Many thanks to managing editor Matt Brown for extending the opportunity to join FIGHT! magazine's roster.
]]>Prick.
]]>"Exposed" is side-by-side with "bad for the sport" in the lexicon of the self-appointed internet expert.
I'm curious--how is it that a guy can be "exposed" when he's had only four fights in his entire career and he gets in the cage and slugs it out for nearly three rounds and beats a dude who's had TWENTY TWO fights, and whose career credits include victories over an Olympic gold medalist, an Ultimate Ultimate champion and a UFC Triple-Crown champion? As Bryan Alvarez so eloquently stated, using the term "exposed" suggests that more was expected of the athlete than what was delivered. Well, with all the talk before the fight about how Kimbo was a "fraud" who was not a real MMA fighter, I don't see where people should be anything but pleasantly surprised at how well he did.
This Kimbo hate is ridiculous. I'm getting tired of saying it--THIS IS THE NEW PRO WRESTLING, AND MARKETABILITY IS KING. If you can sell the tickets, you get the prominent spots on the card. Would the Kimbo haters prefer it if guys like Antonio McKee, who have stellar records but boring styles, occupied the top spot based on their wins and losses? Frankly, I think it's one of the great things about MMA that a guy like world boxing champ John Ruiz (who is effective with a style so boring that it actually makes you angry) could never become a big name as a mixed martial artist.
Heaven forbid we should prioritize entertainment value over "what's good for the sport" (which of course is dictated by people who have never fought, promoted, or probably even trained). Being a purist gets you what Bodog got, or what happened on the recent Raw Combat show in Calgary (pitifully small crowd and HUGE financial losses).
Damn--this was intended to be a short post! No more coffee for me today.
]]>Since retiring from refereeing and becoming an "expert at large", John has shown that he is not given to pussyfooting around MMA-related issues, as you can see by clicking on the link below. In addition to being a great guy, I honestly consider him to be one of the sport's greatest assets and I hope to be working with him again soon so as to soak up more knowledge from one of the primary architects of modern MMA.
]]>Fucking stuffed shirts.
"Apparently the New York Tourism Committee hearing regarding voting on allowing MMA in New York today was a complete embarrassment. The politicians had no idea what MMA was, with many asking if there was even a referee in the matches. The bill would have been rubber stamped except one member went on a tirade about it being human cockfighting and virtually nobody had any idea what it was. It was the victim of UFC not reaching the older generation, and they were the ones in that room."
]]>We'll be discussing a variety of issues including my recent departure from the TheFightNetwork.com. I invite everyone to check it out, as well as check out the almost always hilarious Bryan and Vinny show on the same site.
]]>And now that my retarded ass has learned how to use the "insert link" button, you don't even have to cut-and-paste to watch it!
]]>Paul was kind enough to bring me out to Chilliwack to provide play-by-play commentary for the show, along with my fellow NFC champion Myles "The Cowboy" Merola (who did a fantastic job on the mic, especially considering that it was his very first time). I have to say that I'm impressed.
Paul has shown maturity beyond his years as a promoter by avoiding the common mistake of starting too big, too soon. He's built up his group as very much a grass-roots organization, using promising new talent that, while relatively inexperienced, draws droves of local fans, provides fast-paced, exciting fights and keeps the costs down. It was obvious by the crowd reactions that Paul is on his way to creating several home-grown stars in Valley Fight, and matchmaker Sean O'Halloran did an excellent job, as even though there were several fighters making their professional debuts, there was only one mismatch on the entire card.
With only two of the show's seven fights making it into the second round and none going the distance, it was a night off for the judges and a great night for the fans. Of particular note was the insanely wild and bloody brawl between Logan Boucher and Aaron Burke, which had the packed house on its feet before the first round was even over. I hope to be checking out more Valley Fight events in the future, and I urge anyone within driving distance of Chilliwack to do the same.
Nice work, Paul--almost nice enough to make me forgive you for nearly punching my left eye out of my head three years ago!
]]>I want to thank The Fight Network's John Pollock, John Ramdeen and especially Mauro Ranallo for all the help and support that they've given me during the past few weeks. I wish Mr. Cicione and the rest of The Fight Network's staff the very best of luck with their station.
]]>http://www.sherdog.com/news/articles.asp?n_id=13044
]]>Kenny has been spending a lot of time in Thailand and has been piling up the victories there in a very short period of time. Today (or perhaps yesterday, depending on how the time difference works out) he fought in a bout that he took on one day's notice, and defeated his Swedish opponent by TKO (doctor's stoppage) with a flying knee. That makes five knockouts in five fights for The Hitman! Next up for Kenny may be a fight in Australia.
Awesome work, brother--we're all proud of you!
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