We’re all in the eye of some super massive MMA hurricane that plans to abruptly pick up your house and relocate you to Xenia, Ohio by the end of the day on June 26. Starting tomorrow, the MMA world will ride the wave of nine MMA events that will leave us with only four consecutive days without a card. This might seem slightly overwhelming to some (and it should), so I’ve compiled this handy guide for you to methodically study and then recite to all of your co-workers in your office.
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Bellator XXI June 10th – 10:30pm PT/8pm ET – Fox Sports Net Fight to watch: Megumi Fujii vs. Sarah Schneider On paper, Mega Megu should take this however she wants as her and Cyborg are battling for the title of pound-for-pound best female fighter in MMA. However, as we’ve seen throughout 2010, being huge in Japan has no redeemable merit in the US. Shinya Aoki, Caol Uno, Mach Sakurai and Marius Zaromskis have all met defeat when facing their American counterpart. With that said, I still think Megumi takes this however she wants and she will probably look extraordinary doing so. |
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UFC 115 June 12th – 10 pm ET/7 pm PT – PPV Fight to watch: Pat Barry vs. Cro Cop This is so amazing of a fight that I don’t see why it hasn’t happened earlier. This is essentially the MMA equivalent of a DJ rocking old-school vinyl based turntables versus a DJ with an all digital, mp3 set-up. Someone told me that last week and it seemed like the most meaningful thing that could ever be said at that exact moment. Now it just seems like an incoherent analogy. Pat Barry is a younger, more compact version of Mirko Cro-Cop with both fighters competing in K-1 for a large portion of their career. If any of these guys win by submission, then you may see a fleet of pigs fly right by your window. It’s going to be an extremely tactical stand-up scrap and someone will be leaving the octagon without a head. |
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Strikeforce Los Angeles June 16th – 8pm PT – Showtime Fight to watch: Tim Kennedy vs. Trevor Prangley On our way to The Ultimate Chaos last Summer, we took a detour to this place called Cafe Risque. It’s a roadside diner disguised as a full service strip club. I met this waitress/stripper that wanted me to tell Tim Kennedy she said ‘Hi’. On June 16th, I will finally be able to fulfill that promise I made to that stripper nearly a year ago. Kennedy vs. Prangley should decide who will be in the running for the Strikeforce middleweight title whenever Jake Shields makes the ZUFFA leap in the immediate future. Trevor Prangley was actually the former MFC champion until Mark Pavelich cut Prangley because he fought in Shark Fights late last year (dude ended up winning another title). |
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Bellator XXII June 17th – 10:30pm PT/8pm ET – Fox Sports Net Fight to watch: Ben Askren vs. Dan Hornbuckle Damn. What an amazing fight that no one can decide on what the outcome will be. Hornbuckle has a disgustingly good ground game while Askren can immobilize most of the world’s population with his vastly superior wrestling. This one is going to go to the ground quickly and will probably stay there until someone loses consciousness. Granted, Askren is undefeated but has never faced a dude that is 21-2 with a KO win over Gono and Nick Thompson. Just be thankful to witness it live and most importantly, for free. |
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The Ultimate Fighter Season 11 Finale June 19th – 8 pm ET – Spike TV Fight to watch: James McSweeney vs. Travis Browne If you haven’t lived in Southern California, then you’re probably not familiar with Travis Browne. In just one year, he’s amassed a remarkable 9-0 MMA career with most of his fights going down in San Jacinto’s Gladiator Challenge. He’s only went the distance once in his short career and that was at Bellator X against Mychal Clark. Hopefully James McSweeney is not taking Travis Browne lightly, but with his Greg Jackson training don’t be surprised if McSweeney takes it to the ground and essentially grinds out the rest of the fight. |
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WEC 49 June 20th – 9 pm ET/6 pm PT – Versus Fight to watch: Chris Horodecki vs. Ed Ratcliff I’ll personally be watching the fight to see the same dude that cost me $100 at WEC 45. As Horodecki ran away from Anthony Njokuani, he was dropped by a right high-kick and eventually lost the fight via TKO. It became the animated .gif seen around the world. Before WEC 45, Horodecki’s only loss was to Ryan Schultz in the IFL so…I thought it was a safe bet with Horodecki coming in at +155. Damn was my wallet wrong. Hopefully, Horodecki will catch a W in this bout which, in some strange way, will make the $100 I lost not be in vain (but there’s no way I’m betting on this guy again). |
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Sengoku 13 June 20th – 3 am ET – HDNet Fight to watch: Masanori Kanehara vs. Marlon Sandro Sandro will face Kanehara for the SRC Featherweight belt and the common denominator in all of this is Michihiro Omigawa. Last year at the Sengoku Featherweight GP, Sandro faced Omigawa and with a 30-30, 30-30, 30-20 majority draw for Sandro, the judges had to institute a rule named the ‘must-call decision’ that somehow rendered the fight a victory for Omigawa. Trust me, it still doesn’t make any sense to this day. In the same GP, Kanehara lost to Hioki in the third round, but due to an injury sustained by Hioki, he was unable to continue. Kanehara stepped in against Omigawa and won a very controversial split decision and the Sengoku featherweight title. This bout is a must watch folks. |
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Bellator XXIII June 24th – 10:30pm PT/8pm ET – Fox Sports Net Fight to watch: Alexander Shlemenko vs. Bryan Baker Alexander Shlemenko is the definition of a dark horse. Dude spinning backfisted his way through the Bellator middleweight tournament and now he will face a 13-1 Bryan Baker whose only lost came from future US house representative, Chael Sonnen. This will wrap up the finals of the middleweight tournament with the winner getting a shot at Hector Lombard for the Bellator Middleweight strap. Shlemenko has been the underdog in every fight this year in Bellator, yet somehow he finds a way to win (even if it’s by dislocating a dude’s knee). |
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Strikeforce: Fedor vs. Werdum June 26th – 8 pm PT – Showtime Fight to watch: Fedor Emelianenko vs. Fabricio Werdum Do I really have to tell you why you should watch Fedor fight? If I do, then I have failed my role as an MMA writer and will resign immediately. The last loss Fedor’s baby brother had in his MMA career was by the hands of Fabricio Werdum. Strikeforce would bill this as a ‘Brother’s revenge’ match, but it’s safe to say that after Aleksander’s outburst regarding M-1 last year, they don’t really keep in touch. The winner of this bout gets a shot at Alistair Overeem and all of his horse meat uberness. This match will determine if we will finally get to see Overeem vs. Fedor in our lifetime. |
