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By Wade Keller, Torch editor ELITE XC: DYNAMITE USA
JUNE 2, 2007
LOS ANGELES, CALIF.
LIVE ON PAY-PER-VIEW
PAY-PER-VIEW
After a 20 minute opening ceremony, Mauro Ranallo, Jay Glazier, and Bill Goldberg introduced the event from ringside. They showed Quinton "Rampage" Jackson mingling at ringside wearing his UFC Lt. Hvt. Title.
1 -- JONNIE MORTON (35, 6-0, 213, Torrance, Calif.) vs. BERNARD ACKAH (35, 207, 6-1, Ivory Coast/Japan)
PRE-FIGHT HYPE: Ranallo noted that Ackah has lived in Japan for the last 16 years and makes a living as a stand-up comedian. Ackah comes from a tae kwan do background. Goldberg noted that tae kwan do is a point fighting system, whereas Ranallo noted that muay thai or boxing styles have more power behind them. Goldberg said there's just no comparison. The ring announcer, Jimmy Lennon Jr., was terrible tonight. He had a good old-school voice for it, but otherwise was tripping over pronunciations and cadence. Why is it so tough to find someone willing to read his cards ahead of time, get the pronunciation down, and then articulate the names with confidence? It's like he was handed cards that he had never scene hand-written by someone else with bad penmanship. There was someone else off camera doing intros for the arena who was even worse. It sets such an amateurish tone when an upstart fight company can't get a competent ring announcer or make sure he's prepared.
ROUND ONE: Referee: Nelson Hamilton. Good, intense pre-fight staredown. Morton went after Ackah with a flurry of punches, then tried to take him down. Ackah had good takedown defense and fought back to his feet. They continued throwing wild punches and Ackah caught Morton with a right roundhouse and he dropped like he was shot. Ranallo said this says that you may be a world class pro athlete, but you have to train full time to stand in there on a big MMA stage. Glazier gave him credit for stepping into the ring. Goldberg said they need to see if he's okay. He was moving his arms slowly, but he kept his eyes closed and his mouthguard in. Glazier said he got choked out in his first fight at 1:09 and it took him six months to get over it and get his first win in his second fight. They put Morton in a neck brace and back board and carried him out. He still wasn't fully conscious. Goldberg said this isn't an indication that MMA fighters are better athletes than pro football players, but it's about preparation for the contest you're choosing to take part in. Not sure what that point was all about. Goldberg said Morton was super-stressed out yesterday. He threw in that people keep asking when he's going to fight, but he said you get to a certain age and that's it. Goldberg told me in an interview over five years ago that he wanted to get into MMA and thought he might do well, but he never took that step. After watching this, Goldberg may realize he might have made the right decision, or his ego is worried people would assume that would be his fate and it's eating away at him. They showed replays and Morton walked right into a roundhouse. Morton finally came to on the back board and began talking, probably asking what happened. He waved to the crowd as he was carried away.
RESULT: Ackah via KO at 0:38.
STAR RATING (**-): Great KO punch that was preceded by a flurry of aggressive offense by Morton and good takedown defense by Ackah (although hardly against a world class grappler).
RAMIFICATIONS: Great pro athletes should be required to watch that round so they respect what they're considering getting into.
2 -- MIGHTY MO (33, 6-1 292 - San Bernardino, Calif.) vs. RUBEN "WARPATH" VILLAREAL (37, 6-4, 270 - Sacramento, Calif.)
PRE-FIGHT: Good pre-fight set-up video. The announcers talked about Warpath taking on fights at the last second. They admitted he doesn't have the best record, but he has KO power. They showed Nicholas Cage arriving at his floor seat waving and smiling at the crowd. Glazier explained that the Melvin Manhoef vs. Dong Sik Yoon fight was delayed because Yoon at first refused to reduce the tape wrap on his ankle since he didn't have an injury. He since agreed to, so the fight will come after this one. Glazier said it's just delaying the inevitable loss for him. They showed Tracey Ullman in the crowd. She has a show coming up on Showtime.
ROUND ONE: Referee: Herb Dean. Warpath threw some early punches, but Mo landed a left hook and outpowered him to the mat, got his back, and then nailed him below his left eye from behind. Warpath basically waved off the fight from his back and Dean stepped in. He had a huge swelling cut under his eye a minute after the fight.
RESULT: Might Mo at 1:33 via TKO rep stoppage.
STAR RATING (*+): Some punches landed, with a definitive underhook KO from the ground.
RAMIFICATIONS: This show has looked and felt a lot like an early UFC event with fighters who don't belong or don't look polished and professional at all (not to mention the contradictory on-screen graphics from one minute to the next listing different heights, ages, and weights for the same fighters). Not a great showing for the sport at this point. The KOs probably satisfy some, but really, the match-making and talent depth appears minor league. Speaking of which...
3 -- MELVIN "NO MERCY" MANHOEF (30, 5-8, 192 - Holand) vs. DONG-SIK YOON (34, 6-0, 190 - South Korea)
PRE-FIGHT: Yoon has a very impressive judo record, but as he admitted in the pre-show special, judo has a lot of rules and is more sport than fight. He lost three decisions after going the distance with Murilo Bustamante, Quinton Jackson, and Makoto Takimoto. He's improving, but there's still great doubt whether his judo success can be translated to MMA at a top level. Ranallo said Yoon may be the best 0-4 fighter in the world. They showed Keyshawn Johnson in the crowd. Glazier said he's trained with Royce Gracie. Glazer noted that Manhoef was at the stadium 90 minutes before any other fighter. A classic striker vs. grappler type of style match-up.
ROUND ONE: Amazing opening 45 seconds, with Yoon taking a ton of punches and going down, but then covering well on his back and getting to his feet. He ducked a wild roundhouse kick and then grabbed Manhoef and leveraged him down. He ended up on his back and held Manhoef in tight. As close as Manhoef appeared to come to a quick win, Yoon withstanding it was equally impressive. He went for an armbar at 1:45, but didn't quick lock it on. He returned to his feet and pushed Manhoef against the ropes. Did Manhoef burn out early was the question. Glazier said he was impressed with Yoon's chin so far. He leveraged him down and got in side control. About 30 seconds later he got full mount with 1:30 left in the round. Goldberg wondered aloud if Manheof could defend submissions; he said he can handle getting punches. Manhoef flipped out of the guard, but ended up in an armbar. He frantically powered out and got back to his feet, throwing another series of punches. he ended up falling out of the ring partially. The ref recentered the fighters with 15 seconds left. Nothing landed as the round came to a close. Great round. Win goes to Manhoef, but Yoon did enough to make it really close in terms of ground control and legitimate submission attempts. He took too many punches, though, to win the round.
ROUND TWO: Yoon moved in and bearhugged Manhoef to the mat, but almost ate a kneelift as he moved in at the start of the round. He went into full mount again. Manhoef wanted no part of it and he tried to escape underneath. Yoon then slipped on an armbar and got an immediately tapout. Big upset, really good fight. Manhoef broke down and cried in the chest of his cornerman. Yoon looked like he was in a fight as his right eye was completely swollen closed and blue in color.
RESULT: Yoon via tapout at 1:17 of round two.
STAR RATING (***+): Great technique by Yoon in the finishing armbar sequence. Really fun battle, a complete clash of two very different styles. Yoon was impressive in every way for someone who isn't a strong striker against a killer striker who won 15 of 16 wins via knockout. He took a barrage of punches, kept his bearings, and out-grappled Manhoef. Glazier said Manhoef needs to spent time training in ground fighting jiu jitsu. One of the must-see fights of the year. They showed Rosey Perez in the crowd, and Ranallo tried to interrupted Goldberg's analysis when they showed Perez, which was ridiculous, and Goldberg said he's going to keep analyzing the fight. Good for him. There might be a time and place to mark out for celebrities, but during post-fight analysis is not the time. They showed Dennis Rodman in the crowd.
PRE-FIGHT: Referee: Marcos Rosales. Tokoro scored with a right roundhouse kick to Pickett's lead leg. Tokoro shot in and yanked Pickett to the mat. Pickett did a nice job slipping out and ending up on top, but left himself vulnerable to an armbar attempt by Tokoro. He slipped out of it and they ended up back on their feet. Ranallo said Pickett has fought for Cage Rage in the UK and Bodog, which he called a "fledgling organization." Pickett swing with an overhand right, but Tokoro ducked and shot in. He applied an inverted heel hook and it looked bad for Pickett, but Pickett escaped and went into side mount. Really nice series of exchanges. They wrestled for position on the mat, with Tokoro caught Pickett's arm out of nowhere for a frantic immediate tapout by Pickett. Pickett rolled to his feet and let out a disappointing yell. Tokoro held up a RINGS towel.
RESULT: Tokoro at 2:41 of round one.
STAR RATING (**+): Nice fight. Two guys really going for it, and good technique won in the end. The show definitely became major league looking and appeared to be a full-fledged professional sport thanks to the last two matches. You got a sense they would go 5-5 or 6-4 if they fought ten times, and all ten fights would be fun to watch.
RAMIFICATIONS: Not a ton, although this stopped Pickett from shooting to the top since he proved vulnerable to a submission.
-A band played for ten minutes for what amounted to intermission. Then Ranallo and Goldberg talked about Brock's debut. Goldberg said Brock isn't just any pro wrestler. He went 106-5 in college wrestling. He talked about his super-strength picking up The Giant/Big Show. "This is not just some professional wrestler making a jump to MMA," he said. They downplay that Brock was invited and competed well in the Minnesota Vikings NFL camp, but was considered too old and too behind on technique to be worth investing several years in, so he was cut. But he was heavily praised for how hard he worked and how quickly he learned in camp.
PREFIGHT: The ring announcer introduced Royce Gracie on his way to the ring with an "R" sound. Even Glazier, I believe, groaned and said his name correctly under his breath. Ranallo did a nice job setting up the legacy of this feud. He noted that Gracie lost to Matt Hughes, but this match is not about title contention but a final chapter in one of the great sports rivalries. As Sakuraba began taking off layers of masks, Ranallo noted that he's paid tribute to Tiger Mask, The Road Warriors, and Big Van Vader in the past. Ranallo said this could be Sakuraba's final match, and he hoped it would be. Ring announcer Lennon got Royce's first name right during in-ring intros.
ROUND ONE: Referee:Mario Yamasaki. Royce had on his typical pre-fight face. Sakuraba rocked Royce with a right hook and dropped him. Gracie went into defensive position on the mat. Gracie threw an up punch from his back and some up kicks to back off Sakuraba. Gracie threw some kicks from his back, drawing a Ranallo comparison to Antonio Inoki vs. Muhammad Ali in 1976. Some of the less educated fans booed, not realizing the history of this positioning. Sakuraba moved in and threw some punches. Gracie grabbed his arm and went for a submission. Sakuraba ended up with a grip on Royce's arm instead. Royce stood up. Great tension during that lock-up. Sakuraba still had Gracie's left arm as they stood against the ropes. Gracie threw some rights from behind and went for a judo throw. Sakuraba didn't go down. They ended up squared off in center ring with 30 seconds left in the round. Sakuraba looked comfortable. Goldberg noted how bruised Sakuraba's legs were from the kicks. The slapped hands after the first round ended. Very good first round. It lived up to the history of their rivalry. Glazier noted that Sakuraba is used to ten minute first rounds and almost seemed surprised when it was over after five. Round goes to Sakuraba.
ROUND TWO: Slow opening minute of the second round as both kept a safe distance and missed with some kicks. Sakuraba moved in and Royce defended the takedown. Gracie ducked another big swing by Sakuraba and clinched against the ropes. Goldberg said during an interview with Sakuraba the other day, he could barely move his neck. The announcers talked about the grind and mileage on Sakuraba being worse than Gracie despite being two years younger. The crowd was restless and the ref finally moved them back to center-ring with 1:40 left in the round. The pace really picked up with a series of kneelifts by Sakuraba and counter uppercuts by Gracie - about dozen each. They ended up back against the ropes in a clinch. Sakuraba tried to throw Gracie down, but Gracie didn't go. More booing. "You don't boo these two guys," said Glazier. "You don't boo Brett Favre in his last game or last year." The two fighters hugged afterward. Goldberg said he wanted to smack them. Ranallo said this is America and the have the right to boo, adding, "I don't know what they expected." All the announcers have to say is those who know and understand the history of this rivalry would appreciate this fight for what it is, and it's a good version of their style fight at this stage of their careers. Close round, edge to Gracie.
ROUND THREE: Gracie threw some nice high kicks to keep Sakuraba at a greater distance than he might otherwise. Gracie dropped down and took Sakuraba with him. He then went for a kimura. Sakuraba fought it off. Goldberg really expressed appreciation for what he was seeing on the mat. "It's a beautiful thing watching these guys," he said. Gracie held on for life to prevent another kimura, and did. Glazier said it's all about staying relaxed. Gracie held onto Sakuraba from behind. The ref almost forced them back to the middle. Gracie shot him a look, and Yamasaki let him continue against the ropes. Ranallo said the ref should make them fight, and not wait out the time limit. Gracie threw a barrage of punches from behind, hitting Sakuraba's hand held up to protect himself. Ranallo said something seems wrong with Sakuraba because he was not attempting anything and was talking to someone at ringside. Glazier said Sakuraba appeared content to just hang on and survive. Gracie, though, continued to try to take him down. With 40 seconds left, the ref moved them to center-ring again. Sakuraba scored with a left. Sakuraba shot in and went behind Gracie for another kimura as the bell rang to end it. Another close round, with an edge to Gracie for being more aggressive. Some fans booed again. Gracie raised his arm as he walked to his corner. The two fighters embraced afterward. Gracie smiled and had a sense of relief. Sakuraba may have signalled he wanted two more rounds. The camera then showed Rampage in the crowd posing for the camera, all smiles. Ranallo said he may be the most marketable athlete the sport has. Round to Gracie.
RESULT: Royce Gracie via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28).
STAR RATING (**): Legendary battle, with plenty of drama, but also a tad bit sad considering what Sakuraba once was and how there were only glimpses of it here. If you expected more than this, you were setting yourself up for disappointment. The near-kimura locks, though, added dramatic moments between the stalemates against the ropes. The star-power and feud elevates this to two-stars when otherwise it wouldn't have qualified as that if it were a meaningless early-card fight.
6 -- BROCK LESNAR (29, 6-2, 262) vs. MIN SOO KIM (32, 6-1, 255)
PRE-MATCH: The announcers acknowledged Lesnar's strong showing at Vikings training camp as Lesnar made his way to the ring. Goldberg provided great perspective. He really did an excellent job on commentary throughout, but was invaluable here providing perspective on Lesnar. He noted that Lesnar's last match in pro wrestling was against him at MSG. He took a small shot at WWE without going overboard. He also said he gets asked a lot about fighting Lesnar, but he said he's 40 years old and it's not going to happen. He said had he chosen a difference career path 10 or 15 years ago, no one could have kept him out of MMA, but it's a young man's sport - at least if you're just starting. Kim has a 2-5 MMA record, but was a 1996 Olympic silver medalist in judo. His two MMA wins were by submission. Lesnar was introduced with his NCAA and WWE title credentials noted, an interesting choice. In the staredown, they went nose to forehead and had a little laugh. Lesnar seemed loose, but that was probably a side-effect of being very nervous. Glazier predicted that Kim is being fed to a shark.
ROUND ONE: Lesnar moved right in, avoiding an pre-match hand slap offer from Kim. He tackled him to the mat and within a minute had shifted to a full mount. He just smothered Kim and threw a barrage of punches from very tight in. Kim surprisingly tapped out before seemed to take much punishment, which means (a) he no heart or (b) Lesnar's power completely intimidated him and the punches were extremely powerful even from very tight in. Goldberg said Brock is in his element in there. Goldberg added: "He tapped out from repeated punches from a guy who just so happens to be a former professional wrestler. All you naysayers, take that." Kim was standing a minute after the fight and appeared relatively fine. The replays showed his head was bouncing hard off of Lesnar's stiff punches.
RESULT: Lesnar via tapout at 1:09.
STAR RATING (*+): A historical fight for a number of reasons, including Lesnar's potential future in MMA, but not much to it.
POST-FIGHT: Glazier interviewed Lesnar, asking him how it was different from other competition he's been in. Lesnar said his base is wrestling. He thanked his trainers by name who were in the ring with him. Fireworks shot off and Lesnar let out a smile. The fireworks were so loud, he couldn't hear Glazier's question. Glazier loudly asked if it was fun and if he want to continue. Lesnar said absolutely. He said he was disappointed he couldn't fight "the big-headed guy." He said he has no idea what's next. "We'll see what promoter wants to step up and hand out some money and let's get some heavyweight titles on the line." If Lesnar always seemed a little bit miserable in WWE, he seemed to feel totally at home in that MMA atmosphere.
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