Carparama Posted January 7, 2008 Share Posted January 7, 2008 I thought I was getting out of the MMA Promoting business, as my own pride and joy "Prairie Fighting Championship" had up and folded. Running a Mixed Martial Arts promotion in central Canada is tough -- people want to watch the UFC, EliteXC, King of the Cage, WEC ... they don't have time for the small companies just trying to start out. After the death of PFC, I promised myself I was done. ... That is, until Mark Cuban and Monty Cox came to see me. My name is Mike Wheeler, and I am the president of the [b]National Fighting Association[/b]. The NFA is Mark Cuban and Monty Cox's latest attempt at breaking into the wonderful world of Mixed Martial Arts, and they needed someone to book their events, and basically run the company. Who better, than a Canadian who is famous for his professional wrestling skills? Like many wrestling fans, I fell in love with the competition that only MMA can provide. I started out small, and this seemed to be my big break. Starting in California, with 10 million dollars, we would try and take the MMA world by storm -- but it wasn't going to be easy. -- When I signed up for this gig, I was told it would be a blast. Stress-free, with no pressure. What a load of crap. Of everyone we offered contracts too, Ken Shamrock, Don Frye, Dan Severn, Gary Goodridge, Pedro Rizzo, Jeff Monson, Elvis Sinosic... only two men didn't laugh in our faces. I can only hope those jerks would regret their decision somewhere down the line. Those two men who took a risk to sign with us? They were getting rewarded with a title match at our first event: [b]"NFA 1 - Legends Collide!"[/b]. The secondary event would be a battle between Johnnie Morton and Hidehiko Yoshida. Morton was a former football player, who was trying to make the jump to MMA. He was unsuccessful in his debut match with another promotion, but he's hoping things would change with us. Yoshida is on the other side of the spectrum. A Judo fighter, Yoshida just wanted to get his career back on track. It's unfortunate NFA needs to rely on a football player gimmick as a main event match, but in all honesty, it's a positive that we at least HAVE something to offer. That legends match will put us on the map... I hope. -- It's scary when you realize how expensive these promotions are to run. In one month, we had lost $171,000. We never ran any shows, and advertising, but these were just basic costs. It'd be easier if we had sponsors to rely on, but alas, nobody wanted to take a chance on us. It's a good thing Mark and Monty are well-endowed in terms of money! I just hope we turn a profit soon, so I can keep my job... -- December 2007 was a wacky month for MMA. Dana White stepped down as President of the UFC due to some disagreement with the owners, and immediately was replaced by Bas Rutten. Perhaps he didn't actually step down? Perhaps it had something to do with UFC owners forcing Chuck "The Iceman" Liddell to retire? Either way, he was quickly picked up by EliteXC, and won't be out of work too long. The rivalry between those two promotions is only going to get sweeter. With the signing of Aleksander Emelienanenko as well, I wonder how EliteXC will do? UFC 79 looks to be a very exciting event, with Quinton "Rampage" Jackson defending his title against Forrest Griffin. Not to mention how big of a Rich Franklin fan I am. I'm glad UFC is giving him another chance in the spotlight. He'll be facing Kalib Starnes in the secondary match of the night. A bunch of TUF kids are getting opportunities too. It'll be a good event. I'm not ashamed to say I'll be buying it on PPV. ... But will anyone be coming to my event? -- [color=red][i][center] [size=6]The National Fighting Association presents... NFA 1 - Legends Collide![/size] [size=4]The NFA debuts its Heavyweight Division (186-260lbs) with four exciting battles! Two Mixed Martial Arts legends will be competing in the main event to determine the firstever NFA World Heavyweight Champion! Johnnie Morton (6'0", 193lbs, 0-1) and Hidehiko Yoshida (5'11", 225lbs, 7-5-1) go to war in the secondary main event! It's SPORT VS SPORT, as JUDO MASTER will try and keep the FOOTBALL STAR at bay! Which sport shall prevail?[/size] Also on the card: "Half-Man Half-Amazing" Jeremy Williams (6'1", 205lbs, 4-0) VS Karam Ibrahim (6'3", 205lbs, 0-1) "The Fist" Chalid Arrab (5'10", 204lbs, 7-3) VS Mikhail Zarats (6'0", 205lbs, 3-0)[/i][/color][/center] -- [i]Contest: Every event, I'll be doing a contest. Whoever can answer the most questions correctly will get to make a change to this diary to some degree. Hopefully I can keep this going for a while, and we'll see what happens. QUESTION #1: Which will happen: a.) Both Williams and Zarats continue their unbeaten streak. b.) Williams will lose his fight. c.) Zarats will lose his fight. d.) Both fighters will suffer a loss. QUESTION #2: Which match will have the better rating between the two main events? a.) Legends - It's the main selling point of the event! b.) Sport VS Sport - More intrigue here! c.) Tie - Have to put this option here ... anything can happen! QUESTION #3: The winner of the secondary event becomes the #1 contender for the Heavyweight title. Who will win? a.) Johnnie Morton b.) Hikehiko Yoshida QUESTION #4: Which two legends square off in the main event? QUESTION #5: Who will walk away the NFA Heavyweight Champion? I ask you do not read anyone's answers before choosing your own. Let's not cheat here, folks![/i] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carparama Posted January 8, 2008 Author Share Posted January 8, 2008 If December was thought to be a crazy month, let me just say January was just as crazy. Royce Gracie came out of retirement to sign with King of the Cage, which I think is great. At UFC 79, Forrest Griffin shocked the world by knocking out Rampage in just over a minute in the first round to win the Light Heavyweight title! In another upset, Rich Franklin lost to Kalib Starnes. Interesting event to say the least for the UFC. UFC 80 was going to be highlighted by a Sean Sherk/Joe Stevenson fight for the Lightweight title, with Roger Huerta taking on Jason Black in the secondary event. Jason Black fought at UFC 79 beating Jorge Gurgel by TKO in the 2nd round. He sure stays busy for an older guy. [color=red][i][center] [size=6]The National Fighting Association presents... NFA 1 - Legends Collide![/size][/color][/center] It was finally time for us to debut our event, and I could not be more nervous. Everything would be riding on these fighters. I had done everything I could do, and I think that is what worried me the most. [b]3,219[/b] people had shown up, which was a very exciting number to me. I hoped we wouldn't disappoint. As the event began, I watched the announcer introduce both men.[/i] [color=red][CENTER][b]Match #1 - Heavyweight Division[/b] "The Fist" Chalid Arrab (5'10", 204lbs, 7-3) VS Mikhail Zarats (6'0", 205lbs, 3-0)[/CENTER] Round 1 Slow start to the round. Not much happens before they wind up clinched together, struggling for supremacy. Arrab uses a trip to make a takedown, but doesn't go down himself, instead staying back. He pushes the raised legs away and dives in to get side control, but Zayats scrambles and manages to get up, pushing Arrab down to the ground. Zayats ends up on top, in guard. Zayats tries to work free from the guard, but can't. Arrab reaches up to try and bring Zayats down into a clinch, but the attempt gets swatted away. Zayats fires off a couple of punches, leaning forward to get some leverage, and Arrab is forced to cover up. Zayats switches and starts firing off some rapid-fire shots to the chest, Arrab deals with it by pulling the guard tighter and punching upward. Zayats looks like he is happy to sit there and throw punches at his leisure, with no real effort to pass guard. Arrab occasionally tries to roll his hips to get free, but it may be that he has realised that this round is beyond saving, and is just making sure that he doesn't put himself into a position to be knocked out or submitted by trying to escape. Indeed, time ticks away with nothing breaking the pattern of occasional strikes and defensive positioning. End of the round. Blurcat.com gives that one to Zayats by 10-9. Round 2 Hardly the most exciting start to the round, as within thirty seconds, and without a single decent strike being thrown, the two competitors end up clinched near the cage. Arrab hits a jab, landing just above the left eye. Zayats drops and locks his arms around the waist, and manages to scoop up and take down Arrab. Good move. Zayats fires off a couple of tentative punches, testing out the guard of Arrab. Zayats tries to pass the guard, but can't, Arrab isn't going to let him get a better position, as he knows that Zayats will start raining down punches. Zayats tries a big right hand, but it's easily defended. Arrab gets a punch of his own in, but it didn't connect properly. Zayats again tries to get past the guard, but again is foiled. It's turned into a bit of a stalemate, although the referee probably won't stand them up as long as the punches continue to flow. Zayats fakes an elbow before trying to pass the guard for a third time, and briefly has side mount, but Arrab fought it hard and gets back to guard within seconds. Butterfly guard by Arrab, and Zayats is having trouble generating any attacking threat. He'll probably win the round as he has been more aggressive, but Arrab has defended the danger well. That's the end of the round. Blurcat.com has it down as 10-9 Zayats. Round 3 Zayats starts fast, coming out almost immediately with a three punch combination. None of them get through, and Arrab manages to squeeze a jab of his own through and score just above the left cheek. They exchange a flurry of blows right in the center, it's difficult to see who got the best of it, and both of them retreat a few steps to recover. Good start to the round, early indications are that this is going to be all about the striking, neither fighter has even hinted at going for a takedown. Arrab uses a low kick to set up a nice right hand, and Zayats is forced back against the cage. Arrab picks his shots and gets a big punch to the body in. Zayats uses a couple of looping punches to make Arrab keep back, but it doesn't last for long, as Arrab bursts forward and hits two big right hands, taking a counter punch to the body though, and they wind up in a clinch. They exchange weak-looking blows from that position, before the referee grows tired of the inactivity and breaks them apart. Zayats scores with a low kick. They both seem to be looking for an opening, and it's creating a stalemate at the moment. Arrab unwinds a right hook that narrowly misses. That will be the last action of the round though. End of the round. Blurcat.com sees it 10-9 to Arrab. The official scores are in; two judges give 29-28, the other 30-27, all for Mikhail Zayats.[/color] [i]Yikes. One star rating, and it goes to a decision. Not a horrible matchup in my opinion. Zayats remains undefeated, and gives me another hype option for a future show. I love it. ... Both legends have arrived. I hope they deliver![/i] [color=red][CENTER][b]Match #2 - Heavyweight Division[/b] "Half-Man Half-Amazing" Jeremy Williams (6'1", 205lbs, 4-0) VS Karam Ibrahim (6'3", 205lbs, 0-1)[/CENTER] Round 1 Ibrahim hits the first punch of the round, scoring with a jab to the cheek. Williams throws a left hook in response, but it's well wide of the mark. Ibrahim steps in and hits a low kick. Williams ignores it and shoots in for a takedown. Ibrahim saw it coming though, and defends it brilliantly, sprawling at first, then pushing Williams face-down to the ground so that he can take his back. Williams turtles up. Ibrahim hits a couple of hard shots to the body, but can't stop Williams working his way up and turning over, pulling guard. Ibrahim looks to pound out a victory, throwing some big punches. Williams's guard prevents him from getting his body behind the shots though, and none of them have enough power to really trouble Williams. A couple do get through and hit home though. Williams reaches up and smothers Ibrahim into a clinch. He fights free, with some difficulty, and starts punching away again. Williams parries the shots away. Unfortunately the round enters a lull, with Ibrahim unable to pass guard and so being content just to throw punches from there, while Williams is unwilling to risk letting Ibrahim pass guard. We enter the final thirty seconds of the round before Ibrahim gets a breakthrough, managing to power through the guard and mount Williams! Williams covers up and tries to buck and roll his hips to desperately try and dislodge Ibrahim. It doesn't work, but it does unbalance him enough to reduce the amount of punches being thrown. Some do come raining down though, and Williams is probably relieved when the round ends with him not having taken too much damage. End of round 1. Blurcat.com sees it 10-9 to Ibrahim. Round 2 A couple of straight lefts from Williams start the round, but neither got past the gloves of Ibrahim. They clinch, with Ibrahim looking like he initiated it. They struggle for supremacy. Williams gets taken down, but traps Ibrahim in guard. Ibrahim throws out a right hand, parried away by Williams. The guard is quite tight, for the moment at least Ibrahim looks content to stay there and throw some punches. Williams isn't offering any sort of attacking threat yet, instead concentrating on keeping the strikes from landing. A big punch is driven into the ribs, Williams thought it was going for the face. Another punch lands in the same place, and a red mark starts to develop. Williams reaches up and pulls Ibrahim down into a clinch, and tries to work an armbar from the bottom. Ibrahim defends it easily, and gets in a sharp jab to the face too. He stands up slightly, leaning forward into the guard, and starts throwing some right hands. One gets through, the others are parried. Williams looked like he might be considering trying to apply a triangle then, as Ibrahim was very exposed, but he didn't get a chance due to the ferocity of the punches. Ibrahim gets back down to kneeling in the guard. Another right hand lands to the ribs. Williams fires off two punches from his back, but Ibrahim defends them easily by simply leaning backward out of reach. Ibrahim stands again, the guard remaining tight around him, and throws another couple of bombs. This time Williams does try to apply the triangle, and an armbar at the same time, but Ibrahim breaks free. Time is ticking down, looks like Williams will survive this ground and pound attack. The round ends without further note. The 2nd round ends. Blurcat.com scores 10-9 Ibrahim. Round 3 Slow start, both fighters are throwing tentative punches without threatening anything more powerful. Williams puts together the first exciting moment, stringing together four punches in quick succession, but Ibrahim defended well. Straight right from Ibrahim in response, but it caught nothing but gloves. They start circling. The referee tells them to fight, the lack of action so far is worrying. They get in close and exchange body shots, Williams probably getting the slightly better punches in, and then fall into a clinch. That goes nowhere, and the referee separates them. Ibrahim gets a nice kick in just before the time expires, but it's unlikely that is going to stop the judges giving that round to Williams. That's the end of the round. Blurcat.com gives that one to Williams by 10-9. The three judges all give the match as 29-28 to Karam Ibrahim. [/color] [i]I have to admit, Ibrahim looked pretty solid those first two rounds. The fact both fighters refused to do anything in round three really bothered me. Ibrahim knew he was going to win, and Williams looked gassed early on. Williams loses his "0", and Ibrahim loses his as well! He asked for a raise after the show, and in all honesty, I'll give it to him. I'm in a nice mood.[/i] [color=red][CENTER][b]Match #3 - Heavyweight Division[/b] Johnnie Morton (6'0", 193lbs, 0-1) VS Hidehiko Yoshida (5'11", 225lbs, 7-5-1)[/CENTER] Round 1 Morton is the first to score a meaningful blow, tagging Yoshida with a jab to the cheek. Yoshida uses a nice straight left to return fire. Morton comes in to work the body, but Yoshida saw it coming and uses a quick takedown to put Morton onto the floor, falling into guard. Yoshida passes guard and gets into side control, but it's an awkward position; Morton has the entire right hand side of his body up against the cage, and both his legs wrapped around Yoshida's left arm. Yoshida's attacking options are fairly limited. He uses a couple of back fists to strike away at the face, but Morton covers up to defend them. Yoshida tries to pin down one of Morton's arms and bring his legs around to trap them fully, but Morton uses his free arm to stop that from happening. The ground battle enters a stalemate, as Yoshida finds himself unable to do any real damage other than occasional strikes, which he doesn't have the leverage to get much power behind, with virtually no chance of gaining a submission thanks to his left arm being trapped. The referee eventually stands them up, and the time expires before anything interesting can happen with them standing. End of round 1. Blurcat.com sees it 10-9 to Yoshida. Round 2 Morton throws the first punch of the round, a high searching jab that didn't carry a great deal of threat with it. Yoshida throws a one-two combination in return, neither connecting, then steps in and delivers a hard kick to the outside of the thigh. Morton steps back, throwing a right hand as he does to buy himself space. They circle, then move in again to exchange strikes, neither fighter getting a clear advantage. They come together again and the same result. It has become something of a stalemate at the moment. They come together to exchange strikes for the third time, and this time they wind up in a clinch. Yoshida hits a knee to the ribs. A couple of shots to the back from Morton. They struggle all the way back, with Morton ending up backed up against the cage. Yoshida hits another knee, but there wasn't much power behind it. Morton stomps downward onto his foot. Morton manages to reverse their positions, but that only lasts about thirty seconds before it gets reversed once more. Yoshida gets an arm free and tries to throw a big shot to the cheek, Morton ducks under it and gets the arm back under control. The referee finally breaks them up, and we're back to where we started. Morton tries a high kick to start, but Yoshida saw it coming and easily avoids it. They come back together in the center, and it's Yoshida who gets the first sustained attack of the round, hitting two hard body shots and a jab that caught Morton on the nose. Morton hits a straight right, enough to stop Yoshida from following up any further. The time expires with them standing. Not a great round for either of them or the crowd, it was very scrappy. The round is over. Blurcat.com gives that one to Yoshida by 10-9. Round 3 Yoshida hits the first punch of the round, scoring with a jab to the cheek. Morton throws a left hook in response, but it's well wide of the mark. Yoshida steps in and hits a low kick. Morton ignores it and shoots in for a takedown. Yoshida saw it coming though, and defends it brilliantly, sprawling at first, then pushing Morton face-down to the ground so that he can take his back. Morton turtles up. Yoshida hits a couple of hard shots to the body, but can't stop Morton working his way up and turning over, pulling guard. Morton tries to push free, but Yoshida forces him to go back to guard by raining down some jabs. Yoshida reaches over and tries to apply some sort of neck vice, but Morton breaks it by bringing his arms up. Yoshida steps through in an effort to mount Morton, but can only get to half guard as one of his legs gets trapped. Yoshida throws some strikes, then tries to work an armbar on the closest arm. Morton rolls over and uses his free arm to keep that from happening. That goes on for quite a long time, with Yoshida determined to try and work the arm free and get an armbar, while Morton uses everything at his disposal to block it. The round ends without Yoshida having made the breakthrough, although he clearly ran away with the round in terms of points. End of the round. Blurcat.com gives that one to Yoshida by 10-9. The three judges all give the match as 30-27 to Hidehiko Yoshida. [/color] [i]Talk about being outclassed. Morton didn't have a chance in this fight. It's unfortunate every fight so far has ended in a unianimous decision. At least the chances of the legend VS legend fight going to a decision is remarkably slim. I wonder who will walk away the winner? I stepped into the ring, and the crowd was on their feet. Everyone knew which two fighters would be making their NFA debuts tonight, and people were excited. Heck, I was excited! As I stepped into the ring, I began to announce the two combatants.[/i] [color=red][CENTER][b]Match #4 - Heavyweight Division[/b] [i]For the Vacant NFA Heavyweight Championship[/i][/CENTER][/color] [b]Wheeler:[/b] "Both fighters have entered the ring, and are prepared to go to war ... for the Vacant NFA Heavyweight Championship of the world! In this corner ... ... ... ... We have a former contender for the UFC Heavyweight Championship. He has a record of 16 wins and 7 losses ... ... ... ... Hailing from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, he is a Ruas Vale Tudo fighter ... ... ... ... ... [b]PEDRO ... "THE ROCK" ... RIZZO![/b]" [i]The crowd exploded for the first fighter. This was a man who fought the likes of Randy Couture, Kevin Randleman, Tank Abbott, Andrei Arlovski and many more. We were truly honoured that he accepted our invitation. He wanted as much as I did for the NFA to succeed. Could he be our first Heavyweight Champion? He had a huge man to try and get through ...[/i] [b]Wheeler:[/b] "In the other corner, we have a wrestler ... ... ... ... This man is a pioneer of mixed martial arts. He is a former UFC Superfight champion ... and a UFC Hall of Famer ... ... ... ... With a record of 80 wins, 15 losses, and 7 draws ... from Coldwater, Michigan ... ... ... ... ... [b]DAN ... "THE BEAST" ... SEVERN![/B]" [i]The crowd got even louder! I was as surprised as many of our fans when Dan accepted our invitation. At 52 years old, he is 20 years older than Rizzo. He wanted to prove he could still go, and seemed legitimately touched that we wanted him with us on our journey to the top. Nevertheless, the time for sentiment was over. It was time for the NFA's first main event. [center][color=red][b]Pedro "The Rock" Rizzo (6'1", 241lbs, 16-7) VS Dan "The Beast" Severn (6'2", 250lbs, 80-15-7)[/b][/center][/color] Round 1 Not the most interesting of starts to the round, it's mainly a lot of circling. The referee apparently gets bored, as he tells them to get on with it and fight. Severn complies, firing off a dangerous right cross, narrowly missing. Rizzo throws a couple of stiff jabs, but they only find gloves. Severn fakes left, then comes in from the right, hitting a nice body blow. Rizzo steps forward and unleashes a big kick, thundering it into Severn's ribs. He felt that one for sure. Rizzo follows up by hitting a right hand too. Severn finds himself backed up against the cage. Rizzo advances, and throws a scythe-like kick to the legs. Severn can't get out of the way, and almost gets felled by the impact. Rizzo steps in and scores with a high head kick. Severn partially blocked it with his hands, which was probably the only thing stopping it from being a knock out blow. Severn gets a right hand jab out in response, then pulls Rizzo into a clinch. Knee strike from Rizzo. They break. Severn still looks hurt from that first kick. Rizzo gets in close and gives a receipt for that earlier body blow, nailing a right hand to the gut. Severn hits a jab to the cheek in response, then clinches again. Time runs down, the round will end before anything more can happen. Rizzo has used those powerful kicks to dominate this round. End of round 1. Blurcat.com sees it 10-9 to Rizzo. Round 2 Rizzo comes out fast and quickly backs Severn up, all the way up against the cage. Rizzo throws a series of rights and lefts; none of the strikes to the head got through, but two nice body shots did. He doesn't follow up though, instead keeping a few steps back, clearly not wanting to get tied up in a clinch. Severn throws a low kick, then advances with some jabs, forcing Rizzo to back off a little. They meet in the center and exchange strikes, with Rizzo looking the crisper striker of the two, although without doing any real damage. Severn shoots in for the takedown, but Rizzo sprawls and eventually pushes free. Right hand from Rizzo, then two jabs which both find their mark. Severn bats away a third, then comes in hard and fast for a second takedown attempt. Rizzo sprawls again, but gets pushed all the way up against the cage. Severn has a leg, but is low down to the ground and doesn't have the leverage to complete the takedown. He works to a better standing position, but has to lose the leg and grab a clinch instead. They both fire off some small punches from there. Severn tries for a trip, but Rizzo avoids it and works free from the clinch. He returns to the center, clearly wanting a striking battle rather than a grappling match. Severn follows, hands held high, and throws a couple of jabs. Rizzo connects with one instead though, and then with a looping right hand that catches Severn above the eye. He felt that, but doesn't go down. Best strike of the round so far. Severn throws a low kick. Rizzo comes in to strike again, but this time cannot sprawl quickly enough and gets taken down. Rizzo pulls guard. Unfortunately for Severn, now that he has finally gotten the takedown, there's less than thirty seconds left. He tries to pass guard to get to side control, but Rizzo comfortably defends it until the round is over. That's the end of the round. Blurcat.com scores it 10-9 for Rizzo. Round 3 Slow start to the round. We're nearly a minute in before Severn throws the first meaningful punch, trying to squeeze a fizzing jab through to Rizzo's jaw, but it is parried. Rizzo steps in, but has to quickly side-step to avoid a straight right. Severn moves in to throw some body punches but gets clipped with a big right hand. It was partially blocked, it would have been a potential knock out if that had hit home on the chin, Rizzo put a lot of weight behind it. Severn hits a nice jab, then clinches. Rizzo hits a knee, takes a punch to the ribs, then breaks free. Severn hits a low kick to the leg. Rizzo bursts forward and scores with a big right hand to the body, then a left hook. Severn goes down! Good shot from Rizzo! He tries to follow up and pound on Severn, but Severn is up really quickly and covers up to block the two jabs that come in. Rizzo, sensing that Severn is rattled, starts coming forward with more urgency. Severn ends up backed up against the cage. Rizzo gets within range, fakes a left, then lunges in with a huge right hand. It is partially parried by Severn, who wisely clinches up tightly to get some time to recover. The power that Rizzo has in his hands is really posing Severn some problems. The clinch drags on, with Rizzo unable to break free, and the round ends like that. The round ends. Blurcat.com sees it 10-9 to Rizzo. Pedro Rizzo wins the match, getting a score of 30-27 from all three judges. Pedro Rizzo wins the NFA Heavyweight title.[/color] [i]... Interesting fight to say the least. A lot of dull spots, but the chance to see Rizzo and Severn in the same ring was a big deal to a lot of fans. Unfortunately, every match on the card earned a one star rating, but hey. We had to start somewhere. The fact we brought in two legends should be enough to retain most fans, and hopefully our second show will be better. Hopefully the fans would cut us some slack. I was surprised to learn this was Rizzo's first world title ever, and honestly, it felt good knowing we were the ones to give him that chance. Hidehiko Yoshida demolished Johnnie Morton and was named #1 Contender for the Heavyweight Title. Rizzo seemed excited to face him. This could only be good news. However, that matchup was a few months away. Rizzo/Yoshida is currently planned to be the main event of NFA 3. I'm contemplating changing the time limits for title fights to five, five minute rounds, instead of just three rounds. I think Rizzo/Severn could have benefitted from two more rounds, although Severn was mildly gassed at the end of it. Although he got completely outfought by Rizzo, I was pleased with The Beast's performance. He would be back.[/i] [color=red]QUICK RESULTS: Mikhail Zarats beat Chalid Arrab by Unianimous Decision at 5:00 of round 3. (*) Karam Ibrahim beat Jeremy Williams by Unianimous Decision at 5:00 of round 3. (*) Hidehiko Yoshida beat Johnnie Morton by Unianimous Decision at 5:00 of round 3. (*) Pedro Rizzo beat Dan Severn by Unianimous Decision at 5:00 of round 3. (*)[/color] -- [i]Contest results! Note: This was written before I checked the forum. Nobody replied, so I'll hold off on contests until after I get some readers. (Assuming I get any!) QUESTION #1: Which will happen: a.) Both Williams and Zarats continue their unbeaten streak. [b]b.) Williams will lose his fight.[/b] c.) Zarats will lose his fight. d.) Both fighters will suffer a loss. All right, I didn't expect this. I was thinking Zarats would be the one to lose. Personally, I was hoping both would win. I could have hyped streak versus streak. Ah well! QUESTION #2: Which match will have the better rating between the two main events? a.) Legends - It's the main selling point of the event! b.) Sport VS Sport - More intrigue here! [b]c.) Tie - Have to put this option here ... anything can happen![/b] So, at least I didn't have any duds. I'll take this event. I was personally really excited by the main events, and am looking to see how far I can go. QUESTION #3: The winner of the secondary event becomes the #1 contender for the Heavyweight title. Who will win? a.) Johnnie Morton [b]b.) Hikehiko Yoshida[/b] Did anyone expect Morton to win? I sure didn't. I figured Severn/Yoshida or Rizzo/Yoshida would be a fine main event in the future. I'll admit, I fed Morton to him hoping Yoshida could keep the bout interesting. QUESTION #4: Which two legends square off in the main event? [b]Pedro "The Rock" Rizzo Dan "The Beast" Severn[/b] I assumed I'd get some flack considering I had Elvis Sinosic in that list of legends, but hey. He's a relatively decent name. If he had joined me, I would have NO issue calling him a legend. Since he didn't, he's a can! Nothing but a can! I am a huge Dan Severn fan. At 53 years old, I didn't think he'd be extremely competitive, but he did okay. Rizzo was the first big name I was able to snag. Everyone else said "No, you're not worth my time." Not only did Rizzo sign for a mediocre sum, he also kept his contract with me, even though he is getting 7.5 times the salary from KOTC. Rizzo made my day and guaranteed me a decent main event. I'll try and keep him forever. QUESTION #5: Who will walk away the NFA Heavyweight Champion? [b]Pedro "The Rock" Rizzo[/b] You had a one in seven shot at being right! Since I knew which two I had signed (I'm psychic, what can I say?) I had Rizzo winning this fight 4 out of 5 times. I couldn't see Severn taking this one, but hey. That would have been cool too. Both men are class acts in my book, and NFA would be proud to have either one as a champion.[/i] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jamie1989 Posted January 9, 2008 Share Posted January 9, 2008 It's a different concept to a lot of the other story's on here and I like it. It's good to see you aren't starting right at the top either, a challenge is always great. I'll be keeping my eye on it, Kutgw. P.S. It's unlikely I'll be answering your questions and predictions etc. I read a few on here but I tend not to answer them through lack of time (By lack of time I mean laziness) :p Cheers, Jamie. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carparama Posted January 10, 2008 Author Share Posted January 10, 2008 [i]We had our first event in Week 4, on Sunday, of January 2007. I had liked the thought of Pedro and Dan going head to head for our title, and so did our fans. However, I think I expected some sort of miracle, and it just didn't happen. I expected something magical to occur, and it just never did. Ah well. Live and learn. I've decided now, I'm not going to follow too many UFC and EliteXC events anymore. I need to completely focus on the success of the NFA, and make sure we're at the very least competitive. I decided to schedule our second event for [b]Sunday, Week 4, March[/b]. It was obvious I needed some sort of gimmick for this event to prosper, so I decided to have [b]Dan Severn[/b] fight in the main event. Pedro wanted some time off to heal from NFA 1, and I figured this was fine. But, who could I put up against Dan Severn? The answer came in the form of [b]Ray Mercer[/b], who was a relative newcomer in MMA. He was in his mid 40s, but was known for being a boxer with a good punch. I decided to go the route of "[b]Boxer/Wrestler, Rookie/Legend[/b]" for the tagline of the event. In the secondary main event, I decided to give [b]Johnnie Morton[/b] another chance. He was a brawler, and former football player who knew how to wrestle, to some degree. I wasn't sure where I wanted this man to be on my card, but I decided it'd be best to let fate take over. In another boxer/wrestler type event, I decided to place [b]Jeremy "Half-Man Half-Amazing" Williams[/b] in Morton's way. I knew this fight may not go over well with the fans on the night of the event, but I needed some sort of hype gimmick, since 3/4 fighters in the main event are barely known. In the undercard, I gave two newcomers to the NFA a chance to prove themselves. In the opener, [b]Kirill Sidelnikov[/b] would be taking on [b]Karam Ibrahim[/b], who was coming off a win over Jeremy Williams. In the second fight of the night, [b]Tadas Rinkevicius[/b] would be facing [b]Mikhail Zayats[/b], who was still undefeated at 5-0. A somewhat decent four match card, but I knew I would need to stop relying on just Severn and Rizzo to headline my cards. I knew NFA 3 would feature Pedro Rizzo and Hidehiko Yoshida for the NFA Heavyweight Title, but what else could I possibly offer? Only time would tell ...[/i] [center][color=red][b]The National Fighting Association presents: "NFA 2 - Boxer/Wrestler, Rookie/Legend"! Sunday, Week 4, March The legendary [i]Dan "The Beast" Severn[/i] will face boxer [i]Ray "Merciless" Mercer[/i] in the cage! Can Mercer dethrone the legend, or will Severn welcome him to the NFA with a wrestling clinic? Truly sport versus sport in this match-up! Also, [i]Jeremy "Half-Man Half-Amazing" Williams[/i] battles former football star, and wrestler, [i]Johnnie Morton[/i] in what should be another exciting bout! Two definite unpredictable sport versus sport battles will be showcased! Only from NFA![/b] --Also on the card-- Mikhail Zayats VS Tadas Rinkevicius Karam Ibrahim VS Kirill Sidelnikov [/color][/center] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carparama Posted January 10, 2008 Author Share Posted January 10, 2008 [center][color=red][b]NFA 2 - Boxer/Wrestler, Rookie/Legend[/b] [i]Sunday, Week 4, March[/i] Location: California Attendance: 2,860[/color][/center] [i]I had to see Dan "The Beast" Severn before the event got underway, and I once again thanked him for giving NFA a chance. I told him he really helped us out by fighting in the main event of the first show, and he seemed generally appreciative of what I told him. He told me it really was no problem. He wanted us to succeed, and would do everything for us, while he still could. I didn't question what his last sentence meant, but who would have guessed this would be the last time we'd see The Beast in an NFA Cage? As I looked in Dan's eyes, I knew he really wanted to win tonight. Looking at this 50 year old man, putting his body on the line for this promotion, it was really hard for me to stay unbiased. Who am I kidding? I wanted to see Severn demolish his opponent![/i] [color=red][CENTER][b]Match #1 - Heavyweight Division[/b] Karam Ibrahim (6'3", 205lbs, 1-1) VS Kirill Sidelnikov (6'0", 205lbs, 1-1)[/CENTER] Round 1 There's a few minor exchanges of punches to start the round, and Sidelnikov gets the better of them. Neither fighter is throwing any bombs, but Sidelnikov is showing the better technique, and has hit a few nice body shots. They come together again, and Sidelnikov shows quick hands to get in three nice shots. Ibrahim definitely felt them. Neither fighter seems interested in taking this to the ground, they're just circling, throwing a few punches, then regrouping. Ibrahim is struggling to inflict much damage. He may need to switch tactics, as so far Sidelnikov is looking very comfortable. Ibrahim comes in with left, but Sidelnikov saw it coming and slipped in a great right hand counter punch. Ibrahim is getting frustrated. The remainder of the round is no different, as the occasional exchanges of strikes are clearly go the way of Sidelnikov's superior technique. The round ends. Blurcat.com scores it 10-9 for Sidelnikov. Round 2 Not much happening at first. Ibrahim is the first to make a move, coming in with a right hand that narrowly misses. Sidelnikov gets in a jab that landed on the left cheek of Ibrahim, and leaves a mark. Quite a slow paced round so far. Ibrahim takes another jab and moves in to retaliate, but it was a set-up and he gets creamed with a high right kick to the side of the head! Ibrahim stumbles but doesn't go down, and has to cover up as Sidelnikov comes in with a series of punches to try and finish the job. Ibrahim somehow manages to hold on long enough to get his senses back, and buys some time by clinching. Hard knee from Ibrahim from the clinch, and Sidelnikov felt that, he looks a little tired from unloading that barrage. They break, and Ibrahim gets in a nice right hand. For a second it looked like Sidelnikov was about to go for a takedown, but nothing came from it. That's the end of the round. Blurcat.com sees it 10-9 to Sidelnikov. Round 3 Sidelnikov and Ibrahim circle to start. Ibrahim throws a couple of looping punches, neither hitting, while Sidelnikov sits back, waiting for an opportunity to attack. Ibrahim comes in closer, looking to unload with a right hand; that misses, and it allows Sidelnikov to slip a nice jab in, catching Ibrahim just underneath the right eye. Sidelnikov comes in and scores with a straight left, then bounces a right hand off the body. Ibrahim misses with a right cross, then backs off. Sidelnikov stalks him, forcing Ibrahim back up against the cage. Sidelnikov doesn't rush in, instead standing back and throwing the occasional punch. Ibrahim throws a big left hand in response, but it misses by quite a margin. Sidelnikov pounces, hitting lefts and rights. Ibrahim covers up from the first two punches, then clinches up to prevent any more coming in. They're up against the cage, Sidelnikov in the dominant position. They remain that way as the time ticks down. Sidelnikov throws the occasional knee, but can't really do much with his arms tied up like that. The referee finally tells them to break, and they return to the center. That clinch ate up a lot of time though. Ibrahim comes in hard and fast, bobbing and weaving, and throws a couple of big shots. Sidelnikov parries them with his gloves and scores with a well-executed counter punch, hitting just above the eye. They come in close again, throwing punches, but wind up clinched again. The time expires with them like that, and that round will definitely go down in Sidelnikov's favour. End of the round. Blurcat.com sees it 10-9 to Sidelnikov. Kirill Sidelnikov wins, with a score of 30-27 from two judges, 29-28 from the other. [/color] [i]Sidelnikov wins his debut match in NFA, and I guess I'm happy about it? I was still too psyched about the main event to be watching this fight too much. Not sure what the third judge was thinking though. Every time I was watching the ring, I saw Sidelnikov in complete control. ... I do wonder though, will every fight go to unanimous decision?[/i] [color=red][CENTER][b]Match #2 - Heavyweight Division[/b] Mikhail Zarats (6'0", 205lbs, 4-0) VS Tadas Rinkevicius (6'1", 248lbs, 12-3)[/CENTER] Round 1 Tadas starts fast, coming out almost immediately with a three punch combination. None of them get through, and Zayats manages to squeeze a jab of his own through and score just above the left cheek. They exchange a flurry of blows right in the center, it's difficult to see who got the best of it, and both of them retreat a few steps to recover. Good start to the round, early indications are that this is going to be all about the striking, neither fighter has even hinted at going for a takedown. Zayats uses a low kick to set up a nice right hand, and Tadas is forced back against the cage. Zayats picks his shots and gets a big punch to the body in. Tadas uses a couple of looping punches to make Zayats keep back, but it doesn't last for long, as Zayats bursts forward and hits two big right hands, taking a counter punch to the body though, and they wind up in a clinch. They exchange weak-looking blows from that position, before the referee grows tired of the inactivity and breaks them apart. Tadas scores with a low kick. They both seem to be looking for an opening, and it's creating a stalemate at the moment. Zayats unwinds a right hook that narrowly misses. That will be the last action of the round though. The round ends. Blurcat.com gives that one to Zayats by 10-9. Round 2 The two fighters touch gloves as the round begins. Tadas starts brightly, throwing out a series of jabs and raking punches, but Zayats is too light on his feet and avoids all of them. Zayats steps in and hits a lovely overhand right, then a low kick to the outside of the thigh. Tadas throws a vicious right cross, but Zayats goes under it and catches Tadas with a scathing left hand to the gut. The next few minutes follow a very similar pattern; Zayats using his excellent movement to 'hit and run', coming in from a variety of angles to score with crisp punches, dodging out of the way of Tadas's counters. Tadas is being made to look sluggish by comparison, and the amount of punches that Zayats has landed in comparison to him is becoming huge. None of them have been particularly big punches, certainly nothing likely to end a fight, but the sheer number of them must be hurting Tadas. Tadas finally hits a meaningful blow, catching Zayats coming in with a low kick. Zayats still gets a crisp jab in though, and is back out of range before Tadas can apply a second strike. The round comes to an end with Zayats having dominated. The round ends. Blurcat.com has it down as 10-9 Zayats. Round 3 The round starts slowly, with both fighters circling, tentatively throwing out the occasional jab. Tadas is the first to make a positive move, stepping in to throw a right hand, although he probably wishes that he hadn't, as Zayats picks him off with a crisp jab to the cheek. Tadas throws a wild punch as a counter, but Zayats ducks and backs off out of range. They meet again in the center for an exchange of punches. Tadas gets a clubbing blow to the side of the head in, but takes a hard shot to the stomach in return. The early pattern seems to be that Tadas is looking for big punches, Zayats is happy to avoid them and use quick counter punches instead. They clinch up, and Tadas manages to back Zayats up against the cage. Tadas takes a half step backward and throws a big right hand to the head, but Zayats ducks under at the last second, scores with a pair of punches to the gut, then darts out of trouble before Tadas can unload. Tadas may need to think about changing tactics, Zayats is looking far sharper in these striking battles, and is beginning to control the pace and tempo of the round. Tadas fakes a right hand, then shoots out a low kick, catching Zayats on the thigh. Zayats presses forward for the first time, getting in close and using a couple of jabs to the body. Tadas gets a nice left hook in, glancing off the gloves, and then clinches up. Time ticks away and the round ends just a few seconds after the referee separates them. End of the round. Blurcat.com gives that one to Zayats by 10-9. All three judges give a score of 30-27 in favour of Mikhail Zayats.[/color] [i]I'm becoming a fan of Mikhail Zayats. He's won two fights in NFA, both by unanimous decision. Some people may find these fights boring, but I must admit I'm a fan. He may be up for a #1 Contendership match in the near future. Perhaps against Kirill Sidelnikov?[/i] [color=red][CENTER][b]Match #3 - Heavyweight Division[/b] "Half-Man Half-Amazing" Jeremy Williams (6'1", 205lbs, 4-1) VS Johnnie Morton (6'0", 193lbs, 0-2)[/CENTER] Round 1 They circle to start, both throwing a few tentative jabs. An uppercut misses its mark from Morton, providing the first moment of real action. Williams hits a nice combination of body shots to set up a big right hook, but Morton side-stepped to safety. A few punches get thrown, but there's a lack of real action to talk about. Williams is being slightly the more aggressive, but neither fighter is really going for it. They come together again and exchange punches, but no big shots get through, and they end up clinched for a while. The referee separates them, but the time is ticking away and this round looks like it's going to the judges. End of round 1. Blurcat.com gives that one to Williams by 10-9. Round 2 They meet in the center. Morton hits a nice jab, a second misses. Williams steps in close and hits a brutal body shot, causing Morton to back up quickly. That was a really powerful shot. Williams stalks Morton, flicking occasional jabs. It looks like Williams wants to stand and trade punches with Morton. Williams gets within striking distance and throws a bomb of a right hand, narrowly missing. Morton fires off a raking left hook in response, but that is off target too. They meet and exchange punches. Morton goes for the body, but gets tagged with a left hand to the side of the head. Morton is rattled by it, but doesn't step off, instead throwing a couple of crisp jabs. Williams throws another big punch, this time thundering it into Morton's shoulder. They clinch. So far it looks like Morton simply can't live with the power that Williams has in his hands, you get the sense that if this continues, Morton is going to wind up knocked out sooner or later. The clinch is broken, but within thirty seconds they are right back in it, this time leaning against the cage. By the time that is broken, the round only has a few seconds left. End of the round. Blurcat.com scores 10-9 Williams. Round 3 The fighters come together right in the center. Morton throws out a jab, but Williams bobs out of the way and uses a right hand to glance a blow off the side of the ribs in response. Williams works an angle and storms in suddenly with three crisp jabs and a looping overhand punch, Morton covered up quickly but at least one of the jabs hit home. Williams is making Morton look sluggish in comparison, such is the speed and crispness with which he is delivering strikes. Morton hits a low kick before back-pedalling to avoid a clubbing blow. About thirty seconds pass without any contact, and the crowd become a little restless. They meet in the center to exchange a flurry of strikes that gets the crowd on their feet. Williams got slightly the better of it, he definitely snuck through a right hand that rocked Morton slightly. Morton initiates a clinch, and the action grinds to a halt. Morton looks out of ideas, he is being repeatedly lured into these exchange of strikes, but Williams is clearly winning them. Morton needs to find some way to deal with them. Not much time left in this round. The referee separates them. Williams tries a speculative high kick, but Morton saw it coming and was well out of range by the time it came. Morton tries to work an angle, but Williams is having none of it and fires off a straight right hand to keep him from stepping in. Comfortable round for Williams, he will probably be disappointed not to have done more damage given his dominance of the striking in this round. The round is over. Blurcat.com scores it 10-9 for Williams. All three judges give a score of 30-27 in favour of Jeremy Williams. [/color] [i]... Blech. I think I'm done with pushing Morton at all. He's a complete can who was completely outclassed in this matchup. Williams had a great fight, even though Morton was completely out of his league, and will hopefully continue to improve. And now, the match I've been waiting for ...![/i] [color=red][CENTER][b]Match #3 - Heavyweight Division[/b] Dan "The Beast" Severn (6'2", 250lbs, 80-16-7) VS Ray "Merciless" Mercer (6'0", 230lbs, 0-0)[/CENTER] Round 1 Mercer comes out fast and quickly backs Severn up, all the way up against the cage. Mercer throws a series of rights and lefts; none of the strikes to the head got through, but two nice body shots did. He doesn't follow up though, instead keeping a few steps back, clearly not wanting to get tied up in a clinch. Severn throws a low kick, then advances with some jabs, forcing Mercer to back off a little. They meet in the center and exchange strikes, with Mercer looking the crisper striker of the two, although without doing any real damage. Severn shoots in for the takedown, but Mercer sprawls and eventually pushes free. Right hand from Mercer, then two jabs which both find their mark. Severn bats away a third, then comes in hard and fast for a second takedown attempt. Mercer sprawls again, but gets pushed all the way up against the cage. Severn has a leg, but is low down to the ground and doesn't have the leverage to complete the takedown. He works to a better standing position, but has to lose the leg and grab a clinch instead. They both fire off some small punches from there. Severn tries for a trip, but Mercer avoids it and works free from the clinch. He returns to the center, clearly wanting a striking battle rather than a grappling match. Severn follows, hands held high, and throws a couple of jabs. Mercer connects with one instead though, and then with a looping right hand that catches Severn above the eye. He felt that, but doesn't go down. Best strike of the round so far. Severn throws a low kick. Mercer comes in to strike again, but this time cannot sprawl quickly enough and gets taken down. Mercer pulls guard. Unfortunately for Severn, now that he has finally gotten the takedown, there's less than thirty seconds left. He tries to pass guard to get to side control, but Mercer comfortably defends it until the round is over. End of the round. Blurcat.com scores 10-9 Mercer. Round 2 Severn starts the round by throwing some low kicks. Mercer checks them, then comes in and clearly wants to trade punches. Severn doesn't seem too bothered by that, and they enter into the first exchange of punches of the round. Difficult to say who came out on top, neither of them did a great deal of damage, most of the shots hit the opponent's gloves. Severn cleverly head-fakes, allowing him the time and angle that he needed to catch Mercer with a beauty of a right hook. Mercer stumbles backward, but doesn't go down. Severn presses the advantage by following in with a kick, then a right hand. Mercer clinches. They remain clinched for a while. Mercer scores with a nice knee, it appeared to catch Severn in the gut. Severn uses a single leg trip and takes the fight to the ground. Severn gets to side control upon impact, and immediately goes for an armbar. Mercer reacts quickly, but is in real danger. Severn has his left arm straightened out, fortunately Mercer has managed to roll and get a good position that is stopping Severn from getting the leverage needed to apply an armlock. Severn tries to step over and fully apply it, but Mercer breaks free and gets him to back off with a couple of up-kicks. Severn steps back and motions for him to stand up. They go back to circling in the center. Mercer hits a nice right hand, but takes one back too. The time runs down; Severn will probably get that round on points, he hit the best punch of the round, and got the only takedown, plus was the one who was working toward a submission. End of the round. Blurcat.com gives that one to Severn by 10-9. Round 3 Two jabs from the left hand of Mercer set up a hard waist-high kick, but Severn steps back to avoid it. Nice attempt though. Mercer moves in closer, bobbing and weaving, and looks to score with a looping right hand, but Severn uses the gloves to parry it away, then counter-strikes with a crisp jab and a kick to the knee. Good opening to the round, both fighters are looking lively. Mercer finds himself backed up against the cage briefly, and has to scramble to safety to avoid a flurry of strikes. Severn is working for position, and is currently looking the more composed of the two. Mercer throws a stinging jab, landing just above the left eye. Severn steps in and fires off one of his own, but Mercer bobs out of the way and scores with a pair of solid shots to the body. Severn turns and swings, just as Mercer also unloads...and it's Mercer who connects first! Severn's hands drop and he is on rubbery legs. Mercer follows up with a beauty of a right hand, and that drops Severn. The referee doesn't even wait for Mercer to dive in to finish, he's seen enough, Severn is clearly on Dream Street. This bout is over! Official time of the TKO is 2:41 of the third round.[/color] [i]... Dang. Mercer wins the first round, Severn dominates the second round, and then Severn gets caught in the third. It was a close fight, and I have to admit I enjoyed it. For the fans, it was a treat to see Severn in the ring, but because of the lackluster undercard, fans did not think the show was worth their hard-earned money. I'd have to do something special for NFA 3. Maybe it would be time to bring in another big name? Question is ... who COULD I bring in? Little did I know, I'd soon be bringing in one of the most dominant fighters in NFA history ...[/i] [color=red]QUICK RESULTS: Kirill Sidelnikov beat Karam Ibrahim by Unianimous Decision in 5:00 of round 3. (*) Mikhail Zayats beat Tadas Rinkevicius by Unianimous Decision in 5:00 of round 3. (DUD) Jeremy Williams beat Johnnie Morton by Unianimous Decision in 5:00 of round 3. (*) Ray Mercer beat Dan Severn by T.K.O. in 2:41 of round 3. (*)[/color] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carparama Posted January 10, 2008 Author Share Posted January 10, 2008 [i]After NFA 2, I knew I needed to do something huge. I started scouring the "free agents" newsletter I received just to see who I could randomly try and hire. I was used to being rejected by now, and in all honesty, I didn't expect anyone to respond positively. Luckily, I ran into a fighter who needed to prove himself to the MMA world again. This man is truly world class, and had made a lot of enemies over the course of his career. He had been near the top of the ladder, before a mistake he made cost him everything. After talking with him, it was clear he was desperate. He had been pretty much blackballed, and we were the only promotion who was willing to take him in. He accepted a contract which was CONSIDERABLY less than what he deserved, and he asked he not receive a Heavyweight Title shot so early, until he was able to prove what he could do. I saw this as classy, and decided to keep [b]Pedro "The Rock" Rizzo[/b] defending his title against [b]Hidehiko Yoshida[/b] as the secondary main event. NFA 3 was taglined as "Rizzo/Yoshida", so it wouldn't have made sense to change it. However, everybody in the locker room knew the crowd wanted to see the debut of this fighter in the main event. [b]Karam Ibrahim[/b] had the huge task of trying to stop the man who had potential of taking NFA to the next level. Nobody figured Ibrahim had a chance, but give Karam credit. He stepped up without any sort of complaint. He wanted to prove he deserved his pay raise! Originally, [b]Mikhail Zayats[/b] and [b]Kirill Sidelnikov[/b] was scheduled to be the #1 Contendership match, but in all honesty, I had to demote these two men. It would have been terrible business to not give my newest recruit a title shot at NFA 4. Zayats was more understanding of the two, considering the raise he received after NFA 3. In the other two matches, I decided to just showcase what NFA had to offer. [b]Jeremy "Half-Man Half Amazing" Williams[/b] would get a chance to battle the other boxer on our roster [b]Ray "Merciless" Mercer[/b], while [b]Johnnie Morton[/b] would face [b]Chalid Arrab[/b] in the opener. Ray Mercer was not pleased, and threatened to no show the event. He went from main eventer, to the undercard ... and this was AFTER he beat a Mixed Martial Arts legend! Rizzo, Yoshida and my new recruit made sure Mercer would show up, or he would face the consequences. I also promised a future title shot to him, if he was able to beat Williams. Now he had some extra motivation ...[/i] [center][color=red][b]The National Fighting Association presents: "NFA 2 - Rizzo/Yoshida"! Sunday, Week 2, May NFA mainstay [i]Karam Ibrahim gets the ultimate opportunity to avenge his recent losses, as he takes on newcomer [i]------ "------" ------[/i] in the main event! ------ is looking to prove he has matured since his recent black-balling from the sport, and will have a message for all the fans in the arena! In the secondary main event, [i]Pedro "The Rock" Rizzo[/i] returns to the cage to defend his NFA Heavyweight Title against the #1 Contender, [i]Hidehiko Yoshida[/i]! Both are undefeated in NFA competition, but one of those O's must go![/b] --Also on the card-- Mikhail Zayats VS Kirill Sidelnikov Jeremy "Half-Man Half Amazing" Williams VS Ray "Merciless" Mercer Johnnie Morton VS Chalid Arrab [/color][/center] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carparama Posted January 10, 2008 Author Share Posted January 10, 2008 [center][color=red][b]NFA 3 - Rizzo/Yoshida[/b] [i]Sunday, Week 2, May[/i] Location: California Attendance: 2,524[/color][/center] [i]A considerable drop in attendance this month, but hey. We're just starting to pick up steam here ... I hope. ------ and I sat together to watch the first four fights of the night, and he complimented me on my booking abilities. I know this was an empty compliment, but I thanked him anyway. He was doing everything he could to prove he deserved to belong in the sport. Perhaps he really had changed his ways?[/i] [color=red][CENTER][b]Match #1 - Heavyweight Division[/b] Johnnie Morton (6'0", 193lbs, 0-3) VS Chalid Arrab (5'10", 204lbs, 7-4)[/CENTER] Round 1 They meet in the center. Morton hits a nice jab, a second misses. Arrab steps in close and hits a brutal body shot, causing Morton to back up quickly. That was a really powerful shot. Arrab stalks Morton, flicking occasional jabs. It looks like Arrab wants to stand and trade punches with Morton. Arrab gets within striking distance and throws a bomb of a right hand, narrowly missing. Morton fires off a raking left hook in response, but that is off target too. They meet and exchange punches. Morton goes for the body, but gets tagged with a left hand to the side of the head. Morton is rattled by it, but doesn't step off, instead throwing a couple of crisp jabs. Arrab throws another big punch, this time thundering it into Morton's shoulder. They clinch. So far it looks like Morton simply can't live with the power that Arrab has in his hands, you get the sense that if this continues, Morton is going to wind up knocked out sooner or later. The clinch is broken, but within thirty seconds they are right back in it, this time leaning against the cage. By the time that is broken, the round only has a few seconds left. The round ends. Blurcat.com sees it 10-9 to Arrab. Round 2 The round starts slowly, with both fighters circling, tentatively throwing out the occasional jab. Morton is the first to make a positive move, stepping in to throw a right hand, although he probably wishes that he hadn't, as Arrab picks him off with a crisp jab to the cheek. Morton throws a wild punch as a counter, but Arrab ducks and backs off out of range. They meet again in the center for an exchange of punches. Morton gets a clubbing blow to the side of the head in, but takes a hard shot to the stomach in return. The early pattern seems to be that Morton is looking for big punches, Arrab is happy to avoid them and use quick counter punches instead. They clinch up, and Morton manages to back Arrab up against the cage. Morton takes a half step backward and throws a big right hand to the head, but Arrab ducks under at the last second, scores with a pair of punches to the gut, then darts out of trouble before Morton can unload. Morton may need to think about changing tactics, Arrab is looking far sharper in these striking battles, and is beginning to control the pace and tempo of the round. Morton fakes a right hand, then shoots out a low kick, catching Arrab on the thigh. Arrab presses forward for the first time, getting in close and using a couple of jabs to the body. Morton gets a nice left hook in, glancing off the gloves, and then clinches up. Time ticks away and the round ends just a few seconds after the referee separates them. The second round is over. Blurcat.com sees it 10-9 to Arrab. Round 3 Arrab isn't hanging around, right from the start Morton is forced onto the back foot by four hard shots, although none of them get through the gloves. Morton circles, steps in, then unloads a combination of punches, but Arrab weaves out of the way and scores with a beauty of a right hand, glancing above the right eye. That was some lovely counter punching from Arrab, the timing had to be perfect and it was. Morton is looking a bit frustrated, and uncorks a ragged-looking uppercut that missed by several inches. Arrab really should have taken advantage of that mistake, Morton was wide open for a moment there. Arrab hits a high kick, catching Morton on the shoulder. Jab from Morton finds the mark, but it didn't have much power behind it as he was leaning backward too much. Arrab fires off a couple of straight punches in response, but only finds gloves. They clinch, and the fight enters a lull. Morton scores with a knee from the clinch, it landed around the hip area of Arrab, who responds with a couple of shots to the ribs. The time runs out with them still clinched though. The round ends. Blurcat.com scores it 10-8 for Arrab. All three judges give a score of 30-26 to Chalid Arrab. [/color] [i]Arrab wins a particularly easy fight, and I'm growing tired of Johnnie Morton. He came with a decent recommendation, and so far he done absolutely nothing for me. 30-26, in a three round fight? Yikes! I was intrigued to see ------ giving Morton some pointers at the end of the fight though.[/i] [color=red][CENTER][b]Match #2 - Heavyweight Division[/b] "Half-Man Half-Amazing" Jeremy Williams (6'1", 205lbs, 5-1) VS Ray "Merciless" Mercer (6'0", 230lbs, 1-0)[/CENTER] Round 1 Exchange of punches to start, nothing really hit though. They go into a clinch, and the pace disappears as both fighters try and get the advantage. Eventually the referee separates them. Jab from Williams, who then has to react quickly to avoid a right hook that was aimed right at the chin. Williams puts on a burst of energy and fires off a big sequence of punches, maybe twelve or thirteen in a row, although not many actually connected. Mercer covered up well, and gets in a couple of shots of his own before moving out of range again. Mercer looks to be working an angle. Low kick from Mercer, almost to the groin, although it didn't look intentional. They come together in a clinch again, and it returns to a stalemate. Not a great round by anyone's standard, but that flurry should mean that Williams will take the round on points. The first round is over. Blurcat.com scores it 10-9 for Williams. Round 2 Williams starts brightly, almost hunting Mercer down by stalking him around the ring. Mercer throws some jabs, but they don't have the range to hit. Williams hits the first good strike, slicing a nasty-looking kick to the hip area. Mercer throws a left hook in response, but it is easily parried. Williams hits another kick, this time to the calf of Mercer's front leg. The kicks that Williams has been throwing are looking really good, they're sharp, accurate, and difficult to see coming. Mercer will need to figure out a counter, as currently he is being picked apart. Mercer moves in quickly and grabs a clinch. They struggle like that for a full minute, exchanging short, sharp blows, but without doing any real damage. The referee gets them to part. Mercer tags Williams with a straight left. Williams ducks a second one, hits a jab, then whips out a quick kick that hits perfectly to the inside of the knee of the front leg. The leg buckles, and Mercer is down to one knee briefly, but quickly up before Williams can take his head off with another kick. Mercer is limping slightly, that kick was beautifully judged. Mercer throws a couple of big right hands, but they're easily avoided. Williams starts working angle to throw more low kicks, Mercer is keeping away from them. Williams seems content not to push the action too much, he looks a bit tired from throwing all those kicks. The round ends without further major action. End of the round. Blurcat.com sees it 10-9 to Williams. Round 3 Mercer starts fast, coming out almost immediately with a three punch combination. None of them get through, and Williams manages to squeeze a jab of his own through and score just above the left cheek. They exchange a flurry of blows right in the center, it's difficult to see who got the best of it, and both of them retreat a few steps to recover. Good start to the round, early indications are that this is going to be all about the striking, neither fighter has even hinted at going for a takedown. Williams uses a low kick to set up a nice right hand, and Mercer is forced back against the cage. Williams picks his shots and gets a big punch to the body in. Mercer uses a couple of looping punches to make Williams keep back, but it doesn't last for long, as Williams bursts forward and hits two big right hands, taking a counter punch to the body though, and they wind up in a clinch. They exchange weak-looking blows from that position, before the referee grows tired of the inactivity and breaks them apart. Mercer scores with a low kick. Other than a few half-hearted jabs, there's been a definite lull over the past minute. Williams unwinds a right hook that narrowly misses. That will be the last action of the round though. The round ends. Blurcat.com scores 10-9 Williams. All three judges give a score of 30-27 to Jeremy Williams.[/color] [i]Wow, I've never seen anybody so angry after a loss. Mercer came charging through the back, grabbed his stuff, and said he was done with mixed martial arts forever. Not even joking. He retired IMMEDIATELY following this match. Looks like it was a mistake to give him the match with Severn. I gained nothing from that fight. On a positive note, Williams did look solid here. I think I'll test him next time with the loser of the Rizzo/Yoshida fight. Let's see what Williams can do then. Of course, that's after Zayats gets an opportunity. After tonight, he should be 6-0.[/i] [color=red][CENTER][b]Match #3 - Heavyweight Division[/b] Mikhail Zarats (6'0", 205lbs, 5-0) VS Kirill Sidelnikov (6'0", 205lbs, 2-1)[/CENTER] Round 1 Zayats goes to the center, and immediately throws some jabs, looking to engage in a striking battle. Sidelnikov doesn't commit though, instead circling and looking for an angle. Sidelnikov comes in, ducks a right hand, then unleashes a flurry of punches. Zayats covers up at first, then throws a scathing right hand, but Sidelnikov is already out of range. Sidelnikov repeats the trick, working a new angle, darting in, then firing off strikes while keeping out of the way of any counter punches. It happens a third time, and Zayats is beginning to look frustrated. Sidelnikov's footwork and general movement is looking good, Zayats is being made to look very slow and lumbering in comparison. Furthermore, Sidelnikov is being able to launch multiple short bursts of offense without really being in any danger, Zayats has yet to hit any sort of meaningful punch, simply because Sidelnikov is too quick. Zayats finally gets in close enough to grapple with Sidelnikov, clinching up. Zayats scores a nice body punch, then steps back and goes for a vicious right hand, but Sidelnikov bobs out of the way and hits a right hook of his own. Time is ticking away, and Zayats is well behind in this round, he needs to do something special. Zayats swings for the fences, but Sidelnikov has no problem avoiding it. The round peters out. The round ends. Blurcat.com has it down as 10-9 Sidelnikov. Round 2 Zayats comes out quick and immediately starts pressing Sidelnikov back toward the cage. Zayats tries to use the position to his advantage, pinning Sidelnikov in to prevent him from moving freely, but the exchange of punches that follows is clearly won by Sidelnikov, who catches Zayats with a wicked right cross during the flurry of blows. Zayats tries again, but Sidelnikov is looking sharp and parries away any dangerous shot, getting in a few crisp jabs of his own along the way. Zayats finally backs off, realising that this isn't working. Sidelnikov is showing superior ability with his hands, they're fast and accurate, Zayats isn't able to cope with them at close quarters, being made to look slow and ragged in comparison. Zayats switches to using raking right hands and looping punches, keeping Sidelnikov back, but its effectiveness is limited as Zayats's punches are easily parried away, and Sidelnikov can still hit the occasional right hand. The round ends with that being the pattern. Sidelnikov has used his better punching technique and hand speed to confound Zayats, and has controlled this round almost entirely. The 2nd round ends. Blurcat.com gives that one to Sidelnikov by 10-9. Round 3 Slow start, both fighters are throwing tentative punches without threatening anything more powerful. Sidelnikov puts together the first exciting moment, stringing together four punches in quick succession, but Zayats defended well. Straight right from Zayats in response, but it caught nothing but gloves. They start circling. The referee tells them to fight, the lack of action so far is worrying. They get in close and exchange body shots, Sidelnikov probably getting the slightly better punches in, and then fall into a clinch. That goes nowhere, and the referee separates them. Zayats gets a nice kick in just before the time expires, but it's unlikely that is going to stop the judges giving that round to Sidelnikov. The 3rd round ends. Blurcat.com gives that one to Sidelnikov by 10-9. The official scores are: 30-27 from all three judges for Kirill Sidelnikov. [/color] [i]Shoot. Shoot, shoot, shoot. Well, Zayats blew it. He loses this one huge, and loses a potential shot at the title. At least for now. That was such a downer. I enjoyed the fight, but I was really hoping Zayats could be someone I build NFA around. Well, it's only one loss. Things can change. Before this fight, ----- and Rizzo were discussing strategies. Could we have a future title fight with these two friends? Eh, I better not get ahead of myself again.[/i] [color=red][CENTER][b]Match #4 - Heavyweight Division [i]For the NFA Heavyweight Championship[/i][/CENTER][/b] Pedro "The Rock" Rizzo (6'1", 241lbs, 17-7) VS Hidehiko Yoshida (5'11", 225lbs, 8-5-1)[/CENTER] Round 1 Rizzo doesn't waste any time, scoring with a big right hook almost immediately. Yoshida was caught sleeping, and that really landed hard, if it had been more accurate it might have been a knock out blow. Yoshida hits two sharp body shots in return, but it's clear that he is rattled. They both seem to be looking for an opening, and it's creating a stalemate at the moment. They get in close and exchange punches, it's not clear who got the better of that. Rizzo hits a good looping punch to the side of the head, that's another one that's rattled Yoshida. Rizzo is getting more force behind his punches at the moment, and that's the key difference. Yoshida looks to be working an angle. Time ticks away, and Yoshida offers nothing that would make you think that he has any chance of winning this round on points. That's the end of the round. Blurcat.com has it down as 10-9 Rizzo. Round 2 Slow start to the round, nearly a minute has gone by without anything but a few jabs finding gloves. Yoshida comes in, looking for a grapple it seems, but takes a powerful kick just above the left hip. Rizzo really put some venom into that strike. Yoshida backs off, clearly stung. Rizzo is the one advancing now, using a left hand jab to lead. He steps forward and fires off a big kick, aimed at the head. Yoshida ducks and moves out of range, but that was clearly intended to be a match-ender, Rizzo was going for the knock out. It's pretty clear that he thinks that kicks are going to do the job in this round, and it has to be said that Yoshida is looking to have a hard time countering them. On top of that, the threat of the kicks is keeping Yoshida from getting in too close. Rizzo stalks Yoshida, throwing the occasional high right hand, perhaps range-finding. Yoshida is circling, seeking an opening of some kind. He moves in from the left and is quick enough to get into the clinch without taking any shots. Rizzo hits a knee, but takes one right back. The kicks aren't a danger from this position, that's for sure. Rizzo squirms free, but foolishly lost his concentration for a second and took a hard right hand above the eye in the process. Silly mistake. Yoshida comes in, looking more confident now, and gets in a couple of right hands and a lovely hook to the body. Rizzo tags him with a jab though, and then hits another fearsome kick to the same spot above the left hip. And another! Yoshida backs off, and a huge red mark has appeared in that spot. Rizzo advances and throws another head kick, but it is mostly blocked by the hands of Yoshida. The round is drawing to a close, and those kicks have certainly proved massively effective for Rizzo. The second round is over. Blurcat.com has it down as 10-9 Rizzo. Round 3 Yoshida is forced onto the backfoot almost immediately, having to retreat to avoid a series of sharp jabs. He ends up with his back to the cage, with Rizzo advancing. A sharp right misses, and Yoshida takes the opportunity to pull Rizzo in to a tight clinch against the cage. Rizzo tries to break free, but cannot. It looks like we know the strategies for this round already; Rizzo wants to stand and bang, Yoshida wants to keep things at close quarters. Rizzo tries for an elbow, but only succeeds in getting turned around so that he is now the one against the cage. Trip from Yoshida, and we're down to the ground. Yoshida has side control, but Rizzo has landed with his left hand side against the cage, so that side of the body is basically safe for now. Yoshida will have to try to work the right-hand side, and starts by ramming a knee into the ribs. Rizzo tries to squirm into a better position, but Yoshida puts a stop to that with a stiff elbow to the stomach. Yoshida tries to work a kimura on the right arm, but Rizzo defends it. Rizzo manages to bring a knee up and catch Yoshida in the side, something of a cheeky move given his position. Yoshida responds with five or six rapid-fire right hands to the face, but Rizzo covers up and doesn't take any serious damage at all. Time is ticking away though, and so far Yoshida may be easily winning the round, but he is not taking full advantage of this great position. Yoshida tries to float over into a mount, but Rizzo uses the cage to push away and manages to unbalance Yoshida enough to get to a kneeling position, then standing, albeit back into a clinch. A knee from Yoshida is the last action of the round. End of round 3. Blurcat.com scores it 10-9 for Yoshida. All three judges give a score of 29-28 in favour of Pedro Rizzo. Pedro Rizzo successfully retains the NFA Heavyweight title.[/color] [i]Wow! Rizzo was dominating that fight coming into the third round, and rather than just accept the loss, Yoshida tried to come back with a victory. I was always a fan of Rizzo's, but after tonight, I'm also a fan of Yoshida. Both men were congratulated backstage for their fight. As long as both men were willing, they were NFA fighters for life. However, it was now time for the biggest debut thus far in the history of the NFA. Many were curious about how good this fighter could be. He was coming off two straight losses--one to Jason Lambert, and the other to Chuck Liddell. He had fought David Heath, and choked him out, but refused to let go of the hold. Since he seriously put Heath's life and career in danger, [b]Renato "Babalu" Sobral[/b] was released from his contract with the UFC. He went from being a huge part of the biggest promotion in history, to just another fighter. Tonight, he fights Karam Ibrahim in the main event.[/i] [color=red][CENTER][b]Match #5 - Heavyweight Division[/b] Renato "Babalu" Sobral (6'1", 205lbs, 29-7) VS Karam Ibrahim (6'3", 205lbs, 1-2)[/CENTER] Round 1 Babalu starts fast, firing off several crisp jabs that keep Ibrahim on the back foot. A solid left hits gloves, but it's really just a set-up for Babalu to step in and use an uppercut. Not sure how much of it caught Ibrahim, but certainly enough to to make him grab a clinch to stop any further punishment. Great start to the round from Babalu, it has been total domination so far. The clinch is broken, and the two fighters exchange some long range jabs that are easily avoided. Ibrahim is looking a little lost so far, Babalu is controlling this round by virtue of his crisp accurate punches and higher aggression levels. Both fighters circle. Babalu leads with the left, then moves in and gets in a wicked right hand that grazes the cheek. Ibrahim was fortunate there, if that had landed properly it would have been over. Ibrahim comes back with a leg kick to set up a one-two combination, but the round is coming to a close and it's going to be too little too late. The one bright spot for Ibrahim is that although Babalu clearly won the round, he didn't actually turn that dominance into any sort of real damage. End of round 1. Blurcat.com sees it 10-9 to Babalu. Round 2 They meet in the center. Ibrahim hits a nice jab, a second misses. Babalu steps in close and hits a brutal body shot, causing Ibrahim to back up quickly. That was a really powerful shot. Babalu stalks Ibrahim, flicking occasional jabs. It looks like Babalu wants to stand and trade punches with Ibrahim. Babalu gets within striking distance and throws a bomb of a right hand, narrowly missing. Ibrahim fires off a raking left hook in response, but that is off target too. They meet and exchange punches. Ibrahim goes for the body, but gets tagged with a left hand to the side of the head. Ibrahim is rattled by it, but doesn't step off, instead throwing a couple of crisp jabs. Babalu throws another big punch, this time thundering it into Ibrahim's shoulder. They clinch. So far it looks like Ibrahim simply can't live with the power that Babalu has in his hands, you get the sense that if this continues, Ibrahim is going to wind up knocked out sooner or later. The clinch is broken, but within thirty seconds they are right back in it, this time leaning against the cage. By the time that is broken, the round only has a few seconds left. That's the end of the round. Blurcat.com sees it 10-9 to Babalu. Round 3 The round begins with Ibrahim taking the iniative, coming in quickly with a straight right and a leg kick. Babalu replies with a snap jab and a wild left that misses by a long way. Ibrahim goes for the takedown, but Babalu sprawls. Ibrahim tries to power through, but Babalu uses that against him and turns it into a takedown of his own. They're quite close to the cage, which may help Ibrahim defend this. Babalu is in guard. He throws a couple of half-hearted jabs, then tries to pass, but Ibrahim isn't allowing it. Ibrahim pulls Babalu in tight, locking up both his arms. Babalu pulls free and again tries to pass guard. This has turned into a bit of a stalemate, the referee may be thinking of standing them up if nothing happens soon. Babalu tries a big right hand, which Ibrahim defends well. He has quite a high guard, Babalu has to be wary not to fall into a triangle when leaning in like that. Ibrahim once again drags Babalu down into a clinch, and this time even tries to work a guillotine, but Babalu easily deals with it and hands out two solid right hands to the ribs along the way. We're back to Babalu trying to pass guard. Ibrahim tries to throw a big punch and almost hands an armbar to Babalu, but he realises the danger in time and manages to recover. The referee finally gets them back to their feet due to the lack of progress that has been made. Babalu scores with a jab, then a second. Ibrahim goes for a sweeping kick to the right knee, but it isn't fast enough and gives Babalu enough time to take him down again. Babalu quickly goes to pass guard, looking for side control, but Ibrahim once again defends it. It looks like a frustrating round will end with them on the ground, and almost certainly has to go to Babalu on points due to him being the aggressor and getting two takedowns in. The round ends. Blurcat.com sees it 10-9 to Babalu. Renato Sobral wins, with a score of 30-27 from two judges, 29-28 from the other.[/color] [i]Let's be honest. NOBODY expected Sobral to lose here. He came into this fight wanting to prove himself, and he did. He didn't complain that his name wasn't in the tagline. He didn't complain about his pay for the fight, or the quality of his opponent. In fact, he thanked everyone in attendance for coming to the show, he thanked Yoshida and Rizzo for allowing him to fight in the main event, and he thanked Karam for taking the fight on such short notice. Best of all, Babalu went as far as to thanking me for bringing him in to the NFA, and guaranteed the NFA would be the next big thing in Mixed Martial Arts. I was extremely grateful for his kind words, and I must admit, they caught me offguard. Celebration would be short-lived. For now, I had to plan for the biggest fight in NFA history. Pedro "The Rock" Rizzo, would have to meet Renato "Babalu" Sobral for the Heavyweight Championship. What I didn't know, is I was about to make a huge mistake. I was giving away the biggest match to date, to a competely new crowd who didn't expect what was coming, let alone did they deserve it.[/i] [color=red]QUICK RESULTS: Chalid Arrab beat Johnnie Morton by Unianimous Decision in 5:00 of round 3. (**) Jeremy Williams beat Ray Mercer by Unianimous Decision in 5:00 of round 3. (**) Kirill Sidelnikov beat Mikhail Zayats by Unianimous Decision in 5:00 of round 3. (*) Pedro Rizzo beat Yoshida Hidehiko by Unianimous Decision in 5:00 of round 3 to retain the NFA Heavyweight Title. (*) Renato Sobral beat Karam Ibrahim by Unianimous Decision in 5:00 of round 3. (**)[/color] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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