Last night we saw the second installment of the World Series of  Fighting, aka WSOF. With a main event that saw former UFC Heavyweight Champ, Andrei Arlovski take on former UFC Welterweight, yes Welterweight, Anthony Johnson. In what I thought was a very lethargic fight, having Johnson taking the fight via unanimous decision.

        After watching the entire fight card, I was left with a sour taste in my mouth. Some fights were great, don’t get me wrong. Including Marlon Moraes defeating Tyson Nam via KO, and Josh Burkman defeating Aaron Simpson with a KO of his own. But to be honest, those were probably the only fights, to my recollection, to make mention. Along with some lackluster fights, including the main event, I saw things on television that didn’t seem right and they also had some potential problems that could have cancelled the entire show.

        To start off with, the show almost didn’t happen. The NJSAC (New Jersey State Athletic Commission) was very close to cancelling the entire show as WSOF was having some issues with their cage. The padding that was put in place to to protect the fighters from the posts holding the cage was too thin. Therefor deeming the cage unsafe. A local gym was kind enough to allow the use of their pads. To pour salt on the wound  the canvas they were to use was a foot too short. A special canvas was flown in from Vegas to properly cover the cage floor.

        Once the show was under way, you can see the great amounts of empty seats on television. I believe its a sad case when you try to put on a good show and have it flop, from the production value to the actual cage performances. I’m pretty sure NBCSports knew  they were going to face an uphill battle when they made this deal, so I’m eager to see what kinds of changes will be made.

        The fight card itself wasn’t a complete disaster. Although it did involve approximately 70% of former Zuffa bannered (WEC,UFC, and Strikforce) fighters. I believe some still thought they were fighting for the UFC as Arlovski was wearing a glove labeled “UFC”. I know WSOF is trying to be a legit fighting promotion, signing many notable names form other organizations, but at this point in time I don’t see how they can compete with the likes of UFC and Bellator Fighting Championship.

        I didn’t go into watching the fights to criticize them. I was honestly excited to see the fights. Especially the main event. But to see Anthony Johnson fight at Heavyweight wasn’t good at all. He came in slow, in my opinion, and was gassed out after the first round. Arlovski was just as bad. So when two fighters come in, on the main event stage and fight like they did last night, they can expect much more criticism from fight fans.

        Is WSOF ready hang with the big boys? At this point in their young existence, I say no. Let’s not forget though, it is only their second show and they have much room to grow. As a fan of fighting I wish them nothing but the best and success in the future.

        So I ask you the question, Is WSOF ready to hang with the big boys?

                           Adrian Zamora, MMA ANONYMOUS

UFC 157 took place on Saturday February 23. The main event was Ronda Rousey vs. Liz Carmouche for the UFC women’s 135 pound title. With co-main event Dan Henderson vs. Lyoto Machida.

       There were some great submissions, and great back and forth bouts. Some bouts that stole the night for me were, Magny vs. Manley, Robertson vs. Jardine (Won Submission of the Night honors), Bermudes vs. Grice (Won Fight of the Night honors), Lawler, making his octagon return, vs. Koscheck (Lawler received Knockout of the Night Honors). And of course, the main event of Rousey vs. Carmouche. For me, my favorite fight of the night was Urijah Faber submitting Ivan Menjivar (Welcome back Faber, referring to an older post of mine).

       Of course, there were some lackluster fights. Including, in my opinion, the co-main event, Henderson vs. Machida. Which saw Machida taking the win via controversial split decision. I thought Hendo did enough to get the nod. Another bout I thought failed to live up to it’s hype was Shaub vs. Johnson. Touted as a possible Knockout of the Night candidate, this fight consisted of Shaub taking down Johnson, who on a scale of 1-10 has 0 take down defense. And while on top of Johnson, Shaub failed to do anything. Johnson seemed to be connecting more while on his back. This snooze fest of a fight saw Shaub getting the nod. 

       We saw fighters who showed great heart, and a warrior’s mentality. The bout with Bermudes vs. Grice had the crowd standing the entire fight. Neither man backed down, neither man showed quit. In a back and forth fight that could have ended any minute, it went the distance with Bermudes getting the split decision win. The main event saw Liz Carmouche take the champion, Ronda Rousey’s back and nearly submit her with a neck crank. Rousey showed great poise, and didn’t panic. She worked her way out of it and came away with a submission of her own. Of course, a first round armbar win.

   What would an MMA card be without a little controversy. We got to see the return of Robbie Lawler to the octagon, and did so in exciting fashion knocking Josh Koscheck out. In a somewhat controversial way, as many people thought ref Herb Dean may have stopped the fight a little to soon. Replays show Koshcheck receiving 5-7 unanswered, punches forcing Dean to step in. My controversy of the night belongs to the Dan Henderson vs. Lyoto Machida bout. This fight saw a lot “running” from Machida. Of course trying to avoid the vicious H-Bomb, known as Henderson’s big right punch. We saw Machida land a few good kicks, while Hendo was pressing the entire fight. If Hendo wouldn’t have been pressing, there wouldn’t have been any action at all. I had Henderson winning 29-28.

            Overall, this was a great card.The crowd was electric and there was a buzz of excitement in the building. There is nothing like being at a live event. If you have never been to a live event, I highly recommend you make your way to one. See you at the next event…

                                        Adrian Zamora, MMA Anonymous

I just want to send out an apology to those who are actually interested in my MMA Blogs. Things have been pretty hectic for the last couple months. From the death in the family to the birth of my son. I will get back to writing ASAP. Thanks for your support.

             Adrian.

If I were to ask about a fighter who is about to fight in his third title fight in a row, would you be okay with it? What if this fighter is 0-2 in his last two title fights? Well that is exactly what is going to happen with Frankie Edgar. After loosing two title fights in a row against current champ Benson Henderson, he will now be facing the Featherweight king of the mountain, Jose Aldo. Not only will this be Frankie’s third title fight in a row, the first two coming without a win, but it will be his first fight at Featherweight.

        I don’t know what is bigger news, the fact that Frankie has decided to drop down in weight, or the fact that he is getting another chance at a title fight. After his second straight loss to Benson Henderson, Frankie was insistent on the fact that he was staying at LW. Dana White has been a huge voice in trying to get Frankie to drop down in weight and set up a fight with Aldo. I know many MMA fans have been chatting about a possible fight between the two and how great it would be.

        After Edgar/Henderson I, Dana White promised Frankie a rematch. He promised him a rematch because Frankie not only deserved it, but I believe he was owed it because of the company moves he made for the UFC. Out of gratitude for that, Dana granted it to him. I’m one to believe that Dana gave Frankie an ultimatum. If he looses to Henderson in the second fight, he will have to drop to Featherweight. There is no evidence or proof of such speculations, but that is just what I believe. But I do not believe an automatic title shot what part of the deal.

       Many have exclaimed their displeasure with this decision. Others are okay with the decision the UFC has made. Let me give you some reasons why Frankie doesn’t deserve another shot. Lets start with the most obvious, he’s coming off two straight losses in championship fights. He should start over to get back into title contention. Not necessarily to the back of the line so to speak, but somewhere in the middle of the pack to make a case for himself. Another reason Frankie shouldn’t get another shot is because this is his very first fight at a new weight class. There have been other guys in that division training hard and fighting to get their chance, only to have them have to wait longer because they were leapfrogged. It’s unfair to them.

        One reason why Frankie deserves another shot at a title is because the two losses in a row he suffered could have easily been two wins in a row. I’m one that believes Frankie won both his fights against Ben Henderson. It’s not like he was destroyed in those fights or was submitted. The very fact that the two decisions spark great debate should be reason enough. The discussion of Frankie being robbed have been beat to death, so I will not bring that up again. Another reason why is because there is no one available that is worthy of a title shot just yet. Aldo’s original opponent Erik Koch, had to pull out due to injury. And arguably the next in line after that, The Korean Zombie Chan Sung Jung, is still recuperating from surgery. He will be out for a while. So by process of elimination, Frankie is the lone fighter deserving the chance. And lets face it, who does not want to  see this fight happen?

        Other than those in the camp of Frankie Edgar, I might be in the minority in being okay with the decision the UFC has made in setting up Aldo vs. Edgar. I am a huge fan of Frankie’s and have been so for a long time. I remember the first time I saw Frankie, he was on an MTV show and was fighting in a hotel banquet room with about 25 people watching. I said to myself that this kid was going to make it big. So yes, I might be biased, but I’m excited for Frankie and I couldn’t be happier for him. I would have been fine with him having to fight at least once in a new weight class to earn a shot, but due to certain circumstances, I’m all for it. So does Frankie Edgar deserve another shot so soon? I say yes, what do you say…

                                             Adrian Zamora, MMA Anonymous.

Immediately after beating Sarah Kaufman via a 54 second armbar, Bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey called out Cris Cyborg. The two fighters have been in a verbal sparring session for almost a year now. Ronda arguably the women’s #1 P4P fighter in world was a former 145 pound contender. While in the 145 division, a division Cyborg owns/owned, Ronda was quietly making a name for herself. Never getting out of the first round in her professional career, a date destined with Cyborg was inevitable.

        Then there were rumblings of a possible Cyborg/Rousey fight. Only having 4 professional fights, this fight would be a huge step up for Ronda. And that also showed how thin the Featherweight division was for the women of Strikeforce. Ronda stated she was going to make a move down to the Bantamweight division.  Many people felt that Ronda was ducking Cyborg and was afraid to fight her. Ronda had a clear shot at facing her in the 145 pound division. Rousey, not afraid to open her mouth and speak her mind, lobbied her way into a championship fight with then queen of the 135 division, Meisha Tate.

        During the time that the Rousey/Tate fight was announced, it was reported that Cyborg had tested positive for a banned substance. Knowing that Cyborg would be serving a one year suspension, Ronda took to the social media and began to blast Cyborg. That is where the war of the words began. Stating something about too bad Cyborg is suspended because she would have put a beating on her. Cyborg then responded with a photoshopped picture of Gina Carano with the quote, “Next victim, Ronda”. So lets fast forward to Saturday night. Ronda making quick work of Sarah Kaufman, pulls no punches in calling out Cyborg.

        In the days leading up to the fight, the rumblings of a Rousey/Cyborg began to resurface. As Cyborg is scheduled to be off suspension in December. Cyborg chomping at the bit to get her hands on Rousey had stated that she cannot make the 135 pound limit, and would welcome a catchweight fight of 140 pounds. And of course, Rousey declined. She says if Cyborg wants a fight, it will have to happen at 135. This is where the backlash on Ronda Rousey begins. 

         Ronda Rousey, a former 145 pound fighter can clearly go up in weight. Cyborg who at times has had a difficult time cutting down to 145 pounds, knows her body. She knows a drop to 135 is impossible. So, knowing that, Ronda is still being Ronda and taunting and smack talking on Cyborg. So why would she spend her time and energy on a person she will never fight? What gain does she get from her smack talk? Calling Cyborg out knowing it will not happen didn’t sit well with many fight fans. If Ronda really wants to fight Cyborg and beat her like she claims she will do, why not agree to a catchweight? Ronda’s statement of, “The champion doesn’t come to you, you come to the champion” was a clear invitation for Cyborg to drop. Unfortunately Ronda has forgotten that she didn’t “go” to the champion. Yet she ran and left her division, to fight a smaller champion. Her smack talk is rather comical at times. To clear the air, I happen to like both Cyborg and Rousey as fighters. It’s just sad that someone would stoop to a level of trash talk and not have to back it up. So in the words of the great Nick Diaz, Ronda, “Don’t be scared homie”. We as fight fans would LOVE to see Cris Cyborg and Ronda Rousey finally settle their beef in the cage. So lets see it. We don’t want another Silva/GSP matchup that will never happen. Or a Bernard Hopkins/ Roy Jones Jr. rematch that happened 6 years too late and was irrelevant. By winning her fight in a spectacular fashion, Rousey may have lost in other ways…

                                       Adrian Zamora, MMA Anonymous

If you ask 10 MMA fans who won the main event at UFC 150, you are more than likely to get 5 saying Benson Henderson won, and 5 saying Frankie Edgar won. This was a rematch from their February fight in which Benson took the title from Frankie, in a controversial decision win. Dana, being the good guy he is allowed Frankie to get an automatic rematch. So the stage was set, was Frankie going to regain the title or would Henderson retain it? Regardless of the outcome, Dana White had already said the winner will defend the title against Nate Diaz.

        While watching the first round in which Henderson clearly won, I can hear myself say, “Here we go again”. Benson hit Frankie with some very good low leg kicks, in which Frankie had no answer to. Coming into the second round, Frankie found his range, and didn’t allow Henderson to utilize the leg kicks that were very significant in their first fight. Frankie eventually dropped Henderson momentarily in the round, but was unable to finish the fight. Going into the 3rd round, I had the fight even at one round apiece. Frankie had great footwork and good counter punching as it went back and forth for the rest of the 15 minutes. Personally I gave the fight to Frankie Edgar 4 rounds to 1. I would be okay with 3 rounds to 2 as the third round was probably the closest round of the fight.

        Not alone in my thinking, people took to Twitter and Facebook to vent their frustration and anger in the decision. Don’t get me wrong, Benson Henderson fought his butt off and did what he needed to do. There were a few things that I noticed after the decision was made. The first was the fact that Benson turned to Dana and asked if he thought he won the fight. Clearly you can read Dana’s lips as he told Henderson, “I’m not a judge”. I can only speculate that was Dana’s way of saying, “No, you didn’t win” without actually saying it. I cannot speak for the UFC President, but that is my opinion of the situation. Again at the post fight press conference Dana replied with the same answer when asked if he thought Frankie won the fight.

        Many people have stated their displeasure with Dana and the whole situation. But lets remember, Dana White has nothing to do with the decisions that take place. Yes, some are robberies, but there is nothing he can do about it. So what is next? Dana has made it clear the winner would move on to fight the #1 contender in waiting, Nate Diaz. Although no date has been set, the next one to try to take the title away from Benson Henderson will be Nate Diaz. No other announcement has been made as to what is next for Frankie Edgar. And though he is riding a two fight losing streak, it can easily be a 3 winning streak. There are plenty of options out there for Frankie Edgar. Names like Lauzon and Guida have come up. Perhaps a drop to Featherweight to take on current champion Jose Aldo. Frankie had killed those rumors though saying he is staying at Lightweight.

       Although I’m not alone in thinking that Frankie Edgar won the fight, there are many others out there who think otherwise. This was not the first controversial decision, it wont be the last. Nor was it the worst decision ever made either. Many people will even echo Dana White’s statement in never leaving the fight into the hands of the judges. I disagree with the statement, because there are many awesome fights that end in decisions, just like there are many weak fights that end in finishes. So its not the fact that these fights go to a decision, its the fact that these judges can’t seem to get it right. A fighter shouldn’t be discouraged into taking a fight into decision with the fear of being screwed over. Yes, judges are human and mistakes will happen. But when reporters like Nate Wilcox from a known MMA website writes a column titled, “I’m glad Frankie Edgar got robbed” Then there is a big problem there. It is never okay for a fighter to be robbed or screwed out of a decision. Nor is it ever okay for a “so-called” reporter to be “glad” a fighter was robbed.

       Who really won last night? I say Frankie Edgar, you say Benson Henderson. The real winners are the fight fans, who saw an awesome fight and a great fight card. Now with the lightweight division moving forward, there are a plethora of match-ups that can possibly be made. So what do you say, who won?

                                               Adrian Zamora, MMA Anonymous

Who you got???
Frankie or Bendo?
Melvin or Cowboy?

What do Junior dos Santos, Jon Jones, Anderson Silva, GSP, Benson Henderson, Jose Aldo and Dominick Cruz have in common? Besides being World Champions at their respective weights, at one point they were all amateur fighters. You see, to become the best at what you are, you have to start somewhere at the bottom. Before you show the world your talent and perform in front of thousands of people, you showcase your talents in front of literally 20 people in a hotel lobby somewhere. That is the price you pay to become the best. But you don’t give up and you don’t get discouraged. You persevere and fight through it (literally and figuratively). I have the upmost respect for those fighters who start off in the amateur ranks. Here at MMA Anonymous, I support all amateur fighters who are striving to become the best. I recently sat down with an amateur fighter to get some of his thoughts:

AZ= MMA Anonymous, EB= Elliot Blair

AZ= Tell us your name, your age, what weight you fight and what organization you’re from

EB=  My name is Elliot Harley Scott Blair. I’m 19. I fight at 155. I fight where ever I can get a fight. I had a fight scheduled at Evolution Fight League last time. My opponent backed out at the last minute.

AZ= Where do you train out of?

EB= I train out of Jeffersonville, Indiana with Bronx Hill MMA.

AZ= As an amateur, what is your fight record?

EB= I am 0-1, It was in 2010. I wasn’t healthy for that fight because of constant injuries.

AZ= So are you healthy now?

EB= Yeah, I’m finally surrounded by the right people and teammates to keep me motivated.

AZ= Do you know anything about your up coming fight?

EB= It will be in Louisville, KY for sure.

AZ= Do you know who your opponent is?

EB= No, not yet, my coach is trying to set up an opponent.

AZ= So you say there isn’t a named opponent yet, does that make it more difficult for you to train, not knowing what kind of fighter you’ll be facing?

EB= Yeah, you could say its more difficult. I could be training for a stand up fight and he could be working on wrestling. But I think I can adjust my style on short notice just to fight him.

AZ= Do you ususally come in with a game plan for your opponent, or a game plan for your self regardless of who you face?

EB= My game plan is always to inflict more damage without getting damaged, but for the most part I train for my opponent. For example, if it is a wrestler I work strictly on jiu-jitsu and boxing.

AZ= How would you describe your fighting style?

EB= I like to pick my opponent apart with kicks. But Ive been working on my boxing and wrestling with my coach and team. So my fighting style will be more dangerous than ever.

AZ= What got you started in MMA?

EB= I bought a DVD titled, The War of 04. The main event was (Tito) Ortiz vs. (Patrick) Cote. GSP vs. Hughes was also on the card. I promised myself I would start training when I could.

AZ= Did you play any other sports before? Did you ever do any combat sports before you started training?

EB= I did karate when I was 6, I made it up to a brown belt there. I stopped when I was 14 to start training in Jiu-Jitsu. They didn’t have belts for the No Gi Jiu-Jitsu teachings.

AZ= Did you find that doing Martial Arts helped you in training for MMA?

EB= It gave me some knowledge of what I should be expecting in training. It is more intense training though, but once I got used to it, it was all good.

AZ= Who are some of the fighters you look up to?

EB= I look up to some of my teammates, Ivan Rodriguez (not the baseball player) and Michael Rickets come to mind. Rickets just won the 145lb title two weeks ago. Ivan is 3-0. As far as professional fighters, I look up to (Lyoto) Machida and Cung Le.

AZ= One last question, I know you’re just an Amateur fighter right now, but is making it all the way up the UFC something you look forward to?

EB= Yes, being number 1 in MMA is my goal. Being in the UFC is where most top fighters are.

AZ= Elliot, I’d like to thank you for taking time out to answer a few questions, best of luck in your future fight.

EB= Thank you.

        Once again I would like to thank Elliot for taking time out and answering a few of my questions. Please, if you are a fan of MMA, support your local gyms and events they put together. You might just be witnessing the next World Champion. If you know any fighters or if you are a fighter yourself who would like to be high lighted, please do not hesitate to shoot me an email with some information about it. I will try to get back to you ASAP.

                                          Adrian Zamora, MMA Anonymous

I can be reached via email at: MMAAnonymous13@gmail.com

If I told you that a fight card scheduled for 14 fights ended with 5 submission wins, 5 (T)KO’s and 4 Decisions, how would you feel about that? That’s exactly what happened Saturday night in Kansas City, KS. as Invicta Fighting Championships were in town. This is the second fight card Invicta has put on since the organization was introduced. The first card was amazing to watch as well. So, what is so special about Invicta FC? I’m glad you asked.

        It starts at the top, Shannon Knapp and her people are doing it right. They’re are not jumping at the first deal that is thrown their way. They haven’t lost touch with reality, and they are fan friendly. Holding contests for their biggest fans and giving out VIP passes. I also like that they stream their fights rather than a televsion or Pay Per View deal. Streaming their fights for free has given them a chance for bigger audiences and more viewers. There were so many people on the website viewing the fights, that it caused their servers to crash. Not necessarily a bad problem to have. They are open to cross promotion, such as their deal set with Jewels, a Japanese fighting organization. As I’ve stated before, 14 fights 10 finishes. Of the 4 that went to decision, all were exciting. I will go on and say that Invicta FC II so far is THE best card of 2012. There were KOs, submissions, great wrestling, striking and Jiu Jitsu. The crowd was hot and these fighters came out to fight, and they did not disappoint.This fight card, in my opinion did better than the first one.

        Did I mention ALL these fighters are WOMEN? Yes, all women. I have always been a supporter of WMMA and what they bring to the table. These women are not being hyped as something they are not. What separates them from Women’s boxing? The obvious answer is that these athletes can truly fight, unlike their counterpart women boxers who were hyped by their looks and not their skill. All the women that took part in Invicta FC II were not only beautiful but can actually fight. I applaud every single person that took part in making the show happen. Especially Shannon Knapp, who had the vision and guts to make such a move in a male dominated sport. I cannot wait until October when Invicta FC III comes back to Kansas. To answer my own question, did Invicta deliver? Absolutely 100% yes. I was on the edge of my seat the whole time, as every single fight was exciting and fun to watch. And at the end of it all, I was saying UFC 149 who?

        I will not go into the fight results and who these fighters are. For two reasons. First, there are other websites who have already reported that. And second, I would like for you to go to WWW.INVICTAFC.COM and watch the fights yourself. If you are not a fan of WMMA, you should definitely watch these fights and if doesn’t change your mind, I don’t think any fights ever will. And if you are a fan of WMMA you will be thoroughly enjoyed…

                                          Adrian Zamora, MMA Anonymous