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MMA: Past Fight Discussion


Egg Shen

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Tito was not pleased that Randy trained Forrest to face him. Something about Tito felt a need for loyalty after he had trained with Randy in the past. Tito seemed to think like that with Chuck, that if you train together you should stay loyal to each other.

 

It's funny though, he was alright with fighting Matt Hamill who he didn't just train with, he was a mentor and coach to Hamill on TUF 3. Considering how relatively small the MMA community was back then, it was a bit unrealistic to expect to have a career in MMA and never have to fight someone who's trained with someone you trained with in the past. I get the loyalty thing but I just get the impression if Tito thought he could beat a guy, he'd sign the contract quick enough. But a guy like Chuck, who by all accounts destroyed Tito whenever they sparred, suddenly the loyalty becomes an issue. He put loyalty aside to fight Hamill quick enough.

 

I agree with what you are saying Wand, but Tito made those comments in a way like "he was proud of Chuck for beating his demons" now whether he was being disingenuous and a bit of a wolf in sheep's clothing is open for debate.

 

Yeah, to be fair I don't know. His intentions might have been good. It seemed off to me though. I don't think he's that stupid to innocently slip out. I get the impression he knew what he was doing.

 

We'll never know. For the record I don't think Tito is that bad a guy. He annoys me but when he's away from the big crowds and calms the fuck down, he comes across alright. He came off well on his appearance on Joe Rogan's podcast last year and I actually felt sorry for him when Forrest hijacked his last ever post-fight interview. But he has a definite cunty side to him. Like when he heckled Mark Coleman after a fight, or the comments about Hamill that 'deaf people have soft heads' or something. Chuck doesn't seem the type to be a prick to people or difficult to get on with, if Chuck hates him I tend to believe he has good reason.

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The Coleman thing I let him off for partially, was that not a comeback for some trash talk about his then Wife. Then again, its not like Tito does not dish it out, and many moons ago in the late 90's the Hammer House saved Tito's bacon when the Lions Den were after him backstage at after the "Gay Metzger" T-Shirt.

 

I think Tito is of the idea "we can fight each other and make money, but don't train someone to beat me" or something like that. I remember listening to Sherdog Radio a while back and hearing that Rampage felt that when he helped Tito train, the favor was not returned in kind, but those two still seem to get on okay. The Liddel thing I think he knew his fate and only agreed after Chuck lost to Randy and Page, but I also believe him when he says he was holding out for more money. Only thing was the MMA business in America was never going to support the purse he was asking for.

 

I think he was in Chuck's pocket as a fighter after 2004 though, he convinced himself he had a chance in the build up to the first clash and it showed when he was calling him the "snowman" and flipping him off, after that fight I think he knows that Chuck is better than him and is maybe a tad scared of him if you watch them interact on TUF and other places.

 

For the record, it was the 2006 fight Tito was arsed about with Randy/Forrest, it still must piss him off as he brought up recently in something I read. I like Tito as he was the name that drew me to become a full-time fan, but I am not blinkered to believe everything he says. I agree, he can come across as a decent guy.

Edited by jimufctna24
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Just finished watching Pride Grand Prix 2003. The last 2 fights are great.

 

Cro Cop kinda destroys Nogueira in the first round and then the ending is just so awesome. I had no idea who wins any of the fights before watching and totally wasn't expecting it.

 

And then the final was kinda brutal. Ref probably should of stopped it earlier, Rampage ate alot of hard knees and the kicks when he was on the ground were horrible looking. Kinda glad that's not in UFC.

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Nogueira is the king of the come from behind win.

 

Nog comes from behind more than Elton John.

 

Nog vs Cro Cop is a classic. Cro Cop was a machine back then, he was the closest thing to a real life Ivan Drago. But Nog was triple tough. He just took whatever the other guy could hit him with and kept going forward. It's taken it's toll in recent years but back in his prime he was like Terminator with armbars.

 

Wand vs Rampage 1 was brutal. I remember when I did my Wandy career review in here, when I got to that fight I actually counted the knees in that final barrage and it was something ridiculous like 16 or 17 knees. And Rampage was still conscious somehow after that.

 

Have you got that second Wand vs Rampage fight from Pride 28, lostprophet? It's even better than the GP fight. It's the best fight of the trilogy easily and one of the best Pride fights ever.

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Nog comes from behind more than Elton John.

Utter shite Wand, terrible in fact.

 

I am impressed that lostprophet-y2j did not know the results, that must have added to the buzz.

 

Cro Cop vs Big Nog is a great fight that holds up today, both at their physical peak and both at this stage I think would be top 5 in the Heavyweight class today. You could argue its either's finest performance, Cro Cop was a menace at this stage, full of confidence, motivation and vigor. I do not think Cro Cop was a thinking fighter at this stage and he did not need to be, he just went out there and worked his simple yet effective game of sprawl and strike.

 

It took one mistake for Nog to hit that armbar, if Cro Cop would have escaped I think Cro Cop would have finished Nog. It was flawless from Cro Cop up until that one slip, Nog managed this again when he was at a low stage of his career later on against Tim Sylvia but this is a million times more impressive due to who he is fighting. Nog showed heart in that fight that few fighters have, its rare such a domination at the hands of a top flight operator can be reversed.

 

Wanderlai in 2003 and 2004 is at his peak also, despite magical moments against Jardine and Stann in the UFC, I will always remember him for 2002-2004 above anything, man was a maniac. As said above, it was a minor miracle Rampage was still conscious.

Edited by jimufctna24
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i busted out the ol' Tank Abbott career pack last night and had a little look, i picked randomly really but i only really saw fights that Tank lost (Kimbo, Frye, Severn, Taktarov, Belfort)...not really a great advert for Tank there (i did watch the Matua fight though, i had too).

 

I think it was the first time ive ever seen the Severn fight, it was a bit of a dud and although i do like Dan Severn and have massive respect for him it completely showed his limitations as a fighter. Severn control's Tank for the entire duration of the bout but not as one point does he comes close to finishing, i don't even recall a submission attempt, outside of some downright brutal legal elbows to the back of Tank's dome Severn basically rode Tank for 18 mins (that dont sound right, i always recall Tank's voiceover to this on the old Ultimate Tank Abbott video: "here i am getting assaulted by Freddie Mercury from Queen" or something of that nature.

 

It wasn't much of an actual fight but Severn seemed happy with his nights work.

 

Tank-Frye on the other hand is one of the great early UFC fights, its a pre-cursor to the Frye-Takayama classic, both guys just stand in the pocket and slug it out, Frye takes an absolute pounding but hangs in there and actually got lucky as he stepped on Tank's shoe which caused Tank to fall and Frye jumped on him for the RNC finish, if that hadn't happened im pretty sure we'd have seen Tank win by KO. Great little brawl, Tank at this point was the kind of guy you just didn't wanna brawl with.

 

mma_e_tank01jr_576.jpg

 

...Unless of course your Vitor Belfort who just crushed Tank with explosive handspeed and accuracy, Belfort at this time was like a diamond in the rough, the UFC had never seen a fighter that young with them kinds of skills, anyone who saw the early UFC's back before the MMA boom were just in awe of Vitor.

 

l.jpg

 

The Taktarov fight at UFC 6 is a weird one, there's not a great deal of action, although the standup exchanges are quality, the bout spends the majority of the time on the ground, it must be about 15 mins of Tank lying in Taktarov's guard with both men doing very little, however it's strangely engaging and you can sense the fatigue on both guys, i don't know if it's the setting of the commentators talking of the high altitude but it's just a gruelling old school battle with a great finish.

 

After that i had to go back and watch the Matua fight, still one of the greatest KO's of all time and Tank's finest hour.

 

526x297-whg.jpg

 

Tank Abbott was the fucking man...i shoulda watched more fights that he actually won though.

 

tank_abbott_jail_weheartmma.png

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Nog comes from behind more than Elton John.

Utter shite Wand, terrible in fact.

 

:laugh: I give Schiavello his material.

 

"He's taken more hits than Nick Diaz's bong."

 

"His defence is like a virgin. Nothing penetrating."

 

He'd have had that Nogueira line if he was the Pride commentator.

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:laugh: I give Schiavello his material.

 

"He's taken more hits than Nick Diaz's bong."

 

"His defence is like a virgin. Nothing penetrating."

 

He'd have had that Nogueira line if he was the Pride commentator.

I take it you got your material from Mauro Ranello when he became pop culture reference 101 in Strikeforce ;) That virgin one did make me chuckle I will admit.

 

Good Tank Abbott post Ebb, I never liked the person nor the fighter but I get his appeal, a very "of his time" fighter. Like I said about Wanderlai above, you remember him for his erm glory years of the 90's and SEG, rather than his shite comeback in 2003 that bombed on every level.

 

People do forget he came close to becoming a tourney Champion, and whilst not the best of his era was actually one of the better fighters for the limited talent of the time. People also forget he was actually a wrestler from a fairly well off family, and not just some bum they rescued from a soup kitchen .

Edited by jimufctna24
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The best part of the first Rampage/Wanderlei fight is right at the end - after about 10 or 12 knees - Rampage knows he is on the way out, Wanderlei knows he's got it in the bag and they look at each other and smile at each other. Completely mental.

 

Who is the Japanese lady who was shown in the crowd during Nogueira fights? Pretty sure he hugs her after the Cro Cop win and I know a face she was shown CRYING when Fedor was destroying him in their first fight. Can't find a pic so the information is vague.

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Who is the Japanese lady who was shown in the crowd during Nogueira fights? Pretty sure he hugs her after the Cro Cop win and I know a face she was shown CRYING when Fedor was destroying him in their first fight. Can't find a pic so the information is vague.

 

10000305.jpg

 

She loved a bit of Nog.

 

I always wondered who she was as well. I did some Googling a few months back, her name is Eiko Koike apparently. A Japanese model or celebrity or something. I forget.

 

Here's what you're after;

 

tumblr_mj8qq3Ym2L1rq3upjo1_500.jpg

 

tumblr_mej86htEpm1rkxaj4o3_400.jpg

 

Don't know what the deal was with her and Nog.

 

But I bet he did.

 

EDIT - she's an actress according to her wiki page. Married to former MMA fighter and pro wrestler Wataru Sakata as well.

Edited by wandshogun09
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just nabbed this from Middleeasy, John McCarthey recounting a bar brawl after UFC 13 involving my man Tank Abbott, Mark Coleman and everybody's favorite Brazilian loony Wallid Ismail:

 

 

A few years later, I was refereeing and doing a bunch of behind-the-scenes work for the Ultimate Fighting Championship. I wore a lot of hats in that company, and one of my least-favourite duties was keeping people from killing each other at the after parties. It was not an officially-appointed thing -- believe me, I didn

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I keep meaning to pick his book up. He swears more than I imagined for some reason. There's an account of that fight (I think) in another book I've read (No Holds Barred, I think). Something with Paul Herrera as well who was Tank's partner in crime in those days but is mostly known for getting his face caved in by Gary Goodridge's elbows. Tank was into all sorts of rucks back then, if there was trouble Tank usually had something to do with it. Wasn't there something Tank said or did involving McCarthy's wife once that caused some bother? She ran the early UFCs backstage from what I read and apparently Tank or Herrera or both pissed Big John off about something with his missus.

 

There's a brief bit of a brawl in the crowd on one of the early UFC DVDs, I think it was the one in Puerto Rico. At first I thought it was fans fighting but then you see Mark Coleman shoving fuckers around like shopping trolleys. The commentators just casually carried on chatting. Those early days were proper Wild West stuff.

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yeh Tank once knocked out Pat Smith in a elevator i think, Tank was a f'n maniac.

 

There was always heat between Tank and Tito as well, something to do with them both being from Huntington Beach, i need to read more into that.

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