Friday, June 26, 2009
Head to thefightnerd.com!
Hey folks, dont know if anyone is still checking this site out, since i never really did much with it, but if you are please head to thefightnerd.com to get the latest news, info and videos from me. thanks for checking out this site, but ill thank you more to head to my main page!
Monday, May 12, 2008
UFC 83 Rundown
Strange days these are in the weeks after UFC 83. Zuffa's debut in the Great White North went as well as it could have with amped up fans and fights that... well, that's where things went awry. So let's take a look at some of the odd antics post-UFC 83!
Captain Miserable throws in the towel
"The Count" MIchael Bisping made a victorious move down to middleweight with a victory over Charles McCarthy, normally "The Chainsaw" but redubbed on TUF 4 as "Captain Miserable" for being the most emo fighter in the house. An emo fighter? Is that some kind of oxymoron? I do not like to fighter bash but McCarthy has never seemed to really want to give it his all, perhaps in his mind though he has put out his best each time but gives up on himself too easily.
In his retirement announcement that he told mmaweekly.com, he writes "I have achieved many of the goals I set out to accomplish in this sport and found others just out of reach... My goal in my career was always to be the best, and you know it just didn't work out this time. I'm okay with that. I kind of hit the whole glass ceiling in my career and I don't feel like dwindling on past my usefulness." Even in his statement, we get that same defeated attitude viewers saw during TUF 4. It is unfortunate that a professional fighter thrust into the limelight can not seem to overcome his own demons, or at least let them motivate him towards success.
He also writes that he is looking forward to focusing on teaching his students, so I wish him much success with that. Some guys are better as teachers than fighters and McCarthy will be one of those. At least he could say he threw his hat in the octagon and gave it a go, but it has always seemed like his heart is never in his fights. Nonetheless, misery loves company...
Lutter makes weight and hates his fans
Travis Lutter is another problematic fighter for UFC fans. A very good fighter who has blown some big changes. "The Serial Killer" had his biggest shot when he went against Anderson Silva for the UFC MW title... that is, if he had been able to make weight. Nonetheless he put on a good display against Silva but gassed out and was trounced upon by "The Spider".
At UFC 83, Lutter found himself up against the former MW champ, Rich "Ace" Franklin. Again, a very good start against the Jim Carrey stunt double, but Lutter gassed and was picked apart by Franklin. After this loss, what should Lutter discover but that his UFC contract was cut. Now putting himself in the hotseat, Lutter inserted his foot deep into his mouth during an interview with 411mania.com, explaining his disgust over some breed of fans.
"The other crazy thing you didn't bring up is – and you can post this or not post this – fans of this sport just suck." Lutter said while stretching his hamstrings so he could get his foot deeper into his face rectum, "I think most of them are dumb-ass kids. I'm not saying MMA fans. I'm saying the people that are writing me this shit. I think the average MMA fan rules... But, the guy who is taking the time out of his day that lives in Kentucky to email me to tell me what a piece of shit I am. You really have to question, what is his motivation? How sad of an individual is that? ... It's like, "I saw you on TV so you suck. As a fighter you suck. You've got no cardio, blah blah blah." What motivates these guys to send hate mail? I don't understand it."
This puts MMA fans in a strange place, some feel alienated by these remarks, others angry and others apathetic over a man who has missed so many big opportunities. I can see what he means, but this comes back to something Pete Sell recently said about GSP, calling him " a mental midget". As a professional fighter you will be in the spotlight over every minute thing you say or do, and the hate mail goes hand in hand with the nut hugging emails. The question is which are more important to you? It can be very tolling on the psyche to read so much negativity when you train so hard to go from fighting in barns to an octagon on PPV.
In the worst case scenario, Gary Shaw can pick him up and send him to fight with Gina Carano, pending one of them makes weight.
Nate Quarry: So you think you can dance? AKA Canada hates Kalib
The most talked about piece of UFC 83 may not be GSP outwitting Serra, it might not be how great Ben Stiller... er, Kenny Florian's commentary was. It might not even be Demian Maia getting a super sweet triangle choke on Ed Herman. Kalib Starnes, one of the Canadian's thrown onto this card, matched up against "The Rock" Nate Quarry. Starnes spent the duration of the three rounds circling away from Quarry, not willing to make any sort of contact with Quarry. "The Rock" did his best to push the action but reached the point of boredom where he played back 90's dance music and began doing his most well rehearsed hip hop dance routines. Starnes contract would also be cut after the fight, where an irate Dana White had the usual F-bombs for the Surrey native.
Starnes has answered the criticism back as well, equally as harsh but shedding some light on the situation and still leaving me dumbfounded. He brings up some good points though in his defense, saying he has been mistreated by the UFC and they show some favoritism in who they take care of and who they do not, who gets paid better and who does not. Kalib came into this fight injured and was not willing to get hurt more, even though he inevitably did, so his strategy was just to stay away. Is this a let down to the fans? Yes. Was Kalib selfish in what he did? Yes and no.
Yes, the fans did not get the fight they wanted to see and the hometown hero got booed. If he did not want to fight, he could have backed out. But he fought and in my mind he did it not just for himself but everyones rights. MMA fighters need to have a larger voice in the proper treatment of fighters, its the only way the sport will mature. Starnes and his lack of fighting was a strategy, almost a negotiation tactic. It said if you will not meet my demands, then I will make the people who bought this as angry as I am. Kalib mentioned the amount he was paid did not include his medical bills, transportation, and by the end of the night, he is lucky if he makes it out with $20 in his fight purse. How many fighters fight in the small shows and say that, let alone the big shows?
MMA is starting to peak and hit a grander stage and the rights of fighters (as well as those who make the industry go round which i will hit on another day) are being infringed still. Is a fighters union necessary? Perhaps, but how will it get started?
UFC 83 was a good event for Zuffa and to push MMA into Canada. It was definitely a good event, albeit an odd one. UFC 84 is sneaking up on us fast! I am not sure what to make of all these odd happenings after this event though, how should a fan feel? What are we truly entitled to? How much do we idolize these fighters and put them on a pedestal only to tear them down and disrespect them moments later? I wish I could answer this and in time I hope I will.
I will be at the IFL this weekend in Uncasville, Connecticut, shooting the event for Sherdog so if you see a sideburned kid hanging out ringside, say hi to me! To quote Tim White, "CAN YOU FEEEEEL IT?!"
Captain Miserable throws in the towel
"The Count" MIchael Bisping made a victorious move down to middleweight with a victory over Charles McCarthy, normally "The Chainsaw" but redubbed on TUF 4 as "Captain Miserable" for being the most emo fighter in the house. An emo fighter? Is that some kind of oxymoron? I do not like to fighter bash but McCarthy has never seemed to really want to give it his all, perhaps in his mind though he has put out his best each time but gives up on himself too easily.
In his retirement announcement that he told mmaweekly.com, he writes "I have achieved many of the goals I set out to accomplish in this sport and found others just out of reach... My goal in my career was always to be the best, and you know it just didn't work out this time. I'm okay with that. I kind of hit the whole glass ceiling in my career and I don't feel like dwindling on past my usefulness." Even in his statement, we get that same defeated attitude viewers saw during TUF 4. It is unfortunate that a professional fighter thrust into the limelight can not seem to overcome his own demons, or at least let them motivate him towards success.
He also writes that he is looking forward to focusing on teaching his students, so I wish him much success with that. Some guys are better as teachers than fighters and McCarthy will be one of those. At least he could say he threw his hat in the octagon and gave it a go, but it has always seemed like his heart is never in his fights. Nonetheless, misery loves company...
Lutter makes weight and hates his fans
Travis Lutter is another problematic fighter for UFC fans. A very good fighter who has blown some big changes. "The Serial Killer" had his biggest shot when he went against Anderson Silva for the UFC MW title... that is, if he had been able to make weight. Nonetheless he put on a good display against Silva but gassed out and was trounced upon by "The Spider".
At UFC 83, Lutter found himself up against the former MW champ, Rich "Ace" Franklin. Again, a very good start against the Jim Carrey stunt double, but Lutter gassed and was picked apart by Franklin. After this loss, what should Lutter discover but that his UFC contract was cut. Now putting himself in the hotseat, Lutter inserted his foot deep into his mouth during an interview with 411mania.com, explaining his disgust over some breed of fans.
"The other crazy thing you didn't bring up is – and you can post this or not post this – fans of this sport just suck." Lutter said while stretching his hamstrings so he could get his foot deeper into his face rectum, "I think most of them are dumb-ass kids. I'm not saying MMA fans. I'm saying the people that are writing me this shit. I think the average MMA fan rules... But, the guy who is taking the time out of his day that lives in Kentucky to email me to tell me what a piece of shit I am. You really have to question, what is his motivation? How sad of an individual is that? ... It's like, "I saw you on TV so you suck. As a fighter you suck. You've got no cardio, blah blah blah." What motivates these guys to send hate mail? I don't understand it."
This puts MMA fans in a strange place, some feel alienated by these remarks, others angry and others apathetic over a man who has missed so many big opportunities. I can see what he means, but this comes back to something Pete Sell recently said about GSP, calling him " a mental midget". As a professional fighter you will be in the spotlight over every minute thing you say or do, and the hate mail goes hand in hand with the nut hugging emails. The question is which are more important to you? It can be very tolling on the psyche to read so much negativity when you train so hard to go from fighting in barns to an octagon on PPV.
In the worst case scenario, Gary Shaw can pick him up and send him to fight with Gina Carano, pending one of them makes weight.
Nate Quarry: So you think you can dance? AKA Canada hates Kalib
The most talked about piece of UFC 83 may not be GSP outwitting Serra, it might not be how great Ben Stiller... er, Kenny Florian's commentary was. It might not even be Demian Maia getting a super sweet triangle choke on Ed Herman. Kalib Starnes, one of the Canadian's thrown onto this card, matched up against "The Rock" Nate Quarry. Starnes spent the duration of the three rounds circling away from Quarry, not willing to make any sort of contact with Quarry. "The Rock" did his best to push the action but reached the point of boredom where he played back 90's dance music and began doing his most well rehearsed hip hop dance routines. Starnes contract would also be cut after the fight, where an irate Dana White had the usual F-bombs for the Surrey native.
Starnes has answered the criticism back as well, equally as harsh but shedding some light on the situation and still leaving me dumbfounded. He brings up some good points though in his defense, saying he has been mistreated by the UFC and they show some favoritism in who they take care of and who they do not, who gets paid better and who does not. Kalib came into this fight injured and was not willing to get hurt more, even though he inevitably did, so his strategy was just to stay away. Is this a let down to the fans? Yes. Was Kalib selfish in what he did? Yes and no.
Yes, the fans did not get the fight they wanted to see and the hometown hero got booed. If he did not want to fight, he could have backed out. But he fought and in my mind he did it not just for himself but everyones rights. MMA fighters need to have a larger voice in the proper treatment of fighters, its the only way the sport will mature. Starnes and his lack of fighting was a strategy, almost a negotiation tactic. It said if you will not meet my demands, then I will make the people who bought this as angry as I am. Kalib mentioned the amount he was paid did not include his medical bills, transportation, and by the end of the night, he is lucky if he makes it out with $20 in his fight purse. How many fighters fight in the small shows and say that, let alone the big shows?
MMA is starting to peak and hit a grander stage and the rights of fighters (as well as those who make the industry go round which i will hit on another day) are being infringed still. Is a fighters union necessary? Perhaps, but how will it get started?
UFC 83 was a good event for Zuffa and to push MMA into Canada. It was definitely a good event, albeit an odd one. UFC 84 is sneaking up on us fast! I am not sure what to make of all these odd happenings after this event though, how should a fan feel? What are we truly entitled to? How much do we idolize these fighters and put them on a pedestal only to tear them down and disrespect them moments later? I wish I could answer this and in time I hope I will.
I will be at the IFL this weekend in Uncasville, Connecticut, shooting the event for Sherdog so if you see a sideburned kid hanging out ringside, say hi to me! To quote Tim White, "CAN YOU FEEEEEL IT?!"
Thursday, April 24, 2008
Greatest Announcer of all time - DJ Hapa vs Scott Ferrall
The MMA world has witnessed some strange things. We have seen Emmanuel Yarbrough clubbed into submission with Keith Hackey's limp broken arm at UFC 3. We have seen Fedor suplexed into oblivion only for him to rally back moments later and beat his opponent. We have seen Joe Son in a thong. But in this case, I want to discuss something we have heard.
The commentators and announcers are essentially the ambience of the show. Without them, those watching at home would hear nothing but a bunch of fans making farm noises and hooting at the ring girls. They can help make or break a show for the home viewer. But the live audience does not get to enjoy the inane banter of Mauro Ranallo or the always popular Joe Rogan quote, "HE JUST GOT ROCKED!" No, dear reader, the live audience is pushed to cheers or jeers by the ring announcer. Today, I would like to discuss two very important ring announcers from two very special shows and pit them in a battle to see who truly is the greatest.
We all remember DJ Hapa from the K-1 Dynamite!! USA debacle not too long ago. That show brought us such memorable moments as Brock Lesnar's decimation of a tomato can, multiple last minute replacements and Royce Gracie testing positive for a comically absurd amount of nandrolone (along with several other fights failing their post fight drug tests).
But the true stand out from that event is DJ Hapa, one half ring announcer, one half DJ, all around more irritating than skidmarks in your briefs. Sharing the same fashion taste as K-Fed, DJ Hapa scratched away during fights, judges decisions and fighter announcements while the poor audience in LA was forced to sit there and seethe in their anger. Originally hailing from KSWB-TV in LA, this is the man who told the audience to boo saying, "The fighters like that. It gets them riled up." , and also inquired who liked warcraft. According to fightlinker.com, he was brought in to draw a korean audience in. The best he did was humor us all with his awesome and irrelevant DJ skills. Some of his more memorable quotes include him repeatedly imploring the crowd to "Make some nooooise", and mispronouncing "Brack Lesner" and "Royce Gracie" with a hard R. Quotes only go so far, as I mentioned before he spent the night doing what DJ's do best. Assuming, that is, if he was DJing a party and not an MMA event.
Now we move on to the most recent scar in MMA announcing history. He is Scott Ferrall, talk show host on Sirius radio known for being very controversial. He is also known for a voice that sounds like he did not just smoke the pack of cigarettes, he ate them and washed them down with a cold, tall glass of razor blades. If you ever heard someones nails run across a chalkboard, imagine that while chimps with explosive diarrhea are jumping on your head and a dentist is drilling your teeth, and you just might feel an inkling of the pain Ferrall's voice inflicted on the crowd during YAMMA Pit Fighting's debut event. In a heavyweight tournament, a quote such as this is absurd, "Looking like he hasn't eaten for a week and is headed to the electric chair!" He made sure the arena knew they were in "The Taj" and massacred referee Dan Miragliotta's name the entire night, as well as reminded the audience that two of the fighers in YAMMA were recovering substance abusers. Great way to show some positive light on an event that had enough trouble before Farrell opened his mouth.
Here are just a few of the gems from his piehole:
"Standing in the blue corner, looking ready to dance and get it on..."
"In charge of the leverage tonight in the YAMMA pit, ... Big Dan the man, how can i be the man if you're the man, Dan Miragliotta"
"Travis 'The Diesel' can i get a room with a Wiuff!"
"Shake it ooooppp!"
"Stomp you outtt!"
"Staring him down with a nasty glare.... and laced with tats!"
(In regards to the championship belt" "The strap-on!"
" A muay thai and wrestling bad ass, say hello to George W. Bush the third, he runs the country better than our regular president, give him a little love tonight!"
In this battle, there are no winners. If I had the choice of listening to these two men in one room at the same time or taking a cheese grater to my testicles, I would pick the cheese grater with no hesitation. DJ Hapa has since returned to his DJ ways, while Ferrall is the ring announcer in the new MMA movie, "Redbelt".
Does anyone else miss Lenny Hart? I know I do.
The commentators and announcers are essentially the ambience of the show. Without them, those watching at home would hear nothing but a bunch of fans making farm noises and hooting at the ring girls. They can help make or break a show for the home viewer. But the live audience does not get to enjoy the inane banter of Mauro Ranallo or the always popular Joe Rogan quote, "HE JUST GOT ROCKED!" No, dear reader, the live audience is pushed to cheers or jeers by the ring announcer. Today, I would like to discuss two very important ring announcers from two very special shows and pit them in a battle to see who truly is the greatest.
We all remember DJ Hapa from the K-1 Dynamite!! USA debacle not too long ago. That show brought us such memorable moments as Brock Lesnar's decimation of a tomato can, multiple last minute replacements and Royce Gracie testing positive for a comically absurd amount of nandrolone (along with several other fights failing their post fight drug tests).
But the true stand out from that event is DJ Hapa, one half ring announcer, one half DJ, all around more irritating than skidmarks in your briefs. Sharing the same fashion taste as K-Fed, DJ Hapa scratched away during fights, judges decisions and fighter announcements while the poor audience in LA was forced to sit there and seethe in their anger. Originally hailing from KSWB-TV in LA, this is the man who told the audience to boo saying, "The fighters like that. It gets them riled up." , and also inquired who liked warcraft. According to fightlinker.com, he was brought in to draw a korean audience in. The best he did was humor us all with his awesome and irrelevant DJ skills. Some of his more memorable quotes include him repeatedly imploring the crowd to "Make some nooooise", and mispronouncing "Brack Lesner" and "Royce Gracie" with a hard R. Quotes only go so far, as I mentioned before he spent the night doing what DJ's do best. Assuming, that is, if he was DJing a party and not an MMA event.
Now we move on to the most recent scar in MMA announcing history. He is Scott Ferrall, talk show host on Sirius radio known for being very controversial. He is also known for a voice that sounds like he did not just smoke the pack of cigarettes, he ate them and washed them down with a cold, tall glass of razor blades. If you ever heard someones nails run across a chalkboard, imagine that while chimps with explosive diarrhea are jumping on your head and a dentist is drilling your teeth, and you just might feel an inkling of the pain Ferrall's voice inflicted on the crowd during YAMMA Pit Fighting's debut event. In a heavyweight tournament, a quote such as this is absurd, "Looking like he hasn't eaten for a week and is headed to the electric chair!" He made sure the arena knew they were in "The Taj" and massacred referee Dan Miragliotta's name the entire night, as well as reminded the audience that two of the fighers in YAMMA were recovering substance abusers. Great way to show some positive light on an event that had enough trouble before Farrell opened his mouth.
Here are just a few of the gems from his piehole:
"Standing in the blue corner, looking ready to dance and get it on..."
"In charge of the leverage tonight in the YAMMA pit, ... Big Dan the man, how can i be the man if you're the man, Dan Miragliotta"
"Travis 'The Diesel' can i get a room with a Wiuff!"
"Shake it ooooppp!"
"Stomp you outtt!"
"Staring him down with a nasty glare.... and laced with tats!"
(In regards to the championship belt" "The strap-on!"
" A muay thai and wrestling bad ass, say hello to George W. Bush the third, he runs the country better than our regular president, give him a little love tonight!"
In this battle, there are no winners. If I had the choice of listening to these two men in one room at the same time or taking a cheese grater to my testicles, I would pick the cheese grater with no hesitation. DJ Hapa has since returned to his DJ ways, while Ferrall is the ring announcer in the new MMA movie, "Redbelt".
Does anyone else miss Lenny Hart? I know I do.
The Fight Nerd - "You wouldn't hit a guy with glasses, would you?"
Bienvenue au monde selon le "Fight Nerd"!
Welcome to the official and original blog of the Fight Nerd! Who am I and why should you care about yet another monkey who knows how to manipulate his fingers to work a keyboard? Honestly, you probably should not but you are still here, so I will try to find a reason.
This blog will discuss the world of Mixed Martial Arts, that is MMA. You know, that stuff with the two sweaty men with crewcuts, tattoos and board shots rolling around the ground inside a cage? Yeah, that stuff.
Of course, MMA already has many blogs out there, so what makes me special? I am a professional illustrator/photographer/ designer who gets to do alot more that the average fan is not privy to. I have plenty of war stories and will have more as my career goes on.
I have been a fan of MMA since I was about 14, I wanted some excitement in my life and was sick of anime and pro wrestling, so I grabbed a copy of UFC 1 on VHS, not knowing what to expect. I was hooked! I had never seen a sumo get his face kicked in or a "boxing person" completely dominated by some scrawny looking Brazilian.
I came in during the dark ages of MMA when it was blacklisted and nearly extinct. In fact, the first UFC i can remember hearing about that was new at that time was Frank Shamrock vs Tito Ortiz. So I had a lot of catching up to do, which included watching ALL the UFC's inbetween, Pancrase, RINGS, IVC and other Vale Tudo shows, those crazy Russian shows with the ten sided cages, and everything else that used the term NHB or MMA.
I have also been training in various martial arts since I was 8 but none of that is too important here. My goal with this blog is to educate the new fans on what is happening in MMA, past, present, and future. Plus I finally have an outlet for all my incredibly stupid stories that I am dying to tell. We are living in the golden age of MMA, a time where it is coming into the mainstream. It is a time of growth and maturation in this sport and I want to make an impact in some way. So stay tuned, folks, The Fight Nerd is here!
Welcome to the official and original blog of the Fight Nerd! Who am I and why should you care about yet another monkey who knows how to manipulate his fingers to work a keyboard? Honestly, you probably should not but you are still here, so I will try to find a reason.
This blog will discuss the world of Mixed Martial Arts, that is MMA. You know, that stuff with the two sweaty men with crewcuts, tattoos and board shots rolling around the ground inside a cage? Yeah, that stuff.
Of course, MMA already has many blogs out there, so what makes me special? I am a professional illustrator/photographer/ designer who gets to do alot more that the average fan is not privy to. I have plenty of war stories and will have more as my career goes on.
I have been a fan of MMA since I was about 14, I wanted some excitement in my life and was sick of anime and pro wrestling, so I grabbed a copy of UFC 1 on VHS, not knowing what to expect. I was hooked! I had never seen a sumo get his face kicked in or a "boxing person" completely dominated by some scrawny looking Brazilian.
I came in during the dark ages of MMA when it was blacklisted and nearly extinct. In fact, the first UFC i can remember hearing about that was new at that time was Frank Shamrock vs Tito Ortiz. So I had a lot of catching up to do, which included watching ALL the UFC's inbetween, Pancrase, RINGS, IVC and other Vale Tudo shows, those crazy Russian shows with the ten sided cages, and everything else that used the term NHB or MMA.
I have also been training in various martial arts since I was 8 but none of that is too important here. My goal with this blog is to educate the new fans on what is happening in MMA, past, present, and future. Plus I finally have an outlet for all my incredibly stupid stories that I am dying to tell. We are living in the golden age of MMA, a time where it is coming into the mainstream. It is a time of growth and maturation in this sport and I want to make an impact in some way. So stay tuned, folks, The Fight Nerd is here!
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