motives
Itsy Bitsy Tiny Weiner
Tell us more words about this^^
Triple M Junkie Idol Game thread
- Thread starter thedarkwingduck2k11
- Start date
thedarkwingduck2k11
Well-known member
Ok got all the scores, results will be up by tomorrow. We will find out who's moving on.
ABB
Mega Ultra Ultimate Magnificent Chief Moderator
starting to creep up on halloween idol
Rickyc123
The Tikka Masala Destroyer
Not very obscure then. -5 points per judgeWhoa. I think Trump was anonymously in the background of my fight
thedarkwingduck2k11
Well-known member
Round 6
This round we will be honoring the little guys in the sport of MMA. Guys who toil and risk injuries for a measly paycheck and little fanfare. Nominate your best fight between the two least recognizable fighters. No amateurs must be professional fighters. Use the write up to explain your choice, for ex. why does this fight stand out and etc.
1. @motives
Matt Horwich (red trunks) Vs Ryan McGivern (black trunks)
2006 IFL middle weight title fight.
In a better world, the International Fight League (IFL) might still be promoting fights today. Instead of pushing up daisies the last 2 decades with Bodog and Tachi Palace Fights.
Started by Chicago real estate mogul Kurt Otto and Wizard magazine founder Gareb Shamus in 2006. The IFL was the world's first mixed martial arts team league.
Shamus and Otto paid for MMA veterans like Renzo Gracie, Ken & Frank Shamrock, Bas Rutten, Pat Miletich, Don Frye and six other famous veteran fighters. To coach the IFL's 12 teams in a 2 division league. And on every Monday night right. After watching Jimmy Smith "Fight Quest" the faces off of 15 Israeli Krav Maga instructors on The Discovery channel. You could switch over to FSN and watch 2 IFL teams from your neck of the woods face off. Each team had five fighters from lightweight to heavyweight. And whichever team won the best out of five fights won the team match that week. It was a fun concept that included playoffs and championships.
A league that gave us future UFC Stars Ben Rothwell and Roy Nelson. along with other eventual UFC veterans, Tim Kennedy and Jay Heiron. But investors were hard to come by in 2008. And due to financial issues the IFL closed its doors after only two seasons.
While the IFL's focus was on their team format. They also put on individual championship matches. One of which i'll be using as my submission today. In the clip below, Portland Wolfpack middleweight and IFL champion Matt Horwich defends his title against Quad City Silverbacks Middleweight Ryan McGivern. Who's replacing Chicago Red Bear middleweight Tim Kennedy as Kennedy steps away to fulfill some late 2006 military obligations. Leaving Ryan McGivern a late notice underdog shot at Horwich's 185lb IFL title.
A student of Pat Militich and a former Division 1A wrestler at the University of Iowa. McGivern was more than up for the challenge. But he would have to implement his extensive wrestling experience to negate Horwich's impressive grappling pedigree. Because as a pupil of both Royce Gracie and Eddie Bravo. Horwich's submission skills were a serious threat. Neither man was going to make it an easy night. And as the five round fight unfolded that became evident. Both men had to escape numerous submission attempts. And withstand some surprisingly heavy handed striking exchanges. Momentum would shift multiple times throughout. With both fighters setting a rigorous pace. and refusing all quarter.
*note* Going off of disclosed fighter payouts from the IFL Both Horowich and McGivern only took home about $8000 each for their championship fight. With under 4000 fans in attendance.
Matt Horwich (Red) VS Ryan McGivern (Black) IFL title fight
cmvideo75: Nice old school pull here. Never heard of the IFL before but I like the concept. Full score for 2 anonymous (to me) fighters. And the fight was excellent.... a good mix of striking and grappling and the grappling was pretty wild. That arm lock/sub attempt at the end of round 2 was crazy. Plus we get a young Mario Yamasaki in cargo pants. Nice submission.
Follow up - After watching all 8 fights this is the winner because it has the most variety in any of the fights. About 50/50 grappling and striking from both guys, crazy sub attempts, reversals.. And a real deep pull here too.10/10
Webble: I have heard of Matt Horwich but couldnt pick him out of a line up so I will let it slide. The write up took a bit of reading as it was a bit all over the place. This wasnt easy to watch as the video quality wasnt great but the fight itself was a good back and forth, I was surprised how little damage there was vs action taking place 7/10
osubuckeye4: Both fighters certainly fit the bill for the category. I had to pause for a minute on Horwich because I swear I remember his name popping up on undercards back in the day (remember I stopped watching MMA around 2012... but religiously watched throughout the 2000s). Looks like he fought a few times in the UFC (both losses) and Bellator (also losses), but when you have over 50 professional fights and under $20,000 in 'disclosed' payouts, you're definitely eligible for this category. No deduction for the fighters selected.
As far as the fight, man that first round was solid. 2nd was a bit of a lull, first 3 minutes were not very entertaining to watch. Last minute was entertaining and saved the round. As for the 3rd, some good exchanges but a lot of time spent in the clinch. Definitely agree that it's either fighters fight to win at this point, which is always the mark of a good scrap. 4th was a fun round, McGivern looked to take control though. It also looked like the entire fight was going to grind to a half at the 3 minute mark but I liked that he ref stood them up rather quickly and gave us an exciting last 20 seconds. 5th was a solid round, decisively McGiverns but credit to the official for separately the early clinch that was going nowhere.
All in all it was a solid, not spectacular, submission as a fight... but before I give the score I do have a gripe with your write-up. You say this was a 2006 fight, but the 2006 matchup between these two was a completely different fight (the announcer even mentions that fight was 90% on the ground and a snoozefest), this was the 2008 rematch. I was going to give you the benefit of the doubt on it being a typo, but in your write-up you double down and mention Tim Kennedy leaving to fulfill military obligations in 2006. Also, the IFL didn't even have individual championships until 2007, so the first matchup between the two in 2006 wasn't for a title. It's not a DQ for getting the wrong year, but when you're trying to sell us it does take away from the pitch when you didn't even take the time to verify that the fight you were referencing was the video you were providing. Score: 7/10 (was an 7.5/10 fight but I'm docking you -0.5 for not knowing the year your fight took place in)
GoodCat: I was in my sicko stage back in the mid 2000s. I was obsessed with any MMA I could find. I watched IFL when it started on FSN and then when this fight happened on HD Net Fights. I remember both of these guys, but can't say I specifically remember this fight, but I'm sure I watched it when it aired. I will say, the write up helped a bit in this case, cause this was a slog trying to get through the whole fight. Not because it wasn't a good fight, it was for sure. But there's just something about not watching something that you know isn't live and you can see how long it is. It just makes it harder to get through. Overall, good pick though. But not amazing. 7/10
Total: 31
2. @Eranys
Natan Schulte vs. Loik Radzhabov (PFL 10 – December 31, 2019)
The Fighters: Natan Schulte & Loik Radzhabov
The Stakes: $1,000,000 PFL Lightweight World Championship Final
Why This Fight Stands Out
Most fights between obscure, non UFC fighters take place in empty regional venues for small purses. Schulte vs. Radzhabov is the rare, incredible exception: two fighters relatively unknown outside of their regional fans went to war over $1,000,000. What followed was 25 minutes of absolute, technically sound, sustained violence, widely considered by hardcore analysts as one of the greatest lightweight wars in non UFC history.
From the opening bell, neither man took a single step backward. Radzhabov, a powerful, explosive striker from Tajikistan, came out firing absolute thunder, landing brutal power hooks and heavy leg kicks that would have knocked out almost anyone else in the division. But Schulte, a calm, methodical durability machine, absorbed the onslaught, marched directly through the shots, and forced a grueling, high volume brawl in the pocket.
For five intense rounds, the fight swung back and forth through rapid wrestling scrambles, brutal clinch work, and heavy exchanges where both men threw with bad intentions. There was no stalling, no point fighting, and no passive control time. Just two world class, under the radar combatants leaving everything in the cage to win the grand prize.
Schulte ultimately earned a razor thin decision victory to claim the belt and the million dollar check, leaving both men battered, exhausted, and covered in the battle damage of a 5 round war. It is the ultimate nomination because it proves that a bout doesn't necessarily need UFC branding or mainstream fame to be an absolute masterpiece of modern combat sports.
I didn't see a highlights only video, so apologies for the length, but it is totally worth the watch if you love really good, complete MMA. The fight lasts from 6:45 until 34:22, but you can obviously skip some in between stuff.
cmvideo75: Not a bad fight. Not a great fight either. Good striking but no one really got hurt. Schulte's chin was impressive in rd 2 but then Radz gassed in rd 3 and had his leg chopped up. It was a good striking battle but got a little one sided in the 2nd half. Plus I want to see some real damage and near finishes... I don't think we got too close to one here. Decent anonymous fighter selection though... this was fairly recent and I may have even watched this live but I don't remember these guys at all and haven't seen them since. But this was the title fight and back when they were going hard on the promotion for PFL so they aren't quite as anonymous as some of the others entered. Middle of the road entry IMO. 7/10
Webble: I hadnt heard of these two and feel like I should have given its PFL so well done for picking this. Well written write up and nice to see a female ring announcer, she was pretty good. The fight was fast paced and I cared who won, it was worth the watch although again I was surprised at lack of damage 8/10
osubuckeye4: I'm very conflicted on this one. The criteria specifically mentions 'measly paychecks'... but the bout was for $1,000,000 (insert Dr. Evil meme) and while Piffle isn't the UFC, it's definitely a known commodity for fight fans. This was a solid fight, but I think you're stretching the definition of 'unknown' to the limit by including a 2 time PFL champ who has over $1.2 mil in publicly disclosed winnings (that's more than a lot of current UFC guys).
All of that said, it was a great first 3 rounds. 1st was back and forth, both fighters had their moments. Radzhabov looked like he was going to put Schulte away in the 2nd, but might have overextended himself a bit. Schulte finally seized momentum in the 3rd, pressed the pace and started using the leg kicks. 4th and 5th though? They were just ehhhhh... I felt that Schulte was in the drivers seat at that point and cruised when he could have finished.
Another semantics gripe, you say 'razor thin decision'. How is a unanimous decision with one judge giving it a 49-44 razor thin? Okay, I'll pump the breaks and agree that the judge who scored it 49-44 is an idiot. I don't know that I'd say razor thin though. 49-46 felt right. I disagree with the judge who had it 48-47, but I disagree with judges often.
Any who, rounds 1-3 were very enjoyable. I think it would have been more appealing if Schulte had finished in the 4th rather than watching Radzhabov barely be able to stand/mount anything for the last 7-8 minutes.
Score: 5/10 (It's a 8/10 fight but you get -3 for it being a fight that literally paid out $1,000,000 to the winner. Come on man.)
GoodCat: . I like this pick better than the first one. Firstly, much less recognizable guys, and also just a better fight. Neither guy backing up, both moving forward and exchanging at all times. Very evenly matched fight, it probably goes 5-5 if they fought 10 times. 8/10
Total: 28
3. @Tito Orcheese
CFFC 129: Bilal Hasan vs Jacob Romano | February 9, 2024
When you think "exciting fight" in regards to MMA, one might tend to lean towards a back-and-forth between two evenly matched opponents, but a fight that is more of a one-sided beating can leave me with a nice chub just as well. Pro tip: you know you're watching a good one when the commentary team keeps going on about how "tough" or "durable" a fighter is.
Here we have a classic striker-vs-grappler match-up. Hasan hits "Sweet Baby" Ray Romano with a sneaky elbow early, opening up a nasty cut that has them both looking like murder victims within seconds. Nothing quite adds that extra layer to a fight like someone bleeding profusely all over the place.
*insert justbleedguy.gif*
Anyway, the rest of the round has the "tough" guy continuing to move forward, securing some takedowns, and getting pieced up for his efforts. Hasan kills this guy on the feet, landing any technique he feels like throwing, and makes him pay for most of the takedowns and attempts with a heavy dosage of elbows. That's a quality round; let's hope for more of that in the second!
Alright, "Baby" Ray is strong out the gate for the 2nd; he sure is "tough"! Maybe he can mount a comeba...
Oh....
Well, there you have it: a blood-soaked striking clinic ending with a spinning wheel kick for the knockout. I'll take it!
I've never heard of either of these guys, and I'm pretty sure Romano took home a cool $1,500 for that concussion. Hopefully you judges enjoyed the fight while appreciating the fact that I didn't make you sit through a 5 rounder....
cmvideo75: First off, thanks for not making me watch another 25 minute fight lol. This was the most entertaining one so far. Not sure it was the 'best' fight given how thoroughly one guy got beat. That finish was brutal. But the write up argues for a different definition of a 'great fight' which includes blood and violence and a vicious finish and I like the argument. I might consider it more of an entertaining fight than a truly great fight though. But I enjoyed this one the most so far and 2 more anonymous fighters to me. That Hasan guy has some razor elbows.
Follow up - This one bumps up a notch with me just because it was a different take on a 'great fight' from all the other entries and this was definitely one of the most entertaining ones. 8/10
Webble: I hadnt heard of either of these two and it was good hearing John Morgan on commentary. For a flyweight bout this was fire, lots of back and forth, damage and oh shit moments, I liked it 10/10
osubuckeye4: I've never heard of the CFFC, let alone either of these fighters, so no risk of me knocking it on that those grounds. I have to add that I love the overreactionary nature of these commentators (comparing Romano to Rory McDonald... Hasan is Edson Barbosa, lol good times)
Damn, those little guys have sharp elbows... that was a gusher from what didn't look like a whole lot in real time. Solid first round, not spectacular but definitely had some fun moments and while Hasan controlled it for the most part you gotta admire Romano's grit/tenacity. I will say that without the gushing blood from Romano this is a 'eh, that was ok' round. With it though, elevates it and adds to the stakes.
No gripes on the write-up, accurately described/billed. The only knock on this one is that Hasan really dominated that fight outside of the early takedown that Romano did nothing with. I was expecting for Romano to be the one to land the "out of nowhere!" finish... that would have been an oh shit! Hasan hitting it was more of, "yes, that was expected given the prior 6-7 minutes leading up to it". I did enjoy watching it though, and there's no way in a million years I ever would have stumbled onto it outside of this format, which is definitely the spirit of this round. Also 1,000 thank you's for not submitting a 5 round title fight that took me 30 minutes to get thru. Score: 7.5/10
GoodCat: Eh, this one kinda misses the mark for me. I know in your write up you tried to explain your side of the excitement
aspect of it. And I do agree that it was exciting, but the category does state "best" fight and not most exciting. And like you even mentioned in the write up, this was a one sided beatdown the entire time. Props to Romano for not quitting even while getting battered on the feet. But he never really had a chance in this one. 5/10
Total: 30.5
This round we will be honoring the little guys in the sport of MMA. Guys who toil and risk injuries for a measly paycheck and little fanfare. Nominate your best fight between the two least recognizable fighters. No amateurs must be professional fighters. Use the write up to explain your choice, for ex. why does this fight stand out and etc.
1. @motives
Matt Horwich (red trunks) Vs Ryan McGivern (black trunks)
2006 IFL middle weight title fight.
In a better world, the International Fight League (IFL) might still be promoting fights today. Instead of pushing up daisies the last 2 decades with Bodog and Tachi Palace Fights.
Started by Chicago real estate mogul Kurt Otto and Wizard magazine founder Gareb Shamus in 2006. The IFL was the world's first mixed martial arts team league.
Shamus and Otto paid for MMA veterans like Renzo Gracie, Ken & Frank Shamrock, Bas Rutten, Pat Miletich, Don Frye and six other famous veteran fighters. To coach the IFL's 12 teams in a 2 division league. And on every Monday night right. After watching Jimmy Smith "Fight Quest" the faces off of 15 Israeli Krav Maga instructors on The Discovery channel. You could switch over to FSN and watch 2 IFL teams from your neck of the woods face off. Each team had five fighters from lightweight to heavyweight. And whichever team won the best out of five fights won the team match that week. It was a fun concept that included playoffs and championships.
A league that gave us future UFC Stars Ben Rothwell and Roy Nelson. along with other eventual UFC veterans, Tim Kennedy and Jay Heiron. But investors were hard to come by in 2008. And due to financial issues the IFL closed its doors after only two seasons.
While the IFL's focus was on their team format. They also put on individual championship matches. One of which i'll be using as my submission today. In the clip below, Portland Wolfpack middleweight and IFL champion Matt Horwich defends his title against Quad City Silverbacks Middleweight Ryan McGivern. Who's replacing Chicago Red Bear middleweight Tim Kennedy as Kennedy steps away to fulfill some late 2006 military obligations. Leaving Ryan McGivern a late notice underdog shot at Horwich's 185lb IFL title.
A student of Pat Militich and a former Division 1A wrestler at the University of Iowa. McGivern was more than up for the challenge. But he would have to implement his extensive wrestling experience to negate Horwich's impressive grappling pedigree. Because as a pupil of both Royce Gracie and Eddie Bravo. Horwich's submission skills were a serious threat. Neither man was going to make it an easy night. And as the five round fight unfolded that became evident. Both men had to escape numerous submission attempts. And withstand some surprisingly heavy handed striking exchanges. Momentum would shift multiple times throughout. With both fighters setting a rigorous pace. and refusing all quarter.
*note* Going off of disclosed fighter payouts from the IFL Both Horowich and McGivern only took home about $8000 each for their championship fight. With under 4000 fans in attendance.
Matt Horwich (Red) VS Ryan McGivern (Black) IFL title fight
Follow up - After watching all 8 fights this is the winner because it has the most variety in any of the fights. About 50/50 grappling and striking from both guys, crazy sub attempts, reversals.. And a real deep pull here too.10/10
Webble: I have heard of Matt Horwich but couldnt pick him out of a line up so I will let it slide. The write up took a bit of reading as it was a bit all over the place. This wasnt easy to watch as the video quality wasnt great but the fight itself was a good back and forth, I was surprised how little damage there was vs action taking place 7/10
osubuckeye4: Both fighters certainly fit the bill for the category. I had to pause for a minute on Horwich because I swear I remember his name popping up on undercards back in the day (remember I stopped watching MMA around 2012... but religiously watched throughout the 2000s). Looks like he fought a few times in the UFC (both losses) and Bellator (also losses), but when you have over 50 professional fights and under $20,000 in 'disclosed' payouts, you're definitely eligible for this category. No deduction for the fighters selected.
As far as the fight, man that first round was solid. 2nd was a bit of a lull, first 3 minutes were not very entertaining to watch. Last minute was entertaining and saved the round. As for the 3rd, some good exchanges but a lot of time spent in the clinch. Definitely agree that it's either fighters fight to win at this point, which is always the mark of a good scrap. 4th was a fun round, McGivern looked to take control though. It also looked like the entire fight was going to grind to a half at the 3 minute mark but I liked that he ref stood them up rather quickly and gave us an exciting last 20 seconds. 5th was a solid round, decisively McGiverns but credit to the official for separately the early clinch that was going nowhere.
All in all it was a solid, not spectacular, submission as a fight... but before I give the score I do have a gripe with your write-up. You say this was a 2006 fight, but the 2006 matchup between these two was a completely different fight (the announcer even mentions that fight was 90% on the ground and a snoozefest), this was the 2008 rematch. I was going to give you the benefit of the doubt on it being a typo, but in your write-up you double down and mention Tim Kennedy leaving to fulfill military obligations in 2006. Also, the IFL didn't even have individual championships until 2007, so the first matchup between the two in 2006 wasn't for a title. It's not a DQ for getting the wrong year, but when you're trying to sell us it does take away from the pitch when you didn't even take the time to verify that the fight you were referencing was the video you were providing. Score: 7/10 (was an 7.5/10 fight but I'm docking you -0.5 for not knowing the year your fight took place in)
GoodCat: I was in my sicko stage back in the mid 2000s. I was obsessed with any MMA I could find. I watched IFL when it started on FSN and then when this fight happened on HD Net Fights. I remember both of these guys, but can't say I specifically remember this fight, but I'm sure I watched it when it aired. I will say, the write up helped a bit in this case, cause this was a slog trying to get through the whole fight. Not because it wasn't a good fight, it was for sure. But there's just something about not watching something that you know isn't live and you can see how long it is. It just makes it harder to get through. Overall, good pick though. But not amazing. 7/10
Total: 31
2. @Eranys
Natan Schulte vs. Loik Radzhabov (PFL 10 – December 31, 2019)
The Fighters: Natan Schulte & Loik Radzhabov
The Stakes: $1,000,000 PFL Lightweight World Championship Final
Why This Fight Stands Out
Most fights between obscure, non UFC fighters take place in empty regional venues for small purses. Schulte vs. Radzhabov is the rare, incredible exception: two fighters relatively unknown outside of their regional fans went to war over $1,000,000. What followed was 25 minutes of absolute, technically sound, sustained violence, widely considered by hardcore analysts as one of the greatest lightweight wars in non UFC history.
From the opening bell, neither man took a single step backward. Radzhabov, a powerful, explosive striker from Tajikistan, came out firing absolute thunder, landing brutal power hooks and heavy leg kicks that would have knocked out almost anyone else in the division. But Schulte, a calm, methodical durability machine, absorbed the onslaught, marched directly through the shots, and forced a grueling, high volume brawl in the pocket.
For five intense rounds, the fight swung back and forth through rapid wrestling scrambles, brutal clinch work, and heavy exchanges where both men threw with bad intentions. There was no stalling, no point fighting, and no passive control time. Just two world class, under the radar combatants leaving everything in the cage to win the grand prize.
Schulte ultimately earned a razor thin decision victory to claim the belt and the million dollar check, leaving both men battered, exhausted, and covered in the battle damage of a 5 round war. It is the ultimate nomination because it proves that a bout doesn't necessarily need UFC branding or mainstream fame to be an absolute masterpiece of modern combat sports.
I didn't see a highlights only video, so apologies for the length, but it is totally worth the watch if you love really good, complete MMA. The fight lasts from 6:45 until 34:22, but you can obviously skip some in between stuff.
cmvideo75: Not a bad fight. Not a great fight either. Good striking but no one really got hurt. Schulte's chin was impressive in rd 2 but then Radz gassed in rd 3 and had his leg chopped up. It was a good striking battle but got a little one sided in the 2nd half. Plus I want to see some real damage and near finishes... I don't think we got too close to one here. Decent anonymous fighter selection though... this was fairly recent and I may have even watched this live but I don't remember these guys at all and haven't seen them since. But this was the title fight and back when they were going hard on the promotion for PFL so they aren't quite as anonymous as some of the others entered. Middle of the road entry IMO. 7/10
Webble: I hadnt heard of these two and feel like I should have given its PFL so well done for picking this. Well written write up and nice to see a female ring announcer, she was pretty good. The fight was fast paced and I cared who won, it was worth the watch although again I was surprised at lack of damage 8/10
osubuckeye4: I'm very conflicted on this one. The criteria specifically mentions 'measly paychecks'... but the bout was for $1,000,000 (insert Dr. Evil meme) and while Piffle isn't the UFC, it's definitely a known commodity for fight fans. This was a solid fight, but I think you're stretching the definition of 'unknown' to the limit by including a 2 time PFL champ who has over $1.2 mil in publicly disclosed winnings (that's more than a lot of current UFC guys).
All of that said, it was a great first 3 rounds. 1st was back and forth, both fighters had their moments. Radzhabov looked like he was going to put Schulte away in the 2nd, but might have overextended himself a bit. Schulte finally seized momentum in the 3rd, pressed the pace and started using the leg kicks. 4th and 5th though? They were just ehhhhh... I felt that Schulte was in the drivers seat at that point and cruised when he could have finished.
Another semantics gripe, you say 'razor thin decision'. How is a unanimous decision with one judge giving it a 49-44 razor thin? Okay, I'll pump the breaks and agree that the judge who scored it 49-44 is an idiot. I don't know that I'd say razor thin though. 49-46 felt right. I disagree with the judge who had it 48-47, but I disagree with judges often.
Any who, rounds 1-3 were very enjoyable. I think it would have been more appealing if Schulte had finished in the 4th rather than watching Radzhabov barely be able to stand/mount anything for the last 7-8 minutes.
Score: 5/10 (It's a 8/10 fight but you get -3 for it being a fight that literally paid out $1,000,000 to the winner. Come on man.)
GoodCat: . I like this pick better than the first one. Firstly, much less recognizable guys, and also just a better fight. Neither guy backing up, both moving forward and exchanging at all times. Very evenly matched fight, it probably goes 5-5 if they fought 10 times. 8/10
Total: 28
3. @Tito Orcheese
CFFC 129: Bilal Hasan vs Jacob Romano | February 9, 2024
Here we have a classic striker-vs-grappler match-up. Hasan hits "Sweet Baby" Ray Romano with a sneaky elbow early, opening up a nasty cut that has them both looking like murder victims within seconds. Nothing quite adds that extra layer to a fight like someone bleeding profusely all over the place.
*insert justbleedguy.gif*
Anyway, the rest of the round has the "tough" guy continuing to move forward, securing some takedowns, and getting pieced up for his efforts. Hasan kills this guy on the feet, landing any technique he feels like throwing, and makes him pay for most of the takedowns and attempts with a heavy dosage of elbows. That's a quality round; let's hope for more of that in the second!
Alright, "Baby" Ray is strong out the gate for the 2nd; he sure is "tough"! Maybe he can mount a comeba...
Oh....
Well, there you have it: a blood-soaked striking clinic ending with a spinning wheel kick for the knockout. I'll take it!
I've never heard of either of these guys, and I'm pretty sure Romano took home a cool $1,500 for that concussion. Hopefully you judges enjoyed the fight while appreciating the fact that I didn't make you sit through a 5 rounder....
cmvideo75: First off, thanks for not making me watch another 25 minute fight lol. This was the most entertaining one so far. Not sure it was the 'best' fight given how thoroughly one guy got beat. That finish was brutal. But the write up argues for a different definition of a 'great fight' which includes blood and violence and a vicious finish and I like the argument. I might consider it more of an entertaining fight than a truly great fight though. But I enjoyed this one the most so far and 2 more anonymous fighters to me. That Hasan guy has some razor elbows.
Follow up - This one bumps up a notch with me just because it was a different take on a 'great fight' from all the other entries and this was definitely one of the most entertaining ones. 8/10
Webble: I hadnt heard of either of these two and it was good hearing John Morgan on commentary. For a flyweight bout this was fire, lots of back and forth, damage and oh shit moments, I liked it 10/10
osubuckeye4: I've never heard of the CFFC, let alone either of these fighters, so no risk of me knocking it on that those grounds. I have to add that I love the overreactionary nature of these commentators (comparing Romano to Rory McDonald... Hasan is Edson Barbosa, lol good times)
Damn, those little guys have sharp elbows... that was a gusher from what didn't look like a whole lot in real time. Solid first round, not spectacular but definitely had some fun moments and while Hasan controlled it for the most part you gotta admire Romano's grit/tenacity. I will say that without the gushing blood from Romano this is a 'eh, that was ok' round. With it though, elevates it and adds to the stakes.
No gripes on the write-up, accurately described/billed. The only knock on this one is that Hasan really dominated that fight outside of the early takedown that Romano did nothing with. I was expecting for Romano to be the one to land the "out of nowhere!" finish... that would have been an oh shit! Hasan hitting it was more of, "yes, that was expected given the prior 6-7 minutes leading up to it". I did enjoy watching it though, and there's no way in a million years I ever would have stumbled onto it outside of this format, which is definitely the spirit of this round. Also 1,000 thank you's for not submitting a 5 round title fight that took me 30 minutes to get thru. Score: 7.5/10
GoodCat: Eh, this one kinda misses the mark for me. I know in your write up you tried to explain your side of the excitement
aspect of it. And I do agree that it was exciting, but the category does state "best" fight and not most exciting. And like you even mentioned in the write up, this was a one sided beatdown the entire time. Props to Romano for not quitting even while getting battered on the feet. But he never really had a chance in this one. 5/10
Total: 30.5
thedarkwingduck2k11
Well-known member
4. @Holeydel
Josh Kuhne vs Dimps Gillies
Right, listen. On today’s agenda the judges want to see something considered to be the best mma fight. I know best is a wide metric to go by, so I’ll include some prompts. Give me a fight that has some sort of official recognition as being the best. It’s super important the fighters are unknowns. By unknown, I mean they have very few fights even now so don’t be giving me a Russian with a surname ending in ov who’s had 30+ fights and is actually well recognised within their organisation. DWD wants these guys or gals scrapping for peanuts… this is an expression not to be taken literal. What I’m getting at is fighting isn’t their day job and they have no fights for any major organisations on their record. Suggestion must whoop my opponents pick.
Based on the information available I can suggest Dimps Gillies…
You made that name up, no one calls themselves Dimps Gillies. Search again.
Based on the information available I can suggest Josh Kuhne vs Dimps Gillies from Eternal MMA 65. It won the promotions Fight of the Year Award and UFC Fight Pass Fight of the Year Award in 2022. Neither fighter is Russian or have a surname ending in ov.
Interesting, tell me more you dinosaur of technology.
The moment the bell rings both fighters launch bricks at each other like a cat out of hell. It’s a full on 3 round war that sees both men get webbled yet never give in. It’s an excellent example of an mma fight where we c m bodied the will to win for glory rather than fame and fortune.
Speaking of fame and fortune, something you’ll never have again, what of it for these guys?
Kuhne only ever fought 9 times in his career and never outside of Eternal. Gillies fought 13 times and never outside of Australia. Even if they turned up at a registry office with their brides, neither of these guys would be asked for a signature. Tapology has their disclosed career earnings as $0, which worth less than a bag of peanuts.
You know what Jeeves, maybe you still got it. Purchasing your program for $1 might not have been the waste of money as I initially thought.
Lastly your opponent will crush you like the keyboard warrior you are once the mic gets turned on. Please Lord, send me back to Limewire and Friendster then have to deal another day with this muppet.
cmvideo75: The good thing about this entry is I don't see it getting more anonymous than Eternal MMA lol. The fight was just ok. Definitely a war and 2 tough guys but a totally one dimensional fight. It was the same thing for 15 straight minutes. So a very good and competitive fight but not the most entertaining or diverse. 7/10
Webble: This write up was brilliant although the slight dig did not go unnoticed, thank you for not spoiling the watch by including the result. I hadnt heard of these fighters so it fits that category, the commentators did a good job of carrying the excitement at times but it had an oh shit moment and that feeling of any min now 9/10
osubuckeye4: Great write-up in demonstrating why these two fit the criteria for the category. No idea wtf Eternal MMA is or who these guys are, and their Tapalogy page doesn't help at all (which is good). I also would be lying if I said that I paid any attention to the UFC 'promotions fight of the year award', so you're in no danger of me docking you on those grounds. Maybe other judges do and have seen this, not me though.
1st round was awesome.. both guys coming out leaning forward and throwing haymakers, looping body shots and wild uppercuts. Even the action on the ground was fluid with both fighters trying to push the pace. I thought Gillies had him at the end... a lot of officials would have stepped in and called it, love that he didn't though as Kuhne did look to be aware/awake and time was ticking. 2nd round was also a frenetic pace, though I like the announcer saying "Kuhne looks like he's an autopilot, but he's still coming!"... very accurate description. Every time you think Kuhne is done, he does something to where you're like, "maybe...". Great round, even some of the steam looked like it had been released from the strikes (gonna happen in any fight with a pace like this, especially one with journeymen fighters like these guys). 3rd round was surprisingly competitive given how in control Gillies had looked. That stretch from about 2 minutes to 1:30 was awesome. Not surprising at all to see Gillies hand raised with the UD (honestly looked like a 4:59 KO for Gillies to me... but that's irrelevant), but the entire way you felt like Kuhne had a chance at pulling out a win.
Great fight, it narrowly gets my 10 for the category: Score: 10/10
GoodCat: Alright, this one is more like what I envisioned when the category was released. Neither guy stopping for the full 15 minutes and just throwing the whole time. Every time Kuhne would get some momentum, Gillies would rock or drop him and basically steal the round. Awesome fight and definitely fits the unknown fighter category. 9/10
Total: 35
5. @Los Lobos
Abdul-Aziz Abdulvakhabov vs. Ali Bagov 3
This round is about honoring the real "little guys" who risk life and limb away from the spotlight, and this is the ultimate pick. Neither of these guys has ever been in the Octagon. They aren't getting million-dollar fights, massive sponsorships, or big bonuses. They are two gritty, blue-collar regional lightweight legends who built their careers in the brutal Eastern European circuit, putting their bodies through the meat grinder for modest paychecks and pure respect.
I present to you Abdul-Aziz Abdulvakhabov vs. Ali Bagov 3.
Abdul & Bagov met 3 times in the cage. By the time they met for the third time at ACB 89, they had already traded split decisions and injuries, setting up a final rubber match that only die-hard fans even knew was happening.
What makes this fight special is that it’s a 25 minute masterclass of pure willpower that embodies the regional grind. It wasn't two guys holding each other against the fence to coast to a decision, it was a non-stop, high octane war. Bagov brought relentless, suffocating submission chains, while Abdul countered with sheer toughness, impossible turnover reversals, and dangerous striking. They both emptied their gas tanks in the first two rounds, but kept pushing through exhaustion and brutal GnP until the final bell. It’s a classic example of two fighters, who are not recognizable, giving the crowd a fight of the year candidate for a fraction of the pay, proving you don't need a UFC logo on the canvas to put on an all-time classic.
There are 2 videos of the same fight.
The 1st video is the full fight. If you watch the full fight, start at 10:35 or you can watch the pre-fight hype video and walkout.
The 2nd video is a condensed version of the fight but it's a Russian website. I'm not sure what your comfort level is on foreign links. If you watch this version, the fight starts at 17:30.
cmvideo75: This wasn't my favorite fight in the list. Definitely fits the category... a good fight with two anonymous fighters (although this was a trilogy fight so within their regional circuit they were probably pretty well known). But I feel like I've seen this fight 100x before. Nothing really stood out to me... kind of a striker vs grappler match up. Back and forth, good war. But too much time in the GnP position every round for this to score too high with me. 6/10
Webble: Thank you for the links and explanation of them. The russian commentary took away from these a bit for me and whilst there was action it was a lot of ground fighting and I didnt get a sense that this could be over any minute. Good fight by 2 unknowns though 7/10
osubuckeye4: No idea who these guys are or what this promotion is, so no worries on that front.
1st round is definitely grueling... but very clinical by Bagov. Got Abdu to the ground early and was relentless... but honestly this is one where I'm looking at Herb Dean (hey, there's someone I recognize!) to stand them up after about 2 minutes, but he lets them go for 4:30... frustrating more than entertaining. Round 2 was much more entertaining, thank God that Abdu shrugged off the early takedown. Smart move by Bagov to dive to the mat, as he was getting obliterated on his feet... and, there's another takedown followed by 3 minutes of grapplefuck.... sigh, frustrating. I understand why Herb doesn't stand them up this time, Bagov was advancing and doing a good amount of damage... kind of surprised he wasn't able to put Abdu away. Round 3... Bagov getting picked apart on his feet again and... there's another takedown. Yawn... I mean credit to Abdu for surviving, it's grueling as hell to be in that position. This isn't particularly entertaining, even though it is impressive. Another 90 seconds or so with Abdu pinned against the fence and Herb just stands there with his hands in his pocket whistling. Stand them up!!! Round 4... Bagov again looks like shit on his feet but drops to the ground and, knowing he's up 3-0, plays intelligent defense until finally getting a reversal late and doing some damage. Most entertaining round, but a lot of grapple control. Final round and within 30 seconds we're back on the ground, and that's where we stay for another 4 minutes.
All in all, very grueling fight and impressive by Abdu to dig himself out of the deep hole he was buried in for the first 3 rounds (the 45 seconds or so they spent on their feet where he looked superior excluded). Also impressive work by Bagov to hang on and squeeze out the decision knowing he had 3 rounds in the bag and just had to avoid a 10-8 for the final two. This was a solid entry, but I prefer the Aussie and obscure woman's bout to it. Score: 8.5/10
GoodCat: The more I watched, the more I found myself rooting for the Russian guy with the short hair and beard wearing the red trunks. Really nice fight, I'm just struggling getting through all these 5 rounders lol. Not quite as good as the previous one, but still good. 8/10
Total: 29.5
6. @Rickyc123
Amanda Lino vs Rizlen Zouak
This is a fight that has stuck with me since the first time I saw it and feels like the perfect fight for this category as neither have achieved much in their career since but on the night deliverered a great back and forth fight.
The action starts in Round 1 when Zouak (an Olympic level judoka) uses her throws to get Lino on the ground many times and threatening the scarf-hold armlocks. Every time Lino is able to get back to her feet but Zouak finds a way to get her back down while even landing some big knees on the way. Any time Lino was able to get any sort of a break/space she'd strike like a madman. Zouak was her own biggest enemy at the end of the round when she attempted a leg lock, ended up with Lino taking her back, almost choking her out, in the end having to be saved by the bell. The back and forth action can be seen in the first round alone.
Round 2 is perhaps even better, Zouak gets Lino down, Lino is able to make her way up yet again. They both have a brief wild exchange when Zouak gets her down with yet anither hip throw. Zouak seems to be in an even more dominant position in round 1, trapping Lino's head down and getting some meaningful ground and pound even transitioning to a razor close armbar attempt but Lino is able to find a way out yet again. With about 20 seconds to go, Lino just throws caution to the wind and visibly rocks but Zouak but she is able to save herself again with yet another hip throw.
Once round 3 arrives, Zouak is exhausted and Lino lands some huge knees on her and Zouak throws yet another successful hip toss, threatens another deep armbar, lands an illegal knee, gets Lino back down and establishes mount. I know that sounds a lot but it all happened in the span of around 90 seconds. At this point Zouak attempts another armbar but is reversed with Lino taking her back and eventually ending the fight with some Ground and Pound
This fight is great due to a variety of reasons Zouak was able to take Lino down at will with the same maneuver utilising her high level judo, Lino knew it was coming every time but was unable to stop it. Lino showed a lot of heart though, finding a way back up every time and eventually outhustling and outsurviving her opponent. The casual fan would normally complain about a grapple heavy fight but this is the sort of fight you'd show someone who complains about grappling.
Even the technique shown in the fight whether it be the offensive attacks of Zouak or the defensive work of Lino seems way above the combined 7 fights of Lino and Zouak at the time of the fight.
I believe they both fit the category of "not famous at anytime" as Zouak carved a career an 8-5 journeywoman competing on the European regional scene while Lino seemingly retired after being bested by Manon Fiorot the next fight (Lino unexpectedly returned last year after 6 years away.)
To conclude, this a great fight between two unknown fighters. Zouek showed great technique but Lino's heart was able to overcome that.
cmvideo75: Now this was a fight I really enjoyed. Lots of grappling but the write up is correct... this is the good kind of grappling. All kinds of submission attempts, transitions, judo throws... very nice. Plus some wild striking and late finish. Good submission. 9/10
Webble: It will be interesting to see if this gets penalised for being a chick fight, not an issue for me, I havent heard of them so settled in to watch. This was constant up down action and a lot of nearly moment. Just as I was thinking it was impressive no one had committed an accidental foul one happened, sods law! Good scrap 8/10
osubuckeye4: No idea who these chicks are or what this promotion is, so all good on that front.
Great first minute with a little bit of everything (striking, takedowns, submission attempts, transitioning). Rest of the first was enjoyable, even if it was a bit clunky at times. Definitely felt like either fighter could win at the end of the round. Zouak dominated early, Lino with a nice comeback to end in control. Round 2 was solid, Zouak looks like the more polished/technical fighter and seems to be seizing control. Great heart by Lino to free herself at around the 90 second mark, looked dead in the water. Great last 15-20 seconds. Round 3, wow... Lino ferocious out the gate but Zouak weathered it and got the takedown, great job again by Lino to defend the armbar and somehow escape. What a finish by Lino and what a fight... every time you thought Zouak was going to lock in a submission somehow Lino would counter and tee her up on their feet. Looked like Zouak wilted at the end, just couldn't keep up with the pace or power. Great fight.
Very accurate write-up, no notes or criticisms of it. Agreed 100% that this is effective and entertaining grappling. It wasn't Zouak getting the takedown and riding out 4 minutes on top... it was submission attempts and looking to make passes to dominant position and countering... great fight. So far, tossup between this one and the Aussies for my 10/10. I'm going the Aussie fight for 10, but this was up there and it's a coinflip for me .Score: 9.5/10
GoodCat: This one is similar to number 3 in where it was kind of a one sided fight, however, not nearly as dominant. Definitely a much better overall fight than number 3 as well. It kind of reminded me a bit of a pro wrestling match where the heel is dominating, but the baby face comes back and just when you think the face is taking the momentum, the heel hits that one move to stop the face in their tracks. That said, I was frustrated watching it seeing Zouak keep hitting those judo throws. And again, it was still a little too one sided for me to call it a great fight. 6.5/10
Total: 33
Josh Kuhne vs Dimps Gillies
Right, listen. On today’s agenda the judges want to see something considered to be the best mma fight. I know best is a wide metric to go by, so I’ll include some prompts. Give me a fight that has some sort of official recognition as being the best. It’s super important the fighters are unknowns. By unknown, I mean they have very few fights even now so don’t be giving me a Russian with a surname ending in ov who’s had 30+ fights and is actually well recognised within their organisation. DWD wants these guys or gals scrapping for peanuts… this is an expression not to be taken literal. What I’m getting at is fighting isn’t their day job and they have no fights for any major organisations on their record. Suggestion must whoop my opponents pick.
Based on the information available I can suggest Dimps Gillies…
You made that name up, no one calls themselves Dimps Gillies. Search again.
Based on the information available I can suggest Josh Kuhne vs Dimps Gillies from Eternal MMA 65. It won the promotions Fight of the Year Award and UFC Fight Pass Fight of the Year Award in 2022. Neither fighter is Russian or have a surname ending in ov.
Interesting, tell me more you dinosaur of technology.
The moment the bell rings both fighters launch bricks at each other like a cat out of hell. It’s a full on 3 round war that sees both men get webbled yet never give in. It’s an excellent example of an mma fight where we c m bodied the will to win for glory rather than fame and fortune.
Speaking of fame and fortune, something you’ll never have again, what of it for these guys?
Kuhne only ever fought 9 times in his career and never outside of Eternal. Gillies fought 13 times and never outside of Australia. Even if they turned up at a registry office with their brides, neither of these guys would be asked for a signature. Tapology has their disclosed career earnings as $0, which worth less than a bag of peanuts.
You know what Jeeves, maybe you still got it. Purchasing your program for $1 might not have been the waste of money as I initially thought.
Lastly your opponent will crush you like the keyboard warrior you are once the mic gets turned on. Please Lord, send me back to Limewire and Friendster then have to deal another day with this muppet.
Webble: This write up was brilliant although the slight dig did not go unnoticed, thank you for not spoiling the watch by including the result. I hadnt heard of these fighters so it fits that category, the commentators did a good job of carrying the excitement at times but it had an oh shit moment and that feeling of any min now 9/10
osubuckeye4: Great write-up in demonstrating why these two fit the criteria for the category. No idea wtf Eternal MMA is or who these guys are, and their Tapalogy page doesn't help at all (which is good). I also would be lying if I said that I paid any attention to the UFC 'promotions fight of the year award', so you're in no danger of me docking you on those grounds. Maybe other judges do and have seen this, not me though.
1st round was awesome.. both guys coming out leaning forward and throwing haymakers, looping body shots and wild uppercuts. Even the action on the ground was fluid with both fighters trying to push the pace. I thought Gillies had him at the end... a lot of officials would have stepped in and called it, love that he didn't though as Kuhne did look to be aware/awake and time was ticking. 2nd round was also a frenetic pace, though I like the announcer saying "Kuhne looks like he's an autopilot, but he's still coming!"... very accurate description. Every time you think Kuhne is done, he does something to where you're like, "maybe...". Great round, even some of the steam looked like it had been released from the strikes (gonna happen in any fight with a pace like this, especially one with journeymen fighters like these guys). 3rd round was surprisingly competitive given how in control Gillies had looked. That stretch from about 2 minutes to 1:30 was awesome. Not surprising at all to see Gillies hand raised with the UD (honestly looked like a 4:59 KO for Gillies to me... but that's irrelevant), but the entire way you felt like Kuhne had a chance at pulling out a win.
Great fight, it narrowly gets my 10 for the category: Score: 10/10
GoodCat: Alright, this one is more like what I envisioned when the category was released. Neither guy stopping for the full 15 minutes and just throwing the whole time. Every time Kuhne would get some momentum, Gillies would rock or drop him and basically steal the round. Awesome fight and definitely fits the unknown fighter category. 9/10
Total: 35
5. @Los Lobos
Abdul-Aziz Abdulvakhabov vs. Ali Bagov 3
This round is about honoring the real "little guys" who risk life and limb away from the spotlight, and this is the ultimate pick. Neither of these guys has ever been in the Octagon. They aren't getting million-dollar fights, massive sponsorships, or big bonuses. They are two gritty, blue-collar regional lightweight legends who built their careers in the brutal Eastern European circuit, putting their bodies through the meat grinder for modest paychecks and pure respect.
I present to you Abdul-Aziz Abdulvakhabov vs. Ali Bagov 3.
Abdul & Bagov met 3 times in the cage. By the time they met for the third time at ACB 89, they had already traded split decisions and injuries, setting up a final rubber match that only die-hard fans even knew was happening.
What makes this fight special is that it’s a 25 minute masterclass of pure willpower that embodies the regional grind. It wasn't two guys holding each other against the fence to coast to a decision, it was a non-stop, high octane war. Bagov brought relentless, suffocating submission chains, while Abdul countered with sheer toughness, impossible turnover reversals, and dangerous striking. They both emptied their gas tanks in the first two rounds, but kept pushing through exhaustion and brutal GnP until the final bell. It’s a classic example of two fighters, who are not recognizable, giving the crowd a fight of the year candidate for a fraction of the pay, proving you don't need a UFC logo on the canvas to put on an all-time classic.
There are 2 videos of the same fight.
The 1st video is the full fight. If you watch the full fight, start at 10:35 or you can watch the pre-fight hype video and walkout.
The 2nd video is a condensed version of the fight but it's a Russian website. I'm not sure what your comfort level is on foreign links. If you watch this version, the fight starts at 17:30.
Webble: Thank you for the links and explanation of them. The russian commentary took away from these a bit for me and whilst there was action it was a lot of ground fighting and I didnt get a sense that this could be over any minute. Good fight by 2 unknowns though 7/10
osubuckeye4: No idea who these guys are or what this promotion is, so no worries on that front.
1st round is definitely grueling... but very clinical by Bagov. Got Abdu to the ground early and was relentless... but honestly this is one where I'm looking at Herb Dean (hey, there's someone I recognize!) to stand them up after about 2 minutes, but he lets them go for 4:30... frustrating more than entertaining. Round 2 was much more entertaining, thank God that Abdu shrugged off the early takedown. Smart move by Bagov to dive to the mat, as he was getting obliterated on his feet... and, there's another takedown followed by 3 minutes of grapplefuck.... sigh, frustrating. I understand why Herb doesn't stand them up this time, Bagov was advancing and doing a good amount of damage... kind of surprised he wasn't able to put Abdu away. Round 3... Bagov getting picked apart on his feet again and... there's another takedown. Yawn... I mean credit to Abdu for surviving, it's grueling as hell to be in that position. This isn't particularly entertaining, even though it is impressive. Another 90 seconds or so with Abdu pinned against the fence and Herb just stands there with his hands in his pocket whistling. Stand them up!!! Round 4... Bagov again looks like shit on his feet but drops to the ground and, knowing he's up 3-0, plays intelligent defense until finally getting a reversal late and doing some damage. Most entertaining round, but a lot of grapple control. Final round and within 30 seconds we're back on the ground, and that's where we stay for another 4 minutes.
All in all, very grueling fight and impressive by Abdu to dig himself out of the deep hole he was buried in for the first 3 rounds (the 45 seconds or so they spent on their feet where he looked superior excluded). Also impressive work by Bagov to hang on and squeeze out the decision knowing he had 3 rounds in the bag and just had to avoid a 10-8 for the final two. This was a solid entry, but I prefer the Aussie and obscure woman's bout to it. Score: 8.5/10
GoodCat: The more I watched, the more I found myself rooting for the Russian guy with the short hair and beard wearing the red trunks. Really nice fight, I'm just struggling getting through all these 5 rounders lol. Not quite as good as the previous one, but still good. 8/10
Total: 29.5
6. @Rickyc123
Amanda Lino vs Rizlen Zouak
This is a fight that has stuck with me since the first time I saw it and feels like the perfect fight for this category as neither have achieved much in their career since but on the night deliverered a great back and forth fight.
The action starts in Round 1 when Zouak (an Olympic level judoka) uses her throws to get Lino on the ground many times and threatening the scarf-hold armlocks. Every time Lino is able to get back to her feet but Zouak finds a way to get her back down while even landing some big knees on the way. Any time Lino was able to get any sort of a break/space she'd strike like a madman. Zouak was her own biggest enemy at the end of the round when she attempted a leg lock, ended up with Lino taking her back, almost choking her out, in the end having to be saved by the bell. The back and forth action can be seen in the first round alone.
Round 2 is perhaps even better, Zouak gets Lino down, Lino is able to make her way up yet again. They both have a brief wild exchange when Zouak gets her down with yet anither hip throw. Zouak seems to be in an even more dominant position in round 1, trapping Lino's head down and getting some meaningful ground and pound even transitioning to a razor close armbar attempt but Lino is able to find a way out yet again. With about 20 seconds to go, Lino just throws caution to the wind and visibly rocks but Zouak but she is able to save herself again with yet another hip throw.
Once round 3 arrives, Zouak is exhausted and Lino lands some huge knees on her and Zouak throws yet another successful hip toss, threatens another deep armbar, lands an illegal knee, gets Lino back down and establishes mount. I know that sounds a lot but it all happened in the span of around 90 seconds. At this point Zouak attempts another armbar but is reversed with Lino taking her back and eventually ending the fight with some Ground and Pound
This fight is great due to a variety of reasons Zouak was able to take Lino down at will with the same maneuver utilising her high level judo, Lino knew it was coming every time but was unable to stop it. Lino showed a lot of heart though, finding a way back up every time and eventually outhustling and outsurviving her opponent. The casual fan would normally complain about a grapple heavy fight but this is the sort of fight you'd show someone who complains about grappling.
Even the technique shown in the fight whether it be the offensive attacks of Zouak or the defensive work of Lino seems way above the combined 7 fights of Lino and Zouak at the time of the fight.
I believe they both fit the category of "not famous at anytime" as Zouak carved a career an 8-5 journeywoman competing on the European regional scene while Lino seemingly retired after being bested by Manon Fiorot the next fight (Lino unexpectedly returned last year after 6 years away.)
To conclude, this a great fight between two unknown fighters. Zouek showed great technique but Lino's heart was able to overcome that.
cmvideo75: Now this was a fight I really enjoyed. Lots of grappling but the write up is correct... this is the good kind of grappling. All kinds of submission attempts, transitions, judo throws... very nice. Plus some wild striking and late finish. Good submission. 9/10
Webble: It will be interesting to see if this gets penalised for being a chick fight, not an issue for me, I havent heard of them so settled in to watch. This was constant up down action and a lot of nearly moment. Just as I was thinking it was impressive no one had committed an accidental foul one happened, sods law! Good scrap 8/10
osubuckeye4: No idea who these chicks are or what this promotion is, so all good on that front.
Great first minute with a little bit of everything (striking, takedowns, submission attempts, transitioning). Rest of the first was enjoyable, even if it was a bit clunky at times. Definitely felt like either fighter could win at the end of the round. Zouak dominated early, Lino with a nice comeback to end in control. Round 2 was solid, Zouak looks like the more polished/technical fighter and seems to be seizing control. Great heart by Lino to free herself at around the 90 second mark, looked dead in the water. Great last 15-20 seconds. Round 3, wow... Lino ferocious out the gate but Zouak weathered it and got the takedown, great job again by Lino to defend the armbar and somehow escape. What a finish by Lino and what a fight... every time you thought Zouak was going to lock in a submission somehow Lino would counter and tee her up on their feet. Looked like Zouak wilted at the end, just couldn't keep up with the pace or power. Great fight.
Very accurate write-up, no notes or criticisms of it. Agreed 100% that this is effective and entertaining grappling. It wasn't Zouak getting the takedown and riding out 4 minutes on top... it was submission attempts and looking to make passes to dominant position and countering... great fight. So far, tossup between this one and the Aussies for my 10/10. I'm going the Aussie fight for 10, but this was up there and it's a coinflip for me .Score: 9.5/10
GoodCat: This one is similar to number 3 in where it was kind of a one sided fight, however, not nearly as dominant. Definitely a much better overall fight than number 3 as well. It kind of reminded me a bit of a pro wrestling match where the heel is dominating, but the baby face comes back and just when you think the face is taking the momentum, the heel hits that one move to stop the face in their tracks. That said, I was frustrated watching it seeing Zouak keep hitting those judo throws. And again, it was still a little too one sided for me to call it a great fight. 6.5/10
Total: 33
thedarkwingduck2k11
Well-known member
7. @MMAFTM13
Melvin Manhoef vs Evangelista “Cyborg” Santos
Twenty year ago in 2006, Melvin Manhoef fought Evangelista “Cyborg” Santos in a crazy, fierce war in Englands Cage Rage 15 in London. Despite not having the clearest of footage here, still a great fight and memorable clash nonetheless.
Santos had a career marked by lots of notable losses and was more known for marrying Christiane Santos, rather than his fighting, divorcing in 2011 and she later adopted his nickname for herself of “Cyborg” She went on to have a big successful MMA career.
Melvin was more known for his kickboxing career rather than his MMA one. A decorated kickboxer in his own right that competed against the best K1 fighters as a Heavyweight, when he was a Middleweight/Light Heavyweights size in reality. Melvin certainly had a less prominent MMA career.
I’m sure the diehard MMA fans would have seen Manhoef and Cyborg before, but to the fans from the last ten years and recent times, not so much.
Although Melvin had a good kickboxing career, he never had the same success in MMA and eventually retired in 2022 with a record of 32 wins and 17 losses. Cyborg on the other hand, after this fight with Melvin, did go on to fight some good fighters, but lost in devastation fashion to them all. Retiring in 2016 with a MMA record of 21 wins and 18 losses. Both men fought in some organisations after Cage Rage, having some rare wins here and there, but the losses just piled up. They never reached the heights of the premier orgs in the UFC and Pride.
In this fight though they showed a lot of warrior spirit and sure put on a hell of a show for the fans in the London arena.
cmvideo75: Well a couple of problems with this one for me. One, these are 2 very non-anonymous fighters. Especially compared to everyone else that was entered. And two, this was definitely entertaining but in terms of a "great" fight, that's a tough one. Both guys gassed in rd 1. Round 2 was fun and wild but was it 'great' MMA? Wild swinging, hands down, guys gasping for air... And the stoppage was pretty questionable if he let them go that long already. Let Melvin finish him off. This looked like some real old, school MMA. 3/10
Webble: I was surprised to see this fight in here as I thought both fighters were well known and I have in fact seen this fight before. The quality of the footage wasnt the best due to the age of the fight, it was a good fight but sadly for me at least didnt hit the criteria of unknown 4/10
osubuckeye4:Well, this is where me religiously following MMA from 1999-2010 and not watching much since backfires on you. I'm very familiar with Manhoef (dude threw everything with bad intentions and loved him in K-1 and Dream) and I think he's one of the best pure strikers in MMA history (not top 10 or anything, but if you're talking darkhorse awesome strikers he's there) while you're right that Evangelista Santos is more known for his ex-wife than MMA career, I'm familiar enough with him. This one definitely falls pretty well outside the 'two unknowns' criteria. That said, Cage Rage certainly wasn't up there with any of the major orgs in 2006 so I don't at all think this falls into a 0/10 DQ worthy submission. Between the two offenses, I think submitting a fight with a $1,000,000 payout is slightly worse. I'm sure other judges will have their opinion though.
It's a really entertaining fight and the KO by Melvin is highlight reel worthy when strung together with Cyborg tee'ing off on him seconds early, it's just hard to not dock this one for it being submitted in a 'unknown fighters dukeing it out for peanuts' category.
Score: 6/10 (It's a 8.5/10 fun fight, but you get docked 2.5 points for using known fighters... Manhoef in particular for anyone who followed MMA back in the day is so far from an unknown fighter)
GoodCat: I remember how viral this fight went online when it happened. A crazy fight for sure. I was a big Melvin fan from getting into K-1 and Glory around this same time as well. And I was pretty bummed when Cyborg won the fight. But no one can deny this is still one of the most exciting fights in history. 8.5/10
Total: 21.5
8. @Smartigan
Julija Stoliarenko vs Lisa Verzosa - Invicta FC Phoenix Series 3
A fight that was expected to be a submission specialist having her way against a grinder turned into a brawl, a bloody brawl at that. They women showed great skills, submission attempts that were locked in deep but great perseverance and toughness we say some great escapes also. These two pushed to their limits and left nothing behind
cmvideo75: I think this one fails the anonymous test too. Stoliarenko has had 8 UFC fights to this point and was the Invicta champ. But this was a great brawl. I like the level of bloodshed in this one. A little repetitive... the rounds were all pretty similar. Nothing really jumped out at me too much other than this being a bloody war. 5/10
Webble: This is another I was surprised to see as Julia fought in the UFC not that long ago. The write up wasnt that inspiring so I went to watch the fight not feeling hyped. I spent the first round thinking that Julias bra didnt look that comfy, I shouldnt be thinking that the fight should be distracting me from such things. It did pick up as the fight went on and turned into a good scrap 6/10
osubuckeye4: It's nowhere near as egregious as Manhoef, but Stoliarenko has been a (mediocre) UFC fighter for awhile now and has won a performance of the night bonus... hardly a no name. This fight was definitely her coming out party though and probably the reason why Dana refuses to cut her despite not doing anything of note in the UFC for the last 2.5+ years. Also worth noting... Invicta in 2020 (when this fight happened) was a pretty clear pathway to the UFC... as they had been partners for years and UFC would constantly take top Invicta fighters into their ranks. I'm sure Invicta paid jack shit, but winning the Invicta title was usually a ramp to a UFC contract and Invicta fighters knew it.
Any who, it's a wild and bloody fight. Lot of heart by Verzosa (who I had never heard of prior to a few minutes ago when I hit play on the fight video), but Stoliarenko looked like the much more polished fighter and it was kind of wild that she couldn't lock in any of the multiple deep submission attempts given her pedigree/background. Round 1 was all Stoliarenko, round 2 was about as close/split as a round can get. Rounds 3-5 were. bloody and definitely a lot of heart by Verzosa to gut it out to the decision. I don't know what kind of drugs the judge who scored it 49-46 for Verzosa was on, but I want some. (no objections for the 48-46 or 49-46, could defend either)
This is a tough one for me to score because it's not like they were fighting for a huge purse or Stoli is a household name... but, this fight for Stoli was essentially her springboard into the UFC though, and she's been at the UFC for years now consistently fighting.
Score: 7/10 (8.5/10 fight... but -1.5 for it being Invicta in 2020 and Stoli being somewhat known)
GoodCat: Solid fight, but man wtf is up with the write up? More like a mail in. 7/10
Total: 25
Match 1
#1 Rhino78=13+34+29.5=76.5
#8 Eranys= 29.5+26.5+28=84
Match 2
#2 Tito Orcheese=24.5+33.5+30.5=88.5
#7 smartigan=26+28.5+25=79.5
Match 3
#3 Holeydel=26+31+35=92
#6 MMAFTM13=30.5+24+21.5=76
Match 4
#4 Motives=28+33+31=92
#5 Rickyc123=24+29+33=86
Winners and moving on to the semi-finals are: #8 Eranys, #2 Tito Orcheese, #3 Holeydel and #4 Motives. Congratulations!!!
Rhino, smartigan, MMAFTM13, Ricky......my heart, my love, my brothers, it pains me greatly to send you guys home. Thanks for playing, and don't forget to grab a complimentary dildo on your way out.
So the semi-final matches are: #8 Eranys vs #4 Motives and #2 Tito Orcheese vs #3 Holeydel
As I mentioned before we will be using the players' categories in the semi. At this point I need these 4 to submit me a category before we can proceed.
Melvin Manhoef vs Evangelista “Cyborg” Santos
Santos had a career marked by lots of notable losses and was more known for marrying Christiane Santos, rather than his fighting, divorcing in 2011 and she later adopted his nickname for herself of “Cyborg” She went on to have a big successful MMA career.
Melvin was more known for his kickboxing career rather than his MMA one. A decorated kickboxer in his own right that competed against the best K1 fighters as a Heavyweight, when he was a Middleweight/Light Heavyweights size in reality. Melvin certainly had a less prominent MMA career.
I’m sure the diehard MMA fans would have seen Manhoef and Cyborg before, but to the fans from the last ten years and recent times, not so much.
Although Melvin had a good kickboxing career, he never had the same success in MMA and eventually retired in 2022 with a record of 32 wins and 17 losses. Cyborg on the other hand, after this fight with Melvin, did go on to fight some good fighters, but lost in devastation fashion to them all. Retiring in 2016 with a MMA record of 21 wins and 18 losses. Both men fought in some organisations after Cage Rage, having some rare wins here and there, but the losses just piled up. They never reached the heights of the premier orgs in the UFC and Pride.
In this fight though they showed a lot of warrior spirit and sure put on a hell of a show for the fans in the London arena.
cmvideo75: Well a couple of problems with this one for me. One, these are 2 very non-anonymous fighters. Especially compared to everyone else that was entered. And two, this was definitely entertaining but in terms of a "great" fight, that's a tough one. Both guys gassed in rd 1. Round 2 was fun and wild but was it 'great' MMA? Wild swinging, hands down, guys gasping for air... And the stoppage was pretty questionable if he let them go that long already. Let Melvin finish him off. This looked like some real old, school MMA. 3/10
Webble: I was surprised to see this fight in here as I thought both fighters were well known and I have in fact seen this fight before. The quality of the footage wasnt the best due to the age of the fight, it was a good fight but sadly for me at least didnt hit the criteria of unknown 4/10
osubuckeye4:Well, this is where me religiously following MMA from 1999-2010 and not watching much since backfires on you. I'm very familiar with Manhoef (dude threw everything with bad intentions and loved him in K-1 and Dream) and I think he's one of the best pure strikers in MMA history (not top 10 or anything, but if you're talking darkhorse awesome strikers he's there) while you're right that Evangelista Santos is more known for his ex-wife than MMA career, I'm familiar enough with him. This one definitely falls pretty well outside the 'two unknowns' criteria. That said, Cage Rage certainly wasn't up there with any of the major orgs in 2006 so I don't at all think this falls into a 0/10 DQ worthy submission. Between the two offenses, I think submitting a fight with a $1,000,000 payout is slightly worse. I'm sure other judges will have their opinion though.
It's a really entertaining fight and the KO by Melvin is highlight reel worthy when strung together with Cyborg tee'ing off on him seconds early, it's just hard to not dock this one for it being submitted in a 'unknown fighters dukeing it out for peanuts' category.
Score: 6/10 (It's a 8.5/10 fun fight, but you get docked 2.5 points for using known fighters... Manhoef in particular for anyone who followed MMA back in the day is so far from an unknown fighter)
GoodCat: I remember how viral this fight went online when it happened. A crazy fight for sure. I was a big Melvin fan from getting into K-1 and Glory around this same time as well. And I was pretty bummed when Cyborg won the fight. But no one can deny this is still one of the most exciting fights in history. 8.5/10
Total: 21.5
8. @Smartigan
Julija Stoliarenko vs Lisa Verzosa - Invicta FC Phoenix Series 3
cmvideo75: I think this one fails the anonymous test too. Stoliarenko has had 8 UFC fights to this point and was the Invicta champ. But this was a great brawl. I like the level of bloodshed in this one. A little repetitive... the rounds were all pretty similar. Nothing really jumped out at me too much other than this being a bloody war. 5/10
Webble: This is another I was surprised to see as Julia fought in the UFC not that long ago. The write up wasnt that inspiring so I went to watch the fight not feeling hyped. I spent the first round thinking that Julias bra didnt look that comfy, I shouldnt be thinking that the fight should be distracting me from such things. It did pick up as the fight went on and turned into a good scrap 6/10
osubuckeye4: It's nowhere near as egregious as Manhoef, but Stoliarenko has been a (mediocre) UFC fighter for awhile now and has won a performance of the night bonus... hardly a no name. This fight was definitely her coming out party though and probably the reason why Dana refuses to cut her despite not doing anything of note in the UFC for the last 2.5+ years. Also worth noting... Invicta in 2020 (when this fight happened) was a pretty clear pathway to the UFC... as they had been partners for years and UFC would constantly take top Invicta fighters into their ranks. I'm sure Invicta paid jack shit, but winning the Invicta title was usually a ramp to a UFC contract and Invicta fighters knew it.
Any who, it's a wild and bloody fight. Lot of heart by Verzosa (who I had never heard of prior to a few minutes ago when I hit play on the fight video), but Stoliarenko looked like the much more polished fighter and it was kind of wild that she couldn't lock in any of the multiple deep submission attempts given her pedigree/background. Round 1 was all Stoliarenko, round 2 was about as close/split as a round can get. Rounds 3-5 were. bloody and definitely a lot of heart by Verzosa to gut it out to the decision. I don't know what kind of drugs the judge who scored it 49-46 for Verzosa was on, but I want some. (no objections for the 48-46 or 49-46, could defend either)
This is a tough one for me to score because it's not like they were fighting for a huge purse or Stoli is a household name... but, this fight for Stoli was essentially her springboard into the UFC though, and she's been at the UFC for years now consistently fighting.
Score: 7/10 (8.5/10 fight... but -1.5 for it being Invicta in 2020 and Stoli being somewhat known)
GoodCat: Solid fight, but man wtf is up with the write up? More like a mail in. 7/10
Total: 25
Match 1
#1 Rhino78=13+34+29.5=76.5
#8 Eranys= 29.5+26.5+28=84
Match 2
#2 Tito Orcheese=24.5+33.5+30.5=88.5
#7 smartigan=26+28.5+25=79.5
Match 3
#3 Holeydel=26+31+35=92
#6 MMAFTM13=30.5+24+21.5=76
Match 4
#4 Motives=28+33+31=92
#5 Rickyc123=24+29+33=86
Winners and moving on to the semi-finals are: #8 Eranys, #2 Tito Orcheese, #3 Holeydel and #4 Motives. Congratulations!!!
Rhino, smartigan, MMAFTM13, Ricky......my heart, my love, my brothers, it pains me greatly to send you guys home. Thanks for playing, and don't forget to grab a complimentary dildo on your way out.
So the semi-final matches are: #8 Eranys vs #4 Motives and #2 Tito Orcheese vs #3 Holeydel
As I mentioned before we will be using the players' categories in the semi. At this point I need these 4 to submit me a category before we can proceed.
bconcrete
VolksFAGGIN
@Tito Orcheese I think you should've picked the Budo Sento fight where we saw the guy they grabbed from the parking lot to fight BLATANTLY take a dive.
Ok, granted, not the highest quality fight, nor the most exciting, but c'mon. How often are you going to see actual, criminal conduct, fraud committed in the cage????? That's gotta count for something.
Ok, granted, not the highest quality fight, nor the most exciting, but c'mon. How often are you going to see actual, criminal conduct, fraud committed in the cage????? That's gotta count for something.
bconcrete
VolksFAGGIN
Well, obscure means: not well known, hard to see, or difficult to understand.
I'd argue anything Piffle goes three for three on that definition.
If you think I'm bad, thank your lucky stars Crete is no longer in the competition.
And, as you can see, Buckey tried to screw me again. My morning became overwhelmingly busy, so I will have to return later to berate the peanut man.
a-mart
Well Liked Pager Technician
Huh, this Bilal Hasan is fighting next Wednesday on DWCS
bconcrete
VolksFAGGIN
IDK what you're talking about, I'm a delight.
He docked you for much Schulte made on the fight
. Maybe we should educate on how Piffle REALLY does that "million dollar" payout. Schulte, who I would bet the majority of his Instagram followers are bots. (100K followers, but the top reel of him getting the belt from MIKE TYSON has only 10K likes and 100 comments). The dude is definitely obscure and that doesn't change just because Dong Davies was throwing around the Saudi money.
I love Bucky, but the peanut man completely over thinks it when it comes to judging.
a-mart
Well Liked Pager Technician
The cruelty of H2H
Los Lobos
OG Junkie GOAT
I figured I'd get bounced. M y1st round mail in was bad.
Just remember @Eranys , you didn't beat me... I beat myself.
But congratulations.
To the judges...Born in East LA should've been a 7 easy. Y'all suck.
@thedarkwingduck2k11 thanks again for hosting.
Just remember @Eranys , you didn't beat me... I beat myself.
But congratulations.
To the judges...Born in East LA should've been a 7 easy. Y'all suck.
@thedarkwingduck2k11 thanks again for hosting.
bconcrete
VolksFAGGIN
Boy @Los Lobos really shit the bed.