The Missouri Tigers are sending a team-record nine wrestlers to the NCAA Championship in Philadelphia this weekend, as they hope to claim their highest team ranking in history.
The overall mark to beat is third place. The Tigers sent eight grapplers in 2007 when they achieved that mark. Coach Brian Smith said he feels the team has a real shot to have another wrestler join the illustrious ranks of Missouri National Champions.
“This is a young team that has matured,” he said. “We have competed against the best teams all across the nation, and we’re really looking forward to the weekend.”
The Tigers are indeed a young team with freshman Alan Waters as one of their best wrestlers. The No. 10-seeded Waters compiled a 38-5 record in his inaugural season. Big tournaments are nothing new to the four-time Missouri state champion.
“I’ve been in a lot of big tournaments all my life,” he said. “The NCAAs are just a huge step up in competition for me.”
Being the only senior starter on the roster, captain and No. 10-seeded Todd Schavrien leads the Tigers into the NCAA Championship with a record of 26-6. He said because this is his last tournament as a Tiger, it brings out a lot of emotion.
“I could name 20 (emotions),” he said. “This is my last chance at something I’ve wanted my whole life. I just try not to think about it and focus on winning.”
Schavrien transferred from Arizona State University in 2008 and started competing for the Tigers in the 2008-2009 season. Originally from Poway, Calif., Schavrien finished in first place at the Big 12 Championship in Ames, Iowa this season. He and junior heavyweight Dom Bradley were the lone top finishers for the Tigers in the tournament.
Bradley is the first heavyweight in Missouri history to finish in first place at the Big 12 Championship. He is the top-seeded wrestler for Missouri with a five seed. If Bradley can claim the National Championship in the heavyweight division, he would be the second wrestler in Tiger history to do so.
“It would be bittersweet,” he said. “I’m going to seize the moment. I want it.”
Bradley heads into the NCAA Championship looking to improve on his performance at the Big 12 Championship.
“This season has meant a lot to me,” he said. “I’ve wrestled a lot of tough guys, and I know how to wrestle against the top three guys because I’ve seen them before.”
Bradley wrestled No. 1 seed Zach Rey at the Northeast Duals last November. He lost by majority decision.
Among the other Tigers competing at the NCAA Championship are redshirt freshman Zach Toal, sophomore Nathan McCormick, junior Dorian Henderson and sophomore Brent Haynes, all automatic qualifiers at the Big 12 Championship. Two more wrestlers, redshirt freshman Kyle Bradley and sophomore Mike Larson, were selected out of the 33 at-large bids into the tournament.
With so many possible National Champions, Smith said he was confident in his squad going into the tournament.
“We haven’t peaked yet,” he said. “We’ve still got a lot of potential that hasn’t been seen.”
Friday, March 18, 2011
Thursday, March 17, 2011
Bellator Season Four - Weekly Recap #2
“Pitbull”s fighting against “Razor”s, and Cupcakes being thrown into the cage, Bellator 36 had it all as it hosted its Lightweight Quarterfinal from Shreveport, Louisiana on Saturday.
The action kicked off as Michael Chandler squared off against Marcin Held. Held came into the fight, only 19 years old looking to end Chandler’s five-fight, undefeated streak. Held, though only 19 had much more professional experience under his belt, sporting his own 10-1 record. As an amateur, he posted a 25-0 record that began when he was just 16.
Held began the fight defensively, and rightly so. All of Chandler’s five wins had been by early stoppage. The fight quickly went to the ground, where Held attempted a kneebar. After some ground-and-pound from Chandler, Held attempted another kneebar, but Chandler quickly escaped. Chandler attempted to pound Held out, but the young fighter wouldn’t quit, attempting submission after submission. Patience proved to be the key, as Chandler sunk in an arm triangle choke at the 3:56 mark of the first round.
The next fight on the main card featured another undefeated fighter in Lloyd “Cupcake” Woodard. Woodard faced veteran Carey Vanier. The fight began with early clinch grappling and Vanier got the best of Woodard to start, but Cupcake would have the last laugh. He dropped Vanier with an early straight left in the second round. Woodard then attempted to get the sure finish by kimura but Vanier flipped back to his feet. Shortly thereafter, a knee to the body took him to the mat, and Cupcake finished him there with strikes for the TKO victory.
Toby Imada fought an unexpected opponent in Josh Shockley because his original opponent, Ferrid Kheder failed to make weight. The replacement occurred at the last possible minute. The fight ended very quickly when Shockley took the judo black belt, Imada to the ground. Imada locked up for an armbar and Shockley attempted to slam him to escape. The slam was accompanied by pained shouts from Shockley, and the referee stopped the fight due to verbal submission. It was unclear to what extent Shockley had damaged his arm.
The main event of the fight card featured ““Razor”” Rob McCullough against Patricky “““Pitbull””” Freire. “Pitbull”, the older brother of Bellator season 3 featherweight runner-up, Patricio Freire, took the fight in stunning fashion. He opened with a combination that pushed McCullough back. The former WEC Lightweight Champ, McCullough, got smashed to the mat and Freire mounted him. McCullough’s face bled badly, and he rolled over allowing Freire to take his back. Freire attempted to sink in a rear-naked choke, but McCullough escaped and rolled into “Pitbull”’s guard. “Pitbull” attempted an armbar so “Razor” backed up to his feet to end the first round.
The second round saw a lot of standup action from both fighters. McCullough continued to eat punches, but answered with a few kicks and punches of his own. Freiere, again mounted McCullough but was quickly rolled onto his back. McCullough threw hammerfists to end the round.
In the final round, McCullough landed several effective leg kicks that slowed “Pitbull” down. “Pitbull” countered with a right hook that sent “Razor” to the mat for good at 3:11 of the third round.
The action kicked off as Michael Chandler squared off against Marcin Held. Held came into the fight, only 19 years old looking to end Chandler’s five-fight, undefeated streak. Held, though only 19 had much more professional experience under his belt, sporting his own 10-1 record. As an amateur, he posted a 25-0 record that began when he was just 16.
Held began the fight defensively, and rightly so. All of Chandler’s five wins had been by early stoppage. The fight quickly went to the ground, where Held attempted a kneebar. After some ground-and-pound from Chandler, Held attempted another kneebar, but Chandler quickly escaped. Chandler attempted to pound Held out, but the young fighter wouldn’t quit, attempting submission after submission. Patience proved to be the key, as Chandler sunk in an arm triangle choke at the 3:56 mark of the first round.
The next fight on the main card featured another undefeated fighter in Lloyd “Cupcake” Woodard. Woodard faced veteran Carey Vanier. The fight began with early clinch grappling and Vanier got the best of Woodard to start, but Cupcake would have the last laugh. He dropped Vanier with an early straight left in the second round. Woodard then attempted to get the sure finish by kimura but Vanier flipped back to his feet. Shortly thereafter, a knee to the body took him to the mat, and Cupcake finished him there with strikes for the TKO victory.
Toby Imada fought an unexpected opponent in Josh Shockley because his original opponent, Ferrid Kheder failed to make weight. The replacement occurred at the last possible minute. The fight ended very quickly when Shockley took the judo black belt, Imada to the ground. Imada locked up for an armbar and Shockley attempted to slam him to escape. The slam was accompanied by pained shouts from Shockley, and the referee stopped the fight due to verbal submission. It was unclear to what extent Shockley had damaged his arm.
The main event of the fight card featured ““Razor”” Rob McCullough against Patricky “““Pitbull””” Freire. “Pitbull”, the older brother of Bellator season 3 featherweight runner-up, Patricio Freire, took the fight in stunning fashion. He opened with a combination that pushed McCullough back. The former WEC Lightweight Champ, McCullough, got smashed to the mat and Freire mounted him. McCullough’s face bled badly, and he rolled over allowing Freire to take his back. Freire attempted to sink in a rear-naked choke, but McCullough escaped and rolled into “Pitbull”’s guard. “Pitbull” attempted an armbar so “Razor” backed up to his feet to end the first round.
The second round saw a lot of standup action from both fighters. McCullough continued to eat punches, but answered with a few kicks and punches of his own. Freiere, again mounted McCullough but was quickly rolled onto his back. McCullough threw hammerfists to end the round.
In the final round, McCullough landed several effective leg kicks that slowed “Pitbull” down. “Pitbull” countered with a right hook that sent “Razor” to the mat for good at 3:11 of the third round.
Tuesday, March 8, 2011
Bellator Season Four - Weekly Recap #1
The Bellator Fighting Championships kicked off its season four welterweight tournament on Friday at the Tachi Palace Hotel and Casino in Lemoore, California, but not without controversy.
The first match of the night was between Brent Weedman and Dan Hornbuckle. Much of the fight was a ground affair. Weedman attempted submission after submission, almost catching Hornbuckle in a kimura and a leg lock. None of the rounds produced a clear winner, and Weedman escaped with a controversial unanimous decision. The crowd at the Tachi Palace Hotel and Casino did not agree with the judges, booing the decision from the moment it was handed down.
After the fight, Hornbuckle said that he was disappointed with the way the fight ended.
“When you leave the fight in the judges hands, and don’t clearly and indecisively win each round, some guys are tough to finish,” he said.
The next fight featured Rick Hawn and Jim Wallhead. The two black belt Judoka chose to keep the fight on their feet and exchange. The undefeated Hawn showed a vast array of strikes, absorbing very few from Wallhead in the process. Hawn won the fight by unanimous decision.
Former IFL Welterweight Champion Jay Hieron earned a very controversial submission victory over Bellator newcomer, Anthony Lapsley. The fight began with both fighters brawling and trading punches, but early in the first round, Hieron scored a takedown after catching Lapsley’s kick. After just three minutes and 39 seconds, Hieron sank in a rear-naked choke to end the fight. Referee Josh Rosenthal stopped the fight, even though Lapsley did not tap out. Rosenthal said he was visibly unconscious, but Lapsley immediately jumped up after the fight was called and protested.
The main event of the night saw former Bellator Welterweight Champion Lyman Good battle Chris Lozano. The fight saw both viciously attacking, neither backing down from the standup war. In the second round, after Lozano attempted a push kick, Good landed an overhand right to open a massive cut on Lozano’s eye. Lozano was unable to see for the remainder of the fight and lost by unanimous decision.
The welterweight tournament was whittled down to four on Friday. In the semi-finals, Hawn will take on Good and Weedman will fight Hieron. The winner of these two bouts will then fight for the right to challenge Ben “Funky” Askren for his welterweight title.
The first match of the night was between Brent Weedman and Dan Hornbuckle. Much of the fight was a ground affair. Weedman attempted submission after submission, almost catching Hornbuckle in a kimura and a leg lock. None of the rounds produced a clear winner, and Weedman escaped with a controversial unanimous decision. The crowd at the Tachi Palace Hotel and Casino did not agree with the judges, booing the decision from the moment it was handed down.
After the fight, Hornbuckle said that he was disappointed with the way the fight ended.
“When you leave the fight in the judges hands, and don’t clearly and indecisively win each round, some guys are tough to finish,” he said.
The next fight featured Rick Hawn and Jim Wallhead. The two black belt Judoka chose to keep the fight on their feet and exchange. The undefeated Hawn showed a vast array of strikes, absorbing very few from Wallhead in the process. Hawn won the fight by unanimous decision.
Former IFL Welterweight Champion Jay Hieron earned a very controversial submission victory over Bellator newcomer, Anthony Lapsley. The fight began with both fighters brawling and trading punches, but early in the first round, Hieron scored a takedown after catching Lapsley’s kick. After just three minutes and 39 seconds, Hieron sank in a rear-naked choke to end the fight. Referee Josh Rosenthal stopped the fight, even though Lapsley did not tap out. Rosenthal said he was visibly unconscious, but Lapsley immediately jumped up after the fight was called and protested.
The main event of the night saw former Bellator Welterweight Champion Lyman Good battle Chris Lozano. The fight saw both viciously attacking, neither backing down from the standup war. In the second round, after Lozano attempted a push kick, Good landed an overhand right to open a massive cut on Lozano’s eye. Lozano was unable to see for the remainder of the fight and lost by unanimous decision.
The welterweight tournament was whittled down to four on Friday. In the semi-finals, Hawn will take on Good and Weedman will fight Hieron. The winner of these two bouts will then fight for the right to challenge Ben “Funky” Askren for his welterweight title.
Tiger wrestling takes second at Big 12 Championship
Missouri had two grapplers take first in their respective weight classes. Senior captain Todd Schavrien and junior Dom Bradley both claimed Big 12 titles in the 141-pound and heavyweight classes respectfully.
Sophomore Nick Gregoris took second in the 157 pound weight class and redshirt freshmen Kyle Bradley took second at 149.
With the strong individual finishes, the Tigers earned seven of 33 possible automatic qualifying bids to the NCAA Championships. Among them were Alan Waters, Nathan McCormick, Todd Schavrien, Nick Gregoris, Zach Toal, Dorian Henderson, Brent Haynes and Dom Bradley.
Waters recorded a 2-1 finish on the day and earned a decision over Iowa State’s Brandon Jones. Waters earned a medical forfeit in his final match. Nathan McCormick also went 2-1 on the day with two decision victories.
Schavrien went a perfect 2-0 on Saturday with decision wins over Iowa State’s Chris Drouin, and Zack Bailey. He avenged his 9-6 loss to Bailey earlier in the season, and is only Missouri’s second champion at 141 pounds.
Bradley was seeded to take the no. 1 spot in the tournament and he did just that. Missouri’s first heavyweight champion at Big 12s went 2-0.
The NCAA Championships will take place in Philadelphia, Pa., beginning on March 17.
Sophomore Nick Gregoris took second in the 157 pound weight class and redshirt freshmen Kyle Bradley took second at 149.
With the strong individual finishes, the Tigers earned seven of 33 possible automatic qualifying bids to the NCAA Championships. Among them were Alan Waters, Nathan McCormick, Todd Schavrien, Nick Gregoris, Zach Toal, Dorian Henderson, Brent Haynes and Dom Bradley.
Waters recorded a 2-1 finish on the day and earned a decision over Iowa State’s Brandon Jones. Waters earned a medical forfeit in his final match. Nathan McCormick also went 2-1 on the day with two decision victories.
Schavrien went a perfect 2-0 on Saturday with decision wins over Iowa State’s Chris Drouin, and Zack Bailey. He avenged his 9-6 loss to Bailey earlier in the season, and is only Missouri’s second champion at 141 pounds.
Bradley was seeded to take the no. 1 spot in the tournament and he did just that. Missouri’s first heavyweight champion at Big 12s went 2-0.
The NCAA Championships will take place in Philadelphia, Pa., beginning on March 17.
Friday, March 4, 2011
Tiger wrestling travels to Iowa for Big 12 Championship
The No. 12 Missouri Tigers wrestling squad heads to Ames, Iowa this weekend to take on Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Nebraska and Iowa State in the Big 12 Championship at Hilton Coliseum.
The Big 12 Championship is always loaded with storylines, and this year is no different.
The top 50 wrestlers in the Big 12 conference will battle for the 33 qualifying NCAA Championship spots allotted to the conference. Ten of the 50 wrestlers are representing Missouri, and six of those 10 are newcomers to the Big 12 Championship.
Freshman Alan Waters, redshirt freshman Zach Toal and junior Dom Bradley lead the pack of talented Missouri wrestlers.
Toal, having already qualified for the NCAA Championships, has his biggest pressure out of the way, but will still compete in the tournament. At 165 pounds, Toal will square off with some of the best wrestlers in the country, a few of them coming from his own conference.
“The 165 weight class is absolutely stacked,” Missouri coach Brian Smith said.
Toal has a couple of tough challenges ahead of him in the Big 12 Championship. He has to work through Dallas Bailey of Oklahoma State, who he has already beaten twice, and tournament favorite and defending national champion Jordan Burroughs of Nebraska. Toal lost his first match of the season to Burroughs at home by technical fall.
“Jordan makes a lot of people not wrestle well,” Brian Smith said. “The 165 pound weight class is one of the best in the country, and he is at the top of it.”
Missouri faces a lot of tough competition in the four other teams at the Big 12 Championship. No. 3 Oklahoma State might be the toughest of the bunch.
“Dallas (Bailey) has only lost to quality opponents this year,” Oklahoma State coach John Smith said. “Zach is one of those quality opponents, but Dallas competes. He has good demeanor on the mat and can help our team out a lot.”
Oklahoma State is the favorite to win the tournament this year, as they did last year.
“I like the atmosphere in our program right now,” John Smith said. “I give a lot of credit to our two seniors, Clayton Foster and Neil Erisman, they were great leaders for us. I think for that reason you’ll see us at our best on Saturday.”
For Nebraska, another tough competitor, this will be its last Big 12 Championship because they are moving to the Big Ten Conference next season.
“We’re living in the moment right now,” Nebraska coach Mark Manning said. “We’re focused on what’s right in front of us, and that’s the Big 12 Championship. We want to leave the conference on a high note.”
Having the top-ranked wrestler, at one of the most difficult weight classes in the country, provides a high level of comfort for the Cornhuskers.
“I’m sure we will face these Big 12 teams again in the future, so our departure isn’t really that big of a deal,” Manning said.
The host of the tournament, Iowa State coach Kevin Jackson said the departure would affect the conference.
“I’m happy that we will continue as a four team conference,” Jackson said. “The decision to add teams is a bit higher than me at this point, but I’d like to add teams in the future.”
The tournament begins at 10 a.m. Saturday.
The Big 12 Championship is always loaded with storylines, and this year is no different.
The top 50 wrestlers in the Big 12 conference will battle for the 33 qualifying NCAA Championship spots allotted to the conference. Ten of the 50 wrestlers are representing Missouri, and six of those 10 are newcomers to the Big 12 Championship.
Freshman Alan Waters, redshirt freshman Zach Toal and junior Dom Bradley lead the pack of talented Missouri wrestlers.
Toal, having already qualified for the NCAA Championships, has his biggest pressure out of the way, but will still compete in the tournament. At 165 pounds, Toal will square off with some of the best wrestlers in the country, a few of them coming from his own conference.
“The 165 weight class is absolutely stacked,” Missouri coach Brian Smith said.
Toal has a couple of tough challenges ahead of him in the Big 12 Championship. He has to work through Dallas Bailey of Oklahoma State, who he has already beaten twice, and tournament favorite and defending national champion Jordan Burroughs of Nebraska. Toal lost his first match of the season to Burroughs at home by technical fall.
“Jordan makes a lot of people not wrestle well,” Brian Smith said. “The 165 pound weight class is one of the best in the country, and he is at the top of it.”
Missouri faces a lot of tough competition in the four other teams at the Big 12 Championship. No. 3 Oklahoma State might be the toughest of the bunch.
“Dallas (Bailey) has only lost to quality opponents this year,” Oklahoma State coach John Smith said. “Zach is one of those quality opponents, but Dallas competes. He has good demeanor on the mat and can help our team out a lot.”
Oklahoma State is the favorite to win the tournament this year, as they did last year.
“I like the atmosphere in our program right now,” John Smith said. “I give a lot of credit to our two seniors, Clayton Foster and Neil Erisman, they were great leaders for us. I think for that reason you’ll see us at our best on Saturday.”
For Nebraska, another tough competitor, this will be its last Big 12 Championship because they are moving to the Big Ten Conference next season.
“We’re living in the moment right now,” Nebraska coach Mark Manning said. “We’re focused on what’s right in front of us, and that’s the Big 12 Championship. We want to leave the conference on a high note.”
Having the top-ranked wrestler, at one of the most difficult weight classes in the country, provides a high level of comfort for the Cornhuskers.
“I’m sure we will face these Big 12 teams again in the future, so our departure isn’t really that big of a deal,” Manning said.
The host of the tournament, Iowa State coach Kevin Jackson said the departure would affect the conference.
“I’m happy that we will continue as a four team conference,” Jackson said. “The decision to add teams is a bit higher than me at this point, but I’d like to add teams in the future.”
The tournament begins at 10 a.m. Saturday.
Wednesday, March 2, 2011
Martin Kampmann - The Hitman Prepares to Strike
Martin “The Hitman” Kampmann has experienced some success since dropping from middleweight to welterweight in 2009 after a brutal defeat at the hands of Nate Marquardt, but he just cant seem to get over the hump in his career that is elite welterweights.
Kampmann has faced top competition at welterweight from the beginning. His second fight after stepping into the division, he faced three-time defending WEC Welterweight Champion Carlos Condit. The Hitman later was set to take on Mike Swick for the no. 1 contender spot, but Swick was forced out of the bout due to injury. Paul Daley stepped in for Swick and beat Kampmann by TKO. The bout was decided to not be for the no. 1 contender spot if Kampmann was not facing Swick.
Kampmann bounced back with two straight wins. The more notable of the two was a victory over Paulo Thiago, a fight where Vegas odds makers had him as an underdog. With the win streak, The Hitman clawed his way back to fighting for the no. 1 contender spot.
The fight to decide who would face Georges St-Pierre next for the welterweight title was announced to be between Kampmann and former Strikeforce Middleweight Champion Jake Shields on Oct 23, 2010 at UFC 121. The bout was Shields’s UFC debut, and his first at welterweight since 2008. The fight ended with a split decision in favor of Shields. Kampmann chose to try and prove that he could submit a solid wrestler like Shields, and abandoned his traditional striking style. Shields handled The Hitman well on the ground, passing his guard a total of 10 times, while landing four of his 15 takedown attempts.
Next in line for Kampmann is Diego Sanchez. Both of these two fighters are explosive strikers, and are both looking for a big win. Kampmann, with the win could launch himself into the race for no. 1 contender for the third time. Currently, Shields is set to face St-Pierre for the title at UFC 129 at the end of April, and next in line would be the winner of BJ Penn and Jon Fitch. Even if Kampmann does find himself fighting for the no. 1 contender again, his title shot will be a long time coming.
Kampmann has faced top competition at welterweight from the beginning. His second fight after stepping into the division, he faced three-time defending WEC Welterweight Champion Carlos Condit. The Hitman later was set to take on Mike Swick for the no. 1 contender spot, but Swick was forced out of the bout due to injury. Paul Daley stepped in for Swick and beat Kampmann by TKO. The bout was decided to not be for the no. 1 contender spot if Kampmann was not facing Swick.
Kampmann bounced back with two straight wins. The more notable of the two was a victory over Paulo Thiago, a fight where Vegas odds makers had him as an underdog. With the win streak, The Hitman clawed his way back to fighting for the no. 1 contender spot.
The fight to decide who would face Georges St-Pierre next for the welterweight title was announced to be between Kampmann and former Strikeforce Middleweight Champion Jake Shields on Oct 23, 2010 at UFC 121. The bout was Shields’s UFC debut, and his first at welterweight since 2008. The fight ended with a split decision in favor of Shields. Kampmann chose to try and prove that he could submit a solid wrestler like Shields, and abandoned his traditional striking style. Shields handled The Hitman well on the ground, passing his guard a total of 10 times, while landing four of his 15 takedown attempts.
Next in line for Kampmann is Diego Sanchez. Both of these two fighters are explosive strikers, and are both looking for a big win. Kampmann, with the win could launch himself into the race for no. 1 contender for the third time. Currently, Shields is set to face St-Pierre for the title at UFC 129 at the end of April, and next in line would be the winner of BJ Penn and Jon Fitch. Even if Kampmann does find himself fighting for the no. 1 contender again, his title shot will be a long time coming.
Diego Sanchez - A Nightmare Reborn
Diego “Nightmare” Sanchez’s career could be described as the nickname that represents him. Sanchez has had a lot of success throughout his career but has been inconsistent and has never really found a niche for himself in the UFC.
Sanchez won the middleweight contest on the first season of The Ultimate Fighter with a final victory over Kenny Florian. Prior to joining the cast on The Ultimate Fighter, he was working at UPS. While balancing time between work and training, he developed the idea that he could become a UFC Champion.
Shortly after winning a contract with the UFC as a middleweight, he dropped down to welterweight and beat a few big names. Nick Diaz, Karo Parysian and Joe Riggs all fell to the Nightmare. Sanchez knocked Riggs out with a spectacular knee at UFN 7, the first fight to be held on a U.S. military base. Sanchez was suspended after the fight for three months for failing a post-fight drug test, but continued as a fan favorite nonetheless.
After a dynamic start to his welterweight career, he began to fight against upper echelon welterweights. At this point, his career began to take a turn for the worst. Nightmare lost two consecutive welterweight bouts to top contenders Josh Koscheck and Jon Fitch.
After the two back-to-back decision losses, Sanchez chose to move to lightweight in 2008. The move marked Sanchez’s third weight class since entering the UFC in 2005.
Consistent with his dynamic start at welterweight, Sanchez won his first fight against Joe Stevenson and was awarded the fight of the night. Sanchez won the award despite bouts like Josh Koschek vs. Paulo Thiago, Demian Maia vs. Chael Sonnen, and Nate Marquart vs. Wilson Gouveia being on the same card. Nightmare continued his impressive start at lightweight by winning the fight of the year against the always exciting, Clay Guida.
The UFC was impressed with Sanchez’s consecutive wins at lightweight, and with such strong shows of heart in each bout, it was determined that he would face BJ Penn for the lightweight title at UFC 107. Sanchez fought hard through all five rounds and continued to do what he always had: compete. His drive and heart simply was not enough to overcome one of the sport’s best. BJ Penn opened up a massive gash on Sanchez’s hairline late in the fifth round with a head kick, and Sanchez was forced out of the bout.
Immediately after his loss to BJ Penn for the title, Sanchez bumped back up to welterweight. In his return to welterweight, Sanchez lost a decision to up and coming Brit, John Hathaway. He bounced back with a victory over Paulo Thiago and is heading into a bout with Martin Kampmann, one that will test his true presence in the welterweight division. In his quest for a division where he can consistently win, it looks like Sanchez will keep looking.
Sanchez won the middleweight contest on the first season of The Ultimate Fighter with a final victory over Kenny Florian. Prior to joining the cast on The Ultimate Fighter, he was working at UPS. While balancing time between work and training, he developed the idea that he could become a UFC Champion.
Shortly after winning a contract with the UFC as a middleweight, he dropped down to welterweight and beat a few big names. Nick Diaz, Karo Parysian and Joe Riggs all fell to the Nightmare. Sanchez knocked Riggs out with a spectacular knee at UFN 7, the first fight to be held on a U.S. military base. Sanchez was suspended after the fight for three months for failing a post-fight drug test, but continued as a fan favorite nonetheless.
After a dynamic start to his welterweight career, he began to fight against upper echelon welterweights. At this point, his career began to take a turn for the worst. Nightmare lost two consecutive welterweight bouts to top contenders Josh Koscheck and Jon Fitch.
After the two back-to-back decision losses, Sanchez chose to move to lightweight in 2008. The move marked Sanchez’s third weight class since entering the UFC in 2005.
Consistent with his dynamic start at welterweight, Sanchez won his first fight against Joe Stevenson and was awarded the fight of the night. Sanchez won the award despite bouts like Josh Koschek vs. Paulo Thiago, Demian Maia vs. Chael Sonnen, and Nate Marquart vs. Wilson Gouveia being on the same card. Nightmare continued his impressive start at lightweight by winning the fight of the year against the always exciting, Clay Guida.
The UFC was impressed with Sanchez’s consecutive wins at lightweight, and with such strong shows of heart in each bout, it was determined that he would face BJ Penn for the lightweight title at UFC 107. Sanchez fought hard through all five rounds and continued to do what he always had: compete. His drive and heart simply was not enough to overcome one of the sport’s best. BJ Penn opened up a massive gash on Sanchez’s hairline late in the fifth round with a head kick, and Sanchez was forced out of the bout.
Immediately after his loss to BJ Penn for the title, Sanchez bumped back up to welterweight. In his return to welterweight, Sanchez lost a decision to up and coming Brit, John Hathaway. He bounced back with a victory over Paulo Thiago and is heading into a bout with Martin Kampmann, one that will test his true presence in the welterweight division. In his quest for a division where he can consistently win, it looks like Sanchez will keep looking.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
