The Sprawl And Brawl Video Review 04.30.08: IFC - Mayhem in Montana
Posted by Randy Harrison on 04.30.2008
MMA comes to Montana for the first time ever and the IFC brings a big card with two guys destined for greatness on The Ultimate Fighter. Mac Danzig fights in a four-man lightweight tournament and Ed Herman is in the main event for the IFC's Middleweight crown. Will it be mayhem or a dud? Take a peek inside to find out...
April 30, 2005 and the IFC has taken their cage to Billings, Montana for IFC: Mayhem in Montana!! This is the first IFC show or any MMA show for that matter, to be held in the state of Montana, as licensing for MMA had just come into effect a few months previous. The IFC has decided to bring MMA to Big Sky country in a BIG way, with two four-man tournaments and two title fights, so let's get right to the cage for all the action!
After the little opening video spiel, we head into the cage with Jay Adams and that fucking schmuck Big Poppa Schnake. The card has a four-man welterweight tournament and a four-man lightweight tournament, as well as an IFC USA Middleweight Women's Title bout featuring Amanda Buckner and Schnake is in full hype mode. The ISKA-MMA Middleweight title is on the line tonight as well, as Romez Brower comes in on three day's notice to replace Joe Riggs in the main event, taking on Team Quest's Ed Herman. I really wish he'd take that kilt off because he looks like a jackass. They're done talking, so let's get to the cage for all the action.
Match One: Lightweight Tournament Alternate Bout
Dan Ratio (0-1) vs. Randy Spence (8-6)
Spence is apparently shooting to get to Shooto in Japan according to Adams and Schnake does his stupid hype, taking a swipe at the UFC saying that the IFC CARES ABOUT THE LIGHTWEIGHTS!!!! They talk about Spence's Cesar Gracie training and that he's only had one fight go to a decision and that he fights to finish and to entertain. I'm already much happier with this IFC event because we've got the IFL's Tim Hughes doing the ring announcing rather than Joey Gilbert from The Contender reality show.
Round One
Spence comes charging out and backs away from a Ratio combination before landing a couple of solid jabs. Spence picks him up and slams him hard, pressing Ratio up against the cage and landing some hard shots to the ribs from half-guard. Ratio pushes away from the fence and they move back to the middle as Spence moves to side control and lands a HARD knee to the body and another. Some short knees as well from Spence and he gets to the mount as Ratio is just holding on for dear life at this point. He tries to bridge out or buck Spence off, but Spence just goes dead-weight and drops some short elbows and punches to the face. Ratio tries to roll out from underneath but just ends up eating more HARD punches and elbows before giving up his back. Spence gets both hooks in and tries for the rear naked choke and gets it, forcing Ratio to tap out.
Winner: Randy Spence, submission (rear naked choke) at 3:16 of Round One
Fight Analysis: Spence was completely in control here, completely overwhelming and dominating Ratio before getting the finish. Spence has a ton of experience and it showed because he just took Ratio to school and took advantage of every mistake he made and made him pay for it before choking him out.
Schnake goes on about what Ratio should have done, and while I agree with all of what he's saying, I just can't get past how annoying the man's voice is and we get a replay of the end of the fight and see Spence locking in his hooks and getting the choke submission.
Match Two: Lightweight Tournament Semifinal
Max Marin (4-4) vs. Quinton Moreno (0-0)
They talk up Marin as he makes his entrance and Schnake hypes the fact that Marin is a glorified featherweight and that he's fought Ivan Menjivar in the past. Marin considers himself the most well-rounded guy in the tournament and says that he has a gameplan and he's going to execute it to perfection and win. Moreno is up next and Schnake calls him a suplex expert and they talk about how he's very fluid on his feet and that he uses a lot of boxing and ground and pound, using his takedowns to punish his opponent rather than just for controlling them. He fights out of an Idaho branch of The Lion's Den.
Round One
They touch gloves and circle a little before Marin shoots out a leg kick that lands. Moreno throws a left hook and rushes Marin against the fence before scoring a trip takedown into the full guard of Marin. Moreno tries to get past the guard but Marin tries for an armbar and then just kicks him away, getting back to his feet. A one-two combination for Marin misses and he slips on a high kick, falling to the mat and Moreno pounces on him. Moreno unfortunately falls right into a TIGHT triangle choke and Moreno has no choice but to tap out.
Winner: Max Marin, submission (triangle choke) at 1:08 of Round One
Fight Analysis: This is the reason why a guy with eight fights shouldn't end up matched up against a guy with none. Moreno made a very amateur mistake by diving into the guard the way he did and he ended up paying for it. I don't think that someone with the same experience level would have been able to finish him as quickly, but they had to throw together a tournament with some guys dropping out, so you could expect the odd mismatch I suppose.
After the fight, Marin tries a front handspring but falls on his ass and then does the traditional sumo routine to payoff his "Little Sumo" nickname. He heads over to give Moreno a hug but he can't believe what happened and how he got caught in that triangle. The replay shows Marin locking in the triangle and pulling the inside arm across Moreno's face to put even more pressure onto his neck. Hughes does his own running commentary as he's announcing the winners and losers and if anyone's seen the IFL shows, it's kind of a fun change of pace from the usual announcing.
Match Three: Lightweight Tournament Semifinal
Brandon Olsen (5-5) vs. Mac Danzig (5-2-1)
Danzig makes his way down to the cage and Schnake starts right in with the Danzig song "Mother", which makes me want to slap him. I'm sure he thought it was witty as hell, but it's just WAY too obvious. They talk about Danzig's submission skills and how tough a fighter he is at 155 pounds. Apparently Danzig is a bodyguard for some famous hip-hop stars and Danzig looks fantastic and in great shape here. Olsen is a jiu-jitsu specialist and is apparently a hard trainer and that he has great cardio. Strong on the mat and he looks ready to go, getting a good response from the crowd being a hometown boy. Josh Rosenthal is our referee and we're set to get things underway.
Round One
They touch gloves and Olsen throws a left hook before pushing Danzig up into the fence. Danzig ends up falling on top of him and taking the full mount in the first fifteen seconds of the fight. Olsen almost rolls to his side but Danzig sinks his hooks under with the mount and lands some short hooks to the body. Olsen gives up his back and Danzig has both hooks in but is a little high on the back mount, trying for the rear naked choke, but Olsen is able to pull free and ends up on top of Danzig in side control against the fence. Danzig gets the half-guard back and traps one of Olsen's legs, looking for a leglock and Olsen rolls, eventually getting free of it and ending up on top in the half-guard again. Olsen hits a glancing elbow from the top and tries for a keylock but Danzig rolls out of it into an armbar attempt and they end up right back into the half-guard. Olsen lands a shot and the crowd goes crazy as Olsen tries for another keylock but Danzig rolls out of it and takes Olsen's back with a body triangle. He starts pounding away with lefts and rights on Olsen before trying to slip in for a choke but Olsen has his chin plastered to the mat to avoid it. Olsen breaks free of it and ends up on top in the full guard, pressing Danzig up against the fence and posturing up for a couple of punches while Danzig comes perilously close to finishing Olsen's night with a triangle choke before the bell.
Round Analysis: Danzig is just way too strong so far. He was really bullying Olsen around on the mat and came about as close to finishing a fight as you can without actually getting it done. I wouldn't go so far as to call it 10-8 because Olsen spent some time on top, but this was an easy round to score for Danzig.
Round Two
Olsen looks a little tired and I think that that leglock had a bit of an effect on him cause he limps out a little to begin round two. He hits a big left hand to start out though and shoots in but Danzig ends up on top and Olsen rolls over, giving up his back to Danzig. Danzig gets both hooks in and has a body triangle all locked up, working punches to the body along with it before he postures up to land a ton of shots to the side of Olsen's head. Danzig throws another few lefts and then flattens Olsen out to land a TON of punches to the side and back of Olsen's head. Danzig tries to slip the choke in again and he gets it and Olsen has to tap out. A LOUD chorus of boos for Danzig since he beat the hometown boy.
Winner: Mac Danzig, submission (rear naked choke) at 2:12 of Round Two
Fight Analysis: They did NOT like him beating the hometown kid at ALL. He was just too impressive and too much for Olsen though. I credit Olsen for giving an outstanding effort, but he just didn't have anything that he could do to slow Danzig down or move the flow of the fight into his favor. Even after hitting the big left, Danzig ended up on top on the mat and that was a microcosm for the fight. Olsen getting brief flashes but Danzig shutting them down and continuing to use all of his tools to put the hurt on Olsen. Mucho talent and you can see why everyone has been so high on Danzig for such a long time.
Match Four: Welterweight Tournament Semifinal
Brandon McConkey (0-0) vs. Dylan Spicer (0-0)
McConkey comes out first and apparently he's good with the fight being standing or on the mat and he feels like he has incredibly well-rounded skills with a ton of conditioning. He loves to look for submissions but in this fight he might be willing to stand and bang with Spicer. Spicer earns big points from me by coming out to a Rage Against The Machine song and he dedicates this fight to his dad who has had a lot of health problems before this fight. Apparently conditioning is a factor for Spicer as he's been ill for the past couple of weeks and he might have a problem with the fight going for a lengthy time or ending up gassing out in the finals.
Round One
They touch gloves to start and Spicer hits a solid leg kick and another before he misses on and he throws a body kick that connects too, landing a knee before he takes McConkey down against the fence. Spicer stands over McConkey and POUNDS on him, throwing his legs to the side trying to pass guard but he can't get to side control and McConkey ends up scrambling back to his feet and they clinch. Spicer looks for a guillotine while they're standing in the clinch and he can't close it off as McConkey pops his head out. McConkey lands a big right hand and that stunned Spicer, who shoots in and gets a deep double-leg takedown in the middle of the cage. McConkey tries to get back to his feet with a takedown of his own but Spicer sprawls well away from it and grabs that front facelock again to try for another guillotine. Another ten-finger guillotine that Spicer can't finish off and McConkey gets the takedown, putting Spicer onto his back. Spicer tries for a regular guillotine and can't get it on and they end up fighting out of Spicer's guard. Spicer tries to control the body and he does a good job to keep McConkey at bay. Spicer tries for an armbar but McConkey stacks him up and takes his arm back. Spicer throws up a bit higher guard, possibly looking for a triangle but there's nothing there at the moment. McConkey lands a couple of hard body shots with his right hand and Spicer tries to get back up against the cage, but he can't do it and gets dragged back down. McConkey trying to pass the guard but he can't do it and Spicer rolls into a kneebar attempt but he has to give it up and fall back to guard. Spicer isolates one of McConkey's arms and then slips his guard up into a textbook triangle choke, pulling down on McConkey's head and forcing him to tap.
Winner: Dylan Spicer, submission (triangle choke) at 4:49 of Round One
Fight Analysis: A very tough and hard-fought fight, as shown by Spicer ending up injured at the end of it. It raises questions as to whether he'll be able to continue or not, but I'm hoping he does because he looked great in this fight. His jiu-jitsu was top-notch, and if he worked on his defense to keep from eating so much punishment while on the bottom, he would be a lot stronger.
After the fight Spicer is on the mat holding on to his ribs and he gets back to his feet but is noticeable grimacing. We get a replay of the ending sequence where Spicer isolated the arm and subtly slipped the guard up to throw that triangle up and he locks it in and draws the tap. Schnake says that McConkey got a little loose but it was really just that Spicer was able to lull him in and then lock it up quickly. There wasn't really anything that McConkey could have done differently except maybe stand back out of the guard.
Match Five: Welterweight Tournament Semifinal
Butch Hajicek (4-4) vs. Ray Steinbeiss (4-0)
Apparently Steinbeiss is a well-rounded fighter that is good at boxing and apparently every single loss that he has suffered in his career so far has been by guillotine choke. Schnake talks about how Steinbeiss has worked exclusively on his sprawl and his guillotine defense as well, then brings up the boxing background again. Hajicek makes his way out now and the talk turns to his wrestling though he also has heavy hands, so that could pose a problem if Steinbeiss decides to stand and bang with him. Wait, it turns out Schnake mixed up the fighters and it's Hajicek that has the problems with guillotines. Way to do your research asshole.
Round One
The bell rings and they circle before Steinbeiss shoots in for the takedown, grabbing a deep double-leg and slamming Hajicek down. Steinbeiss is in the full guard, pushing Hajicek against the fence and trying to posture up to work, but Hajicek does well to avoid any damage. They grapple on the mat with Steinbeiss continuing to hold Hajicek down to the mat before peppering the ribs with right hands. Hajicek just MUSCLES Steinbeiss up and over into a reversal, working from the full guard and landing his own body punches. Steinbeiss turns to one side and looks for an omaplata, moving from that to transition straight into a straight armbar and he locks it up, forcing Hajicek to tap out.
Winner: Ray Steinbeiss, submission (armbar) at 2:20 of Round One
Fight Analysis: A slick armbar from Steinbeiss and he looks like he really has a grasp of how to grapple on the ground and adapt it to MMA. Some guys have trouble integrating striking into their ground games, but Steinbeiss did well with landing enough punches to set something up later on. Solid win and good for him in that he did it relatively quickly and didn't take much damage before the final.
After the tap, Steinbeiss does a little old-school breakdancing and we get to see a replay after the decision of the finish and Schnake ends up trying to cover for calling the omaplata attempt a triangle attempt by saying he had a "bad angle". You have a monitor two feet away, and you can't see what's happening? Really?
Match Six: Lightweight Tournament Final
Max Marin (5-4) vs. Mac Danzig (6-2-1)
They talk about Marin taking the tournament on five days notice and that he has five knee surgeries total planned for both knees in the next two months, and note that he should be a lot fresher than Danzig because he ended up having an earlier finish to his fight than Danzig did. Danzig makes his way down now and it's talking about his bodyguard days as well as saying that with him being bigger than Marin, it's almost like David vs. Goliath at 155. Danzig still gets booed after beating the local boy before and Alex Schoenauer has joined the booth for some commentary on this fight, talking about how happy he is that MMA has been able to come to Montana.
Round One
They touch gloves and Danzig uses the push kick to keep Marin at bay before Marin shoots in for a double-leg, grabbing a bodylock instead. Danzig gets the takedown and ends up on top and in the full guard as Marin tries for an armbar from the bottom. Danzig scrambles out of it and moves to side control for a moment before he gets taken back to full guard. Marin looks like he's trying to set up a triangle and he goes for an omaplata attempt but Danzig pulls free of it and gets back into the full guard. Danzig moves to side control and drops some short right hands down on him before Marin gets the fight back into his guard. Marin keeps shifting his hips and has a kneebar attempt, moving to an anklelock but Danzig just muscles past him into side control again before Marin tries to stand. Danzig takes the back and controls one of Marin's arms while pounding away with some right hands. Marin turns it over and ends up on top but Danzig locks in a DEEEEEP triangle, with Danzig's corner shouting "It's OVER!!!!". Marin has to tap out and finally the crowd begrudgingly cheers for the effort.
Winner: Mac Danzig, submission (triangle choke) at 3:39 of Round One
Fight Analysis: Domination, thy name is Danzig. He was just on a whole other level than the other guys in this tournament and it showed in how easily he was able to handle his two opponents on his way to winning the tournament. A solid pair of wins for Danzig and he even goes about celebrating the win the right way, acting like he's done it before instead of running around and climbing all over the cage like a looney tune.
Danzig just politely waves to the crowd and we see some replays of the finish of the fight and that is perhaps one of the tightest triangle chokes I have seen. Another angle as Schoenauer breaks it all down and it's interesting to hear him break it down from the fighter's perspective. Of course, Schnake ruins it by trying to make some sort of dumb play on words about Montana.
Match Seven: Welterweight Tournament Final
Brandon McConkey (0-1) vs. Ray Steinbeiss (5-0)
Spicer has had to pull out of the final due to the injury to his ribs that he sustained in the fight against McConkey and since they didn't have an alternate fight in the welterweight tournament, McConkey has to step in and gets to the final despite the loss. Steinbeiss comes down and Schnake takes the opportunity to make his unfunny joke about Steinbeiss sounding like some type of beer. Steinbeiss shakes McConkey's hand on his way into the cage to thank him for stepping up and into the final. Schoenauer stays in the booth and they ask him about his time on The Ultimate Fighter and he says that it was a great experience for him getting to train with the best coaches around.
Round One
They touch gloves and Steinbeiss hits a solid leg kick before they both exchange punches and miss before Steinbeiss absolutely FLOORS McConkey with a high kick, but full credit to McConkey, he continues to defend himself on the mat and tries to scramble to get Steinbeiss down to the mat. Steinbeiss lands a couple of lefts and McConkey gets a clinch, landing a hard knee to the ribs. Steinbeiss answers back with one of his own and McConkey continues to try to get this fight to the ground. Steinbeiss gets a good combination off and they separate with Steinbeiss trying that high kick again but he just misses it. McConkey ends up on the bottom on the ground and Steinbeiss postures up to try to throw some punches but can't get any space to do so. McConkey rolls over and ends up giving up his back to Steinbeiss, who sets the hooks in and lands some hard right hands. Steinbeiss tries to work in the rear naked choke and they hand-fight over it with McConkey doing well to defend it as Steinbeiss spits out his mouthpiece. After a little more of a struggle, McConkey finally has to tap out.
Winner: Ray Steinbeiss, submission (rear naked choke) at 3:47 of Round One
Fight Analysis: Kudos to McConkey for stepping up on short notice, but as soon as he ate that high kick there wasn't much he was going to be able to do to get this fight back to where he wanted it. Steinbeiss was very confident on the mat and he knew once he had the back it was only a matter of time, even going so far as to spit out his mouthpiece. Steinbeiss is a deserving winner with two great performances though, so let's not take anything away from him either.
They show the replays of the high kick that put McConkey in trouble from the beginning and then to the finish where Steinbeiss finally got the choke sunk in all the way. Not much said about this one and they just throw it straight to the ladies.
Match Eight: IFC USA Women's Middleweight Championship
Amanda Buckner (5-3-1) vs. Heather Soderquist (1-0)
Soderquist is a Gracie jiu-jitsu fighter and apparently would love for this fight to end in a choke or KO and she doesn't want this to go to the judges. She's certainly really excited to be in the cage, that's for sure. Apparently her cardio is going to be spot-on and she's been doing a lot of Muay Thai training as well. Buckner comes down and I don't understand why they have the bikini skanks walking the women down to the cage. Buckner is an action fighter and has been doing some extra training with Jeremy Horn for this fight, so it will be interesting to see what that helps her bring to the fight. Since it's a championship fight, this one is set for five rounds.
Round One
They touch gloves and Soderquist comes right out with some jabs and they clinch against the fence with Soderquist landing some knees to the body but Buckner gets a HARD standing elbow before they trade more knees against the fence. Buckner gets a big slam into side control and then stands up to deliver a couple of right hands before Buckner gets a standing guillotine. Just like that it's all over and Soderquist is having to tap out.
Winner: Amanda Buckner, submission (guillotine choke) at 1:17 of Round One
Fight Analysis: Buckner was just starting to come into her own and is probably in the top five of women's MMA fighters today. Soderquist had the skills and it's not like she was just some scrub from the front row, but she just wasn't prepared for Buckner's striking or her ability to pressure during a fight. Buckner overwhelmed her in the last thirty seconds and snapped on that guillotine before Soderquist even had a chance to think about it.
The replay shows how quickly that Buckner was able to lock in the guillotine and Schoenauer on the color commentary gives a great breakdown about what Soderquist could have done to defend against the choke.
Match Nine: ISKA-MMA World Middleweight Championship
Ed Herman (8-2) vs. Romez Brower (0-2-1)
Herman makes his way to the cage first as the announcers say that this fight is for a vacant title so they're both challengers. Herman is double-tough and they talk about how he has aspirations to be fighting in the UFC or PRIDE after this tournament is done. Apparently he's also pretty pissed that Joe Riggs wasn't able to fight. Here comes Romez Brower and they talk about how tough he is to take this fight on a day's notice and that Thai boxing and jiu-jitsu are apparently his strengths. Brower does a little spiritual cleansing while he's waiting for the fight to start and Herman just stands there looking angry.
Round One
No glove touch here and they circle for a moment before Herman gets a rush shot and forces Brower against the fence before taking him down, a move Schoenauer calls a classic Randy Couture takedown. Herman works from Brower's full guard and can't really free himself to do any striking yet as Brower defends well from the bottom. Herman drops down for an ankle lock but has to let it go and the fight is back to the feet with Brower landing a good short uppercut before Herman gets another slamming takedown into side control. Brower does a good job getting his guard back but Herman is still pressuring from the top, dropping short elbows and punches to the ribs. Herman passes the guard into full mount and he turns for an armbar, locking it in DEEP. Brower holds on for as long as he can, trying to flip around out of it but he can't and ends up having to tap out with his face buried in the canvas.
Winner: Ed Herman, submission (armbar) at 2:47 of Round One
Fight Analysis: Two guys again on completely different levels, as Herman was just a step quicker and one move ahead of Brower for pretty much the entire fight. Brower had moments of hope but Herman was just too strong and too skilled to let himself make any mistakes that might have allowed Brower to sneak his way to a win. Like Danzig, it's easy to see why the UFC took an interest in Herman as his upside in this fight is huge.
The replays of the big takedown that began the fight as well as the armbar that finished, which was set up great as he just grabbed the arm to isolate it and then moved from the mount to submission. Herman looks very happy and even a little overwhelmed at the honor and we see Adams, Schnake and Schoenauer wrapping the night up. Schoenauer says that they were great fights and that there were great performances up and down the card and great fights. Schnake says that once the DVD is over to pull it out and then stick it right back in the player to watch it again. Isn't that the replay button? Moron. Jay Adams thanks us all for watching and says that he'll see us all next time!!
The 411: I was actually really entertained by this entire card. I'd have rated it a little higher, but that clown Schnake immediately ended up knocking off almost a whole point. If the match-ups had been a little more competitive this could have easily been in the 8.0 or 8.5 region, but as it is, it's a strong 7.5, with the one point deduction for ending up with a splitting headache from the buffoon in the kilt. A recommendation to check out the show, but try to tune out Big Poppa as much as you can.
