Full disclosure: With my local Time-Warner cable provider having found Saturday’s “Ultimate Chaos” card unfit for broadcast -- preferring to instead fill up their pay-per-view stations with an HBO boxing event and several specials featuring college girls in various stages of undress -- I was unable to soak up the televised atmosphere.
The disappointment is almost too much to bear. From all accounts, I didn’t miss much, including an underwhelming main event between rising
Bobby Lashley/descending
Bob Sapp and a sad display from an aging
Pedro Rizzo. Most of the chatter, however, seems to be in favor of Affliction Veep
Tom Atencio’s fight of the night honors against
Randy Hedderick. The general consensus: not bad for a cotton dealer.
Lashley, meanwhile, started thinking about his next bout just hours after bludgeoning Sapp: Fanhouse
reports that the 4-0 wrestler is eying a Sept. 26 return for Fight Force International, the co-promotion behind Saturday’s card. Considering the anemic economy and the likelihood of turgid pay-per-view buys for their debut, he should probably pencil -- not ink -- the date.
I’m somewhat surprised the UFC and Lashley haven’t come to terms yet. The UFC is clearly willing to throw gigantic NCAA wrestlers in the deep end. Maybe Lashley feels a developmental process is in his favor. It’s a surprisingly mature career path: Most would take the quick cash that Japan or major promotions would offer.