MFC 29 - Results & Analysis

I recently had the opportunity to cover MFC 29 for CageRadio. This is the write-up of the event as found on cageradio.com.

Drew Peterson’s MFC 29 results

Maximum Fighting Championship ventured to Windsor to hold its first ever event in Ontario. MFC, which had build its reputation by boasting notable fighters such as Jason Macdonald, Antony McKee, Ryan Jimmo, and other Canadian fan favourites, had put together a stellar card for their 29th event. Windsor was buzzing with anticipation as fans from all over packed their way into the sold out Caesars Coliseum. The event had created a stir in the MMA community by including former UFC standouts such as Marcus Davis, Hermes Franca, and Pete Sprat.

Ali Mokdad vs. Andreas Spang (Middleweight)

Mokdad entered the ring as the local fan favourite having the opportunity to fight for his home crowd, for the first time in his career. Mokdad looked impressive from the onset on the fight and immediately controlled the fight on the mat. It did not take long for Mokdad to finish his opponent, causing Spang to quickly tap.

Ali Mokdad wins by submission (rear-naked choke), at 1:35 the first round.

Demi Deeds vs. Pete Sprat (Welterweight)

The second fight of the night featured former TUF contestant Pete Sprat and rising prospect Demi Deeds. Deeds came out strong in the first round peppering Sprat with quick strikes, and controlling the cage: it looked like Sprat was going to be in for a long night. At the beginning of the second round Sprat came out rejuvenated looking more comfortable on his feet as the round progressed. Sprat connected with a hard shot taking the fight to the mat and eventually moving his way into mount position. From there Sprat quickly transitioned to an beautiful armbar submission. This uncharacteristic technique earned Sprat submission of the night honors.

Sprat wins by submission (armbar), at 4:19 of the second round.

Robert Washington vs. Hermes Franc (Lightwight)

Formed UFC title contender Hermes Franca came out looking for a fight… unfortunately it did not appear his opponent was willing to oblige. For the first round Franca chased Washington around the cage, looking to engage, becoming increasingly frustrated with Washington’s display of passivity. Eventually he began mocking him for the enjoyment of the crowd. In the second round Franca had enough, he came out with a flurry of punches that stopped the fight.

Franca wins by TKO (punches), at 0:29 of the second round.

Marcus Davis vs. Curtis Demarce (Lightweight)

Marcus Davis, coming off of two consecutive loses in the UFC, was looking to find a new home in MFCs lightweight division. From the opening bell to the closing seconds of the third rounds, the fighters scrapped it out in what was an all out brawl, battling on their feet as well as the ground. Davis was able to edge out the first round, and Demarce took the second. It came down to a deciding third round in which Davis was able to secure the victory with relentless pressure. Not the ideal comeback fight for Marcus, but it was enough to get him a mark in the ‘win’ column.

Davis wins by Split Decision (28-29, 30-27, 29-28)

Ryan Jimmo vs. Zak Cummings (Light Heavyweight)

This fight for the MFC Light Heavyweight title was the co-event main event of the evening featuring the organizations pride Ryan Jimmo, who was entering the fight with a 14 fight win streak. The fight was extremely uneventful for all five rounds, causing the Windsor fans to quickly turn on the fighters. At one point a fight broke out between spectators, capturing the attention of the arena over the ensuing bout. The fight consisted mainly of both fighters leaning against the cage for 25 minutes with little action. In the end Jimmo did enough to secure the victory, and maintain his win streak.

Jimmo wins by Unanimous Decision (50-45, 49-46, 50-45)

Terry Martin vs. Douglas Lima (Welterweight)

The main event of the evening, for the MFC welterweight title provided fans with a much needed boost of adrenaline. Both fighters came out trading punches at the onset on the fight. Lima rapidly began to gain the upper hand, landing more damaging shots to his opponent, eventually dropping Martin to the mat where he finished him with strikes, retaining his MFC title. This was a quick and decisive win for the champ which shows he will be a force to recon with in the welterweight division.

Lima wins by TKO (punches) at 1:14 of the first round.

--
Credit:
Drew Peterson
Joe Salmon
Cageradio.com

End of an era.

Once I Was A Champion (Trailer)

Article from JimRome.com using my video.

Sickest Kick For Last

The last card in WEC history ended with the sickest kick in MMA history. Yeah, I said it. It went down in the fifth round of the main event; Anthony Pettis v. Ben Henderson’ Check out Pettis’ taking flight, kicking off the cage and articulating Henderson’s face with his foot! Incredible! Normally, to see a kick like that, you have to be playing Street Fighter 2…or watching Neo Wax an agent in the matrix… or you scored a ticket to the Koomatay and you’re witnessing Frank Dux jump kick Chong Li. A bout 12 straight times. But not anymore. Not after seeing Pettis paint some Van Dammage right across Henderson’s chin. And best of all, was seeing Pettis give it the old 45 shoulder shrug afterwards saying it’s no big thing at all; “We practice it all the time. Just having fun in the cage…I’ve got ten more of those kicks coming. I’ll do them in the UFC.” Oh yeah. Most dudes can’t execute a kick like that without wires, CGI or a stunt double, much less in a fight. And now that he has JCVD down, he should expand his repertoire; work up a Chuck Norris round house kick…then a Jackie Chan goofy dive between the legs, and blast you in the groin move. And a Jet Li double kick. Or a Steven Seagal double double, grilled onions, add ketchup.

Either way memo to the guy who thinks MMA is nothing but a couple of dudes rolling around on a mat for 5 rounds; there’s a new action star coming to the UFC and his name is Anthony Pettis.

UFC 123 Predictions & Analysis

Joe Lauzon (+180) vs. George Sotiropoulos (-230)
Seriously tough fight to call in my opinion. George Sotiropoulos is undefeated in the UFC after coming off The Ultimate Fighter, and he has some good wins over tough opponents. Joe Lauzon has a couple of tough losses, but looked really good in his last fight. Lauzon’s losses are against some tough competition, and I think he has the octagon experience to pull of the upset. I don’t see G.S. submitting Lauzon in this one. Risky and unpopular pick, but I have to go with creepy Joe.. I’m surprised Sotiropoulos is favored in this fight to be honest.

Lauzon via Unanimous Dec.

Tim Boetsch (+400) vs. Phil Davis (-550)
Fan favorite Tim Boetsch is back again after racking up some wins in smaller promotions, and a unanimous decision victory at UFC 117. He has his hands full tonight though. Phil Davis is undefeated
and looking to continue his winning ways. Put simply... he will... dominantly.

Davis via Unanimous Dec.

Maiquel Falcao (+220) vs. Gerald Harris (-280)
Gerald Harris is on a 10 fight win streak and has serious power in his hands. Falcao is Brazilian fighter out of chute boxe who has a few TKO wins of his own. He is making his UFC debut, which is always tough. Couple that with Harris’s heavy hands and it makes for a rough night. No matter who comes out on top, expect some fireworks.

Harris via TKO ***

Matt Hughes (+160) vs. BJ Penn (-200)
This fight has been a long time in the making. Each fighter owns a win apiece in this trilogy bout. This fight breaks down pretty easily in my opinion, and I am shocked by the vegas odds in this one. BJ Penn is coming off of consecutive losses in the lightweight division, and is hungry for a win. Hughes has been looking great recently and when you look at his record his only losses come at the hands of the current champion and a monster (and overweight) Thiago Alves. BJ Penn has never looked very impressive to me at welterweight, and his cardio is always up for question. You simply can not say the same thing about Matt Hughes. Look for Matt to put him on the ground quickly and avoid submissions all night. Hughes himself says he cannot see himself finishing Penn in a 3 round fight, and I agree. Hughes may possibly lose the first round, but that’s it.

Hughes via Unanimous Dec.

Quinton Jackson (+185) Lyoto Machida (-235)
This is a pivotal fight for Quinton (Rampage) Jackson, it will determine where he belongs in the UFC’s light-heavyweight division. Is he a top contender, or destined to be the gatekeeper for the rest of his career. Everybody knows that Rampage has power, but Machida’s striking is just too sophisticated for him. Look for Machida to frustrate Jackson early in the fight, and throw Rampage off of his game. This fight looks like a more dominant and clear cut version of Jackson vs. Griffin. Rampage failing to find his timing and being slowly picked apart.

Machida via Unanimous Dec.

SPIKE PRELIMS

Aaron Simpson (+105) vs. Mark Muñoz (-135)
Muñoz via Split Decision ***
Matt Brown (+120) vs. Brian Foster (-150)
Foster via TKO

PRELIMS

Tyson Griffin vs. Nik Lentz
Griffin via Unanimous Dec.
Paul Kelly vs. T.J. O'Brien
Kelly via Split Decision.
Edson Barboza (-450) vs. Mike Lullo (+350)
Barboza via KO
Karo Parisyan (-175) vs. Dennis Hallman (+145)
Parisyan via Unanimous Dec.

*** BONUSES ***
Fight of the Night - Aaron Simpson vs. Mark Muñoz
Submission of the Night - N/A
Knockout of the Night - Paul Harris

Jonathan Brookin vs. Jose Aldo - Video

The Ultimate Fighter contestant and quarter finalist Jonathan Brookins fought current WEC featherweight champ Jose Aldo at WEC 36. Aldo is set to become the UFC featherweight champion later this year when the WEC merges its divisions with the UFC.

Here is the video of their fight.



Brookins is my pick to win this season.

UFC 121 Predictions & Analysis

MAIN CARD

Paulo Thiago (170.5) vs Diego Sanchez (170.5)
This fight starts off the main card. I view it as a relatively easy win for Diego. I don’t think Thiago really has much to offer in this fight, and other than his GORGEOUS knockout of Josh Koscheck, he has looked rather unimpressive in the UFC. Diego has returned to Greg Jackson's and will return to his winning ways.

Sanchez via Unanimous Dec.

Gabriel Gonzaga (254) vs Brendan Schaub (239)
Look... Brendan Schaub is a good fighter, and Gabriel Gonzaga has had his share of losses, but Schaub is simply not on Gonzaga’s level. Gonzaga’s losses also come at the hands of Dos Santos, Carwin, Werdum, and Couture... it’s not like he’s fighting scrubs out there. Gabriel wins whenever he want to.

Gonzaga via Knockout (1st Round)*

Matt Hamill (203.5) vs Tito Ortiz (206)
This is a tough fight to pick. Everyone is going around saying how Tito hasn’t won a fight in 4 years, which although true, is very misleading. For all intents and purposes he beat Rashad Evans but had a point deducted, so the fight ended in a draw. And Rashad is a tough opponent who will be fighting for the title soon. However, Hamill is simply a better wrestler than Tito, and I think that wins him the fight since neither have amazing standup.

Hamill via Unanimous Dec.

Martin Kampmann (170) vs Jake Shields (170.5)
Great fight on paper, snoozefest in reality if you have ever seen Jake Shields fight before. He is a great wrestler, and that wins him fights. In that respect, Shields has the edge, but Kampann wins the standup battle easily, and is no sloutch on the ground. I see this fight going back and forth. Sheilds wins the first round by taking Kampmann down quick and holding him there the entire round. The second round is up for grabs, Kampann avoids most takedowns, attempts some submissions, and wins all standup exchanges. By the third round Kampmann figures out Jakes style and controls the fight, picking him apart standing. The fight could go either way, whoever the judges thought won the second round wins the fight.

Kampmann via Split Dec.

Brock Lesnar (264) vs Cain Velasquez (244)
Lesnar came in a pound under the limit?!?!? is the world coming to an end?!?!? Seriously though, the guy is still a monster. Don’t believe the hype train that Cain has the cardio advantage in this fight. He has never pushed around a Brock sized fighter before. Brock is bigger, stronger, and possibly faster. No doubt Cain is ‘more skilled”. But Brock is learning really quick, and has come A LOT WAY since he was submitted by Mir back in the day. The scarier thing is, which we learned in his last fight, somebody taught Lesnar how to choke people with his mammoth arms. JDS and Carwin are the only 2 in the division who have a chance at dethroning the baddest man on the planet.

Lesnar via Choke (3rd Round)*

SPIKE PRELIMS

Ryan Jensen (185) vs Court McGee (184.5)
Court McGee via Submission/Tapout (2nd round)
Tom Lawlor (185) vs Patrick Cote (185)
Patrick Cote via TKO (3rd Round)

PRELIMS
Daniel Roberts (170) vs Mike Guymon (170)
Mike Guymon via Unanimous Dec.
Paul Taylor (155) vs Sam Stout (155.5)
Sam Stout via Split Dec.*
Dongi Yang (186) vs Chris Camozzi (185)
Yang via TKO (2nd Round)
Gilbert Yvel (249) vs Jon Madsen (254.5)
Madsen via Unanimous Dec.

*BONUSES*
Fight of the Night - Paul Taylor vs. Sam Stout
Submission of the Night - Brock Lesnar
Knockout of the Night - Gabriel Gonzaga

James Toney on Randy Couture.

I really need Randy to shut Toney up fast. It's nothing against boxing, he's just annoying.

Shane Carwin - Classy In Defeat.

Shane sends a message to his fans on the underground, and congratulates Brock on his success.

"He showed the heart of a Champion last night. Most men would fold under that kind of pressure.

I really appreciate all the support and messages. I am honored to have had the chance to fight for the belt and will be working my ass off to get another shot.

There are a lot of deserving fighters out there and now it is Cain's turn to see what he can do. I will be back in the mix soon enough.

As for my health, I am good. My body began to seize up towards the end of the 1st and it was totally locked up in between rounds. I told my Coaches I could not move my legs. I have never felt like that before in my life. I had to answer the bell so I did what I could do and went out like any warrior would do and tried to fight through it.

Being a Champion is about living and fighting through adversity. Brock Lesnar has done jsut that, not only in coming back to submit me but throughout his medical struggles too. I hope I can earn another shot someday.

For me I am going to do a signing today and then head home to be with my family and spend a little quality time on the lakes in my Malibu Boat. It has been a long camp and a even longer set of camps waiting for this fight. I need a rest.

Thank you to my coaches, sponsors and manager for everything you have done and continue to do for me. You guys have made this a fun journey and one I would travel anytime.

My goal is to win the UFC Heavyweight Title, I want to be the best fighter on the planet. I will be working hard and doing everything I need to do to earn that title.

For now I will settle for loving father, husband and loyal friend..."

-Carwin

Alistar Overeem vs. Brett Rogers