Oh, What a Month: September in Review
September is supposed to mark a transition. It is nature's turning
point, from summer to fall.
Mixed martial arts, though, clearly didn't give a damn what September was supposed to bring. If anything, last month encapsulated the delightful madness that has characterized the sport in 2007.
With such an absurd number of notable events in one calendar month, it seems almost years ago that Quinton Jackson (Pictures) and Dan Henderson (Pictures) squared off in a super duper title unification bout. If questions of whether Jesus had poisoned Rampage still lingered, they were stamped out on Sept. 8 when Jackson won a fantastic, gritty 25-minute title clash that will stand alongside Couture-Rizzo I and Penn-Pulver I.
Or maybe the bout was overshadowed by its co-feature. Yes, in the face of Jackson-Henderson, most of the attention surrounding the UFC's London event went to the awaited (for whatever reason) bout between TUF 3 alums Michael Bisping (Pictures) and Matt Hamill (Pictures).
Hamill, considered by most to be a large underdog, came out with much-improved boxing and owned the first half of the bout, which was expected to end the fighters' rivalry. Bisping had a more productive second half and won a split decision. Anarchy ensued.
The controversy, which overshadowed the rest of the card, consisted of fans' on-again, off-again but mostly and inexplicably on-again hatred of the 10-point must system. If September's popular opinion taught us anything, it's that the system is flawed and terrible judging cannot be linked to judges themselves but instead to a fairly simple and intuitive judging system.
However, September also taught us that popular opinion in MMA can often be ridiculous.
You may have heard by now that Mauricio Rua (Pictures) and Chuck Liddell (Pictures) lost. And they lost definitively. And they lost to guys from "The Ultimate Fighter." Populations of people have killed themselves for lesser reasons.
The showcase fights for two of the finest light heavyweights in the world didn't go according to plan. Shogun had a wedding and a gimp knee -- and perhaps the dengue fever he caught from Ricardo Arona (Pictures) two years ago had turned active.
Liddell got hit and moonwalked around the Octagon for the rest of the fight. Whatever the excuses or reasons, Zuffa obviously mixed something up, dubbing a card that had no knockouts "Knockout" while titling UFC 78 "Validation."
Upsets at UFC 76 left Zuffa with the unenviable task of either choosing a contender to face Jackson on Super Bowl weekend or putting Rampage on the shelf for an additional two or three months while the title picture clears. Regardless the 205-pound division is wildly exciting right now.
No matter how Zuffa rectifies the light heavyweight class, the organization's ability to mix and match compelling fighters is currently unrivaled. It is an impressive reflection of Zuffa's product that even when there's chaos and hysteria, new and exciting possibilities are generated.
Forrest Griffin (Pictures) in a potential title headliner? At one point that notion would have been laughable. Now it may be palatable.
Speaking of those TUF chaps, "The Ultimate Fighter 6" debuted in September, allowing MMA fans to contemplate the fury of a vegan scorned and also the idea of Matt Hughes (Pictures) as the queen of Ahasuerus.
That's not all Zuffa gave us last month. Intensifying an already intriguing situation, Kenny Florian (Pictures) knocked off Din Thomas (Pictures), and Tyson Griffin (Pictures) squeaked out a victory over the previously undefeated Thiago Tavares (Pictures) in his third consecutive potential fight of the year. Even with the status of Sean Sherk (Pictures) and his ongoing steroid fiasco still weeks away from resolution, the UFC has finally conveyed the "lightweights are exciting" mantra the way it should be done: with great fights.
The UFC's lightweight division is still incredibly young. Most of its standout competitors, on some level, still qualify as prospects. Although it's hard to envision someone immediately challenging Sherk or B.J. Penn (Pictures), we will see some of the sport's most dynamic fighters develop and fulfill their potential in a seemingly endless stream of choice fights.
However, as frenetically entertaining as the UFC's lightweight crop may be, the two best young lightweights in the world reside elsewhere.
Gilbert Melendez (Pictures), 25, shook off 10 months of ring rust and a hand injury to batter Tetsuji Kato (Pictures) at Strikeforce's ballyhooed Playboy Mansion show. The undercard featured sterling performances from Zuffa castaway Joe Riggs (Pictures), who was finally healthy and bombed hapless veteran Eugene Jackson (Pictures), and from Josh Thomson (Pictures), who ran over journeyman Adam Lynn (Pictures).
Overall the Strikeforce card was underwhelming. Most likely the event will be remembered for extracurricular miscues, including vapid super-bunny Kendra Wilkinson showing that the UFC is the new Kleenex and commentator Frank Shamrock (Pictures) declaring that Thomson is MMA's first openly gay fighter (Thomson is not gay). With that said, Strikeforce adequately showcased Melendez and Thomson side by side, setting up a no-brainer of a title clash that should be one of the bright spots of early 2008.
The other young lightweight star who doesn't belong to Zuffa is the king of the HERO'S 70-kg class. Whether you call him Gesias Calvancanti (Pictures), JZ Calvan or just plain old JZ, the 24-year-old Brazilian justified his hype in September by repeating as HERO'S tournament champion. Calvancanti steamrolled perennially ranked Vitor Ribeiro (Pictures) in 35 seconds before succinctly deflating Chute Boxe up-and-comer Andre Amade (Pictures).
The lightweight class is in a considerable transition period, somewhat manufactured by the fact that many well-regarded lightweights are sitting on the shelf due to Zuffa's PRIDE buyout. Nonetheless, Calvancanti and Melendez are the leaders of the lightweight new school.
JZ wasn't the only highlight of the HERO'S card. After a yearlong odyssey to follow in his familial footsteps and qualify in wrestling for the 2008 Beijing Olympics ended with a busted arm, Japanese superstar Norifumi "Kid" Yamamoto returned to action. The ring rust was evident, and he didn't exactly set the world on fire in his plodding decision win over Brazilian jiu-jitsu ace Bibiano Fernandes (Pictures).
Though, as Urijah Faber (Pictures) can tell you, Fernandes is much tougher than his paper-thin record would indicate. Regardless the real excitement is in the fact that HERO'S backer Fight Entertainment Group is considering adding a weight class somewhere between 139 and 143 pounds to better suit Yamamoto.
Gary Shaw and ProElite embarked on Hawaii in September, also determined to revise weight classes.
If you somehow ignored Mauro Ranallo's on-air erectile braggadocio, the pathetic judging, the bizarre awarding of Hawaiian-themed frat paddles and the inane catch-weights used for some fights, EliteXC's premium cable venture did deliver some entertainment.
Nick Diaz (Pictures)'s staph attack didn't let him impress against a gamer-than-expected Mike Aina (Pictures), and Gina Carano (Pictures) struggled to make weight in her custom-fit weight class, but both won. Robbie Lawler (Pictures) went through Murilo Rua (Pictures) like a buzzsaw, and Jake Shields (Pictures) did the same to Renato Verissimo (Pictures), affirming their positions as top-10 fighters and giving fans reason to care about ProElite, even though Shaw may soon introduce a 193.33333-pound class.
For better or worse, ProElite also made the most interesting business moves of the month. The company now has stake in South Korea's Spirit MC in addition to controlling stake in ICON Sport, King of the Cage and Cage Rage. While there are sounder investments to make with millions of dollars, it sure beats the prospect of having to act as if Charles "Krazy Horse" Bennett is a worthy headliner.
The Sept. 22 Cage Rage didn't exactly live up to its misused moniker, "Unbelievable." In fact the event again showed why it is generally poor practice to put obese, mediocre former boxers into MMA, and how Vitor Belfort (Pictures) became in international exile.
British welterweight Paul Daley (Pictures), however, livened up the card by a bashing fellow Brit, Mark Weir (Pictures).
Daley certainly has some holes in his game that would make him an underdog against stronger international competitors, but if ProElite is looking to import quality athletes, Daley seems like a good start. Moreover he could be of service in either the 161.45-pound division or the 174.2505-pound division.
Daley wasn't the only British welterweight who made a big splash in September. In fact, he wasn't the only British welterweight from Team Roughhouse to rep his set to the fullest.
In the ongoing Cage Force tournaments, hosted by Japanese promoter Greatest Common Multiple for the purpose of finding fighters who are UFC material, Daley's teammate Dan Hardy (Pictures) also boosted his status. After pulverizing welterweight King of Pancrase Daizo Ishige (Pictures) in May, Hardy beat on Hidetaka Monma (Pictures) to punch his ticket to the finals of the 170-pound tournament. In the December final, he is set for action against other breakout 170-pounder in Yoshiyuki Yoshida (Pictures), who has gone from Class B Shooto anonymity to mashing Akira Kikuchi (Pictures)'s face in with elbows.
But it wasn't all bubblegum and rainbows for European MMA.
Apart from the success of Daley and Hardy, September wasn't a great month for European up-and-comers. Sure Dennis Siver (Pictures) and Jess Liaudin (Pictures) picked up UFC wins, but Poland's Tomasz Drwal (Pictures), who was a highly regarded light heavyweight in Europe, was woefully unready for primetime in his UFC debut against Thiago Silva (Pictures).
Terry Etim (Pictures) couldn't defend a takedown to save his soul against Gleison Tibau (Pictures). Paul Taylor (Pictures) started strong but was eventually far overmatched on the mat against Marcus Davis (Pictures). Germans Mario Stapel and Martin Zawada were victimized once again. Zelg Galesic (Pictures) looked as though he'd never grappled before against Dong Sik Yoon (Pictures).
The most damaging blow to the Euro scene, though, came at Finland's Fight Festival. Returning to his native Suomi, Mikko Rupponen (Pictures) took on hard-luck Octagon regular Sean Salmon (Pictures).
Salmon's reputation for enhancing Zuffa's talent is a dubious one. He took the fight against Rupponen on short notice and didn't have his trainer with him. Rupponen, on the other hand, was viewed as one of Europe's best raw talents and had trained with Dan Henderson (Pictures) at Team Quest in Temecula, Calif.
Many thought Rupponen was ready for the next level. He made a statement against Salmon -- just not an expected one.
The prevailing wisdom had been that training abroad with elite fighters would be just what developing Europeans needed. To those fans wanting to see European prospects develop into world-class fighters, Rupponen's loss was troubling.
Rupponen wasn't the only fighter to lose in front of his fans in September. Shooto's legendary figurehead Rumina Sato (Pictures) doesn't just get beat -- he goes down dramatically or embarrassingly.
That is exactly what happened in Sato's bout with Hideki Kadowaki (Pictures), who has been relegated to gatekeeper in Shooto's 143-pound division. Worse yet Sato fell prey to Kadowaki's special finish, a rear-naked choke from the back crucifix, which is known as "The Kadowaki Special" by Japanese MMA enthusiasts.
The most important outcome of the Sept. 22 Shooto event was Yasuhiro Urushitani (Pictures)'s revenge against longtime 123-pound king Mamoru Yamaguchi (Pictures). Urushitani's super-slick striking now has him in position for a rematch with reigning champion "BJ" Shinichi Kojima (Pictures) in early 2008 for the Shooto world championship. The two have met twice, with both fights ending in draws. In their March title encounter, Urushitani was thoroughly victimized by Dalby Shirley's Japanese kin, who in spite of Urushitani's clear dominance ruled the fight a split draw.
Women also got revenge in September. In a hugely important contest, pound-for-pound female star and Smackgirl 115-pound champion Yuka Tsuji (Pictures) avenged her only loss by knocking out Michelli Tavares (Pictures). Tsuji, who was ensnared in a triangle and forced to tap four years ago, blew the Brazilian out of the water in the rematch.
Wajyutsu product Takayo Hashi (Pictures) also avenged her only loss, defeating Hitomi Akano (Pictures) to claim Smackgirl's 128-pound title.
The International Fight League delivered a pretty good team championship final in September. In the post-Vick sports landscape, it's nice to see the Pitbulls pull off a win. The event also allowed quality fighters like Andre Gusmao (Pictures) and Deividas Taurosevicius (Pictures) to shine before fans who've already warmed to Rothwell, Matyushenko, Palaszewski and Horodecki.
Still the IFL drew just over 2,600 paid to the event. Days after the finals in Hollywood, Fla., the promotion officially announced that an hour of its Nov. 3 grand prix card will be shown on MyNetworkTV, marking the first time live MMA will hit North American network television.
That's it for September -- a month that brought outrageous upsets, exciting shows, ridiculous business decisions and ill-advised commentary. With three more months left in 2007, you might want to buckle up.
Mixed martial arts, though, clearly didn't give a damn what September was supposed to bring. If anything, last month encapsulated the delightful madness that has characterized the sport in 2007.
With such an absurd number of notable events in one calendar month, it seems almost years ago that Quinton Jackson (Pictures) and Dan Henderson (Pictures) squared off in a super duper title unification bout. If questions of whether Jesus had poisoned Rampage still lingered, they were stamped out on Sept. 8 when Jackson won a fantastic, gritty 25-minute title clash that will stand alongside Couture-Rizzo I and Penn-Pulver I.
Or maybe the bout was overshadowed by its co-feature. Yes, in the face of Jackson-Henderson, most of the attention surrounding the UFC's London event went to the awaited (for whatever reason) bout between TUF 3 alums Michael Bisping (Pictures) and Matt Hamill (Pictures).
Hamill, considered by most to be a large underdog, came out with much-improved boxing and owned the first half of the bout, which was expected to end the fighters' rivalry. Bisping had a more productive second half and won a split decision. Anarchy ensued.
The controversy, which overshadowed the rest of the card, consisted of fans' on-again, off-again but mostly and inexplicably on-again hatred of the 10-point must system. If September's popular opinion taught us anything, it's that the system is flawed and terrible judging cannot be linked to judges themselves but instead to a fairly simple and intuitive judging system.
However, September also taught us that popular opinion in MMA can often be ridiculous.
You may have heard by now that Mauricio Rua (Pictures) and Chuck Liddell (Pictures) lost. And they lost definitively. And they lost to guys from "The Ultimate Fighter." Populations of people have killed themselves for lesser reasons.
The showcase fights for two of the finest light heavyweights in the world didn't go according to plan. Shogun had a wedding and a gimp knee -- and perhaps the dengue fever he caught from Ricardo Arona (Pictures) two years ago had turned active.
Liddell got hit and moonwalked around the Octagon for the rest of the fight. Whatever the excuses or reasons, Zuffa obviously mixed something up, dubbing a card that had no knockouts "Knockout" while titling UFC 78 "Validation."
Upsets at UFC 76 left Zuffa with the unenviable task of either choosing a contender to face Jackson on Super Bowl weekend or putting Rampage on the shelf for an additional two or three months while the title picture clears. Regardless the 205-pound division is wildly exciting right now.
No matter how Zuffa rectifies the light heavyweight class, the organization's ability to mix and match compelling fighters is currently unrivaled. It is an impressive reflection of Zuffa's product that even when there's chaos and hysteria, new and exciting possibilities are generated.
Forrest Griffin (Pictures) in a potential title headliner? At one point that notion would have been laughable. Now it may be palatable.
Speaking of those TUF chaps, "The Ultimate Fighter 6" debuted in September, allowing MMA fans to contemplate the fury of a vegan scorned and also the idea of Matt Hughes (Pictures) as the queen of Ahasuerus.
That's not all Zuffa gave us last month. Intensifying an already intriguing situation, Kenny Florian (Pictures) knocked off Din Thomas (Pictures), and Tyson Griffin (Pictures) squeaked out a victory over the previously undefeated Thiago Tavares (Pictures) in his third consecutive potential fight of the year. Even with the status of Sean Sherk (Pictures) and his ongoing steroid fiasco still weeks away from resolution, the UFC has finally conveyed the "lightweights are exciting" mantra the way it should be done: with great fights.
The UFC's lightweight division is still incredibly young. Most of its standout competitors, on some level, still qualify as prospects. Although it's hard to envision someone immediately challenging Sherk or B.J. Penn (Pictures), we will see some of the sport's most dynamic fighters develop and fulfill their potential in a seemingly endless stream of choice fights.
However, as frenetically entertaining as the UFC's lightweight crop may be, the two best young lightweights in the world reside elsewhere.
Gilbert Melendez (Pictures), 25, shook off 10 months of ring rust and a hand injury to batter Tetsuji Kato (Pictures) at Strikeforce's ballyhooed Playboy Mansion show. The undercard featured sterling performances from Zuffa castaway Joe Riggs (Pictures), who was finally healthy and bombed hapless veteran Eugene Jackson (Pictures), and from Josh Thomson (Pictures), who ran over journeyman Adam Lynn (Pictures).
Overall the Strikeforce card was underwhelming. Most likely the event will be remembered for extracurricular miscues, including vapid super-bunny Kendra Wilkinson showing that the UFC is the new Kleenex and commentator Frank Shamrock (Pictures) declaring that Thomson is MMA's first openly gay fighter (Thomson is not gay). With that said, Strikeforce adequately showcased Melendez and Thomson side by side, setting up a no-brainer of a title clash that should be one of the bright spots of early 2008.
The other young lightweight star who doesn't belong to Zuffa is the king of the HERO'S 70-kg class. Whether you call him Gesias Calvancanti (Pictures), JZ Calvan or just plain old JZ, the 24-year-old Brazilian justified his hype in September by repeating as HERO'S tournament champion. Calvancanti steamrolled perennially ranked Vitor Ribeiro (Pictures) in 35 seconds before succinctly deflating Chute Boxe up-and-comer Andre Amade (Pictures).
The lightweight class is in a considerable transition period, somewhat manufactured by the fact that many well-regarded lightweights are sitting on the shelf due to Zuffa's PRIDE buyout. Nonetheless, Calvancanti and Melendez are the leaders of the lightweight new school.
JZ wasn't the only highlight of the HERO'S card. After a yearlong odyssey to follow in his familial footsteps and qualify in wrestling for the 2008 Beijing Olympics ended with a busted arm, Japanese superstar Norifumi "Kid" Yamamoto returned to action. The ring rust was evident, and he didn't exactly set the world on fire in his plodding decision win over Brazilian jiu-jitsu ace Bibiano Fernandes (Pictures).
Though, as Urijah Faber (Pictures) can tell you, Fernandes is much tougher than his paper-thin record would indicate. Regardless the real excitement is in the fact that HERO'S backer Fight Entertainment Group is considering adding a weight class somewhere between 139 and 143 pounds to better suit Yamamoto.
Gary Shaw and ProElite embarked on Hawaii in September, also determined to revise weight classes.
If you somehow ignored Mauro Ranallo's on-air erectile braggadocio, the pathetic judging, the bizarre awarding of Hawaiian-themed frat paddles and the inane catch-weights used for some fights, EliteXC's premium cable venture did deliver some entertainment.
Nick Diaz (Pictures)'s staph attack didn't let him impress against a gamer-than-expected Mike Aina (Pictures), and Gina Carano (Pictures) struggled to make weight in her custom-fit weight class, but both won. Robbie Lawler (Pictures) went through Murilo Rua (Pictures) like a buzzsaw, and Jake Shields (Pictures) did the same to Renato Verissimo (Pictures), affirming their positions as top-10 fighters and giving fans reason to care about ProElite, even though Shaw may soon introduce a 193.33333-pound class.
For better or worse, ProElite also made the most interesting business moves of the month. The company now has stake in South Korea's Spirit MC in addition to controlling stake in ICON Sport, King of the Cage and Cage Rage. While there are sounder investments to make with millions of dollars, it sure beats the prospect of having to act as if Charles "Krazy Horse" Bennett is a worthy headliner.
The Sept. 22 Cage Rage didn't exactly live up to its misused moniker, "Unbelievable." In fact the event again showed why it is generally poor practice to put obese, mediocre former boxers into MMA, and how Vitor Belfort (Pictures) became in international exile.
British welterweight Paul Daley (Pictures), however, livened up the card by a bashing fellow Brit, Mark Weir (Pictures).
Daley certainly has some holes in his game that would make him an underdog against stronger international competitors, but if ProElite is looking to import quality athletes, Daley seems like a good start. Moreover he could be of service in either the 161.45-pound division or the 174.2505-pound division.
Daley wasn't the only British welterweight who made a big splash in September. In fact, he wasn't the only British welterweight from Team Roughhouse to rep his set to the fullest.
In the ongoing Cage Force tournaments, hosted by Japanese promoter Greatest Common Multiple for the purpose of finding fighters who are UFC material, Daley's teammate Dan Hardy (Pictures) also boosted his status. After pulverizing welterweight King of Pancrase Daizo Ishige (Pictures) in May, Hardy beat on Hidetaka Monma (Pictures) to punch his ticket to the finals of the 170-pound tournament. In the December final, he is set for action against other breakout 170-pounder in Yoshiyuki Yoshida (Pictures), who has gone from Class B Shooto anonymity to mashing Akira Kikuchi (Pictures)'s face in with elbows.
But it wasn't all bubblegum and rainbows for European MMA.
Apart from the success of Daley and Hardy, September wasn't a great month for European up-and-comers. Sure Dennis Siver (Pictures) and Jess Liaudin (Pictures) picked up UFC wins, but Poland's Tomasz Drwal (Pictures), who was a highly regarded light heavyweight in Europe, was woefully unready for primetime in his UFC debut against Thiago Silva (Pictures).
Terry Etim (Pictures) couldn't defend a takedown to save his soul against Gleison Tibau (Pictures). Paul Taylor (Pictures) started strong but was eventually far overmatched on the mat against Marcus Davis (Pictures). Germans Mario Stapel and Martin Zawada were victimized once again. Zelg Galesic (Pictures) looked as though he'd never grappled before against Dong Sik Yoon (Pictures).
The most damaging blow to the Euro scene, though, came at Finland's Fight Festival. Returning to his native Suomi, Mikko Rupponen (Pictures) took on hard-luck Octagon regular Sean Salmon (Pictures).
Salmon's reputation for enhancing Zuffa's talent is a dubious one. He took the fight against Rupponen on short notice and didn't have his trainer with him. Rupponen, on the other hand, was viewed as one of Europe's best raw talents and had trained with Dan Henderson (Pictures) at Team Quest in Temecula, Calif.
Many thought Rupponen was ready for the next level. He made a statement against Salmon -- just not an expected one.
The prevailing wisdom had been that training abroad with elite fighters would be just what developing Europeans needed. To those fans wanting to see European prospects develop into world-class fighters, Rupponen's loss was troubling.
Rupponen wasn't the only fighter to lose in front of his fans in September. Shooto's legendary figurehead Rumina Sato (Pictures) doesn't just get beat -- he goes down dramatically or embarrassingly.
That is exactly what happened in Sato's bout with Hideki Kadowaki (Pictures), who has been relegated to gatekeeper in Shooto's 143-pound division. Worse yet Sato fell prey to Kadowaki's special finish, a rear-naked choke from the back crucifix, which is known as "The Kadowaki Special" by Japanese MMA enthusiasts.
The most important outcome of the Sept. 22 Shooto event was Yasuhiro Urushitani (Pictures)'s revenge against longtime 123-pound king Mamoru Yamaguchi (Pictures). Urushitani's super-slick striking now has him in position for a rematch with reigning champion "BJ" Shinichi Kojima (Pictures) in early 2008 for the Shooto world championship. The two have met twice, with both fights ending in draws. In their March title encounter, Urushitani was thoroughly victimized by Dalby Shirley's Japanese kin, who in spite of Urushitani's clear dominance ruled the fight a split draw.
Women also got revenge in September. In a hugely important contest, pound-for-pound female star and Smackgirl 115-pound champion Yuka Tsuji (Pictures) avenged her only loss by knocking out Michelli Tavares (Pictures). Tsuji, who was ensnared in a triangle and forced to tap four years ago, blew the Brazilian out of the water in the rematch.
Wajyutsu product Takayo Hashi (Pictures) also avenged her only loss, defeating Hitomi Akano (Pictures) to claim Smackgirl's 128-pound title.
The International Fight League delivered a pretty good team championship final in September. In the post-Vick sports landscape, it's nice to see the Pitbulls pull off a win. The event also allowed quality fighters like Andre Gusmao (Pictures) and Deividas Taurosevicius (Pictures) to shine before fans who've already warmed to Rothwell, Matyushenko, Palaszewski and Horodecki.
Still the IFL drew just over 2,600 paid to the event. Days after the finals in Hollywood, Fla., the promotion officially announced that an hour of its Nov. 3 grand prix card will be shown on MyNetworkTV, marking the first time live MMA will hit North American network television.
That's it for September -- a month that brought outrageous upsets, exciting shows, ridiculous business decisions and ill-advised commentary. With three more months left in 2007, you might want to buckle up.
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