Quick thoughts on UFC Live 3
Sanchez vs. Kampmann
Martin Kampmann got ripped off. He should have won that fight, and not just because Diego Sanchez’s face looked like he had been run over by 14-wheeler, but because Kampmann landed more accurate strikes all evening and defended all of Diego’s relentless take-down attempts save for one. Diego was clearly outmatched on his feet, and there is no way he deserved the victory tonight, even if he never stopped coming. That’s my opinion, anyway. End result aside, it was a very good match and a lot of fun to watch!
Tavares vs. Roller
For the first round and then some, it seemed like Thiago Tavares’s much-improved striking would lead to an easy win for the Brazilian over Shane Roller. Then, about a minute into the second round, Shane connected with a perfect right hand followed by some fists on the ground, for the up- until-that-point unlikely victory.
Dollaway vs. Munoz
The question going in was if the strong wrestling pedigree of both CB Dollaway and Mark Munoz would sort of cancel each other out, and that’s pretty much what happened. Dollaway might have thought he was still able to defend himself intelligently after that devastating right hand by Munoz, but it was clear for everyone else he simply wasn’t. His eyes rolled into the back of his head and letting the Filipino Wrecking Machine continue to pound away at his fallen foe would have been nothing short of criminal. Referee Mario Yamasaki absolutely made the right call.
Quick thoughts on Strikeforce
Marloes Coenen must be very relieved today with how close she came to losing her coveted Women’s Welterweight title. That relief was obvious on her face as she sunk to the mat after releasing the fight-changing triangle choke in the fourth round. The previously undefeated Liz Carmouche surprised most with her solid wrestling base and extreme aggression throughout the fight, ending both Rounds 2 and 3 in full mount, reigning down blows on the champion.
The three-man announcing team really drives me crazy listening to [it]! Frank Shamrock’s fake laugh and Mauro Ranallo’s desperate attempts to constantly coin phrases are unbearable! The only one that I enjoy is Pat Miletich. The Croatian Sensation – while a bit rough around the edges when he first took a place on the Strikeforce commentator’s team – has developed into a very insightful caller of the fights. Drawing upon his considerable experience as a mixed martial artist, he is pointing out things the average viewer (who never sets foot inside a cage) wouldn’t pay attention to and explains what the fighters are trying to do. He carries himself well and generally comes up with thoughtful observations, which make the fights even more colorful. Mauro Ranallo is so intent on being remembered that he takes up way too much space, even though he is bearable to listen to at times. But when he decides how a match should be viewed after only a minute, you know he’s already made up his mind beforehand what he’s going to talk about and isn’t commentating on the actual action going on in the cage. The fake laugh of Frank Shamrock has to go! I get it, you enjoy joking amongst yourselves, that’s fine! But at least give the impression you are actually having fun instead of this dry, humorless attempt at laughing. It’s even worse when he inserts it in the middle of words, as if what he just said was something very unique and almost unbelievable.
Cavalcante vs. Henderson
Being 40 years old and capturing the promotion’s Light Heavyweight Championship is an impressive feat! Not sure if that says more about where Dan Henderson is today or the current 205-pound fighters in Strikeforce. Not one of the past four champions has managed to defend their title, so it will be interesting to see how Hendo fares. For better or for worse, the promotion now has several former champions to match him up with, and that has to be a good thing.
** Oscar Dronjak’s (HammerFall) MMA Hammer of Justice, Part 1 by clicking here.
** Oscar Dronjak’s (HammerFall) MMA Hammer of Justice, Part 2 by clicking here.
** Oscar Dronjak’s (HammerFall) MMA Hammer of Justice, Part 3 by clicking here.
** Oscar Dronjak’s (HammerFall) MMA Hammer of Justice, Part 4 by clicking here.
** Oscar Dronjak’s (HammerFall) MMA Hammer of Justice, Part 5 by clicking here.
** Oscar Dronjak’s (HammerFall) MMA Hammer of Justice, Part 6 by clicking here.
** Oscar Dronjak’s (HammerFall) MMA Hammer of Justice, Part 7 by clicking here.
** HammerFall’s new album, Infected, is out June 7th, 2011 on Nuclear Blast Records.
