Sports News and Notes for August 12,2008

• The disgraceful Bay Area media once again made critical comments of Barry Bonds after Bonds decided to show up to a ceremony on Saturday night celebrating former outfielders who played for the Giants.  Gary Radnich of KNBR bashed Bonds for showing up and then leaving after three innings.  If Bonds didn't show up to the event, they would have bashed him also. When it comes to the media, you can't win if you are Barry Bonds.  They hate the man with a passion. 
• Owner Peter Magowan of the Giants made some ridiculous comments to the San Francisco Chronicle last week. He said that it was a good thing they didn't get Manny Ramirez two years ago because Aaron Rowand would not have been signed this year if Ramirez and his big contract was on the team.  Isn't that a good thing if Rowand was not on the team and Ramirez was? What a joke.  Rowand is an average player at best and Ramirez is a future Hall of Famer. This is why the Giants organization is one of the worst in baseball.
• Speaking of Rowand, the Chronicle also wrote a piece last week about how great Rowand is and how he is the leader of the Giants.  Rowand is not a good player and if I recall correctly, he was the fourth outfielder on the White Sox roster when they won the World Series a few years ago. What's so great about being a leader of a fourth place team? 
• Here is my bold prediction for the day. Mike Nolan of the 49ers will be fired during this 2008 season.
• The A's are going with a youth movement now and losing a lot of games. The good news is that players such as pitcher Gio Gonzalez and outfielder Carlos Gonzalez look to be big time players in the future.  Carlos Gonzalez's defense in the outfield has been very impressive and he has made many great catches already this season.
• The Olympics are entertaining to watch but who is watching the events that are shown in the wee hours of the evening? NBC was showing the gymnastics finale around midnight last night.  I know the unemployment rate is high right now but there are still many Americans who sleep earlier because they have to go to work the next day.
• Spain's blatant racism and disrespect of the Chinese was disgusting and deplorable. Spain's basketball team took a picture with all their players pulling at the sides of their eyes. All the Chinese fans are upset and rightfully so. Pau Gasol has lost a lot of fans  due to this. 
• I don't feel bad if your favorite baseball team does not make the playoffs. If teams really cared about the playoffs, they would sign Bonds. Thanks to collusion, he has no shot of a roster spot on any team. Look at the Yankees last night starting Jason Christian in the outfield. Jason who? Look at the Astros without Carlos Lee in left field for the rest of the year. But no one will sign Bonds. 

UFC 87: "Seek and Destroy" Review

UFC 87 was held in Minnesota last Saturday night as Georges St. Pierre outskilled and overwhelmed  challenger Jon Fitch to retain the UFC welterweight title.

GSP won by unanimous decision over Fitch in their five-round battle. GSP was very dominant throughout the whole fight and left no doubt as to who the winner was.

Another impressive fighter that night was Minnesota's own Brock Lesnar. Lesnar dismantled Heath Herring for three rounds to win by unanimous decision. All three rounds played out the same way as Lesnar would get Herring on the ground and just pummel him repeatedly with punches and knees.

The other three winners on the main card were Kenny Florian, Robert Emerson, and Demian Maia.

Florian fought a smart fight against Roger Huerta to win by unanimous decision. Florian is in line to get a shot for the lightweight title in the future with this win.

This fight was exciting and one of the more competitive fights of the night even though the judges' scores (all three judges scored it 30-27 in favor of Florian) did not reflect that.

This UFC show was one of the best shows I have seen by them in a long time. Their shows lately have been boring and lackadaisical but I can't say that about UFC 87.

GSP put on a clinic in defeating Fitch in every which way possible. He proved that he is the best welterweight fighter in the world, and on  a whole different level than any other fighter.

Robert Emerson's quick knockout of Manvel Gamburyan was entertaining, and Maia showed great ground skills in defeating Jason McDonald.

Lesnar proved to be a beast and a threat to everyone in the UFC's heavyweight division. He is so much bigger than most of the heavyweights, and if he takes his opponent down, there is almost no way they can get back up due to Lesnar's size advantage and strength.

Lesnar made Herring look small and Herring is about 6'4 and 250 pounds.

Overall, this was a decent show put on by the UFC. I can't find too many faults, but I wonder why the Maia vs. McDonald match was the first fight on the pay-per-view.

The fans don't care about these two guys. The fight may have been good but the fans still aren't too excited about these two fighters. Fans don't know much about them or think they are true contenders for the middleweight title.

Since three of the fights went to a decision, we did not get a chance to see any prelim fight but one.

The UFC showed the Cheick Kongo beatdown of Dan Evensen right before Lesnar's match.

What fans will remember most about UFC 87 was GSP's dominant victory over Fitch, and B.J. Penn storming the cage after the main event to challenge GSP to a match.

If UFC president Dana White and matchmaker Joe Silva decide not to put this fight together yet, they can have Florian challenge Penn, and Thiago Alves challenge GSP to title matches.

UFC's next pay-per-view show will be on September 6 in Atlanta when Chuck Liddell takes on Rashad Evans in the main event.

MMA Fighters and Insiders Predictions on GSP Vs. Fitch

D Wizzle's World  asked  MMA fighters, insiders, and ring girls who they think will win this Saturday night when Georges St.Pierre defends his welterweight title  against challenger Jon Fitch at UFC 87. 

Anthony "Rumble" Johnson (UFC welterweight contender) :  I hope my boy Fitch wins, but GSP is no bitch, so I hope whoever shows up and wants it the most, wins.

Josh "The Punk" Thomson (Strikeforce Lightweight Champion): Fitch, Fitch, Fitch, Fitch!!! OH, did I say Fitch??!!! (Laughs)

Stephen Quadros (MMA  analyst and commentator): I pick GSP to retain his belt not because Jon Fitch isn't good, or doesn't deserve  a shot at the title. He most certainly does! The problem is that the champion is better in more facets of the game than Fitch is. Long story short, I don't think there is a 170 pound fighter in the world today who can beat Georges St.Pierre.

Nicole Craner (Strike Force Ring Girl): GSP...because there is no one like him. His work ethic is phenomenal. I think it will go the distance though.

Keith "KO Kid" Berry  (KOTC Middleweight Champion and EliteXC fighter): I think GSP will win a unanimous decision over Fitch. GSP is on another level than anyone in his division. It's insane.

Nate Moore( Gladiator Challenge fighter fighting out of American Kickboxing Academy): As a training partner to Fitch, I will obviously be biased towards thinking Fitch will be the winner. However, I can tell you that Fitch is the more intelligent and mentally prepared fighter. Jon will undoubtedly stick to his game plan and grind out a well executed fight. Aside from having the side advantage, Fitch had a near perfect training camp, and he will be ready to give St.Pierre a five round war if necessary.

Elaina "Beef" Maxwell (Strikeforce fighter from Cung Le's gym):  I think Fitch will win by decision because GSP usually takes his opponent's best attribute and beats them with it. Fitch isn't imbalanced in one area, which means he is a well-rounded fighter. He's not good in one area and bad in another. This will definitely be a chess match, a close fight, and a war of wills.

Darren Uyenoyama (Dream and Strikeforce fighter ): I really want Fitch to win. I like his approach as a competitor and his hard work ethic. There are definitely some positions he can beat GSP in. However, GSP is very consistent and keeps a constant pace throughout his fights. He also recovers very well so it's not going to  be easy. It's going to be a classic match of boxer vs. brawler. The fan in me wants Fitch to win, but the analyst in me says the odds are on GSP.

Crooklyn (host of CageSide Live ): I'm hoping Fitch takes it. He's a powerhouse, has terrific wrestling, very decent jiu-jitsu, and has very good cardio. I just see those factors playing  out more definitively than any of GSP's previous opponents.  Let's hope I'm right because Jon Fitch is a friend of mines, and I want him to have that belt!

Michael Toney  from Dominance Fight Gear (co-author of MMA book, "Tales From The Cage"):  GSP by decision.  I think it will be a very tactical fight, and potentially a little boring. GSP is in his prime, and is going to be very tough to beat. 

Gabe  "Godzilla" Ruediger (Team Quest fighter) : It's an interesting match up. I think Fitch is one of the few fighters who can give GSP a run. Both of them are very well-rounded and can usually dictate where the fight happens. That's where this fight is interesting. I'm going with GSP by decision although I wouldn't be suprised if Fitch won the same way.

Jason Von Flue (The Ultimate Fighter 2 contestant and former UFC and Strikeforce fighter ) : I'm thinking GSP by decision. It will be the same fight as GSP vs. Koscheck.

Damon Gee (CEO of KNOXX Gear): I like Fitch because he is a very  determined fighter. He gave up a lot to move to San Jose and improve his game in order to become the best fighter in the world. He has a lot of heart and training is his life.

D Wizzle ( D Wizzle's World): Jon Fitch has never fought anyone as good as GSP in his career. Beating the Chris Wilsons and Josh Burkmans of the world is different than defeating the best welterweight fighter in the world today.  Fitch will hang in there for the first few rounds, but GSP is more athletic and talented, and he will win by TKO in the third or fourth round. Fitch's win streak ends in Minnesota.

Invitation By Giants to Bonds Nothing But a PR Stunt

 Instead of  signing Barry Bonds to be their left fielder for the final two months of the season, the Giants decided to send an invitation to Bonds to come to this Saturday's game against the Dodgers for a reunion of past Giants outfielders.

I believe there will be  a pre-game ceremony before the game to honor many of the former outfielders in San Francisco Giants history. Other former outfielders that reportedly were invited include Jack Clark, Jeffrey Leonard, Mike Felder, and Kevin Mitchell.

The invitation by the Giants was strictly a public relations move. The Giants organization does not care about Bonds. The only reason they are inviting him is because they want to  pretend to be the good guy in this situation.

When Bonds does not show up, the media will probably blast him again and make him out to be an ungrateful bad guy once again.

Why should Bonds show up? He is still trying to be an active player, and he is not retired like the rest of the other players that were invited.

Thanks to collusion by the owners, he might never be able to play baseball in America again. The home run king might have to go to Japan to play professional baseball.

If the Giants really wanted to show Bonds some gratitude, they would have resigned him for this season.

Instead, this pathetic organization decided to sign Aaron Rowand who has done nothing to help this team win. Sure, Rowand might be a "leader" in the clubhouse, but he is just an average player at best.

The team also decided to get rid of all but a few Bonds' banners and signs in the ballpark.

Barry Bonds deserves better. The Giants are stuck in fourth place in the  weak NL West and this publicity ploy by them is awfully pathetic and sad.

If any fans fall for this PR move and attend Saturday's game hoping to see Bonds,  then they are as stupid and pathetic as the 2008 Giants.

WEC 35: Exciting Fights on Free TV

WEC 35 was  held at The Joint at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas last Sunday night, and it was shown live on the VERSUS network.

I don't remember ever seeing such an exciting MMA event  on TV as I did when I was watching WEC 35.

All the fights shown were action-packed and exciting. None of the fights ended in a decision.

The problem with the event was that not too many people knew about the show or were interested in the fights. 

Brian Stann, Brock Larson, and Brian Bowles may all be very talented fighters, but none of them are household names.  Even the casual MMA fan will have a hard time recognizing WEC champions such as Carlos Condit and Jamie Varner.

It is a shame that the WEC show  did  not have any hype at all.  The UFC, which owns the WEC,  does a great job  of promoting their  own shows,  but not the WEC shows.

The main event between Carlos Condit and challenger Hiromitsu Miura was a back-and-forth battle and a candidate for Fight of the Year.  Although Miura lost, he gained many fans with his fighting spirit and judo throws. 

Unfortunately, not too many fans saw this fight or the other exciting fights on the show. 

When I asked MMA fans about the WEC, almost all of them told me they are not interested at all in the WEC because they don't know the fighters.

They feel that the WEC is the minor leagues of MMA and other organizations  like the UFC and EliteXC are the major leagues.

In other fights that night, Jamie Varner defended his lightweight title by defeating Marcus Hicks by TKO. Also winning by TKO was Steve Cantwell.

Cantwell defeated Brian Stann to win the light heavyweight title. Stann was the favorite in the fight, but Cantwell displayed good stand-up skills and technique to offset Stann's brawling style.

Other impressive fighters that night were  Bowles, Larson, and Jon Grispi. 

The next WEC show on VERSUS will be on September 10 in Florida.  I have never seen a bad WEC show and I expect more great fights that night.  

I also will expect no one to know about the fights or care about them. Only the hardcore MMA fans will be watching that night once again.

What a shame.

Baron Davis and Steve Nash in "Step Brothers" -VERY FUNNY VIDEO

Here is the link to the funny Baron Davis and Steve Nash video version of the movie Step Brothers."  

http://pantherswf.ibeatyou.com/flash/embed.swf?entryID=434880&compID=42216&mediaRoot=pantherswf.ibeatyou.com&root=www.ibeatyou.com/index.php

Shooto Japan Event "Scion Battleground" - Important Update

Friday Afternoon Update:  SHOW HAS BEEN CANCELLED!!!

There is a MMA event in San Francisco called "Scion Battleground" on August 2 and it is being presented by Shooto Japan.

The main event advertised on the flyer is between Drew Fickett and Antonio McKee.  D Wizzle World's  sources have told him that both these fighters are NOT on the card and will not be fighting.

D Wizzle World has also found out that many of the other fighters listed on the flyer won't be fighting as well. 

Their website also lists famous Internet models Akira Lane and Bobbi Billard as appearing, but D Wizzle's World has learned that Akira Lane doesn't even know anything about the event. 

There is also supposed to be a B-Boy dance competition along with the MMA fights. Talk about two different audiences! 

Repeated emails and phone calls to the promoters running this event have not been returned.

Q&A With Steve Mazzagatti:Talks About Controversial Johnson/Burns Fight

D Wizzle talked to MMA referee, Steve Mazzagatti, to get his take on the Anthony "Rumble" Johnson/Kevin Burns fight that took place on July 19 as part of UFC Fight Night 14.  Mazzagatti was the referee for that particular fight and awarded a victory to Burns via TKO when Johnson fell down and turned his back to Burns in the third round.

Johnson was on his way to a victory but  got poked severely in his right eye which caused him to scream in pain. Johnson had to have surgery on his right eye due to the damage from Burns' eye poke. 

The agent for Johnson, Ken Pavia, is appealing the decision, and hopefully the fight will be changed to a No Contest.

Pictures of Johnson after his eye surgery can be seen here -

http://dwizzlesworld.blogspot.com/2008/07/anthony-rumble-johnson-pictures-after.html

Q&A With Steve Mazzagatti

I know you have been getting criticized of late due to the controversial decision in the Johnson/Burns fight. Can you tell me what you saw in the third round when Johnson fell to the ground and turned his back screaming?

I did not see the eye poke as I was on the other side of the action. After he got hit, it looked like he went down from a punch,  so I called it the way I saw it. Remember,  we only have one or two seconds  to make a call, and without any  form of replay. I agree...it was a bullshit call but that's what I saw.

Do you think there should be instant replay in MMA?

It would be nice, but it could also be a problem. How far would it go? The place for the replay would be in the protest phase with the commission.

What do you have to say to all the fans out there who are ripping you for your call in that fight?

I would have loved to call the fight while sipping a cold one on my La-Z-Boy watching the replay over and over. Good work Guys.

How do you deal with the backlash? Does it ever get to you?

I can understand why the fans are bummed out. It bums me out also.  I can only call it the way I see it and  I didn't see it. My bad.

Is it true that you apologized to Johnson after the fight?

Yes. 

Hottie of the Week: MMA Fighter Miesha Tate

This week's Hottie of the Week (HOW) is MMA fighter Miesha Tate. Tate is 21 and from Ellinsburg, Washington. This 5'6" hottie has a 2-1 professional record and she is coming off a big win against Elaina Maxwell last month at the Strikeforce show in San Jose. Tate's boyfriend, Bryan Caraway, is also a MMA fighter. 

To view D Wizzle's interview with Caraway, click here -
http://dwizzlesworld.blogspot.com/2008/07/interview-with-elitexc-fighter-bryan_21.html

Hey Miesha, how's it going today? Congratulations on your  win over Elaina Maxwell at Strikeforce!

Thanks, it was a big win for me!

Would you like a rematch with Kaitlin Young one day since she gave you your first and only loss in your career?

Yes, I would because I feel like I learned a lot from that loss. I've developed a much better and more aggressive style of fighting, and I believe I would win a rematch!

You were on the boys wrestling team in high school. How did that come about?

My best friend Sharon and I decided to join the wrestling team together, because we both love sports. I just don't like basketball.  We decided to wrestle since there was no other sports offered during that season and we both grew to love wrestling immensely.

Is that how you met your boyfriend, Bryan Caraway?

I actually met him at college. He and Tommy Truex started a basic jui-jitsu club, and I decided to try it out and thought it was way cool, I was encouraged by the guys to commute with them to Yakima and train more seriously up there.

Is he the reason you got into MMA?

Well pretty much... yea,  he is the reason besides me  having a wrestling background.  If he hadn't started that club, I wouldn't be where I am today that's for sure.

Where do you train at and who are some of your trainers and training partners?

I originally trained out of Yakima MMA under Rich Guerin,  and that's where I learned all of my basics and most of what I know today, but I now train out of Victory Athletics with Dennis Hallman and it's a great gym!

Were you more nervous for your fight with Maxwell or Bryan's fight?

Probably more nervous for his fight... not because I doubt his ability in any way, but because I know how much he despises losing,  and that's a risk we all take when we get in the cage.

How do you think you would do against Gina Carano?

At this point in my career, I don't think I'd really consider fighting her, but I do have the potential to beat her especially because I don't think she's really had anyone challange her on the ground, which is exactly what I would do!

Who are some of your favorite fighters to watch?

Obviously,  my boyfriend Bryan is my number one because he is so talented, a good person, and he helps me a lot with my fight career, but I also like GSP because he's an amazing athlete and he's not cocky. I also like Shayna Baszler because she's a total badass!

What are some of the things you like to do when you are not training?

I like to watch a lot of movies. I also like camping and anything that has to do with the water!

Is there any opponent that you would like to fight next?

I'd like to fight Liz Posener because she was my first amateur fight and my only amateur loss.

What part of your game do you think you need to work on the most?

Well, I'm not afraid to stand but that's probably where I need the most work!

What weight class do you prefer to fight in? Is it hard for you to cut weight down to 145? It looks like you weigh a lot less than 145 to me.

I walk around at about 145,  and I prefer to fight at 135 because I'm used to cutting weight and that is a comfortable cut for me.

Who would win in a fight between you and Bryan in the cage?

(Laughs) Well, he would probably let me beat up on him  for a while and work my game a little, and then at the end, he'd kick my butt and probably sub me out in like two seconds!! (laughs)

How come you don't have a nickname yet? We need to get you one.

Well the nickname I came out to was "TakeDown" Tate, but who knows about that one! I guess I do need a real nickname because no one's givin me one that's stuck yet!

Thanks for taking the time to talk to me. I can't wait to see you fight again. Do you have any final words for the fans out there?

Just a big thank you for all the support and I can't wait to fight again!

EliteXC:"Unfinished Business" Results and Review

EliteXC had their second prime time show last Saturday night and the main event was a middleweight title bout between champion "Ruthless" Robbie Lawler against challenger Scott "Hands of Steel" Smith.

The show was held at the Stockton Arena in Stockton, California.

The main event was a rematch between Lawler and Smith as these fighters fought to a no- contest decision a few months ago due to an accidental eye poke by Lawler which affected Smith's eyesight in the third round.

Saturday's show was thusly titled "Unfinished Business" and CBS showed four of the fights on the card.

All four of the fights ended without any controversy as all the winning fighters finished their business.

The winners of the fights shown on CBS were Lawler, Cris Cyborg, Jake Shields, and Nick Diaz.

Lawler, Diaz, and Cyborg defeated their opponents in the second round by TKO, while Shields easily defeated Nick "The Goat" Thompson early in the first round with a guillotine choke to become EliteXC's first welterweight champion.

Lawler showed why he is the EliteXC middleweight champion by delivering a series of knees to Smith's stomach in the second round to win by TKO. The first round was a feeling out process by both fighters but there were fireworks in the second round.

Both fighters were bloodied up in the second round, and Smith looked like he had the advantage until Lawler started to connect with his punches and knees to end the fight.


Although there were a lot of impressive performances on the show, the fighter that opened up the most eyes was Cris Cyborg. Cyborg defeated the heralded Shayna Baszler in the only women's fight of the evening.

Baszler is known for her submissions but Cyborg avoided all her submission attempts in the first round. In the second round, it appeared that Baszler was tired from all her previously unsuccessful submission attempts.

After Cyborg got Baszler in the Muay Thai clinch and landed some knees in the second round, she proceeded to hit Baszler with a flurry of punches which knocked Baszler down.

In the unintentionally funny moment of the night, Cyborg thought the fight was over and jumped onto the top of the cage to celebrate with the fans. She raised her arms in victory while having her back to Baszler and the referee, Steve Mazzagatti. Unbeknownst to her, Mazzagatti had not called off the fight.

This gave Baszler the chance to recover from the damage inflicted by Cyborg's right hand and knees, but Mazzagatti finally had to call a stoppage to the fight about a minute later after another Cyborg right hand knocked down Baszler for the second time in round two.

Cyborg will possibly challenge Gina Carano in the future. If she doesn't fight Carano next, I could see her having a fight with someone like Kaitlin Young.

Carano was in attendance at ringside along with another EliteXC superstar, Kimbo Slice.

Diaz, a Stockton native, received the loudest ovation of the night. He defeated Thomas "Wildman" Denny in a slugfest.

All four fights on CBS were wildly entertaining and exciting. Unlike many of UFC's shows and broadcasts, the fights were action-packed and the announcers were very professional and articulate.

Gus Johnson, Mauro Ranallo, and Frank Shamrock all did a nice job calling the action, and Karyn Byrant did a good job asking questions while interviewing the fighters.

The only problem I had with the show was that their was a lull after Diaz's fight and leading up to the main event.

MMA fans could not ask for a better night of fights. The winning fighters all won decisively and did not leave their fights to the hands of the judges.

Wilson Reis, Rafael Feijao, and Antonio Silva were all winners in fights that were seen on the cable network, Showtime, right before the CBS show aired.

Reis defeated the very tough Bryan Caraway by unanimous decision after three rounds. Caraway got the better of Reis standing up, but Reis was able to take down Caraway multiple times in the fight.

Caraway did do a very nice job scrambling and getting up from the takedowns.

Caraway reportedly suffered a dislocated kneecap while training for the fight and his knee probably affected him during the fight.

Feijao won by TKO over Canadian Travis Galbraith in the first round. Feijao was very impressive and looks to be a force in the light heavyweight division.

Silva defeated Justin Eilers by TKO in the second round to become the first ever EliteXC heavyweight champion.

Overall, MMA fans have to be pleased with the show.

It was a very successful night for EliteXC and CBS as the show came off very well on television, and the fans got to see hard-hitting action and decisive clear-cut victories without any controversy.

The next CBS broadcast of EliteXC's Saturday Night Fights will be on October 4 and will feature Kimbo Slice and Gina Carano.

Exclusive: Anthony "Rumble" Johnson Pictures After Eye Surgery

UFC fighter Anthony "Rumble" Johnson had to have eye surgery today because his retina was injured due to Kevin Burns' illegal eye pokes during their fight last Saturday. Here are pictures of Johnson after his surgery.


Johnson's surgery was successful and he wishes to thank all his fans for their continued support.

MMA Fighter Miesha Tate Interview Coming Soon

Look out for D Wizzle's interview with MMA fighter Miesha Tate in the next few days!

UFC Fight Night 14: Boring Fights

UFC shows never seem to live up to its hype anymore. UFC Fight Night 14 was just another example of a terrible show with too many mismatches or lethargic performances from the fighters.

It was a good thing that I had the Affliction show on at the same time so I would not fall asleep. There were a lot of exciting matches on the Affliction show, and I was watching that show more than I was watching the UFC broadcast.

CB Dolloway had a nice submission win over Jesse Taylor to start the UFC broadcast on Spike TV but the Kevin Burns fight against Anthony "Rumble" Johnson made fans very angry.

Burns established himself as one of the most feared and dangerous fighters in the planet after the fight, and I don't think many fighters will want to sign to fight him in the very near future. He might be more dangerous than fighters like Fedor or Anderson Silva right now. Sure, you might get knocked out by those two fighters but you could lose your eyesight fighting Burns.

Burns' fingers poked and scratched Johnson's eye about four or five times in the match. Burns showed no class and sportsmanship when he tried to go for the kill and attack a fallen Johnson after another eye poke in the final round. Burns pretended he didn't know what had just happened and even deceived the referee who stopped the fight and awarded the TKO victory to Burns.

Frankie Edgar and Hermes Franca had an uninspiring three-round fight which ended in a decision and the other three matches on the main card were all mismatches or lethargic.

Brandon Vera was supposed to defeat Reese Andy and he did but it was one of the worst fights of the night. Andy reminds me of former UFC fighter, Sean Salmon, for some reason. I guess it is because they are both wrestlers and short.

Heavyweight prospect Cain Velasquez easily defeated UFC veteran Jake O' Brien in the first round, and Silva quickly dismantled the overmatched James "The Sandman" Irvin.

I was really glad the Affliction show was on because the show was way more exciting than the UFC's show.

Vitor Belfort, Andrei Arlovski, Josh Barnett, and Fedor Emelianenko all had great fights that got fans really excited on Saturday night.

Affliction's show had way more action and excitement than any of the UFC shows in the past few months.

There is more MMA action this weekend as EliteXC has their second big show on CBS and Showtime on Saturday night. This show should be very exciting and the fights should be way more competitive and intriguing than the fights on UFC Fight Night 14.

There will be three title fights and also a women's match as well.

If the UFC continues to have bad shows with boring fights and questionable judging and officiating by the judges and referees, MMA fans will tune in instead to shows by their competitors such as Affliction and EliteXC if they haven't already.

You can count me as one of those fans.

WNBA Brawl - VIDEO

Interview with EliteXC Fighter Bryan "KidLightning" Caraway

Here is D Wizzle's interview with MMA fighter Bryan "KidLightning"  Caraway. Caraway is a featherweight fighter from the state of Washington. He has a 10-2 professional record and is coming off a big win against Alvin Cacdac  at the last Strikeforce show in June. Nine of his wins have been by submission.

This interview was done before it was announced that Caraway's next fight would be against the highly touted Wilson Reis  at EliteXC's next big show on July 26 in Stockton, California.  

 

Hey Bryan, how's it going? Congratulations on your win at Strikeforce!

Thanks! I was stoked to be fighting for Strikeforce.

Your style of fighting was listed as "Cowboy Karate" at Strikeforce. Can you give me a definition of that?

Yea, we are  from the Northwest so we're a bunch of tough country dudes with technique! It's  really just supposed to be funny and it keeps everyone guessing.

You looked really good against Alvin Cacdac. You were on him from the start and eventually forced him to tap from the rear naked choke. Did you expect to have such an easy fight?

I never expect to have an easy fight but I trained really hard for it, and I knew he was a stand-up guy so I figured he couldn't hang with me on the ground. It actually went EXACTLY how we planned it.

Your girlfriend Miesha Tate fought on the card and won also. Is that the first time you guys were on the same card together?

Yea,  it was pretty cool!

 Were you more nervous about your fight or her fight?

A different kind of nervous for her. I always throw up before my fights because I'm so competitive, and I hate losing more than anything. But for her, I'm worried about her getting hurt or jacked up!!

The crowd booed when you won since Cacdac was from San Jose. How did it feel to win against the hometown fighter with the crowd booing you?

Well, winning always feels awesome, but that adds a little zing to it! (laughs)

Do you have a nickname?

Yea, it was "The Kid" for a long time because  I started fighting when I was only 19 so Dennis Hallman nicknamed me "The Kid"  but everybody I trained with said I'm lightning fast so now its "KidLightning."

How is the MMA scene in Washington?

The amatuer MMA scene has blown up huge and the pro scene is growing as well with Strike Force coming here. As far as the Northwest,  MMA is huge in general and I believe we produce the toughest fighters around.

Where do you train at and who are some of your trainers and training partners?

Well I trained at Yakima MMA with Rich Guerin while I was in college for about three years so he was really influential in who I am today as a fighter. I originally started with Hallman for a little while,  and then he introduced me to Rich because  he was a lot closer to where i went to school. But now, I moved back over to the Olympia area a few months ago and I'm training with Dennis Hallman again. I have some good training partners  like Eddy Ellis, Matt Lininger, Wesley Welch, Cory Devela, and just recently Mike Joy.  I also go and train with Lyle Beerbohm, Sterling Ford, and  Cody McKenzie. We make trip up to Ivan Salaverry's gym, and drive down to Team Quest a lot and I train with some real tough guys there like  Matt Lindland, Chael Sonnen, Ryan Shultz, Ian Loveland, Zack George, Dave Jansen, Nathan Coy,  and Ed Herman. All the Quest guys are cool.

 Of all your wins so far in your career, which one was the most satisfying?

Uh,  I don't know... probably the Strikeforce show  is up there  when I dominated Noah Thomas. Noah was supposed to fight Josh Thomson, but Josh got cut so they called me up on short notice, and I  was supposed to get beat up but  it was totally the opposite.  He then  got on TUF 5 so  that makes it even better that i beat him.

 Are there any opponents that you would like to fight next? 

I just wanna fight who ever is  gonna get me to that next level and noticed that much more!

What part of your game do you think you need to work on the most? 

I like to think I'm pretty well rounded but probably if I had to pick, it would be stand-up.

How is your stand-up?

My stand-up's actually pretty slick so I'm told, but being a wrestler forever, I'm more comfortable on the ground. I just need to get more confidence in my skill on my feet.

Thanks a lot for your time Bryan. Congrats on the win again and I hope to see you fight again soon. Do you have any final words for the fans out there?

Just watch out for me! I'm gonna be coming up for sure. I live, eat,  and sleep fighting.  Training is all I do.  I'm focusing my whole life on fighting so you  better believe I'm gonna be the champ!! Thanks for the interview! Stay up.

Shooto Japan MMA Event in San Francisco On August 2

FRIDAY AUGUST 1 UPDATE - SHOW HAS BEEN CANCELLED!!!

IMPORTANT UPDATE/WARNING  ON THIS EVENT - Click Link -

http://dwizzlesworld.blogspot.com/2008/07/shooto-japan-event-scion-battlground.html

Check out the next MMA event live in San Francisco at the Fort Mason Festival Pavilion  as Shooto Japan presents Scion Battleground!

The main event is between former UFC fighter Drew Fickett vs. Antonio McKee. 

Other fighters scheduled on the card include Jason Collard, Alexi Vila, John Dodson, Andrew Valladerez, Virgil Ortigas, and Thonglor Armatsena.

For more information and tickets to this event, click  here  http://sanfrancisco.going.com/event-343770;SCION_Battleground_-_MMA_Massive

Event produced by Shooto Japan, The Flavor Group, and Ankh Marketing.

Gladiator Challenge "Summer Showdown" Summary and Results

Kezar Pavilion in San Francisco was host to Gladiator Challenge's "Summer Showdown" event last Friday night. There were ten fights in total, and only three of the fights ended in a decision.

Most of the fights were hard hitting and exciting. The most exciting fight was a fight that ended up in a split decision.

Zak Bucia was awarded a split decision after a three round war. The match was a back and forth tussle but the match stalled in the third round as both fighters were gassed.

The crowd was really into this fight and it was the fight of the night.

The decision could have gone either way as the fight was very competitive and even. They both had their moments offensively landing kicks and punches. Bucia was caught in a triangle but was saved by the bell in the first round.

The main event was between Kurt Osiander and Nate Moore. Osiander is a black belt instructor at the Ralph Gracie Academy in San Francisco. Moore fights out of the American Kickboxing Academy (AKA) in San Jose.

90% of the crowd was on the side of Osiander as it appeared that all of his students were in attendance.

Believe it or not, the main event ended faster than the main events at the UFC and Affliction shows over the weekend.

Much to the displeasure of the crowd, Moore knocked Osiander down with a flurry of punches and the referee had to stop the fight after only six seconds.

Osiander never had the opportunity to try to take down Moore, and attempt to submit him.

UFC welterweight fighter, Jon Fitch, was in Moore's corner. Fitch also cornered for another AKA teammate, Wayne Phillips, who lost a unanimous decision to Joey Armstrong.

The Ralph Gracie Academy students left Kezar Pavilion stunned and disappointed.

Another fan favorite, Justin "The Hero" Hoglund, also lost as his fight was stopped in the second round due to a cut. Hoglund, who trains at Ralph Gracie's Academy, had a cut that was opened up by his opponent, 19-year-old Gabriel Solorio in the first round.

Solorio was booed heavily and the ending didn't help endear him to the pro-Hoglund crowd. Solorio told me after the fight that he didn't let the boos get to him.

"There was a lot of hate there. I didn't let the crowd get to me. I knew what I was trying to do and I did it," said Solorio."I wanted to stand up and trade some punches, but he wanted to go against the cage and clinch. It started working good for me so I beat him at his own game."

In a battle of heavyweights, John Devine defeated Richard Blake by TKO due to strikes. Blake protested the stoppage by the referee to no avail. The fans were not pleased with what they thought was an early stop to the fight, and some of them started to throw t-shirts into the cage.

The t-shirts the fans were throwing into the cage were the shirts thrown into the crowd by the ring card girls in between rounds.

A fighter that really impressed me was a middlewight named Raul Castillo. Castillo mounted his opponent, Josh Neal, and delivered some vicious punches to end the fight at the 1:36 mark of round one.

Castillo is now 5-0 with four of the wins via TKO. He is definitely one fighter to keep an eye on.

The other winners from Friday night were Ryan Bastianelli, Matt Greene, Larry Mays, and Mike Fazzino.

Mays won his fight over Will Davis due to a verbal tapout at the end of round two.

Fazzino defeated San Francisco police officer, Bryan Lujan, by TKO due to strikes at the 2:18 mark of the first round. Fazzino took him down and then started to rain down repeated punches which forced the referee to end the fight.

It was a chilly and cold night, but the women in the building were very hot. There were lots of beautiful women dressed in short tube tops, dresses, and miniskirts.

The crowd was very lively and raucous throughout the course of the evening.

Although none of the fighters on the card are household names, most of them fought valiantly and impressively. The fights were mostly entertaining and the atmosphere inside Kezar Pavilion was electric.

The Bay Area MMA fans who watched "Summer Showdown" all seemed to have a good time even though a lot of them left disappointed due to some of the fan favorites losing.

Overall, the night was a huge success for Gladiator Challenge and the promoters, Full Contact Promotions, as the fans enjoyed over three hours of entertaining MMA fights.

Gladiator Challenge "Summer Showdown" Exclusive Pictures