Other MMA Shows

[Egg Shen]

I got no problem with that entrance, its just video screens. I love abit of showmanship.

 

Im actually way more excited for this fight than i have any right to be really.

[Egg Shen]

Fucking hell, it makes me glad of UFC's entrances. It's so pro-wrestling.

 

Though I guess that's apt for this fight.

 

Has anyone seen the latest shit from this pair of twats? Tito is now saying that Bonnar's new head coach for this fight is a plant, and that he's been feeding Tito information. So shit.

by head coach im assuming he means Paul Herrera? he's Tito's old wrestling coach and Bonnar's been using him to brush up on his wrestling for the fight. No idea if the plant thing has any truth to it though.

 

If the name Paul Herrera rings a bell, he was the poor sap on the receiving end of this:

 

as for Tito/Bonnar...in a time when everyone complains of too much MMA, and rightfully moan that sometimes fights don't get the hype and have the promotional time to feel like they actually mean something, i think the two men have done a great job. Whether you like the pro wrestling tactics or not (and i agree the mask thing was fucking stupid), it's got people talking and it's getting a lot MMA media coverage.

 

Im interested to see what kind of numbers the show does up against a stacked lineup of MMA on other stations/PPV. Bellator for my money are putting on the best overall card of the weekend.

[jimufctna24]

File Ortiz and Bonnar under the guilty pleasure section for me. I had it 30-28 to Ortiz, as I scored the first round even.The action was scrappy, and at times comical. But in a strange way, it was quite entertaining. Tito has sentimental value, so I will be a tad kinder to him. Bonnar on the other hand, should hang his head in shame. Being the man who lost to ancient versions of Coleman and Ortiz is nothing to be proud of. 

 

Bellator are correct to put marquee names on the bill, and book their emerging fighters underneath. It is a simplistic but effective way to get new talent more established to a wider audience. Being on Spike (and Five*) gives them a decent platform to achieve this as well. .

 

Sporting credibility is not a primary concern for Bellator's brand at the moment. Building/Maintaining eyeballs is. Bellator and Spike can attract fans with a McDonalds, and make them stay for a meal in a Italian Restaurant. Come for Kimbo vs Rampage (just a suggestion), and be hooked by the likes of Warren, Brooks and Chandler.  Coker is also a smart man. He built Strikeforce with Showtime, which was a strong and vibrant promotion back in 2009-2011 (Strikeforce shows were usually as entertaining as UFC shows around that time).

 

Melvin vs Schilling was a thriller. The ending of Brooks vs Chandler left open a third match. However, with the score 2-0 in favour of Brooks, I doubt they will go that way.

 

Overall, it was a good show. Their only worry is that Ortiz and Bonnar's antics might have been too farcical. A novelty fight is fine, and serves a decent purpose, but they went too far with the unmasking skit (whoever's idea it was).

 

We shall see when the ratings come in.

Edited November 17, 2014 by jimufctna24

[Egg Shen]

i'll comment some more tomorrow cause it's late, but i thought the new production stuff was great last night. The intro was like a modernised version of the UFC's infamously outdated Face the Pain, very cool.

 

The ramp and titantron-esque video screens are very cool, some people may think it's a little too pro-wrestling but it all adds to the show for me, it also makes it feel like a bit of an event rather than just a random night of fights. Some of the extra stuff i could take or leave (the rapper with Bonnar, da fuck was that? and the kids for Ortiz), but it's no more than what many boxing and mma shows have (especially in Europe/Japan). I liked it...the panning camera over the crowd showing the ramp and shit before each fight made Bellator seem like a big deal also.

 

The announcement for the British Invasion card was alright too if a little rushed by having each guy there, the card itself is the first big one of Bellator's 2015 run is a doozy (flag-pole shows they are calling em):

 

Paul Daley vs. Douglas Lima (Welterweight Title)

Liam McGeary vs. Emanuel Newton (Light Heavyweight Title)

James Thompson vs. Bobby Lashley

Linton Vassell vs. Sokoudjou

 

if there's a fifth fight i assume it'll be involving Michael Page.

[jimufctna24]

i'll comment some more tomorrow cause it's late, but i thought the new production stuff was great last night. The intro was like a modernised version of the UFC's infamously outdated Face the Pain, very cool.

 

The ramp and titantron-esque video screens are very cool, some people may think it's a little too pro-wrestling but it all adds to the show for me, it also makes it feel like a bit of an event rather than just a random night of fights. Some of the extra stuff i could take or leave (the rapper with Bonnar, da fuck was that? and the kids for Ortiz), but it's no more than what many boxing and mma shows have (especially in Europe/Japan). I liked it...the panning camera over the crowd showing the ramp and shit before each fight made Bellator seem like a big deal also.

It reminded me more of the set-up used on European Kickboxing shows on Eurosport rather than Pro Wrestling. If anything, the video screen entrance way gave their production a bit of identity.

 

UFC's production is stale. Not in terms of commentators, but graphics and set-up. Bellator felt like a breath of fresh air in that regard, even if UFC's production is more refined and sophisticated.

Edited November 17, 2014 by jimufctna24

[Egg Shen]

i agree Jim, felt like Bellator were taking a page out of Glory's book. They are both on Spike so maybe there's a bit of a working relationship there?

[Noah Southworth]

World Series of Fighting 15: Branch vs. Okami

 

Eric Reynolds (155.5lbs, 18-8) vs. Jorage Patino (154lbs, 35-15-2) kicked things off on the main card. This was a sloppy and bloody brawl, with Patino busting Reynolds open with an elbow from the top position mid-way through the second round, and Reynolds bleeding like crazy. Other than that, there wasn’t much to this fight which was, as mentioned, sloppy as hell. Patino won via unanimous decision with scores of 30-27, 30-27 and 29-28.

 

Jessica Aguilar © (115lbs, 18-4) vs. Kalindra Faria (115lbs, 15-3-1) for the WSOF women’s straweight title was next. It was a fight. The lowlight was Aguilar grabbing the fence and getting a dominant position out of it, but despite it happening in full view of the referee, the referee did absolutely nothing about it. Aguilar dominated en route to a unanimous decision win. Next.

 

Justin Gaethje © (155lbs, 12-0)  Melvin Guillard (159lbs, 32-13-2) was supposed to be for the WSOF lightweight title but ever reliable Melvin couldn’t make weight, so it’s a non-title fight. Pre-fight, Guillard promised the performance of a lifetime, and whilst it wasn’t quite that good, Guillard dominated the fight, for two reasons. One, was that his opponent made absolutely no use of his wrestling background; Gaethje was either so angry over Guillard not making weight or had been goaded by whatever Guillard had been saying that he decided that he just had to stand and bang and was not going to use his wrestling at all. The second reason was that Guillard looked so big it was unreal. Guillard looked to be at least one full weight class bigger than Gaethje that it looked a total size mismatch. And with Guillard saying he needs to, or might have to, move up to welterweight, you wonder how much bigger he can get. He could end up being a smaller version of Anthony Johnson. In any event, Guillard dominated the first two rounds, with Gaethje whiffing as many shots as he landed, and Guillard landing the heavier shot and doing so more frequently. The third round saw Gaethje start teeing off on Guillard’s left leg with leg kicks, to the point that Guillard could barely stand, but it would, you think, be too late. Not so, because Gaethje got the win via split decision on scores of 29-28, 30-27 and 28-29. A wise man once said ‘facking bullshit’. Truly, he was speaking of this decision.

 

David Branch © (184lbs, 14-3) vs. Yushin Okami (183lbs, 30-8) was the main event of the evening for the WSOF middleweight title. It was a very competitive fight throughout but Branch was just a little faster, hit a little harder than Okami, and Okami couldn’t take Branch down. As an Okami fan, it was rather sad to see him outclassed, even if it wasn’t by much, and it was even more sad to see Okami dropped and TKO’d late in the fourth. I think the referee could have given Okami more of a chance but I rather suspect it wouldn’t have made much difference.

 

This was the very definition of a thumbs in the middle show; nothing good, nothing bad, just a bunch of fights that were ‘there’ with nothing outside of some crazy bloodshed in one of them to make the fights stand out.

 

Bellator 131

 

Mo Lawal (204.5lbs, 13-4) vs. Joe Vedepo (205lbs, 17-8) opened up the main card. Lawal took Vedepo down very quickly and controlled him from there for the rest of the round, landing strikes all throughout. The second round was pretty much more of the same and Vedepo’s eyes looked badly swollen by the end of the round. Lawal landed with a big punch almost immediately in the third and Vedepo was rocked; Lawal was all over him and whilst Vedepo tried to hang on, he couldn’t and Lawal got the TKO win not long after.

 

Nam Phan (143lbs, 20-13) vs. Mike Richman (142lbs, 17-5) was next and…wait; it’s over already? Nam Phan leaves his jaw wide open and gets rocked early and Richman smells blood and batters Phan and leaves him crumpled against the cage in just 46-seconds. Post-fight, Richman calls out Joe Warren, who is doing colour commentary, and the two exchange shouted insults. Well, at least it’s trying to make you interested in a fight and not the usual vapid response we get in such situations.

 

Joe Schilling (186lbs, 17-7) vs. Melvin Manhoef (185.5lbs, 37-12) is next and was set to be the slugfest of the night. It started slow until Manhoef rocked and dropped Schilling mid-way into the first round; Manhoef was all over Schilling with bombs but Schilling somehow managed to survive and hold in, with Manhoef getting side-control and then into the guard of Schilling, who was able to defend until the round was over. The second round opened up with a wild exchange that saw Schilling rock Manhoef with a knee, Manhoef come back with a barrage of punches, and then Schilling land a short right hook that knocked Manhoef out cold. The fight finally lived up to the billing but it was sad and disturbing in equal measure because that wasn’t the kind of punch that should have dropped Manhoef let alone left him unconscious, which strongly suggest his chin is beyond gone, but with the disturbing part being that it also hints at a very unhappy, Gary Goodridge-like future for Manhoef. When you’re getting dropped like that, it’s beyond time to call it a day.

 

We have time for a preliminary fight with AJ Matthews (186lbs, 6-3) vs. Kyle Bolt (186lbs, 8-3) and it was a decent enough fight before Bolt landed a one-two combination about a minute-and-a-half in that left Matthews slumped against the cage, and one more follow up punch was enough for the referee to step in and stop the fight.

 

We’re back from a video package to see Jimmy Smith in the cage with Scott Coker and a number of fighters, and Coker announces a big Bellator card for February 27^th that will be called The British Invasion. Coker announces Emmanuel Newton defending the light heavyweight title against Liam McGeary, Douglas Lhima defending the Welterweight title against Paul Daley, Bobby Lashley versus James Thompson, and Sokoudjou against Linton Vassell. That’s actually a pretty good Bellator card.

 

Michael Chandler (154,5lbs, 12-2) vs. Will Brooks (154.5lbs, 14-1) is the co-main event of the evening for the vacant lightweight title. It was the close competitive fight we had in their first meeting and also like their first meeting, we had something of a controversial ending, but it would eventually be cleared up. After Brooks defended against being thrown, Brooks landed a punch, and Chandler, for some reason, backed off and held his hands up, and it looked like maybe something happened and he was trying to tell the referee, but it was hard to tell. Whatever it was, the referee didn’t say anything and Brooks swarmed in with punches and knees, and as Chandler turned away against the cage, he was not defending himself, and the referee stepped in and called the fight off. Chandler was complaining and didn’t seem to remember that he wasn’t defending himself, and he had no idea why the fight was stopped. The big question was not whether Chandler stopped defending himself, because that happened and it was a good stoppage, but what had Chandler backing off in the first place.

 

The replays cleared things up as they showed that the punch Brooks threw that started this had Chandler badly stunned; he had that vacant look in his eyes, where the lights are on and nobody’s home, and Chandler was out on his feet, his body just hadn’t caught on to his head. The fans aren’t happy and Chandler obviously isn’t, but it was a good call. Incidentally, there was an inadvertent low-blow from Chandler on Brooks early in the fight, and the 5* broadcast edited out the initial replays.

 

Stephan Bonnar (205.5lbs, 15-8) vs. Tito Ortiz (205.5lbs, 17-11-1) was the main event of the evening, coming off that terrible idea for an angle by Bonnar. This fight looked like it was being competed underwater; these guys were so slow and plodding and beyond unathletic, it was borderline embarrassing. Ortiz won via split decision but this wasn’t just a fight where you don’t care who either guy fights next; this was a fight where you don’t care to see either guy fight ever again. Ortiz was a tool after the decision was announced, but what else is new from a guy who is unable to cope with the fact his time of relevancy has long since expired.

 

The 5* version of this show began with Mark Vorgeas (136lbs, 5-2) vs. Rolando Perez (135.5lbs, 7-4-1 and it was decent enough, though it ended in a draw, and was followed by Alex Higley (145.5lbs, 2-1) vs. Jordan Bailey (145,5lbs, 3-1) which was fairly shot and pretty one-sided, with Bailey getting the win with a rear-naked choke, though he had to fight hard to finally get it applied. I’m not sure why 5* added these fights because they were nondescript and added absolutely nothing and only served to make the show longer for no good reason.

 

Bellator 131 was a fairly decent night of action even with a terrible main event, but the 5* version left a lot to be desired. Overall, the UFC provided, by far, the better night of action, but Bellator looked like a far bigger show. It looked like a major event with the big presentation of the ring entrances and it’s something that UFC have long since needed to work on and hopefully this will nudge them in that direction.

 

[jimufctna24]

There is a rumour going around today that Spike/Bellator might make a play for Lesnar next year. It comes from a website called Cagesideseats (which I have never head of). So it could be rubbish. Plus, the rumour does state that Lesnar is likely to re-sign with Vince anyway.

 

I hope Bellator do try though. Lesnar and Bellator would be a good fit. Lesnar could naturally face Lashley, which if they put it on TV, would do a monster rating. They could even tinker with weightclasses and do Lesnar vs Rampage or Mo.

[Noah Southworth]

I believe the rumour is just speculation, at least at this point, but it does make sense based on Bellator's approach and their willingness to pay big money for perceived ratings movers, and it is ratings they need rather than PPV business, which Brock would excel at, at least at first. I don't know that Lesnar would want to associate with anything other than the #1 player in whatever endeavour he's involved in, but if Bellator meets his demands, he'd do it in a heartbeat. Lesnar, even at this stage of his life in the physical condition he's in, would destroy Lashley.

[Egg Shen]

Guillard dominated the first two rounds, with Gaethje whiffing as many shots as he landed, and Guillard landing the heavier shot and doing so more frequently. The third round saw Gaethje start teeing off on Guillard’s left leg with leg kicks, to the point that Guillard could barely stand, but it would, you think, be too late. Not so, because Gaethje got the win via split decision on scores of 29-28, 30-27 and 28-29. A wise man once said ‘facking bullshit’. Truly, he was speaking of this decision.

 

after i read that i went back and re-watched the fight because i scored it 29-28 for Gaethje first time around...on 2nd viewing i scored it 29-28 for Gaethje. I dunno if you were homering for Guilliard Noah? I gave Guillard round 1 based on him working his jab effectively despite the fact that Gaethje was the aggressor...round 2 i scored for Gaethje, it was similar to round 1 but Guillard's jab disappeared, Gaethje was missing a lot of wild shots but he was the aggressor and still landed the better shots in the round, it was a Gaethje round no doubt. Round 3 could have been close to a 10-8, Guillard got smashed.

 

I thought the right man got the nod, espcecially seeing as Gaethje was in destroy mode in round 3, if it had been a title fight and it had gone to round 4-5 there would only ever have been 1 winner.

 

Still it was a good fight but it's a great example of why i hate Bas and Todd Harris as a commentary team, so fucking droll...Bas spends most of the broadcast talking about what he would do.

 

Other thoughts from the weekend:

 

* Dave Branch is one of the most quietly underrated fighters in the UFC. His title fight had no press going in despite being the main event and he handled Okami. Branch is a handful, he's got some legit jiu jitsu chops, his boxing is improving fast, he's patient and he's a massive middleweight. Impressive.

 

In Bellator:

 

* Ortiz/Bonnar...as i watched it was curiously entertained but if you wanna look at it subjectively this was a horrid fight. Ortiz to his credit looked the same as he did when he fought Forrest Griffin last, he has than basic, plodding style and he doesn't look like he's diminished all that much from back then, though 'vintage' Ortiz is long gone. Bonnar looked horrible, Bonnar always had that tendency to look like a pissed up brawler when he starts getting tired but it was that x10 Saturday night, you could give the guy leeway for being out 2 years and getting up there in age but he just looked bad.

 

I watched a post fight interview with Bonnar and you could sense a little regret in Bonnar's voice, i felt like he came back, tried to drum up interest and hoped he'd get some big win to sort or rid the stigma of the Anderson debacle, instead i think Bonnar sunk himself deeper into the hole and he knew it. Poor fucker.

 

Ortiz of course thinks he's back, little bit of delusion there but i dunno who Bellator have him fight next? There's not many guys id fancy Ortiz' chances against.

[wandshogun09]

I think they'll revisit that Ortiz vs Rampage option.

 

Thought Ortiz vs Bonnar was cack. If that was on a UFC card people would be shitting on it, so it should be the same here. It was a bit embarrassing. These guys are a decade past their best. Tito is probably even more past it than that. But as uninterested as I was in the fight, from Bellator's POV I got why they booked it and had it headline. For a free TV main event, Ortiz vs Bonnar is still a fight that probably got a few people to stop channel surfing. Well, more than if they'd seen 'Bellator: Brooks vs Chandler' in the EPG anyway. Obviously they were hoping to use whatever name recognition these two had left to pull them in to watch their better talent.

 

I enjoyed the rest though. Thought the presentation of the show was really good. I like that Coker's distancing himself and trying to differentiate the feel of the shows from the way they were under Rebney. A rebirth should feel like a rebirth. And this did, a bit. Manhoef vs Schilling delivered what everyone expected, although I was sad to see Melvin KO'd again. I agree with Noah that it's looking like heading to Gary Goodridge territory with him sadly. The whole card was very enjoyable before Ortiz vs Bonnar came out looked like a pair of 60 year old pissheads fighting over the last bag of pork scratchings in the pub.

 

That UK vs The World card looks tremendous though. Especially Lima vs Daley. Fuck me, that's going to be fireworks.

[Chunk]

Just noticed that channel 5* are showing the bellator tito v bonnar event on sunday night 9pm

 

Just out of interest, do Channel 5* show every Bellator show? Do they show it in full or just clipped highlights?

 

You'd think information like that would be easy to find bellator.com

[Egg Shen]

131 was the first Bellator show to be shown on 5*. From what i can gather they showed the entire main card and then pegged a couple of prelims on the end.

 

I don't know if it was a one off or not?

[the_mole]

 

Just noticed that channel 5* are showing the bellator tito v bonnar event on sunday night 9pm

 

Just out of interest, do Channel 5* show every Bellator show? Do they show it in full or just clipped highlights?

 

You'd think information like that would be easy to find bellator.com

 

It was their first time, VIVA, also owned by Viacom used to show it.

 

Spike TV launches jn the UK in 2015 (freeview, VIVA is moving to normal cable/satalite packages), Bellator will probably move there.

 

Bellator wont be live though unless it's in the UK, it isn't even live on the west coast of America.

[Noah Southworth]

 

Guillard dominated the first two rounds, with Gaethje whiffing as many shots as he landed, and Guillard landing the heavier shot and doing so more frequently. The third round saw Gaethje start teeing off on Guillard’s left leg with leg kicks, to the point that Guillard could barely stand, but it would, you think, be too late. Not so, because Gaethje got the win via split decision on scores of 29-28, 30-27 and 28-29. A wise man once said ‘facking bullshit’. Truly, he was speaking of this decision.

 

after i read that i went back and re-watched the fight because i scored it 29-28 for Gaethje first time around...on 2nd viewing i scored it 29-28 for Gaethje. I dunno if you were homering for Guilliard Noah?

If you're asking if I was favouring Guillard, the answer is no. I don't particular like Guillard at all, actually. I watched the fight and saw exactly what I said I saw; Gaethje whiffing left and right. Especially in the second, Gaethje was throwing wild punches all night long and missing as many as he hit, and that may be being generous. Yes, he was aggressive, but that doesn't matter if he wasn't doing much if any damage. It's akin to getting a bunch of takedowns but not doing anything with it; unless the other guy does nothing at all, they shouldn't be enough to win the match. And Guillard was landing more of his punches, they were harder, and he wasn't wasting energy throwing strikes that were missing by miles. With a second round like that, there is no way it's a 'no doubt' round for Gaethje.

Edited November 21, 2014 by Noah Southworth