theragingbull
10-19-2006, 11:46 AM
Sorry, its a few days late. There may be some typos as I posted it semi-intoxicated. I do try to give you guys quality writing though. I will be posting a PRIDE FC Review by Sunday night. Mayhem's article should be up by the end of the week. Also, I am going to start looking into interviewing fighters as I live in the Bay Area where some top guys train. Thanks for reading, I appreciate it. Night.
Sherk and Silva are unstoppable on their way to gold
The UFC crowns two new champions in one action-packed night
The artist is a rare breed in American society. Unheard and under appreciated, the artist works relentlessly to showcase their talent in the world. At UFC 64: Unstoppable, the public was introduced to a new type of artist—a knockout artist.
The two-title fight night kicked off with a lightweight bout between Dan “The Upgrade” Lauzon and Militech Fighting Systems Elite fighter Spencer “The King” Fisher. The name Lauzon may ring a bell in the mind of fans as his brother Joe just knocked out MFS Elite fighter and former lightweight champion Jens Pulver in a stunning upset. At the sound of the first bell, Lauzon came out like his brother, pressing the action against the experienced Fisher. Lauzon transcended his 3-0 record professional record by dominating the first four minutes of the round. He grounded Fisher and threw stiff punches from his feet. Another upset lingered, but Fisher was able to regain his composure and force the fight to stand-up. Back peddling—a sign of inexperience—Lauzon was hit with a flying knee. Lauzon was shaken. Smelling blood and awaiting to avenge the loss of his teammate, Fisher used dirty boxing before separating and landing a one-two punch that made Lauzon keel over. Fisher dedicated the fight to Pulver before calling out Joe Lauzon in the post-fight interview.
The next bout was a heavyweight affair featuring French striker Cheick Kongo against unknown opponent Carmelo Marrero. Kongo was taken down at will. Takedown after takedown disabled the striker all the way to a decision victory. Kongo’s speculated title run will have to start over as suffers his first lost in the UFC.
In the welterweight division, American Kickbox Academy’s Jon Fitch battled Kuniyoshi Hironaka. Fitch’s drive to be a fighter led him to live in his car after attending Purdue University. This hunger manifested itself as Fitch came out throwing powerful strikes before employing his sharp wrestling skills. The two exchanged submission attempts, a triangle for a rear naked choke, in a great display of ground skills in the first round. The next two rounds went similarly with Fitch neutralizing Hironaka despite some slick submission attempts. The fight ended with the two trading wild haymakers after being stood up. The excellent cardio of the two made for a memorable pay-per-view debut for both fighters. Hironaka’s loss does not downgrade his abilities as Fitch proved to be a member of the elite 170lbers in the world. Fitch admitted his reluctance to strike in the post-fight interview despite looking sharp. His five-fight win streak solidifies his contender status for Matt Hughes’ belt.
Another lightweight bout featured Clay Guida against Justin James. Both fighters made their Octagon debut and neither was gun shy. The two exchanged and Guida took the fight to the ground. James pulled a tight arm bar and looked to victory. Guida displayed his rubber arm by manipulating his limb into an explainable position before escaping. He then went to work with no signs of slowing down—the cardio that carried him twenty-five minutes against Pride FC star Gilbert Melendez. Guida forced leather on James before scoring a rear naked choke for the win in the second round.
The co-main event and lightweight title fight featured Minnesota’s Sean “The Muscle Shark” Sherk against Kenny “Ken-flo” Florian. Sherk has two losses in his eight year MMA career. He nearly tasted gold in the past before losing a 5 round decision to Matt Hughes for the vacated UFC welterweight championship. Disillusioned, Sherk nearly quit fighting. He rededicated himself and made a prominent return to the UFC defeating Nick Diaz three years later. Sherk’s stone demeanor on the way to the Octagon for his debut at 155lbs signaled this would not be his third loss. Reality show star and Jiu-Jitsu expert Florian stood in Sherk’s way. For five rounds, Sherk attempted to dispose of Florian, who came to the ring in Samurai garb. The Massachusetts born Florian came in with white shorts and left with blood red shorts. The blood was not his own. Florian delivered his trademark elbow strike from his guard, cutting Sherk’s head wide open. The subsequent submission attempts were futile as Sherk’s blood rendered the competitors too slippery. After five rounds, the elbows and slams Sherk delivered were more valuable than Florian’s stinging body kicks and unfinished submissions. Florian did bring the warrior’s spirit to the ring, but Sherk was awarded the decision—his dream—and UFC gold after nearly giving up the sport.
The headlining fight pinned Brazilian Anderson “The Spider” Silva against UFC middleweight champion Rich “Ace” Franklin. Silva followed the blueprint for the famous artist: challenge convention. On this night, convention was American title holder Rich Franklin. With an impressive 22-1 record, a stunning knockout highlight, and a hard-earned title defense, Franklin was just as famous for his unsurpassed work ethic in and out of the Octagon as he is for his clean-cut, well-spoken image. Franklin’s image was shattered—just like his nose—in just three minutes. Franklin came out cautiously and the two traded leg kicks. Silva worked his strength in the Thai clinch with seemingly no resistance from Franklin. Silva crushed Franklin’s ribs as Franklin fought back with feeble dirty boxing. A crushing knee sent Franklin to the ground and Silva to new found fame. The title victory comes in Silva’s second UFC appearance. This is his second knockout.
Now, with gold around his waist, Silva can be the artist he always has been, a knockout artist. The gold is his insurance. It ensures he will be heard. It ensures he will be appreciated. If he continues to destroy the opposition, the gold will remind everyone he is unstoppable.
- The Raging Bull
Sherk and Silva are unstoppable on their way to gold
The UFC crowns two new champions in one action-packed night
The artist is a rare breed in American society. Unheard and under appreciated, the artist works relentlessly to showcase their talent in the world. At UFC 64: Unstoppable, the public was introduced to a new type of artist—a knockout artist.
The two-title fight night kicked off with a lightweight bout between Dan “The Upgrade” Lauzon and Militech Fighting Systems Elite fighter Spencer “The King” Fisher. The name Lauzon may ring a bell in the mind of fans as his brother Joe just knocked out MFS Elite fighter and former lightweight champion Jens Pulver in a stunning upset. At the sound of the first bell, Lauzon came out like his brother, pressing the action against the experienced Fisher. Lauzon transcended his 3-0 record professional record by dominating the first four minutes of the round. He grounded Fisher and threw stiff punches from his feet. Another upset lingered, but Fisher was able to regain his composure and force the fight to stand-up. Back peddling—a sign of inexperience—Lauzon was hit with a flying knee. Lauzon was shaken. Smelling blood and awaiting to avenge the loss of his teammate, Fisher used dirty boxing before separating and landing a one-two punch that made Lauzon keel over. Fisher dedicated the fight to Pulver before calling out Joe Lauzon in the post-fight interview.
The next bout was a heavyweight affair featuring French striker Cheick Kongo against unknown opponent Carmelo Marrero. Kongo was taken down at will. Takedown after takedown disabled the striker all the way to a decision victory. Kongo’s speculated title run will have to start over as suffers his first lost in the UFC.
In the welterweight division, American Kickbox Academy’s Jon Fitch battled Kuniyoshi Hironaka. Fitch’s drive to be a fighter led him to live in his car after attending Purdue University. This hunger manifested itself as Fitch came out throwing powerful strikes before employing his sharp wrestling skills. The two exchanged submission attempts, a triangle for a rear naked choke, in a great display of ground skills in the first round. The next two rounds went similarly with Fitch neutralizing Hironaka despite some slick submission attempts. The fight ended with the two trading wild haymakers after being stood up. The excellent cardio of the two made for a memorable pay-per-view debut for both fighters. Hironaka’s loss does not downgrade his abilities as Fitch proved to be a member of the elite 170lbers in the world. Fitch admitted his reluctance to strike in the post-fight interview despite looking sharp. His five-fight win streak solidifies his contender status for Matt Hughes’ belt.
Another lightweight bout featured Clay Guida against Justin James. Both fighters made their Octagon debut and neither was gun shy. The two exchanged and Guida took the fight to the ground. James pulled a tight arm bar and looked to victory. Guida displayed his rubber arm by manipulating his limb into an explainable position before escaping. He then went to work with no signs of slowing down—the cardio that carried him twenty-five minutes against Pride FC star Gilbert Melendez. Guida forced leather on James before scoring a rear naked choke for the win in the second round.
The co-main event and lightweight title fight featured Minnesota’s Sean “The Muscle Shark” Sherk against Kenny “Ken-flo” Florian. Sherk has two losses in his eight year MMA career. He nearly tasted gold in the past before losing a 5 round decision to Matt Hughes for the vacated UFC welterweight championship. Disillusioned, Sherk nearly quit fighting. He rededicated himself and made a prominent return to the UFC defeating Nick Diaz three years later. Sherk’s stone demeanor on the way to the Octagon for his debut at 155lbs signaled this would not be his third loss. Reality show star and Jiu-Jitsu expert Florian stood in Sherk’s way. For five rounds, Sherk attempted to dispose of Florian, who came to the ring in Samurai garb. The Massachusetts born Florian came in with white shorts and left with blood red shorts. The blood was not his own. Florian delivered his trademark elbow strike from his guard, cutting Sherk’s head wide open. The subsequent submission attempts were futile as Sherk’s blood rendered the competitors too slippery. After five rounds, the elbows and slams Sherk delivered were more valuable than Florian’s stinging body kicks and unfinished submissions. Florian did bring the warrior’s spirit to the ring, but Sherk was awarded the decision—his dream—and UFC gold after nearly giving up the sport.
The headlining fight pinned Brazilian Anderson “The Spider” Silva against UFC middleweight champion Rich “Ace” Franklin. Silva followed the blueprint for the famous artist: challenge convention. On this night, convention was American title holder Rich Franklin. With an impressive 22-1 record, a stunning knockout highlight, and a hard-earned title defense, Franklin was just as famous for his unsurpassed work ethic in and out of the Octagon as he is for his clean-cut, well-spoken image. Franklin’s image was shattered—just like his nose—in just three minutes. Franklin came out cautiously and the two traded leg kicks. Silva worked his strength in the Thai clinch with seemingly no resistance from Franklin. Silva crushed Franklin’s ribs as Franklin fought back with feeble dirty boxing. A crushing knee sent Franklin to the ground and Silva to new found fame. The title victory comes in Silva’s second UFC appearance. This is his second knockout.
Now, with gold around his waist, Silva can be the artist he always has been, a knockout artist. The gold is his insurance. It ensures he will be heard. It ensures he will be appreciated. If he continues to destroy the opposition, the gold will remind everyone he is unstoppable.
- The Raging Bull