UFC Live: Sanchez vs. Kampmann was supposed to be Versus’s biggest event ever, but because of numerous injuries, the card on March 3 is rather depleted.
The main bout between former lightweight contender Diego Sanchez and former middleweight, Martin Kampmann hasn’t been cancelled yet, so there is still some good news for the event.
The matchup at welterweight will be an absolute dogfight. Sanchez was badly beaten at UFC 107 in a lightweight title fight by BJ Penn but The Ultimate Fighter season one winner fought hard the entire fight. Kampmann only has two losses at welterweight, and one came in a narrow, split decision defeat to current no. 1 contender Jake Shields only four months ago. At the end of this all out war, the explosive Sanchez walks away with a TKO via strikes.
Another former Ultimate Fighter contestant and finalist, C.B. Dolloway will be in action up against the 9-2 Mark Muñoz. Muñoz, a former WEC fighter, entered the UFC in 2009 with a devastating knockout loss to Matt Hammil. He has since bounced back, only dropping one fight out of his last five. Dolloway, a former division I, All-American wrestler at Arizona State University, is one of a small handful of fighters to successfully use the Peruvian necktie submission. He was the first to do so in the UFC. The superior ground game of Dolloway will allow him to escape with a submission.
Alessio Sakara vs. Chris Weidman is one of the bouts that has been shuffled around due to multiple injures. Sakara was originally set to square off against Maiquel Falcao, 21-3, but Falcao was forced to pull out of the fight due to injury. Rafael Natal was scheduled as a replacement but, again another fighter was forced out due to injury.
Weidman, who fought in the Ring of Combat promotion along with Natal, is a UFC newcomer. Weidman wrestled collegiately at Hofstra University where he was a two time All-American. He currently holds a perfect record of 4-0; two of his wins were TKOs coming by way of strikes.
Sakara has had an up and down career in the UFC. He holds back-to-back wins over Thales Leites, and James Irvin, but has also suffered a loss at the hands of Houston Alexander, a middleweight the UFC let go after a loss to the hype-machine Kimbo Slice. Over half of the former boxer’s 23 wins have come by way of knockout, so expect to see fists flying. Sakara will easily handle the rookie Weidman with a TKO victory by way of strikes.
The final bout is a rematch between Brian Bowles and Damacio Page. In their first meeting, Bowles won by guillotine choke. Bowles is coming off of a loss but to the current UFC Bantamweight Champion, Dominick Cruz. Prior to the loss he was undefeated in his mixed martial arts career, and is hoping to climb back up the bantamweight ladder with a win over Page, a student of the highly famed Greg Jackson. This is Page’s first fight in the UFC after the UFC-WEC merger, and a win over a fighter of Bowles caliber could put him on track to the title in a thin bantamweight class. Expect to see Bowles victorious once again with a decision.
The event was originally hyped to be one of Versus best, even besting former cards that featured the highly touted Jon Jones. A bout between Matt Brown and Mark Scanlon and a fight featuring Paulo Thiago and Johny Hendricks were in the works but had to be cancelled due to fighters sustaining training injuries. Both fights have been cancelled either because a replacement fighter sustained an injury or there simply was not enough time to find one.
The UFC has had success hosting events on Versus in the past that originally were only scheduled to feature one big fight. These events are designed to expose the UFC to the world and attract new fans, as they are not pay-per-view. UFC Live: Sanchez vs. Kampmann was the first to feature several intriguing matchups, but due to things outside of the UFC’s control, it is left to rely on Sanchez and Kampmann to draw in new fans.
Friday, February 25, 2011
Missouri track and field ends season on high note
The Missouri track and field team wrapped up its indoor regular season with several strong performances at home in the Missouri Collegiate Challenge on Friday.
Senior thrower Chris Holly had an impressive day, setting the bar high at 18.84 meters after only his second attempt. Holly held the lead through all six rounds and only had one foul en route to the win.
“I am very happy with my performance,” Holly said. “I feel like I am improving everyday, and I’m on my way up there.”
The Collegiate Challenge was the last meet at the Hearnes Center for Holly. The senior was the No. 2 weight thrower in the Big 12 conference coming into the meet.
“This is a good win for me going into the Championships,” he said. “This serves as a big confidence booster for me.”
In the pole vault, Brian Hancock was the star. Hancock, who is ranked No. 19 nationally, came into the meet looking to reset the record for a Missouri vaulter. The All-American managed to break the record on his second attempt at 17- 7 3/4.
“Every meet, I had a shot at it,” Hancock said. “It just feels so good to finally get it, especially when I’m here at Hearnes with so many friends and family.”
Hancock said the pressure of the record wasn’t a big deal for him. He said he was more focused on the pressure he puts on himself.
“There wasn’t really any outside pressure,” Hancock said. “I put a lot of it on myself by expecting to finish top four in the country and qualify as an All-American.”
After breaking the record, Hancock went for the automatic qualifying height of 18-0-1/4 to put him into the NCAA Championships, but was unsuccessful. Hancock bested top competition including Nick Adcock, who is training for the U.S. National Team, to take the top spot.
“Brian was injured last season and unable to compete,” vaulting coach Dan Lefever said. “The fact that he can still put up better numbers than his season two years ago is incredible.”
On the track, only a few performances stood out. Missouri didn’t have many of its top runners competing because they were resting for the Championships.
Freshman Trés Chambers finished well ahead of his competition in the 60-meter dash preliminaries and followed that performance up with a first place finish in the finals.
“I’ve been hurt lately and unable to compete, so it felt really good to get back in there and just compete,” he said.
The race was close with Chambers only claiming the win by one hundredth of a second. The close win also set the new meet record in the 60-meter dash at 6.82 seconds.
“I knew the guy next to me was really fast, so I knew it was going to be a really close race,” Chambers said. “I did well this week, but I have to do better next week.”
The close of the regular indoor season is bright looking forward. The Tigers have several members in line to qualify for the NCAA championships in March. The Tigers will first have to put up a good showing at the Big 12 Championships in Lincoln, Neb. on Feb. 25.
Senior thrower Chris Holly had an impressive day, setting the bar high at 18.84 meters after only his second attempt. Holly held the lead through all six rounds and only had one foul en route to the win.
“I am very happy with my performance,” Holly said. “I feel like I am improving everyday, and I’m on my way up there.”
The Collegiate Challenge was the last meet at the Hearnes Center for Holly. The senior was the No. 2 weight thrower in the Big 12 conference coming into the meet.
“This is a good win for me going into the Championships,” he said. “This serves as a big confidence booster for me.”
In the pole vault, Brian Hancock was the star. Hancock, who is ranked No. 19 nationally, came into the meet looking to reset the record for a Missouri vaulter. The All-American managed to break the record on his second attempt at 17- 7 3/4.
“Every meet, I had a shot at it,” Hancock said. “It just feels so good to finally get it, especially when I’m here at Hearnes with so many friends and family.”
Hancock said the pressure of the record wasn’t a big deal for him. He said he was more focused on the pressure he puts on himself.
“There wasn’t really any outside pressure,” Hancock said. “I put a lot of it on myself by expecting to finish top four in the country and qualify as an All-American.”
After breaking the record, Hancock went for the automatic qualifying height of 18-0-1/4 to put him into the NCAA Championships, but was unsuccessful. Hancock bested top competition including Nick Adcock, who is training for the U.S. National Team, to take the top spot.
“Brian was injured last season and unable to compete,” vaulting coach Dan Lefever said. “The fact that he can still put up better numbers than his season two years ago is incredible.”
On the track, only a few performances stood out. Missouri didn’t have many of its top runners competing because they were resting for the Championships.
Freshman Trés Chambers finished well ahead of his competition in the 60-meter dash preliminaries and followed that performance up with a first place finish in the finals.
“I’ve been hurt lately and unable to compete, so it felt really good to get back in there and just compete,” he said.
The race was close with Chambers only claiming the win by one hundredth of a second. The close win also set the new meet record in the 60-meter dash at 6.82 seconds.
“I knew the guy next to me was really fast, so I knew it was going to be a really close race,” Chambers said. “I did well this week, but I have to do better next week.”
The close of the regular indoor season is bright looking forward. The Tigers have several members in line to qualify for the NCAA championships in March. The Tigers will first have to put up a good showing at the Big 12 Championships in Lincoln, Neb. on Feb. 25.
Final suspect in Hobson murder arrested
The eighth and final suspect in the murder of Aaron Hobson, cousin of MU football player Trey Hobson, has been found. The shooting occurred at a Break Time convenience store Oct. 23.
According to a news release, the final suspect, Patrick Marshall, 18, of St. Louis was identified and a warrant for his arrest was issued. Police were unable to locate him until he arrived at the Columbia Police Department with his attorney at approximately 1:55 p.m. Feb 16.
Each of the eight suspects was arrested on suspicion of second-degree murder and first-degree robbery, according to the release. All of the suspects voluntarily turned themselves in to CPD except for the Peal brothers who were captured by police in Jennings, Mo., near St. Louis. They are being held in the Boone County Jail awaiting trial, each with a bond set at $1 million, cash only.
The shooting happened the morning of Missouri's 99th Homecoming game against the Oklahoma Sooners. Trey Hobson still played in the game after receiving the news of his cousin's death.
CPD spokeswoman Jill Wieneke said Aaron Hobson was visiting Columbia from Kansas to see his cousin play.
According to the release, at approximately 1:15 a.m. the morning of Oct. 23, police were dispatched to the Break Time convenience store at 110 E. Nifong Blvd. because there were reports of people trespassing. Hobson was robbed before Daron Peal allegedly shot him. The other seven men, Tony Lewis, Leo Roland, Deshon Houston, Lee Carter, Anthony Carr, Patrick Marshall and Darris Peal, the shooter's brother, all reportedly fled after the shooting.
According to a news release, the final suspect, Patrick Marshall, 18, of St. Louis was identified and a warrant for his arrest was issued. Police were unable to locate him until he arrived at the Columbia Police Department with his attorney at approximately 1:55 p.m. Feb 16.
Each of the eight suspects was arrested on suspicion of second-degree murder and first-degree robbery, according to the release. All of the suspects voluntarily turned themselves in to CPD except for the Peal brothers who were captured by police in Jennings, Mo., near St. Louis. They are being held in the Boone County Jail awaiting trial, each with a bond set at $1 million, cash only.
The shooting happened the morning of Missouri's 99th Homecoming game against the Oklahoma Sooners. Trey Hobson still played in the game after receiving the news of his cousin's death.
CPD spokeswoman Jill Wieneke said Aaron Hobson was visiting Columbia from Kansas to see his cousin play.
According to the release, at approximately 1:15 a.m. the morning of Oct. 23, police were dispatched to the Break Time convenience store at 110 E. Nifong Blvd. because there were reports of people trespassing. Hobson was robbed before Daron Peal allegedly shot him. The other seven men, Tony Lewis, Leo Roland, Deshon Houston, Lee Carter, Anthony Carr, Patrick Marshall and Darris Peal, the shooter's brother, all reportedly fled after the shooting.
Monday, February 21, 2011
Marijuana packaged for sale found during Stadium traffic stop
A Boone County Sheriff’s Department officer found a Fulton man in possession of a large amount of marijuana prepared for sale, a sheriff’s department news release stated.
A traffic enforcement officer stopped a truck heading south on Stadium Boulevard because it had improper plates. One of the passengers, 24-year-old Gerald D. Wolfe had an active warrant stemming from a probation violation.
“The officer stopped the man because he had plates on his pickup truck that were for a passenger car,” sheriff’s department Sgt. Brian Leer said. “We can see these types of things simply from training and by looking at the sequence of numbers and letters that comprise the plate. Also the registration was a big clue.”
Upon searching the vehicle pertaining to Wolfe’s arrest, officers found several small bags of marijuana on Wolfe’s person, the news release stated. The bags were individually wrapped and sealed, indicating his intent to sell and distribute.
“It is common to see that if a suspect has the drugs broken down into smaller amounts that he or she intends to sell it,” Leer said.
The officer found more than 40 grams of marijuana, making it a felony. Leer said the exact amount was not yet available.
“We can tell pretty easily if a suspect has intent to distribute when we catch them for possession,” Leer said. “If the suspect is in possession of scales, or large sums of money, we usually know what they’re up to.”
Wolfe is being held in Boone County Jail. His bond was originally set at $25,000 for the outstanding warrant, but a judge handed down a separate $25,000 bond for the felony narcotics charge.
A traffic enforcement officer stopped a truck heading south on Stadium Boulevard because it had improper plates. One of the passengers, 24-year-old Gerald D. Wolfe had an active warrant stemming from a probation violation.
“The officer stopped the man because he had plates on his pickup truck that were for a passenger car,” sheriff’s department Sgt. Brian Leer said. “We can see these types of things simply from training and by looking at the sequence of numbers and letters that comprise the plate. Also the registration was a big clue.”
Upon searching the vehicle pertaining to Wolfe’s arrest, officers found several small bags of marijuana on Wolfe’s person, the news release stated. The bags were individually wrapped and sealed, indicating his intent to sell and distribute.
“It is common to see that if a suspect has the drugs broken down into smaller amounts that he or she intends to sell it,” Leer said.
The officer found more than 40 grams of marijuana, making it a felony. Leer said the exact amount was not yet available.
“We can tell pretty easily if a suspect has intent to distribute when we catch them for possession,” Leer said. “If the suspect is in possession of scales, or large sums of money, we usually know what they’re up to.”
Wolfe is being held in Boone County Jail. His bond was originally set at $25,000 for the outstanding warrant, but a judge handed down a separate $25,000 bond for the felony narcotics charge.
Ken-Flo and Griffin Dropping Down
Former lightweight contender Kenny “Ken Flo” Florian has decided to drop to the featherweight division at 145 pounds along with fellow lightweight, Tyson Griffin.
After losing his most recent lightweight title shot in 2009, Florian responded with submission victories over Clay Guida and Takanori Gomi. Florian won both by rear-naked choke. Florian is coming off of a decision loss to Gray Maynard, but according to his manager, Florian is moving down to go after José Aldo.
Florian, with the drop to 145 will have fought in every weight class except light heavyweight and heavyweight once he debuts. According to Florian’s manager, Malki Kawa, that debut could be in June or July.
Tyson Griffin, while not having fought in as many weight classes as Florian, will have an easier time adjusting to the weight change. Griffin debuted in the mixed martial arts world as a lightweight, but in his third professional fight, he cut to 145 and beat future WEC champ, Urijah Faber. A win over Faber in the featherweight class is as good as any because before the UFC-WEC merger, Faber was the longest reigning champion in WEC history.
Griffin is currently grinding through a three-fight losing streak, his latest defeat at the hands of Nik Lentz. Lentz, a virtual unknown, defeated Griffin by split decision. The bout was a non-televised under-card match at UFC 123, a step down for Griffin who has been featured on several main cards throughout his career with the UFC.
Florian has the chance at 145 to move quickly through the rankings and to become the number one contender. He will have a huge experience advantage over many of his upcoming opponents. The featherweight division was a largely unpopular one before being included in the WEC when it began in 2001.
Griffin on the other hand, will not have as easy of a time fitting into the ranks of the featherweight elite. Currently, Griffin is sidelined with a torn meniscus in his knee and will have to rehab that extensively before he can even begin to train seriously. Admittedly, the UFC is rather thin at 145 so Griffin will find a place for himself, but don’t expect him to compete seriously with Florian, Aldo, Mark Hominick and Josh Grispi.
Expect for the featherweight division to welcome many veteran UFC lightweights who may have fallen off the wagon late in their careers. Famous faces like Takanori Gomi, and Joe “Daddy” Stevenson, who have experienced some recent hardships at lightweight, could make their way down to featherweight in the future. Even Clay Guida, who is doing well at this point in his career, could make the switch in the future due to the fact that he is an undersized lightweight, and has incredible drive.
The featherweight division in the UFC isn’t even half a year old and already is stirring up a lot of attention and excitement. Looks like José Aldo may want to step up his training.
After losing his most recent lightweight title shot in 2009, Florian responded with submission victories over Clay Guida and Takanori Gomi. Florian won both by rear-naked choke. Florian is coming off of a decision loss to Gray Maynard, but according to his manager, Florian is moving down to go after José Aldo.
Florian, with the drop to 145 will have fought in every weight class except light heavyweight and heavyweight once he debuts. According to Florian’s manager, Malki Kawa, that debut could be in June or July.
Tyson Griffin, while not having fought in as many weight classes as Florian, will have an easier time adjusting to the weight change. Griffin debuted in the mixed martial arts world as a lightweight, but in his third professional fight, he cut to 145 and beat future WEC champ, Urijah Faber. A win over Faber in the featherweight class is as good as any because before the UFC-WEC merger, Faber was the longest reigning champion in WEC history.
Griffin is currently grinding through a three-fight losing streak, his latest defeat at the hands of Nik Lentz. Lentz, a virtual unknown, defeated Griffin by split decision. The bout was a non-televised under-card match at UFC 123, a step down for Griffin who has been featured on several main cards throughout his career with the UFC.
Florian has the chance at 145 to move quickly through the rankings and to become the number one contender. He will have a huge experience advantage over many of his upcoming opponents. The featherweight division was a largely unpopular one before being included in the WEC when it began in 2001.
Griffin on the other hand, will not have as easy of a time fitting into the ranks of the featherweight elite. Currently, Griffin is sidelined with a torn meniscus in his knee and will have to rehab that extensively before he can even begin to train seriously. Admittedly, the UFC is rather thin at 145 so Griffin will find a place for himself, but don’t expect him to compete seriously with Florian, Aldo, Mark Hominick and Josh Grispi.
Expect for the featherweight division to welcome many veteran UFC lightweights who may have fallen off the wagon late in their careers. Famous faces like Takanori Gomi, and Joe “Daddy” Stevenson, who have experienced some recent hardships at lightweight, could make their way down to featherweight in the future. Even Clay Guida, who is doing well at this point in his career, could make the switch in the future due to the fact that he is an undersized lightweight, and has incredible drive.
The featherweight division in the UFC isn’t even half a year old and already is stirring up a lot of attention and excitement. Looks like José Aldo may want to step up his training.
Wednesday, February 16, 2011
Missouri wrestling closes out regular season with win over Iowa State
The Missouri Tigers wrestling squad completed its regular season in its final duals match against the visiting Iowa State Cyclones Sunday.
As is tradition, the final home meet of the season was declared Senior Day. The three Missouri seniors, Luke Cherep, Tyler Perry and Todd Schavrien were honored for their contributions to the Missouri wrestling program before the meet began. In appropriate fashion, the Tigers closed out the meet with a win by Schavrien, helping the Tigers to an impressive 23-11 victory.
“I teared up a bit before the meet when I walked out with my parents,” Schavrien said. “It hurts to leave it all behind. I’m going to take some time with my family, reflect on my great experience here and then I have to focus and get ready for my next match.”
Missouri won consecutive matches to start off the meet with a 6-0 lead. The first defeat came in the first ranked matchup of the afternoon with No. 9 freshman Zach Toal facing No. 8 Andrew Sorenson. With the score tied at 3-3 going into the final period, Sorenson started on the bottom and earned an escape. Shortly after, Sorenson got the takedown to seal the victory for the Cyclones, making the final score 7-3 after adding a bonus point for riding time.
“We need to score more takedowns,” coach Brian Smith said. “If Zach had gotten that first takedown I think he could’ve gone on to win it. As a team we need to work on getting takedowns.”
The next match saw No. 20 Dorian Henderson take on top ranked Jonathan Reader. At the close of the match, Reader had scored four near falls worth a total of eight points. He went on to win the match 17-0 and was awarded a five-point technical fall victory.
Possibly the most exciting match of the afternoon was between No. 15 Mike Larson and unranked Cole Shafer.
“I had faced him before so I knew what he was going to come at me with,” Larson said.
Late in the second period Larson was down 2-1, but earned an escape to make it even at 2-2. At the start of the final period, Larson scored a takedown and Shafer escaped putting the score at 4-3. Larson held on for the win, adding three more points to Missouri’s cause to make the team score 9-8 in Missouri’s favor.
“I felt like I was better conditioned for this match than he was,” Larson said. “Also, I knew he had good throws so I wanted to stay off my feet and get him to the ground. It wasn’t easy because he stuffed a lot of my shots.”
In the 125-pound match, Alan Waters claimed his 36th victory of the season with a major decision over Brandon Jones. He went on the win the match 19-7.
The final match of the day was, fittingly, No. 12 Schavrien up against No. 15 Chris Drouin. Heading into the final period, Schavrien held the lead at 1-0. Drouin escaped a takedown to tie the score at one with only one minute left in the third. Schavrien earned a takedown with just 12 seconds left to claim his final win at the Hearnes Center.
“Coming to Missouri was the best decision I have ever made in my life,” he said. “All of the people I have met in and out of wrestling have made this such a wonderful experience and I am so thankful for all of it.”
The Tigers next head to Ames, Iowa for the Big 12 Championship on March 5.
As is tradition, the final home meet of the season was declared Senior Day. The three Missouri seniors, Luke Cherep, Tyler Perry and Todd Schavrien were honored for their contributions to the Missouri wrestling program before the meet began. In appropriate fashion, the Tigers closed out the meet with a win by Schavrien, helping the Tigers to an impressive 23-11 victory.
“I teared up a bit before the meet when I walked out with my parents,” Schavrien said. “It hurts to leave it all behind. I’m going to take some time with my family, reflect on my great experience here and then I have to focus and get ready for my next match.”
Missouri won consecutive matches to start off the meet with a 6-0 lead. The first defeat came in the first ranked matchup of the afternoon with No. 9 freshman Zach Toal facing No. 8 Andrew Sorenson. With the score tied at 3-3 going into the final period, Sorenson started on the bottom and earned an escape. Shortly after, Sorenson got the takedown to seal the victory for the Cyclones, making the final score 7-3 after adding a bonus point for riding time.
“We need to score more takedowns,” coach Brian Smith said. “If Zach had gotten that first takedown I think he could’ve gone on to win it. As a team we need to work on getting takedowns.”
The next match saw No. 20 Dorian Henderson take on top ranked Jonathan Reader. At the close of the match, Reader had scored four near falls worth a total of eight points. He went on to win the match 17-0 and was awarded a five-point technical fall victory.
Possibly the most exciting match of the afternoon was between No. 15 Mike Larson and unranked Cole Shafer.
“I had faced him before so I knew what he was going to come at me with,” Larson said.
Late in the second period Larson was down 2-1, but earned an escape to make it even at 2-2. At the start of the final period, Larson scored a takedown and Shafer escaped putting the score at 4-3. Larson held on for the win, adding three more points to Missouri’s cause to make the team score 9-8 in Missouri’s favor.
“I felt like I was better conditioned for this match than he was,” Larson said. “Also, I knew he had good throws so I wanted to stay off my feet and get him to the ground. It wasn’t easy because he stuffed a lot of my shots.”
In the 125-pound match, Alan Waters claimed his 36th victory of the season with a major decision over Brandon Jones. He went on the win the match 19-7.
The final match of the day was, fittingly, No. 12 Schavrien up against No. 15 Chris Drouin. Heading into the final period, Schavrien held the lead at 1-0. Drouin escaped a takedown to tie the score at one with only one minute left in the third. Schavrien earned a takedown with just 12 seconds left to claim his final win at the Hearnes Center.
“Coming to Missouri was the best decision I have ever made in my life,” he said. “All of the people I have met in and out of wrestling have made this such a wonderful experience and I am so thankful for all of it.”
The Tigers next head to Ames, Iowa for the Big 12 Championship on March 5.
Sunday, February 13, 2011
The Pitbull- Ready to Bite?
The Pitbull is having a rough time of things these days. I, of course, am not talking about Michael Vick’s lovable buddies but former UFC Heavyweight Champion Andrei Arlovski.
He was awarded a shot at the UFC’s Interim Heavyweight title in 2005 when then-champ Frank Mir was injured in a motorcycle accident. Arlovski beat Tim Sylvia, who had then only lost one fight in his career, to take the Interim Heavyweight Championship. He then defended it in consecutive bouts, knocking out Paul Buentello before the fight reached the 30 second mark.
He was promoted to Undisputed Heavyweight Champion in late 2005 after Frank Mir was unable to recover in time to defend his title. Shortly after, he lost a rematch and rubber match to Sylvia, relinquishing his title.
The former champ is currently riding a three-fight losing streak. Fans of The Pitbull shouldn’t worry because all of his last three opponents are at the top of the sport. The first loss came as a knockout from Fedor Emelianenko, a fight in which Arlovski broke out to an early lead. He eventually succumbed to the intense pressure of Fedor and was knocked out in one of the most memorable finishes in MMA.
The next, against the behemoth Brett Rogers, ended in an embarrassing TKO loss where Arlovski only landed three total strikes before being pounded to the mat. The knockout was the sixth that Arlovski has suffered in his career. At only 32, Arlovski’s biggest growing concern is just to stay conscious.
The Pitbull did just that in his latest fight, but lost by unanimous decision to Antonio “Bigfoot” Silva. Arlovski showed that he had a stout chin in the bout as he absorbed knockout blow after knockout blow without going out.
While Arlovski has come across some tough times, he is set to face off with Sergei Kharitonov in the Strikeforce Heavyweight Tournament, which contains some of the sport’s elite. Simply the fact that he was selected, alongside Fedor Emelianenko, Brett Rogers, Antonio Silva, Josh Barnett, and current champ, Alistair Overeem, is a nod to his skill in itself.
Many argue that this tournament is set up simply to force a rematch between Fedor and Werdum, or a showdown between Fedor and Overeem. I am one of the many who agree with this view but I also think it was set up to offer a chance for some older names to renew their careers. Josh Barnett, who won the UFC Heavyweight crown in 2002, fell from grace after testing positive for steroids several times throughout his career. Brett Rogers was on a hot streak before he lost back-to-back title shots for two different organizations. Then, there is Arlovski to consider.
Andrei Arlovski has the easiest route to the championship in the upcoming tournament. While no path in such a start studded tournament can be called “easy,” Arlovski faces the most unknown name in the field in Kharitonov, and is on track to face the winner of Barnett vs. Rogers.
An overall win in this tournament would give the winner the most prestige and publicity since the Grand Prix days of Pride. Even if Arlovski can’t manage to win it all, getting to the final would be enough to resurrect his illustrious career. If he loses in the final to Overeem or Fedor, he wouldn’t lose any respect because, let’s face it: who can legitimately beat these two monsters?
If Arlovski gets to the final Against Silva, or Werdum, he has a real shot to win as he has already beaten Werdum and went three hard rounds with Silva. It is a very real possibility that if Fedor and Overeem get upset, Andrei “The Pitbull” Arlovski could be the Heavyweight Champion once again.
He was awarded a shot at the UFC’s Interim Heavyweight title in 2005 when then-champ Frank Mir was injured in a motorcycle accident. Arlovski beat Tim Sylvia, who had then only lost one fight in his career, to take the Interim Heavyweight Championship. He then defended it in consecutive bouts, knocking out Paul Buentello before the fight reached the 30 second mark.
He was promoted to Undisputed Heavyweight Champion in late 2005 after Frank Mir was unable to recover in time to defend his title. Shortly after, he lost a rematch and rubber match to Sylvia, relinquishing his title.
The former champ is currently riding a three-fight losing streak. Fans of The Pitbull shouldn’t worry because all of his last three opponents are at the top of the sport. The first loss came as a knockout from Fedor Emelianenko, a fight in which Arlovski broke out to an early lead. He eventually succumbed to the intense pressure of Fedor and was knocked out in one of the most memorable finishes in MMA.
The next, against the behemoth Brett Rogers, ended in an embarrassing TKO loss where Arlovski only landed three total strikes before being pounded to the mat. The knockout was the sixth that Arlovski has suffered in his career. At only 32, Arlovski’s biggest growing concern is just to stay conscious.
The Pitbull did just that in his latest fight, but lost by unanimous decision to Antonio “Bigfoot” Silva. Arlovski showed that he had a stout chin in the bout as he absorbed knockout blow after knockout blow without going out.
While Arlovski has come across some tough times, he is set to face off with Sergei Kharitonov in the Strikeforce Heavyweight Tournament, which contains some of the sport’s elite. Simply the fact that he was selected, alongside Fedor Emelianenko, Brett Rogers, Antonio Silva, Josh Barnett, and current champ, Alistair Overeem, is a nod to his skill in itself.
Many argue that this tournament is set up simply to force a rematch between Fedor and Werdum, or a showdown between Fedor and Overeem. I am one of the many who agree with this view but I also think it was set up to offer a chance for some older names to renew their careers. Josh Barnett, who won the UFC Heavyweight crown in 2002, fell from grace after testing positive for steroids several times throughout his career. Brett Rogers was on a hot streak before he lost back-to-back title shots for two different organizations. Then, there is Arlovski to consider.
Andrei Arlovski has the easiest route to the championship in the upcoming tournament. While no path in such a start studded tournament can be called “easy,” Arlovski faces the most unknown name in the field in Kharitonov, and is on track to face the winner of Barnett vs. Rogers.
An overall win in this tournament would give the winner the most prestige and publicity since the Grand Prix days of Pride. Even if Arlovski can’t manage to win it all, getting to the final would be enough to resurrect his illustrious career. If he loses in the final to Overeem or Fedor, he wouldn’t lose any respect because, let’s face it: who can legitimately beat these two monsters?
If Arlovski gets to the final Against Silva, or Werdum, he has a real shot to win as he has already beaten Werdum and went three hard rounds with Silva. It is a very real possibility that if Fedor and Overeem get upset, Andrei “The Pitbull” Arlovski could be the Heavyweight Champion once again.
Thursday, February 10, 2011
Nebraska upsets Missouri wrestling squad
The No. 7 Missouri Tigers wrestling team fell to the No. 16 Nebraska Cornhuskers on Sunday, 17-16. The Cornhuskers came into Sunday’s contest with a 10-3 dual record, where Missouri stood at 14-5.
When Missouri senior captain Todd Schavrien took the mat, the team score was tied at three. Ninth-ranked Schavrien, who puts a lot of emphasis on team, tried his best to score more points for the Tiger wrestling squad.
“I like to score team points, obviously, because it is a big victory for the team, but I figure I owe it to coach,” he said. “He has taught me so much and has been like a father to me on and off the mat.”
At the start of the third period, Schavrien scored a takedown, pushing the score to 6-0. Schavrien intentionally allowed opponent Mike Koehnlein to get up, scoring a one-point escape so he could get another take down to get a major decision and earn the Tigers four team points. He did just that to close out the match with an 11-1 victory after holding his opponent to the mat for a near fall.
“It’s my mindset to control the match,” he said. “It doesn’t matter if my opponent is ranked above, below or at all. I just go out and try and score as many points as possible and stick to my game plan.”
With the Schavrien major decision, Missouri took the total lead 7-3. The next match was a close decision between freshman Kyle Bradley and Ross Grande. Neither of the fighters were ranked coming into the bout and it was an unexpected thriller that extended into sudden death overtime. The match saw Bradley victorious 8-6.
“Going into overtime, I wasn’t worried at all,” Bradley said. “Coach drills us a lot in practice preparing for overtime.”
The third round began with Bradley in the lead 4-2. Bradley chose to start on the bottom, even though he had the lead.
“I’m a lot more comfortable starting down,” he said. “My plan was to get the easy escape point and work from there.”
In the closing seconds of regulation, Grande worked on the ground to earn top position. He was awarded a two-point takedown, tying the score at 6.
“As I walked onto the mat for overtime I heard coach yell, ‘Takedown gets the win,’ so I knew what I had to do,” Bradley said.
Eleventh-ranked Missouri junior Zach Toal squared off with defending national champion and first-ranked Jordan Burroughs after intermission. The most intriguing matchup was a one-sided defeat for Toal.
The final match score came to 27-11 in favor of Burroughs. All of Toal’s points came by way of Burrough’s intention. The win scored a five point technical fall for Nebraska, putting the Cornhuskers in the lead with eleven team points to ten for Missouri.
The final match of the day saw the team score at 13-17 in Nebraska’s favor. Third-ranked Dom Bradley entered the mat to face eleventh-ranked Tucker Lane in the second of the day’s intriguing matchups.
In the closing seconds, Lane took Bradley to the mat, tying the score at four. Bradley managed to wrestle his way to his feet, avoiding the tie-up and earning the win with a one-point escape.
The Tigers fell short by one point, with a final score of 17-16, in favor of the Cornhuskers.
“This isn’t a step back for us,” coach Brian Smith said. “Battles like these happen in the Big 12 and we have to be ready to wrestle for all 7 minutes.”
When Missouri senior captain Todd Schavrien took the mat, the team score was tied at three. Ninth-ranked Schavrien, who puts a lot of emphasis on team, tried his best to score more points for the Tiger wrestling squad.
“I like to score team points, obviously, because it is a big victory for the team, but I figure I owe it to coach,” he said. “He has taught me so much and has been like a father to me on and off the mat.”
At the start of the third period, Schavrien scored a takedown, pushing the score to 6-0. Schavrien intentionally allowed opponent Mike Koehnlein to get up, scoring a one-point escape so he could get another take down to get a major decision and earn the Tigers four team points. He did just that to close out the match with an 11-1 victory after holding his opponent to the mat for a near fall.
“It’s my mindset to control the match,” he said. “It doesn’t matter if my opponent is ranked above, below or at all. I just go out and try and score as many points as possible and stick to my game plan.”
With the Schavrien major decision, Missouri took the total lead 7-3. The next match was a close decision between freshman Kyle Bradley and Ross Grande. Neither of the fighters were ranked coming into the bout and it was an unexpected thriller that extended into sudden death overtime. The match saw Bradley victorious 8-6.
“Going into overtime, I wasn’t worried at all,” Bradley said. “Coach drills us a lot in practice preparing for overtime.”
The third round began with Bradley in the lead 4-2. Bradley chose to start on the bottom, even though he had the lead.
“I’m a lot more comfortable starting down,” he said. “My plan was to get the easy escape point and work from there.”
In the closing seconds of regulation, Grande worked on the ground to earn top position. He was awarded a two-point takedown, tying the score at 6.
“As I walked onto the mat for overtime I heard coach yell, ‘Takedown gets the win,’ so I knew what I had to do,” Bradley said.
Eleventh-ranked Missouri junior Zach Toal squared off with defending national champion and first-ranked Jordan Burroughs after intermission. The most intriguing matchup was a one-sided defeat for Toal.
The final match score came to 27-11 in favor of Burroughs. All of Toal’s points came by way of Burrough’s intention. The win scored a five point technical fall for Nebraska, putting the Cornhuskers in the lead with eleven team points to ten for Missouri.
The final match of the day saw the team score at 13-17 in Nebraska’s favor. Third-ranked Dom Bradley entered the mat to face eleventh-ranked Tucker Lane in the second of the day’s intriguing matchups.
In the closing seconds, Lane took Bradley to the mat, tying the score at four. Bradley managed to wrestle his way to his feet, avoiding the tie-up and earning the win with a one-point escape.
The Tigers fell short by one point, with a final score of 17-16, in favor of the Cornhuskers.
“This isn’t a step back for us,” coach Brian Smith said. “Battles like these happen in the Big 12 and we have to be ready to wrestle for all 7 minutes.”
The Brazilian Impact
MMA fans across the world know its origins. They know the name that began it all: Gracie. The importance of Brazilians to MMA is clear, they began it with Vale Tudo, and continue to dominate the sport they helped make.
One of the most prominent Brazilian contributions to modern MMA is the art of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. The ability for a fighter to win from off of his back can completely turn the fight around. In a random coincidence as I wrote this, I watched Nate Diaz getting pummeled on the ground by Kurt Pellegrino, only to catch him in a triangle choke seconds later and win the fight. BJJ may be the most useful skill for any fighter because it allows the fighter to never really get caught in a bad position.
In Strikeforce, two of the five men’s champions are Brazilian, and one of the two women’s champions hails from the unofficial land of the fighter. One of these men’s champions is Ronaldo “Jacaré” Souza. Jacaré is 14-2 with one no contest and the owner of black belts in BJJ and Judo. 11 of his 14 victories have come by way of submission, one of the most important aspects of BJJ. Jacaré made his first successful title defense against Robbie Lawler on Jan 29 at Strikeforce: Diaz vs. Cyborg.
While not a champion, Brazilian grappler Fabricio Werdum is considered a notable Strikeforce fighter after upsetting MMA behemoth Fedor Emelianenko. Fedor was, at the time, considered the best fighter in the world and largely unbeatable. Werdum and fellow Brazilian Antonio Silva are scheduled to participate in Strikeforce’s upcoming heavyweight grand prix that involves Fedor and current champion, Alistair Overeem.
The Pride Fighting Championships, or just Pride as it is better known, was where most of the notable fighters in the UFC got their start. Fighters like Wanderlei Silva, Antonio Noguira, Shogun Rua, Vitor Belfort and Anderson Silva all came from the Japanese fighting promotion to the UFC when it was bought out by Zuffa in 2005.
In the UFC, Brazilian fighters are the defending champions in three of the seven weight classes---two having been added with the UFC-WEC merger. Anderson Silva, the UFC’s current middleweight champion, has defended his title a record seven straight times, and is on a record 12-fight win streak. The UFC’s light heavyweight champion, Shogun Rua won the title from fellow Brazilian Lyoto Machida and will prepare for his first defense on March 19 versus Rashad Evans.
There are also a number of Brazilian fighters in contention for the title in their respective weight classes. Junior Dos Santos is set to face Brock Lesnar for the chance to challenge Cain Velasquez for the heavyweight title, Vitor Belfort fights Anderson Silva for the middleweight title on Feb 5 and Thiago Silva is beginning to move his way up the light heavyweight ranks after a win over Brandon Vera.
American born fighters make up more than half of the UFC’s roster, but Brazilians are the next highest nationality signed by the UFC. Currently, there are 34 fighters of Brazilian origin on the UFC’s roster.
With so much success over the lifetime of MMA, one has to wonder: what is it they’re putting in the water over there?
One of the most prominent Brazilian contributions to modern MMA is the art of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. The ability for a fighter to win from off of his back can completely turn the fight around. In a random coincidence as I wrote this, I watched Nate Diaz getting pummeled on the ground by Kurt Pellegrino, only to catch him in a triangle choke seconds later and win the fight. BJJ may be the most useful skill for any fighter because it allows the fighter to never really get caught in a bad position.
In Strikeforce, two of the five men’s champions are Brazilian, and one of the two women’s champions hails from the unofficial land of the fighter. One of these men’s champions is Ronaldo “Jacaré” Souza. Jacaré is 14-2 with one no contest and the owner of black belts in BJJ and Judo. 11 of his 14 victories have come by way of submission, one of the most important aspects of BJJ. Jacaré made his first successful title defense against Robbie Lawler on Jan 29 at Strikeforce: Diaz vs. Cyborg.
While not a champion, Brazilian grappler Fabricio Werdum is considered a notable Strikeforce fighter after upsetting MMA behemoth Fedor Emelianenko. Fedor was, at the time, considered the best fighter in the world and largely unbeatable. Werdum and fellow Brazilian Antonio Silva are scheduled to participate in Strikeforce’s upcoming heavyweight grand prix that involves Fedor and current champion, Alistair Overeem.
The Pride Fighting Championships, or just Pride as it is better known, was where most of the notable fighters in the UFC got their start. Fighters like Wanderlei Silva, Antonio Noguira, Shogun Rua, Vitor Belfort and Anderson Silva all came from the Japanese fighting promotion to the UFC when it was bought out by Zuffa in 2005.
In the UFC, Brazilian fighters are the defending champions in three of the seven weight classes---two having been added with the UFC-WEC merger. Anderson Silva, the UFC’s current middleweight champion, has defended his title a record seven straight times, and is on a record 12-fight win streak. The UFC’s light heavyweight champion, Shogun Rua won the title from fellow Brazilian Lyoto Machida and will prepare for his first defense on March 19 versus Rashad Evans.
There are also a number of Brazilian fighters in contention for the title in their respective weight classes. Junior Dos Santos is set to face Brock Lesnar for the chance to challenge Cain Velasquez for the heavyweight title, Vitor Belfort fights Anderson Silva for the middleweight title on Feb 5 and Thiago Silva is beginning to move his way up the light heavyweight ranks after a win over Brandon Vera.
American born fighters make up more than half of the UFC’s roster, but Brazilians are the next highest nationality signed by the UFC. Currently, there are 34 fighters of Brazilian origin on the UFC’s roster.
With so much success over the lifetime of MMA, one has to wonder: what is it they’re putting in the water over there?
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
