attempts to pass the half guard, however after only a few brief moments on the ground, the two were stood back up to the feet. Nelson tries to close the distance again, forcing Arlovski into the fence, but the bell rings before anything else can happen.

Round two is much more in the favor of the Belarusian, who manages to land a few punches and several knees within the thai clinch. Leg kicks battered Nelson for most of the round, until Arlovski pushed in with a left-right combo that folds Nelson to the floor.

Andrei seemed to be in a bit of trouble in the first round of the fight, but any and all doubts were put to rest when the second round opened up. "The Pitbull" looked good, and the fight really helped his credentials as far as waiting in line to fight Fedor goes. This fight could probably pass as the fight of the night.





Gina Carano defeats Kelly Kobald by way of decision

(Yes…I used that same gif last week. It was simply to good to part ways with)

In what she would claim to be her "toughest" fight yet, Gina Carano managed to control opponent Kelly Kobald for a solid decision victory during Saturday's fights. Carano, undefeated in her career, has only gone to the judges twice prior to that event. Kobald, who has a much deeper record than that of Carano, had trouble finding an answer to the superior striking skills of her adversary.

Kobald made it clear in the first round that she wanted the fight on the ground by pushing Carano to the fence and attempting a low level takedown. Instead of catching the leg however, Kobald found herself on the receiving end of two knees from the Thai clinch. Recovering, Kobald makes another attempt for a shot, but is once again stuffed and is welcomed with a flurry of punches. The round ends with Carano getting the better of the exchanges.

The second round begins much the same way, as Kobald forces Carano to the fence. Kobald tries for several takedown attempts, but each time is countered by a series of punches or knees. Carano gets off the cage and begins sticking Kelly with some solid jabs, until the first and only takedown of the night brings Carano to the floor. Gina works for something off the rubber guard, but can't get anything going. The round ends with Kobald on top.

Once again, the pattern is repeated as Kobald pushes Carano to the fence, looking for a takedown. Kobald not only fails to acquire the takedown, but also receives several knees to the face during both attempts. During her last takedown, Kobald manages to get caught in a side choke that may have ended the fight, provided Carano was in a better position. The fight ends soon after, and all three judges give the fight to Carano.

The fight everyone wants to see is Chris Santos and Carano, which everyone was hoping for on this card. It really is only a matter of time before the two meet, as both fought last Saturday and won their respective bouts in dominant fashion. It will easily be one of the biggest fights in women's mma.




Benji Radach defeats Murilo Rua by way of Technical Knockout
Everyone and their mother knew that a fight between these two was going to be a barn burner, and it was; except for the first 30 seconds or so of the first round, fist were flying in every which way through out the two round duration of the fight. At one point, both men almost succeeded in knocking each other out at the same time.


After a brief feeling out period, the slugfest began as Radach struck first a outside combination that set Rua back stumbling. The fighters then go neck and neck, until Radach once again lands a big shot and reels Ninja back to the fence, where the two scramble for position. After pummeling in, Radach snags a double leg and brings Rua to the floor. Rua attempts a few submissions, however none seem to find success. Finally, Radach lets off pressure to counter a heel hook, a move that allowed Rua to escape and take the top position. The round ends with Rua on top, pounding away.


The second round starts with more action as Radach lands a nice right that knocks some stars out of Rua's head. The two circle as Rua volleys back with a double leg, but it's countered with a nice whizzer. Rua makes another offensive attempt, this time a big knee, however it will cost him this time; Ninja slips to the canvas where Radach initiates a brutal ground and pound attack that ends the fight for good at the 2:31 mark.


Prior to this fight, Bas Rutten suggested that granted good conditioning and stable health, Benji Radach could defeat Anderson Silva. Was Radach's performance tonight impressive enough to confirm that statement? I wouldn't take it that far, but Benji left a huge statement by fighting through that slugfest and coming out on top. Murilo is no slouch, and some attention should be given to Radach after Saturday night.






News

Diaz, Guida No Go For TUF 8 Finale

Last week rumors emerged of a potential match up between Clay Guida and Nate Diaz, a fight that would be headlining the TUF 8 Finale card, taking place on Saturday, December 13. While the fight was in fact considered by UFC officials at one point during it's materialization, Five Ounces of Pain claims that the fight is a no go for December.

The website confirmed the news upon talking to a member of Guida's training camp, who says Clay has recently sustained a foot injury. The foot is apparently bad enough to keep him from fighting in December; speculation is that the injury is a fracture, something that would definitely keep Guida out for a few months.

Diaz on the other hand is ready and willing to fight before the year is over, and may still be fighting on the finale card. Diaz is coming off of a close split decision win over Josh Neer.

The only fight currently announced for the December 13 card is a rematch between Anthony Johnson and Kevin Burns.




Fedor-Arlovski set for January 24

WAMMA heavyweight champion and MMA legend Fedor Emelianenko has finally been scheduled for his next bout after some mix ups within the Affliction promotion. His opponent, 14-5 Andrei Arlovski, is probably one of the better heavyweights "The Last Emperor" has faced over the past few years.

The news was announced early today in an interview between MMA Rated and Tom Atencio, VP of Affliction Entertainment. The event will be held in association with Oscar De La Hoya's Golden Boy Promotions, but no boxing bouts will be featured due to a lack of significant fights. It was rumored that a rematch between Miguel Cotto and Antonio Margarito would happen during the event, however the deal seems to have fallen through.

Fedor's last outing was a total dismantlement of former UFC champion Tim Sylvia, and performance that easily reaffirmed his position as the best heavyweight fighter the sport has ever seen.

Arlovski, who has been hot and cold throughout his career, has seen great success recently. "The Pitbull" has knocked off two of the IFL's best in his past two fights, with the first coming under the Affliciton Banner (a strong KO victory over Ben Rothwell), and the second coming within last weeks EliteXC show (another stoppage victory over Roy Nelson).





Investigation launched against EliteXC following EliteXC: Heat
Due Seth Petruzelli's comments following Saturday nights fight again Kimbo Slice, a preliminary investigation is being conducted by the State of Florida to look into the matter, according to Frank McNeil of ESPN.com

Petruzelli appeared on 104.1 FM in Orlando following his fight, and told them that:

"The promoters kind of hinted to me and they gave me the money to stand and trade with him," Petruzelli told the hosts of the "The Monsters in Orlando" morning radio show. "They didn't want me to take him down, let's just put it that way. It was worth my while to try to stand up and punch with him."

Strangely enough, when asked about the fight now, Petruzelli disavows any speculation of fowl play, and blames himself for any confusion. Seth claims that a hang over and no sleep was the cause of the statements. Petruzelli recently spoke with Five Ounces of Pain about his statements.

"There were submission bonuses, knockout bonuses, and a "Fight of the Night" bonus — just like the UFC does it. They just want an exciting fight no matter where it goes."

Of course this would not be complete with out a statement from Jeremy Lappen, Head of Fight Operations for the EliteXC. Originally Lappen claims that the promotion does not give out any submission bonus whatsoever, but after Seth's recent statements, has changed his mind, telling ESPN.com that they did in fact offer a submission bonus on top of the knock out bonus. Wow, my head hurts.

And what verbal squabble would be complete without the eloquent and well-spoken Dana White chiming in? Here is what White had to say on the matter.

"It disgusts me. I've been busting my (expletive) for 10 years flying all over the planet to show everybody what a great sport this is and what amazing people are involved in it. Then CBS throws this guy who fights at people's barbecues on the main event because they're trying to compete with us, and he gets knocked out in (14) seconds by a guy who didn't win ‘The Ultimate Fighter' and couldn't fight in the UFC. Then the guy turns around the next day and says, ‘The promoters actually paid me to not go to the ground with this guy. They paid me to stand up,' which I'm pretty sure is illegal…. (Slice is) a joke. It was bound to happen. These guys have lost $60 million trying to get this thing off the ground. They're building their promotion around a guy who can't fight. It's kind of (expletive) stupid, isn't it? You're in the fight business and you're building your business around a guy who can't fight…. When dirty people go out and do stuff like that, it hurts. Promoters have a bad rap as it is because of the last 100 years of boxing. We actually started to turn that around and were doing the right things and then you have these guys coming out and doing (expletive) like that. It hurts us."






UFC Veteran Joe Son Convicted of 1990 Gang Rape

Best known for his acting role in Austin Powers and the nut shots he received from Keith Hackney at UFC 4, Joe Son has recently been convicted of several criminal accounts tied to an unsolved Rape Case that happened in 1990. TMZ reports:

"Here's how it all went down. Son pleaded guilty back in May to felony vandalism. The plea required him to fork over a DNA sample. Investigators ran his sample and found Son's DNA connected him to an unsolved gang rape back in 1990, where a woman was pistol-whipped, raped, threatened with death and eventually blindfolded and released naked.

Son has been charged with five felony counts of rape, two felony counts of forcible sodomy, two felony counts of sodomy in concert by force, seven felony counts of forcible oral copulation, and one felony count of sexual penetration by foreign object by force.

Son faces a maximum sentence of 275 years to life if convicted."







Random Pass
Sorry guys, no videos for today's random pass. Simply put, I stumbled across these photos of Rachelle Leah and instantly decided to share them with you. No words, no words….just emotions.











Well, that about covers it for me this week. As always thanks for stopping by and we hope to see you again next week. Until then, you've just passed the guard!