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Mixed Martial Arts (Official Thread)

Good...they owe us a free fight after that last PPV debacle.

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The Final Conflict - Ortiz vs Shamrock III



By Thomas Gerbasi

On October 10, the most bitter rivalry in mixed martial arts history will finally come to a close when Tito Ortiz faces Ken Shamrock at the Seminole Hard Rock Live Arena in Hollywood, Florida.

Tickets are sold out for this clash of mixed martial arts titans, which headlines an exciting night of UFC action, which will be televised live on Spike TV.

“There are people around the world that invested 13 weeks into ‘The Ultimate Fighter 3’ to see Ken Shamrock and Tito Ortiz fight,” said UFC President Dana White. “So on October 10th, live on Spike TV, we’re gonna finish this thing off once and for all. Win, lose, or draw, this is it, and I’m gonna give it to you for free because I feel you didn’t get what you paid for (in their rematch).”

Ortiz, the former UFC light heavyweight champion, is 2-0 in his series with Shamrock thus far, but the bouts have not been without substantial intrigue and controversy. In November of 2002, Ortiz halted Shamrock, but it was later revealed that ‘The World’s Most Dangerous Man’ was less than 100% due to injury, and the heat between the two didn’t subside in the least.

After the two matched wits as coaches during the third season of ‘The Ultimate Fighter’, a July 8th bout at UFC 61 was supposed to settle the score once and for all, but after a furious first round assault by Ortiz, the bout was stopped at the 1:18 mark, drawing the ire of Shamrock and boos from the packed house.

“We’re all fighters, and we all deserve to win or lose as fighters,” said Shamrock. “Let’s get in there, let’s bleed together, and when it’s done, it’s done.”

“For me, it’s more about getting back into the Octagon,” said Ortiz. “This will be my third fight this year and it’s nice to be back and competing. I’m coming back to shut Ken up.”

And with so many unanswered questions surrounding this rivalry, there’s only one thing left to be said on October 10th…

“Let’s get it on.”
 
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Tyson Griffin - The Next Big Thing in MMA Arrives


Despite a host of accolades, a growing fanbase, and the type of grudging respect you only get from your peers if you have shown that you can perform at the highest levels of the game, unbeaten lightweight prospect Tyson Griffin is undaunted by the pressure that comes with being anointed ‘The Next Big Thing’ in mixed martial arts. In fact, if you ask him if he’s heard the increasing buzz about him, he just chuckles.

“I guess not,” said Griffin. “But I am a pretty laid back guy, so I just do my thing and don’t get worried about it.”

His ‘thing’ has been taking out opponents with the type of efficiency best practiced by a former heavyweight champion whose last name matches Griffin’s first. But what impresses you about the Sacramento native is that he has compiled a 7-0 MMA record that isn’t filled strictly with fighters two notches below him. He’s come up the hard way and succeeded, stopping the likes of world-class competitors Duane ‘Bang’ Ludwig and Urijah Faber in the last 12 months, and he shows no signs of slowing down. Hasn’t that surprised some people?

“Yes and no,” he admits. “There are a lot of people who are surprised by it, but I know how much hard work I’ve put in, how many hours I’ve spent in the gym, and how many times I’ve been to get stitches, had my ears blowing up, had things hurtin’ and all that good stuff, so in that short time I’ve definitely put in a lot more work than some people who have been in this sport longer.”

Working primarily out of Northern California with UFC middleweight contender David Terrell, Griffin has seen firsthand the type of work it takes to get to the UFC, and more importantly, how to stay here. Terrell has also filled him in on the pitfalls of being a pro fighter expected to do great things consistently.

“He (Terrell) took me to his last UFC when he fought Scott Smith, just to let me be in that limelight and see the crowd, just to make things easier for me,” said Griffin. “When he was coming up, he followed (former UFC title challenger) Gil Castillo and got a chance to see things before he was fighting in the big show. It made it a lot easier on him and he passed that on to me. Another thing is that he let me know that things can get to you in the ring, like hearing the crowd boo and stuff like that, and when they started booing him against Evan Tanner in the first minute, it kinda freaked him out and he took off and started throwing punches.”

Terrell would lose that fight to Tanner, blowing his chance to win the vacant middleweight crown. Griffin remembered the lessons his MMA mentor taught him when he faced the heavy-handed Ludwig in June.

“When I fought Duane, they started booing because nothing was going on and I just thought to myself ‘don’t let the crowd get to you, don’t worry about it, fight your fight,’”

And by the 3:57 mark of the opening round, Griffin had pounded Ludwig out with strikes and had his seventh consecutive victory. But instead of gloating and patting himself on the back, Griffin went back to the gym.

“I definitely take things one day at a time, and after beating Urijah, I forgot about that real quick and after beating Duane I forgot about that real quick,” he said. “People remind me by asking about the fights, but other than that, I just move on and don’t worry about the past.”

It’s a shockingly mature attitude to have at just 22, but for Griffin, this is his life, and he’s not going to let anything get in the way of his dream of being a full-time professional fighter.

“You say there are easier ways to make a living, but for me there wasn’t,” he admits. “I didn’t get along with college, I dropped out early and started working and I really didn’t like breaking my back every day. I had a wrestling background and I was in Santa Rosa at the time and heard about Dave Terrell’s place and I just wanted to work out again. I didn’t even think about fighting. The next thing you know, Dave started talking to me about fighting and he told me I could actually make a living doing this if I really wanted to put my mind to it. I sat down and thought about it and that’s what I started doing. I definitely made only a couple hundred bucks for my first fight, but slowly but surely I was patient, I had a good manager who kept me level-headed and patient, and now I’m making good money.”

But even more than the money is the fact that Griffin gets to satisfy his jones for competition each time he steps into the gym or the ring. It’s something that the middle of three brothers learned early on, and as the product of an upbringing that didn’t exactly fit on a Hallmark greeting card, sports were his savior.

“I definitely had to grow up real early,” admits Griffin. “My mom didn’t start out with a great life and my parents got locked up when I was three and we got sent to live with my grandma. My mom got out three years later, went back to college, and changed her life around 100 percent. I had an older brother and a younger brother, so I got put in check by my older brother and had to keep myself in line to set an example for my younger brother, so I had to grow up real early and realize what life’s about. It’s not about being out there, getting crazy and getting in trouble. That’s just gonna keep you going down and not up. I played a lot of sports growing up – that helped me keep grounded and not worry about things.”

And instead of using his formative years as a crutch or as a reason to go down the wrong path, Griffin stayed on the straight and narrow, always deathly afraid of losing what he loved the most because of a moment’s weakness.

“A lot of my friends were troublemakers when I was growing up, a lot of the guys on the sports teams, and I love competition way too much to get in trouble,” he said. “You get in trouble in high school and you can’t play that week. That was my biggest fear, not being able to compete and not being able to play in that baseball game or that football game or wrestling match. And I watched one of my senior captains in baseball get in trouble for a senior prank and he had to miss the last game of his career in high school. That was something I definitely wasn’t gonna let happen.”

But once high school and a failed college experiment left him working construction, Griffin had few career options until meeting Terrell. That subsequent decision wasn’t surprising to some, but it did come as a shock to others in his circle.

“My mom raised three boys on her own and she had three wrestlers, and we were always scrappin’ and fightin’, not necessarily in the streets, but we were always tough kids and it wasn’t too far fetched for me to do it,” said Griffin. “At the same time, a lot of people laughed because I was the nicest kid in the family. Everybody was like ‘why’s the little mama’s boy fightin’? (Laughs) Out of all the brothers, you’re the one fightin’?’ I guess it is what it is.”

It’s obviously paid off, as not only is his Mom proud, but he’s on his way to the Octagon on September 23rd to face London’s David Lee. It’s a daunting task, competing in one of the sport’s most loaded divisions, but Griffin’s quietly confident and already scouting.

“Every time I watch the guys fighting in my weight class I definitely line them up and critique their games a bit and go ‘I can take them there and beat him here, maybe I can be the best at this thing,’” he said. “I guess it makes things realistic for me.”

But despite his success thus far and his cool in the ring, Griffin is still like every fighter just before the bell rings.

“That’s the only time I actually get nervous,” said Griffin. “All those thoughts going through your head – what am I gonna do, should I do this, should I do that, ding, it’s too late to think. A million things go through my head right before that bell rings, but once it rings, everything goes out the door and you just do what you’ve done in training.”

So far, that’s been good enough for 7-0 and a berth in the UFC. What happens from here should be interesting.
 
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iambrutus;630580; said:
it was pretty classy of Tito to bury the hatchet after the fight and give Ken his due.

I thought is came off as pussy-ass, ass-kissing.

Tito ends the fight buy acting like he's digging a grave and then gives Shamrock's camp the double middle finger.

Not until after Shamrock came over to bury the hatchet did Ortiz lighten up.

I hope Liddell smacks him.
 
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Ortiz Retires Shamrock with First Round TKO



By Thomas Gerbasi

HOLLYWOOD, FL, October 10 ? Ken Shamrock got another minute and five seconds in his third bout with Tito Ortiz, but this time the controversy of their second bout in July was non-existent, as Ortiz once again proved his dominance against the UFC Hall of Famer by knocking him out at 2:23 of the first round at the Seminole Hard Rock Live Arena in what ultimately became the swan song for ?The World?s Most Dangerous Man?.

?Congratulations to Tito Ortiz,? said a gracious Shamrock. ?I wish him and all the people in the UFC the best. Thanks for all the wonderful years.?

And though the 42-year-old Shamrock?s career earned him a spot in the organization?s Hall of Fame, the veteran of the first UFC back in 1993 was never a match for Ortiz, who defeated him via a third round TKO in 2002, and repeated the feat in July in a bout rife with controversy due to a one minute and 18 second stoppage that was deemed too quick by fans and some fight insiders.

Thus fight number three, but again, it was Ortiz who dominated.

Almost immediately, Ortiz drove Shamrock into the fence and tried to impose his will on the 42-year-old. Seconds later, Ortiz secured a takedown and started to open up with forearms in an almost carbon copy of their second bout. And after Ortiz found some space to throw blows with both hands without any response the result was the same as well, and referee John McCarthy was forced to call a stop to the bout at 2:23

And though the bad blood between the two over the years was real, it was nice to see the two embrace in the Octagon after the bout and bury the hatchet in a great sign of class by both fighters.

Shamrock retires with a pro mixed martial arts record of 26-12-2. Ortiz, who improved to 16-4, will next face Chuck Liddell in December in a quest to regain his UFC light heavyweight crown.

In the main undercard bout, Kendall Grove, middleweight winner of ?The Ultimate Fighter?s third season, kept the momentum going with a dominating first round strike-induced submission of Chris ?The Exorcist? Price.

Grove was impressive from the outset, landing a hard right cross to the jaw of Price and then working on him with strikes and submission attempts when the fight hit the mat. With less than two minutes to go, Grove got full mount on Price and finished him off with a series of strikes that forced Price to tap out at the 3:59 mark.

The first fight of Ed Herman?s new UFC contract was a disastrous one, as UFC newcomer Jason MacDonald submitted him with a triangle choke at 2:43 of the first round in their middleweight bout.

?If they brought me here as a steppingstone, that was a mistake, because I?m nobody?s steppingstone,? said MacDonald, a 25-fight veteran who was making his long-awaited debut in the Octagon. ?It took me a long time to get here, but I?m here to stay.?

It was Herman?s first bout since a June war with Kendall Grove in ?The Ultimate Fighter 3? finale that saw him come up short on the scorecards but still emerge with a UFC deal.

Both fighters exhibited excellent offensive and defensive groundwork in the early going, with Canada?s MacDonald quickly gaining the upper hand when he landed the triangle choke on Herman. And though ?Short Fuse? courageously tried to pull out, it was to no avail, and ?The Athlete? had scored his first Octagon victory.

?The Ultimate Fighter? 3?s Matt Hamill kept his unbeaten record intact in the first fight of the main card as he grounded and pounded his way to a unanimous decision win over season two?s Seth Petruzelli in a light heavyweight bout where a late rally by ?The Silverback? wasn?t enough to cope with the strength of the Ohio wrestler.

Scores were 30-27 and 29-28 twice for Hamill.

Hamill controlled the opening round with takedowns and ground and pound in the image of his mentor Tito Ortiz. Petruzelli, who ended the round with a swollen and bloodied left eye, attempted to keep the fight standing on a couple of occasions, but to no avail, as Hamill was just too strong.

Petruzelli?s luck improved in the second round as he jarred Hamill with a kick to the head, but ?The Hammer? quickly recovered and got himself in Petruzelli?s guard, where he proceeded to stick to the ground and pound gameplan. With under three minutes left, referee John McCarthy stood the two fighters up after a stalemate on the mat, but after a few moments the bout went right back to the ground, and though Petruzelli tried to power his way out, Hamill wouldn?t let him escape and he continued to work on a new cut on ?The Silverback?s nose.

Down 2-0 on the cards, Petruzelli tried to make something happen with head kicks, but they had little effect on Hamill, who ? you guessed it ? took Petruzelli to the mat yet again. After a standup by McCarthy, Petruzelli briefly landed a guillotine choke and then landed a punch that opened a cut under Hamill?s eye. Yet just when it appeared that the tide had turned, Hamill again nailed the takedown, which again produced a standup and this time, a visit by the ringside doctor to Petruzelli?s corner. After the action resumed, Hamill was able to drop Petruzelli to the mat yet again, and fittingly, that?s where the bout ended.

?I worked so hard and I fought my heart out,? said Hamill.

Middleweight contender Nate ?The Great? Marquardt was in fine form against Crafton Wallace, submitting the Naples, Florida resident with a rear naked choke at 1:14 of the second round.

Surprisingly, it was Marquardt initiating much of the striking against the Muay Thai ace early on, and he did so effectively as Wallace seemed content to simply counter. But as the fight entered its third minute, Marquardt took it to the mat with a big slam and quickly gained side control and then half guard. Marquardt broke open a lull in the action suddenly with a guillotine attempt, but Wallace just as quickly broke free, though he was unable to mount any offense.

Wallace opened the second round kicking, but Marquardt stuffed a front kick and used it to take his foe to the mat. Soon, Marquardt got Wallace?s back and it was game over as he sunk in a rear naked choke that ended the fight the same way ?Blaze? was submitted in his first UFC bout by Martin Kampmann.

Tony DeSouza survived some rocky moments against 20-year old Dustin Hazelett in his first UFC fight since 2001, but he eventually broke through the defenses of the youngster and submitted him in the first round of their welterweight bout.

The action was fast-paced from the start, with Hazelett throwing a series of punches and DeSouza responding with a takedown. Hazelett quickly recovered though, sinking in a triangle choke that the ground ace from Peru tried to fight his way out of. Eventually, after nearly two minutes, DeSouza escaped and worked some strikes while in side control and eventually tried for a kimura on the UFC newcomer and got it, producing a tap out at 3:59 of the first round.

?It was very close,? said DeSouza of Hazelett?s early triangle choke, ?but I was not gonna tap.?

Rory Singer and Josh Haynes may be good friends outside of the Octagon, but the two veterans of the third season of ?The Ultimate Fighter? certainly fought like enemies in their three round middleweight bout, which saw Singer rise from the canvas in the second round score a bloody three round unanimous decision over his buddy.

All three judges saw it 29-28 for Singer, who is now 2-0 in the Octagon.

The pace was measured for much of the first round, with Singer holding an early lead until a right head kick literally broke things open and sent Haynes to the mat with what appeared to be a broken nose.

After surviving the round, Haynes waded back into battle in the second round, and Singer?s crisper standup technique continued to dominate as Haynes swung wildly, looking for the haymaker that would equal things up. With a little over three minutes left, Haynes got a takedown, but after Singer failed with a quick triangle attempt, Haynes decided to take his chances on the feet. And a minute later, Haynes hit paydirt with a looping right hand that dropped Singer to the mat. He pounced on his foe, but Singer survived and now both fighters were covered in Haynes? blood.

Singer was the fresher of the two leading into the final round, and he shot a series of punches down the middle which bloodied Haynes? face again and caused referee John McCarthy to call a halt to the action for the doctor to check him out. Upon resuming, Singer kept the heat on but the courageous Haynes wouldn?t wilt as he looked for another big right hand to change things around. Two and a half minutes in, Haynes slipped to the mat and Singer followed in search of a rear naked choke, but Haynes fought his way back into his opponent?s guard briefly before the two stood and McCarthy again brought the doctor in, but again, Haynes was allowed to continue and he lasted the distance by simply showing a ton of heart from bell to bell.

Thiago Alves kept the fans in his adopted home state of Florida happy as he pounded out a three round unanimous decision over John Alessio, who is still looking for his first UFC win after three tries.

Scores were 30-27 across the board for Alves, who moves to 3-2 in the Octagon and 16-4 overall. Alessio falls to 23-10.

Alves was the more effective of the two fighters in the first round as he landed with kicks, knees and elbows at various points throughout the stanza as Alessio was unable to mount any sort of offensive against the Florida favorite.

Alessio opened up with his hands in the second round, but his punches were more flashy than effective, though they did allow him to bull Alves into the fence in search of takedowns that were repeatedly foiled by ?The Pitbull?. With under two minutes left, Alves? leg kicks paid off as he was able to get on top of a hurt Alessio and tee off on his foe until ?The Natural? got out of danger and stood up. Surprisingly, it was seconds later that Alessio got his first takedown, though Alves quickly stood and waited out the rest of the round.

The most damaging kick in the early stages of the third round was a shot by Alves to the cup, but after a short break the Brazilian went back to legal blows effectively, with Alessio firing back at close range. Alves was quicker on the draw though and he continued to potshot his foe, who was game, but ran out of time.

In the welterweight opener, Marcus ?The Irish Hand Grenade? Davis earned his first UFC victory by submitting Forrest Petz at the end of a frantic first round that saw Davis fight off a bad cut on his nose to right his ship and sink in a fight ending guillotine choke.

Davis was effective early with solid knees and kicks while in the clinch with Petz and his good fortune continued on the outside as he used the skills picked up from his days as a pro boxer. But ?The Meat Cleaver? wouldn?t back up and he eagerly went toe to toe with his foe on the inside, opening up a torrent of crimson from the bridge of his nose with a knee.

With blood covering his face, Davis took Petz to the mat and tried to pound Petz out, but the Ohio native survived and rose to his feet. Davis wouldn?t be denied though, and he sunk in a guillotine choke and pulled guard with the seconds ticking away on the round. Petz hung tough and tried to last out the round, but finally tapped out at the 4:58 mark.

?I was very worried that the referee was gonna stop the fight,? said Davis, ?but I didn?t give up. I dug deep.?
 
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