Pure

[TypicalPhenom]

For years, [b]Vincent Kennedy McMahon[/b] had watched the growth of Mixed Martial Arts with a keen eye, yearning to be a part of it but going back and forth on whether or not to actually get involved. Every time a new promotion was rumored, every major announcement that was hinted at, McMahon's name came up. It seemed inevitable that sooner or later he would have a MMA promotion. In actuality though, there was one other person inside Titan Tower who wanted it even more than Vince. [b]Shane McMahon[/b] grew up the son of a billionaire wrestling promoter, arguably the biggest name there is within professional wrestling. It was impossible for him not to be drawn to the spectacle of it all, the packed arenas, the fame, the fortune, but Shane never truly got bit by the wrestling bug. He had his moments, as an announcer, a manager, even as a wrestler, but it never consumed him. His sister, [b]Stephanie McMahon[/b], she was the future of the World Wrestling Entertainment. She was the one who lived her life for the business, marrying a wrestler and building her life around the schedule. Shane knew that she'd be the one to eventually take over and he was ok with that. He went to work for Vince doing other things, managing the media for the company, taking on the business side of wrestling. He had a family, was making good money, and seemed to be content with his position. Then, he got into Mixed Martial Arts. Partially thanks to his past association with Ken Shamrock and Dan Severn, partially due to the growing popularity of the sport. He watched Pride, he watched UFC, he formed a friendship with Tito Ortiz, and he loved it. . After seeing the debut of EliteXC on CBS and the ratings that it drew, Shane was ready to make a move. He had a significant bank account, but it wasn't quite enough to fund a project like he wanted. At the same time though, he wanted it to be his project, not Vince's. The conversations between the two weren't always peaceful and they didn't always see eye to eye, but after a few weeks of going back and forth, they seemed to have a deal in place. Shane was putting a significant amount of his own money into the project, but Vince wanted to invest as well. When it was all said and done, Shane owned 55 percent of the company, while Vince was in for 35 percent. No longer [i]just[/i] the son of Vince McMahon, it was finally time for Shane to step out on his own. You may have noticed that there was still ten percent of ownership remaining. Shane made it clear that he wanted someone involved who had been around the business. Someone who knew the ins and outs of Mixed Martial Arts. Shane turned to an old friendship and called upon [b]Dan Severn[/b]. Severn, once one of the top fighters in the World and even a former NWA World Champion, was running an independent wrestling promotion in Michigan, more for his own satisfaction than anything else. He was immediately interested and wasted no time in getting the paperwork finalized. Shane turned to Severn for his advice on other staff additions. Severn recommended keeping it small for now, no need to over-saturate things. The only name he brought up was a former UFC scout and matchmaker, a guy who doesn't get enough credit for the role he played in UFC's success... ...me, [b]John Peretti[/b]. I had been around UFC since the early days. Not only was I responsible for finding some of today's biggest names, I was the one putting the matches together and making sure each show was a success. I don't mind saying that I was damn good at what I did. Now, I had the chance to do it all over again. And thus, [b]PURE[/b] was born. [center][img]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v216/HailtotheKing/Random/pure.jpg[/img][/center] After getting all the contractual paperwork finished, the three of us (myself, Shane, and Dan) sat down to watch dual events. Affliction's pay per view was on one screen while UFC's Fight Night was on the other. While watching, we went over the guidelines for PURE and came up with the plan to get things started. For now, we were going to focus on three divisions: Lightweight (up to 155 lbs), Middleweight (171 lbs-185 lbs), and Light Heavyweight (186 lbs- 205 lbs) while looking to add and expand in the future. In order to decide champions, we would hold three seperate eight man tournaments over the course of the first six events. We discussed some names who might be available and willing to help us fill out the divisions, the only real notable name being [b]Tito Ortiz[/b], who Shane listed as a must have. He brought up the marketing aspect of things, saying that without a big name to garner some attention, we didn't stand a chance. That's when I posed the question about how people were going to be able to see us anyway. Shane explained that our events wouldn't be airing live at the moment, but they would be running on InDemand. He mentioned the possibility of using his connections with USA and NBC for the future, but we had to earn our way there. Back to the roster though, this is where I came into play. I had scouted some of the biggest names in UFC before anyone knew who they were, now Shane was looking at me to do it again. In addition to Tito Ortiz, Shane was also impressed with what he'd seen of the women on EliteXC. It was nothing he wanted to do right away, but did vow to have a women's division in the future. Other than that, it was up to me to get some names, gauge their interest, then set up meetings with Shane and Dan to get the contracts signed. What I found, though, is that things are a lot tougher these days. Even though there's more fighters, there's also a lot more promotions and most of the talent is under some sort of contract. Even if it's not exclusive, it can still be challenging to book them. I managed to set up about three dozen interviews between Shane and the talent though and by the end of July, we had the details for the first show. It would feature the entire first round of the Lightweight Tournament and the first two matches of the Light Heavyweight Tournament. It may not have been the greatest show ever, but it looked decent enough. I had a feeling some of those Lightweights were going to surprise people. Plus, Tito gave us a big name to help sell the show. All in all, I was pretty excited heading into PURE 1, but it seemed like the one thing going against us was the amount of events all happening around the same time. It'd been a busy couple weeks... [quote][center]Around the MMA World [b]UFC[/b][/center] The top company in the World continues to be just that by bringing back "Captain America" Randy Couture to take on Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira. The event was UFC 87 and it was another brilliant event. Pete Sell beat Rob Yundty by Unanimous Decision (DUD) Terry Etim beat Sam Stout by TKO in :30 of Round 1 (**) Jason Day beat Chris Leben by KO in 2:28 of Round 1 (**) Heath Herring beat Christian Wellisch by TKO in 1:32 of Round 1 (**) Jorge Gurgel beat Rob Emerson by Submission in 3:25 of Round 1 (*) Gray Maynard beat Per Eklund by Unanimous Decision (*) Andre Gusmao beat Wilson Gouveia by TKO in :22 of Round 3 (**) Diego Sanchez beat Brad Blackburn by Unanimous Decision (**) Brandon Vera beat James Irvin by KO in :29 of Round 3 (***) Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira beat Randy Couture by KO in :57 of Round 5 to retain the UFC Heavyweight Title (*****) UFC has also announced the main event for UFC 88. It will be Anderson Silva defending the Middleweight Title against Michael "The Count" Bisping. Should be an exciting affair. Also on the card is Cole Miller taking on Nate Diaz. [center][b]DREAM[/b][/center] DREAM finally crowned a Lightweight Champion at DREAM 5 when Eddie Alvarez beat Tatsuya Kawajiri by Unanimous Decision. Unfortunately, Alvarez also suffered a facial injury and is set to miss at least two months of action. At least he's got the belt though. Here's the full results. Lee Hasdell beat Tae Hyun Lee by TKO in 2:21 of Round 2 (DUD) Ryan DIaz beat Hideo Tokoro by Submission in 5:32 of Round 1 (*) Siala-Mou Siligia beat Tatsuya Mizuno by Unanimous Decision (*) Muhsin Corbbrey beat Hidetaka Monma by Submission in 2:33 of Round 2 (*) Koutetsu Boku beat Vitor Ribeiro by Split Decision (**) Ronaldo de Souza beat Ikuhisa Minowa by Unanimous Decision (*) Kultar Gill beat Katsuhiko Nagata by Unanimous Decision (*) Eddie Alvarez beat Tatsuya Kawajiri by Unanimous Decision to win the DREAM Lightweight TItle (**) [center][b]EliteXC[/b][/center] EliteXC held an event on showtime entitled Standing Room Only, though the attendance was only at 1500. Once again, they relied on the drawing power of Robbie Lawler, putting him in the main event against Murilo Rua. Not a great show, but an entertaining main event at least. Bobby McMasters beat Marlon Mathias by Split Decision (*) Mark Oshiro beat Justin Robbins by Unanimous Decision (*) Fabricio Camoes beat Monkhon WiWasuk by KO in 1:48 of Round 2 (*) Eugene Jackson beat Ryan Jensen by TKO in 4:42 of Round 1 (*) Jared Hamman beat Wayne Cole by Unanimous Decision (*) Justin Eilers beat Brett Rogers by TKO in :57 of Round 1 (**) Wilson Reis beat Tyson Nam by Unanimous Decision (*) Murilo Rua beat Robbie Lawler by TKO in 2:28 of Round 1 to win the EliteXC Middleweight Title (***) [center][b]Strikeforce[/b][/center] Strikeforce's last event drew a surprisingly nice crowd of almost 6500, most of which were there to see the much talked about debut of Bob Sapp. While not a spectacular event by any stretch of the imagination, they were treated to a decent main event and an entertaining match from Shonie Carter. Anytime you get Shonie, it's a good night. Rob Broughton beat Jimmy Ambriz by Unanimous Decision (DUD) Trevor Prangley beat Tony Fryklund by TKO in 1:40 of Round 1 (**) Joe Riggs beat Evangelista Santos by Unanimous Decision (*) Rex Richards beat Bob Sapp by Submission in 3:53 of Round 2 (*) Cristiano Marcello beat Gabe Lemley by Unanimous Decision (DUD) Luke Stewart beat Shonie Carter by TKO in 2:25 of Round 2 (**) Kazuo Misaki beat Falaniko Vitale by Unanimous Decision (*) Daniel Puder beat Alistair Overeem by TKO in :42 of Round 2 to win the Strikeforce Heavyweight Title (*) [center][b]WEC[/b][/center] WEC may have been the upset of the year take place at their last show. "The California Kid" Urijah Faber had taken on all challengers and disposed of them all, even Jens Pulver. Yet at WEC 35, he fell victim to Mike Thomas Brown on a questionable split decision. I'm sure it won't be long before Faber gets a re-match but for now, there's a new Featherweight champ. It also saw the debut of David Terrell, always one of the most promising fighters in the World if he can ever stay focused. Alex Serdyukov beat Ryan Stonitsch by Submission in 2:56 of Round 1 (*) David Terrell beat Chael Sonnen by Submission in 3:31 of Round 3 (*) Chris Manuel beat Marcos Galvao by Unanimous Decision (*) Yoshiro Maeda beat Ian McCall by TKO in :32 of Round 3 (**) Hiromitsu Miura beat Mike Aina by TKO in 4:23 of Round 1 (*) Brian Bowles beat Mike French by Submission in 3:49 of Round 1 (*) Manny Tapia beat Dominic Cruz by TKO in :32 of Round 2 (**) Mike Thomas Brown beat Urijah Faber by Split Decision to win the WEC Featherweight Title (**)[/quote] Just days before the fight, we finally got our big break. Somehow, Shane McMahon had arranged for Tito Ortiz to have a promotional appearance on the Mike and Mike show. Tito, normally not one to hold back, showed some restraint when asked about his relationship with UFC and Dana White. "It is what it is. I did a lot for UFC, they did a lot for me, and we're done now. Right now, I'm just focused on PURE." Mike Greenberg brought up the fact that he's in a tournament for the Light Heavyweight title and asked the importance of being the first champion. "It's the chance to start a legacy. You're not living up to other's standards, here I'll be the one setting the standards." After that statement, Golic followed up, asking Tito if he was guaranteeing victory. "Of course. That belt should already have my name on it." Not a bad interview that may have helped us gain an extra couple buys. Afterwards, Golic and Greenberg hyped the show and ran down the rest of the card. [quote][b]PURE 1 Saturday, Week 4, August Mohegan Sun in Uncasville, CT[/b] Lightweight Tournament Round 1 Matches [i]KJ Noons vs. Ariel Sexton Nick Agallar vs. Luke Caudillo Bart Palaszewski vs. Gabe Ruediger Dan Lauzon vs. Junior Assuncao[/i] Light Heavyweight Tournament Round 1 Matches [i]Po'ai Suganuma vs. Roger Hollett Tito Ortiz vs. Brian Ebersole[/i][/quote]

[chris caulfield]

[B][U]Lightweight Tournament Round 1 Matches[/U][/B] [B]KJ Noons[/B] vs. Ariel Sexton [B]Nick Agallar [/B]vs. Luke Caudillo Bart Palaszewski vs. [B]Gabe Ruediger[/B] [B]Dan Lauzon[/B] vs. Junior Assuncao [B][U]Light Heavyweight Tournament Round 1 Matches[/U][/B] Po'ai Suganuma vs. [B]Roger Hollett[/B] [B]Tito Ortiz [/B]vs. Brian Ebersole

[RennikKain076]

Lightweight Tournament Round 1 Matches [B]KJ Noons [/B]vs. Ariel Sexton Nick Agallar vs. [B]Luke Caudillo[/B] [B]Bart Palaszewski[/B] vs. Gabe Ruediger Dan Lauzon vs. [B]Junior Assuncao[/B] Light Heavyweight Tournament Round 1 Matches [B]Po'ai Suganuma[/B] vs. Roger Hollett [B]Tito Ortiz[/B] vs. Brian Ebersole

[deadboy]

Lightweight Tournament Round 1 Matches [B]KJ Noons[/B] vs. Ariel Sexton [B]Nick Agallar[/B] vs. Luke Caudillo [B]Bart Palaszewski[/B] vs. Gabe Ruediger [B]Dan Lauzon[/B] vs. Junior Assuncao Light Heavyweight Tournament Round 1 Matches [B]Po'ai Suganuma[/B] vs. Roger Hollett [B]Tito Ortiz[/B] vs. Brian Ebersole

[RyanMMA09]

[b]KJ Noons[/b] vs. Ariel Sexton Nick Agallar vs. [b]Luke Caudillo[/b] Bart Palaszewski vs. [b]Gabe Ruediger[/b] Dan Lauzon vs. [b]Junior Assuncao[/b] [b]Po'ai Suganuma[/b] vs. Roger Hollett [b]Tito Ortiz[/b] vs. Brian Ebersole If your Light Heavyweight division isn't going to be any more stacked than that, Tito Ortiz is going to reign through it like a freight train. Same with the Lightweights, Junior Assuncao poses a threat to KJ Noons imo, but besides him, that's the only one that I see winning it. lmao, you better hope to God Gabe Ruediger doesn't win your title, that takes your prestige down to like negatives in my books lol.

[BloodyKnuckles]

This is awesome so far, keep it up. :D [B]Lightweight Tournament Round 1 Matches[/B] [B]KJ Noons[/B] vs. Ariel Sexton Nick Agallar vs. [B]Luke Caudillo[/B] Bart Palaszewski vs. [B]Gabe Ruediger[/B] [B]Dan Lauzon[/B] vs. Junior Assuncao [B]Light Heavyweight Tournament Round 1 Matches[/B] Po'ai Suganuma vs. [B]Roger Hollett[/B] [B]Tito Ortiz[/B] vs. Brian Ebersole

[critical-23]

Lightweight Tournament Round 1 Matches [B]KJ Noons[/B] vs. Ariel Sexton [B]Nick Agallar[/B] vs. Luke Caudillo Bart Palaszewski vs. [B]Gabe Ruediger[/B] [B]Dan Lauzon[/B] vs. Junior Assuncao Light Heavyweight Tournament Round 1 Matches Po'ai Suganuma vs. [B]Roger Hollett[/B] [B]Tito Ortiz [/B]vs. Brian Ebersole

[TypicalPhenom]

[b]Jay Glazer[/b] welcomes everyone to the Mohegan Sun and talks briefly about the background of PURE. Then he introduces one of the men behind the product, his broadcast partner, [b]Dan Severn[/b]. After some banter between the two, they get right down to business and prepare for the first match. The video package starts out with Jay Glazer's voice talking about the younger Lauzon brother and how he's got a lot to live up to right now but seems ready to venture out on his own. It cuts to [b]Dan Lauzon[/b] for his comments. [i]"I'm glad my brother's having success, but I'm not my brother. One of the reasons I came to PURE was so I could make my own name. I'm ready to do that tonight."[/i] Back to Jay Glazer, now talking about [b]Junior Assuncao[/b]. Goes over how Junior's from Brazil and talks about how he's on the cusp of breaking out, but everytime he takes a step forward, he takes two steps back. Through a translator, Junior gives some generic comments about fighting for pride and how it's a make or break night for him. The video ends and it's time for some action. [quote]The round started off with a light feeling out process. Lauzon checked Assuncao with a couple short jabs before trying a looping right hand that Assuncao narrowly avoided. Lauzon thought he had an opening there and almost ate a right cross trying to follow up. Before Lauzon could counter, Assuncao had taken him down, despite an attempt to sprawl from Lauzon, who was forced to pull guard as he fell to the mat. Assuncao tried to pass guard, kinda. He wasn't exactly putting his all into it and Lauzon easily blocked each attempt. After a warning from the ref to see more action, Assuncao used a couple of punches to move past Lauzon's right leg, only to find himself stuck in half guard. A frustrated Assuncao found himself in a clinch and Lauzon even went for a guillotine, unsuccessfully. Assuncao finally landed a solid right hand to the jaw of Lauzon and the round came to an end with Assuncao trying to twist Lauzon's arm back. Assuncao came out swinging with a hefty straight right, but Lauzon sidesteps and lands a left to Assuncao's cheek. The follow up missed but the jab had enough of an effect that Assuncao brought Lauzon in for a clinch. Lauzon pushed him back up against the cage and started peppering Assuncao's body with rights to the ribs. Assuncao responded with knees and the action was starting to pick up as they tried to gain an advantage. Lauzon tried a knee and Assuncao used it to sweep Lauzon to the mat and took over in side control. Lauzon covers up, defending against back-hands but Assuncao just moves to the ribs, connecting with a big elbow. Assuncao landed a knee, then tried a floatover into mount, but Lauzon pulled guard, showing good ground defense. Lauzon managed to grab hold of both arms, forcing the ref to eventually stand them back up only to have the round draw to a close. The third round started with some feeling out, but again it was Lauzon striking first with a jab to the cheek. Assuncaio returned with a left of his own. Lauzon tried to work the body, but Assuncao stopped that with a quick takedown right into guard. Lauzon defended Assuncao's submission attempts with short strikes. The only punch Assuncao landed was relatively weak but he did slip into a half mount. Lauzon got in one strong elbow shot, then went back to defending himself. Assuncao went for the kimura but Lauzon blocked it and worked his way into guard again. Lauzon's defense is really getting to Assuncao, who looks extremely frustrated with himself for not taking advantage of these opportunities. The round ends with Assuncao failing to secure a leglock. The look on Lauzon's face pretty much gave away the result, but to make it official, they went to the judges score cards. All three judges scored it 30-27 in favor of Junior Assuncao, who got his hand raised in victory. Jay Glazer was there with him for the post-match interview. [i] Jay Glazer: Junior Assuncao, it was clear you didn't want to stand with Lauzon. Did you accomplish what you wanted to strategy wise?[/i] Through a translator, Junior Assuncao was able to respond. [i] Junior Assuncao's Translator: No, I got him on the mat but was unable to really do anything once there. He is a tough guy and it was a good fight. Jay Glazer: Now you move onto round two of the lightweight tournament. What would winning the belt mean to you? Junior Assuncao's Translator: It would mean that I've made something of myself and my career. To all those who have supported me back home, it'd be my way of thanking them. Jay Glazer: Ladies and gentlemen, Junior Assuncao, who will be taking on the winner of a fight later tonight, Bart Palaszewski and Gabe Ruediger. Right now though, it's time to kick off the Light Heavyweight tournament![/i][/quote] [center]~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~[/center] The video package rolled, starting first with a rundown of [b]Po'ai Suganuma[/b]. Jay Glazer talked about Suganuma being a former state wrestling champion and a student of judo. He brought up Suganuma's background, then it was Po'ai himself who had a chance to speak. "People are starting to recognize Hilo, Hawaii and the great fighters that come from there. I just hope to do them proud and help establish the island." Jay Glazer then talked about [b]Roger Hollett[/b] and how he had strung together seven straight wins before losing to Lew Polley in 2007. He brought up the fact that this is Hollett's first fight since tearing ligaments in his left knee. Hollett responded, "It's been a long time and a hard recovery, but I feel like I'm one hundred percent. I'm anxious to test it and show that I'm back." [quote]As soon as the fight started, Suganuma was moving forward, throwing several jabs that led to Hollett backtracking, just trying to keep up and avoid. Suganuma used a left to set up a right uppercut that had enough impact to make Hollett grab a clinch and re-think things. The clinch broke and neither man could connect with a long range jab. Over and over, Suganuma led with the left, then swung hard with the right, connecting at least slightly with all but one. It came close a couple of times to a potential knockout punch, but Hollett remained lucky. A leg kick from Hollett led to a late combination but the round came to a close with Suganuma in clear control. Both men circled each other, then Hollett let loose with a wild right hand, perhaps trying to strike before Suganuma had a chance to. Suganuma sidestepped it without a problem, but got his feet tangled up and fell to the mat. Hollett was too slow to take advantage and Po'ai was back on his feet. Po'ai ducked another right hand from Hollett and came in underneath with two quick jabs before Hollett smothered him in a clinch, a sure sign that he doesn't want to slug it out. Both men throw small punches to the back and rib areas before the ref seperates them. Hollett forced Suganuma into the cage and kept him in position with uneffective jabs, looking to set up one big one. Suganuma's speed advantage came into play as he ducked under the big right hand, then nailed Hollett with a right to the side, then a huge left hook that dropped Hollett to one knee. Hollett quickly jumped back up and Suganuma didn't take advantage. The round ended with a Hollett high kick that was nowhere near connecting. The fans started a boring chant after more than a minute of circling, fakes, and long-range jabs. It seemed as if Hollett was giving up on trying to land a punch and Suganuma was comfortable that he had the fight on the cards. Hollett finally made a move but Suganuma caught him with a low shin kick. Hollett grabbed Po'ai in a clinch, preventing further damage, and backed him up into the cage. Hollett landed a couple small rights to the body, but Po'ai showed off his good defensive skills by using his legs to block knee strikes. Hollett backed up and tried another right hand, but Po'ai ducked it, then ducked the second one, and came back up to the center of the cage. Hollett with a couple weak right hands, then a nice left to the body that actually effected Suganuma. Both men miss knockout punches and the round ends with them back to circling. Both Hollett and Suganuma looked confident, which may have been the influence of the corners. Once it went to the judges though, they scored it 29-28 in favor of Po'ai Suganuma! Hollett's head immediately hung in disappointment, but Suganuma came over and put his arm around him, then they shook hands and Hollett exited the ring while Glazer stepped in with Suganuma. [i]Jay Glazer: Po'ai, you talked before the fight about the recognition that Hilo's getting as a breeding ground for great fighters. I think tonight, though, you put yourself on the map as well.[/i] Po'ai laughed before answering. [i] Po'ai Suganuma: I'll let you be the one to say that, heh. I just like to compete and Roger, he put up a good fight tonight. Jay Glazer: He did. Take us through this flurry in the first round.[/i] The clip rolls, showing Suganuma with a series of left jabs and right hooks. [i] Po'ai Suganuma: Before that, I had hit him with an uppercut and I thought I had a chance to finish things, so I just went for it. Swing for the fences, ya know? Jay Glazer: More impressive though was your defense. Is that something you work heavily on?[/i] [i]Po'ai Suganuma: Honestly? I work on it, but a lot of it's just natural instincts. I guess I'm blessed. Jay Glazer: You certainly are, and we're blessed to have you. Po'ai Suganuma ladies and gentlemen. Po'ai Suganuma: Just wanna thank all the sponsors for supporting me, we're just getting started! Mahola nui loa na ho'olaule'a me la kaua![/i] Jay thanks Suganuma again, then watches as he exits the ring and the next video package rolls.[/quote] [center]~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~[/center] Still considered young for the sport of mixed martial arts, [b]Bart Palaszewski [/b]has already been in over forty fights. Ever since seeing his first fight, he was hooked at the action and has dedicated himself to it ever since. [i]"It's intense man. Going in there, one on one. It's just you and your opponent. For me, it's the most pure sport there is, I'll be doing this until they drag me out of the ring,"[/i] Bart said. [b]Gabe Ruediger[/b], on the other hand, has had his heart questioned despite finding success in past promotions. His short-lived time on the series, The Ultimate Fighter, led people to believe he was just there to market himself and not to fight. Gabe had this to say: [i]"I know what people think of me and I have to live with that. You can't always believe what you see on TV, but you can believe what you see inside that cage. For anyone who doubts my heart, you watch this fight and then see if you still have questions." [/i] [quote]Palaszewski got the crowd behind him within the first thirty seconds of the roung. He just unloaded with two jabs, a hook, a body punch, and an uppercut. Ruediger blocked some, but definately took a couple shots and wasted no time in backing off. They circle briefly, then it's Palaszewski rushing in aggressively. Ruediger stood there, trying to exchange punches, but Palaszewski bobbed and weaved through them while dishing out short jabs, which just looked to be frustrating Ruediger. A sloppy low kick from Bart finally lets Ruediger grab him in a clinch. Ruediger works the clinch over to the cage, trying to take away the striking of Palaszewski. Ruediger was able to work some knees to the body and even some small punches to the side of the head. After an elbow, Palaszewski tried to get free, but Ruediger countered with a trip attempt that failed. They ended up back in the center. The rest of the round was Palaszewski throwing punches while Ruediger tried to get him in a clinch, finally succeeding as the clock ran down. Ruediger was the aggressor but it was Palaszewski who was in control. He watched Ruediger throw some looping punches, but just sat back and waited for an opportunity. Ruediger closed in and unloaded a right that missed, which finally let Palaszewski connect with a jab underneath the right eye, then a straight left, then a right hand to the body! Ruediger tried to answer, missed, and decided to back off. Palaszewski stalked after him, sensing that his chance might be coming. Ruediger backed against the cage, prepared to clinch but Palaszewski didn't follow in, instead standing off and throwing occasional punches. Ruediger missed a wild left, which let Palaszewski pounce, hitting him with lefts and rights. Ruediger covered up, trying to hang on, then clinched. The ref broke them up, much to the dismay of Ruediger. Ruediger kept coming with a couple big shots, but all he hit was gloves and then Bart countered with a smooth punch right above Ruediger's eye. Again, the round ends with the fighters in a clinch, Ruediger struggling to hang on. Someone in Ruediger's corner must have made him aware that he was losing because he came out looking to swing. Of course, he missed and Palaszewski's counter connected, followed by a left and a right jab. Ruediger backed off, unsure of what to do next. Palaszewski pressed the action and got in a couple more jabs, backing Ruediger up into the cage. Palaszewski just threw straight rights, forcing Ruediger to try and keep up. He blocked some and ate some, then tried to clinch again, his favorite move tonight. Palaszewski keeps away from it and continued to work Ruediger with quick jabs. Ruediger tried exchanging punches, but Palaszewski won the exchange easily. The round ended with Palaszewski in complete control. The scorecards came in from the judges with a bit of a surprise. Two judges scored the bout 30-27 in favor of Bart Palaszewski. The third judge, who must have missed a round, scored the fight 29-28 in favor of Palaszewski. The winner, by unanimous decision, was Bart Palaszewski. Jay Glazer was with the winner. [i]Jay Glazer: Now that folks is what we call domination. Bart, it looked like you were getting out some built up aggression out there. Bart Palaszewski: Heh, yea, I guess in a way I was. I just thought about all the fights I've been in and the missed opportunities and, uh, I guess I fought a good fight. Jay Glazer: Good enough to get a unanimous decision. Bart Palaszewski: Yea, not sure about that 29-28 guy, but whatever, a win's a win. Jay Glazer: Gave came out in the third round looking to hit a homerun. Did that make it harder to stick to your gameplan? Bart Palaszewski: I'm sure his corner told him he had to knock me out at that point and I knew that too. I wouldn't say I was playing it safe, but I was definately avoiding any lucky hit. But I think I did a good job of showing my ability and control tonight. I think everyone else knows I'm here to win.[/i] Glazer put the final touches on the interview and let Palaszewski leave to a good reaction from the crowd.[/quote] [center]~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~[/center] [b]Luke Caudillo[/b]'s had many different trainers throughout his short career, struggling to find the right mix for him. He seems to have finally settled into place and says he feels more comfortable in the ring now than ever before. [i]"For a while, I was doing so much experimenting, I was never able to perfect anything. Now, I've got a set style and I've been able to work at it and get better. I think Nick Agallar's gonna get a lot more than he expected,"[/i] Caudillo told us. Nick Agallar was one of the most promising lightweight fighters in the World. Following a sixteen month tour of Iraq, he struggled to re-gain his form and took some time off. He sees this as his big opportunity to re-emerge, [i]"It's not often you get a second chance at the big time. I was in UFC before millions of people were buying their events, I helped get them to that level. Now, I get to do the same here."[/i] [quote]Caudillo showed patience early on, letting Agallar throw punches while he hung back, trying to see an opening. Agallar came in closer, but Caudillo ducked out of the way of a right hand and jabbed Agallar underneath the right eye. Caudillo followed with a second jab to the eye then a body blow. Agallar pulled Caudillo back up against the cage, but wasn't able to keep Caudillo under control. He just kept firing and it looked like he might tire himself out swinging. The rest of the round was Agallar trying to keep Caudillo stuck in the clinch while Caudillo landed punches every time he freed his arms. Feeling confident from a pretty dominant first round, Caudillo wasted no time in throwing two quick jabs. Agallar's corner must have noticed something because he was finally able to move out of the way. They ended up in an exchange in the middle of the cage, the crowd getting behind them as they swung. Caudillo with a body shot, but Agallar put Caudillo on his rear with a right hand just above the eye. Agallar smelled blood and dove in, landing another right that knocked Caudillo to his back. Agallar swung wildly...most of them weren't connecting but the ones that were connected solidly. He landed an elbow to the bridge of Caudillo's nose, then a big right hand. Agallar's going for all-or-nothing here. Caudillo tried a desperation guillotine, but Agallar pulled out and landed a left hand. That's all it took for the ref to stop the fight, though it seemed like Caudillo was still defending himself. The crowd, who was just getting into things, start to boo while Caudillo pleads his case with the ref. Unfortunately, it's not going to do any good. Glazer was there with Nick Agallar, who was met with a mixture of cheers and boos. [i]Jay Glazer: Nick, I gotta ask you, was the stoppage pre-mature? Nick Agallar: I don't think so. I caught him with a solid left and his eyes rolled back. Jay Glazer: It looked to us like he was still defending himself. Nick Agallar: He may have his hands up, but yea, he was out.[/i] The crowd has definately turned against Agallar now, filling the arena with boos. [i]Nick Agallar: Whatever, he was out, the ref did his job and protected Luke. Jay Glazer: What's done is done. In controversial fashion, your winner folks, Nick Agallar![/i] Nick waved his hand to the crowd, but they were still booing him. He just shrugged it off and left the cage.[/quote] [center]~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~[/center] [b]KJ Noons[/b] is one of the top strikers in the lightweight division. After winning a competition with PRIDE to name a best striker, he was unable to come to a contract agreement with the company. Now, after finding success in both MMA and boxing, he comes to PURE. [i]"I like boxing and I like MMA, but they are too seperate entities. In boxing, you're much more focused on one thing, one method. In MMA, you're all over the place. Do I take the guy down? Do I punch him? Do I try for a submission? It's much more complex," [/i]Noons told the camera. [b]Ariel Sexton [/b]is considered by many to still be a raw talent. He's looking to use this tournament as a stepping stone to stardom. Through a translator, he said the following: [i]"For me, this may be my only chance. KJ Noons is a tough opponent, but I can't let him beat me. I just can't." [/i] [quote]KJ Noons came out ready to stand and throw. To his credit, Sexton wasn't backing off either. Both men used a series of jabs to try and keep each other at bay, trying to find the perfect distance. Halfway through the round, Noons landed the first solid blow of the fight, right to the nose of Sexton. Sexton stumbled back and Noons tried to cease the opportunity by following in with rapid fire rights and lefts. Sexton managed to grab hold of Noons, then tried to get his foot in place for a sweep but Noons avoided it. Once they were seperated, Noons kept landing more strikes than Sexton. None of them had a huge effect, but Noons looked like he was in control and Sexton was still trying to find his groove as the round ended. I think Sexton figured the second round was going to be similar to the first, but instead of a jab, Noons came out with a big right hook that landed hard. Sexton re-grouped with some body shots, but was still looking a little wobbly. Noons went for the kill, but Sexton answered each punch with a punch of his own, nobody really gaining an advantage. They went back to the weak jabs, but Noons did land another solid right hook as the round came to an end. The round started slow, but after a minute, Noons decided he wanted to end it. He landed four punches in quick succession and it looked like he might be able to finish things, but that's when Sexton surprised him with a straight right to end the flurry. They went about a minute and a half with neither man making a move, which didn't please the crowd or the ref. He ordered them to fight, so they exchanged some body blows and went into a clinch. The ref wasted no time in seperating them, wanting them to fight. Sexton landed a nice kick to the face of Noons, but time expired immediately after. The crowd didn't seem overly pleased with this fight either and Noons himself didn't look thrilled as he talked with Jay Glazer. [i]Jay Glazer: You got the win, but you're not looking happy... KJ Noons: Eh, I didn't finish things out there. These fans, they didn't come here to see a safe fight like that and I didn't come here to give em one. Jay Glazer: I'm sure they're not complaining. You were landing some big blows. KJ Noons: Yea, but once we clinched, I just let it all go. I didn't press on or take him down. Jay Glazer: Maybe next time. KJ Noons: Oh, for sure. Next fight, I'm coming to finish it, I guarantee that. Jay Glazer: You heard it here. Folks, give it up for him, KJ Noons![/i] Despite how he felt about the match, the crowd gave it up for Noons and he left the ring feeling a little better about things, though still not smiling.[/quote] [center]~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~[/center] [b]Tito Ortiz[/b]. Once the best light heavyweight on the planet, TIto's encountered a series of personal and professional setbacks, all stemming from a rocky relationship with his former promoter. Nobody questions Tito's ability or his status as the odds on favorite for the title. [i]"Of course I think it's mine to win. That's what I said before and that's what I'll keep saying. That belt was made for me. PURE expects me to be the champ and I expect me to be the champ. Ebersole doesn't stand a chance,"[/i] Tito said, showing off his humility. [b]Brian Ebersole[/b]'s no slouch. He's a hard hitter and very technically sound. Not to mention, he feels like his back is against the wall. [i]"Everytime Tito opens his mouth, people ask me how I'm going to respond. I don't have to respond verbally, I'll do my talking in the ring. Normally I don't get personally vested in my matches, but Tito, I'm going to enjoy this one,"[/i] Ebersole stated. [quote]Ebersole had a very serious look on his face while Tito bounced around, ****y, tilting his head back and forth. The bell rang and Tito came out with jabs and punches. Ebersole immediately took to the defense and covered up well, blocking every shot. Ebersole landed a weak body shot of his own, so they closed in and Tito took things to the ground. Ebersole pulled guard and, despite Tito trying everything he could to pass it, Ebersole maintained. Tito threw some weak punches, but nothing really happened. Ebersole nearly caught Tito with a guillotine at one point, but Tito managed to nearly turn it into a kimura. The crowd was into it, but the round ended with Tito on top. Ebersole was the one who came out firing in the second, moving in quickly with a straight right and a leg kick. Ortiz snapped a jab back but missed a left hook. Ebersole went for the takedown but Tito sprawled and turned it into a takedown of his own, which got a good reaction from the crowd. Again, Tito found himself unable to pass Ebersole's guard, even after using a couple punches to soften him up. Ortiz saw an opening for a big right but Ebersole blocked it. Ebersole went for another guillotine, but Tito avoided it and landed some stiff body shots. Ebersole tried a big right and almost gave Tito an armbar, but pulled it back in time. The ref pulled them to their feet and re-started the fight. Ortiz with two jabs, then Ebersole tried a sweeping kick. It was too slow for Ortiz, who took Ebersole down again! Tito still can't pass Ebersole's guard! Tito's growing frustrated and tries to land a big forearm unsuccessfully. The round ends with Tito pretty much giving up on passing Ebersole's guard. Tito showed his frustration early, backing Ebersole up into the cage. He worked Ebersole's body, then stepped back to avoid a return uppercut. He missed that one, but took the sweeping left from Ebersole right on the chin. Ortiz dropped to the mat immediately and Ebersole was right on top of him, raining down right hands. Ortiz tried to cover up, but the ref pulled Ebersole off, calling an end to the match, shocking the live crowd. Despite the huge win, Ebersole was all business after the match with Jay Glazer. [i]Jay Glazer: Wow. Folks, it doesn't get any better than that. Brian, talk about this fight. Tito just could not pass your guard, I've never seen it look that good. Brian Ebersole: I know Tito likes to use the takedown to set up his ground and pound so that's what I focused on in training. He's a one trick pony and I took that away from him. Jay Glazer: Coming into this fight, Tito had done a lot of talking. How much did that motivate you? Brian Ebersole: Every time I heard an interview, I trained a little harder. When he guaranteed victory, I doubled the workouts. I'm not a big talker, Tito is. Tonight, we found out which way's the better way. Jay Glazer: Tito was the odds on favorite to win the Light Heavyweight Title. With this win, you've got to be the new favorite, right? Brian Ebersole: I dunno about all that. I'm just here to fight, that's all I do. You guys get paid to talk about it, not me. Jay Glazer: Be that as it may, you provided us with some great action tonight. Brian Ebersole ladies and gentlemen![/i][/quote] Glazer heads back to the table and gives a quick rundown of the events, then sets up a preview for the next event as PURE #1 came to an end. [quote][b]Pure 2 Saturday, Week 4, September Mohegan Sun in Uncasville, CT[/b] Middleweight Tournament Round 1 Matches [i]Andrei Semenov vs. Cale Yarbrough Dan Miller vs. Mark Weir Dennis Hallman vs. Terry Martin Travis Lutter vs. Sean Salmon[/i] Light Heavyweight Tournament Round 1 Matches [i]Mike Nickels vs. Wes Combs Mike Whitehead vs. Travis Galbraith[/i][/quote]

[BloodyKnuckles]

Great show, I really liked the way it was written, Tito losing was a shock for sure, but Tito hasn't been a world-class fighter in my eyes since the Randy Couture fight. Middleweight Tournament Round 1 Matches [B]Andrei Semenov[/B] vs. Cale Yarbrough [B]Dan Miller[/B] vs. Mark Weir [B]Dennis Hallman[/B] vs. Terry Martin [B]Travis Lutter[/B] vs. Sean Salmon Light Heavyweight Tournament Round 1 Matches Mike Nickels vs. [B]Wes Combs[/B] [B]Mike Whitehead[/B] vs. Travis Galbraith