Foreword This has been written to share a few of my views and increase the exposure for some of the smaller companies around Tycoon World as well as publicising some of the up and coming managers that are cropping up under the radar. Hopefully there is a little incite for the beginner and may spark some others to voice their opinions on a range of subjects which continues to keep chat and the forums busy and active. You may agree and you may not and it is up to everyone who has an opinion to post that no matter if they have never been actively part of the Tycoon community or if they have been here many more months than I. I do plan on doing one of these every few weeks and would love contributions from anyone who has an opinion on something or if you can't wait, get it down so it can be viewed and discussed whether that be the current shape of the UFC's heavyweight division or the way to get the best out of a certain type of Tycoon fighter. Theory and ideas drive everyone further, raising the bar higher and higher which will hopefully give the game longevity. CardiffWanderer
Content Sliders -What Are They Good For? Company Ownership - The 'Dam - Ground & Pound Blood On The Canvas: Evolution Of A TUF-Style Tournament Impressions Of a Noob Coping With The Oldies - What Do MMA Legends (RL) Meet The Orgs - See Who Is Out There In Tycoon Land VFC:E Reviews - Check Out The VFC:E's first four events
Sliders - What Are They Good For? Single Shots vs Combinations A big question when setting up a predominantly striking fighter is whether to go with single punches that will be more accurate or with the deadly combinations that can have another fighter in a coma in ten seconds flat and how to know what the best option is in which circumstance. This is not an easy question to answer as it has been shown that the counter wrestler has become particularly adept at picking of the power combination and yet still having that thought in the back of your mind the longer the contest goes on the bigger the chance of that takedown that could spell disaster. It is a conundrum that faces many managers and you are not alone if you have pondered over this for some time. Therefore this is a basic pro's and con's list to how to decide which is the best for you in your situation. Single Shots The biggest pro to a single shot in that you are guaranteed a greater deal of accuracy and control over the fight. If you consider the single shot as the jab in this instance, although in reality it represents any one shot attack from the overhand right made famous by Chuck Liddell to the left counter hook which is becoming more and more common in real life mma, it is a very useful took to keep your opponent at a distance. If someone is being punched when they come in to engage they will be less likely to be successful as they are either blocking or taking punishment. This can be done in both an aggressive and a countering way as both have their advantages. Many assume single, accurate shots are naturally teamed with countering an aggressive opponent however it can used as an offensive weapon as well, cornering the opponent and bossing them around the cage or ring. With a series of single aggressive shots the system will throw in some power a shots as well as the all important jab so as well as dominating the round you can also potentially knock out your opponent. There is always disadvantages to every strategy, in this case this does open you to a strong wrestler who will go through the shots and land the takedown and also puts you potentially in danger to be drawn into the clinch although it has been shown to stop clinch engagement successfully. On the countering side it is the more obvious approach, waiting for the opponent to engage and landing the power shot to try and knock the opponent out at his weakest. It is a often used and has been the bane of the one dimensional jiu jitsu fighter who has to get the takedown at all cost. However it is not the miracle technique it can appear to be, as discovered by many who have encountered a high level clinch fighter that has been able to
wrap them up consistently. Therefore looking at other approaches may be wise for some who have been suffering lately. Combinations No one has to tell MMA fans, boxing fans or even the odd tekken fan that combinations can and quite often are (if you've been playing tekken) lethal. A good combination can punish every area of the body leaving the opponent both physically and mentally exhausted, wondering which way is up and which is down to the point where a knock out becomes inevitable. However we also not what the downside of combos can be as you watch a man desperately punch thin air with all his might for ten minutes only for his opponent to be able to walk in and push the exhausted fighter to the floor with minutes left to go. With combinations it is all about getting the most out of the upside with minimising the downside as much as possible. One thing to consider when using a high amount of combinations is that you will want to mix the punches up more, combinations can start with a head shot but they can also be very affective if you start off on the body forcing them to defend that position and then the fighter to finish with a hook to the side of the head that can be more devastating as it is not being protected. This is very different to single shots where it is advisable to look at head shots a lot as this is the most likely way you will get that one shot knockout. Being highly aggressive with combinations has been the way to go, especially with people who hold great boxing and the punches and strike defence to back it up. You can literally bully the opposing fighter into submission and it has been proved to be extremely difficult to counter when coupled with the defensive wrestling and big right hand that separates the good from the great. In fact this high aggression method has got to be recommended to those with this luck of the draw and it will get you very far although it should be clear that a wrestler can take advantage of these combinations and get you to the floor and you also become susceptible to the high kick KO. Countering combinations have been one of the least used techniques in the game because they are also arguable the most difficult to get right as many people will have seen someone trying to counter with a combination and not manage to land and even be re-countered themselves, especially into a big take down however it may have more purposes than thought. One of the big uses for the counter combination is when two straight up boxers go to war as the counter combination can often be a surprise tactic that can end this highly volatile mix in the knockout in your favour. Many people expect to see one of the other options and don't look to prevent the counter puncher throwing in bunches and can leave people wondering how they lost so it is also worth considering. So where is the best medium?
The most important thing to remember is that everything is dependent on both sides of the situation, the battle may be decided by who has out thought the opponent and sometimes it is about who is the best fighter and frankly sometimes it is down to pure luck. For every example of a tactic working, it can be shown to have failed but going in with the most information will give you the best possible chance. Therefore going for one of these tactics is unwise, it is about compromise and adaption to the situation, predicting what is going to be the most effective way to use these different attributes to get the best possible results. The most obvious one is to try and set up combinations with single shots, setting sliders to around 65% single shots and 35% combinations with the objective being to set the opponent on his back foot and then finish him off with a deadly combination. Another is to set it at 55% single shots, 45% combos to set up a takedown in an aggressive display of power that opens up the takedown. On the other side of this you can use combinations on the counter, setting it to 65% in favour and use it as a way to get into the clinch for a Muay Thai stylists. Also worth considering is how do you mix these strikes with kicks, these can be far more deadly than anything else in the arsenal but that is another discussion for another day. So the key is formulating the plan to serve you best for the individual war that your fighter will approach and no one can give you a guaranteed formula to make you the next superstar manager.
http://www.mmatycoon.com/nutritionpublic.php?ncid=1529
Company Ownership MMATycoon has some businesses that aren't just established but legendary and this has been the aim of so many young managers who enter the game, therefore how and why do you go about it Shaun Skaggs has started a gym in Amsterdam called The 'Dam: Ground and Pound http://www.mmatycoon.com/gympublic.php?gmid=952 and these are opinions in his chosen field and why he went about setting the gym up, the way he did Why did you open a speciality gym? Do you think gyms in MMA Tycoon will go this way in the future? I opened up a specialty gym for a couple of reasons. 1.) I wanted a place where you could train your ground fighter to the best of their abilities. In a ground oriented gym, sparring would be that much more benefiical because of the quality of wrestlers and bjj guys involved. 2.) Since I am still new, and I understand how hard it is to compete with the older guys, I wanted to make a gym with true 150 elte coaches but at a smaller price. It is really not about profit, as it is more about making the new guys that much better. Of course older fighters are welcome too. But at $275 per week, this gym is affordable by everyone. What is about ground work that you found appealing? This is how I see MMA Tycoon gyms going. It is just better all around training. I have the majority of my own guys in the stand up or grappling type gyms. Lower class sizes and more geared towards my goals for my guys. I think just like in real life, wrestling is a base you must have. Also, no fighter should ever go into a fight as a white belt. Learning the ground game makes your stand up that much better. The ground game is man's game. What is the benefits of joining your gym? Who do you feel it is ideal for? My gym strives to become the top grappling gym in all of Tycoon land without ever going above $400 or 70 fighters. I want this geared towards the people who can't dish out $600 per week for a gym. All new and old are welcome. Right now, there are low class sizes and good sparring sessions going on. I always keep the gym in tip top shape and will continue that. How do you plan to develop the gym further? I do have a plan for future development of my gym. In the very near future I will be adding a dbl elite wrestling/bjj coach for defensive grappling as well as adding a takedown defense coach. After that, the goal will be to add a replica coach every few weeks until we have 2 coaches of all the main ground disciplines and circuit training. Just remember if you want to be a Champion, you have to start from the Ground up!
First impressions of a noob Coming into MMATycoon is a fairly scary experience. At first, it seems fairly straightforward, and scanning through the help-files appears to help you in creating your first fighter, but a lot of the knowledge can only be acquired through talking to other users. I did what most new users apparently do, which is to create fighters that are “well-rounded”, but really suck at everything because they have no specializations. This is the part that needs to be clarified the most, because as a new user I don’t want to have to read through tons of wiki articles, I just want to get the knowledge I need to create a fighter presented to me in an easy-to-understand tutorial (preferably with pictures), so I can get into the heat of battle as soon as possible. The wiki help files are of some help, but despite being used to taking in and processing large amounts of information, I felt that there was a lot of information overload, because the information is presented in a way that doesn’t explain terminology or in a step-by-step manner. Nevertheless, I soon got into the game fast enough, thanks to some very helpful people on the forums – particularly the Noob section – and in the chat, where information and help can be presented in a way that isn’t like doing research. The learning curve is fairly steep, but once you get over the first threshold – namely learning how to assign your fighters’ skill points, learning what to train and about supplements – you’ve conquered the biggest obstacle to enjoying the game. A nicely made tutorial for creating a fighter, setting him up in a gym and buying your first stamina supplements for cardio training would help this process immensely. Once past the threshold, the game really draws you in and makes you want to invest your time (and money, through VIP) into it. A 3 month VIP is relatively cheap and comes with so many perks and advantages that it’s really worth the $10 to try it out. The one complaint I have is that if you go bankrupt when running a business, you lose your money. That’s really harsh, considering a lot of new people won’t realize just how tough and money-demanding it can be to run a business. Even a clothes shop can run you deep into debt if you’re unlucky and it is hard to break into a market that is already dominated by others. The one thing you have to compete with is lowering prices, since all products are basically the same – in the different quality categories obviously – and this kind of evolution will eventually lead to a position where no one is making any money, because the consumer only buys from the cheapest and when the “cheapest” makes no profit, the shops become merely time-consuming, with no real advantages for the player owning them or their fighters.
Getting fights through the QFC is really easy and accessible, but the fact that it takes three real-life days to get to the fight probably puts a lot of new people off. You have to remember that the current mentality surging through society encourages instant gratification and starting the game by forcing the player to wait for three days until anything really happens is down-right silly. I am not saying QFC should offer instant action, but there should be some kind of “sparring” option, where you can pit your fighter against a nonplayer character in a spar twice a day, so that you can get some action and feel that something happens instantly. Organizations and sponsors are fairly easy to get in touch with over the forum, chat or via PM, but the fact that there is no in-game function for asking an organization for a contract or a sponsor for an offer – without sending a PM – takes away from the game. Every time you have to leave the game interface to perform a game action, your suspension of disbelief suffer. Nevertheless, the thought behind sponsors and organizations is obviously good, but it can be developed immensely. Moving into the community is probably the most rewarding thing about the game. The community is extremely helpful and friendly and I have felt very welcomed by everyone. There will always be rotten eggs, but so far I have found very few, and they have not interacted with me personally. I have already met a number of terrific people that I am sure I will develop great friendships with during my time playing the game. Shop owners, org owners, other managers and newbie-friendly advisors are all contributing to the warm and friendly feel. Ending this write-up on a positive note, I want to add that as an aspiring game designer, I see an enormous potential in MMATycoon – similar to what I saw in the online soccer manager game HatTrick in 1998 – and I really believe that this game can become something huge. Official affiliations with real-world MMA organizations (for name and likeness licensing) could possibly be to enormous benefit, and while there are some rough edges, the game has so much fun stuff already and there will only be more to come in the future. "Marcus Sjoberg joined MMATycoon on the 12-04-10 and was good enough to write this within 48 hours of joining the game. Check his clothes business Dragon MMA Gear http://www.mmatycoon.com/clothingpublic.php?cid=1161 and has provided the VFC:E posters"
BLOOD ON THE CANVAS THE EVOLUTION OF A TUF-STYLE TOURNAMENT BY: BUSTER GLOVES At first, the show was just an idea. What can I do to burn some time in between fights? I’ve already bought as many fighters as I can. I’ve already started a successful business in the game. And I’ve definitely logged way too much time at work reading the forums and in the chat room. There has got to be something else. There has got to be something new; something fun and interactive that uses this amazing fight engine made by Mike Tycoon to create something memorable. And then there it was. The preview for The Ultimate Fighter 11: Liddell vs. Ortiz. This show has been done 10 times already and I still come back for more. Even after a lack luster Season 10 that featured a house full of fat guys with no cardio and mediocre technique, I still come back for more. Why? Because there is always that hope that I will witness a miracle. You know what I’m talking about. I’m hoping for the underdog with a bloody nose and a punchers chance, scrapping his way to a victory. I’m hoping for the 2 guys with granite chins and big hearts destroying each other for 3 rounds, but lasting a lifetime. I’m hoping for a legendary moment. So why can’t I have the chance to create a legendary moment? Why can’t you? I mean we have all the pieces to do it. We’ve got the fighters, the engine, and most importantly; the passion. So how do we make it happen? The Concept Everyone says, “Let’s have a tournament and see who comes out on top.” Well that’s not good enough. In order for this to work in MMATycoon, we needed to have a tournament where everyone has a chance. We needed to make sure that everyone felt like, “That could be me.” So I put my head together with some of the best minds in the game and came up with a plan for a show. And show is the right word for what we are doing, because we want more than a tournament with 1 winner and 15 losers. We want a story with 16 characters. And we are calling that story “Blood on the Canvas”. Blood on the Canvas, or BOTC as we call it, was picked as the title of our show for three main reasons. First of all, we wanted a catchy name. The Ultimate Tycoon Fighter was appropriate, but lacked originality. Second, is the simplicity of it. Blood on the Canvas a literal description of what to expect: brutal cage-fighting with bloodied faces and broken warriors. Many times after these fights, all that remains is the blood on the canvas and it is the story of the events that have occurred there. Third is the double meaning of the title. The blood on this show is the fighters. They represent youth, life, excitement, and courage. They are the pulse of what we have here. They are what brings the show to life. The canvas
is the opportunity they are given when put on the stage. It is up to these artists to work with the skills they have to create their own masterpiece. And when they are gone, their life’s work will remain as a testament to their accomplishments, proving that they made their mark on the world. We honorably call their masterpiece “Blood on the Canvas.” So I took my ideas to the public. I posted the concept on the forums and mentioned it on my company page. I figured that if there was no one showed any interest in what I was trying to do, I should probably just scrap the whole idea. To my delight, the forum post generated a ton a hits and prompted many readers to contact me and find out how they could become part of the show. That’s when my idea began to really come to life. And it meant I needed to do more than just dream. It was time to get to work.
The Location The first thing you need when developing a show is to pick a location. Everything else in the creative process will revolved around the location of your show. I picked New York as my location to host the show. One might select the location for a show based on the number of fighters or managers in a city, but for me the choice was simple. I own the #1 clothing company in New York and I live in Baltimore Maryland (3 hours south of New York City). My manager ID is located in New York as well as all of my fighters. It just didn’t make sense for me to start anywhere else. I have also decided that all fighters in this competition must be created and must train in New York. However, in the future it might be interesting to do an international competition where one fighter is selected from each city or country. The Staff The key ingredient for any business venture is having the right people. You will need trustworthy people who are dedicated to the cause. In the case of BOTC, this meant finding people to host and guide the show as well as finding someone to delegate responsibilities. I decided to be the point person on this project. It is easy to lose sight of the big picture while ironing out the details, and who knows better than me what the big picture is supposed to look like. It’s in your best interests to find managers that have experienced fighters, comfortable bank rolls, and understand how to run a company. A manager who has dealt with issues before,
both in-game and in real life, is more likely to prevent you from falling in to the same traps twice. He or she might also be able to provide a fresh perspective of the situation and help you find an easier solution to your problems. I was fortunate enough to find three managers willing to join the cause. Cardiff Wanderer, one of the most helpful managers in the game, was recommended to me by a friend. I approached him with an offer to join the show as a moderator and consultant. In this role, he would ask as an impartial 3rd party in cases where one is needed. I am convinced that you need a moderator on your show in order to protect the integrity of the competition while ending disputes that can cause the show to destroy itself. Scott Anderson approached me with great enthusiasm about the show. Eager to help any way he could, we decided to use his fight organization as the host for the show. Fight Club New York is a mid-level org with a healthy mix of mid-level fighters. We are convinced that this type of org is best for our show and he graciously accepted our offer. Max Powers is my counterpart in New York. As owner of BioPharm Nutrition, New York’s #1 supplier of quality supplements, he brings a lot to the table. The success of his business is proof of his dedication. It is also an asset to have such a popular brand as BioPharm as part of the show. Now armed with 2 top sponsors (PWNAGE and BioPharm), a fight org, and a well-versed moderator, it was time to get down to the nuts and bolts of the show. The Tournament The show revolves around the tournament between the fighters. The path through this tournament will determine the ultimate financial success of its participants. It also provides the necessary progression for the life of the show. Setting the parameters of the tournament is easy. Just select the number of fighters, the weight class, experience levels, and appropriate age limits. On BOTC, we made our choices with the greater good in mind. To ensure the show is over in 4 events, there will be 16 fighters. If you want a 3 event show, use 8 fighters. 5 event shows take 32 fighters. If you want multiple weight classes, it gets more complicated, but I’m sure you can figure it out. Each manager may only enter 1 fighter. This prevents managers from developing factions of fighters or throwing matches in an effort to protect certain fighters. All fighters must be created in New York and may only train in New York. This puts all the managers on the level preventing managers with huge bank rolls from using other international gyms. Having only New York gyms to choose from will put the same limitations on all the fighters.
All fighters must be created on the same day. This ensures that everyone has the same amount of time to train. All fighters must be 18 years old. Fighters train fastest at that age, but start with the lowest number of skill points. We decided that there would be no weight or height restrictions for the fighters. This will ensure the fact that every fighter will make weight for every fight. It also gives participants the flexibility to create any style fighter they wish. We want these new fighters to continue on after the show and achieve greater accomplishments. It may also be intriguing to see how height/weight differential plays a part in the game engine.
Cash Prizes Every tournament has its winner, but what incentive does everyone else have for participating? Nothing is worse than a first round loss and then watching someone else rise to fame while you are his tackling dummy. So we decided that everyone should have something to fight for no matter how many times they lose. We have generated a prize pool compiled of donations from different sponsors. Each fighter will get a chunk of that prize pool. Even the last place guy gets ½% of the prize pool. The winner of our show gets 20% of the prize pool. So if you raise $50,000 for the show, the fighters will get a final payout of anywhere from $2,500 to $10,000. Fighters who do no fulfill their 4-fight contract will not get any bonus and their cash is spread among the other fighters. Sponsors It is very important to get hooked up with companies that will sponsor your show. They will help you promote what you are doing, they will contribute to your cash prize, and they will sponsor the fighters. The clothing company in our show is giving each fighter a $300 sponsorship and providing a new set of clothing every 2 weeks. The nutrition company in our show is giving out a $300 sponsorship to each fighter and a free supplement. We also have gyms that are willing to waive their gym fees for one or two fighters while the show is going on.
The Org Many fight organizations utilize tournament during their first couple cards. The tournaments are a good way to sift through talent and ensure hyped matches after a few fights. They also gain the attention of the fighters, many of whom just like the idea of being part of something. Because all of our fighters in the tournament will be new and inexperienced, it will only benefit a small to medium size fight org to host our competition. Chances are that the first round or two of the show will not make much money, but later rounds should return better ratings. We were lucky enough to get Fight Club NY to be our host. They have committed to host our 4 shows, provide 500/500/500 contracts to each fighter, create a super heavyweight division just for the show, and create a title belt just for the winner. The Coaches Although having coaches for each team is not necessary, it will certainly flesh out the show. A coach can give his fighters good matchups and then prepare them for the fight. We decided to have Buster Gloves (owner of PWNAGE Clothing) and Max Powers (owner of BioPharm Nutrition) as the coaches. They will draft teams, pick the fights, have a coaches' challenge, and fight at the end of the show. Role-playing What makes BOTC different from every other tournament is the fact that we promote roleplaying. We encourage managers to speak as if they were the fighter. This adds another dimension to the game, where character backgrounds, personalities, and differences can lead to friendships, rivalries, and creative storytelling. We allow manager to make RP’s (posts on the official forum page where they can make comments in-character about themselves or other fighters). It is possible to talk trash about a fighter and also give praise to his manager at the same time. This is the art of role-playing. By going on the forums and saying what your fighter would say, rather than what you would say, enhances the story and will help participants get deeper in to the show. This style of show will not be for everyone, and some players will only care about statistics, wins, and money, and they will exploit every rule they can to get it. The Show – Fighter Creation/Introduction Everything up until this point has been planning, and to be honest, running the business part of this thing sucks. But eventually, the show begins. On a given date, all the fighters are created on the same day. We chose to have our fighters created after the gym fees were taken out on Thursday night. There will be one more week before the players are drafted. This will give fighters a chance to go on the forums and introduce themselves in a promo. It will also give the coaches a chance to get to know the fighters and develop a strategy for who they want to take in the draft.
The Show – The Draft We will have our Moderator (Cardiff Wanderer) flip a coin to see which coach gets first pick. That coach will get to pick the first and every other fighter after that for his team. The other coach will pick second and then every other fighter after that. A week later, the coaches will set fights for the first round. The coach that drafted second will get to set the first fight and then every other fight after that.
The Show – Round 1 The first fights will happen 4 weeks after fighter creation. This is 3 weeks after the draft and only 2 weeks after the fights have been picked. Only fighters that win move on in the winners’ bracket of the tournament, but the fighters that lose still have something to fight for. Each round each fighter faces another with an identical record. Each fighter gets 4 fights and the result of these fights will determine what place they finish in the tournament.
The Show – Rounds 2 and 3 and 4 2 weeks after the Round 1, the coaches will pick the fights for Round 2. This gives fighters 1 week to game plan for the fight. The coach of the team that won the most fights during Round 1 will get to set the first matchup. If Round 1 was a draw, the same coach that set the first matchup in Round 1 will also set the first fight in Round 2. Rounds 3 and 4 will work the same way, always with 3 weeks in between fights. The only difference on the Finale is that the coaches will have a match between two of their fighters. Extras – The Logo To help the players get in to the show, we have also many elements to the show itself. First you should start with a logo. The BOTC logo is basically a pool of blood on a white background. The center of the blood pool is wiped away, only to reveal the name of the show. The blood represents the brutality of the show, while the white background keeps it simple. All logos should be simple, catchy, and memorable and I think the BOTC logo covers all three bases.
Extras – The House The Ultimate Fighter house is a base of operations. It is a controlled environment where variables are eliminated and the true nature of a character is revealed. What will happen when you put 16 different people in the same exact situation? How will they react differently? We decided to place our fighter house in the mountains of Pennsylvania. Although the exact location in not revealed, it is clear that it is secluded and well equipped for at least 16 guests. We have given the fighters plenty to do at the house by adding a pool, a gym, a bar, a movie theatre, an arcade, and even a bowling alley. We also added pictures to help players get a mental image of the setting. Extras – The Jerseys While matching uniforms are not essential to the competition, some players will enjoy the idea of being part of a team. So we have decided to send each player a jersey for the team they are training on. In fact we have decided to send them 2 jerseys per round. The jerseys will promote our show, the companies involved, and will hopefully improve the morale the fighters leading to better ratings. Extras – NPC’s (Non-Player Characters) One last thing we added to the show is a staff. We welcome players to use these NPC’s for their interviews, promos, and character development. The last thing we want to do is limit anyone’s creativity and adding NPC’s will give fighters the opportunity to interact with other people without affecting other fighters. By adding these characters, we have done a lot of the legwork, and have provided them a platform to demonstrate their personality traits. We have introduced fictional field reporters, color commentators, expert analysts, and ring girls. Each fighter can use these characters any way they like. The Big Picture Now that all the pieces are on the chess board, all that’s left is to play the game. Blood on the Canvas is designed to give participants the opportunity to explore every aspect of MMA. MMATycoon provides much of the experience, but does not allow fighters the chance to come to life. Fighters are more than just their statistics; they are living breathing creatures with emotions, life stories, and dreams. And our show is a platform that allows players to put their heart in to a fighter. It is only my responsibility to document the experience. There’s only one way to find out how things turn out. Don’t miss the upcoming season of Blood on the Canvas on MMATycoon. For more information on Blood on the Canvas, go to the PWNAGE Clothing store in New York or PM BusterGloves.
Coping with the Oldies How should MMA (The UFC especially) celebrate its aging stars and When is Enough? UFC 112 was an event which had many of us shouting at our screens wondering what was one of the greatest fighters in the world doing standing there and not pressing the action against a smaller inferior fighter and then we had the clowns come on for the main event. With this happening, the Matt Hughes verses Renzo Gracie was lost on many but it was a prime example of what is becoming a growing problem in mixed martial arts; The problem of what do you do with the people who help make the sport but are now being left behind. This list of names is as star studded as they come, Liddell, Ortiz, Couture even the legendary Big Nog have fallen to the times as the sport has exploded into an era of super athletes who would have otherwise gone into other sporting fields. However if it wasn't for these men would these new athletes would even want to be involved in a sport that was not too long ago compared to human bear baiting. When Tito Ortiz and Ken Shamrock faced off at UFC 40, it increased the buy rate of a PPV by four times anything in the Zuffa reign had experienced and allowed them to start competing financially with the super power promotion that was Pride at the time. These are names that have graced some of the biggest stages and broken records repeatedly for years. However these years of breaking records and creating drama are now simply catching up on them, Liddell loss to Rashad Evans was telling, as was the one sided affair that ended in Matt Hughes staring up at Thiago Alves not to mention the way that Nogueira has been knocked out twice in two match ups after not being defeated that way in over 35 previous times where in some cases he took on far more damage. Time has taken away from there once seemingly insurmountable powers, there takedowns no longer explode quite as much, their hands are just that little bit slower and they feel that bit more pain each time they get hit. No doubt that they crave for their time again, to know that they are one of the best fighters in the world but that has now passed. So what should happen to these former greats? What is currently happening is not working for the companies involved or the paying audience. No one really wants to see Josh Koscheck destroy Frank Trigg, so I highly doubt it added any PPV sales and it did nothing to add to either's reputation as everyone expected it to be the walkthrough it was. In fact, it could have only really hurt Koscheck as even if Trigg had one everyone would ask if Koscheck had a questionable chin and Trigg just got lucky. On the other side it also kept new and upcoming stars off that card, in this case Jim Miller didn't get the exposure that can help build his career.
So what are the alternatives? Letting Them Out To Pasture It is often the first thing people jump on, make them retire and we can just remember them from when they were great. However this is not a simple nor necessarily wise alternative for the company as these names will still draw the casual fan and giving them away to a competitor could seriously damage the product by boosting those around them. This might seem to be a price worth paying to some but when your bottom line is the thing that keeps your job in place, this is unlikely to happen. Another issue with this is the contracts these fighters hold, many of them don't just have multiple fight deals they also have guarantees that they will feature on the main card which will make losing the contract very difficult indeed. Look at the current court battle between Zuffa and Ken Shamrock to see that. Putting On Legend Events This definitely has some up sides, especially for free to air shows such as it would bring these guys together and open up the main cards to those who deserve their place on current form. Many would enjoy seeing these guys coming out once every six months to showcase what they can still do and people will pop to beloved memories. However there is the obvious downside, the clearest being that some of these fights are frankly dull. Matt Hughes and Matt Serra anyone? Too much of that may lose more fans than it gains and could hurt the overall product and who is too say who deserves to be put out to the masters league and who shouldn't. It could be a hard sell for anyone involved. Better Event Management Fights need to be booked with care and it is a common belief that poor event booking creates poor fights. Making sure a stand up guy fights a grappler so you get conflict and excitement as they both try and use their own game plans to go on to victory and it means you don't get bad kickboxing matches where two guys who are afraid of each other's ground games . The argument continues, if this is what the public wants, that is what they should get and with these elder statesmen it is not as important to match each other on record. However there is also a lot wrong with this as well. Firstly, it does destroy the notion that people get the fights that they deserve and is the basis to why people watch MMA, even if we do not necessarily agree with the booking. Eventually it will come down to repeated match ups and boredom that way and does not cancel out the problem of fading stars filling up the main card where new comers could thrive. So it is not an easy decision and there may be a better way but it is certainly a challenge for MMA and its biggest companies to face in the near future.
Meet The Orgs - See Who Is Around In Tycoon land
Carnage Fight League, a Las Vegas-based mixed martial arts company is proud to announce that champions have now been crowned in the organization’s top five weight classes. At Carnage 6: Entitlement, Carnage’s top pound for pound fighter, Cameron Diesel, fighting out of the America’s Most Wanted/Danny Caldera training camp defeated Kari Salmelainen when he locked in an armbar that the Finnish fighter couldn’t escape. Diesel’s win in his Carnage debut made him the first ever Carnage Light Heavyweight Champion. Also on the Entitlement card, Jamey Jasta representing the Thundering Herd Fighters Alliance stopped Buff Bagwell via TKO with two seconds remaining in the second round en route to his fourth straight victory and the Carnage Welterweight title. Jasta had won each of his three previous career fights by first round submission. The third title bout on the Entitlement card saw Scipio Africanus land over 300 kicks in a stand-up war that culminated in five round unanimous decision victory over Steve Willis to become Carnage’s inaugural Middleweight Champion. Africanus, fighting for Team Raffer Steele, had never been past the first round prior to the epic five round battle that produced his first title. Entitlement’s fourth and final title fight of the evening matched Carnage newcomers Vekkuli Toveri and Johnny Johnson in heavyweight brawl captured by Toveri who became the first Carnage Heavyweight Champion after an up-and-down seven fight stint with IGR. Carnage 7: Vitality produced the fifth champion in Carnage’s brief, but exciting history, when Carolina Top Team’s Ngaio Bealum stunned the previously unbeaten BJ Ericsson with a vicious uppercut seconds into the fight that sent Ericsson to the canvas. A wobbly Ericsson managed to get back to his feet only to be met with a brutal right hand that ended the fight and made Bealum the new Carnage Lightweight Champion after only fifteen seconds of action. Carnage returns to action on April 23, 2010 when Carnage 8: Conviction invades the 750seat Wild Bob’s Bar in Las Vegas headlined by two top contender matches. The Main Event
wil feature two unbeatens as Samuel Washington takes on Kevin Van Dam with the winner getting a shot at the middleweight crown in May. The Co-Main Event features another pair of 3-0 fighters as Richard Kuklinski battles fellow unbeaten Christian Striker with a shot at the Light Heavyweight crown at stake
Gladiator Cartel Fight Club is an organisation in Los Angeles set up my Mr Cropper and is looking to build the company up from the bottom, finding young inexperienced fighters and build them up to become the best in the city. The GCFC has partners across the globe who will be arranging inter-promotional match ups which will add another exciting element to the situation and create a unique feeling around the place as you will be fighting for the company and the city as well as yourself! The opening event saw some exciting action, including notable wins for two light heavyweights Dan Wagner and Eric Vaughn Dez who both showed impressive striking and big power to win their debuts in the company in a card that featured six other fights and was a strong starting point for the company to be successful in the future. Openly looking to include new talent, the GCFC has big ambition to gatecrash the very biggest orgs in the region and hopes to be considered with the very best around. Contact the org if you are looking for a contract!
The Vicious Fighting Championship began in October '09 and has become one of the most highly thought after organisations in London, establishing themselves consistently in the top 5 in London and top 40 in the world for the majority of 2010. Owner Scott Campbell has also grown to become one of the most consistently fair match makers in the Tycoon World and has shown time and time again that the best talent from all across the world are migrating to his cause, with many predicting that the organisation will be top 20 in the near future. An ideal place to go for the successful star looking to test themselves at the highest level and with notable stand outs such as welterweight champion Jake "Baby Boy" Redd 11-2-0 and the best unknown in the game "Maze The" Blaze Hastings (6-0-0), the VFC is a place to be
VFC:E Europe is an upcoming organisation based in Amsterdam who are actively looking for young managers to learn the game and mature into champions. Successfully putting on as series of growing shows, the VFC:E has shown that new managers can create some of the most exciting and innovative match ups that Tycoon has seen for some time, it is an exciting place to be. Celebrating the announcement of its first title fight at VFC:E 8: Monumental Occasion, this may be the perfect chance for managers who are looking to try themselves out. Read the VFC:E's events in the following segment.
The VFC:A started out as the Ultimate Kombat Championship (UKC) in Rio de Janeiro back in September 2009 and has put on 20 events to date and stands 7th in Rio currently. In March 2010 the organisation was re-branded to the Vicious Fighting Championship serving as the South American branch of the Vicious Fighting Alliance's 3 strong force of orgs. The organisation has enjoyed recognition as one of Rio's top tier orgs and participated in the Rio Super 6 Light Heavyweight tournament hosting two events. The VFC:A operates the classic 5 weight division set up (Lightweight up to Heavyweight) and fights take place in a cage over 3 or 5 five minute rounds.
Notable fighters currently signed would include current champions; Jesse James (LW champion, 8-1), Dirk Ante (Welterweight champion, 11-5-1) , Rauno Viittala (Middleweight champion, 6-1) Lyoto Machida (Light heavyweight champion, 8-0) as well as Bruno Davol (6-1), Vitor Belfort (6-1) and the entertaining heavyweights Bobby Lee (8-4-1) and Nate Harrison (5-0) not to mention others.
The VFC:A is currently seeking to expand their roster numerically and in terms of quality and future events include a Middleweight title fight between Viittala and Belfort both 6-1 and the final of the Heavyweight tournament.
VFC:E Reviews VFC:E 1: New Opportunities VFC:E 2: Candid Reasoning VFC:E 3: Realizing Expectation VFC:E 4: Unhappy Consequences
VFC:E 1: New Opportunities The Vicious Fighting Championship: Europe's first event was a special time for all those involved in the business partners including the VFC in London, the VFC:A in Rio and of course our very kind clothes suppliers Anarchy Fightwear who everyone should continue to check out. The first submission of the night was claimed by Dirk Bandana (1-0-0) who was able to successfully take down "Archangel" Gabriel Striker (0-6-0) and dominate on the floor however striker is showing more and more accruement to protect himself from submissions as he was able to survive twice in the first round. However dominance was definitely on Bandana's side and was able to force the kimura early in the second to claim his debut victory. Badr Hari (1-0-0) also managed a debut victory against another debutant Hans Hammer (01-0) in a three round battle that was mainly dominated within the clinch, in fact 12 minutes of the fight was in this position. The difference in numbers tells the story once it was in the clinch as Hammer landed three shots while Hari landed over 70 shots which both cut and rocked his opponent and deservedly gave him the victory. Raymond Hood (1-0-0) was another who put on an impressive display landing 53 out of 53 elbow on Hans "Frog Smoker" Wigger (0-1-0) as Hood took the fight on the cards. Hood dominated all three rounds with a combination of stand up dominance and impressive defensive which nullified Wigger's best hopes. Hood will be a difficult opponent for everyone at 155. Striking one out against grappling as "Kokomo" Joe Powell was able to land the decisive blow to Jack Bauer (0-1-0) who was unable to land the decisive takedown that would be so important to his game plan. However this was mainly due to Powell's power as he was able to hurt his opponent very quickly which lead to the big right hand that landed square on the chin and finished the fight in under 2 minutes. However this next fight shows that grapplers can overpower stand up guys as Chilli "Spicy" Con Carne (1-0-0) managed to get the all important takedown within the opening seconds that left Eric "Foreplay" Foreman (0-1-0) with a desperate defence on the floor that only lasted a couple of minutes. Con Carne was just too strong for Foreman who was mounted and eventually succumbed to a guillotine form the mount position. "Wild Thing" Rick Vaughn (1-0-0) took just 90 seconds to defeat Nico Obino (1-1-0) and it was a surprising fight as only two blows were needed to finish the outing however the most effort was from Obino. Obino went for five takedowns, and it was clear that he had the mental drive to go through with it but the physical abilities were not quite up to the task and was cut with the first shot landed on his hand and the second knocked Obino out. A remarkable fight with two fighters with big futures.
Olly Oxenfrei (0-1-0) dominated his bout with Tappin "Out" Datass (1-1-0) until Datass pulled off the world class takedown and took a matter of seconds to finish the fight on the floor which has raised expectations all around for just how far Datass can go in this division. However a more experienced Oxenfrei could be a dangerous man as he did not seem to know where he wanted to hold the fight with a constant clinching and breaking that eventually became his downfall. The next scheduled fight did not happen due to Raoni Overeen not making weight. A remarkable dangerous exhibition of Muat Thai in the co-main event as Tugg "Scorcher" Speedman (0-1-0) came unstuck against the Jeff "No Question" Albertson (1-0-0) due to a one minded game plan that proved to be very effective and took all three rounds in the judges eyes. Speedman showed a good chin, eating 82 elbows without even being rocked but the control that Albertson showed was also impressive and will certainly be dangerous for an one who goes into the fight unprepared. Speedman will come back knowing that he is a fighter but will need to work on the takedowns to really show of his overall game, as he failed in all 41 attempts in his debut. The main event was a bit of a non event as the dangerous "Prince" Sanitha Muralitharan looked just 16 seconds to knock out the injured "The Cheese" Noel James with an impressive display off attacking boxing with a man who just should not have been cleared to go into the fight. However it did give the fans that moment that they will all remember forever.
VFC:E 2: Candid Reasoning The second event for the VFC:Europe was another successful encounter that saw the arena full to breaking point and the fighters not letting anyone of them down. It was an event that had everything that a lover of MMA would want and the drama that came across was really a proud moment for all those involved. The undercard started with a dominating one sided fight from Nevin Urkow (1-1-0) who showed nothing but heart in and belief in taking the victory over Rolly Durham (0-4-0). Durham was not able to get his Muay Thai going and simply did not land anything of any note outside the first few seconds of the match up where he looked very powerful. However from that point, it was all about the big takedown and then ground control as Urkow landed all 64 attempted strikes on the almost defenceless Durham and it was a surprise to many the ref did not stop the fight. The stat that really showed Durham's problems in this battle was that the white belt spent 13 minutes of the fight on his back at the mercy of the wrestler. Promising "Mighty" Mike Mackey (1-1-0) took just 15 seconds to beat Gabriel Fenilli (0-4-0) who promptly retired after the event after the cut was seen by specialists after the event. Mackey will be one to watch for the future.
Bill "Quick Slick" Slick showed more grit grinding out a Bas "El Guapo" Ubereem in a scrappy affair that never really settled down with the success of the take down being the key to victory as Slick was able to land consistently more than Ubereem however neither were able to anything significant on the floor that could be scored as a critical action. Lots of questions about how both fighters will go in the future. Another impressive display of wrestling was put on by Alex "Kuku" Kukushkin (1-1-0) who was able to use his experience to get the better of "Beg" Matija Gubec (0-1-0). "Kuku" came in knowing what that taking the striker out of his comfort zone was important and took the take down when it was available which did just that. When this had tied the younger man, Kukushkin also landed some vicious ground and pound however Gubec showed great heart getting to the end of the fight. Both have bright futures and great potential. Short and not too sweet encounter for John Dorian (0-2-0) who tapped to a tight armbar that was impressively delivered by Elkir Delfino (3-5-0). Dorian was also the catalyst of his own demise taking Delfino to the floor and simply being outclassed in that position having been able to dominate in the clinch just moments before. However it will be a tough folly for the next man to face Delfino who definitely seems to be on a roll. In a battle between two power boxers, Bram "Francium" Van Rompaye came out on top gaining the knockout in 31 seconds however this was not the one sided affair such a short fight may suggest as "His Name Was" Robert Paulson (0-2-0) had landed a huge right just moments before that looked like it was going to finish the fight his way and was unlucky that it didn't. Both men will go on to fight another day with the knowledge that both connect hard and with great power. The expectation around Ryan Ford was huge going into this contest and he did not disappoint as a ferocious melee that was a site to behold which was simply too much for debuting Liam "Alter" Igo (0-1-0). What impressed observers the most was how Ford's combinations landed with great precision as well as power and will this could signal great things for his future. On the other hand Igo should not be disheartened, it will have been a learning opportunity for the young man who will come strong another day. The beauty and the beast affair, finished in a spectacular submission for the "Gorgeous" Garvan Grocz who managed to outwit the powerful boxer Kamil Jonak (1-1-0). Grocz was very much the underdog for the contest having seen Jonak knock out his last opponent in 11 seconds however Grocz took the fight into the clinch immediately and from that point the one dimensional nature of Jonak became clear. From that point it was all control one way from the Prague native and it was only questionable whether Grocz should have softened the bigger man up with ground strikes before going for the spectacular submission as it was clear by the second round he was starting to tire. However the tactic worked as the panic of the bigger fighter showed and eventually Grocz walked away with the triangle victory, and Jonak returned to boxing ending his MMA career.
Two fighters who have both been named as prospects went head to head in the co-main event, with Theo "Dragon" Dor (2-0-0) coming out on top of My Name (1-1-0). The name of the game was control in this fight as both men had respect for the other mans strength's as My Name was perfectly aware that he had a big stand up advantage and looked like he was using it to good affect for the first few minutes of the round, although you could argue that the lack of strikes thrown probably did not do enough to deter Dor. However it was Name who did decided to take the fight to the floor and Dor took his opportunity delightfully, synching up a tight arm bar that left Name with no option but to tap. MI Callis (5-0-0) took the victory against "APR" John Otway in another main event exhibition match up. Callis and Otway who are training partners clearly were a little unsure of one another and it was a surprise when Otway took the fight to the ground although he did little to improve position there as Callis's skills were evidently stronger but what surprsied fans more was that Callis ended up on his back a second time having pulled guard from the clinch. This time it was all a plan as he used the position to gain an armbar and claim victory, much to the approval of paying fans.
VFC:E 3: Realizing Expectation The name could not be any clearer as VFC:E 3: Realizing Expectation was all about fighters announcing themselves to the organisation and the city. Many fighters are the man before they step into the cage and many have to take an almighty slice of humble pie and this could not be any clearer than in this event. However that does not mean that those on the losing side cannot come back to become champions, as shown by the very best in Tycoon Land. The first fight of the night started dramatically and ended astonishingly as Ryan Tyler (1-0-0) pulled off a last gasp kimura to claim victory over Aaron Lanigan (1-1-0) with just 3 seconds left on the clock. The fight started off so well for Lanigan who managed to land a huge right hand in the first 45 seconds which simply split Tyler open like a lemon but a wise takedown from Tyler saw the striker on his back and gave the more rounded man a chance to recover. From this point the fight went downhill for Lanigan, who began to be controlled and punish by his opponent which saw him very frustrated through the end of the first round and all the way through the second. Round three was Tyler's time to shine, and a clearly tiring Lanigan was struggling to cope with the constant submission attempts but Tyler managed to crank the arm lock which meant it just never got to the judges decision. In the following match up, it was a far more one sided fight with Aaron "Dyke Fingerer" Alard (1-0-0) dominating Neopa Yuanstoliva (0-4-0) in a fight that the stand up artist just never got going in. The fight ended in the dying moments of the second round but the submission was looking inevitable from the opening minute of the first round as Alard was able to take top position almost immediately, something he also succeeded in doing in the 2nd round as well. From that point, it was a matter of good control and staying busy as the
referee allowed the fight to stay on the ground the whole time and when Alard pulled the kimura from side control, it was a fitting end to the fight. Many people thought this was going to be a close fight with two fighters with a reputation for being as tough as they come however it was Christian Gagnum (1-1-0) who showed a wise head and comprehensively won the fight on the judges' cards over Adrian "the Devil" Degavato (1-4-0). Gagnum showed some great accuracy and patience jabbing Degavato as he came in for the take down and completely took the more experienced fighter out of his game. When Degavato did take the fight to the floor he simply did not do enough with it and the constant effort to drag the fight to the floor got to Degavato and frankly he was lucky to get out of the third round. Scorecards were unanimous and all three judges gave Gagnum the third round by two clear points in a very impressive display. A busy display from two lightweights, as Miyamoto "Destructor" Musashi (1-0-0) overwhelmed his more experienced opponent Fibelas "Fibelinhas" Alameda (2-4-0) in his debut in mma. Musashi showed why the lightweight can be so exciting throwing an average of one strike every 4 and a half seconds and this work rate was just astonishing. Alameda was able to get to the floor briefly but inexplicitly stood up out of it and then the fast moving Japanese competitor just took over. Then end was a disappointment to many, not because the onslaught of punches was not a spectacle but due to the entertainment on display. Shortest fight of the night saw Mister "Really Tight" Happypants (1-0-0) destroyed Ronaldo "The Crocodile" Jacare with two massive combinations that has ended the Brazilians career. Such a dramatic event lasted just five seconds. The opening of the main card was more about what didn't happen that what did as two men who were obviously cautious of each other faced off and in the end the superior wrestling of Peter "Spider" Parker (2-0-0)that one out against "FFK" Pete Fingers (0-1-0). In the end the inability of Fingers to pull the trigger was costly as he did have a clear advantage there but in reality, there was also signs that Parker was not willing to capitalise on the floor either. Both fighters move on and will have tough tasks ahead. Dwight Schrute (1-0-0) show enormous power in his 42 second knockout victory over "Nubz" Nubbie Nubz (1-3-0). Every power clearly hurt Nubz who showed his big heart as many may have collapsed the second Schrute had landed a clean shot on his chin but he took several strikes and only the referees intervention stopped the fight as Nubz looked willing to take the punishment for some time to come. Olly Oxenfrei (1-1-0) showed a good range of mixed striking against Jetti "Knie In Je gezicht" Telegaar (0-1-0) which saw both men go toe to toe in a spectacular exhibition with neither man looking to back down. First round was all Oxenfrei who repeatedly cut open Telegaar and it looked like that fight was close to ending. Confidence flowing, Oxenfrei got to lose
though and Telegaar was able to hit back, landing a series of headkicks that had Oxenfrei wobbling. It all came down to the third and again, a refocused Oxenfrei was able to pick his opponent off and one a fairly one sided round. An exciting fight for all involved. Effectiveness of the clinch was shown in a closely fought co-main event as Jason "The Jobber" Jobber (2-0-0) picked up the 29-28 unanimous decision victory against the tough Bill "Stand up" Crisp (3-3-0). First two rounds was about control with added elbows and knees from Jobber who was cut early in the fight but never really looked dominant and this was proved as the clinch continued to work in the second but Crisp was able to break it with more ease as both tired and landed his best shots, arguably being closest to winning the fight in the distance. Finally the main event was between two men who reputable liked to stand and bang was a surprise as Christian "The Postman" Thompson (3-0-0) used his experience and greater wrestling to beat Jacque "JSP" St Pierre (0-1-0) by unanimous decision, the third in a row. St Pierre is still believed to be the more dangerous boxer, we just did not see it happen as Thompson shot in and used a variety of Ground and Pound and positional control to take the young fighter out of his element. Thompson may have made the biggest impression of anyone in the company so far.
VFC:E 4: Unhappy Consequences Excitement levels increased again as the level of competition showed no signs of abating with 10 fights that resulted in 9 of the match ups finishing within the permitted time limit as VFC:E 4: Unhappy Consequences started to steal hearts and minds across the Netherlands. Paid attendance saw another significant increase with expectations of a sell out at the next event and from that point only bigger and better things are expected from such an impressive line up of young and upcoming fighters. The first fight saw why being one dimentional, even if you very good in that aspect is a bad idea in mma as Aaron Kingstown (1-1-0) defeated Jeff "No Doubts" Albertson (1-1-0) by submission early in the first round. Albertson was always looking for the clinch and Kingstown dropped down and dragged Albertson in his guard. From there it was clear that Albertson was a duck out of water and Kingstown synched up a delightful looking Guillotine to win in 63 seconds. Jack Russell (0-1-0) suffered a surprise loss to Liam "Alter" Igo (1-1-0) as the Brazilian jiu jitsu brown belt was able to capture the wrestler in a slick looking armbar from the bottom. Russell looked like he has a came plan in action, big slams and a controlled ground and pound from the top and standing out of the position when he felt threatened however a little too much confidence after an impressive first couple of minutes saw Igo secure an arm and looked like he has an interest in taking it home with him. A big win for the young man.
Power of the clinch was in full effect as another first round finish occurred as debutant Brendan "Blackthorn" Reilly (1-0-0) took the victory. It started off well for his opponent "His Name Was" Robert Paulson (0-3-0) with a display of boxing but from a little after a minute it went downhill. First a takedown which seem to drain the confidence from Paulson and then Reilly caught the clinch which allowed him to land some big shots, including a finishing uppercut that would have rocked the best in the world. Everything after was rather academic and the ref had no choice to stand in with only 5 seconds of the round to go. The only decision of the night can only be described as an ugly affair, Eric "Foreplay" Foreman (1-1-0) looked to get the big head shot while Alexey Ignashov (0-1-0) was desperate to get the fight to the floor, in what has been seen as a strange move from the Muay Thai expert. In the end all three judges gave the decision to Foreman but both will need to go back to the drawing board. Controversial end to Owen "Sparks" Starks (1-0-0) defeated Robert "Da Brawler" Baril (0-10) by strikes. Baril had try to avoid getting involved with Sparks stand up game as much as possible, pulling guard and taking the poor position in return for avoiding the strikes. This tactic worked well in round 1 but round 2 Starks was more a live to the possibility, showing accurate striking while avoiding coming into contact with the opponent, however it was the finish that had fans talking. It appeared that Baril received a thumb in the eye and turned away, clearly in pain but the ref seems to have missed it and Starks swarmed, TKo'ing his opponent and winning in impressive fashion. Another impressive display of takedowns as Nico Obino (2-1-0) dominated Badr Hari (1-1-0) eventually claiming victory by rear naked choke. Obino never let Hari get going, taking him down on three occasions and keeping busy on top, damaging the striker enough to keep the ref, to the most part, happy. Eventually Hari was hit by a huge right hand that made him squirrel to his back, and opened up the perfect opportunity that Obino gladly excepted. A bloody encounter for Dirk Bandana (1-1-0) as he was split open by the punching power of the experienced Simon "Conetto" Pegg (5-2-0). However it showed just how good Bandana's chin really is as Pegg has been a destructive fighter in his last few fights and he continued it in his VFC:E debut. Even a knockdown did not deter Bandana who faced the onslaught head first and would not back down, only for the doctor to step in for the fighters own good. Staying unbeaten in this early part of your career is always a good thing and so Bryan "The Beast" Baker has managed to do with unequalled aplomb as he got the best off Trodisnilson "Satanas" Santana da Silva (1-1-0). Santana is an extremely talent striker and will not be backing down to any tasks ahead of him but Baker's wrestling was just too good taking the fight to the floor at will. What may be more impressive is how defensively well Santana did against Baker until the end of the 2nd round, where the inevitable happened, Baker finally took Santana's back and that was all she wrote for this fight.
Ryan "The Experiment" Ford (3-0-0) is a top fighter in the VFC:E right now and the fact Rick Rolled (0-1-0) and the surviving late into the 2nd round surely indicates that he has a very promising future for all to see. We all knew about Ford and well he showed that he could cope with anything, he has great knockout power and is coupling it with extreme accuracy to make him a dangerous opponent for all to see. Next for Ford is Christian "The Postman" Thompson for the first ever VFC:E title at VFC:E 8: Monumental Occasion The final match was short and not very sweet Gio "Axe" Naza (7-2-0) destroyed "APR" John Otway (4-5-0) in short time as Naza quickly took the fight to the floor and showed merciless ground and pound that left the purple belt Otway with nowhere to run and even less places to hide. Naza landed four great shots but it will disappoint those around Otway that he have in so easily, self respect was lost there will need to be returned in the future for the young man. Naza goes onto bigger and brighter things.
A Thank You Shaun Skaggs Marcus Sjoberg Buster Gloves And so many more, they know who they are.