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North Texas Fisticuffs
UFC Heavyweight Championship Main Event
Junior dos Santos (14-1) TKO RD 1 (Strikes) Cain Velasquez (9-1)
Time of Stoppage: 1:04 RD 1
The historical magnitude of this fight notwithstanding the fact that this fight was for the UFC heavyweight title seemed almost inconsequential and in the end the whole event was over in a flash. With the stakes incredibly high for not only the fighters, but the UFC itself, it’s hard not to have a bit of an emotional letdown following the incredible build up and then extremely brief climax. Still, Junior dos Santos did what he does best, seized an opportunity and used his boxing to put Velasquez on spaghetti legs. With the concussive right hand of dos Santos landing right behind the ear of Velasquez, the former champion hit the canvas in a fog. The resulting salvo from dos Santos to the head of Velasquez left referee “Big” John McCarthy no other option but to stop the fight. In a flash, Junior dos Santos is the new UFC heavyweight champion.
“I have no words to say what I’m feeling,” said a clearly emotional dos Santos following his title winning performance. “I was not 100% for this fights so I was scared.”
“I want to say sorry to all the fans,” said a dejected Velasquez. “I will come back and I will get this belt back, for sure. I waited too much for him and he went in and did what he was suppose to do.”
UFC Lightweight Fight Co-Main Event
Benson Henderson (15-2) vs Clay Guida (29-9)
Scores: 29-28, 30-27, 30-27
Where there ever two fighters more destined to face each other than Henderson and Guida? The accomplished wrestlers with cardio for days were simply meant to fight each other. In their fight as the co-main event on the UFC on Fox neither fighter disappointed making the fight an entertaining battle of attrition.
In the opening round it appeared that Henderson’s all around game and strength were a perfect foil to the unorthodox wrestling of Guida. In fact, Henderson was able to floor Guida twice in the opening round but try as he might Henderson was unable to do much to capitalize on a hurt Guida. Guida would rally back to regain his senses and rock Henderson. The same ebb and flow took place in the second round as both fighters traded submission attempts and punches. The third round mirrored that of the first two as this fight boiled down to a closely contested battle. Guida’s bread and butter is his takedowns but he was unable to perform this as Henderson’s takedown defense was exemplary. Toward the end of the round it was Henderson who was looking for the takedown. But again, Guida showed his tenacity and and managed to nearly choke Henderson out with a guillotine that quickly turned into a Henderson reversal as the two fighters scrambled to the end.
Needless to say, it was a great fight but in the end it was Henderson who earned the decision. With the win Henderson gets a shot at the lightweight title against champion Frankie Edgar.
“Frankie Edgar, we’ve got a date,” said Henderson after the fight. “Let’s do it baby.”
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It has been seven years since the first fight between Manny “Pacman” Pacquiao (53-3-2, 38KO’s) and Juan Manuel Marquez ( 53-5-1, 39KO’s), and three years since the second fight, and now, these two true boxers will meet for the third and final match. This fight will be for the WBO welterweight title. The first fight was a draw, after Marquez was put down on the canvas three times in the first round back in 2004. Marquez supposedly won every round after that. It was a remarkable comeback for Marquez and an unbelievable fight for the boxing world. The rematch was a very close loss to Marquez, who still believes that he won, and he also believes he still won the first fight as well.
Because of this, Marquez made a special trip to the Philippines to personally ask for this third rubber match. The only problem is that in doing so, he insulted the pound for pound king of the ring by wearing a t-shirt that said “I Beat Pacquiao Twice.” Pacquiao took this as a slap in the face, and has since uttered his annoyance of the act. After that, Freddie Roach, Pacquiao’s trainer, put a picture of Marquez wearing that same t-shirt behind Pacquiao’s speed bag as motivation. Not that he needs any. And to the surprise of Freddie Roach, he thought that Pacquiao would have taken it down, but a week before the fight it was still there.
As always, there is some kind of controversy in big fights such as these, but it could have been avoided. Because of the need to bulk up with ten pounds of muscle, Marquez chose the help of a conditioning coach named Angel "Memo" Heredia. The problem with that is that a year ago, a Jamaican track coach was issued a lifetime suspension because his athletes used performance-enhancing drugs obtained from Heredia. With the hundreds, maybe thousands of conditioning coaches in America, why in the world would Marquez choose a guy like this? In a report recommended by the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency, Heredia was described as an admitted drug dealer. He has since cooperated with the federal authorities. Nevertheless, once a cheater, always a cheater.
Because of the extra weight, Marquez’ camp thinks this will be an advantage to their fighter. But according to Freddie Roach, he welcomes it, saying “it will slow down Marquez.” The idea behind the Marquez camp is that the extra muscle will give their fighter the extra punch to really hurt Pacquiao, but they will be sacrificing speed. And speed is what Pacquiao has, in addition to a supposedly better right hand, according to Bob Arum. As you recall two years ago, Marquez had to move up in weight against the ducking Mayweather, and he lost a big one-side decision. As to the Pacquiao right hand theory, there are those who do not believe this because of the way he took out some of the bigger fighters such as DeLaHoya and Margarito. In addition, Marquez will also have to deal with the age factor, because he is six years older than the 32 year old Pacquiao. But, let’s not forget that he is one of the best counter punches in boxing today. So, let’s see how the extra weight will effect his speed.
According to Alex Ariza, the conditioning coach of Pacquiao, he has predicted that the Pacman will knock out Marquez in the first three rounds. A prediction that I agree with, but it probably will be more likely some where before the seventh round. This is when the extra weight put on by Marquez will catch up with him. The outspoken Bob Arum of Top Rank also predicted a win, but added that there will be no cheap shots like in the Mayweather fight!
Pacquiao will be coming into the fight with fourteen wins in a row and Marquez will be coming into this fight after a three fight winning streak, and his lopsided loss to Mayweather. Of the three last fights, Marquez fought a sensational fight against Juan Diaz and got a first round TKO against Michael Katsidis. Pacquiao will be coming off a lopsided win over Shane Mosley and a sensational beating of the much larger Antonio Margarito. Both fighters have agreed to fight at a catchweight of 144 pounds and they both made the weight at the weigh-in. Marquez came in at 142 pounds and Pacquiao was at 143 pounds. That is much different in the first fight, where they both weighed 125 pounds, and in the second fight where they weighed 130 pounds. Again, the added weight should be a disadvantage to Marquez and a comfortable weight for Pacquiao, who said “At 144 pounds it’s going to be different, I have improved my boxing and my power.”
Freddie Roach also added that Marquez “Is bigger, bulked-up and slower, and when Manny puts him down, he isn’t going to be able to get up the way Manny Pacquiao punches.” And I agree.
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As we near the end of the season tempers begin to get tested. Here is the recap from tonight’s episode of The Ultimate Fighter 14: Miller vs. Bisping:
It looks like the house has begun to get divided as like personalities begin to form cliques with one another, regardless of team affiliation.
Akira Corassani ups the ante in his beef with Bryan Caraway when Corassani takes the hair clippers to Caraway’s head while he is sleeping. The end result is a shaved bald spot in the front of Caraway’s head which prompts some bloodlust from the Team Miller fighter. On edge, Caraway’s roommates barricade the door to their room. Overkill? Yeah, maybe a bit.
Team Bisping’s coaches devise a plan to pull another prank on Team Miller and enact it by spraying fire extinguishers into Team Miller’s dressing room. Topping the prank off is the fact that Team Bisping even hired a mariachi band to provide a musical soundtrack. As far as pranks go on TUF, this was a classic.
Johnny Bedford of Team Miller is not amused by Team Bisping’s antics. One could see why given that his semifinal fight against John Dodson was looming close.
Despite Akira having a game plan of his own, Bisping puts him through a grueling jiu-jitsu training where his teammates tag team him in grappling drills. Akira, a stand up fighter, is not exactly thrilled with the drill.
Akira’s doodles poking fun of Dennis Bermudez seems to have awakened a bit of a mean streak in the usually quiet wrestler. Knowing Akria’s skills are on his feet, Coach Miller sets about drilling some kickboxing for Bermudez.
Bisping prods Miller by demanding that Miller not be allowed to bring his dog to the gym. It’s sort of a dick move really.
So the fight went down like this: Akira rocks Bermudez on multiple occasions but eventually Bermudez catches Akira in a guillotine that ended the fight. Akira was choked unconscious to the point that he had no idea that he even lost.
no commentsOur very own Roland Gamez caught up with Perez a few weeks back to talk about the future of KOS.
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In the early ages of MMA Chris “The Westside Strangler” Brennan was a fixture on the scene. With victories in the UFC, PRIDE, among other noteworthy promotions Brennan was among the first fighters ti open up his very own gym. Since those early years Brennan’s gym, Next Generation MMA, has exploded into a global brand. With schools in countries all over the world Brennan has turned his sights to North Texas with the grand opening of a Next Generation MMA school in Frisco, TX.
With the school officially opening today, North Texas Fisticuffs was on hand to speak with Brennan, a true pioneer in the sport.
Check out our exclusive interview below:
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I feel it’s a bit redundant to keep saying this but it’s an undeniable fact that Evan “The Butcher” Cutts has to be considered one of North Texas’ best kept secrets when it comes to fighting. The humble 20 year old who hails from Keller has quietly gone about his career as an MMA fighter sporting a 2-0 professional record after an impressive 4-1 amateur career.
Saturday night, Cutts had inarguably his toughest fight to date as he took on the unenviable task of facing Reagan Penn, youngest brother of the legendary UFC fighter BJ Penn, on the undercard of the ProElite 2: Big Guns in Moline, IL. Despite the fact that Penn has just begun his MMA career the fact that he has been in and around some of the best fighters in the world along with his pedigree had enticed ProElite enough that it was clear they considered Penn the next big thing.
However, pomp and adulation only get you so far, and in this game, fighting proves everything. Such was the case as Cutts and Penn entered the ProElite cage in order to see who the better man was on Saturday night. Fortunately for fans here in NOrth Texas, in this fight it would be Cutts who would emerge victorious.
Penn started things off early with a quick takedown but Cutts was able to make it back to his feet. From there the two engaged in trading knees within the clinch along the cage wall before Cutts was able to get the takedown. Cutts was unable do much on the ground and Penn soon regained his composure on the feet. Penn soon seized some momentum while standing landing a trio of left hooks that landed flush to the head of Cutts. However, despite eating some hard shots Cutts was able to take the control on the ground and softened up Penn with some ground and pound to finish out the round.
Cutts came out the aggressor in the second round and landed a couple of crisp punches to the head of Penn early on. Penn would take the fight to the ground but despite being a BJJ blackbelt it was Cutts who would control the action on the ground. Penn tried to keep Cutts in his guard but Cutts would have none of it and deftly transitioned to side control where he would pepper Penn with a varying array of punches while on the ground. Penn seemed outclassed on the ground, which would surprise many people, and Cutts was relentless in aggressively trying for various submissions while mixing in some short, sneaky ground and pound tactics. In fact, the flurry Cutts unleashed on Penn to close out the second round was as brutal as you will ever find in MMA.
Penn looked like a man who wanted to be anywhere but inside a MMA cage at the start of the third round. Smelling blood, Cutts pounced on Penn and floored him with a quick flurry. On the ground, again, it was all Cutts as the Fitness Fight Factory fighter simply took Penn’s will to fight. Cutts was relentless and smothered Penn in full mount while mercilessly bombarding Penn with hammer fists, punches, and submission attempts. In a nutshell, Cutts simply dominated the fight.
The reading of the judges’ scorecards was just a mere formality as Cutts was awarded the unanimous decision sweeping the cards with scores of 30-26, 30-27, and 30-27. With the win Cutts remains undefeated with a record of 3-0; Penn falls to 1-1 in defeat.
Photo © ProElite
Dallas’ female fighting sensation Anita Evon Rodriguez battled to a disputed majority draw Friday night against Christina Swanson at the Ritz Theater in Tampa, FL. Fighting out of Phalanx MMA Academy in Fort Worth, Rodriguez managed to win the fight on one judge’s scorecard with a score of 40-36, however, the two other judges had the fight 38-38, 38-38. With the draw Rodriguez’s boxing record stands at 1-0-1; Swanson’s record stands at 2-0-1.
Another North Texas fighters on the card was Fort Worth’s Corey Washington. Washington was in against Wilky Campfort but dropped a close decision to the hometown fighter. Washington battled hard but entered the fight against Campfort with severely injured ribs.
no commentsOne of the great MMA institutions here in North Texas is Colleyville-based Fitness Fight Factory. The gym, owned by boxer Rafael Casias and UFC fighter Johnny Bedford, has quickly become a haven for aspiring young professional fighters. One of its talented young prospects is 20 year old Evan Cutts of Keller.
2-0 as a professional with an impressive 4-1 amateur record, Cutts has been tabbed by many to be one of the next great fighters to hail from the area. On Saturday night Cutts will get a chance to show the world the kind of talent those in the know here in North Texas are already well familiar with. Cutts will battle Reagan Penn, youngest brother of UFC legend BJ Penn, on the televised card of ProElite 2 taking place Saturday in Moline, IL. The card will air live on HDNet.
All indications point to the Cutts-Penn fight being the show stealing showcase of the night so make sure you tune in to catch the action. Also, while you’re at it, check out the excellent interview of Cutts on MMAJunkie.com here.
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Below is the recap from tonight’s episode of The Ultimate Fighter 14:
Roland Delorme’s foot looks like its about to give birth. Apparently it is some sort of infection but the thing looks f-ing disgusting.
Coach Jason Miller brings in his Muay Thai coach Rafael Cordeiro, founder of Chute Boxe Academy in Brazil. When you speak of legends in coaching, Cordeiro is who you speak of.
Not to me outdone, Coach Michael Bisping brings in a special guest of his own, the one and only Tito Ortiz. Tito drills the guys in the finer points of ground and pound while the camera catches the starstruck faces of Team Bisping.
Dissension arises in Team Bisping as TJ Dillashaw’s comments and superiority complex has riled the ire of some of his fellow teammates. TJ did pull a “bitch move” by requesting an easier fight against Delorme and it’s good to see his teammates call him out on it.
As a means to teach Dillashaw a lesson his teammates Diego Brandao and Akira Corassani devise a plan to go exceptionally hard at him during practice. Understandably, Dillashaw gets pissed but takes out his aggression on Marcus Brimage who fires right back as tempers hit a boiling point. Dillashaw comes off looking like a crybaby as his teammates were playing too rough.
Delorme gets cleared to fight despite his foot growing another body on it.
More pranks from Team Miller as Mayhem surrounds Team Bisping’s coach Tiki Goshn’s car with concrete highway dividers.
TJ Dillashaw may be the most complete fighter on the show right now and training with Team Alpha Male in Sacramento only validates his credentials. In his fight with Delorme it was clear that Dillashaw was simply on another level as he beat the living hell out of him over the course of the two rounds. I give Delorme credit for being a tough S.O.B but damn, this fight was all Dillashaw.
The semi-final match ups are mulled over and it’s telling that Johnny Bedford seems eager to to fight his teammate John Dodson. Dodson, as you may recall, was the Team Miller fighter who was more than happy to be a mole for Team Bisping.
Semi-final match ups are TJ Dillashaw (who again doesn’t want to fight the toughest guy in his weight class) against Dustin Pague. John Dodson and Johnny Bedford are matched up. At featherweight: Akira Corassani will fight Dennis Bermudez and Diego Brandao against Bryan Caraway.
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