Enrique is at Rio Rancho as we speak covering Grapplefest IV! He will have post coverage for us by tomorrow.
YOUR SOURCE FOR MMA IN THE SOUTHWEST
Saturday, April 16, 2011
Thursday, April 14, 2011
In the Clinch with Diego "The Dream" Sanchez
Coming off a really close fight with Martin Kampmann where he got the win, we got to talk to Diego Sanchez about when he plans on returning to the cage, if he would be willing to fight fellow Welterweight teammates, and if he has any opponents in mind.
Though he has yet to announce an opponent, several people have already called him out. Johny Hendricks, who got a win at UFC Fight Night 24, started asking for a fight with Sanchez though Sanchez said Hendricks needs some high profile wins before he can start asking for a fight with Sanchez. Because of the controversial nature of the fight, Kampmann has been saying he'd like a rematch but those talks seem to be going nowhere since all they so is talk crap to each other about how each thinks he won the fight.
Regardless of who people think won the fight, Sanchez got the win and win over Kampmann is a huge one, so I expect Sanchez to get a big fight in his next outing. He considered filling in as a late replacement for Brian Foster but it was Jake Ellenberger who stepped in to fight at UFC 129. With Kampmann already scheduled to fight John Howard, Dong Hyung Kim taking on Carlos Condit, Thiago Alves fighting Rick Story, Fitch and Koscheck injured, and a rematch with Penn a little uninteresting at the time, Sanchez has little options for top fighters unless he waits until the dust settles. Nick Diaz, who Sanchez beat a while back, is a match Sanchez is interested in but a Strikeforce vs UFC match seems unlikely right now. Out of all the fights Sanchez has been campaigning for, former UFC Welterweight champion Matt Hughes seems the most likely to happen, and even then, Hughes has yet to talk about a return to the octagon since his loss to Penn. I, for one, would like to see Diego Sanchez vs Jake Ellenberger if Ellenberger wins at UFC 129. No matter what, with how stacked the Welterweight division is, Sanchez is bound to get an interesting match up.
Tuesday, April 12, 2011
Monday, April 11, 2011
Sunday, April 10, 2011
Texas Cage Fighting presents: Rogue Warrior Championships 'Aftermath'
There was a lot of hype behind this event and it delivered. Aside from the promised MMA stars, Tim Kennedy, Paul Buentello, Mike Van Arsdale, and Rich Clementi, Rashad Evans also joined the crowd, taking pictures with everyone. Because the fight was for the troops, the fighters went all out to entertain and it made for an awesome event, packed with submissions, TKOs, 3 round battles, and the barnburner that was Schoonover/Jones.
For the Main Event, it was Rich 'No Love' Clementi versus Josh Hinkle, and though Hinkle didn't walk away with the win, he proved worthy of the big status fight he was given. Hinkle won the first round with a combination of kicks and to my surprise, takedowns, but after the end of that first round, it was a classic Clementi performance. It was no land slide. Hinkle put up a good fight, continuing to land strikes and occasionally ending up on top, but Clementi did what he does best and outgrappled Hinkle to a 29-28 win, setting it all up with some prey solid striking.
Rich Clementi defeats Josh Hinkle via Unanimous Decision
For the Co-Main Event, it was hometown boy Darrill 'The Boss' Schoonover taking on Esteves 'Quiet Riot' Jones on a 4 day notice for what ended up being fight of the night. Both are known to be heavy handed but neither came out gun-shy. It was a really close fight that went back and forth. Schoonover was the crisper striker. He dropped Jones' several times using straight punches to counter Jones' looping ones and looked great in the clinch, landing nasty knees to Jones' body when the chance arose. Jones' striking was a little more wild but when he landed, he landed big, also dropping Schoonover a couple of times. Jones didn't look for the takedown but took advantage of positioning when he stuffed Schoonover's takedowns, staying on top and in control for minutes at a time. The fight was a three round war so close, it was hard to judge. Darrill dropped Jones. Jones dropped Schoonover. Still, Jones was on top for the grappling portions of the fight and that's probably what edged him the decision. Jones said this was by far the toughest fight he's had and is sure to come out even better in his next fight, where he's set to defend his King of the Cage belt against Nick 'Afrozilla' Gaston. Even with the short notice, Schoonover almost got himself a win against a King of the Cage champ and hopefully his heart and willingness to take this fight on 4 days notice gets him a big fight in his next outing and gets the proper time to prepare for it.
Esteves Jones defeats Darrill Schoonover via Unanimous Decision
Lance Evans returned to the cage for the first time in 2 years, taking on decorated wrestler Jeremy Rosales. Both fighters came out tentative, and though neither ever seemed to be able to measure out his opponent, Rosales was the more aggressive fighter of the two and landed a little more than Evans throughout the three rounds, which got him the win. Evans landed his share if strikes but never really seemed to get into the 'groove' of things, which might have been a result of the ring rust and with his first fight in a long, long time out of the way, hopefully he gets a win in his next outing. Rosales kept the fight standing despite having the credentials to take it to the mat, and was able to walk away with the win. With the skill to win a fight standing and the ability to take it to the ground should he not be doing so good flinging strikes, Rosales is a threat everywhere inside the cage.
Jeremy Rosales defeats Lance Evans via Unanimous Decision
Flashy striker Oscar De La Parra made his long awaited professional debut against then 1-0 grappling specialist Thomas Soto. It was a classic striker versus grappler match and wrestling bested kickboxing for two of the three rounds. Though it was already expected, Soto made it clear within seconds of the fight what he was there to do, to put De La Parra on his back, take him out of his comfort zone, and work him. For two rounds Soto went for successful single leg after successful single leg, almost always getting his takedown. Still, De La Parra never gave him anything more than guard or half guard, and time after time used the fence to wall walk to his feet, but time after time, Soto took him down. Maybe it was the chants of 'Oscar, Oscar Oscar' that inspired him, who knows, but De La Parra never seemed to break, determined to get back up despite not having success at staying up, and in the third round, that determination paid off. Soto got an early takedown but seemed to be fading. De La Parra got to his feet and took over. Soto shot in for another single but De La Parra stuffed him and used the north-south position to punish Soto, which was the story of the third round. Despite still having gas to keep going and getting big momentum in that third round, De La Parra just took over a little too late and lost his debut in a 29-28 decision. The fight showed De La Parra needs to go back and work on his takedown defense. It also showed De La Parra's heart, cardio, determination and a lot of other traits needed for the fight business and like every other young fighter, he's bound to come out a better fighter in his next one. Soto moves to 2-0 and shows a lot of promise. He threw virtually no punches in the fight, but didn't need to, and it'll be interesting to see if he can make his striking as good as his wrestling game as he continues to win because you need to be able to do it all to compete in the big shows.
Thomas Soto defeats Oscar De La Parra via Unanimous Decision
Wrestling stud Willie Parks took on Justin Gonzalas and showed a whole other side of him. Parks came out in the first his usual self, a wrestling powerhouse. Gonzalas threw a kick and though Parks barely even got ahold of his ankle, he still tossed him to ground with ease. Once there, Parks showed a more aggressive approach to his ground and pound than his last fight, landing big shots from the top. Gonzalas threw an armbar attempt at some point in the first round, but Parks just shrugged it off and took the round decisively. With his wrestling dominance established in the first, Parks came out wanting to throw hands and a punch he threw was a punch he landed. Within seconds of the second round, Parks had Gonazalas wobbled and after dropping Gonzalas with a punch, he followed him to the ground with the fight ending barrage. Gonzalas didn't get to show much, but that's just cause Willie Parks is on another level than most fighters not fighting in the big promotions. His world-class wrestling alone would probably get him to the big leagues but he seems to he adding weapons to his arsenal with each fight he has and we're excited to see more from him.
Willie Parks defeats Justin Gonzalas via TKO (strikes) at :23 of the 2nd round
Submission specialist Enrique Rios took on Paul Moreno and did exactly what he said he would. Before the fight, he promised a submission and after throwing a low kick, he got to work. He dropped under Moreno's punch, shot for.the takedown, got it, took Moreno's back and got an armbar, all with done with methodical precision. Moreno shows his submission chops in his debut and starts his professional career with his right foot.
Enrique Rios defeats Paul Moreno via submission (armbar) at 1:20 of the 1st round
Relson Gracie instructor and MMA pioneer Shawn Pretat took on Isaiah Reyes and though it was Pretat that came in with the freestyle wrestling and submission grappling background, it was Reyes that walked away with a submission win. Pretat caught everyone, including his opponent, by surprise by coming out swinging. Pretat landed a couple of punches and caught Reyes' kick to get the takedown. Once in Reyes' guard, Pretat dropped for a heel hook but once he saw he didn't have it quickly scrambled back to top position. Just when we were waiting to see how else Pretat would attack, it was Reyes that through up a triangle and after seconds of adjusting, tapped the grappling ace. With the credentials Pretat has, a submission win over him is a huge feather in Reyes' cap.
Isaiah Reyes defeats Shawn Pretat via submission (triangle) at 1:13 of the 1st round
In the first fight of the night, Corey Edwards took on William Moore. Moore came out with really nice wrestling, changing levels seamlessly. Moore got a takedown right off the bat and though Edwards got up, Moore took him down again. Moore quickly took Edwards' back the second time around and sunk in a.rear naked choke.
William Moore defeats Corey Edwards VIA submission (Rear-Naked Choke) at 1:33 of the 1st round
One of the main guys went in the cage at one point and promised us another big MMA show in the near future. He then went on to say, "We love you San Antonio!!!" Hopefully he just got confused with the name of the city and didn't just fill my heart with hope for nothing.
Saturday, April 9, 2011
Strikeforce: Diaz vs Daley
Well the event starts in a little bit but I just have to get my opinion in on it. Aside from having two titles on the line and just great match making on the card, tonight is a highly anticipated event because it is the first major Strikeforce event under Zuffa (pretty much, the UFC), and it'll be interesting to see the changes made in the production, commentating, graphics, entrances, and I'm pretty sure they're gonna get rid of the lame pyro-technics. Still, the fights is what it's all about, and Strikeforce busted out a lot of the top names for this one.
For the Main Event, it's Strikeforce Welterweight champ Nick Diaz defending his belt against KO artist Paul Daley. Diaz is the superior and more well rounded fighter. He's got that awesome, weird 'Diaz boxing,' a lot of pitter patter shots with perfectly placed power shots in between, and some high level jiu jitsu to go with that boxing for when he gets taken down. Paul Daley is a power striker. He's got good takedown defense and hands that'll drop whoever chooses to trade with him. That's exactly the style needed to beat Diaz (that or a strong wrestler with good sub defense, but that's a conversation for another day). Just like Sotiropolous and Dunham, Diaz has an awesome jiu jitsu game but lacks the wrestling to force it to the mat. Add to that the fact that I think Diaz is stubborn enough to stand and trade with Daley. He chose to stand with boxer KJ Noons just to prove a point, and unlike KJ Noons, Daley can rattle him with one shot. Diaz might attempt a takedown, but he's an avid believer of bringing the fight and he's too proud to struggle for a takedown, and Daley will definitely make him struggle for it. Diaz comes in as the favorite, but I smell an upset.
For the Co Main Event, it's Strikeforce Lightweight champ Gilbert Melendez defending his belt against Tatsuya Kawajiri. Melendez is a fast paced wrestler with good striking that, like Jake Shields, has been beating everyone outside of the UFC. Kawajiri is pretty good, but shouldn't be fighting for the title. Melendez is a big fish in a small pond and wins this decisively. Hopefully with the Zuffa buyout, we can see more interesting matches for Melendez, maybe a Clay Guida or an Evan Dunham.
Also on the card, Keith Jardine takes on striker Gegard Mousasi on really short notice. Mousasi is one of the best strikers around but showed a complete lack of wrestling in his fight with Mo Lawal. Jardine is an awkward striker that has won and lost against some of the best. He looks thinner, and says to expect some surprises. His wrestling has always been under-rated and hopefully he's gonna use it a lot more in this fight, because Mousasi is the better striker. I'm torn on this one. Mousasi has a cool style and I'd like to see him advance but Jardine is always game and i love that. Mousasi probably takes this but hopefully Jardine gets rewarded for taking the fight on short notice and he gets a fight against a top Middleweight. Shynia Aoki fights Lyle Beerbohm. Aoki is one of the best grapplers around but I smell an upset on this one too. Beerbohm is gonna stuff the takedowns and outstrike Aoki, like Melendez, just not as dominant.
The way the UFC events are presented is awesome, more of a sports competition than a strong man show. Strikeforce has always had good fights but the presentation has also always been kind of lame and hopefully Zuffa fixes this. Pretty exciting stuff.
Friday, April 8, 2011
Texas Cage Fighting President James Gratz
James could not make it to El Paso for the event due to an unexpected ailment that has him hospitalized. James is a United States Army Veteran and a veteran of Desert Shield. Daily 4 MMA was still able to get his own words about the event "I would like to thank everyones' support for the Stars and Stripes foundation. I hope everyone has a great time and remembers that while we are doing this, there are thousands of our hero's overseas fighting for us to have the freedoms that we have and we salute them and are very proud of them."
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