Florian takes a leap toward the top
The journey began with a head-first plunge off the side of a mountain. Competing in the 2003 Pan-Am Games in Rio de Janeiro, Ken Florian ran up Gavea Rock with jiu-jitsu teammates as part of conditioning, each racing to an elevation of 2,762 feet in the Brazilian Highlands. Lured by waterfalls and lush canopy, they strayed from the path on the way down. “We showered under one of the waterfalls and our sneakers got wet,� Florian said. “One of my buddies slipped on moss but kept going on the same kind of path. I slipped and was sliding down the side of a cliff.�
The drop was about 100 feet with jagged rocks in every direction. Somehow, Florian hit a rounded ledge some 15 feet into his fall and landed on his back sore, scared, but otherwise unhurt.
“It motivated me to appreciate my life and chase my dreams,� he said. “Right there I decided to take up martial arts full time.� Tomorrow night in Las Vegas, Boston’s Florian - known to fans as KenFlo - will take the most important step in his quest to become a world champion fighter. Featured as the main event in Ultimate Fighter Season 3 finale (9 p.m., Spike TV), he will battle Canadian Sam Stout, with the winner earning a lightweight title match against Minnesota’s Sean Sherk (29-2-1). “It’ll be soon, within the next three or four months,� UFC President Dana White said, confirming rumors about a possible 155-pound championship match.
Florian (6-2) was set to fight Stout (9-1-1) on March 4 in the UFC 58’s U.S. vs. Canada card but withdrew after pinching a nerve in his back. After healing, Florian spent three weeks in Thailand studying Muay Thai, a form of kick boxing known as the Art of Eight Limbs (feet, elbows, knees, fists), which mirrors Stout’s strengths.
“I was more than ready for him in March,� Florian said. “He’s not going to be able to deal with my versatility.�
Florian, 30, grew up in Dover and played the sports kids in Dover grow up playing, namely soccer and tennis. At first, martial arts were about learning self-defense more than anything else, a tradition passed on from his father, a black belt in Judo, to Ken and his five siblings. “Your heart is in your throat. It’s different to see your own flesh and blood fighting,� said Ken’s father, Agustin, a cardioplastic surgeon who came to America from Peru in 1966 with his wife, Ines.
Fluent in Spanish (his first language), Portuguese and English, Ken was a Big East soccer all-star at Boston College and graduated pre-law with a degree in communications. He ended up working as a senior project manager in the translation division for a financial company.
For a guy who signs off on his blog entries using the phrase “Peace, love and neck kicks,� the 401K plans and prospectuses coming across his desk seemed too much like counting sheep.
“He just kind of realized after that fall that you can go at any time,� said Keith Florian, Ken’s 27-year-old brother and jiu-jitsu trainer.
Florian’s big break came on July 7, 2004. Just four fights into his MMA career, Florian found himself in the ring with veteran Drew Fickett, then 22-3, after his foe scratched. Fickett won a split decision, 2-1, but KenFlo had caught the eye of White, who was in the stands scouting Fickett for the UFC’s reality show “The Ultimate Fighter.�
Jumping two weight classes to compete, Florian appeared on the first season of “The Ultimate Fighter� and faced Diego Sanchez (17-0) in the finals, with the winner receiving a six-figure UFC contract. But thinking actually got the best of Florian, who froze in the spotlight.
“Our mind can play a lot of tricks on us, and I wasn’t prepared for a big event and the exposure,� Florian said. “I was more concerned about what was at stake after the fight instead of what I needed to do to win. I did a lot of growing up after that.�
Source: http://sports.bostonherald.com/ufc/view.bg?articleid=145104
Ortiz and Shamrock Can’t Even Get Gifts Without A Fight
LAS VEGAS, June 23 – Ortiz and Shamrock Can’t Even Get Gifts Without A Fight It’s an old cliche, but maybe Tito Ortiz and Ken Shamrock are proving that no good deed goes unpunished. After receiving 1969 Z28 Camaros at Friday’s TUF3 weigh-in for their work on the Spike TV reality show, ‘The Ultimate Fighter’, both Ortiz and Shamrock wanted to drive home with the black car, leaving the yellow muscle car with no takers. Hoping to resolve this matter amicably, UFC President Dana White was prepared to flip a coin to see which UFC star received the black vehicle. Shamrock had a better idea though, suggesting that the winner of the July 8th grudge match between the two at UFC 61 get to pick their preferred car. Ortiz agreed, adding another dimension to the UFC 61 battle.
Xiaolin’s Fight REVIEWS- TUF3 Finale
Jardine vs. Gouveia
Three rounds of mostly leg kicks, with round one to Gouveia and two/three to Jardine. There was a nice exchange of punches in there, but it was mostly leg kicks.
Herman vs. Grove **FINAL**
Round one
It starts with some punches, Ed takes Kendal down, and Ed dominates the whole first round in a similar fashion.
10-9 Ed
Round two
This round opens a bit slower, but then Ed goes for a takedown and Kendall slowly but surely takes control of the round and squeezes out the win for this round.
10-9 Kendall
Round three
This round opens with Ed trying his takedown again, and, like the second, he starts good and Kendall sneaks up and overthrows him for the win, I think the thirty-second RNC at the end clinched it for him.
10-9 Kendall
But White, in his infinite wisdom, pulled a Bonnar/Griffin on this season’s Bonnar/Griffin fight and gave two contracts, only this time, in middleweight category.
Bisping vs. Haynes **FINAL**
Round one
This goes pretty much as I expected, Bisping dominating. Then there’s some knees, and an illegal shot from Bisping which costs him a point. Pure domination…
9-8 Bisping(yes, I think Haynes was THAT bad)
Round two
This also pretty much expected… a few punches traded and then Haynes takes a little nap…
Bisping by KO.
Kenny Florian vs. Sam Stout
Kenny shoots in, gets it down, and then finishes fast with a RNC.
Kenny by tapout submission.
BONUS FIGHT- Hamill vs. Forbes
This was one round of pure domination, Matt taking full advantage of his power.
Matt by ref stoppage, round one.
Couture Inducted into UFC Hall of Fame
LAS VEGAS, June 24 - Before a nationwide television audience and a packed house at the Hard Rock Hotel, Randy Couture rightfully took his place among the greats of the UFC, as he joined Royce Gracie, Ken Shamrock, and Dan Severn in the UFC Hall of Fame.
“It feels great,� said ‘The Natural’ the only fighter in UFC history to win the heavyweight and light heavyweight titles. “It’s nice to be honored and to be recognized with guys like Royce and Ken and Dan Severn. Those are all guys that I looked up to and admired when they started fighting and I thought, ‘hey, I gotta try that.’�
Couture, perhaps the classiest fighter ever to lace up the gloves in mixed martial arts, retired in February after a loss to Chuck Liddell.
The Ultimate Fighter 3 Finale Results
Here are the unofficial results from The Ultimate Fighter 3 (TUF3) Finale.
Sam Stout vs. Kenny Florian
Florian wins by submission (rear naked choke) at 1:46 of the first round.
Michael Bisping vs. Josh Haynes (light heavyweight finals)
Bisping wins by TKO (strikes) at 4:14 of the second round.
Ed Hurman vs. Kendall Grove (middleweight finals)
Grove wins by decision (unanimous) after 3 rounds.
Keith Jardine vs. Wilson Gouveia
Jardine wins by decision (unanimous) after 3 rounds.
Rory Singer vs. Ross Pointon
Singer wins by submission (triangle choke) at 0:44 of the first round.
Kalib Starnes vs. Danny Abaddi
Starnes wins by submission (rear naked choke) at 2:56 of the first round.
Luigi Fioravanti vs. Solomon Hutcherson
Fioravanti wins by KO (punch) at 4:15 of the first round.
Matt Hamill vs. Jesse Forbes
Hamill wins by TKO (strikes) at 4:47 of the first round.
Wes Combs vs. Mike Nickels
Nickels wins by submission (rear naked choke) at 3:10 of the first round.
The opening bout of the evening set the pace as Keith “The Dean of Mean” Jardine took on Brazil’s Wilson Gouveia. The Brazilian looked impressive on his feet in the opening round, punishing Jardine with some vicious leg kicks. Jardine came out more aggressive in the second, dishing out some decent leg kicks of his own. Fatigue set in for Gouveia in the third, and Jardine took full advantage by pressing the action and landing some good combinations. The contest remained standing through three rounds, after which The Dean of Mean was awarded the unanimous decision.
Next up was the middleweight final, which proved to be the fight of the night. Ed “Short Fuse” Hurman and Kendall Grove went to war for three rounds before Grove was rendered the winner by unanimous decision.
Both fighters displayed solid striking and improved submission work. It was back and forth throughout, with both competitors coming very close to locking up submissions. The bout ended with Grove securing a rear naked choke that was sure to finish the match, but Ed was saved by the bell. This last minute effort by Grove could have very well been the deciding factor in the eyes of the judges.
It was such an exciting fight that Dana White graciously handed Ed a six-figure contract to compete in the UFC.
Next was the light heavyweight final between England’s Michael Bisping and Josh “Bring the Pain” Haynes. As expected, Bisping controlled the action both on the feet and on the ground. Haynes managed to land a few good shots, but never really had Bisping in any serious danger. Josh took some serious punishment for almost 2 rounds before succumbing to a flurry of punches that forced Big John McCarthy to stop the contest.
The final bout of the evening was the main event between Kenny Florian and Sam Stout. Stout came out looking to stand, but Florian took him down almost immediately. Kenny landed some solid punches and elbows from within Sam’s guard. While trying to escape back to his feet, Stout turned over, leaving his back wide open. Kenny wasted no time securing a rear naked choke that forced the Canadian striker to tap out.
UFC Ultimate Fight Night 5 Odds and Predictions
Here is a breakdown of my picks for UFN5, which takes place Wednesday, June 28th at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas. You can catch all the action live on Spike TV from 8pm to 10pm (EST).
Anderson “The Spider” Silva -240 vs. Chris Leben +220
My pick: Silva
As much as I love Leben and his concrete chin, I gotta take The Spider in this one. He’s deadly in the clinch and I think his conditioning will be better. Anderson has never been (T)KO’d in his career, and I don’t think that will change in this contest. I say Silva wins by unanimous decision, leaving Leben a bloody mess in the process.
Stephan Bonnar -200 vs. Rashad Evans +180
My pick: Evans
I’d love to see Bonnar pound Rashad into the ground, but I don’t think that’s going to happen. Bonnar has proven he’s got a lot of heart, but I feel Rashad has the advantage on the feet, and I doubt either fighter has any intentions of taking this one to the canvas. I predict a rather boring match, with Rashad taking home yet another decision victory.
Mark “The Machine” Hominick -145 vs. Jorge Gurgel +135
My pick: Hominick
If you read my predictions post for TUF3 finale, you already know I’m bias towards Canadian fighters, especially those being produced by Team Tompkins down in Southern Ontario. The truth is this fight could go either way. Hominick is the better striker, while Gurgel has made a living off forcing opponents to tap out. I think it’s a coin-flip, but I’m rooting for The Machine.
Jason Lambert -180 vs. Branden Lee Hinkle +170
My pick: Lambert
This bout promises to be a slugfest. Both competitors possess heavy hands and solid chins. I give the edge to Lambert because of his superior submission skills. I expect this one to stay on the feet, but if it does hit the ground then Lambert is the more dangerous of the two. Also, Lambert has been fighting at 205 lbs for quite some time, where as Hinkle has to drop some serious pounds to make weight for this bout. I’m guessing Lambert wins by TKO (referee stoppage) via strikes.
Josh Koscheck -440 vs. Dave Menne +400
My pick: Menne
This is my heavy underdog pick of the night. Koscheck is easily the fan favorite, but TUF1 fame can only get you so far. Menne is a submission specialist with a mountain of experience. I have no idea why he’s such an underdog, but I think he’s gonna finish Koscheck before the end of the second round.
Jonathan Goulet -196 vs. “The Silent Assassin” Luke Cummo +181
My pick: Goulet
Goulet is coming off a devastating 11 second KO loss to Dwayne Ludwig, but before that the Canadian had won 10 straight bouts dating back to 2003. Look for Goulet to get back on track with a victory over The Silent Assassin.
Jon Fitch -216 vs. Thiago Alves +196
My pick: Fitch
I gotta give the edge to Fitch, who hasn’t lost a contest since 2002. Look for Fitch to utilize his reach advantage and bust up Thiago with the left jab early on, followed by sound ground and pound to finish him off.
SKY PerfectTV - Says Yes to PRIDE for now
TOKYO — In a decision that could preserve the face of Dream Stage Entertainment in the local market, Japan’s leading digital satellite broadcasting company announced on Monday that it will continue to carry DSE shows like the PRIDE Fighting Championship and HUSTLE.
“HUSTLE,” DSE’s pro-wrestling show, and the second round of PRIDE’s Open-Weight Grand Prix, both scheduled for the Saitama Super Arena, will be broadcast live to millions of homes across Japan on SKY PerfectTV!, whose executives requested on June 6 that DSE President Nobuyuki Sakakibara discuss the fate of his company.
Sakakibara was asked to submit a report regarding Fuji TV’s decision to sever ties with DSE-produced events and the restriction placed upon any fighter or person associated with DSE/PRIDE from participating in future Fuji TV broadcasts.
It’s important to note that SKY PerfectTV! executives mentioned the decision to carry DSE events is not final and any future problems regarding the alleged connection between DSE and Japanese mafia, as reported by Shukan Gendai, might be reason enough to discontinue the relationship.
Learn Moves from Chuck Liddell World UFC Champion
The Ultimate Fighter 2 - Looking back at the episodes
Episode 1
* Matt Hughes and Rich Franklin are introduced as the new coaches.
* Heavyweight Kerry Schall is eliminated due to a knee injury.
* Eli Joslin chooses to leave the show, citing his reasons as not being able to handle the camera enviornment at the house.
* Kenny Stevens is chosen as the weakest welterweight and calls out Sammy Morgan to fight.
* Stevens is forced to forfeit his match after not being able to make weight for the fight.
Episode 2
* Matt Hughes and Rich Franklin choose their teams.
* Team Hughes wins the welterweight challenge.
* Josh Burkman defeats Melvin Guillard by unanimous decision after three rounds.
Episode 3
* Josh Burkman is forced to leave the competition after breaking his arm in the match with Melvin Guillard.
* Jason Von Flue joins the show to replace Burkman.
* Team Hughes wins the heavyweight challenge.
* Brad Imes defeats Rob MacDonald with a submission by triangle choke in the first round.
Episode 4
* Team Franklin wins the welterweight challenge.
* Joe Stevenson defeats Marcus Davis when Marcus taps out in the first round.
Episode 5
* Team Hughes wins the heavyweight challenge.
* Rashad Evans defeats Tom Murphy by unanimous decision after three rounds; Rashad causes controversy by “showboating” (dancing around in the octagon) at various stages of the fight, most notably in the final seconds of the first round and virtually throughout the third.
Episode 6
* Team Hughes wins the welterweight scarecrow challenge after Team Franklin forfeits to save their fighters.
* Jason Von Flue defeats Jorge Gurgel by unanimous decision after three rounds.
Episode 7
* Team Franklin wins the heavyweight mud wrestling challenge.
* Hughes sends Von Flue over to team Franklin for rebalancing.
* Seth Petruzelli wins a unanimous decision over Dan Christison.
Episode 8
* Team Hughes wins the welterweight “Randy Says” challenge after Von Flue and Anthony Torres fail to obey Randy Couture’s directions.
* Franklin sends Imes to team Hughes for reblancing.
* Luke Cummo wins a unanimous decision over Anthony Torres.
Episode 9
* Team Hughes wins the heavyweight challenge resoundingly.
* Brad Imes is passed over for a fight due to a cut over his eye received in training; Mike Whitehead is chosen to fight instead.
* Rashad Evans defeats Mike Whitehead by unanimous decision after three rounds.
Episode 10
* Jason Von Flue sustains a cut between the eyes in practice; Marcus Davis is brought back as an alternate in the case of Jason being unable to fight.
* The rest of the matches are set up by Dana White, Rich Franklin, and Matt Hughes with input from fighters; the matches are: Luke Cummo v. Sammy Morgan, Joe Stevenson v. Jason Von Flue, Seth Petruzelli v. Brad Imes, and Rashad Evans v. Keith Jardine.
* Luke Cummo defeats Sammy Morgan in the second round by knockout with a knee.
Episode 11
* Rashad Evans defeats Keith Jardine by unanimous decision after three rounds.
Episode 12
* Jason Von Flue is cleared by the doctors to fight.
* Joe Stevenson defeats Jason Von Flue in Round 1 with an armbar submission. Luke Cummo and Joe Stevenson will face each other in the final for the UFC contract.
* In the second heavyweight semi-final, Brad Imes defeats Seth Petruzelli by split decision after three rounds; Petruzelli suffers extensive damage to his right ear.
Finale
* Undercard
o Keith Jardine defeats Kerry Schall by TKO (leg kicks).
o Melvin Guillard defeats Marcus Davis by TKO (cut).
o Josh Burkman defeats Sammy Morgan by KO (slam).
* Main card
o Kenny Florian defeats world-renowned Muay Thai fighter, Kit Cope, by submission (rear naked choke) at 0:37 of the second round.
o Welterweight Final - Joe Stevenson defeats Luke Cummo by unanimous decision, winning the TUF championship in the Welterweight division.
o Heavyweight Final - Rashad Evans defeats Brad Imes by a split decision and wins a six figure contract, winning the TUF championship in the Heavyweight division.
o Main Event - Diego Sanchez defeats Nick Diaz by unanimous decision.
Xiaolin’s Fight REVIEW- Franklin vs. Dewees UFC 44
Let’s go back a little farther for this one than my last couple of reviews… UFC 44, Franklin/Dewees.
Dewees starts out with a nice kick that misses, then tries a front leg front kick that also misses, but chases Franklin into the fence. A bit of a struggle, then Dewees gets it to the ground- a place Franklin obviously doesn’t want to be in this fight, injury or not. But Franklin catches Dewees in half-gaurdwhile Dewees tries a couple of what looked like guillotine chokes that didn’t quite work. The last guillotine Dewees tries allows Franklin to gain top position, and Dewees doesn’t close guard so Franklin, after a couple punches, stands up an backs out, making him stand up.
A few standing shotsz are thrown, Frankin gets Dewees with a nice kick and forces Dewees into the fence this time. Dewees throws some knees in an attempt to do some damage, but if there was any, Franklin didn’t show it at all. Then, a bit of a small struggle to try and make space fails, and they trade shots for awhile- Dewees driving his heel into Franklin’s leg and Franklin throwing some knees. Then Dewees throws some knees that seemed to lack anything close to any power. Franklin, meantime, is throwing some punches I most definately don’t want to be on the recieving end of.
Franklin throws a big, jumping knee and then a nice flurry of hard punches that stun Dewees good. After they stand up, Franklin lands some more hard knees to the face and a punch or two thrown in for good measure. Knocks Dewees down and tries to finish, but he really doesn’t want to be on the ground, so he allows Dewees back up.
After they get back up, Franklin nails him with a good punch that knocks him down and then kick to the body. Follows down and throws a few shots, good knee to the body, and after a few more knees, the fight is over.
Result: Franklin by ref stoppage.
