The Sprawl and Brawl Video Review: King of the Cage - Execution Day
Posted by Randy Harrison on 09.18.2007
The Sprawl and Brawl returns with a look at a pre-TUF Mac Danzig as well as a fight from current WEC Champion Urijah Faber. Plenty of action, plenty of questionable looking women and a showman the likes of which MMA has never seen before. It's all inside waiting for you. Come on, you know you want to click it!!
Hey everyone, welcome back to another edition of The Sprawl and Brawl . A little change in the content from here on out as since my more than qualified colleagues Matt McEwen and Michael Huckaby have the UFC and Pride covered respectively, I will take advantage and look at some of the shows from the smaller circuits of MMA. Expect to see reviews from such organizations as Sportfight (Randy Couture and Matt Lindland's promotion), WEF (starting grounds for such fighters as Matt Hughes and Rich Franklin), and even some IVC ( no holds barred Vale Tudo from Brazil). This time we're looking here in the US to King of the Cage, which began holding events in 1998 and has had fight cards all across the United States and also branched out recently into Canada and Australia.
Execution Day is a part of this five disc King of the Cage box set available here
It's October 29, 2005 and this time we're coming from the Silver Legacy Casino in Reno, Nevada. The card is stacked with champions from both King of the Cage and Gladiator Challenge as well as some newcomers looking to add experience to their MMA careers. The main event features a lightweight bout between current Ultimate Fighter competitor Mac Danzig and the KOTC Lightweight champion from Japan Takumi Nakayama, as well as a title defense from the KOTC Bantamweight champion Urijah Faber as he puts his belt on the line in a grudge match against a fighter from his same hometown, Shawn Bias.
The announcers for this card are Erik Apple and Ted Williams (no, not THAT Ted Williams, this one I assure you is not the former hitting phenom and current popsicle who used to play for the Boston Red Sox). They're cageside surrounded by a plethora of Reno's finest, and by finest I mean finest skanks. Those are some rough looking women, and of course the best looking one in the bunch they stick in the back to be hidden by the announcers. Williams calls Danzig a horse twice while talking about the main event in what I believe should be taken as a compliment. They touch on some of the other fights coming up this evening including the Faber/Bias tilt before throwing it up to ring announcer Tyson Johnson to get things underway.
Undercard Fights
Match One: Welterweights
Stephen Thames (0-0) vs. Aaron Jameson (1-0)
Thames is making his MMA debut here tonight , while Jameson is in his second bout. The announcers bring up a good point about the inexperience of the fighters possibly having an effect on their cardio as no matter how much you train, nothing can really prepare you for being in the fight if you aren't experienced enough.
Round One
Referee Doc Hamilton gives them their last minute instructions and we're underway in Reno! A glove touch of respect and Jameson starts out with a solid jab that lands and a clinch that puts Thames up against the cage before working it into a takedown. Jameson posturing up trying to throw some punches but Thames is holding onto a very tight guard making it pretty impossible for Jameson to get anything going. Jameson with some good shots to the body and working the crossface to try and open up Thames' guard. He tries to escape from the bottom position to his feet but stands up while sticking his head directly into the arms of Jameson, who takes advantage and locks in a guillotine. Jameson drops to his knees and presses Thames back up against the cage cinching the choke in tighter and just like that it's all over and Jameson finds himself 2-0 in his MMA career.
Thames looked a little lost in there as he didn't put up much of a fight in terms of offense and left himself very vulnerable to the choke when he attempted to escape from Jameson's takedown. Jameson for his part showed great intelligence to know what was happening and react quick enough to lock up Thames' head for the choke before he could do anything to defend it.
Winner: Aaron Jameson, Submission (guillotine choke) at 1:12 of Round One
Just to make a note of it they are REALLY hustling things along here as Tyson Johnson is already announcing the fighters for the next fight and Jameson hasn't even made his way out of the cage yet. Which means it's time for the next match.
Match Two: Lightweights
Adam Torres (1-1) vs. Ryan Healy (5-0)
Torres is announced as having a record of 3-2, which must include amateur MMA fights as well. He fights out of the Cesar Gracie Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Academy and the announcers play that up as well as his training with current UFC fighter Travis Lutter. Healy is announced as having a record of 15-2 so they must definitely be adding amateur fights to their records. Either way it looks like a huge mismatch in experience as Healy has six times more fights than Torres, so it will be interesting to see how that plays out.
Round One
The cage clears and the action begins at the behest of our referee "Blind" Cecil Peoples, and the less said about that the better for all of us really. Some slow circling to start out and a sloppy exchange leads to a clinch for Torres working Healy up against the fence. Both men begin to work the body with strikes and Healy lands a knee to the body inside and another to the head of Torres as they break the clinch. Healy with a HARD swing and a miss that throws him off balance and onto his hands and knees at the feet of Torres, who tries to take immediate advantage by sinking in a guillotine. Healy regains his footing and lifts Torres up for a textbook slam landing in side control but Torres works to put him back into half guard and continues trying to finish with the choke. Referee Peoples lives up to his nickname chastising the fighters to keep working while one of them is attempting to end the fight with a submission attempt. The man wonders why so many people have such a dislike for him and yet he does things like that. Healy manages to work himself into mounting Torres and pops his head out from the choke. A crossface and a couple of hard punches before Torres just tries to push Healy to the side and stand up, giving Healy a chance to execute a bodylock takedown to put things back to the mat. Healy ends up almost immediately mounting Torres again and begins landing a solid string of punches as Torres tries to buck out from the bad position. Healy shows great balance countering the buck and maintaining the mount, landing more hard unanswered punches. Healy working the elbows into the mix now landing a couple of good ones and controlling Torres' body before landing another flurry of punches to the head of Torres who seemingly can't find a way out from this. After eating a ton of punishment Torres finally sprawls up to his knees and somehow ends up putting Healy on his back with Torres working from the top. Healy scores with a couple of elbows from the bottom and tries a sweep but Torres shoves him back down and tries to begin landing with some shots of his own. Before he can even throw a punch however Healy throws out a quick transition and catches Torres' arm, locking in the arm bar and getting the submission win.
Replays show Healy's ground and pound from the mounted position earlier and the announcers talk about the irony in a kickboxer tapping out a Gracie Jiu-Jitsu fighter with an armbar from the bottom. Healy looked impressive here and the experience of Healy played a huge part here as he really shut down Torres and had the fight going his way from bell to bell. Good win here for Healy.
Winner: Ryan Healy, Submission (arm bar) at 3:50 of Round One.
Not to be harping on a point that's already been brought up but they really must be renting this facility by the hour or something because the pacing for this show is enough to make the Roadrunner think things are going a little too fast. Again Tyson Johnson is in the cage announcing the next fighters mere seconds after the previous bout's fighters and cornermen are cleared from the area. Maybe someone's double-parked outside or maybe they're just hustling through the undercard portion of things because they are SO excited about their main card but either way things are moving at quite the expedited pace.
Match Three: Catchweight
Phil Garcia (1-1) vs. Dan Molina (3-2)
Molina fighting out of the Lion's Den has Ken Shamrock in his corner for this one and during his walk to the cage busts out the WHITEST strut I have ever seen, somehow managing to walk in and out of time with the music all at once. In lieu of pre-fight prognostications or perhaps some in-depth analysis from our commentators we get another shot of the ring girls for more gratuitous skankage. I think I have an idea what we're going to be seeing a LOT of before this event is over. Garcia weighing in at 215 pounds for this one and Molina comes into the fight at 210. It remains to be seen if the extra weight will give Garcia an advantage in terms of being able to impose his will on Molina as the fight progresses.
Round One
Molina shoots almost immediately for a double leg takedown as soon as the bell rings, and gets it, taking Garcia down in the middle of the cage. Molina working to pass into side control and the announcers are speculating on someone bleeding already in this fight. I'm not sure where that speculation could be coming from as neither man has thrown a punch or strike yet but I guess they're having trouble seeing things from their vantage point about three feet away from the action. Molina moves into side control and works his opponent up against the fence. Garcia to a butt-scoot position with Molina on top of him, working to isolate a leg for a potential submission. Molina grabs an ankle and sinks a toe hold in and Garcia shows his inexperience on the ground, rolling into the pressure instead of away from it, making the submission even more painful, leaving himself with no choice but to tap out.
An interesting fight that featured almost no strikes at all from either man and was contested almost entirely on the mat as a straight grappling match which should play right into the hands of a fighter from the Lion's Den. Shamrock = leglock even when he's training another fighter as all of the guys from Shamrock's camp generally know their way around leg submissions even though most have been rendered ineffective by the changing skillsets of todays top MMA fighters. Garcia looked totally outclassed and overwhelmed in this one as Molina dominated without having to throw a punch, instead relying on his superior grappling and submissions.
Winner: Dan Molina, Submission (toe hold) at 1:18 of Round One
Match Four: Middleweights
Joe Cota (0-1) vs. Jaime Jara (9-4)
Jara is fighting out of UFC veteran and current King of the Cage interviewer Cal Worsham's fight camp and comes into this bout hoping to fulfill the promise that Worsham sees in his skills. Cota seems to be outmatched in experience so it's going to be up to him to make a step up against a very capable opponent in Jara. Herb Dean gets the call to referee this one and gives the fighters their last instructions before signaling for the bell.
Round One
Jara throwing some jabs early as Cota responds with a snapping leg kick. Jara throws a high kick and Cota takes advantage of Jara being off balance, rushing him and swinging with wild punches, connecting a few times before moving in to work the clinch, pushing Jara against the cage. Jara reverses the position almost immediately into a takedown, posturing up to attempt some strikes. Cota throws some up kicks and tries to push Jara away before the action hits a little lull, with some boos filtering from the crowd. Jara drops down trying for a Shamrock, I mean anklelock, but Cota stays calm rolling into it to try to reverse things. Jara uses the scramble to switch from an anklelock to a kneebar which Cota tries to counter with a leglock of his own. Cota using that leglock to gain his balance and stand up to pull his leg out, spinning around Jara's legs and falling on top of him into side control, before Jara pulls him back into guard. Cota tries a can opener to try to force Jara to open his guard before he stands and attempts to rain in the punches. Jara with an active guard from trying for an omapalata before kicking Cota away. Things fall back into Jara's guard and C tries again to pass this time to side control but it's just not happening at this point. A scramble and out of it Cota somehow ends up mounting Jara and taking his back with a hook sunk, but just as quickly Jara works out of it and they're back standing. Both throwing but not connecting on looping heavy shots against the fence before circling to the middle of the cage. The announcers are both noticing that Jara looks winded already despite it barely being the end of the first round. A hard leg kick by Cota and more circling as they both try to regain their strength and the crowd does not like. A few scattered boos end quickly as Jara throws a WILD haymaker swing that misses and attempts a high kick as the round comes to a close with some blood trickling from Cota's nose.
Replays of the wild exchange of punches near the end of the round shows that only one hard left hook from Jara landed. Jara had much more effective striking and controlled on the ground with a couple of close calls in submission attempts. Cota reversed into top position near the end but did next to nothing once he had it. Round one goes to Jara in my opinion for his strong ground work.
Round Two
We're underway in the second round with a high kick and jab thrown by Jara before Cota snaps off another leg kick in response. Another leg kick landed by Cota as he's trying hard to work that lead leg of Jara to take away his base for striking, but it doesn't seem to work as Jara lands a heavy one-two combination with a big left hook finish that sends Cota back against the cage. Cota fires back with his own combination that Jara ducks under and uses to work for a takedown. Cota sprawls to defend but ends up taken down by a bodylock right into Jara getting side control and landing hard elbows. Jara back into guard and more hard elbows by Jara rock Cota's head and smack it against the mat. Jara positions Cota against the cage and looks to work a little ground and pound from Cota's guard. Jara landing more HEAVY elbows and punches while Cota tries desperately to control the body and hands of Jara to little or no avail. Cota is starting to look bloody and woozy as the elbows are starting to take their toll on him. Jara into the mount and continuing with elbow strikes as Herb Dean seems pretty close to stopping this fight. Cota sits up with his back against Jara's chest and Jara is trying to sink in a rear naked choke as we see that Cota is a bloody mess from the vicious ground and pound of Jara. He keeps working to sink the choke in with his forearm across Cota's chin. Cota flipping off the camera in an attempt to show he's not in trouble but Jara has other ideas and manages to land a couple of hard punches while Cota is busy using sign language. I'm not a genius or anything but I'm thinking that perhaps defending against the barrage of punches landing on his face might be a little easier if he was using both hands instead of trying to look like a hardass on camera. Jara continuing to work for the choke and landing punches with both hooks sunk in deep, as Dean again threatens to stop the fight. As he says it Cota pops his hips and reverses the position into Jara's closed guard and starts landing some serious hammer fists before moving into side control. This is a complete reversal of fortune from the previous two or three minutes that's for sure. Cota landing some hard punches and Jara is trying to get this fight back into his guard to avoid taking any more damage. Cota pulls back from the mat and stands over Jara who is prone on his back on the mat. Herb Dean has seen enough of that and stands Jara up and they're back to the stand-up game as Jara looks visibly tired at this point. Both men actually beginning to show signs of fatigue as they both have their hands down around their waists and no one has the gas to take advantage and throw a punch. Cota with a hard uppercut and a knee from inside the clinch to the body of Jara who counters with a roundhouse left and they circle to end the round.
Replays between rounds show Jara taking Cota's back and pounding him out to a near stoppage before the dramatic reversal. Again with the middle finger as I still think of it as one of the dumbest displays of false bravado I've ever seen. Jara again dominated the majority of this round with Cota reversing and flurrying late. Just like the first round the late flashes are nowhere near enough for Cota to win the round and this round puts Jara up two rounds to none on my card.
Between rounds one of the ring card girls comes by again and to say she's chesty is an understatement. It looks like a dead heat in a zeppelin race as I'm sure that her plastic surgeon got to spend an extra week in the Bahamas after she was done paying for those bad boys.
Round Three
The third begins slowly with Cota pointing out a water spot or something on the mat that Herb Dean has to ok before we're back to action. Action being a bit of a misnomer as the first two rounds have winded both men leading to a tentative start to this final round. Jara loads up with a big left just as the announcers note the swelling on the right side of Cota's face. I can't imagine why he would be swelling so much unless it's all those punches that Jara's been throwing that would have done that. Jara with a good low kick returned in kind by Cota, followed by a quick exchange of punches punctuated by Jara landing a couple of solid shots and a HUGE left hand that staggers Cota forcing him to backpedal. Cota fakes a superman punch and rushes in with another flurry which opens him up for Jara to work the clinch again. Cota reverses and they separate back into the center of the cage as they circle and Jara throws another couple of chopping leg kicks. Cota trying to load up on a couple of haymakers which whiff and Jara responds with a crushing left that doesn't miss, following with combination punches and a bodylock against the cage taking Cota down. Cota trying for a kimura from the bottom and Jara is trying to work out of the half-guard. Cota cinches in the kimura and uses it to sweep out from under Jara and they scramble back to their feet with Cota pressing Jara against the fence. Jara works the front facelock for a moment before pushing Cota away and circling, throwing a mid kick which Cota blocks. Cota with another hard leg kick and the crowd begins booing the inactivity again before starting a chant for Jara. Two rights by Cota land and Jara rushes forward clipping Cota on the chin with a glancing left hook. Kick attempts exchanged by the fighters, finished with some pizazz by Cota's rushing crane kick attempt as the bell sounds to end the round and the fight.
As the corners of both men come into the cage and work on their charges, the replays show some of the hard strikes that Jara landed throughout the round and the takedown as the judges tabulate the scores. A bit of a slower pace to this third round and it was a little bit closer but there was still too much of Jara landing strikes and Cota having nothing to offer in return except for the kimura which was more for a reversal of position than an actual takedown. It looks like this fight is going to Jara and the judges confirm it.
Winner: Jaime Jara, Split Decision
Main Card
We start out the main card portion of the evening with an introduction of all the major players from King of the Cage and the Nevada State Athletic Commission. The ring announcer then hands the microphone over to NSAC judge Abe Belardo for a surprising soulful rendition of the national anthem. If this whole judging thing doesn't work out for him look for him to be working the lounge circuit in Vegas before too long with pipes like that.
Match Five: Welterweights
Takefumi Hanai (0-1-2, 1 NC) vs. Buddy Clinton (6-0, 1 NC)
Takefumi Hanai makes his way to the cage now and begins a rather interesting pre-fight ritual of dropping to his back on the mat and stretching before laying down again to take some quite reflection time. Tyson Johnson standing a few feet away and watching the whole thing unfold seems a little dumbfounded by the whole procedure. Buddy Clinton is introduced as a Royce Gracie fighter, and coming from the Travis Lutter camp. Clinton comes in undefeated and already has a victory over KJ Noons under his belt.
Round One
Steve Mazzagatti, before his magnificent mustache made its first appearance, gets the call for this one and we're underway. A glove touch to start and Hanai has possible the weirdest stance I've ever seen at this point. Both of his hands are at shoulder height and out to his sides, nowhere near his face, with him not even glancing in Clinton's direction before waving at Clinton to "come on" as it this were The Karate Kid. A snapping leg kick from Clinton lands followed by a mid-kick attempt and a combination, ending with him clinching Hanai against the cage. Hanai spins off the cage into a takedown and Clinton immediately shows of his jiu-jitsu skills pulling Hanai into rubber guard. Hard punches to the head by Clinton and he pops his hips and tries to throw a triangle around Hanai but Hanai slips out the back door and falls back into Clinton's guard. Clinton throws up the triangle again and shows more rubber guard before Hanai decides he's had enough and stands up above the prone Clinton. Hanai attempts a JUMPING GUARD PASS but eats an up kick for his troubles, allowing Clinton to stand up and rush him leading to a great exchange in the center of the cage. Clinton rushes again and pins Hanai against the fence with a double leg and takes Hanai down to the mat, working from his guard. Punches to the body to try to open the guard followed by a couple of short slams that seem to do some damage to Hanai, and Steve Mazzagatti has seen enough and stands them back up. Clinton lands a solid body kick and Hanai shoots in for a single leg which Clinton is able to defend and sprawl out of. A knee to the body from Clinton and Hanai is down on all fours still working for the takedown. We got through a lightning quick series of reverses with back control for Clinton, a kneebar attempt for Hanai, and we're back into Hanai's full guard. Another short slam and some crossfaces as Clinton tries to open the guard, slamming Hanai's head against the mat and cage, following up with some short lefts and rights. Hanai kicks Clinton off and he's back to his feet waving Hanai to come up and join him. Hanai with a MASSIVE swing and a miss followed by a high spin kick attempt and a rolling high kick attempt as the round comes to an end.
What in the blue hell was THAT? Hanai fought with a style I don't think I have ever seen anyone use before, but so far it hasn't done him a lick of good. Clinton on top for most of the round and doing some damage with Hanai not able to land much if anything so Clinton takes that round. Don't for a second think that Hanai didn't score some big points with me for showmanship because he definitely made things entertaining as the replays show his jumping guard pass attempt and the exchange that followed.
Round Two
The bell rings and we're off and running with round two. Hanai comes out with a glove touch followed a split-second later with an overhand right in a combination we don't see very often. He follows this up with a jumping..I'm not even sure what to call it since he didn't attempt a strike he just sort of jumped up and down. Into the clinch and Clinton presses Hanai against the cage and lifts him for a slam while Hanai tries to sink in a guillotine choke. Hanai has the choke in full guard for a split second and Clinton wrenches his head out and starts landing some hard shots to the ribs of Hanai. Nothing much happens of note and neither man seems to be trying to advance their position and Mazzagatti sees this and stands them back up. A mid-kick blocked by Hanai who fires back with a nice straight right over the top that lands. A straight right to the body and a hard leg kick by Hanai, who keeps motioning for Clinton to come on and bring the fight to him. Another spot of inaction and the crowd turns on the fight a little bit, with the boos getting even louder when Hanai leaves his hands at his waist and begins tapping his chin DARING Clinton to throw a punch. Now see that's how to entertain people and get them into the fight, not by flipping off the camera while getting your face pounded, so take some notes Joe Cota. Hanai with more antics including more mugging, another glove touch and him motioning for Clinton to BRING IT BITCH! Good lord Hanai turns his back on Clinton to rile up the crowd even more and the boos are really loud now. After that little break for the Takefumi Hanai Variety Hour, we're back to MMA and Clinton finally throws a good combination catching Hanai. Clinton continues to backpedal away from Hanai for some reason as Hanai throws a body shot and goes in for another glove touch, proceeding to follow that up by shit-talking Clinton in the middle of the round, in a foreign language, with his mouthpiece still in. I'll give it an A for effort but a C+ for execution, and the crowd is still booing like crazy, but I can't tell if it's because of Hanai's hot dogging and showboating or if they're booing Clinton's passivity. Hanai with a couple of straight right hands and Clinton clinches him against the cage looking for the takedown again. Clinton leaves his head out sloppily again and Hanai sinks another guillotine in, this one tighter than the first as he pulls it into full guard to crank up the pressure. Hanai really wrenching down on this choke and using the time for a little more self-promotion, mugging to the crowd and talking to Clinton's corner while he tries to finish. Hanai releases the guillotine and throws a body triangle on Clinton, who is still trying to work some punches to the body but they're having no real effect at this point. Ten seconds left in the round now and Clinton tries a guard pass, landing a wicked headbutt on Hanai in the process, who looks to be in some serious pain as the round closes.
The doctors are in to look at Hanai immediately and it doesn't look terribly promising. The replays show the headbutt again as Clinton was trying to pass guard and land some punches. It looks like a really heavy shot but Hanai must have a hard head because he survives it and is going to make it to round three. Hanai definitely wins round two but almost as much for what Clinton didn't do as opposed to what Hanai landed. We're even at one round apiece heading into the third and final round according to my card so let's get to the third and deciding round!!
Round Three
A handshake to show there are no hard feelings before the action starts for round three and right after that Hanai lands a MASSIVE RIGHT that hits Clinton right on the button and crumples him to this knees. Hanai pounces and lands two huge hammer fists, bouncing Clinton's head off the mat and Steve Mazzagatti steps in to stop the beating.
Post-fight Clinton bounces back up pretty quickly and doesn't seem too happy with the stoppage but the replays show that Mazzagatti actually cut Clinton a bit of slack as he almost stopped the fight immediately after the huge right hand, but allowed Clinton a chance to try to recover before finally calling things. Hanai crying in the cage he is so happy to have his first win and Cal Worsham is in the cage for an interview. Through the interpreter Hanai has a classic rock moment claiming "we ain't seen nothing yet", and Hanai ends the interview in English thanking everyone in the crowd and saying he loves America.
Winner: Takefumi Hanai, TKO at :18 of Round Three
Match Six: Heavyweights
Jason Weiss (1-0) vs Ruben Villereal (8-6-1)
Ruben advertises a local pizza joint on his t-shirt before the fight in a move I don't think I've seen on any of the larger MMA shows. He is also fighting with a wrestling singlet on and warpaint which I also don't think would be terribly kosher on a larger show. Villereal is announced as the King of the Cage Native American Heavyweight Champion but that title is not on the line in this one.
Round One
The bell rings and Weiss takes the center of the cage immediately scoring with a stiff jab. Three or four more jabs and Villereal lands a half-hearted leg kick and they're back to sizing each other up. Another leg kick lands from Villereal followed by a good left that stuns Weiss for a moment allowing Villereal to get inside and start working the clinch, landing knees to Weiss' ribs. Weiss reverses the clinch and works for the takedown while Villereal tries a sloppy guillotine and takes some punches to the body. Villereal throwing forearms to the back of Weiss and Weiss trying very hard to get this fight to the mat holding onto the bodylock. He's clinging to the takedown attempt and Villereal is landing lots of those forearms and HE BE CLUBBERING TONY!!! HE BE CLU....sorry, I had a WCW moment there but I'm back now. Weiss tries to lift Villereal for a slam, which might not be the best idea since Villereal outweighs him by ten pounds here, and the attempt only tightens the grip that Villereal has on his head. Weiss seems pretty gassed from the effort he's put out here and falls to his back with Villereal still holding his head which ends up with Weiss essentially putting himself into a neck crank. Villereal releases the head and postures up in Weiss' half guard landing a couple of heavy shots to the face. Weiss turns his back while on the mat and Villereal lands a couple more hammer fists before the referee steps in and calls a halt to the fight.
The replays show the end of the fight and the shots that Villereal was able to land even showing Weiss' blood spattering on the yellow mat as a result of the punches. Back live in the cage and Weiss is sitting up and blood is pouring from his nose and the doctors are attending to him quickly. More replays are shown of the closing flurry and they show at least three clean shots landing to the nose of Weiss which has probably led to a broken nose judging from all the blood. Villereal looked good here but this was hardly an opponent that was going to present any real challenge in my opinion.
Winner: Ruben Villereal, Referee's Stoppage at 3:52 of Round One
Match Seven: Bantamweights
Urijah Faber (8-1) vs. Shawn Bias (3-1)
For the King of the Cage Bantamweight Championship
Pre-fight video packages now that look to be rather well done for a smaller promotion. Bias talks about fighting a lot since he's always been a smaller guy, and how he plans to use his junior collegiate wrestling background to surprise Faber and catch him in a mistake. Once he has him he's going to take him down and pound him out. He says that Faber is the one that everyone in the division seems afraid to fight and that he wants to be the one to take him out and finish him.
Urijah Faber's video comes next and the current KOTC 145 pound champion thinks he's dominating the weight class because he has the total package of genetics, training, mentality and heart. He loves to fight and loves being creative with new moves and feels it makes him exciting as a fighter. He thinks that Bias is nowhere near his league and that he will outclass him with his superior wrestling. Faber ends by saying he's going to send Bias back to the trailer park to try to find a job with his tattoos and goofy haircut. Certainly no shortage of confidence from young Mr. Faber that's for sure.
Round One
Doc Hamilton is the ref for this one and the staredown during the instructions is an intense nose-to-nose and neither one of them seems willing to back away from it. Faber tries a front kick to start and Bias catches it and uses it to leverage a takedown, immediately taking Faber's back and landing a couple of shots before sitting and trying to catch him in a choke. Faber spins into Bias' body and ends up in his guard for a moment before he's standing above Bias and landing some solid shots. Bias tries a switch and Faber is on top in a north/south position, transitioning into being on Bias' back upside down with a reverse triangle choke of sorts locked in. That definitely falls into the categories of creative and exciting that Faber talked about earlier. Bias tries to slam Faber off but ends up with forcing the triangle tighter with his neck twisted at a BAD angle. Bias yanks his head out and ends up in a guillotine for his troubles as Bias is still holding onto a single leg attempt trying to turn the tide on Faber but Faber's sprawl has been outstanding up to this point. Faber releases and then reapplies the guillotine and to quote Joe Rogan "It's DEEEEEEEEEEEEEP". Faber presses Bias' back against the fence and falls to his knees adding extra pressure to the choke and forcing Bias to tap out. For the first time all night the crowd really gets into it and Faber's victory gets a good sized pop from them.
A rapid-fire action fight that featured a very impressive performance from Faber. He wasn't lying when he said in the pre-fight interview that Bias wasn't in his class and it showed here. A relatively easy title defense for Faber and a dominating performance.
Winner: Urijah Faber, Submission (guillotine choke) at 1:24 of Round One
Cal Worsham is with Faber in the cage for an interview. Faber says he figured that if Bias was going to try to grapple with him that eventually he would make a mistake and it would let him sink in the choke. Faber is all about the money right now and he hopes to be getting a little more of it and that the money will dictate what his next move is in KOTC. He ends with shout-outs to his hometown, his friends, his trainer, his family, his sponsors, his dog (ok, maybe not the dog but that was about the only one he forgot to mention) as Worsham is clearly trying to cut him short and hustle him from the cage.
Match Eight: Light Heavyweights
Richard Montoya (5-1) vs. Aaron Brink (15-12, 1 NC)
Promo video for Aaron Brink with him claiming that Montoya asked for this fight because he doesn't like his attitude. Brink thinks this is a big mistake and that he's going to prove that Montoya should do some research before picking a dangerous opponent like himself. He builds up his training regimen and swears that he won't lose another fight that he's expected to win again. He wants to make an impact and show he's one of the top fighters in the sport at 205 pounds.
Richard Montoya's video now and he's shown training with Ken Shamrock and Vernon White in the Lion's Den. Shamrock thinks he has a lot of potential and this fight is a steppingstone to the upper echelon of MMA. Montoya feels that his heart and the ability to remain calm in the cage are some of his strengths that he'll be able to use in this fight. Shamrock thinks that Montoya is the favorite in this fight because of his conditioning his heart and his skill level.
Round One
A quick check of Brink's record shows him as fighting a who's who in MMA with names like Andrei Arlovski, Jeremy Horn, Rich Franklin, and Alistair Overeem on his dance card. This experience he has with top-level fighters could be key in this fight. Brink starts out throwing a straight left that Montoya ducks under to shoot for the double leg takedown. Brink sprawls and reverses and they're clinching against the cage. Both men try leg trips from the clinch but neither can find any success with them and the fight stays standing for now. Montoya with another leg trip that finally works and he takes Brink down, falling into full guard. Brink working the closed guard really well controlling Montoya's entire body and not allowing any room for strikes until Montoya suddenly breaks free and lands a couple of hard shots, throwing Brink's legs to the side and passing into side control. Brink tries to stand out of it, sticking his head right into the arms of Montoya who happily accepts the gift and sinks in a tight standing guillotine Brink trying to relax and not struggle against the choke which will conserve oxygen but ultimately elongate the process of passing out. Brink finally tries to slam Montoya but slams himself right into full guard and Montoya keeps squeezing until Brink has no choice but to tap.
The replays choose to show the opening seconds of the fight in an odd choice since nothing happened and there was no relevance to the end of the fight. No post fight interview for this one either which seems odd as well. Montoya showed the skills Shamrock spoke of in the video, waiting for Brink to make a mistake and then capitalizing on it for a solid victory.
Winner: Richard Montoya, Submission (guillotine choke) at 1:55 of Round One
Match Nine: Main Event - Lightweights
Mac Danzig (11-2-1) vs. Takumi Nakayama (12-8-3)
For the King of the Cage Lightweight Championship
The video for Mac Danzig comes up as he says that 99% of the fight is mental and training and cardio will be the keys. All the talent in the world means nothing if you aren't mentally prepared. He talks about the mystique of the Japanese fighters and how he's ready to smash the myth. He feels his opponent is well-rounded but not particularly great at any one discipline and that he'll be able to use his strengths to exploit Nakayama's weaknesses. Danzig is currently the Gladiator Challenge Lightweight Champion and is looking to add another belt around his waist.
An overdubbed voice welcomes us to the video for Takumi Nakayama, the current KOTC Lightweight Champion. He says that Nakayama is representing his country, his trainers and his family tonight and that his training will allow him to expose Danzig's weaknesses and that he will remain champion. Nakayama thinks that no matter what it will be a great fight and that Danzig will not be able to take his honor and he will return to Japan still champion.
Round One
This one should be a real barn-burner as the highlights in the video packages make both men look like real action fighters. Quinton "Rampage" Jackson is shown in the crowd as round one gets underway. Nakayama starts pushing the pace early moving Danzig back around the cage and throwing some quick shots before working into a clinch against the fence. Danzig reverses the clinch and lands a couple of good knees and an uppercut to the body, followed by more knees to the legs, head and body of Nakayama. Danzig is working the clinch to perfection here using it to score heavy body shots and also setting up a judo throw out of it, taking Nakayama down to the mat. Side control for Danzig here and he's trying to pin one of Nakayama's arms down with his leg to allow for some free shots to the face. He controls the arm and lands some hard shots, forcing Nakayama to turn to his side which lets Danzig land a HEAVY elbow to the ribs, drawing a collective "ooooooooh" from the crowd. Another shot with the point of the elbow to the ribs of Nakayama and Danzig continues working the modified crucifix to inflict some serious damage. Nakayama spins out and tries to get to his knees and as he does Danzig takes his back and sinks a hook in. Nakayama is holding on here and seemingly hoping for a stand-up before trying to roll and reverse with Danzig sprawling to avoid it. Danzig standing over Nakayama and landing some hard shots before falling into the full guard which Nakayama begins shifting up Danzig's back, possibly in an attempt to work for a submission from the bottom. Crossfaces and punches from Danzig bring the first round to a close.
Complete domination from Danzig there and he makes sure that Nakayama knows it before going back to his corner telling him that this is how it's going to go for the next four rounds. Easy round to score as Danzig takes it handily.
Round Two
Nakayama needs something to change and shift some momentum to his favor or this could be a long night for him. Unfortunately Danzig isn't going to just hand it back and he starts the second landing a beautiful three punch combination followed by a hard knee straight up the middle to Nakayama's chin. A clinch up against the cage and they're trading knees before Danzig stops that with a vicious foot stomp. Nakayama trying for a trip takedown and Danzig shows great balance fending it off before he throws more knees to the Nakayama's legs. Nakayama somehow ends up with standing back control out of his leg trip attempts and finally gets a bodylock takedown on Danzig after expending a lot of energy. In a rather deflating moment for Nakayama, Danzig uses the fence against his back and stands right back up before landing a good jab and a hard straight right hand. A kick to the body of Nakayama and he seemingly has no answer for the skills that Danzig is showing at this point. Stiff right hand to the side of the head stuns Nakayama and Danzig moves in for the kill with a heavy combination before stepping back to the outside. A left hook and a right hand both land for Danzig and he is picking apart Nakayama in the stand-up landing punches at will. Nakayama into the clinch again and working for the leg trip but Danzig is just too strong and too talented a wrestler and Danzig reverses it into a takedown, scoring a knee to Nakayama's face off of the ensuing scramble. Danzig with a left hook out of nowhere that connects and Nakayama tries for a double leg takedown trying anything to get the fight in his favor. Danzig sprawls out of it and defends easily as round two comes to an end.
We eschew replays between rounds for more T and A and I have to wonder why since there was plenty of action in that second round, but apparently the 600th shot of that ring girl's ass was somehow more important and relevant to the fight.
Round Three
Danzig with a left hook again to open the third and Nakayama finally responds with one of his own and a solid leg kick. They exchange in the center of the cage and Danzig throws another heavy combination into a bullrush and they're clinched against the fence again, a position that Danzig has used to his advantage this entire fight. Body shots by Danzig and Nakayama responds with a succession of knees to the body that Danzig manages to effectively block with his forearms. Another good uppercut to the body by Danzig and a knee to follow. Nakayama with a wild right that misses and Danzig makes him pay for it pulling him into a Muay Thai clinch and peppering his face with knees. Danzig releases the Thai clinch and a combination of about 20 punches sees Danzig land repeatedly to Nakayama's face which is busted open badly. Herb Dean calling for Nakayama to fight back or he's going to stop it and Nakayama hears him and fires back with a combination of his own before Dean steps in to get a look at the cut. Blood is streaming down Nakayama's face now from a really nasty gash and his corner throws in the towel. It is all over and we have a NEW King of the Cage Lightweight Champion in Mac Danzig.
Danzig in the cage overcome with emotion after the fight and almost in tears as Nakayama sits dejectedly in his corner getting attention to the cut. A complete domination by Danzig who outclassed Nakayama at every turn and showed plenty of well-rounded skills and potential which could lead to big things for him in the UFC down the road.
Winner: Mac Danzig, Corner Stoppage at 2:45 of Round Three
The 411: Lots of inexperienced fighters and one-sided fights on this card, but there were still some entertaining moments. Takefumi Hanai entertained in his victory and Urijah Faber and Mac Danzig showed off their considerable skills. A couple more good back and forth fights might have bumped this a little higher up but for now I'd have to say this show was pretty middle of the road. Worth checking out for the three fighters I mentioned but the rest is take it or leave it.
