Wednesday, June 29, 2011

Barbarian Fight Club Summerfest Results

Barbarian Fight Club Crowns New 170 Pound Champion at “Summerfest”

This Saturday, June 25th, the Fredericksburg Fairgrounds hosted The Barbarian Fight Club's Summerfest card, headlined by a 170 pound title fight between Kevin "The Fire Starter" Mendoza and Grayson Rowny. The night was one of quick finishes, as the title bout was the only fight that went to the judges for a decision.

The first round was very close striking contest, with both fighters landing some good combinations and neither distancing himself on the card. In the second round, a low blow put Mendoza on his back. The break after the illegal hit seemed to light a fire under Mendoza, who began running away with the bout.

Mendoza began to work a combination of takedown attempts and clinch work to keep Rowny's back on the cage and grind him against the wall with foot stomps and knees. Rowny kept his feet for most of the bout, and even answered back with a few strikes, but could not match Mendoza's constant aggression and grinding tactics.

In the end, The Fire Started took home the unanimous decision and the 170 pound title for his methodical aggression.

In an evening characterized entirely by quick finishes, debuting fighter Zachary Finn took home one of the quickest over Travis Tisdale. Tisdale shot for a quick takedown prompting Finn to nonchalantly pull guard and execute a textbook triangle choke, submitting Tisdale just 33 seconds into the first round.

Not to be outdone, debuting heavyweight Buck McLamb put also away Gary Dixon in under a minute from the first bell. After a brief exchange, McLamb charged in for a big takedown and went to work on his opponent. After a barrage of punches and knees, the referee was forced to stop the fight at 55 seconds in.

Undefeated welterweights Quentin Stephens and Jahtee Harper clashed in another of the evening's lightening fast finishes. As they engaged, Harper pulled guard in what was immediately recognizable as a tactical error. Harper tried to stand as Stephens thundered down blows that looked like they were driving Harper through the canvas. Seeing that Harper had quickly become a punching bag, the referee stopped the bout in 24 seconds of the first round, declaring Quentin Stephens the winner via TKO.

The Barbarian card proved unkind to the Tisdale name, as Anthony "Tatsu" Tisdale also suffered a decisive defeat against debuting fighter David Tran. The first round was competitive, with Tisdale using leg kicks to get the edge on the outside striking, but giving up a takedown that likely cost him on the cards. But, in the second round, those kicks became Tisdale's undoing. An opening high kick caused Tisdale to slip and Tran to swarm in on the attack. Tran jumped into side mount and began laying down elbows on his opponent until Tisdale verbally submitted at 1:12 of the second round.

Local favorite Mike Smith was handed his first career loss by Travis Creamer in a 165 pound catchweight affair. At first, Smith seemed to take control of the bout the way he has in fights past, quickly scoring a clean takedown. Creamer popped up to his feet, only to be put down on his back again. The second began with a series of standing exchanges, with Smith not really getting the worst of it. The two men got tied up in the striking and, much against the script, it was Creamer who scored a takedown in the scramble. Smith tried to sweep up and ran directly into a Creamer triangle choke. Creamer constricted and Smith tapped at 1:07 of the second round.

Tuesday, June 21, 2011

UFC 132 PREDICTIONS-MAIN FIGHT CARD


Dennis Siver VS Matt "Handsome" Wiman - both of these guys are on a 3-win fight streak, but I have to go with the German, Dennis Siver


Tito "The Huntington Beach Bad Boy" Ortiz VS Ryan "Darth" Bader - I haven't been impressed with Bader's standup skills at all, especially in his last two fights. But, Ortiz hasn't won a fight since 2006. I have to go with Bader via TKO/KO because of his wrestling skills.

Wanderlei "The Axe Murderer" Silva VS Chris "The Crippler" Leben - This should be the best fight of the night. Both of these guys stand in there and fight. Wanderlei's last outing was a unanimous decision over Michael Bisping. Leben suffered a first round knockout loss to Brian Stann. I would be surprised if this fight went 3 rounds to a judge's decision. I'm going with Wanderlei via KO, probably in the 1st or 2nd round.

Carlos "The Natural Born Killer" Condit VS Dong Hyun Kim - This is another great matchup. Most of Kim's recent fights have gone to a judge's decision, and Condit's recent victories have come via knockout. I think Kim will play conservative and get the judge's decision in this one.

THE MAIN EVENT: The Champ-Dominick "The Dominator" Cruz VS Urijah "The Califorinia Kid" Faber. The last time these two fighters met was in 2007 with Faber winning the fight in the 1st round via submission. Cruz is a much different fighter now, and is one of the "quickest" fighters I've ever seen. His movement is very unpredictable, but Faber matches up to his style well. The fighters that have given Faber trouble have been big punchers. Cruz is not a big finisher, and Faber should get the decision in this one.

Saturday, June 18, 2011

STRIKEFORCE GRAND PRIX HEAVYWEIGHT TOURNAMENT



Tonight's Strikeforce match-ups should bring some very exciting fights.
Here are my picks for tonights main card:


Alistair Overeem vs Fabricio Werdum
* Overeem via TKO or KO

Josh Barnett vs Brett Rogers
* Barnett via submission

K.J. Noons vs Jorge Masvidal
* Noons via decission

Daniel Cormier vs Jeff Monson
* Cormier via decission

Valentijn Overeem vs Chad Griggs
* I'm going with the upset on this one, Overeem via KO/TKO

Friday, June 17, 2011

Kettlebells

Kettlebell training is a good way to change up your traditional workout routine.  Everyone from top athletes to housewives are reaping the benefits of kettlebell training.  Kettlebell exercises build strength, speed, explosiveness, and endurance by combining aerobic and anaerobic activity while performing various movements.  Unlike traditional dumbbell exercises which tend to isolate specific muscles, kettlebells work many muscle groups in unison.  Many kettlebell exercises can be performed using a dumbbell, but movements like the swing or snatch are not as fluid or natural using dumbbells.  Kettlebells are a great addition for anyone looking to add some variation to their workouts!

Thursday, June 16, 2011

Proper Body Mechanics Are A Must!

It may take around 300 to 500 repetitions to create a new movement pattern, and 3,000 to 5,000 repetitions to break a bad habit or faulty pattern!  If a person learns poor technique and repeats it continually, they will only be good at bad technique.  Using proper form at the beginning stages of your exercise program is essential to developing proper motor skills which will lead to mechanical efficiency, and success!

Wednesday, June 15, 2011

WHAT AND HOW LONG BEFORE RESISTANCE EXERCISE SHOULD YOU EAT?

You should eat a pre-workout meal 2 to 3 hours prior to training that is high in protein and complex carbohydrates.  This will insure that digestion is complete before your training session.  It is best to minimize digestive activity when performing exercise since both demand blood flow.