If in his last fight against Nick Newell, current World Series of Fighting lightweight champion Justin Gaethje looked a little off, it was because he was.
Admittedly, Gaethje did not fight as well as he could have, but still managed to get the win and secure the WSOF 155-pound title in the process.
“I think it was a really tough fight for me,” Gaethje told MMAWeekly.com. “I wasn’t comfortable. I like to hurt people, and I didn’t want to hurt Nick, so it was a whole different fight for me.
“You’re going to see a whole different fighter in this upcoming one. I’m trying to go out there, put on a good performance, and get a good win.”
For Gaethje, the last couple years have been the fulfillment of the promise many saw in him as he was an up-and-coming fighter, and he’s happy to get the acknowledgement.
“As fighters, we go in there and put it all on the line to perform, make money, for ourselves and our families and friends, so it’s good to get the respect that I feel I deserve,” he said. “I go out there and put it on the line every single time I get into the cage.”
For his first WSOF title defense, Gaethje (12-0) will be taking on a fighter he’s had his eye on for many years in former UFC vet Melvin Guillard (32-13-2) on Saturday in Tampa, Fla.
“I grew up watching him in high school before I even had aspirations of becoming a fighter, so this is awesome,” said Gaethje of Guillard. “I’m more athletic than Melvin, I hit harder than Melvin, and I’m hungrier than Melvin – and I’m coming to put on a performance.
“He’s either going to get really lucky and knock me out or I’m going to beat the (expletive) out of him and make him look really bad.”
For Gaethje is the desire to not just win, but do so in strong fashion, that will allow him to continue to make a living in MMA, and be the full-time fighter he wants to be.
“There’s one thing I’ve learned in this sport is that there is only one way to get paid – that’s to put on performances,” said Gaethje.
“The guys who are just here to win are going to get weeded out very fast. I think the guys who are in there to put it on the line and put on a performance and go for the knockout or submissions are going to get paid, and that’s what it’s about.”
Melvin Guillard vs. Grudge fighter and Current WSOF Lightweight Champion Justin “The Highlight Gaethje
Melvin Guillard has been a fan favorite in mixed martial arts (MMA) for nearly a decade. “The Young Assassin” may have left his old stomping grounds in Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), but the knockout artist’s MMA career is still thriving in World Series of Fighting (WSF).
Coming off a sensational (technical) knockout victory over Gesias Cavalcante in his WSOF debut back in July, Guillard will fight lightweight prospect and undefeated WSOF champion Justin Gaethje in the co-main event of WSOF 15 this Saturday (Nov. 15, 2014) at the USF Sun Dome in Tampa, Florida.
Prior to his altercation with his former training partner, Guillard sat down with MMAmania.com to give some scathing remarks regarding his former employer’s choices in signing fighters, while also taking a verbal shot at the WSOF champion, as well.
“Gaethje is nowhere near my level.” Guillard emphatically stated. “I’m an A list fighter, fighting in the B league.”
When asked to clarify whether or not he hopes to return to the Octagon someday, Guillard noted that being a UFC fighter is not as special as it was back in 2005.
“I consider myself to be a hybrid, and there a lot of hybrids in the UFC, but there are also a lot of fakes in the UFC now too. I remember back in ’05 it was difficult to get in the UFC. Even off The Ultimate Fighter it was tough. Out of the 16 guys on my season, a lot of guys never got their chance in the UFC afterwards.”
“Now it seems they are just throwing any and everybody in the UFC,” Guillard continued. “They are giving everybody a chance to be a UFC fighter. I wanted to be a UFC fighter when I was 13 years old, but it felt like a special group of guys back then. It was almost like a fraternity of only guys good enough to be in the UFC. It doesn’t feel like that anymore.”
Guillard then turned his attention to his own team, American Top Team, noting that novice fighters right next to him are getting chances at the UFC perhaps a bit too soon.
“Every time you turn around there is a different guy in the UFC. I train at American Top Team in Coconut Creek and there are a bunch of guys right now that are on my team, and some of them I know and some I don’t, but every time I ask them when is your next fight, they say ‘Oh, the next UFC card’ and I say ‘Really? Okay.’ But you look at these guys and you’ve never even heard of them before making it to the UFC. It is getting a little weird man.”
UFC has been criticized for a far too busy schedule, which often leads them to singing fighters that otherwise may never have gotten their shot if the promotion had half the shows they are currently running each year.
“In the beginning it was cool to be a part of something great and unique. I was part of something that not everybody could be a part of. I can’t just go jump on a football team and turn pro for the Miami Dolphins or New Orleans Saints. That just don’t happen. I feel as a fighter the UFC is starting to let way too many guys get that opportunity to get even one play, one chance inside the Octagon.”
Guillard continued his rant with a poignant thought on fighter talent and quality in the world’s leading MMA promotion.
“I think it is happening a lot in MMA, and I think it is a part of what is hurting our sport. A lot of these guys get a chance, lose and you never hear from them again. Honestly, that’s because they didn’t deserve their chance to be their in the first place.”
Melvin is not one to point out a problem without a solution, however, and he had some advice for Dana White and the ZUFFA overlords when it comes to signing MMA talent.
“If a guy comes into the UFC, his first fight should be against somebody that’s been in the UFC for like five years. Like Dana said on the show ‘Do you really want to be a UFC fighter?’ Then fight the best.”
We will see if Guillard can earn a spot back on the crowded UFC roster with a big win over Justin Gaethje this weekend in Tampa.
The Ultimate Fighter returned with another fun episode.
Team Melendez, winless thus far this season, pitted No. 7-seed Rose Namajunas against No. 10-seed Alex Chambers.
Chambers entered with a professional record of 4-1, and Namajunas came in with a 2-1 record. Both losses for the women came at the hands of quality competition. Chambers dropped a bout to MizukiInoue, and Namajunas was on the losing end to Tecia Torres.
The fight started and Namajunas came right out to the center. Namajunas threw a nice kick and then closed the distance. She then unloaded a nice flurry, but Chambers avoided most of the damage.
Namajunas came forward with a takedown attempt, but she could not complete it. Chambers was forced into being reactive early on. Namajunas set the distance and tempo of the fight. Namajunas won the clinch battle with a knee and a takedown about halfway through the round.
The American took her back with around two minutes remaining, but Chambers fought back up to her feet. Namajunas scored another takedown and stayed on Chambers’ back. She got the hooks in and sunk in the rear-naked choke for the finish.
The fight was all Namajunas, but Chambers was a game opponent. It would have been interesting to see what adjustments Anthony Pettis would have had for his fighter for the next frame, but Namajunas finished the bout for Team Melendez’s first win of the season.
Tecia Torres will get a chance at redemption when she takes on BecRawlings next week as the final opening round bout.
TUF 20 Roster and Bracket
Team Pettis
Team Melendes
Result
No. 1 Carla Esparza
No. 16 Angela Hill
Esparza d. Hill by Submission
No. 3 Tecia Torres
No. 8 Bec Rawlings
No. 5 Aisling Daly
No. 12 Angela Magana
Daly d. Magana by TKO
No. 4 Jessica Penne
No. 13 Lisa Ellis
Penne d. Ellis by Submission
No. 2 Joanne Calderwood
No. 15 Emily Kagan
Calderwood d. Kagan by Decision
No. 10 Alex Chambers
No. 7 Rose Namajunas
Namajunas d. Chambers by Submission
No. 6 Felice Herrig
No. 11 Heather Clark
Herrig d. Clark by Decision
No. 14 Randa Markos
No. 3 Tecia Torres
Markos d. Torres by Decision
The Ultimate Fighter
Note: The highlighted matchup is the fight that will air next week. Tecia Torres replaced Justine Kish on Team Pettis following an injury that forced Kish out of the competition.
The show opened with Team Melendez having heat with two of their teammates. Lisa Ellis and Heather Clark have been spending time with ex-teammate Tecia Torres and Team Pettis, and that doesn’t sit well with others. Ellis called it immature, and it is.
Kron Gracie came in to assist Team Melendez, and this episode focused on his training with Namajunas. It was clear foreshadowing to how the fight would end.
Chambers has one of the most impressive backgrounds of any fighter in TUF history. She has a background in engineering and astrophysics. Not your typical fighter. She chose to forgo that part of her life to live her dream as a martial artist.
Carla Esparza’s pettiness continues to come through the screen as she refuses to accept Torres on her team. It was not Torres’ idea to switch teams. If these two meet in the next round, it will be a tension fueled fight worth watching between two of the show’s favorites.
As it turns out, Clark’s injury was very much real. She had a complete tear of her ACL. Her teammates did apologize to her for doubting the legitimacy of the injury, and hopefully everyone can move forward. Let’s hope for a speedy recovery for Clark.
Namajunas talked about a past with violence, sexual harassment, abuse. It was important to showcase as Namajunas stressed to the audience that they can always find someone to talk to about their problems.
Megan Rapinoe and Sydney Leroux of the U.S. Women’s National Team made an appearance on the show to have an informal discussion with the cast. There is little doubt this had to do with Fox acquiring the rights to the 2015 Women’s World Cup, but nonetheless it was a nice addition to the show. They discussed the struggles of being a female athlete, and they even got to get some instruction from the cast on submission and striking techniques.
The event will be held at the Bayou Music Center in Houston and is set to air on AXS-TV. The bill includes a 135-pound women’s bout between Valentina Schevchenko and Lindsay Haycraft, as a well as a matchup pitting Bellator MMA veteran Cosmo Alexandre against Regian Eersel.
Barry took a leave from MMA to focus on his kickboxing career following a first-round knockout loss to Soa Palelei at UFC Fight Night “Hunt vs. Bigfoot” last December. The 35-year-old Louisianan exited the Las Vegas-based promotion with a 5-7 mark in the Octagon. Barry made his Glory World Series debut in May, when he suffered a devastating knockout defeat to Zack Mwekassa at Glory 16.
Legacy FC promoter Mick Maynard informed Sherdog.com that while Barry remains under Glory contract, the organization has granted the fighter permission to fight in Legacy’s kickboxing event. Maynard also revealed that the promotion plans on awarding finishing bonuses in its initial kickboxing foray.
Tyler ‘The Evolution’ Stinson blew into the octagon in Tampa, Florida, Friday night like a Tornado straight from the plains of Kansas. He dominated the last two rounds of the fight, totally broke down his opponent until the final two minutes of the match when he was literally stalking and chasing Jose Figueroa around the cage. Tyler blew into Tampa with his good friend and fellow fighter Justin Gaithje and trainer Jake ‘The Big Snake’ Ramos, and they obviously had a great fight plan that Tyler enacted and executed to near perfection raising his record to 29-10!
Somehow to my chagrin and the probable shock of ninety percent of the people watching, Tyler did not win a unanimous decision, he won a split decision. Sadly, it appears that we fans must simply be grateful if the judges manage to get the correct decision, disregarding minor inconveniences like whether it was a split decision or unanimous one.
ROUND 1:
Tyler was the more experienced fighter and that became obvious as the fight continued. Both men stood six feet three inches and weighed within a pound of 170lbs. Tyler had a very slight reach advantage and at 28-10 had fought in double the fights of his opponent. This welterweight bout would go the distance which was the standard three five minute rounds.
Tyler immediately began kicking Jose’s left leg with his right as the fight commenced and continued to attack that leg until the fight was essentially over. The first two rounds had Tyler landing so many blows to that left leg that it both slowed Jose’s ring movements and made the leg begin to swell. Tyler landed a couple nice left hands but also took a solid left hook in the first two minutes of the fight, and a wild, out-of-control diving attempt by Jose to take Tyler down proved futile, another theme that would be repeated throughout the bout.
At the two and a half minute mark, Figueroa landed a huge left hand that knocked Tyler both back and down, as he went down, he spun himself out of danger as Jose charged what he thought was an injured fighter. Tyler is a natural athlete, an elite one who starred in four sports during high school, and although in real time it looked like Jose had knocked Tyler down and knocked him into a 360 degree spin, slow motion clearly showed the spin was a deliberate move, getting Tyler out of harm’s way with his back against the chain link. Tyler came back with two scoring lefts with a surprised Jose again awkwardly lunging towards Tyler, attempting to tackle him and force the fight to the ground. This move never worked with Tyler escaping easily each and every time.
After a brief exchange of left hands, Tyler immediately locked his opponent up and the two men grappled while standing, each seeking an advantage. Tyler outmuscled Jose and with one minute left landed a solid left to the body, had a nice slip and then at 34 seconds landed a huge roundhouse left that stunned and hurt his opponent. Again with a hint of desperation Jose launched a wild, telegraphed right hand, that Tyler avoided and partially blocked, leaving his opponent vulnerable. Tyler did not waste the opportunity, he immediately landed his best punch of the round, another big and vicious roundhouse left that left Jose wobbly legged, and stunned.
Using the Trevor Wittman scoring system that states your opponent wins any and all close rounds we will generously give round 1 to Figueroa, despite the fact that all the Television guys said although close they felt Stinson had edged Jose out.
ROUND 2:
The round begins with the announcer stating that not only did Figueroa fall off his stool between rounds but that his trainer had to help him get back on it. This was an ominous omen for Jose, indeed on this Halloween night. But just twenty seconds into the second round Jose landed his best combo of the evening, one that at first glance appeared to put Tyler in harm’s way.
At the 4:43 mark Figueroa landed that best combo of the night, Tyler had just landed yet another kick to Jose’s left leg when Figueroa launched and landed a beautiful 2-1 combo, partially switching to a southpaw stance, his right hand jabbed and set up his left, nailing Tyler in the face, full force. I thought that Tyler may have been in trouble but like he did all night long he answered all assaults with more offense. Showing how much heart he has, Tyler bounced of the cage and answered with two scoring left hands, proving he was unfazed by Jose’s barrage or that he was running on pure adrenalin.
Tyler was able to turn his offensive game on each and every time Jose appeared to finally have something going offensively, answering any threat, real or perceived with combos and a continual attack on his opponent’s left leg. At the 3:19 mark, Tyler got a left to Jose’s chest then followed it up with another big left roundhouse that knocked Jose to his knees. Figueroa could only grab and hold on as he tried to regain his senses.
The only grappling in this fight was when both warriors were standing with either fighter leaning on the chain link. Tyler always got the better of Jose when they locked up, Tyler, as if listening to the announcers, began to push his opponents head down, which forced Jose to break and when he did-Boom, a Kansas tornado entered the ring in the form of Tyler’s right hand! Three minutes left and Tyler scores another knockdown, forcing Jose to hold on once more as the two men grappled from the standing position. Tyler took advantage of this all night long, this time working to get his left hand free and when he did an explosion must have gone off in Jose’s head because Tyler landed a near-perfect left elbow to the right side of Jose’ head.
This was the first of three devastating elbows thrown by Stinson, this one knocked his opponent backwards and as he reeled he looked wobbly and disorientated. Tyler did exactly what his coaches wanted him to do, follow it up with another offensive burst. He landed a couple more power kicks to Jose’s left leg, which by now is swelling and causing Jose discomfort at the bare minimum!
Tyler backed Jose up against the cage and landed the best kick of the night, a left to the face of Jose, followed by a scoring straight left hand, and both seemed to hurt the now bleeding Figueroa. Jose is a wounded combatant but wounded fighters can still be dangerous, and with less than a minute it appeared that Jose landed a huge kick with his sore leg that at first look seemed to land full power, on Tyler’s head. In slow motion however, we can see that it hit Tyler’s back first and by the time his foot reached Tyler’s head it had lost most of its momentum and did no damage.
ROUND 3:
Stinson, in typical Grudge fashion, is now pursuing, tracking, and stalking Jose around the ring. He’s been coming forward the entire fight but now it is even more pronounced as it becomes obvious Jose has little left in his tank. Tyler, training at close to 6000 feet of altitude appears to still have more than enough left in his.
Just before the 3 minute mark, Tyler took a left to his cheek before answering with a left of his own that once again sent Jose to his knees where he again tried futilely to tackle and hold on to Tyler’s legs. This was one of the few times both men were on the mat but Tyler popped right up, still light on his feat while Jose was slowing down even more.
With only a minute left a thoroughly beaten Jose managed to slow Tyler with a thumb to the eye and a knee to the stomach. This managed to slow Tyler down, but only for a few seconds. Like he’d done all night long, Tyler answered with offense, Locked together and with his back to the cage Tyler scores his third wicked elbow of the night sending his opponent backwards once more. He followed that elbow with a powerful knee shot to Jose’s gut, further hurting his opponent as it landed directly on the solar plexus. Jose made a final dive at Stinson, desperately trying to take the fight to the ground. The move left him open and Tyler capitalized with a stunning straight left hand to the chin of Jose.
Another left to the chin by Tyler with less than thirty seconds left put an exclamation point on the round and the fight, finishing in total command.
Jose was beaten, bleeding, and beat-up, and all that was left was the judges’ decisions and it was certainly a shocker that one of them, Don Balis, could score this fight 29-28 in Figueroa’s favor?
This was the best fight of the night, two warriors standing alone, giving everything they had to give, for fifteen long, grueling minutes, and the best we can do is hire a judge who comes up with a grossly negligent decision. I rest my case with the fight film, watch it a few times and the split decision grows more and more derelict. I am always grateful when they at least get the correct decision but if the fighters gave as poor an effort in this fight as the judge, proclaiming Figueroa as the winner they’d be booed out of the ring, why should we fans be forced to put up with such a poor job of judging?
Congratulations Tyler! This was the best fight of the night by far and even Don Balis’s rotten decision cannot take away from Tyler’s huge and overpowering performance. Here’s the final scoring-Dan Torres 29-28 Stinson, Christling had it the same, 29-28 Stinson and inexplicably Balis had it 29-28 for Figueroa while the ring announcers and ‘experts’ had Stinson winning all three rounds. Any layman could have gotten this fight right just by looking at Jose’s face.
Lastly, once more a huge hurrah for ‘The Evolution’ and a superb performance and game plan carried out to near perfection by Tyler, Bravo!
Rick Lopez Sr., Devon Lopez and New Generation Promotions returned to The Crowne Plaza for the third time in 2014. Manny Perez put on a masterful clinic in the main event. Ricky Lopez powered his way to another victory in his comeback. Local fighters Estrella, Lopez, Escamilla, Rodriguez and Molina pick up victories.
Perez Adds Title To His Collection Taming The Rattlesnake
In the first, welterweight Manuel Perez is pumping the jab, both to the head and the sternum. Cesar Holguin looks nervous, bouncing on his toes with a jitter. Perez is boxing beautifully from the outside. Nice 1-2 from Perez as the round comes to an end. Perez is still on the jab, using it as a measuring stick and illusion for his counter straight right. Nice counter overhand right from Perez. The jab to body from Perez is on point tonight as he wins another round.
Perez is mentally perfect through three rounds, looking relaxed and at ease as he is easily winning the bout. A counter overhand right stops Holguin in his tracks. Perez is rocking and rolling tonight, as trainers Jake Ramos and Fidel Martinez have him executing a stellar game plan. Holguin has no answers for Perez as he continues to walk into shots. Another beautiful round for Perez, as he continues to put on a boxing clinic. He’s defensively sound as the fight goes into the later rounds. Perez is ripping the body with combinations to open round six. Perez continues to dominate with a pinpoint accurate jab. Holguin is hurt from a body shot. Another solid round for Perez. He is dominating the fight on the inside as well as outside.
Big right hook from Perez as the sweat of Holguin splatters the air. Perez is sitting down on his sits as realizes he can tag Holguin at will. Perez is on one tonight, the heat check button is broken at the moment. He continues to dominate a game, but inferior Holguin, although Holguin never stops fighting. The canvass is painted beautifully, a master piece only needing a knockout for completion. Perez stuns him with a right hand to punctuate the round.
Perez looking to close the show at the start of round nine. He is catching Holguin with everything in the tool box tonight. Holguin has no answers, he’s in pure survival mode. Perez goes for the shut out on my card in round ten. Holguin is still throwing punches, not giving up. It was Perez’s night as he was in total control from round one on.
Steve Waldman and Tyrone Short score the bout 99-91 and Jeanne McEvoy scores it as did RMB 100-90. Manny Perez is your winner by unanimous decision.
Perez improves to 22-10-1, 4KOs while Cesar Holguin slips to 10-5-3, 3KOs.
For several years, Pat Barry has bragged to anyone who would listen about his girlfriend, Rose Namajunas.
After a UFC victory over Shane del Rosario in a heavyweight fight in 2012, Barry recounted his first meeting with Namajunas, which occurred at Roufusport Mixed Martial Arts Academy in Milwaukee.
The 245-pound Barry found himself sparring with the 115-pound Namajunas. Before Barry could get ready, Namajunas belted him in the face.
“I walked over and I was like, ‘Hi, I’ll just take it easy,’ and, ‘Boom!’ she hit me in the face,” Barry told Yahoo Sports in 2012. “She hit me and I was like, ‘What the [expletive] was that? How do you hit that hard?’ So I say to myself, ‘OK, maybe that was a fluke.’ And then, ‘Boom!’ again, this time with the right hand. And I’m like, ‘Oh my God! I love you.’ She hit me, with the big glove on, so fast and so hard, I could smell iron. I could taste iron. I felt like I’d just licked the refrigerator.
“When she hit me with the third one, and believe me, it was harder and faster than the first two, I’m like, ‘The first one was nice. The second one made me love you. But this third one, I’m about to bust your head off [in sparring].’ ”
Namajunas is now one of 16 women in contention for the first UFC strawweight title that will be decided on Season 20 of “The Ultimate Fighter.”
The show debuts Wednesday on Fox Sports 1 with a noticeable difference. On all but one of the previous seasons of TUF, the fighters were largely newcomers who were trying to prove they were good enough to compete in the UFC.
The series has developed champions and stars, but it’s just as notable for the zany antics and the flameouts.
But in Season 20, it’s all about the fighting.
“We have the baddest 16 women in the world in this weight class on this season,” UFC president Dana White said. “If you look historically at ‘The Ultimate Fighter,’ we’ve had guys trying to see if they’re good enough to be in the UFC or if they’re even good enough to do this professionally. You’ve seen it over the years, there are always guys on the show who are trying to decide if fighting is even what they want to do.
“But we have a different level of athlete on this show now. They’re the best in the world and it completely changes everything. You’re going to love this season.”
White, of course, is a promoter and rarely does a season start when he’s not pumping it up one way or another.
He’s paid one of the fighters the ultimate compliment by comparing her to women’s bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey, of whom White can’t say enough good things.
White has made such comparisons before and been spectacularly wrong. During the filming of Season 8, he said repeatedly that he thought he’d found another Anderson Silva, referring to the longtime middleweight champion. It turned out that was Phillipe Nover, who went 0-3 in the UFC and was cut.
White is adamant that one contestant on Season 20 is far closer to Rousey than Nover ever was to Silva.
“I’ve never seen an athlete like Ronda Rousey and I never thought I’d see one again, but believe me, man, she’s on this season,” White said. “One of these women is going to become a huge, huge star.”
He wouldn’t say who it is and spoil the season. But fighters Carla Esparza, who gave up the Invicta strawweight belt to join the TUF 20 cast, and Namajunas, along with coach Gilbert Melenez, said the level of competition is high.
Melendez, who will challenge Anthony Pettis for the lightweight title, said the women on the show are good enough to make the division rival the depth and talent of the men’s lightweight class.
“There’s a stable of some extremely talented fighters here and I was pretty impressed,” Melendez said. “First and foremost, they’re true fighters. They’re willing to get in there and scrap, and every fight was really entertaining. They held their ground and went for it.”
Female fighters haven’t received the respect their male counterparts have historically gotten, particularly in the U.S. Before the UFC added the bantamweight division, women were rarely featured in MMA or boxing on American television.
She said it’s more than that.
“I think women naturally have more of a fighter’s spirit,” she said. “We have more passion. We’re more fiery and we have more emotion. That spirit that we have is what you need to be a great fighter. You can be as logical and calculated as possible, but it’s kind of boring if you don’t have any passion behind it.
“You can’t be great at something if you don’t love what you’re doing. I guess there are some women who feel they have something to prove, but mostly, we have a natural passion to fight and I think that’s what you see.”
Esparza said not all women have the mental makeup to be fighters.
“For the longest time, I’d go to the gym and it was all guys and no other women there,” she said. “It takes a special breed of woman to want to do that and keep fighting through that. It’s only recently that there are rewards for women in this sport. None of us who have been around for any length of time did it for the money, because there wasn’t money to be made.
“There was no recognition, no money, not much of anything. We did it because we loved it.”
White said they reconnected with one very important fan this season. It had been nearly 10 years, during the filming of Season 1 in 2004, that UFC CEO Lorenzo Fertitta attended every fight during the taping of “The Ultimate Fighter.”
White said Fertitta began a new streak with TUF 20.
“Lorenzo’s got a lot of [stuff] going on, but this season is so good, he was at every single fight for the first time since the first season of TUF,” White told Yahoo Sports. “He saw those first couple of fights and he wasn’t going to miss.
“This is no [expletive]: This is really a great season and I can’t wait for you to see it. I know what we have there and these are some great fights.”
Friday night was a huge night for Grudge Training Center’s stable of upcoming fighters as well as a couple of favorite veterans. Firstly, I have to say a gigantic CONGRATULATION to Josh Copeland for winning his second heavyweight championship belt, this one was the first title for the RFA and he won impressively on NATIONAL television. Josh explained to the audience in his prefight interview that he needed to win and “Win impressively!” Josh talked the talk and then walked the walk, and he did it in such dominate fashion one would think this had to be his best performance so far. His opponents like his fans see a very intimidating heavyweight who improves every time he fights, and he showed a total and complete arsenal in this, the biggest fight of his young career. If for any reason you were unable to see this fight, I highly recommend getting on line to find and watch what I consider to be a must see fight for any and all fans. Again, a huge congratulations to Josh, the Cuddly Bear now has two championship belts yet remains as kind and humble a person as you can find.
I watched that fight on tape for I was at Salon Madrid watching another one of Grudges favorite sons, Manny Perez as he won yet another unanimous decision over Daniel Calzada in a seven round bout that was the main event. Here’s how it went down. Calzada came out to George Thorogood while Manny and his corner men Jake Ramos, Steve Maestes, and Fidel Martinez all came out to Bob Marley so there was already a lot of contrast between the two fighters before the fight had begun.
Manny, as is always the case, came out aggressively, in typical Perez fashion. He opened up with two left jabs to the body and continued pounding his opponent’s stomach area throughout the seven round bout, showing his fans all we needed to see in the first two rounds to know what kind of fight Manny would treat us to, for me two things were immediately apparent. Firstly, the blazing quickness of Manny’s hands, his hand speed was absolutely lightning quick and on display the entire evening, and secondly that Danny Calzada is no slouch. The younger and less experienced Calzada proved to be a tough and worthy opponent for the veteran Perez.
Manny landed the first two punches of the evening, left jabs to the body and that proved to be a portent of things to come. He threw blow after punishing blow to Danny’s mid-section, taking advantage and capitalizing on what was there. He’d pretty much dominate the first four rounds of this fight not only by attacking his opponent’s body but by showing his many fans as well as his opponent, a defensive display as good as any I’ve ever seen. Manny deftly moved his body throughout this fight and that wide array of ducking, bobbing, and continual movement, coupled with his ability to make opponents miss, made him an extremely elusive and frustrating target, that for the vast majority of rounds was nearly impossible to hit or hurt.
His best defensive tactic in my opinion was not just his expert footwork but the way he would continually turtle up on the younger fighter. Manny would press his gloves tightly to his face while his elbows nearly reached his hip bones, then all his opponent could manage was to punch either his arms, shoulders, hips, elbows, or gloves, making it a lesson in futility. Danny surprisingly tried to break down this wall for six rounds and achieved little if anything, meanwhile, Manny would simply explode from this covered up and compact position with these nearly too-fast-to-see combinations that were mainly directed at his opponent’s belly. For the many Perez fans present it was an affirmation that Manny’s hand speed is as fast as it’s ever been and might have even been faster. Personally I was awed by that speed Manny still has and is still probably one of the fastest-handed boxers in the world.
Manny completely dominated the first four rounds of the fight in this same manner, beautiful defense, turtling up and letting his opponent throw all he wanted, like punching a brick wall and then he’d just pounce from that compact position with these beautiful four, five, and six punch combos of blinding speed, concentrating mainly on the body and midsection with the occasional headshot mixed in. When Danny struck back, Manny either made him miss or immediately covered back up into that compact defensive stance but it was still a position he could attack very well from.
Danny was throwing way more punches than Manny but Danny’s punches rarely scored. When not flailing away at the impregnable fortress Perez, he’d completely miss him as Manny would slip just out of his reach. I thought then that all those missed punches combined with Manny throwing body shot after body shot would have an effect on Daniel as the fight progressed. This is the way the first four rounds went, Manny pretty much dominated the first part of the fight so after four rounds it was Manny winning 4-0 and it appeared that Danny got rocked a little by a Perez right hand a minute into the third round but that was the only head shot of any significance by either fighter.
Danny came on a little more the last three rounds, fighting with more desperation than early on but fighting well and finally breaking through Manny’s impressive defense, if only a little here and there. Both men were in absolute top-notch shape and condition so it was non-stop action for all seven rounds. They rarely got locked up and there was little dancing or sizing the other guy up, they were getting after it and it was exciting. Danny had thrown a lot more punches but many were total misses while he continued to pound away at the turtle’s shell and it gained him nothing.
Manny continued to educate the crowd and his opponent on how to make the other fighter miss and that’s just something he’s very good at, avoiding punches. Although at this point of the fight Manny could have put it on cruise control and started grabbing and hanging on, all the stall tactics we as fans have learned to despise, and still won that’s not the way Manny does things. The more Danny challenged the more Manny opened up, not a lot just a little more than we’d seen in the first four rounds.
Danny would win this round but it was a close round and although he started landing and scoring a little he had to contend with Manny’s endless barrage of body shots. His attack on his opponent’s body never let up, it was relentless. Still, the young man won the round and it seemed to re-energize him somewhat, for in the sixth Danny came out the aggressor for the first time. I think all that body work Manny put in those early rounds was beginning to pay dividends at this point. His opponent’s punches didn’t seem to have nearly the power they should have, yet he continued to attack Manny, obviously aware of needing a knockout if not at least a couple knockdowns in these last two rounds to have any hope of victory. Unfortunately for Danny, Manny is too smart of a veteran fighter, and he knows what it takes to win and quickly got back into his defensive groove, and that pretty much neutralized and nullified Danny’s spirited attack.
Manny launched combo after combo from that turtle position, still attacking the midsection and with that same jaw-dropping hand speed we’d seen throughout the early rounds, fighting round six to a draw in my opinion but at this point it’s moot. Manny won’t lose this fight unless he gets knocked out and Manny doesn’t get knocked out, period!
The final round was a real treat to the fans. Both fighters let it all out and their fans were all screaming. Danny appeared to be a little bigger than Manny which is nearly a Manny Perez trademark. He always fights guys that are bigger than he is and this fight is no different. Manny, who loves a great fight as much as any of us, got away from that tight compact defensive fight and opened up a bit more in that final round, allowing the youngster to get in a few pretty good shots, Danny likewise had retained some of his hand speed, but the body shots and six rounds of fighting had stolen some power from him and even though he got a few nice shots in on the wily veteran, at this point they lacked the power needed for a miracle comeback.
Of course he had to likewise contend with Manny giving as good and as much as he got, so Manny landed several good and powerful blows in that last round as well. In the end it was too little, and too late for the youngster, even though he won that final round (another very close one) he couldn’t overcome the huge early lead Manny had crafted. Fans were treated to an exciting fight night with Manny, the obvious crowd favorite sending us all home happy, thanks Manny.
