Weekend wrap: Victories for Barnett and Overeem, but fans unimpressed

Many observers saw Saturday’s Strikeforce event at the American Airlines Center as an audition for Josh Barnett and Alistair Overeem to take starring roles in the MMA heavyweight ranks. Both Strikeforce fighters have been subjected to harsh criticism from fans who felt they compared unfavourably to top UFC big men such as Cain Velazquez, Junior Dos Santos and Brock Lesnar.

Saturday was a chance to prove them wrong. Unfortunately, despite both emerging victorious, neither man particularly enhanced his reputation.

Overeem toils as Werdum spoils

In fairness, Overeem wasn’t helped by a bizarre display from his opponent, Fabricio Werdum, whose histrionics did little to endear him to the arena crowd. At times the Brazilian clasped his hands in prayer in a desperate attempt to goad big-punching Overeem to the mat. Given that Overeem has built his career on powerful striking, it was an insane ploy and showed the lengths to which Werdum would go to avoid engaging with the Dutchman.

This defensive display was particularly confusing, given that when Werdum did curl his hands into a fist, he had reasonable success with his right-hand. Ultimately his lack of ambition was recognised by the judges who handed Overeem a unanimous decision.

Barnett bulldozes Rogers

Barnett, whose PED (performance-enhancing drugs) controversies have been well-documented, had looked particularly focussed in the build-up to his contest with Brett Rogers. His impromptu wrestling promo at an open media workout brought some much-needed positive PR, becoming an overnight internet sensation.

The “Baby-faced Assassin” had been widely expected to dominate the crude-but-powerful Rogers, and did so in routine fashion. His style of catch wrestling was simply too much for his opponent, whose failure to mount any kind of attack prompted some very unfair booing from the crowd.

The win, by arm triangle, was solid if unspectacular. But Barnett can only beat what’s in front of him.

The future

The fact that we’ve heard so little from the UFC upper management doesn’t bode well for either fighter.

Of the two, Barnett will be more satisfied. He outclassed his opponent and his entertaining promos, both before and after the fight, were a glimpse at the intelligent, creative character beneath an occasionally abrupt surface.

Yes, he’s had his controversies. And yes he’s made mistakes. But Josh Barnett’s comeback is gaining momentum. It will take a very talented fighter to stop him.

Ralph Welch

Email: info@ultimatefightclub

Twitter: @ralphwelch

UFC shows boxing how to make the big matches

The much-anticipated UFC superfight between Georges St-Pierre and Nick Diaz has been set for October.

Barely four weeks after St-Pierre strolled through a unanimous decision victory over Jake Shields, UFC supreme Dana White signed, sealed and delivered the biggest fight in welterweight history.

Typically, it was done with the minimum of fuss. No elaborate press conferences, no publicity stunts, no to and fro between the opposing camps. White, always open to engaging with his fanbase, gave a brutally simple message via his twitter account; “It’s on!!!!”

Dana White: “The fans wanted it”

His reasoning, much like his approach, was remarkably simple; “the fans wanted it”. And that was that. The fans wanted a big fight; he gave them a big fight.

In the UFC if you’re the number one fighter in the world, then you fight the number two. There’s no cherry-picking an easy title defence.

If you want to be the best, then you’ve got to prove it. Or you’re out.

White, known for his colourful use of Her Majesty’s English, has a mantra with which he greets potential fighters; “In the UFC, we like fighters who f*ckin’ fight. If you don’t want to fight, then go home”.

It’s an attitude that puts boxing to shame.

In two weeks’ time, the heavyweight division in boxing will finally have the big showdown the fans have been craving: Haye vs Klitschko. The build-up has been protracted and at times descended into farce.

It started with Haye ambushing Wladimir on the escalators at Waterloo. This was soon followed by Haye sporting the infamous t-shirt depicting him holding aloft the severed heads of the Klitschko brothers at a press conference – a stunt the Ukrainian described as “unspeakable”. And then we had Wladimir’s open challenge to Haye via Youtube.

There was a lot of talk, but still no fight.

As Haye readily admits, the fighters have spent over two years arguing over everything from purse splits to ring entrances. With such a fragile build-up, few of us will believe that the fight is actually happening until the opening bell sounds on July 2^nd in Hamburg.

But even Haye vs Klitschko pales into comparison with the struggle to get the two best welterweights in the world to share a ring.

Mayweather vs Pacquiao; the best fight we’ll never see

Boxing fans have been imploring Filipino superstar Manny Pacquiao and undefeated Floyd Mayweather to prove once and for all who is the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world today.

A fight between these two icons would produce hundreds of millions in gate receipts and pay-per-view buys. But even the dollar signs aren’t enough to dissuade the two camps from unnecessary posturing. The closest we came to a fight breaking out was in 2009, only for Mayweather’s camp to insinuate that Pacquiao’s legendary conditioning may be the result of illegal substances.

The fight now seems more unlikely than ever with Mayweather now choosing to fight Victor Ortiz, amidst the ongoing rift between rival promoters and TV companies.

It tells you everything you need to know about the problems in boxing today. The great contests aren’t waged in the ring with a pair of 10oz gloves. The real battles take place in the offices of TV executives and promoters, with lawyers poring over the small print.

Nobody is benefiting from it. Least of all the fans.

Dana White puts the UFC fans first

The UFC may be a dictatorship. But at the helm is a man with a clear vision.

The truth is that there is no bigger fan of MMA than Dana White. He may be a billionaire, he may be one of the most powerful men in sports, but at heart he’s the same as the millions of MMA fans across the world.

He loves nothing more than seeing two great fighters touch gloves and go to war.

He’s committed to giving the fans the best possible spectacle every time they hand over their dollars to watch a UFC event. He will never let politics get in the way of that.

St-Pierre vs Diaz is another example of Dana White listening to the fans. It’s why the sport of MMA keeps growing.

And it’s why boxing is standing still.

Ralph Welch

info@ultimatefightclub.co.uk

twitter: @ralphwelch

Labels: St-Pierre v Diaz, UFC, Georges St-Pierre, Nick Diaz, Haye vs Klitschko, Dana White UFC,

Kurt Angle in Olympics return

In perhaps one of the most extraordinary stories of the week, Impact wrestling superstar Kurt Angle has revealed that he will be attempting to return to the Olympic wrestling scene at London 2012.

Angle told The Sun: “I won an Olympic gold medal but last time I didn’t really enjoy it.

“I’m wiser, I’m smarter and I won’t make the mistakes I did last time and I’m going to enjoy it”.

Angle burst to fame after winning gold at the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta. His background in wrestling, similar to Brock Lesnar, made him a prime candidate to make the switch to sports entertainment. He duly signed a multi-year deal in 1998.

However, where Angle differed from Lesnar and others who attempted the transition to sports entertainment was his remarkable charisma. He displayed a natural talent for mic work. His character in WWE played on his Olympic triumph and Angle excelled in his often comedic role as an arrogant, egocentric and cowardly heel.

In his thirteen years in the business, Angle has become one of the industry’s biggest stars. Over the years he’s produced a showreel of outstanding matches with the biggest names of the era: The Undertaker, Shawn Michaels, The Rock, Stone Cold Steve Austin and Triple H.

Since leaving WWE in 2006, Angle has been a mainstay of Dixie Carter’s Impact wrestling promotion. He remains a standout performer. Indeed, in 2010 Angle was named “Wrestler of the decade” by the Wrestling Observer Newsletter.

Like many of his peers in an industry which takes a relentless toll on the human body, Angle has reportedly had ongoing issues with substance abuse and injuries. It’s the consequence of a decade spending 300+ days a year on the road, performing across the world and performing when stricken with injuries.

Given these circumstances, how can it possibly be realistic to expect a 43-year old, out of competition for 15 years, to qualify for the US Olympic team?

A few years ago I had the pleasure of reading Angle’s autobiography “It’s True, It’s True”. The story behind his 1996 gold medal triumph is an inspirational tale of beating the odds. He overcame fractured vertebrae in his neck to win the US Olympic trials, and a few months before the Games his coach and mentor David Schultz was murdered. Kurt trained on and emerged victorious in Atlanta, despite only being able to compete with the aid of painkilling injections in his neck. 

The Angle of that era was phenomenally driven; a fearsome competitor willing to push his body – and mind - to the very limits in order to reach his goal.

If this Olympics can inspire Kurt to such devotion once again, then who can say what might happen?

Angle maintains: “I’ve been training for the past two months. I have another nine months to train until the Olympic try-outs, so I’ll be ready”.

I know one thing for sure; it’s hard to bet against Kurt Angle when he picks up a pair of wrestling boots.

It’s true, it’s damn true.

Ralph Welch

Email: info@ultimatefightclub.co.uk

Twitter: @ralphwelch

Froch Wins, Ward awaits

Froch wins, Ward awaits


6^th June, 2011

As predicted, Carl “Cobra” Froch successfully defended his WBC Super Middleweight belt in the semi-final of the Super Six. We warned beforehand that Glen Johnson would be no pushover, and the veteran pushed Froch until the very end. It was an absorbing contest and a fantastic way for the Briton to re-announce himself back on Sky Sports.

Once again, Froch was indebted in part to his granite chin which absorbed several heavy right-hands from Johnson throughout. However, the Nottingham fighter showed his class with some effective counter-punching to take a deserved victory on the scorecards.

Now his focus will switch to Andre Ward, his opponent in the Super Six final. And it’s a huge test. The American, an Olympic gold medallist, has beaten all of his opponents thus far without breaking a sweat. That run included a convincing victory over Mikkel Kessler, who notably went on to defeat Froch in a contested decision in April 2010.

Froch vs Ward: the gameplan

Froch has been successful of late boxing on the back foot, slipping shots and then responding with punches in bunches. Where he struggled most in this tournament, as he openly admits, was against the speed and movement of Jermain Taylor. Unfortunately for the “Cobra”, Ward is both quicker and more elusive than his fellow American.

Ward is a defensive master; hard to hit with lots of movement. On the rare occasions that he is vulnerable on the inside, he’s quick to hold and smother his opponents before their punches can do any damage. It’s an incredibly effective style, though not particularly entertaining.

Respected trainer Rob McCracken will have to devise a plan to take Froch forward, slip Ward’s razor-sharp jab and hit his opponent with quick flurries. It’s easier said than done. Ward’s barely lost a round in this tournament to date.

It will surely take the performance of Froch’s career to claim victory. But if we’ve learnt anything about him during his extraordinary career, it’s that he should never be written off.