The Sprawl and Brawl Video Review 11.06.07: King of the Cage - The Predator Returns

Posted by Randy Harrison on 11.06.2007

Don Frye returns to fight on US soil after a ten year absence, can he remain the fighter he was when he left? Also, Urijah Faber returns to defend his King of the Cage title., and we learn why when travelling abroad it's best to know how to pull guard and throw hands. All in this week's Sprawl and Brawl!

Welcome again everyone to another edition of The Sprawl and Brawl and we're back where we began lo these many weeks ago, reviewing a King of the Cage show. I'm going to let the show speak for itself this week but I will ask all of my fans to keep an eye out in the middle of the week as yours truly will be getting another column, Five Rounds of News, starting later this week in the News Reports section of this very MMA zone. I'm excited for the opportunity and can't wait to get started on it. For now we move on to our review this week King of the Cage: The Predator Returns! This event is a part of the five disc, five event Combat Collection which I have reviewed an event from previously.


The Predator Returns is a part of this five disc King of the Cage box set available here


King of the Cage: The Predator Returns

We're in Globe, Arizona at the beautiful Apache Gold Casino Events Center and the stage is set for the return of one of the most well-known and experienced mixed martial artists in the world, “The Predator” Don Frye, fighting for the first time in almost a decade in his home country. He's got a tough one ahead of him as he's set to face Ruben “Warpath” Villareal in the main event bout. Urijah Faber also appears tonight as he's going to defend his King of the Cage Bantamweight Championship against undefeated former champ Charlie Valencia. It looks like there's going to be some great fights lined up on the card and the crowd is fired up so let's get to the action!

We're in the cage with Erik Apple, our host and announcer and he does the same pre-fight hype spiel that I just did in the previous paragraph so we can skip it. Though he does tell us that tonight his color commentators are going to be current KOTC fighters James Lee and Del “The Filipino Delight” Hawkins. I don't even know how one would go about acquiring a nickname like that quite frankly, but maybe it's his sparkling personality or his deep, soulful eyes that earned it for him.

We're off for to the undercard fights now, with Tyson Johnson doing his usual job of pumping up the crowd while referring to himself at least twice as “Iron Man” Tyson Johnson, and I really hope that he came by that naturally and isn't trying to force his own nickname on everyone. He asks the crowd if they're ready and looks rather proud of himself when they respond with the desired applause and cheers so he sets about to introducing the first two combatants of the evening.

Undercard Fights


Match One: Middleweights
Justin Bailey (1-0) vs. DJ Hollingsworth (0-3)

Bailey an independent fighter with his second pro fight. Apparently Hollingsworth is a King of the Cage and Gladiator Challenge veteran and is a beltholder...huh who knew? I didn't since this is the first time I've seen him fight and he's not wearing a belt but I digress. Hollingsworth is giving up big reach as he's 5 inches shorter than Bailey. The announcers pull a page from the WCW Nitro circa 1996 playbook and totally bypass talking about the fight currently happening to talk about the main event and the Faber/Valencia fight. Del Hawkins on commentary with a poor choice of words stating that the Faber/Valencia fight will "light this reservation up". I don't have enough money to lawyer myself up to deal with the lawsuits after I address that so I'm just walking away from it.

Round One

Herb Dean gets us underway and they touch gloves. Circling early on and Bailey shoots in for the takedown and gets a bodylock against the cage.and takes Hollingsworth down to the mat. Bailey already in side control and trying to work a knee to the belly for full mount. He presses Hollingsworth against the cage and works knees to the body before he fully mounts. Hollingsworth turns and turtles giving up his back and Bailey sinks the hooks in and is trying for the rear naked choke. Bailey looks to be working for either the choke or an armbar and Hollingsworth is working some hand control and keeping his chin down to avoid the choke. Bailey looks to land some strikes and some hillbilly is screaming at them to "stand em up". Yeesh. There's one in every crowd and this one's too close to the ringside mics. Bailey moves up a little on Hollingsworth's back and manages to sink in the choke finally, forcing the tapout.

Well the records didn't lie for once, as Bailey made quick work of Hollingsworth who looked pretty overwhelmed on the mat. Some solid ground skills from Bailey but there wasn't enough action to see if he's got the chops to make it big or if he just caught someone who matched up well for him and was inexperienced enough on the mat for him to exploit. Good showing from Bailey though.

Winner: Justin Bailey, submission (rear naked choke) at 1:55 of Round One



Match Two: Catchweight
Leroy Fornoff (3-3) vs. Daniel Madrid (1-0)

Fornoff is 6'3" at 170 and that is HUGE for a welterweight that's for sure. James Lee joins the booth now to make it a three man booth with Apple and the Hawkins. Apple suggests that they're the toughest commentating team around, but I bet he wouldn't say that if Bill Goldberg showed up and used poor little Mauro Ranallo like a bat to beat all three of them down now would he? Madrid is 6'3" as well but weighs in at 185. Apparently Madrid was scheduled to face Shannon Ritch here but he was pulled by the Athletic Commission after KO issues so that could explain the reason for it being catchweight for this one.

Round One

Glove touch and Madrid fires off a high kick and they exchange jabs. Madrid with a good one-two and he keeps working the jab, scoring a bodylock against the cage, transitioning it into a single leg, and lifting Fornoff into the air slamming him hard to the mat. Madrid in F'ornoffs full guard and looking to score with hard shots but Fornoff is controlling the upper body and throwing up a high guard from the bottom. Fornoff keeps on controlling and manages to lock in a deep triangle choke but Madrid is immediately picking him up for the slam. HUGE powerbomb slam but Fornoff, to his credit, doesn't let go of the triangle. Madrid does the Chris Jericho-style double powerbomb, but still can't free himself from the triangle. Fornoff has had the choke in for a LONG time and Madrid is trying to sneak out the backside but Fornoff transitions into an armbar while still holding the triangle. Madrid shrugs out of it and actually gets out of the triangle as well into top position, stacking Fornoff up before passing into side control, but just as quickly he tries to mount Fornoff reverses it, regaining the top. Fornoff in side control now with a couple punches but Madrid regains his guard. Madrid with the high guard now, and a good right hand from the bottom. Madrid tries a head and arm choke or arm triangle from the bottom and while it's not sunk in tight it reverses him back to top and eventually gets him into mount. Madrid with five or six HARD right hands and Fornoff rolls to his side and sweeps, reversing again. Madrid throws the high guard up again and Fornoff's corner is screaming about the triangle and armbar and sure enough Madrid locks in the armbar, but Fornoff gets out the back and takes top position again. The referee stands them up and I agree with Erik Apple (first time for everything) in that he doesn't understand why because there was work being done. Madrid with a body kick and a double leg into the takedown. Fornoff throws up his legs and tries an armbar but Madrid pulls free from it, posturing up to land a couple of stiff rights. Madrid passes into side control and back into another full mount. Fornoff sweeps to the top position again and Madrid locks in an armbar from the bottom again and this time someone actually FINISHES a submission as Madrid wrenches on the arm and draws the submission.

Replay of the first of Madrid's big powerbombs and the armbar that finished the fight and I have to say that it was a great technical ground battle, with lots of scrambles, reversals, quality transitions and submission attempts. Very entertaining to watch the chess match on the mat but at the same time would it have KILLED one of them to lock a submission in and actually finish with it. If both guys work on their submission skills they could have big futures.

Winner: Daniel Madrid, submission (armbar) at 4:51 of Round One



Match Three: Welterweights
David Carrasco (3-1) vs. Bob Calnin (3-2)

Carrasco comes to the cage with glasses on which makes me wonder what he's going to do once it comes time to fight but I guess maybe they're just for reading or something and he needed to make sure he didn't get lost on his way out from the locker room. He apparently is a good wrestler, an Arizona state champ and can throw hands from the guard according to the Hawkins commentary. They apparently don't know a lot about Calnin so they talk about the rambunctiousness and excitement of the crowd for the fights.

Round One

Calnin tries to go in for the clinch but Carrasco catches him with a left hook and few solid punches in combination and WOW that's a hard high kick that lands from Carrasco but Calnin actually catches it and takes Carrasco down and is into his guard. Del Hawkins says that Calnin ate the kick like a peanut butter and jelly sandwich and I actually like that and think it's kinda funny..too bad about the horrible nickname though. Carrasco has a sloppy head and arm choke from the bottom and he throws some rapid-fire shots from the bottom that looked good but didn't do any damage. Calnin laying on top and not doing too much throwing a couple of left hands to the head and body but nothing much on them. Calnin still laying on top and now trying to pass, getting into half guard and almost taking side control. Calnin working the right hands now and the ref stands them up. Calnin misses a front kick and they're into the clinch with Calnin landing a knee up the middle and Carrasco scoring with a big left hook to the jaw. Carrasco eats a hard left hook from Calnin and a knee to the body and Carrasco looks like he tried a throw/sweep but it ends up looking like a guard pull as Calnin is on top, working to get free with some punches, trying to pass out of half guard into side control. Calnin stands out of the guard above Carrasco and lands some hard left hands and a BIG right-left combination to the face of Carrasco. Calnin with three solid lefts and takes full mount before Carrasco tries to sweep out from under it. He's unsuccessful and gives up his back to Calnin, who gets both hooks in and lannds some punches before we cut rapidly to the crowd and the crowd starts booing. I have NO idea what just happened but I'm guessing something got cut out. Wait..the ref stood them UP?? DA FUCK was that? I don't blame the crowd for booing because that was retarded. Calnin with double underhooks standing and lands some knees as Carrasco tries that lateral throw again but ends up on the bottom again. Calnin lands some ticky-tack shots and the round is done.

Ok, apparently I owe that retard ref an apology since it was a lighting mishap that caused the stand-up, although I still think that he should have restarted the fight in the position it was in when it was stopped instead of a stand-up restart so you know what? I take back my apology from the retard in question.

Round Two

Carrasco comes out and throws a sloppy spinning back fist that misses the mark and they're clinched in the middle with Calnin grabbing a hold of Carrasco's head. Calnin uses that head lock to pull Carrasco down to his hands and knees, landing three or four really good hard lefts to the body before flipping him onto his back. Calnin into side control and Carrasco looks to be trying a keylock from the bottom. Calnin works from side control to the full mount and Carrasco bucks him off and they scramble to their feet with Carrasco swinging wildly at Calnin's head with high kick attempts that miss by a mile. Carrasco with a left and a big right uppercut and Calnin grabs the Thai clinch and starts landing a couple of knees. Calnin shoots in and Carrasco turns his back and Calnin uses that to take him down and he works into full mount again. Carrasco tries the sweep but Calnin uses the balance to stay on top, working ground and pound with shots to the body and the head landing some hard shots. A few more lefts and rights and that's it the fight is over. Carrasco apparently verbally submitted with that barrage at the end.

Replays of the finishing sequence of ground and pound and the verbal submission. This fight featured a somewhat even first round that was slowly taken over by Calnin and a second round that was a bit more dominating leading to the victory. Calnin showed good work on the ground but his striking was a little suspect, although no one can doubt his chin after eating that high kick ten seconds into the fight. Carrasco was gassed pretty badly it seemed towards the end so he might not have been ready for this level of competition but all in all this was a fairly entertaining tilt.

Winner: Bob Calnin, verbal submission (strikes) at 2:50 of Round Two



Match Four: Catchweight
Chad Dietmeyer (1-0) vs. Vincent Perez (5-1-1)

Perez is apparently a Jeet Kune Do fighter. Perez is coming into this fight at 5' 9" and 170 while his opponent Dietmeyer is the same height but only 155. Dietmeyer comes in with a boxing and Muay Thai background and is also a jiu-jistu practitioner. Erik Apple brings up a salient point about Perez wearing shoes which will make him a target for heel hooks and leg locks from someone well versed in submissions like Dietmeyer could be coming from a BJJ background. Interesting as something that usually only happens with the smaller shows happens here as King of the Cage has him listed as Dietmeyer, while other sources have him listed as Bietmeyer. I'm going to go with the KOTC spelling here unless proven otherwise. Dietmeyer also had to cut almost 18 pounds to make 155 the day before for the weigh-ins before his opponent backed out, leaving him in the catchweight situation as the much smaller man, and possibly with stamina issues from such a large weight cut. Look for Dietmeyer to try to end things early if he can or he'll be in BIG trouble.

Round One

Oh goody, it's our first Cecil Peoples sighting of the evening, this should be good times. Hawkins calls out Cecil Peoples for his flamboyant move to start the bouts, calling it a "Michael Jackson move" which makes me like him infinitely more as he is growing on me with his “Delight”fulness. They circle with Perez missing a leg kick and Dietmeyer SNAPPING a body kick that lands, belying his Muay Thai background with his shins of steel. Perez returns fire with a leg kick that lands and he rushes in behind his jab, scoring a double leg takedown and working some shots to the body out of Dietmeyer's guard. Perez picks him up for a short slam and lands some more shots to the body and begins positioning Dietmeyer against the cage to try to work some ground and pound. Dietmeyer is slick from the bottom with an omaplata attempt that Perez slams his way out of but Dietmeyer holds the arm and transitions to a sick armbar that's plenty tight enough to draw the tap from Perez.

Dietmeyer understandably excited, jumping up with his face into the camera and talking some shit as the winner of a testosterone-laden activity like a fight is wont to do at times. We get replays now of the armbar and Dietmeyer is in the other camera now showing off all of the sponsors on his shorts. Jesus, Dietmeyer looks like he could fight again, he is just BOUNCING all over the cage and looks to be winded now, gassing himself in the celebration. Oh well, better after the fight than during it I suppose.

Winner: Chad Dietmeyer, submission (armbar) at 1:06 of Round One



Match Five: Heavyweights
Ron Rumpf (55-24-3) vs. Shane French (0-0)

I have my doubts as to the validity of the amount of fights that Rumpf actually has under his belt especially with the smaller shows and their dubious record keeping. Del Hawkins talks about 16-man, one night tournaments called "barnburners" being popular in the midwest with them both competing in them, so that could possibly be where the inflated record comes from but I still have my qualms about it being his real record. A quick check of other records has him listed at a record of 9-20 coming into this fight so my doubts were verified. I feel crushed to have been lied to by the chiseled features and dulcet tones of Tyson Johnson but I'll have to pick up the pieces and carry on. No record announced for French which leads me to believe this is his first fight. I also have to note that French may be from the best hometown ever, the FIGHTING town of SURPRISE!~!, Arizona. Cecil Peoples, always the professional, stifles a yawn as Tyson Johnson makes the introductions. There doesn't seem to be much known about either fighte...HELLO, there's a nice shot of some side booby from the ring card girl. What was I talking about again? Nevermind, let's just start the fight.

Round One

Rumpf throws a clumsy combination and catches French with a clubbing blow to the temple that knocks him down and out with Rumpf following it up with six or seven hammerfists and as per the usual Cecil Peoples is asleep at the switch. I mean Jesus FUCKING Christ Cecil, the guy is knocked out cold with both arms stiff in the air. Are you waiting for someone to get killed before you step in for a stoppage. Rumpf talking some shit immediately afterwards although it looks like he took advantage of a seriously inexperienced opponent so take that for what it's worth. The replay shows the punch that scored the KO and the eight hammerfists that followed needlessly as French was unconscious and defenseless. Cecil Peoples, ladies and gentlemen, friend of the fighter. After a LONG time French finally makes it to his feet but can barely walk without staggering and nearly falling again. As no surprise to me this is apparently his first and only foray into MMA and I have to say that if I had my ass kicked like that, I wouldn't want to do it again either.

Winner: Ron Rumpf, KO at 0:08 of Round One


Main Card

Erik Apple back in the cage to introduce us to the main fights and to re-hype the main event matchups of Urijah Faber and Charlie Valencia as well as the return of the Predator, Don Frye. The ruggedly handsome Tyson Johnson tells us it's time to honour America and as we do, they cut to Arizona native Superstar Billy Graham in the crowd, wearing an Eddie Guerrero tribute shirt as this show is fresh after his passing. The ring card girls try to put their hands on their hearts to pay tribute to the stirring rendition of the National Anthem but I doubt they could even feel their hearbeats with those over-inflated chest cannons they're all sporting, I'll give them an A for effort though. Tyson Johnson gets all the Commission and promotional announcements (and there were a lot of them) out of the way and we're on our way to the fights!



Match Six: Catchweight
Matt Dell (1-0) vs. Matt Ver Halen (5-2)

Dell introduced wearing a King of the Cage belt which sounds to shock Erik Apples and there is some silence on commentary until it's figured out that he's the Arizona state Superfight Champion, a title he won at the last King of the Cage event held at this venue apparently. Dell coming in at 155 and his opponent Ver Halen is a 145 pounder. A big kickboxing and Muay Thai background for Ver Halen and a big experience advantage as well in this one.

Round One

Mid kick missed by Ver Halen, but he catches Dell with a VICIOUS right, but Dell just shakes it off showing a solid chin with that one. Ver Halen lands a left and a knee up the middle and the announcers speculate on Dell having a broken nose from that wicked first punch and as they bring it up the ref steps in to check it out. He decides it's good to go and restarts the fight. The work into a Thai clinch and they trade knees to the body before Dell presses Ver Halen up against the cage. Trading more knees to the body and Ver Halen is taking some hard shots to the gut. Dell is pouring blood out of that nose and they're still clinched against the fence. Dell tries a takedown but can't get it, although he scores with four or five good right hands in that dirty boxing style. They both hit some body punches and Dell is still prssing Ver Halen against the cage, trying for a trip takedown but not getting it. Dell pushes away and lands a HARD right hook but can't follow up for whatever reason as he begins backpedalling and eating punches from Ver Halen before trying to clinch and score a trip takedown again but Ver Halen avoids it, taking a knee to the gut for his efforts. More clinch work and Dell lands a good combination and a HARD knee to the head afterwards. Dell still clinching and pressing Ver Halen against the fence pushing off to land another combination and two BIG knees up the middle but as he leaves his head exposed Ver Halen catches him with a big right and a bigger left that knocks Dell a little silly. Leg kick and a head kick land grazingly for Ver Halen as he's stalking Dell down in the cage. Spinning back fist just misses from Ver Halen and he tries a spinning back kick but with his hands down Dell pounces landing a straight right to the chin, putting Ver Halen on his ass. Dell trying to finish jumping down into side control and working some knees to the body. Shoulder strikes and more knees to the body before he backs off to let Ver Halen back up. Two low kicks from Ver Halen and he catches another right hand from Dell as they clinch against the cage again. Some dirty boxing against the fence and that's it for the round. Dell is a bloody mess after that one, and the crowd is on their feet after an action-packed round one.

The doctor is in between rounds, checking Dell's nose but apparently he's still good to go and we're on to the second round

Round Two

Ver Halen with a front kick that semi-lands starting out and another. He loads up with a combo but misses and Dell hits a body kick. Ver Halen with a body kick that misses and he throws a Muay Thai knee that almost lands. Dell turns the tide, pushing Ver Halen's back against the cage in the corner and scoring a combination. Ver Halen switches from southpaw to orothodox and it works as he lands a hard Superman punch and a left hand to follow it up. Dell seems hurt and clinches again against the fence. Ver Halen with some knees to the body and a left to the head, followed by another knee to the body and Dell pushes off with a right-left-right combination that scores and he grabs the Thai clinch and hits some knees to the head. Dell throwing a sloppy combo that mostly misses but a knee to the body that hits. They slow and the ref breaks them up and resets them in the middle. Four punch combo from Ver Halen as he rushes forward but unfortunately for him they all miss. Dell sticks the jab into Ver Halen's nose as Ver Halen throws a combination, landing the punch at the end of it but missing the rest. Dell back to the clinch against the fence and trying for the trip takedown again. Ver Halen with a knee to the body as Dell tries for a takedown but Ver Halen holds the fence to avoid it. There's more clinch work and Dell stuns Ver Halen with a right hand and a hard knee up the middle. A front kick scores for Dell and Ver Halen answers with a left hand and Ver Halen keeps switching his stance between southpaw and orthodox, trying to confuse Dell into a mistake. Ver Halen with a Superman punch that misses and Dell catches him with an overhand right that backs him up to the cage. Straight left for Dell that lands on the button and Ver Halen hits three leg kicks in a row. They circle and the pace slows as the announcers speculate on a potential hand injury for Ver Halen as he's switched almost exclusively to kicks. Spinning back kick from Ver Halen misses and Dell scores with a right hook before they both eat stiff jabs. Dell turning it on late in the round with a straight punch and a couple of knees from the Thai clinch against the cage. He closes out the round and the fight with a big four punch combo as the bell sounds.

One of the fighters on commentary finally makes the slip I've been waiting for as they call him Matt Van Halen but Erik Apple is quick to catch it with the correction and throws it to a replay. The replays show the nasty first punch that did all the damage to Dell's nose as well as the flurries that Dell managed through the course of the fight. I have Dell winning this one two rounds to nothing as he was the better striker in the second round and although he took some damage in the first, he scored a knockdown which tilts what was a pretty even round into Dell's favor as well. They're taking extra time before the decision is read to clean the blood out of the cage and there are literally eight or nine people with towels and disinfectant wiping down the mat. The judges have come to a decision and it's a split decision for the winner...

Winner: Matt Dell, Split Decision

I have to laugh after the decision is read as Matt Dell's nickname “The Shocker” finally makes sense as he holds up a hand gesture with his two first fingers up, his ring finger down and his pinky finger up. Now I'm not the wildest guy around when it comes to boudoir activities but even I know that that's the traditional move for two fingers in a certain female area, with the other finger, the pinky being in another certain female area that could be considered shocking to say the least. I doubt that's what the nickname really means but I nearly died laughing when I was watching so it is what it is.



Match Seven: Middleweights
Kacey Uscola (26-5) vs. Jacob Chagolla (3-1)

There doesn't seem to be too much known about Uscola as he makes his way to the ring but he certainly looks ripped for 185 pounds that's for certain. They mention the experience advantage he'll hold in the fight and that for Chagolla it's a huge step up in terms of the talent level of his opponent.

Round One

Glove touch and Chagolla lands a leg kick as both guys throw and miss trying to find their range early on. Chagolla shoots from WAY too far outside and Uscola catches it and knees him to the gut. Uscola lands a front kick followed by a good left hand and Chagolla clinches but gets turned into the cage with Uscola in control. Chagolla looks to be cut from a punch that Uscola landed in the clinch and referee Herb Dean steps in to let the doctor have a look at it. The replay is fairly inconclusive as to what caused the cut, but believe me there is a cut. They close up on Chagolla's face and his eyebrow is literally split in two lengthwise. That is a nasty, NASTY cut and the doc is spreading it open checking to see how deep it is, but it seems like he's going to let the fight continue. I can't see how that axe wound could be considered good to go but I guess I'm not a doctor. Chagolla with an overhand right and a combination as Uscola keeps putting the jab into Chagolla's face. Both guys feint punches and Uscola throws landing two right hooks to the split left eyebrow of Chagolla. A leg kick follows from Uscola and the action slows a little as Chagolla is a little tentative, trying to protect the cut. A front kick from Uscola and a shoot by Chagolla that again was VERY telegraphed gets defended easily by Uscola who reverses it and ends up on top in Chagolla's half guard. Uscola trying to gain some seperation to strike and do some damage, finally does so scoring some right hands to the head and lefts to the body. Chagolla controlling the head of Uscola but loses it and ends up eating some more damaging shots to that cut above his eye. Herb Dean stands them up and Uscola takes advantage, landing two more straight right hands to the left side of Chagolla's face and Chagolla tries to play keep away until the round ends.

We get replays of the two hard straight right hands at the end of the round and the doctor is not going to let the fight continue and they stop it calling it in favor of Uscola.

Winner: Kacey Uscola, doctor's stoppage (cut) at 5:00 of Round One



Match Eight: Light Heavyweights
Brett Slone (0-0) vs. Bryan Pardoe (14-7)

This is the professional mixed martial arts debut for Slone and they say almost nothing about him as he's pretty much an unknown entity with no experience to speak of under his belt. We get a video package for Bryan Pardoe now and he says he enjoys fighting and the adrenaline rush of it all. He thinks he's the good guy in most of his fights as he's clean-cut, all-American and he fells like he's stronger than 98% of his opponents. He talks about the strengths of Slone and how he plans to negate them and that this fight will end up being a KO or TKO victory for him in the first two rounds.

Round One

Glove touch and Slone lands a punch on Pardoe and clinches into a takedown into Pardoe's half guard. Pardoe tries for an armbar from the bottom but Slone is punching his way right out of it. Slone peppering Pardoe with left hands, pulling his arm completely free and starting to land lefts and rights and a few HARD hammerfists and the referee steps in to protect Pardoe from any more damage. This is a HUGE upset as it looked as if Pardoe was being thrown a bone here with little to no experience being had by his opponent but that's why it's mixed martial arts, anything can happen. Pardoe looks worse for wear afterwards with a big cut under his left eye, one on his forehead and blood coming from his nose as well from the barrage of punches unleashed by Slone.

A funny moment as the announcers speculate on Slone's background now when five minutes before they didn't seem terribly interested in what he brought to the table when he was being thought of as cannon fodder for Pardoe. Funny how quickly things turn when the upset happens isn't it?

Winner: Brett Slone, TKO at 0:40 of Round One



Match Nine: Heavyweights
Paul O' Keefe (1-1) vs. Bobby Hoffman (34-10-1)

The announcers again seemingly are having trouble doing background stuff as they don't have much of an idea on O' Keefe's background so they end up thanking the sponsors for the event. Hoffman comes out with his tongue barely sticking out of his mouth, not unlike a second grader trying to do a math problem which is quite the interesting look, as he's being touted as a former King of the Cage Heavyweight Champion.

Round One

O' Keefe jumps almost as if to throw a flying knee but throws nothing, instead just jumping up and down in the air. Hoffman throws a front kick that misses and O' Keefe throws one back and Hoffman rushes forward clinchin O' Keefe against the cage trying for the takedown. O' Keefe reverses for the takedown of his own but Hoffman pops right back up to his feet and bullies O' Keefe against the cage, shooting for a double leg and getting it. O' Keefe takes the head of Hoffman and is trying for a guillotine but Hoffman is already into side control so he seems out of danger. Hoffman tries for mount and gets it, turning that into a head and arm choke, sinking it in and tightening the grip. Apple on commentary is already talking like the fight is over from how deep the choke is sunk in and he's right because seconds later O' Keefe is tapping out and Hoffman's victorious.

We get some replays of the takedown that Hoffman scored as well as him sinking the head and arm triangle in for the win. Very impressive performance by Hoffman but like a lot of KOTC fights there was someone with a lot less experience in against him so it makes it tough to gauge his true skills but for this fight at least he looked great.

Winner: Bobby Hoffman, submission (head and arm choke) at 1:29 of Round One



Match Ten: For the King of the Cage Bantamweight Championship
Charlie Valencia (7-0) vs. Urijah Faber (12-1)

Video package for Charlie Valencia fires up and he says that Urijah Faber's had a good run but he's taking his belt back. He thinks his background is a good match for Faber and that it will make for an exciting fight. He doesn't see the fight going the distance and he thinks that he boxes better, his wrestling is stronger and that his BJJ is light years ahead of Faber's

The video for Urijah Faber is next and he has 3 belts in 2 ½ years in the sport and hasn't stopped training since he began fighting. He had a bit of a hippie upbringing he says as he has never had vaccinations or any conventional medicines in his life. He thinks that Valencia hasn't faced someone as athletic, well-rounded or skilled in his previous fights and that he's going to have to learn how to lose tonight because he's not going to be undefeated once Faber is done.

Round One

Valencia with a big sweeping leg kick that misses and Faber throws a high kick that misses and an ax kick that also misses. Faber with a high kick and a body kick that get blocked and a huge overhand right that just misses. Leg kick lands for Faber but he eats a right hand and gets staggered backwards. Valencia throws a flying knee that Faber mostly catches and tries to use as leverage for a takedown but Valencia sprawls well and avoids it. Valencia with a knee to the body and Faber throws him, scoring a near takedown against the fence. Faber has Valencia's back while they stand and Faber hits a knee to the side of his head before scoring the takedown into full back control. Valencia stands up and grabs the fence to avoid a takedown again as Erik Apple says that the referee should warn him about that, calling referee Cecil Peoples Herb Dean by mistake confirming what I've heard all along that they all look alike. Referees that is, I don't know what you people thought I meant but I assure you that it's not what you thought it was. Valencia goes for a kimura to reverse but Faber picks him up and slams him, taking Valencia's back again. They scramble and Valencia is looking for a knee but Faber pulls out and they scramble to a bodylock. Faber scores a leg trip takedown into Valencia's full guard and Valencia is throwing up a high guard but there's nothing there as Faber stands out of it, allowing Valencia to score an up kick. Faber with an ax kick to the stomach and Valencia throws a hard kick to the body from his back. Valencia actually looks like he hit the back of his head against the cage and as he's holding it on the mat he gives up his back to Faber and he wastes no time slipping on the rear naked choke and it's all over.

We get a replay of the choke and the tap at the end of the fight as Tedd Williams is in the cage now, presenting Faber with his KOTC Bantamweight Championship belt. Tyson Johnson actually gets in on some of the pictures that are being taken around the cage and hams it up a bit amongst Faber and the KOTC dignitaries.

Winner: Urijah Faber, submission (rear naked choke) at 3:09 of Round One

We've got fight footage which looks to be of the FanCam variety but this was still a really entertaining fight for it's short length with a ton of action so here it is for your enjoyment.



Faber is in the cage being interviewed and he feels like he trained really hard and that his BJJ ended up being better than Valencia's. He looked up to Valencia when he was the champion and he completely respects him. Faber thanks King of the Cage and wants to conquer the world at 145 pounds. He wasn't dazed with the shot that staggered him early in the round but acknowledges it was a hard punch. He announces his birthday is the next day and that he's going to be in Bali for the next three weeks. Happy Birthday to him, although the trip turned out to be more adventurous than he thought it would be. I now give you...Urijah's Story.

Main Event
Match Eleven: Heavyweights
Ruben Villareal (10-7-2) vs. Don Frye (15-5)

Villareal's video starts with him asking if you have the heart to step into the cage and get it done. He cuts a bit of a wrestling promo talking about his warrior spirit and how he trains hard no matter what. Everywhere he went in his life before fighting he was always thought of as the “angry injun” and those are his words not mine, so any hate mail can be sent his way thank you very much. He'll fight anyone, anytime, anywhere and he thinks it's going to be a hell of a fight. He gets introduced and is still the Gladiator Challenge Native American Heavyweight Champion in this one and Erik Apple thinks that it could be a big advantage for him fighting on the reservation here in Arizona.

The video for Don Frye starts with highlights from his epic battle with Takayama in Pride. Frye says that Villareal is in his way and he's going to get hurt. He's going to see if he can hit Villareal so hard that he'll put him through the cage so Don puts the first few rows on notice for that. Frye references Little Big Horn and says that if Custer had had him in his army that the entire battle would have ended completely different. He seems confident in his abilities to knock out Villareal in this one.

Round One

Glove touch and Frye catches Villareal with a right hand and two more right away as Villareal tries to work the knees to the body. Frye is landing hard punches to the ribs of Villareal in response to the knees and Frye hits him with LOTS more right hands to the body and Villareal starts throwing rights to the head. Fyre with an uppercut and Villareal clinches him against the cage. They're trading knees to the body and doing some dirty boxing with Frye reversing position to press Villareal against the cage. They trade more weak knees and punches but nothing is really going on and Herb Dean should consider a restart here soon. Frye catches Villareal's head and looks to try for a guillotine but there's nothing and Villareal pulls his head out and starts landing hard shots to the body. Herb Dean finally does seperate them and Villareal scores with a jab and a low kick and they both start throwing wild haymakers all over the place. A leg kick from Frye scores and Villareal catches him with a big uppercut and a couple of left hooks that stagger Frye badly. Frye with double underhooks, pushing Villareal against the fence and he tries for the guillotine again but has to let it go. They're trading body shots and knees from the clinch and Villareal scores with that uppercut again as Frye hits one of his own and a couple more afterwards and they trade punches to end the round.

Interesting round as they did a lot of equal damage and it will be tough to score in the eyes of the judges. They both seemed to be getting a little tired from dealing with such a large opponent so we'll see how that plays out as the fight wears on.

Round Two

Frye ducks under a jab but eats a knee and Villareal hits a couple of jabs and Frye appears to be cut under his right eye from the knee. Leg kick lands from Frye and another follows up as Villareal reaches with a combination that misses and a knee up the middle that also misses. Both men trade body shots and they push out of a clinch back to the center of the cage. Veillareal hits a knee to the body and Frye grabs a bodylock and scores the takedown on Villareal ending up on top in his half-guard. Frye mounts for a moment before being pulled back into half-guard but Frye takes the mount right back. He starts landing a ton of shots to Villareal and is using his forearm to choke across the throat to try to gain some seperation for power punches. Frye with a lot more punches, landing a few of them, but none of them have any real steam behind them. He starts working Villareal's body over now with punches to the ribs and Frye is missing his harder punches or landing them with nothing behind them. Frye controls one of Villareal's arms and lands some shots and hammerfists before moving over into side control. Villareal controls Frye's head not allowing him to strike and they end the round in that position.

A very different round than the first in that Frye dominated it positionally despite doing little damage. He had mount for the majority of the round which makes it an easy round to score for him, but he didn't do enough with it I think and it may come back to haunt him.

Round Three

Glove touch to start the final round and Villareal hits a good stiff jab. Villareal swinging wildly but not landing anything before they clinch again with Frye pressing Villareal's back into the cage. Villareal scores with knees from the clinch and they're both throwing body punches again before Herb Dean seperates them back into the middle again. Villareal with a knee to the body and a sloppy uppercut as Frye hits another leg kick. They're both trying to land punches, flailing away but mostly catching arms and shoulders. Into the Thai clinch and Frye hits a couple of short uppercuts with either hand. Villareal pushes him away and they both look exhausted. Triple low kicks from Frye and it looks like the fight has gone from regular speed to slow motion in a hurry. A good one-two lands for Villareal and they push away again and both are gassing badly. Lots of slow, plodding jabs punctuated by the odd Frye leg kick for the next 30-40 seconds or so. They clinch to the fence and Villareal is pressing Frye up against the fence and landing some body punches as Frye gets underhooks and hits some knees. Frye scoring a little more with shots on the inside but nothing damaging. Villareal with a good knee up the middle and a right hook-left hook combination. Frye hits some uppercuts from the inside and they trade weak punches until the bell and the fight is over.

The crowd seems a little non-plussed by how the fight ended up turning out and Herb Dean tries to pump them up into applauding some more. I'm not trying to say that both fighters are sucking wind but I think the front three rows have passed out from oxygen deprivation I believe. Some replays of the dinosaur-like action of the third round and the announcers think that Villareal has the fight won and I think I agree based on how that third round went.

The cards are in and Tyson Johnson announces the verdict. Judge A has it scored 89-88 for Villareal, Judge B has it scored 88-83 for Frye and Judge C scores it 88-88 for a split decision draw.

Winner: No one (except possibly the dealer of oxygen tanks in the area of the arena), Split Decision Draw

Shannon Ritch is in the cage to interview both men and we start out with Ruben Villareal. He considers it an honor to have fought against Frye and panders to the crowd a little bit. Villareal to his credit isn't bitter over the draw and gives credit to Don Frye for making it a great fight. Villareal says he'd love a rematch and will fight anyone they put in front of him.

Don Frye's turn now and he thinks it was a great fight and looks forward to a possible rematch as well. Frye decides that since he's 1/8 Cherokee that he's going to make the rematch a challenge for Villareal's Native American Heavyweight Championship. Tremendous!! He loved fighting in front of his home state fans and he apologizes for not looking better in the fight but credits Villareal for shutting him down at every turn. Frye talks about his upcoming K-1 fight and movie work and reiterates his hopes for a rematch before we get thrown to Erik Apple who wraps up the event and we get a video package with highlights from all the fights set to some of the hippity-hops music and we're out!


Next week, we see Wanderlei Silva as many have never seen him before as I will be reviewing the independent release Wanderlei Silva's Greatest Hits featuring many of his legendary bare knuckle Vale Tudo fights from Brazil, so in the mean time and in between time, that's all until next time when I'll join you all again for a brand new Sprawl and Brawl Video Review!!

The 411: A great disc from King of the Cage here. No glaring problems with anything, except for that unfortunate incident with Cecil Peoples and the fact that a lot of the fights are still mismatches. Those are the only things that keep me from going higher with the review score. Some knock down, drag out stand-up action, some clinically precise groundfighting, knockouts, submissions, excitement and a ton of action for any MMA fan. This dvd has it all in spades and I'm happy to give this one a big thumbs up and a big kudos to King of the Cage for being able to step up and put on a great event on such a big occasion.

Final Score:  8.5   [ Very Good ]