Outstanding UFC Fight Night Leads Into Appropriately Amusing Reality Show

Share on Facebook posted 09-17-09 by John George

Mixed Martial Arts fans got a special treat last night with a truly outstanding UFC Fight Night live event, shown free on Spike TV, followed by the season premiere of The Ultimate Fighter reality show. The fighters were at the top of their game, leaving it all in the cage for the screaming fans, while the reality show participants were appropriately amusing.

All four of the Fight Night bouts, broadcast from Oklahoma City, Okla., were really awesome, putting on display the heart and determination that makes MMA fighters the greatest breed of competitors. The main event actually had me whooping and hollering while leaping around my living room.

The first fight was a truly epic middleweight battle between “Crazy” Tim Credeur (12-3-0) and Nate “Rock” Quarry (12-3-0). Quarry won a decision over Credeur, but the fight went back and forth the whole time between the two determined 185-pounders. Quarry survived a first-round knock-down and choke attempt and managed to turn the tide of the fight with a big right hand in the second round.

Quarry connected again in the third round, got top position, and tried some ground-and-pound. The fighters ended up back on their feet, and the fight ended in an unbelievable slugfest consisting of the two guys going toe to toe and seeing which one had more will power to keep standing. In the end, the bell rang before we could find out.

Both Quarry and Credeur are excellent, hard-working fighters, and they are both humble and respectful. They’re actually pretty good examples of why MMA culture is superior to that of boxing. My hat is off to them both for their truly great performances. Though Quarry rightfully earned the judges’ decision, there really was no loser in that fight.

That first fight was so awesome that it seemed like there was no way another fight could equal it. You rarely luck out during a UFC event with more than one event with that level of excitement. But the second fight, a welterweight bout in which Carlos “Natural Born Killer” Condit (23-5-0) defeated Jake Ellenberger (21-5-0) in a split decision.

In the first round, Ellenberger twice knocked Condit down with powerful punches, leaving him to curl up in a fetal position on the floor. The fight could have easily ended in a referee stoppage, but it was fortunately allowed to continue, and Condit managed to rally back in the second and third rounds and get the win. He had several slick submission attempts, reversals and he stayed very active with punches and elbows while in bottom position. He definitely earned the win over a very tough opponent.

I’ve been a fan of the Natural Born Killer for years, having followed his rise to the World Extreme Cagefighting welterweight championship. This was his second fight in the UFC; he lost his first one via a split decision in April to Martin Kampmann, another one of my favorite fighters. Condit was totally dominant in the WEC, and his tough fights in the UFC showcase the fact that the organization really does have the world’s top competition.

The fight was Ellenberger’s first in the UFC. He was a late replacement and took the fight on short notice. Despite this, he came very close to defeating one of the world’s top welterweights. He has very heavy hands and great takedowns. A little more top-level experience, and he’ll be a force to be reckoned with.

I was really rooting for Roger “El Matador” Huerta (20-3-1) in his lightweight contest against Gray “The Bully” Maynard (8-0-0-1NC). Nothing against Maynard — he seems like a decent enough guy — but I don’t really care for his fighting style too much, and his personality is a little gray and flat. Huerta, on the other hand, has a hell of a story. He survived abandonment by his parents as a child and homelessness as a teenager to become the first UFC fighter featured on the cover of Sports Illustrated. He may also be the best-looking fighter in the UFC, but I’m not going to hold that against him.

My rooting didn’t help Huerta, though, and he lost a split decision. Maynard was bigger and stronger in the fight, while Huerta was quicker and more precise. Don’t get me wrong, though — both 155-pounders were big, strong, quick, and precise. Maynard wasn’t able to land any punches, while Huerta was zipping in, tagging him and zipping right back out. In my opinion, Huerta probably won the first round with his superior striking. In the second round, Maynard seemed to have figured out Huerta’s timing and began to land some punches.

Maynard sealed his victory in the third round. The former Michigan State wrestling All-American took Huerta down several times. He also had a truly sick kimura attempt that had me wincing. Poor Huerta’s shoulder blade was sticking out at a truly unnatural angle out of his back. The fact that Huerta didn’t tap is a true testament to the guy’s guts. I salute him for his guts and courage. I can’t wait to see him fight again.

The main event of the evening, a lightweight bout between Nate Diaz (11-4-0) and Melvin “The Young Assassin” Guillard (22-8-2), was the one in which I had the most emotional investment. I’ve been a big fan of Nate Diaz since he was a competitor on The Ultimate Fighter 5. I like his brother Nick too. The Fighting Diaz brothers are a lot of fun. I particularly like Nate’s high-pitched voice and his little lisp. I also like the way he fights, employing his long, lean frame to take on the little fireplugs who populate the 155-pound division.

Much as I like Diaz, I dislike Guillard. I think he’s a piece of trash who brings the wrong kind of culture and attitude into the Octagon. Many fans perceive Nate to be disrespectful, but I don’t agree. He can be brash and boastful at times – which is part of the business of being a fighter — but I sense an underlying humility and respect for martial arts that Guillard is just plain lacking. The way Guillard insults his opponents AFTER defeating them is just shameful.

Luckily, Diaz did not lose to Guillard. The Young Assassin has a tremendous amount of athletic ability and talent. He’s tremendously strong and very, very fast. He’s got super heavy hands, and he came out blazing. In less than 10 seconds into the first round, he knocked Diaz down. Guillard kept the pressure on throughout the round with his looping punches, beating Diaz up pretty good. Diaz kept trying to pull guard and get Guillard into a ground game, but he Young Assassin was having none of it. I was getting kind of nervous going into the second round, worried that Diaz wouldn’t be able to stand against Guillard’s power.

I had nothing to worry about. A little more than two minutes into the round, Diaz lured Guillard into a choke that had him tapping pretty quick. This is when I found myself hollering and leaping over my furniture. I was happy to see The Young Ass go out like that.

I didn’t have a whole lot of time to reflect on Nate’s victory, though, before The Ultimate Fighter started. For those of you not familiar with the show, which greatly helped boost the UFC’s popularity, a group of aspiring fighters are brought together to live in a house for a few months. They train together as two teams, with an active UFC fighter as their coach. Eventually, the team members fight against each other in a tournament, the winner of which is presented with a “six-figure” UFC contract. This season features 16 heavyweights, all fighting between 205 and 265 pounds.

The first episode basically introduced the show’s participants, who are an intimidating group of behemoths. The trash talking between the two coaches, “Sugar” Rashad Evans and Quentin “Rampage” Jackson, both former UFC light heavyweight champions, started in the show’s opening minutes and continued as a refrain throughout the show.

Rampage may be the funniest man in the UFC. His facial expressions alone are often enough to set me laughing out loud, and his verbal shenanigans often leave me rolling on the floor in stitches. I’ve been watching him for years, since his early Pride appearances, and I’ve always enjoyed the shows he’s put on. I don’t always root for him – I was really hoping Chuck Liddell would beat him in their last matchup – but I really do like him.

Rashad, on the other hand, has always rubbed me the wrong way. I’m not sure what it is about him. Maybe it’s the way he speaks. Maybe it’s the way he used to twist his nipples before and after fights. Maybe it’s his fashion sense. Whatever it is, he’s definitely not my cup of tea. I was really upset when he knocked out Liddell.

On the show, Rashad seems reasonable enough, at least during this first episode. We’ll see if my opinion changes as the season progresses. We’ll also see how four former NFL players will fare in the world of fighters. Of the 16 participants this season, four are footballers. But probably the most famous and noteworthy contestant on the show is Kimbo Slice, the notorious street brawler and former Elite XC fighter. Visually stunning, with a bushy jet black beard and lots of gold teeth and muscles that look like they belong on the Hulk, he’s like a sinister reverse version of Santa Claus. Somehow, however, despite being one of the most menacing-looking people in the fight game, he’s also very cuddly, in an odd way.

The show ended with a pretty boring battle between John Madsen and Abe Wagner. Madsen stands six feet tall and weighs 245 pounds. Wagner is a lot bigger at 6’4” and 265 pounds. But Madsen didn’t have any trouble taking Madsen down and pounding on him for two rounds. Somewhere in the middle of Round 1, Madsen landed an elbow and opened a truly horrific gash on Wagners forehead. Wagner started bleeding like a stuck pig, and it all got gooey and messy. The blood made the fight kind of fun, otherwise it was awfully boring. Rampage, who was coaching Wagner, walked away from the ring before the fight was officially over. It should be the a fun season.