Some surprising results in this one! Let's see how I did. (not well, I wager)
Jake Ellenberger def. Jake Shields (KO 1)
Wow. This one will have repercussions. Shields came over to the UFC from Strikeforce and it was assumed he would get a title shot. Then he narrowly defeats Martin Kampmann (who proved to be not-quite-ready-for-primetime himself) before getting smoked by GSP. Now he loses to Ellenberger? Not exactly the splash he was hoping to make, I'm sure. This is a huge win for Ellenberger and puts him on the title contender route. I imagine he'll get one more significant test before that happens, though. Despite what Shields says, this was NOT an early stoppage. His hands went limp. (0-1)
Court McGee def. Dongi Yang (unanimous)
Meh. Not a great fight. McGee outpointed him, I guess. (1-1)
Erik Koch def. Jonathan Brookins (unanimous)
Awful fight. Boring as hell. Lots of non-committal stand-up followed by half-assed takedown attempts. Not good for either guy. Brookins is wasting his post-TUF momentum. (2-1)
Alan Belcher def. Jason MacDonald (sub 1)
A verbal tap-out due to strikes? Never a good thing. Haven't heard if MacDonald is injured, but quitting is never a good sign. Unfortunately, this was another poor showing by MacDonald and demonstrated bad strategy once again. Someone needs to show him some wrestling pointers. His single leg takedown attempts are pathetic, frankly. When MacDonald fell backwards trying to take Belcher down, he sealed his fate. It was so early in the fight that Belcher was able to swing away and caught MacDonald with some solid shots, causing the big Canadian to turtle. It was just sad to watch from then on as MacDonald made no use of his legs to push his opponent away. Awful. (2-2)
Vogner Rocha def. Cody McKenzie (sub 2)
McKenzie got submitted again? Ugh. (2-3)
Evan Dunham def. Shamar Bailey (unanimous)
Dunham dominated, it seems. (3-3)
Lance Benoist def. Matthew Riddle (unanimous)
Closer fight than it seems, with it being scored 29-28 across the board. (4-3)
Ken Stone def. Donny Walker (sub 1)
Didn't see it. (4-4)
Seth Baczynski def. Clay Harvison (sub 2)
Nope. (5-4)
TJ Waldburger def. Mike Stumpf (sub 1)
Getting submitted in the first round always sucks. (6-4)
Robert Peralta def. Mike Lullo (unanimous)
Is Peralta for real? (7-4)
Justin Edwards vs Jorge Lopez (unanimous)
Fluke for me. (8-4)
Boy: 8-4 would normally have me grinning, but I didn't see half these fights or know most of these guys. Still, I'll pat myself on the back for my research skills!
Showing posts with label Jason MacDonald. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Jason MacDonald. Show all posts
Monday, September 19, 2011
Tuesday, September 13, 2011
UFC Fight Night Shields vs Ellenberger
Alright, let's whip off some predictions while we have a minute, shall we?
Jake Shields vs Jake Ellenberger (welterweight)
Would love to see Ellenberger win this, but Shields has better cred in all categories. Gotta take the favourite, I guess. Shields for the win.
Court McGee vs Dongi Yang (middleweight)
I like McGee, but Yang is no pushover and looked pretty good last time out. This should be a good fight. I'll pick McGee.
Jonathan Brookins vs Erik Koch (featherweight)
Brookins is coming off his TUF win, but it's been a while. Koch has thunder in his fists and has looked great. I'm gonna pick Koch.
Alan Belcher vs Jason MacDonald (middelweight)
This is the fight I want to see. Belcher has had mixed success against decent competition and is on the upswing. An impressive win would put him in contender status. Like MacDonald, he has BJJ experience but he also has some decent power and muay thai knowledge. On the other side, this is a big opportunity for MacDonald. Back in the UFC and coming off a win after a broken leg, this is his chance to stick around for a while. A win would be huge for him and put him back on the map. He has had mixed success against tougher opponents than Belcher's, so he's no slouch though he will come in as the underdog. If he fights smart, he can take it. But he HAS to fight smart - something he hasn't always done. If he stays on his feet, he has to use his reach - but he'd be much better off taking this to the ground. I don't like his chances, but I'm picking MacDonald anyway.
Cody McKenzie vs Vogner Rocha (lightweight)
McKenzie is a guillotine machine. He's also VERY good on the ground, though he got a bit overconfident in his last fight and ended up getting submitted. He's a purple belt while Vogner is a black belt. These guys might end up keeping this standing. Still, I'll pick McKenzie.
Evan Dunham vs Shamar Bailey (lightweight)
Dunham has looked great in the past and was on his way to a title shot when he got seriously derailed by Melvin Guillard after a tough decision loss to Sean Sherk. Both of these guys have wrestling pedigrees, but Dunham is the more complete package. I'm picking Dunham.
Matthew Riddle vs Lance Benoist (welterweight)
Riddle has improved significantly since his stint on TUF. He still doesn't have a lot of experience, but Benoist has ZERO UFC experience despite a perfect record. He is submission artist and finishes guys fast, whereas Riddle tends to go to decision. I could see Riddle getting submitted here. I'll pick Benoist.
Ken Stone vs Donny Walker (bantamweight)
After starting 8-0, Stone has gone 1-for-4 since. Walker started off slowly, but has had more success recently, though he lost his UFC debut. Both are BJJ guys, but Walker has some muay thai and Stone has been KO'd a couple of times recently. I'll pick Walker.
Clay Harvison vs Seth Baczynski (welterweights)
Both of these guys finish fights fast. This could be a bonus money fight, for sure. Seth has more experience, but more mixed results. Bit of a toss up, this one. I'm gonna pick Baczynski.
TJ Waldburger vs Mike Stumpf (welterweight)
Where are the big boys on this card? Stumpf is a no name who used to fight at 185 it seems. Good record, but against nobodies and there are more decisions recently. Waldburger is more experienced and has faced tougher opponents. I'll pick Waldburger.
Mike Lullo vs Robert Peralta (featherweight)
Lullo is largely a submissions guy, while Peralta is largely unknown but has a very decent record. He scored an upset over the current DREAM champ at a Strikeforce event. That's no joke. I'll pick Peralta.
Justin Edwards vs Jorge Lopez (welterweight)
Clearly the UFC is looking to boost the lighter divisions, including welterweight where no one can seem to beat GSP. Edwards is big on submissions while Lopez is big on decisions. I don't like taking the boring guy, so I'll pic Edwards.
12 fights. That's a lot. I wonder how many we'll actually get to see....?
Jake Shields vs Jake Ellenberger (welterweight)
Would love to see Ellenberger win this, but Shields has better cred in all categories. Gotta take the favourite, I guess. Shields for the win.
Court McGee vs Dongi Yang (middleweight)
I like McGee, but Yang is no pushover and looked pretty good last time out. This should be a good fight. I'll pick McGee.
Jonathan Brookins vs Erik Koch (featherweight)
Brookins is coming off his TUF win, but it's been a while. Koch has thunder in his fists and has looked great. I'm gonna pick Koch.
Alan Belcher vs Jason MacDonald (middelweight)
This is the fight I want to see. Belcher has had mixed success against decent competition and is on the upswing. An impressive win would put him in contender status. Like MacDonald, he has BJJ experience but he also has some decent power and muay thai knowledge. On the other side, this is a big opportunity for MacDonald. Back in the UFC and coming off a win after a broken leg, this is his chance to stick around for a while. A win would be huge for him and put him back on the map. He has had mixed success against tougher opponents than Belcher's, so he's no slouch though he will come in as the underdog. If he fights smart, he can take it. But he HAS to fight smart - something he hasn't always done. If he stays on his feet, he has to use his reach - but he'd be much better off taking this to the ground. I don't like his chances, but I'm picking MacDonald anyway.
Cody McKenzie vs Vogner Rocha (lightweight)
McKenzie is a guillotine machine. He's also VERY good on the ground, though he got a bit overconfident in his last fight and ended up getting submitted. He's a purple belt while Vogner is a black belt. These guys might end up keeping this standing. Still, I'll pick McKenzie.
Evan Dunham vs Shamar Bailey (lightweight)
Dunham has looked great in the past and was on his way to a title shot when he got seriously derailed by Melvin Guillard after a tough decision loss to Sean Sherk. Both of these guys have wrestling pedigrees, but Dunham is the more complete package. I'm picking Dunham.
Matthew Riddle vs Lance Benoist (welterweight)
Riddle has improved significantly since his stint on TUF. He still doesn't have a lot of experience, but Benoist has ZERO UFC experience despite a perfect record. He is submission artist and finishes guys fast, whereas Riddle tends to go to decision. I could see Riddle getting submitted here. I'll pick Benoist.
Ken Stone vs Donny Walker (bantamweight)
After starting 8-0, Stone has gone 1-for-4 since. Walker started off slowly, but has had more success recently, though he lost his UFC debut. Both are BJJ guys, but Walker has some muay thai and Stone has been KO'd a couple of times recently. I'll pick Walker.
Clay Harvison vs Seth Baczynski (welterweights)
Both of these guys finish fights fast. This could be a bonus money fight, for sure. Seth has more experience, but more mixed results. Bit of a toss up, this one. I'm gonna pick Baczynski.
TJ Waldburger vs Mike Stumpf (welterweight)
Where are the big boys on this card? Stumpf is a no name who used to fight at 185 it seems. Good record, but against nobodies and there are more decisions recently. Waldburger is more experienced and has faced tougher opponents. I'll pick Waldburger.
Mike Lullo vs Robert Peralta (featherweight)
Lullo is largely a submissions guy, while Peralta is largely unknown but has a very decent record. He scored an upset over the current DREAM champ at a Strikeforce event. That's no joke. I'll pick Peralta.
Justin Edwards vs Jorge Lopez (welterweight)
Clearly the UFC is looking to boost the lighter divisions, including welterweight where no one can seem to beat GSP. Edwards is big on submissions while Lopez is big on decisions. I don't like taking the boring guy, so I'll pic Edwards.
12 fights. That's a lot. I wonder how many we'll actually get to see....?
Tuesday, May 11, 2010
UFC 113 Results
Yet again, I missed most of the event. Ah, family.
Let's see how I did.
Shogun Rua def. Lyoto Machida (KO 1)
Wow. Rua really beat him senseless and earned the victory. Did he earn the title? I dunno. As I've said before, I don't think Rua deserved the original title shot, so... It'll be interesting to see if he can hold the belt any longer than his post-Liddell predecessors (Rampage, Griffin, Evans, Machida). Looks like Lyoto didn't learn anything from the first fight as I had thought he might. Well, he paid for it. Look for the winner of Rampage-Evans to get the next shot, especially since Griffin had to back out of his fight with Little Nog and Couture has been served softballs. (0-1)
Josh Koscheck def. Paul Daley (unanimous)
What a mess this fight was. First, Koscheck doesn't stand and bang as his mouth said he would (good thing, 'cause Daley was clocking him when he got the chance), then Daley loses his mind and sucker punches Koscheck after the bell before Koscheck tells the booing crowd where to stick it. Nice. These guys are all class. Unfortunately, Dana White said before the fight that the winner would get GSP after coaching against the champ during the next season of The Ultimate Fighter, so we're stuck with GSP-Koscheck II. If Koscheck wins, I'll cry. I'm serious. Daley, meanwhile, has been kicked out of the UFC which is exactly what I thought would happen as soon as I saw the punch. (0-2)
Jeremy Stephens def. Sam Stout (split)
Missed this Fight of the Night. Looks like Stephens dominated early, Stout came on late, but couldn't get the W. (0-3)
Matt Mitrione def. Kimbo Slice (TKO 2)
Kimbo did well early, but Mitrione came on strong after punishing the street brawler with leg kicks. According to White, Kimbo is done in the UFC. (0-4)
Alan Belcher def. Patrick Cote (sub 2)
This was Cote's first fight back in a long time, so he could be forgiven for being a little rusty. Still, this fight won't help his stock too much as he got manhandled by Belcher, from what I understand. Too bad, as Cote would have been on the fast track back to a title shot had he won. Now it's Belcher calling for his shot. (0-5)
Joe Doerksen def. Tom Lawlor (sub 2)
Doerksen was the only Canadian to win on this night. Yup, that's one of SEVEN. It also explains my miserable record in this event prediction as I tried to pick the Canucks where possible (which excludes Goulet). Apparently Doerksen looked alright. (1-5)
Marcus Davis def. Jonathan Goulet (TKO 2)
As predicted, Davis got a hold of Goulet's glass jaw and shattered it. I seriously believe Goulet has concussion issues or something, because it seems the lightest taps send him reeling. He should retire for his own health. This can't be good. Glad to see Davis back in the win column. (2-5)
Johny Hendricks def. TJ Grant (majority)
I went against the Canadian on this one, too, and it paid off. Hendricks is a great fighter, though he apparently didn't look too good in this. He called it his worst fight ever. And yet he won. (3-5)
Joey Beltran def. Tim Hague (unanimous)
Ugh. Hague loses again. He must be done with the UFC now. Too bad. Seems like a nice guy. (3-6)
Mike Guymon def. Yoshiyuki Yoshida (unanimous)
Boy, I just can't catch a break. (3-7)
John Salter def. Jason MacDonald (TKO 1)
This one really shouldn't count as MacDonald broke his leg in two places while taking Salter down. Looks like The Athlete is gonna be on the shelf for a while. That sucks. (3-8)
Ok, surely this event will go down as my worst performance ever. No more picking the Canadian, that's for sure. Ugh.
NEXT!!
Let's see how I did.
Shogun Rua def. Lyoto Machida (KO 1)
Wow. Rua really beat him senseless and earned the victory. Did he earn the title? I dunno. As I've said before, I don't think Rua deserved the original title shot, so... It'll be interesting to see if he can hold the belt any longer than his post-Liddell predecessors (Rampage, Griffin, Evans, Machida). Looks like Lyoto didn't learn anything from the first fight as I had thought he might. Well, he paid for it. Look for the winner of Rampage-Evans to get the next shot, especially since Griffin had to back out of his fight with Little Nog and Couture has been served softballs. (0-1)
Josh Koscheck def. Paul Daley (unanimous)
What a mess this fight was. First, Koscheck doesn't stand and bang as his mouth said he would (good thing, 'cause Daley was clocking him when he got the chance), then Daley loses his mind and sucker punches Koscheck after the bell before Koscheck tells the booing crowd where to stick it. Nice. These guys are all class. Unfortunately, Dana White said before the fight that the winner would get GSP after coaching against the champ during the next season of The Ultimate Fighter, so we're stuck with GSP-Koscheck II. If Koscheck wins, I'll cry. I'm serious. Daley, meanwhile, has been kicked out of the UFC which is exactly what I thought would happen as soon as I saw the punch. (0-2)
Jeremy Stephens def. Sam Stout (split)
Missed this Fight of the Night. Looks like Stephens dominated early, Stout came on late, but couldn't get the W. (0-3)
Matt Mitrione def. Kimbo Slice (TKO 2)
Kimbo did well early, but Mitrione came on strong after punishing the street brawler with leg kicks. According to White, Kimbo is done in the UFC. (0-4)
Alan Belcher def. Patrick Cote (sub 2)
This was Cote's first fight back in a long time, so he could be forgiven for being a little rusty. Still, this fight won't help his stock too much as he got manhandled by Belcher, from what I understand. Too bad, as Cote would have been on the fast track back to a title shot had he won. Now it's Belcher calling for his shot. (0-5)
Joe Doerksen def. Tom Lawlor (sub 2)
Doerksen was the only Canadian to win on this night. Yup, that's one of SEVEN. It also explains my miserable record in this event prediction as I tried to pick the Canucks where possible (which excludes Goulet). Apparently Doerksen looked alright. (1-5)
Marcus Davis def. Jonathan Goulet (TKO 2)
As predicted, Davis got a hold of Goulet's glass jaw and shattered it. I seriously believe Goulet has concussion issues or something, because it seems the lightest taps send him reeling. He should retire for his own health. This can't be good. Glad to see Davis back in the win column. (2-5)
Johny Hendricks def. TJ Grant (majority)
I went against the Canadian on this one, too, and it paid off. Hendricks is a great fighter, though he apparently didn't look too good in this. He called it his worst fight ever. And yet he won. (3-5)
Joey Beltran def. Tim Hague (unanimous)
Ugh. Hague loses again. He must be done with the UFC now. Too bad. Seems like a nice guy. (3-6)
Mike Guymon def. Yoshiyuki Yoshida (unanimous)
Boy, I just can't catch a break. (3-7)
John Salter def. Jason MacDonald (TKO 1)
This one really shouldn't count as MacDonald broke his leg in two places while taking Salter down. Looks like The Athlete is gonna be on the shelf for a while. That sucks. (3-8)
Ok, surely this event will go down as my worst performance ever. No more picking the Canadian, that's for sure. Ugh.
NEXT!!
Friday, August 28, 2009
UFC 102 Predictions
OK, a little busy, but have to get my predictions in before the event on Saturday (which I’m going to miss – darn it!).
Randy Couture Vs. Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira (heavyweight)
Both are aging warriors, but Nogueira seems to be showing his age more than Captain America. Neither has looked spectacular in recent showings, though Couture lost to Lesnar (no shame there) while Nogeira hasn’t looked sharp in the octagon at all. Both are known for pulling off victories despite the odds. On paper Nogueira seems to have the edge in size and skill, but I can never count Randy out. He seems to always come in with a good game plan and I think he’ll find a way to squeeze this one out.
My money’s on: Couture.
Keith Jardine Vs. Thiago Silva (light heavyweight)
Frankly, I can’t believe people still talk about Jardine being “in the title mix”. He’s beaten some good fighters but he’s lost more than his fair share of fights and to guys one would expect an elite fighter to beat. He seems like a nice guy and I used to be a fan, but I’m getting a little tired of the unwarranted hype. I’m almost hoping Silva sends him packing to clear up the light heavy division. I can see Silva knocking Jardine out.
My money’s on: Silva.
Chris Leben Vs. Jake Rosholt (middleweight)
Leben is a psycho but a tough son of a gun. He’s always willing to bang, but can easily be outsmarted by a good game plan. Rosholt doesn’t seem like much, so if Leben wants to stick around, he had better find a way to knock this guy out.
My money’s on: Leben.
Nate Marquardt Vs. Demian Maia (middleweight)
Could be fight of the night. Probably the two most skilled guys on the card. I like Marquardt but for whatever reason he seems to come up a bit short in big fights. This is a doozy as it will probably be a #1 contenders fight. Maia is talented but has some holes – had Jason MacDonald fought a smarter fight against him, Maia probably would have lost. I don’t see Marquardt getting submitted.
My money’s on: Marquardt.
Brandon Vera Vs. Krzysztof Soszynski (light heavyweight)
I’m peeved I’m gonna miss this one. This could be great. I’m a fan of “The Polish Experiment” and like his style and humour. Vera got a big push when he first came to the UFC but has suffered some massive setbacks since. Is he once again ready for prime time? If he loses, he may very well be shown the door. I’m hoping Krzysztof pulls it off and keeps his streak alive.
My money’s on: Soszynski.
Ed Herman Vs. Aaron Simpson (middleweight)
Herman is talented but needs to learn greater discipline. He’s got the tools but needs to get his head straight and in the game. Don’t know much about this Simpson guy, but apparently he has some killer knockout power, winning all of his fights by KO/TKO. Look for Herman to shoot and test Simpson’s ground game.
My money’s on: Herman (if he’s smart).
Gabriel Gonzaga Vs. Chris Tuchscherer (heavyweight)
Gonzaga is another guy who got a big push early thanks to a big win over Cro Cop but has not been stellar since. His opponent has a terrific record (17-1) and will probably get an equally large push if he defeats Napao. I think this fight may come down to where it takes place. I’d give Gonzaga the edge on the ground, Tuchscherer the edge standing up.
My money’s on: Tuchscherer in a tough one – if he can overcome first UFC fight nerves.
Justin McCully Vs. Mike Russow (heavyweight) – Could be interesting. Both of these guys seem to have a good amount of submission wins, which is rare for heavyweights. I’ll pick Russow to pull it off in his UFC debut.
Tim Hague Vs. Todd Duffee (heavyweight) – No way I’m banking against the Canadian who had an impressive victory last time out. Duffee is undefeated in only 4 fights, but his last victory was over Assuerio Silva who is no slouch. I’m still picking Hague.
Nick Catone Vs. Mark Munoz (middleweight) – Looks like Munoz is looking to drop a weight class. Catone has lost to Tim Credeur while Munoz got bulldozed by Matt Hamill. What effect will the weight cut have on Munoz? The answer to that will probably determine the winner. I’ll bet on Munoz.
Marcus Aurelio Vs. Evan Dunham (lightweight) – Aurelio has gotten lots of praise coming into the UFC, but he’s lost against all the top guys he’s faced (Guida, Franca, Tyson Griffin). Once again, I’m picking the new guy, Dunham, to pull off the upset.
Randy Couture Vs. Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira (heavyweight)
Both are aging warriors, but Nogueira seems to be showing his age more than Captain America. Neither has looked spectacular in recent showings, though Couture lost to Lesnar (no shame there) while Nogeira hasn’t looked sharp in the octagon at all. Both are known for pulling off victories despite the odds. On paper Nogueira seems to have the edge in size and skill, but I can never count Randy out. He seems to always come in with a good game plan and I think he’ll find a way to squeeze this one out.
My money’s on: Couture.
Keith Jardine Vs. Thiago Silva (light heavyweight)
Frankly, I can’t believe people still talk about Jardine being “in the title mix”. He’s beaten some good fighters but he’s lost more than his fair share of fights and to guys one would expect an elite fighter to beat. He seems like a nice guy and I used to be a fan, but I’m getting a little tired of the unwarranted hype. I’m almost hoping Silva sends him packing to clear up the light heavy division. I can see Silva knocking Jardine out.
My money’s on: Silva.
Chris Leben Vs. Jake Rosholt (middleweight)
Leben is a psycho but a tough son of a gun. He’s always willing to bang, but can easily be outsmarted by a good game plan. Rosholt doesn’t seem like much, so if Leben wants to stick around, he had better find a way to knock this guy out.
My money’s on: Leben.
Nate Marquardt Vs. Demian Maia (middleweight)
Could be fight of the night. Probably the two most skilled guys on the card. I like Marquardt but for whatever reason he seems to come up a bit short in big fights. This is a doozy as it will probably be a #1 contenders fight. Maia is talented but has some holes – had Jason MacDonald fought a smarter fight against him, Maia probably would have lost. I don’t see Marquardt getting submitted.
My money’s on: Marquardt.
Brandon Vera Vs. Krzysztof Soszynski (light heavyweight)
I’m peeved I’m gonna miss this one. This could be great. I’m a fan of “The Polish Experiment” and like his style and humour. Vera got a big push when he first came to the UFC but has suffered some massive setbacks since. Is he once again ready for prime time? If he loses, he may very well be shown the door. I’m hoping Krzysztof pulls it off and keeps his streak alive.
My money’s on: Soszynski.
Ed Herman Vs. Aaron Simpson (middleweight)
Herman is talented but needs to learn greater discipline. He’s got the tools but needs to get his head straight and in the game. Don’t know much about this Simpson guy, but apparently he has some killer knockout power, winning all of his fights by KO/TKO. Look for Herman to shoot and test Simpson’s ground game.
My money’s on: Herman (if he’s smart).
Gabriel Gonzaga Vs. Chris Tuchscherer (heavyweight)
Gonzaga is another guy who got a big push early thanks to a big win over Cro Cop but has not been stellar since. His opponent has a terrific record (17-1) and will probably get an equally large push if he defeats Napao. I think this fight may come down to where it takes place. I’d give Gonzaga the edge on the ground, Tuchscherer the edge standing up.
My money’s on: Tuchscherer in a tough one – if he can overcome first UFC fight nerves.
Justin McCully Vs. Mike Russow (heavyweight) – Could be interesting. Both of these guys seem to have a good amount of submission wins, which is rare for heavyweights. I’ll pick Russow to pull it off in his UFC debut.
Tim Hague Vs. Todd Duffee (heavyweight) – No way I’m banking against the Canadian who had an impressive victory last time out. Duffee is undefeated in only 4 fights, but his last victory was over Assuerio Silva who is no slouch. I’m still picking Hague.
Nick Catone Vs. Mark Munoz (middleweight) – Looks like Munoz is looking to drop a weight class. Catone has lost to Tim Credeur while Munoz got bulldozed by Matt Hamill. What effect will the weight cut have on Munoz? The answer to that will probably determine the winner. I’ll bet on Munoz.
Marcus Aurelio Vs. Evan Dunham (lightweight) – Aurelio has gotten lots of praise coming into the UFC, but he’s lost against all the top guys he’s faced (Guida, Franca, Tyson Griffin). Once again, I’m picking the new guy, Dunham, to pull off the upset.
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
MMA Expo Toronto 2009
I checked out the MMA Expo at the International Centre on Sunday. I figured I’d probably spend a couple of hours in there – I ended up spending four.It was a decent event, though it wasn’t exactly huge. The highlight, of course, was meeting some of MMA’s big stars in person, getting an autograph and a photo. It was nice to see guys making the effort to meet the fans and spread some love.
While I was there, I met:
Denis Kang
Jason MacDonald
Matt Hamill
James Irvin
Sean Sherk
Patrick Cote
Shonie Carter
Sam Stout
Arianny Celeste
Some were more personable than others (props to Shonie, Denis and Jason especially) but everyone was accommodating. I got them to sign my “Fighter” book – which now features a decent number of fighters’ autographs thanks to previous meetings with GSP, BJ Penn and Dana White.
Thiago Silva was supposed to be there, too, but I saw no sign of him (too bad because he’s featured in the book). Ditto Bill Mahood, Chris Horodecki, Carlos Newton and Frank Trigg.
Other than the celebs, there were vendors of all sorts, pushing things like supplements, gym memberships, equipment, apparel, vibrating “exercise” machines and videos.
There was also a jiu jitsu tourney taking place which was interesting to watch. Watching it live, you could really appreciate the difference between tournaments that use a gi compared to non-gi MMA.
Let’s hope MMA gets sanctioned in Ontario soon so that next year’s event can include some actual MMA action.
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