Showdown on MMA: Trash talk hype
Posted January 24, 2012 1:50 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
We are in the midst of an incredible run of MMA events. There are so many MMA events happening all over the globe right now it sometimes feels like it’s impossible to keep up. And of course, with the UFC holding four events in an as many weeks, it seems like all I’m doing is watching fights 24/7.
UFC: Guillard vs Miller
First and foremost, a big thanks to the decision makers at Sportsnet for airing the full card. Within the five hours on Sportsnet ONE, we saw all of the prelims, as well as the main card. Unprecedented content and hopefully (fingers are crossed) it can become the norm moving forward.
The athletes on the card put on some stellar performances. Highlights (and lowlights) for me included Melvin Guillard tapping out yet again. It’s frustrating to watch. He’s sixty fights deep now; this should no longer be happening. You could say the same about Duane Ludwig, but that guillotine Josh Neer locked in was super tight.
I’m also happy for Pat Barry (Melvin take note of Pat’s baby step evolution in submission defence) as well for the bantamweights on the card. Mike Easton and Ottawa’s Nick (The Ninja of Love) Denis put on stellar performances. Jorge Rivera’s comeback against Eric Schafer was inspiring to see, akin to the ups and downs of his career, inside and outside out of the cage. As I mentioned on my twitter, I’ll miss my interviews with Jorge, for he is one of the few who made my eyes swell during in an interview.
My highlight of the card was Daniel Pineda’s victory over Pat Schilling. You’ll see why later this week on Sportsnet, as it’s rare you get to see MMA Flow 101 actually happen in a bout, so I chose to highlight it to our viewers. Pineda went from striking to takedown to guard pass to mount to ground-and-pound to back control to rear-naked choke like clockwork. It was true MMA beauty inside the Octagon.
Gearing up for UFC on Fox 2
Once again, Sportsnet will be airing the full UFC card from the sold out United Center in Chicago on Saturday night.
First off will be the prelims, starting at 5 p.m. ET on Sportsent ONE, then the main card on the four regional Sportsnet channels (Ontario, East, West and Pacific) starting at 8 p.m. ET. Later this week I’ll break down the card and offer up who I believe has the edge in each bout. But in the meantime, here’s a few quotes from the main event and co-main event fighters.
Rashad Evans to Phil Davis: “We’re going to see what happens when those lights hit you. When you walk out and that crowd is roaring. We’re going to see what kind of man you are. We’re going to see what kind of fighter you are, because I know you aren’t a fighter. When you get hit in the mouth, things change. When you got hit by Lil Nog, you didn’t know what to do. When I hit you in the mouth, you’re going to feel it.”
Davis to Evans: “When I’m on top of you, I’m going to remind you with every shot what you said. Remind you with every shot.”
Chael Sonnen (on ESPN Radio) to Michael Bisping: “The biggest problem he’s got is that he just drew the ace of spades. I’m not just another fighter on the roster or a middleweight. I’m the middleweight champion; undefeated and undisputed. I can beat any man God ever made. Michael Bisping does not survive.”
Bisping (via HDNets Fights) to Sonnen: “He’s not the middleweight champion. He’s been beaten many, many times. He’s been submitted more times than I care to mention. Not to mention, the last time he lost a fight by submission, there were some issues involving performance enhancing drugs. I don’t know what the deal is. Apparently, he has one testicle. One testicle! This is why he uses performance enhancing drugs. He’s gonna need more than one little ball to fight me next weekend!”
I cannot wait for these bouts to go down — don’t forget to check back later in the week for my thoughts on these two scraps plus the rest of the full card.
Misc. News and Notes
— Muhammad (King Mo) Lawal is pointing towards an over the counter supplement called S-Mass Lean Gainer for his failed drug test.
— Diego Sanchez takes some shots at Nick Diaz’s “pitter-patter punches,” how he can defeat Georges St-Pierre, and his thoughts on his next opponent, Jake Ellenberger.
— Featherweight Junior Assuncao has been released by the UFC. — Pro Elite 3 winners included Kendall Grove over Minowaman and Olympian Sara McMann over Hitomi Akano.
— Mirko (Cro Cop) Filipovic’s next fight will be a K-1 style bout vs. Ray Sefo, according to Sefo’s twitter Don’t forget to click the Upcoming Events link at the top of the page, for various updates to many of the MMA cards over the next several weeks
