Lt. Lucrativo Posted June 7, 2009 Share Posted June 7, 2009 I got it into my head the other day that it might be interesting to try to determine the best fighter in the Cornellverse by putting on an epic NCAA basketball-style championship tournament. And I figured if I was going to do it, I might as well write it up and post it in case anyone else was interested in seeing how it played out. So here goes: The setup is simple. I've taken the 64 fighters with the highest reputations in the Cornellverse and seeded them in four brackets of sixteen roughly according to reputation. There is only one open weight class, so some fights will see one fighter with an extreme size and weight advantage. All fighters enter the tournament as they appear at the start of the game in January of 1999. Fight camps have been shut down to prevent some fighters from developing faster than others and to eliminate the possibility that a fighter will refuse to fight his teammate. One fighter will advance from each bracket to the Final Four, which I'll run as a 4-man tournament to determine the eventual world champion. Fights will take place in a cage, and the fighters will have a full, uninterrupted 60 minutes to determine a winner before going to the judges. Everything that the game allows to be legal is legal. If a winning fighter can't continue in the tournament due to severe injury, suspension, retirement or otherwise, he'll be replaced in the next round by his losing opponent. The brackets have produced some potentially interesting fights, many of which I've never seen take place before in any of the games I've played. Some interesting fighters, however, didn't make it into the field of 64. I might therefore run an NIT-style invitational tournament with the top 24 fighters left out of the original tournament. If anyone is reading this and is interested, let me know and I'll set it up to run concurrently with the championship tournament. And so now, without further ado, it's time to start revealing the brackets . . . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lt. Lucrativo Posted June 7, 2009 Author Share Posted June 7, 2009 Bracket 1 1. Hassan Fezzik (25-0) vs. 16. Helio (20-2) This looks to be every bit the mismatch that a 1 seed against a 16 seed ought to be. Helio is an excellent fighter, but at 7 inches shorter and 70 pounds lighter, he appears to be just physically outmatched by the higher seed. And Fezzik is the number 1 overall seed in the tournament for a reason. He definitely possesses the size, athleticism and skill necessary to make him a favorite to win the whole thing. 8. Ricardo Fernandes (34-4) vs. 9. Fernando Amaro (42-7-4) In an interesting 8 vs. 9 matchup, Amaro will have a slight size advantage. He’ll probably look to take advantage of that by getting in close and wrestling with Fernandes, while the smaller fighter will probably want to keep some distance and use his superior striking to wear down his opponent. Whichever fighter manages to impose his style of fight on the other will probably earn the victory and the right to face the Fezzik-Helio winner in the second round. 5. Go Yamamoto (26-8-2) vs. 12. Xie Ming (20-4) Ming, the lower seed, will actually have a significant size advantage in this matchup, meaning 5th seed Yamamoto appears to be vulnerable to the upset. Yamamoto certainly has the skill to prevail, but may be hurt against a more than competent opponent by his tendency to fight without discipline. Both men like to utilize the muay-thai clinch, so that may be the position in which this fight is decided. 4. Jack Humphreys (25-3) vs. 13. Philip Ziskie (10-0) At 5’7 and 145 pounds, Ziskie is the smallest man in the tournament, but his striking skill makes him dangerous against the right opponent. Humphreys may bulk up to the point that he’ll have a nearly 40-pound weight advantage, in which case he would appear to be able dominate the grappling in this matchup. Ziskie will have to hope to stay out of reach with movement and look to pepper his opponent with punches and kicks if he hopes to have any chance of advancing to the second round. 3. Matthew Dean (31-5) vs. 14. Jaromir Grygera (18-5) Neither fighter has a size advantage in this matchup, which means the superior skills of the higher seed ought to be the deciding factor. Grygera’s strength is his wrestling, but Dean more than matches him in that area and possesses a potent submission game that Grygera will probably be unable to match up with. Still, in a tournament like this anything is possible, and Dean cannot afford to take the underdog lightly here. 6. Bruce Steven (20-2) vs. 11. Leon Banks (31-7) With the lower seeded Banks possessing a massive size advantage, it appears that Steven may have drawn a bad matchup in the first round. If Banks can stay on his feet, his striking poses a serious threat to his much smaller opponent. Steven will have to look to take the fight to the ground and hope to catch Banks in a submission. Whether or not he’ll be able to take the larger man off his feet will probably determine whether he’ll be able to avoid the upset and advance to the second round. 7. Petey Mack (12-2) vs. 10. Khru Duangjan (14-2) Once again, the higher seed will be at a size disadvantage here. Mack appears to have the skills to neutralize that disadvantage, however, especially if he can get the fight to the ground. Duangjan likes to stand and bang, but it’s not clear that he has enough power to really trouble Mack on the feet. And if he goes to the ground, he’ll likely find himself in serious trouble against Mack’s submissions. Mack, despite being the smaller man, has the more versatile skills and so should probably be favored to survive and advance here. 2. Sean Morrison (26-3) vs. 15. Ashley Ballard (10-0) The 2-seed Morrison is highly skilled but will probably have a size disadvantage in every fight he gets in this tournament. The 15-seed Ballard is one of those lower seeds who appears overmatched on paper but has potent enough offense to have a puncher’s chance against a lot of opponents. In this matchup, the question will be whether or not Ballard’s size can neutralize Morrison’s wrestling. Perhaps Morrison’s greatest advantage, however, is his experience. That alone may be enough to allow him to avoid the first round upset. Overall thoughts: There doesn’t appear to be anyone in the top half of this bracket that should trouble top seed Fezzik at all. His biggest threats are probably the 3-seed Dean and the 7-seed Mack, and Fezzik would still be a heavy favorite in either of those potential matchups. I’m predicting Fezzik vs. Dean in the final match, with Fezzik advancing to the Final Four. Most exciting matchup: I’m looking forward to seeing how Ziskie fares against Humphreys in the first round. It’s likely that the tiny underdog will have the crowd on his side against the love-him-or-hate-him bad boy Jack Humphreys, but he’ll probably need to fight a perfect fight to win. A potential Morrison vs. Mack matchup in the second round looks awesome, as well. Most dangerous lower seed: I’m going with 12-seed Xie Ming here. I can easily see him winning two fights and advancing to the Sweet 16. I think he’s drawn favorable matchups in the diminutive Yamamoto and, potentially, the Humphreys-Ziskie winner. Look for a strong showing from the Chinese fighter in Bracket 1. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lt. Lucrativo Posted June 7, 2009 Author Share Posted June 7, 2009 Bracket 2 1. James Foster (32-4-1) vs. 16. Fiyero Lermontov (8-0) Lermontov’s hardly short of talent, but his size disadvantage against the second 1-seed James Foster is very likely to be decisive in this match. Foster’s dominating wrestling and ground-and-pound is likely to play very well in the cage, and the other fighters in Bracket 2 will have their work cut out for them if they hope to prevent “The King of Ground and Pound” from advancing to the Final Four. 8. John Rivero (14-2) vs. 9. Maarten de Vries (13-4) An intriguing 8 vs. 9 matchup is on tap between Sambo expert Rivero and devastating striker de Vries. Rivero will want to grapple and work toward getting the fight to the ground, while de Vries will be looking to connect with one of his devastating head kicks. Rivero is the larger man and may look to bulk way up in order to maximize his size advantage, but he’ll need to be careful not to sacrifice too much in the way of conditioning or mobility as de Vries will be trying to stay on the outside and looking for an opening. The winner will advance to fight, in all likelihood, James Foster. 5. Mac Fuller (29-5) vs. 12. Tomohiro Takeuchi (15-3) Another potential 5 vs. 12 upset as Fuller, despite his significant size advantage, lacks the all-around skills of Takeuchi. The smaller Japanese fighter will need to bide his time and hope to survive long enough to wear down his larger opponent if he hopes to advance. If Takeuchi can somehow get the fight to the ground, he’ll enjoy a significant advantage and may be able to pick up the win via submission. 4. Julio Regueiro (14-0-1) vs. 13. Elgar (25-7) Here, the lower seed has the pronounced size advantage, but doesn’t look to have the skills to put jiu-jitsu ace Regueiro away. Once again, if the smaller man can survive long enough to get the fight to the ground, he’ll have the decided advantage. Elgar is a veteran, though, and having come up in Brazil he must certainly have experience against jiu-jitsu practitioners. Perhaps he’ll have what it takes to pull the upset and advance to the second round. 3. Roberto Aldez (42-6) vs. 14. Darin Blood (12-2) Both men stand 5’11 tall, but the veteran Muay Thai expert Roberto Aldez usually fights at a much heavier weight than his opponent. Aldez’ size and devastating striking ability probably give him the advantage over his talented but schizophrenic opponent in this first round matchup. Blood will want to take the fight to the ground, but it’s not clear that he’ll be able to do so against the larger Aldez, and even he does, Aldez has shown tremendous submission defense and so has a great chance to survive and force the fight back to the feet. 6. Gregorz Boniek (33-4) vs. 11. Lars Bohlin (48-6-1) This 6 vs. 11 matchup sees a large wrestler, Boniek, taking on a small wrestler, Bohlin. This looks like a terrible draw for Bohlin, as it seems highly unlikely that he’ll be able to utilize his wrestling skills against an opponent who will outweigh him by over 80 pounds. Perhaps Bohlin’s only chance is for Boniek to look past him to the second round and come into this fight unprepared or in poor condition. 7. Stuart Strange (11-1) vs. 10. Luis Basora (23-3-2) Another matchup of two wrestlers, Strange has the decided size advantage in this fight. Strange’s wrestling is outstanding, but he hasn’t shown much in the way of finishing ability thus far in his career. That might cost him against the smaller Basora, who’ll be looking to sneak in a submission at every opportunity. The longer Strange allows him to hang around, the more opportunities the crafty Basora will have to catch him by surprise. 2. Kunimichi Kikuchi (32-4) vs. 15. Lawrence Herringbone (15-3) Another potential mismatch in this 2 vs. 15 fight, as Kikuchi appears to be a larger, more skilled, and better conditioned version of Herringbone. It’s not clear what Herringbone will be able to do to hurt Kikuchi, but whatever it is he’d better do it quickly as he’s been known to gas within the first two or three minutes of a fight. Overall thoughts: Number 1 seed Foster is a favorite to emerge from Bracket 2, but there are several fighters who have a realistic chance to pull the upset. Either Rivero or de Vries will present an interesting matchup for Foster in the second round, but one that he should certainly still be expected to win. From the bottom half of the bracket, Kikuchi and Aldez would both have a chance against Foster should either advance to meet him in the finals, with Kikuchi’s wrestling ability posing perhaps the biggest threat. I still like Foster to go through to the Final Four, beating Kikuchi to advance, primarily because I think his cardio will allow him to outlast his most dangerous opponents. Most exciting matchup: I like the potential of the Rivero vs. de Vries matchup in the first round as a classic matchup of grappler against striker. A Regueiro vs. Takeuchi matchup in the second round would be an outstanding fight, and it’s one I hope we get to see. Most dangerous lower seed: I was tempted to give 12-seed Takeuchi the nod here despite his size disadvantage, but instead I’m going to go with 9-seed de Vries, whose powerful striking makes him a threat to anyone he faces. I give Rivero the edge against de Vries in their first round matchup, and I certainly wouldn’t expect de Vries to beat Foster if the two of them were to meet up, but he does pose a legitimate threat to either of those two fighters. All it takes is for one scorching head kick to connect for de Vries to turn out the lights on his opponents, and we all know that he’s done it before. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lt. Lucrativo Posted June 7, 2009 Author Share Posted June 7, 2009 Bracket 3 1. Tadamasa Yamada (21-1) vs. 16. Curt Kitson (19-3) Kitson probably has the best chance of the four 16 seeds to pull off the shocking upset as he’s not at a severe size disadvantage, but Yamada’s skills still make him a heavy favorite. Both fighters are comfortable on the ground as well as on their feet, but Yamada appears to have a clear advantage in each area. His striking and wrestling are both technically superior to Kitson’s and his submission skills on the ground will be extremely difficult for the Scottish fighter to match. Look for Yamada to avoid the upset and advance. 8. Mike Watson (9-0) vs. 9. Linfield Ballard (21-8) A tough 8 vs. 9 matchup takes place here between two men who prefer to stand and bang. Watson appears to have the advantage in both power and technique, but Ballard has a distinct experience advantage that may allow him to hang around with the younger fighter. Both fighters prefer to fight at similar weights, so it’s unlikely that size differential will play any role in determining the winner of this first round matchup. 5. Armen Sarkissian (13-0) vs. 12. Fumiaki Hayashi (17-4) This looks like a great opening round draw for Sarkissian, as he’ll outweigh his opponent by 65 pounds or more on fight day. Both men specialize in grappling, but it’s difficult to see how Hayashi will be able to have any success attempted to wrestle against his much larger opponent. Probably his only chance to pull the upset will be if he can surprise Sarkissian with a quick submission attempt. 4. Terron Cabal (13-0) vs. 13. Stratos Papaioannou (26-5) The higher seeded favorite, Cabal will want to stand and strike with his veteran opponent. If he can stay on his feet and stay out of Papaioannou’s grasp, he should be able to pick the 13 seed apart and will really put his chin to the test. Papaioannou is not without avenues to win, however, as his submissions will be troubling for Cabal if the fight goes to the ground. This fight could be something of a chess match. Will Papaioannou have the skills to get Cabal to the ground before he gets tagged with one of the favorite’s trademark knockout shots? 3. Raul Hughes (13-1) vs. 14. Tim Boyer (19-3-2) Two hard-hitting big men are set to collide in this explosive 3 vs. 14 matchup. Boyer’s height and reach are a significant advantage, and his head kicks have claimed many victims. But Hughes is as dangerous a puncher as there is in MMA, and he’ll certainly want to put Boyer’s suspect chin to the test. Hughes will look to use movement to avoid Boyer’s kicks work the angles against his larger opponent. 6. Gabriel Gallego (15-1) vs. 11. Charles Stiles (14-2) 6-seed Gallego enjoys a slight size advantage in this battle of muay-thai striking expert against Brazilian jiu-jitsu ace. Stiles will need to get the fight to ground as quickly as possible if he hopes to pull the upset and advance, but Gallego is known to have excellent takedown defense. Gallego’s vicious kicks and knees will likely be the key to victory for the Argentinian fighter as he gets the opportunity to continue his crusade against all things Brazilian. 7. Rick Stanley (22-7-3) vs. 10. Anthony LeToussier (13-3) Stanley enjoys the size advantage in this matchup, but he’ll have his hands full with the devastating head kicks of his slightly smaller opponent. Both men will probably want to keep the fight on the feet. Stanley will look to use his size and strength to smother LeToussier, and his heavy hands make his striking dangerous as well. LeToussier’s main weapons are his feet, and they present a distinct knockout threat. This fight may come down to conditioning, as Stanley has been known to gas earlier and earlier in fights as he’s gotten older. 2. Zvonimir Asanovic (15-1) vs. 15. Noach van der Capellen (10-3) All the advantages seem to point in the direction of Asanovic in this fight, as his much higher seed would suggest. The Croatian fighter is a brutal striker, better than adequate wrestler, knows how to survive on the ground, and carries a lot more natural weight than his lanky opponent. Van der Cappellen likes to stand and utilize his precision striking, but it’ll be interesting to see if he can survive for long against Asanovic’s devastating head kicks. Overall thoughts: This is an absolutely stacked bracket that promises to produce no shortage of outstanding fights. Top seed Yamada will face a number of serious challengers starting as early as the second round, as I can see at least six other fighters with a legitimate shot at advancing to the Final Four. A Yamada vs. Asanovic match in the bracket finals would be outstanding, as would Yamada vs. Hughes or Yamada vs. LeToussier. But Watson, Sarkissian, and Cabal are all three legitimate threats in Yamada’s half of the bracket. I can’t wait to see how this one plays out. I’m going to pick a slight upset and project Asanovic to beat Yamada and advance to the Final Four. Most exciting matchup: Take your pick here. I don’t see an uninteresting fight anywhere in this bracket. Gallego vs. Stiles in the first round looks pretty solid. In the second round we could have Yamada vs. Watson, Sarkissian vs. Cabal, Hughes vs. Gallego, and LeToussier vs. Asanovic. Outstanding. Most dangerous lower seed: I’ll go with 10-seed LeToussier. I expect him to outlast Stanley in the first round, and there’s no doubt that he has the striking to pose a threat to any of the other fighters in the bracket. With the level of talent possessed by the favorites in this bracket, however, it’ll probably be quite hard for any underdog to make an extended run. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lt. Lucrativo Posted June 7, 2009 Author Share Posted June 7, 2009 Bracket 4 1. Neil Napier (15-0) vs. 16. Mark Cohen (34-7-1) Another 1 vs. 16 fight that appears to be a mismatch on paper. Cohen, although shorter than Napier, does carry more natural weight, but at this point in his career it seems unlikely that he’ll be able to hang with the favorite for very long. Cohen’s best route to victory involves taking his opponent down and pounding him out on the ground, but if he goes to the ground with Napier he’ll be extremely vulnerable to submissions. Adding to Napier’s advantage is the fact that Cohen’s conditioning leaves much to be desired. If Cohen starts to gas early, Napier’s skill advantage will only be magnified. Expect the 1-seed to advance. 8. Leonardo da Costa (15-1) vs. 9. Harry Milne (41-7) A mismatch in size here in favor of the 9-seed Milne. If he gets his hands on the smaller da Costa, his size and strength advantage, in combination with his impressive wrestling skills, may well carry the day. On the other hand, Milne’s strengths may play right into the hands of da Costa. If the fight goes to the ground, da Costa is very comfortable fighting on the bottom and his submission game off his back is potent. This looks to be quite an interesting matchup in the 8 vs. 9 spot. 5. Gunnar Nilsson (42-9) vs. 12. Stafford Alois (26-8) Two veteran big men are set to go at it in the 5 vs. 12 matchup. Nilsson will look to use his wrestling and ground-and-pound game while Alois will want to keep the fight standing up. Nilsson appears to have more ways to win and comes in the favorite, but Alois’ big kicks are always dangerous. There always seems to be a 5 vs. 12 upset or two in these sorts of tournaments. Will Nilsson fall victim? 4. Heiji Endo (13-1) vs. 13. Ichisake Miyagi (28-9) Two Japanese fighters will face off in what may turn out to be an ugly 4 vs. 13 fight. Both men are primarily defensive fighters and both are extremely difficult to finish. Endo has the size and strength advantage and is the better wrestler, but he appears to lack finishing ability. This one could go the full 60 minutes. 3. Carlos da Guia (15-0) vs. 14. Alan Kendall (12-3) Kendall and da Guia are two evenly matched fighters in terms of size, but da Guia appears to have the better skills. His high kicks are a definite knockout threat and his muay thai skills are extremely potent. Kendall is also primarily a striker, which plays right into the hands of the higher seed. We could be in for an exciting finish in this matchup. 6. JJ Reid (26-2) vs. 11. Thorbjorn Rekdal (15-1) A classic jiu-jitsu fighter vs. striker matchup is on tap for the 6 vs. 11 spot. Neither fighter has a pronounced size advantage, so this fight will be determined by whether or not Reid can take it to the ground and work his submissions. Rekdal will have to stay out of reach and will likely be gunning for a knockout. The longer he allows Reid to stick around, the more likely it is that Reid will find a way to work a takedown and get the fight into his world. 7. Jeff Carlton (32-7) vs. 10. Lefter Oktay (14-0) The 7-seed Carlton favors wrestling and ground-and-pound, while the 10-seed Oktay brings impressive submission skills to the table. Carlton is the bigger man, and in a match that should see a good deal of grappling that could prove to be an important advantage. He’ll be looking to bully Oktay around the cage, but will have to be wary of submissions if he hopes to avoid the minor upset in this first round matchup. 2. Jin Katou (17-0) vs. 15. Tony McCall (32-10) McCall is naturally the larger man and will probably look to bulk up in order to maximize that advantage, but Katou’s impressive all-around skills probably give him more ways to win the fight. Look for the Japanese fighter to take the fight to the ground, where his opponent is not particularly comfortable, and try to work his submissions for the victory. Katou appears primed to make an impressive run through Bracket 4. Overall thoughts: Napier is probably the most vulnerable of the four 1 seeds, if only because of his smaller size. With fighters like Milne, Nilsson and Alois in his half of the bracket, Napier may end up being tested against a much larger man early in the tournament. With no truly dominant fighter present, Bracket 4 appears wide open, with as many as 5 or 6 entrants having a legitimate chance to advance through to the Final Four. As far as a prediction, though, I’ll stick with the chalk and take Napier over Katou in the final. Most exciting matchup: da Guia vs. Kendall in the first round looks set to be a fast paced and hard hitting affair that should provide a good deal of excitement. A potential da Guia vs. Reid fight in the second round would be a very interesting matchup and one that I would very much look forward to seeing, as well. Most dangerous lower seed: I’d say the 10-seed Lefter Oktay has a realistic chance to advance all the way through this bracket, although I think he’s drawn some unfavorable matchups early on in the tournament. Carlton’s size and strength will be difficult to overcome in the very first round, and even if he manages to advance he’ll most likely see another extremely difficult challenge in the second round in Jin Katou. Oktay didn’t have the good fortune to draw matchups in which he’d have a significant size advantage as a lower seed, so if he does manage to advance, he’ll most certainly have had to earn his way through. 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Lt. Lucrativo Posted June 7, 2009 Author Share Posted June 7, 2009 Comments, thoughts, and predictions are most welcome. Here are summaries of the first round matchups in case anyone wants to post predictions: Bracket 1 (1) Fezzik vs. (16) Helio (8) Fernandes vs. (9) Amaro (5) Yamamoto vs. (12) Xie (4) Humphreys vs. (13) Ziskie (3) Dean vs. (14) Grygera (6) Steven vs. (11) Banks (7) Mack vs. (10) Duangjan (2) Morrison vs. (15) A. Ballard Bracket 2 (1) Foster vs. (16) Lermontov (8) Rivero vs. (9) de Vries (5) Fuller vs. (12) Takeuchi (4) Regueiro vs. (13) Elgar (3) Aldez vs. (14) Blood (6) Boniek vs. (11) Bohlin (7) Strange vs. (10) Basora (2) Kikuchi vs. (15) Herringbone Bracket 3 (1) Yamada vs. (16) Kitson (8) Watson vs. (9) L. Ballard (5) Sarkissian vs. (12) Hayashi (4) Cabal vs. (13) Papaioannou (3) Hughes vs. (14) Boyer (6) Gallego vs. (11) Stiles (7) Stanley vs. (10) LeToussier (2) Asanovic vs. (15) van der Cappellen Bracket 4 (1) Napier vs. (16) Cohen (8) da Costa vs. (9) Milne (5) Nilsson vs. (12) Alois (4) Endo vs. (13) Miyagi (3) da Guia vs. (14) Kendall (6) Reid vs. (11) Rekdal (7) Carlton vs. (10) Oktay (2) Katou vs. (15) McCall In the Final Four, the winner of Bracket 1 will face the winner of Bracket 4 and the winner of Bracket 2 will face the winner of Bracket 3. I'll start posting the first round results as I get a chance over the next few days. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sr_roy97 Posted June 7, 2009 Share Posted June 7, 2009 Bracket 1 (1) Fezzik vs. (16) Helio (8) Fernandes vs. (9) Amaro (5) Yamamoto vs. (12) Xie (4) Humphreys vs. (13) Ziskie (3) Dean vs. (14) Grygera (6) Steven vs. (11) sBank (7) Mack vs. (10) Duangjan (2) Morrison vs. (15) A. Ballard Bracket 2 (1) Foster vs. (16) Lermontov (8) Rivero vs. (9) de Vries (5) Fuller vs. (12) Takeuchi (4) Regueiro vs. (13) Elgar (3) Aldez vs. (14) Blood (6) Boniek vs. (11) Bohlin (7) Strange vs. (10) Basora (2) Kikuchi vs. (15) Herringbone Bracket 3 (1) Yamada vs. (16) Kitson (8) Watson vs. (9) L. Ballard (5) Sarkissian vs. (12) Hayashi (4) Cabal vs. (13) Papaioannou (3) Hughes vs. (14) Boyer (6) Gallego vs. (11) Stiles (7) Stanley vs. (10) LeToussier (2) Asanovic vs. (15) van der Cappellen Bracket 4 (1) Napier vs. (16) Cohen (8) da Costa vs. (9) Milne (5) Nilsson vs. (12) Alois (4) Endo vs. (13) Miyagi (3) da Guia vs. (14) Kendall (6) Reid vs. (11) Rekdal (7) Carlton vs. (10) Oktay (2) Katou vs. (15) McCall Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob4590 Posted June 9, 2009 Share Posted June 9, 2009 Bracket 1 (1) Fezzik vs. (16) Helio (8) Fernandes vs. (9) Amaro (5) Yamamoto vs. (12) Xie (4) Humphreys vs. (13) Ziskie (3) Dean vs. (14) Grygera (6) Steven vs. (11) Banks (7) Mack vs. (10) Duangjan (2) Morrison vs. (15) A. Ballard Bracket 2 (1) Foster vs. (16) Lermontov (8) Rivero vs. (9) de Vries (5) Fuller vs. (12) Takeuchi (4) Regueiro vs. (13) Elgar (3) Aldez vs. (14) Blood (6) Boniek vs. (11) Bohlin (7) Strange vs. (10) Basora (2) Kikuchi vs. (15) Herringbone Bracket 3 (1) Yamada vs. (16) Kitson (8) Watson vs. (9) L. Ballard (5) Sarkissian vs. (12) Hayashi (4) Cabal vs. (13) Papaioannou (3) Hughes vs. (14) Boyer (6) Gallego vs. (11) Stiles (7) Stanley vs. (10) LeToussier (2) Asanovic vs. (15) van der Cappellen Bracket 4 (1) Napier vs. (16) Cohen (8) da Costa vs. (9) Milne (5) Nilsson vs. (12) Alois (4) Endo vs. (13) Miyagi (3) da Guia vs. (14) Kendall (6) Reid vs. (11) Rekdal (7) Carlton vs. (10) Oktay (2) Katou vs. (15) McCall Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lt. Lucrativo Posted June 9, 2009 Author Share Posted June 9, 2009 Just a quick update: I've simmed the first round. There were a few surprising results and a few predictable ones. I expect to start posting the fight write-ups tomorrow in case anyone else wants to get any predictions posted before then. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bradley77 Posted June 9, 2009 Share Posted June 9, 2009 Great Idea, takes us back to the early days of the UFC with the no weight limit tournaments. Looking forward to seeing how it pans out. It's pretty hard to predict some because I have no idea how much Height and Weight advantages work out in the programming of this game. I can't see anyone beating Hassan, but I'd be happy to be proved wrong. Bracket 1 (1) Fezzik vs. (16) Helio (8) Fernandes vs. (9) Amaro (5) Yamamoto vs. (12) Xie (4) Humphreys vs. (13) Ziskie (3) Dean vs. (14) Grygera (6) Steven vs. (11) sBank (7) Mack vs. (10) Duangjan (2) Morrison vs. (15) A. Ballard Bracket 2 (1) Foster vs. (16) Lermontov (8) Rivero vs. (9) de Vries (5) Fuller vs. (12) Takeuchi (4) Regueiro vs. (13) Elgar (3) Aldez vs. (14) Blood (6) Boniek vs. (11) Bohlin (7) Strange vs. (10) Basora (2) Kikuchi vs. (15) Herringbone Bracket 3 (1) Yamada vs. (16) Kitson (8) Watson vs. (9) L. Ballard (5) Sarkissian vs. (12) Hayashi (4) Cabal vs. (13) Papaioannou (3) Hughes vs. (14) Boyer (6) Gallego vs. (11) Stiles (7) Stanley vs. (10) LeToussier (2) Asanovic vs. (15) van der Cappellen Bracket 4 (1) Napier vs. (16) Cohen (8) da Costa vs. (9) Milne (5) Nilsson vs. (12) Alois (4) Endo vs. (13) Miyagi (3) da Guia vs. (14) Kendall (6) Reid vs. (11) Rekdal (7) Carlton vs. (10) Oktay (2) Katou vs. (15) McCall Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lt. Lucrativo Posted June 10, 2009 Author Share Posted June 10, 2009 Round 1 Results Bracket 1 (2) Sean Morrison vs. (15) Ashley Ballard Morrison immediately shoots in for a takedown, but Ballard’s sprawl is up to the challenge. Ballard uses precise striking and counterpunching effectively, and Morrison is struggling to deal with it. A similar pattern repeats itself for much of the early part of the fight—Morrison is becoming increasingly desperate with his takedown attempts, but he can’t get past the sprawl of the larger Ballard. Meanwhile, Ballard is scoring a lot of points with his striking. As Morrison chases Ballard around the cage, he gets rocked by a counter-punch. Ballard can’t capitalize, though, and continues to pepper away at Morrison with jabs. Finally, Morrison gets in close enough to grapple, but the size of Ballard is too much and he’s able to break free easily. As we pass the 30-minute mark, Morrison is starting to look a bit ragged. He seems to have no answers for his much larger opponent and is still being picked apart by strikes. More effective striking from Ballard, and he easily defends yet another takedown attempt. Morrison is looking really tired, but is still chasing Ballard and looking to grapple. He eventually does catch Ballard, but Ballard uses his strength to take control of the grapple and force Morrison against the cage. The two fighters trade the advantage against the cage for a few minutes before the ref feels the action is lagging and brings them back to the center of the cage. As we pass the 45-minute mark, both fighters are looking very tired. Morrison is still looking to get in close and wrestle. He manages to catch Ballard again, only to find himself outmuscled and pushed up against the cage once more. After a bit of stalling, the ref brings the fight back to the center, and Ballard once again uses his jab to keep Morrison at bay. The same pattern continues into the closing minutes of the fight. Morrison is being completely controlled by Ballard’s jab. Even when he does manage to get close enough to wrestle, Ballard’s size and strength are too much to deal with. As the clock winds down, Morrison tries one last gasp attempt at a takedown, but he’s easily stuffed once again. The fight draws to a close, and Ballard has pretty much been dominant. It doesn’t take long for the judges to award Ballard the decision, and the first fight of the first round sees the 15-seed pull off the upset. (15) Ashley Ballard def. (2) Sean Morrison by unanimous decision in 60:00 Match Rating: Decent (7) Petey Mack vs. (10) Khru Duangjan Mack immediately fires in for a takedown attempt but gets stuffed by Duangjan. Mack chases the larger man around the cage looking to get close enough to grapple while Duangjan hits a few moderately effective counterpunches. Eventually, Mack’s quickness prevails and he’s able to get his hands on Duangjan. From the grapple, Mack takes his larger opponent down with ease, and Duangjan is forced to pull guard. He’s in Mack’s world now—this could be big trouble. Mack tries to pound away with elbows from guard, but doesn’t hit anything too damaging. After a very brief struggle, Mack passes to side control! This is looking bad for Duangjan. Mack pounds away with punches and a hard knee to the ribs, but Duangjan is weathering the storm so far. Duangjan is able to block an armbar attempt, but he can’t get out from under Mack. Mack easily shifts to mount! He rains down more elbows and punches, and Duangjan has been cut just above the left eye. Duangjan desperately tries to stem the tide of punches, but Mack snatches an extended arm and like a flash has transitioned to an armbar. After a short struggle, the hold is fully applied and Duangjan has no choice but to tap out. Mack wins by submission—an extremely impressive performance! (7) Petey Mack def. (10) Khru Duangjan by submission (armbar) in 7:19 Match Rating: Great (6) Bruce Steven vs. (11) Leon Banks Steven immediately shoots in looking for a takedown. Banks hits a big counter-punch, though, and Steven is down! Banks dives in and rains down punches. Steven is stunned! He gets caught right on the button and Steven goes limp. He’s out cold! The ref pulls Banks off and this fight is over almost before it started. Banks’ size and punching power prevail. (11) Leon Banks def. (6) Bruce Steven by KO in 0:37 Match Rating: Great (3) Matthew Dean vs. (14) Jaromir Grygera Grygera looks to get in close and wrestle, but Dean uses strikes to keep him at bay. After throwing a few strikes, Dean shoots in for the takedown. He gets it, Grygera pulls guard. Dean can’t get past Grygera’s guard, and eventually Grygera is able to use the cage to work his way back to his feet. Grygera controls Dean against the cage until the ref restarts the fight. The same pattern repeats itself—Dean gets a takedown but can’t take advantage, and Grygera is able to get back to his feet. As they grapple against the cage, Dean is able to take Grygera’s back. He drags Grygera down once again from that position and he’s got his back on the ground! Dean is looking to apply the RNC, but Grygera is fighting it valiantly. Eventually, though, Dean gets the hooks in and manages to flatten Grygera out. From there it’s academic as Grygera has to tap before he passes out. Dean advances by way of submission. (3) Matthew Dean def. (14) Jaromir Grygera by submission (rear naked choke) in 10:43 Match Rating: Good (4) Jack Humphreys vs. (13) Philip Ziskie Humphreys immediately goes for a takedown. Ziskie tries to hook a guillotine, but it’s no use. He has to pull guard. Humphreys can’t get past Ziskie’s guard and he has to fight off another guillotine attempt from below. Humphreys avoids another guillotine, but can’t take advantage of his position before the ref stands both fighters back up. Ziskie shoots for a takedown, but the larger Humphreys easily counters and Ziskie ends up once again on the bottom pulling guard. An extended struggle sees Humphreys fight off several attempts by Ziskie to take an arm, but eventually ends in another stalemate. Ziskie shoots for another takedown, and this time he gets it. Ziskie can’t take advantage of the top position either, and the ref restarts the fight once again. Ziskie gets two more takedowns and a slam, but still can’t take advantage. More of the same as we approach the halfway point of the match—Ziskie seems to be able to take Humphreys down at will, but has no way to finish the fight one he gets it to the ground. Humphreys is starting to look ragged—his chest is heaving. Finally, Humphreys is able to counter a Ziskie takedown and ends up on top in Ziskie’s guard. Ziskie goes for another guillotine, and he’s almost got it! He uses the hold to sweep Humpreys over and take side control. Again, though, he can’t take advantage, and the fight is stood back up once again. Humphreys reverses another takedown. Ziskie goes back to the well with another guillotine attempt, but this time Humphreys just doesn’t have the energy to fight it off. He’s caught! Humphreys taps! A gutty performance by the smallest man in the tournament. (13) Philip Ziskie def. (4) Jack Humphreys by submission (guillotine) in 36:16 Match Rating: Good (5) Go Yamamoto vs. (12) Xie Ming Xie is looking to wrestle at the start, but Yamamoto uses strikes to keep him away. Eventually, Xie gets a hold of his opponent and controls Yamamoto against the cage for several minutes before the ref brings them back to the center. The same thing happens a second time—Xie’s size advantage is paying off. He’s controlling the fight, but hasn’t really inflicted any damage on Yamamoto. After the restart, though, Yamamoto seems to be looking to let his hands go. He hits Xie with several stinging shots, and the larger man is caught off guard. Xie tries to trade punches, but he’s being outstruck handily. Yamamoto backs him up against the cage. Xie unloads with a haymaker, but Yamamoto is too quick. A counterpunch crashes into Xie’s jaw, and he’s down! Xie is out! He’s been knocked clean out by the smaller Yamamoto. What a great fight from Yamamoto. (5) Go Yamamoto def. (12) Xie Ming by KO in 7:53 Match Rating: Fantastic (8) Ricardo Fernandes vs. (9) Fernando Amaro Fernandes is looking to strike at the outset, but Amaro uses movement to keep out of range. The two fighters trade blows, but nothing significant hits, and they fall into a clinch. Amaro uses his size and strength to control the grapple, pushing Fernandes against the cage and scoring with some short strikes to the head. Eventually, they’re separated. Amaro shoots in, but Fernandes reverses the takedown and ends up in Amaro’s guard. He pounds away with punches, but doesn’t do any real damage. Eventually, Amaro uses his leg strength to initiate a scramble, and ends up on top in Fernandes’ guard. After an extended struggle, Amaro manages to shift directly to mount. This doesn’t look good for Fernandes. Amaro tries to take an arm. Fernandes defends, but twists himself too far and Amaro has his back! Fernandes fights off a rear naked choke, but suddenly Amaro sees an opportunity and grabs an arm. He locks in an armbar! Fernandes has no choice but to tap out. (9) Fernando Amaro def. (8) Ricardo Fernandes by submission (armbar) in 12:03 Match Rating: Decent (1) Hassan Fezzik vs. (16) Helio As soon as the bell rings, Fezzik is on top of Helio and quickly takes him to the ground. He easily passes into side control and hits a hard knee into the smaller man’s ribs. Fezzik pounds away with punches and elbows and hits another knee, but somehow Helio has the heart to hang on. Fezzik holds Helio down and shifts to mount. Things are looking grim for Helio, as Fezzik continues to pound away with elbows. After continuing to soften up his opponent, Fezzik snatches an extended arm and looks for an armbar. Helio has no way to fight it. The armbar is locked on and Helio taps quickly. Unsurprisingly, a dominant performance from Fezzik. (1) Hassan Fezzik def. (16) Helio by submission (armbar) in 4:59 Match Rating: Great Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lt. Lucrativo Posted June 10, 2009 Author Share Posted June 10, 2009 First Round Results Bracket 4 (2) Jin Katou vs. (15) Tony McCall Katou starts out looking to get in close and wrestle with McCall, while McCall looks to counter with takedown attempts. The two fighters continue to feel one another out for a short period of time, with neither willing to commit to a concerted attack. Eventually, Katou manages to get a hold of McCall, but nothing comes of the grappling and they quickly break apart and continue to circle. Katou shoots in for a takedown, but McCall is up to the challenge and pushes him back. Katou tries again with the same result. More indecisive grappling, and both fighters are starting to look winded. Not much action, as each fighter fires off a few tentative jabs. McCall scores with a leg kick in what is, sadly, the most exciting action we’ve seen so far. Katou looks to be really laboring as the fight approaches the 30-minute mark. He continues to come forward looking to grapple with McCall. Katou catches him, but McCall uses his size and strength to take control and muscle Katou up against the cage. After a few minutes of stalling, the ref brings the fighters back to the center. Katou looks to initiate a grapple again, and again gets pushed up and held against the cage for his troubles. After another referee separation, the same thing happens again. Katou refuses to change his strategy and insists on trying to wrestle with McCall, but it’s clear that McCall has the grappling advantage. Katou is pushed up against the cage and held again, and this is getting painful to watch. McCall actually gets a takedown and ends up in Katou’s guard. He lies on top and does nothing until the ref stands them up. More indecisive grappling ensues. McCall pushes Katou against the cage again, and mercifully, this fight is nearing its end. The two fighters circle one another and refuse to engage until the clock runs down, and the fight is finally over. Katou came in with a horrible game plan and failed to make any adjustments over the course of the fight. McCall’s going to win this fight without having done anything for the full 60 minutes. The judges award the unanimous decision to McCall, and we’ll try to forget that this fight ever happened as soon as possible. Extremely disappointing showing from Katou (15) Tony McCall def. (2) Jin Katou by unanimous decision in 60:00 Match Rating: Poor (7) Jeff Carlton vs. (10) Lefter Oktay The two heavyweights Carlton and Oktay are introduced and will have to try to wake the crowd back up after the previous fight. Carlton comes out throwing bombs, but nothing connects. Oktay tries for a takedown, but Carlton sprawls well, bringing Oktay down to the mat and pounding away with big shots to the head and body. He sees an opportunity and muscles Oktay over onto his back and secures side control. This is looking dangerous for Oktay. Carlton looks for the mount, but Oktay rolls too far and gives up his back instead. Carlton pounds away with punches and elbows, but Oktay covers up and not much is getting through. Oktay seems to be keeping his composure and is defending remarkably well. Finally, the ref feels Carlton is not taking advantage of his positioning and stands the fighters up. Oktay has survived! Carlton grabs Oktay and uses his size and strength to muscle him up against the cage. After some stalling, the ref brings them back to the center. Carlton looks to be breathing heavily. Perhaps he punched himself out on the ground. Carlton looks to get in close and wrestle again, but he’s slowed down noticeably and Oktay keeps out of range. Oktay keeps Carlton at bay with strikes. Eventually, however, Carlton is able to push Oktay against the cage once more. After being separated, Oktay shoots in for a takedown. But it’s reversed and Carlton ends up on top in guard. Carlton doesn’t like the position and appears to be trying to stand up, but Oktay’s guard remains tight. Carlton throws a few ineffective punches. Oktay brings up his legs, and he looks to be going for something. He’s looking for the triangle, and the exhausted Carlton has no answer! He’s caught, and it looks deep. There’s nothing for it but to tap out. Oktay’s defensive strategy has prevailed. He’s worn down his larger opponent and finished him with the submission off his back. (10) Lefter Oktay def. (7) Jeff Carlton by submission (triangle) in 16:06 Match Rating: Good (6) JJ Reid vs. (11) Thorbjorn Rekdal Rekdal comes out swinging, and the two fighters exchange punches in the middle of the cage. Nothing significant connects, and they back off and circle. Reid shoots in for the takedown, but he can’t get it and he only barely avoids a vicious counterpunch from Rekdal. More indecisive striking ensues, and Reid looks to be trying to work his way in close to grapple. He manages to initiate a grapple, but can’t get Rekdal to the ground. They continue grappling, and Reid seems to be getting overpowered. Rekdal manages to work his way into a muay thai clinch—Reid will need to get out of this situation quickly if he hopes to survive. A devastating knee crashes into the face of Reid and he goes limp. Reid is out! Rekdal wins and looks good doing so. (11) Thorbjorn Rekdal def. (6) JJ Reid by KO in 5:15 Match Rating: Good (3) Carlos da Guia vs. (14) Alan Kendall Kendall tries to get in close with da Guia, but eats a hard jab for his troubles. Da Guia is peppering Kendall with jabs in the early going, forcing him to back off. More striking ensues, and da Guia is definitely getting the better of the exchanges. All of a sudden, da Guia breaks out a spinning back kick. It connects, and Kendall is down! Da Guia leaps in while Kendall is stunned and tries to grab an arm. He’s going for a kimura. Kendall recovers before the kimura is locked in, though, and he’s trying to fight back. Da Guia gives up on the kimura, but does settle into side control. He looks to grab an arm, but Kendall fights him off. Da Guia looks to transition to mount, but Kendall rolls and gives up his back instead. Kendall turtles up and defends well. He manages to use the cage to his advantage and actually struggles back to his feet. There’s another spinning back kick from da Guia! Kendall is down again! Kendall still has his wits about him, but da Guia takes side control once again. After firing off a few punches, he manages to move to mount. Kendall seems to have no answers, but can da Guia finish? Kendall struggles desperately, but only manages to give up his back again. Once again, though, Kendall is able to stand up with da Guia clinging to his back and get some distance. But da Guia is not letting up. He uses the jab and shoots in for a takedown. But Kendall reverses. Kendall is on top in guard. Kendall pounds away, but nothing significant gets through da Guia’s defense. With da Guia smothering Kendall, the referee brings the fight back to the feet. The fight slows a bit. Kendall seems to want to wrestle, but da Guia’s jab is keeping him at a distance. Some indecisive striking and grappling follows, neither fighter is able to score significant points. Da Guia tries another takedown, but he’s reversed again. Kendall can’t get past da Guia’s guard, and his punches are doing little damage. The referee brings the fighters back to their feet again. Kendall still seems to be trying to get in close and grapple. Da Guia seems to have slowed noticeably. He may have spent himself in the furious early action. Kendall manages to initiate a grapple, but da Guia is fighting back. Da Guia is able to lock Kendall into a muay thai clinch. This is a terrible position for Kendall—he could be in big trouble. And here come the knees from da Guia—his specialty. Two huge knees crash into Kendall’s body, he’s hurt badly. Another knee to the body. Da Guia crunches a fourth knee straight into Kendall’s face. He’s knocked out cold! This one is over! Kendall showed a lot of guts and great heart to survive a lot longer than most people expected him to, but he just didn’t have the skills to threaten da Guia. (3) Carlos da Guia def. (14) Alan Kendall by KO in 36:34 Match Rating: Great (4) Heiji Endo vs. (13) Ichisake Miyagi Endo shoots in for a takedown, and he gets it. In Miyagi’s guard, he pounds away with punches, but nothing does any damage. Endo spends a few minutes ineffectually struggling to get past Miyagi’s guard before the referee stands the fighters back up. The same thing happens again. And again. And again. And again. And again. And again. And again. And again. And again. And again. And again. Twelve unanswered takedowns, and absolutely no effective offense to show for them. Mercifully, the clock runs out. The less said about this contest the better. The matchup of two defensive fighters was every bit as dull as we were afraid it would be. Endo took Miyagi down at will but was never able to inflict any damage, extricate himself from Miyagi’s guard, or really do anything. He moves to the second round, though, with the unanimous decision. (4) Heiji Endo def. (13) Ichisake Miyagi by unanimous decision in 60:00 Match Rating: Very Poor (5) Gunnar Nilsson vs. (12) Stafford Alois Alois comes out firing punches at the bell, but Nilsson sees an opening and gets a quick takedown. Bad news for Alois immediately, as he’s forced to pull guard. Nilsson easily passes guard and quickly gains mount. This one could be over quickly. Nilsson is pounding away with punches, and it looks like several have gotten through Alois’ defense. The ref is watching things closely. A few more big shots land, and he’s seen enough. This one is over by referee stoppage. Alois had absolutely no answers on the ground and was getting destroyed, it looked like the ref made the right decision. Easy domination by Nilsson. (5) Gunnar Nilsson def. (12) Stafford Alois by TKO in 3:04 Match Rating: Good (8) Leonardo da Costa vs. (9) Harry Milne Da Costa fires off a few jabs and, incredibly, attempts to get in close and take the much larger Milne down to the mat. Milne stuffs him easily, and responds with a takedown attempt of his own. It works, and Milne is in half guard. Milne struggles, but he can’t get his leg free from da Costa’s half guard. He does manage to fend off an attempt to take an arm from below, but not much is happening and the referee stands the fighters up. Milne quickly gets another takedown, but a similar stalemate occurs on the ground and they’re stood back up again. After some stalling, Milne gets another takedown, and he’s in guard again. Da Costa is still trying to grab an arm from below. This time he gets it! He looks to be trying for a kimura. Milne fights back, but da Costa is able to use leverage to roll him over and take side control. A nifty piece of work to dislodge the much larger man. He can’t do anything from side control, however, and quickly loses control as both fighters scramble back to their feet. Da Costa again tries to initiate a grapple, but unsurprisingly he’s overpowered. Milne has a hold of him and picks him up to deliver a big slam. Da Costa pulls guard and forces Milne to fend off an attempted triangle choke. The ref brings them back to their feet, and Milne looks to be breathing heavily. Another takedown by Milne leads to a stalemate. Milne pushes da Costa against the cage and easily controls him until the referee breaks it up. Yet another takedown from Milne. Da Costa is still looking to take an arm. He gets Milne’s arm again! This time he’s looking for an armbar, and he’s got it! Milne taps! Good patience shown by da Costa, and he’s finally able to take advantage with a submission to move on to the second round. (8) Leonardo da Costa def. (9) Harry Milne by submission (armbar) in 30:53 Match Rating: Very Poor (1) Neil Napier vs. (16) Mark Cohen Napier quickly shoots in and gets a takedown. He can’t get past Cohen’s guard, though, so after a few minutes of struggle the referee brings the fighters back to their feet. Cohen uses his bulk to push Napier against the cage and hold him there, but he looks to be breathing heavily already. Not a good sign. The referee brings the fight back to the center of the cage, and Napier immediately shoots in for another takedown. This time, Cohen can’t keep Napier from passing guard, and he gains side control. Napier hits a series of knees to the ribs and then tries to transition to mount. Things are not looking good for Cohen. He gets mount and rains down punches! Cohen has no answers, and the ref jumps in to pull Napier off. Cohen wasn’t intelligently defending himself, and this fight is, as expected, over relatively quickly. (1) Neil Napier def. (16) Mark Cohen by TKO in 11:30 Match Rating: Decent Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lt. Lucrativo Posted June 10, 2009 Author Share Posted June 10, 2009 First Round Results Bracket 2 (2) Kunimichi Kikuchi vs. (15) Lawrence Herringbone Kikuchi avoids a few Herringbone jabs and works his way in close for a takedown. Herringbone pulls guard, but Kikuchi is easily able to pass into side control. A great start for the Japanese fighter, and Herringbone looks to be in trouble early. Kikuchi transitions to mount and looks to pound away, but Herringbone is able to avoid taking too much serious damage. Herringbone tries to roll, but ends up giving Kikuchi his back. Kikuchi looks to set up an armbar. He gets the arm fully extended, and Herringbone has no choice but to tap! A dominating victory by Kikuchi as he becomes the first 2-seed to avoid the upset, winning quickly by submission. (2) Kunimichi Kikuchi def. (15) Lawrence Herringbone by submission (armbar) in 4:06 Match Rating: Great (7) Stuart Strange vs. (10) Luis Basora Strange unsurprisingly wants to wrestle his smaller opponent, but Basora is able to stay out of range and throw a few counterstrikes. Eventually, though, Strange gets in close enough to grapple and pushes Basora against the cage. Impressively, Basora reverses Strange and takes control of the grapple. He manages to wrestle the bigger man off his feet and ends up in half guard. Basora is unable to get his leg free, however, and the referee brings the fighters back to their feet. Strange can’t be happy to find Basora able to hold his own with wrestling. Strange gets in close again and forces Basora against the cage until the ref calls for another restart. The same thing happens again. And again. After another restart, Basora manages to shoot in for a second takedown and ends up in full guard. Once again, he can’t make any headway on the ground and the fight is stood back up by the referee. Strange is breathing heavily. With the larger man perhaps wearing down, Basora may be able to score some points here. Basora gets another takedown; Strange was too slow to avoid it. With a burst of energy, though, Strange pushes Basora back with his legs and initiates a scramble. Strange comes out on top—he’s got side control. Strange slips into mount with little trouble, and Basora could be in real trouble. Basora tries to twist around, but Strange just takes his back. He’s looking for the choke, and he appears to have it! The RNC is in deep, and Basora taps before he passes out. The size and strength advantage for Strange was just too much to overcome. (7) Stuart Strange def. (10) Luis Basora by submission (rear naked choke) in 21:27 Match Rating: Average (6) Gregorz Boniek vs. (11) Lars Bohlin Another matchup between two wrestlers, this one would seem to clearly favor the much larger Boniek. Surprisingly, Boniek comes out looking to strike. It works though, as he tags the much smaller Bohlin with a clean jab. Bohlin can’t afford to strike with the much larger man, but it’s not clear what he can do to put up any defense. Bohlin tries a jab, but he gets hit with a solid counterpunch and is forced up against the cage. Boniek is unloading on him with punches! Mercifully, the referee leaps in to prevent Bohlin from being seriously injured. This was just a mismatch from the beginning; Bohlin never had a chance. (6) Gregorz Boniek def. (11) Lars Bohlin by TKO in 0:52 Match Rating: Great (3) Roberto Aldez vs. (14) Darin Blood Aldez looks to get in close and utilize his weight advantage. He manages to push Blood up against the cage and control him, hitting a few short punches to the head as well. The ref doesn’t like it, though, and brings them back to the center. Aldez looks to get in close again. But Blood fires off a solid counterpunch and Aldez is rocked! Blood peppers him with punches, but Aldez appears to have recovered his wits. He can’t like the way the striking is going early on, though. Another stiff jab is landed by Blood. Perhaps sensing weakness, Blood presses forward. He gets in close, but Aldez grabs a clinch. That was a poor tactical decision by Blood, who was handily outstriking his opponent. Aldez looks to make him pay—he’s going for the muay thai clinch. This is bad news for Blood—Aldez has him controlled by the back of the head. Aldez throws a huge knee into Blood’s face! Blood collapses to the ground, he’s out! One mistake was all it took for Aldez to capitalize and get the clean knockout. Aldez advances. (3) Roberto Aldez def. (14) Darin Blood by KO in 4:56 Match Rating: Fantastic (4) Julio Regueiro vs. (13) Elgar Regueiro goes for a quick takedown but can’t get past Elgar’s sprawl. The smaller fighter peppers away with strikes and tries to set up another takedown, but Elgar is up to the task once again and keeps his feet. The two fighters exchange strikes; Regueiro lands the better blows. Elgar looks to advance and wrestle with Regueiro, but he’s kept at bay by strikes. Regueiro is still looking to get the fight to the ground, but Elgar may be too big for him to take down. Regueiro continues to fire away with jabs and lands a few solid shots. Elgar is forced to back off. As Regueiro advances, however, Elgar takes the opportunity to initiate a grapple. He’s able to force the smaller man up against the cage and control him there until the ref breaks them apart. Regueiro continues to fire out jabs, and Elgar needs to keep his hands up to defend. Another takedown attempt from Regueiro, and this time Elgar can’t stop it. He does not want to be on the ground with Regueiro. Regueiro achieves side control, and then quickly shifts to mount. Elgar has no answers. From mount, Regueiro snatches an arm and quickly transitions to an armbar. It’s locked on—Elgar has to tap! Once the fight went to the ground, it was over. Regueiro’s jiu-jitsu was just too much for Elgar to deal with. (4) Julio Regueiro def. (13) Elgar by submission (armbar) in 20:50 Match Rating: Great (5) Mac Fuller vs. (12) Tomohiro Takeuchi Takeuchi looks for a quick takedown, but Fuller is too strong. The two fighters grapple, and Fuller uses his size to his advantage, controlling the smaller man easily. He punishes Takeuchi with some dirty boxing. Takeuchi keeps trying to wrestle with Fuller, but he keeps getting smothered. He’s preventing Fuller from striking, however, and may be hoping just to survive long enough to wear the bigger man down. More indecisive grappling, and Fuller’s chest is heaving. Takeuchi peppers him with some quick strikes and uses movement to avoid Fuller’s counters. Takeuchi tries to get Fuller to the ground again, but he still can’t do it. Takeuchi is still trying to wrestle with Fuller, but now he’s starting to look tired as well. He’s continually able to get in close and engage the larger man, but he just doesn’t have the size or strength to move Fuller. The same pattern repeats itself again and again. Takeuchi just doesn’t appear to have anything in his arsenal that can hurt Fuller, and Fuller is too exhausted to let his hands go at all. He’s barely even attempted to throw any punches all fight. The clock winds down as the fighters continue to circle tentatively, stepping forward to engage only in brief spurts. Takeuchi is still looking for a takedown. He catches an exhausted Fuller off balance, and Fuller is down! The fight is in Takeuchi’s world now, but does he have the energy to take advantage? No, he can’t get past Fuller’s guard, and the referee eventually brings the fighters back to their feet. More indecisive grappling ensues, and the fight is really dragging. More of the same. Takeuchi is still pressing forward, but Fuller just shoves him back every time he gets in close. Eventually, the clock winds down, and this one will go to the judges. Takeuchi was clearly the more aggressive fighter, but he never managed to do anything to hurt Fuller. Nonetheless, his forward movement seems to have been enough for the judges, and Takeuchi earns the unanimous decision. (12) Tomohiro Takeuchi def. (5) Mac Fuller by unanimous decision in 60:00 Rating: Average (8) John Rivero vs. (9) Maarten de Vries De Vries comes out looking to jab. He hits several stinging shots on Rivero, who is forced to back off and reassess things. De Vries uses a leg kick. Rivero weathers the storm, however, and sees an opportunity to shoot in for a takedown. It works, and de Vries has to pull guard. Rivero smothers de Vries on the ground, but doesn’t manage any offense of note. The referee brings the fight back to the feet. That was a missed opportunity for Rivero, and now de Vries will have another chance to fire away with strikes. He does so, scoring with several crisp jabs and hitting another nice leg kick. Rivero is looking to get in close again, but he’s kept at a distance by de Vries’ jab. Showing impressive quickness, however, Rivero shoots in for another successful takedown. This time he’s learned his lesson and quickly passes through de Vries’ guard and straight to mount. Rivero unloads with massive punches from mount, and de Vries is in huge trouble. The ref leaps in to protect de Vries, and de Vries isn’t complaining about the stoppage. He had no answers on the ground. (8) John Rivero def. (9) Maarten de Vries by TKO in 9:41 Match Rating: Great (1) James Foster vs. (16) Fiyero Lermontov Foster goes for an immediate takedown, and Lermontov is overwhelmed by his size. Foster easily passes Lermontov’s guard and gains side control. This one looks like it could be over quickly. Foster drops a few big elbows and shifts to mount. He rains down punches, but Lermontov is somehow surviving. He tries to dislodge the bigger man from mount, but Lermontov has no chance and only manages to give up his back. More elbows rain down from Foster, but Lermontov is turtled up and it doesn’t look like too much damage is being done. Foster is at a loss, and the referee calls for a restart. Incredibly, Lermontov has survived! Foster tries for another takedown, but Lermontov counters with a hard jab and follows up with a leg kick. An attempted body kick is caught by Foster, however, and he’s on top of Lermontov once again. Again Foster easily secures mount and fires away. Lermontov again gives up his back, but Foster can’t capitalize. Incredible resilience from Lermontov, but what is Foster doing? The referee stands them up again. The same thing happens again. Foster pounds away from on top and takes Lermontov’s back, but he can’t finish. Foster is unable to finish Lermontov on the ground! And now Foster seems to be breathing heavily. He might have punched himself out. Lermontov is darting in and out and scoring with punches and leg kicks. Again Foster gets the fight to the ground, but can’t finish. This is amazing. Lermontov scores with another nice leg kick. And another. He’s outstriking Foster on the feet. Lermontov is scoring with flurries of punches and keeping out of Foster’s grasp. He hits yet another leg kick, and Foster appears to be limping. More jabs and kicks from Lermontov. Foster is still looking for takedowns, but he looks slow and Lermontov is easily avoiding him. Foster manages to catch another of Lermontov’s kicks, however, and dumps the smaller man once again. He has no energy left, however, and just lies on top doing nothing. Lermontov is looking for a guillotine! He’s almost got it—this is incredible! Foster manages to fight off the guillotine, but Lermontov uses leverage to roll him over and take side control. Foster appears to be no more than dead weight. Lermontov’s striking doesn’t pose much threat, however, and Foster sees an opportunity to transition to guard. The two fighters trade ineffective punches until the referee stands them back up. More leg kicks score from Lermontov. Foster’s lead leg is clearly injured. Foster continues to try to move forward, but he’s continuing to eat jabs from the quicker Lermontov. More jabs and counterpunches land from Lermontov, and he gets yet another leg kick. Foster’s hands are down by his side—he’s got nothing left. More jabs and kicks hit home from Lermontov. Foster is being picked apart. More jabs. More leg kicks. The clock winds down and we’re in the final minute of the fight. Foster is still coming forward. Another hard jab lands from Lermontov. And yet another vicious leg kick puts the exclamation point on this fight from Lermontov! The fight is over, and I can hardly believe what we’ve just seen. Fiyero Lermontov, despite being outweighed by 60 pounds, has gone the distance with James Foster. Lermontov believes he’s won the fight! Foster can barely stand up in his corner. The scores are in, and all three judges award the fight to James Foster. His early dominance was enough to carry the judges. This can hardly go down as a loss for Lermontov. He put on an absolutely incredible performance. (1) James Foster def. (16) Fiyero Lermontov by unanimous decision in 60:00 Match Rating: Good Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lt. Lucrativo Posted June 10, 2009 Author Share Posted June 10, 2009 First Round Results Bracket 3 (2) Zvonimir Asanovic vs. (15) Noach van der Capellen Asanovic is looking to wrestle with van der Capellen, and he gets in close to initiate a grapple. After hitting a few short punches, Asanovic smoothly locks van der Capellen into a muay thai clinch. He fires a knee into van der Capellen’s face, and the smaller fighter collapses to the ground in a heap, out cold. Easy victory for the Croatian. (2) Zvonimir Asanovic def. (15) Noach van der Capellen by KO in 1:26 Match Rating: Great (7) Rick Stanley vs. (10) Anthony LeToussier Rumors have been flying around the internet that Stanley has not been training very seriously coming into this fight. Stanley hangs back at the bell and looks hesitant to engage. LeToussier fires off a few jabs, but also seems content to keep his distance from the larger fighter. Stanley shifts tactics and comes forward looking to engage. He’s caught by a hard counterpunch. Stanley is down! LeToussier dives in, but Stanley has the presence of mind to pull him in tight before he can rain down many strikes. LeToussier struggles for a bit, but eventually manages to secure mount. Stanley is in deep trouble early. LeToussier pounds away and manages to hit several punches. Stanley is forced to turtle up and gives up his back. LeToussier continues to pound away and appears to be looking for a choke between strikes, but Stanley covers up and survives well. The referee brings the fighters back to their feet, and LeToussier misses the opportunity to finish the fight. Stanley looks like he might be gassing, however. LeToussier circles around his larger opponent and scores with several jabs and a stinging leg kick. Being picked apart by strikes, Stanley desperately tries to get in close and smother LeToussier, but he’s rocked by a sharp counterpunch. LeToussier continues to pepper Stanley with jabs and leg kicks. Stanley appears to have no answer; it could be just a matter of time until he gets caught with a match-ending strike. More leg kicks score from LeToussier, and Stanley is clearly favoring a leg. He’s getting picked apart and is rocked by another hard shot. Still trying to get in close, Stanley eventually get a hold of LeToussier and controls him against the cage until the referee steps in and restarts the fight. More leg kicks and jabs punish Stanley. The fight passes the 30 minute mark, and Stanley looks helpless. LeToussier continues to score points, but he’s not able to finish Stanley off. Stanley gets a hold of LeToussier again and forces him up against the cage, but he doesn’t have the energy to pose a real danger. After the fighters are separated, Stanley looks to come forward again. But he’s caught with a big right hand. Stanley is down for the second time. LeToussier leaps in and immediately grabs Stanley’s exposed arm. He quickly extends the arm and locks on an armbar. Stanley taps out immediately. LeToussier advances, but he probably would have liked to finish Stanley, who wasn’t offering much resistance, quite a bit more quickly than he did. (10) Anthony LeToussier def. (7) Rick Stanley by submission (armbar) in 51:14 Match Rating: Great (6) Gabriel Gallego vs. (11) Charles Stiles Gallego immediately comes in close to grapple with Stiles, and he’s looking for the muay thai clinch. He gets control of Stiles, who’s quickly in deep trouble. One brutal knee to the face is all it takes. Stiles is out cold, and this fight is over quickly. Gallego advances. He’ll be very pleased with this performance. (6) Gabriel Gallego def. (11) Charles Stiles by KO in 1:19 Match Rating: Great (3) Raul Hughes vs. (14) Tim Boyer Unsurpisingly, Hughes comes out looking to strike. He hits a few jabs and forces Boyer to back off. Boyer regroups, however, and looks to come forward. He gets tagged with a big punch, though, and goes down! Hughes leaps in and fires off a series of hard shots. Boyer is getting annihilated. He gets caught right on the button and goes limp. The ref jumps in. Boyer is out cold, overwhelmed by Hughes’ tremendous punching power. (3) Raul Hughes def. (14) Tim Boyer by KO in 3:24 Match Rating: Great (4) Terron Cabal vs. (13) Stratos Papaioannou Inexplicably, Cabal wants to wrestle with Papaioannou, and the veteran is happy to oblige. The two men wrestle against the cage, but neither is able to control the other. They’re separated, and Papaioannou quickly looks for a takedown. He can’t get it, though, and gets pulled into another grapple. More indecisive wrestling follows until the ref steps in again. Cabal still wants to wrestle. Why isn’t he letting his hands go? More grappling ensues, and again neither fighter can take advantage. Papaioannou shoots in for a takedown, but it’s reversed and Cabal ends up on top in guard. This probably is not where he wants to be, though. He fires off a few shots, but Papaioannou keeps his guard tight and no damage is done. The ref stands them up. Cabal is still looking to wrestle. There’s another takedown attempt from Papaioannou, but it’s reversed again. Papaioannou has a hold of Cabal’s arm, though, and it looks like he’s going for a kimura. Cabal fights desperately against the submission, but Papaioannou uses the opportunity to sweep him over and take side control. This is bad for Cabal—he’s in Papaioannou’s world now. He’s able to fight off an americana attempt, but Cabal is clearly uncomfortable on the ground and quickly gives up his back. Papaioannou has the hooks in—he’s going for the RNC. It looks tight! Cabal taps out! Papaioannou pulls the upset. Cabal’s game plan for the fight was suspect at best, and Papaioannou was able to take advantage. (13) Stratos Papaioannou def. (4) Terron Cabal by submission (rear naked choke) in 20:50 Match Rating: Good (5) Armen Sarkisian vs. (12) Fumiaki Hayashi The two fighters get in close and grapple. Sarkisian, the much larger man, is able to take control and force Hayashi up against the cage. He can’t get the smaller man to the ground, though. Finally, after an extended struggle, Sarkisian gets Hayashi down and ends up in half guard. He quickly transitions to full mount, and Hayashi is in trouble. Hayashi gives up his back, and Sarkisian fires off some elbows. Hayashi turtles up and tries to weather the storm. Sarkisian looks frustrated—he’s not landing anything damaging. The referee has seen enough and brings the fighters back to their feet. For some reason, Hayashi wants to get in close again. He does so, but gets overwhelmed by Sarkisian’s size and pushed up against the cage. Sarkisian can’t get him off his feet, though, and the referee eventually calls for the restart. Sarkisian is looking tired, but he comes forward and wants to engage. Hayashi slips out of the bigger man’s grasp and, for some reason, tries to shoot in for a takedown. Sarkisian easily pushes him to the ground, rolls him over, and secures side control. Sarkisian shifts to mount, and it looks like he’s trying for an Americana. He can’t get it, but he does manage to take Hayashi’s back again. He drops some elbows, and looks to get Hayashi flattened out for a choke, but Hayashi defends well. Eventually, the ref calls for the stand up once again. Sarkisian can’t be happy about being unable to finish his smaller opponent. He comes forward, still looking to smother Hayashi, and pushes him up against the cage. The ref eventually separates them, and Hayashi tries another futile takedown only to be shoved back by Sarkisian. Sarkisian responds with a takedown attempt of his own, and it works. Hayashi pulls guard, and it looks like he’s working towards a triangle. Sarkisian avoids the triangle, but doesn’t offer any offense of his own and the ref stands them up again. Hayashi tries yet another takedown and gets shoved to the ground. Sarkisian muscles him over onto his back and takes side control again. He drops a few punches and transitions to mount. Hayashi extends an arm trying to defend, and Sarkisian grabs it and transitions to an armar. He’s got it locked on, and Hayashi has to tap out. Sarkisian is finally able to finish the smaller man. (5) Armen Sarkisian def. (12) Fumiaki Hayashi by submission (armbar) in 33:21 Match Rating: Decent (8) Mike Watson vs. (9) Linfield Ballard Watson uses the jab effectively at the outset, and Ballard has to back off. The two fighters trade strikes, and it looks like Watson is connecting more effectively than his opponent. Watson is moving forward. It looks like he might want to grapple for some reason. Despite the fact that he seems to be winning the striking battle, Watson shoots in for a takedown. Ballard’s sprawl is up to the task, however, and the two fighters return to their feet. More effective striking from Watson—he hits a hard body kick and several sharp punches. Again Watson tries for a takedown and is denied. Why does he want to go to the ground? On the feet, the jab continues to work for Watson. He’s picking Ballard apart with strikes while Ballard’s punches are not finding the mark. Watson is darting in and out and hitting Ballard at will, but not with anything that threatens to end the fight. Watson comes forward, but he’s starting to look tired. He initiates another grapple and hits some short strikes to Ballard’s head, but eventually the two fighters separate. Watson looks like he might really be gassing. Ballard senses it and comes forward to put on some pressure. He gets caught by a sharp counter punch, though, and Ballard is down! Watson dives in and hammers away, connecting with several blows. The ref pulls him off! Ballard wasn’t defending himself properly, he was really hurt by that first punch. (8) Mike Watson def. (9) Linfield Ballard by TKO in 20:05 Match Rating: Decent (1) Tadamasa Yamada vs. (16) Curt Kitson Yamada quickly comes forward at the bell, and it looks like Kitson is happy to grapple with him. They engage, and Yamada takes control of the grapple, pushing Kitson up against the cage. Yamada works a trip, and Kitson can’t do anything about it. Yamada fires off a few punches from guard and looks to pass. He does so easily, and quickly transitions to mount. Things are not looking good for Kitson. Yamada snatches an arm and jerks it off to the side. He’s got the armbar locked in, and Kitson has no option but to tap out. Routine victory for Yamada. (1) Tadamasa Yamada def. (16) Kurt Kitson by submission (armbar) in 4:39 Match Rating: Great Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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